Ruins of Khazan - Part 1: All Things Among Fallen Leaves

[Sharkerbob]

This exhausts what energy remains to Krys; enfeebled by injury, they lapse into silence again as Nemo approaches. The woman reaches out, and her touch puts an uncomfortable feeling in Krys' body - a feeling that nonetheless ends with much of Krys' injuries soothed and healed. If not all, what of it? Nemo has done them an enormous service. "Thanks." One word, but carrying a heavy weight; the damage to Krys' body had been severe, nearly lethal, and their own reconstitution hadn't been nearly enough. With this? They nod their head to Nemo's suggestion. "Thanks to you two, I think I'll be okay until then."

"Glad to be of service," said Nemo with a soft smile. "Sorry I couldn't do more, but I have to spread out what I have left."

She glances to Trevor, long enough to confirm he looks uninjured, but says nothing, not wishing to agitate the boy further.

She had little to add to the conversation regarding the other group of survivors. She was already eager to depart, now that she'd made up her mind. She didn't want to get further entangled with another party.

Kinu recoiled for a moment as Nemo initiated the ritual, and her amber eyes widened. In all her experiences with magic, it had only recently dawned on her that these encounters were only as magic as she had known it. There was something in the air of this place, and though she could not see it for what it was, she'd felt it, and reached out to it, that ominous light that shone sublime from the golden boughs to the roots.

Nemo's trance, her magic, on the other hand, it appeared to be crafted with specific intention, and as the mana flowed from the Scribeland wanderer into her all too exhausted frame, rising from that feeling of hollow emptiness to the cusp of a second wind was as invigotating to her in this moment as those fleeting sparks of power that had all but possessed her.

"Auuuogh," came the strange half-moan, half-yawn, as she clasped her hands over her knees, arched her back into silent pops, than stood to her full height, "that's more like it! Boss Bunny and Top Hat comin' through again!"

Kinu found that she could breathe a bit easier, but there was a touch missing that would require some time.

"Ah, it's a shame, can't give you anythin' in exchange," she replied to the proposal to go 'round, "...but y'know, I think we can figure somethin' out sooner rather than later."

"No worries," said Nemo. "I'm happy to help. Sorry I couldn't do more, but I'm almost empty, myself."

"I was always informed about how important the various functions of my team were, but I never truly thought about them until they were gone. I lacked even knowledge of transport or how to use the local databases in my search. And whether for positive or negative effects, I now strongly believe our passage here was no accident," she continued.

"While on the battlefield just now, as my defensive countermeasures activated, I saw..." Jane hesitated, looking away. "Something impossible. Infinity, in a similar fashion as this city is infinity. And it possessed...intent. It looked into me-"

-with an intensity that was *terrifying*,

Jane trailed off for a moment.

"What I am trying to convey is that we are all here for a reason," she concluded, trying to return to the point. "You have a part in this as much as we do. And, also," she added, with a smile that was more sly than the others had seen previously, "after all you will see on this journey I highly doubt your wizard foe will be able to surprise you the way he surprised you before."

Nemo noticed something seemed a bit different with Jane, but she couldn't quite place it. Something perhaps a bit more... emotive? Something had happened to her in the time she had disappeared from the battlefield, surely. But as to Jane's last line... Nemo felt herself hesitate. She had already resolved herself to part from the group after further recovery. She had only known these people for a few hours. And yet, there was a tug on her heart strings at the thought of ditching them. Maybe it was the compulsion trying to nudge her along, maybe it was her own sentimentality getting caught up in the moment.

Rae was silent. Nemo could sense their Mana pool was so low, and Rae was still so weak, she was basically asleep at the moment, trying to conserve her Energy. She couldn't recall the last time that had happened purely from a lack of Mana.

"As you say Mistress Jane," he says carefully, "We all survived the trip here where so many others fell dead - well... you all survived... I didn't if we're being honest," He gives Krys a gentle squeeze as he supports them, "I thought I knew what my purpose was but now I'm here, lost in a sea of... well... here. If there is machination or design here then I'm not sure I'm a part of it,"

He looks back into the robotic eyes of Jane, steeling himself for what he had to say next.

"If I may Mistress," he says, "You were looked at by something - be it a god or the power of the city or infinity itself - and you think it regarded you with significance? I have looked at ants in my time, as a curiosity perhaps, let them run over my fingers or been interested in their shape or how they move and - to the ant - that might be bein' looked at by a being far beyond themselves and they might feel that I am givin' them a sense of significance but... but..."

Calvin interjects, finishing the sentence.

"From your position, they're all the same, interchangeable and meaningless and you'd forget them as soon as you lose interest," he says.

Trevor nods, "I don't think we should be here," he says quietly, "It's not a place for people. We don't have Duke, we've only got each other and that's - that's something - it's not a lot though,"

"The kid's starting to get it," Lanky muttered in a cold tone of voice.

Trevor's words rang true, though. Mutual protection was a fine enough motivator to stick with the group. But would it be enough? Would it lead to more danger? And if there really was "something impossible" at work here, what was actually smarter? To stick with a party regardless of where they went, just for the raw power to help stay alive? Or to stealthily make her own way, and let more bombastic parties draw one another's attention.

Nemo pursed her lips. This sucked.

It's good to see the mechanoid speaking well with Trevor, but Jane's final point and consideration is disturbing. Krys, themselves, has felt the power that had swept over the mechanoid. It seems likely to be connected to what Jane experienced in this battle, once again. "Don't think I like that." It's a murmur, but clear enough. "Something like that...Trevor might be right." Their free hand motions toward the other group. "I like their idea; the best bet is finding a way out, if that's possible. Maybe the tree is the key. Maybe not. But if whatever looked upon you, Jane, has a purpose to bringing us here, it's the purpose of a being much greater than ourselves. And beings much greater tend to have a dim view of the health of their tools. Their livestock. Their servants. Whatever."

Nemo could imagine what cracks Rae would make to go along with such statements, if she wasn't asleep. But for Nemo, Krys' words just reminded her of what she came here to escape. But there was no escape, was there? Be it Gods, or Devils, or Fates, or Authors, those of fantastical existences seemed ever-bound to be drawn into the machinations of Strange Beings From On High. Coming here had changed nothing, save to throw herself at the mercy of masters whose games could not be predicted.

And that realization, more than anything, helped her decision.

Nemo cleared her throat, and said, "I would like to make sure everyone is recovered, but afterwards, this is where we must part ways. I’ve come to realize I’m in the wrong place, for the wrong reasons. The rest of you were called here, or stumbled here, maybe for some higher purpose, maybe just by cosmic chance. But you have goals to strive for, now that you are here. You have something to run from or run towards. Purpose, or escape, or power, or freedom, or definition, or a solution. This place calls to you through that. Whatever Powers Above may be watching here may be making use of it, or they may simply find you interesting enough to watch out of curiosity. In such circumstances, I really don't know what to advise you one way or another. In my own World, the Trickster's whims could not truly be denied, but she could be trusted, up to a point. I can only hope the Powers here are as... considerate.

“I don't know that this place calls to me, not really. I can “hear” the compulsion, but I don’t personally feel very compelled. Maybe it's just too familiar to the sorts of machinations I'm already used to, and I'm simply jaded to it. In any case, I stepped through a portal to get here voluntarily, for no reason other than to leave my nest, as it were. But that in itself is a poor reason to force oneself into such a world of conflicted chaos. An infinite battlefield is a poor place for a lost sight-seer."

Nemo bowed to the group. “I am very sorry. I was overly hasty to offer my help with your personal problems, but I see that that was me grasping at straws, falling back on familiar habits as I found myself lost for direction and caught up in the moment. If anything, I was imposing myself onto your group as a way to assuage my insecurities over my situation, because you were the first souls I found here, and seemed equally lost. But whatever awaits you all further on, I don’t believe it wise to pursue it myself. I do, however, wish you all luck on your journeys.”

[grampagen]

Lanky lets out a slight snigger.

"The Viceroy - that prick," he said. Calvin shared a grim smile as Lanky expanded on this point, "The Viceory is some jumped up wannabe dictator who seems to think that this infinite city is his turf now. These slimey lads were some of his main goons, got a few more of them that we've seen but the Commander there," Lanky points to the foetid pool that was once their enemy, "...was the source of them. You might have really damaged his operation with that one. But nah, he doesn't know us personally. More he's either 'arresting'..."

Lanky makes air quotes with his fingers at this term and pulls a face with his long tongue lolling out.

"...or just flatly killing everyone who doesn't follow his line. You see it all over. I'm sure you've come up against dictators and the like in your homelands, 'specially with a mouth like that one you," Lanky shoots Kinu a glance with those words with a not-wholly-unkind smirk, "Tryanny, it seems, is a common feature of infinity,"

"Suffice to say, the Viceroy doesn't know of us personally," Calvin says, picking up the conversational flow with an ease that demonstrates how familiar Lanky and he are with each other's conversational patterns, "Nor does he know specifically that we're here. We cased this place a few days ago. After being here a while, you get a sense where stuff might be held - Morgan's definitely got the nose for it. We just got unlucky is all. I imagine, when they figure out what's happened to the Commander they'll be looking for whoever was here. But, joys of infinity, it's hard to track people,"

Lanky chips in once more.

"But it's weird though, right Boss?" he says, "Sometimes this place has a way of twisting you towards the last people you want to see,"

As Calvin and Lanky laid it out, Kinu heard the words, and felt only the lingering fatigue. The blue-haired punk was right on the money - it was a very familiar story though the faces of the players had changed - and ordinarily, this sort of challenge might have stirred something within her.

"Archduke, Viceroy, it don't matter. One man out to conquer Eternity and he ain't even picked out the highest title. What a rube."

But she was done with that life. It had been lost along with countless others with the doom of the Magi within their walled city, and any passions that might have been roused by this were dull embers.

"What's his plan for callin' up losers like this fool?" Daring a few steps behind, she picked up the Commander's helmet and overturned it, dumping the last of his solvent brains into the mess he created. "Such an easy thing to convince someone weaker than ya to profess your way is the law, especially when their mind is filled with spooge, yeah? Then he sends 'em out some way never knowin' if they'll get back."

She tossed the helmet aside, and looked up to the golden bough in the horizon.

"Imagine that bein' a rat in a maze would be enough, that you'd settle for crumbs-!"

Nemo could imagine what cracks Rae would make to go along with such statements, if she wasn't asleep. But for Nemo, Krys' words just reminded her of what she came here to escape. But there was no escape, was there? Be it Gods, or Devils, or Fates, or Authors, those of fantastical existences seemed ever-bound to be drawn into the machinations of Strange Beings From On High. Coming here had changed nothing, save to throw herself at the mercy of masters whose games could even be predicted.

And that realization, more than anything, helped her decision.

Nemo cleared her throat, and said, "I would like to make sure everyone is recovered, but afterwards, this is where we must part ways. I’ve come to realize I’m in the wrong place, for the wrong reasons. The rest of you were called here, or stumbled here, maybe for some higher purpose, maybe just by cosmic chance. But you have goals to strive for, now that you are here. You have something to run from or run towards. Purpose, or escape, or power, or freedom, or definition, or a solution. This place calls to you through that. Whatever Powers Above may be watching here may be making use of it, or they may simply find you interesting enough to watch out of curiosity. In such circumstances, I really don't know what to advise you one way or another. In my own World, the Trickster's whims could not truly be denied, but she could be trusted, up to a point. I can only hope the Powers here are as... considerate.

“I don't know that this place calls to me, not really. I can “hear” the compulsion, but I don’t personally feel very compelled. Maybe it's just too familiar to the sorts of machinations I'm already used to, I'm simply jaded to it. In any case, I stepped through a portal to get here voluntarily, for no reason other than to leave my nest, as it were. But that in itself is a poor reason to force oneself into such a world of conflicted chaos. An infinite battlefield is a poor place for a lost sight-seer."

Nemo bowed to the group. “I am very sorry. I was overly hasty to offer my help with your personal problems, but I see that that was me grasping at straws, falling back on familiar habits as I found myself lost for direction and caught up in the moment. If anything, I was imposing myself onto your group as a way to assuage my insecurities over my situation, because you were the first souls I found here, and seemed equally lost. But whatever awaits you all further on, I don’t believe it wise to pursue it myself. I do, however, wish you all luck on your journeys.”

At Nemo's announcement, Kinu's attentions snapped back down to earth. As the Scribe spoke to the mysterious call that perfused through this place and laid out the battles to come, in some small way, the warrior of the wasteland understood, and her head bobbed with considering nods.

"Well, how about that," she sighed, "you got guts, and with that and your skills, you won't need luck to get where you're going."

"And wherever you're going, for helpin pull us outta the fire, you ain't going emptyhanded. Right, Calvin?"

[Postmania]

Jane bristled instinctively at Calvin's initial words, but then abruptly frowned, recognizing a gap in her knowledge.

"Naive. That word is not registered in my database," she commented with mild confusion. "I assume the Facility did not see fit to include it. If 'the cut' is weaponry, that makes plenty of sense for a place such as this then. Out of curiosity, have you attempted to get to the Tree? It is of paramount importance that I reach its apex if I am to succeed in my current objective."

As Trevor and Krys voiced their concerns, Jane stood up straighter and uncharacteristically, folded her arms, seemingly unconsciously, as if readying herself. Her face and form tensed for a few moments as Trevor mentioned Duke by name as she returned mentally for a moment to the concept of music in a dark corner, the training room distorted around her, and then she pulls herself out of that space.

"But I felt the power in this place pulling me, in my core," she argued, or perhaps, tried to explain. "I felt it at the Gate, just as I felt Nekro close by, then I felt it again when I disappeared through the Death Dimension in the battle. And besides, there is more."

Jane smiled, seemingly triumphant.

"I will admit that the gaze of this...infinity was terrifying, but the important part is that at the same time I felt Nekro's presence as he felt me, and he also saw the thing, perhaps this city's sentience? Regardless, he saw it too, and he was afraid."

She turned to face Krys, once again turning her head with a somewhat greater degree of flexibility than would be possible for a human.

"You said it yourself Krys," she continued, growing more excited. "This could be how I get free."

Jane's words seemed to spike near the end of her sentence again, taking on an edge that had not been heard before, something manic, and under that edge, something of desperation.

Does this make sense?, a subset of her thought processes whispered again, the notification looming large in her screen, approximately a quarter of her view, along with a prompt of further details that she was required to select to read more of. She mentally dismissed the blinking notification in annoyance and continued on, and, realizing she was starting to speak too quickly, made an effort to slow down and keep a more sedate tone.

"And if Nekro fears it, this is a good sign. I trust fear. I concede you may be correct, Trevor," she said, turning back to him now, "in that this being may lose interest suddenly, but that may be even more reason to take the shot while the target is in view. In fact it may be for the best, for if it loses interest in me after I succeed then I have no fear of being caught up in any designs it may have on me."

As she winds down, Jane seemed to realize her strangely organic stance and with some puzzlement unfolds her arms again.

"I am aware," she continued, now mostly back to normal but with some added weariness, "that this may be difficult to understand fully. But if you felt it as directly as I have...I cannot truly explain it with words. And some of what it showed me I still do not fully understand myself. But I can sense it has meaning. It has to be a solvable equation. It simply needs time. And perhaps, multiple minds hunting it."

At this Jane seems to give up, returning to a more passive listening mode as she listened to the others. Her shoulders lower almost imperceptibly as Nemo gives her speech.

"I am sorry you have to go," she said simply. "But from what you have mentioned it does sound likely your Trickster God would be kinder than this City. And you know your path better than I ever would."

[Nik Hasta]

Nemo cleared her throat, and said, "I would like to make sure everyone is recovered, but afterwards, this is where we must part ways. I’ve come to realize I’m in the wrong place, for the wrong reasons. The rest of you were called here, or stumbled here, maybe for some higher purpose, maybe just by cosmic chance. But you have goals to strive for, now that you are here. You have something to run from or run towards. Purpose, or escape, or power, or freedom, or definition, or a solution. This place calls to you through that. Whatever Powers Above may be watching here may be making use of it, or they may simply find you interesting enough to watch out of curiosity. In such circumstances, I really don't know what to advise you one way or another. In my own World, the Trickster's whims could not truly be denied, but she could be trusted, up to a point. I can only hope the Powers here are as... considerate.

“I don't know that this place calls to me, not really. I can “hear” the compulsion, but I don’t personally feel very compelled. Maybe it's just too familiar to the sorts of machinations I'm already used to, and I'm simply jaded to it. In any case, I stepped through a portal to get here voluntarily, for no reason other than to leave my nest, as it were. But that in itself is a poor reason to force oneself into such a world of conflicted chaos. An infinite battlefield is a poor place for a lost sight-seer."

Nemo bowed to the group. “I am very sorry. I was overly hasty to offer my help with your personal problems, but I see that that was me grasping at straws, falling back on familiar habits as I found myself lost for direction and caught up in the moment. If anything, I was imposing myself onto your group as a way to assuage my insecurities over my situation, because you were the first souls I found here, and seemed equally lost. But whatever awaits you all further on, I don’t believe it wise to pursue it myself. I do, however, wish you all luck on your journeys.”

Trevor looks at Nemo as she announces her intention to go it alone. In his face, she can see a couple of warring emotions vying for supremacy. He still doesn't trust her but her obvious actions in the recent battle certainly have showed that she was both a potent ally and willing to put her life on the line for the group, even if now she was now taking her leave. Perhaps it helps that Rae is sleeping, he had never been comfortable with her as a presence. His distress at the overall situation battles with his more complex emotions about Nemo specifically before settling into an action.

He forces his way over through the mud and holds out a hand to her, offering to shake.

"Mistress Nemo," he says, in a firm voice, "I may have misjudged you from the off. You fought and bled with everyone while I - I couldn't - I ... I am sorry for making you feel unwelcome. Magic is strange and unpredictable and your... partner... unsettles me something fierce but you've both more than proved yourselves. I wish you well and hope for your safety... such as it is in this place,"

He's notably not stopping her from leaving but this is perhaps the most magnanimous a child can manage under such circumstances. His hand remains offered to her.

"What's his plan for callin' up losers like this fool?" Daring a few steps behind, she picked up the Commander's helmet and overturned it, dumping the last of his solvent brains into the mess he created. "Such an easy thing to convince someone weaker than ya to profess your way is the law, especially when their mind is filled with spooge, yeah? Then he sends 'em out some way never knowin' if they'll get back."

She tossed the helmet aside, and looked up to the golden bough in the horizon.

"Imagine that bein' a rat in a maze would be enough, that you'd settle for crumbs-!"


"Well, how about that," she sighed, "you got guts, and with that and your skills, you won't need luck to get where you're going."

"And wherever you're going, for helpin pull us outta the fire, you ain't going emptyhanded. Right, Calvin?"

Calvin nods.

"It's up to you how you split the share. I'll aim for generous but I have the concerns of my own people to think of," he says. Lanky nods behind him.

"Morgan is going to lose it," the taller man mutters again, wryly amused by the prospect of an upcoming argument.

Jane bristled instinctively at Calvin's initial words, but then abruptly frowned, recognizing a gap in her knowledge.

"Naive. That word is not registered in my database," she commented with mild confusion. "I assume the Facility did not see fit to include it. If 'the cut' is weaponry, that makes plenty of sense for a place such as this then. Out of curiosity, have you attempted to get to the Tree? It is of paramount importance that I reach its apex if I am to succeed in my current objective."

Again, Calvin nods. He and Lanky both turn to look at the massive tree that dominates the skyline, one of the few fixed points in the everchanging city. As they look at it, the party can see that they feel the same pull, deep within their soul, that they all do that draws them towards the apex of the city.

GM Note to Nemo:
spoilers:

As Nemo looks, drawn by their own attention, she can feel the pull in her shift slightly. When they had first arrived, it had been some intangible promise of the power and knowledge that she desired, a librarian and scholar being drawn towards a fountain of all knowledge. Now, as she has resolved more to escape this city and return to her own life, she feels the pull almost intensify as her own desires become more concrete. It has no voice, it isn't a command or a suggestion - it is just knowledge that arrives in her bones. The way out is at the top of the tree.

end of spoilers

Calvin sighs a little.

"Yeah, we made an effort. You all feel it too, right?" he asks, "Whatever you want to say about destiny or being here for a purpose or whatever - the answers lie at the top of the tree and so - naturally - we had a crack at it. If you resolve hard enough to go for that, then the streets take you there and you end up at the gate out of this district and there's a guardian,"

Lanky spits on the ground, "Nasty piece of work she is too,"

"We didn't chance it," Calvin is quick to add, "We're less of a fighting force than yourselves. I'm a good fighter but the others, especially Bones and Cracker, they aren't built for combat, no offense Lanky," The taller man waves a hand dismissively.

"I'm a cat-burglar by trade, this whole exuberant and explosive combat ain't my thing," he says, almost unconsciously striking an acrobatic pose.

"Right, we're taking the roundabout route, seeing if we can find some weapon or device or magic or something to get us past the gate and further in. Not much, but it's about the most we can do with the tools we have," Calvin finishes.

He laces his fingers and cracks his knuckles.

"Well, Lanky and I will be heading in, see what the score is. If you're coming to get a cut, send someone in and we'll show you what we can offer you,"

With a leap that displays tremendous agility, the two of them vault off toward the building, leaving the group alone in the stinking swamp to consider what to do next.

[Sharpandpointies]

Saddened by Nemo's choice, Krys still nods in understand. "That's fair, Nemo, and I've been glad to have you and Rae along." They offer a lopsided smile in return. "And not just for the healing. Going to miss you." Kinu steps in at that point, emphasizing that Nemo, too, should receive some assistance for her aid, and Krys takes a moment to regard the tall woman. Definitely a leader. She'll be good for everyone here, I feel - it almost her element.

They hope that Kinu does not choose to strike out alone as well; the little group needs her tenacity, her inner strength, and her discerning mind.

Krys' smile further widens as Trevor makes his presence known, offering his own appreciation for the departing sorcerer. Maybe a little widening of the mind happening, there, appreciation forcing a change in perspective? But Krys isn't looking at that from the perspective of 'wise superiority' - no, it's more for Trevor's own good. More flexibility about that is going to translate to a better chance for him to survive. That's good. You keep going, Trevor - you've come far already from what you were when you arrived. He's going to be an awful shock for the sorcerer-king by the time he arrives back in his own world...

...if he does.

But it's Jane who captures the most of Krys' attention, with her curious change of body-language, her ragged edge of desperation - that emotion she had so clearly disparaged before. And, in the end, her reply to the concerns. And to this, despite her worries about the mechanoid's state of mind, Krys must concede. "You know," she slowly muses, "that's a valid point. If Nekro is afraid - and you really did feel that - then maybe, as you say, you 'have a shot'." Their own smile is full of pedestrian teeth, rather than bullets, but the feeling might be similar. "It's chancy, but against a god, you need to take every advantage you can get. If this gives you a chance, well....I'll have to support taking that chance." Another lopsided smile. "Whatever the cost; it's the best shot we have so far."

Stretching further, they eye the distant tree. "So...tip of the tree it is."

Lanky and Calvin leave the group, then; Krys watches them go, silently wishing them the best of luck in their endeavors. Lack of trust doesn't equal lack of care, and they hope the little band of survivors manages to escape here to...to...well, somewhere better, perhaps even a place they might call home. With them gone, Krys once again turns to regard the embattled brutes, then gazes around at the others. "So. I guess everyone's going in to get fixed up? I'll stay out here, keep watch. When you're ready for leaving, or goodbyes?" The last said with a significant glance to Nemo and Rae.

"I'll be waiting."

[Sharkerbob]

Saddened by Nemo's choice, Krys still nods in understand. "That's fair, Nemo, and I've been glad to have you and Rae along." They offer a lopsided smile in return. "And not just for the healing. Going to miss you." Kinu steps in at that point, emphasizing that Nemo, too, should receive some assistance for her aid, and Krys takes a moment to regard the tall woman. Definitely a leader. She'll be good for everyone here, I feel - it almost her element.

Nemo smiled to her. “Happy to help, and I’m glad we met, however brief the time together.” She shrugged. “The multiverse being what it is, in some time, some place, we might meet again. Hopefully it will be under better circumstances.”

At Nemo's announcement, Kinu's attentions snapped back down to earth. As the Scribe spoke to the mysterious call that perfused through this place and laid out the battles to come, in some small way, the warrior of the wasteland understood, and her head bobbed with considering nods.

"Well, how about that," she sighed, "you got guts, and with that and your skills, you won't need luck to get where you're going."

"And wherever you're going, for helpin pull us outta the fire, you ain't going emptyhanded. Right, Calvin?"

“Thank you,” said Nemo. “You’re all great warriors yourselves, I trust you’ll make it through this.”

Calvin nods.

"It's up to you how you split the share. I'll aim for generous but I have the concerns of my own people to think of," he says. Lanky nods behind him.

"Morgan is going to lose it," the taller man mutters again, wryly amused by the prospect of an upcoming argument.

She glanced to Calvin. “I suppose if you’ve an object of power or weapon to spare, I wouldn’t say no. Otherwise, I just a means to recover my Mana, even if it’s just a temporary shelter to bunker down while I recuperate.”

Trevor looks at Nemo as she announces her intention to go it alone. In his face, she can see a couple of warring emotions vying for supremacy. He still doesn't trust her but her obvious actions in the recent battle certainly have showed that she was both a potent ally and willing to put her life on the line for the group, even if now she was now taking her leave. Perhaps it helps that Rae is sleeping, he had never been comfortable with her as a presence. His distress at the overall situation battles with his more complex emotions about Nemo specifically before settling into an action.

He forces his way over through the mud and holds out a hand to her, offering to shake.

"Mistress Nemo," he says, in a firm voice, "I may have misjudged you from the off. You fought and bled with everyone while I - I couldn't - I ... I am sorry for making you feel unwelcome. Magic is strange and unpredictable and your... partner... unsettles me something fierce but you've both more than proved yourselves. I wish you well and hope for your safety... such as it is in this place,"

He's notably not stopping her from leaving but this is perhaps the most magnanimous a child can manage under such circumstances. His hand remains offered to her.

Nemo smiled towards him. “You have the weight of a World placed on your shoulders, and you’ve been thrust into an even more radical situation beyond. You were right to be cautious, and I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself given the circumstances. I think you’re in good hands now, though. I wish you luck on your quest.”

"I will admit that the gaze of this...infinity was terrifying, but the important part is that at the same time I felt Nekro's presence as he felt me, and he also saw the thing, perhaps this city's sentience? Regardless, he saw it too, and he was afraid."

She turned to face Krys, once again turning her head with a somewhat greater degree of flexibility than would be possible for a human.

"You said it yourself Krys," she continued, growing more excited. "This could be how I get free."

Jane's words seemed to spike near the end of her sentence again, taking on an edge that had not been heard before, something manic, and under that edge, something of desperation.

…

"And if Nekro fears it, this is a good sign. I trust fear. I concede you may be correct, Trevor," she said, turning back to him now, "in that this being may lose interest suddenly, but that may be even more reason to take the shot while the target is in view. In fact it may be for the best, for if it loses interest in me after I succeed then I have no fear of being caught up in any designs it may have on me."

As she winds down, Jane seemed to realize her strangely organic stance and with some puzzlement unfolds her arms again.

"I am aware," she continued, now mostly back to normal but with some added weariness, "that this may be difficult to understand fully. But if you felt it as directly as I have...I cannot truly explain it with words. And some of what it showed me I still do not fully understand myself. But I can sense it has meaning. It has to be a solvable equation. It simply needs time. And perhaps, multiple minds hunting it."

“I suppose it’s a comfort to know even Gods can fear something above them,” said Nemo.

At this Jane seems to give up, returning to a more passive listening mode as she listened to the others. Her shoulders lower almost imperceptibly as Nemo gives her speech.

"I am sorry you have to go," she said simply. "But from what you have mentioned it does sound likely your Trickster God would be kinder than this City. And you know your path better than I ever would."

“Thank you, and good luck to you on your quest,” Nemo said.

But it's Jane who captures the most of Krys' attention, with her curious change of body-language, her ragged edge of desperation - that emotion she had so clearly disparaged before. And, in the end, her reply to the concerns. And to this, despite her worries about the mechanoid's state of mind, Krys must concede. "You know," she slowly muses, "that's a valid point. If Nekro is afraid - and you really did feel that - then maybe, as you say, you 'have a shot'." Their own smile is full of pedestrian teeth, rather than bullets, but the feeling might be similar. "It's chancy, but against a god, you need to take every advantage you can get. If this gives you a chance, well....I'll have to support taking that chance." Another lopsided smile. "Whatever the cost; it's the best shot we have so far."

Stretching further, they eye the distant tree. "So...tip of the tree it is."

Lanky and Calvin leave the group, then; Krys watches them go, silently wishing them the best of luck in their endeavors. Lack of trust doesn't equal lack of care, and they hope the little band of survivors manages to escape here to...to...well, somewhere better, perhaps even a place they might call home. With them gone, Krys once again turns to regard the embattled brutes, then gazes around at the others. "So. I guess everyone's going in to get fixed up? I'll stay out here, keep watch. When you're ready for leaving, or goodbyes?" The last said with a significant glance to Nemo and Rae.

"I'll be waiting."

Nemo nodded back. She wasn’t actually sure when the best moment to depart would be, but she felt some relief to announce it now, rather than stew on it and spring it on everyone right as they were setting off.

And yet, even as she resolved herself, she felt a sudden intuition strike her. The way out is at the top of the tree. She pursed her lips and almost sighed, but held herself back. Maybe this was also a mistake. She’d made one just coming here, and now she was stuck dealing with the consequences. Did that mean she was locked in? Was it a worse mistake to leave the group?

The intuition didn’t bestow any feelings on how she should go about reaching the tree top. Just that it was implying to her it was the only option. And yet, Calvin and Lankey and their crew had opted to withdraw from it. It was possible to resist it. Maybe it was also possible to find another exit. It wouldn’t hurt to try for a little while.

Of course, there was one final ace she could try. If it worked, it would be certainly far better than spending months winding through the infinite streets, looking for an exit that wasn’t anywhere else. But then, that would partly be against the point, wouldn’t even? Even after deciding this had not been the best choice, having a chance to do something out from under the eye of the Imaginators, that was still a worthwhile experience wasn’t it?

[Postmania]

Jane tilted her head, considering what Calvin mentioned with regards to the Great Tree. She thought about the incident Kinu had mentioned with the robotic figure at the gates as she watched them go, then turns to the others.

"Thank you," she said, in some surprise to Krys and Nemo. "Truthfully, I am not sure I was making sense. I think, or perhaps fear, that after what I saw on my last trip to the Death Dimension in this battle, not much will make sense again."

She looked towards the vault. The spoils of the other party, and now, of hers. She looked back at the two fighting tire-men, forgotten in their ceaseless toil, remnants that would likely long survive the battle they had been found in. She thought it would have been greatly unusual for her to not kill anything that had faced her in battle unless forced into a retreat, but now she had done so twice in a day. She shook her head as she realized that, for the moment, there were greater concerns for her than getting a kill.

"There really is no baseline anymore, is there?" she murmured, seemingly to herself.

She turns back to Krys, calmly but deliberately, moving her whole body this time, with an air of reaching a conclusion.

"I may have a question, when we get back," she states evenly. "I doubt you will be able to answer, but I must ask anyway. It concerns something that seems impossible."

With that she turns to walk off, slowly, towards unknown treasures.

[grampagen]

Nemo smiled to her. “Happy to help, and I’m glad we met, however brief the time together.” She shrugged. “The multiverse being what it is, in some time, some place, we might meet again. Hopefully it will be under better circumstances.”


“Thank you,” said Nemo. “You’re all great warriors yourselves, I trust you’ll make it through this.”


She glanced to Calvin. “I suppose if you’ve an object of power or weapon to spare, I wouldn’t say no. Otherwise, I just a means to recover my Mana, even if it’s just a temporary shelter to bunker down while I recuperate.”

Kinu nodded, and shrugged, hands raised at her side. Sometimes, you just can't help the way things fall.

"Heh, what can I say? Not like I got any better place to be, yeah?"

But whatever fell in her path, whatever she could scrounge together, she'd always thought her little piece of the world, that alone was enough reason to fight for.

Stooping over, Kinu seized at her cloak that had become caked in mud and grime and spittle. With the new vigor from Nemo's restoration, she unfurled the collar. Seizing it with both hands, she raised it up, then whipped the filth off against one of the dilapidated cars. Suddenly much of its colour was restored, but it had seemed as if somehow the greater portion of the lustre from the furs, feathers and bones had been blotted away,

"...and no better place to go right now than straight to the top!"

Stretching further, they eye the distant tree. "So...tip of the tree it is."

Lanky and Calvin leave the group, then; Krys watches them go, silently wishing them the best of luck in their endeavors. Lack of trust doesn't equal lack of care, and they hope the little band of survivors manages to escape here to...to...well, somewhere better, perhaps even a place they might call home. With them gone, Krys once again turns to regard the embattled brutes, then gazes around at the others. "So. I guess everyone's going in to get fixed up? I'll stay out here, keep watch. When you're ready for leaving, or goodbyes?" The last said with a significant glance to Nemo and Rae.

"I'll be waiting."

"Hmm...you got in and out before...stands to reason thing'll still be in eyeshot," Kinu started, "Don't go nowhere. I saw Ella wander off and she never came back."

Which reminded her as she snapped her fingers.

"Cassa! Hold things out here, and uh...listen to Krys, yeah!" She smirked, then point two of her fingers towards her eyes, then to the Tire Brutes slapping each other ineffectually just a few yards away.

"I know you can throw hands and it'd probably clip through the rubber. But y'know, this guy, he's packing heat in both arms. Give him a word and he'll help you out," she said, and with a little 'tsk' beckoned her familiar to follow her. "I'll see if I can bring you back somethin' nice."

Jane tilted her head, considering what Calvin mentioned with regards to the Great Tree. She thought about the incident Kinu had mentioned with the robotic figure at the gates as she watched them go, then turns to the others.

"Thank you," she said, in some surprise to Krys and Nemo. "Truthfully, I am not sure I was making sense. I think, or perhaps fear, that after what I saw on my last trip to the Death Dimension in this battle, not much will make sense again."

She looked towards the vault. The spoils of the other party, and now, of hers. She looked back at the two fighting tire-men, forgotten in their ceaseless toil, remnants that would likely long survive the battle they had been found in. She thought it would have been greatly unusual for her to not kill anything that had faced her in battle unless forced into a retreat, but now she had done so twice in a day. She shook her head as she realized that, for the moment, there were greater concerns for her than getting a kill.

"There really is no baseline anymore, is there?" she murmured, seemingly to herself.

She turns back to Krys, calmly but deliberately, moving her whole body this time, with an air of reaching a conclusion.

"I may have a question, when we get back," she states evenly. "I doubt you will be able to answer, but I must ask anyway. It concerns something that seems impossible."

With that she turns to walk off, slowly, towards unknown treasures.

Following Jane inside with the Hellhound behind her, Kinu flit her gaze around the makeshift holdout. Calvin and Lanky had mentioned some others, but by the interplay between the two, there may be more convincing to be done.

"...y'know, it's awfully posh in here. Used to be a hedge maze, a garden, whoever used to live here probably skimmed off the cream of the crop, yeah? Makes me wonder what they found inside they couldn't just leave it."

[Sharpandpointies]

Nemo acknowledges Krys' words, Kinu offers Cassa's assistance, and Jane requests a discussion when she returns. All for the good, that. "I'll keep that in mind," Krys replies to Kinu, nodding toward Cassa. "If I need any help with those two - " they stare at the battling brutes, a sadness shadowing their gaze " - I'll let Cassa know." Hopefully it won't come to that. Their eyes flick toward Jane, and one corner of their mout quirks up. "And for sure, I'm always open for talking. I've...seen things that are impossible, by some standards, so maybe I can help" Maybe not. But it's worth a try, right?

Leaning back as the others file away, toward the building, Krys shakes out their arms. Keeping an eye on the warring monstrosities, they let out a sigh. Hopefully their own, intrinsic energies will start to return soon; they could reach out, give-and-take with All Things around them, but...

I can feel it. Their lips tighten. Particle by particle, Krys is fading. There's always a flow, in and out, the waves of one's being exchanging with the waves around oneself. This...cobbled together body, it's flawed. Existentially. But Krys isn't just exchanging; they're thinning out, bit by bit. Every exchange with All Things has hastened the process and will continue to do so. Oh, it would take a century or more for enough of Krys to fade away for them to discorporate in a visible fashion, but that's not the issue. How many subatomic particles can they lose from their body before enough atoms begin to break down, enough molecules break down, that a larger part or process begins to crack? A cell wall here, a DNA replication there...and then? Perhaps an organ. Perhaps their cognition. Who can say?

Slowly but surely, their body is breaking down; something important will fail, without question.

Turns out if you manage to patch Humpty back together, he just keeps leaking.

A small sigh follows, with another lopsided grin. Best I do whatever I can before that happens, then.

I mean, we're all temporary anyway.

Right?

[Nik Hasta]

"I may have a question, when we get back," she states evenly. "I doubt you will be able to answer, but I must ask anyway. It concerns something that seems impossible."

With that she turns to walk off, slowly, towards unknown treasures.

Following Jane inside with the Hellhound behind her, Kinu flit her gaze around the makeshift holdout. Calvin and Lanky had mentioned some others, but by the interplay between the two, there may be more convincing to be done.

"...y'know, it's awfully posh in here. Used to be a hedge maze, a garden, whoever used to live here probably skimmed off the cream of the crop, yeah? Makes me wonder what they found inside they couldn't just leave it."

Nemo, Kinu and Jane make their way through the bog and clamber over the barricade and enter the building that has been the centre of the recent conflict. It's a grand affair, a bank in the style of the USA circa the 1920s, a wide open main hall with a palatial staircase leading to an upper level that looks down onto the main floor. There had been many desks but those have been torn out and used for the barricade at the entrance, as have the metal benches and small tables that once would have dotted the environs.

As the trio enter the building, they hear raised voices coming from the back of the hall, behind where the line desks would have prevented customers from approaching, down a slightly long corridor that leads toward the main vault. They can't quite hear the details but they recognise the deep tones of Calvin as he argues with someone else. They are talking (or more accurately shouting) over each other in a cacophony of noise that suggests little in the way of progress or compromise being made.

"... give them ... treasure ... no good ..."

"... word is as good as ... died ... toxic monsters ..."

"... you listen ... won't have it ... rubes and scoundrels ..."

The argument continues. The trio is, apparently, alone and unsupervised within the great hall of the bank.

[Postmania]

Jane nodded as she turned away, hoping Krys could provide some insight. Or perhaps, hoping they would provide an insight different from something she suspected.

She took another look at the location as the three narrowed in on the building.

"Architecture is not my an area I have experience or extensive encyclopedic information in" she replied to Kinu, "but a place as lofty as this may be home to all sorts of strange artifacts based on some of my previous targets. Curious however, that if weapons are the treasure here that they did not seem to employ them in their battle."

Jane eyed their surroundings analytically.

They could, she thought, head straight for the vault and trust that Calvin could clear their requisitional request. There did not seem to be much else here, but she cast a glance around anyway.

OOC: Jane looks around to see if there is actually anything else of interest here.

Or she supposed they could take a slower approach and monitor the situation. She decided that couldn't hurt.

Jane, moving slowly and quietly, maneuvers closer to the voices and the vault, aiming to hear more of what is being said, and if there was a chance they would seriously be in for a confrontation if they looked to go directly to the vault.

OOC: Jane's going to get about as close as she can to let her hear things without just straight up walking up and listening with her ear to a door

[Sharkerbob]

Jane nodded as she turned away, hoping Krys could provide some insight. Or perhaps, hoping they would provide an insight different from something she suspected.

She took another look at the location as the three narrowed in on the building.

"Architecture is not my an area I have experience or extensive encyclopedic information in" she replied to Kinu, "but a place as lofty as this may be home to all sorts of strange artifacts based on some of my previous targets. Curious however, that if weapons are the treasure here that they did not seem to employ them in their battle."

Nemo pursed her lips. "There's no telling what these treasures really are, or what ultimate goal they may be hoarding them for. If they are scavengers, they might not know what most of their horde actually does, what the drawbacks to using them are, or their actual value as treasures. Or, if it really is their attempt at currency, they might not want to use them, for fear of breaking, and thus devaluing, any given artifact, when they still have reliable ordinary ammunition. Or, they may want to hold special weapons in reserve, only for when their normal weapons won't do the job." She shrugged. "If acquiring a treasure is going to be a hassle, then I can let it be. A safe spot to recover is what I mainly need at the moment." She glanced to the other two. "Though I'm not suggesting you all cheat yourselves out of a just reward."

[grampagen]

Jane nodded as she turned away, hoping Krys could provide some insight. Or perhaps, hoping they would provide an insight different from something she suspected.

She took another look at the location as the three narrowed in on the building.

"Architecture is not my an area I have experience or extensive encyclopedic information in" she replied to Kinu, "but a place as lofty as this may be home to all sorts of strange artifacts based on some of my previous targets. Curious however, that if weapons are the treasure here that they did not seem to employ them in their battle."

Jane eyed their surroundings analytically.

They could, she thought, head straight for the vault and trust that Calvin could clear their requisitional request. There did not seem to be much else here, but she cast a glance around anyway.

OOC: Jane looks around to see if there is actually anything else of interest here.

Or she supposed they could take a slower approach and monitor the situation. She decided that couldn't hurt.

Jane, moving slowly and quietly, maneuvers closer to the voices and the vault, aiming to hear more of what is being said, and if there was a chance they would seriously be in for a confrontation if they looked to go directly to the vault.

OOC: Jane's going to get about as close as she can to let her hear things without just straight up walking up and listening with her ear to a door

Nemo pursed her lips. "There's no telling what these treasures really are, or what ultimate goal they may be hoarding them for. If they are scavengers, they might not know what most of their horde actually does, what the drawbacks to using them are, or their actual value as treasures. Or, if it really is their attempt at currency, they might not want to use them, for fear of breaking, and thus devaluing, any given artifact, when they still have reliable ordinary ammunition. Or, they may want to hold special weapons in reserve, only for when their normal weapons won't do the job." She shrugged. "If acquiring a treasure is going to be a hassle, then I can let it be. A safe spot to recover is what I mainly need at the moment." She glanced to the other two. "Though I'm not suggesting you all cheat yourselves out of a just reward."

Nemo, Kinu and Jane make their way through the bog and clamber over the barricade and enter the building that has been the centre of the recent conflict. It's a grand affair, a bank in the style of the USA circa the 1920s, a wide open main hall with a palatial staircase leading to an upper level that looks down onto the main floor. There had been many desks but those have been torn out and used for the barricade at the entrance, as have the metal benches and small tables that once would have dotted the environs.

As the trio enter the building, they hear raised voices coming from the back of the hall, behind where the line desks would have prevented customers from approaching, down a slightly long corridor that leads toward the main vault. They can't quite hear the details but they recognise the deep tones of Calvin as he argues with someone else. They are talking (or more accurately shouting) over each other in a cacophony of noise that suggests little in the way of progress or compromise being made.

"... give them ... treasure ... no good ..."

"... word is as good as ... died ... toxic monsters ..."

"... you listen ... won't have it ... rubes and scoundrels ..."

The argument continues. The trio is, apparently, alone and unsupervised within the great hall of the bank.

As she paced over the abandoned bank, Kinu looked over the ransacked premises. All had been bolted down and set into the carved stone, and if she had to wager a guess, all the finery had been torn up and slammed against those heavy doors the moment violence came knocking.

"Hm. Might've been nice to pull up a seat, but the only service they used to have in this place ain't worth all these trappings," she remarked.

Looking over the line of teller desks, she chuckled to herself.

"No boundaries here, if you're in the mind for the taking, heh-heh...but either Calvin's little band found they backed themselves into a corner with the vault, or found something they can't leave behind."

She considered Nemo's appraisal as they moved along.

"Could very well be, that they don't even know what they got in here, either, hah! Ain't gonna be able to buy your way outta someone's ill intentions with somethin' shiny anyway. And if they wanna mess with us, well! Whatever will we do?"

She brushed a dried clot of mud out of her hair and pet the Hellhound at her side.

"Still, if ya gonna hole up in a lil' bit of civilization, there's no reason why we can't have a little chat, yeah?"

[Nik Hasta]

Jane eyed their surroundings analytically.

They could, she thought, head straight for the vault and trust that Calvin could clear their requisitional request. There did not seem to be much else here, but she cast a glance around anyway.

OOC: Jane looks around to see if there is actually anything else of interest here.

The bank is a grand structure, clearly damaged and ravaged inside by the work of the thieves both in their heist and in their defence of it. Beyond that, it seems mundane. The upper landing is poorly lit, and with the light ebbing a little in Khazan it's not easy to see anything above them but it all feels quiet and empty, apart from the argument ahead.

Or she supposed they could take a slower approach and monitor the situation. She decided that couldn't hurt.

Jane, moving slowly and quietly, maneuvers closer to the voices and the vault, aiming to hear more of what is being said, and if there was a chance they would seriously be in for a confrontation if they looked to go directly to the vault.

OOC: Jane's going to get about as close as she can to let her hear things without just straight up walking up and listening with her ear to a door

As she moves down the corridor, past the ruined line of desks that would have normally barred her, she sees a door that is slightly ajar that leads through to the main vault room. Without going through it, she can see the enormous door of the vault itself, opened wide. Inside it, a tall dark and highly muscular woman with a shaved head, whom Rae would recognise as the woman who met Trevor and Krys first in the lobby, and a smaller woman with a brightly covered headscarf and a boiler suit on, are moving in a business-like way around the vault interior, sifting through deposit boxes and shelves and making piles of things that were inside.

There is an older man sat quietly in the corner of the vault going through documents and papers while looking nervous. A white beard that once have might been quiet neat but had clearly grown a little out of control masks most of his face, a small set of glasses balanced on his nose. While he is focusing on the papers in his hands, he seems to twitch every so often out of a nervous tic.

Lanky isn't visible from her position but Jane can't really see the whole room.

Closest to the door and having an argument, is Calvin and the man that Krys would have been able to identify as Morgan. The bald man is shorter than Calvin, much less obviously physically capable but he more than made up for it this deficit by wielding words like weapons.

" - so we've got a pack of what - killing machines - squelching about it in the muck and effluence of their own carnage and you said to them that they should come on in here and get not only medical assistance, to which I am more than happy to assent to, but also a cut of the booty? And what, pray tell, oh glorious boss, if they decide they want the whole kitten-kaboodle and our lives into the bargain? That's your problem Calvin, you never thinking. All muscle, all - fucking - gallantry and - and - and fair play and loyalty and all of that rubbish and I think you, you, forget where we are and what the stakes are!" he snaps at the redhead.

"I know the stakes, don't you lecture me on those. If they hadn't turned up, we would have -" Calvin begins but is cut off again by Morgan.

"If they hadn't turned up, the coppers would have taken their time approaching the structure - Cracker would have got the vault open, Digger would have knocked a hole out the back and we'd be gone and that nice garden wouldn't be a swamp and we wouldn't have assisted in the murder of an asset of the Viceroy. I know you struggle in that big 'ol meathead of yours to consider things like cause and effect but a bunch of murderous busybodies ain't what we need to have an association with,"

"They're good people. Well, people...? Good folks at least," Calvin replies.

"One with the face paint or mask or whatever is a bit of a bitch. Seems like the type that wants to throwdown," Lanky's voice comes from a part of the room Jane cannot see, "And the robot is - well - it's a robot made of guns. I don't think morality applies,"

"See, why can't you listen to Lanky?" Morgan says, "Sweet, clever and cynical Lanky,"

"You forgot 'wise', 'talented' and 'the hottest one here'," Lanky chimes in, "but I'll take it,"

"My dear boy, consider it said. But you Calvin, you never think and that's why we don't have time to vet this stuff now because we need to be gone and now you're coming to me asking me to dole out something of suitable value to a troop of assassins who are covered in shit," Morgan says, gesturing at the chaotic vault.

"Does strike me as a presumptuous move," the lower voice of Digger pipes up as she tosses a sack of golden coins onto a pile, "Do you think we could fight our way out if things turn nasty, Cal?"

Calvin pauses for a moment as he thinks and the room suddenly grinds to a halt. His answer will definitely alter the flow of the actions taken.

"They're powerful, sure enough. But hurt, tired and they seem uncoordinated. We've got an insurance in place already, if they turn nasty then - it'll be rough but we should be okay. I don't think they're all coming in, wounded one with the kid seemed clear they didn't want to come in - didn't trust us neither. Seems like the smart one,"

Morgan clapped his hands, "Okay, you heard the man, let's get ready to go while we can. Lanky, go link up with The Bez, I'll try and find something halfway decent to offer them so it doesn't all go to shit,"

Jane suddenly finds the door flung open as Lanky steps out to head back up the corridor she is stood in and he immediately sees the three of them lurking outside the door listening in.

"Well, looks like the wait's over," he says flippantly, "Cal - we got eaves being dropped,"

From inside Morgan lets out an oath of frustration.

"Tits of Asimir!"

[Sharkerbob]

Jane suddenly finds the door flung open as Lanky steps out to head back up the corridor she is stood in and he immediately sees the three of them lurking outside the door listening in.

"Well, looks like the wait's over," he says flippantly, "Cal - we got eaves being dropped,"

From inside Morgan lets out an oath of frustration.

"Tits of Asimir!"

Nemo holds up her hands in a peaceable gesture. "Please listen. I understand that your situation makes it impossible to trust us. I understand that our actions may have ultimately made things more difficult for you, and I greatly apologize for that. We are quite new to this World, and unfamiliar with the reality of the situation. Ignorance is no excuse; we should not have interfered. But some of us have led lives being bound to help others, and that drive led us to inserting ourselves into a hostile situation for the sake of 'doing the right thing', whatever that means to each of us. It was a mistake on our part to interfere without learning much more information on the local situation."

She gestured to herself. "I can pass on any monetary compensation. I'll even pass on medical aid if you're worried about stretching your resources there. All I really need is a safe spot to rest, for perhaps half an hour at most, shorter than that if your time table requires. Considering the circumstances, I am very happy to leave at the earliest opportunity."

She glanced to Kinu and Jane. "I would not presume to speak for my companions as to their wants for compensation, but I hope we can come to a peaceful negotiation that will leave both sides satisfied in an efficient manner."

She looked back to the assembled survivors. "With that said, do not make the mistake of underestimating us just because we're banged up. We are still very capable of defending ourselves." She made no outward sign of aggression to prove it, but stood with the easy confidence of one experienced with getting out of tight situations.