The dark knight had assured her no one but the owners of the unknown voices was there to hear his mighty bellows, but yet her uncertainty persisted. The knight was - or so she assumed - much better acquainted with the workings of this place than she, but could one ever be truly confident in anything in this world? She knew she herself definitely was not - and that was about the only thing she was truly certain in.
	Nevertheless, she ceased voicing her worries for the time being, and simply drew closer to their armor-clad companion and also sole guide in this realm. Even though he, too, was searching for something, just as she was... There simply were different levels of [i]lost[/i], and some of them were more so than others. 
	- This world was her home now, but where [i]in[/i] this world was her place exactly? The dark knight had said the mountain was to be their destination, and in the lack of any other leads, this was where she, too, was headed. Deep down, she hoped her dark knight was indeed correct, and she was not here just to become one of the many beasts roaming the land herself. To [i]adapt[/i] to this world.
	Uncertainty, in turn, was itself a vicious beast. It could erode the will of a human being until nothing remained, and then they broke - not in the way of succumbing to the eventual indifference of depression, but into something akin to manic psychosis. A person [i]had[/i] to know something, have something to hold on to. A person had to [i]belong[/i] somewhere. 
	Her hands kept clutching the axe, and her eyes kept flitting from one thing to the next, traveling all over the valleyside, looking, searching... The  jingling madman - for whom she really should find a better name in her head now, she figured, suddenly deeply ashamed of her mere thoughts - moved to place himself between her and the origin of the unknown voices. Nothing, however, prepared her for -
	Suddenly, a grinding voice spoke from practically next to her and the knight, and her eyes jumped for scanning the rocks ahead to staring at what appeared to be a stone pillar draped in ragged ever-shifting fabrics. It had a single round panel embedded in its "face", a glass circle that held disturbing resemblance to an eye and did nothing, [i]nothing[/i] to alleviate the feeling that it - whatever it was or wherever it had come from so abruptly - was [i]staring right back at her. [/i]

	[i]Rocks were but inanimate objects, entirely harmless. [b]And there she was wrong.[/b] [/i]

	She did not know why, but suddenly a foreboding sense of dread gripped her, and she froze in place. Whatever manner of being this was, it was [i]not[/i] their friend. Its cryptic message did not help, either. Blooming roses? Turn of Light? Choice of trees? [i]What? [b]Why?[/b][/i] She was vaguely aware that it was the same voice that had spoken before - the inhuman one of the two -, but now it was [i]here,[/i] and she instinctively wanted it [i]gone[/i]. By means of her axe, if not otherwise. Who knew what else it could do, besides teleporting? It was silent now, but it was still staring at her. And it was [i]waiting. [/i]
	[i]“The Hermit sent you, did he not?”[/i] The dark knight's voice suddenly rang out from next to her, and she physically started. Somehow, during the past less than handful of seconds, she had entirely forgotten that the giant of a man was there, right beside her. [i]“In the kingdom of the Blind, the one eyed man is King.” [/i]
	In deepening confusion, she halted herself from performing any further action, but the dark knight did not. Before her eyes, the armored man's halberd pierced the little glass panel and penetrated deep into the pillar's innards. (Now it is definitely blind rather than one-eyed. And it can stare no more...)
	It [i]screeched[/i], and without thinking she took half a step back and tried to cover her ears, one with a hand and the other with the side of her axe's shaft. She could not see the robed pillar's chaotic destruction, for she had closed her eyes - only [i]hear[/i] it, hear its cry of death, hear the cry that seemed to never end. [i](Stop. Stop that!)[/i]
	Until she felt an impact, shorter and sharper than a gust of wind ... more like a blow, but all over her body, leaving her breathless and dazed. And ... silence. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked up, arms trembling slightly as she hugged her axe close and straightened her frame. The pillar was gone, naught but a dent in ground and some shards of glass and lifeless scraps of fabric remaining behind, and there was [i]true[/i] silence. A part of her thought the inhuman scream was still ringing on, even without the physical manifestation of the being, and she had simply gone deaf. 
	The knight was still beside her. The ... man with tiny bells attached to is clothes was still there. But during the time she had spent taking in the presence of ... whatever [i]that[/i] had been, the former assassin had disappeared from sight entirely. There was only the head of a young guy peering over the rocks above. The knight shouted out to him, telling the executioner not to strike. [i]Oh.[/i] So she was not deaf, after all...
	The armored man went on to give further instructions directly to the young man, but most it did was to add to her confusion. Not the bit about coming down - that was easily enough understood, but everything else. Who had been watching? The hermit-fellow? What did he mean with the Turn of Light? (Did he not say that he had seen six hundred of those before he stopped counting, before? But why were those important? Why did they have to leave before that? [i]Why, why why, why, why... [b]What!?[/b][/i])
	"The hermit, Sir? Who is he and why does he concern you?" she tried  quietly inquiring the dark knight as the newcomer was busy trying to climb down the steep valley wall. She was not entirely certain the man was even listening to her, but she had no idea what was going on, and she desperately wanted to make at least [i]some[/i] sense in everything that ensued. Maybe he would just explain later, in his own time, as he had with the mountain-thing and the 'keys' to it... "And, Sir, what is the 'Turn of Light' you and that ... being were speaking of?"
	"I don't understand..." she then proceeded to quietly admit after a brief pause, sadly. "I feel hopelessly lost." 
	She did hear what he was muttering to himself, though, just because she was standing so close. He knew the young guy - who, now that he was almost level with them, turned out to wear some quite fancy-looking garments that quite definitely had been expensive before weather and time did their work on them? If the newcomer had been a noble of some sort, then it probably made sense... Nobles and kings and castles and knights did go together, and in turn had little to do with - or so she assumed - folks like she had been.  
	She did not have the time to question the dark knight further, though, as he ran forth to question the young lad - rather aggressively, it turned out. She was in half mind to ask him to at least put the poor startled-looking fellow back on ground, but in the end decided against it, if for no other reasons then in order not to anger the knight further ... whatever it was that had called forth this display of borderline-violence. She had wandered a bit closer, but ultimately remained to stand by, looking clueless and even more at a loss than before. 

	It was only when the former assassin turned up that she moved closer, if still cautiously, and inched to right next to the assassin, who seemed to have business to discuss with the knight. It probably was not exactly appropriate, trying to listen in on what he was saying, but well, she was with the group, wanted to know what on not-Earth was going on, and being a head taller than the 'retired' silent killer and thus much closer to the dark knight's height made it ... sort of easy to pick up the whispering. If she had not heard, then the dark knight much higher up and inside his helmet definitely would not, either. In conclusion... There was another person there, and the assassin wanted to pretend they did not notice. 
	"But what if he has a crossbow or something and can just shoot at us from afar without us not being able to do much?" she whispered urgently in turn, not too fond of just pretending everything was fine until it was too late. She for one was not certain she would definitely spot something like that in time, or that something could be done before one of them had a bolt through the neck. She was quite certain that a crossbow-bolt could go through leather armor from farther away than a throwing knife could hit the mark ... and if the former assassin did not have throwing knives, then they did not have long-range weapons at all. "Or other people somewhere away that he will go back to and inform so[i] they [/i]can go ahead and set a trap? Maybe they have more of these ... appearing things. I certainly didn't like how it stared at me." And it was not like confronting the man would cause any more attention being draw to them than there already was, not after all the knight's bellowing and that terrible shrieking the pillar-thing had produced in its dying moments. 
	Whether they agreed with her reasoning or disagreed, she drew a bit back and turned away from the knight's interrogation, going back to pointlessly scanning the valley walls. She could still not see a thing...

	 The former assassin apparently opted to follow her example, tracing her the few steps she had covered and sitting down on a rock next to her. She did not mind; she was still busy trying to find something of concern amidst the rocks and vainly attempting to sort through her thoughts. So much sense everything made...
	[i]"I can see that at the very least, you don't trust me,"[/i] the man suddenly spoke.
	She stilled for a moment, as she had not expected to be addressed, but after a moment of contemplation responded with another of her slightly stiff small shrugs. No, she did not really trust him. But then again, she did not think she really trusted anyone here. Either they were potentially crazy or armed and dangerous or both, and the knight was both far beyond her class and ... well, [i]huge,[/i] and above everything else, they were all still but strangers to her. She did not really [i]know[/i] any of them...
	[i]"Is it because I've killed people?"[/i] 
	There was a brief pause, then a slight shake of head. So most likely had the knight and any warrior and soldier. Even she herself had probably killed animals in her life, and possibly been forced to kill a person or a few during her time here. It was something else entirely...
	 And just like that, the man went on to describe something he seemed to assume was his life. Street child. Stealing. Some organization. Training he did not seem to even want to recall. Things like that. It was strange, and it was not something she could even remotely relate to, but she guessed she at least owed him an explanation. Or just her thoughts of him, for the matter. He had - presumably - been honest, so would she be. 
	"It is not killing people, you know. I figured you were a reasonable man - when you introduced yourself, even though you said you had been a killer. It was the things you said later that felt ... wrong. You don't learn empathy, you know. You either have it always, or you don't have it at all, and then you're only a part human. And assassin is something you [i]work as[/i], not what [i]you are[/i]." It was probably harsh, but if she had already decided to be honest... But, how would she ever begin to explain why what the assassin had said felt so [i]wrong?[/i] 
	"[i]Many [/i]people have killed, you know..." she began, then fell silent for a second before continuing. "But it doesn't mean they don't [i]have[/i] feelings. A hunter can kill no matter how many animals, but still sincerely cry and mourn when their hunting hound and long-time companion dies of old age; a warrior can kill dozens of men, but still go back to their family, and will still truely love them just as before." She shrugged. "That is how things are. That is how all humans are, unless they are broken from birth." 
	"You sounded a lot like those empty people Sir described, you know. Like someone who has lost what they actually were, and only barely keeps clinging to some rudimentary idea they got from what little remains of their memories. Like being a 'weapon' for you. I think you never didn't feel. I think you have just forgotten, and the ... people, those who you felt at home with, you actually [i] did[/i] feel towards them as one normally does towards family. And you probably had other children on the streets. Friends. And you yourself said there was some woman you adored?" She sighed, and then suddenly whipped her head to the side - the dark knight had apparently finished his interrogations, and was now urging them to move on. (Again with that turn of light...) 
	"I guess I told you what I think the best I know how to. About ... it not being about killing people, and you sounding like ... one of those empty people who have lost themselves. That is all, really. Above that, we are all just strangers to one another. We don't really [i]know[/i] each other. Guess some of it can be amended just like that - talking to others. And I guess you're right - about us having to rely on each other, no matter what ... staying alone, we'd all soon just become beasts. Maybe? I don't know. I only think so. But we can discuss later; apparently it is just another bad place to stay..." 

	Her eyes had found the tips of her boots as she was wrapping up her speech, but now she turned back to look up at their armored companion ... just as the bell-man opted to comment on the light turning. ...Already? Did the pillar-thing not say they would have an hour? Or was it about the moon... Were those different things?
	She spun around again, now observing the surroundings rather than looking at any of her companions... Indeed... The... [i]Something[/i] was definitely happening. Did it mean they had to hurry? What would ... oh, her bag. Things. Right. 
	She hurried over to the bag, hastily slinging it over shoulder and switching her axe-hand to get the other of her straps over her shoulder, too. 
	"Should ... should we move now?" she stumbled over words with uncertainty. Or was it already too late and they should [i]fight[/i] instead? Whatever it was they would be fighting... In any case there was darkness, and it was coming [i]towards[/i] them. Any undesirable potential spies were forgotten for the time being; they had to move, do something, [i]anything... [/i]
	The tension was too much for the bell-man, for he was screaming to the skies ... the light was turning, the light was turning. She could see that! But what, when,[i] where!?[/i] The forest?!? ...Onwards? Desperation shone on her face as she took long strides towards the dark line on the horizon, halting, looking back at the knight... Was he coming? Were they all moving? (She should stand and [i]fight.[/i] They would just track her down, she knew. Running was futile now.) 
	She was beginning to heard sounds. Growling, running, stampeding, an unstoppable mass of flesh and bone, their impending doom. (They are running blind. They are not tracking. And they are many. She may fight, but she [i]cannot[/i] win. Can she outrun the destruction? Doubtable, but she can at least try... Fighting? Against those beings? Together, they were unstoppable. [i]Unstoppable.[/i])
	
	[i][b]Unstoppable.*[/b][/i]

	If they linger, they would be [i]done for. [/i](She would not go down without a fight.)  There was the same sense of inevitability she remembered in one of the episodes that did not belong, though now the roles were reversed... (But she knew what it felt like to be a monster herself. It was ... empowering, but she was not at all certain she as herself liked it. Yet, would she always like to be the one hunted?)

	[i]Adapt. [/i]

	But for now, she would be taking the bell-man's advice and run while she still could. For while you could still escape something, you ran, and you hid. If you did not have the speed to get away, and if you were not all that good at hiding, however... Then ... [i]then[/i] you[i][b] fought. [/b][/i]

[hr]

* Go [i]away[/i], Unreal Tournament announcer voice...