Xiulan had brought Maura to the tailors as they visited the market as requested the night before where they discussed it in the Inn. The shop was filled with beautiful, ornate hanfu, each with intricate patterns that Maura couldn't help but admire. The fabric was soft to the touch, and she could tell it was made of high-quality silk. Xiulan spoke with the store staff, earning special permission for Maura to be there, despite the looks of disapproval she received from the workers. Maura tried to pep herself up, using positive affirmations to boost her confidence. But even though she knew only a little ReTannese, she could tell that the staff was shaming her for being a cripple. Vamos, Maura, finge hasta que lo logres. She straightened her posture as she continued to look, she had already decided, but these people are going to wait for her, as she admired the handiwork.

Maura prepared herself and finished looking at the hanfu. "Xiulan, we are taking one" she said, her cheeks a little rosy as she flushed with excitement. "We want one suitable for my station, that as Governor of Longwan, and as the Trade Princess of the Ensolin." She pointed to one of the hanfu on display. Maura's eyes sparkled as she envisioned the perfect pattern for her hanfu. "We want it to be reminiscent of Longwan's prosperity and beauty. I want to see the cute little tradeships that dock at the port, the waves of the sea, and the shorelines of Longwan. We want to capture the essence of our beloved island in the design." She gestured towards the hanfu on display, her finger hovering over the intricate patterns. "Something like this, but with a touch of elegance and refinement. Can you make it happen?" She said with a smile. Maura was determined to look her best, even if others judged her based on her disability. She knew that her success would be the ultimate revenge against those who doubted her abilities. "We want people to know who we are before we open our mouth”

With a nod of understanding, Xiulan spoke with the store staff in fluent Rettanese, her words filled with the same authority as Maura's tone. She negotiated on Maura's behalf, using her connections and reputation to secure a fair price for the requested hanfu. As she spoke, Maura watched in admiration at how effortlessly Xiulan appeared to command respect from those around her. Finally, after a few minutes of negotiation, Xiulan turned to Maura with a smile of satisfaction and a nod. It is done, my lady. Maura smiled back in relief, grateful for Xiulan's assistance. "Thank you, Xiulan. We couldn't have done it without you," she said, feeling a sense of warmth at the thought of wearing her own Hanfu with some of her choice design aspects. When in ReTan, dress like a Rettanese, she thought.

---

Part 1

Maura watches the display unfolding before her as the Grey Ghosts dragged an old man onto the street, and although she recognizes the strict sense of justice in ReTan, she also sees the danger. This was not Ersand’Enise, and the way people reacted spoke volumes. Kaureerah’s words did not fall on deaf ears, and she found it difficult to keep silent on the topic.

" In any society," she begins, "innocent people can be wrongly accused and mistreated. The value of a legal system lies in its ability to prioritize the welfare of its subjects, rather than simply enforcing the law to avoid an injustice that should not occur."

Noticed the eyes started to turn in her direction as she spoke, as she glanced back to Kaureerah, then glanced away as she advocated her point to perhaps explore alternatives. “Take this man, he may, or may not, know where his master is. Given a situation where he does not know, and his honest answer is rejected, then what option does he have? In this circumstance, an innocent person being punished or intimidated would do more harm than good, as he would be liable to provide a false confession, wasting time and resources better spent elsewhere.”

Maura pivots the conversation towards their mission and task-in-hand, emphasizing their abilities as assets rather than mere pawns. “While this matter may not directly involve our intervention, we are here because you seek to deal with a foreign enemy who does not adhere to the ReTan way. Our perspective may be useful. Given your comments on the duality of both demonstration and being opaque in society, we imagine this show before us is not to find this man’s master, but to demonstrate to those present what happens if you do not cooperate. The guilt and innocence of this man is irrelevant to the goal. The brutality of these Grey Ghosts is using fear to keep people in check."

Maura then makes a bold statement. "This may have worked for hundreds of years, ensuring peace and prosperity in these lands, but something has changed. The arrival of the Traveller has upset the balance of power in these lands." She looks around the room, meeting each person's gaze in turn. "When you chase a rat, it runs away. But when the rat is stuck in a corner and has nowhere to run, it is forced to strike. Your Grey Ghosts can take down a rat. But the Traveller can turn those rats into lions, and maybe some into dragons. How many lions can those Grey Ghosts take down? The Traveller's plan is to incite rebellion and chaos, and turn ReTan into a swarm of lion-sized rats. Is that really what you want?”

As Abdel offered to use his skills to investigate, Maura nodded toward him in approval of his words. She offered him a sweet smile at his suggestion. Meanwhile, Niallus spoke up. "How is this justice? How can this violence be just beat him in public, just to set an example? What happens if you are innocent after a beating like this, if you don't mind me asking you?" Maura wrinkled her face at Niallus's response, as she chided him, "That's a bit like the Eskandish practice of Blood Eagle or public executions. It's not our place to judge others when our own cultures have its share of perceived unjust practices. Don't throw stones in glass houses."

"You may be right," Wu Long answered Maura, "or you may completely misunderstand this nation and situation as an outsider." The Exemplar clasped his hands behind his back, and there was a sharpness to him now, his eyes fixed on the distant commotion. He began stalking forward and both Captain Zhu's men and Xiulan backed hurriedly out of his path. "Regardless, that is precisely why you have been brought here: to equip us with a new perspective."

He motioned for the others to rise as he appeared to listen absently to Abdel's offer of assistance. "You are all welcome to exercise your skills in the service of what is right. I shall provide you with my utmost attention in observance."

Then, Niallus spoke, and he spoke with unequivocal accusation in his voice: an accusation leveled not just at the figures in the grey uniforms but, it seemed, at the entirety of Retanese society, without even knowing it. For his part, Wu Long seemed only mildly amused. "How is it that one might so readily mistrust what one does not yet even know?" An enigmatic expression creased his lips and animated his eyes. "Do you believe that these Guardians lie? That, by extension, the government of Retan lies?"

Maura was quick to rebuke her fellow biro as well, and this, the Exemplar found more interesting still. "And the burning of cities and genocide of the Zaqhory people does not place you in a glass house as well?" Wu Long questioned. He came to a halt in the plaza, within view of the Grey Ghosts, his ornate robes flapping in the stiff rezain breeze. "An individual is more than the people that they come from. This is something I have learned and that you must. You wish to distance yourself from his reply, but do you do so out of genuine disapproval or out of fear that you will be tarnished by association in the eyes of your hosts?" He shook his head. "I judge, but not in the way that you think."

Maura nodded respectfully in response to Wu Long's reply and said, "Acts can be described as either genocide or a people's salvation, depending on one's perspective. What may seem cruel to one can appear just to another. We recognize such matters dialectically, acknowledging their dual nature."

She smiled sweetly but apologetically as she lifted her head. ""We apologize for my insensitive comment earlier. My intention was not to distance myself from Niallus's reply out of fear, but rather to express my disapproval in a way that was misguided and inappropriate. We appreciate your perspective."

The Exemplar said nothing as the youths continued to speak. He had formed his opinions, to this point, and they might form further in the future. For now, however, came the offers of their skills, and he would give them his full attention.

Some of the guardians were taking notice of the Exemplar now, and of the foreigners who travelled with him. All six paused in their... aggressive questioning and bowed stiffly and promptly at the waist. "Exemplar Wu," said the woman in Retanese. Xiulan had scampered up behind them, and she translated quietly.

"Lady Yang."

"To what do we owe this honour?"

"Our visitors would like to take this opportunity to demonstrate their skills."

For a moment, the grey-uniformed woman froze, and there was a hint of something nasty and resentful and exasperated in her eyes as they flicked in the students' direction. "Perhaps as soon as we conclude this questioning?"

Wu Long paused, thoughtful, for a moment. "Mmm... perhaps now."

For a moment, it looked as if she wanted to say more. Those observant enough might notice her visibly stiffen at his words. Then, she barked some orders at her men, bowed - stiffly again - and gestured the foreign cohort forward. "As you command, Exemplar of Creation and Destruction."

Yalen, stepped up at this point to lead the questioning of the old man, listening in as Xiulan translated. "She says he's master lets some criminal stay zere and hides it from the government.". Maura mused at the statement, "A foreign criminal?"

---

---

---

Metropolis

---

Yalen had stayed up late last night and woken up early. The sun was still half below the horizon when he crawled out from under his bed cover. He hadn’t gotten a healthy amount of sleep before their big outing, but it was easy enough to trick his brain into believing he did with the application of chemical trickery. That combined with a tincture of ground holly and he was as alert as he needed to be, at least for today. Before getting dressed Yalen dedicated an hour or so to prayers and self reflection. Some things had to be done whether he was on a mission or not.

After his prayers were finished Yalen lit two sticks of incense, one for Dami and one for Oraff, and placed them in a holder at his bedside. He threw open the curtains to let in what little light there was at this early hour. The window was still opaque with morning dew, not yet evaporated by the coming sunrise. The priest donned his vestments and gathered the full extent of his equipment and provisions, anticipating that today would involve more than a simple tour of the city. The medicines he carried needed to be properly maintained for freshness, so he used some of the spare time and replaced the oiled paper holding his remedies with fresh material, provided to him free of charge by their Rettanese benefactors.

Yalen sat down for the morning meal and tucked into a bowl of wonton soup. As he did so his eyes continuously wandered between the Xiulan, the innkeepers, and their Eeaiko exchange student. Yalen was finally able to pinpoint why the figure he detected last night felt so familiar after being in close proximity to her. She was an exact match. What was she doing while believing the rest of them to be asleep? Was Kaureerah trying to complete the mission on her own, or was she betraying her trust and giving information to the enemy? He couldn’t go throwing around accusations without proof of either motive, so Yalen was unable to confront her about it. Even if he brought it up she could just play dumb. For now he resolved to keep an even closer eye on their fishy friend until her loyalties could be determined.

After breakfast the group departed the inn for the day and ventured into the city. Yalen couldn’t help but feel that Ersand’Enise was more pleasant to be in, but he knew it was an unfair comparison to make. The size of this place dwarfed the academy city by orders of magnitude, so a little bit of grime and poverty was to be expected. It still wasn’t as filthy as Mudville.

When they passed by the spice market, Yalen was singled out by a scrappy looking kid carrying a burlap sack on his back. The boy tugged on his priestly robes while trying to communicate some kind of offer in broken Avincian.

“Look, look! Medicine! Very good! You buy!” The kid opened his sack and tried showing off an assortment of powders and liquids. Yalen recognized most of them to be common remedies for things like stomach aches and sore teeth. His guess was that this was a pharmacist’s son. It was too bad that he could make simple medicines like that on his own.

”No, I don’t really…“ Yalen raised his hand in objection, but his interest was piqued by one item that he was totally unfamiliar with.

”What’s this?“ Yalen pinched one of the boy’s bags and inspected it. The smell and appearance of this powder was something he’d never encountered before while studying at the monastery.

“Watch!” The kid stuck his finger into the bag, and when he pulled it out his finger was nearly invisible. Yalen’s eyes widened in surprise. He hadn’t even heard rumors of something like this existing in Constantia. Was this a Rettanese special?

I must have this. Yalen dug out his coin purse and bartered with the peddler while his escort impatiently shuffled their feet behind him.

---

Yalen boredly picked at his food while listening to the Exemplar on the patio. The day was more than half gone, and the only progress they had made in regards to the mission so far was being handed some folders containing a briefing on the murder cases. While that was certainly helpful, he would rather be doing something productive. Why hadn’t they been given these documents upon arrival? Why did this feel more like a tour than an investigation? Was someone trying to lead the team by the nose? Yalen’s mind was so full of negative thoughts he could no longer recall what Wu Long and the others were talking about. Well, except the part about magic use in Rettan. He had some thoughts about their crackdown on mages based on his trip to the future, but he reminded himself that now was not the time to get philosophical.

---

"你的主人在哪里!?" (Where is your master?) the woman shouted at the old man. She was beautiful, but steely-eyed and severe in bearing. "不知道!" (Don't know!) he insisted, "我不知道!" (I don't know!) he cried.

"我不相信你" (I don't believe you.) came the frosty reply. The already-thinning crowds swirled back to a distance, radiating fear, but they did not entirely flee as kicks rained down upon the old servant. "What's his crime?" Kaureerah blurted, clearly distraught at the display. "How do they know he's guilty!?"

Xiulan shifted uncomfortably, but she put on a sympathetic smile and grabbed hold of the eeiako's hand. "I know it is... distressing," she admitted, and Kaureerah noticed that her hand was trembling, "But if the Grey Ghosts come for him, he is guilty already. One hundred percent, or he's master. He has been done some very bad sing. Do not to worry."

Wu Long sat there, tall and stoic, expression unreadable. "Do not worry," he repeated, with slightly better grammar, "This is Retan."

Yalen didn’t say anything at first as he watched the situation unfold, but a few of his other comrades were unable to maintain their composure in the face of such brutality. He cringed as Niallus and Maura debated Wu Long on the principles of justice and fair treatment.

It’s not like the rest of us aren’t thinking the same as you. But it is not the time to be acting like a hero! Yalen pinched the bridge of his nose. Throwing accusations at their hosts was no way to get on their good side. He was lucky the Exemplar was a reasonable man. If it was another official being chided, the servant might have gotten beaten even worse. Niallus might have been arrested. Then the mission would be tits up. In an attempt to clear the air, Yalen decided to speak up despite his misgivings.

"Violence is just one tool a lawmaker can use to achieve compliance. This is true in every country, not just Rettan." Yalen gave Wu Long a knowing look. He himself knew quite a bit about the enhanced interrogation techniques of the Somnian order. He'd put them into practice more than once.

"Magic users are a dangerous sort. Maybe the guards viewed this level of force to be necessary in order to protect themselves and the public. We lack too many details to be casting judgment this early..." The priest walked towards the guards and their soon to be prisoner and placed his hands behind his back. "If you don't mind me asking, was this man resisting arrest?"

Wu Long allowed Xiulan to repeat Yalen's words in Retanese for the Greys and Yang addressed him in response. "She says that he was resisting the Emperors' justice by attempting to flee and that he made it worse by feigning ignorance." Wu Long's eyes flicked Yalen's way and caught his. "That is her accusation."

Yalen tilted his head to the left and scratched his chin. "So he fled." He turned to face the leader of the Greys and gestured towards the servant. "What were you shouting at him earlier? Was he using magic, or is he wanted for some other reason?"

The man began shouting, then, directing it towards Yalen, eyes flicking desperately in Xiulan's and the Exemplar's direction. "我不知道他在哪里。我什么都不知道！我没有做错!" The translator looked worriedly towards Wu Long, but he nodded. "You may do your job without fear," he assured her, and she swallowed and nodded, reproducing Yalen's words in her native tongue. Yang scowled and replied. "She says he's master lets some criminal stay zere and hides it from the government." She paused nervously. "The old man says he does not know where he's master is. He knows no sings. He didn't to do anysing wrong."

Yang regarded Yalen appraisingly, as if to say, 'Are you going to keep talking or are you going to do something?' In the background, the man began shouting again and it sounded more or less like the same thing. He prostrated himself on the ground, tears streaming down his face.

"Let me talk to your prisoner for a second." Yalen crouched down in front of the man and pulled the back of the man's shirt so he was eye level with him. He patted the servant's cheek and subtly toyed with his brain chemicals to make him a bit calmer. The priest didn't care if the Greys bristled at him. They appeared to understand he was trying to help them and kept their mouths shut.

"Hey, hey, please settle down. Who do you work for mister? Who is your master?" He asked. Yalen looked towards Xiulan and tipped his chin upwards.

To the best of Yalen's knowledge, Xiulan translated his words, glancing over her shoulder at Wu Long more than once. "这房子是为皇帝的外宾预留的。我叫宝，只在这里工作。来此拜访的人名叫灰。 我发誓这是真的!" came the old servant's response, complete with further prostration and a pleading tone. Xiulan did her best to capture it without going over the top. "Zis house was reserved for the emperor's foreign guests. My name is Bao and I only to work here. Ze name of ze person who came to visit was Hui. I swear it's true!" He appeared to be so worked up that a light application of Chemical magic would not be enough to calm him. Before Yalen could manage so much as a response, however, Lady Yang cut in. "他已经告诉我们五次了。他没有说谎，但他遗漏了信息。" She shook her head tightly, clearly unhappy. Xiulan shrank away from her and looked to the Exemplar again, but he nodded again for her to translate. "She say he said zis sing five times already and he is honest but he not saying other informations."

Yalen sighed and dropped his head down in frustration. He really wanted to take his time here, but time was short and the guards wouldn't stand there watching him chat the man up forever. There had to be a way to open him up in the next couple of minutes, or else he'd just have to move on to the next part of the puzzle with pieces missing. What can I do to get him to talk... Yalen thought. If the man kept repeating himself then his guess was that the servant either scared stupid, or he was being threatened by someone. He squeezed the man's head with both hands and forced the servant to look him straight in the eye. With the Blessing of Joy he stimulated the production of endorphins in the man's brain to alleviate his stress. If he still refused to talk then more drastic measures would be necessary...

"Listen to me very carefully Mr. Bao. You haven't told us nearly enough for us to be satisfied. These men are not going away until you give us more information, so you better start talking while they're still in a lenient mood. WHO is your master, and WHAT does he do? I need you to give more clues so I can convince these guards to let you go. You'd like that wouldn't you?" Yalen punctuated his statement by shaking Bao's head a little bit.

'Mr. Bao' stiffened when Yalen grabbed him so forcefully, before his mind was fried with emotions that were not his own. In response to the Meattan's chemical stimulus, his lips started to pucker, before breaking into an uncontrolled smile. Yalen continued, delivering his threats, and Xiulan duly translated, though it was difficult to tell if she had gotten the tone correct. The man knew what they were, however, for he was not stupid. He listened on, even as he was shaken, and an enormous, vacant, tooth-filled grin split the lower half of his face. Then, his mouth opened, and he laughed. He laughed. And he laughed. And he laughed.

"你问我谁是我师父?" he suddenly blurted, voice going cold and icy. Xiulan began to translate: "You ask me who is my master?", but his grin was a sick thing now: sick and toothy. "Aaaaah haha! Aha! Aaaahahahaaaa!!" In the background, the last rays of the sun dipped below the rooftops. All around Yalen came the drawing of powerful magics, most of all from Lady Yang. "你看不到我的主人，但他看到了你!" (You do not see him, but he sees you!) An outward explosion of kinetic energy erupted from the Servant and slammed into Yalen, sending him flying across the street.

The next morning,the students walked around, escorted by some guards. The sights, the sounds. Hearing the civilians go about their day to day lives is different from Ersand'Enise. There were a few people staring at them, no surprise since the students were outsiders. Kaureerah happily played her lute, as they walked. They entered a small market area, the trees fitted perfectly the amount of stalls there was. People stopping and chatting. Niallus couldn't understand what they were saying of course. Children running around playing. They seemed to be heroes of some kind, based on them preforming odd poses.

An owner of a stall waved Niallus over, he held a box with a hole in front of Niallus, the owner spoke Retannese to him but Niallus didn't understand him. Luckily Ingrid came over to help her boyfriend understand what the owner was saying with the Universal Translation Trout. The owner was offer Niallus to pull a number from the box to win a prize, at least that's what the trout translated. He reaches into the box and pull out a parchment, showing it to the owner, he celebrates, apparently Niallus pulled out the highest number that was in the box. The owner presented Niallus a pair of Chopsticks. Niallus was confused this gift. The Trout translated, apparently these chopsticks have temporal magic to them, but the owner never really tested it.

After taking his prize, he gave Ingrid a kiss to thank her for her help, then walked back to the rest of the group. Thinking of on objects that he could test the chopsticks on, of course he'll wait until then, for now he placed them in a pocket. Then waited for the others.

Taleja entered the laboratory, moving into the changing area as she dressed in her protective clothing. She carefully donned her white gloves and adjusted her white wig to ensure not even a strand of her hair came into contact with any of the creatures she would be working with. As she approached the dragon enclosure, she reached out to touch the metal grate, checking that it was secure before unlocking the door.

Inside, she was greeted by the sight of several rat-sized dragons, each one with iridescent scales shimmering in the dim light. She cooed at them softly, her voice barely above a whisper, as she checked their food and water bowls. She added a few drops of a special potion to each of their bowls before ringing a small silver bell. The dragons immediately flocked to her, their eyes gleaming with anticipation, as she carefully fed each of them their meal and provided them with some attention.

After she had finished with the dragons, Taleja turned her attention to another task at hand. She took out a small vial of a clear liquid and held it up to the light to inspect its purity, examining it closely. With great care, she measured out a few drops of the liquid into a beaker and added a few drops of another undisclosed substance. She then stirred the mixture with a glass rod, noting the chemical reaction taking place.

As she worked, Taleja remained focused and analytical, her mind sharp and clear. She had a deep appreciation for the beauty of alchemy and the power it held, and she was determined to master it. She made notes upon her slate tablet, attempting to refine the mixture she had in front of her.

One of the dragons began to falter as it became lethargic, weak, and uncoordinated in its movements. Taleja concluded her side-experiment to return to the study as she approached the dragon's cage. She took the slate beside it as she began to write observations. The dragon laid down upon the floor, as it started to vomit. It was wheezing, showing some distress as it had difficulty breathing. She reached inside as she stroked upon the dragon’s cheek, using a modified version of Gaze of Agony to minimize the level of pain it experienced and made it more comfortable for the creature.

She observed how the effects of the paralysis started at the peripheral, with effects similar to the tethering as it spread at a far accelerated rate throughout the body. As it reached the central mass, the creature began to convulse and eventually passed away, succumbing due to respiratory failure. She documented the time of the death, clarifying as she searched for signs of life, before concluding. She moved to place a dark cloth over the other cages before she removed the body from the enclosure, and brought it to her examining table.

Taleja took a blade as she began to cut into the creature as part of the autopsy. She carved, interested in the stomach as she sliced into the flesh to open it. An acrid smell was soon detected in the air, documenting as follows: “Foul and somewhat fishy.” As she finished her observations, one of the other dragons in the cages started to grow agitated as she started to switch her focus. She put the tablet alongside the others on the counter as she went to attend to the cages.

The slate titled Schierling was sat on top of the pile, amongst others similarly formatted, and which held observations previously recorded below. Arsen, Belladonna, Blasenkäfer, Bleiacetat, Quecksilber…

---

---

Part 2

"Listen to me very carefully Mr. Bao. You haven't told us nearly enough for us to be satisfied. These men are not going away until you give us more information, so you better start talking while they're still in a lenient mood. WHO is your master, and WHAT does he do? I need you to give more clues so I can convince these guards to let you go. You'd like that wouldn't you?" Yalen punctuated his statement by shaking Bao's head a little bit.

'Mr. Bao' stiffened when Yalen grabbed him so forcefully, before his mind was fried with emotions that were not his own. In response to the Meattan's chemical stimulus, his lips started to pucker, before breaking into an uncontrolled smile.

Yalen continued, delivering his threats, and Xiulan duly translated, though it was difficult to tell if she had gotten the tone correct. The man knew what they were, however, for he was not stupid. He listened on, even as he was shaken, and an enormous, vacant, tooth-filled grin split the lower half of his face. Then, his mouth opened, and he laughed.

He laughed.

And he laughed.

And he laughed.

"你问我谁是我师父?" he suddenly blurted, voice going cold and icy. Xiulan began to translate: "You ask me who is my master?", but his grin was a sick thing now: sick and toothy. "Aaaaah haha! Aha! Aaaahahahaaaa!!" In the background, the last rays of the sun dipped below the rooftops. All around Yalen came the drawing of powerful magics, most of all from Lady Yang. "你看不到我的主人，但他看到了你!" (You do not see him, but he sees you!)

An outward explosion of kinetic energy erupted from the Servant and slammed into Yalen. Then, suddenly, the house was full of energies: over a dozen in the attic and the cellar, and they were strong.

Lady Yang was already in action, stepping forward and barking out orders. <<"Chen, Zhang, and Dai, between us and the house. Cai and Feng, pacify the prisoner!">> She strode forward, casually reaching out to catch Yalen with Kinetic magic and set him on his feet. <<"You pieces of shit: we have you now.">>

When Yalen was thrown back by the kinetic shockwave he was instantly reminded of the time he blew those demons in Eskand sky-high. He didn't hit a tree this time however thanks to Lady Yang's timely rescue. Whatever he or is companions though about the police in Rettan, it was a fact that they were well trained and quick to react, and for that he was grateful.

"One of you help Cai and Feng secure the old man! Everyone else with me! We're going in!" Yalen shouted while pointing at his teammates

Maura stood on the sidelines, her eyes fixed on the unfolding chaos. Her heart pounded as she watched Yalen get thrown back with a powerful wave of kinetic magic, only to be caught by the Grey Ghost captain. The air crackled with magical energy as her fellow students rushed in to reinforce the situation at the House. Despite the chaos, Maura couldn't help but feel disappointed in the Grey Ghosts' sloppy work. Deception and trickery seemed to easily overcome them, which left her feeling frustrated.

As Cai and Feng attempted to pacify the prisoner, Maura's mind raced with ideas. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned the power of her secret magnetic arts, and her hand twisted as she focused intensely on the old man's blood, warping it as she brought it under her control. The old man's body began to contort, and he writhed in pain. “绑定他。紧紧。需要他活着。- Bind him, tightly. Need him alive.” Maura watched as the Grey Ghosts quickly bound him, a bit of metal between his teeth to prevent him from biting his tongue, and bringing a sense of relief to the chaotic scene outside.

Maura swiftly took charge, her mind racing with her plan unfolding mentally. She turned to Wu Long, her voice clear and purposeful. "Now is the time for subtlety, not spectacle. Let the others handle the show" she instructed, nodding towards the pair of Grey Ghosts. "他担保。帮助别人 - We have him under control. Reinforce the others."

As they made their way toward the others, Maura slipped behind the prisoner, concealing her actions as she spoke softly and urgently to him. "你和旅行者一起工作？是则点头。- Do you work with the Traveller? If so, nod your head." With a quick and precise movement, she snapped one of the ropes binding him, hoping he understood her meaning despite any language barrier. She held her breath, waiting for his response.

Mr. Bao didn't seem to understand Maura. Her accent was rather thick. He squinted, trying to, but was happy to start trying to undo his bindings.

Maura waited for Mr Bao's response, watching his face for any signs of recognition or understanding. She tried to keep her voice calm and friendly, hoping to put him at ease.

As she waited, she continued to loosen his bindings, making sure to keep her movements slow and deliberate. She didn't want to alarm him or make him feel like she was trying to trick him.

As it appeared that he wished to speak, she gently started to unfasten the gag preventing him from doing, using the universal sign of ‘sh’ not to drew attention to them. “你和旅行者在一起吗，朋友? - Are you with the Traveller, friend?”

Mr. Bao squinted, pausing for a long moment, and she could all-but physically sense the wheels turning behind his eyes. Then, a dim sort of recognition dawned on his face. "是的！对对对" (Yes! yeah yeah yeah!) he exclaimed in an excited whisper. "我为这个人工作。" (I work for them) He nodded eagerly. "你也是？" (You too?) His voice lowered conspiratorially, expression grateful and desperate and eyes darting about warily at the others, including the Exemplar.

When he nodded in response to her question, she smiled, relieved. She tugged on her ear twice times as she took a deep breath, then continued. “好的，发送消息。今晚。在主要港口集合。- Good. Pass on a message. Tomorrow night. Meet me at the Main Port”

She moved to make eye contact with him, hoping to convey sincerity and trustworthiness with her expressions. She quickly sketched a rough map of the port between them on the stone, gesturing with her hand to indicate its shape. Then, she drew a small X on the map to mark the location of the meeting spot, making sure to emphasize it with a few swift strokes of her finger.

"理解？- Do you understand?" she asked, looking at Mr. Bao expectantly, hoping that he would comprehend the message and not suspect any ulterior motives.

Mr Bao is on guard, sceptical of Maura's intentions. He challenges her with a passphrase, asking her:
"你是什​​么人，你要去哪里？ - Who are you, and where are you going?".
Maura is caught off guard. Thinking quickly, she responds to Mr Bao's inquiry in a calm and measured manner, stating: "我是一名旅行者，我前往需要我的地方 - I'm a traveller and I travel to where I am needed".

Mr. Bao fairly radiated suspicion, but he accepted Maura's answer with a deferential nod. "谢谢你，朋友。这里绝对需要你。你的好意不会被遗忘。" (thank you, friend. You are definitely needed here. Your kindness will not be forgotten.) He paused and managed a tight smile. "我们中很少有人反对政府的压迫。我们没有他们那么强大，但我们会获胜，因为我们的事业是正义的。感谢您意外的帮助。我会把这个交给我的上级。" (Few of us stand against the government's oppression. We are not as powerful as they are, but we will prevail because our cause is just. Thank you for your unexpected help. I will pass this on to my superiors.)

Maura followed through her plan as she loosened the main binding on the old man. Now to cast the die.

"谢谢。谢谢你，船长！你就像他们说的那样坚强," (Thank you. Thank you, captain! You are as strong as they say.) exclaimed Xiulan, but Zhu Kai was on guard again within moments. His eyes, along with those of Wu Long and Trypano, snapped towards a near-distant rooftop. Perched atop it, silhouetted in the dying glow of the recently-set sun, was a tall, lean figure in a mask. White hair flowed from behind it and one could swear there was a smile, though the stoic porcelain face had not visibly changed one bit. "轮到我了," (My turn,) it exclaimed, and then Captain Zhu was lifted into the air. They could feel him drawing massive amounts of energy. The Goldcloak was easily above 8.00 on the RAS, but it was little use. His skin began to peel most grotesquely, but he did not scream. Xiulan was hurled backwards like a ragdoll. Maura was nearly knocked from her wheelchair and her prisoner fell over onto his side. Trypano braced herself and Wu Long held steady, unflinching against the kinetic onslaught. Kaureerah, however, was nowhere to be seen or sensed.

As Maura and Mr Bao were finishing up, an enormous explosion shook the ground and sent them both tumbling to the side. Maura quickly regained her composure, trying to assess and focus on the situation. Her attention was drawn to the crumpled form of Captain Zhu lying on the ground, his body appearing to be peeled like an onion, and clearly in critical condition. She glanced between Mr Bao and Captain Zhu before leaving the prisoner unattended and hurrying over to examine the captain's injuries. With practised ease, she began to use her binding magic to heal him, murmuring reassuring words as she worked. "Stay with us, Captain Zhu" she urged, determined to save him from his injuries.

There was a larger fight happening now, though, and he was knocked onto his side with a yelp. It was after that that Maura found herself headed for someone in far greater need. When she managed a glance over her shoulder in his direction, he was gone. Instead, there was Kaureerah, glaring straight at her. She shook her head, started moving rapidly away, and disappeared

Meanwhile, Wu Long reappeared, his clothes tattered, left arm covered in burns, lip split, and body bloodied in multiple places. His chest heaved with exertion and energy crackled around him. "He was... a freak of nature, or... perhaps not nature," the Exemplar admitted, allowing some of his energy to bleed off as he surveyed the damage surrounding him. Frustrated, he shook his head, muttering curses in Retanese. "Whatever he was, he was strong, though. He had me on... you would say 'the back foot'?"

Help had now arrived, in the form of Red Menders and Orange Caps, and they were already tending to the wounded and ensuring the safety of all nearby persons. Behind them came squads of repairmen, ready to set to work on the plaza. Xiulan fluttered about the group, making sure that they were all attended to and alright. The only ones missing appeared to be Rikard, Kaureerah, and Yalen, and she asked after them frantically as Captain Zhu conferred with his men, including Zhou, who was missing most of his clothes and speaking with incredulous, grateful urgency. "我希望我们至少抓住了一名嫌疑人," (I hope we caught at least one suspect) the Captain grumbled, casting about, but matters were wrapping up now.

Then, as if someone up on high had been listening to him, Yalen and Rikard returned, each with an unconscious prisoner slung over their shoulders. They dumped these unceremoniously at the Exemplar's and Captain Zhu's feet. "Got some badguys for you," The younger of the two students crowed, and Xiulan blushed as she translated. Then: "Anyone has seen Kaureerah? Ze eeaiko girl?" Her voice and bearing were growing increasingly urgent. The songstress was still missing.

Nobody had, it seemed, nobody except Maura, if she was willing to say anything, that was…

As the chaos of the aftermath settled and the injured tended to, the realization dawned on them that Kaureerah was missing. Maura's voice was timid as she spoke up, feeling guilty for the failure to keep track of the old man. "Whilst we were occupied with healing Captain Zhu to save his life, the old man took advantage of the situation and ran away. Kaureerah said she was going to try to look for him for me, as she can run a lot faster."

Yet, the eeaiko remained missing, and nobody else seemed to know very much. For one skilled enough, her familiar signature might've stood out among the humans. Eyes turned to the tethered until Xiulan formalized the request. "Yaren, Abder," Xiulan put it to voice, "Can you find her?"

"We can try." Yalen confirmed. He nodded to Abdel and began the search using his sixth sense.
"She's moving around... that direction." Yalen pointed towards the general direction of the port. "She's moving kind of slowly. Something might be wrong with her."

Abdel crossed his arms, his torso still sore after a good heal, as he reached out with his range. He had more trouble than Yalen to pinpoint her location, “She's hurt.” he remarked, “Very agitated! Like the Skuggvars when they got angry.” worried, her looked toward Yalen, “Should help her?”
With Yalen's approval, Abdel attempted to heal the external wounds with some binding.

It was a few minutes later when Kaureerah appeared around a corner, her walk slightly faster than before. She gave them a tired, reassuring smile and heaved a big sigh of relief, still pawing gingerly at her side. "Hellau, frens!" she chirped. She was still rather beat up. "Eye em very saurry. Eye tried te cetch hem, baut he waus too straun." She shook her head in frustration. "Eye shood bee maur ef e feeghter." She came to a stop in front of them, arms wrapped around herself guiltily, hoping for some healing.

Wu Long exchanged a look with her and he smiled faintly, reassuringly. "You did what you could. These people were very strong. I fear that there are many more of them and they are looking to make a big move soon." he shook his head and addressed them all. "I see the White Knights coming now." He gestured into the distance, to where white-robed figures riding white horses entered the plaza. "They will want statements from you. Then, you should return to your dwellings and rest. If our government does not wish to make use of your talents, then I will," he declared boldly. "Tomorrow will be a busy day."

Maura approached Kaureerah with a remorseful expression on her face. She acknowledged her own mistake, "We should have been more careful watching him. Thank you for trying to fix it." Moving closer, she extended her hands towards Kaureerah in a gesture of goodwill to help heal her up. However, she quickly realized the presence of the boys and gestured towards a more secluded spot. "We perhaps should go somewhere more private, there are boys around." Her tone was hushed and cautious, indicating the need for secrecy in their conversation.

"Et es aukay," the eeaiko responded with an understanding smile. "Eye felled es well." She took Maura's suggestion, too, and they moved some ways from the others. Kaureerah's demeanour didn't change very much, surprisingly. She seemed more... hurt than accusatory. "Eye well bee hauness wet yoo. Eye do naut lek lyeng. Why woold yoo let hem goo? He es a baud men. Wee wuark soo haurd too cetch hem!" Her voice started to rise. "He coold hert peepaul. He hert mee!" She seemed really quite distressed.

Maura listened with empathy, not being quick to reply despite the temptation, to show she was understanding and listening to Kaureerah. "We understand that you're upset and that you don't trust him. But sometimes, in order to catch the big fish, we have to use the smaller ones as bait.” She used a little finger, wiggling it as her other hand came to ensnare it. “If we catch them, we can prevent them from hurting anyone else, including you."

She took a hold of Kaureerah’s hand, bringing it close as she continued her healing. "We understood how you felt, Kaureerah. Seeing Mr. Bao treated that way was difficult in the beginning for me, too. If we had tried to take him by force, like the Grey Ghosts did, it would lead to more violence again and put innocent people at risk. But sometimes in order to catch the bad guys, we have to play a different game. By letting him go, we have the opportunity to track him back to his allies and take down the whole gang on our terms. It's a risky move, but we believe it's the best one for the safety of everyone involved."

"We know how much catching Mr. Bao meant to you, in order to stop innocents from being hurt, and we want to help you achieve that goal, but we have to be strategic in our approach. It's not an easy decision, but it's the right one for the people we're trying to protect."

Kaureerah's expression changed a couple of times as Maura spoke, from distrusting to bemused, to thoughtful, and finally to a reluctant sort of understanding. "Soo then yoo're naut e trauveeler spy?" She breathed a sigh of relief. "Eye woold naut sey enythen, auf coorse. Eye woold give yoo te chence too esplen eet." She glanced about warily and, for a second, the surrounding sound deadened, even though it wasn't something quite so obvious as an antisonic bubble. "Yoo traussed mee wet te trooth. Eye well trauss yoo." She brushed some indigo hair from her face. "Eye hev my dauts eboot thes whool theng, thes goovermen, thes Trauveeler, end eeven eboot saum oof aur teem meembers." She shook her head tightly. "Yoor seecret es sef weth mee aunless yoo doon't waun et te bee."

Maura smiled as she gave a playful grin. “Why do you think we are so loud? Come to my room at lights out tonight to discuss more.”

It was right about then that Qadira yanked Abdel precipitously forward and right up to the two young women who'd been standing and talking in hushed voices. Kaureerah was the first to turn, eyes widening in alarm. She appeared quite afraid of the skuggvar as it tried butting up against her, making eager whining noises and halfheartedly licking and snapping close a spot of dried blood on her skirt. With an animal sort of fear, she began to backpedal.

The animal began to try and nip the skirt as if trying to eat it, though the Eeiako didn't seem keen on letting the Skuggvar do her thing. Still, Qadira would keep on insisting until Abdel intervened, “Did ...” he pointed at her blooded skirt, “you have a fight with him, by any chance?” he reached out to try and stop his beast from continuing its harassment, but it kept on going, albeit without anymore forcefulness than its initial curiosity. It wasn't a whole lot of blood, after all. Low droning noise came from its vibrating body.

Kaureerah nodded frantically. "Se sauk kewool!" she cried. "Se sauk kewooool!" She shook her head to clear it, hiding behind Marua out of some sort of instinct. "Yes! Yes! Eye faught hem! Hee keeked my ess!" She continued to avoid the animal and anyone skilled in internal Chemical magic who could scan her would sense absurd levels of cortisol and adrenaline coursing through the poor eeaiko girl. "Hee waus bleeden froom te beeten hee took befaur!" She let out a little yelp of terror as the eager animal pursued her around Maura, nearly knocking the Torragonese out of her wheelchair. "Plees!! Plees get eet auweey!!"

Abdel, mortified by the reaction of the fish-girl, blurted out a suggestion, “Throw the skirt!” very smooth, “And wash up!” extra smooth. Still, he reached out to tug onto Qadira's unseen leash via bloodwarping.

As Maura and Kaureerah were talking, Abdel's dragon came to rudely interrupt them, and the Eeaiko started running around the chair and using Maura as a shield, “Jump into the water trough to remove the scent.”

Kaureerah did not need to be told twice. She tore the skirt off, revealing stockings of a strange fabric beneath, and bolted for a nearby fountain, diving cleanly into the water, where she felt a good deal safer. "Eye em saurry! Eye cennaut!" She was hyperventilating. "Yoo cen trauck hem! Use te cloothes!" It was at roughly that point that Captain Zhu approached them. "You come wiss me, please. Meet Captain Zhao." He regarded them uncertainly for a moment, the look breaking through his normally authoritative bearing, as if unsure they would understand him, but not quite able to ask.

Qadira hastily scurried toward the ripped skirt and took a few, whiffs before licking it. Abdel hurried to stop her from eating the whole thing. With the Skuggvar now satisfied with its finding and the mark laced with its saliva, it could finally focus on the actual trail.

But before they could go adventuring, they had to meet the illustrious Captain Zhao!

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Evander and Benedetto emerged from the portal. They found themselves in a room full of...

silence.

The soft sand beneath their feet nearly muted their steps. If not for the whisper of air slipping through cracks and the beat of their hearts thumping under their skin, they might have been disoriented to hear. Nothing. Of course, it did not take long before Benedetto broke the silence with his berating words, "Stupid girl, can't even get a portal right." He was referring to Jocasta. As Benny stewed in his defiance and profane attitude, Evander felt a vibration below his feet.

"Do you feel that?" Evander asked.

Benny replied, "Don't tell me you are losing it too! Do I have to carry everyone?" The earth shook and rumbled; tiny mandibles scraping and grinding against rock could be heard beneath them. A low, steady hum worked its way closer to where they stood and grew louder until a chunk of stone erupted as Threshers chewed their way through to the surface.

"No fucking way!" Benny shouted. He sent an atomic spell immediately in their direction. The Threshers were unphased. Evander followed Benny by sending shocks of lightning to no avail. The two casted and casted, hoping to put some dent in their numbers as more erupted out of the walls and floor. One whipped its tail as a cluster of barbs released in their direction. At the same time, Benny sent an atomic spell which sent the barbs in a flurry of different directions, each barb exploding in varying points of the room and knocking some Threshers back.

"That was too close." Evander said as he bit his lip. It was all too close.

Sweat beaded down Evander's brow. His face split between determination and a fearful realization. The Threshers were not stopping. With persistence, they came. Taking hit after hit in the face of Benedetto's atomic spells and Evander's lightning. Suddenly, one Thresher sliced its claw through the smoke and charged, attempting to cut Evander's abdomen. The tip scored, leaving a trace of blood across his flesh with a tear in his clothes. Followed by the Thresher's slice, another spit, but Evander's cape caught it as he dodged from the first attack. Lady Reshta looked upon him twice; twice death clutched at Evander, twice luck pried its hands back open. Evander did not want to trust Reshta a third time. He gained his distance, but his abdomen drew blood. Thankfully, the attack only scraped its mark on the surface, leaving his abdomen intact and his organs within his body. For now.

After leaping out of the way, Evander turned his head to Benny. A Thresher closed in and was about to whip its curled tail around to shoot another one of those clusters of barbed darts that they had avoided earlier. The darts would explode on impact if they hit.

"Benny!" Evander shouted, no time. Evander forced a small burst of kinetic energy at Benny to knock him out of the path of the Thresher's barbs. The barbs nearly missed Benny, "What the fuck did you do that for?" The wall caught the barbs and exploded, turning Benny's attention and Evander's to the newly formed opening. Benny didn't need Evander to answer his question.

Evander pointed at the opening in the wall, "We can't fight them with what we have here, but maybe there is another way through there!" He shouted at Benny over the chittering of Threshers as he pointed at the opening in the wall. Evander and Benny had a small window of clearing to get to the opening in the wall and exit. Once they arrived, Evander asked, "Can you hit the ceiling with your atomic?" Evander thought they could buy time to escape if they could bring the roof down on top of the Threshers.

"You want me to bring the fucking ceiling down on these assholes? Yeah, I can do that, but it's gonna take some fucking time, and I don't know if we have it!" Benny's eyes scanned the room, but the Threshers were closing in. "Fuck it," he growled. Benny drew as much as he could under the intense circumstances and time crunch, launching a half-assed atomic spell at the ceiling. Its volatile structure exploded before impacting the ceiling, causing an area of effect much greater than anticipated. Instead of a concentrated strike, the explosion disintegrated several critical stones across a wide spread, starting a chain reaction. The entire building began to shake as the load crumbled the supports in their area.

Benny realized what was happening and grabbed Evander, "Let's get the hell out of here before we end up buried under rubble like a couple of dumbasses!" Stones began dropping behind Evander and Benny as they raced down a dark corridor that Evander lit up with his Arcane gift. Nearly crushed by rocks above, Benny used his atomic in small doses to blast stones falling in front of them to clear the way, while Evander used his charges to burst stones into small bits that were dropping above.

"If this whole damn place comes crashing down, it's not my problem! I did my part in roasting those Thresher bastards!" Benedetto scowled as he fired another atomic spell, "In fact, it was your big idea!" He implied Evander's responsibility. Evander asked in sincerity, "Was there a better one?" Benny didn't have an answer, or he would have chosen differently instead of listening to a stuck-up Noble, "Fuck!"

The two pumped their brakes as rocks collapsed a few meters before them, sealing off their escape.

The two were stuck between rocks and hard place. They would soon be trapped and pulverized by the structure they were contained in. The two had no idea what to do as they looked at each other in that moment of, this is it.

Click. Creak. Thud.

The floor opened a hatch underneath their feet, dropping them down a trap chute door.

"Ahhh!" The two synced in their sound of surprise as their guts punched their hearts, anxiety sprawled across their nerves, and their senses dulled briefly as darkness overcame their sight. Then, the light at the end of the tunnel. Both slipped out from the top of a large room several stories high off the ground. If it were not for Evander and Benny's ability to use their gift in ways that could save their fall, it would have been their end or, at the least, broken bones.

The two safely landed in a massive room. Impossible to capture the scope of it with two pairs of eyes, and it was not illuminated enough to truly see what was there with them. The good news, they were no longer trapped by falling stones. The bad news, they were trapped in another room.

Evander said sarcastically, "So far so good, as planned."

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Event: Cold Comfort @Tackytaff / Characters: Yuliya, Penny @Force and Fury

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“Something’s bugging you.” Penny stated it matter-of-factly as they walked, her voice barely more than a whisper as she glanced over at Yuliya. Both were at the back of the group but, while she had the very reasonable excuse of having one leg, the Vossoriyan had no such explanation for her loitering. Yuli scratched her head as she dragged her feet on the trail. She had to talk to someone - or they were all going to be misled by this dumb kid's plan to hustle them. She hushed her tone, to hide her words from the yasoi and the hegelan who were presumably of better hearing than her human counterparts, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the runt. “This is a swindle. This kid want the begemot for himself. I think he will lure it back to hegelan land and kill it there, make himself small fortune.”

Penny narrowed her eyes. It made sense, but it also seemed a little farfetched. A lot had to go right for that to work, and he hadn’t exactly been the most approachable until quite recently. There’d have been better ways to convince them to help him if this really was some sort of swindle. It was Yuliya, though, and Penny was loath to just ignore a warning offered in good faith, or so she would assume. “That’s… alarming,” she admitted. “What makes you think so?”

“Begemot tusks are worth lot of money. Even to us. Any that get near mountains are hunted.” she whispered, pondering a moment before speaking once more, a little more opinionated this time. “It annoys me that he might trick us, but it annoys me more they want to save this beast. These people starve, their grain gone, and if my suspicion right, all we do is line pockets of some hegelan crafter.”

“Maybe it’s a trick,” Penny admitted. “If it is, you’ll see me push a kid off a cliff myself,” she snorted. “No word of a lie.” She did not like being doublecrossed or deceived and if she had learned anything from her father it was that poor faith actions needed to be dealt with in exactly one manner: with ruthlessness. “Problem is, if he was really trying to gain our trust to hoodwink us, why steal our food? Why go after Nazih with vein-bulging rage?” She shook her head. “It just doesn’t make sense.” She pursed her lips for a moment. “A lot of things don’t make sense here, actually.” The Perrenchwoman let out a groan. “Uuuugggghhh. It would all be so much simpler if we could just blow up the villains and be done with it.”

Were it not for the hunger she was currently experiencing, Yuli might have let out a giggle. Alas, she was stone faced and contemplative. ‘Why’ indeed. It would be easier if they could just smash some shmuck’s head in and be done with it, but they were stuck in a rural trail, following some hegelan kid to lure out a fucking begemot. All the while, those two tree huggers were making the job so much more troublesome as they were so insistent on keeping the beast alive. Hell, Yuli was a big fan of the beast as well, and she didn’t exactly enjoy the idea of killing it needlessly, but people would always come before beasts in her eyes, no matter how majestic. “Even if this isn’t scheme, these people need food. We need food. I don’t care about keeping animal alive when 200 people are hungry. And I don’t feel like helping kid who stole our dinner, or making lovebird feel good about themselves”
“Well, then what say we turn the tables here: use the kid to lure it out and then pound it to pieces?” She shrugged. “I don’t like it any more than you do, but it is us and not other creatures who are made in the Gods’ image, and if people are threatened, their wellbeing should be our primary concern.” Penny slowed up to hop over a little rocky ridge. “If the townspeople ask why they should give us their grain or meat, then we just tell them the truth: we need to lure the beast out in a predictable place - somewhere safe - so we can deal with it.”

Yuli sighed. Not a sigh of exasperation, but at annoyance at her peers that weren’t Penny. Why couldn’t all people be so reasonable. Alas, it was only those 2 that had sense currently in her eyes, and she thought for a moment that perhaps they would be able to handle it. It was then - she remembered - that a 5 moons wildblood Zarina could barely take one, and often was on the receiving end of a beatdown. They would need help, and probably to use at least a few of the manabrews that they had on hand. “It’s good idea. But just us two can’t take it, especially if they sabotage us. Maybe Marz could help. I feel better about giving him tusk than random crafter in city. Maybe the other Parrenchi? Is he strong? ” she looked at Penny, hoping deep down that the answer was yes.

Penny smirked. “He’s Perrench,” she bragged, “‘Course he’s strong.” She waited a moment for the mirth to die before nodding. “He is, and he’s f- a friend. I know him. I…mostly trust him.” she snorted, finding the need to cover for her earlier slipup. She’d almost said ‘family’. She hadn’t come clean to Yuliya completely yet. She wasn’t sure why. “Haha!” she laughed, “You know, I almost said, ‘and he’s friend’? Your speech patterns are rubbing off on me, Yuli.”

Yuli cocked an eyebrow at the ‘slipup’. Perhaps it was the way she suddenly shifted to a comedic approach, or the fact she was so nervous, but it didn’t sit exactly right with her. Were they secret lovers? No, no shot. And no-one would just pick up on her broken avincean. Especially not a smart girl like her. Eh. Whatever she was hiding, she’d get it out of her later over some booze. “Then let’s get him. I will talk to Marz, you talk to Yevin? Yavin? Why so difficult name? ” she spoke, frustratedly toward the end as she struggled to grasp Parrench linguistics. Alas, they had a plan in motion. Perhaps they could grab more, but the rest seemed vehemently opposed to killing this beast and leaving the village to its fate after it was lured away.

“Four of us is still risky,” Penny admitted. “Worse comes to worst, if it’s either help us or the village gets trashed, I think at least Silas, Nazih, and Esmii will help.” She made a pensive face and lowered her voice further. “Still, it’d be nice to have a backup plan or a bolt hole, no?” She regarded Yuliya questioningly, hoping that her friend possessed answers that she currently didn’t. The Vossoriyan hushed herself a bit more than normal, as she wasn’t exactly sure that she should be sharing her abilities in this, but alas, she trusted Penny with her life to be frank. “I can teleport us. I am not confident in moving other people, but I think I could. I have been practicing. We have some ace in sleeve though.” she spoke, as she pulled her anti-magic box from her breast pocket, and a bandolier of mana shots from inside her thick coat. “With these, I think we can. Me and you are strong, and if your friend half as strong, it might be enough.” she whispered far more confidently than she felt on the inside. The images of watching Zazzy fight one still flashed through her mind, but they had numbers. It wasn’t a bad bet.

Penny pursed her lips and nibbled on the lower one for a moment, running some scenarios through her head. “Then that’s what we’ve got… hopefully. I think it’ll be enough.” She shrugged. “Dami knows it has to be.” They were stopped now, as the others in front of them had come to a halt. “You go convince yours, I go convince mine?” “Da.” spoke Yuliya, nodding and wandering over to the hegelan she liked far more than the brat. Penny took a deep breath and headed towards her cousin.

---

Event: Primitive

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“Always the fucking exceptions.”

Just as Zarina brings a shield to a fight, her opponent happens to be an intangible force that metaphorically laughs at her grand defense. Steam nearly erupts from the openings of her helm as she points the massive maw of her shield-cannon toward the murky accumulation of mist before her. From the barrel comes a wave of flames from the energy she had already drawn prior to this ambush. Nibbler finds solace in a crevice on her armor, seemingly designed for him, while Riesco was kept outside the ruins.

“Cover your mouth,” she warns to her partner, “smoked mist probably isn’t good for your bones.” given it actively drains them by contact, it is safe to assume breathing the stuff is no good. The obliteration of the mist allows for some respite, and the flames lit up details that would be hard to notice with a murderous cloud constantly attacking. “Al’ama!” Zarina swears, as the horrid, gaseous mass begins to reform already and the leftovers of previous travelers begin to hurl themselves at the two.

Tku covers his mouth with a cloth to keep the mist from his lungs though how effective it is was to be discovered. Still Tku quickly tossed her a spare cloth he had, ”Just to be sure,” not knowing if the armour she wears protects from this godforsaken mist. The mist drains on Tku and he considers reconstructing it with blood magic but as he looks towards his companion he can’t help but feel nervous to show it off. ”We should search around for a way out of here, I’m sure there is a way,” Tku tells his companion.

After a brief moment of walking, the mist sapping their life everstill, they finally spot a person. Tku sighs in relief, ”We might be out of here soon!” Tku nudges Zarina and yells out to the man. There isn’t a reaction so he yells once more and the figure begins to rush towards them at high speed. Tku readies himself and as it draws near its obvious it is a cadaver merely hurling itself towards. Tku screams out and dodges out of the way, ”What is that!”

Keen, golden eyes focus on the shape that draws near. A human silhouette ragdolled toward them as if it had been pushed by an unseen force. Then another body, and then another. Mostly skeletal remains, some big enough to resemble camels. Zarina uses her shield to let some of them slide by her rather than dodging outright, although she does leave the pile she had accumulated with a fiery explosion, “No idea.” she answers, frustrated. And that frustration only grows as the mist not only reforms but grows in toxicity with the charred remains of the corpses.

“Can you freeze or harden it?” inquired the platinum warrior as they tried to force themselves forward. She wasn’t much for chit-chat and sought out to draw anything that wasn’t the mist, although only under the condition that Tku could do anything about it consistently siphoning them.

”What twisted mind came up with this?” Tku asks as he dodges them over and over, nearly evading them each time. Destroying the undead only seemed to turn the mist deadlier and he could feel his magic lessen. He got away from the burnt remains and begrudgingly said, ”I may have something better.”

Tku reaches out with his mana and when he can sense the matter he begins to draw and transform it. Some to heal him and Zarina, others just turn to small stones that fall helplessly on the floor. For the moments Tku drew the mist, they could see the attackers and could escape from that perilous situation. Tku kept drawing from the mist to provide them some brevity from it but remained silent.

With the way once again cleared by Tku’s hand this time, the armoured warrior pushes forward with the ragdolled corpses merely shoved away by the shield rather than obliterated. “A little bit further.” utters the girl under the helm, “Where we’re being guided towards.” she scoffs, “You’d almost think it’s a trap.”

For a brief moment, she stops and crouches, “If you can’t go fast on your own,” she begins while drawing any bit of heat and kinetic magic she could find. There isn’t many, but enough for her for a single burst, “grab on quick!” she warns just a mere second before she propulses herself forward toward the arrow’s direction. Quick swerves via the wings of magic spell allows for one to dodge most obstacles, though it makes her a prime target for a sucker-punch!

Tku nervousness is high having used it in front of someone, he simply prays that she will either conflate it with binding or not mention it. The idea of the arrow being a trap didn’t cross him, “Or this could be a trial to sift out the weak, either way the arrow seems to be our best bet. I pray for our friend's safety.”

Tku grabs onto her and helps with the propulsion by leveraging his spear against the floor, ”Not as fast as you!” He clears out more of the mist and extends his spear to use it as a long pokey stick to keep the corpses away.

The two are nearing the beacon that called for them. The mist is recuperating from its disrupted state and attempts to charge right at them. It’s going to be a close one! Luckily for them, they have a little Nibbler giving a final ‘push’ for an exciting escape.

---

Primitive

---

As soon as Yalen and Jocasta cleared the passage, the stone gateway slammed shut behind them. The further the two of them ventured into the ruins, the less the sun’s light was able to penetrate the suffocating darkness within. They had come far enough now that it was no longer possible to see even a single inch in front of them without a light source. In case there was something down here that reacted negatively to magic use, they elected to make use of a torch that was kindly provided to them by Escarra’s rangers. It wasn’t much, but it allowed them to proceed further without tripping over themselves for the time being. The hall was rather plain, decorated only by evenly spaced rows of torches that lined the walls on both sides.

The normally playful couple was distressingly quiet as they advanced through the one way corridor. They were both listening for the faintest of sounds, anticipating that at any moment some monster or devious trap was about to be sprung on them. Not once had they ever explored a ruin without running into a hazard of some kind. With how well guarded ancient treasures often were, it was as if their ancestors expected to be resurrected someday.

Yalen was so focused on watching the walls and ceiling that he failed to notice the danger laying right under his feet. It was a single brick, looking a bit too new and set a little too low compared to the rest of the floor. When he crossed over the pressure plate, an audible click echoed through the giant hallway that sent their hearts racing into panic mode. One by one the sconces burst into flames, while ancient mechanisms exposed gaps in the brickwork that contained giant metal tubes…?

”Yalen, get down!” Jocasta grabbed her lover’s sleeve and dragged him to the floor before diving out of her wheelchair. A second later, a horizontal line of obsidian darts whizzed over their heads.

Yalen tossed his torch away and readied the Scepter of Ahn-Shune for the struggle. ”UNITE!” He cried out, combining his strength with Jocasta’s so that he could tap into her immense power. As he summoned his command magic he realized that elsewhere, Desmond’s strength was beginning to fade. The time limit was approaching.

More needles flew through the air, from the front, from behind, from everywhere at once. Jocasta blasted them all away with a wave of kinetic force, but the traps kept firing with seemingly limitless ammunition. At the same time, the area was gradually filling up with a strange mist that formed dense, slightly yellowish clouds that creeped towards the tethered with ill intent. Anything it seemed to touch fizzled and cracked as if the rock was being doused by acid. It likely WAS acid based on the smell.

She wouldn’t be able to do much more than this without leaving a gap in her defenses. Yalen understood it was up to him to pick up the slack. With the tethered evenly splitting their RAS he was, for the moment, at the level of a prodigy. He used his borrowed power to create a small bubble of safety around them, transmuting the acid into its constituent elements which were far less lethal. Jocasta grabbed him by the hand and lifted the two of them off the ground along with her wheelchair. In the grip of a Skyborn, Yalen felt like he was floating on a cloud, and the queer sensation sent a shiver through his body. They rocketed through the hallway like a musket ball, threats being disintegrated or turned aside by their combined efforts. Yalen winced as one of the deflected darts whizzed past his face, leaving a small cut on his cheek that burned like a papercut. It was difficult to keep his eyes open at the speed they were going, but he could make out the shape of a glowing arrow at the end of the passageway. Whether it led them to the exit or deeper into this madness mattered little. Anywhere was better than here!

---

Metropolis

---

When Yalen was thrown back by the kinetic shockwave he was instantly reminded of the time he blew those demons in Eskand sky-high. Thankfully someone was here to break his fall this time, as Lady Yang was able to rescue him before he crashed through a nearby building. Whatever he or his companions thought about the police in Rettan, it was a fact that they were well trained and quick to react, and for that he was grateful. His body floated gently downwards until his feet were touching the ground. Then, he was giving orders.

"One of you help Cai and Feng secure the old man! Everyone else with me! We're going in!" Yalen shouted while pointing at his teammates. He donned the Mask of the Tengu and readied his tools, the magical staff he borrowed from Ingrid and a brass censer used for religious ceremonies. He didn’t know what tools he would need for this engagement, so he prepared himself for anything.

Ingrid and Niallus were at his side in moments, the pair apparently being much faster on their feet than he was. They pulled ahead and blasted their way through the front door with a combined kinetic and arcane assault. That very same moment, sections of the building burst into flames and a dozen enemies scattered through the windows and balconies. A tongue of flame nearly set his robe on fire as Yalen skidded to a halt, unable to follow his allies into the collapsing structure.

Blasted fanatics. The priest looked around with his eyes and his sixth sense to get a handle on the developing situation. Half of the criminals were making a run for it. The Rettanese policemen were either engaging the hostiles or pursuing those who fled. A few went in after Ingrid and Niallus, quenching the flames with practiced efficiency. A great power was surging nearby, but it faded too quickly to get a read on it. When it was gone, so was Lady Yang.

They were ready for us. Fine then, we’ll do this the hard way. Where are you…? Yalen locked onto the six signatures belonging to the escaping fugitives. He wasn’t going to let them get away. Taking a prisoner was the only reliable way to secure key information about the Traveler’s dealings within the city. The success of this mission might depend on it.

They’re fast, but they’re not fast enough. He grit his teeth and locked onto the two nearest runners. He raised his scepter in the air and shouted to the sky with holy authority.

”SUBMIT!“

When he tried to command them, the Traveler’s agents actively resisted the attempt. Their effort was commendable, but after a few seconds of struggling the Dark Somnian managed to worm his way past their defenses and assume direct control. When the realization dawned that they were under the influence of a command mage, Yalen could feel their heartbeats quicken ever so slightly. They knew what was coming. They knew HE was coming.

KNEEL!" Yalen shouted. Four of the fleeing energies continued to move forward. Two were stopped dead in their tracks. The prey had been snared, and now it was time to inspect the trap. "I've caught two of them! Those who have the strength to do so, come with me!" Yalen broke away from the chaos and sprinted after the fleeing agents, his feet carried by his pair of enchanted sandals. Those who knew him before wouldn't have guessed he was capable of running so fast.

After crossing through alleyways and side streets, Yalen was eventually able to find the two men frozen like a pair of statues, their bodies and manas both paralyzed by the effect of his word. "Let's make sure you bastards don't go anywhere." Yalen seethed between labored breaths. He bound their hands, feet, and mouths with cloth bandages he'd normally use to stop somebody bleeding, then produced a pair of silver needles. These needles dripped with the poison of the plushtail plant, an exceedingly rare substance known specifically for its ability to exterminate manas. He stabbed each of the Traveler's cronies in a major blood vessel and let the poison work, knowing that they wouldn't be able to dispel it as long as their manas belonged to him. By the time his command wore off, they would be powerless to escape by themselves.

Yalen felt Rikard's presence approaching and turned to acknowledge him. "I'm glad you came. Help me carry one of them." He requested while hoisting one of the prisoners over his shoulders.

Rikard glanced apprehensively at Yalen. "What did you just...use on them!? the boy asked, a slight crack in his voice. He lifted both, in fact - the one Yalen had slung over his shoulder and the other - with the help of Kinetic magic and a capacity that had grown substantially since the previous school year.

"I would tell you, but then I would have to kill you." Yalen said in a serious voice. It didn't take long for him to start laughing afterwards, though his smile was hidden behind his breathing mask. "Let's just say I turned their own bodies against them. There's magic out there that the academy will never be able to teach you." The priest stretched his arms as he felt the weight literally lift off of his shoulders.

"What about the others? What about the one in the hood?"

"I wanted to catch all six of these pests, but I lacked the skill. I'm sorry to say that the others are still at large." Yalen shook his head in disappointment. The conversation between the two Biros was interrupted by a flare-up of energy in the direction of the mansion where they just came from. The battle wasn't over yet. "Come on, let's see if the others need our help!"

Rikard glanced apprehensively over his shoulder. "It'll only take one of us to get these two back," he decided. "The other should join the guards and track down the last four, right!?" The boy was already preemptively drawing, the air around him light and crackling with electricity.

Yalen clasped Rikard's shoulder and nodded. "Okay, let's split up. Be careful on your way back." Before he departed the area, Yalen cut his connection to the two prisoners so that he could keep command magic open as a defensive option. There would be a few minutes before their manas realized they were no longer being controlled, and by then the plushtail toxin would have already circulated through and killed most of them off. He trusted Rikard's ability to handle them in this state.

Now where are the guards headed... Yalen closed his eyes and concentrated for a minute. When he found who he believed were the goldcloaks in pursuit of the other escapees, he took off running.

Yalen was able to catch up to the four goldcloaks and their quarry in almost no time. They were more focused on being evasive than covering ground, and it showed. It was now a five on four and the Retanese Guardians, recognizing him, made to cover and escort the Somnian in. Three of the masked figures whirled and targeted Yalen, and there was something about those masks that was strangely familiar. The fourth turned on the spot and pulled out a small device that seemed to be a pair of connected spheres, stalking up in front of her group and holding it above her head. "I do not want fight you," she declared. "I want no more deass." She flipped the switch and Yalen felt his magic die.

"That's not going to work this time!" Yalen challenged. He took a deep breath and focused inwards. He had encountered magic dampening devices many times before, and now he was finally ready to try and do something about it. "RESIST!"

As strong as Yalen's command over his manas was, this was no ordinary dampener. He could feel a fuzziness to his magic: a severe almost... buzzing in his veins. His connection was tenuous, and his ability to exercise more than basic magics limited. "You surrender now, Somnian. We not want hurt you!" The leader remained at the front, the other three behind her, and she repeated her warning in Retanese for the others, though Yalen would've been hard pressed to recognize it as such beyond situational cues. "离开他，你们都可以毫发无损地走开。那个牧师就是我们想要的。" The two sides were almost upon each other. A decision would need to be made within the next couple of seconds.

Damn. So this is all I can do? Yalen clenched his jaw. He turned to look at the goldcloaks behind him. They were as stoic as they were trained to be, but they appeared uneasy. There was no way the Traveler's soldiers would act this cocky unless they were able to pacify his reinforcements as well. This was going to get ugly if he pressed too hard. He'd done his part and secured two prisoners, and so he would have to hope that was enough to help bring this case to a close. "...Retreat!" He shouted while waving his hand, hoping they would understand his body language if not his words. After that, Yalen retreated a few steps while facing their leader, only fully turning his back when there was some distance between them. He didn't stop to check if the Rettanese officers were following him or not. He couldn't help them without magic.

"必要时杀死其他人，但对牧师要温柔。他是一个特别的人。" The gold-masked woman was issuing orders now. She reached out with kinetic magic and Yalen could feel himself slow, the efforts of his muscles counting for less and less as the momentum left him. One of his guards - Peng - turned and cursed back at the hooded woman with real venom. Then, as one, all four turned and charged. "You go!" shouted Zhang. "快! 我们会拖延他们。" (Quickly! We will delay them.) As one, they converged on the leader, trying to do anything that they could to dislodge that damnable device.

"..." Yalen felt something catch in his throat. He didn't know what the man just said, but he knew what he was doing. This was a rear guard action with no guarantee of survival. He felt like a piece of shit letting them do something like this for his sake, but Yalen knew that toothless heroics didn't count for anything. Yalen kept his feet moving away from the masked assailants and didn't look back no matter what. "Resist damnit! Resist!" He continued to shout in the vain hope that he could still help them from far away. With the amount of magic he could access right now he couldn't even cook a pot of soup.

The four brave goldcloaks were thrown aside, either violently into buildings or knocked out with Chemical magics. They were no match for the masked men, who seemed... unusually strong. Their leader drew aggressively from Yalen's momentum, slowing him and not allowing him to gain even more ground than he already had. To his surprise, his efforts to fight against their nullifying device were working to some extent, but the amount of magic he could muster was insufficient to face off against four battle hardened enemy mages.

"Guess I have no choice...!" Yalen scrambled his sixth sense around the immediate area seeking out Rikard, the only person he knew for sure would be close enough to help in time. He would be easy enough to spot with two deadweights tagging along with him. When he managed to find the signature, he gave his friend a pinch behind the ears, sending the universal signal that all tethered knew by heart. HELP.

Yalen continued to run for his life, turning down side streets, skipping through alleyways, and jumping over obstacles. Suffering from an extreme case of tunnel vision, he didn’t notice the darkening of the sky or the unnatural clumping of storm clouds overhead. It wasn’t until he crossed a puddle of water and felt the air fill with static that he realized Rikard had come to his rescue. Yalen shielded his eyes from a blinding flash of light, and there was an ear splitting explosion behind him. He turned around to defend himself from what remained of the enemy after Rikard’s assault, but there was no-one left standing. There was only a blanket of ash and scorched earth, in the middle of which lay the unconscious leader of the terrorist cell.

Rikard's feet touched down in front of Yalen and he tossed a glance over his shoulder. Looking back at his friend, he merely smirked. "Holding up alright?"

"That... was... huff..." Yalen bent over wheezing. His eyes were still swimming from being blinded by lightning, and he was exhausted from running at full sprint for so long. He spun around to look at the aftermath of Rikard's devastating attack. It didn't even smell like burnt meat. There was nothing but blackened ash left where the faceless revolutionaries once stood. How lucky that there was a big puddle right when he needed it. Wait, how old was Rikard again? That attack was-

"Amazing. You are truly amazing. Thank you." Yalen pushed off his knees and straightened his back. He would not soon forget the debt he owed Rikard. That could be repaid later, but for now it was time to complete their mission. If they failed now after so much heartache they would never live it down. Yalen got down on one knee and grabbed the woman's wrist to check her pulse. Somehow she had managed to survive a blast that utterly annihilated the other three.

"I'm out of that poison so I can't disable her magic in the long term..." Yalen rapped his knuckles against his forehead. After thinking about what he had seen up until now, he eventually realized something important. "Hey, she has some kind of device in her possession that steals your magic. We need to find it!" He roughly turned her on her side and started rough handling her belongings, hunting desperately for the anti-magic sphere.

The moment that he seized upon it, however, her eyes flashed open. "I see you again soon, stupid boy," she taunted, suddenly uninjured. She spared a sour look at Rikard and then, with a sudden surge of what Yalen would clearly recognize as Temporal magic, she was gone and he was left holding one half of the badly-damaged device.

"Damn you! Come back here!" Yalen swiped at the empty air with his free hand. He knew why those masks were so familiar. His sworn enemy, the Volti, were here in Rettan. A stroke of fortune at last. He wasn’t able to take her head this time, but somehow he had managed to snatch that blasted device of hers. "Huh?" After looking at it more closely, it was only one half. It was trashed too. From the looks of it, he'd need to take it to the likes of Kerremand or Hogh Munkhelad for repairs. Rikard's lightning was way too strong. "It's broken. That lady is long gone so let's go back for the prisoners and scram." Yalen shoved the metal orb into his bag and the two boys set off in search of the captives.

---

In collaboration with: @jasbraq as Fiske

---

Upon exiting the portal created by Jocasta we were told of a strange metal tube that was found with a note. This note was made with a blocky and clean lined text that reminded me of Sirrahi typography. The note was addressed to multiple individuals within the group and spoke of finding some 'Silent Ranger'. It was simple, that was where I think we made our first true mistake. I at least asked Jocasta to retrieve some things for me from my shop, this was much different than what he expected, so it needed a few more things. Firstly, the blue hourglass that we found in that god forsaken tomb. Then, the strange vial that was found with the hourglass, god knows what it is, but being there and both being connected to the Sirrahi, anything might be important. Like that helped with what we are facing.

Once I got the items I needed, we began to head off, eventually finding some strange city within the desert. As like all other things before, we stepped into the unknown. Coming upon the world of the undead, and we never knew it. Once we entered, the sky darkened and we began to feel magic beginning to well, yet when we attempted to fight it, nothing happened, not even temporal magic, so we had to move forward, there was no way else. As they came upon a simple challenge, colors and matchings of 5 different spots. Me and Fiske had chosen to take one spot, and that was a mistake on my part. As now I was stuck with the one coward who would try to trick and fool even the Gods to get away from a little trouble. In that moment when we all found our place, magic began to surround us, and then we were gone.

We had arrived in some strange corridor, it was dark, damp, and had scrawlings upon the wall. Through the use of magic we were able to begin looking upon the walls, and all we saw was horror. Grotesque images of creatures, beings, and shapes, all of which seemed to almost morph and move as we looked, and then, that was when we realized hell was upon us. One of the images moved in such a way to almost seem real, it seemed to shift as it took the form of some strange bat, and then became so real, it looked like it was really in front of us, and then it was. It lept out right for me, flying at such speeds that it could have been mistaken for a bullet, thankfully my senses and reactions were sharp enough to sway back, buying myself just enough space from having those claws tear into my face. Yet, before we could even turn, it was gone, and then, we felt it, hundreds of these creatures. Hell had opened up, and apparently we were right at the gate.

Fiske did exactly as I expected, truth be told, I would have done the same, he ran while using his magic, yet it seemed that no matter how much he tried the damn bats had his beat. For me? I was in probably the worst place imaginable, yet I realized something much worse, my power was waning, and fast. I had used the power Yalen gave me, now the connection was split, I could feel my manas disappearing, yet that meant nothing to what came next, the hunger. God it was terrible. It was painful, it isn't something that is easy to describe, you need to know what it felt like, you need to know what it feels to be starved to near death. What it feels like to have to work without having eaten anything in weeks. It makes one weak beyond belief, yet also ravenous, and I was nearly consumed by it, losing all semblance of my situation.

It was not until I heard the sounds of metal claws grinding upon my armor and it felt as if I was nearly thrown from my feet that I was pulled back. My hands shot to my pistols in their holsters and all I could see was red. My body moved on its own, my armored suit told me where things were coming, it came to my instincts to then how to move. Multiple angles of attack, as the bats came flying at me, one from below, one from my side, one from above, and one from directly in front. I shifted back as I flipped back, setting one hand to the ground and continued it, and even I landed more continued their onslaught. I continued through that flipped then performed another, and then another, I shifted and dodged. Constant attacks, constant flurry of attacks, hundreds of bats constantly barraging me, and all I could do was dodge, But I needed to attack, I couldn’t dodge all day, I will never be able to survive like that, I would never escape or win like that.

So I need to get better. I could not rely on my sight, their illusions were powerful, nearly strong enough to make me believe when they made contact with me that they were real.

I couldn’t even fully rely on my magical senses, nor even my suit as the presence their illusions made seemed to even trick these fine tuned senses.

No matter the case, I had to get better. I would have died if not.

Every dodge I made, every movement, was incredibly wasteful. These large movements I used were sloppy and made it where I had more openings that were then filled by more bats closing in trying to attack. A constant barrage of illusions and attacks made it where attacks constantly rained down upon me, and the sheer reason why I lived was the armor and gear I had made. Their claws could not find purchase on my body, my mask had covered much of my face, the only place I would have any meaningful injuries were on the top of my head. Meaning I still had a weakness, yet I could defend it, and even then I was still struggling.

This struggle led to the need of my very existance needing to be refined, everything mattered, I couldn’t even get a moment to breathe a full breath. These large dodges and dives needed to be refined, they wasted so much energy and gave me nothing more than problems, so I need to use less energy. I began to slowly shift from full dives to doing large jumps and lunges. Turning these lunges into steps, these steps into half steps. From what came to one dodge to half dodges, then that to light shifting, beginning to do 2 actions at once. Taking hits that meant nothing, slashes that found no real purchase, and attacks that slid across me. These small cuts on my armor and gear began to disappear. Finally, I was able to act out this dance I had played in, I was following another’s rhythm, another’s tune. However when I dance, I am the one to lead.

A slight half step back, a slight arm shift forward, these slight movements setting up for attacks. With the step back my arm slightly shifts and comes up to fire my pistol, when my arm is up it continues to move to not allow myself to be winged and I follow the movement to keep myself tight and flowing.. My other arm slightly moves and fires as well in another direction, it did not matter where I fired, nor when, as long as I fired an attack, I was doing something. These attacks may not have hit anything, yet it gave a slight opening in this constant dance of death. Inches and moments away from death, I could feel it, yet I couldn’t care, as long as I was moving, I was living. In this macabre dance between life and death, I am the lead dancer.

They began to attack more, and this dance sped up in pace, blood began to fall, from both me and the bats. Slight cuts began to form once more on my armor and myself. The healing and repairing constantly done by the armor made sure I wouldn’t die, but how long would that even last, I wouldn’t know. Yet I could now feel it, Fiske was near me once more, I could feel myself being overwhelmed and all he did was run, trying to probably hide and failing, Scared and inches away from death, all I could say in this all was, ”You fucking coward! All you are doing is running!”

In the moments where I did not speak, gun fire resounded throughout these damned halls, it left little true time for a response without trying to talk over me. Allowing no defense on Fiske’s side, wasn’t exactly planned yet it helped greatly.

”You chose to come! You knew the risks! And you’re running?! Where to?! There is nowhere to go!”

Another slash came across my back as it was one of the few areas defended by a Royal Sand Wyrm scale. Yet it let off a horrific screech as it had such a high metal content.

”You wanna know that ending?! You’ll die tired! You’ll die as nothing! For nothing! Are you going to die in some hole?”

I continued to fire as more bats came, I swung my guns, using the blades upon them to slice through the air, it hit nothing and could have left me open, and the bats seemed to know that. Yet I continued through to a pirouette using my legs and body to kick and swing around me. Creating a near tornado of attacks that forced any bats near back or to die from a powerful hit.

”What will you do!? Will you die for nothing? With nothing?! Looking like some kind of coward? Dying in some corner because you decided to run!? As nothing more than a shitless corpse! YOU will be nothing! Have nothing! You will never be remembered if you die here!”

Were these cries of fear? Probably. Were these me yelling at myself? Maybe. This might also have been my only chance to see the sun. Maybe it was not to spur Fiske on. Maybe it was a bit of myself.

It may have been the one chance I had. Maybe. Maybe…

Weakness, weakness and cowardice are the only things ever acknowledged from my actions. It is never my accomplishments. Never my compassion towards others. The thoughts of fighting against these things makes my legs shake and shiver.

Never be remembered? As if I will be remembered by my so-called friends if I were to bite the dust here. Soon enough after the Enigma of Ahn-Shune released an array of light beams comes from the figure in the corner, hitting the dirty pests before that heat was used to ignite the bats, making them appear more akin to little flying fires.

I appear from the corner looking annoyed beyond belief. ”Shut up, shut up, shut up! You know nothing! YOU will die as nothing while I become everything!” Tears trailing my cheek as fear appears to still take an effect.

Well. ain't that a show?

Thankfully it opened a moment for me to breathe as I can fight back more, but that too is quickly taken and slowly pushed back into a near maelstrom of death.

"You wanna be something?! Don't make me laugh! With a show like that? Your half assed work? You'll be forgotten!"

Come on Fiske, I need you to do more. I know you can do more, if we are to live, you need to do this. Come on, let it out, get angry, get mad. You're strong enough, use that power hiding inside you.

”My half assed work? You filth! You would never understand my art! It is nothing half assed, if anything it’s double assed!”

During these words my surroundings began to heat up, fire building up before a massive pillar of fire began to spurt from the middle of the room, spurting fire towards its surroundings.

”There! Is that half assed?!”

The heat was intense, so intense I could feel my skin boiling on my face. With this level of heat, honestly my suit might have been the only reason why I was able to stay alive as it healed me by constantly drawing from the heat and radiating it back to cool me and using any leftover energy to heal me. The flame pillar began to swallow the hallway more and more as it became harder and harder to handle, however I had to endure it long enough. I began using more magic to protect myself, even the small area I need to protect was difficult, the amount of energy was just so intense, however moments later, the fires were quelled and left a radiating heat. In this room it was dark and hard to see, however it felt like the heat was akin to being directly under the sun itself. Once I made a light I saw the carnage left over, bats charred and boiled beyond recognition, the sickening sound and smell of boiling fat. Then I saw Fiske’s face, he seemed almost about to break down.

”That’s a little better. You did good.”

I set my hand on Fiske’s shoulder, ”Let’s get out of here. No one will know about how good that was if we don’t leave”.

As if in a daze, my response was somewhat delayed. ”Yeah… Let’s..”

I caught Fiske and began carrying Fiske as we slowly followed strange illuminated arrows that I remember seeing on the tube Jocasta had. Is this a trap? Probably, but what else can we do?, This was a strange place, with strange images on the tunnel that seemed to make no sense, yet because of Fiske, it was calm. After a little longer we finally reached a door, and it was time to figure out what was on the other side.

I hope it’s a warm meal. I’m starving.

Ashon and Qasem, the unlikely duo, embarked on their investigation of the crime scene and the witness Laura. The others split up into groups, with Mancroft, and the Ladies going with Viktor after the creature into the forest, and the Countess Dorothea leading a delegation with Sister Laska to the Graf’s castle. With them out of the picture, it was left to them to investigate the scene, with the Yasoi imparting words of wisdom to the other. “Presume nothing.”

With his gravitational magic, Ashon managed to stop the water droplets from falling over the crime scene as they pooled together into one big droplet. He improvised a makeshift tent with four long sticks and a sheet to keep the area as dry as possible while he examined it, casting the excess water to the side. Giving an explanation of the pointer to his colleague, “It is a mistake to presume, because one would start to twist the facts to fit the story. Rather, create a story based upon the facts.”

As Ashon delved deeper into his investigation, he faced significant challenges due to the footprints that had contaminated the crime scene. Despite this, Ashon persevered and searched every nook and cranny to uncover whatever evidence he could. He meticulously scanned the crime scene, searching for any evidence that may have been overlooked. “The world is full of obvious things which are overlooked.” As he looked closer, he realized that there was very little to work with on face value. The gunpowder had been washed away by the rain, leaving no traces of any gunshots or bullets. All that remained was a small puddle of blood, along with a few torn pieces of clothing. There were no signs of skin or organs, and it seemed as if the culprit had cleaned up after themselves.

However, upon closer inspection, Ashon noticed a shallow crater near where the blood had been splattered. It seemed as if something had exploded or been hit with great force. Additionally, there were some bent and broken tree branches nearby, trace amounts of blood, indicating that whatever had come through there came in a different direction. “The more outré and grotesque… we need to examine the ever more carefully.” Ashon gestured to his companion to take a closer look at the blood.

Qasem remained silent while Ashon began speaking. After taking note of who had come from the town to help, he seemed to ignore them completely. His focus instead lay with the half washed away crime scene. The blood that remained was highly diluted, but present enough to be drawn into his blade when placed in the ground. Qasem grasped the hilt and sent his own into the object to investigate.

"It’s all from one human" He called out to Ashon from his crouched position in the mud. "Some manas left it in, but they're dying fast, couldn't tell you how much."

Ashon furrowed his brow, deep in thought, as he considered the details of the crime. He replayed the events in his mind, trying to piece together what had happened. He picked up the shotgun, turning it over in his hands as he examined Laura's Hermann 12, he aimed the gun away and fired it. Deducting that it had been fired twice, there was evidence of a third shot that had been fired from a different, heavier gun. “There was definitely a third shot, from a different weapon. We need to find out who fired it.”

Qasem stood as his partner spoke, his eyes turning to Laura and the evasive Leonhardt. "The guardsmen carry heavy weapons. Koppelman 49, Manfred called them. Could have been the girl fighting back." He beckoned Ashon closer as he himself approached the remaining guardsman. “I wouldn’t be so hasty to come to that judgement.” as he indicated toward the pool of blood.

Qasem furrowed his brow as he moved to demonstrate his skill as he approached Laura, "I apologize, but we don't have time for typical formalities. Ashon, if you could please translate." In one sudden move he reached down and gently grasped Laura's hand. Instinctively, the girl stiffened and began to pull back, but Qasem's grip tightened under the resistance. Ashon offered a translation for the girl, his own curiosity peaked as well as he watched his colleague in action.

"I'm not going to hurt you," He explained to her, despite knowing she couldn't understand his words. "Only ask a few questions."

Only once she relaxed again did Qasem continue, again sliding his few manas into Laura's bloodstream to monitor her vitals as she spoke.

"Please tell us what happened tonight."

Laura fidgeted, but she reluctantly started to recount the events of the evening. “It was the middle of the night when I heard frantic knocking at my door. I answered it with my rifle in hand and saw Anna, who was drenched and had torn clothes. She seemed panicked and desperate, saying that something was coming after her. I tried to reassure her, but she suddenly burst into a fit of fear and claimed that something was coming inside the window. I pointed my gun at the window but found nothing. Then, she unlocked the front door and ran off.”

Her speech grew quieter as she began to hesitate, though pushing through to recount the events. “I pursued her and found her in a field of one of the farms. She was crying and saying that it won't stop. Suddenly, we heard a loud noise nearby, and I aimed my gun towards it. Then, I heard the most horrific, blood-curdling scream I had ever heard, and before I could turn around, there were gruesome goring sounds… and then… I shot at it.”

The girl was honest at least, even if the high stress of the situation make a clear reading difficult. "But what did you see" He pressed. Laura stared back at him, then to her captain.

“I'm not... I don't know.” He waited, but there were no signs of deception. Qasem nodded to her and smiled thankfully, but inside a small knot of worry tightened further.

“The shot you took then. Was it the first one fired? Did you hit anything?”

Laura shifted uncomfortably, fidgeting with her hands. “Yes, I took the first shot, but I didn't see if I hit anything.”

“Have there been any notable difference in Anna’s behaviour recently”

Laura takes a deep breath and begins to speak, “Well, she's been acting very strange recently. She's always been anxious, but she started acting paranoid tonight, constantly looking over her shoulder and jumping at every little sound. If it wasn’t for the marks on her, I would have thought she was losing her mind. In the end…”

“Do you know where Anna takes most of her meals?”

Laura thought for a moment before answering. “Well, she usually eats with the rest of us at work. Sometimes she cooks for herself at home”

“Where do the Mandelein guards get their weapons from?”

Laura found it simple to answer such questions, but confused as to why it would be asked, but was straightforward and concise. “We store and retrieve the weapons from the barracks. They are well maintained, but they are old, some are even older than myself.”

"Thank you, Laura." He looked at Leohardt staring daggers at him and bowed his head respectfully before withdrawing his hand and standing again.

Ashon pondered as he asked a further couple of questions. “The third shot, was that Viktor who chased the Beast away?”

“I think so.” Her voice was hesitant, as if she wasn't entirely sure.

He nodded with a smile, as he asked the final one, as he tilted his head to the side. “Where was Anna when you were being attacked?”

Laura quickly replied, “I don't know” but Qasem, being a truthseeker, noticed a change in her heart rate. It seemed as though Laura may have been withholding information

“We'll have better luck getting answers from elsewhere.” He finally said to Ashon. “We'll interview the captain tomorrow after he's cooled off, while we’re here we should see if the locals saw anything.” Ashon simply nodded and gave a smile, as he waved off Laura in a friendly manner, already getting the answer he needed.

As Ashon and Qasem made their way through the farm, they noticed the eerie silence that surrounded them, as if it was devoid of life. There were hardly any animals in sight, except for a few puff chickens that were kept in well-protected coops. The farm house itself was simple, made of timber with a thatched roof, the windows are small and few, as the shutters are firmly shut to keep out the cold, and perhaps more. On the small porch at the front, the family were gathered nearby as they approached. They spoke amongst each other in a thickly accented variant of Kerreman, which made it hard for even Ashon to understand.

Hans stopped his work to stand up straight as he peered over at the approaching strangers,his eyes squinted to see them more clearly in the distance. As they got closer, he approached them with caution, as he called out. “Guten tag, strangers. What brings you to our farm?”

"We've come to investigate a recent beast attack Qasem replied to the man honestly, though it would be up to Ashon to translate the words for him.

When they began to ask him about the recent events, Han’s gave a curt and dismissive nod. “I have too much work to do to waste my time on these matters” he said, his tone clipped and unfriendly. “I suggest you go speak to someone else who has more time to spare.” Despite Ashon and Qasem’s attempts to engage him, he remained stubbornly uninterested in discussing anything other than the work at hand. He went about his business, ignoring the outsiders as they continued to ask their questions.

The farmer’s wife, Anna, had returned from going inside the house. As she offered them some simple refreshment, some water and what appeared to bite sized pieces of honey cake. “Please, you must both be hungry. We have very little, we are happy to share what we have, then you can return to the village.” Her voice is polite and cordial, but likewise reserved.

"Thank you," Qasem smiled warmly to the farmer's wife. He took one of the small squares of cake but made no move to bring it to his mouth. "Not all would be so welcoming in trying times." he indicated toward the state of the farm.

Samuel would initially be hesitant to speak and would glance over at his father for approval. Hans would give him a stern look, prompting Samuel to respond. “We used to have many cows and even Pigeons we bred for messages,” he would say. “But they're gone now.” He would then fall silent and look back at his father, who would call him over to stop shirking and get back to work.

Ashon smiled toward Gertrude, as she stood by the porch, “Know anything about the rumoured beast?”

Gertrude was receptive as she replied. “My Mother used to tell us a bedtime story about the beast when we grew up. She often used to say, ‘If you don't finish your chores or behave, the beast will come and take you away!’” A faint smile appeared as if recalling such a time, though faded now. “Though, it was seen as more of a story to scare naughty children when I was younger, though something changed recently. Something dark must have happened to wake it up, even my parents are scared.”

“How recent was this?” Qasem questioned, after getting the gist of the conversation from Ashon.

“It turned up along the same time as that new monk did, I think his name was Brother Baudile.” Anna, interrupted her, her voice is firm yet gentle, “That's enough gossiping for now, Gertrude. It's time for you to tend to your chores.” Gertrude rolled her eyes and grumbled as she gets up away from the bannister, clearly annoyed at being interrupted. Anna gives her a stern look before turning her attention back to Ashon and Qasem, apologizing for her daughter's behaviour. “We don’t get much company, she does like to talk. Don’t let us keep you held here any longer.”

The youngest daughter, Fiona, sat quietly in the corner and fidgeted with her dress and avoided eye contact with the strangers. Ashon and Qasem can see that she is clearly scared and hesitant to speak.

"We have no other plans," Qasem replied casually, flashing a wide smile of brilliant teeth. "But we would never impose. Let your children rest a while and allow me to attend to their chores. I'm sure there is something I can help with."

Qasem provided the distraction as he approached the mother, as Ashon approached Fiona slowly and crouched down to her level, speaking softly and reassuringly toward her. “Hello there” the big, goofy looking Yasoi smiled widely toward her. “We won't hurt you, we promise. We are here to protect people.” He flexed his arm as he displayed his muscles in a comical but strong looking manner. He offered her the piece of honey cake he received toward her in a low and soothing manner. “I just want to ask you a few questions about what happened this evening. Do you think you could tell us what you saw?”

Eventually, with a little coaxing, Fiona began to speak in a soft voice, sharing what she knew. “I didn’t see anything. It was too dark and scary out there. There were loud bangs.”

Ashon nodded in a reassuring manner. “Yes, there were bangs, they chased it away.” He paused as he considered what to ask the little girl. “The farm seems rather empty, where did all the animals go?”

Fiona spoke in a timid voice, barely above a whisper, her eyes darting nervously. “The animals were eaten.” she said. “It happened all at once after Caldores.” Her small hands fidgeted in her lap, and she bit her lip anxiously.

He listened to her attentive as he offered her a reassuring smile. “You are brave. Did you manage to see who did it and what they looked like?”

Her voice conveyed a sense of fear and trauma with its hesitation. “They were beasts. They looked like big and angry animals… when I saw them, I hide in the closet.”

“The Beast of Mandelein. Your sister mentioned a tale about this?” Fiona recalled the popular children's story told in Mandelein about the beast that protects the village. According to the tale, long ago, when the Castle was under constant attack by bad people, the Lord of the castle made a deal with a great beast that lived in the nearby forest to protect the village. The beast agreed to the deal, and since then, Mandelein has been protected from any harm. However, the beast can get hungry at times and may take a bite off a villager who is not careful or a very naughty child who doesn't listen to their parents.

Ashon was about to go, when a thought struck him. “The Beasts… where did they come from?” The little girl hesitated at first, peeking, looked around as if checking her surroundings, and then answered in a low voice, “Here.” He looked toward her in confusion, then pointed downward to signify the farm.

Anna's face suddenly twisted into anger as saw Fiona looking so troubled talking to the Yasoi. She turned to Fiona and ordered her to go back to her room. “Enough! You're making my daughter uncomfortable. She's just a child. Leave now and don't come back.” With that, she pushed Ashon towards the door and gestured to Qasem to follow. Her voice was sharp and her movements aggressive as she made it clear they were not welcome any more.

As they made their way outside, Ashon turned to Qasem. “Once you use the facts to eliminate the impossible. Whatever is left, no matter how strange, must be the truth.” His expression appeared dark as they returned to the village to reunite with the others.

---

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For something that she was expecting it was surprising how little she accomplished. It was like reliving the battle against Brother Wolf's crew, herself just struggling to even keep even one person alive while people are cut down left and right. All these fatal wounds looked like easy fixes for someone who was on the scene but where was she? A question she herself struggles with.

She had helped keep one person alive, admittedly they stood against an overwhelming opponent but what more she could of done still lingers in the back of her mind.

For someone who was a doctor and a binder by profession she sure was terrible at her job.

_

After they were finished she was returned to the main room where they waited until everyone had given their testimonies. From there they were told they would be waiting until tomorrow to head down to the constabulary tomorrow to follow up on the investigation.

She simply listened on to what the others had planned. Her task was to keep them alive after all and in order to do that she needed to be aware of where they were in the first place.

Which is why it was super convenient for both Kaurera and Rikard to announce they would be going in separate directions. Great.

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Involved - @dragonpiece,@Force and Fury,@YummyYummy,@pantothenic,@McKennaJ71,@Ti.

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Interactions: GM Foodie, FnF with Isii
Sugah'n Spice

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Casii had spent her time in a not particularly productive fashion for the mission at large. She did, however, profit in her own way. The day she spent checking the yanii shops and sellers, she found a number of goodies. It turned out to be quite the hassle to haggle without being able to speak their language, nor them speaking the common yanii speak. It took a lot of gestures and repeating words to find a way to express ideas. Even then, looking back, she thinks they were misunderstanding more rather than understanding. She, at least, managed.

The first place was the spice seller. In Casii's experience, yaniis could occasionally see to an interesting flavor to a yasoi's palete. In the end, Casii wasn't sure if she had gotten a good deal or not. The spice she had gotten tasted strong but she exchanged a few melons for a small bag. Curious enough, as Casii was going through different things she could offer, the yanii seller seemed to offer her something in exchange for the entire harvest of an orange tree and some yanii shillings on top of that. It was a case of some thick sauce that was titled with some far-off yanii name: "Bar-bee-Q". Upon dipping her finger and sampling, it tasted rather foul like it had been sitting on shelf for far too long. The yaniis swore it was legendary but Casii didn't think the yaniis had good taste. She considered just tossing it but decided to give it to one of her yanii friends like Desmond. She could imagine he had the culinary taste that... preferred that kind of rankness.

Having spent time in the town, Casii then wandered the border finding a neat garden of rather exotic looking plants. They weren't exotic to the area but they were the more unique plants that grew in the area, gardened here as kind of passion for someone. Casii picked one, a strange cup looking plant. It was a carnivorous plant for small insects, producing a sap in the cup. The yanii whose garden this was came out, alarmed, but quickly assured when Casii displayed her greengrowth ability. He explained in broken common yanii speak about the plant. They use the sap to heal as it had some medicinal properties. Casii gave the man two melons in exchange for letting her cycle one of those plants to obtain seeds for her bag.

---

The following day, Casii relinked with Isii, deciding that maybe she had enough time on her own. She didn't like the idea of leaving Ismette alone because from her experience, it drives her all manner of crazy when she is down. Isii was definitely bothered but avoiding it....

Ismette did not feel like herself. That wasn’t a metaphor. She quite literally did not, and it worried her. Deep down in the very marrow of her bones, it worried her. Was she going crazy? Casii was giving her questioning eyes and that was bad. She’d scarce slept a wink the night before and some of it was guilty conscience and some of it was annoyance at herself, at those stupid yaniis for making her act that way and at Casii for being worried. I’m perfectly not fine, thank you very much, precious one. Truth be told, it bothered her most that Casii was worried for her: that she was some active detriment, right now, to someone she cared about. It bothered her most, except for, well… the thing - the main thing. She hugged herself as she walked, trying to project her usual level of good cheer, but it was a hollow effort.

Casii worked her tongue and jaw extra hard this morning as she swirled around the portion of jamp’ysp she had stuck in her mouth before they set out. It was a habit born out of worry for the yasoi, who usually sought escapism from her life’s problems. The issue this time was, what do you do if they aren’t your problem but someone else’s? Someone important? Someone loved? Casii glanced over to her partner as the pair walked. She was hugging herself, causing the white-haired yasoi to frown. It seemed a lonely gesture, one that you’d need someone to lift you out of, but she had never been good at being soft. ”You know yer huggin’ yerself when you can be huggin’ me all you want. I ain’t mind it, Isii.” Casii smiled but it was a smile marred by concern.

Ismette did what she always did: hugged. It was as natural to her as, well… she didn’t know, but it was natural. It was sudden, too: she wrapped her arms around Casii from the side and tried to squeeze all the strength and reassurance that she could both into and out of her. You’ll think I’m crazy. You won’t say it, or you’ll play it off, but you will, or I’m just dodging responsibility. They parted after a moment. I remembered. I remembered things that were not mine. I acted: acted in ways that weren’t mine. It sounded like excuses, though, and she knew it, like she couldn’t acknowledge what she’d done. It had been her, but it was like there were a hundred other versions of herself or something like her with their hands on the reins, gently but implacably guiding hers. It couldn’t have actually been real… could it have?

There was content and comfort in those arms, Casii always thought. How could you worry when someone special embraced you like they’d never let go. Isii had always been capable of causing that feeling. Although Casii felt guilty in a way that she’d never be able to return what Isii gave her. She damn well tried but it always felt like she could never give enough, even returning that squeeze with everything she had somehow felt weak. Silence hung like a cloak over the pair even after they broke apart. It wasn’t fixed, whatever it was. Isii’s darker side, Casii believed it came from something impure about that magic she used. Dark Magic was named for a reason… ”Hey Isii…” Casii felt her chest tighten and her tongue stick to her mouth. She hadn’t mentioned it yet but she felt like she was feeling it. “You know I love you so you can tell me anything.” She said, low and quiet, afraid that such an admittance would only be met with closed doors. A risk Casii wouldn’t have made so carelessly a year ago but now… She was either stupid or really in love.

“What if that thing was really terrible?” Ismette asked almost… offhandedly. They were the baggage train of the group, trailing behind it as they went through the market. She glanced at some of the bits and bobs that these yaniis sold, but they were mostly boring people.

“So what if it were? I ain’t privy to judgin’ you.” Casii turned and spat before glancing ahead. She felt like she had been slugged in the stomach, regretting that she let slip the L-word. It was foolish of her to admit it so casually. Her cheeks grew flushed with a faint rosy color. Desperate to take her mind off of it she worked the half nut in her bottom lip as she considered how best to appeal to Ismette. “‘Sides, I know yer sweet’n kind’n lovin’n there ain’t a whole lot terrible ‘bout you, Isii. There ain’t nothin’ that gonna change you to me.”

Ismette lost her nerve right there. “Well, luckily, you’re right!” she giggled, before her mirth faded. “Truth is, I kind of lost it yesterday. They damn near killed you and… Ugh. For a moment, I wanted to…” She trailed off with an awkward shrug. “Just smash ‘em. Fuckin’ smash ‘em like they deserved. It’s got me a bit out of sorts, I guess.” She sniffed as they drew nearer to a spice vendor. “Sorry if I’ve been ‘off’. That’s it, really,” she lied.

She nodded a long, seemingly unbothered by Ismette’s truths about yesterday, but there was something about it that unnerved Casii. Her grip tightened around her staff, the Living Wood offering a caressing grip back as it encapsulated her hand almost entirely for a moment before it retreated. “Well yer probably just heated in the moment. Those yaniis were right foul ‘specially that one that went’n shocked me.” She aired casually but eyes narrowed at that being it. If she were better equipped for people, Casii might try to pry out the hard truths but she wasn’t. She just believed that she had to accept someone keeping their secrets.

”You know I went’n bought some kind of dried kelp ‘er somethin’ there.” Casii gestured with her staff towards the spice vendor, deciding on changing the subject.

“Kelp? Ismette squealed, “Like weekos eat!?” She made a face.

Casii shot a scrunched up face back at Isii. “No! It ain’t like for eatin’ like weekos!” She reached her free hand down into her seed bag and pulled out a small ceramic jar giving it a shake. “Fancy folk go’n use seasonin’ on everythin’ so I gots me some of my own.” She popped open the jar just enough to let the smell out allowing the two yasoi to intricately indulge in it. It was actually kind of good… for yanii seasoning!

“Well, you can colour me skeptical, but I’ll try it,” Ismette admitted. “Smells alright, I guess.” They came flooding back to her, then: sitting on a rocky shore, nervous and tired and grateful to have a virgin forest of horrors well behind her. Glancing over her shoulder and pulling her knees up to her chest around a fire. How many stars there were in the sky! She bit into the fish and the seasoning on it: it was like what Casii had, and suddenly Ismette knew exactly how it would taste. It would be no surprise and it would bring her back to that place. Then, just like that, she was back in the moment. There was a bit of an aroma from one of the stands and she was glad of the distraction. “You know what smells better, though?” she asked rhetorically, “That, over there!” She pointed at a baker’s. There was something about that salty drudgunzean bread that she’d taken to immediately upon arriving in Constantia.

“Yanii bread, huh.” Casii mused, almost sounding disappointed but she wasn’t really. She just liked to give yaniis and everything they did a hard time. “Only if they’re offerin’ ‘nough butter to go’n make it extra savory. ‘Cuz I ain’t gonna mind it then!” Casii would follow Ismette over to indulge in their little distraction. Ismette would eagerly accept, in some sort of mutual acknowledgement to avoid the elephant in the room… for the time being.

Finding a way in

Dorothea traced the castle’s walls wearing her cloak to conceal herself around her surroundings, her glasses making her sight a lot sharper in the darkness than it usually would. She knew she could probably take the guards out if needed but that could cause more problems than she would’ve like to deal with. ”verdammte graugeboren.” The Feskan mumbled to herself, clearly annoyed by having to find a more difficult way in compared to her companion.

”Fast so ärgerlich wie damals, als dieser Travendour-Junge es tat.” After quite some soft grumbling and mumbling Dorothea found herself a pipe with metal barriers going through it. It was a sewage pipe… Toll... Das scheint der beste Weg zu sein, mich zu verstecken. She sighed. Soon enough the smell hit her nose. Götter, es stinkt

After a couple seconds of taking it all in she made an opening big enough for her to fit through with the use of Chemical magic. After taking the smell in for a bit longer made her realize that it did stink as much as she thought, as if it has not been used that often. Is the castle understaffed or something? Not that it mattered much with the current trek though she couldn’t help herself but use some Chemical magic to make it smell a little nicer for herself.

Barrier after barrier was dealt with in the same way. Scheiße! Did they really have to put so many barriers in the way? This is starting to get tedious. Quite a bit after she stumbled upon a room that looked akin to something of a basement. It looked so old that she could feel the dust cling to her. Her companion to her annoyance was already there to welcome her. ...Angeberin… Then they spotting something that would not fit a basement… but rather a dungeon as a chained up skeleton that… did not look human… Yasoi?... No, it looked more beastly than that. ”What.. is that?...”