Violence.

So much violence. 

Macha had not expected what took place next as she spoke. The human man turned to her and she expected him to address her, expected anything but the fierce pain that came along with intense burning. The blinding heat blocked her sight from the man. 

She didn't even have time to react. She didn't even have time to process what was even happening to her when there was a second bright flash. At this moment, her mind recognized that there was something incredibly wrong, intense pain in her right arm but she couldn't see anything. She couldn't hear anything. Her mind was a jumbled mess as she raised her hand to where her right arm used to be. She groped her side, feeling the gaping wound there and finding her arm missing from mid forearm and down. With her vision still blurry from the onslaught of attacks and her ears ringing from the sound, she finally looked down and saw the damage first hand. Sure enough, half her arm was completely missing. 

Panic clenched her throat at the sight. She felt her chest tighten and before she knew what was happening, a scream of absolute terror ripped through her lips. She fell to her knees, clenching at her wound as she continued to scream. The last time she had been injured in such a way, Cu Chulainn had run her from Ireland. 

Her screams reverberated off the walls of the building and the ground below her shook in anger. It rippled like a rock dropped into a still pond, with her in the center. As her screams grew more frantic, the magic expelled out and soon the ripples were causing the buildings to quiver and some less stable ones to collapse all together. The earth began to swirl around her like tidal waves and crashed in around her, burying her.

Back at the office, as Mal checked on the motherly third, he found her still breathing, just unconscious. When he asked what the orders were, the feathered thied inhaled deeply. “Macha is somewhere else.” She slowly tried to rise to her hands and knees once more with a pained grunt. “The spell sent her somewhere else. There was someone attacking a vampire. I think they had caught the vampire on fire when ahe left. She might be in danger. We need to get Huggin and find her.” However, just as she started to gather herself, the building shook violently. She wobbled violently as her eyes grew wide in horror. Her head snapped to the window of her office as she watched as the whole city began to rumble and rock. “Oh no,” she whispered. Something terrible must have had to happen for her to lose control like this. The land itself was reacting now. 

The building rumbled again and Badb threw herself forward and slapped her hand on the carved circle on the ground. It glowed at her touch and within a moment, the building settled and grew steady once more. She grumbled to herself in pain. She was going to pay for that later. However, before she could get herself situated properly once more, there was a loud crash as a black feathered mass came barreling through the window. 

Huggin transformed into his human self moments after he came crashing through the window. He slid along the top of the desk then allowed himself to drop down on the ground in front of Badb, his eyes wide in panic. “She's in a frenzied state! At this rate she's going to destroy the whole city.” He looked upon Babd and then moved his eyes to Anand, whose head was still resting firmly in Mal's lap. He stood suddenly, a spear of glistening steal appearing in his hands. “I warned you!” He said, his voice dripping with venom as he closed the space between him and Mal with a few steps. 

As he raised the spear to strike, he froze, a fierce snarl crossing his face. “Release me! He did all this!” Black inky magic coiled along his arms like slithering snakes and glided along the length of the spear. 

“He didn't do this Huggin. Leave him alone,” Babd said, a hand raised in the air and directed at Huggin. “If what you said is true, we need to get to Macha and we need to bring her under control. We can't let her destroy the whole city.” 

Huggin strained against the magic for only a moment more before he groaned and released the spear. It disappeared into the black magic and both vanished from reality. “Fine,” he said, his eyes lingering on Mal and only leaving the wolf when the building began rumbling again. Babd looked to the circle on the ground and it's magic flickered. “How,” she asked, the answer coming in a giant shadow crossing the window. 

They all looked to the window to see a giant version of Macha made of asphalt and rubble walk past the building. Babd’s eyes grew wide at the site of it, her body quivering in fear as Macha’s voice came out in a rumble that shook her very bones. 

“Show yourself mortal. I shall show you the punishment for harming me in such a way.” It was then that Huggin spoke up, his voice a deep grumble. 

“Her arm. It's missing.” Babd looked to him in shock and horror before looking back at the giant form of Macha as she passed. Sure enough, her arm ended right above the elbow. Her breath caught in a audible gasp. What happened to her? 

“Huggin, we need to stop her. She'll tear this city apart looking for this person.” Huggin gave a slow nod but no one was sure how. 

Babd slowly pulled herself back to her feet, a spear of her own appearing in her hands to give her some support. Unlike Huggin’s spear, hers was black wood and the spear head steel. At the moment the head was buried into the floor and she leaned on it heavily. “This is a mess.” She waves her hand towards the wall behind her and her magic flowed from.her fingertips to light up the runes, opening the wall to reveal the arsenal. 

“Mal, I know this isn't your mess but we need to get this under control and any help will be great.” She took a moment to rest against the spear as ahe waved her hand at the large selection of weapons, modern and ancient, “Take your pick. Huggin, a healing potion if you would please.” 

Huggin nodded and began to the alchemy area and dug through the large selection of completed potions. Eventually he pulled a bottle out and walked back to Babd and handed it to her. He pulled the stopper and handed it to her. She took no time to drink it before giving him and nod. “Thank you,” she said as she handed him back the bottle and he returned it back to the stash and got another for Anand. They were going to need as much help as they could get. They had a very angry and hurt mother nature on their hands. 

He tried to ignore Mal as best he could while administrating the potion to Anand. It took her a moment, but she eventually stirred then opened her eyes. She gave a small groan and sat up, rubbing her head as if trying to ward off a headache. “what happened?” 

“That's a story for another time. Right now, all you need to know is that Macha is in full god mode and rampaging through the city.” 

“She's what?!” Anand said as she turned to look out at the city through the broken window. Sure enough, she could see a colossal form of Macha stomping around the place, knocking building over along the way. “She's going to kill everyone. We need to stop her.” 

Babd nodded, “We will. Anand, get her weapons. Time to wrangle in our sister.”