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Fantasy Descension (C.DEX x Notorious)

"I have someone waiting to assist you, they are waiting for us to finish dinner with armor and weapons. Anything you need will be at your disposal." Moira said, standing up on her chair and looking toward Balor. "This is not the most appropriate place for this conversation. Come, we will meet with my warrior and get you kitted up and discuss what I have learned from my... contact." She said, almost too mischievously. "Handsome!" She called out to the other end of the table, "I hope you are finished eating your's and the kid's dinner and I hope you have taken it easy on the mead, dear. We are to have a meeting in the armory. I assume you would like to join us?"


"No amount of drink can stop me from whatever you need of me." He said, standing up from his seat abruptly. Gunnar was more gung ho than the others, quickly saying goodbye to the little Shades and forming up on them to follow Moira into the armory. The little Midas woman walked with purpose, leading them through the colorful halls of her sanctuary and into a room they had yet to see. Inside, a dark haired woman was slamming weapons she seen unfit down to the ground. She was heavily armored and her movements erratic, as if she was having a bad day or just an anger issue. "Amara?" Moira asked, causing the elvish woman to look over to the group that had assembled in the armory. "Why are you... slamming those weapons to the ground? I paid good-"


"They're shit." The woman responded, a scowl on her face as she spoke. "I'm just cleaning up. Who are these people?" Amara asked, crossing her arms as she looked on to them. She had countless scars over her body, even her face had several from either beast or man it couldn't be deciphered. Her eyes bore down into each of them, an intensity that was only matched when Gunnar had been slaying all of those hunters several nights ago. However, that same intensity was held while she was simply cleaning. Her skin was as pale as could be, a sign of heavy mana use. If that didn't give it a way her bright orange tinged eyes did.


"This is Balor, the Prismastic holy man from the old church in the valley. This is Sinna, a Shade. And this tall drink of water is Gunnar of Vel... Veldard? Am I getting that right?" Gunnar nodded firmly. "But I just call him Handsome. Or Human. Been a long while since I seen one of them." She confessed, walking over to Amara before floating up to the table in the center of the room. "You ever run into his type?" Moira questioned, in which Amara walked over to Gunnar uncomfortably close and looked him up and down. She examined his scars, the look in his eyes. Then, she smiled. It was barely a smirk but it was something different than the angry look she had previously.


"Been a long time since I seen a warrior worth my time. What is your weapon of choice, Gunnar of Veldard?"


"Whatever is placed in my hands." He replied without missing a beat, giving her a grin which in turn made her laugh with pride.


"That is the only right answer. Good... Plenty of weapons and armor I've been sharpening over there. You're looking a little unarmed, should probably grab something." She tore her intense gaze away from Gunnar to Sinna and Balor. She sniffed the air, her scowl returned. "You bring me untrained shades? You're too light skinned of a Lamia to be a shade however... Or blessed by Pyrit... Prisma? Seriously?" Amara shook her head as she returned to the table. "You're asking a lot Moira... Me and the Viking could cause some hell but those two? Do you really know what this mission is going to require? We need trained men and women. Not a viking, a pacifist and someone who just grew their tits. I'm out."


"Wait Amara!" Moira exclaimed. "It will work just as we planned, we just didn't have another warrior like yourself at the time. With Gunnar, this will go smoothly. It leaves some of the harder work to Balor and Sinna but... they can manage I'm sure." She seemed to have a faith in them that wasn't openly said out loud, one that surprised Balor nonetheless. Moira kicked a map on the table with her feet, causing it to unroll before them. She let out a small chuckle at how smooth that had been, then explained the mission. "The Guard Captain will return to Central in a few days to report his findings. Then, he will return with an even bigger reinforcement brigade to finally secure this area and this town completely. He has taken over the Citadel by the beach that protects the mainland and the Bridge of Fire. There, him and every volunteer and hunter he brought with him from Central will be there. What I need you all to do is infiltrate the Citadel and ki-.... Bring him back here, if possible."


"You're growing soft, Moira." Amara muttered, leaning back on the wall whilst looking down at the map. "Bring him alive? After what you said about killing that monster? You left the Prismian effect you too much he-"


"He's a good man." Moira said firmly. "While we not agree on most things, I respect his wishes." She frowned, "Because of this, you are in charge of capturing him alive Balor. Gunnar and Amara can function as a distraction and take on the base or assist you in any way you need. Tell me... look at this map and tell me what our best options would be. I've stared at it for hours but I imagine you will have some ideas of your own on how to infiltrate and reduce the risk of one of our own getting hurt."
 
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"It doesn't surprise me that this comes now. Central has been looking to post up near the Bridge for a long while; whispers say that they intend on breaching it to control the Blazing Isles. By doing this, we must understand that we are turning the tides into the mainl- er... Blazing Lamias' favor. It is an unmistakable need, however." Balor said to them all, though his eyes didn't leave Amara. He was used to the verbal abuse, though usually it had only left the lips of his own kind. "I imagine you intend on following, Amara. We all appreciate that you have a strong personality, but strength doesn't make finesse. And I earnestly hope you aren't basing your assumptions off of visuals, because if we were to give you the same treatment... I wouldn't be excited to go on a mission with you, either."


Sinna glared to the woman, her comment scathing her a little too early into their encounter together. She crossed her arms over her chest, choosing not to deign a weapon until it was necessary. Even then, not knowing what she'd choose. It was a rare occasion that she'd seek out anyone that wasn't in her own inner circle, let alone to kill them. Balor, however, had taken up the dagger that the guard had used to stab him in hand. He didn't particularly like the look of it, but it was a finer blade than many of the weapons that they had on hand, there. Central had seen to it.


He wondered briefly what the fate of the guard had been, but then glanced to the map that Moira had rolled out.


"The tower he'd be staying in is going to be on the Northeastern part of the city; it was built that way a long time ago due to its relative location near the Bridge. That said, we can enter from the Southern or the Western side. The Western side is the direct route out of the city, and a major road, so... it'll be more rigidly patrolled." He said. Even though he had spent most of his time within the church, it wasn't like a Prismatic not to study their domain. Or not to study, in general. He knew the map like he knew the church itself. "If I were the Captain, I'd be sending out teams to blockade the easier exits outside the city, such as the coast and trade routes. After all, more Shades had gotten out than Prismatics ... And to the public, that is a problem."


"What's that mean, then?" Sinna asked.


"Guard presence should be less intense. But again, we're going out at night, so there always is the danger of Seers. I doubt after the incident at the church they would risk bringing them out into the fields, so I imagine they are in standby in the barracks. It is not often that the Seers themselves are targeted after attacks, so they may even have declined to send any more at all."


Sinna reached out, grabbing an axe from the floor. It was smaller; probably intended for throwing, but a formidable weapon nonetheless. She held it with ease, showing that perhaps she had been a little stronger than they had all given her credit for, but only time would tell. Balor grabbed an older sword for himself to compliment his dagger, slipping it into its dilapidated sheath on his waistband.


"Are we all ready, then?" He asked, looking to the others. "Or are you still intending on quitting, Miss Amara?"
 
"Someone has to ensure you get out of it alive, Prisma. Moira has to stay here to keep the children safe, that leaves me to lead." Amara replied bitterly. She didn't like Balor's attitude and unlike Moira who would toy with him wasn't going to entertain anything he said. "I have been in more battles than anyone here. I can smell the blood on you, or the lack there of. It's one of my... talents." She said, looking them all up and down. "You have a surprising amount of blood on you for a pacifist... Yet you, girl. Have you ever killed someone before? You have fought... yes... but I can not tell if-" She then glanced to Gunnar and gave him a grin, "You on the other hand... You hold yourself awfully cheery for someone who's taken so much. I like it. Though, it doesn't prove your worth as a warrior. I look forward to seeing what you are capable of."


"Me too." Gunnar grunted back. "What do you mean you can smell the blood on them? You just sizing them up or is this talent a sign?"


"Both. I was born..." She smirked, "Under Onyx." The air in the room seemed to heat up at just the declaration. Onyx's sign was one of the rarest, to see that his was outside only just the other night was oddly fitting. But, Amara continued. "And Ichor." That added further complications, Ichor being the god of blood. The combination of the two was unheard of, those listening in the room dumbfounded at what her abilities could even potentially be. "I can sense the lives each person has taken, sensing if they are a threat or not because of it."


"Am I a threat then?" Gunnar asked, curious to see what she thought. "Never met an Onyx, let alone an Ichor."


"Not a chance, Viking." Amara said, chuckling at that idea. "It looks like I'm leading a bunch of rookies and a savage. I was going to quit simply on the fact that your blood does not belong on my hands but... I suppose I owe you Moira. Suit up." She said, taking the initiative completely ignoring the weapons she had set out while having no weapon of her own on her body. Amara simply wore full body metal armor that encased her inside without even so much as a knife at her side. Gunnar took notice, then thought of how he generated weapons himself and understood that she probably had a similar ability being under the signs of blood and war.


Gunnar walked over to the sets of armor and began reaching for the shiniest set, old habits dying hard when he'd have to loot after raiding an Avar or Molt base. He then thought sensibly and opted for a lighter set of armor, throwing it over his loose fitting clothing followed by tying up his greaves, gauntlets and other bits of armor that protected vital areas. It was light and a hard sword thrust would probably only be slowed instead of stopped but this was perfect for defending against arrows and certain magical attacks. He checked himself over quickly then nodded at the others who had also gotten ready.


"Good luck you four..." Moira said as Amara began stomping off towards the staircase up. "Balor." Moira whispered before they had all headed up stairs. "Be careful. You are going out of your way to save this man. Just remember to do what you must if that option passes you by. I may not show it, but I wouldn't want to see ye hurt. Good luck." Without another word, they all had headed upstairs through the portal and found themselves back in the old, abandoned bar. It wouldn't be long until they were up against the full might of the Captain that had taken nearly everything from Balor, Sinna and Orin.


End of Chapter 1 - Lights Out
 
It had been a relatively long walk through the town. Through the tense fear that the devastation of the church had brought upon the town, the streets had been relatively untrawled. Still, proud stonery of a town erected in an era of defense cut the thick air like a knife. The four of them traveled, doing their best to look as common as possible. And, for the most part, they did, perhaps other than the armor that Gunnar and Amara had been wearing. Other than Gunnar, it wasn't entirely uncommon for all of them to be walking through the streets, though Balor kept his hood up for fear of being identified amongst the city inhabitants as a Prismatic Lamia. He'd be undoubtedly looked upon with suspect, especially by those who had previously needed his services. It was a strange change of pace.


As they traveled from the more dilapidated part of town to the defensive quarters, the guard presence grew, though by very little. The walk was comfortable enough; it was a cloudy day and the streets had long since become paved.


Then, something caught their attention. A set of eyes peering from down the street, walking toward their direction with purpose. Balor instinctively took the front, leading the pack with a smile and his hands openly laced toward the front, showing that he was not only unarmed, but friendly. Before the man could wave them down, he opened his own hand, catching their apprehender's attention. "Greetings!" He called out, taking the guard by surprise. "My friends here and I are looking for the Captain on duty?"


The guard closed the gap, eyeing them all with suspicion. His hand didn't go to his weapon, however, meaning that they were on the right track. "What for? Captain Narcis is busy organizing the Central reclamation of this city. He doesn't have time to deal with-" he stopped, eyes shifting back to Gunnar. "Are you intending on volunteering for the effort?"


"What all is being done?" Balor asked, curiosity in his voice. The guard almost seemed proud to talk about the subject; he was local, that much was certain. The flashy purple-and-gold embroidery didn't grace his worn armor, and he didn't have the rigid back of those who had spent so many years training under a strict regiment. Balor played to his excitement, which had manifested itself as a sly grin on his lips.


"I actually joined up with the Guard here 'round the time we were defending ourselves from the Blazing Isles attacks. They're intending on bringing us back up as a strategic point. Means the city's gonna be a boom town again, means we gotta clean up house, too, like what got done at the church down the hill. Ironic that the whole thing is being led by a Lamian, knowing who we're fighting, but hey, I'm not a racist." he said, with a laugh, seemingly poking fun at Balor himself. "Anyway, if you're intending on volunteering for the effort, you can head to inner gates of the barracks. They'll filter you in eventually, and you might save yourself expulsion from the city as they're reclaiming some land around here."


Balor's mouth twitched at the guard's small spiel, but he looked with downward eyes past him toward the crumbling post down the road behind him. His team was forced to follow behind him, all making way for the guard who'd eyed them curiously. "Thank you." he said, aloof, ushering the rest of them along with him.
 
"Good work. Your tongue may be your weapon, you're right. I did judge you too quickly." Amara said, retaking the lead a little bit of ways ahead of Balor. She had been moments away from killing the guard, even if that meant they would have to fight through the rest of town to get through to the citadel. She was a rather dangerous person to be associated with, one who didn't understand consequences. Even more reckless than Gunnar, a fact they would soon learn as they approached the Citadel. "We can just walk right in huh? Works for me. I hate having to scale or take down walls, it takes too long." She commented as the Citadel was in sight. It was massive, the same bricks used on the town seemed to be ones that had built the mighty structure that stuck out like a sore thumb that could be seen all over town.


"This fort... I've razed many like it." Gunnar said, admiring the structure. "Their outer defenses look strong but overall the walls are thick... Means the insides are cramped. Maybe other than that tower." He took notice, "If the guard captain is stationed up in the tower then his guard unit most likely will be light up that way. That leaves the rest of the men in the village and the bulk of their force in the base. What do you suppose we do Bal-"


"We split up." Amara replied for Balor, reminding Gunnar what the initial plan was but adding her own twist now that she could physically see the place. "The sun is setting quickly and if there are any Seers they will be rising shortly, making our surprise short lived." Sure enough, with the sun setting the Prismatic crystals on the tall metal rods in the streets began to slowly illuminate the town. It beat the more wild areas of the country relying on torch light, showing that this small city was much more advanced than most. "Shade Girl and Balor will make their way into the tower while you and I... register for the guard." Amara smirked, tickled by her own idea. "We'll walk right up to them and tell them our attentions. That we're here to volunteer to kill all those that stand in our way for the greater good. They'll just assume that we're talking about them."


"This woman is scary." The Wraith whispered to Gunnar. "I like her."


"-Then... While we're getting in position deep in the thick of them, you two." She said, leaning back and looking at both Balor and Sinna. "You will also be getting into position at the tower by any means necessary. Whether that be conjuring your abilities whatever they may be or using that sharp tongue of your's more it matters not to me. If you can not make it up there quietly than the idea of capturing this man alive is out the window. If you are compromised we'll have to go loud and once you capture the captain he'll most likely spring the alarm. We need to have a way to signal if that is happening. Perhaps you can conjure a sign of some sort."


"I can have my wraith follow them." Gunnar said, surprising the elf. "He can follow them and on the chance they need help or get compromised he can alert me and tell me it's time to go."


"Perfect... Necras huh?" Amara smirked, "Our gods are very good friends. Without death, War would be pointless. No blood would be spilled. No peace could be had." Her viewpoint was rather close minded and while Gunnar agreed with her to a degree, he could already feel that her and Balor were going to be bashing heads at any given moment maybe even more so than him and Moira. Amara also felt the same. "And a Sombros with a Prisma... We're quite the sight." They were moments away from entering the Citadel, sure enough, one of the entrances were open for volunteers. No one expected an attack on such a fortified location, especially one with as many armed men as they possessed. "Okay you two. You can either follow us in or find a different path but once we're inside we have to act quickly. Every stray moment is a moment he can either get away or alarm this entire place. If you fail, more people will die." She added, knowing that Balor in particular would hold that importantly given the goddess he followed. "See you on the other side."
 
"Sinna." Sinna corrected, upon being called 'Shade Girl'. It was a name that she had taken on often, though one that she didn't particularly identify with. That, and not being able to identify each other amongst the thick of it was a disadvantage she didn't care to have. Really, being on Amara's team at all was a disadvantage she cared not for, but it wasn't as if the mission would last forever. For then, she gritted her teeth and bared it.


Then, they departed from each other. It wasn't really up in the air which of the two options presented would be chosen; by the Shade girl's body language (which consisted of readily moving in the opposite direction from Gunnar and Amara) it was evident that she hadn't particularly favored staying with them long. Gunnar himself was fine, albeit a bit intimidating, but the Onyx-Ichor elven woman was an entirely different beast. Before they could truly depart, however, Balor caught Gunnar's attention.


"Spilling blood ... isn't always the right solution. I know you don't understand this now, but not all of these people here participated on the raid on the church. Some are locals; ones who've attended the very same church for healing. Some want an opportunity to do something good, and from what it sounds like ... some simply don't want to lose their land and their home to the re-occupation effort." he said. "It's not something you want to hear. It's easy to kill when you demonize your enemies."


His eyes shifted to Amara's, those of which had grown dim with impatience.


"I sense a good man in you. Keep him." he said, before leaving off with Sinna. Then, when they had broken distance between each other, the Ifrit girl spoke out.


"I don't like her." she murmured. "She's going to get us seen or killed. Do you ... really think this is a good idea, though? Capturing him?" she asked, knowing well what the answer from him would be. Of course. "He ... nearly killed you, and Orin. And one of his guards nearly killed me. I just -"


"We have to try. Life is valuable. That's a concept that's hard to understand for the Shade, simply because your lives aren't valued like others' are. I don't want you and your brother to lose that part of yourself. You won't get it back. Trust me that I know that personally." he said, grimly.


"I know." Sinna said. "Anyway, I want to go along with your plan, if only just to stick it to her." she said, sticking her tongue out slightly. "But you might want to include Orin a little more ... I'm not sure how, but ... maybe it's just twintuition, but he might lose himself if he's left behind again."


The two of them left off from the others, Sinna placing her hand onto Balor's shoulder and dissipating him from view as she had done before. Her mana was wearing thin after getting them through the city itself into the bar, but it was what she could do. Soon, four became two, and Gunnar and Amara were off to cause a distraction. They started off by creeping readily up to the guard tower, muting their breaths in fear of being caught.
 
"I don't like them." Amara said, almost echoing what Sinna said when they were out of earshot. "They are too soft. Too weak. Even with their home burned and their people kill they still speak of pacifism. Then... trying to guilt a warrior like yourself? These men know what they signed up for. That's on them, not you." She said bitterly, her eyes narrowing as they seen the entrance to the barracks. Several men stood outside it, queuing up to sign up for the militia. "They will turn and run when they see what being on the wrong side means..."


"Are you not going to listen to Balor at all though?" Gunnar asked, although he was one for violence he had a good head and a good heart. Something the majority of his own people lacked. "I don't demonize men, I only do what I must do. But seeing them as nothing but targets... It's a dark way to view the world Amara."


"The world is dark, Gunnar." She fired back defensively. "You know that better than anyone being an Unclaimed. Or me being born under not just one but two forbidden signs. We have to stick to what we do best... Making the world light. Even if that means we have to go a little dark ourselves." Amara was not bothered at all but taking lives, in fact, she seemed to crave it. "My entire life has been a war... Whether or not these people choose to be the next casualties will be up to them and their own decisions. Not all life is precious. Some is meant to be snuffed out by the strong to make way for the good."


"Fair enough." He replied as they drew in closer to the barracks. They were still currently in the courtyard, having long lost where Sinna and Balor had ran off to. Gunnar silently instructed his Wraith to follow, keeping a close eye on them even when they were apart and couldn't communicate. A guard raised his hands up to them, a friendly wave. He was sitting next to the entrance of the barracks so Gunnar enthusiastically walked up and returned the wave. "Hey there friend. This the place to sign up for the militia?" He smirked, "Heard there have been some Shades being slain around here. I want in."


"Do you now, human? Funny... Heard reports of a human slaughtering some of our boys a few days ago at that church we burnt down. Seems convenient two of your kind are around these parts." The Ifrit guard snorted, a ring of smoke bellowing from his nostrils. "You know him?"


"Hunting him." Gunnar replied coolly. "There's not many of us out here. Going against the Central government paints us all bad. I was traveling with my friend here and we heard of an Unclaimed getting out of line so... We're here to sign up. Whether that be until we capture and kill him or... until we are needed elsewhere." He was handling himself well, that was until Amara started to laugh. "What is it Am-"


"We just came to kill Shades. This human target is of no importance to Gunnar here unless it's important to you. We're hired swords, meant for taking out those who oppose the general populace. We're normally mercenaries but the well has run dry here and some official work such as this would be good for us." She smirked, "Can we come in? Or are an Elf and a Human too odd of volunteers? We may be outlanders but we bring more fight than most of those men registering. We could be a great help."


The guard starred at Amara for a moment, the tall woman towering over him. Eventually, he stammered out, "You are fucking scary, lady. Head on in." As they were walking by he whispered to Gunnar, "Watch yourself around her, mate. I can tell the crazy ones just by looking at 'em." With that knowledge, they got in line with the others and awaited to speak with the guard captain's lieutenant. There was a slim chance that they would be accepted into their ranks but at the very least they'd be in a tactical position to cause mayhem.
 
Sinna and Balor made their way toward the tower entrance, standing a decent amount away from it to allow two guards decked in Central armor to exit. It was a changing of guards; signalling that the day had come to its marked end and the night would soon follow. The others, who had last taken their place, signalled their exhaustion with a weary, satisfied sigh. They exchanged pleasantries with each other that couldn't be heard by the two. However, before they had the chance to fully cement their positions in front of the tower and remained distracted for a short time, Sinna pulled Balor forward, hand still clasped against his shoulder.


Both of them held their breath as they slipped right behind the guards, Balor having a much harder time with the feat after having been injured. Sinna walked like she was a shadow herself, even conscientious of the fray of her clothing, certain that it didn't brush against anyone or anything. It was from years of experience in the manner, and even the way she pushed Balor along was reminiscent of how she'd led Orin along, at one point grabbing for the fabric of his alchemy bag in order to stop it from bumping against the guard.


And then they were clear.


...


Gunnar and Amara were an odd sight; while it wasn't really entirely uncommon to see elves - in fact, they were one of the more populous races - she had a command to her that not many of the race did. A brutishness that only ever presented itself in the posture of orcs. She and Gunnar, standing neatly in a line, had actually had a relatively similar demeanor. One that made the regular volunteers shy away and look meager, despite the fact that nearly all of them had been able-bodied men and women.


"Next!" the assistant to the Lieutenant called, a dossier in his hand with many slots open for a scrawl of new names. The assistant fronted the line, as the Lieutenant eyed all of them like fresh meat, lingering particularly hard on Gunnar and Amara. They were there for many reasons; some of them didn't want to lose their homes in the upcoming reposession of the town, others felt threatened by a force they had been taught was evil; the Shade, and then others simply wanted the glory of it.


As the assistant called each person up, and dwindled the line further and further, the Lieutenant's eyes curiously rested on the human and the elf, narrowing. He whispered a word to the guard next to him, pointing a pinky out at them.


...


As Sinna and Balor began to ascend the stairs of the tower, Sinna whispered a word to her mentor. "Bal ... I think I'm running low on mana. We have to make this quick - hurry." she said, with desperation, as she shut her eyes tight and allowed Balor to lead while she concentrated on landing her feet on the stairs and keeping them shaded. Right on time, a gnomish man draped in regal Central garb but without the armored visage of a guard began to make his way past them.


Something was wrong. Sharp fey-eyes flitted up toward them, observing the anomaly in place. They both shifted backward, while Sinna strained herself to keep them cloaked. But it was failing.


He reached his hand out with one arm, while the other fell to his side.
 
Gunnar seen the lieutenant and guard almost immediately, a pinky being pointed at him. "Who the fuck raises a pinky?" Gunnar asked Amara, before wiggling his in the air at them whilst smiling. It was hard not to laugh at the comical viking as he pinky-waved at the toe, only for Amara to grab his hand and throw it down before scolding him. She then turned to the guards looking at them and gave them both a firm nod, a gesture they had expected out of Gunnar before he mocked them back. "Hey... just having a little fun here."


"As... funny as that was..." She growled, trying not to be mad at him. "You're raising too much attention doing things like that. I like that you mock your enemy, but I do not like your care free attitude. We are on a mission and-"


"-and we're here to get it done. We're doing that. Let a man have a little fun will you?" He countered. "They probably recognize me." He whispered, stating the cold hard facts. "And while they won't attack right away they will be ready so I suggest you pray to Onyx or whatever you do before battle because..." He smirked, "It's coming. And it won't be long until one of us fucks this up. We're warriors, not diplomats. We-... It's our turn." Finally, the line they had been in reached the desk of the recruiter. Both of the warriors stepped up and the recruiter immediately didn't like what he seen. "Hey there." Gunnar said, breaking the awkward silence knowing that Amara would be content with just starring at the man until he spoke. "I'm Gunnar, this is my uhh... Friend. I use the term lightly. We-"


"-Are warriors. Fighting companions, nothing more. Fighting a war against those who oppose the laws of the land. We're..." She hesitated, doing her best to act with her strengths. "Mercenaries by trade. That well has run dry however." Amara said bitterly, already intimidating the recruiter who had yet to say anything. "We are looking to enlist. We can travel far when we are not needed here, can follow orders to the tee and then some. If you need someone killed, we're the people you summon." A cocky smile crept up on her face, "We hear you have people just like that who need taken care of. We'd be delighted to help."


"I uhh.. We don't usually accept outsiders. With the whole incentive of enlisting being they get to keep their land and then some, we didn't expect-"


"You didn't expect professionals? That's a shame. We thought Central wanted to hold this position, not lose it because some farmer couldn't hold a sword properly."


"It's not that, it's the fact that... We just didn't..." The recruiter let out a sigh, this was not his day. He turned to look at the lieutenant, "Sir? Can I have some help over here. Do we allow outsiders into the militia? They seem pretty confident."

...


"Curious." The gnome said as he fingers barely grazed the cloth of the alchemist's bag. He looked at the tip of his fingers deep in thought, wondering if he was hallucinating. He reached out again and found nothing and chuckled to himself, "Most curious indeed, you old gnome." He had a good laugh, thinking he was going crazy until he heard the slight sound of foot steps. He then turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Ghosts?.... No... No sign of a haunting. No ectoplasm or voices... History of bloodshed but been cleansed recently..." He paused, "Hello?" He called out, "Is anyone there?... Hello?" When no one answered he thankfully looked past Balor and Sinna, just narrowly avoiding seeing her cloak fade for a brief moment.


Two guards walked down the hall towards the gnome, making him let out a sigh of relief.


"I thought I was going mad for a moment!" He said to one of the guards who was laughing at the small gnome calling out like that. "Thought we were being haunted! Heard footsteps, swore I felt a specter with my fingers."


"'Ow in the 'ell are youse gonna feel a ghost wit' yer hands?" The rather large Ifrit replied. "Silly gnome. Yew know you can't touch ghosts!"


"I swore it was there!" He replied back, "You never know when-" The gnome went pale as he seen a ghostly apparition behind one of the guards. Its face was long decayed, long streaks of spectral hair coming out of the top of its skull hung down in the wraith's face. His mouth was half rotten, barely hanging on by the seem as the wraith let out a ghostly howl toward the gnome that invaded his mind. The gnome screamed as loud as he could and began sprinting down the stairs, both of the guards turning just to see the ghost and ran themselves. No one there was equipped to take on a ghost, at least not those three. The Wraith narrowly saved both Balor and Sinna as her cloak fell. It was the first they had seen of the wraith and his ghastly appearance, though they could swear he was smiling at him as he vanished back to his own realm.
 
A dissatisfied grunt came out from the top of the stairwell as the sound of the gnome shrieking filled the spiral stairway. The sound of an angry man slamming against a writing desk had filled the air as what could only have been assumed to be the Captain stood from his place inside of his room in order to walk toward the doorway. They were in trouble; if it wasn't for the yelling and screaming then the Captain might have even been complacent inside of his room.


But he wasn't.


The Lamian Captain stood at the top of the stairwell, grabbing his sword from the side of the door. He was unarmored, then; after all, it was an uncomfortable setup and dealing with dignitaries didn't require being in full suit. Underneath, he didn't look like the typical Lamia, though not many Lamia did. Notorious for perverting magic and mutation, the Captain was tall and imposing, with red skin like the Ifrit and whitened hair that contrasted against it. Scars littered his face like decoration, from the inner part of his eye to his lower lip. The man who Balor thought could be redeemed.


The two of them looked back down the stairwell; it had been cleared for just then, thankfully, but it very might well not stay that way for long. Seeing no other way than up, Balor brought his hood over his eyes, knowing well that he'd be identified in the very same moment that they had seen each other. His counterpart lifted his hand, illuminating the darkening hallway with a flame emanating from his hand. The very same one he had used to burn down the forest.


Conversely, Balor had his own.


"Sinna." he said, a light appearing into his palm. Soft as a candle, it didn't grow until the Shade girl turned around, covering her eyes. He rarely tried to use magic, though in those recent days, it seemed like he'd been using it more and more. He ascended the stairs, slipping a vial into one of his hands while the other raised up as if holding a lantern. Then, they had caught each other's eyes.


And then a flash of bright white light filled the area. A groan emanated from the Shade girl, despite covering her eyes. Balor wasn't affected, but the hoarse, anger-filled shout of a man caught by surprise had filled the empty stairwell. Almost instinctively, and with no other way to go, the Captain bolted toward Balor - or at least, where he had seen him - fire in hand. The small sound of shattering glass filled the air as Balor's bottle snapped in his hand, filling the air with a gas that seemed to obfuscate all of the sounds around it.


...


The Lieutenant looked to Amara and Gunnar, eyes settling on the latter. He approached the human, smiling a somewhat arrogant, cocky smile. He reached out, placing a hand onto Gunnar's shoulder. A slight amount of recognition flickered in his eyes as he looked upon them both.


"Your broad sure knows how to talk. That your woman? Gotta get her to talk for you, human?" he asked, a man obviously known for toying with his men. He gave a throaty, hoarse laugh, and it almost seemed as if all was well. Perhaps his eyes had simply been set upon a group of warriors that he'd deemed formidable. "That's okay. We don't need you to talk, here. Said you can obey orders? Not gonna be a thief vagabond that runs off with my armor if I give it to ya, are ya?" he asked, gruff and serious.


"Enlisting with the guard is serious. This ain't no one-off, and you shouldn't be thinking you can shop around like a mercenary after you sign up with us. We don't take kindly to those who take our training and just run off with it, see? That seem like a fair deal to you?" he asked, hand still on Gunnar's shoulder, eyes searching for defiance amongst them both.


Nothing.


"Say. You look familiar." he said, other hand coming to the hilt of his blade. The hand that had been on Gunnar's shoulder suddenly reared back, slapping him where he'd seen a human - similar in build to Gunnar - be absolutely pincushioned with arrows. It was a test of sorts; if he'd passed it and not shown a semblance of pain, then he'd be fine.


Otherwise, they had certainly garnered the attention of those others in the room, after all.
 
As the Captain fired in Balor and Sinna's general direction whilst he was blinded he soon found that his voice was muted as well as his attacks. It was a confusing turn of events, being blind and what he initially thought was deafness. It was as if they were in a bubble now, one that blocked all of the sounds from the inside and ensured that nothing outside of it escaped. Dazed, confused and alone the Captain's muted cries as he rushed forward was all but heard as he tore his way through the blinding light of this special kind of hell. He caught onto what felt like a robe and immediately ignited it, unknowingly grabbing onto Sinna and engulfing her in flames.


The Captain frantically began to fling fire all about the room as his vision returned, the two figures beginning to reappear in his vision only for him to get hit with another blast of light causing him to curse as the top room of the tower engulfed into flames. This was no longer a stealth mission as the flames shot out of the sides of the tower, smoke bellowing from the windows as it was practically a signal to the heavens what was going on inside the top of the tower. Soon to recuperate the Captain shielded his eyes and engulfed himself into a shield of flames, allowing the fire to give him a moment to breath un-attacked and hopefully signal for help from outside.


However, those outside had ran into their own problems.


...


"No... what? Amara? She is no-"


"I am his." Amara said, strolling up alongside Gunnar and placing her hand on his side gently. "And he is mine. Meaning, I am getting rather jealous with you touching him the way you do. I know humans are quite the foreign attraction to many but that does not mean you can take mine." She swatted the lieutenant's hand off of Gunnar's back just before he reached a rather tender spot from the arrow wounds he endured. "Isn't that right, babe?" She said, looking up to Gunnar who looked absolutely confused and a bit conflicted with what was going on. He was a loyal man, with Amara getting a little too close for comfort he wanted to back away but she was having to cover for him. The strangest part was she had no idea of his injuries, a lucky coincidence as the lieutenant was moments away from exposing Gunnar.


"Is that so, Human?" The Lieutenant scoffed. "Here I thought your kind stuck to its own. Mixing with other races ehh? She wear the pants in the relationship? Elf lady here looks like she'd eat you for breakfast." The guards around him laughed, "I bet she does. We don't usually allow lovers in our ranks as my men would get a little envious of the love making in the barracks but as long as they can watch I am sure they wouldn't mind. Right boys?" The men laughed at Gunnar and Amara, the latter of which was growing tired of being not only objectified but humiliated by this man. Her patience was thin enough as it was. "I say all of that in jest. Just a weird sight, had to say somethin'." He grunted, "So. The broad and the dirty looking human want to enlist? First you have to prove-"


"I don't have to prove shit." Amara replied with a scowl on her face. "Actually, I can give you some proof. Here... Let me show you."


"Ahh? Right. Don't get jealous human, I think she likes-" A guttural sound escaped the lieutenant's throat as Amara's hand literally transformed before his eyes. Her gauntleted fist had transformed into a shiny metal spike, one that rose up from her elbow to a sharp point seemingly out of no where. The physical transformation was nearly instant as Amara's hand mutated into the weapon, that very same spiked hand jabbing up underneath the lieutenant's chin and out the top of his head. Brain matter and bits of skull fragment exploded out of the top of his head like confetti, celebrating the beginning of what would be the most gruesome battle this citadel had ever seen.


The guards around were all stunned, not quite believing what they had just witnessed until Gunnar headbutted the nearest man next to him as Amara ripped her metal spike out of the lieutenant's head with a satisfying crunch. Gunnar was without his wraith for the moment so he grabbed the stunned soldier's sword out of its scabbard and impaled him with it, that very same action waking the other guards up as they all crashed in on their position. They were at a massive disadvantage, having to fight so many in such a closed space. Suddenly the Citadel became alive as the tip of the tower erupted into flames, Gunnar's wraith returning as quickly as it could as the action in the barracks began. He defended himself with a standard weapon long enough, flinging it into the mass of soldiers as his wraith generated an axe and a short sword for close encounters, both appearing in Gunnar's hands. Just in time too as he countered a rushing soldier's attack, pushing them back and fleeing back to the courtyard with Amara at the lead.


As they made it outside the soldiers followed suit, shooting arrows at them only for Amara to generate a shining metal shield out from her other arm that she used to deflect such shots. She glanced at Gunnar and seen now why he had not chosen any weapons, smirking to herself as they both were able to walk in somewhere unarmed while actually being armed the entire time.


"Stand with me Viking. Prove your worth in the eyes of Onyx and Ichor!"
 
A gasp escaped Sinna's mouth as her robes caught fire. Her hands went to try to shove the fire off as if it had been some kind of dust, but she soon realized that the magical flames he had conjured were no ordinary flames. They stuck like glue, traveling up her side and catching to her arm as the magical wildfire spread to every available source, other than the Captain himself. Now, he was in a cocoon of fire, and while he certainly wouldn't have preferred to have been in such a situation ... he was certainly on the winning end.


After the second flash, the Captain kept his eyes averted, instead pushing forward toward Balor and Sinna with hands jetting magical flame. He sounded a roar, which had still been eerily muted, despite the rampaging chaos around them. Ringing filled all of their ears as the sound slowly returned, the ringing soon replaced with the horribly loud sound of crackling fire. Both Sinna and Balor were forced backwards. The poor Sinna's robe was conflagarated, however, and she was getting more heated by the moment, as well as more distressed.


The flames traveled up to her arm, burning the flesh and putting out a sickening smell into the air. She screamed out, unable to hush herself any longer, and unfortunately also unable to rip off the clothing that was burning into her. Balor noticed this, but quickly realized that extinguishing it wouldn't mean anything if they had all burned alive. Then, before the flames could travel to her face, they dissipated.


Eyes and fingertips blackening, Sinna's voice contorted, become almost hollow in nature. The flames around both she and Balor seemed to dissipate almost like waves, disintegrating as if they had never existed in the first place. Showing the Captain just why they all had hated Shades so much. Justifying his actions, as the magical fire disappeared with her at its root, Void emanating away from her. She was still burnt, her clothes still singed, but down to his very hands, the fire wicked away.


Seeing this, he brought his sword up, more than intending on using it to maim the two of them as Sinna fell to a knee on the stairs and Balor reached for his own weapon, pulling it out at just the right moment to parry the sword to the side - at the cost of cutting his hand - and jutting his hand for the Captain's eyes. If he was afraid to use his magic before, then now he was an entirely new man, as he'd grasped onto the Captain's helmet and even through his tight-shut eyelids, sent out a surge of light that seemed to melt the man's corneas to the backs of his eyelids. He screamed out, reaching up instinctively for his eyes.


"I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU AS SOON AS I SAW YOU WERE GLASS!" He screamed, swinging his sword out and catching nothing at all. Desperate, the Captain tried to wick flames to his hands again, but to no avail, as the Shaded Ifrit girl stopped all chance of that happening. If only for a moment longer.


It was easy to disarm him from there.


...


Outside, the guards were torn between two sights. One: a forbidden blood magic user generating weapons from her body and what could only be assumed as the renegade human in the attack on the forest, and two: the sight of the outlook tower where their Captain had lied, bursting into flames, and then bursting back into nothingness. The locals that had originally intended on signing up for the force were soon flabbergasted, and then filled with fear. Unarmed, they took away from the volunteer area, tearing back out into the streets to hide.


The guards had a different story to spin. Gunnar and Amara had an eerie moment of quiet as the auxillary guards ran from their stations to grab weapons and forcibly take back the cause. After that was a different story. However, their position ... wasn't the best. Back to back, they would soon be swarmed from every angle in which an armory sat.
 
"Are Sinna and Balor alright?" Gunnar asked as the calm before the storm waned on longer than he'd like. He wanted this to be over with, for the bloodshed to stop. Something Balor had said before leaving really resonated with him, that some of these people were just looking to protect their homes. To stay there. He had already seen the travesties caused by Central and those who hunted down the Forbidden signs. To find out that not only they were being hunted, but normal citizens could be effected by these people too just because they could? It enraged him. It enraged him beyond belief that no one was doing anything about them and he was just now learning about what went on in the abyss.


"Yes... They are more capable than we previously thought." The Wraith whispered. "How is this... elf?..."


"Fucking. Crazy." Gunnar replied, before snapping back to reality and seeing that there was some movement going on inside the citadel. They weren't in the ideal position but it seemed like Amara wanted this. She craved open battle like this, not to cower but to face their enemy head on with no fear whatsoever. "You got a little handsy there earlier. What is it with you people here that's into us humans?" He said, completely avoiding the conversation of the battle as there was nothing to say on the matter. "First Moira, now you? I'm a married man, lady."


"As if I would actually be into you... Only a true warrior could catch my eye. You're a start, but you're too goofy. Too weak. Your wife is an unlucky lady." Amara snorted, laughing at the idea. "I was just trying to save your ass, not get into your pants. Many find your species exotic... It's just a fetish big guy, don't feel special. Your haircut is dumb, your beard is distracting and your body isn't ideal. Too much ale, huh?"


"Wow... you're a bitch!" Gunnar said, laughing as he did so. Even Amara smirked back at him. "Alright then Amara... If you really think that. Let's have a competition."


"Oh? Is the viking feeling self conscious now? Have to puff out your chest and prove your superior? I am a harbinger a war, a bringer of death and pain. You can't possibly think that my sole purpose... my whole reason for existence... You think you can best me in any way in combat? You are foolish, Gunnar of Veldard."


"I might be foolish lady, but you overestimate yourself. I bet I'll have more kills than you at the end of this battle. Whoever does..." He thought to himself for a moment what a good bet could bet. They heard the thundering of armored boots now, it was only a matter of time before the battle erupted. "Is the better warrior. Until the next time if we fight alongside eachother again. Deal?" As soon as he asked the doors to the barracks and several other doors around the courtyard burst open. Dozens and dozens of guards began to pour out from every nook and cranny.


"DEAL!" She roared, jumping high into the air and plummeting straight down into the middle of the group of soldiers that had retreated to the armory. She began to manipulate their armor in a way that betrayed them, ripping holes in the metal armor from a distance before ramming her blade directly into them. Gunnar grinned as she took on the main force, his strategy for winning a lot different as he charged at the others who were forming up along the walls. The viking tore up along the walls, jumping off the wall itself and swinging his axe to catch the edge of it in a mighty leap. He tore himself over the side and was face to face with the archers who all seemed to cower at the mighty viking before them. He smirked as they began to retreat back to fire from a far, only to be riddled with throwing axes.


One by one the archers fell until Gunnar's count had already become double of what Amara had been able to do on the ground. Both her arms had transformed into long and incredibly sharp blades now, her armor coated in her enemy's blood as she dodged and countered with deadly precision. These men weren't ready for either Gunnar nor Amara, they had the power of numbers but they were terribly under trained. They were perfect at hunting those who couldn't fight back, when it came down to fighting actual trained warriors however it was a bloodbath. Amara roared as she cleaved her way into man after man, tearing through armor like it was nothing and connecting with flesh time and time again.


The fires above raged on harder, causing Gunnar to fight harder just incase they needed him above. Soon, the archers had either fled or were dealt with, a few arrows piercing the lone viking but thankfully the light armor he was wearing stopped them before they could pierce his skin. He then noticed something peculiar, Amara was being overrun. It only made sense, being there an entire hunting party against one woman. It was natural she would be over run, she was powerful but not no demi-god nor god. With a mighty leap, Gunnar jumped from the wall and plummeted down to the ground. His wraith pushed him further, sending Gunnar right into the mound of enemies as he too began to cleave his way in to assist Amara. The constant brutality of losing their brothers and sisters left and right was too much for some, volunteers bursting out of the pile to retreat.


No one could believe their eyes as both Gunnar and Amara brute forced their way through an entire platoon, dozens and dozens dying at their hands as both warriors showed no signs of slowing down or stopping.
 
Once the Captain had been violently blinded - an action that Balor wasn't particularly proud of: nor, he figured, would incur favor with his God - then came the relatively simple manner of waiting until he had stopped thrashing in order to blindside him with the blunt side of the Central dagger that the Alchemist had acquired. In a moment, and with some admittedly unfair tactics, Balor and Sinna had reduced the Captain to a blinded, hurt man. The Alchemist - who had also gotten stray burns from the encounter - and the Shade girl - whose arm had been washed in a painful burn and whose body was then completely devoid of mana - began making work in order to pull the Captain down the stairs. It wasn't nice, nor was it graceful, but the disoriented Captain was forced to play along regardless.


At the base of the tower, Sinna and Balor pulled the Captain out into the open. There, they had seen the true havoc that Amara and Balor had been causing. A havoc which had kept them safe from being assaulted themselves, but one that caused Balor to stop and look out. Enraged but panicked, the two of them began to shuffle the Captain into the shadows and toward the gates of the encampment. As he did, Balor looked back toward the onslaught, wondering briefly if the two of them would even know to stop. Or if they would get trapped. He briefly considered helping them, but knew well that it'd lead to the deaths of them both; neither he or Sinna were as considerably armed, and they had both quickly taken upon wounds.


Sinna herself was looking bad, though she was doing her best in the breathlessness and pain of her own situation to focus on the task at hand. Through the burnt sheer of the fabric on her arm, a long burn peeked through. She looked up to Balor, pausing for a moment, herself. "Do we ... help them?" she asked.


"They can handle themselves. Maybe." he said, grim. "Are you okay?" he asked, a brief expression of concern passing his face. There wasn't much time for it, not then, but it came through regardless. Sinna gave a brief, pain-filled nod, betraying how she'd actually felt. She looked with worry to where Gunnar and Amara were fighting; where shouts filled the air. "I trust that the wraith will inform them. And they chose their path. If we help them now we could very well be killed." he grumbled.


"Orin isn't going to forgive us if we leave Gunnar behind and he dies." Sinna said, teeth gritted.


Balor pursed his lips, looking hard to the crowd that had only seemed to grow by the moment, swarming the two of them. They were making good headway, but a full-scale defensive platform was being constructed. The light mage raised a hand, a brilliant flash of white appearing in the corner of Gunnar's and Amara's vision. It had given away their location, but the soldiers had bigger things to worry about then, than a speck of light across the way. His signal done, Balor grabbed the Captain, who still struggled a slight amount, and pulled him.


"Go ahead of us, Sinna." he said. "I can carry him, and you need treated. Take the bag."
 
A massive flash of white illuminated the afternoon sky, the massive flaming tower even outshone by such a magnificent beacon of pure light. While Amara completely ignored the signal, much too busy deep in the thick of it with a wild smile on her face, Gunnar noticed said beacon. His eyes met with Balor and he gave the Lamia a firm nod, only to get knocked in the head by a shield. He crashed to the ground, his head ringing and pounding as the sudden attack caught him completely off guard. Gunnar rolled out of the way just in time only to be inches away from being impaled by a sword. He looked up and seen its owner retract the blade from the ground only to slam it down again, this time being met with a shiny metal limb that caught it directly. The blade soon melted in Amara's hand as she absorbed the metal directly, grinning wildly at the man holding the blade before bashing him in the head with her own before laughing down at Gunnar.


"You look good on your back, Viking. Stay there, let the real warrior finish this!" She taunted, deflecting four sword swipes by encasing her whole arm in metal, the blades bouncing off like they were nothing. To her horror however, the hunters were getting smarter. Soon a volley of fire blasts from several mages all hit Amara, the corrupted flames super heating her metal to unbearable temperatures almost in an instant as she dove away practically hissing at the flames. Gunnar realized that while the self proclaimed harbinger of death was a monster when it came to fighting soldiers, heat was her worst enemy as the very metal she used was mixed with her blood. Super heating her was as if a blacksmith was reforging metal, the heat completely overwhelming Amara.


Gunnar dove in the way of the flames and shouldered the attack, his armor thankfully bouncing most of it off as he generated a massive spectral shield he shoved into the ground in front of Amara. Then, he spun around, twin swords appearing in his hands as he began to fend off the soldiers that were swarming the downed Amara. She glared at Gunnar from the ground as her arms were glowing red until finally they cooled down after he had taken out a few of the more ballsy warriors who had attacked their position.


"I'm not going to thank you." She spat, kicking down the shield and immediately stabbing one of the mages that had struck her. "You are not... going to... win..." She grunted as she repelled soldiers that were taking swipes at them both. They were soon encased in a massive ring of the remaining soldiers, their numbers dwindling as many were still fleeing but enough to make Gunnar's and Amara's stand a foolish one especially with Balor, Sinna and their captive long gone. "We will kill them all we-" She once again, got struck by flames that caused her to take cover behind Gunnar like a wounded animal. He roared as he swiped into the air, deflecting fire blasts as best he could with his blades in a crazy turn of events.


"We have to leave." Gunnar grunted, getting pelted with magic that he had no means to defend against. The flames that tickled him continued to burn long after they had vanished, a version of fire magic that he had never encountered before. Adrenaline kept the pain low but if Gunnar was speaking of pulling back that meant things were getting more dire by the second. Before Amara could protest Gunnar grabbed onto her and tackled his way through the troops that had gathered behind them to their surprise, breaking through their lines while Gunnar and Amara both only received some bruises and scrapes from charging through. He shoved her out of the way just in time to parry a sword strike and decapitate a soldier that had nearly got him, he had only been centimeters from getting his own head torn off. "MOVE!" He shouted to Amara as she regretfully moved towards the exit in defeat.


That's when they spotted them.


Two horse drawn buggies came tearing out of the citadel headed straight for Sinna and Balor's position. They had only left minutes ago, there was no possible way they could have gotten far enough away from their pursuers. Assisted by the wraith, Gunnar reacted with super human speed. A spear formed from the other side, the sharp tipped spectral weapon appearing out of thin air. Gunnar tightened his grip around the spear shaft and hurled it with all his might towards the lead buggy. The spear was effected by the elements much like a normal one, thus it began to fall due to the world's gravitational pull. It was a direct hit, the spear piercing the buggy's driver. The horses were steered haphazardly on the road so hard they fell, the wagon filled with soldiers behind them crashing to the paved road hard. Then, the buggy behind them collided directly into the wreckage. Metal and horses collided as the troops in the middle were flattened, many men and animals losing their lives in the high speed collision.


"Holy shit!" Gunnar said, amazed at what he was capable of doing with the assistance of the Wraith who admired his handy work silently. Amara's face went blank as she seen first hand she lost their competition, bowing her head in disappointment as she continued to run out of the citadel. With the gates wide open it was simple, it was only a matter of getting back to Moira's without the entire town's army on them. "RUN!" Gunnar shouted, bolting out of the walled, chaotic fortress as he trailed behind Amara.
 
Sinna and Balor both seemed to flinch as the caravan in front of them exploded into a show of broken bones, blood, and death. As Gunnar shouted for them all to run, Balor pulled the Captain into an alley. While he wanted nothing more than to escape them all, following them while attempting to drag along the inert body of their target wasn't optimal, to say the very least. He looked up to Sinna and the others, knowing that if he had been caught behind, it'd mean either slow or instant death. "Sin," he said, "Go with them! I'll meet you all at Moira's."


"But how are you going to-"


"I'll take the long way!" he nearly shouted, causing her to flinch. "Now isn't the time for questions, just GO!" he roared, knowing well that while Sinna might be able to hide herself in a pinch, there was no way that she would be able to assist him with hiding the Captain. He dragged the man onto a shoulder, grunting painfully in the process as he pushed his own body to the absolute limit. Sinna gave a brief, panicked nod. After all, she was barely an adult, and having to make snap decisions that could very well cost the lives of others wasn't her forte.


She took off as fast as her legs could take her, joining Gunner and Amara, who on account of the crashed carriages still had a significant headstart on everyone. Her hands fizzled out as she'd tried to cloak herself, realizing soon that the small well of mana that she had had was completely dry. She was trailing behind Gunnar and Amara slightly, having both been injured, exhausted, and shorter than the both of them. They were, however, making good headway.


As soon as Sinna broke off from him, Balor took upon the heavy task of standing with the Captain. His hand raised as he began casting a spell; a type of which he'd only used under incredibly dire circumstances. Under the cover of night, his guise began to shift. Of course, it wasn't truly changing, but under the guiding force of Prisma, the Lamian man was able to bend light in order to mask his appearence. Dividing his attention between concentrating on keeping up the appearence of a man not carrying a body on his shoulder - not covered in burns and blood - and stepping forward. He was lost in the cover of night, just another man traveling throughout the city, trying to escape the chaos of what was happening in the tower.


"What did you guys do?!" Sinna cried, between gasps for air. She pointed off to the side, revealing the particularly nasty mark on her arm. "There, there - we can duck into an alley. This way will take us back to Moira's." she said, having been through town a few times, herself. A lone crystal lamp, shattered by something or another, had flickered off a long while ago and aided their escape into darkness. It was a subject that Sinna had been particularly well-versed on, and while neither of the other two particularly wanted to hide, they didn't really have a choice, either.


"Bal said he's going to meet us at Moira's." she said, breathlessly. For an instant, she regretted leaving him behind, even if it was on his own order.


The sound of heavy footsteps sounded throughout the city, hinting that despite all that they had killed, the hunt had still been on.
 
"We should be fighting them... Head on..." Amara groaned, holding her side from the massive cramp in it from running so quickly. She was injured all around, the flames from the hunters reducing her to simply a wounded warrior he couldn't do much else. Gunnar had a few stab wounds and some scratches, nothing new to the viking however. Luckily his armor sparred him from the archer's, otherwise he would be in the exact same position he was in just days ago. "Gunnar... Sha-... Sinna. If we are to get to Moira's we have to move. As much as I-AH!" She bit her lip as she repressed her pain, she was no stranger to it but there was something rather vicious from the Lamia's flames she hadn't encountered before. "As much as I want to stay and fight we are out numbered... We almost took out an entire base..." She said panting, pride in her voice. "I can live with that."


"You're going to have to." Gunnar said, peaking around the corner to find that the remaining hunters were spreading out and looking for them alley by alley. "We have to move. Sinna." He smiled at her, "Thank you for not leaving me. Us. I'll take care of the rest, you two move on ahead. I got the rear."


"Typical man." Amara actually joked back, limping ahead down the alleyway as Sinna followed. The thunderous sound of heavy footsteps were all around them but miraculously they hadn't been found just yet. Amara reached the end of the alleyway and halted, letting a group of guards run past them on the streets and went down the main road in search for them. She nodded forward, signaling both Sinna and Gunnar to follow as they crossed the street and entered yet another alleyway, the lights above being taken care of by Sinna even with the little mana she had remaining. Amara was also running low, her energy and usual brutish demeanor gave way for a more gentle person, one that was looking out for Sinna in particular as they moved. She knew Gunnar could take care of himself and Sinna was injured, she favored the Ifritian girl as she ordered her when to stop, when to go and when it was safe.


"Almost there." Gunnar said, recognizing the neighborhood they were in after a long and tense half hour of running around the city. They had cut it incredibly close to getting caught numerous times, alarm bells were ringing loudly filling the air with nearly non-stop ringing. The bells were put in place to signal an attack on the Citadel and hadn't been rung since the wars of old, now that they were going off half the people in town knew what to do so the streets had luckily been evacuated immediately. "Hang in there." He whispered to the girls, unbelievably tired himself but wanting to ensure that they both got back to Moira's alive. At this pace Balor either just beat them or was falling behind because as soon as they arrived in the bar the door shut soundly behind them. "Fuck me." Gunnar said, wiping his brow as he seen the door magically seal behind him.


Business was closed luckily, the almost derelict bar on the surface looking not so inviting to any of them there. The relief of being safe once again was immeasurable however, the quest they just endured far more dangerous and exhausting than they previously had thought. Amara took a seat at the bar before traveling down to Moira's sanctuary, motioning over for Gunnar to pour her a drink from one of the few bottles of alcohol that had been left unlocked. The viking vaulted over the table and pulled out three glasses and placed them on the table, followed by grabbing the strongest whiskey he could find and poured the three of them a drink. Amara immediately downed her's and pointed for another, coughing as she did.


"That is the best damn drink I've ever had..." She said, staring at the glass as Gunnar poured her the second before he even got a chance to drink his first. He too, downed his and let out a similar expression.


"You got that right..." He looked over to Sinna and smirked, "You look old enough to me, I don't want to hear that Balor bullshit of it stunting your growth. One drink won't kill ya, but I won't force you. More for me if you do."


"Or me." Amara replied quickly, rubbing her eyes as she said so. "We should probably go downstairs... Check in to see if Balor and the package arrived."
 
Sinna grasped for the glass wordlessly, knowing well that even if Balor had been there, her drinking would be the last of their problems. She threw it back, instantly coughing as it scorched her throat. She stood, looking to the exit as she clasped a burnt hand to her mouth. Then, they all heard a massive thud. It rose their attentions from the alcohol to what had been going on. The reality was that Balor had been injured, lugging the body of the Captain across town, switching between too exhausted to keep up the illusion or straining himself to do so. Sinna had been attempting to ignore the pain, and for the most part either due to adrenaline or willpower, she had.


Her shot downed, they traveled downstairs.


They saw the collapsed form of Balor, just enough strength in him to bodily drop the Captain to the floor and then collapse to his knees himself. If Moira wanted submission, she had it. Amazingly still alive, the lot of them had all soon convened in the lobby of the downstairs, stealing the words of everyone who had been in the room. A lone Shade broke away from the group, rushing back to inform Moira that they all had arrived.


Orin burst into the room, unsure of what was happening but knowing well that it was bad. The smell of burnt flesh and blood lingered on the air. "Bal?" He asked, stepping into the lobby.


"Orin ... you don't need to see this." Balor breathed, as Sinna came down behind him. In that moment, the Captain had slowly come back to his senses. All except one. Then, screams for assistance, guards, filled the area. He didn't know where he was, a permanently etched vision of white onto his corneas.


"GUARDS! GUARDS! I'M - WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY EYES?!" He screamed, voice hoarse from pain and dry from fire. Orin took a step back, realizing just what was happening. They had come back, successful, but... was what their enemy had said true? A deep sinking feeling rooted itself in the blind boy's stomach as he'd realized that his mentor had bestowed the same terrible fate he had been forced to experience on another.


Balor was too tired to respond, nearly collapsing beside the other man.


"Sin? Is everyone there? Is everyone okay?" Orin asked. The Ifrit girl broke away from Gunnar and Amara to go to her brother.


"Everyone's okay. A ... lot of people died. That's the Captain - and Orin, Bal had to do it. Gun and Amara - I don't know what happened, but they -" she was stopped by her brother's hand going to her arm, and she had jerked back in reflexive pain.


"Wait - Sin. Are you hurt?"
 
"You blinded him?" Amara asked, walking around from the entry way to the scene unfolding in the common area of the sanctuary. She let out a chuckle, "That's fucked up." Coming from her that was either a great compliment, or in Balor's case, the biggest insult she could possibly muster. "Should have killed him. Not being able to see would be a hell not worth living." She had no idea of Orin, the boy who stood literally right next to her as she said something incredibly shallow. Even if she had seen him she probably wouldn't have cared too much as she leaned against one of the many pillars in the room and looked on. "What now? Public execution? Parade his body in the streets? We're a bit outnumbered there for now... Should probably wait a while before doing that."


While the Captain belligerently looked around, or at least out of reflex did, Gunnar actually felt a semblance of pity for him. One that came with the stipulation that the Captain was a very bad man and deserved everything he got, especially after what he had done to the escaping Shades and the brothers and sisters of Prisma. He carried his drink from upstairs in hand, bitterly looking down at the Captain who was on his knees before Moira who came walking up to him with a satisfied smile on her face. Gunnar walked over to Balor and assisted the incredibly tired man to his feet, using his own remaining strength to bring the Lamia to his feet and held him up by his shoulders.


"I got you Balor." Gunnar said, smirking. "Looks like you're a little worse for wear than me. Shame I don't got nothing to patch you up with friend." He said, trying to lighten the mood. Unfortunately, lightening the mood would be the least of their worries as Moira stood in front of the Captain now. She glared down at him, expecting a blind man to be able to see back at her. She stomped on his hand and he let out a yelp, tearing his vision towards roughly where she was now that he knew she was there.


"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" He screamed out, his voice guttural and distraught. It was the sound of a wounded and tortured soul, one that was in a heartbreaking amount of pain as he just wanted to be left alone. "I HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG! WHY HAVE YOU DONE THIS TO ME?!" He began to wimper before Moira, "I can't.... I can't see. All I see is a bright light and it holds my whole vision. Please... reverse this curse. I will do anything! ANYTHING!" He pleased out, putting his hands over his eyes as he began to bawl.


"Serves you right - child murderer!" Amara called out, the spectators in the room rallying behind her as she shouted that out. "Did you not think we would have our revenge? We watched as you burnt down an ancient forest, on hallowed ground none-the-less! Now... You have come to pay the price." She said quietly, circling the area before Moira held up her hand. Amara stopped, looking at the Midas woman as she walked forward to the Captain. There was an odd gentleness about her, almost a motherly instinct as she placed her hand on the side of the Captain's face.


"You may have done some bad things... But I may be able to help."


"Please... I will do anything... Just bring me my sight back..." He sobbed like a child, desperate for even just a little help. "I have done bad things... TERRIBLE THINGS! But they'd kill me if I didn't they... They would put me in prison for being a sympathizer and I just... I am so sorry... Please.... Please find it in your heart that you could forgive a man like me! I... I will help rebuild! I will join your cause!" He exclaimed, his tears ceasing as he grasped onto this idea. "I will tell you everything I know! Where Central has garrisoned troops, what towns they plan to fortify next... Anything. I am an open book just please... return my vision."


"Shhh...." Moira whispered, placing her hand on top of the panicking Lamia's head. "I understand. You wish to repent... Rightfully so, ye been a pretty naughty boy 'aven't you?" She smiled, followed by placing her other hand on the top of his head. "I am a Psychic... Under Dowse, I am capable of extraordinary things. Open your mind or I will open it for you... I will see if you speak the truth." The Captain whimpered as he was on the floor, allowing Moira into his mind as he laid at her feet begging for mercy. She searched his mind, reading it as one would read a book, flipping through its pages and memorizing its content for later. As she went through nearly everything he knew her head began to throb, the pain almost unbearable by the time she removed her hands from his head. She rubbed her forehead for a moment, the Midas woman taking in all the knowledge she just received.


"Did I... Am I redeemed?" He asked quietly, his head hurting too after its contents had been so mercilessly ripped through. "You have seen everything I know. I felt it... May I... can I... Can you unblind me now?" The Captain asked, his voice cracking as he spoke. "I would like to gaze upon who would grant me this mercy."


"Certainly." Moira said, pushing the Captain to turn around on his knees. He faced Balor and Gunnar, both with a confused look on their faces. There was no reversing the damage Balor had caused, it was quite impossible even with the level of magic available. "Do you see that?" She whispered to the guard captain. "This is your savior. The one that stands before you."


"But I... I see... nothing at all."


"And you won't. Ever... again..." She whispered, a knife appearing from her sleeve and floating next to his head. With a quick slice, the knife filleted the captain's neck before Balor's eyes. The cut was so precise, so quick that the captain barely even felt a thing. Then, he groaned as blood began to spurt out of the gash and burst to the floor. Even some got caught on Balor and Gunnar as the Captain fell to his hands and knees, choking on his own blood. "Those who would kill children and innocents will not have sanctuary here, sinner... You will not join your god as I assure you, you are not welcome in the afterlife either." Moira said coolly, her warm demeanor vanishing to reveal a woman that would make Amara look decent. "May the souls of those you damned carry you into the afterlife... Kicking and screaming as your sight be permanently stricken from you." She cursed, not knowing fully if such a curse would follow him into the afterlife but hoping it did as the Captain died, right at Balor's feet.
 
As Balor was presented with the form of the sobbing Captain, he couldn't help but feel a deep, nagging shame and regret. Had he had his church, he would have never done such a thing to another person. What they had done was a moot point; he truly had to believe that the horrible being in front of him could be redeemed. He had to. He attempted to face the man with dignity, even as Moira itched away at his spirit. Took his knowledge. A deep seated feeling of dread settled in him as she wished him into the afterlife, and before he could stop it from happening, the man's throat had been slit in front of her.


He watched confusion come into his expression. And then he watched as his expression settled into neutrality. A Lamian man, who he'd seen himself in to some degree, killed before his very eyes. His throat spurted, covering Balor in blood. For a while, the Alchemist watched in horror as everything he had worked to do was quite literally murdered in front of his eyes.


"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" He suddenly screamed, lurching forward to bring the Captain to the ground, clutching at the inside of his neck to stop the blood flow. But he hadn't acted quick enough. Hands covered in blood and burns, Balor tried desperately to stop what was happening, but he failed. Then, the heartbeat of the man had stopped. "Moira, you evil - he was trying to repent! DO YOU KNOW WHAT WAS RISKED?!" He yelled, violent and angry, so much so that Sinna had clasped her hands over her mouth in shock and begun crying at the horrid sight.


"Risk... risk all of our lives, bring a man here, who - I agreed to help you, and -" he stumbled over his words in shock, in disbelief of what had happened. "How ... how dare you, make me forsake my vows, and then kill the person I had risked my life to reform ... right in front of me?" He said, weak.


The sensory overload was too much for the twins, who had both felt horribly hurt by Amara and Moira's comments, just as well as their actions. Sinna stepped away from Orin, dragging him along behind her, and went to pull Balor to his feet. He lashed out, shoving her away and pushing her into her brother. Orin caught her, but he was speechless, and deeply hurt.


"This... isn't excusable." Balor said, grabbing the knife Moira had used to slit the Captain's throat. As the Midas woman observed him, ready to rip the knife out of his hands at any moment, he brought the blade to his own throat. "Read my mind, Moira. See what I've done. And if you find it excusable, then slit MY throat. Read the mind of every Shade in this room. The measures they've had to take. Kill them too." He said, voice grim, as he allowed her access into his own head.


"Bal, we - we need to go." Orin said, meekly. "Please."
 
"The measures they had to take were of necessity. That man was evil... Manipulative. He was about ta say anything he could to gain his sight back." Moira replied bitterly, looking at eye level with Balor as he was on his knees with the knife in hand. What he was saying seemed mad to her, why would he seriously even go through this effort to offer his own head and life like this? It didn't make sense to her. "Yew would ask me to slit your throat, a man who ran a church, took care of shades and anyone who came to his door... Over a man who I SEEN kill those same shades and countless other forbidden signed people?" She shook her head and stomped over to Balor then roughly placed her hands on his head, "I though me showing you that the bad deserve a swift death after they've lost their use, maybe I can shock some sense into you from here..."


As she breached Balor's mind the Midas woman's eyes lit up as she began to search his head for exactly what he was being so dramatic for. She had a look of annoyance on her face as she searched through his recent memories, to her they were mundane. A quiet, peaceful life other than the thrill of protecting those hidden in the church. Then, it was as if everything changed just before he had pledged a life of service to Prisma and those who needed help. The Midas woman began to see terrible, terrible things. Some she would argue was even worse than the Captain she had just killed had committed. Moira tried to peel her hands away from Balor's head but he wouldn't allow her to, she looked down to see that he was looking directly up at her with an unwavering gaze. It was terrifying, both his gaze and what she was witnessing as if she was the one committing such atrocities.


"Balor! Moira!" Gunnar barked, walking up to the pair as he was beginning to have enough of what he was seeing. He handed his drink over to Amara (who downed it all when Gunnar's back was turned) then took a knee next to both of them. "Enough!" The Viking said, separating the two as he seen Moira's eyes begin to flicker from the sheer pain she was experiencing just by entering Balor's mind. The two separated with a loud snapping sound and Moira fell backwards to the ground, pushing herself away from Balor as he continued to hold the knife to his neck. That was short lived however as Gunnar ripped it out of his hands and threw it to the ground. "What in the fuck is going on?" He asked, looking at both of them with an intense look on his face. "This is madness. Moira... Why in the hell would you allow him to capture someone alive if you were just going to kill him? Balor... What the hell are you trying to do? Holding a knife to your own neck... What are you trying to prove here?" He shook his head, upset with the both of them. "I might not understand everything you ground dwellers experience but... Can anyone else tell me this is bat shit crazy? Don't tell me this is the norm here or I'm going home as soon as I can."


"This is your average afternoon, Viking." Amara said with a smirk, amused by everything happening. "Can't say I blame her for killing the Captain but not killing Balor too after that hell he just put you through Moira? You could gut him too, would be quick. He clearly wants it." She was pleasantly buzzed at this point, being even looser with her tongue than usual. "Still, what did you see?"


"It's... nothing." She said, standing up as quickly as she could manage whilst maintaining her distance from Balor. "I always knew there was a mystery behind you Balor, a dark one... One that I couldn't quite put my finger on, I use to want to know more but... If that was just a taste of what you have done I do not wish to know more. Infact, I want you to leave. Now." She said, dusting herself off and looking as if she was ready for a fight. "You and your band of savages get out of here now! My powers do not deceive me... If you did what I seen then I want you gone and I never want to see you again." She could see Balor intended good, but what he had shown her seemed otherwise. "Orin, Sinna... You may stay here away from this man but-"


"Stop!" Gunnar shouted, once again. "The fuck is wrong with you?" Moira was stunned at the way Gunnar was speaking. He seemed like such a well mannered man, then looking at him once more she was surprised she had ever though that. "Can you not see his side? Balor... can you not see her's?" He asked, being the neutral party in all of this as he was split between the two. "No matter what you seen in his mind Moira... That is not the man that stands before you today. Hell, if you looked in mine you'd see some pretty grizzly things yourself. Balor..." He said, turning to the man who had yet to get up. "Moira, don't you see the effort we went through only for you to waste it? That man had a chance and you took it away. Where's my god damn drink at?" He turned to Amara to see her grinning at him, jingling an empty glass with ice in it it. Gunnar shook his head, turning back to the two. "You two need to sort out your differences and quit being so god damn dramatic." He cursed before walking back towards the upstairs entrance. "If you were on the same page you'd do some good. Keep butting heads like this and I'll go ahead and save you the trouble by scalping the both of you." And with that, Gunnar left.


"Wow." Amara said, "That was pretty hardcore." She giggled, "Usually I would be the one to do that! He does have a point, even though I hate saying that." Amara walked over to Balor and held out her hand to help him up, "Get past this, grow from it. Do some good. Get up."
 
Orin and Sinna watched silently as Gunnar told them both off, but the blind boy had attempted to follow as he'd heard his footsteps sounding out of the room. Sinna let him go, watching with frightened wide eyes as her mentor completely lost his marbles. She'd wondered what Moira had seen, and wondered if it had been quite as bad as she had spoke of. Balor caught her look of fear, feeling particularly guilty from it. He snapped back to Amara.


"Dramatic? You just slayed an entire post. She made me watch as she killed what we had tried so hard to accomplish. She made a promise, and then she broke it, and she broke mine as well. I am not a good man; that, I'm sure of. But if you don't take the slightest offence to - at the very least - forcing us to go through that, for what, a point? A POINT? - Then you, Amara, are a simple-minded tool, under the God of Tools, no less." He hissed, words scathing. Earlier, he had a reason to be kind to her. Now was a different story in its entirety. Now, he was maddened. A man who had lost his church, watched as his friends were killed, and then taunted. He looked back to Moira.


"I gave up everything for the Shade." He said, growling, growing a darker shade in the face. "I admit this: my past ... is dark, but to spit in the face of someone who gave up EVERYTHING for you, who risked their life?! Sinna risked her life! So did Amara and Gunnar, regardless of how much they obviously don't value it. The least - the least you could do - for them, at least, is to keep your promise, you dirty, greedy dwarf. Your words are not more valuable than lives. I had to learn that lesson the hard way, but you have not."


"Gunnar - stop." Orin said. "Come on. You're morally obligated to stop. I'm blind." He said, still blind of the Wraith's presence due to Moira's influence. As soon as he had gotten to the top of the stairs, he was lost. "Bal is going to want to leave. Are you ... going to stay here, with Moira?" He stopped. "It might be better for you. But ..."


Sinna once again helped the blood-covered Balor to his feet. He was broken; thoroughly humiliated, exhausted, deprived of all mana, a headache from Moira's invasion, and for what? To satisfy someone's bloodlust?


"You can stay here, if you like, Sinna." He said, grimly dismissing her. It had wounded her to the core, how utterly cold he'd been. "I'm not welcome here. Neither are my ideals. I won't blame you - I understand. But do not let them make you into a monster." He said, pushing her away and dragging himself to the door. "But make your decision now. I'm not going to be in town for much longer. Smells too familiarly of blood."
 
"Beats being a Prismatic pussy." Amara said with a shrug, taunting Balor. Nothing he said really got to her, she had heard worse from better men. "You're crying over a dead man who would have killed you the first chance he got. Really, I think you should dig deeper into this dark side of yours. Instead of being a dramatic little bitch by putting a knife to your own throat, put one to your enemies. It's really that simple. You got the blade pointed the wrong way, dumbass." She contained herself by not laughing in his face as he went on to rant to Moira next, excusing herself, Amara went over to the corner and took a seat getting front row tickets to the drama without having to be apart of it anymore herself. She would much rather drink and enjoy the spectacle that was Moira and Balor fighting once Gunnar had left than be apart of it, her patience for fighting with words rather thin.


Moira stood silently as she listened to Balor's side, then listened as he said that he was going to leave because it smelled too much of blood. All she wanted to do was teach him a lesson, so, she was going to elaborate before he made any rash decisions.


"I never promised you he would be kept alive." She let out a long sigh. "What I said was willing to give him a chance. When I seen that his intentions had always been dark and this his rehabilitation would be based solely on him having his sight returned to him I killed him. There was no light in him like there is in you, despite what you have... done." Moira paused, still blown away by what she had seen. "Not just to spite you, but to teach you that not every life can be sparred. You put YOURSELF in that danger today senselessly, YOU put Sinna in that danger. You may not care for Gunnar or Amara but if I'm not mistaken without them you would also be killed for being in the position you were in. As for bringing in my race by calling me a greedy dwarf... What sort of greedy dwarf sacrifices her life for children? Goes against the law of the land and creates a sanctuary for those who need it? What sort of greed is it that I spend every waking moment of my life for these people? You are blinded by your hate for me Balor. That much I can understand, I did get blood on ye'."


Gunnar turned to see Orin trailing behind him, so before Orin got lost the Viking grabbed the boy by the arm and dragged him through the portal out to the top level in which he could 'see' again finally. They had not spotted any Seers in the small city and luckily for them that meant Orin could stand inside the top floor of the building without being detected unless they drew attention to themselves.


"Fuck Moira. She's crazy. So is Balor though for caring so much. He's angry for the wrong reason." Gunnar said, walking over to the bar and pouring himself yet another drink since Amara had taken his. "But what?" He asked, "You want me to come tag along Orin? Why would you want that? Ever since I arrived it has been nothing but trouble for you all. Hell, if I had any sense I'd leave you all alone to do what you please. I might be able to defend you but I wasn't needed before, I probably won't be needed now." He slammed down the drink, the alcohol burning his throat as it made its way down. The Ifritian brew had him buzzing harder than most Viking meads and the heat was just hot enough to be pleasant but not hot enough to be uncomfortable. "I like you Orin, I even like your sister a little though I get the sense she doesn't care for me. Balor... has been growing on me but his priorities are wrong. I'm not down here to save every bad guy. I'm just here to try and get home. To my wife. To my people. This isn't my war to fight."


It was a bit sad, hearing those words come from Gunnar even after all they had faced together thus far. It was a harsh reminder that he was indeed a foreigner and this wasn't technically his fight.


"I'd help up until I could get home but I don't know whether to stay or go. I don't know this land." He let out a sigh, rubbing his face with his hands as he let out a long sigh. "This is all a mess. I want to help fix it but neither listen to me. In these politics I am an outsider too so not much I say could help anyways." He frowned, looking over to the boy. "Are you alright?" He said, not answering the question fully as he didn't have an answer.


After a moment of silence downstairs and after some careful deliberation, Moira spoke.


"Although you hate me, and though you are too close minded to see my side as well as your own, you are not allowed to leave." She said, crossing her stubby arms. "Not on the account of that I want you here. After diving into that dome of yours I want nothing more than to see ye gone since you'd rather turn tail and leave at the sight of a little bad guy blood. But... leaving now could compromise the sanctuary and we don't want good blood spilled here as well. When things calm down on the surface you may leave, supplies will be left for you lot. I have a war to finish here, one that will liberate this town from people you'd rather protect." She smirked, "I guess... some things don't change about you, huh Balor? Protecting the wrong people."
 
"How am I protecting the wrong people?!" Balor yelled back, more heated than he'd have liked to have been, at that moment. "I took on this bloodthirsty, vengeful mission because I wanted to help. I take on Shades because I want to help. I risked my life - not because I wanted to protect him - but for Sinna. And Orin. And by extension, the rest of these people. I didn't go on that mission to save him, but because I thought you might be able to help."


He went silent for a moment, looking to her, possibly too exhausted to continue his rage-filled tirade. "And I'm sure in your little war you're going to spill as much non-Shade blood as possible. Especially if the rest of your warriors are like her." he said, pointing an accusatory finger toward Amara. "And yes. I do want to protect the people in this town, because despite everything - these people, here, just want to live. Do you understand? They're not all ... like him. Or me, as you will. But I'm sure that in your superior vision of who deserves to die and who deserves to live, they'll die at your hand as well."


He took a sharp breath in. "I don't have any room to speak on the matter; I've taken lives that I -" he stopped again, unsure how to convince the Midas woman of how wrong she truly was. "- I won't be able to stop you from doing this. I'm sure of that. But - take it from me. At least consider, before you do something that you are going to regret ... I have experience in the matter. You do not want to go down this path. If you don't want good blood spilled - blood with potential; people who are truly in it just to protect their homes - you won't do this."


Sinna looked to Moira after Balor had stopped to wait for her response. "You're going to ... liberate the town?" she asked. "What does that mean?" she asked, partially naive. "Balor, what did you do? What did she see?" she asked.


"Sinna, get my bag and treat yourself." he said, cold again. "If there's anything left over, give it to Amara. I'll be in in a moment, but you shouldn't risk it when it comes to my people's magic."


"Maybe I want to tag along." Orin said. "I would rather be in a seaboat than here. Anyway, since you've arrived ... well, none of it was your fault. This is all stuff that's been happening regardless. I saw you fall from the sky, sensing death on you ... and I'm not sure if it's because of Wraith or because of what was going to happen, but it obviously wasn't your fault." he said, sitting down at the bar. He propped his head up on his hand. "I've ... never seen Bal like this, and - I don't know what he did, but..."


He didn't want to say it scared him, but it did. Even without seeing him, the change in Balor had been obvious. He was crazed, irrational, he had lost everything; his friends, his family, his church. And then he'd had to stick to his ideals, which had soon been ripped away from him. "He's different. I don't know if he's going to change back, but - well, they'd be better off without me, anyhow. I don't have a purpose here, other than to just ... sit down, and don't wander, and not get hurt. Not even just Balor and Sinna. The other Shades are uncomfortable; I'm a Seer."


He turned his head toward Gunnar, as if looking toward him. "I don't want to be here." he said, flatly. "If I can help you find your wife, at least that would be something."
 
Before Moira continued this argument, Sinna spoke out about liberating the town. The Midas' brow softened. Although she was furious with Balor's closed point of view she seen the Shade girl ask a genuine question. She let out a long sigh, then began to speak once more.


"What I seen is Balor's business. I can not speak to you on that matter but..." Although things were rough, she forced a smile when talking to her. "By liberating the town I mean removing Central's influence on this city. I've been working with a group of people looking to help people like you. Others born under forbidden signs, those who are also hunted other than shades. There are many sanctuaries out there, much like this one. I have spoken with the other sanctuary heads and... We can't keep living like this. We can't be kept down like this much longer or we'll lose this war. And yes Balor, it is a war. One that we can no longer hide from. I am guilty of it. I'm standing in an underground bunker right now."


Amara smirked in the corner, nursing a drink as she watched Moira trying to mend the gap between her and the group.


"I like war." She mused, crossing her legs and looking out to them. "Only if they right people die though. And as much trouble as you Shades and other Forbidden sign folk have caused me... You are not the right people to die."


"Shush Amara, adults are talking." Moira said, causing the elvish woman to just shake her head. "Like I said, we can't win this war by hiding anymore. More and more of us are dying and more good people are going to die. I know you want to give everyone a fair chance Balor but no one else will give you or the ones you love that right. What I did... was of someone who wanted revenge over keeping her word. I won't apologize for killing him, but I will apologize for breaking my word to you." It was a start. "Soon Seers will be flooding town so the portal upstairs will be sealed any moment, you may stay here as long as you like but... Seeing what you could do from your mind I think we may need you for this war Balor. You may hate me, but you can not hate what I stand for. Ye may want to strangle me too, but we can save that for a later day."


"So..." Moira said after a brief moment of contemplation. "I look to securing this city from Central's grasp by any means necessary. We will be trying our best to convince the remaining military left but without a leader they are weak and susceptible to manipulation. Those who are able to fight will siege the Citadel and we will take it by force, the citizens will see that we simply want what is best for them and spread the word that we are all finally free from Central's oppression. There will be blood Balor, there is no peaceful solution to that... However, I will do my best to keep the blood to a minimum." Amara huffed at the thought but Moira continued. "I will not expect you to answer now, not after what has been done here or the words we've exchanged. But... I expect ya to stay until it is safe above. Understood?"


"Are... you sure Orin?" He asked, surprised to hear the boy actually wanting that. "I couldn't ask you to travel with me. You would be away from your sister and Balor, you have a place with them. But-" The Wraith began to whisper something to him. He paused, waiting for him to finish before speaking again. "My wraith says he foreseen that you were to save me from that puddle. That you were important and that it was vital I didn't hurt you. Maybe... Maybe this is meant to be?" He asked, a smirk appearing on his face that Orin obviously couldn't see. "I can promise you, with me you won't be sitting down or told not to wander. You will definitely get hurt along the way. It will be fantastic! Or terrible, we'll find out. You and I don't really have a place here so..." He belched, "If you REALLY want to leave this all behind, join me on a mission back to the heavens we can leave now." It was a surprisingly abrupt answer especially with what was going on outside. "I can hunt for us, keep us fed and clothed while we look for an airship. I can teach you how to fight, not let your blindness be a disability anymore but a strength. You won't be treated as the child Sinna and Balor treat you as... That comes with responsibility though Orin. A lot of it. I'll watch your back and you'll uhh... seer mine." He chuckled, "Then, when we get up to the clouds you'll become the first Ifritian Veldard viking ever." Gunnar said enthusiastically. "Once my wife knows I am alive and well, my people okay... We can return here to find your sister and Balor as new, stronger men."


"You both will have me as well..." The Wraith whispered, obviously taking a liking to the viking and surprisingly to Orin as well.
 
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