Xinnidy

"Hmm? Oh, I guess... people aren't that friendly with me either, though..." Üllr wasn't exactly confident he'd help being much of a guide, but he trusted himself enough to protect Sixteen if something weird were to happen interacting with humans. He certainly seemed to understand how to deal with them more than her, if a little. ...Speaking of which. "Ah..." Before he knew it, Sixteen was off on her own getting up on Sarasin's personal space. Thankfully, he was an agreeable human. This could be an issue to address later. "I think, he just likes them." Leaving his meal, Üllr stood up, slowly approaching Sixteen --having to mind for that tail, as well. "People say things but don't mean all of it." To be fair, it was one of the thing Üllr didn't fully get why, either. People were strange.

The food had already been enough to cheer Üllr up for the moment, who'd taken a plate and sat down after picking a hearty meal with its share of meat. No point fretting over the man that invited them, supposed mayor of Liste. If they accepted clouded and monsters in the place, Üllr figured he wouldn't struggle dealing with this one --more than could be said for yesterday's knights. Üllr watched Sarasin idly as he came to congratulate, not minding much the man's way of carrying himself. A human that wasn't imposing came as a breath of fresh air. "Mm..." Sixteen's question was curious, though, if a bit out of the blue. "Why did you ask that?" Seemed like the man was intent to give some explanation to the crew in general, as well as remuneration. It was a good way to make Üllr pause expectantly. Gold, huh... will be nice to be able to buy things.

Finally seeing sand that wasn't completely void of color and life was more of a welcome sign than Agni expected. Having spent the journey concerned about the well-being of the more magically attuned of them, being able to rest without the sapping concerns of ambient magics was a blessing. Settling down on Chiaca meant they could finally restock and gather their bearing after the frustrating route. Having seen that the rooms were arranged, Agni relaxed and considered simply checking up on Taliyah again, back to his business... but there was a distressed face that was all to easy to see, and to drive him to serve his duty. "Marina. How are you faring?" Agni approached cautiously, trying not to overbear. "Between miles of soul-sucking sand, I was worried about the chance it could harm you. How did you manage?" He knew she was spending time with Tali, and for that, he felt indebted to Marina's sense of duty. All that warping was... exhaustive. Nessraya was against it at first, finding it a bit of a risk in their current surroundings, but deciding to try anyways, as Thessy seemed set on that. The lightened load was a decent reason --at least, the first easy motive Ness grabbed to go through with it. It was rightfully exhausting, leaving Ness spending a majority of the journey gaining her mana back through her conventional means. All that mana draining was quite souring to the mood, not to mention the several new guests they picked up. Their distinct magic readings... Having been one of the first to leave the wagons, Ness dressed herself conservative, hiding her features for the time being, following along to the inn. Chiaca was going to probably be a short stay... but that was still welcome. "Mmm... 'Thessy', huh. Understood." While amused at Thesephine's choice of words, Ness did her best to let it go. She didn't want to stay much longer at the inn, yet. It was a good time to scout what supplies they could buy. Seeing Shizuka and Ren part ways so soon was a bit saddening for Taiyou, hoping to be among more of Nanbu's people for this foreign journey... then again, she wasn't as affected as Ayane. She had to admit that one. "Hmm... good, I was getting tired." A breath of fresh air in the trade city was good. Taiyou couldn't help approaching Ayane once more, "So... how has it been, Ayane? I didn't expect Ren to leave so suddenly... but what about you?" Tick, tock. The time that passed along the trek was more fleeting than expected. Hecate was interested in the manner that the vast expanse they left drained mana, for sure. The while coloration seemed unnatural, and turned out to be a fine observation after coming to an unaffected place. Good to know her memory wasn't that shattered. Of course.. that still posed the problem of existing along civilization now. Was this group intent on keeping her on a short leash. "Mmm. Demon King. What shall I do while we're here?" Having decided the caravans weren't the scenery she wanted after those days passed, Hecate looked at the King expectantly. Fyl breathed a sigh of relief as they reached the other side of the Wastes. The mana drain had been a toll to his sensitive self. He'd focused on taking care of Merydrys after that exhausting warping. "Chiaca... it should be an amenable place for us to stay, Lady. Would you like to go somewhere while we honor our stay?"

"Mmm..." Üllr turned his head as Sixteen peeked from his shoulder, noticing the hesitation she held. "Don't need to buy." He spoke quietly, minding to not get a frown from the saleswoman which wadn't going to be a concern for long. No sooner came out a man urging them inside. The Evokers were waking up, and this Sarasin person waited for them. The promise of more food turned out to be good enough as well, having Üllr follow after Sixteen. "Mmhmm, more to eat." He wasn't going to pass this opportunity, it beat hunting for more himself, with how traveling for long periods could be.

Üllr still felt like a bit of a stowaway, despite the talk with their contractors before... he would have to start getting acquainted eventually, putting names to faces on every person of the group for now. Looking into the fancy stall among the others, Üllr couldn't help being intrigued by all those items at display. He wasn't magically attuned enough to tell things apart, but they all looked... fancy? And expectedly outside his means to acquire, like most everything he'd dealt with. "Hmm..." He tried to decide his own moral qualm with the selling of a year while absentmindedly drilling a figurative hole into Mikoto with his stare. Was it right? Most people he knew didn't die of old age... did sickness count as old age? Would it have affected his grandfather? His life would have been so different without his old man's help... Then again, Üllr was most likely to die in combat by his own understanding. It was either living in the wild or fighting people for this group. Maybe hoping for a long life didn't make sense. "Hm." Üllr felt conflicted. It wasn't something to make a snap decision for... at the same time, trading for a discount he couldn't use didn't make sense. "No money, sorry." Shame, but that's how dealing with merchants ended up for him anyways. Getting used to actually possessing currency would have to come first.

"Hmm?" It seemed things were still going to be resolved later today... not that Üllr would complain, after a fight like that. "Okay." He figured he'd have to look for a place to sleep today as well, but if the village or Sixteen's group appreciated the help, it could probably be covered. Piggyback As the morning came, Üllr was slow to get off his room. Not without reason, firstly because it was hard to get such good sleep in his life, secondly... "Hah..." Not minding his manners, Üllr came down the stairs carrying a sleepy Sixteen on his back. Noting the gathering as the group seemed to congregate to eat. On tables and everything. Neat. With a quick look, Üllr tried to keep people's faces in mind. Most of them were easy to remember from yesterday, the tan elf man seemed to be talking about the magic women. Üllr's attention lingered on him for a moment. "Good morning..." He mumbled, looking back to his sleepy backpack, "Everyone's up. Well, almost, I think." Üllr wanted to go ahead and grab some meat for himself, but that'd be easier to handle with a woken up Sixteen. She wasn't a burden as far as weight was concerned, but still kept his arms busy.

Identity, behind eons (Moments before the regrouping) Watching the bickering and conversations of the group wasn't easy. With so much on her mind, Hecate was more focused on Susan, which seemed to have found family of sorts. "I know you..." The fox seemed to throw away a number, 700 years, that possibly separated Susan from this person. It didn't make sense. Only this much time passed? It couldn't be. It felt wrong. "... another troublesome power that I contained. Are you going to take responsibility for her as well?" The question was directed to Thesephine, and so was Hecate's following glance. "If you would, I will not object. This place is clearly in no condition to hold these people." Attempting a sigh, Hecate walked towards the center of the room. "Clear out, please. Since you came from above, that's where you should find a way out. We're going up." Extending a hand forward, Hecate seemed to attune with the floor, a sygil shining bright in front of her. "35,860." "Rec_g__ed. A__ess G__n__d." The response was barely audible, cutting off-- a testament to the wear of time. Loud creaking reverberated along the building, with the center of the glyph shaping itself up, floor rising in a spiral, wide ramp, ascending --and descending as well, to Hess-know-what remained in the darkness. "This should more than fit all of you. My constructs will help carry anything heavy outside." That eagerness to comply belied her desire to see these visitors well out of her home. The caravans were notably worse for wear, but what further damage could be was prevented through the handling from the constructs, which carried them without breaking a sweat. "Executive Order: Return and work on repairing the upper floors." With a quick demand, the contructs retreated towards the spire... if it could even be called that, completely swallowed by the ground as it was. With a quick scan towards the group's position, Hecate turned once more to Thesephine and Asami. "That should be it... correct? You can leave now." Hecate seemed almost... expectant of parting ways.

"Big theft, hm..." Üllr was thankful to be caught up to speed by Tio, although a lot of the current situation was still flying over him. It was hard to think of this royal theft as more than words, especially as someone so unaquainted with what made nobility tick, his opinion of the knights as lazy and looking for an excuse remained unchanged. "Ah, you're up." Seeing the man spring back to life with horse in tow was hardly motivating, though Üllr quickly shrugged it off --he had no power among this group. Üllr had no reason to refuse Tio's request, though he doubted he could be of much help. "I don't have much else to say, but sure." It's not like his tie with the knights went deeper than this stupid caravan takeover. "...Thank you for taking care of the caravan." Üllr turned to Ferid, examining him after his claims. He had little reason to doubt, thankful that somebody took the time to check up on them. And Sixteen? She seemed intent on staying with him, for reasons he didn't really understand. He couldn't say no when she clearly seemed tired --her eye strain didn't go unnoticed. "If she can stay, I'll keep an eye." Maraval himself seemed to have some thoughts unfinished --better that way...

"Haah..." Sixteen sure had a way to word things, as well as her own enthusiasm about her powers. Thankfully the knights that came to them were not interested in more fighting, if the busty woman with a lot of magical presence had anything to say about it. She seemed fairly reliable, at least in this moment. "'Stowaway'... yeah, I guess so. I just wanted a safe way here." He nodded, continuing where Tio was interrupted. "Üllr. If these people work under you, thanks for the help." Surprising him, Sixteen seemed uncharacteristically overwhelmed, running behind him. Weird, but he wasn't about to question it. There were a lot of humans around. Üllr simply looked at her for a moment, a mellow expression --simple acknowledgement, before shifting his gaze once more between the knights and Tio. He had more questions, but wondered if it was the right time... "This guy seemed convinced I was some kind of thief, do you know what that was about?"

The conversation about pride kind of went past his head, with Üllr giving a slight tilt and a nod. "I don't need to care what he thinks, my life is mine. It's what gramps taught me." Hearing about the tradeoffs of her magic right after was cause for concern, though. "It hurts? I see... be careful with that." Üllr accepted it quite easily, of course using her powers came with a cost like that. "Losing your sight is not fun." "He cursed at you?" Üllr sighed at the predictability of it all, "Yeah, probably will be mad. I can knock him out if he comes after you without weapons." It would be cathartic, at least.

"Your sister? Ah..." The grayscale woman out across the river. She was quite curious looking... Üllr wouldn't peg her and Sixteen as sisters, but then again, he barely knew what Sixteen was supposed to be. "You did that? You can turn people to stone?" Üllr blinked in surprise, following her along. Even if that was temporary, that was an outstanding power, to be sure. "So he's coming back, hm..." That put Üllr's frustrations down. He searched the petrified man for his weapons. "I don't want parts of a lazy ass knight that tried to kill me." The thought of holding onto something like that failed to appeal to him. Animals were food, Humans and Clouded weren't. Why would he bother holding some meat that was going to rot? "If he wants to fight us after that, I will take a piece of him while he's awake." "That sounds very good for hunting, though. You could hunt a bear and be fed for a while." Done with disarming the man, Üllr paid full attention to Sixteen, "...Ah, did sand get in your eyes?"

"We, did it." It was still sinking in to Üllr. Usually fighting with humans meant finding a way to escape eventualy. He barely reacted to Sixteen's approach, turning towards her. "Ah. Yeah, thank you." After a blink and a shake of his head, he seemed to stow away what thoughts went through his head. "I wouldn't have been free without your help. Does this group, uh, fight these bad humans a lot?" It was naturally piquing his interest. There were some humans in this group, but they fought for the Clouded's and village's sake. The battlefield was stained with blood and the corpses of some of the knights at this point, a sobering visage over the village Üllr hoped would be a respite. "That man was turned to stone too..." Seeing Maraval like that after everything was equal parts relieving and frustrating. Üllr did want the man to see for himself how wrong he was.

"Haah..." Throwing punches at rock wasn't at all pleasant. Üllr was thankful he was wearing the knuckles at this point. It felt a bit weird to punch the man turned to stone and seeing it crack. He wasn't about to stop now, though. That annoying knight had taken a good beating from the big draconic man, and the other one had been turned to stone, it felt like such a quick turn of events... almost too quick. Üllr wasn't at all used to a skirmish of this level, and those that were fighting on his side were quite strong... That was nice. Gave a lot of confidence. Üllr to (6,8), punch the monk 1.

One-two, swiftly the mage went down. Üllr could get behind the feel of those gauntlets, recentering himself and looking around. Numbers were thinning nearby, but another force of those knights seemed to have joined further east. Üllr considered his options, but others seemed closer to that side than himself. There's also the fact that golden person got smacked down with a blast of light. "Rrrrr..." Growling, Üllr rushed to the bridge, stopping in his tracks as he noticed the man was... grayish? It was like... no, he was literally petrified. "What...?" He was no statue before, that's for sure,, but it seemed like, in the heat of the moment, a light spell was cast on him for that result. He would have to ask about that later --he wasn't taking bets with this being a permanent spell. Üllr to funni coord, hit monk 1.

"No, I'm afraid I know little of Taliyah's whereabouts as of right now. Some of the others spoke of the upper floors, so that's where I assume she, and most others, are. We'll have to take a look on the way." While Agni was clearly concerned about the lizard, there was too much to think now. She was still priority, but his conciousness wrestled to keep focus on the current situarion, mayhaps evident in his mood. "Have to believe danger has passed, at least for now. The others should be safe... and I pray the wagons need little fixing." Shaking his head, Agni tried to put his mind off the logistic concerns, "As for the characters we met in here, well... you can see for yourself. What do you make of them, Marina?" "Ah... well, I'm sure pride can be healed, though not with enchantments." With a soft smile, Taiyou nodded in response to Ayane's words. "At first I wondered if this place had some connection to Ouka's plans, but it seems quite unrelated... I didn't expect there to me this much going on across the sea, to be honest. I can't help but wonder what purpose Ouka sees in coming here." It seemed like a few things were still to be unearthed, from Taiyou's point of view. Figuring it to be the best use of his scouting abilities. Fyl had left the room and flown towards the holes in the ceiling, looking to gather the rest of the group.

"Hhraah!" Taking a sword cut was never fun, but Üllr proved he had the constitution to take it, striking back with his own attack in the chinks of the armored knight's plating. Before he could concern himself more with the speed of battle, Sixteen had showed up and taken the man down. "It's fine, good job." He was safe from more hits, which mattered most for him, and there was no shortage of people to cull --case in point with how he'd already been called to help another front. "Right." It was good that they were trusting him, there was no time to focus much on gaining it as it were. "Thank you, I'll take it." They weren't his claws, but having something to hit enemies with that he'd have to worry less later let him swing with abandon. Üllr to (3,9), takes the iron knuckle and swing at the mage.

"Oh. Thank you." Nodding at Sixteen, Üllr let go of Renais promtply. She seemed less than pleased that he had moved her out of trouble. Not that Üllr minded much, she was holding no weapon. The more pressing matter was the sound coming from across the river. More troops, tobe sure. At least some people seemed to be going that way now, and Üllr was weighing it himself... "They're trying to corner us." It was obvious, but effective enough to be a tried and true fighting plan. Still, a cornered prey always had the option to fight back... "Hmmm, need to attack..." He walked towards the bridge, getting a vantage point to the cavaliers, seeing the knights that argued with him across. They weren't going to charge just yet, from their stance, that was annoying... "HEY, LAZY ASS!" Hands parallel to his mouth, Üllr shouted. "GOING TO FIND YOUR THIEVES, OR JUST RUNNING AWAY?" Üllr to (6,10).

Time for the counteroffensive. The group charged in surprising unison, making short work of the combatants in the vicinity. From his point, Üllr wouldn't be able to make a sprint for a good target... how frustrating. Could he still do something? Hmm... Ah... that one human was healing clouded, but overstepped, she would open herself to an attack like that. "Stay back, the horse riders are coming." Calling out to her, Üllr didn't wait for a reply, picking her arm and pulling from her position. For someone so scrawny, he was surprisingly strong, as the girl in his grip would find out. Maybe had to do with his clouded side? "I'll fight them if they come close." Üllr to (9,11), rescue Renais.

"Mm. Let's see how they come to us." The group was advancing slowly, waiting for their chance. That was probably wise with all the horseback folks. "Haah..." Slowing his breathing and preparing his stance, Üllr met his eyes at the nearest enemies, watching their approach. The others had a plan to approach them first, so Üllr understood he didn't have to go headfirst. Once blades started clashing, he'd get an opportunity. For now, he prepared himself. The air around him got ever so slightly cooler... "Let's see how they come to us." Üllr holds.

"Natalya." Üllr noted the name mentally, finally being able to peg something to the face. He would need to have a talk with her outside the heat of battle, but for now... he could certainly share Sixteen's enthusiasm. "I didn't know Sixteen could be a name. Won't forget, though." He nodded, a small grin as he felt emboldened --finally being able to get his comeuppance afainst those knights alongside other enthused clouded was cathartic, to be sure. "I was always planning lethal force with these guys."

Oh. That was a lot of information at once, leaving a somewhat dazed Üllr at the scene. "...One, one question at a time." Processing everything she said, Üllr decided to prioritize her last question. It made the most sense to get that out of the way if they were going to fight against those knights. "Üllr. That's my name. You work for that woman, right?" He pointed towards the tiger clouded he remembered arguing with the knights, which he'd marked down mentally as an important person. "Oh, and, what's your name?"

"...A weapon? I don't need..." Üllr responded slowly, watchful eye on this stranger making a circle around him. Thankfully, it was benign, and she was able to get the answer she wanted without need for words. It did bring a small bout of confidence, in the midst of everything. "I use my claws, correct. They're good enough." Üllr rose his hands to demonstrate the point, their back against Sixteen, and curved his fingers slightly to accentuate. While they were not long, the nails were notably pointed, and shaded a natural black, in contrast to the blue fur that decorated his arm. "I know how to avoid hurting myself with heavy armor. You can trust me." It seemed Sixteen was happier just to see somebody with claws though, so he didn't need to explain himself much. "Are those scales? Then we both know how to fight with claws, good."

The situation had developed far too quick, the knights were turning tail in a quick manner --surprisingly organized, and from their barks, they were going to strike back on their own terms, and fast. Others started following to the natural battleground outside, and another Clouded? He didn't really know what constituted as one or otherwise, but this girl looked quite different. Still, he also recognized her as the one that helped him out, making her tugging of his arm something of much less concerning "Huh...? Ah, thank you. I was done with these guys." Others were joining the fray quickly, readying weapons against the knights, things were quite a bit more fair now. "Thanks for getting me out of there, but let me help. I can fight, and I want to get back at them."

"So it sounds like some of ours are stuck on the upper floors, from what the oni suggested. I trust that's being taken care of?" Agni posed his remaining question to the construct, staying beside Thesephine. He still felt quite uneasy around this figured, and something about the scorched room also kept him in high alert. At the corner of his sight, however, he caught some good news at last. "Marina! Thank goodness you're safe..." One less person to worry about... this still left Taliyah and the others. "Haaah... what a mess." This group was quite a lot to keep track of for Fyl, who kept observing those arriving for wounds. He still had no idea who the magic swordswoman was supposed to be, but soon others came of equally incognito nature. Including the multi-eyed person that ran past them earlier, and a weird red girl. "How many of those are we taking...?" He mumbled to himself. There was a good point eavesdropped, though, with regards to those in upper floors. Maybe I should fly up and check on them. He seemed like the best equipped for the task --as usual, and spread his wings as he looked at the ceiling for holes. "Ayane? Are you doing fine?" Taiyou couldn't help but notice the oni's distress some, being one of the few people she'd bothered to reasonably interact in the group. "Do you have any wounds? These constructs were quite a hassle." She spoke mostly from the memories of being swatted around by an axe-wielder, and also because she'd rather just focus on the inner group of people that talked to her for now. Too much going on at once.

The coming clouded arguing for him were a moment of ease, to be sure. While their attempts to argue against the leader's demands seemed to be innefective --much a testament to this knight's hardheadedness--, there seemed to be some important things outlined. Lufiria? That was far away, but most importantly, these people seemed to be representing Glacies. The very Glacies Üllr's grandfather spoke of, no doubt. For a moment, he looked at the tiger clouded with curiosity, hoping that something would come out of it. Of course, no more than treaths came out of the knight leader's mouth. Sighing, Üllr lowered his head again, concentrating on his guard again, for whenever the knights decide to hassle him again... and, as if everything decided to happen all at once, one of the knight beside him coughed blood. What. "Run!" A high pitched voice yelled from behind him, a tail piercing the guard. Well, it was do or die. He could get a cue that he shouldn't stay where he was. "GRAAAAH!!" Whisking himself away with the force he could muster, Üllr took steps enough to put himself at a distance from the knights, "Let me go!!" Turning around, he took a defensive stance, watching what the knight would do now. If this were to turn into a brawl, Üllr wouldn't let his helpers do everything --not when he had a lot of misgivings with those knights himself.