Eternal Rains (IC) [M] - Closed

[Stygian]

The spider's eyebrows shot again, before she looked over her shoulder to Pandora, and then back to Witt. Her hands flashed out in an angry sequence of 'I made a mess?!', small strands of web still stuck to them before she clawed them off in a habitual movement. Frowning down at the hedgehog, she shook her head, made an exasperated gesture, and then resigned herself visibly.
   'I'm Sal', she signed, and then passed another look to Pandora. 'Tell her that she can blame it on her furry friend.' Then, her gaze grew more irritated, and she turned back to Witt again. 'And can someone please fix what is making this junkpile start to fall apart, or I'm jumping.'

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Witt smirked. "Hey, I didn't say you were the only one, now, did I. I'm sure we all helped." He then focused his attention on Pandora.

"Hey, bird-beak. Sal here says you can blame the mess on your furry friend, here." He shrugged the shoulder that held Cog suspended, indicating of whom he spoke. "She also requests that we find whatever is causing this flying box of tricks to resemble a brick in flight, and stop it." He glanced over at Keaton, then back at Pandora. "I'm with her, actually. I reckon that comes before finding a home for the big rug, here. Priorities, you know."

He sighed, and commented "It'd be nice if we could move some of these along a bit; he's not getting any lighter, and if he gets all toothy again I'm gonna be seriously put out."

[e_voyager]

Sitting not far away in a near by corridor Epyon heard part of this conversation. well mostly Witt and Pandora but that was enough to give him and ideal as to what was going on.  he sighs his  and and restarts his healing spelled. concertising and knitting the bone back together and making the healing complete, on a being or a living creation the amount he'd done already would be fine and it's finishing healing naturals in a week or two but on his where he stopped the healing magic is where the healing stopped. and he wanted his body at 100% period. Still he wondered and not for the fist time about his companions. he recalled something his grandfather once told him about question parties  who were given a mission with only two options suicide or die. they were convicted of crimes most of them to be put to death if they did not accept the mission others would simply made disappear and thee deaths would be long and hard in coming. many of these criminals would be granted pardons if their missions succeed and if they died in trying to accomplished their mission then they were no worse of in fact if the mission succeed then their families might even be compensated for there deaths. the name of the parties wold change some times they would not even be named but they would always ways be known by those serving them by the same name they would always be called  "Suicide Squads". thinking back on what his grandfather said he wondered if he'd unwittingly joined one of them.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha nodded toward Cross's reply, barely taking her eyes away from the sky of night that the ship was gliding through.  Sooner or later the urge to sleep would come to her, and to anyone that perhaps needed it.  "He ought to be under enough control.  Only one side of the Were could be declared evil, from what we've seen.  Cogidubnus himself may not mean to be dangerous."

After a moment, the gryphon had responded to the question of their destination.  He perhaps had to think of a way to word it, because it was interesting news.  Aisha's head turned to glance at Axiyne.  "The capital itself?  Well, right into the fire.  It's going to be dangerous, if they don't know we're coming already.  That's only a guess though, but either way, guess a fight's ahead."

The panther grinned and looked back to the window.  Good.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

From her spot beside the kitchen door Penny could hear that the voices in the hallway had gone from loudly angry to a more conversational level of angry. The spider had looked angry enough when she stormed into, and around, the kitchen. Penny had no problem reading that body language despite how alien she was. Then the ship trembled in a way that implied the ship was about to fall apart. Still clutching her crossbow the fisher scooted into the hall. She wanted to stay near Pandora, the one person who might be able to stop the alarming shaking.

[SpottedKitty]

It seemed to be one thing after another on this journey, Fal'taq thought to himself as he clung tightly to the stairway handrail. After the "rampaging monster" turned out to be the best kind of emergency — one that was over by the time he got there — it would be nice to think they'd filled their quota of excitement for the day.

He did enjoy a brief moment of amusement, though, when Paige ran past him, back up towards the control room. The wolf seemed to have forgotten the shield blocking off the top of the stairs. While it was tempting to see how well she'd bounce, the mole felt the risk of a heavy armoured body tumbling back down, possibly knocked senseless, or worse still, possibly landing on his head, was too high. With Cogidubnus out cold there was no need for it any more, so Fal'taq had unobtrusively dispelled the shield just as Paige's snout came within a whisker's length of it.

And now this. He heard someone mention the junkyard monster as the airship lurched again and slowly righted itself. If that creature, wherever it was hiding, was the cause of this stomach-twisting movement, it would soon regret it.

[Tapewolf]

Cross' eyes narrowed as the ship continued to lurch around.  With a little effort, he came to his feet.

"I think it's time we had a little chat with the junk monster," he said, checking the revolver again.  "One way or another, I'm sure we can convince him to stop fooling around."

[e_voyager]

Alouds Groan could be heard and epyon's thoughts blared loudly (to those that could hear them) plastered with frustration and grief. "NOT AGAIN!" he'd had too many fights already in such a short time. as he train of thought ran on it's volume decreased. "NOT ANOTHER FIGHT, Haven't we had enough of them already? when will it end?"  he checked  his arm and saw that his mending works was done. pushing himself to his feet Epyon checked and made she he was okay and uninjured just in case he had to join this madness. pulling his poll he extended it into a walking stick there was no real need to fake fatigue as he felt weary not in his body but  in his person. it was like he was dragons himself forward but better to drag ones self forward then to stay behind. he simply let his body mirror his mental/ emotional  state and hoped it would be enough as he walked down the corridor debating weather of not he would join them.

[Sunblink]

...Keaton:

When Sal nudged Keaton out of the way, the jackal instinctively stiffened and nervously shuddered, glancing in the spider's direction apprehensively, then let out a sigh of relief as she amiably passed her by and approached Witt. Still holding Pandora's gun, she remained on the sidelines for a moment, watching the exchange, but directed a grateful nod in Sal's direction. Keaton wasn't very good at expressing her gratitude, but she figured the spider-woman deserved some recognition.

---

...Pandora:

Before Pandora could properly respond to Witt, Sal arrived in the hallway, looking rather distinctly irate despite her uniquely arachnid-esque features. Suddenly feeling attentively apprehensive, Pandora edged away from Witt slightly, momentarily forgetting any and all animosity she expressed toward the spider for redecorating her hallway with webbing. Although Pandora, arguably, had the superior firepower (at least in a conventional sense), she still had no intention of getting into a skirmish with Sal. Such an encounter would probably end rather badly, given those multiple limbs of hers and her almost disproportionate strength. Sal suckled on her finger, lubricating it, and applied some of the saliva to the webbing securing Cog to Witt's shoulder. The saliva operated almost instantly, and Cog was freed.

"'Ey, thanks!" Pandora said to Sal, scooping her arms underneath Cog's limp, unsupported body and hefting it effortlessly in her arms. Given his withered, emaciated physique, his weight was inconsequential despite his considerable height.

Cradling Cog to her chest, Pandora glanced to Witt as he and Sal exchanged sign language for a moment. As Witt translated the message Sal directed him, she cocked her brow curiously, and looked almost affronted at the idea of someone tampering with the Perihelion. Any disbelief Pandora may have experienced quickly evaporated after the ship quaked violently, the tremors coalescing up the walls and floor of the aircraft, rattling its occupants. Pandora swayed in place, struggling to regain her balance, and braced herself against an undamaged wall. After a moment of absorbing Witt's message, her overprotective and maternal streak for her beloved aircraft kicked in, and Pandora looked, for a moment, terrifyingly infuriated. Again, she fidgeted compulsively with her hand, as though she was cradling a cigar.

"Fuckin' 'ell." Pandora snarled viciously. "Tha' does i'. Nobody hurts my baby."

Instead of transferring ownership of Cogidubnus's body over to Keaton, Pandora stomped her boot-clad foot on the ground, her heel releasing a ringing, resounding sound from the steel-framed toes. An infuriated snarl on her features, Pandora gestured for Witt and any other occupants of the hall to follow her. "C'mon guys n' gals. I'm gonna put a stop t' this. Witt, I'll tell ya anythin' ya wanna know 'bout Cog. Probably won' be too happy wit' me after, but it's his fault for wreckin' my ship with 'is werewolf voodoo..."

Once Pandora had shepherded all who wanted to come with her together into an organized little group, she started a quick, impatient pace down a hallway adjacent from the severely damaged, web-sticky one. This alternate hallway was relatively desolate. In short order Pandora located a door she wanted and kicked it open, revealing a quaint, confined bedroom. She walked over and deposited Cog's body on top of the bed, then returned, closing the door behind her gently.

Gesturing again, Pandora started to lead everyone to the room where Arcwelder was rampaging. She addressed Witt, retrieving her rifle from Keaton's arms. "As a Were, I c'n safely say tha' wha' goes in wit' Cog is not th' norm. Weres c'n change their forms as they please, an' even then, they don't turn into giant monsters..." Pandora lolled her head toward Witt, then Sal, then Keaton. "Tha's wha' happened, right?"

Maintaining a rather cadaverously pallid countenance, Keaton nodded affirmatively. Pandora rounded a corner, continuing her tirade. "Cog didn't tell me a lot, but he told me tha' th' reason he's... well, like this... is 'cos he was cursed. Right when he was a little kid. 'Cos of that curse, he's th' standard definition o' a werewolf, an' turns into tha'... thing when th' moon's full."

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Cogidubnus]

 Pandora closed the door, and lying alone in the darkness, Cogidubnus slept. The interior room was without windows, and the darkness was as thick as ink inside the small cabin. If the wolf woke, it was impossible to tell, but there was no sound from the black except the addict's soft, labored breathing.

* * *

As Cross left the cockpit and found himself in the main hall of the ship, he found himself confronted by first the sight of the destroyed hallway, a mass of torn metal and spider's webbing, and then by the sight of Pandora and Witt heading down the hall, towards the open trapdoor at the end of the hallway.

[Tapewolf]

"Pandora!" Cross called out.  "The junk monster is down in the machine room, screwing with the ship.  I was going to ask him to stop, but I think that honour belongs to you."

[SpottedKitty]

Fal'taq's stubby little ears perked up as he listened in to the others discussing Cogidubnus. A Were, with a curse added to the mix — how interesting, the mole thought to himself. I wonder if I might have a chance to examine him before he comes back to his senses...? It was a tempting thought, all the more so when Pandora deposited the unconscious wolf in an empty room and continued back to investigate what was happening to the airship's engines.

The mole waited a moment or two until the corridor was empty, then he scuttled up to the door and slipped inside.

[Cogidubnus]

 The first thing that Fal'Taq noticed as he slipped into the Were's room was the darkness. Other than a small crack of light beneath his feet emanating out from under the door, barely illuminating the mole's feet before being swallowed by that inky black, the room was entirely dark. It was an inside room of a large metal box, without any source of external or natural light, as dark as some caves, or as dark as the inside of an eyelid.
Finding the lightswitch seemed to be imperative, if the mole didn't want to bump into the walls and werewolves.

The other thing the mage noticed, after standing quietly in the room for a moment, was the low whisper of ragged breathing drifting through the room. Intellectually he knew, of course, it was simply the unconcious addict breathing through nearly a lifetime of drug abuse. It made sense that after having its head blown off, the Were would sleep for a long time indeed. Surely.
Being unable to see, however, can make the imagination fill in what the eyes cannot see. Did the wolf lie sleeping? Or was he again, terribly, terribly awake - breathing heavily just inches away, eyes burning and fangs gleaming invisibly in the dark?

A lightswitch lay somewhere along the smooth walls, cloaked too in darkness.

[SpottedKitty]

Fal'taq paused for a few seconds after closing the door. It was dark in this little room. Very dark. All he could see was a thin sliver of light coming in under the door, not even enough to illuminate anything beyond the heels of his shoes. He could hear Cogidubnus, though; the wolf's heavy breathing was very clear. The sound was deceptive in this tiny lightless room... was he lying unconscious? Or standing staring at Fal'taq from just beyond arm's reach, slavering jaws gaping wide, ready to bite and rend and dismember? With unaccustomed uncertainty, the mole raised one hand and quietly snapped his fingers, and a small flame sprang from his clawtips, giving off almost no heat, but just enough flickering yellowish light to illuminate every corner of the room.

He breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Cogidubnus lay flat as a rug on the bed, not a muscle moving apart from his chest hesitantly rising and falling. The mole moved quickly now, he might not have much time to satisfy his curiosity, and he didn't want any of the others to discover what he was up to. Not yet, anyway. With his free hand, he drew a circle in front of his face, his claw leaving a faint glowing line in the air. A few quietly murmured words, a gesture or two, and the circle filled with a hazy distortion. The mole leaned closer over Cogidubnus, the circle moving to follow the movements of his head. Now, looking through the circle, he should be able to see any active spells or curses on the wolf. With luck, perhaps even decipher their structure and determine how they'd been put together.

[Cogidubnus]

The little window of magic that Fal'taq peered through, at first, seemed to see absolutely nothing. No magical glowing, no colors or lights or differences in appearance that seemed to indicate the wolf had any curses or magical effects affecting him at all. Just one drug addict breathing heavily in a windowless room, breath half-masked by the bass thrumming of powerful engines running hot. It was almost disappointing, after hearing about that display in the hallway.
Moments passed, and nothing happened. The mole was about to give up when something seemed to change - the image in the circle blurred, and then focused sharply again. The image shifted.

Like wax, Cog's head melted into the bed beneath him until nearly half of it was gone, the remainder a gaping, horrifying wound. Blood flowed and spilled around the head, staining the sheets and running down the side of the bed before pooling on the floor below. The mage could see the brains sliding out of the skull when the remainder of the head turned, and opened one bloodshot, yellow and slitted eye, and staring at him like a demon straight from hell. The deep thrumming of the airship suddenly seemed more distant than it had, and the mole wondered if he'd been hearing that deep, low, impossible growl the whole time.

[SpottedKitty]

Fal'taq made a mildly disappointed "harrrumph" noise as his examination of Cogidubnus seemed to reveal nothing more than what he appeared to be — a skinny, malnourished, drug-addled wolf sleeping off whatever had knocked him unconscious. He was just about to give up simply observing and try a few prods and pokes with a magical probe when the wolf's head blurred and... changed.

The blood in the mole's veins almost froze as he realised this must be what Witt and Pettersohn had described. The hideous wound with blood and pulped brains leaking out didn't bother Fal'taq much. What came close to unnerving him was that it didn't seem to bother the wolf-monster very much, either. He'd expected any Being, and most Creatures, to be dead or nearly so in that condition. Even an Undead would probably be knocked flat. On top of that, he suddenly realised not all of the low rumbling sound filling the tiny room was coming from the engines. The thing was growling, although how it could do that with half a muzzle and what looked like considerable damage to its throat was a puzzle he'd very much like to be in a condition to be able to worry about after this was over.

Fal'taq took a few cautious steps backwards, until his back was against the door. If the thing made any move to attack, he'd blast it with an explosive fireball, and never mind what Keaton might need the wolf for, or what Pandora would say about more holes in her airship. He resisted, barely, the temptation to say "nice doggy... sit... lie down... play dead... be dead, you flea-infested mongrel..." Apart from the near-certainty that it wouldn't work, he would probably look and sound absolutely ridiculous. He gestured briefly, dispelling the viewing circle, and prepared to either cast a shield across the room in front of him, or fire off a spell to blast the other half of the room, bed, wolf and all, clean out through the side of the airship. The light flickering from his clawtips flared up into a dazzling beacon as he fed more power into the spell, illuminating the room as clearly as full daylight. Then he returned his full attention to Cogidubnus and watched him closely.

[Cogidubnus]

The mole-mage skittered backwards, and through his little portal of magic he could see the wolf-monster getting ready to pounce at him, the grotesquely mutilated head baring half a set of fangs as it sat up and lunged at him. From the edge of his vision, though, the mole noticed something odd.
Where the circle of magic didn't cover the wolf, Cog was still quite immobile, and still laying flat on the bed. He didn't appear to have moved at all.

As the monster leapt for him, instead of leaping through the magic circle that hung in the air, it simply disappeared. For a moment, Fal'Taq could see Cogidubnus laying much as he had before - the sheets and the floor unstained with blood, and as still as he had been. He didn't appear to have moved.
Then, just seconds later, he felt something brush him, like a soft wind, and the magical light, like a candle in the wind, went out.

Again, there was only darkness, and the sound of labored breath.

[e_voyager]

Epyon thankfully had avoided being roped into checking on the Junk Monster was walking down the corridor. He need a room to set up in. The bath room was okay to eat in and to hide form others but it really wasn't were he wanted others to think he was sleeping. No for that he needed a real room designed to meet the needs of the living. 

To that end Epyon was checking rooms at random when he cam to the room that the hedgehog had dumped the ailing wolf in not that he'd been her to see it. Some of the rooms were pre lit others were dark unit he found a switch or more then likely open his upper eyes and looked through the darkness. so far none of the rooms he'd passed looked passable for inhabitation. he came to another room with a soft glow coming out from under it. he hesitates thinking this room would likely be another bust but he'd not made any of his discovers as an archaeologist with out checking every possible avanue.
 
He'd been about to open it when light under the door went out.  this gave him pause the light had not been strong to begin with but for it to go out like that? Epyon hesitated again not really sure he should open that door. he stood there for a moment wishing that his eyes could see through the metal and tell him if the room was safe but he'd never hear of any creature abilities that would allow that and he certainly  didn't know any magic to that effect. in the end it cam down to weather or not he had to guts to turn the nob and open the door.

[SpottedKitty]

Epyon's hand was still a few inches from the door when it abruptly lurched open and Fal'taq rushed out into the corridor from a room that seemed to suck in light instead of simply being dark. The wide-eyed mole shut the door firmly, then began casting several locking charms one after another. He'd cast and set three of them before he even noticed the winged fox he'd nearly bowled over.

"Ah... hah... Cogidubnus is still feeling somewhat indisposed," Fal'taq said breathlessly. Another locking charm sealed the door even more tightly. "I think we should leave him to recover in peace for a few more hours... or days... or months." The door was now liberally sprinkled with glowing sigils and marks that were the magical equivalent of a "danger — keep out — this means you" sign. The mole glanced both ways along the corridor. There was only a little left of the expression on his face when the spectral wolf-monster had lunged just as he was dispelling his viewing circle. It had vanished, extinguishing his light spell, leaving only a chill feeling that had passed right through his body and, presumably, the door he'd been leaning back against. It was an emotion he was more used to causing in other people than feeling himself.

Pure gut-wrenching terror.

Fal'taq shivered briefly. "Is it getting cold in here?" he asked Epyon, with an uneasy tone in his voice.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Penny slunk along a short distance behind the group heading down to see what was making the airship shake itself apart. Despite not having the natural magical advantage of creatures she was quite good at being unseen, even without the trinkets she always carried with her. When it was mentioned that the unnatural monstrosity of animate garbage was likely behind the imminent destruction of the ship she swapped the bolt in her crossbow for one of the special ones.

[e_voyager]

Epyon watched the Mole and saw his anxiety . he knew that something was scaring him and considering how the monster version of cogi had fought the wild gesturing and magic spells likely made to keep the wolf inside. It  made sense in a way. The Mole was also from the look of him perspiring probably from fright but there were no clues to the rooms temperature there. Still Epyon unable to really feel the temperature of the room he looked at the moles breath and shrugged. " i guess it's a little chilly" he agrees he himself feeling a twinge of fear at the thought of facing the wolf monster again. " but i tell you at least we're still here to feel it" he said with a smile trying to joke about it.

[SpottedKitty]

Fal'taq flicked his ears back for a moment and briefly directed a sour you're-not-helping look at Epyon, then he turned again and glanced along the corridor.

"Where is everyone?" he asked. "Have they all gone haring off after Pandora to find out what that mechanical nincompoop is doing to this airship?"

[e_voyager]

Rubbing the back of his head like a kid caught in he look of an adult asking him to confess his wrong doing Epyon  said. "yeah kind of." then quickly he justified his not helping by saying. "but with all of them and the junk man not having his machines i figure that they don't need me so i was searching out a bed for the night." Epyon yawned thong it wasn't completely intentinal on his part. so much magic and repairing his breakable body were starting to wear on him.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha, meanwhile, had decided to stay in the cockpit and let the others have their luck on going after the junk-beast, whatever he was doing.  She just nodded after the gray wolf incubus as he (and others who wanted, according to the footsteps she could hear somewhere in the floor) went down.  Sure, she wouldn't have minded a piece of the fight, but with this bunch, the panthress felt that she'd just get in the way.

They can take care of it, she hummed, and looked around through the darkness of the window.  It was hard to point out a single constellation with the clouds that obscured the sky.  Whatever she did see of it proved to be pretty wide and beautiful.

I wonder how soon we're preparing to land.  People who sleep will want to do so soon, even if all these dream-eaters on board prevent anyone from wanting to.  She glanced around.  And where, for that matter.

[Sunblink]

...Pandora:

Pandora wasn't expecting for Cross to join the group so quickly, so when she heard the Cubi approach her, she stiffened slightly and stood slightly more erect than before, making her abnormally lanky, towering posture appear even more exaggerated. However, one look at the wolf advancing on her and she breathed a subaudible sigh of relief, resting her rifle's elongated muzzle on her shoulder. Again, she fidgeted compulsively with her hand, finally opting for whipping one of her flintlocks out of its holster on her belt and twirling it slightly. After she had satiated her urge, she sheathed the antiquated rifle again.

"We found tha' ou' a while ago," Pandora explained, "Bu' tha's good on ya t' give me th' honors. Trust me, Arcy's gonna get an earful once I get 'im t' stop fuckin' wit' my shi'."

For a moment, the humorous mental image of Pandora ranting endlessly, in her heavy and near-indecipherable and unnaturally heavy accent, to a very beleaguered Arcwelder flashed through Keaton's shield-protected mind. She resisted, with an almighty, tremendous effort, the urge to laugh hysterically. Apparently oblivious to Keaton's amusement, Pandora nodded affirmatively to Cross. "Best y' come wit' us, wing-boy. I don't wan' Arcy dead, so I need a lotta 'elp to subdue 'im."

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Tapewolf]

"Well, persuading him to stop living was one option," Cross admitted, but sheathed his revolver with a sigh and headed off with Pandora.

"About the damage," he asked as they walked along.  "Materials are probably not an issue.  I can create base metals if need be, and I'm sure Keaton and Paige can as well as the demon lady.  But are we going to be able to make the necessary repairs in full flight, or are we going to have to put down on an uninhabited island or something to perform the overhaul?"

[Paladin Sheppard]

"I still call dibs on his soul!" Paige said suddenly from behind Jakob, she was positively bouncing at the prospect of another energy snack.

[Tapewolf]

Cross glowered inwardly.  "There are other ways of getting your fix," he said.  "Eating people just seems so... non-renewable.  Now, our big break came when Daryil discovered a way to steal soul energy without killing the individual..."

[Paladin Sheppard]

Paige, mock pout on her lips curled some of her dirty blond hair around one of her fingers.  "Relax Mister Pettersohn I'm not serious, I may be a succubus but that doesn't mean I'll go for any old soul...His probably tastes horrid anyway."

"I'm sure Miss Pandora here finds our discussions on souls and the taking of very fasinating but we should look to the junk monster in the engine room..."

With that Paige leaned in and kissed Jakob on the lips before bushing past him, laughing she ducked into the engine room before he could respond.

[Tapewolf]

Jakob snarled at the surprise kiss.  Inwardly he was beaming.  It might be worth getting to know her.  Mind you, knowing my luck she's probably an incubus...