Jacob: .... Wait... did you escape or...

We just watched you die. Either you somehow escaped or...

-He pauses in thought-

................. Did that loathsome toad try to force our hand with a fake???

-Pent nods and paces more-

Alright, first possibility. Real Manager here, fake Manager there. Little less likely given that you tested Manager hiring but good to not fully count it out.

Second possibility, real Manager here and there and Aspects can respawn when killed. Unsure if that's possible here so gonna need to investigate those mechanics.

Third possibility, real Manager there, fake one here to demoralize us. Not sure why Belcit would do this given that he likely knows we could just find out that Manager is still alive when he got back.

Director -thinks- About five minutes as we finished talking to you through Ula.

Ren: -thinking- Dragias. He can do that shadow-port thing. That's why we didn't feel him until we did. His aura was enough to scare ever monster out of the second tunnel, but we didn't feel him until we were in that cavern at the exit.

Dune: Or he could have just been split in two.

-...-

Dune: What? I've had it happen before! They didn't stay the SAME very long, but still!

Ren: -sighs at Dune's and Pent's responses- You were right Jacob, it looks like Belcitane tried to force our hand with a fake.

-chuckles grimly- Not that it did him any good...

-Prima Donna is crying for a different Reason now-

Prima Donna: Sorceress, can you send Manager's sword back?

Sorceress: I can. And will.

-Sorceress waves her staff and green flames cause the Lightwing longsword to be transported back to the town-

Sorceress: Do you want to go back as well Prima?

Prima Donna: No. I'll stay. I need to make up for that last battle.

-Prima Donna looks at the group- I'm sorry. I put you all in danger.

Ren: While I won't deny that Prima Donna, but I won't fault you for it. Things affect different parts of the mind worse than others.

Manager: With that out of the way, what exactly happened over there?