Lost Child/Chapter 2
They have moved away from the outer city toward the inner, moving in parallel with an almost caravan of those weird beasts, which seem to be walking in line toward something in the inner city. The downtown district looms overhead, with the skyscrapers in view over the lower rising commercial and residential buildings that surround.
Apostasy pulls up higher as she flies, allowing her to keep an eye on the mass of beasts moving with them. She stays focused on getting deeper into the city, however, rather than picking a fight, much as she'd like to.
Solixis follows after Apostasy, being her wingman and backup. She doesn't want her mate to get injured seriously.
Cilan follows behind Apostasy. While her handguns have been pulled, and are held at the ready, she chooses to stay out of combat for now, keeping Kale as her primary goal, executing whoever captured her as her secondary, and killing anyone who gets in her way as the tertiary goal.
REDACTED wonders idly what their purposes are heading into somewhere clearly so dangerous with no real idea of Kale. She holds the journal that fell out with the scraps of Tag's clothing. She sighs, hoping that they can find some direction where Apo's father would have taken the girl.
Sorien trails behind, scanning for threats and not-consciously checking behind for signs of Tag.
The occasional noise of beasts growling and fighting can be heard echoing through the area amplifying the nervous tension. So far the ground has been quieter since Tag disappeared and the initial rumbling. No sounds of life beyond what is known leaves the place feeling even more like a ghost town.
Sparhawk flaps along through the sky with a vial reaching toward the black beasts' wellspring around hir neck, overlooking the party on the ground. Eliot rides on hir back, invisible from the ground, and looks a little concerned about the way Spar's laser pistol is out and humming angrily.
Apostasy wheels back towards Spar and pulls in alongside hir. She says into her radio, "Spar, are we headed towards the wellspring for those things?" She points straight ahead. "That way is the centre of the old survivor fort, though I doubt it's used for that anymore. Where does the vial point us?"
Solixis continues, silently monitoring the moments of the beasts below.
REDACTED' ears perk up, hearing some noise from above. She frowns as she studies Apostasy, and begins to flick through the journal, squinting at the words. She brings a hand up to her forehead as she tries to make sense out of the words that just look all jumbled in her head.
Sparhawk taps on the radio and says shortly, "Centre of town, roughly. It's jumpy. Moreso the closer we get."
Sorien continues watching for any motion, gun barrels and her flamethrower-equipped hand shifting as possible targets present themselves and are dismissed.
Apostasy nods, and says, "Take point, would you? I suspect that if we find the wellspring, we find Kale, and probably my father! Lead us in!"
REDACTED nudges over to Cil on the ground, pointing to a word block with the name Selene. As far as REDACTED can tell it seems to go on for pages, unlike the other entries in the journal.
Sparhawk wings it faster, pulling ahead of the ground group a little. The jingling of layers of armour is muted by being fifty feet above roof level in the down.
Those airborne see in various spokes around the city, streams of the familiar creatures encroaching upon the city centre. What they're being drawn to isn't clear, but this does not seem like a usual migration at all.
Apostasy follows close behind Spar, keeping an eye out for any threats as she flies, frequently glancing over to the still visible trails of beasts, wondering what it is drawing them in.
Cilan looks over curiously to REDACTED as she nudges her, noticing the book she asks, "Hmm? You want me to read it or something?" shrugging she adds, "Uh.. alright.." finished, she holsters the handguns and takes the book into her hands and scans the pages, while still trying to keep up to Apostasy.
Over the radio Sori says, "Is there a wellspring ahead? If so... I think I know what's happening."
Sparhawk radios, "They are all going home. We will be outnumbered when we reach the first goal. Please tell, Sori."
Solixis follows, confused. "Going home? What for?"
Static feedback happens on the radio between conversations. The radio picks up a soft signal covered by the hissing and popping. The voice is female, and young. ".... out there? ....... somebody ...."
"I think... Someone is collecting all the nanite-infected in the area and... Processing them... With the wellspring. Instant army." Is Sorien's reply.
Apostasy hears the voice and immediately goes to her radio. "Hello? Hello? Can you hear me? Who is this? Where are you?"
Static is the only response to Apostasy's question.
Apostasy calls out into her radio, "Did anyone else hear that message, or was it only me?"
Sorien whirrs, "I heard it... Trying to get a direction. (Sori starts to try and do just that)"
Cilan starts to read the passage, but can only manage it for a short while before she slams the book closed in anger.
Solixis nods. "I heard it. Sounded young, and nervous."
"I see only black beasts of Caernavvog streaming in, currently," Sparhawk radio-squawks. "And yes, I heard that too. Anybody who wants rescue now oughta say something."
Sorien whirrs, "I want to... But I'm also concerned that it’s a trap."
Cilan slams the journal shut, and tosses it aside, not wanting to have anything to do with that anymore, the book itself landing roughly on the streets, after a sigh of composure, she speaks into her own comm, "Yeah, I.. I heard it too, I.. I can only pray that the voice belonged to who I think it was.."
Sorien picks the book up and stows it when she reaches it.
Solixis smoothly says, "Split into two groups? Ground search and rescue, air continue forward?"
Apostasy nods again, mostly for herself, glad she wasn't the only one who heard the voice. "We have to keep heading towards the wellspring. Odds are good if that wasn't just a trick, whoever it was will be there, or nearby. I doubt there's much functional radio equipment left here. Spar, how's our little dousing-vial doing?"
Sorien whirrs, "No. We stay together."
Sorien whirrs, "We're in hostile territory; splitting up is a bad tactical choice save in a limited combat-functional way. Stick close!"
Solixis nods. "Understood. All converge on wellspring?"
"Chatter less. Move more." Sparhawk keeps about the same distance in front of the group, following the rough line of the tugging of captive blood.
REDACTED gestures to Cil, "What, what did it say?" She looks concerned now.
Selene: * My dearest one, the little angel teases me with her eyes every day now. It grows harder to let her out into the dangerous world outside. I shall have to improve the locks on her room to keep her safe.
*Today my little sunshine decided she was going to throw a tantrum, so I disciplined her properly. I will have to make things right tonight, and show her I love her.
My Selene stained her sheets today with her first blood. Her mother had to explain to her that nothing was wrong, and I threw her a party to celebrate.
*Selene was a naughty girl, she tried to run away today like girls are want to do, so I had to lock her up for therapy.
*Two weeks, it took her to finally give in, promising that she would be a good girl from now on. I let her back in her room which frees up my space to deal with other projects.
Cilan offers a dismissive wave, "Nothing.. just lets leave it at that, alright?" a hint of anger still evident in her voice, "Just a the thoughts of a sick fuck who’ll soon be in hell.."
Apostasy spots a large backup in the line of the pack, it looks like a circle has formed and a pile of the creatures are fighting amongst themselves, almost as if they have individual personalities, which is just an odd sight among a pack-mind.
Apostasy calls into her radio, "Something funny going on with a group of the creatures. Going to check it out. Keep moving, I'll catch up." That said, she veers off towards the circle of fighting creatures, and lands on a nearby rooftop to get a closer look.
REDACTED frowns at Cilan's reaction, but has no real way of seeing for herself so she shrugs and moves on. However she notices Apo's sudden departure and call over the radio. She immediately tenses watching her impulsively flying off.
Solixis tails Apostasy. "I'm covering your back, Apos."
Sori mutters, "What did I just say about separating, geez..." But stays with the remaining groundhogs.
Cilan continues pressing on after the original target, believing both Solixis and Apostasy can take care of themselves, though she still speaks over her radio, "Good luck, sis.. and come back safe, alright?"
Getting closer, the smells of the creature's territory marking are nearly overwhelming. The blind creatures have formed a circle as if they're watching two in the centre struggling with one another, tentacles choking one, while the other's jaw is clamped around its neck. The one in the throat lock is clawing and scratching desperately as if trying to get control back.
Apostasy keeps her voice low as she speaks into her radio. "I'll be sure to, sis. Something really weird going on here. Bunch of the creatures in a circle, around a pair who appear to be intent on killing each other. Maybe a fight for dominance between two "pack leaders" or something? I doubt all the things we've seen function as one giant pack... probably a bunch of linked but distinct sub-packs that make up the whole. And it looks like there's some animosity there."
Sparhawk growls at the departure. Shi slows down a bit, watching over the joggers alone now, nanite swarm leaping to the task of watching for things to swoop down upon.
Solixis nibbles on one of her fingers nervously. "Multiple packs? More stratification than usual among ferals..."
"That would serve as a hint that what I said is close to the situation; some of the packs are resisting," Sori says. "Maybe we should help those resisting, but I'm not sure; not feeling too hot."
The radios blare again with static, more words, audible this time, "Whoever is out there, Don't come! Do you read me, go away, run!..." and it fades off. The voice has an authority to it. Before that, Apostasy notices the dominant creature's cock has come out to display as it drives it's teeth into the neck flesh of the other. Blood gurgling in its throat.
Apostasy shakes her head at the radio message, not bothering to reply to it. She growls quietly at the display going on below her, and takes off, winging her way back towards the group. "I've seen enough. One sub-pack, or whatever, just got bigger. And Sor, how can we jump into something like that, when we don't know which side is the one resisting? Even then, they'd be as likely to turn on us right after as not."
Sorien whirrs, "Apo. Put a round into the dominant, or someone distract it if you can get a shot without directly revealing yourself. See what happens. I know one hit won't take those things down."
Cilan speaks into her radio, a voice also stern, and adamant, "Like it or not, I am still going to come, we're here for Kale, and there isnt a thing you can say to stop me.." finished, she only seems to quicken her pace to the destination, the dragoness now moving at what seems like a frantic dash.
Below, the radio chatter has caused some of the feral creatures to stop their progress forward, although it's hard to make out from those just stopping to gawk at the fight.
"Anyone getting more than short, unattributed messages? I'd like to know how many traps there are, here." Sparhawk rises higher in the air with the return of Apo and Solixis, then tilts an ear cosmetically down to Sorien. "Sowing chaos?"
Apostasy stops, wings flapping powerfully as she hovers. "Sor, I haven't had a gun in a long time. And I'm not diving into the middle of a big swarm of the things to try a move like that. Anyway, they appear to be mostly moving on again now, after that last little message." She briefly contemplates strafing the fighting pair with a blast of flame, but dismisses the idea as pointless, and starts catching up to Spar and the others again.
Cilan's handguns are once again pulled, and held at the ready, should they meet any of the beasts.
Solixis follows her mate, marsh fire and shredding crystal at the ready.
Sorien shakes her head, and tries to rub her eyes; this of course really doesn't work or help a robot.
The group returns to an even division in the sky above and the ground below, and time goes by without further signals over the radio. The skyscrapers are closer now, the first large buildings a few blocks away, with the main river running through the city on the left.
REDACTED notices her mate having trouble, "Love, is something wrong? You don't look well." She says as she comforts her mate.
Apostasy flies up alongside Spar and says, "Talk to me Spar, what does your little vial tell you? Does it look like we're close now?"
Sorien staggers and goes to one massive knee. She shakes, and almost looks to be... dissolving. Added mass starts to flake off of her, and a moan comes from her currently mechanical voicebox!
The vial in spar's hands it thrumming a little more frequently, although nowhere near the way the coyote goo behaved. Less energy and draw perhaps, but the proximity is displayed clearly.
REDACTED is startled, immediately dropping everything to help her mate, "Love!" she exclaims, unsure what to do.
Solixis continues monitoring the masses of magical monsters.
The shedding of material continues, falling in strange flakes almost like rust; there is a shudder, and suddenly the flaking is an expanding cloud of particles! In the centre, a much smaller figure can be seen forming, crouched.
REDACTED pulls her mate into her arms before she collapses to the ground, trying to protect Sori from obvious pain, but failing miserably. She looks for conformation in her mate's eyes that she's still there, hoping she hasn't lost her.
Sparhawk checks to be sure the radio's not going to broadcast, then says to Apo over the wind noise, "Actual answer would require circling around. It is...close, as best as I can tell." The sudden lack of pounding robot footsteps drags hir angry attention away from the forward direction and shi wheels around to peer at the severely inconvenienced Sorien.
Sorien just shivers. She seems hot, maybe feverish, but seems to be otherwise fine. She leans into REDACTED, the pair surrounded by what looks like black metallic dust.
Apostasy frowns, and then answers with, "Then we circle. We need to find the place, and that vial is our best bet, sadly." She follows hir as she wheels around, and when she spots Sor, she heads down to her and REDACTED.
Sorien softly churrs, "Uhh... Dunno."
Solixis is feeling like a fifth wheel, but continues to remain on high alert, surprised that they haven't been attacked since the initial greeting.
REDACTED cradles her mate, body language in full concern, she lifts her mate carefully into the air, holding her carefully aloft. "Are you... will you be okay to move? I don't feel comfortable sitting here in the open." And before she gets a response she heads for the cover of a small hardware supply shop.
Sparhawk drifts over to Solixis. "Keep watch up here, I plan to take Apo on a triangulation trip. Be back shortly."
Sorien's shivering is lessening, and as she rests the fever seems to be receding; she tries to sit up, looking a bit shaky.
REDACTED lets Sorien down onto her feet, gently while still offering her the support of her shoulder. She still looks really concerned, but isn't going to pester her mate with questions when she already looks confused.
Apostasy nods to REDACTED and Sor. "Take some time. Spar and I are gonna go try to tie down the wellspring location. Sol will keep overwatch.” With that, she takes to the air again, and heads back to Spar. "Let's go Spar."
Sorien softly churrs, "That... Sucked. (She grins, weakly.) I don't... Don't really know what happened."
Cilan flies up to both Apostasy and Sparhawk, along the way she adds, "For a successful triangulation you usually need three people, and well? Here I am.. just tell me what you want to do.."
Apostasy shrugs. "Can't really call it proper triangulation, we'd need three vials for that. Really we're just going to circle around and try to narrow down the location."
Inspecting the vial, there doesn't appear to be an easy way to split it into three and retain its usefulness as a compass.
Cilan regally proclaims, "Well, either way, I’m not leaving your side, and its definitely not going to happen now, or anytime soon!"
Sorien softly churrs, "... Someone got some water?"
REDACTED pulls her hip flask off, handing it to her mate. "You know I always have water. Drink all you need."
Sorien takes several sips, then rests.
REDACTED stops with her mate, letting her take as much water as she needs. Out of her hip pouch she pulls out something that looks edible, an energy bar of some sort that doesn't look familiar. She offers it to her mate quietly, and stands, offering her help up when she's ready.
Sorien nods and takes the bar, standing up with REDACTED' help. She seems steady enough, if a touch wobbly.
Solixis keeps a weathered eye on the perimeter of the hardware store.
Before long, the radio lady calls out again, "If you aren't going to leave I'm sending a team out to get you. Bloody hell you all must be looking to die." The radio signal ends again without announcing the owner of said voice, and it echoes in the empty street, covering over the distant growls of the creatures.
Sorien eats the bar, drinking more water as she does. Her ears twitch as the radio sounds again, but she simply finishes eating. She gives the now half-full flask back to REDACTED. "Looks like company is coming."
REDACTED returns the pouch to her hip and nods. "I wonder how many survivors there are?" she says.
Sorien softly churrs, "Many and none, I suspect. Not that that's a useful statement."
REDACTED takes Sori's radio and calls into it, "Let’s keep moving. If they're truly coming for us, they'll find us either way and I'd rather be closer to finding Kale so we can get out of this place, quickly."
Sparhawk circles east while Eliot keeps an eye on the building Solixis is hovering over, seeking enough distance to get parallax on the vial's search for home. "Don't go too far from where I know how to find you, my associates!"
Sorien raises an eyebrow-equivalent, but otherwise just stretches. She looks better now, though obviously disconcerted by the odd failure of her abilities.
Apostasy follows after Spar, wanting to see where they need to be headed.
Sori takes the slight delay to re-velcro her clothes back together.
Solixis keeps looking around, trying to catch signs of suspicious movement.
Overhead Spar is finding the thing harder and harder to read, it's general activity is just -high- all over, but the closer she gets to the river, it grows eerily still.
Cilan follows after Apostasy, the dragoness choosing to ignore the survivors on the radio, and rather press onwards towards the actual goal.
Sorien softly churrs, "What do you think, sweetie?" (She stays close to REDACTED, watching around her for surprises)"
Sparhawk murmurs, "I wonder if this pack can reconstitute from individual members..." When the vial drops dead shi flicks it and frowns. "Speak to me, o my foe!"
"I think we are most certainly heading into a trap, and I'm very worried that Apo is going to charge right in and get herself killed... or worse." REDACTED' ears are flat, her energy drained out of her watching her mate suffer, Tag suffer, Apo and Cil suffering.
Sorien kisses REDACTED' cheek. "I think we'll be okay. Apo's hurting is all. As to a trap.. Yeah, probably. (she sighs) But its less of one if we know it's a trap."
Apostasy spots the vial going dead in Spar's grip. "Well. Is that a good sign, or bad?"
Sol spots them first, three small figures with riot shields and gas masks on make their way around the building toward the group.
Solixis leans into her com. "I've got visual on the search team. Permission to accompany and or engage if hostile?" She begins heading in that direction slightly, trying to remain out of sight from the search team.
Sparhawk continues frowning. "It is different. I'm going back, this is one unexplained phenomenon too many for my purposes." Some of the rage has drained out of hir with the passage of time and the acquiring of some answers and questions.
The three seem oblivious to the floating kitsune in the sky above. They seem to be talking and arms signalling motion, as if they are to split up and surround someone unsuspecting.
Apostasy nods. "Alright, let's head back to the others. Keep an eye out for that team that was sent for us."
Cilan lets loose a small sigh, and nods, "Fine, we'll go back.." reluctantly agreeing, she turns back towards REDACTED, and the others, and leaves towards them.
Sorien is looking better. "Wish I knew what just happened to me."
Sparhawk wheels around again, the vial still on its lanyard around hir neck. Shi fiddles with hir radio a little, then narrowcasts to Sol, "Follow them if they move. Join a fight if there is one, don't start it."
Solixis follows the group, taking a low, tailing position. She observes radio silence to prevent anything/one from being alerted to her presence.
Sparhawk's vial returns to its usual humming movement the moment shi returns from over the river area.
The three have split, one coming straight out the alley, while another cutting down to another block, while the third begins looking for a way up to the roof.
Sorien sniffs at the air, keeping an eye out for trouble. She seems to be back to normal for the most part.
Solixis barks into her radio, direct link to REDACTED. "REDACTED, Sor, they know your location and are converging on it, be alert." She tries to get a better look to see what, if any, mutations they have.
Sparhawk blinks owlishly down at the vial, which appears ready to taunt hir with more mysteries. "A valid reason to splat a lot of wolves, huh." This is distracting enough that shi starts pulling ahead of Apo and Cil in midflight, thoughtlessly gathering speed.
Apostasy blinks as Spar starts to speed up, and increases her own speed to match.
Sol sees the figure coming up the ladder, and has to duck out of sight when she begins looking around. She appears fully human and female under the gear, sporting a bullet proof vest in addition to the shield she left below, a rifle of some sort and a gas mask.
Cilan follows suit, and speeds up, attempting to remain with the other two at all times.
Sorien hears the broadcast, and looks for stealth-cover.
Solixis stays out of sight, keeping an eye on the roof girl. She waits to approach until the woman finds the roof entry.
The climbing one brings her hand up to hear ear, and nods, and then begins hurriedly climbing and ordering something over the radio. Below Sol loses sight of the one that went into the alleyway and it looks as if the one that went straight ahead stops at the corner to peak around.
Apostasy spots the person climbing the ladder, as well as the one coming down the alley, and pauses in midair, wings beating powerfully to keep her in place. She keeps Silverfang at the ready, but remains content to just watch... for now, at least.
Sparhawk fiddles with hir radio some more, then broadcasts to the group, "Attention heroes! We shall move on shortly. Grab yer tails and prepare!" There's a little Carson creeping into hir accent there.
The one peeking around the corner suddenly stiffens as it sees REDACTED, raising its rifle up, and fires at her. The bullet barely misses her head, the person not being used to the pullback.
Apostasy giggles at Spar's comment, but quickly gets businesslike when she hears the gunshot. "Oh, they did -not- just shoot at one of us." She swoops down to the entrance of the alleyway, and leaps after the person creeping down it, grabbing them around the waist with one arm and lifting her off the ground, other arms holding her gun away. She hisses "Tell your friends to stand down, right now."
Solixis silently charges the one on the roof as soon as she hears gunfire, hoping to pin them before they can do harm.
The woman looks up in shock at the giant dragon in front of her, stunned both by it talking English as well as being overpowered. She shakes her head, blinking and makes a small noise of weakness.
REDACTED falls to the ground having just been missed by a bullet, panicking and not sure where it came from.
Sorien blinks, then instantly charges the person who shot at REDACTED! She literally growls, launching into a spinning kick when she reaches her foe!
Apostasy growls again, and shakes the human a little. "Tell your friends to stand. Down."
Cilan lands next to Apostasy, a look of annoyed disgust on her, "Seriously? You people are going to shoot at an unarmed lady? The hell kind of guards are you?" The silver dog tags jingle quite a bit as she lands, not to mention also being a slight contrast to the gold scales covering her.
Sparhawk radios, "Alas, diplomacy is a lost art." The big yellow-furred gryphon taur monster dives with great speed to the centre of the street and stands out obviously, hands on hips in a housewifely gesture.
The woman in Apostasy's hand pisses herself, and pulls her hand up to the radio, she stammers "There's a giant -creature- demanding I say to stand down."
Sol manages to catch the one on the roof as she's distracted by the radio, tackling her and pinning her to the ground. She struggles and fails to get free.
Apostasy grimaces at the sudden scent of urine. "Ugh... that's just nasty. When I lived here, people actually had some guts. Jeez." She gently returns the woman to the ground.
When Sorien is about halfway to the door she spots the woman and jumps at her, spinning, startling her and causing her to drop her gun and scream.
Solixis grins. "It's your lucky day. I'm not going to hurt you if you can help us understand what is going on here." She manoeuvres her so that she is sitting on the woman's legs and pinning her arms with her hands.
Sparhawk glares around the street, gryphon face well-adapted to glaring. Shi shouts, "If everyone could calm down and have a rational discussion, that would be really neat!" Everyone else seems to have run off to engage in violence behind brick walls, though.
Sorien lands and continues her spinning motion, her leg sweeping low at the legs of the person who fired on her mate! She's not interested in negotiation on that point.
The three women give up, each in their own way. The one that Sori attacked is crying on the ground, her mask knocked off and her young human face shows she's not eighteen. Apostasy's target holds her hands up in the air, clearly terrified of the dragon, and while the third struggles under Sol, eventually Sol is able to restrain her and brings her down below to the open area.
Apostasy gestures to the cowering woman to stand up and says, "Follow me, please." in a tone that brooks no argument. She leads the human and Cil back out to the street in front of the store.
Sorien takes the weapon away. "Get out there. NOW." She gestures where the others are gathering.
Solixis smiles. "That went better than I expected." She's a little bruised, but otherwise uninjured. The woman is likewise only bruised and scraped, nothing serious, and has her hands behind her back held by Solixis.
Sparhawk trots on over to the alleyway and extracts a medkit from a bag that looks rather too small to contain it. "Please stop beating up little girls, o heroes," comes over the radio on the way. The gryphon monster offers a band-aid to the disarmed and crying member of the rescue team.
Apostasy looks offended at that. "I never harmed her! Just picked her up and told her to tell the others to stand down!"
Regrouped, the three women are on their knees, the blond one was the one with her mask kicked off, and is clearly the youngest of the three. She has been reduced to little more than babbling incoherently. An older brunette that Sol brought back seems to be the one in charge. Her chin is held high, she speaks with authority. "We were told to bring back the women in the field to base. We were not told we were going to be bringing back monsters!"
Apostasy looks at the brunette. "And just who told you to do that?"
Sorien's tail flicks. "Last I checked, I wasn't a monster. Also, We're not the ones who shot first."
Solixis winces, ears drooping. "Monsters?" She tightens her grip slightly, nervous.
Sparhawk glares at Sorien. "That includes verbally berating, please." Hir claws are sheathed and folded away and laser pistol holstered, and a little coyote is peering over hir shoulder at the prisoners and panting. "My main question is why we were being rescued?"
Sorien shakes herself a bit, then goes to hug REDACTED.
The third one says carefully, "Because it's clear you were going to get yourselves killed, and Kara didn't want to lose more people to that mess below." The centre one slaps her behind the head for giving in so easily. "Yes, I said monsters, which you all clearly are. At least you seem to have minds unlike the rest out there."
Sorien softly churrs, "If we were monsters, you'd be dead. Consider that."
Sorien seems just a tad more pissed off than usual. As an understatement.
The crying one wipes snot off her nose as Spar treats her injury. She remains largely mute while the third one says again, "Can we please get to the water, at least there we won't be pulled underground."
Cilan places her palm against her face, and says, "Please, I.. am not a monster, just another human, in another body.. thanks." and to prove it, her scales soon fade back into regular skin, and she begins shrinking once more, returning to her human form, once done she asks, "Now.. what do you mean the mess below? Do you know if someone took another dragoness down below? We're looking for them, one of which is a person I love dearly."
Solixis stifles a laugh. "Get ourselves killed? A possibility. Not likely."
Sparhawk shrugs. "Monster is a quality of the mind and soul. However, we are here to solve a kidnapping problem, as well as spring a trap. We're going to do that regardless, but will accept any help you can provide in this matter. ...water, hm?"
Apostasy nods. "Alright, let's get them to the river. No point in staying out here in the open, they clearly know more about what's in the sewers than we do." She looks at the humans. "How shall we do this? I don't think enough of us are fliers to carry them and the others too."
The middle one says snidely, "You would give yourselves to it so easily? It takes some time but she finally notices Spar is masculine unlike the rest surrounding her, and she says, "And how in the hell are -you- not a puddle of sex underground already?"
Sparhawk blinks. "Flying is kinda neat...I bet we can discuss why I'm amazing when we are in a place closer to safety." "Sex puddles?" yips the (male) Eliot over hir shoulder, sounding interested in the idea.
Sorien softly churrs, "Because we left a defender behind. Trust me, once he's done, there won't be an underground threat."
Solixis nods. "I can carry one person, and it can't be you, REDACTED, sorry."
Sorien looks to Sol. "She and I will be okay with Cil. The fliers can carry the humans.
REDACTED nods, knowing she'd never be able to be taken aloft, being far too dense. She says, "We can just take the ground and stay together. The river is past those creatures but I'm sure these three got through right?"
REDACTED looks quite frazzled from having been nearly brained, but she doesn't look angry like her mate does.
Apostasy grimaces. "I'll carry one of them, if whoever I carry promises not to piss herself."
Sparhawk offers a hand with talons curled inward to the small one. "Madam, may I ask you to join me in the sky? I promise it to be safer than the local ground, as long as you hold on tight." Another hand is filing the medkit away at the same time.
Solixis nods. "I'll take the scared one."
The eldest says firmly, "At the very least can I tell them we're coming and not to shoot on sight?" resigning to them returning.
Sparhawk takes the blonde one, who nods up to her. She whispers softly, "Jenny."
Solixis lets go of her captive. "Be nice."
Sorien softly churrs, "I think... We should let them say we're coming in. Much as I'm NOT happy right now, it was stupidity not malice."
Apostasy nods. "No point in causing extra trouble for ourselves. Let them call."
Apostasy offers a hand to the brunette. "You're with me. Think you can manage that?"
Sparhawk bows over Jenny's hand without breaking main-eye contact. "I am Sparhawk, and apologise for the impolite behavior of my associates. We...have encountered some stress along the way." Shi starts helping Jenny onto hir back, taking a squirmy Eliot into hir arms.
The leader presses the radio button on her earpiece and says, "Base, It's Bec, we're coming in with some... nonstandard survivors. Tell the girls to put the guns away." she then resolves to letting Apostasy carry her. She says, "We can really all just walk past those creatures. They're too busy on their route to pay us any mind."
Sorien whispers to REDACTED. "You okay? I... Think I overreacted." to REDACTED.
The third one, looks less frightened by Solixis, the kitsune somehow managing to calm from the sight of the much less frightening fox morph.
Solixis approaches the scared middle one. "I'm Solixis. Do you mind if I pick you up? I can fly easier that way."
REDACTED whispers back "I'm okay love, I'm just thankful they missed. Unlike the rest of you, I have no idea if I would have healed from that."
Apostasy picks up Bec in her arms, cradling the human. "This way is faster. The others can move much quicker without you three slowing them down." She looks at Spar and Sol. "Let's head for the river, people." With that, she launchers herself into the air, circling above while waiting for the other two fliers.
The third one offers herself up to Solixis and says, "I'm... sorry we almost killed your friend. We haven't met anyone who's not still human but isn't gone."
Sorien glances around, and when people start to move she does too- watching for trouble as before, but this time her hand firmly in REDACTED'. She has the rifle from the shop as well.
The group gets moving again in the direction of the river, the three overhead passing over the line of feral creatures. The three below hit them. They stop watching the giant creatures walking by, their eyes looking unfocused and their steps all in time.
Sparhawk offers a red silk hankie to the human on hir back, then bunches up and leaps into the sky. The metal backpack, with cables and such vanishing into Spar's skin, has a strong blue glow as shi carries extra weight away. "Besides, flying is excellently entertaining!"
Sparhawk eyes the marching, non-independent line, and murmurs something about being insufficiently large.
Apostasy follows the directions given to her by Bec as she flies towards the base, radioing to the ground team so they know the way as well.
Solixis holds the medium girl to herself, almost hugging. "What's your name?"
Seeming to be reluctant about it, Cilan moves away from the tunnels, and to the base, the lady seeming almost antsy about what she's doing, and who she's leaving behind, but remains silent about it.
The girl stammers for a moment to Sol, and then says, "Allison... Ally."
Sorien softly churrs, "So we got humans here still. Good... As long as they're not gonna decide we're insta-evil..."
Solixis nuzzles the girl, catlike. "I like you, Ally."
REDACTED looks weary up at the big creatures, but decides to be the test, and runs out, waving her arms at one of them. It ignores her, and continues past, another then walking by soon afterward
Sorien blinks, but quickly follows her mate.
REDACTED says, "Lets run while they're distracted love." And runs through a gap.
Sorien follows, watching the creatures with some trepidation.
One of the creatures almost steps on Sori's tail as she runs past, but she makes it through fine.
Cilan waits for another opening, and once it presents itself, she runs through, and rejoins the group that had already passed.
Apostasy says, over the rush of wind, "So.... Bec, was it? How long have you been here for?"
The group makes way for the water, Bec pointing to a boat on the water, directing Apo who then forwards the information to her compatriots below. They regroup at the dock.
Ally hugs Solixis quickly in response, before returning to a more embarrassed state. She's clearly flummoxed but happy with the attentions of the kitsune.
Apostasy lands lightly on the dock, not really caring that her question went unanswered. It was just idle small talk, after all.
Solixis purrs at the hug, glad that there are still people who appreciate comfort given in hard times.
Bec finally answers Apo's question as they set down, she looks a little motion sick, but calms enough to say, "I was rescued about three months ago, before things went to hell."
Apostasy headtilts. "Only went to hell three months ago, huh? Interesting. I left about ten months ago. Wondered when this all happened. Things were better then... in a way. For men, at least."
The girl cringes at the mention of men, "They begot what they created." she says cryptically
REDACTED catches sight of them landing ahead, running along at pace with her mate and Cilan.
Apostasy quirks an eyeridge at that, but doesn't comment on it, seeing REDACTED and the other members of the ground team coming up.
Sorien considers shifting to a form better suited to running, but decides against; that kind of shifting probably won't be appreciated.
As she nears the base of the militia, Cilan returns her weapons to their respective places, and shows those inside that she is not a threat, "So.. what now? We talk and see if whoever inside knows where we can find Kale or something?"
As everyone catches up together Bec calls over her radio, and two other armoured women come on deck and put down the gangway. They seem startled by the sight of the non-humans, hesitating. Bec sighs, shrugging at them and calls out, "They -act- human."
Solixis alights on the deck and sets Ally down and gives her one last nuzzle.
Apostasy giggles at the reaction of the two women who lowered the gangway. "Everyone here is so twitchy and scared now. At least when I was here people had some guts. Even if other things left.... something to be desired."
Bec answers, "What do you expect when the entire gets infested by something as powerful as it was. We're lucky we're safe from its reach out here on the water."
Ally says, "You don't want to know..." Her eyes unfocus for a bit and she loses track of what she's saying. Bec finishes for her, "That one there, we pulled out from it. She hasn't been right in the head entirely since either. Us females are just lucky it doesn't have as much power over us as it does the men."
Cilan returns to Apostasy's side once close enough, and holds her position there, "Well, it doesn’t matter whatit is, all I know is right now I’m hoping I can put a few bullets into it, see if we can’t fix what happened to the city, at least a little bit.."
Sorien softly churrs, "We kinda need to know. If we're here and it’s the enemy, we decidedly need to know. I'm Sorien. This is REDACTED, my mate, the dragon is Apostasy, the multilegged critter with the coyote is Sparhawk. Eliot is the coyote. Cilan and Solixis round out our little group. So."
