[Town Square (Maelys, Mist; Soryn; Jobe; Aseyu; Moobly, Nora; Mael; Ellya-Salaenel, Sarquoql alias Ren 4)]

To Johnathon, Aseyu said, "I was just thinking what that kind of power could do in the wrong hands. Like the Dead Gods' hands... tentacles. All is woven for a reason..." she stopped short here. No need to get theological. "Never mind. I appreciate your concern, but don't worry about it."

To Maelys, Aseyu said, "you'd have to ask Ethani. I know she seems... unsophisticated, but she knows her magic as well as she knows her gun. And she can field-strip and reassemble that blindfolded."

"Anyways, as for you not noticing my own defenses..." she smiled proudly. "It's a wonder anyone has. If I didn't make any effort to protect my defenses from detection, a Moon Hawk like Ethani could kill me without needing to see me. She'd just have to pick my anti-magic field out and toss a grenade at it. Only those who are..." there was a very odd pause here as she looked over at Ellya-Salaenl. "Uniquely sensitive to anti-magic can detect it, it seems. I can control it, though. I could kiss Ethani and she'd not have any problems..." Aseyu trailed off and awkwardly coughed. "I mean, she's straight, so she'd have some problems with me doing that. Of course." She cleared a throat, muttering something about "damn shame". "But her magic," she concluded, "would be fine if I wasn't trying anything"

"On that note," Aseyu said, suddenly eager to change the topic. She said to Soryn, "room for one more? Don't worry, I'll behave." And indeed, as promised, no level of physical contact would damage Soryn's magical abilities. Unless Aseyu decided otherwise.

[South Gate (Ethani aq'Iqine)]

"...but before he even finished the sentence," Ethani said to a now mildly disturbed bus driver, her tone indicating a morbid punchline, "I pulled the trigger and put the chambered round into his spleen." She took another deep puff from her pipe, then exhaled with satisfaction. "Ah, yet another reason we carry semi-autos." She fondly tapped her holstered sidearm. "And also, another reason everyone should take a gun safety class. Even if they don't use plan to use one themself."

Edited by KillerClowns on Mar 11th 2020 at 8:28:57 AM

Ghost Town (Haydn, Wilhelmine; Aynara, Shale)/(Cynthia, Diantha)

Cynthia and Diantha both nodded, before silently falling back towards cover.

Meanwhile...

"Snacks?" Haydn said, raising an incredulous eyebrow, “I knew you were a biter, but... Now, I don't suppose I'm one of those 'more powerful beings'," he said, adding air quotes for emphasis.

Wilhelmine shook her head with exasperation, before whipping her attention to the noisy arrival of the strange person. Her face softened with concern, noticing what appeared to potentially be blood. "Are you alright?" she said, drawing near to Shale. She looked over the alien for definitive signs of injury.

Haydn, meanwhile, crossed his arms, uncaring. "His problem, not mine," he told Aynara, nodding his head towards Shale.

Wilhelmine turned her head back towards Haydn, giving a disapproving glare.

Rainforest (Lerna, Leto, Nerea; Maequoql, Murquoql, Lectri, Swanwhite)

Complying with Maequoql's instructions, Nerea and Lerna covered their ears with their hands.

Moments later, they were in yet another locale. Nerea had to take a moment to get her aetheric bearings straight. This was helped out by Maequoql conveniently pointing out the location of a nearby leopard, to which Nerea paid little heed to. The Empress quickly noticed the familiar presence of her half-sister. "Leto..." she whispered.

Temporarily freed from the sneeder bird's spell, Leto gazed around, before noticing the newest arrivals. "Big sis!" she exclaimed, as she ran, stumbling, towards Nerea, eventually managing a tackling hug.

Nerea gently patted her sister's head. "It is okay now, you are safe..."

Meanwhile, the leopard narrowly escaped being caught in Swanwhite's talons. Realizing it was outnumbered and outmatched, the big cat turned tail and slipped away silently into the shadowy jungle.

Edited by WillDeRegio on Mar 5th 2020 at 6:25:08 AM

East of Town

Nasur changed from kneeling in front of David to sitting cross-legged, still vigilant over the furried man. "Well, I see your point." He replied to Varla. "Sacrificial magic can be messy. Drawing mana is just cleaner and easier, even though life force is more potent. Or so I read." He added. "Oh, you were mutated? How?"

Sallara raised an eyebrow at Claire's short response. "I suppose you are talking about a demon? Don't know much about them, so I'll take your word for it."

She then turned and replied to Varla's warning. "Wouldn't guards be of use in case he wanted to attack? We might defend ourselves better than if we stay in the wilderness."

Before Nasur had his answer, the entire group was suddenly transported in a flash, back to the already familiar 'ship'. Nasur, startled by the sudden change of environments, fell backwards on his back. As he got himself up again, he couldn't help but comment. "Well, at least this place is actually properly lit." He caught a glimpse of Joseph, seemingly in a dark mood. Nasur frowned. He probably needed some talking to.

Sallara weathered the transportation better. Once everyone was settled she stood up and walked up to David. It was the first time she had properly been to this place, out of very swift passing as she was transported to other locations, but at the moment she was too worried about David to make something of this place. "David, can you walk? Let me help you up." She offered a hand in case he needed help to stand up.

Edited by Pyxo on Mar 8th 2020 at 4:37:35 PM

[Transportation Area (Disheveled fashionista; Nyorla, Plasma; Mind-Controlled Bandit)]

A tall, lean, and beautiful man limped into the hub. His blonde hair, messed out of its usual shape, was now free to reach the small of his back. His outfit was perfectly fitted, understated quality: a white button-down shirt, a suede vest, an appropriate tie with a subtle geometric pattern, black slacks, and neat black shoes. Curiously, it was pristine, unlike... the rest of him.

As for his face, it was quite clearly beautiful in a delicate, elegant way, but currently, it was a Cosmetic Catastrophe. Something had absolutely ruined what had once been quite a bit of work. His mascara and eyeliner was running, his eyeshadow so mussed it was more like forehead shadow, his lipstick smudged beyond hope, to say nothing of the splotches of some sort of ash that intermixed with his cosmetics. He was looking at himself in the mirror of a small lipstick case, though the easy way he dodged and wove around the crowds as he moved suggested vision was not as vital a sense to him as it might be to others. "Ugh," he said, distractedly thinking aloud, "hopeless."

He closed the lipstick case and returned it to a pocket in his vest, then proceeded to pull out various other cosmetics. More than could physically fit. With a groan, he realized he had somehow lost his foundation. And that had been very good foundation.

He looked around, then spotted Nyorla. He approached her and said, "excuse me. Not to be a bother, but... is there any place around here that specializes in cosmetics? I left my foundation behind. Was in a bit of a rush," he indicated his present state, "and... well, it's probably gone by now."

He'll be sticking around for a while, in case any newcomers or otherwise ungrouped show up, but might join another group if the Web of Friendship shows interest in recruiting him and sends him that way. The boar hunt is far below him, and he'd find the presences of Aseyu's Anti-Magic and Ethani's Chaos And Entropy Magic — neither from his own universe — too unpleasant to bear without good reason. He'd like to get even with the foe that ruined his make-up at some point, but that can wait.

Edited by KillerClowns on Mar 6th 2020 at 9:51:53 AM

Forest's Edge ~ Campsite (Bonnie, Carol, Lily; Morpho, Mequoql, Seenarnha, Blackthorn; Henry, Joseph, Arku; Mind-Controlled Bandit)

"Sneeder, sneeder, sneeder, sneet!"

"I criticize to help. And thus you throw away your opportunity for me to teach you," Seenarnha huffed at Arku. The mindscape darkened and reddened as the faraway flames beyond the fence started to spread, coming right up to the fence but no further.

"Sneeder, sneeder, sneeder, sneet!"

Meanwhile, Blackthorn pricked up his ears and turned them towards Lily. He dropped the skull he was stripping and eating the flesh off of and trotted eagerly to Lily, wings quivering with excitement and nostrils glowing with internal flame.

"Whoa, down boy! Not yet." With Blackthorn commanded, Seenarnha turned to explain to Lily, "We need the right kind of fire for this job. We need a fire that will leave lots of soot and scorch marks in proportion to its brightness. I'm a nocturnal creature and my eyes are not designed for an infernal environement, so I don't fancy the prospect of getting eyestrain from herding a fire that's too bright. What does your fire look like?"

"Sneeder, sneeder, sneeder, sneet!"

Seenarnha checked the el-kor field, it was still going strong. She wondered whether Henry and Joseph would cause more difficulty fleeing stealthily or participating in a stakeout.

Meanwhile, unaware and uncomprehending of the protective field, the disgruntled sneeder bird wondered why he wasn't getting the usual reaction out of the meat-eaters. Had he mistaken scavengers for predators?

Transportation Facilities (Nyorla, Plasma; Mind-Controlled Bandit; Familiar Disheveled Fashionista)

Plasma was currently sneezing. She'd sniffed too hard at a dandelion and now she had seeds up her nose. Ordinary sneezes weren't doing the trick, so the next sneeze let loose a gout of looping gold flame that dissipated harmlessly in midair. Troublesome seeds incinerated, Plasma raised her head in triumph.

Nyorla tilted her head at the newcomer. "You look familiar," she stated, then started to guess, "Hmm, have I saved your life before?" Her brown eyes flashed gold as she scanned him, the process revealed her status as Nao Ranay Nokt, helping maintain the schedule of the Grim Reaper. "Nnnope." She guessed again, "I'm pretty sure you weren't running through our labyrinth. Did you meet a Web of Friendship member in someone else's labyrinth? Why am I thinking about labyrinths? You're definitely not the guy in charge of the goblin labyrinth."

"Anyway, about the cosmetics, I would guess there's a cosmetic shop in the town's shopping district to the south, but my telepathic range doesn't quite stretch that far, so I can't confirm with that method." She switched from aloud to telepathic, "I could look through the spaceship sensors, but for the quickest search, I'd need to know what chemical compounds you want your cosmetics to be composed of."

Ghost Town (Haydn, Wilhelmine; Aynara, Shale; Cynthia, Diantha; Arilay; Mind-Controlled Bandit)

Shale slowly twisted her gastropod to grip the ground again as she waited for Wilhelmine to get in range. Under the visual examination, she prepared unseen muscles unfamiliar to bipeds. As soon as Wilhelmine turned away distracted, Shale righted herself in a flash and lunged. If she could get her bare skin to touch, she could override Wilhelmine's muscles like she did with the bandit.

Aynara lunged at Haydn at the same time, claws out and ready to snag, skin and blue eyes shimmering with seductive mesmerism stolen from Varla, and fangs loaded with chemical assistance and muscle relaxants.

Ghost Town (Haydn, Wilhelmine; Aynara, Shale)/(Cynthia, Diantha)

In her moment of distraction, Wilhelmine found herself being attacked by the very person she was trying to help— this was a rouse. Chiding herself for not noticing sooner, she did her best to gain an advantage, activating her freezing Mist Shield around her left arm.

Moving to intercept Shale, she found herself a tad bit too slow, with the alien slug girl making contact with the only readily available patch of bare skin: the high elf's face.

Meanwhile, unfazed by Aynara's stunning eyes, Haydn dodged out of the way of the vampire's lunge. "You might be cute, but—" he said, countering with a point-blank fireball, "—that doesn't mean—" he continued, following up with a left hook, "—I won't fight you!"

Forest's Edge ~ Campsite (Bonnie, Carol, Lily; Henry, Joseph; Mequoql, Morpho, Seenarnha)

Lily thought about Seernarnha's explanation for a moment. "Well, I can fine-tune my fire spells to suit whatever purpose we need— what would be a reasonable brightness be?" Holding out her hand, she conjured up a small flame, an orb of yellow shrouded by a flickering mantle of oranges and reds.

The cry of the sneeder bird, while failing to elicit attention from the group around the campfire, did garner the interest of a worthy opponent: a modest, 20-meter-long wyvern.

Clad in crimson scales, the beast descended from above with great whirring wingbeats. Landing on its sturdy legs, each longer than a man was tall, and ending in a set of gripping, razor-sharp claws, it swept its gaze around. Its long, thick tail, ending in a set of wicked-looking spikes, brushed against the lower canopy of a tree.

Bonnie's face drained of blood as she pointed at the approaching beast. "Wyvern..." she squeaked.

"Wyvern?" asked Lily, before turning around to face where Bonnie was pointing. "Oh, a wyvern." She blinked, her flame puttering out, "That's a crimson spitfire. It seems it hasn't noticed us yet."

She turned to lagokin medic, speaking low, "Bonnie, take Joseph and Henry. Quickly, but quietly, get them out of here. Carol and I will keep it occupied if need be."

[Transportation Facilities (Nyorla, Plasma; Mind-Controlled Bandit; Gabriel Kardos)]

The fashionista considered for a moment. Web of Friendship. He'd heard that name before, but it was his patron who silently reminded him through their connection just where. (If Nyorla tried telepathically eavesdropping, she'd find there are things even Death cannot comprehend.)

Ah, of course. "The Web of Friendship?" he said. "I think I've met some of yours. Jen Jara and Syrni Sandra? On a... Space Liner? Of course, that was..." he took a moment to recall the years. "1995, 2014... so, nineteen years ago." It had been a long and complicated nineteen years, but he did not look a day older. "I hope they are still doing well?" He cleared his throat, and introduced — or re-introduced — himself. "Gábor Kardos. Or Gabriel, since I moved to London. Cosmetologist, demon slayer..." he hesitated, considering adding something more to the list.

Whatever it was, he decided against it and hurriedly changed the subject. "Anyways, the foundation. I guess I could search, but if you're offering to help, it'd be..." he racked his brain for a moment before listing off appropriate components for very high quality foundation. The list was pretty typical chemistry until he concluded with, "...and if possible, purified and ground demon's teeth. As far as I know, Cordelia and Daughters has the market cornered there, and they don't sell to the general public. But you never know."

Edited by KillerClowns on Mar 9th 2020 at 10:01:58 AM

Rainforest (Maequoql, Murquoql, Lectri, Swanwhite; Leto, Lerna, Nerea)

Swanwhite failed to pull up out of her dive after she missed the leopard, and came crashing through the tree branches to land on the ground. She sent a growl after the retreating leopard, then after she was sure it was gone, she turned to assess the scene.

Meanwhile, Murquoql grunted with frustration as the little bird slipped out of her telekinesis and flew off in a different direction, terrified but uninjured. Murquoql had wanted a good look at it, but not at the cost of hurting it, so letting it go when it got too slippery was the better option.

Maequoql smiled at the reunion, then looked around to see if any other predators were incoming.

Ghost Town (Haydn, Wilhelmine; Aynara, Shale; Cynthia, Diantha; Arilay; Mind-Controlled Bandit)

With contact established, Shale deliberately provoked a side effect of neural joining that so many Sleutrienns did accidentally — she drew overwhelmingly distracting attention to Wilhelmine's internal anatomy as she located muscles to relax. Shale prepared to adjust her grip.

Without slowing or missing a beat on her swift approach towards Haydn, Aynara dodged just enough to let the fireball burn a hole through her gliding membrane, then sent a burst of overpower to the seduction snares on the cheek where Haydn's fist would hit. Unlike Sleutrienns, Varla's sub-species' tactile-based spells were not hindered by fabric or body armor in the way. As Aynara let the punch hit and leaned with it, her hands snatched at his incoming wrist as her telekinesis reached out to pinch and yank tendons at the backs of his knees.

With the tractor beam free from holding Arnaya, Arilay wondered whether or not to make a grab for Haydn and Wilhelmine, but decided to see how Aynara would fare first.

Town Square ~ Notice Board —> South Gate (Maelys, Mist; Soryn; Jobe; Aseyu; Moobly, Nora; Mael; Ellya-Salaenel, Sarquoql alias Ren 4)

Mist nodded in agreement with Soryn assessment of his scales. "True, I'm more accustomed to fur, and I usually use a saddle, but... a towel is fine."

With that, Mist climbed upon Soryn's back. Gripping firmly with her thighs and calves, her position was balanced and steady.

Maelys shrugged, "I'm more of a gun person myself, the only magic I've picked up is more of enhancing my abilities."

With Mist and Moobly aboard Soryn, Maelys followed suit, taking a place behind her comrade.

Meanwhile, Nora enthusiastically followed Ellya-Salaenl and Sarquoql back to their ship. With awestruck wonder, she boarded the craft.

When Ellya-Salaenl bumped into her after takeoff, Nora simply beamed a smile at her, "It's alright," she said. Transforming one arm and both legs into sleek, black tentacles, she anchored herself to the port-side wall and floor. "I don't think I'll be needing to sit," she said.

Hotel ~ Clare and Company's Suite (Lulu)

Sitting in a comfortable armchair was a buxom, pale-lilac-skinned young woman. Her long hair was a deep, dark blue, divided into twin pigtails. Her diminutive black horns atop her head; set a few inches in front for her voluminous hair bunches, and her slender, spade-tipped tail, combined with her inhuman skin color, betrayed her demonic linage. Her red eyes were heavily lidded as she started to doze off.

She was dressed in a black, sleeve-less leotard; loose, low-cut pants held up with a silver-buckled black leather belt; black boots; and black finger-less gloves. Holstered to her left thigh was a six-shot, ivory-handled revolver. Beside her chair was a hefty metal-bound tome that served as her magical focus and primary weapon. Hung up on a hook by the door of the suite was her favorite navy-blue greatcoat.

Her name was Louella "Lulu" Sitri, a succubus-class demon and monster hunter in the service of the goddess Aria.

She was swiftly brought out of her snooze by a sudden sneeze, followed by another. Blinking, she wiped her nose. "Must be coming down with a cold..." she muttered, before hauling herself out of the armchair. Feeling a chill down her spine, she decided to head towards the small kitchen to prepare herself a cup of coffee.

Edited by WillDeRegio on Jun 2nd 2020 at 5:20:17 AM

_{^< cont. from} Town, Outside Eastern Gate —> WoF Scouter Hummingbird, Sick Bay - Hard Feelings _{^> Joseph, David — Adam, Amy, Jackson, James, John, Marie, Maya, Nick, and Pancake too — Varla, Arnaya, Zip — Claire — Nasur, Sallara}


David, having dropped the empty water bottle, searched the side of his neck with his eyes closed tight. He ran his hands through the dirty fur, feeling for the skin underneath. Feeling for where she had bitten. The puncture marks; the sign of what had been done.

But of course, he found nothing. The holes left by her fangs had healed in moments under Amy's magic-stone-aided care. All that was left was some stray blood, rapidly drying. That and the impulse to search, to feel, to find what she had taken.

What did she take?

His arm shook. His hand squeezed tighter at his neck.

What did she take?

Amy's voice called him back to his senses. Only then did he realize how tightly clenched his jaw was, how fiercely his teeth were bared, and how deeply the creases on his forehead ran. In the ensuing lull, he found in himself to relax. Slowly but surely, his expression softened and his hand fell away from his neck. Freed from their vise grip, his dark brown eyes opened, searching Nasur and Amy like a child's eyes, searching for a familiar face.

David put together a wilted, unsure smile and a courteous nod for Nasur, only to be blindsided by Zip's snuffling. He pulled his head back slightly, staring at the Dragonhorse and just holding himself together through some deep-seated discomfort. Fortunately, Amy was more than willing to take on the creature's attention.

He sighed, allowed himself another second of shuteye, then, gently patting her knee, said, "Thank you. That's good, Amy," and began to stand.

Joseph, hiding his head in his arms, heard Varla's message and looked up just in time to witness his surroundings changing. Even for as many times as he'd found himself transported from one place to another in an instant, seeing it happen before his eyes was a sight he couldn't imagine getting used to.

Completely out of whatever loop it was that had brought them back upstairs, he furrowed his brow and uttered a highly confused, "huh?" as though that would help anything. Not that he ever seemed to know what was going on amid their group. Is this what David was talking about?

Looking around brought a jolt to his chest as he saw James, his other fake dad from his weary adventures a lifetime of months ago. And in his arms, a larger-than-remembered orange ball of fluff named after a particularly agreeable breakfast choice. The sight alone sent Joseph's tail stirring, and nearly brought him to his feet, but... then the situation began to sink in... and dots were connected. James and John... John in his bad state and Nick, and all his friends. Adam. The inevitable split. The briefest of reunions would be blotted out by alarm, worry and despair.

Joseph stayed where he sat, hid his head in his arms, wishing he was like a chameleon. The unseen, hiding against a wall, on the floor, causing no messes, inviting no consideration. As long as he was not discovered.

Whatever surprise David felt was quickly overtaken and transformed into a bitter resolve. He fell back to the ground when the scenery changed mid-stand, though his legs were not weak. Oh no, physically, he felt just fine. Energized, even. That done to his lungs by the smoke and to his outer body by Arnaya was magically gone, save for the sorry state of his clothes and coat. But this seemed to bring him little true relief in the face of where he was.

His sights set on Varla, burning holes until Sallara came over and offered him a hand.

"Oh that's very kind of you," he said in an unusually sharp tone. "I'm all right to walk, but would you or-" he cast a quick glance around at those in his immediate vicinity, "anyone who thinks they might get through mind telling Varla there to send myself and Joseph right back down. There's been- clearly, there's been a mistake." He paused, taking a moment to regard his caregivers. "Please, don't take this the wrong way. Amy, you are a dear, Sallara, you are a darling, and each, the other, the same. But I am not a part of this group. That much has been made evident."

_{^< cont. from} Seenarnha's Mindscape _{^> Arku, Seenarnha}


"A teacher should first learn," Arku stated flatly. Then he was silent, seeming to contemplate the encroaching fire.

After several long moments, the lights in his form came closer together, aligning once again with Seenarnha. There they remained for even longer, quietly casting their light upon her.

"What will you do?"

_{^< cont. from} Forest, Edge - Interference _{^> Henry, Joseph — Bonnie, Carol, Lily — Blackthorn, Mequoql, Morpho, Seenarnha — A Wyvern}


There was something in Joseph's stare, both weary and purposeful, which cut through the myriad of panicked thoughts overwhelming Henry. And his words, 'be okay'; Henry wasn't sure if Joseph was telling him to be okay, or saying that he himself would be okay, so laboriously slurred they were. But there was something centering about them— that he, even in the middle of his transformation, took the time to address Henry at all. It was a bit like a much needed smack to the face. Only, Joseph's hand hadn't reached so far, or acted so violently. No, it was just pressed against his chest, right below his shoulder. Making a connection.

Henry calmed down. He stared at his friend's warped, semi-amphibial face, nodded slowly, automatically, and calmed down. He took his own hand, put it over the one Joseph had resting against his chest, and held it there. Over time, it stopped trembling. He barely even reacted as small claws began budding out from his friend's fingertips. However much it scared him, he held on that much harder.

Joseph closed his eyes in a long and tired blink, his strange, wide mouth resolving into what might have been a smile, or just plain relief. In that moment, it seemed like things really might be okay. Henry, himself, the situation at hand. Everything joined in stability.

And then a wyvern showed up.

Henry took notice first—or rather, he took notice that Bonnie had taken notice of something, and then, following her gesture, saw that something. He swallowed a roomful of air, and yet thankfully remained too airless to loudly panic as Lily quickly pieced together an escape plan.

Joseph squinted at Henry, whose grip on his hand had grown suddenly very tight. The uncanny sensations laying siege to his body had overshadowed any pertinent conversations.

"Hey," he grumbled confusedly, as Henry's grip grew even tighter. Henry's wide-eyed gaze shifted, staring down at him as though he was growing horns, which... he was pretty sure he wasn't, but time would tell.

Suddenly, Henry ducked down, swooping under Joseph's arm while pulling it up and over his shoulder. In one fell motion, he lifted Joseph's entire torso over his shoulder, wrapping an arm around his legs to keep the rest of him from spilling over. A fair bit more of Joseph's hair failed to make the journey, scattering to the forest floor like the downy tufts of a seeding dandelion.

Joseph made some noise of surprise and protest, but Henry quickly silenced him with a hiss of, "Ssst, not a sound. You can turn into a lizard later. Just relax and hang on." With some shifting of feet and of friend-over-shoulder, he managed to steady himself then turned to Bonnie with a look so severely serious, it was like he'd suddenly lost three days of sleep. "Lead the way."

Edited by Ryuhza on Mar 12th 2020 at 4:43:04 AM

East of Town —> Sick Bay (Claire; Aynara, Varla; James, John, the Hunters; Nasur, Sallara; David, Joseph)

Claire shook her head, shrugging, "I wouldn't have guessed that. Stabbing someone in the bloody chest would be a last resort for me."

Noticing Arnaya's gaze through her transparent eyelids, Claire smirked. "Ah, so she's not completely out of it," she said. After checking John and giving a brief nod of affirmation to Sallara, the witch-thief returned to Arnaya's side.

Looking up at Varla, Claire raised an eyebrow in mild confusion. "Nenro? Is it something else like aether? Hmm, anyway, aether depletion doesn't usually affect passive abilities like regeneration. You just can't use magic and the like until it replenishes," she said to Varla.

Letting off a snort of laughter, Claire put a hand on her hip, "I'd like to see this Mael fellow try and break into my room— he'll be in for a world of hurt." She emphasized her last point by making a fist and punching it into her other hand.

Brought along with the others to the Web of Friendship's spaceship, Claire whistled in awe at her surroundings. "Interesting place you got here," she said, following along beside Varla and Arnaya.

Edited by WillDeRegio on Mar 16th 2020 at 9:25:26 AM

The Necropolis, Cody's Cove, Coffin Room (Syrni Sandra, Jen Jara; Akane; Krakka'a, Shade of Osiris, Zarokh)

THAT IS NOT HOW IT HAPPENED. APEP HAD HIDDEN IN EGYPT AFTER WE DEFEATED THE OTHER CHAOS SPIRITS AND WAS MANIPULATING HUMANS INTO CAUSING CHAOS ON HIS BEHALF. YHWH DECIDED TO TRY TO TAKE OUT APEP'S PUPPETS SO WE COULD FOCUS ON TRACKING HIM DOWN, AND GOT A BIT...CARRIED AWAY. HE ALWAYS DID HAVE TO MAKE A SPECTACLE OF HIMSELF.

Krakka'a rolled his eyes. "You know she can't hear you, right?"

Zarokh froze mid-crawl at Synri Sandra's words. "I...you're trying to confuse me. Stop it." That was what she was doing...right?

Krakka'a, meanwhile, turned with a snarl at Akane. "Don't tell me how to do things!"

YOU KNOW, IT WOULDN'T KILL YOU TO ADMIT THAT SOMETIMES PEOPLE KNOW THINGS THAT YOU DON'T

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about!"

OH, YOU WANT TO PLAY IT LIKE THAT? OKAY. Osiris inhaled deeply, mostly for effect, as he didn't need to breathe. OOOOOHHHH, THERE'S A PLACE I KNOW THAT'S TUCKED AWAY, A PLACE WHERE YOU AND I CAN STAY, WHERE WE CAN GO TO LAUGH AND PLAY, AND HAVE ADVENTURES EVERY DAY-

"FINE! We'll go that way if it'll shut you up!"

Large River (Morag; Ozurr; Rosalind)

Ozurr felt sympathy at Rosalind's sadness, but quickly bristled at the mention of the word "faerie." "You think the Fae may have had something to do with this?" The venom was evident in his voice. "Kidnapping isn't quite their usual M.O., but I wouldn't put anything past them."

He looked furtively around. He didn't see anything other than the three of them and some unusual hoofed animals skirting the edge of the treeline. But Fae were masters of glamour, so if there were any around, he probably wouldn't see them anyway. Once again, he found himself wishing Thassilae had been able to teach him how to use his Third Eye properly.

"It's getting late," he said in a slightly softer voice. "We were getting ready to make camp when things got weird."

Transportation Facilities (Nyorla, Plasma; Mind-Controlled Bandit; Gabriel Kardos)

Plasma sniffed at the back of David's truck, then sniffed Gabriel. Satisfied that he was the wrong gender to be the thief, she nudged his hand for petting.

Nyorla was still on high alert watching out for mind-control, so of course she noticed the presence that was neither Mael nor Sarquoql behind Gabriel Kardos's mind. But since whoever it was wasn't either, she didn't push back at the push against her mind.

"Nineteen years?" Nyorla commented, "There must be time travel involved, it's still the same day for us, and Jen Jara is still hungry from sparring you." And then she indignantly pointed out, "Speaking of which, we could have used a demon slayer on this planet this morning. I'm surprised you were at that cruise ship orbiting this star system's gas giant, instead of over here where some demon claiming to be merely demonic residue was making a grab for my sister Mequoql's soul by claiming he would get rid of Mael's mind-control on her." She tilted her head as she tried to figure out, "I'm still not sure why he would tear his attention away from a long con he'd clearly invested a lot of effort into in favor of a short-term attempt to grab a random stranger's soul, or how he could possibly think we're stupid enough to think that having a demon — or assuming we bought into his story, demonic residue — poking around in our heads is somehow better than a merely mortal mind-controller doing the same." She sighed, "Sadly, none of us had the opportunity to extract the demon's teeth. It would have served him right for underestimating our intelligence." She switched back to aloud, "Now, as for that makeup, you might want to ask John Smith, Security Service about purified and ground demon teeth—" She switched to telepathy, "—or if these directions don't make sense..." She silently listed where in the shopping district the sources of chemicals the spaceship had found a match for were.

Larger River (Ozurr; Rosalind; Morag)

Rosalind recalled what she'd read, "Kidnappin' is in their usual M.O., but the younger the better. Adults? I didn't see that comin', especially since I was watchin' and Jann wasn't eatin' or drinkin' anything at all, let alone anything that could possibly be tainted with their kidnappin' magic..."

"Well, that would be much appreciated," A tentative smile lifted the corners of Rosalind's mouth.

Rosalind summarized, "Zombies are mindless reanimated corpses that attack the living. Easy for necromancers to mass-produce and use as puppets, but they don't need a necromancer for an outbreak to start runnin' amok. The only zombies I've seen are limited to human only."

"We were startin' with huntin' dinner," Rosalind added. Suddenly, her stomach gave a loud growl. Startled, she squeaked and jammed the largest bone of her forefinger between her jaws, trying not to whimper too obviously into her clenched fist.

Edited by Miss_Desperado on Mar 16th 2020 at 9:58:43 AM

[Transportation Facilities (Nyorla, Plasma; Mind-Controlled Bandit; Gabriel Kardos)]

"How strange," Gabriel said, absentmindedly petting Plasma. "Though it could be... yes, time can get iffy when you're fighting..." his fingers paused on Plasma's head mid-scritch, with the same strange hesitation as before.

After considering something — or, rather, wordlessly convening with his patron — he said. "Look. You'll find out about this sooner or later anyways. Uh... things aren't going so well upstairs. It wasn't a demon that did," he indicated his limping gait and ruined makeup, "all this to me. I've had to put down a few angels gone wrong lately." From his shudder, it was clear this was an incredible effort on his part. "The most recent fight... didn't go my way. I'm lucky to have escaped at all. If I help you out, and they find me, I can't promise they won't make this your fight."

Then, with a sad little half-smile, he said, "well. That's on the table, isn't it? If you still want a demon-slayer, and don't mind a risk of catching the attention I've got on me, I'm happy to help you get even with that fiend you mentioned. Otherwise, I guess I'll lay low and see about getting that make-up."

Edited by KillerClowns on Mar 16th 2020 at 10:41:21 AM

Large River (Morag; Ozurr; Rosalind)

Morag raised an eyebrow. "Och, pure? Ever heard o' changelings? They tak' awa' a bairn, an' lae behind yin o' their ain. If they're feelin' kindly." She shook her head, "As fur adults, A've hud run-ins wi' th' fair folk. Though, Ah suppose they're nae aw bad..."

To Rosalind, Morag replied, "Nae problem."

Furrowing her brow, Morag then frowned. "Sae, a type o' undead? Sound a bit loch whit a draugr can become. It wid be terrifyin' tae see a necromancer wi' a draugr under their control, though, mindless or nae."

Hearing the growl of Rosalind's stomach, Morag nodded, "Ah kin help wi' 'at," she said, before gesturing to her backpack, "A'm skilled wi' a bow."

Ghost Town (Haydn, Wilhelmine; Aynara, Shale)/(Cynthia, Diantha)

Wilhelmine attempted to maintain control of her body and tried valiantly to power through the neural link. Eventually, though, her coordination was overwhelmed, and the high elf was brought to her knees. Damn...

Haydn scored a hit on Aynara's face— and was immediately overwhelmed with pleasure. This, followed by having his tendons telekinetically pinched, something which he couldn't even defend against, resulted in his legs buckling from under him.

Town Square, Billboard -> South Gate (Maelys, Mist; Aseyu, Ethani; Jobe Pearson, Soryn; Mael alias Jonathan Hart; Moobly)

"Oh, there's plenty of room," Soryn answered, uncoiling some more in preparation for going through his portal.

As Soryn began to slither through the portal, he quickly aimed to make another portal, opening the far end on the south wall next to the gate and the near end right in front of him. He remarked, "By the way, Aseyu, sensitivity to anti-magic is nowhere near unique in the galaxy where I'm from. Or are you referring to Ellya-Salaenl's exact degree of sensitivity? I'm not an expert in reading Mayatan spots, but if what I saw indicates she's some sort of tracker, that might explain it." He made a wide U-turn to slither through the South Gate.

The bus driver took one look at Soryn's emerging length and said, "If you're coming on board, I'd try the bulk cargo booth at the back if I were you. I guarantee you'd have more room there than trying to take up twenty seats."

Soryn considered, "Hmm, well, I was considering racing the bus—"

The bus driver took one look at Soryn's staff and muttered something about smart-aleck wizards.

Soryn continued, "—but since Jobe Pearson seems reluctant to ride me, I wouldn't have him handy to tell me when we're getting close to his farm. Besides, the spaceship would most likely beat us both if it wasn't following him." He pointed upwards at the little spaceship slowing to a hover. "We're only here because it's too small for all of us."

Spaceship -> South Gate (Ellya-Salaenl, Sarquoql alias Ren 4; Nora)

Meanwhile, aboard the spaceship, Ellya-Salaenl forgot what she was going to say as she blushed blue at the sight of Nora's spontaneously formed tentacles. "Uh... I... uh..." Ellya-Salaenl aimed to sit down on her bunk and clonked the back of her head on the edge of the nook's ceiling. "OW!"

Sarquoql's vindictive smile was hidden, as he was in the cockpit facing away from his passengers. He'd correctly calculated how subtly he had to lift Ellya-Salaenl's posture to turn a near miss into an improvised Dope Slap.

"I'm Okay!," Ellya-Salaenl forestalled Nora, rubbing the back of her head. She tried again, this time succeeding. The nook was more than tall enough to accommodate a sitting Mayatan's height, but the nook's ceiling was aligned below where a standing Mayatan's head would be. She muttered disgruntledly about how the architects did not think this through.

"So, uh, anyway, I've met shapeshifters before, but I've never seen them do anything like that... what can you do?"

Rainforest, Drop Pod (Zing; Mind-Controlled Bandit)

Zing stopped grazing and raised his head, looking around. He'd been listening to the ambient noise of the jungle carefully, and the increasing silence was making him suspicious. He flared his nostrils and lit them up to mimic huge glowing eyes. Downwind, a dozen pairs of eyes caught and reflected the dark red light through the evening fog. Two scouts were close-ish, examining him, and the rest of the pack was hanging back. Zing spread his wings and growled at the pack of predators.

The D'voreem had been trying to figure out as much as they could about the large animal before deciding whether or not to surround and ambush him, but now that they'd been noticed, they decided to go look for an easier meal. They stared back for a second or two, then slunk off.

By this point, a lot of fly wings had been added to the deadly mirage's collection. The delicate wings shimmered in the red firelight among the strands of nerve bundles and blood vessels on display.

Transportation Facilities (Nyorla, Plasma; Mind-Controlled Bandit; Gabriel Kardos)

Plasma nickered contentedly, but when the petting on her head stopped, she indignantly reached up with her carpal joint and prodded his shoulder with her wing-thumb.

"Angels gone wrong? You're not after the Howling Void, are you?" Nyorla questioned, "That one has caused a lot less trouble than some I could mention, and the Sleutrienns would be quite disgruntled to lose contact."

Nyorla commented, "Oh, that's too bad. Syrni Sandra will be disappointed to hear you can't spare a sparring session or a dance with her."

Nyorla swiped her hand dismissively, "Too late, the demon already skedaddled." She glanced around, still not sensing anybody close enough. "Besides, hunting that mind-controller is more fun."

Ghost Town (Haydn, Wilhelmine; Aynara, Shale; Cynthia, Diantha; Arilay; Mind-Controlled Bandit)

Still gripping Wilhelmine's face tightly with both hands, Shale directed her to discard her weapons and armor.

Meanwhile, Aynara closed her transparent eyelids and stepped forward as Haydn fell against her, purring from her pain combining with her telepathic feedback of his pleasure. She pivoted and followed him to the ground so she could weigh him down from on top of him. The hole in her gliding membrane was already starting to close. Aynara switched off Varla's spells on her skin to conserve their energy until such a time as he wasn't burned out on them anymore. In the meantime, she bit at him, her fangs now primed to release only the muscle relaxants.

Arilay set a smirk on her face, exited the alley and strolled onto the battlefield, preparing to assist in the restraints. "Need any help finishing Phase One of Operation Grey Hanlon?"

WFS Hummingbird Transporter Room (Arnaya, Zip, Varla; Sallara; David, Joseph; James, John, the Hunters; Claire; Nasur; Captive Bandits including Mulligan and Clancy)

Soundtrack

With her cheek resting on Varla's shoulder, Arnaya noticed drops of Varla's blood smearing on the corner of her mouth. Her tongue flicked out to catch them.

"That was before we found out that every moment we've criticized so far is most likely a symptom of your gem drain. For your sakes, you'd better hope that is the case, because the alternative is much worse."

Varla called, "And after you've replenished, I'm holding you to that promise!"

"I'll show you later," Varla deferred.

Varla inclined her head. "You thought of our standard vampire distraction technique, and for that I commend you, it would have worked perfectly if it was just you two against a lesser vampire. But Arnaya is stronger, so you should have followed through with the idea alongside me once you saw me joining in, instead of turning my backup into an unexpectedly solo attack."

Varla disagreed, "On the contrary, it does matter, because what's done is to be analyzed and hopefully learned from."

Varla raised an eyebrow, "Last resort? For those who most need to breathe, I would understand the sentiment, but what, pray tell, makes you shun such a useful target on the vampires for whom breathing is optional?"

"Most important thing you need to know, demons are professional liars," Varla warned.

Arnaya blinked and stared as Claire approached again. Once more, Arnaya crooked her finger in a feeble beckon.

Sallara was already composing a response to Varla's other warning. "Wouldn't guards be of use in case he wanted to attack? We might defend ourselves better than if we stay in the wilderness."

Varla waited until they were on board to point out, "You're assuming that Mael can't or won't mind-control the guards, and you're assuming the wilderness and the town are our only two options."

The reunion on the Transporter pad that Nyorla had sent a heads-up about was fraught with consternation over John's condition.

Varla pointed out, "Seenarnha had to start her investigation from scratch because of how little you could tell her about these gems. I can answer as soon as she finds out, and not a second sooner."

"Nenro is the more powerful form of negentropy, it stands against entropy to power life and magic alike. And I wouldn't call regeneration passive. Automatic, yes, but not passive. Replenishing willpower, now that is passive."

How prophetic. David let loose a brief rant.

Varla spoke up, "David, wait a minute." Before he could object, she forestalled him, "You can spare a minute, Arnaya is not going to get you again while she's painfully skewered, in my grasp, and near-catatonic." She continued, "I don't know why Arnaya attacked you. I expected her to attack me like she usually does. I was right there when she lost control, and I'm a larger and much tastier target! No offense, but you're small and your blood smells bland. Come to think of it, all of us were within quick pouncing range. She could have gone after anyone else and gotten a larger or tastier drink out of it. I want to know why she uncharacteristically passed over everyone who tastes better or can spare more blood in favor of targeting you, and I'm pretty sure you deserve to hear that explanation too."

Edited by Miss_Desperado on Mar 24th 2020 at 1:20:18 AM

[Sick Bay]

Jackson opened his mouth to say something again to Varla, but Marie quickly rubbed his back.

"Shh," she said, "We're going to get this solved, and then we'll leave. Promise."

Maya's eyes widened. "Wow you...complimented me. That's, uh, rare for you guys." Her glare was now gone, and it was replaced with a more stunned blush. "I, uh, guess you guys did want our help after all."

Varla explained that she was just as confused as everyone else was, and while it didn't make them less angry at this group, or change their feelings of wanting to leave, she did bring up a good question.

"Yeah, what did happen?" Adam asked, turning to David, "Mr. David, nothing Arnaya did to you was justified, and we're going to get you and Joseph safe, but can you at least give us an idea of what went down when we weren't looking?"

"It'll help a lot," Jackson said, "We need to know how we're going to solve this situation from here on out."

"Uh, send him somewhere safe?" Nick said, "Most reasonable people don't want to be around someone who almost killed them, Varla." He crossed his arms, "Fuck, I wanted to be away from her ever since she kidnapped Adam. And this whole group is filled with a bunch of elitist pr—"

"Nick, calm down," Marie said, her voice stern, "We're ALL angry, but the last thing we need is more conflict, especially now. We need to be civil and get this solved. No complaints. Got it?"

Nick sighed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just make it quick so we can leave."

Amy turned to Varla, concern on her face. "You really think our moonstones changed our behavior that badly?"

Pancake, meanwhile, nudged her owner, who was still unresponsive. At least, at first. He made a light groan, which made James sigh with relief. He wasn't completely out of it.

"We're going to get you help, baby." he said, "Just hang on a little while longer, okay?"

Looking around the room, Pancake noticed Joseph in the corner and began to trot over to him. Once she got his scent, she immediately climbed on him in excitement. Her friend was back!

[THE BUS]

Finally, they were getting a move on. Mael sighed as he leaned back in his chair. Boar hunting was already beneath him, so all the waiting he did had better been worth it.

Well, better try his best at being friendly with his teammates now.

"Aw, come on, Soryn," he said, "Don't you just want to relax and enjoy the open road? A bus ride is a nice way for you explore downtown, ya know."

This bus is filthy, he thought, cringing internally, I hate public transportation so much.

Edited by Masterofchaos on Mar 19th 2020 at 4:26:08 AM

[South Gate (Maelys, Mist; Aseyu, Ethani aq'Iqine; Jobe Pearson; Mael alias Jonathan Hart; Moobly)]

Aseyu made note of what Maelys said about "more of a gun person". Like most capable mages she knew. It also occurred to her that the positioning was not, at least for her purposes, optimal; she could think of two good reason she'd soon be in front of Maelys. But no matter. To Soryn, Aseyu said, "it'd be nice to know what else could pick out my anti-magic in a crowd. And how she managed it. Magic beats anti-magic in a fair fight, so the more I know, the easier it is for me to keep the fight unfair." This thought done, she changed gears entirely. "And for what it's worth... I could come to enjoy riding you. Such a smooth rhythm..."

Ethani, overhearing this last from Aseyu, snorted in a mixture of amusement and disgust. "Tacky..." she muttered as she emptied the last dwindling embers of of her pipe and crushed them underfoot. That done, she took a seat on the bus.

[Bus (Mael alias Jonathan Hart; Ethani aq'Iqine)]

"Finally," she said, conversationally, to Mael. "Those people seem competent enough... but if I didn't get moving, they'd bark on like they were electing the next Empress. We may have to camp and face the boar in the morning anyways, but at least I'm not wasting money on some hotel and a breakfast that probably isn't even eqekani^note the equivalent of "kosher" in the Xayusa faith Ethani follows anyways." Not that the latter mattered to her companion, she supposed, but she was venting.

This done, she fell into the seat with a sigh. "Apologies for making you suffer my complaints," she said; as she spoke, eldritch energies ran across her, scrubbing away the scent of tobacco. "If you have your own, I shall hear them. Otherwise," she said as she inspected her assault rifle, "what talents do you bring to our little hunt? We should know these things if we are to have a plan. Aseyu is a good shot, but nothing remarkable, while I... no, you wouldn't have heard of the Moon Hawks, not unless you encountered Oseru while she was out here."

[Transportation Facilities (Nyorla, Plasma; Mind-Controlled Bandit; Gabriel Kardos) — > Heading Towards Hotel]

"Howling void?" Gabriel said, with a laugh. "Oh, no, the sort of angels I'm hunting wouldn't go by anything so... spooky. Lots of names with things like 'mercy' and 'love', though. It's not supposed to be ironic, but even when they're on our side, angels can't deal with irony if you bang them over the head with it. Shakespeare, Ealing, Pratchett, you'd think they'd at least appreciate Lewis or Chesterton... but ugh, hopeless."

He began to walk towards the indicated direct, but then winced and rubbed his leg. "This should've healed by now!" He sighed, then said to Nyorla, "I know you guys must have some pretty great magitek, but I doubt anything but time can heal a wound made by a creature like that. But it's getting better... I think a night's rest will do the trick. I can make it to the hotel until then." He started towards it, then turned back and added, "send Jen Jara and Syrni Sandra my regards. Uh, friendly and entirely platonic regards, if you would. I'll join the hunt you mentioned tomorrow, if I can... and, uh, keep an eye out for Yaldabaoth's angels. You'll know them: creepy masks, whips, and overwhelming arrogance covered in sickly-sweet sugar."

Edited by KillerClowns on Mar 19th 2020 at 9:28:23 AM

Transporter Room

Sallara briefly retracted her hand at David's sharp tone, but laid it down as she noted he could move on his own and wasn't directing his frustration at her. She sighed. "I understand what you're saying, David. I think we could try at least to make sense of what happened. Afterwards, if you want to leave, then it's your choice."

To be honest, Sallara felt like agreeing with him. She was starting to question her most recent choice. She was nowhere closer to her original objective, and the other's attitude and conflicts were starting to make her feel not comfortable.

"We have the means to detect mind control and defend ourselves, don't we?" Sallara spoke back after Varla's rebuttal. Although her mentioning that the had more than two options caught her interest. "What would you propose, then? We can stay in here?" As she asked the last question, she motioned to the 'room' they were all on, as well as taking a look around herself. She had to agree with Claire's sentiment. This place was completely unlike anything Sallara had seen before. The walls themselves had an artificial look, different from the caverns and palaces excavated in stone, back at the reef she called home.

"It's not that hard to guess what happened." Nasur piped in as everyone wanted to know about the ocurrence between David and Arnaya, nodding his head towards the latter. "Those two looked like they were at each others throats." He scratched his chest absent-mindedly. "I mean, metaphorically, at first... before it went literally. Maybe she attacked more out of anger than hunger?"

Edited by Pyxo on Mar 18th 2020 at 1:02:43 PM

Ghost Town (Haydn, Wilhelmine; Aynara, Shale)/(Cynthia, Diantha)

Haydn gave a dopey smile as he lay dazed, with the Mayatan vampire weighing him down. However, as Aynara moved to bit Haydn, a surge of adrenaline coursed through his veins, snapping the lieutenant back to reality and clearing his head. To his knowledge, a vampire's bite to the throat would only lead to an impromptu tracheotomy, something he'd rather not experience.

"Nope," he said, throwing Aynara off, her claws tearing at his clothes, but leaving himself mostly unscathed. He followed up by delivering a close-range explosion, launching himself off the ground. Landing on his feet, he jumped back a few times, distancing himself from Aynara.

Meanwhile, Wilhelmine resisted disarming herself but didn't struggle further against Shale.

South Gate (Maelys, Mist; Soryn; Jobe; Aseyu; Moobly)

Once they left town, Mist pulled a whistle from her persons. She played two notes, silent to normal humans, a signal to her lupine steed, Fog.

Moments later, a large, black wolf came bounding from the shadows. Standing 42 inches (107 cm) tall at the shoulder, the beast had shaggy fur, with a mane of braided fur and glowing red eyes. Crimson claws crackled with ominous energy with every step.

"Indeed," agreed Maelys, "His rhythm is quite relaxing."

Mist coughed.

"Are you okay?" asked Maelys.

"Yes, I'm fine," Mist hastily responded, blushing slightly.

Spaceship (Nora; Ellya-Salaenel, Sarquoql alias Ren 4)

Nora initially extended a hand towards Ellya-Salaenel when she bumped her head, before retracting the hand when the Mayatan said she was okay. "If you say so," she said.

"I can gain new forms by eating things," she told Ellya-Salaenl, "though, these tentacles are part of my original form, I think."

Taking care not to take the same, painful, course of action Ellya-Salaenel had, Nora released her grips on the floor and wall posited herself in the nook opposite the Mayatan archeologist.

Edited by WillDeRegio on Mar 20th 2020 at 9:29:54 AM

_{^< cont. from} WoF Scouter Hummingbird,Transporter Room - Dissonance _{^> Joseph, David — Adam, Amy, Jackson, James, John, Marie, Maya, Nick, and Pancake too — Aynara, Varla — Claire — Nasur, Sallara}


Joseph's ploy to remain unseen seemed to be working out, thanks in part to David and his bandolier of disputes. That was, until a certain small-and-fluffy someone made irreverent use of his body as her own personal jungle gym.

He lifted his head, and exclaimed (in as hushed a whisper as his sudden surge of joy would allow) "Pancake!" then carefully scooped the cat into his hands and held her at arm's length, peering into her eyes. It had been so long since he'd held a cat. The touch of her fur immediately brought him back to long days, lost in his room, with his own Caroline by his side, ever content to receive his scritch-based love. Even after he'd had his strangest of strange nights, it hadn't taken long for her to come around to him, tail, maw, claws and all. If it meant pets or a warm belly to lay on, it didn't matter so much. He missed her.

Bringing Pancake to rest against his shoulder, he idly rubbed his cheek against her side, whispering incredulously, "You don't actually remember me, do you?"

Meanwhile, Varla had some words for David. He opened his mouth to object, but she forestalled him, suggesting that he stay to find out. Others chimed in, asking for his help in painting the picture of what went down and why. With each new voice, his eyes narrowed, bit by bit, until eventually they were completely closed. He shook his head slowly, fingers draped over his eyelids, until Nasur offered his two cents. When concluded, David pointed at him and gave a sort-of-kind-of wobble of his hand, before directing his finger to Varla in a half point, half palm-out shrug.

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe she just didn't like me very much? That, rather than seeking out the finest pinot noir a person's bloodstream has to offer, she simply saw an opportunity to quiet someone who had the nerve- oh, the sheer audacity, to try and make her... communicate with us a little? Treat us with a shred of dignity?" He paused, snorting out a bitter huff of laughter. "I tried, I really did. Hell, I thought I was speaking for more than myself. But it seems no one was listening."

His eyes drifted downward, and he contemplated the floor. He ran a hand through the fur between his ears. He seized it in a violent instant, wringing it between his fingers for a split second, before letting go. He turned away, smoothing over the patch of fur and walking to the back wall.

"I've spared enough. Varla, if you are at all interested in making this right, let me out of here."

Seenarnha's Mindscape

"Then stop evading my questions and teach me!" Seenarnha demanded.

The inky black thorny vines in Seenarnha's avatar stirred once more behind the window into her represented ribcage. "You'll have to be more specific. Obviously you need a new body, as Joseph's is off limits and I'm carrying you at the expense of annoying pain. Aside from that, I doubt your question refers to me calculating the odds of potential future actions from two enemy mind-controllers and this wyvern."

The nearby pond that she gestured to now showed the wyvern in question as it landed. Some crystal panes erupted out of the pond, each playing a different predicted scenario. One window showed the wyvern struggling to breathe. Another showed Blackthorn wearing the wyvern down with Hit-and-Run Tactics. A third showed the wyvern abruptly picked up in a beam of light and flung away. Some showed Carol and Lily in action. The last pane spun more pessimistic predictions, cutting each one short and flipping to a new one before the messier details could play out.

Forest's Edge ~ Campsite (Bonnie, Carol, Lily; Morpho, Mequoql, Seenarnha, Blackthorn; Henry, Joseph, Arku; Mind-Controlled Bandit)

"Can you make the fire more red?" Seenarnha inquired... and then the wyvern showed up.

The male sneeder bird was delighted by the arrival of the wyvern. He started flying away from the campsite, making sure to fly low and keep plenty of leaves in between him and the wyvern as he called again "Sneeder, sneeder, sneeder, sneet!" The previously unimpressed female sneeder bird watching him gaped in pop-eyed astonishment at the wyvern, then quickly closed her beak and took off after the male sneeder bird, making sure to keep enough distance from both him and the wyvern.

Seenarnha looked up at the wyvern and sprung into Blackthorn's saddle. She casually calculated, "I could strangle that creature if need be. Or the spaceship could throw it."

Blackthorn silently pinned his ears flat against his head and prepared to take off in attack, but he held back waiting for Seenarnha's order.

"Wait for it," she whispered, wanting to see if the wyvern would attack first.

Morpho cocooned Mequoql with all the monitoring equipment, leaving her a breathing hole, and prepared to follow Henry.

Sick Bay (Claire; Aynara, Varla; John, the Hunters; Nasur, Sallara; David, Joseph)

Claire frowned, "For a normal vampire, breathing isn't optional. Then again, I suppose you only need one lung to breath. Vampire lords, on the other hand, cheat. Assuming you could stab them in the chest in the first place. Either attacks bounce right off 'em, or phase right through 'em. Or, you know, regenerate around the damn blade."

Claire then waggled a finger at Varla, "Oi, Lulu's not a professional liar. She's a professional hunter." She folded her arms for a moment, before adding, "Okay, I lied, she's not a professional. Hasn't got a license yet."

She then leaned in closer towards Arnaya. "Yup?" she asked the beckoning vampire, "You wanted me?"

"Ah, so that's another thing I can add to the pile of things that are like aether but aren't. Gotcha," said Claire, giving a sideways glance at Varla, "Not exactly an expert on magic and the like, I just throw fireballs and stuff at folks."

Forest's Edge ~ Campsite (Bonnie, Carol, Lily; Henry, Joseph; Mequoql, Morpho, Seenarnha)

Bonnie held up a finger, wordlessly instructing for Henry and Joseph to wait a moment. The lagokin medic took this moment to cast a hastening spell (one that would double movement speed and internal abilities for thirty seconds) on the trio to speed-up their getaway and provide a parting gift for the remaining fighters sans Carol, producing a soft glowing magical circle below the group. Wordlessly giving a thumbs-up, she gestured for her charges to head deeper into the forest.

With that, Bonnie took point, taking off towards the denser parts of the forest, where, in the event of the crimson spitfire following, the wyvern would lose its air supremacy and have to chase them on foot, with her now four tag-a-longs following in hot pursuit.

(Carol, Lily; Seenarnha & Blackthorn; Crimson Spitfire)

Initially having its attention caught by the sound of the sneeder bird, the crimson spitfire turned its head. In its peripheral vision, however, it noticed the light of the campfire, overriding its predatory instincts with territorial ones. A burning fire could only mean one of two things based on its past experiences: a rival wyvern or hunters.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU_Dqti8TMo

Carol, having been instructed to wreck the company truck, and unaware of the wyvern, started up the vehicle. Once the engine roared to life, Carol glanced up, and immediately swore, realizing what she had inadvertently done.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fisgsFOQWfA

The crimson spitfire's gaze snapped to the truck, its suspicions of hunters confirmed. Inhaling deeply, the wyvern roared, causing nearby trees to shake and drop some of their leaves. The wyvern whipped its wings, launching itself into the air. Rearing back, the wyvern dove towards the truck, claws extended.

Carol slammed a foot on the gas, lurching the truck forward, swerving away from the rapidly approaching claws.

The wyvern touched down, its grasping claws gouging the ground as it turned after the truck, before charging after it.

Drawing her rifle, Lily initiated a sequence of magical circles along the length of her weapon, with a larger one in front of the muzzle. She opened fire on the wyvern, pelting its wings with icy rounds.

Rainforest (Lerna, Leto, Nerea; Maequoql, Murquoql, Lectri, Swanwhite)

Giving a bow to Maequoql and Murquoql, Nerea returned to giving Leto reassuring head pats. "I am eternally grateful for this. With this, my sister, servant, and I can now return home. If you do not mind returning us to town so that we may go home."

Hotel ~ Clare and Company's Suite —> Lobby (Lulu)

Realizing her room didn't have a kitchen, Lulu left the room, taking her coat and spellbook with her and letting the remaining roommate, Suzie, that she was leaving.

After locking the door behind her, Lulu strolled down the hall towards the elevator, taking it down to the lobby. One uneventful elevator ride later, she headed to the front desk, her tail lazily waving back and forth as she walked.

Edited by WillDeRegio on Mar 24th 2020 at 5:46:52 AM

[Hotel Lobby (Lulu; Tin Tyrant)]

A portal to Hell opened in the lobby.

Out of it strode a towering figure, its eight feet of height barely able to stand comfortably in the lobby. It was covered head-to-toe in armor made of some sort of obsidian-black metal and carved with depictions of weapons ranging from ancient clubs and swords to modern tanks and atomic weapons. It wielded a hulking tower shield of the same black material in its left hand, carved with a scene of brutal warfare. The exact image was different for each observer, but would always depict a war as familiar to them as possible. In its right, it carried a bloodstained chainsword. With a wave of their chainsword, the hell portal vanished.

Ignoring those who rapidly made themselves scarce upon seeing such an obvious paragon of evil, the figure looked down at Lulu. In an incongruously high and refined woman's soprano, said, "I don't suppose you've seen a pretty blonde gentleman with lots of make-up recently?"

I was trying to decide how to introduce her. This presents an opportunity.

Edited by KillerClowns on Mar 23rd 2020 at 7:18:08 AM

_{^< cont. from} Seenarnha's Mindscape _{^> Arku, Seenarnha}


"Answer your questions and condemn myself further in your eyes, so long as you reject the dialect of my reasons. They are of a moment you did not share, standing where you have not stood, to see that which bears meaning as mirror, each meaning as disparate as those who are before it. Read Joseph if you like. Read myself. You will never read that moment as it was. And I will not suffer condemnation as remote as yours."

Arku's smoky form grew rounder as he spoke, shaking in place with pulses. The light within drifted to the center, and slowly the pulsing eased. The rest of him drifted towards the pond like a fog blown by the faintest breeze, observing the scenes before him with mild interest.

"Why do you weigh down your troubled ship?" He wondered. "If holding me causes you pain, release me. I am not unused to being adrift. I have said this. I am, still."

_{^< cont. from} Forest, Edge —> Deeper - Flauting Danger _{^> Henry, Joseph — Bonnie}


Joseph frowned in irritation. He didn't struggle, trusting that Henry probably had a good reason for suddenly picking him up, and otherwise impressed that Henry could pick him up so swiftly, but he nonetheless felt far too big to be handled like a sack of potatoes. He wanted to tell Henry to set him down; that he could walk by himself. But in his fluctuating state, he honestly wasn't so sure—never mind the difficulty he'd have relaying the message in the first place. 'Hley Hlurmy, ywuh cuh puh muh duuuhwn.' Yeah.

Any and all wonderings or mild annoyances were quickly dispelled when—upon Henry turning slightly—Joseph finally got a glimpse of what everyone was wound up about. His jaw just about fell off.

"Hey, knock it off will you!" Henry hissed under his breath as Joseph began frantically slapping his side. "Yes, I know about the dragon. We're going to bolt asap, now please stop moving around; you're heavy enough as-is." With that (and a great bit of grit-toothed willpower) Joseph settled down, and Henry was able to turn his attention back to Bonnie, praying for the signal to go. To the growing suffering of his nerve, he was given the opposite, made to hold steady as the weight of Joseph wore upon him. He dared not look, but he could only imagine the wyvern creeping closer, preparing to lunge, or breathe fire, or sate any number of supercharged predatory instincts that would kill them painfully, and probably not nearly quickly enough.

In a few moments, Bonnie made some kind of lightshow beneath their feet, and then, at last, they were off and running. Or staggering with great haste. Really great haste.

Henry looked down at his feet, then back up, then down, then back up.

"Okayokayokaythatisreallyweird," he murmured, watching the surrounding forest slip by as he lurched along at an extra-able pace. At first he feared that the additional speed, along with his awkward burden, would lead to a quick loss of balance and a double-decker faceplant, but he found that he was able to shift his weight just as quickly. He felt like Buster Keaton in one of those old silent films.

Joseph, though not bearing a particularly large figure, was nonetheless a near-full-grown near-human-being. However, more than the extra strain, what really got to Henry was the subtle adjusting of Joe's body against his shoulder, accompanied by less subtle noises. Like hearing the loud gurgling of someone's stomach, it was hard not to grimace. Only, Henry was at least familiar with that sound; in hearing it, he could understand what was going on. With the noise currently emanating from Joseph's changing body, he could only picture wet putty inside an accordion.

Eeeuugh.


It was no better on Joseph's end of things. After the drastic shifting in his face, his changes had seemed to settle down for a while, aside from little prickles and pressures in his extremities. But just about the time they started moving, everything picked up again. He could feel it in his head, in his neck, his shoulders, and especially right above his-

...uh oh.

The familiar sensation finally jogged his memory to make the connection between that which he'd been without since returning to his human self, and that which was forming at the base of his backside. From there, his thoughts quickly turned to the increasingly ill-fitting hiking pants he'd borrowed from Henry, and although they were potentially in danger of being on a wyvern's combination platter, and although there were far bigger things to worry about re: turning into a lizard, and although Henry and Bonnie probably wouldn't say anything, Joseph was absolutely not about to let his bare, tail-sporting butt be put on display for the world to see.

He twisted his torso to try and reach Henry's other shoulder, finding the movement both awkward and unusually fast. Henry, in turn, let out a cry of surprise and stumbled, nearly toppling both of them.

"Fudge! Nuts!" he cursed, slowing and turning his head to scowl in Joseph's general direction, "Itoldyounottowigglesomuchdude. Whatareyou-"

"Helmrrh,Hemmr," Joseph garbled, reaching insistently for Henry's other shoulder. "Plegheybahk!"

Henry looked like he'd just been asked the million dollar question in Chinese. "What?"

Joseph tugged himself along, wrapping across his friend's shoulders like an exceptionally large boa. He tried to gesture with his fingers, making 'legs' with each hand and setting one atop the other, which he moved along with frantic steps. "Plegheybahk."

"I-wha...? Joe,wedon'thavetimefor-"

Joseph groaned, brought his clawed fingers to his nostrils and tugged them upward. He didn't look particularly like what he was going for. "Hoink-hoink— pleghy. Pleghy?"

"...Piggy...?"

"Plegheybahk."

"Piggyba- oh." He squinted at Joseph, "Really?"

"Yeah," he grimaced, "Ifelthauck." It wasn't entirely untrue. Between the jostling, transforming, and generally moving in ways he shouldn't be, he figured he'd probably have thrown up had he not already done so earlier.

"Goodgrief- fine. Givethisshoulderarestanyway. Just..." he crouched down, tilting to let Joseph slide off. "Iswear, ifthatdragoneatsus..."

"Mmmhmm!" Joseph hummed cheerily, dismounting and remounting in quick succession.

Henry whispered a loud, "Sorry!" to Bonnie, with an awkward, grimacing smile that he felt best suited his predicament. Once Joseph's legs were locked under his arms, he stood back up, hunched forward, and without too much delay (well, it could have been worse), was on the move again.

Joseph tugged up the back waistband of his pants and leaned forward, breathing a sigh of such relief one might think they'd actually escaped the wyvern.