Furrae Chronicles: Webs of Destiny (IC) [M] {2}

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel circled back towards the fire. "Before you finalize those plans you might want to see if you can drag any clues out of this." She set a small square of jasper on the large boulder and a moment later a topographical map hovered above the rough stone. With a gesture a ghost of a piece of paper fluttered above it then slowly sank, merging into the map. "Everything he remembers about the map he was sent is now represented in red on my map. Shall we see where his mysterious letter writer was sending him?"

[Gareeku]

Gareeku's attempt at trying to reason with his captors would seem to prove futile, his eyes widened somewhat as the feline seemed to mock the fact that he would not be able to save his family.
"Bastard!!" the wolf roared, his temper finally flaring up as Ignatz's words had clearly got to him. "You can't do this! I need to save my family!"

At this point, whenever Gareeku was speaking he was growling with rage, glaring up at Ignatz with a mix of anger, despair, and hate. He had no idea whether the others knew he had been taken, but at this point he was presuming they hadn't. It was bad enough he was dying. But being denied the opportunity to save his family, the only family he had left, was something he could not accept.
"Fuck you." the wolf growled in reply to Ignatz's last comment. Now, more than ever, he was determined to find a way out, though that would be easier said than done, to say the least.

[Tapewolf]

"That's it," Jakob said to Aisha, studying the map in relief before folding it carefully and placing it in one of the many pockets of his trenchcoat.  Then he slapped himself.

"What am I thinking...?  We should ask the Oracles what they know."

[Stygian]

The big cat grinned as Gareeku lost his temper. Now, that had ticked him off allright. Seemed this one had more of a soft spot for others than he did for his own safety or displeasure. He would keep that in mind.
   Ignatz's eyes then turned toward the map in front of him, scanning the outline of it. His eyes narrowed in sequence with his grin fading slowly, and after a while he made a disdainful face at the whole business.
   "It doesn't tell us anything specifically, I see. He's got Pathrim marked out on it, but it's only one of the towns... Well, the less business for us and the shorter trip, I guess. Congratulations, Mr. Manoko. You'll probably be dead by the dawn after this." That comment he delivered not with any sort of mockery, but simply with calm and factual resignation.

[Arcalane]

[[Retcon'd]]

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha's frustration was slowly growing.  The longer they waited, the more likely that Gareeku would have been taken further away.  Or worse, killed.  The panthress had a hand to her forehead, but at least she was relieved to have found the map.

She quirked an eyebrow however to Jakob's suggestion.  "The Oracles?"  She scoffed.  "Pardon me for being harsh, but those birds haven't been helpful so far and I doubt they'd be helpful now.  We're on our own."  She glanced up, and down the corridors again.  Aisha had started to say something else, but then just closed her mouth.  She wasn't about to start an argument.

She met the 'Cubi's gaze, then sighed with finality and walked between the hall of doors.  "We need to wake everyone up."  And with that, she began to harshly slam her fist on the doors, each twice or three times in sequence to make sure that nobody would be left behind.

[Tapewolf]

"Aisha, they knew Gareeku was dying," said Jakob, starting to lose patience himself.  "Now, you could be entirely right.  It could all be have been done by an accomplished mind-reader.  But I would like to think that visiting this temple would be worth all the lives we sacrificed to reach it!"

He sighed, trying to contain his rising frustration and then went to help her wake the others.

[Gareeku]

"Anger only clouds your mind. Calmness allows for thinking a situation through with more effectiveness." A voice suddenly said from the side. Approaching them from down the hallway was the Phoenix Oracle they had seen earlier that evening, the ever-present calm expression on her face as she walked up to the pantheres and wolf incubus. "An ally approaches with something to aid your search. As for the location on Mr. Manoko...you will find him in the hands of those in pursuit of answers and wealth. They will not stay in the location they are at for long, so when your ally arrives, you must act quickly."

Turning to walk away, the Oracle then paused, looking over her shoulder with her calm expression.
"The wolf warrior will be taken to a town not far from here, nor is it far from his current location. He is currently near to where the land meets the water of the world. You will know where to look." The Oracle stated, before walking off. It was strange indeed; she was not being that vague like Oracles normally were. It was almost as if she felt concerned for them, for Gareeku, and for their goals, though it was quite well hidden behind that calm expression of hers.

[Sunblink]

Keaton joined up with the group the moment Aisha started banging on the doors to alert everyone, having regained her composure and muzzled her anger the best she could. Upon hearing the plan about interrogating the Oracles, she was skeptical--after all, she had attempted the same thing before she was led into the dining hall, and had caused quite an uproar while she was at it.

As though spiting her animosity for the obscurity of the Phoenix Oracle, one of the aforementioned prophets appeared from the side. The fiery avian approached them with a serene, entranced look of practiced calmness on her be-beaked face, speaking in a nearly ethereal voice of utmost tranquility. Surprisingly, she didn't seem to uphold the notorious secretive dialogue of the other Oracles--in fact, she was rather helpful, much to Keaton's obvious shock.

Feeling somewhat guilty, the Succubus tried to look as distant as possible, inclining her head away until the Oracle departed.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Gareeku]

Ignatz may have delivered the news that Gareeku would be dead by sunrise in a tone that had no mockery present, but this didn't make the wolf any less angry.
"No!" he exclaimed, struggling with his cuffs in vain. "You can't do this!"

Time passed, and as it did so, Gareeku's protests had gradually ceased. It had now been just under three hours, and the wolf was now sat silent, staring into the fire which was still burning. His expression, however, was not of someone who had given up hope, but of someone whose resolve refused to be crushed. It was then that the wolf slowly, but surely and quietly, got to his feet, before trying to sneak off as quietly as he could, hoping his captors would not notice until it was too late.

[Aisha deCabre]

The panther soon finished knocking on the doors, perhaps a few of them twice as it was hard to keep track of her progress under pretense of frustration.  She had barely listened to Jakob's point about the Oracles, but she was keeping still to the notion that they would have preferred to stay out of such dangerous business.

She would have kept thinking that, had it not been for the fact that the same Oracle as before appeared before them.  Aisha listened to and watched her calm explanation with her arms crossed.  At first she had been skeptical of the Phoenix's approach with words of high wisdom.  Hrmph, she sounds just like Mistress Rynkura.  Then her expression softened, until she was reduced to a state of slight amazement at the straight-forwardness that the Oracle had shown, at least as much as it could.

"An ally, huh?"  Aisha hummed after a moment, curiosity overcoming her more negative emotions.  Another push in the right direction, given from one of the slightly less reliable of sources.  But whomever it was, the party would have to take the help.

The huntress glanced to Jakob, somewhat apologetically.  "I guess you might've been right about the Oracles.  Now just to find where to go..." she trailed off, pondering the information.  Could it be on the map?

[Tapewolf]

"Apology accepted," grinned Jakob.  "Although to be honest I'm almost suspicious of how straightforward that was." his smile faded as he turned his mind to the task at hand.

"If and when I have a spare day or so, I'm going to have to warp back here and have a good, long chat with these Oracles..." he muttered to himself as he removed the map.

"The words on it keep changing," he explained.  "It said 'You must first journey to a land where many a winged creature dwell. Not a town, nor a village.'  We took that to mean a Phoenix Temple.  Perhaps now we're here, it will change its message again."

He stared intently at the paper.

[Stygian]

The wolf was surprisingly skilled at sneaking, or it was something he had practiced before. By looping the chain between his feet around his ankle and keeping it tense he could sacrifice some mobility for silence and make off without disturbing his captors. A quick glance at the feline over by his tree revealed that he seemed to be sleeping soundly, having shifted off to the side a bit and breathing slowly, somehow able to make do with these rugged surroundings and only a coat for extra support and cushioning.
   When the wolf turned and headed away, Ignatz stayed in place. Although, though it was not easily visible once Gareeku had gotten out of range, his ear twitched a bit and then swiveled slightly in the fleeing man's direction.
   Then, just to be sure, once he was out of normal earshot, Gareeku turned and peered between the trees in the direction of the fire. And stopped. The feline was gone.
   "Bad dog!"
   The voice came from right behind him, and Gareeku turned, only to see Ignatz's face grinning at him, his eyes gleaming specks of irises inside black corneas. Then, as surprisingly as his appearance had been, the big cat landed a strike with the palm of his hand into the middle of Gareeku's torso, too slowly to make more than a bruise but strongly enough to throw him over back and down on the ground.
   "I think you might need a collar..." the black and white feline said seriously, and flipped out something he had placed in his belt. It was indeed a collar, though with a somewhat odd design, with a sort of lock on the front. "You know what these are?" he asked bemusedly.
   Once he got a good look, Gareeku knew what they were allright. He'd seen them in his business, with revulsion at the first demonstration of them that he had witnessed. They were called "Mindleashes", a sort of mental restraining device that forcefully pushed their wearers down into their subconscious and rendered them still and docile. Essentially, they took away most of the intelligence and thought from their wearers, allowing one to issue simple enough commands to them, and were sold once to slavers to make their business easier. The things were banned since long, long ago, but one could still find one or two that had not been destroyed in the right market, though the only ones still existing should have been made museum pieces.
   Ignatz watched Gareeku's realization, and smirked. Then, he went over to the wolf and roughly lifted him up with that same strength of before, and turned him against the fire.
   "I won't hesitate to use it. I already would have, if I didn't find it so repulsive. Now, march!"
   
   The order didn't leave much question. And Gareeku soon found that they would be marching quite some time. After a quick rest and then packing, they were on their way to Pathrim, a coastal city nearby. They started walking by sunrise, and it took them nearly to midday with a steady tempo to get there. Ignatz, having proven his point about escape already, rid Gareeku of the shackles around his legs to let him walk less hidered, but kept a wary eye on the wolf still. It would, quite oddly, be harder for him to keep check on and restrain the man in sunlight.

[Gareeku]

Seeing Ignatz like that was certainly a shock to the system, before Gareeku was knocked over, landing on the ground with a grunt. Looking up at the feline, the wolf looked on in disgust as Ignatz brought out the Mindleash. They knew very well what the Mindleashes were, and was replused at the mere thought of using one on somebody.

Having been dragged onto his feet, the wolf said nothing, though it was clear that he wasn't exactly fond of being someone's bounty. Doing as he was told, Gareeku walked on. Now that Ignatz had revealed he had, amazingly, had a Mindleash in his possession, the wolf was slightly more cautious about trying anything. However, that didn't mean he wouldn't.
"Did you know your 'brother' has a Mindleash?" Gareeku asked the other feline, his eyebrow raised as he spoke. "It makes one wonder where he got one, what with them being banned and all, unless he robbed a museum or something."

Walking on some more, the wolf silently wondered what time it was. It was surprising that, despite the lack of sleep, Gareeku felt quite awake, the wolf putting it down to the fact that the ordeal he was going through must have caused the adrenaline in his body to take effect.
"So what's your story, anyway? Just in it for the cash? I'm also curious as to what you wanted from me anyway. Besides the price on my head that is." Gareeku said rather flatly, before a smirk formed on his face. "It's not like I'll be living long enough to spill the beans, anyway."

[Arcalane]

"This is the best you could do, Art?"
"You asked for military-grade wheeled transportation at short notice. I'm not a mage."
"Alright, alright. Guess it'll have to do."

Arc cast a glance back to the Wolfhound that had been acquired. It was not armed, as he had hoped, but nevertheless it would perform as an ample mode of transportation through the forest and surrounding terrain, and seated plenty of people.

"The tank's full and she's in top condition apart from the mud on the wheels. You know what strings I had to pull to get you this?"
"Far more than you'd like?"
"Quite!"
"Jeez, no need to shout."
"Look, just get going already, you don't have a lot of time."
"What do you mean?"
"Just go already, and trust me for once will you?"
"Fine, I'm going."

He grumbled as he hopped into the vehicle's driver seat and slammed the door, starting it up, the headlights throwing light ahead of the vehicle. Subtle like a Vogon's poetry is lyrical, but then it wasn't exactly the most quiet method of transportation either.

Art shook his head and hurried into one of the buildings as the weather started to worsen, a light rain filling the air, and set back to work. He wondered how long it would take to get what he wanted... but that was a story for another time. There were more important things to worry about. He sighed to himself as he heard the vehicle departing into the night, and thumbed the gate controls to the flood-lit compound to lock out the outside world, wandering over to one of the many computers in the building and checking on it.

~~

The road was long, unpleasant and most of all worsened by the rain. Fortunately, the Wolfhound was built to tackle these situations and even worse ones, for that matter. Arc grumbled to himself as he peered through the windscreen, following the path as best he could, the only sound being that of the engine and the repetitive thumping and squeaking of the windscreen wipers.

((OOC: The Wolfhound is an HMMWV in all but name, and is configured as discussed, capable of carrying several people.))

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel was getting more and more sullen and short-tempered as their walk went on. It was getting warmer and warmer as they traveled, more than she would have believed even on a sunny day, and she was feeling increasingly miserable. When the wolf addressed her she snapped at him. "What of it? It's only been about four hundred years. I'm sure lots of creatures still have one or two stuffed in the back of the closet."

Mel didn't listen to what the wolf might have for a response because something off the side of the road caught her attention. There was a small pool, which was fairly normal except that it was steaming. Steaming as in very hot, as in volcanic activity, as in too hot for her comfort. "Ignatz, what sort of place are we going?"

[Stygian]

"Pathrim," Mel's 'brother' replied, walking steadily on, one hand thumbing the large revolver at his side. "It's a coast town, as I'm sure you could tell from the map. Never been there, but I hear they have really nice hot springs. And restaurants." He trudged a short distance longer, before sighing and resuming his description.
   "It's a big town. Not as big as they come, but I'd guess it's not far off a hundred and fifty thousand people. They live off trade and fishing, and off the tourism and mining they get from the volcano. That's where the name comes from. I think it was from the founder, who named the volcano itself, and then a city grew from the place once they found out they could use it..."
   As they walked, the surroundings began to change noticeably in tems of vegetation and topography, the soil favoring other types of plants and the landscape becoming more uneven and rough. Away, somewhere off, one could spot the clouds rounding, and as they began to see the first outlying buildings, heading down a bit, they caught sight of a huge shape through the trees, its tip just a bit white.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

"Judging by the local terrain, I can stop wishing that it's one of those nice dead volcanoes covered in snow."  Mel trudged along a while longer in sullen silence. Although the temperature wasn't really that high she looked miserable, with a drooped tail and chin sunk halfway to her chest. "Stupid wolf," she grumbled, mostly under her breath. "I could have been in a nice normal city like Zinvith that doesn't have a stupid flaming volcano in the middle." She kicked at the rocks in the road, muttering to herself and gathering odd stares from the increasing traffic, probably as many as the manacled wolf. Then she remembered something that lightened some of her foul mood. "You said mining. Gem or metals? Will we have a few minutes to shop after we turn him in or are you planning to head straight to Garin's Bay?" She now looked torn, as if she didn't know which idea pleased her more.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Ephrael's Room

Startled by thumping on her door, Eph sat upright in her bed. Now hearing the comotion in the hallways she quickly put her clothes and weapons back on. Sitcking her head out she spoted Aisha. "Whats going on?"

[Gareeku]

Hearing the female snap at him, Gareeku growled angrily.
"Well if I didn't know better, I'd say you condoned the use of those disgusting collars!" the wolf snapped back at Mel, though he did not turn to her. If people were going to snap at him, then considering the situation he was now in, Gareeku was perfectly willing to snap right back. "I swear...the sooner you drop me off, the better..."

As they walked on, Gareeku could see the landscape beginning to change as Ignatz talked of the town of Pathrim. It was clear to see that the lush vegetation they were walking through was beginning to become more sparse, gradually being replaced with a more rocky and barren terrain; the sort of terrain the area around a volcano sported. Gareeku knew of Pathrim very well, though he had never actually been there himself. Glancing at Mel, Gareeku raised an eyebrow for a second at her miserable expression.
I guess she isn't one for volcanic environments... the wolf thought to himself.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha stared with more curiosity than intensity at the map Jakob held.  "The words change...?" she had started to say, but trailed off when she noticed that they appeared to have little hope of changing at that moment.  The party seemed to have been at their destination, and yet...perhaps it was because not everyone in their group was there.

Hearing Ephrael's voice, Aisha quirked an ear in her direction, followed by a glance, the same that held calm frustration.  "Gareeku's been kidnapped, that's what.  We need the others up too."

Where land meets water... she thought, glancing back to the map.  Aisha glimpsed the whole of the landscape on the parchment until it fell on a little point to the sea.  "There's a coastal city," she said, almost as if it were a statement of ephiphany.  There was slow relief, but not much.  The Oracle's information was coming into light.

Her head snapped up.  "That just leaves our 'ally', whoever that is."

[Stygian]

When pathrim came into view, it was easy to see just how large and established a city it was. Stone and clay and armored buildings terraced and crowded around a large bay where sea vessels of all kinds floated lazily, just a few moving in or out of it. Most of the buildings were no more than three or perhaps five stories tall, but in places one could spot taller mansions and estates, large houses privately owned by nobles or firms, or leased out to foreign delegations. And elsewhere were much taller buildings, like some cylindrical cisterns, like huge, egg-white stone paperweights on the outskirts of the town, or the towering church at the heart of it. One hundred and fifty thousand might have been a stable population, but the place looked like it could hold many times that number in times of activity. Everywhere was white and cream-colored stone or paint. The aqueducts coming in from the north and the large clusters of windmill-like buildings on the greening slopes down against the city only added to the impression of some modern mediterranean city.
   And then there was Pathrim itself, the volcano, a giant standing on an offshoot of land that perfected the semicircle of the bay, right to the northwest of the town. Its tip, hidden just slightly between thin clouds, smoked lightly in the midday sun. On its slopes, if one looked closely, one could see a few buildings too, and rougher, bigger and more purposefully built structures went out from the north of the town against it, thinning a bit as they went.
   It was just the sort of town that seemed to prosper, and where one imagined one could get hold of anything.

   The two felines and the wolf walked along, now entering a well-paved path leading to one of the city's nearer gates. They passed the windmills standing around and a few houses and taverns, heading for the heart of the town.
   "I would imagine you can find most things here," Ignatz responded to Mel. He nodded toward the buildings closing in on the volcano that shot from the sea. "And at least I will be staying for a while. Have to find a good way to spend some of my earnings. I hear they have pretty good bathhouses..." he said, and chuckled, stepping along the near-white road.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Grabing her pack Ephrael rushed out the door and up to Aisha.  Looking at the city they pointed out Eph cried out.   "Pathrim? I live there!"

[Gareeku]

"You come from Pathrim? Well that makes our search easier." a voice said from behind Ephrael. Standing there was Blaze, having come out of his room after Aisha had banged on his door. Behind him, Gabi was walking up to the group, both of them having heard that Gareeku had been kidnapped, though to them the culprits were currently unknown.
__________________________

As they entered the town, Gareeku looked around, observing the architecture of the buildings they passed. Listening to Ignatz's talk of how he would spend the money he got from the bounty, the wolf grimaced, though he did not look at the feline.

Even with his great desire to escape, Gareeku knew his situation was bad. He no longer had his sword, which was back in his room in the phoenix temple. He could use his magic and other abilities, but then there was always the issue of the Mindleash, and the wolf knew with great disgust that Ignatz would hold true to his word and not hesitate to use it. Not only that, but he had a feeling none of his allies and friends knew where he was, though deep down he hoped he was wrong, and along with now being in a city he had never visited before and therefore knew no one in it, the situation certainly looked grim.

Staying silent, Gareeku continued to walk, continually observing the surroundings, the streets, the alleyways, everything, hoping that a miracle in the form of an opportunity to escape would arise. The wolf knew, however, that the chances that miracle would come along were slim at best.

[Stygian]

Walking to the heart of the town took its time, as distances are always greater than they seem, especially when dealing with uneven terrain. But soon enough they arrived in front of a large mansion, seemingly some leased out merchant's building, white columns holding up the roof over an old but neatly planned and maintained front entrance.
   Ignatz ascended the low stairs leading up to the entrance. The two guards on duty, one canine and one raccoon, standing ready in matching reddish outfits at the top of the steps eyed him critically, with the common look of disapproval that such guards all seem to be able to make, the same way they eyed Gareeku and his restrained hands. One might have wondered what they thought they could do against either of them. Guards were commonly those too serious and unimaginative or just not good enough to become adventurers. Adventurers and bounty hunters were in a bit of a class of their own. That is to say, those who managed to get by in their business.
   "I've come to collect my bounty. Inform your master," Ignatz muttered to them, with a disapproval of their scrutiny that matched their stares.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha blinked with surprise upon hearing Ephrael's declaration.  "Pathrim, huh?"  Her gaze returned to the map, settling on the little dot at the border of land and water that represented the city there.  A smile spread on her face, the first time it had done so that night.  "Wondrous.  It looks like a trip, but not a horribly long one."  The panthress sighed, wondering just how they were going to get there quickly, and figured that as long as they got there, they would have their advantage.

When she heard Blaze's voice, as well as Gabi's footsteps, Aisha turned to them with a greeting.  That was the party mostly accounted for, but she waited until everyone awoke before saying that perhaps it was time for them to gather their supplies.  She only paused to retrieve Gareeku's sword from where the wolf had left it.

Coming back though, Aisha's ears perked.  There was a noise, faint, but approaching the temple fast with a very machine-like roar to it.  "...The heck?" she muttered and motioned for the others to move, starting a navigation through the temple to the front doors.

[Gareeku]

Hearing the rumbling sounds as well, Gabi's ears perked.
"What is that noise?" the vixen asked curiously, before she and Blaze followed Aisha through the temple, making their way with the pantheress to the main entrance.
_________________________________________

Continuing to observe the streets as he was escorted through them, Gareeku looked up at the mansion as they ascended the stairs when they arrived with a raised eyebrow.
"Well now...someone isn't too bad off..." the wolf commented in a mutter, before turning to the rather grumpy-looking guards as Ignatz spoke to them.

For a second, the guards stayed silent when the feline before them spoke, their disapproving look still on their faces as they eyed the feline in front of them. It seems they weren't too fond of being ordered by a bounty hunter, though if they were going to be honest with themselves, it was probably out of a slight jealousy of the more flexible lifestyles that bounty hunters and adventurers enjoyed.
"...fine." the canine guard finally said in a gruff voice that sounded as equally as grumpy and disapproving as his facial expression, before turning to inform his master. "...wait here."

A few minutes passed, before the canine finally returned to where Gareeku and his captors were, as well as the raccoon guard, who had been staring at the three of them with the same disapproving expression while his comrade had been absent. This in turn had cause Gareeku to gruffly ask what he was looking at, only to be refused an answer as the raccoon stayed silent.
"The master will see you now." the canine guard said to the two felines as well as Gareeku, his voice still the same grumpy one from before. Turning around again, the canine walked back into the mansion. "Follow me."

[Stygian]

Without much but a grumpy sigh, Ignatz grabbed Gareeku by the arm and forced him along, eliciting a mean look from the captured canine. But there was little to do but go along and hope for the best. Not that the best looked very good at all at the moment.
   The rooms and hallways of the mansion were as well-structured and crafted as its fasade, with columnades and tapestries, ironwork and glass that matched and complimented its layout well. Most of the pictures hanging on the walls, by their motives of the sea or of mining, or picturesque images of squares and trading parties and docked ships, had to have come along with the mansion itself, being normal to these sorts of cities and in a familiar style. But whoever it was that hired the place at the time had also hung up their own pictures, most of them darker and in heavier frames as was customary to the north. And whoever they were, they also seemed to have a sense of style that favored ironwork and shades of red and black, the same colors that the guards wore. There were a good few more of those inside, as well as a few people who could not have been servants but still wore suits, carrying around books or walking along speaking silently to each other. If it were a company that hired the place, both Ignatz and Gareeku would probably have been surprised.
   Finally, after having walked up a broad, rounded stairway in the main receiving hall, Ignatz, Mel and Gareeku arrived before a pair of large, solid doors of dark wood, its handles heavy brass rings. The guard didn't knock, but simply tapped the right door and then swung it open.
   "Enter," he gruffed, and Ignatz did without hesitation, pulling Gareeku along and trailing Mel who seemed, as always, more careful and concerned about things.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel took a step to the side, into a shady spot on the portico to gain a little relief from the heat. Despite her heat induced misery she was amused at the guards and the looks they were given the shirtless, shoeless wolf. Evidently they didn't like the idea of letting the disheveled creature into their mansion. Eventually the message returned that they were to be admitted and she was relieved to reach the relative coolness of the inside. The house was tastefully decorated, although a little darker than her taste.  The renter had money and knew how to spend it effectively.

[Arcalane]

The black-painted, unmarked Wolfhound pulled up outside of the Temple gates, it's thick all-terrain wheels crunching on the gravel as it slowed and stopped with a slight squeak. Fortunately, the rain had stopped since departure from the compound, which made things a lot nicer, even if it was dark and late. Arc hopped out, taking the keys with him and slamming the door, locking it. Looking up at the temple, he pondered driving the vehicle up the steps, but then realised that probably wouldn't be the best of ideas, even the Wolfhound could handle it without breaking a sweat.

As he leant back against the vehicle and chewed idly on what passed for 'rations', looking at the entrance to the Temple itself, he pondered what had happened that night in the Temple.