Completed [Seasonal Quest] Upon a Star (Open)

[Kale]

Kale could not pull his eyes from the woman as she emerged from the pool. The gladiator might have loved to fight but he was still a man. His eyes continued to stay on the woman as water from the pool slid down her pale form. He could feel his body respond mildly to the sight of her unclad body. "Could you silence your dog please?” she asked. Her words were soft and seductive. She was clearly someone used to getting what she wanted. Yet he did not really hear her words. He felt the words enter his mind but more as though they had always been there and she was simply giving his thoughts a physical form. The gladiator kicked his foot absent mindedly at his kelvic companion to get him to quiet his barking. "Let her speak to us", he told his kelvic partner. His words held no malice. In fact his words held no emotion at all really. She had asked him to do something and he had done it. Kale felt almost sad when crimson silk materialized from thin air and clothed her nude form. The thought was gone from his mind as soon as it appeared. The woman moved toward the two of them. His attention was so focused on her moving form that he did not catch the words that she spoke. The woman moved close to Almech and bent down to pet him. Once again he heard her speak yet he could not make out her words clearly. He watched as Almech pressed his muzzle into her hand. He felt jealousy rise within him, like a searing bar of iron cutting through his spectrum of emotions. He did his best to burry those feelings though. He was not trained in the arts of the mind. He could not resist her will. In fact he was completely enthralled by the combination of her perfection and her ability to manipulate her thoughts. Had she ordered him to kill his comrade right then and there he likely would have obeyed her. Yet despite all of these things he somehow knew she would not like them being jealous over her favor. All such thoughts faded from his mind when the woman turned her head up to look at him. "What are your names?" she asked him. Yet again he felt the words more then heard them. He felt proud that he had gained enough of her favor for her to address him in such a manner and want to know his name. He took a deep breath to slow his beating heart. "My name is Kale. My friend here is Almech", he said. It was easy to tell that his voice held pride at being addressed directly by the woman. Kale could not keep a smile from spreading across his lips. It was very much unlike the smiles that normally crossed his face. ”Because this is a beautiful dog you have”, he heard her say. ”You sure must treat it right.” The warrior was practically beaming now. Everything in the world seemed to be perfect. He felt her brush his mind in an attempt to change his perception of what had happened to the couple in the pool. He let her have the memory willingly. It seemed that Almech did not enjoy her attention as much as he did. He had no idea what caused the kelvic to react hostility but before he knew what was going on his partner had shifted into his human form. "I belong to no one" the kelvic said. "My name is Almech, do not insult me again". He heard strong emotion in Almech's voice as he said the words. Just as he was no expert in the abilities of the mind, Kale was no expert in the ways of emotions. He could accurately judge his own but when it came to others he was at a loss. He could not tell what emotion ran through Almech as he reacted to the woman. His voice might not have been easily discerned but his actions seemed hostile to Kale's muddled perception. The warrior felt an emotion raise within him and over power his reason. He had to defend her. "Don't you dare hurt her", he growled to Almech. His lips pulled back into a snarl as his hands tightened into fists.

[Antar]

In the ensuing torrent of fire erupting from various parts of the skyline, Antar's steps had moved quicker as his thoughts seemed centered upon the key facet that there was a threat somewhere. Perhaps this was even linked to the threat of the rogue illusionist. In this case he would have been partially right, there was a threat somewhere; a multitude of them. As his mind focused upon the idea of finding threats, and to let the city take him where it may the very fabric of the alleys began to shift around him and the disorientation made his stomach feel as if he was about to wretch.

In one step, he was back on the rooftops, wondering where the city had taken him. Shaking his head to clear the cobwebs from his forced translocation from his thoughts, the rogue heard clanking sound of metal upon stone ringing in his ears from below. Peeking over the lips of the rooftops, his eyes noticed ahead the far off visage of the idol slanderer, standing at attention as a series of metal automatons readied crossbows towards a warring group and a distant figure squawking and demanding redress for some desecration of his art. And then there was that strange man wielding a battleaxe as he brazenly came up with a rejoinder of his own. Irritation prompted him to wonder just how much of what he was seeing was real.

Antar's brief time so far in the city had netted him a healthy disillusionment to the 'realities' of the city itself. Alvadas was a place that loved to play tricks on the mind. But it seemed to have brought him here for a reason, but why?

A clink of metal answered him, It was not upon the streets. It's position was on the rooftops, about thirty feet in front of him. This automaton was of the same type of metal man as the rest, yet this one stood a hand and a half taller, and seemed gilded in archaic calligraphy. Each of it's arms held to more digits like a half- epharyian model, allowing the secondary arms to contain two linked sets of crossbows.

The crossbows were aimed below, down towards the man with the axe as it and this was the only threat around which he could espy. Without question, the rogue began to run on silent footfalls across the roof towards the target. Surging his djed to his arms the translucent Res began to weep from his pores, as it was shaped to his will, slung forwards with a curse of rage as the meta-element of lava crashed heavy into the metal automaton's back. Almost immediately the golem twitched as internal parts of it were beginning to be eaten by the reimantical construction of his attack.

But Antar did not stop there, his charge carried him closer and with a leaping kick. The collision was enough to arrest his charge to a dead halt as the transfer of force tipped the twitching metal monster over the roof's edge. The golem fell heavy to the streets below with a loud metal clatter, The metal amalgamation's head separated from its body to roll down the sloped cobblestones of the street to finally settle at the feet of Andre Towers.

For a moment TowersActions of npc's approved by Fallacy as this rogue's helpful distraction for the rest of the bunch , but only for half of the golems would mutter and point upwards at the encloaked rogue, and half the golems turned towards him as the ratcheting sounds of their weapons internal mechanisms clanked once in unison.

Only two things ran through his mind at that moment.

The first being two simple words.

Words that anyone anywhere might mutter.

Oh...

... Shyke.

The second thing to run through his mind was his brain telling his legs to move and run away as a volley of arrows was launched at an angle in the night air, letting them come down as one in a falling arc. In desperation, as his first foot hit the roof tiles, the second resoirvoir of Res he had made was tossed upwards in an encloaking sheathe like a blanket thrown between him and certain death as his mind concentrated on one thing: getting away.

On the firststep, the Res ignited at the core imediately as a last ditch effort to stop the arrows and a wall of fire met the hail, crisping some as the fiery effect disipated into the sky. This did not mean he stopped them all, far from it. The fire's while hot enough to burn and slag metal or wood, could not disipate an entire force of an arrow, nor could they turn it on its side. Some of the shafts would invariably make it through.

The second step, he could feel his feet plummeting, as the stone beneath his tread gave way to incorporeal nothingness as his stomach twisted in that peculiar sensations again. If anyone of the streets could have seen behind the wall of fire, they'd have seen him blink out of existence like a ghost. It wasn't that he was a ghost, and surely if the poor rogue had a chance to reflect upon the circumstances from the point of view of an outsider he may have wondered if he had crossed the line somewhere between the living realm and Dira's. Damned to walk eternally as a vengeful spirit.

But Antar wasn't in that position.

The rogue was only in the position of falling, falling downwards like a stone before smacking straight into a haystack to cushion his fall. Blearily, if he could have made head or tails from it all, he would have realized that the city had taken him again. But where was he now? Was there something else to do? Was the god of illusion somewhere laughing his arse off at the mortal's plight in his city?

What the hell had been those golems anyways?

Pushing himself upwards with both arms, the white haired rogue felt a bit of heat surrounding him, most noticably close to his hand, where the cold iron metal of his gauntlet seemed oddly heated. Blinking the dazed thoughts from his mind Antar was forced back to the immediate present .

He was in a haystack, down a side way of the the colliseum... which was burning. Not the colliseum... but the damn haystack! Freeing himself as quickly as possible the rogue would curse wildly and batter his way free of the confining strands of straw to erupt into the streets.

Taking a look, left, and right, the man saw that no one was around, at least no one that he knew looked like a threat. There was a tent nearby, on the far side of the alley in areas which had not been burned and in the distance there was some commotion happening around the corner. But he could not fathom what it was.

Alll he could fathom was that at his next step towards a main street, the city seemed to keep him in place, and then at the other brought him towards the tent. Moving him like a chess piece for its own purposes. Whispering aloud he muttered, "Fine, my contract states that I'm to deal with a threat, so direct me to what you want me to see. Not like I have much choice."

Taking another step brought him to the flap of Okuna's tent, and the whispering woman's voice could be heard inside. Turning the flap to entere inside the tent, his senses spotted a konti woman. He muttered wondering if he knew this person."Kamalia... No. No not her." Reaching down he pulled the muttering woman by one arm to her feet and brought her eyes around to face his, "Whoever you are, I don't care, unless you know something I can use. Otherwise I'll have you stay silent and come with me, this place may soon fall to the fires of the colliseum nearby. Hell, part of the other side of the street is already ablaze!"

His last thought was to himself... wondering if this women's life was important, or that she might only be one part of a larger puzzle. Did she have information? Was the illusionist behind all this? Was there a connection? What the hell had the city brought him here for?

[Fallacy]

ooc : Im so excited about this quest I couldn’t wait to post again. I think Ill be posting these ‘Interludes” regularly to keep the story moving and guiding it where I see fit. I don’t know how this will work out, but it is worth a try. Keep a look out for things directed towards your PC. Antar As Antar would enter the tent the dim light of both the rising sun and the fire could be seen from the street. In the distance screams of terror, horror, and confusion could be heard. People were panicking. People where going crazy, or more so in Alvadas. What was happening? What could be done? Why was the city taking Antar around like a first rate whore? The murmuring of the konti was her reviewing the events which just happened, her repeating, ”The light, the light, the light…” as she gazed at the event over and over again as if that would help jog her memory. Breaking her from her trance, it took the konti a couple breaths to realize what was happening. Who was… her thoughts were cut off by his words, and his actions made her laugh. ”Boy.” she stated, ”I will not be harmed.” she smiled at him, ”It is you that must get out of here.” she tugged back her arm from him, or tried to, ”Alvadas is going through a dark time.” she told him, seeing something in the rogue that others might have missed. ’Though even in these dark times of horror, confusion, and despair, I want you to remember this.” she paused looking into his eyes, ”The mirror, the light, and the illusion are connected.” she stated. Taking a breath, ”Everything is connected to the changing hope.” she paused looking down, but laughed, ”the light, the mirror, and the changing hope. They are all the same, but different. Find the mirror and you find the light, find the light and you find the changing hope, find the hope” she reached a hand and placed it on Antars heart, ”and you find the mirror. Where do you find the hope and the light?” she rambled. Her words sounding more mad than actual advice.

[Iliana]

Even before she reached his side, Iliana could see something was bothering Miro. When she concentrated Iliana also felt a strange flux in the air, but she did not think overly much about it. After all this was the city of Alvadas, the city of magic and change where anything was possible. And so Iliana was caught completely unawares when the Colosseum was ignited. With a roaring BOOM the ground shook and Iliana opened her mouth in a silent cry of surprise, and before she could act the girl found herself falling toward the hard ground, landing awkwardly on her side a short distance from Miro. It was then that she noticed the debris flying out from the point of the explosion and toward where Miro and she were thrown. Out of the corner of her eye Iliana could see Miro working his res, but she was distracted as a flurry of medium sized rocks came sailing toward her. WIthout thinking Iliana rolled backwards into a half handstand, twisting her hips so that she ended up on her feet a little ways behind and to the side of where she had been. With a cry to Makutsi for protection she did the one thing she could think, she danced her way between falling rocks both flamed and non, ducking here and twisting there, but still she did not escape without some injury. One flaming rock flew past her face as she twisted to the side, singing the ends of her blue hair and clipping her shoulder. Another caught her left leg and caused her to stumble and roll in order to avoid being struck by another, and as she stood a small, yet hot, rock embedded itself in her exposed side. Gasping, Iliana managed to reach Miro's side, bruised though not seriously injured. Closing her eyes, Iliana dug out the small rock in her side, the injury was shallow and the heat of the rock had closed the vessels before they could bleed. The dust coating the air caused Illiana to gasp and cougher her mouth and nose. She stepped close to Miro, her mind still trying to grasp what had just happened and she reached forward to touch the end of Miro's sleeve, searching for just one thing that could anchor her thoughts and help her focus. Shaking her head Iliana looked around at the dust filled sky and the ruins that were the Colosseum. Under her fingertips that held his robe, Iliana could feel Miro's agitation, and she could feel him summoning his djed. And the she felt him tense as he said, "You need to get out of here." Before Iliana could reply a woman stepped forward and with wave of her hand cleared the dust. In a moment Iliana was struck by her beauty. I did not think anyone like that really existed... Looking over Iliana saw Miro's eye color change. Though she did not know for certain, she felt that was important. Gripping his sleeve Iliana tried to decipher the woman's strange words, and when she spoke to her directly she was stunned to silence. Reality? How could she say what was reality? For Iliana each day was a new reality, one bright and fresh and one that she could shape for herself. Looking around her Iliana's mind was working fast as she tried to take ahold and make sense of the situation, however, then she found herself soaring high above Alvadas. During the entirety of the situation Iliana had remained relatively calm. Though she was scared out of her mind and was having trouble finding her tongue, Iliana was still able to hold her nerve, if only because she held tightly to Miro's robe, however now Iliana truly panicked. Perhaps it was a bit out of character for the usually light hearted youth whose head was always in the clouds, but Iliana was deathly afraid of heights. So, her mind completely blanked and her mouth gaped in a silent scream as she looked down over the ruined city of Alvadas. Her grasp became almost frantic as she hooked her other arm around Miro's and clung to him as the began to fall. A shrill, terrified scream pierced the night as Iliana saw her life flash before her eyes. Tears streamed from her eyes as she thought back, her mind bringing forth a memory of her mother and father. They were in the study, and Father was instructing her per usual. The subject was reimancy once again, air reimancy to be exact as it was her father's specialty. Iliana could almost hear her father's voice as he explained the concept of shifting the air around you to cause currents and drafts, as he explained the concepts of updrafts and whirlwinds. In a flash Iliana was in the garden with mother, bending over a basin of water as she taught a young Iliana that water carried a current as well, that it too could be shifted and taught where and how to flow. Blinking, another memory surfaced. It was a memory of a trip to Taloba with her mother and father. They were there to study some of the changing weather patterns in the area, and it just so happened they came at the time of the Rain Festival. Iliana could remember the festivities, the food, the drink... and the dancers that had inspired her and that had lit the fiery passion that burned with her breast and that had brought her to Alvadas in the first place. In an instant it was over, and Iliana found herself on the ground next to Miro, still cluching his sleeve. The woman asked once more, was that real? Iliana listened to the woman almost in a dazed trance. Was it real... Iliana wondered to herself. She could hear Miro speaking, but not the exact words. In her mind Iliana was slowly beginning to piece together her mind. Shaking her head Iliana thought back to the flood of memories she experienced, and she came to a realization. Even if the world was not real, even if the ground I stand on is nothing but a figment of someone's imagination... Even if I cannot tell if what I see is real, the fact that I wonder these things means that I am real. It means that the knowledge I learned from mother and father... and what I dreamed of becoming is real! Iliana's mind snapped into focus, and it was as if a veil had been lifted from her mind. Her arm still grasped Miro's, and the woman was still standing before them. In an instant she took in Miro's words and his reactions, as well as all this woman was capable of and came to a conclusion... We have to go! With that realization there came an instant action. Releasing her grip on Miro, Iliana clapped her hands together, summoning her Res to form between her palms. Separating her hands she created to identical spheres of Res about the size of her fist. Her mind was a buzz with memories, of her studies with her father in their home. On the ebb and flow of air currents and the properties of air itself. Instantly Iliana recalled a lesson her father had taught, and she could remember the page in the book they had studied that stated "When manipulating the reimancy of wind it is important to remember that every particle of air that you create will follow the path set out by your initial res dispersal..." With this in mind Iliana set to work. Rearing back her right hand she willed the res to transform into a gaseous form, and then she clapped hand on the ground and scattered the Res around Miro and herself in a widening circular pattern, transforming it into air as she did so that a could of dust and small debris was kicked up. Then Iliana quickly stood to her feet and willed the res in her left hand into a gaseous form that she then rotated like an updraft. With a spin that was more for affect, done out of habit, Iliana swung her left hand like she was throwing an upper cut, releasing the spinning res toward the dust cloud, transforming it into air as she did. The sudden updraft created caused the dust and debris to be thrown up higher into the air, creating a curtain that hopefully would hide Iliana and Miro for a moment at least. Iliana grabbed Miro by his arm and pulled, "Come on! We have to go now!" Taking his hand Iliana set off in the opposite direction of the mage, her hand held tightly to Miro's as she pulled him along behind her.

[Antar]

Antar looked at the konti woman, really looked at her, as his hand guided her chin slightly to look away from him. On her skin a Mark showed. Visible as a fleur de lies. "So that's why I was brought here. Are you a diviner, or a soothsayer? A visionist of Avalis of some sort? I may not know the answer to why the city brought me here now. But answer me this: are you seeing something?"

He'd wait for her reply which was nothing more then a few odd mutterings before continuing, "You are a konti, and thus long lived, perhaps so much long lived you called me boy. That is fine: such a term is an acceptable means of address from one of your race, so long as its not meant insultive. Though it leaves me at a loss as ; I don't know if you are old enough to call you an honored mother or grandmother. But this boy would see you to safety first Seeress. As for me getting out of Alvadas:" He spat on the ground. "I'm not leaving this city until my job's done! A deals a deal and a contract's a contract."

Visibly calming himself enought to look out towards where the fires raged he'd turn back to the woman, "You spoke of mirrors, and the light, and the connections between dabbled in hope. You mean the light which lit the city before... does this have anything to do with the illusionist I'm after? Or is this something new... something else this city is petching bashing me around for? "

Sighing loudly he set his hands gently upon the woman's shoulders, and sighed again as he stared into the Seeress' eyes. "I apologize for my rudeness before, but please understand, there is danger here. You gave me a clue of sorts, but if you wish to help others, it would be best to leave this place now and find safety in numbers. With others. You should take care of yourself firs-"

At the last word fell from his lips, the woman faded from sight as if she was no more then an afterimage before his eyes. In a horrible travesty of the senses, reality twisted itself about him to the city's whims ; Antar found himself close towards the outside of the burning temple.

Cursing his luck, he wonderred what the city would show him now as his stomach betrayed itself due to his rough translocative passage. Kneeling down upon the earthen majestry of the temple grounds , the half-acidized remains of his meager meal of the last night made themselves present upon the ground as his stomach wretched up its contents.

Coughing and sputtering, spitting the taste of bile from his throat, the rogue would take a moment to drink a small portion of the water from his water flask, as he began his everpresent instincts. Tonight, Alvadas was a battlezone. Nothing could be gainsayed, nor taken for granted. Everything , even illusions had to be questioned, and assessed for any paltry veracity of use they might still possess.

The things he had already seen, the metal men, the dominating sense of wrongness by the colliseum as his steps were stopped from heading towards the main street, even as the screams of people were heard fleeing there; all of it spoke to his soul that something was horribly wrong here in Alvadas tonight.

The heat of the fires of the temple was ever present, and it seemed Noth had another reason for being here. A reason he could not quite fathom as of yet.

Pressing himself towards the wall in order to keep as far away from the burning fragments which littered the streets, the rogue began to move towards the main plaza nearby where the main doors of the temple once stood. Now they were cast down, immolated by the concussive force of the explosion which had rocked the city to its firmament. If he craned his neck upwards, the rogue would see the roof of the burning edifice blown clear off.

The temple was an interesting place, a place filled with people's hope, and prayers... would that be another clue? Why was the city sending him this way, as if he was a puppet to its will?

But in all things that were preceding, Antar knew that he was a puppet to its will. He was contracted to provide a service, to hunt down a threat, a paid for service which he hoped he was talented enough to provide whilst keeping himself alive.

Antar may have to charge extra for this job's particular services though. He was sure it was going to be the workout of his life. Moving as quietly as possible amidst the shadows of debris cast by the flickering flames, the dark formed rogue would make his way to a new vantage point to look out towards the city, and the temple. A series of piled rubble, smoken with smoldering ash, yet not alight.

The konti woman had stated several things, and his old training as an assassin allowed him to catalogued the information in his mind, recording it for the future. it came back to him now as he spied the plaza ahead...

The mirror, the light, and the illusion are connected. Everything is connected to the changing hope.the light, the mirror, and the changing hope. They are all the same, but different. Find the mirror and you find the light, find the light and you find the changing hope, find the hope and you find the mirror. Where do you find the hope and the light?

Looking towards the temple door, the rogue remembered the brush of the Seeress' white skinned fingertips resting above his chest over his heart and he wondered again about the temple. A temple was a place of prayers, of people's hope, and prayers were born of the hearts and minds of the worshipers...could this be another clue? He'd only seen the temple once in the city though it seemed to have a habit of disappearing at odd times. And now, portions of its mossen structure were enveloped in smoldering flame.

Taking the moment, to breathe and rest, Antar shielded his gauntlets and cowl of his shadowsilk robe as best he could. The job would be patchy, but maybe just maybe if it was set enough with his armor to save his life as he ventured out of cover towards the temple proper. Any portion of the field ahead was a potential killzone for another threat, or archer to take him down. Though he could not espy anyone hiding besides him. They were all running from the temple.

On the first step to venture outside cover, the rogue pulled back far enough as his perceptions noticed a new threat. Or was it? There in the distance , he noted a man, or what seemed to be a man running into the temple. Preparing himself the rogue drew his gladius from its sheathe on his weapon harness behind his back he acted. Taking one fateful step, which seemed like ten, the city made it's current desire known to him as he followed the manNyahna Sasin inside.

ooc noteAntar is just now moving to enter the temple. Whether or not he gets there is up to you Nyahna and Fallacy XD.

[Ryce]

Confusion, in its least bit, Ryce found it tolerable. The previous unfolding of events however, had him far beyond that particular toleration. His tail ceased in its rhythmic flick, and he now stood on all fours up and off of the ground. The scene had took a turn in which threw Ryce out of his earlier rage. Kale and Almech were the names Ryce now understood the dog and man to be called. Kale was the man, who had now turned against his own follower in the defense of the lady. Almech was similar to himself, Ryce had found that slightly interesting but didn't think of the fact much further. He now found Almech's predicament to be rather comical in a way. Ryce now angry at the fact he couldn't account for exactly what was happening. He had seen that Almech calmed himself , only shortly after another eruption and aggressive threat towards the mysterious women. Just when Ryce thought it was his opportunity to sweep through and defend her, Kale had turned and faced Almech. This was the part that was confusing; there was a certain flux and quickness, and change, in each of the other's actions. Deciding this wasn't a good enough vantage point; Ryce lowered himself to the ground. As the grass swept against his body he made his way closer to the three. Attempting to make his steps unheard, and himself unseen, doing so in a slow agile fashion, as he crept. He couldn't be sure when he would find the best spot. Ryce had a feeling that when he was, in the right spot he was aiming for, then he would surely notice a sign as to clarify some of his confusions.

[Zenai]

Zenai’s world quickly shrank to just him and a couple of golems looking towards beating Zenai into a pulp just for standing there and letting the barbarian had his way with the talking statue. This is what he gets for not getting involved; you get involved anyway and in a bad way. Zenai drew only one of his talon swords since blades had little effect against steel plate armor and especially against golems. There would no flesh to cut and Zenai figured he would need to put more strength into his attacks against these opponents. The golems approached to lock the mongrel into a pincer move but Zenai maneuvered around to escape the obvious trap and was in a better position to face and fight both of the golems.

Some of the golems, that had swords with them, engaged those on the ground while the rest had crossbows that are already aiming and firing at some poor sod on the roofs that provided some cover to the beleaguered group of people who so happen to share the same fate as Zenai and that barbarian. Zenai better take the opportunity to take out a few golems before they overwhelm him. The two golems came at him jabbing and thrusting with their swords while Zenai easily dodged left and right to avoid being skewered. Zenai moved his hips to left to avoid a jab meant for his mid-region while slowly backing away from them. It then occurred to Zenai that the golems wanted to pin him against the wall where there would be little room to evade from golem’s attacks.

Zenai dodged a relatively slow thrust that came at him by sidestepping to the left but instead of stopping just there, he quickly slid around them so he would get behind them and not have a wall against his back. The golems also turned to face Zenai and that’s where Zenai saw an opportunity to strike back at his attackers. As one of the golems twisted its leg to turn around, Zenai faced them sideways before bringing his right foot up to kick at the golem’s own leg thus tripping it. The golem fell to ground but caught itself from falling down completely.

All the while, Zenai had his sword high above his head and when the golem was down; he brought down his sword down hard and aimed for the golem’s head. He struck the golem’s head not with the blade but with the hilt in an attempt to smash the golem’s steel skin and damaged whatever delicate components within. A loud clang echoed around when the hilt made contact with the “skull” of the golem and the golem itself collapsed further into the ground, disabling it while Zenai quickly brought his sword up to defend against any retaliation from the other golem. Seeing its comrade down, the second golem came at Zenai with a thrust and a jab; both of which Zenai dodged and parried respectively. Zenai sensed he had put more strength into that parry that he should have. He backed off for the moment.

Zenai felt he doesn’t have a proper at hand to deal with these golems effectively. He needs to end this quick and deal with more golems than the digits on his hands. All he had was his better-than-a-golem’s-agility agility and his human’s smarts with him to deal with the golem. In his frustration and desperation, he charged at the golem. He puts out his right hand and shoulder while keeping his sword to the left to deflect the golem’s counterattack with its sword. He smashed into the golem that then stumbled back and trying to regain its balance. It tripped over the other golem who fell and tried to get back up. The second golem lay on its back but the first was coming back up. Zenai was not having any of that and charged in once more.

He kicked at the first golem’s head, noting how painful it was but bit the pain in while he brought his blade high above his head again. The hilt came down hard against the golem’s head and putting another gapping dent into it. Zenai leaped over the first golem to deal with the second golem which tried to take a stab at Zenai. Zenai brought his sword about to parry the stab and knocked away the sword or at least, put it out of reach while Zenai caves the golem’s head in. Again and again, he bashed the golem’s head in, hoping to put it out of commission. Satisfied that it was damaged enough that it can’t do much to hurt anyone, Zenai leapt up and got ready to engage any more golems that would come his way.

[Laute]

OOC: For some reason I didn't receive any notifications on updates...so this is a little late

Like all Ziths, Laute had exceptional hearing and keen sight. Especially in the night, in the dark hours that dominated his world. On a bright night like this, with the full moon hanging heavily on the horizon, there was very little he couldn't see.

Which was why, when the explosion occurred, his gifts became his bane. The temple shattered and all Laute could register at first was the pain in his ears. Loud ringing pierced the air, an aftermath of the sudden blast, and hunched him over on the roof. Growling, he waited for his senses to clear.

In the distance he could see the bright flames licking the edges of buildings, lighting alleys as they ran amuck in the city. Dark clouds covered the sky, small flakes of ash snowed down into the dust cloud that beget the city. Chunks of metal and rock whistled through the air, crashing into other buildings, and the sound of screaming soon joined this chorus.

Instantly, he recognized the danger the city had become. Smaller bursts of fire occurred randomly, lighting up the city. Spreading his wings, he dove off the building and toward his room. Landing with a crouch, he quickly entered the bedroom to find his slave awake already, curled up in a corner as she stared up at him with wide, frightened eyes.

"We're leaving."

The city was no longer safe, he knew, and they would have to leave. The problem was he didn't know if the city would let them--there was no sure path to the gates they entered. Instead, he would have to walk and wait till the city showed him the route out.

Aditi hurriedly escaped her quilt, packing their meager possessions into a bag. Not much had been left lying around, considering they were only going to spend the night here. After a moment's hesitation, she packed the quilt in as well. In the panic, no one would notice and it was better than anything they had.

Her cloak, hung carefully on the back of the door, was soon on her and his bag slung around her shoulders.

"This way," he said, halting her in her tracks as she turned the doorknob. Moving to the window, he waited till she followed before walking onto the balcony. It was brighter now, the flames getting closer to where they stood. Quickly, he slung her in his arms and jumped down, his wings flapping as they slowed their descent.

Aditi was lighter than most humans, but heavier than she used to be. The last time he carried her, she was full of sharp angles and hard bones. Now there was at least a little meat on her. Setting her down, he sniffed the air lightly.

It would be best if he could just fly them out of here. However, with pieces of rubble shooting through the air and the low clouds that were gathering, it would be a harder task.

No, they would have to walk. Behind him he could smell burnt wood and fat, the sign of a person slowly roasting in their hovel. More screams came from that direction, the heat growing stronger.

Without another thought, he moved forward, into the din to his left. Aditi followed close behind, almost bumping into him as they picked their way through the destroyed streets and strings of people. Ignoring them, he turned every now and then, whenever the smell was too strong and the heat fierce.

Despite all that, he was within sight of the Colosseum when it burst apart. Turning, he draped his wings over the girl and pushed her to the ground. If the last explosion hurt, this one deafened him. For a moment, his world was nothing but sight and smell. The warmth of her flesh, the charred scent of the building, the bright colours of the flames.

Slowly, noise filtered in once more. He could see Aditi suffering from this as well, at a lesser degree than him. It was a while after the explosion that he finally stood up.

His brother should never have given him this burden. The freedom of being alone allowed Laute the choice of fighting or fleeing, of flying or running. He never had to consider another before.

Now, with this slave, each move had to be made with her in mind. She was weak and easily wounded. No matter what decision he made, he would always have to protect her.

"Injured?" He minced his words as he spoke--there was no time. None at all when this city of illusions was razed to the ground. How much of this destruction was real? How much illusion? He didn't know. He could never tell in this city--he didn't have the patience for learning djed or detecting it. After this incident, though, he might rethink that.

"No." Her words were even fewer than his, at times, and though she trembled she stood up quickly as well. Shaking the dust off him, he turned to face the Colosseum's corpse, its stony guts splattered in the vicinity. Though his back ached slightly from the small pebbles that pelted him and his right arm was slightly cut, there were no major injuries.

They would have to detour this place as well. In the distance, he could hear voices through the cloud of smoke that occupied the Arena's grounds. Arguing over illusions, it seemed. Three voices and as the smoke cleared, he could make their shapes. Two females and a male, one standing as the other two kneeled in front of her.

Suddenly, he could hear them screaming, the sound almost muffled by the heavy air. One figure stood up, dragging the other after it, and dust clouded his sight once more.

He could hear their steps as they ran toward him. The scent of fear hung thickly on them, cloaking everything else. Only the remainder of the djed the girl used remained, reminding him of the skill he lacked.

They clearly knew how to use it. In this city of unknowns, such knowledge could keep them safe, alive. Especially against foes similar to them. Glancing down at his slave, Laute frowned deeply.

He would have to see if he could use them to keep her safe. His strength could only take them so far, especially when the city itself was repelling him. No, this djed would help her where Laute could not.

And as the third figure followed them, he knew he would need it. For confidentially following them was a woman who smelled of death.

[Eridanus]

For a moment all was calm, and the city did not seem to want to impede the ethaefal's journey towards his alma mater. It seemed that the city probably wanted him to return to his rightful place assisting the Headmaster in the older lethborn's task in returning sanity to the crazed inmates within. It had been many years since he had seen the old, elegant philosopher, and he wondered if he would be greeted with welcoming smiles or bitter frowns. He had not exactly left on excellent terms, but not on one of animosity either, for his important desire to leave the place to follow leads that pointed him elsewhere was balanced with the years of service he contributed to the inner circle within the Asylum that few know about.

That moment was calm, but for some reason silence and peace were two concepts that did not like being anywhere near Eridanus, if these concepts had to be personified at all. Dhalvasha's characterization of the ethaefal as one who always had trouble come a-knocking, and failing which unconsciously seeking that trouble as if drawn like moths to a fire perfectly hit the spot. For what came next were several explosions that rocked the city, and even in the distance Eridanus could see smoke billowing out as if there were several insane master reimancers wielding the full force of the elements around, or several high-powered alchemical experiments gone wrong coincidentally. Or even both.

The 'why's or 'how's did not matter to him, for when explosions began to rock the ground below one's very feet, the practical man could not help but to focus on the present on getting himself out from the epicenter of the devastations before waxing philosophical about the situation. Even one who lived for centuries and was as curious as he.

Stumbling about warily, Eridanus turned around to find the little clay figure that he had been protecting of sorts since he freed the pycon from slavers in Sunberth. Though he had not really thought of it this way, Ihnar had taken it upon himself to see the ethaefal as his master, and this thought made Eri feel somewhat responsible for the pycon's safety. He had told Ihnar many times in Sunberth to get rid of his habit of following people, but it seemed that this particular habit had not been worked off yet for it was apparent that the pycon was following him.

On an ordinary day it did not matter, but days were usually not ordinary around the ethaefal, and this day was so far off the scale of normalcy that it made Eri more cautious than usual. Calling out to the pycon, he jogged over to where the little clay figure was and gestured to follow him. Whatever the reason behind the explosions, one thing was for sure - they were not safe in the streets. The faster they headed into the Asylum the safer they would be, and he was sure that the wise Headmaster, who seemed to have answers for everything, would be able to let them know what was happening. It could have been one of Ionu's pranks, but he doubted that the God of Illusions would view blowing up His own city a prank.

The duo jogged further ahead, intent on getting themselves within the safety of the walls of Acumen Asylum, but to the ethaefal's dismay - though he could hardly call it surprise, for he had already taken it for granted that he could get away from this situation with merely explosions - several steel golems stepped out to block their paths. From his brief foray into gadgeteering back in Zeltiva University he could recognize the various gears and cogs that formed the joints of the automatons, but the way the humanoid shapes of steel moved it had to be a result of animation. That meant magic. That made Eri rather uneasy for incidents that had the flavour of magic lavished all over usually screamed of excessive danger.

The automatons were carrying various weapons, some stiffly wielding curved blades, some using axes, and some even with exotic spiked flails. They advanced towards the ethaefal and pycon and even an idiot could see that hostile intentions were written all over the golems' actions. Eridanus sighed, and he quickly told the pycon, "Get far behind me," before drawing his steel and cold-iron long swords in a swift practised motion. His eyes flitted over the expanse of the street, taking in the total number of opponents, and the resulting number that came back did not comfort him in the least. Six-to-one. These were trying odds, and they were made of steel and iron, which meant that they did not suffer from the frailties of the flesh. Eri could not make use of such limitations that he could when faced with flesh-and-blood opponents. This meant quick and swift decimation lest he himself fall as a victim.

He quickly picked out the golem on the far left wielding a short sword, and he quickly manoeuvred over appropriately, taking care to ensure that he would not be surrounded and swarmed. He grinned in gratitude when he realized that the golems were not as fast or flexible as mortal men, and this meant that he had to use his advantage of speed over the golems. Since the automatons were beings of hard metal, they might have superior strength and build and so he had to adjust his fighting style to counter that.

Eridanus switched over his cold-iron sword to his master hand, intending to use the stronger material to deal the majority of the damage while using his other blade - that was of the same material as the golems' bodies - to parry and redirect blows. He muttered a few choice phrases that brought the appropriate imagery to his mind, feeling the rush of strength filling his upper torso. It would probably reduce his mobility, but he felt that even with his decrease in speed he should still be able to outmanoeuvre the stiff iron-men, and he would want to increased strength and attack speed to quickly cut through the golems.

He dashed over to his chosen target - the one with the short sword, and the automaton shuffled forward, not raising its blade. Either the joints on its arm were faulty, or it intended to skewer the ethaefal with a short sword rather than to hack at him with it. It did not really matter, for the nimble swordsman jerked his steel blade forward at an angle, redirecting the golem's poorly executed thrust that denied it further access to Eri's torso. The vitality in his body sang as he felt the savage rush of battle, bringing his cold-iron blade across the machine. The superior make of his metal met the steel flesh of the automaton and clanged as the machine's exterior protested against this sudden intrusion. The flux-augmented power did the rest, and there was a screech and an inhuman groan as the blade cut cleanly through what seemed to be the machine's neck. Whether it destroyed the golem was one thing, but what was clear was that these unnatural statues gained their vision from their heads, and denying them that vision was the first step to prevent him from being swarmed.

His metal opponent stumbled, unsure of its next actions due to its sudden lost of sight, and Eri jerked his wrist, pushing the machine's short sword further to the side as he stepped forward and kicking the machine powerfully backwards. The lack of stability and the lost vision helped to move things in Eri's court, and the statue fell backwards comically, a loud clang ringing high into the sky as its metallic body slammed the ground.

The ethaefal darted more to the left to give himself space, and he found that the other five golems had been moving themselves in order to surround him. They may be slow, but they were steady and if he found himself surrounded there would be more holes in him faster than he could say 'shyke'. He set his focus on the nearest target, a golem that had a spiked flail hanging out of its hands. How it intended to deal damage with it, Eri did not know, but he still eyed the sharp ends of the flail apprehensively, making sure to never underestimate his opponent. Arrogance killed many a great warrior, and he made sure never to go down that same path.

Metal groaned against metal as gears shifted and the golem clumsily lifted its flail in an attempt to bash Eri's brains over the pavement. The ethaefal had better ideas than to decorate the streets of Alvadas with the physical manifestation of his mind and he raised his steel blade accordingly, parrying that blow. He did not press in, for he fully intended to abuse the superior reach of his blade, and his muscle memory led him to push his cold-iron blade right through where machine's chest, his enhanced strength allowing him to punch cleanly through the golem as if he was pushing a pencil through paper. The machine did not pause, and lifted its flail again to brain the ethaefal. Cursing his reflexes, he quickly side-stepped the swing, narrowly dodging the spiked weapon. For a moment he had forgotten he was not fighting mortals, and if he were any slower it would have been a fatal mistake.

The screech of metal rang again as he gripped his blade tightly and unsheathed it from the machine's torso. Animated golems had no organs and no heart. He had to make sure to adjust his reflexes accordingly with this new type of foe. Noticing that the statue still had the flail on the ground having just reached the end of its swing, he quickly took advantage of the situation and raised his leg, stomping on the handle of the flail to keep it on the ground. It was not really a stomp though, and more like a jump as the machine did not yield and so provided a stable structure from which he could leap from. Jumping high while using the golem as a spring-board, Eri's acrobatic experience helped him to adjust his flight as he aimed to land just slightly behind the golem, bringing both blades downwards as he felt his unnatural strength swarming just beneath his muscles.

The combined effort of the jump, flux and general familiarity with his blades proved to be sufficient for his flashy manoeuvre and the ethaefal landed where he expected to land as both his blades cleaved downwards through the machine's body, though the cold-iron blade gripped in his right hand cut through the material more easily than his other blade. The steel blade traced a path from the golem's left shoulder-neck region down to a third of its chest before curving outwards at its waist, while the cold-iron blade blazed a trail from its right shoulder all the way down to its lower torso, separating its remaining arm, a large portion of its body as well as one of its legs. Eri grimly kicked the one-legged robot back, and though it tried to hop in order to regain its balance, it could not adjust to the sudden loss of so much mass and it fell back again, squirming as it tried to get back up but was unable to due to the lack of arms.

Eri bounded away again, accessing his remaining targets. Two done, four more to go. He probably should not have done something so flashy, but in battle inspirations sometimes struck him, and his gut would have shown him down that same path anyway. Sometimes he felt that his muscle memory had a sense of humour. For all purposes he had taken down his two opponents, and though he would not have cared to admit it had taken more out of him than he expected to.

Gripping his blades, he warily assessed the situation once more, looking around to see what kind of environmental factors he could use to aid him in disposing of his strange enemies.

[Shai]

Shai nearly lost her footing as the ground rumbled beneath her. Crouching low against the wall, Shai only got a partial vantage of the scene as it unfolded in the square. She snatched a glimpse of the rocks as they soared towards the ruffian but not the source of the attack. What kind of idiot would throw rocks at that man? Her rough leather boots came off quick; whatever was going on she needed mobility and even cold toes were preferable to losing her balance and climbing abilities. Tying the laces in a knot, the spider woman kept her eyes on the square. She wouldn’t abandon her comrades, unless the scene was hopeless of course, and she didn’t trust the city not to rearrange itself the moment she looked away.

Swinging the boots over her neck, allowing them to rest on their now intertwined straps around the back of her neck, Shai turned towards the wall and skittered up. She required a vantage point to understand the situation; she wasn’t a warrior and couldn’t appraise a fight by being in the middle of it. Someone had been berating the ruffian for awhile now but as soon as the line ‘And your deaths will be a masterpiece’ she hadn’t been positive this was a life or death situation, perhaps it had been rubble from the bizarre earthquake or a few less intelligent children. No such luck and the voice had said ‘deaths’, plural. That was a threat to her life and limb, Imbecile, now I have reason to spill your blood all over these illusionary cobblestones. I'll show you art Azo.

As she reached the building’s apex, Shai peeked her head around the edge unfortunately all she could see was roof; nothing of the scuffle below. If the barbarian’s retorts weren’t ringing through the square she would be concerned the city had moved her. Crawling recumbent along the roof, ever wary of more geological projectiles, the thief was unaware that she was also provided herself for cover from the as of yet unknown crossbow toting golems. Inching towards the edge the spider finally achieved the perspective she had been hoping for.

Mayhem?, Shai finally settled on, utter pandemonium as the best description of the square. A few moments ago it just been a man pissing on a statue and now it was a struggle amongst men of metal and men wielding metal. Is that one Zenai? Somewhere along the way she had lost sight of Bob, but she assumed the small man was still present. As half the golems jerked to the side, reacting to a shadow in her peripheral vision; following their attentions she caught only a swift glance before the figure was gone again.

Magic, why is it always magic? Petching hate magic! Surveying the square one last time, the thief noted both humans seemed to be making some progress at least in dismantling the golems. Were they actually dead or just effectively out of commission? Did it matter? You never could tell with magic. Finally, her purple gaze struck on a target she could sink her claws into; the little human artist guiding the constructs. As soon as she did though there came a call from the derisive, urine-coated ‘art’. “Oh! And there’s a little boy skulking along the rooftops. How stealthy! Oh wait, did I give you away?”

Wide-eyed Shai ducked back, her position given away the bolts which flew her way were anticipated. Why crossbows? Why not just bows, at least an arrow probably wouldn’t shatter her bones but bolts, bolts definitely could. Sliding her iron fan from its pocket within her cloak she eased it half-way open so the metal blades made a small triangular shield. It wasn’t much but it was the best the spider had. Flattening herself against the roof she slunk towards the edge nearest her target. All Shai required now was an opening and that squirrely humanTowers would have more spider than he could handle. Even if she did look like a little boy.