"I am not entirely emotionless, though Zetara is right that I am not at all offended. However, I am quite perplexed by the biological custom of saying "no offense" after saying something one believes will be offensive.
Garland, while it is an easy mistake to make, androids are less related to robots than you are to a cow. We have souls, but they are merely drones."
Seeing the grouping moving towards him Ehron folds himself back down, long spindly limbs held up against his chest so that when seated he is merely as tall as most other humanoids.
Nodding to each in turn he says "Greetings to you Zetara, Duanimon and Garland. You may know me as Ehron. Unfortunately this is the first time I have been let into meet the general population and it seems to be new to most others, time has been lost."
Pausing a moment to consider the questions before proceeding and listening to the discussions of the group, bringing the topic to an earlier question towards him. "I see no existing social groupings, just new ones being formed. I would expect although that all contacts are being monitored and cataloged now. Many bots gives many inputs, but strange they use obvious instead of just relying on having them embedded throughout the room. But they would expect us to form appropriate groups. Some of what I have learned may apply here, although as Garland says of equipment or even weapons is also true." He adds to give some worth of what he could bring to a group.
Ehron pauses again before continuing in a lower voice to just the immediate group. "May you say what is with the crystal here? Is it another being or a prison inside the prison?" Using the cover of the bodies he reaches out a long, thin finger to tap Zetara and point in a distinct direction. "While you turn you may see that you have the attention of someone dangerous, but do so subtly." Ehron vocalizes without moving his mouth, pitched towards Zetara.
"I-i-i-m not going near that thing."
"As the man said that is a smart move. You may survive here yet. Since there seems to be a sharing mood around here, you may call me L or Granny take your pick."
"Looks like they might be planning something," he says in a low voice. "They might know a way to get out of here."
"They certainly are talking a lot. I'll come, but know this I only believe people based on actions, not words."
She'll follow Garland over to Zetara and Duanimon observe the conversation, she uses the taller human to block sight lines, but remains listening.
"So a breakout. Not my usual style, I'm usually breaking in, but it is what the times require. You all seem to forgot one thing. Weapons and equipment are useful, but it won't get us very far once we are outside. For that we need information, my usual specialty, but with all the guards being robots I'm not sure how much I can pick up. We at least need to know what planet we are on, if we are on one at all."
Smuggling is a perfect skill for this endeavor. No worries. She smiles.
Garland chuckles. "I appreciate that, although by the looks of it my last job didn't go so well. I think." He rubs his head. "To be honest, I find my memory failing me at the moment as to how and when I got here exactly."
"I am not entirely emotionless, though Zetara is right that I am not at all offended. However, I am quite perplexed by the biological custom of saying "no offense" after saying something one believes will be offensive.
Garland, while it is an easy mistake to make, androids are less related to robots than you are to a cow. We have souls, but they are merely drones."
"Sure, sure, I just..." Garland shrugs. "It's hard to explain. If you're alright, we'll let bygones be bygones," he says with a small grin.
Ehron pauses again before continuing in a lower voice to just the immediate group. "May you say what is with the crystal here? Is it another being or a prison inside the prison?"
Garland nods along with what Ehron says regarding the habits of the prisoners and the guards, but perks up when Ehron mentions the crystal. Right, Zetara came in contact with it. He watches Zetara, interested in her answer.
"For that we need information, my usual specialty, but with all the guards being robots I'm not sure how much I can pick up. We at least need to know what planet we are on, if we are on one at all."
Garland looks around at the other prisoners. "Maybe someone here has picked up on something about our location," he muses. "Can't hurt to ask." Or maybe it can.
To Duanimon: Pardon me for speaking out of turn, Duanimon. Most of the Androids I have met are emotionless. You are the first that I have ever known on a personal level that has chosen to feel emotion.
To Ehron, and the rest of the group, Zetara relates what she learned when she touched the crystal: As I went to touch the crystal, I was severely shocked, although I do not know if it is the being's power that did that to me, or the technology of our captors. There is a being encased in the Crystal who sent me a vision of his capture as I touched his prison. It is also a prisoner, and I saw it being captured and placed within. I would like to save him, but I am not sure how. I did upload the memory of the capture though, and can analyze it and perhaps be able to reopen it at some point, if we gain the proper tools. That might indeed be the key to our escape. Obviously someone they have to restrain so tightly would be a powerful ally. But there is much still to discover and consider.
As she says all this, she looks around in many directions at everyone in the group, specifically looking for the person Ehron quietly mentioned, although her eyesight is likely not back to normal.
She notices the person Ehron has pointed out, but doesn't dwell exclusively on him as she glances around during her story.
To Lakoon'ta: Indeed. We need to know that. I assumed we were on a starship, but I honestly have no idea even that much.
To Garland: Perhaps they have been wiping memories as well? If so, that could be a more severe problem than I had anticipated. What if we forget this meeting?
"I'm not sure what the stocks are made of, but with my arms pinned like this, I can't call the song of the Lady, nor can I reach out of this haze and feel her caress on my skin."
as Kov'i listens to Zetara's story, he gets an idea "I wonder if the technology could short out the stocks on me?"
Without waiting for a response, Kov'i moves right up to the crystal and touches the place where the stocks on the right-hand side meet to it's surface.
Lakoon'ta shakes her head as Kov'i Lesk moves to touch the crystal, she fully expects the result to be the same, if not worse on the simpler Kov'i, as when Zetara touched it."I was about to ask if we had some muscle. Because let's face it, 2 brains, a smuggler, a clearly harmless granny, and the only other intelligent person I've seen" she motions to Zetara and Duanimon, Garland, herself, and then at Ehron " aren't going to make it very far, without someone to do some heavy-lifting. But I think our man just stumbled over to the magic knockout machine."
Scera gave L a shy, nervous, smile and said, "nice to meet you." She followed Garland towards where the androids were when he suggested it. As Garland introduced himself to them and then L, Scera gave the two a weak smile and said, "I-i-i-m Scera." The lashunta woman was acting very timid and frightened keeping Garland slightly between her and the majority of the crowd.
As the discussion moved towards escape she said, "I don't know that I'll be of much use, I'm good at organizing lists and selling things, but I'm not really a fighter." She hesitated then and continued, "I can manipulate people too..." Scera had forgotten about the vesk until Kov'i spoke. She gave a startled scream of terror and ducked down behind Garland keeping him between her and the vesk.
"If that thing Ehron pointed to really is a necrovite, then there's a good chance we're on Eox, or at least somewhere related to it. Information is always helpful, but the necrovite's presence will also make it much harder to escape." Duanimon informs the rest of the group, trying to move their mouth as little as possible and face away from the guards.
They turn to watch Kov'i's experiment, while also trying to gauge the total number of prisoners and guards in the enclosure.
Once you are all back in your cells, the lights of this place fade. Their is the same mush provided to eat that there has been every night waiting for you. The large Vesk that was with you in the courtyard attempts to resist, again, and is stunned and beaten before being put back in his cell.
*Edit
Seeing the guards taking people back Ehron mutters lowly. "If we meet again, say of this meeting in case our memories are not true. Mayhap one or more of us will resist manipulation." He takes care to organize his long limbs while travelling to not to damage them.
Garland looks between Kov'i and Scera when she screams again, and is about to say something to her when the guards begin to approach their group and remove them. He nods silently to Ehron's suggestion as everyone else is slowly taken away.
___________________________________________________________________
Back in his cell, Garland tries to make sense of what just happened in the courtyard after everyone else had been escorted out. His hand had slipped right through the bonds! The being in the crystal had done something to him. He stares at his hands for a moment, wondering about the implications of this new ability.
I can't count on being able to do it a second time, he thinks to himself. I need to make sure that the next time I do it, it's the right time.
Then there was the maintenance hall he noticed on the way back. Garland wonders if any of the others noticed as well. Or if he would even get the chance to speak with them again. It would be worth seeking out the other Vesk as well. He seemed to be the only one actively resisting the guards.
As Garland lies down on his cot, he has trouble pushing the sight of the Necrovite Ehron pointed out from his mind.
As the guards escort her away Lakoon'ta laments "AH, my escorts seem to be signaling that my chariot awaits. Oh my two escorts just for little old me, well we have such a good host. Goodbye for now, see you all at the next gala."
She deliberately plays up her age and takes as long as the guards will afford her to walk inside.
Scera's panic mounted when the two roboguards came for her and they stunned her. As they prepared to haul her back to her cell they injected the lashunta with something that caused her to slump over into unconsciousness. They dumped her into her cell unceremoniously, making sure she was all inside of it, and then re-activated the barrier. They had injected her with enough sedative that it was likely she wasn't waking up again that night.
Wow, 26 posts in one day. I can only commit to one post a day at most and weekends maybe less so if you do multiple rolls in one day it might get messy
As she sees the Necrovite with the band around its head, it is hard for her to look at and she feels physical revulsion, but she also realizes that it is also a prisoner. She determines to talk to it next time they are allowed out, if possible. Perhaps it is watching her because it wants to talk to her, not out of malice. ... She shudders at the thought. Although of course, not too close.
Zetara nods to Ehron as they leave.
One of Zetara's glitchy vision receptors acts up on the way back to her cell, and she sees nothing. She wishes she had her tools--all of this would be easily fixed if she just had some tools.
She strikes up a conversation with her Exocortex, asking if it has decided on a name yet, or has any commentary on what they just experienced.
Zenton is the name I have chosen.
That's my nephew's name!
Indeed.
Zetara thinks for a few moments, not sure whether to be horrified or comforted. Strangely, although she wants to resist the idea at first, she realizes that it is the perfect name, and that her exocortex loved him too. Once again, even though the choice to do it was rash, she is overwhelmed with gratitude that she now has a friend with her at all times, who understands her inside and out. Zenton had been a brand new AI, and they had grown together over the months they had been together. She would be lost without him.
Thank you, Zenton. .... I need to sleep for a while, but perhaps you could come up with some ideas for getting us out of here. I sure wish we could break into the wall or find the terminal that controls all these cells. I could hack everyone out in no time. ... Whether or not we would be able to do anything or go anywhere after that is an entirely open question of course. Goodnight.
Duanimpn nods at Ehron's suggestion. "We should all continue to look for weaknesses in this facility's security and plan methods of exploiting them," they add.
Duanimon calmly allows the robots to escort them back to their cell, then ponders the day's events. If that necrovite is a prisoner here, maybe we have a better chance of escape than I thought.
If they are keeping a necrovite here, it seems likely they have the security measures necessary to restrain it's magic. In any case, I'm not sure we should be making alliances with the undead, Duanimon's exocortex, Entos, replies.
I just hope that I'll be able to meet with the other prisoner's again, Duanimon thinks. For all I know, we all could be executed tomorrow.
On that note, Duanimon begins their nightly meditation, wishing for once that they had the ability to sleep.
When Zetara awakens in the morning, or at least what she thinks is morning, she decides that she just needs to start collecting information. First, how do the walls work to dispense food and respond to bodily needs?
She starts testing them, trying to visualize certain needs and see if something in the cell responds. How thorough is the program or psychic field? Nanites? Does it respond only when you are hungry, even if you might not be thinking of that at the time, or doied it respond to thoughts about food?
Working with Zenton, they try to map out how the room works.
For Kov'i, the cells were particularly bad, because they were not really designed for someone with his build in mind. After being put into the cell, the stocks were removed and then the barrier was raised.
Unless I was mistaken, that side passage might be my way out. Thank you for a chance, lady.
Kov'i spends the rest of the evening in prayer.
Lakoon'ta wakes with a jolt and immediately begins to feel around her entire body looking for scars, potential modifications, or implants.
She mumbles to herself "Grandmother Rat where is this place. Experimenting on an old woman, so much for respecting you elders. Though I guess robots wouldn't understand that. Still flesh and blood must run this place at some higher level. Fine if that's the way they are going to play, Granny Lakoon'ta will be happy to play." a smile creeps along her face as she begins feel along the walls, cot, door and floor for anything that she might be able to break loose and use as a tool or weapon.
Scera awoke with a splitting headache, she knew she had been drugged and waking to her tiny cell left her in frightened but oddly comforted. She felt almost safe, even though she was a prisoner, and knew that in here the frightening vesk wouldn't get her. She looked around, her mind still dampened, and considered her surrounding. She shifted to the cot and lie down upon it and focused her mind as best she could. She tried to reach out with someone nearby and make mental contact.
Sitting in a meditative pose to ease the pull of gravity of the prison. Making it more bearable against his frail frame, Ehron rested as he could, watching outwards beyond the energy field. Awaiting passersby. Looking for patterns. To see of guard patrols or maintenance bots, but more so to see anyone dragged past. To get a gauge of those imprisoned, while they were taken elsewhere. Mind active upon the task at hand to draw his attention away from the current loss of the void of space. His home.
Zetara finds that the room responds to her thoughts, so she starts concentrating on different needs and thoughts to see if the technology will do more. She spends the day thinking intensely about different things:
--The need to leave the room to go to her sister
--Her desire for some chocolate cake
--Her need to contact others, visualizing Duanimon
--Her need to help others, visualizing first the being of light, and then the Necrovite (she has a harder time feeling compassion for that one, so she spends longer trying to visualize it)
--Her need for a toothbrush because her mouth is all yucky
Then, whether she figured some things out or not, she'll just lie down and have Zenton read to her for a while. They don't have any new material, but there are a lot of her old favorites.
When Garland awakes in his cot, he lies very still. The memories of what happened to him in the night, though short, are vivid and disturbing. He examines himself, trying to figure out what was done to him when he was taken from his room.
Regardless of what he finds, Garland approaches the door, careful not to make contact with it lest he reveal his new power. With any luck, they'll put us in the courtyard again, he thinks to himself, a plan forming in his mind. I could slip out of these bonds and cause a distraction. That would give everyone time to escape. He swallows nervously. And hopefully I can too.
Garland watches for any signs of the robot guards patrolling or coming to fetch him. The images of the experimentation in his mind upset him, but also make him glad for the evidence that they're not wiping their memories. At least not now.
Duanimon is extremely bored in their cell, and occupies their time searching the cell for any flaws or useful features, pushing on and striking the energy field blocking the door to test its strength, and strongly concentrating on a need for electricity.
I'm sure whoever runs this prison knows that androids don't need an outside electrical input as long as they have food, Entos comments.
You're probably right, but it seems worth a try. It's not like I have much better to do, Duanimon replies.
If none of Duanimon's searches and experiments have interesting results, they occupy themselves playing a virtual fantasy role-playing game with Entos.
Kov'i put his hands to either side of the doorframe and pushed. It was something he had been doing ever since he has been imprisoned here.
Again you are all brought into the court yard. The light within the crystal is brought in last, and it seems to be dimer than it was.
Once again Kov'i will drift towards those he spoke to before and say quietly "I believe I have found us access to freedom. I would just need someone to help me with these bindings."
Ehron sits again in the corner knees up near his head, looking over the crowd. Nodding in greetings to those approaching, waiting for everyone and watching the guards movements still. Motioning those approaching for some quiet.
"Greetings again Kov'i, please do not tip your hand just yet, let us see that all here remember or have learned. Things have a time, and good things have a plan." he quietly suggests while looking closer at the bonds to see if his long nimble fingers may indeed help while the guards are occluded from line of sight.
Scera gave a sudden cry of pain as her mind met only with pain and slumped to the cot, letting her mind go black for a time to escape it. She wasn't going to try that again. Later on, when she was brought back out of her cell the bots injected her with something again, they were rough and it hurt a great deal, but there was nothing she could do about it. She looked for Garland and Grandmother, and had yet to spot any of the vesk.
Zetara greets her new friends in the courtyard, and then, working up her courage, she goes to speak to the Necrovite.
You have been watching me. I would like to know why.
...Well that's interesting.
Garland's hand lingers by his ear for a moment, before quickly pulling away so as to not give away what he knows to the guards as they come for him.
Out in the courtyard, Garland surveys everyone out there, including the light in the crystal that seems not quite as bright as it was yesterday. Assuming it was only yesterday. It was hard to tell in this place.
Garland carefully walks over to Scera, noticing her standing apart from the others. "I think I have a way out of here," he whispers quietly. "And I know you're afraid of the Vesk, but we're going to need his help." Assuming she agrees to follow him to the others again, the smuggler moves toward Kov'i and Ehron.
What do I lead with? That I woke up in the middle of being experimented on? That I might be able to phase through energy? Maybe I'll start with the maintenance hall, that's the most believable.
"Did any of you notice a small hallway as we were taken back to the cells?" he asks, still keeping his voice to a low whisper. "Virtually no guards."
If we want to have any hope of getting out of here, we need to have some sort of actual organization.
Duanimon unobtrusively walks around the area, trying to herd Kov'i, Garland, Zetara, Ehron, Scera, and Lakoon'ta together so they can have a real meeting.
If successful, Duanimon quietly announces "I think it would be a good idea for each of us to brief the others on any resources, abilities, security weaknesses, escape routes, etc. we have discovered, so we can formulate a comprehensive escape plan with as complete information as possible. I'll start: the only thing of use I've accomplished is to trick my cell into providing me with an electrical outlet, which I'm hoping I can use to short out my room's force field. However, I haven't tested this yet, so we shouldn't rely on it. What about everyone else?"
When Duanimon comes by trying to gather her back into the group, Zetara keeps her eyes on the Necrovite, waiting for a response.
Be there soon. Give me a minute first. she says, wanting to follow her new friend, but knowing that if she walks away now she won't work up the courage again.
Nodding to Duanimon and the others Ehron watches the guards with hands resting on knees. "I noticed a small maintenance tunnel near the cells, but its dimensions would possibly make it a struggle for someone like myself or Kov'i. I have continued to watch the guards and they have a patrol pattern which may allow someone who escapes a cell to make it to the maintenance hall." he continues explaining out the timings and hall location. Pausing a moment to confirm with each person they understand. He continues "If someone reaches there, maybe find a maintenance panel and perform some mischief. A power outage or hacking the system could free any who cannot get themselves from a cell. A larger breakout would be good cover for any escape. Causing some chaos..." Ehron finishes with a glance over to the necrovite.
Garland nods, happy for confirmation that he didn't imagine the maintenance tunnel. It was hard to trust his own senses. Speaking of which...
"I believe I was taken during the night," he tells the others. "I vividly recall waking up in the middle of experimentation. I found proof, but I worry that calling attention to it might alert the guards." Garland looks around before continuing even quieter. "One more thing. I was the last to be taken to my cell. When everyone had left, the light in the crystal did... something to me. I... I slipped out of my bonds. It was painful, but I believe I could do so again. Though I have a feeling it can only be done once more."
Scera was relieved to see Garland when he found her but was not happy about his statement of needing the vesk. She shivered with fear and looked at him plaintively, "You'll protect me from them," there was a great deal of fear in her eyes as she met his, "won't you?" The fear she had of the man was intense and she desperately wanted some comfort from anyone.
As they approached the group Scera cowered behind Gerard. She listened to teh discussion and made no effort to hide the fact she was keeping the man between herself and the vesk. She shook her head as Gerard asked if they'd seen the tunnel and said, "No, they drugged me as they hauled me off to my cell."
"Since they probably have listening devices planted, I was not going to come right out and say it, but I guess that doesn't matter now."
Kov'i looks around and says quietly "Is anyone missing? I think it would be better to try now that we're all (relatively) free, as opposed to trying to break out of cells and then free people."
When Zetara approaches the necrovite, he seems to recoil slightly. "You have been touched by a Luxian, please do not get to close."
A policy you (Zetara and anyone that comes close) are willing to follow as it seems the closer you get to the necrovite, the sicker you feel. "I wasn't watching you, Luxians are dangerous."
The other Vesk prisoner besides Kov'i Lesk sees the group speaking and approaches."Share your tales with me" The large Vesk is endowed with much more muscle than intellect and social awareness and lumbers past others in the court yard to reach you.
Ehron says quietly as he flexes and massages a hand zapped by the collar. "I think enough secrets spilled yesterday that if they were monitoring that closely we wouldn't be back here today. They have us at their mercy and don't have to play games with us. They have shown they are willing to kill." He looks ready to answer Kov'i's question as the other vesk approaches and falls silent.
Zetara backs off a touch to make both of them more comfortable, and responds to the Necrovite:
A Luxian... the being of light in the Crystal? Why are they dangerous, and how can you tell I've been touched by one? Did it affect my "aura" or something? Do I make you as physically uncomfortable as you make me?
To the other Vesk:
What tales would you like to hear? The tale of me touching the crystal is known to most in this company, but all I saw was the being being imprisoned, so I know that he wants to be free as do the rest of us.
To both of them:
Join us. We could use your help. Perhaps a temporary alliance, prisoners against captors? We are all different, and indeed some of us are natural enemies. But we need to rise above that for now, and join together in order to gain freedom.
Zetara waits to hear what the Necrovite has to say in response to her queries, but then if they don't want to help, she returns to the main group (unless the group has already come to them to overhear the conversation).
[b\"You'll protect me from them,"[/b] there was a great deal of fear in her eyes as she met his, "won't you?" The fear she had of the man was intense and she desperately wanted some comfort from anyone.
Garland smiles in an effort to quell the girl's fear. "Of course."
"Since they probably have listening devices planted, I was not going to come right out and say it, but I guess that doesn't matter now."
"I think enough secrets spilled yesterday that if they were monitoring that closely we wouldn't be back here today. They have us at their mercy and don't have to play games with us. They have shown they are willing to kill."
Garland nods in agreement. "There are no writing utensils anywhere. And I assume they have a way of dampening telepathic abilities," he adds, looking at the Lashunta behind him.
The other Vesk prisoner besides Kov'i Lesk sees the group speaking and approaches. "Share your tales with me" The large Vesk is endowed with much more muscle than intellect and social awareness and lumbers past others in the court yard to reach you.
Garland nods to the newcomer, recalling what happened in the courtyard yesterday. "I saw you trying to resist," he says with admiration. "Are you alright? What is your name?"
"They have shown they are willing to kill."
"They are also experimenting on us. I know it. I awoke while they were doing something to me, they seem to be skimping on the drugs. And this morning I found a patch of skin missing. We need to get out of here before we aren't who we were when we came in. "
"If you used your newfound ability to slip your bonds, do you think you could undo ours?" Duanimon asks Garland.
To Kov'i, Duanimon says, "On the other hand, we are quite heavily guarded in this area. It might be easier to mount an escape attempt when most prisoners are asleep and the security forces are less ready for a breakout. What does everyone else think? Should we try to escape now, using Garland's ability, Kov'i's strength, and that maintenance tunnel, or should we wait and launch a breakout from our cells?"
Sorry about that guys.
<later, after listening>
If you really think that you can get out of your cell and then hack the system, that's a good idea. When I was studying the system in the room it was beyond anything I had seen though, so I'm not sure anyone else could accomplish that.
As an alternate or back up plan, assuming no one can get out of their cells, our only chance is here, when they let us out. Perhaps a distraction would serve, and someone could scout the service tunnel? I don't know if I am being too cautious... I know that we are probably all being experimented on, and I see the Luxian dimming. There may be other time constraints. I just feel like we are only going to get one shot at this. A guard pattern and a timely distraction at least allows more people a chance to succeed.
Nodding towards Lakoon'ta and checking the guard locations Ehron says "That only deepens our worries then I am afraid, we are likely on a timetable that is not our own and with a deadly end."
Answering Duanimon he continues after a moment "I would think our shackles will halt any the guard do not unless the whole room is freed. While instead a single person who can slip the bonds and cell, avoid the guards and at least make the passage will have the chance to interfere with the systems. But this will be the decision of the entity capable of it to make in the end." looking over the grouping before finishing his gaze with Garland.
Garland subconsciously rubs the spot behind his ear where he found bits of skin missing as Lakoon'ta backs up his claim of experimentation. "I might be able to do someone else's bonds," he responds hesitantly to Duanimon.
He feels Ehron's gaze on him as the Sarcesian speaks. "That may be the safer option. I don't know if can affect someone else's restraints, for all I know it might just cause a lot of pain and bring unwanted attention. I know I can do mine. If someone were to create a distraction, I may be able to do it undetected."
"You had but to ask friend human, and distraction you shall have." says Kov'i quietly then raises his voice and says "Brothers and Sisters, I have come today to tell you about she who brings light into the hearts of all, the quiet redemption and blazing justice. Her Holiness, Sarenrae."
Kov'i begins to walk around and try to draw as much attention to himself as possible as he continues speaking.
"My friends, I know that many of you have made terrible choices that have landed you in this frankly horrible place, but none are above forgiveness. If you honestly desire a second chance, then ask, and as a vessel for the Lady you shall be heard. I am not here to judge: indeed, I am here among you for reasons that make no sense to me."
"I even speak to the machines who keep us here, and those who use them to enforce their will. You are not beyond her Grace, should you just but ask."
Kov'i approaches on of the robot guardians, makes eye contact, and says
"but, you should be wary, for those that cleave to the ways of evil, that allow their hearts to be filled with joy at the suffering of others, they will know the Lady's different side: the flames that burn away the dark. You shall find no refuge, no sanctuary, no place where her light can not reach you, where you will be free of her wrath. Such is the fate of those who have no love in their life."
With almost whiplash speed, Kov'i spins back to face the crowd, as if his threat was gone from his mind, and finishes with "Come brothers and sisters, now is the time for us to allow our spirits to rise up. Say it with me now: Rise up! Rise UP! RISE UP!"
"Well, I would have preferred more reasoned deliberation, but it looks like now's our chance," Duanimon says. "Garland, if you can slip your bonds, you should do so now, while the guards are hopefully distracted."
Duanimon hurries over to Zetara, quietly announcing, "Kov'i seems to have decided that we're making our escape attempt now."
Turning to the Necrovite, they say, "If you have any magical abilities which might aid in an escape, now would be a good time."