Varya Chandrar

As if by some miracle, sand smothered some of the flames and paved a path for the party and Varya's tender feet, likely Solomon's doing. He would have to thank Solomon personally for now he was in flight mode. He waited for everyone to run to the antechamber before he aimed to fire one of Jazdia's magic arrows at the other tunnel to block the mad bear's escape. He slacked the string just a little so it wouldn't go too straight, and arced the arrow so that it wouldn't catch fire in flight, then he let loose the arrow into the other tunnel. Then there was a great boom! Varya had realized that the brave fiery specter was no more and the frenzied monster would soon be upon him. Hastened by panic and desperation, he shrouded himself in his veil of invisibility, bestowed himself with the powers of the cat, and ran as fast as his tired legs could take him. There was a time for fighting and a time for flying, this was a time flying. Maybe the group could take the bear down in the open air, but fighting this beast in such tight corridors would be all but suicidal. Varya had no shame in running like hell away from the enraged bear, sprinting towards the back of the group line at break neck speed. If somehow that monster still caught up to them, Varya was willing to be the sacrificial lamb so that Cedar and the rest could make it out of the manor alive, as the mission was everything to him, though he prayed to The Great Spirit it wouldn't come down to that.

If Jazdia was here and saw what her yellow countryman was doing, she would call him mad. Maybe some bookings would be in order to introduce something called sense into him.

Nevertheless, Varya decided to stay behind and prepared the enchanted arrow.

At the center of the chaos was Ted, and he just broke free from whatever restraints held him. A small glint of fear burned in his eyes when he saw the violet light emanating from the Blue Elf's longbow, but he did not stop, nor would the elf.

The arrow released, and in an instant Varya too disappeared as the thunderous explosion bloomed behind the enraged bear. Stone crumbled down, and more supports shattered. A deafening echo blasted the lab, and Ted the Enraged stopped dead from his track.

A sheer madness prevented him from looking back, while a sense of duty urged him to keep running forward, heeding his mistress' latest call.
---

Meanwhile, a silhouette of a blue elf reappeared at the antechamber, right after the monster he was running from barrelled past the entrance of their sanctuary. It seemed nobody was sure why would Varya be standing in front of them, acting like a gatekeeper as if his slender build could prevent such a hulking beast from wreaking havoc in the tiny spaces they now used as their hideout. Luckily Ted was not bothered to investigate.

Fortunately, or rather, unfortunately, someone else would soon overtake him in a race to be nonsensical. The very same bear they just risked life and limbs to save now walked past him intending to assist the very same bear that tried to rip them into shreds just some moments ago.

Even Widernia, after coughing coagulated blood out of her throat urged Veronica to let her stand on her own just to give him her piece of mind. "Are you daft?! Leave him be, you insufferable dunderhead!"

"Yous .. Might wanna.. Write im off..." he spat at the witch- "..Buh uh.. won'.."

He glared at her menacingly, even though quite likely, a good slap would send him to his side with how she had sucked him dry with her unholy equipment.

"Ya kin .. takes ya.. HATEFUL.. EVIL.. CROOKED .. MOUTH-- An' Shove .. it up.. ya ASS, .. Ya BITCH. ... Uh hopes he.. Comes back Fer ya!.."

He purposefully urged his sisters to carry him past her, and to ignore anything that twat had to say. SHE was the reason for ALL of this, really. ... At least.. He wanted to believe she was.

He sucked in a breath, then did his best to call up the stairs, only half-succeeding with coughs and sputters between utterances.
"TED--" (hack, wheeze)
"UH'LL HELP YA SAVE 'ER!"

He gulped air as his head swam. Being depleted like this, and halfway to to the grave (or more) was no way to go about this.

"WE'S COMMIN UP... [Heave] .. WON'T BE NO TROUBLE."

He turned his weary head back over his shoulder, and drolled behind. ".. Uh .. 'Member 'at Fat-man.. At.. Fang'orn.. NO' AGEEN. Ya's hears meh?! NO' AGEEN! Onleh ways I's goin' out's, Ei'er dead, or wit' 'ose two safes!... Ya hears!? ... Nuh moars kids.. as losin' fam'ly... Nuh moar.... Suh.. Eier.. GIT AOUT... .. Er HELP MEH."

Location: Underground complex, Lab area, Stritzel's Estate, Western Kindeance.

---

The dried husk of a corpse that Solomon summoned, Veronica decided, was one of his more disturbing ones. It was one thing for the undead to be like Bartholomew, who reveled in battle and bloodshed, for who becoming undead was merely a second chance to keep doing what he loved most. It was one thing to be a vampire or even a lich, who gained as much as they lost in some ways. But it was quite another thing to be "preserved" in a state of eternal suffering. To imagine being eternally dehydrated, eternally thirsty with no way to quench it... The idea gave the vampire the shivers.

But she didn't have the luxury to consider such things right now.

As soon as a path through the flames was opened by a flow of sand, Veronica was sprinting, sending a final nod back at Solomon and Matteo. She hugged the wall as close as she dared, committing all due swiftness, as she ducked past the brawling forms of Bartholomew and the towering, burnt bear. She didn't stop for a moment, not when a thunderous explosion sounded from deeper within the lab -accompanied by the sound of crumbling wood and stone, not when Cedar's ever-bleeding heart compelled him to verbally tussle with Widernia. Veronica didn't have time to address all the bullshit that was happening right now, not in this place. She barely had the energy to be thankful that the burning bear had barreled past them down the other hallway, not willing to question their good fortune at this stage. Hopefully, that had something to do with Cedar...

"Less talking, more moving!" She shouted at Lily and Rose, jerking her head towards Cedar, as she ducked to the side of the antechamber, adjusting her grip on Widernia to heft the mage a bit higher on her back and hold her with one arm under her butt. One hand freed, she reached out to grab the still unconscious guard, slumbering in the barracks, hooking an arm under his stomach to carry his limp form underarm. "We'll have time for bleeding hearts later! The injured come first, so grab him and carry, even if he resists!"

Having secured both her prisoners, Veronica grit her teeth at the extra weight and pushed her muscles just that little bit further, now entering dangerous territory. In order to maintain her leading pace even with this burden, the exertion of her true undead strength was necessary, and she could feel the micro-tears breaking out in her legs with each footfall, even as she darted back the way the group had come, towards the storage room.

---

Solomon stayed behind even as Varya blasted the emergency tunnel using one of Jazdia’s enchanted arrows. Stone bits, and timber supports crumbled as the already clouded room was filled with dust and debris. He was not concerned about escape for himself. Walls meant nothing to him now, but he wanted to make sure he could do everything he could to manage the fire and the enraged bear. Solomon knew he himself incapable of doing anything, but perhaps he could guide his undead allies.

Matteo was mostly unaffected by the blast. In fact, he seemed to have a fuller mound of sand piled by the base of his feet. Sand drifted from the pile into a whirlwind around his body as he sent another brush of earthen particles across the burning floor, quelling out another strip of the fire. Again, some of the sand returned to the air consolidating by Matteo’s feet as he prepared to put out the rest of the fire.

Bartholomew, on the other hand, was broken free shortly after the blast. Ted, the enraged bear, inconsolable in his attempt to escape, knocked down the flame armor, shattered the floor, and fled down the hall towards the others. Now free from the very same stone shackles, Bartholomew attempted to give chase. He dare not let that bear reach or harm Solomon’s friends. With his one arm, he picked up his axe and took long heavy strides after Ted.

“No you don’t.” said Bartholomew as he rounded the corner to the antechamber. He went to follow the bear up the stairs after he realized that Ted wasn’t after Cedar or the others. He stopped his pursuit when he heard the cries from Solomon’s ursine friend. For reasons Bartholomew didn’t care to learn, Cedar convinced his sisters to instead follow Ted towards the manor. Bartholomew stood at the base of the stairs, resting his axe against the ground to partially block the hall.

“The other way, friends. You must take the bear friend out the other way. He cannot fight. He cannot run. Leading him towards that beast will only cause him further harm.”

In the meantime, Solomon searched the remains of the lab while Matteo continued to accumulate sand from the various pits formed in the ground. Solomon looked for anything of value that was not destroyed in the fire. He hoped to figure out just what Widernia was hoping to achieve. He had a sneaking suspicion that whatever was affecting that one guard on the surface might have originated here. And then there was Ted. His blood spilled in fire. These experiments might be connected. If Solomon could not find anything that could explain what going on, he could at least use some of what he found as evidence. Escape wasn’t an issue for him. Bartholomew left to chase Ted, and both Matteo and Solomon had the means traversing the earth. He didn’t trust the lab to last forever after the explosion from Varya, so he made the decision now was his best opportunity.

Widernia wasted no breath to return the retort, but instead tightened her arm around Veronica's neck very firmly had the pale woman was alive and needed breathing, she would feel the choking.

"Why bother? Just leave him!" whispered the mage.

Widernia did not hide her cowardice and anxiety when Veronica grabbed the unconscious guard. When the sound of clanging iron resonated on the corridor, the mage shivered and her breathing was ragged when her savior halted her pace.

"I have no love for Stritzel, nor her pet bear. A failed test subject he is." she mumbled "These people too are equally useless, and if morality is your reason to save them, you should know that those men are not in any way less despicable than me. But at least I have a deal you must honor!"
___

Steadfast like a statue, Bartholomew conveyed his fair warning, axe planted to the floor.

Upstairs, Ted the Gladiator unleashed his unadulterated rage toward the iron door that separated him and his Mother. A solid barrier the door was, but still could not match Ted's unnaturally enhanced might. Dirt and grime dusted off from the trembling ceiling and wall, metals clanged in idle protest. By the third pounding its shape started to bend, by the fourth, its hinges started to give in.

___

In the east room, there were other shelves, and desks, strewn about in disarray after the Juvenile bear thrashed the room to find their improvised tools. When Solomon looked closer toward the desk there was a torn diagram that seemed to belong to a large tome that was likely lost in the fire now. On the floor there were notes and writing about the research on blood harvested from unnatural beings, some looked slightly wetted and smelled awful.

Varya Chandrar

As soon as Varya saw the mad bear pass them by, he cancelled out his spells, becoming visible once again. He needed to conserve his mana, as he felt greatly drained by the electric torture brought about by that demon woman. He would have to conserve what little strength he possessed and make it count. It was then that Cedar expressed emphatic concern for Stritzel. Why he would express such sentiments towards his captor is not something Varya could comprehend, but perhaps it has something to do with the bear? Some sort of link, esoteric or otherwise? He looked into Cedar's eyes and found within his broken body a fiery determination that only a bear could muster. The guilt of Varya's failures weighed heavily on him, and he was not eager to defy Veronica's orders, as he had already lost respect for his recklessness. On the other hand, he could tell that this meant a lot to Cedar, that for reasons beyond logic the fate of Stritzel and the bear was as important to him and Cedar's was to Varya, and he could not find it within himself to snuff out that light.

Varya approached the emaciated bear man but did not stand in his way as he looked him in the eyes and spoke to him. "You have that fire within you, a mission in your heart you cannot abandon, no matter your state. Your life is not the only one you risk to pursue it, but I can tell you have already made up your mind. I cannot promise much, but I will do all I can to protect you, thus are my orders." Varya knows that there will be hell to pay for defying Jazdia and Veronica's orders to extract Cedar immediately, but something was telling him to see this through. Rather this will be a good or terrible decision time will tell. Varya armed himself with Crescent Moon. Any who approach Cedar aside from Stritzel will be shot down, for the time for leniency has passed.

Moments passed. Not sure how long, the elven ranger was unsure of her own perception of time right now, and she still felt hazy. But at least the trembling on her hands had disappeared, replaced by pain on her side and a burning sensation in her belly.

Those could mean both bad and good, bad because the anesthetic had worn off, and good because the supplement she took before, prescribed to help alleviate anemia, was working.

Jazdia checked and double-checked her bandage, ensuring there was no life seeping out of it before getting herself back on her feet. It was time to resume her duty. Pain and fatigue could be ignored, but delays on the schedule she could not tolerate.

____

Nearby, Yvonne was busy watching the sky slowly shift into marginally less tenebrous shade as the acute awareness of her condition washed over her senses. Lightheaded trance with occasional lapse of focus stemming from non-negligible blood loss. The familiar dull full-body ache from her usage of her strengthening, interposed by the persistently annoying tug of wrong that was her right calf that the potion stitched back together into a less than perfect condition. All interposed with the situational awareness of her surroundings - the dirt and grass under her hands, sticky sensation of dried blood, the distinct lack of wind thanks to their walled compound highlighting the soft breath of the elf nearby, the existence of another campfire not far off... it's so easy to be lulled into a false sense of security.

"We need to regroup," Jazdia's voice rang next to her. "It will be some time before the sun is out. The raid is not over yet."

"Yeah, we do." Shaking awake from her reverie, the mercenary slipped her hands back into the gauntlets before strapping her helmet back where it belongs. She stood briskly, patting dust off herself, one hand passing Sparky's medkit back to the rightful owner. As for her cloak... eh, it's not going anywhere and she's damn well not wearing it back now. She just kicked over the largest piece of firewood to weight it down and be done with it. "Lets take a look of what the rest are doing. And then... perhaps we should see to help the infiltration team. They're taking a bit too long for my liking."

Jazdia motioned Yvonne to put the medkit back in its place. "We might need it to fix someone else." She said, pausing before addressing The Mercenary's concern. "True, I should dial Veronica anytime now. But we need to take care of ourselves first."

After saying that, the elf approached the thug's tent, unsheathed her knife, and dismantled the canvas shelter. "Help hold that one," she said, gesturing to Yvonne to hold another end before cutting and laying it flat on the ground. It wasn't a fancy mat, but at least wide and proper enough for a bear to lay down.

Wide enough for a bear. The elf shook her head, trying to banish an urge to curse. It was for the sake of THAT damn bear they have to deal with this diversion, and remembering that those Juvenile twins were of the same species, Jazdia couldn't help but allow her intuition to suggest the worse.

Steeling herself, the next objection was to having everyone gathered in one place. So she headed to the second campfire. Yvonne followed suit, intending to lend Jazdia her arm.

"Oh please, I am not decrepit yet..." The elf gently refused the support Yvonne offered and smiled, showing the mercenary that she could walk with a perfect gait despite the injury. It wasn't out of vain pride, an instruction wouldn't mean much if one issuing it didn't appear to be in control of the situation.

"Just because you can does not mean you should, yeah? It's not a light injury." Yvonne shot back with a grin "Accept some help, Sparky. No one will see you any less for it."

The offer was still hanging in the air, but Jazdia was resolute with her choice. "I have asked and received your help more than what I deem appropriate. I appreciate the offer, but really, I am fine now, Miss Rosenving. You can follow me if you like because someone else might need your helping hand."

As the elven ranger continued walking, Evan could be seen walking past them, so Jazdia called.

"Hey! Mikkelson! We need to regroup now, have some rest near the campfire we will be there shortly!"

But there was no answer, Evan kept moving to the south. Where to? Jazdia didn't really care enough to look back and find out. If Evan could walk just fine then he was fine, strange, but not one to worry about.

"Athena, Louise. Can you two walk? Take my hand if you can't. The place is not yet safe, and it is unwise to remain scattered. Let us regroup at the thug's campsite, your fire wouldn't last long here, and there we can asses the injury better. Come on, get up!"

"Crystal." Louise acknowledged the elven woman's voice.

"I realigned and relocated back her bones and stopped her bleeding. We need the doctor or Lord Thernous to do the rest. As for me, I am completely fine." Louise continued with a gentle smile.

"Can you walk? I can carry you to the thug's campsite." Louise turned her head to the cat woman as she asked her.

Cedar glowered at the burning revenant, and did not mince words with it, sucking in a breath to steady himself for the very fast rate of speech he would need to do, in the debilitated state he was in.
These "DECISIONS" others were making for him HAD- TO- STOP. It was nice and good that they had come to rescue him, but the .... CALLOUSNESS... that they were displaying about this burned in him just as hot as the fire that had been in the previous room.

"Liss'nyous--Uh ain't gots time tuh waste on da likes a yah, an' ifn' uh was still able tuh throws ya, uh would-- Lilleh, Rose-- Dis sumbitch stan in da way, SHOVE'IM. SAVIN' AT MAN UP ERE, BEEN DA ONLEH THANG AS KEP' ME ALIVE, AN I WILL *NOT* SUFFER YOUS 'DECIDIN' FER ME! YA HEAR!?"

He made a move to push past Bart, only to be bodily blocked. He looked at Lily, then at Rose, with a "You heard me" look, then the two made plaintive faces, and apologized to the flaming headed armor, before bodily shoving him.

---

“Bears. Listen. Cedar needs to leave. He is in no shape to fight.” said Bartholomew. This was a weird position for him. It was one thing for the armor to take on Ted. Even if he was capable of being grievously wounded he would still have not batted an eye on his task. He was trained for, ready for such ordeals. He failed once which led to his current state of body, but now he could assume as much damage and risk as possible. Cedar, on the other hand, was in no such state. Even if he were in peak condition, Cedar just was not a fighter. His vines and intuition were impressive, but against something as ruthless as Ted, Cedar was nothing more than wet paper.

Bartholomew easily stopped Cedar from passing, but the weakened bear still had his sisters to back him up. Together the twins tried to push into Bartholomew, shove him out of the way. Letting go of his axe, Bartholomew braced his stance against the two. It was two of them, and Bartholomew lacked an arm. He was able to hold one of the girls back, but the other was able to slip past his left despite Bartholomew trying his best to shift if body to intercept. There were multiple methods he could have done to stop them. He would never know if they would have succeeded because he actively held himself back. These creatures were friends of Solomon’s, and it would not do right to him and the second chances he provided to make an enemy of him. But he also couldn’t let them just pursue the murderous beast, either.

Bartholomew ultimately failed to block the twins. One of them held him while the other essentially climbed on top. Being too top heavy and with nothing to grab, Bartholomew fell over. In the time it took the fiery armor to free himself, the other twin resumed lifting cedar and was already making their way up the stairs. The other joined them, quickly sprinting to catch up. They both apologized again. And just kept going without any intent to reconsider. Bartholomew stood up, picked up his axe and was ready to chase them, but stopped. Slamming the axe into the wall where it stayed embedded, Bartholomew turned to face the junction of the other hall and lab.

“Cedar is making towards the manor. He pursues the fire bear.” he called to any who could hear him, be it Veronica or Solomon.

Solomon was not having luck finding anything intact. Not that he expected there to be much for how long the fire was left to burn. He stashed the diagram and the wet notebook away, the latter wrapped in a cloth to prevent the smell from spreading. It didn’t look like much, but perhaps the later pages of that book might reveal what else Widernia planned to do with such blood. She was definitely planning something. Orbs of blood kept through out the lab was evidence for it.

In the meantime, Matteo was finishing putting out the rest of the fire. Thin layers of sand covering the majority of the lab floor nor. Dust, debris, and sand still filled the air so visibility was still low. It didn’t matter much now, Solomon thought he found all he could and was ready to call for his undead allies to escape after the others. However, Bartholomew gave out a call of warning. It felt like something Cedar would do, but he needed to rest, recover, and just get himself out of the manor all together. Solomon looked towards Matteo and with silent understanding, both Solomon and Matteo sank into the ground. Solomon wouldn’t be able to stop Cedar, even in his weakened state. Instead, the two would catch up with Veronica and figure out what she wanted to do about the wayward bear.

Location: Underground complex, Lab area, Stritzel's Estate, Western Kindeance.

---

At the sibilant whisper of Widernia's words in her ears, Veronica had to admit, the suggestions was not one she hadn't considered. She could have moved much faster were she not burdened like this. Even so... was it really so much trouble to save a life if she had the ability? What was a bit of temporary pain in the face of an immortal soul? "His fate will be the same as ours," she bit out equally quietly, resisting the urge to grind her teeth as the persistent smell of still fresh blood wafting around her. Now that they were out of the immediate lab area, the powerful scent of chemicals and smoke wasn't fully concealing it as greatly, and her thirst all but swooned at the temptation. "But please, do continue to tempt me to relinquish my oath. I don't such things lightly, but they are by no means ironclad in the face of necessity." The redheaded mage's words were certainly doing her no favors, but despite the vampire's thinly veiled threat, a deal was a deal. She would keep Widernia alive by hook or crook and ensure she faced the justice of the land for her crimes.

And then Cedar's bellowed words echoed off the tunnel walls and reached her ears, accompanied by the distant comprehension of the words of the rest of the team, causing Veronica to skid to a stop, eyes wide, before her expression swiftly transformed into an ugly thing of fury. After all this effort, again, those motherfucking bears were going to do something completely-! And Varya was helping him-!

"Damnation!"

Her oath to Widernia warred with her priorities, both personal and that of the mission, as she released the unconscious guard to let him slump bodily to the floor in the middle of the hallway. The impulse to drop Widernia as well was far from small, but her promise stayed her hand. In the absolute worst case, having Widernia on-hand would be better than not.

Turning on her heel, she sprinted back the way she'd come. The dull ache of her legs was less irritating than the slight uptick of her hunger, as even more of her precious blood reserves went into repairing the micro-fractures. The urge to use her strength explosively to cover the return distance was not small either, but again, she resisted, wary of not having the option at a more critical moment, to say nothing of her hunger rising further. Instead, teeth clenched tightly, she ran back as fast as she could while burdened, hoping she wasn't about to be too late to avert something truly catastrophic. Yet, even as the entrance of the barracks swept back into sight, she could already hear the crash of what must have been Bartholmew hitting the floor, hear his warning that Cedar was free to throw his life away.

And we were so close too!

"Cedah, this is CRAZEH!" hissed Lily into his ear.
"He nearleh kill' us!" whimpered her sister in agreement in the other one.

He nipped at Lily's nose, then growled at Rose.

"He ...Had .. At .. BITCH.. In 'is .. head.." he snarled between ragged, and labored breaths. His body was in no condition for the abuse the adrenaline pumping through him was causing, but need and determination kept it flowing. "Jus. Stop afore we .. Gits tuh close..." he muttered more congenially after. ".. He jus.. Wanna save .. 'is momma..-- We gunna 'elp him .. does 'at."

Both sets of ears beside his own sank back, and two pairs of very wary eyes showed whites at him, but said no more-- A wordless "we hope you know what you are doing."

Within moments, the trio converged within the prescribed distance of Ted-- Well outside his "bubble" of comfort, but within talking distance. He was still furiously beating himself against the heavy metal door, leaving a vivid, body-shaped smear on the surface from the repeated impacts-- and his lack of skin.

"... At'd be easier... with four... no?"

Seemingly unaware of their presence, The Gladiator bear ignored the regard. His claws crowbarred the partially oppened door, and he forcefully shoved his muzzle through the gap, only to be flinched backward after having his wounded snout collided with whatever obstacles behind that dented iron.

"We.. Won' .. stop ya.. Ted.... Uh wunna.. helps... ya.....'astead..." Drawled cedar wearily, almost forlornly, before heaving a deep breath to steady himself, pushing back the demands of the aderenaline, despite his heart pounding in his ears, and making stars and lights in his vision. He paused a minute, letting Ted work unabated, before speaking again. As close to calm as he could muster. ".. Dey.. Don.. un'erstaand... Cain't... Un'erstand... ... How coul' dey?..." He shook his head side to side. "... E'en dese two... ... Dey jus.. wan'd tuh saves meh..... Likes you wan... Save ..Her.... We's... In dis... Tugether..."

For a moment, the attempt to break through the door stopped. The Gladiator-Bear growled, one hand cluthing his bleeding nose, while dthe other grappling the dented gap to support his massive bulk. It was at that moment he heard that pathetic plea, and the sight of two other bears he encountered erlier. The anger rekindled again, and letting himself fell all of his four paws, Ted let out a primal roar.

"Leave me alone!"

For now the bear's attention was less on Cedar and more on the two other bears behind him. A fair warning was given, from a beastly creature who was literally cornered. His glowing claws sheated, his fangs bared. And he would strike at anyone who dared to approach.

"Ted... If 'at... Realleh what yus... wan'.... We'sll go... Buht....." Cedar sighed, breathed deep, then resumed. .." Uh. Aint.. useless..." He made a weary, plaintive smile with soft eyes, and lazy, sagging ears. "Gives meh a chance... tuh proves it?"

"Leave ME BE!" the angered Gladiator-Bear raised himself up and roared, brandishing his claw and ready to strike. The only thing he could catch from the speech were the word 'help' and by that instant, he felt whatever left of his pride pricked. The word had betrayed him in the worse possible way. They hurted him because of that word help, they did it all under the name of helping, and worse of all, What that witch had done to him was out of the intention to help, pleaded by his own mother off all people.

Stood unchallenged for a while, Gladiator-Bear's attention suddenly shifted back to the door, when some yellings could be heard behind it.

"It stopped! Captain!"

"Are you daft!" Did you not heard the roar?! The beast is still there!"

"Fuck this shit! It aint worth shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! I'aint signied for it, none of were!"

"You stand on your ground soldier! Mack! Barrick, move that couch! We need to reinforce it before---"

In that instant, Ted The gladiator spun around and rammed his shoulder against the door, focusing the impact on the already bent hinges.

"Stay where you are!" said the voice behind the door. "Whatever comes from that door we fight it!"

"Ya hear 'at?" asked Cedar in a deadpan tone, looking past him at the door. "... em idiots gunna stup ya. Poke ya full a holes-- 'Cause dey IDIOTS.. ... An ya ain't e'en got no SKIN on!" He looked at Ted with a blank, and featureless expression "Ya kin kill meh la'er-- Bu' you NEED dis help-- you KNOWS it."

His expression become more wryly quizical. "WHo you radder see on the stick-- Yaself, ... Or meh?" Then stern again. "Or-- I kin turn an walk 'way;... Yur call...---Be'er make i' quick... She commin' up de stairs."

Whatever Cedar was saying, all was lost in the last roar as the bear focused his sheer might to break through the door. With less people pushing it against, the door finally busted open, along with the large bookcases behind it. Clawing himself up and out, the enraged Bear-Gladiator rampaged toaward the first human he sees and swatted him away, sending flying through the windows next to the entrance. The counter attack from the remaning humans was carried out half-assedly, but one of them somewhat managed to to stab Ted's abdomen.

The guard's face was dumbfounded upon realizing that his spear could barely pierce through the skin, the only expression he could show before Ted brutally grab him by his head and crush it with a single slam.

Cedar sighed, and waited in the hall behind the smashed door, as Ted savaged the guards, wearily shaking his head side to side. He could hear the angry footfalls of someone closing behind. He did not turn to face it. Just waited patiently for Ted to finish his grim "work."

"You certainly wouldn't want to wait for any doctor here if you value the life of the people in your care." She narrowed her eyes upon hearing such an ambiguous report. In all honesty, Jazdia was ready to dismiss the excuse to not relocate much earlier as a lack of better judgment. The wall before them could very well be the place where the enemy aiming a crossbow or musket at them, and considering how close they were to the mansion, such a risk should be apparent enough.

Pausing to observe the potential hazard, Jazdia's icy disposition was somewhat thawed a bit when she heard Louise explaining about her fixing Athena's bones. Well, at least it wasn't an open fracture.

She unbuttoned her blazer and handed it to the squire. "Use this as an arm sling, and refrain from touching the fracture until Solomon's around. I can't use my power yet and who knows what kind of surprise is being prepared for us in that mansion. Stay alerted!"

---

Athena looked at Jazdia as the elf woman approached. She sat up quickly awaiting whatever news or recommendations she had. Though Athena and Louise were in this weird post battle state, it would not do either of them good to forget they were still within enemy territory and further hostilities could still come from the manor itself. It was something that Athena would have been embarrassed to admit, but for the moment she was with Louise and Evan, she forgot the battle was still ongoing, even if she and those with her weren’t engaged. For now, what was inside was quiet, or at least quiet enough that the assault team couldn’t know what troubles might have been inside. The infiltrators were still in there, so Athena hoped they didn’t run into anything debilitating.

“Yes, I can walk.” said Athena in response to Jazdia. Athena twisted her body slightly enough so that she could face Louise better, “I’m sure. Thank you.” Athena used her right arm as a brace to lift herself up. She ached, but not as bad as she did before. Most of the pain she was feeling was mostly isolated to her left arm. Once she was fully planted on both feet, Jazdia’s blazer was presented. Spare cloth to act as a sling. Athena would have protested but Louise had already grabbed the garment and started to fasten it around Athena’s arm and shoulder. Jazdia herself didn’t seem to mind, and Athena could still see she was modest, so there were no outward protests.

“I don’t suppose you know where Evan went?” asked Athena. She heard the grass rustle as Evan stood up just moments before, no longer asking his questions. Athena tried to look where he was going, but as she was lying down, she couldn’t quite see. Jazdia only presented Athena with a look that answered the question and deterred any more. Perhaps the weight of the assignment was beyond what he expected, and he decided to wait out the rest of the raid with the two other men from Antigone’s scouting team.

“Alright, just let me grab my spear. Whatever happens from now, I’d rather have it than not.” said Athena. The spear had landed a little out of the way, but was still within sight of the camp fire Yvonne had built. Athena started to make her way there when her ears shifted. Something was happening in the manor now. A roar, shouting, the crash of heavy items and weapons. Athena turned to Jazdia and Louise.

“There is fighting in the manor. We should finish grouping up quickly.”

"I know," Jazdia said. Her gaze, like Athena, was on the manor itself, where a faint screams and roarings, and the sound of broken windows could be faintly heard.

She beckoned Yvonne to follow and brought her pocket watch closer to her chin.

"Veronica, what's the situation on your end? My power is... disabled now, so I can't track you down there. Everything is under control here. The Package is down and secured." Shaking her head, Jazdia repeated the report with omitted lingos this time. "We have Jonas Delving under arrest."

The man in question was still lying in front of her, eyes closed, but still breathing.

Varya Chandrar

Varya looked to Veronica, who is clearly livid with his choice to stand by Cedar. As intimidating as she was, Varya hand to stand his ground for the sake of Cedar's freedom. "Lady Veronica, I understand that was Cedar is doing on the surface is suicidal madness, but his heart is filled with a strong desire to save the bear, who is dear to him. If he does not go as far as he can to attain this goal, his will will be broken and he will not be of much use to the King or anyone else. To have his heart broken would be a fate worse than death. He is not doing this out of a sense of a sense of selfishness, but to save another. If someone you cared about was in a similar position, wouldn't you risk life and limb to save them?" He then turned his attention to Solomon. "And what of you Sir Solomon? Is your heart not moved by Cedar's sacrifice?" Varya was desperate to make his case to the others, knowing he could not stop them if they were adamant. Truth be told he didn't want Cedar to do this, but convincing him in such a delirious state would be even more difficult. Freedom was the right of all sentient life, and he knew if he was in Cedar's position he would not tolerate having his heart's desire denied.

---

It didn’t take much time, but Solomon was able to reappear near Veronica, Varya, and their unconscious hitchhiker. The smoke was thinner here, but the smell and haze was still enough of a sign that a fire had been burning away. He didn’t say anything immediately. He could tell that Veronica was angered by the turn of events involving Cedar and his sister’s change of course.

Solomon turned his head when Varya addressed him. The bluish elf had taken the moment to consider the problem from Cedar’s point of view. Much of it sounded exactly like Cedar, but Solomon had to disagree with his priorities. Solomon closed his eyes and shook his head slowly side to side.

“I’m afraid it is selfish.” said Solomon. He opened his eyes again and looked directly at Varya. The slight haze and bits of soot dulling the vibrancy of the elf’s attire. Even more he could see the lightning pattern poking from his garment. The party took some hits to get Cedar out of the cell. And those on the surface undoubtedly took some of their own. Solomon continued, “should Cedar pursue his captors and fail, he would be forgoing the sacrifices we took to free him from his merciless prison. Not just us, but those who engaged in battle above the ground.”

Solomon’s mask shifted as though he were still speaking, but any words he said were imperceptible except to maybe Veronica if she was listening. Solomon then continued to speak normally. “We’ve seen much of what Ted is capable of. If that was not the extent of his power, then we would be hopelessly outmatched. If you listen, you can hear the carnage Ted can wrought and those victims were once his allies. I suggest we get Cedar out of here. We can consider other options later. If we leave Ted to go now, there is the chance he will escape, and Cedar can have his time when another opportunity presents itself. A time where Cedar is healthy and strong. As Ted is now, I don’t believe there is any reasoning with him regardless of what Cedar might think.”

“I can go after him.” said Bartholomew heeding Solomon’s request to regroup. Curiously, Matteo's location remained unknown, still submerged under within the very soil. Bartholomew lifted his axe onto his shoulder, “Even with his surrogate legs I can catch up easily.”

“Whatever we do, we should do it soon. We’ve wasted too much time as it is.” said Solomon.

Location: Underground complex, Stritzel's Estate, Western Kindeance.

---

Veronica could hear Cedar's words echoing off the halls down towards her, as she sprinted back into the barracks. If she actually had blood flowing through her veins, it would have been metaphorically boiling, as her expression darkened further. Those fools... Her teeth clenched tightly, as she metal compass in one of her pouches suddenly came to life, Jazdia's voice ringing into the area.

Veronica's pace slowed, as she was forced to readjust her grip on Widernia back to being one-armed to pull out the communication device with her other hand. "Move," she snapped without prevarication. Biting back a snarl, Veronica didn't even acknowledge Varya's words and didn't have the time to address Solomon's, as she stepped around the blue elf, shouldering him aside none too gently with undead strength if need be.

Jazdia's words of success were a cold comfort, as Veronica swallowed the bitter shame of a mission in tatters, even with all the advantages on their side. To have their success sabotaged by their own team members? She could think of little more humiliating. As she stepped into the hall leading up to the mansion, she activated the device and grit out, "I wish I could say the same. Cedar is free, but he and his sisters have gone rogue. They're aiming to aid the larger bear we spotted before. That bear -it turns out- is no prisoner. He's an utter monster of a fighter and an ally of Stritzel to boot. We could barely do anything but make him angrier, and Cedar is planning to heal away our progress!" That last bit escaped her in nothing less than an openly infuriated hiss.

There was a delay before Jazdia asked with an astonished tone. "A bear fighter? It all makes sense now. But heal away the progress...? Where the hell is that stupid bear now?" But the vampire was too occupied to immediately respond.

Not for the first time, having already lost sight of Cedar again, Veronica considered dropping Widernia to better help her catch up... and leave her unburdened for what she might need to do. Instead, for the moment, she bellowed up the stairs, certain Cedar would hear her no matter how far ahead he was due to the acoustics, "Cedar, get the hell away from that bear! Stritzel is a traitor, and he is her ally! Aiding them is treason against the crown! If you do this, I-!" She paused, struggling to contain her fury and regret at the position she was being put in. "Whatever you think you're doing, it's not worth it!"

Varya Chandrar

Solomon's words reached Varya, and he realized that he was letting his emotions run high in a moment where he needed all of his faculties. He looked to Solomon, his tone more calm than before. "Thank you Sir Solomon, I've let a madness come over me, but you released me from it. The mission must come first for the betterment of all." Veronica pushed Varya aside, fuming at the betrayal of her allies. The sting of being labeled a traitor to the crown and inviting Veronica's ire exasperated his already heavy burden of guilt for failing everyone to the point of crushing oppression. The pain was almost as horrendous as being electrocuted by the demon's lightning. He realized he had to take responsibility for his actions when his allies and superiors need him most, or else forever walk in the shadow of shame.

Desperate to restore his lost honor, Varya stepped forth directly in front of Cedar and looked him in the eyes. Varya pitied Cedar, he saw a lot of himself in the bear man in terms of the stubbornness to help someone who was near and dear to him and screw the consequences. It hurt him to know that what he would do would likely break Cedar's heart, and he may never be forgiven for it, but this was the steep price Varya was willing to pay fulfill his mission. He then spoke to Cedar in a soft but sincere tone. "No matter what happens Cedar, know that you are a good person." He took all his guilt, shame, and frustrations, and channeled them into anger to fuel his spell of Bull's Strength. The wrath of the bull coursed through his veins, and he would use it with newfound purpose. He took solid steps towards Cedar, intent to grab and push him away. Varya was going to get Cedar to Jazdia, even if he had to drag him kicking and screaming the whole way.