Lui curiously listened to all the new people arrive and talk about their ideas. Most, if not everyone, agreed with going to the location marked on the map. Except Dani, that is.

"Hey, Dani. How about we leave immediately for the location marked on the map? Think about it, if we go there all these other people will be with us too. Better to wander around in a group with some tough people than all alone, right?" Lui said, smiling. "And if things do go wrong we can just run away. You're good at navigating, right? If we get in trouble we can just follow you out of there."

"But, if you're really unwilling to go check it out, then I'll come with you if Aelih comes too. I don't know about these newcomers but I trust both of you more."

Realising she said that out loud, Lui quickly goes back to hiding behind Aelih. She really wanted to check out what was on the map, but if that'd mean following people she didn't know then she'd rather not.

---

@Valkon@Seraphin@Polaris North@Jensoman@tex@Zyngard@Dartbored Fairy@Hokum@ArkmageddonCat



“It’s not like I have anything better to do.” Fauve replies to Gabriel. She’s sneering a little to portray her usual unexciting life. “So you can count me in, Cutie.”

Right then The hooded murdered from the tavern the night before shows up and takes the map from Gabe without a word. Now Fauve didn’t mind the woman to be honest about it, and being that she killed the barman at what appeared to be random, kinda tickled Fauve’s funny bone.

“You sure are one psychotic piece of work.” She says to Devlin. Once she’d done taking a gander at the map, psycho lady commences to delivering a speech to everyone. She introduces herself as the Daughter of Despiun. Fauve knew about the massacre, hell, everyone did. Fauve however preferred to think of Daughter of Despiun as the Begotten of Death, which she was sometimes referred to as. Sounded much cooler in her opinion. At the end of her speech, Psycho lady went on to invite everyone to join her then headed on her way to the location the map. She also took a dig at anyone who was to frightened to go with her, a comment Fauve figured was directed specifically at the Pussycat.

Fauve then regards Lui who she can only just see hiding behind that Elf thing, and when the obvious-fooling-nobody construct finally shuts up, she looks at Dani, and says sharply; “Have you always been such a damn scaredy cat? You’ve gotta learn to live a little kid. Beside, god Damn it, the living wood is right, we’re safe in numbers and it looks right clear to me that everyone else is going to be following the psycho ladies lead on this. So what are you gonna do, go off on your own and expect a rosy picnic? Look around, fur ball, and grow some hairy balls for once in your life.”

“Let’s go then!” Fauve says to Gabe, then turned to Corc, giving the big bad bastard yet another slap on the butt, adding; “And how about you, my big sexy beast, you coming with us? Sure would hate to leave you behind!” She looks down into the town and gestures to the crowd of undead headed their way. “I’m getting tired of the undead around these parts anyhow.”

Fauve starts walking after Devlin, thinking that her big orc honey and Gabe would follow. She also gives Jack and tree man a jerk of her head, inviting them to come along. She also stops momentarily to say hello to the mute (assuming that he hasn't left after his girlfriend yet).

“Welcome to the motley crew, mutie! Names Fran. Saw you using sign language back there, so you must have a fun life, right?” She looks off in direction the psycho lady was heading. “Psycho lady a friend of yours?”

Whether Ren replies or not, and whether Gabe, Jack, Foeldar, Corc or any of the others follow, Fauve takes another swig from her bottle and starts walking in direction that the psycho lady had headed. It just so happened that Devlin was already out of sight at that point, gone into the woods. Fauve was walking casually though, no sense in rushing into possible death. Best the psycho lady takes a good long lead on this.

---

---

Major Interaction: @Hokum & @Candy

Friend...

Ren let the word float inside his head even as the rather hyperactive woman beamed at him. She was not the first one who drew a kick from his disability, and frankly, Ren never found it in him to get irritated at any of her insults. However, he did find a bone to pick towards her comments about Devlin, regarding her as a 'psycho'. Sure, killing a guard from out of the blue, diving into Death's kiss, or even bursting out in enigmatic strength could all fall into the category of crazy, but every single act that she did had been an attempt to save a life that she barely knew. It all stemmed from a desire to help someone other than herself; it was the spirit of self-sacrifice, and that, for Ren, was the antithesis to what a psycho embodied.

The musician could not help but allow a gentle smile to curve his lips while his eyes trailed on the visage of Devlin slowly disappearing into the woods.

She was really amazing. Quite the opposite of this young woman beside Ren who looked at everything as if it was a joke. The lightness of how she treated the situation irked the musician, knowing that countless of his brothers and sisters gave their lives to protect the civilians during the attack on Nadska. From how she treated the entire scene, Ren had an inkling that this woman only dreamed of her own benefit without a thought for the good of the masses.

He turned to the strange and bubbly woman, giving her a smirk before he raised his hands. 'I see her as my friend. I do not know how she sees me.' Ren released a sigh before letting his right fingers dance over the tear in his habit where the sabre he now carried once pierced through him. 'I do not believe in destiny. But, I tire of running.' And, it was true. Every time that a problem struck at where Ren stayed, the musician decided to take the easy way out and flee for life. Whether it was the incident at Aryalli or the siege of the Desert Raiders, he left behind the problem, hoping that it never happened again. But, not this time. The strength that the young woman inspired in him was nigh on unbearable, and Ren wondered how such a mysterious stranger ever drew such courage.

As of the moment, Ren never really understood why he decided to follow her. Be it a misplaced loyalty or an ardent affection, he knew that he would gladly fight by her side once more.

Purple orbs challenged emerald ones with Ren giving her a fanged grin. His confidence now erased any of the lost and broken features his visage once possessed. 'The path she walks is not without conviction. And, only the brave have conviction. So,' He paused for a moment whilst he faced the energetic girl as she took a drink from the suspicious bottle she carried. Then, before he dashed into shadows, he looked down at her before edging his thumb to the side of her lips to wipe away a stain of the liquor. A condescending grin plastered itself on Ren's face just as he shook his head. 'You little lamb. Try not to hurt yourself, kid.'

He placed his right finger above his eyes before pointing at her. 'See you around.'

Then, he dashed into the woods after the rogue.

---

Finally, he caught up to Devlin.

He announced his presence by snapping his fingers, and when he got her attention, the musician gave a gentle wave of his hand.

Walking a few paces behind Devlin as she led the way into the dark embrace of the woods allowed Ren to entertain the thoughts constantly stabbing at the back of his mind. Never had he felt as if every bone in his limb trembled with powers beyond the mortal realm until what Devlin cast on him. He could still taste on the tip of his tongue iron and honey from when Devlin bit at him too much. Which brought him to another question: Devlin was usually the cool and calm archetype, but at that moment, she seemed drunk and rabid. Was what he saw the true daughter of Despiun? The brutal claps of thunder serenaded the forks of lightning sundering their foes brought a tinge of fear in Ren's heart, but alongside was also awe.

Ren knew she harbored secrets that he was not meant to know. But, as much as he believed that everyone deserved to hide some of their masks, he just could not wrap his head around what happened to him. He wondered whether that was the addicting feeling that people latch on to when they eat his flesh. He wanted to know what happened, and he knew he could get his answers straight from the horse's mouth.

The lad jogged a few paces, taking in Devlin just walking on her own even though danger lurked at every corner. She was so used to her own solitude; she did things her way. Then again, things were different this time. When he walked side by side with her, Ren glanced at Devlin with an inquisitive look in his eye.

Ren allowed Devlin her secrets, but not the one that just recently happened to them.

'So, do we talk about what happened back there?' Ren gave her a smile. 'My ability is my body. I make people heal, I make myself heal. But,' He latched his pinky at hers, trying to get a connection or anything that resembled what he felt back at Nadska. 'Never has that happened before.'

The unsettling stroke of Fauve's tongue against his cheek made Dannisus jerk away from her with an angry hiss. His hair stood on end and he tensed up tremendously. Anxiety was a thought of the past. Now he was angry. Dannisus briefly glanced at Jack to acknowledge his comment, but when Gabriel referred to him as Myti and nothing more, he began to growl from the bottom of his throat. Humans like this knew so little of him or his people. Few even cared to acknowledge them as people. That wasn't their fault, though. He thought carefully for a moment, trying to pull himself back to a reasonable state of mind, but there was a powerful underlying urge festering inside of him to tell these idiots off one by one. Not that he could. Every time he thought there was a moment for him to speak, somebody else spoke up first and kept talking. It was likely for the best though. His stance loosened while everyone spoke.

He finally had a chance to think. There... Wasn't much to think about at first. What reason could he possibly fathom to follow these people towards danger? Unless there was some mystical force at work, nothing would keep them alive if this monstrous mishap was as dangerous as it sounded. The work of necromancers was simply terrifying.

Just then, his eyes went soft and he straightened his posture. He finally registered exactly who the approaching woman was when she snatched the map and began to speak. Of all the possible survivors, it had to be her. 'Fake Lani' Dannisus thought to himself. He glared at her, his inherent fear overcome for the moment by new pangs of anger.

She began speaking to them with a tone of command that almost made him laugh despite everything that had happened. Instead of bringing any semblance of order to the group, or calming Dannisus' nerves in the slightest, she only served to offer him even more questions and reasons for frustration. Why would she waste her time hunting monsters? What did she classify as a 'monster' exactly? How did she know anything about the source of this attack that the rest of them didn't? Why exactly did she hide her face at night? Who did she think she was? What the hell was a Despiun? Dannisus mulled over the inane little speech she had offered their group with no prompt. The mystery of it all had actually managed to calm him down. He couldn't stay angry when he was suddenly... So confused. What followed had only served to deepen his befuddlement. Before he, or anyone else could even address her, Devlin took off just as quickly as she had arrived. It all became clear in an instant.

...Devlin was mentally ill! Completely mad!

It was the only explanation. But then it didn't explain how she was lucid about several very clear facts. Dannisus was almost caught in another spiral of convoluted thought, when Lui addressed him directly. "Mya?" He looked back to Gabriel for a moment, and then towards Lui. At least that crazy woman didn't take the map.

"E-even after all of that, you're still eager to run head-long into danger?" He stuttered, "I..." Dannisus caught his tongue and looked the group over silently. Perhaps it was a good idea after all. No, it really wasn't. It was completely idiotic to follow after these louts, regardless of how strong they might've been. But Lui was right about one thing. Barring another legion of undead, he could likely escape at any time if he let the rest of them stand in front of him. There were a few curious items well worth his time, assuming their owners were killed in the process. Most notable were Jack's gauntlets. He'd never seen - or smelled - such unique magical tools before. Not even his own weapons held a candle to those. Lui's eye, and that weird little lantern she carried around were valuable as well. Even Aelih's spear seemed to be an item of interest. The idea of letting both of them die wasn't ideal, though. Despite that, he wasn't about to put his life in danger to prevent such an outcome.

Something else caught his attention as he thought on his options. He turned his head towards Fauve slowly as she began to speak, expecting the worst. But as she went on, he couldn't help sneering at her childish ignorance. Dannisus would have been safer on his own out here in the middle of the forest, safer than he was with a bunch of crazy people, anyways. As long as he didn't come too close to Sylsashia's center, the only thing he had to fear was tripping. The last thing he needed was to fall from the treetops again. Fauve's voice was beginning to grate against his eardrums at this point. Every wretched syllable would bore deeper into his consciousness and strum at each nerve in his head relentlessly. He'd almost addressed her. Almost. Thankfully there was no need to get caught up in Fauve's pace with Ren around.

Dannisus had just noticed him. The boy that arrived with Devlin hadn't said a word, nor did he speak while communicating with Fauve. Was he communicating? Dannisus assumed that was the case. Ren waggled his hands around in some odd fashion at the crude woman. It had to mean something. Dannisus didn't quite get it. It had to be some kind of human thing, much like the way that Myti spoke with the cats of the forest. Apparently he wouldn't have any time to ask. In identical fashion to Devlin, the man followed after his apparent savior and disappeared into the forest. It was a shame. Ren looked somewhat reasonable for somebody who didn't speak. But Dannisus could have easily mistaken his naive kindness for wisdom. For all he knew, he was just as asinine as Devlin.

Lui's offer still bounced around in his head as a feasible option. As long as they didn't leave the forest, Dannisus had ample retreat options in the high-standing trees. Their tightly packed canopy was not under any immediate threat, unless some unruly mage sought to set it ablaze. A forest fire would surely attract the attention of his people. If that were the case, he'd have no choice but to abandon his... New 'comrades' without a second thought. He looked back to Lui and nodded silently.

"I suppose there's some merit to the idea. B-but I don't think anyone should be following that-tha-that... Psychotic disaster-waiting-to-happen!" He pointed in the direction that Devlin and Ren had headed towards, and looked to everyone. "I don't suppose anyone shares my concern? If you're really bent on investigating and keeping your lives, it may be wise to take our own path towards..." He paused and darted towards Gabriel's side. One hand gently clasped the corner of the map he held, while he gestured to everyone else with the other. "Towards this place of interest?" He nodded to Gabriel politely, despite his earlier comment, and stepped away. Then he pointed to himself.

"I know this forest quite well! If you're bound on investi- I mean really- if you really need to sate your curiosity, lend me the task of being your guide." He pointed up towards the canopy of the forest and turned his head towards the group again, while walking away slowly. "I can keep- I'll keep Us much safer by guiding you around any dangers. We're still very far out from the thickets of Sylsashia, but these wilds are tainted. If anything approaches, I'll know it before any of you." He lowered his arm and waited for the group's response, gently flapping his uninjured ear. If he was committing himself to following these simple folk, even if only partially, he wouldn't be letting anybody put him in danger. Nobody would order him around, least of all Devlin.

Aelih watched the town quietly, hardly listening to the others as they speak about whatever it was they were speaking about. Dannisus seemed quite agitated about something or another though.

Hmm. Seemed Dannisus wanted to travel via the forests. A good idea. Not only would it be difficult for the undead to follow them, Aelih highly doubted either the large beast the skeletons brought could get in, nor whatever had made those noises at the North Gate. True, whatever it was may have been strong, but highly doubtful that it’s strong enough to make its way through a forest with any semblance of speed.

With that decided, Aelih turned to the forest and trodded after Dannisus, giving him a silent nod. “Lui, will you follow?”

Corc nodded at Gabriel. "Corc watch Gabriel's back...If Gabriel does same for Corc!" He replied. He turned to Devlin who began to give her speech, and nodded in response as she walked further ahead. He liked the sound of that. He wanted to protect as many people as he could, and destroying the source went hand-in-hand with that very goal. He didn't seem to care about Devlin's true identity, they simply had the same goal for now. But from what he'd gathered, it seemed like Devlin would be a great fighter. The giant rested his mace upon his shoulder while holding it with one hand, to have an easier time to move around. Carrying it in front of him constantly while travelling would be tedious.

He did not mind what Lui said. It was common for people to not trust Orcs, or just any strangers in general who they didn't know very well. As Fauve reffered to Corc as a sexy beast, Corc simply seemed confused. "Corc...Sexy beast?" He simply questioned, unsure of what he'd done to be called that. He shrugged it off. "Corc come!" He assured Fauve. "Gabriel, come too!" He added. As Fauve went on ahead to follow Devlin along with Ren, Corc followed quickly. He was already gone before Dannisus offered his suggestion, and he failed to hear it as a result. He followed Fauve now, but moving slow enough for Gabriel to catch up while paying close attention to his surroundings as he heard the wind chimes further ahead. "Corc hear strange noise.." He whispered to Fauve, looking over his shoulder briefly to see if Gabriel was coming.

Jack watched the orc as he shuffled around, talking to the others before introducing himself and stating his name. Corc the Orc. Of course, Jack had already figured out that was his name, a simple conclusion to come to given that he spoke in third person. He had also stated that he had intended on heading towards the location marked on the map, something that Jack had figured most of the individuals there were planning on doing. The Myti didn't strike Jack as being too keen on it, nor did the small girl hiding behind the elf. The enchanter, Gabriel, was willing to help Corc follow the map's directions. Unsurprising from one who had described himself as an adventurer.

Devlin and Ren soon arrived to the gate, confirming the survival of everyone Jack had taken note of in the tavern- save the bartender, whose bloated corpse still sat within the tavern's kitchen. While the former didn't initially seem particularly interested in anything to do with their circumstantial band of misfits, she quickly moved to snatch away the map from Gabriel before giving what Jack could only assume was intended to be a rousing speech. She had opened with something about being the "Daughter of Despiun", a survivor of a massacre. It sounded like something he might have heard before- a story Jack had overheard on the road long ago, perhaps- though aside from invoking some vague sense of familiarity it didn't mean much to him.

After that she spoke of hunting down the source of the monsters and something about destiny. The latter wasn't something Jack was too keen on, though the former certainly appealed to him. The monsters had been a constant disruption and annoyance over the past few months, and eliminating them for good would be a boon, both to him, to everyone else involved, and indeed to the entirety of Akripola. Of course, there was always also the chance of dying trying. On the other hand, nothing can be accomplished without some amount of risk. That amount just happened to be quite a lot in this case.

He watched as she marched off into the forest, disappearing in the thick of the trees. Soon enough, Fauve, Corc, and the flute-playing mute had also gone ahead, following the 'psycho-lady', as Fauve had put it. Jack turned to Dannisus as Lui suggested traveling together. While the Myti had clearly not taken kindly to Devlin, as his body language made obvious, something about Lui seemed to be able to persuade him. They had been talking before in the tavern, and on the hill after that; perhaps his familiarity with the girl contributed to it.

As Dannisus made his offer, and Gabriel his suggestion before running off to catch up to Corc and Fauve, Jack added a statement of his own. "Sounds good to me... Dani, was it? I believe that's what she called you," Jack gestured to Lui before turning and taking a few steps in the direction the others had gone as he continued, "I am also inclined to agree with Gabriel, though. Not that I don't trust your senses, but if worst comes to worst, the more people we have to deal with whatever might come up, the better. And with the Legion nearby, who knows what might be lurking in there..."

Foeldar attempted to stand several times only to fall back to his knees again and again, the pain in his head and shoulder screaming as his body struggled to mend. He felt something hit lightly against his shin one of the times he tried to stand up, but upon opening his eyes to look for the origin he saw only a watery blur of color and motion. Foeldar pressed two of his fingers softly against the side of his head and felt the surface give way ever so slightly. That side of his face felt... mushy. That's not right. Crashing into that wall must've done more damage than he first thought. This kind of injury would still heal, undoubtedly, but it would take much longer than a wound caused by an arrow or a sword.

The noises around him grew louder for a moment, and then quieter. The faintest vibrations quivered the soil beneath him, fading in intensity and suggesting that the people that had been gathered here were leaving. Foeldar didn't much care, however, as he hadn't much reason to follow. The pain continued to fade away very slowly, and his vision began to noticeably clear up. A child's silhouette stood before him, prompting the forest golem to blink hard several times in a futile attempt to restore his vision - even if only for a single moment. "Hurry, Foeldar, you should follow them. They'll need your protection." Her voice suggested, punctuated by Foeldar forcefully punching the earth and pushing himself to his feet.

"Foeldar can't... no good at protecting." The colossus replied, taking a wide stance and extending his arms to help maintain his balance. "Maybe you're right..." She began as the silhouette started moving closer, becoming clearer with each step. "Maybe you aren't any good at it... but I know we are. Together." Lily continued, looking up at the forest golem with a glint of frustration in her eyes. "Very well... if that's what Lily wants Foeldar to do, then Foeldar will try. For Lily..." Foeldar spoke, letting loose a subtle sigh. The giant turned to look back towards the city, the outline of the gate now clearly visible. The pain was bearable, though still bothersome. It could've been worse.

---

A breeze pushed itself against fluttering white canvas, backing off only to return moments later in a cycle of futile attempts to rip the sails from the wooden masts to which they were secured. Like the ebb and flow of the water that lapped at the boat's wooden hull, the wind returned again and again to push the little ship further up the river in which it traveled. Scattered pillars of black smoke stood out against the early morning sky like gangrenous wounds, rising up from within the not-too-distant walls of Nadska. The crew aboard the vessel exchanged glances of uncertainty, but performed their duties as they had been hired to. Only one among them stood with confidence, though they were also clad from head to toe in a suit of well-kept metal armor. This particular individual stood apart from the others, both in a literal and a figurative way. They leaned against the bulwark as if ready to leap over the side at a moment's notice, and scanned the nearby tree-line in an almost mechanically intent nature.

"Raise th' canvas n' prepare t' bring th' ship 'round, nice n' slow-like! 'Member t' keep a keen eye on th' shores, boys, don't let th' shallows sneak up on us!" The gruff voice tore out through the relatively quiet air, stirring the crew with a renewed purpose. The owner of that commanding voice was a rather well-dressed sailor - or, perhaps, as well dressed of a sailor as one could expect - who quickly asserted themselves as the captain of this humble crew. The armor-clad warrior hardly paused to listen, though, as a slight bit of movement off in the forest drew their attention closer. The commanding figure approached from behind the one wearing the armor, the former clearing their throat to make themselves known and prompting the latter to turn around. "We'll not be pullin' int' port, mister... Darren, was it? With th' city bein' 'tacked, I'll not dare t' get any closer. I won't risk th' safety of m' crew fer one man, so this's far as we go." The captain said, pointing to the ruined Nadska with one hand and sliding the other to rest on the hilt of their sheathed scimitar.

"Very well, I understand your concerns are for your ship and the lives of your crew - and I thank you for your help in getting me this far, miss. All I ask is that you uphold your end of the bargain - I've got a job that needs to be done, and now I've seen what being only a day late will cost me." Darren responded, gesturing weakly behind him.

"A'course, I ain't one t' go against m' word - I'll 'ave a man take ye ther soon as we're facin' downstream. It'll be jus' a mome-" The captain started, pausing as the sight of something beyond Darren quickly grabbed hold of her attention. Darren quickly turned back around to look, finding a sight he had not expected - a large tree-man standing at one of Nadska's gates. "What the bloody-fucking-hell is that?!" Darren spat, instinctively reaching to grab his longsword.

"Ah, thatsa... well, ehh... some would say, 'Hechin'... I think. Err... but others, I think... a Forest Golem." One of the sailors chimed in, receiving a side glare from Darren though his mask concealed it. "Is it dangerous? Could that have been the culprit of the attack on Nadska?" The armed and armored mercenary interrogated, his tone becoming more threatening with each word. "No no, eh, no! That'd be highly unusual, though... I've never heard of one being sighted on that side of the river before. They're not very aggressive, but they are... ah, extremely defensive and territorial. They don't much like to fight. Prefer to scare trespassers away 'stead of killing them. But... I mean, eh... they'll still fight if they need to... I guess..." The sailor continued, glancing nervously to their captain.

"Thank-ye, Gresh, now get back t' work." The captain ordered, giving a subtle nod punctuated by a dismissive gesture before looking back to Darren. "If ye want t' find survivers ye'd best go lookin' 'round ther. Those golems don't much like witnessin' death, almos' 's much 's they don't like dealin' it. Big guy mighta hadta save somebody, yeah?" She continued, taking a few steps before gesturing to a rowboat waiting to be lowered into the water. "Now, c'mon, let's talk 'bout th' last bit o' our payment n' work on gettin' ye ashore, alrigh'?"

Lui smiled as Dani apparently agreed to her plan. He seemed to agree that it was a good solution, and offered to guide the group. Some people still seemingly wanted to go in other directions or something, but Lui didn't mind. At least they were going to get going.

"Of course I'm coming!" Lui happily said in response to Aelih. "Just lead the way, Dani!"

"And we don't have to worry about the forest being dark either, because I've got all the light we need!" Lui said as she proudly held up her magelight, it's lantern shining brightly. She didn't expect the forest to be dark, but she took pride in her magelight, and she liked showing it off.

---

@Hokum

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---

---

"I'm just following after that psycho bitch!" Fauve replied to Gabe. "She appears to know what she's doing as well. Sounds like a lot more fun than pinching my ass cheeks in fear of being boned by a forest dwelling skeleton."

Whether Gabe followed with them or not, she commenced to staying by Corc's side, who was right about one thing after entering the edge of the forest; distant wind chimes could be heard. Wind chimes on their own weren't anything to write home about, though, but the added darkness of the forest made them seem a little eerie. Fauve of course wasn't worried at all, just glad to have some excitement in her life for a change.

"They're just wind chimes, Bub." She told Corc, as she slipped her little hand in his. "I'm think'n you and I make a good team, am i right? Maybe you and I could have our own little party together later. How ya feel about that, you big sexy bastard?" Her actions and suggestion were meant to have been - more or less - a jesting way to help the big orc relax. After all, no sense in worrying about a fight that might not happen.

When Fauve finished saying her piece, she heard the psycho's voice calling out from up ahead. Devlin was too far ahead to see at this point, but her words were clear enough to make out: “I know you’re here!” ... “…I just need to talk with you! That’s all.”

At the hearing of these words - which sounded distinctly like Devlin was trying to coax someone out of hiding, or maybe trying not to scare someone off - it was understood by Fauve that the psycho lady could have done with a little more space.

"Probably best we don't rush in swinging our weapons." She suggested to Corc and whoever was close enough to hear her, like Gabe, Jack or Lui maybe. She gives Corc's hand a little tug back to emphasis her suggestion while slowing her pace a little more. "Sound's like she's playing hide and go seek with another frightened Myti or something like that. We don't wanna scare them off."

Corc turned to Gabriel, and thought for a moment. "Corc not mind going with cat man, but..." He muttered, turning to Fauve. He was still on edge, not trusting the sound. That's when Fauve spoke to him. He nodded at her in response. "Sound good to Corc!" He sung, feeling somewhat relaxed by Fauve's words. He felt less tense. The giant looked ahead as he also vaguely heard Devlin's words. "Corc agree...Corc observe." He stated, and observed Devlin's movements from a safe distance.

He stood behind bushes and several trees, peeking out from behind them to see what Devlin was calling out too. He saw her talking to a hat, and got a confused look on his face. "Crazy lady talk to hat? Hat being mean?!" He asked softly to Fauve, not quite sure what was going on. He realised that the sounds seemed to be coming from the hat, so he stood at the ready to act in case something bad happened. He was surprisingly good at being stealthy, despite his usual loud nature and his large stature.

@Hokum

'Smells like brimstone and molten steel, something similar to the excavations at Aryali'

Ren thought to himself whilst he whiffed at the soot of elder ash. His eyes examined the ash staining his fingertips before they trailed around the shattered barks and broken branches of the surrounding trees. The entire setup reminded him of moths foolishly slamming themselves against the lamp in an attempt to touch an unreachable fire until they incinerated themselves in their folly. The ominous windless chimes on the wide-brimmed hat on top of the massive skull unnerved the lad when the subtle metallic clicks brought back fading memories of the temple bell plummeting to the earth with a resounding toll-- a grim knell echoing through the ruins and rubble of Nadska to serve as a reminder what befell those who stood in the path of the damned.

Was this another warning?

Most probably.

Ren observed Devlin's heightened guard, her body tensing in an anticipated confrontation. This moment of relapse allowed Ren to think back on the woman's words a few moments ago. She had mentioned something about bearing his child, and when those words danced through the lad's ears, he briefly wondered whether that phrase meant differently from where Devlin came from. His cheeks had flushed red at that point, like, they have not yet even had a proper courtship yet. No normal female in their proper mind would ever wish to bear the child of a man they only met for a day, but then again, as Ren watched her talking to the mystery stalking them, the lad smiled knowingly-- Devlin was far from normal (if her rather erratic ways of skipping the stages of romance was any indicator of it).

And, that made her great.

Snapping his focus back on the task at hand, he returned Devlin's commanding gaze with a slight nod before slowly prodding over a few feet behind the rogue. He knelt on one knee before watching the woman's blind spots at her back, just in case whoever Devlin was talking to decided to have a more... aggressive diplomatic solution. The point of his toes dug deep into the soil as Ren gripped the hilt of his sabre, even though his knowledge in the way of the sword was practically non-existent.

Devlin's decision to call out to whatever spawn of Morru pranced within the shadows of the woods was shaky at best, and Ren could not help but feel that this would end in another scrap for them. They barely survived in the siege at Nadska, and now, she was courting Death again with those feisty eyes of hers.

A creeping sense of dread climbed up Ren's spine, making the lad shudder in subtle terror. The chimes echoing in the background serenading Devlins' voice as she continued to call out to the darkness surrounding them. His free hand snaked its way out of the sleeves of his tattered habit, his fingers held up close to the exposed flesh on Devlin's sides, caused by the tears inflicted on the woman's attire in the siege of Nadska. One could never be too prepared.

He raised his hand up at Devlin as she looked at him over her shoulders. With his fingers pointing to himself and then to his eyes before gesturing towards Devlin's backside, Ren wanted her to always remember this day where she did not stand alone. And, hopefully, she would never need to again.

"I watch your back."

Dannisus nodded when Jack mentioned his name, but he toned out the rest of his statement, as well as everything else going on around him. His ears were more focused on the chiming in the distance, as well as Devlin's eager call. He could barely make out anything that she was saying, or doing, but it was clear that she'd beckoned from an unknown presence. His nose twitched as he offered jack an insincere nod. He caught part of it while his focus was elsewhere. Something about safety in numbers? They all seemed keen on the idea, but Dannisus was still concerning himself with a personal escape route. Suddenly, he drew his short sword with his right hand and plucked a mana sphere from his pack with the left.

"Do whatever you feel necessary. I'll be watching-" He said, to nobody in particular. The sword in his hand morphed quickly into two entities, both wrapping around his fingers and forming little joints at each knuckle. they took on the uncanny appearance of makeshift claws, similar to the structure of his female kin's. He might have lacked his own set of deadly nails, but his magical artifact made climbing an easy feat to accomplish. Looking to Lui for a moment, Dannisus nodded again before leaping onto a nearby tree. He scaled its length quickly, like it came naturally to him. It kind of did. Before reaching the top he called back down to the people that made up the rear of their group.

"If you hear my tongue- Myti tongue, consider it a warning." Not long after, he darted into the canopies above them, and disappeared as nothing more than a subtle fluttering of leaves and branches. For a humanoid, the Myti was very good at masking his presence.

Now he had more time to think on his own. Duress wouldn't have a shred of impact on his judgement while he was up in the trees. Was this really the right call?

'Of course it isn't'