Inside SIXTY FOOOOOOUR! OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOODS!

[Terumitsu]

[Streets of Inside]

A few blinks and a nod. "Oh.. I think I get it then. So.. I guess the jaw would be an upgrade so she can both breathe and eat without too many problems.." Alva said, stating the obvious but at least more or less understanding. "Wait I know why you're doing this." she said with a sudden, sly grin. "Clearly, you're itching to get her a mouth she can use before next valentines, right?" she giggled, grabbing a pine green blouse and checking it's size.

"Clearly someone is thinking of cooking up a few treats, isn't he?" she asked, though the answer was already assumed by her tone. Holding the blouse up to herself, she made a face and then put it back before trying another one. "I know the tailor there isn't for most clients but either I get something that's either frumpy or too small... Do they have anything that's shaped at lea-Oh they do here." she said, half to herself and half to Sam as if this was somehow educational. "Since we're chatting about body parts already, though, you know enough about body types to be brave enough and get her something nice to wear on her birthday?" she asked, picking through the clothes rack.

[Deathkeeper]

Streets of Inside

Sam chuckles. Perhaps a bit embarrassed, but it's quite hard to tell under all that hair.
"Well, I would be lying if I said I wouldn't mind he having some real lips, even if they were metal. And yeah, if she can eat my cooking I'll go all-out.
I don't think she's told me her birthday." he puzzles. "And she always wears these red robes when she's outside of home. I don't know what the deal is with that." he admits.

[Murkus]

[Cafe]

Eschelle covers her mouth as she has a gentle giggle at Brinika's ecstatic proclamations. "Oh? Brothers you say?" As though astonished, though with enough interest in her voice not to seem condescending. "And how are you liking the city so far, Iknika?"

"A bit mad isn't it?" Edrick asks, widening his eyes upon the word 'mad' to provide emphasis.

[Rebonack]

[Plothook Elementry School]

(Wenomir)

Like that goblin slowly sneaking up behind the warrior, raising a nasty looking wooden cudgel full of brass nails with the clear intent of braining him with it?

Melissa, being rather out of it at the moment, doesn't seem to notice the danger just yet. Given a few minutes, that potion should do its work and get her fixed right up. Assuming, of course, that the goblin doesn't thwack them both to death. But once she's fully aware again, she'll be ready to help. The next thing on the agenda is probably to figure out how to break the hex that has been planted on the school. Or, well, no. The next thing on the agenda will probably be dispatching that goblin. One thing at a time, after all.

(The Wrestler)

"Aaww... you sure are grumpy, mister!" the child-puppet replies, its head lolling off to one side in a wholly disquieting fashion. Its words don't seem to match the almost mechanical movement of its jaw in the least. "Why should I show myself when you don't know where I am? That doesn't sound like any fun at all."

...it might be stalling him. Because if that's what it's doing, then it's doing a decent job thus far.

(The Fox)

Things are... weird... at the school right now.

For one, the gate stands open. And upon walking through it, the fox will be met with a strange feeling of unrealness. Almost akin to stepping into a dream while he's still awake. Everything within the confines of the cyclone fence surrounding the school has an almost surreal feeling to it. Despite it being mid-day outside, within the fence everything is illuminated in dappled twilight hues, as though the light were filtering through a far-distance canopy. Near the gate is a distraught teacher, groping about in the grass while mumbling to herself.

"I have to find them... they were right here, where did they go? They were right here..."

Which is probably somewhat unsettling.

[Philip Memorial Library]

"Go on, shoo!" comes a voice that can only be described as scholarly. "How many times do I have to tell you not to pester the guests?" Shortly there after, a suitably scholarly looking fellow with salt and pepper hair, spectacles, and a tweed coat steps into view. "Greetings. I am the Liberian. Tell me what brings you here today."

There's something subtly off-putting about the man. A slight glistening of the skin that couldn't possibly be natural. Though perhaps it's simply a trick of the poor lighting...

[Graveyard]

"I think they're marching the zombies through a portal, maybe?" Midnight offers. "Probably stocking up on more corpses to make into ghouls."

"Thoughts on cutting them off?" Blackout asks.

"The building is maze-like. Tight corridors," Midnight replies, her bat-like ears twitching. "It would be an uphill fight the whole way and these things are more like golems than actual undead. I wasn't able to unshackle them since there wasn't anyone shackled to being with."

"So we wouldn't be able to make reinforcements as we go," Blackout replies.

"Right," Midnight says with a nod. "Short of a raptor strike, we don't have the resources to do anything about this right now. And the Princess is pretty adamant about not using the raptors outside the Gloom unless we've got no other option. We should bring in some of the smart poines, have them sweep the graveyard for clues. Try to figure out what we're dealing with and get ready for the next incursion."

Blackout nods and radios back to their base...

[Fenric]

Dark Dreams

Ambrosia doesn't reply, instead starting to taking notes in her journal when there is an unexpected side effect of Dark Dreams spell. As the divine magic washes over the body every divinely inspired character will feel the taste of ink in their mouths and the clear exertion of divine influence as the body Dark Dreams attempted to resurrect explodes in a eruption of blood and guts, splattering over everyone nearby who immediately freezes in panic. Even Ambrosia who was standing nearby gets the dead halfing all over here.

If further attempts are made to resurrect the halfling, they will automatically fail.

Elven Ranger
... Dark Dreams (who is a type of pony, you can let Fenric describe her more accurately) ...

Near Dark Dream the ranger can see a woman, who at first look appears to be human, lifting her arm to get his attention. She is clad in a armor completely drenched in blood yet the book she's holding have somehow managed to come out spotlessly clean. She appears to be looking at what once was a body which appears to have turned into a mess of blood and guts, still taking notes in her book despite of the situation. "Dark Dreams, I'm guessing you didn't intend that to happen? What went wrong?" The woman asks the nearby pony.

Dark Dreams is a midnight-blue unicorn pony. Her cutie-mark is a silver crescent moon with three little gold "z"s. Her eyes, however, are very odd: being glowing points of blue flame rather than eyes at all. She also has an overall more feral and muscular appearance than your usual pone.

She is currently looking utterly and completely shocked and disgusted, trembling like an aspen leaf in a stiff breeze. It seems likely she'll lose her lunch in short order.

Somebody interfered.

[Morty]

[Plothook Elementary School]

Wenomir sighs when he hears the goblin. Without turning around, he says:

"That's really not a good idea. Why don't you scram like your compatriots did? That was uncharacteristically smart of them,"

[Cafe]

"A bit," Iknika said. "I've never seen so much... stuff in one place. And everyone is so tall. But there's a lot of interesting things. Magic and machines."

[8BitNinja]

Steve the Paladin

The cleric suddenly stops in her stride and starts coughing as the taste of ink appears to make her sick. Steve, who unless he can somehow resist it, will also feel the taste of ink in his mouth. There are no more ghouls attacking him however, or anyone else for that matter. It appears as if they have all been dealt with.

Steve takes off his helmet quickly and starts coughing. He bows his head and gets on all fours, as if he is trying to vomit something. He says in a wheezing voice "medic!" and goes back to coughing. He tries to pray, but cannot speak a full phrase.

[deleteman900]

[MERC safehouse]

((It's supposed to be rather vague =P I'm reworking the information you're giving me slightly.))

"Wait... I see more." Astrana murmurs. "There is a picture of a woman. A massive waterfall behind her. Kudzu, purple wildflowers, vines... they're all a part of this picture. I think the fox is there too. He is related to the woman somehow." She pauses. "Near this picture are swords, I get the idea of... smithing? The swords are well-made." The tiefling shakes her head. "If you give me something to write with, I could try to make a picture of the symbols I saw, but hurry, the pictures are fading fast now."

Genji hmms slightly, looking around and finding a notepad and a pen nearby, fetching it over for Astrana and placing the pen in her hand, before guiding her hand down to the page so that she can draw without having to open her eyes, in case that helps. His ears were perked up curiously, listening to all of the details she was mentioning, tail swishing excitedly, happy to finally have some idea of who his father is.

(The Fox)

Things are... weird... at the school right now.

For one, the gate stands open. And upon walking through it, the fox will be met with a strange feeling of unrealness. Almost akin to stepping into a dream while he's still awake. Everything within the confines of the cyclone fence surrounding the school has an almost surreal feeling to it. Despite it being mid-day outside, within the fence everything is illuminated in dappled twilight hues, as though the light were filtering through a far-distance canopy. Near the gate is a distraught teacher, groping about in the grass while mumbling to herself.

"I have to find them... they were right here, where did they go? They were right here..."

Which is probably somewhat unsettling.

The fairly tall fox watches the teacher rooting about in the grass, and with barely a conscious thought, uses his truesight to look THROUGH the teacher, and in a more general sense the rest of his surroundings as his tail flicked, nostrils flaring to try to pick up any kind of a scent that might clue him on on something being amiss. "What is going on here?" The kitsune asks calmly, trying to get the teacher to focus on him and calm down. He had an idea of what was going on here, but if a question or two now can save him a headache later, then a few moments was worth it...

[Ionbound]

Plothook E.

The wrestler glares at the kid-puppet and says, "Look. I get it, you're scared of me. But there's only one way this ends. So why not make it easier on yourself and come out so we can get this over with? Either you do it this way or I hunt you down. Save us both some time."

Philip Memorial Library

The woman smiles when the man introduces himself as the librarian, barely noting the glisten to his skin as she says, "Ah, thank you! I, um...I'm looking for information on the Author of Life? It's a long story."

[Shadowcaller]

[Graveyard]

"I think they're marching the zombies through a portal, maybe?" Midnight offers. "Probably stocking up on more corpses to make into ghouls."

"Thoughts on cutting them off?" Blackout asks.

"The building is maze-like. Tight corridors," Midnight replies, her bat-like ears twitching. "It would be an uphill fight the whole way and these things are more like golems than actual undead. I wasn't able to unshackle them since there wasn't anyone shackled to being with."

"So we wouldn't be able to make reinforcements as we go," Blackout replies.

"Right," Midnight says with a nod. "Short of a raptor strike, we don't have the resources to do anything about this right now. And the Princess is pretty adamant about not using the raptors outside the Gloom unless we've got no other option. We should bring in some of the smart poines, have them sweep the graveyard for clues. Try to figure out what we're dealing with and get ready for the next incursion."

Blackout nods and radios back to their base...

[Graveyard]

The rank of zombies inside the necropolis continues to thin as time goes on. If they do investigate the area outside the building they will see signs of combat however. There is a black goo, likely some type of blood, spread across the well-kept lawn of the graveyard. Those broken gargoyles they found must have fought back.

[MERC safehouse]

Anika fishes up a feather pen and a scroll from the satchel that she's carrying with her and hands them to Astrana, as there are no pen and paper in the safe house. "Never though I would get any use of these again since I ran out of money..."

The tiefling quickly makes a sketch, writing like a woman possessed to get as much details as possible down on the scroll before the vision faded from the mind. Once she gotten as much details as possible, she hands over the scroll to Genji and starts wiping off her hands on her apron. "Should that suffice, mister Genji?" She needed a shower now...

[Murkus]

[Cafe]

"A bit," Iknika said. "I've never seen so much... stuff in one place. And everyone is so tall. But there's a lot of interesting things. Magic and machines."

[Café]

"Do you like magic?" Eschelle asks the two girls. "It's such a marvelous talent. I know just a little of it myself."

"She diminishes 'erself," Edrick declares, to Eschelle's slight chagrin. "Lady Eschelle's a proper spellwright. Order-official. At least, time was. Can either of you two do magic?"

"Now Edrick, dear heart, just because they're goblins doesn't mean they can weave spellery," Eschelle chides. The boy looks like he wants to interrupt, but he knows well enough by now that it could earn him a glare and a swat on the back of the head. He waits his turn.

"But that's what a goblin does! They throw it about with their minds!" The boy throws his hands about dramatically. He leans forward and opens those hands at the two young ladies. "Can you not?"

"Wrong manner of goblin, Edrick, dear," says Eschelle, pursing her lips. She looks rather amused.

[Morty]

[Café]

The two cousins look rather confused.

"I don't throw anything about with my mind," Iknika says, although her tone indicates she sort of wishes she did.

"I have some magic. But it was a gift," Brinika adds. "Not because I'm a goblin."

"We have a cousin who became a sorcerer, but it's a lot of work. Reading books, meditating and tinkering with reality. Some people here make it look so easy."

[Zefir]

[SomeStreet]

It's early noon and a couple walks home from their shopping tour. As always they take the shortcut, a back alley. The alley looks dangerous when the sun sets, since there aren't many lights to see through all the shadows. The couple, not even afraid, go on their way. They laugh loud as they make fun of some people they saw in the shopping center.
Right when they passed half of the alley some steps from behind can be heard. The couple didn't hear anything, when the sudden sound of glass shattering appears it was all to late. Shards of glass start flying around and the man of the couple falls down to the ground. The attacker, a guy dressed in rags has used his whiskey bottle to beat the man down and now threats the shocked woman with the sharp remaining of said bottle.

"Gimme your purse." the thief barks at the woman.

She, still shocked, falls back to the ground staring at the thief who might have just killed her boyfriend. Slow and with shaking hands she goes for her purse, while the man with the sharp glass comes closer.

Then suddenly someone giggles in the shadow behind her. The thief looks up behind the woman.

"Who's there?" he shouts. "Your not gone take my prey away."

The next moments are not more than a bad dream for the woman. She was still looking at the thief as some kind of red light got reflected by the broken bottle and a moment later a lightning flew over her right into the thief, roasting him to death. Even the glass in his hand began to melt. As the woman turned around to see her saver, she was just able to see the silhouette of a woman.

As the police came to the crime scene they didn't found any hint of the silhouette woman, but they mentioned that this wasn't the first time she appeared. Several times a silhouette woman was seen. She brought down thieves and thugs, but also kids that were just playing got punished (but never killed).

Whoever or whatever the silhouette woman is, it sure is a problem for the people around.

[Rebonack]

[Plothook Elementary School]

(Wenomir)

"Well, I uh..." the goblin stammers, his cudgel still raised above his head. "I figured I would just bump ya and steal the kid while yous back was turned, but maybe that weren't too tidy of a plan."

Wenomir will likely be able to hear the goblin sloooowly backing away. The creature is trying to judge how much reach the warrior has, since he would rather keep his head on top of his shoulders. Melissa, for her part, blows a raspberry at the goblin.

"We're, uh, we're all leavin' now that you heroes is here and Buggins is dead. Just thought you should know."

And with that the goblin turns on his heels and flees! Run awaaaaay!

(The Wrestler)

"Golly, mister, you sure are dumb!" the child puppet jeers. "Why should I be afraid of an ugly mutt like you? Why would I want to fight when I've already got what I want? There are plenty of other schools around here, so I can just find another one to gobble up children at. You're all here flailing around uselessly, but you won't stop the Wild Hunt when it begins."

Oh.

Well.

That's pretty terrible. The Wild Hunt is one of those potential world-ending scenarios. Those are just the worst.

(The Fox)

"The children were right behind me," the woman babbles as she continues running her fingers through the grass. "They were right here, and then they were gone. They must be hiding, I have to find them." There's an almost glazed look to her eyes. Someone likely laid some kind of enchantment on her to keep her incapacitated. Distressed people typically don't act quite like this.

The scent of fear is heavy on the air. And there's a dead goblin over by the door. Assuming it can be identified as such. The corpse has already been reduced to sod, sticks, and old cobwebs now that the gossamer that gave it form has wholly dissolved.

[Philip Memorial Library]

"I see," the Librarian replies with a sniff. "The information you need is housed in the library's rare book room. However, to access the rare book room you must first contribute to it."

Oh no.

This sounds like a fetch quest.

"And the sorts of books that would be welcome additions are rarely kept in safe places or by safe people."

Yep.

Totally a fetch quest.

[Graveyard]

The scout team isn't about to go kicking down the doors of the necropolis to stop undead from leaving.

That's more the sort of thing that Sunder would do. But she isn't here at the moment. She's probably back at the Hold doing political things. Eeww.

"Midnight, keep an eye on things. I'll have the fire team stationed here just in case the shambles come back," Blackout says. "I'll head back to the Hold for a debrief. Suggest we have more teams stationed around the City's graveyards just in case these spooks try to pull something like this off again."

"What about me, sir?" Sunny asks.

"You," Blackout replies, pointing a hoof at her. "Are done with your shift for today. Go take some time off."

Sunny pouts behind her helmet.

"Go."

"Yes, sir."

[Morty]

[Plothook Elementary School]

Wenomir considers giving chase of otherwise stopping the goblin, but decides there's no point. Hunting down peons would be a waste of valuable time.

"Let's go find our wrestler friend and then go after the ringleader of this circus," he tells Melissa, before going off to do the first part of the plan.

[Green Elf]

Elven Ranger

As for the newly arrived ranger, the crowd, mostly hafling of different age and profession, all seem confused and terrified at what's going on. Some of them are trying to take charge of the situation but it's clearly rather disorganized right now. He can see one of them pointing at Dark Dreams (who is a type of pony, you can let Fenric describe her more accurately), "No one knows, ask her!" The hafling yells before he runs off to help carry one of the bodies.

Near Dark Dream the ranger can see a woman, who at first look appears to be human, lifting her arm to get his attention. She is clad in a armor completely drenched in blood yet the book she's holding have somehow managed to come out spotlessly clean. She appears to be looking at what once was a body which appears to have turned into a mess of blood and guts, still taking notes in her book despite of the situation. "Dark Dreams, I'm guessing you didn't intend that to happen? What went wrong?" The woman asks the nearby pony.

The ranger runs over to the woman. "What's happening here, what kind of chaos fills this place?"says the ranger.

[deleteman900]

[MERC safehouse]

Anika fishes up a feather pen and a scroll from the satchel that she's carrying with her and hands them to Astrana, as there are no pen and paper in the safe house. "Never though I would get any use of these again since I ran out of money..."

The tiefling quickly makes a sketch, writing like a woman possessed to get as much details as possible down on the scroll before the vision faded from the mind. Once she gotten as much details as possible, she hands over the scroll to Genji and starts wiping off her hands on her apron. "Should that suffice, mister Genji?" She needed a shower now...

The fox looked at the sketch with interest, wondering what it was supposed to be. As he pieced it together, bit by bit, he mentioned to Anika, "I'm sure that if I was looking at this waterfall, I could identify it, but it doesn't really ring any bells otherwise... Do you have any ideas on where to start?" Genji asked the druid, figuring that she was more experienced in this sort of thing by far. "In particular, do you know this symbol for the temple?" Genji points it out, not recognizing it himself.

[Shadowcaller]

Dark Dreams is a midnight-blue unicorn pony. Her cutie-mark is a silver crescent moon with three little gold "z"s. Her eyes, however, are very odd: being glowing points of blue flame rather than eyes at all. She also has an overall more feral and muscular appearance than your usual pone.

She is currently looking utterly and completely shocked and disgusted, trembling like an aspen leaf in a stiff breeze. It seems likely she'll lose her lunch in short order.

Somebody interfered.

Steve takes off his helmet quickly and starts coughing. He bows his head and gets on all fours, as if he is trying to vomit something. He says in a wheezing voice "medic!" and goes back to coughing. He tries to pray, but cannot speak a full phrase.

[Graveyard]

The scout team isn't about to go kicking down the doors of the necropolis to stop undead from leaving.

That's more the sort of thing that Sunder would do. But she isn't here at the moment. She's probably back at the Hold doing political things. Eeww.

"Midnight, keep an eye on things. I'll have the fire team stationed here just in case the shambles come back," Blackout says. "I'll head back to the Hold for a debrief. Suggest we have more teams stationed around the City's graveyards just in case these spooks try to pull something like this off again."

"What about me, sir?" Sunny asks.

"You," Blackout replies, pointing a hoof at her. "Are done with your shift for today. Go take some time off."

Sunny pouts behind her helmet.

"Go."

"Yes, sir."

The ranger runs over to the woman. "What's happening here, what kind of chaos fills this place?"says the ranger.

[Vyrn Street Victim Assistance]

Elven Ranger & Dark Dreams

"Perhaps you should sit down? You probably should get some rest. Just close your eyes and think of something that makes you happy." Ambrosia suggests a bit more gently. Then she is suddenly addressed by the ranger. She appears to study him for a moment before actually answering his question. "There was an attack of what I believe to be undead beings, but it is all taken care of now. The people here are just attempting to repair the damage that was done." She gestures at the halflings trying to take care of their wounded and their dead. "It is likely spirit-related." She feels like adding. "Oh, how rude of me. I am Ambrosia Ithil by the way. I am not part in any of this, just a simple scholar." Her fancy armor suggests that she is hardly 'simple' though.

Steve the Paladin

One of the halflings quickly rushes over to Steve, he wasn't sure what was going on but considered a body just exploded, it was probably bad. "I have some water..." He says, trying to let Steve take a sip from the medics waterskin. The taste will eventually simply fade without any lasting ill effects, just that lingering taste in his mouth. The cleric he spoke to earlier seems to be slowly recovering as well, trying to spit out the ink that isn't really there. "Bleh, bleh, siking, *****, inking... what was that?!"

[MERC safehouse]

Anika shrugs. "Beats me, this ain't Azeroth and I seriously doubt your old man is hanging out there. I'm not too knowledgeable about god's honestly. Well, not your gods at the very least. We could always ask around though, if we're lucky we find someone knowledgeable in trog's or your temple."

Astrana clears her voice loudly. "While I would love to help, I have performed the service you paid for. Unless there was anything else, I need to get back to the base now." They should probably pay... right?

[deleteman900]

[Vyrn Street Victim Assistance]

Elven Ranger & Dark Dreams

"Perhaps you should sit down? You probably should get some rest. Just close your eyes and think of something that makes you happy." Ambrosia suggests a bit more gently. Then she is suddenly addressed by the ranger. She appears to study him for a moment before actually answering his question. "There was an attack of what I believe to be undead beings, but it is all taken care of now. The people here are just attempting to repair the damage that was done." She gestures at the halflings trying to take care of their wounded and their dead. "It is likely spirit-related." She feels like adding. "Oh, how rude of me. I am Ambrosia Ithil by the way. I am not part in any of this, just a simple scholar." Her fancy armor suggests that she is hardly 'simple' though.

Steve the Paladin

One of the halflings quickly rushes over to Steve, he wasn't sure what was going on but considered a body just exploded, it was probably bad. "I have some water..." He says, trying to let Steve take a sip from the medics waterskin. The taste will eventually simply fade without any lasting ill effects, just that lingering taste in his mouth. The cleric he spoke to earlier seems to be slowly recovering as well, trying to spit out the ink that isn't really there. "Bleh, bleh, siking, *****, inking... what was that?!"

[MERC safehouse]

Anika shrugs. "Beats me, this ain't Azeroth and I seriously doubt your old man is hanging out there. I'm not too knowledgeable about god's honestly. Well, not your gods at the very least. We could always ask around though, if we're lucky we find someone knowledgeable in trog's or your temple."

Astrana clears her voice loudly. "While I would love to help, I have performed the service you paid for. Unless there was anything else, I need to get back to the base now." They should probably pay... right?

Genji handed Astrana the bag of coin with a smile, "Thank you, while the meaning of the vision is unclear, it's still far more than I knew before, and that's all thanks to you, Miss Astrana. When this is all over, I do encourage you to come to the temple and pay your respects, and perhaps allow me to make you dinner..." he waves goodbye as he starts to exit the safehouse, presumably with Anika following. "Trog's?" Genji asks the druid curiously, "I don't think I'm familiar with that place..."

[8BitNinja]

Steve the Paladin

One of the halflings quickly rushes over to Steve, he wasn't sure what was going on but considered a body just exploded, it was probably bad. "I have some water..." He says, trying to let Steve take a sip from the medics waterskin. The taste will eventually simply fade without any lasting ill effects, just that lingering taste in his mouth. The cleric he spoke to earlier seems to be slowly recovering as well, trying to spit out the ink that isn't really there. "Bleh, bleh, siking, *****, inking... what was that?!"

Steve says "Thank you" to the medic after drinking the water. He puts his helm back on and says to the cleric "I'm not sure what that was, but I'm pretty sure we were under a spell. Due to being a paladin, I am resistant to diseases and poisons, so it couldn't be either of those. Do we have anyone here that has knowledge of arcane magics? They may know what caused this." He goes back to healing the wounded.

[Shadowcaller]

[Vyrn Street Victim Assistance]

Steve the Paladin

"Bleh. Pretty sure that was something divine, actually. I could feel the presence of another god. Likely the one that caused that." The cleric points out the remains of the exploded body. There are a few who are throwing up at the sight of it, and some who are about to. Not a pretty sight at all. "Maybe some god of undeath? I dunno." She shrugs while getting on her legs again. "We still got work to do, so hopefully it won't interfere again."

[MERC safehouse]

The tiefling is quick to accept the coin and put them away. "I'm not much for religions." She then admits. "What would I even pay my respects for? It's your god, not mine." Gods were just outsiders like any, and they didn't deserve more respect for that. "But maybe my boyfriend and the kids will want to see it, we'll see. Good bye." Astrana waves them off and then sets about cleaning the safehouse. These things were so much work.

"Bye." Anika says replies as she hurries out of the building. Once they're a safe distance away, she strikes up a new conversation. "Don't tell me you were flirting with her just now?" Anika asks with a smirk. "Like, I might not have that much respect for the gods, but that gal was a warlock. Don't gods hate those? Striking up all sort of pacts with demons and who knows what?" She shakes her head. "But trog's is just a crazy tavern. Can be pretty fun if you're looking to meet new people, a fight, or often both. it might be the most random part of Inside actually. All dimensions within it are messed up or something like that."

[deleteman900]

[Vyrn Street Victim Assistance]

Steve the Paladin

"Bleh. Pretty sure that was something divine, actually. I could feel the presence of another god. Likely the one that caused that." The cleric points out the remains of the exploded body. There are a few who are throwing up at the sight of it, and some who are about to. Not a pretty sight at all. "Maybe some god of undeath? I dunno." She shrugs while getting on her legs again. "We still got work to do, so hopefully it won't interfere again."

[MERC safehouse]

The tiefling is quick to accept the coin and put them away. "I'm not much for religions." She then admits. "What would I even pay my respects for? It's your god, not mine." Gods were just outsiders like any, and they didn't deserve more respect for that. "But maybe my boyfriend and the kids will want to see it, we'll see. Good bye." Astrana waves them off and then sets about cleaning the safehouse. These things were so much work.

"Bye." Anika says replies as she hurries out of the building. Once they're a safe distance away, she strikes up a new conversation. "Don't tell me you were flirting with her just now?" Anika asks with a smirk. "Like, I might not have that much respect for the gods, but that gal was a warlock. Don't gods hate those? Striking up all sort of pacts with demons and who knows what?" She shakes her head. "But trog's is just a crazy tavern. Can be pretty fun if you're looking to meet new people, a fight, or often both. it might be the most random part of Inside actually. All dimensions within it are messed up or something like that."

Genji smiled at the tiefling, "Perhaps. They are as real as any number of demons you can name, however, and denying their existence does not change that fact. I recognize the entities you commune with as readily as I do my own goddess, which is all the more reason for the common folk to seek protection in these troubled times. Not all of them have your ability to resist, and even coerce demons into doing their bidding. Regardless, the temple is at least quite a sight to see, and our library's collection of volumes on the history of the world are quite peerless, thanks to some of our number pursuing the scholarly arts as their method of bettering themselves." His smile remains kind, sincerely hoping that she will at least come to take a look, even if she has no desire to worship Inari. "Some aspects of Tamamo might even appeal to you, after a fashion. It is said that the Mistress of the Night's priests and priestesses are able to commune with the spirits of the dead, and otherworldly creatures from the realms of shadows, though I have not yet personally confirmed them for my own eyes."

He retreated with Anika nonetheless, sensing that their business was concluded, and Astrana wouldn't take kindly to the two of them lurking, "Is that a hint of jealousy I detect?" he smirked at the Night Elf his tail giving a slight brush against her leg as they walked side by side, "Regardless, everyone chooses their own path, and it is a very real possibility that that tiefling is simply mastering her own destiny, asserting her power to the demons that might otherwise come after her for the... mixed blood she possesses. It would be similar for me, if full kitsune were malicious, malignant entities who had nearly boundless power and too much time. Instead we prefer to play harmless tricks for the most part, so it's quite unlikely that I'll be hunted down and enslaved or even killed for my father's blood, if you can call it that... Quite often, the odd, off-handed compliment can put someone in a more agreeable disposition, and somewhat less likely to kill you for the clothes on your back. I have no desire to become the prey of a warlock's whims."

[Fenric]

Dark Dreams, still looking quite ill, takes the advice and flops down on her haunches. In between many a pause, wince, and gag, she relates:

Something interfered with my spell, and there was a backlash... Oh Mistress! I'm going to have reaction sickness on top of this horrible taste in my mouth. This puts me out: I couldn't cast anything else right now to save my life.

[Ionbound]

[Philip Memorial Library]

The woman groans slightly at the news and says, "I don't suppose you could make an exception, just this one time? It's really important. A matter of life and death. I'm...I'm being hunted by a monster and...Well, it's complicated and I don't really understand, but...I think it's very important I learn about 'the mysteries of the Author of Life'."

[Plothook Elementary School]

The wrestler growls and grimaces as he replies, "The Wild Hunt, huh? That sounds a lot like something I should be interested in stopping, after you. Maybe I'll do just that once I'm done here. But I gotta keep you from killing more kids first."

He looks around, trying to see, smell, or hear any clues to the puppeteer's actual location.

[Shadowcaller]

[MERC safehouse]

Astrana says nothing as they're already gone and she doesn't feel like arguing the point. It was pointless.

Anika doesn't bother waving away his tail this time, she just shakes her head again. "Eh, no offense, but warlocks and priests have always seemed similar to me. Two sides of the same coin, y'know? I mean, I once saw a shadow priest do the same thing as that warlock just did. Just asking some loa spirit for guidance instead of... whatever thing she asked. But I suppose this is the part where you correct me about how different you two are." She looks at Genji expectingly.

[8BitNinja]

[Vyrn Street Victim Assistance]

Steve the Paladin

"Bleh. Pretty sure that was something divine, actually. I could feel the presence of another god. Likely the one that caused that." The cleric points out the remains of the exploded body. There are a few who are throwing up at the sight of it, and some who are about to. Not a pretty sight at all. "Maybe some god of undeath? I dunno." She shrugs while getting on her legs again. "We still got work to do, so hopefully it won't interfere again."

"I pray it doesn't" says Steve. "I actually can pray that it doesn't" Steve stops healing for a second and prays "Protector of Life and Good, put your protection around us, so that those who you protect are safe from Evil." (Magic Circle against Evil) A circle of light radiates from the paladin up to about 10 feet. "If this god of the undead is evil as I suspect, we should be safe for some time." Steve goes back to healing the wounded.

[Murkus]

[Café]

The two cousins look rather confused.

"I don't throw anything about with my mind," Iknika says, although her tone indicates she sort of wishes she did.

"I have some magic. But it was a gift," Brinika adds. "Not because I'm a goblin."

"We have a cousin who became a sorcerer, but it's a lot of work. Reading books, meditating and tinkering with reality. Some people here make it look so easy."

[Cafe]

"Awh," Edrick bemoans, propping the side of his head against his fist and glancing elsewhere with a glower. He very suddenly and just as inquisitively turns his gaze on Brinika. "Well what can you do then?"

"I can't admit to knowing very much about magic, dear heart, despite my squire's praise. Although I know a wizard who makes an excellent teacher," she says with a mild smile. "Do you want to cast things about with your hands and your brain? Because I profess, you can do so just as easily with the strength of your arms, if you wish it so." She raises one surprisingly burly limb, clad all in steel or perhaps something even more resilient.

[deleteman900]

(The Fox)

"The children were right behind me," the woman babbles as she continues running her fingers through the grass. "They were right here, and then they were gone. They must be hiding, I have to find them." There's an almost glazed look to her eyes. Someone likely laid some kind of enchantment on her to keep her incapacitated. Distressed people typically don't act quite like this.

The scent of fear is heavy on the air. And there's a dead goblin over by the door. Assuming it can be identified as such. The corpse has already been reduced to sod, sticks, and old cobwebs now that the gossamer that gave it form has wholly dissolved.

The cloaked fox laid a hand on her forehead, casting a powerful compulsion to sleep into her mind, to get some rest and ease her troubled mind at least for the moment, before he stood once more, moving towards the school building to conduct further reconnaissance of the issue at hand, wondering what sort of creature would want to steal children. He would continue up to the main entrance, looking around carefully for any kind of further clues that might give him an idea of what was going on, since he was unable to identify that the sod, sticks, and old cobwebs were anything more than just that.

[MERC safehouse]

Astrana says nothing as they're already gone and she doesn't feel like arguing the point. It was pointless.

Anika doesn't bother waving away his tail this time, she just shakes her head again. "Eh, no offense, but warlocks and priests have always seemed similar to me. Two sides of the same coin, y'know? I mean, I once saw a shadow priest do the same thing as that warlock just did. Just asking some loa spirit for guidance instead of... whatever thing she asked. But I suppose this is the part where you correct me about how different you two are." She looks at Genji expectingly.

Genji shrugged, "There are many different types of priests, and many different types of gods that they serve. Given so much variety, I feel like any generalization you try to make is going to be a falsehood in some way..." He smiled a bit at her, "I don't think that you're fully right, but nor do I think you're fully wrong. Regardless, what is our current plan of attack on trying to find my father, now? Going to the tavern you mentioned? Would you care to lead the way?"

[Rebonack]

(Wenomir, Melissa, Wrestler, Fox, and the clown fiesta)

The potion, thankfully, does its work astoundingly fast. In no time at all Melissa is back on her feet and looking far less wobbly. There are two more of those things in the nurse's office, it might be wise to grab them just in case they run into more injuries that need immediate care.

"If it were a circus it would be more fun," Melissa points out. "There would be acrobats and dancing animals and clowns."

Though, arguably, one could probably cast the goblins as a bunch of clowns.

They won't have to go very far before they find the wrestler confronting-!

A child?

There's something subtly off about the way he moves, though. And Wenomir might notice the faintest glistening of strings attached to the boy as if he were a puppet. For the wrestler, he might be able to smell something faint. But it's distant. And getting further away, too.

"Oh, are you? And how are you planning on finding me, mister? It's hard to find a cat that doesn't want to be found," the child puppet jeers.

That's quite true. Cat sith can do some weird stuff when they aren't being observed.

Melissa squints at the boy, then points. "He's got strings on him, see?" she whispers to Wenomir. "Like Pinocchio did before he was made alive. I dunno how to do that."

The fox, meanwhile, finally manages to put the poor woman out of her misery. At least for a little while. The fae have largely vacated the school by now, their work interrupted by the untimely arrival of heroes. Children, those hidden away, are beginning to cautiously poke their heads out of hiding places. The whole school has been ransacked, for lack of a better word. The people who remain are rattled.

[Philip Memorial Library]

"So I see," the Librarian says, adjusting his spectacles. "You have a barghest doom laid upon you. And it will likely claim you, unless it is replaced by something worse."

Well.

That isn't particularly encouraging.

"And you were contacted by an empyrean messenger, curious. You have managed to get yourself entangled in some dreadful business that is quite beyond you. No unusual abilities. No proficiency in combat. No eldritch knowledge. A wholly unremarkable human, save for the doom presently eroding the reality of your existence. The entity you seek knowledge of is neither kind nor good. Mere knowledge of it is corrupting. It will consume you as surely as the hellhound that stalks you will."

He hasn't said anything about alternatives...

[Morty]

[Plothook Elementary School]

Wenomir nods to Melissa. "I can see them," he whispers. "Stay here."

He then grips his sword firmly in his hand, and moves. He zips past the wrestler, becoming a blur of motion, and aims a series of precise slashes - not at the child, but around him, trying to cut the strings. He hopes that the Answer, being a metaphysical weapon itself, will be able to sever a magical connection. Which, hopefully, won't be too pleasant for the controlling fae.

[Café]

"I can make rocks move," Brinika says. "And change their shape. Dirt, too. And I can make it darker in a place. I once talked to bird with music."

Iknika's ears twitch.

"I don't want to literally throw things. There's so much more you can do with magic. Fly, turn things into other things... and besides, I'm a goblin. There's only so much my arms can do, you know."