Fantasy The Great Games of Nye

Ren let out a sigh of relief as soon as Ava too reunited with the rest of them, and as a bonus she was unharmed. He wasn't going to leap at her with a hug like Anya did, especially because that looks like it would hurt, like throwing yourself into a wall, but he did approach as well.

"We were worried the crazyyy-" Ren stopped himself from saying something he'd regret as his face went a little pale for a moment. Marjorie's curly blonde hair caught his eye as she too warped into the room. Odd that she didn't take this chance to bail, but her very presence here was almost a confirmation that the woman had some sort of scheme going on between her ears.

Ren cleared his throat before speaking a smidge more cautious. "Worried she may have done something. Looks like you're in good shape though!" He gave her a firm pat on the arm, and to no one's surprise, it was hard as a rock.

"That kinda stung!" Ren thought to himself, before turning his attention back to Johan who was dead set on making an enemy out of Damian.

The man was odd, and his wordings were a bit suspicious when the boy first met him, but was he evil? Ren tried really hard to see what Johan was seeing, going as far as to squint to maybe point out a detail about the man to discern if his attention were truly corrupt.

He began to detail what sounded like some sort of lab like that owned by a super villain in a movie, an unbreachable prison where heinous acts are done to innocent people. He wished it was just that, but this was no movie, it was real. Ren was shocked by what he was hearing if what the man was saying was to be believed. Then he add on a layer to this crazy place, looking directly at Anya.

His head went back and forth as the two spoke about a girl, a girl who must be a friend of Anya's based only on her negative reaction to the information he present. He looked down as her hands had become fists and her tone shifted from the one he was used to.

"Wait, what's going on? Who is this girl?" Ren asked her out of pure ignorance. He was completely out of the loop.

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Ilana was too focused on what was in front of her to notice what the two geezers were up to, let alone what her own group was dealing with at the time of her departure. Even with her eyes glued to the vanguard, she could smell the lingering scent of something metallic and she soon found out why.

After a half a dozen cannon balls she sent the rest of the rocky stump flying with a heavy grunt. It was then that she glanced down to find a man's corpse with smoking holes shot through him. The sight made her nose wrinkle in disgust. Overkill was a good word for it. Had she not already put him down? She only planned to take him out of the fight, not kill him, yet others seemed to have different methods. She glanced back for a moment to see Felix's sparking hands, clearly making him the culprit. She didn't dwell on it however, and with a quick spin to avoid the next incoming attack Ilana countered with a powerful open palmed strike.

As the man slid across the ground, she readied herself for whoever dare approach. It was so reminiscent of where she came from; the streets of the outlands. Where she was raised it was always a fight for survival, and that usually spelled violence. She was well trained, but it wasn't so easy when it was 5 on 1, 6 on 1 and so on. Just like all those times, Ilana gritted her teeth and fought like a dog.

"Gotta do something about the girl." She thought to herself. "If I rush in I'll get smoked." The kidnappers were certainly too numerous even if they were all terrible fighters.

Now standing between two old men, one intent on killing and the other boasting about how he has yet to be killed. Of course she would be stuck with a couple of crazy old men. There wasn't much time to talk as the girl's cries for help were still getting further away. It was times like this that Ilana's empathy would show in the form of combat. She would not let that girl be taken away no matter what. She didn't have to know who the girl was or why she was being taken or what any of this meant. She was in trouble and that's all that mattered. It wasn't so much heroism for Ilana, it was more so a desire to help someone in a bad situation much like what her late master did for her. Like tunnel vision however, she did not realize there was more going on than a kidnapping, as Felix pointed out.

"Sounds like that's more up your alley, then." She replied back to Felix with a sneer. "Not letting these guys get away!" She shouted her words with a spiteful insistence. With both hands she gripped the soil beneath them and claimed it as her own. She closed her eyes and listened to the cool earth and it's deep trembles to call upon it.

"If they can do it then so can I!" She thought to herself before sending the smallest shockwave through the ground and past the mob. A rumbling began to occur as the ground just beyond where the group of men were taking their captive began to shift. Puffs of dust began to be shaken out from between the crevices of the street, before a crudely shaped wall began to split it open. It was nowhere hear clean cut, more organic in appearance like spires of stone melded together to form a barricade. Ilana huffed from exhaustion, but before long her wall reached the rooftops of the buildings around them. Now Isaac, Felix and Ilana had them cornered.

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Ava was the last one through the rift.. and frankly, the one with the least context on the bright side they didn't explode unless they did and these where clones? can magic clone someone? maybe? she reasoned or were they like golems made of rock and looked like living people? she certainly felt alive but then again of course she would Ava shook her head throwing away those weird thoughts it wasn't necessary at the moment back to the task at hand.. which was giving Ayna a slight too-tight hug. "yeah of course im ok! why wouldn't I be? ... weres the weird girl anyway. chess board one?" she'd ask with a small hum of confusion.. last one in most out of the loop.. then the wildest thing happened.. they were asked to go break into or at least get access to some stop security persion/nut house. oh great.. this would go swimmingly.. "ok so... just how are we of all people expected to go there.. not like we are super mages.. or anything.. sounds like a suicide mission of nothing else" Ava said crossing her bulky arms unconvinced

Narzas flashed Johan a loving, if wry smile at his words. Given everything they'd shared and discussed in their short time together, the sentiment was heartwarming. Still, they both knew that if they were going to die in this adventure there'd be little to be done about it. They knew better than anyone how lives could end in an instant. Hoping that they would find a way to avoid it was not the same thing believing that they'd manage to achieve old age. She continued to prefer to hope that whatever happened, at least one of them would survive - and that that would be enough when the time came. The uneasy feeling that Death was always following at her back never truly left her.

The people that had bombed the Arena were out there. Zuànshí was out there. This guy they were talking to right now had clearly had some hand in all of this even if his own weren't coated in blood. The person or people that had killed all those individuals back at the lab were out there. The mole in Nye's upper command structure was out there. Marjorie was out there. Honestly... it seemed laughable that any of them walked with any semblance of belief their next steps wouldn't be their last.

As Anya leveled accusations at Damian and the odd man began to describe what it was he wanted them to do to retain his services/get their questions answered, Narzas chewed everything over in silence. Johan had the interrogation well in hand at it seemed quite clear that this whole thing was directly related to Anya and her own personal concerns over the missing girl she'd only recently revealed to the rest of them. There was nothing really for her to add. She would follow wherever Johan led, and if that was to this secret new place... then it was. If it was into a fight here and now in this weird place in time and space, then it was. Whatever happened, it seemed things were about to get interesting.

----

Marjorie ate her dainty little sandwiches and chewed on crisp peeled apple slices while sipping wine from a thermos and watching the far-off hubub of the city in its machinations. Admittedly, thermos' were not the peak of taste purity that glasses were but she couldn't very well cart around such fragile wares around with her and expect them not to get destroyed in her line of work. She pulled a silver time piece from the many hidden folds of her voluminous petticoat and checked how long those five had been gone, then set it away again. She would give them... an hour. Hmmm... maybe better make it two. Who knew how long this conversation was going to last - and she wanted to catch Damian alone if possible. If they knew she was following them everywhere then the surprise of her showing up again wouldn't be nearly as fun.

No. She didn't need to be beside them in every moment. She would just hound them from the shadows until an opportune moment presented itself for her to strike. She far preferred individual targets to groups-after all. Her orders were simple enough. Anything else she wanted to do while she was at it was up to her discretion. And for these particular orders, it was mere happy chance that what she wanted to do and what she was supposed to do would work quite well together. Still, she needed to play it cool and aloof - lest they suspect her true motivations.

Yes. She would follow them... but as a shadow must endlessly follow a body in the sun, never allowing her quarry to truly realize when she would strike until she did. That would keep them wary, keep them watching - and most importantly: keep them distracted.

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Nihal scratched his head after hearing Marigold's account. Would someone who was skilled enough to kill a Centurion really be dumb enough to believe some bystander was a Valencian prince? A lost one at that?

"Is it?" the performer asked when Bean asked if their mission was accomplished. "Doesn't his tale seem a little... farfetched to you? Do you really think he can lead us to the killers, as he claims?" All that being said, it's not like they had any other lead. He assumed Bean knew that as he watched the Centurion start on his way out of the Casablanca. The cat boy followed along, letting out a sigh as their informant went on and on about cheese. It was similar to when a particularly chatty fan approached him. At least they were usually sweet though. Perhaps he was biased, as even though both were talking at Nyaall as opposed to him, the fan would at least be speaking words of praise instead of their opinion on fermented milk.

"Me too..." he agreed with Bean, shaking his head as their newly acquired "Creature" started to give him a headache. His eyes then went to Vixie, who expressed that Marigold should stay here. He certainly would have preferred that as well, but if Marigold was telling the truth, then they would need him to lead them to what they were looking for. "I think he needs to stay with us," Nihal responded. "Plus he wasn't exactly... welcomed at the Casablanca." Unless those shackles were for... "entertainment" purposes.

The girl then brought up another good question. "Surely wandering through the slums in hopes of running into them isn't the best idea..." He turned to Bean. Did he have some way to track the others?

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Spivey would have shouted back at Huracan's half-shitty English, but Esther was really proving to be a pain in the ass as she was still stuck on details of their skirmish. Spivey was too riled up now to let her insult go uncontested and began pointing as their voice crackled with static.

"Damnit, they wouldn't have passed! What part of savage do you not understand? You have way too much faith in these natives!" They shouted before a deep breath, ready to begin pressing the mud man again, only for the Valkyrie to grab their arm as she too raised her voice. The initial instinct was to yank away from their grasp, but looking over to find Brynwyr's pleasant face was able to calm them down just a smidge, enough to stop and listen to what she had to say.

It was like music to their ears. Sure, it wasn't as punchy-kicky as Spivey would have wanted it, but the woman wasn't blindly trusting either and made some good points that even a drunken mess could understand. She was perfectly neutral while still getting something done. It was kinda impressive, Spivey thought.

A crackling sound came from Spivey's mask as they took a long deep breath. "Fine." Spivey looked down at Huracan, a look of near hatred behind that mask of theirs. "We'll do it your way, even if he is a little bitch." Spivey took a few steps back, giving the man enough room to get on his feet. "I'll just have to save my punches until after he screws us over."

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Being one who hadn't spent time with Bean before, the disdain towards Marigold seemed excessive to Nihal. The man had a flair for the dramatic and certainly seemed like he embellished things. He was annoying, and may very well lead them to a dead end, and Bean seemed to think he was deserving of torture for such a slight. Nyaall wouldn't be surprised if Bean felt he deserved that simply for existing.

Marigold's defense mechanism was fawning. A fairly pathetic display, but the singer had done similar many times in the past when he had ended up in danger.

When Bean tapped Vivian's forehead, Nihal instinctively stepped closer to the girl. Perhaps it was because he had been drunk, but Bean's unhinged actions and mannerisms before seemed harmless. Now it seemed like there was malice behind the young Centurion's actions. Either way, apparently the reason for the "compliment" from him was because he had been given an idea to shoot up a flare to summon the others. Despite being underground, the glowing mushrooms were like stars in the night sky. The words that then spread across it in white flame were akin to fireworks on the night of a summer festival. The visuals of the flare weren't quite as comforting though, and for their purposes, were rather vague.

Nihal had half a mind to ask if that would really be effective. Would the others know that the message was intended for them? Even if so, how would they know where to find them? Even if they caught sight of the flare as it went up, the underground area they were in seemed pretty large. Wouldn't it be hard to pinpoint exactly where it came from after just a momentary glimpse? After the bit that Bean had to say about trust and treachery, he dared not ask. Like Vixie, a lot of the context was lost on him, although that might have been from his own actions as opposed to the naivety of being young. Either way, he couldn't help but wonder if it was a warning meant for them as well. A warning to stay in line, or face the consequences.

Bean had commented on their "big, big brains" though. Would the consequences of not being useful be worse than the consequences of questioning him? The performer decided so, and opened his mouth.

"Are you sure they will know the message is for them? And how will they know where to find us? The fire only shot up for a second..."

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Ren listened to her as his expression that was once a look of confusion became one of shock. Something like that felt so unreal, that someone so young was taken to the place Damian had been talking about. Hannah was important somehow and to many people, but what did that mean? He knew nothing about the details, but as Anya continued it became clear that this girl meant dearly to her.

As she continued, Ren looked down as he began fully processing what Anya was saying. Hannah was a friend in need, that much was clear, but saving her was starting to sound incredibly complicated. There was a sad look on his face now. The idea of someone you know being so close yet so far in a way was a struggle for sure, possibly more than the mourning of someone already lost. For a moment he thought of his last living family that was so recently stripped away from him. He didn't want to dwell on it, but in that fleeting moment Ren realized he was alone now.

"I had no idea." Was all Ren could say at the moment. He thought about the situation at hand, and it didn't take long for it to become clear. This was really their only option, and luckily for Anya, it was a way to get her friend back. He took a moment and glanced over at the others, then down at his most trusted companion, Phalanx, then eventually looked back up at his fellow gearhead with a brave face.

"In that case, I'll do whatever I can to help!" He considered the risks, and despite what the others may have thought about it, Ren was ready to jump right in and give it his all for her if it meant saving a friend. He too looked back over to the man with his book to see what he had to say.

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Evaline was quiet, for the most part, watching the few interact with her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Her lips pressed firmly together as she listened to Kwame- and she couldn't help the small puff that left her lips as she looked back up at him. "Come now, Kwame, you should know better than to take everything at face value, you know." She was teasing, it was light hearted, but her eyes soon hardened as she looked right back at the knight himself. He seemed so determined to keep them a secret- she truly had to wonder why, especially when they were the ones here to help... She supposed it was a blessing then, that Kilderkin was good at pressing him for more answers rather than the vague ones he seemed to be heavily content supplying them.

She was contemplative, however, as she listened to him talk about their suspect, her eyes narrowed just a touch as she slowly glanced right back towards Kilderkin, quirking a brow as she let the other woman take the lead. She was certainly good at this, she had to give her that much. It was easy enough to let her lead, and she focused more on the knight, now, as he was being grilled currently. "... I have to say, I would be rather unconvinced as well- especially since you don't seem to trust us with your information." She murmured, placing one of her knuckles to her chin as she cocked her head to the side.

"But I suppose maybe you might be onto something." The woman finally sighed out, shutting her eyes for a few moments. "It would be good to look into Irina I surmise... Even through all of this chaos, that might make it more difficult." She stated with a click of her tongue, and she took a moment to glance at Kilderkin. She wasn't used to questioning such individuals, really, but... She would do the best that she could manage. "So, there's nothing more to go off of?"

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