Having just pinched himself on the arm, Ronken was becoming more and more convinced this wasn't just a drug induced fever dream. Piss.

He had collapsed flat on the roof as soon as he'd made it up. Only slowly leaning over to check his leg. He cringed, his face scrunching up in worry. It looked pretty bad, those teeth were sharper than any knife he'd seen. Luckily his hand only had a gash on the back of it.

His breath was a few ticks short of hyperventilation, fighting through the tired haze for every breath. He managed to get himself sitting up and looking around. As much as he would love to take one of his oh so favorite daytime naps, he had enough mind to keep alert. Well, as alert as possible.

He was a bit put off by the swirl of black shit everywhere, like literally, everywhere. It didn't seem like the usual shit in the air either which is what scared him. He was used to the smoke polluting the air, it was the lower town's signature scent. But this stuff was just.. wrong. 

Though he had been reciting, [i]'Screw Magic, Screw Magic Bugs, and Screw Travelers'[/i], over and over in the back of his head for the last six minutes, he would admit he was thankful for the... bubble... thing.. 

He jolted at a clang. The Traveler threw a bit of a fit. She had tossed her fancy brass mask to the ground and taken a seat. Right, [i]she[/i] was the victim here. Not the innocent deliveryman just trying to make a living in a shit economy. The Man who had been beaten, blinded and deafened, attacked by a magic bug, and then attacked by a crystal monster thing. The man who was one more mystifying magical being away from a nervous break down. About to start gibbering and rocking around in a corner.

She locked eyes with him for a second, some dumb sad look on her face. He doubted it was concern, he just shot a glare back at her.

He wanted to yell. Break out every curse he knew, and even a few hand gestures.

He'd say what an utterly useless Traveler she was, that he'd seen blood thirsty crooks more reasonable and helpful than her, that at this point he was going to just tear up the letter, how that mask was stupid and uncool, if she liked to attack everyone trying to do her a service, call her magic bug lame, and finally tell her that he'd thought she was a man until she'd taken off that stupid and uncool mask.

What stopped him from going on this rant was a scream from the streets. 

His ears had finally stopped ringing, and now he just heard... [i]Everthing[/i]. The wails of men and woman, roaring fires and collapsing buildings. He finally was registering the smell to. [i]The Smell[/i]. It was like someone had left something on the fire for too long. Far, far, too long. If there was a time today where he would have thrown up, it would have been now.

He leaned over and looked out across the city, and what he saw-

Ronken didn't have anyone he was close with, not really. But still, this was his home hellish as it was. He had friends, haunts, the occasional good memory. Now all he saw was blackness and fire.

He wanted some answers.

[b]"What happened?"[/b] He asked. His voice was quiet, but there was an edge to it.

He looked to Meryn, she was holding out a rag to him, but he quickly slapped her hand aside without a thought. 

[b]"Say something damn it! Wha-What-"[/b], he paused trying to think of what to say. His eyes glanced over to where the club would have been. All he saw in that direction was the fire and blackness, -[b]"What the [i]FUCK[/i] happened?!"[/b] His voice broke.

The bug swayed over his ankle and told him that he was poisoned. That he was going to die. That dying wasn't so bad. He disagreed, dying was very, [i]very[/i] bad. He was about to scream at the thing when a bolt flew past his face. Barely missing him by a few inches, landing with a crack into the roof next to Meryn.

He realized that it didn't miss the bug, which was now collapsed in his lap. He yelled another curse and pulled himself, Meryn, and the fairy into cover. Cover being lying prone against the roof hoping to not get shot.