Shattered Innocence (IC) [M]

[Sprocketsdance]

Chance ran, quickly, to the door that was next to the room she just took the children from. The smoke gave her notice to hurry as she kicked at the door to see if there was anyone to save inside.

[Noone]

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The door is kicked down with a startling amount of ease. It comes clean off it's hinges and falls into the room it was blocking, kicking up a cloud of dust while it does. Sadly, aside from the mold on the walls and the dust accumulating on the floors, this room is empty.
However, there is a significant amount of smoke in the air right now. It's starting to aggravate your eyes and your breathing, and is obscuring your vision. It's only going to get worse with more exposure as well.

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As soon as you try entering the building again, you collapse into another coughing fit. Your chest feels like what's inside is burning up, and your head feels similar. The outside cold makes your burns feel raw once again. The feeling is quite severe this time, preventing you from going back in as you collapse in agony.
After a while, the worst of it passes, but the pain from your burns and the tight feeling inside your body still lingers.

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[Lisky]

Garis stayed collapsed in the snow, his lungs were burning, and his mind didn't process anything the psion had said.  Another coughing fit wracked his body, as the canine started trying to shapeshift tissues around to ease his pain.  He was disoriented, sore, angry, violently angry, in fact. 

Those 2 Idiots hadn't been able to wait but 2 minutes for me and Kassin... It had to have been Zanfib... His plan to just kill everyone... There is no way i'm getting yet another bounty on my head for something else i'm not responsible for.

His thoughts trailing off as yet another coughing spasm rippled through the cubi.

[Sprocketsdance]

Eyes watering and coughing a curse towards the empty room Chance ran outside, gasping for air as she stumbled out. Blinking away mixed tears of despair and guilt her vision cleared enough to spot Garis and she moved towards him - quickly at first but as she sensed his anger (who couldn't?) she slowed..

She couldn't say anything, she just stood there a moment looking at Garis.. then to the building wreathed in smoke and flames.

[Noone]

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The weather seemed to clear a little, the snow was less intense and the winds grew slightly calmer as they rushed through the night sky. It didn't take long for the fires to consume the orphanage, and soon enough, the orphanage was nothing more than a pile of smoldering rubble. Heated collapsed, and charred wood lay where the place once stood. Smoke rose up into the sky.

Kassin was still unconscious. The four children that were taken from the orphanage, and that still lived, didn't appear to be doing very well. Their malnourished forms looked like they were literally wavering away in the cold winds. None of them said a word.

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The rest of the trip was quiet, but tense. Eilan seemed as on edge as ever. He kept mostly quiet, though occasionally made low grumbling sounds. As the trip went by, the weather got slightly more bearable. The snow seemed to slow, the winds seemed to relax a little, but it didn't get any warmer.

The quiet came to a halt when a large pillar of smoke could be seen in the night sky. Eilan looked up at it in horror once he spotted it. He glanced around the snowy plains, certain that it was the orphanage. "Bu...wh..." He shook his head. "Gnn..." Damn it, Raffiele probably had his Claw buddies attack the place while I was gone... He stared at the smoke for a few more moments before regaining his composure. He took his bow into his hands, then looked at Kedered and said "Weapon out, now." He rushed over to where he could see the entrance.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Kedered ignored Eilan's exact directions, knowing that bringing up the sword was the quickest of his spells. Instead, he spent a moment applying extra strength and speed to himself, and then briefly considering extending the effects to EIlan, but decided that it wasn't worth the magical expenditure.

The smoke and ash was bitter against his snout, and Kedered agreed, a claw attack was most likely. Claws meant demons, and demons meant resistance to fire, and Kedered made a few more arcane gestures, so when he called the blade up, it would be argent vitriol and not flame. Knowing his words would be distorted, he said back to Eilan "I do not think Raffiele had enough influence to call down an assault. It is possible they were tracking us in some other method"

He dashed off, quickly overtaking the adventurer, searching for Kassin, ready to call up the blade in an instant.

[Lisky]

Garis laid in the snow, he'd finally finished coughing up the last of the ash and soot from his lungs, and now all that remained was a lingering pain.  That, however, was mostly ignored, Garis blinked a few times, as he could still feel the fine particles in them.  Again he ignored the minor pain.  The canine cubi was filled with a rage, he began searching for the long, fluffy tailed rat.  He wasn't quite sure about what he was going to do... But the fact that he'd grown claws longer than his forearm, they appeared razor sharp, though narrow. 

Garis was going to find out who did this, and why, even if it meant he had to tear their still beating heart out of their chest in the process to get the answer.  He radiated his rage, as he felt someone coming.  This better be fuckin' good... if it's those cowards so help me...

He still couldn't tell, but his rage was now directed towards them as he prepared a lightning spell, interposing himself between Kassin and the general area he felt the new people coming from.  His seething, burning hate still flooding the air around him.

[Sprocketsdance]

Upon seeing Garis' claws lengthen.. feeling his fury grow.. Chance trembled even more. Fear and guilt tore her eyes from him.. and she finally noticed the children - barely looking alive. She rushed over to them as she took off her cloak, crouched down, and covered them with it as she made them huddle closer together.

"Come on.. stay close.. don't give up..."

Her voice cracked as she tried to both sooth an encourage them. Tears fell on her cheeks and froze quickly to her fur as her arms curled around as much as their could around their little circle, offering as much warmth as she could.

The snow leopardess' eyes searched out between strands of fallen hair, slightly obscuring her vision and then she noticed Kassin.. not moving.  No... please no... nononono. She stopped trembling.. if but a moment.. as her crime ripped through her completely.

[Ghostwish]

Zanfib was nearby the children, trying futile to blink the smoke out of his eyes. His fur, now black from being charred, no longer offered the same protection from the cold as it once did, but he hardly noticed. As depleted as his powers were, he could still sense those around him, and he felt how close to the edge the children were. His lungs burned with the effort it took to keep breathing, and as he desperately searched for a way to save the children, he became aware that he could not sense Kassin's mind. For a frantic, terrifying moment, he believed the angel dead, but then it occurred to him that in his weakened state, he might simply be unable to sense Kassin's unconscious mind. Although not as bad as his first assumptions, it was still a very bad scenario.

"Chance." Came his raspy voice, as burnt as the orphanage smoldering nearby. "I sincerely hope you know some healing magic. I am no shape to even bolster them."

Can't heal, can't control fire.. Zanfib was beginning to realize what his mentor meant when he said that the strengths and weaknesses of psionics stemmed from the same aspect. Its focus.

[Noone]

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The snow appeared to be dying down, but as the night came it became ever colder. A gust of wind brushed on by.

It didn't take long for Eilan to catch up with the rest of them. He kept his bow in hand, but didn't draw an arrow. Once he did, he scanned the area. He was quite surprised to see Garis, Zanfib, and Chance arrayed around the entrance. He looked past Garis, looking for Kassin with almost panicked motions. He continued his observations, noting the burned down orphanage, and the tracks leading away from the entrance.
Tracks, looks like four or five, leaving in a hurry. Isn't them though... He looked back towards the group, utterly speechless. What the... what... and how the hell did this happen?!?

Kassin showed no signs of waking up.

The children saved were as unresponsive as ever. They also feel somewhat cold to the touch, though they do seem to still be alive.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

The cinders got into Kedered's nose and eyes, irritating the tissues. He'd filter them out, block up his nose with shapeshifting, but he might need the olfactory function. The smoke was still the dominant scent in the air, but he could pick out sweat, and snow, and an odd hint of wax.  Around the entrance, through the water in his eyes and the soot in the air, he could see his traveling companions, as well as some children he did not recognize. They looked hurt, and dazed, but he couldn't see any obvious cuts or broken bones, no sign of any damage outside of burns and smoke inhalation.

Not the Claws. Adventurers, perhaps, but to start a fire and then flee without locking weapons and fangs wasn't something his instincts told him the Claws would be doing. Although, someone after  the bounty on Kassin..... Why burn the orphanage without the necessary force to follow up with a capture The air was clear, and he could see for miles, so if there was an ambush in the works, it would have to have some serious magical cloaking to be able to hide, both from his vision, and to clean up any trace of footprints in the snow.

Kedered dismissed his enhancement spells, dashed across the snow to ensure that Kassin was all right. He felt a burning wave of hostility, paranoia coming out of Garis, and he tried to calm him down with sent thoughts and images of himself along with calmness, control, serenity. As he did, he felt a more subdued intake of emotion, this time from the child succubus, fear, not quite his favorite flavor, but enough to make the nerves in his forearms sing in triumph. The Demon had been a poor emotional meal. There was a faint tinge of guilt mixed in with the fear though, and, still keeping his sword spell handy should it be needed, he turned and asked the snow leopard, remembering at the last second that she was probably unused to telepathic communication, and uttered the terse phrase "what happened?".

[Lisky]

The canine Cubi felt the calming emotions, and recognized the newcomers as Ked and Eilan... they were fine... they had nothing to do with this.  They were well clear of Garis's anger, and as much as the soothing helped, his vision locked like a laser on the ringtail.  The claws shortened as he stalked closer.  His thoughts were completely unreadable... just a blinding white rage.  When he was close enough, Garis growled "you SON OF A BITCH!" as he sent a fist hurtling towards Zanfib's face.

"You couldn't sit still for 5 minutes?! YOU -HAD- TO KILL EVERYONE?!"

His swing was a hook, meant to either throw the psion off balance, or knock him to the ground.  In the event of the latter, a swift kick to the ribs would follow.

[Ghostwish]

It's a sad day when someone gets the drop on a mind-reader, but that's precisely what happened as Garis assaulted the ringtail..

He had only begun to recover his power from the ordeal as Garis' insult thundered in his ears, right before his fist did the same to his cheek. The blow sent the psion to the floor, startled as he tried to rapidly gather his senses, but the sudden kick and accusations caused a well of fury to burn up inside of the ringtail. It gave him what he needed, at the moment, and he focused his anger, drew power from it as he shaped it.. and unleashed a psychic scream right in Garis' face.

Not a deadly attack, most certainly not in Zanfib's state, but an interesting experience none the less. The sensation that would reverberate through one's mind would be akin to hearing a hardware store's stock of nails ice skating on the world's biggest chalkboard. The worst affect on a normal person would be temporary disorientation, and perhaps a rather annoying headache that would linger afterward. But there's no telling what it might do to the thought-sensitive mind of a cubi, and a magical mindshield would not provide a great deal of protection. Why, if it was an very poorly constructed shield, it might actually cause an echo within one's mind, which would be even more unpleasant. It would be like a orchestra of horribly tuned violins had joined in...

"Witless head-winged bastard!" Zanfib barked, spraying blood at the cubi. "Do you honestly lack so much grey matter in that worthless blockhead of yours to think I would do such a thing!? How do you feel it was one of your own precious kin who did this? A rather typical act for such a doomed race who can't seem to avoid ticking off every last race on this world, don't you think!?" He spat, bearing his teeth in anger as he picked himself up off the ground.

"Now do something useful, and help these children. That isn't a suggestion, it's an order. Disobey and I will make you feel pain beyond imagination, incubus." He growled lowly as he clutched his ribs and hobbled away from them.. it was very likely a bluff, for the ringtail could already feel a very angry migraine setting in from the sudden stress on his already exhausted mind..

[Sprocketsdance]

"STOP IT!!!" Chance shrieked, turning from the children and standing on trembling legs. "JUST STOP IT!" Her fists clenched against her head as her knees buckled and she landed in the snow once more. Pathetically her entire form trembled; feeling Garis' monstrous rage.. it make her stomach churn. Her tear-swollen eyes looked at Garis and Zanfib.. great fear moved through her but the guilt was more the burden as she ripped her gaze from them and looked up at Kedered, meeting him in the eyes.

"I did it."   

[Noone]

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Eilan gave an angry glare towards Zanfib and Garis. His attention focused immediate on Chance with her exclamation. I'll deal with those two later. Surprise turned to fury as he let out a soft growl and put away his weapon. "You did WHAT? Why in th.... arrgh!"

He paced past Kedered over to where Chance was, his anger quite palpable. Snarling, clawed hands bared, he balled his right hand into a fist, and then proceeded to try and grab her by the neck to put her into a chokehold.

"I told you this was a serious matter! And what did you go ahead and do?! What did you do!?" He snarled as he looked at her, eyes and face showing nothing but fury. His teeth were bared in an intimidating manner.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

 And thus we disintegrate.  Kedered idly wondered if some sort of influence Kassin somehow exerted kept them from each others throats. Sure, the tensions had existed palpably before, but although they were thick enough to caress, everyone kept their weapons inside their sheaths. Still, no time for contemplation. Zanfib seemed barely on his feet, so Garis did not strike him as to be in huge danger.


Eilan and Chance, however...... The anger radiating off of the adventurer was like the blast of hot air from an open furnace, and while he could derive some nourishment from it, it was an almost toxic fare, and he set his filters up to their tightest. The chokehold had more menace than technique to it,  and Kedered was pretty sure that the being was unaware of any threats brewing from behind. Still, he was an ally, and a reasonably dependable one, so nothing fatal...

He had already wasted perhaps a second, before he rushed up behind the adventurer, making sure his feet were in between that of the being, and looped his right arm about the upper chest of the adventurer, and rotated violently, attempting to pitch the adventurer to the snow.

[Lisky]

Garis had no intention to kill the psion... however, the ringtail's tone and attacked focused his previous white-hot rage like a laser.  The incubus had practically forgotten what had pissed him off to that point.  It was an annoyance, a serious annoyance, but no worse than that hot ash that had burned his eyes and lungs.  No worse than that, not with adrenaline and rage running through his system. 

As the irritating pain rippled through his mind, Garis's mind and body seemed to grow distant, he could almost see his body stalk towards the psion, almost throw a backhanded punch which seemed to fall well short... except that the fist was suddenly obscured by a blunt tentacle edge.  He could see, feel, taste, smell and hear everything, but it seemed distant.  His rage had clouded his rational thought just enough that his eyes had started glowing a bright hot white.  He didn't care if the tentacle had hit.  His body was already following the tentacle in.  A foot lashed out towards the side of Zan's knee, a fist barreling towards the ringtail's head again.  A vicious snarl escaped his lips, "Learn you place, BEING!"

Conscious thought started flowing again as the words were uttered...He spoke again, though the words were tainted by the acidic rage, "You will -NEVER- try and order me around again, You will NEVER threaten me again... if you value your life, nay, your very essence, -your SOUL- you will heed these words well, little being..."

[Sprocketsdance]

Frozen by the anger pouring from Elian, as well as her own guilt, Chance quickly found herself being strangled. Out of reflex her hands shot up to the fox's wrists, half-heartedly trying to pry the hold loose. I deserve this.. I do.. but... Her lungs still stung from the smoke and her body started to panic as she tried to kick for his legs, pulling her top half away, just as she saw Kedered come up behind him.

Why...

[Ghostwish]

Zanfib had dealt with creatures far too long to not have seen this maneuver coming. Pride. He had quite the helping of it himself, but it was the ultimate weak point of any creature, regardless of species.

His ear twitched slightly as he counted Garis' stride. One.. Two.. and.. He concentrated mentally.. and then promptly ducked to the side as he reached up, grabbing Garis by both his forearm and the offending tentacle. Then he pulled forward as he crouched ever so slightly, feeling the painful sensation of Garis slamming up against his burnt back.. before promptly rolling the unfortunate cubi over his shoulder, and quite painfully down onto the ground in front of psion. That wasn't the end of it though.. Zanfib immediately straightened up, even as his body protested, and brought his heel up.. before slamming it down on Garis' face.

"Ignorant fool!" He bellowed down at him, making for a rather frightful image with his blazing eyes and bloody teeth. "This is precisely what is going to see your kind into extinction! One moment no one can fathom what manner of foolishness you're going to get yourself into, and the next you are as predictable as stone!!" He yelled down at him as he brought his arm up, which was now distorted by the ripples that psionic power causes with the light. "You were yelling something about knowing my place. Well here it is incubus, standing over your soon to be grave!" He yelled, and seemed ready to bring whatever he had mustered slamming down on Garis right then and there.. But, in a moment of silence, he seemed to regain a measure of control, and he canceled the energy coursing through him, much to his aching head's relief. He knelt down, bringing his own bloody muzzle inches from Garis'..

"Do you know who I am, cubi?" He asked quietly.. "I'm called Black the Slayer, or so my name seems to be inside your little academy. Sixteen cubi have died by my hand, each more easily than the last." He said, cocking his head slightly to the side. "See, in there parts, if the locals don't like the way the guard is handling an offending creature of some variety, they post a nice big fat bounty on the less than honorable markets, hoping a problem solver, that's me, will come along and make their problems go away." He said, pausing for a brief moment. "I have made my living killing the ignorant creatures of the world, those who would use their power to enslave or mistreat those who are not born with such rights.. So keep egging me on, Garis, and I promise you.."

"You'll be number seventeen."

And then the air smelled of burnt fur with a whiff of carbon as Zanfib vanished right in front of Garis, leaving only a faint residue of anger, and a sprinkling of burnt fur..

In the nearby cloister of trees, Zanfib slumped with his back against one of the trees, out of earshot of the group, and well outside of his rapidly diminishing telepathic range. Damnit Chance.. He thought briefly as he watched the snow drift down over his aching form, and then slipped into unconsciousness.

[Lisky]

As Zan positioned himself on top of the cubi, Garis snickered at Zan, who was starting his very close speech.  He gave no warning other than the flash of teeth as he sunk a pair of tentacles through Zan's mid-section.  Ripping and tearing with their sharp edges at anything that got in their path.  He formed sharp barbs as he pulled the tentacles back through, again trying to cause as much pain and damage as possible.

"Foolish little being... You should always deal the crippling blow BEFORE you start your self-righteous speech... not after... otherwise you might get hurt..."

The vicious smile was back, Zan's blood, along with some of his own had stained Garis's shirt.  He kneed the psion in the groin while rolling over.  He then used his tentacles to help get up.  "When you play with monsters, you best become one yourself, lest you get eaten by what you hunt."  

Garis had 5 tentacles all bladed on his right side, he brought the crashing down towards Zan... aimed at slicing him into several large, meaty chunks.  

[Noone]

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You feel a tightening in your lungs at the worst of times. Instead of escaping, you stumble into a choking fit. Unfortunately, it also leaves you defenseless at Garis rips at you with his tentacles. At least it's all over quickly...

Eilan tried his best to maintain his grip on Chance, but leverage wasn't his as Kedered came up to break the hold. He rapidly fell to the snowy ground. While on the ground, he glanced towards Garis and Zanfib. Eyes bulged in alarm as he saw blood and Garis's tentacles. With a soft grumble, he quickly rose up back to his feet. He cast alternating glances at Kedered and Chance. He paced a few steps back, keeping ready. The hells is going on here?!

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Kedered quickly stepped to his right, interposing himself between Eilan and Chance as he kept his eyes on the former. Eilan managed to recover his feel surprisingly quickly, but did not move to draw a weapon or make another aggressive rush. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Garis perforate Zanfib with his tentacles. He winced, as some of the blood splattered far and wide, staining his coat. It would be a simple matter of magic to fix, but the blood was rather unpleasant.


He set his own emotional projection towards calm, and a sense of authority, and kept in mind that it would have no effect in the case of the adventurer. He looked off, keeping his focus somewhere between Garis and Eilan, and said, "All right. Nobody is going to do any more killing, at least, not right now. Eilan, please go check up on Kassin, he seems hurt, most likely some sympathetic shock from the other injuries around him. Chance, you said you started the fire. What were you thinking, what were you trying to accomplish?"


As he uttered, he kept his eyes on Garis. Once one got his blood up, it was usually difficult to calm down, and he would not with to stop another rampage.

[Lisky]

The splash of warm blood dribbling over his mid-section, quenching his rage as the cubi slowly began regaining control.  The object of his aggression was destroyed, utterly.  His eyes' glow dimmed as the rage seemed to drain from Garis.  He blinked a few times, and took in a deep breath.  The stench of blood was everywhere, all over his body.  Zan was in pieces,  and the only thing Garis could utter was, "You stupid son of a bitch..."

He sighed as he began weaving a cleansing spell.  Only vaguely aware of those around him, Eilan's unspoken question went unanswered as his vicious appearance slowly became more relaxed.  He'd gone from a brutal rage, to a feeling of numbness, and near helplessness... If the 'kids' couldn't sit still and stay out of trouble for a few minutes, how the hell were they going to survive if they had to hide from any decently competent soldiers.  Well... now it was just down to her... the arrogant bastard of a being was dead, and no longer a problem.

Fighting off a massive headache, and bad memories, Garis simply said, "Lets go somewhere safer first.  That cloud is going to attract any and everyone for miles around... "

A blue glow flashed around Garis as the blood seemed to turn black, as if to char into ash, slowly blowing off the off the canine's clothes and fur, dissipating into nothing a few inches out.

[Sprocketsdance]

With Elian's hold broken, her balance was lost and she fell backwards into the snow. Chance struggled to regain her breath, coughing as the cold air stung her lungs, but all that unpleasantness.. all that has happened in the past while... was stricken from her mind with one sharp blow.  Her childhood friend - one of her only friends - disappeared from her senses... confirmed firstly by the spattered blood that found its way to Kedered's cloak. She gazed upward at him, if but only a fraction of a second before her eyes moved over to Zanfib's now dismembered body and Garis covered in the ringtail's blood.

Everything moved so slowly... she heard Kedered's voice but could not understand the words... could not understand why Garis was standing while Zanfib wasn't... it.. no...

"NOOOOO!!!!" Pain erupted through her body as her breaths came more rapid, her limbs trembled, green eyes too stunned at the sight to even bear tears. Her claws were out, gripping the snow-covered ground as her fur stood on-end but she did not move. All she could do was mutter variances of '..but.... I.... how... no...'

[Noone]

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Eilan looked over at Garis and Zanfib with a look of alarm. None of the splattered blood got on him, but he winced at the sight. Please tell me that wasn't a second traitor in our midst... He let out a low growl and shook his head. He glanced back to Kedered. "If Kassin felt almost everyone inside burning alive... then he'll be out for hours." He paced over to where Kassin lay.

Kassin had a significant amount of blood splattered on him. He was still unconscious. Eilan put a hand down to his neck, checking his pulse. He then scanned Kassin for other injuries. No direct injuries, good... if one of them had tried... I swear... Picking himself up, he briefly looked towards Garis, and spoke with a low growl. "We're not moving until I get some answers."

He strode over back to Kedered, and looked at Chance, absolute hostility in his eyes. He looked ready to kick her in the face. "Snap out of it and answer girl!" He snarled. "We don't have time to waste!" He shuffled about on his feet, and kept his hands ready. He growled and shook his head, looking at nowhere in particular. "And where the hell is Darrins?"

[Sprocketsdance]

Finally some words broke through her babblings and Chance was on her feet, facing Elian.

"YOU.... uncompassionate... " Growling, she glared at him, desperately trying to hold onto any control she had. "My friend has just been slaughtered! and all you can think...." That's when her attention returned to Garis and she rounded on him.

"What the hell?!?!?! How could you?! WHY??" She positioned herself to address everyone, realization dawning on her, the blood draining from her face. "I did that.. it should have been me... " Her eyes darted to the stained snow around parts of black and white fur. "... my mistake... foolish.. just.. wanted to help.. get in... how... " Clawed hands grabbed the sides of her head again as she screamed, bent over, and wept horribly.

[Lisky]

Flexing the last of the major tension from his muscles, Garis returned his hands and wings back to normal.  He had a slightly cold expression, though considerably warmer than the chillingly sadistic grin he'd worn while slaughtering the being.  "You never assaulted me, neither physically, nor mentally... Zan had done both, multiple times.  He claimed to be a murder himself, and when offered an opportunity to back down, he went on the offensive... Perhaps he was your friend, Chance, but he certainly held a far lower standing for -everyone- else here.  I admit i may have over-reacted...  However, rather than trying to settle things, -he- escalated the situation..."

Garis paused, rubbing his temples in an effort to relax.  He tried to send soothing and calming emotions,  imagine somewhere fare more pleasant... If only he had someone here to help... someone from his family he could go to for advice...

Eventually, the cubi let out a long, deep sigh. He then added in as level a tone as he could muster, "I'm not going to say i'm happy to learn of what you've done... but i'm not going to leave you for the beasts.  It's pretty obvious you had the best of intentions... though acted on instinct, rather than held some patience, and let me handle things.  You do still have much to learn, Chance.  Patience for one thing.  A little more about your own nature as well.  I am still willing to teach you things... but as the group currently stands, i don't think it's my decisions to make.  Not alone, anyways."

Garis considered how things had played out.  Funny how he still felt a rather big-brother type figure to the person who had caused him such rage not a few moments earlier.  His own mood elevated for a moment, just before dropping brick from a rather imposing structure.  Eilan's question sunk in a few moments later.  Garis winced at the thought, he'd partially forgotten the cause of his rage, that was replaced by despair.  "He's dead, the Darrins boy is dead...  Fire got to him before i could.  After that i saved anyone i could, while ensuring Kassin's safety..."

It took a good deal of self control not to turn in on himself, to fume, second guess, and tear himself apart... Garis continued the struggle as best he could

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Absolutely wonderful. Tense tense Pulse. Can't send more positive emotional flow, too risky. Will have to deal with Chance, but ensure Kassin's safety first. Unite. Unite?

"Like him or not, Zanfib has been trouble, pretty much since he joined us. Do not forget the Sheriff, whose suspicions he aroused, or the hostility he displayed towards us from the moment he joined our fellowship. Except towards Chance, he has been condescending and rude at the very best, and openly belligerent more often than not. Which leaves us what to do now. If the Darrins boy is dead..... well we are at a dead end here, and should likely move on to investigate one of the other soul-crimes that Kassin is accused of."


As he spoke, he thought aloud, hoping that Garis would be the primary recipient. "It is not your decision, because it is not a decision to be made. Chance MUST learn to control her abilities, or she will kill herself, or us, eventually. I am unsure where and how you were trained, but we need to at least make her put a lid on herself.


He spun on his heel, and advanced towards Chance slowly. "You are a fool Chance. I still do not understand what under the sky possessed you to try to burn your way into a wooden building." She remained supine for a moment, and Kedered silently strode over to the children, an emaciated catlike being with patches of tawny fur matted and knotted. When Kedered picked him up the child elicited no reaction. Walking back to chance, he dropped the child on his rear in front of her. "And the only way I know of to cure foolishness is to let the fool have some impact. This one is yours, Chance. By grace or luck or the Gods he survived, and now he's your responsibility. Obviously, staying with us indefinitely is out of the question, a child will both slow us down and be in considerable peril. Try to find him a home, through trickery or force or whatever means you deem best. But do find him one."


He stepped away from the supine 'Cubi, shaking his head at the waste and the mess. How hard could it be to simply get inside one orphanage? Fighting away an urge to let out a growl, he said "We need to vacate this area, and quickly. I am certain other people will have noticed the fire, and we are not exactly in friendly territory. Eilan, you said Kassin is likely to be out for another few hours? We might have to carry him, until he regains his senses."

[Noone]

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Eilan growled at Chance. "Compassion, to *you*?" He snarled as he looked at the unconscious Kassin and then at the burnt down orphanage. "Would be nothing but a waste. I'm sure you showed all those orphans compassion as you burnt their home down." He looked to the four orphans that were still alive, he shook his head with a heavy sigh.Not that I was very sure about Zanfib's loyalties.

His ears rose after he heard Garis say that Darrins was dead. His eyes bulged. He turned his head away. "I... gah... aarggh! Such a simple task! And it came to *this*!?" He shook his head, still visibly angry. Clenched fists, snarling, teeth bared. He strode away from the others trying to regain his composure, and failing.

Damn it damn it! Now what!? This place will be swarming with people looking for us, especially since there were witnesses that got away. We've lost our lead, and now there are those four orphan boys still alive. What to do... He glanced back at them. In their condition, they probably wouldn't last the night anyways, malnourished and neglected as they are. Kassin's out too... so we'll need to leave them behind. He spent a few moments thinking over terrain, where they could go, the places in the immediate vicinity. He spent some time calculating how quickly the area would become a hot-spot. After his silent contemplation, he looked over at the others. His hands idly gripped his weapon hilts. We should probably just kill her, she'd deserve it entirely. He cast a glance at Garis.

"We are *not* taking her with us. Kassin's safety is a very delicate matter and I'm not going to let this murderess endanger him and everyone around him. She could do something like this again, or hell, betray us to our foes. There is no way that we can trust her. And if she got killed by some adventurer it would be *entirely* fitting." He made a hostile glare at chance before turning his head away and spat into the ground.

"One of you pick up Kassin and lets head out. We're heading north. After this little damned stunt, we're going to have to lay low for some time. I only hope that this hasn't completely doomed us."

[Lisky]

Garis thought on it a moment, considering his words, and Eilan's attitude carefully.  He sighed as he replied, "While i'm sure you'd just leave her to the adventurers, there are several problems with that.  #1, She -knows- where we're headed. Where we want to go, and what we have to do.  If she falls into -anyone's- hands, at least, anyone who's even heard rumors about her travels with us, then they will probably torture her. She's untrained and unskilled, she'll talk, and they'll know where we are, where we're going, and given -our- need to lay low, they'll be waiting for us.  Problem #2, you assume she's remorseless, that she feels no guilt.  This is something that will haunt her for the rest of her life.  Not a short life, either... this is going to be something that follows her for -several- centuries, if not millennium. "

Giving a bit of a pause, the canine cubi continued, "With a little training, and some discipline, i believe Chance could prove a very useful member of the party.  Zan was a detriment, Chance on the other hand, she has the best of intentions... just needs to learn a little common sense.  I won't have you throwing her to the wolves, just to sate your  rage over a mistake -she'll- be paying for, for the rest of her life."

Rather carefully, Garis slowly interposed himself between Eilan and Chance, wings lightly flared to further deter his view and path