[center][color=gold][h1]Leannah[/h1][/color]

[i]"A Scotsman, A Dwarf, And a Bastelian Walk Into A Bar-"[/i][/center]

[hr]

[quote]“I-I don’t know much! Just that we were followin’ orders! Soyala thinks that Lazhira is the one causing all this! I don’t know why, but we’re not gonna question a God if he says to do something, are we?!” 

“A-all we really know is that if whatever is sealed in that old shrine breaks free, Dawn is going to be destroyed! We would have moved sooner, but...well, we didn’t want to make Akando our enemy - he could throw a wrench in our plans since well, he and Lazhira sort of grew up together somewhat...” 

“I-I think I heard something about a key from the Old Man. Two, actually. One being hidden, and the other just...being in Dawn somewhere. I don’t know more than that.”[/quote]

...Hell. This was not a very good situation as it was already, but to see the Hunters had been deployed on behalf of the Mad God in all of this twisted nonsense wasn't good at all. Soyala seemed to be an interesting figure from the sounds of it, likely a hunter if the catgirl was understanding the context correctly. At the same time, however, it was all suspicious and equally strange. 

So the Old Man, one of the Illuminator's facets, told the Hunters about the keys. That was clear. Soyala was blaming Lazhira for it all, and was perhaps who had sent the Hunters to try for Lazhira then (potentially). That much was partly clear, the latter bit an attempted bit of reasoning out what had happened back there. Then Akando. A childhood friend of Lazhira, likely a Hunter, and not someone who would have gone along with whatever Soyala was spiking the Hunters minds with. But there was an inherent clash in these things and what she herself had been told...not to mention any tidbits the Illuminator was hiding or obscuring somehow still. 

What she knew was that what lived underneath Dawn was something heinous, and the hunters knew this as well and were seeming to want to stop it. The Illuminator was too much of a dick, pardon her french, to want to see humanity destroyed or wiped out. Would ruin the dastard's fun. That much she felt could be trusted about the Mad God, as well as his desire to be entertained and his anger at herself and the other off-worlders, if nothing else. Soyala also was putting the Hunters at odds with each other from within with her idea alone, as if Akando wasn't going to be trying to get at Lazhira then it meant the Hunters weren't all going to be so united. 

In other words, one thing stood out most. Soyala was thinking it was Lazhira who was causing all of this internal chaos, yet the Illuminator seemed to be just 'fond' (if the word applied) enough of the girl that he didn't seem to want her dead. Dividing the Hunters to slow their response time to things, as well as stirring the village up with stuff like an attempted kidnapping going on, it was the kind of situation a Goddess of Conflict seeking to escape would desire. A situation to prevent people from creating a united front, all to the ends of potentially wiping out humanity in her anger once she was released unless Delphiti or someone was able to get things to work out. The Bastelian had no idea what other factors were coming into this, much less had no chance to talk to so many people, but she had to run with what she knew. 

As the goddess had told her...sometimes force was needed. And the root of things needed to be discovered and isolated sooner than later if the village and humanity were to survive. 

[color=gold]"Considering were are all mortals here, following what a god says makes enough reasonable sense. 

However, while you heard from the Old Man I have spoken to the Faceless One. He also told me of what he seeks, that being to avoid this village being destroyed due to the horror that lies sealed underneath this very village. But he never said any bit of Lazhira being a problem, in contrast to what Soyala has told you. In fact, I got these burns of my own playing a game of his back at that old temple, all just to learn that tidbit. Nearly drowned even.

In fact, Lazhira and others have spoken to the Hag, who seems to be contradicting what the Faceless One and Old Man have said entirely.

Would your god actively try to hamper his own plans and contradict himself 'that' badly? Hmm?

So believe me or not, I don't frankly care at this venture. Got what I brought you here for. I will be untying you, and leaving you to get some healing and care here if possible.[/i]"[/color]

Would any of it work? No, likely not. But it sounded cool. This was a human Hunter who'd tried to kidnap Leannah's current favorite person from the New World, and she was a foreign Bastelian who had martial arts, with both of them worshipping different gods and being at odds from that alone. Much less everything else prior to this moment that had gone on.

After untying the Hunter, Leannah popped her head out of the test to speak to the Oni before-

[quote=Some Loud Scotsman][color=lightgreen]"Oi Eirhild-- aye need yer help fer sumthin' lass!"[/color][/quote]

Son of a pharaoh's mother's- it was him! And the sounds of someone else. And another someone else? And now a cart rolling along?!

She knew who that voice was from, and it was enough to get her to pop out of the tent in a hurry. The Bastelian's ears twitched in the direction of Donovan's voice, and she turned her head to the Oni. Without more than the needed formalities of speech, the catgirl would ask the Oni just outside the tent to bring a message to Lazhira and the others held up in Mie's tent. Not that she knew if they were all there, at least beyond Lazhira, but if Narkissa had followed at all then it would be beneficial to let her and the others know. 

After sending the Oni with her message, that being that she was having to go grab something beyond the village 'back where we all began' (that bit might get Narkissa's notice, she hoped) and she'd be back by sometime tomorrow most likely. Maybe. Hopefully. Also added was a personal request to Lazhira and the others to 'be safe', and a promise of something cool being brought back if she found anything where she was heading. Lazhira would like that...right? She hoped. 

[hr]

Leannah would then bolt away, verbal message sent and attempting to 'catch up'. She would find herself too late to catch Donovan and the cart anywhere nearby, but with the path the older man had taken it wouldn't be too hard for her to follow the wagon tracks and such either. It would ultimately lead her back down a somewhat familiar path from only a few days ago in the end, tracked all the way back to a place she didn't think she'd be coming back to anytime soon...The Obelisk. The gateway that sealed off the path of the old lab Delphiti had made, which her creations had partly tried to seal her within, and which the Sage and Illuminator had sealed away by their pact. 

Yup. Albeit the new context she had for the place wasn't exactly encouraging. But why here?

No matter. 

Leannah tried to wave to Donovan and the strange, shorter person that was with him as she approached in the open. Of course she kept the calling out to him bit until she got as close as she felt she could...at least to try to minimize how much volume she needed. She didn't want a massive repeat of earlier...a-at least on purpose. 

But who wouldn't get pissed when one's lovely and intelligent scholar of a host was nearly kidnapped in the middle of all the crazy things going on?!

[color=gold]"Donovan! Hey!"[/color] 

The Bastelian would ultimately arrive at where the man was, hopefully, just as Donovan was done performing his meditation. Was another reason she tried to minimize the volume and get as close as she could to call out to the man. Albeit she would keep a close eye on the man's other companion in case she was intercepted. She was not initially sure if it was a dwarf, this world's version of a gnome, or some kind of strange pygmy to be frank. Likely a dwarf, given her at least basic knowledge of Earthen fantasy stereotype and first impression she got of the individual's equipment.

Or, well, she could be equally wrong. At this point she was not afraid to learn, though if it came with burning the other half of her body in the process she'd have to perhaps decline...