Chaos Theorem

Sabriel smiled gratefully at Raven, before running off into the town with the grace of a trained hunter. She had got a reasonably good look at where he had been going, and he was distinguishable enough that she could just ask the townspeople. The balaclava may have been going too for on the whole concealment thing, she reckoned, and by now may have made him more recognisable as 'the man with the balaclava and staff'. Not many fit that description.

She eventually located him in the park, having had to ask for directions a few times. Her footsteps were light, and barely made any noise as she treaded through the more natural surroundings. Her boots were the only thing stopping her from being silent, but that wasn't really too much harm. It might unnerve him if she sneaked up on him, and she didn't want that. She did have setting to discuss with him, though he would almost definitely be opposed to her helping out. Oh well, she had a long history of doing things she wasn't supposed to.

"I think I can keep the two Demon Hunters out of your way. I haven't told the one I know anything about you, anything about the Crypt, or anything about the Cultists. I don't think that's too bad for a few minute's work, do you?" the elf asked, her voice calm and gentle like usual, and her eyes studying the Sorcerer intently. She wondered how he would respond, how inquisitive he was.

"Oi, put that thing away, I'm not going to hurt ya, unless you try something yourself." Raven said, when she noticed his hand go for his rapier. "You know about the case of demon sightings, as well, don't you? I'm here to see if you would like to cooperate to deal with this matter."

"Oh, and before you ask 'how do I know you're actually a Demon Hunter as well?'-" Raven began to add, before holding out her hand in front of her, before summoning an apple from her void into it. Only Demon Hunters could manipulate the void like this. Raven didn't really like when people acted overly-suspicious, but she would always do this to prove who she was. "Proof enough for you?"

Atra defiantly kept his hand firm on the hilt of his rapier. It wasn't drawn, the Damascus steel still very safe within its sheath, but it could easily be taken out in less than a second if things went awry. Just because this woman was a Demon Hunter didn't mean she was be to trusted, in Atra's mind at least. Atra could sympathize with people who didn't respect his order; the effective independence given to Demon Hunters may have made them more self-reliant and thus powerful, but it also tended to make them incredibly self interested. Summoning an apple definitely did not mean that this woman had no ulterior motives.

"They tend not to put is in groups for a reason, you know" Atra said, his scowl gradually shifting to a look of apathy. In all honesty, he wasn't very interested in what she had to say. He had something to do. "However, I suppose I can make an exception to my solo policy. That man with the staff, the conjurer. His map had two areas marked. One was the Creator's Crypt, and the other was a destination I was just about to investigate. If you're really interested in cooperating, accompany me". Atra paused for a second here, and grinned. "You can trigger any traps the Dark Cultists set up for me".

Raven frowned, the guy was definetly beginning to get on her nerves. "There is no reason they put us in groups, some of us just prefer working alone, and groups aren't exactly uncommon." She snapped back. She could usually trust a fellow Demon Hunter, mostly because they all usually had a similar purpose of taking down demons.

Raven listened to the information he provided her, but frowned at the last line. He was lucky that she was doing this as a favor to Sabriel, or he'd be in deep shit right now. "You're an ass, you know that?"

Atra patted his new-found female partner on the shoulder, and turned back to the north. Provided this woman was actually any help to him, whatever was at the map's marker would be facing twice the devastation one Demon Hunter brings. "If a Demon died every time someone called me an ass we'd be unemployed. Now, let's go, hmmm? Oh, but before I forget..." Atra turned his head back, keeping his hand not quite on his hilt, but still near it. You could never be too careful with strangers. "Your name is...?".

Not bothering to wait for a reply to begin his trek, Atra started walking north, keeping any eye out for anyone else nearing him. He'd keep going with or without the lady's help. He was confident that whatever he found at the marker, he'd be ready for it. And if it was nothing, well, that left only one place remaining to investigate, now didn't it?

"Raven." The Demon Hunter replied, following after him. "Raven Eros." She said, stating her full name. She was well known among the Demon Hunters for slaying Anzu a few years earlier. Since then she had come to be known as one of the best within the order. But knowing this guy, he probably hadn't heard of her, or maybe just didn't care.

But Raven didn't really care herself, she just wanted to deal with the demon threat. She was only going to work with him, which meant she wasn't going to follow any orders he gave, instead doing what she wanted.

As the mage-human walked off, the wolf followed in pursuit, still wary of the townspeople, though not as careful as it might have been had the onlookers not been abuzz with recent happenings. The wolf even allowed the mage-human to slip out of vision from time to time; his scent had long been memorized. The buildings and shops gave way to trees and bushes. The wolf relaxed and soon happened upon the mage-human and the elf, who it appeared had followed him.

This time, the confrontation was not of a hostile nature. From what little the wolf understood of the conversation (though not from lack of hearing), the elf was offering to help the mage-human somehow. The wolf quietly padded nearer, stooped close to the ground not unlike the form it took while stalking rabbits. However, it never pounced. Its goal did not include a catch.

Rather than pay attention to their exchange, since there was little chance it would be something understandable, the wolf took the chance to size up the elf. Despite being markedly familiar, the elf was also completely foreign. The scent of reminiscent of the earth that accompanied most of the elven was distorted and altogether lost; here was someone who had been everywhere, yet nowhere all at once. The wolf's ears flattened as it lay on the ground. Combined with the mage-human's distinctly magical smell (combined with that of Cold Season), the overall effect was a strange combination of far off lands and snow, although it was different from the scent of the North. How perplexing humans were (including, the wolf decided, this funny elf-who-was-not-an-elf). Most of the elven smelled like the rest of their species (the same of orks and dwarves, actually), but these humans came in such a variety the wolf thought it might never discover them all in a lifetime.

Now curious, the wolf turned a new ear - and nose - toward the duo.

"Is that suppose to impress me?" Gerard mumbled into his balaclava as he dropped onto a near by bench. There was no escaping this conversation, so he might as well be comfortable for it. He gestured for the Elf to take a seat next to him.

"I know you've been following me since you left the inn," he told her, not meeting out as he stared out at the people that walked past them. He wasn't big on social interaction, but it intrigued him to sometimes just watch other people go about there day. "Piece of advice; if you're going to follow a Sorcerer with Sensory Synch in future, don't cloak yourself in the Void right before hand, you turn into a giant beckon of magical activity.

"Speaking of, there is also a large wolf following us, though he's not really a wolf," he turned around to look at Sabriel, meeting her eye for once. "Why are you so interested in this? What compels you to get involved with dealing with these Dark Cultist so?"

Sabriel chose to respectfully decline his offer of a seat, sitting down in the crown of a tree opposite to him. It was nice, reminded her of her home, and plus, it was safer if worst came to worst. Before she even responded, she turned to look for the wolf, her acute and trained senses taking a second to find it, though still faster than the vast majority of humans. She smiled kindly at it, half-remembering a lesson from her childhood to always treat wild animals with respect. You never knew when it might be a Druid, as it happened to be now.

"It wasn't meant to impress you," Sabriel mused lightly in her musical voice. She wasn't looking at him yet, instead choosing to study the wolf and its surroundings. They were of more immediate note to her. Eventually she did cast her dark eyes back to him, however. "I merely thought you might want to hear it after what you had said earlier. I'd to have your heart aflutter with worry."

"As for your final question, mister Sorcerer, you disappoint me. Though it is a wise cynical outlook you have, I must admit. I need a reason to try and clear out Dark Cultists from a town?" the elven woman asked archly, eyeing him with mild surprise. Usually your average Sorcerer would be less interrogative and world-weary than that, she knew. As a whole, Sorcerers were a silly bunch, though she could easily say that about elves. "Is, oh, I dunno, I don't like the scent of burning towns very much a reasonable enough reason for you?"

Evidently, the mage-human had pointed the wolf out to the elf; the next moment, the elf located the wolf and studied it. Now the wolf remembered: it had been told recently about the mage-human's ability to sniff out magic. And, well, there was a lot of it surrounding him. Its cover blown, the wolf eased out of its hiding and closer to the pair, although it made no noise to disturb the exchange. Now out of the foliage, its strange appearance became apparent. With dark taupe fur sprinkled with leaves, an overlarge structure, and golden eyes, it didn't take a mage to tell that this was not a normal wolf. For denser humans and orks, its fur seemed to have been dyed in irregular black designs. Sensing no ill intent, the wolf's posture had taken a relaxed form: flattened fur, head slightly lowered, and - if one were to look carefully - the slight curve of a smile gracing its maw.

The elf, whose scent had grown much stronger as the wolf approached (unlike the mage-human, who always smelled mild), seemed to be asking a question. The wolf did not catch the exact words she used, or rather, did not comprehend them. Its enhanced hearing noted the fluctuation of her voice (surprised, but smooth and unagitated). However, the wolf discerned they were talking about something unfavorably, their body positions suggesting that of a common enemy? The wolf had reached the base of the tree the elf sat in; it sat down on its haunches, thumping its tail twice and looking up at the elf.

"Hello, sir Druid," Sabriel greeted softly as she slid off the tree, landing beside the wolf gracefully, as was befitting of an elven Ranger. She would have liked to give the wolf something to eat, but she had nothing. She herself had never got the taste for meat, even as a young girl in her parents' hall. Seven centuries had not changed this, but she didn't think that a few berries and nuts would be proper food for a wolf, Druid or no. She reached out her hand cautiously, not wanting to pet the wolf without its permission.

She was reminded of the years she had spent in the forest, with only wild animals like wolves to keep her company. They were pleasant memories, ones of her time in the forest. She had been truly free and she had not wanted for money or anything, at least until she had left. By then she had spent a decade or two in the wild, protecting the woods from foresters and hunters. She knew wolves, just like she knew the markings on this one meant it was not truly a wolf but someone taking the shape of one. She had always envied that skill, and it had left her torn before finally choosing the Rangers.

"Would that I could give you something to eat, but I doubt you're vegetarian too," she laughed lightly, her hair falling into her face as she looked down at the beast.

Raven Eros. Atra paused, and turned back to his new companion. He squinted, narrowing his deep eyes, and examined her figure closely. He'd heard her name before, somewhere or other. From a comrade Demon Hunter, Atra suspected. Either way, though, one thing was clear: he'd never seen her before in his life. Satisfied and all too content with this, Atra turned away again, and continued walking. He moved quickly; it was a habit of his to always move to speed, even when walking. Atra had a certain grace to himself when he walked. Light-footed and swift, but there was a measure of elegance with each step Atra took north. It was something Atra had learned naturally, well before he took up his current profession. Living in a wealthy merchant family meant that Atra had to carry himself quite well. Reputation was always at stake. In a way, Atra missed that. Missed his family, and the life he had with them. His brothers were doing well, or so he heard. The family business was running along fine. Atra hoped he had the same fortune with his life as his family had with theirs.

When the two approached the spot where one of the dots on the map was placed, Atra was greeted with a less than pleasant sight. Bloodkin tracks. Atra searched the surrounding area, looking for any more clues of what was to come once the two of them reached the point where the triangle was centered. "Tracks" Atra began, plainly, speaking rather genuinely nonchalantly. It was hard to startle him. "This news to you, Raven?" he continued.

The wolf let out a low rumble in the back of its throat but inclined its head as a sign of submission, wagging its tail. Then without warning, the wolf pushed itself up onto its hind legs and placed its forepaws on the elf's shoulders. Its large stature (and the elf's rather short stature) brought the wolf's head more or less level with hers. Lingering so for a brief moment, it gave a sharp bark and bound away on four legs once more. This time, it approached the mage-human, although without its initial hesitation and grace. Leaping on to the mage-human's bench (which creaked under its weight), the wolf curled and reclined by his side. There was a small degree of familiarity in its movement.

Though the wolf did not usually follow common conversation, it could generally interpret what was said directly to it. The elf had spoken the word "Druid," which the wolf knew meant its identity was known. Perhaps it was this reason the elf did not seem frightened or repulsed; but the elven had always been rather in touch with nature. In fact, this elf seemed to be comfortable with the wolf. What a rare reaction, but how welcome! However, as much as it wanted to roll around, the wolf could sense the wrong-ness hanging over the town. This wasn't a time to get acquainted, so the wolf became silent, ears perked, for the rest of the conversation.

"No, my friend told me she spotted some earlier, and I went to investigate. Bloodkin, alright." Raven said, explaining how she knew. But even if Sabriel hadn't told her about them, she still would have discovered them quite easily. She sounded serious, but that was only due to the matter involving demons.

Right now, Raven would have preferred doing this alongside Sabriel, or anyone else for that matter. Atra irritated her for some reason, so full of himself, to a higher level then one would usually suspect. But she betrayed no sign of this, she was used to dealing with people who irritated her.

Gerard nodded slightly, listening to what the Elf had to say as he went over the situation in his head. Sighing, he didn’t even realise he lifted a hand to scratch the wolf behind the ears when it hoped to join him on the bench. “Should have known it was you…” he murmured to himself.

“Nobody likes burning towns,” he added eventually, having sat in silence for a few moments, just scratching the wolf as he warred with himself over what he should tell this Elf before him. “I have reason to believe there’s a lot more to this than just simple Dark Cultists running around summoning Demons for kicks and giggles. That’s why I don’t want anyone else getting involved – once I have confirmation on whether or not I’m right I’ll decide my next move then. I just don’t want more people getting caught up in this mess.”

He really doubted that would quell the Elf’s curiosity, but he really wasn’t too sure how else to put it without divulging further details that would only give her cause to panic. That was the last thing he needed. So much of this doesn’t make any sense right now…

“How good a thief are you...?” Gerard asked casting his gaze up once more, he didn’t know what was going on, but he knew how he’d get a few more pieces of the puzzle. “I gave that map to the Demon Hunter, we need it back, get it for me and you and I will test a theory I have as to what’s going on in this town. Do we have an accord?” he asked, offering out his hand for her to shake.


“Demon Hunters…!” The screeching voice rode on the winds as Atra and Raven stood before the Bloodkin tracks. With a savage snarl the ground around them lit up, four flaming circle swirled on the spot in each direction, one to the north, south, east and west. And then the ground began to shake and crack before the flaming circles erupted into small pillars of fire, throwing up a smoke screen.

It took a few moments to clear, but when it did, the two Demon Hunters would find themselves encircled by four mighty Bloodkin*, their redskin aglow in the early morning sun. But the one in front of them, instead of being dressed in the crude armour fashioned from bone like the other three, it rode atop a huge Juggernaut* beast, dressed in robes of gold and black and wearing really armour fashioned from glimmering black Carbinoxous* and wielding a large black halberd fashioned from grotesque skulls thrown together to make the pole with a serrated blade: a Blood Oath Spear*.

“So you have come, just as they said you would,” The Bloodkin that stood atop the Juggernaut hissed, its Enoch* strangled and gargled, some strange mockery of what should have been a female voice. The female Bloodkin, the Blood Oath, raised her spear up, cold golden eyes burning with murderous intent. “Skin them alive and bring me the skull of the male!”

“Baal demands your blood!” The three other Bloodkin screamed in unison, hoisting up their large claymore-like blades made from skull and bone before charging the pair of Demon Hunters.


Footnotes

* For the Lore Extract on the Bloodkin and their Juggernaut steeds see Page 4 of the Chaos Theorem OoC thread.

* Carbinoxous is rather material that exists in the world of Caritas, a mix of Carbon and Diamond - seeing as Carbon can become Diamond, think of this material as a mutated middle stage when the Carbon doesn't develop properly and becomes something else. Armour made of Carbinoxous would be among the strongest in the world, but is very heavy, though to a Bloodkin this wouldn't matter too much, see their Lore Extract.

* Blood Oath is a rank of Bloodkin, they wield specially crafted weapons that hold magical properties, and are refereed to as the Blood Oath -insert type of weapon here- you get the idea.

* Enoch is the language spoken in Caritas, or rather the English equivalent of it, seeing as how England and the source of the English language of today don't exist in this would, it'd be a little weird to say everyone spoke English, no? It's the language spoken by humans, at any rate. Elves, Dwarves and Orks obviously all have their own language as well.

Raven immediately summoned her two crossbows, the void instantly feeding them both a poison arrow. She then in the next instance, turned, and fired them both at one of the lesser Bloodkin. Better to take care of the lesser ones, before taking on the Blood Oath, who would take a bit longer to kill. As soon as she fired the two poison arrows, another two were fed into her crossbows again, and fired again.

Knowing that since she was both outnumbered, and surrounded, she then surrounded herself in the void, making herself disappear completely, and unable to be seen by the demons. If they had attacked where she had previously been, they would have found she wasn't there anymore.

"You want me to get that specific map? Not that I wouldn't be able to steal it, but you did say individually the map was no more special than any other. Surely I could just get any map and get someone to mark out the spots where the demon's have been sighted? Unless of course you were lying to him...?" Sabriel asked quizzically, raising one eyebrow. It would make sense to lie to the man, but if that was the case, then the Sorcerer was a hell of a liar.

She was more worried about tracking down the Demon Hunter from before than having to steal the map. He and Raven could be anywhere in New Wellington by now, and having to find them could be a pain without any reference point, given that it was a while ago and the man wasn't particularly noteworthy to begin with. Once she got there, thieving the map would be child's play. She was a great thief, having had several centuries to perfect the practice and it being one of her two methods of survival when no one was hiring her to kill.

Oddly enough, she felt more ashamed about thievery than murder. Then again, she never really felt more than ashamed about what went on in the streets of Imperius, and she didn't exactly feel proud of being a contract killer. At least with her new job, she reflected, she could honestly say what she worked as to people who asked and not get appalled looks from them. That wasn't to say she wouldn't trace her job in a heartbeat. She had just had enough of prowling Imperius, and had taken the opportunity as a paid change of scenery.

"The map was just as any other, until I realised something just a moment ago." Gerard murmured, raising a hand to pinch the bridge of his noise. Shaking his thoughts about, he tired to a think of a way to best explain the situation to the Elf without confusing her and frustrating himself in the process.

"In order to confirm my theory I need that exact map, even if just for five minutes to copy the exact locations of each sighting correctly," he said, deciding there was no need to devolve to much information until he himself had some answers.

"I promise you-" he stopped mid sentence as something vary faint caught his attention. He'd be scanning the town of recent magical activity with his sensory Sync when he picked on something not far from town. "Bloodkin," he swore, pushing himself off the bench. "It would seem your friend and the arrogant Demon Hunter ran off ahead of us and in a spot of trouble. Shall we?"

---

The first shot that Raven fired tore through the open mouth of the screaming Bloodkin that had been charging her down, managing to puncture its skull - torn flesh and blood splattering the ground as the Demon flopped to the ground like a rag doll, killed almost instantly by the head shot. Her second attacker just trampled over its fallen comrade in an attempt to reach her, the second arrow burying its in the creatures chest, prompting a roar of rage as it threw itself where Raven had been slashing at empty air with its skeletal blade, having been slowed long enough by the arrow to the chest for Raven to cloak herself and vanish from sight.

But the Bloodkin just snarled, changing tactics and opting to join its two fellows on their assault of the male Demon Hunter, approaching from behind with a viscous shriek as it threw itself into the fray. Meanwhile the Blood Oath had rode the Juggernaut forth, eyes narrowing as the glow intensified, lifting her halberd as to behead Raven as she rode by atop her demonic steed.

"You can hide from my underlings, but my eyes see more than you could imagine!" She snarled, taking the swing, knowing she'd probably only clip the Demon Hunter at best, she jumped back off her Juggernaut, landing in a feral crouch, opening her mouth to give an ear splitting screech; a battle cry if there ever was one. Staying low in her crouch, the Blood Oath took her halberd in both hands as to put all her strength behind each blow, slowly starting to pace in a circle around where she knew Raven to be, singling she did indeed know where the young women was at every moment - the void could not cloak her from her Sight. Not her: not Eliphas the Blood Seer of the Sworn Ones.

---

OoC: And back, sorry for vanishing folks, life has been a real roller-coaster ride of late.

Raven had just barely dodged the attack the Blood Oath tried on here. She watched as the demon jumped from it's juggernaut, and circled around her, giving the impression that she could see Raven. Looks like this will be a tough one. Raven thought.

She then fired two poisonous arrows at the Blood Oath, while at the same time dashing away from it. The thing about using a melee weapon, like a halberd, was that you had to be able to hit your enemy, and Raven was going to make sure that didn't happen. No matter how fast the Blood Oath was, she was faster.

Arya nodded her understanding once or twice during his speech. She knew he wasn't going to stop talking to her like she was slow until he'd seen her do something warranting a higher level of respect. Still, she perked up worriedly when he mentioned about the other two. Her eyes flitted across his face, examining it for falsehood or further examples of trickery.

God dammit, why did that bloody idiot have to go wandering out without even consulting anyone? She didn't want to face Bloodkin, but that map was important, and Raven was out there too. Ugh, so much for keeping him from interfering with the mage's work. That said, she probably could have been clearer with her friend, but she didn't want to reveal too much.

"Let's make tracks before they're torn to shreds then," the dark elf answered succinctly, her voice still tuneful and calm, without a hint of worry. She had been waiting for a while to get close to the Dark Cultists, and she didn't want that opportunity to pass. Plus, she didn't want Raven to die before she repaid her.

She shouldered her bow, her tan boots shifting around her legs, the pair of socks that held her knife in her boot protected from the twigs that brushed off her feet as she slid smoothly off the tree. She moved quickly as one quite used to running and navigating her way through streets in a hurry.

Gerard nodded his agreement, without thinking. "The Bloodkin are being led by a Blood Oath; an extremely powerful one if my Sensory Sync is accurate - which it almost always is. It's quite possible the Blood Oath could be a Sworn One."

He tried not to shudder at the thought; the results if there really was a Sworn One in the area would be disastrous. After all, Sworn Ones were the elite of the the elite among the Bloodkin - the council that ruled over all Bloodkin and all of Baal's other servants; personally selected by the Demon Lord himself and empowered with unholy powers and demonic blessing that could potentially put Sworn Ones above the power of Duke-level demon. The last recorded Sworn One that he had heard of had been summoned forth and caused such devastation it was the only Common Demon the Demon Hunters had branded with S-Rank threat level status. A legendary achievement if there ever was one for a Common species Demon.

Then again - you don't kill three Demon Hunters who have been given the title of Shamshel without making a name for yourself.

---

Eliphas snarled, the poisoned arrows bouncing harmlessly off of her mighty armour, this Demon Hunter would be annoying, she could tell already. Still, she wanted to at least try and gain some enjoyment from this battle; it had been to long since she'd faced a worthy foe. Removing one hand from her halberd, she flicked her wrist, the ground bellow Raven shook, before glowing red chain that stank of blood and death erupted from the ground, rising into the air like viscous serpents awaiting a moment to strike, before all coming down on the young Demon Hunter as one, meaning to ensnare her.

But Eliphas was no fool, battle hungry and violent, yes. A Fool? No. She was well aware that this Demon Hunter was no doubt competent enough to evade her Blood Mist Chains, she quickly retook her weapon in both hand, swinging if with great force, the surrounding area feeling the effects of her power as the ground shattered bellow them and trees surrounding the small clearing snapped in half and came crashing down. But the true attack was the blade of glowing red energy that been fired from the blade of the Balthazar - the name of her magical Blood Oath Spear.

"Bloody Flare!" She screeched, invoking the name the attack, as with ordinary magic, Demonic Magic was always much more powerful when enchanted or the name was invoked properly by a master than an unnamed spell was. Yet, she could not leave anything to chance, so tore after the attack to charge Raven down and engage her a short range - Demon Hunters were trained to fight long ranged, up close they were much easier to deal with. Did this girl really think she could escape her? She who had slayed three of the Demon Hunter precious Shamshels?

None had escaped the Blood Seer before, and none ever would.

---

OoC: Or at least Eliphas would like to think so; fair warning, Eliphas won't be die any time soon, she's the Dragon to the Quests Big Bad, so to speak, so she really does need to be quite powerful given some of the stuff some of the characters can do without much effort. If you feel like she's currently two powerful for the time being, let me know Book and I can tone it down for a more even battle, if you want.

At the term "bloodkin," the wolf stirred from its idleness. While it didn't recognize the name itself, the distaste in the mage-human's tone made it clear which kind of demons they were dealing with. Other words - Blood Oath...Sworn One... - rang bells of alarm that were more instinctual than understanding. The wolf hopped off the bench (which gave a displeased creak), ran a few circles around the elf and her tree, and then returned to the mage-human's side. There, the beast peered upward, golden eyes curious, as if asking for directions. It had been told to follow the mage-human, who would no doubt know more.

As the seconds ticked by, the wolf's acute sense of smell picked up a slight change in the demons' presence. Something was happening - something bad that the wolf didn't completely comprehend (which is the worst kinds of catastrophes). The wolf whined, pawing at the mage-human's leg with the padded part of its feet. Impatience crept up its body like a disease or small parasite, and the wolf couldn't help feeling agitated - a sensation most animals always felt in face of danger, but amplified by the magnitude of such danger.

"A Sworn One, eh? I've been alive long enough to remember the last one that broke loose on the world. Makes you winder why this town's still standing with a Sworn One leading a pack of Bloodkin and Dark Cultists hiding in its heart. Well, makes you wonder what they're guarding," Sabriel mused, effortlessly matching Gerard's pace.

She kept a close eye on the human, though she was doubtless that he would notice her watching him out of the corner of her eyes for a reaction. His Sensory Sync would be far more useful in locating them than her non-magical senses would. Oh, how useful that ability would be for her job as an assassin. 

Not to mention the run-ins she had had with demons. She had seen plenty of Ghouls, her fair share of Bloodkin, and even a few Succubi during her time. She had also seen those towering demon war machines, though no one had ever told her what they were called. She still didn't let her experience go to her head. She was by no means an expert in demonology, and it paid to be careful with them.

"That what has me worried," Gerard admitted, trying to hide the fact that the idea of a Sworn One being in town terrified him. "If there's a Sworn One present there should be nothing left of this place but ash, yet everything is still here. This is clearly much bigger than I thought."

Whilst he was talking he gave the wolf what he hoped was a reassuring scratch behind the ears, trying his best to comfort him- and himself. He could count the number of people he'd heard of having survived an encounter with a Sworn One with only his hands.

"We should retrieve the Ork from the inn, quickly," Gerard decided, waiting no longer as he took of quickly as he could without invoking Comet so both the Elf and Druid could follow him. "This is now a situation in which we need every man we can get! We don't have much time either," I just pray those Demon Hunters can hold out five or so minutes...

"Why don't you go ahead?" Sabriel asked, caught between two minds, her sentence fragmented by the fact that she was running. "I mean it's not like all of us are necessary there, only you really because I doubt he'd listen to someone else. So I'll peel off and try and save our pair of Demon Hunters. Another person there's gel them hold out longer, maybe long enough for you to get back if you hurry."

She thought she remember the spots from the map clearly enough. A good memory wad always helpful in her line of work and style of life, plus she had a head for directions. She might better get in Raven and Atra's good books by showing up early, too, and she always liked having people to back her up if things went south and they so often did. Plus, Atra didn't trust Gerard, so by separating herself from him, she may be able to get him to trust her, at least. Better one than none, after all.