C1E16 - Playing Catch Up

## Orentha's Account

Blissfully the next two weeks passed without much incident. After facing pirates, ghosts, and giant squirrel people in the span of a week, some down time was much appreciated. However, even as I tried to just go about my normal guard duties and relax, I had one worry that was constantly in my thoughts - the Nicto Kurasis.

It’s not that the existence of such an organization was new to me. I had, after all, worked for a similar organization for a short period of time in my less-than-lawful days. The worry came from the fact that the Nicto Kurasis appeared to be deeply ingrained in Guavira. From the interactions we’ve had with them, it seemed to be as present as the Tranquil Guard - though obviously not as visible. The Nicto Kurasis also had ties to Jambis and undoubtedly most other business people in the city. I had a sneaking suspicion that this group ran much more than just the underground tunnels. Who knew how far up their influence ran. Any organization like that with unchecked power could be incredibly dangerous.

And then there was Nix. I don’t mistrust them, necessarily. In a fight, I would even say I trust them nearly as much as the rest of Squad 13. I don’t think that they would betray us out of nowhere, and I think they have been a decent ally these past few weeks. I think they’re certainly not as knowledgeable as they would like everyone to think they are, but that doesn’t mean they’re untrustworthy.

But I also don’t trust them. I’m a guarded person, but even I don’t play my cards as close to my chest as Nix does. I have no idea why they are helping us other than the fact that they find our group mildly interesting - which is a very unhelpful explanation. They seem loyal to the Nicto Kurasis without actually knowing much about its structure or plans, yet they are distrustful of everything else. I can usually get a decent read of a person - I can be dead wrong, granted, but I get something. I don’t know how to read Nix.

So, I found myself waiting on a rooftop near the entrance of the underground tunnels where Jambis had taken us on our first job. I sat there watching for hours before someone went inside, and when I tried to follow them through to see if they could lead to any sort of main chamber or base, I got lost. In a maze of tunnels. Owned by an organization I was trying to spy on. Amazing.

Someone in the Nicto Kurasis eventually found me, but after a brief altercation I was able to convince him that I was a tourist and had gotten lost in the tunnels. Not very insightful for someone in a shadowy organization, but I took my lucky break and resurfaced.

The next day I tried to stake out the inn where I had first encountered Nix. This location was apparently even less frequently used than the tunnel entrance, and I spent an entire day getting a sunburn on a rooftop without any new information. Clearly I wasn’t taking the right approach at all.

That night when I returned home I discovered a note on my bed. I didn’t even have to read it to know who it was from. Prick.

Guess I need to booby trap my bedroom now.

\_\_\_\_\_

Later that week, Trindak asked me to accompany him to a church of Desna, which a strange man in a bar had convinced him to go to. I was worried he was about to get kidnapped by a cult, so I joined him. The people there had a very different view of divine worship than I had ever experienced. They emphasized freedom over duty, adventure over accountability, and mostly … fun? It was ridiculous, but I couldn’t help but feel the excitement building in my chest as their priest spoke to us.

One of the butterflies led me out of the church and into the city. I sprinted behind it, the occasional breathless laugh escaping my lips as I went. My legs and lungs burned as we traveled through the city, and it reminded me of running through the streets of Kriala as a child. We eventually ran to the docks of Guavira and the butterfly flew into the water beyond the pier, disappearing beneath the waves. I floated in the sea as the sun set, the water reflecting the beautiful reds and purples of the sky. I don’t think I had experienced such peace in years. It was something the monks had tried to get me to achieve, but their methods were focused on control and mindfulness, not release.

I climbed out of the water before I was in complete darkness and sat on the edge of the pier, thinking about the Order Apothic and the Church of Desna. The Church seemed nice enough, and their focus on adventure and joy in life was certainly appealing, but they didn’t seem to *do* anything, really. The monks trained for a purpose, they trained to change the world. I may find joy in the Church, but I don’t think I will find a purpose.

I squared my shoulders and meditated on the edge of the pier, taking advantage of my sense of peace.