Session 6

On the second morning of three days mark, the team separated into groups to enact their plan to be more efficient. Well, not really team split up, more like Kai's split up since the other three went together. Kai set his mind on the target of getting the more people involved the better as he had already planned not one, not two, but five steps ahead and all those involved more or less would have a role in this brilliant plan of his. Kai set his destination on the guard station to meet the officer lady from the other day. He bought her a bouquet of flowers on his way there. But even intelligent as he could ever be, he could not guess her favorite. The lady was in her depth of paperwork when Kai visited her. His flower didn't impress her as she just tossed them through the back when he gave her. Yet his charming seemed to work just fine when he ask her for a date, for business of course. Letting go of the awkwardness of the visit, the officer lady got back to her work, and Kai got back to his plan. Which was to find a bottle of milk and chill out at the dorm, waiting for the others to report theirs result. However, he felt his time was being wasted since it's should be long until the others got back. So he took another trip to find the place of the night date and reserve a table for the two. She would think better of him if he did this beforehand, or so thought Kai. It took him a couple of hours to locate that place, a dinning restaurant called Light before the Wave (technically it means a lighthouse). Just like its name, the place was not built to be spacious horizontally but more vertically. Kai walked in and start reserving his table. He also express his need for a milk to be in present at the dinner. When all was arranged, he walked back to the dorm to carry on with his plan of relaxation.

On the other three side, they spent the morning to track down the conman to ask him for help because of his expertise in this kind of things which The Entourage was still lacking. They were too late, the guard had got to him first. The crime scene was guarded as well. Valar carefully approached a guard and asked about the man's fate. It turned out that his luck ran out: he was caught red handed but unexpectedly executed on sight. His crime was not to be sentenced of death, not even life. He should have been taken into jail for months, years at most. The trio and the asked guard himself felt very strange of this but the reason was beyond him as he just picked up his shift to stand guard here on the crime scene. Fortunately, the team still learned of the place of the man final rest. It was the crypt near the church in the wood, a familiar place to the gang. So they brought this news back to Kai at the dorm to figure out what's the next step. Valar wanted to take a trip to the Jinjutsu shop for his axe so they took a little detour for that. The mysterious figure at the shop was waiting for their arrival, his eyes glowed as Valar and Yuldra walked in his shop. He spun the axe around in a fluid movement to prove of his fine work on the axe. He also showed to them that he has refined the carving of the insignia on the handle as well. It was more than was Valar could ever ask for, so paid the man Valar did happily. Yuldra took a chance to find a fix his missing limb on the man. He asked whether the man could have anything, anything at all to help him. The man pulled his ropes and climbed up to his ceiling. A moment later, he returned with a cone shaped wooden piece in his hand. He told Yuldra to show him the wounds, then he put a bit of mysterious green paste on the wounds and put the wooden component in place. He pulled a bit of this and a bit of that to strengthen and secure the thing on Yuldra leg. "Tadaaa, a new leg for you, kid. Not as new but this will do before you could find a better solution for it, yeah?!" Said the man like he just finished a masterpiece. Yuldra asked for a price to pay but the man refused and said he would count it on Valar charge. Atlas, things started to go their way. When they got back there, Kai's room door was sealed tight, there were also strange light and wind blowing out of the tiny gap under his door. No answer from Kai, so the team had to wait for him downstairs. Half an hour passed, they heard the footsteps from Kai room to the stairs. They saw him rush toward the door, not even notice them waiting for him. What made him so hurried, Valar wondered to himself. Alistair quickly snatched the boy hand to hold him back and ask him what's wrong.

- What the hurry, Kai! - Alistair asked.

- None of your business! Now let me go, you big dummy. - Kai answered.- I'm leaving. You three keep following the plan and you should be fine.

- C'mon, Kai, we are a team here. Tell us, we could help you! - Yuldra interfered.

- I can't tell you this kind of personal things. Beside, if i could, you wouldn't understand, it's probably beyond your understanding.

- Hey kids, we get it, we want to deal with our personal problem alone. But it's always better to be a team than a single one, even a predator becomes a prey when he's as vulnerable as one if he keeps going alone. - Valar put in his word.

- He's right, Kai. We know we're not as smart as you. We have been followed your word blindly for days here. We could help you even when we don't know what is that you need. We trust you, we trust your word, Kai. - Yuldra continue Valar words. - Help us finish what we started and we help you do what want.

- No, I'm leaving.... Hmmp, second thought, fine. But as soon as we're done here, I'm leaving with or without you. - Kai hesitated at first but then sighed, seemingly giving in to his teammates' words. He knew that all his arcane power come from the link between him and the cat, which was gone. That made him a normal kid, genius but still a kid. He needed the team's strength for whatever waited him in that ruin. - Now, Time is not to be wasted, people. what did you three find out?

- That's the spirit! Here's what we know and we're going on field trip out side the city, yehawww. - Yuldra answered.

So to the church they went. They must made haste as the sun would be bellow the tree soon if anything unwanted happens. And they always happens when you least suspect them to. And because of that the last time they were out in the forest at night, things didn't go so well for them. Beside, Kai had a date and he wouldn't want to be late for it. They made it to the church unscathed, still, time was running short. Then they had a good chat with highmother Ursula:

- Ah, good afternoon, my children. What brings you here to my humble chapel. - High mother Ursula greeted.

- Afternoon to you as well, high mother. We are here for the undead matter we met before. - Yuldra responded.

- We have found similar wounds on our travel, we want to report to you. Also, we are following a lead to your hall of dead. Can you help us. - Valar added and showed Kai's wounds to Ursula.

- Hmm, It is serious as we suspected. As for your request of visiting my hall of dead, well, if you think that could help, then be my guest. Just be careful down there and don't break anything. Please. - She replied

- Umm, one more thing, high mother. I don't know if this is too much to ask of you but our last trip to such place didn't end well. Do you have anything to aid us? Maybe some holy water to spare? - Yuldra asked of her in shy.

- I'd be glad to help you in anyway i can. But as you've already known holy water is a resource, resource is kinda rare around here and it's not cheap to make either, even for us. I, of all the people here, has the privilege to hold just a tiny vial in case of the worst. I can't just give it to you freely. I have all these children and other sisters to care for.

- Maybe I could help with that. - Kai spoke up from behind.

- I didn't meant to interrupt.- He continued as he closing in with the highmother. - I have but a little to support the church with the caring for these children. I know it's not much but it's all we could give right now. Hope this would ease your mind on such worry of casual things. - He quickly put a small pouch of gems in her hand.

- Ah, I, on behalf of this church, thank you, my good child. With this help, I could afford more food and clothes for the children, I even have some spare to reinforced the barrier around here. Which by the ways has already worn out, to be honest. Maybe you do need this more than we do right now indeed. Very well, I will provide you with this. Use it well, my child. And thank you again for your support. May Adimoolan bless your work. - She said, giving them the vial of holy water while showing them the way to the crypt.

Kai took his little time left to say a prayer to Adimoolan, even though he's never a believer. As he kneeled to say his word, the unexpected meeting with the elf being while he's waiting for the gang to come back at the Dorm recalled in his mind. Those words of his had bothered Kai ever since.

- Welcome, little one. Sit down. Have a tea. Let's have a little chat, shall we.

- Greeting to you as well. May I know why you want to meet me here and now. - Kai inquired him

- Like I had said, repeatedly on your way here. Leave him, don't search for him anymore. He's gone. Condemned for what he did.

- I don't know what are you talking about, good sire. May I ask of whom are we speaking of?

- Don't play fool to me, boy. You know darn well who I'm speaking of. Your disgusting fey friend who kept hiding from us in that hideous cover, CAT. Ughh. Leave him. THIS INSTANT

- Well, then there no need to hide anymore. I will answer you this: I can't. And I will not, leave him. He was there when all was lost to me. He's my family. He's all I got left. Family means nobody left behind.

- . Has he ever told you of his crime. He's a murderer. He's the worst of his kind. Stop your searching, and I... I could be your family. I could be anything you want. I'm BETTER than him, in EVERY WAY.

- With all my respect and gratitude for what you've done, I will say this one more time: I will not betrayed my family when he needed me most as he had never did to me.

- ARE YOU TAKING HIM OVER ME. THAT TREACHEROUS CREATURE OVER ME. Is that what you mean?

- YES, a hundred times, YES.

- Fine. Then find him as your own peril. I will made no attempt to communicate with you EVER AGAIN. You ungrateful human. - That being angrily replied to Kai's strong answer. He held the necklace he gave Kai in his hand. A face of familiar to Kai showed up on the center stone of the necklace as he did so. Then he throw over Kai's head taking the surrounding with like illusion of smoke and cloud.

Kai, stunt by all he had just witnessed, sat down his chair. Suddenly, a series of images of a ruin in a distant woods appeared in his mind. He knew where to go, where his cat was.

Kai opened his eyes, escaped his deep thought and prayers. His eyes showed such determination as his path now fixed in front of him and he intended to walked to whatever it end. He stood up right, say good bye to the team for he had a date back in the city and wished the others luck to finish what they came to do. Kai went back to the Restaurant, while others to the crypt.

Kai went to his day alright. His disturbed mind however affected his word. His charming changed into a very unpleasant charismatic voice. But the lady officer didn't seem to mind either. Her intention was to drink herself out more than a chat with friend. And she really did, she got herself quite drunk that she couldn't talk straight at the end of the date. Kai's once again alone as his date had knock herself out. He didn't know what to do really. Luckily, the restaurant owner quite knew the lady. He told that she was his favorite guest. She went there every night and then. The owner claimed to take care of her until she woke up and Kai should not worry at all.

On the other side, the trio made their ways to the crypt. When they walked down the hall way to find the con man place, Alistair found a strange characters of name carved on a sealed remains hatch door. He told Valar but Yuldra had already pushed on his way far beyond his reach. The two tried to pry open the drawer as they thought it should be something on the other side, maybe a secret way. It was something on the other side indeed. Dried bone of an ancient deceased highborn. The bones dropped out as they put their combined weight onto Alistair sword to pry it open. Come along with those bones, the wraith from the souls of the man that's quite angry when somebody disturbed his eternal sleep. The wraith jumped right on Alistair. Its claws slashed through the man flesh on the abdomen. He cried out in pain and anger. His skin started to changed, his claws grew. Alistair made his retaliation. But his claw proved ineffective. Valar swung his axe at the wraith. It went right through. They might haven't learn their lessons from last encounters as no one brought anything useful against this creature. Yuldra rushed back to aid his companions. With a fling of his hand, the chainblade flew through the air, aimed at the creature. Once again, the blade didn't catch the wraith either. Another hand movements, the blade flew accordingly. The steel chain swept through the creature's face, leaving no marks of damage. The wraith swiped at the newcomer and badly wounded him. Yuldra fell to his knee. the wraith laughed in great pleasure as he evaporated back into thin air. Valar dropped his weapon to take a look at the boy's wound. He waved his hand, and the wound closed. Yuldra's back on his feet. The gang continue down the hallway. Atlas, they found the con man hatch. This time, Valar carefully did a ritual with prayers and flowers to appease the dead. They cracked the door open and pulled out the man body. His body was strangely dried, like something sucked out all the liquid and moisture inside him. There're also many wounds like one on Yuldra's all over his body. Valar searched for more clue but only a little scrap paper was found in the corpse hand. The paper said: Acanophe. But wasn't it the name of the merged guild into the Gulin, Valar wondered. Getting nowhere with this lead, the gang went back the dorm empty - handed. At least they made it before the night fell.

Back at the dorm, Kai has already waited to hear good news from them. No news was good that day. So the whole group decided to take their rest to ease the burden of the closing in deadline of three days. Valar could not bear being left empty handed at the end of the day as his hunter sense kicked in. From years of experience hunting great beast, and months spent to hunt greater ones, Man; he knew how to salvage the last hours of day. He thought that the brothel would have to close, and based on it's natural characteristic, the time would be closed to sun rise. So he went there and waited. Just like what he thought, the brothel closed at five in the morning. A carriage was waiting to pick up the owner back to his home. Valar's eyes felt heavy, his body felt tired. It did not want to move at this time anymore. This feeling was no strange to him. It was all that he has gone through during those hunt before. His will had always been stronger than his body. Valar jumped down from his hiding and chased after the carriage. He had to drag himself through many blocks of building but the Hunter Mark helped him keep tracks of the horse pulling that carriage. He even suspected that he has already got into a new district as the scene was beyond his memory of being here before. Atlas, the carriage stopped in front of a three-level building with a ridiculous fountain on the front. This should be that brothel owner home. Valar hid nearby, closely watched the man came inside to make sure that this was truly his house. Valar only left when the carriage did so. When he got back to the dorm, the sun has risen up above the sky. He threw himself on the bed, taking the sleep he had earned.

Now that they know the owner house, what will they do next? Will they raid it or waited for more information to report to higher authority? Stay with us till next week to find out! Until then, Have fun, love each other and roll your Initiative.