The Clockwork Mansion

The clearing was quiet and peaceful, and empty. Its trees placed it somewhere in Europe, their leaves full and green indicating it was spring, and a small creek gurgled past with icemelt.

The nighttime noise of the crickets and nocturnal animals was silenced as burst of light deposited a sleeping figure upon a roll up mattress, then another and another, till the clearing was filled.

A shadow detached itself from a tree and walked to the center of the clearing, and once there placed a bundle of wood in a small prepared fireplace. It did not worry about any noise for it knew the sleepers would not wake for some time. Finishing the campfire's preparation it lit it yet the light it produced did not illuminate the shadow.

The shadow then went to the sleepers and pulling traveling packs from somewhere lay them next to each. Finally it pulled a set of weapons from the same place as the packs and placed them next to the appropriate sleeper.

Done the shadow slipped out of the clearing and its dozing occupants, stepping over a large humanoid cow...



********************************************************

Kandela woke with a start as the morning birds began their song. Blinking she adjusted her position and yawned sleepily, then her eyes widened, for where she awoke was not a zeppelin on its way to Mulgore.

Her eyes swept the clearing taking in the other figures also in the act of awaking. Noting the humans in the group, and while having served with them in many conflicts, Kandela was very much aware that not all humans were friendly to the Taur'ahe, and she was also not where she was meant to be. She grabbed for a weapon and found that she had something a Gnome might have come up with in one of their labs.

Yet this 'gun' felt very much at home in her three fingered hands, and as she stood it automatically came up to her shoulder and Kandela found herself along through its sights at the humans.  

"What in the name of the light is going on here?!" She half shouted as her aim shifted from one person to another. "Where am I? And what have you done with the crew?"




**OOC: Well we are now open! Feel free to post at this time.**

Raymond was always a light sleeper, and when a bird song invaded his sleep, he immediately woke up. There shouldn't have been any song birds where he was. Or where he thought he was, because as soon as he opened his eyes, he knew he was not in his room on board of the landship anymore. There were no steel walls and the hum of mighty electromagnets around, only the birds singing, wind rustling in the leaves.. and several unfamiliar figures around.

Ray's hand almost unconsciously grabbed for a weapon; it was an automatic shotgun, on of unfamiliar make, but still similar enough to the weapons he always used. The other people around Ray started to wake from their slumber too. Much to Raymond's dread, they were more than unfamiliar - none of them seemed to even be of his species!

Eyeing those around him suspiciously, Ray silently crept back an inch, getting into a crouched position and holding the shotgun at the ready, his finger hovering over the trigger.

Wraith sprawled in his sleep after finishing the the final planning with Darkshine.  He could picture how it would go in his dream, a perfect visualization:  1:40, scale the south wall, using the scaffolding to get to the roof.  He would attach a rappel line to a reinforced section of handrail, Darkshine plants his breaching charges.  1:48, neutralize rooftop patrol silently, 1:50 Darkshine blows charges, enters northeast rooftop access, eliminates 2 guards, simultaneously, Drop down to west wall, 17th floor, breach window, eliminate... songbirds? What the hell were songbirds doing in his...

The feline's eyes bolted open, he immediately reached for his thigh first, he found a weapon, long, a bit cumbersome, and yet somehow familiar.  It's extended suppressor gave him some comfort, as the panther silently slid the chamber back and flipped the safety off, readying the weapon in it's holster.  Meanwhile his other senses started to take the situation into account.  Someone else was rousing, or perhaps awake, crouched, combat stance, large-bore chem-burner judging by the magazine... Canine, wrong species for shadowhand, maybe a scout, or guardian ascendant.  Other forms some rousing, some still supine.  No additional data... no suit... Something is wrong here... something is very wrong.

Very slowly and deliberately, Wraith eased to the back of the lumpy mattress with which he'd been deposited.  He very slowly rotated his entire body roughly 20 degrees so as to keep his thigh pointed at the canine.  Things were odd, and he seemed to be awake.  He kept his ears pinned for the sound of a safety clicking off, the internals of the weapon being worked, the mechanical give-aways that weapon was being readied.  He kept the rest of his body perfectly still as he very slowly got up, and craned his head around, observing all those around.  Total hodgepodge, and it seemed like more than half were stupid, hairless apes.  

The crack of a knuckle as the panther eased himself into a sitting position would pretty clearly signal that he was awake to anyone with enhanced hearing.  His eyes locked onto the dog for now, if he noticed the pistol, the look on the feline's face would be obvious, a faint smile that just oozed, "Well, we seem to be at a deadlock, your move?"

Sifa's eyes flickered open as the sun shone down. That is really bright... that means... "Fffffffff--!" She scrambled out of bed and headed for the bathroom, tripping over some dirty laundry along the way. "I'm gonna be late for class!" Stepping into the room, she looked around. Wait a minute, where's...? The blood flow had finally reached her brain, provoking more coherent thought. Looking around, she thought, This is not the house. Looking around, her eyes first fell on the variety of guns people seemed to have. She recognized some of the types from the video games her guy friends played. Some, though, were totally alien to her, especially that one the... "Oh god, don't tell me I'm seeing a Tauren right now." World of Warcraft was a popular pastime at her university; one would be hard pressed to find someone that didn't at least recognize the races. Looking at all of the people either holding a weapon or still asleep, she thought, Fursuiters, too? And pretty creepy ones, at that, if they sleep in their suits.

Sighing, she looked at the bed she had recently vacated. Or portable mattress, as it were. A traveling sack was placed next to it, along with her gun. When did I get a gun? Eh, must just be bad memory. She left it where it was, instead saying to the people in general, "Look, is this some kind of hazing? 'Cause I didn't sign up for it. Just tell me which direction the dorm building is, and I'll be going." As a breeze rolled by, she shivered and rubbed her sleeved arms for warmth. I didn't wear this to bed...

Tommaso opened his eyes groggily; he had spent way too much time in surgery yesterday to be willing to wake up now.  The lightening sky seen through the trees overhead was a welcome soothing sight.  Tommaso knew he was still dreaming so he closed his eyes, intent to let this dream run its course.  Then the yelling started.

Must be another wounded operative.  he thought.

He opened his eyes again, but didn't move.  The sky hadn't changed to the small basement room's ceiling under which he should be sleeping.  As the breeze teased his face he heard the sounds of people rising in a hurry and the readying of weapons.  Sitting bolt upright Tommaso took in the view from his matress.  The various figures still sleeping, the strange hybrid creatures already awake, and the guns they were holding that were tracking back and forth between the others in the clearing.  His hand reaching instinctively for a gun that his mind wasn't sure should be there, but he stopped it several inches away from the grip as the business end of the Cow-lady's automatic weapon came to point in his direction.

A moment of confusion followed.  A Cow-lady, a dog-man, some kind of crouching cat-thing, a young-looking lady in what looked like college attire, a winged man, a couple more sleeping humans, something with very large rabbit ears...

"Oh fuck me!"  he said in Italian instead of grabbing the gun just below his hand.  "There's a Marauder in the area!"  This led to further confusion as he tried to remember exactly what a Marauder was, and why it was so bad.

He switched to English for the benefit of the Cow-lady; still staring worriedly at the finger she had on the trigger of her weapon.  "Look at me.  Albina, is that you?  Nadia?  Cristina?  It's me, Tommaso.  I'm a friend.  Something is very wrong here."  He wasn't sure where these names were coming from, but he felt that he should know them.

Is this what it feels like to lose myself to a Marauder?

Angel roused under the light and clamor of those around him, lips twisting in a grimace as he awoke. His first thoughts weren't angry so much as perplexed at his new surroundings.

...what the hell happened to my roof?

The last thing he recalled was crashing after a long, tedious day of paperwork. Hell, he didn't even recall having these clothes on... unless the missus wanted to see him in uniform. Did he put on his clothes, sit down, and just pass out waiting for her?

Such pointless thoughts gave way to a much more serious observation: he was surrounded by armed strangers. Not just people like him, but a small number of metahumans as well, and several of them had already raised their guns and were aiming between each other in a Mexican standoff. His hand immediately gripped the sidearm lying next to him, safety clicking off as his sights swept across the animals. These were no petting zoo people, he could sense that much.

"San Francisco Police Department!" His next instincts were to shout 'drop it,' but screaming wouldn't help things at all. If anything, it might set them off. "...nobody wants to get shot here, right? Let's just take a minute to cool off."

Of course, he had no desire to lower his weapon first.

Cinna opened one green eye in response to all of the commotion in the clearing. Shutting the eye, she stretched and yawned, all the while the blue eye on her forehead opened.

"Strange crazy people pointing strange weapons at each other while standing in a clearing with a fire and a bunch of other people sleeping on mattresses... Yup, sounds like an adventure.

AWESOME!"

She rolled back onto her shoulders and kipped up. "Hi everybody... did anybody think to bring something for breakfa..." she saw the humans in the clearing, "Wow! I thought humans disappeared a long time ago... hmmm..." she thought for a bit then smiled and then spoke clearly and slowly, emphasising each word, "HELLO... DO... YOU... UNDERSTAND... ME?... MY... NAME... IS... CINNA... WHAT... IS... YOURS?..."

That cloud looked kind of like a dolphin. And there was another over to the right that looked like a fairy if he squinted and tilted his head to the left a bit. Somewhere along the way it had occurred to him that he was not in his house, he had what he knew to be a gun though he couldn't recall having ever seen one before, and he was wearing the most peculiar set of clothing. Also there were about two handfuls of people going crazy more towards the center of the clearing he was in. He figured that wasn't something he wanted to get involved in just yet. Young people could be so excitable and the best thing to do was give them time to calm down a bit.

Part of his mind was wheeling in circles trying to figure out how he'd gotten here with these people, who (and what) these people were, etc but like car tires in a snowbank (another thing that he couldn't recall anything about, but still made sense) it was going nowhere. Another part was listening in and assessing the situation, learning what he could about the others here. And finally (to be mentioned here), another part was keeping calm and not adding to the confusion while he did perhaps the most productive thing anyone had sought to do yet.... he cloudwatched. Oh hey look, a bunny!

   In the thong of various people waking up and pointing weapons at each other for not knowing what's going on, yet another person roused to wakefulness with the sun on his face.
   "What the hell--"
   Nick's head started zipping around as the first thing that registered was that he was not in his bed. He was lying down on grass in what looked like a campsite.
   The next thing that reached his conscious mind was that he was not alone. There were a number of people, and they wree all pointing weapons at each other and speaking in angry voices
   And quite a few weren't human.
   Very slowly, he tried to lie back down inconspicuously and feign unconsciousness, and simply listened to what they were saying. He also felt something large and hard in both of his pockets, but he decided to figure out what those are later...

The spirits had abandoned him. He could barely make out their faint whispers, but they were muted, indistinct... distant. He reached deep inside himself and found only dim remnants of power. The painful silence in the spirit realm made his remaining senses all the more acute. Dancing winds. Swaying trees. Gurgling water. Chirping birds. Crackling firewood. Lumps in his mattress. Panicked and confused voices. The sharp scent of fear.

Tor nudged the wide brimmed hat up out of his eyes. It was morning. He scanned the clearing, noting both the foliage and the company. The odd gathering shared no obvious common traits, though roughly half appeared to be members of the same nearly hairless simian species. Artificial underbrush rustled softly as he pulled himself into a sitting position. He raised an eyebrow and ran his fingers through the loose fibres. The ghillie suit was a reasonably close match to the local terrain. A little customization, and he should have no difficulty blending into the woods. Many of the others wore military camouflage patterns. Hopefully, being dressed as a tree wouldn't present a problem.

Everybody was armed. Beside him lay a large calibre precision rifle, its design at once both strangely foreign and intimately familiar. He instinctively checked the magazine, comforted to note a full complement of rounds he somehow knew were tungsten cored explosives. Bolts of thunder. Of course. He smirked. Another, smaller weapon rested on his thigh. It too felt like an old friend.

His mind scrambled to understand the jumbled haze of fragmented memories and unbidden knowledge. Had he been drugged? Enchanted? He must have been captured after the battle in the valley, and... no... that made no sense. He shook his head. No sane army would leave prisoners armed to the teeth. But then how and why had he arrived here? Wherever "here" was...

In the camp, confusion reigned. The strangers evidently shared his amnesia--if indeed that was what it was--though some were coping markedly worse than others. Several were already yelling at each other with weapons raised. None were specifically pointed at him, so he left his own at his side rather than become a new threat. Instead, he plopped his cheek against his hand and quietly observed the unfolding drama. He had a genuine mystery to solve, and he loved mysteries.

So long as he lived through them.

The group's attention was diverted from each other as what appeared to be a B1b Lancer heavy bomber roared over head, a mere 200m off the ground, on full afterburners.

The sound as it passed was deafening, distracting, and quite painful. But what happened next was even more so.

A bright wave of ghostly white energy, flooded out of the east. Those that could still see the bomber saw it stagger in mid flight, its control surfaces lock in place, and the noise of its engines died.

Then the wave hit the group, sapping them of their energy, draining them of their will.

All was silent again, at-least for a few seconds then the group could the bomber hit the ground somewhere down in the distance, and after a few more moments whatever was in its bomb bay went up, and the concussive force rippled through the ground. Any of the group still standing after the force wave was knocked to the ground.


********************************

Kandela was speechless, whatever that had been overhead was not of her world, and from her half kneeling position she'd managed after both of the blasts, she finally noticed that although there seemed to mostly humans here, there were others not from Azeroth. Time to reevaluate her position, yet she was still not sure of these people and her Machine gun stayed in both hands, though it was pointed at the ground.

She looked at the Rabbit thing that had a third eye who had tried to introduce itself,  and realized while the Rabbit had not spoken in any language the Tauren knew, she had clearly understood it.

"M-My" Kandela coughed from the dust in the air "My Name is Kandela Sunbless, of the" The Tauren sneezed this time "Of the Argent Crusade."

She looked at the rest of the group "Does anyone know what that was, or where we are? I don't think this is my world"

Shaken, not stirred

After several moments of confusion and disorientation where Chris struggled not to pass out from that strangely weakening light. If his thoughts were scattered before, they were downright chaotic now as trains of thought ricocheted off each other and around his brain simultaneously.

'By the will of the ancestral hummingbirds, what was THAT?!?! And that light! And that explosion! And these people! Some of them look like creatures from my world (or at least myths) but others look off. I mean what happened to the people's wings anyway? There can only be one explanation for this... I'm dead. I have died and that right there was the light. Guess the Christians were right and I'm in heaven now. Or purgatory anyway, non-believers don't get to go to heaven. Would certainly explain why the rest of my life seems so fuzzy and why I'm so weak. I seem to be getting stronger now, I should get up.'

'I am too old for this. Twenty years ago I would be up and moving already instead of fighting to breathe like this. Do these people have anything to do with this? I should ask. Too bad I can't get up. I'm spry for my age, but not quite THAT spry. Oh how youth is wasted on the young... though it would be wasted on me too probably. Youth is wasted on everyone. But I'm not out of this fight yet! I've lived too long to die now... just... got to get up and beat this thing.'

'... And THAT cloud looked a bit like an airplane, a military one. How do I know that was an airplane? And just where am I anyway? It looks like home, but does not feel like it, not even some strange part of it that I haven't been to before. Is this a dream? It seems as if the rest of my life is a dream to me but then I think I remember a lot of my dreams are like that. This is the strangest dream I've ever had though... I think. I can't seem to remember any other dreams so I guess I don't know. Well no point spending it all lying down here, may as well try getting up.

'So the one that looks like a minotaur is Kandela. And she's talking to the weird one that looked like a rabbit named... Senna? I should go introduce myself perhaps. Antisocial and crotchety I may be at times but I have a feeling I'll be stuck with these people and I may as well be polite. Too bad I can barely speak right now, let alone stand up. But then I never was one to accept the truth. Stubborn as a goat they called me! Well time to put that stubbornness to use and get up!'

And perhaps one or two others that all eventually wound up with the decision to get up. Easier decided than said however as he was still fighting to breathe and stay awake after that draining light. It was getting easier though and he was soon able to roll onto his side and start pushing himself up. Finally he had gotten himself to standing and was leaning somewhat heavily on a tree. He had spent the last twenty years learning how to be as active as ever on less energy to go around, but none of that really accounted for having all his energy stolen in bulk.

... Campus isn't near any airfields... Sifa sat up slowly, yawning. "What the heck could make an EMP blast like that, though? Freakin' huge..." Getting onto her knees, she turned to the Tauren and said, "My name is Sifa Lorienda Machnovi, student of the mind." Pausing, she continued, "Is that how you roleplayers say everything? I've met one or two at parties, but I don't think I've ever seen one in such a detailed costume, I admit. How'd you make it?" Shaking her head, she realized that, seeing as the Tauren was currently in-character that probably would make no sense to their persona. "Right, sorry, forgot you wouldn't want to break character. To answer your questions, then, that looked like a bomber of some sort, I'd like to know where we are as much as you, and no, this isn't Azeroth." With a last yawn, she added, "Wonder if we're near a weaponry testing ground, that might explain the bomber and EMP blast... Really hope we aren't caught in a game of subterfuge..."

The panther hybrid watched those around him, a hairless ape, behaving like all the hairless law enforcers tend to, drew a weapon and yet, tried to "de-escalate" the situation... failing miserably, as he seemed to be trying to claim the high ground... but at least the intention of calming things down was there.  Something to keep in mind for the future, maybe.  There was a 3-eyed bunny, an oddly bubbly individual.  She seemed to have the right idea for keeping things calm though, despite her rather unorthodox approach.  His eyes darted around the circle, and he continued looking for anything that indicated he was the target of aggression... which seemed to not be the case for the time being.

While the others seemed to be relaxing a bit, Wraith very subtly lowered his hand from the grip of the pistol still holstered on his hip.  He moved as silently as possible, watching those around him as he slunk further back.  He wasn't wearing any armor at all, just some clothing that provided adequate protection against the rubbing the combat harness would have caused against bare fur and flesh.  He noted the large female, with a large, belt fed weapon.  Usually in increments of 50, his instinct told him the box was either 100 or 150... and in either case, she wielded the slug-thrower as if it were a compact rifle, not unlike the one he himself had strapped to his chest.  She was the center of attention for the moment, and it made Wraith uneasy.  If she was lulling the group, she certainly had the best weapon to hose the circle down once everyone else was too relaxed to react when the first slugs started cutting through the air. Hell no am i going to be the fool, you fuckers do your own thing... The woods are safer than...

Thoughts cut-off with the thunderous roar.  He instinctively raised a hand to cover the ear facing the jet's direction as it passed overhead.  A faint whine above the thunder.  "Turbojet, how quaint.  Good size, good aerodynamics, but still just a turbojet.  probably can't even hit mach-4."

Shockwave overhead... not unlike the air-burst ion guns used for target suppression against unshielded electronics.  Then again, -everyone- shielded their delicate electronics against high intensity EMPs, right?  He felt a little dizzy, his arms and legs felt weak as the wave passed and the aircraft suddenly lost it's control surfaces.  His eyes locked onto the bomber as it slipped and slowly glided downward, loosing speed and altitude, before disappearing behind the treeline.  More instincts kicked in as the panther rolled the opposite way, getting off and behind the mattress he'd been on as the concussive wave seemed to kick the air out of lungs with it's heavy shove. 

Unlike the others, who seemed more concerned with getting to know one another, Wraith decided that now was a perfect opportunity to slink into the woods.  Hopefully no one would notice as he very slowly got himself first up on one knee, then up in a low crouch.  He took a tentative backstep.  then another, and another.  He drew his pistol on the 4th backstep, eyes darting around the party, and, assuming no-one noticed, he prepared himself to bolt into the woods. 

As the cow-lady's eyes darted around in barely controlled fear and anger, Tommaso took the moment to signal his implants to erect a basic kinetic barrier around himself.  Or that's what he tried to do.  He got no response of any kind which was pretty weird.  Thinking about doing a diagnostic resulted in only more silence.

The consternation was quite visible on his face as he reached behind himself and felt the small of his back and found no indication of any implants; no residual irregularities that signaled the presence of a compact biometric power core.  Touching the back of his neck revealed a total lack of concealed data ports that should be the external connections to his Trinary Anode DEI computer implant.  The jet screaming by overhead interrupted him examining his hands in shock; discovering that they were purely flesh and blood.

He threw himself back to the ground; both the jet and the cow-lady's gun registered as mortal threats to him now and he needed to be out of the way.  The sound of explosions that soon followed were familiar, yet filled him with a newfound fear.  He felt helpless without the power granted by his missing enhancements.

After a few moments he looked up from where he was covering his head.  He wasn't going to die yet apparently.  Nothing seemed to have impacted close enough to harm anyone in the clearing, though the older-looking gentleman with the wings seemed to be having trouble standing up.  Instinct kicked in and Tommaso grabbed both "his" gun and "his" travelling pack before crouch-running over to the winged human.

He tried to speak in Italian first, not sure what would come out of his mouth or whether the man would understand him, but hoping that if this was one of the friends Tommaso remembered, then the man might be galvanized in to remembering Tommaso right back.  "Are you feeling well?  Do you feel hurt anywhere?"  He couldn't immediately see any injuries, but nearby explosions didn't always leave any.  "I'm accomplished at medicine and can help if you need."

Not paying attention to anything in particular and the group as a whole (as much as he could in his condition), Chris was in a good position to see one of the group members, the one that looked like a panther, back away and disappear. With luck he was scouting, without luck, he was hostile. Either way Chris was hardly able to do anything about it. He also noticed that his plight had caught the attention of another person or two and one of them, a human, was heading over to help.

By this point he had pulled himself through the worst of it and was able to stand on his own, albeit with heavy breathing and wings tense in a half unfolded position and he responded to the other person's query with, "Nothing... nothing I haven't been through before." Okay, so that was a lie. He had never experienced anything quite like that. "Anyway, I'll be fine in a moment. You young people are lucky you can keep going after something like that so easily..." He took another deep breath as he considered the young man in front of him. "May I ask... what happened to your wings? There seem to be quite a few humans here missing them."

Neither spoke in a language the other was accustomed to, but that hardly seemed to be a problem just as Chris suspected from his brief observations of the other people who had already said stuff in other languages.

Noticing a black-furred feline aiming at him, Ray prepared to quickly roll to the side, getting out of his line of fire while being able to take aim at him at the same time. Glaring at the panther he thought: "What's your deal, oversized cat?" He knew the panther's hand was on a pistol resting in his hip holster, while his expression was enough to see that he was willing to shoot. Why was it so was beyond Raymond's understanding, though; not only he never saw that person, he never saw an anthropomorphic cat before. "Must be a cat and dog rivalry thing," - flashed in his mind. But as he waited for an opportunity, the panther seemed to relax somewhat; at least he removed his hands from the handgun.

Raymond was starting to relax himself when the sound of an approaching aircraft caught his attention - just as attention of pretty much everybody else present in the clearing. Looking up he saw the silhouette of a large plane pass over the clearing. It strongly resembled some of the bombers used by Kadagan, his nation's prime enemy, and for a second Ray's heart sank as he prepared for it to drop its deadly payload. But the bomber passed above, merely spooking those on the ground.

And then they were all hit by a shockwave of.. something. It was not like anything Ray was familiar with, and its effects were almost incapacitating. The following explosion from the fallen plane did not help the matters either. His first thought - after he could think coherently again - was that it could have been a neutron bomb; but it was different from what he knew of such weapons. The explosion made him drop and roll to the side almost involuntarily, so now he picked himself up from the ground; a bit shaky, but strength was returning to him. From the side of his eye he noticed that the panther was now sneaking off from the clearing. "You sure took that blast well.." - Ray thought to himself. He wanted to take aim at the feline, mostly out of spite for aiming at him earlier, but the whole situation was so confusing that he decided not to complicate matters further, instead switching his attention to the other people present.

The question caught Tommaso off guard.  Did I have wings?

He didn't think so, but strangely enough it didn't seem that farfetched of an idea.  Then another thought really surprised him:  I bet I could make some!  Could he?  Seriously?!  Another part of him really doubted it.

Realizing that he was just standing in front of the winged older man with a surprised look on his face Tommaso shifted nervously before answering.

"Uh...  I don't think I ever had wings.  If I did, then I'm not feeling their loss; no shock or other ill effect that I can tell."  He paused to consider what to do.  "If I may, I would still like to check you for injuries."

A glance over his shoulder toward the others in the clearing made him wonder if there was really anything he could do to help.  Something in his fuzzy memories made him think that he was no longer equipped to analyze and treat such varied physical specimens.

   The man feigning unconsciousness was not able to keep up the act as two blastwaves ripped through the camp.After getting jerked around, he lept to his feet unsteadily. There were many figures around the camp, and quite a few seemed monstrous. Unreal.
   He reached into his pockets and pulled out the two objects that were in them; a stungun and a taser. As he held them, he found they felt...familiar, as if he had used them before, despite having no memory of it.
   Still not wanting to draw attention to himself, he put the two weapons back in his pockets and kept quiet, hunching over ever so slightly as if to make himself smaller, and stood behind a few of the larger things. If bullents from the weapons everyone was holding weren't flying yet, he figured he'd tag along surreptitiously with this group and maybe find out what the heck was going on here.

Cinna picked up the sounds of the jet's seemingly just before the others, and before she could say anything the sound rose to very uncomfortable levels for her. She tried to cover her ears with her hands, but the combined shockwave from the emp blast and the deafening explosion from the bomb threw her to the ground in a whimpering heap.

It had been several moments of excrusiating pain as her ears weathered the assault. All noise muted for her, she could barely make out anybody else's voices over the ringing of her hears, and those she could hear were mere muffled echoes. Cinna curled up into a ball as tears streamed down her face.

"No wings? You are a strange human indeed. Though perhaps..." Chris trailed off before continuing almost to himself as he looked at other people in the clearing, "Perhaps it is me who is strange."

It had been a strange day and after everything else it wasn't as startling a thought as he would have expected. However in regards to the stranger's question... "No really. I'll be fine. You may if you insist, but nothing hurts right now."

After a moment, Sifa noticed the rabbit-girl curled up in apparent pain. Without thinking she went to her side, asking, "Are you okay?" Crap, what did she say her name was again? Sifa thought frantically. Right, Cinna. "Cinna? Is there anything I can do to help?" Either this chick's a good roleplayer, or she actually put some amps by her ears. Here's to hoping it's the first; that blast could've killed her hearing.

Tommaso paid close attention to the older man's eyes as the man responded.

"No, your reactions seem normal enough.  I'll trust you about this."

"Is everyone else...?"  He turned around to the rest of those in the clearing.  Everyone seemed to be doing well enough at first glance, except the person with the rabbit ears who was lying on the ground being tended to by the girl dressed like a college student.

Tommaso gave a nod to the winged gentleman before jogging over to the rabbit-eared person.

"So..."  Noticing her three eyes scrunched in pain he paused.  "Um.  Where does it hurt?"  After a blast like that he was assuming her ears, but there was no telling how far the shrapnel from that plane had flown.

I'm definitely out of my league here.

              Greg stirred from his sleep. He didn't want to, but he couldn't sleep with the people talking loudly. "Will you shut up!" He called out, rubbing his eyes. 'Wait a minute...' He thought, as he realised he was in a field, surrounded by others. "Uh... where am I-" Greg started to say, as a plane flew overhead, followed by a blast. With a yelp, the fox rolled off the mattress, covering his head in a fetal postion. 'I'm going to die,' Was all he could think, 'diediediediedie.'

(OOC: Hope my first post isn't to late.)

The coyote watched the jet crash, still reeling from the strange energy drain. The poncho whipped around his body as the shockwave swept over the clearing. He should have felt the wind cry out at this assault, but the spirits remained silent as the breeze.

"Damn, that was a big bird." He readjusted his hat and glanced down to the rifle by his side. "Reckon I might need a bigger gun."

The clearing suddenly felt very exposed. Most of the others were still on the ground, either recovering from the blast or curled up in submission, although he did note the panther trying to slip away.

It seemed that everyone in the clearing had their own mattress and pack. Tor certainly didn't remember packing his and could only guess at its contents--several pockets along the side looked suspiciously like ammo pouches--but this was neither the time nor the place to take inventory. In any event, being lost in unknown territory without supplies would be less than ideal. If he needed extra mobility later, he could lose it then.

He knelt by his mattress, quickly rolled it up, and fastened it to his pack. He didn't personally mind sleeping on rough ground, but there was no point in abandoning any potential assets at this stage. He lifted his poncho so that it hung over his shoulders like a cape, revealing a combat vest patterned in the same multi-terrain camouflage as his pants. He secured the pack and tightened the shoulder straps, paying careful attention to weight and balance, before pulling the poncho back over everything. He then grabbed his rifle and stood up.

"Pardon me, gentlefolk." He doffed his hat, hoping that whatever magic allowed him to comprehend the others' foreign sounding speech made them mutually intelligible. "This clearing may not be the best place for introductions. I, for one, would rather not be caught out in the open should another bomber come by. Or, for that matter, whatever downed it..."

Angel practically hit the dirt when the jet roared above them, the following wave almost knocking him unconscious. A great way to start his new adventure, nearly getting blown to smithereens after a bunch of crazy mutants and strangers start pointing guns at each other. The most suspicious of these people, the feline, was already making a break for the woods. He'd barely even noticed until the panther had slipped away until he caught the sparse movement in his peripheral vision, his brain trying to keep track of everybody. But could he let this guy just up and vanish on them?

...fuck it, let him. Having this person as far away from them as possible would be a blessing. He clicked the safety on his pistol back on and gave everyone else a cursory glance. The coyote in particular.

"...if that thing was about to carpet bomb us, the largest piece of us left would be the size of a postage stamp. We might just be near an airfield." Although how they even got there was suspect. Jesus, so many questions he could ask these people, the minotaur-woman most of all. Crusades? What century did she just fall out of?

But come to think of it, which one did he fall out of? He could recognize the bomber only vaguely, probably having seen it on TV somewhere... but when, exactly? And which channel?

The general silence of nature returned as the explosions from the bomber settled down to just the occasional secondary.

Wraith was just about to turn and leave when her heard a growling of something small but aggressive and pissed off behind him, a glance would reveal something small with black fur and a white striped tail, which at this moment was raised in his direction...And then he was engulfed in some sort of gas, non-lethal to be sure, but boy did it smell.

((OOC note: it has been pointed out to me by a non player and has concerned me a little that players have miraculously spotted Wraith (Salem) sneaking off. Considering his skill set I have a problem with this many people spotting him, in future please take this into account, and if your character isn't looking right at a sneaking character (assuming they CAN sneak) You will not spot them without the GM noting so.))

**************************

Kandela watched in sympathy as the three eyed rabbit curled into a ball from the sound waves, her own (large)ears were still ringing. letting the machine gun hang on its sling, she got to her (slightly) unsteady hooves and walked over to the girl, one to be beaten by the somewhat hyper female human. Reaching her at the same time as the human man what seemed to have some semblance of medical training (Kandela knew a little but her studies had been some time ago).

"Here let me try" The Tauren said and attempted to summon some of the Light's healing power, but while she could still feel it in a distant manner all she managed was a small glow of power, which fizzled immediately. Concerned She tried again to the same results. Now certain this was not her home she turned to the black haired man. "Sadly it seems I lack the power."

She looked at the Coyote (being the same height as him even kneeling) as he spoke about his intention to leave the clearing. "Where do you plan to go? It seems that this place isn't anyone's home."

She arched a rather large eyebrow.
 

Once more steady on his feet, Chris tried once more to take stock in his situation. He was mysteriously stuck in the middle of seemingly nowhere with a gun, a pack, and a bunch of strangers who may or may not be on a hair trigger. None of these strangers seemed to be of a species he was familiar with though many came close, if only to mythology. Roughly half were humans who did not have wings for some reason, and the other half seemed to be half animal. Just from what he could remember there was a half-cow, a half-dog, a half-rabbit, a half-cat and he also seemed to remember a half-squirrel though he couldn't find that one anymore and was not sure if he was making it up or not. Sometimes at his age, his mind would play tricks on him like that.

Of a more immediate nature however, the majority of everyone had calmed down and were now mingling of a sort, but Chris wasn't quite ready for a crowd of people just yet so he decided to check his pack to see what was in it instead.

Wraith almost stepped on the small rodent, as he pivoted to bolt.  The black and white rodent looked utterly terrified, while the panther looked mildly amused, with a little bit of confusion.  However, that was because the smell hadn't quite hit yet.  The small black and white fuzz-ball flicked it's tail at Salem, spraying droplets of a horrifically foul smelling oil across the belly of his hoodie.  Had he been bare-furred, the experience would have been horrific, instead, it was just miserable.  

He coughed involuntarily as the stench hit him like a freight train.  He could smell the source rather acutely, and moved to imidiately rectify the problem.  He took several backsteps, putting him right back in the edge of the circle, he rather quickly unfastened the harness around his chest and shoulders, leaning the rifle against a near-by tree.  The shirt disappeared into the wilderness with both violence and velocity.  The feline coughed again, holding himself up by another tree as he fought every urge to vomit.  Well, the stealthy option was gone... looks like it's time to play nice.  

As the stench eased, the feline braced his body against the tree, muscles and fur rippling as he urged the sudden influx of adrenaline out of his system with the stretch.  He picked up the harness, smelled carefully for the smelly, oily substance the skunk had flung at him, and, after finding it clear, he strapped the harness over his topless form, rifle still attached.

By now he was fairly certain he'd become the center of attention, he raised his index and middle fingers together, along with his thumb curled underneath in a sort of half salute, half wave.  An intentionally informal gesture.  He said, "Just call me Wraith..."

Straight and to the point, Salem was rather irked at what a fool that little bastard had made him look.  At this point, however, he had no choice but to roll with the hand he'd been dealt.

As Sifa saw the panther fursuiter stumble back into the clearing and rip his shirt off, she noticed that whatever material he was using for his suit made for a rather athletic figure. The tribal tattoo that was inked on his chest was a nice touch. "Sifa Machnovi," she said in response. "Psych student at Lilliput University. Where'd you get the fursuit?"

"Fur? suit? Get? I mean... unless you're unmodified, you're -born- this way... only other option is gene-therapy, and even then, not nearly as effective.  So i guess you could say that i got my fur from my parents.  As for suit, this isn't my suit.  If i had my suit, you wouldn't be seeing fur at all."

The feline swaggered towards the congregation now.  Chances were good that if lead was going to fly, it would have happened by now.  It did little to calm his active mind, but it was enough to let him drop his hands from the rifle's grip.  Further observation revealed everyone seemed rather confused... perhaps it wasn't a simple matter of being displaced, but perhaps he'd ended up on some lost, dark world.  Unlikely as it was... there had been a few cases of colony ships, and colonies turning up in weirder places.  

He considered what he'd heard.  If she was as unfamiliar with gene-modification as she seemed, he considered the possible demonstrations he'd need to perform to show he wasn't wearing a costume.  The thought amused him.  Humans who weren't openly suspicious, if not outright hostile towards a hybrid.  

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," Sifa muttered under her breath. "Another roleplayer?" Raising her voice, she continued, "You don't wanna break character, fine. We've already got one of those here." Sifa gestured at the Tauren roleplayer. "I guess I'll just have to learn to deal." Sighing, she sat down completely next to Cinna, patting her comfortingly on the shoulder while she remained curled up.

Cinna sat up, and shook her head to try and clear it. Her hearing had returned to some degree, albeit everything sounded like she was listening though a cone. "Owww...." she rubbed her ears, "that was too loud... what happened? what was that thing? Is everybody else alright?" The conversation around her directed her attention to Wraith. She opened her third eye and seemed to stare at him through it, the iris focusing in and out for a few moments.

Suddenly she spoke, "I dont think he's a cubi, his aura is the about right, but that looks too big to be a clan marking... so... maybe a half demon? That would explain the tribal tattoo, but not the lack of wings," she paused again, as if thinking, "but it could be his wings haven't come in yet." Cinna realized she had inadvertantly slighted the halfdemon and quickly added, "But thats nothing to worry about, I'm sure they'll come in sooner or later. Its not like being wingless will prevent you from going on bloodthirsty rampages." She cocked her head to the side and smiled.

The rabbit(-ish) lady didn't seem to need his help either.  She wasn't behaving any more disoriented than the rest of the people in the clearing, so there didn't seem to be any permanent damage to her ears.  Nor did she appear to have other injuries.  He was now more interested in what the cow-lady had done.  Or had attempted to do.  The flash of light was a huge surprise to Tommaso.

"How did you do that?  No projectors or emitters and you still produced light.  And why did you broadcast visible spectrum radiation in order to practice an organic modification?  That's a gross waste of effort!"

Then the smell hit him.  Someone had pissed off a skunk.  That was when he noticed the black-furred cat-man.  Two plus two equalled the panther being the source of the smell, and Tommaso stood up to back away if needed.  He really didn't want any of that to rub off on himself.  He definitely wanted to hold his nose, though he refrained only with some visible effort.

"Mrs. Machnovi, all of this is real."  Tommaso gave her a small, comforting smile.  "I think we're experiencing a localized warping of reality.  Despite that, everything we experience will actually be."  He tried wracking his brain for everything concerning Marauders.  He felt a distinct association with that title and what was going on here, it was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't quite make the connection.  "I agree with Mr. Coyote over there that we need to move; if for no other reason than someone out there is using advanced weaponry in our vicinity, and we don't want to be caught flat-footed.  I-I'm not as sure about this, but I think that leaving the area may also restore things to normal."

You have to be... "Am I the only normal person here, for Christ's sake?" Gesturing at each person in turn, Sifa exclaimed, "We've got a woman in a Tauren roleplay suit, a guy in an admittedly-well-done panther suit, a second chick with a suit that she built a third eye into, and a second guy that's apparently fitting it all in with his sci-fi roleplay! What. The. Fuck?!" After a moment, Sifa thought, I did not just say that... Yep, I did. Sighing, she tried to sit still and think a moment. "Sorry, I didn't mean to burst like that." Looking at the human in the fatigues, she continued, "Even if you're right, and all of this is real, I'm pretty sure I'm in denial. My professor lectured about it the other day in class." With a sigh, she leaned back on her hands and sat silent for a minute, before heading back to her mattress and checking what was there.

((OOC: Sorry if I'm talking too much! Let me know if I'm going too far.))

Kandela looked back to the medic thankful that the Rabbit-person was ok, "I simply reached out to the Holy Light, but it seems I can't focus it like I normally can."

But as Sifa had her little fit of denial, she just had to ask; "What do you mean by a fur suit?"

The coyote cocked his head as the massive bovine knelt over the fallen rabbit girl. Though he didn't recognize the style, it looked like she was trying to cast a spell of some kind. And failing. Hmm. So he wasn't the only one so impaired. Did it have something to do with that strange energy wave?

He casually stretched out his arm and attempted to shape the wind. Even a light breeze--something he could have summoned with ease as a child--proved taxing for what little magic remained. He frowned. Whatever science or magic had silenced the spirits also locked away his innate power. It would take some getting used to. At the very least, he'd have to remember not to jump off any more cliffs. Missing the ground would be so much harder without being able to fly.

At least he had more mundane skills to fall back on. Including some he didn't know he had. Like the bomber that was just shot down... he couldn't recall ever having seen one quite like it before, but he recognized it on sight. And it somehow seemed reasonable that it would only be flying that fast and low if it was near either its base or its target. Neither alternative boded well. He didn't want to get caught in the middle of another war when he had no clue who was fighting or why.

"Miss Sunbless, was it?" The crusader had addressed him directly, so he walked over to her. "Well, you're right that this land's not personally familiar to me, but I do know war machines when I see them, and those are blowing up a bit close for comfort." He gestured in the direction of the crash and explosions. "Now unless anyone here's got cause to believe either side of that conflict would be friendly to us, it'd be prudent to assume this territory hostile. Even a group hauling this much firepower could have trouble securing such a wide open clearing, so I reckon the first order of business should be to get a lay of the land and find a defensible position where it's safe to take stock of our situation."

A few members of the group carried themselves like warriors, but the others... they were not unlike the villagers before the invasion--simple folk unwilling to accept that their world was about to come crashing down around them. Their survival instincts had best kick in soon if this world was half as dangerous as it appeared, else they'd be a danger to themselves and others. Still, he much preferred making new friends to making new enemies. There was strength in numbers.

"Damn. Where are my manners? Name's Tor. Tor Blackwind." He tipped his hat again. "But most folks just call me Bolt."

Wraith narrowed his eyes slightly at the comment of breaking character, of costumes, "Roleplayer?! Allow me to demonstrate the difference between imitation and the real thing." 
Stepping closer he presented the girl with a bare arm.  "Feel free to squeeze, search for that bagginess you'd find in any costume.  I assure you, it's my real skin.  Or, perhaps you think the whole thing is an exceedingly well done costume, perhaps the moving eyes, flush skin, fur with hair roots, and fine muscle movements aren't enough?"

Opening his mouth to reveal the rows of pointed, feline teeth, and a flat, and very inhuman tongue. 

After his little display to the human girl, Wraith turned his attention back to the other furred individuals, specifically the canine with the shotgun. He wondered if he was simply a greenhorn and had never worked with a shadowhand unit.  "What unit are you from?"

Sifa let out a small tch noise as she looked up at the panther-suiter. "You think I know what a fursuiter, or any good costumer can do? You should see some of the things people have made." Sighing, she continued, "Either way, as I said, I'm fairly certain I'm in denial of anything that is obvious. I'm clinging to that like a shipwrecked sailor to driftwood." Lying back, she crossed her arms under her head, and stared up at the sky. "I just hope I get over this soon..."

Tommaso stood up and faced the Tauren.  "Missus Sunbless that doesn't make any sense.  You're still putting a lot of effort in to a visible emanation that would be better used to increase the intended core effect.  I think that you could increase the effective speed of any healing by at least five percent with the energy..."

He shook his head; he was pretty sure that he wasn't being productive by arguing over this.  "Nevermind.  If it helps you focus, then I won't argue."

The conversation between the Panther and Sifa then eclipsed any thoughts he had about the cow-lady's "magical" ability...  er, Tauren, according to Sifa.  He badly wanted to enlighten Sifa about the relatively simple nature of creating what would appear to be a human and animal hybrid, but that seemed like it would be an even less productive conversation.  So while the Panther hadn't specifically addressed him, Tommaso responded to him anyway.

"I am Tommaso Vennet, Grand Master of Biomechanical Sciences to the Sons of Ether brotherhood of Northern Italy.  Pleased to meet you."  He put on his friendliest smile, though the effect was likely ruined as his pack suddenly shifted off his shoulder to his elbow.  "I think we need to get moving asap.  We can keep talking on the way to high ground and a better view of the area."

Chris' examination of his back would reveal what looked to be general survival equipment, which included water purifying kits, some food packets with MRE labels, some spare clothes, spare .44 rounds for the Revolver, and what looked to be spell components specific to his world.



And a Map....



**********************************

Standing back up to her full height Kandela towered over Sifa, and personalty she found it quite insulting that this woman was insinuating she wasn't a shu'halo ((Tauren in her own language)) but a human in some kind of suit.

Scowling the Tauren snorted in Sifa's direction, before calming herself and turning to Tor and Tommaso. "Thank you both for the introductions. So where shall we go? Follow the creek or thrash though the woods?" She asked with a smile.
 

A map! This was certainly a find, though he'd probably need to see a bit more than the clearing they were in before being able to figure out where they were much less what some of the other stuff meant. These darned things never came with a 'you are here' sign, but still... it would be useful later. In the meanwhile however it looked as if there was somewhat of a to-do over by that half-cat from earlier who seemed to now be missing his shirt. Chris didn't really understand the younger generation's obsession with not wearing shirts despite situations that often called for them. Granted, a shirt wasn't VERY necessary for their current situation, but it was still strange to duck out of sight just to take off your shirt.

Regardless, he felt it was time to get involved and he had already met the one man who had offered to help him earlier. So he reangled his hat to block out the sun and flexed his wings to work out any knots and ambled over in time to overhear most of the conversation, though he only arrived just before the half-cow (he really should find out what to actually call these people eventually. Or at least her name.) asked her final question. "If I may suggest? Several people here may not be suited for forest travel and it might be wise to stick near a source of water for now. I suspect I am not the only one here who would normally be able to summon water, but I KNOW I'm not the only one experiencing difficulties with things that I should be able to do." To demonstrate he tried arcing a small jolt of electricity from index finger only to have it dissolve into sparks.

When the winged person was finished, Sifa turned her head and added, "We could also find higher ground if we follow the water upstream." Sitting back up, she picked up the handgun where it lay, then tossed it into her pack. Noting that someone else had rolled up their mattress, she tried following suit with acceptable success. Slinging her pack over her shoulder, she said, "Either way, who wants to take lead?"

   The human Nick seemed to have not been noticed yet, just as he planned. Being near-totally unremarkable in this assembly, and hiding behind the large bull-thing probably helped. One person seemed to think that everyone else was faking it. Nick didn't know what to think. This was more lucid than any dream he had, yet he couldn't quite believe it was real, either.
  Some seemed to talk about leaving, possibly to investigate the crashed aircraft. Nick kept on his toes, ready to quietly and unobtrusivly tag along, and with both hands in his pockets, ready to pull out either of his weapons if necessary.

Wraith flexed fingers before looking at the surrounding again.  "I'd suggest sticking to the water myself.  Running water will conceal our own noises, and, should we get tired, it would provide an excellent means of resupply, and refreshing.  We have the added advantage of the natural cover that tends to line riverbanks.  Beyond that, well... i don't know who has the sharpest ears, or the strongest nose, but we should space those with sharp senses in the front and back."

While waiting for the others, Wraith started flitting through his own pack, trying to figure out what supplies he had brought, or had been packed for him.

Tommaso steeled his expression; the Tauren smiling was only a little bit better than her scowling.  Either way she towered over him and he was feeling exceptionally small without access to...  He shook his head.  Was my whole life really a dream?  No!  It couldn't be, because I don't remember a damned thing about this life.  He would just have to try harder.  But to do any proper practice he knew that he needed tools first; the more modern, the better.

"I'm willing to defer to anyone with suitable rural combat experience, and backtracking the stream sounds like a decent idea.  There's no garauntee that it will go up one of these hills is there?"

Following the example of the others, Tommaso took the pack from his elbow and opened it to see what he had with him.  Tools were high on his list of hopefuls.

Salem's investigation of the pack would reveal similar items to Chris' pack, bar a larger amount of ammunition for this pistol and rifle, plus a pair of frag grenades and two smokes. It also contained a map and compass, which had symbols that seemed to represent military units around some city by the name of Wien...though none of them seemed to be armored or artillery, only infantry.   

Tommaso's pack however while containing the basics and his Barreta's 9x18mm ammo' had a fully stocked trauma/surgical kit.



The pops and crackle from the plane crash continued in the background.

****************************

Kandela wandered back to her pack and went through her pack after rolling up the strange mattress. It contained more of the ammo for the belt fed Machine gun she was carrying as well as some for the pistol she found on her thigh, and some of the components she used for certain spells..

Slinging the whole thing on her back, she returned the the small knot of people ready to move. "I'll go first, if anything comes up I seem to have the largest gun here, and I'm sure my size might intimidate any attackers."

The Taruen waited long enough to see everyone that was coming to grab their gear then headed upstream walking along the banks for the creek.

      After several moments of cowering, Greg decided that he was relatively safe here, for now. He also decided that if no one had been shot yet, it was  not going to happen. Getting to his feet, Greg saw a small pack, a revolver, and a sniper rifle by the place he was cowering. Feeling embarrassed at his over reaction, he decided it wold be best to try to establish himself in a good way. "I could help lead through the woods," the fox said, "I used to spend a lot of time in the woods."

Reaching down to grab the revolver, Greg decided to also check through his bag.

Putting his own pack back together, placing the spare magazines in the combat harness rather than the pack, Wraith was feeling mostly recovered.  Muscles still a little fatigued, but nothing he hadn't felt before.  The feline approached a nearby tree, and started to climb.  He moved quickly, using his enhanced speed and reaction time to flow up and through the branches as he climbed towards the top.  He was careful to pick sturdy branches given the pack he was wearing, along with the several pounds of guns, ammunition, and harnesses.  He flowed from branch to branch until he was high enough to get a better view of the surrounding area.  He looked first towards the area of the plane-crash, and then upriver of the stream.  He was looking for signs of movement, listening for voices, sniffing for scents that would give telltale signs of where people were coming from, and feeling the direction of the wind. 

He stayed there for a few moments before ducking down a little bit, and turning his attention back to the group below.

Angel kept his mouth shut for the rest of the exchange, taking a moment to dig through his own pack. At first, this made some tiny bit of sense. Now, he had no idea what was going on, all because of Sifa's reaction to the more bestial members of their group. Even the most sheltered suburban brats back home knew about metahumans, animal-like or otherwise.

Something didn't add up. He quickly gathered his things, not quite rushing, not quite walking to Sifa's side. "Sifa, was it?" He hadn't given his own name, but they had the whole rest of the day for introductions. "Tell me, do you remember who got elected US President in 2008?"

The contents of his pack were very disappointing.  He could work with the contents of this medical kit, but he wasn't going to like it.  Everything was just so primitive.  There wasn't even a simple multispectrum biometric scanner/imager.  He sighed.  Maybe he could make one by dismantling what was in his pack maybe scrounging bits from the others of the group.  While he was considering he noted the Tauren leaving while the panther lept into the lower branches.

"Missus Sunbless?  Hold up a moment.  Our cat's gone up the tree."  Tommaso stood there watching Wraith's progress.

"I grew up in a country called Italy on the continent of Europe, and this terrain and flora seem really familiar.  If we are in Europe, and he can see a good landmark from up there, I can probably tell you exactly where we are."

Sifa turned to look at her questioner as she started to follow the Tauren-suiter. "Bush, why?"

Cinna had flipped through her pack, noting its contents, and then slung it over her shoulder.

"So... anybody got any ideas why we were brought here? I mean, its not like they left anything in writing. I mean... there was this one time I woke up in this strange underground cavern with some other people, and this Mythos wanted us to dress up like some sort of adventuring group, and go questing with him as the 'dungeon master,' the only things we had were whatever clothing he gave us... I ended up being the wizard... and the one of the other guys was left with the amazon gear," she giggled, "that was funny looking." Cinna then thought for a bit, "Come to think about it, that entire thing was weird."

Bolt smirked. His gun was nearly twice as large the giant warrior's, but he had to admit that she did present the more intimidating figure, armed or not.

"I can watch our tail, if y'all are comfortable with that. I've some experience with scouting, and I could render assistance should anyone need help keeping up."

He might need to free both hands quickly for that task, so he unslung his pack and secured the carrying harness so that his rifle was comfortably balanced over his back. He took the opportunity to transfer several magazines of pistol ammunition to his web vest and pockets. Noting that several of the others had discovered what looked like maps in their packs, he checked his own for navigational tools before returning it to his back.

"So are we just going to follow the creek upstream until we reach higher ground? If we need a better view of the surroundings, we could just climb a--" He looked up. The skunk-perfumed panther had already made his way up into the branches around the clearing. "Well, that takes care of that."

The coyote drew his pistol, screwed the suppressor into place, and hung back at the treeline, scanning his surroundings while waiting for the rest of the group to mobilize.

Greg's bag was much like the other's, with ammo food and clothing. It also included a map, but unlike the other maps the one he had  seemed to be a political, with the borders of the four nations on the map in a different colour from each other. Closer examination would reveal a legend and a makers mark, describing it as a map of  Western and Central Europe.

Angel's examination of his bag would reveal more of the same food, water purification kits, and clothing, with a side order of ammo, a pack of eight flashbangs and some quickcuffs.


Cinna's pack is also more of the standard contents along with her own magic's components, and what appears to be a rabbit's foot.


Now with a clear line of sight to the world around them Salem could make out several landmarks. The stretch of creek they were camped on flowed from the South west and made its way to the north east then north, there was a line of hills to the south, and in the distance he could make out a smaller group of hills to the north. Of more immediate interest was a small grouping of buildings only a few hundred meters to the Northwest behind a road, and a factory of some sort to the north east only few hundred more on the same road, with a small town past both of them directly north a kilometer or so away.

The plume of smoke from the Bomber was easily visible from inside the factory, but there seemed to be no effort to put it out, nor any alarms or people nearby.

There was also a clutch of buildings to the south west.


***********************************************

Kandela paused and turned back as Tommaso called to her.

Salem memorized the positions of what he'd seen, and about where he saw it.  Taking note of direction, location and approximate distance.  He gingerly lowered himself out of the tree and got the map out of his pack.  Using his mental image of the area, ahead, he compared it to the map.

"About a click downstream we've got some type of urban development.  I think i saw something similar on the map i found in my pack.  Hold up just a second."

Tommaso would give the panther no such reprieve.

"Wait, you have a map?  Let me see."  Tommaso tried to peer at it around Wraith.  "Did you see any markings from up there?  Any flags or symbols?"

Sifa looked back and forth between where the Tauren-suiter was and where the other human stood now, talking with the panther-suiter. Well, that seemed... abrupt. Wonder if he has ADD... Looking around at the other members of the group, she grinned slightly. Heh, they don't know what's in their own packs. I know I've got... The grin turned to an expression of concentration. Opening up the bag, she murmured, "Come to think of it, what do I have in my pack..."

"Downstream?" The coyote frowned. "Towards the explosions? Did you spot any men or materiel on the route that could pose a threat?"

He glanced over his new companions. Some of them looked painfully unprepared for dealing with danger. On the other hand, if indeed there was a settlement nearby, perhaps they could find answers about this world and their purpose here...

Or at least learn which questions to ask.

Without missing a beat, the Panther drew and leveled the pistol at Tommaso's torso without so much as a second glance,  "Back the fuck off, and chill the fuck out." His tone flat and deadpan.  "I'm working as fast as i can, and you aren't helping.  Now, just because i didn't shoot you when first meeting you, doesn't make us pals."  Digging through his bag with his free hand, the feline retrieved the map and studied it again. 

"Looks like infantry positions.  Some dug in, some mobile.  I dunno how you guys do it, but red tends to mean hostile." the feline spoke while looking at the map.  "If i had to make a wager, i'd say that the plane was a bomber, making it's run over the site when it got hit with an EMP... probably an ion weapon."

Tommaso's eyes widened in shock as the panter's weapon seemed to come up from nowhere to be pointed firmly in his direction.  He put his hands out, palms forward with fingers splayed, and took a couple steps back in a show of surrender.  His AUG flopped down from behind his shoulder to rest against his hip.

"Clearly."  He glowered.  "We may have been friends yesterday, though I'm not sure which you might be.  If this is the work of a Marauder then I suppose I can't blame you for not remembering.  It wouldn't be your fault."

When the panther's weapon went back down Tommaso stood for a moment and waited to make sure no actual violence would start.  Satisfied that he wasn't about to die he listened to the panther's report while gathering his own matress into a neat roll.  When the panther finished talking Tommaso spoke up again from where he was crouching.

"Remember this; I don't think that this is reality as it should be, but it is reality as it is for now.  Be especially wary of harming those in this group even if you don't recognize us.  You might wake up again and find that you've killed your best friend."

Not having said much so far, Ray stood at the side of the group, not attracting much attention to himself and just watching others. This whole situation was beyond his comprehension. He was fairly sure he was nowhere near where he was supposed to be, since they were clearly not in the middle of a vast mountainous desert, and something was telling him they were not even on his planet. He had no memory of leaving his planet either; this whole situation was like something out of some science fiction novel he may have read. Still, he had no illusions about this whole ordeal being a hallucination. Having no explanation, he decided to just go with the flow until some explanation presents itself, avoiding trouble in the mean time.

As he watched, he saw some sort of a core of this rag-tag group form. At the centre of it were the large bovine female and a canine guy that could have easily been Ray's compatriot. "Kandela and Tor, they seem to know what they're doing, even if they have no idea what's going on. Better stick with them," - he thought, being used to having some sort of a chain of command. Others were gathering around them, some actually doing something productive, others just feeling lost and looking for support, at least from what he could tell. The two other females, a human and a three-eyed rabbit, were coping with the situation particularly badly, both being in some form of shock-induced denial. Meanwhile, the feline fellow, while doing productive stuff, was almost demonstratively unwilling to try and work with others; it seemed that he was rather hostile to humans for some reason. "Must be a cat thing," - thought Ray, chuckling a bit. Either way, he seemed to be rather unstable, and could be a threat to the entire group. The civilians would be troublesome either. But it was clear that none of them was here by choice, and Ray could not really be picky about his companions. For good or bad, they were all in the same boat right now.

Deciding to break his silence at last, Ray spoke up. "Excuse me, miss Kandela?" - he addressed her, deciding to consider the large female a leader of the group, - "My name is Raiden. I am from military, and have skills in scouting woodland combat myself, plus I seem to carry some close combat weapons. Perhaps it would be best if I scout ahead together with Bolt, so I could back him up, his weapon is unfit for close combat."

Wraiths further study of the map, plus his observation of the surrounds while up there tree and lack of activity, meant it did not match up with what he had seen. For one the town was far too small, the city on his map going on the scale was at least home to a few million. And further study of the river showed it to much smaller than the one on the map, which also ran north west to south west.  


During her rummaging of her pack Sifa found the standard survival pack, ammo for her CZ75, and what looked like a rather well stocked makeup kit, which oddly included wigs and false eyebrows and other items used in disguises.

Tor's Examination of his possessions ranged from the normal survival pack, to components to aid his connection to the spirits. The extra ammo he carried was just as varied, from .50 API (1 mag) .50 cal Match Grade (2 mags) and finally .50 cal HEAP (1 mag), plus a small scattering of .45 cal for his pistol (4 mags). Oddly he was also carrying a half lined half blank notebook.   


************************************************


Stopping as Wraith pulled out his sidearm Kandela threw up her arms letting her MG dangle by its sling. "By the light...Would you please knock it off, we all seem to be nowhere we are supposed be, can you all stop pointing these 'guns' at each other every time we disagree?"

"Did you see any signs of life while you were up there?" She asked in a more consolatory tone.

As Ray spoke up she turned her head in the canine's direction but keeping one eye on Salem. "Seems right now we are changing our minds on where to go...Mr?"

Cinna watched the exchange between the Cow Demon and the others. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but maybe we should find someone to tell us whats happening around here? I mean, we can sit around and play 'who has the bigger' gun all day but, as amusing as that would be, I don't think it will help our situation much. Anyways," her stomach growled loudly, "We could all probably use some food. Which they might have. I mean, technically Saedra can eat beings, but as a clan we got out of that a long time ago... it caused too much trouble, your standard torch and pitchfork thing... so we banned it. Though exactly for those purposes, we also traveled through Being lands, so it helped our relations with them when they didn't feel like an entree." She tapped her cheek as she seemed to recall something, "although my estranged Uncle Jeff seemed to get back into it... though that would explain why he was estranged," Cinna shrugged, "Anyways, finding someone else would probably solve many of our problems!"

"You didn't find any food in your pack?" The coyote raised an eyebrow at at the strange three-eyed rabbit, but decided not to investigate further into her species' cannibalistic habits. He holstered his own weapon before the situation became any more tense.

"Certainly, it'd be helpful to find a native who can tell us where we are, at least, if not what we're doing here. Only problem is... for all we know they might be inclined to try shooting us first. Or eating us. Assuming we've all decided not to kill each other," he cast a meaningful glance at the panther, "it'd behoove us to work together to stay alive and solve this little mystery. Advance scouting would be a good idea." He nodded to the dingo. "Might also help to have some of us stay back to run overwatch in case things go bad or trouble shows up when we try to make contact."

He rubbed his chin. "None of us have any communications tools or magic, do we? We should decide on signals of some sort to alert each other of danger or give the all clear."

He studied the map with the others until it became apparent that their current position wasn't so easily identified. "I reckon our next step is deciding which way to go." He looked up. "Hmm. Give me a few minutes."

Removing his pack once again, he let it rest against a tree trunk after extracting the notebook he found earlier. He pulled the ghillie hood over his hat, making him look like a large shrub with legs, and began to climb. Having watched the panther descend, he already knew where to find a lot of the sturdy branches. It wasn't that he didn't trust the cat--okay, he didn't trust the cat--but Bolt wanted to see for himself just what they were up against.

Once above the canopy, he slid his rifle's targeting system off its rails before letting the weapon rest back in its harness. He then pulled out his notebook, made sure he was comfortable and secure on his perch, and flipped the protective covers off the scope. The naturalist turned warrior began cataloguing his surroundings with the same methodical efficiency applied to studying new habitats or scouting enemy encampments. Somehow, he had a feeling this strange adventure might feature both.

He first sketched out a quick map, using the sights' rangefinder to estimate distances. Where were all the people? It was early morning still, but lack of response to the thunderous explosions suggested that people had either abandoned the neighbouring settlements or bunkered down. Neither possibility would bode well for a pleasant chat with the natives. That bomber had been here for a reason, which meant some kind of strategically important assets in the area. He investigated each group of buildings in turn, zooming in when necessary to search for signs of life--if not live (or dead) bodies then lights, smoke, vehicles, fortification... anything to indicate recent activity.

His new companions would have to pick a direction and move out eventually. The nearby buildings to the northwest or the ones farther upstream presented the least risky candidates. Waltzing into town unprepared might prove suicidal. The canine sniper evaluated nearby high ground positions for suitability as sniper hides to run overwatch while the rest of the group moved in. The hills perhaps? More tall trees would do in a pinch, so long as his lines of sight weren't too restricted. His rifle had tremendous range--heck, he could probably drop someone in town from here--but limited communication meant he needed to secure perches closer to the group.

Finally, he scanned the horizon to the east, shielding his eyes against the morning sun as he briefly searched for any sign of whatever had downed the bomber. There was something dangerous out there, dark and mysterious. Even without the spirits, he could feel it on the wind, an uncomfortable stillness like the calm before a storm.

Truth be told, he hadn't felt this excited in ages.

In the background, Chris decided it was time for an experiment or two. He had already tried electricity magic, but now he ran through a few other excercises and anything magic related felt confusing, like trying to cast spells during a violent storm except... different. Chris had long ago learned how to compensate for storms and hopefully he'd figure this through as well. On another note, a few flaps of his wings were enough to tell him flying was also out of the question. The air here felt.. thin. His wings refused to catch on to it somehow and he couldn't figure out why this might be. It may be that he wouldn't be able to fly until he could use magic to make the air work properly. Or perhaps this too would be something he could learn to account for.

In more current regards however, plans were being made and discussed. And while he did not particularly like the panther or the cow (Sunbless he seemed to recall her mentioning) due to their seeming tendency to value force over finesse, he felt both had good points and it was often best to let such people think they were in charge as it kept them from making trouble. As long as they listened to reason he would follow along willingly enough, but he did not live to be over ninety and a master of his craft to be bossed around by young hotheads with more brawn than brains. However he also recognized that they were in a bit of a tight spot and it would do well to work together.

So during a moment of silence while the coyote was climbing the tree, Chris stepped forward with an observation of his own. "Another thing to consider is just what the locals would consider 'local'. Just in our group of people we have examples of people from places where other members of our group don't belong. If possible we should try to figure out whether any members of our group might create an instant negative reaction. Or for that matter an unnecessarily positive one either. If possible I would like to avoid drawing undue attention on account of not having wings, or a third eye, or perhaps NOT a third eye or HAVING wings. It might also be good to check if whatever is causing us to understand each other (because I know none of you speak my language) extends to the local population and also what passes for local currency and if we have any."

Angel stayed at the sidelines, still fumbling through his pack at the supplies. Flash bangs and cuffs? This whole thing felt like a bad joke, especially when he mulled over Sifa's answer. President Bush in 2008... Ralph Nader won in '08 under a platform of peace and ended a ten-year conflict with the freaks and geeks from Quebec. Everyone knew that.

Now, he wasn't sure of anything. Speaking to anyone outside of their group could get them rounded up and sent to a refugee camp.

"...I don't know about the rest of you, but it feels like someone's playing an ugly prank on us. And I don't like it." Angel shifted his pack with a grunt. "And if we're going to ask the natives for the skinny, then maybe we shouldn't ask a soldier. We should ask a civilian." A civilian would probably be less likely to shoot or arrest them on principle, and he wanted to avoid any conflicts with the local troopers for as long as possible.

Wraith sighed a bit at the obvious passive-aggressiveness the group was displaying.  Was it not common knowledge that if someone is irritable, the last thing you do is violate their personal space.  He responded to the bull lady first, "Well, from what i could see, everything suggest the factory itself is deserted.  It's on fire, and there's no effort to save the building.  However, it looks like there might be a village or some other cluster of buildings a little further on.  I really have no complaints working with people, however, i would point out the violation of both personal space and concentration needs to be addressed.  If -you're- incapable of giving someone the a few moments they request to try and do something helpful, then perhaps you should turn your anger towards them.  I pulled a weapon because it was the quickest means to the result i wanted.  I no longer had someone looking over my shoulder, nor crowding me, and i was able to confirm that the town out there is not the same as my map. "

Wraith eyed the angel next as the dog was already climbing up the tree.  "Well, the other question i have, how many of you remember much of your past before arriving here.  I mean... from where i'm from, that aircraft is rather obsolete... ancient technology used in an absolute pinch for low cost production.  My gut instinct is telling me that the weapon that fried that thing was an ion gun, very similar to what my people use to damage or destroy unshielded electronics.... soo... while it's clear that we're different.... Establishing a baseline might be a good idea.  I mean, here's a simple question everyone should answer... what do we have in the ways of maps, and other information..."

Turning towards the 3 eyed rabbit, Wraith continued, "And, are there any topics of your beliefs that would be considered, taboo... off limits.  I mean... earlier you were talking about andels, and demons, and stuff... you'd said something about rampages and such... i could have sworn i had more tact than that. Head more ability than to cause senseless violence."  He gave a shrug as he fished out a small ration, and took a little drink of water.

"Raiden," - Ray said, answering Kandela's question, - "Well, my name is Raymond, but usually I'm called Raiden. And I was just saying, for when we are ready to head out. I think we should all tell what skills and equipment we possess, so it would be easier to decide on roles for each member of the group."

He then turned to Wraith. "Hmm, you may be right. If we all tell what we remember of where we were supposed to be, it may serve as a starting point to finding out where we are now. If anything, it would help us with establishing some common ground," - he paused. It made him think of what he actually remembers of where he was from. He had memory of a war-torn world, of scorched battlefields and ruined cities, but details were somewhat vague. "Well, last thing I remember is being on board of a landship crossing the desert towards one of our frontline bases. And the level of technology of weapons we have and that plane we saw is not too far from what I was used to. Hmm, speaking of equipment.."

Ray opened his backpack, which he has been neglecting until now.

Chris nodded to the panther. Perhaps this one did have sense after all, if perhaps he just assumed he was the only competent person around. "An astute point," he replied once there was another break. "Where I come from we can do many things with technology, but we don't actually do so. While I imagine it's possible someone could strap wings to a metal body and get it to fly, I can't see why anyone would want to, now or anytime during our history as there have always been better alternatives, even at the speeds that ... thing was traveling at. Though I suppose since most of those ways used aetheric technology which relies on magic to work, those means would not be applicable here. Indeed I cannot sense the world lines or magic fields here at all."

"So I got a little excited.  The gun was unnecessary."  Tommaso gave the panther a dirty look.

"As to what I remember, I remember a great deal.  Much of it feels more like something I saw rather than something I did, but considering I do not have any memories relating to the here and now, I suspect that what I 'saw' is the proper reality.  That airplane is considered advanced among the Masses, but the Enlightened have access to true cutting edge technology by virtue of our advanced understanding of reality.  I could probably build one of those by myself in my basement over a weekend."

Tommaso shifted his pack to a more comfortable position.

"Unfortunately I'm severely lacking in the proper tools and raw materials at the moment."

Cinna giggled, "Oh I dont need to believe in anything, demons are everywhere... heck they're like one of the most common race around. You cant walk down the street without seeing some demon beating the pulp out of another demon, or renovating the local architecture; or at least hearing or reading about it. Though, angels are on a decline for some reason, I dont know why, nobody has really ever explained it, to me at least." she seemed to stare at Wraith with her middle eye, "But your aura is too weak for a full blood demon, which is why I said you were a half demon. They're not as bad as full blooded demons mind you," Cinna hesitated, "unless they want to be. Some seem to have a chip on their shoulder and want to try and cause as much destruction and mayhem as their bigger cousins. But that," she motioned to the sky where the plane had flown overhead, "Unless they've come out with some sort of mechanical gryphon, I haven't seen anything like it. I mean, regular Gryphons that big are bad enough... they're aggressive and reaally stooopid..."

Sifa stood slightly off to the side, letting the other conversations wash over her. After a while of standing, though, she asked, "Weren't we about to go somewhere?"

Bolt's examination with the scope gave him a greater view of the town and surrounds. It was petty evident why no one was responding to the Bomber's crash and explosion, the gardens and grass were overgrown, and most of the buildings had crumbing paint, indicating that the place was abandoned...Wait, there was a small knot of people, maybe five in all near some sort of bar/tavern, but they seemed more intent in watching the smoke and drinking than any worry over the fire. After while they went inside the building which seemed the be the only one cared for.

Ray's pack had the same basics as the rest, but his also included some sort of global positioning system...but no batteries for it.



***************************************************************


Kandela, always one for action over waiting, sighed as the canine (dressed as a bush no less) scampered up the tree.  She tried no to flinch at the though of demons roaming freely across what ever world Cinna was from, nor how unconcerned she was about it, and while she didn't like the idea of eating people, she knew of Trolls who did...

While looking up again at the Canine/bush, the irritating human opened her mouth again. "Well it seems our options have changed again.." The Tauren said as she looked over and down at the woman.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Sifa finally said, "Look, we've been sitting around here long enough. Can we just make a decision and go? Or at least talk? We're worse than Eve and her gaggle of friends." Looking around, she decided upon the rabbit woman. "Cinna, was it? How're your ears?"

Wraith packed his bag, and slung it over a shoulder.  He was less concerned with the others at this point, they all seemed to be occupying themselves.  Something the canine said caught his attention, land-ship.  That was a term used for troop-transport skimmers.  He approached Ray with a bit of a smirk.  "So, do you remember anything else beyond your own world.  Any other worlds, other battles, other empires, anything like that?  I remember over a dozen worlds myself, and i'm curious if you're from somewhere perhaps a border  world."

Tommaso rolled his eyes slightly as Sifa said her piece and then turned away from the cow-lady despite the latter's apparent annoyance with the former.  The young lady did have a point though.

"I am ready to leave as soon as he comes out of his tree."  Tommaso nodded in the tree's general direction as he walked over to stand beside the towering Tauren.

He was a bit intimidated standing next to a living minotaur myth like this, especially without his augmentations.  Also, she looked like she could bench press him.  He was determined to make good with those who seemed the strongest and most capable in this group though, and at the moment he was more than willing to leave the panther alone.  The next most obvious member of the group was definitely the Tauren.

"You seem very calm about the situation."  he looked up at her sideways; facing the tree they were all watching.

Finished with his survey, Bolt stowed his notebook and screwed the rifle's targeting system back into place. He hopped off his perch, calling upon the wind to--oh, right, he couldn't do that anymore. He caught himself and heavily firmly on a branch below, somehow making it look for all the world like he'd meant to do that. Whew. He climbed the rest of the way down with much more care.

"Well, the settlements around us are all overgrown. Doesn't look like any of them have seen use in a while." He pulled out the surprisingly detailed hand-drawn map, complete with little distance markers. "They might still hold clues or supplies, so long as we're watchful for booby traps and the like. Even the town looks abandoned, but I spotted five, maybe six people on the far side over here." He tapped the position on his map. "Couldn't get a good read on them, what with all the smoke from that crash, and there's no telling how many more are still inside. To be honest, it looked to me like they were just milling about drinking."

Kandela looked down at Tommaso, "Would you prefer if I was ditsy and thinking this is some sort of prank like some people?" Kandela asked with a head nod and sly grin in Sifa's direction, "Or that I was panicked and spraying bullets from this thing" She hefted the HK21, "Or that maybe I have been to other worlds where the laws of nature don't make sense and survived.." She finished with a grin as Bolt hit the ground.

"Well if nothing they may know where we are and what are the laws of the land. And if nothing else you said they were drinking, I'd say even at this hour of the morn, if it is indeed morning here, its a bit stiffer than fresh water and I for one need a drink."

She turned back to the rest of the group "Anyone else coming?"

"Ah." The coyote cocked his head. "So the plan is to waltz on over and say hi. If it's normal for the people of this world to be packing these kinds of weapons, that'll be an interesting encounter for sure."

He smiled with a shrug. It wasn't as if any better options had presented themselves.

"We can pick up the road into town from these buildings, a few minutes' northwest of here." He traced a path along his map. "If they've got sentries about, it may be best to wander in the front door and not put them on edge. I can scout ahead with... Raiden, was it?" He nodded to the dingo. "Get a better view of what we're up against."

He pocketed the map and hoisted his backpack into place.

Ray nodded to Tor. "Yes, that sounds good." He was itching to move already, just standing there and talking was not getting them anywhere. He then fished the GPS device from his backpack. "I seem to have this thingie in my backpack, an automap or something. But it does not seem to have batteries. Maybe somebody got any batteries in their backpacks? If no, we should see to getting some if and when we have a chance, this device might come in handy."

"You have experience in the Dimensional Sciences?"  Tommaso was a bit incredulous at Kandela's response.  So many other questions were suddenly flooding into his head.  "We'll have to talk more later.  I want to hear what it is you 'remember.'  Maybe later over drinks though; I could use one myself."

The shotgun-toting dingo drew Tommaso's attention next.

"I might be able to make you some batteries.  Though, once again, even with my knowledge of Enlightened Science I would need some time to craft them from scratch."

Chris listened to the conversation in fascination. Some of it sounded familiar to applied artifact structure back home, and some of it (such as 'dimensional sciences') skirted through what was only vaguely theorized by some. He got the impression a whole lot of people wanted to head towards the village they had found so he began to amble off in that direction. He fairly suspected there was no danger nearby or it would have found them already from all the noise they had made. Plus he was walking slowly so he wouldn't get too far away and the group would catch up in no time. Sometimes all people needed to get moving was one person to actually start. Still, sometimes that didn't always work so it was quite possible he'd have to wait for them anyway.

Wraith rather calmly and passively let the others go on their way.  He considered what was happening.  They were forced to work together, and if the pair were scouting ahead, he wondered if either considered the possibility of hostility on the part of the locals.  Neither were carrying a silenced weapon, and if they happened to run into obvious trouble, they would alert every single armed person within a good 300 yard radius under the best of circumstances, and everyone within a mile or so if they happened to catch a particularly calm moment to pull the trigger.

Wraith spoke up at the thought oh having to clean up someone else's mess, "I think my skill sets might also prove useful for scouting.  If nothing else, i'm quite capable of providing a overwatch within a reasonable distance, and if my observations are correct, i'm the only one who was lucky enough to find them self with a suppressor for a weapon.  Perhaps i'm just used to a different style of warfare, but i think taking things quietly would be a smart first move."

Ray glanced at the panther. He was not too keen on the idea of taking him along for scouting, silenced weapon or not. "A silenced weapon is good for a first strike, and I hope we won't need to strike first; best not to anger the locals before we figure out what's going on, right? And if the locals prove hostile and start shooting at us, your silenced weapon won't do us any good anyway. And if a push comes to shove, I don't need a weapon to kill somebody silently." Ray was speaking matter-of-factly, bearing a perfectly neutral expression. Making a pause, he then shrugged. "Well, it's not up to me.. me alone to decide whether you go or not," - he said, looking at Tor and Kandela, - "I guess you have some skills in sneaking.." - (Being a cat), Ray thought to himself, - "Well, if you go with us, just try to refrain from shooting at the first person that looks at you funny, alright?"

Wraith replied to the canine, "There's a difference between raw intimidation, and the use of a weapon.  Perhaps you don't share ties to where i'm from, but personally, Humans put me on edge.  The hairless ones have been trying to eradicate us modified beings for centuries. Now, combined that understanding with the recent situation where -someone- showed a total lack of respect for personal space and personal request.  I felt a display of force was necessary.  There's nothing naturally hostile about me, i merely felt encroached upon, and responded in kind.  Simply put for future reference, if i make a request, I expect some form of acknowledgment before you violate said request.  If you're going to be disrespectful, and expect perfect cooperation in kind, then you're quite sadly mistaken in how things work."

Checking one of his magazines, the feline shrugged and leaned against a tree.  "I'm an infiltration specialist, beyond just being a cat.  Something akin to special forces, with a bit of specialized training outside of combat.  I also happened to have a few other useful skills and tools at my disposable."

Flexing his claws outside the trigger guard, the feline smirked, and looked around at the others, gauging their reactions.

Tommaso grunted at the panther's posturing and rolled his eyes in exasperation.

(OOC:  short reactionary post is short.  I want to do more, but I also don't want to break the conversations I'm already a part of.)

With little dissent or other options voiced the group moved along the creek downstream towards the town, the sounds of wildlife returning as the explosions settled down.

With careful movement it took only half of an hour to reach the outskirts of the town, as they passed the factory they could see cars in the parking lot yet all had become rusted and decrepit. As for the factory it was now impossible to tell what it had produced.

Standing at where the main road led into town a sign indicated its name started with the letter W, but that was all as someone had sprayed some sort of unintelligible symbols over the rest, but the population level was clear and supposedly close to a couple of thousand people were meant to live here.

Now as they were closer the level of neglect was even more evident as there were a few cars in the road, some of which had crashed into homes or other buildings, and almost everything was overgrown.


((Small GM story nudge :B))

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Kandela working through some kind of instinct, pulled the bolt back on the HK21, checking there was a round chambered. "I do NOT like the looks of this, look!" The Tauren pointed to one of the crashed cars "There is still a corpse in there, and that vehicle looks like it has been there for some time. Why would they leave them like that?"

She turned to Bolt "Where did you say those people were?"     

Wraith was already on edge.  He noted the distinct lack of activity, and the abundance of locations for people to hide.  His movements kept him in a lower crouch.  He moved on the balls of his feet, the only noise came from the sound of his carbine's bolt locking a round into the firing position.  "Being careful, and quiet. I don't like this at all.  Too quiet, too empty.  There's too much room, and not enough people.  If one wanted to spring an ambush, this is the place to do it.  Take a few pot-shots, then move."

His ears were swiveling back and forth, searching like a radar dish for anything sound that might signal trouble.  He sniffed the air, looking for unnatural scents, such as soap, plastics, or the general stench of human that didn't match the party members.  His eyes were pinging from building to building, tree to tree, searching for something that seemed out of place.  His hands rested on the rifle's pistol and fore-grips, he wasn't really sure of what to expect, but with a thumb on the safety, and eyes darting around, he's be ready to kill, literally, at the flick of a switch.

Bolt had stowed his ghillie suit after leaving the woodlands. His multicam vest and pants alone would offer better concealment and mobility in urban environments. He remained on alert, silenced pistol in hand. It seemed everyone was on edge. This was potentially hostile territory, after all. He advanced down the road, hugging the buildings on one side to restrict avenues of attack and remain close to cover if needed. He glanced up often, scanning the upper floors and rooftops for locations he might have chosen as a sniper hide. He still needed a secure perch to run overwatch for the rest of the group, all too aware that any potential enemies might be thinking the same.

He padded over to the car where Kandela was standing. "Other side of town. That way." He pointed down the road and peered through the shattered windshield at the corpse--his first close up look at a native of this world, living or dead. Perhaps the remains or the clothing would tell him about about what kind of person this have been. "Wonder how long that's been there. They either left it as a warning for us, or they just don't care. Neither bodes well for a particularly warm reception." He frowned. "You in a hurry to meet them? Might be safer to explore a bit first. Maybe even let them come to us."

He took time to examine the storefronts on the main street. The state of the stores could reveal a lot about the mystery of what happened here and the people who remained. Had everything been left in a hurry? Had stocks been ransacked? If so, what had been taken... or at least, what had been left behind? With a little luck, they might even find some of those batteries the dingo needed.

Cinna wasn't exactly sure why everybody seemed so jumpy all of a sudden. I mean, yes, it did look like a group of demons got drunk and wint on a binder through the town, but considering how quiet it was, they were likely nowhere near them, or sleeping it off. She walked, up to the car alongside where the Cow Demon and the Coyote being had stood. Cinna wasn't particularly fond of corpses. She typically tried to avoid them, especially those that still moved around. But, every now and then, her curiosity would get hte better of her, and require her to... tolerate spending some time in the presence of one. She followed the other two's gaze to see what "creature" was the native of this land.

Tommaso tried to stay near the middle of the group as they made their way to the town.  He knew that taking the very front or the back wouldn't be the best idea for him as he wasn't that experienced in front-line combat.  He did keep his AUG at the ready, though, and tried his best to be quiet while keeping an eye out to either side.  The peaceful nature of the surrounding forest contrasted heavily with the tension he felt inside.

At the town limit, while some of the others were examining the wrecked cars, Tommaso gave silent thanks that he had urban fatigues on.  While not an exact match for the town, at least he wouldn't stand out the way a person-sized mobile "bush" would.  He crouched behind Kandela and the others in the drainage ditch that ran alongside the road, it was fortunately mostly free of water and muck, and kept his eyes to either side of the party.

The cars interested him in that maybe he could build something from them, but he didn't want to investigate too closely until he was sure he wasn't about to die.

"You should stay down and hidden Cinna.  Standing up and being visible in a hostile area is a good way to get killed."  He kept his voice quiet, but it had some urgency to it.  "These cars have been here a long time, which means that everyone who might have cared about the bodies is either dead or gone.  It's another sign that we're in an active warzone."

"If the people are on the other end of town, then we should go around the outside to find them.  I don't like the idea of walking through it."

He could really go for a smoke right about now.

The street and surrounds were silent and empty, as they watched a fox came out of one of the houses, walking over the top of another corpse that was in the middle of an open doorway. It took one look at the group, flattened it ears and then disappeared back into the house it came from.

As she approached the car Cinna could see the skeleton was human, there were no broken bones or other obvious damage. Through the eye sockets something pink could be seen, and it did not seem organic.

In the pocket of the remains of the shirt it was wearing a faded packet of cigarettes could be seen.

Apart from the damage the car had caused the homes and storefronts were undamaged, but filthy and overgrown, and all of the stores still had stock in the windows.

***********************************

Relaxing as she took in further details of the area, Kandela lowered the Machine Gun. "And do tell how these people would know to come to us?" She said to Bolt. "Why do you all say this is a hostile area? We haven't been attacked not seen sight of anyone apart from those Bolt has seen." She said with a small grump. "Yes I know it doesn't look good, but it does seem this happened a long time ago." She pointed at the car.

"If you want to go around feel free. I for one will follow this road if it leads to that Inn..." The Tauren stepped out of the position she had taken and started down the road, yet still kept her MG at the ready in both hands.

"Are you serious?!"  Tommaso was flabbergasted.  "Not an hour ago a military jet flew over us.  Not the regular kind that sits back to support the front-line fighters.  It was the advanced kind that's designed to kill people, kill lots of them, and kill them quickly.  It was fucking shot down!  It might be possible that some kind of space-based EMP was directed down at it, but it's more likely that there is simply something bigger and nastier than the fighter near us .  And you you're just going to waltz around like you own the place while having no idea what that big-and-nasty might be?!"

He wasn't yelling, but his voice was quickly rising out of whisper range.

"If EMPs are being deployed liberally then there's likely a wide range of deadly weaponry available that can instantly kill you from well beyond your range of sight.  I'd say we're in a very dangerous area."

Fed up with the bickering, Sifa lost her temper and said simply, "If you're worried about getting shot at, go hide yourself nearby now." When everyone had done so, she walked a little farther on and shouted out, "Hey! Anybody around here?"

Bolt greeted Kandela's question with an incredulous expression. "Maybe you're used to being top of the food chain where you come from. For the rest of us, territory may as well be hostile until it's secured." He knelt by the body the fox had passed over. "These folks were dropped in their tracks with no sign of struggle. Whatever killed them, they didn't see it coming either."

He stood. "No reason to believe it ain't still around, even after all this time. That bomber didn't fly in for a social call. Maybe those folks up ahead have something to do with it. Maybe they don't." He shrugged, glancing towards Sifa's outburst. "Anyways. This town is barely a kilometer across. If they don't already know we're here, they'll be noticing soon enough."

Wraith's reaction to the bovine wandering off was mild abject terror.  Most of the weaponry the team was carrying fell into the "precision" category.  So, should they decide to go hunting, whether for sentient or feral prey, they should be good.  However, in a toe-to-toe firefight the feline -knew- automatics beat precision shooting.  One can't take an accurate shot when their position is getting pelted with fire.  He quickly shed his pack next to the car and bolted off after Kandela at a sprint. 

He reached for her arm, and said, "Hold on there.  If we're going to waltz into the place, can i make a few suggestions first.  Such as, sending someone who's a smaller target in first... also send the person who doesn't have our only sustained fire weapon in first is probably a good idea.  We seem to have lots of marksmen... that makes them more disposable.  Let one of them lead."

Angel's own reaction to the place was less terrified and more bemused with interest. The whole place just looked abandoned save for the occasional rodent or woodland creature. A military checkpoint or outpost would have more security; a Bartertown full of marauders would at least have spotters or guards posted on the edge of town, and the buildings themselves would all be looted. Save for the odd car crash and dust, the place seemed very pristine.

Whatever happened here, looks like we missed out on it.

Angel kept both eyes on the rooftops and his body on the left side of the street.

The Tauren looked over her shoulder at Tommaso and Bolt. "There are no wounds on these people, which seems to me they did not die through physical means, and if these homes are all full I doubt that it was anything small, so yes there may be some threat, but what kind of weapon or power would be unleashed on such a small group as us? And even if we were sneaking do you think it would make much difference when someone did spot us? As for that 'Jet' You called it? What ever hit IT hit us as well and despite some fatigue had no effect on us." 

Kandela had stopped as Sifa shouted their presence to the world, her glare was one of annoyance and thin patience with the ditsy human female. Yes Kandela was walking down the road but she wasn't advertising her position either.

Then she felt the hand of the Panther on her arm. "I am not one for letting someone go into danger instead of myself, and I do not like the idea of 'disposable' people..." She frowned down at Salem.

The panther retorted, "Then clearly you aren't aware of things such as persistent nerve agents, machine-gun nests and suppress and flank tactics.  The weapon you carry, if you aren't aware, is capable of sustained fire.  Meaning that you are capable of firing high volumes of ammunition.  This is something only you have the capable of, ergo, with modern tactics, that makes you a lynch-pin for our little ragtag ban.  On the other hand, we've got multiple shooters with long barreled, high precision chem-burners.  Really, there's a point where personal pride has to be set aside in favor of logical thinking.  -Generally- cold-bore shots miss... however, in the event of a lucky strike, we as a collective team, -can- afford to loose a marksman... we -can't- afford to loose our support gunner."

The feline shrugged, "Besides, there's far, far more vicious things that could be unleashed around here.  Gas attacks are particularly vicious, and given our lack of chemical protection, having someone leading who is bigger, and therefore more resistant, could be a bad thing as well.  We'll get less warning of entering such a situation, because while following behind you, the symptoms will hit you later than they would someone of a smaller stature.  It's simple biology and tactics, Ma'am, you're just not built to take point in this type of situation."

'Goodness Gracious,' thought Chris from somewhere in the back of the party near one of the corpses. 'Too many people seem to be trying to take lead here.' He was very glad he stayed out of all that. Personally he did not believe their current situation to be overly dangerous. In his experience, animals always knew something was up before anyone else and that fox hadn't seemed particularly worried so he wasn't either. Plus from the way it acted, Chris guessed that people did not often come out here so the previously seen small group of people was probably just about it. Of course the most worried member of their party was ALSO an animal... kinda, and that was worth considering. Still, he seemed to be military trained and those people were ALWAYS titchy so Chris decided to trust the fox over the panther. Especially since none of the other 'animals' seemed overly worried.

He resumed observing the corpse. There was once a time he would was felt disconcerted by it, but now it seemed more a puzzle than a disturbance. What would cause so many people to suddenly die? He could think of many things, but what intrigued him most now what the pink object in the skull. Without touching he tried to get a closer look to see what it might be.


OOC: Assuming it wasn't just the one corpse with the non-organic thing in it. If the others don't have that, just assume the one he's looking at is the one already mentioned.

Upon further examination of the skull of the corpse, Chris would find what looked to be some sort of crystal where the brain should be, pink in hue and slightly florescent.


******************************************************************

"Why would someone attack us in the first place? We have shown no hostile intent..." Kandela said with a sigh of exasperation at the Panther. "And if we were to be gassed any such sort of weapon is an area affect weapon, it would not matter who was in the lead." The Tauren looked up into the sky for a few moments before her gaze came back to earth. "Feel free to go ahead with someone if you must but I do not think we are likely to confronted by anything more than empty houses, shops and gardens."

"At least until we get to the inn....And I could really use a drink right about now." She finished as she gazed into the town.

"Why would someone attack us?!"  Tommaso looked at the Tauren worriedly as he kept up with her.  "I don't know how you would normally do things, but where I'm from nobody walks around armed like us.  Citizens would be very afraid and officials would stop us to make sure we had authorization and good cause."

He shook his head.  "The jet from earlier marks this area as an active combat zone.  We're armed like soldiers remember?  Do you know which side we're on?  I don't!"

He gestured down the street and in the rough direction of the Inn.  "I'm just advising taking reasonable caution in approaching these people.  If you want to walk in the middle of the street, then fine.  I'll be flanking us from there," Tommaso motioned toward the sidewalk, "where I'll have buildings to provide cover, just in case, and I can more easily see in and between them."  Tommaso moved onto the sidewalk.  He paralleled the course that Kandela was taking, but the nearness of the buildings made him feel a little safer.  When they resumed travel he would keep a close eye on what was in the buildings and what was down the ways between them.

With little else to do until they got moving again he found that he needed to do something with his hands, so he checked his pockets for cigarettes and a lighter.

"that's the thing about persistent gas, it weighs more than air... it stays in place unless it's burnt into it's base components with a high-temp incendiary.  Suffice to say, you're larger, and such agents will effect you longer... This could just me being paranoid thanks to things i've seen from my world... but still, it's something to consider.  That said, you are right, there hasn't been much show of hostility yet... we should move forwards.  Slowly, carefully, and staying in cover."

Cinna hadn't been paying attention to the rest of the group, she had stepped around the remains of the car and reached out to the corpse. Grasping its head in both her hands she brought it close to her forehead and began to concentrate.

Her third eye began to glow with a pale light.

Something was wrong, what should had been a simple read of the body was much harder than it should be. It wasn't like someone was specifically trying to prevent her vision, but like she was having to pick her way through a dense fog, what she managed to grasp..."

Fear... Pain... the grinding of metal on metal, the crack of bone and twist of sinew...

Cinna fell back into the dirt and sat up, dusting herself off she shook her head from the aftereffects of the vision.

Tommaso's quick pat down of his pockets revealed nothing, but his glance at one of the nearby shopfronts revealed it to be some sort of general store. Inside, through the dirty glass he could see racks behind a counter filled with boxes of cigarettes.

As Cinna regained her footing she would notice she had accidentally pulled the skull off the neck of the corpse, it had shattered at her feet and the pink crystalline object glimpsed though the eye sockets was revealed.

Sitting on the road was what appeared to be the brain of the driver, yet the entire thing had somehow been turned into this solid pink crystal. 

Touching it the Mythos would trigger a much more powerful vision of the persons last moments. Sky glowing pink in the middle of the night, bright as the sun, fear of some kind of explosion, light washing over her, unable to move as her car left the road and hit the shop....

Sifa's shouting had brought now reaction from the buildings around the group, not even the birds too much notice.

****************************************

"I do no know where you come from, but this is hardly what I would call armed.." Kandela said to Tommaso as she indicated her attire with one hand and lifted the LMG with the other.

Deciding that arguing would delay getting to the inn and the possibility of alcohol, the Tauren nodded at Salem and changed her middle of the road path to the sidewalk, her tail twitching in irritation at the delay. 

With no response, Sifa returned to the group as best she could. "If anyone's around, they're not all ears, it seems," she said. At the same time, her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't exactly eaten breakfast yet. Following the group's general direction, she slung her pack in front of her and checked to see if there was any food.

Following behind the massive cow-lady, Salem kept his eyes peeled while keeping his rifle offset from the area Kan was covering to keep her flank guarded.  He waved for a sniper to follow up with them, and hoped the others had enough common sense to follow along with virtually all of their suppressive firepower on the move.

Wraith asked Kan, "What do you remember from where you're from?  Why wouldn't you qualify that chem-burner in your hands as 'armed?' "

"No... no... this isn't right..." Cinna jumped back away from the "brain" that was on the ground, "I didn't do that... I couldn't have done that... They don't work that way!" she stared at the crystal in apprehension.

Opening the pack Sifa's rummaging around for food would result in an MRE pack, it contents a can of pork and beans, another can of peaches in syrup, a muesli bar, a tube of condensed milk, enhanced coffee, matches, a chem tablet for a portable stove, and some toilet paper.

The brain at there on the road, seemingly untouched, glowing, but Cinna could remember a minor spike in power just but that first touch, almost if she was returned some of her energy stolen by the wave.

**********************************************

Kandela turned her head for a moment towards Salem, before turning her eyes back in the direction of the group's travel. "The land I come from is called Kilamdor, on the world of Azeroth, and without my armor and shield I feel positively naked. The weapons of this type that I have seen our hunters and those made by the Gnomes are much larger than this."


*******************************

After a few minutes and a slight turn in the road the Inn was visible in the distance.   

Tommaso had been considering breaking in to the general store to see whether the cigarettes inside were still palatable, though he was leaning toward not doing so; they had somewhere to go, there might be enemies near, and most importantly, he had no idea how old the cigarettes might be.  Cinna yelling brought his head around to see what was going on.  He had already grasped his AUG and brought it to a more ready position.

Seeing Cinna backing away from the car with the corpse inside and a shattered something, a sparkling pink inner object lying in the remains of that something, he unconsciously tried to sense what the thing was from where he stood.  He wasn't sure how he could do such a thing, and it certainly didn't happen, but he grew frustrated none-the-less.

However, he held his ground and scanned the surrounding ghost town while Cinna got herself sorted out.

The situation seemed to resolve quickly because the pink object didn't do anything besides lie on the ground.  Tommaso chalked the whole thing up to inexperience with corpses, which was a perfectly normal, if annoying, trait.  Cinna would really need to toughen up.

Cinna felt unclean, it was a deep rooted sensation that she felt needed immediate attention. "Water!" Seeing the general store, but not as much anybody near it, she sprinted towards it. She tried to open the door, but it was locked, so she stepped back and planted a strong kick near the lock on the door, causing it to bust open. As she stumbled into the general store she looked around for any source of water.

"Ah, i see" the feline replied with a bemused grin.  "Well... the weapon you're holding is a slug-thrower, that is capable of firing a stream of projectiles.  You can tell from a number of features... the feed system is the dead giveaway.  Where i'm from... these would be considered cheap, easy to produce, and relatively ineffective weapons.  Here, however, given the strangeness of it all... I'd say this is standard gear... at least... so far."

He gave a shrug, then winced at the loud bang.  His attention shot to the smashed open general store, and the bunny girl.  "Hold that thought!"  He spoke over his shoulder, while bolting across the street, and following Cinna, rifle brought up in an aggressive combat stance.

Ooh, a granola bar! Snagging that out of her pack, Sifa opened it up and was munching away when she heard someone screaming and crashing through a door. Turning, she saw the feline fursuiter entering the general store and followed him, her pistol suddenly in her hand. Reaching the door, she glanced around outside the shop and caught notice of the pink crystal laying in the street. "Anyone know where that crystal came from?" She asked of everyone and no one in particular. "It wasn't there when I first walked by." As she waited for an answer, she looked around the corner to see who was inside the store, and assuming it looked relatively safe, asked Cinna, "Are you alright?"

Inside General Store, dust from the floor was disturbed, floating up into her air for a moment before dispersing by the fresh air flowing through the door. Everything looked intact, except for what looked like the storekeeper who it seemed had fallen near the door, and like outside Cinna's actions broke the skull of the corpse and another crystal sat slightly glowing on the floor.

However near the counter and along the back wall of the store were refrigerated drink displays, fully stocked.

The fresh air blowing in masked the smell of decay of 'fresh produce' items that had lingered even after so long.


***************************************************

At the sound of the door being smashed open, Kandela also turned and brought the LMG up to her shoulder, and charged after the feline soldier, entering the store after him she instinctively covered the side of the room he was not. "What is wrong?" She asked of Cinna

"It doesn't make sense. What will people think? They unearth one of their uncles and find his brain turned to crystal. 'what happened?' they'll ask, 'last I heard he met one of them Saedra folk, they must have done this.'" Cinna babbled to herself as she opened a nearby refrigerator and opened up a bottle of water and then began frantically washing her hands, "Sure, then everybody finds out our abilities turn people's brains into crystal and then the next thing you know its all torches and pitchforks. This isn't good, lynching is painful, and we didn't really mean to do it. I mean we're just providing a service!"

Wraith swept over the building with his rifle.  No sign of life beyond Cinna.  He watched her movements once things seemed clear.  She seemed, distraught.  Her babbling was incoherent, and difficult to understand.

Despite her strangeness, she is a civilian, one of my people, one of the people i'm supposed to protect.  This is going to be a long fuckin' day  The feline thought to himself.  He approached her cautiously, keeping careful attention to her hands.  He  moved in quietly, slowly, deliberately.  "What's wrong? What's got you all worked up, ma'am?"  Keeping his tone level, polite and devoid of the hint of hostility he tended to exude to all non-members of his order.

Trusting the rest of the group to do what was necessary, Sifa investigated the pink crystal on the floor of the shop. Picking it up, she examined it  and compared it with the one resting in the road outside.

Kandela feeling that nothing was about to jump out at them, let the LMG hang by it's sling and looked back to Cinna, then Sifa. "She seems to think those crystals are her fault I think...What are they?"

Walking over two Sifa she reached out to touch one. "May I have a look?" The Tauren said as her two fingered hand brushed the brain-crystal......



There was a burst of golden light and a clap of thunder, and the Tauren was no longer standing in the store. Instead there was a large bipedal cow shaped hole through several of the store's shelving, and past that what looked to be another hole through the outside wall...And into another building, leaving a windswept but otherwise unharmed Sifa.


After a few moments of silence Kandela was heard. "Oww...."

"Oh jeeze! Kandela! Are you okay?" Sifa set the crystal on the counter and ran through the various holes left in the Tauren's wake. En route, she thought, What on Earth could make that happen to her but not me?

Tommaso held his ground initially when people started going by him in to the store.  Cinna's antics only brought a questioning glance, but Wraith's response made Tommaso step back and gape.  He had not expected the Panther to show anything resembling compassion.

When a thunderous boom sounded from within the store Tommaso's gun snapped up and he scanned the nearby buildings for hostiles while crouching to make as small a profile as possible.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!  ANYONE DOWN?!"

sliding into cover, and taking a prone position, the feline swept his rifle towards the sound of the explosion.  His heart-rate spiked, adrenaline flooded his system, and his mind raced.

He noticed the seemingly puzzled looks on everyone's faces, as they seemed to freeze in place and observe.  He shouted, "GET THE FUCK DOWN!"

At some point, the selector switch had gone from safety to semi-auto as Wraith's sense picked and probed the area around him from where the hostilities has arisen.

Kandela appeared in the large hole she had made in the second building, a defined golden glow surrounding her. "What was that? I feel like my connection to the light was restored out and them some..."

Despite her violent flight through solid walls, the Tauren Paladin seemed completely unharmed, and if anything seemed healthier.



Again the town stayed silent despite the disturbance.

the flurry of activity caught Cinna off guard. After a moment to figure out what happened, she blurts out, "Wait!? I make brains turn to crystal and explode?"

Returning to the store, Sifa looked at Cinna with an are-you-sure-you're-okay look and said, "I'm pretty sure you don't turn brains to crystal, let along make them explode." Gesturing at the crystal brain on the store counter, she explained, "You did jack all to that guy. I think the brain was already crystal by the time you passed through, and of course, it's still intact. That seemed to be some kind of reaction with Ms. Kandela over there." Glancing back at Kandela, she also asked, "Are you sure you're alright? People don't usually survive getting blasted through two and a half buildings, let alone survive it without injury."

As the signs of relative stability set in, Wraith slithered off the floor.  He cautiously and silently started taking note of the situation.  Peering out through the window, ears flicking back and forth, tail twitching as the panther watched windows and doors through his low-powered scope.  He was hunting for anything out of place, any sign of life... movement, shadows, figures... anything.  Let the civies deal with their own problems... Wriath had to keep them alive so they could keep doing their own thing.  If only he had a competent fire-team to back him up.

The glow from around Kandela faded as she stepped back into the remains of the store, and to Cinna, Sifa and Salem, she seemed energized, or full of life. The skull on the counter however had lost the pink shade and now was clear.

"The light protected me as I was forced away." Kandela said, and for someone who'd just gone through several walls she was oddly relaxed and happy. "I'm fine really but the surge as the light returned to me was forceful."


*********************************************

Despite Salem's watchfulness nothing Stirred near the group.

The total lack of anything at all happening was starting to get to feline.  Too many strange occurrences, too many factors, and too much incompetence.  If they were hostile, they should have taken some pot shots by now.  If they were friendly, they should have probably made some effort to approach.  Just what the hell is going on here? where are those people from the pub? They couldn't not have heard us.  So... what gives?

The feline tightened his grip on both rifle grips, took a sip of water, then moved on out of the store.  "If everyone is okay, lets move.  If someone is out there, they've surely heard us now.  I for one, would not like to see what firepower they're packing."

Sifa shook her head at Kandela's response. Crazy religious LARPers... Looking at the fursuiter, she said, "Fair enough. Shall we go?"

After a brief wait outside away from the people who were twitchy and wound tighter than a violin string, Chris heard a sudden explosion and much loud yelling from inside the building everyone had just entered. After a moment of calm during which no one started shooting (group that would up with guns, there would be shooting if anything was still dangerous) he walked over with a concerned expression on his face and leaned in from the door frame. "Is everyone alright in here?" he asked politely.

Not happy that she had to agree with the Human girl Kandela managed not to frown. "We shall."

The Tauren turned her head to look at Chris as he poked his head in the door. "Yes everything is fine! We are going to continue on to the Inn now." The obviously much happier looking woman said.

Though an 'all clear' had essentially been given, Tommaso stayed alert to the possibility of immediate danger.  He had seen too much, or thought he had, in the Shadow War that simmered between the Traditions and the Technocracy behind the scenes.  A faint glow that receeded from the the direction Kandela had flown, but she reappeared a moment later whole, hale, and apparently quite happy.

The newly colorless crystallized brain on the counter drew him like a magnet.

He wondered at the obsenely Vulgar effects that must be at work to cause this sort of transformation.  A mastery of Biologic manipulation as well as Matter transmogrification could do this to a person, but even a single application would be so complex that failure would be nearly garaunteed without an accompanying excruciatingly complex laboratory.  With no lab present, the Enlightened in question would need to somehow broadcast the effect as well, and to affect an area such as this town, even greater potential skill was needed.  Then to cause an explosion with indeterminate secondary effects?  Skill at modifying energy flow is certainly involved, but who knows what else, or at what level?  He was half surprised that the entire town hadn't been vaporized simply from a stray fluctuation of concentration.

Had he been talking aloud this WHOLE time?!

Looking a little sheepish he tucked his rifle under his arm and walked back outside with the hunk of crystal in his hand.

Sifa blinked at Tommaso's little rant, but refrained from immediately commenting. Remembering the crystal out in the street, she quickly scooped it up and jogged slightly to catch up to the man. "So you know, this is what it originally looked like... The blast happened when she touched it." She held it out to him for inspection.

Chris looked doubtfully at the very large hole in the wall to the panther whose grip on his gun would have left his knuckles white if he were human and then back at the tauren. Everything did not really seem that fine to him, or at least... he got the impression he had missed something or other. However as whatever may have happened seemed to be over, he mentally shrugged and ambled along after the mythos and the cyborg (?). After listening to their comments, he considered the pink crystals in a new light. Whatever was going on around here probably had to do with those brains. Perhaps it may even be linked to why they had all come to this place with patchy memory. He made a slight detour over to another dead body and pulling a handkerchief from his bag and 'excavating' another one of the crystals. Ethical quandaries aside, he had a feeling it would come in handy. Besides, at his age there were a great many things that had stopped bothering him and this hadn't been the first time he'd gone grave digging after all. So being careful not to touch it (last time had set off an explosion and the time before that a seemingly nervous breakdown after all), he wrapped it in a spare shirt and packed it carefully into his bag before continuing after the rest of the party.

Kandela exited out the front door of the (now) ruined general store, somehow smiling and much more full of life than she should have been. Standing in the sunlight she seemed to almost glow. "Lets get moving."

*********************************************

The crystal in Tommaso's hand seemed clear and sparkled, but felt if it was possible...Empty.

Chris upon wrapping up the still pink crystal brain could feel some of the energy contained within, it was very familiar almost like his own magics.

As he looked down at the bright pink crystal brain in Sifa's bare hands Tommaso paused.  The clear version that was in his hands seemed almost hollow, and as much as he wanted to test the one Sifa held, he couldn't help but remember Kandela's experience.  He had learned long ago that being unsure of a course of action meant that he should learn everything he could first; jumping right in tended to end unpleasantly.

He brought his gaze up to meet Sifa's almost expectant one.  "You should carry it since it hasn't reacted to you yet.  I will examine it later if you wish."

Motioning for Sifa to walk with him he started following Kandela.

"So tell me, do you or your family have a history of mysticism or even supernatural ability?"

Sifa casually shrugged. "Not a bad idea, I suppose. Just figured you'd want something for comparison. Let me know if you'd like it later on."

Wraith flexed his muscles a bit.  Truth be told he was feeling mostly recovered, in that, the world seemed a bit slow compared to his mind.  Totally predictable given his enhanced reaction time.  As the others started to move, he grew a bit more adventurous, trotting on ahead, checking corners, windows, and scanning for possible ambush points.  He felt sharp, his attention hunting for signs of trouble, eyes looking for signs of disturbed ground or tripwires.  His nose flared with each breath, ripping for the slightest scent that didn't belong.  His eyes swiveled like radar dishes, hunting for noises that weren't the wind.

"be careful, just because you're strong doesn't mean you're invincible.  You might survive a concussive blast, a round that can punch out a tank would be a bit of a different story."

While feeling fully recovered and in touch with her beloved Light once more, Kandela none the less still heeded Salem's advice not to be a target. Walking down the foot path she kept her brown eyes following the LMG's arc of fire, her nose far more sensitive than a humans testing the air.

"I will try to be careful Salem." She said with a smile that seemed more at home on her muzzle than the scowl that she had been wearing the most since they had awoken.



*********************************************************

As the group moved along the road there was a slight rumble heard in the distance, but nothing identifiable, and after a few minutes the Inn that was their destination was in sight.

The car park was empty bar a few very run down and rusted cars like those already encountered, however along the front of one wall seemed a structure of recent construction that looked like a stables with a water trough.

Wraith just shrugged at the reply.  A smile was a good sign, it would be a better sign when the rest of the group started listening to his advice about tactics and not getting blown in half by a half-assed ambush with these archaic chem-burners.

His ears continued to ping noises, his nose pulled for smallest of smells that seemed out of place.  His eyes continued searched around his field of fire while his rifle swept back and forth, hunting for targets.  He was a hunter on the prowl, and his stance and pose oozed with his predatory grace his kind naturally posessed.  His movements were silent, his rifle ready but safe, his thumb on the selector, his finger on the trigger.

The concrete structure before the party seemed... off... odd.... and... not built with the rest of the town.  It's design was foreign, alien, and out of place with the ghost town.  As the party approached, Wraith's rifle instictively started panning across the tp, looking for snipers or windows.  "Be careful, and take things slow.  I don't care that they're unknown... be on your highest of levels of alert... it'd be great if no one died tonight."

Tommaso cast a couple sideways glances at Sifa as the group progressed.  She either hadn't heard him or was ignoring the question.  It left him a little annoyed, but he kept himself occupied by instead paying extra attention the area around the group for potential enemies.

The rumble in the distance piqued his interest quite a bit.  Was it another crashing plane, combat of some kind, or something completely natural?  Nobody else seemed to pay it much attention and since nothing else happened afterward, Tommaso simply noted the direction it came from as best he was able.  Yet another mystery to investigate later.

"Careful.  Yeah."  Tommaso agreed with Wraith's suggestion.  "Can you detect scents with your nose in the same way as a...  um."  He wasn't sure how to note the distinction between a traditional cat and the being in front of him.  "...like a quadruped feline?"

"What I mean is can you detect anything unusual around here?"

The rumbling continued, becoming louder and more distinct and then changed pitch, that sounded like steel-shod horse hooves on a road....

And as the group reached the car park (or what was the car park, and now looked more like a watering station for horses) the horses in question appeared on the road from the other end of town.

The fifty or so riders on their backs appeared to be wearing camouflaged heavy armor plating and a shield on one arm while a sword was sheathed at their belts. As the riders pulled into the car park the leader spotted the group.

"Westerners and some of those American Morphs....With guns even Hah" He growled in German yet was perfectly understood by all. "Take them! I'll be having a word with the sentries, they said that was bomber drone not a cargo plane!"  And with that kicked his horse into a charge, drawing his sword and pointing it at the group, the rest of the riders following.


*******************************

Kandela had tilted her head to the side as the noise had increased, turning to Salem she nodded her horned head in the vague direction of the sound "Sounds like group of horses..." And trailed off as the riders appeared... "Hostile or Not?" she asked him.

As the Riders' Leader shouted his attack order she had her answer. "Hostile!" The Tauren stuck in the middle of empty space had no option but to kneel, shoulder the HK21 and opened fire with a long rolling burst.

Sifa noticed Tommaso glancing in her direction and wondered what she might have missed... That is, until the crazy Germans came around the bend. Then she ducked behind the trough, slinging her bag around to drop the crystallized brain inside. Pulling out the pistol, she also glanced inside to see what else was within that might be usable in this situation.

"Can't we just talk?!" She shouted over the din.

Fifty to ten. Chris my not specialize in battle tactics, but even he could tell the odds were against them. They had the element of surprise attack, larger targets, and a rapid-fire gun on their side. Arrayed against them however was the fact that they had no armor, fewer weapons, and only two people that seemed to be any good in a fight. Sifa of course seemed to still be in denial about what was real, and besides Wraith and Kandela... the rest of the party, including himself, were hardly fighters. He of course had his pistol, but that had seven shots in it and even he could tell that wasn't going to do squat against armored foes without more aim or luck than Chris was willing to give himself credit for.

If things turned for the worse,  Chris had a hunch about those crystal brains that he may have to cash in on. He'd been hoping to investigate under more controlled circumstances, but this attack very well might force his hand. As is, there was still a bit of time before the charge reached them and there was a very large tauren between him and the men on horses. So instead of rummaging for the crystal, Chris took a position directly behind Kandela, pulled out his pistol, and took the time to aim down the barrel before firing at a target. Killing, incapacitating, distracting... he was willing to settle for anything he was able to get with his seven shots before he might not have time to reload.

"I'm Italian you retarded pig-dog!"  Tommaso growled back with the only german insult he knew as he lunged sideways to get behind a car before the riders could reach the group.  He brought his Steyr Aug PARA to his shoulder and flipped the safety off while he skidded to a halt behind the cover.

"Hah!"  He shouted back at Sifa without taking his eyes off the riders.  "They just want to cuddle!  Why don't you?"

Leaning over the hood of the car to steady himself he let out a long burst and strafed from right to left along the line of horses and riders.  The riders amounted to one giant squishy target in front of him, and his goal was to hit as many of them as possible because armored or not, some of them, both horses and riders, were going to have a bad day.  The more the better.

Cinna had observed what happened with a look of confusion.

"Why are they attacking. We're friendly!" She turned to Sifa, "Your a human. That practically makes you cousins right? Cant you humanize with them or something?"

Sifa only glared at Tommaso in response before turning to Cinna. "I wish, lady, but 'humanizing,' as you put it, requires both sides' participation."

Wraith had his sights snapped to the obvious leader of the group, centered on his chest with the high-powered rifle.  His finger snapped the safety switch to single shot as he replied to the others "very hostile, move between the buildings and try and keep yourself in cover."

So saying he took a knee, then fired a double-tap at the leader's breast-plate.

Wraith's shots hit home with the precision of a trained and honed soldier the first shot seemed to be stopped by something inside the armor forcing the Leader to twist slightly in time for the second round to deflect off his chest plate sending him tumbling off his horse.

Tommaso's burst, apart from a few shots missed or deflected harmlessly off the charging riders, the 9mm round denting platemail here and there but finding gaps in three of the riders flesh causing them to slump in the saddle.

Kandela's experience on a mostly cavalry dominated battlefield showed as her burst was directed against not the riders but the horses themselves, and many of the unfortunate mounts fell, their riders hurled or crushed as the horses crashed to the ground, forming a macabre barricade forcing the other riders to divert or pull up short.

Chirs' fire added to Kandela's  most of his shots hitting slumping two more riders on their mounts.

Cries of fear and confusion came from most of the riders at the gunfire yet some persisted in their charge, even if it was to get to grips with the members of the group firing at them. Several Riders diverting around Kandela's barricade hurtled at Cinna and Sifa, swords raised to strike, while another jumped his horse over the car Tommaso was using as cover slashing downward as he passed.

"Aw, frig," Sifa said as the horses barreled down on them. "Come on!" Grabbing Cinna's hand, she bolted around the corner of the building, pulling the rabbit-girl along with her. One-handed, she opened up her sack and pulled out the pistol, firing a few shots at the first rider she saw before rounding the second corner.

((Note that with such a quick shot, it would likely be aimed at center of the silhouette; this means it'd likely be aimed around the horse's head.))

Cinna really wanted a staff. There was just so much one could do with it that these loud gun things just couldn't accomplish. Sure she could probably punch or kick one of these men, or she could shoot the gun at them, but it just wasn't the same.

With a quick glance back to get a fix on the lead rider, she mentally pushed him to the back of her mind as she started to siphon luck off of him. Without missing a step, she pointed ahead at a nearby building, "we need to get inside," and broke out into a full on sprint towards it.

Sifa gawked for a moment, then followed the girl into the building, glancing back occasionally to check on the riders. Once inside, she ducked around the corner and asked, "Okay, what are we doing in here?"

"I dunno, it just seemed like a good idea at the time," Cinna sifted through the interior of the house for anything suitably club or stafflike.

'Well that's just peachy,' thought Chris as the riders continued to charge forward. If he knew they were going to be fighting this many people he would have brought another gun. He was out of bullets, but not out of enemies. Then again, there really hadn't been anticipating anything that had happened today and even if there had, he wasn't sure how he'd have gotten himself another gun anyway. Not to mention he felt a connection with this gun that he probably wouldn't with a different one. Almost as if part of his soul were in it, though Chris was not really sure how to feel about that.

On a general hunch, he swung around and pulled the trigger of his gun Leo on one of the riders that had swung around behind their lines even though he had been counting and knew he should be out of bullets. If this didn't work he would have to try something completely different which he still wasn't certain of the ramifications of, but as the saying goes, "If it's crazy, but it works... then it's not crazy."

As the double-tap was stopped, the feline looked rather irked at the rifle for a fraction of a second before rolling into cover between building.  He ducked down an alley between 2 stores, letting his rifle drop, dangling by the harness.  He leaped, then kicked off the opposite wall of his target, launching himself to a high ledge which he quickly vaulted over.  He drew his pistol out of instinct as he scanned the rooftop for targets.  If he found none, he'd start targeting soldiers in the melee below, aiming for open faces, or the neck-line between helmet and breastplate.

Tommaso muttered a curse as a rider rode out of the developing haze toward him.  He flung himself to the side as the rider expertly lept the horse over the hood of the car while swinging his sword.  It wasn't pain so much as the change of direction of momentum that made him realize he had been hit; instead of landing on his side he was on his front.  He had no time to worry whether the hit to his shoulder was serious.

With adrenaline kicking in he tried mentally activating the nanites that should be in his blood stream to repair the damage while rolling over and firing the last few shots from his PARA at the rider who was now turning his horse around.  Without waiting to see how effective his rounds were he scrabbled to his feet and bolted for Kandela, dropping the spent clip on the way.

"We need to move out of the open!" he yelled to her over the din.

The arm with his rifle was having trouble holding the grip as the pain started to kick in.

Sifa's shots by luck or chance ((or a natural 20 on my dice dammit :P)) Hit the only weak points of the leading horse's armor, the eyes, pulping the unfortunate animal brain and causing it to plow into the ground and somersault on its back flattening its rider. Yet others were behind and coming up fast.

Chris's shot clicked on an already expended chamber.

Wraith nearly made it to the roof unscathed, yet a rider had followed on his heals and cut him deep across the calf of his leg as he cleared the edge. The rider sheathed his sword and pulled out a modern crossbow as he saw Salem was out of reach.

The girls made it only a few more steps into the building before three of the riders dismounted and entered the house, the first kicking the door nearly off its hinges.

Tommaso's wound was bad the sword only just missed his collar bone, and blood coated his top. Yet the Bullpup Steyr Aug Para was easily fired from one hand and the last few rounds hammered into the lightly armored back and head of the rider that had slashed him, he slumped and the horse carried him off the battlefield.

Kandela's burst finally clicked home on an empty chamber, yet the Tauren had no time to attempt to reload, as a rider was almost upon her and Chris. However unlike anyone else in the group she was the same height as many of the horses. Letting her HK21 hang on its sling and setting her hooves the Paladin shoulder blocked the first horse to reach her and using her bullish strength rolled the poor animal on top of its rider. As the horse rolled back upright and ran off Kandela retrieved the riders sword and shield. Yet she had no reprieve or chance to assist anyone other than Chris as other riders closed on her.

Of the original forty riders, perhaps half that remained, but that was hardly helpful considering that everyone was now scattered and/or out of ammo. This was where the superior numbers of the enemy was going to kick in and start being a real problem. Kandela could handle herself in all probability, as could Wraith who last Chris had seen was in an alleyway. He could only hope the panther hadn't just left them to their own devices. Chris had lost track of Sifa and Cinna who had apparently run away. They might be okay if they could dodge pursuit long enough.

That just left Tommaso, who was heavily injured and Chris himself, who was heavily old. This meant of course that Tomasso had to fend for himself because Chris was in no real position to help anyone. Unlike Kandela who was now fighting hand to hand, Chris couldn't lift a sword well enough to fight here. Furthermore, while he was proficient in various martial arts, that would be little help in the current situation when the foe had horses to ride down on you. Without his magic, Chris felt crippled in the current situation.

Which meant it was time to roll the dice. With fingers wrinkled but steady, Chris quickly pulled his pack off his back and undid the cover. With a twist the covering from the brain crystal earlier fell away and he grasped the crystal with both hands, wings tensed in anticipation. If this didn't work, then he would have to take his chances with the enemy and make a break for it to find cover. The very least he could do was not drag Kandela down with him. She had enough to worry about without having to protect him as well.

As he just about cleared the building, Wraith felt the tip of the blade carve a bloody swath through his calf.  "Mother-fucker" was the first words out of his mouth before adrenaline took over.  It didn't heal the injury completely, nor make his now degraded performance any less noticeable.  It did, however, speed up his already hightened reaction time.  The pistol swung around as the man reached for a crossbow.  Wraith's first shot was placed at the hand on the foregrip.  The recoil raised his sight picture a bit, he took the fraction of a second to drop the sights in place, and fire on the hand on the trigger of the ranged weapon.  Recoil again, raising his sights. 

The world around him was glacial, and he liked it that way.  His movements seemed sluggish though, as he raised the pistol's sight to the Knight's face.  He was perhaps 10 feet away, and a mostly stationary target, at least, in the feline's perception.  He squeezed off a pair of rounds, aimed for the man's lower lip, and the bridge of the nose, respectively.

Sifa jumped as the door flew inwards. Checking to make sure Cinna was out of major danger, she put her hands up while backing away, saying, "Seriously, people! What do you have against us? We don't even know where we are!" They get close enough to use their swords, she thought, they get one shot each.

Crouching down behind the oblivious Kandela beside Chris, Tommaso dug around his pack for more ammo for his Aug PARA.  His good arm was starting to shake a bit and he cursed his current complete lack of Enlightened Science, otherwise the riders would have been dealt with much more quickly.

"Kandela!  We need to move!" he yelled at her again while rummaging.

Chris, however, quickly drew Tommaso's attention when he pulled out one of those pink crystal brains right next to Tommaso.  A mix of fear and wonder overcame Tommaso and distracted him from his search; he was terrified of what might happen, but his curiosity wanted to know for sure.  Chris' hands were on the brain before Tommaso could have lifted a hand far enough to try and stop what was about to happen.

Hearing Sifa yell something at the men, Cinna reached down for something hefty. Any average being, or human for that matter, would have had to struggle to pick up the chunk of debris in one hand like Cinna did, much less throwing it like a shot. But Saedra are naturally more rugged than beings, and Cinna's life had little in it to soften her up. With considerable force, she heaved it at the nearest man, aiming for the center of his breastplate. All the while, a steady trickle of luck flowed from him and into her.

Ignoring Sifa's questions with a sneer on his face the first Rider though the door was halted in his tracks by the water filled vase that Cinna had thrown. The liquid which had once kept a bunch of flowers alive now held the slime they had since become. Rocked back on his heels by the impact, the Rider took a step backward to steady himself, and his foot found the new puddle under him. Completely losing his balance he slammed backwards into his companions dropping them to the pavement outside.


Salem's first shot at the horseman facing him was a on target, if only a fraction of a second too late as the Rider had fired a moment before him. Bullet and bolt passed each other in flight, but with different results, The bullet mangled the modern steel and synthetic Crossbow, while the steel tipped bolt lodged itself in the Panther's un-injured calf. Yet The Rider was in no shape to fire off another shot as most of his head was flattening itself against the back of his helmet. ((Sorry Basi :B Dice are being unfair to you I know))


Kandela blocked a vicious blow from a Rider on her acquired shield and promptly rand the offender through leaving him to slither off his horse and onto the pavement. Turning to Tommaso who had managed to make it to over to the Tauren and Chris, she slammed her shield into the face of another of their assailants causing him to be violently removed from his horse. "I know but if we run they will cut us down as we move!" She stopped as she saw the older human take one of the pink brains from his pack and grab it with both hands. "Oh Light protect us...." She whispered as the crystal lit up.

Chris would be able to feel time slow as the tendrils of power leaked out of the crystal brain in his hands. The feeling of power was enormous and he could feel it transferring itself into him, all his spells and all his control of magic forced its way into him in an instant. And with a thunderclap of noise it was all over and all he held in his hand was a clear crystal brain, with no life or power to it.

Rising to meet his Capacitors

Chris swayed in spot, dizzy for a moment after that inrush of power. It hadn't been much as even in his younger years he had never been all THAT powerful a wizard, but that life before waking up without the magic hadn't felt as real as this one now and in a way it felt like getting magic for the first time. With this both familiar and unfamiliar feel running through him, he felt young for the first time ((ack, can't think of a better way to say that so it's twice in the post. Curse you grammar!!!)) since they had all started this trip. There were no wandering wits, overall weakness, joint pains, general irritability... which wasn't to say it wouldn't come back later, but for the moment at least he was ready to fight.

And as the riders all around were wearing metal armor.... well this battle just got a little bit easier. The dry air around him began to charge and anyone nearby and paying attention would notice static, a funny smell, and their hairs raising on end as Chris opened his eyes with a spark or two and crouched down, laying his pack on the ground. Then, with a snap, he leaped into the air unfurling his wings and flew into the sky with the aid of a little updraft. With his new view he started targeting riders to hit with bursts of electricity that should at the least shock them, and at the most could kill. Really, who brings metal armor to a weather fight?

With his other leg crippled, wraith slumped down after finishing off his assailant.  The feline was annoyed to say the least.  The pain wasn't an issue, it was the fact that his legs were slow, sluggish and weak.  He grunted, then holstered his pistol.  Shimmying himself to the edge of the roof, he watched the riders through his rifle scope.  Checking to make sure he had the rifle on semi-auto, he started hunting for open face-plates, and started putting rounds downrange.  He'd get revenge now, he'd get himself patched up in a few minutes when he didn't have a fuckin' 12th century army breathing down his neck.

The crystal in Chris' hands lit up, then so did the rest of him.  A long moment later brought a "small" clap of thunder and that was it.  There was no explosion, no flying bodies, no doomsday...  Just Chris standing there looking like he was feeling better than he had in years.  Tommaso was relieved that that was it, and a small part of his mind logged every detail of what had just happened; he would record it later for analysis if he could.  Chris rising in to the air and launching lightning at the riders was a bit of a surprise.  The lack of proper equipment to levitate or discharge large quantities of electricity bothered Tommaso, but Chris' actions brought his attention back to the fight at hand.

Seeing the riders tumble backward out of a nearby doorway made him curse his luck for having already tossed his one clip for the Aug, the plan that hatched in his head might be more difficult without it.  He let his Aug drop to rest against his hip as he pulled out his Glock and he ran for the riders struggling on the ground.  Skidding to a halt near the doorway he put his foot on the nearest sword to stop anyone from gabbing it and put the business end of the pistol inches from the face of the nearest rider.

"Surrender!"  he yelled at the other two trying to get up.  In his desperation he was ready to pull the trigger on the hapless man and then turn the pistol on the other two if they didn't obey.

Seeing that the situation had just become more dire, and there was the very read possibility that they'd need to leave the house they were in. Pulling out her pistol, she aimed it at the men in the doorway, this seemed eerily familiar to her, but she didn't question it. "Don't come any closer, or I'll..." she hesitated for a moment. She couldn't say she was gonna hit them with it, because that wasn't true, she wasn't sure what the proper term was for this device, but she did know they made loud explosive noises, so she went with that. "or, I'll Bang you!"

Sifa pressed her lips tightly together to hold back an out-of-place bark of laughter at Cinna's threat. "Here, let me try," she said as she sprinted out the door. Drawing on her slight knowledge of martial arts from her friends, she jumped and kicked the man atop the pile in the head before kneeling on the helmet, forcing the man's head sideways. Finally, she placed the muzzle of her pistol in the gap of the sallet of the last soldier, where the shot would kill. "I would rather not use this, but if I so must, I will," she warned. She was careful to keep some attention on the man under her knee, in case he tried to get her off.

Energy returned to him, Chris' wings were somewhat of a surprise to the Riders and the lighting more so, but despite the power in the bolts they didn't seem to effect their armor clad foes as much as they should have. This is not to say there was no effect, but only slightly staggering the groups enemies was what occurred when the Mage's spells hit home.

A knot of riders who had been in the back of the column pulled out more of the modern looking crossbows and took aim, although only one managed to get a rushed shot off as Wraith picked them off, his 7.62mm NATO rounds puncturing the lighter metal of their helmets with enough energy to explode messily out the other side.

Kandela cleared most of the enemies around her as Chris' spell debilitated them, her captured sword shone with light as it cut through the air, yet dimmed slightly as she hit armor.
The Tauren finished off the last of the standing riders from range, the large bore pistol that had been holstered on her thigh booming as it sent its rounds at its targets.


One of the Horseman that Tomaso and the girls had covered snared though his faceplate, hand reaching for something on his belt that looked suspiciously like a grenade. "I'd rather die Freaks!"

Sifa pulled the trigger quickly, before the pin could be pulled, and sighed as she aimed through the face plate of the soldier under her knee. Looking back at the dead soldier, she muttered, "Wish granted," before focusing entirely on the trapped man of war. "So, how about you? Would you like to die as well?" She tried not to look at the blood beginning to pool under the head of the soldier she'd killed. No fear, no disgust, she thought, recalling her lectures and video lessons on soldiers in and out of war. The "I just killed a man" feeling can come later.

Using the distraction of Sifa's shot, the other two Riders acted. The one under Tommaso went grabbed at Sifa's CZ75, while the other  while mostly pinned grabbed at the fallen grenade...Yanking the pin out.

There was a ping as the safety flipped off.

After safely emptying half a magazine into the riders, wraith shimmied himself to the edge of the roof and shouted down to the others, "Everyone alright down there? Anyone else need a corpsman?"

So saying he hoped one of them had more extensive medical knowledge... otherwise the next few days would be rather painful as his body started it's own natural healing process.  though faster than a normal humans, it'd still take a little while until he'd be moving at a march, let alone be back into top fighting condition.

Five seconds to die!  FIVE!

Tommaso pulled the trigger of his pistol as it hovered near the head of the guard who was now trying to grasp at Sifa.

Four...

He pushed off with his feet toward the doorway, aiming his shoulder at Sifa and trying to bull rush her back through the doorway.

Three.  SodeadsodeadSoDeadSODEAD...!!!

The door, though nearly off its hinges, was their only hope.  He reached for it as he moved, hoping to rotate and prop it in a way that would shield the three of them from the blast.

Two!

"Oof!" Sifa exclaimed as she was tackled by the ally soldier. Falling back inside the house, she sat up in time to see Tommaso hurriedly propping the door shut before the blast went off.

Landing near the minotaur, Chris observed the bodies that littered the ground around her. He then began to examine his refound magic a bit more closely. It had not reacted the way it was supposed to and one should never rely on an unreliable tool. So he first did a few exercises with wind weaving, arcing electricity from finger to finger, and forming an ice crystal while trying to notice anything that didn't feel familiar about it. Then, just for the sake of completeness, he removed a piece of armor from one of the dead soldiers and tried the same things on the metal. He tried floating it on the air, running a current through it, and frosting it over.

With the sudden reports of two firearms, and the sight of Tommaso charging at her sent Cinna into a panic. Dropping her firearm to the ground, she ran back into the house, diving over a nearby table.

TWO...Tommaso was off on the fuse's count by a second, and the detonation caught him just before he managed to brace the door, slamming him back into the room. He and the girls were lucky however that the shrapnel that penetrated the door, but he did rip open his wounded shoulder further on impact.

The Riders outside however were reduced to effectively leaking tin cans full of mush...


Kandela had seen the groups actions and without knowing quite what threat had them diving for cover raised her shield and grabbed Chris, pushing him down behind her. Thankfuly she was outside most of the blast radius and only a fraction of the shrapnel pinged of her purloined shield.


Salem's response to his question was the unmistakeable report of a grenade going off, then silence in the street broken up by the pained whinnying from a few of the horses still alive but badly wounded. 

Looking for options as the grenade went off, wraith looked for a softer way down than jumping.  Perhaps a window into the building, or a fire escape, or a ladder.  Some way he could get down without jumping.  Fuck, small explosives... grenade, or possibly a mortar... in either case, play it safe, take cover, and evaluate before going out there... God damn fuckin' eh... who still wears plate-mail armor these days?  That shit was obsolete over a millennium ago... so why bother?

Sifa tried to breath deeply despite Tommaso falling on top of her, coughing as she inhaled some dust. "Thanks," she murmured, gently trying to roll him off. "You okay?" There was blood on her shoulder, though she knew it wasn't hurt. "You bleeding?" Sitting up, she stood and said to both Cinna and Tommaso, "Anything I can get either of you?" Finally, she walked out side, announcing, "We're alive, though one of us is bleeding. I'm not sure which. Is anyone trained in first aid or something like that?"

"OwwwoOWWwww...!"  Tommaso practically howled as Sifa pushed him.

"No!  I'm not all right!"  He looked down at his now limp arm without turning his head because he knew that that larger motion would bring far too much pain.  The blood was flowing steadily down his arm now, and that was never a good sign.  He again tried to activate the nanites that should be in his blood, sending a signal from the tiny CPU that had been installed in the back of his head years ago.  They hadn't worked before, and he was dismally sure that they would continue to be unresponsive; he hadn't been able to access the CPU itself since they arrived here.

"Hand me my pack."  He said through gritted teeth and pointing to the side where it had been flung by the blast.  "I'm a doctor and there are some archaic mundane items in there that should help."

He finally risked more pain to get a slightly better view of the wound, half hoping that something visible about it would let him know he wasn't crazy and was in fact a partially cybernetic human.

Cinna looked down and picked the pack up and brought it over to the human. "Here you go, your arcamaeic whatsits. Do you need help? We can probably find someone who can do some healing magic on you."

Tommaso's inspection of his wound was aided by a small mirror that had fallen to the floor, and no evidence of any cybernetics was visible.  and blood loss was beginning to be a major problem.


Kandela stood up and inspected the shield, noting it had held up to the grenade's shrapnel rather well, despite its light weight. Chris was also unharmed she was glad to see, but she couldn't see the others.

"Salem? Cinna? Tommaso?" She called out "Are you ok? Where are you?" The Tauren stood up and started across the parking lot towards the building she had seen them last.

The indignity of what he was about to ask struck him at that moment.  He was like a kitten who'd crawled to high and had decided it's only choice was to mewl for help from some caring soul.  Suffice to say, it was quite accurate, but the mental linkage was there.

The feline replied to Kande, "I'm over here... on the roof.  I could use a hand if you're not too busy"

Lying battered on the ground, Chris muttered to himself, "I'm getting too old for this..." before wearily getting to his feet, various joints cracking and muscles complaining. He started on a self check, glad to see that at the very least nothing was sprained or broken. Satisfied, he then looked around to see Kandela heading towards the grenade site and Wraith on a nearby roof. He looked doubtfully at the damaged structure and at Kandela's lack of wings deciding that perhaps he should try taking care of the cat. Unfortunately, he had little to no training with healing. What he DID have however, was over fifty years of experience during which a person can really pick up a thing or two. Furthermore, he had another rather strong hunch.

He ran a brief surge of electricity through himself to do a bit of healing and affect an adrenaline rush before spreading his wings and launching up to land on the roof. Sitting next to the cat, he examined the wound. "All right, I'm not the best of healers, but I think I can help a bit. I warn you, it will feel something akin to cauterizing a wound though I suspect you won't mind. If you get the chance however, you should think about finding one of those crystal brains. They seem to restore lost abilities and you seem like the kind of person with advanced healing."

Tommaso let Cinna set his pack on the floor next to him before tipping it to lean against him.

"I am a healer of sorts." he said with a bit more vitriol in to that than he had intended.

He knew what he would find in his pack, and none of it was what he really wanted.  While fully stocked with various medical items, everything in the pack was absolutely archaeic.  Not worrying about how badly he was grinding his teeth in pain and effort to stay focused he pulled out a roll of bandage, pads, an anaesthetic syringe, and disinfectant with his good arm.  It would have to do to start.

"I will need some help."  He looked up at the faces of the two ladies.  "First we need to get pressure on it so that I do not bleed out.  Dampen the pad with the disinfectant, and then use the roll to bind my shoulder as tight as you can."  As he explained this he took the syringe and injected what should be enough to dull the pain in his shoulder.

As he pulled the needle out a thought wandered up into his mind.

"Do you still have that brain?" he asked Sifa.

Cinna followed Tommaso's orders and pressed the pad with the disinfectant on his shoulder. "bandaids are nice, but it would probably be better to use magic. Like this...."

Basic healing magic was something one picked up while traveling on their own, it was something of a necessity. You never knew what to expect while on the road, between cuts, scratches, and reattaching random body parts, you had to be flexible. Not waiting for anybody to react, Cinna closed her eyes and focused on the wound. In her minds eye she envisioned it closing before her, shaping magic and feeding it into the wound to try and make it a reality.

As the winged man offered assistance, Wraith politely nodded, "Do what you can. And as for my healing... it's part of my biology... no ethreal powers, nor arcane arts here.  Just eat some food, and let my metabolism take care of the rest."  Giving a shrug, he presented his wounded legs to the healer.

"Intrinsic to biology... so was my ability to fly. But then perhaps the air here is just thin." Chris mused as he put his hands over the wound(s?). Setting an gradient in electric field from one hand to the other, he placed his hands on either side of the gash and manipulated the energy between to act similar to stitches, lining up various parts and holding them together. He then grabbed a roll of gauze from his bag and wrapped it around the leg, tying it at the end.

"This should hold enough to walk on, but I wouldn't recommend dancing, running, kicking, etc for the next few days. We'll see how it turns out."

Sifa paused a moment before swinging her backpack in front of her. "Um..." She started rummaging around, before zipping it back up. "I must have left it out there when we got attacked. One sec." With that, she ran out to where she first took cover and looked around, finally picking up the brain and carrying it back to Tommaso. Setting it beside him, she said, "Alright, here it is. Anything else I can help you with?"

Chris' efforts were largely successful, Wraith's wounds closed and flesh started to heal, yet the wounds were still felt fresh are sore.

******

The Tauren seeing that Chris was tending to Salem went in search of the others. Stepping over the mound of pulped flesh and plate-mail, Kandela fishished reloaded the HK21 from one of the spare ammunition pouches in her pack, letting the LMG hang by its sling. As she drew near the building she had seen Tommaso and the girls enter she pulled the large revolver from her thigh holster again.

"Are you Okay in here?" She said with a trace of concern as none of the trio had replied to her earlier call.

Sifa looked up at Kandela's calling. "Wha-- Oh, yeah, we're fine, sorry, just got a little hung up dealing with this guy's shoulder."

Slowly standing up, Wraith checked his ammunition, flicked the safety on, then gave a polite nod to the angel-like thing.  "You have my thanks, sir.  It seems an odd collection we've got here... It seems like there's no consistent timeline... or... well.. even abilities here... My scientific knowledge in the area is a bit limited... but when that which is logical is no longer applicable, then that which is possible, however improbable is the likely result...  With that in mind... it seems like an alternate universe has drawn us in or something... "

double-checking his safeties, the feline got closer to the edge, starting to lower himself down.  "We should regroup with the others... before more trouble appears"