[i][/i][h2][center][b][color=ed1c24]Novak[/color][/b][/center][/h2]
[i][/i]Novak looked over the images that the mask showed him, trying to figure out what they meant.

[color=ed1c24][i]The arrow is pretty obvious- they must have bowmen.  For all I know they may have archers hiding in the fog, ready to fire as soon as they have a clear shot.  The mask grabbing the symbol...it looks like the symbol on Lazhira.  She seems afraid of them...it might mean that they're here for her, which would make sense considering her disfavor with the Illuminator.  The flowers...I've no idea what that means.  Perhaps Lazhira might understand the symbolism.[/i][/color]

Novak quickly climbed back down the rope, not wanting to leave himself open to getting shot.  His climb back down gave him a bit of time to ponder on the situation.  If the hunters were worshiping the Illuminator, it'd explain why the Kyrinth was upset.  Not only were they breaking the village's covenant, but for all Novak knew, the hunters might be killing things or encroaching on territory that they shouldn't.

It was a shame the Kyrinth wasn't here right now, because the more Novak thought about it on his way down the shaft, the more dire their situation seemed.  If it was the hunters lying in wait, that meant Novak and the others wouldn't be safe even if they made it back to the village.  The mask might allow Novak to identify Illuminator worshipers among the villagers, but Enli couldn't punish them without evidence.  Upon reaching the bottom, he removed the mask, showing visible worry upon his face, and reported what he saw.

[color=ed1c24]"The mask showed me a few disconcerting images in the Temple, images that weren't there before.  An arrow, a...something grabbing a symbol that looked like the one on Lazhira, and some flowers with something dripping from them, I'm not sure what that last one meant, but I don't think we should go up there."[/color]  He left out the detail about the phantom mask, worried that it'd draw suspicion upon him.

[color=ed1c24]"I'm afraid I don't have a lot of ideas on how to tackle this,"[/color] he admitted.  [color=ed1c24]"If Lazhira's right and it's the village hunters, they'll probably know the terrain better than us, and even if we do make it back to the village, what's stopping them from killing or abducting us in our sleep?  If we surrender, they'll probably kill us to keep their secret safe.  The only thing I can think of is to hunker down here and find whatever we can on this level to even the odds.  I don't suppose either of you have any ideas?"[/color]

There was one advantage that Novak saw- their foes couldn't anticipate that their arrival was warned of by their own god.

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