{"submission_id":"1196344","keywords":[{"keyword_id":"743","keyword_name":"adventure","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"2922"},{"keyword_id":"60","keyword_name":"cat","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"110780"},{"keyword_id":"44319","keyword_name":"contemporary","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"101"},{"keyword_id":"398","keyword_name":"demon","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"18402"},{"keyword_id":"2602","keyword_name":"fairy","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"2017"},{"keyword_id":"2193","keyword_name":"fantasy","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"11613"},{"keyword_id":"112296","keyword_name":"garuda","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"51"},{"keyword_id":"1440","keyword_name":"human","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"46960"},{"keyword_id":"191","keyword_name":"magic","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"11609"},{"keyword_id":"3313","keyword_name":"monkey","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"4912"},{"keyword_id":"10129","keyword_name":"supernatural","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"375"},{"keyword_id":"7273","keyword_name":"undead","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"1023"}],"hidden":"t","scraps":"f","favorite":"f","favorites_count":"0","create_datetime":"2016-09-21 02:22:15.254394+02","create_datetime_usertime":"21 Sep 2016 02:22 CEST","last_file_update_datetime":"2016-09-21 02:16:59.773453+02","last_file_update_datetime_usertime":"21 Sep 2016 02:16 CEST","username":"Simoni","user_id":"279733","user_icon_file_name":"75728_Simoni_simoni_barjar.gif","user_icon_url_large":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/75/75728_Simoni_simoni_barjar.gif","user_icon_url_medium":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/75/75728_Simoni_simoni_barjar.gif","user_icon_url_small":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/75/75728_Simoni_simoni_barjar.gif","file_name":"1667861_Simoni_part_2.12_heart_of_the_problem.doc","file_url_full":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/full/1667/1667861_Simoni_part_2.12_heart_of_the_problem.doc","file_url_screen":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/1667/1667861_Simoni_part_2.12_heart_of_the_problem.doc","file_url_preview":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/1667/1667861_Simoni_part_2.12_heart_of_the_problem.doc","files":[{"file_id":"1667861","file_name":"1667861_Simoni_part_2.12_heart_of_the_problem.doc","file_url_full":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/full/1667/1667861_Simoni_part_2.12_heart_of_the_problem.doc","file_url_screen":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/1667/1667861_Simoni_part_2.12_heart_of_the_problem.doc","file_url_preview":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/1667/1667861_Simoni_part_2.12_heart_of_the_problem.doc","mimetype":"application/msword","submission_id":"1196344","user_id":"279733","submission_file_order":"0","full_size_x":null,"full_size_y":null,"screen_size_x":null,"screen_size_y":null,"preview_size_x":null,"preview_size_y":null,"initial_file_md5":"e646d907b5ad74740972a2429c86415a","full_file_md5":"e646d907b5ad74740972a2429c86415a","large_file_md5":"","small_file_md5":"","thumbnail_md5":"","deleted":"f","create_datetime":"2016-09-21 02:16:59.773453+02","create_datetime_usertime":"21 Sep 2016 02:16 CEST"}],"pools":[],"description":"Damn, took our sweet time huh? Can you believe this story arc started [i]last damn year[/i]? Yeah, its still January in the story!\n\nBut yeah, the plot has been revealed. Al's insane plan is to use Hyde to contaminate New Orleans's water supply and release the deep down sins of the entire town so that Heaven has an excuse to turn the city into a modern day Sodom in a mad plan to restore a much fractured and splintered Yahweh to power.\n\nIt almost won't certainly work, but Al doesn't give a damn as the plan itself appeals to his demonic sensibilities.\n\nHowever, with the heart of Old Maggoty the True Fae destroyed, he has no way to enhance the supernatural drug to make it potent enough to infect the water supply. Without it, the drug will be so diluted that it won't do anything at all.\n\nNow he's taking his revenge out on Nelen, his former apprentice, his undead minions beating him senseless in the abandoned Coke-a-Cola bottling plant that he made his base in, as Arja and Company rush to the rescue... but Al is an incredibly powerful demon, will they really be able to defeat him?","description_bbcode_parsed":"<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>Damn, took our sweet time huh? Can you believe this story arc started <em>last damn year</em>? Yeah, its still January in the story!<br /><br />But yeah, the plot has been revealed. Al&#039;s insane plan is to use Hyde to contaminate New Orleans&#039;s water supply and release the deep down sins of the entire town so that Heaven has an excuse to turn the city into a modern day Sodom in a mad plan to restore a much fractured and splintered Yahweh to power.<br /><br />It almost won&#039;t certainly work, but Al doesn&#039;t give a damn as the plan itself appeals to his demonic sensibilities.<br /><br />However, with the heart of Old Maggoty the True Fae destroyed, he has no way to enhance the supernatural drug to make it potent enough to infect the water supply. Without it, the drug will be so diluted that it won&#039;t do anything at all.<br /><br />Now he&#039;s taking his revenge out on Nelen, his former apprentice, his undead minions beating him senseless in the abandoned Coke-a-Cola bottling plant that he made his base in, as Arja and Company rush to the rescue... but Al is an incredibly powerful demon, will they really be able to defeat him?</span>","writing":"Its midday in New Orleans, the group out investigating what they can. Nelen and the other adults (along with Dawn) are hitting up the remaining graveyards, looking for some sort of clue or object that they can use to track down the necromancer working with Al while Simoni and the kids are out looking to see if they can find anyone else who seems to be a hyde user, if nothing else so they can try to follow them back to wherever they're getting it from and report back to Nelen so they can put together some sort of plan of attack don't you fucking dare rush in again goddammit as Nelen had put it.\n\nSimoni was wearing a loose green tank top and a knee-length denim skirt, along with a pair of green flip flops, her long black hair tied back into a loose braid. Dusk was, as he liked to do, sitting on her shoulder like a furry parrot. The cheshire was sniffing around excitedly, clearly enjoying all the new sights and smells (not the least of which because of all the seafood in New Orleans). Stephy walked along with the group as well, the fae 'princess' having opted for an icy blue silk spaghetti strap top and a long but very light white skirt with his own pair of flip flops. He also carried a paper fan and kept using it on himself, muttering about the weather.\n\n\"Seriously! How on earth is it so hot here in January!\" he sighs, the blonde haired fairy clearly upset by the balmy southern climate. \"It's winter, we just had Christmas back up north and there was all that lovely snow... how can anywhere be so warm this time of year?\" he mopes, \"You'd think we stayed here straight through summer or something...\"\n\nSimoni sighs, though this was positively mild compared to Jaipur, \"Yeah yeah, poor little ice princess can't take the heat.\" she teases, \"Really though, it does feel like we've been down here a lot longer than we have... I mean it's only been about a week since we got back from visiting mom and dad...\" she tilts her head, her green eyes looking confused for a moment. \"... I wonder why...\" she murmurs as the group passes infront of a Gamestop, the front window sporting a huge poster of an elvish man with large curled horns and green flames for eyes with the words 'Pre-order now!' pasted under him. She pauses, then shrugs, \"Guess its just one of those things.\" she nods, dismissing the thought.\n\nArja smirks a bit as she walks, poking Stephy's cheek softly. \"Aw, eager to get back to winter in India? I think we're due for a cold snap there, may dip all the way down to feeling like low 90's with humidity.\" she teases. She had also gone more causal for their likely long day of investigation, a red tank top like Simoni's, and a pair of baggy jeans. \n\nTrixie giggles softly as she wraps her arms around Stephy from behind. \"Aw don't tease him, he's delicate.\" she coos as they walk, the southern girl much better prepared for the climate, a simple button down dark blue and white checkered blouse with a pair of loose jeans as well, her shiny leather cowgirl boots clacking on the cobblestones as they walk.\n\nSammi just rolls his eyes, waving his hand and manifesting a small ball of ice, pressing it to the side of Stephy's next to help his brother cool down. \"We're literal creatures of ice. Maybe the monkey would like to go for a swim and we can see how fun she thinks being very literally out of her element is.\" Sammi had gone less subtle than his friends. A white long sleeved shirt that was made of a loose, thin, material that shined a bit in the sun, as well as more snug black pants that covered his legs down to his polished black boots. He had a pair of rather thick round black sunglasses over his head, and a rather wide brimmed white sun hat on his head. The fae wanting to stay as shaded as possible as they walked it seemed, even if he did stand out in the crowd...\n\nUp ahead Patli was leading the charge, entirely by accident though. She had smelled a nearby bakery's fresh batch of beignets, and the sweet dough covered in powdered sugar was like a beacon to the humingbird girl...She was dressed casually as well, a pair of black shorts and a lime green t-shirt that had golden designs around it like an aztec sun design, her hair left free and bouncing (though her friends would know that was mainly because the hair was actually feathers, and bundling those together can get uncomfortable...)\n\nStephy watches her bouncing and chattering excitedly about sweets, though he does let out a soft sigh of relief at the ice ball, even though it does melt rather quickly. \"Yeah, seriously Arja. Next time we go somewhere, how about Siberia? Maybe Tibet? I hear Alaska is lovely this time of year.\" he smirks at her, then pauses and glances around, \"Hang on... I think I just... yeah...\" he shudders, \"Something, lots of envy, a ton of wrath... I think someone around her has to be using that Hy-\" he starts, then gets cut off as a shop door opens and a rather frustrated looking woman hauls out a rather chubby three year old with an icecream stained mouth. The kid is flailing his plump arm, waving around a rather beat up Spongebob Squarepants toy, while screeching \"IWANTITIWANTITIWANTITIWANTIT!\" at the top of his lungs and at a pitch that makes Dusk hiss and fold his ears back.\n\nStephy sighs, \"... or it could be a spoiled suburbanite kid.\" he rolls his eyes, then glances around. \"We've been at this for hours, you'd think by now we'd run into another Hyde junkie. Maybe word got around about the side effects? I mean, getting turned into that could scare some people away...\" he nods.\n\nArha nods, frowning. \"Maybe. That'd be nice, but I have a feeling whoever's making this stuff isn't the kind to give up easy. Even if people are deciding the side effects aren't worth it, maybe whoever's doing this will just start forcibly shooting people up. We need a lead before they get desperate.\" Trixie nods at that, one hand idly dipping down to run along the deck of cards in her pocket slowly. \"I can't imagine they have a ton of operations, too. If we can find just one and shut it down that'd do a lot.\" \n\n\"Mhm,\" Sammi adds in. \"Drugs like this are very hard to make, even for the extremely gifted, there can't be more than a handful of facilities at best, could luck out and there's just one big one even. If they were able to mass produce it it'd be like a giant beacon for every supernatural in the area.\"\n\nStephy nods, then pauses and glances down an alleyway at a group of people. To anyone else it might look like just some random weirdos. A hobo, a hipster, and a hippie all talking animatedly to each other... but to someone with the Sight. The hobo was less a homeless man and more a stray dog, a literal dog with big floppy ears, a wet nose, and droopy cheeks like a basset hound, his nails like long hard dog claws and a stumpy tail peeking out from under his beat up old jacket. The hipster was a attractive, looking almost like a taller and more bookish Sammi with his college-professor look of a button down shirt, pressed slacks, and glasses... except his hair was too blonde, unnaturally so but not the kind of unnatural that you'd see in a box, and his ears have fine points to them. The hippie was the only woman, a girl in a baggy tie dye teeshirt and bandanna with a long loose granny skirt, but she was a literal flower child, her long hair more like ivy with flowers growing out of it, her skin a deep mossy green.\n\nMundanes would just see an odd group of people, but Stephy and Sammi saw changelings. Stephy raised his eyebrow, then smirked, \"Well, why don't we ask some of them then?\" he suggests.\n\nSammi nods, taking in the others as he smiles as well. \"Good idea.\" he nods as he makes his way down the alleyway to the group, holding his hand up in a friendly gesture. \"Hey there, mind if my brother and I butt in?\" Even for nobility dealing with others there were some rules for fae interactions. Territory was very important, even 'temporary' ones like a gathering of people. Territory meant security, and that was one of the most important things to the fae, and a stranger barging in uninvited was, at best, very rude and a bad way to start a conversation. Even nobility had to at least get some kind of acknowledgement if they wanted to be polite.\n\nThe three changelings all give a start at the sound of his voice, turning to look at him... then reacting with suspicion. He was clearly more than just a changeling to them and given that the majority of them were escapees from Arcadia who fled from cruel and wicked fae, it meant trouble.\n\n\"Who're you!\" barks the dog-like hobo, backing away as his hackles raise, \"You one-a them?! Come for Basset Bailey eh? Come ta take him back?\" he growls, still backing away. He's definitely suffered from his time in Arcadia, reacting both like a human abuse victim and a dog who got kicked a lot.\n\nThe attractive young man isn't much better, he doesn't say anything but he does regard them with a disdainful look, the kind one might give if he just stepped in something. Only the girl seems at least willing to hear them out, \"Uh, hi?\" she tries, the girl shaking like a leaf as she talks, her long vine-hair swishing in the breeze, \"Um... s-sorry for my friend, he's the bite-first-run-away-ask-questions-never type.\" she glances at the hobo, the canine-like man growling low in the back of his throat, but clearly too scared to actually attack. \"Look, look, e-everyone just calm down okay? Maybe these ones are nice fairies?\" she tries.\n\nThe young man looks at her like she just said 'ebola, what's [i]really[/i] so bad about it?' while the canine barks at her, \"Ain't no good fairies! Only good 'un is a dead 'un!\" he snaps, \"Dammit, had some iron, need iron. Don't got no iron! WHY AIN'T I GOT NO IRON?!\" he snarls.\n\nSimoni winces as Dusk hisses at the hobo, his tiny pin-like claws digging into her shoulder as his fur arches and his tail fluffs. The dog-like man growls back at him, but then such reactions are pretty much built right into both. Cats and dogs and all.\n\nSammi simply keeps his smile at the reactions, obviously very used to edgy changelings dealing with him. He gives a rather low bow to the group, trying to show respect before nodding. \"I am indeed one of the 'nice' fairies. My name is Sammuel d'Orleans Montebank, heir to the frozen throne of lady Sera d'Orleans. I assure you neither I nor my grandmother have any desire to hurt anyone here. I've just come to ask a couple questions.\" he then smiles to the dog-like man, looking to him carefully. \"You don't need iron, now. Why would I want to take you back. The great Basset Bailey is doing a fantastic job as a thorn in the side of the oppressive true fae, I could never betray such a noble soul.\" His smile turns almost uncharacteristically warm as he speaks. He of course had no clue who this guy was, but he knew a bit about the 'beast' fae, how they were made, and how they tended to turn out. There's usually a lot of anger, even trying to live quietly they often can't help but try to rebel when they can. \"In fact, my grandmother wanted me to thank you personally for all you've done,\" he adds in, giving another bow to the man directly as he speaks. \"If you ever do wish to come to Arcadia, her holding is always open to you.\"\n\nThe dog arches his back and barks loudly at him, abandoning nearly all pretense at being human, before turning and fleeing through the back alleyway with his tail between his legs. Apparently suggesting coming to Arcadia at all set him off.\n\n\"Bailey!\" yells the flower woman, then she sighs, \"Well, shoot... there he goes. He'll be hiding under a bridge with the trolls for a week now.\" she frowns, turning back to him, \"Sammuel? Uh, well... look, we don't want any trouble... I go by Lavender these days and my friend here is just the Blonde Professor.\" she nods to her remaining companion who gives a sound of annoyance and mutters 'tell everyone why don't you' under his breath. \"W-what did you want to ask anyways?\" she adds, looking at him warily. Its not just that he's actually fae, its that he's a winter fae and she's a flower changeling. Just being around a being of ice and snow made her anxious.\n\nSammi holds back a little chuckle at his reaction before nodding to Lavender. \"My friends and I have been looking for the makers of a new drug. It's a very... enhanced drug, if you understand me? Has anyone around you been talking about a new product like that, one that enhances emotions?\"\n\nThe two changelings look surprised at this, the pair of them glancing to each other, \"Wait... you mean that stuff that turns mundanes into monsters? That glamour corrupting stuff?\" asks Lavender, tilting her head at Sammi, \"W-we thought you were the ones doing it!\" she nods, then winces, \"W-well, maybe not you you, but the true fae...\" she adds quickly.\n\nIts this that prompts her companion to finally speak up. The Professor takes off his glasses and pulls out a silk hankerchief from his shirt pocket, rubbing the lenses with it, \"Some of our compatriots back at our freehold have fallen victim to a sort of... glamour sickness. Like what would happen if a mundane human ate poisoned food. A group of Summer Courters found a... thing... that was overflowing with wrathful glamour and drank their fill of it from a safe distance, but within a few hours they were violently and horribly ill. This was several days ago and they're still bedridden.\" he nods, his words clipped and precise, like the very fussy teacher his look suggests.\n\nSammi raises his brow at that. \"Huh, interesting. My brother and I just got a taste of it and it made us ill, I had no idea it had such devistating qualities though,\" he says before shaking his head. \"I assure you this is not a fae product in any form. Even the most mad true fae would likely take issue with this, they need glamour in their own form as well after all. Where are these summer courters? They could have been exposed to a much more refined form...\"\n\nThe two of them shake their heads firmly, the Professor nodding, \"They are in a Safe Location that we will NOT divulge under any circumstances. You may not be actively hunting Sir Fae, but you are one of the true. We will not give you any information that may be bartered to those who would do us harm.\" he replies in a very firm 'do not ask again' way. \"Besides, this could very well be a fae product. Mad is a very relative term among your kind Sir Fae, and I very much doubt the Gentry would care if a few humans turned into poison-glamour monsters so long as there are billions more to choose from.\"\n\n\"B-besides.\" adds Lavender, \"They got a lot more than 'just a taste'. They were glowing with glamour when they came home. B-but...\" she thinks, \"They said that they found the thing on the outskirts of New Orleans, near the swamps. Maybe whatever is making this is there too?\" she suggests.\n\nThe Professor frowns at her, \"If there is something out there, it can stay there. That's the territory of Old Maggoty the Hag...\" he pauses to spit on the ground, \"... and she's just mad enough to do something like this herself.\" he nods.\n\nSammi chuckles softly. \"So untrusting, but I can't blame you. Fair, I think that lead is good enough. Who is 'Old Maggoty', though? A proper hag or a hag like one of us?\" That was a rather important distinction to know. A 'proper' hag was an incredibly powerful magician, usually centuries old. Among many fae magicians, though, 'hag' was also a title used. Still something to be very wary of, but it had a far less dangerous connotation, more like a hermit than anything else.\n\nThe two of them frown, suddenly looking uncomfortable. The Professor coughs into his closed fist and looks away as Lavender wrings her hands and bites her lip.\n\nLavender glances at the Professor, \"We need to tell them... if they're going to go looking... I mean they're just kids Professor!\" she whines.\n\nThe Professor frowns at her, \"You tell them then, I don't want her pulling that memory out of their heads to find out who snitched and waking up with her standing over me. Remember what happened to Scumbly Joe.\" he warns, then turns around smartly and walks to the end of the alleyway.\n\nThe girl whines as he goes, then turns back to Sammi, looking at the young boy as one might look at a dangerous animal, \"W-well... she's one of you. She's an exiled true fae...\" she glances frantically over her shoulders, as if expecting the creature to suddenly manifest right in the middle of a sunny day. \"She's really powerful though, practices the worst kind of magics... Every once in a while some young changeling knight gets it into his head to go out into the bog and try to get rid of her...\" she giggles, a high frightened one that hints of an oncoming panic attack, \"... if we find what's left we give them a nice funeral. Whole freehold pitches in...\" she nods, her hands going up to the vine-like hair as she plucks a blossom from it, idly pulling the petals off as she whispers a rhyme under her breath, her mouth twitching as she does.\n\nSammi frowns at that. That wasn't good. The true fae don't exile often, those that do get the boot are usually both incredibly twisted and too powerful to simply execute...Still, he just nods as he reaches into his pocket for his wallet, pulling out three shiny silver cards with golden fae writing on them. Stephy has seen them before, functionally IOUs, blank contracts with his bits already filled in. Nothing extreme, plenty of clauses to let him say no to over the line requests, but open enough to be worth a decent favor. \"One for each of you, the dog man too,\" he says, handing the cards over to Lavender, as well as a small wad of money. \"Get him something nice to eat and some fresh clothes. Don't tell him I told you about it but if he goes to the cafe a couple blocks over and asks for a delivery job he can get some decent work.\" He nods at that, face suddenly looking very serious as he looks back to the group. \"Let's go kill a true fae.\"\n\nShe eeps in fright and jumps back from the offered cards and money, \"F-favors?! No, no no no. Don't want don't need!\" she shakes her head, a trembling hand going up to her hair again and pulling off another flower, holding it in her shaking fist as she strips the petals, \"Pluck from the vine, all will be fine. Pluck from the vine, all will be fine.\" she mutters over and over like a mantra, though the petals are practically getting shredded in her hands. The professor sees this and stalks over to her, pulling her to him and shushing her before giving Sammi a scathing look.\n\n\"We neither want nor need your charity, Sir Fae. We care for our own.\" he replies in a cold voice, patting Lavender's shoulder, \"Come dear, we'll go back to the Freehold and make you some herbal tea. You'd like that wouldn't you?\" he asks as Lavender gives a rather disturbing giggle and nods, the Professor giving him another hard look. \"We are leaving now. I called ahead to warn my allies of True Fae in the area. Do NOT follow us. We will have iron waiting if you do.\" he warns, then guides the flower fae out of the alley and into the street, the girl giggling to herself all the way as sap-like tears stream down her cheeks.\n\nStephy was silent through the whole thing, content to let Sammi do the talking, but finally he winces, \"... geez... I guess mom's holding really is the exception huh?\" he murmurs, \"I wouldn't want to meet whoever their keeper was.\"\n\nSammi frowns softly, but nods, tucking the cards back into his pocket. \"We're just as much predators as Natasha and Lupe's kin.\" he says rather bluntly. \"We just feed on a harder to see source. The best we can do is try to help where we can.\" he sighs softly, shaking his head. \"This isn't good though. Regardless of her involvement, we can't let a true fae just make camp in the mortal realm. Not only is that bad for the mortals, the entire point of most changelings' journey is to find safety in the mortal realm. The hedge is our divider, for both of our sakes. We have to stop her.\"\n\nStephy nods a bit, \"But... well... if they're this scared, what if she's a higher fae? I mean... we could handle someone like mom or Trixie's kinda-aunt if they're stuck in the Mundane World, but one of the higher fae? That's way out of our league.\" he frowns, tapping his folded up fan against his chin. \"We need to tell Nelen. I mean if the Hyde is coming from there... and Al actually is behind it... would a true fae join forces with a demon?\" he winces.\n\nSimoni eeps at that, \"Someone that scary with someone who terrifies Merihim? Um, maybe Nelen's demon is right, maybe we should just try to take out the manticore on our own...\" she giggles nervously, looking worried now.\n\nSammi nods. \"The higher fae are... Lovecraftian almost. They're almost peers with demons and angels. Hell I think a few claim to be older. If this Al guy could further her goals she'd be a powerful ally, especially if she's a powerful magician and alchemist.\" He nods. \"We need everyone we can get, and iron, lots of irons. It won't dust her like it would us but it'll still hurt like hell.\"\n\nSimoni nods, getting out her phone as she calls Nelen to fill him in, Dusk's ears perking up as she talks into the electronic device.\n\n\"Yeah... but being on Earth would weaken her too, a lot. I mean she might even be stuck in a more human-like form if we're lucky.\" suggests Stephy, \"Still... we gotta sort this out one way or another. I mean... I've seen escaped changelings before, but those guys were a mess. Well, the Professor was okay, but the other two...\" he frowns, remembering how rapidly Lavender degenerated into panic and compulsion when one of the true fae came up.\n\nSammi nods, sighing softly. \"Yeah. Changelings don't typically make it out without some scars, but they had a good bit of them. Sera and the spike do what they can to help but... trust doesn't come easy after what they go through.\"\n\nSimoni hangs up her phone and turns back to the group, \"Alright, Nelen is on his way. He said the car won't be big enough for all of us so he wants me and Stephy to fly out and meet him on the outskirts of town. He said that apparently hag sightings are a thing around here and she's usually spotted around...\" she thinks, \"Delacroix, near a place called Lost Lake.\" she nods, \"So we're gonna hunt around there.\" she nods to Stephy and hands Dusk to Arja, then flexes her wings. \"Should be able to get enough height in here without getting noticed...\" she murmurs as large green feathers begin to sprout along her arms.\n\nPatli raises her hand at that, \"I can come too! I'm too fast to catch!\"\n\nStephy nods as he flexes his own arms, sprouting glossy pale blue feathers along them as Simoni's legs finish transforming into large talons with black scales on them, the girl bending down so Arja can climb on. \"Good thinking Patli, whoever is riding on me can carry you in your hummingbird form until we get there.\" he nods, hummingbirds were speedy in short bursts, but they couldn't outfly a larger bird for long stretches after all. \"So, Trixie? Sammi? Which one of you?\" he asks, flapping his newly formed wings as his talons scratch at the pavement. It had been a while since he'd used this form after all, it was odd being in it again.\n\nTrixie raises her hand. \"Sammi should stay behind in case a Hyde thing pops up, he'll be able to sense it. Plus I've got iron bullets, ya know, in case.\" she suggests.\n\n Sammi nods, \"Makes a good point, be safe little brother, if you see something bad get out of there.\" he says as Patli quickly shifts her forms into a small, shiny emerald with a ruby red belly, hummingbird, that eagerly perches on Trixie's head.\n\nHe nods and lets Trixie climb up onto him, then both he and Simoni let out a loud whistle as they shoot up into the sky. Dusk grins wide and clambers up to rest between Simoni's shoulder blades, watching the world go by under them with wide eyes as they get high enough to make sure that any mundanes would just mistake them for odd looking birds before banking off and heading towards the large swampy landscape that rested between the city proper and the ocean. It took about an hour to fly out there and as they got out of the city they saw a black car driving down the road below them, the only vehicle around. Simoni nodded down to it as the group saw the passenger side window roll down and a bandaged hand wave to them, letting them know it was the right car before it pulled off onto a small patch of solid land and the doors opened. Nelen climbing out with Dawn in her cat form on his shoulders along with Nessa, Aisha, and Alice as Simoni and Stephy arced downwards, heading towards the ground to land.\n\nAisha nods as the group meets up, the girl wearing her sword on her hip, contrasting with her designer jeans and pale purple silk blouse. Alice nods as well as Nessa prods her arm to tell her the rest were here, Patli popping out of Trixie's hair to zip around her sister's head eagerly. \"Alright, seems the gang's here, do we have some way to signal the others when we find our target?\" Alice asks in a calm voice. This was the first time the group properly saw her dressed to work, and the blind, wealthy, girl actually looked rather intimidating like this. A pair of loose khaki pants with pockets and a snug green sweater over what looks to be some kind of body armor. Her shiny black sunglasses hid her eye movements as she looked around despite her disability, and her hands gripped the cane that the group knew by now opened into a rather devastating sword. She almost looked paramilitary, even more so with the gold patch on her right arm that had her family crest on it...\n\nNessa just smirks softly as she rubs her sister's head, dressed in her more normal black suit and gloves.\n\nStephy shakes his head, \"Not really necessary.\" he replies, tilting his head a bit, \"I can tell she's in there. She is a fae after all, powerful one.\" he nods as he shifts back to his more human form and slips his sandals back on. \"Its a ways in though...\" he frowns, \"Hope you guys are okay with a hike.\" he sighs a bit, hitching up his skirts slightly, \"Should've worn something shorter.\" he frowns but heads off into the swamp, waving for the rest to follow him.\n\nIts a long hike, Stephy having to guide them in and around several hidden traps, sigils carved into trees and hidden under the marsh like magical proximity mines. \"Don't touch that tree, it'll turn your skin inside out.\" he warns at one point. \"Stay off that patch of swamp.\" he says as he makes a wide circle around an area in the middle of a patch of water, \"It'll cover you with a scent that'll attract every alligator within five miles.\" he explains. Stephy can sense the glamour used to make the traps, allowing him to bypass them. Presumably so could most of the changelings in the area, but they'd have to be pretty insane to try to find the Hag to begin with.\n\nTrixie nods, pulling her cards out and quickly drawing a couple in each hand, mumbling softly before the cards seem to fade into the air, replaced with her two revolvers, already loaded with bullets that Stephy could practically smell the iron in. \"She's smart,\" Alice nods as she creeps with the group, nodding along. \"She must have been here a while. That's good, if she's been weakened significantly by her change to the mortal realm she'd be getting weaker all the time she's here.\"\n\nStephy nods, \"Yeah, maybe this won't be too bad after all...\" he replies, then pauses as they round a corner past a bunch of large swamp trees and find a dilapidated old wooden shack on large posts, a swamp house designed to stay above the water. \"... well, guess we'll find out.\" he nods. It has to be her lair. The whole house is lit by torches, the front door has a stone handle rather than metal, and there's... things hanging from the awning over the porch. Crow's feet and feathers, bones of various sorts (some human, some not), and more. There's also a sickening smell wafting out of the open window, though what it might be is unknown, other than downright vile.\n\nNelen steps forward, getting ready to open the door as he bunches his hand into a fist. Merihim is still on strike, but he's still tough enough to handle something like this by surprise. \"Probably should've brought Loren, but she's helping keep watch for Hydes in town.\" he mutters, \"Oh well...\" he reaches for the door handle.\n\nAs he does, the fur on Dawn's back suddenly fluffs up as her nostrils flare, \"Wait! Nelen! Don't!\" she hisses as his hand rests on the knob.\n\n\"What?\" he asks, but as he does the door suddenly falls inwards right off it's hinges, collapsing in a crash of old rotted wood. The group can see inside now, and in the candlelight inside the small house they see what can only be the hag.\n\nShe's a massive woman-like fae. Hugely obese with sickly green skin covered in pustules that ooze some sort of disgusting liquid. Her eyes are small but a piercing red, and her mouth is full of half rotted and oversized teeth that look like they could crack bones open, her tongue long and barbed to lick out the marrow of said bones. Her fingernails are long and ragged like claws, and she wears a shapeless burlap sack with a hood drawn to hide the rest of her head.\n\nShe is also, quite clearly, dead. The hag has been impaled on the wall... no, [i]crucified[/i]. Her wrists have been driven through with iron stakes, a third one nailing her feet to the far wall. Smoke still trails off them where she died, the skin around the iron blackened and charred as if it had been set on fire.\n\nStanding infront of her is a tall handsome man wearing a green velvet suit that looks like something out of a history textbook on Victorian fashion, complete with a top hat and smoked glasses to hide his eyes. One hand is resting on the head of an elegant walking cane with a handle shaped like a goat's head, while the other is holding a large and diseased looking lump of meat... which most likely came from the ragged hole in the hag's chest.\n\n\"Ah, student. I heard you were in town.\" chuckles Al. \"Do come in, I was just finishing up.\"\n\nEveryone freezes as they see the crucified hag and Al in the shack's remains, even Alice seems to understand what's going on despite her inability to see it... Trixie's hands move to her gun on near instinct, whipping it around and firing a shot at Al!\n\nBefore she can blink the cane comes around and bats the bullet right out of the air, causing it to smash into the floor between the cowgirl's feet. \"Hello to you too young... lady?\" he tries, then shrugs as if it's not important. \"Well, wasn't expecting you to come looking for the infamous Maggoty... I'm curious, did you work out what I was doing, or was it just co-incidence?\" he asks, walking slowly to the door as the light illuminates what he's holding. Stephy looks like he's going to be sick just looking at it, but Al is holding what can only be Maggoty's heart, ripped right from her chest with his bare hands.\n\nTrixie just stares as he so casually bats her bullet away before Alice speaks up. \"A greater true fae is a powerful ally, but they make even better ingredients. If she was gifted in disease and alchemy and such her fluids and parts could prove to be incredibly useful... if you're making some kind of drug...\" Trixie blinks softly before nodding. \"So it's you?\"\n\nAl laughs at that, \"Well well, a Roche too I see... oh sorry dear, was that a bit insensitive?\" he grins, \"Yes they do indeed. Its how I've been enhancing my little concoction. The heart is the seat of all emotion, the fae ARE emotion. Rather elegant don't you think? Sadly I was running a bit low and needed some more to finish my project, so when I heard that there was an exile squatting in the swamp I thought it would be prudent to pay her a visit.\" he nods, \"Poor dear thought she could really defeat me... Well, she learned that the hard way.\" he nods.\n\nNelen's face is almost white now, the warlock looking like he's close to doing just what Basset Bailey did and running away with his tail between his legs, but part of him pushes him on, \"... why?\" he asks, \"Why? What does Hell gain out of this?\" he manages.\n\nAl frowns, \"... he didn't tell you? Usually he's thrilled about that little fact, poor little drippy thinks it might free him from what we did after he signed on with us.\" he smirks. \"Merihim, I know you're in there boy. Come out.\" he replies as Nelen gasps, all the veins on his skin suddenly standing out. Al frowns, \"That won't do at all. I said [b]come out. Now[/b].\" and this time his voice sounds deeper, stronger than it had.\n\nNelen gasps in pain and almost doubles over, then shakes his head and curses, his eyes red as he jams his hands into his pockets. \"... Al.\" he nods.\n\n\"Ah, thats better. You really didn't tell them about what's wrong with dear ol' Yahweh?\" he smirks, \"Oh do go ahead. It may be rather Bond-villain-esque of me, but all of you together couldn't touch Maggoty, much less me, so why not enjoy myself?\" he sneers.\n\nAlice gulps softly as Al so easily commands the other demon, hand reaching into her own pockets as Nessa speaks. \"What do you mean 'wrong'?\"\n\nMerihim scowls at Al, looking rather like a sulky teenager glaring at an authority figure. \"Yahweh is going insane, probably dying too. Look, y'know how at first there was just one church? Then it split into two, then three, and so on and so on?\" he asks, \"Well every time it does Yahweh splits. Each sect gets their own version of him. Its not such a big deal if it's, say, Elohim. There's only about ten versions of Judaism. But...\"\n\nAl smirks, \"Fourty thousand sects of Christianity last I looked. The old grey god just ain't what he used to be.\" he shakes his head, \"He's fading. No God in history has ever split themselves so many times, its becoming impossible for Him to maintain cohesion. His powers and his personality have fragmented so many damn times that he's lost almost everything. Thats why there's no real miracles anymore, nobody but lunatics like Patrick Robertson saying they hear him, oh and he is hearing a voice but its not Yahweh, he's too spintered to do anything. The Heavenly Host has to manage every aspect of that sort of thing now and angels are simply not enough when compared to the divine.\"\n\nMerihim frowns, \"You always did like to talk...\" he snorts.\n\nAl chuckles, \"I'm a teacher boy, I teach. Now shut up, this will be on the test.\"\n\nAlice frowns at that. \"Then how is it people are still able to use true faith to use divine magics? We have one on our team who uses Jewish mystic arts and she hasn't been hampered.\"\n\nAl sighs, \"Do pay attention girl. Merihim did say that Elohim is fine. Elohim and Yahweh aren't the same being, well, not since the whole Jesus incident.\" he frowns, \"At most, they're siblings. They have the same general followers, but otherwise they're two individual Gods now. Yahweh isn't really His name, nor is Elohim, but it's as useful a distinction as any.\" he shrugs, \"Point I'm getting at is that while the God of the Hebrews and, yes, Allah of Islam are fine... Yahweh is most definitely not.\" he nods.\n\nSimoni frowns, though she's also half hiding behind the adults, \"So... why would you care? You're a demon, aren't heaven and hell... enemies?\" she tries.\n\nAl actually cackles at this, a deep full laugh, and even Merihim snorts. \"Oh that, I do love that old joke. Heaven and Hell are just opposite sides of the game board girl, but our goal is to keep the game going as long as we can and get as much faith to keep Yahweh fed so that Heaven and Hell stay strong and powerful. Don't believe all that bunk about the end times either, John just wound up getting sick and wrote down his fever dreams.\" he smirks. \"But yes, getting back to my point... Yahweh is doing badly, to the point where most people don't really believe. Oh they go to their churches, which in America may as well be going to the dentist, and they sing their songs, but mostly its just old habits. There's no real faith to it, they're just doing what they've always done because they're worried of looking silly if they stop.\" he nods, \"That is a very bad thing for a god.\" he frowns.\n\nTrixie keeps one hand on her gun still as she speaks, eyes looking around. \"So how does A get to B and C then? How does 'god js dying' lead to 'I need to make monster drugs' and then 'somehow that will help'?\n\nHe smirks, \"Oh I can't take credit for that one. That was actually one of the Angels who cooked that one up. Said that we needed a big 'hey everyone, Christianity is the real deal' event, something to get the fire back in people's belly and get them really believing again... so why not a classic?\" he grins, \"We're going to put our Hyde into the water supply for all of New Orleans. It'll be heavily diluted of course, not enough to make those monsters anymore, but what it will do is infect the entire city with sin. People will give into their base urges in a way that'll make Mardi Gras look like a Mormon luncheon, and once the entire city is good and saturated in decadence, my pet necromancer will have a whole bunch of corpses ready. With that much sin in the air my fellow demons won't need living hosts, and the forces of hell will party all night long... right up until the angels arrive and...\" he brings up his cane and smashes the tip down on the floor hard enough to crack the boards, \"BOOM! Wipe the city of sinners off the face of the earth! A modern day Sodom. That will get people to sit up and take notice.\" he nods.\n\nMerihim scowls, but doesn't argue or comment. He doesn't sound surprised however.\n\n\"That'll be the start though. Once that happens we need to... trim the fat as it were. Get rid of all these extra sects that are clogging up the works. We'll put a few messengers out, tell a few different church leaders that only their sect is the real one and that all others are at best misguided and at worst truly controlled by us down below... and then sit back and watch the Crusades start round two.\" he grins, \"A few million human sacrifices in the name of God should put some spring into his step, wouldn't you agree?\" he grins, looking at Nessa as he speaks.\n\nNessa actually breaks into a smirk at that. \"You're forgetting that my ancestors shed blood willingly for the gods. They understood what they were doing, there was no trickery. Do you really think a knock-off Sodom story and a few purges will work? My gods, I never imagined a 'teacher' could be so small minded.\"\n\nHe smirks, \"It'll get it started. Yahweh will take years to get back up to his old power, but this will get the process going.\" he explains, \"Point is, if we don't fix this, then he'll be joining all the other forgotten ones at Shadow's Fall soon... and who knows what will happen to us, or the Angels.\" he frowns, then shrugs, “And lets be honest, even if it doesn’t work I get to drive an entire city to sin and then watch it get blown straight to Hell for us to keep playing with!” he grins wickedly, “Very definition of win-win.”\n\nAs he does, Merihim walks slightly forward, moving to the side, \"So, that fae heart is how you're gonna supercharge the Hyde so that it'll affect the entire city?\" he asks, \"That heart you ripped right from the fairy who you crucified with the iron nails?\" he adds.\n\nAl sighs, \"Yes dear boy, it is.\" he replies.\n\nMerihim nods slowly, \"And its not like exiled fae are a dime a dozen...\" he smirks.\n\nAl raises his eyebrow, \"What? You're thinking of tampering with it? Well well, when did you grow back your balls?\" he sneers, \"But what exactly would you do? If you even try to reach for it, I'll have you on the floor with your arm off in an instant.\" he laughs at Merihim, still holding Old Maggoty's heart in his upraised hand.\n\nTrixie watches the groups talk, noticing Al's in a bit of a monologue with Merihim. He didn't just take the bullet, which would have actually been impressive, he batted it away. She doubted iron worked on demons... but it still worked on dead fae! In a flash she grabs both her guns and opened fire. One is shot right at Al, hoping the demon thinks she's making another poorly thought out attack. The other goes after her real target, an iron bullet sent right at the fae's heart!\n\nAl hears the gun firing and immediately tries to swing his cane to block it, only to find that it's suddenly frozen to the floor of the cabin. Stephy is crouched down, hidden among the others in the doorway, a trail of ice spreading from his fingertips to the end of Al's cane. In addition, Merihim has his fist wrapped tightly around the wood just below the head of it, his skin stark red from where all his demonic strength is forced.\n\nIn that split second, Trixie's iron bullet rips into Old Maggoty's heart, the cold fae blood inside it reacting to the presence of their bane with extreme violence. Maggoty was a higher fae after all, and their weakness is stronger just as their strengths are. The heart doesn't just burn, it explodes! Chunks of scorched meat and globs of boiling fairy blood go flying as Al's face twists in fury, \"You little canicula!\" he snarls, snapping his cane free and bringing his arm around in a vicious backhand, sending Merihim flying across the room! \"You... do you know how hard those are to find in the Mundane World?!\" he turns, then glares at the group before pausing, noticing Stephy. \"... huh, not as hard as I thought. He's not a higher fae... but he'll do.\" he sneers.\n\nTrixie growls at that, lunging forward to get in the way between Al and Stephy, quickly joined by Nessa and Alice, both drawing their weapons as Patli takes her human form with the group, her illusions fading to reveal her feathery head and dark eye holes. \"Try to touch him and you'll have to go through all of us…\" Trixie warns as she aims her guns at him. \"You're right that we can't kill you, but I bet we can make you bleed... and you're too proud to be able to limp back home bloody and beaten and say a bunch of mortals beat your ass and ruined your plan.\"\n\nAl smirks at her, but there's no humor in his voice this time. \"Is that a fact?\" he asks, then slams his cane down onto the floor. There's a sudden flash of superheated air with a roar like a wounded beast. The cabin is blown apart, the walls flying away in a cloud of splinters as Maggoty's body goes flying in five separate directions, the group lands with several loud splashes, scattered around the swamp as Al walks along the ruined floor, then out along thin air above the surface of the water. \"Now, I am going to take my time killing each and every one of you.\" he grins wickedly, the water under where he's standing beginning to steam, then boil, \"I think I'll leave you three for last however, so I can make you watch as I rip your fairy friend's heart out of his chest so that it can take Maggoty's place in my plans.\"\n\nTrixie drops one of her guns and ducks over next to Stephy, grabbing her deck of cards and drawing a full hand from it. \"You think you're the first demon that's threatened me?\" her eyes glow at that as she tries to focus on her 'game', trying to send a dome of protective light around them as Nessa yanks her glove off, cutting deeply into her hand. \n\n\"You demons never understood what my people learned when the world was young. Blood given willingly is always stronger than blood stolen!\" the Aztec girl retorts as green flames explode from her hands at that, larger than any other blast she's done, the smell of burning flesh coming from her as she aims her attack right at Al's face.\n\nAl waves his hand and the swamp rises up, splashing the flames away in an instant before jabbing his staff at the cards Trixie was holding, the thin pieces of cardboard bursting into flames in her hands. \"Stronger yes, but I don't give a damn. None of you will be able to stop me. Its like being attacked by angry mice.\" he replies, absentmindedly stepping to the side as Simoni sends several blasts of fire and wind at him from behind. Simoni had shifted forms the moment the blast hit, grabbing Arja and lifting her up into the air for a counterattack. Al turns to blast them out of the sky, only for them to vanish and reappear several yards away from where his attack went as Dusk peeks out from behind Arja's head.\n\n\"... okay, [i]very annoying[/i] mice, but still mice.\" he frowns, then snaps his fingers as the sky is suddenly alive with a swarm of biting, stinging insects. Simoni shrieks as she tries to fly through the cloud, Dusk yowling and hissing before she's finally forced to land.\n\nThe insects buzz loudly a bit before a chill suddenly cuts through the swamp. There's a faint shimmer as the air seems to open up next to Stephy and Trixie, Sammi slowly stepping out of the rift with his eyes jet black, holding a thin golden rapier in his hand. \"I wasn't just making a shield,\" Trixie grins, \"I was sending a message too...\" The air around the swamp slowly gets colder, patches of boiling swamp actually frosting over as the two powerful elements clash. Most importantly, though, the insects in the air begin to succumb to frost as Sammi walks closer to the fight. Up close his 'proper' fae form was clearer, the boy usually hiding it well. His skin is almost clear, shimmering ice. When light strikes him directly it becomes actually clear, revealing shining gold and silver bones and muscles just past the ice 'skin', only to quickly fade back to 'normal' as shadows once again wrap around him.\n\n\"If you want a powerful fae, I'm the heir to an entire holding. If you need a heart, come try to tear out one made of ice.\"\n\nArja, meanwhile, growls softly as her iron claws come out, bursts of flame erupting from her and flying at Al.\n\nAl lets the flame hit him, the burst not even singing his suit. He glances at Arja and frowns, \"Hi. Demon from Hell. Ever been? Rather hot down there.\" he says in an annoyed tone, then looks down at Sammi, \"As for you, well, two fae for the price of one sounds good.\" he sneers, gripping his cane as he pulls it apart. Seems Alice isn't the only one with a sword-stick. His is etched with demonic symbols, the length of the blade glowing cherry red as the air seems to sizzle where it cuts. \"Very well then ice heart. En garde.\" he smirks, standing atop the water as he adopts a fencing pose before lunging, his sword aimed at Sammi's throat.\n\nSammi's blade springs up, the thin weapon still easily halting Al's attack. The fae smirks softly as he taunts the demon, seemingly unafraid of him \"Oh no. Fire. This is the first time someone has attacked one of my court with flame. How did we never see our opponents exploiting our literal natural weakness coming?\" The blade glows at that, first bright white, then as red as Al's blade as it tries to literally draw the heat from it. \"My heart is very hard to get to, one of the blessings and curses of my court. I only let a select few near it. Stephy is one of them I have. If you think I'll allow you to even look at him with anger then you have no idea about fae nobility.\"\n\nAl sneers, \"Trying to draw away the fires of Hell itself? You've courage boy, I'll grant you that.\" he retorts, but while the blade is locked with Al's he wreathes his other hand in an aura of blackness, slamming it hard into Sammi's middle. The fae prince can't help but scream as Al's fist hits him, the strike burning and freezing at the same time. As soon as he's off balance Al drops his sword and grabs Sammi's throat, then lifts him off his feet and slaps him across the face with his aura-coated hand, leaving marks of... well... ordinary looking skin where it hits. Bruised and blackened, but not fae at all. Its almost as if he's beating the glamour right off him!\n\nSammi grunts as he's lifted up, taking in deep breaths to try to counter his hold on his throat. \"Where were you a couple years ago, I'd have totally made a deal with some loser who promised to take my glamour...\" He coughs out, trying to keep Al's attention. \"You hit like a bitch, though...I think Stephy hits me harder when I tell him he can't have another bunny...\"\n\nThe reason for Sammi's distraction was soon right behind Al. Arja and Alice together striking the demon right between his shoulderblades, Alice's blade and Arja's claws trying to pierce his skin. Quickly enough Patli joins in as well, a long, thin, curved, dagger that seemed to appear from thin air plunged at him as well, the trio of fighters hoping a combined attack can at least stagger him...\n\nHe grunts, glancing over his shoulder at them, then sighs. \"I really liked this suit you know.\" he replies, then flexes his shoulders as massive bone spikes burst out from his spine, attempting to impale the girls behind him while he presses his aura coated hand to Sammi's forehead. Pain sears across his entire body, it feels like part of his very self is getting leeched right out of him into that blackness surrounding Al's hand, almost like a black hole...\n\nStephy, on the ground but in his avian form, flaps his wings and sends a barrage of icicle spears at Al as Simoni tries to blast him with wind from the other side, catching him between themselves, but Al simple snarls and stamps his foot, the swamp bursting up around him to knock all the attacks back. \"Really now this is getting extremely annoying.\" he frowns, \"Fine. I wanted to have a little fun with you, but if I must...\" he flexes, then the swamp all around them starts to bubble and boil like a massive cauldron, the air soon turning white with steam... but it doesn't stop. The heat continues to rise as the trees nearby start to scorch, the air becoming too hot to breathe! \"Magic or not, you're still living beings. If I boil your lungs you'll die.\" he smirks, then pauses as a voice shouts out.\n\n\"AL! Its almost ready!\" yells Nelen.\n\n\"... what?\" he asks, raising his eyebrow, then frowning, \"Oh you are not going to pull that stunt...\" he sighs.\n\nThe warlock nods, \"Days, hell it could be tomorrow. Death cannot come to me until it's ready or else the contract is broken.\" he replies.\n\nAl shrugs, \"Not to you, but that doesn't mean I can't gut your fr-\" he starts, but gets cut off at the sound of a pistol cocking. Nelen is holding the gun Trixie dropped, but it's not pointed at Al. He's aiming it at his own head, the barrel up against his temple.\n\n\"Let them go, or I fire. Death cannot come to me Al, by your action [i]or inaction[/i]. Sure you COULD just magic the gun away, but I could just lie down in the swamp and drown myself, or let myself get caught in one of your attacks.\" he smirks, \"Only way you can be sure is if you retreat. Right. Now.\"\n\nAl glares at him, \"... perhaps I taught you too well Fullmoon.\"\n\nTrixie looks over to Nelen, then to Al confused. \"The fuck is happening here...\" she mutters.\n\nSammi just chuckles a bit, a coughing, wheezing, kind of chuckle, \"Clearly part of the deal wasn't written as well as it could have been. Little fae tip, the good clause for that is 'I will not cause any harm to you', 'death cannot' is far too broad...\" Sammi grins at that, clearly enjoying seeing Al's revenge stymied, even if he was starting to bleed from his mouth… Arja just glares at Al angrily. \"You should go, then, and get your little hideout ready, because we're going to destroy that too. I don't care if there's an army of demons and angels both waiting.\"\n\nAl sighs, then tosses Sammi aside as he retracts his bone spikes, \"Hellfire, look at my suit. Do you know how hard it is to find a good tailor in this day and age?\" he sighs, before putting his cane back together. \"Oh don't bother, your warlock has me over a barrel. I can't let the contract go into breach on my account or else I face the consequences, but without a fae heart the Hyde is useless.\" he sighs, \"Go on then, but one thing first...\" he smirks, \"Fullmoon, tell them what exactly you're talking about. What happens in a day?\" he asks.\n\nNelen glares at him, his eyes reddening around the edges, but he still has the gun pointed to his own temple as he seems almost tempted to pull the trigger now. \"... the payment I owe you for teaching me should be ready.\" he grumbles, looking away.\n\nAl grins wider, \"Very good Fullmoon, and that payment is...\" he adds, waving his hand in a beckoning gesture.\n\nNelen hesitates, glancing around to his companions, his trigger finger twitching.\n\nAl smirks, then nods, \"Say it Fullmoon. Let them know just what their friend offered Hell.\" he sneers.\n\nNelen takes a deep sigh, then replies, \"... my firstborn child.\"\n\nArja blinks in shock at that, looking to Nelen. \"No way, you wouldn't…\" she mutters.\n\nAlice nods, a disbelieving look on her face, \"That has to be a lie, he'd never take such an absurd deal...\"\n\nAl laughs, \"Oh gods bless the desparate and naive.\" he replies as Simoni stares at Nelen, Dawn doesn't say anything but looks distinctly uncomfortable. \"He did, its what we agreed upon when his apprenticeship began with me way way back when we first met in the Nightside.\" he sneers, \"I hear the offspring will be that of a Fullmoon warrior and a cyclops of all things. Ought to make a delightful agent after it's been raised up in the pit with a proper infernal education.\" he nods, \"Well, I'll leave you to sort this out yourselves, then come to collect once that little bun is out of the oven. Ta~\" he smirks, vanishing in a woosh of hellfire.\n\nNelen looks around to the group, his arms going limp as Trixie's pistol falls from his grip, \"I... it was years ago, I didn't think I'd ever actually...\" he tries, then falls silent and hangs his head.\n\nArja sighs softly, shaking her head. \"Well you were an idiot. Still, lucky you your wife is a cyclops. Her kind don't react well to being told what to do by divine or infernal figures... believe me on that...\" she nods, then pauses. \"Dru...DOES know about this, RIGHT?\" she asks, raising her eyebrow at the warlock.\n\nNelen glances away, \"... not... exactly.\" he replies, the warlock looking decidedly uncomfortable, \"I mean, how the hell do I tell her that when I was young and trying desperately to fix the massive fuckup of letting a demon live inside my body that I told an even stronger demon he could have the first kid I ever had if he agreed to teach me how to keep Merihim from taking me over and killing random strangers every chance he got?! I didn't think I'd even live long enough to [i]have[/i] a kid and that the contract would wind up null and void because I went and got my head torn off by a chimera or something and then...\" he groans and crouches down, his bandaged hands gripping his head, \"... then Drusilla happened.\" he mutters, his words laced with agony.\n\nTrixie shakes her head slowly at that as well. \"Oh man... she's gonna tear Al limb from limb... after she does the same to you...\"\n\nHe huffs, \"She should. I'd probably be a crap father.\" he mutters, getting to his feet slowly as Dawn walks over to him, changing into her animal form and hopping onto his shoulders, \"... I'll meet you back in town.\" he sighs, looking away from the group as the pair of them vanish.\n\nSimoni just stares at the spot where he was standing. \"... he always said he was an idiot when he was younger, but I thought he just meant when he sold his soul to Merihim...\" she says in a flat tone, \"I can't believe he'd do something like that... Its...\" she shakes her head.\n\nArja sighs, shaking her head. \"I mean, I get it, he probably didn't see much of a future in 'demon fueled mercenary' that didn't end quickly and violently... Still I would not want to be in that hotel when he tells Drus...\" she comments, looking around, \"We alright?\"\n\nSammi grunts, standing slowly, \"I'm good, I think I need to heal up in Arcadia a bit... I think he broke my spleen somehow...\"\n\nStephy nods, \"What the hell was that attack? I mean the black aura... I'm not the only one who thought that looked familiar, right?\" he asks as the group begins to head back out of the swamp. \"It... looked like a mundane blade, except it wasn't. Maybe it's just similar?\" he tries.\n\nSammi nods, Trixie moving to help support him as he walks. \"It sure felt like the blade, hot and icy at the same time, a big... void... just draining my glamour away. I mean if anyone of us can do it it'd be Drus but... really we do need to be incredibly careful around him. I don't know what's the chicken and what's the egg and all but he's a walking mundane blade...\"\n\nStephy nods, \"Yeah... and he was holding back. I get the feeling if he went all out he could've taken all of us down without even trying... only reason he didn't is because he needed our hearts intact.\" he winces, \"So... he's going to be coming for Drusilla's baby, and he can turn himself into a Mundane Blade.\" he sighs, \"We're in trouble...\"\n\nSimoni nods, the group piling into the car when they get back to it. Since Nelen is gone there's enough room for all the kids to squeeze in, provided some don't mind sitting in the other's laps. After driving for about an hour they arrive back at the hotel and notice that it's got a distinct lack of wreckage, destruction, and general broken shit that tends to signify an angry cyclops rampage.\n\nAs soon as they get back to the hotel room the door opens with such force that it almost gets torn off it's hinges as a rather frantic looking Loren greets them. \"Where th' FECK have ya been?!\" she shouts, grabbing them one by one and tossing them into the room. \"You! Fire monkey! Get some water in th' sink 'n start gettin' it good 'n hot, ah'm talkin bleedin' boilin' 'ere!\" she snaps, \"You two, fairy boys! Towels, lots of 'em, steal 'em from th' maids if ye hafta! GO!\" she snaps, pushing them back out into the hall. \"Okay okay... ah did mah turn in th' infirmary. Boiled water... lotsa towels... feck what else... bugger me ah'm too sober fer this!\" she shakes her head.\n\nArja blinks as she watches everyone move around, about to ask what's going on before hearing a near... well... [i]monstrous[/i] roar from the room... \"Oh fuck, she's having the baby...\" she whispers.\n\nLoren stares at her, \"Aye! Either th' lass thought it'd be funny ta piss 'erself or 'er water broke 'bout an hour ago!\" she snaps, \"... ain't rulin' out th' first one, th' lads told us what they found in yer basement...\" she muses, then shakes her head, \"Ta 'ell with it! Get movin' you lot! Ah ain't panickin' on me own!\" she yells, \"An' does anyone know where the FECKIN 'ELL Nelen is?!\" she shouts.\n\nSimoni pauses, \"Wait, he's not here? He and Dawn said they'd meet us back here.\" she replies.\n\nArja frowns, \"You don't think he's doing something...dumb do you?\" she asks. \n\nTrixie shakes her head, \"You go find him, I've helped get a calf born a few times... I bet the principles are the same...\" \n\n\"Oh yea, tell Dru that, that'll help,\" Sammi adds as he comes in with an armload of towels.\n\nSimoni frowns, \"After what happened...\" she mutters, looking nervous... then spins around as an irritated voice pipes up.\n\n\"Yeah, its stupid. Stupider than Puppers on her worst damn day.\" hisses Dawn, leaning against the wall nearby, \"He sent me back, told me I had to at least make sure you guys knew incase this didn't work.\" she frowns, \"He's going after Al, alone. He only pulled that stunt in the swamp so Al wouldn't kill you guys.\"\n\nArja scowls, \"The hell he is. Where's Al's hangout, Dawn? We're not gonna let him do something insane right now...\"\n\nDawn hisses at her, \"I don't know! He made me come back on my own as soon as we were too far away for you guys to see us!\" she snaps back at her, \"Ugh... he said Al's contract was void if anything happened to him... I think he's going to try to goad Al into killing him so that he loses his claim on Drusilla's baby.\" she replies, then blinks as it suddenly goes completely quiet... \"... uh guys? I know cyclopti have amazing eyesight... how good are their ears?\" asks Dawn, her own folding back as her eyes widen.\n\nThere's a loud clattering from the connected room before a very angry Cyclops comes charging through the door, face flushed and eye wide and glaring a hole in Dawn. \"[i]What[/i] did you just say he was doing?!\" she demanded. She was, thankfully, clothed, having taken to wearing long and casual sundresses that could accommodate her pregnant figure.\n\nDawn stares at her, then reaches over and plucks Dusk off Simoni's shoulder, \"You guys explain it. Cheshires out.\" she says, vanishing with a faint pop.\n\nSimoni looks to where she was standing, then back to Drusilla, then back to the empty space, then back to the enraged giantkin, \"So... uh... found out that Nelen made more than one big stupid thing when he was younger today... and... you're really not gonna like this one...\" she mutters before Loren comes up behind Drusilla and shoves her firmly onto the bed in this room.\n\n\"ALRIGHT BLINKY 'OLD STILL! That bairn be comin' outta ye one way o' another an' yer not goin' anywhere till it do!\" she snaps, flexing her arms. She was a full-blooded Fullmoon, woman or not, and given that she was a warrior type one she could probably match Drusilla muscle for muscle. \"You gels tell yer story about th' stupid thing me cousin did, I'll hold 'er down if need be.\" she nods firmly.\n\nDrusilla kicks and punches at the Fullmoon on top of her as she trashes on the bed angrily. \"Let me up damn it! Nelen has to be here for this!\" she roars.\n\nArja just winces as she peeks into the room. \"Well... you know how magic often has a cost to learn? I-it's common in Indian stories as well actually, a teacher's gift to show respect and all... well... Nelen apparently promised Al his firstborn... and that's your kid... and now he's probably out trying to get himself killed because the deal is void if 'death comes for him’, and I have a feeling Al probably knows exactly how much damage he can take without dying...”\n\nStephy comes in with a load of towels just in time to get that last bit, then immediately turns around and leaves after dropping them as he sees what's happening.\n\nSimoni sighs at Drusilla and nods, \"He... well... he said that at the time he'd expected to die young and never have kids, so he didn't think it'd ever be an issue and... oh Drus...\" she whines, biting her lip, \"We don't know where he is! He made Dawn come back before he got to wherever Al is hiding out!\" she nods, then looks over as Stephy is suddenly backpedaling into the room.\n\n\"Guys? Guuuuuuuys?\" he calls out, \"Company!\" he squeaks as a massive figure steps into the room. Its huge, bigger even than Sandra in her werewolf form, a mountain of muscle with a face like a demonic Mr. Punch doll and two long horns curling back from it's forehead.\n\n\"Lets see...\" it sneers in a deep echoing voice, \"Too young, too male, too many eyes... aha! You're the one!\" he jabs a finger at Drusilla, stalking towards her, \"Master Al wants to keep you near so he can collect his claim, you're coming with me...\"\n\nDrusilla glares at the massive demon making his way in, letting out a low growl. \"Then 'Master Al' can come take me himself. Tell him to wear something nice to be buried in, because I promise you if we share a room I'm going to kill him, then you, then any other demon hanging around until whatever witchcraft you things work is broken...\" she glares at him in the way that only a cyclops can, sitting up on the bed even as Loren tries to push her back down.\n\nThe massive demon laughs at her, staring around, \"Oh? And you're going to stop me eh? A bunch of little girls, a blind chick and... uh...\" he pauses, \"... are you Loren Fullmoon?\" it asks.\n\nLoren grins, cracking her knuckles, \"Och, heard o' me eh?\" she replies.\n\n\"... ah cra-\" is as far as he gets before Loren drives her fist into it's throat, grabbing it there and wrapping her hands around the demon's neck. \"NO NO NO NO NO NO WAIT!\" it wails as it tries to pry free.\n\n\"Lesse... should be right aboot... HAH!\" she squeezes, there's a popping sound, and then a loud WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE like a balloon with a leak as the demon flails, its body literally deflating before their eyes. Within a few seconds she's holding a two foot tall spindle-thin demon that's frantically wriggling and struggling, trying to get free. \"Hah! Ah knew it! Sloth demon ain'tcha? Weakest o' th' seven courts! They could be powerful, but they're too damn lazy!\" she smirks.\n\nDrusilla motions for the demon to be brought over to her, gripping it tightly by the face and bringing it to look her right in the eye. \"Sloth, that means lazy, right? You don't like to work? Well, let me make this easy for you. Tell us where Al is and you'll die fast. If you try to be brave for once in your life I'm still going to kill you, but it will be very,\" she squeezes tighter at that, just a hair more, but enough to to be felt easily. \"VERY, slow. So, which is the easiest option for you?\"\n\nIt squeals like a stuck pig, squirming frantically, \"OWOWOWOWOOWOW! That huuuuuuurts!\" it squeaks, sounding less intimidating and more like a demonic Alvin now. \"Y'know ya can't really 'kill' me right? I'll just be banished back to he- OW! THAT WAS MY FINGER! OKAY! Outside of town there's this old Coke-a-Cola bottling plant! Been abandoned since the fifties when they stopped using glass bottles. Thats where he is! And yeah, Nelen is already there! You're too late! It'll either be him or whatever comes out of you that Al gets now!\" it hisses, clawing at Drusilla's hand as it tries to free itself.\n\nDrusilla just growls again as she crushes the demon's head in her hand, pulling herself up slowly. \"Come on, we're going to get my idiot husband before he kills himself and takes that pleasure away from me!\"\n\nLoren puts a hand firmly on Drusilla's shoulder, then shoves her straight back down, \"Och, no ya don't lass. Yer stayin' right 'ere until that wee one comes outta ya!\" she replies, holding Drusilla firmly down despite her threats, cursing, and any attacks to her person. \"Oi, Monkey! Round up ah few o' th' others 'n go find 'im. I'll keep her here.\" she nods to Arja, the Fullmoon having to exert herself, but still able to hold Drusilla in place as another contraction hits. \"An' hurry it up! I wanna give Nelen a good smackin' fer pullin' this stunt m'self!\" she nods.\n\nArja nods quickly, \"Fairies, Trixie, Simoni, you're with me, the rest of you hunker down here, Al will probably send more to come fetch Dru and I bet he's not gonna send Sloth demons for the next bit. Dru...we're gonna get him back. He, you, your baby, you'll all be ok.\" \n\nDrusilla just yells angrily as she struggles with Loren, though the pretty heavy distraction of currently giving birth is good enough to keep Loren with the upper hand...\n\nSimoni nods, already on her phone, \"Okay, I think I found the place.\" she replies as Stephy comes in along with Trixie, Sammi still recuperating from Al's 'mundane fist' power. \"Lets go.\" she nods, leading the way out to the lobby.\n\nMeanwhile...\n\nNelen coughs and spits out a glob of blood (well, Merihim rather) onto the dusty floor of the factory, surrounded by blank and staring corpses, several of which had his blood on their knuckles. Al smiled down at him from the walkway, \"So, that makes what... three?\" he asks, gesturing to a large molar sitting in the pile of blood. \"You were from Kentucky... I guess it fits for you.\" he chuckles. \"All this Hyde, totally worthless now. I could pump you full of it, but Merihim would keep it from working wouldn't he?\" he sighs, then cocks his head and rolls his eyes in an exhasperated way. \"Biztik failed? Should have known... well, it hardly matters. As soon as the baby is born I'll go pick it up myself.\"\n\nNelen snarls at that and tries to charge forward, only to be held back by about six of the undead. \"YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU!\" he snarls, his eyes flashing red.\n\n\"Really now student. As per the terms of our contract I can't kill you, but that doesn't mean I can't discipline an errant student... or at least have my minions do it for me.\" he smirks, nodding to the teen in the hoodie next to him. The hood was down now, revealing a pale skinned and thin girl with short spiky blonde hair. \"Do it.\" he nods as she frowns, then makes a gesture, the three zombies infront punching Nelen in unison in the stomach. He cries out in pain as they hit the bruise he gave himself in the school parking lot, another splatter of blood joining the rest on the floor.\n\nAl blinks, then glances in the direction of the city, before smiling. \"Well well... seems company is coming. I should fix some tea and biscuits...\" he chuckles.\n\nNelen coughs again, a look of horror filling his face, \"No... Dammit!\" he struggles harder, \"Al you son of a demon whore! If you hurt them I'll...\" he starts, but Al gestures again, and the girl gestures, and the zombies all fall on him at once...\n\nFor Nelen Fullmoon, everything went black.\n\n","writing_bbcode_parsed":"<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>Its midday in New Orleans, the group out investigating what they can. Nelen and the other adults (along with Dawn) are hitting up the remaining graveyards, looking for some sort of clue or object that they can use to track down the necromancer working with Al while Simoni and the kids are out looking to see if they can find anyone else who seems to be a hyde user, if nothing else so they can try to follow them back to wherever they&#039;re getting it from and report back to Nelen so they can put together some sort of plan of attack don&#039;t you fucking dare rush in again goddammit as Nelen had put it.<br /><br />Simoni was wearing a loose green tank top and a knee-length denim skirt, along with a pair of green flip flops, her long black hair tied back into a loose braid. Dusk was, as he liked to do, sitting on her shoulder like a furry parrot. The cheshire was sniffing around excitedly, clearly enjoying all the new sights and smells (not the least of which because of all the seafood in New Orleans). Stephy walked along with the group as well, the fae &#039;princess&#039; having opted for an icy blue silk spaghetti strap top and a long but very light white skirt with his own pair of flip flops. He also carried a paper fan and kept using it on himself, muttering about the weather.<br /><br />&quot;Seriously! How on earth is it so hot here in January!&quot; he sighs, the blonde haired fairy clearly upset by the balmy southern climate. &quot;It&#039;s winter, we just had Christmas back up north and there was all that lovely snow... how can anywhere be so warm this time of year?&quot; he mopes, &quot;You&#039;d think we stayed here straight through summer or something...&quot;<br /><br />Simoni sighs, though this was positively mild compared to Jaipur, &quot;Yeah yeah, poor little ice princess can&#039;t take the heat.&quot; she teases, &quot;Really though, it does feel like we&#039;ve been down here a lot longer than we have... I mean it&#039;s only been about a week since we got back from visiting mom and dad...&quot; she tilts her head, her green eyes looking confused for a moment. &quot;... I wonder why...&quot; she murmurs as the group passes infront of a Gamestop, the front window sporting a huge poster of an elvish man with large curled horns and green flames for eyes with the words &#039;Pre-order now!&#039; pasted under him. She pauses, then shrugs, &quot;Guess its just one of those things.&quot; she nods, dismissing the thought.<br /><br />Arja smirks a bit as she walks, poking Stephy&#039;s cheek softly. &quot;Aw, eager to get back to winter in India? I think we&#039;re due for a cold snap there, may dip all the way down to feeling like low 90&#039;s with humidity.&quot; she teases. She had also gone more causal for their likely long day of investigation, a red tank top like Simoni&#039;s, and a pair of baggy jeans. <br /><br />Trixie giggles softly as she wraps her arms around Stephy from behind. &quot;Aw don&#039;t tease him, he&#039;s delicate.&quot; she coos as they walk, the southern girl much better prepared for the climate, a simple button down dark blue and white checkered blouse with a pair of loose jeans as well, her shiny leather cowgirl boots clacking on the cobblestones as they walk.<br /><br />Sammi just rolls his eyes, waving his hand and manifesting a small ball of ice, pressing it to the side of Stephy&#039;s next to help his brother cool down. &quot;We&#039;re literal creatures of ice. Maybe the monkey would like to go for a swim and we can see how fun she thinks being very literally out of her element is.&quot; Sammi had gone less subtle than his friends. A white long sleeved shirt that was made of a loose, thin, material that shined a bit in the sun, as well as more snug black pants that covered his legs down to his polished black boots. He had a pair of rather thick round black sunglasses over his head, and a rather wide brimmed white sun hat on his head. The fae wanting to stay as shaded as possible as they walked it seemed, even if he did stand out in the crowd...<br /><br />Up ahead Patli was leading the charge, entirely by accident though. She had smelled a nearby bakery&#039;s fresh batch of beignets, and the sweet dough covered in powdered sugar was like a beacon to the humingbird girl...She was dressed casually as well, a pair of black shorts and a lime green t-shirt that had golden designs around it like an aztec sun design, her hair left free and bouncing (though her friends would know that was mainly because the hair was actually feathers, and bundling those together can get uncomfortable...)<br /><br />Stephy watches her bouncing and chattering excitedly about sweets, though he does let out a soft sigh of relief at the ice ball, even though it does melt rather quickly. &quot;Yeah, seriously Arja. Next time we go somewhere, how about Siberia? Maybe Tibet? I hear Alaska is lovely this time of year.&quot; he smirks at her, then pauses and glances around, &quot;Hang on... I think I just... yeah...&quot; he shudders, &quot;Something, lots of envy, a ton of wrath... I think someone around her has to be using that Hy-&quot; he starts, then gets cut off as a shop door opens and a rather frustrated looking woman hauls out a rather chubby three year old with an icecream stained mouth. The kid is flailing his plump arm, waving around a rather beat up Spongebob Squarepants toy, while screeching &quot;IWANTITIWANTITIWANTITIWANTIT!&quot; at the top of his lungs and at a pitch that makes Dusk hiss and fold his ears back.<br /><br />Stephy sighs, &quot;... or it could be a spoiled suburbanite kid.&quot; he rolls his eyes, then glances around. &quot;We&#039;ve been at this for hours, you&#039;d think by now we&#039;d run into another Hyde junkie. Maybe word got around about the side effects? I mean, getting turned into that could scare some people away...&quot; he nods.<br /><br />Arha nods, frowning. &quot;Maybe. That&#039;d be nice, but I have a feeling whoever&#039;s making this stuff isn&#039;t the kind to give up easy. Even if people are deciding the side effects aren&#039;t worth it, maybe whoever&#039;s doing this will just start forcibly shooting people up. We need a lead before they get desperate.&quot; Trixie nods at that, one hand idly dipping down to run along the deck of cards in her pocket slowly. &quot;I can&#039;t imagine they have a ton of operations, too. If we can find just one and shut it down that&#039;d do a lot.&quot; <br /><br />&quot;Mhm,&quot; Sammi adds in. &quot;Drugs like this are very hard to make, even for the extremely gifted, there can&#039;t be more than a handful of facilities at best, could luck out and there&#039;s just one big one even. If they were able to mass produce it it&#039;d be like a giant beacon for every supernatural in the area.&quot;<br /><br />Stephy nods, then pauses and glances down an alleyway at a group of people. To anyone else it might look like just some random weirdos. A hobo, a hipster, and a hippie all talking animatedly to each other... but to someone with the Sight. The hobo was less a homeless man and more a stray dog, a literal dog with big floppy ears, a wet nose, and droopy cheeks like a basset hound, his nails like long hard dog claws and a stumpy tail peeking out from under his beat up old jacket. The hipster was a attractive, looking almost like a taller and more bookish Sammi with his college-professor look of a button down shirt, pressed slacks, and glasses... except his hair was too blonde, unnaturally so but not the kind of unnatural that you&#039;d see in a box, and his ears have fine points to them. The hippie was the only woman, a girl in a baggy tie dye teeshirt and bandanna with a long loose granny skirt, but she was a literal flower child, her long hair more like ivy with flowers growing out of it, her skin a deep mossy green.<br /><br />Mundanes would just see an odd group of people, but Stephy and Sammi saw changelings. Stephy raised his eyebrow, then smirked, &quot;Well, why don&#039;t we ask some of them then?&quot; he suggests.<br /><br />Sammi nods, taking in the others as he smiles as well. &quot;Good idea.&quot; he nods as he makes his way down the alleyway to the group, holding his hand up in a friendly gesture. &quot;Hey there, mind if my brother and I butt in?&quot; Even for nobility dealing with others there were some rules for fae interactions. Territory was very important, even &#039;temporary&#039; ones like a gathering of people. Territory meant security, and that was one of the most important things to the fae, and a stranger barging in uninvited was, at best, very rude and a bad way to start a conversation. Even nobility had to at least get some kind of acknowledgement if they wanted to be polite.<br /><br />The three changelings all give a start at the sound of his voice, turning to look at him... then reacting with suspicion. He was clearly more than just a changeling to them and given that the majority of them were escapees from Arcadia who fled from cruel and wicked fae, it meant trouble.<br /><br />&quot;Who&#039;re you!&quot; barks the dog-like hobo, backing away as his hackles raise, &quot;You one-a them?! Come for Basset Bailey eh? Come ta take him back?&quot; he growls, still backing away. He&#039;s definitely suffered from his time in Arcadia, reacting both like a human abuse victim and a dog who got kicked a lot.<br /><br />The attractive young man isn&#039;t much better, he doesn&#039;t say anything but he does regard them with a disdainful look, the kind one might give if he just stepped in something. Only the girl seems at least willing to hear them out, &quot;Uh, hi?&quot; she tries, the girl shaking like a leaf as she talks, her long vine-hair swishing in the breeze, &quot;Um... s-sorry for my friend, he&#039;s the bite-first-run-away-ask-questions-never type.&quot; she glances at the hobo, the canine-like man growling low in the back of his throat, but clearly too scared to actually attack. &quot;Look, look, e-everyone just calm down okay? Maybe these ones are nice fairies?&quot; she tries.<br /><br />The young man looks at her like she just said &#039;ebola, what&#039;s <em>really</em> so bad about it?&#039; while the canine barks at her, &quot;Ain&#039;t no good fairies! Only good &#039;un is a dead &#039;un!&quot; he snaps, &quot;Dammit, had some iron, need iron. Don&#039;t got no iron! WHY AIN&#039;T I GOT NO IRON?!&quot; he snarls.<br /><br />Simoni winces as Dusk hisses at the hobo, his tiny pin-like claws digging into her shoulder as his fur arches and his tail fluffs. The dog-like man growls back at him, but then such reactions are pretty much built right into both. Cats and dogs and all.<br /><br />Sammi simply keeps his smile at the reactions, obviously very used to edgy changelings dealing with him. He gives a rather low bow to the group, trying to show respect before nodding. &quot;I am indeed one of the &#039;nice&#039; fairies. My name is Sammuel d&#039;Orleans Montebank, heir to the frozen throne of lady Sera d&#039;Orleans. I assure you neither I nor my grandmother have any desire to hurt anyone here. I&#039;ve just come to ask a couple questions.&quot; he then smiles to the dog-like man, looking to him carefully. &quot;You don&#039;t need iron, now. Why would I want to take you back. The great Basset Bailey is doing a fantastic job as a thorn in the side of the oppressive true fae, I could never betray such a noble soul.&quot; His smile turns almost uncharacteristically warm as he speaks. He of course had no clue who this guy was, but he knew a bit about the &#039;beast&#039; fae, how they were made, and how they tended to turn out. There&#039;s usually a lot of anger, even trying to live quietly they often can&#039;t help but try to rebel when they can. &quot;In fact, my grandmother wanted me to thank you personally for all you&#039;ve done,&quot; he adds in, giving another bow to the man directly as he speaks. &quot;If you ever do wish to come to Arcadia, her holding is always open to you.&quot;<br /><br />The dog arches his back and barks loudly at him, abandoning nearly all pretense at being human, before turning and fleeing through the back alleyway with his tail between his legs. Apparently suggesting coming to Arcadia at all set him off.<br /><br />&quot;Bailey!&quot; yells the flower woman, then she sighs, &quot;Well, shoot... there he goes. He&#039;ll be hiding under a bridge with the trolls for a week now.&quot; she frowns, turning back to him, &quot;Sammuel? Uh, well... look, we don&#039;t want any trouble... I go by Lavender these days and my friend here is just the Blonde Professor.&quot; she nods to her remaining companion who gives a sound of annoyance and mutters &#039;tell everyone why don&#039;t you&#039; under his breath. &quot;W-what did you want to ask anyways?&quot; she adds, looking at him warily. Its not just that he&#039;s actually fae, its that he&#039;s a winter fae and she&#039;s a flower changeling. Just being around a being of ice and snow made her anxious.<br /><br />Sammi holds back a little chuckle at his reaction before nodding to Lavender. &quot;My friends and I have been looking for the makers of a new drug. It&#039;s a very... enhanced drug, if you understand me? Has anyone around you been talking about a new product like that, one that enhances emotions?&quot;<br /><br />The two changelings look surprised at this, the pair of them glancing to each other, &quot;Wait... you mean that stuff that turns mundanes into monsters? That glamour corrupting stuff?&quot; asks Lavender, tilting her head at Sammi, &quot;W-we thought you were the ones doing it!&quot; she nods, then winces, &quot;W-well, maybe not you you, but the true fae...&quot; she adds quickly.<br /><br />Its this that prompts her companion to finally speak up. The Professor takes off his glasses and pulls out a silk hankerchief from his shirt pocket, rubbing the lenses with it, &quot;Some of our compatriots back at our freehold have fallen victim to a sort of... glamour sickness. Like what would happen if a mundane human ate poisoned food. A group of Summer Courters found a... thing... that was overflowing with wrathful glamour and drank their fill of it from a safe distance, but within a few hours they were violently and horribly ill. This was several days ago and they&#039;re still bedridden.&quot; he nods, his words clipped and precise, like the very fussy teacher his look suggests.<br /><br />Sammi raises his brow at that. &quot;Huh, interesting. My brother and I just got a taste of it and it made us ill, I had no idea it had such devistating qualities though,&quot; he says before shaking his head. &quot;I assure you this is not a fae product in any form. Even the most mad true fae would likely take issue with this, they need glamour in their own form as well after all. Where are these summer courters? They could have been exposed to a much more refined form...&quot;<br /><br />The two of them shake their heads firmly, the Professor nodding, &quot;They are in a Safe Location that we will NOT divulge under any circumstances. You may not be actively hunting Sir Fae, but you are one of the true. We will not give you any information that may be bartered to those who would do us harm.&quot; he replies in a very firm &#039;do not ask again&#039; way. &quot;Besides, this could very well be a fae product. Mad is a very relative term among your kind Sir Fae, and I very much doubt the Gentry would care if a few humans turned into poison-glamour monsters so long as there are billions more to choose from.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;B-besides.&quot; adds Lavender, &quot;They got a lot more than &#039;just a taste&#039;. They were glowing with glamour when they came home. B-but...&quot; she thinks, &quot;They said that they found the thing on the outskirts of New Orleans, near the swamps. Maybe whatever is making this is there too?&quot; she suggests.<br /><br />The Professor frowns at her, &quot;If there is something out there, it can stay there. That&#039;s the territory of Old Maggoty the Hag...&quot; he pauses to spit on the ground, &quot;... and she&#039;s just mad enough to do something like this herself.&quot; he nods.<br /><br />Sammi chuckles softly. &quot;So untrusting, but I can&#039;t blame you. Fair, I think that lead is good enough. Who is &#039;Old Maggoty&#039;, though? A proper hag or a hag like one of us?&quot; That was a rather important distinction to know. A &#039;proper&#039; hag was an incredibly powerful magician, usually centuries old. Among many fae magicians, though, &#039;hag&#039; was also a title used. Still something to be very wary of, but it had a far less dangerous connotation, more like a hermit than anything else.<br /><br />The two of them frown, suddenly looking uncomfortable. The Professor coughs into his closed fist and looks away as Lavender wrings her hands and bites her lip.<br /><br />Lavender glances at the Professor, &quot;We need to tell them... if they&#039;re going to go looking... I mean they&#039;re just kids Professor!&quot; she whines.<br /><br />The Professor frowns at her, &quot;You tell them then, I don&#039;t want her pulling that memory out of their heads to find out who snitched and waking up with her standing over me. Remember what happened to Scumbly Joe.&quot; he warns, then turns around smartly and walks to the end of the alleyway.<br /><br />The girl whines as he goes, then turns back to Sammi, looking at the young boy as one might look at a dangerous animal, &quot;W-well... she&#039;s one of you. She&#039;s an exiled true fae...&quot; she glances frantically over her shoulders, as if expecting the creature to suddenly manifest right in the middle of a sunny day. &quot;She&#039;s really powerful though, practices the worst kind of magics... Every once in a while some young changeling knight gets it into his head to go out into the bog and try to get rid of her...&quot; she giggles, a high frightened one that hints of an oncoming panic attack, &quot;... if we find what&#039;s left we give them a nice funeral. Whole freehold pitches in...&quot; she nods, her hands going up to the vine-like hair as she plucks a blossom from it, idly pulling the petals off as she whispers a rhyme under her breath, her mouth twitching as she does.<br /><br />Sammi frowns at that. That wasn&#039;t good. The true fae don&#039;t exile often, those that do get the boot are usually both incredibly twisted and too powerful to simply execute...Still, he just nods as he reaches into his pocket for his wallet, pulling out three shiny silver cards with golden fae writing on them. Stephy has seen them before, functionally IOUs, blank contracts with his bits already filled in. Nothing extreme, plenty of clauses to let him say no to over the line requests, but open enough to be worth a decent favor. &quot;One for each of you, the dog man too,&quot; he says, handing the cards over to Lavender, as well as a small wad of money. &quot;Get him something nice to eat and some fresh clothes. Don&#039;t tell him I told you about it but if he goes to the cafe a couple blocks over and asks for a delivery job he can get some decent work.&quot; He nods at that, face suddenly looking very serious as he looks back to the group. &quot;Let&#039;s go kill a true fae.&quot;<br /><br />She eeps in fright and jumps back from the offered cards and money, &quot;F-favors?! No, no no no. Don&#039;t want don&#039;t need!&quot; she shakes her head, a trembling hand going up to her hair again and pulling off another flower, holding it in her shaking fist as she strips the petals, &quot;Pluck from the vine, all will be fine. Pluck from the vine, all will be fine.&quot; she mutters over and over like a mantra, though the petals are practically getting shredded in her hands. The professor sees this and stalks over to her, pulling her to him and shushing her before giving Sammi a scathing look.<br /><br />&quot;We neither want nor need your charity, Sir Fae. We care for our own.&quot; he replies in a cold voice, patting Lavender&#039;s shoulder, &quot;Come dear, we&#039;ll go back to the Freehold and make you some herbal tea. You&#039;d like that wouldn&#039;t you?&quot; he asks as Lavender gives a rather disturbing giggle and nods, the Professor giving him another hard look. &quot;We are leaving now. I called ahead to warn my allies of True Fae in the area. Do NOT follow us. We will have iron waiting if you do.&quot; he warns, then guides the flower fae out of the alley and into the street, the girl giggling to herself all the way as sap-like tears stream down her cheeks.<br /><br />Stephy was silent through the whole thing, content to let Sammi do the talking, but finally he winces, &quot;... geez... I guess mom&#039;s holding really is the exception huh?&quot; he murmurs, &quot;I wouldn&#039;t want to meet whoever their keeper was.&quot;<br /><br />Sammi frowns softly, but nods, tucking the cards back into his pocket. &quot;We&#039;re just as much predators as Natasha and Lupe&#039;s kin.&quot; he says rather bluntly. &quot;We just feed on a harder to see source. The best we can do is try to help where we can.&quot; he sighs softly, shaking his head. &quot;This isn&#039;t good though. Regardless of her involvement, we can&#039;t let a true fae just make camp in the mortal realm. Not only is that bad for the mortals, the entire point of most changelings&#039; journey is to find safety in the mortal realm. The hedge is our divider, for both of our sakes. We have to stop her.&quot;<br /><br />Stephy nods a bit, &quot;But... well... if they&#039;re this scared, what if she&#039;s a higher fae? I mean... we could handle someone like mom or Trixie&#039;s kinda-aunt if they&#039;re stuck in the Mundane World, but one of the higher fae? That&#039;s way out of our league.&quot; he frowns, tapping his folded up fan against his chin. &quot;We need to tell Nelen. I mean if the Hyde is coming from there... and Al actually is behind it... would a true fae join forces with a demon?&quot; he winces.<br /><br />Simoni eeps at that, &quot;Someone that scary with someone who terrifies Merihim? Um, maybe Nelen&#039;s demon is right, maybe we should just try to take out the manticore on our own...&quot; she giggles nervously, looking worried now.<br /><br />Sammi nods. &quot;The higher fae are... Lovecraftian almost. They&#039;re almost peers with demons and angels. Hell I think a few claim to be older. If this Al guy could further her goals she&#039;d be a powerful ally, especially if she&#039;s a powerful magician and alchemist.&quot; He nods. &quot;We need everyone we can get, and iron, lots of irons. It won&#039;t dust her like it would us but it&#039;ll still hurt like hell.&quot;<br /><br />Simoni nods, getting out her phone as she calls Nelen to fill him in, Dusk&#039;s ears perking up as she talks into the electronic device.<br /><br />&quot;Yeah... but being on Earth would weaken her too, a lot. I mean she might even be stuck in a more human-like form if we&#039;re lucky.&quot; suggests Stephy, &quot;Still... we gotta sort this out one way or another. I mean... I&#039;ve seen escaped changelings before, but those guys were a mess. Well, the Professor was okay, but the other two...&quot; he frowns, remembering how rapidly Lavender degenerated into panic and compulsion when one of the true fae came up.<br /><br />Sammi nods, sighing softly. &quot;Yeah. Changelings don&#039;t typically make it out without some scars, but they had a good bit of them. Sera and the spike do what they can to help but... trust doesn&#039;t come easy after what they go through.&quot;<br /><br />Simoni hangs up her phone and turns back to the group, &quot;Alright, Nelen is on his way. He said the car won&#039;t be big enough for all of us so he wants me and Stephy to fly out and meet him on the outskirts of town. He said that apparently hag sightings are a thing around here and she&#039;s usually spotted around...&quot; she thinks, &quot;Delacroix, near a place called Lost Lake.&quot; she nods, &quot;So we&#039;re gonna hunt around there.&quot; she nods to Stephy and hands Dusk to Arja, then flexes her wings. &quot;Should be able to get enough height in here without getting noticed...&quot; she murmurs as large green feathers begin to sprout along her arms.<br /><br />Patli raises her hand at that, &quot;I can come too! I&#039;m too fast to catch!&quot;<br /><br />Stephy nods as he flexes his own arms, sprouting glossy pale blue feathers along them as Simoni&#039;s legs finish transforming into large talons with black scales on them, the girl bending down so Arja can climb on. &quot;Good thinking Patli, whoever is riding on me can carry you in your hummingbird form until we get there.&quot; he nods, hummingbirds were speedy in short bursts, but they couldn&#039;t outfly a larger bird for long stretches after all. &quot;So, Trixie? Sammi? Which one of you?&quot; he asks, flapping his newly formed wings as his talons scratch at the pavement. It had been a while since he&#039;d used this form after all, it was odd being in it again.<br /><br />Trixie raises her hand. &quot;Sammi should stay behind in case a Hyde thing pops up, he&#039;ll be able to sense it. Plus I&#039;ve got iron bullets, ya know, in case.&quot; she suggests.<br /><br />&nbsp;Sammi nods, &quot;Makes a good point, be safe little brother, if you see something bad get out of there.&quot; he says as Patli quickly shifts her forms into a small, shiny emerald with a ruby red belly, hummingbird, that eagerly perches on Trixie&#039;s head.<br /><br />He nods and lets Trixie climb up onto him, then both he and Simoni let out a loud whistle as they shoot up into the sky. Dusk grins wide and clambers up to rest between Simoni&#039;s shoulder blades, watching the world go by under them with wide eyes as they get high enough to make sure that any mundanes would just mistake them for odd looking birds before banking off and heading towards the large swampy landscape that rested between the city proper and the ocean. It took about an hour to fly out there and as they got out of the city they saw a black car driving down the road below them, the only vehicle around. Simoni nodded down to it as the group saw the passenger side window roll down and a bandaged hand wave to them, letting them know it was the right car before it pulled off onto a small patch of solid land and the doors opened. Nelen climbing out with Dawn in her cat form on his shoulders along with Nessa, Aisha, and Alice as Simoni and Stephy arced downwards, heading towards the ground to land.<br /><br />Aisha nods as the group meets up, the girl wearing her sword on her hip, contrasting with her designer jeans and pale purple silk blouse. Alice nods as well as Nessa prods her arm to tell her the rest were here, Patli popping out of Trixie&#039;s hair to zip around her sister&#039;s head eagerly. &quot;Alright, seems the gang&#039;s here, do we have some way to signal the others when we find our target?&quot; Alice asks in a calm voice. This was the first time the group properly saw her dressed to work, and the blind, wealthy, girl actually looked rather intimidating like this. A pair of loose khaki pants with pockets and a snug green sweater over what looks to be some kind of body armor. Her shiny black sunglasses hid her eye movements as she looked around despite her disability, and her hands gripped the cane that the group knew by now opened into a rather devastating sword. She almost looked paramilitary, even more so with the gold patch on her right arm that had her family crest on it...<br /><br />Nessa just smirks softly as she rubs her sister&#039;s head, dressed in her more normal black suit and gloves.<br /><br />Stephy shakes his head, &quot;Not really necessary.&quot; he replies, tilting his head a bit, &quot;I can tell she&#039;s in there. She is a fae after all, powerful one.&quot; he nods as he shifts back to his more human form and slips his sandals back on. &quot;Its a ways in though...&quot; he frowns, &quot;Hope you guys are okay with a hike.&quot; he sighs a bit, hitching up his skirts slightly, &quot;Should&#039;ve worn something shorter.&quot; he frowns but heads off into the swamp, waving for the rest to follow him.<br /><br />Its a long hike, Stephy having to guide them in and around several hidden traps, sigils carved into trees and hidden under the marsh like magical proximity mines. &quot;Don&#039;t touch that tree, it&#039;ll turn your skin inside out.&quot; he warns at one point. &quot;Stay off that patch of swamp.&quot; he says as he makes a wide circle around an area in the middle of a patch of water, &quot;It&#039;ll cover you with a scent that&#039;ll attract every alligator within five miles.&quot; he explains. Stephy can sense the glamour used to make the traps, allowing him to bypass them. Presumably so could most of the changelings in the area, but they&#039;d have to be pretty insane to try to find the Hag to begin with.<br /><br />Trixie nods, pulling her cards out and quickly drawing a couple in each hand, mumbling softly before the cards seem to fade into the air, replaced with her two revolvers, already loaded with bullets that Stephy could practically smell the iron in. &quot;She&#039;s smart,&quot; Alice nods as she creeps with the group, nodding along. &quot;She must have been here a while. That&#039;s good, if she&#039;s been weakened significantly by her change to the mortal realm she&#039;d be getting weaker all the time she&#039;s here.&quot;<br /><br />Stephy nods, &quot;Yeah, maybe this won&#039;t be too bad after all...&quot; he replies, then pauses as they round a corner past a bunch of large swamp trees and find a dilapidated old wooden shack on large posts, a swamp house designed to stay above the water. &quot;... well, guess we&#039;ll find out.&quot; he nods. It has to be her lair. The whole house is lit by torches, the front door has a stone handle rather than metal, and there&#039;s... things hanging from the awning over the porch. Crow&#039;s feet and feathers, bones of various sorts (some human, some not), and more. There&#039;s also a sickening smell wafting out of the open window, though what it might be is unknown, other than downright vile.<br /><br />Nelen steps forward, getting ready to open the door as he bunches his hand into a fist. Merihim is still on strike, but he&#039;s still tough enough to handle something like this by surprise. &quot;Probably should&#039;ve brought Loren, but she&#039;s helping keep watch for Hydes in town.&quot; he mutters, &quot;Oh well...&quot; he reaches for the door handle.<br /><br />As he does, the fur on Dawn&#039;s back suddenly fluffs up as her nostrils flare, &quot;Wait! Nelen! Don&#039;t!&quot; she hisses as his hand rests on the knob.<br /><br />&quot;What?&quot; he asks, but as he does the door suddenly falls inwards right off it&#039;s hinges, collapsing in a crash of old rotted wood. The group can see inside now, and in the candlelight inside the small house they see what can only be the hag.<br /><br />She&#039;s a massive woman-like fae. Hugely obese with sickly green skin covered in pustules that ooze some sort of disgusting liquid. Her eyes are small but a piercing red, and her mouth is full of half rotted and oversized teeth that look like they could crack bones open, her tongue long and barbed to lick out the marrow of said bones. Her fingernails are long and ragged like claws, and she wears a shapeless burlap sack with a hood drawn to hide the rest of her head.<br /><br />She is also, quite clearly, dead. The hag has been impaled on the wall... no, <em>crucified</em>. Her wrists have been driven through with iron stakes, a third one nailing her feet to the far wall. Smoke still trails off them where she died, the skin around the iron blackened and charred as if it had been set on fire.<br /><br />Standing infront of her is a tall handsome man wearing a green velvet suit that looks like something out of a history textbook on Victorian fashion, complete with a top hat and smoked glasses to hide his eyes. One hand is resting on the head of an elegant walking cane with a handle shaped like a goat&#039;s head, while the other is holding a large and diseased looking lump of meat... which most likely came from the ragged hole in the hag&#039;s chest.<br /><br />&quot;Ah, student. I heard you were in town.&quot; chuckles Al. &quot;Do come in, I was just finishing up.&quot;<br /><br />Everyone freezes as they see the crucified hag and Al in the shack&#039;s remains, even Alice seems to understand what&#039;s going on despite her inability to see it... Trixie&#039;s hands move to her gun on near instinct, whipping it around and firing a shot at Al!<br /><br />Before she can blink the cane comes around and bats the bullet right out of the air, causing it to smash into the floor between the cowgirl&#039;s feet. &quot;Hello to you too young... lady?&quot; he tries, then shrugs as if it&#039;s not important. &quot;Well, wasn&#039;t expecting you to come looking for the infamous Maggoty... I&#039;m curious, did you work out what I was doing, or was it just co-incidence?&quot; he asks, walking slowly to the door as the light illuminates what he&#039;s holding. Stephy looks like he&#039;s going to be sick just looking at it, but Al is holding what can only be Maggoty&#039;s heart, ripped right from her chest with his bare hands.<br /><br />Trixie just stares as he so casually bats her bullet away before Alice speaks up. &quot;A greater true fae is a powerful ally, but they make even better ingredients. If she was gifted in disease and alchemy and such her fluids and parts could prove to be incredibly useful... if you&#039;re making some kind of drug...&quot; Trixie blinks softly before nodding. &quot;So it&#039;s you?&quot;<br /><br />Al laughs at that, &quot;Well well, a Roche too I see... oh sorry dear, was that a bit insensitive?&quot; he grins, &quot;Yes they do indeed. Its how I&#039;ve been enhancing my little concoction. The heart is the seat of all emotion, the fae ARE emotion. Rather elegant don&#039;t you think? Sadly I was running a bit low and needed some more to finish my project, so when I heard that there was an exile squatting in the swamp I thought it would be prudent to pay her a visit.&quot; he nods, &quot;Poor dear thought she could really defeat me... Well, she learned that the hard way.&quot; he nods.<br /><br />Nelen&#039;s face is almost white now, the warlock looking like he&#039;s close to doing just what Basset Bailey did and running away with his tail between his legs, but part of him pushes him on, &quot;... why?&quot; he asks, &quot;Why? What does Hell gain out of this?&quot; he manages.<br /><br />Al frowns, &quot;... he didn&#039;t tell you? Usually he&#039;s thrilled about that little fact, poor little drippy thinks it might free him from what we did after he signed on with us.&quot; he smirks. &quot;Merihim, I know you&#039;re in there boy. Come out.&quot; he replies as Nelen gasps, all the veins on his skin suddenly standing out. Al frowns, &quot;That won&#039;t do at all. I said <strong>come out. Now</strong>.&quot; and this time his voice sounds deeper, stronger than it had.<br /><br />Nelen gasps in pain and almost doubles over, then shakes his head and curses, his eyes red as he jams his hands into his pockets. &quot;... Al.&quot; he nods.<br /><br />&quot;Ah, thats better. You really didn&#039;t tell them about what&#039;s wrong with dear ol&#039; Yahweh?&quot; he smirks, &quot;Oh do go ahead. It may be rather Bond-villain-esque of me, but all of you together couldn&#039;t touch Maggoty, much less me, so why not enjoy myself?&quot; he sneers.<br /><br />Alice gulps softly as Al so easily commands the other demon, hand reaching into her own pockets as Nessa speaks. &quot;What do you mean &#039;wrong&#039;?&quot;<br /><br />Merihim scowls at Al, looking rather like a sulky teenager glaring at an authority figure. &quot;Yahweh is going insane, probably dying too. Look, y&#039;know how at first there was just one church? Then it split into two, then three, and so on and so on?&quot; he asks, &quot;Well every time it does Yahweh splits. Each sect gets their own version of him. Its not such a big deal if it&#039;s, say, Elohim. There&#039;s only about ten versions of Judaism. But...&quot;<br /><br />Al smirks, &quot;Fourty thousand sects of Christianity last I looked. The old grey god just ain&#039;t what he used to be.&quot; he shakes his head, &quot;He&#039;s fading. No God in history has ever split themselves so many times, its becoming impossible for Him to maintain cohesion. His powers and his personality have fragmented so many damn times that he&#039;s lost almost everything. Thats why there&#039;s no real miracles anymore, nobody but lunatics like Patrick Robertson saying they hear him, oh and he is hearing a voice but its not Yahweh, he&#039;s too spintered to do anything. The Heavenly Host has to manage every aspect of that sort of thing now and angels are simply not enough when compared to the divine.&quot;<br /><br />Merihim frowns, &quot;You always did like to talk...&quot; he snorts.<br /><br />Al chuckles, &quot;I&#039;m a teacher boy, I teach. Now shut up, this will be on the test.&quot;<br /><br />Alice frowns at that. &quot;Then how is it people are still able to use true faith to use divine magics? We have one on our team who uses Jewish mystic arts and she hasn&#039;t been hampered.&quot;<br /><br />Al sighs, &quot;Do pay attention girl. Merihim did say that Elohim is fine. Elohim and Yahweh aren&#039;t the same being, well, not since the whole Jesus incident.&quot; he frowns, &quot;At most, they&#039;re siblings. They have the same general followers, but otherwise they&#039;re two individual Gods now. Yahweh isn&#039;t really His name, nor is Elohim, but it&#039;s as useful a distinction as any.&quot; he shrugs, &quot;Point I&#039;m getting at is that while the God of the Hebrews and, yes, Allah of Islam are fine... Yahweh is most definitely not.&quot; he nods.<br /><br />Simoni frowns, though she&#039;s also half hiding behind the adults, &quot;So... why would you care? You&#039;re a demon, aren&#039;t heaven and hell... enemies?&quot; she tries.<br /><br />Al actually cackles at this, a deep full laugh, and even Merihim snorts. &quot;Oh that, I do love that old joke. Heaven and Hell are just opposite sides of the game board girl, but our goal is to keep the game going as long as we can and get as much faith to keep Yahweh fed so that Heaven and Hell stay strong and powerful. Don&#039;t believe all that bunk about the end times either, John just wound up getting sick and wrote down his fever dreams.&quot; he smirks. &quot;But yes, getting back to my point... Yahweh is doing badly, to the point where most people don&#039;t really believe. Oh they go to their churches, which in America may as well be going to the dentist, and they sing their songs, but mostly its just old habits. There&#039;s no real faith to it, they&#039;re just doing what they&#039;ve always done because they&#039;re worried of looking silly if they stop.&quot; he nods, &quot;That is a very bad thing for a god.&quot; he frowns.<br /><br />Trixie keeps one hand on her gun still as she speaks, eyes looking around. &quot;So how does A get to B and C then? How does &#039;god js dying&#039; lead to &#039;I need to make monster drugs&#039; and then &#039;somehow that will help&#039;?<br /><br />He smirks, &quot;Oh I can&#039;t take credit for that one. That was actually one of the Angels who cooked that one up. Said that we needed a big &#039;hey everyone, Christianity is the real deal&#039; event, something to get the fire back in people&#039;s belly and get them really believing again... so why not a classic?&quot; he grins, &quot;We&#039;re going to put our Hyde into the water supply for all of New Orleans. It&#039;ll be heavily diluted of course, not enough to make those monsters anymore, but what it will do is infect the entire city with sin. People will give into their base urges in a way that&#039;ll make Mardi Gras look like a Mormon luncheon, and once the entire city is good and saturated in decadence, my pet necromancer will have a whole bunch of corpses ready. With that much sin in the air my fellow demons won&#039;t need living hosts, and the forces of hell will party all night long... right up until the angels arrive and...&quot; he brings up his cane and smashes the tip down on the floor hard enough to crack the boards, &quot;BOOM! Wipe the city of sinners off the face of the earth! A modern day Sodom. That will get people to sit up and take notice.&quot; he nods.<br /><br />Merihim scowls, but doesn&#039;t argue or comment. He doesn&#039;t sound surprised however.<br /><br />&quot;That&#039;ll be the start though. Once that happens we need to... trim the fat as it were. Get rid of all these extra sects that are clogging up the works. We&#039;ll put a few messengers out, tell a few different church leaders that only their sect is the real one and that all others are at best misguided and at worst truly controlled by us down below... and then sit back and watch the Crusades start round two.&quot; he grins, &quot;A few million human sacrifices in the name of God should put some spring into his step, wouldn&#039;t you agree?&quot; he grins, looking at Nessa as he speaks.<br /><br />Nessa actually breaks into a smirk at that. &quot;You&#039;re forgetting that my ancestors shed blood willingly for the gods. They understood what they were doing, there was no trickery. Do you really think a knock-off Sodom story and a few purges will work? My gods, I never imagined a &#039;teacher&#039; could be so small minded.&quot;<br /><br />He smirks, &quot;It&#039;ll get it started. Yahweh will take years to get back up to his old power, but this will get the process going.&quot; he explains, &quot;Point is, if we don&#039;t fix this, then he&#039;ll be joining all the other forgotten ones at Shadow&#039;s Fall soon... and who knows what will happen to us, or the Angels.&quot; he frowns, then shrugs, &ldquo;And lets be honest, even if it doesn&rsquo;t work I get to drive an entire city to sin and then watch it get blown straight to Hell for us to keep playing with!&rdquo; he grins wickedly, &ldquo;Very definition of win-win.&rdquo;<br /><br />As he does, Merihim walks slightly forward, moving to the side, &quot;So, that fae heart is how you&#039;re gonna supercharge the Hyde so that it&#039;ll affect the entire city?&quot; he asks, &quot;That heart you ripped right from the fairy who you crucified with the iron nails?&quot; he adds.<br /><br />Al sighs, &quot;Yes dear boy, it is.&quot; he replies.<br /><br />Merihim nods slowly, &quot;And its not like exiled fae are a dime a dozen...&quot; he smirks.<br /><br />Al raises his eyebrow, &quot;What? You&#039;re thinking of tampering with it? Well well, when did you grow back your balls?&quot; he sneers, &quot;But what exactly would you do? If you even try to reach for it, I&#039;ll have you on the floor with your arm off in an instant.&quot; he laughs at Merihim, still holding Old Maggoty&#039;s heart in his upraised hand.<br /><br />Trixie watches the groups talk, noticing Al&#039;s in a bit of a monologue with Merihim. He didn&#039;t just take the bullet, which would have actually been impressive, he batted it away. She doubted iron worked on demons... but it still worked on dead fae! In a flash she grabs both her guns and opened fire. One is shot right at Al, hoping the demon thinks she&#039;s making another poorly thought out attack. The other goes after her real target, an iron bullet sent right at the fae&#039;s heart!<br /><br />Al hears the gun firing and immediately tries to swing his cane to block it, only to find that it&#039;s suddenly frozen to the floor of the cabin. Stephy is crouched down, hidden among the others in the doorway, a trail of ice spreading from his fingertips to the end of Al&#039;s cane. In addition, Merihim has his fist wrapped tightly around the wood just below the head of it, his skin stark red from where all his demonic strength is forced.<br /><br />In that split second, Trixie&#039;s iron bullet rips into Old Maggoty&#039;s heart, the cold fae blood inside it reacting to the presence of their bane with extreme violence. Maggoty was a higher fae after all, and their weakness is stronger just as their strengths are. The heart doesn&#039;t just burn, it explodes! Chunks of scorched meat and globs of boiling fairy blood go flying as Al&#039;s face twists in fury, &quot;You little canicula!&quot; he snarls, snapping his cane free and bringing his arm around in a vicious backhand, sending Merihim flying across the room! &quot;You... do you know how hard those are to find in the Mundane World?!&quot; he turns, then glares at the group before pausing, noticing Stephy. &quot;... huh, not as hard as I thought. He&#039;s not a higher fae... but he&#039;ll do.&quot; he sneers.<br /><br />Trixie growls at that, lunging forward to get in the way between Al and Stephy, quickly joined by Nessa and Alice, both drawing their weapons as Patli takes her human form with the group, her illusions fading to reveal her feathery head and dark eye holes. &quot;Try to touch him and you&#039;ll have to go through all of us&hellip;&quot; Trixie warns as she aims her guns at him. &quot;You&#039;re right that we can&#039;t kill you, but I bet we can make you bleed... and you&#039;re too proud to be able to limp back home bloody and beaten and say a bunch of mortals beat your ass and ruined your plan.&quot;<br /><br />Al smirks at her, but there&#039;s no humor in his voice this time. &quot;Is that a fact?&quot; he asks, then slams his cane down onto the floor. There&#039;s a sudden flash of superheated air with a roar like a wounded beast. The cabin is blown apart, the walls flying away in a cloud of splinters as Maggoty&#039;s body goes flying in five separate directions, the group lands with several loud splashes, scattered around the swamp as Al walks along the ruined floor, then out along thin air above the surface of the water. &quot;Now, I am going to take my time killing each and every one of you.&quot; he grins wickedly, the water under where he&#039;s standing beginning to steam, then boil, &quot;I think I&#039;ll leave you three for last however, so I can make you watch as I rip your fairy friend&#039;s heart out of his chest so that it can take Maggoty&#039;s place in my plans.&quot;<br /><br />Trixie drops one of her guns and ducks over next to Stephy, grabbing her deck of cards and drawing a full hand from it. &quot;You think you&#039;re the first demon that&#039;s threatened me?&quot; her eyes glow at that as she tries to focus on her &#039;game&#039;, trying to send a dome of protective light around them as Nessa yanks her glove off, cutting deeply into her hand. <br /><br />&quot;You demons never understood what my people learned when the world was young. Blood given willingly is always stronger than blood stolen!&quot; the Aztec girl retorts as green flames explode from her hands at that, larger than any other blast she&#039;s done, the smell of burning flesh coming from her as she aims her attack right at Al&#039;s face.<br /><br />Al waves his hand and the swamp rises up, splashing the flames away in an instant before jabbing his staff at the cards Trixie was holding, the thin pieces of cardboard bursting into flames in her hands. &quot;Stronger yes, but I don&#039;t give a damn. None of you will be able to stop me. Its like being attacked by angry mice.&quot; he replies, absentmindedly stepping to the side as Simoni sends several blasts of fire and wind at him from behind. Simoni had shifted forms the moment the blast hit, grabbing Arja and lifting her up into the air for a counterattack. Al turns to blast them out of the sky, only for them to vanish and reappear several yards away from where his attack went as Dusk peeks out from behind Arja&#039;s head.<br /><br />&quot;... okay, <em>very annoying</em> mice, but still mice.&quot; he frowns, then snaps his fingers as the sky is suddenly alive with a swarm of biting, stinging insects. Simoni shrieks as she tries to fly through the cloud, Dusk yowling and hissing before she&#039;s finally forced to land.<br /><br />The insects buzz loudly a bit before a chill suddenly cuts through the swamp. There&#039;s a faint shimmer as the air seems to open up next to Stephy and Trixie, Sammi slowly stepping out of the rift with his eyes jet black, holding a thin golden rapier in his hand. &quot;I wasn&#039;t just making a shield,&quot; Trixie grins, &quot;I was sending a message too...&quot; The air around the swamp slowly gets colder, patches of boiling swamp actually frosting over as the two powerful elements clash. Most importantly, though, the insects in the air begin to succumb to frost as Sammi walks closer to the fight. Up close his &#039;proper&#039; fae form was clearer, the boy usually hiding it well. His skin is almost clear, shimmering ice. When light strikes him directly it becomes actually clear, revealing shining gold and silver bones and muscles just past the ice &#039;skin&#039;, only to quickly fade back to &#039;normal&#039; as shadows once again wrap around him.<br /><br />&quot;If you want a powerful fae, I&#039;m the heir to an entire holding. If you need a heart, come try to tear out one made of ice.&quot;<br /><br />Arja, meanwhile, growls softly as her iron claws come out, bursts of flame erupting from her and flying at Al.<br /><br />Al lets the flame hit him, the burst not even singing his suit. He glances at Arja and frowns, &quot;Hi. Demon from Hell. Ever been? Rather hot down there.&quot; he says in an annoyed tone, then looks down at Sammi, &quot;As for you, well, two fae for the price of one sounds good.&quot; he sneers, gripping his cane as he pulls it apart. Seems Alice isn&#039;t the only one with a sword-stick. His is etched with demonic symbols, the length of the blade glowing cherry red as the air seems to sizzle where it cuts. &quot;Very well then ice heart. En garde.&quot; he smirks, standing atop the water as he adopts a fencing pose before lunging, his sword aimed at Sammi&#039;s throat.<br /><br />Sammi&#039;s blade springs up, the thin weapon still easily halting Al&#039;s attack. The fae smirks softly as he taunts the demon, seemingly unafraid of him &quot;Oh no. Fire. This is the first time someone has attacked one of my court with flame. How did we never see our opponents exploiting our literal natural weakness coming?&quot; The blade glows at that, first bright white, then as red as Al&#039;s blade as it tries to literally draw the heat from it. &quot;My heart is very hard to get to, one of the blessings and curses of my court. I only let a select few near it. Stephy is one of them I have. If you think I&#039;ll allow you to even look at him with anger then you have no idea about fae nobility.&quot;<br /><br />Al sneers, &quot;Trying to draw away the fires of Hell itself? You&#039;ve courage boy, I&#039;ll grant you that.&quot; he retorts, but while the blade is locked with Al&#039;s he wreathes his other hand in an aura of blackness, slamming it hard into Sammi&#039;s middle. The fae prince can&#039;t help but scream as Al&#039;s fist hits him, the strike burning and freezing at the same time. As soon as he&#039;s off balance Al drops his sword and grabs Sammi&#039;s throat, then lifts him off his feet and slaps him across the face with his aura-coated hand, leaving marks of... well... ordinary looking skin where it hits. Bruised and blackened, but not fae at all. Its almost as if he&#039;s beating the glamour right off him!<br /><br />Sammi grunts as he&#039;s lifted up, taking in deep breaths to try to counter his hold on his throat. &quot;Where were you a couple years ago, I&#039;d have totally made a deal with some loser who promised to take my glamour...&quot; He coughs out, trying to keep Al&#039;s attention. &quot;You hit like a bitch, though...I think Stephy hits me harder when I tell him he can&#039;t have another bunny...&quot;<br /><br />The reason for Sammi&#039;s distraction was soon right behind Al. Arja and Alice together striking the demon right between his shoulderblades, Alice&#039;s blade and Arja&#039;s claws trying to pierce his skin. Quickly enough Patli joins in as well, a long, thin, curved, dagger that seemed to appear from thin air plunged at him as well, the trio of fighters hoping a combined attack can at least stagger him...<br /><br />He grunts, glancing over his shoulder at them, then sighs. &quot;I really liked this suit you know.&quot; he replies, then flexes his shoulders as massive bone spikes burst out from his spine, attempting to impale the girls behind him while he presses his aura coated hand to Sammi&#039;s forehead. Pain sears across his entire body, it feels like part of his very self is getting leeched right out of him into that blackness surrounding Al&#039;s hand, almost like a black hole...<br /><br />Stephy, on the ground but in his avian form, flaps his wings and sends a barrage of icicle spears at Al as Simoni tries to blast him with wind from the other side, catching him between themselves, but Al simple snarls and stamps his foot, the swamp bursting up around him to knock all the attacks back. &quot;Really now this is getting extremely annoying.&quot; he frowns, &quot;Fine. I wanted to have a little fun with you, but if I must...&quot; he flexes, then the swamp all around them starts to bubble and boil like a massive cauldron, the air soon turning white with steam... but it doesn&#039;t stop. The heat continues to rise as the trees nearby start to scorch, the air becoming too hot to breathe! &quot;Magic or not, you&#039;re still living beings. If I boil your lungs you&#039;ll die.&quot; he smirks, then pauses as a voice shouts out.<br /><br />&quot;AL! Its almost ready!&quot; yells Nelen.<br /><br />&quot;... what?&quot; he asks, raising his eyebrow, then frowning, &quot;Oh you are not going to pull that stunt...&quot; he sighs.<br /><br />The warlock nods, &quot;Days, hell it could be tomorrow. Death cannot come to me until it&#039;s ready or else the contract is broken.&quot; he replies.<br /><br />Al shrugs, &quot;Not to you, but that doesn&#039;t mean I can&#039;t gut your fr-&quot; he starts, but gets cut off at the sound of a pistol cocking. Nelen is holding the gun Trixie dropped, but it&#039;s not pointed at Al. He&#039;s aiming it at his own head, the barrel up against his temple.<br /><br />&quot;Let them go, or I fire. Death cannot come to me Al, by your action <em>or inaction</em>. Sure you COULD just magic the gun away, but I could just lie down in the swamp and drown myself, or let myself get caught in one of your attacks.&quot; he smirks, &quot;Only way you can be sure is if you retreat. Right. Now.&quot;<br /><br />Al glares at him, &quot;... perhaps I taught you too well Fullmoon.&quot;<br /><br />Trixie looks over to Nelen, then to Al confused. &quot;The fuck is happening here...&quot; she mutters.<br /><br />Sammi just chuckles a bit, a coughing, wheezing, kind of chuckle, &quot;Clearly part of the deal wasn&#039;t written as well as it could have been. Little fae tip, the good clause for that is &#039;I will not cause any harm to you&#039;, &#039;death cannot&#039; is far too broad...&quot; Sammi grins at that, clearly enjoying seeing Al&#039;s revenge stymied, even if he was starting to bleed from his mouth&hellip; Arja just glares at Al angrily. &quot;You should go, then, and get your little hideout ready, because we&#039;re going to destroy that too. I don&#039;t care if there&#039;s an army of demons and angels both waiting.&quot;<br /><br />Al sighs, then tosses Sammi aside as he retracts his bone spikes, &quot;Hellfire, look at my suit. Do you know how hard it is to find a good tailor in this day and age?&quot; he sighs, before putting his cane back together. &quot;Oh don&#039;t bother, your warlock has me over a barrel. I can&#039;t let the contract go into breach on my account or else I face the consequences, but without a fae heart the Hyde is useless.&quot; he sighs, &quot;Go on then, but one thing first...&quot; he smirks, &quot;Fullmoon, tell them what exactly you&#039;re talking about. What happens in a day?&quot; he asks.<br /><br />Nelen glares at him, his eyes reddening around the edges, but he still has the gun pointed to his own temple as he seems almost tempted to pull the trigger now. &quot;... the payment I owe you for teaching me should be ready.&quot; he grumbles, looking away.<br /><br />Al grins wider, &quot;Very good Fullmoon, and that payment is...&quot; he adds, waving his hand in a beckoning gesture.<br /><br />Nelen hesitates, glancing around to his companions, his trigger finger twitching.<br /><br />Al smirks, then nods, &quot;Say it Fullmoon. Let them know just what their friend offered Hell.&quot; he sneers.<br /><br />Nelen takes a deep sigh, then replies, &quot;... my firstborn child.&quot;<br /><br />Arja blinks in shock at that, looking to Nelen. &quot;No way, you wouldn&#039;t&hellip;&quot; she mutters.<br /><br />Alice nods, a disbelieving look on her face, &quot;That has to be a lie, he&#039;d never take such an absurd deal...&quot;<br /><br />Al laughs, &quot;Oh gods bless the desparate and naive.&quot; he replies as Simoni stares at Nelen, Dawn doesn&#039;t say anything but looks distinctly uncomfortable. &quot;He did, its what we agreed upon when his apprenticeship began with me way way back when we first met in the Nightside.&quot; he sneers, &quot;I hear the offspring will be that of a Fullmoon warrior and a cyclops of all things. Ought to make a delightful agent after it&#039;s been raised up in the pit with a proper infernal education.&quot; he nods, &quot;Well, I&#039;ll leave you to sort this out yourselves, then come to collect once that little bun is out of the oven. Ta~&quot; he smirks, vanishing in a woosh of hellfire.<br /><br />Nelen looks around to the group, his arms going limp as Trixie&#039;s pistol falls from his grip, &quot;I... it was years ago, I didn&#039;t think I&#039;d ever actually...&quot; he tries, then falls silent and hangs his head.<br /><br />Arja sighs softly, shaking her head. &quot;Well you were an idiot. Still, lucky you your wife is a cyclops. Her kind don&#039;t react well to being told what to do by divine or infernal figures... believe me on that...&quot; she nods, then pauses. &quot;Dru...DOES know about this, RIGHT?&quot; she asks, raising her eyebrow at the warlock.<br /><br />Nelen glances away, &quot;... not... exactly.&quot; he replies, the warlock looking decidedly uncomfortable, &quot;I mean, how the hell do I tell her that when I was young and trying desperately to fix the massive fuckup of letting a demon live inside my body that I told an even stronger demon he could have the first kid I ever had if he agreed to teach me how to keep Merihim from taking me over and killing random strangers every chance he got?! I didn&#039;t think I&#039;d even live long enough to <em>have</em> a kid and that the contract would wind up null and void because I went and got my head torn off by a chimera or something and then...&quot; he groans and crouches down, his bandaged hands gripping his head, &quot;... then Drusilla happened.&quot; he mutters, his words laced with agony.<br /><br />Trixie shakes her head slowly at that as well. &quot;Oh man... she&#039;s gonna tear Al limb from limb... after she does the same to you...&quot;<br /><br />He huffs, &quot;She should. I&#039;d probably be a crap father.&quot; he mutters, getting to his feet slowly as Dawn walks over to him, changing into her animal form and hopping onto his shoulders, &quot;... I&#039;ll meet you back in town.&quot; he sighs, looking away from the group as the pair of them vanish.<br /><br />Simoni just stares at the spot where he was standing. &quot;... he always said he was an idiot when he was younger, but I thought he just meant when he sold his soul to Merihim...&quot; she says in a flat tone, &quot;I can&#039;t believe he&#039;d do something like that... Its...&quot; she shakes her head.<br /><br />Arja sighs, shaking her head. &quot;I mean, I get it, he probably didn&#039;t see much of a future in &#039;demon fueled mercenary&#039; that didn&#039;t end quickly and violently... Still I would not want to be in that hotel when he tells Drus...&quot; she comments, looking around, &quot;We alright?&quot;<br /><br />Sammi grunts, standing slowly, &quot;I&#039;m good, I think I need to heal up in Arcadia a bit... I think he broke my spleen somehow...&quot;<br /><br />Stephy nods, &quot;What the hell was that attack? I mean the black aura... I&#039;m not the only one who thought that looked familiar, right?&quot; he asks as the group begins to head back out of the swamp. &quot;It... looked like a mundane blade, except it wasn&#039;t. Maybe it&#039;s just similar?&quot; he tries.<br /><br />Sammi nods, Trixie moving to help support him as he walks. &quot;It sure felt like the blade, hot and icy at the same time, a big... void... just draining my glamour away. I mean if anyone of us can do it it&#039;d be Drus but... really we do need to be incredibly careful around him. I don&#039;t know what&#039;s the chicken and what&#039;s the egg and all but he&#039;s a walking mundane blade...&quot;<br /><br />Stephy nods, &quot;Yeah... and he was holding back. I get the feeling if he went all out he could&#039;ve taken all of us down without even trying... only reason he didn&#039;t is because he needed our hearts intact.&quot; he winces, &quot;So... he&#039;s going to be coming for Drusilla&#039;s baby, and he can turn himself into a Mundane Blade.&quot; he sighs, &quot;We&#039;re in trouble...&quot;<br /><br />Simoni nods, the group piling into the car when they get back to it. Since Nelen is gone there&#039;s enough room for all the kids to squeeze in, provided some don&#039;t mind sitting in the other&#039;s laps. After driving for about an hour they arrive back at the hotel and notice that it&#039;s got a distinct lack of wreckage, destruction, and general broken shit that tends to signify an angry cyclops rampage.<br /><br />As soon as they get back to the hotel room the door opens with such force that it almost gets torn off it&#039;s hinges as a rather frantic looking Loren greets them. &quot;Where th&#039; FECK have ya been?!&quot; she shouts, grabbing them one by one and tossing them into the room. &quot;You! Fire monkey! Get some water in th&#039; sink &#039;n start gettin&#039; it good &#039;n hot, ah&#039;m talkin bleedin&#039; boilin&#039; &#039;ere!&quot; she snaps, &quot;You two, fairy boys! Towels, lots of &#039;em, steal &#039;em from th&#039; maids if ye hafta! GO!&quot; she snaps, pushing them back out into the hall. &quot;Okay okay... ah did mah turn in th&#039; infirmary. Boiled water... lotsa towels... feck what else... bugger me ah&#039;m too sober fer this!&quot; she shakes her head.<br /><br />Arja blinks as she watches everyone move around, about to ask what&#039;s going on before hearing a near... well... <em>monstrous</em> roar from the room... &quot;Oh fuck, she&#039;s having the baby...&quot; she whispers.<br /><br />Loren stares at her, &quot;Aye! Either th&#039; lass thought it&#039;d be funny ta piss &#039;erself or &#039;er water broke &#039;bout an hour ago!&quot; she snaps, &quot;... ain&#039;t rulin&#039; out th&#039; first one, th&#039; lads told us what they found in yer basement...&quot; she muses, then shakes her head, &quot;Ta &#039;ell with it! Get movin&#039; you lot! Ah ain&#039;t panickin&#039; on me own!&quot; she yells, &quot;An&#039; does anyone know where the FECKIN &#039;ELL Nelen is?!&quot; she shouts.<br /><br />Simoni pauses, &quot;Wait, he&#039;s not here? He and Dawn said they&#039;d meet us back here.&quot; she replies.<br /><br />Arja frowns, &quot;You don&#039;t think he&#039;s doing something...dumb do you?&quot; she asks. <br /><br />Trixie shakes her head, &quot;You go find him, I&#039;ve helped get a calf born a few times... I bet the principles are the same...&quot; <br /><br />&quot;Oh yea, tell Dru that, that&#039;ll help,&quot; Sammi adds as he comes in with an armload of towels.<br /><br />Simoni frowns, &quot;After what happened...&quot; she mutters, looking nervous... then spins around as an irritated voice pipes up.<br /><br />&quot;Yeah, its stupid. Stupider than Puppers on her worst damn day.&quot; hisses Dawn, leaning against the wall nearby, &quot;He sent me back, told me I had to at least make sure you guys knew incase this didn&#039;t work.&quot; she frowns, &quot;He&#039;s going after Al, alone. He only pulled that stunt in the swamp so Al wouldn&#039;t kill you guys.&quot;<br /><br />Arja scowls, &quot;The hell he is. Where&#039;s Al&#039;s hangout, Dawn? We&#039;re not gonna let him do something insane right now...&quot;<br /><br />Dawn hisses at her, &quot;I don&#039;t know! He made me come back on my own as soon as we were too far away for you guys to see us!&quot; she snaps back at her, &quot;Ugh... he said Al&#039;s contract was void if anything happened to him... I think he&#039;s going to try to goad Al into killing him so that he loses his claim on Drusilla&#039;s baby.&quot; she replies, then blinks as it suddenly goes completely quiet... &quot;... uh guys? I know cyclopti have amazing eyesight... how good are their ears?&quot; asks Dawn, her own folding back as her eyes widen.<br /><br />There&#039;s a loud clattering from the connected room before a very angry Cyclops comes charging through the door, face flushed and eye wide and glaring a hole in Dawn. &quot;<em>What</em> did you just say he was doing?!&quot; she demanded. She was, thankfully, clothed, having taken to wearing long and casual sundresses that could accommodate her pregnant figure.<br /><br />Dawn stares at her, then reaches over and plucks Dusk off Simoni&#039;s shoulder, &quot;You guys explain it. Cheshires out.&quot; she says, vanishing with a faint pop.<br /><br />Simoni looks to where she was standing, then back to Drusilla, then back to the empty space, then back to the enraged giantkin, &quot;So... uh... found out that Nelen made more than one big stupid thing when he was younger today... and... you&#039;re really not gonna like this one...&quot; she mutters before Loren comes up behind Drusilla and shoves her firmly onto the bed in this room.<br /><br />&quot;ALRIGHT BLINKY &#039;OLD STILL! That bairn be comin&#039; outta ye one way o&#039; another an&#039; yer not goin&#039; anywhere till it do!&quot; she snaps, flexing her arms. She was a full-blooded Fullmoon, woman or not, and given that she was a warrior type one she could probably match Drusilla muscle for muscle. &quot;You gels tell yer story about th&#039; stupid thing me cousin did, I&#039;ll hold &#039;er down if need be.&quot; she nods firmly.<br /><br />Drusilla kicks and punches at the Fullmoon on top of her as she trashes on the bed angrily. &quot;Let me up damn it! Nelen has to be here for this!&quot; she roars.<br /><br />Arja just winces as she peeks into the room. &quot;Well... you know how magic often has a cost to learn? I-it&#039;s common in Indian stories as well actually, a teacher&#039;s gift to show respect and all... well... Nelen apparently promised Al his firstborn... and that&#039;s your kid... and now he&#039;s probably out trying to get himself killed because the deal is void if &#039;death comes for him&rsquo;, and I have a feeling Al probably knows exactly how much damage he can take without dying...&rdquo;<br /><br />Stephy comes in with a load of towels just in time to get that last bit, then immediately turns around and leaves after dropping them as he sees what&#039;s happening.<br /><br />Simoni sighs at Drusilla and nods, &quot;He... well... he said that at the time he&#039;d expected to die young and never have kids, so he didn&#039;t think it&#039;d ever be an issue and... oh Drus...&quot; she whines, biting her lip, &quot;We don&#039;t know where he is! He made Dawn come back before he got to wherever Al is hiding out!&quot; she nods, then looks over as Stephy is suddenly backpedaling into the room.<br /><br />&quot;Guys? Guuuuuuuys?&quot; he calls out, &quot;Company!&quot; he squeaks as a massive figure steps into the room. Its huge, bigger even than Sandra in her werewolf form, a mountain of muscle with a face like a demonic Mr. Punch doll and two long horns curling back from it&#039;s forehead.<br /><br />&quot;Lets see...&quot; it sneers in a deep echoing voice, &quot;Too young, too male, too many eyes... aha! You&#039;re the one!&quot; he jabs a finger at Drusilla, stalking towards her, &quot;Master Al wants to keep you near so he can collect his claim, you&#039;re coming with me...&quot;<br /><br />Drusilla glares at the massive demon making his way in, letting out a low growl. &quot;Then &#039;Master Al&#039; can come take me himself. Tell him to wear something nice to be buried in, because I promise you if we share a room I&#039;m going to kill him, then you, then any other demon hanging around until whatever witchcraft you things work is broken...&quot; she glares at him in the way that only a cyclops can, sitting up on the bed even as Loren tries to push her back down.<br /><br />The massive demon laughs at her, staring around, &quot;Oh? And you&#039;re going to stop me eh? A bunch of little girls, a blind chick and... uh...&quot; he pauses, &quot;... are you Loren Fullmoon?&quot; it asks.<br /><br />Loren grins, cracking her knuckles, &quot;Och, heard o&#039; me eh?&quot; she replies.<br /><br />&quot;... ah cra-&quot; is as far as he gets before Loren drives her fist into it&#039;s throat, grabbing it there and wrapping her hands around the demon&#039;s neck. &quot;NO NO NO NO NO NO WAIT!&quot; it wails as it tries to pry free.<br /><br />&quot;Lesse... should be right aboot... HAH!&quot; she squeezes, there&#039;s a popping sound, and then a loud WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE like a balloon with a leak as the demon flails, its body literally deflating before their eyes. Within a few seconds she&#039;s holding a two foot tall spindle-thin demon that&#039;s frantically wriggling and struggling, trying to get free. &quot;Hah! Ah knew it! Sloth demon ain&#039;tcha? Weakest o&#039; th&#039; seven courts! They could be powerful, but they&#039;re too damn lazy!&quot; she smirks.<br /><br />Drusilla motions for the demon to be brought over to her, gripping it tightly by the face and bringing it to look her right in the eye. &quot;Sloth, that means lazy, right? You don&#039;t like to work? Well, let me make this easy for you. Tell us where Al is and you&#039;ll die fast. If you try to be brave for once in your life I&#039;m still going to kill you, but it will be very,&quot; she squeezes tighter at that, just a hair more, but enough to to be felt easily. &quot;VERY, slow. So, which is the easiest option for you?&quot;<br /><br />It squeals like a stuck pig, squirming frantically, &quot;OWOWOWOWOOWOW! That huuuuuuurts!&quot; it squeaks, sounding less intimidating and more like a demonic Alvin now. &quot;Y&#039;know ya can&#039;t really &#039;kill&#039; me right? I&#039;ll just be banished back to he- OW! THAT WAS MY FINGER! OKAY! Outside of town there&#039;s this old Coke-a-Cola bottling plant! Been abandoned since the fifties when they stopped using glass bottles. Thats where he is! And yeah, Nelen is already there! You&#039;re too late! It&#039;ll either be him or whatever comes out of you that Al gets now!&quot; it hisses, clawing at Drusilla&#039;s hand as it tries to free itself.<br /><br />Drusilla just growls again as she crushes the demon&#039;s head in her hand, pulling herself up slowly. &quot;Come on, we&#039;re going to get my idiot husband before he kills himself and takes that pleasure away from me!&quot;<br /><br />Loren puts a hand firmly on Drusilla&#039;s shoulder, then shoves her straight back down, &quot;Och, no ya don&#039;t lass. Yer stayin&#039; right &#039;ere until that wee one comes outta ya!&quot; she replies, holding Drusilla firmly down despite her threats, cursing, and any attacks to her person. &quot;Oi, Monkey! Round up ah few o&#039; th&#039; others &#039;n go find &#039;im. I&#039;ll keep her here.&quot; she nods to Arja, the Fullmoon having to exert herself, but still able to hold Drusilla in place as another contraction hits. &quot;An&#039; hurry it up! I wanna give Nelen a good smackin&#039; fer pullin&#039; this stunt m&#039;self!&quot; she nods.<br /><br />Arja nods quickly, &quot;Fairies, Trixie, Simoni, you&#039;re with me, the rest of you hunker down here, Al will probably send more to come fetch Dru and I bet he&#039;s not gonna send Sloth demons for the next bit. Dru...we&#039;re gonna get him back. He, you, your baby, you&#039;ll all be ok.&quot; <br /><br />Drusilla just yells angrily as she struggles with Loren, though the pretty heavy distraction of currently giving birth is good enough to keep Loren with the upper hand...<br /><br />Simoni nods, already on her phone, &quot;Okay, I think I found the place.&quot; she replies as Stephy comes in along with Trixie, Sammi still recuperating from Al&#039;s &#039;mundane fist&#039; power. &quot;Lets go.&quot; she nods, leading the way out to the lobby.<br /><br />Meanwhile...<br /><br />Nelen coughs and spits out a glob of blood (well, Merihim rather) onto the dusty floor of the factory, surrounded by blank and staring corpses, several of which had his blood on their knuckles. Al smiled down at him from the walkway, &quot;So, that makes what... three?&quot; he asks, gesturing to a large molar sitting in the pile of blood. &quot;You were from Kentucky... I guess it fits for you.&quot; he chuckles. &quot;All this Hyde, totally worthless now. I could pump you full of it, but Merihim would keep it from working wouldn&#039;t he?&quot; he sighs, then cocks his head and rolls his eyes in an exhasperated way. &quot;Biztik failed? Should have known... well, it hardly matters. As soon as the baby is born I&#039;ll go pick it up myself.&quot;<br /><br />Nelen snarls at that and tries to charge forward, only to be held back by about six of the undead. &quot;YOU BASTARD! I&#039;LL KILL YOU!&quot; he snarls, his eyes flashing red.<br /><br />&quot;Really now student. As per the terms of our contract I can&#039;t kill you, but that doesn&#039;t mean I can&#039;t discipline an errant student... or at least have my minions do it for me.&quot; he smirks, nodding to the teen in the hoodie next to him. The hood was down now, revealing a pale skinned and thin girl with short spiky blonde hair. &quot;Do it.&quot; he nods as she frowns, then makes a gesture, the three zombies infront punching Nelen in unison in the stomach. He cries out in pain as they hit the bruise he gave himself in the school parking lot, another splatter of blood joining the rest on the floor.<br /><br />Al blinks, then glances in the direction of the city, before smiling. &quot;Well well... seems company is coming. I should fix some tea and biscuits...&quot; he chuckles.<br /><br />Nelen coughs again, a look of horror filling his face, &quot;No... Dammit!&quot; he struggles harder, &quot;Al you son of a demon whore! If you hurt them I&#039;ll...&quot; he starts, but Al gestures again, and the girl gestures, and the zombies all fall on him at once...<br /><br />For Nelen Fullmoon, everything went black.<br /><br /></span>","pools_count":0,"title":"Part 2.12 Heart of the Problem","deleted":"f","public":"t","mimetype":"application/msword","pagecount":"1","rating_id":"2","rating_name":"Adult","ratings":[{"content_tag_id":"5","name":"Strong Violence","description":"Strong violence, blood, serious injury or death","rating_id":"2"}],"submission_type_id":"12","type_name":"Writing - Document","guest_block":"t","friends_only":"f","comments_count":"0","views":"35","sales_description":null,"forsale":"f","digitalsales":"f","printsales":"f","digital_price":""}