13org

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: 12am
Location: Hunting Area
Interactions: Hanna @Potter, Roman @ReusableSword, Munir @Infinite Cosmos
Mentions:

---

It didn't take too long until Mayet heard the sound of Munir's horse approaching the clearing. While he didn't come back empty handed, he didn't seem to have much luck regarding his prey as well, having caught a rabbit on a similar size as hers.

"Too small even for a snack..." Mayet replied Munir with a sigh, as she continued petting the poor, confused rabbit, which didn't know exactly if it should fear for his life or just accept the caress it was receiving.

Nala, who was still grumpy for not being able to eat the rabbit... And possibly jealous of the attention that small, pathetic fur-ball was receiving from Mayet, continued to send death stares towards it, letting out a low growl every few seconds, just to be sure it wouldn't get too comfortable.

Despite how annoyed she was with the situation though, Nala still accepted Munir's boop, looking away from the rabbit for a second to greet Munir, before going back to terrorizing the poor creature.

The very second Munir mentioned that the rabbit wasn't exactly the only 'prey' she seemed to be after, Mayet raised her eyebrows with a smirk on her face.

"Roman is definitely, quite an interesting one, but he's not the only one that drew my interest... That prince... Wulfric, also has quite the dangerous aura around him... Anyways, it's still too soon for me to decide..." Mayet said to Munir with a mischievous expression.

Mayet's smirk soon disappeared though, with a bright red taking place on her face for a brief second as Munir asked if she would 'submit' to him in bed, followed by other... less than proper comments.

"Brother Munir!!" Mayet said, looking at him in a mix of shock and embarrassment as she tried to regain her composure, just as Munir abruptly changed subjects, only to make her own reaction even more noticeable.

Nala, who overheard Munir mentioning her name, oblivious to the conversation Mayet was having a moment before, took a little break from terrorizing the small rabbit to look at Munir expectantly, looking at the prey he was carrying and licking her lips.

Mayet had barely enough time to calm down before Roman arrived, completely soaked as he carried a dead beaver in his hand. Apparently, he had more luck with his catch than Mayet herself or Munir had. Due to what Munir had said earlier and the fact that Roman himself was completely soaked, she couldn't help but take a brief moment to discreetly glance at his body, although she quickly stopped, hoping her brother hadn't noticed.

"Even though we're not empty handed, these feel more like consolation prizes than a proper hunt... I guess there is a reason why they let those incompetent nobles... MUNIR!!" Mayet began saying, replying to Roman before Munir teased her again, making her interrupt herself to scold him before he said anything more that might make Roman catch on what they were talking about a moment ago.

Nala, who was already annoyed by not being given any meat, was starting to take glances towards the animals that the group had hunted in a rather suspicious manner, almost as if she was getting ready to pounce and steal one of them from their hands.

Fortunately, the moment Nala began to seriously think about doing so, she was surprised by Roman, who came near near her and offered Nala the heart of the beaver he had just hunted. As she approached the heart, a single sniff was enough to tell that it was very fresh and in fact, still warm. Without hesitating, Nala quickly got the heart from Roman's hand, chewing it down in a few seconds.

While it was a rather small meal for an animal of her size, Nala still seemed to be satisfied with Roman's offer and for the chance of tasting some fresh meat.

"I don't know about the gods, but Nala certainly seems satisfied with your offering." Mayet said to Roman with a chuckle.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: 11am
Location: Entrance to the forest near the shooting range
Interactions: Hanna @Potter, Roman @ReusableSword, Munir @Infinite Cosmos
Mentions:

---

Mayet almost began ranting about how annoying hunting Giant Scorpions were again and how much of a test of patience it was, more than a test of skill when she heard Munir's words. That is, until he began speaking on how the sun and the sands of Alidasht only made her even more beautiful.

"Please Munir... You know well your flattery does not work on me anymore." Mayet said, dismissing his words with a wave of her hand, even though it was quite obvious, both for Munir and for Roman that they did work to a certain degree. At least enough to make her ignore his previous comment and instead focus on what he said afterwards.

"Although I do need to agree that the milk, honey and roses bathes are much, much better after a day of hunting..." Mayet said with a satisfied expression as she reminded how good it felt to submerge her body into a carefully prepared bath after a good and thrilling day of hunting.

When she heard Roman talking about the snow cats and how they were about as big as Nala, Mayet raised an eyebrow, with a curious expression. Nala, who was also hearing that, immediately sent a sharp look towards Roman, clearly unhappy for being compared.

"As big as Nala, are they? Quite intriguing... Isn't it, Nala?" Mayet said, glancing to Nala, who replied with a sharp huff, almost as if she was finding that difficult to believe.

---

After some time squeaking and trying to get free from Mayet's grasp, the rabbit had finally quieted down. Motionless, it seemed to have accepted it's fate as it sat on Mayet's arms, not daring to move a single muscle as she made her way back to Roman and Munir.

While it's true that the chase, regardless of how brief it was, had pleased Nala, it was quite obvious by the stares she sent towards the rabbit that she wasn't exactly happy with not being able to even taste the blood of what they had hunted.

"Nala, don't be like that... Both of us know that if you had killed this little thing, there wouldn't be anything left to give the warden for this 'competition'." Mayet said with a sigh, gently running her hand through Nala's back.

"Don't worry, I am sure we will find something a bit bigger... Something you will be able to sink your teeth into... Maybe even take a few bites." Mayet said with a chuckle as she approached the same clearing where she had separated from Munir and Roman before.

As she got to the clearing, Mayet waited for a bit for the others to return, while casually petting the small ball of soft white fur in her arms, which was still trembling, paralyzed with fear under Mayet's gaze and the glances Nala sometimes gave to it, licking it's teeth as she did so.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: 11am
Location: Entrance to the forest near the shooting range
Interactions: Hanna @Potter, Roman @ReusableSword, Munir @Infinite Cosmos
Mentions:

---

When Roman began speaking of the creatures he hunted back on his territory, Mayet couldn't help but be interested. Especially as he mentioned the snow cats.

"Snow cats...?" Mayet repeated, with a curious expression, much to Nala's discontent, which immediately looked to Mayet, letting out an annoyed growl.

"What? I'm just curious! No need to look at me like that, Nala!" Mayet replied, looking to Nala.

"I assume you dislike hunting those stone crabs as much as I hate hunting the giant scorpions, right?" Mayet asked with a smirk. Roman's description of the stone crabs had almost everything that made Mayet hate the giant scorpions back in Alidasht.

Mayet had just finished talking with Roman about the creatures they often hunted when she heard the noise of a horse approaching them and a familiar voice called out to her, inquiring if she really hunted giant scorpions when she was back home. The very moment she heard that, she knew exactly who that was...

Nala, who saw Munir approaching, sniffed his hand as he offered it to her, chuffing as she recognized him as a friend and someone close to Mayet.

"Of course not, my dear brother Munir! At least not actively..." Mayet said, crossing one arm over her chest and making a dismissive gesture with her other hand at Munir's comment.

"The last time I hunted one, I spent almost HALF a day under the scorching heat of the desert! We had to wait until it finally slipped up and gave us an opening so we could pierce it's armor! Such annoying, persistent creatures they are! To make things even worse, they seem to know exactly how hard their armor is!" Mayet said, clearly annoyed as she remembered of the last time she hunted a giant scorpion.

"In the end, hunting a Giant Scorpion is basically an endless staring contest! No thrill, no excitement... Ugh! I hate those things!" she said, rolling her eyes.

"Besides... Do you know how much my hair and my skin suffered after almost all that time in the desert? It's not easy to maintain such a perfect figure, you know?" Mayet said, making clear that the only times she would even consider hunting a Giant Scorpion again were when there was no other choice but to do so.

Munir's grumbling and Roman's words did raise a valid concern to Mayet though, regarding the game that would be available for them to hunt on that forest.

"It wouldn't be surprising if that was really the case... Especially with a forest this close to the castle. I imagine that most of the dangerous creatures are purposely kept out of these hunting grounds, so some fat, incompetent nobles can have their fun..." Mayet said, annoyed.

"Who knows... They might just turn into the hunt if any one of them dare shooting a single arrow at me or Nala..." Mayet said, turning to the other nobles and sending them a sharp glare towards them just as Hanna finished telling them to keep out of Mayet, Roman and Munir's way.

"Even if it's just small game, they would at least serve as a snack for Nala." Mayet said, gently patting Nala.

The very moment she did that though, Nala suddenly turned her head, looking to some brushes nearby. Following Nala's stare, Mayet was able to see some movement coming from the brush, just enough to identify it as a small rabbit, running away as soon as it saw Nala.

"A snack will do fine for now, won't it, Nala?" Mayet said with a smirk, as she climbed on top of Nala and both of them began running after the hare.

"We'll soon be back." Mayet said as both of them disappeared inside the forest.

Even if it was just a rabbit, nowhere as 'exciting' as the bigger prey that she used to hunt back on Alidasht, the thrill of the chase was enough to make both her and Nala feel 'alive' again. The brushes and trees quickly passing by them as they continued chasing the rabbit, despite all the sharp turns it made, trying to lose them, the desperation as the rabbit fought for it's life...

Unfortunately, it was still merely a 'snack'... As fun as it was, it wasn't going to last long and the excitement quickly died down after a minute or two. Deciding to end the chase, Mayet waited until the rabbit headed towards an opening in the forest before she jumped forward from Nala, over the rabbit and landing just in front of it.

Alarmed, the rabbit stopped running for a second, abruptly changing directions as it tried to go back from where it came, only to see Nala quickly approaching.

That brief moment of hesitation and panic from the rabbit was everything Nala and Mayet needed. Unable to run, it wasn't able to do much as Mayet pounced at the rabbit, grabbing it by the neck, still alive.

The rabbit squeaked desperately, surprisingly loud for such a small creature as it struggled against Mayet's grasp for a moment, only to realize that it was useless and instead simply kept squeaking, almost as if it hoping Mayet would get annoyed enough and let it go.

"I think I'll keep you for now..." Mayet said, raising the small rabbit as she looked at it, much to the poor creature's dismay.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: 11am
Location: Entrance to the forest near the shooting range
Interactions: Hanna @Potter, Roman @ReusableSword
Mentions:

---

Just as Mayet had finished complaining and stating her conditions for having someone join her on her hunt, she suddenly heard a rather familiar voice, first speaking to the redheaded huntress and then, finally, addressing her. The owner of that voice was no one other than the very able-bodied Roman Ravenwood. His request to join her and Nala on a hunt came on a good timing. Even though she had never seen him hunting before, she was certain that he would be at least more proficient than most of the nobles that had gathered for the hunting event... Or at least he wouldn't slow Mayet and Nala down.

"Lord Roman! It's good to see you again. I would be surprised if I didn't see you here today. You don't seem to be the kind to miss a good hunt." she said as she turned to greet Roman.

Nala, who was watching Roman as he approached them seemed to be satisfied with how cautious Roman was around her and Mayet by extension, sniffing the air a bit as he approached and letting out a chuff, satisfied.

"Stunning as ever... I like it. A fitting compliment to someone such as me." Mayet replied with a smile towards Roman.

"Back in Alidasht, people used to say that even the blood splatters and droplets in my skin after the hunts shined as brightly as the most expensive rubies..." Mayet said with a teasing smirk.

"Regarding your request, I would be more than happy to have your company for this hunt, Lord Roman. I was almost thinking that Hanna was going to be the only person in this entire hunting trip that would be able to keep up with me and Nala without slowing us down." Mayet said, clearly mocking the other nobles, some of which were carrying so much useless gear that it was painfully obvious that they had never hunted once in their entire lives.

"Although there is plenty of game to hunt in Alidasht, one should know well that they are as much a prey as they are a predator in those lands... Hunting by yourself in Alidasht is something only a fool would do." Mayet said as she began her explanation. Her tone becoming noticeably more serious for a brief moment as she said the last phrase, which was surprising for someone as Mayet.

"Lions and tigers in the jungle are easily able to kill an unaware hunter. Even the herbivores are exceedingly dangerous, such as the Gaur, grazing bovines with nasty horns and an even nastier attitude, the rhinoceros, bigger and nastier in every way when compared to the Gaur... With a terribly aggressive temperament or even the elephants, which are almost unstoppable once frenzied. Unlike the jungle though, the deserts offer... different challenges for hunters. The animals worthy to hunt there are few, but incredibly tricky and annoying to do so, such as giant lizards, able to swiftly move through the soft dunes and the giant, armored scorpions that require proper, specialized equipment to pierce their armor... Which honestly makes it a very annoying creature to hunt..." Mayet explained, rolling her eyes as she mentioned the giant scorpions.

"If I had to chose my favorite animal to hunt among all those though... It would definitely be the bandits and rebels that sometimes appear on Alidasht. In certain ways, those can show to be even trickier and more exciting to hunt than other animals." Mayet said, her ring-blade glinting rather ominously as she said so.

"While I doubt the creatures here would be as much of a challenge, having some blood flowing will be good, both for me and for Nala, especially with all the stressful situations we've both been through... I have been promising to take her to hunt since we arrived in Alidasht. Nala would definitely be very mad at me if she figured out that I had missed this hunting event." Mayet said, laughing as she gently caressed Nala, whom seemed to be rather eager to hunt, with her eyes fixed at the forest in front of them.

Avalia

Time: 2pm
Location: Oasis near Dugmaghord
Interactions: Rosaria @potter, Slick @FunnyGuy

---

While Nuallán's attention was mostly focused on the creature's movements and protecting Rosaria, the fact that Slick almost immediately ran away after the creature started confronting them didn't go unnoticed. It was surprising on how much of a coward Slick proved himself to be, despite his sharp tongue. The fact that he didn't even think about repaying Princess Rosaria for her kindness and good will was appalling and infuriating. Slick's action would definitely have consequences, if not from his mistress, from Nuallán himself...

Rosaria's nod quickly told Nuallán everything he needed to know about how she wished to deal with that situation. While Rosaria gave a step back and apologized to the creature, Nuallán stood his ground, making sure to stand between the creature and Rosaria before he spoke himself.

"Neither I nor my mistress had the intention of deliberately invading your territory, disrespecting or challenging you. We have only recently arrived on Dugmaghord and our stay won't be a long one. I humbly ask of you to forgive any offenses or transgressions we might have inadvertently committed." Nuallán said, giving a single step forward with an earnest and polite bow.

Nuallán could only hope that the situation would be solved without any conflict. Not only because Princess Rosaria`s safety was his sole priority, but also because it would be undeniably dangerous to fight against such creature with just both of them.

The Five Senses

Karina Frost

Karina heard the being's words with skepticism. Fan of religions or not, being revered wasn't a prerequisite a creature like him needed to have so he could influence and control the fates of humans. After all, what he was doing to them was exactly what a self-proclaimed 'god' would do... He used and manipulated them.

'Gods' or any kind of creature that were seen as such were always the same... It's in their very essence to be selfish and egocentric. To use and manipulate the lives of thousands for what they believe to be 'the greater good'... Constantly intervening and manipulating, silently robbing makind of their free will.

Humanity does not need such interference.

As he continued speaking though, despite Karina's clear waryness and antipathy towards him, she couldn't help but find a certain reason within his words. The Cult was a plague. At least, it was definitely a much bigger and immediate menace than the being currently was. Despite that, his attitude and his words when he said that this world 'tires' him and how he spoke about the 'humanity' were a clear indication that Karina shouldn't forget what he truly was.

"In the end, it's just about your own interests, isn't it? After all, why should you care about the feelings, lives or the future of mere pawns? Of lesser creatures? In your eyes, we exist only to be used and further your own goals, don't we?" Karina asked with a very sharp gaze towards 'Bud'.

"As much as you use us, we will use you in return. This is simply a 'transaction' after all... And the terms of this contract are bound to change if one side realizes that it's getting less than the other..." Karina said with a terribly cold stare towards Bud, further adding and agreeing with Octavio's words as he mentioned that we weren't doing him any favours.

When Chres said that he didn't care about them, the being's answer almost made Karina laugh as he said that he 'still cared' in his own broken way.

"Oh but you do. In the same way one would care about their investments or their business, isn't it?" Karina continued, carefully watching the being's reactions as she spoke.

Despite everything, Karina could still see a way how both of them could benefit from a 'contract'. The Being was using them, so they would use it in return. He would be freed from this world and they would get rid of the Cult. It was a fair exchange. Perhaps even advantageous to them, as they might see themselves free from the Being's influence once everything was over...

Or that was what Karina thought before she heard about the 'conditions' for the pacts he made, which were the very things that sustained his existence.

The moment the being spoke about the conditions, Karina simply stood still, in shock for some time, still trying to understand what exactly he had said. It was only when he spoke aboud Vi'daerus that she finally realized what he had done to them.

At that moment, the words the being said previously during the fight came back to haunt Karina's mind, cutting it like a blade.

“No matter where you go. No matter what you achieve. The weight of his name will follow, and the ‘respect’ given will never really be your own.”

In the end, she would never surpass her father... Everything she did and would do in her life, all her achievements, all her effort would be stolen from her. To die in anonimity, without a name, without anything.

Hatred and anger were everything she could feel. Right now, she didn't care about how the being felt about the costs of his pact, or how guilty he seemed to feel.

Cold winds swirled rapidly around her as spikes formed around her feet as she walked towards the being, her rapier unsheathed as she did so. Unlike the ice around her, her eyes were burning with hatred.

Even though Karina had nearly exhausted her magic on the previous fight, her hatred was still enough to make the remaining magic she had go rampant. It was clear to those around her that she had completely lost control of her own magic. Fortunately, she was already exhausted enough to cause any harm or destruction.

The remaining heat on Karina's body quickly left as she stared towards the being. Even if she tried, she was simply unable to say anything. Words couldn't possibly describe the hatred she felt right now, how powerless she felt, knowing that she simply couldn't do anything against him.

Just as the being was about to disappear, Karina's lips started to move. The ominous and grim words that could be read from her lips were enough to freeze one's soul to the core...


"This world will be your prison. From now until the end of times. You will be powerless, useless, irrelevant and forgotten but I will not let you die..." Karina said just as the being disappeared, a moment before falling down on one knee, followed by the other, then her hands and finally, only then letting go of her rapier as she fell unconscious, her body dangerously cold to the touch as there was no heat left within it for her magic to use.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: 11am
Location: Entrance to the forest near the shooting range
Interactions: Hanna @Potter
Mentions:

---

With her plans to relax at the park and watch the archery competition being completely ruined, Mayet was definitely running out of patience. Her stay on Caesonia seemed to have only given her problem after problem. Fortunately, both for her and Nala, she ended up overhearing about a hunting event on the forest just after the Shooting Range. Despite the terrible humor that the recent events had put her into, she couldn't help but let out a smile as she turned to Nala.

"Since our plans to relax were completely ruined... What do you say about us going to that hunting trip I promised before?" Mayet asked, nodding towards the entrance of the forest as she looked at Nala, which turned towards her with an almost skeptical look on her eyes as she observed the few people that were gathering near the entrance with their hunting gear.

"Oh, them? Just ignore them... If they're smart, they'll keep out of our way and if they're not... Well... I'm sure they will learn very quickly." Mayet said with a mischievous smirk as she leaned forward, gently touching her forehead against Nala's, which now seemed to be a bit more comfortable and excited about going hunting after Mayet's words.

"Besides... You know as well as I do that they won't be able to keep up with us." Mayet said as she stood up with a smile as she started making her way to the entrance of the forest.

Among the people who were gathering to the hunting event, many of whom Mayet was certain that had never hunted anything bigger than a fox, there were a few whom definitely knew what they were doing. One of which was the woman whom apparently was going to be their game warden. Even though Mayet did not like her attitude and the tone of her voice, Mayet would turn a blind eye to it... As long as she didn't speak in that tone with her. Besides, she would definitely be helpful in keeping the others on a tight leash and let Mayet and Nala hunt freely.

Mayet arrived just as the woman finished giving her warning to the other hunters. Despite not saying a word, it was, as usual, almost impossible to ignore her presence. Even though Nala by herself already drew a lot of attention, Mayet wasn't behind by any means. Besides Mayet's exotic appearance and her intimidating, regal air of confidence, another thing that drew attention was the fact that Mayet didn't seem to be carrying any equipment that would be considered necessary for other hunters. No armor other than the simple, short black dress she was wearing and the gold jewelry adorning her, no weapons other than her ring-blade and a few circular, razor sharp blades that she wore on each of her wrist, each one of those with a similar black and gold motif as her blade. The glint coming from them was a clear hint that they weren't just decorations.

If anyone else showed up like Mayet did for a hunting trip other than Mayet, they would be labeled as simply being overconfident nobles that believed the world itself would bend to their will and nothing wrong could ever happen to them but for some reason, it was different for Mayet. One glance in her eyes was all it took to notice that there was... something more to Mayet. There was a certain dangerous, sharp look in her eyes, something that hinted that she could be just as dangerous as the majestic tigress that accompanied her.

"I suppose I can allow someone to join me if a group is really necessary... As long as they can keep up with us. Or at least won't get on our way when we're hunting." Mayet said as both her and Nala looked to Hanna and the rest of the hunters with very sharp eyes, almost as if she was trying to measure their abilities.

The Friestan Incident, a Fantasy Sci-Fi Fusion RP

---

Catherine listened to Anki with an annoyed expression after they tried searching around the Elven Quarters for a bit. Their task was definitely going to be even more exhausting than she had previously imagined.

"We know basically nothing about our target then... Great..." she said, with a sarcastic chuckle just after she heard Anki saying that this female elf was 'indistinguishable' from the rest of the elves in Cendana.

"I agree with Anki. Actively going around searching for something we know nothing about isn't really an option. Especially if whoever we're trying to find doesn't want to be found." She said, sighing.

"Whether we will take the passive approach like Anki said or actively try going around as tourists and asking is up to you. Just don't expect me of be of much help in the latter one." Catherine said with a chuckle as she started rummaging through her stuff for a moment, before she grabbed two different vials, one with a gray-ish liquid and another one with a clear one.

"Regarding what you said about an invisibility potion though... Invisibility is a very expensive, complicated and very unstable potion. One small change in temperature, concentration of the reagents or even too little or too much light while mixing it might cause the entire batch to go to waste. Luckily, I have something almost as good though." She said as she slowly poured the contents of one vial into the other one, gently mixing it as the mixture began taking a very light gray, pearlescent tone.

"I discovered this potion completely by mistake when I accidentally ruined a batch of invisibility potion by mixing it with the extract of the gland of a specific creature that utilizes pheromones to hide itself from predators. It works by bending light around you, not enough to make you invisible like a proper invisibility potion, but enough to hide most distinguishing features. Normally this would have almost the opposite effect you would want from an invisibility potion, turning you into a blurred, barely defined but easily seen silhouette. But the pheromones trick the brain into 'making up' the rest of the information it doesn't have." Catherine said, explaining as the liquid gradually changed tone until it finally got stable.

"To others, you would look like a perfectly normal, 'random passerby' in the corner of their eye... As long as they believe you to be exactly that. An unimportant, random passerby. The moment they focus their attention on you, the complete inability of their brain to gather any relevant information, such as recognizing any discernible feature will basically send it into alert. The conflicting information being processed by their brains, with part it wanting to 'make up' for the information they don't have, influenced by the pheromones and the other part of their brain trying to focus and identify the information it doesn't have will immediately make them realize that there's something going on. In their eyes, you'll look like a blurred, out-of-focus image of yourself. Kind of a dead giveaway if you want to be discrete." Catherine said as she handed the potion to Anki.

"Obviously, this potion won't be of much help to the one who will be pose as the tourist. Although it might help the others to not be around but not being noticed while Dumas tries asking around." Catherine finished as she waited for their decision.

@Martian@Kumbaris

Avalia

Time: 2pm
Location: Oasis near Dugmaghord
Interactions: Rosaria @potter, Slick @FunnyGuy

---

No matter how fascinating humans could be though, their tendency to start conflicts and their apparent tendency to always try to display dominance were starting to annoy Nuallán... and Slick wasn't an exception to that.

While there were some humans that were definitely more... sensible, a good deal of them showed themselves to be innately adept to start conflicts... Be it with their words or their actions. While this was something that the light elves might need right now, would the humans be able to keep themselves under control and learn how to live in Avalia, should they decide to stay...? Or they would end up being the embers to light the flames of even bigger conflicts and set all Avalia ablaze?

Staying true to Nuallán's thoughts, Slick's rough reply to his 'warning' was as far as anything could be from an apology, instead going as far as risking to offend them even further. Despite that, Nuallán would let it go simply with a warning in respect for Lady Rosaria. Even humans were bound to learn how to behave sooner or later. If they didn't learn despite Princess Rosaria's kindness... Only then he would act.

Finally taking his icy gaze away from Slick, Nuallán continued his task of escorting Princess Rosaria and her guest to their hunting trip, watching as Slick crouched, aiming at an antelope before shooting an arrow directly at it's throat.

The moment the arrow hit the Antelope though, a huge creature suddenly appearing, leaping from a tall rock structure and crushing the Antelope as it fell, facing the group as it demanded to know who gave them permission to hunt on it's territory.

"Lady Rosaria..." Nuallán said in a very low tone, giving a step forward and putting himself between the creature and the princess.

"Avoiding a direct confrontation might be possible, seeing how the creature did not simply attack us. It might be the safest option, seeing how it seems to be able to see us despite the spell..." he said, avoiding to put his hand on his sword but still ready to act if necessary, as he waited for Rosaria's reply and her decision on what to do.

The Five Senses

Karina Frost

---

As Sil's voice became weaker and weaker, Akai grew even more worried. She didn't know what to do other than take both of them to safety... She didn't even know what's wrong with Sil... but she did know that she was definitely losing her. The situation became even worse when Sil stopped speaking

"SIL! STOP PLAYING WITH ME! WAKE UP!" Akai shouted as she continued taking both her and Lynx to a safe location.

"THIS IS NO TIME FOR JOKES!... Wake up... Both of you... Please!" Akai said, a mix of anger, fear, desperation and sadness in her voice as she watched, powerless as Sil went unconscious.

---

Kneeling on the ground, already beyond the point of exhaustion, Karina watched, relieved as her ice spear tore the heart off from the distorted creature that Lord O'Kal had become. While it was another small victory for them, there were still two hearts remaining... Even though Karina wouldn't be of much help, she forced herself to get up... The battle wasn't over yet.

The very moment she slowly but surely stood up though, time suddenly stopped around her. Without any time to react to the strange situation, a huge shadow covered her, taking a very familiar form... Her father, General Viktor Frost. Together with it, a voice called out to her, the voice of 'The Being', saying how she would never escape the fate of living under her father's shadow... She could feel it... That voice was mocking her, mocking her accomplishments and everything she was. It's words were like needles, aiming precisely to the small cracks in the armor Karina built around her heart and mind...

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP!!" Karina shouted, covering her ears, trying, with no avail, to make the voice go away as it continued.

"YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME, ABOUT MY LIFE AND WHO I AM!!" she continued, with burning hatred in her eyes and voice as she said so.

As the time began to flow again, Karina soon saw herself surrounded, together with the other soldiers and the rest of her group, by sharpened tentacles. In the blink of an eye, each and every one of them was bound by a tentacle.

"I will not fall without fighting!" Karina said, muttering to herself as she did her best to resist the tentacles.

Even knowing that it was a useless effort, Karina simply couldn't give up now... Not after everything she went through. She refused to be remembered as someone who was right, but lacked strength to act up to her words...

At that very moment, the same being, who came to mock her appeared once again. The moment he did, Karina's eyes once again filled with hatred. Initially, she thought that it had come once again to mock her, to say how she would be reminded as nothing more than a failure... But this time, it's target seemed to be someone else, as it turned towards the twisted creature that was once Sightles Nieffar.

Something happened as The Being spoke to Nieffar... Something that it did... Or maybe something that was already happening even before it appeared... Regardless, just as it had said it was happening, cracks started appearing from the Seed's base, 'rot' as the Being had mentioned, quickly spreading towards Nieffar's tentacles and soon enough to it's spine, ending on it being completely split from the seed.

Karina, falling to the ground after the 'rot' took Nieffar, was finally able to breathe again. Although they were not able to win that battle... They were now safe... at least for now. Unfortunately, as much as Karina tried, she simply wasn't able to get up. She knew that she had overexerted herself, both physically and magically. Still, even exhausted, she still found enough energy within herself to send the being a burning stare of hatred as he turned to her, Chres, Týfurkh, Octavio and Jen.

The stump of the seed, after being salted, had turned into something Karina knew well... A very rare resource that was always seen and dealt with extreme urgency and cautiousness, due to it's effects and how it could be used as a weapon against her father and the Military forces he commanded...

”Shadow metal…”

Karina's expression of hatred didn't change as she heard Chres' words. She kept looking towards the being, watching his every movement and word as it clapped, congratulating them with an arrogant tone.

Silently, Karina heard, still regaining her breath from the previous fight, as the being answered to Týfurkh and Chres' questions, mentioning how the reason for him having chosen them was but a gamble and how he was 'useless', stating that his influence in the world was stripped long ago. His explanation continued, mentioning how the Seed was drawing power from another source... Vi'daerus, the Omniscient as he called it.

His explanation, while fantastical, was not exactly impossible to believe, after everything they've seen and went through. The fact that the Insight could bring someone closer to 'godhood' to omniscience, wasn't hard to believe and would explain a lot of the unbelievable powers the sightless had.

Despite all that explanation... There was still one thing the Being, or 'Bud', didn't explain on detail...

"You still haven't answered us. Who... What are you?? Why shouldn't I believe that you are exactly the same as this Vi'daerus you speak about??" Karina asked, her voice and tone sharp as a knife as she looked towards 'The Being', or as he told them to call him, 'Bud'.

"You used us... You used all of us as mere pawns. Sending us to an almost suicide mission based on nothing but a gamble!" she said, shouting as she finally stood up again, pointing her rapier towards him.

"Not very unlike how this Vi'dareus used the sightless, isn't it?" Karina asked, looking directly towards Bud.

"You... Vi'daerus... You both seek to play god with a world that isn't yours, don't you? We are not pawns to be used, pieces of a game to be manipulated. Your influence was stripped from you and even this Vi'daerus needs very specific circumstances to exert his power..." she said, still staring daggers at him.

"It seems that I'm not the only one that rejects your kind... This world seems to do it as well..." she said with a mocking smirk towards him... A small payback for everything he said and did.

"Humanity does not need gods to control and restrict them. And we will not let any creature with such aspirations to do as it desires." she finished, looking to Bud defiantly.

While Karina would like to keep the properties of the shadow metal any amount of it and even it's very existence a secret from as many people as she could, the moment Týfurkh asked more about it and Bud said they were free to take it, Chres immediately said for them not to, proceeding to explain it's properties and exactly what it was before staring at her, seeking confirmation for his words.

"There will not be any oversight to any amount of Shadow Metal leaving this room." she said with a cold tone, looking to both Týfurkh and Chres. Both her tone and her stare were clear warnings that she would not budge on that matter.

"The Shadow Metal will be secured by the Military of Touch and dealt with accordingly." She said, her eyes making it clear that she wouldn't comment on that matter any further.

Even though Shadow Metal was a very rare resource, there was a reason why the Military spared no effort to secure any amount of Shadow Metal they went through and even to keep both it's existence and properties a secret by spreading disinformation. The very fact that Chres and the rest knew that the Seed had turned into Shadow Metal would be dealt with in a very serious manner by the Military. They would do anything so that information wouldn't become public.