Phillip was very confused now. In a short period of time, everything changed. He noticed the girls in the cage whisper and then one grabbed the bars. He blinked a little as they turned bright red. He also noticed the guy against the wall begin walking towards the one wrapped up in a blanket. The golem didn't seem to notice any of this. None of it mattered, though. Maybe the girls could help, but if not, he had to do this on his own. The golem acted as if he had made the cat attack him. Strange. There was, of course, no way Phillip could of done that. At least not to his knowledge. He had to say something impressive, though. "I-I'm not playing dumb! I-I...I..." Oh yeah. Real impressive. He was totally tongue tied.

Irrational fear started to rise as the man made his way over to Aoi. She tried to calm herself and think logically. First, she needed to get out of the situation without looking like she was running away.
Aoi made a disgusted face at the golem and then rolled her eyes, as if she had seen this happen a thousand times before. With a quick turn on her toes, she walked purposefully into the alley.
Aoi's heart was racing as she forced herself to keep an even, confident gate. She was going to have to bluff her way out of trouble if the man continued to follow her. She quickly made up a name, occupation and a reason why she was here. With a small after thought, she also decided on some random city to be from. So small and obscure no one would have ever heard of it of course.
Aoi gave him a look of annoyance mixed with interest. She glanced up in the sky, checking the sun. "Very well, but I can't talk for long," she said importantly, while tucking a piece of blond hair behind her ear. She mentally winced at the nervous tendency to do that. Her eyes betrayed nothing though as she kept an even gaze on Kankei.
Kankei smirked a bit at her blatant self-importance and released his hold on her shoulder. "I won't keep you long. I'm fairly new to this neighborhood, and I was wondering if things like that happened often." He lied smoothly, fixing his yellow-eyed gaze on her face and keeping it there.
From what he could tell, she was actually the one that was new to town and wasn't as confident as she was acting. There were only two sources that frost could have come from; her, or the boy that was trapped. The boy had looked like he was too busy trembling in fear to do anything of the like, so as far as Kankei was concerned this blonde girl was the culprit.

Ardais turned his head toward Ember and Irina. The metal lattice shrinking and growing small sharp blades. The constricting bonds stopped after laving a few nicks on their flesh. A obvious silent warning from their captor.
Pointing his free arm at the human in the cage he reabsorbed the metal and wrapped Phillip in a similar set of restraints. Bonding Phillip's cage to the metal lattice on the other side of Irina. He Held the three up with ease as he turned around. He had noticed Kankei going after some new little thing that had caught his attention.
Normally he wouldn't bother with the lowly warrior. But, he needed assistance in his search and couldn't afford to leave and have Kankei disappear like the missing detachment.
"Kankei, you can hunt down your new toys later. I need you to report to the palace and get Ashi. I require her services, now."

Phillip decided that he was going to keep the Golem busy. That way, he wouldn't notice the girls. "Hey, freak. You don't move these bars and I'll blow you to smithereens." He was definitely bluffing and he wasn't sure if the Golem would realize it, but he wasn't about to give up.
"The cat was one of my many pets." That felt wrong to say. Phillip didn't consider any animals his pets. He was strange like that. As he spoke, though, he noticed more and more of those cats begin to appear at the top of a distant hill. This was strange.
Maybe they just caught sent of their fallen companion and came to avenge him. That had to be it...Though he was thinking that maybe they were trying to save him, which was preposterous.

"Your running away when you first saw me makes your threat oh so more intimidating." The Golem chuckled in reply. His head turning toward the appearing Displacer Beasts. Well, it seemed he had found the reason for the detachments disappearance.

Kankei growled quietly when he heard Ardias call out to him. He didn't like playing messenger boy especially when he was checking out a prospective "toy."
"Yes, sir!" He called out to the golem, then turned back to the girl. "Terribly sorry about this. I'm sure I'll meet up with you again," he said, flashing her just a hint of a predatory smile before turning and heading back towards the castle.

The Golem called his bluff. Phillip knew it. But he didn't seem to the cats, yet. Soon, at least eight of them were running down the hill. The large cats were the same as the one that had tried earlier. The cat's strange body only confused Phillip more. Nothing like that had he ever seen.
He had seen just about any species of cat, or so he thought. Cats were his main interest. Oh well. Phillip took another step back and tried to stand confidently, to no avail. He really didn't know what to say, but he knew he had to keep the Golem's attention.
"I was only running because I didn't want to hurt you. I'm a peace lovin' kinda guy."

The Golem finished attaching the restrained Phillip to the lattice next to Irina.

"Foolish sentiment for a wizard." The golem replied as his cloak transformed. Dark wings beat the air and lifted the golem and his three captives into the air just as the giant cats closed. He floated in the air just out of reach as the cats appeared to jump at the air.
Ardais chuckled and flew higher well out of their reach. When the cats stopped jumping he stopped rising. Pointing down with his free arm a heavy and jagged looking length of metal emerged from one of the holes.
A second later he fired the projectile and flew higher quickly. Stopping to let them see the end of the beasts.

Below the ground the cats had been milling about on exploded. All eight beasts disappearing in a violent explosion and the ensuing fire ball. Below in the villages heart all was still. Charred bones and bits of cooked flesh laying on the ground surrounding a small black crater.
"There is only peace in the shadow of my sword and at the end of the chain the Empire has around your neck."

Aoi covered her head as the explosion sent debris every where. When she moved her arm, her eyes were watery with unshed tears but their blue color was bright with anger. How dare he do this? How DARE he treat another living thing as if they were nothing but dirt that was around for his play. As Aoi continued to stare up hatefully at the golem, the ground started to shake slightly. Suddenly, the water from a well suddenly shot up into the air like a geyser.
Aoi quickly turned towards the sound of the new noise. Her attention broken and anger momentarily quelled, the water fell back to the earth; the force of the huge amount of falling water completely leveled the small well.

Phillip couldn't stop himself. He fell to his knees, weeping. This Golem had destroyed 8 living creatures. Creatures that had lives to yet live. Creatures that were trying to save him. He was sure of it. This monster had no care for life. Killing animals was just like killing humans, or so Phillip felt. They are living beings with living souls. He gave a quiet Poem of Passing for the cats before setting his head in his hands and crying.

Ardais watched the human sit in his cage crying when he heard the rubble of something below. He quickly snapped his wings out and ducked back.
Loosing some height as a geyser of water tore through the air where he had been not three seconds before. He flew away from the geyser as it suddenly gave into gravity.
Ardais looked at his captives. The male was morning the lost of his summoned creatures. He was about to look at the two sorceress when movement caught his attention.
It was that girl that Kankei had been talking to. He started to dismiss her and ask which of his captives had caused the geyser when a stray thought stopped him.
Why was that girl wearing a cloak in late summer at mid day?
This thought caused him to pause for a moment as his mind ran over the possible implications.

Aoi's eyes widened slightly as she saw a good deal of the fallen water travel down the alley she was in. She quickly climbed on top of a crate as the water rushed by her. Wet clothes was something she really did not want to have to deal with.

Kankei reached the castle quickly and, went straight inside when he arrived. He made his way to Ashi's door and knocked on it loudly.
"Ardias requires your assistance with something." he called in after knocking, hoping she was in her room and not off sketching something outside.
He crossed his arms and just waited for her to answer so he could take her to Ardias and get back to what he wanted to do.

Ember's eyes were still on what had been the Displacer Beasts, then her eyes settled on Ardais, narrowing. She kept her temper under control though, knowing if it got out of control, she might end up setting one too many things on fire. Her eyes moving away from the Golem, she looked to the nicks in her flesh, muttering curses under her breath.
"Irina, you alright..?" She asked the younger girl.

Ashi turned the corner, seeing Kankei standing near the door to her room. She knew he had been there, hearing him knocking on the door and speaking to her.. well, if she had been there.
Approaching from the side, she stopped, speaking in a rather cold, monotone voice, "Then I should go and assist him. Where might he be.?" She asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest with her onyx hair framing her face.

"Kinda..." said Irina with a slight wince from the cuts on her skin. "I think we need a new plan now... There's three of you now...." said Irina with a sigh. "If we could only get rid of him..." said Irina as she pointed at Ardais.

Having heard Irina's comment on there being three others then herself and seeming to indicate the cloaked person below Ardais chuckled and dove. Being careful of his captives Ardais swooped down like some giant bird of prey on Aoi. Metal tendrils extending to capture the apparently distracted girl. However, he was careful in his approach. This one had nearly knocked him out of the air with that geyser of water. Meaning she probably didn't care for the lives of the humans held so delicately in his hand.

Kankei turned quickly when he heard Ashi's voce and frowned slightly at the icy tone of her voice.
"I'll take you to him." He muttered, sounding less than thrilled to do so, as he turned and headed out of the castle. He glanced back at her to make sure she was following and kept a quick, steady pace.

"Yeah, but we're trapped in here... so, time for a more organized plan..." Ember's eyes shot to Phillip and then to Irina, "Either of you have any plans?"

"Thank you," Ashi replied politely, but still rather coldly, as she followed Kankei in casual steps, easily keeping up with him. As she walked, she briefly closed her eyes, shape-shifting into the young woman with emerald eyes and hair. Her eyes opened again, never losing pace.

"Hmm." Kankei muttered quietly to her thanks. He was going to say 'You're welcome,' but she really wasn't since he hadn't really wanted to get her. He made his was back to where Ardias was holding the three strangers hostage. A frown crossed his face when he saw Ardias extend his metal tendrils towards the girl he'd been talking to earlier, but did nothing more than turn to Ashi. He blinked just slightly when he saw that she had shifted forms but quickly erased the surprise from his face.

"Yeah, but we're trapped in here... so, time for a more organized plan..." Ember's eyes shot to Phillip and then to Irina, "Either of you have any plans?"

"Thank you," Ashi replied politely, but still rather coldly, as she followed Kankei in casual steps, easily keeping up with him. As she walked, she briefly closed her eyes, shape-shifting into the young woman with emerald eyes and hair. Her eyes opened again, never losing pace.

Ardias extend his metal tendrils towards the girl he'd been talking to earlier, but did nothing more than turn to Ashi. He blinked just slightly when he saw that she had shifted forms but quickly erased the surprise from his face.

Phillip jumped a little as he heard Ember speak. He simply shrugged a little and said "I don't even know what the hell is going on." He pictured the cats dyeing over and over again, feeling is anger rise more and more. "But I help you anyway I can."

Aoi let out a cry of fear as the she backed away from the tendrils. Her foot slipped and she fell back into the foot of standing water. As she fell, the water parted for her, making a circle of dry alley where she fell. The idea registered but was quickly dismissed at the tendrils wrapped around Aoi's body. She closed her sapphire eyes as she froze. A soft whimper of fear as the only sound she made.

Ember smiled to Phillip's reply, "Good, because we're gonna have to work together to get out of this.. Now then.."

"Do not make plans, young one.." Ashi's cold voice interrupted, "It is best to behave once captured.. less pain for you and less trouble for us. Especially when trapped in the Golem's cage.." She placed a hand under her head to support her chin, as she rested on it. Her face showing no expression, as she watched Aoi become entangled in the metallic tendrils.

"I know how you can get out..." said Irina quietly to Ember, so no one would overhear her.

"How..?" Ember said quietly in reply, her eyes locked on Ashi and Kankei.

"It will be hard... But if you can get back home.. You can get out of here..." said Irina.

"And how do you suggest I do that? I don't even know how I got here!" Ember kept her voice quiet, though her frustration was starting to show through how quick she had said all of that.

"You have to think of your home... Things that wouldn't exist here...." said Irina quietly. "And wish yourself home..."

"And if that doesn't work..?" Ember asked with an almost cynical expression now on her face.

"It should work..." said Irina with a sigh. "But you have to get out of here... Think of your house... A specific place... And imagine yourself there..."

"Alright.. and what about the others?" Ember asked motioning to Phillip and Aoi.

"I'll explain it to them when I can get close enough..." said Irina.

"Irina... what about if we return after being home?" Ember sighed, "Is there anyway to end up in a place that's a bit safer, more of a destination next time..?"

"I think so..... But we'd have to pick a place..." said Irina. "And I'd have to show it to you... But right now the most important thing is that you get out of here... We can figure out another destination later..."

"Sounds like a plan.." Ember replied in a whisper, "Here goes nothing.." She closed her eyes, concentrating on her room and all of the items in it.

Irina watched Ember quietly.

Ember thought harder, visioning everything. A red aura started to glow around her, growing brighter the more she thought about her home. In almost the blink of an eye, she disappeared from sight completely, some red specks of light the only remainder left behind of where she had been.