The City of the Divines

The golden City was forever bathed in light though there was no sun in the sky. Their home circular in shape, the people of the City were constantly travelling from place to place throughout the eternal day. There was no land beyond the City, as at the edge the ground suddenly disappeared, leading to nothing but a gaping abyss where the light eventually faded into far below.

There were many buildings of various sizes and shapes throughout the city, but in the center was a Tower that extended high above everything else. Up into the air it stretched, and from its base one would have to look up almost too far to see the top. Though most within the City would never see what was inside, that day the room at the top was active. The room was circular like the City, and windows to one side perfectly split the room between Light and Dark. The room was divided into eight sections, with one circular section in the center and seven surrounding it as wedges. Each section had a throne and the one in the middle was the most grand of all, though it was the only one that was empty.

The other seven sections had varying amounts of people in it, from just a single person sitting upon the throne, to a few with some others surrounding the person in the throne, and then even whole crowds surrounding the one upon the throne. The room was extremely loud though it was from all those who were standing as the ones in the thrones didn't say a word. Those in the thrones either seemed to glow slightly or radiate a sort of darkness, depending on which side of the room they were on, with the individual who was split down the middle by the light and dark impossibly creating both sensations at once, to either side-

"Enough!" This voice easily cut through all the noise and came from one of those in the thrones. Instantly, the room went silent, save for this one individual. "Bickering will take us nowhere farther! We need to take action!"

"It is not our place to take action. We have all seen the signs of the Original's return- We cannot prevent it, only accept it."

"Does not free will apply to us as well?"

"How much time do we have left...?"

"Years, at best. The blink of an eye."

The bickering would continue, but now it would only be between those Seven, whose voices overwhelmed all...

---

Unknown

The black City was forever bathed in darkness, not a moon or star in the sky. Their home circular in shape, the people of the City were constantly moving back and forth in it throughout the eternal night, killing and screaming. There was no land beyond the city, as at the edge the ground suddenly disappeared, leading to nothing but a gaping abyss where the dark grew even deeper.

There were many buildings of various sizes and shapes throughout the city in varying levels of ruin, but in the center was a Tower that extended high above everything else. From the ground, its top could not be seen through the dark. Though most within the City would never see what was within and had no desire to do so, that day the very top room had an occupant. The room was circular like the City, and the darkness within was so thick it almost appeared solid. The room was divided into eight sections, one circular section in the center and seven surrounding it as wedges. Each section had a throne, and each was decayed from disuse or even shattered against the ground. Only one had someone within it, and it was the throne in the center.

Slowly, the figure within the throne would begin to rise. It was tall, thin, and clothed in dark material with a hooded cloak over it all. What skin that showed was an unnatural white and almost seemed to glow. Though Its form was mostly solid, at the edges Its outline was slightly distorted, dissolving away into vicious energy and tendrils. This degeneration would go up to curl around the rest of Its form in sinister curves, constantly morphing and changing. Even the clothes It wore seemed to writhe and twist every so often, as if they were living. Golden eyes blazed from under that hood, and a terrible smile of sharp teeth began to appear on Its face as It stretched, disgusting popping filling the air as limbs shifted unnaturally, twitching in all of the wrong places.

"Alright then, my little chickadees... Time to get to work."

---

To the East

Her sharply red eye snapped open in a moment. Slowly she brought her hand up to cover it, before stretching out both arms above her head. For a while she remained in the bed before slowly turning and pulling her small form from it, bluish-silver hair falling into place. In the faint light her skin seemed to shimmer slightly with her paleness. Even as she stood her form shifted, from that of a teenager to a child slightly younger, and then back again. She stepped forwards as she glanced around that very familiar room, its shades of red comforting and familiar to her, as they had been for years.

One bath later, it took her only a matter of moments to get herself dressed as shadows brought the clothes to her. Carefully placing the fine clothes on of both pale and deep red with some black and silver, she finished the look by placing her mob cap on her head. One quick glance to the mirror, and she turned to leave, blinking both eyes as she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway-

"Richard, I do hope you're ready. There's plenty of work to be done."

---

To the West and North

Quietly he stood on the balcony, both of his hands resting upon the stone. He was a tall man, with powerful features and long, dark hair. He wore dark armor of black, deep purple, and silver, and the clawed gauntlets on his hand shone in contrast with their bright silver metal. High above the ground he only looked forwards to the horizon, eyes of mixed silver and gold unblinking as they examined the distance, and saw far beyond what any “normal” eyes should have been able to see. For years he had watched the results of his labors, taking a passive role...

But now everything was twisting and tearing, and that was more than enough to get him to act. Down he finally looked, to what was below and all around the castle: a massive army of soldiers in dark armor, all looking up to him while watching and waiting. The force was easily many thousands strong, tens of thousands, and yet there wasn't a single sound. Slowly, he brought one of his hands up, the clawed finger of a gauntlet pointing forwards, before he slowly waved his hand to the side.

"Go forward, and crush all."

His voice, as calm as it was, was easily heard by all. It was then that down below the shouting would begin, almost like religious chanting from the soldiers. As they brought fists against armor and weapons together, they began to almost scream the same title over and over again:

"MAZURA! MAZURA! MAZURA!"

---

Barcea, Southwestern Region

The sun shone brightly that day in the southwestern part of Barcea, though a light breeze kept the heat at bay. It was just past midday, to be precise. The roads in that part of the nation were simple but well-worn, more than enough for horses to be ridden on. It curved up from a westerly route to a northern one in a slow and not always consistent turn, over a distance of many, many miles. To either side of the road was fields of grass, with a forest in the distance to the south.

There was nothing else nearby for the group that travelled together on the road that day. They were on their way to a village that was a fair distance ahead and still out of sight, and were coming from another village that was an even farther distance away by that point in their travel. Birds flew overhead every so often, and the faint outline of deer could be seen in the distance, but beyond that there was nothing for the group to really see except for the road and surrounding grass.

For the most part this group went in a line. At the front was a relatively tall man who sat proud in the saddle of his black horse. He was dressed in blue and white for the most part; a blue, fine travelling shirt with long sleeves (that were pulled up for the day), blue pants, dark grey boots that matched the color of his gloves, and a white cape that was attached to one shoulder. His hair was dark but not black, instead a shade of almost-blue in color. At his side was a sheathed blade, and hanging from the horse were various bags.

It was clear this man was leader of the group. He looked ahead constantly and all around every so often. Every once in a while he would look back to the second member of the group. She rode a white horse and though her head was usually up, she didn't see anything at all. In a white travelling dress, her hair was just as white, as were the fresh bandages carefully wrapped around her eyes. She only had one small bag that day that she kept on her at her side.

Behind them all was another man, just a little shorter than the first. He was dressed much more simply than the other two, wearing worn hunting clothes of faded browns and greens. He had blond hair that was long enough to reach his shoulders. Over his shoulder was a quiver of arrows, and resting next to it was a bow.

These first was Prince Cyril Serio, the second Princess Ayano Serio, the third the Sentinal Alasa, and their business that day was Sentinel related. The Sentinels were a group of individuals that the Prince had found and recruited himself. They were of varying classes and origins; there were people from all over the eastern continent within their ranks. They were a symbol of the royalty's, specifically the Prince's, commitment to the betterment of and protection of the people of Barcea.

The purpose of that day was to show one of their new "recruits" the ropes. That recruit was no one other than the Princess herself. Despite her blindness, she had always wanted to be a part of the Sentinels ever since Cyril had formed them years before, and finally he was starting to humor her a little. There was no harm in taking her on simple patrolling trips like this, especially since they wouldn't be getting too close to any borders.

He pulled back on the reins to slow his horse some, dropping back to be next to Ayano's. Her horse, trained to follow along, dropped back just a little once Cyril was in place, but barely enough to make any difference to the royals. He reached over to lightly tap her on the shoulder, which made her turn her head over to him and smile. Though she couldn't see it, he returned the smile as he spoke.

"So, what do you think so far, Ayano?"

"Seems like just a lot of riding so far to me!"

Cyril laughed a little as he shook his head some. "Yes, there is a lot of riding, but that's the point. Sometimes we do this for days on the longer patrols."

"Oh..."

"And that means we have to hunt for our food, and cook it over a fire for ourselves."

"... Oh..." Ayano's face began to turn a slight green tint, which made it even greener as she smelled it on herself. Sometimes, the ability to sense colors was a double-edged sword like this, but there were ways to deal with it. One of these she immediately reached for, pulling a purple cloth from her bag. Holding it to her face, she began to inhale deeply.

Cyril chuckled, reaching over to mess with her hair some as he looked back forwards. Behind them, Alasa remained vigilant as the rear guard, though a little more relaxed than he would have been in a dangerous area. Here though was a perfect example of the peace that Barcea loved so much.

---

H'kela-Barcea Border Region

They were not yet aware of how to the northwest the forces of H'kela were already on the march and making their way southeast. A few hundred men were on the move, heavily armed and prepared for pillaging. The smaller Barcean villages that were set even near to the border were their targets. They would focus on the weaker targets for the time being, avoiding the larger towns or anything farther within the borders. This attack would be one to send a message, and to spark a war long in the coming.

Was it luck or fate that placed the Prince, Princess, and Sentinel on the road where they were, so far separated from any village? Was it a mixture of both, or had there been true interference? Whatever it was, their lives were saved simply because of the time they had left the previous village that morning. Slaughter would follow at that village soon after.

They had no way of knowing yet, but they would soon enough.

---

The Capitol of Barcea

Towards the center of the nation of Barcea, just a little east of the actual center point and out of reach of the current aggression that was to come, stood the Capitol of Barcea. It was set upon a rise so that it could look down all around it, both a precautionary and defensive measure. The circular wall that surrounded the entire of the Capitol, though old, was a well-maintained and clean white. The battlements above had both constant patrols and stationary guards, men and women who wore shining silver armor with the blue of Barcea. Their gaze was always outward, vigilant in the peace.

Within the walls, the Capitol bustled with life. Charming buildings lined the paved streets, houses and stores and everything else existing side-by-side. People filled those streets, going about their business. They bought and sold wares, they cleaned, they ate, and they lived. Perhaps they were a little livelier than they usually were, but today was an exciting day for the average Barcean citizen. Today was a day that the Queen herself would walk the streets to see her people.

In a few hours they would gather to line along the streets to wait excitedly for a chance to glimpse their beloved Queen, their symbol of peace. Until then they would prepare for the Queen in their free time, chattering excitedly away. It didn't matter to them that these visits happened fairly often, at least once every two weeks. They still loved them as much as they loved her.

---

Gurata, Northern Regions

Meanwhile, far to the north in the land of Gurata, along that invisible line in the land that separated the chilly form the truly cold a group of riders moved quickly through the tundra. Most of them rode horses, though they were wild and barely controlled animals, no different from the people upon them. They were a pale group, wrapped tightly in the furs they wore of animals long dead. Their hair and eyes were dark, and many had scars all over them. To those who lived in Gurata, or even knew about a decent amount of the nation, these were clearly men and women from the tribe to the north. They were not often seen this far from the true ice and snow, save for the gathering of supplies and the need for larger hunts.

Though wild, they followed their leader without hesitation. Riding a massive white leopard, their leader pushed them relentlessly. There was no slowing or rest. Though animals would flee in front of them, they would run them down and bring them down. Only then would those to the farthest back drop away from the group to finish the suffering of the animal, and then travel back north with the fresh food. Their leader would not look back to them, keeping her gaze forwards as her group slowly but surely dwindled, and the hunt slowly but surely became much more dangerous.

Only the best riders could even think of earning the honor of being with Seryosa on the hunt. She was a decently tall woman, but it was clear that she was very, very strong. She wore old grey armor that had clearly seen much battle, her dark grey hair streaming behind her from beneath her helmet as she led the hunt. She held her maul in one hand and the reins in the other, and it was often she who struck the first blow with her weapon whenever they came upon a herd of deer.

The ground pounded with each step their mounts took and with the flight of their prey before them, loose rocks trembling along the ground, where rocky shards began to meet at least somewhat grassy lands. Their shouts and calls filled the air, though their leader almost always remained silent. They were a wild mass of hunters, their goal to bring back enough food for those who remained behind.

---

Traveling around sure had its benefits, but it always made The Diviner long for the warmth of her small cottage. Even so, the outdoor scenery was nice and visiting other villagers was just as pleasant. The village elders always seemed to use the knowledge of her foresight rather well, and the villagers were generally friendly towards them. Of course, there were certain village elders that were...less than honorable, but that didn't seem to faze her or her companion at all.

The Diviner herself was Etsuko Tanaka; Etsuko's companion was Calypso. They traveled in a comfortable silence, both taking in whatever they wanted of the scenery. It was a pleasant day and so Etsuko didn't feel the need to wear the hood that was attached to her white shawl. The shawl was draped over her shoulders over a blue dress that went up to her knees. White trimmings accented the outfit and a brown belt was wrapped around her waist; a pouch was attached to said belt and held the tools of her foresight: tarot cards.

Etsuko, from the time she was at least fifteen, harbored the gift of foresight. Though it could still be relatively unclear—as the future was unclear until it truly revealed itself—her predictions were usually correct. Since she lived in a village that was rather superstitious, she had suggested to her family that she live in a separate cottage. Her parents were immediately against it but quickly caved in when they realized her reasoning: to keep them safe from any sort of persecution that might come because of her ability. They had built a small cottage for her and just a few months after, Etsuko found Calypso and easily let her into the small cottage. The two of them had been inseparable ever since.

As of right now, the two women were traveling to a small village that was their original destination; all of the other villages they had visited were simply detours. Etsuko had a heart of gold and was always willing to offer her services in any village she visited. Calypso didn't seem to mind the detours. Again, the exposure to new villages was certainly nice.

“Aah, the weather’s really nice around these parts, isn’t it?”

Moonlight filtered down from the heavens and landed gracefully on the fields beyond thr treeline, Lyrena sat under cover of her tent which itself was covered by the canopy and thick brush of the woodland.
She got out of the tent and walked the few metres it took to find the treeline, she sat and looked up at the starry sky, amazed as she always was at it's beauty, however, try as she might she couldn't fully enjoy it, at least not the way she used to.
She smiled, closing her eyes, letting the image fill her mind, it brought her great joy yet a horrible sense of longing. The sooner she got back the better. She carried herself back to the tent and bade her travelling companion good night.



Lyrena awoke to the sound of cracking wood, and the smell of freshly cooked meat. Stretching she rose out of her sleeping bag and crawled out into the small clearing where the fire was set up.
Oluma, her companion, was a ranger by occupation and she was a mighty good hunter.
Lyrena perched herself atop the felled tree to which the tent lay adjacent.

"Good morning, what do we have here... Smells delicious! " she stretched out again, working her muscles into action

Oluma gave a chuckle as she stoked the meal.

"Let's just say its breakfast, it tastes amazing and it is very good for you, but I'm afraid that if you knew what it was you wouldn't keep it down." She replied with a laugh, which was returned by Lyrena.

Lyrena ate silently, taking in the view of the field beyond the treeline, and the rolling hills beyond that laced in flowers, it truly was a beautiful sight.
After breakfast, which was in fact delicious, Lyrena helped Oluma dismantle the tent. She wanted to be mobile again soon so as not to waste any daylight, the next village they would cross was a good few hours trek, they could rest and relax once there but not before, she wanted to make sure she would see Arvis, it would be easy for anyone to go unnoticed once day started to lose its light.
Besides, staying in one position longer than one needed to was suicide out here.
With the tent packed away the two ladies headed out again, sticking to the treeline for cover.

As the group of Sentinels continued on their way, they'd begin to notice something strange. A low rumbling noise that seemed becoming somewhere from the west of them. If they turned to look they'd see a cloud of dust making it's way towards them. Within minutes the dust cloud would be close enough for them to see the cause of the disturbance; a man on the back of a giant centipede-like creature seemingly on the run from a group if dark triangular shapes that were plowing through the ground at a frightening pace. So focused was the man on escaping his pursuers, he didn't notice the group until he was almost upon them, his dual-colored eyes widening in surprise as he yelled out a command in some harsh tongue to his unusual steed, causing it to just barely swerve to the side, barely avoiding plowing through on of the horses as it did so.

The man and his mount slides to a halt a short ways past the group, drawing his gun from with one hand and a staff with the other, looking around to find the creatures that had been chasing him, only to see nothing but marks in the ground where they had mysteriously stopped. As he kept a look out for signs if the unusual, the group of travelers would have ample time to study him as well. The man was somewhat tall, wearing well worn clothes made from tanned leather and furs, with arcane runes inscribed throughout the garb as well, seeming to glow a dull gold even while the sun is shining all around them. His skin held some darker coloration do it, a sign of his southern heritage, but it was easy to see he was not the type that got out much as his tan skin held a paleness to it no seasoned warrior or explorer would have. Along with that were his strange hair and eyes, both seeming to glow ever so slightly, as well as being made up of two colors. The hair, which looked like it hadn't seen a comb in sometime, was both the deepest of blacks and the purest of whites, while his eyes shown with the colors of riches, holding within them the green of the finest emeralds, and the bright yellow-ish sheen of golden luster, mixed together in an odd firm if harmony with each other. These strange features were set ion an angular face, one that was not displeasing to the eye, though it was clear that it was one not made for the frown he was currently making as he looked around.

More importantly to the group then his looks, however, were his weapons and his strange mount. The gun was a intricately engraved flintlock, covered in arcane runes similar in design to those adorning his clothes. His mount, who was also keeping an eye(and antenna) out for danger, was also watching the group with a wary eye, it's large mandibles clacking in warning invade they tried anything. The insect nearly reached the shoulders of their horses, and was nearly two times a long with many sharp, pointy legs made for stabbing and holding down prey. Most unnerving about he creature, however, is that it had an almost human level of intelligence in it's compound eyes, watching those assembeled with a very disturbing intensity. But even more eye-catching than the monstrous insect was the man's staff. It was a beautiful object, over a meter and half of intricately carved crystalline material that caught the light around it like prism, allowing it to sparkle with all the colors of the rainbow. It's length was carved with runes and scenes of arcane mastery, and topping the masterpiece was a small orb, floating over the crystalline base with nothing to support it. The orb itself was a dull black and seemed rather unassuming and boring compared to the rest of the staff.

After a short mount of time, where nothing seemed to be happening, the man gave a small sigh of relief, before finally turning his eyes to those who he'd stumbled across. A smile was quick to adorn his face, though it was carried with a slight embarrassment and anxiety as hey kept looking around for any signs of anything out of the ordinary, the grips in his weapons never loosening, even as he introduced himself to the group, though he made sure to keep them l peered to show he meant no harm.

"Hello there, fellow travelers, my name's Drosil Maeneld of Jasi, and I'm sure you have a few questions/concerns, but I think it'd be best to keep moving. You see-" Before he could finish his sentence, his eyes went wide as he seemed to notice something, thrusting out with his staff as he spoke again, this time the language was more flowing and charged with power. The orb on his staf took on a bright green color before a small ball of compressed air shot forward, smashing into the ground right next to the girl cloaked in white. From the cloud of dirt that erupted from the spell came the shattered remins of a strange shark-like machine covered in old runes, it's mouth open with a strange barrel poking out of it. "Okay! I'm sorry for he scare bit we need to leave now. I'm not sure how far these things can I away from the ruins they're protecting, but they've got a nasty bite, can shoot mini rocks at you, and are persistent little buggers. So, before we're killed by mechanized land shark hinges from hell, let's get moving."

As he spoke, he pointed at the ground again, sending out another ball of concussive air to take out another Automaton. They seemed to be getting more used to the increased number of people, closer and closer to launching their assault. If they didn't leave soon, then bad things were very likely to happen.

@The Darklight Project

Barcea, Southwestern Region - Calypso

The woman that walked next to the Diviner was taller than her by well over a head. While Etsuko dressed in white and blue, Calypso chose black and grey in her choice of travelling attire that day. It was a leathery set of clothes that fit the woman snugly, made up of a grey sleeveless top, a tight black sort of jacket, and long black pants with boots. Besides these clothes, though, all over her were her knives. The two largest ones were at either hip, and then more down the sides of her legs that were smaller, all the way to her boots. Even more were on her arms, though not quite as many or as large as the ones on her legs. She also wore gloves, though they were cut in a way that the index and middle fingers of both hands were exposed. Her skin all over, from her face to where it briefly flashed at her midriff, was pale and had no signs of tanning. Perhaps the most eye-catching aspects of her, though, were her eyes and her hair. Her eyes at the moment were a bright, vibrant shade of purple that drew the eye. Meanwhile, her hair was a strange sort of silver, and seemed to shimmer slightly with her steps and with the light.

Her expression was one of a constant smile. It was just big enough for its presence to be noted, and it was equal parts curiosity, playfulness, and elusiveness. For Etsuko who knew her, this expression was practically a perpetual state for the strange woman. She had woken up with this smile, had followed Etsuko with this smile, and spent every day with this smile. She did not know why she smiled so much, as she would say when asked, she simply did. The fact that she had no knowledge of her previous life did nothing to make the smile fade.

It was with this smile that Calypso turned to look towards her friend and travelling companion as they continued to walk. "Mmm, it's certainly much warmer...~" There was a certain lilt to Calypso's voice, one that didn't seem to belong to anything besides herself.

The two of them came from the mountains in the eastern region of Barcea, and were a long way from home. Perhaps this was the farthest that they had gone, or rather at least the farthest Calypso herself had gone; she wasn't sure. She certainly seemed to enjoy the trips though, going around and meeting new people and seeing new things. Though the village that the two called home was nice enough, its people was just a little suspicious (so naturally she caught many stares), and it was just the same thing. Calypso liked new.

"It's a very nice change, though~"

---

Barcea, Southwestern Region - Cyril and Company

When the rumbling began, it was Ayano was the first to react. As the confused look came over her face and she reached out to fumble for and grip Cyril's sleeve, the ever-alert Alasa felt it next. As Alasa drew his bow and nocked an arrow against the string, the Prince finally became aware of the situation after a moment of looking to Ayano with his own confused expression, then back to Alasa quickly, and then finally towards their right, in the direction of the West.

"Ayano, what is it- What in the name of the Divines...?"

For a dumbstruck moment, the Prince simply watched the scene unfold. It was quite unlike anything he had seen before; after all, some sort of rider on some sort of... massive centipede wasn't a usual sight in the land of Barcea. While the shocked Prince watched and the Princess trembled slightly from a mixture of fear and confusion, Alasa was the one whose eyes eventually focused on the... things that were tearing up the ground behind the man and his mount. Though he had no idea just what they were, he brought his bow about, but he never managed to get off the shot initially. Instead, as Cyril yelled out, which caused Ayano to scream as Alasa swore under his breath, the three managed to move out of the way just in time to avoid being trampled by the massive beast, even as the stranger swerved it to the side at the same time.

In the very brief calm that followed, those who could see were able to take in all the details of the stranger, from his features to his equipment. The full image all of this brought together was one that was undeniably Jasian. Though the nation of Barcea saw them very rarely, the stories and what was learned from schooling was more than enough for them to pin the stranger's nationality. After all it was hard to mistake a Jasian for anything else, and this man screamed it nonverbally even as he confirmed it for them himself on his introduction.

Even as the Prince opened his mouth to return the favor to this 'Drosil,' it clamped shut as Ayano once again shrieked, the ground seeming to simply explode next to her thanks to the magic of the Jasian. While the Prince's arm went to clamp down on the reins of the Princess' horse, keeping it from throwing her, the eyes of Alasa instantly went from the Jasian to the ground, bow at the ready. Though he didn't get the one that the Jasian struck down after he spoke once again and recommended they leave, the next one was his as he unleashed an arrow. The shot left his hand the moment before the ground burst open between himself and the two royals, going down the gullet of the automaton as it started to fully emerge from the earth. The shot was enough to knock it to the side and back down to the ground, where it struggled for a moment before disappearing back below the surface, leaving churned dirt in its wake.

"He's right. We need to go."

"Clearly!" With that, the Prince gave a slight whistle, letting go of the reins of Ayano's horse. With the whistle the horse moved, sticking close to the Prince's. The Prince grabbed his own reins, and with a brisk flick he gave out a slight shout. His horse surged forwards, breaking out into a gallop as Ayano's did the same, imitating Cyril's horse and following it as it was trained to do. Behind them, Alasa's horse charged forwards as well as the archer turned in the saddle slightly, bow still at the ready.

Like this the Sentinels (and assumedly the Jasian) shot along the road, trying to put distance between the automatons and wherever they came from at the same time. Towards the southeast the Prince led them, cutting away from the road briefly from the segment that ran north-south to head straight towards the part that ran more in an easterly-westerly direction. Not only was it the direction that they were heading originally, but it would also get them away from the automatons faster. While they rushed through the fields and the automatons tore through the ground behind them, Alasa's eyes kept back. Every so often he shot an arrow to dissuade an over-eager automaton, just trying to keep them away from the ground.

At first one by one, then two by two, and then more and more of the automatons began to fall away, disappearing from sight back into the earth. For a little while longer the Prince kept them at a full pace, before Alasa finally shouted:

"They're gone!"

The Prince pulled back on his reins then, slowing the group down. He did not bring them to full stop, as they were just a little away from the road and still needed to get back onto it, but the pace was such that it was more than easy enough for the royal to turn to look to the Jasian and centipede. He did this after giving a sigh, eyebrow raising slightly as he looked back to talk.

"Thanks for not running us over. It's greatly appreciated. Ayano, are you alright?" Cyril's gaze went to his other side to look at his sister, who sat with her hand to her chest as she tried to calm her breathing. She nodded in response, so the Prince looked briefly glanced back to Alasa (who nodded) before he looked to the Jasian once more.

"I suppose I should welcome you to Barcea. I'm Cyril, this is Ayano, and that's Alasa. I'll admit, I wasn't expecting to have to run for my life today, so... Glad none of us got killed." Briefly, the Prince glanced back as if looking for their mechanical pursuers once again, before looking back to Drosil. "What were those things? I've never seen anything like them."

"Why'd you lead them to us?!" Finally Ayano spoke, clearly more than a little indignant now that the fear was gone and the danger had passed. Cyril's hand went out to gently pat her shoulder, her humphing slightly.

"It's alright, Ayano, none of us were hurt and it made us make better time."

"That's one way to look at it, I guess... Sorry..."

Alasa didn't speak, his gaze still travelling around even as he glanced to the Jasian once awhile. Though Drosil was a stranger, he was more worried about the immediate threat of the strange automatons, and whether or not they were really safe. He did not see any automatons, but in the distance he saw there were at least two figures upon the road approaching their direction.

---

Barcea, Southwestern Region - Calypso

To the northwest of the Diviner and her travelling companion dirt began to rise into the sky in clouds. With a confused blink (but that smile that never wavered), Calypso looked off into the direction the commotion came from. Very faintly, she could see several figures moving very quickly, but exactly what they were doing she wasn't sure. They got closer and closer going at full speed for a while, but eventually they slowed down while still a fair distance away. To Calypso, it seemed as if there were three people on horses... And one on something that wasn't a horse.

Gently, her hand came up to pat Etsuko's shoulder with the tips of two of her fingers, before she gestured in the direction and dropped her hand. Her gaze went from those who were now slowly approaching to Etsuko, though her attention remained on the new group of travellers.

"How strange~! Is that usual around here, Etsuko~?"

The first thought that ran through Joy's mind as she was landed roughly on the ground after being flung from her horse was the same one she had each and every morning: Somehow I'm alive. Joy didn't have to see the trap to know she had been caught by one; she was too good of a rider to simply be thrown from her horse by her own fault. She propped herself up to her feet, her scabbard digging into the dirt as it supported her weight. A stinging pain circulated her face from where it had dragged across a few pebbles, and there was a shallowness of breath from having the wind knocked out of her. As well, her knee sung with agony, but that was a normal occurrence after a long day of being active. All things considered, she was dazed but okay. The same could not be said for her horse, if its whimpering was any indication of its fate. Its eulogy would have to wait. She heard the crunching of leaves. Her arrows had been scattered by her impact. Hopefully her ambusher wouldn't instantly turn her into a pincushion.

“My word, you're no elk.”

The voice belonged to a wiry, bearded man dressed in tanned, reddish leathers with a hunting bow slung over his shoulder. The worry in his eyes and the way he held himself made him look to be no bandit. Genuine concern was, generally, a rare trait in a bandit who was about to slay somebody for a lump of gold or a bite of jerky. She also somehow doubted that the man was doing it to lower her guard in someway. If he wanted to harm her, she was already at enough of a disadvantage to make such a tactic utterly pointless. Unless, of course, he had any idea who it was he was dealing with. She kept her hand on her hilt and her ears open just in case.

“Neither was he,” she said, gesturing towards the pit. Her horse had gone silent. Dead. “But I'm afraid when it comes to it pitfalls aren't the best at discerning their prey. Mind giving me a hand? I think I hurt my knee. You have a way of getting down into those pits, I assume. Could you fetch my things?”

“Suppose it would only be right.”

If there had been others she would have been aware of their presence by now. As the man disappeared down into the pit Joy set about recollecting her scattered goods. Her arrows had all been splintered during her spill. Of course. It's what I get for trying to save money and make my own. Waste of time, she thought as she picked up her flask. Uncorking the top, she put it to her lips and...nothing. The only indication that anything had even been held in it was the lingering, smokey scent of wood. That was wrong, it had only been half-empty this morning. Had she already drained it all? It made a bit more sense to her now how she had found herself off the path. I imagine the pain from this fall will be a bit rougher as the night goes on, she thought as the man came crawling out of the pit with the rest of her gear.

“I apologize for your horse,” the hunter said. “How bad is your knee?”

“I'll manage,” she said. She pointed at his waterskin. “Any brandy in there?”

“Water,” he said. He handed it over to Joy

“It'll have to do. Thanks,” she said, drinking from it greedily.

“Have some spirits back at my lodge. Food, too. It's not a far walk from here,” he said. “You won't be able to make it to any of the nearby villages before sunset. Least I can do is help you out for the night. The name's Rodger.”

“Joy.”

“A pleasure. Follow me,” said Rodger, turning his back and making his way towards a thicket of trees. “So, what were you doing off the path?”

“Hunting,” she said, her fingers teasing the hilt of her blade as she followed after the Samaritan.


The sun had gone down outside and the woods outside of the lodge were quiet except the occasional hoot of an owl. Joy sat on a stool next to the fire, her sword and bow propped up within arms reach of her as she devoured a bowl of stew. It's flavor filled her mind with painful memories. Memories which she promptly squashed with whatever swill she was poisoning her body with. The lodge was lined with many animal skins and had a well-lived in feel to it. A bed roll that the hunter said he used doing longer hunts had been laid out for her. It all had a quaint charm to it, really.Yet judging by the small cot and the fact that he only had one seat, Rodger lived there alone. The hunter had his back turned to the woman as he went about his work on the bench in front of him, skinning the hare one of his small traps had caught. Joy could smell the death even over the aroma of her stew.

“It's dangerous for a woman to be traveling on the roads these days, but it's even more dangerous to be going off of them...” said Rodgers as worked his knife. He had been talking at her for a hot minute, unable to take her dismissive hms and hahs as anything but continued interest in his ramble. Joy was more interested in what he had than what he said. His quiver by the door had a handful of quality-looking arrows left in it. The bottle she had helped herself to was absolutely foul at first, but the lingering burn covered up any vile aftertaste. If she was to be on the road she'd need a bedroll. Most importantly, she had spied a horse that Rodger used to cart skins into the neighboring village when he needed to trade.

“...my cousin warned me that I'd be smart to cross the border into H'kela since the bandits only seemed focus on Barcea villages. The other day I heard a rumor of bandit attacks happening on the other side of the border too. Nowhere's safe, even with the Sentinels out here patrolling. That reminds me, did I ever tell you of the time I met the Princess...”

Joy felt that it was no longer a question if whether or not Rodger lived in the lodge alone. He seemed so absolutely desperate for company that he didn't even mind if they didn't talk back, and if he spent more time in the civilized world perhaps he would know that almost anyone had a story of the time they had met a royal. Joy couldn't go into a bar without hearing of the time the bartender had served a beer to the Prince himself or how one of the lads had gotten the once-over and approving smile from the Queen. People would get in to contests to one up one another, each tale more tall and unbelievable than the last. There was little appeal to hearing falsities about people you had seen grow up. When not guarding her father, Joy had taken to escorting the then-princess Kori around the Capitol. She had taught Cyril how to properly hold a sword and how to take a hit. She had been there for Ayano's birth. Every time somebody spoke of how the Queen ate this and the Princess touched that was like a dagger being shoved between Joy's ribs.

“...and she said I was red, whatever that meant, and told me to take care. She was like this close,” he said, measuring with his blood-stained fingers before going back to gutting the hare. “I think they were still in town when I left yesterday.”

A spark clicked in Joy's mind. You must be drunk if you think that's a good idea,she thought, corking the bottle of spirits. She stumbled up to her feet, steadying herself against the wall as the alcohol resisted her sudden movement. It would've been a smarter idea to wait until morning, but this idea required she take action now. She grabbed her weapons.

“Which town. Where?” she said, slinging her bow over her back and silently sliding her blade out its sheath.

“Hillsborough, to the North. Why do you...” he turned, the carving knife dropping from his hand as his voice fainted into a concerned whisper. “...ask?”

“Like I said, I'm hunting. Kick the knife away,” said Joy, taking a step towards the hunter. “Here's how it's going to go. Although I appreciate your hospitality, the slaying of my horse was a great inconvenience. The way I see it, you owe me. Now, there are a couple of ways this can go. Namely, you can lie down on the floor and not get up until I say so, or I can lie you down on the floor and you can never get up. Either way I'll be taking your horse plus some interest. The choice is yours.”

“Y-you can't,” said the hunter, already getting on to his belly—the cowardly yet smart option. “Without my horse I can't sell my skins.”

“You should be more concerned about saving yours. Now shut up and close your eyes,” said Joy with a growl, banging the hilt of her weapon against the wall to add emphasis to her threat.

She didn't plan on hurting the bearded man, but she was out a horse because of his trap. There was no other clear answer to the woman. Keeping one eye on her victim, she went to wrapping up the bedroll with the bottle of spirits in it. Cradling it under one arm, she limped to the door and took a second to refill her quiver before walking towards the tiny lean-to that served as the horse's stable. Saddling the sad looking animal, Joy clambered on top of it and cut free the rope that was keeping it from wandering. With only the light from the moon and her lantern Joy navigated her way through the woods, regret weighing heavily in her heart.


Joy had set out the next dawn after a rough sleep near the edge of the treeline. She had been right that she'd feel her fall in the morning; her entire body ached with a dull pain. Still, she could not dwadle. Riding down the road through a grassy plain, distant hills gave her a sense of relief that she was on the right track. However, as the sun rose higher in the sky and the hills drew closer the relief was turned into a feeling of dread, for Joy could see a very familiar plume of black smoke rising in the air. Kicking the sides of her stolen horse she burst into a gallop, knowing already that there was little hope for getting her plan to work if they were all dead.

"Brother, tell me what could I possibly do to dine today?" Azai said with frustration, walking back and forth around the camp fire. "Patience brother, patience. Cooking is a delicate matter, that needs studying in order to be perfect. Can you honestly say that my cooking skills aren't legendary?" Chozai said, smiling while carefully observing the cooking pot.

It was quite a nice day, not too cold for Chozai. They were on their way to Barcea, to meet with a client that was having troubles with bandits, because of the recent political situation between Barcea and H'kela. "Brother remind me again, what is required of us to do this time?" Azai asked. Chozai laughed lightly as he answered "Brother, you ought to focus more when I speak to you about jobs. But nevertheless, we will head for Barcea to meet with a client that because of the recent bandit attacks in the region, needs protection for his property." Azai couldn't help himself but to feel odd about this job "Yes I know, but I can't help myself but to wonder, why would someone hire us in Barcea for protection, when there is the sentinels that their prince found, is there specifically for that sort of job?" Chozai got up on his feet, and offered a plate for Azai "Well I honestly can not say that I haven't thought of that, but that just mean we need to see for ourselves, and thank the lord we had a job. No one was hiring for a decent job ... Now finish your plate we need to keep moving, we have a long walk ahead of us"

It's been a couple of years since they arrived at Gurata. Azai and Chozai lived the nomadic life, but we're completely clueless of what to do, since they couldn't keep researching any longer, for the lack of proper equipment and materials, so they led a normal nomadic life... Until the day the stumbled upon a monk, and that monk was no ordinary monk. He was a master in the art of war, but chose to live peacefully. He offered to teach them his art, and allow them to use it for work, but with one condition, to use it for good cause, they had no choice but to agree. That's how they became swords for hire. 

The sound of horses startled the brothers, they put out the fire so they won't be seen, they had a slight idea of whom it might be, but it was far fetched in this part of Gurata. They hid in near by bushes, their cloaks have them some cover, as they awaited the arrival of the riders. They guessed right, it was no other than chief Seryosa, the northern chief of Gurata. It was a group they certainly didn't want to get in their way, they weren't really known for being nice with people who get in their way. But it was odd that they would come all the way here to hunt, yet they remained hid hoping they won't discover them "Do you think we will be in trouble, if we are discovered?" Chozai whispered to Azai. "I honestly don't know brother, so let's remain silent and hope for the best." 

The riders eventually past them by, and the brothers decided to pack quickly as head for the Barcea, hoping they won't stumble with the chief again, or anything that big...

It felt good to be home, not that he had a stable home as such, the whole of Barcea was his home now, he had rented a room for a few days above a tavern in a quaint city in the outer rim of Barcea, far enough inland so as to be away from the outskirts but not too close to the Capitol itself.
He woke gently in soft light of the sun which had crept its way through the gap in the curtains, he shuffled himself to the edge of the large bed, a task in itself given the comfort and warmth of it, he managed to resist the temptation of falling back into clutches of the beds warm embrace and stand up, stretching his whole body upward as he did so.
He approached the window and threw back the curtains, the view that greeted him was a marvel, the cobblestone streets were bright and welcoming, flowers lined every walkway and the trees rose high in the air creating miniature safe havens on the ground from the fierce heat of the sun.
There was a lot of activity already, just passed the courtyard Arvis caught sight of the bazaar which was bustling as usual.
Arvis turned his attention back to the room and headed for the bathroom where cleaned his teeth, washed his hands and face, then proceeded to cloth himself before heading downstairs for breakfast.



The food was nice but it had nothing on the tea, this Inn was famous for it's Tea and it was easy to see why.
Arvis ordered a second as he sat watching the other customers and townfolk conversing and enjoying each other's company, this made him think about his time with caravan, he would be lying if he said he didn't miss Vant, but even more so than Vant, he really missed Lyrena.
He was up late again last night just sitting ag the window with a whiskey watching the stars, thinking of the good times, the deep conversations he used to have with Lyrena too, he missed those and he realised now that he had never divulged as much about himself and his feelings to anyone other than her. He hoped she was ok, he pulled out the ruby locket he wore around his neck from the top of his shirt and clicked it open, he stared a while at the lady in the picture, her blond hair fell gently around her beautiful face, a smile found its way onto his face, it was then that he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, he shook his daze away and looked up into the eyes of the waitress, who smiled at him, she was a short girl around twenty years old, pretty green eyes beaming at him as she placed a teapot on the table before him, she refilled his cup.

"She is very pretty..... Your girlfriend" she said, pointing at the picture in the locket which Arvis was still holding.

Arvis smiled at her and shook his head

"Oh no, she isn't... Uh... She isn't my girlfriend, she's. .. she's just a good friend."
Arvis replied, he sat and thkught on it for a few seconds, the late night rendevouz under the stars, her longer to look after him all the time, his sense of duty to protect her more than the others in the caravan.

"... A really good friend" he finished

It was then that he realised maybe there was a little more to his friendship with Lyrena. He figured only time would tell however and shrugged it off.

Etsuko had merely hummed in agreement with what Calypso said, a smile gracing her features. The village where they lived was closer to the mountains, therefore making it slightly colder than where they were now. Even though curling up with a good book and a warm fire was one of Etsuko’s favorite pastimes, a little bit of sunshine and blue skies certainly didn’t hurt. Being able to enjoy it with someone she held dear to her heart made it even better.

At first, she didn’t notice the cloud of dust or the hooves of horses pounding against the dirt, but something in the atmosphere had changed, giving her reason to look around. Finding nothing in her direct line of sight, the Diviner simply shrugged it off, attributing it to the wildlife that seemed to reside in these parts.

Well, until Calypso tapped her shoulder.

Etsuko turned her head in the direction her companion was pointing at. Indeed, there were three people on horses and something…that looked like it could’ve crawled out of the nightmares of small children. Her eyes gradually widened, to the point where it was obvious she was both alarmed and worried.

“No, that usually doesn’t happen around here… W-Well, the massive, er, creature doesn’t, but travelers do.”

She then looked up at Calypso—for she was much taller than the Diviner—the worried expression never leaving her face.

”Should we go see if they need help?”

The cold had almost faded as the brothers crossed the Guratian borders, the green lands stretched as far as the eye can see. It was heaven for Chozai finally seeing life and colors, the warmth wrapped his body after so long in the cold of Gurata. He took a deep breath and exhaled it "Brother at last, we gained enough fame to be hired somewhere outside Gurata, and it's rather the nice place too." Azai was observing the perimeter, his clock was hiding his equipment, he could only feel the breez upon his face "Well brother, I have to agree even though I prefer the cold weather, but it's a nice change. Now let's continue onward, the client's house must be near now, and I do not want to kill bandits without getting paid for it." The brothers continued walking their black cloaks, allowed them to move without attracting much attention.

There was a nearby village, as mentioned in the letter by the client. His house was beyond it, not very far. They decided to head first to village to restock on food and water, yet the brothers decided to head for the village's tavern too. It was Azai's idea he wanted to know more about the situation of Barcea since Gurata always gets its news late. He felt that this political situation will turn to war, and will offer them more contracts, while his brother disagreed with him. Chozai thought that Barcea would never allow something as petty as bandits, to ruin their peaceful lives, but what Azai argued is that it's up to Barcea, but H'kela is the one to wage this war, because of their government brutal policies. Chozai would debate, that even though they might be brutal, but their not stuiped to wage a war that they might not win, and on they keep going with that debate...

Azai entered the tavern, lowered his hood reveling his white face, and his white long hair. The people in the tavern didn't give much attention to it, maybe they thought it was another magician passing by. He grabbed the nearest seat to the bar, and ordered a drink, and sat there just listening to people's conversations. The opinions were one about the matter of war, they all agreed that it was going to happen no matter what, the bandits attacks are more frequent, the borders are armed to the teeth. The question was who will win, and what other countries are going to do. Chozai entered the tavern, finished of restocking and whispered to Azai "What have you discovered brother?" Azai smirked "It seems I've won our debate, now we must debate who will win, like the rest of those people... More importantly lets head over to our client, we are already late because we are with no horses." 

It was a bit shocking when they arrived, they had to recheck their information but they were nor wrong. It was not house rather an estate, they couldn't believe it their employer this time was actually someone with money. They were greeted at the gate by the butler of the mansion "You must be the mercenaries master Seraph asked for. Right this way please." the brothers followed inside ad noticed there were no guards around and figured why they were asked for, yet a man of this wealth must be important for Barcea, so why there weren't any sentinels? Seraph greeted them once they entered the main hall inside the mansion "Welcome, friends please make yourselves at home, you can remove your cloaks Walter will take good care of them. And let's head for the dining room, you must be tired after that long journey from Gurata." The man was standing atop of the stairs leading to the upper floor. He was dressed in white silk robe, with what seemed like gold embroidery on the sleeves. The man himself looked like he's in his mid forties, with some grey hairs on the sides and he gave a strange feeling the brothers could feel, he seemed prideful but not anymore. And had distinguished accent with a base voice.

Dinner was delicious, something they've never had in a long time and not to mention the wine. "So gentlemen, let's talk business after all you came a long way for this. As you know Barcea is suffering from rather increased attacks from bandits, and I'm sure you have noticed there is not any single guard outside. Unfortunately the last of them died last night from their injuries. Straight to the point I need protection until I relocate to the capitol with my wealth, of course you will be rewarded handsomely and I will put good word for you in high places. So when will the rest of your group arrive?" Chozai was the one to talk with the clients due to his charming personality, he smiled and with a calm reassuring voice said "Well mister Seraph, it's only the two of us, and I assure you we are more than capable of handling lowly bandits. But can you answer me this, why would you hire us when the matter of bandits is being handled by the sentinels? And also do you think war is inevitable?" Seraph was a bit suspicious, yet from the rumors he heard about them and Chozai's speech he was assured. Seraph felt he would be asked that, he let out a sigh "Well just understand I never meant for it to go this far. I may have had a hand in easing the bandits attacks, but I am one in many who did this, and repeat that I didn't know it would come this far. And there were rumors about me being involved but nothing was proven, but the sentinels will not help me if I asked, and now the bandits are just loose having their way." Chozai felt angered and could barely hold himself from lashing out at him, while Azai burst in laugh at the irony of the situation, he noticed Chozai shacking it was the kind of personality that gets on his nerves. So Azai took over the conversation "Well mister Seraph, we will take the job..." he was interrupted by his brother who took him outside the room to have a talk with him "What are you doing Azai?! This is not what we promised master to do, we do not help these kind of people" Azai placed his hands on Chozai's shoulders "Brother look at this from another perspective. First, will you let a helpless man die? I don't think this is one of your traits, I would buy you won't, so our promise is not broken if we help him. Second do you know how much we will gain from this job? The fame alone will let us take more jobs, allowing us to help more people. Third you can force a condition upon him, that will make him amend for some of his sins. What say you brother? I don't believe this a debate that you have a rebuttal for." Chozai turned looked up and took a deep breath "I believe you might be right, but that doesn't means you won that debate. Let's head back inside" the brothers went back and accepted the job, but with a condition that he would give this mansion to the people of the nearby village, Seraph had to agree...

Drosil breathed a sigh of relief as soon as they had gotten away from the automatons, letting a laugh of nervous relief as he reached into his bag. He paused shortly after, however, tearing through it rapidly as Cyril spoke to him, lost in his own world before he tapped on his Mount's head to get it's attention.

"Sir Mauls-a-lot, where is the cube?" The man's question was answered with a succession of clicks,which it seemed that Drosil could understand as he let out a series of curses, unknowingly ignoring Cyril as he did so. He attempted to order his mount in the harsh language again, only to get slapped in the face by one of it's antenna. This led to a very strange back and forth for a few minutes as Drosil tried to get Sir Mails to do something, only to receive some increasingly annoyed sounding clicks and 3 more slaps from his antenna before the creature used them to gesture to the other three. Drosil looked back up, somewhat shocked to see that there were others around , and sat there frozen before some clicks from Sir Mauls reminded him of their question.

"Huh, oh right, the automatons is what you were asking about? Yeah, I've only a slightly better idea then you do. They're strange machines guarding a ruin I was exploring that activated when I removed a cube from an altar. A possible valuable artifact that I left behind in the ensuing chaos, sadly, but I've at least got those automatons to thing about. I'll have to go back later and retrieve the remains for further study, as I still don't understand how they're able to move through the ground looks that, or how they know when to stop pursuit, or even how they're still functioning do well after what must be centuries of disuse. They were magnificent in their efficiency and tactics, nearly killed me several times before we met, if you can believe it. Those barrels in their mouths aren't just for show, let me tell ya, they shoot out clumps of densely packed earth that can bury through stone with ease. Imagine the uses for that kind of propulsion, if only I could get my hands on an intact specimen, I'd be in heaven!" As he spoke, Drosil sounded way to happy for someone who had nearly died, and much, much too eager to return right after the event.

"And as for why to led them to you, young lady Aya- why does she have her eyes wrapped up like that? Is she blind, and if so, why take her with you through this region? While I'm all for empowering those with disabilities to live life to the fullest, their has been increased bandit activity around here as of late. Capable as you and your companion here may be, wouldn't it be better for her to be left at home." Drosil might've said more, but Sir Maul suddenly rose up on some of it's legs, bringing it's head up to be level with those of the other three riders. It's antenna would go out to feel each person's face, all the while Drosil screaming at them to stay calm and not act rashly.

"Please, keep your weapons down, he's only getting to know you better. Deathcrawlers discover and investigate their surroundings with their antenna more often than not, so please just bare with it for a few seconds. Please, he means no harm but will not be afraid to attack if you try to hurt him first, and I just ran out of anti-venom, so things could get bad fast." Sir Maul would keep this up for a short while longer, investigating the 3 people for a few seconds each before it got back down, satisfied with it's investigation.

"Okay, I think it's about time I introduce you to my buddy here, who must've been getting annoyed that I hadn't already. This is Sir Mauls-a-lot, my Deathcrawler familiar summons, and don't worry, he only attacks people when he's hungry and he just ate not too long ago. I raised him from Egg to monster myself, gave him sentience through a strange potion formula I discovered on one of my forests, and have taught him how to understand two languages: Common and Underdeep. He's a sweet heart most of the time and has never eaten a single child, if anyone tells you different they're lying. He may have bitten one or two, but they made the mistake of confusing a Deathcrawler with a slide. They generally don't like that."

Drosil seemed to have forgotten about Ayano's question as he got up from where he had fallen to the ground, dusting of his clothes and giving Sir Mauls a stink eye before getting back on the creature's back. Turning back to Cyril, the young Mage looked over the man before nodding to himself.

"Well then, now that our lives are no longer endanger, I hope you don't mind me tagging along with you to the nearest village. I've no care for going it alone after that ruckus, and it has been awhile since I've last has a traveling companion to talk to. Sir Mauls is fine on most days, but conversations with him, at least I think it's a him, have the tendency to center around two things: Food and hunting. It gets tedious after awhile, talking about those same topics over and over again, with nothing else in-between. Between that and the self-imposed isolation caused by my dedication to research, I fear I've lost a bit of mind and a lot of my social skills."

@The Darklight Project

For a little while, Calypso's gaze remained towards Etsuko. Certainly she saw the worry on Etsuko's face, but that was usually a standard expression for the Diviner anyway. Slowly but surely, her gaze travelled back towards the group even as Etsuko spoke. In particular, she was focused on the massive creature, not really paying attention to the individual riding on it or the others nearby on horses... And, just like that, the choice was out of any of their hands.

"Yes, let's...~"

It was with those two words that Calypso led the way towards the group off the road, leading her companion along on the trip by example. As this happened, the conversation between the one riding on the creature and the ones on horses was properly beginning to start... Haphazardly enough.

To say that Cyril wasn't expecting to get ignored was actually an overstatement. Though he wasn't completely aware of it, he had already been at least slightly expecting it, just from the way the man had been acting ever since he had first shown up with the automatons that had tried killing them all. Because of this unconscious preparation, the Prince only blinked slightly, and then raised his right eyebrow as he watched the scene unfold between the Jasian and his mount. That, perhaps, was the most surprising thing yet, seeing as both rider and mount understood one another literally, but the mount also began smacking the rider repeatedly. The mount was probably owed a thanks, though, seeing as it was what brought Drosil's attention back to the matter at hand.

While Alasa drifted off slightly to the side as he kept watch, his eyes focused on the two figures on the road, and Ayano kept next to the Prince, Cyril attentively listened to what the Jasian had to say about what triggered the entire incident. Cyril knew about ruins scattered here and there all over the world, or at least that was what he had heard; ruins from the days of long ago, when the world was very different, some religious in nature and some not. Beyond that though, he didn't know too much about them, including how their defenses were... well, almost alive. He supposed there was a reason why very few people actually went down in there. You had to be brave, or quite possibly insane, and more and more Drosil seemed to fall into the latter category.

This seemed even more apparent as, when Drosil began to talk to Ayano, he suddenly went into an analysis and criticism involving her disability. While Cyril could grimace slightly to hold back his instant retort, he couldn't stop Ayano from going, "Hey! What do you know?!" Clearly, she was more than just a little upset being talked about in such a way by a stranger, and there was also the fact that she was a Princess as well... Something Cyril left out on purpose in his introduction of himself and his group.

Before Ayano could launch into her tirade against Drosil, which probably would have been about the way his color smelled of all things, the mount once again came to the rescue whether intentionally or not. However, nearly getting a mouthful of antenna wouldn't have been the Prince's first choice of defusing the conversation, but he wasn't exactly able to be choosy. While Alasa nearly brought up his bow while the antenna went to the Prince's face, Cyril's hand went out quickly to stop the movement. His other hand, meanwhile, went to Ayano, resting on her shoulder as he knew the antenna would be switching soon enough.

"Coming to you, Ayano- quiet, it's okay." The Princess shuddered initially, but nodded at her brother's words. She clearly didn't enjoy the sensation, and neither did Alasa when it was his turn. Even Cyril brought his hand up slightly to rub at his face, just nodding some at Drosil as he only half-listened to the Jasian, more focused on Ayano as she brought up both hands to her face. Beyond that, though, she was alright, and thankfully too had forgotten the words that the Jasian had said just before antenna had started touching her... for the most part, hopefully.

Cyril's gaze finally went back to Drosil as the man simply invited himself into the group. Certainly, the Jasian was odd, and quite possibly not all the way there, but the Prince saw no reason to simply refuse him for those reasons. After all, it meant they'd be able to learn more about him, and keep an eye on him as well for at least a little while.

"I... wouldn't have even noticed." The Prince said this, though Drosil's lost social skills (and whatever amount of 'mind') were fairly obvious. The Prince just carried on past this though, nodding slightly at Drosil in a vaguely approving manner. "I've no qualms with you tagging along to the village. We were on our way there after all, and bigger parties are usually better, anyway. Especially one with a... Deathcrawler, you said?" The Prince adjusted himself in his seat slightly to be better prepared for riding, beginning to glance in the direction of the road. "Let's get going, then, we're losing daylight- Oh, hello?"

Alasa had been watching them coming, but this was the moment the Prince first saw anything of the two coming from the road. The one in the lead was the taller one with silver hair, dark clothes, a smile on her face, and very purple eyes, and her gaze seemed focused upon Sir Mauls-a-lot rather intently. In fact, the Prince's greeting almost went completely missed, but after a blink as she approached the woman looked to him briefly, continuing to smile as she waved with her fingers at them all, before her gaze returned to the Deathcrawler. She didn't say a word.

At a lost, Cyril just blinked slightly as he slowly looked over to the woman's companion, who wore much more light-in-color clothes. "Uh... My name is Cyril. This is Ayano, my sister, and a friend of mine Alasa. That's Drosil, who just joined up with us. Nice to... uh... Meet you."

Even as he spoke, Cyril was distracted by the first woman, the one in darker clothes. She had gotten closer to the Deathcrawler, looking up to the creature with a sparkle in her eye. Slowly, she brought her hand up, reaching towards the Deathcrawler initially, before pulling back slightly with her fingers, and then finally bringing her hand to rest lightly against Sir Mauls-a-lot, beginning to gently run her hand over the creature's shell.

"...~" It was almost a musical noise.

It was about that moment the Ayano slumped against her brother slightly to his surprise, holding her up as she murmured, "So many colors..."

It seemed today was a day for odd meetings, though Alasa wasn't really focused on them as the Prince was. To the Sentinel, something was very, very wrong, though he was sure what yet... His gut feelings were usually right.

---

The scene at the village that was supposed to be their goal was just like those all along the western rim of Barcea. Villages for several miles into the land were targeted by the H'kelan forces, which had divided on their march to spread out and strike several at once. The attacks were sudden and brutal. No mercy was shown to anyone, and the slaughter was complete. When done, the forces of H'kela either moved on to the next village or returned back to H'kela.

Smoke rose from smoldering homes. Debris and ash covered the ground, and what was once green and light brown was now covered in crumbling black, grey, and white. Buildings were collapsed and crops were burned. Animals and people were slaughtered and left to rot in the streets, in the destroyed buildings, and in the surrounding fields. The stench of blood and gore was so strong that it cut through the thick smell of smoke and dying fires like a rusty knife. Everywhere there were heavy footprints in the ash, haphazardly crossing back and forth.

The villagers would have had no real weapons, and tools that they did have could barely have functioned as makeshift ones. However it was woefully apparent that there had been barely been any time to prepare for the attack at all, if there had been any to begin with. Those who did fight were killed, and those who had tried to flee were killed.

There was no doubt that this was not the work of bandits. The destruction was much too thorough and the deaths were much too complete. This was not a raid for supplies, as nothing was taken, just destroyed and rendered useless. This was something much, much more; a slaughter by well-trained soldiers who were more than ready for blood. After ten short years of peace, war had returned to the East.

The night had fallen, and the brothers were ready. Chozai was on the roof observing the perimeter of the estate, awaiting the arrival of the bandits. While Azai was inside the mansion placing traps, biochemical traps that he could make from the materials he could find. It was enough to stop a couple of bandits that would get past them and enter the mansion. Seraph was told to stay in his bedroom, while the rest of his staff was in the dining room, until the brothers tell them it's safe. Azai finished hi preparations and went outside, his brother saw some torches on the distant, it was heading towards the main gate, they grew in number gradually until they reached a dozen, he could only assume that they were the bandits and they would be more than a dozen. He confirmed what he saw when they got closer and whistled to Azai signaling him about the attack, Chozai jumped to the balcony below him and then to the ground standing by Azai's side "It seems we have a big battle this time brother." Azai smirked in ridicule "I don't think they will be tougher than what we had to face in Gurata, and I've been longing for a tough battle brother. I will let them know why they call me Quietus!"

The bandits arrived, not knowing what reckoning awaits them. They stormed the main gate roaring and screaming, to be surprised that there wasn't anyone but two men standing still. The bandits laughed as their leader walked towards the two men in cloaks "Who the hell are you two? I don't really care, but I will arrange for you a quick death if you surrender now." It was fast that, he didn't know what actually happened. Azai had removed his cloaks, pulling his great sword from his back, slashing the leader's hand. Azai's armor was revealed showing its pitch black color that gave an eerie feeling to it, and the red lines just added more to that feeling. His brother removed his cloak reveling a lighter armor, it was white, majestic with blue frills on the side of each piece, with a helmet that was decorated with strange engravings giving a fearless sight. The bandit leader screamed in pain "Didn't you promise me we will talk to them before we attack Azai?" Azai laughed "It's too late for that now" Azai thrusted forward slashing his sword, before the bandits has the chance to react. Followed him Chozai who ended the leader's suffering, and pierced through their formation and landed in the middle activating his epiphany, to fend against all their attempts. Azai on the other hand activated monochrome to reduce their numbers quickly, it was a frightening sight. Colorless and twisted was the area around him ravaging everything, the bandits were withering away while the strong of them felt powerless, making it easy for Azai to cut them were they stand. Graceful Chozai was, it felt like dancing and under the moon that gave a glow to him, he used the spear to jump back to Azai's side and activated his Polychrome so he won't be affect by Azai's power, and lost his focus of epiphany "You can't lie to me Chozai you are enjoying this. I believe you subconsciously wanted me to attack." Chozai hit him with the back his spear "No I didn't want you to attack, and how can you enjoy this? Can't you see we are still outnumbered? And why on earth you aren't wearing your helmet?" Even though the odds were good for the brothers, but they were still outnumbered and some of the bandits could get inside the mansion. 

It didn't take too long for the bandits to realize they couldn't get past the brothers. A couple of them entered the house like Azai anticipated, and activated his traps, it was a horrific death they suffered, that was the reason that made his past research labeled inhuman and dangerous. What was left of the bandits retreated. Emerging victorious, the brothers were tired "Bravo, Bravo gentlemen, that was splendid performance. The rumors about you too were true, I'm really glad I hired you." Seraph was watching from his bedroom window the whole battle "Now about the matter of your payment gentlemen.. Well I do not have the money right now, it was all sent to the Capitol." It was maybe his biggest mistake, the brothers may disagree on many things but payment was not of one of those subjects. They raised their weapons and placed on his neck, awaiting his reply "Woah, we don't need to get violent here. I sent the money a while back, but there was other valuables that I needed to move too. You are welcomed to take your payment from it, but you will have to sell it in the Capitol too. So how about you come with me and I can pay you there, and I will pay you more of course, and your condition still stands. And also I will be with you all the time." the brothers lowered their weapons and agreed to his offer, and it was also a chance for them to visit Barcea's capital city. The brothers rested for the night, and headed with Seraph for the city in the morning.

The pungent, unforgettable smell of a fresh slaughter may have been the first thing to assault her senses, but it was only when she got closer to the village that the true stench of burnt corpses breached her lungs. The nauseating smell had a putrid, sulfuric sweetness to it that refused to not be noticed. Joy couldn't help but be reminded of the first time she had experienced such a smell; she could still catch a whiff of the death days later. The horse she rode on wasn't as used to the scent of death. It bucked and neighed. Unfamiliar with the creature, Joy decided against risking getting thrown off of another horse and tied it to a post outside of the razed village. Hopefully it wouldn't be able to free itself before she found some kind of information. Proceeding forward alone into the wreckage, the former captain took her bow in hand and nocked an arrow. She doubted that anybody would be able to stick around in such a putrid haze, but it was better than being surprised.

The death and smoke wrapped her body in its aroma as she cautiously toed her way through the remains of the village. The final licks of flames were lapping up the remains of the attack. She could see burnt bodies that had been cut down while trying to escape or hide in the charred remnants of crops. A limb would be poking out from underneath a collapsed building here, a tattered smock there. To the raiders the men were no different from the pigs, mercilessly slaughtered where they stood and left there to die. Joy came on to what must have been the village square. She could see the charred frame of what appeared to be a church. It appeared to be fairly intact at first despite the fire damage thanks to its stone walls, but as she gazed through the smoke cloud lingering above it Joy saw the caved-in roof that had probably given the villagers who had hidden inside one final surprise. She cautiously tapped the handle to the church door and, seeing it wasn't hot, gave it a pull. There was some give, but the door was locked. Her imagination would have to fill in the rest for now.

She limped through the rest of the village, returning her arrow to its quiver as she discovered that she was the only living soul there. Using her scabbard to keep her upright, Joy analyzed what she had come across. There appeared to have been little resistance on the villagers part, as if the attack was quick and caught them off guard. The footprints pushed deeper into the ash than hers, suggesting at least some kind of heavier armor. There were too many valuables that appeared to have been deliberately destoryed and left behind to provoke some sort of response.

The go to answer was bandits, but almost everything she saw stood against that idea. True, bandits were vicious, bloodthirsty, and evil, but they had a sort of sense to how they operated. A vulnerable village far from any major city or guardpost was ripe for the picking, and could be harvested regularly every couple of months with little effort or fear of retaliation. Slaughtering an entire village, burning all the crops, and destroying all the goods wasn't just wrong, it was bad business. No, normal bandits aren't this deliberately wasteful, thought Joy as she chewed on her lip. The only people I can think of that would be this cruel and senseless are soldiers convinced that they are doing what is right for their country and kin. She frowned. If she was right that would mean Gartian had finally stopped licking his wounds from years earlier and knocked enough of his people into their place to organize an attack.

A war was good news for a bandit, but Joy couldn't help but feel disgusted. Not because some villagers had been slaughtered mercilessly by H'kelan regulars, nor because this meant an end to the decade of peace. It also wasn't the smell that made her sick, or the river of corpses she had waded through. Innocents die, that's the way it is; it was only fitting that the environment reflected that truth. No, she was disgusted with herself. When had she become so desensitized? These weren't just some villagers, they were her countrymen. She felt as if she should be outraged, even do something heroic yet stupid like swear to avenge the dead and right the wrongs of the H'kelans. There was a time when she was young that she had some sort of duty for her country and King, at least, she thought there had been. Yet now she just accepted the atrocity surrounding her as the way things were.

“Shut up,” she said to nobody. Her head hurt, perhaps from the stench, and thinking made it only worse. Her foray into the destruction had served to be a sobering one, in both senses of the word. She felt sweat form on her furrow brow; her hand shook as she reached for her flask. The alcohol mixed with the taste of death as it filled her mouth. I'll need more than that to get that flavor out of my mouth, she thought as her head cleared. Yet she did have a reason for being in this village, it would be best if she could at least stay in sight of the wagon.

She tromped through the ash back to the remains of the church; it was the only place where she hadn't checked the dead for Sentinels or Princesses. By this point, Joy was getting a sneaking suspicion that the hunter had lied to her, either out of some kind of protest against her or some kind of duty to the royalty. Good man, she thought, shaking her head in acceptance of her foolishness. It did make little sense to her that a blind teenage girl would want to travel to some backwater village so close to a dangerous boarder, let alone that her sister would allow it. As well, the lack of any real weaponry told Joy that the Sentinels had not been involved in the clearly lackluster defense of the village. Still, it would be a waste to not confirm the negative thoughts swirling around in her mind.

Reaching the locked church, Joy first looked for another way inside. The charred stone walls weren't exactly smooth or even, but she doubted she could climb them to use the collapsed roof as an entrance. The windows, likewise, were too high and too small for even a child to fit through. The doors, it seemed, was the only option. She tried them again. They seemed weak and ready to splinter, but she couldn't force it open with her hands. Perhaps a series of well placed kicks could do the job. Of course that'd be the solution, thought Joy, glancing down at her knee as it took that very moment to throb in dull pain as an added insult. Maybe a horse could pull it down? Unlikely, but it was worth a shot.

The first thing Joy saw when she made it back to the entrance of the village was the post lying horizontal on the ground, the frayed remains of a quarter of a rope still tied around the middle. She was able to fill in the rest of what had happened by what she didn't see: the horse. She gritted her teeth. Now what? Her hand already had the answer to her question uncorked and to her lips before her mind could even process it. She drank, but all she could taste was the death around her. A rare burst of guttural and emotional noises lined with what possibly could have been words escaped from her throat as she spiked the empty flask into the ash. She twisted her body unnaturally in her fit of rage. Her knee screamed in pain that was almost as loud as the curse from her mouth. Collapsing onto the post in pain and frustration, Joy buried her face into her hands.

“Just stop, you idiot,” she said through gritted teeth. “What are you even trying for?”

While Etsuko would never protest wanting to help someone, the way Calypso’s gaze seemed to travel from those on horses to the giant centipede led Etsuko to believe that altruism was just an underlying reason for Calypso’s wanting to help. That isn’t to say, of course, that her companion wasn’t kind; Calypso has shown a number of kindnesses to Etsuko and vice versa. But being together so long, the Diviner seemed to know when it was altruism and when it was curiosity.

This time, it was sheer curiosity.

Etsuko could barely let out a shred of attempted reasoning as she practically began chasing Calypso towards the group. She had attempted then to be the voice of reason, though it was all in vain. Perhaps she did it for her own sanity. But in the end, there wasn’t much she could do.

By the time Calypso had swept past the Sentinels, Etsuko had barely caught up, her breath coming out in huffs and puffs. She was about to approach Calypso and maybe attempt to drag her away from the centipede, but her attention was quickly directed to those of the group. The leader, she supposed, was leading the introductions.

”Hah…O-Oh, very nice to meet you…I’m Etsuko and that’s Calypso.”

She would’ve bowed, like she almost always did whenever giving an introduction, but Calypso was literally milliseconds away from petting the centipede.

”C-Calypso, be careful!”

Her eyes were wide with concern and she reached out a hand as she stepped closer to her companion, ready to tug on her sleeve and attempt to pull her away before anything could happen.

But, as usual, Calypso beat Etsuko.

With bated breath, Etsuko watched and prayed to every Divine she could think of for her companion’s protection and when it seemed liked the creature wasn’t about to make Calypso its next meal, she let out a sigh of relief and redirected her attention to the group. She looked at all of them with a mildly tired smile before a look of realization came over her.

”Oh, wait a moment, I’ve heard your names before. You must be the Sentinels, correct?”

Her gaze seemed to settle on the one named Alasa and she noticed his distant look. Almost immediately, a wave of foreboding washed over the Diviner and it felt like her stomach fell right to the ground. Her expression became one of worry once again.

”Something’s not right…”

"Oh, guess I'm not as bad as I thought," Drosil said in response to Cyril's comment, not catching his hesitation, but a series of clacks from his mouth brought a look of confusion to his face. "What do you mean he's just being polish, why hello there."

Drosil was interrupted from his thought as he saw a tall woman step up to his mount, slowly reaching out to pet Sir Mauls. Normally Drosil would've warned a person of the proper procedure for petting Sir Mauls, but he found himself enchanted by the person, transfixed by beauty. So he simply stared, mouth opening, than closing, than opening again as he tried to think of something to say, only to find himself at a rare loss for words. Sir Mauls, thankfully, didn't react violently to the girl's approach, actually enjoying the action as he turned to face her, his antenna feeling her in a similar manner to what he did to the others, but it seemed to do so for a bit longer before pulling it's feelers back in an almost questioning manner. A couple clacks and clicks brought Drosil out of his enchantment for a moment, but then his interest was skyrocketed again from what Sir Maul's had told him.

"Different, what do you means she feels different?. . . You can't place it?!?!, that's rather unspecific Sir Mauls, and you know I dislike not having specifics . . . That isn't my problem?!?! WHat's the point of having super receptive antenna if they can't give you an accurate read on things like this . . . . . . OH, ha ha, very funny Sir Mauls, but slapping me in the face isn't a valid point for ha-*SLAP*-AGHHHH, GOD FUCKING DAMMMIT!!!!! WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THAT YOU OVER GROWN MILLIPEDE!?!?!"

Sir Mauls's emitted another series of clicks and what not that sounded suspiciously like laughter at his master's expense, only to suddenly cease as it;s antenna flicked through the air, a sombre series of clicks translating it's finding to Drosil, who had been holding his stinging cheek in pain. At first, he didn't hear what his mount was saying, but as it suddenly began to sink in, an instant change would come over the mage, the shining brilliance would dull as unidentifiable emotion swept through him. He suddenly barked at Sir Mauls in Underdeep, who responded again. Drosil's hands curled into fists as he the emotion on his face suddenly turned into righteous fury. Magical energy started to radiate off him, so much so that it was visible to the naked eye in a strange aura of luminous silver.

He barked a command to Sir Mauls, who bowed his head before bringing back up, it's eyes glowing with a sudden intensity as it charged forward at a much faster speed than before, it's claws tearing through the dirt at a ferocious pace, leaving a dust cloud behind him as he hurried off in the direction of the village. As he rushed forward, he unhooked his staff, holding it out behind him and paying no mind to how it reacted to emotions, the prismatic crystal darkening into a solid black with veins of red pulsating through it, the orb being held within a floating halo spikes at the top that radiated with a foul blackness.

After sometime, he found himself at the ruins of the town, and his rage only intensified as he saw the devastation, knowing that looking for survivors was a hopeless endeavor, but not daring to give up that hope. He got off Sir Mauls, who was looking around ready to tear into the first opponent they came across while his master looked through the carnage, trying to find some sliver of life. But there was nothing, nothing but needless death and carnage that only further fueled his rage. He needed an outlet, something he could take this out on.

And then he saw Joy, sitting there by herself, all alone amidst the carnage. Under normal circumstances, he would've gone over to ask her what was wrong, or if she needed something, but in his rage-tinted vision, she was immediately the most suspicious thing here. He began to approach, Sir Mauls clattering sinisterly behind him as he whispered a spell in the language of magic. The orb took on a bright red coloration with a swirling silver layer wrapped over it before a barrage of silver fireballs flew out of the top, slamming down with a crash between Joy and the exit, surely catching her attention if he hadn't done so already. The metallic flames would soon spread across the area of the gate, forming into several humanoid figures the silver concentrating into their eyes as they stared at the woman. These were Sentry fire elementals, a relatively weak summons that could barely move from their positions and generally went down in one of two hits from a regular weapon, but they not only looked much more intimidating then they actually wore, but against the unprotected, their flames could do some serious damage to anyone who tried to get past them. THis thus cut off her most possible escape route from Drosil, as trying to flee into the town was a very bad idea. Sir Mauls could easily run her down, and then she'd be at the mercy of a Deathcrawler in his hunting mode, and these creatures were not known for being gentle in their attacks.

As Drosil approached, he'd look very intimidating, as not only was his magical energy whipping around him wildly like a flame, but his eyes were also literally glowing an intense white color, and while they iris and pupil where not visible, it wasn't hard to guess who was the focus of his attention. He pointed the staff at her form, his anger clearly being heard in his voice as he addressed the woman.

"Who did this, and why are you here? Lie to me, and Sir Mauls will be having your head as a snack, as your internal organs, limbs, and whatever else might be in your useless carcass." Sir Mauls clacked his mandibles in agreement, looking down at the women from where it stood on it's back legs, it is glinting dangerously in the sunlight, as did the numerous claws the lined his body.

@Atrophy

@The DarkLight Project

@sumi desu

While Alasa looked off into the distance and Ayano slowly began to recover from the apparent explosion of color (that wasn't seen), Cyril's gaze remained on the young woman in lighter clothes even as the one in darker clothes kept petting the Deathcrawler. Clearly, the young woman was very worried about her companion, but because the taller one seemed to be alright for the time being, she ended up looking towards the Prince after a moment. A slight smile came over the Prince's face at her words; so she was Barcean because she recognized their names as Sentinels, but must have been from a place removed from the Capitol because she didn't recognize the royalty for who they were. It kept things simple, so Cyril appreciated it, especially in this moment.

"Yes, we're part of the Sentinels. Well, two of us are, and we have one would-be recruit with us."

"Hey..." Still overwhelmed, Ayano didn't have the energy to respond with her usual volume and intensity. In the background, Calypso giggled at the Deathcrawler as it ran its antenna over her face, and then again as both the creature and its rider got into an argument, the one the Deathcrawler seemed to decisively win. Briefly, the Prince glanced over in that direction due to all the noise (and swearing), but his gaze soon came back to Etsuko.

"Where might you be heading? We're on the way to-"

The change in atmosphere was almost immediate, as nearly everyone at once reacted to it. Alasa tensed. Ayano shuddered. Calypso blinked. With these reactions came those of Etsuko, which was the one Cyril first registered because he was looking straight at her and immediately saw the change in her expression. Before he could even open his mouth to ask though, suddenly Drosil and his mount exploded into movement, Calypso hopping back slightly to make sure she was completely out of the way. Looking over towards the sudden movements briefly in confusion, he then looked to Alasa, who only had to point.

In the direction Alasa pointed, Cyril finally saw the remnants of more smoke than there ever should be within the borders of Barcea.

"It's not safe here. Ms. Etsuko, Ms. Calypso, come with us-" The Prince could barely finish his sentence before Calypso began to move. Gently and easily she lifted Etsuko up by her waist, setting her down on Ayano's horse behind the Princess. Before Cyril could even think to offer, the silver-haired woman was then swinging herself up onto his horse... In front of the Prince, grabbing the reins and giving them a snap. Both the Prince and Princess' horses took off at a gallop then, and after a moment of surprise at the actions of Calypso Alasa snapped his own reins to follow.

---

---

Drosil was long gone and far ahead, so as they came into view of the village they were alone. Immediately, Ayano's hands scrabbled at her side, before she pulled out a soft cloth of bright purple and held it to her face, over her nose and mouth. On a hill outside of the village Calypso brought them all to a stop. After a moment of struggle, Cyril managed to get off the horse. Nearby Alasa did the same, drawing an arrow from his quiver and keeping his bow at the ready, while the Prince looked up to Etsuko and Ayano.

"You two, stay here with the horses. We'll be back soon. If anything seems wrong, take the horse and get her to safety." Cyril was clearly talking to Etsuko for the most part, for at the end he pointed directly at the Princess. Behind him, Calypso gracefully slid from the horse. Despite the situation, her strange smile was still on her face, and she gave Etsuko a slight wave before she turned towards the village. Cyril took a few steps back though his gaze didn't leave Etsuko and Ayano, expression serious.

"Keep her safe!" With that, he fully turned, and the three on foot made their way into the village. The smell of fire and death immediately enveloped them, but despite this while the two Sentinels appeared almost deadly serious, the smile on Calypso's face didn't waver slightly. Cyril took the lead, his hand on the hilt of his blade as they walked forwards. Alasa, meanwhile, kept a little behind, constantly looking around in all directions as they moved through the village.

For the first corpses, Cyril stopped. For the next set, he did again. After that, he kept moving, passing by bodies as they kept moving forward, but each time he grit his teeth more and more. His eyes were widened slightly in his anger, and his helplessness. The terrible magnitude of what had happened here did more than just upset his stomach; he felt a fire building within him, spreading to the tips of every single one of his limbs and growing with each dead man, woman, and child.

The trio made their way through the carnage and eventually reached the church within the village. Quietly Cyril approached it, trying to open the doors, and upon failing he suddenly turned to slam his shoulder against it, still to no avail. The doors trembled, but they did not give. Scowling, Cyril turned away from the door, taking a few steps from it. The Prince brought his hands up, covering his face in them, fingertips digging into his own skin some. Both Calypso and Alasa lingered nearby.

After a moment of silence like this, Alasa shifted slightly, and then turned to walk closer to the Prince. "Cyril, we need to go. There are heavy boot prints everywhere. This needs to make it back to the Capitol, your sister-"

Cyril just cut him off with a nod. After a moment, he slowly lowered his hands, briefly clenching them at his sides. "You're right. We have to get back... This can't stand..."

Even as Cyril began to try and calm his racing thoughts, the doors to the church behind him were smashed off their hinges.

---

Outside the village, Ayano remained on her horse with Etsuko. She held the purple cloth firmly against her own face, trying to keep even the slightest gap appearing as she slowly breathed in and out. Even through the purple, she could smell far too much black, grey, and red coming from the village. She wasn't really sure of what was going on, but she had been able to hear the worry and underlying anger in her brother's voice. Whatever it was, it was something truly terrible.

After a few moments, the Princess' hand went up and around. She fumbled a little, before her hand finally found Etsuko's wrist, latching on. The other hand, meanwhile, pressed the purple cloth even more tightly against her face if that was possible.

"They'll be okay! My brother will figure out what's going on, and they'll all be safe. I'm sure of it."

---

There were three of them, just like there were three of the Barceans. The attackers that smashed through the church door from the inside all wore heavy armor of iron. Two had swords and one of those with a shield, while the third carried an axe. Along with the heavy armor, the cloth they wore underneath the plates that showed here and there was a sort of faded golden-yellow color. They emerged yelling, clearly prepared to take the three Barceans off guard.

Alasa, however, wasn't one to be taken so lightly. Immediately he whirled, and unleashed the arrow he long had ready. It passed by Cyril as he turned, going over the Prince's shoulder on its path through the opening of the helmet into the sword-and-shield's eye. The man dropped backwards, hitting the ground heavily and dead. As the Prince drew his blade and Alasa prepared another arrow, the one with the axe was getting too close, but it was Calypso's turn. Her two longer knives drawn, she rushed forwards and jumped onto the axe man from the side, taking him to the ground. Even as both fell, her knives found gap after gap in the armor, stabbing through cloth into flesh with ease, and even sometimes rending through metal in the wild, quick movements the woman attacked with. He too died quickly.

The last one, with just a blade, attempted to swing his sword overhead and down onto Calypso. Instead, sparks flew as Cyril swung his blade upwards to collide with the armored man's weapon in the middle of the swing, keeping it away from the woman even as she continued to make sure the axe wielder was properly finished. The man with the sword staggered back briefly, back towards the now open church, before he stepped forwards to take another swing at the Prince, this time from the Prince's left. Once again, Cyril brought his blade up in another quick movement to deflect the blow harmlessly to the side. This time though, as he had stepped past Calypso fully and she was no longer in danger, from where he held the blade toward his he pulled back slightly before swinging upward at an angle. The blade caught the Prince's opponent in the chest, forcing him to stagger back again. Though no real damage was done in that blow, it allowed the Prince the chance he needed to finish it.

His blade came up, parallel to the ground as he thrust. It caught the man in the throat, in between the gap between chest plate and helmet. In his shock the armored man dropped his blade as he staggered backwards, holding his throat for a moment before he fell backwards to hit the ground just like the rest of his allies, quickly going through his death throes. Just like that the fight was over almost as quickly as it began.

The Prince didn't sheathe his weapon, nor did the other two. Calypso slowly rose from the man she had turned to a corpse as Alasa went forwards, collecting the arrow that he had loosed. Cyril, meanwhile, slowly stepped away from the man that he had killed after checking over his armor, and then bending down to pull the helmet from his head to carry with him. He held the helmet forwards, which was accented with the same yellow-gold as the cloth along the edges of the plates it was made of.

"H'kelan. They're H'kelans."

Immediately, Alasa swore, though the evidence only confirmed his fears. Briefly, the Prince looked from him to the still smiling Calypso, before back to the Sentinel; something had changed about the woman that he wasn't completely sure about. Perhaps it was because of the blood that had splattered up onto her face, or the fact that he hadn't been able to see the change as it happened, but he would only figure out later that the change was in her eyes, and how they had gone from purple to red as she took part in the violence. They would slowly but surely fade back to purple, but not for a while, and Cyril was too busy to watch for the change and realize it in that moment.

"Do you know what this means, Cyril? This means that-"

"Gartian's getting his war, and he's making the first move."

"We aren't ready for a full scale war!"

"That isn't our choice anymore, Alasa! It's out of our hands!" Briefly, Cyril looked like he might throw the helmet, before he lowered it back to his side once again. "Come on. Drosil's around here somewhere, and maybe there's a survivor... But we have to get moving. Keep your weapons out."

Cyril led the way once again, the trio making their way through the village on their search. Unfortunately, there wasn't a survivor to be found in the small village.

Why had the H'kelan soldiers hid in the church? Why hadn't they attacked Joy on her attempt to enter? The answer was simple enough, though at the moment still had been left off to be puzzled out later. The movements of the Prince and Princess had been monitored through hearsay and the like, and it had all been an attempt on their lives. Fortunately enough, not only had they been underestimated, but new allies were being brought along... But it was hard to believe that such fortune might strike again.

Etsuko hadn’t even had a chance to agree to Cyril’s near command when a familiar set of hands had placed themselves on her waist and lifted her up with ease. She didn’t even have to look to know that Calypso was the one who had done so. As she took a moment to settle behind Ayano and as Calypso had deftly gotten on Cyril’s horse, she looked to the dust cloud Drosil and his mount had left behind. It seemed as though she wasn’t the only one who sensed danger.

By the time they had arrived in the village, the smell of death and smoke nearly choked the Diviner. While Ayano was fortunate enough to have a cloth to cover her mouth and nose, Etsuko only had her hand. She could barely register what Cyril had asked her to do, but somehow she managed to. With a small nod, she watched as Calypso, Alasa and Cyril headed into the village.

”Please be careful…”

Even if she couldn’t have predicted the mass amounts of carnage that littered the village, the mere stench of it wafting towards them told her that finding a survivor would be considered lucky. She had been sending as many prayers to the Divines as she could when Ayano frantically began searching for something. Etsuko felt her hand latch onto her wrist and merely smiled at her comforting words. With her other hand, she affectionally patted Ayano’s head.

“Yes, of course, Princess.”

The sun was at its peak when they saw it, Smoke, in the distance.
Lyrena feared that something was amiss, the villages were prone to small bonfires every now and then but this was the product of something on a much grander scale, couldn't shake the feeling that this was the start of something, something big. They pressed on quickly yet anxiously.

Oluma had simply stopped dead in her tracks when they were close enough to the village to see what the source of the smoke was. The silhouette of houses, collapsed and intact were visible from their current position, she noticed the lack of movement coming from the village, it seemed the only movement was the dancing of the flames.
Oluma couldn't bear the sight and turned away, feebly fighting back the pain that was easily spreading over her face, she had never witnessed a horror as such before and it was all too much for her, she fell to her knees as the collapsed from under her and tried again to hold it together, the thoughts were overwhelming her, an innocent village massacred in such a way, the young children she knew would have been there, the fear in their eyes as their oppressors bear down on them raining death.
She couldn't shake these visions from her mind. She burst into tears.
Lyrena looked on, the sight was one she both never wxpected and never wanted to see, she wiped a tear from her face and turned to face her companion noticing her on the floor she moved over to her to comfort her, she didn't know her very well, but she did know that she had some kind gift, she sometimes saw what others couldn't, she could see through the eyes of of others sometimes, she remembered her saying, and it was never good. Lyrena wondered if maybe she had seen what had happened to the villagers but didn't dare ask, she crouched down beside her and rubbed her back for comfort.
Lyrena told her to head back, there was no way she could walk into that village now, this was something she would have to do alone now.
She bid her farewell and slowly began to walk toward the fallen village. She had only one thought in her head now.

"I wish Arvis were here..."

---------------



The Inn had begun to fill nicely as the afternoon sun arrived, he was flicking through the adverts and posters that were pinned to the job boardbut nothing on there was of his field, the odd maid beeded herw and a srable hand needed there.
Stable hand? He geabbed the advert and checked for an address or at least a name, thankfully both were present. He pinned the advert back and committed the details he needed to memory, he then turned and left.

The stable was a small journey across the city, luckily Arvis had time on his hands, it was a well maintained and nicely decorated two storey building faced with timbers on its frontside. It looked like something from Medieval times, and to be honest it most likely was, it was surrounded by large and sturdy wooden fencing which ws united at the front of the stable by an even bigger gate, he approached the gate and was met by a stocky man who appeared to be in his mid 50's, he waddled over and outstretched his large hairy hand.

"Good day good day, the names Bryce and this here is my stable. Is it work or custom you're after boy?"

Arvis grabbed his hand and gave it a firm shake, he looked over Bryces' shoulder and saw a strong looking Steed, it was saddled up and ready to go by the looks of it.
Arvis turned his attention back to Bryce and smiled.

"Good afternoon, I am here as a customer. I'm looking for a horse, a good one.... strong, reliable, I was hoping you could help me?"

Bryce caught him looking at the steed a short way behind himself and smirked.
He waved for Arvis to follow him as he turned.

"As it happens boy, this very horse right here is for sale..... If you be looking for somethin' a little more permanent... Otherwise i got them one's in there which you can rent"

The large man still wore his smirky smile, he seemed as though the end of world could strike and it wouldn't move that smile an inch.
Arvis mulled over his options, he had more than enough money to buy a horse and he wouldn't have to worry about returning the horse after a few days, he could continue on his journey unimpeded.
Arvis inspected the horse and its equipment, all of which from what he could see was in great condition, this man clearly cared alot about his animals and treated them, and the equipment they would be using, very well.
Arvis made his decision and he and Bryce headed to the office to finalise the payment.

Rhe hoese had cost him a littke more than he expected but he still had enough to get him by until the next job. He walked the horse out if the srabke and mounted him, he decided to continue with his plan to head West towards Western Barcea, he hoped that the next job would grab the attention of Cyril and the sentinels, and he heard rumour that they would be in the area. He trotted gently at first, getting to know his new mount, he would break him in gently, gain the trust and friendship of this horse, after all he was going to be around a while.

The hustle and bustle of the city was still evident even beyond the gates, merchants and travellers alike were flocking to and from the city seeking pastures new, now Arvis was one of them, moving further afield and into the beauty of the Barcea countryside, stopping only to purchase a few wares for his journey before he set off into the glee of tree's and sunshine.

He had began to ride the horse properly now, moving at a good canter. He had been travelling for around four hours when he could see in the distance a faint movement rising into the air, it was too far away and too dark in the day at this point to make out exactly what it was, he decided to set up camp for the evening and if it was still evident come morning, he would investigate.

In the distance Joy could hear the sound of what she could only imagine to be a hundred miniature horses stampeding towards the village. She rose her head, wiping the moisture from her cheeks with a dirty glove that left a streak of ash in its wake. A small cloud of dust rose in the sky, but unless the H'kelan forces had found a way to shrink their soldiers it was safe to assume it was a single rider. The dust cloud was lost in the smoke of the smoldering village. Joy's first thought was to grab her flask. She pulled it into reach with her scabbard, tucking the ashy canteen into her belt as she tried to clamber to her feet so she could greet the stranger on her own terms with arrow drawn. Her knee counter-offered that idea with a suggestive argument that, when boiled down to its finer points, stated “If you stand up I'll make you wish you were dead.” Joy seceded to her knee's wishes; on the post she sat, out in the open and defenseless.

Unfortunately for the downtrodden woman, perhaps it would have been better for her to go against her knee's howling. Metallic bolts of fire shot overhead, reminding her of battles long settled and making her chest swell with a vile contempt and, perhaps, a distant longing. Back when she was in her prime, Joy had been able to show many-a-mages that, despite all their dusty tome studying and complicated hand gestures, they still reacted the same way any regular man did when stuck with a blade or pierced by an arrow. She wasn't as quick now, and helplessly sat and watched as the flaming sentinels cut off her exit. Their eyes cast judgment upon her for a crime that, for once since she had fled her old life, she had not commit. She had seen a spell similar to this one before, and knew that as long as she kept her distance these sentinels were harmless enough.

Not so harmless, however, was the enraged wizard flanked by a deathcrawler stomping through the ash towards her, although it would be more accurate to say that the ash was stomping away from him as the swirling typhoon of magic around him kicked the dust away. Some landed on Joy's boots as the distance between the two closed. Any regular person would probably be terrified by the thought of being surrounded by flaming guardians, a massive bug, and a glowing mage, but Joy stood (or rather sat) her ground as Drosil demanded answers. All of this pageantry reminded her of how somebody else worked: show a little, tell a lot, and pray that they don't see the crippled bandit behind the curtain. She stared down the man's blank eyes as he told her of the way his creature would devour her. Not an inch of fear was on her face despite the creatures looming overhead. She decided that if being lunched on by Sir Mauls was her fate at least she would be of some use before she died.

“You should stop there,” said Joy, her voice quiet and low but exuding confidence. She made no threatening movement, yet gave off the appearance that she was neither impressed nor pleased by the man's extravagant entrance. Her eyes judged the distance between the two; if she forced her body she could probably get within striking range to gut him before his bug had a snack. Still, she'd rather not be worm food.

“Actually, you should take a step or two back. If you think I'm somehow responsible for all of this,” she gestured lazily to the destruction around them, “then you're dumber than you look. Now, I have my suspicions as to who's responsible, but why does my opinion matter?” She kept her eyes on the mage and the deathcrawler, ready to strike if need be. Hopefully getting him talking would distract him from his prying questions and let her gain a sense of if she'd be walking away from this. “Why do you even care? You seem more out of place here than I do.”

"Why do I- LOOK AROUND YOU!!!!" He roared out, gesturing to the devastation and carnage all around them. The bodies, once living breathing people with hopes, with dreams, with lives, and this woman had the nerve to ask him why he should care. "I don't have to be from Barcea to understand that this is wrong, that this is horrible, and that whoever did it and who ever helps them get away with should be killed with no exceptions."

He pointed his staff at her again, speaking a single word spell, the orb glowing a bright Topaz as a spike of earth suddenly pierced through earth right in front of Joy, the point stopping just before her face. Joy blinked as the earth jutted towards her, ash and dirt smacking against her skin. The rage on his face was clear to see, and he wanted this woman to be sure that he could take her out if she didn't co-operate and with little hesitation. And in case she got any ideas, he pulled out his gun, cocked and loaded, the barrel pointed directly at her. She had been down the barrel of such a weapon a number of times before. His intent was clear enough.

"Now, I"m only going to ask you one more time. What happened here and were you apart of it? Tell me everything you know and leave not a single word out of it, or you'll find yourself gargling on your own blood before I have my friend her finish you off." Deep down inside of his mind, a voice was telling Drosil that he need to calm down, to pull himself back from the brink of insanity and to his happy place, but his rage was too great to allow for such action. He couldn't think right now, not logically, not sympathetically, not even on a primal survival instinct. It was all overtaken by an unyielding rage that roared in his chest.

Joy decided that perhaps it would be best to not shake the hornet's nest by mocking his sense of justice or by explaining to him that this is how things are in this world. At least not until later when they were on fair footing and she could properly defend herself if need be. However, with her being outnumbered, outmaneuvered, and outgunned she knew that her only real option was compliance. She slid over slightly so the stalagmite was no longer against her chin and returned Drosil's angry gaze with a cold stare of her own.

"Okay," she finally spoke with a sigh, her stare softening as her voice returned to its more natural, aristocratic cadence. "If you take a moment to stop rubbernecking the dead it becomes obvious who would most likely be responsible for this. This wasn't a bandit attack, clearly. Bandits would probably kill a few people, torch a building, but they would leave most of the village intact so they could strike a few months later. The intent here also wasn't just pure destruction. Like you said, you aren't even from Barcea and you want these people dead. How do you think their actual countrymen will react? This is an enticement."

"But since you need me to spell it out for you," she said quickly. "I would guess that this was an act of aggression H'kela. Probably a small armored squad that could strike quickly and lethally. Look at the footprints; their heaviness suggests armored troops. Besides, their King has been hungry for a war since the Queen held out the olive branch over ten years ago." Joy cleared her throat. "Of course, this is all just speculation; I arrived here after the damage was done. If was apart of this I would either be one of the dead or several leagues away by now. So lower your weapon," she said, her voice assertive and commanding, "or get it over with."

Drosil couldn't say anything at first, looking at the woman with an unreadable expression, muttering under his breath as the orb began to take on a green glow. However, instead of blasting it at her, he whipped it around, sending a large sphere of compressed air to go hurtling into some wreckage, sending up a plume of ash and debris into the air. He would continue to do this for another minute or so, taking out his anger on his surroundings like a petulant child. Once it had all faded to a manageable simmer, he let out a deep breath, than began to mutter a deep chant, the sphere glowing a bright silver as he did so.

While this happened, Sir Maul's gaze never left Joy, the eager twitching of his mandibles and claws making it abundantly clear that he wanted the woman to make a run for it. He wasn't just a mount right now, but a predator looking for prey and the instant she made any sudden move would be the moment he charged in to end her. She might be able to stab him somewhere vital before he managed to grab her, might even be able to keep him from biting anything important, but thanks to her lack of heavy armor their was little chance of the bite not piercing her skin and then the venom would finish her off, slowly numbing her body until their was hardly anything she could due but lay down and wait to die. It would be a rather a awful way to go.

Joy had just shook her head as Drosil threw his tantrum. He was undisciplined; clearly his parents, if he even had any, did not intend for him to master his magic--or at least that was the impression Joy got. In a strange way, it reminded her of when she was a girl. Although instead of magic, she was teaching herself how to fight with a sword, and instead of throwing hissy fits for a crippled woman she was proving herself in duels against insulted nobles. Perhaps it just reminds me of being a child then, thought Joy as Drosil continued to wreck havoc on the already destroyed buildings. Her eyes glanced over to Sir Mauls; in a way, it looked like he gave her a curt nod that told her to just try and run. Clearly then it would be best to sit and watch. Slumping forward into her palms, she pushed her hair out of her face with a dirtied glove and continued observing the man holding her hostage go through his one man minstrel show.

Once Drosil had finished the chant, he slammed the butt of his staff into the ground, causing the silver energy to cascade into the earth, slipping between the ashes and soil like water. Within seconds, piles of earth could he seem rising from the ground, formulating into a group of earth golems, these ones being made of soil and dirt and being of average strength and durability. Workers to do what you couldn't do alone or just found unpleasant. What Drodil had in mind filled both categories.

"You have enough energy implanted in you to last a week, spend that time digging graves and burying the dead. These people deserve that much at least."

The golems, a total of 13, left to proceed with their given task, and he tried to follow. Unfortunately, the ground had other ideas, rushing up to meet him with a solid thud. Pain was all he could feel right now,a dull burning that signaled that his body had become drained from using too much magic at one time. He needed to rest, but he couldn't leave the woman alone. It was dangerous for both him, Sir Mauls, and her if she tried to run for it. So with his last vestige of conscious thought, he focused on darkness, on the night, and on a big hulking figure with haunting white eyes.

It began slowly at first, a ring of shadow that circled his body, but soon began to converge upon him in a seething mass of blackness, any and all light to be consumed by it's gulltinous coils. After ten seconds pass, the darkness dispersed, and a large figure lifted itself off the ground. It stood at around 7ft in height, a large body wrapped in a thick scale armor that looked much too natural, filled with sinuous curves and spikes that couldn't be forged by the hands of man. At his waist lay a thick belt, holding two standard shortswords, curved and with a single edge to ensure maximum slashing efficiency. Upon his back, however, was a beautiful weapon that seemed to be made of living shadow, the metal's surface seeming to pulse, breath, and writhe the longer one looked at it. It was a greatsword, double edged with a wide blade that tapered down to a razor sharp point, the handle bearing a similarly dark coloration.

All in all, it made for quite the intimidating figure, and as he turned around, his eyes where but a sea of darkness with two haunting pools of still whiteness. The monsterous man would stand there for a while, looking down at the fragile woman and not saying a word. Joy, who had been staring intently as the man had shifted forms, found herself quickly breaking his gaze when their eyes crossed. His face was hidden behind a helmet-like crest, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking. He simply just stared for the longest time before finally chose to speak, his voice deep and booming like thunder.

"Don't make a run for it, or else Sir Maul's will catch you. You don't want that." The creature clattered behind the figure, as if to add emphasis to his point. She would notice that with Drosil replaced by whoever this was, the fire guardian's had left, but his warning wasn't one to be ignored. If she looked back at him, she's see that he'd pulled out a notebook and pencil from his belt bag and had begun to draw something, holding the delicate instrument gently and skillfully between his clawed fingers. If she walked over to see his work, warning little more than a wrong hiss from Sir Mauls if she moved slow enough, she'd see that it was her that he was in the process of drawing.

But Joy made no such move. She had thought the mage had cast some sort of illusion spell, something to make him seemingly more intimidating, but her gut told her otherwise. This was something completely different, something that possibly wasn't even human. Still, even with his appearance effectively shaking her resolve she couldn't help but smile and even chuckle at the humanoid's insistence that she tried not to run. The last time she had tried running anywhere she had woken up the next morning in some ditch covered in mud with her knee howling in pain and her head ringing from a hangover. Currently, she was dangerously on the edge of complete coherence, and knew very well that even if she gave the deathcrawler the slip she would still end up regretting it. The smile faded away. It had been a while since Joy had something to drink. Just don't think about it, she thought, as a chill ran through her body. Her eyes fell on the pencil in the thing's clawed hand. Was it really just drawing?

"So," said Joy, her voice cracking slightly under stress and frustration, "since I have been compliant with you I am now to be your hostage? I would hardly call that fair, but it's your prerogative." Keeping one eye on the deathcrawler, she stretched out across the post and propped up her good leg as she slid her hands beneath her head to keep her hair out of the ash. "We'll just stay here forever until one of us breaks." She had little doubt in her mind that, without quenching her thirst, she would probably be the first to crack. "Fine, whatever..."

"I honestly don't care much for whether you're my hostage or not, but I'd rather not have Sir Mauls rip you limb from limb. If my brother hadn't been an irresponsible idiot, than you'd be on your merry way on that bum leg of yours." Shadar sighed, looking at Sir Mauls and noting with some relief that he was starting to calm down, if only a tad. As long as no unknown people came in here, then the beast should be able to calm down with the next few minutes. Of course, if someone did come in and panicked, then we'd have ourselves a clusterfuck of violence, with somebody killing somebody else. Dammit, Drosil, why can't you think ahead for once instead of acting on your fucking righteous impulses! "Instead, I'm stuck here making sure you don't die. As for seeing who breaks first, you're much more likely to do so then I am."

Shadar could sense her frustration and slightly stressed mental state, but he doubted she'd do anything drastic as long as everything remained calm. He was right. Even though he had struck a nerve by calling her out and even implying that he was doing a favor, she knew it would be best to just stay put—especially when being kept under watch by a riled deathcrawler and a clearly batty shapeshifter. Whether said calm could be kept when more people entered the mix was hard to say, given that Cyril was likely to come here to investigate his brother's tantrum.

"Also, just so you know, some Sentinels will be here soon. So whether that's good news or bad news, at least your informed," said Shadar.

“Best thing I've heard out of you...or your, uh, brother,” said Joy.