Sakura muttered an awkward apology as Kero fully emerged after being seen. 

"People in our world aren't used to magical beings like Kero, so he often has to hide. We didn't mean to hide anything from you after you've helped us, but we just weren't sure how you would react if you saw him speak since most people in our world just see him as a stuffed toy," she explained and Kero nodded in affirmation with a certain amount of resentment.

"I could tell right away that something about this world was different from ours, but it's still surprising to find a place where the people are so predisposed to magic, even if it works different than the magic from ours," he said.

When told to sleep, Sakura and Syaoran both agreed and attempted to settle in after what had already been a full day of traveling. Syaoran allowed Sakura to have the bed to herself while he remained seated on the floor against the bed in a seated position with his knees pulled up to his chest and his head resting on his folded arms. It wasn't the most comfortable situation, but it would be better than laying flat on the hard floor and  at least this way Sakura would have some space. She actually tossed and turned in her sleep quite a bit when  her sleep was natural, though somehow Kero still managed to stay comfortable on the edge off the pillow Sakura was using once again.

Early the next morning, rain continued to pound outside. Sakura was the first of the three travelers to wake up and was careful to not disturb Kero or Syaoran as she climbed out of the bed. When Sakura turned around again Kai'tok was nowhere to be seen until she noticed that the shelter's entrance partially open. As Sakura peered outside she saw the elven woman sitting in the wet grass, but it almost looked as though she were meditating. Sakura cleared her throat softly as she stood in the entryway. 

"Good morning..." she said awkwardly, hoping to have not disturbed Kai'tok too terribly.

Kai'tok had spent all night out in the rain and was soaked to the bone by the time the sky began to grow light.  Her long dark hair was matted to her shoulders and back and water dripped off just about everything she had to offer.  She sat with one leg drawn up and the other out straight in front of her so she could rest her chin on it while she scanned the forest.  Her ears twitched now and again as she listened to the various sounds of the forest while her sharp eyes scanned the road for any threats.  She normally would have spent the early morning hunting, but she knew the children would likely be alarmed if they were to wake and she was nowhere to be found.  Her sharp eyes settled on movement in the distance and took on a pale glow when she focused on it.  An elf dressed in green and white moved from behind some brush then scurried away with something clutched in her arms.  Any further attention to the matter was drawn away by the sound of Sakura greeting her.
 
She turned slowly and looked over her shoulder at the female child.  "Morning," she said in a neutral tone.  Her gaze moved back to the road again after she spoke.  Three men had appeared, dressed in brown and green clothing.  She observed the men for a bit longer before she turned to where she'd lost sight of the elf and her eyes glowed more brightly.  The elf was visible to her because she knew what to look for in the relative gloom of the forest, but if the poor thing stayed still the men hunting her had a good chance of missing her entirely.  When they neared the elf’s hiding place, however, the half-elf decided it was time to take action.
 
"Quiet," Kai'tok ordered.
 
The mercenary slowly rose from her seat and placed her feet a little further than shoulder width apart.  She pulled her bow from its mount on the side of her quiver and squeezed a switch on the grip that caused the limbs to snap out and lock into place, pulling the string tight.  The half-elf reached into her quiver and selected an arrow with quail feather fletching and tipped with a four-bladed razor tip meant for ripping through light armour.  She lifted her bow after she notched the arrow and slowly stretched the string back.  The bow’s limbs groaned softly under the tension and she took a long, slow breath while she adjusted her aim.  After a long moment, she held her breath.  The half-elf made another small adjustment then loosed her shot.
 
The sound of the arrow's flight was lost in the gentle patter of the rain and one of the men suddenly clutched at his neck before he fell over.  Kai'tok exhaled and drew another arrow identical to the first and notched it to her bow then stretched the string back again.  The men had moved while she reloaded, searching desperately for the person who'd shot their companion.  Kai’tok waited until one of them became still then released another arrow.  There was a few seconds of pause before the second man clutched at his chest and fell over.  His companion hurried to his side and checked him while the half-elf notched a third arrow to her bow and drew it back.  She breathed softly through her nose while she observed the third man.  Kai’tok adjusted her bow slightly before she unleashed her third shot.  The last man clutched at his neck then fell forward.
 
She squeezed a different switch on her bow and the limbs collapsed down and she locked it back into its mount on her quiver.  Rather than say anything further on the matter, Kai’tok reseated herself and watched the road.  The elf slowly moved out of her hiding place and looked around.  The half-elf whistled a short series of tones and the elf turned toward her then looked at the corpses before she turned and ran toward the half-elf and her human companion.  “We’re about to have company,” Kai’tok said.
 
Kai’tok watched as the elf ran toward them.  It looked as though she had something in her hands that was rather heavy, but once she got close, it was plain to see that her hands were bound together at the wrists.  The blond-haired elf looked much worse for wear up close; she had bruises on her arms and legs and there were older bruises on her face.  The half-elf motioned her closer and pointed wordlessly at her hands.  The blond-haired woman held her hands out and Kai’tok examined the shackles that encircled her wrists.
 
“D-did you kill them?”  she asked in elven.
“I didn’t think you were a slave,” Kai’tok responded in elven.  She drew her knife and swung sharply with it to cut through the chain that held the shackles together.  Once they were separated from each other she was able to look more closely at them.  They were made from soft iron lined with a thick layer of leather, which meant they were relatively simple to remove.
“I’ve been running for three days… I can finally escape thanks to you,” the blond-haired elf said.  She watched in awe as Kai’tok worked carefully with her knife and pulled the thick leather liner out of the shackles then simply slid them off over her small hands.  “Th-that’s amazing…” she mumbled.
The half-elf shook her head.  “They’re usually a size or two bigger than necessary to accommodate the leather that keeps them from cutting your wrists.  If you remove the leather they slide off relatively easily,” Kai’tok explained.
 
The grateful elf nodded at Kai’tok’s explanation then began to take in her surroundings.  She became aware of the smell of smoke in the air and soon realized they were outside a small, well camouflaged hut in the middle of the forest.  Her green eyes soon fell upon Sakura and she smiled lightly at the strangely dressed girl.  “Why are you travelling with a child?”  she asked in elven.
The half-elf looked over her shoulder at Sakura.  “Convenience, we have the same destination,” she responded.
“I’m Ly’rei,” she said in common.  Her accent was thick, but she managed to smile despite being rather haggard.
“Where did you come from?”  Kai’tok asked.  She tried to think of all the places within three days travel of where they were.  She knew there were a couple of inns along the road that were about a day apart on horseback, a day and a half on foot… for her anyway.
“I escaped from a caravan headed to Forlorn Peak… they left some guards behind to look for me and carried on,” she explained.
“We passed them on our way here yesterday,” Kai’tok responded.  “Where’d they pick you up?”
“Union, I was travelling to Aurora but stopped there for the night and they kidnapped me,” Ly’rei explained.
 
“Sakura, go inside and get some food.  Forest elves don’t eat meat, so leave the dried meat and bring her nuts and berries,” Kai’tok instructed.  She turned back to the forest elf.  “You’re welcome to anything on those corpses, I have plenty of money,” she said.
“R-really?  But… but you’re the one that killed them, rightfully-” she stopped when Kai’tok held her hand up.
“I told you, take it, I have no need for it,” she said.  Ly’rei smiled and slowly knelt down, her adrenaline high finally gone and her body succumbing to exhaustion.  “You okay?”  the half-elf asked.
The forest elf nodded.  “Yeah… just worn out…” she responded.

Sakura hadn't been able to understand anything Kai'tok and the other elven woman had been saying when they spoke to eachother, but the still gave a small smile back when the smaller of the two smiled at her. Whoever this second elf was, she at least seemed to have calmed down after whatever had happened to her before Kai'tok had come to her aid, though Sakura still wasn't sure how she had done it or even known of the other elf's plight.

When Kai'tok spoke in a language that she could understand again, Sakura straightened her posture in mild surprise. The sudden request had caught her slightly off guard, but she still gave a nod.

"Yes, right away," Sakura quickly agreed then turned back towards the hut to search the pantry as instructed. Inside, Syaoran an Kero were both still asleep. Luckily, Sakura had been able to spot the berries easily enough; They were stored by a window in a woven basket that had been lined with leaves to help preserve freshness. She would have to search the cupboards for the nuts, however, with resulted in some soft clatters that eventually caused Syaoran to lift his head.

"Sakura, what's going on?" he asked groggily before he began to scan around the shelter.

"Is it breakfast time?" Kero chimed in when the noise had stirred him as well.

"Where's Kai'tok?" Syaoran added once he had noticed that the three of them seemed to be alone.

"Outside," Sakura explained. "I'm not sure eaxactly what happened, but Kai'tok helped to save another woman who looked like she was in some kind of trouble. Kai'tok asked me to bring some food for her to eat, but Kai'tok never told me where she keeps anything. Will you help me look for some nuts?"

Syaoran gave a nod and stood to join Sakura in checking the cupboards until they found a clay vessel with a tight lid that held an assortment of dried nuts.

"What about food for us?" Kero moped.

"Later," Sakura told him sternly as the trio made their way back out into the open with the two containers in hand.

Kai’tok and Ly’rei spoke quietly in elven while they waited for Sakura to return.  The forest elf explained her purpose for leaving Felst and about her capture while Kai’tok listened quietly.  The blond-haired elf thought it was a bit odd the half-elf wasn’t badgering her with questions about her quest, but smiled when she was told that people were welcome to their secrets.  With their conversation finished, Ly’rei worked up enough courage to part from her savior and search the dead slavers for anything that might useful.  Kai’tok watched in silence from her place near the shelter, her bow across her lap with an arrow notched to it.
 
It wasn’t long before Ly’rei had returned with her spoils; a pair of short swords, a cloak, studded leather armour that, fortunately, didn’t have any crests riveted to it, and all the money the slavers had been carrying.  She also produced a piece of parchment that she offered to the half-elf with a look of grave concern on her face.  Kai’tok examined it then set it aside.
 
“Aren’t you worried?  That bounty notice has your name on it,” Ly’rei said.  She rung her hair out then pulled the hood of her cloak up.
“I do not feel fear and I will kill any bounty hunters that come after me,” Kai’tok responded flatly.
 
Sakura and her companions arrived before Ly’rei could respond.  At the offer of food, she was more than happy to give up the conversation and indulge.  The forest elf ate the berries of nuts ravenously… although given she’d been starving for nearly three days, it wasn’t hard to see why.  She stopped when the berries were gone and blushed a little bit because she’d been so selfish.
 
“I-I’m sorry…” she mumbled.  She looked down at her lap, her face a cute shade of pink.
“This is one of the shelters the Rangers created, the food is meant for any travelers who require it,” the half-elf said.
Ly’rei lifted her head and looked at Kai’tok rather incredulously.  “What do you know of the Rangers?”  she asked.
“They are tasked with keeping the roads clear but do not perform it, so they attempt to make amends for it by creating and stocking these shelters,” the dark-haired mercenary responded.
“You have no ties with them?”  the forest elf asked.
“Artemis Mir Gardua has attempted to kill me on several occasions, I no longer take jobs for the Rangers,” Kia’tok replied.  She continued to look away from the forest elf, her red eyes trained on the road.
“Then no… you would not have ties with them… good,” Ly’rei said.  Her green eyes remained narrowed for several moments before she turned and looked up at the pair of children.
 
The forest elf rose to her feet and smiled politely at them before she began to speak.  “I am called Ly’rei,” she began in common.  Her accent in common was rather thick but her words were clear enough to understand.  She bowed in a traditional elven greeting before she continued.  “You are very fortunate to travel with someone as generous as Kai’tok; many mercenaries do not work for free,” she continued.  Her sharp eyes scanned over the pair of children before they finally settled on Kero.  Her entire demeanor changed and she blushed furiously.  “Oh!  You have a familiar!  I was not aware that you are a summoner, miss!  Please forgive my rudeness!”  The forest elf quickly bowed in a different, more extravagant greeting.
 
“Please, tell me, what made you decide to travel with Kai’tok?  Surely someone such as you could handle anything on the road with ease,” Ly’rei said.
Kai’tok quietly changed position and the clicks of her bow folding back up filled the silence in the air.  The forest elf glanced down at her.
“Why did you not tell me you were travelling with a summoner?”  Ly’rei demanded.
“I did not feel it was important information,” Kai’tok responded.

The two children paid no heed to the voracious manner in which the forest elf had eaten. She had clearly been in need and both Sakura and Syaoran were glad to have been able to help. The only one of the group that appeared mildly disappointed that there was no food left was Kero, but he knew enough to no complain verbally at least. 

"Please, you don't have to do that, I'm really not all that strong" Sakura waved both of her hands in a flustered manner at Ly’rei's excessive politeness.

"Kero isn't a familiar, he's my friend. I don't command him, he's more like a guide and he's helped me a lot. The truth is, I'm not sure what I would do if Syaoran and Kero weren't here," she explained before Syaoran took over.

"The three of us aren't really from this land, or this world. We don't really know how we got here, but we'd like to get back home as soon as we can. It was just luck that we came across Kai'tok and that she agreed to let us follow her to the nearest town where we might be able to get some information or some kind of clue to getting back to our world," the boy said.
 
Sakura gave a nod in agreement before she spoke again. "If we could somehow repay her we would, but for now we're very grateful to Kai'tok for helping us get this far" she said with a sheepish glance towards the mercenary before she turned her focus back to Ly'rei.

"But what about yourself?" Sakura continued to ask. "I didn't see exactly how, but it looked to me like Ka'tok was able to help you before, too, so what happened? Do you and Kai'tok know each other somehow?"

The elf blinked and tilted her head to one side at the girl's, Sakura's, explanation of her non-human companion.  It seemed he was a mentor of sorts, but she supposed stranger things had visited Illinara in the past and had done no damage to the local fabric of space and time.  "You are very fortunate then," Ly'rei finally said.  With her stomach full, her next task was to protect herself, so she seized the armour she'd pilfered from the corpses and pulled it on.

Kai'tok remained silent throughout the entire conversation, red eyes locked on the road as she scanned it much like a hungry predator might.

"My relationship with Kai'tok?"  she asked.  There was a pause while she fumbled with the armour.  "A simple matter of good fortune, really," the blonde elf finally said with a shrug.  She pulled the ties for her armour tight and forced it to hug the various curves of her body.  "I just happened to pass by at the right time; if I'd been a day earlier or later, Kai'tok wouldn't have been around to intervene."  The elf smiled at the half-breed, who said nothing in response.

Kai'tok slowly turned to face her travelling companions and seemed to simply gaze at them for a period before she spoke.  "It would be best if you were to return to Felst," she said to the elf.
"It does indeed seem to be the wisest course of action..." Ly'rei sighed.
The half-breed turned to the children next.  "Raid the shelter for what supplies remain, you'll need food for the next leg of our journey.  I'll be fine, I plan to hunt during nights," she explained.
"Can't I come with you?"  the blonde elf asked.
"I have no power to stop you," Kai'tok responded.  She rose to her feet and popped her neck loudly before she turned to the children and spoke again.  "We leave in ten minutes."

"Raid?" Sakura repeaded with clear discomfort in her voice. Even if the shelter was there for the use of travelers like them, taking any of the supplies would be no different than if she and Syaoran had stolen them. The girl glanced over at her friend reluctantly, silently asking if either of them approved.

Kero folded his arms and tilted his head in an uncertain manner. When she looked towards Syaon he didn't appear to like the idea either, but he gave her a nod of reassurance. Even if they didn't like the thought of stealing the two didn't have much of a choice. They were stranded in a strange land with no way of knowing how long they would be there. They would still need food, steady shelter and possibly money at the very least in order to survive.

Syaoran turned back to Kai'tok and gave a second nod of understanding. "Ten minutes will be plenty," he assured as he and Sakura stood before making their way back inside of the shelter.

Kero quickly located a pantry where any available food rations would be stored. Sakura found a blanket and managed to hastily fashion it into a bag to hold whatever supplies they gathered while Syaoran looked for anything else that might be of use. There didn't appear to be anygoldcoins or anything else resembling money inside the shelter, but maybe they could work to earn some whenever they reached a town.

At least they wouldn't have to worry about taking any weapons. Sakura was lucky enough to have been left with her key and all of her cards while Syaoran still had his sword for protection as well as his compass board. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be much left in the way of armor either, but Syaoran was still able to find a rope and some other simple tools as well as some bandages as well as a few vials that contained a few different kind dried, crushed herbs that were labled as being medicinal. Sakura returned shortly after with as much food as she and Kero could find as well as some basic cooking utencils.

Once the three had finished gathering whatever supplies they could find they exited the shelter again to rejoin Kai'tok and Ly'rei.

In the span of time Kai'tok had, she did some stretches and popped many of the joints in her body from her wrists to her shoulders to her neck and even down her back.  By the time the children had returned, the half-elf was bent over with her palms on the ground.  She rose back up and looked over her shoulder at them silently then began to move down the road.  The persistent rain was a heavy, soaking one that drenched absolutely everything.  Water pooled in low spots and encouraged travellers to stick to the road to avoid quicksand and quagmires.  Kai'tok and Ly'rei didn't seem to bothered by it as they walked in silence.

Upon reaching the road, the elf paused for a moment then smiled and began to follow after Kai'tok and the children.  The silence and patter of the rain seemed to bother the blonde-haired elf, so she turned to the children and began to speak.  "You're not the first travellers from other worlds to come here," Ly'rei began.  "You see, Illinara is part of an interconnected system of worlds and planes.  Angels inhabit the heavens, demons inhabit the netherworld, weird creatures come from the Void and Nothing, and familiars are summoned from the Other Place," she summarized.  Her words came quickly, but she spoke clearly in common despite her elven accent.

"Not all travellers from those places are friendly, however.  I'm a mercenary so I have a little leeway with them, but for the most part everything except angels kill things," Kai'tok chimed.
"Oh hush!  You'll scare them!"  the elf shot back.  The dark-haired half-elf didn't respond, as was her way.  "She is right though, a lot of what comes from the places I listed are terrible creatures more interested in eating you than being nice..." she sighed.  There was a pause before she spoke again.  "Gloom the Forgotten brings all sorts of weird things to Illinara and the Goddess is always sending angels to stop him."
"Not that she does a particularly good job of it... the town of Dusk, to the south, and the town of Forlorn Peak are permanently cursed by Gloom's magic," the red-eyed woman added.

Despite the heavy rain, the sounds of a fight echoed through the forest.  Rather than be on their guard, Kai'tok and Ly'rei continued to carry their pace as though everything were normal.

Syaoran let out a grunt of affirmation at Kai'tok's words. "I was afraid of that," he said said with a nod. In the short time he and Sakura had been in Illinara they had already seen a few of the dangers it was prone to, though Syaoran had hoped that it was only the swamp and remote open road. They would have to be even more careful if even some of the towns were unsafe for travelers.

The boy glanced over at his friend. The thought of being faced with anything tht could be called a Demon seemed to make Sakura a bit scared, but when she noticed Syaoran's glace she gave him a smile back in reassurance. As long as she had him, Kero and her cards there with her she could at least try to not be afraid.

Sakura turned back to Ly'rei before she spoke. "So who exactly is the Goddess you mentioned?" she asked in an attempt to bring the conversation back to a more positive subject. "Is there any chance she might know how people from other worlds like us could have gotten here?"

Kero tilted his head as he mused the question for himself. "Do you think outsiders like us would even be able to ask someone who is called a Goddess for help, though?"

"Well...it wouldn't hurt to at least try to contact her somehow," Sakura replied reluctantly. "After all, we don't have any other leads and if anyone were to know about traveling between worlds it would probably be a Goddess."

Syaoran nodded in agreement. "It's as good of a place as any to start once we have a safe, dry place to spend the night" he said. The dense trees and dark rain clouds that hung in the sky only served to quicken the fast-approaching dusk. It would become difficult to see before long.

"How long do you think it will be before we reach the next town?" the boy began to ask before the sounds of the fight taking place in the distance became loud enough for even the two children and Kero to hear. Sakura fidgeted uncomfortably with concern at the sounds, but Kai'tok and Ly'rei's indifference seemed to say that it was best not to get involved if they could help it.

"The Goddess is the protector of light and life in this world, she's not all-knowing, but she's powerful beyond even the most dangerous necromancer in U'rune," Ly'rei began.
"Dunno... Morathi's trying pretty hard to become a goddess..." Kai'tok interjected.
The forest elf, however, didn't miss a beat.  "She protects all of Illinara's living things from Gloom the Forgotten and the darkness he intends to spread.  Aurora is kind of... the Goddess's city, it's where she has all her focus right now and works to wrest it from Gloom's clutches."
"Not that she's doing a particularly good job," Kai'tok added.
Ly'rei sighed lightly.  "Gloom holds large sections of the upper city in Aurora where greed and corruption run deep... and there's such a disparity between the wealthy and the impoverished.  I don't mean in terms of wealth either... nearly all who are forced to live in the slums in Aurora are non-humans."

The forest elf grew silent when she spotted a dead machka by the side of the road with three arrows in its back.  She looked to Kai'tok and quietly cleared her throat.  "A-are you sure this is a good idea...?"  she asked fearfully.
"Would you rather take the smuggler's trail?" the half-elf responded.
"N-not really..."

Kai'tok continued to move, although she'd slowed her pace somewhat.  She wanted to have more time to react in the event someone decided they were equally valuable prey.  Her sharp red eyes took on a violet hue and narrowed slightly to see better in the relative gloom of the rainy forest.  "Machka... they probably figured they could attack the caravan and make off with the supplies..." she said.

"Are... are there any... y'know... surviviours...?" Ly'rei asked.
Kai'tok shook her head.  "The humans are mopping up, it won't be long before the road clears," the half-elf responded.

They walked in silence for another hundred yards or so, save for the echoes of combat.

It wasn't long before they came upon the primary battlefield.  Corpses, broken carts, and dead draft animals littered the ground.  Kai'tok picked her way across the ground, mindful of anything that might shift under her feet.  Ly'rei clasped her hands together over her chest and began to pray quietly while they walked.  The half-elf led them through the thick of things, past a ruined cart with its supplies spilled on the road.  Among the things scattered on the road, clothing, bolts of fabric, food, and even wealth, a large barrel of sand with swords in it caught Kai'tok's attention.

"The machka were probably after these," the half-elf explained.  The dark-haired woman knelt and picked up a straight-bladed longsword with a plain cross-guard and rounded pommel.  She swung it sharply a few times, making the blade hum while it sliced through the air.  She grabbed the scabbard from the ground and slipped it through her belt facing the opposite direction of her bow then moved to continue on.  A human who'd appeared dead lifted himself to his feet and gestured at them with a battleaxe.

"Thieves!"  he shouted.
Kai'tok turned and looked him up down then stood with one hand on the pommel of her newly acquired weapon.  "Going to stop us?"  she asked.
The guard charged forward with his weapon up and lunged for Kai'tok.  The half-elf moved to draw her new weapon to defend herself but Ly'rei leaped in front of her with her arms spread.  "NO!"  the forest elf cried.

A dull thud filled the air.

Everything seemed to stand still for a long moment before time suddenly sped up beyond its normal pace.  Ly'rei collapsed to her knees, an enormous gash torn in her chest.  Kai'tok yanked her new weapon from its sheath and swung hard with it.  The sword tore cleanly through the axe-wielding human's torso.  He died instantly and his corpse collapsed to the ground in several pieces.  The half-elf knelt and placed a hand on Ly'rei's shoulder.

"Why did you attempt to protect me?"  she asked.
"Y-you were... g-going to be harmed..." the forest elf wheezed.
"Trading a life for a life has never been fair..." Kai'tok sighed.
"It was... all I could offer you..." Ly'rei responded.  Her head turned to one side and she grew sluggish.  "It... hurts..."

Kai'tok dropped her blade and pulled the forest elf up into a sitting position.  "You've thrown your life away..."  She leaned in and bit the blonde-haired elf's neck.  Ly'rei twitched and her skin slowly grew pale until she was white as a sheet.  The bleeding stopped, but so did Ly'rei's movements and she soon was limp and lifeless.  Kai'tok pulled away and exhaled softly while blood dripped down her chin.  She wiped her mouth with the back of her glove then cast her eyes out over the battlefield.  The fighting had ceased, which meant the humans would return for their cargo soon... and that she had work to do.

"Run," Kai'tok instructed.  "Run and don't look back," she added.  She pointed down the road in the direction they'd been travelling before Ly'rei's death.

"But what about you?" Saukura began to protest. The thought of following Kai'tok to pursue the men that had killed Ly'rei scared her, but she was also did not like the idea of leaving Kai'tok to fight by herself.

Syaoran hesitated slightly as well, but he recognized the severity in the half-elf's voice. He took Sakura's hand and gave a gentle tug to encourage her to follow him. "Come on, Sakura. We should do what she says," he told her sternly.

Sakura continued to look at him with concern. She turned to Kero, but even he seemed to agreed that the three of them should go.

"Alright..." the girl finally submitted with a sigh.

The two children and tiny winged creature finally parted ways with the half-elf in the direction she had indicated. Kai'tok had told them not to look back, but it was an instruction Sakura was having a hard time following. Once the small group had run to a safe distance they slowed to a walk until Sakura eventually slowed to a complete stop with her head hanging.

"Sakura, what's wrong? We need to keep moving," Syaoran urged.

"I know, but I don't like this..." she said. "Ly'rei died because she wanted to protect Kai'tok, but if she gets hurt then Ly'rei would have sacrificed herself for nothing. I don't want Kai'tok to have to die, too!"

Syaoran lowered his head as well at let out a sigh as Sakura broke into soft sobs. This was exactly the sort of thing he had not wanted her to see. He wanted to get her back to their own world as quickly as possible, but for now all he could do to comfort her was to put his arms around her.

"Listen, I don't like it either, but that was Kai'tok's way of protecting us. If we tried to go with her we'd probably only end up getting ourselves hurt or be in her way. Leaving was the best thing we could do to help."

"But what are we going to do now? We still need to find a safe place for the night," Kero asked.

"We'll just have to keep moving until we find something. With any luck we'll find a town soon," Syaoran said.

With the children out of the way, Kai'tok knew she could fight without protecting anyone but herself.  She drew her bow and one of the magicite-tipped arrows from her quiver.  Her bow snapped open with the flick of a switch and she notched an arrow to the string.  Her pupils narrowed to serpentine slits and she drew her arrow back.  Once unleashed, it whistled through the air and hit its mark with a devastating explosion of flames that echoed through the forest.

-----

"Thbbbbt!  You can't catch me!"  a voice shouted in the gloom of the rainy forest.  A beast roared and the crash of a heavy body as it travelled through brush filled the air.  "C'mon slow-poke!"  the voice shouted playfully.  A young woman dropped out of the trees in the middle of the road.

She was dressed in a grey and dark grey top that hugged her chest firmly.  A grey/dark grey bikini bottom served as her formal covering but was accented by grey and brown leather riding chaps.  Boots with spurs stuck out from under her chaps and a gold buckle glinted on her belt.  Her gloves were made from brown leather and fingerless on the index and middle fingers on her left hand.  Silver cat heads accented the back of her gloves.  Atop her head was a grey, medium-brimmed hat with a water-logged red feather sticking out of the hat band.  Her sharp, starlight blue eyes glanced down the trail toward a powerful source of magic that had appeared from seemingly nowhere.

With its prey distracted, the massive creature finally found an opening to make its attack and struck the young woman with its massive paw.  She sailed through the air for nearly fifty yards then landed and rolled another twenty before she came to a stop.  Her hat lay a few paces away and revealed a beautiful swath of deep violet hair mostly cut short with a small pony tail that stuck off to the left side.  The young woman rolled to her feet and crouched on the ground.  Her right arm was drawn against her belly in a protective fashion while her left hand was braced against the ground to help her balance.  "Oh you are so dead~"  she laughed.

Her mind moved back to the source of magic and a smile formed on her lips.  "Let's see you follow this!"  the young woman cried.  She pushed herself just far enough forward to grab her hat then turned and began to run in the direction of the magic.  She pulled her hat on while she ran and her wet hair bounced with every step she took.  The magic grew stronger and stronger with each step she took and soon came upon a pair of children and a small yellow creature she'd never seen before.  The echoing boom of explosions radiated faintly from behind them, but she paid them no mind, the crashing of the creature behind her was of far greater importance.

She skid to a stop about twenty feet from the children on the gravel trail, her boots kicking up loose stones.  "Hey you!"  she shouted.  The young woman pointed with her left hand at the female child.  "Yes you!  Girl!  Help me take out this behemoth!"  the young woman cried.

The massive creature loomed from the gloom of the heavy rain about thirty yards from the young woman and unleashed a deafening bellow that shook droplets of water from the trees.  The creature was a massive, four-legged, tiger-like creature with horns similar to a bull's and yellow eyes that glowed with internal fire.  Its hide was covered in a reddish-purple fur and a mane of water-logged black hair travelled down the back of its neck to its broad shoulders.

The violet-haired woman drew a well-maintained clockwork bow from its mount on her quiver with her left hand and it unfolded with several mechanical clicks at the flick of a switch.  Rather than lift her right arm to trade hands with her weapon, she placed it in her right hand then drew out a simple bodkin point arrow with white fletching and notched it to the string.  "C'mon!  Don't hesitate!  This thing's gonna eat us if it catches us!"  she shouted.  She drew drew the string back, using the tension to pull her right arm up into position while she locked her elbow to keep her arm straight.  After she released the arrow, her right arm dropped uselessly to her side once more.  The arrow found its mark, although the beast seemed more annoyed by it than anything because it roared and scraped at its face to dislodge the annoying stick.

Despite being told not to hesitate, Sakura's jaw dropped and her body stiffened at being told to fight. "...Hoé?" was all she could manage to say in an awkward squeak as she stared at the Behemoth while it continued to struggle to remove the stick from its eye.

Fighting was not something she particularly enjoyed, especially against a ferocious looking creature like this. The threat of being eaten didn't help her nerves either, but whoever this girl was she was still clearly in trouble. This could be their chance to finally help someone in need, even if they hadn't been able to save Ly'rei or Kai'tok.

Syaoran gave a nod of encouragement when Sakura turned to look at him. "Don't worry, we'll be right behind you," he reassured while Kero gave a nod of his own.

Sakura nodded back reluctantly before removing the pink star-shaped key she wore around her neck. A magic circle appeared around her feet.

"Key that hides that power of the stars, show show your true form before me! I, Sakura, command you under our contract: RELEASE!"

In a flash from light from circle, the tiny key grew into into a staff. Sakura gave it a twirl as she removed one of her cards from her pocket and tossed it up into the air.

"Windy, form a binding chain! RELEASE!" she called as she touched the tip of her staff to the card.

The long-haired fairy depicted on the card emerged and swooped around the behemoth with a gusty trail. Windy managed to successfully bind the creatures legs and neck with just a few passes, but the creature continued to struggle and set its sights squarely on the children as it slowly began to break free of the windy streams.

"Windy isn't going to be able to hold him down much longer..." Sakura whimpered as she shrank back a step. Beside her, Syaoran quickly removed his sword from its sheath and readied one of his own spell tags.

"Dragon of Water, answer my call!" he cried, touching the tip of his sword to the charm. 
A powerful stream of water gushed forth from the tag, taking the shape of a Chinese dragon as it approached the behemoth. When the already cold water met with Windy's continued gusts it grew even colder until ice crystals began to form on the creature soaked fur. The ice slowly grew into a sheet that finally slowed the behemoth to a stop when it reached the ground.

When the dragon and fairy vanished the behemoth was left stuck in place by the ice that had from around its legs from the dripping water and covered in a thick layer of frost, but still alive.

Sakura let out a sigh of relief. She was glad that they had been able to stop the creature without hurting it, but they still needed to get as far away from it as they could before it freed itself again.


"Come on, let's get out of here," Syaoran called over to the purple-haired woman.

Even as the children unleashed spells on the creature, the violet-haired woman continued to dance around and shower it with arrows in an attempt to keep its attention on her.  When the girl's wind sprite bound it, she gave it reason to pay attention to something else.  Even so, she took shot after shot until she was out of conventional arrows.  The woman landed near an old tree and notched an arrow with purple fletching to her bow and watched silently as the pair of children used magic, summoning magic no less, to bind the huge creature in place.

With the behemoth bound and struggling under a sheet of ice, the woman walked toward them rather calmly.  Every step she took oozed confidence and grace.  She tucked the arrow back into her quiver, but didn't fold her bow up.  When she reached the children, and their unusual pet, she turned and dropped to one knee.

"Now it's my turn," she purred.

A bright green magic circle with a five pointed star at its center came to life under her.  It stretched outward until it was around thirty feet across.  Three rings of runes circled the star and began to rotate slowly.  She grabbed her bow string and pulled it backward without notching an arrow.  After a moment, an arrow comprised of green light came into existence in place of a physical one and three more green magic circle appeared in the arrow's flight path.  The largest was ten inches across with a five-pointed star at its center, three rings of runes, and three sub circles orbiting it.  The next was seven inches across with a four pointed star, two rings, and two sub circles.  The smallest, a mere three inches, had a single ring and sub circle.

"Vorpal."

The single word echoed with deafening volume when the woman uttered it.  Droplets of water were shaken from the trees and a powerful gust of wind rushed outward and formed a void where no water fell.  She released the arrow of light and it collided with the iced over behemoth in the blink of an eye.  Cracks webbed through the ice and a green glow began to follow each one.  Rather than shatter into thousands of pieces of frozen gore, everything began to slowly break down and float away in a flurry of green feathers.  It wasn't long before the behemoth was gone completely.

The woman slowly rose to her feet and collapsed her bow much like Kai'tok had.  The bubble around them collapsed inward and it began to rain again.  The woman placed her left hand on her hip and huffed in annoyance.

"I expected something more spectacular from that spell too..." she said with a pout.  Her starlight blue eyes moved away from where the behemoth had once stood and turned to the children, her right arm tucked against her bare belly as though it were meant to be in a sling.  "That was a fun way to meet new people though!"  she laughed.  She stuck her left hand out for them to shake.  "Name's Natalie Barrens!"  Her voice was powerful and boisterous and she wore a smile while she spoke. 

Introductions completed, at least in Natalie's opinion, she began to walk in the direction she'd come from.  "I tripped over that stupid thing on the smuggler's tail and it chased me here.  I would have used a spell to kill it sooner, but @#$% me are they fast when they're angry!"  she explained.  She turned and walked backward so she could talk directly to the trio.  "Good thing I happened across you guys though!"  Natalie laughed.  "Thanks for the help!"  Rather than turn around again, she continued to walk backward as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

The two children followed along as Natalie continued to walk backwards without missing a beat.

"My name is Sakura and this is Kero," the girl introduced herself before she turned to the small yellow creature hovering beside her respectively.

"And I am Syaoran," the boy introduced himself lastly. Beside him, Sakura fidgeted reluctantly before she spoke again.

"I'm glad that we were able to help, but did you really have to kill that creature?" She asked. "I know it wasn't exactly  friendly, but I don't think it was intentionally being malicious. After all, you said you tripped on it, didn't you?" Sakura insisted, but Syaoran shook his head.

"It might not have been on purpose, but that creature was still dangerous in its enraged state. Even if we managed to escape, there is no telling if it would have actually calmed down," he cautioned. "It could have just as easily gone on to chase after us once it got free, or worse, attack whatever else happened to be the first thing it saw afterwords."  

Sakura let out a soft huff in dissapointment with a pout. She didn't like the thought of someone innocent getting hurt, but she didn't like that a potentially innocent creature had had to die, either. Raher than protest any further she held her tounge while Syaoran spoke again.

"What exactly was that thing, anyway? I've never seen anything like it." he inquired.

"Whatever it was, it sure didn't look weak, but you managed to take care of it like it was nothing," Kero remarked. "That was some pretty impressive magic you used there."

"Your boyfriend's right, kiddo," Natalie chimed after Sakura had given up.  Her starlight eyes turned to Syaoran next.  "That thing is... was a behemoth.  They're savage creatures with a short fuse and whole lot of magic.  We're lucky that one was just a juvenile, probably around fifteen or twentyish years old, some of the adult ones are massive, like fifty feet tall at the shoulder, and they can use magic to do all sorts of awful things.

"I once saw one during an arena fight in Alzakam that must have been like a-hundred-fifty or something and it was fighting these two women.  It was casting all sorts of fire spells on them and this woman with a crazy-huge sword was using earth magic to protect herself and red-haired partner while her partner did all these crazy jumping attacks with a spear!"  the indigo-haired woman explained.  "And after they killed it, the chick with the sword used this huge spell to totally trash the arena and she and her partner escaped into Alzakam and probably crossed to the mainland," she added.

Without looking, Natalie followed the road while she spoke.  "Vorpal's a powerful incantation, but you can't use it without circles and voice... well... you can, but you gotta be seriously good without circles; I'm not so I have to say it.  It does a lot of fun stuff; in fact I'm kind of surprised the behemoth didn't explode when I used it," the archer continued.  "The big problem with circles is that you need to create them so spells can draw from them.  I probably could have just let it pull off my own magic pool, but using other spells isn't as effective plus I needed to be able to run at the same time."  She paused in her step to look at her shoulder then flexed her right hand.

"Huh... actually feeling this now the adrenaline is wearing off," Natalie began.  She used a spell to create some light to get a better look at her right shoulder, which was unusually mangled.  "See, this is why I couldn't fight it on the move, it hit me pretty early on but I pulled a roll and got away from it."  Her starlight eyes moved back to the pair of children her eyes settled onto Syaoran's blade.  "Say, could you do me a favour?"  she asked.

A bright and somewhat... unusual smile formed on her lips.  "I need you to chop off my arm."

Both Sakura and Syaoran simultameously flinched uncomfortably at Natale's blunt assessment of their relationship, though neither of them denied the claim. It wasn't until Natale exposed her injured shoulder that the two finally stopped blushing. Both of their faces fell even further after the woman's severe request.

"Chop your arm off?" Syaoran repeated to ensure with himself that he had hear correctly. Sakura looked horrified at the thought, but he and Kero were a bit more concerned. Syaoran knew that there were some cases of extreme infection where removing a limb was the only way to save the person it was attached to, but was the behemoth poisonous?

Time wold be of the essence if she really did need for her arm to be amputated, but what would happen after? Neither him nor Sakura knew any healing magic and the few medical supplies the two of them had gathered from the shelter wouldn't be enough to treat this kind of wound, but Natalie had still seemed confident in asking. She had to have some means of fixing it herself that they didn't know about. 

Syaoran removed his sword from its sheath, but kept the blade pointed towards the ground. "Are you absolutely sure about this?" he asked firmly. When Natalie gave the boy an equally serious nod back he turned to Sakura.

"Sakura, I want you to look away," he instructed as he lifted his sword.

"What?!" began to protest, frantically looking from him to Kero who only nodded. She quickly lowered her head and closed her eyes tightly before Syaoran swung.

Natalie watched the glimmer of Syaoran's blade in the rainy gloom with a certain amount of glee.  "I'll be fine, don't worry, Sakura," the mercenary said.  She braced herself for the sharp pain associated with the bite of a sword, although she nearly bit her tongue off when it tore through her flesh.  "#$%&... that hurts a lot more than I thought it would..." Natalie hissed through gritted teeth.

Her severed arm hung in place for a moment before it slid free and dropped to the ground.  Once there, it began to disintegrate into green vapour while the same vapour poured from the wound on Natalie's shoulder.  It wasn't long before the severed arm was gone and all that remained was the glove it had been clad in.  She slowly dropped to her knees from the pain and inhaled sharply while she fought the urge to go dormant while she recovered.  "I... will not... lose consciousness..." she growled.

The green vapour that spilled from her shoulder eventually began to web downward in the rough shape of an arm before it seemed to solidify.  The sheath of green light melted away in a shower of feathers that left pale flesh in its wake.  The pained expression on the mercenary's face was quickly gone and she rolled her wrist and fingers before she grabbed her glove and pulled it on.

"That bull#$%&'s the quickest way to regenerate, but &#$% it hurts..." she mumbled.  Natalie lifted herself to her feet then stretched her arms over her head.  She rolled her shoulder smoothly then looked down at her hand and flexed it while she rolled her wrist.  The mercenar turned to the pair of children and smiled broadly.  "Thanks, kiddo," she added.  Natalie looked down to the road and pointed with her once more functional right arm.

"Well, let's go.  There's a village not far from here.  Food's pretty good, mostly machka, some elven, and some human stuff... not that I recommend it," Natalie laughed.  "Pretty cheap inn too; nice, soft beds," she added.  Her mind made up, she began to walk, although, like before, it was backward instead of forward.

"We'll get a room so we can dry out.  Where are you two headed anyway?  Finding children out on the road these days means either escapees from slavers or run-aways.  I personally don't care in either case.  If someone wants to make something of themselves, who am I to judge?"  It seemed Natalie planned to be a chatterbox the entire trip.

"Are you sure  you don't need to rest some more?" Sakura urged, but Natalie had already started walking along as if nothing had happened. The two childrean quickly followed before they could get left behind.

"Actually, we were just trying to make our way to the nearest town, though we really only had a rough idea of where we were going," Syaoran admitted. "We aren't slaves or anything like that, but exactly from around  here, either" he  sheepishly explained, as though it were already obvious from their appearance.

"Originally, were traveling with two others for a time. They were going to help us get to town, but unfortunately we ran into some and they both ended up sacrificing themselves to protect us..."

Sakura nodded grimly in affirmation. "As long as you don't mind showing us the way, we would really appreciate your help finding a safe place to spend the night," she said. In truth, she was also glad that Natalie was being talkative. Somehow, it seemed to help lighten the air a bit.

"I don't care about a room or a bed just as long as we get to eat soon," Kero chimed in. Sakura shot him a quick pout, but stopped when she realized how long it must have been since they had eaten in addition to how long they had been traveling.

"But even when we do get to the nearest town we don't have any money to pay for a room or food," she said. "The truth is, we aren't from Illinara at all. Syaoran, Kero and I were somehow brought here from another world entirely. We don't know how it happened, but now we're trying to find a way to get back home."

"I know it's sudden and that it might be asking a lot, but please, could you tell us if you might know anything or anyone that might be able to help us get back to our own world?" Syaoran asked.

"Planes Walkers, eh?  Don't see that every day," Natalie said with a smile.  She folded her arms behind her head while she walked backward.  There was a pause while she thought about the subject.  "There's a few people we could talk to about getting you back home... although two of them kinda suck and the third is likely to send you on a fool's errand," she explained.  The mercenary stepped to one side and a broken tree branch landed where she'd previously been with a crash.

"Up north is Aurora, probably your best bet overall to be perfectly honest.  That's where Gloom the Forgotten and Lu'nan hang out.  Gloom's a piece of work, but if you tickle him just right he'll help you out.  Lulu's more likely to send you off to U'rune or, goddess forbid, The Far Point, but we'll see what happens when we talk to her," Natalie explained.  She followed the road perfectly as she walked backward, almost as if she had a sixth sense for spacial awareness.  "The other option is to go to Alzakam, but #%&@ that noise!  Means we either gotta cross the Alza Blockade, cut through the Twisted Forest, or cut through the northern edge of the desert," she added.

They soon arrived at a fairly large village.  The clank of the blacksmith shop could be heard easily because it was right near the road and was manned by machka despite the late hour.  The feline creatures scurried about with purpose and worked on various projects.  Although the majority of them were male, some females worked within in the shop as well.  "I think the machka call this place "Ya'tora," although not exactly sure what it means," she explained.  Across from the smithy was a store yard for the wagons and carts that trade caravans used.  Even in the rainy gloom, it was overrun with machka who made no effort to hide the fact they were thieves.  "Just a fact of life in a machka village," Natalie laughed.

Next door to the store yard was a stable and a busy carpentry shop.  The street continued onward and ended at a T-intersection with a large inn and a pair of bustling shops on the corners.  Machka made up the overwhelming majority of the population, but a few elves and even a few jezka moved among them as well.  Curiously, Sakura and Syaoran were the only humans that could be seen.  Out front of the inn a small group of people had gathered and they cheered on some sort of event.  Natalie pushed her way through the crowd and showed the children what everyone was so excited about; a pair of humans were engaged in a fierce fist fight and the machka were gambling on who would win.

"Couple of the traders that stop here for the night.  They're probably fighting over clients or territory or something," Natalie explained to the children.
"Territory, they're fighting over who gets to trade with Forlorn Peak," a nearby machka chimed.  Natalie laughed and skirted the fight to get inside the inn.

The inn was filled with the sounds of music and chatter when they stepped inside.  A couple of machka dressed in leather armour and armed with swords were off to one side.  They had a game of cards going on the table they were huddled around.  Natalie approached the reception counter and tapped a bell on it.  A tabby, female, machka dressed in forest green robes with long brown hair appeared from a nearby doorway.  Her golden eyes lit up at the sight of Natalie and a broad smile formed on her lips.

"Natalie!  I haven't seen you in forever!"  she greeted.  She pulled out a heavy, leather-bound, ledger book from under the counter and flipped it open to a bookmarked spot.  "The usual?"  she asked.
"Hey Mora," the mercenary smiled.  "I need a room with two beds this time around, I have companions with me," she explained.
The machka woman stood up and looked past Natalie at the pair of children then smiled and scribbled something in her ledger.  "Ten gold for the night then instead of eight.  Are you going to eat too?"  she said.  Her tone had changed completely; she'd become business-like and, while friendly, she had almost no emotional attachment to her friend.
"Yeah, anything good for specials?"  Natalie said.
"We slaughtered a pig this morning, is there anything in particular you're looking for?"  Mora responded.  She scribbled another note in her ledger.  "Fifteen for all three of you," she added.
Natalie counted out thirty gold pieces and handed them to the machka innkeeper.
"Do you still have the ribs?  I'd love to have both racks if you do.  I want that special dry rub the chef likes to use," the mercenary responded.
"I'm pretty sure we do, although the waitresses would know better than me," Mora explained.  She smiled past Natalie at the pair of children.  "I hope you enjoy your stay," she said to them.

"See you later."  Natalie turned away from Mora and headed into the restaurant on the left side of the reception area.  It was busy with a large volume of humans, nearly all of them traders of some sort.  Natalie selected an empty booth against the wall and motioned one of the waitresses, a machka with ginger fur and blonde hair.  She bounced over and smiled at the mercenary.
"Hey Natalie!"  she greeted.  Her blue-green eyes moved to the pair of children and she smiled at them.
"How are you, Summer?"  the mercenary asked.  She leaned back in her seat and put her feet up on the table.
"I'm fine, business has been really good and we only had one major fight," she explained.  She rolled her eyes at Natalie's actions.  "C'mon Natalie... you know the rules, you can't put your feet up," she sighed.  Natalie complied immediately.
"Three ales in pint mugs, whatever they want, and two racks of ribs with the chef's special dry rub," the mercenary said.  Summer handed the pair of children a menu from a pocket in the apron on her skirt.  The menu was mostly grilled, roasted, or baked cow or pork dishes and the portions were rather large.
"Don't be shy, we'll make whatever you want off the menu," Summer said with a smile.

Kero let out a happy cheer at the thought of being able to eat anything he wanted, but Sakura merely gave a reluctant nod as she accepted the menu. Summer then left to prepare Natalie's meal give the two children a moment to look over the menus and Sakura looked back at Natalie.

"Thank you for helping us get find food and a place to spend the night. I feel bad that we can't help pay for anything, but if there is anything we can do for you just let us know," she said.

Syaoran nodded in agreement. "Though, if we end up being stuck in this world for a while me might eventually have to find a way to earn some money..." he pondered before going back to his menu.

A moment later, Summer returned with the first Natalie's drinks and water for the two children. After placeing the three glasses on the table she then turned to take the children's order.

"I guess I'll have the grilled salmon meal with steamed rice and vegetables," Sakura said before turning towards the small creature hovering near her head. "Kero, you can share with me," she informed.

The teddy bear-like creature began to protest about wanting dessert, but Syaoran spoke up to cut him off before he could create too much of a scene. "I'll have the gingered pork and rice," he said. When Natalie turned and left again after quickly writing down the two orders, Kero let out an angry huff in Syaoran's direction.

"You said that a town in the north called Aurora is where we'd be the most likely to find someone who can help us get home, right? Exactly how far do you think it is?" Syaoran asked as the three waited for their food.

Natalie laughed at Kero's protests but smiled at him.  "If you're a fan of barbecue I'll share some of mine, Kero," the mercenary commented.  She stretched her arms over her head then grabbed her mug and downed it one go with little effort.  A very unladylike belch followed by laughter escaped her then she sat up straight and put her hands on the table.  "Aurora?  That's about a month from here on foot, three weeks if I run you two like dogs, but I don't think two kids can make seventy-seven kilometers in a day," she paused to motion to Summer for a refill.  After the waitress took her empty mug and left, she turned her attention back to the kids.  "Anyway, it takes me about two and a half weeks to reach Aurora on foot but I'm not travelling on the ground and I don't stop to sleep until I'm totally dead," she explained.

She sank back into her seat then pulled her hat off and set it on the table then ran a hand through her indigo hair.  Natalie thought quietly for a while, the first time she'd stopped talking for more than about a minute, then smiled.  "If we just wanna talk to Gloom, Dusk is about two days from here," the mercenary explained.  "Add to that, Aurora is about the same distance from Dusk as it is from Ya'tora," she said.  Another pause followed and she smiled.  "Yes, that works perfectly.  We'll head toward Dusk tomorrow instead," Natalie said.

Summer returned with their order and a fresh mug of ale for Natalie.  She placed a tray with two huge racks of ribs on it in front of the mercenary and two well-presented orders in front of the children.  The mercenary took out her hunting knife, a heavy-bladed weapon designed for hacking limbs off animals, and began to cut the ribs apart with it.  They were about nine inches long, two inches thick, and smelled of heavy and potent spices; she stabbed the point of her weapon into the table and took off her gloves before she began to eat.  She muttered something in machka after she took her first bite and smiled.

"A month?" Sakura repeated in a dejected tone. If the three of them were to be stuck in Illinara for that long they would have even more than money to worry about. What would their friends and family do once they noticed they were gone? Her brother Toya was especially protective and didn't even like her being late getting home from school, let alone disappearing entirely...

Syaoran let out his own murmur of disappproval as he lowered his chin into his hands. Neither of the childen spoke until Natalie had come up with an alternative for them. By this time, Summer had returned with their food and both of the children gave their thanks.
 
Once the waitress had left them to their meals, Kero let out a cheer and began helping himself to what he could of Sakura plate while Syaoran turned his attention back to Natalie.  

"You mentioned Dusk before, but what kind of a town is it?" the boy asked.

"It didn't sound very pleasant from what you said," Sakura recalled."Didn't you say something about a curse?" she asked reluctantly.

Kero waved a paw nonchalantly in the air at her concern. "It's probably just some kind of rumor started by the locals," he assured. "Even the spooky name name sounds like it was made to keep away any unwanted outsiders," the small creatured concluded before moving on from Sakura's plate and beginning to to eye the remaining contents of Natalie's.

Sakura seemed unconvinced by this claim, however at let out a questionable groan. She had had an abject fear of the occult ever since she was little and even learning of her own magic had been difficult in the beginning.

"I'm sure it can't be all that bad," Syaoran offered in his own attempt at reassurance. "In either case, it doesn't sound like was have any other options at this point."

The mercenary about five ribs at a ravenous pace before she looked up at Sakura's question.  She swallowed then smiled lightly at Kero's analysis of the situation.  "The curse is a very real thing, Kero," she said.  The indigo-haired woman dabbed her mouth with a napkin then pushed her food to one side so she could put her elbows on the table and rest her head on her hands.  "And it's a pretty evil one too... but then again, Gloom is the lord of the Underworld," she added.  Natalie sipped her drink before she began to speak.

"About a-hundred-fiftyish years ago, Gloom and the Goddess were caught up in a battle between light and dark, Gloom eventually won and claimed Dusk as his prize.  He desecrated the Goddess's shrine there and cursed the city to eternal night," she explained.  There was a pause while she let it sink in before she began to speak again.  "On top of that, his Legion of the Damned roams the city during nighttime hours, that is to say, nighttime in the rest of Illinara," Natalie continued.  "His Legion is mostly pretty normal stuff, zombies, skeletons, that kind of thing.  There's also ghouls and... crawlers..." she shuddered at the last word.  "The zombies aren't too bad, they're not very smart and they're slow.  The skeletons are nasty, but you can smash them apart pretty easily.  It's the ghouls and crawlers you gotta look out for.

"There's also an archangel who lives there... she's a savage monster who kills indiscriminately.  She got out about eighty years ago and killed half of Dusk's population.  Add to that, the Legion of the Damned gets people every night... so the whole city is kind of a mess.  Dunno why anyone lives there still, but whatever, it's not my place to ask," Natalie said.  She turned her attention back to her food and began to eat at the same ravenous pace as before.

The more Natalie described Dusk and the creatures that inhabited it, the paler Sakura's face became. She didn't even know what a crawler was, but if ghouls, skeletons, and zombies were 'the usual' then she didn't want to...

In this time, Sakura's eating had slowed to a stop. Kero took full advantage of the situation by helping himself to the rest of her plate, but when Syaoran noticed Sakura's distress he reached for her hand beneath the table and held it in a reassuring manner.

"But that's only during the night, right?" He offered in another attempt at comforting her until Kero spoke up.

"Nice try kid, but she just said that Dusk is dark twenty-four seven," he said smugly, earning a grumble in annoyance from Syaoran.

Sakura shook her head in a plea for the two not to argue. "Even if I don't like it, you said we don't have much of a choice but to go to Dusk, right Syaoran?" she said before she turned her focus back to Natalie. "I know there is no harm in at least asking, but what if this Gloom doesn't want to help us?" Sakura continued to ask.

"If Dusk is really as awful as you say then I can't imagine the person in charge being all that friendly," Kero agreed.

"It's still the only chance we have for now," Syaoran said. "If Gloom won't help us then we'll just have to press on to the next town. If nothing else maybe we can at least find some kind of answers," he continued.