Scion: Seeds of Glory IC

[Armphid]

Brigitte's sudden sway of sympathy for the titanspawn took Evan by surprise. She had proudly, almost joyously talked of fighting and killing monsters a minute ago, only to now wonder if they were right to do so. His face showed his shock; eyes wide and wondering for several long moments as she started to speak and pace again; slowly at first but with more intensity as she went on.

He mastered his features quickly and focused on the pale skinned beauty. He wasn't sure if she understood what working with titanspawn would mean as she said it, but the thought sent a chill through him. His eyes slipped over to the massive sword. Was that why she was here? To see if they'd turn and kill them if they didn't? Or if they did?

Evan dismissed the thought with a shake of his head. He wasn't going to doubt her; not until he had some real reason to. It might cost him but he liked this girl already and he chose not to suspect or distrust her. She was hurt, deeply, by her past and confused about her purpose and he couldn't blame her for either of those. And it wasn't as though she didn't have some decent points.

He leaned forward slightly, turning her words over in his mind as Crystal spoke about war and it's necessities. Also not a bad argument, though it might miss what he thought the crucial aspects of Brigitte's comments. After a few moments he licked his lips, "I think," he said slowly, "that you may be right in some cases, that it's not as easy as it seems. In others, I do think that it is. I'm not an occult scholar, I don't know anything about the monsters you mentioned, other than vampires, so perhaps they don't have any choice. But I'm also not sure how much that changes things."

He leaned forward and frowned, thinking of how to couch his thoughts. "If a hungry lion and a human were put in a room together, the lion would attack the human, and you'd try to stop it, right? The easiest way would be to kill the lion. I wouldn't blame the lion, and I'd feel bad about it, but I wouldn't let that person die. For some monsters, it's the same as that. Maybe they're not evil, but I can't let them kill people." Then he looked over at Brigitte, "But now let's make the lion sentient. Let's say it knows what pain and suffering are, and the grief of losing someone you care about. In the room, there's an argument to be made for survival, but what if we put that sentient lion out in the world and it chooses to kill the person. A lot of the monsters seem to be that way, and that does make them evil, in my mind. Maybe I'm not being fair, but I admit that."

Evan leaned back and sighed, "As far as killing human monsters, well, you're right that the gods haven't sent me out to do that so far. But I also don't know that they'd mind if I did." He shook his head again, "I think a lot of what you're saying about this comes down to the place and time." He took a deep breath and prayed he wasn't about to hurt Brigitte or open old wounds, "The people who hurt you in the past, the humans, if you had the abilities you do now, you'd have killed them. If you saw someone doing or trying to do what was done to you now, you'd kill them. So would I, I hope." Evan looked into the fire, his eyes thoughtful, "Before our parents...did whatever they do to turn on our powers, we didn't have the ability to do anything about it or thought that we didn't. And maybe that's something that I have to make up for. But the fact remains that it's not that we won't or are told not to stop them, but that we're not there to do it."

He chuckled ruefully, "I'm sorry, I'm talking too much, aren't I? I could say a lot more, but I shouldn't monopolize the conversation. And Crystal's right, it might be good to sleep. If you two want, go ahead and use the shelter to rest up." Evan tapped his right temple with a finger, "I've got a lot to think about so I don't mind keeping watch. But I'm glad to keep talking too, if it won't bother whoever wants to rest."

 

[Kinkerhell]

Brigitte sighs in frustration. Evan's points are well taken, but he's missing the point. She didn't mean she'd work with them against the gods, simply that there was no reason to kill them out-of-hand. But Crystal was right, this was a war. But if that were so, how did one tell the combatants from the collateral damage? Was it even possible that there could be non-combatant titanspawn?

Brigitte doesn't voice her concerns. Instead she simply nods and says, "Perhaps you're both right. We'll see, but for now, it is getting a bit late. Why don't you two take the shelter? I slept during the day, so I'll be alright." She's done no such thing, but her endurance would let her go a lot longer than twenty-four hours before she would require sleep, and she was too deep in thought for sleep to come easily.

 

[cats]

Crystal

IC: "If you want the first watch that is fine. I will happily take the second and Evan you may watch before dawn."

I laid into the small shelter. Evan and I would have a few inches between us but that was it. If the others wished to debate who would sleep first it was up to them.

 

[Armphid]

Evan grimaced but declined to comment or argue. He'd missed something in the discussion or not gone the direction that Brigitte was looking for. Hopefully she'd bring it up again and he might hit the mark that time. "All right, Brigitte. Normally, I'd press to be a gentleman, but fair enough. I'll take the midnight shift tomorrow night then."

He let Crystal settle into the shelter and took the time to look over the little structure. It'd keep any rain or dew off, mostly, but there was a lot of open space and the ground was still probably wet in there...yeah. He wasn't probably going to get much sleep tonight anyway.

Nevertheless he crawled inside and laid down. Unable to resist a final quip, he lifted his head for a moment, "While resting, if either of you get cold or want to do some "just friends" spooning, don't hesitate to share my BTUs."

With that, he laid down and took a deep breath. He hoped that this would mean something to Brigitte. That they were willing to sleep, helplessly, with her watching over them. Evan closed his eyes and tried to relax; sure he'd find little rest tonight. Even if it had been a luxury bed, he'd still have his thoughts and his worries to keep him up.

 

[Kinkerhell]

Brigitte waits until Evan has crawled in with Crystal, then turns and retrieves Gram's sheath from the lowest branch of the tree that the lean-to is constructed against. She buckles on the baldrick, then trots back to the fire and picks up Gram, rolling the great blade across her wrist and up her arm into the sheath in a single smooth motion, the blade making a whispering sound as it slides home. Then Brigitte picks up her .45 and slides it away in the back of her tights.

Thus armed, she spares a single glance for Evan and Crystal, apparently sleeping peacefully. What would it be like, Brigitte wonders, to have a companion? To have friends? She's been alone for so long...Brigitte shakes her head. Turning, she crosses the clearing and halfway across takes a single, graceful leap that sends her twenty feet into the air. She snags a sturdy branch on the tree directly opposite the lean-to and pulls herself up, one handed, until she sits at the crux of branch and trunk. She lets her feet drops down slightly, hooking her bootheels onto the next large branch down and simply sits, letting her mind go quiet.

Brigitte can just barely see Evan and Crystal's sleeping faces through the end of the lean-to, and despite herself, she smiles again. Maybe she'd get to find out what having companions is like, after all. She knows that the others will see her if they look out. The fact that she's out of sword range should comfort them. Her hair, now dry, drifts in the night breeze, its silvery-white color reflecting the light from moon and fire along with her flesh, making her seem a cobalt and alabaster angel, a guardian against the predatory tomorrows.

As it should be. As it has been.

 

[HookerBoots]

OOC: Hehe, all riiiiiiight. Time for things.

In the quiet night of the island, there are few things to catch the eye. The sounds, however, are plentiful, especially to someone with divinely enhanced hearing. The rustling of the trees as the wind blows through them, the soft calls of the moorhens, the distant and persistent beeping of the weather station's equipment, all have the feel of soothing, quiet night in the country.

(Brigitte rolls PER+Awareness: 1+3+9+8+2 = 2 Successes.
Evan rolls PER+Awareness: 7+6+3+4+7 = 2 Successes.
Crystal rolls PER+Awareness: 4+9+5+5+5+8+3 = 2 +2 Epic = 4 Successes.)

From a distance, there is the sound of louder rustling in the leaves, not nearby the small camp.

Evan and Brigitte
The sounds of the trees has gotten louder - perhaps the wind is picking up, or perhaps there is some sort of struggle going on between the birds of the island. Either way, it's a fair bit away.

Crystal
The sudden movement in the forest around you isn't something natural. There is someone - or something - out there. The way the sound is moving, they're heading in a particular way. It sounds to you like someone walking a patrol. But they are a ways off, and heading off to one side.

 

[Armphid]

Lying in the cold, wet dark, Evan came to a profound revelation as his thoughts wheeled and turned through his mind. As he considered Crystal and Brigitte; their comments and perspectives on their parents, on titanspawn, and how they'd look wrestling in Jell-O wearing bikinis, the truth came to him.

Having a root in the small of your back was an obstacle to sleep that no amount of divinely inherited fortitude could overcome.

So it was that he was still well awake when he heard...well, he wasn't sure what he'd heard. Or if he'd heard anything. The trees were louder than they had been somewhere off from the camp. Which happened; maybe the wind had blown up or one of those island birds was throwing a party. ...Though the bird noises hadn't gotten any louder, actually.

He grimaced and slowly, as carefully as he could, shimmied his way out of the shelter and into the clearing. It was probably nothing; he had been living in the city so long, he'd just forgotten how the woods sounded. So he didn't want to wake Crystal if she was sleeping, but...maybe he'd take a look just in case.

The fire was far lower than it had been, a few tongues of flame licking weakly at a few chunks of wood surrounded by a wash of ruddy coals. It gave off a ruddy light that was deceptively dim; he knew it would show up in the dark even if this faint. Glancing up, he saw Brigitte on watch in a tree across the way. He stopped there for a few moments just to watch her. The firelight and moonlight splashed over her pale skin and her platinum hair as it moved in the breeze. "Lord, have mercy," he murmured. She looked amazing like that, and from this angle he could almost...another time for that. Maybe.

He didn't speak again, just gave the girl a wave. He cupped a hand over his right ear and pointed with the other in the direction he'd heard whatever it was. Probably nothing, he was just being paranoid. Still. Evan walked to the edge of the clearing in that direction, leaning against a tree trunk and peering into the darkness.

 

[Kinkerhell]

Brigitte saw Evan come out of the lean-to. It was still pitch black, no illumination save for the coals of the nearly-dead fire and the moonlight, but he still wasn't hard to see, especially with that hair. She saw him notice her and wave, and she nodded her head almost imperceptibly in response.

The wind was picking up or something, because the rustle of leaves got louder. Brigitte watched as Evan noted the increased noise, too. He listened for a moment, then cupped his hand over his ear and pointed, looking at her. What was he worried about? It was just leaves in the wind, or maybe birds. Brigitte raised an eyebrow, but Evan had already turned away, walking to the edge of the clearing in the direction that he'd pointed.

Brigitte shrugged. It was probably nothing to worry about, but still...Brigitte dropped down from the tree with easy grace and trotted up next to Evan. His concern was evident in his stance. Not worried, exactly, but cautious. Brigitte recognized the look, and some instinct caused her to place her right hand up on the hilt of Gram and draw the great blade with a soft sighing sound.

"What is it, Evan?"

 

[Armphid]

The sound of that mammoth sword coming out of the sheath sent a chill up his spine and made the space between his shoulder blades tingle in a most unsettling way. He'd heard Brigitte drop from her perch; barely, the lovely young fighter was light on her feet. Had she ever danced?

Not the time for that line of thought either.

Evan looked over at her and gave a rueful smile, "It's nothing, probably." Despite his assertion that it was nothing, the muscular actor spoke very softly and was keeping most of his body behind the trunk of the tree he was leaning on. "But I heard, or thought I heard, some louder noises off that way."

He turned his searching eyes back to the forest beyond the clearing. "I'm not in my element here, and I'm probably just spooking myself, but...I figured why not take a look? Just in case."

For a few moments longer, he stared out into the night. Then he glanced back at Brigitte, "You can tell me I'm just being a wuss, by the way. I won't be offended." Evan quirked an eyebrow before looking back out into the dark again. "I think either way you'll have some company on lookout. I wasn't getting any sleep."

 

[cats]

IC: I sat quietly in the shelter listening to the sound. I did not wish to move just in case we were being watched. Evan on the other hand stood and moved to fire and looked.

I waited a bit listening to the sound still. It was moving. The animals, the wind, nature was moving away from that spot. This spot moved cleanly and precisely with confidence. This trail it was on, it was on before that was certain.

Confident it was a ways away I stood and joined the other two. Brigitte either didn't see me or didn't comment as for Evan his gaze was upon Brigitte

'You can tell me I'm just being a wuss, by the way. I won't be offended.' Evan returned his eyes into the distant darkness. 'I think either way you'll have some company on lookout. I wasn't getting any sleep.'

"You are a wuss. All the same there is definitely something out there and it is moving."

I smiled, and picked up my bow from the side of the lean to. "Our mission seems to of found us. Shall we be off?"

 

[Kinkerhell]

Brigitte glances at Evan, then starts and glances back at Crystal. The other woman could move as quietly as she. Brigitte looked back out into the darkness. "This isn't my preferred setting either. I'm a city girl at heart."

Brigitte listens intently, but heard nothing in particular. "I don't hear anything. Of course, I didn't get superior senses as part of my godly package. I'm fast and I'm strong and I'm wicked hard to kill, but that's about it. If you think you heard something, that's good enough for me." She stops, then adds, "There's a shotgun in my bag, along with a bunch of extra shells, some spare magazines for my pistol, and a sword. Help yourself."

Brigitte unbuckles her baldrick and peels off her jacket. For a moment, she's naked from the waste up, save for her pale hair and the moonlight. Her breasts, small but firm and round, prickle as they're exposed to the air, then her nipples, small and cherry-dark, tighten. She walks over to her bag and pulls out a white bra and t-shirt and dons them quickly, then buckles her holster into a gunslinger's tie-down, low on her left thigh, and transfers her pistol from her tights. She puts her leather jacket back on and fastens the steel clasps down the front, then pulls Gram's sheath on. So armed, she looks back at Crystal.

"From the look on your face, its probably something dangerous." Brigitte blinks once, and then her exposed skin shimmers and is suddenly coated in metallic armor, preserving every feature perfectly. The metal looks like steel that is just beginning to have its shine dulled by the first touches of cold. Her hair is coated the same way, but the frost is thicker there, so it seems that her ponytail and forelocks are made of hoarfrost as much as hair. She smiles faintly, her metallic lips curving up, and says, "Ready when you are."

 

[Armphid]

"Thank you, Crystal," Evan said, his voice distinctly sour. Still, he'd walked into that; it's always the quiet ones. He looked back at the two women, nodding as Brigitte cataloged her assets. And then displayed her own in a sudden and delicious motion that he did not see coming.

Evan gawked for a moment, he'd admit it. God, that smooth, pure skin and those-he jerked his eyes away. This girl had been the victim of unwanted sexual attention before. He was not going to add to that! His fingers dug into the bark of the tree he'd been leaning against as he heard further movement and the faint rustle of fabric behind him.

God, he wanted to look. "Well, this is the hardest thing I've had to do today," he murmured, speaking to no one. Don't think about how her chest would look; taut, flat stomach coming up to the subtle curve of-damn it! Don't think about it!

As he heard Brigitte speak again, he took a breath and risked a look back. He tried to ignore that he felt disappointed that she was fully clothed and armed now. Evan then blinked as she was covered by..or did she become it? Either way, one moment she was flesh, the next she looked as if she was a perfectly detailed statue of herself. "Good God," he breathed, "Now that's a nice trick. Wow."

He shook himself; focus, idiot. "It's good to be ready, but we don't know what's out there yet, or if it's dangerous." He flashed back to the conversation by the fire and suddenly gave a small, self-deprecating smile. This is what she'd meant. "I'm not the kind of guy to just shoot without knowing what my target is. And I see only one real way to find out if they're a threat or not."

The redhead licked his lips and grinned, "I'm going to be the stalking horse for you two. Let me go out there openly, I won't try to hide or not make noise, and head towards whatever that is." Was this stupid? Possibly, probably even. "You two sneak along to either side or above or however you want to. I'll draw them so we can all get a look at what they are and how they react. If they attack, well, we'll know they're hostile. If not, maybe we can find out the situation here."

He should probably stop smiling but he just couldn't. His lips seemed almost locked in a reckless, eager grin. "Let's see what we've got." Evan turned from the women and then started out into the woods. He was as quiet as he could be at first, waiting until he was farther from Brigitte and Crystal so as not to give them away. Then he started to walk normally, stepping on leaves, small twigs, and brushing branches. He wasn't going out of his way to make noise but he wasn't trying to hide his passage either.

 

[Kinkerhell]

Brigitte watches Evan head off, then looks at Crystal. "We'd better go after him." Then she looks down at her metallic, hardened, shiny form. Damn. Hadn't thought of that. "Ok, you go after him. I don't sneak well anyway with this thing." Brigitte says, tapping Gram. Her finger makes a gentle ringing sound against the blade.

Crystal could probably follow Evan like a ghost, but that didn't solve Brigitte's problem. She cast about, not knowing what to do. For a minute, she was tempted to simply walk out there with him, and even called forth another portion of her power to make her reflexes even sharper and her movements even quicker and more graceful.

Then she looked up, and smiled.

Tensing her legs, Brigitte leaps straight up, six, seven, eight yards, snagging a tree branch with her hand. Then she turns to follow Evan's path, jumping from tree to tree. It must look impressive, but trees aren't moving targets and Brigitte is fairly nimble. Every so often, she gains a bit more height, until she's riding a good thirty feet above him. Whatever was out there might notice her, but it might also forget to look up. Monsters and mortals alike so often did. And if it did look up, that would take its eyes off of Evan, and Brigitte would be willing to bet the Norse Scion had more than charm and an easy smile in his bag of tricks.

Satisfied, Brigitte glides along, keeping pace with Evan below.

 

[HookerBoots]

(Fatebinding roll: GM rolls 3 dice: 9+7+1 = 2 successes, no Fatebinding occurs.
Fatebinding roll: GM rolls 3 dice: 5+3+5 = 0 successes, no Fatebinding occurs.

Unsub rolls PER+Awareness = 1+8+2+9+8+3+9 = 4 Successes.)

The person wandering through the woods seems to have noticed Evan, or at least that there is someone there. The rustling stops, and there is the sense that the person there is waiting. She turns around and peers into the darkness, hands stuffed into her pockets. Suddenly, she seems to spot Evan, and heads towards him with a wide, relieved smile on her face. "Oh, thank heaven!" she says, her voice soft, with a slight British accent. "I didn't think there was anyone else on the island!"

She is of medium height, solidly built without looking stocky. Her brown hair is pulled back in a loose tail, and her eyes are deep brown behind a pair of wire-rimmed glasses. She is wearing casual clothes, yoga pants and a t-shirt, sneakers, and a light jacket over it all. The jacket bears an embroidered picture of a penguin over a sunburst in blue and white, with the letters "SANAP" underneath it.

"I don't know where you've come from, and frankly, I don't care! There's something horribly wrong at the station!" She jerks a thumb to one side in the direction she came from. "I've never seen anything like this, we need help. Please?" The last is in a plaintive voice, her eyes wide and hopeful.

 

[Armphid]

Evan's first instinct was to tell the woman it would be all right and dash off with her to deal with whatever was going on at the station. That was also his second instinct, for slightly different reasons. Since he'd left for Iceland he hadn't been intimate with a lady. What with his budding love making with Nerina getting interrupted and all. Compared to Crystal and Brigitte, the woman was plain but she did have some curve to her and...well, for him, it had been a long time.

She also had that British accent. He loved a girl with an accent. He'd certainly noticed his kinswoman's.

He also noted, however, that while she was supposedly fleeing from disaster, she had not been running or even walking fast. She also wasn't carrying a flashlight or any other kind of gear for making it through the forest in the middle of the night.

Good odds were that this was a trap of some kind. Of course, she might be earnest and the researchers might need help. People actually being in danger was something he couldn't risk walking away from. And he had come out to set off whatever trap had been set up anyway, so this was really just the original plan with a twist thrown in.

Evan held up his hands and approached her, "Don't worry, it'll be all right. I'm not sure how much help I can be to you, but I'd glad to see what I can." It might be risky, but he was focusing solely on her. Her body language, the ways he spoke, trying to see the truth of her emotions and behind her words. He offered her a grin, "Can't let a pretty lady stumble around in the woods at night, now can I?"

If they thought you wanted into their pants, they usually assumed you were an idiot. It wasn't always a bad assumption.

He gestured in the same direction she had, "Let's go see what can be done. Can you tell me anything about what's going on or what happened?"

 

[Kinkerhell]

Brigitte blinked as the unremarkable woman walked into her view. This was...unexpected. Brigitte listened as the woman explained her plight to Evan. As the woman spoke, Brigitte sized her up. Sensible clothing, but no flashlight, compass, map, no gear of any kind really.

Brigitte pursed her lips. After the newcomer stopped speaking, Brigitte's bullshit alarms were shrieking. No gear. All alone. In the woods. At night. Looking for "help" on a deserted island. What the hell? Modern smartphones were satellite capable, they could get reception anywhere there was sky. No need to go traipsing through the woods for help.

Brigitte watched Evan wave the woamn onward and rose from her half-crouch in the tree, ready to follow him.

Sometimes you had to spring the trap.

 

[cats]

Crystal

IC: Evan went off. Brigitte considered stealth for a few moments then leaped up into the trees and moved as quietly as she could up there, something only a scion or other gifted human could attempt.

I let loose a sigh, grabbed my canteen and poured the contents onto the fire. I wasn't thirsty any ways, but I would have to remember to refill it some time in the coming days. I then placed it back into my pack, tightened my pack onto my back for the best results. Made sure my arrows were in easy reach, and knocked one before moving silently into the woods.

It wasn't long before I caught up despite my efforts at stealth. I had spent more time stalking in the woods then nearly any one else, it came almost naturally to me. I stayed 20 yards or so back, just in ear shot for me.

As Evan ran off with the new girl, I followed still in stealth mode. The girl he was with, she had walked the path before, I knew that or was horribly mistaken. So I watched my eyes and ears sharp, my bow ready.

 

[HookerBoots]

(Evan rolls PER+Empathy, 5 dice: 5+7+2+9+10 = 4 successes.)

The woman seems far more eager than anything else, though there is an air of anticipation around her - it doesn't seem like she's eager for you to help. But she is willing to walk ahead of Evan through the woods, talking over her shoulder about what might await you all.

"Well, you see, it started last night - strange sounds, all that." She shivers a little. "Then there were the shadows. You know the kind; never there when you look right at where it was, but always at the corner of your eye?" She looks ahead, her eyes shadowed in the darkness. "And then, a few hours ago . . . just bloody madness." She makes a sort of claw shape with her hands. "Monsters, like from the storybooks!"

The two of you walk a few yards in silence, then she starts up again. "I don't know what will happen to us. They took a lot of my coworkers further into the island. I didn't even know there was more to this place - it's supposed to be a bird sanctuary!"

As she says the last words, the two of you break out of the trees onto a sort of rocky area with a medium-sized structure in the center with a doppler tower and other weather-sensing equipment on the roof. There are lights on in most of the windows, shining out into the darkness, and the glint of broken glass on the ground.

 

[Armphid]

Evan's lips curled into the same eager, reckless grin he'd given the girls back at the campsite before walking out here. This woman, if she really was a woman, wasn't being honest. He'd pretty much felt that but now he was sure of it. There was no fear in her at all, just anticipation. A bloody eagerness that felt familiar; both welcoming and terrifying. "Just last night, huh? And here I thought you'd been here a while. So what did these monsters look like? There's a lot of storybooks out there, from a lot of places." "

He might be overplaying his hand here. She could well figure out that he was onto her from that statement. As she stated that some of the researchers had been taken inland, Evan grimaced. That part of her story might well be true. But if they were taken, why? For what purpose? "How many of the researchers were taken?"

He moved past her as they broke through the trees and the weather station loomed out in front of them on a solid ground of rock. Broken glass glinted on the ground and light poured our from all the windows. They'd been closer to the place than he'd thought. "...So, are you going to answer my questions?" He unzipped his jacket and then pulled it off in a smooth, flowing motion, tossing the garment to land on a rock a few yards away. "Or just show me?"

There wasn't much point going further. Past here there was no cover for the girls to use, so hiding would be pointless. If they were going to be able to use the element of surprise, he had to spring the trap now. "I think you were about to though, weren't you? But you don't have to; I'll give you a chance to show me to the rest of the researchers and let them go unharmed, then you and the monsters can leave and never return."

Evan's grin had become vicious; more a snarl than a smile now. "It's a good deal. I'd recommend you take it. Everything else I can offer you is a lot more final."

 

[Kinkerhell]

The bullshit alarms were getting louder.

As Brigitte listens to Evan and the "researcher" talk, her expression goest from bemusement to anger. How dare this bitch lead them on as if they were some mortal patsies? Brigitte stalks along the branches, following Evan's progress on the forest floor.

The trees begin to thin, and she can see the research station. It doesn't look too good. Brigitte studies it for a minute, wondering what they'll find inside, slowly advancing all the while until she's almost at the tree line. Then she realizes Evan has stopped and looks back in time to see him shrug off his jacket and hear him deliver his ultimatum.

Brigitte turns and gathers herself, judging distances and fall times. She could make it most of the way to the station in a single bound if she needs to, and simply stepping off the branch where she currently crounches will put her right behind the...thing talking to Evan. Smiling slightly, she pulls Gram free of its sheath, an waits.

 

[cats]

Crystal

IC: Evan came to a stop some distance away and with him Bridgette stopped and pulled gram free from the sheathe in a deceptively quiet manner. It was a little disheartening to know one could free such a weapon with so little warning. I would have to be more careful around those who wield such items in the future.

I took in the expected battle field as Evan tosses his jacket off. He was likely about to conjure his axe the way he does. The forest became quite sparse about where he was and then the weather station was just ahead. It wasn't the first weather station I had been to, but it may well be the largest. Several familiar machines looked damaged, although not to badly. All the same it was likely a very expensive fix.

What struck me as the oddest thing about the situation was the broken glass on the ground. The windows appeared to be broken out of rather then broken into, and that implied they were broken on the way out or perhaps from fighting from the inside. I had expected the surprise attack to of come from the outside. That implied very stealthy foes, capable of getting inside, or more than likely shape shifters like back in Iceland.

Well I readied myself to fire at the first offensive target. Drawing my bow back I noted how the string seemed to hold all of my strength despite how deceptively strong I was. Once the bow was drawn however it didn't take much power to hold it and I felt hat I could hold it so for hours with little trouble. This bow was amazing. More amazing still how ever was the number of arrows in the quiver, I noted the number as the same amount I had before I took one out to string on the bow. I believe my mother gifted me with an unlimited amount of arrows.

I smiled and waited for the battle to come. Ready to loose an arrow at the first sign the fight had started.

 

[HookerBoots]

The woman turns to look at Evan in mild surprise. "Everything else you can offer? Do you mean just you, or you and your two whore friends?" She stands a little taller, her eyes glowing in the darkness. "I don't think that's going to be how tonight turns out, little godling, but it's good that you have friends with you. It would be boring otherwise."

(Unsub rolls MAN+Command+Legend: 9+10+2+7+1+7+6+9+10+3+8+4 = 9 Successes.
Evan resists with Willpower+Integrity+Legend: 9+10+2+6+8+4+1+8+3 = 5 Successes. Evan fails the contest and has been compelled.)

She puts one hand on her hip and smiles at him. "Now, handsome, why don't you head into the woods and take care of your friend with the sword for me? You know, the one you think is unstable. Just knock her out, and I'll take care of the rest later."

Evan can feel the presence, alien and terrible, twisting his will, but cannot resist the pressure to do as told. He turns toward the forest where Brigitte is hiding.

(Join battle checks:
Unsub rolls 6 dice: 5+7+1+3+9+9 = 3 Successes.
Evan rolls 5 dice: 4+10+10+5+3 = 4 Successes.
Crystal rolls 6 dice: 5+10+4+7+5+1 = 3 +1 Epic = 4 Successes.
Brigitte rolls 6 dice: 9+7+2+7+2+7 = 4 + 1 Epic = 5Successes.

Brigitte will go first, Evan and Crystal will follow. The unknown woman will go last.)

 

[Kinkerhell]

So, a mind-witch of some sort. Not only that, but one who knows about Brigitte's presence and her armament, though by not referring to it by name, she may not know just how deadly Gram truly is. Well, well, well. Isn't that interesting?

Brigitte considers doing something flashy. Brigitte considers saying something witty, profound, or threatening.

But perhaps Brigitte is her father's daughter. Efficiency, after all, is the hallmark of a good killer.

Looking down to where Evan has just turned to find her, she gauges distances quickly, as well as her ability to take the damage of a fall from this height. For her, it shouldn't be too great a burden, and her superior body should be able to take the brunt just fine. Can the mystery woman say the same?

Brigitte gathers herself, her hands wrapped around Gram's hilt, with the point of the blade facing downward. If she's judged this correctly, her landing should just about coincide with giving the mystery woman a new spinal column, and if she doesn't know that Brigitte is above her, it should be even easier.

Taking a deep breath, Brigitte steps into empty air, her deadly, storied blade leading the way.

 

[Armphid]

Evan felt it; like a hand reaching into his mind and grabbing him firmly. His face twisted in struggle and in outrage, but his body turned immediately, eyes scanning the forest. He knew Brigitte was there in hiding, as was Crystal, just not where. And thank God for that. "I should have just killed you, monster," he growled.

He could think and speak on his own, it seemed, but his actions...they were his and they weren't. He willed himself not to move, but nevertheless he did so. He felt powerless; impotent in a way he could never have imagined. He wanted to scream and rage, to do something, anything that was in his control, but his body moved without him and he could still feel that dirty violation; that gloating presence in his mind.

He had failed Brigitte and Crystal. The monster knew about them now, and about what they had and could do, because HE knew about them. Traitor. He was a traitor. He could speak his mind; he could warn them what he was going to do. "Brigitte, I can't stop it! I'll-"

Before he could warn her as to his actions, she moved. She was a brilliant statue in fluid unstoppable motion as she fell like a shooting star with her massive sword cutting through the air ahead of her.

"Move your feet," he called out. Evan reached out to try and snatch her by one dainty ankle as she fell. He could feel his body's intent, grab and smash her against the rocky ground before getting her in a sleeper hold, "If you have to kill me, do it! Either of you!"

He deserved it. Before this, even given his profession, he'd never actually felt like a whore.

 

[Kinkerhell]

Brigitte heard Evan's cry just as her feet left the branch. The amount of time it would take to cross the distance was miniscule, a second at most.

But a second was a long, long time for a Scion.

Brigitte saw Evan reach for her, and effortlessly lifted her feet and arched her back, doubling at the hips into a jacknife, letting her sword fall as she threw her body upward, presenting a momentary illusion of her body hanging motionless in space at Gram streaked by.

Now, instead of falling feet-first, she was twisted into a swan dive, her entire body above the blade, her arms out, forming a spear with Gram as the head and her body as the shaft, her weight joining the sword's on that single, needle point. If it hit the woman, Brigitte was going to pin her to the earth, and then Evan could hurl her into the forest like a frisbee for all she cared. All that mattered now...

...was the kill.