The girl's body seemed to slightly tense up in fear as Kistal approached, though her body had went limp by the time he started. There was a black aura that seemed to melt away from a small slightly blue ball of light that had pulled pulled itself from her chest. This black aura seemed to try to pull at the little soul ball, trying to drag it back to the heart through the hole in her chest that Kistal had formed. Soon, they had melted away and the soul was freed, taking refuge in Kistal's bracelet. The black tendrils seemed to diffuse into the shroud and dissipate into the air.

When Kistal spoke out to the soul in his mind, it seemed to flicker a little. "Where... where am I? she instinctively asked, "so... tired..." The soul seemed to be sputtering, as if it itself was nearly burnt out. It would seem that soul forced to expel its own mana in order to fight, the controller not even bothering to supply it. It would regenerate over time in Kistal's bracelet, but her energy was critically low. "Mysha... my sister. She's looking for me. I must... stop her. I'm... so tired... I will show you, while I rest." There was a small pulse from the soul inside the bracelet, and suddenly, Kistal was no longer in the desert. He was in a long dark hall made of black stone. Just as the girl was now a spectator to him, Kistal was now a spectator in the point of view of the girl's soul.



As Nakhia's soul finished sending the memory, she had gone inactive, needing to rest before she could continue communicating further, leaving Kistal without and other explanation for now. Every bit of fear and pain Nakhia felt was transferred to Kistal during the memory, even though he was just spectating. If anything was for sure other than how Calibris was treating those beneath him, it was found out that Calibris was no human.

As Allanon and Chihiro would approach Malkhad's body, one or both of them could sense a presence only a second before they could hear it. Suddenly, there was an impact that landed on the middle of Malkhad's chest that ripped through him and went into the ground below. following that was the sonic boom of something flying in and hitting the ground, a faint voice in the sound following it. "HI HIIIIIIII," was all that was heard as the dust was settling. However, they wouldn't have long as a part of the rocky ground away from the lava broke up and a small red blur was seen hopping out of it. It landed on two legs and started shaking violently, throwing of blood, dirt, and dust like a dog would water. When anyone focused on it, they would see a strange creature in a mask, straight jacket, red cloak, and a demonic sword on its back. But what was worse is that hugged in its arms was the large crystal that made Krogan's soul gem. The thing started hopping up and down excitedly. "Yay! Kitchi get! Jeevak proud!" she cheered hopping up in down in place for both joy and because she was hyper.

After his meeting with Jeevak Sev wandered the town at random for a time, until the desert heat became unbearable. Retreating into the shade of a seemingly abandoned building he allowed himself to cool for a while before beginning to practice with his spear. Slowly at first he moved through the various stances and forms he’d been taught while in the military.

As he did his thoughts returned to the Scar, where he’d been born and lived much of his life. His parents had obviously felt like they were a member of the people who called the scar home, but Sev felt no similar attachment. Perhaps it was the constant fear he’d felt as a bearer of cursed blood. He couldn’t remember how many times he’d gotten close to being discovered the few times he was caught by the guard, or after he was conscripted. Maybe it was how he’d been forced to serve those who would have strung him up the moment they found out what he really was. Other than his parents he’d never trusted anyone with the knowledge of what he was, and until Jeevak showed up no one else knew.

Everyone else seemed to have a ‘land’ or ‘people,’ Meave had her ice kingdom to the south, Allard clearly loved his town and inn. Jeevak was driven by the desire to create his own land for his own people. Was having a group to be a part of so tempting?

Sev was drawn back to the present as his wind magic blasted the wall of the building in which he hid from the sun. His gift of air had responded to his agitated thoughts and lashed out as he completed a spear set, leaving a set of cracks in the clay wall. He took a deep breath and shook the confusing thoughts from his mind. Instead he wondered if Meave found the bread he left for her, he didn’t have many ingredients but managed a decent flat bread that went well with the smoke meats he’d found in the kitchen.

He needed something to take his mind off the conversation with Jeevak and Meave might be just the thing. At least, that’s what he thought as he left the building only to hear bells and calls of an approaching ship. More bandits? No, the cries didn’t sound panicked, they sounded joyous. Perhaps that team out finding the missing women had returned.

With another deep breath he made his way towards the bells, his relaxed grin and cheerful look started out fake, but by the time he reached where everyone was gathering he felt much better. With his spear once again hidden under the illusion of a basic staff he watched the approaching ships, eager to see what characters were among the so called scout party.

Kistal's body went unnaturally still as the memories washed over him. The feelings of fear and pain were not exactly foreign to him. They reminded him intensely of his life in chains and the stories of those around him. However, what did hit him was the inhumanity and obvious unnatural transformation of Calabris. He was supposed to be a human, but this was something far beyond any normal magic Kistal had read about. He came to shortly after, his hand flipping his staff into a downward position and gripping it so tightly that blood began to drip down his palm as his claws dug into his flesh.

With a snarl of anger, he began stabbing the tainted corpse in front of him again and again. Rage rushed through him, threatening to get as bad as the night he decided to leave slavery. Once the body was thoroughly reduced to a bloody pile of shredded viscera, he looked over to Allanon, letting out a piercing roar. "Allanon, we have a target! I will personally rip Calabris into pieces and curse the bits into oblivion!"

If it weren't for Kistal's immense rage practically begging for Chihiro's attention given how relatively calm he normally was, she would have seen the soul gem be stolen. However, she immediately snapped her sights on the small child looking thing that had her friend's soul. "Oh no you don't! Give that back to me, it doesn't belong to you!" She made a lunge for the seemingly distracted creature, the residual spells making her faster and stronger, causing her to lunge at lightning speed.

First the sudden appearance of a small stranger appearing out of nowhere and taking a hold of the Soul of Krogan, and second the sudden rage and fury of Kistal. Allanon had a lot to be aware of. Allanon stepped out of the way as Chihiro lunged to grab the soul gem. He was good at multitasking, but this could prove to be more of a challenge than he could handle. He was barely able to avoid being knocked over by Chihiro and her sudden burst of speed. As someone with no ability to magically boost himself, he simply stood no chance in this situation.

Magic was something he had to be prepared for. Something he could disrupt if he was paying attention. He had many strategies to deal with magic, but only when it was a preemptive measure. The speed at which the strange one appeared was something he could barely register. He even doubted Chihiro could keep up with it even with her newly boosted speed.

"Excellent, Kistal," Allanon responded looking over towards his comrade barely able to keep from showing his bewilderment. "One step at a time. We have another problem on our hands at the moment. Help us protect the Soul of Krogan."

He had a feeling this strange one came from a completely different problem than the Calabris. Just how many people were after the Soul of Krogan? If they could wrest if from the hands of this new thief how would they be able to prevent it from being taken by someone else? Where could they hide it?

--

Above the conflict happening in the ruin on the cliff Allanon, Kistal, and Bidzil scaled stood Kallen. He observed the chaos below with a frown on his face. He had come to scout out the ruins before raiding with a hired party, and what he saw today disappointed him. He had expected the bandits, but had not expected one of them to have somehow merged with the Soul of Krogan. Even less had he planned for the Ambassador, and he thought he had been meticulous about tracking Calabris operations. At least it was defeated by what appeared to be a party of heroes?

Kallen had hoped to attempt to synchronize with the Soul of Krogan. From what he gathered from his research it chose its possessor. Although, obviously it could be coerced through magical means. He had no interest in dealing with any backlash that could result from that. Now he had no interest in the Soul for a completely different reason. There was too much attention on it from too many powerful forces. He was not prepared to deal with being hunted by his family, not after being so careful. He looked different from his "death" ten years ago, so any family member wouldn't recognize him upon seeing him, but if the Soul was being coveted by the Family they would find out if he had it. Of that he was certain.

"Maybe I shouldn't have considering looking for such a high profile artifact," Kallen muttered to himself.

The Eye of Avarice was an obscure one that had long been forgotten except by the most studied historian. He personally had one of the only texts describing it. "Yes... yes... only obscure, little-known, and hard-to-find artifacts from now on."

He stopped talking to observe the events unfolding below. At this point they were none of his business, but they were a curiosity, and something he might be able to learn from.

"WAAAH! NO NO! KITCHI BORROW! KITCHI NEEEED!" The little thing saw Chihiro coming and zipped away from her lunge. It was fast enough to miss if one had only blinked they would have missed it. She continued to hop in place looking around, seeing the mess of bodies and seeming just now to register that something terrible, she wasn't sure what, had happened here. It very much reminder her of the time she awoke after blacking out, only last time she didn't remember anybody talking or moving about, it was much quieter and less lively.

Due to the lava in the area, the ice barrier that the wolf girl had created has started to lose its integrity. There was a muffled howling at it as she panicked inside to get out, unable to break the ice herself. This caught Kitchi's ear, a visible twitch under the hood where her ear was, signifying that the ears in the hood were not just decoration. It all made sense now! These people were here for whatever was on the other side of the ice! She wasn't sure how the ice got there, but maybe they would be happier if She traded them a favor for a favor, then they would have to be happy to let her hold on to the gem. "Ah! Kitchi help! Make even!" she barked as she zoomed past them all again. in that same blink of an eye speed, she was hopping in front of the ice wall, studying it. "HERE GO! KOB ARROW" she shouted, her mask glowing a brilliant hot white and leaving a streak in the air where she moved. The girl bounded backward, and then kicked off the ground, blasting off like a cannon and headbutting straight into the wall of ice. The result sounded like an explosion though it was just the sheer force of coming in contact wit the wall, the shockwave passing more than just through tremors in the ground but enough to even feel through the air. Kitchi landed and stumbled back a bit, shaking it off like a wet dog before hopping in place once more. "There! Kitchi help! Fair trade! Me g- sniff sniff," she interrupted her self, sniffing the air. "Ah? Sweet smell? Have sweets!?"

The wolf girl quickly burst out of the wall of ice through the hole that was made. Upon smelling the blood and seeing new people, She went on high alert, especially at whatever this bouncing thing was.... was it edible? Where is that fat guy that took those DELICIOUS little meat bits? Her nose twitched as she sniffed the air, but she stayed in a crouched ready position for anything to come towards her, the unknown people still between her and the exit, with the strange hoofed man shouting something over a corpse. No, something wrong was definitely going on here, and it just made her hair stand on end and made her produce a low growl.

Bidzil carried the girl to to the others, which took a lot more energy than he had thought it would. He then hobbled over to where he saw Hilde lying in the ground. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked as he propped her up slightly.

"Chihiro?" Hilde murmured as she slowly opened her eyes. "O-oh, it's you," she said, trying to shake of the daze. She could have sworn she heard Chihiro's voice calling to her. "I'm fine, I think..." She found it hard to move after taking a point black energy blast, but she was lucky that she was even able to do that, a human may have been less fortunate. "Aaah!" she exclaimed in pain before laying back down. Her side ached terribly, no doubt there was some heavy bruising, possibly a cracked rib. "L-let me lay down, I shouldn't move right now."

Kistal's raged simmered at the back of his mind as his attention was drawn to possible threat. He watched Chihiro make an attempt at it. It clutched some sort of gem, giving off energy similar to what he had just done. A soul? Allanon called it a soul gem. This must be important, but I am running dry. He tried to approach the creature, but it shattered teh ice, letting the wolf girl out. As much as he wanted to help Chihiro, the wolf girl meant more to him than some dead man.

Nix's fear and nervousness led him to bound over near her and crouch down, reaching into his pouch and one of his many sweet stashes. He took out some more sweet meats he made for himself and held them out. He looked at the one with the gem and narrowed his eyes. She didn't seem hostile...just hyper. "Little one, you stole that from the snake lady. She wants it back. Think if someone stole your mask or your favorite toy. You just did that to my friend."

He then looked at Nix. "Wolf girl, the battle is over. We killed the men that took you prisoner. I have some more sweet meats for you. It has been a long day for all of us, so I think you may want to come relax."

Chihiro saw Kistal make an attempt, but the wolf girl got his main attention. She couldn't fault him for that. He had far more of a connection to the wolf girl than to Krogan or herself. So, she took his attempt at diplomacy as him doing a last ditch effort to get her to slow down and maybe give it back, but even then, Chihiro assumed he knew it was pretty futile. She slithered to the opposite side of the little creature, careful to give Nix and Kistal a wide berth to allow him to try and coax her into a calmer mood. She then looked at Kitchi. "Give it back to me. That is not yours to borrow or take. It is mine to have."

[redacted]

After speaking to Lynn, Tyrael spent most of his time resting, watching out for danger, or crafting more arrows. Things were thankfully peaceful as the sun came up and they were getting closer, Tyrael remained on edge. They could be attacked by random monsters, or more strange individuals would arrive. He spent a good most of his waking hours wondering what exactly things like the Krogan Soul, who Jeevak was, who Kitchi was, and much more. Not to mention Lynn herself had some goal that may involve them, or at the very least be dangerous and require much time and preparation. These were his thoughts as he continued to ready himself for whatever was to come.

Eventually the skiff would arrive towards Kalla. Tyrael had replenished his arrow supplies and even made himself a new wooden shield. He had also commandeered a sack where he had stored the rest of the brigand's equipment so he could sell or melt them down. One of the girls, Sonia, informed him that the town had spotted them and were coming to meet them. However she also mentioned that it looked like the settlement had been attacked recently. Tyrael presumed that it wasn't by bandits: these girls were obviously kidnapped from their homes not from a raid, so it shouldn't surprise Sonia if their town looked in disarray if that was the case. No, if she's surprised that there was a fight at her hometown, it happened after she was taken, and unexpectedly too. Looking over Tyrael could see the mass of bodies. Whatever happened here was a bloodbath.

Tyrael kept quiet and made sure to adjust his clothing to hide his person. He has no idea how they might react to an orc like himself, so as long as he can keep his robes sufficiently baggy enough to hide his features, no one should be too perturbed by him. He would go and awaken Lynn, informing them that they near town and that they would have company. Hopefully pleasant company. They should try and make sure she can access their oasis as soon as possible for her sake. Tyrael will see about gathering any relevant information which could help them on their journey. Afterwards Tyrael gathered the rest of his equipment. One loaded up, the ship stopped as the girls were reunited with their friends and families. Reading the mood it seems like the people were happy and not hostile, so Tyrael did his best not to look aggressive. As difficult as that could be for a hulking figure like himself.

Walking down the gangplank Tyrael looked around the crowd for anyone who seemed to be a leader of sorts, either an elder or a strong warrior. There were a few who looked foreign, but then again so did Tyrael. Best not to make any assumptions. He supposed the best thing he could do right now is simply announce himself and see who approaches. "Mirdautas. I am Tyrael. I have traveled far and need supplies for my journey. If there is an oasis here I must seek it for my companion." He didn't really mention his role in saving the girls, on the belief that it was fairly obvious due to the fact he was here and well armed that he was involved in their rescue, and hopes the town people would compensate him appropriately. If not, than he'll have to test their good will. "If there is a merchant or metal smith here, I also must seek them out. I have business with them."

Kitchi seemed to back away more, despite the smell of sweets, when the two demanded that she give the soul gem back, she still shook her head. "Kitchi can't... Jeevak need. Is key. For oracle! Make wish! Kitchi... need wish..." she whined. She seemed more and more ready to bolt any second.

Bidzil nodded to Hilde. She would need some sort of medical attention after taking a hit like she did. Before he could say that though, Kitchi's words caught his ear and he turned where he sat next to Hilde. "The oracle? This Jeevak guy is looking for the oracle too? S-so it isn't just a legend!" he said excitedly. He was worried after getting here that his searching may all be for naught, but it seemed like he wasn't the only one looking, and that only confirmed it all the more to him.

Nix bounded back away from Kistal at first, his sudden approach spooking her her. She then cautiously circled around Kistal, walking upright yet hunched down, her ears laid back and her hair and tail furrowed. Her arms were bound and locked in chains and there were some shackles still attached to her neck and legs as well, dragging the remnants of their chains in the sands at her feet. Slowly, she got closer and Kistal could see that she was battered pretty badly, yet it didn't seem like it was only her own blood that was on her. There were dried remnants of blood around her claws and mouth as well from her struggling against the bandits.

"Trap," she said half accusingly and halfway as if she was asking a question, her voice a bit hoarse since they last met. She looked around to try to read the situation a bit more before timidly approaching the rest of the way, nipping a piece of the sweet meat gingerly with her teeth before scooting back a step. As she chewed on it, he would see her start to tear up as she unceremoniously plopped down on the ground.



Allard chuckled heartily, "Well from what I remember I had a pair of gifted lasses there ta stitch me up! But aye, Had the same the m'self," he said as he tapped the shaft of his ax on the stone road below. "Strange though, this is not ta scout party we sent out, whole nother ship ta boot."

When Tyrael came for Lynn, it seemed she was just waking up, the sound of the people outside alerting her that they had reached her destination. She was still weakened but at least she was able to move about on her own, though she seemed to stay close to Tyrael, not letting them out of sight. She seemed tired still, and left her staff inside the ship, unable to pull it around with her manipulation ability currently.

Allard nodded to Tyrael as the figure seemed to be looking for someone in charge to speak to. It probably wasn't often that Tyrael felt dwarfed to another person, especially a non orc. Most the men here seemed to be large and strong, as if on nearly even ground of other orcs, like the bandits in the desert. However this man was on a whole new level, yet still, even he was covered in bandages and looked to be recovering from whatever conflict had occurred, yet looked like he was still ready for another round should it be necessary. As for Allard, not quite seeing Tyrael through their heavy clothing, thinking that it was some Varuk hermit that decided to lend a hand, focused more on the girl that accompanied him. "Oi," he mumbled sounding worried, "this one is much too far from home..." he thought momentarily. "Traveler, we thank ya in yur aid, I'll see to it ya meet with tha smithy, but first things first, the ocean dweller. How by Krogan's beard she made it here, I can't even imagine... Valia?"

Valia turned from the girls to Allard when he called. "Yes, Allard?"

"Please, show this young lady of the sea ta gettin' cleaned, let her stay in the oasis, otherwise I don't think she will fare well much longer." She nodded and was quick to help, along with Sonia and the other girls taking her away to be cleaned up before letting her rest in the oasis. "Traveler, be you hermit or an outlander, you are welcome here for bringing them back to us. Come over to tha inn, I'll get ya some drink, then we can talk about what happened and tha smithy." He said, using his great ax as a makeshift walking staff.

Chihiro could see that Jeevak made some sort of deal with the small creature. Jeevak would of course assemble allies. His thirst for revenge is even tainting others now. She settled herself a bit closer to the ground to seem less threatening and spoke to Kitchi once more. "I know Jeevak. Anything he has planned will kill many innocent people. He has no regard for their lives if he thinks they are in his way. No matter why you need that wish, it will come at the cost of many lives. If you give it to us, we can help you. There are no strings attached like with Jeevak. I want to help you achieve your wish without sacrifice." It was a last ditch effort, but Chihiro thought it was the best option, especially given that Kitchi seemed to be in it just for her own wish.

Meanwhile, Kistal was focused upon Nix. Her taking a bit of the meat and then sitting down was a good sign. He approached and knelt in front of her. "No, this isn't a trap. I just want to help get you out of those chains and get you some food and water. You could even stick around me if you want someone around to help keep you safe."

Allanon looked between Chihiro and Kitchi and after some consideration things looked like she had a handle on the situation. He felt adding too much more to her points would be too much for Kitchi and would overwhelm her. He noticed the wolf girl from before was a bit cautious of Kistal even with the food bribes. It made sense though considering what she obviously had been through.

Allanon remembered how his wife described the differences between the various canine tribes. She knew all of their cultural interactions as the various packs occasionally clashed or commingled. Wolves respected authority. Listening to those known as Alphas. He was pretty sure she was without a pack otherwise she would be behaving differently.

Confidently, Allanon stepped forward looking the wolf girl in her eyes. "My name is Allanon. This is Kistal. You seem to be without a pack. We are an unusual pack where the rules are different than you might be used to, but you may join us if you would like. So long as you earn your place and listen to our guidance in the strange places we will go. You can stay with us as long as you like. We are the ones that defeated their... Alpha. If you choose to go on your own we will not stop you." He gestured toward the exit and stepped aside to make a path for her.

----

Kallen decided it was time to make a move. He climbed down the rope and stepped onto the top of the archer's tower. He had been listening as closely as he could and only picked up a word here or there, but it was enough for him to work on. Fortunately, Kitchi was not quiet and very loose lipped. He had hoped for an easier way to achieve a path to the oracle, but this might actually be the best option for him.

Kallen put on his best smile and called out. "You seek to access the oracle? I am Kallen, historian and explorer. I know not whom you work for, however, they are not the only one that knows the rites to use the key." He looked down for a moment. The fall would be a bit too much for him to handle, and the ladder down had been removed at some point. Kallen was not lying, but he was not telling the entire truth either. He had in his study of the Soul of Krogan discovered that it was a key for the oracle. While his information on the ritual was not complete he had enough that he felt confident he could improvise at least, or he could at best complete his study. He cleared his throat. "One moment"

He pulled his staff from his back and tapped the floor he stood upon with it. "Shape and warp. Bend and fold. Change your form." As he chanted the spell the archer's tower bent and warped until it formed a ramp. The portion he stood on remained stable through out the transformation. "Mold Nature." As he finished the incantation for his spell the bottom of the ramp tethered itself stably into the ground.

As Kallen walked down the ramp he thought to use his Eye of Avarice to observe the desires of everyone here, but the more people there were the more mana it called for, and the last thing he wanted to do right now was risk mana fatigue. He preferred the higher ground he had before as standing above the crowd pleased him greatly, but he felt his odds were better if he could stand on their level. He noticed and recognized Allanon immediately formulating plans in his head on his next course of action with the man.

"Alright, now that I'm here, and I can speak with you more easily. If it's a wish you are after. I can help you just as well as whomever your employer is. I'm afraid I did not hear everything as I came from up on the cliffside." He waved a hand towards the cliffside where the rope Allanon and the infiltration squad rappelled down. "My gratitude to whoever set up that rope to climb down the effort to mold that much earth to a travel-friendly degree would likely push me to my limits." He looked at the Soul of Krogan. "It is always good to hear confirmation when it comes to legends. Of course legends always come with their own kernel of truth."

---

Maeve chuckled when Allard mentioned who healed him. While it was true that she did use healing magic, there was also a lot of work that was done by Neev, whom despite the state of magical exhaustion she was in, still had her knowledge as a healer. That said, she did remember how difficult and how long it took for both of them to fix Allard up. It was honestly no easy job.

"It took us a really long time to fix you up, you know that? Any other person should honestly be dead with that amount of wounds all over your body. Unless you have a death wish, I would recommend you to be more careful" Maeve said, shaking her head as she sighed with a chuckle. Despite posing as a harmless innkeeper, Maeve knew that the man was a warrior.

Other than Valia's students, a few others began getting out from the skiff. Among them, was a rather suspicious traveler. Wearing it's robes in such a manner that they hid his face and features, it presented itself shortly after disembarking, asking for a place to refill it's supplies due to the travel. What was more interesting about this strange traveler though was the 'companion' it has with it, a young merfolk girl. The mere sight of her surprised Maeve, Kalla wasn't exactly a place where a merfolk should be. She was very far from home. It didn't help how suspicious the robed figure appeared, but since it seemed to be worried about the merfolk girl, asking for an oasis for her, and given the entire situation, with the robed traveler having helped to bring the kidnapped girls back, Maeve would give it the benefit of doubt. When Allard gave a step forward, talking with the robed traveler, Maeve simply stood behind Allard, watching as they exchanged words, which were surprisingly, almost the same words Maeve had in her head.

"Remember what I told you, Allard. Try to be more careful." Maeve said as Allard invited the traveler, whom was surprisingly tall, to his inn in order to talk and thanks for his aid.

"I'll help Valia with the merfolk girl. Neev should still be really exhausted and if she has any wound I can still help with some healing magic." Maeve said, waving to Allard as she followed Valla and her students.

"Valla! I can help with the merfolk girl. Neev is still really exhausted so if she has any wound or need any treatment I can help." Maeve said as she approached Valla and her students, who were carrying the merfolk girl.

Tyrael nods plainly as he was asked to follow who he would assume to be some sort of militia captain to an inn, to discuss what had happened. He supposed it would only make sense; it's not like they could just take his unspoken word that he did a good deed. When Lynn arrived, Tyrael looked to her. She still seemed unwell but fortunately this village had some way to revitalize her. Before he would leave her, Tyraela moved closer to her ear and whispered to her. "Zastriel will be near. Call for me if you are in danger." Afterwards one of the foreign looking women offered to help the three girls, as well as another woman named Valia, to escort Lynn to oasis. He figured it would make it easier for them if Tyrael told them what he knew. "She suffered from heat exhaustion through the desert. Magic was used to stabilize her but only for a short while. She has also used her own magic to heal our wounds. While the nature of her being relies on receiving sunlight, I would ask if you could provide her an attire suitable for arid desert travel."

With not much else to say, Tyrael followed Allard to the inn. Though he was focused on gathering supplies first and foremost, the bodies outside still concerned Tyrael. A battle had taken place here not too long ago. And question is, would it happen again? "Was this town attacked by bandits? The skiff belonged to slavers, presumably having taken those girls from Kalla. But the corpses outside show it was more akin to a raid than a mere kidnapping." Though he kept his weapons sheathed and his hands open as to show that he wasn't about to draw anything, his fingers still reflectively flexed to emulating gripping his bow. If they were going to face more enemies, he will need equipment. And time. If he had a day to work with he could carve his ironwood club into a usable handle for a battleaxe, and with iron and steel he can make a suitable axe blade. Alternatively, if he could have Allard's axe, it would save him a lot of time. All Tyrael would need to do is make the shaft out of ironwood. But that was something Tyrael could deal with in the future.

Off to an alley near the big grouping, a man was scrounging around his gruesome collection of battlefield souvenirs. In a house beside him, his imminent death began to stir. Her eyes opened and saw nothing to feed upon. So, she let out an annoyed hiss and levitated herself to her feet, floating to the window. She saw the man, looking very tasty. Her hunger drove her into an immediate frenzy. She burst out the door and rushed the man. He had barely time to make a loud but cut off shout of surprise before a clawed hand clamped tightly over his mouth.

His face etched in fear, the man had to stare into the frenzied, starved looking eyes of a demon before he felt her other clawed hand plunge into his belly. The man died quickly after that given the demon unceremoniously and ravenously drained him of blood and soul. Meanwhile, the woman let out a relieved sigh as she felt sated, though her frenzy was still active. She tossed away the body, partially shrunk and shriveled from exsanguination, then flicked the remaining blood off her claws.

Her control and mind returned to normal a few moments after the merciless and predatory display. Tali heaved a relieved sigh upon seeing the type of person she had killed. "Dodged another bullet. One more criminal dead and no more innocents. Well, I'm awake now, so let's see what happened around here. The place looks like an earthquake hit it." She floated lazily towards the docks, hearihng the obvious commotion of a crowd. While her appearance was very obviously demonic, her posture was far from hostile. She always made it a point to quickly disarm a situation should anyone get antsy.

"NO!" Kitchi yelled defiantly from behind her mask. "Kitchi... no betray! Jeevak there for Kitchi, not snake lady. Jeevak save Kitchi! Is special!" She shook as if she was trying to throw off Chihiro's accusations before righting herself. "Kitchi go now, must return!" The slightly perturbed masked creature squatted in a low crouch and kicked off, firing like a cannon away from the camp, and just like before, there was a secondary boom as she ran off.

"Nix strong! Just surprise...," she said, explaining why she was caught, apparently taken by surprise while she was thoroughly enjoying the sweet meats Kistal gave her. She was too prideful to admit her defeat and capture. Admitting she would like to be kept safe by someone, especially not in her pack just felt wrong. She hunched her body over and her right leg lifted to start scratching behind her ear as she listened to Allanon introduce Kistal and himself. Needless to say, the posture was not very ladylike. She was already shirtless, with some tribal jewelry about her neck, and her loincloth turned out to be more of a waist piece. Any thought to common decency was cast aside, but it was most likely due to her being raised as a beastman where fur could normally fulfill the role of clothing.

She shook her head as she finished scratching and stared at both of them a little annoyed looking. "Have pack! No know where," she said, starting out a bit angrily, though it seemed to subside just as fast. If she did have a pack, she would strangely be quite removed. If Kistal knew enough about the surrounding beastmen tribes of Midrill, this one looked to have traits from the azure wolf beastman clan. Quietly, she would start to follow them, even though she was still in chains. Despite her ability to do so, she looked much too tired and too roughed up to be moving around, and the shackles looked as if it were starting to wear into her flesh from being a bit too tight for her. If any of them would try to reach towards her to remove them, she would flinch as if she was head-shy, not completely trusting them yet.

The Kallan warriors took care of Dorran’s body, wrapping him in sailcloth scavenged from the bandit’s stores, and placed him on a makeshift stretcher to be carried back home. They worked in silence, some with quiet tears. The girl that Malkhad had before the fight started, that Bidzil defended, was brought to the other kidnapped girls and was being taken care of as much as they could here before being prepared to take back to the scouting party’s cave that they hid the skiffs in. Some would look to the foreigners to see if they were ready, unsure as they were about this new arrival.



Allard chuckled, “Aye, I s’pose so. I’ll be as careful as tha situation permits,” He told Maeve over his shoulder with a broad smile before entering his tavern. As he sat down at one of the tables, a bench chair so it could hold him comfortably, he listened to Tyrael’s question. “Those were no normal bandit folk. Varuk bandits may try ta break in an’ cause havok, but what occurred b’fore ya got here was nothin’ short of a battle. Human soldiers, most likely tryin ta work some deal with a local bandit tribe. I don’t think they will be investin’ any further, for now I’d say. Gotta wait an see what tha scout party says when they arrive, hopefully soon. From what has been goin’ on an what ye say, I’d think my hunch was more a fact. I thank ya for what ya did, but I gotta know, what exactleh happened out there. Never ‘ave I seen an ocean dweller so far from their seas.”

---

“Thank you, Maeve, It would be a great help, especially if you could kelp keep her cool, she won’t dehydrate through sweat as fast, but slowly, She doesn’t need to go into shock,” she informed as they made their way to the oasis.

Lynn weakly nodded and let Valia and Maeve, among some of the other girls, take her to the bath house at the edge of the oasis, the location making it easier to bring water inside for the baths. Valia helped her walk, luckily this early in the morning the sands weren’t quite hot yet. Once at the bathhouse and in a bit of privacy, they would help her get undressed and in the tub, her tail partially hanging out of it.. Valia would stay with her as Sonia would fetch water from the oasis. Lynn normally could easily draw water from there, but was too worn to do much more than watch and talk if someone spoke to her. “I’m sorry to burden you,” she said just above a whisper as she laid in the tub.

“Oh, pay no mind dear, of all the strange things that are going on in this town, I am happy to help where I can,” Valia responded as she began to bathe her, starting with washing her hair. It would almost look like a mother caring for her daughter if Lynn were a varuk. After the sandy travel, Lynn was fairly dirty, her hair matted, and her clothes covered in sand. Her skin all over was dry, causing the webbing at her ears fingers and toes to actually recede slightly and crack. “Just relax and let us take care of you. Your body needs much attention, you shouldn’t let something so beautiful be harmed in such a way. I wonder if my oils and lotions will help your skin recover.” She looked up at one of the other girls, who nodded and went to fetch said oils and lotions.

“My village was attacked for our artifact a week ago…,” Lynn tried to explain, “I thought that maybe, um... the one who took it may have come here? The elder said there were more artifacts… if I follow them, I am sure to find ours. Nobody else was healthy enough to go, so I… I needed to-”

“Shhhh-shh-shh. None of that right now, just relax. You are safe here,” Valia interrupted. She looked up to Maeve with a bit of a sheepish grin, “Looks like my lessons will have to wait once again I’m afraid.”

Talise wouldn’t be bothered by any of the crowd, though she would notice that there were many people recovering, including the mountain of a man that had greeted her whenever she had previously stopped by the tavern, using the ax that he had mounted on his wall before as a walking stick of sorts, some new stains yet to be cleaned off from it. A robed figure followed behind him inside. There was damage to some surrounding buildings, and the square was decimated with craters, ruts, and the ruins of the monument. She would also just make out Madame Valia, who she may remember by sight shopping around the fabric stores at the market, in the company of an isoli and a few of her students as they guided what was surprisingly a merfolk to the oasis bath house. The smell of blood from the corpses of mercenaries could most likely easily be noticed if she wasn’t busy being distracted on her immediate surroundings.

Tyrael shook his head as he answered Allard's question. "Unfortunately I do not know much about these villains myself. I was merely traveling through the desert when I spotted the sand skiff. I had noticed the girls, and came to the conclusion that it was a slaver vessel. As they had few numbers and I had the element of surprise, I attacked the skiff with the intention to utilize it's supplies and quicken my journey to Kalla. It was then I was assisted by Lynn as well as another companion of hers. However we lost him to a sand wyrm that attacked us during our journey here. Not long after we arrived to Kalla." Tyrael did his best to explain in both as much detail and omitting pointless fluff. Though it did remind him he forgot to mention one thing.

"On our journey here, a strange creature arrived onto the skiff. She had powerful magics, enough to allow her to quickly arrive and leave far faster than anything I've seen. I believe she calls herself Kitchi. She was looking for something called the Krogan Soul, for an oracle. Someone by the name of Jeevak needs it. Now that I think of it, I believe she came from the direction of Kalla. I do not suppose these names are familiar to you?" Tyrael asked looking at Allard. More information about this would be best for Tyrael, he imagines that it may have something to do with Lynn's quest, plus he's certain it'll be an issue that will fall into their hands one way or another.

Allanon smiled at Nix's response. "You have a pack. Good. Well, it is still a good idea to travel with another for now. We are a new pack, and it looks like we may be working together for a while. We will be traveling a lot. You should be able to find your pack if you travel with us." He inspected the chains that were still attached to Nix and then he looked at Kistal whom still bore the remains of his. "Let's get those chains off. Kistal, perhaps you'd like to do the honors?"

Kistal had earned Allanon's respect, and even with the concerning display of rage earlier he was glad to call the man a comrade.

"I came here to rescue a Portean girl on behalf of her father," Allanon made his way towards the kidnapped girls to attend to them. He wanted to confirm that she was alive and well. From there he would make plans for an escort as needed.

---

Kallen's expression turned dark for the moment as Kitchi bolted. Although his initial reaction was more of surprise with a flinch from the sonic boom. The bitterness of failing to get his hands on a key to the Oracle soured his day. Finally he heard the name of her employer and it puzzled him. He only knew of one Jeevak, and he was a legendary figure. How could it be possible that someone could be alive from that era?

Kallen quickly changed his expression from dark to one of confusion. "W-wait... Jeevak? The legend? How could he still be alive?" He cleared his throat. "No that can be a conversation for another time." He looked off toward the direction Kichi ran with an expression of amazement and keen interest. "That speed is wild. The wonders of this world never ceases to amaze me."

His mind was already thinking about other possible keys to the oracle that he may have studied while he scanned the area considering the activity of the other people nearby.

---

With Allard safe back at his tavern, at least for now, Maeve went together with Valia to help Lynn. While it was indeed a surprise to see a merfolk so far away from home, it was still a fact that she needed some help if she didn't want to dehydrate, especially since they were in Kalla. Ironically enough, despite the fact that there couldn't have be any more differences between Lynn's home and Maeve, she could relate very well with the climate problem Lynn shared with her.

"There is no need to thank me. More than anyone else, I know well how it is to suffer in this heat." Maeve said with a chuckle as she smiled to Lynn and Valia, who were going together with the other girls who studied under Valia towards the baths.

Upon arriving at the bathhouse, they helped Lynn to get undressed and putting her inside one of the tubs while one of the girls went to fetch more water from the oasis. It didn't need much for one to realize how exhausted the poor girl was. Even her voice was but a whisper as she spoke, apologizing for the trouble of carrying her and having to help her.

"It is as Valia said. Don't worry too much about it. I myself volunteered to help because out of anyone here, I should be the one knows best how awful it is to have to suffer in this climate. I did came from Tundral, after all." Maeve said with a chuckle as she smiled amicably towards Lynn.

"Besides, I am fairly certain that if there is someone here at Kalla who knows how to take care of their skin despite the awfully arid and hot climate, that person is Madame Valia." Maeve said, winking to Valia with a smirk as she said that.

Unfortunately, despite hers and Valia's calming words, it seemed that Lynn had indeed went through quite a lot. The moment she opened her mouth to try and explain the situation she found herself in, it was almost as if a torrent of words and feelings came out. Maeve could feel in the girls voice how heavy was the burden she was shouldering all by herself all this time. Far from home, searching the artifact that were stolen from her village, she was probably the only one that could do so. So when Valia apologized herself for having to delay her lessons a bit more, Maeve simply shook her head with a sad expression as she looked at Lynn.

"No one should have to suffer as much as this girl did. The burden she carried all this time, all by herself, isn't something anyone should carry." Maeve said with an understanding tone as she turned towards Lynn.

"Now is not the time to worry about such things, Lynn. Just rest. You did good coming all the way to Kalla by yourself. I am sure that your elders would be saddened to see you suffering like this as much as me and Valia are right now." Maeve said as she gently put her fingers inside the tub, using some of her magic to make the water a bit colder in order to help with the heat.

After observing the docks Sev was more than slightly underwhelmed. Though he did end up questioning what he had been expecting, probably a mass of recently rescued damsels. Instead a few injured women, one large cloaked figure and little else was present. The mention of a bath house did peak his interest, if only because he didn't know there was a bath house in the town and the prospect of attempting to remove the sand from wherever it had gotten stuck on him was tempting. Not to mention the handful of attractive women headed that direction, perhaps the bath house was unisex. On the other hand, Maeve was there and she seemed the type who was willing and able to hurt him if he pushed too far. That in itself was attractive, and Sev had almost convinced himself to take the risk when a new figure entered the scene.

If there was one thing that pulled his interest more than attractive women it was oddities, unique things he'd never seen before. When those oddities happened to also be attractive women the pull was that much greater. So when a woman in a tight dress with horns, claws and other demonic features literally floated into sight Sev was instantly intrigued. No one else seemed to pay her any mind, perhaps they were too busy dealing with the rescued women from the ship, so Sev carefully made his way in her direction.

Being careful, while he knew nothing of why someone would look like a demon the various stereotypes and stories associated with them, combined with the fact that she was clearly a skilled magic user based on her floating, Sev made his way closer. Her face was serious, and the warrior mage thought could sense some bloodlust from her, but couldn't pick up on anything specific.

"I don't remember seeing you at last night's battle," Sev commented as got close enough to converse with her, wondering if he'd been noticed despite his attempts to go unseen. He hadn't used any magic, simply his ability to be sneaky, to avoid being threatening.

"And I'd like think I'd remember someone like you," he continued with a sly smile, "did you just arrive in town on the ship or did I somehow miss a beauty like you?"

Chihiro barely batted an eyelash as Kitchi blasted away. Her speed was not surprising given her entrance and behavior. Jeevak wouldn't let anyone weak have a job like retrieving Krogan's soul stone. "Jeevak...you are lost and now you seek to lose others. I can no longer ignore your madness. We shall have to meet again...as enemies this time." She returned to her humanoid form and cleaned off her fans, seeming to fall into a quiet contemplation.

She paid little mind to the newcomer, seemingly far more concerned with the prospect of Jeevak than that of a random mage showing up. His question about Jeevak being alive made her make a single response. "For some of us, time is not why we die. No one defeated him, so he still lives to enact his revenge. He lost his way, and now he seeks the destruction of those with no connection to his loss." She then began the trek back to the raft, casting a sad glance to Dorran's wrapped body as she did so.

Kistal instinctively moved to interject himself between Nix and Kitchi when she left with a boom, but he had nothing to worry about given she simply fled. Allanon asked if he could take care of the chains to which he nodded. "Nonmagical chains and locks are quite easy for someone with my background. The real question that needs answered can only be done by our wolf girl acquaintance." He turned to her, kneeling down again. "Do you want me to get those chains off? Whoever put them on did so too tightly. They intended to hurt her while restraining her. After that, we can help you try to find your pack, but they would be far from here. You are a cold weather wolf, so why are you in the desert?"



Sev quickly discovered that surprising Tali was a difficult endeavor due to her childhood. The succubus had tracked his movements while seeming to remain oblivious. Once he spoke up, she turned to face him and gave a knowing wink. "While I always enjoy someone noticing my beauty, I am very much not in the mood for flirting. I have been here, though I was unable to participate in much of anything for a few days. Now, it seems I missed something I could have helped with. So, do you know anything about what was going on here? Anything I can do to help out?" Despite usually being flirty and light, her recent awakening to the destruction triggered her helpful bent instilled in her by the demon cult.