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

[Noone]

Library Lobby

"And that you know about the officers, soldiers, and their positions makes me believe you've bribed them, and wouldn't get in your way." Kyirri responded almost reflexively.

He stopped momentarily. He was trying to consider the creature's behavior. Creatures rarely are rational... and the authorities wouldn't help me, never have. Makes me wonder why she didn't before, maybe she arrived too late, or possibly needs me to acquire the book first... He didn't take his eyes off the cubi, though he tried to get a feeling for what Bree was doing at the time. He was getting increasingly uneasy with the creature, growing more convinced he wasn't serving him, or Arklan for that matter. That he wasn't being given any direction in his head wasn't helping either, the illusion of having choice didn't sit easy with him.

His legs tensed and his eyes narrowed as the creature came closer. He watched carefully, ready for any signs of sudden hostile actions.

[Cogidubnus]

Alex frowned. Kierana might not be so nonchalant if the next bullet went through her neck instead of her thigh. Carefully, he stalked up next to the door, and swiftly set the lantern down on the metal floor.

"Lights out in three seconds!" he said, waiting three seconds before twisting the lantern's knob all the way down, and plunging the room into complete blackness.

He got on his stomach, keeping his profile as small as possible, and then, firmly, yet gently, sliding the lantern through the door and down the hallway. He got to his knees, stood, and then drew both pistols.
Very carefully, he took a look down the hallway, checking to see if the darkness had reached the defenders - even if it had not, they could no longer see through the door. They might hesitate to shoot - in which case, he would pick them off. Or they would fire blindly and waste their ammunition, in which case, he'd wait, and let them.

[Gabi]

It's a good thing that Ana's a Capybara and not a Cat

"If nothing else, do you mind if we stop by the city center first, so I can at least check in there?" Renard asked.
"Sure," Anabelle accepted. "And we could grab something to eat while we're at it. I've packed some travel rations, but I'd rather have a freshly cooked meal when it's possible. By the way, do you happen to know why we're stopping? You don't seem very curious about it."

That was just one of many questions she had in her mind, but she decided to go slowly. Things had been far from normal lately, so she firgured she couldn't be too careful.

[VAE]

Situation normal, all effed up

As the stone began spinning, emitting a faint wail due to its interaction with surrounding air mass, and the ship began to lit up and lift, Avram's mood improved considerably.
... It works....  It effin' works ! .... that jackal bastard should be watching now... i love this jo....
His thought processes froze, and Avram swallowed hard as the back part of the airship suddenly slammed down on the floor, and pulling down the rest of the ship with it, looking rather like a duck with a shot through wing trying to fly, and moving in circles instead.
Avram's ears folded backwards, and he felt his tail bristle like a pipe brush.
SSSHIT!
they gonna stuff me into a drive like that if i don't do something... think you ass , think... what could you fuck up when installing the drive.. wait... the front's lifting as it should, and they are driven from one mechanism...and if there was a leak, we'd be decorating the wall of the hangar.. If i aren't mistaken, someone must have fucked up the regulator on the back, and the levitator core stalled or something

Avram took one of the meter-carts he has been using before, and a set of spanners, and went towards the levitator housing at the back of the airship, intent to check on whether his theory is correct, and maybe do something about it.

[Lisky]

Blood and Gore Across the Senate Floor

"if that's what it takes to help your soul rest easy tonight, go ahead and tell yourself that. "

The angelic senator was surprisingly agile, he seemed to glide onto the open floor.  A pair of aides quickly pulled the podium out of the way.  Not for the safety of those involved, but because replacing those stands of wood were surprisingly expensive, with the rate they'd been destroyed over the past few years.  

The angel took a hop-step, and then he was off,  he wasn't just agile, he was fast, faster than anyone Azzam had faced before, what's more, the senator's scythe seemed to move with the ease of a knife in the hands of a skilled warrior.  By all accounts the fight was over before it'd ever started.

The angel lunged with the capped end towards Azzam's face.   He quickly parried the spear-point, lifting it above and over his head.  The spear suddenly raised, a sharp sensation from under the demon-senator's arm, and suddenly the angel was a step behind him.  A loud metallic –CLANG- echoed through the chamber, as gasps eminated from the crowd.  Azzam's arm had be removed at the shoulder, and the angel was digging razor-like claws into the marble floor to get enough purchase to stop.  He came again, in the blink of an eye, he stepped outside the demon, swinging his massive curved blade beyond the demon's other side, near his ankle... it was there for a blink before the Angel pivoted his arm, while pulling up, Taking the demon-senator's legs out from under him.  

Rolling the crippled demon over, the angel said in a sadistic tone.  "It's over... you're over... and now, I get the last laugh. "  Planting a hand on Azzam's chest, the Angel closed his eyes for a second.  Azzam felt weaker, it felt as if he were loosing control of what was left of his body.  His remaining arm hadn't the will to fight.  His breathing grew shallow, his heartbeat weaker.   His vision went dark.  

In the stands, a small bead of light appeared where the angel held his hand on the fallen senator's chest.  The angel had a death's head smile on his face, a wicked laugh escaped, as he shouted "Here is what is left of the former senator Thom 'sen, this little speck..."  There was a little bead, glowing in the Angel's hand...  A SOUL, His cousin's soul.   "And now... HE IS GONE!"  Tossing the bead down his throat, the Angel very calmly wiped the blood off his scythe on the lifeless corpse, then proceeded back to his seat.  An arrogant grin still pressed into his lips.  


Main Street, Kesslen, Lunch Time... ish

"Just call my Nadia, or Nad if you prefer.  Getting there underground could be a bit of a problem, they're clearing out some of the tunnels, and I've been told that everything is fair game, so long as it doesn't disrupt production... they should clear out in a few hours... however, until such time, I'll show you where the over-land area is... The entire thing is strange, there's no sign of explosives being used, there's no water for miles around, and the dam projects are all –way- up river."  

She snickered playfully, as she grabbed the incubus by the shoulder,  "Let's get going, Chelle is looking like she's about ready for the new additions."

Leading him down the main-street, noted a military uniform, and Seth would note the way her eyes seemed to lock onto the man behind it.


Back on the train, Renard  shrugged, "It's curious but not unheard of... I've had layovers a few times... it's usually just a tree failing on the rails, or a broken section of track... It's  nothing worth getting worked up over."

He paused for a moment, "and lunch does sound good. I know this little place just down main-street.  I've been there a few times.  Great food, fair price, and a good spot to figure out what actually happens... a lot of gossip is thrown around the joint."


Death and Ash In the Air, Along with Pain and Despair

"She's... she's going to come back... isn't she?"  The little girl squeaked back, wrapping herself in the coat.  "You're not very warm... and she's coming back... and..." Hiding her face In the sobs, the child started to break down.  She was cold, she was alone... and every tale that had been told about the boogeyman had come true... save for her, she'd been spared... for now.  


Lesson Number One

Ed sneered back at Stephan.  His entire face seemed to shift, alter emotions at whim.   The spotted feline replied, "Of course I do... Lesson one, manipulation is a key part of who we are...  We're not the strongest, certainly not the most powerful, but we do have a big advantage.  We're clever, and we can do things that allow us to shadow what we're capable of.  Your wings for example... they're very easy to control, they're just a few extra sets of limbs, that's it.  Focus on them, concentrate on what you want done, and let them do it.   That's the easy part, that hard part is going about hiding your wings while doing stuff normally... especially after you've grown used to using the tentacles ."

He smirked again.  "By the by, lesson number 2,  never trust what someone is saying, watch their thoughts and emotions rather than their words.  I'd point out that you should check your pockets by now... but... 'eh... this was –way- more fun."

Ed reached into his own pants pocket and produced  a wand, 2 different coin-bags, a handkerchief and a rather familiar looking watch.  "I believe these are all yours... Fa wouldn't appreciate if I'd tried to keep them."  

Pointing to a booth, Ed ushered Stephan in, closed the door, and shuttered the windows.  There was a soft light from the small suspended orb, but, the cabin was completely isolated at this point.  "so... do you have any actual questions now?   Or, should I get the puppets?"


A New Toy and A New Adventure!

No transaction came, instead, Sol set 2 boxes in the Angel's arm and waved him off stage with a simple, "thank you for your help!"

Once he was ushered off out into the crowd, the watchers began lining up to get their hands on their own little trinkets.  Inside the top box were shells, color-coded and clearly labeled with their effects, on neat, printed cards.  Inside the other box, was the revolver itself, along with a description of everything that Sol had explained while showing off the weapons for his display.  "Each weapon is hand-crafted, hand enchanted, and can be easily customized to suit the user's needs."  
How was another question entirely, but that was the wording on the back side of the instruction pamphlet.


Potion Shop

Passing a small, black, ceramic jar over the counter, the naga snickered, "You sssshould trhy and be more carful nexsst time.  Sssure it's good for business... but if you don't watch your assss out there, you might not be able to come back."

"That should be good ... if there'sss anything elsssse you need, jus' let me know."


I Fell Down Into a Burning Ring of Fire

The wall of fire expanded, however, watching the clouds proved to be a loosing battle, wherever that succubus was, she was hiding herself pretty well.  However, on the ground, a clear line from where the Incubus had been hiding could be drawn.  His blackened scythe came spinning through the wall of flames towards the rough center, it was spinning end over end, parallel to the ground, as if it were some demonically powered lawn-mower.  

The scythe missed by a few feet, and continued on to the other side of the wall of fire.  Footsteps could be heard above the infrerno, heavy steps in the soft ground, someone was running around the ring.
"You can't hid forever old man.  It's just a matter of time before exhaustion sets in... then you and your feathery friend are dead.  YOU HEAR ME! I'M GONNA TAKE YOUR FUCKING FACE OFF, BITCH!"


Enchanter's Emporium

"Ya got us thar, lad.  We're from a small village, near the western border.  Lil' town tha' got overrun by the beings.  Soo... here we are, makin' a livin' as bes' we can... By the by, just about done. "  he replied while running his hand over the umbrella.

"Tha' shoul' do I'... 'ere ya go"
Passing the umbrella back, the enchanter gave the boy a wave, and went back to working on another project.


Library: A Place of Learning

The voice finally touched his mind, like a siren's call.  It told him everything would be alright.  She could be trusted.   She had places to go, and this fighting was foolish.

She stepped forward, and said in a far less defensive tone, "you –sure- you couldn't use a hand.  We need to get this into safer hands as quickly as possible, after all"

Bree was back at her desk, idly flipping through note-cards, checking them against other cards.  She seemed oblivious that anyone was actually still there at that point.


Smoke and Haze Where Once Was Blaze
"WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED, FALL BACK! FALL BACK!"
"Shit, I can see a fucking thing,  GET THAT  LIGHT DOWN HERE!"
"Where's Sven?"
"He's down... head-wound."
"Shit, he owed me money, too"
"Money won't mean shit if you don't get that light down here!"
Gunshots, lots of them... whoever was shooting had a repeating sidearm.  Alex counted 12 shots, then heard the distinct PING of the action being forced opened.  His target, half concealed by the metal door-frame 20 feet down the hall.   A relatively easy shot, as yet another slug flew down-range and splattered another being's skull across a bulkhead.  

In front of him, Alex could see that there was a narrow hallway, just wide enough for 2 people to pass each-other going opposite directions in the tight confines.   To his left, an opened doorway, straight ahead was another room.  To the right was a metal bulkhead that separated the cabin from the chilly air outside.

He could hear more footsteps, "Joshua?  You alright?  Josh?"  The sound of metal parts grinding together.   Another being was coming, and he had his weapon drawn.


In Touch with the Ground

By the time Avram had managed to get to the rear, several of the engineers were busy pulling some cables out of a massive copper-toned structure.  The structure was sparking with electricity, sending bolts of lightning around the floor in a lightshow that seemed as if it could very easily turn lethal.

"Looks like Serafina installed a faulty router in the rear-boyency control system."
"The fuck you mean me?  I installed the forward system, that was Kayleg's job!"
"What happened?  I scryed them and everything, they –looked- good!"
"Shit, the transfer spell is a mess.   Where did you learn your conversion weaving techniques?  You'd horrify an armature seamstress with a job like this!  "
"Hey, it's not my fault, the new guy was using some weird waves for the energy transfer conduits."
"sure, blame it on someone else.  FIX YOUR DAMNED MISTAKE! NOW!"

The Jackal came back from the crowd.  How he'd gotten there so quickly was anyone's guess, probably a blink-spell, given his familiarity of the project.  "Looks like your part is done, you got a place to stay for now?  Somewhere, hopefully, nearby so I can meet you, and get the paperwork filled out in the morning?"


Would You Mind if I Hurt You?  Would You Mind if I Tried to?

The ground team was moving across the cratered field.  A battle had taken place there, and the craters had to be searched, meticulously, less a sneaky being or insectis start sniping the party in the back.  

"SNIPER!"  Someone shouted, as gunshots echoed.  The ground exploding into a fountain of bits as no less than 3 over-sized bullets slammed into the spot where the bug had been hiding.  

In the air, Paige and her squadron were following the train-tracks.  There was a massive depot ahead.  The succubus could see insectis in out-dated war machines standing over what appeared to be shackled creatures, POWs who'd been captured, and forced into slave labor.  There were 8 machines, and perhaps 40 POWs, on top of that, she could see several anti-air batteries that were currently unattended, spaced in a rough circle around the train-depot, 10, perhaps 12 cannons as far as she could see.

The war-machines in the raiding party were encountering minimal resistance.  The infantry left out in the field were guards who'd slacked off for a mid-morning nap, not a well planned counter-attack.  It was a slaughter, as creatures and metal monsters cleansed the land, slowly making their way towards the sandy plains ahead.

Sister Addy, dressed in full combat attire looked more akin to a warrior-priest than the supposed healer her order had trained her as.  Jeremiah had been hastily given the duty following along with the creatures, playing spotter for the war-machines.  He carried a light-weight carbine.  The rest of the team was with Bassy, clearing out insectis and beings holed up in the shattered fields. 


At the edge of the city, the next wave of workers were being herded towards the train-station. They'd started moving now, lined by out-dated walkers to either side, and beings with cheap rifles.  It was rather surprising that the prisoners hadn't made a break for it yet.

[Tapewolf]

Kesslen Main Street

"Overland it is, I guess," Seth said and followed his Demon guide.  The playful undertones of her body language were not lost on him and he tried to think of the most suitable way of putting her down.
In Sethir's experience, the more traditional Demons tended to be disappointed with his kind, since they were not exactly pillars of strength in the main.  His last breakup had been especially painful - the arm had taken most of a month to heal properly - it might save pain on both sides if he could nip things in the bud.
Unless of course, she was one of those who preferred a weaker partner... Seth smiled to himself at the thought.

Suddenly she glanced at two oncoming people in the street, one of whom seemed to be military.  Seth cocked his head slightly.

"Someone you know?" he asked.

[Cogidubnus]

 Alex frowned, holstering one revolver, and whipped across the door's opening and ducked inside the hallway. With quiet, deft footsteps, he crossed the distance as silently and swiftly as he could - picking up his lantern with his free hand and hiding on the right side of the bulkhead door, in the corner. His hiding spot was ridiculous, but effective - and now he'd wait a bit more.

He controlled his breathing, taking long, quiet breaths, and waited for an opportunity to slip forward a bit farther. He idly wondered what his team was doing, as it seemed like their only contribution so far was to get shot.

[Tipod]

The Audacity of Hate

Bart had every reason to be upset: not only was his cousin and closest contact dead, he'd been soul-murdered in an open forum filled with old senators. They'd be sneering and joking about this for months, an endless stream of snide comments regarding those poor, deluded Thom'sens and their impotent ideals. Azzam's district would once again fall back into obscurity, poor men cursing their government before bitterly clocking back in at the factory, their wives and children scrounging the alleys for their next dinner.

But most infuriating of all, that smug angel motherfucker just sitting back down, so pleased with his handiwork. He knew he wouldn't get what's coming to him.

Until now.

Without a second thought, Bart leapt from the back row, his body igniting as a torrent of fire rushed from his lower-legs and propelled him clear through the air, flesh hardening in rocky layers, blazing hands outstretched and ready to throttle the jaguar as he rocketed across the amphitheater.

Here comes the poundcake.

[Kafzeil]

On the cold ground, surrounded by smoke

Was she paranoid? Or maybe she was right, that whatever monster had did was coming back for her?

"She won't hurt you." Lucy said sternly. "I won't let her."

She shuffled over closer to the girl, Lucy putting and arm around her. She didn't want to tell her "Everything's going to be okay". No matter how comforting it may have been a lie was still a lie.

"What's your name?"Lucy asked the little girl.  If she was going to end up as a sort of guardian angel for this young canine, she might as well know her name.

[Lisky]

Were the Terror of the Skies, but a Danger to Ourselves Now

As soon as Alex's thought registered, he heard the distinct clack-clack-clack of the succubus' leather boots.  "I fuckin' heard that, Al... if you wanted help, you could have made it more apparent."  

She waited a few seconds before flicking her wand out in front of her.  The bright sparkle of light danced in the utter darkness, lighting up the shadows, and dazzling those who weren't protected, or expecting the bolt.  She walk onward, a groan could be heard from the other side of the hall, along with more leather one metal-stairs.  Kierana stepped out beyond Alex, he could see one of her tentacles lash out.  A muffled crunched, a whimper of pain, then a laugh.  A very evil laugh.

Around the corner, the succubus had a wand pointed at the top of a set of stairs, a boot firmly planted on a gasmasked being's back, just below where his neck met his shoulders.  She whispered to Al, "move up, there's more coming."


What's Eating You? *dons sunglasses* YAHHHHHH!!!!!

Before taking his seat, the Angel heard the audible gasp, as yet another demon appeared from the senate floor.  He started to turn, when the ball of fire was almost atop him.  He did the only thing he could thing of.  Rolling his shoulder, the angel drove one of his wings as hard as he could towards Bart.  


Paranoia is Only a Disease if You're Wrong

The girl whimpered, latching on to Lucy with a death-grip.  What little foundation the orphan had managed to build had been burnt out from under her, anything she considered family, gone.  She was utterly alone.  Lucy was her last real hope, and she clung to the feline as if Lucy were the last living thing left on the planet... which, wasn't quite accurate, but, close enough.

She sobbed, barely managing a whimper, "Re.... Re... Rene..."  


Evil? Questionable. Temptress? Probably. Demoness? Undeniable

"It looks like someone i met a few years back... Back when i was serving as a scout for the military.  He's changed a bit though...  You don't have anything to worry about though... no competition there."  She winked at the incubus.  Her mind was an inky cloud, her thoughts shielded. However, her bemusement was clear.

"Though... that does bring to mind a question before we head over that'a'way..."  Her smirk grew wider,  "Someone claim you yet?"

[Cogidubnus]

 "You know I hate when you call me Al." Alex said, hooking the Hagekure to his belt and drawing his other revolver. He stepped over the raised edge of the bulkhead door, red sash trailing behind him, and brought the rest of the next room into darkness.

"Took your time, sweetheart. Check the bodies, they might have something useful." he said, twirling one revolver out of sheer bad habit and taking aim at the top of the stairway.
He continued walking. Chances were security and whomever else would hesitate before shooting into absolute darkness, whereas Alex would not. With Kierana supplying the heavy firepower, he imagined they'd be finished up fairly soon.

[Tapewolf]

Kesslen Main Street

"Not taken at the moment," Sethir said, with a grin.  "It has been a while, though.  I must warn you that I'm not exactly the strongest Creature on the block, I don't know if that's a problem for you.  I tend to prefer mind over muscle personally.

"Also," he added with a wicked grin, "Hypothetically speaking, what would you have said if my last date had been a guy?"

[Noone]

Library

It suddenly struck him. Familiar feeling, moving without conscious consent. The tug in the back of one's head, commands from thoughts not his own. What is in this book that's worth so damned much anyways? Nothing for it, he couldn't even drop it, pervert the motions much less resist. His limbs put the book into the cubi's grasp. He didn't even look back at Bree. Probably was bribed... the idiocy is just a facade... He decided not to even try spitting on the creature.

With that, he looked away and turned to head outside, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone around. His mind then started to formulate how he'd get back.

[Gabi]

Ish

"Sounds fine," Anabelle accepted. "I haven't been here before, so I'll trust your judgement on this."

She decided to follow Renard, while looking around and taking in the sights, sounds and smells of Kesslen, both to look for anything unusual and to become more familiar with the place.

[Lisky]

Painting The Walls Red at 5000 Feet is No Easy Feat

The succubus sneered, "Oh alright... guess i can't have all the fun, then."  Her voice oozing with confidence.   She idly began feeling around the bodies, the beaten but breathing being under her boot looked part confused part horrified as he heard the noises of the things moving and sliding.  He was blind, unlike those who had magic capable of piercing the light, and the Succubus used her tentacles to search the 2 bodies "You want to take point... from what i can tell they're holed up on the other side of the door up there, 4 of them left, they're scared and confused.  We've got 2 pair of handcuffs,  3 repeaters, with 12 magazines... soo... about 100 shells of this pussy being shit, and a couple of lamps, on top of what everyone is carrying..."

The sound of clanking metal as Kierana forced the being's hands around a section of piping, before slapping the metal rings around each wrist, and clamping the locking mechanism shut.  "Not too tight, now are they, baby?"  she said in a sardonic tone.

Up the stairs, the door was closed, there was the murmur of voices, but locations were hard to pick up.  "One of them is focusing on working a pump. " Kierana added, "Scatter gun, i'd suspect."


Meeting on Main Street

With a glint of teeth, Nadia pulled Seth along with her.  She made a b-line for a feline demon with a peculiar companion.  Renard himself hadn't spotted the wolfess yet, he was busy telling his companion a little bit about the place.  "ATTEN-HUT Soldier!" His body went rigid for a moment, and the feline's eyes darted around, looking for the source of the voice.  "Ohshi!... LT?  Is that you?"
"How the hell did a slacker like you make it to Sargent?"
"Luck i guess... though it didn't win me any favors.  They keep sticking me on the southern border.  Lots'a beings and insectis down there."
"Well hell... they don't -need- scouts where they know it's safe... that's why you're there in the first place."
"Ya i know... I'm heading to the capitol actually... have a sighting to report, along with a request for some wards to placed... small village looks to be in a high-risk zone."
"Ya, office is still up the street... But who's the lady friend?"
"It's nothing like that, Ma'am.  She's one of the villagers..."

The two started chit-chatting back and forth for a few minutes, leaving Seth and Ana in awkward silence.  It seemed the pair had a bit to catch up on, and had somehow decided to do it now.  That is, until Nadia asked, "Would you 2 care to accompany us an adventure?  We're stopping for lunch than heading out.  Shouldn't be more than an hour or so... but it might be interesting... Unusual seismic activity in the area."

Renard turned to Ana, "What do you think?  Feel like grabbing a bite, then heading off on a little expedition.  Who knows... could be fun?"


Exiting the Library

Kyirri would note that the train ticket was taking him south for now.  Gangs were less prevalent there, and he'd be heading into the heart of mining country.  His stop, however, was a fairly large city, Sek'Na'Ra... it was a Voethfellian colony in the earliest of days, and the inhabitants had never changed the name, despite the now mostly being population.

[Paladin Sheppard]

"Yea, though I fly through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil. For I am at 50000 feet and climbing"

From her vantage point two thousand feet over the soon to be battlefield, the Privateer turned Mercenary Succubus worked out a quick plan. Touching the small communication orb at her throat Paige sent out commands to her pilots and fliers.

"Kestrel wing this is Gold Leader, Blue Squadron is to separate into pairs and attack the AA sites, Red you guys have top cover and lookout....Gold with me we're gonna go say hello to those walking deathtraps down there at 2 O'clock, and try not to hit the civvys.."

After reviving replies back from her squadron commanders, the Wolfess grinned and waggled the wings of her A16 and armed the anti-tank rockets she carried. Banking first to the left then rolling the fighter over to point directly at the first clank in line, she waited till she had a clean shot. As her target came into range Paige held her fire for a few moments longer to make sure her shots would only hit the clank, then pickled off 2 of her 8 rockets, fired a quick burst from her wing mounted wands and pulled up and off target, doing a few evasive maneuvers to avoid a counter attack.

Pulling back up a thousand feet, the succubus watched as her mini battle in the scheme of things was going...But with every intention of picking on another of those tin cans....Or anything else that needed her attention.

[Gabi]

Fun, unsettling... it's a matter of perspective

Ana didn't know what to make of the situation. It wasn't too unlikely for Renard to come across someone he knew at a place he used to frequent, but it seemed to her like he had just shrugged her off like she was a part of his luggage or something. Just a villager. Nevermind that she had recently saved his life, or that she was making a potentially dangerous journey to protect her village from a mysterious threat. Which might not be such a mystery to him, even. He might as well be hiding what he knew. And that was fine, she supposed. Military types were always hiding things. But he hadn't even introduced her to that lady. Did he have no respect for her at all? And now he seemed to have forgotten about their mission too. Or, rather, her mission. He was probably on a different mission of his own.

"Excuse me," she said once he seemed to finally notice her. "I don't think we have been properly introduced. My name is Anabelle Clemens, I've come from Lamylar, the small village near the border which my companion has mentioned, in order to request protection against the attacks the village has been suffering as of late. My people are waiting for me to return and bring this protection to them, whatever its form may be. I assume there is a reason for you both to want to go on this 'little expedition', but I'm afraid I can't leave my people waiting. The village may be under attack as we speak. I need to get to the Capitol as soon as possible."

[Tapewolf]

Kesslen Main Street

Seth concealed a brief spark of irritation at the prospect of companions.  Not because he preferred to be alone, but... the demoness was right, it had been a long time, and companions would kill the mood.  Ah well, time enough for wenching later.  Keep your mind on the job.

He glanced at the capybara while the two demons discussed other things, but she spoke up before he could try to make any kind of polite chit-chat.

"Is there a reason you have to go to the capital in person?" he asked her.  "It's not quick, even with transportation and besides a mining town should have at least one messaging orb.  Especially one this close to the border."

"My name is Seth, by the way," he added as an afterthought.

[Chairtastic]

I'm running out of fire-based puns.

Haien didn't move from his place in the ring, not because he knew the scythe would miss, but because his reflexes were that dulled by his meditation.  Dedicating the whole of his mind to controlling the two elements under his influence and steadily growing.

Bassoon, however was disturbed by how easily the black weapon had broken through.  He'd seen his employer's walls boil away rushing floodwaters, admittedly at the time the demon hadn't been also controlling smoke.  The Gryphon's wing, and leg were still too tender for him to go back into the fray, but since Haien was to out of it to dodge a whirling lawnmower of death, Bassoon wouldn't have been able to travel far, anyway.  Hearing the rapid movements, Bassoon dragged himself over to the ram, and fished around the Demon's coat pockets, eventually finding what he sought in an inner pocket.

An innocent little brass amulet, for all it looked.  In actuality it was enchanted with fire and smoke to explode at the right command; with enough force that Haien considered it a feasible suicide device, if ever he had need of one.  Bassoon had no idea of the password, but he had an idea of what to do to get it.

Sticking close to the ground in case another lawnmower scythe came hurtling through, the wall, Bassoon tried to whisper up to Haien,  "Sir, one of the assassins is running around the outside perimeter of the ring, I'm going to try eliminating him with the explosive amulet you carry, but I need the password.  What is it?"

As deeply engrossed in controlling and manipulating the two elements surrounding them, Bassoon was banking on Haien simply giving the password to end Bassoon's distraction.  The breathy, more of a sigh than an answer,  "Patience."  crushed that hope effectively.  Bassoon sighed, and resumed hugging the ground, while watching the upper reaches of the fire-ring, for even the most minute indicator of the flying Cubi trying to float over it.

Meanwhile, tiny streams of smoke would reverse their course, traveling down to hover around the outside of the wall.  It would likely take some time for the smoke to become noticeable.  But slowly, it might just start to coat the circling Incubus with a layer of soot, which would inevitably make him visible if he lingered.

[Gabi]

Kesslen Main Street

"Nice to meet you, Seth," Ana replied, extending her hand to the white wolf.

Something about his posture and the way he dressed reminded her of the big city (Kerantan, where she had grown up). He wasn't anyone she'd seen before, but he reminded her of some 'tough guys' who were sometimes seen roaming around the city. Not that she'd ever talked to any of them or knew what their deal was. They'd never been a part of her life an this Seth person was unlikely to have anything to do with them anyway. It was probably just the black leather suit. It didn't really matter now, did it?

"No, I don't have to be there personally, but I do have to make sure it's done," she explained. "Lamylar has seen some forays in the past, but never an attack of this magnitude. The people are scared and have no real means to defend themselves from this. So if you know of a way in which we can get them help faster than by going to the Capitol, I'll be glad to hear it. But you must understand that I need to know when and how it'll be done."

[Tapewolf]

Kesslen Main Street

"Thank you," Seth said, returning the handshake.  "I'm not local," he continued.  "I've only just ridden in from the capital myself."  While he wasn't one to spy on people's thoughts for the hell of it, the wolf had noticed her querying his appearance and felt somehow obliged to set her at ease if he could.

"Normally I'd offer you a lift back, but I've been offered a bounty for information about the recent earthquake.  While your case is undoubtedly urgent, I was about to study the epicentre and... I don't want to offend my hosts by running out on them," he glanced at Nadia.

"Any suggestions for the lady?" he asked her.  "Any teleport links to the capital?  Message orbs?"

[Kafzeil]

Undead, yes. UnPerson, No.

Lucy pulled Rene closer to her,doing her best to shelter the girl from the elements.

"I'm Lucy." She =replied,smiling as she rubbed the girl's back.

"I won't let anyone harm you Rene. I promise."Lucy reassured

As she looked at the girl, she began to sing softly, stroking Rene's hair, hoping to calm her down. It was a song she remember her mother  singing to her when was small.

Sul mare luccica l'astro d'argento.
Placida è l'onda, prospero è il vento.
Sul mare luccica l'astro d'argento.
Placida è l'onda, prospero è il vento.
Venite all'agile barchetta mia,
Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia!
Venite all'agile barchetta mia,
Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia!

It felt bittersweet to Lucy.  The memories flooding back to her.Maybe this song would do both of them some good.

[techmaster-glitch]

Ashes of the orphanage

  The brothers both shook their heads as the strange traveler darted off to his boat, apparently. Gaakronacht stayed up in the mech and began moving the charred timbers around, as Gezzemocht performed the grim task of beginning to collect as many bodies as possible. As he worked, at one point, Gezz passed by Lucy as she was comforting the sole survivor.
  "Tell us when she seems mentally stable. We'll need to question her about the details of this event." Gezz said, with a solemn expression before returning to work.
  As they worked, however, the traveler returned, declaring he had information, and demanded a favor. The bothers froze in their work, looked at each other, then glared at Arroyo with stony faces.
  "I don't know who you think you are, civillian, but you are in no position to make demans. Not to mention you are wrong." Gaak said from up in the cockpit.
  "We are not equipped for this. We are reporting to the nearest garrison and calling in a squad of Wing Clippers, after finishing field memorials for this atrocity. And you would do best to make yourself scarce if you aren't going to make yourself useful. We have said this once already and we don't like repeating ourselves, so this is the last time we are going to say it; we have had a very bad day today, we are in very sour moods, and we will not tolerate any lip from a noncom. Understand, civillian?" Gezzemocht said, having paused in the morbid work of dragging one of the charred corpses out of the rubble.

[Arroyo Milori]

The White warm tears over the Ghost Town

Arroyo just threw down the mask in front of the mech and walks by them and towards Lucy. "Fine, do your little job. Keep the evidence, I already have the symbol written down in a book." He stared down at Lucy and the survivor and gives them a warm smile, the best he could give out during this crisis.

"And you. I think it's best to escort you out of here. I can take you to the nearest town." He held out a hand towards them and still continued to smile and mumbles to them. "It's better than hanging around these guys and their baby-killing machines."  He covered his mouth after finishing his sentence once he might have frighten the little child. " Ah...My apologies. I'm just not fond of machines of these kind. I'm sure they will help you." He slowly reached his hand out to give the child a small pat on the head. "Your safe now."

[SquirrelWizard]

Stephan took off his hat, his headwings flapped reflexively. Taking his belongings back, he lingered with the pocket watch for a moment, "So we've figured out I know squat about how to be or function as an incubus. My father never told me what to expect when I," he thought for a moment as if to pick the right word, "came of age." his voice became deeper and richer,"'Stephan you'll find out later, there is no sense confusing you now,'" a slight cough cleared his throat and his voice was back to normal, "he'd say. I like to think he was doing the right thing. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't."

Stephan let out a deep sigh, "And when the time came around he wasn't there. I'm still not certain who to blame for that, but right now what matters most, is that I need to learn how to survive. What to do, and what not to do. So, when it comes to lessons, assume that I'm a clueless moron who doesn't know thing one about being an incubus." he pocketed the watch and pointed to his headwings, "Though for starters, I reckon a good place to start would be on how to deal with these. I dont have any clothing suitable for wings, and I'd look conspicuous walking around with them out"

[VAE]

A walk in the park, a trip in the dark

Avram felt like a huge rock just fell off from his chest, allowing him full breath once again. He deposited the wrenches at a nearby bench and pushed the meter cart next to it, his tail's tip swinging about.
Weird waves my arse... never heard of Kagan-Ja'krath  polyadic weaving  no doubt...  who the hell trained him!?
He commited  the appearance of the "engineer" in question to memory... nearly stepping into someone else's crap wasn't among his favorite activities by far.
Just as the feline prepared himself to find and talk to the jaguar angel who ran the whole construction site, he was surprised by a familiar voice behind his back.
Avram turned around.;
Bloody hell... how did he... oh right.. probably while i was busy on the core... he's a bloody being after all....
To his surprise, the jackal was much friendlier than back at the office, and what was best of all, he said he'll have the paperwork ready by tomorrow.
"Hmm, i have a house with a workshop at the north ... what time should i come tomorrow?" he asked the official, and  began looking around for the two thugs to lead him out, or at least the chief engineer...
Although evening walks were nice, the city wasn't especially safe even for creatures at night - if there was nothing to do, it would be best if he could make it while there was still some light outside, and the distance wasn't that short, even if going across the inside rather than along the industrial circle.
Just don't forget to set the bloody alarm on

[JamesCray]

Enchanter's Emporium

Johan was ready to leave, but the odd wording caught his attention.

"Us?" he asked and glanced around, an ear cocked and an eyebrow raised in curiosity. "I hadn't noticed anyone else here.

[Lisky]

It Just Blew Up!

The first insectis Mech never stood a chance.  The crew hadn't known something was up until the pair of rockets slammed into their machine.  The first punched into the cockpit without problem, spraying the bugs with iron and brass splinters.  The second hit the boiler, venting it's heated steam into the cockpit, boiling what little life was left out of the operators.  

The other squadrons were also have a good deal of success.  Half the AA positions weren't even manned, and those that were had let the fighters get in too close.  The cannons were built primarily for taking down a small flying target at long range, they stood little chance to skilled pilot at knife-fight ranges.

Various traffic was coming into Paige, the operation thus far seemed to be successful.  To add to the fray, the prisoners seemed to be getting themselves moving, heading away from the city.  Probably a good thing, as the faint thunder of impacting shells started echoing over the open plain.  The city's defenses seemed to be in total chaos.

On the ground, the raiding force was making headway, having cleared the badlands, and reached the open plain.  Mechs and creatures were steamrolling through the token force.  

Sister Addy suddenly found herself staring down a small tunnel.  A black-clad figure chittered at her in shrill shriek, that sounded more akin to a rusty nail being dragged across a chalkboard, than a language.  It started reaching for something, a pouch belt.

Baseel could be seen further along, a saber in his left hand, swirling arcane energies in his right.  Jeremiah was with the support force for the time being, his instructions, keep the people keeping the clanks armed and running alive.  Zelah was with a small band of creatures off on the far right side.  The field opened before them, as the columns of smoke began to rise.  


Kesslen City Streets

Nadia gave a shrug to Seth "There's several orbs back in the main office, actually.  However, I can tell you that at least 3 of the 4 are currently beings used.  If you're lucky you can try for the one, or wait a few hours for activity to lull.  Though, why would you need a messenger orb?"  The wolfess asked while quirking an eyebrow.

Renard had a look of horror on his face.  "I'm terribly sorry, Ana... I seem to have completely forgotten my manners."  He sighed, "Nadia, this is Ana, the villager whom I'm trying to get her village protected.  Ana, this is Nadia K.  she used to run a recon group, Rangers.  Normally used to police the border, and take a peek in on the other nations through the back-woodsy type areas.  I served with her for a good 5 years before she retired."


Dirty Footprints in the Ashen Sand

Basson's injuries were also starting to get to him.   Every movement made him keenly aware of the still-protesting tendons who'd been ripped from their comfort zone on his wings.  His potion being low to the ground did have one advantage.  As the winds shifted, and the ring's smoke started to shift into the circle, he managed to stay below the clouds.

The Cubi in the sky whipped by, the flap of wings snapped over the crackle of flames, just for a moment,  however, she came and went in a blink, getting a fix on her with her constantly changing color-scheme would be nigh-impossible.  The one on the ground however, he was trackable.  He had a barrier around his body, the ash just wasn't clinging, however, as the ash and soot collected around the ring, clear paw-prints could be seen.

The fire made it difficult to spot in their entirety, but they were there.  The sound of rending metal, and the whirring sound filled the air.  The black-blade came back through the fire, it's deadly pinwheel like motion had it's cutting edge heading straight where Bassoon had set down and cowered.


Ghostly Town of Emptiness

The girl looked at the lion with a mixture of horror and despair before clinging even more to Lucy.  "I don't like him... he's... weird... make him go away!"
She clung to Lucy while trying to hide behind her.  (OOC: sorry guys, most of the inter-character interaction is outside my field to comment on)


Lesson #2

Ed looked a bit aghast at what Stephan had said.  "So... you know –nothing- about what you're growing into?  Nothing about your clan's history? Nothing about your abilities? Nothing about affinities?  I uh... wow...  That's tough for you... I guess the first place to start is, being an Incubus isn't like the stories usually say.  Unless you wander into insectis or being lands, you're pretty safe... soo... stay north of the border, and you're golden with wings out, or hidden.  However, I guess the first place to start... You're a shapeshifting deceiver, an emotion-feeding, monster who never needs sleep, never needs food, and will live for millena if something bigger, badder, or luckier doesn't intervene. "

"As for hiding what you are... well, it's a pretty easy trick to pick up...  For a brief demonstration..."
Ed began shifting forms, taking on the shape of a coyote being, shapely, with large teeth.  Suddenly he was tiger, with the build of an adventurer, then he was rat, a blink and he'd shifted into a collie, a glace later he was a shapely demoness vixen.  Ed flickered back into his leopard form, and beamed at Stephan.  "that's what you can do, and hold any of those forms, with proper training.  Hiding your wings is an issue of focus... or, if you prefer, a simple spell can fix that."


(OOC Note:  Still owe a few sections, will get them up at some point tomorrow after class)

[Kafzeil]

Dead like Me

Lucy smiled warmly at the lion, while still keeping Rene close, holding her close, both attempting to reassure the girl that Arroyo was hopefully only mostly harmless, and to make damn well sure to the lion that Lucy would give her unlife he protect the girl. She shook his head.

"I'm Lucy. Lucy Aligheri."She smiled."Pity we couldn't meet in better circumstances."

She tilted her head, raising an eyebrow at him. By all accounts he was a being, but given his hatred for war machines, something was up.

"You're not from around here, are you." looked at him, her eyes slightly aglow." You know where you are, right? And I'm not exactly well, you know what I am, right?"

Lucy glanced at the brothers. She wanted to stall him so she could hand off Rene to them... then she began to think otherwise. The Vaponci would take her away, she'd be lost in the system, possibly forgetting all about Lucy...or worse, her assailant comes back for her.

Take off with the girl Lucy. Come on, you're the closest thing she has to kin now.

[Chairtastic]

This for That

For a split second, Bassoon was certain he was staring his death in the face.  He tried to face it like a man, like his father and Haien had instructed him to, but the prevailing thought in his head was not acceptance, but pleading for a way out.

God's willing, Haien would then give him one.  The Demon ram would react with an echo of his reflexes during his adventuring days, swinging his own wing out, to command the ambient smoke to move, scooping up and propelling Bassoon out of harm's way while offering the leathery limb in the Gryphon's place.  Before anyone could consider this an act of heroism, Haien would command the smoke further, leaving Bassoon safely on the ground, but wrenching the amulet he had been holding out, and beyond of the flames; into the air in front of the cubi's face had he timed it properly.  A fraction of a second, the command word would be behind it, announced clearly.

"Pele!"

And what would be, would be.

OOC:  Sorry if this is difficult to understand.  Tried to make it straightforward.