So. This is planning o'clock for last minute plans. I know there has been at least a little of that going on individual-like, but now is when we pulls it into one plan. Or so we hope. :)
Ian LaiIan would have relayed what he found at the Library to Alyssa. So basically the plan on his end being: They go deal with this spirit thing, then Ian will try to deal with the roots in Sky's body and wake Sky up so that Sky can heal himself (because Verbena Disciple.) Also they should probably burn everything afterwards.
Alyssa Solomon[[AIM Chat created BTW!]]
Alyssa Solomon[[Alyssa's Idea/Plan:
Step 1: She's going to give herself Spirit Sight and ask Ian and whoever else is coming along to keep the material world side version busy.
Step 2: Prime 2 blast the shit out of the spirits through the Gauntlet (Spirit 2) infecting Sky and maybe Claire in an attempt to kill them without physically killing the hosts. (She is no Adept, so no Exorcisming possible sadly).
Step 3: Summon Spirit of Restoration with Spirit 2: Call Spirit to make a deal for a ton of Quintessence in order to restore anyone semi-affected and still living to their natural selves, and possibly cleanse the area. Use Hearts Blood if needed.
Step 4: Stop Bleeding and deal with Paradox. :D]]
AlexanderAlexander is basically there for physical backup, given his lack of power and practice. He doesn't have any way of poking Umbral stuff - only seeing it - so he'll be there to work on dealing with the material side of things.
Alyssa SolomonAddendum to Plan: Alexander has Spirit Sight. He can keep an eye on things and be Eyes and Ears for Ian in case they are dealing with multiple spirits, and if/when Alyssa goes down.
Also, there may will probably be plenty of corporeal monsters to fight too, so there is that. =)
IxOur Scene Guidelines:
1. We do have a time limit, please try to keep your posts to within ten minutes. I know we all love to be pretty, and detailed, and awesome. But really, really we do need to move on this one. There are only three of you, and you blew through planning, so unless we fall behind I'm not going to threaten to skip any peeps.
2. I'm not setting rolling time guidelines because I am still relearning Mage and Vesta is learning combat. Let's not make ourselves nuts.
3. There may be a coda scene or two to this one, so don't panic about loose ends too much. This is the only time I could get you all for a definite assault, so we're doing that now and coda scenes as appropriate.
4. If you have anything you absolutely don't want to see in this scene because it will ruin your day, please tell me now.
5. If you have any questions - ask. I won't be mad. It's cool.
6. Have fun. :)
Alexander[[Curiosity and Concentration are probably the only relevant merits and flaws. Alex is taking along a heavy pistol, a couple of spare clips, and an armoured undervest (AR2, dex penalty 1)]]
IxThe South Platte Reservoir is alive with the sounds of nature in twilight. The dark water looks peaceful and the recent deaths have sent most of the people who might otherwise be drinking here in search of metaphorical greener pastures. Everything here is so very green, even the trunks of the trees and the last traces of color over the water before darkness steals them have a decidedly greenish cast.
[Please to roll Perception+Awareness; and, if you would like, Perception+Survival. I realize you may also desire to roll some other things and we can do those things too.]
Alyssa Solomon[[Per+Awarness]]
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (2, 2, 5, 7, 9) ( success x 2 )
Alyssa Solomon[[Per, No Survival so +1 diff]]
Dice: 3 d10 TN7 (1, 6, 7) ( success x 1 )
Alexander[Per+Awareness]
Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (4, 4, 7, 10) ( success x 2 )
Alexander[Per+Survival]
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (2, 4, 6, 7, 7) ( success x 3 )
Alyssa Solomon[[Oh, whoops. Diff 8, so a botch. We're off to a grand start!]]
Ian Lai[Per+Aware]
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 3, 8, 8) ( success x 2 )
Ian Lai[Per+Survival, Acute Senses for the win (-2 diff)]
Dice: 5 d10 TN4 (1, 2, 3, 3, 10) ( success x 1 )
Ian Lai[Ignore that last roll because I fail. This is the real one.]
Dice: 4 d10 TN4 (2, 6, 8, 10) ( success x 3 )
IxThe three Mages can sense something. It isn't Resonance in the sense that a Mage has Resonance but it is a sort of echoing of the awareness of the forest around them - there is a sense of warm humidity that isn't actually present that presses dreamlike against their skin, the feel of something gritty on the air that they breathe in almost like dust that seems to catch on their tongues and in the backs of their throats, the smell of something damp and decaying. And, through all of that, very faintly, they can sense an echo of the fading sunlight filtered not through this humid haze but through oak leaves and the scent of rich, uncorrupted earth.
IxTo Alexander and Ian, something is definitely wrong with the forest. There should be sound, yes, and there is. But this is all insect sounds. Flies and mosquitoes and droning wings. There should be birds, maybe not many as the light fades, but there should be the last sounds of the birds. The sounds of squirrels or chipmunks returning to their burrows. But there is only the oppressive humming of so many wings.
Ian LaiFor all that it had taken them so long to finally get together, once the ball started rolling it didn't take long for Ian and Alyssa to formulate a plan that felt at least reasonably sound. A lot of things could go wrong. Probably at least one thing would. None of them were walking into this naively, with the possible exception of Alex - whom Ian hadn't even known would be there until very recently.
Ian drove out to the lake alone, arriving a few minutes before the other two. By the time Alex and Alyssa arrived, they'd find him standing near his car with his eyes on the surrounding forest, a rather lethal-looking katana strapped to his back and a second blade (a hunting knife) hooked onto his belt. He didn't look much different than usual (though his clothes were more serviceable,) but there was a strong sense of something focused and predatory in his demeanor. Quiet and alert. Like he was hunting.
"The air is wrong, here. The sounds are wrong. We're in the right place."
(As if there was any doubt remaining.)
Alyssa SolomonAlyssa picked up Alexander in her red, beat-up but trusty '89 Acura Legend Coupe. On the way she had given him the heads up on everything: that they've definitvely narrowed down the source to the park that she had told him about and that there was a Verbena who is trapped there, being slowly killed with roots stuck into him. And that they were going to have to free Sky (the Verbena), possibly free Claire (a Consor) or kill her--or she may already be dead--get rid of the spirits and cleanse the area.
All in a day's work, really. And then, close to the location, she pulls over and asks him to drive the rest of the way. From the passenger seat she begins catagorizing everything she's brought:
* Several vials of blood, kept in the pockets of a leather trenchcoat that has had the sleeves cut of.
* A simple but elegantly-designed ritual knife, adorned with several Enochian symbols and kept quite clean, in a belt sheath.
* A .45 in a shoulder holster.
* Five black wax candles, matches, a needle and spare vials, stowed in a backpack.
She's already painted some Enochian on her hands and arms (thus the sleeveless trenchcoat--also, no need to pull a sleeve up and draw blood), along her forearms and on the back of her hands. She's rocking those steel-toed boots of hers and under the trenchoat is a form-fitting turtleneck and jeans. Her makeup is symbolic tonight, with dark green dripping from her eyes and her hair and lips taking a dark forest tone.
And then they're there, and they meet up with Ian. She nods to him, deadly serious. "Looks like. Gimme a sec, I just need to get Spirit-suited up."
Out comes one of the blood vials, when she uncorks and dabs on her fingers to start painting her eyelids. Red over green. It's all blood, all life.
AlexanderAlexander rides along with Alyssa, trying to relax in the passenger seat and enjoy the view. There’s usually something calming about heading out of the city and into the wilderness, but it’s just not happening this time. Had it just been a matter of some people disappearing and nothing else, the pleasure might still have been there. But, as they say, knowledge is a dangerous thing. And the little knowledge that Alexander has picked up about what they’re coming here to face hasn’t done anything to relax him.
As they approach the area where the three of them are to meet, the autumn-like aura thickens. “This is it. It feels the same as when I bumped into that guy downtown,” he tells Alyssa as she pulls over so that he can take over driving. It’s a short drive to where they’re all meeting.
Parking up, Alexander gets out of the car and sorts his own modest gear out. A .45 pistol is tucked into the back of his black combats, and two spare slips tucked into the pockets. A dark blue, hooded sweatshirt covers his top half with a bulk that hints at something more underneath. He looks around, listening to the woods. “Yeah, this isn’t right.” Alyssa mentions getting spirited-up, and he moves to do the same. Peering into one of the car’s wing mirrors, he adjusts his own view of the world.
Alexander[Spirit sight, going for 2 succs - one for the effect, one to last the scene. Diff 4, -1 for taking time, throwing in a WP]
Dice: 1 d10 TN3 (8) ( success x 2 ) [WP]
Ian Lai[And lo, we have the sensing effects: Life 1 / Prime 1, diff 4 - 1 (practiced)]
Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (6, 6) ( success x 2 )
Ian Lai[extending once, +1 diff, -1 for focus]
Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (1, 8) ( success x 1 )
Alyssa Solomon[[First up: Spirit Sight! -1 Practiced, 1st WP]]
Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (2, 5) ( success x 2 ) [WP]
IxTo the Mages who open their awareness to the spirits, this is a forest besieged by some kind of infestation of spiritual corruption. There is not so much one large spirit as a swarm of smaller spirits. Spectral mushrooms and mold grow on the trees and over the ground. There are three moving concentrations of those swarms nearby, and one large concentration at a nearby edge of the reservoir.
To Ian, who looks for life on this side of the Gauntlet, he can also sense those three things moving through the forest, though it takes him a few seconds to filter through the insects and the flora. He can also sense, in the same area as that concentration of the spirits at the reservoir edge, where Sky is. He seems, perhaps, to be in better health than Ian expected.
Alyssa SolomonShe blinks, eyes unfocused, and looks around the vicinity. One hand comes over to the inner arm and wrist of the other, rubbing at light scars long since gone. She sighs a little bit, shaking her head.
"You know what's nice about spirits? Their simplicity. Their single-mindedness. Only the high-level ones or ones specifically dedicated to the concept do much in the way of manipulation or misdirection."
She nods toward where the highest accumulation seems to be, the reservoir edge. "That's probably where we need to go."
Ian LaiWhile Alex and Alyssa prepared their effects, Ian pulled the knife from his hip and used it to nick the flesh on his thumb. Blood welled up from the wound, and he put it to his lips and sucked on it briefly, until his senses opened up to the patterns and prime that swirled around them. Ian's attention was focused on the forest, watchful for any early signs of trouble. He didn't ask if either of the others felt like they could handle what was ahead. Hopefully, if they were here, it meant that they could. And if not, well. They would either survive, or they wouldn't.
As soon as they were all ready, Ian gave a little tip of his head toward their destination, giving silent agreement with Alyssa.
"Let's go, then."
AlexanderAlexander looks around, seeing the same changes in the surroundings as Alyssa. Where she seems to have an idea what what’s going on – and a lot more experience dealing with spirits – Alexander is still very new to all this. The forest just doesn’t look right any more, and he moves a little closer to the others.
“So it’s easy to tell when you’ve annoyed them, then?” The thought of an ants nest comes to mind. What will the bugs see as poking their nest with a stick? Alyssa points the way towards the reservoir, towards the largest concentration. He nods silently, following the others.
Alyssa Solomon[[Perception!]]
Dice: 3 d10 TN7 (5, 5, 6) ( fail )
Alexander[Per+Survival]
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (2, 3, 4, 4, 6) ( success x 1 )
Ian Lai[Per+Survival]
Dice: 4 d10 TN4 (1, 5, 6, 10) ( success x 3 )
IxThey move deeper into the reservoir, and each of them can sense the things that trace them. Three things, until, abruptly, one of the them veers off at a sharp angle, deeper into the forest. Between Ian and Alexander, they can find and follow the trails the creatures use to get to and from their nest.
It is not until they reach a point where they can see a tunnel, the earth pulled aside and held back by a mass of roots, the tunnel floor flooded by a few inches of murky water, that the two remaining creatures begin to close the last distance between them.
[Initiative!]
Alyssa Solomon[[WEEE INIT! +7]]
Dice: 1 d10 TN7 (8) ( success x 1 )
Ix[+8 A]
Dice: 1 d10 TN6 (6) ( success x 1 )
Alexander[Gulp! +6]
Dice: 1 d10 TN6 (4) ( fail )
Ix[+8 B]
IxDice: 1 d10 TN6 (3) ( fail )
Ian Lai[+7]
Dice: 1 d10 TN6 (7) ( success x 1 )
IxSo, our order goes as follows:
Ian
Alyssa
A
B
Alexander
Alexander[Drawing pistol and aiming at A, but not actually firing yet - still not sure if they're actually going to attack]
IxB - who is the bobcat
a-claw Ian
b-tentacle scourge-also Ian
IxA - who is a person
a-grab Alexander
b-bear hug (with thorns)
Ian Lai[Declare: Split action
1a: Katana Strike the bobcat (aka creature B)
1b: Dodge]
Alyssa SolomonShe grabs a vial and opens it, splashing blood over her palm and piercing the point of her knife lightly into her palm, tracing a symbol. Extending her hand out she shouts in Enochian, aiming at the human.
[[Prime 2/Spirit 2: Quintessence Strike across the Gauntlet, focused on the spirit infesting the human.]]
Alyssa Solomon[[Prime 2/Spirit 2! -2 for Unique Foci (Dagger), WP]]
Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (7, 9) ( success x 3 ) [WP]
Ian Lai[Dex+Melee -2]
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (4, 6, 6, 8, 8) ( success x 4 )
Ian Lai[Str+3 (sword) + 3 (successes)]
Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (1, 5, 6, 8, 8, 9, 10) ( success x 5 )
Ian Lai[Er, one more]
Dice: 1 d10 TN6 (2) ( fail )
IxA - grab Alexander
Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (1, 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9) ( success x 2 )
IxA - b. hug!
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (5, 6, 7, 7, 8) ( success x 4 )
Alexander[Soak - please! ]
Dice: 2 d10 TN6 (2, 5) ( fail )
Alexander[Stam soak, pleeease!]
Dice: 4 d10 TN8 (1, 1, 5, 10) ( success x 1 )
IxB - a. claw Ian
Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (1, 3, 6, 6, 7, 8, 8) ( success x 5 )
IxDice: 5 d10 TN6 (2, 3, 7, 9, 10) ( success x 3 )
Ian Lai[Dex+Athletics -3]
Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 5, 7) ( success x 1 )
IxDmg
Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (2, 2, 3, 8) ( success x 1 )
Ian Lai[Soak?]
Dice: 2 d10 TN8 (3, 5) ( fail )
IxB - b. crazy vine tentacles
Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (1, 3, 9, 10) ( success x 2 )
IxDice: 4 d10 TN6 (4, 5, 5, 6) ( success x 1 )
Ian Lai[Soak]
Dice: 2 d10 TN6 (7, 8) ( success x 2 )
Alexander[WP to break free?]
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (2, 3, 5, 7, 9) ( success x 2 )
Alexander[Or change action, rather]
Alexander[Break free - Str+Brawl, -1 wounds]
Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (1, 1, 6, 8) ( success x 2 )
IxYour Round recap:A thing that was once a young man, that Alexander met once before leaps from the cover of the trees and wraps its arms around Alexander. Alyssa strikes at it as it breaks cover, but the creature continues all the same. The creature tightens its hold on Alexander, its thorns biting into his flesh, before Alexander can break free.
From above in the branches a bobcat, tendrils of vines writhing where they sprout from its shoulders, leaps for Ian. Ian cuts deeply into it with his sword, but the creature still manages to swipe at him with one claw. Its vines flail at him, but he is unharmed by the them.
Alexander[Shoot the little wossname that hugged me! 3 round burst]
IxB - a. punch Alexander
b. punch Alyssa
Ix[That is totes A.]
IxB - a. claw Ian
b. claw Ian
Ian Lai[Declare: split action again
1a: Katana Strike the bobcat (will you just die already?)
1b: Katana Strike creature A aka the possessed person]
Alyssa Solomon[[Prime Blast For Realz this time yo]]
Alyssa Solomon[[One more time! +1 diff so 1 quint to get that shit back down to 3, third WP]]
Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (2, 9) ( success x 2 ) [WP]
Ian Lai[Dex+Melee -2]
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (3, 3, 5, 7, 9) ( success x 2 )
Ian Lai[Str+3+1]
Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (2, 2, 2, 5, 8, 10) ( success x 2 )
Ian Lai[Dex+Melee -3 on the dude]
Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (5, 6, 7, 9) ( success x 3 )
Ian Lai[Str+3+2]
Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (1, 6, 7, 9, 9, 10, 10) ( success x 6 )
IxB - claw a
Dice: 3 d10 TN6 (5, 7, 9) ( success x 2 )
IxDmg
Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (1, 6, 8, 10) ( success x 3 )
Ian Lai[Soak]
Dice: 2 d10 TN8 (9, 9) ( success x 2 )
IxB - claw b
Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (2, 4, 4, 4) ( fail )
Alexander[Shooting kitty - Dex+Firearms+2 -1 for wounds -1 for armour, +1 diff]
Dice: 6 d10 TN7 (1, 2, 8, 9, 9, 9) ( success x 4 )
Alexander[Dmg]
Dice: 8 d10 TN6 (2, 2, 5, 5, 7, 7, 8, 9) ( success x 4 )
Alyssa SolomonAlyssa is pretty hard-boiled, all things considered. You have to be, to stand still and focus, harness your Will and take the time necessary to unleash a Prime-powered assault while others are getting hurt (possibly badly) around you. And in truth, she was hoping they would have more time when they came upon something, but she wasn't expecting it. And if there's one thing you can say about her...her Will will not be denied. Ever.
And so she unleashes her magic and Ian and Alex do the nasty work on this side, and the human and bobcat fall. If there's sorrow, she doesn't show it. She isn't flippant; she has respect for the dead. More than for humans, sometimes. But she doesn't let herself feel bad for what she had to so.
She looks around, her blood dripping lightly off her fingers. "How're we doing? Everyone more or less okay?"
AlexanderIt’s over – or, at least, this part of it is over. Two bodies – one a man, the other a cat, lie on the ground. And Alexander hurts. Breathing heavily, he walks over to the man that he recognises from the city. He drops to his knees next to him, letting the pistol fall to the ground by him, and looks at the man. Still now, Alexander pulls his eyelids closed.
He pulls the sweatshirt off and dumps it on the ground. Blood has oozed from puncture marks in his armoured vest, but doesn’t seem to be flowing freely any more. Alyssa asks how they’re all doing. He winces as he adjusts the armour.
“Been better,” he replies as he picks up the pistol and replaces the half-used clip with a fresh one.
Ian LaiNeither of these creatures deserved the fate they got. They's been in the wrong place at the wrong time - that was all. Then something had taken them and mangled them beyond recognition. Who knew if there was anything left of either the man or the cat to feel pain or to understand what was happening to them. If there was any mercy left in the world, they did not.
Alyssa attacked the spirit possessing the man, while Ian's sword tore apart the thing that was attacking him. The cat got in a couple of quick swipes with its claws, one on Ian's leg and the other on his side, tearing through denim and cotton to leave marks on the flesh below, but although he registered the damage done to his pattern, it was only distantly.
Beside Ian, Alex hesitated to shoot the creature that bore down on him, and in an instant Ian turned and swung his sword in a lethal arc, cutting the man (or what used to be a man) clean in half. The creature fell to the ground just in time for Alex to shoot the bobcat dead.
And then everything was still and quiet once more. Ian, now splattered in blood and whatever else happened to be oozing out of those creatures, looked down at the person he'd killed and for a moment, said nothing.
"Yeah," he finally offered, tightly, to Alyssa's query. And then to Alex, "Next time? Don't hesitate."
And then he began to walk toward the entrance to the reservoir.
Ian Lai[Edit: "They'd been in the wrong place..."]
Alyssa SolomonShe frowns a little bit when Ian delivers his advice to Alex, and clasps the most recently-Awakened of them lightly on his shoulder. With her unbloodied hand, luckily.
"You did good. Something to keep in mind going forward, but I get it. You're allowed to feel this way. That we don't? It's a reflection on us more than it is you."
They'll talk more about it later, on the car ride home. But she felt that needed said.
AlexanderAlexander looks up at Alyssa, the air around him cooling. Whatever did this to the man and the cat needed to be stopped. Ice in his voice, too, he replies, "Later." He gets up and walks after Ian.
IxThe tunnel is damp and warmer than the outside air. Thick algae grows along the earthen walls. It isn't hard to see, with the smooth curves of the walls and ceiling. There are no other things lurking and waiting for them in the tunnel, none that move on their own anyway. There are the remains of prey in here, covered with sprouting mushrooms and algae: birds, raccoons, foxes, a few people. All this to feed whatever is the center of this thing. The heart which does not move.
They follow the tunnel until they reach a small chamber. There are beds of molding leaves and algae and what looks more like kelp than vines. At the far end of the chamber is a human-like shape, but it is only the memory of a person now. It is no longer really flesh at all, only a whole living mass of roots and vines. It is only in the shape that echoes the form that any memory of what it once was remains.
And before it, raised up out of the water, is Sky. Ashen and very still, roots threading through and under his skin.
Alyssa SolomonHer blade is kept out, held in her free hand. If she cares about the fact that she's dripping blood the whole way into the chamber, she doesn't care. She's not heavily bleeding; it's just scratches in her palm, really, and most of it is from the vial. She's otherwise silent as she moves along, tensed and ready. She's hard-boiled, but that doesn't mean she doesn't get on edge.
They hit the chamber, and Alyssa looks it over. The human shape gets a frown, but only for a moment until she sees Sky.
There it is.
She looks at the others, taps her chest, makes a move with her hand as if she's firing one of Iron Man's repulsor rays as if to say Let me blast the spirit. Points down (Then), gestures to all of them. (We all get in on it).
Ian LaiBefore heading into the tunnel, Ian wiped his sword clean and re-sheathed it. There was nothing inside here that he could harm with it anyway - nothing besides Sky. On another day, the dirty water might have bothered him (and it still did, distantly in the back of his awareness - a crawling, itching distaste,) but today he had more important things on his mind.
When they reached the room where Sky was being kept, Ian took a step as though he wanted to approach. But Alyssa reminded him of why they were there and what they needed to accomplish, and Ian stopped moving and nodded, waiting for her signal.
AlexanderThe coolness fades a little as, once again, Alexander is faced with something completely beyond his experience and understanding. The ice is still there, though, sourced from a feeling that justice – for the people lost here – needs to be done. There’s more he’ll want to do after this is all over – fully over – assuming he’s still standing to do it.
Alyssa makes her gestures. Alexander nods. Back pressed against one of the walls, he’ll stand watch for the others.
IxEvil vs Sky?
Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (1, 6, 8, 10) ( success x 3 )
Ian Lai[+7]
Dice: 1 d10 TN6 (2) ( fail )
Alexander[+6]
Dice: 1 d10 TN6 (1) ( fail )
IxEvil initiative +4
Dice: 1 d10 TN6 (3) ( fail )
Alyssa Solomon[[+7]]
Dice: 1 d10 TN3 (8) ( success x 1 )
Ix[If you wake your sleeping princess? +2]
Dice: 1 d10 TN6 (6) ( success x 1 )
IxSo our order goes:
Inciting reflexive action: Around them the leaves shake as if in a strong wind but the air is still. Sky does does not scream but he thrashes against the roots. The leaves closest to him take on a reddish tinge. Ian can see what is happening by the damage it does to Sky. Alyssa and Alexander can see what is happening by the spiritual energy that makes it's way up the roots and to the central form against the back wall.
Ian
Alyssa
[Sky]
Alexander
Evil
IxEvil is going to do wiggy hallucination magic,
Alexander[Alexander is going to shoot the crap out of the person/plant thing - 3 round burst]
Ian Lai[Declare: Split action
1a: Draw weapon (because apparently someone put their sword away prematurely)
1b: Katana the Evil]
Alyssa Solomon[[Start Charging Prime blast on the spirit fucking up Sky's world.]]
Alyssa Solomon[[Spirit 2/Prime 2, WP, -2 for unique]]
Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (4, 6) ( success x 3 ) [WP]
Ian Lai[First split draws sword, second split Dex+Melee -3]
Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (2, 6, 6, 9) ( success x 3 )
Ian Lai[Str+3+2 damage]
Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (3, 3, 4, 6, 6, 7, 9) ( success x 4 )
Alexander[Dex+Firearms+2 -1 for wounds -1 for armour, +1 diff]
Dice: 6 d10 TN7 (2, 4, 4, 4, 6, 10) ( success x 1 )
Alexander[Well, at least it's a hit - 5 dam]
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (3, 4, 5, 6, 8) ( success x 2 )
Ix[You want hallucinations, right?]
Dice: 4 d10 TN8 (1, 4, 5, 7) ( fail )
IxEvil - SPORES!!!
Alexander[More shootiness - 3 round burst]
Ian Lai[Declare: Split Katana/Katana the Evil.]
Alyssa Solomon[[This magic effect? We're gonna...LET IT GO! LET IT GOOOOO! *Drifts into song*]]
Alyssa Solomon[[Rollies! -1 practiced, -2 unique, +1 for extending, Quintessence for -1 to bring it back to 3, fifth WP because WHO NEEDS WP?]]
Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (2, 5) ( success x 2 ) [WP]
Ian Lai[Dex+Melee -2]
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (2, 2, 2, 2, 7) ( success x 1 )
Ian Lai[Str+3]
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (4, 5, 6, 7, 7) ( success x 3 )
Ian Lai[Dex+Melee -3]
Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (5, 5, 8, 10) ( success x 2 )
Ian Lai[Str+3+1]
Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (6, 7, 8, 8, 10, 10) ( success x 6 )
Alexander[Shoot the damned thing anyway : Dex+Firearms+2 -1 for wounds -1 for armour, +1 diff]
Dice: 6 d10 TN7 (1, 2, 5, 5, 6, 8) ( success x 1 )
Alexander[Dam, not that it matters beyond making compost]
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (6, 8, 9, 9, 10) ( success x 5 )
IxThe spirit is gone. Alyssa and Alexander can see that. It will be some time before all of the algae and fungi will die off, but already Ian can see something vital in them fading.
They are left before the splintered remains of the creature. Behind them is Sky, still tangled in roots.
Alyssa SolomonThe spirit destroyed and the situation handled, Alyssa doesn't look to Sky. She has something else to handle, and that's where the backpack comes into play.
She lets them deal with the cleanup of the Verbena; she takes her five candles out, sets them down in a circle, equal lengths apart. This time, she cuts deeper. She needs to to get her blood involved on this one; there's a wince and a hiss as she draws the blade hard across her hand, making the coppery red stuff start to well up. She quickly uses it to outline the circle, fill in the lines in the center to make a pentagram and then stands in the center.
The Enochian begins quietly, but rises. She's summoning, or trying. Offering her mystical energy (what's left, and what she can pull from herself) in order to get the spirits, if called, to cleanse this place. So this never happens again.
[[Spirit 2: Call Spirit. Final WP, Unique foci to -2. Taking time for another -1 to make it diff 3. Will extend twice]]
Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (5, 10) ( success x 3 ) [WP]
Ian LaiThe creature came alive, and in the ensuing flurry of action Ian tore into the vines and roots of the creature's physical form, slicing it open while Alyssa shot it with a burst of pure Prime energy. This time, Alexander didn't hesitate to shoot, but by the time his bullet made a splattered mess of the thing on the wall, it was already dead and gone. The shot echoed around the chamber, and Ian, with his delicate senses, flinched as though the sound was physically painful. He shook it off a moment later though, because his focus was on Sky.
Sky, who at this moment was barely alive, damaged and defiled by the thing they had just killed. Ian walked up to the unconscious Verbena and put his hand on Sky's chest, feeling the man's heartbeat. Memories came, then. Sounds and tastes. They barely knew each other, but they knew each other well. It was a stark contrast to the Sky that Ian remembered, this ruined body that lay before him.
But he was still alive. So Ian leaned down and pressed a kiss to Sky's forehead, then he reached down to the claw wound on his side and came up with a smear of his own blood on his hand. First he licked it, then he pressed one hand against Sky and one against the roots that sprung from his body.
[Life 2 - forcing the roots to leave Sky's body. Vulgar. Diff 6 -1 for focus, -1 for taking his time, -1 for lore, will extend]
Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (7, 8) ( success x 3 ) [WP]
AlexanderAs the remains of the spirit fade away from Alexander’s vision like candle smoke in a breeze, dissipating through the Umbra, Alexander lowers his pistol to his side. The safety is flicked on and the clip changed for the last, full one. It seems that this might be the end, but then again it might not. The gun is slipped back into the waistband of his trousers.
Somewhere, buried in police record and on a barely-viewed website, is a list of missing people. Sons and daughters, brothers and sisters who will never be seen again. The families left behind will never know what happened to them, or even if they’re alive or dead. Their own brand of purgatory. With Ian working on freeing Sky and Alyssa calling on a spirit to cleanse the area, he moves over to the remains of the others. He spends a little time with each of them, checking what belongings may surround them for some identification or unique belonging. He’ll do the same for the unknown man the met and defeated earlier, but there’s one person left. The one that they had just fought. He moves over, crouching by the remains.
IxAlyssa begins to call to spirits for aid in cleansing and perhaps healing this place.
Ian sends the roots coiling back from Sky, freeing him of them entirely.
Alexander begins the process of identifying bodies, all but the one at the center have something that can identify them.
Alyssa Solomon[[Extendy! All those other mods but +1 diff for extending]]
Dice: 2 d10 TN4 (6, 9) ( success x 3 ) [WP]
Alyssa Solomon[[Second extend; we're at 5 succ so far]]
Dice: 2 d10 TN4 (5, 9) ( success x 2 )
Alyssa Solomon[[And Paradox: 3 vulgar Spirit 2 effects, so 6 potential damage!]]
Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 9) ( success x 1 )
Alyssa Solomon[[Soak]]
Dice: 3 d10 TN6 (3, 5, 7) ( success x 1 )
Ian LaiIan tapped into the life force of the roots, willing them to release their hold on Sky, and slowly, the twisted coils of plant-matter pulled themselves from the Verbena's body, retreating like something out of a dark fairy tale.
But Sky was still unconscious, and now that the things keeping him alive had been torn away, there wasn't much time left. So Ian leaned down quickly and whispered into his ear. "Wake up."
(He'd done this before. It recalled memories of other things, and other people.)
[Mind 2 / Life 2 diff 5 -1 (focus) -1 (practiced)]
Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (3, 5) ( success x 3 ) [WP]
AlexanderHaving found all he’s likely to for those who passed on in the cave, he stays crouched by the remains. Alexander watches Alyssa work her will, summoning the spirits who would clean and restore this place to its original former glory. His vision still attuned to the other side of the looking glass, he watches as they start to gather. He keeps an eye on Ian, watching him tend to his friend. If nothing else, it shows a side of the other man that might not have been obvious from their earlier encounters. It shows that he’s human.
If Alexander is needed to help with anything, like assisting people back to where they had parked not that long ago. It seemed so much longer than, in reality, it actually was. Time is strange like that. Otherwise he’s mostly quiet and watchful, the chill that had surrounded him earlier fading into the more natural background.
IxSky's eyes flutter open. He gasps, once. Twice. And then he forces his breathing to slow. To deepen.
He knows where he is. He does not, entirely, understand why Ian is there.
But he can see that Ian is exhausted by all of this, so he reaches up to run a hand through Ian's hair before he asks the the question they both know is coming. It isn't even his first question. Or the second.
"Are you alright? Is anyone hurt?" His voice is rough. Hoarse. But even half-ruined, it is full of all the warmth of summer.
Ian Lai"Sky, you need to heal yourself or you're going to die."
There was enough of an edge of desperation to Ian's voice that Sky would be able to tell how serious (and immediate) the situation was. That now was hardly the time to take stock of the aftermath (because the aftermath hadn't yet arrived.)
"Here," he said quietly, moving into a seated position over Sky's body with knees at either side of Sky's hips. Ian was careful not to put weight on Sky as he leaned over and used his own knife to slice a deep cut down the center of his palm. Then he pressed his bloody hand over Sky's heart.
"Take what you need."
IxSky reaches for Ian's hand and presses it to his lips, not to drink the blood, no, this is a kiss.
[Prime 3 - WP]
Dice: 3 d10 TN6 (10, 10, 10) ( success x 4 ) [WP]
Ix[And, just so we know
Life 2/Prime 2 - WP -1 D practiced]
Dice: 3 d10 TN5 (2, 5, 9) ( success x 3 ) [WP]
Ix
Paradox
Dice: 2 d10 TN6 (3, 9) ( success x 1 )
Ix
[Soak?]
Dice: 3 d10 TN6 (4, 7, 9) ( success x 2 )
Ian Lai
[Oh yeah, I should do that too]
Dice: 2 d10 TN6 (1, 1) ( fail )
Ian Lai
Sharing blood (and Quintessence) this way was an extraordinarily intimate thing, something that Ian had not planned on ever doing it with Sky. He had not, in fact, done this with anyone before in his life. But Sky didn't know that, and Ian wasn't likely to ever tell him. It would only serve to make things more awkward.
And in the moment, he wasn't thinking about that. He was thinking that this was a sacrifice he could afford to make in the service of saving Sky's life. No, it didn't mean that they were any closer than they actually were, but it meant something all the same.
Life was valuable. Perhaps, after taking it from an unknown man only moments earlier, Ian was all the more aware of how fragile and precious it actually was.
He let Sky kiss his hand, and sat still and watchful as Sky pulled the Quintessence from deep within his being. It was an odd sensation, and afterward Ian felt drained and empty. But then Sky's body began to heal, knitting itself whole once more, and Ian finally allowed some of the tension to seep from his muscles.
"Come on, I'll get you home."
He stood up and offered a hand to help Sky carefully to his feet.
Ian Lai
[Edit: "something Ian had not planned on ever doing with Sky."]
Ix
Sky looks over Ian. There is a second where he looks like he is going to say something ridiculous, like, 'I'm okay. Let me help you.' Except, he doesn't. It seems, in this moment, the kindest thing to give Ian whatever control he's taking and make no mention of anything. Not the exhaustion, not the wounds, not fact that despite everything that just happened Sky might be the one of them in better shape.
At least until he starts to process any of this.
"Yeah," is all he says. Softly. Very softly. "Thanks."
Ix
[But we will heal Alex, if we can. Because some Verbena have a helping people compulsion.
Life 3/Prime 2 WP -1 D practiced/-1 D time]
Dice: 3 d10 TN5 (3, 7, 9) ( success x 3 ) [WP]
Ix
Paradox
Dice: 3 d10 TN6 (6, 8, 9) ( success x 3 )
Ix
Soak
Dice: 3 d10 TN6 (7, 8, 10) ( success x 3 )
Ian Lai
[First, Per+Meditation]
Dice: 4 d10 TN7 (1, 2, 4, 6) ( fail )
Ian Lai
[Of course]
Ian Lai
[No quint for you Ian]
Ian Lai
[Fine then. Life 2, Vulgar, diff 6 -1 going slow, -1 focus, -1 practiced]
Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (3, 5) ( success x 2 )
Ian Lai
[Paradox]
Dice: 2 d10 TN6 (7, 7) ( success x 2 )
Ian Lai
[Soak?]
Dice: 2 d10 TN6 (2, 8) ( success x 1 )
Ix
and I think we're done with this room.
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