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Monday, May 30, 2011

Puppetry of the Spine (Wayward Saga)

Billy: *Picking up speed behind Garret, his arms flapping awkardly he rounds the corner seeing a group of people. Stopping suddenly at seeing eveyone he sees a girls with scales all over her body and just stares for a moment. Breaking out of his stupor when his stomach rumbles loudly* Uh....you must be the friends Garret was talking about....uh....you guys didn't find any food did you?

Ira: *frowns, flustered and at a loss* Look...I said I'm sorry... What do you want me to do, huh? We tried our best... We aren't at a deadend here. We're all together again, and now...we've got even more help... *steps closer, leaning forward with his face and keeps his hands tucked tightly in his armpits* We'll find some answers, okay? Just...please....please don't cry, it breaks the heart, girl.

Taryn: *turns at the sound of Garret's voice* You idiot! What the hell are you doing running around with a headwound? *catches sight of Billy* Who on earth is that? *snaps back to Garret* And don't think you can get past me by distracting me with some kid, you shouldn't have gone off in your condition! *admonishes a scaled finger at him, her scales rippling purple, pink and blue*

Lisette: *still convulsing with crying, though hearing Garret's voice, it lessens slightly. She looks up through teary eyes to see him and a flinch of a smile crosses her face. She turns to look at Ira.* I... I know Ira. *deep breath* I'm try... trying to stop. Give a second. *wipes at her eyes with her sleeve* Anyone got any tissues?

Garret: *visibly cringes as Taryn yells at him. A mental "told you so" crosses his brain. He motions for Billy to come forward.* Sorry... but I couldn't just sit here. *sighs and points to Billy* Honey? Can we keep him? *he grins awkwardly for a moment trying to lighten the mood* His name's Billy. I found him out.. *waves behind him* ..there.

Billy: *Seeing these people interact with each other he wonders what kind of friends they are. They certainly seem to talk to each other kind of strangely. Looking at the crying girl* Uh...is she ok?

Ira: *a broad smile of relief washes over his face and he turns to Taryn* Hey, what'd you do with -my- coat? I had some napkins in the right hand pocket, between the ketchup packets and the Snickers bar. *gestures at the new peacoat* What, you're changing clothing too to suit? No love for my massive man coat?

Taryn: *blinks at Billy and then at Garret and starts laughing, relief washing paler blues, yellows and white through her scales* Oh, you...idiot... *hugs him tightly before turning back to Ira* What? I...oh... I was trying to stay unseen... *flushes scarlet a bit as she remembers fully what she did* Your, er, your coat should be by the crates. *calls over* Lisette, you alright, hun?

Lisette: *just nods. She's still trying to get ahold of herself after her mini-meltdown*

Garret: Yeah, she shed the clothes and dropped them over there. *he points to near the TARDIS* I didn't bother to retrieve them, so they should still be there. *looks over to Taryn and Marcus* Looks like you adopted one as well. Does he have a name?

Billy: *Looking at how everyone seems to be happy to see each other he decides to wait until everyone has calmed down.*

Ira: *saunters over to the coat and starts riffling through the pockets, pulling out the snickers, the three ketchup packets, a stub of a pencil, some elastics, a twist tie and ah- finally - napkins of the fast-food variety* Here they are!! *waves them over his shoulder towards Lisette and stuffs everything else back in before shrugging the green coat back on, heads back to her, holding the napkins out to her.* They aren't as soft as tissues, but they'll work in a pinch, eh?

Taryn: *watches Ira with a baffled expression* You're like my gran, all that stuff in your damn coat... What're the ketchup packets for? Or do I not want to know? *unconsciously finds Garret's hand and holds it tightly, the scales on her hand picking up the colour of his skin, then turns back to him* Uh, this is Marcus, and this is his coat. *taryn grinned a little sheepishly* Apparently I'm too distracting just in my skin.

Lisette: *takes the napkins from Ira and wipes her eyes. They're a little rough on freshly crying eyes and she can't wipe them all that well because of it, but the sentiment was there* Thanks... *fleeting sob* ...Ira. I appreciate it. *looks at the others* Sorry I feel apart... I'm just... just... *can't figure out how to end the sentence, so she doesn't*

Garret: *smiles wryly and squeezes Taryn's hand back* You can say that again. From what I saw, you're very distracting in just your... scales. *chuckles and staggers a step* I think I need to sit down again. Too much excitement I think. *looks to Ira* Did you say you had a Snickers bar? Can Billy have it? I kinda promised to find him food, and a Snickers is like food... kinda.

Billy: *Perks up when he hears Garret talking about a Snickers bar* That would great if I could have it,the doctors always tell me I have an overactive metabolism so I'm always hungry.

Ira: Ketchup packets? No one else here ever pulled a fake accident? No one? No...aw, never mind, sometime I'm sure you'll get to see it. *Ira shrugs and shakes his head, smiling at Lisette* Hey you did great out there. You should be real proud o' yerself, really. Lil Firecracker... *stuffs his hands into his pockets and pulls out the snickers* Sure...don't know how -old- it is, but if you -want- it, then sure... *tosses it over Billy's way* Over-active metabolism eh? They say I got an over-active imagination, so I get yah. *grins*

Taryn: *flushes scarlet and tries to fade the colour first before trying to speak* So..uh, what exactly happened out there? I saw a bright light...

Lisette: *smiles at Ira, then turns to face Taryn* Well... we found a guard, um, dead. This other guard.. *points at Doul*..was coming, so Ira hopped into the dead one and made believe he caught me. When the other guard started getting suspicous, I flashed him and Ira took him out.

Garret: *just sits down on the crate he'd been sitting on before and listens. After, he looks down at Doul and frowns* And this is Doul? Is he... alright?

Billy: *Goes to grab the Snickers Bar out of the air, but misses, looking extremely awkward. After picking the bar and unwrapping it, he devours it in about 3 or 4 bites, smiling contenedly* Thanks mister, that hit the spot. *Looking around at the group and their surroundings* Uh...so what happens now?

Ira: *snorts at Lisette's comment before recovering him* You -gotta- come up with a better attack name than "flashing" dollface... But yeah, she like... firecracker'd Doul here, and I jumped into him, knocked him out and brought him here. We were thinking maybe we could ask him some questions about the "Barracks" they were trying to take Lisette to - some guy named Relay. Sound familiar anyone?

Taryn: *peers over Doul's form* You think he'll answer out questions? Is it safe? Should we maybe take his gun away from him, first, or something? *looks up to Billy* That's what we're trying to figure out, really...

Lisette: *gives Ira a stern look and then shrugs* I always associated the effect with a flashbang. *moves closer to the group again, now that she's gained a modicum of composure* I don't know how forthcoming he'll be considering, but we don't have much in the way of other options. In a perfect world we wouldn't have to interrogate anyone.

Garret: *shakes his head slowly* I agree. We'll just have to hope he doesn't hold a grudge. Lisette, he saw you obviously, but did he see Ira? If not, maybe we can help matters by hiding you while we ask him questions.

Billy: *Looking over when the scaled lady that Garret called Taryn* Uh...ok, thanks. *Looking at Ira* Sorry, I can't help, I've never heard of anybody called Relay or a place called the Barracks. I only woke up here a little while ago and found Garret.

Ira: Oh, yeah...that reminds me. The other guard we found, the one who was already dead - he'd been rolled. No id and no gun in his holster. So, maybe us having a fire arm would be a good idea, because someone out there's got a gun and it doesn't look like they're on the guard's side, so we'd better be cautious. When we're ready to ask him some questions, I can wake hm up... *steps closer*

Taryn: *takes the gun out of the holster and holds it unsurely* I've never fired a gun... Does anyone here know how to use one of these things? I'm probably more a danger than a help with it... *holds it out like a bag of dog feces* What exactly are we going to ask Doul, here, anyway?

Lisette: *holds out her hand to take the gun* I work... or worked, for a law enforcement division technically, so I'll take it unless someone else wants it. *sighs, she has no idea if her job will still exist if she ever gets back home, but oddly enough, that doesn't really depress her as much as she thought it might*

Garret: We could start by asking him where we are. I don't think jumping straight to asking about the Barracks or about some guy named Relay will go over very well. *moves to stand again, trying to look uninjured for when they wake Doul up* Does anyone else have a bad feeling about this? *looks around at all the faces. Taryn, Lisette, Ira, Billy, Marcus and back to Doul*

Billy: I'm with Garret, if we can find out where here is, we can figure out how to get out of here.....Uh....if you guys are good with that.

Ira: Man, what would the Cloak do... *paces for a second* Well, yeah, let's hide Lisette for now, just in case... Garret, you look like our muscle, so stay there and try to look like a tough guy he don't wanna mess with. Marcus and Billy, you two aren't very intimidating, so try to...y'know, look like you're nasty. Taryn, you're the level-headed one, so ask away. I'll keep him anchored so he doesn't try to book it, yeah? *grins about at them feeling quite proud of himself for a change*

Taryn: Uh, okay, *passes the gun over to Lisette* So, if we're trying to look professional about this, then let's sort out our questions now. We want to know where we are, and how we got here. Anything else?

Marcus: *Over the course of this conversation, Marcus has slowly recovered his wits in succeeding to subsume whatever substance he'd realeased. Feeling a bit more normal he begins to pay more attention to what's going on. Taryn is holding hands with a grumpy looking older guy. Great. Marcus shakes that from his head - he needs to concentrate on the task at hand. And perhaps now was the time to come clean too. Better now then when it might be MORE awkward.* Uh, guys? I- I should tell you...

Lisette: *takes the gun and retreats a few steps, tucking it into her belt after making sure the safety is on* Okay... let me know before you wake him up so I can hide. I'll be close though, in case anything goes... hinky.

Garret: *stands talls for a moment, then slumps a little* Where we are, how we got here and how close is the closest medical facility preferably. I'm not getting any better out here. *turns to face Marcus as he rejoins the group* Ahhh... he speaks. Okay, we're listening. *squeezes Taryn's hand again, it feels good and comforting in an odd sort of way.*

Billy: *Hearing Marcus speak, he'd almost forgotten he was there, being as quiet as he was. He turns towrds Marcus with an expectant look upon his face and waits for hime to finish*

Ira: Hrm? *Ira turns to look at him, crouching by Doul with his hands readied, and catching on to the connection between them*

Taryn: *looks at Marcus in alarm, a sense of foreboding gripping her* What is it?

Marcus: *Now that the attention of the entire group is upon him, Marcus almost quails...They seem rather nice, all told, and he hates to think of what Taryn will think, but there's nothing for it. He pulls the gun he took off the dead guard from the waist of his pants, under his shirt, careful to hold it by the barrel, handle towards the others* I- I know what happened to that guard. It was me. I didn't mean to! He shouted at me, and came at me and then I kinda freaked out and when I calmed down...*He stops short...swallows then continues* I took his gun and wallet and hid. I don't know what's happening to me, but...well I don't think looking scary will be a problem. *he lays the gun carefully on the ground and kicks it over to the one dressed as a guard, across the circle. Then he holds out his hands, palm up and tries to make the claw-things again. Nothing happens, although inknown to him, Marcus' eyes have once again gone strange, looking like nothing so much as two tarnished mirrors.*

Lisette: *just pauses where she is, wide eyed* You... killed him? *she instinctively reaches for the gun, just in case*

Garret: *automatically steps in front of Taryn without even thinking. The fog in his mind clearing for the moment* You better choose your words very carefully. Why? Why did you do it? *the air around Garret and the rest is starting to get turbulent, but not quite as consistantly as before, in the warehouse*

Billy: *Hearing what Marcus said, he is shocked, but he can see that Marcus is distraught over it* Uh...guys, before we get carried away I ahve something to tell you as well...not that I killed anybody. *he adds quickly* It's pretty obvious that you guys all have some kind of powers and I think I know why I woke up here too. I also can do something that ordinary people can't do. *He pauses to see the reactions on everybody's face before he continues. Before he tells his secret he wants to make sure nobody with get angry at him*

Ira: Shit, that's heavy, son. *doesn't look frightened or alarmed at all, just purses his lips thoughtfully* Well, *smiling hopefully at the others, hoping to lgihten the mood somewhat* At least we know where the other gun is. Shall we stay on track here, and get to Doul before he turns into a vegetable?

Taryn: *before she has a chance to get defensive, Garret's standing in front of her and threatening Marcus. But Taryn -saw- him after he'd killed the guard, what a shaking mess he was, and felt a pang of sorrow for him* Hey, calm down everyone... I'm sure he's not the only one who's had accidents with their powers as they got used to using them... *places a significant hand on Garret's arm and steps out from behind him to stand next to Doul* I agree with Ira - for once - let's just find out what's going on first, before we turn on each other. *looks at Billy* I kind of figured you'd have something different about you...all of us do. You don't have to worry about it, no one here will judge you. *confidently speaks for all of them on that count*

Marcus: *Steps back from the blonde gent with wind building around him, suddenly regretting his decision. As the others speak however, he begins to feel better about it - after all, he should've expected a much worse reaction. A flash of gratitude goes through him as Taryn speaks up in his defense.* I don't know -why- I killed him - I just reacted. I have some idea how...but its not working right now... I don't know, maybe I have to be threatened or something for it to work. Please, can we figure this out later? I just want to get out of here.

Lisette: *eases back a bit as Taryn and Ira stand up for the kid* Okay, lets everyone calm down a bit here. *she's speaking as much to herself as the others* Like Ira said, we can deal with this later. Alright?

Garret: *calms as Taryn lays her hand on his arm* Okay... you all are right. I don't know what we're gonna do about this, but right now we have other concerns. *he turns to Billy* Yeah kid, I knew you were one of us when you wouldn't shut up about food. *he smiles and chuckles, making sure Billy knows he's joking* Okay, Marcus, we need to talk later. I promise not to freak out again.

Billy: *breathes a sigh of relief* Yeah, I figured something was up when I saw everyone. It was just confirmed for me when Marcus' eyes changed colour just now.

Ira: Really? I thought Taryn the Lizard-babe over there woulda tipped you off. *winks at Taryn to show it's all in friendly jest* Yeah, how's it going... I'm Ira, Mr. Personal Magnetism, apparently, and this is Lisette, Miss Flashbang, and Garret, the Incredible Gust, and uh, yourselves. *finishing lamely, he shrugs and grabs Doul's neck with one hand* Alright, we're getting consciousness in 3... 2... 1...

Taryn: Lizard-Babe? Gee, thanks Ira. *shakes her head and readies herself to ask some questions, after all, is she or isn't she a freelance journalist? This is about as freelance as it gets*

Marcus: *For the first time noticing something odd about Ira when he's near the guard...like a sense of gravity, or something...* What exactly are we going to do to him?

Lisette: *backs up to go around the corner, out of sight of Doul when he awakens. Just in case* Okay, please let this work. Please! *she whispers to herself*

Garret: *does his best to look large and intimidating, even with a splitting headache* The Incredible Gust? *he mutters to himself as the guard starts to twitch and regain consciousness* He's coming around, everyone ready?

Billy: *Trying to look as intimidating as a pimply faced 17 year old can* I'm ready.

Ira: *keeps a hold of him, just in case and nods to Taryn as Doul's eyes slowly flutter open, a low moan coming out of him*

Doul: Owww.... What the-- *struggles to move, but manages only in twitching his boots with Ira holding onto his spine* Hng!!

Taryn: Hi there Mr. Doul. We'd like to ask you a couple questions. It'd be better for everyone if you just answered us as concisely as you could so we can all go our separate ways, alright? First things first - where exactly are we right now? *fails entirely at being intimidating, and just sounds like an avid paparazzi reporter*

Marcus: *Shudders a bit at seeing the guard struggle with Ira's hand apparently -in his body holding tight to his spine- but then remembers that he's supposed to be terrifying. He does his best to attain the look of sullen, careless arrogance and elegant danger he sees on his friends at the goth club - a look he so badly wanted to attain. Maybe then he'd come into his own right? People respect someone with that look. What he achievs is remarkably close considering his slim build and that he was wearing ratting black jeans and a slim fitting T-shirt with some fishnet he cut out of a pair of stockings over his arms. In fact the look is only comprimised by the fact the he is clearly trying so hard to achieve it.*

Lisette: *simply waits, listening intently at the answers to come*

Garret: *stands with his chest puffed out, hands on his hips in his best impersonation of the mechanics, dock workers and general blue collar folks he knows. He's never been a scrapper, but he's seen them and does his best to look like one right now.*

Billy: *Impressed by the conciseness of Taryn's questions stands quietly waiting for the guy stuck to the end of Ira's arm to answer, though he does admit to himself that that is kinda odd, even for this bunch*

Ira: *twinges the guard's neck ever so slgihtly, making him squirm again fruitlessly* It's really best for -you- that you answer quickly if you wanna still be able to walk away when we're done... *ira's growl is actually one he's had to use before, a nasty, gritty sound, one completely at odds with his usual happy-go-lucky countenance*

Doul: Agkh!! Ah...okay...okay...It's just a storage complex for Phaeton Development and Industry, just preshipping cargo... *breathing heavily through his nose, half-snorting from the pain and gritting his teeth between sentances*

Taryn: Alright... And what city is this? How far from this complex is the nearest road, transport system or hospital? *Isn't sure what the Phaeton complex has to do with anything, but knows better than to throw out facts in case they come in handy. she tacks another question onto her mental list and keeps eyecontact with the struggling Doul*

Marcus: *Simply waits, doing his best to ignore the guard's pain and thinks on what he's learned...Feyten? Who the hell are they?*

Lisette: *waits, listening as she has been. Her conscience is bugging her a little, but she knows they're fresh out of options overall. Still, she prays Doul is cooperative enough and no one gets hurt*

Garret: *growls in a low baritone, trying to sound tough, as he waits for each of Doul's answers*

Billy: *Waits until Doul finishes telling everything he knows*

Ira: *keeps a firm grip but doesn't say much else, just breathing down Doul's neck a little*

Doul: What...city? It's Torfield, jesus! *squirms* We're about 40 minutes from town by car, but- gnnhk... but there's a supply train that passes through Torfield's industrial district that's about a half-hour trip... *snorts, his cheeks quite red by now* The only hospital in Torfield's Greene General on the other side of town - it's over an hour from here...

Taryn: *tosses a glance at Garret and shifts slightly* So what does Phaeton want with us? Why were we brought here - and more importantly, -how-?

Marcus: *Starts to suspect that the guard knows as little as his companions do, but nevertheless keeps his mouth shut.*

Lisette: *stays hidden, but takes mental note of what Doul is telling them. It seems that if they want to get Garret to a hospital, they're gonna need a vehicle*

Garret: *glares at Doul, he's not very happy about the information he'd getting, and that just adds to the intimidating looks he's giving*

Billy: *shocked to find out that he's not in his own city anymore and wondering just how it was done, but trying not to show it, looks on as stoically as he can to the questioning*

Ira: *quirks an eyebrow at them, having been pulled from the east coast aaaaall the way to the west coast* Shit. *he didn't mean to say it out loud, but it sounded just as disgruntled as anything else, and Doul couldn't get a good look at him from where he was lying anyway.*

Doul: It...it's probably not Phaeton themselves - they're a development company...transport goods mostly, manufacture gadgets for companies and military and stuff... It's Relay...he gets all the turn-ups... takes them off to someone else -- I don't know who... *whimpers despite himself, tears starting to form at the edges of his eyes*

Taryn: *blinks at that, her scales unconsciously picking up the colours of the bricks and the dirt and cement, making her turn a garish mix of rust and cold grey* Relay? Who is he, and why is he taking people away? -WHY- are people turning up on Phaeton's complex grounds? How many other have shown up besides us? *taryn is started to get the journalist's buzz on the story, milking doul for all he's worth, and planning to find out the rest of the story, one way or another.

Marcus: *Relay? That's a pretty cool name. Thinks Marcus in spite of himself,* Sounds like a smuggling operation, *he says, unaware at first that he's spoken aloud, when he does, he snaps his mouth shut with a muttered* Sorry Taryn.

Lisette: *she's heard the name Relay before, but now she is starting to learn why he's called Relay*

Garret: *remains looking intimidating*

Billy: *thinks to himself, this is just getting weirder and weirder. To find out that this has been going on for awhile is disturbing to say the least and it's starting to make him angry*

Ira: *Ira frowns, thinking about a couple strange things he'd noticed before this had started and in true nerd fashion begins to put together conspiracy theories*

Doul: *quivers as he watches taryn change colours* ...the fuck!? *tries to squirm again and his legs spasm as he twinges his own spine against Ira's hand* GURK!! Haa....hah.... *drools spittle before his eyes focus again* Relay runs the compound, he's got the highest security clearance... He can access parts of the compound I've never even seen, okay! Please... *snivels* I don't know why he's taking them... He's working for someone higher up, okay? I don't know why people are showing up... but it's always in the storage containers that they appear, and we got orders tat if we find them we pass them on to Relay... I'm just doing my job... *chokes on another sob* I'm a security guard for chrissakes! I don't know about any of this weird shit... *leaks more tears and blubbers*

Taryn: *frowns at him and glances around quickly at the others* I don't think you do, Mr. Doul... but any information you have could help us. We need to get out of here. We need to get back to the city. We haven't done anything wrong, and we just want to go home - simple as that. *she elegantly glosses over Marcus' involvment with the other guard's death and offers a small, pitying smile* Just help us get out of here and you'll never hear from us again, alright?

Marcus: *Starting to feel rather bad for the guard, considering he's just a working stiff, Marcus starts to relax a bit, and contemplates encuraging the others to let him go - Marcus was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable seeing the guard in such pain. For the time being however, he holds his peace, worried he'll seem weak.*

Lisette: *moves her hand away from the gun. She's heard enough to not worry about this guy now. So, she simply slumps against the wall and waits*

Garret: *shakes his head* Alright... I think we're done here. Ira... can you remove your hand from his spine now. I think Mr Doul would love to show us the quickest way out of here and into town. Then he can go on his merry way I think. Sound alright to you Mr Doul?

Billy: *glad that the interrogation is over; he was starting to get embarrased for the guy; he looks forward to getting out of here* I'm ready to go when everybody else is.

Ira: Alright, I'm going to let go of you know, but you gotta take it slow standing up or you're gonna hurt yourself. We'll help walk you to the nearest vehicle so we can get out of your way, alright? *slowly pulls his hand out of the man's neck but keeps the connection of the magnetism strong between them just in case*

Taryn: *took a step back and adjusted her borrowed coat* Alright then, let's go as quickly as possible. I'd like to avoid more trouble if we can. Everyone, keep your eyes peeled... *makes a motion for Ira to lead Mr. Doul back towards the Barracks*

Garret: *nods* Sounds like a plan to me. The sooner we get away from this area, the better in my eyes. *looks to Doul* You will of course, skirt any of your buddies you know are out there. Right? *glares intimidatingly for emphasis* We have a guardian angel watching our backs just in case.

Ira: *grins to himself at the angel comment and keeps moving forward nice and steady, knudging Doul along gently, coming out in sight of the distant fence* Alright, so are we going to use the gate door, or climb the fence? *glances at Doul's tubby form and shakes his head* Right, you can't climb the fence, to the door then...

Monday, May 23, 2011

Rise of a Tiger - Part II (Ul-Zaorith)

Wilem quirked and eyebrow, pausing where he was. He kept a certain amount of distance from the stranger and took quick note of both his driver and any significant shadows nearby. Just in case. The driver interested him. She appeared to be a gypsy, a people Wilem held great kinship for, but that alone was not enough to earn his trust so quickly. Regarding the stranger he tilted his to one side, his smile falling ever so slightly. "Excuse my caution, but I do not know you sir and I'm sure you know in these times it is better to be safe than sorry. I do appreciate the offer as my feet are beginning to grow sore, but answer me this. Why should I accept passage with a complete stranger whom, by all appearances, seems to be heading in the direction I am seeking to distance myself from?"

Asarid took in a quick breath, gambling as he was wont to do. "I answer your question with a question of my own, sir. Does the word Founderline mean anything to you?" Asarid spoke it calmly, quietly, as if this were but a casual inquiry. He pricked his senses to be aware of any probing thought that might catch up this word and take alarm. He sensed no such tumult and was thankful for the dead road to ruined Calyx. "All else in the realm of answers comes from your reply, sir."

Wilem's mind tensed at the mention of the word Founderline, though he showed no physical reaction. He might have been born a nomad, but he was still a Tirivahni. He knew what the word meant, and more importantly, he knew what it stood for. "Show me the Tirivahni who does not know what that word means sir, and I will show you a liar. I do however, fail to see what bearing such a term has in our current discourse." Straightening his form, planting his feet and preparing for the worst as he hoped for the best, Wilem awaiting the next cryptic answer eagerly.

"What bearing it has sir, is your direction." Asarid replied smoothly, changing his answers to those most safe based on the answers he'd received. "You head towards dead Calyx, sir. There are very unsavoury folk camping out in the ruins there. Those too bold to be frightened by ghosts, and those too desperate to consider themselves much more than the spirits haunting the fallen stones. In those moss-encrusted relics, sir, what do you hope to find? Our caravan moves towards life and possibility. Would you give me an answer worth heading to dead Calyx? Or will you see reason and head towards a future less dim?" Asarid relaxed his shoulders a little, looking more an outlaw than a travelling gypsy.

Asarid's response caused Wilem to purse his lip and quirk his brow. Navigation was never his strong suit, at least not over land, but if the stranger was correct, there was nothing in Calyx for him. Perhaps he'd been in too much of a hurry to leave the last town he'd struck out in a hopeless direction. Wilem in turn relaxed slightly. "If what you say is true, then I am indeed heading in an unfortunate choice of directions. I have no reason to venture to Calyx, or meet up with any of it's unsavory inhabitants. So, your offer suddenly becomes more palitable. Though I would prefer another option than returning from whence I come from." He weighed his options more carefully now, but still had a question left unanswered. "I still do not see why you have brought up the term Founderline however?" He added in little more than a whisper, sure the stranger would hear him fine. "And is it not customary for someone offering another a lift to at least offer a name?"

Asarid smiled, pleased the man was reasonable, and seemingly possessed of some amount of wits and logic. "I am willing to bargain the cost of your journey with us that the destination we are headed for is not the City you've left." Asarid paused and tilted his head, as if he held back some immense knowledge that was just below the surface if one chose to scratch. "Founderline... what does the term imply? Freedom, safety, strength, tradition. There are those of our kind who long for these things, there are others who turn their backs upon all that we are. If you were one who would scoff at the term, or fear me for my use of it, I would know there was nothing I could offer you. If, however, you took pride in the word - as you have done sir, then perhaps we have more to discuss on our journey. Now then," Asarid added, turning towards the gypsy woman, "This is Naella of the Circle, our talented coachwoman, and I am Asarid Son of Iella. Welcome aboard our Ship of Dreams, sir. And who might we have the pleasure of escorting?"

"The terms means to me all you have said and more. The Founderlines stand for our very people and the great loss of their numbers in the war is tragic. To speak against such people is not in my soul sir, and I would take great offense to any who did not feel similar." Wilems words carried a trace of emotion he hadn't yet shown to the stranger, a great pride, reverence and honor. As he was introduced to the coachwoman he fell into a sweeping bow before her. "I am honored to meet you Naella of the Circle. Your beauty reminds me of someone quite close to my heart." He said in Greos Tirilys with a charming smile as he straightened himself. "I have no doubt you are as skilled as friend Asarid claims." He turned once more to Asarid and nodded. "I am Wilem, Son of Nesane and I humbly accept your offer of shared passage down these perilous roads. I trust I have not made a fatal mistake." He chuckled lightly to himself as he extended a hand to Asarid, a wry smile crossing his lips.

Asarid's full lips twisted into an amused smile as he took the man's extended slim hand and grasped it firmly in the Tirivahni custom. Asarid turned to the caravan and unbuckled the back canvas and lifted it to show the inside to Wilem. "It should be comfortable enough. There are blankets ther of the rack you can seat yourself on. I'll be sitting up front on the coach seat, but I can hear you well enough from there so we can continue our friendly chat en route." Asarid said nothing about the contents f the caravan, weapons tightly wrapped were strapped to the curved inner walls of the caravan, mounted racks of foods, powders, alchemical supplies and even tiny potted plants all sat bound into their shelves. Richly embroidered carpets of the Humoran style and plush Suoro brothel pillows were piled in a makeshift bed in one corner of the caravan while a set of cooking pots and barrels of preserves were stacked and strapped neatly in the other back corner. At the very back of the caravan, a small latchable window was open to the view between Naella and Asarid on the boxseat. Through this window Asarid's bright face suddenly appeared. "Make yourself comfortable back there?"

Wilem climbed into the caravan, no longer taking efforts to hide this armed status. He drew a couple of the blankets from the shelves as directed and even stole one of the brothel pillows and set up a hastey, makeshift area for his own travelling comfort. He adjusted his ersunbe as he took his seat and braced himself for the eventual start to the journey. He nodded to Asarid as he peaked in upon him. "As comfortable as I dare in someone elses space. So where is it you are heading friend Asarid? And why so interested in my opinion on the Founderlines? I fear you've opened a can of worms my friend and you'll have a difficult time in closing it again if you try to do so." He smiled, curious yet still wary enough to remain vigilant.

"Close it?" Asarid laughed, but it had a strange quality to it, a kind of insane furvour to it, but it stopped before a distinct impression could be transferred beyond a slight discomfort in the lsitener. "I am not one to step away from a debate, no... And this is one I wear close to my soul, indeed." Asarid paused as Naella lashed the asera into motion. The Caravan creaked and then rolled forward steadily. Then Asarid turned his face back to the window and grinned in that mildly mischievous manner of his. "I might be able to answer your remaining two questions with a single answer. Are you familiar with the encampment known as Yuellisi Stofftierre?" Asarid paused and then with a wink added lowly, "Or as the Occupants call it, Hethen's Ground?"

Wilem shook his head, not recognizing the locations name. Or at the very least not letting on that he recognized it. "Sadly I do not know of the place you speak. Is this our intended destination?" He shifted, improving his comfort level now that the caravan was moving and at the same time aligning himself to the small window all the better. There was something this Asarid was not being forthcoming about. He bore a secret within him that he had not yet deemed Wilem important enough to reveal. But while most might feel ill at ease about such secrecy, Wilem saw it as a challenge. He'd made a living at finding out other people's secrets, and he was quite good at it. Though something told him Asarid was not your average mark.

"Ah, well it is good news you haven't heard of it, I shall have to tell Baryx, he'll be pleased." Asarid murmured, more to himself than to anyone in his presence and then he grinned over his shoulder at Wilem again. "But yes, that is where we are headed. Many of us believe that all hope of our country lies in Yuellisi Stofftiere. It is there we try to keep alive all that the Occupants tried so blindly to strip from us." Asarid gave a dark smirk as if he held a blade to any that tried to strip Tirivahni of the smallest flower. "They built it up, slowly in the shadow of the fall of the old Empress. We await the rise of the White Tiger that some day will come to break these chains of bondage. What is spoken of the country wide as a fools hope is a dream very much alive there. You will see..." Asarid spoke easily, but still cautious about how he phrased things and how much he said. A trick of ambiguity he learned from the Suoro slavemasters that had once held his bonds.

Wilem listened intently to each and every word. It all sounded interesting and benevolent, yet he could not help but wonder why Asarid would risk bringing a relative stranger to such a locale. If it was indeed a community of their people intent on defying all of what the Occupants had tried to force upon them, why take a risk and bring someone who could very well be a spy into their midst? It made little sense, but it seemed not to bother or even cross Asarid's mind. What Wilem wouldn't do to crack that mind and dig into the truth of things, but he did not like being that heavy handed. It was more fun, and took more skill, to draw out the knowledge through the bearer's own lips through charm and subtle manipulations. Though Asarid seemed all to willing to answer questions now, he still held something back. Something important. "It sounds like a very good place to head towards, though I don't really see how prosperous I might find it. Something tells me the inhabitants would not require use of my services. So, pray tell, why should I wish to go there? What would be in it for me?"

Asarid turned and stared at him,t he smile twisting to something sickly, the poisonous green eyes narrowed nearly to slanted slits in his pale face. "The real question is what is in you for it." Asarid nearly bite the words off one by one by way of emphasis and then shrugged lightly and offered his twisted laugh shortly again. "Believe me, the uses you train yourself for are usually not those that other ask of you. I should know." Asraid shrugged his shoulders and lazily drew circles over his dark-skirted knee with a hand hidden by his bell-sleeve. "So, Wilem, tell me what is a tirivahni of such lithe limb doing wandering the countryside alone? No slaver alive to bind you? No conscription to far-off wars to run to...or from?"

It was Wilem's turn to narrow his gaze as he stared back at Asarid. "I have had luck on my side since the day of my birth and thus have evaded the slavers shackles. Perhaps something of my father has rubbed off on me. And I find I have little taste for the wars the conscriptors wish to send us to. So I have also made it my duty to avoid them whenever possible. I wish I could say I have never seen battle, but that would be a lie and I have no desire to lie to you at this time. You have been honest with me, or so I assume, and feel it only proper to return the favor. I travel alone because it is easier to slip free of the webs that trap easier when I only have myself to worry about. I do not overstay my welcome anywhere and thus I have stayed fairly unmolested so far." He smiled, brushing the dark indigo hair away from his pale eyes completely. "And do not underestimate my lithe limbs, I know how to move them when needed."

Asarid chuckled darkly again, more of a snigger than a laugh. "I have no doubt you can, or you would not still be in one piece. Simply mentioning it because you'd be highly prized by the Slavers, I reckon. Fetch a high price..." Asarid mused idly to himself. "Good qualities to have though... Kind of a requirement to get into Yuellisi, really..." Asarid and Naella exchanged glances and then he peered back at Wilem. "So, what is your trade of skill, Wilem?"

"In a word, information." He spoke without reserve because he believed Asarid had earned that much. "You would be surprised how much some are willing to pay to find out if their lover is cheating on them, what their competitors are planning against them or where a relative is hiding their fortune." His coy smile crept across his face again as he examined Asarid's face through the window. "Well, perhaps you wouldn't be surprised, but others would."

"Ah, a Peddler of Truths..." Asarid sat hard and silent for a moment, computing this. "So, if one pays to know, you let them know, eh?" He asked at length. "And tell me, what base of clientelle do you serve, Wilem? Are you true to your people?" He asked, a hard edge in his voice, like a blade being unsheathed.

"I am true to my employer, regardless of who they are. Though I choose my employers very carefully. I will not pretend to understand what you are asking me, but I will say that my people mean a great deal to me. I am a patriot sir, but I will not claim I have not gleaned information from our own kind for others. As I have said however, I choose my employers very carefully." He knew Asarid was setting him up for something, though he wasn't sure what it was just yet. He would play along for now, storing the little clues to Asarid's agenda away for safe keeping. "And what about you Asarid? What is your trade?" He asked, looking idly around the interior of the caravan and it's odd assortment of cargo.

"My trade is in Souls, Wilem. I am a good Cleric of the Gods, serving our Holy Iseapon most faithfully." Asarid asnwered, his face sober but his eyes dancing with mocking mirth. Naella didn't say anything, but lightly coughed at this. Asarid grinned at her, "And Naella, lovely lady she is... a Purveyor of sweet flesh and heavenly virtues..." At this the coachwoman let out an exclamation and whipped Asarid lgihtly on the arm with her reigns. He shrugged and nodded to Wilem. "I can always hope, eh?"

"Hope is a precious commodity friend Asarid, horde it whenever possible." He chuckled lightly again and slid into a more reclined position. "As for you being a good Cleric of the Gods, I do not doubt you though I know you are more than that as well. What still escapes me however, though I feel it must be tied to your earlier inquiries about Founderlines. What are you not telling me?"

"Who can say?" Asarid answered flippantly, throwing up his hands in a deft motion before dropping them again. "I haven't told you my mother was a Child of Nea... I haven't told you that I won my freedom from the grace of the gods... There's plenty I haven't told you. But why would I need to tell you any of these things? As for the comment on the Founderline... Well, it's always good to know who's company you're in. I like to know I'm dealing with a straightforward fellow, one who serves his country, and not betrays it. One who'd be willing to work with a founderline, is one who can be of service. One who is a Founderline, serves my ends better still. You know, getting to know your stand, Wilem. Have I touched a nerve? Or your Truth Peddler's nose got a whiff of something good?"

He had indeed struck a chord within Wilem. The Child of Wipo had indeed caught whiff of something in Asarid's words and in the brief physical contact they'd had before. It was good to know the talents of the Thought Drinkers sometimes. "Two children of a Child of Nea. That explains certain things. And in the presence of a Child of Nea to boot. One might say it an omen." He scratched his chin and wondered if it was an omen, what it was to mean. "Still, you have piqued my interest Asarid. And if the previous was a form of inquiry, I would gladly aid a Founderline without hesitation. Any assistance I could give such a person could only better our people as a whole. Though if I ever met a Founderline face to face, I would likely be humbled to silence."

Monday, May 9, 2011

Primal Crusades #5 - The Demon Fight Concluded

Asia nodded and followed Mickey, then waited as he opened the exterior cover. The outside air was fully in her nostrils now as she scrambled forward as quietly as she could. As she exited through to the outside, she twisted her torso and reached up to grip the edge of the roof. Her body twisted at an inhuman angle, yet fully possible for a ferret, she pulled herself quietly up to the roof and scanned the scene. She saw the boys fighting the Harpy, but Ender wasn't among them. It took her several more moments to see where he'd gotten to. He was hunting. Assuming he'd caught scent of the other Demon, she slipped along the rooftop and followed him. As good as he was, backup was always nice.

Mickey dropped out of the window and watched as Asia went skittering up onto the roof. For a moment he wasn't sure what the hell she was doing, but then he caught sight of a dark shape scrambling along the power lines to the street and he recognized Ender's Channelled form. He could hear the sounds of inhuman screaming, grunting, growling coming from the side of the building. Things sounded like a right mess. Well, time to bring out ol' Sheila. He swept quickly to the trunk of his truck and, opening it up, brought out an ugly looking mangle of metal and wood. He'd designed and built her himself, and she'd been with him through a lot of ugly places. He let the trunk fall closed and heard a voice husk from above him:
"What do you think you're doing, little human?"


Rekjald let out a shrieking sound, half-laughing and half-screaming in pain. "Vaiii...ussssssss!" He wheezed as his wings spazzed out for the count and he went plummeting toward the ground. It wasn't far to fall by this point, maybe a good twelve feet, and Seth, feeling them falling, began scrambling to try and get on top of the writhing Harpy so as not to be crushed under him. But Rekjald had no intention of lying down on the job. As he felt the Were remove its teeth from his thigh, he reached out and grabbed Seth by the hair and shoulder respectively and sunk his own claws in where he could. Seth let out a stream of verbal diarrhea: fuckbuggerwankcocksuckingmotherfucker!!

Topher saw Morgan hit the Harpy with the full brunt of the hammer's head and winced a little as the Demon went spiraling away. Away and down. Topher lunged forward, on all four paws for a moment of charging force to be there when they landed. If he had any say, the Harpy wouldn't be allowed to get up and flap around a second time.

Morgan broke into a run much as Topher had, yet without the same speed. He trailed by several feet by the time they caught up with the Harpy and Seth. He didn't know Topher and didn't know how skilled he was at using the strength and bulk of his Bear form, but he knew that this Harpy was seriously regretting the attack now. Even as it dug claws into Seth, Morgan circled looking for the next opening so that he could bring more punishment to the Demon.

Asia continued to follow Ender without uttering a single noise to let him know she was there. She knew the Dryad, whatever it was, would be here soon. She didn't know which fight it would join, but it seemed at tertiary glance that the boys had the Harpy pretty much under control -- or as much as was possible. But where was Mickey? A bad feeling ran down her spine and she paused, cursing herself for not sticking close to him. She had been overzealous. It was too late to turn around and go back now, especially since she had no idea if he was alright or in trouble. There were only the two Demons right? She forged ahead after Ender but she just couldn't shake the bad feeling in her guts.

Mickey looked up with an unimpressed expression. The many-eyed form of the Seeker stood on top of the fence above him. "Fuckin' teleporters." He grunted. She smiled wanly and crossed her arms, the eyes in the hands folded across her chest swiveling 'round to stare at him as her face lifted up and away to where the fight with the Harpy was raging strong. Mickey got an unpleasant revulsion spike to life in his gut as those beady, unnatural eyes watched him while the damn head looked away entirely. Grimacing, he readied Sheila in his hands and set his heel into the pavement to brace himself.
"What exactly is that thing?" Vaius asked nonchalantly, her face still turned towards where Rekjald was screaming her name, at the mercy of three vicious breeds of Weres. Her lips curled in disgust. That would teach him to disobey orders.


Rekjald hit the ground hard, but his grip on the Coyote hadn't released even a fraction. Seth let out a wordless cry as they hit ground, the Demon's talons digging deeper into his scalp and shoulder, and with the jolt of sudden stillness, the hook in his shoulder slipped and got caught on something that Seth needed in order to move his arm. He scrabbled his feet, trying to find purchase, but without being able to wrench his body away so much as an inch, all he had were his claws -- and coyotes weren't known for their ferocious talons. He dug them into the Harpy's flanks none the less, "Fair's fair..." He grunted at the Harpy, grinning madly.

Topher had picked up a good 40km/hr in his dash across the lot and now came barreling in over the Demon. He trampled the bloody wing, a bit of tail and then, turning sharply, rose up on his back legs again and let out a huge roar. He was struggling not to full-shift, and could feel the fog of battle rage already rising in his heart. He fought to get it under control, and saw Morgan come barreling up after him, the mighty man shaking the ground with each step. He caught the other's glance, and felt himself sobered just enough to keep his shift firmly in Anthro, and then swept down a paw to strike at the damaged wing, and tore it from the socket, a few bloodied bits of cartilage still attaching it to the ribcage. Rekjald let out a hacking tumult of shrieking laughter and let out another cry of "Vaiusssss!!!"

Morgan swung his hammer into his left hand and pressed it down against any part of the Harpy he could inhibit while he did his best to wrench the claws out of Seth's body. He tried his hardest not to worsen the wounds, but it was difficult and he knew nothing about anatomy. Mechanics yes, anatomy no. If it seemed he was doing more damage than good, he would shift tactics and just punch any bit of Demon flesh that showed itself.


Ender leapt off the wire and four limbs out went sprawling through open air to scramble onto the telephone pole and swinging around the transformer, reached the top of the post. The smell of the Demon was faded. As faint as it had been originally, now it seemed disturbed – shaken or dispersing on the mild night winds. Scrunching his nose in disappointment, he perked ears, and looking down saw Asia hot on his tail. He shifted aside to make room for her on the post and hung his head down to talk to her without throwing his voice too far. "Good to see ya," he murmured.

Asia leapt and clung to the pole along with Ender and nodded. She paused and with some effort, responded in broken, tense English - which was all she could muster at best in Anthro form - "Where... Demon?" She scented the air even as her little beady Ferret eyes scanned the area all around them. How could it have just disappeared?


Seth was snarling through his crazed grin as Morgan's hoof-hand clamped down on the talon lodged in his scalp. Rekjald tried to fight against the strength in Morgan's grip, but something snapped in his busted shoulder and the whole wing went slack, enabling Morgan to pry one of the talons from Seth's body. Able to once again move his head, despite the considerable font of blood flowing from the wound and matting his greasy blond hair, Seth let out a yip of triumph, and shifted his clawed hand from the Harpy's flank to scrabble at his face for all his reach was worth.

Topher, seeing Morgan wrench the damaged limb to a point of disuse, circled around to the other side and sunk his teeth into a flailing avian leg, and bit down, cracking and shattering one of the bones, bits of Harpy bone shrapnel lodging in his mouth and causing him to drop the limb to wretch and spit the mass of bone marrow and fragments onto the pavement.

Morgan's half-human, half-Bison mouth twisted in a strange and unsettling way as he smiled. The Harpy's wing snapping and going limp piqued a certain pride in him, but it was short lived. The fight was far from over and while this thing was still alive, maimed or not, it was still too dangerous. He saw out of the corner of his eye, Topher rip into a leg, saw the torn shoulder where its other wing had been, and the thought that its flight capabilities were negated filled his brain. Now, they needed to negate its offensive abilities. Still gripping the useless wing, he twisted it and pulled with all his strength, trying to rip it from the Demon's hide. He didn't know how well or how quickly these nightmares healed, and he didn't want to take any chances.


Mickey answered by way of demonstration, and pulled the trigger. Sheila spat a spray of roofing nails soaked in a combination of antifreeze and gasoline at Vaius. The ever-watchful eyes saw the weapon fire before the nails were en route, and she blipped out of sight as the majority of the nails when clattering through the fence. He couldn't tell if any had landed prior to her teleport or not. Cursing, he turned to find her behind him, and kicking him in the jaw before disappearing again. This was what might be deemed an 'unfair fight'. But Mickey had been in the forces, and was used to being on both sides of unfair fights. He adjusted the loading chamber on Sheila, cocked the next round in and kept his senses sharp. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something moving behind the fence. Squinting into the dark, he pointed Sheila's muzzle at whatever it was and tried to get a clear shot.

Ender sniffed the air, and caught the acrid stink of the Harpy's blood, the iron-rich tang of Were blood just beneath it. It was hard to focus on the vanished Seeker with so much sensory noise. He shook his head. "On the move..." He replied, unsure of where she might turn up. He scanned the fight raging below and heard above the noise the sound of something being fired, a sick sort of 'twap' noise. Perking his ears he looked to Asia. "What was that?" he growled, low and mistrustful.

Asia shook her Ferret head and shot a glance back the way they came when the 'twap' resounded. "Mickey!?" she was able to utter before springing off the pole and racing back towards the sound, ignoring any danger she might be rushing headlong into. The few words of warning Meredith had given them resurfaced in her mind as she crossed the wires back to the garage. Stay in the light the Witch had warned them. It was too dark behind the building. If Mickey was there, he needed to get to a source of light. Or have one get to him. She studied the building as she approached at speed and tried to figure out if she could angle the exterior lights to better blanket the area. They needed all the help they could get it seemed.

Rekjald was thrashing madly now. Whatever mirth he'd had initially at the fact that three of these monsters were on him had subsided as terror took hold. Vaius had not come to help him. He began to wonder if she would come at all. Hyperventilating and in a great deal of pain, he felt the Bison snap one of his bones and he knew abject horror. Flightless! He willed his wings to flap, to move, one would not respond, and the other... A spray of blood arched through the air, splattering the Bear across the nose and muzzle. Letting out a terrified shriek he clung to Seth, spitting and eyes rolling in panic. His feathers puffing and his muscles rolling beneath his leathery skin, he began to flail and buck. Seth was wrenched about on the talon hooked into his shoulder joint and was screaming obscenities, the hook tore deeper into his cartilage, opening a view to his pectoral muscle through the blood that began to weep from the angry wound.

Topher fell back roaring as the hot blood splashed his face, shifting back to full human so as to better wipe the mire from his face, but finding it splattered over his hands just as badly. Letting out a sound of revulsion he scrubbed at his face, trying to clear his vision from the sting of salty blood in his eyes, and still trying to spit out the fragments of bone lacerating his tongue. At least half the blood he was spitting onto the pavement was his own, he was sure.

Mickey squinted into the dark, and the thing came closer. At first he thought it was a 1970s disco-queen: giant fro, huge bellbottom pants, loping gait... But there was a decided hue of green, even in the dark. Squinting, he tried to focus on the face and felt another hard kick slam into his back, right in the shoulder blade, knocking the wind from his lungs and the ground from under his feet. Gasping and flailing like a fish out of water he went up into the air, and came down in a bed of soft moss. Disoriented, he stared at the ground beneath his chin, scrambling for Sheila which had been knocked from his grasp. There was no moss here a moment ago... Somewhere it registered in a slow fashion, and Mickey followed the patch of it across the cement where he saw it creeping out from between two of the concrete blocks, somehow one with the bellbottoms of the mysterious stranger. Yet the creature, whatever it was, didn't come closer, despite breaking Mickey's fall. He got Sheila in his hand, and the air back in his lungs, and he rolled over onto his back, the weapon pointed up at the now empty-air.

Ender saw Asia dart off and belatedly registered her single, ejaculated word. With dawning horror, he took off down the pole, shifting into a full Anthro form to add to his speed, and took off in his ungainly hobbling Raccoon fashion around the side of the building sniffing the air constantly as he went. Come on, pick on someone closer to your own freakiness, Demon... He was calling out with his mind, endlessly grateful for his superb night-vision, yet still unable to pick up any visual sign of the Seeker.

Asia – not having any luck with repositioning the lights – dropped to the ground of the parking lot out back. On all fours, she stayed motionless, taking in everything she could with every sense she had. Slowly, she drew out her batons and with a flick of her wrist, extended them. That other thing was here. She could tell, even if she couldn't see it yet. What she did see however, was Mickey on a bed of moss, with some sort of crude firearm, and something she could only assume would be the Dryad they were waiting on. She spoke not a word as she waited for any sign of the Seeker. Once she saw it, she'd spring into action, batons whirling. She had no idea it could teleport, but hopefully she'd at least catch a glancing blow before it popped out of range.


Morgan was starting to get angry -- which is saying something, since he was so slow to anger usually. This Harpy was being a real pain in the ass, not to mention that the one stand-up guy he'd met in town thus far was being slowly ripped apart by the thrashing Demon. With a roar that sounded less primal than Topher's, but carried the same promise of aggression, he dropped his hammer to the ground and reached with two hands – which were starting to fuse fully as he shifted from Channelled to full Anthro form – to the Harpy's head. Wrestling it as best he could, he pushed it down against the hard pavement then proceeded to put all his weight, all his Bison strength, into pushing down upon it. He hoped to feel it compact against the ground and thus permanently steal the fight from the Demon.

Seth managed to wrap his arms and one leg around the flailing limb that was ripping him a new and unwanted orifice. Clinging tightly to it wasn't doing any damage to the Demon, which was regrettable, but at least it was keeping his arm attached to his body. He had no desire to start copying the Harpy's look.

Rekjald felt the pressure on his head and began hissing and shrieking in combination, frothing at the beak and staring with wild eyes, the pressure and strain in his adrenalin-fired muscles unbearable. He felt the darkness, the golden thread pulling taught inside his soul. He was keenly aware of how close he was to death. "Vaius! Lachesis ingai mod mekk hett!!" he screamed, a terrible hellish voice rising up from the coils he had come from. But despite his hellish strength and inhuman terror, the Bison was winning the battle, and Rekjald’s head went lower and lower to the ground, and then touched the cold pavement, and the pressure kept building, and he was shrieking at the top of his lungs, "LACHESIS INGAI!! VAAAIIUUUUUUU--" and with a sick ‘crunch’ his noise was silenced. Like a smashed melon or rotting pumpkin, his skull lay sagged against the asphalt, the skull crushed beneath Morgan's hooves, the brain mush within its shattered cage.

Topher saw Morgan somehow - impossibly - get even bigger, and fell silent, hands on his face, both stained in wet demon's blood, knowing with a dread in his heart that no action he could offer now would make any difference to the Demon's fate. Instead, he returned to full human form and scrambled forward, catching Seth as the flailing Demon limb fell limp, the life literally crushed from the Harpy. The wound in Seth's chest brought the bile up the back of Topher's throat and he gagged and swallowed, trying to disentangle the hook from the shoulder joint.

Morgan snorted, the rage still overwhelming him. He didn't really like to fight. He didn't like to start a fight either. But god be damned, if a fight was started with him, he will end it. One way or another. He didn't take joy in killing the Demon. In fact, he was sure if would lead to some major regrets later, but he did take solace in the fact that Seth wasn't in danger of getting torn asunder. He needed serious medical treatment, but he'd live. Or so he thought. It was only after looking up and seeing the fear in the eyes of the Bear, Topher, that Morgan realized he was still crushing Demon brain matter and skull into the pavement with his hooves. Pulling back, he sat on his haunches and shook the goo from his hooves. Silent. The dull, glassy Bison eyes staring out as the adrenaline dulled.


Vaius sat on the roof for a brief moment, watching Rekjald die. They would want to know why back home, and she needed to record it for the records. Once the life left him, she turned her attention back to the human. A Dryad had stepped forward to soften his fall. She scanned him: no, not a Warlock for sure...so why the sudden appearance of a Spirit? She didn't like it. Something was really not right here... She sat for a moment more, but then her Seeker nature won out and she blipped to the asphalt beside him. "Why do you have a Dryad?" She asked, watching the nail-gun swing round and blipping to the other side as he fired again. How irritating. Wasn't the talkative type, then...

Ender came around the far side of the building and caught sight of Mickey firing Sheila into empty air. Strange... Was he concussed? But then, no, before he could even finish the thought, there she was, just out of nowhere on his other side. It didn't even seem to be a lowered and raised Glamour. The way she moved... teleporting. Of course. He tossed a quick glance to see if he could find out where Asia'd stashed herself.

Asia was still crouched, watching. She saw the Demon appear at Mickey's side and then promptly disappear again in the blink of an eye to appear on the other side of him. She'd heard about teleportation, but never seen it. She guessed that this was the trick this thing had up its sleeve, but she didn't know how they'd combat it. She remained stock still and glanced around with her peripheral vision, seeing Ender at the edge of the lot. She kept him in sight as she waited for some sort of plan to gel in someone's mind. Preferably, before this thing killed Mickey, or them.

Seth was swearing like a sailor as Topher tended to him as best he could. But Topher's area of first aid expertise was that of a life guard. Seth was neither drowning, unconscious, nor had ceased to breath. Instead he was using very-full lungs of air to mouth every obscenity that had ever fouled the English language. His shoulder, a bloody tangle was still pouring red all over the concrete and while Topher had strapped the remains of Seth's torn-up A-shirt around the wound to stanch the bleeding, the blood was still soaking through the cloth. Topher looked up to Morgan and nodded in Seth's direction. "Hey, you a friend of his? We gotta get Seth some medical attention. This bleeding's bad..."
"What the fuck're y'talkin' 'bout Topher, y'sissy. Iss jus' a scratch, man. I'll be fuckin' fiiiine..." Seth croaked groggily, wincing and trying to force himself to stay present, fighting off the shock that was gnawing at his bones.

Meanwhile, behind the building, Mickey kept his back to the moss that had appeared to break his fall so the Demon couldn't get behind him, and kept Sheila primed and ready. Vaius came into sight for a flashing second three feet in front of him, then was above him hanging in mid-air, then to the right at a 90 degree angle. Long enough that he registered her, swung his weapon around to fire, short enough that if one blinked, they'd miss her. He was getting irritated, and forced himself to keep cool. If he lost his focus, he'd be a dead man here. On the up-side, the Seeker's ploy of keeping in motion also meant she didn't appear long enough to do him any damage either.

Ender kept his eyes peeled, saw the Seeker blip in and out of sight, and began to realize something. She wasn't just becoming invisible, she was moving from point to point. Which meant that while she wasn't 'visible' to them, it merely placed her somewhere else. He began scanning the area for her, both sending out his perception for the trace of the Demon, as well as sweeping his night-vision over the area. Distance didn't seem to phase her, but she had to be close enough to keep an eye on Mickey in order to place her teleportation as accurately as she was. He wasn't sure if she had a spot from whence she was teleporting, or if she chose a bouncing point at random, but this Demon seemed too calculated to leave things to last-minute choices. So, if she had points from which she was teleporting, where were they...?

Taves remained at the edge of the parking lot. Without a natural connection to the earth – naturally occurring stone, earth, soil, dirt, sand – he was trapped where he stood on the edges. He had seen Ender and Asia arrive on the scene, and knew the Demon would notice them soon too, if she hadn't already. He needed to do something to help... If Vaius needed a clear view in order to plot her course, he could offer them a tangled sky to work with... None of his current allies required flight, so the sky did not need to be clear on their account. Reaching both hands into the soil at his feet, he grabbed hold of the roots of the arbutus and oak that grew beyond the fence and sent his spirit up through them, and branched his fingers out through the sky above the parking lot. The trees groaned and twisted, the leaves, branches and twigs flaring out as if an explosion within them had pushed them outwards. The few stars visible in the sky above seemed hidden behind a lace curtain of tangled branches and patchy canopy in merely minutes. Let's see the Demon navigate that, shall we.

Morgan, still in full Anthro form, looked up at Topher with glassy black eyes, then to the seriously injured Seth. Pushing himself to his cloven feet, Morgan snorted acknowledgement, but instead of helping put Seth in a vehicle and get him to medical help, he pointed a hoofed hand at the dead Harpy, snorted again and stamped his foot twice, pointing then to all around them. He was trying to say that there was another Demon out here somewhere. He could almost smell it, if it weren't for the decaying stench of the Harpy. He didn't even try to speak in this form; he'd never had much luck in trying before. He hoped Topher would get the message.

Topher nodded at Morgan then shook his head. "I know, but we can't very well leave Seth unattended and go looking for it. He can't defend himself like this, and if we don't do something for him quickly, he might die..." Topher looked back at the wound and cursed soundly under his breath. Seth's eyes had gone wide and glassy, and Topher could tell the Coyote was trying futilely to focus his sight. Bad sign.

Seth was chuckling shallowly, trying with all his might to hold onto his toughness, but damn did that shoulder hurt, and he wasn't feeling so good... "Why ya talkin' 'bout dyin', chief?" Seth hazarded, swallowing hard, another gush of blood seeping through the bandages.


Asia remained crouched where she was as she watched not only the Seeker, but Ender and Mickey as well. She didn't know how to attack something that moved so fast and invisibly. If it was physically moving at all, which she was beginning to doubt. She reached into the sleeve holsters strapped to her wrists and withdrew her batons again, snapping them to full length with a flick of the wrist. If that thing didn't notice them already, it would soon, and she wanted to be ready if it came towards her. She was fast, but was she fast enough? She was almost ready to dash forward as the Seeker appeared with its back towards her when movement from what she assumed was the Dryad caught her eye. She missed her chance at the Demon as she stood stunned by the near sudden appearance of a canopy of branches and foliage. "Where?" she mumbled to herself before the answer dawned on her. She looked at Taves with a curious eye. What was this for? She couldn't see the big picture. Not yet.

Vaius' let all of her eyes blink in unison to teleport, and while closed, for that split moment of blink time, Taves began to push out his branches to cover the space through which she was travelling at light speed. The branches moved fast, but not instantaneously, and Vaius found herself blinking up higher and higher to try to avoid their spreading reach. She was getting tired, struggling to form some method of dealing with this cluster of Weres. She paused to see if she would be clear of the branches, and found herself floating up above them, a web of foliage and brambles hanging between her and her targets. She could glimpse their shapes, and smell them below, but there was no path to get to them with her blinking. There was a spot just near the building where she could set down by that waiting Raccoon... Only when she went to blink, she opened her eyes to find herself exactly where she was. She looked, and sure enough, dead behind her was the streetlamp and the lights around the front of the building lighting the darkness. She cursed soundly. The brambles had pushed her too far up into the light. Think quickly -- abandon this mission as an entire failure? A loss of a soldier with no gain to show for it? The Masters wouldn't like that... Or try to take something back with her? While she floated above the branches thinking, she had no choice but to remain still - and visible for a moment.

Mickey was startled to find the trees suddenly spring out at a few feet per second to fill the air above his head. He had a momentary wave of panic, a claustrophobic gasp for breath, before he realized the shadowy green creature behind him that had broken his fall stood at the heart of the movement. He calmed himself and let his eyes unfocus, trying to pick up movement within and beyond the branching trees. He saw the blipping flash as Vaius moved backwards, higher and higher to dodge the reaching branches. And then she was still, floating beyond the leaves, staring back at them. Too far for him to shoot and hit with Sheila. He thought about switching her mode, lighting the branches up with fire, but he figured his earthy ally wouldn't appreciate it much, and he was getting to like the idea of a fence between him and the witchy Demon.

Ender saw the branches flare out towards him and subsequently Vaius' retreat. When she remained still for more than a blink of time, he took his chance. Trees proved no trouble for him! He scrambled up the side of the building and flung himself bodily into the air, shifting into full form mid-flight. He landed, a five foot Raccoon in the trees and began climbing as fast as his sharp claws and short legs would allow, navigating through the trees, trying to reach the surface of the canopy, trying to find a path through the maze to the Demon to strike while he could.


Morgan smirked. Or he would have if his face was anywhere near human. Topher was right. Seth was dying. There was another Demon, but if they tried to find and fight it first, they'd be sacrificing Seth. He couldn't do that. With a deep intake of breath, the Bison features retreated and a few seconds later, Morgan was human in appearance again. "Get him in my truck. Where do we take him?"

Topher was thinking fast, trying to figure out who was the best hope for help, and who was closest. "Uh.... Let's get him to Meredith. I think she should be able to maintain both Taves and Saint simultaneously..." He shifted and hooked his arms together as a brace and slipped them under Seth's neck and good shoulder. "Help me move him..." he spoke under his breath.
Seth's head lolled a little and he grinned up at Topher, the eyes unfocussed. "Hey man... I thought you said you didn' like guys...why're'ya holding me so nicely....?"


Asia watched the branches stop their weaving, and saw the slightly flash of the other Demon high above the canopy. It stopped doing whatever it was doing, and she saw Ender take off after it out of the corner of her eye. She smiled to herself and reholstered her batons. Two could play this game. She darted into the trees as well, climbing for all she was worth. Ender wasn't gonna have all the fun. She just hoped when she got high enough, that thing would still be paused. She was getting tired of playing hide and go seek. Her Ferret form leapt from branch to branch, climbing ever higher. She lost track of Ender, but knew he was doing the same somewhere. Who would get there first?

Ender went up through the branches with speed and strength, but as skilled and vicious as a Raccoon was, they were not the sleek, graceful animals that ferrets were, and Asia caught him up and then shot past him and reached the top before him. He launched himself the last distance and broke through the branches to reach the surface of the canopy.

Vaius saw them coming and began to feel that rise of hatred and panic in her heart. She couldn't jump from where she was, that left levitation and good old fashioned running. Undignified running. But she didn't have much of a choice. She lowered her feet to the branches and keeping a little of her weight buoyant, began to try to scramble for the safety of ground and darkness.


Morgan nodded, speaking very little even though he was no longer inhibited by the Anthro form. He sighed, looking at his bare feet. Hooves and work boots don't quite fit together. He'd wrecked countless pairs before these, but these last ones he'd finally broken in fully and they had been really comfortable. Oh well. Life goes on. "You'll have to give me directions once he's in the truck." Moving over to give Topher a hand with Seth, he took the Coyote's legs and brought him to the truck. "Inside, it'll be snug, but safer for him."

Topher helped get Seth into Morgan's vehicle and then climbed in himself. He wiped his hands off as best he could, and dialed Meredith's number. When she answered, as briefly as he could, he outlined their situation. After getting the okay from her, he nodded to Morgan and hung up. "All right... We're heading south from here, towards town. Do you know where Brandle Plaza is?"

Seth felt himself being moved, but aside from getting cold and shaking uncontrollably, he couldn't really say he was feeling much of anything. He saw shapes, blurry and huge out of the corners of his eyes, but he was having a hard time focusing on anything. He tried to tell them that, but his tongue felt swollen and dry and just moved without sound in his throat.


Asia shot past Ender and for a moment thought about holding back to wait on him. But catching sight of the Demon above, that thought was quickly erased from her mind. As she burst forth from the canopy, her batons sprang into her hands as if by magic and she immediately scrambled deftly across the branches towards the Seeker. She must have seen Asia coming, and maybe Ender too, because she quickly started to run away. If run was the right word. She kind of wondered why it didn't do its zippy-invisible thing, but decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. If she could get close enough, she intended to play a bit of her favorite game, whack-a-demon.

Mickey watched from below, a plethora of branches between him and the fight above. So, he did the only thing he could think of doing. He got up off the ground and went towards the Dryad. He dug his foot into a knot in the wood and with Sheila slung over his back, climbed up and over the chain-link to land on the other side with Taves. There was no more light here than on the concrete, but the Dryad didn't seem able to come any closer, and if that was in fact the case, Mickey'd rather be standing where the Spirit had more power, rather than stuck out with the moss that had broken his fall.

Ender saw Asia flick out her batons, and himself readied his own weapons. He could feel the power prickling just beneath the skin and fur, ready, but waiting for the switch to be flicked, for the valve in his soul to open so that it could pour out, devour the world if given the chance. Ender did not get to give it that chance. So far, the only thing at hand to consume was the branches beneath him, and they were a very tentative floor right now - not something to be weakened by overly aggressive power. Asia chased after the fleeing Seeker, and he knew that even should he run that direction, he'd not catch up nor overtake either of them. And so, he hunkered down, ready to block off the retreat if Asia could flank her. If not, then he'd have to fast come up with a second plan.


Morgan climbed into the truck and slammed the key into the ignition. He hadn't bothered to retrieve his sledge from where it lay on the concrete, it wasn't important right now. And he could always get another from the building supply stores should he need to. As the truck rumbled to life, he heard Topher's side of the phone conversation as was already backing out when the directions came. "South, towards town. Brandle Plaza. Okay." He swung the wheel hard and pointed the truck south and hit the gas. "Keep him awake and as motionless as possible." He had no idea where they were going, or who this Meredith person was, but if Topher thought she could help keep Seth from dying, he was gonna get his friend there alive.

Topher nodded to Morgan again, and with one arm bracing Seth as best he could, and the other putting pressure on the wound to help it to clot, he kept his eyes on his friend's face. "Seth, look at me, buddy..." Topher started, unsure of how functional Seth's responses would be in this state of shock. "Hey man, you can't pass out on me. I don't want to have to slip you the ol' CPR tongue..."

Seth let out a rattling chuckle and his eyes swam about trying to find Topher's face amidst the blurry colours in his field of vision. "Oh, cummon... 'Know you've been wannin' ta make out with me so bad, Toph... You're, like, the gayest guy I know...”

Topher laughed softly and shook his head. Had to keep him talking. "I am not, and you know it... You work with a bunch of male strippers... List them off for me, Seth..." Topher coaxed. Seth blinked and the grin faltered, then he blinked again, the eyes finding Topher's face with difficulty.

“List 'em, eh? Let's see... There's Topher....and Reese..." He began, grinning.


Asia continued to chase after the Seeker. It was nimble, but so was she. Catching up to it was proving difficult, but not impossible. She gained slowly, banking on her lithe ferretine form to squeeze through gaps the Seeker was too large for, even if it was sort of floating. She constantly flexed her grip on the batons in anticipation. She wanted to get some measure of vengeance on the thing, even if all she did was drive it back towards Ender. Maybe they could trap it then. She worked on trying to get ahead of it and rout it back Ender's way. But if she had the chance, even a fleeting one, she would not hesitate to attack.


Mickey nodded to Taves as he came up before him. "Thanks, friend..." Mickey offered, not sure if this creature could understand English, or speak it.

"No thanks required, sir. Meredith bid me come and give aid..." Taves could speak. He could speak very well, in an Olde English accent and very well annunciated at that. "Clever of you to come closer, sir. May I suggest you try to remain on natural soil until we are rid of that foul Demon aloft? 'Twould make it fairer for me to protect you in my task... Lo, behold, they seek to challenger her..." Taves pointed up with a tree root, while his own hands were still deeply lodged in the earth.

Vaius saw the Ferret catching up, and casting a hand behind her saw Ender in wait, hunched and pouring a great deal of energy into the world around him. She had a bad feeling, a sense of built-in revulsion for that sense of power. The Gifted. This was swiftly becoming ugly, and dangerous. She would not lie in wait to be torn apart. This was no battle of gain and honour here. This was a lost cause. Better to return with a report than die for nothing. Vaius rose into the air in a sort of floating leap, and with all her eyes fluttering as if in seizure she pulsed, faded and was gone.


Morgan just concentrated on driving. He trusted Topher, who had presumably known Seth longer, knew how to keep the coyote talking. Which was weird, since from what he'd experienced of Seth, it was usually more troublesome getting him to be quiet. He would have smiled at the thought, but this wasn't the time. "We're nearing the Plaza. Now where?"

Seth was rambling off the names of the dancers at Mercury Solid in an unsteady order, naming some twice, but talking. Topher glanced up to the road to get a grips on their whereabouts and nodded to Morgan. "When you get to the plaza, turn right onto Habersbrook Ave. About halfway down, it's a left on Measford Rd. Number 746." He checked the wound under the cloth makeshift bandage and saw that the bleeding was slowing. "It won't be long now Seth, just hang in there, alright...?" He murmured, not wanting to interrupt Seth's increasingly embellished list of strippers.

"…And then there's Candy Sue Preme...or was that a different club...? I might've been drunk then, coulda sworn her name was Candy..." Seth was rambling, grin stretched in place from ear to ear, a strained, unnatural expression.


Asia faltered to a halt as the Demon rose into the air and disappeared. She frantically scanned the area, but saw no sight of it. Demons were tricky, and this one seemed even more so, so she was not inclined to believe it was truly gone. She sniffed at the air, scanned everywhere her vision stretched to and even pricked her ears for any sign of the Seeker. Still finding none, she shot a questioning look back at Ender. She tried to see if he was having any better luck before she even moved an inch from her current location. No sense in stumbling into a very bad ambush.

Ender saw Vaius rise up, seem to have a seizure, and then vanish. He sniffed the air, scanned the area, saw nothing, smelled nothing, heard nothing... "Oi, Taves, you sense any trace of her?" He called down to the Dryad waiting beneath his canopy.

"She has retreated, sir. My guess would be that Hell has been her goal, if not her destination. If sir and madam would care to climb down, the trees tire of this stretch, and would like to rest their boughs..." Taves returned in his clear, old fashioned diction.

Mickey let out a deep sigh. He was glad that the immediate threat was gone, but it left him wondering about how the other battle faired. Things had gone quiet 'round the front side of the building. He took off towards the fence and scaled and vaulted it in a swift, strong motion. He landed running and made his way around to the side lights where Seth, Topher, and the big guy had been entangled with another Demon. There was a lot of blood on the pavement, but the Demon had already decayed to ash which was even now floating away into the night. One taken, at least.

Asia frowned. Although she really wasn't in full fighting form, she still was disappointed that the Demon had fled. She didn't like it when they went back to Hell by their own accord. She liked to send them there with at least a few reasons to not return. This one, she feared, would be back and that scared her, even if she hid it. Next time, it might not be so passive. "Down" she managed to sound out with her Ferret muzzle as she descended as best and quickly as she safely could. As soon as her feet touched ground, she shifted back to her Anthro form, just in case. Like Mickey, she was curious about the other Demon and how the others were faring. Though, she waited for Ender before going to see for herself. She was surprised to see them missing and the detritus of battle still evident. "Where the hell did they go?" She questioned, shifting back to her human form, sweaty, banged up still from the first Demon encounter of the night, and naked. The latter did not seem to bother her. Her clothes, baggy in her normal form, tended to fall off in hybrid and sometimes Anthro forms.


Morgan again nodded his understanding. When they reached the Plaza he made the necessary turn, then another when the time came. He slowed, but not by much as he scanned the numbers of the homes they passed looking for the right one. By the time they got there, he coasted the truck to a stop, roughly parked at the side of the road in front and hopped out to help get Seth. "Still alive, gearhead?"

"Gearhead...?" Seth croaked as Topher started to pull him out of the truck. "You tryin' ta get sweet with me, Bison?" Seth murmured, his head lolling to one side. As Topher got him out and gestured for Morgan to help carry him up the walk to the house, the door opened and Meredith came out into the night.

"I've gotten everything ready, you guys, just bring him in here..." She called, noting the huge form of a new addition to the Were community.


Ender made it down as low as he could and then let himself drop, shifting back into his human form as he did so, and walked towards Asia, wearing only his jeans, his shoes and shirt discarded when he readied for the fight. He caught up with them and saw Mickey was thankfully unscathed. "Everyone all right?" He asked, looking around and seeing the tree branches melting back to where they naturally should have been. He got out his cellphone and began dialing Topher's number. No reason to panic yet...

Asia shrugged. "I'm fine. A little disappointed that I didn't even get to smack either of the Demons, but I'm alive and no more injured. Which is a first in a long time." She smirked and went to gather her clothing to at least attempt modesty. After all, in front of the garage, even at this time of night, was still public. She didn't want to get arrested... again.


Morgan helped get Seth to the front door where a woman he'd never seen before appeared. She didn't smell like a Were. She smelled different. He wasn't sure what to make of her and in any other situation, might have been wary of her. But, Topher seemed to know her and vice versa, so he guessed she was a friend overall. He shifted attention back to Seth. "I don't sweet-talk carnivores."

Meredith moved aside and then directed them as to where to lay Seth down. She'd set up a make shift bed of blankets on the floor, and already had a hot bowl of water and a few towels and cloths, gauze and liniment set out. She gave Topher a kiss on the cheek and smiled at Morgan. "I'm Meredith. I hope we'll have time for proper introductions later, but for now, I have work to do." She swept around to tend to Seth and took his hand in hers, feeling his pulse, sensing his life force. "Seth, you sexy man, you... You know who I am?" Meredith murmured to him, smiling kindly down into his face, her waves of dark hair pulled back in a loose braid for a change to better facilitate her working.

"Hey, I know that voice... The Witch... You gonna magic me?" Seth croaked, the grin beginning to falter.

Morgan half nodded to Meredith. "Morgan. Is he gonna be okay?" he asked in his minimalistic speaking style. Not knowing what else to do, he stayed as far out of Meredith's way as he could and paced. "Let me know if you need help." He offered, knowing there wasn't likely much he could assist with, but the offer was there, anyways.

Meanwhile, Topher was washing the blood off his hands in the kitchen sink, when his cell phone rang. He clicked his blackberry on and pinched it to his ear as he dried his hands on a towel. "Hello?" He asked, and heard Ender's voice on the other end. "Uh, Seth's hurt pretty badly. We took him ‘round to Meredith's to try and get him healed up. You all okay?"

Mickey listened to Ender's conversation on the phone, and saw the visible relief in the young man's stance that it seemed all of their crew were still alive and kicking. He was glad for that. These boys were family to him, not just employees, not just pet watchdogs. He let himself relax a little too. He looked around and was glad to see Asia was getting dressed again. A bruised-up, young girl's body wasn't exactly in threat of stirring any sort of sexual response from him, but he felt a bit more comfortable having another layer of clothing between her and him.

Asia returned, clothed and walked straight to Ender. "Where are they? Is everything okay?" she questioned, figuring that he had called Topher. It's what she would have done if she'd had her phone on her. Or Seth, she could have called him too. "From the blood and... other fluids, I'd say this was the real fight here. Did they kill it, or did it escape too?" She hadn't been there, or even noticed if she had been, the ash of the Harpy dissipating.

Ender nodded as he hung up. “Looks like the Harpy was destroyed, at least. Topher and the Bison that Seth brought are both fine; Seth’s arm got nearly torn off. Meredith’s trying to fix him up now.” He shook himself out, letting out a deep breath. “Let’s get back inside. We’ve got some calls to make…”