Kiernan/Mag/Ophion
As they advanced through the chaos, Mag squinted and tried to make out as much detail as she could through the Faram-damned Mist -- an exercise in futility, with so little light to see by. Out of the corner of her eye, she did see Kiernan's hand go up to grasp his amulet, and an oppressive weight settled in her ribcage. Her own amulet seemed to burn where it touched her chest, though of course it was useless now, and had been for many years. No matter how hard she gripped it and called in her mind, Warwick would not come.
Mag tore her eyes away from Kiernan and forced herself to swallow past the lump in her throat. It wasn't the best time to let grief sneak up on her. The nightmares, the waking up with the image of Warwick's corpse burned on the back of her eyelids, that she could take, but not now. She could not break down in the middle of this mess.
"Let's keep moving," Mag agreed, wishing her voice sounded steadier than it did in her ears. "And who could say no to Lucy? Razor-sharp claws and fireballs can be pretty persuasive, you know." Jokes were good. Jokes would help her concentrate.
And the screaming. That did a good job of underlining how serious the situation was. As they moved, they saw buildings reduced to piles of rubble, and people running away or hiding. And corpses. Too many corpses. And there had to be even more buried underneath the rubble. As they walked past the mouth of an alleyway, Mag saw two small children huddling together, crying. She motioned for Kiernan to stop.
"You two okay?" she asked, giving them the kindest smile she could muster. But they were too shaken to answer. Luckily she always carried a handful of healing potions wherever she went; she now fished out two and gave them to the children. "You should get out of here, it's not safe." One of them held out shaking hands to accept the vials and, without a word, the two ran out of the alley in the direction of the Theatre District.
Mag felt anger bubble up inside her, and her focus began to return. "Never mind about that raise," she said, looking in the direction of the dark shape in the distance. "This one's on the house."