Of Steam and Steel: IC (Mature) {Currently Open}

[Tapewolf]

Kesslen City Streets

"Yeah, the orb isn't for me, it's for her," Seth corrected, gesturing at Ana, as it looked like the demoness had only caught the tail end of the conversation.

"Normally I'd offer her a lift to the capital, but that would be somewhat ungracious of me now that you've offered to show me the epicentre of the quake."

The wolf incubus wasn't especially afraid of Demons as a rule, but he had got into a habit of being courteous and careful to avoid offending them.

[Tipod]

Flame On

The jaguar's reflexes proved too quick for Bart as he was sent tumbling off into a nearby senator. Being hit with almost 200 pounds of ignited bulk, the poor bystander would hopefully get away with only a few bruises and minor burns as the demon pushed and scrambled to stand back up. He'd been in this kind of fight before, and he knew exactly how the typical angel liked to counter after shoving you off.

He wasn't going to give him that opportunity. No less than a second after getting to his feet, Bart reached out, spewing a cone of flames from his palm, just enough to engulf the murderous state official without seriously igniting anyone unfortunate or dumb enough to still be next to him.

[Arroyo Milori]

I ran out of clever titles to put up here!

Arroyo sat down beside them. "Yeah, what a tragedy this town became." Lucy's glowing eyes did catch him off guard a bit. "Peculiar..." He mumbled to himself. He raised an ear when she asked him where they were and where he was from. "I wish I knew where we were. I got sidetracked by those damned Cultists releasing that angel and now I'm probably not even heading the right way to my next job."

His fingers curled to form a fist, he took a deep breath to relax himself for a moment. "Sorry. Bad encounter and what not." He tried his best to give them a warm smile once more. "But what about you? What are you doing here?"

[SquirrelWizard]

Stephan rolled his shoulder at the mention of a spell, "I'd rather do it without the spell... waking up to a severe headache every morning would be a bit much. My father showed me a trick or two, but all I know about my clan was something I read in a library. It was really dry, and dont remember half of it. Supposedly your clan is supposed to be a big thing?"

[Kafzeil]

Welcome to Aelisium

"I'm leaving." Lucy sighed. "Long story short, you're in Aelisum, and I was just about to leave the place that wants me dead."She told the lion.

She looked at Arroyo, and mouthed the word "Undead", hoping he'd catch the hint.

[Gabi]

(OOC: sorry for the late reply, it's been a complicated week.)

"Pleased to meet you, Nadia," Ana responded to the belated introduction. "What I really need is protection for my village. If a messenger orb is the fastest way to get it, I'll go for that. If you know of a better way, then I'm open to suggestions, but I need to get it sorted out as soon as possible."

[techmaster-glitch]

Aftermath of the orphanage

   Gezzemocht shook his head and picked up the mask the stranger had thrown down, and returned to work with his brother. Both did constantly give concerned sideways glances at the stranger, Lucy, and the child, though they couldn't hear what was being said.  Eventually, they had about all the bodies they could find all pulled out of the rubble and lined up on the ground. During this time, Gezz also pulled out a few of the bent armor plates from underneath his light pilot's vest, finally breathing easy as they were removed. He went into one of the Storm Scorp's compartments and got fresh ones, reinserting them under the vest. Using the mech's claws, Gaakronact scooped up dirt in one stroke to make a small hole, Gezz gingerly placed a body in, Gaak filled it over, and Gezz erected a wooden grave marker. They repeated this process until all the bodies were buried.
   Their gruesome task complete, the brothers headed over to the conversing people. Gaak disengaged most of the mech's functions and dismounted, joining Gezz on the ground as they walked up.
   Gaak spoke up first. "Alright. We need to talk to the girl for a little bit, we need to find out exactly what happened here. After that, we can decide what to do. Although..." Gaak glanced at Lucy, then to his brother.
   Gezz nodded. "Lucy...I know we promised to take you to into Nhylamar. I know we're not there yet. So...I have to ask you something we almost never ask anyone. Given the circumstances, can you release us from our promise to you? We really have to return to the nearest garrison as soon as possible."

[Arroyo Milori]

The Grave of many that once was a Town

Arroyo bit his lip a bit from the hint Lucy dropped on him. "Yikes.." He mumbled to himself. She didn't seem all that undead to him, probably still fresh from the grave. " Well-"

He was soon interrupted by one of the brothers. He bit his lower lip once more to keep himself quiet during the conversation between the two. Then a key word appeared in their conversation. "Nhylamar?" He smiled a bit. "Too busy? I got a ship and I could take Lucy-Lucy is your name right?- to Nhylamar, seeing its close to the destination I need to go to." He took a couple steps back, his hands behind his back. " Of course I'm just a stranger and you might not trust me, that's ok I understand." 

[Kafzeil]

It was like a punch to the gut, to be honest. Arroyo reaction reminded her she wasn't normal.

She frowned at the brothers, felling her heart in knot."The letter...?"Lucy stuttered.

The lion then offered her a ride. Well, at least she wouldn't have to walk.

Glancing back at Rene, she looked back the brohers."I'm taking her with me."She said sternly.

[Noone]

Doesn't matter where I want to go now, being directed as I am. At least it was one responsibility off of Kyirri's shoulders, though he couldn't be happy about potentially running risk for another's mistake. Still, I'd best do what I can.

With that, he headed towards where he, or he felt was best. He remained fully alert while moving. He didn't have the book anymore, but dropping his guard could easily get him killed.

[techmaster-glitch]

   Gaakronacht frowned at Lucy's first question. "The letter? Of, of course we're still going to deliver that when we get the chance. We might get a chance for awhile, but it will get delivered eventually."
  Then Lucy said something that floored both brothers. They stared openmouthed at Lucy. Gezzemocht put his face in a hand, and Gaakronacht matched Lucy's stern expression.
  "Lucy..." Gaak began. "Did you even think about what you just said?" He pointed to the ruins behind him. "Have you forgotten what did this in the first place? She is not going to the place where it came from. She is Aelisian, and it is our duty to protect her with our lives." Gaak narrowed his eyes. "From all possible threats."
  "Easy, brother." Gezz said, putting a hand in front of Gaak. Gezz met Lucy with a softer gaze. "I'm sure you mean well, Lucy. But please, leave this to the professionals. This is not the first time we've done this. Maybe..." Gezz glanced back at the ruins. "Maybe not under such atrocious circumstances, but this is not the first time we've provide relief and transport to a safer shelter to those who have just lost everything. Creature incursions do tend to be indiscriminant."
  Gezz took a step to the side. "Although I still need to talk to her before we move on." He knelt down in front of the girl, holding out a hand and taking off his helmet.
  "Hi there, it's okay. I'm a friend, I'm here to help you. Come here for a moment. It's alright, you're safe now." Gezz said, mustering up his softest and most reassuring voice.

[Kafzeil]

Lucy glared at Gaak, all but spitting at him."Are you comparing me to the monster that did this?!"She growled, her voice seething with anger.

'If I'm such a threat then just put the gun to my head right now and pull the trigger. You don't even have to bother with a goddamn marker. Apparently I'm no longer worthy of protection. Then again, neither was my father."

"Maybe It'll do her good not being raised in a country of two-faced bastards who turn on anyone who doesn't fit into their utopia."

She sighed. keeping Rene close."I never considered myself an Aelisian anyways, if that makes the trigger easier to pull."

[Arroyo Milori]

Arroyo sighed at all the confrontation, for that is all he can do. "Please calm down." He stroke the fur on his chin a bit and looks around at the ruins, trying to keep a cool leveled head. "It's not us to decide. It's the child's. Lets not force the poor frighten girl to do something she doesn't want to do. So let the child decide."

He dusted off the ashes on his coat gently and looks up at Gaak with a cold look.  He took a deep breath and looks up at the sky, trying to stay relaxed.  He looked down at the child and smiles. " Which is it sweetheart? Me n' Lucy or those two?"

[Mel Dragonkitty]

When the screechy thing popped up in front of her Addy did the only sensible thing to do when a screechy thing popped up in front of you on the battlefield. She aimed a blow with her hammer at the source of the noise to shut it up before it attracted more of its kind.

[techmaster-glitch]

Aftermath of the fire

  Gezzemocht, with regret, stood back up and away from the girl as Lucy began her spew. When she was done, both brothers were left in shock at her sudden vitriol.
  Gaakronacht started glaring. "Well, we kind of did offer--"
  Gezz put his hand in front of Gaak again, this time actually thumping him on the chest (but knowing how their vests were made, he was sure to strike where there was not a metal plate). Gezz looked at his younger brother with a very pointed expression.
  "Gaakronacht. Go double-check the flow valves on the Storm Scorp."
  Gaak's face began to turn incredulous. "But--"
  "Do it. That's an order."
  Gaak looked hard at Gezz, then to Lucy, then back to Gezz, and the tension that was accumulating in his shoulders let out. He curtly nodded to his older brother, and dutifully trudged away from the three and towards the steam-mech.
  Gezz watched him go, then sighed, taking his helmet off again and running a hand over his head. He then looked to Lucy and the stranger, after the stranger had finished what he was saying. He started by talking to Lucy.
  "I think I see what's going on, Lucy. You've been let down by others in the service of this country. As much as I hate to admit it, not even our own ranks are perfect. But superimposing your unresolved issues with others upon us, who had nothing to do with it, is not productive at all."
  Gezz shifted his gaze to the stranger, standing tall and speaking with a resoned, level voice. "And I will reiterate; we have sworn an oath to protect all citizens of Aelisium. There is no question or debate about it, the girl is coming with us. Whether you think she is frightened or not, it is for her own saftey. We have already failed in out duty by being too late to arrive here. We will not continue to fail."
  Gezz's gaze shifted back to Lucy, a sad softness in his eyes.. "And yes Lucy, beause of your...condition...you are no longer a citizen of Aelisium, technically. But we have been helping and protecting you anyway. We've been out here on the border for some time now. We know not all Creatures are actually bad. But the most dangerous thing for you is staying in this country, which is why we've been giving you a lift out, with the sad exception that current circumstances caused us to request of you to release us from that promise, though this man here fortunately has offered to take you the rest of the way. But again...we do have a duty, one we have performed many times before, and will continue to do so. The girl is coming with us, after she is able to tell us what happened here. Please understand."

[Lisky]

(OOC: Sorry for the extended delay, folks.  Been a bit of a roller-coaster of a few weeks.  Things are approaching something closer to normalcy, and as such, i shall be getting back into a more steady pattern.   Again, sorry for the semi-disappearance... you GM has returned... to inflict horrible evil upon you all )


Lost in the Crowd, Offstage


As the crowd started to move, Locke would suddenly feel someone run into him from behind with a rather hefty impact.  A female vulpine, being, natural red-fox toned, young, fairly delicate features, with shoulder-length raven-black hair.  She was wearing an upper-class commoners outfit, a long skirt with a frilly, thought not over-done top.  She held her hands up in apology.    "i'm terribly sorry about that, i just didn't see you there.  Are you alright good sir?"


That's a Shady Park to Take a Walk Through


The only ways home for Avram were either through a series of abandoned streets, or through the sparsely populated parks.  Neither were very safe at night, though the streets were particularly bad when it came to gangs.  The lights were on, casting harsh shadows, and leaving alleyways in the deepest of blacks.  There were others about, their scent light on the air.  Not enough smell to track, but enough to know that he wasn't completely alone this evening.


Enchanter's Emporium


"Me an' my friend at the clothin' shop, lad.  We go a-way back.  Grew up together.  By the by, you're all set to go."  He passed the umbrella and blade back, "Looks like a goodly sized crowd's assembled down the road."
A flash of wing, and a figure daintily landing on the sage could be made out.  The figure disappeared into the crowd, amongst the "ooohhs" and "ahhs" along with the clapping.


Dust in the Wind


(OOC: Tech, Arroyo and Kaf, i shall finish this ASAP)


Tit for Tat


The blade passed into and then through the demon's wing as it's flight though the ring.  The deep cut through his leathery wing made flight seem rather precarious.  As the amulet was thrown, there was a muffled curse, followed by a howl of pain.  The sudden flare up, and the smell of burnt fur filled the air.  

The victory, however, was short-lived.  A bolt of lightning arced from the sky,  In a spark, the Gryphon's wing-feathers flashed alight, the Gyrphon was out cold.  Still breathing, slow and steady, but definitely out of the fight.


Main Street


First addressing Ana, Nadia replied, "Messenger orbs are the fastest way to communicate.  Though, it'll probably take a day or 2 to get everything organized.  While we do pride ourselves on efficiency, there's still the matter of getting a powerful enough spell-caster to put everything in place."

She gave a shrug, and moved towards Seth, "Last i saw, there was a bit of a line, but, messenger orbs are the fastest."

Turning her attention back towards the incubus she flashed him a clearly feigned pout, "Oh, and here i thought -i- was what you were interested in.  Alas, some guys are just into different things."  A massive smirk crossed her lips as she waited for Renard and Ana's reply to the invite to join her and Seth.


Senate Floor Throw Down


The jet of flame seemed to flow around a sphere of some kind, the Angel had thrown up a barrier spell after the wing-slap, and had moved back.  Behind Bart, a rather cross looking green equine demon in a full military uniform appeared.  He was large, muscled, and was carrying a large-bore revolver, even for someone of his stature.  His thumb pulling the hammer back, tumbler rotating into the ready position, and finger ever so gently pressed against the trigger.  "Go ahead, try me dirt-ball.  Stand down, hands behind your head, face to the floor. NOW!"
His voice was deep, authoritative, and carried the slightest hint of annoyance.  Judging by his posture, he was looking for an excuse to shoot.


Trains go WOO WOO! (Stephan)


Ed had a look of horror on his face.  "You know -nothing- about cubi then... This... is going to be -fun-."  Ed sighed.  Rubbed his temples, and tried to figure out where to begin.   "Okay... you're now officially a creature.  Make of that what you will, with the proper training, you will become a magic-wielding shape-shifter, who feeds on emotions.  You will not need sleep, if you have enough emotion, you won't need to eat.  So... upside, staying alive is relatively cheap.  Downside, you are by no means the biggest fish in the pond.  Don't let it go to your head that you're suddenly capable of going out and slaying entire armies.  You're not... you'll die, horribly...  and we'll have yet another PR nightmare to deal with."

Ed snickered.  "So, next part, as a cubi, you have a natural affinity for certain emotions,  these are tied to your clan leader.  IE the ruler of your clan, and from who's progeny you were raised.  Clans have different interactions, and going through the whole system of alliances and what-not would be a bit tedious.  So... just remember to be polite and respectful to any cubi, especially for you.  Until you learn more... well... you're low man on the totem-pole.   Soo... any questions there?"


Leaving on a Freight Train (Kyirri)
Passing through the upper end of town, Kyirri found himself waiting in line, ticket in hand, for a train headed into the north of the country, near the Voethfellian border.  The train-car he was directed to was fairly posh, cushy, comfortable even.   Red leather seats, in a dark, wood-lined cabin.  It was built for comfort.   Most of the passengers seemed rather upper class, especially compared to Kyirri.  Several military officers were also on-board.  Their dark blue uniforms announcing their presence.  


The Fog of War  


A slick, wet crunch greeted Addy, her hammer having removed the chitinous head of the bug.  It's body slumped down the hole, blocking the entrance.   She could hear more sounds down below... apparently more were attempting to scramble up.

In the skies above, it seemed the resistance over the train-station had mostly collapsed.  Paige could see the prisoners having mostly broke free.  Insectis airships were non-existent, and their ground-forces were totally unprepared.  Paige recieved a message from the MJOLNIR, "Alpha and Delta wings, return to base, reequip and prepare for the ground operations,  over and out."  

In the crowd, amongst the slaves, a narrow looking demoness could be seen removing the anti-magic shackles that had held back the magical might of the crowds.  In a very little bit of time, the former slaves would be free.  Their belongings still in the camps on the outskirts of the city.

[Tapewolf]

Kesslen Main Street

"We'll have to see how things go, madam," Sethir said, with a slight grin.  "But right now this young lady is clearly agitated about her homeland and that is a little jarring to me.  I could block it out of course, but that would hardly be polite."

[SquirrelWizard]

Stephan shook his head, "Nothing readily comes to mind." He undid the buttons on his shirt and hung the garment on a nearby hook. With a hiss of pain, his wings flowed out of his skin as the magic hiding them was released. He reached into his pocket and brought forth a copper piece, with barely a thought he flipped the coin amongst his fingers.

With a thoughtful air about him he watched the coin as it shimmered along, appearing and disappearing. Since stage magic utilized quite a bit of sleight of hand, it was only natural that magicians designed an exercise to enhance manual dexterity and coordination. Perhaps..." Catching the coin one last time, "Might as well try..." Stephan muttered as he flicked the coin into the air and tried to catch it with a wing tentacle.

Everything went perfectly. That is if he was expecting most of his tentacles to shoot off after the coin in a weird looking snarl, miss the coin entirely, and make an audible thunking sound as they bounced off of the cart wall leaving the coin to clatter elsewhere. "Ow... damn..." Stephans tentacles snaked back and, mercifully, untangled themselves. "Okay," he said more to himself, "lets try that again."

This time he tried to pick the coin up off of the floor. After many false attempts, many involving more than one tentacle trying to move at once, Stephan managed to get a tentacle around  the coin (hard) and pick it up (harder than it looks). With the tentacle he brought the Copper piece back to him, and just before he could take the coin back the tip of the tentacle split. The tip proceded to morph into a draconic head and in a single fluid action it swallowed the coin and flashed a happy grin at Stephan. The initial thought that went through his head was, "What the hell?" but then he had a sudden epiphany, "Oh wait! that's attached to me!"

Stephan snatched up the tentacle with speed born that of a person who just realised that he wasn't 100% sure of his anatomy. He squeezed the tentacle from the bottom up while the rest of his tentacle heads were hovering about with looks of apprehension, "Spit it out!" With barely a sound the Copper piece exited the mouth of the offending tentacle head at a moderate velocity, and bounced off of the ridge of Stephan's nose. He rubbed where the coin had hit him and grumbled. Holding the tentacle head, which was looking pretty sheepish now, to Ed he said, "Here is a question... what are these? and why do they seem to come and go as they please?"

[Gabi]

Kesslen Main Street

Ana looked at Seth for a moment, wondering what she was missing. She realized she was at a disadvantage, so much was going on at a level of communication she couldn't reach. She'd seen many Creatures before, but up to now she'd never been in a situation such as this one, surrounded by Creatures in an unknown place and quickly becoming the center of attention. There was no chance they hadn't noticed how nervous she was, but at least she could try to pretend the situation in Lamylar was the only reason. It was the main reason anyway.

"Well, I'm sorry, I didn't mean my concern for my people to disturb you," she replied with a hint of sarcasm, but trying not to sound too offensive. "In that case I think it'll be better for both of us if we get to a messenger orb as soon as possible."

[Paladin Sheppard]

"The A-16E, when you absolutely, positively, need to kill everything else in the sky...Accept no substitute...."


Acknowledging the recall order from the MJOLNIR Paige switched to the wing's freq on the sending stone and passed the message on. She had Red Squadron fly high cover on their way back keeping an eye out for any latecomers.

Once on the deck of the Battlecruiser Paige quickly made her way to the parking bay for her fighter and shut down the engine. Hopping out she checked her gear was still in place and waited for the rest of her group to assemble.

[Cogidubnus]

"Yea, though I shall walk in the valley of the shadow of death." Alex said, "I shall fear no evil. For thou art with me."

He voice carried in the metal interior of the aircraft. He slid his darkness-causing lantern around the edge of the doorframe and into the next hall. He began to reload both of his weapons.
"Thy rod and thy staff, they are a comfort to me. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I shall look in triumph over my enemies."

He risked a peek around the edge of the bulkhead. He continued speaking - they should be getting somewhat nervous about this point.
"he Lord will rescue me from every evil attack, and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever..."

[VAE]

Someone fiddled with the opacity settings!

As he was being escorted to the gate of the military aerodrome, Avram began to consider the return path.
It wasn't an easy choice, as it was easier to be seen (and thus ambushed) walking through the parks, but on the other hand , the backwater streets leading to his home and workshop were rather more populated, leading to a higher risk of assault and there were gangs prowling about.
In the end, he decided to go through the park path - after all, if crap hit the fan,  he had an advantage as a demon,  which was not so obvious if there were multiple combatants around...
Besides, the parks didn't smell nearly as badly as the streets mentioned - to many of the inhabitants of the poorer district, hygiene was still only a way to greet someone named Eugene.

As he walked across the nightly city, the feline demon began to pick up the traces of someone's scent. His fur poofed up a little, and ears tilted to the  sides.
Oh hell... someone's following.... did they see me leaving the base, or.. maybe they are concealed.... 
Don't be paranoid, you ass.. you aren't the only one walking around the city at this time...  Still.. better be careful.

Avram increased his stride, and prepared himself to harden his skin and extend claws should he hear anyone approaching - in any way, the feline's hearing was still better than his sense of smell.

[Boog]

Saving Private Ac'Gregor

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!
Jeremiah had heard plenty of war stories from his grandfather. When he was little, they were the best stories ever. They weren't like this. This story sucked. Things were exploding and he was holding a gun and bullets were whizzing by and he was desperately hoping not to die or piss himself before all this was over. He was presently keeping close to the buildings for cover, staying near the big scary war engines and helping them pick targets. He'd been issued a small, portable crystal ball to communicate with them. He honestly didn't see how he was going to help, they had things pretty figured out. If something was small the engines ran over it, and if it was large or particularly obnoxious they shot it.
But he couldn't afford to hang back. He had to prove himself, needed a bargaining chip, yeah... The plan was, admittedly, somewhat abstract in his head. He wished he could find that incubus who introduced him to the captain, they seemed to know what was going on. He needed to convince the captain to give him access to the library. And that had led him here, shooting things. He was sure the man had a reason for putting him here...
Ablative infantryman, was the term your grandad used?
Oh gods if you're not going to keep me alive then shut up.
See what trying to get rid of us nudges you into? You're in a WAR ZONE, Jeremiah. You're about to get your brains blasted out by some bug because you kept shoving ahead and got out of your depth.
He hated this voice, Bal. A sleazy, creeping thing, prone to sadistic impulse. It was possible to negotiate with it or intimidate it, yes, but it was hard when its whole objective seemed to be to mess with him.
There was a rattle of gunfire and Jeremiah threw himself into cover again, willing himself not to squeeze his eyes shut, to keep them open, aware, searching for... Whatever would keep him alive. Something. Anything.

[Tipod]

Bart's advance immediately froze at the officer's voice. All the flames licking around his body waned slowly before extinguishing, both eyes staring at the senator in front of him. Looks like authority had gotten the better of a Thom'sen once again.

Fireproof though he was, his entire form burned with shame and hatred. Some demon he was if he couldn't even kill a senator with the element of surprise. Now he had a cop behind him and just itching to blow his brains out. He'd probably do it even if Bart complied totally, knowing how these pigs operated. And that senator, he was going to feel so nice and Goddamned smug knowing he'd gotten away with murder while a concerned member of the victim's family would get thrown into the pen.

He gave the senator a sharp, solemn glare. You'll be seeing me again. I'm not through with you, pal. Before you die, I'm going to be the last motherfucker you see.

Without a word, Bartholomew did as the officer instructed, placing both hands behind his head as he slowly laid down as best he could.

[Chairtastic]

My name is Haien Messua.  You killed my henchman.  Prepare to die.

Almost immediately, the smoke would be moving on the source of the lightning, forming into a spiraling drill which would, if he'd aimed correctly, plow the girl into the ground where he could blast her with the collective flam of his wall gathered with a full circle spin, assuming his initial attack showed signs of bearing fruit.

His wing was in tatters, and he couldn't spare the time to cauterize it.  Bassoon was down, and he hadn't the time to check him.  He was likely going to die, here and now, but there was no time to think.  Don't think about what has to be done, just do it.  Don't think.  Do.  He repeated this mantra to himself, keeping his breathing controlled, and thus his fire with it, to the beat.

[JamesCray]

Exiting the Enchanter's Emporium

The bigeared fox nodded, his ears twitching down as he carefully resheathed the blade, and peered over.

"Hm. It appears that whatever had drawn the crowd has just drawn to a close, considering that fellow's just left the stage. Wonder what could draw such a crowd." he said, and wandered to the exit, absentmindedly.

After a moment, he realized what he was doing, and turned back briefly to call out "Oh, pleasure doing business with you!"

His attention suitably diverted, he made his way toward the crowd that had gathered, meaning to satiate his curiosity at what had caused it to form.

[Azlan]

Lost in the Crowd, Offstage


Locke was surprised to encounter such a seemingly refined lady, and his more noble mannerisms took over.  He quickly stowed his acquisition in one of the concealed pockets, in the same motion he gently took the vixen's hand and bowed, "no my dear lady, I am fine, thank you for your concern.  It is I who should apologize to you, I should not have been standing idly by in such a highly traveled area."

Moving to the side he paused briefly, "I am Locke, it is a pleasure to meet you..."  The cheetah angel waited patiently for the lady's introduction.

[Noone]

On a freight train

The large presence of military officers did nothing to put Kyirri at ease, and the comfort of the seats seemed wasted on him. He glanced around, evaluating the others in the vicinity, how much of a danger they'd pose to himself mostly. While his face was completely expressionless as he watched the upper-classmen, there was a thin veneer of distaste, and a touch of envy. He also sharply glanced around for any places he could make a quick escape if he needed to.

Still best remain alert though, the officers would likely not care if I got attacked, and I'd hate to be attacked a -third- time today... Still, I suppose upper class snobs have no reason to outright attack me, even if they would snub their noses at me.

He also did a quick search for any creatures, and scanning people for hidden signs of being a disguised cubi, scanning for bright coloration or any like signs.

[Lisky]

Don't Let Them Take Me Away!

The little continued to hide in Lucy, whimpering, "no, don't let them take me, don't let them touch me... They're the bad men!"

A light wind blew, causing the wafting smoke to surround the group.  It's thick scent, and heavy particulates almost choking.  


The Folly of Short Attention Spans

Renard spoke up first, "I really must apologize... I just, well, it's been a long time since i've seen Nadia... and, well... every once in a while, while not in a combat zone, my mind wanders... There should be a..."

He was cut off as all of them felt a shockwave rumble through town, as if the earth they were standing on suddenly raised an inch, then fell.  The building seemed fine, but there were many started pedestrians bracing themselves, Seth found himself loosing balance, Renard was on the ground, face up,  Ana managed to hold her ground, and Nadia had melded with the earth.

She spoke up, "That... was unexpected..."
In the distance, it almost sounding as if metal were flexing, groaning and screeching under stress.


What Am I?

Ed stood back as Stephan proceeded to make a fool of himself.  He watched, and noted everything about the tentacles movements.  He failed to stifle a bit of a bemused snerk, nor the thought behind the noise, 'amateur'.

"What you have there, is your wings bending to your will... of sorts.  It's one of the trademarks of our race.  It's a wing-tentacle... It's an extension of your will... The head is a means of identification... and a sign of someone with a powerful head to their clan.  The fact that you have one means you're one of a few dozen clans who have a tri-wing... "

Ed rather nonchalantly started toying with the coin as a mohawked draconian head formed at the end of his own tentacle.  The coin was in it's mouth for a moment, before the draconian head folded in and around itself, forming a hand.  The coin, idly rolling through the fingers, attached to a hand where the head had been, was flipped into the air.  Ed continued, "It's the most basic part of our nature, you see... your wings are subconscious... you focus on the goal, and let muscle-memory work from there."


Lost in the Clouds, Aboard an Airborne Battleship

As Paige stepped to the deck, there was a subtle lurch as the massive main guns roared and additional shells rained down upon the city in the distance.  From what Paige could tell, everything had been a completely surprise.  The resistance that put up was a shattered wreck, the ground team was quickly approaching the slaves.  Paige should be joining them shortly.

Mercedes had come off the bridge, she noted to Paige, "We're about a half-click behind the raiding force.   All reports say it's clear... you and your team should be good to join them whenever you're ready.  Caught them with their pants down... and there's no sign of them being able to regain composure... The liberated slaves seem to making things even messier.  I'd get my ass down there if i were in your position."

The ferret angel smirked and pointed towards the hallway that led to the lower decks, and the drop-lines.


Checkmate, Bitches

As the darkness enshrouded the area, the scattergun sent a hail of pellets down the hallway.  The succubus behind Alex snorted in annoyance.  "Looks like he jammed it up... should be safe."

Around the bulkhead, he could clearly see all 3 beings, a fox and a pair of felines.  The bat was fumbling around, trying to get a shell casing out of the breach.  The cats were brandishing semi-autos and were splitting their attention between the door and the annoyed grunts of their compatriot.  "Fuck man, get your shit together... they'll be here any second now!"

"You hear that?!"
"Hear what?"
"That!"
"What am i supposed to hear?"
"Someone else is here!"
*Bam bam bam*
Random shots let out down the hallway again.  They were answered with a lightning bolt this time.  It looked like Kierana's bolt took one of the felines in the face.  A small flicker of fire-light seemed to confirm this, along with the pungent odor of charred flesh.


"I'd Suggest Hiding Behind the Legs"

"It's safer back there then out in the open, Lad!"
An incubus leaned out from the gorilla like war-machine and shouted at Jeremiah, waving for him to take some cover rather than standing out in the open.   Out in front of the large war machines, creatures could be seen stalking the grounds.  Some were flying low, others were crouched low to the ground.  All appeared armed, and all were wearing the black, green and silver clothing, colors not unlike the tunic and gear Jeremiah had been issued.
The dust clouds grew, figures became silhouetted, the winged creatures were easy to spot.  Something was burning, it gave off an oily smoke, that burned to breath.  A sudden crack, followed by a deep thump in his chest, a warmth over his body as a mech fired one of it's cannons near the frog.

He spotted something out of the corner of his eye, a war hammer, and the sway of robes.  He could actually hear the crunch, despite the distance.
Further on, it looked like a barbarian horde approaching... but it was odd... they seemed to be brightly colored... and most were clearly not beings.

The ground party had reached the first of the 'slaves'.

Jeremiah would also note a few small holes in the ground... perhaps just wide enough to fit a small person through.  They appeared to lead downward.


Police Brutality

The last thing Bart felt was a sharp blow across the back of his head.  It wasn't clear how long he'd been out, or what had happened.  He could feel the bruises all across his body, as if he'd been kicked a few times while he was down.  The sun was still high in the sky.  Perhaps mid-afternoon, maybe approaching twilight, it was hard to tell.  His head was spinning... his stomach was sore.  His arm hurt, especially his left hand.
A not so careful examination would reveal why.  A knife had been planted through his palm, clean through to the other side.  It was a formal declaration by the senate.  In legal terms, it prohibited any member from the Thom'Sen from running for office for the next  50 years.  Furthermore, Bart had been singled out, and banished from the senate building for a term of no less than 5 years.  Attending a session of the senate would result in his serving a hefty stint in jail, or be thrown somewhere more useful... probably a fodder unit for the military.

He was in the poor district, and in his injured state, he could barely feel the greedy hands roaming across his form, searching for something of value.  A couple of street urchins had chosen this moment to search him for loot.


She's A Villain, With Wicked Plans. Doing Wicked Things With Those Wicked Hands

Bassoon's shallow breathing continued as Haien got up and proceeded to try another assault on the flying cubi.  However, it seemed that he had underestimated just how agile she was.  Her soft outline shimmed in the sky as she cut under and away from the vicious torrent of heat and wind.   A soft cloud of dirt announced her presence as she landed a little ways outside the circle.

He could make out another outline.  It seemed the one he'd hit initially wasn't quite dead yet as he moaned.  He could see the succubae's glare as a wing-tentacle plucked the limp form off the ground before disappearing.  He could feel the warp-spell's after-effects.  Both cubi were gone, and not a minute later, the rest of his team arrived.

"Shit boss-man , what the hell happened here?!" a familiar voice said through the flames.


Beyond the Stage

"Casandra, Casandra Deseux.  It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Loche, however, I do have somewhere to be, so I shall leave you in the good grace of the lords"
She curtsied, bowing low and holding her skirt out wide before moving to disappear in the growing crowd.


The fennec would see the vulpine as she started moving away from a cheetah angel, the stage a little beyond them.  The crowd still seemed rather dense, and there were several figures still on stage.  The cheering was almost painful and the sheer noise made picking out individual words and phrases impossible at this distance.


Freight Train

The one thing that seemed odd was the lack of creatures.  There was very little sign of middle class creatures.  Save for the military officers, who had a few demons in their ranks, the train seemed to be almost being exclusive.  

After about an hour on the train, there was a subtle shift.  It felt as if it was coming from –under- Kyirri.   As if the very ground suddenly dropped a fraction of an inch.  Suddenly he felt it again.  The train's breaks hit hard as a third little shockwave ran through.  A uniformed individual walked through the car, an otter.  he announced "there's something odd with the tracks here.  We're going to check it out... everyone remain calm and stay in your seats.  It's probably nothing, but the engineer feels it's worth investigating."

[Paladin Sheppard]

Lost in the Clouds, Aboard an Airborne Battleship

As Paige stepped to the deck, there was a subtle lurch as the massive main guns roared and additional shells rained down upon the city in the distance.  From what Paige could tell, everything had been a completely surprise.  The resistance that put up was a shattered wreck, the ground team was quickly approaching the slaves.  Paige should be joining them shortly.

Mercedes had come off the bridge, she noted to Paige, "We're about a half-click behind the raiding force.   All reports say it's clear... you and your team should be good to join them whenever you're ready.  Caught them with their pants down... and there's no sign of them being able to regain composure... The liberated slaves seem to making things even messier.  I'd get my ass down there if i were in your position."

The ferret angel smirked and pointed towards the hallway that led to the lower decks, and the drop-lines.

Grinning the Wolf Succubus turned to the XO "Thanks X!" She said as she passed the passed the Ferret in a Brown, Blond and White whirlwind.

Grabbing one of the drop lines after entering the drop room, Paige hurtled down the rope, then flared her wings at the last moment to break her momentum. Once on the ground she touched her communication orb "Basi? its Paige, where are you and where do you want little ol me?"