Xrylos followed the others through the twisting corridor’s of the Ru’Tev manor. This manor had served as his base of operations for nearly a year now. Ever since he was instructed by the Hekkru-Natjier to orchestrate the breakout the year prior. It hadn’t been too difficult. His ability to see the inner workings of someone’s mind and rework it made subterfuge a thing of ease.

Starting out, finding a way into the prison’s operations had been a lengthy process. Rewiring a person’s brain takes time and patience, particularly when you are trying to do it without the other person realizing. However, once he got his foot in the door, the prison’s security measures quickly toppled. All it took was one single person, subservient to his wishes, and then that person brought in the others.

Xyrlos smiled. There was a sort of pleasure to be found in the reforging of a person’s mind. The pushing and swapping of tiny behaviors that bit by bit accumulated into a personality far more pliable. The thrill and rush that came from seeing those behavior changes gradually materialize. The satisfaction that came after molding a mind into the final product.

Crazed. Perhaps compared to the rest of society, the term suited him quite nicely. He had alway been this way even before the symptoms influenced his mind. The insanity only made him bolder. Perhaps, some would even say they made his experimentations more depraved. But they never really understood the art in all of it. To strip a person of individuality? To turn a fiery personality into a docile and submissive slave? That took talent! What he did was not only an art, but also a science!

He pushed the bounds of the human mind. Tested to see how much could be taken away from a person’s normal thinking pattern to get them to do something horrendous.

Could he get a person to break their own fingers one by one just by rewiring two, four or six nodes of the brain? Why yes. Yes he could. Could he get a person to hunt down, kidnap, torture and then murder every one of their own family members, all while making them horrifically aware yet still gaining some sort of pleasurable rush from it? Yes! It might have taken a month of trial and error, but he could do that as well!

Xyrlos had learned much of the human mind. In fact, his knowledge had reached a point where the familiar experiments no longer provided the satisfaction they once did. He had experienced it all before. Performed the same mind manipulations multiple times over. It had begun to get predictable. Boring even.

He sighed, thinking back to those first few years. Back when he had infiltrated the Order of Candor, the Nation of Hearing’s group of monks who sought to control their own senses. It was a time before he had met the Hekkru-Natjier and had his own madness calmed. Those were nostalgic days. When the mind was still an empty canvas just waiting to be explored.

Back then, the world had not yet realized he was Crazed. He had been able to disguise himself as one of their greatest teachers in the Order. Numerous ‘pupils’ went through his doors and into his lab; their minds forever altered. Master their senses they did, but at the cost of their ability to say no to him.

In the end, as his madness progressed, the boldness and depravity of his experiments increased. It wasn’t long before they discovered what he was, but not before he had a large enough following to create a sort of ‘civil war’ within the Order.

Xyrlos smirked. That had been fun. Even despite his faction losing said war. The order had him imprisoned. Fortunately though, Xyrlos had been smart enough to plant sleeper agents long ago in the Order. That foresight alone had been enough to save him.

He had ultimately escaped his imprisonment. Met the Hekkru. Calmed his madness. Got in the Hekkru’s good graces... And now?

Xyrlos smiled as he flicked the strange tool in his hand. The tool shifted and warped. It was a knife… Or at least it was now to those who looked upon it. A stray thought thrust upon the minds of all those near it. An inescapable idea, despite the tool’s ability to shift and warp.

However, to those who knew what the tool was… To those who know what it did… for them, it had a different identity entirely.

The Cuterware. Powerful ‘Stray Thoughts’ that made up a set of five. Artifacts lost to time. Largely wiped from any notable scholarly tools. Artifacts, now barely even referenced in children’s tales, though even those didn’t have the facts straight on what exactly they were or what they could do.

Yes, the mind had become predictable to Xyrlos, but now… Now, he had found a new toy to play with. And oh what a wondrous toy this Culterware had proven itself to be! It changed the game. Opened up a new world of possibilities with its three forms; the knife, the fork and the spoon.

He had only required a few experiments to understand the first two forms. Those forms were straight forward. The knife cut, or at least something similar to cutting. It seemed to cut the very fabric of reality. Cutting away the very concept of what an object had been before.

The fork was similarly straight forward. It was a tool that pierced objects with its two prongs and somehow made them into one. Again, like with the knife, it seemed to be more complex than that. The things the fork fused together seemed to force a perception that the objects had always been fused together. Those concepts were thrust upon the viewer, creating a conflicting sense of wrongness and normalcy.

The mind seemed to instinctively fight these invasive notions, but that was a fight he had learned the mind couldn’t win. Continuing to fight it would only shatter one’s sanity. To avoid that, one had to learn to accept the invasive ideas. To ignore them and not pay them a second thought. Even for a master of the mind, like Xyrlos, this train of thought had taken him months to master.

Xyrlos flicked his wrist again and this time watched as the Cutlerware settled into its spoon form. He felt his perception of the Cutlerware shift. It was a spoon.

One of the Crazed leading Xyrlos, seemed to shift uncomfortably. He eyed the tool, his body shivering in the process. Xyrlos smiled softly. He liked how uneasy the Cutlerware made the people around him. He liked giving off the impression that he alone appeared unphased by the discomfort it caused. There was a sense of power to that feeling. A power he feasted upon hungrily.

Xyrlos shifted his own gaze downward and stared deep into the ever shifting metallic appearance of the Cutlerware’s spoon form. The form that he had yet to fully understand.

While he still felt like he had only scratched the surface in understanding the other two forms, the spoon nearly eluded him. It seemed to change the flow of things. To shift them, bend them, rework how they function.

He could put the spoon in flowing liquid, and could easily change the normal flow to go uphill. Use it against a moving object, and he could redirect its motion. Those were the obvious capabilities of the spoon, but there appeared to be more to it than that.

If he used it on an object, it often wouldn’t do anything obvious. Other times, it would cause the object to melt or even make it burst into a cloud of gas. It seemed he could use it on other things too. Things that seemed more like conceptual attributes rather than physical attributes.

Though he had experimented much with this form, he still wasn’t quite sure what he had learned. Most experiments ended up turning the subject into something unrecognizable, often even killing them. More recent experiments, however, had proved somewhat more useful. Experiments that made things move within only solids. Creations that would absorb the living tissues of others…

And then… then there was Peytr. The one experimentation that he had been asked to toy around with. The Unspoken Pact. He still wasn’t quite sure what this Unspoken Pact was, the Hekkru-Natjier had been scarce on the details. However, the experimentation, though a failure, had taught him so much! The Cutlerware was capable of interacting with the workings of magic!

So much untapped potential lay in that single revelation. Could he use the Cutlerware to make Crazed sane again? Could he turn another person into a Crazed? Could he use it to make an existing Crazed go insane in different ways?

A sadistic smile slowly spread across his lips as he observed the culterware’s sheen undulate, swirl and shift between a mottled, reflective and then shiny look. Lost in the mesmerizing play of light, he was abruptly snapped from his contemplation. They had arrived.

Up ahead, Xyrlos could make out a dimly lit chamber resonating with the low hum of whispered deliberations. There, a congregation of Crazed huddled together.

A perplexed expression shadowed Xyrlos's face. Why had their onslaught against the Normies ceased? He advanced cautiously into the room, eavesdropping on their ongoing discourse. In the midst of the assembly, a singular figure took charge, guiding the unfolding conversation. Ludar Ru’Tev. Crazed brother of the real lord of the town, Adain Ru’Tev. Back when the breakout had occurred, Ludar had taken Adain’s place as lord and locked Adain up in the same prison that Ludar had stayed in for all those years.

“We cannot afford to lose the prison.” Ludar was saying. “If we do, we lose a source of new recruits for the upcoming revolution. We have to redirect the focus of our attacks.”

Xyrlos drew his lips in a line and flicked the Cutlerware into its fork form. Lose the prison? Refocus their attacks? What exactly had happened since they started their ambush?

“If we be letting them Empire folks live, word be getting out to Empire’s Army. We be needing to kill them. They are main priority.” Said a Crazed with orange-tan skin, silvery hair and a heavy accent. One of the Hekkru-Natjier’s Nhatkelese men who the Hekkru had sent along with Xyrlos. He suspected that the man was mostly sent to keep an eye on Xyrlos.

Ludar slammed his fist on the table. “This is my home! My namesake! I will not allow this intrusion to go unchallenged!”

The Nhatkelese man laughed “Home? Namesake? You stupid Freshlanders.” He said with a shake of his head. “You be Crazed. In Freshlands, that mean death. This act you doing, as ‘real’ Lord Ru’Tev, never was to be forever. Never could be forever. It over. Bigger threat need be our focus.”

Ludar opened his mouth as if to fire a retort, however Xyrlos took that moment to step in. His presence silencing the group.

“We lost the prison?” Xyrlos said coolly. He flicked his wrist. The Culterware was a knife. “And how did you manage that Ludar?” He eyed the man, giving him a dangerous look that made Ludar shrink back.

“We- we’re not sure. A force somehow snuck in and-”

“Snuck in?” Xyrlos interrupted. “There are only two entrances. Four if you count the sky bridge connecting to the manor, and the roof access. All of these are guarded heavily aside from the roof access which, as I said, is a roof access.”

It was a small show of emotion from Xyrlos, but any show of emotion was rare for him. The interruption made Ludar stiffen, though he worked hard to hide it. His worried gaze quickly flicked towards the Cutlerware and back.

“We don’t know Xyrlos. It doesn’t appear like they came through any of those entrances. We thought at first that they might be with the Princess and the Empire’s soldiers… but… well…”

He looked to the Nhatkelese man who he had been arguing with before. The man eyed Xyrlos and spoke. “They Nhatkelese.” He said “Skin, hair same as me. Smelling like Nashep-Natjier work. Kharu-Natjier be too cowardly.”

The Nashep-Natjier? He had heard mentions made of that one. Supposedly She and the Hekkru had opposing objectives. Though, by the sounds of what he had heard, all the Natjiers were.

Xyrlos, pointedly decided that it was best not to test his mettle against another Natjier. Particularly if that Natjier had brought with them an opposing force. At that moment, Xyrlos made his decision. They would have to abandon this post, but they wouldn’t be able to do so if all of the Crazed left at once. It would leave a trail too easy to follow.

Xyrlos eyed the Nhatkelese man and gave him a subtle nod. They would need to leave without the others. Though not before killing the Empire’s men, and -regrettably- the princess.

“Both forces are a problem.” Xyrlos said to Ludar. “But he’s right. The Empire’s soldiers must die.”

“So… you have a plan, I take it? Something other than splitting up our forces?” Ludar asked hesitantly.

“I do.” He said with a cool smile. “And they happen to be locked away in a couple of cages down below.”

Ludar shuddered at the suggestion. Xyrlos, however, returned a malicious grin.

Nia experienced the journey back to the basement as though her mind were wrapped in fog. Try as she might, she couldn’t overcome the influence of Milaine's power which kept her obedient to her last command. The two accompanying her showed little remorse as they roughly shoved her along. The binding around her legs had been loosened enough to allow small awkward steps but it was a slow and arduous walk. She was vaguely aware that the path they walked was different to the one she had led Chres. Another entrance perhaps? She tried to memorize it but holding any thought was like grasping water with her fingers.
At last they came to a thick wooden door and, after an awkward descent down rough stone cut steps, Nia found herself in what she thought may have once been a wine cellar. The barrels had been cleared and in their place were long rows of cells. Slowly, the group began to make their way onwards.

---

Chres breathed out as he righted himself mentally. At random he picked a door and opened it. A long room with cells. Some empty, some not. No monsters, and…

Chres froze, there were people in the room. Carrying a woman bloodied and… Nia?

One of the men carrying the beaten Nia met Chres’s eyes. He raised his hands. Knives rose from his jacket and shot towards Chres. Shit!

Chres shut the door. The knives bedded into the wood with a loud clunk. Through the door, he could hear shouts. At least one of the men was chasing after him.

---

Nia raised her head dully as one of the men escorting her moved suddenly. She thought she caught a glimpse of a vaguely familiar figure before they disappeared back behind the door they had just opened.

“Chres…?” She muttered thickly. She should help him shouldn't she? No.. she had to go to Xyrlos. Her aunts words compelled her to continue on. She took a few more labored steps forwards before realising she didn't know which way to go. The other person guarding her had stopped as the first had given chase and now he seemed to be weighing his options. Was Xrylos through that door then? She turned and began to amble onwards after Chres but a hand stopped her.

“I have to go to Xrylos” she mumbled, trying to push onwards despite the hand keeping her in place.

---

Chres wedged a chair between the door and the handle. Would that hold them? Unclear. He wasn’t sure what they were capable of. Plus the door was made of wood. They could possibly break through it. Especially if the Divergent did him dirty again. No, he couldn’t rely on the door holding. He would have to find somewhere else to run-

He hesitated. Nia had been bloodied and beaten. Had she told them he was here, or had hurt her because of what he had done. Punishing her, to -he looked towards the door leading to the room of monsters- become one of those things.

His heart raced. He had to force himself to look away from that door. He couldn’t think about those things now. He had to focus on the issue at hand.

A crash came at the door, followed by a loud crack of the door splintering. Chres cursed. That door should not have cracked so easily. He had to act quickly. Perhaps he could catch this one off guard.

Thud and crack. Hatchet in hand, Chres stepped to the side of the door from where it would open.

Another thud and crack. There was a rhythm to the man’s ramming. Chres could use that.

Thud. CRACK! This time the door seemed to shudder. It would not last another ramming. Chres kicked aside the chair. Put his hand on the handle. Counted for half a second, and then swung open the door right before the next ramming.

Caught off guard, Chres’s attacker ran through the opened doorway. Chres caught him with a hook to the neck, threw him down to the ground away from the open doorway. Jump on top of him, hatchet raised.

Try not to kill anyone, they’re truly not bad, really. Nia’s words swept through his head.

DAMN IT!

Rotating his grip mid swing, Chres ended up breaking the man’s nose with the butt of the hatchet.

The man screamed trying to shove Chres off of him. Chres pushed back, this time smacking him across the side of the head with the flat of the hatchet. The man groaned, seeming dazed. Another smack and the man went unconscious.

Better than dead, but still not great. Chres groaned. Was he really doing this now?

Exhaling, Chres returned to his feet. The other man hadn’t chased after him yet. He cautiously peered out beyond the doorway, ready to pull back if anything should come flying at him. Nothing did.

The man was still there with Nia. Blade to her neck.

“You were the one who got away, aren’t you?”

He said. Chres didn’t reply. Instead his eyes focused on a figure fluttering in from the basement entrance on the other side of the room. A ferret with wings.

Chres cocked his head, brow furrowed. Sil? She didn’t usually use that form.

“Don’t act all innocence!” The man said, mistaking Chres’s tilted head as a feinted gesture of ignorance. “We know that the two of you were working together.”

This time it was Sil’s turn to cock her head as she hovered in mid-air. She looked towards Nia, perhaps wondering whether or not she should recognize the girl.

Chres made sure to look away from Sil. Perhaps her ferret form was good thing. She could actually nip people in that form.

Frowning, he looked at Nia. The woman seemed dazed.

“Nia.” Chres said, hoping that she was conscious enough to hear him. “Whatever you do, don’t use your powers.” Now was not the time for a cocky Nia.

The man smiled, “Aw, wonderful. So you do know her?” He pressed the knife to her neck. “Drop the weapon.” He growled.

Sil looked from Chres, to Nia, and back. She opened her mouth to speak.

Don’t! Chres said through their mental link. Not one word, Sil.

Not even two?

No. But I do have a game you might like to play.

“DROP IT!” The man shouted! “Now!”

Chres complied. The hatchet fell to the floor.

“Get on the ground! Hands on your head, or else I slit the traitor’s throat.”

Chres lowered to his knees. His hands behind his head.

What kind of game? Sil asked inquisitively.

I called it… bite the bad man.

“I said on the ground! Face down!”

Sil smiled. I think I like this game.

“I SAID-”

”Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper Speeeeeeeeecial PUDDLE ATTACK!” Sil shot towards the man like a bullet. Her newly named attack earned a groan from Chres along with a face palm.

The man, however, jumped and snapped his gaze backwards. “Super special what-”

Sil latched on to the man’s face. Biting and clawing.

“Ow-ow-ow! Get it off! GET IT OFF!” He fell backwards, dropping the knife and letting go of Nia.

Nia staggered free as the man released her. Maybe it was the bizarreness of the situation before her or maybe her aunt's influence was simply wearing off but she found her head clearing a little. She still felt compelled to find Xyrlos but now that compulsion felt more like a heartbreaking longing than an all consuming need.
The act of resisting was strenuous and she actually felt herself breaking out in sweat as she snatched up the dropped knife and slammed it pommel first into her escort's temple. There was a crack as he fell limply to the floor.

Retrieving his hatchet, Chres rose to his feet and frowned as he watched the dead body bleed out.

”Take that-and-that-and-That-and- Oh… he’s dead.”

Sil fluttered happily off the man’s scratched and bloodied face and transitioned back into her fairy form. She hovered hesitantly in the air, looking to Chres and then Nia.

She didn’t seem to acknowledge the blood on her hand or on the floor following what she had intended to be a non lethal attack. Instead she limped onwards towards another door. She had to get to Xyrlos, had to fill the gnawing desire to do as she had been told.

Where is she going? Chres wondered. He approached her and put a hand on her shoulder.

”Nia?” He said hesitantly.

Nia paused at the touch and turned. Her eyes were somewhat unfocused though she seemed to come back a little as he said her name.

“Chres?” she asked, her tone confused “What are you doing here?”.

She blinked a few times and raised a blood soaked hand, smearing it across her skin as she rubbed her face. She didn’t even seem to acknowledge this however as she turned towards the door once more.

“I was…” She trailed off, once more seeming distant “I was just going to see Xyrlos. I need to see him. He’s going to fix me”

Chres furrowed his brow. Xyrlos? Why was that name familiar? Something about a scholar turned wretch came to mind.

Fixed? Chres paled. Another step. Another monster.

”Nia, we have to go.” He said insistently.

The princess. Had the princess been among those things?

”This is not somewhere I think we should stay for very long.”

“I know, I know” Nia nodded and again put a hand to her head “It’s my au-” her voice died off as she tried to force out the words even knowing they wouldn’t come.

“I’ll be fine” she said at last though she didn’t feel it. If Chres hadn’t shown up then she would have gone like a lamb to the slaughter. Then again, would Milaine really have let Xyrlos experiment on her? What if it was just to scare her… No. She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind before the emotions could show. If she began to think about that now she would break. She looked at her hands, her blood soaked hands, then in shock, touched her face. More blood.

Don’t. Think. About. It.

In desperation she searched her pockets and produced a blindfold, quickly pulling it on before retrieving her other belongings from the man she had… The unconscious man. As she stood once more, she almost began to absentmindedly walk away again and it took a determined force of will to turn instead toward Chres

“Where now?” she asked, her voice deliberately steady and level.

”I-” He hesitated. Questions swam through his mind, but now was not the time to address them.

His eyes then flicked towards the way back up. As much as he wanted to leave this place after what he had seen, he could not. There was still work to be done here.

”I haven’t found her yet,” He said turning back the way he had come. ”Instead I found…” The monsters flashed through his mind. Skin dripping like liquid from the hands and face of an elderly man. A woman bent unnaturally backwards. Her ribs jutted out like daggers from her chest. ”…Other things…”

A shiver ran up his spine. He had to shake himself to force the images away. ”Can’t leave until I find the princess.” He continued.

Sil zipped up inches away from Nia’s face. ”The Princess has been kidnapped!” Sil exclaimed helpfully… or well… unhelpfully. ”So she’s probably off somewhere napping with kids. All snuggly wuggly like.”

Nia took a step back in surprise as she seemed to notice Sil for the first time.

”What are… Who…?” She looked to Chres and then to the tiny stranger before her. In another time she might have admired the tiny fairy-like being but in this moment stress kept her from distraction.

”Her name’s Sil.”

”I can introduce myself! Thank you very much!”

”And I often find it best to just ignore her.”

”That’s right!” Sheagreed enthusiastically. ”It’s always best to…” She paused with a frown and placed a finger to her lip as if still in the middle of piecing together what had just been said. ”wait a sec…”

”Right.” She gave a singular nod of her head ”So we find this Princess and get out of here”. She began to look about the room as though seeking any indication of direction. The ache to continue the way she had been led still pulled at her and perhaps there was something to that. Perhaps someone as important as a Princess would be wherever they had been taking her?

”Let’s try this way?” she indicated the door she felt drawn too. Was this a good idea? Or was this just the effect of Milaine’s power still trying to push her to fulfill the order? As if second guessing herself, she cast a glance between Chres and his strange, tiny companion. “Unless you two have a better idea?”

”IIIIIIIIIIIIII, have several. But according to this little puddle-” She said, pointing to Chres, ”-I’m just someone who should be ignored.”

Chres just shrugged, He figured the Sil’s childish attitude practically made his case.

”Lead the way.” He said to Nia.

Sil gave him a pouty look, but other than a passing glance, he gave her no further acknowledgement.

Nia pushed open the door and cast her echolocation into what seemed to be a long corridor. Lanterns hung on the wall which would probably provide enough light for her companions to see by. A number of other passageways led off from this one and gave her pause. Which way to go now? She had felt drawn to this door only because she had been led towards it by the guards. Now without reference, she began to feel more uncertain.

All the same, she pushed on, choosing a path at random and leading Chres and Sil forwards. The basement was quiet but not silent and somewhere beyond them her sensitive ears picked up something that might have been the murmur of distant conversation. She did her best to guide them towards it.

“I think I hear people ahead” she whispered to Chres. “I have no idea if it’s your princess or more… um, Crazed but it might be worth a look?”.

Chres nodded and reached for the door. The door slammed open, knocking away his hand and slamming into his face.

”SON OF A-” The sooner he got out of this Divergent the better!

Sil fluttered up to him, smiling with glee. ”Knock, knock.” She said. Chres shot her a glare.

”Oh. Hello Chres.” Came a familiar voice. Chres looked up to find the princess and… someone else. The princess frowned as she looked down on him and his bloodied nose. ”My that looks like it smarts. Did they go and throw you in one of those cages too?” she asked.

Shoving down a frustrated retort, Chres shook his head. ”I got separated from the rest when they suddenly attacked me. They told me they already had you. So I came down here looking ”

”Ah. How, um… noble of you.” She said off-handedly. The halfhearted comment earned her a raised eyebrow from Chres. ”Well, as you can see the rescuing is done.”

She motioned to the man with her. ”This is Peytr” Her gaze flicked to Nia. ”And she is?”

Chres looked to Nia, suddenly wondering just how much information to divulge. ”Oh… She’s-”

”Nia, we met upstairs” she finished, returning Chres' look through her blindfold. She didn’t know these other two and couldn’t be sure how they’d react to who she was.

Lys arched an eyebrow but said nothing.

As if to quickly gloss over the point, Nia glanced back the way they had come.

”If that’s all of your people then we should probably start looking for a way out, I’d rather not get stuck down here”

As if to further Nia’s point, screeches, cries and… other sounds, began to grow from elsewhere in the basement. It was only a few at first, but it wasn’t long before the cries became chorus.

The cries made Chres’ heart go cold. He had a feeling he knew what that was.

Lys furrowed her brow. ”What in name of-”

”When I came down here… I found… things.” He looked to Lys and Peytr wide eyed. ”Nia’s right. We have to go. Now!”

Frowning, Lys met Chres’ gaze, and then nodded.

Chres hesitated. Was Peytr a Crazed as well? Another chorus of cries. They didn’t have time to wait. Hesitantly he reached out to help the man up, but Lys caught his hand.

”He… um… doesn’t like being touched.” She said looking to Chres and Nia.

Chres gave her an anxious frown, as he glanced back in the direction of the cries. Their way out was from that direction as well. ”Can you calm him? I’m not sure if we can fight what’s coming.”

Lys pursed her lips, uncertain. ”I, don’t know.” she admitted. ”They did something to him, I gathered. Some kind of… procedure...”

The words made Chres’s back stiffen. Images of the basement horrors flashed through his mind. Was Peytr one of them?

No. He thought. Peytr didn’t give off the same feeling. Plus he still had a human form… Still though…

Chres’s grip tightened on his hatchet. He watched Peytr carefully as he whispered over to Nia beside him.

”Nia,-” He started, ”-do you know this man? Is he dangerous?”

Nia cast him a sidelong glance through the blindfold and shook her head.
“I’ve never been down here before, I don’t even really know what they’re doing.. I suppose I had a few hints but my group…” She paused a moment before correcting herself. “The people I was with before, we weren’t really trusted yet. It was something my aunt kept pushing for”

She fell silent again, her expression was hard to read through the blindfold but she appeared lost in thought.

Lys knelt down beside Peytr. She wasn’t entirely sure what to do here. Comforting individuals never really was her thing. Regardless, she would try.

”Hey Peytr… You um… doing okay there buddy?” She grimaced. Ugh! That was terrible, wasn’t it?! ”I mean… No… no… of course you're not. You’ve been in a cage for who knows how long.” Better… maybe…? ”We have to leave Peytr. If we don’t go now, they will put you and myself back in that cage. For now, don’t worry about leading. What we need is someone who can follow. Do you think you are able to follow us, Peytr?” Yes. That was much better.

Peytr stared at them for a second slowly getting back up and nodding as he turned and he just listened, to what he didn’t know. Nor anyone, it was likely just things in his mind. “Yes… Yes, I can follow, I can follow.” he whispered quietly. His head snapped around when he was crouched, and he slowly looked at the walls, “I feel.”

Lys smiled. ”Alrighty then. Let’s-” Lys’s words trailed off as the walls, Petyr was looking at, began to warp.

The wall bulged, gradually transitioning from its normal stony coloring, to one more fleshy. A twisted womanly shape began to emerge. Teary eyed. Body distorted and bleeding into the wall. Hands outstretched.

Lys’s hand shot her head. An intruding sense normalcy seemed to exude from the monster. Conflicting ideas that her mind actively fought against. This thing was normal. It was human. It was the wall. It is both. It always was both! Accept it! Accept it! ACCEPT IT!

“Help… Please…” The monster cried as it reached for the three of them.

”RUN!” Chres Cried out.

”But its… I feel…”

Chres grabbed Lys’s arm. ”I know.” He said. ”The ideas intruding in all your minds. Accept them and run!”

With effort, she managed to quell the conflict in her head. And then, without further question, she ran.

---

The thing followed as they fled. It glided along the walls, as if the walls themself were nothing more than water to it. It was one with the walls. A medium that it alone could traverse through. And while in a bigger room, that might not have been an issue, when running through a narrow hallway it was a much greater concern.

Nia tailed after the group. It wasn’t that she was less afraid of the creature, no, the person following them. it was instead a strange sense that she was, at least in part, somehow responsible. She was Crazed afterall. It was her people who performed this horrific act. She hadn’t known exactly what was going on down here but she’d gleaned a small idea. The thought made her feel sick.

“Next turn!” she cried out to whoever was leading them.

It was a risk but she felt that she might be able to influence their pursuer, lead them away with a delusion. If nothing else, she knew the twisting sensation of guilt would likely go along with some amount of her sanity, an unhealthy escape she knew; but it wouldn’t be the first time.

Lys turned as instructed. ”Honestly, what kind of insane nightmare is this?! I mean forget that abomination back there, but are we really going to rely on directions from a blindfolded lady?” She shouted back.

Peytr stared at the wall as he followed almost mindlessly, he saw a face he thought, he saw what he could believe as something beyond himself, it was something human, it was something like what he was to become. It was why they moved him from the others most likely. “Not nightmare, nightmares are dreams, this is real, this is what happens here, reality, monsters, within, torture, destruction, mind, It is why I want to go back to the others… Their cries, I don’t like their cries, I can feel it in the floor we step on, I feel it in the air.”

”I trust Nia.” Chres said. Or… at least he trusted her well enough.

”Well, so long as Chres trusts you, I guess…” She said to Nia. ”Now back to this Beaut.” She continued while thumbing over to it. ”Care to explain?”

”I don’t know much more than you, but there was a whole room with caged… people elsewhere in the basement. All of them just as twisted.” Chres said.

”Wonderful! Just wonderful. Hey Peytr, my bud. You’ve been here for a while, right? I don’t suppose you have an inkling of what’s going on and how to deal with Miss Lovely back there, do you?”

”Experimentation, torture, they wish to reach divine, they wish to reach the next step, something like that, they want to change us and watch us grow. They would do things to us to make us change, I didn’t want to change, I didn’t want others to change, they turn into things that aren’t themselves. The face, I knew… I knew the face, face… She was once sweet, kind to the others… They moved us apart, apart… I was strong, kept them from going too far, kept others spirits up… Together strong, alone weak… Alone broken… Please let us go back… I don’t want to see them as your nightmares… I don’t want to see nightmares… I don’t want to see.” Peytr was gone, it looked as if some of the last shreds of his humanity had fled him from when they left the cellar to now. His eyes were sunken more, and dark with shadow, his hands trembled where there was once resistance, any youth left in the tortured skin was as cracked and coarse. Blue in his eyes was now gray, ”I… want to help her… she was sweet… I… destroy the wall, if there is no wall, and no way to escape, she can be saved… right, we can save her?”

”Break the wall?!?!?” Lys said Flabbergasted. ”And just how do we do that? Punch it? Think I’ll pass. I like my bones intact thank you.”

After Petyr’s words Nia became silent and fell into step once more. She felt uncertain now and more guilty than ever for what she had been part of. Between the broken man accompanying them and the creature, no she corrected herself again, the person chasing them, the people here, her own people, had been doing monstrous things. Feeling sick with shame she avoided their eyes even behind her blindfold.

The group entered a wider room and funneled themselves towards the center of the room, away from the walls. This, however, didn't seem to help as the monster then transitioned from the wall to the floor.

”Ah wonderful. I guess the floor is our enemy now too then.”

”Her name… I don’t remember her name, it started with an M… her name” He took a deep breath and sighed deeply as he started to move backwards looking at the woman, and then he just stopped, “face those you lost as if you are a brick wall… we are all monsters… monster, something within us… we are monsters, you are a monster… You are ours, nothing more than that, you will be nothing, and are nothing more than a speck of dust… dust dust… dust, we got to stand… stand, no… she is not enemy, is is victim… she is sweet… she just does not know who she is… there is no running, no way to stop.” Petyr went from several forms of what could be considered ‘emotions’ starting at something that Lys has maybe seen, and that was almost caring, but the rest was destruction, the rest was almost recited until the end of his rambles.

The man’s arms went out, almost instinctually as he continued to move backwards, but he faced the woman in the floor. He knew they couldn’t outrun it for too long unless if there was something hidden in the abilities of the woman. Though he didn’t know what that was, ”What is her name… Mir…Mar…M… Ma…” What was the thought of it, what was the ideal of her name. He didn’t know her name, he wanted to remember her name. She was sweet.

”Mir-Mar-M-Ma. What a wonderful name. Very original. Also a bit a mouthful.”

The thing cried out as if angered by the comment.

”I meant it in a good way!” She shouted back at the thing in protest, passing into another hallway

”In a good way?” Chres repeated questioningly.

”Sure! If you like a challenge that ends with your tongue all up in knots.”

Lys squinted at an upcoming opening at the side of the hallway.

”I see a way up!” She exclaimed, while turning the corner.

As with all buildings in the Divergent, it was not a stairwell leading upwards but rather a winding wooden ramp with railings and flatten segments that aided in breaking someone’s momentum should the Divergent’s ill fortune cause them to trip.

Lys ran up the ramp followed by Chres and the rest. Behind them, Lys could make out a sort of frustrated painful wail. Lys glanced backwards curious by the new cry.

The thing had stopped chasing them… or rather, no… it seemed unable to chase them further.

She ceased her running and tilted her head curiously. The creature strained, clawing at the wooden ramp but unable to pass through it. It then transitioned to the wall and onto the ceiling, only stopping at a point when the stone met the wooden material that composed the rest of the manor. The creature was unable to proceed.

Intrusive thoughts flooded her mind. She understood but at the same time she did not. The understanding was foreign. A similar sensation to the conflicting ideas of normalcy that this thing imposed on her.

The thing… it was one and the same as the stone wall, floor and ceiling that composed the basement yes. But it was not one with the rest of the materials which composed the upper levels of the Manor.

Lys’s hand went to her head. A dizzying sensation flooded her. Where was this understanding coming from?! These were not her thoughts!

Once again, Chres put his hand on her shoulder. ”It’s the same as before.” He said. ”Don’t fight it.”

”That works as well he said looking at the woman, then the floor. Miri… Miram.. Miriam… Strong, and youthful.” He turned his shoulder back and looked at the woman who seemed to have a bit of a headache. “Can you lift her up… or at least move her? We should move before… Miriam… yes, Miriam finds a way to walk once again. As much as I think I can do to put her down, it will mean someone will have to carry me as well. Yes… yes…”

”I’m fine.” She she said, holding up a hand. ”Just needed a moment.”

She stood there looking at what had once been Miriam. ”She’s stuck there I think. Whatever they did to her, I’m not sure she will ever be able to leave this prison.”

Miriam screamed in rage. Her cries of ‘Help… Please…” perhaps taking on another meaning. The final words of a woman’s lost humanity.

Now, nothing more than a monster, Miriam scraped and clawed at the wooden manor walls. Her hands turning bloody in the process. Drool beginning to pool from her mouth.
“Help… Please…HEEEEELP! PLEEEEEEAAAASE!” Her words became a roar. Hoarse and feral.

Lys turned away. She had seen enough. ”Come on.” She said. ”Let’s go.”

“I will be back for y-y-y-you… I know not how to help except to end the pain once we fall… But I don’t think the others wish to ca… carry me. I may be much thinner from when I met… met you, but, while your memories might not be locked within me, they moments we spent together are with me forever, and with those I give those memories to… I hope I can see you… alive… alive once more in the future.”

As the others proceeded, Nia hung back a moment. There wasn’t much she could do exactly but as she looked at the woman bloodied and fused to the floor an idea came to her. It wasn’t exactly a mercy. It was even quite selfish, like an addict seeking their high. Focusing on the broken mind before her she wove them a delusion of another place. If there was any part of this ‘Miriam’ left then her mind would fill in the details. It was unlikely that they would break free of it if they had no reason nor will to do so.

As the delusion took hold, the screaming stopped and the figure slumped forward. Nia took a sharp breath as her own sanity fed her power. She felt the guilt, the shame, the uncertainty, all the feelings of turmoil within her ebb away.

She smiled a dizzyingly joyous smile and slipped the blindfold from her face before hurrying to rejoin the others.

---

The halls of the manor had become eerily silent. That unnerved Chres. Where had all the Crazed gone?

”So what now? I don’t suppose you know where the others are Chres.”

”Maybe…” he said contemplatively. ”But I think we would serve them better if we found a way to get these power hampering bracelets off first.”

”That’s why my powers aren’t working?!”

Chres glanced at her. The princess had abilities? Why hadn’t she mentioned this? He kept his thoughts to himself though, watching as a scowl slowly spread across her face.

”Ru’Tev! That bastard!” She said.

”I don’t suppose you know where to find the keys?” Chres asked glancing to Nia.

”And why would this woman know such a thing?” She asked suspiciously.

”Who even are you anyway?! Why are you even here?”

”She’s an old acquaintance.” Chres said quickly. ”Of my wife’s actually.” He then added.

Lys, arched an eyebrow, clearly unsatisfied.

“That’s right! I’m an acquaintance of his wife” Nia clapped a hand on Chres’ shoulder as she passed and spun herself about to face them from the lead. She offered Chres a sly wink and grinned, her energy far different from the basement. “Just here to help, y’know, since I’m such a kind person!”

Chres raised his head warily. Just like earlier that night, it felt as if something about Nia had flipped on its head.

She spun her removed blindfold about her index finger as she made an exaggerated show of contemplating the bracelets on their wrists.

“Now.. Why would I know about those? We’re all oh so normal and reeeasonable after all” Casting a quick glance to Petyr she added in an airy tone ''Well, most of us anyway”.
“That said, I, a normal person and acquaintance of Chres’ wife, do know where the keys to the bracelets are. Well, at least I did. There’s always the chance that since you’ve escaped they’ve moved them somewhere more secure. ” She paused thoughtfully then shrugged “That, or they’ve set up some kind of horrifyingly brutal ambush knowing that’s exactly where you would head!”

Nia smiled with a sweetness wildly at odds with their predicament.

”Uh-huh… Well I have to say Chres, this normal person is totally filling me with such confidence.” Lys said sarcastically, while thumbing at Nia.

”Glad to hear it.” Chres replied curtly, earning him a flat stare from Lys.

”Secure… for most part, these aren’t secure, easy to get off, simple lock… also lot weight… lost a lot of weight… weight. But… they would be somewhere in the main part, away from prisoners… closer to where they did experiments, can’t have extra bits on then… it…. I… it ruins the process I think… Or at least it isn’t as painful as they would want.”

”Easy to get off? Simple locks?” Nia quirked a brow at Petyr. ”Those are the prisoner cuffs, they’re designed for the people who are supposed to be held here. They are neither of those things… Well, actually they might’ve used different ones in the basement. I don’t know” she shrugged with an over dramatic flourish. Dropping one hand she scratched her head with the other, loosening a few strands of hair free from her ponytail.

“Either way, there should be keys back in the foyer. It’s probably a good place to start.”

Chres nodded absently. As he followed Nia to the foyer. Behind them he heard a few faint inhuman cries screech out. That had been in the direction of the Guest Wing, hadn’t it?

A shiver ran down Chres’s back. He hoped the others were okay. Though the best way that they could help was to hurry and get those keys.

"There are many questions I need to make... But just to start... Who exactly are you, how do you know about the pact and most importantly... You mentioned 'shattering' it..." Karina said.

”So long as we keep moving, I have no problems with answering your questions so long as they are relevant.” The woman said in her strange accent. She paid Karina half a glance. “My people once worshiped the Being. While I am not a historian, it appears that there once was a time that the Being was more open about the Pact. Part of our worship once included regularly offering him select people to make the pacts with. At some point, however, all of that seems to have changed. Regardless, my followers and I have since moved beyond such worship. Most of my kind have, actually. Though not all of us.”

She hesitated a moment before continuing. “They call me the Nashep-Natjier. It is a title that roughly translates to God’s Breath in the Freshlander tongue.” She said the translation as if it left a bad taste in her mouth. “And unless you are interested in dying, preferably at a later time, I think you best not dwell on the idea that I can shatter the pact.” She drew her mouth as if considering whether that answer had been too harsh. She then gave Karina a look of sympathy. “I am sorry if I got your hopes up. Your connection to him has become a part of you. I can shatter the pact, yes, but not without shattering you as well.” she regretfully.

“She mentioned shattering it by killing us, to be precise. That leaves us with the unfortunate implication that death is our only way out of this little mess.” Octavio said.

”You misunderstand. There are things out there, or a combination of them, that probably could free you from the pact, though not without experimentation and likely a high amount of sacrificial lives. I, however, am not one of those things. My power is better at making things then it is undoing them.”

Octavio then added his own question into the mix. “This escape of yours would be far simpler had you already freed us of these devices. When do you intend to do that, exactly?”

The Nashep-Natjier glanced at Octavio and frowned. ”Despite what my people think of me, I am not a miracle worker.” She said. ”Access to the keys is usually under watch as am I to some degree or another. Given that I had little time to enact this ‘escape’, I could only do so much.”

“We should be able to find a spare key somewhere at the entrance. With my distraction, we’ll likely find little to no resistance… at least we shouldn’t if we get there before he finds us.”

”He?” Tayla asked.

”Xrylos.” The Nashep-Natjier said. ”The man the Hekkru-Natjier gave the Cutlerware to.”

Karina listened to the woman's words paying close attention. The key word that made her even more interested about the woman's secrets was what she spoke about the being... Her people used to worship the Being. That meant they had to know a lot about it. Hopefully, including how Karina could take back what was stolen from her.

"That thing stole my past, my present and my future. Offering little to no explanation, it used me as one of his pawns on some kind of 'game' with others like him." Karina said after she heard Nashep-Natjier's words followed by Octavio.

The idea that sacrificial lives would likely be needed to free them from the pact left a bad taste on Karina's mouth... But if there was one way to free them from it, there was bound to be other ways. Or at least any alternative not including a large amount of sacrifices.

"There has to be a way to free us from the pact without sacrificing innocent lives... If not, at least some way to prevent this from happening to anyone else..." Karina said the last part with an especially dark tone in her voice.

”Actually, the solution is honestly quite simple. Destroy the Being. Or at least the entity that refers to itself as such. But knowing the solution and accomplishing it, is far more complicated than that. This I know personally. However even if one were to destroy the Being, there would still be the power to deal with. That, I suspect, you cannot destroy, and if left unchecked, it would likely consolidate back into something else.”

The Nashep-Natjier eyed Karina with and frown as if considering the woman. ”Perhaps, once I get you out of this current situation, we could talk further on this. As of this moment, however, I find this topic irrelevant.”

"Very well. Let’s focus on the matter at hand. Although… I hope I will be able to find you to… Discuss about this matter once the current situation is dealt with.” Karina said, looking to the mysterious woman with a serious expression.

Knowing there was a way to not only get back what the being stole from her but also repay it for what he had done was definitely something that sparked Karina’s interest. Regarding the mysterious Nashep-Natjier, while she, her goals and motives to help them were largely unknown to her, by the way she spoke about the being, there was a very good chance she would be interested in a chance to… ‘deal’ with it, just like Karina. Still, such matters would have to be left for later, as there were more pressing and urgent matters at hand.

As the conversation went on, Nashep-Natjier mentioned that they would need the keys to remove the artifacts restricting their powers and mentioned a name... Someone mentioned Xrylos.

"Is there anything we should know about this... Xrylos? If he is dangerous and how to deal with him, should we need to." Karina asked, looking to the woman.

”Dangerous? Yes. Though largely because he holds a powerful Stray Thought. Without it though?” The Nashep-Natjier put her finger to her lips as if considering the question. ”Yes.” She said at last. ”Yes, I suspect he still is. The things I’ve observed from him disturb me. He is Crazed, yes, but a Crazed who has had his madness calmed by the Hekkru-Natjier. And yet, something still isn’t quite right with him. There is something… sadistic in the way he acts.”

“At one time he was involved with a Nation of Hearing group known as the Order of Candor. Something happened there… I don’t know the specifics -the Order seems to be keeping that under wraps- But whatever he did caused a stir some years back. So much of a stir, in fact, that became widespread news at the time. Rumor is Xrylos drove the Great Scholar Plaaphenikis to madness. Turning a once brilliant man into something more akin to an animal.”

She gave Karina a grave look. ”According to those rumors, Xrylos’s own powers were what broke the man. It is said that he is capable of permanently altering the functionality of another’s brain.”

She sighed, and forced her gaze ahead. ”Based on the things I have learned during my time here. I give these rumors much credence. Some of the prison’s staff appear to still be the original workers… and they act as if nothing is wrong.”

The Nashep-Natjier shook her head. ”On the upside, such powers are not typically the type that one can just toss about like conjuring a fireball. Instead, powers like those are often more intricate. Requiring planning, time and patience.”

“Another Crazed holding far too much power… A dangerous puppet maybe?. Does this Hekkru-Natjier still hold the leash to control Xrylos? Or was there never something to ‘control’ them to begin with?” Karina asked, thinking about the woman’s words.

“Even if his powers work in a more gradual manner instead of a sudden and explosive way, it is still dangerous to have your thoughts manipulated.” she continued, sighing as she heard the Nashep-Natjier’s words regarding Xrylos’ powers.

“If the rumors about his powers are true… Then just going near him is quite dangerous… Unless…” Karina began, with a thoughtful expression, before she turned to the woman once again.

”Everyone’s mind is different. Such powers would likely require him to probe around a little first. He would have know what he is dealing with first.”

“Are crazed still susceptible to Xrylos’ powers?” Karina asked, with smirk as she looked at the Nashep-Natjier.

The Nashep-Najier shrugged. ”Probably?” She said with an air of uncertainty. ”I’ve never known a magic not to work without someone else employing countermeasures first. Honestly though, my conjectures on this man’s abilities are entirely speculative. Even if they are correct, then in a conflict, they would be the least of my concerns.”

She frowned as she caught a glimpse of Karina’s smirk. ”I’m not sure what you have in mind girl, but you might be hard pressed to turn the other Crazed against him… or at least in this conflict. Xrylos was put in charge of this operation by the Hekkru-Natjier. Most of the Crazed here, including Xrylos, have bonded themselves for life to the Hekkru-Natjier. More accurately, they’ve bonded themselves to the one who holds the title and power rather than to the man himself.”

“It is a similar tether to the one you all have with the Being. A tether required to fuel a Vessel of Power. The inner workings of this tether may be different, but its necessity is consistent among all Vessels, myself included.”

”What’s important here is that our followers, the followers of the three remaining Hemtypt-Natjier, have all bound themselves to an ideal. While the ideal is different depending on the Hemtypt-Natjier, all of the Hekkru-Natjier’s followers' actions and goals align in some way with the same ideal.”

A strange in-human cry, screeched in the distance. The Nashep-Natjier seemed to curse in an unfamiliar language. She then turned back the other way.

”Crazed man! He really did let the monsters loose. Come on, this way.” She said waving them up a stairwell. ”We’ll try to avoid them as long as possible, but a clash is likely inevitable. We’ll try to go up and around. With any luck we can make it to the stairway at the entrance with minimal to no contact.”

She moved on up the stairs not waiting for the others to follow. Then she continued where she left off. ”I don’t know what intentions the Hekkru-Natjier had for putting a man like Xrylos in charge and giving him such a powerful artifact. Whatever his intentions though, he clearly doesn’t fully trust him. Xrylos may be bound to the Hekkru-Natjier’s ideal, but all ideals have room for interpretation.”

For a time, nothing more was said, other than a few directions given by the Nashep-Natjier. Then Tayla broke the silence.

”Soo….” She began hesitantly. ”What exactly is your ideal?”

The Nashep Natjier frowned, as she turned to look at Tayla.

”You’re a Natjier too, aren’t you? So what is your ‘ideal’.”

The Nashep Natjier lips drew in a line, before answering. ”It is… more of a concept than a single idea, really. But if I were to simplify it, then I would say it to be responsibility and the sharing of power. In your language, I am God’s Breath. I breathe the Power of Gods into existence, and shape it into a form best to enable the people.”

She hesitated before continuing. ”For a long time, it was the Nashep-Natjier’s duty to be there for the Nhatkelese people. To give them the strength to survive. It was that way for a long time, the ideal’s interpretation changing ever so slightly with each generation of Nashep-Natjier… until…”

Her words trailed off. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

”Our ways could not continue.” She said at last. ”No matter what we did, we wouldn’t have lasted much longer in those broken lands… Still though… It should have never come to this. A once whole people, now scattered across three factions… This was never how it was supposed to be… We were supposed to be in this… together…”

Tayla frowned, not quite following along. She tried to prod further, but the Nashep-Natjier merely frowned and shook her head.

It was much longer before they made it to the foyer. Just in time to bump into Chres, the princess and two others.

Nia soon found herself surrounded by strangers. There were more of them than she had expected, even in her crazed-addled state she felt somewhat intimidated. To cover this she simply folded her arms and remained silent, glancing around in what she imagined was a cool yet relaxed manner. She couldn’t help but subtly smirk as Chres added again to the lies he was telling about her. Of course she appreciated his effort to get the others to trust her but she couldn’t help but feel this house of cards would crash down sooner rather than later.

The hairs on the back of Nia's neck rose mere moments before the unnatural screech broke out. She pushed off from the wall and turned to face the sound as the strange semi-human creatures began to emerge. Her hand sought out the blindfold, Chres was speaking but she missed whatever it was and then a creature leapt for her. Without time to draw her weapon the creature crashed into her, knocking them both to the floor in a bundle of tangled limbs. An involuntary scream of surprise and fear escaped her mouth as the unnatural face, mouth crammed with too many teeth, snapped at her from only inches away.

Gritting her teeth, Nia conjured up a delusion of herself moving aside to draw the things attention. It was then she realized what Chres must have been saying before. They needed the keys! With the creature momentarily distracted with her fake, she rose to her feet and looked around.

A vase thrown by Jen crashed into the tangle of limbs. Several of the thing’s heads looked to Jen before letting out a screech. The screech seemed to drive the monstrosity, with limbs like a spider, causing it to leap at Jen. Satisfied, the tangle of limbs returned to going after the fake.

The room had changed. Where moments before Chres and his companions had stood she now saw only twisted creatures, mouths agape and lurching unnaturally. She took a step back as the walls loomed over, closing in!

“Chres!” She called out in alarm, looking frantically. Her mind wheeled in panic. What was happening? Where had they gone? She closed her eyes and held her head. Just then a vague thought occurred to her. Like a single loose thread it dangled before her. She desperately sought through the day so far. How many times had she used her powers in such a short time? What did that even mean again? It was bad to use her powers for some reason but why? Questions she was sure should make sense within a context she couldn’t grasp. Her breathing quickened and she almost lost herself.

Chres drew in a breath, the creature seemed distracted by nothing that Chres could see. Had Nia used her powers again? He shook his head.

”Nia!” He cried out. ”The keys!”

Another screech. Yet again, the horror refocused its attention. Seemingly having figured out it was chasing a fake. It lumbered towards Nia. A jumble of arms and legs splayed out in a confusing mess, yet somehow still working together to propel itself forward.

Chres cursed. Hatchet in hand, he sprinted behind the thing and dug the hatchet down into its backside.

The thing screamed and swept around, catching Chres in the chest. He grunted as he was tossed backwards.

Groaning, he looked up. Senses. How was one supposed to fight something like this? Without his abilities he felt so vulnerable.

He then hesitated for a second. That’s right the bracelet was flawed. He wasn’t entirely without abilities!

Chres rose to his feet, teeth gritted as the creature loomed down on him.

Keys.The keys for the bracelets. She took a breath and tried to ground herself. With shaking hands she found her blindfold and pulled it over her eyes. A series of subtle clicks left her as she scanned the room with echolocation. The closing walls had ceased and where once there had been a room of monstrosities, some were now more humanoid than before. She found what she thought was Chres locked in combat with the thing from before.

As the creature lurched back towards Nia, Chres threw his hatchet, splitting one of the creature’s heads. The creature screamed out as a few of it’s limbs went limp.

The sight made Chres tilt his head. Curious. An idea occurred to him as he dashed towards the thing and leapt on top of it.

Climbing up it’s back, he threw his hand down and, with extreme effort, he forced his abilities to trickle through. A foot long dull glowing needle Shaped into his hand, which he slammed through another of the creatures heads.

The construct Chres shaped, shattered immediately. It seemed he wasn’t able to maintain the construct’s shape for very long at all. Fortunately his attack seemed effective. Two more limbs went limp.

Nia frantically searched the room, avoiding the monstrosities as she worked. She had a vague idea of where the keys were kept but in the chaos in both her mind and the room made things more complicated. On more than one occasion, her own delusions effected even her echolocation.

Chres raised his hand for another attack, but was stopped when one of the creature’s hands caught his own arm. Thinking quickly, Chres yanked his hatchet free, out of one of the dead heads, and hacked his arm free. The attempt to free himself proven to be futile though, as several other of the things hand shot towards.

He dodged one, ducked below another but got snatched by a third. Seconds later, he found himself getting flung across the room.

Tumbling through the air, he felt nothing but panic as he caught glimpse of the floor closing in. Fortunately, the Nashep-Natjier had taken notice of Chres’s plight, and quick altered his point of impact into something softer than wood.

Chres landed with minimal damage. But now he was a good distance away from the tangle of limbs.

Once again the creature bonded towards Nia.

”Nia! Behind you!” Chres shouted.