Yue fell through the portal, landing on her side with an oomph. She laid there for a minute, staring at the ground beside her and trying to catch her breath. The last words from her Grandmaster echoed in her head in whispers.<span style="font-style: italic">"Defend us..."</span>With those words echoing in her head appeared images: a replay of all the events that happened. The coming victory at the beginning before the portal opened and crushed all thoughts of victory for her fellow comrades. Her Phoenix Guard. Her Rangers. Her family. The pain she felt in her heart was unbearable and tears rushed down her cheeks as the thought of all they had lost. Dread filled her and she laid there for awhile, letting the grief consume her.<br/><br/>At the encouragement of Astraia and other Rangers she slowly sat up along with others. She quickly brushed off the drying tears on her cheeks and took a deep breath to calm herself. Her body felt weak and exhausted from the fighting but also from the emotional burden that weighed down on her shoulders. That weighed down on them all. She heard them speaking but most of their words went over her head. She felt liker her head was underwater and her surroundings were slowly fading into the background.<br/><br/>She quickly shook herself from her thoughts. There was no time to grieve those that they all lost, as much as it hurt not too. It was difficult just to be able to move her limbs at this point, let alone focus her mind on her surroundings but she pushed through it and turned towards her remaining friends.<br/><br/>"Astraia is right. We cannot argue and bicker with one another at this time." Yue spoke up after Astraia calmed down Ignuis from Authryn's comment. "We should try to regroup. We may be safe for now but we do not know how long that will last." She looked towards where the portal use to be, her heart sinking at the thought of those they left behind.<br/><br/>Her hands clutched into fists as she fought the sadness that threaten to overwhelm her again.<br/><br/>She listened to the people around her. Many of them were turning to Astraia and Authryn for guidance. At this point she realized they were all alone. There was no guidance from their Grandmaster anymore. No one to turn them in the right direction. The thought chilled her to the bone. She knew they could take care of themselves but without a person to lead and to keep them together, could the Rangers really survive from this? They were already fighting among themselves. Astraia may have calmed it down for now but would she be strong enough to keep them united?<br/><br/>Looking towards her remaining Rangers, she honestly didn't really know who would be best fit for guiding them. Authyrn was strong and capable and Astraia was wise and a natural born leader that Yue greatly respected. She also knew of Ithilnaur, who she turned to when he spoke up. She could already tell that a few of the surviving Rangers would support Astraia to the end, and if they were divided over who leads them.... Yue bit her lip and stared at those in front of her. The fear from before had now turned into a nasty fear of what would happen to the remaining few of them. All three of her fellow Rangers seemed good candidates for leading them but just the thought of their Grandmaster being replaced so soon made her eyes water up again. She did not want to follow another so soon after the lost of her friends and family, but she didn't seem to have much of a choice.<br/><br/>She pushed the emotions back quickly and took a deep breath. Now was not the time. She had to focus.<br/><br/>Yue stood up slowly, wincing at the soreness in her limbs. "I agree with Ithilnaur. We must be cautious with where we go. We cannot assume we are completely safe. I suggest we try and find shelter and food. We need a place to lay low while we discuss what our next actions may be." Yue spoke out the words, nodding in Ithilnaur's direction. "If we are to venture into a town or tavern, we should consider getting a change of clothing to bend in and conceal ourselves."<br/><br/>"It also wouldn't hurt to try and get some info about what we are facing." Yue's teeth ground together and her voice came out low as she spoke. "We need to be careful, but we should also try and gather whatever information we can. Rumors are bound to spread and getting an idea of the direction our enemies may be headed or any information on their whereabouts could help us determine our next course of action."