[hr][hr][center][h1][color=#006400]Caden[/color] & [color=#DB7093] Cassiopeia[/color][/h1] [img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/aebc6466a60d37069f5c15217a976ff4/46cd4ee7882d54db-09/s400x600/c02fb2eb4c81478705fbfecfa6046b60a43ba904.gifv[/img][hr][hr] [b][color=#006400]Location:[/color][/b] Docks - Old Warehouse --- Chicago, IL [b][color=#006400]Skills:[/color][/b] [color=#006400]Shapeshifting/Strength;[/color][color=#DB7093]Agility/Knife Throwing/Sorcery[/color][/center] [hr][hr] Caden drove to an abandoned seaport in Chicago. The buildings were mostly run-down, with some signs of homeless people living in them, but there was no one around currently. Cassiopeia opened up her door and got out. She sniffed the air before wrinkling her nose and closed the car door. [color=#DB7093]"They're here. Can you smell all the blood?"[/color] Caden nodded, running a hand down the front of his green sweater. The strong scent of iron floated in the air, mixed with rotted fish, sewage and the sea. [color=#006400]"They're a long way from home,"[/color] Caden noted, scanning the area for any signs of life or magic. He had a strong affinity for tracking down strong and trace magics. If the Redcaps had killed or transformed recently, Caden would be able to find them. Cassi shrugged and joined Caden at the front of his car. [color=#DB7093]"Aren't we all?"[/color] She double-checked that her phone was on silent before she strapped her backpack to her back. [color=#DB7093]"We best start looking."[/color] In the case file, the redcap population had grown to a staggering amount. Normally, Redcaps hunted solo and rarely gathered in groups. They were violent creatures and often fought each other for territory or simply because it was in their nature. However, they were being spotted in groups of three or more and were stalking humans and other supernatural creatures. Sometimes, they made their kill; other times, the police force drove them off, but their numbers kept increasing, which was why Costa finally called Cassiopeia in. Cass had dealt with the Redcaps in Scotland time and time again. She had formed a shaky alliance with them to keep people safe, but it had been rocky at best. It was more of a, 'I'll send people your way if they are criminals and deserve to die'. The Redcaps likely loved Cassi at one point, but the relationship had fallen when she finally left that place. After that, Cassi had only seen Redcaps during the world wars. The bloodthirsty gnomes lived off death, violence, and hatred. The wars had been a party to them. So, for the Redcaps to be gathered in Chicago, there had to be some significant event occurring. Cassiopeia and Caden wandered outside the buildings, peering in and looking around until they found a promising one. Cassi stepped inside first, guarding their front while Caden guarded their backs. Unfortunately, Cassi was looking straight ahead and up, rather than down. She took a step forward and felt something tighten around her ankle. Freezing, she looked down and groaned. Caden joined her, looking down and smirking. [color=#006400]"Really Cassi? You're getting rusty in your old age."[/color] Cassi flipped Caden the bird, along with a few choice Gaelic words. Caden just grinned and laughed when Cassi got pulled and flipped upside down. The rope around her ankle held her about ten feet off the ground. Caden slipped his hands into his pockets and looked up at her. [color=#006400]"And you told Nic you would be fine on your own,"[/color] Caden said with a shake of his head and a click of his tongue. [color=#DB7093]"Would you just shut up and get me down from here?"[/color] Caden chuckled and scanned the room. In the distance, he could hear chanting and metal boots clanging. The hair on the back of his neck started to crawl. He shifted his eyes to be able to see into the shadows of the building. Cassiopeia wiggled around in the air, trying to get a better view of what was coming, but the rope was uncooperative, as was the dragon who left her to hang there. One, then two, three, six, nine Redcaps walked into the room, sticking to their pattern of going in threes. They circled Caden and Cassi, their long, pointed teeth showing as they grinned madly at their captives. Each cap on their head looked wet and heavy, soaked with the blood of their most recent kills. [color=#DB7093]"Aegnor? You're still alive?"[/color] Cassi had finally managed to get herself rotated enough to take in all the redcaps. She didn't recognize any of them except one who remained in the shadows. The dwarf grinned and stepped into the light, allowing Caden to get a better look at them. One half of the dwarf's face was mangled, which was a new addition to their already vicious looking nature. "Aye. Fhathast beò, uamhasach tha fios agam." The Redcap chuckled eerily, and Cassi's skin crawled. She was shocked to see the old gnome from Scotland. Redcaps didn't have a long life expectancy, but here was Aegnor. Over two hundred years old. [color=#DB7093][i]"Dè tha thu a' dèanamh an seo?"[/i][/color] Cassi demanded. "Airson an fhuil, gu dearbh. Tha mòran strì ann am baile-mòr nan creutairean," Aegnor stated. The rest of the redcaps let out noises of pleasure and cheers. Cassi shuddered from the sounds and looked at Caden. [color=#006400][i]"A’ strì nach eil a’ cur dragh sam bith air a’ chaip dhearg agad,"[/i][/color] Caden declared. Aegnor turned their focus to Caden and grinned. "Fear dragon. Is fhada bhon a tha sinn air a bhith air raon-catha." Caden held Aegnor's gaze, which had the redcap grinning further before chuckling. They looked up at Cassi and sniffed the air. "Bha thu a’ bleith o chionn ghoirid. Bha fuil dhraoidheil an-còmhnaidh na b’ fheàrr dhuinn. Dè mu dheidhinn blas?" Cassi glared at the little goblin for a moment before her eyes widened. Of course. Magic. When redcaps killed a magical creature and soaked their cap in the blood of that kill, their hat was temporarily imbued with whatever magic that creature had. And Chicago was full of potential. [color=#006400][i]"Tha Chicago air a dhìon leam fhìn agus a 'bhana-bhuidseach stoirme. Tha thu air a dhol thairis air do fhàilte, a shìthiche,"[/i][/color] Caden informed them. The redcap merely grinned and looked at his fellow companions. "Chì sinn." The red caps attacked. [color=#DB7093]"Caden![/color] Cassi yelled, still stuck in the rope. [color=#006400]"A little busy, Cass. You have knives, do you not?"[/color] Cassiopeia threw one of those iron knives into a Redcap that launched itself at Caden. It fell back onto the ground with a loud thud that didn't match its size. Iron wasn't enough to kill Redcaps, but it could stun them. Cassi started to curse in Gaelic as she worked to see herself out of the rope. Meanwhile, Caden did his best to keep the Redcaps from getting to Cass or biting him. They kicked at Caden with their metal boots and snapped their fangs at him. It wasn't an easy task, and Caden wished his ability to expel fire as a dragon had extended to when he was a human, but he didn't have that ability. A Redcap got past Caden and launched themselves at Cassi. She grunted and dropped her knife while she fought with the thing. She whispered words in Latin, and the Redcap started to scream. Cassi dropped the thing before it caught on fire. It would run around, screaming for help before eventually dying. Cassi went back to cutting the rope, but whatever it was made of, it was not budging. Cassi screamed in frustration. She dangled there, looking back at the fight. She flipped her knife around and launched it, but Caden had shifted just before it could hit the Redcap. The knife embedded itself into Caden's shoulder, and Cassi gasped. [color=#DB7093]"I'm sorry![/color] Caden grunted and threw the Redcap before he reached for the knife in his shoulder. He pulled it out, and blood started to drip down Caden's back, creating a frenzy among the Redcaps. [color=#006400]"I think you did that on purpose,"[/color] Caden declared, backing away from the seven remaining redcaps. [color=#DB7093]"Not like you didn't deserve it,"[/color] Cassi muttered, staring at the creatures that continued to circle them. As the Redcaps advanced again, Aegnor stopped and bent down. He removed his cap and ran it along the ground. Caden's eyes narrowed, and his hands shifted into talons. [color=#006400]"Cassi..."[/color] [color=#DB7093]"I'm working on it![/color] She grabbed her backpack and found the vials of poppyseed dust that she had ground earlier with some other poisonous herbs. [color=#DB7093]"Back up and cover your face,"[/color] she ordered Caden. The wind came to her quickly. Cassi uncorked her bottles, and the powder fell out. The wind quickly gathered it and wrapped around the redcaps. One by one, the Redcaps fell into a deep sleep. All except Aegnor, who had gained the strength and resistance to magic like Caden had thanks to the blood they added to their cap. "Dè spòrs. Nam biodh fios agam gur ann mar seo a bhiodh e, cha bhithinn a-riamh air co-bhanntachd a chruthachadh riut air raon a’ bhlàir," they said before attacking. Caden glared at the Redcap before they charged. Caden roared and shifted. He shrunk in size, becoming a mirror image of Aegnor. Aegnor paused, briefly confused by the change in Caden's appearance, giving Caden just enough time to tackle the Redcap to the ground. Cassi hung in the air, unable to assist since the two creatures moved so quickly. She had already hit Caden once; she didn't need to do that again. Caden tangled with the Redcap, shoving and clawing until Caden got thrown across the room. He blew through a wall before finally stopping. Dazed, he shook his head before standing up and charged back into the building. Meanwhile, Aegnor looked up at Cassiopeia. It was difficult to get to her when she was suspended, so he cut the rope. Cassiopeia slammed into the ground before she rolled over, a knife already in her hand. Aegnor looked at the storm witch with a grin. "Tha e air a bhith o chionn fhada, Banrigh nan speur. Am bu chòir dhomh boghadh fhathast?" Cassi glared at the bloodthirsty creature. [color=#DB7093][i]"Chan eil mi air a bhith na Banrigh bhon a dh’ fhàg mi Alba."[/i][/color] "Plàigh air an fhearann, tha mi cinnteach ach aon a bheir mi brath," he said before attacking Cassi. Cassi threw her knife at the charging Redcap, but he easily flicked the weapon away and continued to charge her. Cassiopeia kept her limbs loose, and when Aegnor neared, she whirled herself around him so she was behind him rather than in front. The wind returned to her, and her eyes cracked with lightning energy. Caden made it back into the room, standing in front of Aegnor but retaining his Redcap shape. [color=#DB7093]"I'll let you choose, Aegnor, for old times sake. Death... or a return to Scotland?"[/color] Aegnor grinned at Cassi's offer. "'air ain't no choice," he said before he ran at Cassi. Cassi's eyes flared a brilliant blue before lightning shot from the sky, breaking a hole into the roof of the building and hitting Aegnor. Concrete exploded, and Cassi turned to cover her face. Looking back, she saw a shattered hole in the ground with nothing but red scrapes of Aegnor's red cap. Cassi knelt, as did Caden, after he shifted back to normal. Together, they bowed their heads and said a death prayer for Aegnor. Afterwards, Cassi and Caden cut their palms and spread their blood onto the ground. Despite the dwarf's attempts to kill them and others, Aegnor was a fierce comrade at one point and aided Caden and Cassi in fighting for others. Cassiopeia sighed, stood, and gathered up her knives. Caden rummaged through Cassiopeia's bag for a strip of cloth to wrap her hand. Instead, he found a bandage he could use. [color=#DB7093]"What about you?"[/color] Cassi asked, sheathing her knives. Caden gave her a look. [color=#006400]"I'm already healed, Cass."[/color] He grabbed her hand and cleaned it before wrapping it. She would be healed by the morning, but keeping the wound covered until then was better. [color=#006400]"Well...That was fun. Now what?"[/color] Cassiopeia smirked sadly and shook her head. [color=#DB7093]"How about something to eat, for old-time's sake? Or am I too young for you now?"[/color] Caden laughed and wrapped an arm around Cassi's shoulder. [color=#006400]"Ha ha. Very funny,"[/color] he said, but his eyes danced with humour as the two of them walked from the building. [hider=Translations]Aegnor: Still alive, horrible, I know. Cassi: What are you doing here? Aegnor: For the blood, of course. There are many struggles in the city of creatures. Caden: Struggle that doesn't bother your red cap. Aegnor: Dragon man. It's been a long time since we've been on a battlefield. Aegnor: You were bleeding recently. Magical blood was always better for us. What about taste? Caden: Chicago is protected by me and the storm witch. You have overstayed your welcome, fairy. Aegnor:We will see. [hr] Aegnor: What fun. If I had known it would be like this, I would never have formed an alliance with you on the battlefield. Aegnor: It has been a long time, Queen of the sky. Should I still bow? Cassi: I have not been Queen since I left Scotland. Aegnor: Plague on the land, I'm sure only one I will take advantage of.[/hider] [hr] Lunch and two bottles of wine later, Cassi had Caden drop her off at the police station. She had a report to file with Costa, and although Caden should also be there, Cassi could see Caden's mind was divided. So, with a hug and a kiss and a promise to call tomorrow, Cassi dismissed Caden from babysitting her. Caden sat in his car, looking over Nero's message again, when a bit of inspiration hit him. He smiled and drove over to Nero's house, but he parked a couple of streets over. Caden shifted into a [url=https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjk0YmZkMDYtZTUxOS00NzFiLThlNTAtY2U4NmQxMGZhOWVmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjQwMDg0Ng@@._V1_.jpg]gangly white[/url], twenty-something year old that Nero might likely overlook. His clothes changed as well. He no longer wore a green sweater but a cream turtle neck with black jeans and black-rimmed glasses. Caden made his way to Nero's front door and quickly charged in, looking hazard and frantic. He ran from room to room while he called out for Nero. [color=#006400]"Mr Nero! Mr Nero!!! There's a problem!"[/color]