Th3King0fChaos

Interest Check - Shadows of Discord: Reckoning in the Neon Age

Seems like this has an interesting premise, I'm very interested.

The Hourglass Order

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Cold Comfort: One step Forward, One step down

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In a land so close to home, yet so far from it, Marz sighs to himself as he looked to his hands. Callused and worn even at his age, shackled by the monks within the monetary above, now being used for some strange reason.

"I would have wished we met under better circumstances, yet that is not possible now. I am Brother Vadim, and we need your help".

Marz felt his feet landing against the stony ground underneath and knew they must have been deep underground, the stone the stairs are made of is a very tough and dense stone, one that was often subjected to great pressure being so deep. The lights that the Priests used were magic, so it made it easy to realize that they were drawing from sources near them, and when they dimmed for a bit he knew they reached a certain point of depth where it was hard for them to draw from energies near the surface.

"It all started months ago when I and many others were providing aid and charity to the people of Kirimansk, we found a strange device. One that we suspected to be the cause of many of the woes within the town".

If the depths of this prison were not unsettling enough, it was the tunnels that would do it. These tunnels were just big enough for a normal man to walk through, with small little off-lets allowing one to stand to allow another to pass them by. Yet for a hegelan and any others with a larger frame, it was claustrophobic. Your arms had no room to move, let alone stay by your sides. The tunnels moved in strange ways for those who were uninitiated, and the dark within exasperated the many problems one might find within the tunnel.

"It was a device that we found blocked the use of the Gift. A device that had sent much of this town into much distress. Yet, we had only found 1 of these devices, and even after moving it from its location, we were unable to alleviate the woes of the town".

Lights began to show through these tunnels, even among the short distance, it felt like an eternity since one saw the light. Yet once it touched the eyes it blinded them till they could hear the sound of working. People toiling away in stone rooms, the sound of hammering, grunting, and sweating. As one passed by a room, they could hear the work within more clearly, grind wheels spinning, cogs shifting, stone and slate being written on, even some whirling of strange energies here and there, yet all the people held within were Hegelan. Each and every last one was bound in cuffs and chains similar to the one Marz had. Every single one is being watched by a priest, dutifully observing, almost waiting for something.

"In an attempt to find the others, we enlisted the help of Hegelan craftsmen. Many talented in their field, in the hopes that with these many great craftsmen together we would be able to figure out the mechanisms of the device's origin and stop the others to return peace to this town".

A bell began to ring as many people within these stone rooms began to slowly filter out into the hallway. Here the hallway was much more spacious, enough for 2 men to walk side by side with enough room for them to not feel uncomfortable. Yet all of those who were Hegelan stayed to one side of the hall, while the priests remained on the other wall. Watched as the Hegelans formed a line that headed to their intended destination, but Marz, he was told to shuffle himself into the line and head off with them to an unknown destination.

"Your work shall not go unawarded, upon completion you shall be handsomely rewarded for this great deed you would have done".

The line of Hegelans was constantly monitored and watched by the priests all the way to this small doorway that each of them entered. Upon the last inspection at the doorway, Marz entered this large dimly lit cavern. The cavern was filled with long stone tables that seemed to stretch nearly from one end of the cavern to the other. The line moved across the large area to meet with the many priests who were standing at the other end with piles of bread and bowls. Each Hegelan was given 1 piece of bread and 1 bowl of what looked to be stew.

Marz made his way to the front as he was given his share, the exact same as all the others, yet for him, it was small in comparison to what he would expect and much less hope for. Yet, that wasn't the issue, for him, it was the stares. As he moved through the tables, many looked towards him like he was some kind of bug, a rodent even. Marz even attempted to make some conversation to at least take a seat near someone, yet they left. Sitting alone, Marz began to look at his food, and felt off about it, like he was looking at something that wasn't actually there.

"Ya, the food 'ere is bad. It has no taste, much less texture".

Marz looked up to see it was the woman who was there to clean his wound. He dipped his head to the side for a moment as he looked at his food and said, "Ya? I could 'ell from 'ere".

The girl chuckled as she then asked, "Would you mind if I sit witcha?"

Marz gave a light gesture to the seat as he said, "Go fer it. Not like any other is gona". Marz looked around for a moment as he continued to see the many people seeming to eye him up from across the cavern. Many seemed either curious or skeptical, but none seemed outright hostile, yet.

"Wha'cher name?"

Marz looked back as he seemed almost lost for a moment as he thought he saw someone eyeing him up much more aggressively, "Wha?"

"Yer name. What is it? Don' tell me you forgot it when you got conked on the head". The girl spoke with a bit of a bit of fun in her voice.

"Ah, Marz". Marz turned back for a moment to see the man who was originally eyeing him up was now gone.

"Well Marz, my name is Venna".

"Venna, hmm-", Marz seemed to seeing the many people here, and the many different jobs being done within the rooms he had passed by, he was curious, "-what craft do you do?"

Venna let out a sigh, "I don' 'ave one. I don' practice a craft, I was brought 'ere because I was with some of the other crafters". Venna gave a nervous chuckled as she shrugged and said, "I'm just a Tool Merchant. I pedal and sell tools. Guess you look like those you work with".

Marz chuckled as well as he thought about the situation she was in, "Well ain't that a bitch, hu?"

Venna seemed to blush from the embarrassment of it, but seemed to be a good sport overall, yet it left Marz noticing something. They were being looked at, not just him. He looked around as eyes and chatter seems to follow them. No matter the size, a cavern is a cavern, and stone never lies. Something as small as a whisper can reach someone if given enough time in these stony walls. The words filled the air, reverberating and resounding through out, it told Marz he was not welcomed, he was to not be trusted, many and many of things. It became almost impossible to not hear until he heard a whistle and then a voice calling to him, "Hey greenhorn! What'cha dreamin' about?"

Marz once more had his concentration broken by a new voice, a younger man maybe of similar age to Marz who plops right down next to him. With a very noticable height and size difference, it was easy to now see, the difference between Marz and many of the others, starvation. The people here have been fed enough food to keep them productive and usable. The food they were fed however was very few of them knew how to do, but everyone knew what it was, magically created food. Marz noticed this the moment he took a bite of his bread and stew, the only flavors within was salt and sadness. Everything within was heated, yet it was all made with magic, even the bread was made of magic. Marz finished his observations as he then answered, "Ah, nothin', just noticing everyone seems to be bored to be interested in me".

The smaller man laughed as he said, "Ah ya, that'd be expected. Yer new, people are normally pretty wary o greenhorns 'ere".

Marz look quizzical as he asked on, "Oh? Why's that?"

The man spoke with a bit of a shrug while he took a spoon full of stew into his mouth, "Mmm, we just got a spy. A mole, really roughed him up when we found out, an' they had to pull 'im out before worst".

Marz said once more now skeptical, "So you're saying they think I'm a spy?"

The smaller of the 2 men then pointed, "Bingo, if you er or ern't don' matter. What matters is that yer 'ere after they pulled out the last one".

Venna spoke out, "Most don't like those who'r not one o'em".

The smaller man then said, "Little missy's right, she don' work a craft, so she get shuns. You'r new an' you look well off so you will be too".

Marz asked, "Then what about you?" Seeming to be insinuating the same must mean the same for the man.

The man laughed as he said, "Naw naw naw, unlike you I'm liked here, as I am a craftsman". The man's eyes then narrowed as he then asked, "What are ye then?" Based upon some o those burn scars, you must be a smith, am I right?"

Marz looked at the man as for a moment almost seeming to be put off by the man asking such a question, "Yeah? And? You takin' a look cuz' you thinking of something else?".

The man laughed heartily as a few more men came over. Each of them now sitting next to Venna and Marz, surrounding them as a smile came over the man's face, "Then we'll see about that".

A flurry of questions began to fly at Marz, they began to question everything he knew about his craft, even to the point where they questioned his very existance. Marz began to get annoyed, his face seeming to harden as they ask more questions. To Marz, it felt as if they were trying to poke at his very existance, it felt as if they even tried to make light of that which he crafted. Marz knew what they were doing, they were trying to bring into question the legitimacy of him being here. Once the group couldn't figure out if he was an actual Craftsman, or just a really good Vossoriyan mole, they left. Leaving Venna and Marz alone once more.

Marz let out a sigh of frustration as he nearly threw a punch, but knew with Venna being there she would have been attacked. Venna seemed to break the awkward moment by saying, "Well that was stressful wasn' it?"

Marz chuckled out, "Ya. They asked annoying questions fer sure". Once Marz readjusted himself with a few shakes of the head he looked to Venna and asked, "So how did this happen?"

Venna looked to Marz confused, "How did what happen? The questioning?"

Marz shook his head, "No, how did ye all end up 'ere?"

Venna quickly answered, "Ah, yeah that. Well-".

Venna was then interrupted by the voice of another man, a large but old man who was nearby and was listening in spoke, "We were all invited try and reverse engineer some anti magic device". The man took a sip of his stew as another responded.

"Then we we're taken, snatched up in our sleep". A loud brash man spoke out seeming to almost seem to be angry and having boisterous gestures. "You were because they found you black out drunk!" Someone yelled out to make fun of the person and also debunk the notion all of them were asleep when it happened.

"Even if he is an idiot, he was right, we were taken, and kept here against our will". A female voice called out cutting through the bickering.

"Yeah, but it ain't all bad, we are promised a pretty handsome reward once this is all said and done!" A man called out in a jolly voice that Marz was somewhat familiar with.

Many of them began to laugh slightly, yet Marz could see through them, and they all could as well. Even if they claim to be grudgingly okay with it, their body language and general vibe belies this. It was something every Hegelan knew well, everyone here knew everyone was lying about being okay with this, and in a Hegelan way of it, no one will call it out even if everyone has a feeling. Someone needs to disprove it directly. Marz sighed as he realized, for him, he will need to earn their trust, and Marz knew well, a Hegelan does not trust easy.

Once dinner was finished, a bell rang out, as people began to stand, taking their bowl and placing them on a table in multiple large piles. Once they did this, they filtered out of the eating area, and began to head towards some destination. For Marz he was grabbed by 2 preists who made him wait for all the other Hegelan's to head to their cells. Once they all did, Marz was taken to his cell. There he met who were to be his new cellmates. All three looked to Marz with a suspicious glance, as the moment Marz entered the room all three seemed to create some space between themselves and him. Marz even tried to make conversation and the best he got was their names and what they did.

"Name's Khalud, I'm a smith of fine crafts", to Marz this man was the most friendliest of the three cellmates. He was stout and short, yet that lent well at least to his craft.

"Choran the Jeweler", this man seemed the most wary, he seemed to almost to look like he was watching every single move Marz made. It made Marz quite often check his stare and even get into a staring contest.

"Mazan", A simple old man, Marz wasn't one to question if an old man was to keep to himself, he earned that much.

Marz sighed as he set himself onto the bottom bunk that seemed empty. A voice cut through Marz' thoughts, "Move". Marz looked up to see Choran looking down onto Marz, Marz was about to throw a punch, yet he was stopped by his own awareness, the preists were still at the doorway making sure he was settled in. Marz shook his head as he stood up and watched Choran, whom used his bunk as a foot hold to get to his bed. Marz' hand clenched, yet he knew that starting a fight now did him no good. If he was to start a fight, he would probably be thrown into some confinement, and never be able to be found by the other students outside.

Marz just shook his head and went back into bed to try and sleep. Lights stayed on, but it was dim enough in the room to allow for one to sleep if they faced the wall. Yet sleep was hard to get within this place as a cacophony of snoring began to fill these tunnels, with the most powerful of them all originating from within his cell. With Marz turning to see the Old man being one who snored with enough power to make the air thin in the room.

Marz was left with the first night in this prison being left with loneliness and a lack of hearing.

Avalia

Time: Morning
Location: Port Vanarosa
Interactions/Mentions: Tanithil @Lava Alckon & Amisra @Tae
Equipment: A set of sturdy clothing, a dagger, the wonky ring of disguise, and his dog tags.

---

Ismael checked his disguise and just as Tanithil made notice of, he had ears the size of moon pies. He shook his head with a smile as he heard Tanithil speak out about his choice of appearance, "Of course, I was just choosing the image of someone I saw, I have a decent memory of them, which would make it easy to see what was off". Ismael then turned back to the mirror to look a little more, "But it seems like that wasn't much of an issue". Ismael nods to himself as he thinks up of the image of a version of himself as a Dark Elf.

There he stood, with a similar face structure to himself, just raised cheeks, a slightly smaller head profile, and massive ears. His body was identical to make sure he stayed in his cloths nicely, it made it very easy for him to feel like himself without being 100% himself. Ismael threw a nod to Tanithil as he was ready for them to move on, which ended up being pretty anticlimactic as they had to continue to dodge many of the more travelled areas incase they are spotted and they rat them out.

Yet the alley is no place for normal men, as thugs appeared and began to harass them. An orc who seemed to be loaded up with muscles, a nasty-looking scraggly man with scars and a nasty face, and 2 other dark elves, one who seemed to be the leader and another who seemed small in comparison to some Ismael has seen, yet strapping underneath. Soon enough, they were surrounded, and the first one to use lethal force as a threat was Tanithil, conjuring a weapon from his shadow powers. However the first one to throw an attack was an unknown ally. A potato came flying at the large orc, and Ismael used it.

He leaped backwards to close the distance with the fairy behind him, and the moment his back foot landed he used the momentum to spin on that foot to turn the motion into a spinning back kick right into the mans body. "How about a coin for a tip (teep)*?"

tldr

Ismael has taken the shape of himself yet modified it to look more like a dark elf's. Then he followed Tanithil into the alley where they were surrounded by some thugs, and used the distraction to do a giant leap back that went into a spinning back kick to the body of the nasty scar-wearing fairy.

*Teep- A Muay Thai kick.

The Hourglass Order

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Primitive: An Zenui

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What a fucking day. The moment we left the tunnel a bucket fell and nearly dented Fiske's head. Marceline had been drenched, and now we met a Sirrahi in a dark place…or so we thought. Desmond shook his head as he ran his hand across his face and through his hair. After that we were spotted by some kind of gremlin like king who seemed to try and regard us as some kind of guest. Yet soon enough we found ourselves in the situation of being caught up in a conspiracy to poison the king. I tried to let Fiske and Evander to speak and try to keep things cordial as I figure out why the hell we were sent here.

Desmond began to lean back in his chair as he looked up and sighed. It got out of hand quick and then turned into us now needing to run off and try and find the would be killer. And still I couldn't fully figure out what we were sent here for, yet doing this buys us time to figure more things out and even be able to learn more about this place and possibly why we are here. My first move was to look to Marceline and see if she had kept track of people moving, she did…for a moment, then lost them. Desmond began to look down and shake his head with a chuckle. Me and Fiske were going and ran into a Sirrahi, there we left to follow them as they seemed very familiar with the place. Soon enough we thought we found an interesting lead as this Sirrahi had a strange feel and might have known something about the tunnels throughout the area. We eventually followed them to the shack where we saw they must have snuck somewhere through some unknown means.

Desmond chuckled once more, now remembering the scene and thought how hilarious the whole situation was. So we began to quickly turn the shack upside down, looking through anything as I found cans in the attic and Fiske found a chest with some coded lock. We figured out the code through the use of the cans and found it was a box that used to hold a key. It did tell us there was something in here as we moved the pile of wood and found a door that needed a key. At first we were going to try and find another way until I remembered seeing some mushrooms and remembered my Zeno had a great affinity with mushrooms. She seemed to often use it for different things, as one thing I remembered was her use of it for climbing on, as I used a little magic I picked up, some binding, chemical, and a slight bit of kinetic to form these strange mushroom balls into a key. After using it I made a bit of banter with Fiske as he seemed furious of the situation. Desmond laughs now as he thinks back to Fiske's face being of both shock and anger with a bit of terror mixed in. It took him a moment to come back as he was left with some little giggles before he moved on.

Soon enough we entered the trap door with Evander seeming to find us. We ventured in to find our would-be-assassin, who seemed to be a girl. I tried to play the shy guy who walked in on a girl, using the cover to maybe make her more uncomfortable and give me some room to try and snoop. Which lead to us finding that this woman may have been connected to the assassin. After giving her some privacy, and a minor trauma from Evander's incessant questioning when we were gonna try to give her room to get clothed. Fiske realized that this girl and out assassin are one in the same, as there we confronted her, and she balled out laughing. One of that she was in serious shit, as she spoke, she asked for our help to find out who might have actually done it.

Desmond shook his head once more, Evander began to talk to her and ask questions, I knew he could at least do that, what I was curious about was trying to tie more things together. Firstly, why is this all happening? And secondly. Why do the Sirrahi care. Is it because they wish to be some Great Liberators? Maybe, since it seems class warfare is still here, but now in a more master-slave idea. Maybe that's why we're here. Maybe.

The Hourglass Order

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Cold Comfort: Missing Kin

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Upon the morning of what was an intense night of drinking and fighting, Marz awoke to begin work once more. The group having seemed to have different ideas on what they should do, Marz had a thought as he slapped Nazih on the back, "
Oi, let's head off to the Golden River. I wanna see what's at the Collapse". Nazih seemed to have agreed as he followed Marz towards the wreckage of the town. There Marz spotted something very familiar, a Blacksmith.

Upon opening the door, the two Biros seemed to have been greeted in a cautious manner. There was the old stout and balding smith who seemed to have been aged beyond his years, a young woman with a strong body seeming to share a resemblance with the smith. Then finally a small Hegelan boy who ran towards Marz and seemed to start calling out to him in Hegelan, "Hello! Have you found my father?" A confused Marz seemed to look to the smith whom pulled the 2 outsiders in to see what they seemed to have came in for. The students spoke to the smith, the small boy, and the daughter to find that Hegelans used to frequent the area. Seeming to be mostly novices and journeymen in crafts as they were brought here for some reason before they dissappeared.

Upon learning this and being asked by the boy to find his father, Argor Halghivan, a very renowned jeweller within Hagh Ramorghand, who seemed to come to find someone who had dissappeared like the many others. From what Marz learned, there are 2 possible areas of suspicion, the caves the short long foot spoke of having entered before. The other is the church, as the daughter believes that they might have been involved somehow, both seemed promising, yet they needed to choose one, so Marz chose the closest of the 2, the strange blocked off caves. Once the two students made their goodbyes, they began to head off to the caves Esmii spoke of, there they were met with a sign that possibly said "Dangerous" and "Do not Enter", yet a sign would not stop Marz, it meant nothing to him, especially one he couldn't even read. As the two young men ventured into the cave, they slowly began to feel their magic slightly returning to them, meaning as they move they must be moving away from whatever is stopping their magic, yet as they move they begin to see the many strange things this place has. Rocks seem to float, the ground is slipper, even the air seems to be strange as it pulls against them and almost moves them.

Yet, just like Esmii, this cave seems to almost be alive as it seems to wish to kill the 2 students who are now deep within it. The cave begins to shift and shake, shuttering as pulses of energy overwhelms the students and nearly knocks them on their ass while the rocks around them seem to get vibrated violently and begin to fall. Large rocks come falling as Marz and Nazih begin to run, Nazih began to take the lead while using his shield, charging forward while setting his shield over head to cover himself and Marz from the falling rocks, as they throw themselves from the rocking path to this crevasse. Upon their fall, they notice their magic returns and they can see for just a moment, light, with the use of kinetic and magnetic magic the two young mages launched themselves forward and onto the supposed path that was lit, there they scrambled to their feet and ran another minute until they felt the rumbling stop, there they found themselves on a path with torches and that seems to be travelled, a good sign, yet it was short lived as they heard from behind them:

"You shouldn't be here, this place is dangerous."

Marz seemed off guard yet somewhat not afraid as he yelled out, "By the gods!" Marz jumps back as he spins on his heels to face the figure.
Nazih on the other hand was ready to fight as he spun around and swung his shield like he aimed to cut whatever was behind him in half. Yet like a child his attack was stopped with such ease it looked as if he wasn't moving at all. Once more the figure being spoke, now being shown to be a black cloaked person, "One of you, I can save. The other, I cannot."

"Who are ye? What are ye doing down 'ere?" Marz asked confused of what was just stated.

"We are the Traveler," the figure responded, "and your service is needed."

"What does that mean? What was with the veiled threat?!" Marz demanded

"Not a veiled threat, but merely a warning. I cannot save you both."

"Why should I serve someone who attacks me?" Nazih demanded, not having any of it. "I serve nobody," he snarled.

The black robed figure smiled and shook his head. "It was you who attacked first, wasn't it?"

Nazih narrowed his eyes. "A bit weird for the 'Traveler' to ask someone to serve him, isn't it?"

Marz speaks up once more, now more emphasis, "Who are ye?" Now bringing his hand to his hip, placing it on the handle of his hammer.

"I am the Traveler and you are in grave danger should you continue forward."

"Bullshit," spat Nazih.

With that, the figure backed away. "Good luck surviving on your own," it warned, face still obscured. "This place is sacred to these people and it has been disturbed."

Marz begins to ask, "Why is it that you can only save one of us from what seems to be down here?"

"Because the other one, I need."

Marz' eye narrowed, "What for?"

"You shall see." With that, the figure looked up, seemingly startled, as the cavern let out a deep rumble.

Nazih raised his shield, gathered a massive amount of kinetic energy, and attempted to ram the shadowy being aside. Yet he was stopped in his tracks once more by the shadowy figure, and it was right then that the ceiling came down. Stalactites began falling like missiles from above, the ground shifting beneath them, water spraying in. With rocks coming down Marz and Nazih began to try and use magic to protect themselves as they tried to move, yet the moment they tried the earth underneath them opened up and had them fall in as rocks and water came in, and darkness soon consumed them.

Marz woke up some time later with a woman crouching over him with a rag in one hand and a bucket in the other. She seemed to be dabbing his head as he slowly came to, now seeing that she was dabbing the blood from a wound away. He found himself within a old stone room with 2 people standing at the door inside the room seeming to keep guards. Marz spoke up to the girl as she noticed he was awake, "Ah, what happen'?" She answered quickly, "You 'er pulled from the cave in a bad way, they threw you in 'ere". He then asked the next question, "Where are we?" The woman then got close to him and spoke quickly, "'At is the prolem, we don' know". Now with her being so close, Marz' blurry eyes were able to focus for the first time, being able to see she was in a rough state. Bathed enough, her hair and beard however seemed in much disarray, her beard seemed to be very frayed and sloppily cut, most likely from wear and an inability to properly care for herself. Then there were her wrists, large blocky bands on her arms, and then he noticed on her legs. He rose his hand and noticed the same as she seemed to nod in confirmation as Marz could feel again, he could not use his magic.

Soon they both heard the sound of another man speaking off in the distance, she seemed to rush to her feet quickly as she said, "'Urry!, to yer feet". She extended her hand as Marz took it and stood up. There he saw the door open, where a tall man in dark robes stepped in and spoke with fluent Hegelan, "Welcome, I'm sorry we could not meet in better circumstances". Marz looked at the man curiously as the man continued, "I would wish to let you go, yet we need your help. Only you can help us".

Avalia

Time: Morning
Location: Port Vanarosa
Interactions/Mentions: Tanithil @Lava Alckon & Melian @princess
Equipment: A set of sturdy clothing, a dagger, and his dog tags.

---

Ismael gives a nod as he says, "Ah I see, I would like to see it in action", Ismael gestured as he placed his hand out for the ring to see it in action. When he is given the ring he goes over to the mirror, he placed the ring on his finger to try and see how he looked. From what he understood from Tanithil telling him on their way over, through thought the ring will create a complex illusion around the user to change how they physically look, including clothing.

Ismael took up his hand and thought for a moment to change into the image of character he remembered seeing in a Hollywood film poster. One that recently came out as he was some werewolf like character in some vampire romance film. After a moment, he changed his body and face to look like the character while his clothing is to look something like some fantasy common-ish attire, some blacks and browns and greys to make him blend in with the crowd, the only thing he keeps is the cloak, as he shifts the hood back that was covering his face as he began to inspect himself trying to find the little quirk the lady was talking about.

tldr

Ismael tries the ring on and changes how he looked, to Jacob from Twilight, as he inspects himself to see where the quirk is in the ring.

Avalia

Time: Morning
Location: Port Vanarosa
Interactions/Mentions: Tanithil @Lava Alckon & Melian @princess
Equipment: A set of sturdy clothing, a dagger, and his dog tags.

---

As Ismael felt Tanithil place a hand upon his back and felt a strange energy wash over him. Ismael flicked his eyes about himself and saw what seemed almost a shadow seeming to loom over him. Giving him stealth without needing to try, as he looked to Tanithil and nodded as he listened. Yet once Tanithil showed him his dagger Ismael chuckled and said, "Thank you for the warning. Good to know my guide has sticky fingers".

Once they entered the Odds and Ends shop, Ismael gave the shopkeep, Melian, a wave and a small, "Hello", before allowing Tanithil to speak. As they spoke, Tanithil seemed pretty in his element, while Melian seemed pretty interested in showing off her wares. Once she finished Ismael said with a light gesture to the disguise ring, "What do you mean by wonky?" Ismael wanted to make sure he knew what he was getting into before they spent money to get something.

tldr

Ismael followed Tanithil to the Odds and Ends, said hello to the shopkeep Melian, and asked what seems to be wrong with the disguise ring they came to purchase.

The Hourglass Order

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Cold Comfort

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_{In Collaberation With: Silas Rieger@Tackytaff, Yuliya Ilyanovich Vasilieva @Suicharte, Nazih Iqbal@Ziegenkonig, Esmi’nesta’tawaar@BlackRoseSiren, Yvain de Berbignon@jasbraq, Penelope 'Penny' Pellegrin@Force and Fury, Sven Bjørnsson}

---

Upon The Misty Mountains

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Tensions Within and About

On the morning of the last day of their southern trek through the mountains, emotions were running high. The group had awoken to find their packs empty, gnawed open, and any edible contents inside eaten by vermin thieves sometime in the night. Already the journey had been uncomfortable and awkward, the mismatched group struggling to find commonality, but the prospect of completing the stretch on empty stomachs proved the final straw. Passive-aggressive remarks quickly turned to blame-shifting arguments by the time camp was packed.

Sensing an argument brewing, Silas gave voice to something that been bothering him since they’d left the Hegelan city. “Someone’s following us.” He said, loud enough to be heard over the others, but not quite shouting. He’d been uncommonly quiet since Harrachora’s snapping him away. The boy nose wrinkled as he focused in on the presence that’d been coming and going from the edge of his senses, then finally pointed overhead. A ledge struck out over them some fifteen feet, used as cover from the drizzling rain the night before, it wouldn’t be difficult to make it overhead with some basic kinetic magic.

“Been tailing not too far behind since we left. Something small, even by Hegelan standards.”

Nazih squatted down to look Silas in the eyestalks. "Is there a reason you're only telling us this now, while we're all agitated and hungry?"

"Can we eat whatever it is?" He asked, half seriously

Trusting her friends judgement, Esmii crouches down next to him. She tried to pick up the scent of whats following them, however because of the moist air she can't. "I can't tell if it's an animal but hopefully it's not dangerous."

Silas's not-eyes stared, unseeing, back at Nazih

"He wasn't doing nothing before" He replied with a shrug, then lifted his own pack to be inspected. Unlike most of the others, it was free of obvious tears and holes, but none the less empty.

"Stole whatever the rats didn't get." Silas' face turned upwards to glare at the figure still sleeping beyond the overhang.

"Sleeping." Silas informed, then considered a moment more. "I think. "

Marz scoffed as he set his hand on his side, right on top of his hammer, "Might as well see who it is. Standing around gives us nothing but more questions".

Silas nodded at the Hegelan, but made no motion to do anything beyond stand in the same place he'd been sitting.

While the rest of her group discussed and bickered, the Yasoi amoung them was naturally the first to take action. The cliffs might not have been Esmii's native terrain, but they provided more than enough holds and ledges for her to move up and out of the other's sight before most notice she'd begun at all. Once some fourteen feet from the ground they'd begun on, she turned around to observe the object of discussion below.

Sure enough, a young boy was sitting cross-legged atop the rock, staring back at her. It didn't take long to recognize him as the stable-hand from the few days before; unmistakably filthy and small. A small trail of crumbs lead from his mouth down a soiled shirt, and finally to a small pile on the rocks between his thin knees; the remains of their rations, it could be presumed.

Yuli brushed herself off from the dust of the mountains and the steppes. She was hungry, both for blood and for food at this point. Being a nomad did not suit her lifestyle, and she was half tempted to subsist off the mana brews that she'd bought in the hegelan city. Still, her annoyance was peaked by the powergazer. She had first felt endearment to the lad, when they had undergone their plan in the trials, but he was a known shifty character at this point, and she couldn't help but feel as if he was responsible for some of the troubles that had been plaguing them thus far.

"Why is your pack fine? Is empty, but no damage. And why would not say anything? You aren't even supposed be here! she shouted accusingly at the lad. Were she not famished and angry at the situation, she might have chosen a more stealthy approach but the time had passed for such measures in her mind as she was very ready to beat the snot out of this would-be informant just to make herself feel better at this point.

Once realising that it's a boy from the stables a few days ago "If you lot are finished discussing whatever it was. It seems we were being followed by one of the stable-hands that we met. And it seems that he is covered in crumbs." she informs the group below her.

Ah, a fight between a merchant and a commoner breaking out might be just the entertainment the Perrench lad, Yvain, could use at a time like this, however there was no need for hostilities still. "Perhaps he just got lucky. Even if he is not supposed to be here a helping hand is always appreciated."

A smug grin appeared on his face after he finished saying his piece. "Oh, if you do choose to fight with one another. He paused. "Then I will have to be forced to end said quarrel and I promise I won't be gentle."

Silas’ face darkened with a mixture of embarrassment and anger. Some fear too, if he was honest with himself; he’d gone to great effort to avoid Yuliya at all costs for some time, after all.

“Just told you- I got robbed.” He shook his pack in demonstration, nothing but a cloth and two bennies fell out; the latter of which the boy quickly scrambled to collect again. But Yvain’s words didn’t go unnoticed.

“I’m supposed to be here much as any of you!” Silas spat out incredulously, “Ain’t nothing to even end- snail-sucking prick.” He finished, the last of his anger spat at the Perrench boy. It wasn’t fair. None of this was his fault, and offering help had gotten him nothing but condescension and more blame. He glared and fell back to his initial seated position, arms crossed and indignant, as Esmii’s shouts echoed from above.

Being ignored by the others, Esmii rolls her eyes and scoffs looking down at her group bickering with each other. "Boys..." she mumbles to herself. "As I was saying. A boy has been following us, he came from the stables a few days, and he's covered in crumbs. Did you hear me that time?" she shouts down once again, next time, she'll throw something at them.

Marz hears the constant bickering of those behind him, and let out a sigh as he rolled his eyes. He was about to turn and bark out until he heard the short long foot call down with information about who is following as he threw her a thumbs up.

"Ya, I hear ye".

Marz began to leave to confront the child, "While ye all bicker and try to keel each other, I'ma see our rat".

The child continued to observe Esmii on her first call to the others, but on the second he made to scatter. In one sudden motion, he was crouching, the debris of his stolen breakfast scattered as launched himself away from her on all fours, disappearing under the ledge.

Rather than immediately fall, he gripped tightly with his fingertips, swinging his narrow frame with enough momentum to launch him self to another handhold in the rock some feet further in- still in clear view of the students below, but safely out of reach. Or so he’d assumed. Forgotten amongst the shouting, Marz was already half-way up to where the boy had just been, and within arms reach of his shoeless, callused foot.

Esmii says in a worried tone " Marz, be careful with the boy "

Marz saw the little bugger scampering about, seemingly to maybe try and dodge the many prying eyes. Using reflexes and skills of an experienced climber, he expertly came right into Marz' hands as all Marz did was reach up and grab the boy by his foot and began to try to pulled him down while saying, "And down ye come".

"Chied! Chied!" The boy screamed as his foot was grabbed, throwing his balance and sending both tumbling to the rocky ground. The child's screaming didn't end, even after nearly crushing Marz upon falling atop him. "Tall strangers tried to kill me! Vagrants! Liars! Criminals!" Yuliya had the grace the tanslate the heavily accented Hegelans for the others at first, but soon gave up as it became clear the boy intended to do little more than hurl insults and curses at them.

Marz had taken falls before, stone is where he was born from. Earth is his home, so a small fall of 20-30 feet meant nothing, especially when magic was introduced.

Merz however was angered on how now the boy hollered to the wind like some banshee. Marz' face contorted as he yelled at the boy in Hegelan to hopefully shut him up so an interrogation can actually begin, "Shut up! You follow and steal from us, and we're criminals? The least of your worries is a little tumble!"

The fluent language was enough to quiet the boy for a moment at least. He stared up at Marz, as though just realizing that he too was a Hegelan. "Not you!" The boy replied with shock and indigence- as though these strangers would ever be worth following. "Ilvir follows the Margukh." His eyes scanned the area for the beasts in questions, but they landed on Nazih first and narrowed. "Protect Margukh"

Marz sighed and shook his head, he looked to those in his party, "He's here for the animals. Making sure they don't get injured and can make it back".

Sven blinked. "All life is sacred," he said. "Of course we will protect these animals that have helped us. Why wouldn't we?" He patted his big goat. He'd become rather fond of her. "If you're here to look after them, why didn't you just say so?"

Ilvir stared blankly at the tall Eskandish while the others translated for him. "most ousiders don't know how to respect a Margukh" He replied, withering gaze falling up Nazih again ask he kicked the loose stones at his feet.

"Chorily gave orderes to keep away from the strangers, so Ilvir keeps alone, travels only with the Margukh." Sure enough the familliar sound of the boy's voice alone was enough to draw two of the goats towards the group to investigate.

Esmii climbed down from her stone vantage point, she came close to losing her footing a few times on the way down, but she recovered. With a couple feet from the ground she jumped to land on he feet where the group is. "There we go." she says, dusting herself down.

Hearing what the boy was saying. "What do you mean?" she asks him.

"Well, maybe you can teach us if you let us talk to you," Sven answered. "I love Marghuks already, but I really don't know much about them, so I'll probably make some mistakes unles syou correct me." He paused. "You know, maybe it was the same for Nazih." He gestured toward the darker-skinned boy. "He doesn't have any where he's from." He raised an eyebrow, glancing between the other two. "What did he do anyway?"

"Obviously something very wrong, though I was just attempting to give the Marghuk's some relief from all the dirt their coat is ridden with."

Nazih crouched down next to the boy, "I too wish to know more about how to care for the Marghuk. I'm sorry for earlier."

Ilvir backed away at first, eyes darting between Nazih and Marz as the older Hegelan translated for them. He seemed to relax a little once it was done, and picked one of the pelts of moss that made up most of his clothes and draped it over Nazih's outstretched arm.

"Moss." He said. "Marghuk's need the muck to grow the moss. Keep warm from the wind." He shook his head and let out a sigh before looking to the horizon, squinting at the well-past-risen sun "Lowlanders don't know much, should have taken the east route last day- a climb then would save time now. Won't make it down before dark."

Nazih blinked in surprise a few times, wondering if something was lost in translation. The thought of needing to be covered in dirt to survive was not one he wanted to entertain for himself, but he started to understand why the beasts needed the moss.

He turned to examine the coat of his mount more closely, "Intriguing, I never would have guessed."

"I get it. I hate it, but I get it."

Silas, who had remained quickly sulking behind the rest of the group, had decided enough was enough when both the Darhanic and Eskandish tried to make nice with the stowaway.

"What do we care about the cows?" He complained and pointed an accusing finger at Ilvir. "He still stole our food!"

Marz spoke up once more, now stopping his own translations, "Blind one has a point. He stole our food. And if he was actually here for the beasts and following us, he'd have brought his own".

"That is a bit of an issue," agreed Penny. She counseled herself patience. Commons like this one clearly was always seemed to act in bad faith, but it was often because they did not have it so easy as she did. He'd likely been hungry. "If you were hungry," she began, glancing apologetically toward Marz, who she hadn't known well before but who'd be an absolute gem as a translator. "Why didn't you just ask us for food? If this was your job," she continued, "Why didn't they give you anything to eat?" She still skewed more sympathetic than accusatory, but she let her confusion show too.

Whatever tension had been brewing in the young boy for being accused, evaporated at Penny's comment; which sent him into a fit of laughing.

"Ilvir hungry on a mountain trail! Do fish drown in the lowlands? Birds forget to fly?" He shook his head to regain some solemnity. "Low food on low ground belongs to the rats, soft-head. It's the them Ilvir took from- rats don't mind difference between Hegelan food and mountain food." He shrugged but offered back the soiled warping-cloth that had once held Silas' rations.

"Well he sort of has a point there, the rest of our food did get snatched by rats." Nazih poked the holes in what was once a sturdy bag.

"But wait; if we had the Hegelan food, what did you mean by 'mountain food'? Why didn't you eat this mountain food instead of ours?"

Nazih was hungry.

"Moutain food is best for the Marghuk and birds. Rats don't appreciate Zuri's cooking like Ilvir." The boy shifted his weight to lean on one of the goats that had approached him, in turn the creature nuzzled the hip where his other hand was placed. Almost miraculously, he produced three berries for it to gobble down.

"But if lowlanders are hungry, mountain food is better than no food" He considered something intently for a moment before nodding to himself, and taking two steps forward put himself in the centre of the group. "Ilvir can show where to find mountain food, and how to get down the steppe quick, if the tall strangers can keep quiet about Ilvir to Choliry."

The discussion that followed was a short one. Silas alone protested the other boy's entry to the group, but the elder Biro's dismissed his concerns as the hungry grumblings of a robbed thief.

They didn't mount their Marghuk for long, instead following Ilvir through twisted crevices that Sven and Nazih would struggle to pass at times. The goats were indifferent to their struggles; gracefully leaping upon the more open cliffs overhead, those gifted in climbing or kinetic magic might have a better time following their lead, as Ilvir did.

The tight spaces continued for what felt light hours, and just when the hunger and claustrophobia might have broken their spirits; the group poured out to a small opening. Cliffs surrounded them on all sides, but looking directly upwards showed clear blue sky far past the rocks. Under their feet was, while not actual soil, wet clay; nourishing enough for thorny bramble to take root and latch itself to the stone surroundings. The sound of running water was everywhere, but the numerous tiny rivets of water coursing down the walls were easy to miss at first glance.

The brambles, while cumbersome to navigate, were spotted with large dark berries similar to those they’d seen Ilvir feed the goat. He later showed them how to uproot the plant without hurting themselves, and how to clean and cook the long and thin roots over a fire made of the thorned branched themselves. Nothing was wasted.

While the group stopped for their late breakfast, Ilvir paced the small area, picking through the few plants they’d left behind for more fruit. The whole time he muttered to himself, glancing up on occasion to check on the Marghuk or stare curiously Marz. Their guide was a good more subdued on the remainder of their journey, directing them to follow the sound of water through further caves and canyons.

The sun was setting, but still lighting the sky when the party emerged from the base of the mountains to the misty, cool air of the upper steppe. ”Ilvir and Marghuk will stay here until twilight before going home.” He said as goodbye, clearly not intending to follow them into the human village.

---

Of Best Laid Plans

---

All Lines Crossed

It was late when their audience with the village elder ended. Nikolai led them to yet another building they were meant to spend the night. There were only two rooms available, and two beds in each. It would be up to the group to decide who would be spending another night sleeping in a bedroll on the ground. Before that, they had a final chance to speak with Nikolai, ask him any questions about the begemot and give him a final answer as to how they intend to proceed.

Silas sat some ways away from the others. Silently munching a thick slice of bread over a steaming bowl of stew while discussion began around him; his sulking attitude had persisted all day. The only time his mouth had opened was to make a snide comments and half-audible insults. But the proper warm meal and warm fire of their resting spot seemed to have brought back his voice at least.

"Why stick around at all?" He asked of the others "The big ol' monster ain't what we're here for, I say we take the boat and keep on our way."

Penny paused with her bread - dipped in stew - halfway to her mouth. "You know," she admitted, glancing at some of the others, "He's not wrong." She shrugged. "We have a purpose here, and it's not to get caught up in the animal troubles of some random village. We're not soldiers or mercenaries. I imagine they have a government or lord for this." She shrugged. "Sounds selfish, I know, but we have to trust that we're here for a reason and that reason is urgent." With that, she stuck the fast-cooling food in her mouth and ate it.

Nikolai's nervous hand-wringing habit kicked up again while he stared between Penny and Silas, very clearly not liking the direction the conversation was taking.

"None will *stop* you from leaving." He admitted, "But as I said, this place it remote. It is a town built on trade, not warfare. I am the beginning and end of any magical talent to be found here, any 'guards' we have are little more than a militia of dock workers." His nerves seemed to wain as he spoke, replaced with frustration and deep resentment. "Help will come for us, but it will come too late. More will die and our food stores will not be full in time for next winter."

His settled and remained on Penny, able to actually look directly into her eyes. "You leave, people die. It is that simple. But helping would not be a charity, there is payment waiting for you."

Yuli sat and contemplated as she enjoyed the first hot meal in a while. On one hand, these weren't her subjects. On the other, they had her people's names and spoke their language. And were they to help, then they'd either have quite the mount for the rest of the way, or ample food and fur supplies.

"I think we should help. I tired of eating bread and leaves. Meat would be good." she spoke, looking at the others. She would be fine if they just left, but this would be a good test.

Penny frowned. Since when had she been afraid to help? Only... it wasn't fear. It was a weird sort of antipathy. She was ever being roped into things that were, quite frankly, not her concern: putting her neck on the line for others in often-thankless endeavours. It was difficult to forget the previous year's misadventures on Isla D'Amato, the thefts of the auction house items, and the events of Bloody Victendes. Yet it was her forays into the Workman's Quarter that smarted the most. She'd been insulted, assaulted, and nearly killed simply for... existing as she was and trying to help. Her entire life, she'd been sympathetic to the commons, imagining them an underserved class. She'd wanted to make common cause or at least help uplift them but, time and again, they had proven that they were violent, hard-hearted, impulsive, and simple. She hated them, in truth. It was the same kind of helpless anger that she'd felt for most of her life towards her family and even towards the Gods. She could not love those - why should she help those - who refused to love or help her back and, in fact, did quite the opposite!?

Yet, Nikolai and his small, isolated village were not her enemies. Here they were housing and feeding her and her... fellow students. She would hesitate to call any of them friends save Yuliya and Yvain. They were offering payment as well, and testing herself against a Begemot sounded... Dangerous! Deadly! oddly exhilarating. Then, Yuliya spoke and it was more weight to swing the other way. Why was she listening to Silas anyway? Had she felt some misplaced kinship with him because he, too, was viewed as disabled? He was merely proving his common simplicity and selfishness. She was a princess of Perrence! Was it not her prerogative - nay, her duty! - to behave in a manner befitting her station?

"I have perhaps spoken in haste and judged the situation too harshly and without complete knowledge." She took a moment to shift as she sat. "It is true that we are here on urgent business of our own, but I am not opposed to finding and either driving off or slaying this beast in the morning." She nodded in Nikolai's direction. "I am happy to offer that much of my time for a matter that is clearly of great importance to the people of this place."

Sven scowled. He was seated beside Esmii, with her snuggled into his side, but he could feel her shift at Penny's words, and then Yuliya's. For a moment, their eyes met, full of concern. It had never occurred to him not to help, and then he realized that most likely those here were out for blood. They were fixated on killing the great creature without even bothering to understand why she was doing what she was. "I believe we should help theshe people," he said solemnly. "But I believe there ish a more elegant sholution than 'shoot first, ashk questionsh later.' Thish ish highly unusual for a Begemot, at leasht to my outshider knowledge. There ish a caushe. We may not need to shed blood here: hersh or oursh."

Esmii sat next to her boyfriend. Enjoying her food that she was given. Breaking small bits of bread off to feed her loyal dormouse companion Sage, who was sat on one of her shoulder. She agreed with Sven, wanting to try to at least help them with this Begemot situation. "I think we should help them. she says looking to the group. "It might be beneficial for us to help, I could also help treat people even the citizens if they get hurt." she says to Nikolai with a little smile. Her smile slowy fades. "That's really all i can do, Heal. I feel so inadequate, especially with inability to fight. Can i not do any more?" she mumbles to herself.

"I am an emissary sent by St. Yuri's to ensure Vissoriya's interest in the trade through the Kirguz and good relations with the people here. In turn I provide them with services in the Gift, and... educated council. Nikolai replied to Yulia in rapid Vissoriyan before returning to the other in Avincian.

"I thank you for your reconsideration." He nodded towards Penny then Sven where his gaze remained. "But I fear I cannot promise reward without clear evidence the creature will not trouble us again."

"Well good, because I think we need more information before we decide how or even whether to approach this. Perhaps you have a hunter that can give us more details about the beast or how to best subdue it?" Nazih prodded

Penny nodded agreeably and twisted to regard Nikolai. "Any edge you can give us will make it easier to figure out how or if we can help you."

"I can tell you what I do know, but it is little. The Begemot is fully grown by all accounts, some say say up to fifty feet in height," He hesitated before continuing. "They also claim it's developed a taste for blood so," He splayed his hands in display of his own blindness to the truth of the situation.

"It's strange enough that one's travelled so far north higher than the lower steppe. That it's come directly to our farms, attacked other animals is almost unheard of. There are farmers you can speak to, witnesses, but I warn you these trying times have awakened a... provincial irrationality causing them to invoke all sorts of ancient superstition."

Esmii thinks to herself, about the information that had given to her and her group. "I wonder... placing a hand onto her chin. "If its traveled so far north, something must have happened to its habitat. Something that has forced the creature to leave. Like hunters invading and it defended itself or its nest, that could explain why this had a taste for blood. But why its up here, its could be out for revenge or lookingforsomething. " this idea was based on it happening a couple of times with some of the Beasts in the swamps of her homeland.

"I cannot imagine any hunter- even an entire guild, being foolish enough to engage a full-grown Begemot. But there has been word of troubles on the lower steppe... Nikolai shrugged. "Begemots are occasionally hunted for their tusks- useful in magical crafting and very valuable, but rarely is such a task taken without a number of certified mages and notice to the surrounding areas. If someone was desperate enough though... Well, I wouldn't completely rule it out."

Sven tried not to speak over Esmii or make her feel invalidated, but he had taken something different from this. "Jusht what short of 'provincial irrationality' and 'ancient shupershtition are we talking about?" he questioned.

"Desperate times have people searching for explanation and reason. We've lost much is what should be a time of plenty. The cold first, then the begemot. The people here look for sense in it all and find the gods' anger." Nikolai's face tightened and darkened a shade, though it was difficult to tell whether from frustration or embarrassment. "Of course, that these events happened shortly after word reached us of a curse plaguing the lower steppe greatly fuelled the superstition."

Marz had been contemplating and thinking about something, it was only when Nikolai spoke of the Begemot Marz' face lit up, "Akay, I think taking care of this Begemot business should be good".

Nazih sat in deep thought, "Who do we know that is an expert on the local fauna and flora? Someone who has shown us to be very knowledgeable in the ways of the mountain..."

And then, it dawned on him.

He spoke up, "Maybe we can consult with the goat boy? He did know a lot about how to survive on the mountain, and he hasn't left town yet. It's worth an ask at least..."

"Goat boy?" Nikolai frowned. "If there is another with you, the Elder should know of it."

Esmii looks at Nazih, " Great idea, he was able to tell us a lot about the area, his input would be good to know."

"He should be one of the firsht we shpeak to," Sven agreed, and Penny nodded along. "I'm in favour. And you, Yvain?" She looked to the only one who'd not yet spoken.

Yvain, having kept quiet for most of the discussion. Nodded along with a shrug. "If he can tell us how to deal with it quicker, It's worth a try."

Penny leaned over and hugged him from the side.

Yvain looked rather surprised, soon showing a warm smile. "To what do I owe this, Penelope?"

"Doing the right thing! Penny chirped out.

"Oh dear me, You make it sound like I never do the right thing. I am not completely heartless." He hang his lip in a teasing manner.

Nikolai's look of concern only deepened as the students talked to each-other. "I will come with you." He announced, "We should not have strangers coming to our lands uninvited and without announcement." He added reproachfully.

Nikolai's words pricked Penny's suspicions and she worked to hide a scowl. The people of Kyrguz were either more xenophobic than she'd thought - though, technically, Nikolai wasn't even one of them - or there was something being hidden here. She leaned in towards Yvain and switched to Perrench, making sure to keep her tone and expression artificially light. "Something is up. I don't trust him."

Silas kept quiet, he'd made his desires known, even if the others had chosen to ignore is obvious wisdom. Let them throw their lives away, he was more than ready to go home already. But when they mentioned their new found accomplice only hours after promising to keep his presence secret, he spoke up again.

"Damned animal lovers," He forced out a laugh with his words, shaking his head. "Grown so attached to our mounts they really think they can talk to them now." Once he turned away from their host to face the Biros, his cheerful expression changed to one of icy judgement.

"But it would be good to make sure they're on thier way."

We're here to help and this is the reception we get? The perrench noble thought to himself. Then upon hearing Penny speak in their native tongue to him to switch over as well, smiling as if she made A joke. "Oh? What makes you say that? Being unwelcomed guests doesn't sit right with you?"

She'd noticed Esmii looking over and wasn't completely sure what to make of the yasoi. She shook her head to clear it and responded. "Not even just us. He's referring to goat boy - Ilvir, was it? - and his tone.... he's asking for help with a problem he won't reveal more about, yet they don't welcome unannounced guests and he basically wants to supervise us talking with someone we know. Sounds like they have something to hide. If you have any abilities in chemical, I would check for foreign substances in our foods."

Then, however, Silas spoke and Penny'd had enough of him. "Silas, let's walk and talk for a second?" she advised, rising. The look in her eyes made it clear that this was not an offer.

Nikolai did nothing to hide the fact he was staring at Penny, clearly uncomfortable with her shift to a language he did not know. "Kyrguz is a small country surrounded by larger powers. Tagayungri is smaller still and struggling through hard times. Maintaining borders and relations with our neighbours is of the greatest importance." He answered Yvain, while staring at his cousin. He replied to Silas as well, before shifting his gaze from her.

"Margukh? From the Hegelan lands? I'd be very interested in seeing a tamed one up close." He did nothing to break the rules of politeness, but was clearly instant in coming with them.

Esmii ears twitched as she heard Penny whisper to Yvain, luckily she was able to understand what they were talking about. While hugging Sven, she whispers into Sven's ear, " Penny has suspicions about Nikolai, be on your guard, do you think everyone else will catch on."

Niklolai stared after the departing pair, but made no comment except to call after them. "We shall leave to visit your goat friends within the hour."

Sven leaned in and lowered his voice, nuzzling behind her so his mouth was hidden as he spoke. "I am not shure she's right. I'm not shure we should trusht her either. To be honesht, I trusht neither. Let'sh wait to shee how this playsh out."

"We should really check with Ilvir before we let anyone see the Margukh, especially since we don't quite trust this one yet." Nazih said, quietly enough so Nikolai could not hear.

Penny led him a short ways away, outside and out of earshot before turning to face him. "Silas, for Dami's fucking sake," she sighed, still more concerned and exasperated than angry, "What's going on with you? Who pissed in your porridge?"

Silas stared unseeing at Penny, shocked the near stranger of a girl would speak to him so. But it didn't take long for the surprise to shift into anger. "I didn't get breakfast if you don't remember. On account of it being stolen" He folded his arms and scowled at her. "I'm just trying to keep myself alive and the thieving rat a secret- something the rest of you promised too."

"For someone who seems so angry at him, you sure are putting a lot of energy into protecting him." She tilted her head to the side. "Why's that?"

"Like the smiling host trying to get us to throw ourselves at a monster even less." Silas replied.

Marz looked at his food, with his helm on his lap to act as a small table, his bowl sat atop it. Marz took a bite yet he seemed to have been lost in thought. He began to look around as he continued to eat and watched everyone.

Some people spoke of going and talking to the Mountain Rat, Silas knew exactly what they did and tried to deflect, yet others continued to speak of the Rat and let Nikolai know of him.

Others seemed to begin speaking among each other and even seemed to speak in other tounges. Possibly doubts of what is going on, and possible worry of things.

All Marz did was continue to eat as he heard the conversations, many of which he couldn't understand. Yet something felt off, this was good for him, materials he needed for his work were right in front of him, yet it seemed strange with their mission. What would cause all of this, Marz couldn't know but it bothered him.

Marz continued to eat, silently, while he lightly tapped his helm. His gaze seemed to have been caught in a 1000 yard stare.

"For what it's worth, I agree: something's up with him and I wanna find out what, but... Fuck. I dunno. I should've kept my mouth shut about Ilvir, but once Nazih started, I just... forgot." She paused. "You're also avoiding the question, though."

Esmii smiles joyfully with Sven nuzzling her. She kisses him on the cheek, before pulling away "Ok, We'll wait before making a decision. It would be best to keep our guard up. Just in case." she whispsers then kisses his cheek again.

A shadow of a smile flashed across Silas' face. "Maybe I just have a soft spot for all the small vagrants of the world"

"Even when you wanna strangle them, huh?" Penny couldn't help but display a wry grin of her own. "Help me out here, Silas. Like - Ipte - I barely even know you, but you're the only other one who didn't just totally go with the flow. This stinks, Nikolai stinks, and I can smell it from a mile away." She shook her head. "Doesn't it make you just wanna bust it open? Just because these fuckers are trying to make us dance?"

A full smile broke through and Silas' head began nodding vigorously. For the first time since Harrachora's damned bird, someone was speaking sense. "Need to know more 'bout our puppet-master here first." He jutted a thumb back at the building they'd come from. "Keep him talking and walking slow and I can get Ilvir hidden away before you get there."

Penny nodded and, in eager anticipation, began to turn. "Leave it to me. I'll either broach the subject of dragons with Sven near, hammer him with well-meaning questions, or..." She was already moving away, but she glanced over her shoulder. "Worse comes to worst, 'Oops! Oh no! The girl with one leg needs help!'" She winked. "You just get our smelly little... friend? outta there."

---

All Things in Motion

---

The Big Plan

Magic lit the groups path back to the mountain path, the reflection of the moon on the rippled waters of the late providing a pretty sight, but little to see with. Nikolai produced the glowing orb himself, arm raised above the others, still nearly coming short of Sven's full height. Even so, it was hard to see amongst the shadows, and near impossible to keep track of each student travelling with him. The short walk was uncomfortably quiet, none entirely sure what they would find upon arrival.

They needn't have worried. The small inlay where they'd left Ilvir was empty. Hoofprints and marks on the stone wall made by the Margukh horns the only evidence they'd been there at all. Nikolai frowned, his light growing to illuminate further as he investigated. He did another count of the students, but all were accounted for. "Well," He finally said to them, "It's unfortunate that your friends have left you, but it is likely for the best they did not linger long on the border.

Silas wasn't entirely sure the boy would re-appear again; their communication had been made mostly through poorly interpreted gestures, but he'd arrived, scowling atop the back of a single remaining Margukh. He muttered something in a language the Constansian boy didn't understand, and another series of violent gestures ensured until the Hegelen was dismounted and following back down the path out of the mountains. Over the flat of the steppe, the faint light of the rest of Nikolai's party could be seen, just in time to disappear inside the building that acted as their home for the night. Silas urged his companion to follow his lead, gripping the smaller boy's arm in a tight grip. But he was near as quick and silent as Silas himself, and the other students had been gathered in Marz's room for less than ten minutes when the pair rapped upon the shuttered window to announce their arrival.

"Things are bad here." Ilvir repeated the same phrase, but Marz and Yulia gave it meaning to the others with translation. "There isn't enough grass- trees should be sprouting by now."

The students told them what they'd learned, the mere mention of a Begemot had excited the young boy, but word of it's violence and supposed destruction upset him more.

"Lies!" He almost shouted, prompting the others the quiet him lest their host come to inspect any noise. "Begemots are solitary and wise, have no need for humans. Not unless they bothered it first." He glared reproachfully at the surrounding group, as though they were somehow responsible.

"There wash a shtorm," Sven offered, "They shaid it whiped out mosht of the new plantgrowth- maybe itsh just hungry?"

Ilvir shook his head after the translation. " Begemots are tough and smart, they can wait through the longest thaws without-" He stopped, leaving his translators and listeners confused as an idea dawned on the small boy. "Ilvir can help you," He said, suddenly standing in-front of his seat on the bed. "Take him to the places the Begemot went- help find tracks, markings in the steppe. Listen to Ilvir and Begemot will be gone; day after next."

Sven was quick to seize on the idea. The problem was that they didn't know exactly where beyond Nikolai's vague mentions of it attacking some of the farms and possibly killing animals. "We should track it tonight," he suggested, "if we can find our way to theshe farmsh. Anybody else in favour?"

Esmii stood talking with the rest of the group. She jumped a little bit from the boys outburst since he was behind her. Her heart, pounding from fright. She wanted to punch him, but refrained since he was just a child. After some deep breaths, she regains herself "What makes you say that? " she asks Ilvir.

When Sven offers if anyone else wants to join him on his suggestion, Esmii smiles putting her hand up. "I'm in.

"You all really just going to go jumping at this kid's offer without questions again?!" Silas stood from his cross-legged position on the floor, he was taller than the Hegelan boy, but still not by over-much. "That food he lead us to this morning was barely food at all- he hasn't even told us what he wants to do." He scowled and folded his arms across his chest. "I still say its a waste of time and we take the boat out come morning. If Ilvir feels so strongly for the monster let him deal with it."

Marz said, "Eh, yer just a pansy who's used to not needing to eat a traveler's food. Ilvir brought us to something to eat. It's hard, sure, but it filled ye up, no?"

Penny quirked an eyebrow. There was too much inconsistency for her to ignore it anymore. "You bend over backwards to help smuggle him away from Nikolai and now you wanna disregard what he's saying? Which is it, Silas? What gives?" She turned to Ilvir, glancing at Marz and Yuliya along the way. "He has a point, though. What is the plan? You can't expect us to just take it on faith when we hardly know you."

"Ilvir needs only two days to lead the Begemot away" The Hegelan boy interjected. "Find tracks, make lure, no more problems for the lowlanders by tomorrow." His eyes darted between the students as he bounced in place, either excited or nervous about the prospect of his self-appointed mission. "Yous can't be telling Chorily about this either though." He added.

Perhaps feeling a bit guilty for carelessly messing with the child's friends back in the stables, or perhaps just because he was curious, Nazih wanted to pursue this avenue.

"I'm inclined to trust Ilvir here, but it can't possibly be as simple as making a lure. I vote aye, only if we can get a little more information about the plan; namely, what we do after the lure has been made." He directed the latter sentence towards Ilvir.

Marz looked to Ilvir, "What will you need us then? You seem to have it handled, no?"

Ilvir scowled at the Darhanic boy. "No." He shook his head. "You can help keep the lowlanders away but only Ilvir goes near the Begemot." His attention turned just as quickly to Marz, when he finally realised the older boy had been speaking to him, not translating.

"Need meat, if she's gotten a taste for it. Ruce seeds, and any other food that can be found. Gotta find tracks too- anything with her scent, fur, blood waste." He gaze shifted to each of the group again "That being your jobs so Ilvir can stay hidden."

The Perrench lad was looking around to see the other's reaction. "And what if it ignores the lure? Or maybe it just returns to it's normal path after it has taken it."

His noblesse oblige was kicking against his better judgement. "Going in alone against something like that could turn dirty if it goes wrong, no?"

Sven shrugged. "There'sh alwaysh danger." His eyes roved about the room. "Thingsh will probably go the way we plan, but they might not. If we were here to do what wash eashy, then we wouldn't be here in the firsht place. Our prerogative ish to do what ish right: what will shave the mosht lives with the leasht harm. That ish clearly thish option if it worksh. If not, we explore othersh." He rose to his full height and stretched, prepared to get moving. "I have spoken my piece. The resht of you can do as you wish."

Ilvir shook his head emphatically. "Can't go wrong if Ilvir is the one alone with her."

Silas snorted at the translated proclamation. "If the rest of you want to spend the night looking for monster shit go right ahead; leaves a bed for me." With that, Silas yawned, stretched and took leave to the second room assigned to them.

Ilvir scowled after him, but quickly shifted his attention back to Sven. "Helping the Begemot *is* right." He assured him. "Plan should be easy as, except for finding Ruce seeds, too early and too close to the water for them."

"Could've mentioned that bit earlier," Penny grumbled to herself. "Well then, where are we supposed to find them?"

---

Of Mice and Men

---

A Beast and a Burden

Penny furrowed her brow, glancing between Dastan and Nikolai. Clearly, something of significance had passed between them. She did not particularly trust the latter, but he'd been making an effort at least. She leaned in. "Sorry to impose, but do you think you might be able to translate that for us?"

With a short nod and tight smile, Nikolai repeated the farmers words in Avincian for the students to understand- censoring only the most reproachful of the man's insults. "Dastan is a good man, but provincial. He does not trust outsiders, and in troubled times as these that includes myself and even the elder." His head shook remorsefully "His brother's farm was the second attacked, his nephew died trying to lead away livestock. It's been difficult to reason with him since, but if you believe you can I will do my best to translate."

Penny stepped forward, close enough to Dastan that he couldn't reasonably ignore her, but not quite into his personal space either. She knelt in her awkward way, pulled upon the Gift, and concentrated with all of her might. A small, simple loaf of bread began to materialize in her hands and she took care to shape it. She added in a tiny bit of heat at the end to give it that freshly-baked aroma.

"You are right," Penny admitted, "We are not the 'real' help you asked for. I don't know where that is anymore than you do, but we're here now, we are very strong in the Gift, and we're willing to help, but we're young and I can tell you that I am a bit scared, I will don't want to risk my life, but I will if it is the only way." She paused as she rose to her foot. "I have always been told that begemots are not usually like this, but it is you who lives here and you probably know the animal best. You know this land best. Why is it killing? If you tell us, maybe we will have a better idea of what to do next or at least where to find it."

There was a hesitation, but Nikolai eventually translated Penny’s words for the farmer, who seemed indifferent to his presence-being singularly focused on the miraculously created bread in the girl’s hands.

“More magic tricksters.” Nikolai translated Dastan’s word with an apologetic tone the farmer certainly hadn’t possessed. Still the foreign man stared at the loaf of bread, then to penny’s one leg.

“It kills because that is what hungry animals do.” He continued despite his words. “Spring has come too late, even the endless grasses of our steppe remain dead and rotting. What crops we have left survive only because of Nikolai’s protection from the late frost. But she has found food here and will continue to return and feed unless properly dealt with.”

"This is no trick," she assured him, tearing the small loaf in two. She bit into one half herself and held out the other towards him. She took a moment to chew and swallow. "Try for yourself if you like." She waited for him to either accept it or not and his hand darted out and took it as if it might be poisoned. He watched her as he took a small, wary bite, chewing as if it might not be bread at all.

"Might there be a way to discourage it?" Penny questioned. "Scare it badly enough that it will not think this area worth the risk? Or encourage it to go elsewhere: some richer feeding ground?" She saw him glancing at the empty side of her skirts where anyone else would have a left leg. She followed his eyes there before looking back up. "We will fight it if we must, you have my word. We have enjoyed your hospitality and could not simply leave you in fate's fickle hands, but that may be a costly fight and you must understand that we are not eager to risk life and limb." She smiled faintly. "Perhaps you've noticed I already have little to spare when it comes to the latter. We will do right by you though, if you do right by us, I swear it." Penny smoothed out her clothes. "If we use your resources in vain, myself and those of my friends who have just now headed off will replace them. It would only be right."

The man remained quiet and disapproving, but he did listen to Penny at she spoke at least. “And what is it you want from us to attempt this fools errand treating a monster as a pet?"

Most of the day had passed, and the sun had begun is decent over the flat horizon of the western plateau by the time the hunters descended from the mountains again. Each carried a Margukh over their shoulders. Even Ilvir travelled behind them, rather sullen and slow compared to his usual energetic gait. If Nikolai noticed that the groups number had increased by one astoundingly short child, he said nothing of it.

Esmi and Sven had returned from the woods sometime earlier, and had already begun the process of weaving their found begemot material together, and amplifying the scents with their magic until the entire area around them had a distinct musk.

Penny sat with Yvain, leg folded under her as she continued the process of binding food into existence. The cousins spoke casually while foreign children gathered around to stare at the magic in wonder, and swipe from the small pile of food that begun to form when none of the others were watching.

Silas had worked to gather what remained of the crops from the begemot’s first too targets. What he’d found was partly rotted and not suited for human consumption, but Ilvir seem satisfied it would do with the other materials the group had managed to procure.

When it came time, Dastan went so far as to lend a horse to drag the lure east of the settlement, down from the plateau to the eventual forest beyond. It would take over a day of riding, but both farmer and Hegelan appeared in agreement it was the spot for the begemot to make a new home.

The group had a final chance to exchange words and discoveries as they worked on the final steps of stitching the lure and securing it to the horse.

Sven was among the first to return, and he bounded up eagerly with Esmii in tow. "We have found out shomeshing!" he announced, "Shomeshing big!" He glanced at his griflfriend, wanting to giver her the honours.

Esmii smiled at her boyfriend " Aww your so sweet thank you." Esmii waited for the group to gather round both her & Sven. Once they were all gathered she began to explain, what they had both found." Sven and I have managed to find out some important information, SOMETHING BIG !!! She clears her throat & continues. " Using our tracking skills, we have found the nest of the Begemot, however using our Binding skills we discovered that there are TWO Begemot's, one is much smaller and the other was recently PREGNANT!!, which means they are Mother and Baby, and she is searching for food for her newly born child"

Marz sets down the recently deceased animal that his group hunted and said in astonishment, "Fuck. That'll make this much more difficult"

Nazih responded, "I'm not sure it will; the offspring will go wherever the mother does. If she finds the new location suitable enough for a home, they should both be successfully relocated. Unless there's some behavior unique to Begemot that we're unaware of."

Ilvir's face darkened at the announcement and he looked around wildly. Sure enough the locals all whispered over the new excitement between the shouting visitors. Nikolai stared at them with a deep frown.

"Is this something you want me to tell them?" He asked the group.

Ilvir cursed in Hegelan before looking to Marz to translate for him. "No need to change plans, little Begemot will follow the mother- just keep the lowlanders away"

The sun beat down on Penny from above as she worked, endlessly refining her technique and making ever larger and more elaborate loaves, and then cookies. It was cold enough that she did not particularly mind, and there was the ever-present wind. She could not fault these people for some of their wariness, but they had done her right and she was determined to do the same back. Not all commons were hateful and full of deception. They were people, after all, just like she was.

The Perrenchwoman kept on working and the food piled up, along with curious throngs of locals who seemed to take a particular liking to Yvain. She smiled at first and laughed as they messed with his hair and tugged at his fancy clothes, but here she was, doing nearly all of the work and there was... a certain wariness to them around her. It...hurt, strangely. It bothered her more than it should've. She shook her head to clear it. She looked different, she knew. It had always been this way and always would and the best way past it was to actively break down that barrier.

Penny knew the chemical formula for sugar, so, with a smirk and some trial and error, she began making sweetbreads, and then... well, why not icing sugar? Cookies, cupcakes, and then cakes! She worked her way up the ladder. The kids darted in when they thought she wasn't looking and stole some and she pretended not to see them, except when it was too obvious. Their punishment was a tiny electrical zap on the rear and a dab of frosting on the nose. Before long, they were coming back in just to be caught and it became a kind of game until some of the village women broke it up.

They shooed the children away to go bother Yvain after that, and sat around her, speaking in their strange tongue and communicating through gestures whenever Nikolai wasn't around. The Perrenchwoman may have even picked up a few words of Kyrgish in the process. She made dough, as well, and some of the women brought out boards and formed a circle, kneading it as the hours of Oraff edged toward those of Eshiran. For a moment, she was just one more woman in their circle: part of something and no different than the others. Her heart swelled with a sense of purpose. She would use her power to ensure that this place - a place that was good and right - would thrive and not wither.

It was around the time of this high-water mark that Sven and Esmii returned, and their reveal was a source of much conversation. Both Nazih and Marz had much to say, and Ilvir was... wary but optimistic. The locals fairly erupted in conversation, though, and she was not sure what it meant. Finding Yuliya, freshly returned, she leaned in. "It has a calf," she whispered. "Do you really think we still should? Plus... the villagers have been so helpful in gathering everything for the lure..." She was not losing her nerve. She was not. She knew it might come across that way, but nothing was ever simple, this situation included.

Yuli was surprised by the reveal, to be truthful. It was a confusing matter to say the least. The begamot had a calf, but it was still a begamot. Mother and child were still beasts at the end of the day, no matter what they were. It was not as if they were about to kill a human being, a mother trying to protect and raise her child, but simply an element of nature. She didn't feel bad, but if Penny was wavering on this, then that brought its own issues. What left was there to do but to cease the attempt to kill the creature?

"I don't know. You made food for villagers, so no need worry about that. At this point, we watch where Ilvir take them. I think we let it go. If it attack us, or plan go wrong, we can step in. I can save the calf if all go wrong." she spoke, pondering her options. There was no reason to fight this thing anymore. She doubted this kid had the stomach to lure them into hunting grounds after watching the way he handled the goats, so it probably wasn't a trap, but she was not going to be unprepared for a tussle should it come down to it. Worst case scenario, she'd save the calf and bring it home to raise.

Penny nodded. "I know you wanted those tusks, Yuli," she teased. "Maybe Reshta will throw us some yet." She glanced over her shoulder at where the village women were singing as they baked. "For now, though, we are in agreement: stick to the plan but, if anything goes wrong, I'll put these people's lives over an animal's." They parted with that much decided.

The Perrenchwoman did not have very much longer with the her bread and her circle of baking sisters and she knew it. Preparations were finished before long and they began to say their goodbyes. She took a deep breath, preparing for the uncertainty to come. Truth be told, her manas were... tired, if such a thing could be. While it had not been combat, she had been drawing and casting for hours. If it comes down to it, I have my mana shots, she reminded herself, but Penny was loath to waste them. Nikolai hovered nearby, the hint of a smile creasing his lips, and she couldn't help but smile back. To think that this had begun with such ill-feeling!

That was when one older woman who she recognized as Ahrora - vaguely, she recalled a girl of the same name during last year's Trials - came up to her for a polite parting embrace but instead pulled her aside. Confused, Nikolai followed. "Young woman, beware," she rasped, through crooked yellow teeth, before hesitating. Penny looked confusedly between her and Nikolai, her alarm growing. "Dastan lies. If that lure goes east, they will spook the animal and its calf with fires and you will put your life in danger to fight and kill it." She shook her head and embraced Penny tightly. "I told you nothing. I am merely a weepy old spinster who became too close with you. understand?"

Woozy under the onslaught of information, the one-legged woman swayed into the embrace and returned it tightly. "Рахмат, Ahrora." She used the native word for thanks. "I understand. азырынча кош."

The goodbye had scarce left her lips, they had scarce parted, when Penny whirled on the spot, fists closing tight around the grips of her crutches. She would thwart him, and then she would smash his fucking skull in. Some people here were good people, deserving of her respect and regard. Some were selfish deceitful pieces of human shit, deserving of... she stopped herself a half-pace short of thinking 'death', but it was there anyway, in her head. "So what do we do now, Nikolai?" Her eyes bored unflinchingly into his.

Nikolai’s weight shifted. His nervousness was palpable- and contagious. The smallest of children near Penny and Yvain broke out in tears, somewhere further away, a dog howled, but it wasn’t enough to cut through the excited whispers of the translated news of the begemot and her child making its way through those gathered.

“Glekil!” One voice finally broke out above the others, a shout demanding silence so fiercely Nikolai neither needed nor dared translate the word. The others followed suit. The steppe was silent within moments; and there was nothing to distract from the rhythmic tremor under their feet.

The silence lasted only long enough for another tremor to hit, before the people rallied. The atmosphere was markedly different, the excitement and joy from before evaporated into fear and panic.

“The Begemot!” Nikolai shouted over them towards the students, unsure he could even be heard, he pointed south, to a barren horizon of the steppe.

The ground tremors increased in intensity and frequency each passing moment. The small stream from the mountains to the Kuzka began to fill and overflow. Deep and loud rumbling accompanied each of the shockwaves, some from the west, but even to the northern mountains, the sound of crashing rocks could be heard. The sighting of a small figure on the impossibly flat horizon of the steppe proved just how little time the students had to adjust their plans.

Nothing so large should move so fast. Even as they blinked, the small shape expanded and grew - along with the tremors, until they grew strong enough to disrupt the balance of less sure-footed villagers.

“You need to move!” Nikolai shouted to Yuliya while those around them scrambled, fleeing for cover.

Ilvir, crouched low to the ground to avoid falling over, shook himself out of a state of stunned awe. “Marz!” He yelled to the Hegelan “She’s coming too fast - they have to slow her!” With a final tug, the knot he had been tying was finished, and the child made to mount the horse - lure fully secured or not.

What a drag.. Yvain looked rather tired with all the locals messing around with his hair and tugging on his clothing. What a horrid curse, to be so beloved by all! But alas, it is a burden to bare If he had the freedom to move he would have dramatically placed the back of his hand on his forehand.

Seeing some of the children leave his presence to go over to Penelope to steal some of the treats she created could not help but put a soft smile Yvain's face. Soon enough they returned to him as they were shooed away. A rather surprised look came across his face as he was offered a piece of a cookie from one of the children's. Taking the piece and eating before clapping his hands and showing the children around him some small illusions such as floating cookies and cakes.

"Arrête de rêvasser, cornichon!" Penny pulled on all of her kinetic power to blow past her cousin. "Les petits gâteaux et les biscuits n'arrêteront pas le mastodonte!" At this rate, the Begemot would catch Ilvir in a minute or two, and the lure would do nothing to relocate it.

Sven was already mounted and racing to intercept the colossal animal on a non-head-to-head path. "We need to give him a lead of at leasht two or three minutesh!" he called. "Whatever we do, we can't directly antagonize it!"

Penny could see Nazih, as well, hopping on a horse, and there were none for her, Yvain, Yuliya, or Marz. So be it. She had her father's Gift for Kinetic magic, and so did her cousin. Yuliya was... Yuliya, after all. "Then we slow it!" she shouted as loud as her lungs could manage. "Siphon momentum! Anyone who has some Kinetic ability, but not too much! We just need to stop it gaining!"

"I'll do what I can with Chemical" Sven called over the rushing wind. She was hard-pressed to keep up with him, but she only needed to stay within range for a couple of minutes. Penny could manage that. She knew she could. She broke into her three-step run, pulling from the beast to empower herself. Then, however, she got another idea: what if... What if I can make... the air denser and the ground looser in front of it? That was both subtler and possibly just as or more effective an approach and she was a good enough binder to - in theory - pull it off!

Watching the other gallop away, Esmii knew she had to do something, We can try to keep the Begemot away from here, but we need to start getting people out of here just in case we cant keep it away." she says to Nikolai.
With the information that her and Sven found, hopefully we can find a simple solution to this, without killing it or it's baby will never survive. Esmii knew that she had to stay close to the group, in case someone gets hurt. Not to mention she'll have to stay hidden, in case it decides to attack the weakest person. Which is her.

She feels her nerves getting to her, can she really do this? She eventually reassures herself. So she begins help people escape for the moment, she'll provide support for the group too.

Nazih rushed to get between Ilvir and the Begemot with his mount.

He started using what binding he could to soften the ground as he worked to catch up with Ilvir. Hopefully that would be enough to slow the behemoth begemot down, at least a little bit.

"Any advice Ilvir?!" Nazih shouted over once he had caught up.

Silas was quite happy to stand some ways back from the rest, and had only increased the distance between him and his fellow students since the tremors began. In no way was he going to fight such a monster. So he watched instead, as Sven, Nazih, and Ilvir fled east and the rest began using their magic to prepare. His attention focused most on Penny, trying to understand what it was she was attempting to do with binding magic. Dark smoke began to pool around the ground of the steppe, slightly warm but very tick, it moved like oil to flood the area and even seep back into the earth; the source of her drawing he presumed. The porosity she'd created, mixed with the tremors of the approaching begemot had started dangerous seismic movements beneath them.

"Stop! stop!" He yelled at her, forgetting his original fear and running up to the one-legged girl. "You're going to make a sinkhole at this rate. You make it muddy, I'll make it stick." He crouched down beside her an d began imbuing the ground with his own magic.

Aside, Nikolai already had two children in his arms when Esmii looked to him. He nodded at her words, "Be sure to keep it away from the mountain, and I can keep the people safe." His attention quickly shifted back to the matter at hand, and he all but disappeared among the villagers in attempt to organising them, his long dark robes the only obviously distinction from the Kyruz farmers.

Penny started as Silas appeared in her orbit. "A...I -" She strained to look. He was right. "Mud," she replied lamely. "I can make it muddy." She called out to Nazih, who'd been doing much the same thing that she had with the ground. "Mud, Nazih!" she shouted. "Make it muddy in the begemot's path!"

Sven, meanwhile, reached into the vast creature's mind as best he could with all of the other distractions. He did not know begemots particularly well, but their brains were not so very unlike the Mastodons of his homeland and he recognized well the potent mixture of biochemicals that denoted absolute focus and desire. It would be a small tweak of the senses, playing on the begemot's existing desire to reach the lure. He would make it seem closer in both sight and smell, enough that the rampaging pachyderm might slow down, or perhaps move to do whatever it would do upon reaching the lure and distract itself in the process. At the very least, this would be informative. He reached out and began drawing, began focusing.

Ilvir, clearly unaccustomed to the mount provided for him struggled to keep his bottom on the saddle. The small boy was jolted into the air with each gallop the horse took, but it didn't seem to give him trouble enough to warrant slowing. He stared blankly back at Nazih, before replying to him in Hegelan and gesturing wildly. Between the speed they move with and Ilvir's jostling it was difficult to determine, but he repeated the movements; a point towards Nazih, a flat palm facing forward, a second point in the direction behind them before Ilvir indicated himself and then the direction ahead.

When the beast started it's charge and Ilvir yelled, Marz yelled out, "We gotta slow the bitch!"

Marz's hand shot into his bag and pulled out a mana shot as he took a deep drink of it. The moment he downed it he looked to the large creature and rushed forward to try and catch up.

With his new power he began to draw from the energy of the Begemot running to slow it down while he boosted himself.

His smaller body made keeping up hard, yet with his magic and boosted power made it where keeping up was possible for a time.

To further give Ilvir a lead, Marz began to try and slow the rate the Begemot's body would break down lactic acid, the chemical that makes muscles fatigue. Marz isn't skilled enough to produce more lactic acid, yet the slowing of the break down process is doable enough to slow the beast down over an extended period of time.

When Esmii loses sight of Nikolai, she quickly runs back to where most of the group is, to inform them what Nikolai told her. When she finally gets back to Penny, Silas and Nazih, she is out of breath. After she is able to breath again she tells them " Nikolai told me that we need to keep the Begemot as far away from the mountains as possible, that's where he is taking the villagers.", she then goes on to say " So how is the plan going so fare & what do you need me to do."

Yvain clapped his hands and soon enough the little floating pastries disappeared, carefully plucking the locals off him. Seeing his cousin blow past him caused him to chuckle. "Frimeur. " He prepared to catch up to his cousin. Cela ne suffit pas, je dois être plus rapide. Realising that just augmenting his pace would no be enough.

Yvain's stance got more relaxed, lifting himself up from the air and soon enough darted towards her cousin. He was able to close the distance between them but did not manage to overtake her. This can't be right. Did he lose his edge? No matter. This is not a time for his ego to be hurt, even if it were to sting.

Landing not too far away from his cousin. "Suppose we can't just use brute force against this thing, huh?"

Penny shook her head, trying to create some water in the dirt and mix it in ahead of the begemot. She gritted her teeth. "Non, cousin, I think not. Now come help me, would you?"

Yvain sighed. "Cher moi, I am not a chef." He began to use his kinetic magic to create small rotations in the softer earth. "I can mix it as well as a trained cook, however it will do the trick. You focus on softening the earth."

With great effort, the others were contributing in attempting to stop it. Yuli would not be outdone in this regard. It was tempting to attack it while it was stuck in the mud, force people's hands, but since the news of the calf, it would not be viable whatsoever. So, she pulled on it. She'd never been good at controlling her strength, but she figured that a speeding begamot would not be so affected by one person that it would go feral. And if it did, they could put an end to this farce for good.

The distance continued to shrink between them, with nothing else on the empty steppe to compare, the begemot’s size was sensed by those with the gift before they could truly see. Four full tusks radiating with magical energy of their own lead the beast by a good thirty feet - apiece, not all that different in size from the longboat waiting to take them to Kirimansk. The colossal monster behind them was a mess of dense dark fur, matted with entire branches and more than a few small trees jutting out in places.

Even at a distance, the massive span of her ears sent billowing gusts of wind towards the group with each of her impossibly fast steps. What seemed like impossible speed before seemed only inevitable now; how could anything built with such power and strength move any other way? Her feet alone could stomp a small house, and her trunk - equal in length to her tusks but more than twice as thick with fur and muscle, stretched forward and into the sky. A thunderous trumpeting that split skulls and shook the ground came from it. The begemot reared upwards as she bellowed out, only to come down with the full force of her upper half again. The impact was enough to send a full seismic shock across the steppe, flattening any who remained unsheltered.

The student's efforts had worked to reduce the thundering aftershocks of the monster’s gallop, the soft mud absorbing rather than echoing the force. More importantly, the massive pillars of the begemot’s legs had slowly begun to sink. She’d reared in panic, but did her best to return to running speed the moment her front feet landed again.

Making good use of their head-start Sven, Ilvir, and Nazih were oblivious to the goings on behind them. Ilvir had pushed further ahead still, while Sven had just caught up with the Darhanic when the blaring sound of the Begemot reached them both, stranger still, they hear its higher and softer echo coming from the east; their intended destination.

Sven heard the distant call and... he wasn't too familiar with begemots, but he knew other pachyderms, and that was... a juvenile! "Hey, guysh!" he shouted, as loudly as he could, "That other call: it'sh a baby!" He did what he could to project his voice, but he had never been good with kinetic magic, much less specialized sonic. "We have to be careful. We can't get between mother and baby or we'll make thingsh worshe: much worshe!" He did not take the lead, however, deferring to those who knew more about both begemots (Ilvir) and combat (Nazih).

The begemot was slowed, but not by much and not for long. There was only one thing to do. I have to try it, he decided. He reached out, full to the max with every bit of energy he could muster and, with the most delicate sledgehammer ever, or perhaps the least elegant scalpel, pulled the enormous animal's perceptions. Now, it just had to be seen if his efforts had borne any fruit.

The slick ground the biro's had worked to soften went flying, splattering them all indiscriminately. Craters were left behind where the begemot had slammed her front legs to the ground. But the grand display had been nothing more than a sign of mild frustration, for she continued running through the mud. The adolescent mages and remaining villagers may as well been ants to the animal; she was too large and focused to pay mind to their lacklustre preparations and charged forwards towards her unseen target.

The magic had immediate effect. The begemot stopped in her tracks. Her half sprint had come to a halt so suddenly the wet grown was torn under her. Deep rivets, wider than the armspans of three men, were left trailing behind and threatened the balance of those around them once again. Momentum carried her further still and the mud pilled in front of her massive legs until finally, the begemot came to a halt. She gave another roar of frustration, but it was muffled the second time; her tusks and trunk sunk deep into the mud.

Penny, meanwhile, in a world of pain, had also stopped, collapsed on the ground, balance shot to pieces, and trying to find the wherewithal to heal herself. She found the damaged fibers of her eardrums and began to knit them back together, the nothingness and pain being replaced by a ringing of tinnitus and then something like normalcy. Her sharp, quickened breathing normalized. The fuzziness of the world resolved itself. The pain became a recent memory. She rose to see the elephant come to a halt of its own accord, bogging itself down almost irretrievably in the mud as a result. Someone had worked their magic, and it hadn't been her, but she was grateful for it. She immediately cast about for somebody in need of healing.

After some frustration and yasoi swearing, Esmii finally managed to get herself free from the mud. She then made her way towards, Yvain & Yuliya as she noticed that they were both holding there hands to their ears, and she saw some blood coming from them. Not wasting any time she began to heal there ear drums, from the Begemot's scream. While she was healing them, she was talking to them the hole time so that she knew when there ears were fully healed. After they are both healed, she asks " So what is our next move."

Nazih, aware that the Begemot was going to catch up eventually, was frantically trying to think of anything that could slow it down.

His eyes landed on the lure trailing behind Ilvir; did he dare? He didn't want to disrupt the binding that was holding it together, but if he did nothing they would be overtaken.

Nazih attempted to unbind an enticing chunk from the lure.

After hearing what Nikolai said about Sven been stuck in the mud, Esmii quickly runs to Sven's side to help him out of the mud, already knowing how hard it is to get out of, as she was just stuck in it to. " Sven I'm coming to help you, dont struggle it will make it harder for you to get out. "

Sven was not struggling, per se. Well, he sort of was. He drew. He drew massive amounts as a blood mage Binder and the ground immediately around him evaporated, all of its stored potential energy filling him. Woozy from drawing right up to his capacity, he leapt free, stumbling upon landing.

While Esmii was running to help, and because she was so focused on getting to him she, tripped and slipped a few times. However she managed to get to Sven just as he stumbled, she tried to catch him, so that he didn't hurt himself to much. " Sven are you ok, do you need me to heal you. "

Sven somehow found time for a small kiss in the middle of a life-threatening situation, because he would. He smiled at Esmii's question. "Looksh like you do too." With all that energy he'd drawn needing to be used, he reached out to heal her scrapes and bruises, as she did the same for him. They were in the shadow of a massive, raging beast, and it needed to go down, but they also needed to be out of the squish zone. Sven picked Esmii up like a doll and filled himself with the last of the energy he'd drawn, casting a chemical enhancement to give himself a bit more speed. "Let'sh get outta here."

As Esmii is carried by Sven she becomes a little flustered, and blushes. She try's to calm down as this isn't the time as there is a giant monster that needs to be delt with. " Thank you Sven for healing me, I was that focused on healing everyone else I forgot to heal myself, I do that a lot."

Silas had done little more than sit in awe since the Begemot had come close enough for him to sense. It was enourmous, and the amounts of energy it produced with each moment rippled throughout the air, readily absorbed by his hungry eyes. What focus he had was spent keeping himself from slipping down towards the monster, the self-made mud hindering the group nearly as much as the begemot itself.

"She's waking up," he added hurriedly once the Vissoriyan mage returned and demanded them act. For a moment longer he stared as Sven freed himself from the muck to embrace Esmii, then he mirrored Nikolai's actions; using the little binding skills he had learned to entomb the creatures front half in solid rock. It was a slow process; slower still with the boy keeping half his capacity in reserve to flee the moment the beast began moving again.

In the chase to track down and slow the Begemont, Marz did not realize that the muck that was to be used against the large beast had spread out so far. It made sense for it to be so spread out it did not remedy the fact that Marz was not ready for such an extreme terrain shift. Especially for a man of his shape and heft, his leg instantly sank to his hip and he we stuck in the mud.

It would normally take minutes to get out of this mud with such hefty armor, but for a magic user like Marz, moments. Marz launched himself out of the mud and muck and onto solid earth, As he began to notice the things going on, Sven seems to have been caught up in the mud like him, but was struggling to get out. It was once he did he implored the help of his lover to try and quell the beast. On the other side Nikolai and Silas seemed to be trying to encase the beast in stone by using the mud they made. All the while the beast seemed to worsen in mood.

In this seemingly worsening situation for the plan to lure the beast away, it gave Marz an idea.

Marz began aiming his hammer at the Begemont and using chemical magic to assist in the quelling of the beast. HIs aim was not to try and tame her, but make her less mad as she was encased in stone.

Marz' head turned to Yvain and Yuliya as he yelled out, "You two! Begin making an illusion of the beast but small! We'll use it to lead it to Ilvir and her actual kid!"

Marz then turned to Penny and barked, "You! Help them encase the beast. It'll buy time!"

Penny was... not a fan of people barking orders at her, but she'd spent just enough time with Marz at this point to have an understanding that this was kind of just... his way. "Could've at least..." she began. "Aw, fuck it." With that, she gathered all of the energy she could, as the area around her seemed to become a maelstrom of drawing and casting and general energetic chaos. The animal had to be stopped and, if that meant playing a little bit rough, then so be it. Having already helped Marz with encasing it in hardened mud-gone-stone, she reached out with Chemical magic and, following Sven's expert lead, found the areas of its simple but not too simple brain responsible for producing soporifics and slammed them full of what she hoped was the right stuff.

Sven, meanwhile, who had switched from encasing around the same time as Penny, now focused on cutting off the flow of adrenaline to reduce the begemot's activity levels and overcome the ridiculous amounts it had been pumping out. Combining this with some chemical dissolution of existing adrenaline where he could find it, he continued to work. On one level, he felt bad. This was a mother protecting its young. On the other, he was also saving it from itself, else they would be forced to fight it, likely to the death: its and some of theirs. "Shorry, big girl," he murmured as he cast. "Thish ish about the worsht place imaginable for you and your little one."

Yvain and Yuliya, meanwhile, he could see working hard on an illusion. From his perspective, it shimmered imperfectly in the vague shape of a small begemot, but he knew it would look far more convincing to the huge pachyderm's eyes from a different angle. he only hoped it would be enough. The stone had well and truly trapped the beast, despite its immense size and, as it began to take hold of and notice the illusion, he prepared to unbind some of the trap and let it follow, away from him and his peers, away from the town and the danger.

Yvain looked rather frustrated by having to work together with a merchant, or rather one pretending to be one. Even if his ability for illusions is not the highest, this was humiliating. "Travaille avec moi, lumière" As he tried his hardest to coordinate with Yuliya to get their structure of light to move away from the town slowly. As it started to move Yvain could be seen with a shit-eating grin. "Sometimes I scare myself with how talented I am." Even whilst under this mental strain of keeping such a behemoth consistent. It did not stop him from looking as perfectly presentable as ever.

Once Esmii, had been safely moved out of the Begemont's way, by Sven, she ran over to Penny, shouting " I'm coming to help you encase the Begemont.". When she reached Penny, she quickly started to help her encase the Begemont, before it tried to escape the mud again.

When the begemot awoke, it was all at once. She wasted no time making short work of the binder's efforts: Though the stone cut and scraped at her as she broke through, but break through she did, sending further shrapnel of rock and mud towards the biros. Whatever pain she might have felt came second to the overwhelming sensation of familiarity she felt when looking upon the well-constructed image of her offspring, and she began tearing off again; her attackers ignored. It didn't take long for the begemot's monstrous tusks to reach and break through the illusion as the caster's reached the limits of their range, but the effect had been enough and the frantic mother showed no signs of turning back. The biros were left in her wake, aftershocks from the thundering gallop returning for some time before true peace fell over the steppe again. The valley between the town and mountains was destroyed. A massive crater where the begemot had been stuck, and the half-stone hill nearly twenty feet high Sven had been buried under. But she had left, and all the remaining group could do was hope Ilvir and Nazih had gotten enough of a start to keep her from returning.

Fallout: The Vegas Affair

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In collaboration: @Product as Katherine Green

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Chu-Chink, Chu-Chink, Chu-Chink, Chunk, thump Ow!

The sound of a ratchet can be heard over the wind blowing across the dusty wastes and the sound of music. With it a whistling was heard from the man who was right now kneeling next to what seemed to be a 3 wheeled motorcycle that was put together with many different pieces of other vehicles. The man was right now tightening the wheels as the sound of liquid poured into an empty gas tank. The man seemed to have finished with what he was doing before he called out to his compatriot, ”Hey Katie, you done filling the tank?”

Katie turned to face him, her arm visibly tired from manually pumping the gas from the prewar station. "That's the last dribble," she replied, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. Since Desmond finished with the tires, she stepped away from the gas and offered her handyman a cigarette while she took one for herself. Her lighter sparked four times before finally firing. "The bike is supposed to sound like that?" she teased after exhaling the first drag. "This place is pretty much tapped out," she added, referring to the fact that it had been years since the war ended, and these prewar gas stations and highway buildings were likely picked clean by other wastelanders and prospectors over the years, something she was sure Desmond was painfully aware of.

Desmond took the cigarette Katherine offered and gave a nod of thanks before he took out his own lighter and lit the cigarette. He took a drag as he looked off into the wastes taking in what Katherine said. He breathed out smoke as he nodded his head, ”Yeah, I assumed it would have been”. Desmond takes another drag as he seems lost in thought for a moment. He breaks the tense moment with another smoke cloud leaving his mouth and saying, ”Welp, we really only got 2 options. We can fuck around here and think about what to do next, or we can do a quick joyride with what we got left and see where that leaves us”. Desmond shrugs with a smile as he looks at Katherine, ”Honestly, a joyride doesn’t sound so bad to me. Might even be a little fun”.

Katie paused for a moment, contemplating the risks of taking a joyride on a makeshift motorcycle in the middle of the wasteland. But the thrill of the adventure was too tempting to resist. "What the hell, let's do it," she said, mustering up some courage. As she finished her cigarette and flicked the butt away, gave a confident thumbs up to Desmond and strode towards the bike. With the wind whipping against her face and the dust kicking up around her boots, she carefully removed her glasses and tucked them away in a safe pocket on her jacket. "Show me what this baby can do."

Desmond’s grin stayed plastered on his face as he tossed the last bit of his cigarette on the ground as he heard Katherine seem for the crazy idea. Desmond takes the few solid steps forward to the motorcycle as he gives the large fuel tank a few taps and chuckles before he takes hold of the handle before quickly throws himself onto the machine with a solid lands as he looked to Katherine, ”Let’s see where she leads us”, as he lets out a laugh, asa it dawns on him how hilarious the situation is.

The moment Katie mounted up behind Desmond, he looked over his shoulder with a smile as he said, ”Let’s hear her purr”. Desmond lifts himself up slightly as he stamps down onto the starter as the engine roared to life. A laugh left Desmond's mouth as he took hold of the handlebars and revved a few times before he looked back with one last smile as the motorcycle roared and the wheels squealed, launching the vehicle forward.

On the back of the bike, Katie’s blood was pumping with anticipation. The doctor held her doctor's bag tightly on her lap, knowing it contains fragile and precious contents, but is confident she can keep them safe. After she wrapped her arms tightly around Desmond's waist, she could feels the prewar power of the machine coursing through her body. An excited whoop managed to escape her lips while they take off. With her eyes closed tight and the wind whipping through her hair, it felt like flying. As they hit the open road, she couldn’t contain her laughter, exhilarated by the sheer speed and freedom of the ride. It's like nothing she's ever experienced before, and she hoped that tank would last.

The motorcycle purred and roared as the wind howled and blew. The sun was still blazing down, even as it was getting later into the day, the heat was still visible across the desert, yet for Desmond and Katherine, they felt nothing but the chilling wind. The wheels tore up the little asphalt left behind as the motorcycle began to climb in speed as they had begun to find straighter and straighter ways. All Desmond could do was laugh as this was absurd, stupid even. Yet that didn’t matter, they were right now using the little bit of gas they had left and blazing past ruined vehicles, roadways, and…a sign?

"Las Vegas Exit," Katie squinted to read the sign without her glasses. The wind howled in their ears and the heat of the asphalt radiated beneath them, and the two sped past ruined vehicles, crumbling buildings, and towering rock formations, pushing the makeshift bike to its limits. Katie had never visited Las Vegas before, but she had travelled the Mojave enough to know that the road ahead was full of dangers. She was getting used to the wind in her face now, and was beginning to look ahead on the road, scanning for any signs of trouble. Whether it was with a Brahmin or a bike, the caravan life was all the same, and Katie knew better than to let her guard down. "Hey guy!" She raised her voice again, trying to be heard over the roar of the engine. "Do you see a lot of raiders on this thing?" Subtlety didn't seem like an option on the bike, but Desmond seemed to get the message. This was exactly what she had signed up for.

Desmond turned his head when he heard Katherine speak and answered her fair question, "Oh yeah, but mostly they are afraid of-" Desmond's eyes instantly flicked back forward and yanked on the handle bars, swerving hard and fast.

Desmond abruptly swerved the motorcycle, causing Katie to fear he had lost his mind. However, the sound of a gunshot ahead revealed the reason for his maneuver. In front of them lay a primitive bunker made of rusted cars. Based on the size of the thing, only one raider could fit inside, and the rate of oncoming gunfire only further proved her suspicion. Desmond hit the accelerator, expertly dodging the incoming bullets as they flew past the obstacle. Meanwhile, Katie readied the fuse of a stick of dynamite from the back seat. With perfect timing, she managed to throw the explosive through a narrow opening in the raider's barricade just as they zoomed by. The resulting blast echoed through the air as Desmond let off another laugh as if he was just made a fool by fate itself.

As the demolition duo rode further on, it came apparent that the little fuel they had had finally ran dry. On fumes alone they had made it another mile, Desmond sighed he looked back to his passenger and said, "Well guess we'll be coasting from here on, damn. I swore I had a good-". In that moment a loud whistle blurred as their attention was instantly drawn to what seemed to be a convoy of NCR troopers. Many of them were walking as next to them was a large and imposing vehicle. A four wheeled personnel carrier that seemed to have a large gun atop it, baring down onto them.

Desmond sighed as he stopped and turned the engine of the motorcycle off. Leaving about 100 feet of distance from where stood who he assumed was the commanding officer, a taller man grizzled from the wastes and wore a stern face as he called to the two motorcyclists, "What in the sam hell are you doing out here like that?"

Desmond looked to Katherine and said, "Here, let me talk". Desmond gave a wink before turning to the NCR soldier, "Oh just enjoying the sun set as we race across the desert with the no fuel we got left".

The older NCR soldier responds, "Well that sounds like one tough pickle son, sadly we ain't got fuel to spare to-". In that moment a loud bang and pop came from the engine of the NCR vehicle the grizzled soldier was standing in front of as his eyes widened and turned. Multiple soldiers began clambering out as smoke began to fill the air as there a smile grew on Desmond's face as it seemed fate still did favor him.

"Well, if you can't give the fuel, you wanna trade? I get some fuel and you don't get stranded?"

The look of pure anger and shock filled the man's face as he felt as if the incompetence of some fool nearly stranded them with priceless military hardware in the middle of the Mojave. Yet the young man seemed to offer some trade, skeptical the man asked, "I can tell you may know a thing or two with your bike. You sure you can do this?"

Desmond responded simply, "A Handyman can do anything", as he stepped off his bike and grabbed his toolbox to begin getting to work on the NCR vehicle. Just like any other day.

The Hourglass Order

Primitive: Survive

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Thrown from one situation to another, from hell to high waters Desmond has been through the wringer, yet there was still more. As the moment they came through to the other side after a teleport, he only had a few moments to recompose himself before he heard the cries of Marceline as she screamed out,"SADNSTORM!!".

Desmond's head whipped around to see the massive wall of wind and tiny stones and seemed to nod to himself as he put some strange face mask over his mouth. Quickly following Desmond set his signature hat on his head which changed his clothing into that of long flowing cloths similar to what many Torragonese men would wear.

He then gave one more nod to himself and then turned to Fiske as he gave one last nod, after which he swooped Fiske up under his arm and began to run in the direction of the strange structures he noticed from his quick look around while yelling, "Time to leave!"

Whilst being carried was quite troublesome, Fiske was however too exhausted to make any kind of snarky remark or joke.... Although a bit of a snarky question was not too much of a burden. "How in the hells have you survived with people like them around? It looks like trouble follows them around."

"What are those?" He tried to sharpen his sight to get a better look on the strange structures up ahead.

Fiske began asking Desmond questions, ones he could not answer well, all he could yell out was, "Survive with them? By doing this!" Desmond continued to run with Fiske for a bit longer before he began setting Fiske down and saying, "You need to run! I can't carry you and run fast enough!"

The moment Fiske's feet touched the ground Desmond and him began to run at full force. Desmond had a strange speed about him, as he seemed to almost began to glide across the sands. His feet kicked hard yet the sand did not move. And when he needed to head down the dune they were on, he seemed to almost glide across the sand.

For Fiske, he struggled, such difficult terrains were already a hard one to cross with no training, including with his exhaustion? He couldn't keep up with Desmond, even with his superior magical power.

The distance between them grew more and more as it took Desmond a full minute to finally see his smaller compatriot was lagging far behind and became concerning as the storm was raging forward.

Desmond did a full heel turn and began to slow to a near halt as he began to try and boost Fiske forward. Yet the distance seemed to only grow as Fiske seemed to have lost all momentum. Closer and closer the sand storm came, and Desmond was slowly making the distance between himself and the strange structure shorter, yet Fiske was still struggling.

Once Desmond made it to the structures he began calling to Fiske as he said, "Follow the light I'm making!" As he began to produce a white flame that once the sandstorm hit, began to burn strong and bright even in the darkness.

Fiske however needed to cover another near 1 mile of ground. His eyes were now being bombarded by wind, sand, and darkness, making even this strong flame nearly impossible to see. His mouth began to fill with sand, his nose began to be almost stuffed full of sand from the wind, and all he could do was walk. His mind was being dulled, as he began to use his magics to dull the pain he is feeling, his sense of smell, his taste, anything to make this pain bearable, as all he could do was follow a white flame in this near darkness.

His feet began to drag as he was moments from collapse, but he needed to press on, he wasn't too far, he hoped, as he looked up, the flame was gone. In that same moment his feet nearly failed him, he felt a pair of arms wrap around him as he blacked out.

Upon waking up some moments later, Fiske found himself breathing through a strange mask, being held close by Desmond as they are in some quickly made cover being supported by the strange structures they ran for.

Desmond noticed and said with a smile, "Look what the cat dragged in. You hungry?" as Desmond shows in his other hand a burrito.

Fiske took the burrito and began to eat it greedily, only stopping when Desmond tells him not to eat the whole thing, and was shown it had the amazing ability to replenish itself, and provided the 2 starving boys plenty of food.