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The presence of someone other than Raven, even that of a small child, drives Lisa to stay hidden while they talk. She isn't afraid of Adriannu, not after realizing she's dealing with a young girl. She's concerned about her, but while Raven has the charm of a cuddly domestic animal, Lisa is a tall, formidable stranger. She can't risk approaching her and having her run away, so she waits and listens.

The girl, who sounds like she's recovering from a vulnerable moment that Raven likely caused or took advantage of, announces that they need to pack.

What the hell, Raven?

She waits. There's shuffling around for several minutes, then Raven bounds outside followed by a half-cat child. She marvels at how strikingly Chimeran she looks, yet enough is off about her that Lisa knows this girl can't be one of her own.

To avoid catching their eyes, Lisa summons enough energy for one more transformation, turning back into a crow and following them. Within a few minutes, she sees they're headed toward their cabin. Good, I should just return there and wait to meet them. She spreads her wings to fly ahead, then Raven and Adriannu's idle chatter takes a turn for the worse. When she realize who they're talking about, her beak falls open in shock.

Raven, who'd known about her being there, turns and calls her out. She hisses before fluttering over their heads and alighting on the ground. The shapeshifter flaps her wings as she lands and fluffs up her feathers to hide the scars that lace her dark body. She cocks her head at Adriannu, studying her with beady yellow eyes, then she glares at Raven.

"I heard plenty. You and I need to talk."

Adriannu packed with an even balance between haste and care, not wanting to make any mistakes in her haste that would cost her even more time. Once finished, she followed Raven out of the cave without a second glance to the place that had been her home for about a year and a half.

As she walked, the child struck up a conversation with the cat, asking her how old she was, if she had any hunting tips and what kind of meat she liked. The cat girl laughs when Raven replied that her favorite meat is fresh meat before clarifying. "Well that is good to know, what I really meant is what kind animal meat you like the most. Like rabbit, pheasant or maybe something smaller like mice and little birds. I admit I generally don't go after little animals like that since I don't like killing for so little gain. If I must take an animal's life, I'd at least like it to be worth a meal rather than a tiny snack otherwise I feel that I wasted that animal's life. Obviously you don't have that concern since you are so much smaller than me so those little critters are much more filling.

Afterwards Raven told her a story about herself and Lisa which made her laugh. "That was a funny thing you did and it clearly worked out for both of you. Sounded like Lisa needed the fun so I think you did a good thing. Though could I ask you to tell me a little more about the parade? I haven't gotten to see a parade for nearly three years."

Eventually however, Adriannu took the conversation to a darker and much more serious subject, though Raven's reaction wasn't what she was expecting. For the cat suddenly turned around before calling out to a creep.

At that Lisa appeared in the form of a crow and while normally she liked crows, this one was an exception. For this crow had been called a creep by Raven, had been following them and could talk. On top of that, she didn't know that the chimera could turn into a crow. That was all the stimulus required to activate her highly ingrained defensive drive, transforming her her from child to predator.

Suddenly she sprinted towards Lisa with astonishing speed on all fours with a dagger held clenched in her teeth, having been drawn near silently while the chimera had been talking. Her golden eyes looked upon Lisa like a hunting cat would look upon a songbird; merciless and with killing intent.

As Adriannu drew closer, she focused the crow with complete concentration in order to react appropriately to how she handled her approach. If she tried to fly away, then the Cathera would leap into the air after her with claws unsheathed in an attempt to catch and force her back onto the ground; pinned beneath her. Should Lisa just be shocked into stillness, then she would still attempt to pin her, just without jump. Finally if the crow took humanoid form, then the cat girl would stop mid-charge, stand up and point the dagger at Lisa before looking at Raven for confirmation. Regardless, Adriannu's goal was not to kill, but to interrogate.

Alastor looked at the odd shard that had been placed in his hand, as well as the disc that seemed to come with it. The two... plant people.. had seemed eager to get rid of it before hurrying off, and if their story was anything to go by, it had apparently saved them. "Doesn't seem like the kind of thing to get rid of, if it can do that." He had also been handed a good sum of gold, oddly enough. He wasn't the type to question a good thing though, and quickly hid the currency under his coat.

Alastor had heard the recent reports of a camp nearby that had been destroyed. Some kind of attack by something unnatural, according to what his contacts had passed on, and it hadn't left any survivors. Well, except for those two.

The shard in his hand didn't look like much. Lines of electrum along the sides, sure, but other than that it was just a broken bit to a larger piece. Probably not worth selling, but it would make a nice little souvenir. Alastor thought to himself while turning it over. Good for a story at the very least.

His attention then shifted to the odd disc. The two had said that it held some kind of message. He moved his hand along it, trying to find some way to open it, when his finger rested upon what felt like a button. He glanced around, making sure nobody was watching his little discovery, before pressing it in. He was startled as an image appeared before him, and started to talk! He quickly regained his composure and listened in.

After the message had completed, a large grin spread over Alastor's face. A shard of the Vase, eh? Well haven't I stumbled upon quite a legend. His mind started racing over all the possibilities, before resting on one. There was more than just the one piece, and if he could find the ones that had them, life was going to be all the sweeter.

He hurried back into town to see his gang. If he was going on this search, Urug would need to take the reins for a bit. No doubt there'd be the usual lecture about getting himself in too deep, and expecting the impossible, but the old orc was always the worrisome type. Sure, he'd saved Alastor every now and then, but Alastor could only ever think of the missed opportunities and rewards that had been passed up for the sake of 'safety'. He wasn't going to let this opportunity pass him by, not with these stakes.

After visiting the gang, appointing Urug to cover for him, and hearing the inevitable lecture, Alastor gathered up his usual survival gear. A few knives, a couple of water skins, some trail rations, a bedroll and his leather armour and coat, as well as the sum of gold he had acquired. He hated to leave his nobles' disguise behind, but it was just dead weight with where he was likely going. After a quick farewell to his 'family', he set off.

"Time for my biggest score to date."

Neo would see Drake lunging towards him,but he also saw that the weapon Joules had,as she shoot his hand.He would grab the sword on his back,getting prepared for a fight that he might not win.

Tch-CRACK!

Drake cries out in pain as the flintlock’s bullet tears through his sword palm. Bones splinter. Blood drops spatter the air. His hand explodes in sharp, stabbing pain. He drops his sword and stumbles back, drawing his mangled hand close to his chest.

Gritting his teeth he fights back an absolute hailstorm of curses. A low growl rises in his throat. Red starts to blur his vision as he glares daggers at Jules, and then he loses the quiet fight. “You’re going to pay for that, you Goddamn-” he stops. Victi has cast off her illusions and he catches sight of her- the real her -in the middle of something terrible.

It is very obvious that she's doing something, and something big. Her tails are all fanned our and curved skyward, her eyes seem blank and distant, her arms are raised, and it seems like there's a jagged fragment of night sky in the air above her, brought down from the heavens themselves.

Then something changes.

The slight movements of her fur become unnaturally rapid, she seems to blink more, but her eyelids are the tiniest of movements, over her eyes and then back away almost too fast to process.

Victi yanks Drake around space to her, her hand snaps to his shoulder, way, way, way too quickly. "We're leaving," she growls to him, "I don't want to be nearby if something goes wrong when this thing lands, and you being hurts helps not at all." Anyone else hearing it hears it as being spoken exceedingly quickly and very high pitched.

Drake's starting to get used to her crazy magic tricks. With the promise that they're about to get the hell out of there, he recovers from his shock of warping through space and seeing time slow around them a little easier. Still cradling his wounded hand, he casts a nervous look at the broken sky and nods.

"And make it damn quick!"

Being charged by someone several times her size sets Lisa’s fight or flight instinct into overdrive. Favoring flight in her corvid body, she takes to the air with a cry of panic. Adriannu apparently anticipates that, jumping and swatting her to the ground. Clawed hands hook into her target’s small, unguarded body, tearing out feathers and drawing blood.

Lisa goes limp, allowing herself to be pinned. But the moment they hit the ground, she releases her magic and jolts into her normal form. The sudden shift hopefully throws Adriannu off-balance, allowing Lisa to turn her over without resorting to brute strength. She snatches at the hand still clutching her chest and tries pushing the girl back with her bandaged hand, all while struggling into a sitting position and shouting, “Wait, wait, wait!”

“Hey! No! Girl, that’s not a random bird! Not a random bird!” Knowing how predators tend to think, Raven assumes Adriannu is aiming to kill or torment her friend. She chases after her and snatches a bundle of the girls’ clothing and tries pulling her back. “Shtap!”

Victi takes a deep breath, concentrating as the last location swap in the chain she had established takes place. The she calls out, voice forceful and full of fury and strength, "BEHOLD, the Heliolance!"

And all hell breaks loose.

A ray of light that hurts to look at and blisters the skin lashes out toward the Warden as she, Drake, and her Shriker disappear. In the wake of the beam, a wall of fire erupts as the power of the sun rips through the air, shearing over the landscape for several kilometers along the coast before crossing over the ocean, boiling the water beneath it and tearing off over the horizon, travelling in a straight line tangent to the planet's curve. People in towns hundreds of kilometers from the site can see the hellish ray's blazing corona, like a second sun stretched wide over the horizon. Highly flammable materials such as paper within up to about 120 meters and directly exposed to the light will catch fire, as will wood within abour 70m. The vicious ray lasts for only a few short seconds, but the damage is done.



At their teleportation "landing" site, the hilltop where Victi had first arrived, the sorceress falls over, completely exhausted and staring at the burning horizon.

"Dammit," she mutters, "Too much mana to keep my wards up and get us here and....AGH!" Her feral shout of frustration as she rolls onto her back makes it clear that she really hadn't meant to let her spell do.... whatever it had done.

After a moment, she remembers Drake. "Crud, your hand," she says, adding something in another language gesturing vaguely with one limp-looking hand. Her shriker makes a small chirping sound as a light flashes. "The roll of silk-looking bandages in the back bit Use some of that, it'll help. I'll deal with the rest once... once I can move. Let my siphones give me enough mana to at least run my nerves properly..." While the spell did its job, presumably, if with some unexpected side effects, it was very clear that it had taken a massive toll on her as well.

She sensed she was planning something big obviously. Like she thought before. She knows every inch of this place by heart. She quickly spread her wings and grabbed Neo and flew as high as she could and as far as she could as the beam of light burn her backside slightly. She tried blocking him from the beam as best she could. "Damn..."

The light cleared and she set them down. She looked at the ruminates of her once beautiful home. She walked up to the fire infested area. The Warden and Spartan were gone. Vanished.

As her wings drooped low to her side, the fire burning her legs slightly, she stared into the fire. A single tear fell. She got down on her knees and closed her eyes. "I am sorry... I couldnt..." she bit her bottom lip trying to hold back her tears.

Alastor looked over the simple camp he had built. It had been a while since he'd left his home to go on this search, and he was already missing his usual comforts. Travelling wasn't his usual style. I mean, why leave civilization when it has everything he needs? He would often think to himself as he was growing up. Still, this wasn't just some trip into the woods, or some divine intervention. This was the biggest payout of his life! Some time on the road couldn't hurt that much, right?

As he sat next to the fire he had built, he started turning the shard over in his hand. "A looot of trouble surrounds you now, doesn't it? Hard to believe anything has that level of power. And a vase? Odd choice for an all powerful artifact." Alastor let out a quick chuckle before thinking to himself. "Now that I think about it, I haven't seen what you can do yet. Let's fix that."

Making a quick cut along his hand using one of the daggers on his belt, Alastor let a good amount of blood settle over the shard. The feeling he got back was.. strange. Unnatural.

But also powerful.

He looked over at the pot he had over the fire, filled with water that was taking all too long to boil. He felt like he could do something about that. He focused on that feeling, extending his hand as he imagined a wizard or sorcerer would. He could feel the water warming. Reaching towards the temperature he desired.

Alastor's focus was suddenly diverted, as he heard something move beside him. "What the hell!?" As he turned, the water he had been focusing on launched itself toward the noise. Before he could even see what had moved into his camp, he heard the screeching of some small critter, covered in the boiling water.

A rabbit. A goddamn rabbit. Pull yourself together, idiot. Alastor stood up, ending his little science experiment. Walking over to the rabbit, he made one quick thrust with his dagger to silence the noise. Well at least you don't need to worry about lunch.

After a few minutes of taking some deep breaths, she got up. She then went searching until she found the shard. "I will protect these shards with my life." She proclaimed. She heads deeper into the fire infested house. At this point her healing had kicked in and the flames were doing to nothing to her. "Of all things, my house? Really?" She sighs as she looks at part of the damage done to her house. "This will take time to rebuild.... another time I suppose. For now, gather what we need and get out of here." She exclaimed

Neo would look around to see the destruction."Jesus…",Neo said.His hands clenched as rage started to take over,but he wouldn't let that happen."If this is what she's capable of,then I suggest we find the other shards,fast."Neo would grab his sword,and look to the forest.

She paused after seeing the fire cutting through the treetops. She was confused by this and switched her path so she wouldn’t run into it. She sighed and kept walking. She kept her mind focused on just getting somewhere to rest and eat. She made her cloak hood was hiding her face and snowflake hair piece.

"Yeah... just...just please give me a minute. I have valuables that I need to check. I just hope they are not ruined... chances are they didnt make it." She moves to the burning house and enters a cellar door. She walks down and most of it is gone. She picks up a few decently usable items and places them in a bag. She then comes up and stares out in the distance over the cliff. The wind in her hair. Her eyes turn black and face becomes more serious. "We will make this right" she proclaims.

Alastor walked down the road. His progress had been diverted when he saw a large flash. Curiosity had once again got the better of him, as he moved toward the smoke rising in the distance. He braced himself, ready for whatever, or whoever, may be there.

This wasn't his usual style, moving towards trouble like he was supposed to be there. Hell, half the time, he was running after causing said trouble! But something was off about this situation. With what had been going on the last day or two, he needed more information on what was happening, and what better place to start than around disaster. Trouble does follow these little bastards, after all.

Coming close, Alastor saw what looked to be a burning house, sitting along a cliffside. Great. The first sign of civilization and it's burned to the bloody ground. Gods forbid things went according to plan. He took in every detail, from the burning house, to the scorched trees nearby, to the figure, standing over the nearby cliffside.

Wait. Someone survived this? Maybe I'm about to catch a break after all! Alastor began to approach cautiously, on the off chance whoever it was had caused the scene in the first place. Alright, Inhale. Three seconds. Exhale. Let's do this.

She turns to see someone. Her blackened eyes stare towards him. "Who goes there?!" Her hand rests on her chain and sickle. She looks at her burning house then back at him as the wind blew her golden hair. Her eyes change back to her normal emerald green.

Liliath was young, way to young to be in this situation. Her age was unkown but she was between the age of 9 or 10 not that she really acted like it. She acted like a crybaby over the top, but hey that was Liliath. When she didn't act like a crybaby, she was very happy. She was like an emotional bubble.

Liliath was out on her own for at least a month, she had survived by stealing and sneaking in other ones houses. And if those other people noticed her, she would run away and repeat the same thing again.

Surviving wasn't fun and Liliath rather had a normal safe and sound life. She often fantasized about a better life and if other people would ask her how her life was she would say 'pretty dramatic, but its fine'

Now she had noticed a house on fire. Liliath glanced inside everything was burning. Liliath sat down next to a tree and waited for anybody to come to stop the fire. Then she noticed some people and she decided to hide behind a tree

Alastor raised a hand above his head. "Easy! I'm not here to cause trouble. I saw the smoke while I was traveling through and thought someone... might... be..." Alastor caught sight of the wings and horns protruding from the stranger. It was enough to stop him in his tracks. Alright. Keep it together. If she wanted you dead, you'd be dead, right? Bloody hell, what have I walked into?

Alastor forced a smile. "So uhh.. as I was saying, I thought someone might be in trouble. My name's Stiv! You're uhh.. you're an interesting type..."