"GEOFFREY!" Zander's voice was utterly panicked. Ethan was busy with protecting Amune, Nymira was trying to down a beast herself and Zander wasn't sure WHAT Cecil was doing. The howl rippled through the campsite, and for a second it felt like his healing spell would putter out until he put a bit more behind it. When it charged is when he had called out Geoffrey's name to grab the archer's attention to the charging monster.

He let the healing spell snap back into him, moved to grip his staff in a better position to roll and send the Alpha Beast crashing into the brush behind him. Geoffrey snapped to attention, fired off two arrows at the larger beast and cussed loudly when it dodged them by strafing out of the way. Geoffrey blinked when the beast was suddenly on the ground a few feet from his position in front of Zander. His keen eyes followed the fist to the owner and stood still. Cecil had that kind of power!? Watching the electric charge seem to gather on the young looking boy and turned his eyes to the last of the beasts. They seemed to focus their molten eyes on Cecil and without a second thought pulled up the two arrows in the dirt. This would be the only chance he had to do this.

Taking a deep breath and feeling Zander's right hand brace him. His staff placed to the ground. Letting the first arrow fly he heard Zander take a deep breath and put the Reed Whistle to his mouth and blew! The Vazra were still hounds, their ears sensitive to loud noises and the reed whistle did it's duty. The one Nymira was going after howled as the Alpha was being smashed into the ground and Geoffrey's arrow hit the mark. The arrow caught smoldered as it passed out the other side of the beasts head.

Geoffrey's second arrow was already notched, waiting to see if anything else moved and felt Zander tap his shoulder. He nodded and moved with him slowly.

"C... Cecil..." Zander held his hands out as he moved slowly towards the Muran his actions slow and deliberate. "Cecil, it's dead..." He wouldn't admit it upon pain of death but he gasped when the Muran Electric Magi sent the beast flying across the campsite. He gulped and refused to look at what was basically a pound of flesh against the treeline. He kept his eyes focused on Cecil and pulled some of his magic to him slowly. He doubted sleep would work and he didn't have the power to fully command it but he cast out his magic slowly, probbing at the sparking boy. He could only imagine what kind of damage his... "hand" had.

Sweeping his eyes around, he didn't see anything like one of those beasts moving, but Geoffrey did clear his throat so the others could hear him, "Any idea what in the Saint's Names those things are... Never had a crossing with 'em before mind ya... Ethan!? Ya alright there, pal? Nymira? Amune?"

Some places still had the saliva and smoldering effects going on, Geoffrey wasn't sure if he counted right, but that should have been all of the beasts that came for them. Walking towards one of the smoldering spit spots he kicked dirt over it to keep it from spreading and causing a wild fire that he doubted even Nymira's flame magic could handle. Than again he knew so little about magic.

"So..." clearing his throat again. "Nymira... ya got some spicy hands there... Any chance of putting out the flames just in case?"

Well this was a nightmare if he'd ever seen one. Perhaps they would wake up any moment and none of these hounds would be here, that would be just swell. Yet the fatigue he felt was very real, and the smell of burning plant life and even Nymira's leg carried through the air, there was no mistaking this was real. With everything else going on too Amuné was in danger and someone had to keep an eye on her; Wyth could fight, but there was worry with what these creatures might do to him if they got a hold of the moorcat. For that reason Ethan had rushed to the girl's side, throwing what little remained of his strength into a gust to send the hound tumbling away. That was all the cue Wyth needed as the moorcat went in for the kill, promptly sinking his fangs into the Vazra's throat for the final blow.

"Hah... Good boy..." Saints was he tired, his entire body felt like it just wanted to shut down any second. Still the fight was going on even if it was dwindling down, he couldn't rest until everyone was safe and the beasts slain. Hearing the monstrous howl at their backs Ethan turned and gawked at the alpha charging down Geoffrey and Zander, too far to intervene and too tired to cast any meaningful spell. Those two were dead if it was upon them, and Nymira was still too busy contending with a final hound of her own to be of help. That's when his eyes found Cecil, watching the Machina spring into action at the last second and seizing hold of the hound. That was exactly what they needed, fantastic! Feeling an abrupt surge of energy, adrenaline he figured, Ethan was prepared to go over and help. He'd not taken even his first step however before his body seized up.

What was this? What was he seeing? His friends dying, torn to shreds by that beast. Vision flashing between what was happening before him and these untold scenes in his mind Ethan tried to force his body to move, staggering but hardly budging. A pain in his skull unlike anything he'd felt before, similar he imagined to one putting their own head in a clamp. Reaching up and grabbing the sides of his head he fell down to his knees as a breathless scream escaped his lips, the fatigue returning as soon as it had gone and pain along with it. It took only a second for him to double over after that, laid out in the dirt with a blank stare, having passed out from the exhaustion and sudden onset of pain. He heard Amuné calling to him albeit barely, her voice sounding muffled as though he were under water. The last thing he saw was her panicked face in his own, unable to hear even her voice before everything went dark.

Just the alpha and this pup left and they would be in the clear. Damn if these beasts weren't troublesome though. More than once Nymira had tried to drive her dagger into the Vazra's neck onto to have to draw back and avoid the saliva it secreted, not wishing to be burned a second time. It was quick yet so was she, their fight devolving to a game of tag almost as one tried to outmaneuver the other. With the alpha on the attack she could do little to help with her own hands full currently, taking some relief in Cecil finally taking up arms. Back to her own battle the hound was squatted low, its fangs barred as it poised to lunge. Crouching down herself the Dimuran loosened the grip on her dagger, eyes locked on the creature's as she waited for its move. As soon as it sprung up she reacted, trying to time her movements precisely to see it dead.

With a flick of her wrist she threw her dagger at the Vazra and found the blade a new home in its chest. Rolling then to the side she watched as the hound tumbled into the dirt, weakened by having an organ likely punctured by her blade. Scrambling over as it tried to get up she pushed it on the ground, ignoring the discomfort from the heat against her skin as she gathered flames swiftly, engulfing the hound in her magic. It wasn't enough to kill the beast but it did burn away much of the skin, leaving a charred and heavily weakened Vazra after a moment. Not taking so much as a second to breathe Nymira yanked her dagger free, flipping it over before burying its sharp edge in the neck of the beast. Using both hands to push it down up to its grip she held it there, not moving as the beast let out a few choked snarls before finally succumbing to its wounds, its head laying down in the dirt as the final breath passed its lips. And with that every one of those beasts was slain, and somehow every one of them alive.

That was her initial impression, yet Amuné's frightened screams nearly made her think otherwise. Looking over at the pair she frowned seeing Ethan on the ground, yet even from her place she could see his back rising and falling. "Idiot likely pushed himself too hard, no reason to worry, he's passed out," the Dimuran explained, yanking her weapon free and shaking it of any fluids on the blade. She was nearly at that point herself as she was feeling rather light headed, having expended more energy than she'd have liked burning that hound. Wondering what had become of the alpha, having been too engrossed in her own fight, Nymira glanced around until she spotted the mangled corpse of the beast against a nearby tree, no doubt Cecil's handiwork. He'd come in handy if more of those beasts showed up, she counted them lucky to have a warrior like him in their ranks.

"They're called 'Vazra', at least in my people's tongue," Nymira explained, pushing the corpse at her feet with her foot, wiping her brow on her arm to clean grime and sweat, "We don't know where they come from really. Some say the Void, others say they're summoned beasts. All I know is I thought they were native to Dimuran territory, beasts that live near volcanoes and in craters and chasms. I have no idea why one would be all the way out here..." Animals tended to migrate, this much she knew. Yet the Vazra had always remained in those territories, preferring the barren, smoldering terrain. Come to think of it too they were so sparse in number she'd almost thought them extinct, so why was a pack this far away?

No matter, the beasts lay dead and whatever threat they might pose was gone with them. Nymira might be more concerned had she the energy for it, yet as things were she barely had the energy to stand, never mind contemplate migration patterns. Heading towards the rest of the group at the cart she paused briefly at Cecil, giving him a rare, genuine smile of approval as she slapped him on the back. He'd saved those two simpletons today, and perhaps all of them. This was the second time now he'd proven invaluable to their efforts, she'd have to see him rewarded handsomely when all was said and done.

"I don't have the energy to be casting spells anymore, I've not even eaten breakfast," Nymira answered, "But just turn over the soil and bury the embers, that's all we need. You two can handle that, I'm sitting in the cart." She'd prefer to take a bath at this point given how filthy she was but there was no real water nearby, and they should be moving anyways to avoid another ambush, should there be more Vazra about. Through all the chaos the horses hadn't run away from them though they were clearly spooked, still prancing about against the trees which they were tied to. And with Ethan's idiotic self having burned out he wasn't available to calm them down.

"He's fine child, he's just spent too much energy," Nymira said as she squatted beside Amuné, placing a hand on the frantic girl's head, "I'll get him in the cart and he can rest, he'll be with us again by the afternoon I'm sure." Letting out a sigh she glanced at the Muran before linking her hands beneath his arms, managing to get him into a sitting position at the very least. Saints he was heavy, though her own fatigue did little to help with that. Grunting as she dragged him across the grass she circled around to the rear of the cart, getting him halfway onto it first before simply throwing his legs up, leaving him splayed a bit awkwardly but on well enough to get moving. Climbing up after him she moved to the front, sitting down on the cart and laying her head back. "Geoffrey, we should try getting to the next town soon. Vazra tend to hunt each other as much as they do other creatures. If there are more about you can bet they'll come here for an easy meal."

With his hands still ready to grab and attack whatever came close to him Cecil’s body continued to buzz, his eyes staring at the very dead Vazra before he quickly turned his attention to Zander when he realised he called out his name. His eyes were very focused and sharp, his expression angry and cold before gradually disappearing. He didn’t know what had come over him, he just snapped and looking back at the destruction he had wrought on that one beast he had been in that state for either a long time or he had done all that in such a short space of time. Gasping, he quickly looked to his gauntlets before shaking them, trying to get the loose blood and melting saliva off. The saliva was doing the same as the toxic creatures from the other night did; nothing. His gauntlets didn’t melt, it just slid right off. Staring at his gauntlets momentarily his eyes flickered, causing him to look up in alert to see what was doing that.

Zander was staring at him with his hand out to him, slowly walking towards him. He was doing something or rather trying to do something, but all it was managing to do was put his alerts on at high. Very quickly Cecil stumbled back and fell onto his back, quickly turning over and wiping his gauntlets on the grass. “No! Don’t I-I’m fine! Look, see??” he spoke quickly before dashing up, stumbling momentarily as he rushed over to the cart. He didn’t know what to do about that, he was just so confused. Coming to a stop briefly he took notice of Ethan, staring at him as he grew confused over what happened to him. He didn’t look damaged, but he was still not functioning.

None of this should had happened, he shouldn’t had ran back. If he knew he was capable of dealing such damage to one then he should had just fought them on the road. What a coward he had been, now their morning had been ruined. Frowning deeply as he stared downwards he gasped lightly when Nymira came over to him, giving him a smile and slapping him on the back. He didn’t understand that gesture, was she happy with him or was that telling him off? She looked happy, but he didn’t know if that could compare with how everyone else was feeling right now. She was the only one he had seen that had the fighting attitude, but nobody else did.

Not understanding how to feel he slowly turned away and looked to the cart, wondering what he was to do until that thought was interrupted by Nymira taking Ethan onto the cart, staring as she too decided to get on as well. This was just making everything so much more complicated, knowing sneaking off was going to be difficult if nearly everyone was going to be on the cart too. Looking over his shoulder at the camp he frowned at the sight of it, knowing he caused a lot of the damage and disturbed everyone. Not knowing how to feel about it he frowned and turned back to the cart only to gasp when Wyth snarled at him, staring at the moorcat before looking to Amuné.

Even though Amuné had attempted to make things mildly better Cecil felt he had got the message well and good, even Amuné’s reaction to him. She wouldn’t even look at him properly or refer to him by his given name. As every little bit of hope that he might’ve in actual fact done something respectful drained out of him he lowered his head as he slowly climbed into the cart, moving quietly into the far corner. “…It’s C-X 00, if you forgot…” he muttered, finding the corner of the cart to be a bit of a tight squeeze, releasing his gauntlets and simply kicking them off to his side with little regard to them being ever a part of him.

Zander stared after the Cecil, a frown marring his face and retracted the magic back into his being. He nodded when Cecil showed his gauntlet clad hand was fine and without burn marks. He had a feeling like he was missing the most obvious thing in the world, but put it aside again and smoved towards the tent that had been set up. Geoffrey had put his arrows that hadn't been destroyed into the quiver attached to his horse, and moved to snicker at Zander's attempt to help out.

"Vazra... Never encountered 'em before..." Geoffrey shrugged and couldn't help but let out a small laugh when Nymira mentioned lack of breakfast. "Should be some in me pack on the cart. Jerky most likely, not da best breaking of the fast, but better 'an-nuffin." He kicked soil onto the burning pieces and left the carcasses of the Vazra were they lay. He'd take the Fire Magi's word for it about where there was one pack more would follow swiftly. Grabbing the turned over pot, and sighing as he used what little was left inside it to pour over the small campfire he frowned.

"Zander, take the stakes out first," Geoffrey called out to the healer. He was slowly starting to awaken from his sleep addled mind. "You lot look tired as well. I'll tie the horses to a lead, get us all moving. If we press hard, I'd say by sunset we'd be gettin' ta Warren."

Zander scowled at the tent, took out the stakes in the ground, and grumbled as it came down. He knew so little about this stuff, he usually begged off to ride in carts himself but knew someone would tell him he hadn't done anything major to warrent it. Sighing, folding and doing the small busy work he put the tent onto the cart. It wasn't as neatly done as it was taken from the other night, but it would work.

"Nymira," Zander spoke up. "If the burns act up. Let me know..." That was as nice as he was going to get with the woman. He cast his gaze over Amune and Ethan. They really did have the look of siblings, save for being different races. He nodded to Cecil and turned on his heel to get his own horse up and going. "A goose feathered pillowed bed sounds amazing if you lot ask me."

"Pray we don't encounter them again. We were fortunate this time, they're not the easiest of beasts to deal with," Nymira pointed out, grabbing Ethan to get him into the cart. Jerky hardly sounded like an ideal meal yet it was better than nothing as Geoffrey said. At least that's what she thought he said, his inflection made it nigh impossible to know what he was saying half of the time. Once she'd gotten the Muran into the cart she climbed in herself and sat at the head of it, fetching a strip of the jerky and nursing it slowly. When they finally did reach Warren a good bath would be needed, then a nice hot meal and perhaps a proper rest in a bed. Assuming she still had the money for all of that anyways, she hadn't a clue what was left over or still of its worth.

Hearing the clatter of metal Nymira cast a glance towards Cecil, frowning when he cast aside his gauntlets. "You mean Cecil, not... Whatever that is. We know what your name is," she interjected as she leaned forward, fetching the gauntlets and placing them before the Machina, "If you're ashamed of what you did don't be. This is the second time you've saved us from a threat, we're indebted to you." Praise from her was a commodity that didn't always come easily, not that she expected him to know that. After being the sole reason they had escaped with their lives twice in almost a day's time she felt he deserved at least that much from her. She'd pay him as well if she thought he wanted money, or reward him in some way had she an idea of what he wanted. Instead he'd have to settle for praise and the knowledge they all owed him their lives.

"I'll be fine Zander, thank you." Nymira wasn't going to rely on anyone more than she had to, she still had her pride to consider. She'd already been saved twice by Cecil and grateful as she was it was also a glaring issue for her. She was a warrior and among the best in her clan, rivaled by as few as there were in this ragtag group of theirs. If she was unable to fight out here then what hope was there for the rest of her kin? She'd have to do better, she couldn't keep being saved or relying on others to come to her aid. She just needed an escort, combat should be a trivial concern to her. Next encounter, whatever it was, she'd have to properly display just what a Dimuran princess was capable of.

---

Arriving in Warren after so much trouble seemed like a godsend. While not the largest of towns nor the most welcoming it was still a haven away from the chaos they'd been facing, a sense of normalcy after two days of anything but. After being admitted through the gates by the guard they went promptly to the stables to put their horses in, finding their way to the nearest inn afterwards. A group of 6 arriving unannounced, 7 if one counted Wyth was sure to turn some heads, and the tavern went quiet initially when everyone entered. It may have something to do with their appearances as well, dirtied and in some instances slightly bloodied, looking like they had been through hell just to arrive here. But then that wasn't completely uncommon for travelers as wild beasts could and did harass those traveling through the roads. After the initial curiosity had faded the group was left to their own devices, rooms were rented and everyone was allowed to relax for the first time in a long while.

The first stop was the bathhouse, with Nymira leading the charge to it. For a woman who was used to being on the road and getting dirty she had no love for being covered in grime, the idea of being clean all too appealing to her. After taking extra care to rinse her wound she cleaned herself and relished the feeling of being submerged for a while longer. Eventually however the others had finished as well and redressed, making their collective way back to the tavern for a long overdue meal. Compared to their light snacks of jerky and dried fruits earlier the food here, however simple, would seem like a buffet by comparison.

Ethan was equal parts eager to be in Warren as he was confused, not completely knowing how he'd come to be there. The last thing he recalled was fighting those hounds before blacking out, waking up just as they were crossing the bridge to the town's gates. The remnant's of a nasty headache still lingered between his eyes, something which faded gradually as they sat in the bathhouse. While much of the day had been lost due to his being out he couldn't be happier when everyone returned to the tavern, just glad that no one had been seriously injured in the battle with the beasts. Nymira had her burns which were since cleansed and bandaged, it would likely be a day or two before the herbs she used really took effect. That aside just some minor scrapes and bruises were all they had to show for the encounter, that and perhaps rattled nerves. Wolves were scary enough to fight, he'd never imagined they'd fight something like the Vazra.

"Oh man, I can't wait. I don't even know what they're cooking, all I know is I want it!" Ethan said aloud, beaming as he practically salivated. He could smell some kind of meat from the kitchen as well as the unmistakable scent of bread being baked. How many times had he passed by old Miss Tutton's house and smelled those loaves of bread she used to bake? Every day she'd make one, hand it to him and ask he bring it by the barracks for the guard to enjoy. He always loved stopping there, he'd get a sweet from her too for a job well done and sometimes even a little slice of bread all his own. Thinking about food while waiting for food only served to exacerbate his hunger, his stomach growling in protest as his hands set over it.

"I want food now... I'm so hungry..." Ethan whined, laying his head on the table as his eyes almost seemed to tear up, "Bread, fish, anything... I'm starving over here!"

"You're fine, stop crying about it," Nymira snapped, rolling her eyes as Ethan continued anyways with his display. "Had you not passed out on us you would have had plenty of time to eat. We've all had snacks at least, no one else is complaining." Honestly the fact the simpleton had managed to outdo himself so much he'd passed out still baffled her. She couldn't say for his training, if he'd even had any, but the first thing she'd been told as a Magi was never go past your limits. He'd been lucky and just passed out but there were far more dire consequences than simply losing consciousness.

Grabbing her mug of ale Nymira swirled the dark liquid around a few times, taking a deep sip and letting out a contented sigh. It wasn't remotely powerful this ale, and a bit too sweet for her liking. The ales they crafted back home were far more potent than this and could put a full grown Dimuran on their rear in half a glass, but this felt like she was drinking a juice. Still, it served to soothe her parched throat and put something in her stomach while they waited for the food. "Before I forget to ask, Geoffrey, what do you require for bringing us out here?" she posed to their guide, giving him a glance across the table, "I have money and I'm willing to pay whatever you ask, it's only fair seeing as we were attacked. Name your price and you'll have it."

"How about he asks for some food? Maybe we'll get our meals sooner," Ethan repeated as his stomach grumbled yet again. Grabbing his own mug he examined the untouched drink, not entirely sure why he'd let Nymira order for him. He'd never really drank ale save for one time, and he'd been left rather ill as a result. It had been similar to this too, sweet like honey and deceptively easy to put down. By the day's end however he'd regretted ever having a single sip. It had been bought for him though and he shouldn't waste something someone else gave him. Taking a tentative sip his face contorted in a grimace, disliking the burning sensation as he shook his head. "Ugh... How do people drink this stuff..."

Cecil had been thinking about what Nymira had told him throughout the journey, but his own doubts over his own control and the reality setting in had him feeling undeniably terrible. Everything was coming crashing down on him all at once, making him feel overwhelmed and unable to shake off the worry that he was going to seriously hurt someone sometime soon. Everything destructive that he did was still a part of his programming, he was always going to struggle between his own identity and what he truly was. Maybe it was simply childish to think he could be a part of the organic civilisation, maybe not; either way, he didn’t know where he belonged. To be told he had done a good job doing what he was designed to do made him wonder if it was anything spectacular at all. Nymira was just trying to make him feel better, he knew that and appreciated it, only problem was he couldn’t overlook the fact that the world saw him as a strange Machina doing what he was made to do.

Throughout the entire journey he couldn’t help but feel that way, that all the praise he might receive in the future was just the result of him following his programming. He didn’t want to be like this though, he didn’t want to continue feeling the guilt that could only be created from destroying organic lifeforms. He was certainly feeling a little less than confident that he should even be here with them. He should had just jumped out earlier, but lost that opportunity when he had instead phased out mentally. His processing was running slower than usual, his power only running at a third of what it usually did and by the time he had recovered everybody was already getting out. His processing hadn’t completely returned, he was just functioning at this point and was remaining fairly quiet.

While he couldn’t wash up like everyone else he still managed to find a cloth to clean his gauntlets, quietly washing up as everyone else bathed and bandaged their injuries. He didn’t have any injuries, he had managed to get out of it completely injury-free even though he really shouldn’t had. He had brought those creatures to the campsite originally, he should had been much more careful.

As everyone was now much better off than what they were when they arrived it was time to eat, only problem was he didn’t eat or have a need to consume anything for fuel. This was a fairly common problem he faced as it meant he had no chance of looking like he might just be a normal Muran. Everybody was happily drinking various liquids and waiting for their food, but Cecil had nothing and no reason to be there. He instead sat away from the table with his chair facing away from the others, looking like he was still with the group but keeping out of their conversations. He didn’t want to get any closer, especially with Wyth nearby. Sitting quietly he instead mindlessly flipped the end of his index finger off before flipping it back on again, continuing to do so as if it was a simple distraction like picking your fingernails.

Entering the smaller city had been fun, Geoffrey called out hello's to almost everyone they passed in the streets out this late. To pointing out the bath house which Nymira seemed to steer them towards without asking for directions. He grinned as Ethan seemed to return to the waking world which sped them up just a little.

Horses stabled. Bathhouse fun time over with and here they sat in a tavern waiting for a meal that Geoffrey had not even tried to talk them out of. One of the finer tavern's since the Silver Coffer only had beds not a dining area or a bar area. More of a rustic inn for travelers heading towards some of the bigger cities in the area. He leaned back in his chair, arms stretched out over his head as he loosened muscles in his back. He had ordered a sweeter ale for himself, and red wine for Zander knowing the healer who was taking his time in the bathhouse would appreciate it.

Zander bathed after the others had left, and fewer still were in the bathing area itself. He scrubbed at the scab on his chest with vigor. It bleed slowly but from the lack of using his magic from this morning, his healing sped up faster. It was the only thing that kept him moving most times he was in a scuffle. Drying and heading towards the group he kept his eyes open for anything out of place.

He rolled his eyes as Zander heard Ethan whining about wanting food. He sat, sniffed his wine, took a sip and swallowed. He turned slightly in his seat to keep an eye on everyone and the patrons in the tavern to see who was doing what. He watched Cecil pick at his nails from the way he was positioned. At least that's what it looked like from this angle. As Nymira asked her question to Geoffrey, Zander tilted his head and looked at Geoffrey.

"Leaving already," Zander spoke softly casting his eyes away from the table and took another sip of the wine. Geoffrey finished stretching, smacked Zander lightly upside the head and looked at Nymira seriously.

"Keep it. Let me continue. My mother wants me to stay away from town for time being since this one was loud with his presence," Geoffrey let a grin slide on his face and leaned back rocking his chair on it's back legs. "If that's alright with you, of course." He placed his tankard back on the table as he rocked waiting for the food. He made sure he spoke without his normal slang so there wouldn't be any confusion.

Zander sipped at his wine as Amuné spoke her story. That wasn't how the Church told it, than again he didn't pay much attention to the other stories about the Saints. Geoffrey was enthralled enough with a new tale to tell, that he couldn't help but let out a soft snort as Amuné finished her tale.

"Sad indeed," Geoffrey said with a side glance at Zander. "I don't think I've 'eard that un before." Zander shrugged and kept his eyes away from those at the table. This had to be the interlude, the small moment before they all headed out.

Letting out a sigh, Geoffrey leaned back again in his chair, "So besides tales of constellations. Wha else ya got in dat 'ead of yers?"

"Honeslty Geoffrey..." Zander sighed and set down the half empty glass down. "So what brought you all together? I've been wondering that since that office visit from her majesty."

“Most adults have more fortitude than a child, that’s how people drink it,” Nymira answered, rolling her eyes as Ethan once again attempted to drink it, “Seven hells… If you don’t like it then don’t drink it!” Honestly was it that difficult? She’d assumed he had some taste for alcohol, it seemed like every other bloody Muran in these parts did. If he was so sensitive to the liquor then he could get water, or some milk, something that wouldn’t upset his sensitive palate.

“I don’t want to waste it though, I mean you did buy it for me,” Ethan responded, grimacing as he forced himself to take another swig.

“I’m more offended by your idiotic expressions than I would be your turning down the drink!”

That may be, but he still wasn’t going to waste it. As silly as it might be it was in a way a gift, he wasn’t going to turn away a gift. Even if that gift was probably what a horse’s rear end tasted like. Sloshing around the liquid in his glass he frowned, pinching his nose and tossing back the remainder of the glass, which was quite a bit. Letting out a gasp as it all went down he burped, groaning and laying his head on the table.

“Idiot…” Was all Nymira could muster, shaking her head in disbelief. Why force yourself to do something you disliked? “And you may travel with us Geoffrey, having a guide who knows where we’re going is invaluable. I’ll be sure you’re paid properly.”

Everyone went quiet for Amuné’s recital of the story, mostly out of respect more than anything. Nymira hadn’t heard the tale and could care less for it, yet she found it adorable how enraptured the girl was in her own tale. Ethan for the most part had heard a variation of it but wasn’t completely paying attention, trying to keep down the burning liquor assaulting his stomach.

Cecil, on the other hand, was not at all impressed. He didn’t even give Amuné a glance as she told the story, instead going quiet and staring at the floor. Being a Machina he had no reason to care about the Saints or their exploits. The Saints was something for those of flesh, not one of metal and circuits.

“We’re all out for our own thing I guess…” Ethan muttered, pausing to belch again and rub at his stomach, “I met Amuné and Cecil a while back, and we found Nymira back in Galloway with a guy named Norman, well kind of…”

“Found isn’t what I would call it. You poked your nose in business that wasn’t yours,” Nymira retorted with a frown, admonishing Ethan’s state before looking at Geoffrey, “That’s the gist of it though. We’re simply traveling together because it’s easy, traveling alone is a hassle.”

Nymira’s words hit Cecil particularly hard, even if she didn’t mean for them to. With all the praise he had received it had been primarily from Nymira and hearing her speak of the journey as one of simple convenience made him wonder if any of the praise was real. It most likely wasn’t real, she was just speaking in the sense of a warrior out of thanks that they didn’t die. Traveling alone was a hassle because it left you vulnerable, but she didn’t have to worry about that anymore when she had so many around her that could do the same job he did. She didn’t appreciate the fact that Norman had asked for them to check up on her and they never would had met her if he didn’t lose so much power and need a new battery. In Cecil’s mind the conclusion was she saw what he did and thought it was convenient that he was with them, but every other aspect she didn’t care about.

"Oh come on, that's not true!" Ethan said, smiling as he finally lifted his head from the table, “Maybe that’s why we started traveling together, but we’re all friends now, right? We’re having fun.” Well perhaps fun wasn’t the best fit here. Being attacked by Magi was far from fun, as was witnessing a manor be overrun by homicidal Machina. Still though, he wouldn’t say this was a terrible time. Meeting new people was always nice and the circumstances around that shouldn’t ruin the experience.

“Friends? You could call it that. I don’t know if I typically consider my retainers to be my friends,” Nymira stated indifferently, taking a sip of her ale, “Besides…” she continued, pausing as she wiped her mouth with a napkin, “We may travel together now, but as soon as we find what we are looking for we’ll go our separate ways. The way I see it we’re traveling together purely for convenience. Whether you agree with me or not isn’t my concern.”

Cecil didn’t need to assume anymore; Nymira had instead outright said it. Staring at the floor for a moment he glanced over to the others, seeing them completely occupied with each other before his eyes moved to the door. Maybe this was as good a time as any, somebody would need his chair eventually. Making a side glance to the group again he soon slowly stood up, going quite blank in the face as he made his way silently towards the door. If what he did was simply a convenient outcome then there was no reason for him to continue being around and scaring everyone. Quietly opening the front door Cecil quickly exited, not giving so much as a glance back.

Now how could anyone think like that? They had been through quite a lot in the past few days, how could anyone say they weren’t friends after that? Ethan was beside himself, not sure what at all to say in reply to Nymira. Instead he could only stare at her silently before he tore his attention away when Cecil got up from his seat. Giving the Machina a quizzical look he frowned when their friend left the room, glancing once at the Dimuran before getting up.

"Oh no... Amuné, wait here." He was really upset if he was just getting up and leaving like that. “Cecil, wait a second!” Ethan called, stumbling slightly before hurrying after his friend. Stupid ale, had him all out of sorts.

Nymira watched the pair leave before simply dismissing it with a shrug, not terribly concerned that Cecil had left. Was he thinking they were friends here? She commended him as a warrior, this much was true, and they were certainly indebted to him for saving their lives. Yet they knew nothing of each other, how could they be friends? They had completely separate goals and traveled purely for convenience sake, not for pleasure. She had a difficult time understanding why that was so hard to accept, it was the truth.

“Alright you lot, here’s yer food!” one of the cooks called, leading the way with two trays in hand and two barmaids at his heels. In all there were six trays of food, one for every member of the group including Wyth to enjoy. “Hope it’s to yer liking, rare that we get a dignitary like yerself through here miss,” he spoke to Nymira, setting down her tray first and taking a small bow before handing over Amuné’s next. “Please, if there’s anything else you need…” he began again, pausing noticing two seats were now empty, “Er… Weren’t there others with you?”

“They’ll be back, don’t mind them,” Nymira answered as she examined her food, prodding a rather hefty looking steak with her fork before slicing into it, “That’ll be all for now sir, thank you.”

Cecil didn’t know what he was going to do from here, but that was just the thing about going on by yourself. He had enough thought about doing this so it was nothing spontaneous, he just had the final reason to go. He wasn’t like them, he couldn’t eat and drink all merrily like they could, he couldn’t do anything they could and was always going to be the outcast of the group. When his only quirk was being able to destroy attackers to a bloody pulp he felt he didn’t belong in a group that halfway protested his function. That’s all he was: a combat-type Machina. He didn’t know why they wanted him around if that’s all he was, not to mention he had cost them a lot of time. The worst part about all of it was how they treated the other Machina who went into combat mode. He could tell by that reaction that if he ever went back into combat mode and happened to direct his objective onto them he would be the one to be melted. Nymira didn’t see him as a friend, she just saw him as something useful until he was no longer useful.

It wasn’t as if he had a purpose for travelling, anyway. He never stated his purpose for travelling to the city because he didn’t know, nor did he understand what they hoped to accomplish by taking him with them. He could continue to travel alone, all he was doing was costing them money but with him gone they could sell the oil they got from Norman so they could eat again another night. He wouldn’t be giving them grief anymore by having to stop because he needed repairs or a tune-up. Even Norman didn’t know what was wrong with him which certainly said a lot.

Walking away at a moderate speed he ignored Ethan’s call, continuing to make his way out with his head held low. Ethan would eventually stop and realise what he was doing was pointless and head back to consume his food. Staring down at the ground as he moved he raised his head momentarily when he heard something still behind him, not only Ethan but others, looking back with a glance to see Amuné and Wyth also there. He didn’t understand why they would want to follow him, they were the two who didn’t want anything to do with him in the first place. Pausing for a moment he soon moved quicker before dashing inbetween two buildings, jumping against the wall of one before bouncing off it and onto the opposite one, walljumping all the way up until he landed on the tiled roof. They couldn’t follow him up here, surely, they would give up probably.

"Ethan really she does have a point," Geoffrey said chuckling. "If ya don' wan' it 'and it o'er." Geoffrey was enjoying himself, this small group of traveler's seemed to actually have their actions and personalities together. He let his chair hit the floor with a clank, downed the rest of his pint and held it up with a wink at one of the barmaids for a refill. Being sensible in this, he covered his mouth when he let out a burp to show his like for the taste and tuned back into the conversation going on.

“Found isn’t what I would call it. You poked your nose in business that wasn’t yours,” Nymira retorted with a frown, admonishing Ethan’s state before looking at Geoffrey, “That’s the gist of it though. We’re simply traveling together because it’s easy, traveling alone is a hassle.”

As the Inn Owner's Son opened his mouth to tell about how he met Zander, he was surprisingly enough cut off and not by said Healer either. He let his eyes cut tot he side where Cecil sat almost as if by himself. When Nymira called them retainers he felt his neck hair stand on end and he cast a hard look at the Dimuran. Again he went to open his mouth and again was stopped short. Cecil looked over at them, a frown marred Geoffrey's face in response and surprise replaced it as the Machina headed for the door.

Zander watched all of this as he nursed his wine from the glass. He kept to himself knowing full well it would turn into a shouting match between him and Nymira if he said what he was thinking. Retainer? A Starsion being a retainer!? The sound of it was as absurd as the Dimuran was with her higher-than-thou attitude. He was a Starsion at least. He was ALLOWED to have such an attitude of course. When the barmaid refilled Geoffrey's mug Zander motioned for his own glass to be refilled as they waited for the food.

"I'm still not friends with Zander," she grumbled, folding her arms and frowning. Zander let out a laugh and a grin at that comment. "Says the young girl with the power to command that large cat... A frightening ability within and of itself." He wouldn't admit that he ignored Amune say earlier that she and the moor cat had a bond, he knew little of the other races and how they acted being in his Shrine Temple to Edos almost all his life. When Cecil left, he gave it little thought. The Machina refused to see reason and Nymira wasn't helping the poor boy settle his own mind.

As Ethan gave chase, the food arriving and Amune's childish outburst, Zander couldn't help but laugh as Nymira seemed unaffected by it and cut into her steak. He opened his mouth to call her a heathen for not even saying a prayer over the food, when Geoffrey's chair clattered to the ground with a loud clank.

"Ignore her Geoffrey," Zander spoke as he brought his hands clasped together in a silent pray for the food. "She's a point to what she says. Neither side knows the other enough to begin the calling of friendship. Let sleeping dogs lie. Do your people not pray before they eat?" Zander asked as if talking about the weather.

Geoffrey scowled down at Zander, sat, and proceeded to ignore the food for the moment. He would wait for Ethan, Amune and Cecil to return. He had manners after all, one did not start eating until all party members assembled to begin a meal. Nymira seemed alright at first, and perhaps, Zander with his higher knowledge of this type of political movement had the right of it. Amune had made her point, so had Ethan and Nymira had made hers... So why wasn't this sitting well with him?

Nymira didn't understand why others were so offended when she only spoke the truth. Perhaps Ethan and Amuné were friends, and Ethan was probably friends with Cecil as well, but that was where the friendships ended. They still hardly knew one another and she couldn't understand how this brief time could allow anyone to truly be friends. Zander and Geoffrey were largely strangers and two people who were only with them because of circumstance: if two travelers banded together for better chances of survival did that make them friends? Or was it for convenience? For all the offense taken from her statements the Dimuran could only shrug off her criticisms, her mind unwavering and her stance remaining the same.

"Hey Amuné, we need to try being nice, right? We're traveling together, arguing doesn't help anything," Ethan chided gently, smiling as he reached over and pat the young Ydran on the back. Yes Zander could be... Difficult, but he wasn't a bad person, just as Nymira wasn't. They might need a bit of time but they would come around and everyone would get along eventually, he was certain of that.

No reinforcement on Ethan's part was going to stem this fire it seemed. Amuné had already made up her mind she disliked what was being said and with Cecil now leaving she was no doubt infuriated. Nymira simply sat and let the young girl get her thoughts out, finding the outburst to be both childish and unnecessary. Sighing as Cecil left the room she took another sip of her ale, directing her eyes to the young girl once more as she went on.

"If he cannot handle the truth then that's not my fault. It's more cruel to lie to him, don't you think? We should be upfront about things." Cecil had run off by now with Ethan hot on his heels, and now Amuné too was leaving to chase after that blundering fool. Nymira might consider checking on them had food not arrived, her hunger overriding her marginal concern for where they might be going. They would come back, she told herself, cutting into her food to examine it, they had to. Once they blew off a bit of steam and reflected on what was said they would realize the truth behind her words and accept them, even if they might not like them.

Biting into her steak the Dimuran found it to be a bit rough yet adequately seasoned, though not sure what it was seasoned with. Certainly better tasting than the hastily stripped and cooked meals she'd had as of late, she'd gladly eat this. Glancing up briefly at Zander she shrugged again, taking another sample and chasing it down with a drink of her ale. "I pray if I've killed for my meal, and I pray for special occasions. I don't pray for every single meal, that's ridiculous," Nymira answered plainly, "We've more important things to worry about than making sure we thank the Saints for every apple or nut we enjoy with our meal, don't you think?"

If Ethan could put one foot in front of him without stumbling he'd have easily caught Cecil by now. Unfortunately that single glass of ale was more than he generally drank in an entire month and it was having its effects on his empty stomach; managing to navigate to the door he hiccuped loudly when passing through, getting out just in time to see Cecil jump up to the rooftop. Groaning in realizing he now had to give chase in his state he put a hand on his stomach, turning when he heard the door open again behind him. Why had Amuné come after them? She disliked Cecil right now so that couldn't be it, so it had to be over what Nymira was saying.

"Hey Amuné... I need you to go back inside, okay? I uh..." Ethan began, taking a pause to cover his mouth as he belched, "Ugh... I need to talk to Cecil okay? And you should go eat, we might not have a chance to later." With how hectic their days had been as of late they really should take advantage of every period of reprieve they got. Saints only knew what was in store for them later. Seeing the girl still undeterred he knelt down, reaching out as she approached and giving her hair a gentle ruffling. "I know you're not getting along with them, but... Try, okay? I'm positive they're not bad people, they're just not used to this. Give them time, go inside and eat, I'll be back with Cecil soon."

If Amuné didn't want to return inside she had little choice, going with himself and Cecil was well out of the question. "Keep an eye on her, okay Wyth? Make sure your girl gets plenty of food," Ethan said before pushing himself to his feet, smiling as he gave the pair a wave. Turning back to where Cecil had gone he sized up the building, trying to get some idea of how high he had to vault to reach the roof. Between being famished and slightly intoxicated it was hardly the most logical thing he could be doing yet the Muran found no other means of chasing his friend. Tapping the ball of his foot against the dirt a few times he nodded to himself, thinking he had the idea down now.

Taking a few steps forward he slammed down his right foot, kicking out some magic in the process and propelling himself upward, angling for the rooftop where Cecil was hidden. He certainly went high enough, a little too high as he was now almost two meters over the top of it. Gasping and realizing his mistake, coupled with how badly that jump jostled his stomach's contents, Ethan flailed as he began his descent down. Were he in his right mind he'd use another burst of magic to cushion his fall, but instead he tumbled down, rolling to break the impact and ending up face planting against the tiles, groaning with his rear in the air in the process. Now he really felt like he wanted to hurl as he pushed himself up with his hands, sitting on his hindquarters and placing both over his stomach.

"Ts... Ow ow ow... H-Hey, Cecil..." Ethan managed weakly, burping and covering his mouth preemptively before settling down, "Where you going...? We need to talk, sit down please? I really... REALLY don't want to run right now..."

Cecil didn’t have much of a choice, he needed to get away from them if they were to leave him alone. They would all eventually forget about him, they certainly didn’t know him for long enough to verify whether they felt anything for him. They were living creatures, he was not. Of course they would remember their own kind over a machine. Trying to flee from Ethan trying to chase after him he went up onto the roof of a building, slowly walking up the tiles before moving onto the other side, disliking how he had to take this route. Despite his weight the tiles were holding well, he didn’t feel like he was going to slip off or destroy the roof. It was rather depressing, half of him wanted to fall off and see what happened to him, but the other part didn’t want to die. He didn’t understand it, he was just a programmed machine; he shouldn’t have this motivation.

He didn’t understand anything. Everything was so confusing and if he tried to address it in his head using everything he had learned he couldn’t come to a conclusion. He wasn’t supposed to be anything like this according to the world, he didn’t know what he was supposed to do about it either. He needed to get away from them before he might hurt them with his unpredictability, he just wished they understood that. If he wasn’t a friend or able to do anything they could do then he should leave, he shouldn’t try and fit in when it was going to be impossible to do. He couldn’t hope to be considered normal after everything he had done, at least not compared to organic lifeforms.

Staring down at the ground below he hadn’t been paying enough attention to see if Ethan was still following him which he unfortunately was, his shoulders raising and his body going tense for a moment. He didn’t want to be near him, for all he knew he might want to push him off the roof too. “That’s not…my name…” he muttered, shaking his head slowly before looking down at the ground again, “If you don’t want to run, then go back. There is nothing to talk about”. Ethan had better things to do anyway, not to mention it sounded like he was just struggling to keep up with him. Cecil had no problems like that unless he was malfunctioning, he didn’t know how it worked with organic lifeforms but right now he couldn’t care.

"I pray if I've killed for my meal, and I pray for special occasions. I don't pray for every single meal, that's ridiculous," Nymira answered plainly, "We've more important things to worry about than making sure we thank the Saints for every apple or nut we enjoy with our meal, don't you think?"

Zander nodded at her lack of praying, "I would have assumed your people would pray along the lines such as those. What things should we worry of? Ethan is after Cecil, Amune chased after both along with that feral beast and I highly doubt we'll be attacked in our sleep unless there is something I know not of." Zander smiled softly as if in on a private joke when he spoke. "Tis not like we have the Church hunting you down. A small rag tag group such as this passes by unnoticed I take it? Thus why you have no guard?"

Geoffrey ignored the two talking, lightly touched his meal and kept his eyes glued to the doorway waiting for one of their members to arrive. He tapped at the arm rest, beat his hands off the table in a light beat to a tune only he heard in his head. His fingers itched for his flute to tune out the din of the small talk going on around him. Finally having had enough of his second mug of sweetened ale, he let his chair fall with clack. His plate was pushed towards Zander with a pointed look, turning on his heel he headed for the doorway. He almost got ran over by a downtrodden girl, her face downcast and an air of defeat around her.

Her moor cat followed swiftly at her heels, Geoffrey grinned, "OI! Shorty where are........ Or not." She walked passed without a glance and he let out a loud sigh. He wanted his flute, but thought better of it. Trailing after her, he stopped outside her door and knocked softly.

"Amuné, lass," Geoffrey called out to her. "Y'alright 'n there? Wan' me ta get me flute? Play some fine lullibys if I do say so meself..." He waited for a reply and decided to knock again. "Ya know what I think I'mma get me flute anyroad. Play ya a song outside the door if ya want to be alone."

Like that, he was off for the stables to retrieve the flute a goofy grin on his face. Zander let out a sigh as he was left alone with the one person whom he had little respect for.

Ethan did feel badly for abandoning Amuné to the others yet someone had to chase Cecil. What Nymira had said must have upset him greatly if he was trying to way and no way in good conscience could that happen; they all had goals to complete and see through, Cecil was no different. If he had to be left on his own again there was a serious concern what might happen to him, it was always safer to travel in a group. Were he not so adamant about chasing his friend he'd not have launched himself in the air as he had, nor would he have made such a "graceful" a landing as that. Saints it had stung but he was up here, now he just had to convince the Machina not to run away.

"What do you mean its not your name...? It's what you told us your name was, so it's your name," Ethan pointed out, wincing as he nursed a bump on his forehead gingerly, "Or... C-X 00, whatever you want to be called. To me you're Cecil though, so I'm going to call you that." Taking a deep breath the Magi got to his feet, surprisingly stable despite being exhausted and taking the blow to the head. "Cecil, what Nymira said, I'm sure she didn't mean it. She said herself she's not used to this kind of thing right? So uh... Maybe she just needs time. She was wrong too, because you and I are friends, and... I know Amuné is your friend too still, and Zander and Geoffrey could be your friends. There's a lot of people here who don't want to see you go."

Nymira hadn't a clue why her words had turned into such a big ordeal. Of everything they had to be concerned about this was what split them up? These people had thinner hides than she'd thought. Rolling her eyes at the nonsense she continued to pick at her meal, taking pause only when Zander questioned her habits. "There is nothing to worry about. Cecil will see reason and return, as will Ethan and Amuné. I don't care if we're not the best of friends, what I said was the truth of the matter. I'd prefer being honest than to fill their heads with pretty lies about camaraderie and friendship." They were allies in arms and fellow travelers with most of them owing their lives to Cecil now in some way or another. Debts didn't make friends though, more often than not debts made enemies. They would travel for convenience as she'd said and debts would be repaid, everyone would go their separate ways and move on with their lives, simple as that.

"The Church? No, they seem to be the one single thing not trying to kill us," Nymira joked bitterly, smiling as she chased a piece of steak with her mead, "Rogue Magi? Void beasts? Wild animals? I've had the pleasure of being attacked by all of those but not the Church. And I would prefer that it stay that way. Fighting the Church would only create a rift between my people and yours and we're trying to build alliances, not make enemies." She avoided conflict where she could for that reason and yet the Murans had an insatiable taste for causing trouble with her. To be fair the number of decent people she had met far outweighed the bad yet the bad tended to stick with her more.

"And the reason I have no guard --" Nymira had began to speak when the door was thrown open and Amuné ran back inside, near barreling over Geoffrey and passing several patrons on her way towards the stairs. Baffled by why the girl was so upset she watched her little form retreat to the rooms above, wondering what had happened with Ethan. That buffoon babied the girl so much she was astonished he wasn't there with her, almost wanting to get up herself and go see what was happening. The care however quickly faded at the smell of her meal, being reminded of the hole in her stomach she had still yet to completely fill. Shrugging it off then for now she cut into her steak once more, going back to eating again.

"The reason I have no guard, simply put, is they're dead," Nymira shared through a mouthful, wiping at the corners of her mouth before looking to Zander, "I had four guards with me when I first set out. One died to a pack of wolves, another took an assassin's arrow meant for me, and I don't know what happened with the other two. An enemy clan attacked us on the border and they gave me time to escape, we were sorely outnumbered. I can only assume they're dead as well." For a moment there almost seemed to be a pang of regret on the Dimuran's face as her features crumpled, though as quickly as it had happened it was gone, replaced with her generally emotionless visage. Pausing to take a swig of her ale she let out a sigh, staring at the liquid inside thoughtfully. "So that's why I was traveling alone, without guard. None of the others know about that, consider yourself special."

Cecil didn’t know what he was supposed to do at this point when Ethan didn’t want to give in and go away, he was supposed to be consuming his food and talking with the others about their day. He should had been doing things that everybody else was doing, not caring about what he was doing. Keeping his shoulders stiff as he spoke he continued to stare down at the environment below, a frown remaining on his face as Ethan spoke to him. He wasn’t going to understand, he was just going to treat him like the Muran he was simply pretending to be, but he wasn’t one. He wasn’t a Muran or anything close to anything living, he was a fake that didn’t have anything that related to one. Clenching his fists at first he soon brought them up in front of him, rubbing them together slowly as he continued to stare downwards.

“It’s…not…that…” he frowned, raising his shoulders a little, “I mean, it was going to be that, anyway. I didn’t think she’d like me and I doubt the others will like me either. They don’t really know what I am, I don’t think they would believe me either even if I straight up told them both. Amuné hates me for what I am, her pet especially…you don’t even like me for what I am too. But none of that matters, anyway…” It was not fair on them having to cater their likes and dislikes for him when he wasn’t one with their society in the first place. Shaking his head quickly he turned around, his face appearing blank yet had a hint of sadness about it. “I’m a Machina, somebody’s tool created to serve a purpose…a purpose you hate and Amuné is afraid of”.

Ethan would probably just deny that he was all of that, that he was more than just a Machina. It was all false and Ethan knew it, he just didn’t want to make him feel bad. “Everything about me is a lie down to my personality. I may be advanced but I’m still a machine with programmed emotions just made to deceive just so I can get close and destroy everything. If you don’t want what you hated happening again, then-…then leave me alone!” Spinning around again he rubbed his arms, his shoulders raised, “I’m not one of your kind and never will be. I’m just going to cost more time and money, I’m just going to scare everyone and eventually hurt them, I’m just going to forget everything in a couple of months because I don’t have an organic memory bank to remember these things! So just leave me alone and go back to your own kind before kill you too”.