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

[JamesCray]

Rough Play?

Overall, Johan's form was acceptable, albeit slightly rigid and visibly favouring his right leg. He wasn't the best student in fencing back at university, but neither was he the worst, so not too many corrections should have been required. Without a doubt, the renewed training brought back memories, he could practically hear his old instructor as they worked through the exercises.

Your opponents move their weapons, not the other way around, so keep your eyes on them, not their weapons. Stand shoulder-on, it presents the most minimal profile, and gives you more momentum when you strike. Keep moving, you're harder to hit if you're not in the same place when they started to swing.

When the class split, Johan didn't take long to spot the creature watching him, who he greeted with a friendly nod of the head and a grin. It was, after all, Johan's belief that in an instructional setting, students were all there to improve together, and therefore improvement by anyone involved was a victory for everyone. This, however, did not entirely forbid a sense of competition, and so he continued to look his opponent over, sizing him up for advantages and disadvantages.

Large, feathered wings. Either has potential, as the wings can be more of an encumbrance to an angel compared to the cubi, who are more flexible as shapeshifters and can read minds, but then again, cubi tend to be more impulsive compared to the more patient, and potentially manipulative Angels.

[Paladin Sheppard]

/Sunglasses, Those be some good explosions


The thunder and shock-wave of the MJOLNIR's guns firing sent a tingle through Paige as they ripped the fortress's doors in little pieces, restoring most of her happy mood.

The wave of hate from below gave her a moments warning but she was the second to see the rocket tear out of the newly made hole, She started to curl her wings around those she could reach but stopped as she saw the rocket overshoot them.

"I think the natives are restless Boss!" 

[Lisky]

Test Taking Travesty

He was lead into a standard lecture hall.  A semi-circle of desk surrounded a central position.  Each desk had a pencil on it.  The only oddity Stephan would note was the lack of anything being felt in the room.  It was empty, and nothing seemed to leak through the walls.  Furthermore... the room itself was bare, sitting at the desk next to him was a multiple-choice questionnaire.  It looked to be fairly lengthy, and before he had a chance to ask a question, the white clad wolf had disappeared.  The door clicked behind him, some type of lock by the sounds of it.



Shack Attack!

Only not...

The girl continued to stare in disbelief that Lucy had abandoned her.  She didn't really reply to the beaver's question.  She just watched in horror as the undead feline walked out into the rain.  She managed a weak nod after a few seconds.  She was still stunned, and would need serious help if she would stand a chance of recovery.



Mayhem in the Bowels of the Metal Monster

Chris' icicle storm slammed home on the leg and part of the mask of the insect.  Another seemed to take out his gun belt as the weapon fell to the floor of the corridor, and fourth had hit the armor, but not pierced, sticking out at an awkward and oblique angle. 

Seth would find no shots, just a very pained looking insectis staring at him as it fell forwards.  Renard used his shield for cover as he pressed closer to Seth, taking careful aim before unleashing a bolt of dark energy.  With a purple-hue, the lighting-bolt arced from the feline's finger to the bug.   A sound something akin to popcorn filled the corridor, along with the faint smell of burning charcoal and roasted almonds.   
Nadia quipped "Fuck, move quick... gotta take out those others before they notice!"  So saying both demons started bolting towards the door.


It Seemed so Simple... WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!

Kath's brazen attempt at murder in the street was stopped rather short by the simple fact that the cubi had been using an illusion spell.  He himself was actually about 8 feet behind where everyone had seen him.  The illusion disappeared as the blade slit the illusory throat, spraying illusory blood across the very real street.  The blood disappeared as quickly as it had started to pool.

The incubus in question, however, was now well aware of the attempt on his life.  He simply bolted, knowing full well he stood no chance in open combat.


School of Hard Knocks

Johan watched as fighters came and went.  Each pair fought, "to the death", with battles ending when would-be crippling or death-blows were delivered and subsequently stopped by the ring, a hair's breadth from breaking skin.  Many wore nicks and bruises, but none were seriously injured.  He watched many styles of swordplay, an incubus who used his tentacles to carry a series of daggers, fought against a demon who carried a pair of bastard swords as if they were mere steak-knives. 

Another demon fought with a rapier that had to be enchanted, for her opponent carried a hatchet and saber.  More pairs with varying weapons came and went.  Soon, it was Johan's turn.  The creature appeared to be a metallic silver and white cheetah with lighter blue spots.  He squared off with the fennec.  He entered the ring with a slightly arrogant strut, as he unsheathed his blade with an over-the-shoulder draw.  He was carrying a zweihänder, the blade was at least as long as he was tall, and he was carrying the massive hulking ripper in a single handle.  Definitely an Angel, if Johan's experience told him anything.  "Your move, big ears"  He chided with a cocky grin.



Kill Everyone! It's what Horatio Would Do!

"Son of a bitch!  They were waiting for us."  Baseel roared over the scream of the missile.   "Paige, take point and kill those fucking bugs. "

About 200 meters down the tunnel, the shape of the crew served rocket-artillery could be seen.  It was a small tripod mounted setup, and there were a group of 4 insectis around it.  One but was working the sights, another attempting to load a rocket into the long, hollow tube,  and a pair of guards with bolt action rifles providing cover for the crew. 

Baseel was busy giving orders, as a pair of war-mechs moved to the edges of the hallway, they were slow, but trying to get their sights on the position.  Paige knew she could probably get in closer and get a few shots in first.

[Cogidubnus]

Gas Bag Back Stab?

"If you're in concurrence, I see no reason to sneak around about it." he said, lightly drawing a single revolver. "One shot one kill, my dear. Kindly kill any that manage to survive the next second or two."

Without announcing himself at all, he rounded the bulkhead and fired with lightning speed, a single bullet aimed at the head or heart of each being standing on the bridge.

[Inumo]

This Is Why You Check Your Targets

Kath showed no reaction to the illusionary blood spraying all over him, instead spotting the true 'Cubi as he bolted. Using small, powerful blast spells, he quickly accelerated to match, then exceed the incubus' speed. Assuming he could catch up using blasts to accelerate, decelerate, or change direction as needed, he sheathed his knife and drew his spear and shield in transit, couching it like an over-sized lance and aiming it at the fornicator.

[Tapewolf]

The flesh of the giant aquatic Brazilian centipede

Seth halted abruptly as the insectis died.  A mixture of relief and remorse rushed through him - it can't have been a particularly nice way to go and the creature was clearly not expecting it.
Sethir wasn't terribly prejudiced - he couldn't bring himself to believe that all insectis were unquestionably evil.  But to be here, in this machine, that made him an enemy.  Perhaps he was drafted, though... but there was no time to ponder on it now.

The two Demons were heading out where their victim had come from - but Seth couldn't stand the idea of someone coming up from behind so he cast a quick spell to incinerate the corpse and began to run towards the other entrance, the one they had come through originally.
"I'll guard the other end," he called back, half expecting a yell in reply if they wanted him to come too.

[JamesCray]

School of Hard Knocks

Okay, good news, bad news, good news  Good, he's full of himself so he's likely to respond to taunting better and make mistakes. Bad, that's got to be the second biggest sword I've ever seen, it'll be hard to even get close enough to land a blow. Good, I don't care HOW strong he is, inertia is inertia, he'll be committing to each swing, and if I can get up inside, he'll have limited mobility.

Johan bowed slightly to the feline angel, grinning right back as he freed the umbrella-sword and dagger-cane's blades and took a ready stance, his ears flicking back to present the most minimal target.

"Big ears? Bravo, very original, but wouldn't you really rather keep this cordial? After all, big ears is sort of the default for my race, I was born with them. You, on the other hand, chose the second most oversized sword I've ever seen outside a stage show. I mean, speaking as someone even less lucky in the height department, there is such a thing as overcompensation." he said, and began his assault, bringing his dagger up ahead in his right hand in an attempt to deflect any potential blows. He feinted ahead, but lunged left, preparing to turn and swing the sword in his left hand.

[Paladin Sheppard]

The Grin on Paige's muzzle as Baseel ordered her forward was both licentious and predatory; and like the wolf she was went on the hunt.

As the succubus stalked towards the frantically reloading crew of the rocket turret, managing to make a walk on the battlefield look like a stroll on a strip club's runway. Balls of blue flame ignited in her palms. Despite looking like they could melt metal and vaporize flesh, frost visibly flowed down the balls to the ground.

She Flung one of the Frostfire bolts at the turret itself, the other at a helpless Insectoid carrying a reload. Not done Paige traced a rune in the air in front of her and disappeared, reappearing behind the crew via a dimensional door, her twin swords slashing, Grin flashing in the darkness.

[AmberCross]

My, what conveniently placed vents we have...

With the immediate threat dealt with and the less immediate threat being tackled by no less than three adventurers, Chris found himself officially at a loss. Literally, he had lost track of how to get out a while back. Now surely with a bit of exploring, backtracking, and scent following (ferrets weren't exactly bloodhounds, but this wasn't exactly a hard to follow trail) he'd find his way out, but it stuck in his craw to just leave, even if he wasn't immediately useful. So he shifted to small, fuzzy mode and ran down a hallway after the two demons along the pipes that were everywhere in this place. Ideally, in the event of a confrontation, he would surely have the element of surprise.

[Yugo]

Zeke frowned intensely as he began to slowly plod forward, his heartrate gradually descending with the knowledge that he wasn't about to obliterated at random by a heavy artillery shell. He pulled down a glass targeting panel over his cockpit window, marking distances and trajectories in case he had to fight the commando team that had debarked from their vehicle. They seemed uniniterested in him (as well as inappropriately armed to do so). For the time being he held his fire, slowly tailing them.

His mouth felt dry and tingly with anxiety. There was no visible escape route; he was stuck in a hostile situation with no idea of why. There was an Insectis war...war-thing in the no-man's land between the two largest kingdoms in the area? Twenty minutes ago his greatest risk was being captured by a now-enemy patrol and being executed for treason, but that seemed quite paltry now....

[Chairtastic]

Forget me Not

The ram drew a breath, then exhaled an arm of smoke.  Casually reaching out to the net, the smoke curled around it, then suddenly yanked.  The tiny particles slashed through the netting, and released Haien's cohort.  "I don't want to hear it.  I'll be contacting a healer for you later.  Don't hurt her."

The healer also doubled as a prostitute, which Haien was sure made the phoenix happy.  It took far too long for the rams' injuries to repair themselves.  He was out of shape.  He spent the night, scratching away at a book, tabulating sums, transfers, numbers numbers numbers.  For a brief instant, he wondered for what reason he had amassed such wealth in the first place.

Then he remembered Bassoon.

The ram sighed, and slumped back in his chair, hands over his face.  "One hundred years ago, and I could have beaten those two whelps in under five minutes.  How am I supposed to call myself a Demon if two pathetic cubi can injure me and one of my followers so easily."

Auriga's voice, back from before she hated him came to mind.  "That you are net dead yet means you are stronger.  The more foes who defeat you, but cannot kill you, means you are growing stronger.  And soon enough, you will be strong enough to kill them for their weakness!"

Then he had an idea.  He started writing letters to various other merchants, to performers, to fashion designers, and wedding planners.  If he was to wed, his would be a grand affair, worthy the Messua's and the meaningless Angel coven they were conspiring with.  A grand wedding, for the history books-without breaking his bank-and above all a challenge.  A declaration to those two who had failed to kill him: Here I am, come and get me.

[SquirrelWizard]

Whooo! Mundane FTW!

Stephan took a moment or two to analyze the room he was deposited in. He didn't move away from where he was left, but looked for something, anything, that would have indicated that some random monster of the week, or magical mishap, was going to jump out at him and try and take his face off.

Not because he thought that he thought the academy wanted to kill him, but because with what he had seen with cubi, and heard, you could never be too sure.

Satisfied that nothing seemed out of the ordinary, or at least they had really hidden what they were trying to spring on him, Stephan sat down and started filling out the test. For the most part it was some sort of personality test, except some of the questions seemed a bit... off. Questions would ask him how he felt after seeing people die, get hurt, make love, and panic among others. He did his best but, to be honest, he wasn't sure if he was answering the questions correctly.

[VAE]

I'm under your spell, god how can this be, playing with my memory?

Avram's face had put on a focused expression, and for a moment he closed his eyes, visualising the badger he had met earlier and fragments of their meetup - a voice from behind: "AHA! Caught you with..." , dark hair showing signs of corner baldness, somewhat short stature, the large shotgun he carried with surprising ease, and red suspenders.
The last bit was surprising, since Avram couldn't in recall anything else about his dress - the suspenders stood out in his mind like a Nact'larn succubus in a convent.
Bloody bugger.. he probably wore those intentionally.. that book said it. Wear something that attracts attention, then throw it away..



-That's... about all i can remember of his looks...

The cat looked at the lioness in front of him, and a new wave of sweat went over his paws.

- He.. he  thought i was some incubus he was looking for... something to do with his niece, or daughter or what.  There were some suspicious noises in the park, sounded like muggers, or worse. He went their way... I wanted to sideflank anyone who'd be up to trouble before they took him out... Then i heard the shot and found this when i came around...
Thinking about the shot, the feline stopped for a moment.
Hmm, if this guy was really running from the old coot... why the hell didn't he harden his skin? And how did the bugger know i aren't a masked incubus? Does the one he's looking for have that visible a clanmark placement?

- That... that's  pretty much all of it...

[Arroyo Milori]

Something witty

"Disposal?" He raised an eyebrow, is how most of Aelisium's military deal with artifacts embedded with magic? "Your country's logic with handling items with magic within it baffles me, with that I would like it back. He stuck out his hand towards Gaak. "At least I can try to attempt tracing it's origins and possibly find the culprit, while you go around fiddling with your heap a junk you call a mech."

[techmaster-glitch]

Inside the shack

   Gezzemocht could tell the poor girl was still in shock, though he took her barely perceptible nod as at least some kind of step forward. Unfortunately, neither he nor Gaakronacht were psychologists, but most bases did have Creature Disaster Relief programs set up. They'd be able to help her get back to a normal life.
   As the girl clearly wasn't going to move on her own though, Gezz reached a little further to nudge at the girl's arm and help her to her feet. If she actively resists, he stops, but he is nudging enough to support her and get her moving. They should not be wasting any more time here.

Outside the shack

   "A-ha. I knew it." Gaakronacht said as he looked down at Arroyo from the cockpit. "Outlander."
   He shrugged. "Well, to educate you, magic is dangerous and pretty much illegal here in Aelisium, outlander. I don't know what this wand does, and I can't trust anything you could do with it. But, if 'finding the culprit' is truly your only reason for desiring it, then you needn't worry. Believe me when I say that no one wants to see justice done here more than us, and we have elite squads of Creature-hunters who's job it is to take care of things like this. It's an internal Aelisian home defence matter, nothing you need to concern yourself with."
   He looks up and over as Lucy steps out of the shack. "On that note, you should probably take Lucy and go back to wherever you came from, as planned. The sooner you're out of the Aelisium border, the better."

[Kafzeil]

With arroyo at her side... She'll have Arroyo at her side.

Lucy hated to admit it, but she *was* milking the moment. It'd be best to check up on her means of transport now.

Feeling refreshed and almost in something resembling a half decent mood, she walked over to the Scorp, where the young Mage and Pilot appeared to be engaged in a battle of words.

She winced, a seemingly deeply buried memory clawed it's way back to her conscious mind, reopening a few old wounds on it's way there. She had seen this scene many times before. Her father or even mother in  the lion's place. Though her father was often far less kind to Aesilian men in uniform.

She herself had been in the lion's place a few times herself, in school and in Church.  Her strange heretical ways confounded the clergy, and her father's creature sympathetic beliefs crept into the classroom, often disrupting lessons on the evils of Magic and the vile Jin Clan of 'cubi.

She tried pushing the beast back into it's mental crevice. That was no longer her world. She could lament her fate and her past later.

She approached  the pair, clearing her throat.

"What's the problem now?' She asked. The beaver and lion might notice that Lucy's eyes had start to glow, albeit dimly.

[Arroyo Milori]

Conflict of Interests and Views

Arroyo chuckled a bit. "Yeah your elite squads certainly do a good job delivering justice." He crossed his arms and and whipped his hair a bit back, just to shake off some of the water. "But I'm pretty sure that angel has left this hell hole you call a country knowing your troops are restricted to go no farther than the boundaries with their little toys they call mechs. Disposing the wand would only hurt the cause. You might as well give it back, I have a better shot at finding her than your whole country combined."

He turns to Lucy as soon as he heard her spoke up. "Nothing, just the typical Aesilian closed mindiness when dealing with magical artifacts."  He scoffed.

[Lisky]

(OOC: apologies to Pal and Keaton... hit a bit of a mental brick wall with re-writing your section... will post when muse returns)

All Alone, A Man With His Gun

Entering the bridge, there were the brothers in their Ahnk' special forces  gear, along with a poodle being of the Aeliseum military, who, up until that point, had managed to evade escape.  As Alex rounded the corner, none were expecting any sign of hostility, let alone, the deadly onslaught that greeted them.  "Hey bo..." –BANG!- The last word uttered in the room.
The first shot took one of the brothers square in the forehead, sending a spray of gore and brains across the window behind him.  A neat hole was also punched through the wind-screen where the bullet penetrated and kept going.  The next 3 shots stitched the prisoner across the chest. The shots hit him in the lower right lung, center of the sternum, and finally in the heart.  As the poodle collapsed, his clean, white uniform turning a rather vibrant crimson, leaked onto the floor, starting to form a small pool his body would be lying face down in.  The final behind took the remains of both revolvers in the torso, as he had a fraction of a second longer than the other two to react.  He'd started to move for his gun, and was cut down in the hail.  He staggered for half a second, slouched over the helm, his last few breaths causing his body to drain what few moments of precious blood he still had left.
Behind the mythos, an slightly wicked cackle echoed through the suddenly still cabin.  Kierana walked up behind the Alex, running a soft hand across his shoulder, cooing in his ear, "And here I thought you wouldn't have it in you to be that ruthless.  I thought you were just teasing me with the 'only beings' quip."  Kicking the masked form off the control console, she rather unceremoniously used her tentacles to toss the bodies out the blown out windows from which the infiltration team had entered.  The succubus added a quick spell as if an afterthought. She flicked her wrist and the pools of blood splattered across the walls and floor seemed to peel, and fade into dust, as if it were ash in the wind. 




I bring the Battle To Your Door

When charging an opponent, target fixation can be a very serious problem.  The fornicator had almost seemed to count on this.  As Kath closed, he may have noticed the small shadow on the ground growing larger and larger.   The wicked grin on the incubi's face followed by the shield spell which he cast to protect himself made it clear that he was standing his ground. 
Above the demon ram, a jackal demon was quickly diving to meet his new prey.  Clad in black leather armor that seemed more to extenuate his perfectly fit form rather than provide protection.  He was carrying a powerful looking shield and vicious looking axe.  The armor bore a crest across the shoulder and collar line that looked to be a hawk carrying a severed head in one massive set of talons, and what appeared to be some type of crystal, or stone in the other.  The jackal was an unearthly gold across his tummy, inner arms, hands and feet. His back, flanks, and upper arms were a dark red, that was almost black when not in the sunlight.  His eyes were solid black, obsidian orbs that were so telling, yet so empty.  His lips were pulled back in a snarl.


In The Valley Of The Beast, I am a Wolf Amongst the Sheep

As the demons started moving, a form from Nadia caught Seth's attention.  What about having the incubus scout ahead disguised as the insectis.  I wonder if he's talented enough to read their expectations, and act from there?
"Ranard, after we clear this room, go get Seth... I've got an idea..." 

For Chris, he was only a few steps behind the demons, and he'd hardly heard a sound before entering a massive cylindrical room.  It had two floors.  The bottom floor was rimmed with a pair of rising staircases, and it appeared the floor above was circular save for one way, as he could see the gaps in the walls covered about 300 of the 360 degrees.  The bottom floor was mostly opened space, save for  three contraptions that appeared to be perfectly spaced at 3 corners of the room, and lifted to the floor above.  They were rounded structures.  The floors were clean, textured and slightly dipped towards the middle of the room.  The walls almost appeared to be lined with railings, as the tubular structures seemed to ring the room, and showed no signs of entering or exiting the room.  The walls bowed a bit, and there were some signs of scrape marks along what appeared to be claw shaped protrusions.  It was a strange, and mostly empty room, save for the three bodies of insectis soldiers near the middle.

The floor above made the lower floors purpose considerably clearer.  It was an elevator of sorts.  Massive cables connected to the large protrusions, fixed to a series of pulleys that fed into the ceiling. The levers, knobs and toggles seemed to control the platform below them.  They'd found an easy way in and out.
There were another trio of bodies hunched over the control panels, they looked almost as if they'd been killed instantly, a neat hole through the base of their head was the only sign that they weren't just asleep on the job.
Seth would hear Renard shouting for him from beyond, "It's all clear up ahead, little incubus, and we've got an idea that may or may not work... possibly.... Think you're up for a challenge?" 


For Those About to Rock!

Returning the bow for a second, the angel stood back up, then switched to a two-handed stance.  He chided in reply," 3 Swings, and this is over.  It's only overcompensating if you don't know how to use it."
  The Sly grin on the angel's face stood for a moment, then disappeared into something more serious.  The guttural roar that greeted Johan was pure, unmitigated aggression.  He charged, swinging the massive blade from Johan's high left, towards his lower right.


Livin' in a World So Cold

(OOC: Pal and Keaton's section, to be finished when muse returns sorry)


Breakin' my Bread 'Tween the Minefields, Flowered, Covered with Daisies

The infantry that spied Zeke and his mech seemed more confused than anything.  They were carrying weapons meant to kill fleshy things... not something so heavily armed and armored as a war machine.  A small squad, clearly insectis, started coming closer, he heard the first shot pink harmlessly off his armored plate when they were about 100 meters out. 


The Good Life is What I Need.  Too Many People Steppin' Over Me.

The use of magic greatly enhanced one's ability to send messages quickly, along with gather information, and many other useful tricks.  At the snap of a finger, Haien could send a letter, or have one sent to him.  For a grand wedding, he could effectively sell off his failing enterprises for a small profit, move his shipping business into the guarding and transportation of soul-stones.  What may have shocked him was the profit margins that were handed in a letter from his soon to be father in law.  Selling at an average of 32000 gold coins per stone, and as many as a dozen stones per week... When a larger group got involved, possibly more, he'd see close to 8000 of those coins himself, per stone.   

As for his wedding, as grand as he could afford would give him close to 800 attendees, and a grand ballroom for them to celebrate in.


Tell Me Doctor, What's the Cure for The Wicked Man's Blues?

As he finished the series of questionnaires, he would be left in the room for a little bit.  A few moments later, the door opened, and Stephan would be greeted by a new professor.  Or at least, what appeared to be a professor.  He was well dressed in very professional looking slacks, a long coat, ruffled shirt, and all and all attire far to classy for someone studious.  The glasses perched smartly across the fancy rat's nose also spoke of someone of age.  He looked to be about 24 by normal standards, but really, that seemed to be normal of all creatures.  He was fairly plain, a natural shade of brown with a little silver here and there to add distinction.  That is, he would have been fairly plain had he not sported a pair of bright orange-red wings on both his head and back.

The rodent pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing softly, as he scrunched his muzzle.  He gave a rather exasperated sigh, and the squirrel got the clear feeling of confusion and disgust from the incubus  as he got closer.   With clear disgust in his voice, the newcomer spoke, "How did you manage to fail a personality test?!"



It Feeds On The Souls Of Living...

"I dunno... you think that's all of it?"   The lioness chided with pure maliciousness
"yea he's given all he's got."  The succubus replied
"aww, and I was looking so forward to breaking him"  The demoness replied with mock-disappointment.

"You're free to go, we can open a portal to your home, or drop you off where we picked you up."  The succubus replied, while handing the demoness a sheet of paper.
"You've been quite helpful."


It gets inside their minds... 

Gaakronacht  would hear the wicked whisper of the angel, as if she were leaning over his shoulder, right next to his ear, -What could possibly come to harm if you let the foolish little outlander have that magical stick.  He's right you know, it's not like –you'd- do anything with it.  It'd sit in a vault until your inquisitors burned it... oh... and now you've heard my voice... now –you've- been touched by magic... imagine what your inquisition would say now... isn't this just a delicious little bag of horrors you've gotten yourself into... If you'd done like you were supposed, you wouldn't be involved in –any- of this... funny how that works, isn't it


... Transforms Their Brains and Their Longings 

The girl slowly stood up, and moved with the other brother's urgings.  Head hung low, and clearly exhausted and defeated, she complied without protest.  It was pretty clear that she'd just gone numb from shock, beyond that, it was difficult to read her reaction.

[Tapewolf]

Inside the Metal Bug Thing

"Let me guess," Sethir said as he caught up.  "You want me to turn into an Insectis, right?  I could get the shape, yeah, but I can't do the body language and I certainly can't speak their tongue without a few years practice.
"Normally I'd also point out that it's just this kind of sneaky shit that gives 'Cubi a bad name, but then again it's an invasion so what the Hell.
"But what really puts of me off is the fact that you or the Being will almost certainly kill me on my return before I can flush the disguise."

He glanced back at the Demons, hopefully.  "Or did you have a completely different plan up your sleeve?"

[Kafzeil]

Well, we have something in common already.

Lucy chuckled a bit.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. At least he's not an Inquisitor. I swear, you can shove a lump of coal one's ass and in a week you'll have a diamond."

She grinned, then tilted her head as she realized she didn't know her new companion's name.

"Hey, I don't think I caught your name, Friend."

She shrugged, her clothing heavy with rain water, soaked to her bone.

"Wait a minute...magic artifacts--You found a clue?!" He yellow eyes went wide.

"Gaak, that thing might be the only lead you'll ever get to this case. Handing it to a bunch of anti-magic shitheads who'd destroy it irregardless is a bad idea. "

"I know I know you don't need to listen to me, but fuck the protocols."

[Tipod]

Standardized

Bart felt like a common nobody staring up at the raised desk. That was probably the logic behind its design.

"Excuse me," he spoke in the most plaintive tone he could muster, 'I was just wondering if you still had any openings or tours for the semester? I just moved here with my wife and child-- both are a little nervous, my son especially. This is one of the few public schools within walking distance, and I wanted to see if it's... good enough for him."

He put particular emphasis on the 'good enough,' just to ruffle the poodle-mythos' feathers. No hoity-toity school administrator would just sit back and let the integrity of their district be called into question, especially from an implacable mongrel of a beast like Bart.

[Inumo]

And Whose Door Is This, Again?

As the incubus cast his shield spell, Kathostral looked up and saw the descending red and gold jackal. With a series of blasts, he quickly coated the incubus's shield in ice, trapping the man so that he would make a lot of noise if he wanted to escape. Turning to the jackal, he braced his spear against the ground with his left hand, pointing it at his new opponent. With his right hand, he drew his knife and tucked it against his forearm behind his shield.

[JamesCray]

Dare To Be Stupid
If he was going for the element of surprise, he got it. Johan thought, the display giving him pause. This was not what he was anticipating out of an Angel, by a long shot. That left Johan two options. Either the angel was gaming him, acting like a demon to engender expectations of fighting like a demon, or, well, he was going to fight like a demon. That left a lot of variables open, and Johan couldn't act on them all.

But then, perhaps he was overthinking this in the first place. Right now, he simply had to deal with the ginormous blade hurtling straight for him. He knew his newly-ensorcelled blades could probably take the impact, but was uncertain if his arms could, dead-on. So, he didn't try. Instead, he ducked and dove forward, hoping to squeeze through the gap beneath the sword.

[techmaster-glitch]

Outside the shack

  "Yes, the Wing Clippers are good at what they do. I've never heard of them failing to track down a Creature within Aelisium yet, and if the monster who was here has fled the border? Good riddance! Also shows what you know, the Wing Clippers don't use mechs--"
  Gaakronacht suddenly freezed and his eyes went wide. He grabbed both sides of his head and shook around a bit. 'Argh! It's in my head, it's in my head! Dammit Gezz, next time we get paid, we're getting a real containment unit!" Gaak said to himself.
  Gaak looks down from his cockpit again. "Okay, I've about had it up to here. This is your last chance to leave Aelisium, outlander--"
  "Hey Gaak, are we ready to go?" Gezzemocht walked around the shack slowly, bringing the small girl along and trying to be easy on her.
  "Just about, Gezz. This screwball outlander doesn't seem to want to leave without a dangerous magic item. Speaking of which, next time we have money for upgrades for the Storm Scorp, we are getting a proper magic-containment cargo unit."
  "Gaak, I've told you before you should try being nice to people." Gezzemocht came up next to the Scorp with the little girl. "Although...tactless though my brother is, he is right." Gezz looked at Arroyo. "If you'e an outlander, then to be honest...we'd really appreciate it if you'd leave us in peace. And if he's got a magic item, then yes, we should destroy it to be safe--"
  "It talked to me! Got into my head and everything!" Gaak called down.
  Geezemocht's expression immediately become one of extreme worry. "Truly?! Goodness, you were right, I'm sorry, we should have gotten the magic-containment unit last time...do you think we can make it to the nearest base?"
  "It doesn't feel like it's pushing at my mind, just trying to feed me lies. It's not going to be a pleasant trip, though."
  Gezzemocht sighed, rubbed his forehead, then looked to Lucy as he put his helmet back on. "Well, this is where we part paths. Again, I'm sorry we did not take you all the way to the border, though we will still make sure your letter is delivered. Despite the condemned existance you are now doomed to...if I have any to give, good luck, miss Lucy. What's happened to you is truly tragic."
  Gezzemocht then turned to trying to coax and help the little girl up the side of the mech and into the rear seat.

[Kafzeil]

The Divide in the Road

Lucy silently placed her hand on Arroyo's shoulder, wordlessly telling him to save his breath.

She briefly considered pissing Gaak off by letting him know a psychotic Undead cult was still operating within Aelislum, but she bit her tongue.

She nodded at Gezz."Yeah well, thanks." She said rather awkwardly. They wee still Aelisians, reminding Lucy she was always alien here. Still, you'd think they'd have enough gall not to say such things to her face. It's like they wanted her to eat the barrel of her own gun.

She felt her heart pull a bit as she saw Rene. Suddenly, she got an idea, it was a long shot but...

"Can she stay with my mother? The girl I meant."She looked back at Arroyo's boat."Err, I mean, I'd be good for them both I think, Rene could have a real Mom and my Mom's not all alone here."

She started to walk towards the boat."Just, think about it, okay?"

Under her breath, she uttered  a warning, though to who it was a mystery. It was most likely for her former home.

"Don't gain the world and lose your souls."

[Chairtastic]

The Hand of Midas

Haien and Kyaka met with the Go-Between for the Messua house that had been assigned to the wedding on the following day.  Haien had arranged for many hundreds of guests to be provided for, and prepared a lengthy list of attendees that needed to be vetted.  Music that would need to be selected, bakers and chefs for the food, tailors, and of course the priest. 

"Red velvet is always a good sign of wealth, but perhaps something a bit more traditional.  A croquembouche would be a lovely site.  And infinitely scalable.  This baker here makes the filling with a slight tang that goes well with white wine...."  The go-between was run quite haggard that day, resolving where the party should be located, the guest list, comparing prices, and themes, finding a type of rock that could suitably withstand a demon brawl yet still look lovely-they elected for oceanic basalt, and arranging dates for all the above.

By sunset, Haien and his betrothed had finalized a schedule for getting the arrangement completed, and promissory notes from all parties involved to abide by it.  When demons were involved, getting everything in writing was of critical importance.

Elsewise it would devolve into constant arm-wrestling.

[Lisky]

  Someone Just Needed to Chill Out... YYEEEAAAAAHHHHHHHHH

Paige would find the insectis  to be poorly trained in hand to hand fighting.  The first of her victims simply shattered as he took the frost bolt.  His reload, still unarmed, rolled across the floor, and down the gentle slope of the tunnel.  The pair still manning the turret looked at eachother, the first didn't have time to react, as the cubi's blade caught him across the collar, cleaving through the light armor as if it were butter.  He other blade flickered across other crewman as he'd started to reach for his revolver.  He blade cleaved his arm into a worthless stump, momentum carrying the blade further, leaving a vicious gash across his thorax. 
The howl of pain that greeted the wolfess was both loud and ear splittingly high pitched.  There was a bit of a gurgle in it's pained breathing, she'd clearly collapsed at least one of it's lungs.


It's Not So Much a Plan as Improvisation!

Nadia grinned, "Well, I was thinking you could dress in an officers uniform, and do a little scouting.  If you're not up for it... well... we'll probably have to split up anyways.  That... where'd the little guy go?"
The wolfess looking around the room, eyes darting, trying to find Chris.  "Renard, when you find him, why don't you and the shapeshifter check out the rest of this floor.  I'll take Seth with me, since the last we saw, this area was cleared from what he could tell."
The feline gave a playful scoff, "you just have plans for the pretty boy, don't 'cha " 
Giving an indignant huff, Nadia feigned a glare in reply. 

As the pair taunted, Renard was the one who stopped the back and forth banter.  He turned his attention back to Seth and said,  "Well, while we wait for our little friend's input, what do you think about her idea?"


RENEGADE UNDEAD COP III 

(OOC:  not quite sure what to do here... and muse kinda died... will get something up after exams this week)


Getting Schooled

"I assure you that we are top notch in public schooling.  We have one of the highest employability rates of any school in Nhylamar, and we have a higher than average number of students selected for advanced programs."   The mythos retorted.  "If you're looking for a tour, you'll have to speak with the principal.  His office is the second door on your right." 
Pointing with one of her long, and wriggling extra appendages, she continued, "You'll also need to fill out some paperwork for a visitor's pass, if you're looking for a tour.  We don't let just anyone into our buildings.  Especially those who's children aren't currently under our guardianship."


Midtown Madness

"Some advice, Lad" The jackal quipped at Kath "if you're going to take someone down in broad daylight, do so in a more secluded part of town.  We don't take kindly to those assaulting our citizens." 
Thumping his axe against the brim of his shield, the jackal stalked forwards.  "How about we get the formalities out of the way, Ezekiel  Chimalkin, of the Senate Appointed  Ranger's.  I'll give you 3 seconds to surrender before I add resisting arrest to your list of crimes."  With a smirk, the canine lowered his shield, covering everything from mid-shin, to the tip of his muzzle.


You're the best! AROUND! Nothin's ever gonna keep ya down

The Angel's wing overshot Johan by a good half of a hand.  The feline started to pivot, trying to bring the pommel into his defense, while simultaneously launching himself to the fennec's left.  The pummel was blocking his best line of attack, while the heavy blade scrapped the sands behind him, leaving a deep swath in the sediment. 
The half-pint being could suddenly feel the flicker of magic as his fur raized on end.  The angel appeared to be preparing to cast some type of electric spell.

[VAE]

Can you tell me where my country lies?

"T..thank you, home would do..."
Quite relieved of the way the questioning went, the tabby feline described the approximate location of his workshop, hopefully in enough detail to be delivered to the right place - driving a portal on second-hand descriptions was notoriously inaccurate, and Avram hoped that whoever will be casting the spell patrolled the street he lived on regularly. He glanced quickly at the succubus and the demoness.
Actually, better hope they don't.

His response was met with a grunt which could be interpreted as approval, and soon enough he noticed the lion demoness mumbling and waving her paw in intricate gestures, essentially clawing a hole in the fabric of spacetime.  
It worked, and a large, warping aperture, about a metre and half in diameter opened up,
Avram bent forwards and stepped through.

THUMP! "Fuck, augh!"

Whether it was intentional, or merely the result of not enough care, the output of the portal, as Avram has just noticed, was placed about a metre or so above ground level - among others, too low for the feline to orient himself paws down.
Fucking militia, this had to be on purpose! Wait you buggers, when i'll be an airship engineer, you'll salute me.
He got up, cursing, and stumbling a little due to his leg being the point of impact.  The street was silent, and Avram could swear there are eyes watching him from behind the mostly broken windows.
But either way, this was home.His workshop was just two houses to the left. Coming to the door, he deactivated the alarm spell, and entered.
Most of the time, the soul engineer worked on-site, due to the sensitive (and expensive) nature of the job, and as such, the main use of this place, asides from residence, was refills and tinkering.
If a thief ever broke in, he'd have quite the time finding one of the few more valuable things in the pile of components,  plans and spells scribbled on paper, tools and general chaos covering the floor and two benches.
With a practiced step, Avram bypassed the workshop and crawled upstairs, into his bedroom.
After a long time, everything suggested tomorrow was going to be a good day.

[Inumo]

Oooooh, That Door

Kathostral quickly dropped his fighting stance, though he didn't sheath his various armaments. "My apologies," he began. "I was unaware that you allowed fornicators to roam the streets in this section. As I understood it, this man had a bounty on his head, placed by a man of wealth, and thus it would be legal to attack him assuming I could find and best him in combat. You can check with the local authorities, they've got a copy." He kept an ear open for the sound of shattering ice, ready to chase after the incubus should he attempt to flee.

((Edited to be in keeping with the knowledge my character has that I didn't when I first wrote it..))

[Tapewolf]

Metal bug thing again

"All right," Seth said, and studying one of the corpses, attempted to become an Insectis.  "If you can identify an officer's uniform, I'll wear it and we'll see if it works.  But it's only going to work from a distance as I don't know their, uh, tongue.  I'll discolour part of my carapace to give you a sign.  Worst case I'll shout.  But I'll expect something in return for this," he added.

"All I ask is that you swear - both of you - that if I am killed, especially if I am killed by one of you or by Chris, that you will try to find out if my mother was innocent.
"She's in the millennial clock in the capital on a high treason rap, but I think she was framed by the Mayor after she helped him get into office.  See, all the witnesses to her supposed treason have now had accidents or were executed themselves.   An investigative journalist who took an interest in the case was found dead and no-one was ever caught.  It stinks."
"If I can afford it, I'd like to buy her soul, but I know it's going to be fantastically expensive.  I dare not investigate it further myself, but you... you're military and that should protect you.  If the mayor is behind it... then he's the one who should have gone to the clock."

He paused.  "How do I look?"