TSC - Chapter 6: Reactions (5) - Misused Assets

Lily could see the floor move upwards, she could feel it pass through her, or she through it. The feeling was similar to that of falling through the rubbish and the rock under the city. The room below Neaves had been buried in rubbish, the glass half fractured in the windows against the pressure of the things left behind. There was a flicker of a candle, a man's heavy groan before she was hit with something large and flat. She was knocked out instantly.

When her consciousness was regained  she found herself in sumptuous surroundings. The walls were panelled with a dark and lustrous wood, red velvet was draped to the sides of the windows. A desk seemingly carved from one piece of wood with matching animal hide chair were in front of her. She was on a similar chair and finding herself alone, decided to investigate. Her head was still pounding so she didn't want to venture far. She steadied herself on the desk, noting anything of value. The ink pot next to the quill had something swimming in it, multiple things, she could hear their tiny screeches as she put her eat to the stopper. As she tapped the vial the ink became darker, as though those creatures expelled it. There was a burning candle in orange wax and books piled neatly to one side. She tried jangling the drawers, trying to force them open without making too much sound. The bottom two and deeper than the first refused to budge, while the first opened as if its mechanism had recently been oiled.

The small blue bag inside tumbled around with clinks. It contained metallic plates, made of precious metals with rare gemstones adorning the centre. There was filigree across the stones in the design that similarly matched what she had been given. In the shadows of the bag, she swore she could see the bugs move slightly, like the wings did on hers. They hadn't changed into rings when she investigated them and owing to the fact she had one herself, dismissed the contents. She now had a good idea what kind of person she had been abducted by and this caused her a little confusion. She moved over to the bookcase, trying to discern whether the reading material would give her any insight into who was her captor. The books were complex with words she could not understand, in fact most of them were unreadable to her, although she found appreciation in the illustrations and the quality of the craftsmanship of the leather bindings. One described the world of insects as a kingdom, with a highrachy to suit. A weighty set footsteps pounded the floor boards outside the door, along-side heavy breathing with a hint of wheezing. She looked around the room for any spot to hide, or to gain an advantage but there wasn't any, so she decided to keep reading as a guise.

The door swing open and banged against the panelling. A heavy set gentleman in his mid-forties, his hair thinning and had missing teeth, causing whistling accompaniments as he gained his breath. He was dressed in all the finery of a merchant lord, however he seemed squeezed into it and rather uncomfortable. She could see that the skin of his hands were coarse, and there were flecks of straw in the hemline of his trouser's turn-ups. He had no sword, no staff, and to Lily, no physique to be threatening. He had found himself out of breath before he had even entered the room and this made Lily a little more confident than she should have been.

There was a simplistic tone to the man's voice, almost rudimentary. To Lily, this man had about the same amount of eloquence as she had proficiency in reading. His voice was deep and stern however and commanded Lily to sit, now referring to her as 'girl'. He asked her if she knew what she had done, to which she said she did not. He replied that she had gone against his wishes, she looked back perplexed. His tone changed from stern to almost as if he was trying to explain a simple fact to a child that refused to believe. He asked of her what she had told Areanna to do; she replied she had employed someone to spy on Eryn. He asked if that was part of her assignment and she shook her head. He asked who ultimately employed that spy, she bowed her head and replied You. He asked her who she worked for, to which she replied the same. He asked her to explain what she had done and now a drip fed apology. To his satisfaction she apologised for using his resources without his permission and for delaying the assignment.

He waddled over to her chair and with surprising strength, turned Lily and the chair around to face the window. He told her to observe. Outside, there were figures falling, women in fact, all falling to their doom. There wasn't a stampede, nor were many people paying attention. Out of the crowds of shoppers, or those that sought entertainment or shelter, there were women hurling themselves down to the depths of the city. One or two were being activly being chucked down by men, who seemed to unblock the path they were on.  The man turned to Lily and told her this event was expected and that the plan called 'The Harvest' was to be initiated. He gave no further explanation before asking if she could 'handle' the task. She nodded and the man slapped her on her back jovially, his belly wobbling with his laughter. She had taken the full brunt and fel to her knees. Smiling, he told her to wait a few moments as he disappeared behind a dividing screen that kept a locked cabinet away from view. He brought out a tulip, the colours of its petals reacting to the touch of the man. He stopped admiring the colours it produced and mentioned he believed this was the plant Melvile has on him. He passed her a wooden box and mentioned that he presumed she knew how to work it. To Lily, the man may have had some brute strength,  but he lacked her finesse and her intelligence and graciously accepted the box, in hopes to escape as quickly as possible. The man turned to the windows, making sure they were shut, mentioning how he couldn't wait to get out of the attire he had on before passing into the hallway and locking and bolting the door from the outside.

Lily could feel the back of the box was smooth, and possibly parchment. She unattached it from the back and read it to herself after making sure the man had gone. It was nice to meet in person finally, Love from Uncle Silas. She was a little bemused, was the man she met Silas? Why did he put 'love'? His attitude and behaviour  in Lily's opinion was nothing to be feared and most likely just a messenger for him. The other side of the note, which backed against the box simply stated. Betray me and you will never make it out of the city alive.

TSC - Chapter 6: Reactions(4) - Madness

After arriving on the rock garden Chloe's vision had not returned like it had previously. She could see faint lines, threads almost, weaving through the air around her in all directions, crisscrossing and snaking between the spires. As she had put the box away, she noticed Valma had gone to sleep upon arrival. She knelt down to pick her up when, when upon touching Valma's metal skin, her left hand slowly changed from flesh to a pale golden crystal. A jewel, whose quality was as if imbued with the first rays of sunset. It spread from her fingertips to her wrist. It was like she had done to so many other objects, turning them from their form into amethyst. Without her instruction the hand picked up Valma and threw her through the open window. She quickly followed suit, bumping into Ecition and tripping over Sheba and she hauled herself up over the stone windowsill. Her hand flexed a little and moved side to side, stretching and tensing. The form her hand had taken was completely numb to her. A foreign object bonded with her skin. She cried out in pain and panic. It had to be removed before whatever force controlled it tried to use it against her. She reached out and found a blade and readied herself to separate the crystal from her arm.

Eryn's anger had been raised instantly when Chloe arrived. Although he was a tiny bit relived that Chloe was safe, her sudden intrusion and disruption of his interrogation was the final straw. He could feel his hands ready to catch alight from the anger and considered the possibility of his halo burning the floor  above him but she needed to be stopped. Chloe had stumbled into the room but had yet to speak aloud, her head twitching this way and that, her eyes constantly moving. In a sudden burst of agony, Chloe screamed and Eryn snapped. He pulled him arm back to swing at her when Valma danced in between him and Chloe and would not move. Valma would not give a clear explanation, causing Eryn to become increasingly frustrated. Chloe fell to her knees her hands covering her face. She rocked slowly, before removing her left hand and staring at it. She twisted it, examining it with look of horror. Her breath shortened, her eyes widened and panic spread like wildfire within her. She scrambled around on the floor for a few moments, crying out about her hand not real anymore, not under her control. She shouted it was going to kill her or that it was forever lost from her. She eventually bumped up against Eryn, and without warning, grabbed his dagger and stared down at her wrist. The three looked onwards with shock as she prepared to bear down with the blade on her own flesh and blood.

It was a quick and clean cut, thanks to Eryn's consistently sharp dagger, owed to its lack of use. Eryn without thinking, quickly cauterised the wound before standing back in shock like Xera and Ecition. Xera offered to put her into stasis for her own good while Ecition had taken a few more steps backward and had his back against the wall. She burst into tears and angry retorts, she would not be held imprisoned again, especially not in her body. She tore away from Eryn's help and suddenly her feet were plated, as she jumped out of the window. She intended to land of the wall of the building opposite and to fall straight to her demise. Her landing was impeccable, her hand was braced against the wall, her tip toes against the brick. She was prepared to fall, willing it almost. In the split second she landed, the voice that had wept earlier, with the chime of glass, boomed angrily in her mind. This vessel must be protected! Her head was forced to turn around, to look straight back into the room. The balls of her feet adjusted so that she could jump off. Her feet were not plated in amethyst this time but the golden tones of what she had seen her hand transform into. She was forced back into the room and landed as a heap on the floor. When she had come to, she scrambled backwards, after seeing her hand on the floor; flesh and blood, not crystal at all.  She burst out crying and as Eryn, in a brief moment of compassion for her tried to comfort her, she struggled to break free. He was scared and confused. He needed  quiet, a time to think, and without much thought kindled a few wisps of smoke to knock her out.

The room fell silent. The assailant from the shop no longer seemed to care about his own wounds and feared more for his own sanity. He jested that there was no way they were a threat to him, especially if Eryn couldn't prevent the madness that had ensued. There was a slight twinge in Eryn's neck, which rippled and surged its way to behind his eyes. His plunged his hands into the halo above his head and with his index and middle finger of his right hand, slowly burned his way through the flesh of the man's calf. He screamed out in agony but with the threat of the other hand was muffled. Eryn asked what the man knew. He winced, He is real! Eryn questioned who, and almost in response  the maniacal on his wrist which he had forgotten nearly all about tightened painfully. He could feel the tentacles wrap around his ear. The glint from the blade that Chloe had used, showed a reflection he had seen before. The voiced hissed Me. Eryn now panicked, tried to question, reason, bargain and threaten the voice to which it did not respond. The man no longer struggled to break free, believing sitting still was the best way to avoid being crazy. Ecition was shaking his head slowly, as if remembered a half forgotten fear, while Xera only watched on with curiosity. The voice and its presence faded and Eryn pressed his fingered into the holes he made once more with a warning for the man to never come back, and for his guild to leave them in peace.  Much to the surprise of Xera, Eryn let the man go and watched as he hobbled out the door.

TSC - Chapter 6: Reactions (3) - The Crash

Chloe had been completely unaware of what had happened to Eryn and Lily. She had been forced to wait outside and her curiosity which would have driven her inside was superseded by a sharp pain she felt in the back of her head. She wasn't sure if this was an illness or something more but her vision slowly wained into darkness. Slowly, she could see pinpricks of lights piercing the black. Then, as she turned her head, she could the earth she lived on; however the landmasses were a little different to what she knew. Her eyes followed a craft that could sail through the stars. She could hear sirens and screaming. The vessel then crashed with a volatile force, causing shockwaves and dust clouds to cover the earth that she could see. She could hear  a voice in her head cry and sob, tinged with the chinking of glass. She felt a pain running up her arm and soon the stars and the planet disappeared from view and her arm dissolved in, with Valma's aura enveloping it.

Valma had been brought over the sound of Chloe crying. Her eyes were dry however, and she told Valma she hadn't been crying and looked upo the secret keeper with supicion. Valma was instantly bored and therefore ignored her, now only wanting to play more games and learn more secrets. The voice inside Chloe's head uttered Be quiet child, with Valma responding  accordingly. It now had questions about the voice, why it could hear it and what the voice was. Chloe was now very confused, she had been feeling for quite some time that parts of herself were slowly slipping away, being taken by the voices in her head. Valma's reaction was probably also imagined, a product of whatever was in her head. Regardless, in hopes of getting Valma to be quiet, she told it of the vision she saw. Valma suddenly started to access a historical database, to which it was surprised it even had. It's aura changed, taking on a pale golden hue, although it now seemed to have a partly reflective quality. Its voice also changed, it didn't speak like a child, it's voice was more mature but also more synthetic with crackling undertones. It instantly stopped spinning, the illuminated obelisks and scriptures on its surfaces now in a dim light. Alert. Transdimentional Gravimatrix Drive initiated. All personnel prepare for shift. Valma stopped for a second, her tonal qualities adjusting slightly. Warning, failure in Transdimentional Stability Coils. Warning emergency engine shutdown unable to engage. Alert, catastrophic engine failure. Alert,  gravity lock on celestial body will not disengage. Warning,  impact on celestial body imminent. Likelihood of vessel remaining intact upon collision; less than zero point one. Alert to all personnel, contingency nine three one has been initiated, prepare for an emergency shift . Valma then screamed, as if every part of her being was being destroyed and resembled over and over again.  The screaming  soon trailed off but  was replaced with even more questions, Valma was partly sure it was there at the time of the crash but did not know how, nor did it understand where this knowledge had come from. Valma turned to Chloe for answers.

Unable to find anything of worth to tell Valma, she stared down at her wooden box hoping Valma would eventually become bored. She traced her fingers over the blood that had soaked in when suddenly the crystal panel lit up asking her to connect. She knew what to expect, and followed its instructions leaving Valma trying to figure out what was going on by itself. She called for Eryn who did not reply, then for Lily who did not respond either. Valma casually mentioned she saw hands dragging Lily beneath the floor before she heard Chloe crying. This was not a good sign, nor were the blood splatters, the split mercury and the range of scientific and alchemical devices and notes sheh ad stumbled upon in the room.  The sight of the it didn't sicken her, it was almost as if she couldn't see it.  The flower the device showed was something that she had not seen before but the locator and the description provided lead her to a plant with metallic leaves and fleshy petals. The box fired its two ceramic needles into the stem of the plant followed by a third from Valma, who was now excited about going on a trip. She asked what the destination was and without a reply Chloe connected, in hopes of loosing Valma and its aggravating habits.  

At Mezzo's Margaret was looking over a selections of sketches she had sent for. When Eryn arrived with the burned man and the two strangers, he noticed half of the parchements were scrunched on the floor. They were designs for a new synth box, preusmabley new storage for her lunch. She quickly questioned Eryn as why he had returned without Lily, as she was the owner of the room they wanted to use. A fact they could have bypassed with Chloe, but neither women were with them. He defended himself, saying that he and Lily were still associates and needed the facilities fast.  Margret tutted and lobbed they keys at him before turning back to the sketches, throwing another design in a crumpled ball to the floor.

The safe room had been just as Eryn had left it. The chair was still in the centre of the room, with ropes  attached, Mephisto's blanket was on the floor in the corner, and both the bloodstains on the brickwork of the window and the large spill on the wooden floor had soaked in. The two men Eryn had  met  looked at each other with worry. They both knew they needed the research that the girl Chloe had but she was not here, and the blood on the floor made them only think the worst.

Eryn grabbed his hostage by his black coverings, an identical match to Zarik, the image of his corpse now flashed before Eryn's eyes. He tied the man up and prepared for the interrogation, trying to imitate what he had caught out the corner of his eye with Lily and Styenbeck. He summoned his courage and lit his halo only for him to be hit in the head with metal object that had been flung into the room from the window. This was much to the surprise of Ecition, who had seen Chloe and a metallic pyramid appear out of thin air. He had accompanied his Ricora while she had been feeding on the hand print on the window and now had the urge to leap out himself to investiage the plants around CHloe. 

TSC - Chapter 6: Reactions (2) - Insects

With no words spoken, the five men leapt at the priest thinking he was the easier target. He managed to dodge one or two thrusts but was caught on the shoulder and forearm by two of the blades. In retaliation he closed his eyes for a second before a gathering stampede of scuttling noises revealed itself be a horde of Scrap Beatles from the rubbish from the bottom of the city. They swarmed the the cracks in the floorboards and up the leg of one of the men untill he was covered entirely. He reacted with such violent horror that it made the Priest smile just a little, realising insects were most likely a phobia of his. The other man reached back for his blowgun and managed to impale a dart on the man next to the phobic.  Eryn dashed as quick as he could away from his attacker, igniting the flame wall that protected him. The brute that was after Eryn, swiftly caught on fire and while he was distracted, Eryn held onto the metal part of his rapier, channelling heat from his halo to his fingertips, causing the metal to burn in the man's hands. The attacker crumpled over in pain.  The thug that was next to him tutted at his comrades inability and charged at Eryn. He suffered similar inflictions to the companion. Another went to the Aeon priest only to be swarmed by half the population that had crawled over the priests first target. He followed his up with an attack from Sheba. She runt of a Rocira, whose wings had been purposefully clipped. Eryn was instantly distracted by this insect. In swarms the Ricora were known to signal devastation when arrive and cataclysmic events follow them before they move onwards. The fear and terror they incite had caused towns to become deserted before the swarm even crossed their paths.  

Sheba tried to use her clipped wings as would do in flight, flattening them down into razor edged blades. However the reaction of the attacker was so severe that he was already running around the room before it could slice at his legs. The man who was now finally half freed from his horror, fled before the Ricora would cause destruction. The last man who had up to now been unharmbed by the doorway went for man with the dart thrower. His sword gleamed from the shop window light as he cleaved down onto his victim but he escaped, barely. The burnt hands of the first man now started to painfully blister. He could not carry out his deed without help and seeing his comrades fall with little concern of his well being, left as well.  Eryn decided he had had enough and motioned for the other two get closer to the floor. He ripped off part of a crate and started to smoulder it in his hand, causing dense smoke to fill the room. This wood was a little more yellowish than he had first realised and the smoke itself took on wisps of toxicity, causing painful coughing and stinging of the eyes.

The man who had been running from Sheba took his leave as well, coughing violently before succumbing to the smoke himself and falling to the floor outside. Sheba lashed out at the attacker who had not believe in Eryn's fire and hacked into his arm with its wings. On his hands and knees the dart thrower had a perfect aim. A bolt flew under the cover of smoke and popped the eyeball on the man. His wounds, the smoke, the attacks and the final explosion of his optic nerve left him dead. The last man retreated as fast as he could, failure was an option, as long as lived to repot back. The man who had fallen outside the room  had propped himself up against the counter trying to regain his breath. He was quickly set upon by Eryn with a barrage of questions, his response was to top rub the tattoos on his fingers, the markings spreading from his finger tips across his skin and clothes till his entire body dissolved. He was of no use to Eryn but the other man was still alive as long as he didnt commit suicide.

The man had barrelled outside but had been caught into the tides of the crowds. He was soon swiftly followed by the three.  He too had also been targeted by the Scrap Beetles on his way out and were dripping off of him. This caused the more delicate shoppers to feint and scream but did not cause the horde to part. The man with the dart thrower tried to get line of sight, mentioning he could stop the man in his tracks if he had a clear view. The priest smiled and sent forth Sheba, who caused women to leap from its path, the more irrational to jump from the platforms in hopes of landing on the floors below and for some to take to machines and abilities that allowed them to scale the spires unaided by a stable foundation. The fleeing assailant was soon put into an intangible cell from which he could not escape, with his hands as directed by Eryn, left outside of the field. Sheba tried to strike her wings at him but they bounced off, to which she made a few unsatisfied chirping noises before scuttling up onto the shoulder of the priest. Eryn was now angry, fed up in part due to a distinct lack of cigarretes All he wanted to do was rest. It was time he found out more about the Rings.

He grabbed the assailants hands and burned the tattoos off of his skin. The pain was blinding any thoughts the man had; rendering him useless to Eryn's enquiries. He decided to take him to Mezzo's. A more fitting location for an interrogation. He broached the subject of these men with two he had just met. The Aeon Priest introduced himself and his associate as Eciton and Xera respectively. They regretted they did not inform Eryn sooner of this possibility. The research they had been working towards, in separate locations, had put them under a very real danger. After months of correspondence they were attacked by similar men and the fear caused the two to meet. They wanted to discuss why their research had  been threatening their lives. This only added to the complex puzzle that Eryn was slowly trying to piece together.

TSC - Chapter 6: Reactions (1) - Scribbles

A little startled Eryn turned around to notice Lily who was already looking over the room. Eryn handed her the notes he had found by Melvile and asked her to look over them while he preceded to look around. He didn't mention that the two men, scientists or doctors or whoever they were; were intangible to him. In the struggle that ensued only ended up with him getting chocked up against a wall, before the two disappeared through it.  Lily on the other hand did not mention to him that she noticed a golden beetle as embroidery on the more distinguishable man in the screen he was holding. She looked down at scarab on her finger, the stone that formed its shell split open and tiny mechanical wings folded out. She tried to cover it up using her other hand, dropping the research. She felt hands grabbing her feat and covering her mouth as she was dragged through the floor. Eryn turned to notice the disarray of papers, her wooden box on its side on the floor, and Valma's sleeping form nestled in-between. He believed that his usefulness had been spent and she continued onwards with her own goals.

As he gathered up the notes, he noticed that the box was asking if he wanted to 'connect'. He first took this as a communication, probably from Lily. Eryn had now gathered this was typical for her, to be this self cantered and almost refused to answer on those grounds alone. His logic prevailed, and he gingerly picked it up and noticed the only option was a yes or a no. He looked over the box to see if there was an interface he could find on the box to guide his answer. Defeated, he placed both his hands on the sides of the box and under the thumbs he could feel raised nodules that responded to his touch. He moved the answer to yes and the screen changed. Following it was a picture of a two toned flower, with fuzzy white outer petals and crisp, sharp inner yellow ones. It was described as a Parnos flower and only a few feet away from him. He paced around the room searching through the liquid metal stains, the blood splatters, and the utter chaos of the apparent ad-hoc autopsy. In a smashed pot, on its side, was the Parnos flower. The box then asked for him to 'confirm', which he did. The box opened a small opening in the front panel and outshot two lengths of twine attached to ceramic needles, which lodged themselves into the plant. It then 'confirmed connection' and asked again for confirmation. With this last press, he noticed the plant's roots were connected to some sort of light under the soil which was just peaking through. All of a sudden he felt the burn of rope on his wrists as the rooms definition was lost. Shapes turned to colours which turned to greyscale and then to black. He awoke to find himself  in the storage room of what sounded like a busy shop.

The room was barely lit but from what he could see there were two men arguing over something. Not wanting to draw attention to himself after what had just happened to tried to listen in silence. However his arrival had betrayed him and no sooner had he moved than so too did what was stored around him in a almighty crash. The man on the left of the table which the two figures both stood over, now carefully approached. He removed one of the boxes to see Eryn half dazed and very confused.   Eryn recognised the attire this man, an Aeon Priest to be sure but it hadn't seen a tailor or dressmaker recently. It was moth-eaten, ripped and marred by dirt, but only at the edges, the damage must have been recent. There were hastily sewn insignias of Hawk-Eyes on the inner lining. Although the priest offered Eryn a helping hand up, Eryn was then instantly dismissed as uninteresting when compared to his method of travel. Without introduction the priest asked for any and all information about what was had just happened and the box. The other man left by the table was a lot more cautious. He had piled the papers on the table into a neat stack and had placed them under a book before turning around; holding his dart thrower from behind his back.

Eryn had backed away from the priest now who had  seemed to have had completely forgotten that Eryn was still occupying the space. He was forced to move over to the table and with a quick glance looked down at what the two had been looking over. The writing that was visible form the sides of the book were calculations, theories and scribbles notes. Most of it on the margins to a differently scrawled text, the handwriting of Melvile. There were two options now for Eryn. That these men were either working with the ones who were in Neave's house or perhaps something far worse in his mind. He thought best to introduce himself, to see their reaction, in hopes they would not recognise him. Their gaze never faltered. He mentioned now more honestly his method of travel and that of Melvile, who he noticed they knew of. He told them that a colleague of his had met Melvile recently and possibly had research from him.  This he hoped was his bargaining chip. The man with the dart thrower holstered and was stunned into silence. Eryn recognised his expression, the workings of a man behind his eyes. After a few moments the priest pulled out the plant that Eryn had arrived from, noticing the light that the roots were curled around and fed into, while the other broke down in faint tears. He told Eryn that he had believed for years that Melvile was dead. He was told of his death in detail, it was a fact he had eventually made peace with. In those last few seconds of revelation and unnoticed, the shop floor had gone quiet. There were creaks of many heavy footsteps on floorboards, and the mumbles of quick conversation with what presumably was the owner and a low voiced gentleman. Within seconds the door burst open and five men appeared, brandishing weapons and ring tattoos on their fingers.

TSC - Chapter 5: Realities (7) - The Pale Gold Dress

Eryn dived quickly back against the wall, the motion knocking the contents of his pocket out onto the floor. He stared down at the obsidian disk and the image of Neave flashed before him.  Then came the memories of the times with Rose, before he was imprisoned. The smile on her lips, her laughter, the gleam in her eye. This image was swiftly forced out by the two faceless children, being brutally murdered, Neave and Shroud slain on the floor. He remembered Rose for what they once were, for one last time. He buried the memory, a keep sake at the bottom of his heart. He peered around the corner again and made for the cover of crates closer to her. She had stopped talking to the man that accompanied her and was now fully concentrating on a book. The man was now looking over the edge of the promenade, breathing in the morning air. This was soon followed by noxious smoke from a scrap of wood and he was knocked out cold. Eryn forced down the last of the memories of Rose and did the same. It was swift and silent. With her now over his shoulder, he now carried her out of Minotaur territory. Past the border was a small tavern now in ruins. Eryn decided it was probably best to hide the body to transport down and hoping to prove his theory correct, wanted to put Rose inside a cask.

Inside looked as if the Iron Wind had blown through. The room was upside down, glasses were smashed, chairs were broken and  dust refused to fall. A light cough alerted Eryn he was not alone. He placed Rose on the ground and approached with caution. A man was scrounging around on the floor. He seemed to be searching for what Eryn could see was his eyes; one of which was projecting the image of a playing card just above the retina. The man found the other eye first and with a quick rub on his robe, squelched it back into place.  He looked upwards catching a glimpse of Eryn through the haze and with the tilt of his head Rose. His voice was familiar to Eryn and he to the man. Maw had left the Foundations and would have seemed to have found himself with the Minotaur Gang. This was not how the plan was meant to go. Without a reply Eryn sparked up his halo of flames, plunged his right hand into it and leapt at Maws face. He could feel the flesh melt under his fingertips, the burning smell masking the rotting ale and the damp. Maw cried out in pain and fell to his knees. Eryn crushed the other eye with his heel, it exploded into fragments of optic nerve, tiny cogs and glass shards.  Eryn searched behind the counter and found a empty keg. He gingerly placed Rose inside and with the innkeepers tools that were left, nailed her in. Behind the broken remains of the bar there was a small floating wooden spiral that was parallel to the floor. Eryn touched it lightly and it hovered in the direction it was pushed. It was most likely a form of transportation for the barrels and so Eryn place Rose on top and trying give himself the demeanour of an inn keeper, left for lowers floor.

The morning crowds were swelling and his journey was a tight squeeze. At one point a rush past him knocked the barrel off its transport, letting it tumble down the promenade and off the side. Eryn's reactions were faster, and to much applaud and a few shins, rescued the barrel with his grappling hook. With a look of confusion he took a bow and proceeded onwards with more caution. He soon reached the Undercroft Market by mid morning, although there was no light down here to tell. He had caught the attention of one of the Silver Palm members and Dehart appeared in no time at all. He was surprised and thankful, secretly hoping this prisoner would get him back up to the top of the city, or at least level five.  His passed on knowledge of Neave's house in the poorest part of the foundations, although warned there were men with no insignia with heavy tools searching in that area. He also mentioned that the area was also being hit by something, or someone, as many of the poor were slowly disappearing night by night. He didn't know if the two were related by it was possible. Eryn left the barrel with Dehart and did not look back.

For Chloe the morning was quiet, the voices in her head were most likely asleep although she had found that during the night she had turned one of the blankets covering her into amethyst. Her first thoughts though were not of that but her dress. She leapt upstairs and to her surprise, one  befitting a merchant lord's daughter was left for her. She dived on it, trying to swiftly put it on, but in the process, as it fell into a fitting form, it too slowly turned into amethyst. However the crystal it formed was like nothing she had seen, it was almost as if the amethyst itself had taken on the properties of the material rather than a pure change of state.   She went to go wake Lily who stopped her as she walked out of the bar grabbing her by the collar, she had been oblivious that Lily was already awake.

Lily had received her orders. Chloe was to be her Marionette.  Melvile had been heard from since Chloe's apparent visitation to him, and the old woman wanted anything and everything she knew. Lily had to get the information from her, but it was too soon, her guard would be up. Areanna called Lily over, a happy distraction. She told her that while they slept a cloaked woman had visited, trying to ascertain if Chloe was here, she was sent away instantly. This was followed by the report of what Eryn was doing.  Much to Chloe's protest about not having any breakfast, they left for Neave's.

When they arrived they found a large hole, burned into the walkway  before the spire Neave lived in. This was along with charred remains of makeshift beds and shelters around the edge, leaning against the spires that supported the floor . Below in the void that was the rubbish pit, were heavy machinery; saws, drills and hammers. Chloe took a crystalline jump over to the open doorway, only to be knocked backwards, and nearly falling off the edge due to Lily, who had jumped in front of her. Inside Lily stooped, the ceiling purposefully lowered so that two families could fit into a single floor. She found Eryn clutching the spent stone tablet. Its screen was showing him trying to attack two intangible figures, one a mere shadow before they both disappeared  into the wall. There was blood splattered in every direction, mixed with mercury. There was a small selection of alchemical and laboratorial equipment, along with scribbled manuscripts littering the surfaces. To the left incense was burning, its tendrils caressing the surgical equipment  which lay mixed with blood spattered heavy machinery. The seating had been turned into two operating tables. There were body parts with probes and tubes feeding  blood, mercury and goodness knows what else into these segments. The bones inside the flesh were pure metal, surrounded by a lattice of metallic webbing that covered around its surface and extended into the flesh. Beside this were research notes in the handwriting of Melvile and a pale gold dress, adorned with finery of royalty. It was stained with a malachite coloured patch centred around a puncture mark in the fabric. Lily refused Chloe to pass into the room and told her to stay out.

TSC - Chapter 5: Realities (6) - Passing of Time

The old woman brought out of her sack, a pressed flower and a wooden box with a crystal panel. Chloe tried to avoid her probing questions; the who, what and when. She was able to dodge a few  before the truth came out at least parts of it. Chloe produced the wooden box that Melvile had given her, making sure that his notes were safely out of sight.  She old woman nodded, mentioning that she recognised Melvile's work. Lily, trying to keep Chloe safe, well a happy by product, asked the old woman what she knew. The old woman before answering, closed the door, removed the any plants to the back room, turned the paintings around  and placed a hairpin that held an adornment on her hair into a bottle and covered it with water. She did this in silence, leaving Lily to wonder if she was more delusional that Chloe. When she sat back down she had changed, her face was more sullen than stern, her shoulders were relaxed and her gaze fell to the candle's flame.

I used to work with Melvile and by that I mean I was his Entwined and he my Marionette. He never knew who I really was or why I would come past his place of study every day. Eventually he divulged what I needed to know but a complication arose, two in fact. The first was his apprentice, Saifu , to which he had never divulged before nor had kept correspondence that I could find. Secondly a set of manuscripts of unseen theories and workings had been sequestered, or most likely stolen by the Aeon Priests. In fact we now have a pretty good idea who. A man we have continually tried to recruit, Xera. I forced Melvile's hand into giving us the research by threatening Saifu's life. We had already recruited him by now but Melvile wasn't to know. He was left to rot by Uncle Silas my Masterminder but I suggested he would perhaps be better suited to maintaining the application of his research. He was imprisoned, where you had stumbled. I presume that he had given you that box along with that flower. If you are wishing to keep it along with your life, I would suggest putting something around the node and the tangle of roots. Silas can and will do anything he deems necessary for the job to get done, and for his secrets to remain his.

The old woman passed over the wooden box to Lily and told her that she would only be able to use it when she was deemed capable, however if a complication was to arise, at least she would have the box on her.  She repeated the fact that she would be getting a new assignment in the morning, and all updates were to be delivered via the ring or through a relevant contact. She was now Lily's Masterminder. She jumped down off the wooden seat, picked up her sack and shuffled out the door in silence. Areanna carefully leaned out and quickly stepped in when she had left. Areanna seemed astonished by the state of the room, and by the hairpin in water. She asked Lily what she was talking about that made the old woman do this. Lily turned with closed lips and dragged Chloe downstairs.

In the early hours of the next morning Eryn as stealthily as he could crept out of the bedroom, out of the inn and into the early morning light. His dawn activities however was not  unobserved, Lily who had trouble sleeping all night due to  Chloe crying and once or twice screaming in her sleep. With half an eye open she observed him leaving and followed him upstairs. After he had shut the door Lily shouted for Areanna. She soon shambled in;  nightgown, dishevelled hair and all. Lily demanded that Eryn was to be followed. Lily didn't really know the terms of being an Entwined by hoped this was one of the perks. Areanna sighed, her shoulders hunching over her  body. She left the bar and quickly returned and nodded before she knocked her head against the doorframe out and went back to bed. Lily did the same.  She didn't believe in wasting any time following him herself and she needed to at least sleep for a short while.

Eryn's morning was quiet, the city was not yet awake and the window shutters were closed. He could hear Auspar sluggishly drifting into life. The merchants with no real estate were always out first, causing more bloodshed than most of the crimes in the city for a decent pitch. As he walked further down the levels, taking advantage of the city's ample grappling transport lines, with no shopping traffic. His peaceful decent was starting to be signposted by the dead, the members of the Minotaur gang. In the distance he could see a few members in green, trying to outrun two men, jumping around the cattle lifts that ran up most of more pivotal spires in the city.  Although he wished his morning did not have to involve corpses, involving himself with the Silver Palm would mean this would be an inevitability.

The first few dead seemed to be scouts or lookouts. As he progressed further, following the trail of bodies, there were more, clumped and less cleanly killed. It was at this point he realised that his plan had a flaw, he was not prepared to fight a gang, nor would he be able to know what they could and would do. The promenades ahead were deserted, but there where whispers.  He backed quickly up against a wall and carefully tried to observe what was going on around the corner. Out from one of the shops stepped a woman accompanied by what presumably was her lieutenant. She was dressed in a darker green, and her robe was the only one with a hood. But under that were locks of pale gold and the broach of a bird on her collar. She brushed her hair away from her face and almost seemed to stare directly towards Eryn. His heart was now poisonous stone, the eyes that looked at him were Rose's