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[Digital Hellhound]

(They appear to diverge significantly from the road - going east, or north-east, instead of north-west. Of course, they might change direction at some point.)

[IronyOwl]

   "Dust, please ask Arlia if she would would join me while you're on your way back," Kazren said as he inspected the corpse.

"Okay~" she hummed cheerfully as she left.

"Arlia?" she asked once in the vehicle. "Karzen wanted your assistance out there. Just a warning corpse, as far as I could tell."

[Samarkand]

   "Dust, please ask Arlia if she would would join me while you're on your way back," Kazren said as he inspected the corpse.

"Okay~" she hummed cheerfully as she left.

"Arlia?" she asked once in the vehicle. "Karzen wanted your assistance out there. Just a warning corpse, as far as I could tell."

"A corpse? Okay, I suppose I can look at it."

Arlia steps out of the vehicle and crouches down next to the corpse.

Examine the corpse, while my ants scout the trail.

[Digital Hellhound]

The Warbreaker and Arlia

Kazren cuts the body down, determined to give the poor wretch a respectful burial. There's no clue to his identity or the god he served. Kazren doesn't bother with rituals or words. He simply digs into the dry earth of the roadside with his arms, throwing aside packed dust until there is space enough for the body. He lays him down and covers him again - perhaps just enough to hide him from a predator that'd burrow down in search of a meal. The worms will have him now, regardless.

At the same time, Arlia sends out her ants to follow the trail. They can only go so long and remain in her control and alive, but they might be able to find something. [2] A cursory look at the body before Kazren lowers him in reveals nothing new. [6] While the Preserver works, her ants roam. The others simply have to wait patiently for the two of them. After a while, the ants return, reaching their limit. The swarm of dark, scuttling shapes would look unnerving to anyone else - to her, they are life.

The ants' information floods into her as they join her body once more. The tracks continue straight on towards the east for a while, but then gradually turn north. They are not heading for Baichakl and the lake, at least not directly, though their path may well turn again beyond the ants' range.

---

(I wasn't sure if you wanted to do something with the body before burying him, Draig. I'll retcon it in if so.)

[Draignean]

((Nothing that can't be done equally well with a grave.))

  Kazren touched two silver fingers to where is lips should have been, then pressed them into the apex of the grave's disturbed soil. "Let the arms of the Death shepherd you to the hereafter, and bring you the justice you never had in life. Be at peace."
   Kazren straightened from the crude grave, shaking red dust from his silver flesh. "Your thoughts, Shaman Arlia?"

[Samarkand]

((Nothing that can't be done equally well with a grave.))

  Kazren touched two silver fingers to where is lips should have been, then pressed them into the apex of the grave's disturbed soil. "Let the arms of the Death shepherd you to the hereafter, and bring you the justice you never had in life. Be at peace."
   Kazren straightened from the crude grave, shaking red dust from his silver flesh. "Your thoughts, Shaman Arlia?"

Arlia relished the feeling of her ants returning to her. "The body offers no new knowledge to me. The trail would take us towards the rising sun before turning north. This would not take us to our original end, not by shortest route. My formica children can only venture so far in these arid wastes, so I know not what lies at the end of this trail."

[Yoink]

From where she remains, seated neatly to one side of the vehicle, The Everchild's various cameras track the strange sparkly-grey lady as the latter comes back aboard. She manages to contain her curiousity for all of a few seconds.
"What is it?" Her speakers blurt out, somewhat excitedly, "Is it Bad Stuff? Should I go look?"

Remain motionless. Ask Dust what the mysterious obstacle actually is.

[IronyOwl]

From where she remains, seated neatly to one side of the vehicle, The Everchild's various cameras track the strange sparkly-grey lady as the latter comes back aboard. She manages to contain her curiousity for all of a few seconds.
"What is it?" Her speakers blurt out, somewhat excitedly, "Is it Bad Stuff? Should I go look?"

Remain motionless. Ask Dust what the mysterious obstacle actually is.

"It's a body, child. When things stop moving forever, they leave behind a corpse. Someone else left one here, to tell those who came here 'Come here and we will kill you as well.'"

[Yoink]

"Oh," says the Everchild, her speakers going silent once more as she considers that.
After a long moment she continues, sounding rather perplexed now, "But- we came here. They can't kill us! Father would never allow it. We are the champions, after all." A camera whirrs, focusing more closely on Dust's face as though trying to decide if she's being tricked.

[IronyOwl]

"No, they can't," Dust agreed. "But they don't necessarily know that, and they might hope we don't know it either."

[adwarf]

"Any of us can be killed, to think otherwise just because we are 'champions' of the gods is foolhardy and will likely be the death of you, keeping that in mind and running when one needs to. That's how one becomes invincible, either that or become a god and none of us are ever likely to do that  ..."

Fenrik replied as he climbed down from the gun, and returned to his seat, immediately putting his back to the wall before clutching onto his magbow with a wary expression, who knows for if Nilvath ordered him to murder some of these other champions perhaps they have similar orders. No one could be trusted, no one.

[IronyOwl]

"Any of us can be killed, to think otherwise just because we are 'champions' of the gods is foolhardy and will likely be the death of you, keeping that in mind and running when one needs to. That's how one becomes invincible, either that or become a god and none of us are ever likely to do that  ..."

Fenrik replied as he climbed down from the gun, and returned to his seat, immediately putting his back to the wall before clutching onto his magbow with a wary expression, who knows for if Nilvath ordered him to murder some of these other champions perhaps they have similar orders. No one could be trusted, no one.

"'Possible' is not 'likely,'" Dust said confidently, looking at the man. "A champion of the gods should not fear falling in their service."

[Draignean]

((Nothing that can't be done equally well with a grave.))

  Kazren touched two silver fingers to where is lips should have been, then pressed them into the apex of the grave's disturbed soil. "Let the arms of the Death shepherd you to the hereafter, and bring you the justice you never had in life. Be at peace."
   Kazren straightened from the crude grave, shaking red dust from his silver flesh. "Your thoughts, Shaman Arlia?"

Arlia relished the feeling of her ants returning to her. "The body offers no new knowledge to me. The trail would take us towards the rising sun before turning north. This would not take us to our original end, not by shortest route. My formica children can only venture so far in these arid wastes, so I know not what lies at the end of this trail."

"I am loath to leave their trail here..." Kazren said, shaking his silver head. "We may be able to pick up the trail of these 'Unbegot' in Baichakl, but there is no certainty of that. Tell me your opinion, Shaman, would your God look more favorably upon the hastening of our hunt, or the destruction of these desecrators?" 

((Edited the incorrect loath))

[Samarkand]

((Nothing that can't be done equally well with a grave.))

  Kazren touched two silver fingers to where is lips should have been, then pressed them into the apex of the grave's disturbed soil. "Let the arms of the Death shepherd you to the hereafter, and bring you the justice you never had in life. Be at peace."
   Kazren straightened from the crude grave, shaking red dust from his silver flesh. "Your thoughts, Shaman Arlia?"

Arlia relished the feeling of her ants returning to her. "The body offers no new knowledge to me. The trail would take us towards the rising sun before turning north. This would not take us to our original end, not by shortest route. My formica children can only venture so far in these arid wastes, so I know not what lies at the end of this trail."

"I am loath to leave their trail here..." Kazren said, shaking his silver head. "We may be able to pick up the trail of these 'Unbegot' in Baichakl, but there is no certainty of that. Tell me your opinion, Shaman, would your God look more favorably upon the hastening of our hunt, or the destruction of these desecrators?" 

((Edited the incorrect loath))

Arlia considered the question briefly. "My goddess conveyed a certain sense of urgency about the task at hand, yet surely people committing these acts being left alone will only hinder any attempt to recultivate this land... I am unsure of the path before us. Such acts should not be ignored, but the demands of the gods are likely immediate."

[Draignean]

"You echo my own thoughts... I do not like delaying justice, but there are times when the punishment of a lesser criminal must be held for the capture of a greater." Kazren straightened from the grave and resettled his wings. "We have already wasted enough of the God's time here. Let us return, and I will speak with my Goddess about the proper course of action."

Return to the seeker, use the altar to speak with Rennahn. Tell her of the body, the message, and the Unbegot. Ask whether it is advisable to pursue this lead, or continue straight to Atropol.