[IC] Defiance

[Hokum]

@Dartbored Fairy@Seraphin

and

@Polaris North@Jensoman@Candy

---

A Simple Question

---

The shockwave of magical energy didn’t give off any feelings of animosity, so Devlin reacted very little to the burst. Neither did she care too much about the effects it had on her or possibly anyone else around, since she had no control over it anyway.

Clearly, this young, feral witch cared for little more than being woken from her sleep, and Devlin had little other concern for anything other than an answer to the question she had. This felt like the closest she’d been to getting the answers she needed, and she didn’t want to do anything that might make this witch less receptive of her.

First - taking her chances and with very pronounced actions to announce her peaceful intent - Devlin sheathed her sword and then turned from the witch to face Ren. She made fists with both hands, crossed the fists together in front of her, then quickly opened her arms as if to break the bond of her fists; relaying the sign of ‘safety’. But she added a very obvious wink to also portray her uncertainty. ‘be at the ready’.

-It wasn’t that Devlin couldn’t have just verbally told Ren that she felt they were safe for now - or even let him make his own mind up on the matter - it’s just that she needed an excuse to turn away from the witch and deliver Ren a wink the witch couldn’t see. It was also a good opportunity to illustrate her friend’s disability to the witch-

After allowing Ren a moment to reply with sign of his own, Devlin was about to turn back to address the witch when she spotted Gabriel’s face peeking out from a shrub a little distance off. The end of his bow was clearly visible and, judging by the massive shadow behind the shrubs next to him, he was obviously not alone. Orcs…. The people Devlin met at the west gate had followed, though at a distance, and were no doubt readying themselves for the worst. Devlin, however, didn’t want them to crash the party before she could obtain any useful knowledge from the witch.

In the hope Gabriel and those who were with him were paying attention, she discretely held up her open hand as a ‘stop’ sign, suggesting not to take aggressive action just yet (the sign was hidden from the witch by Devlin’s body). She then, casually, turned back the witch with a vague though obviously forced grin of her own.

“I woke you, yes, my apologies for the intrusion.” She said. “Your… friends eyes are working fine. Like I’ve already mentioned, I wish to talk. I want to know about the undead army and giant truffle pig invading Nadska right now. Are you responsible for the attack?”

Getting directly to the point was the way Devlin liked it. No sense in wasting time on petty crap.

To make it certain to the witch she wasn’t there to start a fight – even though it might have been a lie – she raised both her hands for her to clearly see she was unarmed.

[tex]

The gentle glow that swept through his body didn't phase him as much as it should have.

Dannisus was crouched quietly on a sturdy branch encompassed by layers upon layers of foliage. His perch was several meters above the clearing that Devlin and Ren traipsed into, and offered him a significant vantage of the land beneath him. Even so, despite the harmless pulse of magical energy, he hadn't the slightest idea what was going on. While peering through the leaves with both eyes narrowed to mere slits, he kept himself totally concealed. The little... Whatever it was, had been summoned by Devlin's earlier vocalization. Dannisus reeled back slowly and cocked his head to one side.

At first it didn't bother him, but the scent of mana creeping out of his pores was beginning to pluck at his patience. It was hard to put a finger on it at first, impossible even. But when the rest of the group approached, it became quite clear that they'd fallen victim to the same enchantment that struck him. It began to worry him. The nature of the magic was alien, and he didn't have enough time, or the tools, to investigate while perched in a goddamn tree. A small puff of air escaped his nose with a little hiss. The day wasn't going to get any better at this rate.

His ears perked up as the conversation beneath him continued, which pulled his eyes back towards Devlin and Ren's little situation. The girl they had summoned was more peculiar than the magic she'd conjured to mark them. The skull in which she took refuge didn't bring much clarity either, but her words were far from welcoming. Dannisus began taking deep breaths through his nose to survey the immediate area, while keeping his eyes fixated on the little witch. Carefully, one of his hands began to feel through his pack as he singled out the scents that didn't belong.

There was more magic at play here than the harmless enchantment that plagued him and his temporary allies. He could smell it vividly within the forest. It stuck out like a sore thumb... Or rather, a filthy hand, reaching all five if its grimy fingers into his forest with a handful of trouble. He turned his head slightly, keeping the sharp-toothed little witch rested nicely in the corner of his vision. What the hell were these smells? They shifted their odors and changed in intensity at random intervals that he couldn't place to a pattern of any sort. He squashed a mana orb between his fingers. An enchantment flooded his left claw giving it a feint glow - an enchantment that sealed Mana flow on contact for 30 seconds - in preparation for the worst. He wasn't about to investigate five unfamiliar mana sources on his own. If this little witch proved a significant threat however, he'd make a point of disabling her before she could cause a ruckus. Part of him considered a swift retreat, but how far would he get with this beacon of mana on his person? Not very.

'Myah...'

[Dartbored Fairy]

Lui pouts and waves as Dani starts climbing the trees. "Alright, I'll keep an ear open!" She says as Dani vanishes from sight.

"So, ehm... who leads the way now?" She asks the group just as she is hit by the gust of wind. "Hold on what was that?"

Confused, Lui looks around for the source, but finds none. The gust of wind makes her 'eye' itch, but Lui has no idea what has happened.

---

@Hokum,@Polaris North,@Seraphin,@Jensoman,@Candy

---

The girl continues glaring at the duo as Devlin tries to make it clear to her allies that they should not attack. As she does so, the girl crawls out of the skull and climbs up to stand on top of it, using the skull's height to look down on the duo.

From her newly obtained vantage point, the girl easily spots Gabriel, and grins, before turning her attention back to Devlin as she begins to apologize and ask her a question.

Smiling, the girl sits down with her legs crossed, somehow fishing a large bone staff out of her hat. The staff itself is not much shorter than the girl itself, and could in no way have fit in that hat, let alone while worn. One end of the staff ends in a skeletal hand that holds a glowing gemstone, which the girl points at Devlin.

"I know of no truffle pig, especially not a giant one. All I know of pigs is that they like rolling around in mud, so why do you question me about Giant Doom Pigs invading places I don't even know of, and then proceed to accuse me of orchestrating such invasions?" The girl says with a look on her face that makes it quite clear that she is both annoyed and sleepy simultaneously. "Do you have no manners? First you go and wake me up, and then you accuse me of being behind the Resurgence before even introducing yourself. What's next? Your friends hiding in the bushes launching an attack while thinking I haven't yet spotted them?"

As she finishs her statement, a powerful gust of wind hits Fauve, Gabriel and Corc, forcibly pushing them into the clearing.

"An Orc and two Humans. What a strange party. Are you going to be as rude as these two here, or do you intend to show some decency?" The girl asks, as she turns her staff to have it lean over her shoulder while a smaller witches hat materialises under it, hanging from the skeletal hand's thumb.

[Seraphin]

@Hokum@Dartbored Fairy

As it turned out, Ren's ally had a knack for grabbing at the shortest straws, and for not conforming to the niceties of social conversations between strangers who lived worlds apart. The lad gritted his teeth as he felt a sudden tension hanging in the air whilst Devlin and the witch stared each other down. There could have been different, politer ways to go about this situation in order to avoid offense. But, what tremendous combat prowess Devlin possessed was only matched by the equally opposite social manners she used in the most untimely of situations. However, Ren should have seen this coming, and if that person hadn't sealed off his voice, he would have gladly done most of the talking. After all, this woman beside him just pretty much told him that she would jump on him in the near future just moments after they barely survived in Nadska.

Oh, and she grabbed that archer's map without asking for permission.

That... should have been the sign that Ren would need to help her with her manners. Or, her social life in general.

Ren knew that Devlin signed for him to be ready for any scenario, but at this moment, Ren had to try to diffuse the friction between Devlin and the witch. The witch herself looked younger than him, but her stance exuded confidence beyond centuries and powers beyond mortal men. She, like Devlin, may have stood at the top of the pyramid whilst Ren glanced helplessly at them from the bottom of the chain. What help could he offer that Devlin could not provide for herself? What could he express that a fearsome witch who had the ability to end him would accept?

The answer was nothing. But, just because you faced the jaws of the beast with no escape doesn't mean that you should not do anything to even delay the end. He had to do something-- for him, for her, and for those people tumbling out of the woods with a burst of winds rushing around them.

Ren walked until he came between Devlin and the witch, his palms facing up to display his lack of malice. His head bowed to the witch before he rose up. With his index finger, Ren pointed to his heart, making a circling motion over his chest before motioning to his companions. He looked into the witch's purple eyes which reflected his own before gesturing to Devlin and the others, followed by his fists grinding against each other.

"I apologize for them. They are working hard,"

His fingers touched his chest, elbows up before edging downwards. Then, he followed it with his index finger pointing to his head which curled as it moved outward. Finally, he ended his sign with a combination of his hands turning upside down, then, putting his hands up to resemble the roof of a house which was destroyed with a stabbing motion afterwards.

"They are tired. The dead killed our home."

Ren never really tested his remarkable constitution against magic except for that one time which led to his mouth being sewn shut; however, he knew one thing: he refused to do nothing if this witch harmed her and them. He continued to sign to the witch, in vain it may be. He warily eyed the stave that the witch carried, noticing the seemingly lifelike skeletal hand protruding from one end. He wondered how they could survive this encounter without losing a head or two. Or, they could just walk away. But, knowing Devlin, she would just force her way again.

You cannot heal a wound by making another; nor could you make allies by punching a hole through them (or, them punching a hole through you). He'd have to educate her on that concept, but Ren had a feeling that it may take a while.

"They do not mean offense. We just try to find answer as anyone who lost home would do. My name is 'without bounty'--Ren." The lad introduced himself--his name a negative derivation of the name of the god of agriculture and life, Heren--to the witch, not really expecting anything out of his actions. For all he knew, she barely understood him. This was always his problem: he could never fully communicate what he wanted to say. If only... he could go back in time and not...

No! He would never regret that.

[Candy]

@Jensoman@Polaris North@Dartbored Fairy@Seraphin@Hokum

….

Fauve was having herself a bit of fun and was glad when Gabe decided to join her and Corc, hiding like a bunch of infantile pervs spying on a couple of lovers doing it in the bushes. She couldn’t help but have herself a little laugh at the psycho ladies efforts. She had about as much charisma as a leper at a family picnic. God love the crazy bitch for that.

Next thing Fauve knew, herself, along with Gabe and Corcy, were picked up by a powerful gust of wind. Fauve was flailing about trying to grab hold of some branches to slow herself down but it wasn’t much use. She tumbled like a piece of rubbish blowing in the wind until she came down face first in the clearing. The event didn’t really shatter her mood at all though; still giggling and spluttering the leaves from her mouth as she stood and gave herself a dusting off.

She then watched on at the mute do his thing for a while. Now, Fauve didn’t know any sign, but it wasn’t half obvious what the guy was trying to say. Didn’t really matter at all though, the witchy nut job didn’t look like the type of girl to really give a right fuck, and Fauve just couldn’t help but feel the way one does when watching a nervous pimple-faced reject trying to hit on the hottest babe in town. It was just about painful to watch, and was a hell of a relief when the mute finally stopped doing his thing. But Fauve had to give it to the guy, he had balls of steel. That’s for damn sure.

Before the witch had time to reply, or that psycho bitch had a chance to open her mouth and undo any good that may have been done, Fauve figured she might as well give the mute a helping hand. Taking a few steps toward the witch on her throne, she gave a little 'hiya' solute and told her a few things she thought she ought to know.

“What our local mute here is trying to say, Your Gracious Fanged Highness, is that Psycho lady here didn’t mean any offense. And believe you me, I know how much I hate it myself to be woken up while having a good old snooze, so I, for one, understand where you’re coming from. But you see…” Fauve paused to seal one nostril with her thumb and blow out a chunk of snot from the other. “…thing is, a lot of people have lost their homes and lives today in that town just over there.” She points in the direction of Nadska. “And it’s not that our local psycho bitch here was trying to place blame on you for the madness that’s going on around here, she just figured you might have an answer. Now you’ve gotta admit….” She pauses another moment to eyeball the giant skull and the bone staff slung over the witches shoulder. “You do seem like a reasonable enough suspect. But that’s not all….”

Fauve now extends her foot to give Gabe a good kick in the leg (assuming he is now standing beside Fauve) and motions with a jerk of her head for him to show the witch something.

“…we were actually just following the directions on a map that led us to this location.” She concluded. “My friend Gabe here can show you what I mean. You know… it’s not like we just kinda stumbled upon you by random chance or anything like that.”

Fauve looks at Gabe and tells him to show the skull lady the map. She then retrieves a bottle from her bag and takes a swig before offering a drink to Corc, giving the big fella a wink as she does so.

….

[Jensoman]

Corc blinked as the witch lady emerged from the skull, and mentioned that Devlin had woken her up. That didn't seem like a comfortable place to sleep! Sure, Corc himself didn't have a problem sleeping anywhere...but still! The giant orc turned towards Gabriel who'd mentioned that the witch was likely already aware of their presence. The giant orc shrugged in response. That's when the powerful gust of wind struck him from behind, forcing him out of hiding. The giant tumbled forwards, with a shocked look on his face as he struggled to regain his balance, just barely able to stop himself from falling.

"COOOOOORRRC?!" He shrieked in surprise. Was Foeldar pushing him from behind? No...he would have heard him coming. Just who or what was strong enough, to be able to move a giant Orc like him?! The giant looked over his shoulder to see who had moved him. "WHO PUSH CORC?!" He demanded to know. But he saw no one. He was confused and surprised, and looked over at the witch. In a sense, one could say that the witch had popped Corc the orc's cork. The cork on his stealth, anyway. The orc listened as Fauve finished speaking, and didn't feel like adding much. She mentioned everything that he would have wanted to say. He did say one thing, though. "Corc not harm girl...if girl is nice to Corc and companions!" He stated. He nodded happily at Fauve when she offered him a drink, taking a gulp from the bottle before handing it back to Fauve. "Corc!" He sung happily.

[Valkon]

Jack watched Dannisus as he scaled the trees, disappearing into the vegetation. He continued to stare up at the canopy for a moment before turning to Aelih and Lui as the latter questioned who would lead their portion of the now-fragmented group. "Well..." He began to respond, interrupted by the sudden burst of wind. Seemingly mundane, but given everything that had happened recently- and the fact that it felt as if it had come from the same direction that the others had headed off in- indicated that there was something more to it.

The fact that his gauntlets had absorbed a small amount of energy from it, the crystals embedded into its bracers glowing a dim yellow-grey, also helped to confirm his suspicions.

Looking at Aelih and Lui, he started again, "Well. I don't know about you two, but given that it doesn't seem Gabriel is returning any time soon, and that... strange gust..." He pauses as the distant sound of Corc shrieking reaches them. "...and now that as well. Wait for Dani's signal or whatever else if you wish, but for me, now is the time for action." With that, he turned in the direction the gust of wind had come from, hastily making his way towards the clearing the others were in.

Should nothing interrupt him before he reaches it, he quickly skids to a stop as he gets a clear view of the robed girl, glancing for a brief moment at the others to try to make some sense of the situation before returning his focus to her.

[Polaris North]

Interacting with: Fauve, Corc, Devlin, Ren, Witch
Mentions: @Candy @Jensoman @Hokum @Seraphin @Dartbored Fairy

---

Gabriel knew very well that his position had been compromised when the witch looked to his direction. Well, it wasn't like he could actually hide from her. Letting out a sigh, he placed the arrow back on his quiver. He was about to come clean when the witch started to speak about how they had no manners and how her 'friends' - which he supposed was them - was going to attack them with being none the wiser that she had spotted them. He opened his mouth to speak in his defense, but was suddenly picked up and pushed forward by a burst of wind.

So what instead came out was - "Whoa!" He spread his arms in front of his face as he hit the ground.

Quickly recovering, he stood up and then smiled at the witch. "In our defense, we're still a bit freaked out by the whole skeleton attack thing. Pretty much on edge. Sorry about that." It really wasn't Gabriel's style to suddenly attack anyway but precautionary measures were needed. Now that it was obvious that he could even shoot an arrow without it veering off course and hitting him instead because of the witch's apparent control over the wind, then there was no choice but to talk.

The flute guy had gone first - his hands fluidly moving to say what his voice couldn't. Gabriel couldn't catch everything, but he could get that he was excusing their behavior. Okay, good. That's what they needed. The last thing he wanted was a wind witch going all ballistic on them. Fauve was... less respectful but nevertheless strove to quell the fires of the confrontation. Gabriel nodded along every now and then as he placed his bow on his back once more to show that he didn't mean to seem all aggressive.

"Ow, hey-" He muttered as he looked at Fauve when she kicked him. When she mentioned the map, he slowly nodded and then scrambled to take it back out of his bag. Now that the map was in his hands, he slowly stepped forward to show the witch the map. "Some guy dropped this when he was running away. No clue why though." He explained to the witch - still unsure of what the witch would do. He couldn't get a read on her yet, which was surprising considering he should have already. Maybe it was because she was still in a defensive mode.

"We were just looking for answers. We don't mean any harm." He wondered if the witch would get angry with him saying that considering the fact that he was the one with the drawn weapon earlier. Then again, he didn't exactly put that bow down ever since the attack.

[Dartbored Fairy]

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@Hokum@Polaris North@Jensoman@Candy@Seraphin

---

The girl tilted her head and listened - or watched - as Ren made their attempt at communicating. The mute's well-meaning attempt seemed to put a smile on the girl's face, and after he was finished she opened her mouth to respond.

Only to be interrupted by Fauve. Fauve's... attempt at doing what Ren did apparently didn't really do it's job well, as the girl's smile soon fell in favour of a more... annoyed and perhaps a bit disgusted look on her face.

Fortunately though, Corc's half-bumbling 'introducing' put a grin back on the girl's face. Apparently she liked Corc's obliviousness to what was going on.

And then Gabriel spoke, fortunately breaking the cycle by managing to not anger the girl like Fauve did.

As Gabriel starts to walk towards her, he mysteriously found himself within reaching distance of the girl, as though he had walked farther than he should have in a moment of time. Smiling, the girl takes the map and gives Gabriel a gentle wave as if shooing someone away with her other hand, and Gabriel then instantaneously finds himself next to Fauve again.

Studying the map closely - or taking a simple look at it, it's hard to tell at this distance - the girl remains silent for a while, before letting go of the map and allowing the breeze to bring it back to Gabriel.

"Well, unfortunately for you I know less than you all do about this attack you keep talking about, but I can tell you about this map. First though..." The girl's smile slowly turns into a glare as she stares at Fauve. "I do not like you. 'Ren' has more decency than you do, and I do not appeciate what you called me, so I'd suggest you talk less and think more since you look like someone who could do with that."

"In any case, the location marked on this map is a bit further ahead, it's some old ruin with some fancy statues. Don't know exactly what sort of building it used to be, but it has catacombs so that's always a big plus."

"But anyway, all of you except Corc and Ren still haven't introduced yourselves, and you." The girl turns to glare at Devlin "Do not wake me up by shouting again, please. Now, are you going to leave me be, or do you plan on accusing me of more things even though I already stated that I know nothing?"

[Hokum]

@Dartbored Fairy@Valkon@Seraphin

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Give and Take

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Devlin cringed internally at the rantings of the feral witch. She had instantly taken Devlin’s question as an accusation, rather than a simple question, and this lack of discrimination incensed Devlin - though she didn’t outwardly display her annoyance – as it demonstrated at least one reason why she tried to avoid conversations. People were generally stupid like that. But at the same time, Devlin couldn’t help being somewhat intrigued by the feral witches casual use of power. Not since watching her master Mada at work had she seen someone with such natural ease of great prowess.

Something the Feral had said caught her attention though, being her reference to the mysterious rise of attacks throughout Akripola as a ‘Resurgence’. It was a peculiar thing to say, denoting not only that she was aware of information about the reason behind the attacks, but also that it wasn’t the first time this sort of thing had taken place.

Nonetheless, Devlin chose to remain silent and outwardly unperturbed while watching Ren intervene. She admired the handsome musician’s gentle and charismatic audacity. Regardless of not knowing whether this Feral was worthy of it, he displayed honor for her, as he did with all the people she’d seen him interact with so far. He was mannered, not given to judgment, allowing each person the benefit of doubt without prejudice. To Ren, everyone was beautiful and worthy of respect until their actions proved otherwise. His state of heart and way of thinking about life was a foreign concept to Devlin, but no less an admirable quality and something Devlin lacked. Had she reason to care for it, she could have learnt something from him. Still, there was a lot she wanted to learn about this man if not for her own self use. His past… his inner most thoughts… why he was what he was; the prospect of these things fascinated her. But finding out more would have to wait.

After the girl with an equal lack of tact to her own, Fauve, had made her speech – and right before the feral witch used her casual manner of prowess to obtain the map from the archer - Devlin noticed the man with gauntlets arrive in a rush at the edge of the clearing. Turning only her eyes to regard the man, she tilted her head in a slightly awkward fashion and confirmed what may have already been obvious to him:

“It's futile to fight this one.”

The feral atop the skull then stole back Devlin’s attention, addressing her with scouring glare to state her further disapproval for lack of introductions, her sensitive views on being woken up, and demanded to be left in peace while denying having more knowledge on the questions that had been thrown at her.

“What other means is there to gain someones attention, if not raise my voice so they can hear it?” Devlin answered her frankly; “Would you prefer I use physical force instead? Perhaps a kick to the head next time?”

Realizing her impudent choice of words, Devlin regressed with a shake of her head as she looked to the ground; an indication she was apologetic for her manner. A moment later she lifted her eyes and gave the feral a small, conforming and maybe even slightly respectful nod, before adding; “In any case, my name is Devlin – and very well then, I’ll make a note of not disturbing your sensitivities in the future. But should I even point out that you know more than you are letting on? You mentioned a resurgence. This suggests you know more about what’s going on in Akripola than you are willing to admit.”

With that - thinking that the Feral wasn’t about to divulge more information even if she knew it - Devlin gave Ren a nudge with her elbow and was about to start her journey towards the catacombs, when she realized there was a detail she'd missed. It wasn’t like Devlin to care for people’s identities, especially when that person was expressing their preference to be left alone, but she had a sneaking suspicion this wouldn’t be the last time the two of them would cross paths.

“I’ll leave you in peace…. Sweet dreams” She said. ‘But before I go, do you have a name to share as well? Or has your great power corrupted you beyond feeling the need to show others equal courtesy?”

[tex]

Dannisus didn't think for a moment that this little creature was harmless. She behaved in a childish and aggressive manner with very little regard for anyone else. She spoke explicitly, 'I don't like you, or you, or you,' and it was not endearing. This entire exchange gave him plenty of reasons to doubt her, many of which also signaled danger for those nearby. When Fauve spoke, he half expected a full scale battle to erupt as a result of her crude, dismissive tone. Corc's words rose similar worries. But despite the rocky reception, there was no fight to follow. It seemed unlikely that anyone would make such an ill-conceived choice at this point, barring any prideful outlashes from any less stable persons. His ears twisted towards the spot that the girl gestured towards when they spoke of the map. There was no doubt that this group he'd gotten wrapped up in would investigate further, but who knew what the skull-sitting creature would do once they turned their backs to her? And what exactly was she talking about, earlier?

The Resurgence. Dannisus hadn't heard anything about it, whatever it was. But from the presentation, he could easily discern two things. This little creature was dangerous, and she was a liar. Of course, he could have been wrong. Maybe she was just an idiot. It wouldn't be the first time he'd come across a childish entity that spoke without thinking. Maybe this resurgence was nothing. She could have been screwing with them. Regardless of whether or not she spoke truths, the encounter was beginning to feel more and more like a trap as time went by. This girl had shown very little hospitality thus far, so why would she be willing to guide them? Dannisus pulled his head up and searched the trees ahead of him. Without delay, he left Devlin and the others to their interactions with the witch-like sprite and began bounding through the trees as quietly as he could manage, towards the location on the map. He knew these forests better than anyone, after all. Unlike the troupe behind him, he wouldn't bother meddling with anything outside of the designated location. They would likely be fine without him, anyways. In the worst case scenario, only a few of them would die if pitted against a single magical girl, unless she was hiding a great deal of her mana. If that were the case though, he wouldn't want to be near her anyways.

They seemed... Competent enough.

[Zyngard]

Aelih simply walked into the forest, glad for Lui's lamplight or whatever, gazing through the trees, as Dani climbed one. "What, walking not good enough?"

And then the wind struck, sending a light tingle over Aelih's skin, and Aelih frowns. That was rather sudden. Seemed vaguely magical too. Aelih glanced back at Jack and Lui "Did you feel that too? Seems odd."

With that, Aelih stepped into a clearing, one with a large... rock? Skull? Oh, and the others. That rude one, Corc, another one Aelih recognized, but didn't remember the name of, and some odd girl with a large hat and a staff.

Aelih gripped the spear tightly in one hand, but doesn't make any aggressive movements, instead merely observing, and motioning with her other hand for Jack and Lui to come out.

[Jensoman]

Corc nodded at the woman with the hat, and began to walk further towards the ruins that she'd mentioned. No point disturbing a girl, who just wanted to sleep, and claimed that she had nothing to do with the attack. Of course, Corc knew that she could be lying. In that case, he'd just have to teach her a lesson! The giant calmly attempted to walk past her towards the location on the map, still heading for the same general direction that he'd been heading for earlier. "Corc apologise for disturbing lady..." He simply muttered, which was surprisingly polite for an orc.

He heard Devlin question the woman some more, which wasn't a bad idea. But the orc didn't care too much about that. He wanted to reach the destination on the map as quickly as possible, which might have been the source of the monster attacks. He remained somewhat tense as he passed by, though. The girl was still suspicious, regardless of wether or not she had anything to do with the attack. It wasn't normal for humans to sleep in a giant skull, despite the fact that Corc had picked such places for himself to sleep at. But for an orc, that was common. If the village was that close by, why would a human girl even sleep out here? The orc spoke a few more words as he moved onwards. "Corc decide to believe girl...not make Corc regret decision." He stated. It was more of a warning than a threat. "Fran, Gabriel, also coming?" He asked, looking over his shoulder towards them briefly. He would stop if they decided against following, as he didn't quite trust this witch lady himself.

[Dartbored Fairy]

Lui shrugs as Aelih asks her a question. "I have no clue what that was, it felt weird."

Arriving at the clearing with Aelih and Jack, Lui quickly spots the girl. Scared, she dives into the nearest bush in an attempt to hide, completely oblivious to the fact that her magelight is sticking out of the bush.

---

@Hokum@Jensoman@Zyngard

---

The girl simply rolls her eyes to acknowledge the arrival of Lui, Aelih and Jack, and instead turns her full attention to Devlin. As Devlin mentions physical violence though, the girl flinches and her smile fades a bit.

She soon regains her posture however, and waits for Devlin to finish talking, before nodding and grinning.

"Ah, don't worry, I'm not corrupt. I'm just slightly annoyed at being woken up at such an hour." The girl says before standing up and bowing slightly. "My name is Nona. It used to be short for 'No Name' but then I began using it as my name so now Nona is my name."

With a smile, Nona sits down again. "But anyway, you claim to not know about the Resurgence? Either you're ignorant or I know more than I think I know. Anyway since you seem stubborn enough to want to investigate the catacombs I'll give you a challenge! If you make it out of there more alive than dead I'll tell you some of what I know. Not all of it, but only some bits. Unless you're not interested of course."

She then temporarily turns her attention to Corc, and puts up a surprisingly innocent-looking smile. "Don't worry, Mr. Corc! I'm confident enough to say that I might be more trustworthy than some of your companions..."

[ArkmageddonCat]

Foeldar felt the gust blow past him, a tingling sensation sent crawling across his body in its wake. It was a strangely familiar feeling, yet at the same time it was also very foreign to him. The effect soon faded away, however, as he had either become accustomed to the feeling or the effect had already worn off. Foeldar did not know, nor did he really care. An orc's shriek soon followed, and only then did Foeldar turn to investigate. There was a glimpse of the last few survivors disappearing into the trees, and though he did not recognize them it seemed as if Lily did.

"Quickly, follow them!" Lily called out, pointing towards the trees from atop Foeldar's shoulder. "If we're going to protect them we'd best keep up!" She continued, trying her best to coax her giant tree-friend into staying with the survivors from Nadska. As expected, Foeldar complied. Though he traveled at a more leisurely pace, he still followed after the others nonetheless. Before long he found himself entering a clearing. There was a woman sitting atop a large skull - that was interesting - and there were also many of the other people he could remember seeing earlier at the gate. However, it seemed that just as he had arrived they saw fit to start leaving. Had he taken that long?

---

Darren looked on at the gathering from a collection of bushes at the edge of the clearing. He hadn't been there for very long, only long enough to know that the woman atop the skull was not of the same allegiance as these others. Those who stood apart from that large skull were of mixed backgrounds, and they did not regard one another in the same way as they did her, and she did them. The woman, on the other hand, was clearly some kind of witch - but Darren had no way of finding out just what kind. He wouldn't be surprised if the witch knew he was there, nor would he be surprised if she knew who he was. Witches always had a strange way of knowing things they weren't supposed to know, and that included even well-kept secrets. Come to think of it, Darren had never encountered a true witch before. His experience was limited to the stories he'd heard over the years. And if experience lends any credibility, which it often does, word of mouth rarely ever pertains to the full picture.

A rustle of leaves drew Darren's attention to the arrival of three more individuals - a man, an elf, and a rather odd looking girl. What's that there on her eye? He started to think to himself, but before he could dwell upon it much longer the witch began to speak. Darren remained crouched in the brush, peering through at the scene laid before him as it drew nearer towards its close. There was mention of something the witch, Nona, referred to as "The Resurgence". She spoke of it like she had already done so before - which, in all likelihood, was probably before Darren arrived. This 'Resurgence' sounded like something important - but of course it did, she specifically referred to it by name.

Darren's suspicion was, by now, sufficiently aroused. If the clamor and the number of people gathered here weren't enough, then the content of their discussion definitely was. What could this 'Resurgence' be? Perhaps it was some kind of event, but what could it entail? Was it related to the recent epidemic of monster attacks or some grotesque coincidence? Darren processed a number of possibilities before reaching one that he dared not consider, twisting a look of annoyed disgust upon his face. Darren promptly shook his head clear of thought and rested it against his open hand, feeling the shape of his visor through his gloves. A short moment passed and Darren returned his attention to the clearing, lowering his hand to the ground for stability. He had questions that needed to be answered, though he did not know if this witch would be able to help him. He made a slight movement to stand yet decided against it, opting to wait for as long as he could before revealing himself.

[Polaris North]

Interacting with: Fauve, Corc, Devlin, Ren, Witch
Mentions: @Candy @Jensoman @Hokum @Seraphin @Dartbored Fairy

---

You know that feeling where you just feel so tired of being manipulated that you just don't care anymore? Gabriel was feeling that right then and there. First off, as he was walking to the witch - which he only took around three small steps forward - ended with him being closer to her than he anticipated. Which was not right, since he was sure of what he was doing since being close to the witch was not optimal. Then the witch made a shooing motion and then he was back next to Fauve. He did try to think about what kind of magic she was using, but unfortunately, he didn't know. And right then and there, he didn't care anymore.

Maybe later once he's sorted his thoughts. But right now, that was very jarring.

Gabriel grabbed the map when it floated towards him, folding it and then putting it back into his backpack. Giving the witch a warm smile despite everything, he said, "Thank you very much. We appreciate the help." Whether what she said was true or not, it was better than being hacked to pieces. Devlin, as he now knows her name, wasn't exactly the most polite of people as she continued with her speech. But then she questioned the witch's knowledge about the Resurgence. Gabriel seemed to freeze on the spot. He began rifling through his memories.

Resurgence.

It was the first time he didn't hear of anything that seemed so significant. The witch claimed that this may be because she just knew too much, or they knew too little. That hurts when you say that in front of a magical researcher who prides himself for having to go into ruins and live through it. He looked down for a moment and then looked back up. "A pleasure to meet you Nona. Until next time." He bowed his head as a sign of respect before following Corc out. The way she told them that she was going to give them some information if they live through the ruins guaranteed that there was something dangerous in there.

The thought itself made him giddy. Life-threatening ruins were something he was familiar with. This was something he could completely understand. Patting Corc on the shoulder, he gave him a thumbs up. "You excited about the ruins? I'm sure I am." There was just something so alluring about brushes with death. But it would seem like the group he's found himself in was more than capable of handling and taking care of anything the ruins might throw at them. He could still feel this odd pulses of magic from his groupmates, and it just seemed odd.

[Candy]

@ArkmageddonCat@Polaris North@Dartbored Fairy@Zyngard@Jensoman@Hokum@Valkon@Seraphin

….

“Of course I am,” Fauve replied to Corc, “I wouldn’t let my main orc-man leave me behind for the world!”

Once Fauve answered Corcy’s question, the witch presented a challenge to Devlin, but she supposed it could have been directed at everyone who was interested in accepting. Fauve accepted the challenge with an “I’ll be in that!”

Thing about orc’s is, they not only don’t know their own strength, they aren’t really aware of other things too, like how much one of their chugs from a bottle actually consumes. After Corc took his drink, there was only a mouthful of beverage left. She swallowed down the last little bit and tossed the bottle to the side. It didn’t break but made a hollow pop sound when it hit the back of the giant skull then toppled away into the tree line.

As chance would have it, the bottle rolled beneath a small shrub, behind which was hiding a person (Darren). From Fauve’s angle, she could see the toe of the persons boot jotting out beside where the bottle came to rest. Her eyes followed the line their leg would have taken to their body and head where she then found their face. Their face was mostly covered in shadow, but it was clearly a man and a man she’d never seen before, all hunkered down and spying on the group.

“How ya do’n there, stranger?!” She said loud enough to give away his position to everyone there. “No need to hide – We’re all headed on over to risk our lives doing battle in the house of the dead for unknown reasons. If you’re interested in having a bit of fun with us freaks, feel free to tag along!”

Wanting to punctuate her comment with a demonstration of her own freakishness, Fauve laughed and extended the length of her lower legs a few feet. She was now eye level with Corc as she walked like a person on stilts towards him and Gabriel.

“So let’s get going then!” She said to them both.

As Fauve (still high on extended legs) along with Gabe and Corc headed out of the clearing in direction of the catacombs, she looked back and down over her shoulder at Ren, Jack, Lui and the others, and gave a little fling of her head to invite them all along and take part in the freak show too if they wanted.

….

[Hokum]

@Dartbored Fairy@Seraphin

and minor interaction with@ArkmageddonCat

---

Until Next Time

---

It would seem the feral’s challenge was requisite, since Devlin had planned on heading to the catacombs anyway, and she generally made a point of coming out alive from any situation.

Staring at the feral witch for a moment, she considered stating why the answer should have been obvious, but in the end decided a simple nod was sufficient to confirm her acceptance of the challenge.

“Until next time.”

Devlin then gave a nod of recognition to the Forest Golem who had turned up with a somewhat perplexed poise - holding no malice toward him for brutally discarding her earlier, as his behavior was no doubt the result of a delusional, traumatized mind. She followed that up with a queer look to Fauve as the woman extended the length of her legs - possibly slightly, though very slightly, amused by her antics - and then started on her way with Ren and the others towards the Catacombs. Now, with a few moments to spare before arriving at their next destination, Devlin decided it was a good time as any to find out more about her friend, the prostituted bard.

In a way that seemed to defy the obvious importance of the subject, she presented Ren the question as if striking up a conversation about something as banal as the weather:

“Have the scars on your mouth got something to do with being mute?”

It was obvious the scars on Ren’s mouth were the product of torture to some degree, most likely a result of having his mouth sewn shut. Such scars also made it clear to Devlin that Ren wasn’t always a mute, since there would be no obvious reason to sew a mutes mouth shut unless to enforce starvation, or for some other variety of sick, ironic amusement. Sadistic, ironic amusement of some type was a prospect she doubted but didn’t dismiss as a possibility. There were all sorts of monsters in the world.

[Seraphin]

@Hokum
Purple eyes widened in surprise at Devlin's question. Most people would often ask about jobs or hobbies, but, as fate would put it, Ren would get the strangest of companions who dug their noses straight into the grindstone. Not that he was hiding it or anything, but most people just did not care much about the jet-black sutures lining the spaces across his lips. Soon, the look of surprise turned into a flustered reaction as a tint of pink dotted Ren's cheeks until a nervous yet voiceless chuckle followed suit.

He turned his sights behind him, taking note of the rather unique set of individuals now accompanying them. How Devlin managed to snag them all was beyond Ren, but, perhaps, this socially-challenged girl drew people to her side just by being herself. She needed no theatrics, no show of bravado-- just her words of iron and will of steel. Which came as no surprise when she threw these kinds of questions around. Heren forbid that she asked their new companions this right away.

Ren faced her once more before nodding in response. His eyes looked forward, gazing at the endless myriad of trees which shadowed over them. In the dark, all things were laid bare, and this was the same with the winding road which served as the tapestry of Ren's life. His hands trembled for a moment as the surge of memories slammed against the walls of his mind, like the waters slowly chipping away at a dam's structure before it breaks. Then, he raised his hand, pointing it in the direction of the north as a reference to Aryali, before his two hands straightened. Then, he circled his hands backwards in an alternating fashion before it landed on his shoulder.

"Once upon a time,"

Ren paused before continuing, a flash of pain glinting for a split-second within the purple irises before he breathed in to continue.

Long Backstory

"Oi, Ren! Jarls Krias and Maard are here. Get your ass inside the room!"

The fifteen-year old Ren nodded as he clutched the tattered tunic closer to his skin. His eyes wandered over to the unknown figure looking back at him from the borders of the stained mirror. Short and spiky shadows sat on top of his head, his lips muttering a silent prayer to Ragas for deliverance as he dove once more into the breach.

"How bad are their moods today? They lost another skirmish against Jarl Ayasu?" Ren's baritone, somewhat silvery voice echoed down the dim, torch-lit halls of the Warmth House. "I pity the brothers. They sacrificed so much and gained so little from their campaigns against the jarls of Frijosa."

Tuvan, the head of the Warmth House, turned around the corner with his arms crossed. The skinny man shook his head at the young Ren before flicking his finger up to denote that Ren should already start taking off his shirt. Tuvan spoke of how Ren's mouth should be as enlightened when servicing his customers lest he face the wrath of the defeated jarls.

"They just knocked out one of the guards at the front. I'm pretty sure they'll beat Heren out of you; then again," Tuvan winked at the boy before ripping the tunic from him, exposing Ren to the merciless bite of the frosty air. "You don't break nor die, do you? But, you cannot protect everyone, Ren. Tonight, maybe you were able to deliver Alayan from this fate with this sacrifice. But, what about tomorrow? The next week? How long until your body breaks?"

"I will never regret what I did for her. And, I will never break." Ren gritted out his answer, his hands curled around his skinny figure before a harsh hand struck from the shadows and dragged the boy by the neck through the halls. Jarl Krias' violence was only matched by his twin's sadistic tendencies, and by the time Krias slammed Ren for the last time against the wooden post of the bed, Maard had already driven a short dagger through Ren's gut. Ren let out a suppressed cry of unimaginable pain. Soon, Krias' gripped at the boy's throat, launching him across the room before Maard picked him up again to fling him back to the bed with a loud thud.

Like an animal, Ren clawed at the sheets in a futile attempt to escape until one of the jarls caged him with a dagger straight through Ren's hand. The burly jarl's breath fanned against the boy's ear as Ren choked out a sob, snot and tears dribbling down his mouth.

"Tuvan reckoned dat ye can never hurt anyone-- dat killin' be not fer ye." Maard scorned at the boy, digging the knife deeper between his carpal tunnel. "Ye had the chance to kill Jarl Ayasu in exchange for yer freedom, but ye didn't take it 'cus ye lacked da spine to stain yer pretty little fingers."

Out of all the torment flowing through his nerves, Ren's consciousness could only focus on the intensifying burn in his sides where the blade struck him. What was once a burn became a sear, and what was once pain became agony. Ren swore that white-hot knives scraped against his bones as he could only think that the blade was envenomed. His restraint broke, heralded by the screams tearing out from his mouth as Krias and Maard laughed in glee.

Immediately, Krias jumped at Ren with his fingers locking Ren's face in place. "Shh, shh," He cooed, licking a filthy path along the boy's frothing mouth. "Wouldn't want the guards to hear this."

Now, Krias was a man who dabbled in curses. And, he felt it fit to use his talent on Ren. He uttered a demonic incantation as eldritch threads and needles hovered in the air. With Ren's howls unrelenting whilst Maard lavished his fury on the boy, Krias sealed the spell which caused the needles to pierce Ren's lips. The demonologist sewed the threads into place with each puncture and stitch lasting like a lifetime. With each completed stitch, Ren's voice lessened and lessened and lessened until it was naught but a squeak of air. Soon, the signature raven puncture marks stained the lad's lips.

By the time the sun rose on the morrow, the boy was nothing but a pile of twitching limbs and gasping sounds as the bed ran red with blood. While his cells desperately anchored his life to this wretched world, Ren's consciousness hovered between reality and dreams, one desperately wanting to escape into the other. Ren gazed at the stone ceiling, etchings of deities and wars long gone chiseled upon its face. Then, he closed his eyes and tried to utter a prayer to Ragas.

However, instead of a desperate and incoherent litany spilling from his lips, what came out was a whoosh of voiceless air and a sudden realization that, perhaps, the gods have abandoned him.

"If I remember correct," Ren signed with his right thumb coming down from his temple to tap on his raised left thumb. "As Krias said, I can only be free," His balled hands swung outward to the sides as if breaking shackles. Then, his hands made a stabbing motion before looking at Devlin. "When I use my gift to kill a life."

Ren let the information sink in for a while before he shook his head with a sad smile. He turned to Devlin to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder as if to make her confident that he was now okay.

"I know what hides in the heart of man. I experienced the pure violence in a beating heart." Ren nodded his head before raising his index finger. "But, a heart can do great a violence, and while it beats, it can also do great kindness." Ren's index, thumb, and middle fingers straightened before they curled towards one another. Afterwards, Ren placed his straightened left hand on top of the mirroring yet horizontal right, then, he slid his left hand to the left side, ending it with a chop.

"I cannot end a life," Ren shook his head. "Because as long as it beats," Ren raised his hands and opened them together which was followed with Ren raising his left index finger to pursue his right index finger. Finally, Ren straightened his palms and swept them down over his eyes. "There is always light after darkness."

After he expressing ideas, Ren shrugged his shoulders before baring a fanged grin at Devlin as he scratched at his nape. He began to sign again in a more comical manner as if he wanted to erase the depressing tale he shared.

"Of course, if someone could remove curses, then, that too would be great. Save me the blood and the tattered clothes."

[Hokum]

@Seraphin

@Dartbored FairyArrival at the catacombs.

---

Like a Moth to the Flame

---

“Ones damnation isn’t a result of the blind denial of good, it’s the deliberate rejection of good; the embracing of evil.” These words of Mada resounded in Devlin’s mind while Ren’s story conjured images that stirred a heated broth within the crusted walls of her heart. Before Ren even finished his testimony, she already knew she would one day remove the blemish of Krias and Maard’s existence from the world. Regardless, she said nothing in respect to the fact, though it should have been possible for Ren to observe the ink-black cloud churning in her eyes, her inscrutable lack of expression unchanging.

Ren’s final attempt at humor notwithstanding, Devlin’s now droned voice exuded the only, though cryptic, reply she had;

“A moth unburnt by the alluring flames of necessity.”

It didn’t really matter to Devlin what meaning Ren found in those words, for she had no intention to appease him. Providing him solace would have been like trying to comfort a mother who had lost her only son to death. It would have likely been received with a sense of redundant antipathy. For Devlin, however, the meaning behind what she said was clear: Vanquishing evil from the world would, in the end, probably come at the cost of her life. But all honorable deeds require sacrifice – death was a small price to pay for retribution – and it may have been this knowledge alone that caused Devlin to foresee her possible fate with Ren; the yet undefined events that would ultimately lead to Ren taking her life for sake of a greater good… and with it the restoration of that which was stolen from him.

The thought of this possible outcome, unfortunately, conflicted with Devlin’s prior decision to bear Ren’s child. When she and Ren then stepped out from the trees and Devlin laid eyes upon the entrance to the catacombs, the resulting dilemma produced a look of rage as violet currents of electricity crossed her lips like sutures.

Nearby, a short, sharp crackling sound was heard, drawing attention to the charred remains of a moth that spiraled to the ground in a thin trail of smoke.