Pode and her Kin.

[Taste of Treason]

I am alone. The forest threatens me at every turn. I am afraid. Pode has left.

I have wandered aimlessly for what seems to be hours. I have no way of knowing if I am closer or further away from the goal. For everyone else still in this cursed place, the goal is Pode. For me, it is just my freedom. I don't want to die in this place.

I mark each tree as I pass. It is a slow way to journey, but at least I will know where I have been. The sound of footsteps stops me in my tracks and my blade still against the bark of a large oak. Someone is approaching. No, not approaching, passing by. The steps never slow, in fact they seem to speed up as they pass my location. I waste no time in rolling to my knees and hiding in the brush. Twigs and branches cut into my skin as I crouch, but I dare not allow myself to move. The beast who attacked me in my initial group may well still be in the forest. I can't let him find me again.

Silence once again fills the air. Only a bird crying in the distance lets me know that the whole world has not stilled. I release a breath and push myself back to my feet. My hands bear the marks of the forest floor and a scratch bleeds lightly on my right cheek. It is nothing compared to the damage any of the warriors searching for Pode could do.

My mind races with my options. As much as I fear the others, I also fear being alone. I slowly follow the stranger's path, hoping that I will find someone with a moral compass. Or an actual compass. Either will suffice.

[Zack Blaze]

He shifted the child closer to his chest. Kyla Orlouge was a dangerous foe and he had apparently not realized that the rumors of the Mystic's death were greatly exaggerated. The baby was his first priority; he needed to protect it at all costs in order to further his goal. Pode was long gone now, perfect for his plan, but the Lindequalme still held residual effects over the Red Forest. Without the threat of the Forgotten One to taunt and mentally break the master manipulator, the mastermind behind Eiskalt thought nothing would stop his plans from coming into fruition.

Besides Kyla Orlouge, who somehow gained the ability to go invisible. '

Luckily, the warrior woman still maintained the lack of intelligence Zack had become accustomed to. While the Mystic was completely unseen to the naked eye, her shadow still danced upon the trees and underbrush of the forest. As long as he kept his eyes on the humanoid black shape, he could fight Kyla Orlouge. "I expected more from you, Orloogie. I got a baby with me and you're willing to stalk me? I didn't know you were such a fan."

He scratched the stubble that started to form at his face as he kept his eyes on the still shadow. The blob stood still for a moment, as though Kyla was thinking about not attacking the street fighter. Then she darted off without so much as an attempt at a comeback. Zack sighed as he thought about the idea of never meeting someone on the same thought level as him, and took off after the shadow. He was not one to go after danger like this, but he could also not let Kyla Orlouge get back to whatever camp the Ixian Knights had in the forest still and warn her cohorts of Zack's exploits.

And that's when the shadow ran right past a familiar face. Zack gave pause as he looked to the lithe girl who stood before him, seemingly lost. "Cellar?" Zack asked as he nestled the baby girl closer to his chest.