GambolMuse

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

"Of course, it's the best course of action for us, "And grass whistle...? What do you.." Nymira let it go when Zander and Geoffrey left ahead of them, shrugging off the comment and looking at the others still left. "It appears Amuné should be in this area, so finding each other shouldn't be terribly hard. Try avoiding going in on your own, we don't know the strength of our enemy yet." Or if there were Magi with them. Prior to her journey she had been in the understanding that Magi were rare among people even in the more populous areas but somehow she'd managed to come across near every one it seemed.

Splitting up to search seemed like a fine idea, more eyes in more places meant finding Amuné faster. Having Cecil along for his group would be nice too, the guard wouldn't know what Amuné looked like even if he did see her. "You got it, no fighting until everyone's there," Ethan agreed with a nod, casting a glance in the direction of Zander and Geoffrey. They were already off but he figured they'd know as much, a bow and a staff probably weren't suited for taking on a bunch of armed slavers. Slapping Cecil on the back he grinned and gave him a thumbs up, ready to get started in earnest. "How about it then, let's go find her!"

"Don't do anything stupid, we don't need a second or third person to rescue," Nymira reiterated with a glare in Ethan's direction. Satisfied everyone knew what to do she sighed before motioning for Asta to follow her lead, leaving the rest to their own devices. Was it bad she could picture this going terribly wrong? She'd like to trust the ability of the others and their judgment, though Ethan's making friends with everything and Cecil's lack of knowledge on most matters troubled her. That wasn't even including Geoffrey and Zander, both who were largely unknowns still. And then there was Asta, a woman she had quite literally just met.

"I still do not understand why you're helping us," Nymira said bluntly while keeping her gaze forward, scanning nearby buildings for movement, "I understand Amuné is one of your people but you've no connection to her. I may have lied earlier when I said I'd do the same for one of my kind, why should I risk myself for a complete stranger? Just because we're of the same race?" Ethan had the same inclination to try and help wherever they could, it would be a damned miracle if no one died because of these jobs of his. It wasn't even like they were beneficial either as Nymira was still trying to meet with her first dignitary: the mayor would have counted if he hadn't come down with a sudden case of death. "If you're wondering why I wanted to keep you with me is because frankly I do not trust you, and I do not trust you with any of them."

Having an area to search instead of wandering was nice, it saved them the headache of trying to figure it out themselves. That being said it did little to alleviate Ethan's main problem: he still didn't know the area at all, hardly helping his lack of directional skills. Thankfully the guard had been sent along with his party just for that, and in retrospect now he understood why Nymira had grouped them up. Hardly a minute into their effort and he'd already been turned around once while almost leaving the area, acknowledging the favor with a bashful grin.

"She's got to be around here somewhere, it's killing me not knowing where though," Ethan said as he stopped at another building, wiping away grime and peering in through the windows. A rundown home with cobwebs over much of the furniture, no one was in there either. Stepping away from the glass he wiped off some smudge from his nose and looked to Cecil for some help. "Any ideas? I mean if there's more than one person then they'd have to have a big building, right? You can't cram a lot of people into a tiny house like this," Ethan mused, rubbing his head as he glanced back at the home again, "So... Maybe we should just look for big places?"

The guard glanced down at Wyth pacing nervously at their feet, assuming that this animal bust belong to the girl they were looking for. "Can he help us find the girl?" he asked, kneeling down and holding out a hand for Wyth to sniff, "I know moorcats don't usually track people but if he's the girl's pet then he'd recognize her scent, right? If we had some hounds this would be much easier..."

What were those bastards chattering about now? They were told to sit in the cell and be quiet so why were they talking? Grumbling incoherently a ragged looking man got out of his seat and took another hearty drink of his ale, belching as he approached the cell door. "Oi, shut yer traps in there, I can't relax with you lot yapping away," he shouted, banging his mug against the bars and spilling the liquor into the cell, "And quit your whining girl, you won't be in here forever. Nah, come morning we're grabbing ya'll and heading out of this town, gonna be selling you off to the highest bidder by this time tomorrow. So don't get too comfy, you'll be leaving soon!" Chortling with laughter he turned and went back to his seat, but not before leaning down to grab up a slip of paper that had come off the desk. If they looked close enough one of the Ydrans may notice a ring of keys on his back belt loop, shining dimly in the light of the lanterns before he sat back down. "Maybe if you're good I'll even get ya some water! Wouldn't that be a treat?"

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

If we're wondering who is posting next it's either myself or Scout. I'll see if he's available to do so, otherwise my turn :3

Edit: That being said expect a post either tonight after work or early tomorrow, gonna be busy this afternoon.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Er... Sorry, a bit of grim humor. And in all fairness they're likely fighting hordes of those creatures, it's a safe assumption they aren't having a good time," Vegeta pointed out, "But as I said I'm confident they're fine, they're plenty capable and work well together." Chatter aside they still had to try and locate Yumi and the others and thus far only the faintest of traces had been picked up. How detecting energy beyond the rift worked was anyone's guess as they had never done anything like this before, not with a living being. "Well yes, it's a guess. We've never done this before, nothing we're doing right now has any certainty, it's all theory. And you'll do fine, that I am certain of at least. If we can open the portal then everything that follows is easy." There was that factor though, the if: no one knew if they were even capable of opening their own portal to the other side. Given the inevitability of their being unable to then it fell to Yumi, Viral, Eris and Orion to find a means to get themselves back home, in enemy territory and possibly with an entire village to protect. Things did not bode well if they failed.

"We could always cut your hair if you wanted, you know. I was thinking of getting mine cut at some point, it's getting kind of long," Takeshi suggested, glancing up and tugging on one of his bangs with a frown before slicking it back into place, "I know you can do it buddy, and you know why? Because I'm faster than those things too and when we train together you run circles around me. If you can avoid me then you can definitely avoid those things, no problem. And you know... I'm not exactly not afraid of those things, I don't want to be their snack either. But you've gotta fight them you know? I've gotta keep myself safe, I gotta try keeping you safe and I've gotta try keeping my friends safe, and I know they're going to do that for me. I'm kinda used to thinking its just me on the field when we're fighting, and it's all on me, but... You gotta remember other people are there too, right? I don't know, I guess that makes me brave even when I'm scared." Aside from the fiasco with the big bug from before but Takeshi was hoping Shu wouldn't bring that up with him.

Viral likely needed the rest but Yumi couldn't stay here, it stunk too much of blood to be comfortable. Even without her heightened senses it would probably be awful and having sensitive smell made it even worse. Grabbing Viral to lend him support she lifted him to his feet again, trying to lead him in the direction Eris and Orion had traveled in search of villagers. "Yeah, my Ki doesn't work here, I don't get why. And why would it be inconvenient?" she questioned, giving her friend an earnestly perplexed look, "I just said I can fight just fine without it. It's nice to have sometimes but I'll survive without Ki. So it's not inconvenient, in fact I might even prefer it. I get lazy with Ki." It was easy to not have to dodge or fight up close when you could fly and blast away, yet that wasn't all there was to fighting and sooner or later it got up close and personal again. Taking it slow to now push Viral too hard she nodded at his comment about the stench, wrinkling her nose before smiling. "You're probably sore and almost burned out, I am too. My whole body hurts and without Ki I can't avoid having to move, but it's okay because we got through the worst of it," Yumi said as she looked at Viral cheerfully, "And we're all okay, even if we're exhausted."

Pushing through the open land with so many people to protect was a little nerve-wracking, especially after dealing with so many creatures. For extra precautionary measures Orion kept in the lead while Eris went to the back of the group, it being the best they could do between the two of them. Even Eris for all of her usual excitement around battle was being cautious now, not liking the lull that followed such a big fight. Something must have caught wind of what was happening and yet they were utterly alone out here, not a single one of those creatures in sight. Only once they were back in their world would she let her guard down, their job was to protect these people and she wouldn't forget that, not for a second. How did Viral and his people treat failure? With beatings? Days without food? Solitary confinement? She would rather not find out.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Yes, I hear death is rather dreadful," Vegeta remarked with the slightest hint of amusement, as if it needed to be said. "I am confident they are alive however, they're perfectly capable and they work well together. It may not be easy, but they will succeed." In what now had become a group effort between himself, Haku and T'charrl they channeled their energies together and began trying to track their friends, or Yumi in particular. When on the same plane as them it was relatively easy to pick out a familiar Ki signature, even from a moderate distance. Having passed into another realm entirely however finding Yumi's energy was proving to be far more difficult but not impossible. The faintest of traces were picked up after long, they were vague but they were there and with luck, traceable. "I hope not. Don't rush into it, follow the stream and see if you can find where it cuts off. If my assumption is correct then that should be where the portal is, as we likely cannot sense them beyond it," Vegeta muttered before frowning, "Or... What we are sensing now is beyond the portal. There's still much we don't know yet..."

Takeshi had always dealt with predators the same way: take away their ability to turn you into a snack and they weren't all that threatening. To him it wasn't a big deal, wild animals were always a thing no matter where he lived and you just got used to it. Shu had always been surrounded by animals too but he didn't appear to have the same kind of resolve his older brother did. "Yeah, that would be bad... Don't want to go losing a limb fighting these things," he agreed with a nod, frowning as he scratched at his head. What else was there then? Shu was faster than the creatures were and much stronger, he just wasn't confident enough to deal with them. "Well... Know what else you can do? They're bigger than you right? And you're quick, so why not duck under them when they try getting you?" Takeshi suggested before smiling hopefully, "Or... Jump over them, or even on them. They don't have hands so they can't grab you, and if you're on their back then they can't bite you, you know? And you could even hit them while you're on their back and there's nothing they can do, that would work."

"So the cards are stacked against us, not the first time it's been that way. We'll get out of here just fine, it just might take a little while longer than we'd hoped," Yumi said with certainty, trying to be a pillar of support for Viral, "And yeah, I... Don't know why it isn't working. I can feel it, but whenever I try using it there's nothing that comes out, it just... Vanishes." She would be fine without it as she'd gone years with no Ki, and while the situation was far different from before she'd learned enough to still be able to fight. "Since there's no door here why don't we go find Orion and Eris? They might need help with the people here and the least we can do is show them there's more fighters to protect them." Grabbing hold of Viral's paw she eased his arm over her shoulder again and placed one around his waist, lifting him to his feet. "This place is beginning to stink anyways, I don't want to sit around here too long."

Orion's and Eris' search had been fruitful and several survivors had been found, nearly two dozen of them. Neither knew how many people were in the village originally but this seemed to be the bulk of them to their relief. Never having seen anyone like them before it took a little convincing to get them to trust the Beastmen, but once Orion managed to earn their trust they could begin leaving. The cave which the villagers had been crammed into was narrow and damp, fighting inside of it would be highly dangerous for risk of a cave in. To be safe Eris had gone on ahead to watch out for any creatures that happened across their path while Orion guided them along. Many seemed exhausted and burned out and he wondered just how long they had been here, and what these creatures planned on doing with them. Something troubled him too, something that wasn't quite adding up about this situation: wild animals didn't keep prisoners, so who was keeping these people here?

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

To be fair I think the search is taking so long because ya'll let Ethan lead the way. Boy couldn't find his pants if they weren't on already :P

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"You're right, you're excellent at talking to dead people. Fortunately for us our friends are not dead, though unfortunately that presents a unique challenge for you. One you may or may not be up to, and we won't know unless we try." Vegeta didn't expect it to work on the first try, if it were that easy they would have done it ages ago. Nor did he expect it to work on the second try or even the third, there was nothing to suggest that they themselves could open a door to the other side. Offering to lend a hand Vegeta stepped up alongside the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder, acting as a source of energy if needed and a guide if he could. Opening one eye when Haku moved over and copied his gesture he smiled slightly, trying to focus on any traces of their friends who had passed through. He could sense the brothers easily enough and pinpoint their location, now they simply had to do that for the rest. Trying to search for even the faintest hint of some Ki Vegeta went silent for a good minute before slightly turning his head, brow furrowing as his grip on T'charrl's shoulder tightened slightly. "Just to your left... Feel that...? I don't know if it's residual, but I can sense a bit of Yumi's energy there... Do you feel it?"

"You'll get better the more you do it though, even if you might crash once or twice. Like I said I fell plenty, and that was only flying. You don't even wanna know how bad I was when I tried using blasts," Takeshi recalled with a roll of his eyes. It was a miracle he hadn't ever blown a hand off or something with how dumb he was about it, always trying to make as big a blast as possible. Compared to the stuff was doing even now he was actually leagues better than he'd been when he started. "Wanna know how not to be afraid? I'll tell you. You're fast right? Faster than me, and even I was faster than they were. So all you gotta do is be faster and they can't catch you," Takeshi explained with a smirk, "But... If they do catch you then blast them, you know how to. And if Ki doesn't work then what? Well... Grab their mouth, if they're trying to bite you then you just gotta hold them." Making a gesture with his hands like snapping jaws to drive him his point he then pretended to reach out and grab hold of it. "You kind of push on its jaw, you know? Hold it open so it can't bite down, then give it a blast or a kick to knock it away!"

Eris and Orion should be fine on their own, they had worked together a lot and probably did better without her or Viral tagging along. They would wait here in the meantime, just on the off chance the rift might reopen while they were around. Besides Viral needed someone around right now and she had to be the one to do that, or she felt like it. "No, it wasn't just you. And you're right, you shouldn't have tried to do it all, and what you did was definitely reckless," she agreed with a nod before giving him a patient smile, "But because you did all of that we're all safe. And because of that we might be able to save the people who were taken and get back, with no one being seriously hurt, including you. We wouldn't have been able to do this without your leading us. Heck you almost killed three of the big ones yourself, there's no way we could have done that without getting seriously hurt. Duty or not, I'm really glad you were here. And I know when we see the others they'll be glad for it too."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Be patient with it, I wouldn't expect it to be easy," Vegeta urged calmly, folding his hands behind his back as he glanced skyward again, "If you can feel something then that should mean there is a passage, right? You wouldn't be picking up their energy if there wasn't some way to connect to it. Would moving help?" There was reason for optimism now and with luck they would find that 'sweet spot' which allowed them to establish a connection. He'd prefer not to say it aloud but surely T'charrl knew it, if they wanted this method to work then it hinged entirely on his ability to find a link. Walking over to the boy he stood at T'charrl's back, reaching down and gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "Let me try to help. I know Yumi's energy anywhere, and if you can find Viral then between the two of us we're bound to locate them." Closing his own eyes he allowed his Ki to flow freely, should T'charrl have need of some, and began to attempt and sense out the energy of his friend. Not unsurprisingly there was no immediate trace and this frustrated Vegeta, but he took a breath and pressed on with the search.

"That's why you practice buddy. You think I was a natural at it when I first learned?" Takeshi asked rhetorically with a laugh, "You should have seen me, sticking up in a tree a couple of times because I'd get caught on branches, or the number of times I fell into water. I wasn't exactly an ace, you know? It takes practice." So that was another thing they would have to do later on top of all the other work they already had in store for them. At least the flying thing could be fun, he'd just have to ask Vegeta about a padded room or something so Shu didn't end up hurting himself. The little guy was having trouble being positive at all with all these things he couldn't do well so maybe... Bring up the things he could do? It was worth a shot, and Takeshi was happy to find his brother seemed a little embarrassed by it. "Well... I mean look at me and bugs, you're asking the wrong guy for that buddy," the older boy chuckled, smiling slightly as he rubbed his neck, "But if you ask me... Uh... I mean you gotta face it, you know? I used to be afraid of mountain lions when I was little, they were all over the place where I grew up and they scared the crap out of me. After I realized I'm faster and stronger though they're not so scary. So you kinda got to... Face your fear I guess. If you see its not so scary then its not a big problem."

Everyone was haggard after that fight but none more so than Viral, he barely looked able to stand. Yumi had figured he'd done a lot of the fighting so that was to be expected, he'd killed two of the giant beasts and protected them all in the process. "Of course you deserve praise, you saved us. And you didn't get us trapped here, it was a set up by them, not you. Don't be blaming yourself for what they did," she reassured, slowly crouching down to set Viral into a sitting position instead. "None of us can do anything... At least not yet, it's not just you. So please, stop saying this is on you, it's not. You saved me and we prevented more people from being hurt today, there's a lot to be proud of." Much as she'd like to have a new portal spring open and for them to just leave they couldn't quite yet, there was unfinished business here. Glancing around the area in hopes of finding some clue she let out a sigh, smiling sadly as she gave Viral a pat on the back. "We need to look for the people who were taken too. If they might still be alive then we can't leave them here, which means we'll need to get moving soon."

"We can handle the search, you two take a break," Orion interjected, "We've not worn out just yet, we'll handle it from here."

"We will? I don't want to be doing a search and rescue, the people are probably dead anyways," Eris grumbled with a roll of her eyes, "Do you think those things wouldn't just eat them? Seriously, you think they were stealing them to make friends? H-Hey!" Being grabbed by the back of her shirt by Orion she swung out at him and missed, snarling before resigning herself to be lifted.

"If this is where they originally came through then the prisoners may not be far, if there are any. Let us take a look, we'll report back as soon as we find something. Come along Eris." True, search and rescue wasn't generally their job, but they were capable of doing it. That had been part of this assignment as well, rescue anyone they could, and with the beasts in the area slain they now had a chance to try and do so. Setting Eris down he pushed the girl along before walking alongside her, waving to Yumi and Viral as they moved off to begin their search.

Yumi waited until the others were well out of view before leaning over and wrapping her arms around Viral, hugging him as she laid his head on her shoulder. "I know you hate this, just shut up and let me hug you," she whispered, closing her eyes and sighing before letting him back off. "I was so stressed about today, I could barely sleep last night and I was worried something might happen, one of us might get hurt or worse. You don't know how relieved I am things worked out. And how relieved I am that you're okay," she added, smiling as she sat down beside him. "And really... You were amazing today. There's no way we could have won without you, I'm glad you were here."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Either way the intent was good, and what happened was unfortunate. You shouldn't feel poorly or like you made a mistake, it's possible you saved countless lives by doing what you did. Hold onto that instead of the 'what-ifs'." But then that was neither here nor there and discussing these matters would only be detrimental to trying and reopen a rift. Leaving it for now Vegeta stood by in silence in case energy was needed, resigned otherwise to simply observe what was being done. It was interesting to watch, this process, and the blue flames that T'charrl created begged so many questions that went without answer. Fascinated his eyes shifted slightly to the portal forming before them, or the beginnings of one; hazy and unfocused, it reminded Vegeta a lot of a television screen without a channel to tune to, static and all. If there was a way for them to reach Viral and Yumi then this would be it, and while he'd not place that weight on T'charrl he wondered if the boy knew it as well.

"Not like it's your fault though, and you're starting to pick it back up. If we practice some more I'm sure you'll get back everything you learned," Takeshi said to try and reassure Shu. Scratching at his head for a moment the older boy laid back and let out a sigh as he wondered where to go to from there. Seemed like the little guy was still all bent out of shape and uneasy about fighting the monsters, something that he had been doing without much of a second thought. Did he really get why Shu was upset? No, not until his brother laid it out anyways. Trying to get his brother to relax by acting like a fool he let go when Shu didn't react, sitting up again and shrugging his shoulders. "Well... Then let's teach you how to fly, so you can avoid bad animals from now on," Takeshi suggested, smiling as he gave Shu a thumbs up, "Or if Ki isn't your thing... You're already real fast, you know? Probably one of the fastest here, and we're all faster than animals. So if things can't even catch you then they can't eat you right? Plus you're really good at climbing, as long as we're not in the middle of some field its easy for you to get away. 'Course... You're super strong too, so it's easy for you to kill whatever is trying to snack on your butt too."

Pounding on the glass of Enki's eye for some response and getting none made Yumi grow worried. Was Viral okay in there? The fact Enki wasn't moving at all said he wasn't at the controls, had he passed out from the fighting? How hard would it be to break into the machine? Looking around for an access point she gasped in surprise when air was released and its mouth swung open, revealing a beleaguered Viral inside. What a huge relief it was to see him awake, though it was evident he was worn down. Smiling as she swung herself down into the cockpit itself she had to lower her stance to fit properly, reaching out and taking one of his arms to place over his shoulders. "See? I knew with you leading us we'd be fine," she laughed, resisting the urge to hug him and look over him like a fitful mother over their fallen child. Moving to the mouth of Enki she glanced down over the edge to figure out how best to get down, a bit surprised to find Eris and Orion standing below waiting for them. Everyone was alive after that, bloodied and bruised but alive.

"Excellent job, Commander. Not that I doubted our victory with you at the lead," Orion called up, smiling as he waved to the pair above.

"I knew you were the alpha, this proves it! You're much better than these other males they gave us!" Eris shouted, grinning as she motioned for them to come down, "Come, get down here so we can celebrate! You should see the battlefield, we did a number on this place."

"They seem happy, we probably shouldn't keep them waiting huh?" Yumi asked, chuckling before giving Viral a smile again, "Hang on, I'll get us down there." Minding her footing she stepped out onto Enki's leg, managing to maintain her balance while supporting Viral until they got down to the knee. Finding that the angle was much to steep to simply walk down she considered their options before wordlessly scooping Viral up into her arms, stepping off and dropping down to the ground and landing with ease, placing him back onto his feet again and keeping to his side for support. "There we are, sorry about the drop."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Well we scarcely used Ki during that encounter, so if you need any just ask. We'll be more than happy to provide it." They would have to moderate the amount of energy T'charrl took in however as they didn't want him to change unexpectedly. It was a sensitive topic with the boy but Vegeta felt it was prudent they acknowledge it, and his disconcerted reaction was about what he'd expect for the conversation. "I see... We should try and find a solution still, it's been a while and you've yet to have peace of mind. I'll mention it to father and between the two of us we may be able to help." Then again their knowledge was based on human and Saiyan anatomy, Kaesstrian anatomy was still alien to them. So was T'charrl's energy itself, until they got a better look it would be guesswork. "No need to rush, we've got time." Going silent while T'charrl began to try and focus he folded his arms across his chest, following his gaze skyward initially with a frown. There had to be a means of opening a rift on their own, otherwise they were completely helpless and would have to leave it to those on the other side, and that was provided they could do anything on their end.

Was that the sort of answer Shu was looking for? Takeshi really didn't know what he was supposed to say and just trying to tell Shu he was smart didn't work. "Yeah, it means you're a good learner, you know? Even if you don't know something you always pick it up pretty quick, you did with Ki and probably with talking too. Hell I could probably teach you other stuff too, or Vegeta or Yumi or someone else." He might talk like a little kid but Shu was much smarter than he appeared, he always had been awfully perceptive and no one had ever said much before. Raising an eyebrow when his brother squeaked the older boy sighed, smiling slightly before laying back in the grass. "Sure it gets scary but you still fought. Like I said you're brave, even if you don't think you are. And think about it... You lived in the jungle for years, you know? It's not like fighting angry animals is anything new for you, and you're even stronger and faster than you used to be. All you gotta remember is you're stronger than they are, and even without Ki, all you gotta do is remember that. Besides I don't think they would really want to eat you..." Takeshi added with a grin as he grabbed Shu's arm and gave it a playful nip, "You don't taste too good."

Yumi rushed from the creature and managed to take cover in a small dip in the ground, just in time for Viral to unleash his blast. Even from afar the heat emanating from the attack was palpable, not to mention the sound it made as the energy was released and tore through the monster. Shielding herself she waited until the attack ceased before looking over her cover, amazed to find there was next to nothing left of the creature they had just been fighting. Or any of the others for that matter, the battleground was not utterly devoid of life save for the four of them. Breathing a sigh of relief she quickly climbed from her spot and raced to where Enki had now ceased moving, climbing up it and to where Viral should be sat inside. He had done most of the fighting just now, nearly all of it, he must be utterly exhausted. She was too but she didn't care, she'd be fine after some rest. "Viral! Open up, let me in!" she called, smacking her hand on one of Enki's eyes, unsure of where to go to reach him. Was he fine after all of that? She knew that his changing like that took a lot out of him, would he be okay after all of this?

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

"Asta huh? Well nice to meet you, and thank you again for helping us. We really appreciate it!" The woman had no reason to do this other than the fact Amuné was one of her own, but then that was all the reason they needed. "Right, we should get moving as soon as we can, before they get too far away. Which means sir...? Do you know where their hideout is?" Ethan sure hoped so, otherwise they were wandering blindly for a little while longer.

The guard nodded his head before glancing around to get his bearings. "Let me see... They've been spotted about four streets over fairly often, coming and going from some unknown building there. We haven't quite singled out which one it is yet, but we know the general area. I'm sure if we went around and looked we'd stumble upon it." The guards had to have explicit permission from the mayor to do anything, but with these children outside of the man's command they were free to come and go as they pleased, and he would be there to make sure they didn't do anything drastic. "I should warn you though, there's been more than one man we've had reports of, several in fact. It could mean there's quite a few slavers waiting for us and I doubt they're going to hand over their cargo if we ask nicely."

"It won't be our first time dealing with some bad people, don't worry. Everything will turn out just fine," Ethan said confidently, smiling as he prepared himself to get moving along. When something cool and damp brushed against his ankle he jumped slightly and looked back, puzzled to see Asta's pet sniffing at him. Just what kind of animal was that? He'd never seen anything like it, and if he weren't so uncertain about it he'd probably give it a petting. "O-Oh, she won't attack me? Well then I guess it's a good thing she likes me!" he laughed, thanking his lucky stars he hadn't inadvertently done anything to earn the animal's ire.

"Yes yes, everyone loves you. Now if we're done could we get moving? We're wasting time, and if you know where to go," Nymira said as she looked to the guard, "We should get to work. Please, lead the way if you could."

"Of course." If they could successfully find these men then it would solve a huge string of crimes and kidnappings, a lot was riding on their victory today. Taking the children along with him he led them further up the road and over to the next, getting some strange looks from passerby and fellow guards alike; a Ydran woman, two animals, a Dimuran and two Muran boys, it was as motley a group as one could have. Fortunately no one would get in their way as they crossed street after street, at last reaching the neighborhood that should be housing their base of operations. Before bringing the group any further along he stopped at the mouth of the road and held up a hand to signal for them to stop.

"Before we go on I must make something perfectly clear to you all. I'm willing to help, but know that we are technically doing something illegal. If we succeed and we save your friend then I'm sure no one will mind. If things should go south though there's little I can do to get you out of trouble, I'll be in trouble as well but I accept that. If it means bringing these men in then I'm willing to risk my career for it. Are you still willing to go through with this, knowing all of that?"

That wasn't even a question, of course they were willing to do it. Amuné was in trouble and they had to rescue her, there was no backing out even if someone was having second thoughts. When no voices of dissent were heard Ethan inhaled silently through his nose before putting on a smile, nodding to the guard before looking past him down the road. So she was down there somewhere, in one of those buildings or another one nearby. He didn't care how many men might be waiting or who might be among them, they were going to save Amuné no matter what came up.

"It may be best we split up then into pairs, search the buildings and then report back to the others if you find something," Nymira spoke aloud, figuring that was their best course of action. She already had pairs in mind as well, and she doubted there would be any complaints. "Geoffrey and Zander, you two should work together, since you know each other so well. Ethan, why not work with the guard? Even if you find it I want to make sure you can actually find your way back to us. And take Wyth with you," she added, glancing at Cecil then before frowning, "And take Cecil as well, since you're unarmed. I'll work with Asta."