Eternal Rains (IC) [M] - Closed

[Tapewolf]

"Daryil," Cross replied verbally, faintly disappointed that she had got it in one.  It was so much more amusing when they thought you were making a pass.

Revealing his own clan was relatively harmless as Daryil had very few enemies.  At worst she would think he was a fruitcake or ignore him completely in disgust.

"The junkie?  She's sold his shit to pay for the boat ride."  The smile vanished.  "That could be a problem.  If he gets desperate, he could turn nasty and it wouldn't be polite to kill him."

[Lushin]

Sheabus simply watched the now drug deprived wolf freak out. He shook his head as the wolf stormed off towards the ticket both. He scanned the what he could see of the docks. With his eyes on the docks he spoke.
"I can either restrain him or knock him out if he becomes too hard to handle"

[lucas marcone]

Dani looked at the jackel as if she were insane. "Do you know what you've done?!"

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Witt stomped up behind Keaton, enjoying his walk much more than earlier - at least, judging by the grin on his muzzle. He paused, watching Cogidubnus storming off towards the ticket office.

"I thought you said you 'ad a boat? If so, where's 'e goin'?"

He gazed down over the docks, and nodded at the group containing the 7 foot tall Insectis, with the crowd of onlookers watching her, adding "She's a big bitch, i'n't she? I wonder what she's here for."

He reached into his pockets, and pulled out a pair of leather gloves, carefully and deliberately fitting them to his paws, with a thoughtful look replacing the earlier grin.

[Boog]

Ty raised a ridged eyebrow. The barkeep's answer was more informative than he probably intended; he now knew that this Mr. Sabanethei was powerful enough for everyone to know about him and smart enough to know who was talking about him. "Ah, I see. Well then, I apologize; I didn't mean to broach an unpleasant subject. Many thanks for the drinks, I'd be on my way. Pleasant evening to you." With that the massive mythos got up and turned to walk back out into the pouring rain. He had to get home, finish cleaning up the deli so it would be presentable to customers tomorrow. After all, if one owns an establishment by the docks, things rarely stayed clean.

--

A while later he was rather surprised to see the group from the pub, apparently in the middle of some manner of argument. However, it would be rude to interject. He continued onward, not even aware of the possibility of anyone causing trouble. After all, this was a Civilized town.

[e_voyager]

Epyon fell back a step as he watch the Hedgehog slip one what he could only think of as his work gloves. watched the slow deliberate way they were slipped on followed the hedgehog's line of sight and saw them.  Insects. He'd fought them before and survived but he did not relish the thought of fighting them again. how he hoped that that was not what Witt had in mind. maybe he could sand back and avoid suspicion but then like it out not if Witt was part of the crew then the crew need to look out for him.

[Sunblink]

...Keaton:

It would have been a dreadful lie to say that Keaton wasn't expecting some sort of backlash from Cogidubnus after she stripped him of his secret stash of beloved, intoxicating drugs. Considering the wolf's dependency on those unscrupulous substances, it would not have been surprising. It did not, however, lessen the indignant impact Cogidubnus's outburst had on Keaton's psyche - he was shouting at her, the volume of his voice piercing her eardrums and releasing the swarming throngs of buzzard-bees and hornets back into her head, their infernal, cacophonous shrieking hammering serrated stingers into her brain. Lackadaisical expression shed, Keaton let out a loud cry and her hands leaped to her ears, flattening them so to protect them from the invisible sounds besieging her mind, her eyes prying open to reveal an almost stunned, pinpricked appearance to her irises; they were contracted into thin chocolaty halos, taut around the peripheries of their pupils. The hand holding her marble convulsed, accidentally releasing the precious sphere - it tumbled from her hands and landed on the ground, bouncing jubilantly off of a cobblestone. Realizing her loss, Keaton shrieked in what could only be described as utter loss and dropped to her knees, frantically searching for the marble amidst her turmoil.

Only a few seconds into her outright shock did Keaton realize exactly what Cogidubnus had yelled at her - and once she started to comprehend that amidst the thrumming swarm trickling into her head, it was suddenly and thunderously silenced in favor of smoldering rage, simultaneous to the seconds her fingers closed around the marble again. Keaton was shaking. Hoisting the marble, she pocketed it, then shoved herself back to her feet, swaggering.

"YOU!" Keaton shrieked, releasing her ears and allowing them to flatten freely against her skull. She attempted to trudge after Cog, but he was too far ahead of her, and she was only reduced to irritably yelling at him from where she stood. "What did you call me, you useless little fleck of SHIT?! Get back here! GET BACK HERE!"

Despite Keaton's vehement wailing, Cogidubnus didn't even look back at her. Keaton just grit her teeth, her blood boiling and her rage escalating, and snarled in frustration. The urge to simply turn around and storm back so she could find someone to gut, or pursue Cog and beat him senseless in front of everybody was tempting, but she was simply frozen in her shock and fury. Nobody talked to her like that. Nobody. Not ever again.

Did that drugged-up junkie fucking asshole bastard son of a BITCH call me what I think he did?

The sounds the sounds the fucking sounds. Why are they yelling? What's that sound? Is someone still talkiiiiing?

Shut up. Someone's still talking.

Keaton glanced to the side. Witt was standing next to her. "I thought you said you 'ad a boat? If so where's 'e goin'?" the hedgehog-ish-entity had slurred. Keaton trembled a little out of fury, her teeth sinking into her lower lip, and then shook her head, finding herself incapable of answering Witt's inquiry. Nothing, she wanted to say, He's going nowhere, because when I catch up to him I'm going to break his legs with my fucking mace.

Then Witt turned his attention to the docks, which Keaton hadn't surveyed before. She hadn't seen a reason to, being too preoccupied with talking with Dani and enjoying the company of her marble. Wearily blinking, Keaton looked up, her gaze drifting along the boats stationed throughout the docks and the people standing among them. On the respective boats, however, it seemed most of the people, the majority of which were ostensibly Beings, were petrified in their place, their attentions directed to a particular subject in the distance. Keaton narrowed her eyes -

- and then she nearly screamed when she saw a distinctive, yellow, insectoid figure looming among the congregation of Beings.

---

...Unknown:

The Insectis initially seemed infuriated with how the jaguar seemed to be concentrating on his instrument as opposed to immediately helping her, something dreadfully contradictory to her own actions. He seemed to be waiting for something. Shit, they didn't have anything to wait for. Fucking idiot thought they had all the time in the world -

"You BITCH!"

Oh. So that was what he was waiting for.

The saffron-sable figure the Insectis had been scrutinizing stopped short of her tall, wiry, gray companion, then vanished momentarily from sight, much to the Insectis's dismay. Seconds later it reappeared, trembling in her vision, and then, quite adamantly, began spouting off a ranting tirade of curses in a voice the Insectis was all-too familiar with. Not used in such a shrieking and disrespectful manner, of course - the Insectis was more acquainted with a much more agreeable variation of that voice.

In the end, that was all the confirmation Izria needed.

Found you, you whore.

Under her breath, the wasp-woman smirked devilishly, the gossamer wings behind her flaring outward. Two of her companions which were flanking her were forced to duck back as the tremendous wings extended on either side of her body, then started to rapidly vibrate - flap, with such speed and force that they accelerated into a white blur. All around her a hideously piercing sound, almost like a siren's wailing, started to build up within the momentum of her wings - at first imperceptible to those far away - then leaped inexorably to a crescendo as Izria buckled her legs and rocketed into the air, using her wings for acceleration and hovering in the middle of her jump.

The world came spinning past as Izria effortlessly bounded over, over, and over, landing with a heavy and impacting THUD against the cobblestone street which made her armored knees bend. Her eyes barely registered the target before her, or the figures accompanying that figure, but one flash of color - of distinctive yellow and black - and the scent of adrenaline-laced fear traced from her fluttering antennae sent her charging in another burst of speed at the yellow figure. Fist pulled back, Izria felt something in her head spark -

- and she swung her fist, watching with a great sense of satisfaction at it collided with the other's stomach.

---

...Keaton:

Pain.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[e_voyager]

Shock. that was the only word to describe what  Epyon was experiencing. Witt had not started the fight but with the one punch to the jackal's midsection he was sure that the fight had begun. he reached for his pole and snapped his wrist expand it while wondering just what the hell he'd gotten himself into.

Epyon braced himself for  battle wondering how many would attack and if he should left the hedgehog be the fist enter the fray. Yes he would.  Better to let the hedgehog fight while he call to the front of his mind a mild healing spell good for trauma and internal injury just is case. his eyes roved the area looking of more incoming incests

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Witt raised one eyebrow as the Insectis woman -took off- and flew in their direction - and lowered it as she landed with a heavy thump in front of them. The fist landing in Keaton's midriff seemed to galvanise him, though, and his retaliation was swift.

First a right-foot kick to the knee-joint, dropping his knives from his sleeves into his hands, he spun to his right and aimed one at her elbow, then the other at her abdomen, at about his shoulder height, then swiping the first knife at her wing, rolling over her back and around to her other side. Here's hoping I get some spines between those damn plates. Finally, as he rolled off, he planned to stab the second knife in again, providing some leverage to flick off and out of reach - at least for a moment.

All in the blink of an eye.

Passing through his mind on the way over: I'll just roll off her back, stand up, and say something cool. like, "Ah, don't stand around on my account." or something. Yeah, that'll work fine...

[Cogidubnus]

Cog's eyes were still filled with that strange, focused and yet faraway look as he walked up to the ticket counter, both of his hands in his pockets. He flinched as Keaton called out to him, nearly stopping dead in his tracks at the Jackal's voice. He remembered what Keats could do to him - what Keaton had done to him. But the smoldering spark of rage still in him kept his feet moving, even as his expression seemed to only grow more terrified. He continued to walk up to the wooden building, his hands in his pockets to keep them from shaking. He wasn't even sure why he was walking up there - he didn't have any money for tickets.
He wondered how long it would be before he slipped. Started thinking about things. Before the sound of deep, wet breath coming from somewhere right behind him drove him insane, before he started thinking about how many years it had been since that damned angel had ruined his life, how many full moons it had been since then, and how long it would take before he started waking up in the middle of the night screaming and drenched in blood that was never there when he turned the lights on...

Cog nearly lost it. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, he hopped up onto the wooden platform that was placed on the cliff edge surrounding the harbor, and turned towards the ticket booths that faced the open dock.
As he did so, he nearly fell down as 300 pounds of Insectis simply fell out of the sky, almost seemingly on top of Keaton.

Cog's jerked, taking an instinctive step backwards, and found himself pushed against the railing. His mouth hung open, his thoughts forgotten as he watched the large....thing punch the thing that had beat him senseless for almost a month right in the gut. His eyes narrowed.
And Cog suddenly felt a blinding pain in his shoulder, throwing him forward and onto his face just after the deafening, echoing crack of a gunshot.

* * *

The jaugar continued to pick at his instrument, when the Insectis opened her wings and nearly knocked two of the gunmen over. His sightless eyes widened and narrowed suddenly, the jaguar stopping his playing almost instantly.
"No! Not now! We need to wait until they come to-"

He was interrupted by the giant wasp launching herself high into the air, the rush of air silencing whatever else the jaguar might have said. He gave a sharp curse, jumping off the edge of the crate and motioning to the four others that stood with him. Four men, three in black suits and the other in a green robe stood behind the jaguar. The ones in suits were each dressed impeccably in black suit and red tie with white shirts underneath, while the other's green robe was filigreed with golden patterns and tight wrappings on his forearms. Each of them seemed to simply be a being or some sort - one a rat, the other two mustelids of some variety, and the one in green a white fox -  the ones in suits cradled in their hands a very large, and very, very intimidating piece of steel, an automatic rifle with a round drum in the center. Each one began to run forwards, the jaguar grabbing the rat's collar at the last moment.

"Up there" the sightless jaguar said, pointing up at the form of an emaciated wolf leaning on a wooden railing. The rat nodded, taking careful aim. Two seconds or so passed before he fired, a deafening gunshot that elicited screams from around them and dropped the wolf where he stood.

The jaguar nodded, and the rat ran forwards. Shaking his head and stopping to fiddle with his guitar strap, the melanistic feline began to walk, heading for the ramp up.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Flatfooted, Paige watched as a large Insectis fell right out of the sky and slammed a fist into Keaton's midsection.

Dumping her bag and drawing her sword in one movement, she was about to step up and swing when Witt launched his attack.

Not wanting to get in the little berserker's way, Paige dropped her sword's point to aim at the feet of the threat and pushed some of her power down through Winters Bite unleashing a wave of ice at the Insectis' feet hoping to trap them.

[bill]

Navarro stared into the fray for a few seconds, a while away from it.

"Blow this.", he muttered under his breath.

He sat down on a nearby bench and stared, with a hand on his pistol, still in the holster. He watched the events with a faint grin on his face. If they came to him, they would have a fight. For now...

Navarro smiled, and relaxed.

[e_voyager]

Epyon realize he was right not to get in the hedgehog's way then a sudden blase of cold and the souls of cracking fast formed ice. he looked and saw an almost clear sword in the hand of the spell blade.  and knew where the ice had come form. however before he could be troubled to worry about this he heard a shot right one looking around he saw not is' source but it's effect as the wolf toppled form his perch. moving with hast the ran to the fallen wolf.  "Wolf are you alive? speak to me" as he begin his useless prattle to gage the wolf mental state and see if he was in shock the examine him for the wound or wounds that hand brought him down his upper eyes partially over for the first time in a long time had a slight golden cast to them as the let him see more about the wolf then a any normal eyes could hope to reveaing in the same about of time as it take to draw a breath. the the were closed again. 

[lucas marcone]

Dani blew by the insectis leaveing her in what he was sure was the cabable hands of the rest of the party minus Cog and Epyon. When he got to Cog he didn't bother with the normal useless questions. He mearly found the closest threat and prepared for a fight. "You get him some cover!" Dani shouted at Epyon. He had his shot gun pointed in the general area of the men in suits. People every where were panicing and running this made things hard. Damn these people if they had any sense they'd DROP

[Tapewolf]

Cross faded away the moment the wasp appeared.  Partial invisibility spells were one of his standards when a foe appeared unexpectedly, and it didn't have to be perfect to work on Insectis eyes.

No doubt the Family had decided to silence Keaton.  Insectis were rare, and he hadn't had much experience fighting them.  Bullets wouldn't do much good against all that armour, but maybe that didn't matter.

There were snipers.  They'd already taken the wolf junkie, but the wasp attacking Keaton had to be his main priority.  Crouching low to avoid stray fire, he cast a projectile shield on his side.
Drawing the pistol quickly as the creature loomed over Keaton's prone form, he sighted one of the large compound eyes and pulled the trigger.

[Snuggles]

Anton was quick but not that quick. The moment the large bug appeared he shielded himself quickly but wasn't quick enough to shield the one she was after. He had a half a mind to blast the thing back but was too concerned with getting the jackal out of the way. His next movements were quick. He planted his staff into the ground and attempted pulled the jackal out of combat, with magic. Next, another shield went up against the wasp's hand trying to trap her from going no further after the jackal. He then pull up on his staff and move to the jackal to make sure she was ok.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha's eyebrow was quirked in disbelief as soon as she saw the scene that had unfolded between the jackal and wolf in the rain, and when her ears caught wind of the reason why he had stormed off afterward.  The disguised demon shook her head, thinking it more safe for everyone to stay out of the line of fire.  Well, except for the hedgehog, whose chiding only made the look on Keaton's face worse, and put a smirk on the panther's face.  Perhaps someone's head would be lopped off...it would be a mild bit of entertainment.  But she did wonder just how long the wolf would really last on an adventure.  Relying on unnatural substances to keep on one's feet was rather bordering on cowardice.

But suddenly, as she was watching, someone had pointed out that they were being watched in return.  Glancing around, Aisha was perhaps just as surprised as the rest of them to discover a pretty damn large insectis, a wasp to be precise, zipping over to the group with enough speed to easily note down that it wasn't there just to say hello...scattering everyone and aiming a blow straight for Keaton...which took.

When the jaguaress herself was scattered back, she didn't stop moving; instead using her speed, the darkness, and the chaos to her advantage and ducking out of sight behind some crates, gripping her bow.  God's blood, we were found out quickly.

As she grabbed an arrow, Aisha glanced out at the activity taking place.  Just after the insectis attacked, a shot rang out through the air and her ears caught someone dropping.  The rest of the party were on the giant wasp-thing, casting various spells and grabbing their firearms.  Leaping quickly from one of the crates to a roof, where she was pretty sure  that she wasn't noticed still, she ducked low and took her bow horizontally, the arrow ready on the string.

She couldn't aim at the insectis...there was the possibility that she'd also hit one of the others, although the notion was very tempting to just "accidentally" drop one of the unsavory ones.  Nah, they're making themselves useful.  Find something else to...aha.

From a point on the docks where the wasp had come attacking, the sight of several individuals in suits with some intimidating firepower in their arms rushing forward was caught on her vantage point...one of them she assumed had fired and dropped one of them before.

Here's where I return the favor...she grinned and took careful aim at one of them...with a musical twang the string was released and the deadly projectile along with it.  She dropped from the roof and behind the building as soon as the shot was released so that nobody could follow the arrow's path to find her, and ran to find another good spot...though there weren't many.  But at least the chaos with the others would be quite a good advantage for the huntress to best utilize stealth.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

When the loud and dangerous action began Penny decided that the creatures could sort it out amongst themselves. Giant wasps were nothing she could deal with. She put some nice heavy crates between herself and the immediate danger while she loaded a dart into her pistol crossbow. Even with all the enchantments the boss had put on the weapon she didn't know if it would be anything more than a needleprick to the monstrous insect. She peaked cautiously around the crate to see how the battle progressed.

[Tezkat]

The dark jaguar padded lightly behind the rest of the group. He could only discern snippets of conversation amidst the voice-swallowing din of inclement weather. Something about a boat. Or a maybe ship. Their thoughts offered little help. Most of the party hid their loyalties and intentions behind mind shields, and the open-minded individuals knew nothing of import. The short hedgehog's mind spewed thoughts as loud and foul as his mouth. Trench coat wolf was whispering again. The group congregated outside the harbour entrance. The junkie cried out, his suffering serving up a delicious appetizer for the night's festivities.

And then all hell broke loose.

Hands still parked in the pockets of his tailored black leather coat, the blond panther didn't flinch--barely even moved--when the large Insectis came crashing down into the group. If anything, his raised eyebrow and wry grin indicated amusement. Craning his neck slightly when the shot rang out, he took a moment to study the party approaching from the docks. He casually stepped away from the melee as a torrent of ice from the spellsword's blade ripped through the air in front of him, positioning himself out of the way such that the ticket booth and the angle of the cliff would provide cover against fire from below. For now.

More of his new partners entered the fray. He watched and waited, smiling.

+ + +

The mottled canine frowned, staring down at his now-empty glass. He'd been focused on the chatter in the bar, both spoken and mental. People who knew what was good for them stayed out of Family business, but the powers that be had eyes and ears everywhere. Sabanethei's wayward assassin plotting to kill her former master couldn't have escaped notice. And so it hadn't, but trouble found her first. Several blocks away.

Fuck.

Still wearing the guise of a downtrodden mutt, Fang rose to leave. He pulled the hood of his coat up over his ears and walked out of the Verdant Cuff. He scurried out into the rain and ducked into the shadows of a nearby alley. Nobody witnessed him winking out of sight.

Powerful leaps carried him up to the rooftops. With a burst of supernatural speed, Fang bounded from building to building towards the docks. Streams of water, interrupted on their earthward journey by an unseen mass, outlined a form that was no longer canine. Seeing the droplets roll off his utterly transparent body, Fang cursed under his breath. Simple invisibility spells wouldn't hide him in the rain, but he couldn't afford the time or concentration required for more complex magic. Edge wouldn't wait forever, and who knew what kind of reckless shit he would pull before Fang arrived?

+ + +

A shadow with no body stood atop a temple that did not exist. His body was the temple. The temple was his mind. His mind was but a shadow of the endless darkness between worlds.

A young panther boy huddled next to him.

They're fighting again. The boy stole a glance at the outside world. Those men have guns. He hugged his knees close to his chest. Bullets hurt.

Ah, but to hurt you, they must hit you. Your brothers are too quick to let that happen, Key.

Ch-yah! They can't outrun bullets!

True, but they needn't be faster than bullets--merely the hand firing the gun and the mind directing the hand.

The boy remained silent and stared down at his feet.

They cannot shoot what they cannot see. Watch.

The shadow reached out to the earthly plane and took form. Not flesh. No, he was so much more than that. Limitless possibilities spread out before him.

Raindrops. That's what he was now. His otherworldly essence poured over Fang's body like water, opening a window to a time and place where the raindrops flowed unimpeded. Perfect invisibility.

[Lushin]

Sheabus moved back a bit as the large wasp attacked Keaton. It seemed like most of the party had figured out who to attack as the action started. Sheabus quickly watched the action trying to figure out what to do. With most of the group attack the wasp, two going to help Cog and some looking like they are retreating. Sheabus found himself a something to do. He noticed the group of men in black, the one in green and the one leading the group with a strange guitar. He didn't charge at the man but he did move towards him. He didn't draw his sword but his claws where ready for battle. Sheabus spoke to the man as he neared him and his little group. He shouted at them.
"What in the nine hells is going on here? Who are you people?"

[SpottedKitty]

Fal'taq hid his disappointment when Cogidubnus only screamed and swore at Keaton before storming away. Quite apart from the amusement value if the crazed wolf had been driven to the point of physically attacking the succubus, any wedge that came between the "leaders" of this merry band would only make it easier to dispose of them later.

The mole looked around as they approached the entrance to the docks. A flicker of motion caught his eye in the middle of the crowd, then suddenly an Insectis woman jumped out of nowhere right in front of Keaton and punched the jackal right in the gut. Before he could react — or applaud — a shot rang out, hitting Cogidubnus. Blast it, Fal'taq thought as the wolf collapsed, if these two get killed before they can even tell anyone what their plan might be, this whole affair may turn out to be a complete waste of time! Enough of the others were attacking the Insectis woman to keep her busy. The gunmen came into view, accompanied by what looked like a mage, as the crowd scattered away from them. Fal'taq tossed a fireball, arcing it high into the air, then he ducked around a stack of heavy barrels, watching the action from the side.

Now, while their attention is distracted... He watched the fireball as it approached the high point of its arc, then he knelt and slapped the ground. A deep rumble shook the surrounding area for a moment before fading away. High above, the descending fireball split into a dozen smaller ones with a loud WHUMP. With any luck their attackers, particularly the mage, would be so preoccupied dealing with the fireballs as they began jinking from side to side, they wouldn't notice the small but powerful earthquake wave he'd sent arcing through the ground beneath them... until it was too late. He looked across the scene at the wolf lying face-down on the ground and wondered how badly he'd been hurt.

[Stygian]

She had just wanted to buy a damn ticket. But, of course, in this damn world and this damn town, you couldn't really count on ever having anything easily. At most you could secure a moment's peace if you secluded yourself, away from anyone who might have either power or influence or just too much bloody curiosity. She had been able to stay away like that for a couple of years, before some jerk had tracked her down over some silk trading.
   She hadn't expected to travel completely unimpededly, of course. But taking the route through Holiday, a place known far more for its solemnity than any sort of hectic or violent eventfulness, she had hoped she would experience a peaceful and stress-free crossing. No such luck. It wasn't amusing that she would run risk of becoming part of a battle that she had nothing to do with at all, when there were a great number of others after her. It just troubled her. She could not stay around, or she might end up in a scene.
   Gathering her calm and her senses - there was something shaking the ground considerably, and it made her feel queasy - the hunched figure pulled the hood of her black cloak a bit further forward, and slipped out of the agitated crowd around the ticket booth, beginning to vanish amid people and rain as best she could.

[Sunblink]

...Keaton:

The effects of Izria's punch were profound. One straight-on collision into her abdomen and Keaton felt her stomach sink inward, her intestines squirming and sparking with hell-hot agony beneath the chitinous fist pummeling her stomach, then expanding when Izria drew back her fist and Keaton was sent flying. Not a lot of fat to cushion the blow, after all, nor was Keaton the tallest of individuals. Against a seven-feet-tall, three-hundred-twenty pound Insectis, there was no contest in terms of brute force.

Izria would have gladly pursued Keaton in spite of the presence of her companions if it wasn't for the sudden interference her fist met, as though it was being barricaded by an invisible wall. Before either person could react, Keaton found herself being drawn off to the side and into relative safety, sprawled at Anton's feet in a crumpled heap. For a moment the mass of shaking jackal simply spasmed, her head spinning, and didn't move to get up, but then her hands planted themselves on either side of her body and helped to lift herself, or at least enough before she was assaulted by sudden, stabbing pain within her abdomen. Yelling, Keaton nearly fell backwards, but managed to keep one hand on the ground to support her, while the other clamped over her mouth. A horrid cough shook her body, as though the bile-laden contents of her throat were being jostled. Keaton pried her hand away and stared with abject horror at the red ichor thickly coating her palm.

The jackal struggled to regain control over her breathing. I'm BLEEDING! She PUNCHED ME! Keaton's thoughts were overwhelming. For a moment, her breathing hitched and she looked as though she was going to cry, moisture swelling in her eyes. She - she - sh-sheeee... Whining loudly, Keaton started to feel her resolve collapsing and disintegrating into ash. Oh god it's just like - just like -

Stop. Keaton froze, trying to shepherd her breathing back into some regular, organized pattern. It hurt to breathe, hurt to continue that cycle of inhaling and exhaling, but it was a necessity. Keaton tried to keep herself from shaking, preventing herself from further coughing up the contents of her stomach. Couldn't be reduced to nothing, not yet. Took more than a punch to the stomach to immobilize her...

This is nothing. Nothing. Relax. Calm down. BREATHE. Breathe -

(Ohgod it hurts. What is she doing here?! What is she doing here?! She's going to take us back!)

Shut up. SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP. She's not taking us back, SHUT UP.

Shoulders shuddering, Keaton coughed up another bloody dollop into her palm, and looked shakily at Anton. Looked like he turned out to be more useful than she had originally anticipated, after all. "T-Thanks, kid..." she wheezed. Underneath her skin, she felt her wing-tentacles stir as she stared in horror at the Insectis raging among the flying blitzkrieg of attacks sent by her companions. Seemed as though her metamorphosis wasn't responding immediately, for some reason. Probably the blow...

---

...Izria:

Before Izria could openly vociferate her dismay at how Anton had yanked Keaton out of her range, the infuriated Insectis released an agitated snarl as the hedgehog she had previously neglected unexpectedly lashed out at her armored kneecap. The heavy plating reinforcing her chitinous exoskeleton proved to be exceedingly durable, preventing Izria from receiving the majority of the damage, but still irritating her. In fact, the effect was rather akin to a doctor testing someone's reflexes. Next, as the hedgehog attempted to drive the knife in his hand into her elbow, Izria instinctively let out a shrieking snarl and seized his wrist. The other knife met its mark in her abdomen, grating against the chitin and penetrating a lapse in her armored hide to gouge at the sensitive skin underneath.

Izria took full advantage of the shaky grip she had on Witt's wrist, however. A face-splitting, absolutely horrific grin coloring her features, Izria hefted Witt into the air and flung him with all her might at the mole she saw casting a spell in the distance. Bereft of that load, Izria started to turn her attention to the next potential threat. Cold air rushed around her as she took a step backwards, her foot, as it rested on the ground, suddenly becoming petrified in place. A look of utmost agitation on her face, Izria glanced down to find that her feet had been engulfed in a thick layer of glistening ice, probably with the intent of keeping her frozen in place.

Izria had plenty of experience fighting when she was outnumbered. This was a cakewalk. These people were nothing, even when they were ganging up on her. A deafening gunshot alerted her to the presence of the bullet roaring in her direction, which she flung her forearm towards. The bullet ricocheted off of the hefty chitin reinforcing her forearm with a grating sound reminiscent of nails raking along a chalkboard, and then with an immense roar Izria plunged her fist down in the same motion -

- her knuckles met the cobblestone, and a tremendous quake seemed to ripple outward from where her fist had impacted the street. Riding that imperceptible vibration, a wave of cobblestones leaped from the ground like tiny, rock tadpoles, tracing the palpable ripples coalescing outward from her fist. It was neutralizing, not enough to rip apart the earth itself, but enough to certainly startle those who stood upon it. Just as that took effect, the next fist followed, smashing the cobblestone-encrusted earth with magnified speed and force -

- and with that, the ground seemed to rise up. Great, fissuring cracks ruptured the earth like spider-webs surrounding Izria's fist, ozone sizzled and smoldered in the atmosphere as the innate Earth magic Izria harbored worked its elaborate orchestrations, and chunks of blackened stone erupted from the ground, spiking upward like daggered teeth. The mutilation of the ground flowed out, from snaking cracks lacerating the stone, to outright carnage in the form of the pikes of stone jutting up.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

"Oh, sh..."

As he was lifted from the ground, Witt balled up around his arm, leaving a hefty array of spikes pointing in all directions.

His dopplered voice echoed from the flying ball as it zipped off towards Fal'taq "...it, this is gonna huuuuuurt..."

[Cogidubnus]

 "More on the ledge..." the jaguar commented idly as Dani took aim at the group, slowly beginning to strum his instrument as the mage in green and the rat nodded, the verdantly-garbed magician moving his hand in quick passes as the rodent took aim. Purple sigils flared around the mage as the rat opened up at Dani, a spray of automatic fire tearing into the woodwork and the ticket booth behind him. A transparent bubble expanded out from the mage and enveloped the group before fading, and all five of them continued walking quickly up the ramp.

The musician shook some stray hair out of his eyes, the iridescent tattoos covering his body glowing brighter as he walked - and paused as Sheebus confronted all of them. The jaguar raised an eyebrow.
"A little slow on the uptake, huh?" he said, letting go of the neck of his guitar to snap his fingers. The mage nodded, sweeping his feet backwards and chanting a short cadence before thrusting his hand forwards. An invisible line of force struck the reptile in the chest, with enough power to send the fighter flying backwards and into the railing of the ticket booth.

  It wasn't long at all before the group emerged from out of the harbor and took position, spreading out along the muddy cobblestones and aiming their weapons at the assembled party across the way.
Aisha's arrow flew true, speeding towards the white fox's heart - but before it got within twenty feet of the assembled group, the arrow met some invisible resistance surrounding the group and bounced off, the dark-shafted arrow briefly illuminating a bubble of clear-white force around the thugs. The green mage glanced up, spying the red-armored feline atop one of the roofs.
He also spied a massive fireball arcing high in the air towards all of them.

His crystal-blue eyes widening in distress, the mage began to quickly work through a series of passes designed to negate such an attack, finally throwing his hands up and sending a bolt of cold energy up into the descending fireball. Before the bolt could meet the falling inferno, however, it split into multiple, smaller fireballs that started to fall all around them. The bolt of cold rocketed uselessly into the air as the fireballs dropped at random all around them, shaking the ground and sending the entire group diving for cover - except for the dark-furred musician. A lone fireball arced for his head.
The jaguar strummed sharply on his guitar, and the fireball hit some invisible resistance around him, exploding outwards and away from the melanistic feline.

The group stood back up, sans one charred weasel who appeared to be shaking where he lay. The other two took aim again - they were well aware of Ms. Izria's immunity to firearms.
Both pulled their triggers in unison, opening up a rain of automatic fire upon the party.

* * *

Even as Sal tried to get away and disappear into the crowd, she suddenly found the surging, panicking group of bodies difficult to navigate, especially with each one trying to get through the single exit back to the outside. The eerie thump of half a dozen bullets impacting the wooden side of the building only exacerbated the distress of the irate beings and creatures around her, the crowd surging up and pressing around her as something smashed into the railing and impeded the flow of traffic for a few moments. Even with sharp eyes and senses such as her own, keeping her feet proved a difficult task, and just before managing to get to the exit herself, which seemed to be partially blocked by the body of some sort of reptile, she tripped over something slightly soft and yielding.
She looked down to see what it was. Beneath her feet lay the bleeding body of a rather sickly-looking wolf, his shirt getting sticky with blood as the substance pooled around his shoulder.

[Lushin]

Sheabus slammed against the railing. It ending up breaking as he toppled over. Sheabus layed there for a second getting his head straigh.
"Damn that hurt....... Alot"
Sheabus slowly raised to his feet and looked at the musician. He shook his head to clear it a bit.
"I don't know what he hit me with but the fucking hurt. I guess he wants to fight then, I just wanted to know what was going on. What did I get myself into"
Sheabus looked at the group fighting the wasp.
"Looks like they are having about the same luck as I am"
Sheabus reached back and drew his katana off his back.
"Alright 'dad' lets see what you are made of"
Sheabus grabbed a large piece of wood that had broken from the railing. He charged at the musician. Once he was within 30 feet he threw the wood as hard as he at the musician's guitar. He ran behind the wood with his sword tip low to the ground. It was unclear where his strike was planned to fall.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Pleased that she had immobilized the Insect, Paige moved to the next step of her plan: Removing a limb of this unexpected enemy.

Drawing Winters Bite over her shoulder Paige charged at the wasp. She had barely taken a few steps forward when the ground erupted around her.

Jumping over a large spike that formed in front of her, Paige landed and rolled ending up off to the side of the Wasp.

Steadying herself for but a moment she aimed a fully wieghted blow at the back of the closest of the Inesctis' leg.

[lucas marcone]

"AAAAHHHRRRRG!" The full deep voice of the bear echoed as the sickly wet sounds of bullets ripping through flesh could be heard. Many bullets simply went past him while a thee embedded themselves in the muscles in his chest and one in hid leg. The bears quick healing was visible but it wasn't anywhere near as fast as myth might have you believe. BOOM BOOM BOOM! Three of Dani's eight shells headed for his assailant. "MOVE IT!" Dani yelled at Epyon clutching his bleeding chest. He sounded pissed, and nobody wants to find out what a pissed were bear would do to someone who disobeyed him. Dani hobbled circling the enemy in the opposite direction Sheabus went firring as he went. OK let the croc thing take care of the cat. I'll take out the peons and the able bodied can return to fend of the wasp bitch. Yeas that oughta work. Oooh! Dani came down on his left leg wrong Though I may not be among them... Six, seven, eight, click. Dani had to reload, but would he be fast enough? Time would tell. The gun made a funny choonk sound with each shell put into the cartrage.

[Tapewolf]

Cross swore silently to himself.  He wasn't used to used to being thwarted, except where the Family was concerned.  Then again, the wasp was sent by the Family.  So that was alright then.

The difficulty was balancing the need to dispose of it - or at least save Keaton - and the need to conceal what he was.  It wouldn't be difficult to wrench the soul out of her attacker, but the spell required would reveal things he didn't want revealed just yet.  Tentacles were definitely out.

Still only faintly visible, and trusting that no-one would notice him in the midst of the battle, he crept alongside the insectis, which was now set upon by Paige.  It looked like Keaton had sustained internal injuries.  Shit!  Well, if the worst happens I'll just have to snatch her soul, assuming the rabbit kid can't fix her up.

The ground erupted.  Jakob leapt - still invisible - clinging to the nearest building and hoping that it wouldn't collapse.  When it began to subside, he was pretty pissed.  Tentacles it is, then, he thought.

A wing-tentacle shimmered out from the sleeve of his coat and swiftly wrapped itself around the creature's armoured waist.  Cross could crush rocks like this.  Crushing an insectis shouldn't be much more difficult.  He squeezed, hard...

[Tezkat]

The cobblestone street rippled outwards from the giant wasp's blow. The blond jaguar glanced down. Probably not the safest place to be standing. He leapt just as the ground erupted below him. Spears of dark stone shot skyward, threatening to skewer him.

The black feline twisted in midair. His arm whipped about, and a dark blur arced through the stone below him. The sharp heads of the stone pikes slid to the ground, and he alighted gently upon the now perfectly flat tops where they used to reside. When he stood, he held a sword in a relaxed reverse grip with its polished black blade resting up against his arm.

+ + +

Fang came to rest atop the inn overlooking the harbour. His perch, several storeys above ground, offered an excellent view of the enemy forces. Silent and unseen, he studied his opponents. The building shook. The Insectis possessed impressive power. Worthy prey, indeed. However, with their considerable defensive abilities, the mage and the musician represented the more pressing threat. Mask's little pep talk aside, Fang doubted that a spray from those tommy guns would be easy to dodge, either. Such loud, crude, inelegant weapons, vomiting bullets at a rate such that aim barely mattered. Invisible or not, stray rounds of that calibre most certainly would hurt unless one happened to be encased in bulletproof chitin...

+ + +

...or not there to receive the attack.

When the spray of bullets from the new arrivals turned his way, the trenchcoated jaguar hopped from one block of shattered stone to the next in a dazzling display of acrobatic grace. No longer a lightly falling rain, he became a veritable whirlwind. His sword sang through the air and met bullets with flashes of sparks and the sharp crack of metal meeting metal.

He smiled at his fellow black jaguar and raised his sword in salute.

"What a lovely instrument you carry. Play me a tune, so that we may dance."

+ + +

In the darkness and chaos, those thugs would be unlikely to notice their rounds impacting the walls after sailing right through his illusionary twin, but now everyone would expect Edge to be able to parry bullets. Ah, well... how hard could that be, anyway? Mask deserved points for style, at least, even if it did make his Being disguise somewhat less credible.

Cloaked in invisibility, Edge circled the fractured street back into the shadows of a narrow alley. The newly formed garden of twisted stone and rubble blocked his line of sight to the musician and his flunkies. No matter. With their minds linked in a battle meld, he had Fang's eyes to guide him. And those nasty bullets no longer had a clear path to interrupt him while he evened the odds with a little magic.

A sphere of silence could neutralize the mage and the musician. No... then they couldn't banter. Where was the fun in that? Edge turned his attention to the mage's force field instead and began weaving a counterspell to remove the large protective bubble.

Crack open the shell to taste the goodies inside.