---

Tayla stood inside the lounge of the Shimmering Fin, the giant inn near the center of town. The Clan had procured the building early in their venture of Shimmer Town. It had become a sort of... 'Church' for the Clan. A center of operations.

They had been quick to decorate the place appropriately. With tapestries displaying the Distortion's Green Sun and Moon. Paintings of men and women scratching out their eyes. A Muriel, made of tiny tiles, depicting Vetius, the Wisest and most ancient of all Sightless. And at the center of it all, a statue of a Shadowy Eye atop what appeared to be on top of a vine-like pillar of some sort. It's white unseeing pupil in the shape of a slit.

Tayla stared uneasily at the unseeing eye, as she sat waiting in one of the lounge's cushioned lavender colored chairs. Her mind replaying the day's events over again.

Tayla placed her right hand over her bandaged wound the damned woman had left her with. A cold rage bubbling beneath her skin at the thought of her. It begged to be unleashed. It cried out to her. Calling her name. Taunting her!

Tayla grit her teeth and pressed down on the wound with two fingers. Welcoming the paint that flooded her, using it to wash away the rage. She refused to let it take control! Well, at least for now... She would save her rage. Let it simmer. Let it grow. And then, when the white haired woman revealed herself again, Tayla would unleash it upon her.

"Tayla Li'Vaire." Said a familiar voice at the foot of the stairs. Tayla turned her head to face the woman she had been patiently waiting for. De'laire, an Clan member like herself. "What makes you think a runaway like yourself is welcome here any more?"

De'laire was a step away from becoming Sightless herself. A restricted magic user with more than a few screws loose from an over usage of her of magic. To become Sightless would mean to give up the cursed magic De'laire had been born with. A cure, De'laire hoped, to the ailing state of her mental capacity.

Tayla pressed on her wound more intensely. It allowed her to clear her thoughts and not let anger get the better of her. "Sightless to be, De'laire." Tayla said with a bow. She did her best to act polite. Unfortunately, her actions did not reach her words. "They tell me today has been one of your more saner da-"

Tayla meant to complete her sentence but found herself unable to. Her voice left her, enveloping her. A vibration in the air. Panicking, Tayla glanced wide eyed in De'laire's direction. A wicked smirk upon the woman's face. Tayla knew what came next.

The vibration buzzed around her for half a second longer before rushing into her ears. It attacked from within. Vibrating her eardrums, making them feel as if they were about to explode. Tayla fell to her knees screaming in pain. Clutching her right ear with her only good hand.

"Is that what they've been saying?" De'laire said with a cock of her head and a cruel smile.

"PLEASE... FORGIVE ME!" Tayla screamed in-between cries of agony. "I'M SORRY! I...I WAS WRONG..."

"You're sorry, are you?" De'laire said with a giggle. "Well I suppose that makes it all better then."

The vibrations immediately stopped. Tayla found herself on her side with tears streaming down her face.

"Sightless Nieffar says he is displeased with your actions. Something about abandoning your family, and Sightless Syella as well? He would like to know why we should allow one who cares only for herself to reside among us. Would you like to explain that to-"

"I-" Tayla felt her voice leave her yet again. A familiar terror shaking her as she heard the vibrations of De'laire's magic.

"I DON'T BELIEVE I WAS DONE TALKING YET!" De'laire screamed, eyes wide with madness.

The buzzing entered Tayla ears yet again. She prepared herself for the pain-

"That's enough!"

The buzzing stopped immediately. Tayla looked up to find Sightless Syella at the top of the stairs.

"It is not fitting for a Sightless to act in such a manner to her followers."

"Sightless Syella." De'laire said with a bow. "Please forgive me. I was only following Sightless Nieffar's orders."

"Oh? Sightless Nieffar instructed you to torture and kill one of our more promising new followers?"

"He..." De'laire paused and put her finger to her lips as if thinking. "No... He told me to scold her... Though, I don't think he told me not to hurt her..."

Syella tsked audibly. "No, of course he didn't."

"Sightless Syella?" De'laire asked questioningly

"No, it nothing... De'laire, you are dismissed. I believe one of the prisoners upstairs requires more... questioning."

"Ah, questioning... I do love questioning." De'laire said absentmindedly. "I do so enjoy their screams..." De'laire placed her finger to her lips again, thinking to herself with a smile. She seemed as if she had completely forgotten about Tayla.

"De'laire..."

"Ah... Yes, yes. That's right... I've been dismissed."

Sightless to be, De'laire, gracefully bowed goodbye before proceeded up the stairs. She hummed to herself happily. Her next torture victim just around the corner.

Tayla got to her knees as Sightless Syella strode down the stairs calmly. "Sightless Syella, please allow me the chance to redeem myself. I desire nothing but to serve."

"Do you now? Funny, that was not the impression I received from today's failing."

Tayla's blood boiled at the words. She wanted to scream in rage, to blame the white haired woman for the day's failing. It was her fault that Tayla ran. It was her fault! Not Tayla's! "I was... distracted. Reminded of my past."

"That is a very poor excuse for your failing."

Tayla said nothing. Sightless Syella stared her down before smiling. "Come." She said, nodding towards an empty nearby room. Tayla followed Syella into the room, closing the door behind her. The room was lit with candles. The Sightless would talk to people in this room when they didn't want other Sightless using the Insight to spy on conversations. Being unable to see in the candle's light, Sightless Syella traced her hand along the wall to help guide her through the room.

"Tayla, my poor Tayla. You were but a filth covered girl when I first found you cowering in the street. I gave you a home, a family to call your own. And when I became Sightless, you vowed to serve me in my ascension. Today you failed to serve, and in doing so you failed our Lord. I am deeply disappointed, to say the least. Tell me Tayla, how is it that you plan to undo this mishap?"

It took everything Tayla had to keep it together as she listened to Sightless Syella speak. She pressed ever harder on her wound as her she felt her temper flare. "Unless I'm mistaken, Sightless Syella, I would imagine that I am not the only one being blamed for what happen today."

Sightless Syella frowned coldly. "Blaming your superior is not a good way to gain favor." Syella said in that raspy dry Sightless voice of hers.

Tayla smirked. It appeared she hit a nerve. "Sightless Syella, you know that I would never blame you for what happened. Sightless Nieffar, on the other hand... Well, we both know how he is. He will tell all who will listen how much of a failure you are. He'll claim you are undeserving of the title of Sightless. Raise doubt in your capabilities. Anything he can do to gain more power and control within the Clan. Am I wrong, Sightless Syella?"

Sightless Syella said nothing for a long moment. "You propose that I fight back and prove him wrong." It was a statement not a question.

Tayla simply smiled and said, "Give me the chance and I'll find the heathens for you. I'll track them down and kill every last one!" Or just the white hair woman at the very least. Tayla didn't say that part though.

"Very ambitious of you." Sightless Syella said with a smile. "Unfortunately, we are not to kill them."

"But why?!" Tayla cried out in frustration.

"That is none of your concern. Do not kill them." Tayla was about to object but was was stopped when Syella raised her hand. "That said, I like you're way of thinking. The one who fought against me, the man covered in filth. I wish to know who he is. Find him, and bring him to me. Can you do this for me?"

Tayla's heart leapt at any chance that might lead her back to the white haired woman. "Yes!" She said eagerly. "Yes, I can this for you." And should Tayla find the white haired woman with the filth covered man and then accidentally kill her...

"Very good." Syella said with a smile. "Now then, get to work."

Chres, more than anyone else seemed to understand exactly how big of a threat all that situation could become not only to themselves, but to the other nations as well. Just like Chres himself said, they only saw a part of the cult's power. They didn't know exactly what they were capable of.

But Chres apparently wasn't the only one paying attention at what Karina was saying. Unlike Octavio, that seemed to have absolutely no interest in discussing strategies or anything like that, Týfurkh was mumbled something about being inefficient to use light to contact the exterior world, clearly showing that he was indeed paying close attention. After a few moments, he spoke once more, saying he had a better idea.

Carefully listening to Týfurkh's idea, Karina couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. His idea was... confusing at best. The theory behind it was undoubtedly interesting, as it would attract way less attention than huge spotlight of darkness in the eyes of a sightless, but she still had her doubts about the execution of said plan.

As he got up, walking through the room, Karina's eyes followed the man to the window, where he pointed to a tall clock tower outside, saying that it would be the perfect location to put his plan in motion.

"Probably intact enough to not collapse upon it's own weight. That should be enough to us as well." Karina replied, looking to Týfurkh.

"Your plan... The concept is undeniably interesting... But how exactly do you plan to do it? Pointing the direction where the Military of Touch's forward base is no problem to me, but I'm curious on how you will be able to make them hear your message." Karina asked, curious.

"If your plan shows itself to be possible though, I will ask you to send a very specific message to them. Something to identify myself. Otherwise I doubt they will believe in a message that came literally out of nowhere." she concluded, looking to Týfurkh.

"Stay where you are, please." was Týfurkh's fastest reaction to Karina's questioning. The long haired man moved towards another place a little further away, then turned around to look at the woman as directly as one could possibly do. His lips started to move and she would immediately start to hear something: "Can you hear me ? Please nod, don't talk. And watch the others while I continue speaking."

Now Týfurkh's voice became considerably louder: "Chres ? If you hear me than raise your hand, please!" However he had arranged for Chres not to be in the path of the directed waves emanating from his throat, causing the man to find himself unable to notice this request unless he'd use some kind of magic himself. Only Karina could listen to him right now as he patiently waited for Chres' reaction.

"As you can see nothing has happened, but you can still hear me. Unfortunately so could everyone standing in the line defined by you and me. That's why I need to get high up in order to be sure the cult won't be able to pick up the message as well. And any obstacles in the way would force me to shout even louder than I'll already have to in order to reach somebody across the city walls. I'll likely be very tired after our little endeavour, so please take care of me."

Týfurkh stopped his magic and continued to talk normally so everybody could listen again: "I've studied the Art Of Canor, a special kind of magic commonly found in the Nation Of Hearing. There are many different aspects to it and I can't command all of them, not even in the slightest. I do have a few tricks of my own though. Do you understand now ?" The giant man put up a slight, somewhat shy smile.

---

Chres arched his eyebrow in amusement, paying the fancily dressed man half a glance. "Not a stranger, you say?" Chres said, opening the curtains and closing the door behind them. The room became pitch black save for moonlight shining in from the window. The lack of light made it easier to see out the window, but it also left Sil's form dimmer than usual, making her barely visible to the naked eye.

"Quite the sweet talker, are you?" Chres said taking a seat by the window. It wasn't the most ideal place to keep watch. If he had it his way he would have men stationed outside, kept hidden. "Perhaps even a heart breaker?"

Chres smiled fondly as he reminisced on his own youth of skirt chasing and love making. As he stared out the window, at the odd green moon shining in the distortion's purple night sky, he thought about the trail of tears left in his wake. It lead him down the road he took. The marriage that defined him. In the end, it was his heart doing the breaking. His tears in the making.

Chres's smile slowly faded from his face as he began to unconsciously finger his wedding band. Realizing what he was doing, he stopped himself. "If we are lucky, tonight will be just as dull as you suggested... Fortunately for you,-" He said pulling out his flask, filled with lemon flavored water, and uncorking the top. "I know a few ways to pass the time."

Chres took a quick swallow of the water. Then, catching Octavio's eye, he gave the man a friendly smile and offered him a sip.

---

The softly darkening room brought with it a greater sense of stealth to their actions, reminding Octavio of his past heists and adventures. It had gotten to the point where being in the dark instinctively made him more alert rather than the opposite, a quirk that would have been funny to share if doing so wasn´t completely suspicious.

Chres had responded to his theatrics in a similar tone, making him feel at ease. Octavio didn´t dislike Chres, but he certainly thought less of those who were friendly and oblivious to the hardships of life. However, in the small time that they had met Chres had proved him wrong as no stranger to adversity, which left Octavio to ponder what it was that kept the man so friendly. Chres had offered one answer in the form of a flask. He accepted.

The flask´s citric flavors made for an interesting and refreshing experience, even with his muted sense of taste. "Shockingly delectable. But then again, it might just be fatigue clouding my thoughts." He made his way over to his high quality leather bag and withdrew a large bottle, to reciprocate the offer.

"They call this fine wine Bloodwater, made by the same family for generations. They say it was so rich that it staved off the cravings of their kingdom´s prince, who was covertly a vampire." Octavio wasn´t sure if the tale he had overheard at his last gathering was truthful, but it sounded interesting and nothing mattered beyond that. When it came to captivating humans, truth was one of the least important tools that were required.

Although it was a premium wine, it would taste the same as any other wine to him so there was no point in fretting over details. He offered it to Chres, having made no serious effort to perform his role as a guard.

---

Chres chuckled to himself. "Not quite the reaction I expected." He said with, a calm smile.

Carefully, Chres took the bottle in two hands. "From a land once ruled by a vampire, you say? Now that's something I haven't seen before... You know, were it a year ago, I would have been intrigued enough to want to venture out to such a land... Now, however..." He paused, smiling sadly and eventually shaking his head. "Funny how quickly things change..."

As careful as before, Chres handed the bottle back to Octavio without taking a sip. "You're quite the funny one, offering wine to a man who no longer drinks... Tempted, though I am, I fear I should restrict myself to the taste of flavored water these days." He finished, emphasizing his statement with a smile and another sip from his flask.

---

Out of all the possible things Octavio had envisioned his conversational partner responding with, revealing that his flask had flavored water and that he didn't drink alcohol hadn't been one of them. He had just assumed that it was some sort of weak beverage and was surprised that there were people who willingly avoided alcohol. Then again... if this man relied heavily on concentration or had frequent run-ins with trouble, it had made sense to avoid ingesting anything risky.

Octavio smiled. "You abstain from drinking alcohol? I've seen plenty of strange magics today, but that somehow astonishes me just as much." He gently placed the bottle back where it had come from. Being the only one drunk during any sort of event was in general a terrible idea. He thought of his earlier heists when he had first discovered alcohol and quickly suppressed the thoughts.

Chres had slowly begun to reveal more of his character and had proved to be a bit of a veteran when it came to danger. Octavio knew that everyone in this party had more or less been chosen for their prowess, but it had still managed to surprised him that he´d been somehow lumped together with such people. He had felt the opposite of what Chres felt. He had considered himself to be a flight over fight kind of combatant, but if recent events proved anything it was that he was just as capable of holding his ground. Not with the same amount of grace mind you, but enough to be alive and consider getting drunk. It was the little things in life.

---

Chres chuckled again at the man's words. So he hadn't noticed that it was water then? A tad odd...

"Yes..." Chres nodded in agreement. "Yes, I suppose it is strange..."

"How come you never offer me a drink from the puddle filled bottle?" Sil asked, hovering between the two men. Her form looking almost ghost-like in the darkened room.

"Because," Chres said "when somebody offers you a drink, it always ends up in someone's face."

Sil 'hmmmed' to herself, spinning upside-down as she did so. "That does sound like me..." She said thoughtfully.

"Yes... yes it does..." Chres sighed. He took another sip of water. He then sealed up the flask and pocketed it inside his shirt.

"Octavio, I believe I promised you a way to pass the time." Chres said, reaching into his travel pack. He pulled out a circular wooden board and a pouch filled with square tiles colored black and red. "How about we play a few rounds of The Senses?" Chres asked setting up the board with the tiles from the pouch. "You at all familiar with the game?"

After being passed on for guard duty, he felt just a little bit disappointed. He kept quiet as he preferred to familiarize him with allies in this quest against the cultists. Still, he felt just a little bit bored and constrained in being stuck in such a small space with so many people. He listened to them speak without interrupting anyone of them. Eventually the day winded down and some were asleep. The only people awake it seemed was Chres, Octavio, Karina, and Týfurkh.

He listened with interest in the current conversation happening now. Karina was talking about her need to alert her chain of command about the threat this cult posed to the nation of touch, as well as pretty much the world at large. Týfurkh brought up suggestions on how to contact them and then a clock tower was brought up. It was all very interesting to him.

Eventually he go and approached the two who were talking, as Chres and Octavio were in another room keeping watch. "Sorry for the interruption, but mind if I come along? I can help keep with fighting off any cultist as well as use my agility to help out with this plan." There was no way he was going to stay in this little cabin. He needed to go out and this was a perfect excuse as any to do so.

@13org@Fetzen

---

Octavio was a man of games, and although The Senses wasn´t one of his favorites he was well acquainted with it. Both the aristocratic background that he masqueraded in and the humbler one he grew up with shared an interest in them, albeit the former had a lot more gambling to it. He curled his lips into a smile so wide it almost looked devious at the mention of playing.

"Games? I have to say, these pieces look different from those at the palaces, but the core rules are the same I assume." He said, scratching his chin. The sound of footsteps caught his attention.

"You can trust us to guard you as you rest, you know. But, if you´re that determined to help, then I guess there´s no point in stopping you." remarked Octavio, cheekily. He was picking up game pieces left and right, amusing himself and remembering several of his adventures that involved them. Chres had been setting up the board at the same time, so he was partly helping him out. Partly.

"I have to say, these tiles are interesting." he said, delicately holding one by pinching its corners. He thought about the effects of having a third member on their improvised little team, and felt glad that so many of his party members were so passionate about combat. Somebody has to be, after all. He thought. Illusions had an easier time passing as the real deal at night, but it would be hard to defend anything through brute force given his skill set.

Lynx was still sound asleep and Octavio didn´t feel like he´d be necessary right now. Sure the cat could help when it came to scamming people, but it ultimately wasn´t worth it considering everyone at the table was a teammate.

With a curious expression, Karina listened as Týfurkh told her to stay where she was after her questions about his plan. Without understanding very well what he was trying to do, she simply watched as he walked away till he was a bit further from her position than he was before. Strangely enough, he simply started talking, asking if she was able to hear him clearly.

Nodding, as per his request without actually saying a word, she heard him calling Chres and asking for him to raise his hand if he was hearing her. Initially she didn't understand what he was trying, but the second that she realized that Chres didn't even react to Týfurkh calling him as he continued talking with Octavio, her curious expression immediately changed to a surprised one.

When he finally explained in further details what Karina already started to hypothesize about, she couldn't help but let out a satisfied smirk. That would indeed solve every single problem they had regarding communicating themselves with the Forward Base.

"This solves most of the problems we had regarding contacting the Military of Touch's forward base." Karina said, with a clearly satisfied tone in her voice.

Coincidentally, DB also seemed to be paying attention to what her and Týfurkh were talking about, as it became evident when he offered himself to help them as soon as Týfurkh had finished explaining his skills and plan.

"More help is always welcome." Karina said, with a nod towards DB.

"The only question now is when to put your plan in action, Týfurkh. Maybe it should be best to rest for a while first." Karina said, looking to them.

"Since there's no difference between day or night anymore and especially given our current situation, it would be rather easy for us to ignore our bodies' limits and get too exhausted. The time we have to rest isn't much and it's precious." Karina finished, looking to both DB and Týfurkh, waiting to hear what they were thinking about that.

@Fetzen@Jerkchicken

The man clasped his hands together into a respectful gesture towards Karina and Týfurkh. "Thank you for allowing me to come along." He said as he listened to Karina speak. She had a point about the distortion and how it, well distorted their sense of time. Although for him at least, he felt like was pretty well rested. It seemed like she was waiting for input from either of them as she looked at them waiting.

He decided to speak up first, "It's a fair point. If you're tired then rest up, but we should definitely act quickly before things escalate. Personally I feel well rested. Despite my fight and the injury that woman gave me, the wait while I was being healed might as well acted a time for a nap. Anyway, I can go with you two immediately if needed as I feel fine." He then added, "Besides, enduring fatigue is something I'm familiar both in training and experience." He then glanced at Týfurkh and then Karina as he waited on their responses. As he did that he did a series of twists and bends staring from his wrist and ending at his arm as it cracked and popped audibly.

---

Chres cocked his head slightly at Octavio's words. Throughout their whole discussion thus far, Chres had been trying to piece out exactly who this man Octavio was. The man wore the clothes of a nobleman, and yet the name Octavio did not ring familiar in the slightest. Perhaps Gin had simply given the man a fake name to throw the rest of them off, as he did for Karina. That was most certainly a possibility, A possibility that Chres could not ignore.

... And yet... and yet... They had met the curious man in a run down Inn. A curious place for a richly nobleman to stay. Perhaps then he was not such a richly noble, Chres had initially thought. But then that bottle of wine, Octavio offered, had been a rather expensive looking. A vintage of wine Chres would have thought better tucked away in a cellar, to be opened for only the most special of occasions. For that matter, why exactly was this nobleman carrying around a bottle of wine in the first place? Certainly a man of his stature could afford to pay for exquisite wine with what he would probably consider mere pocket change.

Something didn't quite add up with the man. It was far too soon for Chres to put his finger on exactly what was wrong but with each word the man spoke, Chres was able to piece together a more complete picture of his identity.

So when Octavio had stated that the pieces of Chres's game looked different than the ones in the palace, the immediate question in Chres's mind was which palace? Did he mean The Shining Palace, which stood at the heart of the City of Irissia? The Shining Palace was the only castle in the land with the word 'Palace' in its name. So it made sense to Chres this would be the Palace that Octavio was referring to. Plus, Octavio's accent did match with that of a person raised in the Nation of Sight. However there were some obvious problems to this line of reasoning.

For one, the owners of said palace were The King and Queen of the Nation of Sight. If Octavio was a nobleman, as Chres had initially assumed, then why had he not just said that the pieces didn't look like the ones back at
his own home, or in his manor? Surely he owned a set for himself. Perhaps then, he wasn't a nobleman after all... Perhaps Octavio worked at the palace in a very high position... But then if that was indeed the case, then what in the love of all senses was this odd man doing here and not back in the palace?

None of it added up in Chres. Though instead of inquiring further, he decided to not comment at all. Instead, he would sweep this new piece of the puzzle into his pocket for future use. He would figure out who this man was eventually. He simply needed time.

"Thanks... I think?" Chres said with a smile, staring out the window as he spoke. "They might not be as fine as what you are use to, but they work just as well. Now, you go first then. We'll start with the sense of Sight."

So and the game began. Octavio made his moves while Chres stared out the window, keeping watch. When Octavio finished his moves, Chres took a quick glance at the board, quickly made his moves, and then turned his attention back to the window. Play continued as such. When each of Chres's turns began, he would take a sweeping glance as before, and move his pieces as if he had already planned 10 steps ahead. And then... back to keeping watch out the window.

Chres had plenty of practice of playing in such a manner. Although it appeared quite intimidating to an average player, the truth was Chres was barely paying half a mind to his moves and proper strategy. So any proper player may be wary at first, but they would quickly pick up on the fact Chres's moves were simply not strategically sound.

It always amused Chres to play with his opponent's expectations like this. For it put his opponent off guard the moment Chres decided to play for real. Tonight, however, was not such a night for Chres to focus 100% on his play. For tonight, Chres was on watch duty. Winning a game of The Senses was not the priority here. Rather, keeping watch and making sure everyone else survived the night was his priority.

And so the night continued, quite dully as such. Some games Chres won. Others had Octavio come out as the victor. In the end, none of it truly mattered. After all, it was simply a way to pass the time.

Night turned to day, and the Distortion's green sun rose in the north...

---

Year 4256
73rd and final night of the month Auddium
Mid-Summer
Nation of Sight
City of Irissia - The Shining Palace

"LET ME OUT OF HERE!" Al'likar cried at the top of his lungs. "RELEASE ME AT ONCE!" The young prince, to the Nation of Sight, had been shouting like this, on and off, for hours on end. He had been confined to his room by order of his father, or so claimed Vetius. The Sightless had wormed his way into becoming the King's closest adviser. But having only spoken with Vetius since his confinement Al'likar was unclear as to whether this was due to a coup or if his father had actually ordered this confinement.

It couldn't have been Father. The little prince thought to himself. Why? Why would he have ordered this? It can't be true! It can't!

"LET ME OUT!" He shouted again, while banging on the door. "LET ME OUT OF HERE!" Nobody answered. Nobody listened. Everything sounded normal outside Al'likar's room. There were no screams. No sounds of fighting. No clear sounds which Al'likar would expect to hear from a coup. He had nothing. Nothing save the darkness. The darkness to which he was born.

Al'likar greatly feared this darkness. Despite having been born blind, he was not used to living in darkness. He was a Sight Adept after all. A blind sight adept. People had always thought this an odd pairing. To Al'likar, however, he was born into his ability. It only seemed natural to him. Adepts tended to run through bloodlines, but nobody really knew what allowed a person to be an adept of one type or another. So then, why shouldn't a blind boy be capable of being a Sight Adept? Al'likar certainly saw no reason for this not to be possible. The fact that Al'likar was an adept only proved that it was possible!

"Let me out..." Al'likar cried again, more weakly this time. "Please... somebody... anybody..."

Darkness... all he got was darkness. "Please..." Al'likar whispered, dropping to his knees helplessly. "I don't want to be alone any longer..."

Al'likar wrapped his arms around himself and shivered. As an Sight Adept, Al'likar had the ability to view what those around him could see. Despite being born blind, to Al'likar, the darkness was foreign. To Al'likar, the darkness was frightening. To Al'likar, the darkness meant he was all alone.

"Where did everyone go? Why did they leave me?" Al'likar muttered, huddled in to a ball, rocking back and forth. "Mother? Father? El’lysael, my sister? Where did you all go? Why? Why am I all alone?"

"Your sister ran away, young prince." Came the dry voice of Vetius within the Prince's room. Al'likar jumped at the sound of his voice, for he had not realized the Sightless was here. "As for your mother, young prince... I'm sad to say she is dead."

"Wha-" Al'likar gasped.

"Your father labeled her a traitor for conspiring with the enemy. For that, my young prince, he had her executed."

"LIER!" Al'likar shouted in rage. Tears streaming down his cheeks. "You're lying to me!"

"Am I now?" Vetius replied sounding half amusing. "No child... I fear that which I speak is not a lie."

"Father would never-" Al'likar began.

"Would he not?" Vetius interrupted.

"HE WOULD NEVER!" the prince shouted back.

"He would and he has."

"HE WOULDN'T!"

"You're not hearing me, little one. He already has."

Al'likar slumped back to the ground feeling lost and alone. The tears wouldn't stop. He felt a pain, never-ending. "Why?" He asked more to himself than to Vetius. There was a long silence before Vetius responded.

"I fear, my prince, that your father has not long for this world." Vetius said at long last. "His mind has been taken by the Insight. I've warned him of the dangers of accessing the Insight at an excessive rate, but I fear he has not listened."

"You. You did this..." Al'likar spat at the Sightless.

"Indeed." Vetius agreed, surprising Al'likar. "I had not expected the Insight to take a hold of him the way it has. When used responsibly the Insight is a tool that can be harnessed and used to help those in need. In time it grants power. Power beyond knowledge. It will transform the user. Make them into a better being. This is what us Sightless are. Better beings. Knowledgeable beings.

"However, if used in excess... The Insight will break the body, mind and soul. In the end all that's left is nothing. Nothing but a husk of a person. That is where your father is heading."

"Why are you telling me this?" Al'likar asked, suddenly fearful for his own life.

"Because my dear prince. I see a great future for you. A future only a special few have received." Vetius answered.

Al'likar was taken aback. This was not the answer he had been expecting. "Future?" He repeated aloud.

"Yes, my prince. A future where you no longer need to fear the darkness. Instead, you will embrace it." Vetius said.

It suddenly dawned on Al'likar what Vetius wanted from this encounter. "After all this, you want me to join you?" Vetius didn't respond. "I won't do it!" Al'likar exclaimed firmly.

Al'likar felt Vetius's hand gently grab his shoulder. "I doubt that, little prince." Vetius replied.

Something changed in the moment Vetius's hand touch Al'likar's shoulder. The darkness it swam and transformed. Al'likar felt a connection form. A connection to Vetius's own vision, or lack there of. But the Sightless wasn't blind, or at least he wasn't blind in the typical sense. Visions, formed of a hazy darkness, swam before him. Visions of the past, present and future. Visions of Al'likar. Visions of his father. Visions of his mother's beheaded body.

The Visions warped and changed. So many things to see... So much to process... The past, the present, the future. The past, the present, the future. The past, the present, the future.

"So much..." Al'likar said in awe.

The past, the present, the future. A being of great power. The past, the present, the future. Darkness five-fold. The past, the present, the future. An eye that sees all.

"Too much..."

The past, the present, the future. Death and destruction. The past, the present, the future. Items that imprison.

"Stop..."

The past, the present, the future. Beings unheard. A Vessel born anew. Pain, suffering, salvation!

"Stop!"

The sand of rot. Crazed unleashed. Secrets revealed. Histories untold. Heroes forgotten.

"MAKE IT STOP!"

The visions stopped. The connection lost. Al'likar collapsed on his hands and knees breathing heavily. "You..." he said at long last. "Do... do you see everything?"

"No." Vetius replied softly. "Not everything."

"I..." Al'likar hesitated. "I won't do it."

"Yes." Vetius said and a calm and knowing tone. "Yes... you will..."

---

Year 4256
1st day of the month Olfaccium
Mid-Summer
Nation of Sight
Shimmer Town - The Shimmering Fin (The Cult of Insight's local base of operations)

Sightless Syella watched as Sightless to be De'laire sang happily to herself. "The plants are growing! The sun is shinning! Happy Olfaccium to you!" She sang while locking one of the cult's prisoners into place. "You stomach's growling? Must have forgotten to have fed you! Happy Olfaccium to yoooooouuuu!"

"Two weeks?!" The prisoner asked exasperatedly. "It's only been tw-"

De'laire cut the prisoner off, using her magic to snatch the sound of his voice and manipulate it for her own means. "I do believe I HADN'T FINISHED!" She screamed more than sang. The man suddenly screamed in pain as he desperately struggled to cover his ears with his shackled hands. "Happy Olfaccium to yoooooooooooouuuuuuuuu!" She sang over the man's screams.

Sightless Syella sighed in disapproval. De'laire was enjoying her job far too much. De'laire's job was to question and torture the prisoners not toy with them as she did. It disgusted Syella.

"MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!" The prisoner cried with tears in his eyes.

"Oh... sorry, sorry. Forgot I was still doing it... Silly, silly me." De'laire said with an innocent giggle.

The screams stopped. All that could be heard was the prisoner's labored breaths. "Damn Crazed bitch..." The prisoner muttered under his breath.

De'laire whipped out a knife so fast that Sightless Syella nearly missed it. Without warning, she lounged the knife towards the man's heart.

"De'laire stop!" Sightless Syella shouted at the top of her lungs as the man screamed in pain.

De'laire stopped immediately, the tip of the knife having already pierced the man's skin. De'laire cocked her head as if confused. Her eyes slowly turning towards the knife in her hand. "Weird..." De'laire said with a frown. "How did that get there?" The man whimpered silently, no longer trusting himself to speak.

"Put down the knife, De'laire..." Sightless Syella said calmly in her dry Sightless voice.

"Ah... yes, yes..." De'laire said absentmindedly as she put away the knife. "We mustn't be killing our prisoners, now. Now then, shall we get to questioning?"

"I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING NEW TO TELL YOU! I SWEAR!" the man shouted desperately. "You always ask the same questions! What new answers could I possibly have?"

"Oh silly" De'laire said gleefully. "I'm sure you'll think of something..."

---

Sightless Syella felt exhausted. She got no pleasure from monitoring De'laire as the woman did her work. It was the first day of Olfaccium today. The first day of a new month.

The first day of a new month was typically something to be celebrated, with parades and festivals in the streets. People would gather in drones to celebrate the new month, with each month representing a different one of the five senses gifted to the people by the Lord of Senses. This month the celebration would have recognized the sense of smell. Flowers and roses petals would have decorated the streets. Vendors selling prized and rare spices lining the markets. Food stalls selling specially made spicy foods from exotic places. Games set up for the children, forcing them to use their sense of smell to guess what was in front of them. Parades, dancing, one whole day packed full of celebration...

Today however, there would be no such celebration. Choas has broken out in the streets of Shimmertown the day prior. People attacking and murdering friends and family alike. No there would be no celebration today. Instead, today would likely be a day of mourning. Well... that is until the Panic grabbed hold of everyone.

As the Chaos ensued the previous day, the cult had quietly gone around, from building to building, procuring everyone's food stores. The city was barred off from the outside world, and now the people had no food. Panic was guaranteed.

The clan would be there to help though. Once a day, they would have people gather around the inn to preform a daily ritual of the clan's. Afterwards they would select a few volunteers from the crowd to be enlightened. Enlightenment would come with the promise of a full stomach in the coming days, or so the clan would say... When that was all done, the clan would ration a small portion of the food they had to the people. Food was power in a land without it. The clan was not blind to just how powerful the promise of food could be.

"Sightless Syella." Came a dry voice from behind her. The voice belonged to one of her fellow Sightless Talne. "I've had the locations, which you were looking for, mapped out."

The Previous night she had gone to Sightless Talne requesting his assistance on locating where the pact makers may be hiding. They had avoided the Insight for one night already. That could only mean they either stayed awake the whole night, or they knew to sleep while bathed in light.

Sightless Syella was not skilled in locating places covered in light. It was too easy to miss lit up areas with the Insight, since the Insight could not view light. Only a few Sightless were good noticing such places. Talne was one such Sightless, which is why Syella had come to him.

"I am curious though... why might you be needing such information. Sightless Nieffar specifically told us not that Vetius said not to chase after the pact makers. He wants them to come to us."

"And they shall. However it's best to be aware of their movement otherwise we will be caught unaware. We want things to go down on our own terms. Not theirs"

Sightless Talne smirked as if amused. "That's not unwise of you... You know Nieffar would have us believe you incompetent..."

"Would he now?"

"Yes he would." Talne said. "I suggest that whatever you are planning to do, make sure it succeeds. It would be a shame to see him proven right."

"I'll keep that in mind." Syella replied.

---

"These are the places that were covered in light over the past night." Syella said to Talya. She had given the map to Tayla and was currently going over it with her. "You are to identify where they are staying. Track them. Follow them, but do not engage the group. We only need one of them. Your priority, the dirtied man with the staff. Bring him to me, Tayla, and you'll be forgiven."

Týfurkh

"We'll I'd say some extra muscle never hurts. We're still only three, so that's much better than just two but still a number small enough so it will not be too difficult to hide ourselves. I think none of us has any interest in an open confrontation with those crazy people." With said word Týfurkh was referring to the entire faction they were opposing in general. What they did was nothing short of lunacy and they would have to end it. The city was already ruined beyond repair, but hopefully their efforts could spare other settlements from suffering the same fate.

"Well I have to agree with you, Karina. As much as I'd like to deliver that message right now as much I have to consider that I will have to put quite a lot of effort into it. It must be a strong one, not a weak whisper that could easily be deemed hallucination or even background noise." Týfurkh looked around, trying to find something for them to rest on. "I would propose a rest of maybe five hours. That should be enough to get us back into shape while not compromising our progress too much."

The room they were in proved to be rather empty. No beds, not even truly enough space for all of them to roll out some beddings on the floor and to sleep there. However he had not been in every room so far, so there still was a solid chance of some nice place for Karina and the other man being there. For himself however ? Very unlikely. Most random beds found somewhere were either way too small or could not support him, so Týfurkh already expected a not so comfortable night on the floor. "If anybody finds a bed for me... you know where I am."

Karina listened to Týfurkh's words, nodding as she agreed with him. They were indeed heavily outnumbered. Confronting the cultists was nothing short of suicide given the situation they were in at the moment. Not only their numbers were a menace, but neither Karina nor the rest of the group knew exactly how powerful the cultists were, or what are they capable of. Being careful and discreet was indeed the wisest choice for now.

"I agree with you. Our current situation isn't good. We shouldn't attract unnecessary attention. Regarding the message, when the time arrives, I will tell you a few code words. When heard by the Military of Touch, they will know exactly who is sending them that message and will immediately trust it's contents." Karina said, with a serious expression. Given her tone of voice, her expression and the way she was talking, it was clear to Týfurkh and DB that those code words were incredibly dangerous. If somehow the cultists got a hold of them, things could get even worse than they already were.

"That said... a small rest is rather welcome..." Karina said, yawning before Týfurkh said for someone to call him if they found a bed for him.

"All that I found so far is a small couch... It's enough for me to sleep but I don't think it would work for you..." she said, obviously referring to his size.

@Fetzen@Jerkchicken

---

Chres put the pieces to The Senses away as daylight shone through the window. It had been a long and uneventful night. Chres's eyelids felt heavy. His brain somewhat foggy. And yet despite the soul draining feeling of not having slept the whole night, Chres felt more rested than ever!

For the first time in a year, Chres avoided the nightmares that awaited him every night as he faded into dreams. It was a refreshing feeling, oddly enough. So much so, that Chres was feeling more awake than any night's sleep had ever made him feel since the incident. Perhaps he would even be able convince the others to let him pull a second shift tonight, he thought.

He felt a stray itch at the thought. The bodyguard in him, told him it was a bad idea. It was a weak voice though. Suppressed by Chres's own emotional baggage, slowly building since his wife's death. A part of him was worried that sooner or later, he would reach a breaking point. It was yet another concern Chres silently pushed aside.

"Breakfast is ready." Said a voice in the next room. Chres recognized the voice as belonging to the Innkeeper's wife. Chres would have to thank DB for having rescued the woman. He wasn't sure if he would have been up for making breakfast this morning.

"Now that's a welcome sentence to hear first thing after a long night with no sleep." Chres said to Octavio with a calm smile. Chres got out of his seat and made his way to leave the room. "Come friend. Let's see what kind of food she's cooked up for us."

"Food!" Sil said, her head perking up excitedly. "I love food!"

"More like you enjoy throwing food." Chres said under his breath.

"Oh silly." Sil said, perching herself comfortably on Chres's shoulder. "What else would you do with food? Wear it as a hat?" Knowing Sil, Chres recognized this as a serious question.

Chres placed his hand on his forehead, sighing. He wasn't sure if he could deal with her this morning. Thank goodness she had spent all of last night trying to pluck out Lynx's whiskers.

Every time the familiar fell asleep, Sil would sneak on over and pester the poor thing. The first few times the familiar awoke, Sil managed to zip away unharmed. Nearly every time after, however, she received a well deserved smack across the room.

Chres moseyed on into the dining room and was greeted by a plate of bread. Ah, right.... They were practically out of food.

"Thank you." Chres said, smiling graciously. "Looks delicious."

The innkeeper's wife snorted at the comment. "Best plate of bread you'll ever have." She said sarcastically.

"I bet." He replied taking a bite. "Though I suppose you'll be wanting better ingredients for future meals."

"Only if you want better food for future meals." She said with the barest hint of a smirk. "Consider this our way of thanking all of you for saving us." She said to the room, her stare lingering on DB longer than the rest. "And..." she frowned, beginning again after a moment's pause. "My way of apologizing for my rash behavior yesterday. I... I was in the wrong..."

Chres frowned and nodded. He took another bite of his bread. No further words were needed.

The man looked at Karina and saw how serious she was about these words. It seemed they would be resting before moving out first. There was a part of him raring to go, either for the sake of excitement or just to get some extra space as the house was crowded. However, he could endure waiting as the two rested. "Fine, see you in the morning. I'll take the wall or floor." He said as he broke off and sat against the corner of the wall. He felt bad about Týfurkh who was going to have a bad time due to his size.

He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but he was still awake. As the night wore so did his boredom as he tried to lose himself in thought and hopefully nod off. But instead, he found himself painfully awake and alone in the house. It was a lonely night as everything was silent and he felt himself unable to sleep. He moved around silently trying to reposition himself to enter sleep faster. Eventually as dawn broke he'd finally be tired enough to enter sleep.

Hours later, he'd stir from sleep as his highly attuned body noticed movement. The man found himself flopped into a weird position before straightening himself up. He sat straight up as he looked at everyone moving around in the house. "Breakfast is served." He wondered what was being offered since what he last remembered there didn't seem to be much. There was the Innkeeper's wife offering bread and he felt a little uncomfortable as she looked at him a bit longer as she spoke about showing their gratitude.

"Hey Chres, tell Týfurkh and Karina I'll be going outside for some fresh air, just in case they're up and ready to leave." He found himself offered by the woman a slice of bread. "No thanks, keep it for yourself. Maybe I might steal some food for us later in the day. It'll be tough though, since we got a bunch of people." He said to her.

@13org@Fetzen@Pezz570

---

If there was anyone less enthusiastic about the idea of working together as a team than the great Octavio and his slowly crumbling walls, it was his familiar, who had suffered the worst of Sil´s antics, even when trying to sleep.

I´m going to take that fairy, said Lynx in Octavio´s mind, and skewer it as soon as I get the chance.

Octavio smirked at the sudden display of emotion, glad to see a sliver of his traveling companion´s personality again. Travelling in a party had worn the both of them down substantially and had limited them in terms of what they were allowed to talk about out loud. Even if the two disliked conversing outside of telepathy the presence of another restriction, one that needed to be constantly taken into account, put them on edge to an extent.

She´s just irritating you because it´s fun. I can´t blame her either, just look at you! said Octavio. Lynx was well aware of his irritability, and having it pointed out to him only worsened his mood. Both of them were very aware of each other´s personalities, and both of them knew that their walls were crumbling down with time.

How much longer are you going to continue your acting? stated Lynx. There was a sharpness to his words, a feeling of caution and annoyance fused together.

As long as it takes. replied his owner.

Lynx´s powerful eyes bore holes into Octavio. This was clearly not the answer he had desired, yet he expected it nonetheless. Their complicated relationship frequently blurred the lines between companionship and rivalry, with neither ever holding back their disapproval over the other´s flaws. Octavio simply chuckled to himself at their private conversation, and reached for a slice of bread with a confident entitlement. He wasn´t at all grateful like his allies, nor did he want to be. This was the bare minimum for their services. The food was bland just as it always was when your sense of smell was so poor, yet this time the flavors of misery shone through in stronger doses. This definitely wasn´t filling enough for the greedy man, but he reasoned that he could always buy more. Although...

The funds that were originally intended to be used for inn infiltration dangled in his mind, tempting him to use them to satisfy his capricious hunger. His eyes gazed at everyone in the room with an undetectable softness as he formed a plan. There was no way he´d be able to save his money and feed all of them at the same time, so playing the role of royalty was going to be a challenge from now on. Octavio´s mind recalled all his previous conversations with these people, his implications of grandeur, his mentions of distant luxury. This was going to be a difficult situation for him. For a brief glimpse his eyes were caught by Lynx´s, who stared back at him in satisfaction. You´re enjoying this.

Lynx concluded his silent judgement and helped him think of their next course of action. It was decided that half of his money was to be treated as all of it, with the remainder repurposed to be used as an emergency fund in the event of needing to flee. This was a painful decision, but it was absolutely necessary if he intended to continue his act.

"If the food ever becomes an issue, we could simply form a shared effort and wander down to the markets, right?." he said. It was such a simple sentence, one that surfaced among the hundreds of hurried thoughts and whispers of two loners in the shadows.

Interaction with @Jerkchicken, @HokumPocus

---

Chres arched an eyebrow at DB's words, not really knowing the context behind the request.

Regardless, he nodded and smiled. "I'll give them the message." He said "Be sure to grab a bite to eat though. We need you to keep up your strength after all."

In Chres's experience, it always paid to have food in the stomach, no matter how little. On the other hand, they were short on food, not to mention had one too many mouths to feed with the addition of one very large mouth. As such, he wasn't about to argue with the man.

Turning his attention back to the bread, he took a bite. Closing his eyes as he chewed. -Blood, dried to a crust. Bruises, purple and black- Chres's eyes shot open. His heart skipped a beat.

"If the food ever becomes an issue, we could simply form a shared effort and wander down to the markets, right?." Octavio asked.

What? Chres thought running the words through his head again. Right... money. He doesn't want to have to cover all our expenses...

"Surely, you're not so greedy as to-" The Innkeeper's wife began with more than a hint of annoyance. It was around then that her husband entered the room and swiftly silencing her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Forgive her. These are troubled times my lord." He said. His wife sniffed disapprovingly.

"Troubled times indeed." Chres said trying to ease the situation. "I'll pitch in what I can, though I'm afraid I'm nearly broke."

@Pezz570

"Nah. I'll be fine." He responded to Chres.

He was about to approach the door but stopped. He had heard more talking about food, or rather the lack of it. He turned to face Chres once more, "Look, we got a bunch people that need to eat. I figured that someone else can have my share, as this isn't my first time going without eating and enduring through this sort if something I'm experienced at."

The man shot a glance at the Innkeeper and his wife who were having a minor disagreement, and then back to Chres. "Like I said before, I can help steal some food for today. It'll be even more guilt-free for us since half the town seems to have been converted to these cultists. Perhaps some fishmongers can be relieved of their catch later today." He said with a slight smile.

"Anyway I'll be going outside now." He said as he finally left.

It was honestly such a change having all these people around. He was used to just looking out for himself and dealing with these hardships alone, but now there were other people with their own needs. He would need to pitch and help with this, especially since he wasn't one comfortable with acts of hospitality unpaid. He leaned against the wall of that house as felt the morning air blow over him softly like a whisper.

The night had not exactly been a delight. Being the large man he was, Týfurkh had been forced to sleep on the bare ground. In order to alleviate things he had taken off his cloak and used it as a pillow, hoping that the remainder of his clothes would provide enough warmth to replace any other kind of beddings. Still his sleep had not been very comfortable, but at least sufficient not to be as tired in the morning as he had been the evening before.

What ultimately awoke him was not the sun, but the faint hearing of somebody calling out for breakfast. Týfurkh was hungry indeed, given the fact that he had not eaten much the entire day before. However even before entering the main hall he could already imagine that he'd have to lower his expectations significantly. The situation in the city had turned to such a chaotic state that it simply was impossible for any tavern owner to get new supplies, at least in his mind.

"Mornin'..." he said towards those already present, hardly making any effort to hide his yawning. He sat down next to others and reached for the bread himself, taking off a carefully dimensioned chunk of it. He needed enough to stay strong as long as he could, but on the other hand so did the others so he had to eat sparingly.

"After I've eaten I'd be ready to leave. I suggest we get over this particular mission as soon as possible. Time can do nothing but work against us."