Floating Castle - Special Event 2

[Pixelmage]

Event 2 - Civil War.

Legias woke up laying in a ragged couch. “Bloody gods, my head hurts.” Looking around, only a few officers stood nearby, along with Adam, in which she started to recognize as one of the many offices in the city hall.

“Oh, you’re awake.” Adam commented. “I’d tell you to rest some more, but to be honest, I could really use your help over here.”

“Help?” Legias snorted struggling to sit up. “Only if you need me to turn you into a training dummy.”

“Captain,” one of the officers called. “Please, get some rest we need you to-”

“Don’t bother.” Adam addressed the officer. “You’re here longer than I am and don’t get that much? She’s not going to lay down and wait without knowing what’s going on.”

“Correct.” Legias smirked. “So, why don’t you start telling me what the hell is going on?”

“What do you remember?”

“Officer Luca arrested Hector Erastus of the Severed Claws. Followed by taking him out of the holding cells and refused to obey direct orders to stop. After that he assaulted me. So, start with the basics, where’s Luca now?”

“Well, that’s not the basic.” Adam sighed. “You’ve been out for a few hours. Luca disappeared as soon as his piece was done. A number of officers deserted and spread out, following along with his ideals.”

“And no one stopped him because...?”

“Because of that other person with him, still unknown. And because he has the people waging war on the streets.”

“You have to be kidding...” Legias’ expression would be of revolt, if not by the fact that she still felt exhausted.

“Unfortunately he’s not, Captain.” The officer in the room replied. “Master Adam has guided the remaining Guard’s movements, so the immediate damage isn’t impossible to recover. But we lost too many hands to restrain Luca’s so-called revolution before they slipped into the other parts of the town.”

“And what in the blazes is is this revolution of his?”

“That I can answer.” Adam unrolled a map of the city over the table. “He started right here, in the balcony, preaching about how all of the guilds are anarchists who want to kill us all. And threw Erastus into the mob right before disappearing. That was right after he knocked you out.” He then started pointing towards the marked areas. “These places are the known headquarters of the guilds. I moved the remaining forces to isolate those areas, removing their target from their reach and also to prevent a bloodbath, in case the guilds decided to retaliate.”

“But that means-” Legias began to protest.

“Yes. The city gates, underground entrances and all of this area.” He circled a huge portion of the map. “That’s all completely unguarded.”

“Bloody hell... What was that man thinking when he started this?” She stared at the map, coming to the realization that one of the things left unguarded was rather dangerous. “What about this warehouse? Is there no one guarding it?”

“Not enough men.” Adam replied. “I figured prioritizing the headquarters would be better than risking them over some supplies.”

“Military supplies, Adam.” She told him. “That place is filled with weapons.”

“Oh.” Adam stared at his map. Not knowing what to say.

“We have problems to solve, then. What’s the current status on the guilds? Is Erastus still alive? And Lori, did that woman do anything?”

“Erastus is probably alive. We couldn’t find his body when the mob spread outward. I’m still waiting to hear anything about the others as well. And Lori did, in fact, do something. She locked the doors to the library and ordered the Loreknights to keep any and everyone other than you outside.”

“Hag.” Legias cursed. “I suppose I’ll have to go deal with her myself then. You did a good job keeping things from going to hell, Lieutenant.”

“Lieutenant?” Both Adam and the guard officer in the room asked in unison.

“Yes. Why not? It at least gives you official authority to do what you’re already doing.” Legias said, addressing her new second in command.

“Sure. ‘Why not?’ indeed...” Adam was perplexed.

“Send word to Lori, I’ll go see her soon. You’ll have to handle the politics now Adam. Just like you wanted to. I hope you’re happy.”

“I’ll be once this mess is over.”

- - - -

GM Notes:

• Adam is based on the city hall, awaiting contact from any guild leaders.
• For the immediate timeframe after the fighting starts, the guilds and their members will be ordered to stay behind the protection of the City Guard and not act against the Anti-Faction. You’re not restricted in how to react, but keep in mind that the Guard is there to prevent bloodshed so they’ll stop anyone who starts a confrontation. This order to stand down is bound to change shortly (now that Legias is awake and things will start to move).

So, this is it guys, free post event for everyone to react to the Civil War update. Maybe your character saw the events on the square? Maybe he got caught by surprise by the sudden activity? New quest assignments will follow soon in order to start fixing the problems. This thread is for reaction shots to the events on the update post itself.

[Lordxana0]

Salvantas let out a deep breath and looked at the report his scout had given him. It was a well thought out plan and he had to applaud the one who had come up with it. This advanced his plans a bit more forward then he would have liked but sometimes you had no choice in the matter. He left his office and summoned a small group of his most trusted agents and ordered them to go into disguise and deliver a message to all guild members and adventures they could find. The message was quite simple, go into the sewers and they would be lead to a place they could safely plan their next move.

Salvantas then blew out a small whistle and Smoke came scrambling over to his. "I need you to find Anji, leader of Storm and Drive, remember the scent I had you take at the school, the person I was unhappy with that day?" Smoke yapped in confirmation. "Good boy, take her this" he gave Smoke a letter that would provide direction for her to reach the underground base. "Hurry now" Smoke scrambled out of the door and into the streets.

His agents nodded and pounded a fist over their hearts before making their way to the streets and going to where most of the guild leaders where likely to be. He threw on a heavy brown cloak and made his way out of the buildings back entrance, which lead to a manhold cover a few steps away. He had no doubt that the city would be in chaos right now, and he knew this was the best way to help. He moved the cover and made his way into the sewers, following a line of glow dust the members of Heroes Unlimited Black had made from crushed nether glow flowers. It would last for about four months before starting to dim. He followed the trial to the hidden entrance to the base, a door which had been pained over to look like the rest of the wall. He knocked four times and someone on the inside opened it.

"Whats up boss, I just sent the guys to their normal patrols and everything is running tip top" the man took a step back and allowed Salvantas to enter.

"We are expecting guests my right hand man, put on the tea and light up the torches." Salvantas took a seat at the massive stone table in the middle of the hidden room and looked up at the ceiling. "So then what happens next, do the guild members find their way here and join the alliance... or does another person step in... and..." Salvantas reached into his shirt an pulled out a small silver locket he had bought a few days ago and opened it. Inside was a picture of Rose he had commissioned and then shrunk by a spell to be fit inside of it. "And are you safe?" he asked with a frown coming to his face.

((So Salvantas sent his agents out to try and track down guild leaders and members to bring to his sewer base. All you need to know about it is in my first side story))

[agoraoptera]

Hector’s body felt as heavy as it appeared as the large man’s consciousness finally started to return. The light sensation that he recognized as the healing magic flow through him but even its properties left behind the sharp pains of his injuries. Wincing, the man finally attempted to open his eyes, and see where he was. His vision was blurry, and half the room was surprisingly dark compared to the other half. In fact it was more than dark, it was pitch black. He felt the presence of someone else in the room, but could not see them. It was only when he tilted his head did he catch the edge of the figure in his view.

“He’s awake,” a somewhat sharp, muffled voice sounded from another corner of the room.

“Hector? Hector? How are you feeling?” Hector recognised the second voice, slightly shrill, to be that of Anji’s sister: Zi.

The man made an attempt to speak, but felt his throat to be incredibly dry at this point and only managed a weak grunt in response. He heard two voices, but he barely saw one. At this the man began to realize that perhaps it was not the room that had horrible lighting, but something to do with himself. Slowly, weakly, his left hand raised up from the bed and rubbed against the wrappings hiding the terrible wound over his left eye, or what was left of it anyway. He would have jolted in shock, had he been able to do so, when he realised his arm was studded at regular intervals by long, thin needles.

“Don’t move,” the unfamiliar voice commanded, “or you’ll just jab yourself to death.” The voice approached closer. Two sets of slender hands began working in concert to remove the needles from him, which he now realised covered a fairly large portion of his brutalised body. Within a few moments of their strangely synchronised working, his body was free of the disturbing needles.

“Zi...” He coughed out, trying to find her with his good eye. “Is Anji okay?”

“She..” Zi glanced aside almost guiltily. “Yeah, she’s alright.”

“And... you?”

“Worry about yourself first.” The foreign voice commanded again; Hector was beginning to feel more than a little curious as to her identity. “His eye won’t heal, Torvantine, the entire orb’s gone. The ribs are already mending, most of his wounds now little more than bruises, he’ll live. But you,” she began speaking directly to Hector, “you had better start getting used to seeing the world through one eye.”

The man’s eye shifted away from the younger girl towards the other speaker. She was a stern-seeming woman, hard eyes almost glaring at the wounded man. The most striking feature of hers was the plain, puritanical black half-mask that covered her visage from just below her eyes, tapering to a point shortly after where he supposed her chin was. The silken mask held a sickly sweet cloying smell that reminded him of burnt flesh and hospices.

Hector’s head tilted back against the pillow behind it, as her words registered with him. The entire eye had been removed or destroyed, there was no coming back from that. “I see...” He replied simply, “Or I don’t, actually. Heh.” Perhaps surprisingly to at least Zi, the man’s reaction to his injury was far more casual than one would expect.

“Very droll,” the other woman replied drily, albeit with a barely discernable lisp accompanying her speech.

“You’re a...” He coughed through his words, “friend of Anji?”

“Anji..?”

The woman looked towards Zi, who helpfully added, “My sister”.

“Ah, no. You can call me Aza.” Hector almost immediately thought of Asha when he heard that name, the two were pronounced almost exactly the same. His mind briefly jumped back to his last encounter with her, when he saw what had become of her, unsettling him for a few seconds.

“She helped heal you, Hector; I couldn’t do it alone. She’s a friend, don’t worry.” Zi added, albeit unnecessarily.


The man nodded his head; that was enough for him to put his mind at ease. “Zi, listen.” He finally said after a brief moment of silence, “I’m sorry... it seems my past has put you in severe danger. So... I’m sorry.”

She shook her head urgently. “No.. I was never at risk. But everyone else now is in danger and-”

“Young man-” Aza interjected.

“Hector, if you please.”

“Hector, you were just beaten to within an inch of your life. You are in no state to apologise to anyone about any danger. Focus on the immediate. Are you feeling well enough?”

“If you mean, will I live? I suppose I will.” The man grunted painfully through his words, not that it seemed to matter to him.

“We know you’ll live; I healed you after all,” she said impatiently, “My question is, are you fit to help? The town’s in an uproar and from what I heard, you will be needed.”

Hector remain silent, looking down upon his injured body. Most of his wounds had been healed, or at least brought down to a non-lethal level, but it was obvious he was still in pretty bad shape. He thought this was gonna be it, that his life would finally be claimed. Thanks to the others however, this was not the case. He still had to go on. “I’m still here...so I have no intention of stopping...” He claimed.

“May your body be as willing as your spirit,” she intoned. “Sit up.”

The man complied, or attempted his best to. His teeth clenched down in pain as his wincing body slowly made the bend upward on the bed. It would be a miracle if the man even stepped outside let alone helped in his condition.

Aza pushed him back down gently but firmly, the edge of her mask trailing a droplet of some strange liquid against his lips. Almost involuntarily, Hector swallowed and a tingling sensation began coursing through his body, numbing his senses.

“Rest, Hector Erastus. I shall take my leave now. Friend Torvantine will inform me if you require further aid.”

“I’ll send you off, Aza,” Zi nodded apologetically to Hector. “I’ll be back soon to keep an eye over you. Apart from the few of us, nobody knows you’re here. You’re safe.”

[Scarab]

This nightmare wasn’t like the others.

He had read about the symbols you found in dreams and what each one could mean, in books based not in magic, but in fledging sciences. Still in a way it was almost the same thing. Dreams had a way of warning you about things your waking mind simply refused to accept. You just thought “what do dreams know?” and carried on with your day.

Unless you were a psychic of course. Then you paid a lot of attention to what your dreams were telling you.

Tamar was pretty sure that his dreams were nothing more than dreams. This time, though, when he bolted awake gasping and reached automatically for his sword –when the hell had he fallen asleep?– the sense of terror followed. Minutes passed, but unlike usual, the curdling sense of fear refused to fade as he readjusted to the daylight.

When he left the room the entirety of Storm and Drive were absent. No Eliziya, hovering in some doorway or another. No Marcus having a quiet conversation with Julius at the table. Even the innkeeper and the other guests were absent.

By the time Tamar had made his way down the street, it was obvious something was wrong which he had apparently managed to sleep through. There was a premonition of wrongness in the air, the likes of which he hadn’t felt since the day he ran from the Veil. Tamar frowned, choosing to walk in the direction of the main square. After all if anything was happening, then surely it would start there?

The walk was a strange one. He saw people shift from one side of the street to the other as soon as they saw him, walking quickly with a shuttered wariness in their eyes. It was about now that Tamar started thinking maybe it wasn’t just him feeling this malaise over everything. That maybe everyone’s dreams were being plagued by something they couldn’t explain. And whatever it was, it was in some way seeping into the air. It was like the echo left behind after an earthquake. The aftershocks of fear and pain and...

Anger.

Yes. That was what it was. Anger and... paranoia. The constant sense of fear in people’s eyes that they could only express through violence or hiding. The atmosphere was the same as it had been in the early days, when riots swept throughout the city. The days when it felt as if somebody with a knife might jump out at you from any corner. Judging from the suspicious glances he was getting the closer he drew to the square, they well might.

Tamar clutched the hilt of the nameless sword in shaking fingers and tried to figure out what he had been dreaming, and why the sensation of terror kept following him. On the other side if the courtyard, a group of youngsters were having some kind of fight, the way kids do. Except it didn’t look like a fight, so much as some kind of feral scrap. Like animals playing a strange game. The sword hilt burned beneath his palm in a way Tamar now attributed to the latent magic crawling in his veins.

‘What the hell is going on?’ he muttered under his breath.

The burn spread up his arm, as if the sword itself were attempting to answer. ‘Magic, Magic is what’s happening. That, and a fair bit of good old fashioned rioting.’

Tamar took a deep breath, trying to control the growing sense of wrongness tightening like a bear trap around his

ribcage. ‘Anjali.’ he thought urgently. ‘Storm and Drive. She needs you. You have to find Anjali.’

He started to run.

[JackAlsworth]

Jenny's first reaction was to groan, roll over, and try to get back to sleep. Trust some drunken lout to start yelling and smashing things at this ungodly hour. Some things never changed, even in hundred-story-tall floating fortresses.

Two things changed her mind. One was the red-orange tinge emanating from her window. Sunrise wouldn't be for another couple of hours, which left only a few possibilities - none of them good.

The other was the oddly-shaped stone she had found in the second-floor chasm after the earthquake. Up until tonight all it had done was sit nearby her bed and look nice. Tonight, however, the strange glassy parts punctuating its surface were... well, they were glowing. An eerie sort of purple. Only slightly, it was true, and at first she assumed she was imagining it, but then it got brighter. And then it didn't stop when she picked it up.

Something was going on. Something that probably wouldn't wait until a decent time. She sighed and got herself out of bed.

----

And a good thing she did too, as the most prominent difference between now and when she had fallen asleep was that a good chunk of the town now seemed to be on fire.

Jenny had never been in the middle of a riot before. Back home there weren't enough people to make a proper one. Sure, sometimes someone would bring bad news, and everyone would mutter loudly that there ought to be a law, and some people would get angry and throw things through windows. But the mess would always be cleaned up by the next day, no one really meant it. This... this was different. The anger was different. Unrestrained. Uncontrollable.

It scared her.

It also scared her that some people were giving her funny looks as she ran down the usually peaceful streets, looking for Legias - anyone, really - someone coordinating the defense.

She tried not to let it bother her, until a group of wide-eyed, frenzied-looking villagers all but ran into her as she dashed around a corner.

"I'm sorry, I'm just in a hurry," she panted, "but do you know where -"

"I know you," said one of the men slowly, peering at her. "I've seen your face before."

"Er... pardon?"

"Yeah, I'm sure... you were... yeah!" His voice rose with every word. "You were with that Torvantine!"

"Well, uh... what does - ?"

"She's with the guilds!" He was shouting now. People were turning to look. Jenny felt a shiver go down her spine.

"No, I - !" What was she supposed to be denying? Yes, she had been with Anji, but what had that to do with anything? Clearly a lot, as they were surrounding her, the manic gleam in their eyes focused directly on her. Most of them had various weapons that they were now raising.

What could she do? She ran. She ran and ran until she thought she had lost them, and then she ran some more. She stopped to catch her breath in a back alley, and then she continued, evading people whenever possible, always hiding her face.

Something had gone terribly wrong. Something to do with the guilds. Maybe Anji knew. If she couldn't find Anji, maybe Ben knew. If she couldn't find either of them...

No. No, don't think like that. You're still alive, they're tough, they're strong and smart and capable, if you can make it out of this, they can. She had to keep telling herself that.

She didn't know the backways of the town nearly as well as she needed to, but she used them almost exclusively, finding ways around the mobs, one thought focusing her actions - I have to find Anji.

[Qara-Xuan Zenith]

“'Bout time you woke up,” Ben commented, her concern fading now that it was clear he would wake up.

Hector groaned in response, his large hand still feeling the wrappings around his head, hiding the more ugly parts of his injury. The right side of his face, still exposed to the air, slowly focused in on his comrade. The eye was sunken in; it seemed to be having incredible difficulty looking Ben in the eyes. “You saved me...?” his raspy voice finally asked, confused.

“Me, Valerian, and your friend Torvantine,” Ben answered. “Captain Crazy of the Guard seemed intent on getting you killed with stupid rumours. Obviously that’s not an ideal situation, so... we stepped in.”

“No.” The man shook his bandaged head, his voice distant. “No... You don’t understand. You should have left me, Ben.” The swordsman let out a deep sigh before continuing. “That was my punishment...”

Ben rolled her eyes. “Okay, I know you’re injured, but I have very little patience for moping and self-pity. Don’t tell me I should have left an innocent fellow to get lynched by a mob, because frankly, taking all personal feelings out of the equation, that’s moronic.”

“No! I’m not innocent!” Hector growled, nearly jerking himself out of the bed he lay upon, but the injuries were still too much and the man fell backward against the pillows behind him. “I won’t go any further allowing such truths to go unnoticed. A lot of the things Luca said... I’m sure they were false, or exaggerated. But... he and I, we travelled together for some time. He knows me well.” The man’s eye narrowed, finally meeting with his guild member, “You never knew who I was outside of this place, but he did,” he admitted.

“Do you understand what I’m telling you?” Hector’s tone had never sounded so serious.

Ben, still leaning casually against the wall, felt the muscles in her back go taut. She blinked rapidly at the green-haired man, trying to process both his revelation and her own reaction in as short a time as she could. There was silence for a moment, as the jocular impatience slowly drained from her face, to be replaced by a more complex emotion.

Finally, Ben straightened, taking a step back as she did so. Her voice taking an oddly formal, clipped tone, she said, “Hector Erastus, I am hereby relieving you of your command of the guild the Severed Claws, on grounds of being totally inappropriate to lead it.”

She turned her back on him and swiftly left the room, ignoring the healer’s recommendation that he not be left alone until his condition had stabilized further, and went to seek somewhere she could be alone, to consider her next move.

Ben saw the other redhead down the hall, and changed her route, the gears in her mind churning, realizing she had business with the shorter woman before she could be alone.

“Torvantine,” she nodded, her voice cold. “The healer said Erastus wasn’t to be left alone, so you might want to look in on him, if that’s a matter of concern to you.

“Also,” she added, not deviating from her brusque, businesslike tone, “I know he signed to your unified guild agreement, but I wasn’t party to that, and as acting leader of Severed Claws, I’m withdrawing my guild from your collective until further notice. Please don’t consider this a hostile move; I’d simply rather not be tied down until I can discern exactly where I stand.”

Anji slowly raised her eyes to the taller knight. “Please, don’t let the doors hit you on your way out. I’ll be sure to take care of your former friend, since you can’t be bothered with him now that he’s less than perfect.”

***

Ben collapsed against the wall in the first empty room with a closing door that she could find.

Well... well, now. She could feel her head pounding with the stress of new developments and the necessity to adapt to them.

Hector. The Jade Devil. She brought up the two concepts in her mind, driving them ever closer until they were forced to collide. This... this wasn’t betrayal, she knew. How could she feel betrayed by a man whom she had barely known, just fought alongside a few times? Betrayal was when Charlie had discovered that the man who loathed him to the point of torturing him to the brink of death was none other than the boy whom he had loved like his own brother. That was betrayal. This wasn’t true betrayal; it was merely the same shape.

She had fought alongside him. The knowledge of how deeply she had trusted this... murderer... brought bile to her throat. So much for feeling so superior about her cold detachment and ability to suspect even those criminals who were above suspicion in everybody else’s minds. She had worked with him. This feeling certainly wasn’t betrayal; it was fury.

It was also totally unproductive, she knew, when the city was tearing itself apart and she was supposed to be able to handle things. Pushing her self-loathing aside, she tried to consider matters more objectively.

She was now leader of the Severed Claws. There was nothing for it; the responsibility fell to her, so she’d damn well have to rise to it. And she’d have to be a damn sight better at it than a mass murderer had been.

What did she want, with this guild that was now her domain? Or, more importantly, what did she need?

I need... I need trust. People I can trust, people who can trust me, the works. I need to know where everybody stands. And I damn well need everybody to know where I stand.

Casting her eyes about the room, Ben grabbed a piece of paper, trying to sort her thoughts out in writing. An idea was emerging...

Halfway through the second sheet, she was struck with an idea which compounded on the first, driving her to write with all the more fervour, drawing on the lawbooks she had memorized as a princess of Lamada, and on the oaths she had sworn as a knight. It was certainly an effective distraction, as she became totally immersed in this new course of action.

The paper finally written up to Ben's total satisfaction, she ran through her mental checklist again. Determine where I stand. Check. Seek out people I can trust. She sighed; she was going to have to leave the comforting solitude of this room in order to do that. At least she didn't have difficulty in determining whom she should find.

***

Ben poked her head into the room. “Ca-- Julius, may I have a word with you in private?”

Ben entered the room where the Captain was and sat herself down, resting her head in her hands, neither speaking nor knowing quite what she wanted to say. She had determined where to go from here, but she hadn’t sorted her thoughts out, not really. Just shoved enough of them to the side that she could function.

“Well... it looks like I’m in charge of Severed Claws now,” she mumbled, not lifting her head.

“Why would you be in charge of the Severed Claws?” Julius asked. He expected some sort of reaction, but not this one.

Ben rubbed her temples. “Turns out whatever other madness that fellow was spouting, he was right about Erastus. As the highest-ranking member of Severed Claws who isn’t a wanted murderer, I’ve taken command.” She sighed. “Right now, I’m just trying to find the people whom I can trust, because that’s the best kind of people to have at my back.”

“You would do best by getting some sleep and give it some time before claiming those things. In my opinion,” Julius said. “You just seized control of a wounded man’s guild, if I understand it correctly. Besides, I don’t think you really understand what his identity means at all.”

Ben sighed. “I appreciate your concern. However, as matters stand, I have just, as second-in-command, inherited control of the guild from a man no longer qualified to lead it. And yes, Valerian, I fully understand, having grown up with the weight of Lamada on my shoulders, the full implications of him being the Jade Devil, Scourge of Lamada.” She bit her lip, knowing as she spoke that her irritations were coming out, perhaps unfairly. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pick a fight. To be perfectly honest, I’d prefer you joined my team, though I can understand you being hesitant to leave Storm and Drive.”

“I know about the Jade Devil. About what he did, and about the fact that he was a wanted man, dead or alive. So, if you truly understand what his identity means, why is Hector still alive, Princess of Lamada? His sentence is already passed; as a lawful heir, it is within your right to carry out his execution. So, don’t tell me you didn’t kill him because of the law. You’re conflicted about it yourself.”

Ben lifted her head to stare bleakly at the other man. “I could answer that if I kill him here, where my laws have no weight, it’s nothing more than murder. But you’re right; you know the rules as well as I do, clearly. As matters stand, I would be well within my rights to requisition land from Legias, set up an embassy on what becomes Lamadan sovereign territory, extradite him to there, and try him myself. But I don't want to do that. I won’t make myself an executioner today, Julius. I’ll see him tried in court first. In a Lamadan court, preferably with Prince Alexander residing.”

“Well, for one thing, I would stop you should you try to kill him. So it’s a good thing you decided against that. What I don’t think you see is how you’re making yourself suffer over it. You have no right to take Severed Claws. You have not been passed down leadership, nor is the leader dead. He will recover and be able to resume duty. If you are unsatisfied, you are the one who would leave the guild. And if you act in response to his identity, your only option is to execute him now. Yet you want to carry on his banner, Hector’s banner. You want him to be alive or you wouldn’t go to such lengths, to take such a burden upon your own shoulders.” He pointed at himself before adding. “You asked me if I was what you heard. And you trusted my word because I helped you defuse a mob. The Jade Devil may have killed before, but so have I. You trust me because of something you saw once; don’t doubt Hector who fought with you for all the time you’ve been in this land. What you saw yourself should be worth more than that.”

“You don’t need to remind me how long I’ve been a sap,” she told the taller man steadily. “It already weighs heavily enough on me that I’ve trusted him this long. I asked you for your story and you told me, Julius; I extended the same courtesy to Erastus, and I respect the man enough, at least, to value the admission that came from his own mouth! I don’t much care for moral equivocations; you know as well as I that killing in the line of duty isn’t murder.“ She sighed again, trying to voice all the rational answers she had been providing for herself moments before. Perhaps Valerian was right; perhaps the Severed Claws was no different than a hair ribbon she held onto long after its giver had passed out of her life, but that was immaterial for the moment.

“I’m keeping this guild alive because they’re the best chance this Castle has at keeping order, and if I let it fall apart because of one man, it may undermine them all. I’m keeping this guild alive because as its second, I had a responsibility to every member of it, and I can’t in good conscience walk away from them now. And by verbal agreement between myself and Hector Erastus when the guild was formed, it is legally mine now; it’s the very nebulous nature of such agreements which causes you to doubt me and which causes me to resolve to have things, from now on, backed up by written contracts, and transparency.”

“Death is impartial. It doesn’t care about who swings the sword or why they do it. We both know the Jade Devil killed many, and we decided that the law justifies his death because of that. But if you draw your sword to condemn a man without knowing why he drew his, you’re not different from what you assume him to be. You said you asked him and he admitted to be the Jade Devil. But did you ask the Jade Devil why he is who he is?”

Ben shook her head sadly. “Motives rarely matter; actions do. Means justify ends, not the other way around. I can’t verify the thoughts in a man’s head, I can only judge whether those thoughts have caused him to harm others.”

“Actions speak, and you are forcing yourself to ignore his actions here, before your own eyes. Instead believing reports and stories, many of which you never saw.”

Ben looked very steadily at Julius. “This is my home we are talking about. It’s not some stranger’s children he killed; it’s my people. People to whom I owe a debt of responsibility and loyalty. I can’t simply pretend the crimes never happened, because of a few moments of camaraderie.”

“I suppose you won’t change your mind. But you might regret this someday. And regret is not an easy partner to live with.” Julius looked away as he spoke. “Hector shouldn’t be left alone; if you won’t stay with him I’ll be there for now.”

Ben stood. “I’m... very disappointed that you feel that way.” She paused, trying to control her breathing. “That’s as well, as far as looking out for Erastus goes. Please do. I fully intend him to make it out of this Castle in one piece so he can face justice when we get out. And while you go do that, I’ll speak with my guild.”

***

Ben had to admit, she was grateful to Anjali for bringing her gear along with the healers for Erastus. She would have been a good deal more nervous venturing into the angry mobs in the streets without a proper weapon and a layer of plate armour between her and them. Particularly the plate armour, since she figured it would be better to just prevent people from killing each other than actively mixing in.

Besides, she hadn't come here for the peacekeeping; she'd do what she had to, but her priority right now was speaking to her fellow members of the Severed Claws.

Or... actually... Ben saw a familiar head bobbing down the street, and changed course for it right away. Dammit, Delaney. The news about Hector will probably upset him more than any of us. With a sick twist to her stomach, she knew that it would likely fall to her to deliver this news; the least she could do was also make an effort to soften the blow, and give the boy what help she could.

***

Ben dragged Tamar into an empty storefront to continue the conversation in a less hectic manner.

“This is probably a lot to take in,” she commented dryly, nervously watching the boy’s face to try to read his reaction.

Tamar was... having trouble reading his own reaction, to be honest.

The atmosphere outside still felt tense and frightening, as if the fear of the townsfolk was leaking into every shadow. He shuddered, realising anxiety was probably making him imagine things. ‘...A lot. Right. Ben, is learning to use absolutely phenomenal understatements some kind of tradition for knights where you’re from?’ he asked.

He meant for the question to sound calm and rational but his composed ‘sensible voice’ appeared to have gone running when the words ‘Anjali,’ ‘Hector,’ and ‘Riot’ had all appeared in the same sentence. Closely followed by the phrase ‘Jade Devil,’ and ‘murderer’ and... okay, what Ben was trying to tell him had gotten a bit blurry after that.

Ben winced. She obviously wasn’t making things easier for him, as she’d hoped. “I’m sorry. I know I can sympathize with what you’re probably feeling in regard to Erastus, at least... You can’t blame yourself for being fooled by him. That’s on him. You trusted someone who gave you every reason to trust him; I trusted him, too.”

“...He wouldn’t kill people,’ Tamar mumbled quietly, because that was the one thing his brain kept getting stuck on. He looked up at Ben, trying not to appear as desperate as he felt. “Ben, if he’s... that was the one rule he wouldn’t let me break! He actually said it outright like... like it was something I would actually DO. Don’t kill PEOPLE. How can he be...”

She swallowed hard, remembering Innis. “I’ve seen people go to all sorts of lengths to mask their true personalities, to project innocence, protectiveness, the better to hurt those close to them. I’ve seen people who hid like that for years, biding their time to--” she broke off, the rising anger at the memory reminding her that she’d lost track of the conversation. “Sometimes the mask is better than the man,” she finished quietly.

Tamar started to shake his head, then stopped, one hand reaching down to draw the sword from its scabbard at his waist. The blade glistened in the dim light of the storefront. He half expected that old familiar burn he had come to associate with a latent magic spark (something he didn’t want, that he had never wanted), but there was nothing. Only a dull cold. “He helped me make this. He told me... he said that I shouldn't be afraid of it.” He swallowed. “What’s the proof?” he snapped. “How do you even know this is true?”

“He told me,” Ben answered simply. “I wasn’t prepared to believe it from hearsay, but he told me himself.”

“But...” The initial instinct to yell that this was a lie, it had to be, was silenced by the remnants of ‘Rational Tamar’ who was still sort of clinging to the edges of his mind like a drowning sailor clinging to a floating board. How could it be a lie? Why would anybody confess to being something like that? This wasn’t like the Veil, where people boasted primarily through showing how well they could kill people and how exquisite they could make it look. This was a world where murderers were punished, and that was that.

He wanted to be angry. Anger would have been easier, maybe. “...There’s a reason you’re telling me this,” he said. It wasn’t a question. “Where are the rest of my Guild? Where’s Anjali?” Anjali, whom he had asked to be honest with him, to trust him with what she knew... that promise seemed empty now. As if she’d never meant it. Why would she?

“Anjali’s safe and sound,” Ben answered, trying to keep the note of anger out of her voice. “With Hector and the rest of your guild, in fact.”

Ben looked the boy over again, and sighed, running her fingers through her hair. “Look... Severed Claws is my headache for the time being. Things are naturally a bit of a mess, but I’m trying to instill some semblance of order, and that means clearly defined rules about what we stand for. If you’re interested in signing what I’ve written up, then... you’ll be my problem, I suppose, and there are worse situations than that to be in.”

“S-signing? Wait, signing what?” Tamar tried to get his head on straight enough to ask some sensible questions.

Ben pulled out the paper she’d been carrying around and held it out for the boy to read. “Signing on to Severed Claws,” she answered, her voice conveying total seriousness.

Tamar read. it took a couple of readings for her words, and the words on the paper in his hand, to actually sink in.

...Well, it seemed like today was just going to keep right on dropping magical pyromancy charges on him today, wasn’t it?

Tamar wasn’t sure how he’d gone from a simple training session that afternoon, to a riot, his mentor turning out to be a fraud and a killer, and being asked to sign onto said mentor’s (former) guild. He looked up at Ben, searching her face for... something. But more than anything, Ben simply looked tired, with a hint of strong anger and determination glaring in her pupils. She was feeling as betrayed as he was, but she was anything but defeated.

It was the same kind of ideas he had always associated with Storm and Drive, but which had never been officially written down. If he’d been straighter in his thinking right now, he might have questioned more. They had killed, he knew that, Storm and Drive and Severed Claw alike. When there was no choice, when it had to be done. That was a truth, too, wasn’t it?

“...Your problem,” he murmured, wondering just how much Ben thought was ‘her problem’ right now.

How could that person, the one who had taught Tamar all he had, without even having to write it down (hell, who probably couldn’t have written it down if he wanted to), be somebody who wielded the kind of death count that Ben had just described?

And then a thought struck him with sudden, painful clarity. Hector had never acted as if Tamar was just “his problem.”

“...I don’t want to be anybody’s problem,” Tamar said softly, although he didn’t hand the paper back. Something of the anger he’d wanted to feel before was trying to struggle to the surface. If he hadn’t felt so numbed by what he’d just heard, then that anger might have won. In the end, though, his voice just sounded tired and impatient. “Not yours. Not Anjali’s. And I’m not the law either.”

Ben nodded, reaching out to take her paper back. “I understand. If you change your mind... we’ll be there. For now, you should probably get somewhere safe.”

***

Ben came into the familiar building, flushed and panting a little. She considered removing her armour now that she was finally in her own headquarters, but discarded the idea as rash. Instead, she moved about the common area of the inn, looking for the people she needed to confer with in her makeshift office.

“Darren,” she acknowledged, greeting the young man as he came in.

“Oh,” Darren replied, taken by surprise by Ben. He hadn’t expected to run into her... or anybody who was a member of the guild. “...Is something the matter?” he quickly asked, trying to hide his plans from her.

“There’s always something the matter,” she answered ruefully. “At the moment, the matter is that Hector is no longer the leader of this guild. I am.” She frowned. There was probably a better way for her to have phrased that.

“What?!” Darren blurted out as he heard the news. “Why?” He knew he would soon grow impatient, but still, he wanted to know the details about the sudden decision.

Ben debated with herself the merits of going into detail about Hector’s past crimes. With Tamar, it had been necessary, to prevent the boy from becoming totally taken in. Here... it wasn’t really anybody’s problem but her own. “Philosophical differences,” she answered curtly.

“That doesn’t really answer my question...” he replied coldly. Even so, he decided to settle down with that answer. If he had any chance of finding out what was going on, he would have to start gathering information as soon as possible, and he would only be able to do that if he left immediately. “...Anything else you might need to tell me?”

Ben sighed. “I don’t think I’d be doing you a favour to go into details on the matter. More importantly, however... since I am the guild leader, I’d like to change some things, chiefly the level of transparency we maintain.” She pulled out the sheet she had drawn up, passing it over for him to peruse. “This is our new guild charter. I’d appreciate it if you signed to it; if there are any issues you have with it before you do, I’ll be happy to discuss them. But I want everyone in the guild to be held accountable to these standards before the day is out.”

I don’t have time for this! Darren thought as he took the charter from Ben’s hand and started reading. He hadn’t done so since the times he wandered around the world with Wendy, but he was sure he would probably get the main idea from it. ”This...” “Do we really need so many of these, weren’t our former objectives clear enough?”

Ben winced. “Our ‘former objectives’ were as unclear as could be. For one thing, they weren’t written down anywhere to be mutually agreed-upon, let alone known and binding. Based on the very... philosophical differences... which have caused Hector to leave our little group, I think it is absolutely necessary to make sure that our rules are clearly defined, and sealed in writing, so that there can be no doubt as to what behaviour we consider necessary, acceptable, and unacceptable, respectively.”

Darren frowned. “Hector... left?” He remained silent for a while, thinking about what to do next. It was clear that Ben wouldn’t agree with his plan of action, and every moment he spent chatting about ‘standards and rules’ would soon make it harder for him to act. “You... you’re not telling me everything. I already know,” he said hesitantly, after a while. “You just want me to sign this, right? Is that what you want?” He spoke with a voice not as calm as he had hoped to be.

Ben pursed her lips. “Would you like me to tell you everything? Would you like me to explain that, as Hector has admitted to me that he is guilty of murder in the land that is home to both of us, I have by mutual agreement relieved him of duty? Or is that an unpleasant burden to bear?” She rubbed her forehead tiredly. If this is how Alex feels all the time... I’m glad I gave it up. “Yes, I would like for you to sign it, but not under duress. If you’re not comfortable signing to these terms, we can either negotiate them further, or I can accept your resignation from the Severed Claws.”

Murder? Negotiation? ...Resignation? Darren gritted his teeth at the sound of these words. “I don’t care about what people did before I met them...” he whispered, as if he was a mere child being chastised by his parents. “If you have both agreed to it, then there’s no more reason for me to waste your time any longer. I’ll sign the charter.” He held a deep breath, slowly letting the air out in a sigh. “...You guys don’t know who I was before I came here. Should it matter? I don’t think so. I know what I’m doing... and I’m sure both you and Hector know what you’re doing, too.”

Ben held out the pen. “I understand and respect what you are saying,” she said, as she watched him sign, “but I hope you understand that by signing to that, you cannot turn a blind eye to murder in the future. Regardless of who commits it.”

She accepted the pen and the signed paper back from him with a wan smile. “Thank you, Darren.” Ben ran through her mental list of Severed Claws members with whom she had not yet spoken. “If you see Rose on your way out, can you please tell her to come speak with me?”

“I guess I have no choice,” he said, as he opened the door, not looking back at his new guild leader. “I’ll be doing some field research. I’ll be back later,” he said, thinking that if he was to put himself in danger, she should know that it was his choice, even if he didn’t exactly tell her what he would be doing. Darren ran out of the building, his hand looking for the round shape in his pocket. A badge that he had hoped would protect him... he wouldn’t have thought he would use it to find out what the hell was going on. The words engraved on it shone with light from above. No man escapes. Darren thought of Wendy and how, even after her death, she seemed to still rope him into going into adventuring.

***

Took me long enough, Ben thought ruefully to herself, as she finally made her way into the Guards’ Headquarters.

One of the few guards still in the place jumped to attention at the stocky woman’s entrance. “Your business here?” he asked warily.

“I need to speak with Captain Legias, as soon as possible.”

“Th’ captain’s out,” he said, making no move to let Ben past.

Ben closed her eyes, willing herself to have patience. “Where can I find her, then?”

The guard shook his head. “No, don’ go lookin’ for the Captain, she’s busy. I... I suppose you could speak with Lieutenant Adam, if it’s urgent...”

“Does he have the authority to speak for Legias when she’s occupied?”

“Yes,” came a voice from behind the guard. “Yes, I do.”

Ben’s eyes snapped up to meet the young man’s. “Well, then...”

“Now, Ben, is it?” The Lieutenant extended his hand to the red-headed knight. “I’m Adam, how can I help you today?”

“Actually, I’m hoping we can help each other,” she said, shaking the proferred hand and following Adam into his office.

She seated herself opposite him and leaned forward. “You and I can probably agree that the guilds are the most promising source of order and organization in this place, two things it desperately needs. It’s equally clear that as things stand, they’re going to remain useless if the general population can’t trust the guilds. So I’ve come up with a stone that should be able to knock a few of these pesky birds right out of the air.”

“I am fond of the birdsong, however. Are you intending on making an army, Ben of the Severed Claws? Because that will not sit well with the populace, a populace that is extremely dissatisfied with the guilds at large anyway. The last thing I need is another Unified Guild Alliance.”

“Absolutely not,” Ben answered, her eyebrows twitching at the alarming and unexpected suggestion. “I’m intending on giving people a reason to trust the guilds. What I propose is mandate all guilds draw up a charter detailing exactly what they stand for, publicized here and perhaps a few other public places, for everyone to see, with swift and strict retribution for a guild which fails to stand by its own terms, includes in its charter items which are objectively immoral, or refuses to be honest and accountable to the public.”

“Please don’t take me the wrong way, Miss... Ben.” Adam smiled slightly, then continued. “I like the idea of accountability from the guilds. However, who watches over the guilds? What party would be able to carry out punishments to the guilds that decide not to follow this idea? At the moment, the majority of our forces are either under a spell, or attempting to keep the peace.”

“We watch ourselves. We watch each other, Lieutenant. More importantly, the public watches us. A king isn’t held in check by his council, but by the threat of revolution, after all. If you speak for Legias, I assume you have the option of withdrawing the benefits of official guild status from those who don’t comply, thereby assuring the public that if it is those with whom they are dissatisfied, their ire does not rest on the guilds.” She smiled. “And I’m sure you’ll be pleased to hear that the riots were dying down by the time I got over here.”

“As happy as I am to hear that, our work is just beginning. We need to continue moving upward, even if that requires abandoning the city.”

Ben nodded. “I sincerely hope, and believe, that my proposal will make your work easier, not harder.” She reached into her breastplate to pull out the creased paper she’d been carrying about all day, and placed it on the table, smoothing it out so that he could read it. “Naturally, I haven’t come empty-handed; if you do accept my vision, I’d like Severed Claws to lead the way; if you don’t, I still want everyone to know where I stand, and so I’d still like our charter to be publicized, even if it is the only one.”

She tapped the bottom of the page with a finger. “You’ll see it’s ratified by every standing member of the guild; anyone who wants to join based on what they see will be expected to sign.”

Adam looked at the paper Ben had set out.

We are the Severed Claws.

We will help those who ask us
And give aid to those who need our help.

We will fight for those who cannot
Speak for those who cannot
Stand for those who cannot hold their own.

We will uphold the laws of the land wherever they are just;
Where they are unjust, we will stand to right them.

We fight for justice and for truth.

Taking the life or the will of another sentient creature is intolerable,
As is treason against one's fellow thinking beings
And we recognize that in some cases death is the only deterrent to prevent a criminal from striking out again.

Where there is rule of law, we will be its sword and shield, and will defer to its courts and judgements;
Where there is no order, we will be the law.

“Very nice, though I assume you have cleared this with Hector?” Adam asked.

Ben pursed her lips. “As of this morning, Hector Erastus is no longer a member of the Severed Claws. I was his second; I’ve been scrambling to make sure I’ve got it all organized as a result.”

“Fair enough. I suppose all other guilds will be tweaking your statements to align with their own personal stances. I would suggest setting up a meeting area or time in order to gather everyone’s thoughts.”

[Pixelmage]

Julius called Anji away from Hector after Ben had left in irritation. They hadn’t talked much over the past weeks, and he worried about her, but he couldn’t bring himself to call her. Or catch her sitting still in one place, for that matter. It’s hard to talk to someone you can’t even find. He followed her into one of the rooms of the temple, removed from the main courtyard where the others were. “It seems we didn't have a chance to talk in ages...”

Anji looked dirty. Every inch of her was sooty or scraped with mud or something similar. Her excited waves diminished into hesitantly rubbing the back of her neck. After a few stumbling attempts, she said, “So.. Are you alright? You didn’t lose an arm or anything in the riots??”

“I’m fine, no broken bones yet. What about you? Any run-ins with them?”

“A couple... uhm... Anything bothering you? You seemed a bit... upset. Well, more than usual anyway.” Anji said, rubbing the back of her neck self-consciously.

“I’m not upset. I’m worried. About you.” Julius said, leaning against the wall. “You’ve been running all over the place and you don’t tell me how I can help. I had to hear from Tamar about Zi’s kidnapping, and you even refused to let me know the name of the culprit. It’s... Frustrating. We’re supposed to be working together, not having to keep secrets and play games.”

Sighing, Anji said, “There’s no reason to worry about me. I’m fine, it’s everyone else I’m worried about. I’m sorry for not telling you more, but I didn’t know who to trust, or if anyone was listening. I couldn’t put Zi through more danger, or endanger anyone else. I’m not your enemy, Julius, I was trying to keep everyone, including you, safe.”

“We think in much the same way, I understand trying to protect people. But think about how you would feel if you didn’t find me here. If I had decided to go back into town to figure out what’s happening without leaving so much as a note.” He sighed. “Danger will find people. It doesn’t matter how much you want to keep people safe, you won’t be everywhere. Keeping everyone else blind to whoever is stalking them doesn’t help at all. And it hurts to hear you say that you didn’t know who to trust. I thought you would trust me just like I trust you.”

Anji winced, tearing up. There was silence for a moment, when she opened her mouth to speak, “Julius, that’s not-” She was interrupted by a wolf entering the room. “Smoke?” Anji asked, puzzled, as the wolf pup began sniffing her hands for treats. Tossing him a piece of jerky, she opened the rather soggy note and began to read.

Anji I hope you have stayed safe with these riots. I have a place for guild members and other adventures to stay safe so we can make a plan. Godspeed

Giving Smoke another treat in thanks, she turned to Julius, “Look, I’m sorry. Will you allow me a chance to make it up to you?”

“I’m still here, you know?” He chuckled. “If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t have waited in the first place.”

“Well, Salvantas has called. Apparently he knows of a safe place.”

“Personally, I’d rather not follow him. At least not for now. Safe for safe, I don’t believe we’ll be found here anytime soon, and with Luca’s preaching about the guilds, joining any Heroes Unlimited movement would look essentially like an act of war.” He paused, considering a few options for a moment. “We need to find out what happened to Legias and what other forces are moving, raising against the rioters now would just give them a target and a reason to organize themselves... It would make things worse.”

“Hector will need someone to stick with him.” Anji said, glowering. “Though I will need to get everyone from Storm and Drive here. I don’t trust the city.”

“I’ll go then. Find Tamar and Marcus, and attempt to find out how everyone is moving. Could you stay with Hector for now?”

“...Fine.” Anji said reluctantly. “Just don’t do something stupid.”

“You underestimate my ability to fade into the background.” He replied, holding back a smirk. “Besides, if the city guard is moving at all, I have a consultant contract that will allow me to go through them faster.”

“Once you get back though, I’m heading to the place Salvantas specified. We need to at least make contact with him, regardless of whether or not we join forces.” Anji pulled out a knife and tossed it to Julius. “And use that instead. Only rich people use swords.”

“Thanks.” He said, catching the knife. “Once I’m back I should have enough information to help us decide whether or not to join Salvantas. For now, I should probably run, the faster I go, the faster I’ll be back here.”

[Blurred_9L]

”...Is this the way we want to live our lives? Afraid of those who will arrive to control what little of the freedom we have left? I won’t stand for that. Will you?”

Darren woke up to these words, once spoken to him by his very best friend. His heart beat fast and his forehead was covered in cold sweat. After his venture into the underground he had begun having dreams about his past. Most of them were memories of his time in the place he used to call home, but some of them would unexpectedly turn into nightmares halfway through the reminiscing, the sort of nightmares one just couldn’t seem to shake off. So, after realizing he had been dreaming and actually managed to come back to his senses when he felt the memory start again, he felt surprised.

”...And so... here I am.” he thought bitterly, as he got on his feet and started walking around the room. He looked through the window to see a multitude forming over the streets. They seemed to be headed somewhere in particular, as all of them walked in the same direction. ”Did something happened?” he wondered as he opened the window to get a better look at the streams of people in the street.

”Will you?” Wendy’s words echoed in his head for a moment as he watched the scene in front of his eyes. ”Not this time” he thought, just as he had said that time, grabbing his boots and his cloak, he headed out to find out what was going on.

- - - - - - -

The crowd gathered in front of the City Guard’s headquarters, awaiting the discourse of a red-haired man, standing on the balcony. There were others at his side, but Darren could barely see them from atop one of the nearby buildings. Not that if he had stayed on the ground he would be able to have a better view of the men on the balcony. He only needed to hear but a bit of the man’s speech for him to realize that something wrong was going on.

”Luca... who is this man? A murder... guilds?” He thought as he heard the man talk, instantly remembering his own sins. The image of the mage that had attacked him way back, after the Kobold assault appeared on his mind. He also thought of the assassins guild and all of the member that probably had died since they revealed themselves. A feeling of uneasiness began to emerge inside of him as the man continued his speech.

“..But Darren of the Severed Claws saw fit not only to reward our potential enemies, but armed them as well, with a weapons-cache of explosives...”

”What?! This man... WHO is this man?” Darren could feel the anger rising up from within, instinctively moving his hand inside his pocket. He just needed one knife and then the man would shut up... but his hand never found a knife or any weapon whatsoever. He stomped on the ground in frustration, temporarily giving himself some time to realize what exactly was going on.

”This man knows about the goblins... this man probably knows about the mage and the little girl...” Darren panicked as he realized this, looking around the area in paranoia in case somebody was near enough to recognize him. ”You’re in danger. Run.” His brain ordered and he did not question it. He desperately looked for a way down the building and into the streets below, heading in the opposite direction of the City Guard’s headquarters, not once looking back at the event that would soon transpire.

- - - - - - -

Atop the city gates, Darren reviewed the recent events in his mind. Had it been a good idea to leave the area in such a rush? Such a thing he would not know, but deep down he knew something would happen soon, and wherever he tried to hide he would be found.

He recalled Wendy’s words once more: ”...Is this the way we want to live our lives? Afraid of those who will arrive to control what little of the freedom we have left?”. He looked back into the city, there should be at least something he could do. He slid his hand inside his pocket once more, only to find a circular piece of metal inside. He looked at the badge with a frown. ”Why did I ever keep this thing anyway?” he thought as he motioned his arm to throw it away into the distance, but something inside of him stopped him from doing that.

”Will you?”

”Not when I know what I can do.” he thought as he looked for the stairs and rushed towards the guild. ”I need to know what’s going on.”

[Lordxana0]

Tenzami made his way through the streets and toward the enterance to the Underground with a small smile on his face and a skip in his step. He couldn't say that he had expected the riots. They were like the damn inquisition, you just never saw them coming. He let his mind wander to what his partner in crime was doing. Probably starting up some fires here and there, burning down Salvantas pathetic excuse for a school. They would be easy enough to put out, but he rarely got to destroy things like he used too and Tenzami felt bad for the black fire wizard. He had burned away everything except for love of destruction and murder, and as it was Tenzami couldn't allow him to do either of those things until it was time.

He finally made his way to the entrance of the underground and four a group of four people awaiting him. Three of them were vampires that he had gotten from his army in order to summon and escort an old friend of his. That old friend was the fourth man, who was quite a sight to behold. He stood about six foot four and wore what might have once been a very nice suit, but now it was just a patchwork of rips and tears and old bloodstains. He had longish stark white hair which clashed with the black hat he wore on top of it. The hair covered most of his face, but the hint of two glowing red eyes burned under it. "Jack heard your call Wanderlost, and when an old war buddy calls Jack you know he is unable to resist coming to see how things are, through this place is the last place I expected to find you" the mans voice came out in a heavy accent. It could be understood but one would have to really be listening.

Tenzami smiled at the man and laughed. "Yes old friend I am surprised to find myself here as well, so I am guessing you heard the terms of the contract I wished to offer?"

A gasping laugh came from the mans throat and his head bobbed once in confirmation. "Jack can agree to the terms of 'do as I wish and don't get in your way while causing trouble' Jack lives to cause trouble"

Tenzami clapped. "Very good, and have you maintained your skills from the war?"

In answer the man spun around and the three vampires that surrounded him were turned to dust. The man then raised his hand next to his throat and yanked it back, and when he did his head fell from his neck. His body reached out and grabbed the head, lifting it back to his neck and putting it back on. The wound healed quickly and he gave a small bow. "Quite, your present is very nice, here Jack thought the knives were long gone, how you find them is a story Jack would like to hear some day, but for now Jack would be pleased to just enter into the upper floors so Jack can make plans, maybe Jack will stop and snack on a few of the people before he goes:

Tenzami grinned and offered a hand to the man. "Jack, the it that is known as Everlove, I Tenzami the he who is known as Wanderlost invite you into the upper floors of the castle to do as you please"

The man stepped past the threshold that divided the city from the underground and looked around. "Jack has never felt an aura quite like this place has, his mouth waters at the thought of devouring all of the interesting things"

"Feast as you will my friend" Tenzami put his hand on the mans shoulder and shivered, feeling the vile aura coming off of him even being this close. Jack was not human, nor vampire, not a zombie. He was a shell for the power of the Black Flame. He had used its most powerful magic to render himself untouchable by the passage of time or the cold hand of death. He was a pure monster in every sense of the word. That and mad as a hatter.

"Best be nimble best be quick, less Jack catch you in the back with a candlestick" the monster in human form made his way into the city, the shadows seeming to curl around him, as if welcoming an old friend home.

Tenzami turned away and pulled out a smoke, striking a match on the stone and lighting it. After taking a quick drag he decided to find his wizard before he got too out of control. They would go back into hiding and allow things to play out, after all, he got what he wanted.

[eli_gone_crazy]

Anji walked into one of the side rooms of the old temple after Julius had left. Zi had made sure that the floor had been swept of all gruesome leavings, and Anji had acquired some candles from a house she had passed on the way, its owners having deserted it for the riots outside. Hector was laying down on a cot in the corner of the room, eyes closed. Anji quietly crossed to the opposite side of the room to wait. Feeling uneasy, she unsheathed one of her knives and placed it next to her, where it would be easily accessible in case of an emergency.

Hector himself laid still, most likely having drifted off to sleep or back into unconscious. Both of which seemed equally as plausible at this point. Time moved by in the room silently, only the light sound of the candles burning around him cut into the silence. The warrior’s face still clinged to the wrappings around it, hiding the worst of his injuries. His chest however was now relatively bear of any medical equipment or bandages thanks to Zi’s healing magic. What was left however, only hinted at the things this man had encountered.

Thin scars, large scars, bruises, and stitches could be find at some point in any part of the man’s arms and chest. It was quite a sight to look at, if only because one had to wonder just what this guy had to endure to get all of these. The most noticeable one, however, stretched from his left shoulder blade down below into the covers across the bottom half of his body. There was no doubt that whatever had struck him there had to have been massive in size, and surely would have killed a lesser individual. Out of all the other injuries on his body, it was the clearest of them.

The time went by relatively uneventful, the occasional noise outside caused Anji to shift in preparation for anything, but nothing ever came to pass. Her rustling about however, did manage to finally make enough noise to even get the resting man’s attention. Just as her paranoia was getting the best of her, a groan from behind made her jump. “Anji?” He questioned, groggily.

“Yeah, Big Guy?” Anji asked groggily, stretching out sore limbs. “Need something?”

He looked around the room as best he could, it was the first time he actually tried to notice his surroundings since he had arrived. “... What has happened outside?” He ignored her question, “Your sisters friend mentioned the riots were still happening a few hours ago... can that possibly be true?”

“Yeah, they’ve started to calm down for now. I guess the first round of spells have worn off for the most part. But, you really shouldn’t be worrying about that for now. You need to get better first.” she said, sounding more than a bit concerned.

“I’ve made quite a mess for everyone, it seems. Played right into Luca’s hand.” He admitted as he tilted his head back, with a weak smirk. “Sorry, by the way, for knocking you out before.”

“Ah, no need to apologize.” Anji said, grinning. “I’d say my head’s a bit thicker than yours, anyway.” Crossing the room, she got a glass and filled it with some water from a pitcher Zi and that other woman had left behind. Handing it to Hector she said seriously, “Eye suppose you’ll be wanting to hide out for a bit.”

“No.” He answered honestly, acting like there was much of a choice. “If things are as bad as they say... we need to do what we can to fix things.”

“You move to get up and I’ll knock you out.” Anji said, sliding in between Hector and the door. “You’re pretty beat up, and I’m not letting you go out there like this.”

“Why?”

“Because I did not get knocked out, vilified, fight my way through an angry mob, and worst of all, deal with Ben for you to decide that life isn’t worth the effort.” Anji said, exasperated.

“Life is worth everything.” Hector agreed, though he sounded more as if he was turning the phrase around. “If I’m not protecting others lives, when they need it most, I might as well be dead...”

“Hector, he’s got Ivory. Even with her, I don’t think you’d make it past the gate.” Anji mumbled sadly. “So I’ll say it again. Either you rest up and get better so you can get Ivory back, or I will knock some sense into you. Your choice.”

“Heh.” The man sighed in defeat, “You’re getting tough. Sounding a bit like a warrior, there.” He complimented, “You’re right, of course. I’d be no help to anyone in my current state... I’m just being foolish.”

“Eh, he took your stuff. It doesn’t really help that he’s also made everyone sort of hate you as well. I mean, bloody crows, what’s his problem?” Anji said, returning to her former watch position in the corner of the room.

“His problem,” He repeated before finally drinking away at the water he had been handed, “Much of it is personal between he and I...and Asha as well, the masked one you met. They were devoted to a very skilled and wise warrior, Olivia... I was too.” He admitted, “Before I had found her and the others, my life only had known battle. That was the time I was known as the ‘Jade Devil.’ A time where nothing mattered but survival, the next fight. It didn’t matter who or what it was, so long as I battled.” He explained, “Olivia however...she woke up something inside I had forgotten about with this right here.” He recalled, pointing to the giant scar Anji had seen earlier. “It was the quickest fight I had ever been in.”

“For some reason, though, she spared me. Saved me, even, from the very injury she had caused, even after learning who I was. An act of kindness very undeserving of the man she had...struck down. Back then it confused and angered me, but with time, she and the others began to... change me. Like Luca and Asha, I began to share the same devotion they had for her. I truly believe there will never be as good of a warrior ever again. Which is where Luca’s ‘problem’ arises from. Near the end of our travels together, she became quite ill and we could not seem to figure out why. While Luca and Asha left to find a means to cure her, I remained to take care of her.”

He paused, the memories were strong in his mind, but it was difficult to process, difficult to explain and yet still carry the meaning that he felt in his own heart. “She realised they were not gonna make it in time...and asked of me to give her a warriors death. So I did. The last life I would ever take.” The man explained in short sentences, clearly holding a lot back on the subject. “Luca and Asha... they never understood why, or were unwilling. I had betrayed them, and taken one of the greatest warriors to have ever existed away from them. They sacrificed a lot to try and save her, more than I had realised. When I took her away from them, I took away their purpose.”

“Now it seems Luca has abandoned the ideals of our master, or is doing everything he can to prove them wrong. Perhaps to spite me, to make my own efforts inconsequential...though, I imagine there’s more to it than his own personal hatred towards me.” He sighed, “While he held me captive he expressed a wish to make a “land for warriors and nothing else,” and it seems he’ll do whatever is necessary to see his goal made. As for Asha... I’m not even sure if she’s human anymore.” He paused, his good eye looking over at one of the burning candles nearby. “I don’t... expect much of this can really be understood. Not the way the three of us would understand it, sorry. But...like I said earlier, I owed you an explanation.”

“Olivia seems like a pretty nice person.” Anji said softly. “Seeing a friend die... and knowing you caused it... Hector, you need to stop punishing yourself.”

“I’ll receive punishment for my actions for as long as I live... perhaps even longer than that.” He grinned through the pain in his ribs, “But... I’m not the one to give it. Olivia gave this man a chance to live with his actions, instead of just dying with them. With that chance, my only purpose now is to carry on what she would have me do. Protect everyone, share your wisdom with everyone, bring...peace.” The man’s eye glowed with a passionate fire, “What I do, I don’t do for redemption. I do it because it’s what I should have always done, what someone, somewhere, needs to do.”

“Mind if I help?” Anji asked quietly, eyes facing the floor.

Hector tilted his head somewhat and looked over at the scout with confusion. “I- what?”

“Well, I mean, uh... Never mind.” Anji mumbled

The man laughed lightly, “I understand your concern. But this injury,” he pointed to the fabric covering his face, “is just another obstacle to overcome. A warrior doesn’t let something like this hold them back. No... I’m not the one that needs help.” He looked out down the hall, trying to see if the anyone else was there, “The others...they need help.”

“I meant helping you help them, or something like that, anyway.”

“Something like that?” He teased, his far more ordinary grin returning. “The guilds are under fire and innocent lives are in danger. The people; they hate me, are afraid of me. My friends, my allies, they don’t trust me anymore. I have one eye and my former friends ran off with my favorite sword.” He could only laugh at the absurdity of it all. “... But you want to help me?” He asked, sounding a bit more surprised now, “Heh, there are easier people in this world, hell in this castle, to help.”

“You’re someone I can help. I also figure... well, you need someone to stand by you. Everyone else’ll be fine on their own. They don’t need me to try to solve their problems for them.” Anji said, meeting Hector’s eye.

Hector returned the gaze, narrowing the eye in contemplation. “What about your guild?”

“The majority of them are incredibly angry with me, at the moment.... It might be best to step away, I’m not that good at leadership, apparently.” Anji laughed snidely.

“A common trait these days.” The man chuckled. “Fine, I accept your help. But If they don’t like you now, they certainly aren’t gonna be happy with you aiding a murderer.”

“Well, I probably owe you an explanation or two one day as well, Hector.” Anji said quietly. “You really ought to sleep now though. You gotta recover.”

“You call this help?” He complained, jokingly of course. The truth was it felt nice to be capable of having a normal conversation with someone ever since this whole fiasco unfolded. He would eventually agree to her words, but their conversation had managed to stabilise the man far more than any of Eliziya’s healing magic. He welcomed her help, even during his attempts to dissuade her. The swordsman only hoped that he could make amends with these others as well. “Thank you, Anji.”

[Scarab]

They say it isn’t paranoia if everyone really is out to get you.

Tamar thought that was a really bad joke. But also kind of true.

He hadn’t returned to the Inn after his confrontation with Ben. How could he be sure it was safe there anymore? So much time was spent avoiding the riots, that there was no time left over to be afraid. Everything Ben had told him, mixing with what he already knew, with the events he was sure had led up to this, even if he wasn’t entirely sure how.

Eliziya’s kidnap, The Guild Union, Luca’s ‘revelation’ of the truth about Hector, the riots... everything was connected somehow. If only he had more information... And even under all that confusion and dread there was another fear Tamar was trying his hardest not to admit to himself he was feeling.

After all, nobody could kill Hector Erastus, right? And people must have tried. Oh so many people must have tried. Soldiers, guildsmen... “Ben’s people?”

Tamar shook the thought out of his head. “Don’t think about that now.”

Tamar’s only real plan at this point was to find Anjali. Or Julius. Or somebody who wore a compass rose. If he did that, he could find the rest of Storm and Drive. Tamar could still feel the magic, in the air, like blood seeping into a bruise. He bit his tongue in frustration. Truth be told he understood why Anjali hadn’t explained, that all she wanted to do was protect as many people as possible. But at this moment, being separated from the rest of his Guild in what appeared to be developing into an outright war did not strike Tamar as the best way of securing anyone’s safety. And anyway, hadn’t she promised to tell him what he needed to know?

He came upon the fight unexpectedly. He had been trying to duck away from another group that appeared to be assaulting some kind of storefront for no apparent reason, and when he rounded the corner into another street, there they were. Three men, bearing down on another. Tamar couldn’t be sure what the argument was about, but the three larger men were armoured and each carrying some kind of weapon. The smaller man had no weapons or armour at all. Anyway, three on one didn’t seem like a fair fight.

“—Saw him! I saw him with them!”

“N-no, I never, I-I don’t even know his name, I never saw him before—”

“That’s what the last one said! We know you’re with that THIEVES Guild! Traitor!”

“Or the teacher, or the traitorous bastard, doesn’t matter which, we know you’re working with them!”

“N-no!”

“Liar!”

‘Conspirator! What do you know about that bastard? Where are he and his cronies hiding?!’

Tamar didn’t hesitate. He’d be pleased about that later on. He stepped out and gave a yell; making sure the men knew what was coming before drawing his sword.

‘Y-you want to pick on someone half your size? Try picking on one who actually has a sword!’ Tamar snapped, realising suddenly that he was angry after all. He was very angry, in fact. At Luca for starting this, at Hector for never explaining anything, and at Ben for trying to usurp everything just when things were at their most chaotic, for turning on her own leader so easily, at himself for not learning faster, for not being there to help when the riot happened...

The men didn’t seem to care. They turned to face Tamar slowly, their movement jerky and tense. Tamar realised they weren’t going to back down. That he’d have to fight this. Two of them held planks of the wood pressed with ominous looking nails, but the third had been feeling more ambitious and brought an axe. Tamar realised with horror that the man was one of the woodcutters who had been helping rebuild the town with Severed Claw mere weeks ago...

Tamar blocked, sending the first of the men’s impromptu weapon flying from his hand. He kicked, pushing the man backwards into the dirt and turning just in time to block the other man’s axe with the blade of his sword. He vaguely noted that the weapon was old and worn, cracked wood handle and tarnished blade...

‘Tool... it’s just a tool to him, not a companion,’ Tamar thought automatically, before bringing the sword back and blocking the axe’s downwards swing. The blades sparked on contact and Tamar shifted, moving his weight so that the man fell past him.

It was the third who almost undid all of Tamar’s effort. He caught Tamar a blow on the shoulder, knocking him off his feet. They didn’t seem to give a damn about Tamar’s size or skill or even whether or not he was in a Guild. They were almost feral in their violence. Their eyes were bloodshot and red rimmed, as if they’d been awake all night. Perhaps they had...

Tamar rolled to the side, scrambling to his feet and turning just in time to deliver a glancing slash to the man’s chest with the blade of his sword, the man stepped back crying out in pain and Tamar saw his chance, leaping forward sword pulled back to strike at the man’s heart—

“We DON’T kill people, Tamar. Not people.”

The memory flashed in Tamar’s mind like a gong and he shifted at the last minute, the blade curving into the man’s upper arm rather than going through his heart. The woodcutter felt back, crying out in pain and Tamar saw a shiver of fire running along the blade of his sword, weak, but present.

“Oh great. Figures...” Tamar scowled to himself. “I’ve been trying to make you do that again for DAYS, and now it starts to work? When I almost KILL somebody?”

The man he had struck was staggering backwards, the other two already on their feet and running away. As they ran, Tamar thought he heard one of them laughing, a shrill ugly sound.

Tamar let out a breath and turned to the man they had been attacking, who was still cowering on the ground. “Hey, are you allri—”

The man’s face shot upwards, his eyes meeting Tamar’s and Tamar almost flinched at the naked terror in the man’s gaze. As if he was facing down some giant behemoth instead of a skinny fourteen year old with a sword. “I-I’m not in a guild!” The man practically screamed at him. “I just... I’mnotoneofthemyouhavetobelieveme!”

“Uh... okay. Hey, it’s alright,” Tamar hesitated. He considered telling the man that he wasn’t part of a guild either, just to assuage his fears, but the compass rose pendant felt heavy against his collarbone, and the words felt like a lie. “I... where do you come from? You should go home right now, it’s dangerous—“

“I-I won’t tell you, y-you c-can’t let them k-know where I was!”

“Hey, I won’t hurt you, I—”

“I-I’m just a messenger that’s all!” the man yelled. “J-just o-once or twice maybe. T-to some guy in the school b-but I was never in the guilds, I swear it! I’m not with them!” By this point he was backing away slowly, terror obvious on his face. Those not driven by rage were driven by fear, Tamar thought. Or perhaps, some of them were driven by both. Like Tamar was.

Tamar realised that he still held the nameless sword out before him. That the man was probably cowering in terror at its presence.

“These weapons are in our hands. Knowing that? That’s respect. Giving it a name? That proves it’s not just a tool.“

He fought the urge to drop the sword in his hand on the ground, feeling sick. Instead he carefully re-sheathed it in his belt, shaking. How was he supposed to be sure of anything? Tamar paused, watching the man stumble away into the shadows, remembering the quest that had led them to his sword’s creation.

“If you want to be a capable warrior, you need to be willing to accept your faults. You made a mistake using this thing, but it can still be a capable companion, with the right materials. The right respect.”

Tamar swallowed, trying to force away the bitter taste in his mouth. Well, Hector had certainly been right about one thing. It was a better sword now than it was.

“I have to find him. I have to talk to him. I need to understand...”

But still... there were more important things at stake right now than his understanding. Tamar knew that. People needed help. They may have hated the guilds right now, but Ben had been right about something: somebody had to offer a sense of order and control when everything was going to hell. Somebody had to fight.

“You want to be treated as an equal in Storm and Drive, Tamar?” Tamar thought to himself. “Then you had best start acting like it.”

[Guyshane]

Mirae made her way back through the forests of the second floor. It wasn’t somewhere she particularly wanted to be, not with a whole new level opened up, but she’d needed to go back for Chet. She had stayed long enough to get some energy back, then set off.

She winced as a pine branch dug into her hand, irritating the scrapes on her palm from scrambling over a rockpile. Part of the mine tunnel had caved in during their attack, which had made it tricky to cross.

She suddenly broke out onto a cleared area. It looked like a road, or a wide game trail. Mirae halted by the edge, taking a moment to glance up and down the path.

Marcus was not too far away when the initial riot broke out. As the rioters spread out he heard the rumors of what had been said. Hector is the Jade Demon? He didn't seem like that much of a psycho. I need to get back to the guild they’re gonna- Marcus swore something when he realized that while the guild already had each other’s backs that he had friends who didn’t have that backup. I need to get to Mirae or Pan, I doubt the mobs are gonna be very discerning about who is and isn’t part of a guild. Marcus took off sprinting hoping no one would be fast enough to stop him.

Mirae neared the outpost as the road began to widen and the trees thin. It had been surprisingly empty; she’d expected to see a lumberjack, or a hunter, or someone, by now. Regardless, she was looking forward to having a roof over her head for a night. Sleep. A night’s sleep would be wonderful. Stables in the morning, find some way to get a horse over a landslide, and. . . . Smoke? Mirae cursed under her breath and hastily moved back under the trees.

She worked her way around to one of the outpost entrances, trying to keep out of sight from the walls. Whatever it was that lit the outpost on fire, it probably wasn’t friendly. The unguarded gate was perhaps more worrisome. Mirae slipped a knife out of her cloak, gripping the hilt tightly. She’d watch for a while, but soon enough, she felt, she’d have to go in and see for herself the state of the town.

Marcus had no idea how he had gotten to the general area so quickly. All he knew was that things were looking pretty damn grave all around. The rioters had developed into full-fledged mobs with torches and pitchforks. They had set several buildings on fire because for some reason the first thing that any mob does it set something on fire, even if its not related to what they’re angry about...Okay I must really be pushing myself, I need to stay focused. The forest was thinning out he hadn’t seen any sign of Pan if she's smart she’ll be hiding somewhere no one will find her. Thats when he saw the outpost gate. For once the general mayhem managed to be the least interesting part of a ruined gate. He saw a robed figure he recognized standing just outside the gate about to go in. Marcus took in a breath to call out to Mirae but then something occurred to him If I do that it’ll draw attention to both of us. I’ll have to do this quietly. Marcus began sneaking up to her. Please don’t let her fry me, please don’t let her fry me...

She may have been a little jumpy. In addition to the whole situation in front of her, Mirae was relying on her knives to defend herself. While she could still feel her magic, she didn’t want to chance burning herself out by using it again so soon after the battle. So when she felt a hand on her shoulder, she had spun about and almost buried the blade into the man’s stomach before she recognized him.

“Marcus!” Mirae hastily drew back the knife. “Um. Sorry about that. What’s going on?”

“What's going on? Well let me sum up: One of the higher ups in that guards just accused the guilds of several crimes which are almost certainly false or trumped up. And now the civilians are rioting and I believe some of them are forming lynch mobs as we speak.” Marcus replied. “I came out here to try to help you.”

“That’s rather backwards,” Mirae said, frowning. “I don’t have connections to guilds. And yet, you came to help me? Didn’t you join Storm and Drive not too long ago?”

“Well I didn’t come specifically to help you.” Marcus said. He paused for a minute That didn’t come out right. “Well I mean that I was looking for any of my friends because I don't think the mobs particularly care which adventurers are aligned with what. And I doubt they forgot the two of us corralling cows together.”

Mirae shook her head. “Everywhere I go, the cows come up in some way.” She glanced back towards the outpost. Those smoke clouds were rather intimidating. “All right,” she said. “We probably have better prospects together than sneaking around alone. Have an idea about what to do? I don’t exactly hang around mobs in my spare time.”

“Well my general plan right now is something like: ‘get Mirae to Legias.’ I’ll admit it does have some kinks to work out but I don’t think Legias would ever approve of this.” Marcus stopped to look around and pulled the mage to a location a bit less in the open. “The only other option is that I deputize you as a temporary member of Storm and Drive and take you with me to find every one else but that has a bit more risk involved, so I would like to keep it Plan B. If its alright with you.”

“Let’s work on finding Legias first. If that doesn’t work out, then we can talk about roping me into your guild for a while.” Mirae peered between the branches of a bush to check the gate again. “The guard’s gone. Whether they’re trying to keep the peace or something else, I’m not sure, but I doubt Legias will be sitting around in her office. We could ask someone at the church; of anywhere in there, it’d be the safest.” She hesitated, then continued, “And they’d be the ones healing.”

Marcus nodded “Sounds like a plan.” They both left the rather unsafe position and headed back to the church, hoping to find a safe haven.

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

As the got closer to the church Marcus grew less sure of it being a safe haven. The two had, had to hid half a dozen times from rioters already and the signs of it lessening had not appeared at all.

Marcus looked over at Mirae. “Is it just me or is the lack of any response from the guard bothering you too?”

Mirae sank deeper into a shadow as she heard a pair of running footsteps go past in the next alley. “There’s no order here at all. I haven’t seen anyone not running through the streets rioting, let alone anyone trying to keep order.” She returned Marcus’s look worriedly. “The guard’s a fairly large group. I don’t know what could have happened.”

“Well potentially most of the guards joined the riot or perhaps the son of a bitch who started this whole mess told them to stand down.” Either way not good. He turned to the mage. “Are you ready to run if the church turns out to be a dead end as well? Because right now I’m not optimistic of our chances.”

“If it comes to it, I’ll run. I trust you’ll be able to fend off attacks until you find the rest of your guild, if we get separated?”

Of a lynch mob? Not a chance in hell. Can’t tell her that, she looks like shes been through enough today as it is. Marcus smiled at his friend. “Of course I can. The army trained me, it’ll take more than some half-crazed rioters to get rid of me.”

Mirae gave a small grin in return. “Come on, then. We’ve got a church to storm.”

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

Storming wasn’t quite the term for it. They’d approached the church from the side, taking a shortcut through one of the narrower side passages to avoid the main streets. It was a bit quieter here, though it may have just been the more removed location. Mirae was pleased to find that there were plenty of side doors, not all of them locked.

As Mirae pulled open the door Marcus was pretty sure he heard the sounds of approaching people. Dammit Marcus’ hand crept toward his mace before he pulled it back. He had gotten glimpses of the people earlier, it was pretty clear they weren't doing this of their own volition. Marcus wasn’t exactly picky about killing but everyone had to draw a line somewhere.

The worst part is I have no way of getting informations besides walking down the street yelling Assassins and asking whoever they send after me. He looked back and saw that Mirae had the door open and was walking inside. Marcus stepped in after her. the hallway was dark. “Well this doesn't look good.” he whispered.

“Better than it being on fire.” Mirae didn’t look entirely convinced of what she was saying, but she continued slowly down the corridor. The occasional skylight gave enough light to maneuver by. Every so often, they would come across a door set into the wall, but all the rooms behind them were unlit and empty.

The hallway turned up ahead, the sharp corner making it so that they could not see anything of the room it opened into until they reached it.

When they entered that room it was lit by the torches of another mob. Marcus looked over a Mirae. “You just had to bring up fire didn't you?” he said in an accusing tone. One of the men stepped forward. “We knew it was only a matter of time before you guild scum tried to get in here, but you will not escape.”

Marcus nodded. “How interesting.” He threw a nearby chair at the mob. “Mirae! Run!”

Mirae took advantage of the people in front having to deal with the flying chair to take off -- not towards the door they had just come through, but another a little ways away. As she threw it open and sprinted in, a small group of the mob broke off and gave chase. Not the best situation, but she had a better chance in the dark. Her cloak let her fade into the shadows, whereas the mob’s torches would be a dead giveaway. As she glanced back at the crowd, she could only hope that Marcus could deal with those left.

Well at least she’s safe, that’s something I suppose. Marcus looked the crowd. Of course I’ll be lucky to survive this. Marcus remembered being told in the army that if you were sure you were gonna go out fighting. Not that I have much choice. Marcus thought as he rushed toward the crowd.

Marcus launched himself at the first man catching him in a flying tackle. Marcus had to stand up quickly to avoid being trampled. He slammed his knee into the next rioter and then slammed him head first to the ground. Next a woman jumped at him. Marcus caught her and threw her into two more of the approaching mob. “Sorry miss, I don't have time to be a gentleman today.” He called out. A new man came at him this one with a pitchfork. Luckily for Marcus the man had no idea what he was doing, so Marcus stole the pitchfork when it was stabbed at him. Marcus broke of the head and now he has a sword-length piece of wood in his hands. He tried to remember some of the sword movements they had tried to teach him in the army, but in the end he was just reduced to swinging the wood like a long club. I should talk to Julius about getting some lessons if I make it out of here. He smashed another rioter over the head. Of course the only way that happens is if I get some help



Mirae carefully pushed open the wooden shutter so that the movement couldn’t be heard from the hallway. She’d managed to slip into a side room, but she wasn’t sure she had entirely lost the rioters. Any moment, they could notice that they were pursuing a shadow rather than a person. She levered herself onto the sill, then dropped the short distance to the ground outside.

She paused once she hit the ground, considering. There’s not really anywhere I could go without running into a mob. And Marcus is still in there. She grimaced, then set off towards the original door.

Without turning the corner this time, she could see the torchlight flickering across the walls. The sounds of fighting also filtered back. So he was alive. She kept close to the wall as she came closer, and soon the crowd came into view. Marcus was still holding his own, but Mirae could see that the mob showed no sign of letting up. Her knives certainly wouldn’t help much. But there was something else, she thought, looking at the wooden planks forming the ceiling. She breathed in, then struck out. A bolt of lightning hit, just enough to start a fire.

“Marcus! Run!”

Oh what the hell now? Then Marcus seeing the fire blooming above his head dropped the makeshift weapon and ran grabbing Mirae as he did so. “Really? Lighting the church on fire was your first thought on how to save me?” the two continued running Marcus continuing before Mirae could get a word in. “Lets go find the guilds, I can at least guarantee there won't be an angry mob waiting for us. That okay with you?”

She nodded. “Let’s just get out of here.”

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

They arrived at the apparently abandoned temple. “Julius and Anji ran into some pretty serious magic here a while back. They destroyed the cause but no one is here so they thought it would be a good fallback in case of emergency.” Marcus explained to Mirae as they walked inside. Marcus raised his voice and called out.

“Hey anyone in here? Some of you better have survived.”

[JackAlsworth]

As the Guards' Headquarters was not the focus of the mob, it was left relatively lightly staffed. Most of the guards were in the middle of the action, herding and dissuading rioters and trying to control the damage. Both of these facts drew Jenny towards it. The less people the better.

The guard at the gateway examined her sternly. "State your business, please."

"I'm looking for someone."

"Lotta that goin' around tonight. Mind tellin' me who you're lookin' for?"

"Uh, well..." Anji's name had gotten her in trouble tonight already. Best to avoid it. "She's, uh, short-ish, with red hair... probably has a knife..."

The guard nodded. "Okay, yeah, she's here. Mind tellin' me why I should let you in?"

Fair enough. "Because I haven't gone crazy and tried to kill you?"

He peered at her, apparently trying to decide whether she was joking.

At that moment, Ben emerged from an inner office, looking tired but relieved about something. “Jenny! You’ve joined the guard?”

"Erm, not... necessarily? I'm just - "

"Well, you found who you were looking for," the watchman said irritably, "now get inside."

Jenny blinked. "But - " And then she remembered the description she had given. Probably should have seen that one coming, she thought ruefully. "Okay, thank you." She ducked in through the entryway.

“You were looking for me?” Ben asked, wondering what of everything she’d been trying to accomplish over the past twenty-four hours had filtered to the girl’s ears and driven her to seek her out.

“Not exactly,” Jenny replied, “but...” She sat down heavily. Until just now she hadn’t realize how exhausted she was. “How much do you know about what’s been going on tonight?”

Ben rubbed her head. “Probably more than any sane person would want to. Unless there’s been something else happening that I missed...”

Jenny let out a bleak laugh. “Several people tried to kill me tonight and I don’t even know why.”

Ben frowned. “It... probably isn’t a good idea to go out in the riots.” She hoped that Jenny wouldn’t point out that based on her presence in the guardhouse and the recent-looking marks on her armour, she herself had been doing just that.

“You’re right, it was stupid, but I wanted to help, and... and...” A sob escaped her before she could stop it.

“Hey, uh...” Ben tried awkwardly to pat the other girl on the back. She did not have particularly good experiences with crying women. “Better doing-the-right-thing kind of stupid than plain stupid-stupid, like the rest of them.” She looked around the room, as though seeking aid from one of the congregated guards, while trying to figure out what she should be doing. Truth be told, she had probably done all she could in terms of damage control until the streets calmed enough for people to hear her out. “I... have a spare mail shirt back at the inn, if you’re determined to get back out there. I’d offer you the breastplate, but plate armour’s a little heavy if you aren’t used to it.”

“No, it’s not that, it’s...” Jenny looked up. “I know these people! I mean, not well, not ‘know’ know them, but I’ve seen them around, they’ve seen me, they’ve smiled at me! And... they all seemed so focused on making sure I was dead! I don’t even know what I’ve done! Apparently Anji had something to do with it, but...” She stopped, breathing heavily. “Ben, what is going on?

Ben sighed. “Mob mentality... Some complete idiot decided to gather everyone he could and get them all riled up about the guilds in general, and the people in them. Got them calling for people’s blood.” She twisted her mouth wryly. “I suppose I’m as much a target as Torvantine, inasmuch as we’re equally involved in our guilds. If they’re going after someone unaffiliated like you, I guess it just means that creep was successful in creating total mayhem.”

Jenny nodded, trying to keep her emotions in check. "Okay, I... okay." It wasn’t just you, she told herself.

“Do you want some space?” Ben asked Jea-- Jenny, goddammit, Jenny! “I think there are empty offices around here, so you don’t have to be crowded by all these people bustling about.”

“I... I think...” I want to be somewhere where I’m not constantly looking over my shoulder. I want to be somewhere where people aren’t trying to kill me. I want to feel safe. “I need to... rest somewhere. An office would... probably be good.”

Ben nodded, and brusquely ushered the girl into Legias’s vacant office, brushing off the protests of the couple of guards who tried to stop her. After all, they’d said she wouldn’t be back any time soon, so it was hardly as though anyone could begrudge them for using it.

Ben sat down unobtrusively in a corner after guiding Jenny to sit more comfortably in Legias’ chair. God... when had she last slept? Part of her itched to get back outside and help keep the streets sane, but she couldn’t in good conscience leave Jenny alone in this state.

For the first time in what seemed like ages, Jenny relaxed. The chair was... very comfortable. Maybe I can just sit here until this all blows over...

She closed her eyes.

[Guyshane]

Anji stepped outside the improvised sick bay when she heard an idiot yelling outside of their supposed bugout area. Damn idiot can’t keep his mouth shut... Walking into the main atrium of the temple, Anji saw Marcus and... someone who wasn’t supposed to be there. “Marcus, what are you doing...” Anji ase

“Not walking around and hoping that keeps any traps you missed from activating Boss.” Marcus replied.

“I don’t miss traps. You know that..” Anji said, smirking. “How are things outside?”

Marcus thought for a moment. “Well things were fine until the riots started. Currently things are extremely painful for any adventurers.” Marcus nodded at the other figure. “This is Mirae, she’s a friend and she’s a temporary member of Storm and Drive. I used the crisis power you never said I didn't have to deputize her.” He finished cheerfully.

Looking over at Mirae, Anji nodded, then turned back to Marcus, “Follow me.” She lead him over to the room where Hector was resting. “We’ve got to keep Legias’ mitts off him, as well as an entire castle’s worth of angry mobs.”

Marcus nodded. “Fair enough” he paused. “Is there somewhere we can talk? Privately.”

“Yeah.” Anji jerked her head over to another small room opposite the sick bay. Declining to sit in one of the rickety old chairs, she faced the taller soldier.

Marcus took a deep breath and began. “So during the initial stages of the riots I’ve come across several disturbing pieces of information. You know stuff like: Hector being the Jade Demon, Salvantas taking over the education system and you being a kidnapper. Shut up” He said as he saw her getting ready to speak. Marcus continued. “Now Hector being an assassin I can deal with, we’ve apparently got more of them than we do cockroaches up here, I never trusted Salvantas to start with so no surprise there...However your little tidbit is quite...disturbing to me, personally.” Marcus didn't know what his face looked like at that, he didn’t care. “You see Anjali I hate kidnappers and slavers, much more than I hate anything else in this life. I figured you and Zi met up as refugees or something, happens all the time. However with this new information I can’t just bury my head in the sand anymore. Give me a reason not to walk out of the temple. Right. Now.”

“I kidnapped Zi to save my best friends from a rival gang. She wasn’t supposed to stay with me. Hell, my friends weren’t supposed to end up lying in pools of their own blood. I failed my friends, my leader, everything... And Zi saved my life.” Anji said softly, eyes never breaking contact with Marcus’. “She saved me, in the middle of the worst gang war my... our city had seen in its history. The same war that ended her parent’s lives. That’s my reason for being on this rock, and she’s the reason I’m trying to keep everything running.”

Marcus continued to stare. Calm down, she has a reason. She isn't that group of slavers.And most importantly she’s trying to make a new life up here, aren’t I trying to do the same? “I’m sorry” He said softly. “I’m sorry I dug up painful memories. But I need to know that I could trust you. I needed to know that I didn't have to hate a friend.” He said, sliding down the wall.

Walking over, Anji sat down next to him. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did, actually.”

“Its just that-” Marcus took in a breath. “When I was a kid my dad was training me to be a doctor. I hated it and over the years the rift grew between not just him and me but me and most of the town. Until one day when I was sixteen I got caught practicing with weapons and was banished, only my friend Rachel came with. I ended up doing army work for a couple years, until right when I was slated for promotion I got a letter from my dad saying that He was wrong and he wanted me to come back home.” Marcus smiled. “I left the next day. It took me a couple weeks to get back to the village. The night before I got back a dissuaded a group of slaver scouts from visiting the town I was staying in. When I arrived home the whole place had been razed. The only people still there were the dead ones. I tried tracking them for almost a year but it was like everyone had just vanished off the face of the earth. Not long after that I ended up doing mercenary work just to survive. When someone told me about the castle I thought I saw my chance at a new life.” The room sank into a depressing silence.

“Well, I still think you’re pretty cool. For a failed doctor, soldier, mercenary with a grudge against all criminals.” Anji said, smiling softly. “Ah, what am I thinking? I’m not cut out for this leadership... thing.”

Marcus laughed he just had too. It was one of those time where you laugh or go insane. “It isn’t all criminals you insensitive street rat, as for the leadership thing....don’t hand over the reins to anyone else just yet. We need a plan. A good one this time. In fact you should let someone else make the plan. Your’s are completely insane.”

“Oh, and stampeding cows off a cliff is completely sane?” Anji laughed.

“Your last plan involved me sneaking up on someone, you have no room to criticize mine.” Marcus replied

“Okay that was unfair, we went up against a crazy old hag. A really crazy old hag.” Anji shuddered slightly, then continued. “I did get most of us here safely. You gotta give me credit for that!”

“Fair enough. Speaking of the old hag, we need more information.” Marcus smiled dangerously at her. “I know an organization who might have some answers for us and I bet I can get their attention.”

[Blurred_9L]

The scout made its way through the dark alleyways of the city, looking for a safe place to rest. Some time had passed since he had left the Severed Claws guild building in search of what would probably be the worst people to ever ask for information. Mobs still roamed around the city streets and he had run across a couple of them as he journeyed through the city. Cuts and bruises had appeared on his face and arms from the short battles he had had with them, taking into account Ben’s words to avoid murder. Not that he would try to murder anybody again, he knew better than that, especially in the recent situation. He stopped at an intersection to catch his breath. Away, to his right, he saw a man walking, minding his own business. He didn’t know why, but something about a man sneaking around in the middle of the night while the city was in such a chaotic state told him he should be cautious.

”...Not that other can’t say the same thing about me.” he thought, smirking as he headed in the direction the man was walking. “Hey!” he called out, rushing to caught up to him. “There are mobs around, you should be more careful!”

Julius clutched the hilt of Anji’s dagger when he heard the first syllable, but the fact that whoever it was actually took time to warn him set his mind at ease. He turned, slowly, to face the other man. Still careful, but not meaning to enter a fight. “That’s actually why I’m walking around at the moment. Should I assume you’re not part of the rioters, then?”

“I’m just a lost soul in this... unusual evening.” he joked, trying to ease the tension. He guessed anybody outside would either be completely driven nuts by the recent events or... be nuts due to being outside at all. “I’m... a member of Severed Claws” he finally said, hesitant to trust the man in front of him “I’m out looking for information about what happened... I ran into some trouble back there though... so I guess I’m just sneaking around right now? And you are...?”

“Julius of Storm and Drive.” He replied, relaxing. “Haven’t you meet up with Ben yet? I thought she would be back at your headquarters at this point.”

“Wait... Julius?” Darren didn’t make an effort to hide his surprise, after all, how could he not have noticed the compass rose that members of Storm and Drive wore? “Excellent, I might need to ask you some questions then...” he said, looking around in case others appeared to be nearby, but the area was clear. “...I... did run into Ben, though she didn’t explain exactly what was going on, she just made me sign this weird document... but anyway, that’s not important right now. Can you tell me exactly what’s going on?” he asked, hoping that the information he would provide would fit with the one he had gone out to look for.

“There’s not much I can tell, unfortunately.” Julius shook his head, considering what he should share. “Hector is still alive, but Ben is the one in charge of Severed Claws from now on. Other than that it’s all about some pointless fighting.”

Darren frowned. ”Nothing new...” He contemplated giving up on his quest. “So he’s safe, huh? Is there anything else? Any reason for everybody going crazy?” He stopped, remembering the way he had felt as Luca started speaking about the guilds “...including myself?”

“Luca.” Julius nodded. “And some magic doesn’t seem to hurt his goals. He planted many seeds of doubt and anger, and now they’re sprouting. The only thing I know is that we need to find a way to stop it from taking all of us down. So, if you can, try not to move alone. We need to make sure no one else ends up going crazy.”

“Well... that’s no good...” he whispered, looking away from Julius. Could he become one of the insane people that were rampaging through the city? “...I heard Hector didn’t defend himself... is that true?”

“Yes. He almost died thanks to that, but he didn’t lift a finger against the people beating him.” Julius considered what the other man could be thinking and decided to add without a prompt. “I won’t tell you what’s true or not about Luca’s claims. You should decide for yourself what you’ll believe in. And, if you need to ask who is Hector, then you should ask that directly to him.”

“I already told Ben I’m not interested in that sort of things.” Darren simply said, being distracted by a couple of people running away several blocks away, one of them looking quite similar to a mage he had met before. ”Could it be... her?” he wondered, trying to decide what he should do next. It was clear the man wouldn’t tell him anything he didn’t already know, maybe he could confirm some of them, but that was it. He felt a surge of anger inside of him ”...I won’t let anybody risk themselves uselessly... if I do, then I’ll be repeating the same mistake I did before”

“That’s enough for now I guess...” he said, trying to sound calm, his mind wandering off to think if he would be able to catch up to the mage before he lost her. “I need to go now, I’m sorry I wasted your time with useless questions Julius”

Julius whipped his head to look down the street once Darren’s gaze shifted. Instead of finding enemies, he saw a couple of people running off. Marcus? He was sure one of them was his guildmate. At that point Darren had already started walking away. “Oh, sorry I couldn’t be of more help. I probably should move too.” He didn’t know if the other man even heard his response, but he had to consider what to do. Marcus is moving, and he’s not alone. At this rate I could catch up with him, but Tamar is nowhere to be found... He made his choice almost as fast as he considered the options, his priority had to be locating Tamar.

Darren walked away until he was sure he was out of Julius’s field of vision and then he started running after the two silhouettes. He wasn’t completely sure if he would be fast enough to not lose track of them, but at least he had to try. ”You had better be safe” he thought as he turned a corner, feeling the anger quell for a bit as he wandered through the dark streets.

[Blurred_9L]

”Finally made it” Darren thought as he approached the entrance of the temple in the middle of nowhere. Who would have thought such a place existed. He looked around in search of the mage he had chased through the city, but the place seemed to be empty. “Hey...!” he said, trying to shout, but finding it hard due to the exhaustion he felt. “Mirae... are you... there?” he said, stopping again to catch his breath.

A cloaked figure stepped out of the temple, halting almost immediately. “Darren?” Mirae asked, bemused.

Darren sighed with relief. “Great... at least you’re safe.” he walked towards her, trying to hide the fact that he had trailed them. “I suppose you don’t know anything about the madness that’s going on, right?” he asked.

“Apart from that there are people running rampant and setting things on fire,” Mirae said, deciding not to mention her own incendiary acts, “not much. I came back in the middle of it. I suppose you’d know more than me, if you’ve been here.” She looked questioningly at the scout. He did look a bit worse for wear, as if he’d run into his share of angry crowds.

“Yeah... more or less” he said sheepishly, looking at the cuts on his forearms. “Let’s just say it has been a long day, at least you look better than me... though... not that much better, actually.” Darren frowned, he probably was wasting more time than he should. “I’m not the one who should be telling what happened, but basically some guy named Luca made the townspeople turn against the guilds and... well riots happened. I heard some kind of magic was involved too.”

Mirae sighed. “Here,” she said, stepping forward and reaching into her bag for a small pot. Working in silence, she smeared a light coat of honey over his cuts. “That’s as much as I can do for those now,” she said as she replaced the pot lid and dropped it back into the cover of her cloak. “If it’s magic, that might actually be better news. It would mean it’s rooted in that mage, rather than the entire town turning against the guilds of their own accord. So, if we can find who that is....” Something like a light started to shine in her eyes.

“Whoa, whoa... hold on. We already have enough problems right now, we don’t need to get ourselves in danger until we can be sure we can keep things under control.” He stopped for a second, thinking about what he saw before he left... there was Luca... and there were other guards on the balcony... and then there was the person he had found later to be Hector... but also somebody else, but even though he tried to remember anything about this person, he couldn’t seem to recall any distinguishing feature. He felt nervous all of a sudden, but he didn’t know why. “Anyway... sorry. I should be the one taking care of my wounds not you...” ...I should be doing that instead of chasing after assassins and running from angry townspeople it was then that he remembered he still had the assassin’s badge clipped on his cloak. He wondered if Julius hadn’t noticed it or if he simply had been lucky.

“It’s no trouble,” Mirae said tiredly. Then, with a slight smile, “If you’re so adverse to adventure, you may as well step inside for a while and rest. I’m fairly sure you’ll be let into the foyer.”

“I would...” he started, feeling a bit annoyed at Mirae. “...but you guys keep getting in trouble! How am I even supposed to ignore that anyway?” He had shouted way louder than he had thought he would, so he lowered his gaze and looked at the floor for a second, trying to sort his thoughts. “...Besides, I still have to take care of some unfinished business here.”

Darren walked away a bit, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. Maybe he had been too swift in thinking that they couldn’t do anything yet, but even so, he couldn’t risk himself to allow those people to go out without a plan, especially her, who reminded him of Wendy. “Hey...” he started, turning back to look at Mirae. “Remember that magic that made the people riot?” He paused, hesitating if he should continue or stop and try to lie. “...I might be somewhat affected by it as well.”

Mirae’s eyes widened. No wonder he’s on edge.... She stepped towards him, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Perhaps you should come in, then,” she said, eyes tightening with worry. “Whatever business you have, it can wait until you’re clearheaded, right? And... I don’t want you out with the mobs. I don’t know how the magic works; it could get worse the longer you’re among it.”

“Stay and risk everyone in this... place? I can’t” he said, stepping back a bit, trying to think why he hadn’t asked where they were in the first place. Not that it mattered anymore, he still had to return back to the Severed Claws guild building. He still had to follow Ben’s charter about the guild’s objective. He still had to look for the Lorewarden and keep it away from the assassins. “I can’t waste anymore time. I shouldn’t waste your time either. I’m sure you’ll be fine here, anyway.” he finally said, starting to walk towards the gate.

You had best be fine when I see you again. Mirae didn’t follow him. If she was a guest at the temple, it would be best to stay for more than a few minutes. And Darren seemed … preoccupied. She watched him walk off, thinking, then turned back into the building.

[Pixelmage]

Coming back to the Inn was a bad idea.

Granted, right now it didn’t seem as if there was such a thing as a ‘good’ idea. The Inn was the only place he could think of where Storm and Drive might have gathered. The problem, of course, was that rest of the people in town knew this as well. The Drunken Dragoon Inn wasn’t burning yet, but Tamar could see the possibility of it, crackling away about ten rooftops away, a fire was spreading slowly, beginning at one of the busted up storefronts about ten buildings away from the Inn. And all around it there were people... some of them gathered in pack like groups, others fighting amongst themselves, unable to find any other outlet for the rage. Yet strangely, very few people seemed to be actively fighting the blaze.

The air practically stunk of magic. That was... wrong. It had been days now, and yet the spell still hovered in the air. Or perhaps the riots were running on their own power now. Tamar didn't want to find out, bolting to a stop when he rounded the corner and found himself staring at the crowds around the inn. ‘Damn it. Plan B. get in, see if the others are there. If they aren’t, then leave a message, grab some supplies and go. Easy.’

He took the back alleys, heading into the backyard where they had trained only days earlier, vaulting over the fence and ducking down, out of sight of the townsfolk that seemed to have made their way even here. He made for the back entrance as quickly as he could, finding it predictably locked. Damn it again a quick glance around revealed no other entrances... except one. Tamar’s eyes fell on the branches of the tree above. Anjali’s preferred method of entry and egress. Somehow it always seemed to come back to trees. Hector would probably laugh. ‘Yeah can stop thinking about that any time you like now, Tamar’s own brain told him sarcastically as he grabbed the lowest hanging branches and dragged himself upwards.

The window was dark as he clambered along the branches and pulled himself into what he figured had to be Anjali and Eliziya’s room. The whole place was as dark as a temple, creepy without the the creaks and murmurs of activity that usually filled the corridors. The only sound came from outside. ‘Empty... the Innkeeper must have deserted along with everyone else,’ he thought nervously.

It was as he was making his way into the corridor that a strong arm clamped down on his shoulder.

“Finally found you.” Julius said, remaining in the same place when the younger man jumped and turned to face him, hand on the hilt of his sword. “I figured I’d leave a note for you, but this this is better.”

“What the-- Saints damn it, Fade, don’t do that!” Tamar gasped, reverting to Julius’s previous name out of habit. “You could’ve been anybody! I could’ve drawn on you!”

“Put it like this, if I was an enemy, coming back here would’ve been a really bad idea.” Julius smiled. “But that’s besides the point. We got separated after the little show of this morning, Anji came for Zi, but apparently neither you nor Marcus were around at the time, and since you weren’t at the temple either, I’m here looking for you.”

“Right...” Tamar shuffled trying not to let on just how freaked out he’d been by that sudden appearance. “I was here all night, I don’t know how I even missed you all! I mean normally I sleep like... wait, the temple? You mean that place outside of town? Everyone’s there? What about Hector?” he crushed down on the urge to continue the string of questions that were forming in his head.

“That place, yes. Only Storm and Drive knew about it before today, so we’re using it as a fallback to avoid staying where they can find us. Hector is there too, you’ll be able to talk to him soon. But we should probably start moving.”

Tamar nodded jerkily. Having been on his own for going on the last two days, the realisation that he actually had some back up at last was a bigger relief than he could put into words. “You found Marcus right? He might have been at work with Eliziya and- what happened to your face, Fade? That riot, did they hurt you? I figured they wouldn’t even be able to catch you!”

“Wait, slow down a little there.” Julius tried to appease the young man. “I don’t know where Marcus is, but I saw him running off earlier accompanied by someone I don’t know. He’s moving, so I decided to look for you and wait until he made contact. And don’t worry about the bruises, they’re just bruises. I’m fine.”

“Thanks,” Tamar mumbled. “I figured I was on my own out here...” he stepped backwards. “I’ve got some stuff in my room that might help, just give me a second to grab it!”

Julius simply nodded and moved out into the main hall to wait for Tamar. Mentally retracing his steps, he tried to consider what next steps to take. He had stopped by the City Hall looking for Legias, but learned from one of the sentries that she had left the building to meet with Lori in the library. He also learned that Adam was now a Lieutenant, and currently in charge of the Guard’s movements. Not wishing to risk a needless confrontation, he decided to continue searching for Tamar. But what he learned was good enough. Legias was alive and had started to move again, and so had the City Guard under Adam’s guidance. Considering that, his best call was to take Tamar back to the temple and reunite Storm and Drive before deciding how to move.

The sound of shattering glass and wood from the room Tamar had just vanished into cut through his train of thought. He drew Anji’s knife and darted upstairs. “Tamar?”

Tamar lifted his head. The shattered fragments of green glass lay strewn across the room. Whatever wa sin the bottle had probably been both expensive and potentially flammable, based on the potent smell, and Julius wasn’t keen on finding out for sure. “Missed...” Tamar gulped, scrambling away from the window, grabbing the bag of... whatever it was he had found. “But I think we’ve been spotted!”

“Let’s move. I don’t think they know we’re inside or there would be a lot more shouting, but being spotted would be a problem. Can you run?”

“All I’ve been doing for the last day!” Tamar exclaimed, grabbing Julius arm and pulling him out of the doorframe, just before a second glass shape flew through the window and smashed into the wall above the first.

[Scarab]

Anji heard Tamar coming a scant few moments before she actually saw him. Which was odd, but hey, this week just seemed to be throwing her one surprise after another, what was one more?

“...Right down the street! Somebody must’ve let off a fire incantation or something. Looked around the other guild headquarters, most of em are gone though, no idea what even happened to half of Heroes Unlimited, and as for Ben... Okay Ben I don’t understand, I’ve no idea what she’s doing right now... Anji!”

“Oh, hey Tamar.” Anji said, walking out of a side room, Marcus in tow. She sounded drained, the bags underneath her eyes darkening as she attempted a smile. “How’s it going?”

Tamar paused, blinking. A cursory glance revealed that he looked mostly unharmed, if as shaky as she felt herself. He gave a small laugh, with a trace of hysteria around the edges. and his eyes, normally a little on the odd side to begin with, had the sheen of shadow she associated with near death experiences. He half jogged the last few steps towards her, glimpsing suspiciously at the unfamiliar surroundings.

‘Oh you know... been worse. Been better. Uh... I-I don’t suppose this is a good time to mention the fact there’s a fire spreading in the direction of the Inn, is it? I-I mean don’t worry, Julius and I were just there, we didn’t leave anything valuable... you’re all here, right? Everyone’s fine? Eliziya? Marcus? You look terrible, by the way, have you slept? You really don’t look as if you’ve slept.”

“Eh, I’m fine. Zi’s watching Hector, and Marcus is looking for Mirae. The inn is the inn, We’ll find a new place. You though.. You look a sight. What did you do? Attack the entire guard?”

Tamar laughed again, this time not quite as hysterical. "One of them might have been a woodcutter, but I don’t think any of them were themselves. They were... I didn’t kill anyone.’ He added at the end, as if this was a point of importance. “I just... it’s berserk out there, Anji. The whole town has gone to the seven hells, and Ben...Ben’s going around signing people up to the Severed Claw! During a riot! She got some document or other. I-I didn’t read it properly, it kinda seemed like a bad idea?”

Anji grimaced at the mention of Ben’s name. She began to say something, then thought better of it. “Ben’s not our concern right now... Hector’s the one that needs our help.”

Tamar just about suppressed a flinch, but years of living on the streets had taught Anji to pick up on that kind of thing. “You’re going to have to fill me in here. Where I come from we’ve never even heard of the Jade Devil. All I know is what Ben told me. Where is he? Is he alright?”

“Hector’s the only one that can tell you exactly what he is. Don’t trust anyone else’s view... That’s what got us into this mess. As for alright.... He’ll live. If he doesn’t go suicidal first...” She added under her breath.

Tamar relaxed more visibly than he probably wanted to be obvious. “Y-yeah, some chance of that...” he mumbled, leaning back against the same wall as Anji.

“Sorry for not being upfront with you.” Anji apologized softly. She turned to face the smaller swordsman, eyes sad. “It wasn’t fair of me to try and keep you safe, when you are perfectly capable of defending yourself.”

There was silence for a long, awkward moment. Tamar clearly can’t been expecting an apology, and from the look on his face right now, was still not entirely certain it was deserved. “I guess that goes for both of us. The not being straight, I mean. But then that’s the Castle for you, isn't it?” he looked at Anji, frowning. “Normal people don’t come here, do they? They were never meant to. This place is like... a summoning. I’ve been wondering about it for a while. The Floating Castle calls people., Anji I don’t think it always calls them for the right reasons...” He let out a breath. “A-anyway, how’s about we discuss this later on? Like, after you’ve gotten some sleep, or something. You look like you could use it.”

“No, keep talking. I’m curious.” Anji said, ignoring the sleep that pressed behind her eyes.

Tamar flinched again, more visibly this time. “I don’t think...”

“Tamar.”

Anji didn’t say anything else. She didn’t have to. Her tone pretty much conveyed it all in it’s timbre, and what her tone said was “enough of the bullshit.” Because maybe everyone had had about enough of that, and further lies... well the truth might not do them any good now, but it was all she really had left at the end of the day.

“Have you ever heard of the Veil?” Tamar asked, quietly, wrapping both arms around his chest as if to ward off an invisible sword.

“I lived in one of the free cities outside its borders.” came the simple reply.

Tamar blinked in obvious surprise, arms loosening in surprise. “One of the... seriously? W-wait which one?” His mind whirled. Anjali and Eliziya had been that close for all that time? Still there must have been about a dozen free cities, scattered around the edges of the Veil.

“Askinov.” Seeing Tamar’s confusion, she added. “Had a big cathedral... Though that burned down.”

“Askinov...” the name was unfamiliar, but the landmark struck home. He wasn’t sure how to take this. On the one hand, perhaps this was going to mean less explaining, but in the other. “The one with the twelve bells? Is that what you called it?”

“That was it’s name, yes.”

He had passed through there. Around the edges of the old canals that surrounded the city. He could barely believe they had been that close the entire time. Most of the other people in the castle didn't even seem to know where the Veil was. “...It’s not the name we used, but I know it. Think of the largest city, next to it. The one that covers half the skyline. That’s where the name comes from. The Veil. I was from there... I left more than a year ago. Well... I say ‘left’," Tamar chuckled, but it was probably the least amused laugh Anjali had ever heard. “It was more like ‘ran’. And I wouldn’t have gotten out at all if it hadn’t been for one person. He’s the reason I’m here.”

“I think most of us ran.” Anji said, voice thickening.

Tamar blinked, slow and confused. “Most of... wait, Anjali, when did you leave there?”

“I don’t really remember.” Anji said with a small smile. “I got a pretty good knock on the head.... well, more like an arrow but that’s unimportant.” Seeing Tamar’s look of exasperation, she added, “I suppose it was about six months before I came to the castle.”

“I was already gone by then. I know what I was running from but what were you?”

“Everything.” Anji said, looking at Tamar blankly. “If you want to keep your secrets, that’s fine by me. Just allow me to have my own as well.” Standing, Anji walked towards the sick bay.

“Anji!”

Stopping, Anji answered, “Yes, Delaney?”

...Okay, so she had probably seem worse than this. if he was right in his suspicions, then something pretty terrible had happened in the Veil after he left. Even considering what had been happening before. Anjali was looking at him ,expectant and impatient, all secrets and questions. “You want honesty, Tamar? So give it.” A voice echoed in his mind.

Tamar took a deep breath. “Not Delaney. Castor.” He paused, wondering if she knew enough to piece it all together just from that, half hoping that she did, and half dreading it . Either way it wouldn’t be enough.

Anji’s eyes narrowed at the name. “You mean that wizard family? The ones that liked to burn street rats for fun?”

Tamar shuddered. “Maria. That’s who you’re talking about. Except you’ve probably noticed what’s wrong with that by now.” He pushed off the wall, standing even though he’d really rather not and gesturing to himself. “I always figured I had all the magical potential of a brick. My father could call every animal without a ten mile radius and make them kill each other for sport. He could even do it to people, if he tried, and my sister... she had this trick. You probably know about it. The Turning? She took magical ability and turned it inside out. Turned it on it’s user, or on anybody else in a convenient position.”

“I knew someone that had it done to them.” Anji said, “We could never find his hand.”

Tamar winced. “I’m sorry... I never realised for such a long time... and then when I did, he got me out. My friend. The name I use is his name, not mine. He said that the only way I could ever fix anything they’d done was to... to get out now. To come back when I had something worthy of taking on the strongest magical family in the world. Except I never had any magic. Not like him. He might’ve been able to stop them, but...”

“I lived a fairly normal life. At least, normal by my standards, your majesty.” Anji said, smile growing. “Thanks for the honesty, uh.... what do I call you now, anyway?”

Tamar was by this point wincing. “Oh, Saints, please just stick with Tamar. Less of the ‘your majesty’, boss, if I never hear about them ever again it’ll be too soon. The rest of my so called family are certified psychopaths, who just happen to be in control of one of the largest cities on the continent. And the only use they had for some magicless little kid was... yeah, no. They’re not my family.” And please let this be enough honesty for the day...

“Fair enough.” Anji said, sobering. “Any more questions? Else I’m going to go have a word with my sister.”

Tamar let out a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding. But the fading tension was almost immediately replaced. It seemed that right now, anxiety was a constant tide that everyone just had to deal with. Soon as you handled one wave, you had to brace yourself for the next, hoping it wouldn’t be the one that drowned you.

...And Saints be damned he really, really had to quit it with these internal monologues. For goodness sakes, who monologues in a riot? “Just one... can I see Hector?”

“He’s sleeping right now, I think... Let me go check.”

[Pixelmage]

(Posting for eli and agora)

“You’re not mad? At Hector?”

“For being the Jade Devil?” Aza shrugged indifferently. “I came from Lamada, yes. He killed many of us, true. But what can I say? I bear him no ill will. If I did, he’d long be dead.”

The two healers stood by Hector’s bedside, quietly murmuring to preserve the sleeping man’s rest.

“Hector..” Zi whispered softly. “I wouldn’t have guessed.. And now he’s missing an eye. Are the gods punishing you, Hector?”

The door creaked open and Anji stumbled in, bleary-eyed. Seeing Zi and Aza, she began to mumble an apology and back out the door. Despite herself, Eliziya abruptly burst out, “Jie! I- come in.”

“I uh... I don’t want to interrupt.” Anji mumbled, hands on the door.

“You are not interrupting anything, Miss.. Torvantine, I presume?” Aza asked dispassionately. “Please, come in. I was just about to leave.”

“But what about-” Zi started to say, but was cut off.

“You know very well how to administer the treatments, friend Torvantine. Do as you ought to and keep the patient well. Farewell, for now.”

The masked lady pushed past Anji and left, leaving the two sisters alone by snoring, sleeping Hector.

“So... uhm... How are you?” Anji asked awkwardly, eyes darting around the room.

“I’m alright.. but you’d have known that if you’d asked after I got.. kidnapped.” Zi’s tone wasn’t vindictive, but simply soft fatigue, to the extent that she was almost about to break into tears.

Anji jerked back as if slapped. “Uh... this was a mistake.. I’m sorry for bothering you. Have a nice day?” she ended, quickly leaving the room.

“Is that how it is?” Zi called after her red-haired sister. “Are you just gonna leave me alone?”

“Why go back? You’ve apparently found someone else.... Someone more capable, more stable, has a better accent...” Anji said, tearing up.

“What did you want me to do after you went on to take care of Storm and Drive? I was never really a part of it, was I? I was just.. there and-” she paused as Hector’s snoring cut off abruptly, before resuming after a few moments. “Let’s not talk here.”

They stepped into another room, dry and musky with ages of neglect; the temple had no shortage of space. Zi sat down, hugging her legs tightly, not looking at Anji.

“You.. and Tamar.. just left me there. I just thought I had a place there. That time, when you came back with Fade, or Julius, whoever he really is, all hurt, I tried to help, but then you two just ran off again and.. after everything, you were alright and you were happy, adventuring with him. I guessed you didn’t need a tagalong burdening you down. I thought, maybe you’d found your own place. And then later, when-” Her monologue paused as her throat seized up and hot tears began flowing down her cheeks. “-when they kidnapped me, I started to- began to re-remember.”

Anji said nothing, she stood frozen like the sundry statues littered in the temple. She held her head high and looked Zi straight in the eyes. However, Zi continued to avert her gaze, even as her slim frame began heaving with sobs. “What do you remember?” Anji finally blurted.

“She made me remember, she forced me to remember! Everything.. You kidnapped me, you were going to kill me, but then they were going to kill you and I, and I saved you! They kept asking me, ‘Why?’, why did I save you? And I had no answer and I still don’t know and I, and I, and-” she became unable to speak, hyperventilating so rapidly that her vision began to spin dizzily.

“Calm down, Zi.” Anji said sternly. “Just, focus... Use your magic something or another.” As Zi began to relax her breathing, she said, “I guess you have every reason to hate me.”

“‘I guess you have every reason to hate me’,” Eliziya mimicked bitterly, “After so long, all you can do is be so cold to me? I’ve called you my sister this whole time, but now, you just shrug me away distantly like a stranger. Don’t you care at all?”

“I do care Zi... really... I just...” Anji sagged in defeat, crumpling to the floor.

Both of them lay on the stone-cold floor, once a part of each other, but now apart from each other. Tears continued to gather in a small pool amidst the dust.

“I never really told you about where you’re from did I?” Anji asked finally, voice soft.

“Someone rich, obviously,” Zi coughed into the grit. “Someone worth kidnapping from.”

“Your parents were doctors. They worked at this cathedral... Beautiful place. They used to give scraps out to poor kids in the area, and heal beggars for no charge.” Anji began, never looking up.

“Did they? Too bad I don’t- I can’t-” A hint of anger tinged Zi’s melancholic voice, “- remember anything; that.. woman didn’t go that far back.”

“I was a part of a street gang... Nothing too bad. We mostly just stuck together. They were my friends, and were as close to a family as I had. What with the war brewing and conscripts running about, we had to get more... creative. We double crossed some crime lord or another... It ended badly...” Anji paused, taking a shaking breath. “I was told to kidnap you for a ransom.. I didn’t want to do it... They just... Oh god, the screams were terrible. They told me that you’d be fine, that all I had to do was get you and they’d let them go.”

“‘Get you and they’d let them go’.. I don’t even remember a war..” Zi murmured half-dazedly, “Did you really? If I don’t remember, then did it happen? Does it matter?” She shook her head, trying to clear her fogged mind. “But then they double-crossed you?”

“They didn’t want the money... They wanted you.”

“Why?”

That came out a little snappier than I meant.. Zi thought idly, not fully in control of her own senses by this point.

Anji seemed a little surprised, then replied, “Young mages with a healing background can be used to heal indiscriminately. And, if you had decided to become more destructive, they’d just set you on their enemies. I believe your parents also gave him some trouble, so taking you away from them was a bonus.”

“Mom and.. dad..” She pronounced them slowly like incomprehensible foreign words, alien to her tongue. “Yeah.. I know what you mean. Indiscriminate healing.. Aza showed me some of that..” Involuntarily, Zi shivered.

“Then I suppose you get to the part that you do remember. When I returned with you, they asked me to kill you. I refused, and then they shot my friends, me too I suppose.. I really don’t remember much of the time in between then and entering the castle.”

“You too?” Eliziya blinked, nonplussed. “I thought that was just.. me.”

At least we’re speaking nicely now..

“According to what I saw in the dungeons here, I almost died. I probably should have. But then the little girl I kidnapped saved me.” Anji said, turning to meet Zi’s gaze.

“I don’t really remember much of that: it’s hazy. But they.. the masked woman and that man who k-kidnapped me, they kept asking me why. I couldn’t give them a reason. Everything’s all so.. messed up. Even now, the present is hazy. Is this part of my memory? It’s so.. uncertain. I know- I think I know- you took care of me, after that. You treated me really well. It’s after coming here, to the castle that.. I don’t know.. you just seemed to drift away. I feel so alone.”

“Alone?! You feel alone? Is that all it’s about to you? Yourself? Because there’s a crowd of people outside ready to tear others limb from limb. There are people out there in our exact situation, and you want to complain that I didn’t hug you enough or something. I’m your friend, I’ve done everything I could to help you. And you want to spit in my face because I got busy trying to save you?!” Anji stood, eyes red, voice cracking.

Eliziya ‘Torvantine’ scrambled to her feet, a strange kind of fire burning in her eyes as she glared at Anjali ‘Torvantine’. Then the window closed; the fire dimmed; her eyelids drooped ever so slightly and her defiant posture slackened.

“You’re right. I should be helping others, not moping around. I’m gonna go and help the wounded. Aza told me the riots left a lot of wounded. You stay here and take care of Hector, all you need to do is-”

“You’re not going anywhere, Ziya.” Anji said, struggling to regain her composure. “You’re a healer, not a fighter. These crowds don’t know the difference. You’ll die before you can save anyone.”

“...” Zi stayed silent for a few moments, before bursting out in half-hysterical laughter. “Then what-” she gasped for air, “-am I supposed to do? Tell me, sister, tell me!”

Walking out of the room, Anji said sadly, “That’s not a question I can answer for you, Eliziya Bellestin. It’s one you have to solve on your own.”

Fire flitted about Eliziya’s arms for a moment, then vanished. “Did you just.. did you just try and disown me?” She yelled indignantly and ran after Anji, embracing her from behind in a tight bear hug. “D-don’t you dare disown me, Anjali Torvantine, I swear, I’ll- uh..”

“At.. the... rate you’re going... I’ll suffocate!” Anji gasped painfully.

Zi loosened the hug immediately, face flushed and sniffling ever so slightly. “I’ll stay around and help Hector recover. It’s not like I can do much else..” She smiled sheepishly, then tightened her arms around Anji again. “But you’re not disowning me.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” , Anji said, returning the hug.

“‘Wouldn’t dream of it’, she says, less than five seconds after trying to,” Zi huffed, “but never mind that. Let’s get you some rest; you look as bad as Hector, maybe.”

[Guyshane]

Marcus walked out of the temple. Its time to find out what the hell is going on. Anji had been understandably disapproving of the plan but when pressed she admitted that she was still working on a plan,any plan. So now Marcus was headed back to the city because his plan wouldn't work in the forest.

When he got near the city there were apparently some riots still going on even if some of the initial riots had stopped. There is a whole lot of risk involved in this plan, that I perhaps didn't stop to consider back in the cave. Marcus then cursed and hid as a mob wandered a bit close to the treeline.

Okay just wait until they pass and....Now! Marcus sprinted through the clearing and the gate and ran down a nearby side street. So that's part one of the plan done. After a quick check for any nearby rioters it was time to get some answers. Marcus cleared his throat and then began shouting. “Assassins! Assassins! Assassins everywhere! They are in your homes! They are in your schools! They are in your cookie jars! They hide behind cows! Assassins even have their own guild.” And that's part two, now I just have to wait. Marcus didn’t have to wait long as he soon felt the edge of a knife pressed to his throat. “What are you doing?” a mangled voice growled at him.

Marcus smiled. “I was hoping it would be you.”

Hara let out another growl and spoke. “You haven't answered my question Marcus. What are you doing?”

“Getting your attention.”

“There are easier ways of doing that, then doing the very thing you were told not to do.”

“Don’t insult my intelligence. We both know that no one is going to pay attention to one madman when civil war has broken out.

Hara made a frustrated sound. This is going pretty well so far. “Look Marcus I’ve already been up protecting the guilds most of the night because the master ordered it. Tell me what you want or I’ll just slit your throat and throw you to the mob.”

Marcus would have nodded but that was a bad idea. “we need some more information about what's going on. We know Hector’s old friends are behind this but I think aside from that we know precious little else. I figured your guild might have some information we can use since apparently we’re worth more to you alive.”

Hara sighed. “Fine Marcus, how about something you need to know in order to stay alive: The guards have split.

Marcus’ expression froze. “What?”

“Yep” She replied cheerily. “Between the spell, the Crimson Hound’s order and general chaos a fair amount of the guards are against the guilds, have fun!” She said taking the knife off him and pushing him off. Marcus spun to face her.

At that moment a mob with a couple of guards at its head turned the corner. They let out a yell and charged the two. Hara swore violently. She kicked open a door and grabbed the fighter. “Lets go!” Marcus followed Hara up the stairs, the mob hot on their heels. They burst onto the roof Unfortunately the building on the block were built close enough that the whole mob could easily follow them.

“We need a better escape strategy!”

“We have one! We’ll jump to that.” She pointed to a hastily constructed scaffolding.

There wasn't time to argue The pair jumped for it. For a moment they were flying. Hara landed easily. Marcus didn’t and ended up sprawled on the scaffold. “They’ll catch up soon.” Hara her face still obscured by the cloth mask and wraps she was wearing under the hood Seriously? looked at him. “Not soon enough.” She pulled out a pair of knives and cut to what Marcus looked like some very important looking ropes. Apparently they were the support ropes because the scaffold started collapsing and fell away from the mob.

“Good luck, Marcus!” She called out running and cackling as she did. That crazy, maniacal har- There was a crack as the mob burst through a door and out onto the street. Marcus ran.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Marcus had managed to lose the crowd in the forest. As he entered the sickbay multiple pairs of eyes turned to look at him. Marcus sighed. “Sorry everybody but I’ve got more bad news.”

[Tohrinha]

Mirae was just dozing off when she heard a door flying open. Startled, she jerked forward, trying to rise quickly from where she had been sitting against the wall. About halfway to her feet, she slowed, recognizing one of the two figures coming out of the room as one of the guild leaders -- her own guild leader, she should say, at least for now.

“Excuse me,” she called. “Could we talk for a moment?”

Separating herself from the other woman, Eliziya, it appeared to be, Anji walked over to the mage, “Yes? You’re... Mirae right? I’m sorry, I’ve been a terrible host, as it were.” she said, briefly glancing around the temple’s aging interior, eyes tired. “Can I get you anything?” she asked politely.

Following Anji’s gaze around the temple, Mirae replied, “You’ve already provided some extremely comfortable walls. And somewhere relatively safe, so, thank you.” She met the other’s eyes. “That’s not what I’d like to ask, though. I don’t think Marcus meant anything beyond helping me to a safe place when he made me a part of your guild, but I think it would be better for all of us if I could be of use while I’m with you.”

“I don’t want to conscript you into doing work that I should be doing.” Anji said stubbornly, crossing her arms. “I do have a couple of questions for you though, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“It’d hardly be a draft if I volunteered to do it,” she said. “Go ahead with your questions, though.”

Ignoring Mirae’s quip, Anji continued in rapid succession, “What are your thoughts on the riot? Do you believe Luca’s claims? Why did you follow Marcus?”

Mirae blinked at the pace, but didn’t take long to reply. “I’ve heard of Luca, but I wasn’t around to hear his speech. So I can’t very well give you my opinion on that. The riots, on the other hand.... There’s too much disorganization, even for something like this, for it to be normal. The guards are gone, there’s no order whatever. I’ve heard claims of magic,” she said. “I’ve never seen it on such a scale, but it could happen.

“And your last question.” Here she paused, thinking over Anji’s last query. “He’s a friend.”

“You went to a dangerous area, in a dangerous time when associating with a guild is tantamount to murder... for a friend.” Anji said, raising an eyebrow.

“There are a limited number of friends I could find on this castle. I’d like to keep the ones I have.” Mirae smiled. “Besides, it’s more interesting this way.”

“Fair enough.” Anji said smiling, and pulled a necklace out of her pack, “It’s not a metal one like ours, but... It may come in handy.” she said as she handed over a wooden compass rose to the mage. “So, Lightning and Fire are your specialties?”

Mirae dipped her head as she accepted the symbol. “Healing, not fire, actually. Give me a stack of wood and I could light it, but I have no magic to control it.”

“Well, maybe you should talk to Zi then,” Anji said, motioning to the sick bay. “There’s a man in there... A friend of mine. He’s been injured pretty badly. Maybe you could check to see what you could do?” She asked cautiously, rubbing her neck awkwardly. “Don’t worry about supplies, Marcus can tell me what I need to find.”

The mage frowned, brow furrowing in concern. “I … I’m not at my best. I usually work just with magic, and....” She trailed off. “I’ll take a look, though. There might be something I could do for him.”

“Thanks.” Anji said gratefully. “Uh, any more questions?”

Mirae had already taken a couple of steps towards the sick bay, but she turned to face the guild leader again. “Nothing that won’t be starting fires tomorrow anyway. It can wait until I’ve looked at your friend.” She gave a small smile. “Thanks again.” With that, she strode again towards the door.

[Adell]

((With Collaboration from Eli))

Legias waded through the aqueduct with purpose; the area around the rushing water being completely safe from attack thanks to the waters flowing through it being blessed by the church some time ago, back before things seemed so desperate to the captain of the castle guards. She couldn’t worry about the church’s actions now, but it was around that time it had been suggested that the church and guard both agree to guard the entrances to this dreadful place… a suggestion made and written by Luca Maeori.

Now that Legias finally had time to regain her strength, she came to the realization that for Luca to have hidden completely under their radar in his actions, he needed to be in a place he could move freely, unnoticed by guards and guild alike. And with the treaty between the church and guards, he would be able to enter and leave the underground with pretty much no repercussions… an oversight on her part that she now cursed with all her might. But it did leave hope in this desperate situation. Luca had started this war, and was likely the one behind it all. If she could bring him in, or at the very least take him out, those following him and his ideals might soon follow without their charismatic lunatic to aid them.

Reaching the edge of the aqueduct she dropped down, her armor clanking under its weight upon dropping to the lower floor. It was a dangerous mission, one Adam had strongly advised she not do, but this could be their only chance. They needed to strike quickly before Luca and his masked friend had time to escape the city or formally join up with the collecting army. At the same time, they couldn’t afford to pull more guards from their positions lest they let the rioters take control of more of the city. So…against Adam’s advice, she went in alone. This was her mess to begin with, allowing Luca to get away with so much; it was her responsibility to take him back in.

In an odd way, it felt exciting to Legias, like back in the old days when she only needed to decide her own fate as opposed to the fate of hundreds of soldiers and thousands of civilians; back in the day where missions like this were thrilling instead of dreadful. Perhaps this mentality would give her the edge she needed to stop this madman. With determination glistening in her eyes, she charged further into the underground.


---

Luca sifted through papers and books laid out around his little hideout in the underground, picking and choosing certain pieces that still held relevance and stowed them away in a sack nearby. “It’s all coming together, Asha.” He said with a calm smile on his face as he passed his masked friend towards another shelf of talismans and other magical artifacts, giving a playful jab on her shoulder as he did.

The man’s eyes glistened as he raised the Minotaur horn off from the shelf it lay upon and passed it over to Asha. “The Rage spell worked better than I thought possible, not only can you control its radius and shape, but you can even control the intensity on the minds of the afflicted.” As the man explained the silent woman manipulated the horn, levitating it in place with some form of magic before quickly opening her robe and allowing the object to be concealed within it.

“Just think,” he beamed with hope in his voice, “with this we are one step closer to freeing this world!” Asha crossed her arms, giving a rapid nod of approval, sharing his excitement. “Working with Kavros and his army I could do without, we have no interest or stake in this war. But, we may be able to get what we need from working with him.” Luca continued to gather whatever it was he was looking for, but his happier disposition slowly drained as his hand brushed over a large greatsword in the corner. Ivory. The man lifted the sheathed weapon, with some effort due to its weight, and examined it closely. It was still in perfect condition from when Olivia still held it in her grip. Giving a heavy sigh, all he could do was remain there for a moment in silence, before Asha walked up beside the red haired swordsman.

“Jade…” He growled, “That bastard got what he deserved for killing her.” Noticing the anger in her ally’s voice, Asha returned the teasing jab to the shoulder he had done to her earlier before removing the weapon from his hands with ease and placing it with their other equipment. “Heh,” He laughed at the gesture before pointing out, “If it’s so easy for you to carry all of this why am I the one doing all the heavy lifting…?” A shrug was the only answer he got, “You can be a real lich sometimes. Ya know that, right?” The man grinned; he motioned to say something else as well but both him and Asha stopped in their tracks as they heard movement not to far away, and heading in their direction.

“Have the guards tracked this place down? …So soon?” Luca questioned allowed as he stared out of the room, looking to see who was approaching. An eyebrow was raised when the figure that came into view was Legias.

“Luca!” She yelled out as he came into her view as well. “I’m taking you in!”

At this Asha moved her hand upward, preparing to intercept Legias before she could even draw her sword. Light from the ether around her seemed to gather in the palm of her gloved hand before her ally’s hand came forward and lightly nudged it away. “Wait,” he said, “Let me deal with this.” He looked over at her with concern, “We shouldn’t risk you using your power around here if we don’t need to. Besides, this gives us a good chance to test out the other horn, alright?” Asha shook her head, perhaps in annoyance, but ultimately listened to the swordsman and released the spell she had been conjuring. “Gather only the important things and prepare to leave shortly.”

“The only place you’re going,” Legias interrupted as she finally got into range of the two, “Is back to the surface to answer for your crimes.”

“Legias,” The man shook his head, sighing, “I told you that you don’t think straight when you’re angry, but I never expected you to come after me alone. I’m surprised honestly, if you had waited for some guards to be free you surely would have missed me. Well played.”

“Why the hell are you doing this? What do you have to gain?”

“I’m not gaining anything. I’m giving everything to change this world back to the way it once was. A place where the strong thrived, where warriors were under no one’s control but their own. Society has destroyed what warriors on this world use to represent…now they are nothing but tools, a means to an end, and just as expendable.”

“You’re insane.” Legias gritted her teeth, “How the hell is anyone following you, you’re nothing but an anarchist.” She spat.

“I don’t expect you to understand anymore, Legias. At one time in your youth, you lived the warrior’s life, but you’ve allowed society to turn you into nothing more than a puppet of the weak now.” Narrowing his eyes, he stepped forward out of the hideout and into the open hallway between the two. “These riots are about to turn into full blown war, Legias, so it’s only fair to ask. Will you be a warrior, or a tool of the people?”

Her eye twitching in anger, Legias pulled out the longsword at her side, placing it in an offensive position. “I’m whichever one will takes you down, dead or alive.”

“Let’s see which it is, then.” Luca grinned before he grabbed hold of his own sheathed weapon at his side. The sword that was removed was unlike any Legias had seen before however. It was a long blade, nearly as long as hers though it was far thinner, closer in appearance to a katana but even that did not adequately explain its appearance. Its edges were serrated, and the metal glistened with a red aura around it. Curiously of all, however, was the hilt, which looked comprised of some sort of wooden handle and the horn of some sort of bull as the guard. “Are you ready?”

In a flash the man moved with incredible speed shortening the distance between the two almost instantly. However, even with his absurdly high speed, the swing of his sword was parried expertly with a well timed strike from Legias’s own sword. Legias attempted to follow through with her strike but a quick turn of Luca’s body brought his blade in just the position to block the incoming strike. The two remained together with their blades locked, staring each other down… until Legias smashed her skull right into his.

Luca grunted in pain as he stumbled backwards, his opponent charged at him in an attempt to give him no time to recover but the man shook off the hit with an unusually high amount of endurance. As she leapt in the air to strike him, she felt a stiff kick to her abdomen before she was flung onto her back. “Fighting dirty? I like it.” Luca compliment as he wiped away the blood dripping from his nose, allowing Legias to take her time to get back onto her feet.

“Go to hell!” She barked, insulted that he was ‘allowing’ her time to recover. Lifting back to her feet the two exchanged sword strike after sword strike, as she surprised Luca by keeping up with his speed quite well.

“You’re better than I would have thought, Legias. Clearly you’ve been keeping up in your training.”

“No choice,” She grunted as she barely deflected another strike, “if I’m gonna,” Her breaths interrupted, “be competing with the horrors this place has to offer… including you.”

“You shouldn’t try and talk while you’re attacking; you’re wasting the air in your lungs.” The man mocked, as he seemed to be having little trouble talking under the stress of battle. Legias was well trained in her style, but Luca’s unique training seemed to give him limitless energy. It reminded her of the same stories she had heard of Hector and his battles.

In that moment of mockery, Luca’s free hand came into view from behind his coat, having grabbed something from his pocket; a talisman like from their last encounter. Electricity seemed to cackle in his hand, but Legias knew what to expect this time and with a well timed slash of her sword expertly cut right into the talisman, shattering it before it could activate and leaving a small gash on her opponent’s hand as well. “You can’t fool me with the same trick twice, you basta-augh!” The attack had kept her left side open; any other opponent would not have time to capitalize, but Luca’s impressive reflexes gave him just enough time to land a good slash across Legias’s left arm, shattering the armor and giving a deep cut down it in the process. Damn him!

In that moment Luca backed off, just in time to avoid a retaliatory slash from his former captain. “What the hell are those talismans…” She gritted through the pain, repositioning her right arm and sword to better protect her injured arm. “I read the reports; somehow those things are mimicking the rage spell the kobolds were using.”

Luca shook his head, “Actually the talismans can mimic any kind of spell, so long as Asha has the knowledge and the time to make them. It’s a specialty of hers… she’s quite the magician if you haven’t noticed.” he let out a soft laugh, “But really, Legias? The kobold spell? That version was far too weak to be an effective measure on human beings. No, we needed a step above that.”

That was when it clicked with Legias. “The minotaur!?” She gasped out, “The report-”

“Yes, the report you gave me.” He interrupted, “That was all the information I needed. The Kobold report we had early gave us a fundamental understanding of the spell, but with the horns of that creature as the catalyst, we were capable of far more control and power than the kobolds could ever give.”

“And that’s how your masked friend has been using the spell, with that horn?” If there was one thing Legias was thankful of, was that Luca seemed to be rather talkative, at least she was getting some information out of him in this encounter. Luca on the other hand, no longer cared about keeping such secrets anymore.

“Horns, Legias, that’s plural, with an S. Yes, she was using one, but only the first one.” The man corrected before he eyed the weapon in his hand. The reddish aura around his own blade began to strengthen as he explained, “This…this is the second horn, Ba’al.” The air in the room felt harder to breath for Legias as the aura seemed to spread from the hilt, flowing around Luca’s right arm now. “I could never use this power as Asha could.” The man growled, anger dripping in his voice now, “But…we forged this one… to draw upon its power… instead of casting it.” Legias waited no longer, as the aura continued to spread around Luca’s body.

Legias charged the man stabbing her sword right for his chest, intending to end the battle now, but it was too late. With inhuman speed, Luca’s body dashed to the side of her strike and with another growl from his body delivered a swift slash of his own, cutting down her left thigh. Luca’s look had become stern, and terrifyingly focused. With his free hand a palm strike was expertly delivered to his opponent, whipping her across the room with ease. “When one of untrained mind is effected by this spell, they dip into an uncontrollable rage. But when someone with a powerful enough will and soul is affected, they can control this rage, gaining the benefits while keeping their mind intact! I’ve exposed myself to this spell for weeks now, honing my will until it could withstand its influence!”

Legias scrambled to get back to her feet, but Luca was not giving her time to recover anymore. Before she was even fully standing again the man leapt in the air and gathered up all his strength into his weapon. “Hrraaaaaaaah!” The swordsman yelled as he dove toward her. The captain of the guard knew there was no time to dodge, so her only hope was to block with her own sword. This unfortunately, stunned her when the power behind Luca’s strike splintered the top half of her blade into a dozen pieces. She was so in shock, she did not even realize how deep into her body his blade had dug itself.

“Hrnk-” She choked as Luca roared out in his rage, yanking the blade out of her with terrifying force. Legias stumble back against the wall, her vision blurring from the strength of the attack.

“Looks like you’re no warrior after all…” The man seethed, “Just another tool to be disposed of.” Without even looking back, Luca sheathed the blade back at his side which upon doing so seemed to call back the dangerous aura around him back into the blade itself.

Legias fell in a heap at the ground, her breathing heavy as she clutched the terrible wound on her chest. “This blade is only meant to take the lives of warriors; I shall not waste it on you. Farewell, Legias, let this place be your grave.” Legias heaved, trying to argue but no words would come out. Even in her blurred vision, she saw the masked one come back into view. “You got everything?” The woman nodded in agreement, “Alright, we’re to rendezvous with Kavros at his current base in the west district. And I can honestly say, I won’t be missing this place.” Asha nodded silently. The two looked back at Legias, who was still dragging herself towards the hilt of her sword, refusing to give up on the fight.

“There’s nothing left here anyway.”

[Scarab]

(((Because somebody had to talk the girl into it, damn it, and no one else's character was conveniently located and available )))

“...I heard someone else make a sound like that once,” Tamar said gently after Anji had peeled herself off the wall and gotten her heart rate back under control (since when did Tamar have any sneaking skills whatsoever anyway?) “Then he hit the water. When they pulled him out, he was dead.”

“Bloody CROWS, your majesty.” Anji said, putting her hands on her knees and breathing heavily. She’d been going over maps of the city and underground for hours, looking for safe routes to smuggle people and supplies before meeting with Salvantas later on in the evening. “Are you trying to kill me before Luca does?”

“...Well, not unless you’ve developed a fatal nervous reaction to being tapped on the shoulder, boss. Um... the supplies are in the other room? Sorry for taking so long?”

Recovering, Anji took a deep breath, then continued softly, “Thanks Tamar.” Glancing over him, she asked, “You feeling okay? You look like something a crow drug out.”

Tamar frowned, glimpsing down at himself... Something had definitely set that tunic on fire at some point.Just brilliant, first the riots, then a civil war, and now her guild members were setting themselves on fire, what was it with Tamar and setting things on bloody fire? “I think I probably look better than you do right now.”

“Me? Oh I’m fine. Just looking over some notes for later and checking in on Hector every now and again.” She paused, scribbling some illegible note onto a nearby scrapbook. “I’m meeting with Salvantas later, hopefully a couple of other guilds as well... If I can play this right, we can smuggle him out, no one’s the wiser.”

“I see,” Tamar had started shuffling the pages about on the desk. “Um... how soon is ‘later’? Is it ‘later’ as in ‘after you’ve gotten some sleep? Because um... no offence boss, but you really look as if you could use that.”

“I got some sleep... earlier or something.” Anji said, yawning.

“...Earlier when? This week?” Tamar said. There was a note of genuine sarcasm in his voice, masking genuine hesitation. “Anji, you can’t meet with the other Guilds like this. Um... yeah.”

“What? Oh, you’re right I should probably find a new shirt, this one has some bloodstains on it.” Anji said, inspecting her red-spotted tunic.

Tamar sighed. “No... I mean... okay yeah, the shirt could probably do with not having blood on it, although I don’t think Salvantas is really going to care and... Boss, you need to get some sleep. Real sleep. Not the sitting in the chair dozing kind.’

“I’m used to staying up all hours. Besides, it’s not like I’m doing anything strenuous, you need sleep more than I do.”

“Yeah, but I know that, and I don't have to actually hold the meeting. Also, um... you did jump several feet into the air when I tapped you on the shoulder, I can’t read any of these notes, and, ah... you... seem to be holding that quill upside down? Tell me you’ve slept for more than an hour in the last two days.” Anji said nothing, instead she fixed her pen and began skimming through her notes, looking for a part that was legible.

“...I guess that means no, huh?” Tamar sounded genuinely concerned at this point. He tilted his head sideways in a slightly annoying way so he could look at her without her lifting her head from the paper. Then he basically waited for her to actually look at him. “...Um... is Julius still standing guard today?”

“I suppose so, I haven’t seen him in a couple of days, to be honest..” Anji said.

“Then it’s all good. He’s keeping an eye out, so are the rest of us. Nothing’s gonna happen if you go to sleep for a few hours.” He shuffled. ‘Um... I mean you’re the one in charge and everything but... yeah.”

“I’ve got some stuff that I need to get done,” Anji yawned, stretching, “I’ll sleep once I’m through with that. I need to make sure we have enough food, check the outside of the temple, make sure no anti-factions are breathing down our necks...”

Tamar shook his head. “Already sorted out the food. You sent me out there in the first place, remember? My new friend Jenny is doing surveillance, and Julius is out there and nobody could get past him.”

Anji raised an eyebrow. “Aaaand if they do?”

“I can set my sword on fire?” Tamar suggested, hopefully.

Anji looked like she wanted to argue further, then decided against it. “I suppose I have to be confident in your ability to set inanimate objects on fire.”

“Well if I can’t, m’sure Eliziya can manage. And she doesn’t even need a sword to do it... still working on that.” He frowned thoughtfully then shook his head. “Anyway are you going to sleep now?”

Sighing, Anji stood, then began walking to an empty room. Tamar looked genuinely surprised. “I suppose the alternative is getting Zi to knock me out.”

Tamar smiled. “I wouldn’t advise that. She’d probably put you under for days.”

Ducking into the room, Anji shut the door and turned out the light. Glancing around the room, she saw a window. Adjusting her palm guards, she gripped the window sill as she quietly stole out of the dark and, to all outside appearances, abandoned temple.

Reaching the roof, Anji settled down to watch out for people in the dark. The air hung heavy with smoke, probably from some woodsman’s campfire. Shaking, Anji tried to sweep away the cobwebs that threatened to send her into a deep sleep. Yawning, she stretched out on the roof, staring at the blank stone of the floor above.

[JackAlsworth]

Timeline Note: takes place soon after Quest 20, and slightly before Anji's and Tamar's conversation

The sudden knock on the door sent Anji flying. Or it would have, if she was able to fly. As it was, she merely jumped back several inches, knife drawn. Moving in between the door and the infirmary, she called out softly, “Who’s out there?”

“It’s me!” came the hushed reply. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

“Hi, me. How have you been? It’s been a while.” Anji snarked, not catching the identity of the mysterious intruder.

“I’ve been... okay, I suppose,” said the voice, apparently missing the sarcasm. “I’ve been more worried about you.” A pause, then... “Is it all right if I come in?”

Moving closer to the door, Anji snarled, ‘Who are you, and how did you find this place?”

There was a thunk.

“Ow,” said the voice. “Oh... I’m sorry, I should have said... it’s Jenny, Anji. I met Tamar in town, and he showed me here.”

Wincing, Anji lit a few lamps, brightening the nave of the temple. “Sorry, Hunter. Come in. How are you?”

Hunter stepped inside, rubbing the back of her head. “I’m alive. And you? I heard people in the streets screaming for your blood.”

“Oh, them. They do that.” Anji said, shutting the door. “I think they must like me.”

Hunter laughed. “Well, everyone has different ways of showing affection.” She sobered. “People out there, they were... saying other things as well. Anji, I have a question to ask you.”

Sitting down, Anji nodded. “Yes?”

“Did you... did you really kidnap your sister?”

Anji said nothing for a moment, seeming determined to keep eye contact with Hunter. Hours seemed to pass before she spoke. “Why? Do you believe them?”

“I don’t know what I believe. I want to believe you.” Hunter’s gaze was steady. “Please, just answer the question.”

“Yes, I did.”

Hunter was silent for another long moment, then nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

“There’s more to it than that.” Anji said softly, breaking eye contact. When Hunter didn’t reply, she added, “I understand if you’re leaving, feel free to help yourself to what supplies we have.”

“What makes you think I want to leave?”

“Oh you know, fraternizing with criminals and thieves isn’t exactly good for your rep.” Anji replied lightly, pulling out pens and paper from her pack.

Hunter blinked. “Anji... I don’t know whether you’ve talked with Tamar yet, but I meant what I said out there. It doesn’t matter who you were before the Castle. Not to me, anyway. All that matters is who you are now. When we worked together with that... earthquake problem, I saw a woman who was kind, brave...” she chuckled, “a little headstrong, but above all, willing to lead. I trusted you and your judgement then. And you’re still the same person now, whatever happened in the past.”

She took a deep breath. “I just wanted you to know... for whatever it’s worth, you still have my trust.”

Not looking up, Anji scrubbed one side of her face with her shoulder. “Thanks,” she said, gratefully.

Hunter gave her an odd look. “Get some sleep,” she said earnestly. “It’s good for you.”

“I will, need to get some stuff done first.” Anji said, grinning.

“All right. Good night, Anji. And thank you.” Hunter left the room, closing the door softly behind her.

Anji sighed, then went back to her papers. Really need to finish this, she thought. But still, Hunter was right. She was kind of tired...

“Hey, boss!”

Well. That fixed the “tired” issue right up.

[Scarab]

Timing: Not long after Anji and Hector defeat the Fairy's Ghost in The Exquisite Corpse but before Marcus' quest.

A few hours had past since Hector’s and Anji’s encounter with the supernatural. Anji was still fast asleep, with the green haired swordsman standing watch in the meantime seeing as everyone else here was out at the moment. The man took this time to set up another means to train his vision once again; with candlestick in hand the simply tossed it into the air in one hand, before swiftly catching it with the other. This back and forth, while safe and easy, was far more difficult for the man than he would wager. Many a broken candlesticks lay smashed into the marble floor at his feet after many failed attempts though he did have to admit it was getting a little bit easier.

“Alright, time to pick up the pace.” The warrior muttered, before flicking the stick much higher into the air, nearly touching the ceiling. The timing was different now, so his hand needed to throw itself forward at just the right time to catch it. Hector failed to do this however, as the stick bounced off his knuckles and flew off towards the other side of the room thanks to his absurd level of strength. To his surprise it didn’t smash into a million pieces however, in fact it didn’t land on the floor at all; Tamar stood at the edge of the room, flipping the candlestick his hand casually.

“Should we consider ourselves lucky you didn’t find the vases first?”

“I uh... I went through all those already.” The man coughed out, embarrassingly.

Tamar’s eyes widened slightly, smile faltering. “Oh, saints, tell me you didn’t throw any blue ones around, those are Eliziya’s, she keeps important things in them. I cracked one by accident once,” he shuddered. “It wasn’t pretty. How’s it going? Apart from... you know. Messily.”

“...There aren’t any more vases.”

“Or many candlesticks,” Tamar placed the one he was holding down as carefully as he could. “It looks cool though. The eyepatch. Kind of like the pirates in books, only, um... less with the pillaging.”

The man grumbled something inaudible, feeling the patch upon his face. “If you say so.” The swordsman sighed. “Anji seems to agree, anyway. She’s getting some sleep in the back right now.” Hector bent over carefully, grunting in light pain as he did so, gathering up the mess he had made across the floor. Tamar moved immediately to help. “We had a bit of a run in with a ghost of some kind while you were all gone. It tried to kill us, as usual, but we convinced it to move on I think. It gave us some nice equipment before it left.” The man explained very loosely, pointing his thumb over to the armor laying in the corner of the room.

Tamar, who had been bending to pick up a candle, froze and looked up, blinking in surprise. “We never... wait, seriously? A ghost? A real dead person?”

“Well more like a dead Frairy. It had wings.” The man mispronounced.

“...Okay, how much of that medicine has Zi been giving you?” Tamar sniggered, looking rather doubtful about the whole exchange.

“You don’t believe in ghosts either, huh?”

“Ghosts? Sure, they’re real,” Tamar shrugged. “There were... a fair few of them where I came from. I saw them. I think most people did. Never any frair... I mean, fairies, though.”

“First dead one I’ve ever met.” The man responded casually while finishing up with cleaning up the floor. “Nothing we couldn’t handle, though.” He paused, his body still faced away from the boy as he dumped all the garbage out a window. “I hear you... went back into the city?”

For a moment it seemed as if Tamar wasn’t going to answer. “...They burned down Tad’s Smithy,” he said eventually, in the tone of voice of somebody who is trying to sound composed about it all without feeling composed at all.

“Is Tad okay?” The man answered, distant.

“Yeah, we uh, got him to Kurt. He’s staying at the church.”

“Good. As long as the smith is alive his work can continue.” A sigh of relief, “How fares the rest of the city?”

Another silence, not as long this time, but still enough to be noticeable. “Fires in... three big areas, from what I saw. I wasn’t really paying close attention. The mobs have changed,” he sounded confused. “They’re more... factions now. They have their targets: anyone and anything associated with the guilds, but they’re leaving people alone if they have no guild connections... which um, thinking on it, isn’t THAT many people. There’s a name keeps coming up. Luca. I’m guessing that means something.”

When Hector looked, Tamar seemed to be playing with the candles, lining them up, on the table like a child might play with toy soldiers. Not that Hector had ever owned toy soldiers as a child. “Yes, he was the one who tossed me from the guard tower.” The man replied honestly, “the one who took Zi. The one who essentially started this war.” Hector’s voice lowered regrettably, “...Old company of mine.”

Tamar’s hand tightened reflectively on the last candle before he prized his hand off it and placed it down. “Anji never said his name... Guess she was trying to protect me. I don’t think much of your old company, Hector. They seem to really like getting people killed. That’s the only explanation I can think of.”

Hector closed the window gently. Inhaling to calm his nerves he said, “He wasn’t always like this. Events have ways of changing people.” He explained, walking back towards the armor and equipment strewn about on the ground.

“Like... you?”

“Yes.” The man answered bluntly. “If you take my word over the others, at least.” He bent over and started to scrounging for something in the pile.

“Will you stop doing that?” Tamar sounded vaguely exasperated. “Eliziya will kill me if she finds out you’re throwing candlesticks around the room instead of resting. I don’t want a repeat of the blue vase incident.” Tamar’s next smile wasn’t exactly a happy one. “I thought I always placed too much faith in words anyway. Wasn’t that the point of this?” He tapped one hand against the sword at his belt.

The man paused for a second, perhaps surprised by the response, before letting out a soft chuckle. “I suppose it was one of the points... yes.” Hector seemed to ignore the boys complaint as he shoved some pieces of the armor out of the way. “I owe you an apology.” The man grunted, “Please understand, I didn’t hide what I was to fool you...”

Tamar shrugged slightly, moving to help but looking sidewards, avoiding his gaze in a way he hadn’t for... a while, actually. “This Jade Devil sounds like a jerk,” he said. “Ben called him the scourge of Lomadia. Said he killed hundreds of people, and has bounties on his head in.at least half a dozen provinces. People knew him as far away as the east. Guess I’m lucky I never met him.”

The man gave a wry grin to the younger swordsman. “ I s’pose you were.” There was a pause between the two as Hector seemed to acknowledge how far Tamar had come along since the first time they had met. “Luca is not alone,” he explain, “There’s a powerful mage with him. Another person I traveled with not too long ago. Her name’s Asha. She’s the one making those talismans that this faction is using against us. She used to make them back then too. By using some kind of ritual she can infuse an object with her magic, allowing even the dumbest of people to use her advanced knowledge of spells. If only temporarily, anyway.”

“...So that’s where it’s coming from. That magic.” Tamar nodded in realisation.

Hector nodded. “The two of them are supplying this faction with whatever they need to keep the playing field... even. Whatever it takes to fan the flames of this war. I need to be able to stop them if we want to end this war before its... too late, before they take things even further.”

“That means finding them, right? Luca and Asha and anyone else who’s tied up in this. But they ran away after the mob in the square. Nobody knows where they are.”

“You’re correct, and as much as it pains me to say...” The man sighed in annoyance, “I am no match for either of them thanks to this injury, not yet. Luca has improved significantly since the last I saw of him and Asha... I’m not really even sure what she is anymore.” Hector cleared his throat, “They were dangerous when I was in my prime... And now they’ve fallen so far. It seems the roles between the three of us have reversed since back then.” He commented, melancholy in his voice.

Tamar was quiet again, running things over in his mind. Then he stood up. “So we’ll have to be smarter than they are.”

“Stronger too.” A light laugh left the man’s throat.

“Can we, though...?”

“There’s a lot of work to do for sure...hey, you mind giving me hand here?” The man changed the subject, abruptly, “I want to see something.”

“Sure, so long as whatever it is isn’t outside, it’s mostly just trees anyway, so you’re not missing much,” Tamar was frowning, but did as was asked. The boy walked up behind the man, and offered a hand down towards the kneeling giant to help him up...useless as the gesture was.

There was a pause however, Hector seemed to ignore the offer of help, instead grabbing onto something. With Hector’s back turned from the young man, Tamar had trouble seeing what the swordsman was doing. The green haired man flashed a grin to himself as his right hand wrapped around the hilt of a sword among the equipment. “Hyaaah!” The man called as he swiftly turned and swung the blade at the younger swordsman.

Tamar’s eyes went wide in shock for not even a second, before they narrowed to a complete focus. In a flash he went from being off guard, to his right hand falling upon his sword and drawing it in just the right fashion to deflect the strike, causing the blades to lock together.

There was a pause, Tamar’s own disposition falling quickly to shock that he had even managed to block the strike, while Hector’s had a knowing grin on it. “Just as I thought...” The man finally said, nodding his head. Tamar looked on, confused by the action. “You’ve gotten much better, Tamar. I expected as much.” The two still held their blades against each other for that moment, and Tamar’s psyche seemed to react to it unconsciously. The grip on his blade tightened, and in a flash a burst of fire expanded out from the blade taking both of them off guard and flinging the two backwards away from each other.

“Oof!” Hector coughed as he landed on his bottom right into all the equipment laying around. “O...ok, I didn’t expect THAT.” The man coughed, as a small bit of smoke escaped his throat.

Tamar’s first reaction as soon as he was back on his feet, was something between anger and concern. The sword had hit the floor in the exchange and the fire had died away as soon as it left the boy’s fingers. “S-saint’s damn it, Hector! W-what the heck was... are you trying to get killed? I thought we were past the trying to get killed!”

“I, uh, I was trying to test your skill with the sword! To, to see if you’d been keeping up with your training.” Tamar got a rare sight, as Hector was actually stammering in surprise. “I was not expecting to get lit on fire for my troubles!”

“It’s not his fault,” Tamar muttered. “You took me by surprise. You alright?” he reached for the sword where it had fallen.

“I apologize, but the best way to gauge your improvement was to test you in a realistic situation.” The man explained, a grin on his face. Clearly he was happy with what he had seen. He took the hand offered to him and with a bit of trouble got back to his feet. “You were never in any real danger anyway, the sword was a practice blade.”

“You’re an idiot. Gauged enough now?” Tamar’s annoyance sounded somewhat put-on, an odd mix of affection and frustration.

“Haha...yes. You’ve become quite comfortable with him. Looks like he uh...taught you a few tricks, as well?” The man patted off the soot on his singed clothing.

Tamar shook his head. “Still don’t understand it. It kind of came out of nowhere, but... I guess so. First thing he taught me? Rampaging mobs really don’t like fire. Second things, sometimes the answers are right in front of you.” He brushed invisible dirt off the sword, rubbing at what might have been dried blood, before holding it out in front of him, blade up. “Names, too. Like... on hillsides in the rain, for example.”

Tamar turned to the row of candle soldiers he had lined up on the table. Some of them had been jolted over, and he straightened them before touching the sword blade to the nearest. “Echo.”

The fire travelling down the blade was thin this time, tinged with blue as it lit the candles one after the other, with barely a flicker.

...Okay, so apparently, one of the other things Tamar had been practising lately, was drama. Hector let out a stereotypical “oooh... ahhh,” and clapped politely. “Echo, huh?” The man...ironically repeated while examining the sword and the light fire surrounding it. “Hmmm, he seems pretty happy.” The man grinned with a tinge of pride in his voice. “You’ve done good, kid. Though I would have never expected you to be capable of that magic mombo-jumbo.”

Tamar laughed. “You and me both. if this had happened years earlier... it’s weird though.” Pointedly, he placed the sword back on the table without bothering to extinguish it. The fire went out instantly the second his hand moved away. “I’ve seen her use tools, but mostly, Eliziya can just... do it. For me it only works with the sword. And only this sword. I tried with one of the practice swords, nothing happened.”

The man seemed to ponder this fact as he looked upon the orange metal of the blade. “I don’t pretend to know much about magic, that was always Asha’s thing. But...” He looked back at the boy, patting him on the shoulder, “This sword shares a connection with you now, like Ivory to me. It’s not just a weapon, its a companion, your equal. Never lose sight of that.”

“We’ll get her back, you know,” Tamar said, picking up the sword -Echo- again, and sheathing it. He sounded sure of himself. “Ivory. We’ll stop this. I don’t know how... but there’s a way to do it.”

Another moment of silence as Hector looked down upon the practice blade he had swung at Tamar just moment earlier, thinking. “You’re ready now... I believe.”

“Uh, for what?”

The man grinned, lowering his eye to meet with the boy’s. “Training...with Echo. You understand who he is, now its time to master him.” The man picked up the practice blade and tossed it back into the pile, “No more practice swords, no more balance training, and no more holding back. Now I’ll teach you how to really fight. If we’re gonna succeed we both need to get stronger... a lot stronger, and the only way I can get past this injury is to give it my all against you.”

“Does that mean no more tree climbing?”

“Tree climbing can and will be used, It helps build your forearms!” The man exclaimed excitedly, sounding like his old self again. “When we’re done, my sword strikes won’t even be able to make you budge.”

“...I think that’s being optimistic, but okay.”

The man merely laughed, “You’re gonna doubt me now, Delaney? A bit late for that, I’m afraid! … That power you have with your sword...you’re gonna need to learn its limitations and strengths as well. That kind of power is our best chance against Asha. Perhaps Zi can help you understand it better.” The man recommended, “My own training can only help you so much with that kind of technique.”

“...Is that a good idea?”

“Why not? She knows fire magic, you know fire magic, it’s perfect..”

“Y-yeah but... I mean, I named a sword after her speech impediment. I don't think she's going to buy the whole ’It already had the name, I just learned it' thing.”

“....” Hector came to the realization, a bead of sweat falling from his brow. “Oooooh...uhh, maybe she’ll think it’s endearing?” The man laughed optimistically.

“I don’t think-”

“Too late to start doubting me!” Hector repeated, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

“Oh saints, fine, no doubting the great Hector, jeez, but I seriously hope she takes this in the spirit in which it was intended. I like Eliziya. I don’t want her to set me on fire.”

“I might have to train her if that happens.” The taller man, teased. “You won’t be much good as charred bacon.”

“Not. Helping. Hector.”