There were instances in life where things happened too quickly to react. A sudden accident, a surprise sprung on an unsuspecting guest, events could unfold in such a way that they seemed to be a blur. The opposite was true too and time could seemingly slow as chaos unfolded, as it was now. Ethan watched in silent horror and confusion as the guards and Machina began to fight, unable to make reason of what he was witnessing. They were attacking, but why? What reason would they have for that? He thought Machina obeyed and served their owners, killing them was as far from that as one could get. It wasn't as though they'd be questioning the machines either as the fighting unfolded, with Nymira burning away a trio climbing through the window to boot. Over Cecil's screams and Bernadette's muffled sobs he was left trying to direct everyone to the window, insisting they follow Nymira's lead out. 

Even their escape was far from graceful as Cecil fell and tumbled, Bernadette continued to be hysterical and he and Nymira were borderline collapsing from exhaustion. Amuné had been spooked but was surprisingly quiet at the moment, perhaps because he was holding her and Wyth was nearby. Having broken apart the wall with a powerful gust Ethan fought to keep his grasp on the Ydran girl, his whole body feeling like gelatin it was so worn. "But... If anyone comes..." the white-haired magi panted out, not terribly enthused with that idea. Leaving Amuné on her own to flee could be disastrous if they were chased, it was safer to keep her in his arms, even if releasing her might be easier. Giving the bricks a shove to collapse the section of the wall he was about to step through when Zander bolted past him, repeating something about "tampering" over and over as he ran away. Wanting to give chase he stepped over the rubble, being halted when Nymira grabbed his shoulder.

"We don't have time... He'll find his way out," she said firmly, not having any of her escort run off on her. Truth be told too she wasn't terribly concerned about the healer, she knew little of him and their meeting hadn't been a favorable one. For all they knew too he could be the one responsible for the mayor's death, and in turn her denial of a council with the man. Aggravating and enough to warrant her giving him a good smacking about, though she hadn't the energy to chase him either. Right now their focus should be to escape the scene of the battle, as contradictory as that might be to her usual behavior, and find a way to figure out what was happening. With most everyone over the wall she glanced back and saw Bernadette standing there, wringing her hands nervously with a panicked expression on her face. "If you remain you'll die, hurry up!" 

Bernadette looked back at the mayor's manor before glancing at Nymira, a worried look etched deeply on her face. "I... I can't... I know you weren't responsible, you couldn't have been. But... If I flee with you then they'll think you're responsible!" She couldn't allow the children to be thrown in a cell or worse for a crime they didn't commit, she had to somehow convince the authorities they were innocent here. "I'll go to the guard barracks and get help, then I'll explain to them what happened. You need to run though, wait until it's all died down."

While running away and avoiding authorities was not something Ethan was accustomed to he couldn't quite argue with Bernadette. Right now they were suspects, and if they stayed around they might be attacked by some guards, like Zander nearly was earlier. Their only hope was to hide until the calamity died down and then come back, profess their innocence and hope it took. "Thank you Bernadette, we owe you a lot," Ethan said with a nod, managing a small smile before looking to Cecil and Nymira, "Come on guys... We should head a few blocks away at the very least... Make sure we're nowhere near here." Ignoring the protesting of his body as his legs moved he started down the hill in the back of the mayor's home, easing himself onto the dirt road below and cutting across into an alleyway between two ramshackle buildings.

"This is simply inexcusable... That damned man was meant to help me negotiate with other diplomats. Now he's dead, the buffoon..." Considering his deplorable behavior one could only assume he'd angered the wrong people, clearly someone who was rather efficient at dealing with those they disliked. What an underhanded way of eliminating a target though, using magic and then manipulating machines to clean up. No honor in that, anyone could attack through a pawn and never bloody their own hands. It seemed more and more like Murans were fine with letting others soil their hands to be rid of problems, quite the contrast from Dimuran society. Yet these were the people, along with the Varuna and Ydrans, that her father wished to make an alliance with, for reasons that were beyond her. "Stupid... Stupid politics..."

"Well... It's not like he planned on dying, I'm sure..." Ethan commented, a tired smile on his face as he trudged along, "Besides... There's other towns still, it's not... The end of the world." Dang, he wasn't going to be going much further than this if he couldn't catch his breath. His lungs burned from oxygen deprivation and his legs were shaking, he had clearly overdone it. Finally having had enough he stopped as soon as they crossed into another alleyway, sinking to his rear and releasing Amuné on her own feet, letting out a breathless chuckle. "At least... At least tomorrow can't be any worse."

Those poor children, thrown into the middle of this chaos. Put in the spotlight despite trying to remain hidden and becoming suspected of what would now be several accounts of murder. If only they had died when they were supposed to then none of this would have had to happen. "Tsk tsk tsk..." Bernadette clicked her tongue and shook her head as she turned around, walking back towards the manor. As she passed by a tree the view of her was obscured briefly, and when she reappeared she [url=http://40.media.tumblr.com/354f25334d314406e37b60d10ace5659/tumblr_o1y175HXRg1sazby5o1_500.jpg]looked[/url] completely different. A snide smile crossed her crimson lips as she slowly walked towards the front of the building, taking in the aftermath of the battle. It had been brief but fierce, and by now every guard and Machina involved in the battle lay dead at one another's hand. So satisfying, watching pawns attack each other like that. Almost too easy too, they were all so naively willing to believe whatever was fed to them. To so unwaveringly trust that Bernadette woman, they must have either been incredibly loyal or terribly foolish. Either way they had died for their incompetence, just as they should have. 

Kicking aside a guard's corpse as she entered the hall to the mayor's office she stopped briefly seeing one just barely alive, a sickle buried in his side as he lay trying to stop the bleeding. As she approached he glanced up at her wordlessly, his bloodied hand reaching up as though expecting help. What he received instead was a sudden death as a black sword was thrust into his chest, piercing his heart and killing him near instantly. "Rats should know better than to ask for mercy, they're only vermin after all," she sang sweetly, a smile playing on her lips as she retracted the sword, shaking the blood off and sheathing it. Stepping over his corpse she entered the mayor's office, watching in amusement as a creature tore away at the man's body, enjoying his poisoned flesh as though it were a delicacy. "You didn't screw this one up, well done. I think I'll not be killing you today."

"Yesss... This was easy prey for me, child's play..." the Varuna magi laughed, observing as his summoned creature continued its feast, "With no Remusss to interfere, they were as easy as crushing a fly. Why do we not kill the children though...?" He wished to see them dead and by his hand if it could be helped, and it could have easily been done here today. They were exhausted from their battle on the boat, an amusing sight that he wished he could witness again, and wouldn't have even been able to defend themselves. Helpless prey, how amusing!

"Because this isn't simply about killing them anymore, you know that," the woman pointed out, smiling as she took a seat on the mayor's desk, "Magi cannot be allowed to roam around freely, yet many still do. This shows the world just how loathsome those outside of the Church's hold are," she continued as she folded one leg over another, reaching back to stroke the gelatinous beast at her back. "Not only have we turned them into outlaws, but now Magi will be seen unfavorably and as criminals in this town. Soon word of their deeds will spread to other towns, and any Magi will be ostracized for simply being who they are. Just think about it... Neighbors turning on neighbors, brothers on sisters. People will fight to bring in Magi, and it'll only empower the Church in turn. Today we moved out first pawn of the game, and before long we'll have our victory."