[h3][center][i]Dead Ruins[/i][/center][/h3]
The night passed in a furious storm until the moment came that the figure rose. It departed in silence, without saying a word of farewell to those either awake or asleep, the only noise being the slightest of hisses of metal upon metal. Soon it was gone, and with it went the storm to the east; by the time morning broke, it was completely clear, though the ground was swamped with mud.

With the sun the moved, and continued on their path north. Christopher's spirits, at least, were higher than when both the storm and the figure had been nearby; with the new day he had new energy, and he was prepared to press forwards. Perhaps time had healed the wounds carved into his psyche by the ruthless Alsius, at least a little, for he was back to being friendly (though he would always remain ill spoken).

His hopes, it seemed, hit their peak when they emerged from the forest on the other side about three fourths through the day. The ruins were there, waiting for them. Despite the constant wear of time and that looters from generations past had long ago picked all of the gold away from the structure, the black stone of the Jasian outpost still stood proudly. The shape of the building was strange, spread out like a spider with its legs flattened, with curved, incomplete arches that jutted towards each other like the ribs of a dragon.

Long ago, this place had been an outpost under the Jasian Emperor of Old's rule, the time of that Tyrant with a Forgotten Name. It had outlasted whatever it had been placed near to watch over, as what glued the stone together was made of sterner stuff than those long decayed cities and peoples, but distance didn't matter; the world had been connected like it never had been since in those days, portals (especially at these outposts) connecting the farthest reaches to each other.

They found the portal after taking the stairs that led to the top of the ruins, beneath those bone-like curves. It stood tall, a framed oval of black stone that was completely, utterly...

[b]"Empty?!"[/b] Christopher didn't believe it, even as the word exploded from his mouth. He quickly stepped forwards, at a pace that was just below a run, straight to the dead portal; there was nothing there at all, and when he stuck his arm through it was simply there, the portal not even invisible.

Slowly, he let his arm drop limply to his side, as he looked up to the thing. They had traveled straight north as hard as they could, for the hope of this shortcut. Now Kyora stood to their southwest, over a day of travel away, perhaps two. Even now, the Wanderer may have been arriving at Kyora, Christopher knew; by the time they reached Kyora, it would probably all be over.

The young man paled, his fist clenching at his side. He didn't blame Drosil, no, it would have been stupid to do so; it wasn't like the mage would have predicted that, finally after millennia, the portal had shut down when Christopher happened to need it. And yet Christopher still felt anger, directed at first nothing and then redirected at himself; he shouldn't have tried to take such a risky shortcut, should have just made his way straight there. He might have even caught up to the Wanderer, if he had-

[b]"I need a minute. I'll be right back."[/b] He turned, walking towards the left, and calmly dropped from the side back down to the ground. Back towards the forest he walked, his shoulders tensed and his steps stiff, but surprisingly enough he maintained his composure.

He disappeared among the trees, and that was when the yelling began. It was some of the foulest language that any of them had ever heard, expletives thrown with very little else that went on, and on, and on... Crackling briefly filled the air before there was something like a thunderclap, followed by a rumbling as a tree snapped at the base and began to fall, taking out one and then another with it.

Things went quiet after that for a few moments, and then the grey-haired youth emerged from the woods once again. Back to them he walked, taking the stairs up and stopping at the top of them. His hand came up, and he rubbed at his eyes by pressing his fingers against them with a deep force, before he dropped his hand back down once again.

[b]"Alright. We ready to hoof it again? No one needs to take a piss while we're here, right?"[/b]

The phrases that passed through Alice's head were amusing to say the least as it seemed their "short cut" was nothing more than a headache. She remained quiet as Drosil's actions failed them and Christopher went off to go throw a tantrum. [i]'Better there than have him bottle it up.'[/i] 

However, his rendition of humor (dry as it may be) and disstressed words were not meshing well with her mood as it was quickly going downhill. She pressed a hand gently to the arc way that should have their their quick way through, [b]"So your lack of actual information,"[/b] she gave a pointed look at Drosil before pointing her less than amused gaze at Christopher's direction, [b]"And your naiivity brought us here. Excellent."[/b] The sarcasm was thick enough to cut with a knife. 

[b]"Since it seems you're donw with your tantrum of brutalizing the poor tree-what do you propose now boss man?Run through the woods again to get slapped by another suit of armor or are  we going to actually take the roads this time?"[/b] Oh the snark and sass was heavy today.  

Joy fixed Christopher with a stern look, her hand propped underneath her chin as she rested. The older woman had taken a seat on the stairs after probing her way about the ruins, seeing if there was perhaps anything that Christopher had missed. As expected, she had found nothing out of the usual. Joy had come across ruins like this in the past; they were always barren, picked over by thieving opportunists decades, if not centuries, ago. She shifted her weight as Alice called out the others for the giant waste of time that this had all been, frown lines forming on her forehead as the gunner shot out venom from her mouth. Joy shook her head. Sarcasm was always [i]so[/i] helpful.

[b]"We won't have to worry about that decision until tomorrow,"[/b] she said matter-of-factly, looking up at the orange and purple sky. They had spent too much time foraging for a shortcut that didn't exist that by now it would be just outright foolhardy to turn back only to make camp a few hours later in the middle of who knows where. At least here they would have some shelter during the dark night. Kyora could wait for another day. She could tell that Christopher was in a rush, but if the broken portal was not clear enough proof that sometimes a bit of patience was necessary than she did not know what would be. [b]"We should make camp before it gets too dark."[/b]

An afterthought struck her and she looked to Drosil. She was surprised that she even considered consulting the man. The two hadn't started out on the best of terms—it was hard to forget a first impression when it consisted of someone pointing a gun at you or threatening to sic their man-eating pet on you—and even now their relationship was distant, if even existent. A small part of her would've normally even resented him being here, because if he was here than that meant his giant of a brother was not. Shadar was levelheaded and dependable. He never would've suggested a shortcut in the first place. However, he wasn't here, and here they were. Standing with a grunt, the woman took a step towards Drosil.

[b]"I can't believe I'm going to ask this, but you wouldn't happen to know of any spells that could fix that thing?"[/b] she said, jerking her head to the portal. 

Even as Christopher tensed slightly, before he ended up relaxing to flip off Alice with a casual sort of flippancy rather than say anything, Drosil slowly looked over to Vesta. With no small amount of irritation he grit his teeth together, before he almost hissed, [b]"If I could, don't you think I would have done it already? But no, I can't. I don't think it's possible, but even so I don't have the power in my current state. Advice was all I was good for, and apparently not even that."[/b]

[b]"That's enough of that now."[/b] Christopher spoke up then, shaking his head slightly before he directed his thumb over his shoulder. [b]"I've already punched through a few trees, so there's no point getting worked up anymore, because what's the point if I'm not gonna scream and yell too? Speaking of, though, that means there's some ready-made firewood in that direction, so let's get walking."[/b]

It was eerie how quickly Christopher had flipped from sheer rage to a calm level-headedness. It seemed unnatural.

[b]"Fine,"[/b] said Joy, turning her glare away from Drosil as she started to descend the stairs towards Christopher. She stopped after a few feet and turned towards the others, putting a hand on her hip. Somebody had to take control of the situation, and Christopher could hardly even control himself—his suddenly cooling off did not fool her one bit. It was time for them to stop gallivanting off after whims and rumors and to start following logic and reason.  

[b]"However, we're making camp here. It won't be very comfortable, but it'll provide us a better protection than down in the forest. Considering what happened to a certain Chieftain the last time one set foot in a forest like this, I think we can all agree that a vantage point is necessary."[/b] She folded her arms over her chest, assessing the others with a look of appraisal. A sharp tone of command entered her otherwise tired sounding voice. [b]"Alice, find a place where you can get a good view of the clearing. Drosil, stay with her—who knows, she may need a bit of your choice advice. Nasir, you're coming with Christopher and me. Somebody needs to carry the wood for him," [/b]she said, mumbling the last part underneath her breath.

[b]"After you, dear pupil,"[/b] she said, motioning towards the forest. 

[b]"Fine, fine."[/b] Christopher gave a shrug and turned, beginning to walk back down the steps that led up to the portal. Back to the treeline he went, leading the where there, and they didn't have to go too far in before they found the wreckage of his earlier tantrum. Three trees had been broken at the base, sent to the ground, and the splintered wood was still smoldering ever slightly.

For a few moments he struggled with his pack, grumbling to himself as he went through it with his one hand, but he managed to get a hatchet out before too long. Without looking around he began to hack at one of the fallen trees, separating some of the branches from the trunk and piling them up. Leaving the hatchet in one of the trunks for someone else to use, he struggled for a moment before he managed to get most of the pile up onto his shoulder, taking it back towards the ruins.

He did all of this without a word, and without looking around at anyone else too much, focused just on the task at hand.

Eventually, they had gathered enough firewood to get a decent bonfire going. Once the fire was rolling, Joy stepped up and took command again, setting the order of watches after informing the others that they would break camp at first light. With everything in order in the instructor put her back to a pillar and tried to settle into a comfortable enough position upon the uncomfortable floor below her, hoping that some form of sleep would come before the long day of travel ahead of them. 

[hr]

The next day they began to travel, and they traveled hard. Despite the distance, Christopher wanted to make up the time wasted by their delay; in short, he wanted to make it to Kyora in one day. It was a completely ludicrous proposition, and so he didn't vocalize it, but it was clear in his actions; he blazed the trail, he waited anxiously at each stop, and when the going became too hard for Drosil, he carried the mage along, easier than expected considering his one arm.

And by some miracle, they made it. Perhaps it truly was a miracle, one of the Divines playing some sort of trick with reality for their benefit, or maybe it just had to do with Christopher's relentless, constant push forwards. Whatever it was, Kyora suddenly bloomed into existence before them at the top of the hill, and the sight was enough to bring Christopher to a staggering stop. For a moment, he trembled.

And then he tilted his head back, and laughed. He practically howled for quite awhile.

With the mirth (or madness) passed, Christopher led the way down. It was just before sunset, and while the doors threatened to close on them, they managed to squeeze their way through before they could be locked out. The streets within the city were clogged, and though Christopher still had the ghost of that (almost insane) grin on his face, he couldn't help but say, [b]"Well, guess we're halfway there then, huh?"[/b]

After all, he had no idea where the fuck they were going.

[b]"Halfway where, exactly?" [/b]asked Joy, a hint of frustration in her voice as people pushed past them. She understood why Christopher had been so excited when the city had come into view—she herself was pleased to know that there wouldn't be another day of camping outside—but now that they were here the reality of their situation had set in. 

[b]"We don't actually have any idea of where we are going,"[/b] she continued. [b]"I rather not aimlessly walk around looking for the Wanderer or asking people if they saw any megalomaniac, especially if that bastard potentially has this city under his thumb." [/b]She folded her arms and closed her eyes in concentration. [b]"We lost so much time, I wouldn't be surprised if the King and his entourage beat us here."[/b] Her eyes popped open. [b]"I suppose we could start there..."[/b]

The thought that the King may have beaten them there was a brief kick to the gut for Christopher, but he recovered from it quickly enough, thinking that it could at least give them the advantage for the time being. [b]"Alright, so. Look out for any sort of decidedly Barcean sign, see if the people are excited anywhere in general because of a royal presence. Probably best to keep to the main streets, in case one of them is out; maybe we can pick each other out of the crowd."[/b]

The search began, and was surprisingly unfruitful. One would think that the arrival of any sort of royal from another nation would make waves, and yet everyone he asked, from vendors to city criers to guards and beyond had no idea what he was talking about, and sometimes even seemed to think he was either bullshitting them or just desperate for attention.

He was starting to get pissed off, and had taken a seat on a bench in one of the squares to take a breather before he lost his cool. He brought his hand up to rub at his eyes, grumbling to himself ever slightly. Even as he did so, a crier suddenly began shouting their news right next to him, nearly tearing him from his own skin:

[b]"Two days until the greatest performance that Kyora has ever seen! [i]War Against the Gods,[/i] beginning at 8 o'clock and lasting until the end! Come see just how the Gifted struggled to survive and win, learn why the God Rulers wanted power at all costs! One night only!"[/b]

The coincidence, frankly, spooked Christopher.

He stood, and moved away as quickly as he could, giving just one quick glance over his shoulder before shaking his head. He found Vesta once again quickly enough, and made his way towards her.

[b]"Hey, Vesta. Did you-"[/b]

[b]"Christopher! Vesta!"[/b] The boy whirled to face the sharp, sudden voice. Alasa stood nearby, waving from one of the entrances to the street and beckoning them over, Christopher leading away. Once they were close, the Sentinel was able to actually speak at a normal volume when he asked, [b]"You're late, what happened? We expected to arrive after you."[/b]

Christopher rubbed at the back of his head. [b]"Let's just say an unfortunate set of circumstances delayed us."[/b]

Briefly, Alasa's expression darkened, before he shrugged. [b]"We had some trouble on our end too. Follow me, I'll lead you to our base of operations for this... incident."[/b]

They had finally made it. They had arrived at Kyora, and had found the Sentinels. In a way, the journey finally felt like it was over for Christopher. Now it was time to work.

Alasa led them through the city like an expert; apparently, he was already familiarizing himself with the general layout, and perhaps had even been doing that when they had happened across from each other. A few minutes later, and they were standing just outside the Hermit's Abode.

[b]"This is it?!"[/b]

[b]"I know, but the owner... Anyway, we're the only ones here, so it's actually private."[/b]

Christopher just gave a shrug in response, and they entered. The first one to notice them was Cyril, who immediately stood from where he was sitting across from the Wanderer, quickly making his way over.

[b]"Christopher, Vesta! You all made it!"[/b]

[b]"Amazingly enough," [/b]said Joy, giving Cyril a slight bow. She eyed the collective around the room, taking note of any new faces, before settling her gaze back on Cyril. [b]"I take it we haven't found the Wanderer's friend yet, have we? So," [/b]she gestured for Christopher and Cyril to head back towards the Wanderer's table, [b]"what's the situation? Do we have any leads at all on where to start? Kyora's a pretty large city, and I'd imagine they wouldn't take kindly to a foreign power trying to stir up information within there walls." [/b]

As they moved, Cyril spoke. [b]"The situation is, as best as we know it, is a sort of standoff. We are here now, but Joachim needs some time to actually prepare for the battle that's to come."[/b] Joachim gave a slight nod. [b]"As he works with his old Master, we'll continue searching, but we're going to do it carefully. There's been a change in what we know."[/b]

By this point the King was sliding into his seat, and for a moment he was quiet, resting both of his his hands together, before he said in a quiet voice, [b]"On our journey we learned that Yaguar can Remake people, like the God Kings did. So we can't risk getting caught of guard..."[/b]

[b]"Shit. You're kidding me, right?"[/b] Christopher hissed, and the King only nodded in response before continuing on.

[b]"We're also going to keep cautious because of the Kyoran government. We haven't drawn the attention of the Governor yet, but it's only a matter of time. When that happens, I don't want there to be any stubbed toes to be complained about. The situation is difficult enough as is without getting caught up in bureaucracy."[/b]

[b]"You know, I could take care of your bureaucrat problem,"[/b] called a voice from the door. It was Nia. She had run off earlier to deal with some errands, and had missed the arrival of the King. [b]"The Kirun had some pretty close ties with Kyora back in the day, I can probably call in one of the dozen favors the Governor owes us. Make it so we don't get wrapped up in any red tape."[/b]

[b]"Oh, but I'm getting ahead of myself again. We've meet once before, actually,"[/b] she said, smiling. [b]"Forgive me for my rudeness that day. In my defense, our countries were [i]technically[/i] at war."[/b]

[b]"Who are you?"[/b] asked Joy with a bark, her finger teasing her sword's hilt. 

[b]"Nia Tucela. You don't remember me?"[/b] said Nia. She almost looked hurt. [b]"Well, I remember you. Let's see, you're that bandit who was chased out of the Kirun several years ago, not to mention that just a few months ago you endangered the current lord's life during a hostage exchange."[/b] She looked between Vesta and the King. [b]"My. You've come shockingly far. I guess Barcea's pretty light on criminals...or maybe they're just desperate for help, which brings us back to the topic on hand."[/b] She sat at the table with no invitation, squeezing up next to Joachim as she looked at Cyril. She pointed at the man. [b]"You need my help."   [/b]

The King of Barcea didn't respond initially to Nia's proposal, nor to the quick back and forth she and Vesta had. Instead, he only looked to the Wanderer, who gave a meek shrug; when he was suddenly squished into the booth even more, he resorted to twiddling his thumbs, after just giving a slight nod to the King.

Sighing slightly, Cyril nodded, looking towards the H'kelan at the table. [b]"I know, Ms. Tucela, I know. I'll be very grateful for your help. If you can see if the Governor has any information, that would also be appreciated, but if you just keep the Governor from limiting our movements then you'll already have done more than enough."[/b]

[b]"Okay, so Razortongue over there will handle the Governor."[/b] As he spoke, Christopher gave a lazy sort of wave in Nia's direction, before he directed his hand towards himself. [b]"What about the rest of us?"[/b]

[b]"We're going to split Kyora into pieces, and search them as best as we can. Look for anything out of the ordinary, see if we can find any of Yaguar's allies here. I wouldn't doubt if we're being watched already, and maybe we could even lure them into making a strike... But I don't know how likely that is."[/b]

Joachim spoke up, and quietly said, [b]"He knows that Yaguar will certainly send his summons when he is ready. He called him, as in this one, here, and he surely knew that his movements would draw the Sentinels and the King along as well. He likely has something big prepared."[/b]

[b]"If we can end this before he has his chance at that moment, I won't be complaining."[/b] Cyril stated simply.

[b]"So it's decided then,"[/b] said Joy, pushing herself up from the table even as her body groaned and begged for her to sit back down. [b]"Shall we begin?"[/b]

The King nodded. [b]"Spread the news."
[/b]