TSC - Chapter 6: Reactions (6) - Catching Insanity

The aftermath of Chloe's sudden and incomprehensible action and of Eryn's torture had left the Xera and Saifu a little stunned. They had failed to notice that the hand that Chloe had cut off, had also been the hand that had been manacled from when she was released from execution. The manacle had, for a few seconds, stayed attached to the wrist, but during the interrogation it had snaked its way over to Chloe as she was unconscious. After a couple of minutes she finally woke up in a stupor. She passed her hand over what had now attached itself around her ankle  but did not seem to be paying any attention. When she had looked up from crying, all she could look at was the hand she once had, which lay on the floor across the room. She felt disappointment and failure although she had no idea why. Eryn cautiously went over to her and helped her up with an outstretched hand. She stood up quickly, her clothing now masking the manacle.

Sheba had now moved from the hand print on the window to the newly created pool of blood from Chloe's hand. It had only fed for a few moments before it started to make sudden clicks and chirps in what seemed like dismay. The Aeon Priest's eyes glazed over for a second before panic set in. He looked wildly around the room before his gaze fell upon Chloe. He backed himself out of the room, his eyes constantly fixed on her. As he turned out the door, Sheba followed him, and his pounding footsteps of him running were heard as left. Xera was now obviously confused and distraught, his compatriot in the research and an ally in its threats, had just left. In the wake of the madness, Xera was not as phased and watched on with a curious eye. Eryn kept a watch on the door as he walked Chloe over to the seat and got her to sit down.

He was interrupted by Valma who was very distraught at the fact that everyone was 'dying  again'. This was, to Eryn, another obvious rant by the child-like creature. Perhaps it was  a problem with whatever that linked its memories together. However Valma was not talking to Eryn, in fact it addressed Chloe but not in name. Chloe had seemingly passed out again, possibly due to exhaustion. Her lips however parted, and a voice scratched out of her vocal cords replied. The initial steps have been taken my child. Do not worry. They are of little use. Xera, not wanting to really interrupt, was becoming more and more uncomfortable around Chloe's presence. Eryn had taken a step back. He was now considering taking the threat Chloe had issued while she was in a fit of madness as a real possibility. She may or may not be in control of her own actions. Regardless, she was a threat now, but he still did not understand the relationship between the two manacles. and could not leave her there. Xera quickly changed the subject as the voice that came from Chloe fell silent. He told Eryn that he needed to head down to the Undercroft Market. He had some equipment there he could use to analyse whatever the nature of the poison was. There was also a quality in the air that had helped develop hardy plants, to which he either had grown parts of his equipment from, or were using the plants themselves as vessels and analytical apparatus. 

A breeze entered the room, more a wall of wind than a simple gust. Valma started to spark violently as she spun, ultimately tumbling to the floor asleep. The rasping voice returned only to describe a dark sphere, swallowed by the earth. There might be another way. The voice retreated back into Chloe and she regained her consciousness, with no memory of what had just happened.   She stared down at where her hand used to be and smiled at Eryn as she weakly but proudly presented the lack of a manacle. He was astounded to find that she had not caused herself any harm from doing so apart from the obvious and for a moment considered doing the same. He however wanted to study whatever the manacle was and searched the floor for where her's would it have fallen.  To his dismay he could not find it, none of them were able to. Eryn quickly came to the conclusion that the Aeon Priest had used the distraction of his pet to take the artifact. Angry and embittered, Eryn decided they should leave right now, rather than wait for anything else to happen. As they left, Margret too had disappeared on them, leaving only piles of parchment and a sizeable amount of rejected designs in her wake.

Chloe was slowly phasing in and out of consciousness. At times she could walk perfectly and others were nearly catastrophic falls. She was not an easy girl to contain, especially as her fleets of awareness were a little disconcerting to the people they passed. Xera was keeping very much to himself, observing Chloe's every movements.  Eryn was quickly realising a feeling that he had had before. He turned his head sharply and scanned the crowd behind him. There didn't seem to be anyone out the ordinary. A few shopkeepers, a mass of customers, a Guldspar or two and a three Aeon Priests.  He wasn't happy that he couldn't see the person following him, like he had with Lily's spy. He revelled for a moment in that particular event, reliving how proud he was to have spotted her informant and couldn't wait to parade that fact in front of her. If he was to try and distinguish who was following then, if anyone at all, then he need to get off of the main thoroughfare. He motioned to Xera to follow him. Eryn struggled with Chloe's unconscious body as he turned into an alley way, Xera outright refused to touch her in case he caught her mental state. The walkway was flanked by spires that reached up to the sky yet had no windows looking out towards then on this floor. The darkness would have been a perfect place to hide, if hadn't been for two Grapnel Guards at the other end chatting. Eryn turned, in hopes he had time to get into a better position but it was too late, his entrance had been blocked by the three Aeon Priests.