Difference between revisions of "Shadow Rising/Chapter 3"

Latest revision as of 05:46, 22 May 2013

Click here to return to the index.

Click here to return to Chapter 2.

Sorien found amongst her pile, a single photo of the Masters family that was undamaged, showing a loving family. Also there's a note scribbled hastily that basically says the parents only gave up looking for Lyri because they were dragged by neighbours, and that their destination was the capitol.

A low sigh is heard from the back row seats where Cilan had sat again as she watches the ruined landscape go by, occasionally a long draught from her hip flask is taken, though on occasion, she looks over to the group going over their finds, but adds little, probably not having anything to even say regarding either. Yet.

REDACTED has been trying to care for Grantok, even without any skills in medicine, she's simply providing comfort for the injured woman.

Sorien looks at the picture. "They weren't there for her. Maybe... Thats it?"

Narg leans back in her seat and closes her eyes catching a quick nap before they get to Sacremento

Loki has moved over to Grantok, trying his best to help REDACTED with the wounded individual, silently contemplating his recent findings while the others were at the house.

Apo is sitting staring out the window, watching the landscape roll past.

Sorien gets her eyes back on the road, keeping the picture and note in her bag. "I hope... Maybe we'll save someone at least.

A few moans of pain escape the lynx's mouth as Grantok shifts her weight in the seat. A wincing smile is directed towards REDACTED and Loki as they help a little with the bandages.

Loki lowers a concerned hand over Grantok, the appendage emitting a gentle light as he does his best to help mend Grantok's wounds, concentrating intently, coaxing the nanites to hopefully be more 'motivated' in their repairs.

Sori continues to drive, the quiet in the bus oppressive. She flicks on the CD player, and Sinatra starts singing 'New York New York'.

Loki glances up from his work, and peers at Sorien. "You know... I am reminded of a tongue twister... Try saying Unique New York!" he grins, trying to break the rather stifling grim mood that seems to permeate the bus.

Sori glances back. "Why?"

Grantok flinches a little and glares up at the roof of the bus. "Remind me... when we finally do run into Fer... to return her little gift she left behind..." She mumbles incoherently for a few moments more before dozing off again.

Sorien rubs her eyes and checks the map.

Loki blinks. "I have no real idea Sorien... just the mention of the name of a city brought forth another thing tangentially related.

Narg sighs as the music rolls through the bus, her eyes however are still closed.

"I burned this CD cos I figured big band and crooners were pretty much acceptable to everyone," Sori says.

As she speaks, Dean Martin starts in with 'Everybody Loves Somebody'.

Cilan looks up and over to Grantok as she says that last comment, a small smirk pulling at her lips before she looks back out the window, humming her own song to herself, again the 90's rock song, 'Zombie' by The Cranberries, the soldier though simply hums the first opening chords before stopping, probably having forgotten how the rest of the tune went.

Narg opens her eyes and shouts a question up at Sori "Hey Sori do you have 'Hey Mambo Italiano' on that thing?

"No, but I have the Stan Getz version of 'Girl From Ipanema'. Sori grins.

Narg shrugs "Don't think I ever heard that one, do you have 'That's Amore' by Dean Martin? I'm sorry for asking I just really wanna know"

The bus drive is long, and quiet. The fire in the distance continues ever present, it seems to be expanding, a large area of southern California on fire. Animals are occasionally seen fleeing -towards- the desert to get away from it.

Narg returns to her nap

Judy Garland starts singing "Over the Rainbow" as the journey continues.

REDACTED moves up to be near her mate while she's driving this trip, and helps to navigate. "We're heading for the heart of the city my love. It's the last place I saw her. Hopefully we can find her."

Sori nuzzles REDACTED. "I know we will. It’s what happens when we do that has me worried."

Loki sniffs the air and glances up. "A fire?... that is not good... when did that happen?" he wonders aloud, peering off in the direction of the flames. "Although... it could also be a natural cycle."

Cilan looks over to Loki and calls out to him from across the bus, "It was there when we got to the school.. didnt you smell the smoke.. or at the very least see it?"

Apostasy gives Loki a funny look. "You're only noticing that now? That fire has been there since we arrived at the school."

Sorien yips, "Its a Chinook Fire. The Chinook winds drive the fire through the brush. WIth no firefighters it won't stop til it rains."

The trip takes them back a more direct route, up towards Sacramento, and not up through nevada like the side trip they took before. As they get closer to the city, the sky overhead darkens considerable, although there's not a cloud in the sky, it's as if they're entering twilight itself. The sense of foreboding makes both Sori and REDACTED shiver with recognition. The same feelings as Daly, only far, far stronger.

Narg opens her eyes with a yawn and stretches her arms out.

Englebert Humperdinck starts singing 'Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You'.

Apostasy peers out the window as the sky darkens. "Hey, who turned out the sun?"

Sori says, "One guess."

Apostasy grins. "Bad Sori. Stop turning off the sun!"

"You'll forgive if I don't see this as funny, sweetie," Sori replies.

Taggart remains quiet on the trip, pensively watching out the window from time to time, eyes resting upon the collection of stuff from Ferox's boyfriend's locker the other half.

Cilan rises from her seat and moves up to the front of the bus, once there she asks REDACTED, "Hey, REDACTED, do you know what we'll be going up against while in the city? I mean, yeah there is probably Ferox, but anything else that may try to att--.. wow.. that’s, just strange.." her attention diverted quickly by the twilight sky.

Loki blinks, and looks towards Cilan, frowning. "It would... appear I did not." he sighs, hobbling over towards his robot and flopping down on a nearby seat. He scratches his head, and furrows his brow. "Perhaps I should try to pay more attention to my surroundings... and I believe the smoke could have blotted the sun out... or it’s an eclipse."

Narg takes a glance out the window and it's sudden darkness but keeps any comments to herself preparing herself mentally for the task that is going to be at hand soon.

REDACTED shrugs, "I'm not really sure, what I saw here was death, but how much of it was the shadow's trickery I'm uncertain. As you can feel, this however is what I was afraid of."

Grantok shifts a little in her slumber, letting out only a little whimper of pain over the whole course of the ride. Her eyes only open as they near the major portions of the city itself, when she sits up in her seat and unceremoniously loosens a few of the bandages with a claw. Her ears slightly drooped they still tilt towards the conversations going on at the front of the bus.

Loki tilts his head in response to REDACTED. "What do you mean this is what you were afraid of? I do not think the dark is something to fear... after all, it is just the absence of light." he nods, rising from his seat and curiously peeking out the window. "Either that, or it may be an effect of the local nanite field."

Cilan nods slowly towards REDACTED's comment, though adds little to it aside from a slow pat on the leopards shoulder before she returns to one of the nearby, and unoccupied seats.

The suburbs around the city appear lifeless, no ferals or animals in sight. REDACTED has Sori exit the highway to avoid a pileup and they navigate through the smaller backroads for a bit. Its far eerier than even the scenes in San Francisco, the absolute absence of any life at all, or any story that tells what happened to them adds even more to the already foreboding dread in the air.

Cilan says, "I don’t think she meant the darkness, but rather the power that Shadow holds, Loki.."

"Loki... That's the Shadow. Check the time. It isn't night time," Sori says.

'Sentimental Journey' by the Les Brown Band plays quietly.

Taggart scowls softly and looks to the front, "Kin ya turn that shite off, please?"

Apostasy giggles. "Looks like I'm not the only one who's not very fond of this music."

Sori sighs. "Alright, Tag. I just wanted something nice to listen to, rather than gloomy silence." She turns it off just at the midpoint of Louis Armstrong's 'What A Wonderful World'

Loki peers out the window and shrugs. "It may not be, but the nanites can alter weather and such... why not the amount of light that reaches the surface of the planet?" he suggests. "As for the scale of the shadow's power, and any other type of god... well, I think you overestimate their power."

Taggart mumbles gently, "Jus' not in tha mood..." Afterwards, he turns his gaze back outside, emerald eyes peering through the darkness to the desolate landscape.

Grantok coughs a little, a morose look in her eyes. "Making it seem like we're out for a little stroll around the state is a little unbefitting at this point."

Narg takes her eyes away from the scene of the lifeless city with only a slight then bows her head the mumblings of a prayer can be heard coming from her.

The grass has withered, plant life itself absconded, as if running. Back on the highway for a short bit, they move closer to the city proper. The capitol lit in the far distance by a faint light that can be seen despite the lack of sun.

Taggart turns his head to Loki, and speaks gently again, "Mebbe you underestimate it, Loki." The man is deadly serious before turning back around to watch buildings roll by.

Sori forces her ears up. "Which way now, sweetie?"

REDACTED points to the south eastern section of the city. "That area is vaguely where I remember her meeting up with her family..." her ears drop.

Sori starts picking her way in that direction as best she can, avoiding obviously-choked off routes. "We may have to hoof it soon; I don't know how close I'll be able to get, even with the bull plates.

Loki sighs, looking over to Grantok, then to Taggart "I do not think that by any means this is a walk in the park, but I will also say that succumbing to defeat by assuming something has magic and power far beyond yourself... is also a negative mindset to have... especially if that is what powers what you fight against." he says, thinking for a long while before eventually speaking again. "Here are two thoughts... "Always assume your enemy knows more than you.... and.... the basest form of combat is deception... of course I may be mis-quoting the famous Sun Tzu.."

Taggart mumbles again, but seems to answer Loki with his gaze still focused outside, "Why do ya think I ain't dead yet?"

"Because you're you, sweetie. Too stubborn to die, to mean to quit." Says Sori.

Taggart turns his head to Sorien, thinking about her words for just a moment before he refocuses outside again. His mood doesn't change.

The inner city is worse than the outer, in here the dread is enough to choke on. Faint Light illuminates everything, casting long and tall shadows that intermix with the hazy ground. There's an eerie lack of anything thus far though that stands out, no people.

Sori hits the high-beams on the bus, for a better view; the bus can't be any more obvious regardless.

Grantok's eyes shift over in Taggart's direction for a moment, a cascade of thoughts running through her head and across her face. She leans back into her seat and turns to face the gloom outside, the expression on her face solidifying.

The high beams hit the cast shadows and... stop, as if the shadows themselves are manifest and present. However the bus passes through them like they aren't there.

Apo continues staring out the window, watching the strange shadowy world pass by with an expression of mild curiosity.

"Oh, I really don't like this place... How much further? I don't wanna lose our transport from here..." Sori asks REDACTED.

Cilan chuckles to herself silently as she looks idly out the window, "Looks like something out of a horror movie.. or a nightmare.."

Sori startles at that. "That's exactly it, Cil. A nightmare."

Loki continues to peer out the window, thinking quietly to himself, his only other action would have been nodding in response to Taggart. He sighs, and moves over to his robot, and begins reviewing some things and ideas, brow furrowed in thought.

Apostasy lilts, "There's worse nightmares than an empty city of shadow."

Sori says, "Is there? For us, there's worse. What about the people who were here? Where are they?"

REDACTED shivers and says softly, "I'm not really sure from here, nothing here I recognize from the dream." She frowns.

Taggart mumbles gently in response to Apostasy, "Wut if yer worst fear is bein' alone? I'd say this's about as bad as it gets."

"I think I wanna find a safe place for the bus soon. Check the map; see how far we are at... (Sori rattles off the intersection they're at) From where we need to be, and I'll start trying to find a place to land this turkey."

The buildings are lifeless too, once major facets of city life, most are drab and dreary, abandoned shops and homes are simply broken down buildings.

Taggart shakes his head and stands up, speaking up to Sorien and REDACTED as he heads back toward the lavatory. "Jus' park somewheres... we kin' walk tha rest tha way."

Sori nods, and looks for a clear spot that looks at least remotely safe.

Sparhawk starts awake suddenly, ears flickering around. Shi mumbles something as shi tilts up to L-shape, then glances around to make sure shi's not gonna clock someone in the face before stretching.

Once she has the behemoth parked, Sori looks back at the rest of the crew. "I know that it might not be helpful in this weird shadow, but there are camp-lanterns in the stowage, and a good number of different kinds of maglights. Take what you think you'll need. And guys... We have to work together. Our infighting does the Shadow's job for him. Listen to Tag and follow his lead; this is his show, after all. Stay in sight, and be careful- I want us all going home. Please."

REDACTED says, "And listen to your ears, and your nose. They will tell you what is real far better than your eyes."

Loki looks to Sorien and nods. "I will try my best." he says, then turns to REDACTED and nods again. "I think that utilizing all senses may be best... I would not disregard eyesight completely in determining what is real or what is not. If they were far better, then why would we still have them?" he muses, rising from his seat and stretching out.

Taggart steps out of the lavatory as the bus comes to a stop, moving to where he'd been sitting. The man pulls a flashlight attachment from his pack and slides it onto the side of his AUG, clicking it into place and turning it on and then off to make sure it works. Shouldering his pack, he takes rifle into his hands and makes his way down the aisle and off the bus, flipping flashlight back on as he steps into the eerie shadow world.

Narg lifts her head back up and lets out a relieved sigh and turns to watch the swirling darkness outside the bus before standing up with pistol unholstered and nods in understanding.

Sparhawk yawns again while peering sleepily at the outside. "Uh, so that's weird dark, not just me being asleep for hours and hours?

Sori reaches under the dash, and there is a little 'click'. "I've thrown the kill-switch; if I'm not able to drive, it HAS to be thrown or the ignition won't work. It’s just a toggle switch, but it was a real simple antihijack that I could install."

Apostasy nods to Sparhawk as she heads off the bus. "Magic Shadow darkness. All impenetrable to light 'n' stuff." She stretches out as she gets off the bus, wings seeming to glow faintly as she spreads them out.

The smells of the city are mustiness, a certain dampness and the faint scent of mildew. There's no familiar city smells, no scent of people. Not a few moments outside the bus though until the sudden loud noise of pain erupts, followed shortly by a scream, and moans of pain. The noises seem to come from all over, and no place at once. Directionless, pure sounds of agony.

Sori waits for everyone to exit before stepping down herself, shutting and locking the doors.

Narg moves to the front of the bus and crosses herself before stepping of the bus before sori.

Sparhawk hmphs and ripples hir skin from normal blue fur to the lightly-glowing scales of a solar dragon while piling out of the bus. "Gunna hug me some darkness," shi mumbles half-awake still.

Apostasy's ears swivel about as she tries to pinpoint the source of the screaming, but fails to. "Guess there's still a couple of people hiding out."

Grantok pulls herself to her feet with a bit of a grunt and walks, a little wobbly at first, down to the exit of the bus and takes out a few vials of nanites, placing them within quick reach should she need a good light.

"Or not hiding, but trapped. Should we check?" Sori asks.

Loki jumps at the sudden screams, but eventually seems to settle, chuckling at Sparhawk's joke. he covers his ears at the sounds, sighing. "Well, this is perhaps the oddest bubble of nanites out there."

REDACTED holds herself tight, her arms hugging tight against herself. She walks nervously, looking for something recognizable. Her ears are pressed low, and she coughs.

Apostasy looks at Sor. "Check where? I couldn't figure out what direction it came from, could you?"

Narg shudders as the noises hit her ears "I don't think anyone is hiding out or trapped"

Cilan rises from her seat, and grips her handguns pulling her handguns from their holsters, moving out of the bus she looks around, her inquisitive eyes trying to peer through the shadows, while her ears remain open for the signs of where the screams had come from, though she remains perfectly silent.

Sorien softly churrs, "... Not by hearing, no. And there's no bubble. This isn't nanites, Loki."

Taggart frowns gently, "Er mebbe it's jus' tha Shadow fuckin' wit'us." The man pulls a pair of rubbery earplugs from a front forward pocket, tucking them in with a little wince as he adjusts them.

REDACTED says, "I... I uhh... I'm not sure..." she seems distracted and weak. Her face looks drained, her fur ragged.

Sori stops, looking at REDACTED. "Hey. Hey, sweetie. You okay?"

REDACTED shivers, teeth chattering and says, "I... I'll be fine. I... I just don't know where to go."

Sparhawk shrugs and hops a little, assigning the traumatic noise to the category of 'lies'. Shi goes over to Taggart and rummages up the bridle, holding it in hir hands in the unnatural twilight.

Sori nuzzles REDACTED, then kisses her. "Be with me. We'll find the way. I love you, sweetie."

Apostasy prowls about the nearby area, checking for any scents.

Taggart frowns softly as he looks about in the gloom, shaking his head. The man finally just hollers out, "Come on then, Lyri... let's get this done'n'over with." His voice echoes through the darkness and the shadow, bouncing off empty buildings as it is lost into the screams.

Loki frowns a little as the others speak. "Are you sure?..." he murmurs, trailing off and focusing for a moment, another frown crossing his face. "It appears to be the truth... an odd phenomenon. Could be something to study." he muses, looking around. "REDACTED... you said something about dreams... so I will say something else. I suggest you tell us exactly what you saw in your dreams before we advance. More knowledge would allow us to better navigate something such as this."

As Sori nuzzles REDACTED, fur rubs away, falling off to the ground below, leaving a bare patch of black skin on her muzzle.

Narg draws her K-Bar with her left paw while keeping her pistol drawn in her right taking a sniff at the air as she her ears swivels around

At the mention of a lack of a nanite bubble, Grantok readjusts her bandages, ensuring that the majority of healing had already taken place. After that, she simply shuts her eyes and listens to the air around, keeping a bit of a motionless vigil, only to be thrown off by the shouting Irishman.

Sori blinks, looking at the bared hide. "Sweetie... Are you okay?"

Apostasy stands stock still, ears straining for any change in the local sounds after Tag's yell. She sniffs the air again.

REDACTED holds her hand up to her face, touching it. "I... I don't really know my love. I... We need to find what we need and get out of here. I can't take much of this."

Cilan looks curiously towards REDACTED, "Uh.. I have to agree with her, where to though? Back to the bus and gather our thoughts or maybe press forward?"

Sparhawk's ears flat back against the pressure of Tag's shouting, sticking a note to the bridle and offering it to Tag after the echoes are swallowed. 'Someone loved this a lot', it reads.

"Hold Kaylah in your heart. She'll protect you as much as I." Says Sori, taking REDACTED' hand and moving to be near Tag. Catching his eye, she directs his gaze to REDACTED with a quick glance so that he can see what's happening.

Taggart glances down to the offered bridle, frowning as he reads the note. He's caught in thought for a moment before he pushes it back toward Sparhawk, "Keep it, ya may need it more'n'me."

REDACTED says, "Her parents where refugees... they were in

Taggart turns his attention to REDACTED, catching sight of the fur moulting with a small scowl. The man shakes his head and looks back around at the surroundings, brow furrowing as he falls quiet and deep into thought.

"Standing around here like this isn't going to do us any good. We need to get moving." Apo says, still prowling about the edges of the group.

"The attacks aren't going to be direct or physical this time, I think..." Sori says.

Sparhawk nods agreeably, hanging the bridle from a strap. The leather and metal assemblage can be seen by anyone in the group as long as Spar's body isn't in the way, despite the darkness. "Be a nice time to have learned sign language already, I must admit."

Narg nods her head in agreement but says nothing as she continues to listen to the surroundings and take occasional sniffs at the air.

Loki sighs, his suggestion of REDACTED telling everyone everything she saw in her dreams falling upon deaf ears. He instead chooses to remain silent, peering around the city as best he can, trying to discern smells and sounds if possible, and looking to see if there may be any clues or interesting things he may be able to spot in the vicinity of the group.

Grantok glances over towards Sorien and replies. "Then the assault already began a while ago."

Sori says, "REDACTED said Fer's family was in a warehouse near here. Start with that- Warehouses. Do you recall any signs on the building, sweetie?"

Taggart looks up to Apostasy and nods in agreement, starting to step off in a direction, indicating everyone should follow. He calls out again, "Come on then, Lyri... we need ta have a little chat, don't we? Don't let me down now, luv." What happens next is a bit of a blur. It happens in the span of a second, but it seems to take so much more. The back of Taggart's head explodes in gore, then the sound of a heavy calibre pistol is heard ringing out. He falls slowly backward, arms going open and eyes going wide as the small little red dot of the entry wound forms on his forehead. A heavy and sick thud as his body hits the ground, and then a voice, recognizable as Ferox, "Fuck you, Taggart."

Narg Begins to follow then drops her muzzle "Holy Shit!"

Sori grabs REDACTED and with more speed than you'd think given the mass involved, whips them both behind a car!

Narg quickly combat rolls to the nearest bit of solid cover and ducks

Grantok eyes go wide at the sudden injury sustained by Taggart, scrambling for cover as quickly as she can at the moment. Her ears remain on alert, trying to pinpoint the location the shot and shouts came from.

Ferox follows up the announcement with three fast potshots. One narrowly missing REDACTED, and another hitting Cilan in the shoulder, her gun arm.

Apostasy caught in the open, Apo drops prone the instant the shot rings out, ears swivelling about trying to pinpoint the direction from which it came.

Sori shouts, "Fer! Why are you doing this?" in an effort to get dialogue rather than gunfire for a moment.

Cilan blinks at Taggart, and attempts to roll out of the way, though her movements don’t seem to have been quick enough, as she calls out in pain, clenching her shoulder with the opposite hand, "Shit.. I already hate her!"

Sparhawk leaps away from the slumped pile of Taggart, staring for half the arc before twisting in midflight to drop to a nearby building's wall and swarm up onto the roof. Shi holds there until bullet noises stop.

Apostasy sees Ferox just as she's turned to run, hoping off the side of a building like it's nothing, and bolting down an alleyway away.

Narg fires a few laser shots in the general direction of the original shots blindly before moving to another bit of cover.

The colour quickly drains from Taggart's body as blood flows out of the giant hole in the back of his head, thought, THAT particular gory detail is hidden by cement.

Loki does not seem to initially react to the shot, instead staring at the body, as if perhaps a little in shock at what just happened, ears swivelling towards the newer triad of sounds, before eventually moving towards Cilan as she cries out in pain as best he can, trying to provide cover for the wounded soldier, trying to help carry her towards REDACTED and Sorien, not wanting to split the group too much. If possible, he will try to bring Apostasy towards cover as well.

Apostasy scrambles up to all fours, shouting "This way!" as she lopes after Ferox, trying to keep her in sight.

Narg pants, "Wait no don't follow her alone!!!!"

Grantok shouts from behind the cover of a car. "Remember what she left at the school! Don't, Apo!"

Cilan shy's away from Loki's attempts at assistance, instead following after Apostasy, her wounded arm hanging limply at her side, while the other hand grips onto the other handgun, the one that was held in the wounded arm lying in the street, "Oh hell no, you're not going without me, sis.. I’ve got a score to settle now.." a little pain, in her clearly angered voice.

Narg roars in frustration and chases after Cilan

When Apo moves, Sori does too- she says, "Circle the car; keep it between you and any point that she could reach circling!" To REDACTED, and goes to Tag's body to see what she can do.

When she reaches the entrance to the alleyway Ferox ran down, Apo uses her wings to power a long jump through the entrance, above where any tripwires might be set. When she lands, she starts loping at top speed, following Fer's scent trail.

Grantok spits visibly at the rush and attack by the others, quickly trying to think up a way to turn the situation back to one of their advantage. After a moment of thought, she ducks between some buildings in an attempt to outflank Ferox.

REDACTED huddles against the ground, overwhelmed and looking extremely ill. More fur has come off her muzzle, shoulders, falling to the ground below. She finally falls over and vomits.

Cilan follows Apostasy's example, her own wings flaring open for a giant jump through the alleyway, her own movements mirroring Apostasy’s exactly.

Ferox casually throws a grenade backwards, keeping far ahead of the Lunerin. Almost as if she's -trying- to keep pace.

Taggart's body is lying in a pool of blood, his brain matter splattered across the cement above him. His eyes are slightly wide in surprise, the green having gone pale as well. Regeneration doesn't appear to be kicking in, either.

Narg jumps inside the same room although is just is much closer to the door when she jump and lands with a combat role and rises back up with her stride unbroken, she is trailing Cilan and Apo just barely.

Loki blinks as Cilan and Narg run after Apostasy, then looks around for Sparhawk, not spotting that individual either, then peers back to Sorien and REDACTED. He does not seem to know what to do, and then hits the side, growling in response. He sighs, closing his eyes for a moment, furrowing his brow to come up with a plan. Moments later, his robot emerges, the steel giant now outside the bus.

"Nonononono I am NOT gonna allow this. NO!" Sori says, and KNOWING the danger she tries to heal Taggart!

Sparhawk leaps up off the roof again, weirdly silent as the gryphontaur keeps pace with Apo at rooftop level. Not even radio noise! Just running and staring at the shadow and the Shadow-possessed.

Loki peers down at REDACTED and Sorien, seeing if they are ok. "What is so bad Sorien?.. and.. REDACTED... tell me everything you saw in your dreams... although I rule out magic, I try to keep an open mind to a degree. If what you saw is correct, I would assume it could be useful." he nods, then orders his robot to attempt to map the city as best it can using radar- sound to create at least get a layout of the place.

Apo throws herself into cover, further protecting herself with her shield, as the grenade goes off. The shrapnel ricochets off the shield and the dumpster she's hiding behind, and she leaps out again, back on the chase.

Narg drops to the ground as the grenade goes off and gets back up after a few seconds after it does chasing after Apo.

Apostasy can't smell Ferox, no scent to guide her, and the grenade gave her some distance. The ground covered by shadow, all she can go on is the sound of footsteps.

Cilan jumps backwards, out of the grenades range, and blocks her face from any debris, or shrapnel with a forearm held in front of it, while the protection is probably minimal, its probably the only thing she can do at the moment.

Sorien's magic and nanites reach out for the lifeblood of Taggart, trying to coax it back into his body, or to at least repair the major damage. Something sparks, almost like electricity, however, and the shadows surrounding both him and her seem to loom closer as if shades of Death are trying to claim something.

Her ears straining to pick up the sound of Fer's footsteps, Apo keeps running, trying to regain the distance lost avoiding the grenade.

Sori literally SNARLS at the darkness. "HE IS NOT YOURS!" And she SHOVES with her will at the forces facing them!

REDACTED begins to shake, her fur coming off in clumps, she holds at herself, trying not to cry out. To hold and will herself back together.

Perhaps it was just a trick of the imagination, but the shadows look as if they've never moved.

Loki looks down at Sorien and REDACTED, slightly saddened by their reactions. He grits his teeth. "Do not give up you two... I am still here... and.. well, we all came back from the dead before..." he trails off, trying to comfort the two to some degree.

Taggart is still lifeless, blood pooled around him, green eyes pale and dark of spirit.

Sori starts listing Tag's children's names, and her own REDACTED and Kaylah's. "We love you, we NEED you. Get BACK here!" And she tries to heal Tag again!

Cilan pushes herself forward again, charging as fast as her legs can take her to catch up with both Apostasy, and Ferox, the single handgun still gripped firmly in her hand as she runs off into the shadows, her own ears following the sounds of footsteps as best as they can.

Cilan gains on Apo during the grenade incident, both following behind her, barely keeping pace, her remaining out of sight.

Narg Is following hot on Cilan’s trail listening to her close footsteps to keep track of where she is.

Again, magic and nanites attempt to assault Taggart's body. Where nanites flicker, his blood turns black and tries to consume, but then falls inert. Magic sparks against something as well, both forms of healing unable to affect his corpse.

Grantok keeps her ears peeled as she heads down some separate side alleys, keeping a rough tabs on the location of the pursuers and the pursued. After the explosion from the grenade she redoubles her efforts for a few moments, keeping a good watch for her surroundings and finally deems the place is right, finding an opportune place of cover to lie in wait.

REDACTED shudders as every remaining hair on her body falls off, her tails themselves clump off one by one and disappear into the shadows.

Sori suddenly has an idea, and not a good one. She cuts herself with a claw, and lets the blood drip into Tag's slightly-open mouth. "Wolf, wolf," she says, "I know YOU Want to live. Come out and save him, and you!"

Ferox's footprints appear to be coming right towards where Grantok is, she hears them, but doesn't see anybody to go with. Shortly after the sounds arrive, Apo and Cilan run into Grantok's view.

The blood drips down from Sorien's fur and into Taggart's open mouth, his tongue seeming to flush with life for the barest of moments before falling inert. A lone wolf howls from off in the shadow, followed by that of a coyote, in its slightly higher pitched, but still sorrowful and mournsome tone.

Loki looks down at Sorien, frowning a bit as he stares at his robots inability to map anything with radar. He sighs, pacing around, staring at Sorien's attempts to revive a corpse. Electricity crackles for a moment as he clenches a fist. "Sorien, if you want me to try to jumpstart his heart with a jolt..." he offers, trying to comfort, glancing at the darkness with the howls. He goes back to his machine, and hits a few more keys, trying to gather as much Data about what they are in as possible. What signals can be detected, what cannot, and even trying to see what he can glean from that bottle of 'aspirin'

Sori grits her teeth, and cuts herself a LOT more, letting the blood flow. "Goddamn it you fleabitten sonofabitch, GET UP!"

REDACTED, alone cries out as her body shifts, making a change into her old human shape. Her pain finally stops, and she sits there breathing shallowly.

Grantok eyes widen with realization of what she believes is going on. She steps out of her hiding place, paws raised well above her head and shouts at the oncoming two. "Hold up! You're chasing shadows! Literally! It's a diversion."

Taggart is dead.

Cilan blinks, noticing Grantok, "Shadows?!" is called as she moves to some place of cover, "So, you're saying shadows killed both Tag, and shot me in the arm? The hell is wrong with this city?"

Narg grinds to a halt as she enters the room that Cilan, Grantok, and Apo are in.

Apostasy comes to a halt in front of Grantok as the lynx jumps out in front of her. "FUCK!" She quickly turns and heads back towards the scene of the shooting at top speed.

Grantok curses under her breath as Apostasy flies off in a rush. "Cil, keep with her. Narg, with me. I can't follow them that way."

Narg gives a quick salute “Righto I'm with you"

Sori yells, "It isn't fair... Dammit! Fer, the shadow LIED to you! ITS WHAT HE DOES!" Her words becoming a howl at the end."

Cilan nods affirmatively towards Grantok before again charging towards Apostasy, the woman attempting to catch back up to her sis, and offer any assistance if needed.

REDACTED shivers, and props herself up, looking herself over and frowning, having grown to actually -like- the shape she was in. She brings a tan skinned hand to her head, and looks over at her mate. She manages to get up enough to move over to look at Tag.

Sori stands up, looking around and seemingly stunned. The wound already healing from her own claws. "Sweetie? I don't know what to do..." She looks around for REDACTED.

Loki looks over to REDACTED, breaking from his frantic information gathering for a moment. "Are you all right REDACTED? It looked like you were having trouble earlier...." he trails off, looking over to sorien, and getting a bandage. "Sorien... Taggart seems to be dead..." he sighs, leaving the Robots AI to resume his own workings. He takes a bandage out of his robe, but then stows it as he sees her healing. He stamps a foot down, trying to get their attention.

Grantok leads Narg down a few other side passages back towards the bus and others, ensuring to keep an ear out for footsteps of an oncoming Ferox Shadow and also keeping eyes peeled for any passages that may be set with additional traps.

Sori blinks at Loki, as if she can't believe what the hell he's saying, then turns again to find REDACTED. She looks shell-shocked at best.

Apostasy sprints back into the area, stopping near Sor. "Was a trick... just footsteps, no Fer." She looks about for who else is around, and doubletakes when she sees the changed REDACTED. "...REDACTED? You're.... how are you... human?" she asks, baffled.

REDACTED says, "It's me my love. I... I have no idea. Her expression seems as if she's trying to lower her ears, but they don't work that way anymore." The woman is definitely in control of herself.

Sori almost reels to REDACTED, barely steady at all. "He... Hes gone. I don't know what to do..."

REDACTED takes out a blade enough to cut her palm, and then moves to let her blood drop into Taggart's mouth in much the same way as her mate.

Taggart has a small pool of blood in the back of his throat.

Cilan returns to both REDACTED, and Sorien moments later, looking around to the group, more to the human lady cutting her palm and draining the blood into Taggart’s mouth.

REDACTED sighs, and turns to her mate, wrapping her arms around Sorien.

Loki sighs, staring at the bloodletting, shaking his head. "Welcome back you all... I am relieved you are all more or less safe... but... I can also advise against mourning Taggart... if after all this is done, and he is still dead... well, perhaps then... but.. if I can recount, we have all come back from seeming oblivion at least once."

REDACTED lets go of her mate, and goes to pick up Taggart's body, and appears to struggle, not being able to lift the corpse with ease like she'd expect.

Sori, very suddenly, just HOWLS.

Taggart seems heavier, denser than one would expect the man to be.

Apostasy moves over and helps REDACTED, grunting as she lifts the corpse, a struggle even with her enormous strength.

Grantok arrives on the scene not long after Cilan, returning from a side alley. At the sight of all the others gathered around the body in the strange human's and Apostasy's arms, she stops in her tracks and stares, fighting back the tears that want to pour from her eyes.

Narg follows Grantok out of the side alley and looks around seeing Taggart lifted up by the human, whom she assumes is REDACTED, and Apo. She can't really seem to bring any emotion to bear even though she clearly looks distraught at Taggart’s death "Now why did he have to go and die..... I liked that man"

The howl dies out, and Sori leans against the nearby car and pants.

REDACTED realizing she's useless when it comes to carrying, moves over to her mate, offering her the only comfort she can manage. "We'll find a way to bring him back love. Or his soul will finally be free to move on."

Sori whines a bit, then clings to REDACTED like a life preserver.

Apostasy looks at everyone else, and then back to REDACTED. "What now?"

Cilan responds to REDACTED with, "If it takes our finding death itself to wrestle his soul back, I will make sure Tag comes back to us.. you have my word..."

Narg barks out loudly "Indeed, I agree."

Loki continues to remain silent, largely ignored for now, despite trying his best to be encouraging and comforting, two things he is likely not good at, and goes back to his machine to check any results that his the systems may have found concerning the environment.

REDACTED sits silent, thinking, trying to peak through her memories for an answer, the dream. She finally says, "We... We need to find a way to undo what Ferox did here. Undo the damage done to this city. We have to deconstruct the ceremony that made this place what it is now." Her strength and confidence coming back. She seems much less phased by the shadows than she was before.

The robot responds to Loki that the city seems perfectly normal, the temperature is 90 degrees and sunny.

"And what about Tag? Where will I leave him? Or should I carry him along with us, to wherever it is we need to go?" Apo asks.

"... Put him in the bus." Sori is almost whispering.

Narg stands by in silence now.

Grantok shuts her eyes, letting a couple large tears vanish into the fur on her cheeks, and finally walks up to join the rest. "No more rushing in head first and running off emotions." She turns to the human, having put together who REDACTED is from the events. "Where would be the most likely place to hold that ceremony? What exactly are we looking at here?"

Loki blinks, quite surprised at the results. "Very interesting... you know, this could just be a whole mental effect." he murmurs aloud, perhaps a little entertained about the whole thing. He looks over to REDACTED, in a much better mood than he was a while ago. "REDACTED... I asked you something earlier... perhaps tell us everything about what you know about what you saw in the dreams and such..." he trails off, then nods. "And.. if it is any consolation, data from Ragnarok claims that it is sunny, and 90 degrees Fahrenheit... so all of this.. well, just a trick and illusion... so Taggart may not be dead at all... clearly, our senses are all out of whack."

REDACTED yells at Loki in frustration, "My memories aren't clear. Things didn't look like this in those dreams. The shadow lies, that much is clear. I can only go off of the puzzle of images I have." She sighs, deflating, "I know her parents were the start of this, they are what awakened her control, she then used others to fulfil the shadow's wishes."

Loki shakes his head. "No need... to yell.. and I am saying... that... despite how much of a puzzle things may be... or lies... telling everybody what you know may help us all put together a form of action, and clues... one mind working off of thins is less effective than a group... to get through this we will need teamwork... more ways of thinking and such."

Apo nods and moves towards the bus, climbing aboard and setting Tag's body down carefully across a pair of seats, before heading back out to the others.

With a glance even redder than normal, Grantok looks directly at Loki. "Or your machine can't register what exactly is going on." As REDACTED repeats what she had voiced before, Grantok responds in kind. "Then the warehouse you suggested earlier would be the best place to start looking. Did anyone see any warehouses in that little wild lynx chase?"

Narg definitely saw signs during the run that indicated refugee housing.

Narg steps forward "Ahem it just so happens that i saw some signs leading to the Refugee housing back the way we came from"

A long bubble of actual pitch blackness rolls up to the edge of the group, with Spar's whistling of a pop tune coming out of it. There is an edge to the music, though it's bubblegum pop.

Sori's ears are down, and she looks... Lost, more than anything else. She stays with REDACTED, letting her mate guide her.

Apostasy looks at Narg. "Take us to them, it, then."

Narg nods her head "Gladly, Just as soon as everyone gets their bearings."

Grantok nods at Narg "Then you'll lead the way there. Keep eyes and ears peeled for any more little gifts." She turns to REDACTED and then looks to the rest. "We stick together. That sound good?"

Loki waves to Sparhawk. "Hello there Sparhawk. You find anything interesting?" he asks, scratching his chin. "If I can give a bit of good news in a sense... it is 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and it is sunny, despite what we may be seeing... according to my machine."

Loki nods to the others. "Lead the way." he says, stretching out, his robot rising fully as it prepares to follow along with the group.

The group follows Narg's direction, minus the fallen compatriot. They watch carefully for any traps laid by Ferox, but thankfully don't come into anything on the way. The shadows surrounding them are thick almost like mist, blacking out areas and forcing people to rely on ears and touch.

Cilan nods slowly, and moves with Narg, a bandage tightly bound around her shoulder wound, halting any bleeding, caused by it.

Narg looks up at the building that she led the group to. "Alrighty then, here we are at the refugee centre, the number one spot for escaping an apocalypse complete with showers and room service."

Apostasy gives Narg a disparaging look. "It's a warehouse. Somehow I doubt it has anything beyond a shitload of camp cots."

Narg giggles "I was joking Apo."

The local blackness lags behind the group as it rolls over the bus. No one's close enough to catch any sound leaking out of it. It will return to following within a couple minutes, a glowing Sparhawk instead of the active unpowered cloaking device skittering up the street.

Loki peers up at the building, appraising it as best he can. He taps Ragnarok. "Ragnarok says things are fine... and I have an idea here..." he murmurs, furrowing his brow. He issues another command for the machine.

The warehouses, there are many here, are lined up and easily accessible. Mass lines of cots fill each to the brim. Apparently people came from far around to the city. REDACTED wanders around looking at the places, shaking her head and moving on to the next one.

Apo follows close behind REDACTED, keeping alert for traps, or the reappearance of Ferox.

Grantok removes the vials of bright nanites from her belt, keeping them in her claws to provide what little extra light they can to aid in her own search. Her ears stay on high alert for any abnormal sounds.

Loki slaps his hands, smiling. "Well.. that is more good news..." he muses, viewing some more data from his machine. He continues on boldy, instead allowing his machine to lead the way for him. "So tell me, what exactly are we looking for here?" he inquires to REDACTED.

REDACTED stops at the fourth warehouse they've walked by, an old canning factory with the equipment stripped out. She gasps when she sees a fishhook sign, and says, "This is it. This was where her parents were."

Narg keeps close to Grantok and follows her around keeping an ear and eye open for anything suspicious taking occasional sniffs at the air.

"What are we looking for, then?" Apo asks REDACTED, still scanning for anything out of place.

Sori straightens a bit, ears still down. She takes a few breaths before she speaks. "We're looking for anything we can save."

Grantok keeping one ear pointed outward towards the darkness, she faces REDACTED. "The ritual. What exactly will it involve? Any ideas?"

Loki nods, and walks right up to the building, searching for an entrance and such, keeping a close watch on what his robot detects as well.

Sori says, sounding still like she's not quite all there, "Ritual? What ritual?"

Sparhawk shuffles along in a strange pace, something of a hexataur waltz. The bright and sunny bridle in hir arms remains lit and in hir arms, and a hum escapes into audibility for a few notes at a time.

REDACTED says softly, "What I did Sori, was a ritual. I awakened that darkness in Daly. Ferox has done the same here. Although how she did it was different."

Apostasy lilts, "How do we undo it, REDACTED?"

"What do we do to fix this?" Sori says almost in unison with Apo, looking determined if a little wobbly.

REDACTED shakes her head, "I... I had to be the one to undo my own. So, I honestly am not sure how we can do this without Ferox."

Loki frowns. "Well REDACTED, may I ask as to what you did, and had to do back in Daly? It could help us a good deal here, if you also told us what was different." he nods, checking the robot's data again, seeing if it is picking up some other things.

"Then let's find out what happened to trigger all this and see if that lends any clues on what to do from there." Grantok turns back to face the warehouse.

REDACTED shrugs past and moves inside. The cots all line up, almost like a concentration camp. The place is entirely empty, but REDACTED moves with confidence over towards a place from memory, dream. A pair of cots on the far side.

Apo follows close behind REDACTED, checking frequently for tripwires or similar traps obscured by the cots.

Cilan follows behind both Apostasy, and REDACTED, her eyes darting both left, and right behind the tinted shades, looking with some trepidation towards the ground.

Grantok keeps at a relatively close distance behind REDACTED as well, trying to illuminate the area a little and ensure that no other details are being overlooked. She continues her audio vigil as well.

Narg Yawns and takes up vigil next to the entrance her ears swivelling for any sounds and taking occasional sniffs.

REDACTED sits down on one of the cots, and says. "She came here, to kill her parents. There wasn't any question in her mind. She felt abandoned, betrayed. She wanted revenge and put two bullets in their heads while they slept. She didn't confront them, ask them anything. Didn't make them beg for mercy like I did to my victims. She just killed them. REDACTED points to the blood stains and holes in the pillows of the cots.

Sori stays with REDACTED, listening more than looking as she moves; the shock is still with her, but she's almost functioning. Almost. She's trying to hear the people that are, or were, here.

"At least it was quick and painless, then." Apo says softly.

Loki continues to walk after the others, still keeping an eye out, but still trusting his robot in what it is doing. He frowns at the story, peering at the cots, but generally remaining silent.

REDACTED shakes her head, "They didn't die." She opens her eyes, "None of them did..."

Narg shudders "Are they the darkness that we are in?"

"You said she shot them in the head.... how could that not kill them?" Apo asks, confused. "I mean, at least physically, that isn't survivable, not with a pistol of the calibre Ferox uses."

Sori swallows. "What is it picking up, Loki?"

Grantok blinks and looks quizzically from Narg to REDACTED. "Absorbed into the shadow perhaps? Becoming part of this cloud?"

Sparhawk murmurs, "Sounds like someone is attempting to kill the story of memory..." The bird looks vague too, waltzing through rows of cots, providing a dull wooden clatter when shi stumbles into something.

REDACTED shakes her head, "I... I do not know, but I know they didn't die. That's what was hiding in those memories. Nobody has died. They're all still here somewhere, those voices... they are real."

Loki blinks as Sorien speaks. "You really wish to know?... well.. I have had it recording.. both audio, and visual... it is picking up what we are seeing, minus the complete darkness and shadows." he says, bumping the machine, the torso opening, and a screen displaying the visuals of what the robot is looking at.

"Show me, please?" Sori wanders over to see.

Loki stands aside for Sorien, and lets her take a look at the screen, showing the room as it is, all of them standing there, but with a complete lack of darkness.

Narg pants, "Well if they were absorbed into shadow then that would explain the screams and the voices, wouldn't it?"

"Can it pick up air movement, and display that for me?" Sori asks.

Loki thinks for a moment, and furrows his brow, hitting a few keys. "It should, assuming I can calibrate this right... I have also been trying to use echolocation as well..." he murmurs, again adding another thing he had not thought of to the list of things to monitor.

Sparhawk is air movement, drifting up to the warehouse ceiling. Stunningly useless bird.

Apostasy lilts, "Is there anything we can do here, REDACTED? Or is there somewhere else we need to go? The nexus of Shadow's power in this place. Is it here, where we are now, or elsewhere?"

REDACTED sits for a moment and thinks, "I... I don't know." she says.

On occasion Cilan can be seen rubbing gingerly at her arm, grumbling slightly to herself, though it seems no words are spoken, behind the shades her eyes continue darting around, all the while, she seems to pace, agitated about something, though given her personality, she remains silent about it, preferring to not involve her allies with it.

Grantok ponders for a moment and moves to inspect the earlier mentioned blood stains, looking for something, anything, that they overlooked. She holds up the vials to attempt to illuminate the area better.

A soft voice calls out clearly, a young boy's voice. It says "Over here." in the direction of a back corner, and waves at the group, pointing at a desk.

Narg Jumps at the voice and looks over to the boy "What the hell!"

Loki looks over to the corner, where the voice is, along with his robot, both near reflexive. He peers at the screen to see if the results are the same as what he sees with his own eyes.

Sparhawk's head turns to regard Cilan. Despite the summons from the young voice shi drifts back down to the floor and murmurs something to the bloody-shouldered soldier. "To you, I am unbound by promise. Tell me of your injury, though healing is not what I may do right now."

Apo looks up sharply at the sound of the voice. "That's new." She pads over towards the desk indicated, wary of any traps.

Narg lifts her pistol slightly to fire looking at the figure warily.

The robot does not detect the boy.

By the time Apo approaches the boy fades into the shadow. The desk he was pointing at is fairly nondescript, probably an administrators desk.

Grantok disregards the boy's heeds altogether, knowing already that bot sight and sound have misled them all thus far. She continues to investigate the location of the start of it all.

Narg sighs and lowers her pistol and moves over next to Apo to help investigate.

Apo examines the desk carefully and thoroughly for any sort of traps, before starting to search it for anything of relevance.

Cilan breaks her silence with a sudden snap in Sparhawks direction, "I’m fine!" before moving away, a tinge of annoyed anger in her voice.

The desk seems fairly nondescript, a few records catalogues remaining on top. When Apo opens one of the drawers and shuts it, something falls to the ground though. A small key, iron wrought, a tag with an address.

"Well now. What do we have here?" Apo picks up the key and examines it, reading the tag as she pads back over towards REDACTED and the others. "I've got something..."

Narg pricks her ears at the sound of iron hitting the floor then questions Apo as she picks the key up "What is it Apo?"

Loki scratches his chin at the relative lack of what his senses have detected. "That is quite interesting..." he murmurs, trailing off again, both following the group. He turns to Sorien, and tilts his head. "So Sorien... what are your thoughts on.. my machine and methods?"

Narg Moves over to the group as well.

Sparhawk pursues Cilan lightly. "Regardless. Is it no more and no less than the wounds you have suffered in the past? Have you..." Shi trails off then, ear flicking at the sound of falling object.

Grantok pulls herself away from her own investigation and looks towards Apo. "Oh? And what would that be?"

"Leave it doing that, okay Loki?" Sori doesn't explain, still looking somewhat off. "It hurts that you don't seem to feel, Loki. You don't know how it hurts..."

The tag reads an address, clearly this city. It also says a date, that reads pretty long after the infection.

Answering the questions, Apo says "It's a key, with an address tag on it. There's a date too. And the date is a good while after P-Day. This is probably something we should check out."

"The address looks to be here in the city, by the way." Apo adds.

Narg nods her head in agreement "It is indeed"

Grantok nods at Apostasy. "Sounds a little convenient though. And what's with the date? Anything else over there give any hints as to what is at the location?"

The moans outside seem to grow louder, and a thick cloud of darkness begins seeping into the room from outside.

"Nothing. Couple of records books relating to the original function of this place." Apo replies, shaking her head. "Only way we're gonna find out is by going there."

Narg looks around at the encroaching darkness and moaning noise. "That's not good, we aughta get out of here..."

A voice Sori and Spar recognize, the man from San Francisco who shot at Sori... very clearly sending chills down her spine, it says, one single word. "Run"

"Alright then, let's..." Grantok's voice drifts off at the eerie sounds and the command to flee. "...leave. Now. Make for the address, but stick together. Quickly."

Sori doesn't hesitate, scanning for the nearest safe-seeming exit. When she spots it, she says, "This way!" and scoops REDACTED up as she does as the voice said!

Loki frowns a little at Sorien's response, and sighs, slumping a little as he follows the others. He rests a hand on Sorien's shoulder, and seems about to say something before the moans and darkness seem to flood further, peering at the stuff, his robot as well. He checks to see the results again, holding his ground for a moment, delaying for now.

Apostasy moves after Sor and REDACTED, the key tucked safely into a pouch.

Cilan dashes away from Sparhawk, and moves to Sorien's side, leaving Spar's question unanswered.

REDACTED is carried by her mate. She looks back as the shadow rolls into the room, swallowing things in its wake. Screams cry out, pains, hunger. As it pushes over things they seem to -melt- into the shadow.

Sparhawk hangs back to herd the group, wings spread and providing some dim light. "I nominate myself as rear guard, O heroes. Zoom!"

Grantok moves to the exit and waits, shouting back at Loki. "This is no time for your experiments! Get a move on." Afterwards she follows after the others.

Narg shouts out as she leaves out the exit "What she said!!!” Narg then points at Grantok.

Out of the corner of Sori's eyes she sees the man who's voice she recognized waving at her as she passes, before fading into the shadow.

Apostasy keeps pace with REDACTED and Sor, checking behind them constantly.

The very foundation of the building quakes, the roof collapses in bringing the walls with it.

Loki scowls, eventually retreating with the others, Ragnarok along with him. He tries to help REDACTED along as best he can, surprisingly nimble compared to how he usually is, weaving, leaping, and sprinting as needed.

Apo leads the way, somehow instinctually knowing where to go, which is mostly as fast away from that shadow-thing as possible.

Apo keeps leading the group through the streets, away from the building and the shadow thing. Anyone with sufficient knowledge of the city would realise that her path is taking them towards the address on the tag of the key, which seems to be exerting a strange pull on her, though she doesn't consciously realise it.

Grantok keeps an average pace with the others, squinting slightly and relying more on her ears to keep with the rest. Occasionally she looks back to see if anything is managing pursuit.

REDACTED looks up a little startled at her mate carrying her, so used to the inverse is she. She curls up against her mate's body, trying to shut out the horror around.

Narg follows Apo gladly, happy to be getting as far away from the blackness as possible.

The shadowy mass is hard to differentiate from all the other solid darkness around. It's confusing, hard to make out what is real. Light flickering in the sky above, the source not obvious casues the shadows to move and shift around.

Cilan continues her chase after Apostasy, her free hand having never left the wounded shoulder, still pressing into the bandage covering it, adding to the pressure.

Loki continues to sprint after the others, occasionally on two legs, sometimes on four, and even the air, his robot also doing so somewhat erratically, sometimes stomping, skidding, or sliding along the ground, but the thing, but it seems to occasionally turn and pivot, trying its best to monitor all possible angles and directions as it keeps pace, also trying to measure how big this 'hazard' actually is. Sadly, viewing the data will haev to wait.

Sori is focussed on following Apo, and avoids hazards (like the bizarre moving shadows) and terrain-issues almost without thinking about it. She's leaned way forward, almost to all-fours level for greater speed and a lower profile. Her ears, however, swivel about following any sounds that might be a threat.

A large block of shadow 'falls' into their pathway, rolling down like a tide from the side over a roof, silent this time, unlike the other.

Sparhawk seems half-awake, just following behind the running party with hir waltzing stutter-step keeping pace easily with the relatively slow bipeds.

Apostasy changes direction automatically, the pull of the key altering her route to take them around this newest obstruction safely, via a couple of alleyways.

Narg Quickly turns as fast as Apo does down the alleyway.

Sori sticks right on Apo’s trail.

Cilan mirrors Apostasy’s movements as she turns, following as best as she can.

Grantok continues her tailing the rest, still watching behind and navigating more by ear than sight.

Sparhawk hops up onto the alley wall and runs on it for a bit, switching tunes to something about a wizard of speed and time. Following Apos are easy!

The tides of shadow are following them now, it's clear. Hungering for them. The follow around alleys, Apo navigating them away, it takes some time without rest before they reach the site of the address bared on the key. It's an old mansion, the Tanner house, in fact is listed on a plaque. It's rather odd, considering its location in California, intentionally built anachronistically or something. Gabled roof with a steep pitch, and surprisingly huge.

"What does this have to do with..." REDACTED says as they reach it. She seems really confused. Nothing in her dream had anything to do with the place.

Narg shouts out, "well, open the door!!"

Narg turns around to watch for any signs of movement or sounds.

Apostasy pulls out the key and unlocks the house, motioning everyone through the door before pulling it shut and locking it again behind them.

Loki follows along with the others, a little behind due to him, and Ragnarok's erratic movements, but eventually they crash through just in time behind the others, before Apostasy can lock the door.

Sori follows, panting slightly; her form is built for this kind of chase.

Narg turns back around and enters the unlocked door before it shut again

The mansion itself feels very different from the rest of the city. Despite its creepy old appearance with burnished metals and wrought iron, the inside feels far lighters than what's outside. Almost immediately people begin to feel detached from the darkness outside.

Sparhawk blinks. Then looks down at the bridle in hir arms, tilting hir head like a curious dog as shi compares it to the local mansion. "Well. Progress in some manner, I'd say."

Sori sets REDACTED down with a gentle nuzzle. "No. We may be safe, but now we're pinned."

Loki looses a breath of air, wandering to an empty spot, and seems to catch his breath rather quickly. He nods in response, and then does his best to review all the data Ragnarok has gathered since then, and if possible, identify exactly how the shadow appeared on the visual recordings... and to also play sound to see what it picked up as well... along with viewing any other data he can.

Grantok brings up the rear, not moving at her normal swift pace. She breathes a sigh of relief at making it inside and tries to catch her breath a little. "In what... way, Spar?"

Apostasy stands at the window, looking out into the city at the roiling shadows beyond the doorway.

Narg lets out a sigh of relief and sucks in a deep breath of air before looking around.

Click here to continue to Chapter 4.