[center][h2]Anne Mayer[/h2][h3]Nieve — Magic Shop[/h3][/center]
They chose to run, in the end. Survival over heroism, their own safety over protecting the city at large. With a child still in her care, Anne couldn't argue that caution wasn't warranted, but she had a sinking feeling that she might regret this later. How many more empty shops would there end up being, how many more people vanished without a trace because of her delay in dealing with the enemy?

With few words exchanged, her party picked their way back through the silent shop and into the brilliant glare of the sun outside. Anne trailed after the others, her body now starting to feel the exhaustion from all the acrobatics she'd pulled off in that tunnel. Sure, she was on her feet for now, but more than anything she wanted to just rest, to lay down and sleep until some part of her wasn't sore. Only the weight of the fae child nestled in her arms kept her trudging forwards, a constant reminder of the stakes and danger still lurking just out of sight.

Remilia and Fran seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Anne herself. With the tunnel collapsed, their best bet was to contact their local allies, who'd more than likely have the resources to properly investigate the matter. The Knight was just about to raise her voice in agreement when she noticed Lewa wander off on his own, without so much as a glance thrown back at the others.

"Wait," she breathed, her voice still hoarse from exertion. [i]Wait. Come back. We have a city full of people to save, damn it.[/i] But then what did these humans matter to a being of green-tinted metal? At the end of the day, the Toa cared more for his own distant people than for the innocents around him, the concept of empathy too difficult to extend to animals of flesh and bone. They may have fought together for a short while, but he and Anne would never see eye to eye.

With her heart weighed down slightly heavier, the Knight turned her back on her former ally and set off with those that remained. To the Guild, now, and to their benefactor, to try and make excuses for this whole mess.

[center][h3]Nieve — Mages' Guild[/h3][/center]
Before a grumpy Remilia could pipe up with anything offensive, Anne quickly laid out the details. "We found the shop, according to your directions. But the place was empty, with signs of a struggle inside. When we investigated the basement, we found hostiles guarding a tunnel... Which we followed for some distance before it collapsed." Perhaps best to leave out the cause of said collapse, unless the Princess asked about it directly.

"I'm sorry we couldn't fulfill your minor request. But I'm sure you can understand we have something much bigger on our hands now." Though her body was still tired, a certain intensity had returned to her grey-green eyes. "The attack I warned about before—this might be it. That tunnel seemed to go on for hundreds of meters, and any force capable of excavating that well would have the means to extend a network beneath the entire city if they wanted..." She paused, not wanting to seem too much like some kind of madwoman proclaiming the end of days—even if her role wasn't all too far from that. "At the very least, I recommend quarantining the shop and examining its surroundings via magic. There's a serious threat on hand, and we could all use more information on its true extent."

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