Team All up to me?
Continue tracking and protecting our minds. Try to stay quiet, even if she can sense our minds.
"Wait! I surrender! Don't shoot!"Joanna silently cocks her pistol and then fires, despite the other woman's protests and attempts to back away.
The shadow falls to the ground with a scream, the psychic energy around you dissipating as that happens. Yet you still cannot feel anybody else here besides the two of you.
"Gah! Gah! Wait! I can get you out of here!" she continues pleading as you continue approaching.
You can see her clearly now. She tries to crawl away, the blood coming out of her wounded leg leaving a red trail on the white snow.
"Please! I didn't mean to-"Joanna cocks her pistol again. Based on her anger, determination and the satisfaction she feels, you'd say she has every intention of not stopping until there are no more rounds left in the gun. And maybe not even then.
"If you have no business upon my land, strangers, then I must ask from you to leave." the man says, his request sounding more like a command.
"No, but seriously, do you know where anything is around here? Populated places packed with personable people, perhaps? Interesting indigenous inhabitants? Lovely locations? Anything amazing at all? We are lost and unfortunate clowns, truly, without a place to be or a living to earn in these horrible environs."
Ike pauses at the end of the next cartwheel, serenely gazing at the man.
"The west has been kinda shit thus far if you don't mind me saying, my good man. All blown up and filled with monsters, no place at all to find honest work for honest folk. Is the east much the same, good fellow? Should we turn back now or is there light at the end of our long tunnel of discontent? Tell us this much so that we may be off at least."
"Hm. Yes, I heard about that. Nasty business. I'm not surprised things haven't improved yet." he says and remains quiet for a few moments.
"The closest town from here is Areloggez. About half a day's walk from here if you follow the road. There's more after that. Giant's Wall. Raijgnar Mine."
"Are you looking for something in particular? I could offer better directions if I knew what you were looking for.
I also have some maps for sale, if you can afford them."<That's sweet of you, thanks. But from what happened last time I tried talking, these people have been taught since childhood that all non-humans are monsters out to get them. I'd be fighting against the warnings of their entire upbringing if I went down there. And honestly, I'm not sure why we came here at all. It's not our objective, and we already have directions. But they really wanted to go so here we are.>
"River? What are you doing?"
<Eh. I dunno. Guess I just can't believe it can be that bad. There's always someone cool around, I say, you just have to look for them. But it's your mission. I'm just here to help. Hell, I'm not even supposed to be here. Eh, who cares. If nothing fun happens here, I bet we'll find something fun soon enough.>"Why do you care?" River growls.
He seems to reconsider a second later. He exhales audibly, stops what he is doing and looks at you, speaking more calmly.
"I am trying to create. A wire. For Theri. This is a way to work magic in this world. The carvings I did on his staff helped a little." he says, indicating Zechariah.
"Feels less tiring. Takes less focus. Gives magic a place to stay and flow. But I do not understand exactly how it works. Trying to find the symbols is hard. Trying to understand."