The Ward's Guard

Bandar returned with a refilled cup, he then handed it to Red before nodding towards the man in black. "He with you ma'am Marissa?" @Channelknight Fadran

Bandar picked up the cup. "I guess I gotta do it now boss, I'll be right back."

Bandar laughed. "I think you might have had too many drinks Boss, ya want to head out?"

Bandar nodded., he then lowered his voice. "It has occurred to me that this room has quite a large amount of ears everywhere." He rose his voice, then spoke with a wink. "Whatever you say Boss Marrisa. "

Bandar shook it eagarly. "Now that I'm semi officially hired, mind if I share a few thoughts boss Marrisa?"

The man grinned from ear to ear. "Look at me, already takin' orders. I'm Bandar ma'am, pleasure to make your acquaintance. May I have the honor of knowing my new employer's name now?"

The man laughed. "How on Crystell could I ever betray you if I don't know your name?"

The man let out a whistle, before stepping back. "Quite the commodity ma'am. Sounds like you need some excellent guards, don't you know it, I just happen to be excellent. Perhaps this could work out great for both of us."

The man moved in so that he could hear anything that was whispered.

The man nodded, then smiled. He moved in a little closer. "Before I make any commitments, mind telling me what you work with?"

Jane moved away from the crowd of Amal that had gathered with the new information that she had heard. It all sounded ridiculous to her, if so many people hadn't testified, she would have laughed at the very thought. A change as dramatic as this needed more information than that it simply happened, she needed to talk with those who were there when it happened, those who are close to this Kade, and those who know where exactly Concerto was being held. Hopefully Horaus could cover all of those for her, otherwise she'd have to do more digging. Vulles caused Jane to stop. What would be so wrong if he didn't have all of the answers? Jane took a second to think quickly so that Vulles couldn't really grip any of her thoughts until she was ready. Time, we need to get this to him as soon as possible. Jane knew that if Vulles was standing before her, she'd see the equivalent of a fox rolling her eyes. We'd still get it to him, just from different sources, you know, so that we can verify one guy's story with another or something like that. The urgency just makes this more intense. Jane sighed. You just want to talk to Rala, don't you. The urge to smile deviously came to Jane. Well it would be a fun perk, she is so fun to talk to after all, and Horaus is so dull. If Horaus doesn't have the answers we need, then it would probably be a good idea, for informative reasons of course. Of course, and if we happen to find out where Concerto is, what could go wrong? Jane shook her head, then continued walking.

Word spread through town like a wildfire, and it was nearly impossible to stop, especially since that flame had been stoked frequently. Because of how quickly the word spread, everyone needed to go out and see for themselves what had happened. The outspoken Youth was one of the first to arrive at the Mayor's manor, demanding to know what had happened. The Youth and all of the other town's folk were blocked from entering by the guards of the manor, but this didn't stop the Youth from trying to provoke the crowd. He shouted to everyone who came about Amals entering the grounds. The crowd accepted what the Youth said, and started to demand with him that the grounds be opened so that they could see for themselves what had happened, even though the guards who barred them from entering stood resilient. Every second that access was denied, the crowd grew angrier. The Youth demanded that the mayor come out and speak to them, and his call spread throughout the crowd as their anger burned hotter and brighter. The guardsmen grew more and more nervous, trying their best to hold their ground. Suddenly both a guard and a townsman were thrown back as if hit, and fighting broke out. The guards drew their blades to fight the mob of citizens in order to protect themselves. The people pushed forward as they didn't care who threw the first blow, they intended to throw the last. Fighting ensued as the guards fought for their lives against the horde of furious townsfolk, their swords offering them an advantage that was quickly overcome as they were swarmed by the shear number of people who charged them, yelling and screaming in their anger. The people surged pass the guards, swarming onto the grounds toward the Mayor's residence. They stormed into the manor itself, fighting any who tried to stop them. They reached the Mayor's chambers, only to be halted by the sudden shock of what they saw before them. The guards and hunters who didn't flee or weren't killed were hauled out of the manor to the courtyard in front of the manor, along with the body of the mayor. The sight of the mayor's body shocked all of the townsfolk, as he had the characteristics of a mighty bear, identifying him as an Amal. Silence overtook the crowd as they all looked at the Mayor's body. The Youth stood up and approached the body, glaring at it with a passion that burned hotter than the sun itself. He spat on the mayor's body, then addressed the crowd. "Gather your friends and neighbors now, for the mayor is not only a traitor to the people he swore to help and protect, but he's also one of the stinking Amal! How long has he led us to follow his greed? How long has he allowed his cursed brethren to pray upon us in our very own walls?! He lays before us as a dead traitor, and whoever killed him is our greatest hero, and he should be gratified as such! He wished to divide us asunder and allow the condemned of the Crystal Mother to consume us and eat our flesh to feed their inner beasts. We cannot allow this to happen anymore. Ask amongst yourselves, who supported this vile betrayer as he tried to have us all killed?! There is no doubt that his personal guards did, they allowed this man to lead us and then stood by as the Amal attacked us and killed our friends and family! Unless they renounce their evil and dividing ways, they must be punished!" The crowd roared in support of the youth, their voices filled with the anger that had been burning in them, only to just now find release. The Youth smiled. "But these aren't all. We must find everyone who supports this traitor, bring forward all who would betray us to these filthy beasts to become prey to those creatures!" The crowd rustled as groups separated off to practically run to other houses in the town, dragging out their inhabitants and bring them before the youth; who watched with his eyes blazing with energy and passion. The youth gestured to some of the guardsmen. "These here have slain our friends and brothers, they are murderers and traitors to humanity! There can be no redemption for their crimes! What say you? Shall we gives these murderers a traitor's death?!" The crowd roared in approval as the youth called forward a man with a large axe. The guardsmen pleaded for mercy as the axeman approached, and the youth only watched with grim determination. The axe fell, and the crowd cheered. all four of the guardsmen's heads rolled across the courtyard. The Youth turned to the next guard in line. "Lazh, commander of the guards for the Mayor's grounds, I accuse you of treason against the people of this settlement by supporting this traitor and withholding your aid from the town as the Amal attacked us without any mercy. Show us that you aren't the traitor to humanity that you are. Spit on the traitor's body, then you must curse him and his traitorous deeds!" Lazh looked solemn, and she held her peace. The Youth sneer at her. "You have chosen your fate traitor." The youth walked passed her as the axeman approached her. Most of the other guardsmen chose to curse the mayor as they feared for their lives, and they were let go, but their actions wouldn't be forgotten. The youth came across those that the villagers brought forward, and he approached the first one. "Baker-man Eburio, the people of this town accuse you of treason against us and all of humanity in favor of this murdering Amal by supporting him in every regard. You chose to denounce all those who called for change. Now, do you denounce him as a traitor? Do you spit on him and join humanity once more?" Eburio sat there, he looked paralyzed with fear and indecision, he started trembling. "Very well Eburio, you have chosen who you will side with, and you will join him." The Youth carried on down the line as the Axeman followed him, doing his grim work in silence. Most of the other townsfolk who were called traitors screamed out in fear, they begged for mercy, and they did anything that was asked of them. Very few chose to face death. When the Youth finished with all those that the crowd had brought forward, he addressed the crowd itself. "We have seen the power of the Amal. They wish to kill us all and divide us from one another. But I refuse to allow these beasts this victory. The beasts unite themselves together to infiltrate out towns and settlements to spread division amongst us, we have seen their agents here among us today. They have led some of us astray, but I tell you all we must stand firm against this unholy tide of wrathful beasts! They hate us, true, but they also fear us because of our power! But they know that if humanity stands divided, then humanity cannot win. That is why we must stand together as one! We must resist the attempts to tear us apart from the inside like how our traitorous mayor has tried to do. Humanity must unite!" The youth received powerful cheers from the crowd, and they began to chant his name. the youth put a hand to his ear. "What would you have me do?" The crowd cried out to him. "UNITE US, LEAD US!" The Youth smiled. "Is that what you wish?" The crowd cried out in agreement as they surged forward to carry the Youth to the Manor. ------ As the crowd carried the youth away, Kuno watched them from the back of the courtyard with the torch fire reflecting in his dull, grey eyes. He smiled, then he turned to Catorphia, who stood behind him as always. "It seems that we have been successful, that's another one in my pocket. We'll have to push on to the next step very soon, especially if my informant is correct again." Catorphia looked very uneasy the entire time that the crowd was gathered in the courtyard, but now that only the stragglers remained, she looked more at peace, although she was ever attentive to her surroundings. Kuno took Catorphia's silence as a response. "Perhaps, the informant's information was ambitious to say the least, but I'd rather be ready for them to be true. Not to mention that things are changing fast." Kuno rolled his eyes at Catorphia. "Yes the baker was necessary, as everyone else seems to be obsessed with escalation, however could I be left out of it? Come, we should gather Bandar, we need to be sure we stabilize things around here, but then we have to move. Escalation is what's necessary." Kuno walked off into the town with Catorphia right behind him, all round pleased with the fact that everything had gone this smoothly and quickly.

Kuno dismissed his messenger. As he always said, information was what won battles, and he made sure to get his as fast as he could. Granted he did not expect everything that happened at the manor, but it was done, he would do his part, although not quite the way that his new friend Krait expected him to. But who could blame him? Krait herself had ulterior motives, so would be that bad if he did? Of course not. He was nearly done in this town, and then he could move on, he just needed a few more pieces to move into the right place, some information given to the right person. Information, and the control of it, was key after all.

Kuno walked up to a door with Catorphia right behind him. It was odd that he couldn't smell anything baking from inside the building as that smell was there every time Kuno had came here in the past. No matter, so long as Eburio was here, there was not much to worry about. Although it was strange since Eburio loved to bake for anyone in the town, even those who were cast out by the others, a good man if Kuno had even seen one. Kuno knocked on the front door, and waited. No one answered, so Kuno knocked again. After the second try, the door peaked open, and a voice called out to Kuno. "I'm sorry friends, but I'm afraid that there'll be no bread today. I've run into some trouble with my ovens." Kuno replied with a smile. "It's no matter Baker Eburio, it's just me, and I need to talk with you."

Jane made her way through the settlement, trying to hurry while not running. She needed to find out what was happening, and she had only been here once. She saw a large group of Amal around a building, and she made her way there. If something was happening, she had to see it.

Jane ran to the Amal hideout, remembering the way there quite well. She ran along the ground on all fours, feeling the ground race beneath her feet as she sped towards the jungle settlement. Vulles urged her to take a detour off to the right as something was crawling just beneath the ground, she could hear it moving, squirming in the dirt as it thought that it was hidden and secure. How easy it would be to shatter that illusion. It took all of Jane's resolve to press on, her job was one that could not wait, she should have been there already, and she would have been if she hadn't foolishly chosen to get sidetracked. She needed to know what was happening, because he needed to know. Her delay didn't matter now, or she hoped that it didn't. Vulles could smell the hideout, it was fortunate that humans tended to not have a sense of smell as good as an Amal's, otherwise this place would have been as obvious as her nose on her face. She passed the jungle foliage and came into an open area with the settlement before her. Vulles surrendered much of her control to Jane as she transformed into a more humanoid form, Vulles almost had a sense of reluctance as she gave up control, wanting to take this next challenge for herself, but she allowed Jane to take the lead. Jane walked past the border guards while they hide in their lookout positions, she offered them the gesture that indicated that she was authorized to be here, and she made it into the hideout. Now she just had to find out what happened to this sister in a settlement filled with Amal who were more than willing to kill the sister if they got the chance. Jane smiled to herself, she could see why Vulles saw the appeal of this challenge.