Realms of Destiny: Shadows of Caligo

Chaos trips:

As Luke continued to chatter, his voice a nervous stream of consciousness, Ren's patience wore thin. The steady hum of the tracking runes on her arm from all three checking in and Luke's incessant talking began to grate on her nerves. She finally halted in the middle of the sidewalk, turning to face him with a sharp look.

"Luke," she said, her tone firm but not unkind. "I get that this is all new to you, and you're trying to make sense of it, but right now, we need to stay focused. If you can't quiet your mind, try to keep your thoughts to yourself. We can't afford any distractions."

Luke blinked, surprised by the sudden reprimand, but he nodded quickly. "Right, sorry. I just—this whole thing with the runes and the fact that I couldn't get one—it's throwing me off. I feel like I'm on the outside of something important."

Ren sighed, her expression softening slightly. "You're not on the outside, Luke. We're all in this together, but the runes are not something to take lightly. You're human; if you got one, you could die, and your role is different. We will rely on you to keep us grounded and to help us navigate this world. That's just as important as anything else."

Luke nodded again, his expression more serious now. "I understand. I'll keep it together."

Ren gave him a brief nod of approval before continuing down the street. The city centre was beginning to stir with early morning activity, and the group blended in with the flow of pedestrians. The tall buildings loomed overhead, casting long shadows across the streets. The atmosphere was tense, and the pair felt the weight of their mission.

As they approached a large plaza that marked the heart of the city, Ren slowed her pace, scanning the area. The plaza was bustling with people—commuters, street vendors, and tourists—but amidst the normalcy, Ren could sense something was off. There was an undercurrent of unease, a tension in the air that set her on edge.

She motioned for Luke to stop, pulling him into the shadow of a nearby building. 

"Something's not right here," she murmured, her eyes narrowing as she observed the crowd quickly crouching, placing her hands on the floor, and bowing her head. Keep your eyes open and stay close. We need to move carefully." At that moment, she stepped her rune on her arm, allowing the others to see her view. Knowing she wasn't in trouble but cautious, she was being used as 360 views. 

Zarah, standing seeing Ren's view, nodded in agreement. "I feel it too. There's a presence here, something powerful."

Cassian, ever vigilant, scanned the area with a grim expression. "Osiris's minions might already be here. We need to find out what they're planning before they make their move."  Just then, the others appeared to be glitches besides Ren. They had even brought their weaponry. Ren looked and sighed. "What did I say about weapons?"  

But Ren agreed after a second, her mind racing as she considered their next steps. "We need to split up again, but this time in pairs. Luke, you're with me. Zarah, you go with Kyler. Cassian, I need you to stay close but keep a low profile. We'll cover more ground this way and reconvene once we have more information."

The group quickly agreed, their expressions reflecting the seriousness of the situation. Ren led Luke toward a series of narrow alleys on the other side of the square as they split up and merged with the crowds in the plaza. The alleys were quieter, with fewer people, but they offered plenty of nooks and crannies where someone could hide.

Ren kept her senses sharp as they walked, alert for any sign of danger. She noticed that Luke was doing his best to stay quiet, and his earlier nervousness was replaced by a focused determination.

"How are you holding up?" Ren asked quietly as they turned a corner into a particularly narrow alley.

Luke hesitated before answering, "I'm okay. I'm just trying to take everything in and not mess up."