Furrae Chronicles: Webs of Destiny (IC) [M] {3}

[Sunblink]

At the sight of the severed arm lying in the pool of blood, Keaton turned slightly pale and glanced purposefully away, her ears flattening. Her reaction had nothing to do with some deep-seated haemophobia, but she understood, quite thoroughly, what finding a dead crew member entailed. Undoubtedly, many of the other members of the crew on the boat had suffered similar fates, which obviously meant that there was a more menacing, tangible presence evident on the island than ghosts. Off to the side, Keaton overheard Stygian utter something in a language with which she was distantly familiar. She was only able to translate a few lines, given, despite the fact she was practically nurtured on that particular language, she rarely used it in conversation, and therefore forgot how to use most of that language.

Keaton shuffled her feet a little, edging nervously over to Gareeku. She leaned in toward the arctic wolf, still keeping her ears flat. "Excuse me, boss-man? Not intending any disrespect or nothing, but..." Keaton swallowed, using her hand to adjust the pearlescent, gold-framed pendant securing her muffler. Her eyes unconsciously traced the puddles of blood surrounding the nearby, severed limb. "What's the plan?"

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Paladin Sheppard]

"W-well I-ii think we should follow that b-blood trail" Ephrael said overhearing the Jackal's question to Gareeku. "I k-know who ever owned th-that arm is probably d-dead but the rest of the crew m-might have gone after them..it..whatever"

She was scanning the area as she spoke, her longbow following where ever her eyes went.

[Stygian]

Pulling out and raising one handgun, Stygian drew back the hammer with a sharp click. Strangely, it looked as if he were raising a finger or something, to make a point.
   'That would be the least advisable course of action, I should say', he commented, looking blankly at Ephrael. 'But if it gets us out of here faster... Mind though that one or two of us might bite the bullet, in that case. So I'd rather we take a side route or set up a counter-ambush.'

[Tapewolf]

"If we are going to follow the blood, best to do so indirectly," Jakob said.  "That may not help much but it should give us slightly better odds than following it straight into the arms or jaws of whatever's at the end of the rainbow.
"In any case, Gareeku is leader," he added in a deferential tone.  "The final decision must be his."

[Gareeku]

Raising his eyebrow somewhat at being referred to as "boss-man" and as the leader of the group, Gareeku listened to the others' suggestions. Like some members of the group said, it was a very good idea to follow the blood trail itself, but Gareeku wanted to try and get to the bottom of this. However, at the same time he didn't want to drag anybody who didn't want to be there into it.

"Personally, I agree with that while we should not follow the blood trail, this needs further investigation. Some crew staff may still be alive, and I want to find out what the hell is going on here." the wolf said to the other members of the group. "If anyone does not want to be here or wants to return to the ship, then we shall head back without any of the crew members. It's your call."

However, the group would not have time to dwell on a decision for long, for as soon as the wolf finished speaking, a faint silouette suddenly appeared in the distance, further down the street into the town. It moved around in a sporadic motion, staying still for periods of time before scuttling around at great speed. At first, whatever it was had not noticed the group, but that would soon change, as the silouette's head suddenly jerked up, looking at if whatever it was was looking straight at them, before emitting a horrifying screech that would send chills down even the hardiest of spines.

[James StarRunner]

James took aim for a non lethal part of the silhouette's body. He wasn't sure what it was yet and would rather not kill it outright. He just hoped that screech didn't already attract more of his kind. After making sure his arrow tip had a heavy dose of tranquilizer, he loosed his arrow at the figure and rolled off to another area to hopefully keep his cover.

[Cogidubnus]

 Tail swishing idly behind him, Cog watched James's arrow cut through the mist towards the screaming silhouette, and took a step backwards. His ears twitched, and one of his legs slid back slightly. One of his eyes peeked over the tops of his shades, the yellow orb shining in the fog.
Although none of the group could remember the wolf drawing his sword, it glittered by his leg softly in the mist. He adjusted his grip, keeping it in a low guard as he listened.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha's grip never lessened on the Dragonblade's handle.  A portion of her attention couldn't leave the severed arm on the ground, even though it was still easy to listen to the others opinions.  While some had their own variations of following the trail presented, some also had good arguments on why they shouldn't...while the rest awaited Gareeku's jurisdiction.  Slowly, eyes settling on the crimson and her mind already preparing a prayer of pity for the victims, she knew that going the dangerous route wasn't the best idea.

The wolf confirmed so a moment later.  The panthress assumed a straight stance...she certainly wasn't going to run away from such a mystery.  Besides...which one of them actually knew how to sail a boat?

"Bueno, then, maybe..." Aisha began, only to pause like the others, her voice quieting, upon catching the vision of a silhouette darting about in the mist ahead of them.  Her eyes narrowed as it zipped around with either a near-ungodly amount of speed or a simple breach of illusion, like the snap of a bad picture...

Either way, when it stopped...stared...and then let out such a beastly screech that Aisha felt briefly like she was walking into a nightmare...somehow it seemed the group guessed that was one of the creatures they were dealing with.  First an arrow was flying from the grass, and Cogidubnus was readying...

Aisha in a state of alertness was already prepared, or just hyped up with enough adrenaline to justify her quick actions.  There were no questions asked, no time to think about what it could be...just the fear that its terrifying image gave off.  She hopped back once and, with a snap of her left arm and a grunt, a whirling flash of silver cut across the mist and towards the thing.  The boomerang whizzed just moments after the arrow.

[Stygian]

Slanting his ears back and growling, the bat stared in the direction of the creature down the trail with an expression of anger and utmost irritation. Already having one revolver at the ready, and the other at a second's draw away, he instead slipped his fingers into the packet of cigarettes he had in his pocket. Dimming the look on his face into one of mere annoyance, he placed a rolled sliver of white in the corner of his mouth, and flicking out a slim lighter, he lit up.
   'Gentlemen...' he said, his voice low and controlled. Raising one gun, and placing his hand on the other, he aimed dead at the silhouette. 'Now is when we scatter and take cover.'

[Tapewolf]

"Seconded," said Jakob, as Stygian took aim. "But try not to kill them if you can," he added rapidly.  "If it is a foe, we might be able to learn where the crew are if they're still alive..."

So saying, he faded from view.  Of course sight was not the only sense their assailant might use...

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel ducked to the side of a nearby building and began the casting of a lightning spell. If the physical attacks didn't have the desired effect she would try a magical one.

[Stygian]

'I don't do non-lethal very well', the bat replied solemnly. Then he fired. The gunshot was more muffled than any other firearm of that kind would have been, due to his revolvers' excellent design, but it was still a crack so sharp that it seemed to shatter the image of the surroundings as it broke the silence. A bolt of hot lead, thermite and cordite residue hurtled through the air like a sliver of lightning, straight at the silhouette.
   'Ain't sabots, but if that thing has anything like normal skin, it's going to be hurting pretty soon, he continued. 'I'll remember to aim for the knees though, so you don't have to be afraid to go near the horrid, screeching beast. If it has any.'
   Another crack split the air, and the bat breathed a cloud of bluish smoke that mixed with the mist. Stroking the handle of his other gun, prepared to move instantly, he began unleashing upon the creature down the path, whatever it was.

[Gareeku]

"Well isn't this pleasant." Gareeku growled after the creature had emitted its shriek. No sooner had it done so, had people starting firing at the thing.

"Fucking hell..." the wolf cursed to himself as they did so. "Talk about shoot first, ask questions later."

However, whatever was fired at the creature would not work. the projectiles fired at the thing simply went through it, doing no damage whatsoever. Not a moment after this had happened had the creature, seemingly morphing into a dark mist, before blending in with the fog around it.

Not a second later, the creature suddenly appeared, still as a silouette of some sort, right next to Gareeku, before he knew what was happening, the thing swung at him, catching the side of his face and tearing his flesh, knocking the wolf off of his feet. Looking up, the wolf grimaced at the creature as it raised his arm again, ready to deliver another, potentially fatal, strike.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha watched intently as her boomerang, as well as the other projectiles, flew towards the creature as it appeared...it was like they were moving in slow motion, the others waiting for their various weapons to hit...

And they didn't.  The creature disappeared into the mist, becoming a part of the very air.  As her weapon came back to her hand, Aisha cursed and swished her head around.  "Dammit, where'd it go?" she growled.  "Please tell me it's NOT another ghost..."  It was easy to see that the panthress was getting tired of the group being played around with in the creepy mist.

But no sooner had she tried to think of a plan, than she heard a noise from within the group.  Gareeku had fallen...and the beast was actually there with them, towering over the wolf and ready to deal another blow...things were moving far too quickly, with little time for anyone to think...

"Oh no you don't..." Aisha growled and lunged with her magic-proof blade, hoping to at least distract the thing so Gareeku could get up...if she didn't tear a hole in it first...certainly something had to work.

[Stygian]

Now that was a whole lot more to worry about. It was the first time any of the others had seen any sort of reaction of surprise or shock from the bat. Instinctively training his gun on the creature as soon as he caught it snapping into existence right next to them, his eyes widened, and he stepped back, futilely trying to get a clean shot at it for a second, before realizing that both Gareeku and Aisha were much too near.
   'Fuck! Skip what I said about cover!' he called out, somewhat clumsily holstering his firearm and moving slowly backwards. A teleporter like this would pick them off one by one if they broke up. His other hand flashed in a swift movement, and he drew a long, wicked-looking knife from somewhere. 'We need to move!'
   Before he could do anything further, Aisha fell upon the creature, and with a cursing snarl the bat sidestepped and circled the creature with a couple of leaping steps, aiming for its flank instead. Wisps of black gathered to one of his hands as he readied a bolt of dark magic.

[James StarRunner]

James' eyes widened as other attacks were aimed to kill. What the heck do they think they're doing!? All attacks seemed to be in vain though, but it didn't help to relieve new worries. Oh great... incorporeal beings...

James lunged in to tackle Gareeku to the ground before letting off a smoke bomb to mask their escape. He would let Aisha and Stygain try their luck against the foe for now.

[Tapewolf]

Now they've annoyed it, Jakob thought.  It might have helped us before, heck it might even be one of the crew, twisted beyond recognition through some dark, horrible magic...

But whatever it was, something this intangible was not a thing he felt he could tackle.  Remaining invisible, he made for James.  Ensuring Gareeku's safety should be the priority.

[Gabi]

Gabi instinctively covered her ears as soon as she heard the screech, and when she managed to react everyone was fighting. She thought of using a stun spell, but doubted it would be effective on an opponent of that size. She then thought of a possible way to focus it and intensify it -she had heard that some metals had the capacity to amplify magic, though she had never had a chance to test it-, but by then she was able to witness the failure of all other attempts at hurting it. "Not another ghost," she thought. "Or is it an illusion?"

But soon, that last theory went down the drain, as the strange entity slashed Gareeku's face. That had to be more than illusion, but then why didn't any attacks hurt it?

The question itself brought a crazy idea. It was a long shot, but there didn't seem to be anything left to try... nor to lose. She put her initial plan into action, only with a different spell. unsheathed her sword and pointed it firmly at the attacker, then used it to channel her healing magic.

"Please let this work," she repeated in her thoughts, not stopping to think of who or what was the recipient of the request.

[Cogidubnus]

 As the rest of the party attacked the creature with generally ineffective results, Cog stood still and watched, taking a step backwards only when the ghost itself seemed to teleport right next to Gareeku, and attack.
The others scrambled to counter the phantom's attack, and one person seemed to be trying to save Gareeku, letting off a smokebomb and further obfuscating the situation. Too many people to try anything direct - he could hit any one of them.

The wolf reached into his coat and pulled out a worn, golden coin, and looking away flipped it into the air. Phantoms could seldom stand direct sunlight, and as though Apollo himself had stepped off his flaming chariot, a second sun exploded next to the wolf.

[Paladin Sheppard]

As the creature emitted its screech it touched something primal deep inside Ephrael, she had heard something similar the night her parents died. Eyes saucer wide, she didn't notice the warm trickle of liquid running down her legs before her terrified brain sent one coherent thought, RUN.

A high pitch scream erupted from the marsupial's mouth as she turned and fled, no thought to direction or to seek a hiding spot.

Ephrael disappeared into the mist, radiating enough terror that even someone not equipped to sense emotions could feel it.

[Sunblink]

Over the gunfire and barrage of attacks, Keaton was preparing her weapon when, suddenly, the Tasmanian Devil Being - Keaton had never caught her name - standing nearby released a blood-curdling scream and spun away. At first Keaton watched in slight disbelief, momentarily surprised by the uncharacteristic display of horror amidst the seasoned adventurers. She would have been completely distracted if it wasn't for the considerable noise the creature and its opponents were making throughout the indistinguishable blitzkrieg, if only because of the horrendous and nearly overwhelming output of terror the girl issued.

Keaton felt her head reel for a moment, then, without thinking, she yelled out, "HEY!" to try and stop the girl from running. Apparently she didn't hear her, because she vanished into the fog.

Well, Keaton was looking for an opportunity to gain the group's loyalty and erase her previous reputation as a bitch. Maybe retrieving the Being would serve as that opportunity. Inhaling sharply, Keaton leveled Catastrophe and raced into the fog after Ephrael, shouting a little too quickly over her shoulder, "I'll go get her! Take care of that thing!"

Running at a brisk pace, her heavy combat boots clapping against the ground, Keaton kept her concentration centered on Ephrael's projected stream of horror, using it as a barometer to measure the distance between them. Whenever she faltered off-course or away from Ephrael in the blinding fog, she felt that horror fluctuate slightly, but as she approached the Tasmanian Devil the emotions intensified. Once or twice Keaton nearly tripped over her feet, but she quickly recovered and maintained her pace.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel had the lightning spell ready with nowhere to use it. Too many people tangled up together and an electrical attack was in no way pinpoint enough to keep from harming allies. She held the attack as she watched for an opening, flinching a bit from Cog's light attack.

[Gareeku]

It all happened so fast...the creature's screeching was deafening, hurting his ears as the thing preparedto strike. The blow would never come, however, as Aisha had moved in, her glistening blade moving through the air as it struck its target...or rather, went right through it. Hissing, the shadowy thing whirled to face Aisha, before everything was suddenly shrouded in a plume of smoke.

Gareeku could then feel himself being dragged away, knowing that it could only be one person; James. Once they were clear of the melee, the white wolf put a hand to face before taking it away again, seeing that it was covered in blood.
"Damn it..." the wolf growled to himself. Half of his face was in fact stained crimson. The gash he had suffered from that creature was deep, and it hurt like hell.

Sure enough, Gabi went ahead with her gamble, what followed was another deafening shriek from the creature. But this time, the shriek was one of pain. Gabi's healing magic had in fact harmed the thing, rather than heal; a most interesting development indeed. Stumbling back, the shadowy creature then turned its attention on the vixen, hissing angrily, ready to attack.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Ahead of Keaton there was sickening crunch, like that of someone running into the side of a building, and both the horror and the scream died as one.

Whether the young hunter was alive or dead Keaton would have to find her to tell.

[Aisha deCabre]

Her sword came down quickly, almost like a guillotine in slow motion to her eyes...only for the blade to go through the seemingly incorporeal beast.  No hint of flesh, no sign of blood clinging to the glistening edge...

"Oh damn it," she cursed as it, thankfully, turned away from Gareeku and started for the panthress.  She held up her sword for defense and tried to step away, though her mind was reeling from just trying to recover from its unnatural screeches alone.  What the HELL kills this thing?!

They would find out very quickly.  No sooner had a sudden smokescreen obscured her view partially, did the black jaguar hear another scream--this time an actual painful one--eminate as its attention again diverted to the source of its pain: Gabi.

Taking a second to look around, everyone looked alright...but Gareeku had been slashed across the face and his blood was flowing.  Aisha gritted her teeth and was one of those to rush to his aid, though not before noting the beast wasn't about to turn away from its new target.  At least they knew now how it worked...

"Gabi!  Amiga!  Whatever you did, do it again!  Hurry!"  She called, this time gripping her boomerang, in case the monster needed to be diverted again...

[Sunblink]

Keaton faltered in her stride and cringed away from the deafening screech of the unseen monster. Although she was a good distance away from the skirmish, she still hated to imagine what atrocities were going on over there. Part of Keaton was relieved that she wasn't participating, assuming the actual altercation was as graphic as what she was envisioning. Shrugging away those unbidden thoughts, Keaton returned to searching for the hunter, occasionally calling out her name in a voice that was swallowed up by the miasmal fog. She was doing a good job of keeping up to the runaway archer thus far, at least, but navigating the smoke was virtually impossible for someone without any magical assistance.

Right ahead of her, Keaton heard a loud crunch, and at last the continuous screaming ended. Keaton was at first grateful for the silence, but registered that this change might not be as pleasant as she thought it would be. After all, Ephrael could be hurt. With the archer no longer running blindly, Keaton dashed through the fog, trying to reach her.

[James StarRunner]

James took his gloves off, letting his wings shimmer back into existence. "I've never healed anyone else before..." he said as he focused light energies into his palms, making his hands glow. "This may sting a little, but I've got to stop the bleeding."

Putting a hand up to Gareeku's face, he tried to repair the damaged veins. The deep gashes would likely still show as he wasn't nearly as proficient as Gabi, but now James felt confident that Gareeku wouldn't bleed to death within the next five minutes and live long enough for Gabi to finish the job.

"Take down two minions of evil and call me in the morning." James said in a mock doctor's tone.

After the rough patch job, James tackled headlong into the action again. Keeping his focus, he kept his hands glowing in healing powers and clenched his fists. Time to beat some holiness into these freaks!

[Stygian]

Gritting his teeth, Ignatz fell back, inky smoke sizzling between his fingers and dissipating. He growled something indistinct and bit down on the quickly shortening sliver of death in the corner of his mouth. They were fighting it back, and he could not do much. The vixen's strange deduction seemed to have proven right; he himself had not made the connection as the thing seemed simply too incorporeal, and though he had fought ghosts and wights before he had resorted to entirely other means then. If the thing was opposed to light magic and good energies in such a manner, it was unlikely that anything he could throw out on short notice would be of use. Well, anything that he would allow himself to, either way. He still had a whole lot else to mind...
   Falling back and caught up in that line of thought, observing the phantom and its pattern of attack, the bat only noticed the ping of the coin ringing to his side, and didn't even pay it much mind, though it seemed strange. There had not been a thing to indicate the importance of the maneuver the wolf intended to pull off. Still, for just an instant, as the very first flicker of light shone off the coin's surface, the bat seemed to flinch, and his dark eyes widened as they turned toward the little shining object. He gasped, his mouth open in a silent scream, and spun around with a twitch just a fraction of a second before the thing went off in a blaze of light.
   The metallic sound of his knife hitting the ground was accompanied by a scrape and a sizzling, crackling sound. His pained shout came from eerily far off.
   Clutching one still smoking hand to his face and blinking with his blinded eyes. Snarling ferally, he cursed, and followed the scent of Ephrael and her fear. If this went wrong...

[Paladin Sheppard]

Keaton would have completely missed the Tassie Devil, had it not been for a bloodstain on a wall. It was just the right height for Ephrael's head, and sure enough there she was crumpled up at the base.

It appeared Eph had run full tilt, head first into the wall, and broken her muzzle, but that was enough to put her down and out.

[Gabi]

Encouraged by her success, Gabi continued what she was doing.

(OOC: sorry, I couldn't think of anything else to say under the circumstances and I thought it'd be best to post just to get things moving.)