Astarael42 — Roleplayer Guild

Brisa listened to Jaim talk but really had no idea what he was trying to set up.  Nevertheless she understood the instructions on how to make the frames; she may not understand why but she understood the how.  

She looked at Aiden briefly and shrugged looking back at Jaim. 

“Ok then” she said quietly and grabbed some of the more pliable grape vines.  “I'm not sure I understand exactly what you want in the end but I can begin with weaving the framework.  Seems like you want something akin to a larger version of an herb drying frame.”  

She set herself comfortably and began to twist the vine around the wood with a reasonable degree of skill.  She wasn't an expert but almost anyone who lived in a small village knew how to make frames to dry meat, vegetables, fruit, and the like.  Autry had to dry copious quantities of herbs so Brisa tended to work slower but make frames that were a bit sturdier...she hated to have to remake them every time a new batch of 50 bundles of whatever needed to be dried.  Normally she would have used a sinew or even hide thongs but they didn't have that now.  The vegetation was harder to work with so she would need even more time to manhandle her way through this.    

She hesitated and looked at the pile of vines she had collected evaluating them before selecting a greenish one.  

“I have lots of different weights of vines, we can use the heavy ones as pull ropes, they will be less likely to break and also lay out straighter.  These others can be used as ties.”  Then she promptly put one of the vines in her mouth and began to chew it a little, softening it up so she could knot it easier.

Isabeau & Lucie:

Isabeau ran through the darkness, using the moonlight occasionally flickering through the branches to light her way.  She was grateful she knew the path well, even with the moon's help it was still very dark and she dared not use a lantern, nor did she have one having lost hers somewhere on her lost horses.  In fact the only thing she had managed to hang onto was her sword, even her cloak was gone.   

Things had unraveled so quickly she still felt slightly off balance, and she hated that.  She was a woman who liked control.  She knew her creation would defend her, to the death if needed.  Since he was already dead that would take some doing.  So she was pretty certain she was safe from Adam for a time.  In fact there was a good chance the creature would kill Adam and the little bitch that had accompanied him.  

She couldn't rely on that outcome however and as she ran she tried to think of what her next move should be.  She would have to leave before Adam caught her, if he lived, and if her creature survived she would need to rescue it.  It was her child after all.  

There was little at her house she cared about: her work was the only important thing and maybe a few baubles that could easily be exchanged for money.  She would gather what was important and leave.  She knew she could easily loose herself in the forest for a few days and remain undetected before heading back to the mill to see what the outcome of this skirmish was.  

She felt better with a plan in her mind, and she stopped panicking and started to calm down.  That's when she felt a frisson of awareness tingle through her and the panic was back.  She wasn't certain why, or what caused it, but she tried to suppress it.  She was not a woman who relied on her instincts but rather empirical evidence, study, logic...

Still she shifted out of the moonlight and into the shadows of the trees.  She knew this path well, she used it often.  Or so she thought.  It seemed that in the dark tree roots suddenly leapt up from the ground to attack her and branches sprouted in the middle of clear paths to whip at her face. Frustrated for being so jumpy, angry for being frustrated, she stopped to focus herself, though she knew she dare not daily.  In the darkness of the trees she turned and looked back up the trail, straining to see, or hear, anything that might give her a clue as to what was going on.   

Everyone Else 

The Creature was frantic, but not from pain.  The panic stemmed from the light, the noise, the rapidly shifting people, and the loss of It's Mother left It confused and uncertain.  It knew It had to protect her, but It was having a hard time processing all the chaos going on/  It was, after all, unfinished. Isabeau had planned to used Adam's brain; gifting it with an amazing capacity for strategy and intelligence.  That plan failed   leaving the Creature lacking speed of thought.    

Fortunately for It, unfortunately for Adam and the others, It felt no pain.  It barely even noticed as bullets thudded into It's torso with a wet squelch. Like shooting a dead cow.  It smelled like a dead cow too.  A burning dead cow.  

One of the shots came very close to an eye, another close to breaking the network of bones and metal that held It's leg together, but both were just short.  It was starting to get frantic now, unable to see well through the flames that occasionally flickered high in front of It's face.  It didn't realize how close it had come to loosing at least half of It's vision but It still recognized the danger.

It's eyes locked on Aleksandra and anyone watching It could almost see the thoughts click into place.  She was closest now, and clearly trying to hurt It.  Which meant the woman would try to hurt Mother as well.  The creature grabbed a large iron bar, probably part of an old door, from where it was lying in the grass and charged Aleksandra.  It swung the rail effortlessly, and wildly, It's odd rolling gait carrying it forward with all the grace of a lumbering steamship.  Little gobbets of fire trailed behind it as they caught in the grasses and weeds of the clearing.  The green growth at least meant that they didn't burn long, but smoke rapidly filled the air.   

Adam had swooped low to catch Lily as she stumbled, he had been a shade too far away though and managed only to slow her fall not stop it.  She hit the ground and crumpled and Adam swore under his breath.  He had stopped her from breaking her neck but not from getting a solid thunk on the noggin.  He kept his eyes locked on the Creature, studying it as he felt for a pulse on Lily's neck.  Everything moved in slow motion in Adam's eyes, though in reality he was just following the natural patters as fast, even faster, than they arose.  

He took note of the shadows in the clearing, made all the darker by the moonlight.  He saw the smoke filling the air, turning a gray silver in the moonlight and creating a haze over the whole area.  He saw Johanna on the ground, in pain but also clearly alive.  He saw each hesitant step of the creature as It clearly struggled to find a focus.  He saw how it moved, the details of each motion.  In those seconds of time he had a plan, or at least the beginning steps of one.    

Assured Lily was ok, just unconscious, he barked an order at Ren.  He had to use an order; he knew that was the only thing that would penetrate the manservant's fear addled mind. 

“Look out for her!” he commanded, the tone of his voice making it clear this was a non-negotiable request. 

When Ren pulled the unconscious Lily into a half-sitting position Adam nodded.  He spared a glance at the man's shaking hand and the gun in it, hoped that Ren would have enough sense not to fire unless it was truly necessary, and turned his attentions to the others and the Creature.  

He had seen It's hesitation earlier and noticed that It seemed to have trouble making quick decisions.  With Aleksandra, Wes, and himself they might be able to create enough confusion to keep It from actually successfully attacking any of them. 

He moved quickly, bare feet carrying him softly and swiftly over the ground.  He paid no attention to the rough ground under him, or the rocks that cut his feet.  That would be dealt with later.  He quickly compartmentalized his pain, shoving it into a walled off section of his mind, and focused on the Creature and how it moved.  It had strength and raw speed but no maneuverability and it didn't seem to be able to think fast enough to correct an imbalance or make a quick decision.  Adam would use that. 

Sword comfortably in hand Adam jumped on the rubble of an old stone wall that seemed to run through the clearing, from there an acrobatic leap carried him to the creature.  Adam timed it perfectly, that was his Talent after all.  He crashed feet first into the Creature's shoulder, just as it was starting to swing it's hunk of metal at Aleksandra.  

Adam didn't weigh all that much but his weight, the momentum from Adam's running jump, and the Creature's own movement all combined to slam into the Creature with considerable force knocking it very off balance.  It's swing went very wild and it spun lacking the dexterity to change it's momentum.  

Adam tumbled to the ground, rolling clear before he got to his feet.  He quickly took stock of his injuries, bumps, bruises; he was slightly singed but not burnt and that was about it.  Considering he had nothing to protect his skin he got off remarkably unscathed. That was good.  The creature had stumbled well clear of Aleksandra and seemed confused again.  That was also good. 

“Take turns” he called to the others, trying to keep his voice even but loud enough to be heard over the crunching, lumbering, and crackling chaos that was going on.  “Distract.  Confuse.  Keep moving!”      

That would do till they figured out how to take the creature apart.  That clearly seemed to be the only way to stop it.  They had to remove whatever heart or brain powered the beast.  He took stock of what he knew, being this close to it and able to see it clearly.  

It didn't bleed...Adam could see that.  Instead of blood dripping from the wounds there was a jelly like clear substance.  And the liquid stunk, like rancid meat and chemicals.  It must have some sort of oil or fat in the liquid as Adam came to realize that was what was burning, not the creature's flesh.  The creature must be held together at least somewhat similar to a human, it was shaped and moved roughly like a human.  And clearly it had eyes, it could see.  Those points, along with it's lack of dexterity, were It's weak points.  

If they could open up more wounds they could spread the fire which clearly confused the Creature.  He could dart in and work to sever vital tendons, like Aleksandra suggested, and possibly attack the Creature's eyes if he could get in close enough.  Between the three of them they could take it down, he was sure of that.  It would just take some time and teamwork.  They would also need to be fast, faster than the Creature at least.  He had confidence in his own skills; he hoped the others were up to the fight as well.  He needed their help.    

Adam scooped up a fist sized rock and hurled it with remarkable accuracy, pegging the Creature on the ear.  Adam knew the thing felt no pain, but he hoped that would at least distract it.  The rock served it's intended purpose, the creature growled and turned to face Adam.  

Adam laughed loudly, dancing about in a rather foolish manner flourishing his sword wildly.  

“That's right!” he shouted hoping to draw all of the things attention to himself.  “Come and get me.”  He remembered how quickly the Creature had gone to Isabeau's aid.  “Come and get me or I'll take my shiny sword and rip out your” here Adam was stumped, he was pretty sure the Creature didn't know Isabeau by name so he took an educated guess “your Mother's lungs!”

That did the trick and the great thing charged Adam, forgetting everyone else.  Now Adam just had to stay alive.

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