Shyra yawned as she got up, it turned out that beating up a disobedient little thief really helped cure insomnia. That one is going to need to work on her teamwork skills. Shyra knocked on the door of Laurentinus and Lumen and, without waiting for a response, entered. "Morning. Get up. I'd like to get everything done today. Here" Shyra gave the men pouches of coins from the lockbox Kara had broken into "Go into town, have a look around, buy something if you want. We should be heading towards the caves around midday. Any questions?" What's in the village: Inn Blacksmith Bakery Butchers Guard's Garrison Tailor Grocer Stables Herbalist Mage's Shop
Vyle punched the man in the fact as he defied Vyle, trying to decieve the vampire "This man is a Witch Hunter! His associates have captured my friend!" Vyle explained to Veera "I know what you've done! Sick, depraved, coward!" he snarled "You're not going to tell me anything are you? Fanatical creature!" Vyle knocked the man out and left him on the ground, he was hesitant to kill him with the witcher woman so close "Are you a friend of Derrick's? You might as well come along for the ride" running along again, he found Derrick "Derrick! The favour you're going to get from me for this is going to be massive, trust me. I've changed my mind again, we're going to head down that tunnel. We just need someone to navigate the sewers, and I think I know exactly who..." With that Vyle headed back to the building, witchers in tow.
Derrick helpfully lead Vyle through the streets of Oxenfurt with incredible speed, and eventually they reached a point where the two split off. Vyle pointed for Derrick to follow the main tracks, while Vyle followed the tracks that split off, presumably to corner the mage (Adalwulf). He'd gotten accustomed enough to the scent that he could follow competently enough. As he passed an old bell tower his thoughts reached out to the bats gathered there and willed them to follow. Eventually Vyle came across the man, and sent the bats fluttering forward to surround him and slow him down. Vyle caught up and easily tackled the man to the ground. He pulled out his knives and pinned down the man's arms "Witch Hunter!" Vyle snarled "Tell me where they've taken the mage! WHERE IS SHE!?" he would murder this man if he had to "Oh yes, several assassin friends of mine are after your head" Willow responded to Bryce casually "But yes, I'm sure you have plenty of important things to be doing, an important man like you" she said dryly "See you around" With that, willow walked away. Eventually, she came across one of her contacts "I'm still going to kill her, don't worry. It may just take longer than expected" willow leaned against the wall, not looking at the hooded figure "Don't you think I tried? I... what?" an uncomfortable and slightly confused look crossed her face, she was slightly surprised by whatever the figure was saying "... I see. Well hopefully it won't come to that. I'll head to White Orchard as soon as I can"
As Kala was suddenly and inexplicably attacked, Timothy readied himself to help. The battle was hard to keep track of, they were both moving so fast. As the attacker was shot, Timothy saw its chance. Lunging forward, Timothy grabbed the attacker, holding them back "You are being incredibly rude" he stated sternly "Ms Kala hardly deserves such treatment" Suddenly Timothy felt a sudden shock in its side and involuntarily let the attacker go as it stumbled back. Requiem had noticed an area of the machine's armour that left circuits exposed, and struck. He gestured to Veera to retreat, accompanied by some panicked music notes. 2 vs 3 were never good odds, and Requiem wasn't entirely sure how they were supposed to deal with this metal abomination. He just hoped Veera would see sense
DM Message for Darklight: Kara Successfully opens the lockbox, having rolled 12 for Precision. Inside the box is 180 Silver Coins and 30 Gold Coins (1 gold = 5 silver) There is also a beautiful silver ring with jewels inset and a wand made from some kind of dark wood After making sure everyone else had gone to their rooms, Shyra paid the innkeeper and retreated to her own room. Sighing, she sat down and contemplated the events of the day. Would this group survive? She was sure they hated her, after all she had been constantly nagging them thus far, but she only wanted to test their mettle, she only wanted to make sure they were ready. Laying back she grimaced as she remembered the last time she'd gone on an expedition... we weren't ready... I'm so sorry... Sebastian... Kaylibeth... Jarid... She hit her head against the wall in despair, not a day went by when she didn't feel guilty about that day. They could still be alive... It's going to be fine... but deep in her heart, she doubted it. Suddenly she heard a racket from the room next door, what the hell was going on? That was Conrad and Kara's room... fearing the worst she cautiously exited her own room and entered the recruit's room, only to find Kara alone on the floor having successfully opened a strongbox. "Kara... by the five realms, what are you doing?" she stared confused. A smile crept upon Shyra's face as she realised what was going on "I see... Well I hope you realise you're sharing that with the rest of us" This one is certainly ready. As soon as Sanderson entered his room and close the door, his jovial facade was replaced by an expression of sadness. After getting changed, he lay down in the bed and tried to get to sleep, but this was a dismal failure. He couldn't sleep, and not because of the quality of the bed, he'd slept in worse conditions. No, shadows of the past were keeping him awake, dark memories that he tried to keep away seeped into his mind. 11. Eleven. Sanderson clenched his fists and furrowed his brow. "...why" Spontaneously he punched the wall. The stone cracked slightly. He wouldn't get any sleep tonight, he was sure. One day, the past would catch up with him, and that was the day he feared. Is that why I'm always moving? DM Message for BGH: Morning has broken "Wake up, we've got a long day ahead of us, ladies and gentlemen!" Sanderson knocked on the doors of his recruits rooms, shouting similar messages excitedly "Can you smell bacon, old sport? I think our lovely innkeeper has an even lovlier meal prepared! Come along then! The day only truly starts after breakfast!"
Nicholas decided to steel himself and go back into the motel crime scene, only to find a policewoman also there, investigating presumably. Nicholas decided that maybe she could help, she was a mundie, but there was always a chance. Nick slipped past her and went up into the room before it was closed off or something.
Breathless, the boy arrived at the motel room. A few hours ago this event had been reported, it had quickly arrived at Shadow Hunter ears. And since the others were preoccupied with the events at pandemonium, the young new Shadow Hunter Nicholas Nightwine was sent to deal with it. He arrived before the mundie police, he came as quick as he could. "Right, what do we have here... oh god" Nicholas covered his mouth as he looked upon the scene, and left the room. Closing his eyes and breathing heavily, he built up the courage to go back. Demons... demons were the worst. There was no doubt that it was a demon, the dead husk was clear evidence of that. Both were human, one of them a woman. Unclothed. Carefully, and nervously, Nick examined the scene. The demon had left his possessed body here, there was no way to track the killer from here. Deciding there was nothing else that could be done. On the walk back Nicholas tried not to think about the dreadful situation, and what was worse was that he couldn't bring the demon to justice. Masque's hands trembled as he reached up for his mask, taking it off always hurt, but he had to. Slowly and carefully he removed the mask, and glanced at himself in a mirror. Hissing at his reflected he realised how ugly he was. How could he be the prophet of perfection and art with such a visage? As he parted his thin lips, razor sharp teeth could be seen. Hurrying, he quickly put the mask up on its shelf and took another one down. This one's features were twisted into a manic expression of depression, a frown of inhuman proportions and drooping eyes. Placing it upon his face he looked back in the mirror. That was better. He had hand-crafted these masks over several decades, only perfection was acceptable. Even now, Masque noticed impurities here and there that showed his own shoddy workmanship. Scowling Masque walked out of his room of masks. The satchel lay on the ground, blood caking the bottom. Masque breathed in and clenched his fists. stupid stupid STUPID. If he'd left a trail of blood... they could find him. Spontaneously Masque gripped at his hair and hissed, as he fell to the floor. He'd made too many mistakes, he'd let passion get in the way of perfection, why couldn't he prioritise properly? STUPID. Masque pulled out his knife. "Punishment must be delivered"
Character Name: Nicholas Nightwine Age: 18 Gender: Male Race: Nephilim Appearance: Nicholas is a young man with blond hair and brown eyes, he is quite skinny, but muscled. Nicholas often wears glasses, a shirt and waistcoat, and a blue tie. Backstory: Nicholas is relatively new to being a shadowhunter, and is incredibly naive. He is very overconfident and thinks he can take on any challenge by himself, often foolishly. Nicholas also thinks those who break the accords can be reformed and is quick sympathetic towards downworlders, he believes the laws of the clave should be changed to be better to downworlders. Nicholas prefers to capture his enemies, instead of killing. Weapons: Stele and bolases
Galadorn was showing off his awesomeness, twirling and swirling around the beat elegantly, deftly avoiding its crude attacks. Kala was helping too, by distracting and paralysing it. he sliced into the creature's neck, killing it. As the creature fell Galadorn swooped down and caught Kala, hoisting her onto his back. Sweeping back around they tethered to another section of the wall. "We make this look easy" he grinned to the woman, but this was quickly replaced by a serious expression as he controlled himself. What was happening here? He was having fun? This was strange, he usually felt battle was an obligation, not a game, but fighting along this eccentric woman... it was as if her excitement was contagious. Brushing off these self-doubts and trying to return to rationality (this was a serious situation after all) he continued to slaughter titans alongside the girl, glad when their numbers finally thinned out. "We make a good team, Kala" Galadorn said, a hint of satisfaction creeping into his emotionless voice "I hope to have you beside me in every coming battle"
"Cheerio" Solomon bade farewell to Veera. He clicked his fingers again and the orphanage was plunged into darkness as the candles were extinguished. Slowly, Solomon left the main hallway and approached a door "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, aren't there?" he muttered to himself "I seem to find myself playing them all" with a wave of his hand a revenant kicked down the door. Beyond the door a stairwell lead down into a basement, Solomon descended. He did not require light to guide his way "Death. Well that one's obvious. I am the very essence of death" he pondered as he stepped down into the shadows. Within the basement appeared to be some kind of lab, various flasks and glass laid across the room. What really interested Solomon was a slab with constraints and straps upon it "Miss harmless orphanage lady isn't so harmless after all, well played miss" he admired the general look of the lab "I have represented famine in the past, depriving whole towns of food and watching as they slowly degrade. Starvation, one of the most slow and horrible kinds of death, after weeks of eating nothing, one becomes nothing" Solomon continued to pace around the room "War? Battlefields are my favourite places, so many souls caught in that moment of shock and torment, it's surprising how many people run into battle expecting to live. I shall look forward to the aftermath of this battle, no matter which side wins" Solomon chuckled. Slowly he picked up a flask of some vile green liquid "Ah... but pestilence?" A thin, manic smile crept across the necromancer's face "That'll be a new one" "I don't have time to talk like a civilised person!" Vyle let go of the trembling doppler. Vyle held his head in his hands for a moment "A decision must be made here... right... as bad as this Bryce fellow is, Ana's safety is priority at this moment" without a word Vyle returned to the building "Derrick!" he shouted to the witcher, he pointed at the footprints running out of the door "Ana's life is on the line, you haven't got time to chat! If we follow those tracks we'll hopefully be able to find witch hunters who'll tell us where Ana's been taken, I'm sure we can persuade them. Let's go, no time to lose!" Vyle hurried Derrick along. Willow watched silently as Bryce treated himself, she knew nothing about medicine herself, she was more used to doing the very opposite "I have my contacts" she said vaguely as he asked her how she knew about the battle. Sitting down, she began to fidget absent-mindedly with one of her knives "You haven't done a very good job of keeping this secret, every witcher of Kaer Morhen is in the city, and mages sent by the king, what's his name? Archon" she stated casually "Couldn't really care for that man, mage sympathiser, according to the rumours. But he's on your side apparently, probably some sort of ulterior political motive behind it" "Excellent" Archon smiled thinly "One thing before we go" subtly, Archon weaved a glamour upon Annabelle, removing all her scars and cuts and bruises "The people are bound to love you" he turned sharply and suddenly to face down a servant "Where is my cloak and crown?" he demanded. Shortly afterwards both articles of clothing were delivered. Archon looked extravagant and royal in his outfit, embellished with gold and purple "Take my hand Anna, and we'll go out onto the balcony" below the palace crowds were gathered, and as Archon stepped out there were cheers. Archon's propaganda kept the people in adoration, and fear. "Greetings, people of Novigrad" he shouted. He looked down at Annabelle smiling reassuringly "Today, a new member of the Dragoncrest family has been adopted, may I introduce my adoptive daughter, Princess Annabelle Dragoncrest" there was a shocked gasp from the crowd, royalty adopting those of non-royal blood was almost unheard of, but it was soon replaced with cheers for the beautiful young princess. "So who exactly is the leader of this "Sanctuary" place then?" Bramwell asked imploringly, Sylvi was already getting annoyed with him, he asked too many questions "They don't really have one, but the one named Bryce holds power" she explained reluctantly, the two were walking along a road of Oxenfurt, Sylvi was uncomfortable being out in the open, but Bramwell being here made stealth almost impossible "So where is this "Sanctuary" then?" "I don't know" Sylvi gritted her teeth "What? So we're just supposed to wander around until we find a doppler?" "...not quite" "Archon wants us to help the dopplers against the witchers in this upcoming battle, this Bryce fellow must succeed or Sanctuary is lost. If Sanctuary is going to fall, it must be by Archon's hand, we can't let the witchers win!" "I know! Shut up already! Do you want to announce official plans to the whole city?" she hissed.
Shyra Bracklewood: "Well I'm glad that's sorted" she stood up, having finished her soup "Come on then, it's getting late and we've lots to do tomorrow" Shyra got up and headed towards the innkeep "Take us to our rooms please" with that, they began to head upstairs... DM Message for Kara: Kara hears footsteps coming upstairs, and she is unable to pick the lock
Vyle glared at the one Tatiana seemed upset about "Fine. Go back" he muttered to her "I'm only one man, I don't have the time to bring every piece of scum in this city to justice, I just want to find Ana" he justified his reasoning for not dealing with Seth at this moment in time. That was when one of them decided to be very helpful, but when he decided to blame Vyle for Ana's fate something inside the vampire snapped. In the blink of an eye Vyle lunged forward, grabbing the man by his neck and pushing him up against the wall "STOP REMINDING ME!" he bared enormous fangs threateningly "Who is this Bryce?" he hissed menacingly "And where is he?"
Keith the Ashten Innkeeper: Keith smiled genially as Conrad approached "Oh we do indeed do a fine pie! Venison from these very forests" He stated, exaggerating the quality of the food "We usually sell it for about 4 Silver, it's very good" He lied, he wondered how gullible this man was, maybe he was pushing his luck here "As for refreshments, ah, well we've recently started selling this spiced wine, our most honoured guests love this particular beverage. 5 silver for a goblet of this fine vintage" Keith didn't mention the much cheaper option of ale. Gertrude the Northway Innkeeper: Gertrude smiled in a confused way at Bryce "What's a dragon fruit?" she asked kindly "We do have cinnamon buns though" "Excellent!" the man with the mutton chops exclaimed "I'll have one of those too please" With that, Gertrude gave the people their food and lead them to their rooms. DM Message for BGH: You've all been fed and lead to your rooms, you each have your own room. They're plain rooms with rough beds and a small bedside table with a candle. It's getting late and you've been walking most of the day.
Fuming with rage Vyle stood clenching his fists as he listened to Derrick, with every word he felt the pain Ana must have gone through. As Derrick finished talking, having outlined his failure expertly, Vyle punched the wall of the secret door with rage. He didn't expect to break through, he just needed to vent his anger. "Witch Hunters" Vyle hissed. He'd met their ilk in the past, vile creatures, each and every one of them, chasing down and torturing non-humans for no reason other than jealously and prejudice. Breathing heavily Vyle banged his head against the wall, trying to calm down. "Very well... very... well. Derrick, it's clear you're the best shot I have at tracking these villains. Please, try to get through that door. If you can't, I ask you to follow the tracks of those who ran outside. We need to bring these men to justice. I'm going to investigate what's going on outside, I'm sure it's connected. Tiana, come with me. No offense meant but I wouldn't want you slowing down Derrick" with that, Vyle strode out of the building, fire in his eyes. The scene he came across was interesting, a girl bleeding out with a massive wound in her, an old witcher, and two other men. This witcher wasn't the same as the man he'd seen carrying Ana away, unfortunately. "I am not in the mood to be answering questions, please oblige me by answering my own" Vyle asked the group in a clipped and angered tone. "Witch Hunters kidnapped my friend, held her in that building, and will probably kill her. Do you know anything about this?" Although the words were polite, the tone was not, as Vyle glared at the group, demanding answers. As Willow sat in the shadows in the tunnels leading into Sanctuary, she noticed a figure. It was Bryce, he supposedly had high authority amongst the doppler community. Willow didn't really care much for politics though. Stepping out of the shadows Willow appeared behind Bryce "Bryce, correct? I hear you've challenged a witcher to a battle" Willow smiled, almost flirtatiously "I'm impressed. There aren't many of us who willingly go up against witchers. Of course, I'm an exception" Willow flashed her knives briefly "Willow Duskstrider, at your service. I've been killing witchers for over ten years, you'll need my help if you want to win this" "Beautiful Anna!" humoring this child was getting tiring, but he needed her to trust him. His was the only opinion worth listening to, he needed to drum that into her head. "Now you look just like a little princess. Actually, not quite. You're missing one thing..." Archon pulled a box out from his robes, it was ornate and extravagant, much like everything else Archon had. Opening it he pulled out a beautiful silver tiara, laden with rubies and emeralds and wrought in intricate patterns "Do you like it?" he asked, as he placed it on the young girl's head "It's been made especially for you" Unknown to Annabelle the tiara included a sightsign, a rune Archon could create that would let him see through it telepathically. He wouldn't let the girl out of his sight, even if he wasn't in the same room.
DM Message: Kara goes scouting around the inn. Rolling for perception: 19 Kara finds several small rooms that contain nothing but basic beds and empty chests of drawers, these are the standard guest rooms. None are occupied. There is one room that is much larger and contains a king-sized bed. A candle is still burning on the dresser, several letters and notes can be seen upon it as well. There is a large wooden chest on one side of the room, a quick peek inside reveals several magic tomes, mostly fire magic, thus Kara cannot understand them. In a cupboard are some robes and a jewelry box. The bed is unmade. Another room contains several beds and cots and a few children playing with wooden toys on the floor. The last room of note is a large room with a double bed and a desk on one side of the room. There is a locked strongbox on the desk and a ledger containing financial information of the inn. The current page details the affairs of a wealthy semi-permanent guest who appears to have been staying for the past few weeks. The ledger is written in shorthand so is barely legible, the guest's initials appear to be A.G. A cupboard on the side of this room contains extravagant clothing in large size.
"I wouldn't dare leave a lady such as yourself on her own, I'm sure Derrick wouldn't either" Vyle stated kindly to Tiana, turning back to Derrick he nodded "Very well, bear in mind I don't have much. I can always offer you a favour in return..." Suddenly the vampire heard a large booming sound resonate around the city "That sounds like trouble" Vyle swooped out of the tavern and sprinted to where he heard the noise. "They're around here somewhere..." Vyle muttered. He noticed an abandoned building nearby, hesitantly entering the building he saw unmistakable marks of fire magic... and cages... "Curse them. CURSE THOSE VILE CRAVENS!" Vyle scowled "She was here... Can you trace anything Derrick?" Solomon sat back slightly as the witcher talked "Has anyone ever told you you talk too much? Booooring. Dead people make better conversation than you" for a moment Solomon remained silent, chewing on a piece of bread given by Claire "I shall be there, but you will not see me. My revenants will be there though" Solomon chuckled spontaneously "Also you shouldn't make assumptions, these aren't exactly children anymore. Claire, show miss Veera your lovely little face" the cloaked girl turned and pulled off her hood. Those glowing blue eyes looked forlornly out of a ruin of a face. The skin was pale and wracked with scars and open wounds, the neck in particular, where the undead had strangled her. Her lips were pallid and bloodless, her hair falling out in clumps. "Why do I do this? Darling, my reasons are beyond your comprehension..."
"Pleasure to meet you too Derrick, and there aren't many people who are a danger to me" Vyle stated. He led the two into a nearby tavern and sat down at a booth "The man was unmistakably a witcher, or possibly a doppler in witcher form. He had dark hair and a beard, carried standard witcher swords. Had a cloak and a medallion, it was glowing if I recall" Vyle explained "The woman was young-looking and had red hair, but nothing else to distinguish her. My friend's name is Teliana, she is a fire mage. I need to find her, it's my fault she was taken. If I'd only been there" Vyle held his head in his hands and sighed "I don't know where to start, I can't seem to track them, please can you help?"
Vyle was glad the man was willing to help "I do not know of these people you speak of, but the woman had normal eyes so I'm assuming she wasn't a witcher" Vyle shielded his eyes against the sunlight again "You don't mind if we stop inside somewhere, do you? It's just I can't stand the light out here. Oh how rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself, I don't interact much with people, you see. I am Pri... You may call me Vyle" Vyle was hesitant to reveal his full name and title to a witcher "And how may I refer to you?"
"Miss Veera, welcome to my Fortress of Solitude. But I'm never really alone. Can you hear their voices? No, of course not" Solomon clicked his fingers and candles around the room were lit by cloaked figures, illuminating the scene. Solomon himself was sat in a large armchair surrounded by bones. "Would you like anything to drink?" with one hand he lazily summoned a short hooded figure "Claire, get our lovely witcher friend something to drink" with that, the hooden figure shuffled away into the back rooms "Also, that sword will do you no good, you're in my territory now, the darkness would consume you before you could blink, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't act so hostile. Anyway, what would you like to chat about?" Vyle leaped across the rooftops of Oxenfurt without making a sound, his alert eyes darting down every road and alleyway. The witcher had to have arrived in oxenfurt by now, surely. With one hand he shielded his eyes against the sunlight, while he was not hurt by the light it was still irritating. The Prince suddenly spotted his quarry and descended into a nearby alley. Out of sight, he reappeared and skirted around the corner to catch up with the witcher on foot. In the daytime he had to be less conspicuous, he had lived this long by not drawing too much attention to himself. "I would not normally confront you so but you're my only hope at this time" he muttered to the witcher, trying to act natural "My... friend... has been captured. I managed to catch a glimpse of a witcher and a woman taking her away. I suspect Witch Hunters. I know this is a lot to ask but... I have to ask... can you help me?" "Of course you can pick your own clothes! I wouldn't have it any other way!" Archon stated "If you would come with me, I'd like to take you to my tailor, who has some dresses prepared for you" Briskly he strode away, towing Annabelle behind "Ah, is this the young Princess?" the tailor asked as they approached "Come, take a look at this selection" the man revealed a large selection of dresses, embroidered with elegant patterns and colours "See anything you like?" "My king, may I speak to you for a moment" Bramwell suddenly appeared and whispered to Archon "I'll be back in a moment Anna" he told Annabelle, before disappearing into another hallway to talk to the mage "What is it?" "We've had... reports from Oxenfurt. Sylvi is there and has been watching some strange happenings" Bramwell looked around nervously as he said this "I heard" Archon reflected on the reports from his spy Sylvi. Kidnappings, witch hunters, vampires, that event at the orphanage. Most of it connected to the dopplers in some way "Go to Oxenfurt, scout around the area, find out what's going on. if you feel action must be taken do not hesitate to take it. If the dopplers are causing trouble... make sure they're dealt with inconspicuously. But whatever you do, do not take direct action against the Witch Hunters or the Witchers unless you're absolutely sure it cannot be traced back to you" "of course, my king" Bowing as he left, Bramwell began to head for Oxenfurt. Now that that was dealt with Archon returned to his new "daughter". Sylvi sat upon a gargoyle watching the land below. She had seen all. The fight in Sanctuary, the fight in the alleyway, the orphanage events, the kidnapping of the mages, the vampire... She was Archon's eyes, but she would never be seen. At the moment she was paying attention to the witcher who'd entered the orphanage. One of her only worries was that Archon would send another mage to help her. She didn't need help, others just got in the way, revealed her hiding space.
"Jayce!" Ashleigh called into the headset as she saw him hold his fire "What are you doing? We could end this war at this very moment! Are you seriously doing this just because of the captive?" she was getting emotional, she had to get better control over her emotions, she had to be rational- "Oh for fuck's sake Veera! I didn't give you leave! You're going to get yourself killed!" but her "loyal" warrior was already gone "Reqiuem, go help Veera" suddenly the alarms went off in the airship, and the man with the gun was missing "Jayce you are a fucking idiot, do you know how many more people will die in this war because you haven't got the balls to shoot down that ship? Carissa is in there! Your sister's murderer! We can't track the ship and you know it! Not to mention we've got a situation down here..." For a moment Ashleigh pressed her hands to her temples calm down, we can solve this. She switched channels and whispered a secret message to Anthem "Anthem. Take control of the gun. Kill the shards" Reqiuem obeyed and began to follow Veera, who was in turn hunting the others. He was slow in his armour, but hopefully he could catch up Anthem heard his mistress's words and was filled with a sense of purpose. Though he was injured he felt the rhythms in his heart, her rhythms. He owed Jayce Reaver no loyalty so ignored his commands, heading straight for the gun. An incredulous Order soldier looked at him in surprise as he pushed the man out of the way, and after much struggling, gained control of the weapon. Soldiers were shocked at this display of mutiny, but he was never with them in the first place. Anthem's only loyalty lay with Ashleigh. He cared not about Rose's life, he cared little for his own life, if he were executed for this crime he wouldn't mind, all in the service of his mistress. Anthem grabbed the gun and began to aim, his finger hovering over the button to fire... Damnit. Alarms. Welp, time to run. Ran had been in worse situations, he once had to run from a boulder through an ancient temple. "Stay back! I've got a Xanahammah!" he shrieked to the guards, waving the broken weapon about, as if he knew how to use it. But he knew that wouldn't help really. Once again, he'd gotten too cocky. There seemed to just be one solution. When he found himself surrounded, Ran pulled out the crystal with the buttons "Do you know what this is? Do you? Well either way, if you don't let me leave I'll press the button! I'll do it, you hear me?" He sincerely hoped the crystal was like some kind of "kill all guards" switch, or a powerful weapon, or a teleporter, anything to get him out of this mess.
