A sigh of relief escaped her lips as Ellorei took the compliment from Rem. Her time as a druid was limited, though trying her best, she wanted to make Gaia proud. Rem's words seemed to have a calmness all of their own, but she was curious. "What roles had you considered before undergoing Gaia's ritual?" Her mind was spinning, with his command over nature and his apparent knowledge, surely he lived a life of importance.
When Rem asked her if she had walked the forest at night Ellorei smiled, "Of course, the night like the day is beautiful. Sometimes I prefer it for the peace that I feel. The silver light that cascades onto the ground makes it feel as though your walking amongst the heavens rather than the mundane world. Every now and then, though faint, I can sometimes feel Gaia's touch more strongly and it was why my ritual was on a full moon. The gentle light and soft whispers of the evening are sublime."
Ellorei smiled, "But what are you looking for, for your friend I mean? Are they a druid as well?"

"We're under attack by... them?" Lyulia said as she looked at the unconscious Myti. She'd hoped that the attackers were wild animals of sorts, but it was obvious that wasn't the case.

"We need to help!" Lyulia said as she moved to crawl out of the bunk when the pain of the broken leg hit her, stopping her. "Do you guys have a plan?"

Daelin's bluff didn't do much to dissuade the assassin. She offered him a small smile and brought her nail even closer to Pyra's throat. He wasn't going to disregard his ally! What kind of Caravan would run itself with such reprehensible morals? She took a step back and growled. She didn't consider the smell of metal around Daelin's waste to be anything more than a dagger or some other sort of concealed weapon, and prepared herself to parry with her free hand, just in case. But when Daelin rose the spray can, she wasn't prepared to deal with a face-full of monster-strength mace. Her eyes narrowed and all of her senses were overwhelmed by a sudden jolt. She threw Pyra forward and took a single step back, before back-flipping out of the Caravan and blindly charging away, towards the trench nearby.

Noru glared at Flin and Pyra as they both approached the doorway. "Get them inside," Noru ordered, "Once everyone is safe, we can come up with a plan."

"And your Captain?" Neal quipped. Noru didn't have an answer for him. He moved towards Lyullia's leg quietly and moved the fabric of her clothing so that he could feel for the fracture.

"We can't risk moving without a plan." Noru didn't have to feel for long. Lyullia's injury was already obvious enough from her reaction, and the break was clean. Using the liquid as his disposal, he placed it against her shin and slowly began to mend her wound. Neal grunted and rushed to the doorway.

_"Orders?"

Sasha stopped hard on her right foot and spun away from Zay. Without any delay, she hopped from the Caravan and landed hard on the trail below.

_{"Mission failed. Report to Nix"}

Sprinting wildly, Sasha disappeared into the forest in a manner of seconds, Leaving Zay bewildered and unable to react as he approached the railing to shoot at her. By the time he raised his hand to conjure a metal shard, his armor began to give way. With the last of his safely accessible mana exhausted, he was in no condition to give chase - Not that he had any desire to. That Myti was something else. Most of them were frail, despite their almost omnipotent senses. But that one? She was a beastly creature.



Not many knew of the settlement that sat in the patch of forest reaching out into Baeshri hills. Where the ground evened out, and the trees could realistically flourish, there sat a crudely walled-off grouping of no more than 700 people at most. It was not uncommon for some to branch off from the capitol Nations of Thoris, but it was a rarity to see so few surviving in such a tightly packed space.

Lalifell was surrounded by wooden spikes, tied closely together, leaned against one another, and buried part-way into the ground to make a hollow, triangular structure that surrounded the village. The top of these angled walls were protected by the sharpened edges of the wood, all of which were lined with a long-lasting poison, lethal to most creatures after only a scrape. Within the wall, there were men and women posted guard. Small gaps in the wood allowed them to peer out into the surrounding forest freely, while crude wooden devices of a magical nature acted as alarms to alert the village if any dangers posed a thread to those inside. Alarm Runes, crude as they may be, were a fairly common creation in Marrenfall. The only reason that they'd seen little use elsewhere, was because they had the tendency to attract unwanted attention and cause unwarranted panic. Not only that, but with the overbearing usefulness and prominence of Psy-Stones, the more organized military in Nations like Arcadia and Kel had no need to concern the majority of its population with the danger of monster attacks. That was assuming anything could even penetrate their titanic walls in the first place. Lalifell was not gifted with more then 50 inches of concrete. Their meek little fortress was all they had, and they were fortunate enough to have that.

At the only gateway into the village, several children congregated and waved to the watch-towers that overlooked Lalifell's entrance. A few men were standing guard, armed with bows. One of the men, an Eldi by the name of Fio Blanche, wielded an entirely different kind of contraption. It looked more like a spear, a weapon that held little usefulness when posted up high, but he held it like a massive crossbow with one hand firmly grasping the aqua-marine tip of the artifact. Fio was the first to notice the children's approach.

"Open," He whispered into the ear of his nearby compatriot. The man rose his hands and conjured a fair amount of arcane energy towards a series of pulleys and levers that operated the gate. Rows of wooden logs, tightly bound by rope and melded together in several placed with magic, all began to rise in unison, leaving a space for the children to quickly dart inside before it closed again. Fio sighed. "We will need to find out how they're getting out eventually," He murmured to himself. The man next to him rolled his eyes.

Flin glanced over at the others as the Myti fled. He stood up very slowly and clumsily, his right hand placed on his chest as he headed into the caravan. His breathing was very deep and fast, clearly indicating that something was wrong with him. But he said nothing about his condition, sitting down on the ground with his back facing one of the walls. "Th-the captain..." He mumbled. "He was on the roof...outnumbered." He wheezed, with concern in his tone of voice.

"Quickly! Over there!" called a distant voice. A scramble of footsteps then diverged overhead.

Ayer could barely process the words as he crawled through the narrow space between the layered buildings composing the dock-yards, scurrying through the muck and refuse, hoping to anything, anyone that his current equipment didn't act up now. It was the last of it. His precious Ars, the last existing proof of his grand theorem. As he clung to this shamble of pipes, plating, and gems, he struggled to think of a way out. It was hard to focus. There were footsteps everywhere, commotion that stirred the sea-side town in the middle of the night. He managed to buy time, a regretful sacrifice, but they were getting closer. And he wasn't really getting anywhere. He cursed to himself for being so foolish to trust them. The Nilliums were well-spoken and tactfully prose, unlike the other families who ruled the region. They promised his ideas would benefit the estrange people of this region. But as it turns out, they were nothing more than beasts playing proper. They only wanted his grand inventions for brutal, animistic warfare. He couldn't allow his beautiful inventions to be abused like that. Not as a proud inventor, the great visionary of this generation.

The name 'Ayer Lecomte, the Arcane Theorist' shall be respected for all time! Or rather, that's what he'd like.

But despite his own brave betrayal and sacrifice, there was no one he could turn to. No one recognized him a hero. He was an outsider here. And no one would dare oppose the gangs that ruled this territory. Ayer was practically a fish caught out of water.

"It can't end like this... after all I've done... and yet to..."

He waited a moment of silence before poking his head back out. "Dieu'n Merci, they've missed me..." Accidentally slipping to his native tongue, "Now all I need to do is get down to the port... and I'll have more time... maybe steal a ship... No, that'd be to obvious... Maybe I could... Zute, zute, no time to think now! Let's go!"

And just as Ayer hauled himself out of the dirty crevice, in his adrenaline and fear fueled hurry, he overshot himself. The Ars device swung awkwardly at his shoulder and banged against the wall, the many components clattering noisily with themselves. He held his breath, hoping the noise reached nowhere important. But of course.

"Hey! I found the ratty runt! He's down there in the gutters!" called a voice high above.

Ayer looked up and saw a shadow start bolting down the canopy roof-top. Hearing shouts and footsteps coming from the west, the arcane inventor, in all his brilliance, thought of a plan. A flawless escape maneuver that would outwit these thuggish miscreants. Or at least, he wished something like that would happen. This wasn't a fairy tale. He was no god-hero that could take on a whole army alone. In his amazing escape plan, Ayer simply darted for dear life the other direction. Blindly, he pushed through this alleyway and that, even tearting down a hanging shop sign for misdirection. Though it was more like a few pitiful yanks with the in-built crow-bar on the Wax Jury. For human standards, Ayer was even lacking. Despite all these efforts, things were looking grim.

He was practically out of breath in just a minute or so of sprinting. Not to mention he was completely lost in the foreign town, the footsteps growing ever closer. As sweat drippled down his brow to his eyes, Ayer saw the glistening of the moonlight as he bounded over a puddle of water. He can practically see the gleam in their sabers now.

...

Pyra looked at Daelin with a perturbed expression, then crying out at the sudden mace to the face. His eyes! ...damn it damn it damn it. He squeezed his eyes shut tight as the Myti seemed to disappear to his senses, at least, leaning up against the wall and rising to his feet after he was shoved forward, making his way back into the Caravan and promptly sliding down on an open section of wall, repeating the phrase "Don't pass out don't pass out don't pass out..." under his breath repetitively, trying to... well, not pass out. He'd prefer to be conscious for the time, as hard as that was. Shame there wasn't a paladin around or anything...

Paric
Sometime around 9PM

Paric watched another drop of water as it trickled down the wall of his cheap apartment. In his hand was a small, long dried flask. He had not the money to replenish the spirits that had once swished around inside it. Under him was a wooden chair, each leg had obviously been broke at one point. The Eldi had sat like this for awhile, pondering what brought him to a place ran by a gang. Perhaps it was the cheap liquor, perhaps it was the isolation a place like this could provide to a directionless soul. Either way, he needed to leave. He did not want to get involved with this gang, or worse, get forced into servitude to the filth that this town called a town guard.

It was the faint shouting in the distance that forced his frozen frame into motion, bringing to him the urgent need to relinquish his growing thirst. He slowly stood up and went to his coin bag, only to find it was empty. With a sign he made his way to the apartment door, grimacing at the loud screeching sound the hinges made. He duly noted that night had already landed, meaning he had been sitting in that chair for hours. Paric made his way down his apartment's hallway and to the stone steps leading into a narrow ally. It was at the bottom of the steps that he realized the yelling he had heard previously was quickly approaching. It was not unusual to hear the guard chasing down a thief. However, this was different. Whoever was running was giving the guards some trouble, almost as if this person had been on the run before.

Paric, from the entrance of his little alley, could see the figure in question as it made its way towards him, running furiously through the streets. He had been in this situation before, only to see the runner tackled, shackled, and dumped into some rotting prison cell. This runner was different, however. There was a certain aura to him... or not him even, but to something that he carried.

A few heartbeats later and Ayer was on him. Paric's hands raised. Then night turned to day in this section of street as a conjured, gold colored flare flew past Ayer and at the guards. Within moments Paric had his hands Ayer, pulling the man into the narrow alley in which Paric had been waiting. He figured that the man he had just saved would be just as blind as the guards, so he kept hold of him as they disappeared up the stairs Paric just came from. "Come on, friend, we're going to the roof! It'll lead us near the walls." He said in a deep, rough voice. Paric knew the flare would hardly last. He didn't exactly have the strongest control over his mana. Once expired, the flare would explode in a deafening blast, telling Paric and the man he was helping when the guards would be back on their trail.

- Around 9PM
- Mentions: @Mataus

The winded tinkerer practically tripped over himself as a blaze blurred past him, letting out a less-than-graceful yelp as the alleyway lit up behind him. It didn't look like the pursuers really expected it either. One unfortunate soul was caught in the flare, letting out a shrill scream with his allies scrambling to to douse it out and recover their position. As he stumbled, Ayer held onto his precious Ars, spinning his body try and save it from impact. He'd rather die than lose it now. Of course, it wasn't that dramatic. A hand had already yanked the wimpy tinkerer and propped him up against a flight of stairs. Ayer was confused, blinking wildly. In the flash of the orange bloom, he saw a young man. Someone he's never met before. Was this person trying to help him? For what reason? But as he looked at the face, he realized something even more important. This wasn't just any man either, it was an Eldi.

"You're..." but before he could even finish, the mysterious savior was already leading the way.
"T-to the roof? Wouldn't that...? Uh, ah, okay!" he said over the chaos below, following up the stairs after the fleeting shadow.

There was no time to question things now. He had no idea how to navigate this town. One way or another, he was bound to be stuck running endless circles in these binge-scented backstreets until they caught him. And with the commotion going on now, the rest of the search party was surely making their way here. Despite his hard-wired nature against making half-calculated decisions, heeding this stranger was his only chance to get out alive. Ayer tried to keep his breath stable as he tailed along, his feet stamping up the long path of stone steps. Each step, which grew only heavier and heavier, he realized just how unfit he was for all of this action. He wasn't built for this. Not at all.

At the top of the steps, Ayer bent over heaving as he tried to catch his wits, his breath, and to contain his growing need to vomit. His heartbeat pounded in his ears like war-drums, his face crunched in absolute pain.

"Sorry... I just, I just don't do this sort of thing often... haha..." he blurped, cursing to himself and spitting the iron-tinged saliva out of his mouth. What a shame. Fortune from the divine shows up to his aid, and this is how he presents himself. Truly, what will his name become if word of this gets out? If he even gets out?

...

Henry Delvitch walked casually at the center of a town patrol, surrounded be at least twenty men. He seemed terribly dour as his men combed the crevices lining Nillium's main roadway. This was not how he wanted to spend his evening. But of course, something had to be done about another entitled little asshole that thought they could escape the watchful eyes of Nillium's soldiers. Usually, something so small wouldn't put the entire town on high alert. But this time was a little different. This time there were some war-changing schematics at risk.

Ayer Lecomte, a wretched and naive fool. He'd approached the Don with his designs a week ago. They were weapons, plain and simple, but that miserable oaf seemed to have something other than military might on his mind. Of course, him babbling on about his grand scheme, or great prophecy, or whatever the hell he called it, was none of their concern. The Nilliums just wanted a way to mass produce his nifty little death machines. Unfortunately, Ayer had escaped long before Nillium's researchers could plunder, or even hope to replicate all of his devices. Those that they manged to commandeer were completely alien in their craft, and wouldn't you know it, that rat bastard was a little better at running away than anyone gave him credit for. Henry was especially humiliated by his unit's failure to keep him in his quarters. How that scrawny bastard had even figured out their intents was beyond him. Maybe he was a little smarter than he looked? He had to be. No idiot could create something that advanced.

There was no escaping the encampment though. No way in hell. Although the town guard lacked in many regards, the walls that kept their city safe were iron-tight. The Don prided himself on access control above all else and didn't take kindly to people with second thoughts. Once you entered Nillium, willfully or otherwise, the only way out was in a body bag.

Men split off from Henry's group in pairs, checking the alleyways and dipping into houses unannounced as they moved down the main street. Some climbed to the roof-tops and scanned the surrounding buildings, while others dove into the gutter that snaked through the entire town, into the ocean. Henry's group hadn't had any luck just yet, but the main street lead straight for the only way out of Nillium. If that crazy scientist wanted out, he'd have to make his way towards the Main Gate at one point or another. It was one of the only two ways inside the wall, the other being through Nillium's gutter. But that guy didn't look like he was climbing sheer concrete faces any time soon. Besides, several search parties were already sweeping areas nearest to the outer walls.

Those that found nothing returned to Henry with confirmation.

'aye, empty'
'Nobody'
'Nothing'
'It's clear Henry'

The constant slew of failure did little to alleviate the man's sour mood. He rubbed his balding head vigorously, pushing back a migraine as his men continued their duties. Little did he know, their target was nowhere near his unit. But a glint of hope struck him, finally.

"Henry!" A man shouted across the street, running towards Henry's group from the Burroughs, "We found him!" Like a machine, Henry snapped towards the man with a tired expression. He rose his hand and stopped the messenger half-way across the street.

"Lead us there."



Buildings were packed tightly in the Burroughs, leaving only small walkways, slim alleyways, and the gutter to navigate the heavily-fortified part of Nillium. It hugged 50% of the outer wall and made up almost 20% of the town, acting as a sturdy defense against attackers from the west. Of course, it also made for a terribly efficient hiding place for intruders. The rooftops were layered in a complicated manner, leaving places for people to hide, jump between buildings, and dive indoors at a whim. But with so many people patrolling the city, it was only a matter of time before people like Ayer were caught.

There were at least thirty men worming their way through the paths and alleys below, and more making their way to rooftops in sequence. They weren't going to leave any stone un-turned in their search. Half-measures were met with heavy punishment. Although the men working under Nillium's Don were not professionally trained, they were exceptionally persistent in their duties. Nobody bothered questioning their role though. Despite the tough teachings of Nillium's Five, loyal and consistent grunts were treated very well.

Three men were atop a few higher hanging roofs already, lining the edge of Nillium's Burroughs. Others wormed around, creating a mine-field throughout the grouping of structures. But none of them had demonstrated exceptional use of magic in their chase of Ayer. A few telekinetic attacks here, some elemental mastery there, but nothing to warrant worry. It seemed that the Nilliums were more familiar with swords than magic. Almost every single guard wielded a sharp piece of metal around their waist, whether it was a cutlass, dagger, or rusty shank.

The group that met Paric's flare were not stopped for long. A few of them suffered a momentary shock to their senses, while the man who took the brunt of his blast almost fainted from the combined exposure of light and sound. As soon as they were able to recuperate, perhaps 30 seconds or so, those that could still move continued their patrol. Two of the men ran up the stairwell that Ayer and Paric had used to escape them earlier, while the others sought similar patrol routes. From where they stood though, the outer wall was visible, just beyond 4 rows of uneven rooftops. But between them and it, there were likely to be guards. Not only that, but scaling the wall itself was to be a task of its own. The highest rooftops were just high enough for the most athletic to jump across, but if the guards were competent, they would have had those buildings locked down. Of course, the West Shipyard was just as close, and there were plenty of boats for the taking. But those massive wooden vessels were a significant cog in their distribution network. For them to leave their ships unguarded would be tantamount for structural suicide.

Paric couldn't have possibly known just how badly the Nilliums wanted Ayer under lock and Key though. Ayer himself might have underestimated how desperate they were to get hold of his technology as well. Regardless of what they knew, or how they chose to approach their encroaching fate, the result of their actions would be clear shortly.

It really was only a matter of time.



The edge of Nillium's mainland encampment was where the docks sat, lined up from the west coat to the east coast. The western Shipyard was far more compact, and held the brunt of their fleet, while the east coast was dedicated to fishing and diving operations. In the east, sitting half a kilometer away from the seashore, was also where the Don's humble home sat. Despite its unassuming appearance, it was one of the most heavily fortified locations in all of Nillium.

"We can't - It's impossible, Don!" Hedwick Nillium exclaimed, standing before his Don with one of Ayer's stolen contraptions on hand. The Don rolled his eyes at his supposed scientist's objections, one hand tapping the golden trim of his chair. "It's far more complex than anything I've ever seen. We haven't even had a chance to get our hands on a real Psy-Stone. You can't expect us to make leaps and bounds here. We need his guidance."

"I'm not too sure he'll be willing," Don Nillium sighed, "My men tell me he's a bit... Opposed to violence and conflict. If he's not as stupid as he looks, he'll have figured out what we plan to do with his creations by now." The Don tapped faster on his chair's arm, pushing himself deeper into the velvet cushions. Hedwick lowered Ayer's device, waiting for some kind of order as he stood perched over the coffee table. Don inhaled deeply and straightened his posture. "I'm going to make pasta," he sung, with a tinge of sarcasm in his voice, "Would you like some?" Hedwick blinked.

"Uh, no. Thank you."

"We'll approach him tomorrow about it - his inventions - and offer him an ultimatum. Most men crack under the threat of torture. I'm sure this Ayer fellow is no different. In fact, I suspect he'll crack if we gently tug at his ears." Don chuckled and stood up, moving towards the open kitchen near the back of his house. The ground rang hollow as his leather boots knocked against the wooden floor, and he opened a drawer. He looked at the contents and furrowed his brow. "On second thought, perhaps we should approach him tonight."

"You don't think he's-"

"I'm missing a knife," Nillium hissed. Hedwick froze. "I could have sworn it was here."

"I'll tell Henry and Bertha to fetch him right aw-"

"Ask Bertha if she took my knife while you're at it," Don quickly interrupted, "That woman's fingers are stickier than gutter juice." Hedwick nodded and placed Ayer's machine on the Don's coffee table.

"I hope to return with good news."

"Yes," Don muttered to himself, "Good news."

The man, this human, had said something just before Paric had launched himself up the stairs leading to the roof. Given their situation, Paric had elected to answer the stranger later.

Alongside a reveal of race, the Eldi drunkard had noticed the stranger carrying a pack. A pack in which something important lay hidden, given the stranger's willingness to sacrifice his body for it. The object, or objects, in that pack were probably what emitted the faint aura Paric had noticed earlier, and the very reason he had chosen to save this stranger. Of course, he had not saved the human quite yet. In fact, if he had been in this human's boots, he would probably would have turned and fought to a meager death, as he was probably in worse shape, his only reason for being somewhat thin being his Eldi physique.

Pausing at the top of the staircase, Paric had time to hear the human express his sorrow. "If it makes you feel better," the Eldi grunted, "I would already be dead if I were you." He looked around the rooftops, noticing some figures had already made their way onto the rooftops. Paric did not doubt that more guards would make the ascent to the rooftops and even more would secure the walls. Within seconds Paric's master plan had failed.

Alongside the immediate failure of his plan, Paric was developing a headache from not having anything to drink. He missed the haze alcohol brought to him. When the old seemed to lose their wrinkles and his problems vanished. "What good is a drunk who isn't drunk?" He muttered to himself.

Heavy footsteps broke his train of thought, bringing him back to their delicate predicament. The guards had recovered and were on their way up the stairs. Paric cursed under his breath, spinning on his heels. He waved his hands and a wave of golden flames flew down the stairway. "Uh, the shipyard. We'll go to the shipyard." With that he started to run.

His dreaded compassion put him here. Now he had to find a way out; first, he had to make sure he was not crushed by the massive boulder rolling his and Wor’Da’Li’s way. He pulled her to the side and let the massive boulder roll passed the two of them; other Lok’Sha suffered for his decision, but not everyone could be saved. Even fueled by four hearts, he was but one being. Death was imminent, anyway--it is still unfortunate that some, yes, even those he would on any other day call his enemies, had to meet their ends this way.

“Where exit?” Za’Kul inquired,
“Closest one in south.” A long trek, each cave system had a series of exits, but with the respective tunnels collapsing slowly there would be little time to reach one before Za’Kul and his new companion were trapped in the rubble.

All he could do was run. Shattering rock was no easy feat, but it was one the smith’s son was all too acquainted with. As the ground beneath began to cave and the cave’s axis began to tilt, Za’Kul hopped and leapt across ever growing depressions. Where consistent floor became sloped, Za’Kul made a point to move himself away from the center of the collapse where the seismic activity was strongest.

His companion had mostly kept up, only a few steps behind him as the duo went. He only needed to reach the southern exit before it caved in, and he was close. Narrowly avoiding collapsing debris, Za’Kul hadn’t stopped. If he was going to get out alive, he would use all the advantages afforded him by his body.

Or with the help of Rajaka.

- Around 9 PM
- Mentioned: @Mataus

Ayer cracked a bitter smile, "Ha... A drunken fire-bending hero? I guess miracles come in all shapes and sizes. If we actually make it out this mess... how about a round of drinks on me?"

He jumped when fire blossomed again, turning to see the flames bellow down towards two upcoming pursuers heading up the stairs. They were knocked back down by the exploding heat, fumbling wayward in burning balls of fire. Ayer wanted to shout in victory, but the intensity of the moment picked up as he realized just how many were reaching them now, catching sight of a trio of shadowy figures scaling the rooftops ahead of them. That humorless, prude Henry sure was quick. He was able to outsmart the man once, under the guise of unpredictability and innocence. But his guise is long gone. A man like him wouldn't take any chances after such humiliation. No doubt there were others he wasn't able to see already moving to flank.

Ayer seemed to begin to suffer from a panic attack just thinking of how dire their situation was. A nasty combination of his over-active imagination and unnecessary calculation and overthinking. His whole body shook as these deadly thoughts gripped him with deep fear and uncertainty. The Nillium didn't want him dead. No. They wanted him alive. Without him, who knew how long it would take to decipher the Ars devices, if at all. His breathing become dangerous and vapid as his mind raced uncontrollably. His thoughts almost overwhelmed him, vivid lists and postulations on how they were going to beat him, maim him, bleed him dry until he complied with their heinous goals. So long as he was able to talk, Ayer was sure they wouldn't think twice about just leaving him with nubs for arms and legs. His eyes darted across the dark horizon without focus, as small lights began to point towards their direction.

What to do? What was the right choice? Is escape even possible?

But it seemed his savior was more level-headed than the finicky arcanist. Without hesitation, the last word the Eldi stranger left was 'shipyards' before darting the other direction. He looked at the Eldi with a gleam of inspiration and admiration. If this person was going to risk their life for him, he damn well can't stutter and fail to meet them half-way.

Snap out of it... Ayer, don't be so lame. Take it from your hero. Be brave! Yes! The world's greatest mind can't end up dead by the hands of some war-minded crooks! No way!

Truly, heading to the harbor where the Nillium kept their boats was a great idea. The best given their situation at least. The place surely was heavily guarded, as the Nillium valued them for their trading, not to mention those already on their heels. But given his condition, even if they were to get over the walls, somehow, they wouldn't be able to run too much farther without him railing the Eldi down and collapsing. A watery get-away would be the only possibility at this point. Difficult as it may be. But he had an idea...

Looks like the time for running is over...

Wiping his brow, combing his blonde-sweat dripped hair to the side, Ayer straightened himself out and pulled out a circular disc with an intricate curved handle and triggering mechanism. This piece was connected by a series of metallic pipes to the main unit, most of which appeared completely alien to those who knew nothing of his theory. One he entrusted to no one but himself. The scientist was wholly against violence to settle conflict, but he didn't think there was much choice. With a few swift clicks and turns of valves, popping one of the empty slots open, he inserted a small cylindrical crystal-tipped canister, then swapped a few, and moved others of different colors around. He didn't want to use Wax Jury just yet, knowing just how precious the few use charges would be for such a plan to succeed. But he simply primed the device, in case things got ugly.

Hearing footsteps hammer above, he quickly started after his newly paired companion towards the West Shipyard.

...

"No, she isn't a druid but she is the best friend I've ever had. I owe her my life." Rem answered. The sun was almost down. He paused on the natural trail near a small copse that opened up to the star-lit sky. Mushrooms, flowers, vines. The forest was heavy in vegetation here. The mushrooms in particular seemed to line the sides of the natural pathway. Rem knelt down beside some of them a sniffed at the air.

"These are what I am looking for, the mushrooms." He took a seat, criss-crossing his legs. "Or rather what is hidden among them. You see, most of these are poisonous. They all look the same, smell the same, they even taste the same I'm told." He shrugged. Not like he'd eat poisonous shrooms just to find out how they taste. "There's a trick though. A beautiful trait in some of nature's more secretive flora and fauna." Rem sat back, leaning the palms of his hands against the ground. "Just watch closely."

As the last rays of light ascended and disappeared from the horizon the mushrooms in the grove began to glow. Not just a few of them, all of them. They lit up in a cascade of several different colors: red, blue and green. The forest was dark around them but in this small grove the bio-luminescence of the mushrooms gave enough light for them to see each other's faces.

"The people who know about them call them Wisp-caps. Beautiful aren't they? Go ahead and pick a couple of the red ones. Just don't touch any of the other ones." He smiled wryly. "They are known to have paralytic effects. Wouldn't want you joining my friend now."

__________________________________________________________________________________________



Daelin waved the can through the air to clear the mist, coughing slightly as some of the backspray of the mace wafted through the air. "Whew! A couple more seconds and you'd have officially made this my worst caravan run yet." Daelin commented. He was thinking purely of the kill count of course. No one had ever tried blowing him up before. A tactic that he definitely didn't approve.

The caravan was a mess inside and out but as it stood they were sitting ducks. They had no idea how many marksman were outside or if they had any more unapproved tactics. Daelin stowed the can back into his belt and rummaged around through the cabin for what he really wanted. He spotted just what he was looking for in the back where Lyullia had initially fallen. It must have been thrown back there in the crash. The crossbow! He rushed over to it, pushing debris off and pulling it out from under a partly broken box. It was scuffed up a bit and the stock had a new scar that he didn't put into it but it seemed operable. He tested the string, unsatisfied with its tautness he twisted a small crank along the center of the bow. He nodded at his work and turned to face the others. "I'm checking outside. I know they have marksman but we can't sit here either. For all we know they want to dump that rock above us on the caravan and be done with it." Daelin mused. He stopped at the ladder and looked up. "Cap'n! You okay up there?" He asked.

Za'Kul's efforts were mirrored by many survivors that had already reached one of the exit tunnels. Lok'Sha could make slightly longer jumps than most races, and ignored the rough rock faces with their harder-than-stone soles. But War'Da'Li was not accustom to travel despite her race. She was a smith, first and foremost, and burdened with the sudden loss of family. Even with the ever present spirit of a Lok'Sha, the light inside of her was quickly dwindling, and with it, the will to live. She slowly fell further and further behind Za'Kul, barely able to keep him in her sights. The fact that a dark skin was willing to help her did little to sate her delicate emotional state. With everything crashing down around her, War'Da'Li felt as null as the stone she leaped across.

It was an unfortunate result. A moment of distraction, and the woman landed awkwardly on her right foot, twisting it painfully and careening down the 45 degree rock face she'd chosen to jump to. One of her hands slammed into the stone, creating a small crack for her to take hold of, but the entire platform was sinking quickly, as well as the tents and boulders around her. Another stone fell from the ceiling, crashing into the ground merely 30 feet away. The stone she clung to jutted up further, but she managed to hold on despite not clinging to a sheer rock face.

As Za'Kul approached the southern tunnel, there were already plenty of Lok'Sha standing at the edge of the cave's mouth, glaring at their home as it crumbled before them. When they saw a dark-skin approaching, the first thing that came to mind wasn't to aid him. The wall of Wor Tribesmen stepped forward, covering the tunnel's entrance as Za'Kul approached. Their judgmental stares locked on to him, almost creating a physical force with their combined contempt.

"Terrorist!" one of the survivors called out. A series of shouts of a similar nature followed. Za'Kul quickly became the target of a coordinated verbal attack. Being yelled at for his Tribe's standing was nothing new, but that wasn't the issue he would face. They weren't going to let him pass them. The remaining Wor tribesmen acted as a barrier, keeping the narrow tunnel completely sealed off from the Kul tribesman.



As the Wisp-Caps lit up along the side of their trail, the air itself felt as if it were flooded with a soft cloud of mana. It was a sensitive aura that only the most perceptive of mages would pick up on, uncommon in the wilds. The natives saw it as a warning, but Thoris was a constantly evolving mystery that refused to be tamed by the knowledge of its races.

Small pupae rested quietly on the underside of a few mushrooms. When Rem picked a wisp-cap from the collage, a few of the cocoons underneath it fell to the ground and bounced towards his feet. Small, translucent chrysalis' were feeding on the nutrients within the plant life. But moments after their host organism had been picked, the once pure-white pupae quickly shriveled up and became a smelly black sludge. Some of the gunk had grazed Rem's shoe, leaving a quickly-formed burn mark where it had made contact, while also searing the ground wherever the little cocoons had melted. Moments after, a very subtle buzzing became audible from behind. The sound grew in frequency over time, but its origin wasn't immediately obvious.



Nillium gang members caught the sight of Ayer and his new accomplice as soon as they began hopping between the tightly-packed buildings. Both men occasionally fell out of their line of sight as the rooftops rose and fell along the horizon, but they were sure of it in only a minute. Those men were heading for the ship yard. Unfortunately for Ayer, the guard were not bound by any sort of threat like he and his ally were. So they did was any reasonable guardsmen would do, under no threat of being 'caught' by pursuers.

"THEY'RE HEADING FOR THE SHIPYARD! WEST! WEST! CUT THEM OFF!"

Several more shouted echoed through the streets, with little care for anyone who may have been sleeping, or looking forward to a quiet night in their homes. Within mere minutes, the 30-something guards that littered the streets had grown to number in the eighties. But with the uneven and unpredictable path that the two fugitives took, they were fortunate enough to evade a direct encounter with the guards.

But at the rate they were moving, it was only a manner of time before even more of the guard closed in on them. Their positioning would eventually corner them at the western docks, with their only option being to escape by sea. What made matters worse, was how close Henry and his squad had gotten in such a short period of time. At the rate that he and his goons were running, they would catch up with the two athletically challenged roof-jumpers within the hour.

The luck that Ayer and Paric saw in their short venture had come to a quick end. Reaching the Burroughs' edge put them within walking distance of the docks. From where they stood now, they could see it all. More than ten trade ships, and dozens of smaller boats lined the docks all the way to where the docks met Nillium's outer wall. As positive as it may have seemed, all hope might have faded when the men realized that, to match the dozens of ships, there were dozens of men patrolling the boats, and nearby housing. Fortunately for them, none of the guards had a good fix of exactly where they might have been. How long their subterfuge would last could have varied dramatically though. The guards were already on high alert with all the shouting that cascaded from the depths of Nillium.

To add insult to injury, Julius Barrel and Locke 'Mop', two of Nillium's five commanders, as it were, had been present at the docks since the afternoon. Julius was on board the Nillium's Fang that rested at the edge of the main boardwalk. The mop on the other hand, was getting drunk outside of his cabin near the base of the very same dock. Ayer and Paric could see him very clearly. He was a popular one, that mop, seeing how he was the most lax out of Nillium's five. His shaggy black hair always obscured most of his face, but Locke was the jolly sort. The popular sort. Nobody really understood why such a raggedy man - a man who always dressed in smelly rags and usually had a bottle of wine somewhere on his person - held such an important title. Maybe it was how he could rally the troops? Or maybe he had some kind of connection with the Don? Either way, tonight clearly wasn't his night to shine. He looked barely conscious from where Ayer and Paric stood, loosely clutching the mouth of a wine-bottle at his waist while he rested against the edge of the cabin. He was singing sea shanties to himself, or something. It was hard to make out from so far away, but his voice was loud and groggy. Loud enough that the guards nearby were distracted by his... Pleasant melody.

One of the guards that patrolled the dock looked up at where Paric and Ayer were stationed absentmindedly, catching the slightest glimpse of their outline against the moonlight. Had they already been caught?



Noru nodded to himself and lowered Lyullia's pant-leg once he was finished. "Give that an hour before putting weight on it," He warned her. Then he walked towards the storage room in a rush, looking to gather more supplies to treat everyone's injuries. When Daelin came into the back room, Noru ignored him entirely, almost obsessed with his task of tending to the injured.

Neal stepped aside and Flin and Daelin entered the caravan, before forcefully picking Pyra up and carrying him inside as well, quickly as he could manage. He moved Pyra over to one of the undamaged lower bunks, and gently placed him on top of it. "Good show, Eldi," He complimented the battered and abused knight, "Color me surprised." Neal looked back at Daelin as he came back into the common area with his crossbow at the ready. The captain huffed contently and closed his eyes. He was fortunate to have been found by Centaurus. They seemed like a capable bunch in the face of danger. Maybe if he'd had these knights around, his squad wouldn't have been... Captain Geroldus flinched at the though and opened his eyes, realizing that he'd been leaning over Pyra for an uncomfortable period of time. He shifted around awkwardly and nodded to the Eldi, even if he probably couldn't see through the punishment he'd received. He might've not even been conscious!

With the Myti assault over and done with, Zay sighed a breath of relief. His injuries were finally setting in. Both his sprained ankle, and broken wrist flared up with an unexpected onslaught of agony. So much for adrenaline. He almost wished that his opponent had stuck around for a while longer. He smiled when he heard Daelin's voice and limped towards the hatch.

"Nothing to worry about," He assured Daelin, turning around and climbing down the ladder as slowly as he could manage. "What about the others?"



Blake fidgeted while he sat on top of a hefty pile of armor and picked his teeth with a silver pin. His hammer was planted in yet another corpse near his feet, firmly enough to stand upright.

"Another friggin' paladin, eh?" Blake grunted. Second Lieutenant Komo Milia adjusted his glasses and nodded.

"Sorry, sir. I didn't know!" The Male Myti assured him. Blake rolled his eyes and rubbed his scruff. "I really didn't!"

"Don't get yer tail in a knot, Komo. It 'aint your fault." Komo sighed and nodded. "We were expecting it this time. Sasha ran into the same issue earlier, didn't she? Even lady Nix had her suspicions. Why else would she give us all a stone?"

"Of course. Still, It's unacceptable that I didn't-"

"Shaddup!" Komo flinched backwards and fiddled with his hands, unsure of where to place them as Blake flicked his silver pin at him. "We dealt with it! Simple! As long as you do what yer s'pose ta, everything will be fine." Komo nodded. Blake grunted. "Still not too jolly about running into two of these bastards in one day." The massive man reached up to his right ear, or rather what was left of it, and wiped away a copious amount of blood. "I rather liked hearin' things."

"I'm sure lady Nix can fix that-"

"Oh yeah! Lemme just go right up to a fuckin' page of Eldi Mythos and ask for a patch job! Please, m'lady! I know you're busy torturin' humans and such with all your free time, but could'ya grow me an ear real quick-like?" Komo's mouth quivered, and he nodded again. Blake grunted. One of his men approached him and offered a crude mockery of Arcadia's salute.

"Supplies cleared out, boss."

"'Bout damn time." Blake sighed, grabbed the handle of his hammer, and pulled himself onto his feet. "Let's get goin'. I need a nap-" He stopped and looked down at his thigh.

_{"B..k....la.e!...BLAKE!"}

He reached into his pocket and put one hand on his Psy-stone, but was immediately met with an unpleasant series of screeches.

_{"PICK UP YOUR DAMN STONE YOU MISERABLE IDIOT!"}

He felt his head ring as it was assailed by Sasha's agitated screeching, but rose a hand to his goon as she began to speak. Komo looked at him curiously and lowered his hands.

_{"We need you to clean something up."}

Blake smiled.

"Again?"

Pyra gave a tired nod as he barely heard the compliment, simply allowing himself to be carried to a bunk without any attempt at movement himself. It was... probably safe. Should he let himse- he passed out, his body finally beginning the rejuvenating process known as ‘Rest’. Not that it would help much with a broken arm.

Flin sighed in relief as Zay climbed down the ladder. If he was this relaxed about things now, it likely meant that there was no longer any immediate danger. Flin forced himself on his feet again despite the intense pain, and sat down on his bunk. He looked at Zay for a moment, before looking at the ground in shame. He had wanted to aid his captain, but instead it backfired completely which put Zay at risk. "I apologise for being a liability, captain." He simply said, trying his best to breathe in a more controlled manner.

"I have seen these before, but I never knew exactly their purpose. So, Rem, you're gathering them for an antidote then?" smiling despite herself Ellorei was amazed to see the knowledge that Rem commanded in action. Ellorei thought to herself how long it took for Rem to gain such a calm wisdom while also thinking about her own flaws. Her fascination grew as she knelt down to inspect the red wisp-caps Rem instructed to pick. Gently she began to gather one closest to her to marvel at yet another of Gaia's many gifts. Just as she was about to ask yet another question Ellorei's attention was immediately drawn to the pupae that had fallen and morphed into something acrid enough to damage a perfectly good boot. It was now that her mind was thinking of insects that she heard the buzzing, an almost barely there sound of some sort of creature.

"Rem, I know I talk a great deal but," Ellorei stood from her sitting position, "I promise that buzzing isn't my chatter."

The flight from the Nilliums had been relatively free of complications. In fact, their path had been so haphazard that they had managed to avoid many groups of guards, occasionally hearing a loud call as the guards pinpointed their location, but they would quickly run out of sight. Paric predicted that their path was not the only reason for a lack of conflict, the guards knew that eventually the duo would run into a corner or finally exhaust all of their energy. The Nilliums were, after all, dealing with a fire mage and whatever Ayer had up his sleeve. Waiting until both were tired was probably the safest way to go about apprehending the two.

Paric's mind had been running through the possible scenarios that could unfold when the they arrived at the shipyard. He had thought about sparking the entire dock to fire, but that wouldn't have done anything for them. He thought about killing the entire crew of a ship and taking if for themselves. That wouldn't work either, for, in the end, they couldn't sail a ship completely by themselves. Of course, he was sure he could not do either of those things anyway, especially in his current state.

No, in the end, they'd have to get to a ship and either bribe or threaten the ship's captain. He certainly did not have any material to bribe with, but his new friend might.

When they finally came to the end of their rooftop journey, Paric was panting like a dog. They could finally see the shipyard... and the many guards who were positioned there. "Friend," he said between breaths, "look... at that man... they," he straightened so he could breath better, "they call him Mop." He eyed the man for a moment longer. "He's drunk... and... he is distracting the guards."
It seemed as if they could sneak past the distracted guards and drunk captain.

Paric's heart dropped when he saw a dock guard turn his head in their direction. He couldn't quite tell if the guard saw them or not, but he had looked directly at them. Of course, these guards would all be antsy with all that was going on. The guard may very well write it off as imagination. If the guard had seen them, then they'd have to deal with the entire dock's worth of guards. He put his hand on his friends shoulder. "Remain still, friend. We may have to sneak past them all. But I believe a guard may have seen us."

Unfortunately, Paric had forgotten all about those guards closing in from behind them.

- A quarter after 9PM
- Mentions: @Mataus

The scientist almost couldn't hear the Eldi over the racket of the fervent 'singing', the shouting scattered across the small city, and his own heaving breaths. He was absolutely worn out. All this running, he wasn't even sure he ran this much his entire life. Ayer felt like he could just curl up and die right there. So much for heroism right?

But he strode to listen, freezing still. His heart and body ached, but he didn't dare move.

He already knew a bit of the Five commanders of Nillium, but the Eldi didn't know that. He felt a little guilty having the man think he was just some random desperate soul. At this moment, however, they both needed to focus on getting out alive.

"Okay..." he said, inching a glance up. Ayer was out of breath, but he tried to make it quick. He was usually a fast speaker in general, but now it sounded like he was squeezing every little word out as fast as possible with each breath.

"I'm assuming fire is your only specialty... You being an Eldi an all. I've not much either. That means we don't have much at our disposal when it comes to distraction or subterfuge... If your suspicions are right, the natural reaction upon seeing something unusual is confirmation upon the unusual and dubious sighting. That means, he'll probably walk up to get a closer look. If he does, I want you to pretend you are one of them. Not everyone knows I've an accomplice, nor do they know you. Call out that you've found me and bait him in closer. Then we knock him out." he breathed, looking at the Eldi, "Use my name, 'Ayer', if you have to. Make it urgent, so he can't think to turn away. The others won't be able to hear over all this noise, I'm sure.

He almost shrugged his shoulders in acceptance, hand never having left the grip of Wax Jury. "If not, we've been found anyway, right? I'm ready to fight."

...

Paric listened to Ayer's dialogue in relief. He did not have a plan to get past these guards, let alone to deal with the guard who might have seen them. "Yes, I agree, friend. Your plan is risky but, unfortunately, it is necessary." He said, his breathing slowing, making it easier to speak again. What to come would lead to their escape or their demise. If he was an assassin, or a thief, he probably could have just escaped easily. One of those astrology based mages, the lunar ones, would laugh at how much the two had struggled in this escape.

"Get ready." Paric headed off towards the nearest staircase. He assumed Ayer would find somewhere to hide where he could use a blunt object to incapacitate the guard from behind. The Eldi wasn't ready for a drawn out fist fight. He wasn't in the form to do that, nor had he actually punched someone in a long time. For both their sakes, Paric hoped the human swung hard.

There was some doubt that his voice would carry through the noise currently blasting through the city, so Paric waved his hands in the air alongside repetitively yelling "Ayer is over here! Help me!"