Danyr would lead the way through the rocks, his head constantly moving in a sort of strange way. Whenever Danyr was sneaking, it likely seemed strange to Daniel: his movements were constant but slow and steady. After all, half of hiding was knowing where the other person was...

Left. Right. Freeze. Over.

Danyr would signal to Daniel occasionally with a brief sort of hand language he used, that Daniel would have likely begun to pick up on. It wasn't complicated, in any case, and Daniel would likely be able to figure out the meaning even without having to ask Danyr...

After perhaps twenty of quietly moving through the rocks without actually seeing any of the shade people (barely, by the sound of things), Danyr and Daniel would be at the edge of town, behind the main street of houses. Fortunately, it would be simple to slip into the backyards of the homes between two narrow houses, and the gray, closely packed homes on either side would shield essentially all view from the main streets while they traveled the rows of grey earth and low fences penned between the houses.

"Daniel, how was Zera the last time you saw her?"

Danyr spoke quietly, so as not to be overheard by what sounded to be occasional patrols of the streets of town. Things were less tense here, at least. It made him curious: Danyr hadn't actually inquired about his sister's condition. He had just been so excited at the thought of rescuing her that he ran halfway around the world (and then some, technically)...

Daniel followed behind Danyr in a dutiful fashion. He caught on (and remembered) Danyr's hand signals quickly, though he was still rubbish for stealth. He always was. He might never get good at it. Fortunately, Danyr seemed to acknowledge this enough, and guided them both safely from the rock maze to the outskirts of the city--and safely into the back-yards of abandoned homes.

It was only then, when they were actually within the city at long last, that Daniel replied thoughtfully to Danyr's question. Any brother had the right to that information, when one's sister was involved.

"She was okay. I kept her safe . . . she was just . . ." Daniel trailed off, trying to find the right word for it. It took him several seconds, but finally he continued: "Stressed."

Thinking about it, he recalled that Zera had been stuck in this city for years. There had been others with her, but they weren't there anymore, not by the time Daniel arrived. If Zera and the others went to sleep, the others would be gone by the time she woke up.

"She was stressed more than she was scared."

Stressed and lonely, but Daniel left that latter part out. It would've just led to him thinking about how he'd like to keep Zera from ever feeling either stressed or lonely ever again, and it was that kind of wishful thinking that always got his hopes up--or simply got him into trouble.

Danyr nodded, sighing a bit. It only made sense, really... She'd been here almost four years now. Even the time that had passed since Daniel's last visit was likely to pale in comparison. And in that time, her daughter was now walking and talking...

"She's been here long enough..."

Danyr would briefly peek out of the end of an alley, looking both ways for any more of the stray creatures, before leading the way to the next long alleyway. Fortunately, the city had been designed, and built practically: the long conjoined backyards and relatively tall buildings gave the residents a sense of privacy from the outside city, and even a sense of defensibility...

"Do you remember anything about anyone else here?"

Komodo never worked alone, and was never hired alone. Whoever this boss was, there were always at least 3 people involved. No one could trust Komodo alone, after all...

"Yeah," Daniel agreed.

He was bound and determined to get Zera out of this city--or die trying. There was no getting sent back home this time. There'd be no safe and sound for Daniel 'til Zera was.

As he continued to follow Danyr--always behind him, always standing, always awkward with minimal senses for stealth--Daniel thought about the others in this city. There were the shadows. Those weren't the hybrid people. They looked much more like real people than anything else. At least, their shadows stood in normal poses. That much Daniel remembered, but what of it? Who was to say these shadows of his memory weren't just that: shadows of memories? He'd no evidence even in his own mind that these people were ever real.

There was one, though.

"One guy," Daniel replied, "He was dressed weird, loike . . . with blue hair and such, oI think, and . . ."

He trailed off as he thought about him. He could barely remember much at all about that guy, only that he looked weird, acted weird, and had Zera and Daniel both fighting him at once.

"And he was so freakin' full of himself," Daniel continued, "Talking about science and all that bollocks. He hit Zera. Not bad, but 'e hit her. oI think . . . oI think I cut him up pretty good. Your brother's probably working with his people, but oI don't think 'e's around anymore. 'Least not in a threatening way."

Danyr looked strangely at Daniel, as if Daniel was playing some sort of joke on him. Soon, he realized a few things. First, Daniel was unlikely to know anything about the past dealings in Xexoria, and much less likely he could remember. And then, there was the fact that they were in Oblivion, and Zera had somehow wound up here...

"Cassius. I know him, too. He was the son of a doctor the family used to know. And he died almost four years ago now..."

The sky seemed to be gradually darkening, perhaps an indication that night, or perhaps a storm, was coming. That wasn't really a good thing... The days were universally overcast, but at night... Well, they wouldn't be able to see any shadow creatures until they were right on top of them, for one thing. Plus, Danyr and Daniel had just been through a boat crash, near-drowning, and an encounter with a very annoying brother...

"As much as I want to get Zera now, I think we're going to have to wait until morning..."

There was still a fair amount of town left to traverse, and then a fair amount of walking to the towers... Fortunately, Daniel likely knew a place they could rest: his own home was only a few blocks away...

"You . . ." Daniel trailed off in thought.

So, Danyr knew the guy. That was unexpected, but not too surprising . . . not at this point. Coincidences just weren't coincidences anymore, and though none of this made a lick of sense to Daniel, he was perfectly content in figuring that none of it would ever make a damn bit of sense.

"Heh. Well. Just a big reunion 'ere, huh?" Daniel about decided to place bets on whether or not they'd also encounter either Danyr's other brother or his mother or father, but he didn't want to tempt fate. The less of Danyr's family here, the better. Assuming Komodo was the only bad seen of the family, that'd make for three or more people to protect. Without Presmodia here, they were a bit short on firepower. It was a bit of a drag, actually. They could've used the power he had to offer. The three of them could've taken Komodo easily.

Anyways . . . they needed to hide out somewhere for the night. "Oi, follow me," Daniel said, "My place has to be around 'ere somewhere, you know?"

His place. Daniel kind of remembered that. He came from this city, sometime before it became like this, however it became like this, which meant that, assuming the city's structural integrity was still in tact, his house was somewhere. It'd be nice, at least. A reminder that he still had memories somewhere. He pictured an address in his head and motioned for Danyr to follow him, then careful to avoid the sight of any hybrids.

They walked for some time. It took Daniel awhile to figure out where he was going, but once he was on the right track, his feet guided him better than his mind ever could--except when he stopped. The neighborhood was quaint and calm; houses were set against each other, but in a comfortable cul de sac sort of way. Each side of the dead-end road was lined with house next to house--except for the side Daniel and Danyr stood on.

There was a parking lot where a house should've been.

Daniel stared for a long moment. This was the address he had in mind, where his feet were taking him, all by memory alone. Some latent physical memory that could never be truly forgotten, like riding a bike or sowing a field. The yards cut off and a small lot was set where carriages were parked. Daniel didn't blink for several moments. When he did, he looked around him.

Well, this was awkward.

"I'm sorry, I.... Didn't realize you were homeless..."

Danyr cracked his joke in a deadpan manner, standing beside Daniel, surveying the carriages on the small lot. Danyr didn't really think much of it: Daniel must have just gotten lost. His memory was quickly becoming legendary, after all. He didn't hold out much hope of finding another place before it became truly dark, though..

"Let's just go into one of these houses?"

Danyr wasn't too choosy about what house they picked: the houses seemed to be mostly the same construction. Fortunately, they were also generally defensible, too. High windows, often with stone shutters, few entrances... Pretty much ideal for hiding out...

Not for the first time, Daniel had no name to describe what was currently going through his mind. For all intents and purposes, there should have been a house there, but . . .

Daniel puffed out his lower lip. Like a goddamn soldier of pouting. He did not explicitly attempt to show this to Danyr, not in any attempt to bereave him with guilt for a joke that Daniel found at least some minor degree of offense in, but damnit if Daniel did not pout as if he'd never pouted before.

"Not cool, man," he replied in almost mock-sadness.

As much as he seemed to react in a joking way, Daniel was in all honesty somewhat hurt. Not by what Danyr said, but by the fact that there was no house here. There should have been. He remembered it very clearly. Not what happened in the house. Or his parents. He just remembered the house itself . . .

Daniel shrugged his shoulders. He couldn't remember any of these houses for the life of him, and ultimately decided it was probably best to just follow Danyr to whatever might work best.

Danyr smiled wanly at Daniel's response. Daniel didn't want to show it affected him, but he was basically an open book... Not that there was much Danyr could do. Tell him his childhood home surely existed, he just wasn't sure where? Tell him he forgot about it? There was nothing to be done, really...

"The second house, here. It will be harder to find us."

Danyr would quickly move to a spot two houses over, where it wouldn't be possible to see the empty lot. Having fewer lines of sight made it less likely they would be found, anyway. Plus, he didn't really want Daniel ruminating too much on home... Considering all the people here, it occurred to Danyr that Daniel's hometown may not even have residents any more...

Walking to the front door, Danyr pulled out his lockpicks and opened the simple door in a manner of seconds. In a small town, there was little call for elegant locks, after all. The whole building was closed over with storm shutters, but the interior of the building had the same spooky sort of "just missed them" feeling that all the buildings seemed to have. Lukewarm food on the table, half-empty glasses of water, even a candle that was halfway burnt...

"This place really is strange..."

Daniel nodded some. He wasn't too fond of thinking about home, anyways. It always brought him to the same conclusion: that he couldn't remember a damn thing about his parents or extended family, friends, or any of it. All those memories were long since lost, and he had a feeling they weren't coming back. Then again, he wasn't trying to rekindle them; when he had the opportunity to with that Usurii woman, there was supposedly some risk involved, and he just refrained from taking it. Maybe he'd take the risk once Zera was saved, but . . . well, he just settled with all his memories of Zera at the time.

That was all they needed, anyways.

So, he followed behind with some subtle hint of unrealized indignation. His hands were shoved deep into his pants pockets, and he didn't at all seem to care about stealth anymore--not like it was necessary right now. In this caul de sac, there didn't seem to be any hybrids around just yet. Daniel waited while Danyr picked the lock, and slid into the home behind him once it was done.

". . . huh," Daniel observed.

Well, this was certainly a surprise. Daniel didn't think much of it, though. It was just a pleasant surprise. The whole place looked like there were actual people, people like Daniel and Danyr, hanging around this city, inhabiting this house here. And now they'd stumbled upon them.

"Didn't think there was anyone else loike us but Zera," he concluded with a shrug; he was playing it off casual, still a little put off by the previous revelation, but someone like Danyr might be able to trace that hint of elation in his voice. "We should stick 'round. oI mean, I'd hate to block this guy from a good night an' all, but, well, y'know. We all got more important things to do, roigh'? Loike get the 'ell outta 'ere with Zera--and whoever else moigh' be normal loike us."

"I don't think they're going to care too much. It looked like there must have been a year's worth of dust over that keyhole..."

Danyr wasn't entirely sure what to make of the house, either. The last time Daniel had been around, there had been hints of something... Otherworldly. Spirits, ghosts, or some sorts of apparitions. And the more abstract shade creatures wandering in hordes. Now, there were just the odd hybrid people...

Danyr removed his bow, setting on the table to examine the complicated pulley system that allowed him to get so much force out of the device. The string that Komodo had severed was a single piece that had crisscrossed perhaps half a dozen times across the length of the bow, and Danyr started to examine it for how to fix the string.

"Daniel, do you remember when we met?"

The situation hadn't been too long ago, really. A matter of months, though the journey seemed longer than that, sometimes. And likely, Daniel would remember at least snippets of their encounter. Danyr had been angry to start when Daniel mentioned Zera, and had eventually culminated with "You must be a trained spy or assassin, because no one could be as goddamned stupid and naive as you without trying." Of course, Daniel had eventually convinced him of the truth...

"You realize this is crazy, right? You aren't even related to her, and we might just wind up dying here..."

As if to punctuate Danyr's statement, a tremendous thundering sound echoed from outside, and hail that sounded to be the size of golf balls began to rain on the house. The howling winds also spoke to the violence of the storm outside, a storm that seemed perhaps representative of the worst Oblivion had to offer...

Well, hopefully wherever the people in this house went, they'd come back sometime soon, before either Daniel or Danyr fell asleep. It'd be a lot easier to explain things to them that way. And if there was dust in the lock, that probably meant they were taking a window or backdoor to get out, if they were even leaving at all. Well, no matter what, Daniel hoped they'd come back soon. It'd be better for everyone that way. Nonetheless . . .

Daniel actually remembered that all perfectly, especially after the trip to the last dark city. Nearly everything after the moment he found himself in this particular city for the first time was clear as day for him. He got a little fuzzy back in the last city when he was around a certain hooded person, but he was fine when that . . . person, whoever he was, was away.

"Heh," Daniel suppressed a laugh when he thought about that, the day they first met, "Man, I really coulda sworn you were gonna deck me back then."

It was true. If someone told him back then that Danyr was going to wind up being the closest thing Daniel was going to have to a best friend, he would've laughed it off and called the person crazy. There was some serious upset with Danyr way back then.

Nonetheless, Daniel really wouldn't give up being here for the world. Zera saved his life and he owed it to her to save her in a decidedly better way. What way that was going to be, he had no loving clue. But he owed her. And, well, he just wanted to see her again.

"Danyr," Daniel began; he paused, though, took in a deep breath, and sighed, "Your sister's a great person. She doesn't deserve this at all. oI'm probably crazy as all 'ell for it, but I don't care; if I can save Zera, I can feel like there's been some value to my life. Besides . . ."

He folded his arms over his chest and broke all forms of eye contact.

". . . she was the one that was supposed to go in the first place. She's the one that has people waiting for her. She's the one that has a point in goin' on livin'. I have nothing, though, man. I can't remember any of it. If there was ever anything of value, I can't feel it. There probably never was anything of value. My parents probably didn't care and I probably didn't have any friends. I'm none too smart so I probably didn't pay attention in school. I'd be so easily forgotten by the world. So much the opposite of Zera, who's got family like you that love her enough to go all this way for her--but she still chose to save me. Me, who's got no point in livin', really. So oI gotta return the favor. Gotta set things roigh', no matter 'ow crazy it is."

Danyr didn't make eye contact with Daniel anyway, his attention focused on aligning pulleys and the string for his bow with various small tools. In a way, Danyr knew: Daniel was perhaps hopelessly naive and clueless. In a way, that was also his strength, though: he didn't realize what he was getting himself into, and always pulled through it...

"I would have decked you. I had a lot on my mind that day..."

Danyr trailed off a bit, thinking about what Daniel had said. Danyr didn't explain; despite his agitation, he had immediately taken Daniel seriously that day and followed him. In fact, there were really only a few hours the next day they had been seperated before leaving for Oblivion...

"I was going to propose to my girl that day. I promised her, but I had to come here, first..."

Danyr was pretty quiet about what he used to do, and even what he usually thought. He provided a wealth of information that was usually excluded, but rarely information about himself, even though he did have a history. Daniel, however, really did have no history... Like he hadn't even existed, almost. What seemed like a thousand times, Danyr had wished he could forget half his family existed, but here he was, trekking across an entire world to find his sister...

"This is the last thing, you know? The last thing I need to do. And once we're done... Hell, now. You're a good person, and you're family. You're more of a brother to me than either of those assholes..."

So, that was it. This was the first time Danyr ever mentioned it, his possible engagement. It was probably one of the reasons he was so angry with Daniel when he came to Xexoria, talking about Zera and how she was alive and needed rescuing in the very near future. But still: Danyr loved his sister, so he was out here to rescue her. Daniel wanted to apologize, though. Even if it was potentially for the greater good, Daniel succeeded in screwing up Danyr's life, at least for the time being. Somehow, he'd have to make amends for that; he'd also have to apologize to Danyr's girl, too. This whole endeavor was probably hurting her just the same, without her even needing to be here. Hell, it probably hurt worse to be excluded, even if it was for the best.

Daniel was about ready to apologize when Danyr spoke again, saying something that Daniel never expected to hear from someone in his life.

"D-Danyr . . ." Daniel suppressed the want to gasp.

He turned to Danyr, a look of shock upon his face. From what he could remember, he'd never had any kinship with anyone. The closest he had was Zera and Danyr, and he frequently doubted how much he meant to either of them--only that he was determined to make everything up to them eventually. But then . . . this. This was so unexpected, so out of the blue . . .

It actually brought tears to his eyes.

"Th-thanks, man . . ." Daniel laughed in spite of himself; the tears in his eyes had yet to fall, but were certainly threatening it. "Y-you-- you have no idea whot that means to me . . ."

"Well, it's true."

Danyr replied gruffly, his voice similarly a bit choked, his hands still moving to slowly repair the bow that had been damaged by Komodo. A conversation like this was certainly not a common occurrence, after all. Still... They'd been through a lot at this point, and this seemed... Dangerous, to say the least. The enemy knew they were coming, and had all the power and collateral. And Danyr and Daniel didn't even know the extent of what they were facing...

"Let's just get through this, and get back home. Then we can do something a bit more peaceful with our lives..."

Outside, the storm raged seemingly against that house in particular, and the sound of hail crashing on the roof and wind howling through alleys and shaking the shutters on the house made it impossible to forget how hostile the environment really was...

"I'll take the first watch. I need to get this fixed..."