OOC:

IC: As soon as the Intelligent One's hammer felled Jett, a look of utter surprise took its place on Victor's face. He didn't move, only stood there, dagger still held at the ready, staring at the lifeless body of his fellow member and short-lived friend. He could form no words to express his surprise, as his mouth seemed to be stuck in a gaping position. The Bard's fingers clenched tightly around the dagger's hilt for a second, then loosened completely, letting the blade fall to the ground with a soft tink. He continued to stare at Jett's body without a word or sound. Victor's face was void of all color, and his eyes were wide with amazement. He stood for several minutes like this, hardly able to think, let alone speak.

Suddenly, the Bard's expression changed from one of surprise to one of disbelief mixed with sorrow. He managed to shut his mouth, then slowly moved towards the inanimate mage, almost as if he were in a dream. Having reached Jett's body, Victor knelt down next to the him and stared quietly at the corpse, trying to process the myriad of thoughts racing through his mind. He couldn't help but shed a few tears, which he hid from the others by burying his face in his hands. The Bard stayed in this position for another few minutes, trying to make sense out of the whole situation, before slowly rising once more, his head still bowed slightly and his eyes still locked on the mage's lifeless frame. Then, out of nowhere, his head jerked up suddenly, and he whirled around to face the others, his eyes wild with hope and just a little denial.

"Do any of you know Resurrection? Any of you??!"

He locked his gaze on Thespin.

"Thespin, do you maybe know Elegy for the Departed?! Tell me you do! TELL ME!!!"

Victor's eyes began to well up with tears again, but he did his best to blink them away. He then began to yell hysterically at the others, not caring who - or what - heard him:

"SOMEONE HAS TO DO SOMETHING! ANYTHING!! WE JUST LOST JETT, DAMN IT!!! WHAT THE HELL ARE WE GOING TO DO, HUH?!"

The Bard then realized what he was doing, and he calmed down a bit.

"What are we going to do..."

During Victor's fit of mixed shock and desperate hope, Eyra dashes towards her fallen ally and kneels beside him, placing a palm on the mage's bloodsoaked chest. A tear drips from her eye and splashes on Jett's still, lifeless form, but the Kokiri girl stands before more rain down on him. She glances at her allies, as if contemplating how to handle the situation. Thespin is the first to speak, however.

Elegy of the whatnow? I know many songs, but none that have anything to do with revival. Eyra, what are you thinking?

The Kokiri can not help but smile, trying to maintain a shred of the group's morale. In her head she has devised a plan that would be risky, but necessary. She knows that there is a chance that the idea will fail, and can only hope that there is still time.

Jett... such a young man. We can not allow this to happen. Already we have had three close friends annihilated by these cursed murderers. I am not willing to stand by and watch another be so easily defeated. Kessler! Carry Jett back to the castle, as quickly as you can. I trust your speed is sufficient enough to make it back in good time. Jett's organs will begin to rot soon, and once that process has begun, there is no revival spell in the world that can save him. Go, Kessler, run back to the castle.

Nodding and remaining silent while holding back tears as desperately as Victor, the ranger hauls the limp form of his comrade over his shoulder and treads as quickly as possible in the direction of the connector bridge. His figure soon disappears, at which point Eyra casts a small Fire spell on a pile of rubble, beckoning her allies closer and gesturing to the ground.

We may as well rest now. The Intelligent One has done as was requested, I doubt he will bother us for the time being.

Silently taking a seat by the fire, Victor stared into the flames and collected his thoughts. They had just lost Jett, though hopefully not forever, and now Kessler was gone too. On top of that, the group still had to continue searching for the Stones of Curse. The Bard found himself thinking back to his conversation with Tristan, how if an Intelligent One showed the intent to kill there would be no stopping them. After watching the hooded Intelligent One end Jett's life so quickly and mercilessly, he realized just how true this was. And yet, for some reason the Intelligent Ones didn't want him nor Alpha dead. He began to ponder why this could be, but thought better of it. He needed his rest, after all. So, removing his satchel and using it as a pillow, Victor reclined and fell into a light sleep...

It is some time before Thespin stirs Victor from his sleep. The fire has been reduced to a pile of ashes and embers, from which a few thin wisps of smoke are emitted. Thespin is not a master of polite awakening, and his attempt to stir the bard is to simply to prod Victor's unconscious form with his foot, repeating "Wake up, Victor" and "For the last time, stand up!"

Eyra stands a few feet from the group, hood pulled over her face and arms crossed. She is not facing the party, and is instead turned away, as if staring into the surrounding nothingness. Assuming that Victor has been successfully awakened, she speaks to her allies.

This has been a dark day for our organization. There is a major chance that Jett will be lost forever, and it pains my heart to even think this can be true. However, we would be dishonouring his death if we discontinued this search. We must move on to the third and fourth sectors of the district. Thespin, you can accompany Victor to the fourth. Derix and I will search the third. Any questions?

Having been rudely awakened once again from his sleep by one of the organization's members, Victor was almost surprised to find himself outside of the castle. For a second, he thought- or hoped- that it had all been a dream. Sighing heavily, the Bard gathered his things and rose just in time to hear Eyra's short speech. As she spoke, Victor couldn't help but think of Jett, and sincerely hoped that Kessler had made it in time to save him. As Eyra assigned team members, Victor glanced at Thespin and tried his best to smile; when the Kokiri asked if there were any questions, all he did was shake his head...

Sighing and nodding to her allies, Eyra gestures to the two branches leading northeast and northwest of the District. She walks towards the northwestern branch that leads to the third sector of the Hospitality District, with Derix following close behind. As their figures are lost in the mist that enshrouds the region they are entering, Thespin pulls his hood over his face. He opens his hand and gives Victor a familiar object: the item that Kessler had retrieved in the first sector.

Kessler told me to give this to you, since he won't be needing it anymore. I find it odd that he wouldn't just lend it to you, though, since those spiders are common among our enemies.

[fanfare]
Victor got a Venom Trinket!
This small tool prevents the effects of poisonous attacks.
[/fanfare]

Alright, let's head out. We've got two more sectors left to search.

OOC: Too bad fanfare tags don't exists

OOC: But if there were fanfare tags, what would they do?

IC: Thanking Thespin, Victor turned the trinket around in his fingers, examining it. He could almost feel his veins being fortified from the Skulltula poison, and was grateful that Kessler had thought to give it to him. Smiling, he tucked it away in one of his pockets and followed his fellow Bard, unsheathing his dagger just in case...

OOC: Well... they could embed a midi file or something... or make music notes and stuff.... I really have no idea!
IC:

The third sector is an urban settlement of houses and other residential gatherings. Each building has been reduced to a dilapidated state, much like most of the structures present in the underground city. The appearance of these monstrosities is no surprise after the previous areas in the Hospitality District. Thespin can almost feel waves of crippled lives and short-lived memories rushing at him, and wonders if Victor feels the same way.

Alright. Here we are. There are more buildings here, so just check each one as best as you can. If you see a Cursed One, call me over. I doubt you'd be lucky enough to avoid a confrontation, so I'll have to be ready to back you up just in case.

The bard disappears into a nearby house, the door snapping off its hinges as he opens it. The creaking of his footsteps inside the building echo throughout the structure, and it is easy for anyone outside of it to hear. A few pots and pans fall to the floor and create an annoying metallic sound, but they are reduced to fragments of rusted material instantly. Thespin begins his search.

OOC: Yeah, right. Can you imagine how many different midis would be playing at different times if that happened? Besides, I always have my computer's sound off, anyways.

IC: Victor, too, can feel the past of the ancient sector rush at him, but he instead of crippled lives and short-lived memories, he imagines the sector the bustling nucleus of a proud city, where it's citizens came to live after a hard day's work. The Bard chooses to see the past the crumbling exteriors of the old buildings and see the history behind the structures, not to mention the sector itself. But, as Thespin laid out the plans for their search, he snapped out of his daze and nodded silently, remembering the task at hand. Seeing his fellow Bard go into a nearby house, Victor chose one of the other abodes to look in...

OOC: Well fine then
IC:

The house that Victor has chosen is a figment of century-long decay. It is safe to say that no one has visited his dwelling for quite some time. Every window is cracked in every possible position. There are small, dried puddles of ancient fruit juices and other liquefied foods. One segment of the home appears to have been used as a family lounge at one time. A few broken glasses are scattered along the table.

Something that could easily catch a person's eye is a letter that is laying on the stiff wood flooring of the homestead. It is sealed in an old, browned envelope and has not been opened. On the front, two words are inscribed as the mailing address.

"To Drejudar"

Seeing the envelope, Victor immediately forgot the rest of the house and quickly reached down to grab it. Reading the address and realizing that he was no 'Drejudar', he wondered if the addressee was somewhere in this house, although this person would probably be long dead by now. Still, the Bard couldn't help but look around cautiously before opening the envelope, as if there was someone around to catch him in the act...

Victor is met with silence in the old home. There is no one to sneak up on him here, save for an Intelligent One, but the appearance of such a person seems improbable. The dust filled dwelling holds no company for the bard; there are none who can keep him from opening the envelope and reading the message inside. Although, Victor could succumb to a fit of coughing when he lets the thick layer of dust float off of the letter.

Finding himself alone, Victor eagerly reached around to the envelope's flap. Shutting his eyes and mouth tightly to prevent himself from sucking up any ancient dust, he tore open the envelope. The Bard then waited a moment for the dust to settle somewhat before opening his eyes and pulling out the letter within, itching to find some kind of clue to the whereabouts of the Stones of Curse...

OOC: Some clue indeed. More like directions
IC:

The message is inscribed in tidy, fine ink and looks as though it was only written days ago. There are places where the page is torn and crumpled, due to the writer's carelessness, and there are even stains of some kind of drink. Unlike the text that had been found in the first sector of the Hospitality District, the letter is written in common handwriting.

Drejudar,

I have hidden that stone that you told me to protect. Remember it? It's that really fancy one that looks just like a pendant, and the stone is made entirely of volcanic glass. I had to hide it in the Hospital, in mother's old room in the psychological asylum. I was almost caught by the Cursed Ones. You know, the people that have started to lose it. It's like... they're dead, but something is keeping them from remaining like that. They stink! And they're scary, too. Some of them look like they're even mutating!

The pendant is in mother's room of the Hospital. There should be a locked cabinet that they kept medical stuff in. I swiped the key and hid the stone in there. I'll be hiding in the Leisure District with Frederick and Anthony, try to meet up with us soon!

Your brother,
Mikhail.

OOC: How'd you go from "Frederick" and "Anthony" to "Drejudar" and "Mikhail"??!

IC: Victor's eyes grew wide as he reached the end of the letter, and it took a few moments for him to register the impact that the note's information would have on the mission. Smiling wildly, he forgot the rest of the house and ran out into the sector, waving the letter in the air. The Bard hurried towards the building that the
Trinian had chosen to search and poked his head inside, shouting:

"Thespin! THESPIN! I found something!"