To Scorn the Gods- Episode 10-2: Ancient Light

(10:54:17 PM) Haisen: What happens next is so quick that it's barely possible to comprehend.  Killis rushes into the room, maneuvering through the chains with impossible ease, rushing  toward the cleric who had addressed you.  The cleric barely has the chance to move before his cutlass cuts across her chest, leaving a deep wound. "You... Killis! Why have you betrayed us?!"
(10:56:58 PM) Haisen: "Betrayed? Frecel, my loyalties never lied with the church! I'd hoped to change it, but it's too late now." Frecel doesn't answer, simply drawing her bow and releasing two arrows, so quickly that it looks like one smooth motion. The arrows and their multicolored energy strike into Killis' breastplate, but he flinches only an instant, before his blades slash at her in a flash of steel.
(10:58:48 PM) Haisen: She's sent flying back, many marks of blood covering her body.  "You...! No, I won't die here. Whatever your loyalties, mine require me!" She jumps into the air, unleashing one final shot, glowing with brilliant white energy, which explodes at Killis' feet. Killis is sent flying, and Frecel simply seems to disappear into thin air
(10:59:39 PM) Haisen: Ulyssa is the first person to recover from the confusion of this exchange, and the shock as Killis doesn't get up again
(11:05:01 PM) Ulyssa: That...she doesn't quite have the time to comprehend it! All she knows is that spellcasters are a problem, and it'd be pretty hard to get at them from all the way over here. So, LET'S GET AT THEM! She attempts to get at least a single cutlass-slash on a Cleric as she finishes making her way over there, after god knows how many attacks come to her.
(11:18:36 PM) Haisen: Ulyssa struggles to make her way through the chains, wondering how Killis made it look so easy. Artemis actually follows, and slams a hammer into the cleric's head as Ulyssa slashes as well! If it weren't for the hammer, Ulyssa wouldn't have come close to hitting... Yet, with Artemis' help, she slashes through the cleric's throat. The cleric collapses to the ground, choking on his own blood
(11:24:32 PM) Haisen: And then Kineth does... Exactly what he normally does. He tears through everything in the way, even the chains themselves, ripping into the paladins on the left side of the room. Aelitethe calls upon the stone around her, arcane workings gathering the dust and grit throughout the room and turning it into a vicious spray of rock and gravel upon the paladins on the right. Tilia follows up, wielding her crackling staff with as much skill as ever, finishing what Aelitethe started.
(11:25:32 PM) Haisen: Tilia follows up, wielding her crackling staff with as much skill as ever, finishing what Aelitethe started. Saken, meanwhile, tosses one of his alchemical bombs at the last cleric... Somehow, by off chance, it hits the cleric  right in the face, the flame encountering him just as he takes a breath, burning his very insides.
(11:26:48 PM) Haisen: Soon, nothing more than death, and chains both broken and whole, inhabit the room
(11:28:56 PM) Haisen: ...And the unconscious form of Killis
(11:29:54 PM) aelitethe: Aelitethe eyes Killis' unconscious body and attempts to see what exactly she can do about that.
(11:30:00 PM) aelitethe: "..."
(11:31:18 PM) Kineth: Kineth stretches out a bit as he finishes up his bit of the dirty work, putting away his greatsword as he goes to check up on Killis.
(11:32:10 PM) Artemis-XE: Art affixes his hammer to his belt, before checking on Killis.
(11:32:13 PM) Haisen: Aelitethe is quite able to heal Killis. ...If she inspects his wounds, however, there's something odd she'll notice.
(11:32:32 PM) Haisen: There doesn't seem to be any real damage done to him. He just seems rather beat up
(11:32:42 PM) aelitethe: "...?"
(11:33:22 PM) aelitethe: "I wonder if that was supposed to be lethal..."
(11:34:18 PM) aelitethe: "Did... she not want to kill him?" Aelitethe boggles.
(11:35:32 PM) Haisen: Once healed, Killis grunts as he sits up. "I should have known she'd give us trouble..." He shakes his head. "...I should probably hurt a lot more, but all I feel is kind of sore. Likely she didn't want to kill me, for whatever reason..."
(11:35:57 PM) Ulyssa: ...Well, she got the Cleric! What Aelitethe says makes Ulyssa want to look at it herself! This whole thing is rather confusing...like you know, all this sealing stuff, which Ulyssa actually looks at. While making sure no one else comes around, of course! BEING THE LOOKOUT!
(11:35:58 PM) Kineth: "...In any case, it would probably be best for us to make our way out of here, yes?"
(11:36:15 PM) aelitethe: "Wait, I want to see what was being sealed here."
(11:36:35 PM) Artemis-XE: "Could be worth a look."
(11:36:36 PM) Haisen: "U-um..." Saken speaks now. "Th-that shouldn't be happening, should it...?" He points to the object in the center of the room. There's a green light shining from beyond the chains, which now seem to be unraveling...
(11:36:54 PM) aelitethe: Aelitethe immediately approaches the object in the center of the room. CURIOSITY.
(11:37:48 PM) Kineth: Kineth follows behind Aeli. He was curious as well, but he also wanted to make sure he could at least be of some immediate help if something nasty happened.
(11:37:59 PM) Kineth: *somewhat curious
(11:39:02 PM) Artemis-XE: Artemis follows the two of them. Just in case anything happens. Not to mention he's curious as to what's being restrained there
(11:39:38 PM) Ulyssa: ...Hold on. If something weird is happening with something that might be sealed away...then...oh my. This could be good or really bad! Ulyssa attempts to at least keep a safe distance!
(11:39:50 PM) Haisen: The chains continue to unravel, slowly letting more and more light being released... The magic circle around it begins glowing with the same green light as well.
(11:41:00 PM) Haisen: ...As the chains completely unravel, and drop to the floor, the glowing of the magic circle intensifies, and suddenly, it disappears, seeming to shatter with a flash. And then, there is a staff in Aelitethe's hands, still glowing with the same green light, but softly.
(11:41:10 PM) Haisen: It's clearly originated from stone, on close inspection, but has a look and feel like a very dark, almost black wood. The texture is very rough, but it's obviously skillfully crafted. It looks as if two roots wind around each other, meeting at the top like the joined mouths of two snakes, inside which is a very light green emerald, glowing softly with power.
(11:41:10 PM) Haisen: From that emerald, what looks like some sort of emerald vine circles around the staff. Not closely, however. There's certainly enough space to slip your hand through quite easily. The vine ends with a red ruby blossom, about three fourths of the way down the staff
(11:42:18 PM) aelitethe: Aelitethe just blinks and looks at the staff in her hands with awe. "..."
(11:42:40 PM) Kineth: Kineth stares at the staff, a little dumbstruck by what just happened.
(11:43:48 PM) Artemis-XE: Art just keeps looking at the staff in mild amazement
(11:43:51 PM) aelitethe: "This is... beautiful. Why would they be sealing such an artifact here...?"
(11:44:46 PM) Haisen: "You..." Aelitethe can feel a faint whisper in her mind, ideas that can just barely form into words. "You hold... Great magic. Knowledge... Take me."
(11:45:25 PM) aelitethe: Aelitethe can hear these words form in her mind... "...This... ...Very well..."
(11:45:43 PM) aelitethe: She nods and then keeps the staff close to her, almost protectively. "...I will be keeping this."
(11:46:54 PM) Ulyssa: TOLD YOU SO. Ulyssa can manage a nod of approval at what's happening here, even if she can't actually hear one side of the conversation!
(11:47:24 PM) Artemis-XE: "No problem with that. Would've probably just collected if you didnt.."
(11:47:37 PM) aelitethe: Aelitethe eyes the staff curiously. "...Do you have a name?" she asks to apparently nobody in particular!
(11:49:53 PM) Haisen: It feels... Hesistant. You can feel confusion coming from the staff at first, before finally it becomes coherent again. "Name... Once, long ago... Tragedy... All lost... No... No memory..."
(11:51:17 PM) aelitethe: Aelitethe facefaults. "...Ah..." She keeps the staff close to her, quite tightly. "...I see..." Soon, she sighs and faces the others. "Um... I apologize. We shouldn't waste any more time here."
(11:51:51 PM) Kineth: "Indeed. Best that we make our exit now."
(11:52:27 PM) Artemis-XE: "Agreed. Not much reason to be here anymore."
(11:53:32 PM) Ulyssa: ...Nod nod. ONWARD.
(11:54:34 PM) Haisen: Killis and Saken have both been silent until now, but now, Saken speaks. "That... That staff. If... I'm not sure, the only mention I've found in texts is obscure, but... That staff. I believe it has been sealed since the time when Corellus walked the earth."
(11:55:47 PM) Kineth: "...Hm. Interesting. Maybe we could find out more about later on down the line." And with that, onwards!
(11:55:52 PM) Artemis-XE left the room (quit: Read error: Connection reset by peer).
(11:57:28 PM) XephyrEnigma [~MobileXep@Rizon-76C5DD72.cpe.net.cable.rogers.com] entered the room.
(11:58:06 PM) XephyrEnigma is now known as Artemis-XE
(11:58:34 PM) Haisen: Killis takes point, leading the group through the twisted way needed to reach the other side. And then, there's one last, altogether too long stretch of hallway to go through. But then, the group hear's voices. Loud voices, frantic voices. They're not close... But not far either.
(11:58:46 PM) Haisen: ...And then, one comes clearer than any others. "They're over here!"
(11:58:54 PM) aelitethe: "Damn!"
(11:59:18 PM) Artemis-XE: "What's this1!"
(11:59:30 PM) Artemis-XE: (Ignore that 1)
(12:00:14 AM) Haisen: "No! Everyone, run!" Killis shouts, running toward the door. ...You can already hear the thundering of footsteps behind you. Just like when Aelitethe and Saken escaped the city...
(12:00:48 AM) Artemis-XE: Artemis dashes towards the exit after Killis.
(12:01:09 AM) aelitethe: Aelitethe starts running the HELL OUT OF THERE, staff in hand!
(12:01:17 AM) Kineth: Kineth runs along with the others, not wanting to linger!
(12:02:17 AM) Ulyssa: GOTTA GO FAST.
(12:03:36 AM) Haisen: Saken and Tilia are running as well. ...But once at the door, it's clear that it won't be so easy to escape. The other side of it must have a moat, as there's a portcullis and drawbridge to get out of the way. "Dammit!" Killis tries to pull on the lever to lower the drawbridge, but it's not easy. "No! We can't lower it in time!" The thundering is close...
(12:04:15 AM) Haisen: "...Saken, you'll have to lead the others to the dwarven caves. Find a guide there if I don't catch up." Killis says, as he turns. "I'll hold them off!" He runs back the other direction.
(12:04:16 AM) Kineth: Kineth goes to attempt to speed up the process, attempting to help Killis with that damned lever.
(12:05:03 AM) aelitethe: "But...! You can't...?!" Aelitethe calls out. "You can't be serious!"
(12:05:08 AM) Artemis-XE: Three heads are obviously better than one. Art helps Killis and Kineth with the lever.
(12:05:49 AM) Haisen: "N-no! Killis, you can't-!" Saken shouts back, but it's too late.
(12:07:05 AM) Haisen: Looking back at what's behind... You can see the mass of paladins coming this way. "...Fuck. He can't do it alone." Tilia shakes her head, and then starts running, calling over her shoulder. "Hey, I'll see you all later!"
(12:08:47 AM) aelitethe: "What about you two?!" Aelitethe cries out.
(12:09:13 AM) Artemis-XE: "We can't just leave you here!"
(12:09:34 AM) Ulyssa: ...as much as Ulyssa wants to help with the holding off...could he make it out of there alive? ...Truly, after the things she saw earlier, she wouldn't do much but hold him back either way. ...and with Tilia...he should have this, right? Totally. ...Well, there's a nice lever there. If it helps, she helps with it. Otherwise it's a matter of praying. Hopefully to a god that can hear her.
(12:09:34 AM) Ulyssa: And isn't a jerk.
(12:10:08 AM) Haisen: "No church'll bring us down! We'll be fine!" And then she's out of earshot, blocked by the sounds of battle.
(12:10:18 AM) aelitethe: Aelitethe sighs. There is no choice. "...Augh... Come on, everyone! We have to get out of here!"
(12:10:45 AM) Kineth: Kineth actually stops for a moment, surprised by that turn of events, before going back to dealing with that damned lever if it hasn't been, you know. Brought down already.
(12:11:12 AM) Haisen: The party's combined efforts slowly lower the drawbridge, and then the portcullis. It's... Yes, they can get out!
(12:11:48 AM) Kineth: AND OUT HE GOES!
(12:12:15 AM) Ulyssa: GONE. Rather, going. Out. Of here!
(12:12:33 AM) aelitethe: OUT NOW
(12:12:43 AM) Haisen: Saken looks back worriedly, but can't see Tilia or Killis in the turmoil. "They..." He shakes his head, leaving with the others.
(12:12:54 AM) Artemis-XE: "Goddamn it. We have no choice but to keep moving." He says, still obviously worried about Tilia and Killis. But there's no time for that. He continues his pace out of the fortress.
(12:14:36 AM) aelitethe left the room (quit: Quit: Rizon webchat: http://qchat.rizon.net/).
(12:18:39 AM) MotherCeres [~sylazento@2C90A21A.F5B7E04C.7913D5F8.IP] entered the room.
(12:18:53 AM) MotherCeres is now known as Aelitethe
(12:20:26 AM) Haisen: The party runs onward, escaping the accursed fortress. Eventually, they're far enough to feel safe, and slow. "W-what now...?" Saken asks. "Should we wait for... For them?"
(12:21:05 AM) Aelitethe: Aelitethe sighs. "...I'm not sure if they'll be coming back."
(12:21:50 AM) Haisen: "We... We should camp at least... The paladins won't pursue this far, but if they've escaped on this side, a fire should be visible..."
(12:22:04 AM) Artemis-XE: "Well, we have no way of knowing one way or a another. But we dont have time to wait for them."
(12:22:21 AM) Kineth: "...Indeed, as unfortunate as it is to say."
(12:23:12 AM) Haisen: "W-well, we can't leave Bellezza behind either, can we...?"
(12:23:25 AM) Aelitethe: "Wait... WAIT. Where's Belle?!"
(12:23:33 AM) Aelitethe: She panics.
(12:23:40 AM) Kineth: "...That is a very good question."
(12:24:03 AM) Artemis-XE: "...Fuck. Dont tell me..."
(12:24:40 AM) Aelitethe: Aelitethe shivers, clinging to her staff. "No...! No...!"
(12:24:41 AM) Haisen: "She ran off to distract the paladins, remember...? If we wait, she should come back... Wait, hold on, I can probably let Aisyl find her..."
(12:24:53 AM) Aelitethe: "P, p, p, please...!"
(12:25:44 AM) Haisen: "Don't worry, Aelitethe... I'm sure she wouldn't have let them get a chance to bring her down. She's more than fast enough to get away. Just hold on, I'll call on Aisyl..."
(12:27:13 AM) Haisen: Saken starts concentrating, and ten minutes later, the hawk returns to his shoulder. He gives Aisyl a few affectionate stroke, looking into the hawk's eyes, before letting it go again. It isn't long before it returns, winged wolf in tow.
(12:27:13 AM) Ulyssa: ...A blargh mood once again. Ulyssa can only hope everyone gets out of this alright, but she can't do too much more...
(12:29:21 AM) Aelitethe: Aelitethe's legs quiver as she gives the wolf a tight hug.
(12:29:30 AM) Ulyssa: ...Well, hoping doesn't usually work, but it managed this time! The blargh mood lessens!
(12:30:32 AM) Haisen: Belle nuzzles Aelitethe back, returning the affection.
(12:30:39 AM) Artemis-XE: Its relieving to see Belle safe, for the moment. But Artemis still cant help but think of the others.
(12:34:16 AM) Aelitethe: Aelitethe is shivering. "..."
(12:34:43 AM) Haisen: Belle looks up at Aelitethe, cocking her head. ...She then gives a few licks to the face.
(12:35:02 AM) Aelitethe: She's continuing to cling to the wolf... "The others..."
(12:35:10 AM) Aelitethe: "...What do we do now...?"
(12:36:06 AM) Haisen: "...The others?" Belle asks. "Where...?"
(12:36:50 AM) Artemis-XE: "Killis and Tilia are still in the fortress, i'm afraid."
(12:38:43 AM) XephyrEnigma [~MobileXep@Rizon-76C5DD72.cpe.net.cable.rogers.com] entered the room.
(12:38:43 AM) Artemis-XE left the room (quit: Read error: Connection reset by peer).
(12:39:22 AM) XephyrEnigma is now known as Artemis-XE
(12:41:10 AM) Aelitethe: "They are..."
(12:41:13 AM) Aelitethe: "I wonder if they'll be okay?"
(12:42:01 AM) Artemis-XE: "They'll be fine. So they SAY, mind you. Honestly, only time will tell."
(12:42:22 AM) Ulyssa: Ulyssa attempts to optimistically nod in the affirmative!
(12:42:26 AM) Kineth: Kineth simply nods, not really ahving anything to say.
(12:42:41 AM) Haisen: "...Tilia wouldn't let Corellus himself take her."
(12:43:13 AM) Artemis-XE: "That she wouldnt."
(12:47:26 AM) Aelitethe: "...Mmm."
(12:51:24 AM) Haisen: The group continues onward for a couple more hours before setting up camp.
(12:53:27 AM) Aelitethe: "..."
(12:55:07 AM) Ulyssa: At least you can vocalize your ...s. ...Ulyssa hasn't written anything, which is contrast to pre-Haisen Ulyssa writing as soon as she prepared to go to bed! Instead, she stares at the campfire.
(12:55:40 AM) Aelitethe: Aelitethe hasn't let go of her staff yet. "Well..."
(12:57:14 AM) Kineth: Kineth would go to sit down next to Ulyssa, deciding to keep her company.
(12:57:56 AM) Haisen: The staff isn't very talkative, but Aelitethe has been getting a better sense of what the will inside is like. ...It feels incomplete somehow. Despite its vast power, it seems to be only like a fraction of what it could be. There's a vague sense of knowledge just out of reach...
(12:59:21 AM) Ulyssa: As judged by an arm that manages to find his way around him eventually, she appreciates it! Probably!
(12:59:48 AM) Aelitethe: "Memories... No more...?" Aelitethe is murmuring 'nonsense' into the campfire.
(1:01:17 AM) Kineth: Kineth would go to put an arm around her in kind!
(1:01:59 AM) Haisen: Belle nuzzles up against Aelitethe, still in wolf form.
(1:02:54 AM) Ulyssa: Their locations are set! And Ulyssa can't help but keep looking at Aelitethe whenever she says...something, whatever that is.
(1:03:34 AM) Aelitethe: Aelitethe continually ruffles Belle's fur tenderly, trying to make sense of what the staff told her. "...Tragedy...? What could that mean..."
(1:06:02 AM) Aelitethe: "I need to figure this out..."
(1:06:13 AM) Haisen: You get a sense from the staff that the tragedy, whatever it was, was more than personal. ...You can't tell what it was, however. Deceit, betrayal, merely confusion? The ideas are too faint... But it was important.
(1:07:39 AM) Ulyssa: The joys of listening to as much as she can manage.
(1:08:09 AM) Aelitethe: Aelitethe sighs and nuzzles Belle. "Saken mentioned something about this staff... being sealed since...?"
(1:08:13 AM) Kineth: Pretty much that, yes. While making sure Ulyssa's nice and comfortable.
(1:09:50 AM) Ulyssa: Which she seems to be~!
(1:10:05 AM) Haisen: "...Since Corellus walked the earth. Or... Shortly after." Saken is sitting down nearby. "I admit, it's not certain... B-but, it must be important... To be so sealed..."
(1:11:57 AM) Aelitethe: "I... Hmm..."
(1:12:17 AM) Haisen: "Darkness... Seals." You can feel emanations from the staff. "Chains... Magic... Wrong..."
(1:14:03 AM) Haisen: The magic was... Wrong? You don't think it's talking about its own.
(1:14:55 AM) Aelitethe: "...Evil magic was used to seal...?"
(1:14:58 AM) Aelitethe: Aelitethe scratched her head.
(1:16:48 AM) Haisen: ...The magic on the seal was quite certainly that of Corellus. You remember that clearly, as many of the symbols were not used in either arcane or druidic magic.
(1:17:44 AM) Aelitethe: "Hold on a second... That seal... Since..." Aelitethe tilts her head. "...The magic on those seals... They're definitely of Corellus."
(1:19:03 AM) Ulyssa: Ulyssa tenses. She does not like where this is heading. Granted she expected this was possible ever since HAISEN, but it still kinda sucks to hear anyway.
(1:19:18 AM) Haisen: "...CORELLUS!" The staff reacts more strongly to that than anything else. It's confused, almost frenzied, though in its current state it can't truly muster power into the emotion. This... There's a connection to the tragedy.
(1:19:42 AM) Aelitethe: "Ahhh!" Aelitethe winces.
(1:19:43 AM) Haisen: ...Others around can hear just a faint whisper of the name in their minds as well, from the staff.
(1:20:17 AM) Kineth: Kineth blinks as he hears the whisper, looking at the staff, not really having expected that.
(1:21:41 AM) Aelitethe: "I need.... I need to work this out..." Aelitethe sighs. "I need to figure out what's wrong..."
(1:22:55 AM) Ulyssa: ...as faint as a whisper as that was, it seems very, very mad. ...wait, the staff is talking? ...It's been talking, hasn't it? Aaaa. Ulyssa nods in agreement for Aelitethe, that'd be really nice to know!
(1:23:18 AM) Aelitethe: "I have a feeling that... there's more to our little scuffle with the Church than meets the eye."
(1:23:43 AM) Kineth: "...Indeed. We should definiteiy look further into this when we get the chance."
(1:25:04 AM) Artemis-XE left the room (quit: Ping timeout: 240 seconds).
(1:26:29 AM) Aelitethe: "No memories... That's..." Aelitethe sighs.
(1:27:07 AM) Ulyssa: Something about Transformers. ...Nod nod, in agreement with Kineth and Aelitethe!
(1:28:29 AM) Aelitethe: "...Hmm. We were headed to the Dwarves, right?"
(1:29:12 AM) Ulyssa: ...Nod. That's a yes!
(1:29:20 AM) Kineth: Also nod.
(1:30:23 AM) XephyrEnigma [~MobileXep@Rizon-76C5DD72.cpe.net.cable.rogers.com] entered the room.
(1:30:53 AM) Aelitethe: "We'd best head there once we're rested, we need to discuss our next course of action."
(1:30:54 AM) XephyrEnigma is now known as Artemis-az
(1:31:05 AM) Artemis-az is now known as Artemis-XE
(1:32:14 AM) Kineth: "Indeed we should. No real reason to waste time after we rest."
(1:32:36 AM) Artemis-XE: Artemis nods.
(1:34:27 AM) Haisen: The staff seems calmer than its initial outburst, but you still sense a certain amount of negativity around the idea of Corellus... And... Pain?
(1:34:40 AM) Aelitethe: "...Pain...?"
(1:34:46 AM) Aelitethe: "...I must find the answers."
(1:36:49 AM) Haisen: Belle nuzzles Aelitethe again, though she's eyeing the staff warily
(1:37:12 AM) Aelitethe: Aelitethe cuddles with Belle. "What's the matter, Belle?"
(1:37:56 AM) Haisen: "...Nothing."
(1:38:28 AM) Aelitethe: "...Please tell me..."
(1:38:32 AM) Aelitethe: She facefaults.
(1:39:08 AM) Haisen: "...Should staves be like that?"
(1:40:13 AM) Ulyssa: Ulyssa attempts to shrug with one half of her body.
(1:40:43 AM) Kineth: Aaand Kineth would shrug with his own half! Or try to.
(1:40:54 AM) Aelitethe: "The staff entrusted itself to me. I'm sure if we all cooperate we can find the answers to every question we ask, and end this tyranny once and for all."
(1:42:06 AM) Ulyssa: DUAL SHRUGGING POWERS! They might actually make an understandable shrug with that kind of teamwork!
(1:42:35 AM) Aelitethe: Aelitethe weakly chuckles. "I'm not crazy, I swear..."
(1:43:01 AM) Haisen: "...I'll find the answer with you."
(1:43:49 AM) Aelitethe: She hugs Belle tightly.
(1:45:43 AM) Haisen: Belle nuzzles Aelitethe back, and licks her cheek.
(1:46:46 AM) Aelitethe: Aelitethe smiles faintly, stroking Belle's fur. "..."
(1:48:54 AM) Aelitethe: She's tired, but has a lot to think about throughout the night...
(1:51:27 AM) Aelitethe: "I'm... going to sleep..."
(1:52:11 AM) Kineth: "Sleeping... is definitely a good idea, yes."
(1:52:49 AM) Artemis-XE: "I think we all could use the rest at this point. Goodnight, Aeli."
(1:53:12 AM) Haisen: Belle will remain right next to Aelitethe.
(1:53:26 AM) Haisen: "Goodnight..." Saken says simply. He still seems to be thinking about things.
(1:53:54 AM) Aelitethe: Aelitethe snuggles up to Belle, keeping the staff very close as well.
(1:54:23 AM) Artemis-XE: "Sleep well, all of you."
(1:54:42 AM) Kineth: "Aye. Rest well."
(1:56:11 AM) Ulyssa: Nod nod!
(2:04:26 AM) Haisen: The party rests, and awakens the next day... There's still no sign of Tilia or Killis. If they did manage to escape, it wasn't in this direction.
(2:07:25 AM) Ulyssa: It's rather worrying, really! But either way, Ulyssa is up as soon as Kineth is, or later than.
(2:07:36 AM) Aelitethe: Aelitethe slowly wakes up...
(2:08:06 AM) Kineth: Kineth wakes up, sighing a little as he sees that Tilia and Killis aren't around. Problematic..
(2:08:50 AM) Aelitethe: "If they escaped, they didn't head this direction... I'm worried..."
(2:09:24 AM) Artemis-XE: Artemis wakes up, and lets out a yawn. Tilia and Killis still arent here. He hopes for their safety.
(2:10:04 AM) Artemis-XE: "Perhaps they knew of another route?"
(2:10:15 AM) Aelitethe: "Let's hope so."
(2:10:28 AM) Aelitethe: "For now, we have to press on. I'm sure we'll see them somewhere along the way."
(2:10:50 AM) Kineth: "Indeed. All we can do is hope for the best, for now."
(2:11:09 AM) Haisen: Saken is completely silent.
(2:11:35 AM) Artemis-XE: "You're right. Nothing we can do now but keep going."
(2:13:33 AM) Kineth: Kineth nods as he slowly goes to get up, getting ready for the day ahead.
(2:13:43 AM) Aelitethe: Aelitethe too, prepares for the rest of the day.
(2:14:29 AM) Artemis-XE: Artemis pauses for a moment, seeing a still troubled Saken. He goes to offer a few words to him. "...Listen. I know you're worried. We all are. But they're probably going to be okay. For all we know, they could've escaped by now. But we have to keep going. It's all that can be done right now." He then offers him a hug.
(2:14:58 AM) Haisen: "I know."
(2:15:15 AM) Haisen: Saken is... Very much unresponsive.
(2:15:38 AM) Artemis-XE: "..."
(2:16:35 AM) Artemis-XE: "If you ever need to talk. I'm always listening. Understand?"
(2:16:42 AM) Haisen: "Yes."
(2:19:49 AM) Ulyssa: ...Saken's lack of words is rather worrisome! But, unable to grasp the issue more than everyone else already has, she can only just outwardly seem worried.
(2:19:59 AM) Haisen: Once prepared, the party is on their way once more. Fortunately, the party doesn't encounter any wild monsters along the way. ...However, the mood is still as heavy as always. Saken continues his silence, responding as simply as possible to anything said to him, or simply giving no response.
(2:20:29 AM) Haisen: ...Eventually, they reach the cave entrance, where, of course, there is a gate, and guards with it.
(2:23:05 AM) Haisen: ...They look surprised to see travelers approaching.
(2:25:56 AM) Haisen: "You, travelers. What is your business?"
(2:29:46 AM) Aelitethe: Aelitethe clears her throat. ...She needed to think of some rationale, all she recalls is that they needed to BE here. But why... What was the reason, again?
(2:29:59 AM) Aelitethe: "Er... We're here to..."
(2:31:39 AM) Haisen: ...Killis had said to meet the gnomes, and it is rather necessary to pass through the dwarven caves to get there. ...He just never told  you why.
(2:37:22 AM) Haisen: Belle speaks up. "We're here on a personal request for a man named Killis."
(2:38:44 AM) Haisen: The guard raises an eyebrow. "A personal request?" He pauses for a moment. "Well... you don't look like you're with the church. Just don't get in anyone's way, alright?
(2:39:13 AM) Aelitethe: "...We won't..."
(2:39:40 AM) Artemis-XE: Artemis nods to the guard.
(2:39:45 AM) ***Kineth nods as well.
(2:41:49 AM) ***Ulyssa nods, not having much other options!
(2:41:54 AM) Haisen: The doors open, and the group enters. They have to walk through tunnels for a few minutes, but soon, they come to a vast, open cavern, with a magnificent city within.