An eye for an eye

[+Sorana]

The house wasn't large for a well-situated merchants home, but it wasn't small either. It was mediumsized and like the other houses around it was relatively new. Locaded in a part of the Alleycity, that was only partially destroyed, it still had to be rebuildt almost from scratch. Around the house was a small strip of green, mostly gras and some bushes to keep the workload low.

Same as the house the inhabitants were said to be normal people. The woman was known for her generosity - had she not taken an orphan in during the hard years after the war? And ever since she married again, the street had another nice and quiet couple, that looked after their work. The girl they forstered was a quiet one, but well-educated and gossip was sure she would make another merchants son a fine wife someday. Rumor had it, that there were already  negotiations going on.

It was a warm, welcome looking house, with a nice, generous family living inside - or so everybody thought.

But today the house seemed darker and everybody made a wide berth when they passed it on the street. It felt like a dark energy was all around it, and unconciously the neighbours kept away. A raven sat on the rooftop, screaming a hoarse cry into the air, almost like it was calling doom itself. If you looked closely the raven was dripping blood the tiles and flashes of light could be seen behind the windows. But like any good neighbours, they turned their heads. The Vulkens were nice people, what happened inside their walls, was their private affair.

Quote

So this is the topic for the side plot @Grey Knight and I planed. It's based on the background of my character and it only exists because Grey read the background and wrote something like he would love to solve the problem once and for all.

But everybody is welcome, if you interacted with my character or not. You can always follow the chaos guys to the house and join the fight.

A short warning: this is no world shaking long story, more a "go in and fight the bad guys and get out again".

If anybody wants to participate in the fight, but his/her character(s) is/are bound elsewhere, you could always take over an NPC/ Demon. Or someone from the staff if you want to fight againt the bad guys. Just an offer

For better orientation, see the attached maps. I didn't make them, but copied from a pen and paper book and translated them, so I can't take the credits for that

=====================

Suddenly the darkness went away and Damaya instinktively took a deep breath. She was in a building. Somewhere. Araha was gone. Panic overtook her senses for a moment, until she forced herself to breathe deeply. In front of her stood a man, in armor. He reminded of those that had attacked them at the Waystop and she instinktively stumbled backwards, until her back hit a wall.

"Who are you?"

She asked, her voice small and frightened. She almost expected him to raise a hand and struck her and shoved the memory away. Mr Amber was right. She needed to get over them, not everybody wanted to hit her. Although this guy probably would.

"What do you want from me?"

@Grey Knight

Edited September 24, 2018 by Sorana

[Cyanic]

Araha strolled around the neighborhood, a few houses from the Vulken house, it was daytime currently, and so she had to use the cover of being inconspicuous to blend in. Ran formed into a grain of sand, too small to be seen and flitted too quickly for the eye to see. She flew to the house, making a few passes, changing heights and speed to not be seen. There were a flock of windspren dancing about, so Ran joined them, forming herself into one of them, but she wasn't playing, she continued to observe the house.

As the windspren passed the house, she took the long way round, making herself as small as she could and whispering the information into Araha's ear. Araha nodded in response, then Ran looked around for an empty alleyway.

She found one and Araha ducked into it, testing the color-changing ring, she put her hand over the textured ground and made a few sweeps, making sure her hand's coloring was the same of the ground. It wasn't perfect, but it'll have to do. She folded up her cloak and put it somewhere. It could be stolen for all she cared.

Then she went into her 'chameleon-form' as she dubbed it, periodically changing her appearance's color as she walked, not just skin, but eyes and hair, and clothing. It seemed to only change the abstract nature of color itself and didn't bend light, which was a good thing since Araha could be completely camouflaged and her eyes would still work. The 3.5 minute limit was still in place, but that didn't mean she couldn't change the color of something before the limit ran out.

She maneuvered her way to the house, until she was by it. There was an unsettling aura about the house, which just told her there was something wrong with it. She made sure to keep to the shade of the house, as the sun currently dictated. It was easier to change colors when the color was less vibrant. Ran flitted past in as small a form as she could manage as fast as she could to not be seen, she came back to Araha and whispered information, how many people were there, what they were doing, the general layout, and Araha entered the house from the porch's window.

***

Deras waited a bit farther, on a shorter rooftop where he wouldn't be seen since it would be strange to see an armored man standing on top of a house. His HUD still tracking Araha as she snaked her way through and into the house. He periodically glanced at the spanreed, as Araha had called it, on his wrist, sticking to the plan. Both advanced reeds were also by him, ready to send at a moment's notice.

Edited September 25, 2018 by Cyanic

[Grey Knight]

17 hours ago, Sorana said:

Suddenly the darkness went away and Damaya instinktively took a deep breath. She was in a building. Somewhere. Araha was gone. Panic overtook her senses for a moment, until she forced herself to breathe deeply. In front of her stood a man, in armor. He reminded of those that had attacked them at the Waystop and she instinktively stumbled backwards, until her back hit a wall.

"Who are you?"

She asked, her voice small and frightened. She almost expected him to raise a hand and struck her and shoved the memory away. Mr Amber was right. She needed to get over them, not everybody wanted to hit her. Although this guy probably would.

"What do you want from me?"

"Well," the Chaos marine said, reaching out towards Damaya, "That depends on what you do ne-"

A blazing blade erupted through the Chaos marine's chest, killing him before he could even scream. The blade drew back, leaving burning wound behind, and the Chaos marine dropped silently to the ground. Behind him stood a giant in resplendent, almost glowing, grey armor. The room was filled with the bodies of Chaos space marines, all covered in the same burn marks.

The space marine lowered its blazing sword, staring down at Damaya. Then, without warning, it dropped its sword. Its knees buckled, and it dropped to the ground face first with a quiet thud.

Thick, black blood began dripping from the space marine's motionless side.

@Sorana

 

[+Sorana]

Damaya stared at the scene in disbelieve. One bad guy killed many bad guys?

"Look for a way out."

She asked Coru, voice shaking. Then she pulled a sphere out of her pocket and looked around. Lots of blood, lots of dead soldiers. Hastily she turned around, stumpled a few steps away and vomited on the floor. It took her more than a few breaths to collect herself, still shaking she forced herself to walk over to the giant man. More falling down than kneeling she hit the ground next to him.

"All right Damaya. There are two possibilities. He saved you, or he wants to kill you on his own."

Hearing her voice didn't help, it shook and sounded like the frightened woman she was. So she shut up again, her thoughts whirling in her head. Could she risk to help him, could she risk not to help him? And maybe even more important, could she help him?

With a curse she opened her bag and pulled out her towel. It took both her hands to turn his head to the side, it looked almost as uncomfortable as before, but it was surely better than lying face down on the floor. Finding a way to open his armor a bit so that she could press the towel on his wound took her longer, but in the end she found a clasp. She took the towel, admired his beautifull yellow colour for a last time and pressed it on the bleeding wound.

@Grey Knight

 

======

Coru left the room through a little bit of space under the door and looked around. The pattern were familiar and he hummed in recognition. This was the house they had spent their last years in. Maybe one of the humans his Damaya liked were still around. Maybe they could help. He kept to the shadows and moved silently, when he heard a sound from a window. Moving closer he recognized his humans friend. Setting down on the wall above her he whispered.

"Araha?"

@Cyanic

Edited September 25, 2018 by Sorana

[Cyanic]

"Corundum?" Araha whispered, looking around then spotting the Cryptic on the wall. "Where's Damaya? Lead me to her, quick." She was still camouflaged, she was likely only detected because he was a spren. She followed the spren wherever it would lead her, but Ran still kept point, scouting just in case.

She unlatched the reed from her glove as she followed the Cryptic, writing down 'CL, WC' before reattaching it onto the latch in the middle finger.

***

The message transmitted to Deras' bracer-reed, they'd packed a translator for their codes, but he remembered most of them. This one in particular was: 'Corundum Located, Watch Careful'

So Deras did as planned, taking the other advanced reeds and preparing in case the signal came.

@Sorana

Edited September 25, 2018 by Cyanic

[+Sorana]

Coru whirled around, staying on his spot while he thought. His human had given him an easy task, and he hadn't yet acomplished it. She had trusted him to do that. It would be bad if he didn't.

"I can't. Not now. But do you know a safe way out? I have to find one. Then I could show you the way. She trusts me to do this."

@Cyanic

 

[Silva]

Pry looked up at the building and checked her palm again to make sure she’d come to the right place. Wondering if maybe she’d written it down on her hand wrong, she rubbed away the writing. It seemed to be a home, but unlike most of Alleycity’s houses, it was quite large. It reminded Pry of her home on Scadrial, just with much fewer additions containing bedrooms for all her eight younger siblings.

Light’s probably loving having her own space with me gone. Pry thought chuckling, imagining her sixteen year old sister pushing all her stuff into a corner. Storms! I’ve gotta stop by sometime to keep her on her feet.

Pry brushed back her hair and walked into the yard. She looked around for a doorbell as she absent mindedly unpinned a threaded needle from her jacket, but found none.

She looked to the left where there was a large sliding door and then back forward to the normal door, considering where to go while she began sewing on yet another pocket to her shirt. There was no such thing as too many pockets.

[Cyanic]

@Sorana

"The way I came, porch window," Araha pointed behind, changing the color and pattern on her arm to that of the wall as it moved, "you'd know this place better than I do," she said, still with a lowered voice, "but we can make our own exit if needed," she implied. No mention of the plan from within the house, she didn't know who could or would be listening and she wanted to keep to the safe side just in case.

"Now can you help me find Damaya, please?" The fact that Corundum was here and not tending to Damaya meant that she was at least well enough to tell Corundum to look for an escape route, but even so, she wanted to see her friend badly, at least to know the state she'd been since the kidnapping.

Edited September 27, 2018 by Cyanic

[Gancho Libre]

Quote

when does this take place?

 

[Cyanic]

Just now, Gancho Libre said:

 

Quote

takes place at the current time in Alleyverse

[Grey Knight]

On 9/25/2018 at 9:55 AM, Sorana said:

With a curse she opened her bag and pulled out her towel. It took both her hands to turn his head to the side, it looked almost as uncomfortable as before, but it was surely better than lying face down on the floor. Finding a way to open his armor a bit so that she could press the towel on his wound took her longer, but in the end she found a clasp. She took the towel, admired his beautifull yellow colour for a last time and pressed it on the bleeding wound.

The space marine's head shot up, and a hand the size of a dinner plate grabbed Damaya's arm, just before the towel pressed against the wound.

"Ah' wud not doo that, if ah weer you," the space marine said, in a surprisingly feminine voice. "Tae blood's toxic, ya see. Bite through yer hand ina matter of seconds."

@Sorana

Edited September 27, 2018 by Grey Knight

[+Sorana]

26 minutes ago, Grey Knight said:

The space marine's head shot up, and a hand the size of a dinner plate grabbed Damaya's arm, just before the towel pressed against the wound.

"Ah' wud not doo that, if ah weer you," the space marine said, in a surprisingly feminine voice. "Tae blood's toxic, ya see. Bite through yer hand ina matter of seconds."

@Sorana

Damaya let the towel fall and scrambeled to her feet. Toxic. That was the point she was out. Definitly out. She pulled at her arm, tried to pry it loose.

"Who are you? What is going on?"

 

===========

Coru thought about Araha's words for a minute.

"Of course I know my way around."

He stated.

"But only because I know where I am, doesn't mean I know where it is safe for her to go."

Thinking for a minute he then left the room and hurried through the groundfloor, perking out of the main door. A woman sat there sewing. He recognized her, but decided to go back to Araha.

"There is a woman sitting in front of the main entrance. She was at the Waystop. Do we need her?"

He informed Araha.

"And if you follow me, I'll lead you to my - to Damaya."

@Cyanic

 

[Cyanic]

@Sorana

Leaving the address at the Waystop may not have been the best idea since that would be other people, unknown variables that may or may not disturb the plan, and they may get themselves into trouble if they don't know how to fight. That wasn't relevant right now, all Araha needed to think about was Damaya. "Nevermind the woman from the Waystop for now. Lead, I'll follow."

Araha followed Corundum to another room.

When they arrived by the room. Araha didn't even let Ran take point as she opened the door.

Right there was her friend. Damaya. She was fine and completely well.

Relief threatened to buckle Araha's knees, but she kept resolute. Celebration was for later. "Damaya..." she whispered out, before remembering the plan. She wrote on the small spanreed on her glove's palm: 'DatL sb NE'.

There was nothing she wanted more than to rush up and hug her friend, to tell her how relieved she was, but that was for later. Right now she had to assess the situation.

There were corpses all over, burned and destroyed, and Damaya was standing over another corpse... no, this one was alive, and its armor looked different from the rest, this one looked like a Chaos Marine but didn't feel like them. The figure on the ground was bleeding though, and her urge to help grew, but first she had to understand the situation.

Araha jogged over to where the downed Marine and Damaya were at and whispered: "What's the situation?" She asked Damaya.

***

Quote

gonna control one of the staff to greet Pry

@Silva

The sliding door by the young woman opened up, revealing a male servant, looking about in his early 20's. He'd seen the young woman from the inside just standing there, and the master didn't like when people loitered about. "Good morning, miss, do you have business here?"

Edited September 27, 2018 by Cyanic

[Silva]

Quote

Because that’s not gonna freak her out at all.

@Cyanic

Pry looked the servant up and down, considering how to respond. 

“I was told there was some revenging happening here?” She said bluntly, intent on confusing him. “Some attack on evil adoptive parents? I may have gotten the address wrong...”

[+Sorana]

Quote

@Cyanic  Acutally we were in the Kontor room directly next to the porch

Damaya looked up when Araha entered the room. Relief flooded over her and she sagged down a bit. With Araha here, the situation immediatly seemed brighter.

"Ara."

She whispered and then realized that she hadn't answered the question:

"I'm not sure. I think she could have saved my life. Just stay away from the blood and watch her movements. I hope she knows what's going on."

Her voice broke:

"Or why everybody is so intent to kill me. Or abduct me. Or whatever."

She drew herself more upright, intent to appear strong. Araha was here, but she wouldn't be the afraid damsel waiting for a knight in bright armor to appear. Nobody was fighting right now. And she had learned how to lead a conversation. This was nothing but a conversation. In a room full of dead people. Pushing away the thought she concentrated on the seemingly harmless part. A conversation. She could do this. Find out why and what. Her eyes returned to the person in front of her, waiting for an answer.

@Grey Knight

@Cyanic

Edited September 27, 2018 by Sorana

[Cyanic]

Quote

ah wups, I'll edit that soon

@Sorana @Grey Knight

Araha nodded slowly trying to understand the situation, "I've brought an immunizer," she said, looking from Damaya to the woman on the ground. That was what Mr. Amber called it. "Been told that it helps with diseases," she said as she put her pack down and rummaged through it to find the device. She paused, standing back up and giving Damaya a quick hug, before kneeling again. She found the device: A machine as big as an arm with different wirings and nodes. She wasn't sure if or how the immunizer worked, she wasn't even sure if the immunizer would help with this, but it would clean the wound at least and prevent it from getting worse.

She turned to the downed Marine who was apparently a woman, "you'll need this," she said as she knelt on the ground beside the woman, careful to avoid the blood and finding an opening where the machine could properly make contact with flesh, then she switched it on.

Epic technology and Investiture was sometimes more superior than Cosmere Investiture, since even with Progression, the person being healed had to see themselves as being healed at least subconsciously. Epic Investiture was not intent-based and should heal or work no matter if the person believed they would or not.

"Ran, check entrances, warn us if there's anyone." Araha said as she tended to the hulking woman. Without a word, Ran nodded and turned as small as she could, flitting outside the door, and then the other, and then back again, in a patrol to check if people happened to arrive.

***

Deras still looked on at Araha's outlined silhouette in green, she seemed to be tending to someone, likely Damaya. The earlier code meant that she was alive and at Araha's location. 'DatL sb NE' stood for Damaya at Location standby, No Enemies.

The radio in Deras' pack came to life, "Deras?" Araha's voice came through, a bit distorted. Deras verified that she was indeed talking into the radio. He picked up his own and communicated.

"Here," he replied.

"Good. There is someone else injured here, she looks like one of the Marines, but not of Chaos," she paused, "keep to the plan for now, just standby for the signal or other info," Araha's voice came again.

"Understood," he said.

***

@Silva

The servant begun looking slightly tense, then looked inside, then back outside to the girl. "I don't know what you mean," the servant got out of the door, approaching the girl and tried to usher her away. "Please leave," he said.

Once he was close enough, he whispered something: "go around, porch window, enter there. Don't be seen." He was fairly new but he'd heard the stories from the other servants. Maybe this girl could help find clues that he and the others were too scared to find.

Edited September 27, 2018 by Cyanic

[Silva]

Interesting. Interesting. Pry thought. Based on the way he appeared uncomfortable in his uniform, she could tell he was new. So why would he tell her a better way in? Very curious.

”Well isn’t that just nice,” Pry retorted for appearances sakes and stormed from the yard.

Once out she took a deep breath.

Go around, porch window, enter there. Don’t be seen. That’s not a lot to go on. Whatever. Edging against the wall, Pry made her way around the house praying no one would come down the street. The windowsills would keep her hidden from above, but every other direction would be noticeable.

Eventually she reached a point where brick turned to wood. A sure sign of a porch as any. She took a step back to figure out where her entrance was.

Three storming windows! Which one? Pry wondered as she tested all of them to see if any were open. All were locked but one.

Hefting herself up through that window, she entered the building.

 

Edited September 27, 2018 by Silva

[Cyanic]

Just now, Silva said:

Three storming windows! Which one? Pry wondered as she tested all of them to see if any were open. All were locked. 

 

“What a waste of a quilting pin,” she muttered, unpinning one and jamming it under the latch. The window popped open.

Quote

Araha entered through one of the porch's windows earlier, so it would be unlocked already

 

[Silva]

Just now, Cyanic said:

 

Quote

Didn’t see that. I’ll fix that now.

 

[Cyanic]

Quote

aight

@Silva

Ran on her pass saw someone entering the window, she didn't get the chance to see details as she darted back to the room. "Someone entered the house through the window we came through."

"Someone from the Waystop?" Araha asked.

"Didn't see details, had to get back here quickly." Ran replied and Araha nodded. She stood up and put herself by a wall. Her coloring was still the wooden textures of the walls earlier, and she realized that the hug earlier must've been awkward for Damaya due to her color, but that didn't really matter.

Araha slowly opened the door, peeking out to see who it could be.

It was the girl from the Waystop, she was familiar, but Araha didn't really know her.

Araha peeked the other way, nothing. "Ran, cover the other entrances." Ran did as told and flew off.

Araha opened the door wider and gestured for the younger woman to come into the room. She would have left the room to talk with her, but she did not dare leave Damaya again.

Quote

Poor Pry, being beckoned by a lady that looks like she's made of wood, then she's likely to step into a room full of corpses. (though to be honest, I forget which characters were the squeamish kind, I think that was just Laurelai)

 

Edited September 27, 2018 by Cyanic

[Silva]

Pry looked at the wood-ish looking woman twice and the through the doorway quickly before walking in. It was full of dead bodies, but she wasn’t really interested in them. It was the Marine on the ground being cared for by the woman whose room she’d borrowed that peeked her curiosity.

Looks like they were perfectly fine on their own. She thought glancing at the bodies again and stepping farther in. Questions bubbled, though she didn’t quite feel right asking.

After all, these people were practically strangers to her.

[Grey Knight]

3 hours ago, Cyanic said:

Araha nodded slowly trying to understand the situation, "I've brought an immunizer," she said, looking from Damaya to the woman on the ground. That was what Mr. Amber called it. "Been told that it helps with diseases," she said as she put her pack down and rummaged through it to find the device. She paused, standing back up and giving Damaya a quick hug, before kneeling again. She found the device: A machine as big as an arm with different wirings and nodes. She wasn't sure if or how the immunizer worked, she wasn't even sure if the immunizer would help with this, but it would clean the wound at least and prevent it from getting worse.

She turned to the downed Marine who was apparently a woman, "you'll need this," she said as she knelt on the ground beside the woman, careful to avoid the blood and finding an opening where the machine could properly make contact with flesh, then she switched it on.

Epic technology and Investiture was sometimes more superior than Cosmere Investiture, since even with Progression, the person being healed had to see themselves as being healed at least subconsciously. Epic Investiture was not intent-based and should heal or work no matter if the person believed they would or not.

"Ran, check entrances, warn us if there's anyone." Araha said as she tended to the hulking woman. Without a word, Ran nodded and turned as small as she could, flitting outside the door, and then the other, and then back again, in a patrol to check if people happened to arrive.

Black blood still dripped from the gaping wound in the space marine's side, if more slowly. The immunizer didn't seem to be working.

"Ach, crivens," the space marine muttered. "If that's what I think it is, it wud'a been awfy helpful."

She sighed, gingerly rising from the floor. "I'm juust tae magic foor this world, lassie. Yer 'Investiture' slides right off me. I cannae be healed, which is a right pain in tae butt sometimes, let mae tell yu."

She glanced at Damaya. "How yu holding up, lassie? See any daemons? Unearthly Horrors tryin' to rip yer soul oot?"

@Sorana @Cyanic @Silva

 

[Cyanic]

The woman's accent was thick, but Araha parsed a bit of it. She probably could be healed, just not with an immunizer, though that did seem to at least help even if a bit. If only Araha had one of those 'harmsway' Mr. Amber mentioned but didn't have.

At her next question, though it was addressed to Damaya, Araha still answered. Information was good, and this woman seemed trustworthy.

Araha described what happened at the Waystop right before the abduction. She described the column of light and the three creatures that came out from it, if those were what daemons were. "Then," she continued, glancing at Damaya, before turning back to the woman, "my friend was... taken," she still felt bad about that, that she wasn't able to even prevent that. She was able to feel a bit more now since the ice in her mind's depths had melted when she saw Damaya alright, "I didn't see how it happened, she just disappeared, but my comrade did," she said referring to Deras.

Araha realized that and stood up beside Damaya, putting a hand so that their skin made contact, the effect should be two fold: Comforting Damaya. and just in case anything like that ever happened again, Araha would be brought along.

Araha's eyes widened as she remembered that she just saw Damaya soulcast earlier, that might help with the blood! "Damaya," she looked at her friend, "can you soulcast the poisoned blood into something else? Blood is apparently easy to turn for soulcasters," she said, remembering some facts.

@Sorana @Grey Knight

Edited September 28, 2018 by Cyanic

[+Sorana]

While Araha explained everything, Damaya looked over at Pry.
"Thank you."
she said quietly.
"For coming, for not turning away, when you saw this."
she waved her hand around the room.
"I don't know you, and yet you're here. So, thank you."
@Silva

Then, when Araha fell silent, she answered her first:
"I won't try soulcasting on a living persons blood. That will most surely kill her, and if it's only from my lack of knowledge."

@Cyanic

She stepped up to woman, observing her for a moment. She had to look up and most of what she saw was the armor, and yet she took these few seconds and really looked at her.
"I am not standing screaming in a corner, so I guess that counts as holding up fine."
she smiled, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. When she was honest with herself, she was something between terrified and exhausted and now, that she had been standing around for a few minutes, the exhaustion started to stretch out its fingers. She felt like she was about to shatter, either from fear, or from something else. The room seemed familiar, but she continued to shove this recognition away, far away from her mind. If it was right, if she was back. The thought was terrifying, even more than the dead armored men on the floor, or the demon earlier. Because she knew what it would do to her, what seeing his face would mean to her. And so she concentrated on everything else, not acknowledging with her heart, what her mind told her. Careful to leave all this aside, to ignore it, she continued.

"And thankfully there are no demons in this room at the moment. Although I fear that will change soon. They attacked the Waystop thrice. I don't think they would let me go this easily."
Gingerly she stretched out her hand as if to touch a portion of the woman's armor, but didn't do it. If the blood was toxic, the armor would propably grill her like a steak. It's a conversation, she reminded herself. Maybe she had approached this from a completely wrong angle. Still looking at the woman, she let another part of her training take over.
"My name is Damaya Vulken,"
she stated, using her official lastname, although it still felt wrong to her. She never had belonged to the man's family. On paper yes, but never in spirit.
"and if I read this situation right, you saved my life earlier. I want to express my thanks for that. If can be of any kind of assistance regarding your current situation, then please let me know and I will try to help you as far as I am able to do so with good concience."
For a moment she thought about dropping a slight curtsy, but decided against it. They were still standing in a room full of corpses. Maybe that was a bit too formal for the occasion.
"And if you know what's going on then I would be delightened if you decided to share your knowledge with us."

@Grey Knight

Edited September 28, 2018 by Sorana

[Cyanic]

Quote

wow, I did not see Silva's post earlier, sorry Silva D:

"Alright," Araha replied to Damaya. If only they had a Progression surgebinder.

She turned to the girl from the Waystop, she still didn't know her capabilities, so she thought to ask, "what are your abilities? Can you heal? Don't touch the blood though," she warned as an aside, her colors fading back to normal. There wasn't any reason to keep chameleon-form for the moment since everyone else was visible, and she couldn't very well change everyone's colors.

@Silva

-

She kept contact with Damaya as she reached for her radio. She activated it. "Deras."

"Yes," came his deep voice, filtered through the armor and the static it was hard to hear.

"Can you get to where I am without getting spotted?"

"Unsure. Can try," he replied. "Not most stealthy person," he added.

Araha mulled that over for a bit, right now, he was more needed inside than outside, but she also didn't want to alert anyone to their presence if there was anyone. Storm it. She swore in her mind. "Change of plans, Deras. Gather everything into the bag and come here, cover up the advanced reeds so they don't accidentally send. We'll need you to do some cognitive shielding."

"Understood."

"Take the porch's window, Ran can lead you."

"Not need, remember path you took," he replied.

"Alright." With that, Araha ended communications.

***

Deras did as Araha said, gathering the things into the bag, he put the bag on and jumped down. The weight of him and his armor, cracking the pavement below. It wasn't that extensive of damage, so hopefully it was fine.

He began walking briskly toward the back of the house. The passersby were giving him scared looks before returning to their own business. If he wasn't stealthy, he could at least be intimidating, this large man in armor with not a hint of a face and this pace was intimidating enough, as it made him look like he was moving with purpose. Jogging would be less intimidating, but running full speed would be more so, that was strange, and it was strange that he remembered that, but he didn't question it.

He arrived by the house a minute later. The window was open, so that was likely where Araha entered through, he also saw her green-highlighted silhouette not a ways farther. He walked to the window and held the edge, testing its durability.

He was likely going to damage it if he hefted himself on it.

*CRACK*

He definitely damaged it.

He didn't want to damage the house since that was a part of the previous plan, but he still needed to get inside. He sighed, only to realize his lungs had no air for the moment. Well, the concept of a sigh was enough. He put both hands on the wall to the window and slowly and quietly tore the wall below the window to give him a way in. Once the hole was big enough, he walked inside, miraculously not getting spotted.

His heavy footfalls not alerting anyone for some reason. He went inside the room.

***

Araha heard a crack then some foot steps from outside, she took a combat stance, ready for what was to come, only to see that it was just Deras.

"Armor not for stealth," he commented, which elicited a smile from Araha. She wasn't sure when he was joking or if he was sincere, but the statement and delivery made it too humorous.

"Right, anyway, shields?" Araha said.

Deras nodded and activated the Aonic shields. "No, not that, cognitive shields. Put them on Damaya."

"Ah." Deras deactivated the Aons and put a hand on his helmet, which retracted into its faceplate allowing him to take it off. They didn't test if he could shield or detect minds from inside the armor because of all the aluminum, but that didn't matter for now.

After a brief pause, Deras nodded, "done. Cannot detect her."

"Good, put a shield on everyone if you can. Including yourself."

After another pause: "Can only shield two people apparent."

"Hmm, alright. Shield her and Damaya," Araha gestured to the girl from the Waystop, "no one should be able to detect you from the cognitive realm from all that aluminum."

Deras nodded. "Done," he said then wore his helm again, the piece of armor locking into place on his head.

***

In another room nearby, the young servant was sweeping the floor when he heard the noise from the back. That must be the young woman, her footsteps were awfully heavy and loud. He pretended to not hear it.

Edited September 28, 2018 by Cyanic