"And this is for MINE!" A sudden look of fury crossed Solomon's face, there was no mirth in Solomon's expression anymore, there was nothing but hatred. He dodged the attack from the farmer and counter attacked, using the prongs of his own pitchfork to wrest the woman's weapon from her. With singular purpose he thrust his pitchfork at the woman, two of its prongs gouging into her eyes. As he pulled the pitchfork from the woman he shook the blood of the ends and glared down with disdain. Meanwhile, the pale child had no mercy for the begging woman. Without rushing, they stepped forward and picked up the knife. Begging, weeping. Weak, pitiful. Pathetic. The little girl sliced the woman's throat ruthlessly. She deserved it. The plagued one lurched after the dwarf relentlessly, he could almost reach the man, its fingers were inches away from spreading that virulent plague...
Archon sighed. It seemed it would take a while to break this innocence. He smiled at the girl "Be calm child. I'm not actually going to kill them all" he said reassuringly "What of your old tormentor? Yana? What would you have me do with her?" suddenly, Archon was struck with a telepathic message. It was as though his mind had been suddenly lashed. A connection had been severed. "Bramwell" he breathed, the word inaudible to Annabelle. Archon felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. Sadness. Bramwell hadn't just been a follower, Bramwell had been a friend. "I DON'T CARE!" Kyle screamed at the lordling in between throwing flaming spears "I don't care if you're the fucking emperor of Nilfgaard!" Kyle then turned back to the battle and was suddenly struck with a flying knife in his leg. He hissed at the pain, but tried to ignore it. They had a shield. Break past the shield, and the pair would be defeated. "To me!" he called to a pair of guards with large shields, they stood in front of him, shields raised in a protective position. The shield could block magic and crossbow bolts, but what about people? He commanded the guards to charge, and they began to run forward, shields raised. Though they were slowed with their heavy armour and bulwarks, they had a lot of momentum. Kyle ran behind them, ready to vault over once they'd broken the shield While this was happening, a guard took Talon aside "Are you blind and deaf boy? Haven't you heard? The king's ordered a doppler culling, and Lord Kyle follows the king's orders to the letter. You shouldn't have intervened. Now he wants to take you to the dungeons as a doppler sympathiser" the guard said with a look of pity as he handcuffed the young noble. Vyle looked around at the group, well at least he and Ana were together. He didn't know what he'd do if they'd been split again. he nodded his head at the witcher respectfully "Thank you Sir" he stated, and turned to Ana "Are you alright? I know last time we came here you were rather... worried... about being in the Kaer" Vyle asked. She seemed to have recovered slightly from what had been troubling her, but just thinking about what those witch hunters could have been doing to her made Vyle's blood boil... blood... It suddenly struck Vyle that he was thirsty. It had been a while since his last meal, and he'd fought hard since then. He faced Ana and gulped. He didn't want her to see him feeding, but last time he'd left terrible things had happened. But if he stayed... he didn't trust his self-control. What if he took a bite from her neck? Her supple, tasty neck... he shook his head wearily and said nothing. Willow smiled "Of course, forgive me. I'm Willow Duskstrider. Assassin" Willow stated "There's no contract I won't take, no quarry I won't eliminate. As such I'm often employed to kill some of the most difficult people; witchers, lords..." she paused for a moment and smiled at the mage she held "...mages" Suddenly she pierced the mage's arm with a dimeritium needle, siezed the mage's daggers, and forced them to the ground "My employer sent me to help you while his little birds look for my current target. So. Here I am" Willow placed her foot on the mage's back "I'm sure this little birdie will sing a ballad for you" Solomon laughed as the farmer came at him, and backed away. The farmer managed to slash at him across the chest, Solomon simply looked down at the wound in silence. No pain. Black blood oozed from the cut. He wiped up a droplet with his finger and licked it off "Delicious" He said with a smile. As the farmer tried to lunge at him again, the man found his sword strike parried by a steel sword from a hooded figure who rushed to Solomon's side. Not giving the man a chance to react, that steel cut through the air ans struck at the farmer, again and again, with a witcher's precision. As the hooded figure lunged and slashed, the hood fell away from his head, revealing a deathly pale youth. The undead's head was attached to his neck hastily with stitches. The revenant of Aaron, nothing but an empty husk, was a storm of silver and steel as he overpowered the farmer and massacred peasants. Meanwhile Solomon approached the one named Bertha, his pitchfork held out in front of him menacingly and two undead accompanying him "So brave, such a brave woman. But bravery is always misplaced, don't you see? You are nothing but my puppets to torment as I please!" Solomon struck with the pitchfork as he spoke. They went and got Corwyn Gilbert. A group of undead, lead by what appeared to be a child, slowly approached. They were in no rush. Without warning they lunged forward and ravaged the man, ripping him to pieces and feasting on his flesh. Hardly pausing, the group continued. They reached a barricaded door, hardly a problem. One by one they hurled their bodies at the door. They could feel no physical pain, but who knew what torment those souls were in, due to being nothing more than puppets of Solomon? Eventually, the door cracked and burst down as undead flooded into the room. The pale child, with straw-like hair, stared expressionlessly at the helpless woman who hid. They would feel no pleasure from this killing. As the dwarf ran out the back door of his forge, he was seen by a pale, pestilent undead, whose body was covered in bulges and sores; a victim of the terrible disease that had plagued the village. The ghoulish creature loped towards the dwarf on all fours, easily catching up. It lurched at the dwarf, black bile dripping from its mouth, as it clawed the air, trying to ravage its quarry. "NO!" Sylvi shrieked as Bramwell was killed by the monster. She trembled in the assassin's grip. She'd been outmatched, and was about to pay the price. Yet her gaze remained on the terrible creature in front. She examined the beast's scorched scalp, his hate filled eyes. She'd never sing for him
Nick blinked in surprise and looked at the card "...Ryan Reynolds?" he muttered "Uh... I suppose that's the least I can do..." Nick stated, this was not how he expected things to go, but he was glad they did. After nervously waving to the man, he got back in the car and hurriedly drove away "Uh... Sorry about that. Let's just get back" Masque considered the man's words "I... I don't want to use my real name. Too many bad memories attached to that" Masque stuttered in response "...You can call me... the name I used when dealing with humans... Max" the warlock stated. For a moment he sat there staring at nothing "What did you think? About my most recent work?" Doctor Bishop frowned, and gestured for one of the black clad soldiers to punch the werewolf in the face. "You will submit, soon enough" the doctor then pushed the needle into Grayson's arm and began to pump a silvery liquid into the werewolf "Full Moon Serum, we've dubbed it. It'll force a transformation" Immediately after the doctor had injected Grayson, they wheeled him away into a cell and shut the door. From the narrow slit, Doctor Bishop gazed into the cell with interest, as the man's transformation was about to begin.
Big Game Hunting Fordington Survivor's Camp, Dragonvale: Sanderson smiled at Bryce "I'm sure Aedan, Panola and Elder Greenbeard have that sorted. Those chaps know more about medicine" Sanderson explained. "Meanwhile, could you help me with the tents, old sport? Additionally we'll need to set up a watch, would you mind terribly taking the first watch, my good man?" Sanderson asked Bryce as he began to unpack their bags and set up the tents "Lyra, can you use your magic to set us up a campfire? Honestly I wish I'd had your talents when I was camping out in the wilderness in my youth!" Sanderson chuckled Old Man Greenbeard: Greenbeard narrowed his eyes at Aedan as the man bowed. Greenbeard's followers looked at Aedan aghast and shook their heads in warning. Harrumphing, Greenbeard hit Aedan over the head with his stick "Don't bow to me! I ain't no lord, or king. I'm just a senile old man who talks to trees!" Greenbeard exclaimed "Follow!" Greenbeard gestured as he hobbled away. Eventually the old man led them to a group of survivors, some of whom were injured. The Elder tapped his staff on the ground and around him appeared flowers and herbs, which he then applied to some of the injured. Suddenly from out of nowhere appeared a green reptilian creature, which gnashed and snarled at the gathered humans. Some of them ran and screamed, which only agitated the drake more. Aedan could hear the voice of the drake in his head. "Humans! Humans! Must eat! Lovely meat! Rip the flesh, drink the blood! Starving! Starving! Human meat! Tasty! Tasty!"
Timothy opened a hatch in his chest and placed a cup into it. The hatch closed, and Timothy shook slightly. Steam blew out his ears and a ding indicated that the tea was complete. He handed the tea to Reitan. He then stood by Kala's side loyally. Reqiuem shrugged and emitted an apathetic note in response to Veera. The effect of that gruff mouth creating such a musical sound was slightly disconcerting. Requiem examined his helmet, he would probably have to a get an entirely new suit of armour. Soon enough, Anthem arrived, and the two had a musical exchange that could have been recorded and sold as the newest hit pop song. Out now, Anthem and Requiem's newest hit album, "recordings of everyday conversations in music language". Including such hits as "Did you feed the cat?", "Can you drive me to work?" and the heartbreaking masterpiece: "I think I lost my keys" Eventually the pair entered the Valiant, gesturing for Veera to follow.
"The difference is, you didn't have a choice, my dear. These men and women, they followed because they wanted to. And those who follow the darkness are no better than those who lead it. Nevertheless, the bad man leading them all is dead" he stated "Not killed by me, my contacts haven't come back with the full details of the battle yet. And yet the people still want justice. So. The answer is simple. I take them all out. All the bad people in this city. Even those not responsible. Because to the masses, they're all guilty. Once the bad people see what I've done to others of their kind, they will be afraid. And fear is a wonderful tool of manipulation and subjugation. It may be brutal, but it will prevent more brutalities in the future, and keep our city safe from them" Kyle was losing patience with the doppler and the mage, in normal circumstance he would give the woman mage the same offer as he'd given the earth mage, but she was getting sassy and irreverent. He raised a spear of flame raised to launch at the doppler, when suddenly he was interrupted. Turning slowly, Kyle's gaze of fire rested on the little teenager who tried to disobey the nobleman "What the hell is it with citizens defying the royal authority today?" Kyle asked rhetorically through gritted teeth "You know, I wasn't going to hurt you, I was going to just capture you. But I'm fucking annoyed now" Kyle chucked his flaming spear at the doppler, while his guards crossbows shot the female mage and the disruptive citizen. Vyle listened to Ana then turned to face Zephyr with an appraising stare "You fought Solomon and survived? Good job" Vyle stated. He considered what Ana said about the Witch Hunters hunting Solomon "The enemy of my enemy is not my friend. Though I suppose this is one case in which the witch hunters are justified in their judgement" The witcher Alastar spoke up then, and Vyle rounded on him with a stern expression "If that battle were to happen, and Solomon wins, he'll only get more powerful. Every battle Solomon fights brings him more forces, not less. The bodies of the dead are his puppets" he stated. He turned back to Ana "I'm ready when you wish to go" Bramwell's eyes flickered warily as the crossbows fired again. He summoned a shield of ice, but there were too many of them, and they had him surrounded. Pain flared in his side and back as three dimeritium bolts hit him. It hurt worse than anything Bramwell had encountered before, he could feel the material sapping his magical energy, the very force that gave him strength. Bramwell fell to his knees as blood dripped out of him. So this is it. This is where it ended. "Bastard" he muttered with a slight smirk "Does my death give you joy, you intolerant creature. Do you only feel joy from the pain of others?" Bramwell coughed up blood. He was sure one of the bolts had pierced a lung. The end was near "Go to hell" Bramwell coughed with a dying breath, and fell to the floor, his vision slowly fading Willow followed the shady shape around the room. Fortunately she had just the solution. Lazily, she chucked an object into the air, which exploded into gleaming fragments of glitter-like substance. The glitter-bomb coated the form of the invisible woman, ruining her stealth. Like a viper, Willow lunged forward and struck, wrestling the daggers from her hand and holding a knife against her throat "So you're Milosh Beltz" Willow greeted the lord while she held the invisible mage "My employer didn't overstate your ruthlessness" Solomon stopped talking and glowered at the interrupter. For a moment he just stood there, glaring. Then he hopped down from his perch and grabbed a pitchfork from a nearby farmer who surrendered the tool fearfully. He stood in front of the old farmer with a gaze of absolute hatred and madness "Never" he stated, gesturing for his hodded servants to follow him, two went forward to the farmer "Interrupt me" The undead fought the man briefly, but overpowered him and restrained him "While. I'm. TALKING!" he screamed into the farmer's face, inches away from his own, as he thrust the pitchfork into the farmer's stomach, impaling him. Violently pulling the weapon from his victim he stepped back slightly "As I was saying..." he began, glaring at the interrupter "...I have the cure for all your worries. It's just a simple matter of relenting your souls to me! No you don't have to get up, my friends will do it for you" Solomon gestured with a flourish and the gathered undead removed their hoods. As one, they strode forward, weapons raised, as they begun the brutal slaughter of the village of Pontarsfork. Solomon only smiled wickedly "It's harvest season"
"Ah, see, I could have done, but where's the fun in that? ;)" Doctor Saturday said as he sipped on the champagne. From outside a silenced gunshot could be heard as the chauffeur took his shot. In his mind's eye he could see a network of beings, connected like nerves. bright stars in the darkness. As the gunshot sounded, one of them winked out. "Right shall we get to business?" Saturday pulled a sheaf of paperwork from seemingly nowhere and flung it at Ana "You work in espionage right? Well I'd like to check up on an old acquaintance/rival/drinking buddy of mine called Doctor Rolland Sorrow. Except he's not my acquaintance, or my drinking buddy. I don't drink" Saturday explained, gulping down champagne "Sign here, here, here, and here" Saturday instructed "Would you like to take this job?" Suddenly, he cocked his head to the side and a thoughtful expression crossed his masked face "... I did that in the wrong order didn't I? Linear time confuses me sometimes, sorry about that. I'm Doctor Walter Beowulf Saturday, nice to meet you"
Darklight Disturbance "Oh, Okay, that's cool! I'll let them in" Rayyad smiled. He liked meeting new people. Well, he imagined he did. As long as they were good people. As he shuffled his foot kicked a bone and he was suddenly reminded of where he was. "Let's get out of here" Rayyad once more led the way into the darkness as they left behind the glowing circle and the agonised bodies. There were less skeletons here, but enough to remind him of the fates of his ancestors. Suddenly out of the darkness loomed a large stone door. And covering it, a blue silk spider's web. The web glowed softly and didn't seem to made from real spider silk. To the sides of the room there were statues, but these were more humanlike. They each stood above a patch of bare soil, seeming to be weeping. In the shadows of the cave above the web, eight glowing blue eyes glared at the group, and a soft hissing could be heard. In the centre of the door lay a socket, but no gems could be seen nearby. Shadowweaver cocked his head as if confused, then shrugged. The door suddenly opened and Laurentinus was allowed passage into the ancient city.
Nick suddenly stopped the car and looked at Alaric with a panicked expression "Oh Angel I just hit a mundie" he breathed with a groan. He peeked at the cyclist and winced. He had to deal with this "Wait here and take care of Masque. I'll, uh, apologise to the poor guy" he exited the car and leaned down to help up the cyclist "OhgoshI'msosorry" he hurriedly apologised "I'veneverhitanyonebeforeI'msosorry" As the car suddenly stopped Masque's steady arm was jogged and a massive pencil mark marred his sketches. He hissed and screwed up the paper. With a groan he held his head in his hands "Why does everything I do go wrong?" he pleaded "You should just execute me. Right here. Right now. Why not? Why do you let me continue this wretched existence?"
"Thank you for the offer but I must be getting back to HQ" Paragon bowed to Brianne "Well it was lovely meeting you, though I wish it could have been in better circumstance. I'm sure we'll meet again, Miss Lightwood" and with that, Paragon disppeared After what must have seemed like an eternity to Grayson, Doctor Bishop stopped the machine and removed the needles "Hmm. Now we'll see how your body reacts to the stimuli" a black-clad guard wheeled Grayson away and the doctor walked alongside "I wonder. Will you die like the rest? Or will you react more positively? These experiments have offered us valuable insight onto the workings of werewolves" Grayson was wheeled to another section of the lab. "The Full Moon Serum?" Doctor Bishop commanded a scientist, who handed him a needle of a strange liquid "Mr Keller, when was your first change?" Nick started driving and was immediately caught in the New York traffic. This was why he usually took the train "So... uh... who is this guy?" Nick surreptitiously asked Alarick, motioning to Sien in the back of the car. Worry filled his mind that the warlock was more than a friend to Alarick, and he found himself feeling slightly envious. Though he couldn't blame the shadowhunter, Sien was quite cute.
"You do not have to thank me. You are royalty now, this is your property" Archon told Anna calmly "Anna. I've seen the power of your magic, but a queen must also make good decisions. I wonder if you could help solve this issue I have" he sat down beside her and pondered for a moment how to phrase his question "Some... bad people... attacked the city of Oxenfurt and did... bad things. They were trying to fight my rule, even though I am a fair and just ruler and have not done anything to them" this was all completely true, Archon held as much contempt for dopplers as he did humans. He had even been considering giving Sanctuary its own rights and power, until the attack happened "The public are scared. They don't believe I am strong enough to protect them from these bad people. Some of the bad people are living in this city. I need to solidify my rule and make sure justice is delivered, but I don't want to send an army. What would you say I should do?" Kyle was impressed but also annoyed as he was flung back by the woman's magic. Then she started trying to order him around, like some common peasant. Fool, he was a peasant no longer, King Archon had raised him to power, and he felt furious that this woman tried to take back that power. "Insolent wretch! You're talking to Lord Kyle of the city guard! One of King Archon's most trusted advisors!" Kyle exclaimed as he got to his feet. A spear of flame materialised in his hand and he held it as if about to throw. Several guards stood by his side, crossbows at the ready "B*tch, you'd better get on your knees right now and praise Archon's name if you want to live" Kyle stared her down with eyes of fire. He then addressed the guards "Grab the doppler" Vyle sat back and watched for most of the events that unfolded. As Teliana stepped forward, Vyle remained by her side, and slightly behind her "And wherever you go, I'll follow" he stated protectively, then faced Derrick "Besides. I believe I still owe you a favour" something that could have been called a smile crossed his face for a brief moment. "I know a bit about King Archon, he's strictly against witch hunters. I'm not sure on his feelings about witchers, though it's likely to be a similar view as half the country. Still, witchers are better liked than vampires" Bramwell became more and more angry as the witch hunter spoke, his face reddening as he fought to contain his fury. As the crossbowmen entered, Bramwell tore off his overcoat and stood ready for a fight. Swinging his cane, a stream of frost crossed the floor in front of him and his guards. The cold air filled the room, and suddenly a wall of ice blocked them from one side. They were vulnerable from the other though, and several of his guards were hit and killed. "Coward!" Bramwell blurted "Cowardly tactics! Crossbows are for men who haven't got the balls for real fighting" Bramwell yelled to the soldiers as he strode towards Milosh angrily. "I'm glad to see you understand noble fighting though, it may be your one redeeming feature" Bramwell addressed Milosh, and readied a frostbolt in one hand and his cane in the other. As soon as the soldiers entered, Willow smirked and slunk into the shadows. When the signs of conflict erupted, she grabbed one of the mage's guards and slit his throat, to show her allegiance. She suddenly noticed something amongst the witch hunters. A shadow, a shape, was flickering through Milosh's gathered men, causing quite a bit of damage. Invisibility. The other mage then. Slowly and stealthily Willow tried to corner the invisible mage "People of Pontarsfork!" Solomon yelled from his perch atop the village well. He truly looked a wreck. His robes were charred and dirty, the cloth barely holding together in places. Yet his face was an enigma under the mask and hat which had miraculously survived "You have been plagued with horrific disease, it's so sad, I feel like weeping. But worry not!" around the well stood motionless hooded figures. Their faces were shadowed and the vague shapes of concealed weapons could be seen under their cloaks "I, Solomon, have the cure to all your worries!" he flourished dramatically and looked to the sky. Sylvi could sense the conflict coming as the witch hunter brought in his troops. She quickly became invisible and hung at the back. As the witch hunters began to fire, she struck. An invisible shape, hidden from eyes, she flitted amongst the soldiers and methodically stabbed and sliced, trying to kill as many as possible. They were so focussed on what was in front of them they didn't think to look behind.
Darklight Disturbance "Uh, she says her name is "Kara". Know who that is?" Rayyad asked the others. Shadowweaver the spider scrawled into the dirt. It then looked at the door and pointed at it, with a questioning expression on its arachnid face Who? DM Message Alice is unable to move the cave. She's level 1, for the gods' sakes
Damian was not encouraged by Zephyros's attempt. He had no wish for loot or treasure, he just wanted to help people. On the other hand, he could find stuff to help with helping. Damian grabbed the staff and looked at it closely "Huh. Nice" he commented. Door number 2 beckoned, and he went and opened it.
Lexander glared at Wilkin but said nothing more. With his status as intern he had no power over the man. He just wished they'd respect him more. Suddenly he felt the man's gaze on him as he mentioned injuring one of them "What? No, no way! nononono..." he objected, his voice faltering as it went on. With a downcast expression his mind raced, trying to think of alternatives "We don't have to injure me, I'm sure there are other ways... uh... how about we say we're... uh... travelling merchants? Or... we're on the run... I don't know... please don't hurt me" Galadorn was shocked by her sudden outburst, but didn't show it. He simply calmly listened, though his heart was racing. Kneeling down so that he was on her level, he leaned in and hugged her. "Shhhh" he comforted "We'll find a way, it'll all be fine" he looked deep into her eyes "It's a good thing you value the lives of others. Because you can use your power responsibly. We'll find a way"
"Careful" Doctor Walter Beowulf Saturday wanred the girl as she passed by "You might ruin the architecture" Saturday was leaning out of the window of a limousine... on the roof. How he'd managed to get the limo onto the roof was a mystery. Realising that she was not going to stop, Saturday sighed, and clicked his fingers. In a split second, the girl was now in the limousine. She'd appeared there inexplicably, but Saturday just acted like nothing had happened "You're miss Jereign, right? What a coincidence, that we should meet here just when I need someone with your skills. I'll be with you in a second" he leaned forward to the chauffeur driving the limo "They're here" the chauffeur got out and went to the boot, from which he pulled out a sniper rifle and perched himself at the edge of the roof, aiming down below at his victim. With a thin smile that was made strange by his white mask, Saturday leaned back in a relaxed position and looked at Teliana "Champagne?"
"We have rules for a reason Anna" Archon stated "If you really wanted fresh air you should have told me. Next time you disobey a direct order, I won't be so lenient" his eyes were fire "For the moment, I will blame it on strees. Follow me Anna" Archon lead the young girl through the corridors of the palace until they arrived at a large door. The door opened into a small but decadent courtyard with trees and ponds surrounding a central statue of some ancient king. The courtyard was completely enclosed by the castle walls. It was tranquil. "Here. You can stay here instead if that room is too stuffy. Violet, guard Anna" Kyle listened to each and every one of them unflinchingly as he judged what to do with them. That one was certainly a mage, without a doubt, but the others... he wasn't so sure about. He approached the earth mage and held out a silver coin "You're talented. Here" he whispered so only the mage could hear him "This is the Mark of the Order. It's an invitation to join an elite group of mages. If you're interested, show it to any palace guard. Otherwise, well, show it to the bartender at the King's Blessing and he'll get you a free drink" he nodded to the man in parting, then suddenly turned on the others, his spear pointing at the one who claimed to the a witcher "Nice try, but you're far from a witcher. You're a fool with a silver sword" he accused. Noticing the way the guard's medallion reacted in response to the man he added "You're also a doppler. Also you, sorceress, better give us proof of your abilities or you'll be joining this fool on the noose" "Of course" Vyle responded and lead the way to the witcher camp. And then they travelled through a plot hole magically Vyle approached the witcher camp and saw the witchers gathered around. They seemed to be having a serious conversation, so Vyle stood back and waited for them to finish. Bramwell harrumphed at the man's lack of class but didn't say anything. So this was the new "Lord" of Crow's Perch? Hardly a gentleman, Ethilis had been a much more proper nobleman. Nevertheless Bramwell spoke to the man with politeness in his voice "Very well. I'll say it plainly. Your little rebellion is going to be crushed" Bramwell stated. It was not an opinion, it was a fact "You cannot face the full strength of the army of Redania and its elite mages. All you've done so far is get some peasants riled up and taken one castle from an old buffoon. Hardly a revolt" Bramwell looked the man in the eyes coldly with condescension "If you leave the country we'll let you go peacefully. I'm sure they'll accept your services significantly more in Nilfgaard. But if you stay..." he paused for effect "We will kill you" Willow transformed back into the form that she'd used with the mages and followed Bramwell silently, acting like one of his emissaries. She stuck to the shadows and leaned against a wall as Bramwell started speaking and smiled under her hood. His threats were interesting, and she wondered how backed up they were. "Roses are Red Blood is Red Everything is Red" Sylvi suddenly disappeared into the shadows as she activated her invisibility and crept behind Bramwell and his guards, just in case any trouble happened.
Masque stood and graciously accepted the items, quickly affixing the mask to his face and breathing a sigh of relief as his visage was once again covered. Nick lead the group out of the apartment and towards Masque's car, after the warlock mumbled some directions. Masque's car was a bright red Ford Fiesta and Nick opened it and got in the driver's seat, directing the others to get into the rest of it. Nick glowered over the steering wheel. The atmosphere in the car was tense. It wasn't every day you had to chauffeur serial killer. Masque was unperturbed and seemed in his own little zone. He was sketching, little sketches of those who'd arrested him.
Nick glared at the fairy as he left, but was soon brought back to reality by Alarick's instructions. He approached the warlock carefully "I'm not going to hurt you. Are you going to come along nicely?" Masque looked downwards, his gaze fixated on the floor. Blood from the fresh gash on his face dripped onto the carpet, but he didn't care. Masque reflected that this was the only scar on his face that wasn't self-inflicted. He mumbled slightly, then cleared his throat as he realised the shadowhunters couldn't hear him "...My mask... pencil... paper" he asked the younger nephilim. Nick was confused but soon gathered what the warlock wanted. He picked up one of Masque's elegant masks and a paper and pencil that lay on a table near a half-completed sketch of some sunflowers. "Alarick, I think if we give him what he wants it'll make this a lot easier. Besides, he's not going to do anything dangerous with it" "By all means. Though I don't like giving out contact details. You may have gathered I'm a very secretive man" Paragon replied to the nephilim "Usually people don't contact me. I contact them. But nevertheless I will give you the number of Black Pawn. One of my associates. She can always contact me if need be" Paragon bowed his head in response to her "Not a problem. As I always say, a leader should deal with issues personally sometimes" Meanwhile, far away in the deep dark lab Doctor Bishop responded to the werewolf with a cold calculating expression "You are not here for comfort, Mr Keller. Our Chairman, Paragon, is currently trying to discover the origins of downworlders. This does, of course, involve extensive testing" he maneuvered the stretcher under a large unfriendly machine and sat behind its console. Needles on the machine began to whir and tubes pumped strange materials through it, as it slowly lowered towards Grayson "This will only hurt a little. Trust me. I'm a doctor" Doctor Bishop lied. Without warning the machine suddenly lowered and needles pierced Grayson's skin in several places as they began pumping him full of unknown chemicals.
Darklight Disturbance "Um... I'll see if I can try some kind of communication..." Shadowweaver was sitting listening to Laurentinus's story. He couldn't understand a word of it, but the general tone of the words carried across. This was the first time a talking door had ever spoken so romantically. When the story was over, Shadowweaver made a low purring sound, and slowly approached Kara. Rayyad, his master, was telling him to scrawl some things on the ground. With one limb, Shadowweaver wrote two words on the dirt Your name? Big Game Hunting "Indeed, a healer would be useful" Sanderson responded to Bryce "Although it seems they've already got medics on hand. There are plenty of druids around the Everwood who've come to help, look" Sanderson pointed out an old druid who was followed by many younger apprentices. He seemed to be in charge of the help efforts in Fordington "As for who else is in charge, that chap over there looks like a nobleman" Sanderson stated "I'd imagine the drakes caused the fire, fire drakes to tend to enjoy hot environments" Sanderson began to lead the group towards the village, though Lyra ran ahead "Lyra!" he called with concern "You can't fight them alone! Let us talk to the people in charge here before we do anything rash, eh?" With that, Sanderson began to lead the group into the centre of the camp. Ahead of them lay the fortified quarter, and around them lay tents and refugees from the burning city. The Mayor of Fordington, Lord Ulysses Emirys: "Thank god you're here!" The nobleman cried as he grasped Sanderson by the hand hurriedly and shook it "The Adventurer's Society, right? Things are getting worse and worse! Only one section of the town is safe, and we don't have enough guards to keep the populace safe! And it's not only drakes, they say the dead have started walking and are taking our vulnerability as an opportunity to attack. Of course, Elder Greenbeard is doing his best to help... well... I assume he is. And there's a mage from Haven investigating... I've rambled on too long! I am Lord Ulysses Emirys, Mayor of Fordington" he bowed "And you must be Sanderson Bracklewood. We've met before, do you remember?" as the lord said this, Sanderson's expression suddenly turned cold and slightly afraid "I do not remember. Do you know the source of the drake problem?" he asked, changing the subject "I don't. Greenbeard might, or Wizard Iceroth. But I would advise you to investigate more in the morning. Night comes, and with it, even more problems for us" "I see" As he spoke, Sanderson's jovial expression returned, though he seemed suitably serious given the situation. "Well I suppose we'd better help defend you for the night. I'm sure we will speak more in the morning, old sport" Old Man Greenbeard: "Aha! And what do we have here?" the old man croaked as he approached the group "A fine pair of forest fellows. And their friends? You must be the so-called Adventurer's Society. Well, I say you can start calling yourselves as such once you have an adventure and become more social" he exclaimed with a short bark of a laugh "You two, you're going to be helping me" with an old bony finger he pointed at Aedan and Panola "And don't bring your city-folk friends" "The rest of you can follow me. Do you think we should find this mage, or start preparing for night?"
"I see" Ashleigh stated simply "You missed the part where they went to join our enemies. I will let it slide this time, you took a course of action you thought was appropriate and I was pacified by the woman, it was reasonable to assume my orders were products of delusion. Nevertheless, don't do it again" Ashleigh instructed "Dismissed. Do as you wish" Timothy mostly remained silent as he was spoken to, his circuits trying to come up with the appropriate protocol. Until eventually he emitted a beep and brightened up "Humble Greetings, my lords, your majesty, Captain" he bowed elegantly "I am Timothy Chesterton, mechanical butler and manservant to Ms Kala. It is our intention to join your faction, and I will serve you however you wish" he bowed again. Suddenly he turned to Kala "But Ms Kala, we have no home. We are safe here, among allies. We have shelter, food, company. What more could you wish for?" her sorrow did not compute with his systems. He turned around again and faced the god, the prince, the young man and the captain "Would you like some tea?" Ransak was still walking towards the Shards base, the hammer weighing him down somewhat, but he'd reach it eventually. And when he did... he could almost taste the gold.
