As Izek emerged from the alcove, his heart pounding in his chest, he found himself confronted by two unsettling humanswho seemed to be at the center of the fiery chaos. The first figure, a man with wild, unkempt black hair and a feverish gleam in his eyes, appeared utterly manic and consumed by a frenzied fervor. His clothes were ragged and stained, and there was something oddly.. desperate about him. Gripped tightly in his trembling hands was a makeshift weapon, a jagged piece of metal crudely fashioned into a sickle, now glinting menacingly in the crimson glow of the flames.
"Die, you plague-spreading vermin!" the manic individual roared, his voice hoarse and tinged with madness. "You bring the curse upon us all, and I'll send you straight to the Abyss where you belong!"
Beside him stood a stark contrast—an individual who did not appear to be fresh from the Gatehouse. He wore well-kept leather armor and a drawn longsword. He appeared a bit older, with salt and pepper hair, and whereas the eyes of his partner were those of a man consumed by desperation, there was something very intelligent and pragmatic about his keen gaze as he set his sights upon Izek. He exuded an air of authority. A stern figure amongst the chaos.
"Hold," the voice of reason spoke, the tone firm and unyielding- though Izek wasn't clear whether it was to him or to his mad partner. "We shall not act in blind condemnation, nor shall we allow ourselves to be blinded by their pleas," he replied sternly. "Let us see if he bears the marks before we decide his fate."
The manic figure's eyes darted frantically between Izek and the group, his grip on the makeshift weapon tightening with each passing moment. "Truth?" he spat, his voice trembling with agitation. "Their kind brings naught but suffering! I'll not stand idly by while they unleash more misery upon us!"
Amidst the escalating tension, Izek's attention was drawn to a nearby catapult, positioned ominously close to them. The flaming bullet had ignited the alcove behind him, unleashing such a wide radius of sparks that some managed to rain down around the three of them. The heavy machinery was noted to have wheels, and seemed to be rusted and weathered. It would undoubtedly make noise if it were to move again.
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As Orris extended his hand towards the trapped man, a bewildering phenomenon unfolded. To Kachil'kcha, who observed the scene with her multifaceted eyes, the gray man appeared as an illusion—translucent and ethereal, like a mirage in the midst of the raging inferno. The Thri-kreen's keen instincts sensed something peculiar about the figure, as if reality itself wavered around him. It was as though her mind struggled to reconcile what her eyes saw, and a faint shiver ran down her chitinous exoskeleton at the dissonance.
However, to Orris and the others, the gray man was all too real.He seemed tangible and solid, as did the sound his hands made as they struck the window of the blazing tenement. Behind him, flames threatened to engulf him any second, and he seemed to be beckoning Orris to break the window somehow.