[h3][center]Helena Lichter[/center][/h3]

From the moment the ghoul commander's team set foot outside the Cathedral, its leader knew that Yseult's first creation had been hard at work.  Already a rich, megalithic assortment of flora, the part of the forest that constituted the Cathedral grounds now swelled to burst with the dread aspect of Halloween.  Masses of thorns and briars, enormous vines, bizarre fungi, thick grass, and piles of leaves filled it, not to mention the vast army of pumpkin monsters that occupied it, whether secreted away in discreet niches or hiding in plain sight among the vines that flourished with their non-sentient cousins.  

Of course, with the illusion cast by Anna, Jack's defense system now appeared to be a haunted ring around ordinary forest, but their collective work satisfied the Supreme Lord's orders to conceal and protect.  With a witch, a naga, a troll, and a humanoid aberration in tow, Helena made her way through Jack's territory and into the woods beyond.

The squad set out at a brisk pace.  Helena based her direction on the position of the sun, operating under the hopeful assumption that it determined direction the same as in the world she left behind, though it occurred to her that even if it did not there existed no way to tell otherwise.  Not too long after exiting the Pumpkin Patch, her ears picked up the quiet rustling sounds of movement through the undergrowth, but a quick examination turned up nothing more than rabbits on the run.  [i]Still,[/i] Helena reflected, [i]Just because it's only animals here doesn't mean the perimeter is totally safe.  Our assignment remains; those stationed at the Cathedral must see to its immediate surroundings.[/i]  

The sun overhead, though filtered somewhat by the leaves and branches of the canopy, proved uncomfortably hot after a while spent marching, but the group pressed on until it reached the forest's eastern edge.  Beyond the rather abrupt end of the treeline, a vibrant prairie stretched into the distance beneath a cloudless blue sky.  At the edge of the two biomes, the monstrous crew stopped to rest in a patch of shade.  Though not as splendid as the colorful Field of Flowers on the fifth floor, it bore a serene pleasantness.  It might not have impressed many, but the nation of Helena's birth bore no such open, rolling stretches of untouched pasture, so her hazel eyes lingered for a good while.

A couple seconds later, she became aware of some movement, and straightened up against the three beneath which she'd taken shelter.  Even from this distance, she could make out the shape of a carriage and what appeared to be a reptilian creature pulling it along at a swift clip.  Mounted warriors of some kind preceded the carriage, and the whole ensemble left a trail of dust in its wake.  “Commander!” came the rumbling bass of Tungus to Helena's left, “I see...”

“As do I,” Helena interrupted, cutting the troll off.  She kept her eyes on the unknown group, considering her options.  With how desperately the guild needed information, she felt the temptation to stage some sort of assault for the purposes of capturing interrogation subjects, but she could not disobey her current master's prime directive.  “Do not attempt to engage.  We will follow them, using the hills an grass, until they stop or I judge we've gone far enough.”  Without waiting for acknowledgment, she spoke to Gretchen, then Psugeoth.  “To keep up I need you to Wide Warp the entire party, and you to cast Spatial Haste on us to continue after them until Warp can be used again.  Go, now!”

Gretchen through her arms wide, a tide of darkness sweeping forth from her robe.  It enveloped the part and then coalesced, taking all five creatures with it.  About one thousand feet to the north the dark cloud reappeared, depositing the group with minor disorientation.  Psugeoth, the silent astrologian, took the chance to cast a spell that increased the party's movement speed, and the next moment the squad launched into action, sprinting through the grass with as low a profile as they could manage until Gretchen could cast Wide Warp again.  The cycle continued, again and again, keeping the group roughly parallel to the carriage as it traveled.

[h3][center]Tatter[/center][/h3]

Still brimming with curiosity, Tatter could scarcely sit still as Volaris began to speak, though her energy dulled as he went on.  As best she could tell, the vital task that would be hers and Lexicon's to fulfill appeared to be research.  Sure, research could be fun, but what the superb specter desired sounded more like schoolwork.  Of course, Tatter never darkened any schoolhouse's door, but she did know about the institution among humans.  

However, Volaris' murmurings of a world redefined in the guild's image rekindled her excitement.  [i]A guild without limits.[/i]  Images ran through Tatter's head of not just waiting for intruders to enter the Cathedral and hoping they reached her, but going out into the world to let her nightmarish abilities run wild.  Twisting body and soul alike on a massive scale if she so chose, infiltrating any society she pleased, setting up situations of heart-wrenching emotion and overwhelming tragedy...the more she thought about it, the more her spirit quivered with anticipation.

“Hmm!  ...Okay!”  She replied, her voice high and bright, filled with childish energy.  “Well, milord, I've got tons of paper around I can have some minions use to record spell names and results.  If that suits you for data collection, we can start our tests right away using who we have on hand: you!  The arena would be great, of course, but if you like we can down to the bottom floor of the Thaumaturgium.  It's pretty clear and open, and there's husks and other creatures everywhere we can test on.  While we're at it, Lexicon and I could try out our magic to make sure it works fine.”  

Smiling ghoulishly, she floated up into the air, her forearms and lower half unraveling into strands in preparation for flying.  After a moment she gave a shrug.  “Or, I guess we could head straight to the arena.  Sturdy as this place is, the power of a Supreme Lord might be too much for it to handle, and there's a bunch of stuff that could break, or fall off shelves...um, providing you're okay for testing in the first place?”  The consideration hit her suddenly, as through her enthusiasm kept her from thinking the whole proposal through.