Beliefs

[Zerrif]

"Get out of here." The Payonese Blacksmith said-- though D didn't look too amused. "Listen, D. For your own good, you should stop snooping around about this group."

"I thought if anyone would know even the slightest bit, it'd be you, Begnahd. I mean, you deal with everyone who comes in and out of Payon." The blonde leaned on some crates of Phracon in the back. "Please. Just tell me if you think my suspicions could be true. You don't have to affirm aynthing."

"From where you're coming from, you're pretty spot on." A third voice came from the door. Both smiths turned around to see another Payonese standing there.

"Hakhim!" Begnahd said, though his workmate just waved him aside. He seemed to recede into a shell, curling up slightly and leaning on a box, no longer looking like he wanted to speak.

"They come in all the time. One by one. It's rare to see them in groups, unless their in their "squads" or whatever they call them. I can see it in their eyes. Cold, lifeless, empty. Some of them I even knew as regular adventurers before they joined the faction. Never in parties. Always alone." Hakhim looked at the blonde, before crossing his arms. "You're treading into dangerous waters, D."

"I know. But if that's true then..." He looked out the door. "Not just my friends, but everyone like that is in trouble. And there's always going to be those ostracized, those that are shunned from groups or society. This Faction... they're going to keep growing. And the only people to blame is ourselves."

---

"Storm Gust!!" The wizard cried out, a malevolent blizzard forming around the group. The Tendrillion lunged at them, being battered around and it's underlings being scattered by the violent winds. The small Hills Lions were frozen solid, but the Tendrillion was proving far too adamant to be kept in place by the Wizard's tries.

"Frost Diver!" Bascht chanted after, sending spears of ice shooting through the ground at the Tendrillion. They crashed with a resounding crackle, but the beast just shook off the ice as if it were water.

"Let's go, Pastrami!" The Alchemist cried out, sending the Homunculus back to the front lines. It let out a bleat-like roar at the beast, distracting it's attention. "Come on! Let's go!" He shouted at the group.

But things weren't going to be that easy. The minute that they began to turn to escape, the Hills Lions broke free of their icy prisons, and turned on the group yet again. The Crusader quickly jumped in the way as one of the smaller beasts leapt at Gerik, battering it away with another Shield Charge. "Go!"

The group began to run with the Wizard turning around yet again, pointing at the ground. "Quagmire!" He called out, the ground turning into mush. The air itself looked green and sickly, and he continued to run with the rest of them. "If we continue like this, it'll get out into the open with everyone else!"

"Come on!" A voice cried at the end of the tunnel. The Archer who'd been with the Thief before popped out from an apparent hiding spot, waving them on. "There's an ambush set up outside! We just gotta make it!" He called out, waving them over. That urged the large group onwards at this point, and despite the Quagmire's effects on the Tendrillion and it's underlings, it was still gaining ground on them.

Gerik felt his body relaxing, and looked around. They were losing speed, and his party looked over at him as well. He nodded, and dug his heels in, skidding to a halt. "Increase Agility!" He said, repeating the chant over and over as he endowed each person's body with a boost. He left himself for last as usual, watching as they made haste towards the exit.

He was about to get to himself when he felt himself snatched into the air. At first, he was about to cry for help-- thinking the Tendrillion had him in its jaws; he was relieved to hear the squawk of a Peco Peco, before he was set upon the downy feathers. "No stopping. Everyone needs to move." The Crusader said, now urging his Peco along with another rider.

Gerik looked back at the bird ran, watching the Tendrillion sluggishly move towards the group. It wouldn't be long before the effects of the Quagmire wore off, and they'd make easy prey soon after that. He looked back ahead, seeing a small glint of light above him slightly. One last hill separated them, and the outdoors.

They began their ascent, when he saw the Priestess lag behind slightly. Her Increased Agility had worn off, but a quick glance over her shoulder showed that there was no time to recast. The Crusader looked back, skidding to a halt-- though Gerik was faster to react.

He had reached into his robes, and held a Blue Gemstone in his hands, pointing at the ground with his other hand. "Warp Portal!" He cried out, a gate soon appearing in the Priestess' path. Before she even realized it, she stepped into it and was whisked away, the Crusader looking dumbstruck for a minute. "No time! Go!" Gerik cried-- turning his gaze back to their path. The exit was within a few strides.

The Crusader hesitated a split second more, before spurring his Peco Peco onwards, daybreak soon washing over the two of them as the bird barely made it out. The Tendrillion and the Hills Lions bounded out after them, but there was soon a cry of "FIRE!". The beasts, mid-stride, were met with a barrage of arrows, seemingly never ending, and coming from all possible directions.

The Peco Peco skidded to a halt and turned around, as Gerik let himself down. The beasts were no match for the dozens of Archers, Hunters, and even Bards that had taken place around the cave exit, now flooding it with Stone Arrows. The Acolyte sighed, before he felt himself lifted up by the scruff of his robes, soon staring at a rather annoyed Crusader. "Where did you send her?!" He bellowed.

"I-I don't r-remember." Gerik replied, meekly. It was true. Images had flashed so quickly before his mind when he had been chanting, that he had just picked one and sent the Priestess there. He tried to remember now, but the pain around his throat was making it hard to focus. "S-somewh-where s-safe... I don't h-have anything memorized that i-isn't-- hck..." He was running out of breath. He noticed that around one of the fingers that was currently holding him up, was a ring. He pointed weakly at it, and the Crusader stared down, before releasing his grip; the Acolyte falling to the ground, coughing for air.

The Crusader pointed to the ground, and began to chant in his mind. "I miss you..." He whispered, creating a pink portal on the ground, akin to that of the Acolyte's Warp Portal. Gerik looked over expectantly, the portal shimmering and pulsing. After a few seconds of what had seemed like hours, the Priestess soon warped in, looking rather confused.

"Why did you summon me?!" She said, rather flustered. "I was just looking through this shop of really cute hats-- Oh!" She stopped mid-scold to see the Acolyte on the ground. "Thank you for the rather quick save. I would have been fine but-- well, do you mind sending me there again? I just absolutely have to get that hat before someone else does! Coming?" She asked the Crusader.

Gerik blinked, and found himself helped up by the green-haired Merchant. "Mistress is... a little eccentric. But I'm just glad we're all safe." He said, patting Gerik down. Though he found it weird, he didn't say much, and just nodded at the Priestess, about to open up another Portal for her.

"Not for long." Came D's voice, from behind them. Gerik had just finished opening up the Warp Portal-- the group that was accompanying the Priestess all having entered. The Mage soon ran up to the Blacksmith, giving him a tight and quick hug, before looking up. "I've just... come across some stuff that you're not going to like hearing. Come on, we'd better get inside. It isn't safe to talk out here, when the trees have ears."