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[Anarkhos]

Then it was a deal. He would lead them to the so called mage and in return they would pay him and offer protection against any that raised a sword up against him. It was a win-win situation on both sides or the agreement. "Aye, I got something over ere!" The one known as Patchy sounded off pointing down at what look to be a drag trail through the dirt covered ally. "The man be right. He is injured, moving slow can't be too far ahead." Already down to business the group moved. It would prove fairly easy to kill the man. Even if he was a mage they had size in numbers seeing that there were four of them, five if they counted in the Isur.

"Aye. Ya know how to use a weapon?" Another larger man asked scooping up a crude ax from a dead body and tossing it to the Isur. They would need every man able to use a weapon. Mages were no joke. Funky stuff they dealt with but to have the reputation of killing a mage in a city like this would open many doors for each of them. Their names would be well known around every tavern. They cam to a stop at an exit where the city had began to riot. The streets were on fire, not in a literal sense...Not yet anyway, but ever the same. There was yelling and fighting about the citizens. Damn shame it is. That's Sunberth for you. They'd find any reason to start a riot.

A shadow moved as one of the men fired their crossbow bringing the person down to a knee. They approached before a glint of steel flickered in the air. Patchy moved, a twist of the hand and flick of the wrist unsheathed his sword and cut the person's hand clean off before the others lifted him up onto the wall. It was a boy wild eyed, afraid and in pain. "Where do ya think your going lad? Isur is this the mage?" The boy tried to protest only gaining a punch to the nose as a response. "Shut up! Is this our man?"

She was right he wasn't a man, he was just a scared little child on the inside. That didn't mean that he couldn't start acting like one now. He tried to think of something to help her plan follow through, an idea popping into his mind as he dove into his coat and sack searching for the item in mind. It took a while, but indeed he did have them revealing a mesh sack made of twine and cotton filled with medium sized glass globes. The globes were made of thick glass that had ridges all around it so the user could have a good grip. There was a small opening atop of the glass with a cotton cloth inside that sprouted outward where it was attached to the glass by a sticky adhesive between a piece of flint and steel.

Carefully removing the cloth not wanting to start a fire and blowing them both to bits he through the thing aside as the wind took it behind them. He dashed the alcohol over himself as if it were some cheap fragrance used to attract the opposite sex. Unfortunately it didn't...He'd tried before. Deeming himself smelling drunk enough, he turned the globe upwards and began chugging the rest for himself to numb the pain and fear that coursed through his veins. He went to offer the misses some as he opened another and began to drink from it. We need to get to the gate, that's where Leir'os and I plan to meet. Please I will make it worth your while if you can get me there safely."

He looked to her with eyes of grief as the city was now in a full blown riot. "There he is!" A voice called out. Petch. He tried to move to run but his leg still pained him. Ale must've not kicked in yet. Taking another larger globe he pinched the flint with his fingers before snatching it back and scratching it against the steel causing the cotton to ignite. Taking aim he flung the orb at the crowd whilst pushing the woman behind a corner his hands up against her breast. "Two, three, four." Everything seemed to dampen as far a sound went. Damn they were too close. He should have realized the bigger one's would make a bigger explosion. It still got the job done though it seemed as wood and other things flew past them. He peeked out to see the ally now set a blaze. Amazed and afraid he looked to the woman before quickly removing his hands from her breasts.

[Caela Dorin]

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The merchant seemed to think that they had all the time in the world as he went looking for something he carried on his person. Given what she'd said to him recently, she hoped that he was getting some alcohol but the dancer couldn't be sure what this pathetic excuse for a man was doing, if she was being perfectly honest with herself. Caela wondered if he was aware of the fact that this was a life and death where speed was very much of the essence. He was taking his sweet time looking for booze and the dancer was just about ready to pack in his search when he withdrew some peculiar globes from the hidden depths of his belongings. They were very strange in appearance with cloths stuffed into the top of them but they looked to be the fancy version of something the blonde had seen used on the streets before. She knew that people sometimes stuffed rags into bottles of alcohol, lit the rags on fire and threw the entire construction; these fire bottles smashed on impact, spreading the highly flammable alcohol within them that instantly turned the area into a fiery puddle. These globes seemed to have a similar purpose although such fire bottles that the dancer had seen were typically constructed on the spot. Carrying around pre-made ones didn't seem practical to the Sunberthian girl, but she watched the fraudulent mage draw out one of the rags with the greatest of care before dousing himself in its liquid contents.

The young woman's nose wrinkled slightly against the sharp, stinging scent of the alcohol. She waved away the offered drink, determining that it would be better for her to keep a calm head, and watched with amusement as he began to drink from one of the globes. He had taken her advice very literally it seemed. She just hoped that his preparations didn't lead to them both being lynched by the bloodthirsty mage-hunters. They really needed to get moving.

"We need to go, understand? We can't stay here for much longer," she warned him, resisting the urge to reach out and grab him so that she could drag him away. He was going to get her killed at this point and she wasn't in any way amused. He explained where he needed to go--as if she didn't know how to get out of the city she'd lived in for her whole life--and promised some manner of remuneration if she helped him; she was in it for whatever she could get anyway and as far as she was concerned, it was the very least that he could do for her.

The cry of discovery froze her to the spot for a few moments, her mind screaming a string of curse words and incoherent panic as she stared at the oncoming crowd then she made to run and found the merchant dragging her around the corner. Everything was happening at a rapid rate but she'd seen him throw something then they'd been around the corner and the world tried to blow itself up. She felt the tremors through the ground and the air, even with the wall's protection, and a ringing started in her ears as the sound of the crowd turned into a dull roar, like the oncoming tide. She could hear screams and shouts but they were distant. Caela whacked the sides of her head in an effort to bring the sound back to normal and gaped at the man who she had so recently deemed useless; he had caused that. Her eyes moved down to where his hands rested against her chest and gave him a sour look. He was quick to remove them and she shooed him away from her so she had the space to look at the destruction he had wrought.

The alley was ablaze. Some people ran around screaming with their bodies ablaze, others lay in pools of blood and groaned softly while more lay motionless on the ground.

"Ye gods! What have you done? You'll have drawn them all here with the sound and the flames and they'll think you used magic! You've given them proof! You'll bring them straight to us!" she shrieked at him, grabbing the front of his clothing to shake him violently. "We have to get out of here now! The fact you definitely used magic will probably get ahead of us and we won't stand a chance if we're seen. We need to run! Forget the prostitute thing. We need to petching run for our lives. Come on! Never mind your leg! It's your leg or your life, you petcher!"

The blonde was on the edge of hysteria but her mind was moving a mile a chime, her survival instinct kicked into full gear as she attempted to drag the man away to put as much distance between them and the explosion as possible. "Everyone will run towards the explosion. We might buy ourselves a few chimes if people just think we're going the other way to get to safety. After that, they'll guess who we are and we'll be petched," she explained rapidly. The dancer found herself moving at a fast walk, breaking into a slight run after a few paces as she panicked that people would be following them. People did in fact rush past the pair, eager to see what the fuss was about rather than interested in lending a hand; Sunberthians were rubberneckers who simply loved to watch the misfortune of others.

The dancer had every intention of making a beeline across the city to the gates, using the lesser used streets as much as possible. At least if they didn't use the main thoroughfares, they had less chance of being seen and recognised later when people learned who they were. She had a feeling that such knowledge would be spread in the very, very near future. As if they didn't have enough things against them, the man's leg was a great hindrance. If he'd taken enough alcohol then it would help to numb things but she wasn't convinced he'd had enough. She couldn't move as fast as she would have liked because of his disability and his limp and dishevelled appearance made him all the more memorable, which certainly wouldn't work in her favour. She had to encourage him to move as fast as possible. Derision had moved him to action before and so she used such a tactic again in the hopes of getting the results she desired.

"Move your arse, you fat petch! It's bad enough that you're endangering my life but you could at least try to move faster! If you think you're in pain now then I'll give you something to really cry about, you snivelling excuse for a man. I could drive my dagger into your guts and leave you in an alley for your guts to eat themselves while you slowly bleed out and wait for the mob to find you. Wouldn't be any skin off my teeth because then I could get out of here without a hitch! Or you could move your fat backside, you useless, little shyke and you get to live! Maybe you even get out of this day alive and get a story of adventure to tell your grandkids. Move yourself or I'll petching move you," she threatened, hissing and spitting in his ear as she tried to support and shove him down their chosen path. If he needed it then she could support him by wrapping an arm around him and letting him lean on her, but if he could move on his own then it would be for the best; at least, if he could walk or even run by himself, they could keep a reasonable pace. All the dancer could hope was that they wouldn't run into any further danger.
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[Anarkhos]

The barking of the woman's words were sure to be the cause of his loss of hearing if not the explosion. Yes it did save their skins from the angry group that chased them, but inevitably she was correct. The explosion was sure to draw in a larger more angrier crowd filled with blood lust. Completely giving in and letter her take charge, he forced his injured leg to move in front of the other. Pain shot through his legs but he pushed on, not that he had a choice with the woman pushing him every time he tried to stop for a breath. They bent around a corner just as the roar of the city reached their last location. It was a good thing that they did move or they would've been dead for sure. He guessed there was some hope to the harsh words the woman spat at him.

He moved along the alley way his chest rising and falling with every nerve wrecking thought that entered his mind. "Keep moving, that's all you have to do is keep moving." His heart felt as if it were going to explode from his chest, every sound causing him to jump a bit. He didn't want to die. Not today. They stopped for a moment as a large crowd passed them by, a group of small boys. Teenagers by the looks of it armed with sticks and rocks looking to inflict damage on what ever or more specifically who ever they where searching for. There was shadow move behind him that caught his attention. Before he could speak a large hand took hold of the woman's hair yanking her back with great force. Throwing his hands up he pleaded with the Akalak to put the woman down.

Leir'os held the blonde haired woman up by her hair his longsword ready to pierce her skin.

"I thought I told you people to leave him alone." The bloody Akalak grimaced into the woman's ear raising his sword ready to end her life here and now. "Leir'os wait, she is no threat to me, she's been helping me escape." The merchant spat out quickly before the only help he had was laid out dead in the alley. Taking his master's word, the akalak let the woman go as she fell to the ground. He gave a sigh of relief before kneeling down in front of the woman begging for her continued assistance.

"P-Please H-Help us." He started, tears already running down his face. A hand went up to stop the twisted face Leir'os from intervening with he plea. "I-I know the sacrifices you've made to assist me in my escape. I know that you face a bigger risk in getting caught than me, but I can't get far on my own, and even with Leir'os it would probably end badly. S-s-so I come to you. Not as some half bit merchant, or some man accused as a mage, but as an employer. Help."

That being said, he slid his bag from his shoulder digging into it and removing a money pouch as well as other gadgets and things, pushing them towards her as an offer. The blood stained Akalak huffed in disagreement, but kept his voice silent as his master commanded. The merchant looked at the woman with eyes holding a multitude of emotions, fear, worry, sorrow all filled his face at once. He was injured, slow, had no clue where he was going, and couldn't fight to save his life. He swore if he did make it out of here alive, he would find a more peaceful and well guarded city to retire in.

[Caela Dorin]

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Caela didn't know if it was her pleasant words of encouragement or her gentle, guiding hands that got the merchant moving, but it was good to age have him on the go. Every step he took meant they got further away from the people who knew who he was. Every step he took brought them closer to escape, safety and salvation. The dancer didn't want her ass to be on the line, she was rather attached to it after all so she'd quite like it to be able to keep it in one piece. Thankfully, her pestering and abuse of the man had ensured they'd gotten away from the danger of the mob before they'd swarmed over the site of the explosion. If she'd allowed him to rest as often as he wanted, or even allowed him to rest at all then they probably would have been dead. He must have noticed how close they'd come to meeting the mage hunters but he said nothing to her about it. The blonde was more than happy for him to remain silent if he simply stayed focused on keeping himself moving. Whatever pain had prevented him from keeping on the move before had evaporated in the face of Caela's no-nonsense attitude.

Young men, boys really, ran past them armed and ready to go after the source of the ruckus. She held her breath as they walked past them, paranoid that they'd recognise them for what they were--fugitives. They passed by without giving them much attention and she breathed a sigh of relief as no incident occurred. The young woman's relief was short-lived, however, as strong fingers snatched at her golden tresses, wound into the locks and tugged hard. The dancer screeched, releasing the merchant involuntarily as the force of the pull sent her stumbling backwards. Her entire scalp was burning, the sensation of every hair being tugged out by the roots bringing tears to her eyes. The agony of it didn't relent either. On the contrary, it worsened as she was lifted by that cruel grip. The young woman sobbed and wailed, the sound becoming choked at times as the pain rose to a high point before ebbing away for mere ticks. The height she was raised to, the flash of metal, a glimpse of the unnatural skin colour which she had so recently seen, and the blonde realised that it was the Akalak bodyguard who had been defending the supposed mage. The situation was a blur of sights and sounds but the pain disrupted her understanding of the events going on around her.

The moment that the agonising pressure finally abated, Caela dropped down and fell painfully to her knees. Her spine curved forwards, the young woman almost curling into the foetal position where she knelt. Her hands went up to her crown, cradling her aching scalp and found that it was wet in places. Taking trembling fingers away from the tender flesh, she found the scarlet slickness of blood on her fingertips. She became dimly aware that the merchant had fallen before her and she focused on him, listening to his pleading with a feeling of growing disbelief. That bloody giant of a madman had just been about to kill her and even without that, he had strung her up by her hair. She'd seen young children lucky enough to have dolls do that, pulling the humanoid figure along by the strands of fibre that were woven into its cloth scalp. At least, it had no feeling and wasn't real. Caela on the other hand had felt where hair had been pulled free, where the delicate flesh on her crown had been rent and torn to cause this bleeding now. When she got home, she'd probably be able to dye her wash basin red when she cleaned the golden tresses of the stains he must have left. In the meantime, she'd look quite a sight with streaks and clumps of blood in her hair and scalp. It'd add to the notion that she was a victim rather than someone to be frightened of or angry towards but she wasn't inclined to extend this potential victimhood. She felt like she'd had enough danger and excitement for one day. The dancer had never been more eager to go home and curl up in her bed to block out the world.

However, as keen as she was to refuse the merchant and free herself of the danger of the mob, she was aware of a more immediate threat to her safety. The Akalak had been called off because she had helped his master but what would happen if that tenuous connection between them vanished? What was to stop the brute killing her rather than risking that possibility of her dropping information on the mage's whereabouts? He had no reason to trust her and if she wasn't helping his master then perhaps that made her automatically against him in the man's eyes. Plus there was ample reason to believe that she'd be paid handsomely for her trouble as the merchant so kindly reminded her by pushing coins and various trinkets towards her in offering. Her fingers itched to snatch up the bag of coins and run away with it. Go somewhere that she could live a fine life and forget about running around in fear, feeling like a cornered rat.

"Petch me, but yes, I'll help, all right? If lays another finger on me though," she warned pointing an accusing finger in Leir'os's direction, "Then I'm gone and you're on your own, understand me? Now we need to get moving again, got it? Maybe your... man can carry you. It'd be faster than what we have now and speed is what you need," she explained, shooting an uncertain, distrustful look in the Akalak's direction. She pointed in the direction they'd need to go next in order to come closer to their goal.

"Pick him up and I'll move a bit ahead of you. I'll be your guide. Now come on! Before they pick up the trail again, we can't have much time. They'll have realised where we are by now so move it. Quickly! You'll obey me as if I'm your master and you'll do it fast if you both want to live so go!" Caela ordered the Akalak. She set off at a brisk walk, moving her head in little jerks from side to side as she scanned down alleyways and side streets in the maze that comprised Sunberth. She expected danger at any moment and from around any corner and so she was on high alert as she put a couple of yards between herself and the troublesome pair, assuming that they'd follow her if they knew what was good for them.
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[Anarkhos]

Giving nods of gratitude and thanks, the merchant looked to his Akalak servant. "You are not to harm this woman in any way form or fashion, follow what she says so we can escape this nightmare of a city. Understood?" A grim look upon his face obviously stating that he disagreed with the suggestion, but still the Akalak followed his master's orders, giving a nod to the woman to show his servitude and thus hoisting the man up and in his arms like a new born babe.

"We're following you." The merchant chimed readjusting himself. The streets were filled with a thousand things going on at once. People lay dead in the street, stores and homes were being raided by anyone that had the balls to enter one's home uninvited, which accounted for just about everyone in the city. This was a good thing for them, at least some attention would be taken away from their group. It looked as if things were starting to look up for them. Though he seemed to have spoken too soon as a hard shiver rushed up his spine at the sound of a burly voice.

"Hey you!" A group of men approached them. There were four of them, Leir'os counted all human, older men. Maybe retired mercenaries? Or just citizens that joined the hunt. The man that spoke clearly suffered a terrible leg injury at some point and time in his life but the other three looked strong enough to put up a good fight. "We are looking for a mage, you haven't seen any suspicious people roaming about have ye?" He asked eyes surveying the Akalak carrying the man. "It's been said that he caused a large explosion with his own hands, nearly took down o'l Marlene's house."

"Psh, I wish" The merchant mumbled under his breath where the men couldn't hear him. Leir'os gave him a stern look that told him to keep quiet. He knew that if either of them spoke, their non-sunberthian accents would give them away quickly. He hoped that this woman was as good at saving their arse as master claimed. "Is that fellow there alright?" the leader of the group asked. Neither the merchant or Akalak answered, letting silence take the place of their words instead. "Did that mage get you? Damn monster. If you all want, you could travel with us, hunt down this bastard together." The man motioned for them to follow as he turned around to continue walking the streets. Leir'os and the merchant looked to their guide for leadership.

[Caela Dorin]

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The merchant ordered his employee not to harm Caela in any way, but the dancer still regarded the Akalak with distrust. She didn't appreciate someone trying to rip the hair right out of her scalp and it was clear that he'd happily do it again - and more. The only thing keeping this rabid dog from ripping her throat out was his rather pathetically timid master. If it came down to it, she didn't trust the brute as far as she could throw him and she didn't think she could throw him at all! Still, she'd said that she'd help which meant that she'd need to accept this rather troublesome truce. The blonde acknowledged him by nodding right back at the Akalak, watching with some discomfort as he hoisted his employer into his arms with apparent ease. She sighed as she was given her marching orders, taking up a swift pace in the direction of the city's exit. The young woman felt more than a little nervous to be walking the streets with such a conspicuous pair in tow. Anyone who saw them was sure to remember them and the notion of being recognised frightened her immensely. Hopefully, with the Akalak's help, they'd be able to move a lot faster and escape before anyone had the chance to learn who they were.

The call of a man's voice filled her with dread as what she feared seemed to be coming to pass. They'd been found by someone who knew exactly who they were. The blonde's pulse skyrocketed as fear gripped her and she turned to face the oncoming group, wide-eyed. Caela gave the men a quick glance over, noticing the strength in the limbs of three of them and the limp of the speaker. The one who was doing the talking probably wasn't much of a threat but that was only if his movement was hampered. It might slow him down a bit but he still looked to be a strong fellow so perhaps he could cause some damage if he got close enough. The only thing she could do was make sure that they had no reason to approach them with ill intent. Based on first impressions, the group didn't appear to know that one of the trio was a suspected mage, although they did seem to know about the mage all right. The dancer needed to divert their attention away.

"Got out of the way just in time, I'm telling you," Caela burst out, allowing a more colloquial accent to colour her words. She often succeeded in sounding rather more affluent than the typical Sunberthian, as if she didn't belong. Now, she sounded much more like a native or so she felt. "Well, far enough from the blast not to get crushed but my mate got crushed when everyone scarpered. Didn't see no mage ourselves and we don't wanna. That flash banging is too much for us. Thought me ears would blow out that bang was that loud. We'd much rather get well out of here," she explained, waving her hands around as she talked. "We wish you luck with the bastard but we didn't see him, not even at ol' Marlene's house. Maybe he can magic himself gone, dunno what those freaks can do. We'll be out of here before we see that mage though if I've any say in it."

The blonde looked straight at the merchant and his guard and jerked her head in a different direction to the one the other men seemed to be heading in. She indicated a side street so they'd have a chance to take a more scenic route and avoid notice for a little while. If given the opportunity, she'd go that way herself.

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