[IC] Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

[Mogtaki]

Cecil was doing all he could to try and get his point across and hoped that Norman would know what to do with him and what might be wrong with him. If he could get fixed then everybody would be happy and he wouldn’t end up upsetting his friends again. They were the only people who cared enough to have him around and the only people he could be himself around. They were the ones who knew what he was, or at least most of them knew. Even with his machine parts he didn’t know if they all knew or just assumed he was still part flesh. With hope that Norman might know what was wrong with him he told him everything and what might possibly be wrong with him by showing the device he had picked up too. There had to be something he could help him with, anything to do with what happened to him.

Staring at Norman as he spoke he remained hopeful but that hope slowly disappeared as he started to talk about how different from normal Machina he was and how complicated he was turning out to be. Slowly looking away again he pulled at his gauntlet, staring at the ground. “Oh…I see”, he spoke shallowly, “I…don’t have long term memory? Oh…” If he didn’t have long term memory then that would mean if his friends left him for a long time he would forget about them completely. Slowly reeling in his gauntlet only to rub his arms with both of them he sighed lightly, looking up as Zander approached only to gasp at his words. He was very quick to say what he did was a good thing, his eyes looking down to his feet. “My…augmentations…?”

As Nymira came in and gave Zander a good smack about praising his killing spree he stared at them in confusion, wondering if what he did was actually a good thing like Zander told him. What they were wanting to do was decommission him and as Nymira spoke he couldn’t help but feel like he was worth dying for. Gasping again when Ethan instead snapped at Nymira he was once again being told off for what he did indirectly, his eyes staring at Ethan as he frowned. Ethan was very quick to try and make it out to not be his fault, but after what he said he couldn’t help but feel that he was just saying that because he knew he would’ve upset him again. “I-uhh…okay…” He couldn’t promise him anything, he was a machine built to serve a purpose and that purpose was obviously killing. If it was a glitch or a reset there was nothing he could do to prevent it.

Feeling even more confused than when he first started he was beginning to panic, wondering what he was supposed to do and why he might had glitched out and saw those strange images. Norman wasn’t giving him an answer to that, he just sounded as confused as he was about it and he wasn’t even answering why he might’ve become attached to the chain. The more he thought about it the more he was becoming lost, his expression turning blank as he slowly adjusted himself on the cart as Norman got off. To fight or not to fight, it was something he had to figure out himself. If he didn’t fight his friends may end up in trouble, but if he did he might end up killing again. Watching as Norman got on his machine again he gave his head a rub, feeling around the repaired area before sighing as he adjusted his position in the cart.

It seemed he wasn’t getting help in the end, only getting told even worse things about himself like how he’ll most likely forget his friends eventually and that when he glitches he kills people. He learned he was mentally malfunctioning and making up imagery and if it was going to happen again he was going to default to his original programming. With everybody done arguing about his actions Norman soon drove off, leaving him with more questions than answers. He was never going to get this settled. Keeping quiet as everyone got prepared to move off again he kept his hands holding his arms, contemplating his future. While he was very confused and wholly uncertain about his potential he gasped lightly when Nymira spoke to him, looking to her quickly. Staring at her as she spoke he slowly looked down at himself. “I don’t know if I am ashamed…just…disappointed”, he spoke, shaking his head, “I don’t know how to make any of this better, either. I have only been alive for a short time and it only took a day to ruin everything”.

[shylarah]

Between Ethan and Wyth, the girl was sufficiently reassured that when the newest addition to their little group made a comment about the moorcat, she took note. "His name is Wyth," she told Geoffrey, turning enough so she could see the Muran. "My daddy helped raise him. Ydrans are really good with animals, and the ones that are to be begleimaat -- um...it means something like family, or companion -- those ones are trained special. He's a smart boy." Amuné smiled and scratched the cat between the ears, the expression broadening when he leaded into her hand. She was so very glad Wyth at least was still with her. "Daddy made sure he knows how to look after me...." She trailed off, her smile faltering, but before she had a chance to get too upset over the events at her village, something else distracted her.

Unfortunately, the distraction was hardly better. Zander and Nymira were arguing again, and Ethan was moving to join in too. Amuné clapped her hands over her ears, squeezing her eyes shut. "Stop it, stop it, stopit!" Her repetitive chant wasn't all that loud, but it helped drown out a discussion she didn't want to hear. The girl didn't want to hear any more about that fight, didn't want to even think about it. Better if she could just forget, then it wouldn't be so upsetting or scary.

She didn't stop until the roar of Norman's funny cart filled the air, and then she looked disappointed. She'd wanted to say goodbye to him, but it looked like she wasn't going to get to, since he was already moving off. Ethan mentioned maybe finding another minstrel, and the idea cheered her a bit. "Or maybe Geoffrey can play something," she suggested. His flute hadn't gone unnoticed. "I just want today to be over...."

[AlexStarsion]

Zander's rant was stopped mid way by Nymira's hand across his face. He may have staggered and he may have clenched his fist ready to knock the holier-than-thou attitude from her but stopped at Ethan's voice. He scowled down at the ground and tried his best to keep the stinging tears from his eyes. He hadn't been hit like that since his mother had banished him from his temple. He hadn't been struck like that by someone lesser than himself and it made a fire well up in his soul. She was so stuck on her own version of honor, she was blind to what real honor was. Sucking in a breath through clenched teeth, he ignored the others. Got onto his borrowed mare, and kicked it hard in the sides taking off forward without the others. He ignored Geoffrey's call for him to slow down, but Zander knew his own way back to Warren. He had skipped the town to head here. He muttered under his breath about Dimura Ladies being beneath him. He was a Starsion, they were lesser races.

Slowing his pace, he waited near the tree clearing into the open plain, his eyes burning with a rage and his lungs burning for breath. He hadn't realized he had been holding it since he took off at a trot. Pulling at his satchel attached to his hip, he pulled out the Corrupted Seal Paper and scowled. He would wait a little longer for them, Geoffrey was probably just as annoyed with him as he was annoyed with Nymira.

Geoffrey called after the healer and let out a sigh. He patted his own horse in another comforting moment. "'e's being a prat." Letting out a breathy sigh, he looked at his following and trotted up to Ethan as they started towards Warren. "Next town up, Warren, not the same size mind, got a few trades and shops, me Aunt," he wanted to forget about what just happened. He didn't know how to feel about this side to Zander. "She runs the Silver Coffer. Not too norm, but it be wha' it be. 's 'bout a day and 'alf ride wif da horses..."

He looked towards Cecil in the cart and tilted his head as Nymira muttered to her own horse, "Ease on da reigns luv. Skittish boy ya got there. Da moron might a' annoyed ja, but ain't no reason ta take it ou' on da horse." He smiled to show he was just trying to help. He had heard the smack, he didn't want to feel something like that himself. "We be headin' toward da clearin' not to near dat ship, jus' outta eye range."

When Amuné asked shyly for him to play something, he felt a tension leave his shoulders. Zander may not have realized it yet, but he had surrounded himself by some gentle people. It would rub off soon enough on the Noble Temple child. For his age, he acted like he was a King in the land of the meager. Geoffrey had beat some of it out of him, in different ways, but a week was only so long to attack someones toxic personality traits. Leaning down, he plucked a reed from the ground and held it out to the young girl.

"You gotta tell me a few stories of your little beastie there," he smiled at the moor cat, Wyth. "I'll do ya un betta. I'll play for ya this time, but learnin' the reed flute is fun. Good for a good scare too."

Using his legs he guided his beauty to walk, patted her ears as she lay them back as if expecting the noise he was about to use. Placing his thumbs together with the reed inbetween said thumbs, he brought the thing strip to his mouth and blew. A shrill shrieking sent a few birds in the trees above scattering, the horses gave neighs of shock his own horse flicked her mane in annoyance and Geoffrey chuckled.

"Use dat one ta wake Zander up," he winked. "He loves it." Dropping the reed he pulled his flute out and grinned at their looks. Placing it to his lips he took a deep breath through his nose, and let his worry, his anger, and his fear of travelling before being called home and played. He felt it fitting for this small gathering and let the music soothe the souls of the weary.

[GambolMuse]

"Now I never said you didn't have it, I said it was unlikely. Given how different you are compared to other Machina, how advanced... I wouldn't rule it out entirely." Still, if Cecil did have something similar to long term memory, coupled with pain receptors and a full array of emotions then the implications were serious. Someone had found a way to make Machina as near to a Muran as possible, something even he'd never done. And why would they? Machina were made to remove the living aspect, to better everyone's life by being a servant who never required rest or sustenance. So what good did making them sentient do? Especially a combat Machina, what was the reason?

Norman wished he could have a proper sit-down with Cecil but he was required to return to Orosi. Doubtless the mayor would be impatient to hear of the ship's status, as would that eccentric man to whom it belonged. Getting back onto his motorbike he waved to the group before giving the throttle a hit and speeding off back down the road. Cecil would be okay, even with everything on his shoulders. Some digging would need to be done however to get answers about his condition and namely what he was experiencing. Looks like it was about time to get in touch with some old friends.

If they were quite through with arguing for the day mayhaps they could travel along now. Ethan was just eager to distance themselves from all this chaos, for their sake as much as everyone else's. Presuming they were the ones being blamed then their presence caused all kinds of problems, and the last thing he wanted was causing problems for someone else. Every one of them was exhausted now too and needed the rest, best to avoid confrontation and conserve what little energy they had left. Lifting Amuné onto Jorvind's back she climbed up to join her, smiling as she perked up at the promise of music. "It almost is, don't you worry. We're in the clear at this point, no more bad guys, I promise."

Zander had run off ahead, though hopefully not too far. They had only just gotten him back and it went without saying having to fetch him again would be a bit of a pain. Following Geoffrey's lead they fell into a sort of convoy again, with Nymira and Cecil pulling up the rear. Listening to what he had to say the Muran smiled in acknowledgement, giving a slight nod of his head. "Got it, good to know. And I guess a day and a half's ride is better than 3 days walk, or more," Ethan mused, lifting a hand to rub the tiredness from his face, "Mmph... Maybe we can get some things from your aunt too, can't hurt to stock up again."

The mixed messages everyone was giving Cecil had him terribly confused, and left Nymira terribly annoyed. What right did they have to admonish him? He'd saved their lives earlier today and yet he was being treated like a criminal; killing the enemy to save a comrade was the epitome of a true warrior, and Cecil had risen to the occasion. "No one said you ruined anything. I'd say what you did guaranteed we have a future now," the Dimuran said, glancing back again briefly, "Clearly however the rest of our group doesn't share that sentiment. Just remember you did the right thing, regardless of what anyone else says." Clambering up onto her horse as it whinnied in protest she shot an annoyed quip at it, glaring then at Geoffrey who spoke to her.

"I might be offended if I understood a single word that you were saying. Instead I'll just choose to ignore it," Nymira muttered with a roll of her eyes. She knew Geoffrey could speak properly, was he doing that simply to annoy her? "And if my horse is skittish then it had best grow a thick hide soon. I refuse to baby an animal three times my size, that's absurd." It was a beast of burden, not some kitten. She wouldn't outright abuse the thing yet she wasn't going to be ginger in her motions or speech either. Realistically how would someone with her small frame harm it anyways? Giving her horse another push to move along the Dimuran winced when a sharp noise came from the head of the group, cringing before glaring at Geoffrey. The next sound to come from him was far less bothersome, though she couldn't care much for music right now.

The day dragged on for what seemed like forever, events hanging heavy on everyone's mind. As the sun began to dip below the horizon the time came to stop for the evening and set up camp before light had completely left them. Already off the main roads they simply moved to the side to set up, still only having the lone tent for everyone to use. Amuné would be given it without question, and though it had gone unspoken Ethan had an assumption Nymira would want it as well. That was fine, he preferred sleeping out by the fire anyways so long as it didn't rain. By the time the tent had been put up and a fire made the moon was now high in the sky, shining down brightly and illuminating the surrounding area in a soft glow. Out here too one could see the expanse starry night sky, and those familiar might even pick out a constellation or two.

"Good riddance to today. Far more nonsense than I'd care for," Nymira grumbled, sitting down on her bedroll. Funny how she never cared much for clothing, while other nobles and Dimuran owned several sets. Having traveled in the same outfit for days on end and its only cleaning being with her still in it the princess found herself wishing for a second set. They clung to her, she smelled of foul river water and her skin was becoming irritated. Tomorrow morning then she'd wake early and wash it all, it was simply disgusting the way she was now. Pulling at her shirt she grimaced as it peeled away from her skin, letting out a sigh before smiling slightly at Amuné. "Child, next town we get to would you care to buy a change of clothing with me?" she asked, gesturing to the outfit Ethan had purchased for her, "That must be filthy by now, we should get you a new set."

Some people weren't nearly as concerned with their clothes as Nymira. Others were simply too tired to be concerned about much other than sleeping. Yet as Ethan laid back and stared up at the sky he found himself unable to close his eyes. Worryingly he felt something he very rarely if ever felt: a sense of dread. So many people had died today, some by their hand, and they may well now be fugitives for all he knew. That wasn't how they should be operating, they shouldn't be on the run, they were the good guys here. In retrospect maybe they should have stayed in Orosi to clear the air, though he wasn't sure how their word would be taken. Some of them had nearly died, Amuné and Cecil were both terribly upset and now they had Zander tagging along as well as Geoffrey. Heck of a change from how his adventure began.

"Just wait a little bit longer... I'm coming to get you..." Ethan muttered to himself, reaching up skyward as if to grasp for the stars. Grasping at the air he let out a somber sigh, dropping his arm over his eyes and taking a shaky breath, trying to stave off the feelings crashing over him. He couldn't in good conscience not help these people with their own needs, yet he was beginning to wonder what the chances were of everything working out now. He only had so much time to do what he needed, time he wasn't even sure of to begin with, and the likelihood of something bad happening only grew greater with each passing day. Tomorrow he'd try and urge them along to Warren, where hopefully they might find some kind of lead.

[shylarah]

Zander ran off ahead like a sulky child. Amuné hoped he would stay run off. Then she wouldn't have to deal with him. But Geoffrey provided a wonderful distraction now. She blinked at the thought of telling stories. But maybe she had one or two that would work -- or ones her daddy had told her about when he'd travelled with the Ydran tribe he'd grown up with. She took the reed leaf the innkeeper's son handed her, running her fingers over the rough surface. But the sudden shriek the man made caused her to scowl, and jerk her shoulders up as if to protect her ears. "No! Don't do that here, you'll scare the horses!" she scolded him, angry that he'd be so inconsiderate. Jorvind pranced under her, and she reached a hand forward to stroke the gelding's neck, trying to soothe him. "That's mean!" the girl accused, but the animals calmed quickly enough so she let it go. "Daddy taught me how to do that with grass but he said don't do it where I'll frighten the animals. He doesn't even need a piece of grass, he just sticks his fingers in his mouth and out pops a loud whistle. Mommy and I tried that, but we can't, we just look silly."

When Geoffrey started playing his flute, the girl fell silent to listen. It was an interesting song. Pretty, but a little spooky too. Still, it was nice enough.

---

That evening, Amuné watched the stars after they'd had dinner. Nymira commented about her clothing, and the girl looked at the Dimuran in surprise. "That's what washing them's for," she responded, not understanding why someone would want to get all new clothes before they were too worn to fix anymore. Maybe a couple sets instead of just one, but hadn't Nymira packed a bag before she'd left home? She didn't really care. The girl was just exhausted, physically and mentally. Wyth at her side, she made her way to where Ethan was lying down.

"Can I sleep with you?" she asked him, quickly snuggling close when he said she might. "I thought you said your friend was waiting for you," Amuné said softly, also looking up at the stars. "Why do you need to go get him? Did something happen?"

[Mogtaki]

Cecil couldn’t help but feel Norman’s words were empty, a way for him to make him feel better without actually doing anything for him in return. Calling him ‘advanced’ and all that didn’t help him at all. He didn’t know when he would see Norman again, he was moving further and further away from his workshop and even though he had been given reassurance that he would see him again he really didn’t know if that was going to be possible. There was no other Machina specialist that he knew who would happily work on him despite how different he was from other Machina, others would rather see him be taken apart and his insides scavenged.

As a feeling of loss and confusion washed over him he was felt feeling alone, like it was his fault for getting into that mess in the first place. He was scared of what he could do, of what he might do to his friends, or at least he hoped they were still going to be his friends. Amuné didn’t even want to look at him and he was afraid her beast friend Wyth would tear him apart for so much as look at her. Ethan appeared to forgive him, but his angry outburst a few moments ago didn’t give him much hope that it was sincere. He didn’t know much about Zander and his friend Geoffrey, they didn’t know him for very long and probably would forget his name earlier tomorrow.

Staring into nothing as the others talked among each other everything just phased out, the sound of the strange instrument not being something he was able to recognise as something new to him simply because he didn’t have the enthusiasm. Frowning to himself he gave a glance to Nymira, frowning as she spoke before looking back at the ground as it passed by. “I did the right thing…but, but I feel like I lost more than anything”.

As the day began to settle down, everyone else started to as well. This was probably the time where the others would go into shutdown mode or whatever it was that they did again. He couldn’t remember what they did again, but it probably wasn’t important to him either. He wouldn’t be joining them, there was no reason for him to join them in their little get together. Fire was probably a bad idea for him to be near, seeing as the other Machina melted when they came in contact with it. It sent chills down his spine, how fragile he was compared to all of them and how quickly they could destroy him if he stepped out of line. It made him fear for his safety, even if they claimed to be his friends.

Keeping quiet in the cart he stared up at the sky, wondering what was the best path for him to take. If he ended up stepping out of line again they would probably destroy him, not just bash him on the head. He didn’t even have control over himself when he defaulted back into his original mode, he didn’t even know whether he could come back from that again if it did happen. Nymira and Zander told him he did the right thing, but the negatives outweighed the positives leaving his life feeling incredibly fragile. He would have to give it some thought, he couldn’t go on like this forever and needed some sort of conclusion. It was ultimately coming down to the decision of whether he should stay with them and hope they won’t destroy him the next time he had to fight or leave them and hope he would never hurt anyone again. It didn’t matter how ‘advanced’ a Machina he was, he was still just a machine pretending to be one of them. He felt real, but all that was just programming by someone who assigned him a purpose, probably to give everyone a false sense of security about him before he killed them all. They didn’t have to take him in, so why were they keeping him around? Slowly moving himself into a position so he could lay down on the cart he continued to stare up into the sky, knowing he was going to have to wait many hours for them to get up again.

[AlexStarsion]

With both Amuné and Nymira scolding him Geoffrey let out a proper laugh this time. He apologized to the girls horse with a serious expression as he let the notes hang up in the air. It was a somber tone, best done with drums and a few other instruments to back him up but he played to the best of his ability.

As he played he kept his eyes sharp on all that was going on around him, from Cecil's seemingly need to shrink into himself, to Ethan's want of a nice rest. As the moved along the main road, Zander fell in line beside Geoffrey his eyes staring straight ahead and a large red handprint on his face to show for his lack of tongue control.

Geoffrey raised an eyebrow as he continued to play softly, still using his legs to guide his own horse. Shaking his head and decided he would talk to Zander when he went to the river to cleanse himself like he always did every night.

It didn't seem to take long for the sun to fall into the earth like it always did, he motioned to a small place for encampments and helped Ethan set up the tent and get a decent fire going. Digging into his mother's food she packed for the group, he passed out hard rolls and put the ingredients for the soup to boil and to leave simmer for the morning meal.

"I know of a few shops," Geoffrey said as he used his water skin to wash out his bowl. "Mind you, they aren't to friendly with outsiders unless you have the coin up front to pay for the items. The seamstress is... harsh, to your kind." Geoffrey shrugged but didn't go into more details. Nymira seemed to be the type to know when diplomacy was the best option.

As Ethan and Amuné lay down, Geoffrey headed towards Wyth, a few chunks of meat from the soup in the bowl for the large moor cat. He wasn't sure if he should get close so just lay the bowl down and stood stretching. "If you lot want, we can continue on..." He silenced himself. It could wait til the morning when they all awoke. So long as nothing happened. "I'm off to grab Zander from his meditation." He pet the horses as he passed and stopped at the cart and nodded to Cecil. He wasn't sure what to make of the young Muran.

Heading towards the soft roar of the river he once more plucked a reed from the ground and played a few bars that he could waiting for Zander to acknowledge him.

--

Zander didn't eat, he felt restless and stood waist deep in the cold waters. He wasn't far from the shore on grounds the river had to be deep enough to allow passage to ships and it's cargo. It was calmer here with a minor undertow to it, the corrupted Seal Paper floated just inches above the stream refusing to be submerged. Five other papers lay on the waters surface making up the star points to help him purge it.

He was temple born, he knew the rites, the passages to recite. He may not have his magic at full power but he didn't need to rely on his Magi blood to make this paper obey his command. Cursing once more as the paper refused to bow to his will and seemed to bite back like insects crawled over his skin trying to find an opening.

Hearing the notes he scowled, "I never truly told you, but I don't trust them. They're Magi. I'm a member of the Church through blood. Part of me is raging at this cast of the die. Not only that, but this PROVES an agent of the Church was sent to kill the mayor and throw the town into a spiraling circle of decay. A spiral which I had a part in creating, might I add."

Geoffrey didn't make a sound but continued to play softly to show he was listening to the other's plight.

"Nymira... Ethan... Amuné... Cecil..." Zander scowled at the Paper. "What are they after and why would the Church... or was it a total coincidence they appeared when the members of the Church struck..." Giving up finally Zander turned his back on the Seal Paper and had the five he had crafted lay upon it. Attempting to seal whatever purpose it had. Putting it from his mind he tilted his head at the trees lining the riverbank. "Not going to join me?"

Geoffrey chuckled at that and showed himself. He wouldn't turn that down.

They returned to the encampment, Zander utterly soaking wet threw a log onto the fire to help dry him off completely and lay down and stared up at the stars with Geoffrey right at his side. He let his eyes flutter shut, a million thoughts clamouring for attention, which he would ignore for this night. He would figure out what his Mother was up too. He had to protect Geoffrey.

[GambolMuse]

The way his body ached and his mind barely functioned told Ethan he was well past his point of usefulness. Setting up camp on autopilot he'd all but collapsed onto his sleeping roll when he was done, feeling weariness weighing heavily over him. Despite his exhaustion however his mind began to race as soon as his head met the mat, unable to push the day's events from his thoughts. So much had happened, and unfortunately most of it for the worse. A nagging feeling told him that just because they ran away from trouble today it wasn't going to be the end of it, they'd be nipped in the bud sooner or later by this. He only hoped Bernadette was doing alright back in town, and she wouldn't end up in trouble for their leaving. Bad enough she had to be there to witness it and things would only be made worse if she took the fall for them too.

And what of his own journey? He'd begun traveling to seek out a very particular person yet with everyone happening as of late his own goal seemed to be further and further away. Like the stars above, while he could see them and reach out he couldn't quite grasp them, always just out of reach. He didn't even truly know where his friend had gone either, that still needed to be discovered. Hearing the footfalls of a little Ydran girl Ethan turned his head and smiled kindly at Amuné, no hesitation on his part as he allowed her to join him.

"Well... I don't know at this point really. I hoped to find him a lot sooner than this, but it's looking like it's going to take a while yet," Ethan answered, his eyes shifting back to the night sky. Should he tell everything to Amuné? She'd traveled with him for a while at this point and he knew her reasons for being out, yet he didn't feel comfortable just yet. Maybe he didn't want to upset her before bed, but he'd keep it to himself for now.

"My friend, uh... Well he got in trouble for something he didn't do. They needed to talk to him about it and see what he knew, so he left with them. He's been gone a while now though, I just want to make sure he's doing okay." It wasn't a complete lie as he was worried about Cedric, but he didn't think sharing the whole truth would make any difference. If Amuné knew what he was after, who he was after, she may well want to leave his company. And he was fine with that, she might be in danger traveling with him like this. Yet until he fulfilled his promise to help her find her parents he didn't want them to part, otherwise who might help her? Cedric was tough, he could wait just a little longer. So long as he didn't think he was putting the little Ydran or anyone else in immediate danger he'd keep quiet, and keep hoping he had time enough to save his friend.

Nymira scoffed at Geoffrey's remarks, folding her arms and lifting her chin proudly. "That's fine, I've met plenty of your kind who I have no use for either, so the feeling is mutual," the Dimuran countered, giving her neck a roll before letting out a sigh. "I can only hope some of your leaders are more well mannered than that mayor was," she added as she rubbed at her forehead, "The man was clearly in it for himself, that's a terrible quality of a leader. If my clan and your people are to benefit together we can't have any selfish rulers in the mix."

With Amuné having left to join Ethan, Nymira saw little reason to remain awake any longer. Fatigue hadn't hit her quite as hard as it had the others though and she was wishing to continue moving, rather than rest. Yet the horses needed a break as did her retainers, there was nothing she could do for that. Leaving the others to rest she climbed out of the tent and stretched herself out, opting to go over to the cart where Cecil lay. Of everyone else he would be the only one awake enough to speak, or the only one whom she cared to speak with; Zander was a buffoon, she had little desire to see him, and Geoffrey's speech more often than not left her scratching her head.

"This must be new to you, being around so many people," Nymira commented, standing at the side of the cart as she placed a hand on the wheel, "I was almost beginning to enjoy traveling alone when you all came along, though I suppose things are a little easier now. Attacks aside." She'd never been attacked by Magi prior to running into this lot, just the occasional firebrand or foolhardy bandit. The fact they adopted a non-lethal approach to combat thanks to Ethan complicated things too, though she supposed it didn't inhibit her too much. Glancing up briefly at the sky the Dimuran stifled a yawn with her hand, easing herself into a sitting position in the grass, using the wheel to brace herself up.

"Not being able to sleep must be terribly boring. I can't imagine what I'd do all evening by myself," Nymira mumbled as she closed her eyes, trying to force herself to relax and rest, "I have to admit though, knowing I've someone who is awake and alert while I rest helps ease my nerves, so thank you for that. Of everyone here you're the most valuable, I can say that with certainty." That was as far as she'd go with complimenting him, she wasn't typically prone to praise her subordinates. When one did well though they deserved recognition, and Cecil had most certainly done well even if some others may disagree.

[shylarah]

Wyth curled up on the girl's other side, and she wove her fingers into his coarse fur. Ethan didn't seem to really want to talk about his friend, so she let the topic drop, instead turning her attention to the stars. Her father had taught her to recognize lots of constellations, and he'd told her the stories that went with them. "They're so pretty. Look, there's Edos' wings," she said, pointing at the bright V of stars. Amuné let her finger follow the left side, until she reached another bright one. "And there's the arrowhead in Oranoak's Bow. It points north. It's important to be able to find that, because then you know which way you're going." The child scanned the skies. If that was the Bow, then nearby should be...

"The Cat!" Triumphant, she indicated a tight group of five bright stars, with a few mid-sized ones. "That's my favorite. I like when his tears shoot across the sky. Have you ever seen that, Ethan? I love that story. You've heard it, right? Poor kitty. Poor princess." The tale she spoke of wasn't one the Muran knew, and she was surprised. "Huh, I thought everyone knew it. But I can tell you!" She covered a yawn. "...In the morning. G'night, Ethan." She adjusted her position a little, and shut her eyes. "Oh...by the way...Even if you're hiding something, that's okay. I mean, you weren't angry with me, so...yeah. But...if you change your mind...if you decide you wanna talk about it...I'll listen."

[Mogtaki]

As morning crawled in the sun shone bright and the birdsong filled the air. It was a fresh morning with fine weather that was starting and everything felt new and rejuvenated. It was enjoyable for all the wildlife out there, but for the non-organic it was just another stressful sunrise filled with terrible thoughts that had ultimately lead him astray. Cecil had decided after a long hard night of thought to go for a run, only this run there was nobody with him. He was running away from the others, his mind still fixed on the belief that he wasn’t going to be of any good to anyone in the group if he was going to end up going berserk like that again. He was just causing them trouble anyway, what with all the hauling around they had to do of him and probably having to go on further detours just for his sake. He was wasting everyone’s time and probably that money they had too, he would probably suck it all away with his repairs and always getting damaged. He couldn’t rely on Norman appearing all the time, not to mention the more people found out that he was a Machina the closer he would come to being destroyed for it.

He couldn’t continue like this knowing he was endangering everyone and their funds. Sooner or later he was going to hurt someone really badly or even worse and he didn’t know if he could live with that guilt. Even if there was some approval for his actions it wasn’t enough to keep it from happening again. He didn’t mean to upset them so badly, he didn’t even know what he had done wrong to make it right again. He was completely out of control, they surely knew that. Even if they were trying to give him their forgiveness he could sense the hostility and hear that they didn’t fully forgive him. The mixed message he was getting just made him feel terrible, like they were only trying to manipulate his feelings so he wouldn’t complain. He didn’t know what to do, only that being around them wasn’t going to do them any good.

It was going to be a lonely road but he would still follow it, seeing how he would probably end up forgetting all about them in a few months if it turned out he really was just like a typical Machina with fancy new programming. Ultimately he was going to forget everything about them like he forgot where he was made, it was only inevitable. Hearing that had greatly upset him and since there was definitely things he had forgotten about previously that was a few months back he was sure Norman was wrong and he really was going to forget all about them. It was going to be hard but he would still try and get on without them, hope he wasn’t going to have to experience too much pain to do so. Despite not knowing them for that long he was still going to be upset over it, but then again those emotions were just false and programmed into him to deceive people before he went berserk and kill them.

He probably shouldn’t think about them for much longer, he was supposed to be forgetting them. It was going to be hard, but maybe not seeing their faces would help with the process. He was finding it hard to already and he had only been out on the road for a short time now. Maybe if he hadn’t hesitated the whole night through he would be much further on by now, but at least there was shrubs and trees he could hide in if they started heading along the road too. They would be fast with those horses but slowed down by the cart so there was that. He would have to keep looking back and go out of sight for a while until they passed, he couldn’t divert from the road too much after all. If he got lost in the forest or fell into a ditch he couldn’t see he would never find his destination safely.

While he was high on emotions he started to slow down, feeling he was starting to have regrets already. Despite how he felt about endangering them they were still his friends for that brief few days of his life. His life had been short and was probably going to be cut short early once everyone knew what he was. He would probably be burned alive like that other Machina or carelessly hacked apart in the future because of how careless he had been recently. He had nobody to protect him from that now. There he was feeling conflicted over his departure again, but he had to keep going for the sake of the others. Lowering his head as he slowed down he felt a strange feeling inside, like he wanted to express something that he wasn’t capable of. Instead he felt incredibly pitiful and alone, like he was mentally destroyed. Staring at the ground for a moment as he looked up again he let out a sudden gasp, staring straight ahead with uncertainty. There was a strange creature on the road ahead, one that was black with strange glowing in some places. Staring at it with uncertainty he took one step back before gasping as it suddenly bolted straight for him like it had some sort of agenda against him. Yelling as he ran away down the path again he only made one glance back before trying to head for the forested area, hoping he might lose the strange creature.

[GambolMuse]

"You know the constellations huh? They're really neat," Ethan commented, smiling as Amuné pointed out one after another. How many hours had he spent doing this, gazing up at the night sky? Some nights the stars had been his only companions, and in some ways it meant the Saints were as well. As if those clusters of stars were the actual Saints themselves. Chuckling ruefully beneath his breath the Muran closed his eyes for a moment, realizing how sorry that was to say. He had company now to be sure, but he'd traveled for a long while with nothing at his side but himself and nature. It was nice in a way and yet terrible in others, he hadn't realized how long he'd missed having a companion. Nice as these lot might be too they couldn't replace his friend, and thus a pang of loneliness still persisted.

When asked about a particular story Ethan could only shake his head in reply. He'd never heard of such a tale, which was surprising really. Much of his youth was spent sitting around the bonfires in Kinsgrove listening to some of the older villagers retell tales, often spinning wondrous songs from the familiar stories. It was surprising then there was one he didn't know, maybe it was Ydran. He'd love to hear it if not tonight, which judging by Amuné's tired expression and yawn would be the case. His smile faltered as she turned and gave him permission to be more open, his eyes locking on the stars above. Was it that obvious he was keeping something from her? If Amuné could figure it out then the others must have to. It was never his desire to deceive anyone but he didn't feel comfortable sharing his own plight. That wasn't right, he had no problem sharing. So why hadn't he?

---

Dew glistened like small crystals on the blades of grass as Ethan's eyes finally fluttered open. Still early in the day he noted, judging by how the area was baked in a soft glow. A bit cooler than when they had gone to sleep, attested to by the goosebumps littering his arms. Shivering slightly Ethan sat up on his sleeping roll, rubbing at his arms as he blinked exhaustion from his eyes. Amuné was still out which mean he had time to get out and stretch a bit before he'd have to prepare a meal. Grabbing his coat he shifted it over to tuck her beneath it, giving her a small pat on the head before exiting the tent. First things first... He really needed to relieve himself!

Nymira was still out too from the looks of it which was surprising: the Dimuran was almost always up even before him. Crossing the road he went into the woods on the opposite end, finding a tree to hide behind and take care of what he needed to do. After yesterday's events he still felt sore and his body a bit heavy, nothing that a good meal and some relaxation wouldn't cure. They could sit around a little longer this morning too if need be, he wouldn't mind too terribly much. While everyone did have an agenda to see to they had been making considerable progress as of late, traveling in just three days what he'd covered in over a week on his own. There was just so much going on as of late and usually he did the minimal amount of work to get by, it was exhausting frankly.

"But... We're getting there, it's worth the effort," Ethan mused aloud, smiling as he finished up. With nothing on hand to wash he squatted down and ran his hands over the damp grass, using his pants to dry them off afterwards. While he was out here he should probably look into finding something as well, preferring to save what Geoffrey had brought for when they were on the road again. What was out here anyways? Rabbits probably, though those were difficult to trap. Squirrels probably as well though they had the same problem. If he really wanted to he could use magic to stun and kill a bird, albeit it took a couple to have any semblance of a filling meal. Scratching at his head in thought he mulled it over, thinking perhaps it was easiest to find some water and try getting fish.

Or... Perhaps a meal was running to him now. Hearing the unmistakable crunch of leaves Ethan's interest was piqued, turning to look over his shoulder in the direction of the sound. Oh, there was Cecil, he could help hunt! Smiling at his friend he gave a wave in greeting, raising an eyebrow at the panicked expression on the Machina's face. Tilting his head to the side he felt a draft down below as well, glancing down to see his pants still unfastened and lowered. Growing red in the face he held out a hand to signal Cecil to stop as he fought with his pants, managing to get them up just in time as he was barreled over, the two boys crashing to the ground. The collision wasn't that bad, but finding a knee driven between his legs left Ethan squeaking like a duckling, his eyes rolled up and his face a bit paler for it. Well this was one way to start a day.

"H... Hi... Cecil..." he managed out, forcing a smile as he lifted his head. "What's... Going on?" Why was he in such a rush? Blinking when he was freed from the weight Ethan gingerly pushed himself into a sitting position, one hand now defensively covering himself as he looked back through the trees. Was that... A wolf? No, wolves didn't usually glow did they? Oh gosh, there were three of them? Reaching down to his hip for his sword he frowned when his fingers grasped at air, remembering he'd lost it the day before. Scrambling to his feet he ignored the throbbing pain as he and Cecil ran out of the woods together, those strange hounds hot on their heels. "Nope, nope, nope! It's too early for this!"

What was all that shouting for? Didn't those imbeciles know how early it was? Grumbling incoherently Nymira lifted her head up and glanced around, puzzled to see Cecil and Ethan sprinting back towards camp, a look of terror on the former's face. "What are you..." she began, pausing when she saw three black figures dart out from the trees. Puzzled she gave her eyes a rub just to see if she was still asleep, annoyed to find she was indeed awake, and they were indeed under attack by... Whatever those were. Never a moment's respite with these people. Grabbing her cloak she retrieved her daggers from the folds, watching as Ethan darted past her and went for the cart, "What are you doing you idiot? Help me fight them!"

"Getting something to fight with, give me a sec!" Ethan retorted, sifting through everything they had in search of a weapon. He'd take anything, a knife, a club, anything. After a panicked search all he managed to come up with was a loose timber from the cart, a fairly thin and unassuming strip of wood that was probably going to break on its first use. Rushing back to Nymira's side he smiled apologetically, taking a moment to adjust his trousers and let out a wince. "Uh... Morning by the way."

Nymira narrowed her eyes at Ethan's greeting, shaking her head and then refocusing on the three hounds. They had since stopped barreling after them and now stood a few meters off, snarling as they lowered themselves threateningly. They weren't your typical wolves, with some kind of glowing liquid dripping from their jowls. It almost looked like molten steel of a forge, and the grass burning beneath them might suggest as much. But what wolves had that coming out of their mouths? "You idiots... Wake me up with a meal next time, will you?"

[shylarah]

The girl was soon asleep, nestled cozily between Ethan and Wyth. She slept soundly, though she did show signs of a nightmare at one point. But when morning came she still slumbered, only stirring a little when he pat her head. Amuné was roused by yelling not too long after, and she sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. What was going on?

Beside her, the moorcat was sitting up alert, ears pricked towards the noise. Suddenly he lunged to his feet, lips pulling back from his teeth in a snarl. Whatever was coming, he didn't like it. When he went to stand over her, his girl scrambled backwards, eyes widening as Cecil and Ethan charged back into the campsite.

"What's wrong?" Amuné got to her feet, squinting into the shadows of the forest. When she saw what chased the others, she paled. Large wolves, pitch black with eyes glowing in a menacing fashion, drooling molten liquid from their toothy maws. She stifled a shriek, keeping it to a frightened squeak, and backed away. Why was nothing going right lately?

Ethan had grabbed a stick, and not a very sturdy one. How was he going to fight with that? He needed a real weapon, something that wouldn't snap the first time it hit. She dove for where her clothing lay in a neat pile and grabbed her dagger in its sheath. It wasn't very big, but it was better than nothing. "Ethan!" She tossed it underhand towards him, grateful that her hands weren't shaking badly enough to throw off her aim. Wide grey eyes watched him, frightened but trusting. "Be careful."

[AlexStarsion]

Waking up a little before dawn's light cast it's rays on the encampment had Zander groaning out loud. This was unacceptable! He tried to roll over to find a more comfortable patch of ground only to find his left arm pinned down and his body pressed snug against Geoffrey. His face went red with embarrassment and was slightly glad no one else had awoken. Poking the slightly younger's side he chuckled quietly when Geo slapped his hand away and rolled away from Zander. Chuckling a little more, he rolled over himself, and started to doze. Slowly sleep overtook him again, but not before Geoffrey had rolled over again, and wrapped his arms around Zander's waist and let out a content sigh.

---

Geoffrey tried his best to ignore the scream from within the woods, he tried to ignore the way the morning song birds had gone silent and he really tried to ignore the panting of Cecil and Ethan as they brought unwelcome guests back to the campsite. Geoffrey was NOT a morning person, he had never been. Zander, shockingly enough was the morning person even if the healer was a major annoyance. Unwrapping himself from Zander he shot a glare at the wolves. He scowl turned murderous when he watched the molten goo coming from their mouths. As if expecting everyone to wait their turn as he walked towards his horse who lay quietly. He was shirtless, tanned skin showing off in the morning light, and scratching at his back-end. Reaching for his bow and quiver without so much as a by your leave, he strung it, notched an arrow and let it fly.

As Ethan had reached down for the plank of wood, his released arrow soared over the leader's back and landed firmly into the ground before the middle wolf. Notching two more arrows he sent them towards the other two wolves. He hated being woken up to a fight and he scowled more as he moved forward, a forth arrow already aimed for the beasts.

Not even taking his eyes off the beasts he moved towards Zander's STILL slumbering body and with a swift kick, roused the noble healer from his slumber. Zander spluttered and was ready to yell at Nymira for the rude awakening when he blinked and rubbed his eyes. Geoffrey had the "HOW DARE YOU WAKE ME" scowl on his face. Looking at the others he rose swiftly to his feet and stood behind Geoffrey.

"Oh honestly..." Zander moaned out. "You had to wake this one," he pointed to Geoffrey with a small look of fear. "With a fight..." It would have been comical if Zander wasn't slowly backing away towards his own borrowed horse for his staff. "Can't I catch a Saint's Forbidden Break!?"

[Mogtaki]

Cecil didn’t know what else to do, even if his main quest was to run away at first. He didn’t want to be destroyed and most certainly not by whatever was coming after him. In a panicky burst of energy he immediately ran right back to the camp, barely looking back as the sounds of the creatures could be heard clearly through the trees from directly behind him. Cecil knew he was fast, but he couldn’t seem to outrun whatever these things were. As the pistons in his legs continued to work overtime to get over the rough terrain he continued to try and balance himself out by flailing his heavy arms, looking back momentarily to see where they were while failing to realise what direction he was actually going in as he relied more on his other senses, not actually seeing where he was going when he ended up colliding into a large body.

Tumbling down to the ground with a hard thump Cecil wrestled with the body momentarily before seeing who it was, staring down at Ethan for a moment before he climbed off him properly. Gasping incomprehensibly at Ethan he pointed back towards the creatures he ran away with Ethan, feeling lost and unable to think about what he could possibly do otherwise. He didn’t know what these creatures were and had made it his responsibility to not fight again, so there was no doing that either. Looking back briefly at the creatures he gasped when they made it back to camp only to stumble and fall to the ground. “Help! Help please!”

He couldn’t fight these things, even if he wanted to. He didn’t know what he would be fighting and they were completely different from those blob things from before. Their maws looked like they would melt him very quickly, their claws would probably tear through his shell with ease. Even if he wanted to fight he couldn’t, he might revert back and hurt those he was originally trying to leave because of the possibility that he might end up doing just that. Looking to Ethan and Nymira as they stepped up to defend the camp he let out a groan and held his head, remaining seated as he contemplated his actions. He shouldn’t had brought the problem to all of them like this, all he had done was endangered them when he didn’t want to before.

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to-I didn’t-I just-…please don’t be mad at me!” he stuttered, panicking pretty badly as if he had just ruined everything. If they were going to be okay then maybe he could still sneak away from them, he would just have to make sure they are going to be okay before he tried running away behind their backs. Maybe even once they were on the road again he could sneak off the cart while they were all occupied, that’d mean he would know they are alright once they are on the road again.

[GambolMuse]

"H-Hey, don't you worry about it. Nothing wrong with a work out to start the day," Ethan chuckled, swallowing back his nerves as he grasped the timber in his hands. In the midst of pulling the plank free an arrow whizzed by the back of his head, causing him to jump and look at the arrow in shock. Well that was one way to start the fight. Though fighting wolves was a bit much, especially without his sword at hand. Nymira had her daggers but that was about it for blades, things could escalate quickly if they didn't do this right. Maybe they should use magic? It would be a waste to burn so much energy so early, but being tired was preferential to being a dog's meal. With arrows flying the hounds were now thoroughly perturbed and ready to attack, the one to the far left charging after Geoffrey for firing at them. Spotting the dagger Amuné had thrown his way he tossed the timber aside in favor of the blade, and as he did so Nymira darted past him, going after the offending hound in his place.

The hound was fast to be sure, but she was closer to Geoffrey already and she had ways of stopping it. Throwing her first dagger at the wolf she scowled as it quickly jumped aside to avoid being hit, though it could do little as she threw her body into its side, knocking it off of its feet in the process. Avoid its jaw, don't let it spit on you, and avoid the holes on its sides. Its underside should be its weak point if she remembered right, and at the moment it was perfectly exposed. With one dagger in hand she rushed over to try and filet the beast, yet as she was closing in it began to spew out molten liquid in defense, forcing her to back off as the grass at its feet turned to cinders within seconds. Magic made these things child's play, but like Ethan she wasn't terribly keen on exhausting herself so early.

Silently relieved Nymira had gone to Geoffrey's aid, Ethan turned back to the two hounds still remaining. By now they had begun to circle him, upper lips pulled back in ferocious snarls as the liquid seeped from their teeth, dripping upon the grass and causing it to smolder. Never had he seen such creatures before, they almost seemed unnatural. Were these workings of a Magi? He couldn't help but think of those strange women the Varuna had created before, maybe this was similar? There was no time to check for an enemy as the wolves were here, the threat much more immediate. Watching both cautiously he gripped the dagger in his right hand, trying to prepare for one of them to lunge at him. Sure enough the one to his back tried first, and after dropping to the ground to avoid being pounced upon he rolled onto his back, putting up his feet to catch the second and kick it away, scrambling back to his feet afterwards.

"Hey uh... Geoffrey, can you uh... Hit one of them?" Ethan shouted, smiling nervously as he darted to the side again to avoid mashing jaws, taking a swipe with his dagger to force one of the hounds to stay back. Four shots and not a single hit, he wasn't one to complain but this really wasn't the time to be firing off blindly. Could Zander help? Or Cecil? He knew the Machina was afraid but then so were they, and they really needed help with these animals. Watching the two hounds begin circling again he bit his lower lip, getting ready to cast magic despite his reluctance in hopes of getting an upper hand. A growl at his back made him stop however, and a glance over his shoulder he saw another two hounds emerging from the forest, with one particularly larger than the others. Eyes widening in shock he turned and threw a gust of wind back at them instead, knocking the smaller one off its feet but watching as the larger of the two remained upright. "Ah man... You've got to be kidding me..." he laughed, looking between the three beasts uneasily.

While the beast she'd been fighting lay on its back Nymira grabbed her other dagger, figuring that Geoffrey and Zander could handle that one. Two more had shown up unsurprisingly, they always were pack animals weren't they? Hurrying over to where Ethan stood she went directly for the nearest hound, baiting it to charge after her and lunge, dropping to her knees and sliding along the grass beneath it. With a quick flick of her wrist she lifted her dagger skyward and caught its soft underbelly, not making a lethal blow but dealing enough to bring it to its knees momentarily, letting out a howl of pain from the wound. Throwing her dagger once more at the second one it jumped back to avoid the weapon, though did little to avoid her kicking it upside the head, sending it tumbling across the dirt. Inadvertently in doing so she'd gotten some of its heated drool on her leg, wincing as it burned through her clothes and burned her skin.

[AlexStarsion]

"Tch..." Geoffrey scowled at Ethan. He had fired warning shots to try to scare the beasts off. He truely wasn't awake enough to realize they were constructs of some Magi. He nodded his thanks to Nymira and without a second thought shot the beast she had left in the eye and turned to leave it's corpse for dead. One down, three more to go it seemed. Grabbing one of the arrows in the ground, he pulled it free turned and took aim at the one that leaped to avoid Nymira's dagger. Letting his arrow fly he cursed loudly when the beast turned and melted the arrow with whatever was coming out of it's mouth. Of course this couldn't be a simple one two kill. These beasts had intelligence and he wasn't amused.

Zander grasped his staff in a firm sweaty grip, he wasn't sure if he would be much help against beasts that caught the very ground on fire and turned grass into ash just by drooling on them. He kept an eye on Geoffrey though and winced slightly as he downed the beast with a swift arrow to the eye and into it's skull. He wasn't sure what to do, humans he could predict and he doubted he had the strength to put these beasts to sleep. Deciding to guard Geoffrey's back and keep himself close to the smallest in his group he looked towards Cecil.

"I doubt you brought them here with intention," Zander told the boy. "I also doubt, they found you without reason... Hunting this early when Geoffrey brought food?" He let his eyes scan the Machina searching. He had been too hard on this one earlier in the day. "Get up. Keep an eye out for more of those things." He said with a wink and moved in towards Geoffrey's arrows in the ground.

He instantly smelt flesh burning and scowled at Nymira. He didn't have a single Seal Paper made, he had used the ones from last night and he hadn't thought to grab more from his pack. Nodding to Geoffrey he shut his eyes and pulled the staff close to his body and held out his right arm. He pictured Nymira's graceful figure in his head, using his minds eye to focus on where he thought the burn was at. It wasn't instantly jumping to his call, his Magic. It felt sluggish in his body from his forceful use of it the night before. Pulling at what felt like a smaller puddle compared to a vast lake, he sent out the spell when he opened his eyes. Green aura once more spread swiftly over the ground and gently grasped the Dimuran's smaller burns. It fought back against the saliva from the hounds forcing it to a small stand still. Zander was sweating and shook his head. He was still tired from the sleep spells. The fleeing when injuried. The other's had to feel like he himself, thus why Ethan had only used a gust of wind to knock the one hound back. The Magic fought to soothe the burns, as if placing a cooling hand around where the specks of burning skin.

Geoffrey didn't so much as look at Zander when he felt the slight cooling of the air, but let his arrow go forward stopping one that had pounced at Nymira from landing gracefully. It lodged itself near it's front shoulder causing the beast to let out a yipe and howl mix. It gingerly placed it's paw down, and Geoffrey didn't give the magic'd hound a second to fully recover. He let his next arrow fly just barely missing the things rib cage and lodging itself under it. He turned his attention to the other circling Ethan and quickly notched an arrow and sent it flying when it had turned it's back to Geoffrey. He wouldn't allow another arrow to be melted and grinned maliciously when the arrow pierced into the hounds hindquarters. "Better?!" He taunted Ethan with his grin in place.

[Mogtaki]

Cecil did hope he hadn’t just brought destruction to them all because he thought it was best to seek them out, all this because he didn’t want to be destroyed. He knew he was dangerous and he knew he was capable of attracting terrible company, but he didn’t want to die either. He didn’t even know if him being destroyed was the same as an organic lifeform dying. Somebody could just build another one of him and that would be it, but organic lifeforms couldn’t be replaced. Staring at Ethan as he tried to tell him it was fine that this happened he gasped when everything started to move again as the creatures were attacked and nearly everyone was fighting one another, his eyes staring blankly as the others quickly tried to defend themselves and kill the creatures at the same time.

This was just a mess. Once again he had brought trouble to the group even if it was for genuine help. Those creatures looked like they could melt him in an instant with that gunk that came out of their mouths, that was probably their purpose. It couldn’t had been that, those creatures were natural while he was not. That couldn’t possibly why they existed. He felt so confused, his mind ran all over the place even when it shouldn’t. He was just a machine, he shouldn’t be thinking so erratically when it was all just code. He really didn’t know why he had to be like this, he should’ve just been like those other Machina in that big building. He was thinking way too much about what he should’ve been when he was made, he didn’t even know what he was supposed to be like originally.

As confusion about his existence rose up again he gasped when he was suddenly spoken to, staring at the man. Staring at Zander, he frowned and looked to the others, not at all confident in his ability to do that. “W-What…? I don’t hunt! I don’t even consume flesh!” he spoke quickly, getting to his feet, “I can’t do anything to those things…I wouldn’t had brought them here if I could”. This was a huge mistake but he hoped the others would be able to get through it alright. He had been told Zander could heal so he could help the others if they got injured, but if he got damaged there was no helping that. If he tried to deliver a long ranged attack he would run low on useable power, only resulting in rendering him even more useless. He hated playing the coward in this when he brought them all here, but he had no other choice. Amuné wouldn’t want him going near her, her animal wouldn’t want that either so he couldn’t exactly help her out unless he wanted to upset both of them. He was left standing out by himself at this point, staring and watching as spells were sent flying at the creatures as both parties struggled to survive.

[GambolMuse]

Hells that burned, what were those things made of? Kicking it felt like striking a tree trunk and that liquid that seeped into her skin felt like magma. Setting her leg down Nymira fought back a wince as pain shot up the limb, feeling blood seeping from the injury as she applied pressure to it. No use in worrying about the wound now, if she took even a second to tend to it those hounds would be on her without a doubt. Putting more weight on her right leg she sized up the hound she'd kicked away, scowling as it burned Geoffrey's arrow to cinders to defend itself. With her mobility limited at the moment she formed sparks in her palm, swiping her hand across from left to right in a wide arc and sending out a scattered array of embers, trying to catch the beast in the flame. A few managed to hit it and scorch its skin but little damage was done otherwise, apparently fire was of trivial use here. Gritting her teeth the Dimuran glanced down feeling her leg go cold suddenly, puzzled until she noticed the wound mending slightly and the bleeding stop. Looking back to Zander she gave a nod of appreciation, and with mobility back ran off with daggers in hand to slay the beast.

It was all Ethan could do to avoid being eaten as he dodged about, swatting at the wolves with Amuné's meager blade to keep them at bay. While appreciative that he had a weapon it paled in comparison to his sword and had far less reach than the board he'd grabbed, even if this was much more lethal. Watching as an arrow found its home in the haunches of the nearest beast he flashed Geoffrey a thumbs up, smiling as he tossed the dagger to his left hand, rushing the injured hound to try and slay it. With its leg crippled he was faster than it now, moving right on in and darting quickly to the right to avoid its mouth as it snapped its jaws at him. Swiping with the dagger in a backwards swing he dug the blade into its side, spinning his whole body to torque the weapon and make a wide cut along the creature's flank. In one single motion he'd managed to cause a fatal blow, watching as the hound staggered, letting out a weak howl before falling to the ground, taking its final breaths. There was little time to enjoy the small victory as more remained, including what he assumed to be the alpha. At least they were dwindling their numbers down, this should be over soon enough.

In the chaos that was unfolding yet another hound had found its way into the fray. It was smaller than the rest yet just as lethal, the molten liquid seeping from its jaws hot enough to incinerate the bushes around it on contact. With everyone else preoccupied its eyes were set on Amuné and Wyth, seeing the young Ydran as an easy kill. Her pet was of little concern, it might be smaller but it could easily kill it if the moorcat was bitten. Lowering itself on its haunches it let out a throaty growl from the brush, darting out after a moment and making a beeline towards its intended prey. Coming around on the other side of the cart it was largely out of sight until it was upon the group, fangs barred and eyes locked on Amuné's slight frame. As it jumped into the air to try and pounce on the girl it let out a yelp as a current of wind smashed it against the side of the cart, whimpering as it slid along the grass from another blast that sent it tumbling across the dirt.

"Heh... Keep away from her, stupid dogs..." Ethan panted, his breathing labored already as he kept his arm outstretched, poised to cast another spell if it attacked a second time. Darn it, he was still much too tired to be casting spells if this was all it took to wear him down. Going over to Amuné's side he smiled tiredly, putting out a hand to keep her at his back as he glanced down at Wyth. "I'm going to need your help here, bit burned out. Can I count on you buddy?"

There was something to be said for the Vazra, they were not your typical wolves if appearance alone wasn't enough to suggest that. They possessed some degree of intelligence with alphas being particularly bright, frighteningly so. Accustomed to magic they learned to recognize certain forms and to make casters their primary target, casters such as healers. When seeing the magic that Zander was employing it immediately recognized the hue, an almost sickly grin appearing on the hounds face were it capable of it. Rearing up on its hind legs the beast stood at nearly 3 meters tall, letting out a loud howl that spattered flammable liquid all around its feet. Once its legs hit the dirt again it took off in a swift motion for a beast its size, barreling towards Zander and Geoffrey. The latter had a bow, bows were only good from a distance, and the healer was helpless on his own. Easy prey, and once they were gone the others would follow suit.

[shylarah]

The girl watched the fighting, trying to stay close to the cart and out of the way. Nymira had gotten hurt by the flaming saliva from one of the lizard-hound, and she was having trouble. Amuné could do nothing but watch. The things moved fast and dodged well, avoiding thrown knives and arrows, so her sling stones wouldn't do much good. And she didn't want to hit one of her friends by mistake, either.

A flare of luminous magic caught her attention. Zander seemed to be the source, but it wasn't the demacite-powered spells he'd used before, this was the real thing. What in Edos' name was going on?! Was he a Magi after all? Well she still didn't like him, he was mean!

A prickling sensation on the back of her neck, caused by a bit of her magic, prompted the girl to spin around. She was just in time to spot a slightly smaller assailant leaping the cart to come at her. Wyth shoved her aside, snarling a challenge, even as Ethan sent the hound flying with a gust of wind. The cat had been sticking close to his girl for just this reason. With the others occupied, there was no one to keep an eye on her save for him, and there were too many of the dogs to stray far from her side. But with the man there, Wyth didn't wait for encouragement. He leapt after the downed beast, claws out and teeth bared, aiming for the intersection of head and neck with strong jaws while his paws tried to rend flesh.

Behind Ethan, Amuné scrambled to her feet. She was shaking from her close call, and he looked so worn out. She wished more than anything that she could help somehow, but she wasn't any sort of fighter. Even Geoffrey was more of a fighter than she was, apparently quite skilled with his bow. Her power hadn't warned the group of danger this time, and even if she used it to predict attacks, she couldn't get everyone else to move out of the way right. She was useless. Useless! She couldn't do anything but cower when they'd gone after her and her father, and she couldn't do anything now. She wanted to be strong like Nymira, brave like Cecil, never giving up like Ethan, but all she could do was make them worry about keeping her safe. She wasn't strong or brave or clever. She wasn't even a healer like her mother. She could only hope that they'd win, and pray that they did. Moral support counted for something, right? -- even if not very much.

The girl stepped close to Ethan, putting a hand on his arm and trying to let him know she appreciated what he was doing, even though it was draining him. He and everyone else had fought so hard the day before, and now this. She prayed to Saint Edos and the other saints that they'd protect her friends and give them the strength they needed to fight off the hounds.

At her touch, the wind mage would slowly start to feel better. It wasn't quite the same as being rested, because he was still definitely weary, but more like he'd found a second wind. At the same time, a faint pressure started to build up at his temples, and behind his brow. It didn't seem like a normal headache, but at least he had more energy to fuel his magic -- enough to be able to send a wind gust slamming into the mutt that tried to jump him. Moments later, though, Amuné tensed beside him, her hand gripping tighter, and images exploded in his head.

The vision hit her hard, taking her breath away at first. It was a bunch of disjointed images, with the party and the magma-drooling hounds fighting and dying. A lot of them had Zander dying, his face and chest shredded by sharp claws or burned by fiery saliva, or his throat ripped out by sharp teeth. She might not like him, but he didn't deserve to die. There was something off about the hounds, something more menacing, but she couldn't figure out what it was. They acted like normal monsters, for the most part, but there was something about them that bothered her. The big one in particular seemed very clever, but her Wyth was clever too so that wasn't it.

The vision left Amuné weakened and she stumbled a step or two, before realizing the man beside her was on the ground. "Ethan? Ethan!" Had one of the dogs gotten him? He didn't look hurt, but something must have happened. Anything she might do about her vision was discarded as she went instead to shake him. "Ethan, what happened, are you okay? You need to get up!"

[Mogtaki]

Cecil felt very confused, he didn’t know what he was supposed to do in the end. There was so many of these creatures and as one was hit down another appeared to enter the fray and menace the group. This was all his fault, he should’ve ran the other way and not back to the group. He was supposed to be running away from them, not bringing even more trouble to them. Watching as Ethan and Nymira fought off the creatures simultaneously he struggled to see through the fact that his friends were taking damage. Even if Zander was able to heal those up it still made Cecil feel awfully guilty for causing it in the first place.

Wandering around on the spot as he struggled to figure out his place in this battle he watched as one of the creatures instead went after Amuné, almost ready to step in if only finding Wyth jumping in and attacking the creature. He could’ve gone in and helped, but with Wyth there he felt he would probably end up like that creature instead. He could do so much more to that thing than what Wyth could, he knew he was built for battle. That was the difference between him and everyone else, it was fairly obvious to him. Everyone was made to survive and continue living, but he was made to destroy and to take life away. Everyone was surviving and fighting to continue living, instead he was trying to prevent himself from fulfilling what he was made to do.

He was trying his best to figure everything out, everything was moving too fast. If he really was a Machina he would be obeying his function and fighting with them, but something inside told him he shouldn’t do that because he would only hurt his friends even more. Stumbling around at this point he tried to pull his thoughts together, his programming was fighting against his own mind at this point. He couldn’t and shouldn’t follow his programming.

Cecil didn’t know anything at this point. Everything was going completely blank, even the fighting in the background was vanishing from his mind. Everything was still happening but in slow motion. As his eyes glanced over the battle he felt completely lost, shifting his mind between a crossroad as his very circuits stalled their power circulation. Unable to figure out where he was going to go the let out a gasp as there was suddenly an alert going off in his head, his eyes shifting to a massive monster compared to the rest of these.

Cecil felt frozen, his eyes on its frightening maw and huge form as it stood up and let out a frightening howl. His own cogs felt frozen in place at the terrifying sound, his eyes only removing themselves from it to look to the ground as the liquid that oozed from its mouth burned the grass. As he continued to stare at it the sudden shift it made to attack Zander and Geoffrey had him letting out a gasp, knowing full well they couldn’t stop that thing.

Suddenly, as if somebody had injected a wave of power into his battery Cecil’s eyes lit up and with a sudden surge of electricity he was lunging forward, his gauntlet immediately flying off straight for the creature. Before the monster could get within a few feet of either Zander or Geoffrey Cecil had managed to grab the creature’s skull and force it down off to the side of where it was before, but before it could even react in came Cecil as he was pulled in by the chain that attached his gauntlet to his body. Landing on the side of the creature feet first Cecil’s sharp heels dug into the monster’s body, causing it to let out an angry yelp followed by an attempted bite at the Machina; however, that was not going to help now as Cecil’s other gauntlet had thrown out the electrified chain, grabbing the massive beast by the leg and had proceeded to swing it first across the ground before up in the air, throwing it down again with enough force to create an impact. Without giving it a chance Cecil immediately proceeded to pound his now electrified fists into the creature’s head, very little care being put into what its saliva might do to him as he rapidly threw his fists down at it. After what should’ve been considered overkill Cecil grabbed the creature’s tail, a surge of electricity buzzing off him as he proceeded to repeatedly throw it against the ground, over and over until he immediately swung it around himself before letting it go and letting it fly straight into a tree situated across the other side of the campsite.