Astarael42 — Roleplayer Guild

Brisa nodded quietly when Jaim gave his instructions.  She knew she couldn't do both at once so she focused on vines since he seemed to think that was more important.  She carefully wrapped all her other belongings up, including the bullywug skins she had carefully turned into a sort of greasy charcoal during their time in camp, and stowed everything in her bag except the book of plants.  

She began flipping through the book, paying careful attention to anything that might be vine-like, and what sort of terrain and habitat it grew it.  This was very similar to collecting herbs for Autry and she learned that quick enough.  The disadvantage was time, or more correctly the lack of it.  

Book and bag in hand she headed off to look in the area for the couple of plants she suspected she might be able to find.  She wished Jaim had told her what he wanted them for, she might be able to find  other plants that would serve the same purpose.  Things like little whippy saplings could be used almost like vines, and conversely brambles were vines but not easy at all to work with.  

She browsed along the river banks first, spotting lots of water hemlock, a very poisonous plant she knew from her studies with Autry.  Unfortunately it had to be ingested and she didn't think that was what was needed.  She would mention it though just in case.  

A little further from the water's edge, when the tress started to get bushy and thick, she found some wild grapes, that was at least a good solid vine.  She took her knife Argurios had given her and set to work.  

It was dirty humid work and the bugs were plentiful but Brisa shrugged most of the discomfort off.  After all since she had left home she had been uncomfortable most of the time.  This was no different.  She didn't even notice that she was stronger and had better endurance or that she just accepted the discomfort with little complaint.  Those little changes didn't register but they made the work much faster than it once would have been.

Soon she had a large pile, for her anyway, of grapevines.  Sadly it wasn't grape season so she wasn't able to collect grapes to add to their food supplies.  She knew the young leaves were edible though and she had managed to squirrel away a rather large collection of them in her book bag.  There was a good chance she would forget about them but right now she was doing her best to help wherever she could and collecting food seemed the logical step as she was gathering other things.  

It took some wrestling and creative thinking but soon she managed to tie her bundle of vines up and began to manhandle it back to the campsite.  The collecting was the easy part, dragging the heavy pile of vines back to the campsite was a different story and she was rather tired and sweaty when she got back.

Ren was already moving swiftly, in response to Lily's call, when Wes poked his head into the mill.  The manservant barely had time to halt his half-run and he very nearly collided with the other man.  He recognized the face, the name eluded him at the moment and was quite unimportant anyway.  

It was Lily's words...”she's out here...she has Adam with her” that were the only important thing.  

Ren muttered a quick apology and “she's outside” as the only explanation as he shoved past the man.  Things had changed fast in the clearing and he took in the others that had appeared apparently from nowhere since the clearing had basically been empty a few moments ago.

“She has Master Adam” he called to the others as he ran forward in Lily's wake, unslinging Adam's sword as he did so.  He could use it fairly well, Adam had taught him, though he had nowhere near the skill Adam had.  It was, however his only weapon.    

The rapidly evolving chaos in the clearing was nothing with the devolving chaos in Adam's mind.  He lived with his Talent perpetually in use, it was the only way he could corral the unending amount of information he gathered and it was the only way he could stay sane; to keep everything in its own pattern.  When Isabeau suppressed his talent the patterns began to shift, overlap, bleed into one another in nonsensical ways, and soon descend into full chaos. He stood at the center of a veritable maelstrom of information and he knew he was lost.  In the past when this had happened he had managed to find a lifeline to the real world and he searched for one now knowing it was his only chance to save his sanity.  

It was the sound of the gunshot that managed to penetrate the chaos.  A sound he knew had to be from the real world; his mind didn't store sounds like that.  Latching onto it he followed the thread of reality through the chaos.  He felt his Talent struggle to wake, whatever had been holding it back had faded, and he soon began to feel the real world pressing on his consciousness.  

With an effort he forced himself awake to take in his surroundings.  He was tied, but not well and his feet were completely free.  He was slung across the back of the horse as if he were a deer carcas.  Ahead of him was Isabeau and Lily.  Around him was a dark forest.  He sensed more than saw others, or maybe he heard them, it didn't matter, he knew some of the others he had talked to this very morning were also here.  It didn't exactly make sense but he would sort that out after he got free.  

The pain of the shot, of the tiny needles in her flesh, shocked Isabeau. It was enough to give her pause for a moment but in that same moment Lily's projection vanished and Isabeau knew she had scant seconds to prepare.  She had no idea how her ability would affect Lily, or any member of the society for that matter.  She hadn't the time to do proper research either.  It was all a gamble.  The crashing sound behind her though made her smile, a cold smile that betrayed how little emotion she had left.  

The odds were about to shift in her favor; she knew the creature was returning.  She had no idea why he had returned so early but her relief that he was home was almost palpable.  She quickly numbed the pain in her leg, she would have to pull the needles out later for now she blocked off the nerves to allow her to be unhindered by the pain they caused.  A whisper of sound, not the ungainly crashing but a softer sound behind her alerted her.  

She whirled to find Adam regarding her calmly with his, her, piebald eyes.  Isabeau's plans were falling apart at the seams due to Adam and her expression grew cold and tinged with fury.  She grabbed her sword she kept on her horse and without any warning lunged at Adam, intending to spear him through one of his freakish eyes.  

Adam saw the change in Isabeau and knew instantly what she planned; his Talent back in full force he opened his mind to accept every bit of information he could gather, following the patterns as they took on brilliance and form within his mind.  

He moved as Isabeau did, rolling lithely off the back of the horse and dropping to the ground a second before Isabeau struck.  He timed it perfectly and she didn't have time to pull back, her strike piercing her horse's side.  

He felt a momentary pang of sorrow for the beast; it didn't deserve any of this, but right now his life was more important.  

The horse panicked and the shrill whiny of pain drew all eyes to it and away from Lily who was making an obscene amount of noise as she crashed through the brush.  The horse was flailing about, hooves flying and shrill sounds of pain filling the air.  Adam moved with the creature, seeming to sense each movement before it happened and dancing just out of the way of flying hooves, but keeping the crazed animal between himself and Isabeau. 

The horse's panicked actions put all around it in danger, and sparked fear in the other three horses nearby.  The horses Johanna and Wes rode, already spooked, panicked as well.  Johanna was thrown as tethers snapped and the two horses bolted once more. This time they did not stop, fear propelling them on in the darkness.  A second shrill shrieking noise rent the air, a sign that one of the pair of escaping horses had met some painful fate. 

Isabeau's horse reacted too, rearing and knocking it's mistress to the ground before taking off into the woods, rapid hoof-beats being overshadowed by the sound of a bear running through the forest towards them. 

At least that is what it reminded Adam of.  The creature broke through the thick growth into the moonlight and Adam was startled by the ghastly appearance of the Creature.  Even though he had known what to expect he still hadn't been prepared.  The hesitation cost him dearly as the injured horse managed to catch him on the shoulder with a flailing hoof.  

Adam rolled with the blow bleeding off much of the force but it still hurt.  His hands were still bound and he needed to get someplace away from the dense undergrowth.  He was also naked but that was a minor issue, a problem he would solve later.  And apparently explain to a whole bunch of new people.  Another problem to solve later.   

Isabeau was pulled off the ground as if she weighed nothing, which to her savior she might as well have been a feather.  The Creature was far stronger than any human, created to be perfect in every respect.  

Those nearby heard what seemed genuine affection in a very raspy gravely voice as the Creature pulled Isabeau close.  

“Mother hurt?” it asked as it carefully set her back on her feet.  

“They tried to kill me!” said Isabeau with vehemence pointing to Adam and Lily “They hurt me.  Protect me!”  
The creature turned and saw Adam running towards Lily, it didn't question and didn't wonder.  It's mother, its lover, its creator had been harmed.  It would protect her at all costs.  It crossed the distance towards Adam and Lily leaving Isabeau standing safely behind him.  The flailing horse had long cleared the area, panicked and in pain and bleeding it had taken off leaving the way clear.  

Isabeau hesitated, contemplating trying to use her Talent to help her creation.  It was her husband after all, and her child.  There were too many now though, the noise wouldn't have failed to attract anyone who was nearby as well. She had to get away, if she could she would return for her creation.  She scooped up her sword from the ground where it had fallen and took off in the opposite direction, heading towards the same footpath the creature had come up just a few minutes ago.  

It didn't take a special Talent to figure out the Creature was going to try and kill them, Adam knew that.  He grabbed Lily with his bound hands, spun her around, and propelled her back towards the mill building with the Creature hot on their heels.

 In a cold logical part of his mind he was deeply impressed.  What Isabeau had done was beyond all understanding of how living and dead bodies worked.  She had created something truly amazing.  But so unnatural that he didn't think such a creation would every have a place in the natural pattern of the world.  Part of him wanted to try and save it.  Could it be calmed? Did it have an ability to form logical thought?   Another part was pretty sure that trying to save it would result in the death of more than just himself.  He just didn't have enough understanding of what she had done to create it to risk others trying to calm it down.  And it was clearly totally devoted to Isabeau.  

All this passed his mind as he and Lily led the creature towards the others who had gathered.  He almost laughed... in the moonlight the old mill looked like some gothic haunted house, the metal structures outside could have been found in a torture chamber, and the creature behind them a walking dead nightmare.  This could have been a scene from some London penny dreadful...impossibly ludicrous.  But also impossibly real.  

He saw Aleksandra and Lucie standing to the side and knew automatically they were the best people for the job.  Lucie could track the fleeing woman easily enough and Aleksandra would know right away if Isabeau was trying to use any psychic talent and stop her.  He wasn't sure how Isabeau's Talent would work on the two women but he knew Isabeau didn't know either; it was at least a more level playing field.  

“Don't let her get away” he shouted in the direction of the two women.  He  did not specify they must take her alive, he wasn't feeling very charitable at the moment despite Isabeau's brilliance, something that he usually had a soft spot for.  He didn't have time to explain further, no one did.  He hoped everyone would adapt quickly.  

Ren was relieved when he saw Adam leap onto the road.  That relief faded quickly when he realized his master's hands were still bound, he was naked and everyone clearly could notice  he was not a he.  He didn't even have time to speak however before he spotted the Creature behind Adam.  

Ren wasn't normally a superstitious man, Adam had helped him with that issue long ago, but now all his young superstitions came rushing back and he found himself rooted in shock bordering on terror.  A patchwork of human parts, bigger than a bear, bigger than any human, living and breathing dead flesh.  

Adam saw his friend's shock and could understand it but he had no time to deal with anything now except trying to protect the others...not that they couldn't protect themselves but this thing was too big for a gun to take down, not to mention he wasn't sure it was alive so it might not be able to be killed.  As far as he could tell they either had to talk it down, or take it apart.  He had managed to free his hands and grabbed his sword from Ren.  

“Get out of here” he whispered quietly to the man, hoping to save him embarrassment and let him avoid this battle.  This was not his battle anyway.  Blade in hand he faced the Creature studying it.  The pain in his shoulder was fairly intense, that was bad.  It seemed entirely focused on him however, that was at least good.   Even Lily didn't seem to have it's attention anymore.   

“If anyone has any brilliant plans as to what to do next” he said without looking around at the others “now would be a good time to put them into action.”

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