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

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Seeing that Gabi seemed to be doing the most damage to their foe Mel stepped behind her, in a position to protect her from any new threat that might approach.

[Sunblink]

The first thing Keaton saw was the bloodstain on the wall. Cursing violently, she skidded to a halt, immediately assuming the worst, and followed the telltale smears of the splatter down, until her eyes landed on Ephrael's prone form. Shit! Keaton thought, running over to the fallen Tasmanian Devil. Resting Catastrophe on the ground next to her, Keaton knelt and tested her pulse, assessing the Being's body for any severe injuries. As far as she could tell, judging from the dislocated angle of her muzzle, she had possibly broken her nose. Keaton hissed in sympathy, but felt somewhat relieved that Ephrael was alive. If Ephrael had died, she wasn't sure if people would have suspected her to be responsible. She didn't think this was selfish, just simple pragmatism.

Using her wing-tentacles, Keaton scooped Catastrophe up and cradled Ephrael in a net of tentacles. "Hey, are you alright?" she asked, testing the depth of Ephrael's unconsciousness. Without waiting for an answer, she tried to navigate to a safe place in the fog, knowing that it would be unwise to return to the battlefield with an injured Being.

[Tapewolf]

Jakob felt lost... there was nothing he felt he could do to help.  James had got to Gareeku first, and while Gabi seemed to on to a winner, healing spells were not and never had been his forte.
It felt cowardly, but the best strategy of the moment seemed to be remaining invisible and keeping out of everyone else's way.

[Gareeku]

"Just help the others." Gareeku replied to James; it was clear the wolf was not in the mood for jokes; what they were facing had the potential to be extremely dangerous and deadly to them, finding out only too clearly first hand. The thing had caught him offguard, and had the others not been so quick to respond to that turn of events, he had the strong suspicion that he would have been killed.

Getting to his feet, Gareeku watched as Gabi continued to bombard healing magic upon the ghostly creature; like the others, he had witnessed the creature first show signs of harm and pain when being with what would normally be a good thing to someone, and was somewhat nonplussed by it.

As the creature tried to advance, it stumbled as it was showering with healing magic, screeching and snarling, before falling to one knee. The thing may have seemed feral in nature, but apparently it wasn't stupid, and seemingly knew that the odds were stacked against it, and so before any more damage could it dealt to it, it disappeared into a dark cloud of a smoky substance, which in turn disappeared entirely after a couple of seconds. It was gone. For now, at least.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha, weapon drawn, kept a close eye on the events taking place in front of her.  Gabi was doing as good a job as any of the warriors had, smothering the creature with magic that would prove detrimental to it.  The others were either standing around watching or actually doing something to help...until finally, it vanished, leaving the others in stone cold silence but for their tired breaths.

Sighing, the panther stood straight again and cautiously placed the boomerang on her belt.  "Well..." she began, looking around.  "Looks like we'll be ready if one of those happens by again.  That was brilliant, Gabi.  Is everyone alive?"

They seemed to be, anyway, looking at each of them before settling her gaze on the wolf.  Gareeku was the one hurt by the beast, but to her thankfulness, he had come out of it well and was healed.

Now what...?  She thought, taking a glance over her shoulder where the misty ground still seemed to stretch onward forever.  More than likely it was the case that the crew of the boat didn't possess the same magic qualities and resourcefulness that the group did, and were lost forever.

At least she guessed.

[Tapewolf]

"Not to be ungrateful," Jakob said, reappearing, "But I have to wonder if things would have gone more smoothly if we hadn't attacked it."  He glanced around.  "Think we should move along?  It might have gone to fetch its friends."

[James StarRunner]

"I meant to pin it so that it couldn't go nuts on us!" James explained. "Couldn't you feel that dark aura, that bitter intent? There's no way to tell if we would have been better off not attacking. We did glean some vital information about it though. There's something twisted and evil about it if healing magics harm it. I do agree that we should get moving though. It'll be dangerous to remain in the same place."

"Oh snap! Eph!! What happened to Ephrael!?"

[Gabi]

Gabi wasn't sure what to make out of it when the creature - or whatever it was- disappeared. She perked her ears for any sign of danger, then slowly looked around. It seemed to be gone. Gabi sighed, releasing the tension of the battle. This was a new experience for her: she wasn't used to being a heavy hitter. She felt pleased with herself, but at the same time nervous and a bit worried. She'd had a weird idea that had somehow worked, and then she'd put all her concentration into her attack. She hadn't paid any attention to what happened around her. What if someone else had attacked her? Or if one of her friends had needed her help? Of course she'd had to keep attacking, it was the best thing she could have done... but it was all so strange.

She was used to thinking all the time, and for a moment during the battle she'd just stopped thinking. She couldn't put into words what she had felt. And there were still so many questions... Did fighters normally feel this way or was she doing something wrong? Would something like this happen again? Would the thing return? Did anyone need help now?

At least that last question was something she could answer. She looked around, trying to see if everyone was alright. Her gaze met Aisha, who congratulated her. Gabi smiled, out of words to form a reply.

"Is everyone alive?" asked Aisha. This question seemed to be the last step to bring Gabi back to reality.

She took a deep breath, and began to walk around, checking on the group. She sighed with relief when she realized everyone was still there, and still alive, but Ephrael didn't look good at all. Gabi would have to wait to catch her breath.

She was walking towards Ephrael to assist her when Jakob spoke out and suggested moving along.

"Wait," she began, but James spoke faster and louder.

"Oh snap! Eph!! What happened to Ephrael!?" the squirrel finally asked.
"I don't know, but she needs help," Gabi replied. "If you want to practise healing magic, now's a good time. I'm a bit worn out from the battle, I could use some help."

She didn't talk to Jakob, assuming he hadn't noticed Ephrael's condition when he suggested moving along. She still wished she knew what was going on, but she certainly wouldn't find out by standing there. She would agree to leave that place as soon as Ephrael was ready to join them.

[James StarRunner]

"I... Have to admit I'm not nearly at your level yet Gabi... But I'll try." he said as he crouched down over Ephrael. "You may have to look at Gareeku after too. I more or less stabilized him, but he still needs some work."

James took a nervous breath in as he closed his eyes, concentrating on the feelings he would need. He layed his hands on Ephrael's face, imagining the fractured bones and broken cartilage. As he breathed out, he eased a healing aura into Ephrael's body. His eyes opened, watching her muzzle start to straighten. "It's a good thing you're unconscious..." James whispered. "This likely hurts quite a bit..."

James kept working on Eph's injuries until it felt like his hands were burning. He pushed through the discomfort a while longer as he continued to heal until his arms slackened and fell to his sides. "I have no more in me..." James gasped. "I'm not conditioned to using this much magic..."

Ephrael's body did look like it was in better shape... but the swelling and bruising told that she hadn't fully recovered yet. James stepped up gingerly, rubbing life into his numb arms. "You're going to have to take over now Gabi. The party really would be lost without you. You did a great job back there."

[Tapewolf]

"Oh hell," Jakob said, finally noticing Ephrael.  He turned away dizzily.

[Gabi]

"Thanks," Gabi said to James. "For the help and for the compliment. But I was lucky. After I saw how that thing reacted to everyone's attacks, I had a hunch that it could be reversing the effect of the magic somehow, so I thought healing magic might hurt him. It was a lucky guess."

She took a closer look at Ephrael. James had helped stabilize her, but her condition was still serious. What could have done that to her? She focused on the Tasmanian Devil's head. She seriously hoped her brain hadn't taken any damage; she had no way to check. Most of the bones had been set back in their right place. Gabi thanked James for that. She finished sealing them and fixing her muzzle. She didn't worry about using too much magic - considering Eph's record, whether her body came to depend on magic or not wouldn't make a difference. Gabi mentally scolded herself for thinking like that; it wasn't Eph's fault that she kept getting hurt. Well, except for that time when she'd fallen off a tree while stalking the group. Focus, Gabi, focus! she yelled in her own mind. It was evident that a part of her was looking for a way out. She hated this place.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Ephrael had not stirred, even for a moan of pain when James had pried her from Keaton's tentacles. It wasn't until Gabi, using her expert healing skills and magic, was finished that there was any reaction from the diminutive being.

As her eyes fluttered open Eph uttered her first words since fleeing. "Wh-What happened..." She started off with before her eyes widened in fright. "Oh, Gods, where is it?" She squeaked.

[Tapewolf]

"It went away," Jakob said, tentatively glancing back at the marsupial.  "I don't know if it's gone for good.  It might have gone for reinforcements."

"Will she be able to travel?" he asked Gabi.  "She may have internal injuries, I mean.  Even if you've healed them, the exertion might damage her.  One way or another, I really think we should get away from here if possible."

[Gabi]

"I'm not sure yet," Gabi replied. She then spoke to Ephrael. "How are you feeling? And, if you feel like telling, what happened to you?"

[Tapewolf]

"I'm not sure we have time for a full exposé," Jakob said.  He was edging towards panic.  "If need be I can put a stasis field around her so we can move her safely.  But we are not safe here!"

[Gabi]

"As opposed to wherever it is we're going?" Gabi replied. "I'm sorry, I know we're not safe here, but I don't think we'll be safe anywhere else. Unless we go back to the ship and I'm not even sure that's an option anymore. If she has internal damage, moving her will be to risky. If she doesn't, then it will be best for all of us if both of you are with us. I'm not asking her to tell me the story of her life, I need to know what her current condition is. And it would help us to know what did that to her and how, in case we meet it. Believe me, I'd love to be far away from here, but we need to be careful. We don't even know what we're facing."

[James StarRunner]

"Wait... Stasis field? Gabi, anything within the stasis field will be like it's frozen in time. We can move the field, but it will be like she hasn't moved an inch. At least that's what I remember the theory as." James explained. He adjusted the receiver in his ear. "Anyways, I'm not picking up anything strange yet on the boat. I believe it's still docked too. With what's happened though, I'm not sure if the boat will be safe either."

James took out a sickly looking brown vial from his bag and took a swig of it. His lips puckered and his face made a disgusted look. "Bleh... It may be a bit bitter, but it will help rejuvenate you so you can use your healing again soon." James said as he offered the rest of the vial to Gabi.

[Stygian]

'She's broken her nose and she knocked herself out and lost her bladder. Don't know in which order. The worst she might have is a light concussion, really...' a bitter voice muttered from out of the fog behind them. 'Haven't met an adventurer that couldn't hold up to that and a little spinal compression with shakiness in the knees on top...'
   Rolling a shoulder, chewing the crumbled little leftover of a cigarette in the corner of his mouth, Ignatz stepped closer. Holstering a gun, he spat the butt out on the ground and examined the people standing around, obviously checking them for eventual injuries. The question obviously asked was, if he found anything, what would he do about it?
   'Healing magic hurts it, so it's likely undead,' the bat said, turning the conversation toward the subject of their attacker without a pause in between, obviously not sharing the others' worry about staying in place, judging from his expression. 'Twenty bucks says whoever used to live here was turned into more of those.'

[Aisha deCabre]

There's just no end to this, is there...

Though thankful everyone had been okay, Aisha's ears were pinned against her head in slight irritation--or perhaps it was the anxiety of whatever could be coming next--but the banter lined with fear and frustration was just a little much.  Two sides of the situation were heard, a fourth side soon after, but there needed to be a fifth, and that fifth looked like she wasn't allowed to talk.

The panther finally had it after Ignatz's comment on the situation.  She glanced at the bat sidelong.  "Good thing you're here, you seem to know most about the nature of the evils here more than us, señor," she said.  There wasn't an inch of sarcasm in the statement, but more like the information could probably be used for something more than idle observation.

Shaking her head, she raised a hand.  "If I may add, none of this is getting us anywhere.  We can't stay here, but yet we can't leave.  Damned if we do and if we don't, sí?  So why don't we just compromise and do something, or else we'll no longer be one step ahead of those creatures, since they know we have something to hurt and possibly destroy them.  Now, Ephrael can talk, so first of all..."

Aisha turned to said girl.  "Let her answer Gabi's question.  Ephrael, are you well enough to move?"

[Paladin Sheppard]

"I think so...I'm a little woozy though, and what did I do to my nose owwwww." Ephrael said as she gently probed her muzzle with both hands.

"Where are we going to go?" She said after wincing.

[Tapewolf]

"There's four points on the compass," Jakob said.  "All I'm saying is that we want to be somewhere other than where that thing thinks we are.  In case it comes back with some friends.  However, Gareeku is leader."
Jakob, though distant from a feral wolf, couldn't help but think - at least subconsciously - of the party as a pack, with the white wolf as Alpha.

[James StarRunner]

Freakin' evil place... James thought. If Mistaria hadn't had that stupid war on angels there would still be enough angels nearby to help purge this island.

"Here, up you go." said James as he offered a hand to Ephrael.

[Gabi]

Gabi was once more disgusted by Ignatz's words, but she was getting used to it. She wished she could find out how much he knew, but she reckoned asking wouldn't help, especially not here and now. At least Eph seemed to be well enough to move. That was one less thing to worry about.

She hesitated before accepting James's vial. She wasn't sure she needed it more than he did. But she wasn't going to argue with one who was being kind to her, so she thanked him and took it.

She then rejoined the discussion.

"I don't think we're a step ahead of them," she said. "There's still so much we don't know. But I agree that we should move if we can all walk by our own means. How's Gareeku?"

[Mel Dragonkitty]

The most immediate danger dealt with the clique closed back in on itself, although with a less united front this time. She did not bother to add her thoughts. If they had stopped listening to each other they certainly wouldn't listen to anyone they considered an intruder. The group's reaction to Ignatz's analysis confirmed her expectation. Mel let the healing energy she had pulled up to defend Gabi's back seep back into herself as she peered into the fog, watching for new attackers as the others sorted themselves out. She absently polished the stone decorating her staff as she watched the swirling patterns in the odd mist for any changes.

[Stygian]

Snorting, the bat rolled his eyes and fished for another cigarette in his pocket. The indecision was really not the understandable part of it all, in spite of his former comment. Not to him. It was quite the phenomenon, how after a few years of kicking in doors and calling names, the adventurers who tended to act half-informed - by far the majority - somehow seemed to become aware of their mistakes and hotheadedness or hastiness and, in some rare cases, developed a sort of over-conscientiousness that often lead to just as much ill. They weren't the bad ones though; the ones whose conscience got too big or who got emotional were the real sad cases.
   'I don't see you people coming up with theories, and...' he started, sniffing with the fog and hissing slightly at the humidity. His voice was somewhat muffled as he wedged another smoke into the corner of his mouth. 'What's more important is that you're all acting sour, and not for some obvious reason.' He began patting himself over. Had he lost his lighter? 'And you know, were I a psychiatrist, I'd say there's something underlying here. Were I an experienced adventurer at the same time - a little far-fetched, but it works - I would say that it's this place getting to you when it shouldn't be, and that you should buckle up and move on.'
   The bat paused, his hand deep in his pocket, before at last he managed to get out his lighter. Thumbing the lid open, he gave the panthress a gaze that was far less irritated than his speech might suggest, and a good bit more sincere. He raised a pair of eyebrows, before looking down. His thumb flicked several times, sparks flying, producing no flame, and he frowned. After a couple more tries, he just gave up, shut the lighter with a click, and stuffed it back in his pocket. He snorted once more, and suddenly, with a faint sizzle, the end of his cigarette was set alight with a little flare.
   'And... If I were a doctor too - and now we're just pushing it - I'd say that she's okay,' he continued, sucking in smoke. 'She's rubbing her nose. It hasn't swelled up yet, and evidently touching it isn't too painful, which means that it isn't broken. Secondly, since she's using both hands coordinately and her vision seems fine, she doesn't have any head trauma. The disorientation was from the earlier panic attack.'
   Hoping he'd made a point, and also avoided the subject of there being an infestation of things like the one they had just encountered, the bat exhaled, adding to the fog.

[Gabi]

"You're getting to me, you idiot," Gabi thought but, of course, she didn't say it. Instead, she said:

"I've just asked about Gareeku. You should try to pay attention instead of just ranting about what you think you'd say if you knew the things you don't. Now please step back and let me do my job. We'll go once we're sure everyone's ready to move."

[Sunblink]

"Uh, hello?"

Up until then, Keaton had been remaining fairly inconspicuous, just observing the conversation flying between the group's members. However, by now, she was fairly annoyed with having what she viewed as her selfless chivalry go unacknowledged. "Not to be a bitch and all" - this seemed particularly laughable - "but shouldn't I be getting a gold medal here? A shiny watch would work just fine, too...

"I mean, seeing as I have the income of a mentally retarded hobo anything I could pawn would be good."

Keaton mumbled something about needing to pursue a career. If she wasn't, technically, a fugitive herself, she would have considered going into the realm of bounty hunting or even a less scrupulous form of Adventuring. She certainly had the ability to confront more powerful Creatures, or so she believed.

[Tapewolf]

Jakob stretched a hand to the sky and shortly afterwards a small disc of golden metal appeared in his palm.  Hurriedly he engraved the name 'Keaton' on it with a claw and handed it to the jackal.

"There you go.  Now, can we please look at getting out of here?"

[Gabi]

Keaton's words took a part Gabi's mind off Stygian, much to her own relief, although she would need some time to calm down. She watched Jakob give Keaton the gold medal, and looked at them both, confused. She hadn't been able to pay attention to others while she was fighting, and now she was beginning to think she'd missed something important, besides what had happened to Ephrael.

"Eh? What's going on?" she asked. "What did I miss?"

[Sunblink]

Jakob stretched a hand to the sky and shortly afterwards a small disc of golden metal appeared in his palm.  Hurriedly he engraved the name 'Keaton' on it with a claw and handed it to the jackal.

"There you go.  Now, can we please look at getting out of here?"

Keaton glanced down at the small, makeshift medal, looking irate. Pinching it between her fingers, she looked back up at Jakob, still frowning, and opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something very harsh to him. However, no words came, and she simply quieted in defeat.

"Oh, you think you're so goddamn clever," Keaton grumbled under her breath as she walked away, moving to pocket the medal. "Everyone thinks they're so goddamn clever. Damned people and their--"

Keaton stopped in mid-sentence, freezing. She held up the medal, examined it briefly, nibbled on its corner, and finally peeled away the gold wrapping. A fine disc of milk chocolate was underneath. "...oh my god." Immediately, Keaton raced away to someplace private (behind an nearby tree, which did not allow much security or coverage, and was only twenty feet away from the rest of the group) so she could savor her prize.