A Thousand Steps (Haven Saga)

Lithia was a quiet township. It was home to just under a thousand people, though more visited on a regular basis for business of a vast variety of sorts. On opposite ends of the large town was the two biggest draws. On the east end, the Lithia House of the Order of Ozain stood as a noble testament to all that was good and pure. While not the largest of the Houses, the Lithia House could boast that it was the oldest and first. The House was a unique combination of temple, school, and orphanage.

On the west side was the sprawling compound of the Rimon family. It had started as a tavern and inn. Then it had grown into the smithy as the head of the Rimon family, a man known as Xander, had married his third wife, a dwarf. That is most of the story of how the compound grew into what it now was: Xander married another wife. His current count was fifteen wives and sixteen children. Almost all of them was a different race.

These two opposite had one thing in common: they both sought to protect the town of Lithia. It was well-known in the region that there was four dragons that protected Lithia, sometimes more if Sienna's kin were visiting and Tristan were home. And that was before you factored in the fact that the Lithia Order House specialized in unarmed combat as well as healing. Lithia did not create healers who could not protect their charge, unlike some of the Order Houses. Then there were the Witch Coven and Druidic Drove...

Needless to say, anyone looking for an easy fight did not come to this little town located in the foothills.

Therefore the buzz of activity that filled the Order House was telling. Lithia's journeymen and acolytes went through their normal routine of training and classes, but the masters seemed distracted and the Senior Masters were cloistered with the Mother in the Inner Garden.



Danielle 'Dani' Rimon, recently upgraded journeyman of the Order of Ozain and strangely fond of a sweet confection known as a cupcake, did a back flip followed by a cartwheel across the section of the Training Ground that she was using. The move was too fast for the Senior Journeyman she was battling to track and the succubus managed to get her ankles around his neck in a strangle hold. Wings burst from her back and with a mighty flap of them, she flipped the older teen onto his head. In a smooth move, she had Chawnie's arms pinned to his sides. Dani smiled sweetly down at him and he gave her a grin and a brief nod in return. The Twelfth Rimon gave the man a brief peck on the lips, drawing some of his magic into her at the same time, before flapping her wings once more to pull her to her feet.

"Do you think the Kitchens have any of those cupcakes with the green tea icing left?" she asked as she helped the other healer to his feet. As if scenting prey, her nose flared and she looked around, finally spotting Jean on a bench nearby. "Hey, Jean--wanna find a cupcake with me?"

Jean smiled softly at his sister "Sure Dani" He says as he stands up from where he had been quietly waiting and watching the spar. "Da, Your Mom and all the rest send their best" he states as he walks to her side. When he gets there he wraps her in a quick hug while whispering "any idea what all the hub bub and fuss is about?"

"No clue, except Mother Doshi started it all," Dani replied, leading the way to the large kitchen off the dining hall. This time of day the halls were empty as most students were in their classrooms or in the Training Ground. They passed one heavily scarred Master hurrying from the hall where the Masters' Offices were towards the Inner Garden. Dani watched with dark eyes as he disappeared around a corner. Then she turned towards her brother. "What do you say to snooping?"

Jean put a stern look on his face "what I always said for snooping" Jean held the expression for a few seconds before he laughed lightly "who do we start with and how sneaky are we going to be? and before or after we feed that sweet tooth of yours?"

"Right now with Master Jickal," Dani announced. She gave him a wink. "As sneaky as if we were trying to hide from Tris'...a mad Tris'." And suddenly she disappeared.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Danielle activates Invisibility.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jean smiles at where his sister once was before slowly shrinking down to the size of a mouse.

==========================
Jean activates Shapeshift

The pair followed the man through the halls of Lithia. In the pale green lighting of the House, Master Jickal's scars shown clearly, marking him in the slight darkness as surely as the burn marks marred his dark skin. It was common knowledge about the fire that left the Order House a shell a few years back, if only because so many of the Senior Masters still bore the marks of the Faithless One's magical fire.

Jickal lead them into the Inner Garden and directly to the Inner Sanctum. Dani's eyes widened and she licked her lips in anticipation. No mere journeyman, with the possible exception of two notable cases, was allowed in the Inner Sanctum. This was better than she thought.

"Mother, Father Lotay has reported an increase of demons and fire elementals in his region," Master Yoko said as the small group approached. The green-skinned woman leaned away from the pool she was kneeling in front of to look back at the Mother. Her normally placid face had a worried expression upon it. "Local militia has been taking care of it, but the innocent town people lack the skill to destroy them. He says that they were seen in the company of a man with glowing orange eyes."

"Similar reports from Bartholo, Mother," interrupted Master Shifu, a balding man with a pointed nose like the weasel he spent time as. "Only it's not a man--it's a woman."

"Mother, I still haven't been able to raise Pathos," Master Daphne announced from another pool. Her red hair glowed against the shimmer of the water. "Nor your daughter. Mother, if someone is contacting the Blessed--"

"I am aware of the danger, child," Mother Doshi announced. The woman's beauty struck Dani again despite having grown up around the regal woman. For some reason known only to her father, the Order Mother was a frequent dinner guest at their home. The woman's blond hair showed no sign of fading despite the fact that she had served the Order faithfully for as long as anyone could remember. "I am also aware that we are no longer alone."

Jean paused at hearing the words though whether it was the mention of orange eyes or the fact that they were caught that truly caused his startlment was debateable. With a certinty of practice and remembering snooping rule # 1 Jean acted like a mouse and scuried for the garden wall like a mouse escaping a cat.

"I'm sorry, child," Doshi said as she waved her hand imperiously at the tiny rodent, "but I do not have the time for games of Hide and Seek today. As for you, journeyman, you should have known better. Drop the magic and I will be lenient."

Dani shimmered into existence with a sheepish smile on her face. She tugged on a white lock of hair that hung in her dark eyes before tucking it behind a delicately pointed ear with the rest of the mixture of black and white. She carefully folded her wings into a cloak-like position around her shoulders.

"Opps?"

"Opps, indeed," Doshi said dryly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Doshi Rhojel uses Revert on the mouse.
20 roll +40 Magic +4 Revert +4 Enhance Magic (AutoCombined!) = 68

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jean let out slow squeak of resignation and ran back to Doshi. It was one thing for them to know a snoop was there and trying to get away when identified you just faced the music, but Jean felt he could do that very well still in mouse form after all its easier to hide blushes under fur.
==========================================================

Jean resists [insert Magical Attack]
20 + 15 + 18 Resistance + 4 Strong Will + 1 Precognition = 58
Jean sets one die to 20

The member 'Jean Rimon' has done the following action : Rolls

'd20' : 12, 15

The member 'Weaver' has done the following action : Rolls

'd20' : 20

"Now, tell me why you broke protocol, youngling," Doshi commanded. Dani was well aware that she was not dealing with Aunt Doshi or even the kind and patient teacher of the mediation class. Whatever they had heard was obviously something big.

"Um, I don't have an excuse, Mother," Dani said, dropping her head in shame. The ancient master made a noncommittal sound in the back of her throat very similar to what Aunt Ricky did when one of the kids misbehaved. Then she dared a question. "But what's this about orange eyes?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with, acolyte," snapped Master Jickal, his black skin glistening with a fine sheen of sweat. Dani felt her temper rise--the same temper that caused her father so much despair.

"Journeyman," the succubus snapped. She was the youngest of that rank in twenty years, but by the All-Father that did not excuse people forgetting it!

Jean stoped and glared at Master Jickal his own orange eyes gleaming. "With all respect Master, I think that is Mother Doshi's choice unless you know better than her." Jean snapped once agian in Human form after Doshi's spell.

"Mother," Master Nyl'ah interrupted urgently, her round face showing signs of weariness. The Nyokan woman blinked her slitted eyes. "Nijazi is under attack and is being swarmed. They are requesting a portal at once to remove innocents. They are requesting any who knows the spells of purity, Mother--Yanik claims it is the Shadows!"

Every single person in the Inner Sanctum paled. The legends of the Hungry Darkness were the things of nightmares. Dani's wings twitched open as if to lift her away. Doshi was the first to react, leaving the gated garden with its many pools at a quick but measured pace. The masters by the pools turned back to them while Jickal grabbed both teenagers by the arms to usher them from the garden.

"Out with you scamps," the master commanded. "Inform the rest of the House to expect incoming wounded. Now."

Jean nodded to Mother Doshi grabbing Dani's hand "Very well Master Jickal. We will tell them to prepare for incoming wounded" Jean turned feeling worry grab him what ever just started was bad. Bad with a capital b in fact. He just hoped that this was the worst of it and that his family that was away from the compound was alright.

Dani vanished her wings as she lead the way through the winding corridors. What should have been a thoughtless gesture took some concentration due to the pending threat of Shadows--Shadows of all the Ozain-Cursed things! Aunt Luludja told stories of the Hungry Shadows that ate people. It was always good for a few nights of nightmares. 'Course it was also a good excuse to cuddle with Jean, so she guessed that it measures out in the end.

=[=]=[=]=[=]=
Nijazi was not a big city. It was not a jewel of culture, drawing in a lot of tourists. It was just a simple desert town huddled around one of the precious water sources of the Ukame Desert. Nijazi was a day's easy journey from the foothills of the Miamba Mountains, a fact that made sure that they had a lot of travelers. The predominant race of the residents was Nyoka, but they had a clan of Daojin settle nearby a few generations ago, which brought in an ever-increasing number of green faces.

Nijazi was small enough that crime didn't happen outside of a rowdy night at the local tavern. Enough of the residents were comfortable with their weapons that they didn't have a town guard. The Order of Ozain had a House in the center of town. Between the organized magic of the members and the armed populace, the worse thing they had to worry about was weevils infesting the gardens.

To say that the attack caught them completely unprepared would have been a gross understatement.

The darkness swept over the town just an hour before dawn. It went unnoticed, a silent extension of predawn shadows. The heralding explosions destroyed most of the outlaying buildings. Most were killed in their homes as they prepared for the day. The rest fled to the safe haven of the Order House whose masters summoned powerful wards. As the day carried on, the sky grew darker, but the burning buildings cast plenty of light to see one's death come closer and for refugees to find their way to the shimmering shield of the Order.

Outside that sanctuary, the fighting was fierce.






Another wall exploded to Rayis' right. The stones flew out dangerously, barely missing the people in the group around him. The few podlings that were with the small group--having been found along the way to the Order House. Of course the healer that had brought the message to had already been lost to the creeping darkness that left no flesh in wake. A scared little female podling sniffled and gripped his hand hard.

"What is happening, Rayis?"

"I am not that sure my little seed... but I will not let anything hurt you.." he told her as he gripped her hand while his other hand readied his weapon. Looking about trying to find a safe way to escape with the child he began to try and examine his choices while making sure she was safe. "Lets just hurry away from here so as no harm comes to you my little ray of light."

Dark laughter filled the air around the small group, its position indeterminable in the chaos of explosions and far off fighting. Rayis became very, very aware that he was the only able-body warrior in this little group of children and Eldest. His promise of lack of harm was one without the true steel of the Elders that taught him.

Through the smokey haze of the burning buildings of Nijazi, the shimmering shield of the Order House stood like a beacon. Rayis could see bright flashes of light and the steadier glow of the pure auras that some of the Order could create. But betwixt them and that hopeful spot was a thick mass of dark forms, even some that took to the air in flashes of heat.

It was going to be a long night.

=[=]=[=]=[=]=

The first master that they came upon was the one supervising the sparring in the front courtyard. The burly man looked at them balefully as if he doubted their story. With a careful movement and a raised eyebrow, he questioned them for a third time.

"Incoming wounded, eh? Mother sent you?"

"Yes," Dani huffed, irritated at the disrespect. "We need to prepare."

"Why didn't she just announce it in her Voice?"

"Um," Dani hesitated as if she hadn't thought of that--which she hadn't. "Because she was raising the portal herself?"

"Why not Master Nyl'ah? She's from that region."

"Master Nyl'ah was looking a bit like my last meal when we left."

"Shadows are myths, little one."

"Journeyman," the succubus snapped, failing to care about protocol and respecting one's seniority. The pair continued to bicker for a few more moments. Finally, Dani snapped again. "I am not above looking for a different master to help me fulfill Mother's orders! Now will you warn--"

Just then a loud klaxon interrupted her. The upset demoness raised one finger into the air as if she was pointing. The master had the grace to look sheepish.

"Master now ready everyone possible for incoming wounded and pray that YOUR delay does not cost any thier lives" Jean bit out at the man. Jean grabbed his staff and walked over to near the door awaiting some further instruction either from Dani or someone who knew what to do since he would admit to being no healer.

"INCOMING WOUNDED FROM NIJAZI," the master announced after making a jabbing gesture with the first two fingers of his right hand towards his throat. The way the words echoed throughout the room, it was clearly done in a Voice. It just seemed like the man was shouting at this distance. Dani filed away the gesture as something useful. She'd practice at the compound this weekend...if she got the leave as planned. "ALL ABLE-BODIED JOURNEYMEN AND MASTERS REPORT TO MOTHER DOSHI IN THE PORTAL ROOM NOW!"

Dani made as if to obey the order, but was stopped by a beefy hand wrapping around her arm. The master made a slashing gesture across his throat--Dani filed that away, too--and began to speak in a low, hissing voice.

"You organize the acolytes in the infirmary, little demon. We don't needed a Dark creature tainting our work."

"Very well," Dani sneered, yanking her arm out his grasp. "But remember that I will be speaking to Aunt Doshi about this. Come on, Jean. Let's get out of here before I taint him further."

Jean hissed as he passed the master to join her, "The Rimons have a long memory and she is ours. Remember that too Master."

=[=]=[=]=[=]=

"There should be a path sideways, little warrior," said Shi'va, the Eldest female of their group. Rayis dimly remembered her minding him when he was but a seedling still crawling. She also taught the healing herbs to interested youngsters. Now her white hair was covered in ash and her wrinkled green skin had taken on a greyish hue. She pointed to a debris-cluttered alley nearby. "That way then to the left. From there, it should be marked."

"What I wouldn't give to be a decade younger and have a staff," commented another Eldest, one whose name had been lost but that everyone knew as Uncle. "We could go directly."

"All right then sideways it is... to the ally... stay close... move quickly, but be careful. Stay close to me as we go..." he said, and helping the seedlings, and elders along the young willowy warrior began to lead his people to safety though he made sure to keep his eyes peeled in case any of these shadowy things tried to come after them. "Just remember my little seedlings every night is filled with darkness yet the sun always comes out anew..." he told them, "So no matter how scary things may look right now... tomorrow shall bring us much fun and joy." he said with hope that this would help lessen their fear.

Slowly they inched through the shadows cast by flickering flames of what used to be, not their home, but the home of the Nyoka that lived alongside their clan. Rayis lead the way, occasionally detouring slightly when he discovered their way blocked either by small battles between shadowy creatures and the Healers or by bodies bent in grotesque ways. He had just come to another such path, the fierce sounds of battle too close for comfort, when he heard an almost too-silent cry for help.

"I think someone is still alive down that way, sproutling," Shi'va said, catching his sleeve. He didn't need to ask to know what the healer in the Eldest was wanting, but knew that the battle that sounded as if it was coming down the street at them could leave them cut off at any moment. Shi'va patted his arm before nodding at him--him, as if he were one of the senior warriors of the clan rather than the lowest ranked one. It would be his decision?

"Stay together... we are not a people to leave one behind. Move swiftly... move quiet.." he told them, "Every life is important.... always remember that.. we should always fight for the life around us.." he said as he lead the group onward so they could try and save the person of whom the cry came from.

They found the woman easily enough. She was half pinned under a fallen wall. Her lightly scaled skin had an interesting pattern of black diamonds set against bright red and vivid orange that was half covered in a clay made of her own blood and sooty sand. Her slitted eyes looked wild.

"Help me," she rasped weakly. She pressed feebly against the timber holding her down, but could not budge it. Shi'va knelt at the Nyokan's head, her hands glowing a gentle green light. The pinned woman calmed under the Eldest's ministrations.

"Well, ain't this a bean curd dumbling," Uncle commented as he examined the way the beam was laying at an angle. "We're gonna need leverage, I think. Or you could chop with that little shokrum of yours. 'Cor the noise might make those fighters notice us..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Move the Beam by Leverage: Target Attack 60 but 50% chance of rest of the wall falling.

To Destroy the Beam by Force: Target Attack 60, but 50% chance of drawing attention.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rayis looked over the wall pondering on what to do for a moment. "We need to secure the wall first so it wont crumble, and alert the things out there..." he told them, and began to lay down a quick plan on how to put a temp fix upon the wall for now. He was thankful that his people where so helpful to one another, warriors trained by helping in there village so many skills where opened to the warriors whom grew to old or where badly injured to fight.

"Now then..." with quick work the boy set to using his blade to remove some of the wood to give him a better grip over the beam, and offered a quick prayer to the life giving light that this would work. "Blessed sun watch over us I beg of you....."

Rayis tries to move the beam with Leverage
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rayis uses dervish dance, and strong attack due to the light he has been in photosynthsis is active. Improved strength of the underdog makes on atk roll a 20 Zero allows him to keep the second atk roll of 18

96 = 16 atk + 10 dervish dance + 2 photosynthsis + 30 strong attack + 20 roll + 18 roll

The member 'Furor' has done the following action : Rolls

'd20' : 1, 18

=[=]=[=]=[=]=



"Curses of Osayin," Dani told her beloved brother after they had gotten the acolytes organized and were treating the few minor cases that had come through the portal first. What had caused the cursing was the sorry state of the group that was being levitated into the room. "Olivera, stabilize the one in the back--I know, hon, but at least get it started. Patric, Judah, get the children. It looks like scrapes and bruises and fear. Find anything else, let Jean know. I'm coming, Olivera."

There was a flurry of motion as the acolytes she had named moved to their appointed tasks. Dani had long since pulled her two-toned hair back into a bun with a feather jabbed through it. She was very pretty when she was focused like she was at the moment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Even equals Success.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The member 'Weaver' has done the following action : Rolls

'd20' : 11

Jean quietly watched as the named acolytes move though the crowd tiredly his eyes scanning for anything obvious but staying where he was slightly out of the way. He frowned slightly at how tired every one was acolyte and refuge alike and started humm a soft tone to hopefully bring up the moods of everyone. 'after all work is easier with a tune' Jean thought to himself.

Dani spared him a half-second glance and a flash of a smile before refocusing on her patient. Soon the efforts of the journeyman and the acolyte paid off and they moved onto other patients. It was into this beehive of activity that the master from earlier came into looking like a scolded child. Jean noticed him lurking in the doorway to the infirmary.

Walking up to the man quietly Jean shot him a suspicious look but politly and quietly asked "Master did you need something?" the song slowly lingered in echos for a strain more before starting to fade from the hall.

"Mother Doshi requires Journeyman Rimon in the Portal Room," he replied tonelessly. He kept his face in a neutral expression. The master's eyes focused on something over Jean's shoulder and like a cool breeze on a summer's day, Jean could sense his sister behind him. "I will cover for you, Journeyman."

"I will go at once. Olivera, make sure nothing goes...amiss," Dani called across the room. Like the first roses of summer, two spots of red bloomed on the master's cheeks, but he said nothing about this little bit of revenge that the lower ranked healer had enacted against him. She nodded at Jean as she brushed by the pair and slid out the door. A quick look over his shoulder would show the surprised expression on several of the acolytes' faces, especially Olivera, the most experienced of them.

Jean coughed into his fist to cover a smirk and a chuckle "Master please excuse me as the Great Mother knows when here where my sister goes so do I." Jean states a moment latter before falling in behind Dani.

=[=]=[=]=[=]=

The beam penning moved easily, but things began to slide and shift dangerously as he held it up. Uncle pulled the woman out of the way in one smooth move that belied his age. Shi'va herded the children to the other side of the alley. But the debris kept falling in chunks.

"Can you walk?" Rayis asked the woman, "cause we have to move now.... quietly, and swiftly." he told her, "If not we shall need people to help try and carry you..." he said now looking over the group.

Rayis was reminded with his glance that he was the only one who would be strong enough to carry the wounded woman. She was laying against Uncle's bent legs. Her bare midriff had a dark flush to it that did fit the pattern on her skin. Her yellow eyes stared up Rayis with a tale-tell shimmer in them.

"Don't leave me," she whispered in a broken voice.

"May the sun guard us...." Rayis muttered as he looked over everyone. Taking the woman quickly into his arms he gave a soft not. "Follow fast.... follow quite..." he said as he went to make his way along the path once more while carrying the woman. "Just remember if something happens I will drop you... but no one gets left behind.... watch behind us at least then we can have some eyes towards our rear."

=[=]=[=]=[=]=



The Portal Room was chaos, pure and simple. Organized chaos, yes, but chaos nonetheless. The only master in sight was Mother Doshi herself, holding the portal open in a shimmering show of power. Around her, like worker bees swarming around their queen, were journeymen of the Lithia House moved taking care of people as they came through the glowing arch that showed a similar room.



"Mother," Dani greeted and waited for further direction. The smell of charcoal and sulfur was strong in the enclosed space. Something stirred inside her at the smell, a dark something that she liked to pretend didn't exist except when she needed to feed it. The Great Mother didn't look at the succubus for a long minute, her entire attention focused on her task. The brief glance that Dani finally got seemed to see so much more than Dani herself could ever hope to in such a look.

"You need to go through," Doshi finally said, her words barely heard in the noisy chaos of the room. "I need you to make sure that everyone is out."

"Mother," Dani said, letting her tone beg for her. Another brief glance had Dani's spine straightening as if Aunt Sha'Kay had just cleared her throat in reminder of posture. "Yes, Mother."

Jean paused at the interchange between Dani and Mother Doshi before nodding gravely "Where you go I go Sis, even when the where is a field of hell. You go I follow."


Jean smiled and let his for ripple around him/her as white wings matched her now white hair streched out. "let us see if we can find more survivors"

"You know, she's my prettiest brother," Dani told the Great Mother causing her to snicker and the portal to ripple around the edges. Grinning like she hadn't a care in the world, Dani leaned in and gave a small peck of a kiss to Jean's nose. Straightening once more, Dani settled into her however-minor authority as a journeyman. "Well, I'm ready, so we should go."

And with those words, she lead the way from the safe and known confines of the Lithia Order House to the battleground beyond the portal and its unknown future.

Jean blushed as her sisters words and followed her silently into the portal.

The Portal Room at Nijazi was just as chaotic as the one at Lithia, only far less organized. There were a few familiar faces in the crowd of healers, including the man holding the portal on this side. He was ancient like the oaks outside of town and by his greenish-gray skin and birch-bark colored hair, he was rather obviously a Daojin. Dani only vaguely remembered attending the ceremony that moved him from Master to Father and couldn't for the life of her remember his name beyond his rank.

She was soon distracted, however, by the rippling silence that spread as people noticed her entrance. The masters that were familiar with her kept moving, but the unfamiliar journeymen paused, some to stare blankly at her as if to wonder how a demoness had come to be amongst them. She squared her shoulders and approached the Father.

"Mother Doshi sent me to make sure innocents are cleared," she announced. Father Nijazi nodded to her, his teeth gritted from the strain of holding open a portal, even with the two other masters that were helping him do so. Making certain that Jean was following her, Dani made a quick exit into the maze of the Order House. Luckily, it was set up similarly to Lithia and she had no trouble.

It was in the courtyard that she caught her first glimpse of the massive dome that surrounded the complex. The walls were a shimmering greenish-white that cast a glow over the courtyard. Several ancient masters stood at intervals around the courtyard with their hands raised as if in prayer. The words of their chanting voices washed over the pair of Rimons. Even Dani didn't understand the chant, but she filed away snippets for later possible uses.

"Any others will be beyond the barrier?" Jean quietly asked Dani her eyes looking at the gathered masters. "Or is there a hole in the barrier somewhere for the refugees to come though, or does it impede them at all?" Jean asked spreading the white wings on her back.

"I don't know," Dani said hesitantly. "I have never seen a barrier like this. It's a Master level secret, I think."

Just then, a group of refugees ran through the barrier and gate of the Order House. It appeared to slow them for a moment before letting them through. The masters never stopped or paused in their chanting.

"Well, that answers that," the succubus chirped. Her leathery wings burst from her back and beat a few times at the sudden freedom. "Shall we?"

Jean beat her own feather wings in time with her sister's "Let us go then." Jean proceded to jump in the air letting her wings catch the wind to glide toward the gate that the refugees entered from.

=[=]=[=]=[=]=

The sounds of fighting was all around them now. They were only a few blocks away from the Order House and the light of the pale barrier brightened the otherwise dim area. The children in the group were starting to lag slightly behind, though none were farther behind than Shi'va. The old woman had been lagging further and further behind the entire journey.

Falling back to watch their rear more Rayis began to offer words of support to them. "Soon we can rest... soon safety shall be ours...." he called out softly. "Don't give up.... we have made it this far... and the bugs be damned if we shall lose our heads now." Keeping his eyes open for any sort of danger he did his best to hurry the ones lagging behind up.

Rayis turned back towards their destination just in time to see two beings fly out of the light...and also to notice the retreating forms of another group passing through the barrier, leaving their opponents stranded. As if in slow motion, he watched a particularly solid-looking demon turning away from lit-up Order House and the sanctuary it provided.

"Bugger me with a fork," Uncle cursed under his breath, though in the sounds of fighting was not quite loud enough to disguise it.

"Between you lot can you drag her into safety if I distract big and ugly...." he said looking set on making sure all of his group could flee to safety even if he had to put is own life on the line. "I don't know how much good I will do facing off with it, or how long I can hold its attention... but if you even have a slim chance of making it there... then I will do everything I can for all of you." he said to them as he placed his passenger upon the ground, and slid his weapons into hand.