“Hmm...I’d say we should split up, but you’d probably end up zombie food.”

"Took the words right outta my mouth." Nick replied, amused that he and Elisette were thinking the same thing.

“I guess if there were anyone left, they’d probably be hold up in the largest building here...which would be this one! And I can open doors like this easy.”

Nick didn't doubt it. Elisette, here, was hurling giants mere hours earlier. Surely a set of doors required barely an effort for a woman like her. Nick watched Elisette kick at the door, assured that it would practically blast open from the warrior woman's tremendous strength.

* SLAM *

“Eh! What gives this is weird I can normally knock down the doors to Rheanne’s bedroom easily and this isn’t even half as sturdy looking.”

But it did not come to be, the doors remained tightly shut. Even Nick was genuinely surprised that these boards of wood managed to resist the titanic strength of Elisette. If Nick had to guess, it was either the doors were enchanted to be quite sturdy or the wooden material was no ordinary type of wood. Both were equally possible in this fantastical world. But enough ruminating about the door, they had to find another way inside.

Nick decided to inspect the windows and found that they were boarded up. Figures, the village had a zombie problem after all. There were even large furniture blocking the windows, more barriers for any invader to get through. But Nick found some small gaps in the blockade he could peek through and get a peer inside. It was at one of these gaps that Nick saw a hooded figure peering right back at him. "Whoa! What the--?!" He was startled aback, his heart skipping a beat.

“Get away from the windows…!”

Nick was pulled away from the windows as the figure yelled at him. He did not look at who pulled him, assuming it was Elisette. "Whoa, whoa, chill! We're not zombies or anything undead!" Nick stammered. "We're alive! We're from the Apostles Of Rheane. Err, at least my friend over here is. I'm just... her sidekick, I guess."

"We were chased by those zeds on the way here but they stopped as we entered the village. Do you mind telling us what's going on?"

Nomura stroked his beak at the plan of these dastardly hunters, intrigued at their thought process. Of course, it all made sense. Implicating this Kyrnith in the death of this village's leader would put the Elder Beast in a bad light. This would then draw the majority towards the worship of the Illuminator, giving the cult more power. And with the village's combined might, they could also perhaps take away the power the Kyrnith has over the forest, and hunt to their heart's content.

Malphas would have accepted such an outcome. After all, he wasn't too keen on following the laws of some beast. Nomura, however, feared the true strength that such powerful creatures possessed given his childhood. Because of this, some respect for this Kyrnith was warranted.

"Hm... I wonder why they'd do that? Did they wish to turn the entire village against the Kyrnith? If such a being was an Elder Beast, as you said, wouldn't it be able to effortlessly destroy the village should they prove disrespectful? Seems quite counterintuitive if you ask me, unless they also believed they could slay the Kyrnith with the aide of the entire village."

Of course, Nomura was curious of the nature of these Elder Beasts. Were they able to be slain with enough effort? And how much power would be required to face off against one? As curious as he was to see such a battle commence, Nomura knew that avoiding bloodshed was wise at least for the sake of turning a profit.

"Ah, but forgive me for presuming such things, of course. I do wonder, though, if this Illuminator wishes for the destruction of the village with the path these hunters are walking. I presume this god isn't well-received among the common folk?"

Novak's simplistic attempt to fell his opponent didn't go as he hoped, and his attack was stopped by a blow to the face by the other end of the spear. He wasn't sure in the heat of the moment if he had managed to learn that move, but he would remember the painful lesson that spears can be used to do more than just stab with the pointy end.

Novak didn't have the time to attempt another blow, because the hunter managed to line up the spear for another thrust, aimed at the reincarnated would-be-adventurers's chest. It was possible that the scale armor would stop the spear, but that wasn't a risk that Novak was going to take. He swung his sword to deflect the spear strike similar to how he had done before, but more force behind it this time. This was partially out of frightened desperation due to the fight going south, and partially out of hope that he could strike the spear hard enough to cut through its wooden shaft and deprive the hunter of the weapon's pointy end. Novak kept his ability active, fully expecting the hunter to display more tricks before the fight was over.

At this point it seemed unlikely he'd be able to beat the hunter by himself, but if he could hold his own long enough, Nobunaga might be able to intervene. Having been focusing entirely on his opponent, however, Novak had no idea how the archer had fared, and couldn't be sure if and when help would come.

@Rune_Alchemist@VitaVitaAR

As the hunter's head sailed through the air, leaving a spurting trail of crimson behind it and staining the snow, Nobunaga took little time to lament the fact he'd still managed to loose an arrow. As long as Enli was alive and only lightly injured and the hunter was dead, that was all that mattered.

Sheathing her sword in the same motion she flicked the blood from it, the petite girl took as little further time as possible to yank the bow from the hands of the decapitated hunter and pull an arrow from his quiver.

It wasn't her ranged weapon of choice, but only a fool would never learn how to use a bow. Nocking the arrow, she took aim at the remaining hunter's back, towards his heart or left lung. Either of those would be a devastating injury, and while one would kill quicker a collapsed lung or a pierced heart would end the fight in an instant.

Nobunaga drew the string back and let the arrow loose.

@Rune_Alchemist@Crimson Paladin

Augusta kept a smile with the girl. Knowing what she knows at this point, it wouldn't surprise her that Leuca would feel that way. "Hmm. Why do I keep her? She's been a good guard dog so far. Beyond that, she makes a good object of study. She's cute, mostly reasonable all things considered and she's a great study target. If they're as unruly as everyone says, perhaps I could find a way for them not to be. Not to brag, but I'm a pretty good judge of character so I think I'll probably be able to figure it out." To be fair, it was the Goddess rather than her, but alas.

"All this demon talk aside, I have something a bit more... Upbeat?" The woman questioned before she shook her head slightly, paying the thought little mind. "It looks like I'm getting married." She sounded proud of that, rather than happy or anything of the like. "I'll be the Princess here, it would seem." She was interested in what Leuca wanted to say about Octavia but that could wait for later.

@Rune_Alchemist @Crusader Lord

Narkissa had buckled up for some heavy information, but what she received from the catgirl after relaying her own information was something she was glad she’d taken a seat for. Leannah had so much so say that she simply let her talk –clearly the girl had a lot to get off her chest—and Narkissa simply listened as the words flowed out of her.

Her encounter with the bird goddess was intriguing, and if anything, cute. But all that came after was simply just horrifying –as any potential apocalyptic event could be. Delphiti? Goddess of conflict? She had to frown; perhaps it might not have been the best idea to pray to the goddess after all. She patted where she kept the teardrop gingerly, now wondering if the artifact was dangerous at all. The deal with the seal, however, was the most concerning. And the more she thought about it and its implications, the more that worried her. Up until now, as far as she was concerned, they simply remained visitors to this new world, their actions of little import to the small village they had chanced upon, let alone to the greater world. Now, they were thrust into a grand conspiracy concocted by a pantheon of unvirtuous gods, with only a very small inkling from the mortal perspective of what was going on, and if she or anybody else made a wrong move, it was Lazhira, themselves, the village, the entire world... all on the line. It was… daunting.

She furrowed her brows after taking all this in, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she did so. “So let me get this straight,” she began slowly. “The orb and Lazhira herself are the keys to this apocalyptic seal, and the ‘lock’ that needs to be opened is simply the act of bringing them both together,” she summarized. “So we need to keep them as far away from each other as we can, and you can’t let anybody, including Lazhira, know, for reasons. Yet, at the same time, the Illuminator told Novak –and by extension, me—to look for this orb, the orb that Lazhira wants me to bring her for safe keeping.”

Leaning back in her seat, she groaned and clicked her tongue. “if this is all true… you’re right, it doesn’t add up. Either the Illuminator is lying about some of these facts we’ve collated, or we’re missing a key detail. But as far as I’m concerned… Lazhira needs to be told. She’ll keep looking for the orb herself. Even if she takes the information poorly, it’s not a risk I want to take, especially after all she’s done for us. It might be better if we took our leave from this village and have her come with us, but that’s also risky.”

Narkissa glanced back at the tired girl, and let out a sigh. “We can talk more about this later, though. I think what you need first is to get some rest.”

Skill Seeker

---

@Crimson Paladin@VitaVitaAR

---

Novak would deflect the blow fairly easily, similarly to how he had done before. The blade would cut into the wooden handle of the spear, and though it wouldn’t cut entirely through in one swing, it did give Novak some sort of leverage over the weapon itself. He could have easily used this to his advantage if he was swift enough - but thankfully he didn’t have too.

Nobuanga’s arrow would strike true. The projectile pierced the mans flesh, just barely missing his heart and tearing into his lung. The hunter’s eyes widened, grimacing with pain as strength left his arms. It would be little matter for Novak to dispatch the man, now. Even if he didn’t he was likely going to die fairly soon regardless.

So the fight was over. Enli was safe, for now. That just left the matter of where the Kyrnith had gone off too.

“Ha...” There was a groan as Enli would get to his feet, clutching his side with a mild grimace. “You two, have my thanks.” He’d say. An arrow had embedded itself into his robes, but the older man seemed none the worse for wear, aside from being spooked by the fact he had come very close to death. “I had Bolcha sew some padded fur into my robes last night. I apologize for not telling you. I had gotten word that they may be trying something like this from another traveler.”

Would the pair go after the Elder Beast? Perhaps it’d be best to make sure there weren’t any more hunters laying in wait, or escort Enli back to the village. Enli would likely just have a rather nasty bruise from the impact, since the arrow didn’t manage to penetrate the skin.

@PKMNB0Y

---

Water was easy enough to find. Aside from being near the ocean, finding a freshwater stream was only a matter of asking around if she didn’t want to look for it herself. The deer wouldn’t move far from Lazhiras house as Misaki would go about her business, though it would look as though it would want to follow her into the village, getting restless whenever she was away for long, though it would make sure to as it was told.

The rest of the distillation process was well, easy enough in theory. Just two containers - one for purified water, and one impure with a flame to boil it underneath. Using more bamboo was easy enough, and it’d be a trifle to collect more if she had run out. So really, all she’d need was time.

“So...erm, what are you doing anyways?” Lazhira’s quiet voice would meet Misaki’s ears whenever she’d return to her house.

A Traveler
@PaulHaynek

---

The hooded young man within was quickly pulled away from the windows, while a few voices exchanged hushed words from within. Soon, they could hear walking. Careful footfalls against a wooden floor before they’d make their way to the door. There was a quiet pause, a brief flash of light as an invisible barrier over the door was deactivated.

It would creak open.

A man, with long blond hair and red eyes would greet them. He was dressed in a fairly obvious priestly manner. His robe carried some unknown insignia upon it, seemingly a flower of some sort? Or was it a skull? It was difficult to really tell. Perhaps it was supposed to be both. An amethyst necklace would hang from his neck.

“Inside. Quickly. We do not want to have the barrier down after nightfall.”

Seeing no reason to refuse, Elisette would follow him inside.

“Apologies for the cold reception, understandably we’ve had it a bit hard here.” Inside the church was a number of people all dressed in old rags, frayed clothing and some looked like they hadn’t had a proper bath or rest in a number of days. Dark bags under their eyes perhaps told of restless nights.

As they moved into the church, they would then, also notice, another figure who looked completely out of place. A woman in a maid uniform. At least, something resembling one. Seemed like whoever designed it took a few liberties with its design. A dark blue in color with white frills, and a large white bow holding it tied together at the back. Her hair was tied into twintails, long and flowing.

And a blindfold which covered her eyes that didn’t stop her head from slowly following the group as they’d enter the church. Was...was she specifically following Nicholas? Perhaps he’d recall his dream showed something about a maid dress...

“Viorel. Just a traveling scholar who happened to stumble upon this village in its hour of need. Cynthia over there is my traveling companion.” Viorel would frown, shaking his head. “I thank the apostles for coming this far. I doubt I can do much more than keep the barrier over the door up. The people here need food and a warm bed, but...well, we’re all out of those.” He’d sigh. “Unfortunately we can’t leave either. Those undead out there...whoever is commanding them is quite the character. They won’t follow into the city - they just stop people from leaving, and anyone from wandering in.”

“Woah woah, hold up, you’re telling me someone is commanding those undead?” Elisette would say with a perplexed expression.

“That’s right. The people say its a witch that lives in those nearby woods, but I’m just a scholar.
“So...we just gotta smash this witch and the undead will be gone, then, huh? Seems simple enough. Probably some underworld cult or something huh...Uh, what are you gonna do Nick? I don’t mind if you tag along but well, erm...”

The Roma Mob
@Pyromania99

---

Anything Leuca might have said regarding Octavia was indeed, drowned out by a look of incredulity, bemusement, and then surprise.

“P-Princess!? B-but you’re not even of any sort of royal blood! A-and why would they want a Sirithen…?” It seemed the smaller elf didn’t really understand why or how this was even being arranged. “T-that means you’d be...erm, related to me? Y-you’re not...oh I don’t understand this at all...you don’t even possess the Ancestral protections...”

Leuca would shake her head.

“E-erm...h-how did this happen, Augusta?”

@ERode

---

Dagger met sword. An excited grin on Sorcha’s visage as Isidore would push himself closer to her. Yet, as metal touched metal, Isidore would find his dagger being yanked from his hand. The metal dagger seemingly had somehow managed to glue the dagger to her sword...or rather, magnetize it, it seemed. With a swift motion she’d twist the blade with enough force to nearly break his wrist if he did not release it. Her free hand would grab Isidore’s wrist, gripping hard enough to cause his ability to manifest in an attempt to defend himself from trauma.

He’d be pulled intimately close, her blade now pressed firmly against his neck. A trickle of blood before his ability would seal the wound. It had been an overall short, brief encounter. Her movements were far too fast, and she was much stronger physically than her slight frame would suggest.

“I believe this is your loss?” She’d say. For a moment Isidore might have noticed a small flash of confusion across her face before vanishing. “And since I won, you can treat me to dinner.”

---

Send Feet Pics
@Cu Chulainn

---

“Who can say.” Bolcha would respond with a shrug. “Trying to understand an Elder Beast would be like trying to talk to a rock.” The craftsman would say. “You can see what it does, how it behaves if carved, but you can’t really say how its made, can you? The Kyrnith is powerful - its the embodiment of the skies and Forest.” He’d shake his head. “And most...don’t think too much about it? The hunters likely worshipped him because he could teach how to hunt, make traps, learn about the forest. That sort of thing. I don’t get it myself, i’d much rather learn on my own. That’s why I’m the best craftsman in the village, ya see. Most, aside from Lazhira don’t really care too much.”

Nomura/Malphas could keep speaking with Bolcha as much as he’d wish, though it would not be long before he’d hear the clanking of some armor and blades as the face of Haruno would step inside the longhouse.

“Excuse me...Lady Mie asked me to come here to inquire about some sort of work?” The Oni would ask the two present. He could stick around if he wished and talk more.

---

@Rune_Alchemist

Donovan grit his teeth as what was potentially a worst-case scenario. He and Akando had failed to stop the slaughter, the Kyrnith was likely on the verge of rampage, and based on the corpse to hunter ratio-- there were likely many more hunters here... And more deer dying by the moment.

If Don wanted any hope of salvaging the situation he'd need to act fast, and talk faster.

Of the five hunters he could see, the one closest to Akando; the woman, was the most dangerous. Unlike the others, Don could sense she had some kind of blessing, she was the only hunter with such he'd seen thus far at all. If this was the "Soyala" he'd heard about, this was the leader of the Illuminator's cultists; and likely very capable. Fortunately, neither Kyrnith nor the hunters had seemed to notice the man yet.

An advantage he had every intention of using.

Raising he shield Donovan charged with all his might as he gathered power in his legs, intent on barreling through the first few hunters, and launching himself at Soyala before she could make her next move.

The only warning they'd get would be Don's last-ditch effort to keep the elder beast from going on a warpath of indescriminate and vengeful slaughter. "Kynrith! Don't waste yer time on the un's, Akando n' aye can deal with em-- protect tha deer they ain't gotten to yet!"

It was a fucking long shot. But maybe, just maybe nobody else needed to die here... And justice could be served proper.

“It’d be my pleasure,” Isidore smiled coolly, even as his wrist continued to throb from the vice-like grip she held it in, even as his heart hammered against his chest at the surge of adrenaline (was it just adrenaline) that forced his body into overdrive, when the battle had already concluded. This close, it was impossible to ignore how beautiful Sorcha was. Beautiful? No, Augusta was beautiful, with demure, doe-like eyes, a heart-shaped face, and ethereally long hair that evoked artists’ depictions of Venus. Sorcha was handsome, a heroic jawline and strong features accentuated by eyes that weren’t light brown, but rather gold, golden as the lightning she harnessed within. Perhaps in the corona of Augusta’s beauty, he had missed out on this, but now…

“Truly, Tamaln society lacks courage and good taste.”

He tilted his head to the side slightly, a silent request for Sorcha to release him, and once the warrior did, he took a step away, bending down to pick up the dagger he’d dropped. His fingers tingled still, a curious, excited feeling that matched the rate of his heartbeats, and briefly, Isidore frowned. The world the Goddess had deposited him in was one filled with beauty and depravity, yes, but the differences between this and the world he had departed from wasn’t so great that he’d have no tolerance to it. How on Earth was he still managing to feel this way then, like a twenty year old who’d only just met women rather than girls? The raven-haired youth shook his head to clear away such thoughts, sheathing his dagger and kicking up his halberd once more.

Turning to Sorcha once again, he said, “Ignore that. Shall we return to Leuca, or is there more to do at this armory?” A brief pause. His heart was still beating a bit too fast. In the absence of a life and death situation, Isidore couldn’t cool down nearly so easily. “And next time we duel, I’m bringing a stick.”

The Builder

---

@Guy0fV4lor

It was a valiant effort on Donovan's part. Focusing the power of the diety that had granted him boons into his legs, he'd charge forward. Somewhat more familiar this time than the last time he had done so, a more controlled charge that wouldn't end with him face planting or tripping this time - he'd charge straight for Soyala, but the huntress was uncannily quick in her movements. As he'd start his sprint, a small smirk. Seemed she was at least, ready for this.

"You. You are with the travelers." The Kyrnith would say. Gone was the airy, thoughtful tone that it had spoken with previously. The words were more focused. More direct, harsh and roaring like that of a typhoon or tornado.

"Donovan...!" Akando seemed equally stunned by Donovan's quick appearance, but it didn't seem like he was opposed to it. "...It seems you have been speaking the truth. Funny, how the Illuminator would try to hide that." He'd idly comment. "Beast of Old, Beast of the Earth...I cannot apologize on behalf of my kinsmen...but I can do what I can to help."

The deer would seemingly ignore Akando, turning its gaze to Donovan.

"Does a tornado change its path upon the whim of one?" The large deer would take steps towards the hunters. "No. These hunters must taught a lesson."

Wind would start whistling through the deer's antlers. It seemed if Donovan wanted a peaceful resolution, he'd need to do something else to calm the Kyrnith down!

"...prepare to retreat. We've done what we accomplished!" She'd shout. "To the village!"

The battle was over. One of the hunters was dead, two were fatally injured, and aside from some bruises, it looked like Novak, Nobunaga, and Enli were unscathed. Novak wrenched the spear from his sword and tossed it away, not wanting the hunter to be able to reach it.

"It's a good thing you were with us, Nobunaga," he said to his companion. "Enli and I wouldn't have survived this without you."

Indeed, Nobunaga had felled every single one of their foes, showing considerable skill with both a sword and bow. Novak couldn't help but wonder how Lady Mie's bodyguards would compare to the red-eyed swordswoman in terms of swordsmanship. Either way, it was pretty clear she handily outmatched the hunters.

There was still the matter of the wounded hunters. One had been literally disarmed and wouldn't last long before he bled out. The other- the one whom Novak had been fighting- had taken an arrow to the lung and was probably going to die soon, too. He needed to die- he tried to enrage the Kyrinth, tried to kill Enli, and tried to kill Novak and Nobunaga despite them having helped the hunters. In fact, he very well may have been one of the people trying to kill Novak at the temple, too.

Novak stepped over the man, his blade to deliver a coup de grace, placing the sword over the approximate location of the man's heart. His arms wouldn't drive the sword in, though. The feeling of imminent danger was wearing off, and the willingness to kill was fading from him. Try as he might, he didn't have the will to stab this incapacitated man anymore. He had killed ornery birds and ungrateful slimes, but he had never killed another person- or if he did, he couldn't remember it. Either way, he found himself hesitating to do it.

"Why did you try to kill us? We helped you, we've put our lives on the line to help your village, and you stab us in the back!" he shouted at the man, not caring if the dying hunter could or would respond. He may not yet have the stomach to kill a wounded man, even one so grievously wounded that it'd probably be an act of mercy, but between the throbbing pain in his face and the hurt from the hunters' betrayal, he nonetheless found himself angry to the point of tears.

@Rune_Alchemist@VitaVitaAR

Once she had gathered everything required to start the process and returned to Lazirha's home, Misaki took a deep breath and began to set everything she needed up. In the middle of preparing the pot of water, though, the foxgirl found herself momentarily accosted by their gracious host, who had apparently returned from wherever she had gone. The curiosity, of course, was reasonable—after all, what sort of 'normal' person in this era would attempt something like this?—and given what she had taken...

Well, it was only right to answer.

"I... Hm... How to describe this..." she began, musing to herself before glancing at the shredded pile of plant matter in its bag before shrugging. "I suppose that the best way to describe this is... I'm taking the fibers that make up the plants here, cleaning them of any spare materials, soaking them to break them down into pulp, then breaking them down further beyond that. Afterwards... Well, assuming Narkissa finishes the frame I asked for, that pulp would be dried in the frame to create something I hope to be able to sell to Lady Mie, even if it's only at a proof-of-concept level. With that said, though, I'd appreciate it if you didn't spread that around the village—at least, not quite yet."

The other people living with Lazirha would probably understand what she was attempting with a glance, at least, even if they might not have understood the process in its entirety—granted, even what she was doing now was still half-fumbling about and piecing together bits and pieces of papermaking from memory—but the bargaining chip would most certainly lose it's value if the process came to light too early. Hopefully that wouldn't be the case, but who knew what would happen?

@Rune_Alchemist

The arrow had struck true, piercing and collapsing the final hunter's lung going by the sounds coming from his mouth. Almost immediately, Novak began to berate the man on the ground, tears in his eyes.

Nobunaga merely sighed and drew her katana again. He lacked experience, indeed. She would have to handle what remained herself.

"There is no point in leaving this man alive," she commented, simply, as she walked up to the hunter with a pierced lung. With a flick of her wrist, and the sound of steel slicing the air, the edge of her katana parted the skin of his throat, his windpipe, and the arteries in his neck.

"Now..."

Turning away from the freshly-made corpse without a second thought, she approached the slowly-bleeding hunter whose arms she had severed.

"You are going to die, and I am certain you are aware of that," she commented, standing over him, "However, the cold will slow the flow of your blood, and the shock will keep you alive for longer then you may otherwise have. Freezing to death is surely an unpleasant way to go, but that won't be what claims you, will it?"

A thoughtful expression on her face, the petite girl crouched beside the disarmed hunter.

"No. As a hunter, you must know of the many scavengers dwelling in this forest," she continued, in a conversational tone, "You must know these harsh conditions leave them hungry and desperate for fresh meat. They'll smell the blood. The blood of your fallen comrades, and your own."

The beautiful young girl smiled pleasantly.

"They won't wait until you're dead. Will they start with your intestines? Your liver? I wonder..."

She paused for a moment to let her words hang in the chill air.

"... Unless, of course, you tell me who you are allied with, where to find them, and your motivation. If you give me these three pieces of information, I will end your suffering swiftly and as painlessly as possible."

@Rune_Alchemist@Crimson Paladin

Well, the exasperated reaction was about what Augusta was expecting truthfully. "Truthfully, it's a little complicated and I have a lot to learn... But..." With that, Augusta regaled Leuca with her tale of the night, ignoring some of her teasings of the Prince of course, though leaving the dress part in of course. "And so, we'll be... cousins? If all goes to plan of course." The older woman mentioned. "As I mentioned, I have plenty to learn. I hope you'd be willing to work with me to that end. Geez... I'm keeping myself busy. Multiple histories, etiquette, magic and I plan on asking Sorcha to teach me the blade..." Augusta mentioned before going into thought and shaking a small bit. "Despite my small fear of that woman." Sorcha didn't seem to be evil in the slightest but... She couldn't forget that situation. She should be glad. If the Queen had be the first person that she had some really weird situation with, perhaps she wouldn't have reacted so well.

---

The catgirl frowned slightly at the mention of just telling Lazhira the truth about, well, the girl herself. Yes they owed it to Lazhira to be honest with her, but at the same time it was not something that would likely sit well with anyone. Learning you were made simply to hide a key? Learning your whole existence was not that of a living thing, but basically to hide something? Exestential crisis city, if not worse. To that end, the catgirl let out a long sigh as she nodded back to Narkissa. It was about as much as she could do at this point for the most part, as after sitting there listening to Narkissa in turn that last burst of energy to talk seemed to fizzle right out.

Still...

"What if telling her...also...causes something bad? Imagine...damn..."

Leannah felt a yawn force itself out from her throat after she spoke, and likewise her eyes began to feel heavier than they perhaps should have. It was natural, but she was trying to fight it simply to say something. However, she couldn't fight sleep and exhaustion and so forth forever. Far from it, actually, though she feared things would go to hell if she tried to get any shut-eye. All the same, ignoring it was just as foolish right now after all she'd been through.

In that vein her compatriot was most correct indeed.

"...You're right...need...sleep...talk....later....but...wake me......if....things......go........bad......."

The catgirl's eyelids fluttered shut as the last word drawled out of her mouth, barely legible but enough for Narkissa to hopefully get the point: 'Wake me if things go bad.' A last little message in case, well, in case things went to crap whilst she slept. Perhaps she was overthinking it still, but all the same the reality of gods and monsters and so forth in this world made knowledge that much more dangerous. What if Lazhira reacted very badly to it? What if she tried to open the seal then, or called them all crazy or lied to and kicked them out? What if the Goddess of Conflict made use of Lazhira in that time, pushing her in the direction that would most quickly open that seal?

So many what-if's, and Leannah herself felt there were far too many for her to handle at the moment. At least, to handle alone. So much she didn't know, so much she didn't have a say in, and now this accursed knowledge she'd acquired that opened up the truth but felt like it simultaneously made a can of worms or worse out of the rest of it.

Still, her mind grasped once last time at a small something in her mind as consciousness faded into some much needed rest-

'Goddess...Auset-Kythet...what do...I don't know...what to do...this...'

A tiny attempt at a prayer, as sleepily and exhaustedly delivered as it was, sprung from her worry. Whether it was answered or anything happened or not, however, the catgirl would finally and fully fall asleep before Narkissa's eyes.

Comfort under the veil of unconsciousness would be a small bit of solace, perhaps, before some tough decisions would need to be made.

@Rune_Alchemist@Click This

“Inside. Quickly. We do not want to have the barrier down after nightfall.”

Nick and Elisette were let inside the shelter by a blonde man with very, long hair and wore the black robes of a typical priest. Nick spotted a strange insignia on the robes, one that looked like a flower or a skull or both. An amethyst necklace hung around his neck, while his eyes were ruby in color.

“Apologies for the cold reception, understandably we’ve had it a bit hard here.”

Within the church were the apparent survivors of the village, still alive but in miserable conditions. Nick could only wonder how long they were like this. As they went further inside though, Nick was greeted by the presence of a figure that made his eyes widen. There was a girl there wearing a dark blue-and-white maid dress, albeit a more fantastical and... flashy version and not the kind found in Earth, cosplay notwithstanding. But more importantly, it was the maid dress that Nick found in his vision.

She had a black blindfold on but her head followed the group as they entered, and Nick was watching her the entire time. Questions floating in his head the entire time.

“Viorel. Just a traveling scholar who happened to stumble upon this village in its hour of need. Cynthia over there is my traveling companion. I thank the apostles for coming this far. I doubt I can do much more than keep the barrier over the door up. The people here need food and a warm bed, but...well, we’re all out of those. Unfortunately we can’t leave either. Those undead out there...whoever is commanding them is quite the character. They won’t follow into the city - they just stop people from leaving, and anyone from wandering in.”

“Woah woah, hold up, you’re telling me someone is commanding those undead?”

“That’s right. The people say its a witch that lives in those nearby woods, but I’m just a scholar.”

“So...we just gotta smash this witch and the undead will be gone, then, huh? Seems simple enough. Probably some underworld cult or something huh...Uh, what are you gonna do Nick? I don’t mind if you tag along but well, erm...”

Nick scratched the back of his head. It would be the smarter decision to just hang back and let Elisette deal with the problem, but Nick was still worried about the warrior woman. Besides, he didn't feel right sitting this out. "Uhh, I think I'll be coming with. You'll need to find where the witch is in the woods, right? And I have a knack for finding things." Nick made his decision.

"Uhh, but before we go, can we take a minute or two to catch our breaths? We did just get chased in the snow just earlier." Nick was indeed tired but he just wanted to ask around some more. Taking a glance at the surviving townsfolk, he turned back to Viorel. "How long has Liven been like this? When did those zombies start coming?" He asked before getting the idea of at least arming himself. "I'm guessing the town guards are all gone. Do you have any remaining weapons for defense here?"

Looking at the maid named Cynthia, Nick pointed a thumb at her. "And don't you think it's a little... impolite to have a blind person as your servant?" He doubted that Cynthia was incapable, but Nick wanted to coax out some information.

@Rune_Alchemist @Crusader Lord

The truth indeed had its own risks. Leannah was right—there really was no telling how the young girl would react, especially with her divine origins. In the worst-case scenario, there might be some kind of curse that would harm her if she learned of the truth –if this was the truth—that also made Narkissa a bit hesitant. But in her eyes, the risk was worth it, considering the stakes. Protecting a girl that she valued and trusted was one thing, but protecting the world from being destroyed by a rogue god was… another.

“Maybe… but the benefits outweigh the risks,” she responded, before sighing at Leannah.

She was clearly about to tip over into sleep. Right then, bedtime for her; but not before she replied to her little request. “I will,” she reassured, standing up as the catgirl fell asleep. Looking for a blanket, she pulled it over the now dozing girl, before pulling back and glancing at her half-complete wooden frame.

Leannah had given her a lot to think about. And think about it she shall—but maybe a bit later. She had a wood frame to finish. Not wanting to wake her up, she slipped back out of the house to the backyard, borrowing some relevant tools that she could find so that she could finish up the wooden construct in time for Misaki to continue with the paper-making project.

---

@Rune_Alchemist

Don's gaze never left the cultist leader even as he drove through a pair of her lackeys, both men bouncing off his shield with a stiff thud. Unfortunately, Soyala never gave the chance to take a shot at her legs-- clearly intending to draw the skirmish into the town. Don knew the crazy bitch would likely use the townsfolk as meatshields for herself and her accomplices... Maybe that's what she was counting on. With the cultists fleeing, Don whirled to face the Kyrnith before it could give chase to the hunters.

If the Elder beast couldn't be counted on to make the wise decision here-- Don would need to be a bit more forceful in his persuasion.

Taking a deep breath and steeling himself for whatever barrage was to come, the man raised his shield and blocked the Kyrnith's path to the town with his own body.

"Does ah tornadah send ah stranger tah save a village? Can a tornadah show mercy? Can a tornadah choose what it does? Or does et simpleh exist?"

Don swallowed as he caught he breath, "You choose what yeh do here! You sent meh tah Dawn tah stop th' Illuminator an' his pawns! They want yeh tah chase em'! If yeh chase em' now, yer onleh helpin' yer enemy! Yer helpin' tha same bastards who just wronged yeh! And you'll be hurtin' folk who got nothin' tah do with this mess! If you want em' to pay fer what they done-- make et be on yer own terms! Not theirs! If yer set on this warpath right now, and can't wait tah get yer revenge-- I'll take yah to their temple if yah want! They don't give a damn about the place they're tryin' tah lead yah into! I know yer hurtin' Kyrnith-- an' ayem sorry aye couldn't stop em before this shite happened! But aye need yah tah trust me on this!"

Skill Seeker

---

@Crimson Paladin@VitaVitaAR

---

“Help?” The man would wheeze out. “You’re...not helping...ghk. Stupid outsiders-” That was all he would be able to get out by the time Nobunaga would walk over, ending the little life he had remaining. His body would fall backwards onto the ground, lifeless. That left the man that would quickly be bleeding out as the last one alive, and last one to answer any questions Nobunaga had.

Still, there was a look of defiance in the downed hunters eyes, even as she made her threats and responded.

“...The Illuminator. There’s a cave near the old sealing grounds. It leads to our hideout.” He’d inhale, giving a pained wheeze as blood would spill from his wounds. “We...protect the seal. The Illuminator has...since the moonless. Someone here is causing it to weaken-ha...” Enli would pull the arrow from his robes, frowning slightly at Nobunaga’s actions, but otherwise not saying anything if he felt strongly about them. "Stupid outsiders...will ruin everything..."

“...hm. Do you think we can trust what he said?” He would quietly ask. “I think it would be best if I return you do. I’ll only get in the way if you go deal with the rest of them.”

@PKMNB0Y

---

“Oh...I see. Sure, I won’t say anything.” The girl would say with a nod. “Not really sure I follow, but it seems interesting. I’m sure Mie will find a use for it.” She’d sit next to Misaki, quietly for a bit and letting the fox girl work by herself. Misaki, in the interim of working might have noticed something. A few of the hunters were perhaps a bit too curious about the two of them and the deer not far from Misaki.

A few of them would start talking at the end of the path at Lazhira’s house towards the village, and though they didn’t seem initially hostile something was clearly a little off from the way they were wearing their armor and hefted both spears, bows, and an axe.

“Uhm. Hey, if you don’t mind me asking...what do you think of this village? I kind of find it a bit boring myself...well, Enli’s nice and so are the hunters usually as long as I don't start bothering them or getting in their business, but..its pretty boring just being here all the time I think.”

A little secret
@Crusader Lord

---

As the fatigue and everything would slowly catch up with her, the cat girl would slowly drift off to sleep. Perhaps she was hoping for comforting words from her goddess, but the sun of the desert was both harsh and cruel at times. Comfort was not something the desert sun would bring. Not easily, at least. Considering her current rather complicated relationship with the sun, maybe she should have kept quiet.

“Why are you asking for my help?” Is probably what the goddess would have said here, really. She definitely didn’t seem like the type to be overly helpful. “I told you to hunt a beast before asking my favor. Still, your audacity still amuses me. I don’t know what is happening where you are, nor do I care...but you entangle yourself with the God of Knowledge. There is likely information you do not have, for he keeps information close to his chest. Seek what you are missing. I can not know what it is, but there is likely some discrepancy in what you have been told. Do not be soft, either. Sometimes force must be used to understand a situation.”

At least, this was a brief conversation Leannah would have in her head. Perhaps she’d sleep as long as she’d need too, now. This information wasn't really anything new to her though, was it? If this was the goddess she was effectively just telling Leannah to be less soft. But if she was missing something...then what was she missing, and where could she learn it from?

@Click This

Finding the remaining tools she’d need was relatively easy. Making the frame though, too was easy if she’d know what she was doing. Just a bit time consuming. First cutting the wood into the correct shape. Making sure it was smooth and as put together as possible, sturdy enough for the use she intended.

It would be just about when she was finished with her work that she’d be interrupted again, though by an entirely different person this time - an older man, with greying hair wearing an absolutely ostentatiously colorful outfit.

“Oi, lass!” He’d call out, waving a handful of flowers at her. “I got somethin’ i need to ask ye about.” A cane was in his left hand and a flute was strapped to his belt.

A Traveler
@PaulHaynek

---

“Eh? I don’t need a rest...” Elisette would respond with a small pout. “But alright, sure. If you wanna come with I’m not gonna say no to a cute guy.”

“It had already started by the time I arrived.” Viorel would respond with a frown. “It was just the zombies then, and there were less of them. It was easy enough to either simply outrun or cut down...but they slowly started increasing in number.” He sighed. “At night something else now comes...though we don’t know what it is, just that its some spirit that goes to house to house and kills anyone that it finds.” He’d glance over to Cynthia. “The only ones here that can currently wield weapons are yourself...and Cynthia. There might be some things left in the church, but aside from that you’d have to try finding something out there.” His mouth would curl into a small smile. “Worry not about her. She can probably see more than you or I ever could.”

“What about this witch you mentioned?” Elisette would question.

“She lived in Liven once, but...I don’t know much more than that. You’d have better luck asking one of the residents. Take as long as you need, but either leave tomorrow or before nightfall. Once I put the barrier up, I will not be taking it down until tomorrow morning again.” The maid in question had currently started to sweep the floor near the back wall.

Their current questions answered, Elisette would quietly move off to the side, frowning a bit as she’d quietly speak to Nicholas.

“...I don’t trust these two.” She’d say. “Move into town shortly before things get bad? And what’s with the zombies keeping people in? That seems pretty weird to me. I'll ask around...you uh, stay cute and don't get into trouble, kay? I'll be here so just shout if something jumps ya."

The Roma Mob
@ERode

---

“Hard to ignore a compliment such as that.” Sorcha responded with a wry smile. “Unless you have interest in the weapons such as I do, I doubt it. I’m sure Leuca would be happy to see me and Augusta is likely back by now.” She’d sheathe her blade, walking past Isidore. “I’ll decide where we’ll be eating tomorrow evening after I finish dealing with the soldiers here.”

Sorcha would head back to the hall where their quarters had been, Isidore free to follow if he desired.

@Pyromania99@ERode

---

“Oh...I don’t know if this is a good idea...ah...” Leuca would frown, seemingly at a loss for words. A quick check with her eye said she was fairly uncomfortable, and was extremely hesitant to accept this for some reason. Perhaps there was something Augusta could do to make her more comfortable...perhaps the reason she was hesitant stemmed from her unease about Octavia.

“I-I’ll help where I can I suppose. Uhm. I’m not sure what I can help with...unless its about the Léargas…? I could help with that...everyone of Royal blood has to go through it. I’m not sure someone who isn’t royalty can.” Their conversation would be cut somewhat short by Sorcha opening the door to Leuca’s room, not seeming very surprised to see Augusta there, either.

“Leuca!”

“Sorcha! Isidore!” The small Sirithen would hop up from the bed, giving Sorcha a quick hug in greeting.

“Feeling better?”

“Mhm. Uhm. Sorcha? Augusta...w-well...” Perhaps it’d be good for Augusta to explain herself.

---

Send Feet Pics
@Cu Chulainn

---

“That was fast...” Bolcha would say with a bit of surprise as Haruno would walk in. “I was wonderin’ if I could hire you all for some guard work...”

“If the price is right, yes. Thank you for informing us Sir Nomura. I’ll take the negotiations from here.” Haruno would say, nodding to Malphas as she’d take over any haggling over their services. Likely was the expected course. He could interject likely wherever though, but now that he was done Mie mentioned something about wanting him to do something else, didn’t he?

---

The Builder
@Guy0fV4lor

---

Thankfully for Donovan, the hunters had already started fleeing, Soyala among them. Akando would grip his spear tightly, glad that he wouldn’t have to kill his fellow man for the moment as they’d retreat. He would turn to face the angry beast, breathing in and ready to flee or help Donovna.

Thankfully, the Kyrnith for the moment would hold its wrath. While perhaps, it wasn’t enough to cool the beasts anger...it was enough to get his attention.

“Their hideout...you know of it?” Its voice would boom as it would ask. “You continue to show both your arrogance and misplaced bravery in front of me, human. Your desire to save lives is admirable...very well. Lead - but if I deem you a liar I will have my fury satisfied some other way if I must.”

It would be a simple matter to lead the deer back to the hideout, now...but how exactly did Donovan wish to approach this situation. Surely the Kyrnith could easily get rid of the rest of the hunters. If he decided to return, he would find both the grove where the seal was and the entrance to the old temple mostly unguarded - the hunters were slowly returning from their hunts it would seem, not suspecting that the Kyrnith would be coming for them.

Augusta was still a little sad that Leuca was off put by... Something. Octavia by the looks of it. How sad, truly. Not that she could blame the poor girl, really. Still, Octavia was a precious resource. As much as she would desire to say friend, that was far from the truth of it. Still, Leuca agreed to help as much as she could. Perhaps she'd pawn Octavia on Isidore during those times. She didn't want to give her to that greedy mage, Rullphana after all. Perhaps she would see.

That aside, Sorcha and Isidore entered the room. Well, this was the perfect time. "Hello friends. Glad to see you all. What Leuca wants to say is... It appears I'm getting married soon." Augusta said before she told Sorcha and Isidore all about what happened. How the Queen asked her to marry the Prince and the small details and what she needed to learn. "That's it generally."

"So, that said..." She hesitated a small bit. Was she about to ask this monstrous human for help? Truly, she should be terrified of the Queen by power alone, but there was something about this woman's status that left her uneasy. "I have many things to learn in the days to come, I suppose, but Sorcha... Would you be willing to teach me how to use a weapon?" There was no one better than her for sure. She knew after that fight, no matter how frightened she was this was the woman to ask. "I know little, but I hope you'd be willing to teach me."