[IC] Defiance

[Candy]

....

Fauve just kinda ignored Lui's comment as the wannabe boy departed the premises in chase of her cat friend. Normally she may have had something to say about a remark like that, but her attention was diverted when the flute player at the next table in the company of that shady looking girl, was being ushered roughly away by some town guard who, by the look on his face, was preparing to have himself a good time upstairs.

After that was the point when Gabriel started his reply to Fauve's inquisition, and already getting bored with the whole foot in the face thing, she removes her foot from the table. By the time Gabriel had finished with his response, the shady girl at the next table had already left as well, and by the look on her face she seemed to be a whole lot of serious about something.

"Sounds to me like you might be a merchant of types." Fauve replied to Gabriel, not to put too fine a point on his business, but then, she wasn't really interested in the first place. Just attempting to keep herself amused.

Fauve then listened to whatever else Gabriel may have wanted to reply with, and by time he finished speaking (or maybe he hadn't replied with anything at all) She was feeling a little antsy about the night in general. "So hows about you and me go up for a little fun of our own, Tender Love?" She says, giving Gabriel another wink; "Promise not to break your wallet. I'm dirt cheap, but I'll sure as heck show you the time of your life."

Gabriel may or may not have been taken aback by fauve's sudden proposition, but whether he answered straight away or not, Fauve chose that moment to look around the room, just a little curios to the situation at hand, and that was when she noticed the shady girl again, now exiting the kitchen with a bloody dagger in hand and heads up the stairs to the rooms. The bartender is nowhere to be seen.

"Now, Gentlemen," Fauve says, looking back at Jack and Gabriel with a grin. "tell me you saw that too."

Not waiting for a reply, she gets up from her seat and heads on out back to the kitchen to see what little nasty surprises that shady girl had left behind.

"Well, that's good," She laughed, looking down at the plump bartender lying in his own blood on the floor, "I was in need of a little excitement tonight."

....

[Polaris North]

Interacting with: Jack, Fauve
Mentions: @Valkon @Candy

---

Gabriel, as before, seemed rather distracted compared to his earlier attention on them. His eyes kept on fleeting towards the others - taking in the information of what was happening around him. The Myti seemed to have disappeared, along with the construct and the elf. Odd, maybe they didn't like it enough at the tavern. Then someone came in, a bard of sorts if he wasn't mistaken. A flute player? He headed straight for the mysterious woman who had... oh he hadn't noticed her come back really. But there was nothing else to really look forward to, after that.

He raised a cup to her as he smirked, "Merchant would be the correct term. Selling enchanted items all around, tryin' to make some gold from it to survive." The older male finished the cup, and it didn't seeem to affect him all that much, aside from the fact that he leaned back a bit - indicating that he'd certainly had his fill. Having drunk at least three different types of alcohol for the past hour, he was rather sure that he was going to hit his limit soon, and he'd rather not get anything swiped off him. "Though I'd like to be known as a man you can look to for odd jobs. Like ruin hopping... monster hunting and the likes."

With his attention divided between Fauve's outrageous suggestion and the fact that he only now just processed that the flute player had disappeared due to some guard violently pushing him away. Blinking, he looked back at Fauve with a confused look. "Having fun on an evening like this? 'Fraid I have to leave rather early tomorrow. I'm in search for answers, no time for small breaks." Gabriel then blinked as the mysterious woman exited the kitchen with a bloody knife.

And he wasn't the only one to notice.

Fauve was already up on her feet to check it out. Gabriel was close behind to check it out. Lying on his own pool of blood, the bartender was most definitely dead. Gabriel blinked. And then again. Wow, there must have been quite a change in Nadska since he last came here. The last time he was here, it didn't attract murderers. Or anyone who was even remotely righteous, in this regard. Looking towards the stairs, he gestured at Fauve.

"It's not our business, but it didn't look like that girl's business either." Gabriel walked back to the other side of the counter. It wasn't soon until he heard thumping, and a scream. Then nothing but silence. Running a gloved hand through his brown locks, he couldn't help but shake his head. "Sounds like it's a done deed." With a yawn, he wondered if he should head up or not. It sounded rather dangerous to do so, given what had happened up top.

Gabriel didn't really want anything to happen which is the reason he came to Nadska in the first place. No doubt the guards would be swarming this tavern as soon as the other patrons noticed what they had, and possibly even question them why they didn't say anything. Guards ask questions, a lot of them. If he wanted for everything to be over with, it would have been better to just leave here and now.

"Looks like it's going to be a busy night. Hope not too much though." He mused. Now that there was only just a few more hours before he had to retire, judging from what was happening. This tavern now reeks of death. Poor Nadska - this normal quaint little town has just been shown a little bit of excitement for once. Not so fortunate, isn't it?

[Zyngard]

Aelih noted Dannisus standing directly outside the tavern's wall, and nods to him, listening to Lui.

"Thanks for the compliment, although I changed my mind." Aelih says dryly to Lui, who hadn't seemed to have noticed Aelih's presence yet.

Dannisus seemed... anxious, for some reason. Beyond what might normally be expected from simply entering a tavern. But, of course, he was a Myti, and Aelih didn't really know how sensitive they were. Maybe Myti males were sensitive, Aelih sure didn't know. Instead, Aelih simply gave a wave to Dannisus and leaned against the wall, surveying the streets as a whole

[Valkon]

Jack's attention was brought back to the two in front of him when Gabriel began to answer Fauve's question. Though he had missed what that question actually was due to his shift in focus, he was more or less able to surmise what it had been from Gabriel's answer. From it, it seemed he was a specialist in enchantments and research; though Jack didn't visibly react to it, that did catch his attention. His former master had specialized in the same sort of thing, after all. Of course, this stranger didn't strike Jack as being anything like Jacques had been, but then again his master had always seemed to take on an alternate persona when he was dealing with customers, visitors, and other such individuals. Perhaps this man was the same.

Jack would have to kill him if he was.

Through his peripheral vision, Jack watched the other group depart the tavern one-by-one, leaving the two in front of him, the hooded woman- who got up and left shortly afterwards anyways- and the horsem- Jack paused eating as he realized that the stranger at the bar had already disappeared. The fact that such a large individual had managed to make his way out of the tavern without him noticing took Jack by surprise, though he decided to attribute it to his focus being drawn to those directly in front of him. Misdirection and sleight of hand worked on similar principles, after all.

In his surprise, he missed the proposal Fauve had made to Gabriel.

It was around then that the hooded woman exited from the kitchen, knife coated with blood in her hand, and headed upstairs. At this point, Jack realized that the bartender had also disappeared- an indication to the source of the blood on the knife, perhaps. As Fauve commented on the situation, Jack nodded, still eating as he got up from his seat and followed her and Gabriel into the kitchen. As he had suspected, the bartender was on the floor, clothes stained red by the pool of his own blood that had been forming around him. Swallowing the bite of meat he had been chewing, Jack crosses his right arm over his chest, half-eaten venison still in hand, and gives a short bow in mock-respect. "And so ends the tale of the fat little barkeep," standing back up and turning to look at Gabriel as the sounds from upstairs cease, he adds "And it would seem someone else's story has ended as well. Any guesses who its hero might've been, merchant?"

[tex]

Dannisus glanced at Aelih and offered a small smile. The hair on his ears stood on end and he took a deep breath shortly afterwards, nodding to Lui. Rampant surges of Mana thrummed from within the tavern, and with it, the lingering scent of human blood. He looked over his shoulder, past Aelih, and then back to Lui, fussing over his left wrist with one of his fingers. "I'm awfully flattered that you'd take an interest in me, and I'd be more than willing to help you, Lui. But could we perhaps move away from the tavern, first?" He took a few steps away from the wall and spun around, glancing at Lui's lantern for a brief moment before beckoning both her an Aelih away from the soon-to-be crime scene. The mana responsible for spilling human blood was not unfamiliar. He'd been right to be weary of Devlin, and didn't want to be anywhere near that psychopath any longer, nor did he wish any harm to befall his new acquaintances. Although their intentions still remained to be seen, he saw no harm in leading them away from harm. "We can walk and talk, yes? I'm sure you'd both find my research fascinating, if nothing else!"

[Dartbored Fairy]

Aelih's sudden talking startled Lui. How long had she been there? "..oh hey, didn't notice you." Lui simply said sheepisly. She didn't like people sneaking up on her since that meant that said people have the opportunity to do bad. Like surprising her or attacking her or something.

Sighing and turning back to Dani, listening to his suggestion while being blissfully oblivious to everything going on in the tavern. Dani suggested the group move away from the tavern, and although Lui didn't quite understand why, she was fine with the idea. After all, she had already forgotten her reason for coming to here.

"Sure! Sounds fine by me! You really don't like being near the tavern then?" Lui said, smiling as the light in her lantern ignited once again. "Lead the way, and tell me some fun stories!"

[Zyngard]

Aelih gives a nod and a small smile back to Dannisus, noting his eagerness to be away from the tavern, but dismissing it as his nervousness.

As he started walking, and Lui’s lantern caught on fire ”Hadn’t that been a staff earlier?”, Aelih cautiously drew the spear off its sheath and easily spun it once, then began following, using the spear as a walking stick of sorts, although more accurately it was being used in case it was needed by Aelih.

Although walking with the spear out drew a few odd glances, Aelih ignored them, preferring the sense of security, no matter the stares. Besides, the girl with the lantern in broad daylight was likely odder than someone openly carrying a weapon in these days.

[tex]

"Great then!"

It took only moments for Dannisus to guide Lui and Aelih away from Devlin's deeds, and towards the innermost parts of Nadska. He pulled the small leather bound book from earlier out of his pocket moments after they'd begun on their path away from the tavern, looking through it carefully as they walked. Relief washed over the Myti as the scent of freshly spilled blood was smothered by Nadska's natural overtones. It was much easier to think, and less... Dangerous. "My notes are much less like stories, Lui. I've been studying magic for the past 5 years, exclusively. From weapon enchantment, to the removal of curses, I'd like to think I'm well versed on the various subjects surrounding mana, most predominantly, magical artifacts." Dannisus drew the tip of his thumb quickly across his tongue and flipped his way through the thin pages of his personal notebook. Although most humans couldn't read Myti script, a learned eye could make out a simple pair of words across the book's cover. 'Notebook 3' He stared at a page for a few moments, conflicted as to whether or not he should mention the potent smell of blood that urged him even further from the tavern. With a gentle huff, he decided against it, and began to drag his finger across one of the pages in his book. He hung his mouth open after a short gasp of breath, and glanced at Lui for a moment.

"Ehm, I have to ask, actually- You're not human, are you?" Dannisus implied with a subtle twitch of his nose, "You don't smell the same, or act the same, as any human I've ever met." He turned to Aelih for a moment with a little rise of his eyebrow. Dannisus wasn't all too bright when it came to spotting verbal hiccups or reading social queues, but even he'd been suspicious after her comment earlier. Surely Aelih had noticed it too. "You smell like wood." Dannisus stated bluntly, looking back at Lui with an innocent, almost guilty expression on his face.

[Dartbored Fairy]

Lui curiously listened to Dani talking about his studies. Enchantments, Curses, Artifacts, Mana, all kinds of things that were familiar to Lui. She'd served as a servant of a mage for most of her life (though she was more of a slave) and thus such things were natural to her, while things other people would call mundane weren't.

Artifacts, huh? I wonder if he has any information about my eye...

Then, Dani asked a question that Lui really was hoping would never come. Dani was doubting whether or not Lui was human - he could even smell the would that made up Lui's core.

Glancing down at the ground, Lui considered her options. Answer truthfully and hope that Dani and Aelih wouldn't abduct and sell her, or deny it and keep up the lie.

At the same time though, lying probably wouldn't help much, especially not if Dani knew about the wood.

After a brief period of silence, Lui finally spoke. Softly, she simply answered. "I'm a Magical Construct."

[tex]

Dannisus smiled and looked back towards his book. "I've never met a wooden gole- Ehm, construct, before," He noted. He took the tip of his finger and slid it across a few phrases and he nodded. "Unfortunately, that means I know nothing about the more detailed inner workings of your eye, or you body!" He announced joyously, "But I might still be able to help with that eye of yours, fortunately." He began speeding up, assuming that both Aelih and Lui would follow closely behind as he scrambled through the first few sections of his notebook.

"Have either of you ever read about Couerthil Repositories?" He paused and blinked rapidly. "Erm, Mana Sinks?"

[Dartbored Fairy]

Lui pouts as Dani almost calls her a golem, but she lets it slide. There were differences between the two, mainly the fact that Golems tended to be less intelligent and less sentient. Still though, Lui was amused at the fact that, despite apparently not knowing anything about how beings like Lui worked.

There was just one thing she was worried about though.

"Please don't take me apart just to see how I work. Having an eye torn out and replaced while conscious wasn't a fun experience so I'd rather not deal with anything similar."

Managing a faint smile, Lui curiously listens to Dani's question.

"Mana sinks? I've heard of them but I don't know much about then, so please educate me about them."

[Candy]

....

"You don't know that." Fauve says in regards to Gabriel's It's not our business, but it didn't look like that girl's business either. comment. "Looked to me like she figured she had a damn good reason for killing little tubby man here." She's still grinning with amusement over the incident, though. "No need to mention this to anyone." She adds, scratching her crotch thoughtfully, yet at the same time snickering some at Jacks comments. "I sure don't fancy guards at all and I'd prefer not be badgered with question by them either. I'm guess'n we just tuck the tubby bastards body away in a cupboard and cover the blood with a mat. That'll buy us some time to wander on out of this place before anyone else becomes wise to what going on."

Squatting, Fauve searched the corpse for any valuables and sticks a few items in her shoulder bag, after which she opens a nearby cupboard and shoves the body inside. It was certainly a tight squeeze given the fat mans proportions. After giving a few hefty kicks she got him to fit just fine. Closing the cupboard she pulled a mat over the blood then dashed her hands together in a gesture to suggest the job was done.

"Now, let's see here," She said, and gave Jack and Gabriel a cunning smirk, "I'm suspecting the drinks and food are on the house for the time that be, and to be honest I don't fancy heading upstairs because, you know, bringing more attention to what we already know isn't going to help any one of us. So let's take what we want and vacate this shithole. There are other lodgings in this town if sleep is something you're after. What do ya say?"

Not really giving a damn if the other two were going to follow her example or not, she exits the kitchen and starts casually removing a few select beverages from bar shelves, adding them to her bag, and opens the money drawer to retrieve whatever more valuable coins were in there as well.

"Not too shabby a score." She mutters quietly, still laughing some.

....

[Seraphin]

@Hokum
There was a saying back in Aryali that miners uttered when one of their tunnels suddenly collapsed, threatening them with an agonizing end as the last of their breaths seeped out from their mouths. As the last stone falls on the blockade, the head miner would ask everyone to prostrate themselves with their picks flat on the floor. All palms must be face up as their hands rested flat on the ground. The head miner would be tasked to look up into the dark earth, and with a heart made low, he would utter the line for whatever deity deigned to cast upon them a look of mercy.

'Deve uns efr euvl, elk od tarnen. Os elk tarnen beoren.'

As Tavas' garrote pressed against the bones of his neck, a sudden feeling of panic surged through Ren's system. He could regenerate all the limbs he wanted, but if there was something he could not fix, it was dying due to asphyxiation. His cells needed air to survive, and a this moment, the wretched guard offered him none. It seemed as if Tavas already wanted to end him for good. His otherwise still hands began to thrash wildly as every nerve in his body screamed for respite. The musicians voiceless cries and twitches only served to stoke the embers of violence growing within Tavas. And, soon, his consciousness began to ebb away-- dim lights flashed within the recesses of his mind.

A sudden calm washed over Ren though he began his descent into the underworld, and for once, the chant of the miners made sense to him. After every road there is darkness; however, after every darkness, there will always be light.

Cracking sounds reverberated from his nape, his body rapidly creating cells to try to fix the damage. Death hovered on Ren, and just when he would finally meet his end, a crashing sound eased the pressure on his neck. Ren only had time to try to turn around just as he saw Tavas soaring through the room like a marionette whose strings were severed. The darkness of the room revealed little to Ren: his eyes only caught sight of the hooded woman from downstairs pouncing on Tavas. In a split second, the guard had succumbed to a horrifying death-- skin and muscles burned off his being. The woman herself fell to the floor in what seemed to be unconsciousness.

The smell of burned flesh wafted around the room, causing Ren to hold down an urge to vomit as he struggled to catch his breath. As soon as his cells finished repairing the damage to his neck, the man bolted off the bed as he approached the unconscious girl. He knelt beside her, nervous fingers hovered over her lips to check for breathing. His eyes began to roam around the woman's features, trying to comprehend what made her do such... kindness for him. They barely knew each other-- heck, he had no idea what her name was. But, was it really possible for people to do such acts of kindness?

He slapped himself for thinking such thoughts. Of course, it was possible!

The distant cries of guards reeled Ren back into reality as he realized their situation. A few moments from now, the guards would pounce on them from all directions. He had to get them out of there! Ren breathed deeply, feeling the surge of fresh cells flooding into his system. The bruises and wounds inflicted on his being fizzled into nothingness as it was replaced with a healthy, pink glow. With the onslaught of cells, Ren's strength doubled as he lifted the woman into his arms with relative ease. He glanced at the nearby window, spotting a few bramble bushes at the bottom of what seemed like a two-story tavern.

Ah, this is going to be fun...

Ren closed his eyes, focusing the cells unto strengthening his bones and muscles. His flesh began to rise as developed muscles formed upon the valleys of his chest to the ridges of his stomach. With bag and woman in tow, the lad clutched the assassin close to his chest before he let himself fall backwards. The cool winds blasting against his bare skin ended with a painful thud as Ren felt the thorns sticking into his skin. He looked at the woman again to make sure she was uninjured, and when he was sure of her state, he scrambled to his feet before running into the night, carrying with him an unexpected savior.

And, if he may get ahead of himself here, a beautiful one at that.

---

The nightly hymns of the monks inside the church echoed in the dim surroundings-- a solemn vow of the religious men to pray for those who did not pray for themselves.

Passing through the backways of the church, Ren found himself standing in front of the door which led to his small chamber inside the church. When he first got into Nadska fortnights ago, he first sought refuge inside the temple where the monks generously allowed him to use the spare quarters. Where else would he sleep if it wasn't for the monks? Besides, the orphans lived within the temple as well, and this was how Ren repaid his hosts: by helping out the abandoned.

He opened the door to his room. As he entered, it dawned on him that this space is barely big enough for one person. There was only enough room for a bedroll at the end of the room with a small table for a candlelight. A small cabinet sits at the right side of the room where most of Ren's clothing were hung. He briefly considered the tattered trousers he wore at the moment, and he figured he should buy some new clothes to add to his rather thinning supply. Opposite of that is a small alter with a visage of the deity standing in the center with two small candles flanking it.

Carefully, he lowered the woman unto the bedroll before he plopped down beside the roll. Once more, his fingers danced over her cheeks, noting the roughness yet grace of it. He never really examined anyone this close since he kept his eyes shut once his job begins. There was something mysterious hiding beneath the façade of this woman. Ren knew he should not pry; he would not pry. Instead, he contented himself with bringing out his flute. He blew out a gentle melody to serenade whatever dreams she afflicted upon herself. The way she collapsed meant exhaustion, but the lad knew better than to try to solve what he did not know. He wondered what kind of mystery attracted this woman to Nadska-- actually, not just her, but the whole lot of the new faces inside the tavern.

Trouble was a-brewin' on the horizon, Ren knew. However, he stopped himself from thinking of that for now. The best he could do was just to play a song to help ease this girl back into consciousness, whether in the morn or not.

'Os elk tarnen beoren,' Ren chanted in his head as his gaze fixed on the girl. 'Light after darkness.'

[Zyngard]

Aelih gave a terse nod as Dannisus raised his eyebrow, then looks to Lui, then back to Dannisus, who was talking again.

“I have heard of them, yes, but my memories on most magic are hazy at best. ...I didn’t pay much attention to be honest, back when I was young I was much more interested in going and fighting over magic.”

That said, Aelih lets the two of them converse, deciding to act as a sort of guard to the pair, or at least a sentry, to make sure that nothing snuck up before Aelih would notice it. Let the other two ones more knowledgeable about magic talk about magic, Aelih would make sure nothing interrupted them.

[Polaris North]

Interacting with: Jack, Fauve
Mentions: @Valkon @Candy

---

Gabriel leaned forward at the counter as Fauve told him that the hooded woman must have had a good reason to do what she did. He gave her a small shrug, "I guess you might be right. Ah but she could have been way more discrete though." He watched her as she began covering up the body by pushing it into the cupboard and then covering up the blood with a mat. It did the job relatively well, and if no one piped up about the murder, then no one would really know until they wondered where the bartender was. By then, they'd all be gone, or that's what he assumed. Hopefully, that would be the case. Not reporting this and hiding the body made it seem like they were accomplices of some kind. He'd rather not have to pull out more gold out of his pockets than necessary.

Looking towards Jack, he gave him a small smile and a shrug. "If what she said is true and there was a reason to all these killings, then I would assume our dear mysterious woman is the hero of the story." There was little evidence as to point out if this was all made for righteous justice or simple mindless killing. They didn't know the whole story - and they probably never will unless they happen to find the people who did it. Which was, without a doubt, hard to do as he presumed they would have already left by then.

He then watched as Fauve went on to claim anything in the tavern that caught her fancy - from beverages to coin - she took it all. Gabriel wasn't above scavenging, but he would rather steal from those who have stolen rather than someone who was, presumably, innocent like this tavern owner right here. Gabriel shook his head politely. "No thank you. I think I've had a good fill of whatever this tavern could offer." Besides, even with his family in shambles, he was rather sure he could buy the tavern without a problem so a few gold coins like this one had wasn't really a shame to let go.

The Saldosius child stretched his arms before strapping his sword back on his waist. He looked back at the two. "I do assume we have to hurry. Someone did scream and someone might come bursting in demanding answers." He then gestured to everything around them. It was an empty tavern aside from the three of them with one's bag filled with beverages and coin from said tavern, one dead tavern owner, and one dead somebody upstairs. "And as you can see, our position isn't exactly favorable." He pointed out with a small smile. "I'd really rather not go to jail."

After all, what would Micah say if she caught wind that her only brother left was in jail for theft and murder? Gabriel figured it would be disappointment, anger and frustration since he added up to her ever growing list of problems. He cared about his sister a lot so he'd rather not make her go through so many hardships. Though, then again, he could lie his way out. He was a merchant, after all, and he had silver tongue to come with that title. Though that might prove to be difficult and too much of a hassle for him.

Once a few minutes passed, he continued. "Well then, I suppose that's enough! Let's go." He gave the two a smile before exiting the tavern, making sure that no one was there to see him slip out in the dead of the night. The guards weren't there yet, at the very least, and they could slip by unnoticed - given that the woman didn't make a blunder and accidentally reveal her bag full of contents of the tavern. This might be the most fun first interaction he has ever had with anyone, and he only just realized that he hadn't gotten the two's names. Hopefully they followed out, but he kept an eye out for them anyway.

[Hokum]

@Seraphin

---

The Daughter of Despiun

---

Once again she was perched upon the ruins of her home town looking down into her father’s dead gaze before, as always, the landscape change once again.

...She was walking on water, bobbing upon the gentle waves of an ocean beneath a cloudless night sky. Far in the distance ahead was land, and out of that land grew a great fortress made of transparent gold. That was her destination. Giving no mind to her impossible feat, she moved weightlessly across the water, slouching toward the refuge of that great fortress ahead. As she drew nigh to the land, Devlin realized the fortress was not made of gold, nor was it a fortress at all – but a person, tall and strong, arms outstretched to receive her.

As her feet touched down on the land she recognized this person. It was her father. Her heart leapt with wondrous joy as she fell into his ready arms. The warmth of his love folded around her as he then began to speak in a voice that was not his own, rather the voice of Mada, filling her head as if they were thoughts all her own…

…Os elk tarnen beoren…

She knew those words!

“Light after darkness!” She exclaimed, and pushed away from the man who was meant have been her father. Standing back with mouth agape her eyes beheld Mada; his emerald orbs shining with the radiance of the sun, and yet weren't blinding at all. As her mouth closed in subdued adoration, Mada lifted the bone of a beast to his mouth and blew into its end like it were a musical instrument. The gentle melodies of a flute swam in visible purple currents through the air like Aurora’s in the night, and as Devlin’s heart delighted in the spectacle taking place, she could only but watch in additional awe as the form of Mada transformed to a young human male; the scars of his neck and torso causing Devlin's joy to suddenly sink into the pit that opened within her chest.

“Ren….” She uttered the name as blood began to tear from her eye.

Ren then matched her own tears; torrents of blood flooding from his eyes as he removed the flute from his mouth. But the melody continued to play, growing louder and louder until it was a deafening blur of white noise while the blissful, purple currents of sound in the air descended and shrouded her person.... Then everything went black.

Darkness…. Silence…. No feeling at all…. She was floating in a void, observing the endless nothingness for what was an immeasurable amount of time before the music started up again, emitting from a small spark of light that appeared before her….

---

The darkness slivered open with the parting of her eyelids, the glow of candlelight and the sound of Ren’s flute filling her senses as she rolled her head to one side and lay eyes upon him.

While he continued for the moment to play his provocative tune, her arm bent languidly at the elbow, her hand moved towards him, her fingers touched down upon the skin of his waist.

“Much more pleasant than the chant of Despiun….” She said. Her soft, rasped voice spilled in a warm stream from her lips, caressing the face of the young man beside her.

-Mostly every soul in all the land of Akripola knew of the Massacre at Despiun, and were aware of the Chant of Despiun, a song created to celebrate such an event. The massacre at Despiun was one of the first mass slaughter in what inevitable became a long list of monster attacks across the land. The story of Despiun carried with it a legend, however, as most great stories do. It was the tale of a sole survivor at Despiun; a young girl as it were, who was thereafter believed to roam the Western forests of Akripola, seeking to destroy any monster that dare to threaten the lives of innocent travelers. The legend referred to this girl as ‘The Daughter of Despiun’, said to be born of a witch and begotten of Death.

Whether Ren knew of the legend of the Daughter of Despiun, he would have no doubt been aware, at least, of the Massacre at Despiun. Of course, the legend behind the girl said to haunt the forests wasn’t altogether true, many believed that particular part of the story to be nothing more than fables concocted by hearsay and rumors of hopeful hearts. The truth was, Devlin had spent much of the last two years being trained by Mada in a cave on the Western mountain range, and therefore couldn’t have been responsible for many of the events people had claimed to have witness since the massacre. Only more recently had she started her journey across the land in an attempt to not only avenge the death of her family, but any innocent person who stood in the path of evil -

Before removing her fingers from Ren's skin, a slight tingling - similar to that of playful feathers - moved up Devlin’s arm, causing an uplifting surge of vitality to fill her body. With a small gasp she lifted into a seated position, eyes darting about to familiarize herself with the new surroundings. She wasn’t in the tavern anymore. Judging by the face of the deity displayed upon the small alter on one side of the room, this humble abode was undoubtedly part of a church.

Her heart was relaxed. She felt calm… easy, as if under the effects of a calming spell; that being no different than how she usually felt after waking from one of her episodes. She had done it again. As usual she held little to no memory of her actions. In this case, her memories were a fragmented blur from the point of thrusting her blade into Queno's flesh.

Leaning with back against wall, the supple contours of her ever dispassionate features returned to face Ren. It was only then she saw it staring back at her for the first time: The tortured darkness weighing heavily upon the soul that screamed so very loudly from the depth of his own eyes.

“My name is Devlin...” She whispered, introduced herself to the body of suffering inside him, “…I am the daughter of Despiun… and the begotten of Death.”

[tex]

Dannisus was smiling from ear to ear. His expression was only cut short by Lui's unorthodox comment. He chortled, and waggled his finger in objection. "No need for such nasty procedures- All we want to take out is your eye, right?" It sounded a lot simpler than it actually was. There was something nagging at the back of his mind about her little ruby eye, from the very first moment Dannisus laid eyes upon it. "Which may or may not be a type of Mana sink... They're much like Mana tags, but a lot less oppressive, and not compatible with biological creatures." He tapped the skin underneath his left eye and looked at Lui. "Your gemstone emits a very dull stream of magic that I can't really identify with my nose alone. Mana sinks have a habit of hiding themselves like that- Soaking mana at a persistent rate like a little sponge, but other than killing most people, they don't usually have many side effects." He stopped suddenly, quickly spinning towards a nearby patch of grass that overlooked Nadska's northern gates. A thought came to mind. With a small open mouthed smile, he glanced back at Lui and Aelih and gestured towards the small grass hill, quickly making his way over before they could react. "But I could be wrong!" Dannisus shouted whilst slamming into the side of the hill, rump-first. He patted the grass, still talking with the assumption that the two were listening closely. "Mana sinks are archaic. I couldn't even begin to understand why somebody would meld one onto a construct without at least modifying it to output mana. Even then, the energy they can store is finite! There's an-uh, well..." He paused and began to tap his forehead with one knuckle.

"You said that this person- The one who gave you that eye, he just found it?"

[Seraphin]

@Hokum
Devlin...

Her name echoed inside his head before his mind began to digest the fact that this girl was a living legend. As a musician, he knew of the dirge dedicated to the massacre at Despiun. Its forlorn lyrics and heavy tune could never express the tragedy which fell on that civilization in the past. For some, the song was used as a warning to anyone who spoke of dark arcana and magical gambits. It was the song parents used to scare their children into a troubled sleep when they spoke too much about magic and fiction. To think that this was the girl behind the legends was quite difficult to process. But, if the songs of minstrels were true, then, this girl carried a burden that toppled most men.

Ren slowly got to his feet as he turned to face Devlin with a faint grin. His hands rose before moving to his chest and, then, gesturing to her as if to say 'it's great to meet you'. The musician prodded over to the cabinet before pulling out a ragged monk habit. The brown, somewhat moldy robe helped Ren to blend in with his companions. Though not really a member of their order, the monks were generous enough to lend him their attires to help him stave off the cold tendrils of night. Ren lifted the habit over his head before letting it cascade down his body, hiding the horrid scars which forked all over the plains of his skin. After he fastened the white cotton cord around his waist and donned on the hood over his head, he also handed another habit to the woman.

In order to explain his actions, Ren grabbed one of the parchments on top of the altar as he scribbled his thoughts on it. He then showed it to Devlin with a straight face.

'With the incident back at the tavern, they will look for you. Wear this to help disguise.'

Ren went over to the altar as he sat with his legs crossed in front of it. His purple eyes observed the dancing flames upon the candle's wick as he found himself lost in thought. Devlin was by no means a good omen. A person stained in so much death was bound to afflict the current locale of her residence with her malefic energy. She was a daughter of death, so to speak. Her arrival in Nadska only confirmed Ren's fears that the undead and monster attacks around the villages surrounding Nadska already started enclosing upon them. He shuddered at the thought of broken walls and splintered gates should the claws of the dead rake through their lands. The most logical decision for anyone would be to drive her out of Nadska's walls; she should be left in the forests where no one will ever suffer the omen of death that she carried everywhere.

'Almighty Heren of a thousand stars anew
Bestow on us your mercy and compassion true,'

But, when he dared to meet her stoic gaze once more, Ren found all fears and all doubts melted from his psyche. How could he drive out someone who trusted him enough to share this kind of information? How could he force out a person who only wanted to help in her own little ways? Sure, her methods bordered on shocking, but if the heart behind it was pure, then, was there really an issue? She did not have to help him; she had no reason to help him, but she did. She had no reason to care for a village grown mundane with the absurd routines from morn 'til night.

But, she did.

'Of every sinner and every sin
Comes a heart full of regret and love
With a righteous act, penance does begin
A call to men from you up above,'

The monks' chants echoed softly around the church, and the voices of his companions caused to Ren let out a silent chuckle at what the monks might say if they knew he brought in a murderer. However, Ren argued that they could not really complain since they did also adopt a harlot who drank from the cups of different people. He almost grinned at the thought: both of them sinners yet here they were inside what was supposed to be the holiest of sanctums.

His thoughts went back to what Devlin said back at the tavern-- what she was looking for might kill her. Judging from the faint rays of light seeping through the stained glass window inside his quarters, they still had a lot of hours to burn. It was best that he ask her now to make sure that her schemes would not shatter the lives of others. Not to mention that the power she demonstrated fell under the term of 'horrific'. Her battle-hardened stance and rough hands served as proofs that she was bred for battle and bringing death. They differed greatly on that note, though. Ren disliked the idea of hurting, let alone killing someone while she had no problems in taking a life.

Queno would have liked her attitude. Probably, tomorrow, he'd speak to Queno about her.

For now, Ren faced Devlin once more as he began with a bow of his head. Then, he mouthed the words 'thank you' to her with regard to her timely intervention back at the tavern. Then, he shook his hands from side to side before doing the lifting motion again and then gesturing to himself. Finally, he raised his thumb and swung it backwards.

'No one has ever helped me before during those times,'

His hands shook again from side to side before placing a closed fist over his heart.

'No one really cared enough,'

He could not help it, though. As the memories replayed in his head, Ren gave Devlin a bright smile which curved his lips. Years of fending off for himself, and now, he discovered that someone deemed him worthy enough to be cared for.

'But, I'm glad you did,' He added silently in his head.

However, there were more pressing things to be discussed. Ren proved terrible in being subtle; he wanted the truth straight from the horse's mouth, no matter how painful it was. He scribbled down something on a parchment before handing it to Devlin once more. Ren held a breath, knowing that he was breaking his promise not to pry. The mysteries surrounding her sparked a certain unease within the musician. How did her story tie into all of the madness biding their time within the shadows surrounding Nadska? What did the Daughter of Death seek within the margins of this lonely village?

'I asked you what you were looking for back at tavern. I want to know the truth. Just the two of us.'

[Dartbored Fairy]

Lui curiously listened to Dani go on and on about Mana Sinks. She found it quite interesting, since even though her owner taught her magic, they didn't bother teaching her the details. She knows how to use magic, but she doesn't know how it works. So any person willing to put the effort into explaining it to her was, in Lui's opinion, a very nice person.

Though, there were parts of Dani's explanation that confused Lui. If 'Mana Sinks' usually didn't have side-effects, why did monsters so often come out of nowhere to attack her? She previously written both that and the nightmares off as a side-effect of her eye, but now she was starting to doubt it. Could it be that she herself was cursed?

Lui shrugged off her fears and continued listening to Dani's explanation, sitting down next to him in the grass. According to him, Mana Sinks were old. Lui didn't doubt that one bit, her owner even stated that several times while inserting the gem into Lui's head.

Then, Dani asked Lui a question. One to which Lui didn't entirely know for sure.

"I think so? I remember them showing it to me one day before he decided to put it in my head but I don't remember him making something like that, but I also don't remember him going out and bringing it home..."

[tex]

"Well," he moved slowly towards Lui and looked at her gemstone closely, "Do you mind if I look a little closer?" Without giving her a moment to acknowledge or grant his request, he moved his right hand towards her face and gingerly pulled it closer, while nearing the surface of her false eye with his left. The pupils of his eyes went narrow like darkened fangs as he peered closely at the intricacies within Lui's cursed gem. Light refracted behind the outer canopies, glistening brilliantly across thousands of carefully cut ridges. Dannisus' lower eyelids trembled at the sight of it. "This isn't a Mana sink," He growled, moving in even closer, and jostling Lui's head slightly. His right hand dug behind the side of her jaw firmly to hold her head still. Vivid transparency turned to an opaque reddish hue as he pried further with his sharpened eyes. Concentrating with as much diligence as he could muster, Dannisus' canine began to dig into his lower lip. But in only a few moments, he'd lost what little clarity he was able to garner from his first glance.

"Oh!-" He'd realized it a little late, that he'd been digging into the side of Lui's face with his hand. His face lit up and he pulled away quickly. "Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to treat you like a doll- That gem just- I'd..." He stopped himself and shook his head. "I hope that didn't hurt. I was just trying to get a closer look, is all." Dannisus turned back toward Aelih and gestured towards Lui with his index finger, all too casually with a nervous smile, and then turned back towards the construct.