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That kid from Scotland that I met a couple weeks ago? Turns out he's a Glass Walker cub, galliard, who'd been dropped off here by his dad. Goes by the name of Rhys. I didn't really get a chance to talk with him much because I was holed up in my room during the fuller moon. I'd just run into him in the hallway as I was headed out of the building. He was, at least, fairly respectful about keeping some distance between us. That was polite of him.
As the moon got fuller, Rai, Riley, Clarice, and I all piled into the beater Toyota Camry I got for Riley's use and set off to track down Val's fluffy ass. We found her. She'd been trailing some fomor and some hanger-on humans, a few of which exhibited signs of being tainted. It was fast and dirty--not the way I like things to be, but the garou seemed relatively comfortable wading into that kind of thing. (Unsurprisingly.) I fed Riley info from back at the car, about a quarter mile or so away, via a Bluetooth earpiece and a cell phone. (Hard to believe that'd have been Correspondence magic just a couple decades ago, not everyday technology like it is now.) Two fomori, two people tainted, four other humans, all armed. I managed to foul up the powder in the first bullet of some of the guns, which helped a bit when Rai was spotted and the bullets started flying. (If I'd had more time, I could probably have rendered all those bullets useless.) I started up the Camry, put it in neutral, and revved up the engine: a handy source of kinetic energy for fueling Forces effects without the need for expending quintessence. (I'm pretty proud of myself for coming up with that idea!) One of the fomori--a little girl with four arms--got up into the trees and got the drop on Riley. Literally. She.... it.... was coming out of the tree and about to land on Riley's back. I hit it with the kinetic energy from the Camry's engine, effectively force-throwing it at the other fomori, which was down on the ground already but downrange of Riley and Clarice. Clarice--man, that cyberware she has creeps me out for some reason--made a flying leap to intercept the fomori just before I punted it across the campground. I probably didn't need to do that magic, but.... Instinct in protecting Riley, I guess. Vulgar magic. I could feel the paradox loading up on me for that one, but I didn't let it leak out. (You know, paradox loading does seem to suit itself to a diarrhea metaphor--and finding a safe place/bathroom to let it out later. Gross.) Rai had taken a bullet to the head and was down, so I kept the engine revved and put up a kinetic bullet shield over him while he healed. I don't think he noticed. BULLET IN THE HEAD and all that being, I imagine, a minor distraction. Their healing capabilities? Amazing. He head ejected the bullet and he was up again in short order. In all the distraction, and with my focus on shielding Rai, I overlooked the multi-armed fomori escaping and heading toward the Camry. It jumped on the roof and... Lots of yelling from the garou brought my attention back to my immediate surroundings. (A hazard of using Correspondence to view the battlefield rather than what was happening right next to me.) I dropped the car into gear, slung it into a hard turn, and relocated the static friction from where it was clinging onto the car and redirected the energy to the car's wheel's contact patch on the road. No noticeable effect for the car's traction, but it pretty much "greased" things for the fomori on the roof. She went flying off, hit the ground, and the garou piled on her and killed her. Clarice, in particular, brutalized her.
There'd been a truck that'd exploded during the fight, and it was catching the area on fire--forest fire potential. I was able to lessen the flames, keep it from spreading, and put it out eventually. Coincidentally. (I don't think I could have done any more vulgar magic without Weird Shit(tm) happening. Which would have made the later car ride home.... interesting.)
There'd been so much going on, and so fast, that I'd not had time to consider--or even encourage--Riley to work at saving the untainted humans. EVERYONE was dead. Total carnage. And then Clarice came over and hugged me hard, all.... gorey and bloody. My stomach went sideways, but I managed not to hurl.
Jesus H. Christ.
As the moon got fuller, Rai, Riley, Clarice, and I all piled into the beater Toyota Camry I got for Riley's use and set off to track down Val's fluffy ass. We found her. She'd been trailing some fomor and some hanger-on humans, a few of which exhibited signs of being tainted. It was fast and dirty--not the way I like things to be, but the garou seemed relatively comfortable wading into that kind of thing. (Unsurprisingly.) I fed Riley info from back at the car, about a quarter mile or so away, via a Bluetooth earpiece and a cell phone. (Hard to believe that'd have been Correspondence magic just a couple decades ago, not everyday technology like it is now.) Two fomori, two people tainted, four other humans, all armed. I managed to foul up the powder in the first bullet of some of the guns, which helped a bit when Rai was spotted and the bullets started flying. (If I'd had more time, I could probably have rendered all those bullets useless.) I started up the Camry, put it in neutral, and revved up the engine: a handy source of kinetic energy for fueling Forces effects without the need for expending quintessence. (I'm pretty proud of myself for coming up with that idea!) One of the fomori--a little girl with four arms--got up into the trees and got the drop on Riley. Literally. She.... it.... was coming out of the tree and about to land on Riley's back. I hit it with the kinetic energy from the Camry's engine, effectively force-throwing it at the other fomori, which was down on the ground already but downrange of Riley and Clarice. Clarice--man, that cyberware she has creeps me out for some reason--made a flying leap to intercept the fomori just before I punted it across the campground. I probably didn't need to do that magic, but.... Instinct in protecting Riley, I guess. Vulgar magic. I could feel the paradox loading up on me for that one, but I didn't let it leak out. (You know, paradox loading does seem to suit itself to a diarrhea metaphor--and finding a safe place/bathroom to let it out later. Gross.) Rai had taken a bullet to the head and was down, so I kept the engine revved and put up a kinetic bullet shield over him while he healed. I don't think he noticed. BULLET IN THE HEAD and all that being, I imagine, a minor distraction. Their healing capabilities? Amazing. He head ejected the bullet and he was up again in short order. In all the distraction, and with my focus on shielding Rai, I overlooked the multi-armed fomori escaping and heading toward the Camry. It jumped on the roof and... Lots of yelling from the garou brought my attention back to my immediate surroundings. (A hazard of using Correspondence to view the battlefield rather than what was happening right next to me.) I dropped the car into gear, slung it into a hard turn, and relocated the static friction from where it was clinging onto the car and redirected the energy to the car's wheel's contact patch on the road. No noticeable effect for the car's traction, but it pretty much "greased" things for the fomori on the roof. She went flying off, hit the ground, and the garou piled on her and killed her. Clarice, in particular, brutalized her.
There'd been a truck that'd exploded during the fight, and it was catching the area on fire--forest fire potential. I was able to lessen the flames, keep it from spreading, and put it out eventually. Coincidentally. (I don't think I could have done any more vulgar magic without Weird Shit(tm) happening. Which would have made the later car ride home.... interesting.)
There'd been so much going on, and so fast, that I'd not had time to consider--or even encourage--Riley to work at saving the untainted humans. EVERYONE was dead. Total carnage. And then Clarice came over and hugged me hard, all.... gorey and bloody. My stomach went sideways, but I managed not to hurl.
Jesus H. Christ.
Val's "okay"--for shapeshifter values of "okay" at least. Missing her lower jaw and she disappeared elsewhere almost immediately after the fight.
And then we all crammed back into the car and went home. I locked myself in my room and "leaked" paradox for a couple days. Aaaaaand I need a new TV because my 32" HDTV melted from that. It's a blob of black plastic with wires and circuit boards jabbing out of it at odd angles.
When it was safe to go out again, and with the moon hitting the halfway phase, I decided to make a trip out to the farmhouse--my first trip out that way since meeting up with Jacinta and then Elliot. Nervous. Especially because I have no idea how much information might have spread and to whom. Ran into a cub--Duke--who's searching for a tribe and who was a little irked at having been promised to be shown magic. I pointed out that shapeshifting into a wolf or a monster was pretty potent magic, IMO. Might have fallen on deaf ears, though. Interesting kid. He believes he's a monster that fights other monsters. (I wonder if I count as a monster to him? Let's not find out.) He's having trouble finding a tribe that'll take him in, and he doesn't seem to want to fit in. Just waaaaay more violent. And a werewolf. We've all got our shortcomings, y'know? (And he doesn't strike me as being Walker material--he doesn't like being around people at all.) He's kind of... an Orphan. Like me. (Maaaaaaybe Uktena'd take him in? Or Get? I just don't know.) Duke is staying with Thomas for the time being. I ought to go chat with the crusty old Fox sometime soon.
