The man who had saved the group was about to depart when something else appeared on the rooftops. It was that cult leader woman with the weird skim. However, he didn't notice her until it was too late. The woman had already impaled the Innkeeper's wife. He had barely noticed her when the finger flew out impaling itself into the hapless woman. As he stood there making sure it was actually her, he felt himself getting into that same rhythm building up in the first fight that was cut too short.

He approached Syella with a glide as she had her back turned to him. Ordinarily this would be an extremely careless misstep, but something told him this was more arrogance than unthinking error. It also was probably due to her anticipating an attack from him, but the problem is just because you might know a hit is coming doesn't mean you can react in time to it.

He swung his staff with great strength aiming to hit her arm. While he hoped it would throw her aim off, there was also another motive behind the attack. He knew the corruption gained by progressing into the rank obviously warped the person while granting abilities. But too what extent is the question? After all, while her fingers might be deadly, if her hand and arms behaved the same way as a regular humans did than that means a lot. "I believe we had a fight." He said lurching to the side half-slurring the words.

---

Coward?! Tayla felt her face flush red with anger. How dare she! That bitch knew nothing about Tayla! Nothing at all! She could tell that this woman had been raised by parents with money and influence, pampered by her lowly servants. Living a life of blissful elitism, her power inherited, never earned.

Tayla could tell by the way the slut held her sword. The way she spoke. They was she looked down upon those she deemed beneath her. Unfamiliar to terror of an angry father coming home in the dark of night. Breath reeking of alcohol. The pain, humiliation and eventual shame which awaited.

NO! This woman knew nothing! Tayla would use every trick available to her in order to beat this woman down to a pulp. Fighting fair is a weakness. To win, a girl one must get her hands dirty.

The white haired woman dashed towards Tayla, launching two icy blades in the process. Smit made to dodge to the left of the blade heading towards him. When the blade shattered, Smit was already in the process of dodging. He yelped and awkwardly dove to the ground instead, covering the back of his head protectively. Unfortunately for him, it shattered far too close for him to reach the ground in time.

The move was still decently effective. None of his vital organs were hit. However, he did receive several cuts along his back.

The second blade was sent straight towards Tayla but was speeding towards her feet. Tayla jumped back, widening the space between her legs. The blade hit the ground shattering. That bitch. What was she planning. Tayla didn't have time to figure it out as the woman was dashing right towards her at a lunge. The fool...

Tayla threw the coins at the woman, increasing their momentum as she did for the last batch she threw. The coins hit her square in the chest, yet she didn't falter. Tayla cursed grabbing her sheathed blade with her left hand and shifting her feet in preparing to deal with the lunge.

That was when Tayla felt her feet slip out from underneath her.

That damn bitch! Tayla screamed the words in her head. Frantically, Tayla applied her magic to her blades, using the cotton tuft emitting the savory taste as the magic's conduit.

Tayla's blades were specially made. The grip of her blade had tiny holes in it giving the user's had contact with the embedded blade underneath. This allowed Tayla to manipulate the blade, the hilt, or the entire sword should the occasion arise for such a maneuver. To add to this she had also had the tips for the blades sheaths removed should she ever need to manipulate the shape of a sheathed blade.

As Tayla began to slip and fall to her left, she used her magic to warp the shape of her blades. Her right blade, the non-sheathed blade, stretched lengthwise. It shoot below the grip of the bitch's rapier, missing the blade entirely. That was alright though, as Tayla didn't expect that wild shot to make contact with the blade or the bitch. Rather the importance of this maneuver was to simply give Tayla the chance to knock the bitch's weapon aside and away from her vitals. The new length of the blade gave Tayla ample reach to do this even as she fell.

As her body specifically began fall wayside, she raised her right blade rapidly in wildly in an attempt to parry the rapier aside. Meanwhile, Tayla was also working her magic on her left blade which was stilled sheathed. The blade's tip shot out through the hole in her sheath, curving around backwards and shooting towards the bitch's gut.

Tayla hit the ground hard.

---

The second Karina heard the voice of the magic deterrent used groaning in pain after being hit, she knew she had bought a few precious seconds without his interference. It was all she needed in order to finish that duel with the woman, she could fully concentrate herself on the cultist woman for a bit.

Continuing her lunge, Karina saw the cultist woman throwing the coins, just as she had planned. Thanks to the ice layer on her chest, it shouldn't harm her that much. Luckily for her, her calculations were correct, albeit by a low margin. The second the coins hit Karina's chest, she felt the air getting out of her lungs. Even with the ice layer, the impact was really strong. It took a great deal of concentration to Karina to not stop her lunge and continue her attack.

The cultist woman on the other hand, wasn't as lucky as Karina and fell right for Karina's trap. The second she changed her stance to deal with the lunge, she finally realized why Karina threw that ice blade to the ground before. As her body started falling, Karina's rapier was getting closer to her. The woman's destiny seemed to be sealed, that was until she used her magic to warp her blades, extending her left one in an attempt to strike Karina. Unfortunately though, she missed, as it had passed just underneath her rapier's grip.

But that was when the woman used the elongated blade as a lever to try and get Karina's rapier out of the way. Karina herself wasn't expecting that movement and was caught by surprise. Even though she was her enemy, Karina couldn't help but to let out a smirk. Even though that woman lacked in formal training and technique, she had something many trained soldiers failed to grasp. An accute sense of combat and the capability to improvise and adapt to the situation in seconds. Her maneuver, even though a desperate one, was effective in deflecting Karina's rapier, saving the woman from a lethal blow as the rapier's blade pierced her left shoulder near the joint. Although that would make it moving her left arm really painful, it wasn't lethal.

But the cultist woman's surprised didn't end there. By warping her right, sheathed blade's tip, she made it bend upwards, shooting straight towards Karina's stomach. Although that move also caught Karina by surprise, this time she was expecting something more. The same trick wouldn't work with her twice in a row. Quickly holding the last remaining ice blade, which she was using as a mirror to keep an eye on the magic deterrent user, she deflected the warped sword, to the opposite side, making it so it only grazed her ribs, causing a superficial cut.

"It's over. You fought well, you have something that trained soldiers took a lot to learn. Adaptability, improvisation and an exceptional combat sense. If you weren't a cultist, i wouldn't think twice in recruiting you." Karina said, with her rapier still piercing the cultist woman's shoulder, pinning her to the ground as her ice blade was in her remaining hand, deflecting the warped tip and only centimeters away from the woman's chest.

Just as Karina was about to pierce the woman's heart though, she heard something whistling through the air. Turning her head as fast as she could, she finally realized what it was. It was a stone, thrown by the magic deterrent user. He had recovered himself earlier than what Karina thought he would have. With a gasp, Karina immediately jumped backwards trying to avoid the stone, but unfortunately, she couldn't completely avoid it. Although it didn't hit her straight in the head, where it was obviously being aimed, it grazed her forehead, cutting her eyebrow.

Although she wasn't instantly knocked out cold by the stone, the blood coming out of her eyebrow was getting in her right eye, making it difficult to see. If that wasn't enough, the impact on her forehead made her vision blurred. Kneeling down she immediately put her free hand on her above the cut, wiping out the blood and trying to recover herself from the impact as soon as possible. Unfortunately though, deep down inside she knew that was more than enough time for the cultist woman to flee...

Chres Sansus

Interaction with @HokumPocus

---

"Chres!" Chres heard a familiar voice call out... his name? Yes... that was his name...

Chres shifted his weight painfully to get a better look at the one calling his name. He could feel something underneath him. Something poking him in his ribs. What was that?

Chres blinked his eyes a few times, trying to clear his vision and focus on the one calling him. It was a finely dressed man running frantically towards him. He knew this man.

"Oc... Octavio?" Yes Octavio. This man's name was Octavio.

Chres tried again to move. The pain and nausea came, but he expected it this time. He was able to keep what remained in his stomach down and ignore the pain. Slowly he got himself into a sitting position.

Chres closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with his right hand. His head was pounding like crazy. It was so hard to think...

"Are... Are the others oka-" Chres began as he looked up in Octavio's direction. He stopped mid-sentence however because- "Wh- Why are three... No... Four? ... yes, four... four Octavios..." Chres slumped his head back towards the ground, sighing audibly. His hand still rubbing his head. A useless attempt to make the pounding go away. "Why? ... Why are there four of you, Octavio?" Chres must have hit his head really hard.

Chres looked towards the ground. Some of his belongings appeared to having been knocked out of his traveling bag. This included a few Crystal Jade candles. Their Crystal Jade surface sparkling amidst the day's light.

One candle in particular caught Chres's eye...

Sightless Syella heard a loud crack coming from her right arm as the staff connected, saving the man from being impaled. Pain registered soon after.

It wasn't normal pain that Sightless Syella felt, pain for a Sightless was different than what most people think of when they feel pain. Rather instead the pain came as sort of shock to the system followed by a strange tingly feeling in the area the pain was coming from.

Sightless Syella causally turn her Sightless gaze in the direction of the one who struck her, using the Insight to bore into this man's soul. A knowing smile slowly formed on her lips. This man... She knew not who he was, but she felt within him a deep connection... A deep connection too-

Sightless Syella grabbed her right arm with her left hand. The right arm had been bent slightly at an angle by the man's blow. Her pitch black, bark-like skin splintered where the staff had made contact. From the wound, a greenish-yellow sap oozed. Using her left hand, Syella snapped her right arm back into place. Several black vine like shoots sprouted from her cracked skin, binding the wound close. Healing it. Slowly.

"Oh, my dear boy-" Syella said turning to face the man. "I see so much pain and regret within you. I see all the rum you down so readily. Tell me boy. Why is it that you wish to pick a fight with me? Could it perhaps be a someone? A someone who has gone... missing?"

Sightless Syella cocked her head as she spoke the last word. At the same time Her thighs shot outward, horizontally. Extending her body out of reach of man with the staff. As she shot away from the man, She raised her left hand, palm facing towards him. Her wrist extended soon after launching her hand straight for the man's neck.

Meanwhile, the fingers on her right hand shoot towards the ground piercing through the rooftop in their sharpened state. As she felt her fingers emerge through the ceiling beneath her, she redirected them towards the staff wielding man with the intention of making her fingers reemerge from the roof beneath his feet.

This man was a Pact Maker as well. She had seen it in his soul. She needed him alive. That meant she couldn't kill him. That above everything else put him at an advantage in this battle. That and the fact that it was daytime. Fortunately, the distortion granted her some ability to view the world now. Thank the one she served for that! Were it not for the Distortion. A fight in broad daylight would be near impossible for her.

It mattered little though what the outcome of this fight was. Reinforcements were near. The Pact Makers would not escape.

---

Success! His strike was true and hit pretty hard as he heard the wooden skin crack and splinter open. A wound was created but already her altered body was working on sealing it. This was only of mild concern. Yes it meant that she could heal up from wounds much faster than he could reasonably withstand. However, its speed was far from instantaneous and he had the hunch it could be interrupted and the wound worsened by repeated strikes. He also wondered what were her limits?

Such musings were interrupted by the Syella's reaction to his intrusion and wounding of her. To say her of her ability to peer into him and others' was surprising was to be overselling it. Nonetheless it wasn't exactly pleasing having someone poke around in your inner thoughts and then try and spout some personally relevant nonsense. "I've already got someone who fills the role of giving infuriatingly cryptic clues. How about I just beat it out of you."

Perhaps it was best to move and then respond, as Syella did once more her trademark move. This time is was her left arm that was shooting towards him. There was little time to react and he didn't see where that left arm was. All he knew is she switched out the arm to prevent further injury. With an empowered blow, his staff effortlessly sheared through part of the roof violently sending debris and tiles hurtling at her like a fish being skinned with scales that easily shed.

Her carried himself with that momentum into a spinning side-jump that had him corkscrew in the air to another nearby rooftop. As he flew threw the air he briefly noticed where the other arm was. He needed to get close and injure her once more on that arm and or the other. When he landed he saw he was next to a weather vane. He smashed the weather vane causing the ornamental arrow and the metal pole to be freed. With two strikes he launched them into the air and then sent them flying to her as makeshift darts.

Whether or not they hit, they were merely a distraction. He was using those darts to get closer to her and approach to her side. He was going to deliver a sweeping blow to throw her off balance. Should she fall she would be subject to more cracking blows. He was aiming to put one arm out of commission. It was like a fight with a real human where repeated strikes to the limbs like legs would affect the person being struck. Except in this case it might end with maiming her limbs if they're that plant like.

---

Syella's smile broadened. He would beat the information out of her, he said? So there was a connection between the two of them.

"Fool boy." Syella said as she retracted her left leg back to it's normal length and placed it underneath her. "Despite what you think, I'm not the enemy here." Syella did the same with her right leg as the man launched several roofing tiles in her direction. The brute strength he had shown thus far was not normal.

Syella halted the extension of her left wrist and widened the palm of her hand. Her expanded palm acted as an effective shield against the tiles, causing them to shatter as they connected with her palm. The man had used the distraction to jump away from her. All the way to another rooftop. Syella tsked. Yet another magic user for her to deal with. The question was, what kind of magic? His magic was likely not sight, hearing, or taste based. Touch was her first guess.

The man moved fast, making him appear as a hazy blur when she focused on him with the Insight. Syella frowned in frustration. Were it dark out, this would not be an issue. Syella's palm returned to it's original size. She had stopped extending her sharpened fingers on her right hand, but kept their position hidden under the roof top. This man was not a threat at a distance. To beat the information he wanted out of Syella, he would have to come back here, and when he did, she would be ready with an attack from below.

"The real enemy is the man who tied that invisible noose around your neck last night. Did he warn you of the consequences of involving yourself with him? Are you aware of the Unspoken Pact which you've made?" Sightless Syella shouted to the fool man as he threw the two ornament arrows, from the weather vine, in her direction.

One or two arrows were often not a danger to a Sightless. They weren't immune to arrows. A bombardment of arrows would certainly be dangerous to a Sightless. One or two arrows however, not so much. The real threat was the man's incoming attack. A sweep of the legs. A blunt force attack. Despite this Sightless Syella saw her opening, but she would need feint the danger of the incoming arrows in order to get it.

Sightless Syella raised her eyebrows as if surprised by the speed at which the man threw the arrows. Jumping back, she braced herself. Raising her left arm protectively in front of her face, while also covertly grabbing a handful of the numbing oil pellets she had brought with her earlier. The arrows landed solidly into her arm. Puncturing the bark-like skin with two loud thunks. A dab of greenish yellow sap oozed from the wounds.

Ignoring the shock and tingly feelings coming from her new wounds, Sightless Syella quickly lowered her left arm threw the handful of the numbing oil pellets in the direction of the dirtied man. At the same time, she took that moment to launch her right hand's sharpened fingers out from beneath the roof. Targeting the man's leg as it was about to connect with her own.

Interactions with @13org

---

Tayla hit the ground and felt sharp pain the pierce her left shoulder causing her to gasp and cough out the tufts of cotton. Tayla grit her teeth to the pain discreetly reaching for a new cotton tuft with her right hand. Her mouth was a touch dry from the use of her magic. "It's over." The white haired bitch said. Tayla felt a rise of panic. "You fought well, you have something that trained soldiers took a lot to learn. Adaptability, improvisation and an exceptional combat sense. If you weren't a cultist, I wouldn't think twice in recruiting you."

Tayla looked at the white haired woman and saw death. Suddenly she wasn't Tayla anymore. At least not the Tayla she led everyone to believe she was. Instead, she was that 15 year old girl again. Her father banging against the door, yelling her name. Threatening her. Slurring his words. She was all alone. Scared for her life, huddled in a corner. Hiding in plain sight. The door wouldn't stop him. Doors never stopped him.

No... No, please... The panicked thought raced through her head as she felt the fear for the first time in many years.

Tayla's eyes widened in terror as the killing blow rushed towards her. But... the blow never came. Smit had jumped in, throwing a rock in the woman's direction. It grazed the her head, stunning her.

"Tayla!" Smit yelled at her. "Move!"

Tayla didn't hear him. She was frozen to the spot. There was no hiding! There was no running!

"Tayla! She'll kill you!" Smit yelled again.

NO! Tayla got up and ran, her left arm hanging stiffly beside her. She reached the roof's edge and jumped, popping the cotton tuft into her mouth. The tuft tasted of lemon. Sour.

As Tayla fell towards the ground, she used her magic to decrease the momentum of her clothes, slowing her fall to a safe speed. Tayla hit the ground and continued to run.

"That bitch..." She said softly as tears began streaming down her face. More than just her shoulder had been wounded. Her pride had taken a vital blow as well. "That damn bitch..."

Tayla ran till she no longer knew where she was going, only stopping after upon reaching a dead end of an alleyway. There she collapsed and curled into a ball. Shivering despite the warm summer day.

As the day wore on, the fear eventually faded. In it's place, a flame burn coldly... A flame of pure rage...

As Týfurkh continued choking the other man first his hand, then his entire arm started shaking. He could slowly feel his entire circulatory system struggle as blood continued to pour out of the wound in not so insignificant amounts. Maybe trying to get rid of this guy in this manner was no longer the action he could afford. And that damn person continued grinning as if, as if...

He let go of his victim's throat in hardly any more than an instant when something hit him from behind. Blood, small and ripped apart bits of skin and quite a few of his long hairs were ejected from the impact site close to Týfurkh's neck when Tayla's attack reached its destination. At first the giant was entirely confused about what was going on, his mind had been catapulted from the back of his skull and smashed into the front of it. The other cult member could see the opportunity and made a run for it, into the weakening cloud and off the roof.

With an innocent sounding chink the coins landed on the ground. The airflow around them had cleaned all the dirt of them, making them shine as if new. Sadly though it appeared as if Tayle had chosen only small ones, not nearly worth being picked up and used for things like paying a medicus to look at the wound sustained, for example. So Týfurkh's gloved hand had to do for a small inspection. As he gently pushed them onto the warm and painful spot and subsequently let them return into his view, another spill of blood could be seen. Not much, but in addition to the wound already sustained there was no reason not to worry. And who knew how big that vicious woman's coin pouch actually was ?

Speaking of her... where had she gone ? He had to try and catch up to the others before getting lost. Before that however he reloaded his crossbow and gently put his fingers onto the new bolt. An aggressive, high-pitched tone could be heard and it continued to stay even after Týfurkh removed his hand. He wanted to make sure that the next bolt, whatever or whomever it would hit, would deal a lot more damage than usual. Then he started running the best he could, trying to follow the others.

Chres Sansus

Interaction with @Jerkchicken, @Fetzen, @13Org, @HokumPocus, @elevation

---

"So, are you... are you an Illusion... the real thing... or... or did I... did I just hit my head way too hard?" Chres asked while focusing on the crystal jade candle which had caught his eye. A ray of white light appeared to be coming from the glittering candle, pooling onto the roof's surface in front of the candle. The light was different from dulled daylight emitted by the Distortion's strange green sun. It seemed to enhance it... or cut through it. Yes, perhaps that was a better way to describe it.

Chres slowly picked up the candle. It had been right under the spot where he had awoken. Was that what he had felt poking his ribs? Chres rotated the candle in his hand, the light rotating with it. There was a small crack in the candle. It was from that crack, the light poured out of. It's brilliance shining into his eyes. Blinding him.

An itch crawled up the back of Chres's neck as he shut his eyes reflexively and covered the crack with his hand. Chres opened his eyes seconds after. His vision spotty. The pounding in his head intensified.

Chres rubbed his eyes with his free arm and blinked wildly. His vision gradually returned. Just in time to make out several other cult members heading their way. The words he heard after regaining consciousness echoed in his head. The reinforcements were coming and they didn't look very pleased.

There was no running from that mob, at least not like this. What was it that Gin had said? Light would protect and shield them from the cult's gaze?

Chres tightened his grip on the crystal jade candle. Old stories heard over a night of drinks popped into his head. Stories of long time Crystal Jade miners going blind. Tales of flashes of light being unleashed after every fall of the pick. A flash so bright, that it could even be seen when covering one's eyes. It was for that reason crystal jade miners had taken to wearing darkened spectacles. A protection used to avoid an early retirement.

Chres raised the crystal jade candle into the air and slammed it down onto the roof's surface. The crystal hit the ground solidly, and... nothing happened. Rather than breaking dramatically, the force of the impact caused the candle to bounce out of Chres's grip and away from his reach, rolling to a stop dangerously close to the edge of the roof.

"No!" Chres cried out in alarm. Instinctively he tried to rise to his feet, only to gasp in pain and collapse back to the ground.

"The... The Candle!" he shouted as best as he could. "Someone get the Candle! We... we need to... we need to smash it..."

Perhaps shouting this was not the best idea, as the first person to respond was the cult member who had tackled the healer to the ground. Seeing his colleagues already preoccupied, he immediately released his grip on the healer and dashed towards the candle.

Chres summoned the last of the body heat stored in his shirt. He compressed it into a single condensed Heat Construct. Chres lifted himself off the ground with his left hand and painfully threw the Compressed construct at cult member with his right hand.

It was wonderful throw. too bad the aim was lousy. Instead of hitting the Cult member as Chres had intended, the Construct ended up hitting the roof top in front of the cult member. The impact, released a powerful burst of energy. Fortunately the blast had been close enough to knock the man backwards and onto the ground. The man landed on his back and groaned. Slowly he rolled onto his stomach and began to lift himself off the ground...

---

The man was pretty confident in performing his strike with the staff at Syella. He had wounded her and was now dashing back at her to knocked her over. He wasn't sure if he'd win the fight as opposed to merely keep her occupied till something happened to give the group an opening to move on. Then that man, if only he could remember it right now, he spoke about the jade candle and smashing it. New change of plan, that lunge to her legs would now be channeled into a spinning headbutt. Just as he made the transition to the new move, the fingers they speared through the flesh.

"Good job..." He stood up with a quaver in the wounded leg. This was going to start hurting once the booze, numbing oil, and adrenaline wore off. He was still going to be having some trouble moving around now as having punctures in your legs is wont to do. He could feel the blood spurting out and down his leg. He need to press on to get that candle! After all, what good would all that training and conditioning do if this was the thing that defeated him? He took a breath as he leaned on his staff bending it as he used it to launch himself towards that rooftop.

The man fell and stumbled on the roof, but at least the crystal was in hand. Syella would soon be following no doubt trying to kill or capture him. He let go of the staff as he slowly got up with some difficulty from that leg. Its wounded state made it tricky for him to get up but he managed. His fists were balled in a peculiar manner. His index, middle finger, and thumb were curled into hooks and he was swaying a bit. He waited.

---

Syella smiled cruelly as she felt her fingers pierce through flesh.

"Good job..." The man said to her. Syella's smile only deepened. The poor fool... She wasn't done ye-

Syella's head jerked up in mid-thought. Something... something had changed... The Insight... the immedaite possible futures it showed her... one by one they were winking out... No... they were simply going blank.

"What..." She muttered in genuine surprise. That's when she heard the Tempraisionist speak.

"The... The Candle!" he shouted. "Someone get the Candle! We... we need to... we need to smash it..."

What candle? What did he mean? She wondered. The futures disappearing at an increased in pace. Sightless Syella felt panic rise inside her chest. The panic of uncertainty. Fear of the unknown.

The man she wounded launched himself away from her, reaching for something on the rooftop. Something... invisible to the Insight. "Wha... what are you doing?" Syella asked, her voice wavering.

The man lifted the object off the ground, and all at once, the futures went blank. All, except one... A future of the man bleeding out. Dead, by her hands. An itch crawled up from the bottom of Syella's spine to the top of her neck. An outside force pressuring her. Forcing her to action.

"NO!" Syella screamed. What she needed to do was clear. She had to kill this man! He needed to die before it was too late!

Sightless Syella shot her sharpened fingers towards the man's head, but her window of opportunity had already past. The remaining future went blank.

---

He swayed to one side disappointed she did not chase after him. The attack having missed him, he swung back again with an outstretched hand. A brilliant light emananted from the fighter's fist. Motes of luminscent dust drifted out his grip like dazzling embers. He tried to look away but the brightness was overpowering. In the opening created by the light he took advantage to get out.

As fast as he could he hobbled his way to the group's general vicinity. He hurriedly took a swig from his gourd. It was starting to hurt real bad and his movement was worsening. To his horror the gourd was emptied quick. Another gourd, then another, they too were barely full. He gritted his teeth, this was going to be a rough day.

Interaction with @Jerkchicken, @Fetzen, @13Org, @HokumPocus, @elevation

---

The illusion of Octavio die before Chres in a gruesome death. The nausea overtook him then causing him to empty his stomach yet again.

"That damn man..." Chres muttered weakly.

"Wha... what are you doing?"

Chres turned his attention away from his sickness. DB had returned to them. The candle in his hands.

"NO!" Syella screamed, launching sharpened fingers in his direction. DB crushed the crystal in hands using what could only be some kind of enhanced strength. A blinding light shot from the crushed crystal, enveloping them all.

Chres shut his eyes to the light, unable to take it's brightness. The light broke through the blinders which were his eyelids, forcing Chres to cover his eyes with his hands. Even then, he could see the light.

The light enveloped all. It covered him. It blanketed him. And... it entered him. The itch on his neck faded to its touch, stunning Chres and leaving a strange longing and an outside desire to run from the light.

The nausea and pounding in his head intensified. It was too much! It was overwhelming! It was...

Chres heard a loud yawn to his right. It was accompanied by a familiar voice.

"Why hello Mr. Sun! You're awfully close to the ground today!"

Slowly the brightness of the light began to fade. He could barely make out the shape of something fluttering beside him. He had come to know that form well over the past year. His companion. His familiar.

---

Nothingness enveloped the man and Sightless Syella. No, not nothingness. Light.

The light covered her. It entered her. She felt it reach towards the bond she had with the Insight, and then... then it attacked.

Sightless Syella screamed in agony as she felt her connection to the Insight being severed.

"What have you done? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" She screamed

Sightless Syella ran blindly in the direction that the dirtied man last stood. "I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL-" Sightless Syella's foot landed on nothing. She had reached the end of roof. Syella felt herself fall. Landing in a loud thud accompanied by several small cracks in her body.

Syella ignored the shock and tingly feelings that came with her wounds. The dirt beneath her beat a familiar rhythm. The rhythm she had come to associate with the Insight. It called to her and she to it. Syella dug her fingers into the ground, crying a black ooze as she did so.

"Give it back... give it back... I need it..." Syella muttered as she dug and dug with her hands. "Give it back! GIVE IT BACK TO ME!"

Syella shot her fingers into the dirt. Reaching... reaching for the Insight. She found it. Grabbed it. It entered her comforted her. That which touched the ground revealed to her. Everything else, invisible to the Insight.

The Insight tugged on her. It calling for her to retreat. She listened and obeyed. Running half blind. Her fingers dragging through the dirt behind. She needed to get away. Away from this light.

---

The brightness of the light faded gradually. Chres was now able to make out the world around him.

"Oh, Hello Chres! When did you and your big old nose get here?"

Just then Sightless Syella ran by them screaming "What have you done? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

"Right?" Sil said waving a hand behind her in Syella's direction. "What ever did you do to make your nose so big?" She said as Syella continued to scream, "I'LL KILL YOU!".

"Weeeeeell... I wouldn't go that far." Sil said absently as Syella ran off the roof. "Oh! Guess what, Chres? Can you believe it? Mr. Sun came down to visit! And here you said I would never get the chance to meet him. Ha! Look at me! A super smart thingamajig! Chres - 0, Sil - 1?... 5?... 2?... hmmmmm..."

"Sil-" Chres began. He was starting to wish she had never woken up.

"Shh shh shh shh shhhhh! I'm trying to remember how to count. For some reason, it feels like I haven't done it in months!"

"Oh... my poor head..." Chres sighed.

As Sil struggled to remember how to count, Chres forced himself to a sitting position. And began to focus on his surroundings. The air had a shimmery quality to it. As if the light unleashed from the crystal was lingering in the air. Everything seemed brighter now. As if they weren't still in the Distortion. In fact, now that he noticed it, his shadow was pointing away from the distortion's green sun instead of towards it.

Chres shook his head. Did the light somehow cut through the Distortion? The sun was still green. The Distortion was clearly still here, and yet it's effects on their shadows and the brightness of the sunlight appeared to have been nullified in the nearby vicinity.

"It's gone!" Chres heard one of the two remaining cult members say. He was clutching his head. It was the one who had tried to get the candle. "I need it! I need it!" The other cult member was struggling to get to his feet.

Interesting... Chres thought, storing the information away for later.

At the moment, the healer passed by. Dashing towards the innkeeper's wife, tending to her wounds.

Chres slowly struggled to his feet. "We need to go." He said in a weakly voice. "We... we need to get out of here... Can't stay..." Chres managed to limp his way a few feet before collapsing again.

Plot Point

Interactions with @Fetzen, @13Org, @HokumPocus, @elevation

---

"What a useless woman." Sightless Nieffar said disgusted. "How dare she call me away for such simple matters?" Nieffar had been in the middle of watching all his hard work pay off. The town's people had gone into a frenzy, killing friends, family and children alike! Oh the horror and bewilderment these people showed after the Insight's initial rage had passed.

These people were lost. They knew not the clarity of the Insight's embrace. Their initial rage left them broken and confused. Some broke down in tears. Others screamed in fits of rage. And then there were those rare few, the secret monsters of society. These people did not cry. They did not rage. No... Instead, they laughed.

Sightless Nieffar had seen these reactions many time before. However this was the first time he had seen it in mass. And... it was glorious!

One by one, Nieffar spoke to these broken people. He held them in his arms. Told them it would be okay that all would be forgiven. Most importantly though, he planted a seed. A seed of curiosity. A path to salvation. A new home they too could call their own.

Few took this offer. Others turned him away in disgust. It did not matter what they did. The seed had been planted, and before long they would all call the Clan their own.

It was a wonderful thing to do the work of his lord and watch all the pieces fall into place. The work filled Nieffar with satisfaction purpose beyond anything he had felt before. To be pulled away from all that... Pulled away because Syella couldn't handle a few Pact Makers. That infuraited Sightless Nieffar! So much so, that he he had killed Syella's messenger on the spot.

"Useless..." He said again, a sneer on his face. Sightless Nieffar had quickly re-organized Syella's unit of clan members. With the help of The Insight he lead them in the direction of the Pact Makers, while using the Insight to monitor Syella's confrontation from afar. At the very least she was able to stall them. But to require additional assistance? She was not worthy of the position of Sightless!

"There!" Nieffar cried loud enough for the clan members to hear. He pointed in the Pact Makers' direction. "Those heathens are the scum of the land! They wish to destroy us! We offered them a peaceful solution, and what did they do? They spat back in our faces! Killed our own! And now they attack our lady, Sightless Syella! Get them! Bring them to me! Bring them to me, and I will show them the way! Bring them to me, and you shall be rewarded!"

Clan people took up a cry of action as they rushed towards the infidels. The irritation slowly faded from Nieffar as he watched them rush in to attack, a wicked grin spreading across his. Perhaps it was not so bad being called away. Perhaps he could enjoy this aftera-

A wave of nothingness spawned from the rooftop, blanketing the Clan as they rushed forward.

"Wha-" Sightless Nieffar cried out jumping back in surprise. The Insight was failing him! He was unable to cut through this cloud of nothingness! The Insight was gone! The Insight was-

No... it's not gone... I can still see... myself... Nieffar realized. The cloud of nothingness only blanketed the immediate area surrounding the building from which it spawned, ending right in front of Nieffar. Everything else was still visible to the Insight.

Not far away, Nieffar could make out the cries and wails a few clan members. "It's gone!" They cried. "It's gone!".

The cloud of nothingness lingered in front of Nieffar. He reached out with his arm to touch it. The nothingness engulfed his hand, making it invisible to the Insight.

"It's light..." Nieffar said. "A light which lingers and cuts through the Distortion? But how?"

"Pull back." Said a voice inside Nieffar's head. Nieffar collapsed to the ground, clutching his head. The Insight swam within Nieffar's mind, summoning a vision of Vetius from miles away.

"Pull back." The vision of Vetius said again.

"Vetius..." Nieffar gasped. "Wha- what is this?"

"A weapon of his. A special type of light stored inside Crystal Jade. They were bound to rediscover it sooner or later. Fear not. I have a plan to deal with it. It will not be a problem much longer."

"But... How do we fight this? And what of the Distortion?"

"Oh... there are ways for us to work around it. As for the Distortion, it will heal. This lingering light is not eternal."

"But-"

"Enough, Nieffar. They have nowhere to run. It will only be a matter of time before we get another chance. Let them go Nieffar. You have more pressing work to do."

Nieffar bit back his retorts and grit his teeth. "Yes, Sightless Vetius." He said at last.

"Thank you, my child."

---

---

Pain and nausea spread throughout Chres as he hit the ground. He wouldn't be able to walk in this state, he realized.

Chres touched the edge of the roof with his right hand, summoning the body heat within him and forming a heat construct of stairs.

"Go..." He said to the others.

"Oi, Speechy! Git over yerself!" Chres heard the healer shout at him, as she reached down and touched him on the back. Chres felt a warmth spread through him. Mending him.

No! Chres thought as the pounding in his head diminished It was the perfect excuse...

"Yer comin' with us, you bag o' wind."

The healer lifted her hand from Chres's body. "Thanks..."Chres sighed, slowly getting to his feet. His leg was still sore and his head still pounding, but it would do. Chres looked to Hark. The man said he had a place to hide. "Well Hark. Lead the way."

---

And so the group ran. Hark led the group through back alleys doing whatever it took to stay away from the main roads. At times he would stop the group, with nothing but a raise of his hand. Waiting for the coast to clear before continue. It was late in the afternoon by the time the group reached the hideout.

The building was empty. Hark's comrades nowhere in sight. It was a small place with no more than three bedrooms. It was going to be a tight squeeze. Hark offered one of the rooms to the innkeeper's family. The other rooms were up for grabs.

Chres offered Hark the Crystal Jade Candles. Hark placed around them around the building, covering the windows with the blinders as he did so.

Chres's stomach rumbled he hadn't eaten all day. Chres started a fire at the fireplace and placed a pot with water over it. He then searched through the kitchen for food. Their wasn't much. Some bread, jam, potatoes, carrots, and a few other vegetables. Chres grabbed what little he found, prepared it and placed it in the pot over the fire. He then cut up the bread and put on a serving plate for everyone next to the jar of jam.

Chres grabbed the slice of bread and spread some jam on it. He ate it quietly, stirring the pot occasionally. Watching as the healer was busy tending to everyone's wounds.

He glanced in Sil's direction, glad to have her back even if she was annoying. She was in her fairy form and was playing with -torturing actually- a beetle she found. She kept kicking the beetle onto it's back. For some reason, Sil found this hilarious and giggled every time the beetle tried to spread its wings in an effort to flip itself back over. When it finally succeeded, Sil would twirl in a circle, shouting "Hurray! You did it!" Then she would kick it again, and the beetle would be back to square one.

Chres shook his head and tore his gaze away from his familiar. He took a bite of his bread. "We might be here for a while." Chres said at last in-between bites. They were going to need a way to get food.

"On one side we have the cult. On the other side, Gin- or whatever he would like to call himself. We know little about the cult. Even less about whatever Gin is." Chres paused to stir the pot. "Am I the only one struggling to process everything?"

Even though the stone the magic deterrent user threw at Karina only grazed her head, it was enough to leave her a few moments out of combat as she recovered herself. After she did it though, looking around her, the situation didn't seem to get any better despite her dealing with the cultist woman and the magic deterrent user. The sightless woman, Syella, still had a lot of tricks under her sleeve and the unnatural way her body worked only made things even harder.

The noble man, differently from what Karina thought about him, was being incredibly useful in that fight with his illusions even though he didn't get directly in combat. It was not far fetched to say that if he wasn't there, Chres would already be dead.

Despite how things were looking, even though they were being able to at least hold themselves, they were clearly loosing. It was only a matter of time until the reinforcements arrived. And if they did, they would find the group exhausted and wounded. An easy target. But they had a last hope. Thanks to Chres' quick thinking when he yelled to smash the candles. Dirty Bastard was fighting against Syella and despite his successful blow against her arm, it didn't seem that it affected her that much despite the loud cracking noise it made when hitting her. Unfortunately, Syella's blows to him were very effective. Wounded and loosing blood, DB still found strength to get up after Syella's attack. He wouldn't be able to hold much longer.

Fortunately, Chres was finally able to smash the jade candles. Immediately, a blinding light shot out of the crystal jade candles. It was so bright that it forced Karina to turn away. Judging by Syella's desperation, it was even more effective against her and the cultists. That was exactly the window they needed to escape.

Syella's screams of hate, anger and frustration were clear as she ran by them, blindly trying to find where they were, only to fall from the roof, her body slamming on the ground below. Even being a Sightless, that would definitely slow her down.
At the same moment, the small familiar from before, Sil, appeared again, still with that same cheerful voice almost as nothing had happened.

After Syella fell though and Karina's eyes got accustomed with the light, she saw an interesting thing happening. From where the candle was smashed, the light was still lingering. Their surroundings were clearer, almost as if that intense light from the candle were interfering with the distortion. Even though the sun was still green, meaning that they were obviously still inside the distortion, their shadows and everything else around the candle, where it's light still lingered acted normally.

For some reason, the jade candles when smashed could create an area where the distortion couldn't reach, making them effectively invisible to cultists. It was certainly an information worth keeping.

Thanks to the healer, Chres was able to stand up and they were finally able to get away. Hark led the group through small, tight alleys until they arrived on an empty building, the hideout they would use to spend the night. It was small, having only three rooms but it was enough for them to rest. As everyone started sitting down, finally catching a breath after running away from the cultists, fighting against them and spending a good deal of time walking sneakily until they got to the hideout.

As Chres started a fire, preparing some food, Karina finally realized how hungry she was. While in the middle of the combat, hunger wasn't an issue. But as soon as the adrenaline waned and the combat was finished, things were different. She was really thankful that Chres was cooking something now. She felt that she wouldn't be able to hold much longer.

Just as they started eating Chres talked about their lack of information. What he said was true, they knew nothing about the cult and knew even less about that man who called himself 'Gin'. The only thing they knew so far was that the cult was their enemy and that was it.

"Thank you." Karina said as Chres handed the food he prepared to her.

"And No... You're not the only one..." she replied to Chres, taking a big bite on the bread Chres gave her.

"I still think the cult are our enemies and I know better than to trust anything that Syella woman said to us but I can't get one specific phrase she said out of my mind... What exactly is this... Unspoken Pact?" Karina asked, with a serious expression.

"I am starting to doubt who between Gin and the Cultist is more dangerous to us... I don't trust either of them..." Karina said, with a dark expression as she took another bite off the bread. Her words would have been even more effective only if the delicate way she was eating, being careful to not get herself dirty, wasn't so adorable. Despite her skill and her cold behavior when fighting, she looked almost like a cute, small animal when eating.

In hindsight, Týfurkh wasn't so sure about that dagger having been poisoned. The strange effects on his consciousness and general capability of thinking and sensing probably could be accounted to the unexpected and yet severe loss of blood as well. Whatever it had been -- he had survived it. That was what counted for him at the moment, even though every thought about his most recent performance stung rather intensively. He internally deemed it flat-out insufficient. Yes, he had successfully disposed of one of the cultists, but the other one had nearly managed to kill him. Given the odds that obviously were stacked against them he'd have to do better than that.

Sitting next to the fire that Chres' had lit, the long haired man considered his options for the evening. Not stuff like which room to sleep in -- those poor fellas who'd have to share the tiny space with his monstrous self would likely complain about it anywhere anyway --, but more things like how they could improve their defenses. Had they run out of crystal jade candles for the moment or whatever that thing had been precisely ? Would these run out of effectiveness in the future ? Only the poorest of enemies lacked the ability to adapt...

Týfurkh wasn't so sure however if the general mood was right to raise such topics at this point. They all were dead tired or even more or less wounded, including himself. He had patched the stab wound with cloth and alcohol the best he could, but it still hurt when doing the wrong movements. Too bad that even one of those mysterious vibrating, purring crytals wouldn't help against this, even if he had one. So, for the moment, he'd have to do with providing his body everything needed in order to fix things itself.

Much to his shame however Týfurkh's improvised eating manners soon proved to be a relatively far cry from Karina's very orderly ones. The way he picked up any piece accidentally breaking away from his bread and rolling down the slope of his armor only to put it into his mouth one could very well think that he was worried much more about wasting anything than about getting dirty or eating dirt. With his mouth not having been completely emptied yet he started to speak up: "I'm wondering if we should put up guards for the night, just in case they find out where we are. I'd volunteer for the job..."

Interactions with @Fetzen, @13Org, @HokumPocus, @elevation

---

Chres moved away from the pot of stew, letting it sit awhile longer. He stared into the fire. Thinking.

The fire spit out black flames while still emitting an orange glow, typical of all fires inside a distortion. It was such an odd thing to see. Discomforting even. Though not as much so as the shadows of everyone in the room. Shadows which stretched towards sources of light rather than away.

Chres tore his gaze away from the fire, and towards the his new companions. Nodding as he listened Karina finish speaking. He watched as she ate her food in delicate and proper manner. Amused at how careful she was to not to let any bread crumbs fall as she took each bite. From this image alone, one would never expect her to be the same cold, deadly weapon she was when on the battlefield.

He agreed with her assessment. The cult was the immediate threat. And it would probably be wise to withhold trust until they learned more about this... this being who refused to give them his true name. As for this Unspoken Pact which the Cult spoke of...

"Hurray! You did it!" Sil shouted again with another twirl and kick.

Chres parsed his lips, tuning her out as he had come accustomed to doing. He placed his right thumb and forefinger to his chin and proceeded to rub his stubble of a beard, deep in thought. "An Unspoken Pact..." Chres recited aloud, in soft, thoughtful voice. "An agreement left unsaid... To what did I agree to? What was it left unsaid?"

Chres felt the itch return to the back of his neck as the words left his mouth. Ignoring it, he met Karina's gaze. "An old song my mother used to sing to me. A story of man bonded to great power. Power he used to save his village from the evils of war. Lived a life celebrated as a hero only to die from a common cough. 'A simple cough.' He said to all, '`Tis a simple cough and nothing more.' It `twas a simple cough to end his life. A simple cough and nothing more. A life to end and be forgotten. A memory lost, long foregone. Unspoken, this hero, forevermore..."

Chres turned his gaze away from Karina. Downwards. Towards the table in front of him. "A children's tale, I always thought... Though, that verse... I couldn't help but think of it when she said those words..."

His gaze fell upon the plate on which he placed the slices of bread. Its color had changed ever so slightly. And... had it moved half an inch to the left?

Surprised, Chres closed his eyes and shook his head. Upon reopening his eyes, he found that the plate's color had returned to normal and it was back to its original position. Another effect from The Distortion? How was it that people for so long had considered the Distortion a naturally occurring phenomena? How was it that we knew so little about it? Had the Scholars from the Nation of Hearing never bothered to properly study it? Or... or perhaps they had studied it... only to be corrupted by it...

A shiver run up the back of Chres's spine as the implications of that line of reasoning unfolded before him.

"Hurray! You did it!" Sil shouted yet again, startling Chres out of his deep train of thought. Chres shook his head and took that moment to tend to the soup.

"I'm wondering if we should put up guards for the night, just in case they find out where we are. I'd volunteer for the job..." Týfurkh said with his mouth full of half eaten bread. Chres pretended not to notice the giant man's ill manners, not that it bothered him too much... Though he did do his best to not look at his mouth full of half chewed food.

Chres nodded towards the huge of a man. Someone would need to keep watch. He opened his mouth to speak when he heard an excited gasp right next to his ear. Chres jerked his head with a start to find Sil fluttering right beside him. Both of her hands covering her gaping mouth. Her eyes wide in wonder as stared at the giant man.

Oh no- Chres thought.

"It can talk?!" Sil exclaimed excitedly. "Chres! Did you see that? It's a talking tree!"

"I... a tree?"

"Ooooooh, don't be silly, Silly. It's obviously not a full-blooded tree. More liiiiike... a half-tree, half-metal man with a touch of mouse."

"Mouse?" Chres asked bewildered.

"Oh course! How else do you think a half-tree, half-metal man got a head full of fur like his? I bet tha-" Sil stopped abruptly as her captive, the beetle, suddenly flew past her face.

"Chres! He's getting away!" Sil exclaimed urgently as she sped off after the poor beetle. "Wait! Come back! We haven't become best friends yet!"

Chres rubbed the side of his head and released a sigh. "I'm sorry about that, Týfurkh. She's... well... Let's just say I don't understand what's going on in that head of her's half the time... Anyway, I think you're right, it would probably be best if we keep an eye out. Though you kind of stick out like a sore thumb, no offense.

"It may be best if we take shifts in pairs. Our mystery 'friend' made it clear that, while in the Distortion, falling asleep in the shadows would open one up to the Insight's influence. Working in pairs would help ensure that neither person doses off while on watch."

Chres turned his attention back to the soup. "I'm thinking it might be best if you stay inside and let Ms. Healer tend to your arm. Thank you, though, for volunteering.

"I'll be willing to take Týfurkh's place but I'll need someone to join me for the first watch."

Chres raised a ladle full of soup and gave it a whiff. "It's ready... probably won't be the tastiest soup you ever had, but... it will do."

Chres pulled aside some bowls and poured everyone a helping of soup.

The man had be sitting in the corner most uncomfortable for the longest while. Among those wounded in the encounter with the cultists he was one of the more injured ones. Now he was leaning into the chair with the injured leg being raised so as to be better in the grips of the healer as she worked her magic on him. Now with the pain hitting him much more clearly he simply grunted softly as he waited on for her to finish.

He sat with eyes closed as he kept himself busy by concentrating on two threads of thought, one was to take some lessons out of his performance against Syella as getting wounded like is pretty bad. Sure he probably held his own alright but he could do better. He could refine his approach and avoid getting hit again like that, the question was how much would she refine her own strategies against them. The other thing he was keeping track of was the conversation between Chres, the white haired woman whose name he didn't catch, and a very tall newcomer.

Gradually he lost focus on his fight and the outcome and focused more on this conversation and the speculation over this pact of cooperation with this entity and their fight against the cult. The healing was done and soon the woman went on to attend another person.

"I think it's rather simple," he said with eyes open, "That moment where we decided live in exchange for doing his work of fighting them is the moment we all became pact members and received some sort of blessing. I guess they call it the 'unspoken pact' since we really didn't swear an oath or really actively seek out this alliance, but I think it might have to do with the nature of our blessing. It's not within our friend's style to be straightforward and neither will his blessing be. It'll be of a subtle and almost capricious nature that's gonna make us work for our victories and we'll probably have a bunch of close calls and some losses gating our progress. In short, we can win this but it's gonna be pain in the ass, but don't worry too as we're probably gonna get jerked around in the right directions. Also, maybe being amusing will get us some extra favor."

He took pause in speaking as he looked around. There was some food for them to eat but he wondered if there was enough to last the day as they cooped up in the house. Already he was feeling antsy and somewhat uncomfortable. There was too many people than he was used to and his liquor was pretty much out. "We should try and figure out how to deal with the cult on our asses soon though. Doing something that'll inflict chaos on them seems like it'll both gain us favor and be effective in stopping them from converting the entire town or at least give us room to escape. Anyway, I'm up for doing guard duty or scouting."

---

While the aftermath of their skirmish had left many with physical wounds, Octavio had managed to survive with nothing but mental exhaustion. That´s not to say that he was in a healthy condition, just that he didn´t have to deal with blood being where blood shouldn´t be. He had spent most of the time afterwards massaging his eyelids in an effort to restore his aching mind back to its typical state.

He reached forward and delicately spread a layer of jam onto a hunk of bread. It was just one of his many refined mannerisms that had become a habit from his adventures in infiltrating the spaces of the wealthy. Sugar was the best fuel for the imagination, and Octavio was surely going to need a lot of it if he wanted to get out of this mess alive. It wasn't restricted to combat either. His tongue would have to be as tactical as ever if he hoped to get out of the guard duty that his unlikely allies had been proposing.

Chres had finished preparing a stew for them to eat, warning everyone present not to raise their expectations too much. It had managed to make Octavio chuckle, although not for the reasons anyone would've assumed. Octavio had always had a horrendous sense of smell, and because it was so closely related to taste, both of the senses suffered. As a result, most scents and foods registered as "adequate" to him with little to no distinction. He stared at the stew with hunger, aware that it would taste the same as any other stew from any other part of the world. He ate the rest of his bread with jam with his body splayed out in a manner that was both full of confidence and exhaustion. The rest of his meal could wait for now.

"I dislike Gin and his theatrics, but I wouldn´t consider him a priority." he said, in between bites. Even the way that he ate had a bravado to it. "If Gin were to wake up one morning and decide to kill us, then we'd simply just die. He had confidential background information on all of us, as well as powerful magic and no qualms with using it capriciously while angering and ordering around a group of powerful people." He began to spread jam onto another hunk of bread after looking around the room to confirm that most of them had processed his words.

"We´re alive because he wants us to be, so we should focus on other things for now."

He was a man who had frequently been on both ends of manipulation and spoke in a way that was more earnest than their previous exchanges and a departure from his usual and more jovial attitude. To him it was obvious that he was going to be stuck around the party for a lot longer than he had bargained for, so this sort of gradual opening up was no longer a mistake but a begrudging necessity. And, although he would never admit it, he was definitely envious at the man and his power. It was the first time in a long time he had actually respected someone. His mind had recalled the events of their first and only encounter and that condescending little attitude of his. Despite having told an entire room of people to put him in the back burner, Octavio was perhaps the most motivated to find a way to kill him. Meeting someone with so much power over him felt infuriating.

He waited for some moments for conversations to unfold around the room, mulling over his next course of action. It seemed as if most of his companions had suffered various physical injuries, and even with the presence of a healer it would be hard to say if they were well equipped to engage in combat for the time being. With this in mind, his next move felt like the only one he could perform without ruining their trust in him.

"I was dextrous enough with my illusions to avoid taking any damage outside of a handful of scrapes and bruises. I can't possibly promise the same amount of prowess if I were to fight again tonight, but it would be for the best if someone who was in better condition were to play the role of a guard. Please, rest for now while Chres and I protect you."

It left a weird taste in his mouth, having told something so truthful. Lynx, who was thankfully napping on the floor, would have definitely given him quite a mouthful of snark had he heard him just now.

Interactions with @Fetzen, @13Org, @HokumPocus

---

Chres grabbed a bowl of soup for himself, as he listened to DB speak. Was he right? Was this pact a reference to the coy nature of this mystery being? Was the meeting a 'blessing', as DB suggested, or would it turn out to be a curse?

Chres struggled to recollect the words Sightless Syella spoke during her clash with DB. He had been so out of it then. It was a struggle to recall anything at that time with clarity.

Chres raised a spoonful of soup to his lips suddenly aware that Octavio was addressing the group. Chres found himself quite taken aback. For the short time Chres had known the man, Chres had formed an impression of a theatrical man who would do whatever it took to sneak his way out of working.

"-it would be for the best if someone who was in better condition were to play the role of a guard." Octavio stated as if it were natural thing for him to say. "Please, rest for now while Chres and I protect you."

The words took Chres by surprise. So much so, that he began coughing on his soup.

"Did you jus-" Chres started in-between bouts of coughing. Chres cut himself off realizing that now was not the time to question Octavio's sudden desire to forego a good night's sleep. This was the man who had nearly 'slept' through the entire fight at the inn after all! He had only conveniently managed to wake up when the Inn had already caught on fire.

Chres cleared his throat and started again. "Yes." Chres said, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. "Yes. You all should get some rest. Octavio and I will take the first watch."

Clearing his throat a second time and took another spoonful of soup.

"DB's right." Chres said a moment later. "I don't think we stand a chance at dealing with the cult without some sort of plan. We need some way to disrupt them and take them by surprise. Perhaps if we could start a riot with the townspeople, but... If what Gin said about the distortion is true, with every day that passes, the influence the Cult has over the townspeople will increase..." Chres paused. Thinking.

Chres turned his gaze downwards, toward his soup. "Starting a riot takes time though. Time we might not-" Chres's words trailed off in mid-sentence. There was a beetle in his soup...

"Look, Chres!" Sil said, as she land lightly on the rim of Chres's soup bowl. "I taught him how to swim!"

Chres stared, mouth agape. Sil smiled back happily. Head cocked. Hands clasped behind her back.

"Sil..." Chres sighed, while placing his spoon down on the table's surface. "Why don't you go play with Octavio's cat."

"You mean that Lizard?" Sil ask glancing in the familiar's direction. She had trouble telling animals apart. "Okay! I know the perfect game!" Sil said speeding off in the familiar's direction.

Chres sighed. He pushed his bowl of soup off to the side and took a moment to recollect his thoughts. "Whatever we do, I think the Crystal Jade candles will be key. Especially after seeing what they did to the Cult. It will probably be wise to use them sparingly though. They say Crystal Jade miners go blind from their work, even with darkened shades."

Karina was quietly waiting for Chres' stew to get ready as she heard Týfurkh suggesting to put guards for the night. It was indeed a wise decision. Honestly, it was the only choice they had, lest they wanted to count on just their luck... Which, seeing how lucky they were that entire day, might as well be the same thing as suicide... And she wasn't even counting with that mysterious power known as 'Insight'.

"It would be a wise thing to do... But just as Chres said, it would be better if we made pairs for that. We all need rest, but we don't know exactly how this 'Insight' might affect us... At least not all of us." she said, nodding towards Týfurkh, agreeing with him but shooting a discreet glance towards Chres.

When Chres started mentioning a child's tale, after she had mentioned the pact. Chres himself seemed to be lost in his own thoughts after saying that though. Karina didn't blame him. She herself had a lot of things to think about. It wasn't just about the war anymore. She had stumbled into something bigger... more dangerous than just the war... Tales and stories for children seemed to be almost... believable after everything they heard and saw until now...

"This is not about the war anymore, Chres... It's worse... Much worse..." she said, looking to him and the group with a grim expression on her face.

"That is exactly why I need to report to the military of touch and open their eyes to what is happening... It shouldn't be that hard now..." Karina said, with a sarcastic chuckle.

Octavio's words, although grim, indeed had a point. Gin, whatever he was, was undeniably powerful. As much as Karina didn't like to think about it, they had stumbled into something much bigger than themselves. Both sides were. Before Karina could offer herself to be on guard with Chres, Octavio did it first. In part, she was grateful, she really needed to eat something and rest a bit, but another part of her couldn't stop but to think how fast she came to... 'trust' that ragtag group made of people who barely knew each other enough to sleep near them.

"This unspoken pact... we need to think carefully about what will we do from now on... We stumbled into 'things' that might be much more powerful than we may think..." Karina said, looking to DB after he finished speaking.

After that though, Karina heard Sil's voice as she looked to Týfurkh, surprised he could talk before calling him a 'half tree half metal man with a touch of mouse'. Chres, soon after that proceeded to apologize due to what Sil had said.

Hearing that, Karina couldn't help but let out a surprisingly cute giggle, looking to Sil.
Always cheerful, if not a bit aloof, at least at that moment, Karina was glad that she was around. She sure needed something to calm her nerves down a bit.

After taking a bit of time to serve herself a bit of stew and eat, she turned towards Chres and the others after Chres himself mentioned the Jade Candles and the strange effect they had on the cultists and especially the sightless on the last fight.

"We do not have many jade candles left... We now know how effective they are against the cultists..." she said, taking one of the two jade candles she got from her own room in the inn from her bag and examining it.

"I can think of a few ideas on how to use them... For example, create lens to amplify their light with my ice magic..." She said, putting back the jade candle inside her bag as she continued eating the stew.

Interactions with @Fetzen, @13Org, @HokumPocus

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Chres parsed his lips at Karina's words in regards to the insight. An itch crawling up the back of his neck. He resisted the urge to scratch it.

She didn't fully trust him. Perhaps rightfully so. His whole life had ended up being a lie, after all. Everything he thought he stood for, turned on its head within a week's time. What was he now, but a lie? What was he now?

Chres turned his attention towards Sil. She was flying in circles around Octavio's familiar, giggling to herself happily. He couldn't help but smile at her blissful unawareness.

"I understand. You do what you need to do, Karina." Chres said to Karina, at last. "Whatever you do though, just be careful. We don't fully understand the extant of the cult's power."

Chres nodded and got up from his seat. "In the meantime, however," Chres began, while locking arms with seated Octavio and lifting him to his feet. "Octavio and I will get started on tonight's watch."

"Come on, then." Chres said, forcefully pulling the well dressed man towards the one of the spare bedrooms with a good view of the building's entrance. "Allow me teach you the joys of staying up all night while keeping watch."

"Hurray!" Sil shouted with joy, giggling as she did so. She was now zipping around Octavio's head instead of the familiar's. "Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!"

Týfurkh had been listening in on the ongoing conversation between Karina and Chres in particular without saying much. His slice of bread had been quickly consumed and his wound would probably heal best while not being stared at. Volunteers for the first shift had been found as well, so superficially there was hardly anything left to do for him before falling asleep.

The more the talk was about trying to contact the outside world however, the more one could see the man first touching his skin with his fingers, then actively fumbling around with it. It seemed as if the following words were directed at himself as an act of accidental loud thinking, but still everyone listening carefully enough could hear Týfurkh's mumbling: "Whatever we do... Contacting the outside world using any light-based method would probably be horribly inefficient. Given the nature of the distortion as we know it..."

A slight jerk shot through their companion's body as he could hear himself talking. Now that he had unintentionally spilled out his inner thoughts he could as well adress things openly, couldn't he ? "I might have an idea..." Týfurkh started. "But it will require several conditions to be met: First I need to reach a position as elevated as we can get. A tower or something comparable that's still standing. And secondly a good hint about where to shout at."

Oh blast... "Erm... Not literally, of course! Or well, in fact it would be literally but not as a broadcast everyone can hear. Only the intended recipient could hear me. We could guide in the military of touch without making as much as a chirp or lighting an ordinary candle!"

Týfurkh raised himself to his full height and moved through the room, going for the door leading to the outside world. Before opening it he first peeked through the shabby curtains of one of the windows, checking their environment. Then it turned out that he didn't have to go outside after all as he could already spot what he had been looking for from inside. His index finger almost slammed against the glass as he pointed at it. "See this clocktower over there ? That would be good... Question is if it's still intact inside."