act Igniting the the wreath of thorns that crowns the wooden effigy's head is sacriligous and exactly the minor distraction that serves to pull everyone's attention toward the corner, even Rick and Henry. Mild panic is incited through the group as they all congregate toward the altar, ruminating on how to exstinguish the flames while -- unsurprisingly -- an elder crone of a woman extols the virtues of this little display.

"The Eternal Father has spoken! He's sent us a sign," she raves. "The Flame of His Righteous Wrath shall burn away all our antiquities and deliver us to the Path of Salvation! Let it buuuurn!" she closes her eyes in rapture, her head thrown back with a maddening cackle of delight.

An uneasiness ticks up in several acolytes, trading glances of uncertainty between themselves as they step back from "The Mother," as someone calls her.

Henry and Rick look on, bemused, their backs turned to their victims respectively chained to table and wall, both of whom fit the description vaugely of the little firecracker that drew Aleks here to begin with.

A quick peek in the direction of the wall reveals the victim to not be Cicero, meaning the boheme must be on the clothed table above where the eyeless, naked, and cancer-ridden form of the recalled body now resides, hidden by the elongated ends of the white, bloodied sheet covering her.

"Come now, Children," the Mother crone clucks as the effigy is slowly consumed by flame, doling out instructions to a few Cultists to her right. "We mustn't let this blessing go to waste. Grab the blade and the pouches. If we tarry too long, the window will be missed and this will have all been for nothing."


The window of opportunity is rapidly closing for Aleks as they move into action. Several disperse into the darkened corridor, with Rick grunting his annoyance for the entire scenario while he moves toward the woman chained to the wall. A razor blade is palmed from his voluminous robes, making quick work of stabbing her several times between the ribs to produce a sizeable downpour of blood that won't immediately kill the poor unconscious woman.