Welp, this much was to be expected wasn't it?

Upon landing atop the beast, the girl didn't exactly have the physical prowess to stay there for very long. She had never been very good on those bucking bull machines anyway. Launched into the air, she braced for impact with the hard dead ground, but instead found herself once more being caught by a fellow operator, though instead of Dragonheart instead it was Wu. "Umm thank you." With a sheepish grin, she just laid in his arms as the girl waited for the Defender operator to put her down. No? He was just going to stand there holding her? Ok, she wasn't going to complain as she stared at his feline ears. Would he mind if she petted them?

She ignored what he said for the time being as she watched the occasional twitching of his ears, only when he made an assessment on her physical condition did she pay him proper attention. "I uh...panicked a little during the drop. But the others said they were coming right behind us, so they shouldn't be far out! Who knows, maybe they've found your friend? Or maybe they're on their way to Riventor, that seems the proper place for us all to meet up at yeah?" Was it optimism or naivety, one couldn't be certain. Perhaps a mixture of both. But the girl seemed to genuinely believe what she said, a beaming smile on her face as she wriggled free of Wu's grip, landing softly on her feet as her multiple tails stretched out. "Speaking of which, we should get going there yeah? That's where the teams would be meeting after the uh...early landing procedure."

"I dunno what's going on, my little avian friend, but when we get to Riventor, we'll get a nice warm drink and maybe tell stories about how we escaped some big bad monster by relying on our wits, hm?"

"How are you still so smug after all this?!" Ibon asked as she practically dragged you onward. "I suppose that's we need right now. Reckless courage."

Fortunately for the two of you, nothing else happened during your mad dash to the town. The thick, seemingly endless forest finally gave way to civilization. Technically civilization, Riventor was a quaint little town with no remarkable buildings save for a small mansion in the distance which had a sizable chimney that spewed black smoke into the sky and spread all over the town. "We-We're here! We're here!" Ibon cheered.

As the two of you arrived, you see a familiar figure at the village entrance. "Wu? Is that you?"

---

"Speaking of which, we should get going there yeah? That's where the teams would be meeting after the uh...early landing procedure."

Wu was silent for a moment, gazing to the obscuring woods around them. "Yeah, you're right. Let's get to Riventor." He said, giving up his search for the missing Operator.

With Wu retracing his steps, it did not take long for the group to reach the clear dirt path that lead to the town of Riventor. The Defender told the group to keep their eyes open and their guard up since their missing Operator was suddenly whisked away without anyone noticing. Not even when someone was directly looking at her.

Fortunately, nothing happened when they arrived at the town. It was a quaint little settlement with no remarkable buildings save for a small mansion in the distance which had a sizable chimney that spewed black smoke into the sky that spread all over the town. "We're here. Thank God." Wu breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wu? Is that you?"

---

---

The two groups of Haynek Institute Operators reunited at the entrance to Riventor. Ibon had ran into Wu with a hard embrace, crying again but this time with tears of joy. "Wu! You're all right!"

"Y-Yeah, I just ran into a feral dog. A big one." Wu then parted from Ibon. "Unfortunately, I couldn't find Longgui. I did find survivors from the other teams though." He then motioned at Dragonheart and Will-O-Wisp. "W-Wait, where's Blizzard and Rex?"

Ibon shook her head and Wu immediately knew what happened to them. "Damn it. Damn it all." Wu clenched his fist at the seeming helplessness of the situation. "At least you and Zasada are still fine." Walking over to Zasada, he then lightly slapped her shoulder. "This must be all pretty exciting for you, isn't it? Anyway, we should enter the town and look for help."

Riventor was quiet but populated, mostly by Kuranta. The air was heavy and tense but also peaceful although the group was given some pretty sharp glares from the locals. "Ugh, what's that smell?" Indeed, a foul stench assaulted the Operators' noses. It smelled like food that was spoiled for a few days and Wu and Ibon were already covering their noses with their arms.

For some reason, Zasada did not smell anything out of the ordinary.

The group ventured further into the town without interacting with anyone. Not for lack of trying, the locals were quick to clear out when they approached. "Hey, you there. You people look lost." The group was called out. A brown-skinned Archosaur boy was leaning on a wall of a dilapidated house. He had short green hair and plain clothes and had more reptilian features about him than a typical Archosaur, having scales on his hands and feet.

"Outsiders, eh? We don't get much of those. So who are you people?"

With everything that'd been going on, Dragonheart had been mostly silent and contemplative. There was a lot of information to parse, and Wu seemed to be handling the energetic Vulpo that was Will-O-Wisp wonderfully.

His weapon was already back in his grip- he wasn't dumb enough to leave it stuck inside that kind of animal. It was likely that the twin swords exiting the beast's body would've sliced up its hind even more.
Good. It'll be dissuaded from hunting them for a while, at least. Until it's healed, if it heals fast.

So, let's recap..
An Operator was gone. That dog was straight up unnatural, and so were these woods. Things weren't good.
At least they didn't have to trek all the way to the crash site of Raven One to find out whether or not the occupants were alive or not anymore. Good.
Dragonheart would've mentioned that they were the only ones to escape Raven Three, but he bit his tongue- not in front of Will-O-Wisp. Poor girl didn't deserve to have her hopes crushed like that. He'd speak to Wu in private later, hopefully, provided they even got the chance to rest. He was doing an awfully good job of not voicing his thoughts aloud, too, which he secretly considered a win for himself. Secrecy, he felt, would assist them during their stay here.
Or, at least, being able to not blurt out every thought that came to your head, at least.

Victory aside however.. the knowledge that an Operator could be whisked away so suddenly only made Dragonheart move closer to his companions. These woods were obviously far from normal, but he didn't need to tell them that. First a freak storm, then the Originium shard that almost engulfed Raven Three..
Dragonheart couldn't help but wonder why nobody else had been taken, though. If these woods could abduct someone so quickly, why hadn't they all been taken? Had whoever was taken known something? For that matter, what had caused Sir Haynek to make those last minute adjustments? Was it related to the strange way that the Originium deposits they'd been sent to investigate?
No way to know now.
At least not yet, anyway.

Dragonheart had been mostly silent for the duration of their admittedly tension-riddled trip to Riventor. He was on edge- everything seemed far too calm, now. Too calm. He'd much rather have that massive dog in front of them. It gave him a tangible threat to focus on. He felt like there was a target on his back, and considering his track record, he'd be surprised if he wasn't attacked in his sleep sometime soon. Riventor itself didn't provide much to look at, either. It was a small, secluded town full of Kuranta. That said, the mansion in the distance did immediately pique his interest, but his attention was dragged back to his fellow Operators when a voice broke through his thoughts.

"Wu? Is that you?"

A pair of Operators that he thought that he vaguely recalled had appeared before them- the Liberi who was currently burying herself into Wu's chest, and an Ursus who, for a moment, he swore he caught the whiff of alcohol from. Considering how far from her he was standing..
That said, he could use a good drink right now. He might have to bother her to share some later. Maybe. Probably not.
Depends how bad things get, he figured.

The sight of Wu and his Liberi companion embracing brought a small smile to Dragonheart's face. It was always good to have something to be happy about in times like this. However..
He shuffled awkwardly, keeping his distance from the others despite the cheerful reunion. More people had vanished, and the tension in the air was palpable. Dragonheart kept his mouth shut as they began to move into the town. There were Kuranta everywhere, some of which weren't exactly giving them the most friendly of stares.
Odd. You'd think that they'd have been inside because of the earlier storm. Or at least be a little concerned about the crashing vehicles near their town. Or, perhaps, to the residents of Riventor, there hadn't been a storm at all.

His instincts were telling him to be suspicious, regardless. He hadn't lived this long by ignoring his gut.

That said, he kept up with the others as they walked into Riventor, though he fell behind them to keep a decent distance between himself and the group. Not too far, but not too close, either. He could whack someone with his weapon from this range if he had to, and that was what mattered.
The wretched stench of whatever dead thing the citizens of Riventor had left out in the sun hit him like a truck, and brought back some unpleasant memories, but it wasn't enough to make him recoil like his fellows were. In fact, unless you looked at him closely, you wouldn't be able to tell at all. He still kept that same stoic look on his face.
Step, step, step, stop.

The voice that called out to the group caught his attention, and the first thing he noticed was that the voice didn't belong to a Kuranta, but to an Archosaur. Odd, but not too unlikely- seemingly the only non-Kuranta in Riventor, but that remained to be confirmed. Then there were the distinct changes to his hands and feet. Originium mutations? Those weren't normal for an Archosaur to have as far as Dragonheart knew. Hopefully he was wrong. Infection was never easy to deal with.

At this point, Dragonheart was more than a little on edge.
Whatever happened, happened, however.
As the others engaged in dialogue, Dragonheart stood back a respectful distance, 'keeping watch' or something like that if anyone asked him. His gaze drifted between the people, the houses, the mansion in the distance, and then back to his companions every now and again. He would respond if called, but until then.. well, he was stepping aside to let the more sociable Operators have a nice chat.
Or a not-so-nice chat.

Radiant and Medivac were Operators of the Haynek Institure of Research and aboard the VTOL desginated Raven Two. They were part of an investigation of the strange presence of Originium in a remote village in Kazimierz called Riventor. There were three teams on the operation but originally, there was only supposed to be one team that did not include either of them but a last minute change by Mr. Haynek himself saw the addition of two more teams.

They departed from the institute's mobile base once it reached Kazimierz. The base would soon move away, however, since there was business elsewhere. Fortunately, the VTOLs would keep close by. Once they have delivered the teams, they would refit and refuel at a nearby Kazimierz city and wait there until the teams request extraction.

"It's a freaking storm out here!"

The three VTOLs, however, were caught in a bad storm that seemingly came out of nowhere. Despite the attempts to avoid it, Raven Two and the other aircraft entered extremely turbulent weather. The VTOL violently rocked back and forth, forcing the team to buckle up on their seats. Alarms blared as the pilots could be heard still attempting to evade the storm.

"It's following us!"

That was the last line heard when communications to the other VTOLs were broken. The doors to the aircraft suddenly opened as well as the doors to the cockpit. The team then watched as their two pilots jump out of the VTOL, without their parachutes, to their apparent deaths. The situation was so unbelievable that the team took a few moments to process what just happened.

The team leader, a Liberi man with short brown hair, ordered an immediate evacuation while he tries to keep the aircraft flying as much as possible. Parachutes were issued to the Operators and Radiant and Medivac were the first to exit, besides the suicidal pilots.

The thick clouds of the storm meant they never saw their VTOL or if anyone else jumped.

---

The two landed into the thick woods that surround Riventor. Fortunately, they were in the shallow parts of the forest and nearby the two houses north of Riventor. One was clearly burned down though, its charred remains could be seen as the Operators descended.

Medivac and Radiant landed safely to the forest floor. They could see the burned house past the dead trees and within a few steps, they would emerge from the woods. Upon discarding their parachutes and gathering their bearings, they could start moving and begin their next course of action.

If they approach the burned down house, they would see a fair-skinned Kuranta woman with brown hair sitting on the burned house's porch, or what remained of it. She wore the clothes of an average rural villager and she sat there hugging her shoulders, rocking back and forth. "Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire..." She repeated endlessly.

It appeared the house belonged to this woman, although interaction with her might be limited. Further beyond, on the other side of the burned house was a much larger house. The faint sound of a chicken's clucks could be heard from it.

@PaulHaynek

---

Indeed, though it was less reckless courage and more of a will to survive, really. Whatever got them already proved hiding was likely to be ineffective if it could just pluck them out. So the only thing left was to grin, bear it, and bluff her hand if she could. Thankfully, though, it seemed as though their perilous trek would be coming to an end. And Lo and behold, Wu was waiting for them at the entrance.

"WU!" Zasada laughed brightly upon seeing the other operative. As soon as he walked over to give her a slap on the shoulder, her grin widened and gave him a light pat on the chest. "Exciting a word for it, haahah! Glad to see you didn't bite it, maybe the little birdie will stop crying, heheh!" She chuckled, offering a grin to Ibon, though turned her attention back towards the situation as she joined the others in Riventor.

The hostile glares of the inhabitants were not lost on her, though she did mostly ignore them. No reason to get in a tizzy about that just yet. Being suspicious of outsiders was something that was more or less human nature as far as she cared. She was, however, curious as to why Ibon mentioned something about a smell. She hadn't smelled anything whatsoever.

Odd. Judging from everyone elses' reactions, she was the only one who was unaffected.

While the others continued to attempt interacting with others, she kept her mouth shut and eyes on her surroundings, looking for any signs of danger. Eventually they reached someone willing to talk. Which, was honestly, suspicious in and of itself. In a town full of strangers unwilling to speak with them, then why was this one okay with it? Hm, perhaps she was just being suspicious.

"Privet, friend." Zasada replied with a grin. "We are simply some humble researchers from the Haynek Institute. Crash landed thanks to some bad weather and some of our operators missing." She kept her hands in her pockets as she spoke. "Mhm, and if I might inquire, my comrades here seem to smell something most foul! You wouldn't happen to know what that is would you?"

deleted

Radiant brushed off the leaves and branches hanging onto her head on shoulders. She began to unfasten the parachute straps, turning her head in the direction of Medivac. “Hey Medivac, you holding up? That was quite a turbulent fall wasn’t it? You aren’t hurt anywhere right? Wouldn’t want you to break a bone on your fall and pretend nothing happened.”

Medivac. Radiant had undertaken several operations with him in the past. It was of course, a professional relationship. Medivac’s expertise lied in working in places where lots of people gathered, providing relief for places like mobile cities, clinics, refuge camps, and disaster zones. As a combat operator, Radiant ensured the safety of Medivac’s team.

She had seen his work firsthand. Over several operations, she came to the conclusion that Medivac was a stubborn man, steadfast in his ideals. That old man held a heart of gold. Always selfless. Always willing to make the sacrifice for the greater good to the point where his own well being didn’t matter. It bordered on fanatical. If the position to be a Saint of Karlan was opened, Radiant had no doubts he’d be perfect for the job. But this desire to protect others to the point where his own safety came second, now that was something she took issue with. How would you continue to protect others if you just threw yourself over and over to the fire? Why did he appear to be so callous over his own life?

She wondered at times how Medivac came to be this way. But she decided not to delve into Medivac’s past. We all have our own demons she remembered thinking to herself. Perhaps this is the answer he came up with.

“Hey come on Medivac! You saw that those houses earlier right? We should check there first, then see if we can make our way to the main village! If there are survivors from the crash, that’s probably where they will head towards too!”

Medivac stood slowly as he stretched and brushed away the debris. "I'm fine kid, Let's get a move on yea?" He unstrapped the ballistic shield from the backpack it had been hanging off. He was wearing his normal gear, a kevlar vest coupled with shoulder and kneepads hidden behind the knee length black leather coat that was a hell of a lot heavier than it looked. He slid a small chip out of a reinforced pocket, sliding it home into the metal frame that surrounded the back of his head. He winced as the HUD blinked into life just outside of his natural field of view. "Exactly what I was thinking, projected crash site paired with what I myself would do places them in that area. Then again my tech is old, so no guarantee on any of that." He grumbled as he leaned heavily on his right leg and began moving.

Radiant was a face Medivac remembered, he remembered all the operators who he thought might provide a problem in the field. It was nothing against her as a person though, not by far.. he just worried a lot. He worried for everybody on his team, and right now it took everything he had not to try and sprint in the direction of the falling VTOL. He would make sure, like he always did, that Radiant got out of this alive. As the burnt house came into direct view, the small map hidden away in the corner of his vision updated from a rough blueprint to display the buildings in sight, and their vague condition. He made a beeline for the woman as soon as he saw her, motioning for Radiant to keep an eye out. One woman, alone and mumbling to herself, it could mean more than just an injured civilian. "Ma'am, are you alright? Let's move you away from that building in case something tries to collapse alright?" His voice was loud but smooth, cutting through the din with a calm and practiced tone that was reminiscent of a doctor instead of a soldier.

Radiant watched as Medivac attended to the woman. She's a gibbering mess, she thought to herself. Best let the doctor handle it and calm her down. Radiant then turned her attention to the surrounding area, her left hand resting on the hilt of her blade, ready to unsheathe it at a moment's notice.

The usually energetic Vulpo was unusually quiet during their trip to Riventor. Though unlike Wu and Dragonheart, she wasn't worried about the circumstances or pondering their next move or anything remotely serious to be honest. Instead, she was thinking on how to brighten up the others days. They just seemed so down! I mean, sure they were in a bad spot. But everything will turn out in the end! She was sure of it! In the meantime, she needed to try and keep their spirits up. They wouldn't be able to do anything if they just let gloom and doom take over! Before long the trio found themselves at their designation, the girl having stopped briefly to sneakily pick some flowers they had passed. Well, sneakily in her eyes at least. She would turn these into some floral crowns when she got the chance, a little pick-me-up for her two gloomy companions!

Well, now it was more as they encountered Ibon and Zasada. Huh, she mightn't have enough flowers for five crowns. She might need to get some more! "Heya! Will-O-Wisp reporting for duty!" At Wu's indication towards herself and Dragonheart, the girl shot the Liberi a smile and a V-sign, tails swishing about happily as observed the touching reunion. See, things were working out after-all!

As the group travelled throughout the town, Will-O-Wisp stuck close to Ibon seeing as when they got the chance, she would need the medic to look her over and bandage her up. Or at least take care of her gash on her cheek, which throbbed painfully as if to remember her it was still there. At least it had stopped bleeding for now...

Oblivious to the looks the villagers gave and trying to ignore the pungent aroma in the air, she would run up to try and talk to every single person they came across, though they seemed to run away just as quickly. Was it the blood? It had to be the blood. Reasoning that everyone must be scared of her because of the blood on her face, she rubbed at the dried on scab on her cheek to try and clean it off. This only resulted in reopening it and causing blood to flow once more, the girl panicking and trying to stem the flow once more with her sleeve as she ran over to Ibon with watery eyes.

"I-Ibon I uhh...." Tugging on her sleeve till she got the Liberi's attention, she would indicate to the cut on her cheek. It was rather easy to guess what had happened from there. Though at that moment, an Archosaur man seemed to be willing to talk to them. Abandoning her need for medical attention, the girl ran over and extended a blood covered hand to the stranger. "Finally, someone who wants to talk! I'm Will-O-Wisp! As Zasada says, we're from the Haynek Institute. Hey you wouldn't know anything about the strange happenings around here would you? First a weird storm, then this weird smell. Let alone the reports of other strange orignium happenings! Oh, oh are you infected? What's with your hands and feet?" As if the dam wall had burst, the girl blabbered on and on, not seeming to have any real focus on what she was talk about as she gestured at the strangers more scaley parts. "Did this happen as a result of the orignium reports of the other? Unrelated? Hey, why is everyone avoiding us? Also-" She would continue this stream of absolute crap unless someone stopped her.

"I-Ibon I uhh...."

"Huh? Oh dear, what happened to you?" Ibon was alarmed upon showing cuts and wounds.

"Hey, hey! Come on, Will-O-Wisp, let me treat you before you go talking to anyone." The Liberi Medic stopped Will-O-Wisp before using her healing Arts on the Vulpo Operator. Within moments, all of Will-O-Wisp's injuries closed up and left her energized. Ibon produced some napkins and wiped away the blood stains left behind.

"There we go. You be careful next time, okay?" The Medic then patted Will-O-Wisp's a few times on the head.

"Privet, friend. We are simply some humble researchers from the Haynek Institute. Crash landed thanks to some bad weather and some of our operators missing. Mhm, and if I might inquire, my comrades here seem to smell something most foul! You wouldn't happen to know what that is would you?"

"Finally, someone who wants to talk! I'm Will-O-Wisp! As Zasada says, we're from the Haynek Institute. Hey you wouldn't know anything about the strange happenings around here would you? First a weird storm, then this weird smell. Let alone the reports of other strange orignium happenings! Oh, oh are you infected? What's with your hands and feet? Did this happen as a result of the orignium reports of the other? Unrelated? Hey, why is everyone avoiding us? Also-"

"Oh, this?" The Archosaur boy gestured to his hands and feet. "Had 'em since I was born. Something about being a subspecies or something." He shrugged.

Listening to their experience of the crash and the missing teammates, the Archosaur replied. "Mmm, sounds like the forest got you." The answer raised some eyebrows from Wu and Ibon. "You probably don't know. The woods around this town? It's cursed. It's evil. Some outsiders before you insisted that there's probably just a super predator lurking there but don't buy that. The forest itself is the evil. I don't doubt that it probably sent that storm that made you crash."

"That sounds... superstitious." Wu voiced his thoughts.

"Hey, it's the truth. Whether you like it or not." The Archosaur shrugged. "And sorry about your other folks. They were probably taken by the forest. Not exactly an unusual occurence here." He continued.

"Taken? What do you mean 'taken'?"

"Taken. Spirited away. Disappeared. Gone. Poof. The forest is like that." The Archosaur shrugged. "Don't ask me where they're taken to. No one here knows but if you're lucky, real lucky, you come back. Usually in a bad state but coming back is lucky enough." He paused for a moment before continuing. "In the worst case scenario, the forest twists you into its servant. We call 'em 'savages'. You'll know one when you see one."

"Is there a precedent for getting... taken?" Wu asked.

"None, at least nothing concrete. But from what I've seen, it's usually got something to do with the mind." The Archosaur boy continued. "Again, nothing concrete. Take the owners of this house for example..." He stopped leaning on the dilapidated house and joined the others in looking at it. "There was once a family of three there. Wife, husband, son. They've been living normally for years now then one day, they just got up and walked straight into the forest. Never to be seen again."

When the Operators said something about the smell, the Archosaur glared at the group. "Ah, so some of you has the Sickness. You know, where the Cursed Rock grows on you."

"The 'Sickness'? You mean Oripathy? And I'm guessing 'Cursed Rock' is Originium?" Ibon replied.

"'Oripathy', huh? So that's what they call it out there." The boy then continued. "Anyway, there's something in this village that repels the Cursed Rock. We call it the 'Miasma'." The revelation made Wu's and Ibon's eyes widen. "The Miasma keeps away the creatures and the savages, thereby keeping Riventor safe despite the evil forest surrounding us. Don't know what it is exactly but whatever the Miasma is, it's coming from the mayor's mansion. It doesn't reach the village's outskirts though but there's something else there that keeps the dangers away."

"It may not keep away the forest's influence, but it's kept the rest of us alive. To be honest, I don't really trust it but I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth." The Archosaur said. "Anyway, those afflicted with the Sickness get nauseous because of the Miasma. Best that you leave the village as soon as possible. The closer you get to the mansion, the worse the stench becomes. Do you have anywhere here to stay in? I've heard that there's a radio tower near here that houses a military bunker or base or something."

"I'll let the mayor know you've come but it's best that you formally meet her someday. That way, you get the villagers' trust faster. They're not the friendliest bunch, I know, but they may have something that you'll need."

---

"Ma'am, are you alright? Let's move you away from that building in case something tries to collapse alright?"

The woman paid no attention to Medivac, still rocking back and forth and uttering her mantra. ""Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire..." Since they were close now, Radiant and Medivac saw that the mad woman had a shiny key with her. With both hands, she held it just above her knees and stared at it as she rocked and uttered her phrase.

The key appeared too fancy to belong to her. Should Radiant or Medivac attempt to take it, they would find that the woman's grip on it was strong. Extraordinarily strong that neither Radiant or Medivac or both of them could take it by force. Extreme measures must be used to take the key from her.

Not much was left of the burned house save for its charred remains. The next point of interest was the house next to it. A very strong odor of poultry and chickens and droppings emanated from it. The two Operators could hear the bawks and the clucks of the chickens apparently living there.

*SLAM*

A door swung open and out came a small boy with a violin followed by an angry Kuranta woman who yelled at the former. The boy fled from the mansion and hid below a ruined farm tractor nearby. The woman did not chase and instead, went back into the house.

Medivac and Radiant were too far from the commotion though to see anyone in detail though.

"Heh, I uh had a rough landing." Tails swishing about as a sheepish grin crept across her face,Will-O-Wisp didn't put up much of a fuss as Ibon went about attending to her wounds, it was a relatively quick procedure as it was mostly small cuts, bruises and the like, the only notable one being the gash that was gone in moments. "Hehe, I'll try." Beaming up at the liberi girl, she seemed quite happy and content with Ibon's patting, as evident by the swifter tail swishing.

A blissful smile on her face, she listened to the chat between the Archosaur boy, Wu, Ibon and Zasada develop, taking note on anything she thought to be of importance. The forest...had been taking people? Well she could certainly believe those woods were haunted...or at the very least corrupted in some form. That wolf from before was unnatural no matter how you viewed it. Was originum the cause of the issue? Maybe someone's arts? There wasn't enough information to draw a conclusion, and a lot the boy seemed to be passing off as simple facts sounded like superstitious hearsay, as Wu pointed out. But if their friends were just in the forest, all they would have to do is find them later right? Sounded easy enough! Well, maybe not considering the scale of the forest. But nothing that HI couldn't handle. Maybe.

Though the talk about the source of this stench made her ears prick up. Something that could ward off those with oripathy and originum? The Vulpo girl looked at her comrades as if to see if they had heard of any such thing before, because she hadn't. This was a unprecedented discovery if it was true! It could even unlock the cure to oripathy, if not then at least a way to combat it further!

"Umm before that, what was your name? And her name for that matter. The mayor." Quipped the fox girl. "I'm Ki-Will-O-Wisp, but you can call me Wisp if you prefer. That's Wu, Ibon, Zasada and the gloomy one out back there is Dragonheart!" Indicating to each member of the group as she spoke, she seemed more than happy to point out Dragonheart trying to hide out back. "Oh, and if any of the others from the Haynek Institute turn up can you direct them our way please?"

@PaulHaynek

---

Now this was a bunch of information! Quite useful indeed. These people really had no real way of contacting the outside world out of their little forest, huh? Curious. It almost made her want to go around doing some perhaps dubious experiments, but that was no way to get on the villagers good side, was it? The Ursus continued to listen, so that would explain why she couldn't smell anything...huh, she better keep that in mind for later, just in case.

"...some sort of common Oripathy induced madness, huh." She idly commented. How curious! It wasn't unusual for those inflicted with advanced stages of Oripathy to develop mental...quirks, so that in and of itself wasn't unusual. It was the fact that there seemed to be a common trend among those infected. "...or perhaps is the oripathy causing some sort of devolution...hm..."

Or someone using Originum arts to control people in some manner. How devious. If there was someone or something behind this, they had a good operation going. Heh, she'd almost be jealous.

"Thanks friend," Zasada finally replied with a smile. "Hm, if that is the case...take me to your mayor, hm? I'm uninfected so the miasma won't affect me, and I'd like some more information regarding this situation."

"Umm before that, what was your name? And her name for that matter. The mayor. I'm Ki-Will-O-Wisp, but you can call me Wisp if you prefer. That's Wu, Ibon, Zasada and the gloomy one out back there is Dragonheart! Oh, and if any of the others from the Haynek Institute turn up can you direct them our way please?"

"The mayor's name is Uma Vulront. Her ancestor founded the village way back when. A long time before the forest came and ruined everything. As for me, well, I'm not keen on sharing my name with people I don't really know so for now, just call me the Archosaur." The Archosaur boy replied. "Don't look at me like that. None of you are using your real names either, right?"

"But still, it's a pleasure to meet you all. And sure, I'll keep an eye out for your folks and send 'em your way."

"Thanks friend, Hm, if that is the case...take me to your mayor, hm? I'm uninfected so the miasma won't affect me, and I'd like some more information regarding this situation."

"Sure, but, what about your buddies?" The Archosaur asked.

"We'll probably just hang out where the miasma is the weakest." Wu interjected. "I'd say we head on over to the Radio Tower but there's an evil forest sitting in-between and I don't think it's a good idea to go to the Radio Tower separately in such a case."

"You catch on fast, Wu. Haha!" The Archosaur was impressed. "Very well, Zasada come with me. Meanwhile, you guys can head north until you reach the house that's full of chickens and the burned house next to it. The Miasma doesn't reach that far but it's pretty safe. Err, just don't mind the... broken people over there and everything should be fine."

---

---

You and the Archosaur went to the mansion in the middle of Riventor. The mayor's home stood out from the rest of the village, being well-kept and mostly pristine and even having two floors compared to the other houses and buildings in Riventor. Up on the roof was a brick chimney that spewed black smoke into the air, spreading a bit before fading away as it dissolved into the air.

"Hey, before anything happens, can I just say this?" The Archosaur began. "You're probably looking for a way out of here, right? Well, so am I. I'm not looking to stay here any longer. Whatever this place has going, it's not gonna last. I can feel it. I know it." The boy remarked. "So I've got a proposition for you and your folks. Show me evidence that you have a way out of here, and I'll supply you with information about the village. I snoop around here a lot so I know a lot of things. What do you say?"

Regardless of your answer, the two of you reach the mansion with the Archosaur leading you to the front doors. "Mayor Uma's pretty hospitable but even she's got a stake in this village. You can expect niceties from her but I doubt she'll be... cooperative if you try to dig deeper." After warning you with the mayor's limits, the Archosaur knocked on the doors.

In a few moments, the door opened and out came a Kuranta woman with long, straight silver hair. Her attire was simple like a common villager's despite being a mayor. She had a nice smile on her face when she answered the door that turned into a frown upon spotting the Archosaur. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?" She then saw you and raised an eyebrow. "Who's the Ursus girl?"

---

You, Dragonheart, Wu and Ibon went north as the Archosaur instructed. The stench of the Miasma grew weaker and weaker until all of you could take in huge gasps of air again. "Ah, this is much better. Man, screw that Miasma. I don't care if it wards off Originium and its dangerous properties. If the Infected is outside of its protection then it can go to hell!" Wu voiced out its complaints.

"Wu, please, this is an incredible discovery." Ibon softly retorted. "It's indeed unfortunate that it wards off Infected too but if it can be studied more closely, perhaps it can be harnessed or changed or refined. Maybe it could even be a way to cure Oripathy." The Medic Operator was more optimistic.

"What do you think about all of this, Wisp?" Ibon then asked.

The four of you approached the northern outskirts of Riventor. The smell of poultry filled the air. An unpleasant smell but not as bad as the village's Miasma.

---

Scathach and Cardinal were Operators of the Haynek Institure of Research and aboard the VTOL desginated Raven Two. They were part of an investigation of the strange presence of Originium in a remote village in Kazimierz called Riventor. There were three teams on the operation but originally, there was only supposed to be one. The additional teams were a last minute change by Mr. Haynek himself, and the extra two teams saw the inclusion of Scathach and Cardinal.

They departed from the institute's mobile base once it reached Kazimierz. The base would soon move away, however, since there was business elsewhere. Fortunately, the VTOLs would keep close by. Once they have delivered the teams, they would refit and refuel at a nearby Kazimierz city and wait there until the teams request extraction.

"It's a freaking storm out here!"

The three VTOLs, however, were caught in a bad storm that seemingly came out of nowhere. Despite the attempts to avoid it, Raven Two and the other aircraft entered extremely turbulent weather. The VTOL violently rocked back and forth, forcing the team to buckle up on their seats. Alarms blared as the pilots could be heard still attempting to evade the storm.

"It's following us!"

That was the last line heard when communications to the other VTOLs were broken. The doors to the aircraft suddenly opened as well as the doors to the cockpit. The team then watched as their two pilots jump out of the VTOL, without their parachutes, to their apparent deaths. The situation was so unbelievable that the team took a few moments to process what just happened.

The team leader, a Liberi man with short brown hair, ordered an immediate evacuation while he tried to keep the aircraft flying as much as possible. Parachutes were issued to the team and two of the members, a Draco and an Oni, were the first to jump. Scathach and Cardinal were next but a sudden rumble delayed the jump but fortunately, they exited the aircraft without much problem.

The thick clouds of the storm meant they never saw their VTOL or if anyone else jumped.

Scathach and Cardinal descended into the the large swamp southeast of the Riventor village. They landed on some solid but moist ground within the wetland but they found themselves surrounded by bodies of swampwater. Fortunately, they could see a trail of dry ground that could lead out of the swamp and towards Riventor, or at least the path to Riventor. However, there was also a trail that lead deeper into the Swamp where the two Operators could see a cabin.

The waters that surround sometimes shifted. There were things that lurked beneath the swamp's waters.

---

"It's a freaking storm out here!"

Shit, fuck, fuck, shit, fuck-

Scáthach sat bolt upright, jolted out of a light slumber by the storm-created turbulence. For a millisecond, she thought they were under attack, but relaxed when she saw it was just some bad weather. She reclined back into her seat and closed her eyes again. Pffft, as if some bad weather is gonna get the better of us. She did make sure to buckle herself in, however - just in case.

Not thirty seconds later, though...

"It's following us!"

That sounded more like cause for alarm, and Scáthach sat up once again. Was the storm a Catastrophe? Not likely, unless it somehow hadn't shown up on radar, or unless her team's pilots were criminally incompetent. Or they'd just had the bad luck to happen upon it right when it formed, and it somehow hadn't been apparent that it would be a Catastrophe - even less likely. Some kind of incredibly powerful Originium Art, maybe? But this sort of thing surely would've taken multiple people's lives to even cast, let alone power. Who would-

Scáthach's thoughts came screeching to a halt as she saw the two pilots jump, casual as you please, to their certain deaths, thus abandoning them to the same. "Wh...-"

After a moment of paralysis, her team leader sprinted for the cockpit and took the controls, shouting for the rest of them to evacuate while he kept the VTOL aloft. Two of Scáthach's teammates were the first to jump, thankfully remembering to take parachutes with them. After they had evacuated, Scáthach wasted no time in strapping on her own parachute and preparing to jump, and was pleased to see that her last teammate, Cardinal, was ready to jump at roughly the same time she was. Her leap was delayed slightly by another bolt of turbulence - though nothing a skilled Operator like herself couldn't handle - but soon enough, with a jaunty "Good luck!", Scáthach was leaping to safety.

---

Scáthach touched down in a foul-looking bog, and immediately set about cursing the storm as she used her claws to cut through the straps of the parachute. "Stupid god damn fuckin' storm... Now I got all kinds of mud and gunk in my boots, there's bugs everywhere, and I'm probably gonna be covered in either mud or mosquito bites by the time I find that shitty little village. Or both. ...C'mon, would you fuckin'- there we go!"

Equipped with her weapons and freed from her parachute, Scáthach set about the next item on her list: surveying the environment, for both any of her teammates (particularly Cardinal, as he was most likely to be nearby) and for any possible threats. A little thrill went through her stomach as she saw something moving in the water. Maybe this little pit stop won't be so bad after all...

@PaulHaynek

North Riventor

After confirming her surroundings presented no danger to them, Radiant made her way back to Medivac. As the woman continued her mad mantra, she knelt in front of the woman to observe. Rocking herself back and forth, it appeared her body was shrinking away. Her hands gripped tightly around a key, so tightly that she a trickle of blood dripped down her hands. The woman’s gaze focused only at her hands.

Radiant stood up and sighed. “Yea, I’ll probably be holding my key like that if my house burned down. She looks catatonic Medivac, you have a plan for nut cases like this?”

Medivac shook his head and glared briefly at Radiant. “Please have a bit of tact for a woman who has lost everything.” Nut case? Seriously? Medivac avoided eye contact as he stood, looking up at the burnt building. “I’m not a psychiatrist. I can’t help her. Luckily, the building doesn’t seem terribly unstable. In a situation like this, it would be easier to help them by doing our mission. We should move on." He figured that at this point, focusing on one individual person would not be as product as completing their task. If any sort of general peace was restored professionals could arrive to focus on the less physically dangerous tasks that they were here for.

Radiant chuckled at her admonishment. “Yea yea, sorry for the lack of tack. I’ll remember it next time. As for where we should go, there was another house I saw not far from here.” Radiant looked back at the catatonic woman. “We could bring her too and leave her with her neighbors. Just leaving her here don’t feel right.”

“I’m shocked, you do say some sensible things from time to time. Very well, bring her along. I trust your oni strength will be enough to carry her?” Medivac replied.

“Shouldn’t be an issue,” Radiant said with a grin. She approached the woman and placed her arms under her knees and around her back and lifted her up. The woman curled up like a clam and held her hands very closely to her chest. "Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire..."

"No struggling? Huh, you're more cooperative than I thought miss."

Further beyond, on the other side of the burned house was a much larger house. The faint sound of a chicken's clucks could be heard from it. A very strong odor of poultry and chickens and droppings emanated from it. The two Operators could hear the bawks and the clucks of the chickens apparently living there.

*SLAM*

A door swung open and out came a small boy with a violin followed by an angry Kuranta woman who yelled at the former. The boy fled from the mansion and hid below a ruined farm tractor nearby. The woman did not chase and instead, went back into the house.

Medivac and Radiant were too far from the commotion though to see anyone in detail though. “Seems like someone is throwing a tantrum,” Radiant quipped, “Looks like a farmstead. Let’s drop her off and see if we can gather any information here!”

Medivac nodded in agreement. He took the lead and Radiant followed close behind. Finally at the house’s door. Medivac firmly knocked at the door three times.

"Don't look at me like that. None of you are using your real names either, right?"

Gah, he had her there. Although she had nearly accidentally spilled her name, twice already in one day even. She really needed to watch herself a bit more, but then again what harm was there in someone knowing her name right?

Though it was certainly good news that they had seemed to acquire a new source of information at least, maybe even a potential ally! The day sure had started off terrible, but things were looking up for the group it would seem. Upon learning the Mayors name, Zasada decided to go with Archosaur. Kit would've volunteered to go with her...but the fact she was covering her nose from the stench, and knowing that it would only get stronger the closer they got to the Mayor, well...she didn't really have much choice in the matter.

So following after Wu, Ibon and Dragonheart, the carefree operator seemed more preoccupied with their surroundings than the conversation that went on for the most part. Wu was understandably annoyed with the Miasma, though when Ibon asked her for her opinion the vulpo turned her attention back to the bickering duo. Man, they were like a married couple huh?

"I agree with Iby-chan, this could be big yeah? I'm not an expert on oripathy or anything...but surely something that has these kind of affects has that potential yeah to be useful yeah? Even if it itself doesn't prove to be involved in the cure, maybe it could help lead to something to help treat Infected? I mean..regardless this is a big discovery!" Throwing her arms out in an exaggerated manner to put an exclamation mark on her point, her trademark beaming smile crept across her face. Her ears pricked up as they approached their designation, twitching as she covered her nose from the stench of the farm life. While it wasn't as bad as the 'miasma', it was still pretty bad.

"Hey, wanna race to the burnt house? I bet I can beat you all!" Shooting her allies a mischievous grin before darting off in front of the group, her ears continued to twitch even as she sprinted towards the ruined, burnt-out house before them.

@PaulHaynek

---

The walk was thankfully peaceful, if nothing else. Was that a good thing? Probably, she had just about enough excitement for one day after that whole forest incident. A scientists work was never done, though. As she approached the relatively pristine and luxurious abode of the mayor, Zasada didn't seem to be paying too much attention to everything as the Archosaur spoke.

A deal for information, huh?

"Hmm...I'm not sure if I have that sort of authority." Zasada replied with a thoughtful hum, pulling her canteen from her jacket before sighing and clicking her tongue. "Buuuut, information is always useful. I'll see what I can do for you if you snag me some alcohol too. I'm almost out here."

Soon they reached the mansion, the front door seeming oddly unwelcoming to the Ursus as her guide knocked on the door. Hm, dig deeper huh? If the mayor had some sort of method of warding off those with oripathy that was something of personal interest to her...hm, perhaps she could appeal to her as a fellow scientist in that case?

Well, she'd find out.

"Mayor Uma I take it, Eh?" Zasada offered her a friendly smile. "Zasada from the Haynek institute. Apologies for the sudden intrusion but my team and I seem to find ourselves crashed and somewhat stranded and in need of a bit of information. I volunteered myself to speak with you on my teams behalf."

"Mayor Uma I take it, Eh? Zasada from the Haynek institute. Apologies for the sudden intrusion but my team and I seem to find ourselves crashed and somewhat stranded and in need of a bit of information. I volunteered myself to speak with you on my teams behalf."

"Haynek Institute? Ohhh! Yes, yes, we've been expecting you!" Mayor Uma lit up as she remembered. "I received a missive from your organization that several teams would be coming for a research expedition. Welcome, welcome!" The Kuranta woman grabbed your hands to shake. "And you crash landed? What? How? Are you alright? Are you the sole survivor?"

"It's the forest, Mayor. It got to them." The Archosaur answered. "And there's more of 'em. Mostly unharmed, they're just... you know."

Mayor Uma understood what he meant and her face grimmed. "I see. Well, let me know how I can help you and your team. Anyway, welcome to Riventor! It's not much, but it's home." She finished. "Umm, where will you be staying if I may ask?"

---

"I agree with Iby-chan, this could be big yeah? I'm not an expert on oripathy or anything...but surely something that has these kind of affects has that potential yeah to be useful yeah? Even if it itself doesn't prove to be involved in the cure, maybe it could help lead to something to help treat Infected? I mean..regardless this is a big discovery!"

"Well, if you put it that way..." Wu replied.

"Ah! Wisp, wait! Be careful!" Wu and Ibon sprinted after Will-O-Wisp towards the two houses in the northern outskirts of Riventor. They soon got to the house that reeked of chickens only to find two people there knocking on its front door.

Meanwhile, Medivac had knocked on the house's door with Radiant carrying the mad woman clutching a key. The door was unanswered when a Vulpo girl arrived and met them. "Wisp, hold on! We shouldn't separate!" A male Feline with a shield followed after her alongside a Liberi girl.

"Ah, sorry about this, Mister and Miss. We're just..." Wu was about to apologize to Radiant and Medivac when he realized they didn't exactly look like the locals. In fact, they were familiar to him. "Wait a second, you're Haynek Institure Operators. Yeah, you're part of the research operation." He smile was wide. "Thank goodness, there are more survivors. Err, who's that girl you're carrying?"

"...W-Where's Dragonheart?" Ibon said as she searched around for the Operator. Indeed, it appeared that Will-O-Wisp's landing partner was suddenly missing.

"Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT! Not again!" Wu furiously kicked some dirt. "This is why we shouldn't separate!"

---

The two Operators stayed put for the moment. The ripples in the swamp's waters increased. The things that lurked underwater were converging on the duo. When they were at the water's edge, they all stopped.

*WHOOSH*

A large black monstrosity leapt out of the water and hurled itself unto Scathach. Fortunately, the Operator was quick and she managed to evade it. The creature landed back into and under the swampy water. It was but a glimpse but the two Operators definitely saw that the creature was reptilian with scaly claws and tail. It was no crocodile or alligator though, it looked more like a black-green lizard or salamander. Scathach certainly saw the rows of jagged teeth when it attempted to take a bite out of her.

But most of all, the swamp creature's limbs and body shape wasn't that of a typical reptilian. Instead, it looked humanoid. Regradless, the swamp was full of them and they appear to think that the two Operators were meals. Scathach and Cardinal should probably vacate the area soon.

@PaulHaynek

---

"Ahah, don't worry about it. A place of respite after that forest, no matter how small is welcome." She replied with a friendly chuckle and a lazy smile. "Our Archosaur friend directed my colleagues to a house to the north? Something about chickens and being burned? As for myself, I thought I'd come say hello to the Mayor." She grinned. "I was told you have a quite interesting way of keeping the infected out and as a scientist I find myself very curious."

Zasada took offered a hand to the mayor.

"Now are you gonna offer me a drink and have a nice chat or just leave me alone out here dry as my canteen?" The warning of the Archosaur didn't leave her thoughts. She was quite aware of the danger of doing this but well, no risk no reward. Besides, whatever was going on here was big.

"Ah! Wisp, wait! Be careful!" Wu and Ibon sprinted after Will-O-Wisp towards the two houses in the northern outskirts of Riventor. They soon got to the house that reeked of chickens only to find two people there knocking on its front door.

Meanwhile, Medivac had knocked on the house's door with Radiant carrying the mad woman clutching a key. The door was unanswered when a Vulpo girl arrived and met them. "Wisp, hold on! We shouldn't separate!" A male Feline with a shield followed after her alongside a Liberi girl.

"Ah, sorry about this, Mister and Miss. We're just..." Wu was about to apologize to Radiant and Medivac when he realized they didn't exactly look like the locals. In fact, they were familiar to him. "Wait a second, you're Haynek Institure Operators. Yeah, you're part of the research operation." He smile was wide. "Thank goodness, there are more survivors. Err, who's that girl you're carrying?"

Radiant was delighted at the sight of some familiar faces. There were other Haynek operators that survived that freak storm! "Oh man, you guys are a sight for sore eyes! It's good to know that others survived that freak storm! Me and Medivac were the only ones who bailed out of Raven Two. Didn't see anyone else jump off. As for the girl, we found her like this on that burned house over there," Radiant gestured with the flick of her head.

The woman Radiant carried continued her mantra. "Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire... Destroy the fire..."

"Ah don't mind her. Just a bit of trauma. Aha ha ha...We're trying to find a place for her to stay, better than leaving her out alone. There's someone inside this house but they haven't answered out knocks. Didn't we also see someone else leave the house Medivac?"" Radiant chuckled nervously.

The old gentleman nodded. "Yes, I believe I saw the figure run towards the tractors. Perhaps we can go ask them to let us in? But more pressingly, have you met anyone else from the Institute?"

"...W-Where's Dragonheart?" Ibon said as she searched around for the Operator. Indeed, it appeared that Will-O-Wisp's landing partner was suddenly missing.

"Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT! Not again!" Wu furiously kicked some dirt. "This is why we shouldn't separate!"

"Calm yourself Wu! They shouldn't be far. You were all together just recently correct? Then they shouldn't be too far. Double back and search the area," Medivac said calmly.

"What will you two be doing in the meantime? Aren't you going to help us search?" Ibon asked.

"We will," Medivac replied. "But as you can see, we have a civilian to take care of. Once she's in safe hands, we'll join you. Radiant, the master of this house does not appear to want to speak to us. Let's see if they can be helpful,"he motioned towards the tractors.

"Sure thing."

"Then a talk is in order. Wu, Ibon, and Will-o-Wisp, let's meet back at this location, say within half an hour or so? We'll be right behind you shortly."

And so Radiant and Medivac headed towards the boy hiding beneath the ruined tractor.

"Now are you gonna offer me a drink and have a nice chat or just leave me alone out here dry as my canteen?"

"Ahh, you're interested in the Shrine then?" Mayor Uma seemed enthused about the topic. "Come in, come in! What drinks would you like? I have all sorts of spirits in my home. Mostly strong ones but I have some for those with lighter livers."

"I'll be taking my leave, then. See you around, Ursus." The Archosaur bid farewell.

The Kuranta mayor led you inside and into a well-decorated hallway. It was fancy, but not urban fancy. Hints of age were present everywhere. "Your friends are staying at the northern outskirts? Oh dear, the chicken lady up there isn't very hospitable. She's very protective of her sister. She isn't a menace to anyone so we just leave her alone. As for the other house..." Uma took a moment to find her words. "It was burned because... it was struck by lightning! Yes, it was very tragic for Hannah but that's just what happens sometimes." It was an obvious lie.

Uma then led you into a nice and wide chamber. It looked like a living room with one side having a pair of fancy wooden chairs with velvet pillows and a brightly-burning fireplace and the other side being the Shrine: A shrine that encompassed that entire side. A shelf containing the framed photos of various Kuranta people lined together was the centerpiece. Surrounding it was various exotic candles as well as all sorts of shiny gemstones. Vases of beautiful flowers joined the decorations, well-maintained judging from how healthy the plants were.

"The Shrine has protected this village since time immemorial. Kept out the Cursed Rock and all those who are afflicted with it." Uma began to explain before pointing at the photos. "Those are the village's ancestors and through the Shrine, they defend Riventor and its townspeople from harm. So long as the Shrine stands, the Cursed Rock cannot touch us."

---

"Calm yourself Wu! They shouldn't be far. You were all together just recently correct? Then they shouldn't be too far. Double back and search the area,"

"No, no! You don't get it! The forest, it takes people! It's already taken a number of us. We can't just head in there and find them. They're lost! I know, I've tried!" Wu angrily retorted.

"Wu, calm down. He didn't know yet." Ibon's words managed to calm down. She was scared but she knew things needed to calm down. "I'm sorry, Medivac was it? We're all a little on edge right now. But Wu's right, finding people who got lost in these woods is not a simple task." The Medic witheld what else she knew about the forest for now. "Leave the woman with us, you two. We'll try the door again while you go talk to the person in the tractor."

Wu nodded in agreement, still disturbed that another Operator was missing.

-

Radiant and Medivac left the madwoman with the three Operators back at the house that reeked of chickens. The odor could still be smelled at the tractor but it was a bit weaker. As soon as they arrived, a scared and raspy male voice greeted them. "I-it's not my f-fault! I know it doesn't s-sound, t-too great... My v-violin... it's, it's a bit... broken. I w-on't play a-anymore... S-sorry... Um, sir and ma'am? H-have you b-been in that hut? The Chicken Lady's h-hut? You're not afraid of h-her? Y-you're b-brave!"

The person was still under the tractor, his features hidden. "And... H-have you seen h-her? The Pretty Lady? S-she's... the most beautiful lady in the w-world! I w-watch her through the cracks in the window. S-she ch-changes when I watch her... g-gets more beautiful. I p-play for her... I want her to be h-happy... Because s-she doesn't seem to be... The Chicken L-lady locked her in that r-room... She... she keeps her there! She envies her! She won't allow anyone to s-see her... E-even me! I t-tried to r-r-release her... But the Chicken Lady! She ch-chased me off! S-she always does!"