Re: June in Autumn, Sinister Plans and Chicago IC Thread 7

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin:

Colin calmly pocketed the phone, and sat down to hold Lori's mangled hand high with his left hand, the gun ready in the right, as his attention flicked from Morgan and the energy shard to each of the insecure entrances in turn; a few seconds each, no more. Enough was enough; from now on, there was no trusting *anyone* coming close before Morgan was done. Two traitors popping up on his watch in one day was getting annoying; more so as they were inept enough to reveal themselves while his gun was drawn and prepared to fire.
"Good God, but that bloody Termagant has a lousy track record with picking minions, willing or unwilling..."

Lori stayed unconscious and probably would do so for a while. The energy shard flickered between the black darkness of Oblivion and the bright colors of Dynamism, finally after what felt like forever of chanting but which was probably more like ten minutes, the heat shimmering in the air vanished and so did the smell of days old death...and the Chief himself just simply collapsed, the old mage lay there panting as if he had just run a marathon, his skin as pale as his Egyptian decent allowed it to get.
"It...is done..."
Jeffry Morgan managed to say however he looked like he had spent every last amount of energy he had to do so and for a moment he just lay there gasping for breath then he struggled up to his knees and tried to get to his feet, but instead he sort of doubled over and lost his breakfast on the dock's floors.
"By damnation but that Quintessence was foul!"
The old Hermetic exclaimed before he violently threw up again. Shame burned in the old mage's eyes, he was a proud man that valued his dignity and being on his hands and knees on the floor of the Umbra docks being violently sick like if he was a drunk frat boy was hardly dignified but at least he did not seam like whatever that Quintessence had done to him was driving him to loose control, not yet at least.

Adley:

That was a lot of labyrinth to get through...not a surprise but at least if June was being honest, they had a general idea. "Traps, wards?"

"There are Wards, something similar to a Aegis on the Labyrinth itself and a Ward meant to cause severe pain to anyone not Fallen on the tass storage chamber and the Caul's chamber, there are no direct traps though but we have a Hagalaz Barrabi and she might set some up and quickly if she feels the Labryrinth is threatened, she is new, one of the ones sent to us from Chicago so I do not know how powerful she is though."
June explained.

"It would depend what's at stake," he said, considering it as best he could. "Depend on if there was really a chance or not to make the suffering worth it, in either way it went. In this case I don't see a way for her and I don't see how to make one happen. And it would mean throwing away the sacrifice that would made it worth it to my friend." He frowned.

Hannah sigh and nodded.
"What you say...do make sense but...damn it I want to find a way to help her, some way that she can be happy, she deserve that."
The Orphan said as glanced down the corridor.
"She have suffered so much she deserve to find some happiness whatever it makes sense or not."

"I can't see that running away together would spare you the problem your Labyrinth poses her though, nor see her any peace." He did feel for June, he pitied her and he did not understand why she was so different than the other Nephandi. But Nephandi she was, and going through the caul and helping them was a problem though she was bravely making a different choice now.

"Perhaps the Labyrinth will give up one day, and we can settle down somewhere, live a simple life."
Hannah said hopefully but she knew the chances of that happening where slim, they would always be looking over their shoulders.
"You are probably right but is it better than her running away alone, at least there will then be someone there to hold her when the nightmares come at night...someone to watch her back..."

"And going through the caul does matter, as does willingly helping a Nephandus escape, something we need to avoid happening to you and your avatar."

Hannah looks down.
"Well it would be quite a entry into the Traditions, staring by breaking one of your most serious Protocols, it is bound to make me popular."
She muttered but she did not sound like she did not consider it.

"I will perhaps never understand, nor wish to, honestly..."

"I understand it, I grew up with the idea, I do not want it for myself, but I can understand the desire for it."
Hannah muttered.

"Live, that is how you can help her as far as I know. Live a good life, escape from the spiral of the Nephandi for good. Help stop them from causing more suffering to others. Maybe it is too late for June, now...but not for you, those like you, who have stayed out of the cauls, who can yet be saved from what's yet to happen."

"So I just focus on myself and let her be taken in knowing what the Traditions will do to her?"
Hannah said sadly.
"I do not know if I can do that, I do not know if I could live with myself if I did that..."

"I can't say for sure. There might be a way to ask for recommendations based on her actions.

Hennah nodded and sigh.
"At least that is something."
She muttered and glanced towards the door to where June was sitting.
"If she get captured...once the Traditions have done what they...what they do to Nephandi, are there any chance that she will survive...that she can be given a life?"
The Orphan asked though she herself knew the chances for that was even slimmer than them finding a way to escape to safety.

Adley took up a spot that would allow him to catch anyone coming to surprise them, listening carefully as he could. The area was not large and he did not want to risk June or Hannah being hit by something if it reflected off a kinetic shield so he got his weapon ready and surveyed the area for anything that might be of use for cover.

"There was nothing in the room that could be used for cover, there where the walls and the well of tass that that was about it."

Adley frowned. Just the other day, she'd had a bullet ready to embed into his skull. Now she was here, and he was protecting her...and when she tried to escape, she might yet harm him, he was under no illusions otherwise. But at least the dock would be in one piece, people alive...maybe something better for Hannah. A chance for them to stop the Nephandi labyrinth...

Suddenly the string between June's fingers quivered and then went slack. Hannah gasped and seamed to prepare herself for death...but there was no explosion.
"I take it that since we are not on our way to the Well of Souls that the Ball of Abysmal Flame is no more?"
The Orphan asked and June nodded.
"Whoever this Chief you speak of is he is good...the rote is picked apart and is gone, the Umbral docks will not explode today at least."
June said then she struggled to her feet and looks at you, her eye sad, tired and frightened.
"I...am to afraid to surrender Hermetic."
The Nephandus said her hands shaking slightly.
"Being captured would be for the best...but I am...frightened of what they will do to me and lack to courage not to run..."
She said then her hands wove a new pattern in her length of string with alarming speed.
"I will try not to harm you as I get out of here Hermetic and know that if you win and take me out...I will not blame you...just make sure Hannah do not throw her life away on me."

[Warpmind]

Colin carefully let Lori's wrist go, and stepped over to help steady Morgan onto his feet, pocketing his gun in the process. "I take it you are still of sound mind, then? No worse off than the nausea?"
He blinked for a moment and looked at the condiments on the floor, "Hm, I just realized... did I just make Initiate of Prime, as well?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Jeffry nodded as he let Colin help him up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Of sound min yes...I am not going to go out and become a serial killer, but I am not unaffected, this is going to stay with me for a while but it is no worse than other Resonance I have in me and will bleed of in time."
The old mage said, he was still unsteady on his feet and seamed exhausted beyond belief.
"Yes Mr Wainwright it would seam so that you have indeed gotten your second Initiate degree...there would have to be official ranking of course...but yes I would say that you have."
The old Hermetic said then he looked at Lori and her bloody, mangled hand as if seeing her for the first time.
"It also seam that you saved mine...and everyone else for miles lives Mr Wainwright...did she say anything about why she decided to attack us?"
Jeffry muttered lifting his hand to his head for a moment as if he tried to physically clear it then he gave just a hint of a grin, it might to be appropriate to say so under the circumstances, and he certainly would not have wanted this, but it was not often the old mage got to test his magick to the very edge of his ability.
"Now the one who put up that rote...he I would like to meet in combat somewhere desolate."
The Flambeau said with a bit of a grin.
"That would be some fight."

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded, "Miss Birmar's Mentor seems to have been taken hostage in the same manner as Liv Bergen... She will need some medical assistance, and fairly quickly, lest she bleed out. I made a tourniquet, but I'm not sure how long that will do, and her hand is... well, Sons of Ether might be able to make decent prosthetics, if we can't have her mended soon. In any case, if judgment is passed for actual actions, and not intent, I suppose I would be on vastly thinner ground than her, since I shot before she had the time to do more than point her weapon at you."
He pondered, "We should probably have this bit of floor cleansed, too, just in case... and I need to return those condiment bottles, as well. I wonder, though, how long I could make that shard burn, if I were to tap a node directly; some effectively endless power source..."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Jeffry bent down over the wounded Etherite.
"I am not a good healer, I can stop the bleeding, but then the wounds will set and be impossible to heal further with magick and chances are she will loose her hand."
The old mage said.
"No Mr Wainwright, I am pretty sure that under the circumstances your actions will be considered necessary, you might have to answer a few questions from a Enforcer of some kind, and if that Enforcer is a certain Quaesitor we know and love, she might try to drag those questions out to pin something on you, but I doubt even she will be able to."
The old mage said.
"So I would not worry about it. as for Miss Birmar, she might be in a bit of hot water, but if her mentor have been taken captive...I will not demand that charges be raised against her, though I will want to talk with her once she wakes up."
Jeffry commented.
"And thank you Mr Wainwright for saving my life."
The old mage glanced at your ketchup and mustard circle.
"With a strong node you could probably make it burn indefinitely Mr Wainwright but that do seam like a waste of a Node, now as for having this area cleansed, yes that should be done but it is not urgent, I am sure the Umbra port personnel will be more than qualified to do so."

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded gravely, "Her hand took three or four nine millimeter bullets, plus shrapnel from her own weapon. I fear even Master Nassa would be hard pressed to save her hand, and I fear she'll likely bleed out before we might get her to a competent healer... Her life is more precious than her hand."
He pondered the circle, "You know, if I had a few circles made in advance, perhaps on some adhesive paper or something, it could save me some time in preparation... and it could be more easily hidden from plain sight, if necessary. It would seem to me that the Nephandi have some nodes of their own; they might not be too happy if those were suddenly drained by an unexpected leeching spell like that. Not to mention any tass reserves they might have. It seems I worked out a fairly safe way of burning off substantial amounts of corrupted tass without getting exposed to it myself, even."
He shook his head, "But that can be studied further later. For now, we need to save Miss Birmar, and reunite with Adley and Miss Larson. And under the circumstances... I wonder if I could make a quick bargain with a Technocrat, seeing as we just saved this place..."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin nodded gravely, "Her hand took three or four nine millimeter bullets, plus shrapnel from her own weapon. I fear even Master Nassa would be hard pressed to save her hand, and I fear she'll likely bleed out before we might get her to a competent healer... Her life is more precious than her hand."

"I have seen Master Nassa do some amazing things but he is not here and this woman needs help now."
Jeffry said as he gently examined Lori's hand.
"Now I can do this one of two ways, one way is that I apply what healing I know, which is not much but it will stop the bleeding, however then Master Nassa will have no chance to safe her hand later."
The old mage explained.
"The other option is that I burn her hand bad enough to stop the bleeding, I do not know if Amadeus can heal that but at least there is a chance, but with that method there will be more pain, maybe enough to wake her up out of unconsciousness and it will be another shock to her system and her pulse is already weak."
The old mage said as he examined the woman carefully.

He pondered the circle, "You know, if I had a few circles made in advance, perhaps on some adhesive paper or something, it could save me some time in preparation... and it could be more easily hidden from plain sight, if necessary. It would seem to me that the Nephandi have some nodes of their own; they might not be too happy if those were suddenly drained by an unexpected leeching spell like that. Not to mention any tass reserves they might have. It seems I worked out a fairly safe way of burning off substantial amounts of corrupted tass without getting exposed to it myself, even."

"It would draw their attention at least if you started disturbing their nodes like that."
Jeffry said as he glanced up from tending to Lori.
"You made a good rote Mr Wainwright, you are not the most powerful mage I know but you are inventive with what you got."
The old mage said approvingly, he was not one to overly praise people but did give praise when it was due.

He shook his head, "But that can be studied further later. For now, we need to save Miss Birmar, and reunite with Adley and Miss Larson. And under the circumstances...

"Yes...I suspect Adley are having his hands full just about now with Miss Summers, he can not just let her leave...though her capture is not a priority."
Jeffry said then he got a concerned look in his eyes.
"I just hope Miss Larson do not help her friend escape for the punishment for aiding a Nephandus in such a way...well let us just say it can draw a punishment that have only been used fifteen times by the Order of Hermes since the foundation of the Traditions, and seventy times if we could the Traditions as a whole against our own members."
The old mage muttered.

I wonder if I could make a quick bargain with a Technocrat, seeing as we just saved this place..."

"And when we are talking about the Protocol of Conspire Not Against the Enemies of Asuncion Mr Wainwright...a bargain with a Technocrat?"
Jeffry said and eyed you sternly.
"That can get you executed but by all means do tell me what you would bargain with a member of the bloody Union for?"

[Warpmind]

Colin looked at Lori's hand, "Well, you decide what you think is best; you are by far more experienced in this than I am. I only have what little first aid I picked up in basic training, decades ago..."
He pondered, "It would probably be a breach of Protocol, true, but considering that we bargained with Agent Kessinger for her release in exchange for information, and that we just saved the whole bloody airport and umbral port, we might be able to request a favor from their less... pogrom-happy members. Essentially, we have little direct reach in Chicago, where Bergen's daughter is being held. I would hypothesize Miss Birmar's Mentor might be held hostage in the same facility; Master Sharaya might be able to glean some more information from Miss Birmar's telephone - I've already confiscated that one - to clarify that possibility. We know the Technocrats have a construct almost literally in the back yard of the Nephandi hideout where Miss Bergen is held - if we could convince them to find, extract and deliver the hostage or hostages here to our care, it would be to our benefit; it would give us a chance to save Bergen's daughter, it would use Union resources rather than our own, and it would give the Nephandi a swift kick to their... well, whatever fleshy bits they may or may not have; they seem mutation-prone."
He frowned, "The obvious problem with this, of course, is that we would need to open diplomatic relations with them in the first place; not precisely something which would go over well with, well, anyone... If you think it a bad idea, I will not press it; I could not ask for a better sounding board than you alone."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin looked at Lori's hand, "Well, you decide what you think is best; you are by far more experienced in this than I am. I only have what little first aid I picked up in basic training, decades ago..."

Jeffry nodded he examined the Technomancer's hand as he considered.
"I do not like to cut of possibilities but nor would I want to kill her, I do think she can handle the shock though I will try to close the wounds with fire but you will have to hold her down in case she wakes up Mr Wainwright."

He pondered, "It would probably be a breach of Protocol, true, but considering that we bargained with Agent Kessinger for her release in exchange for information, and that we just saved the whole bloody airport and umbral port, we might be able to request a favor from their less... pogrom-happy members. Essentially, we have little direct reach in Chicago, where Bergen's daughter is being held. I would hypothesize Miss Birmar's Mentor might be held hostage in the same facility; Master Sharaya might be able to glean some more information from Miss Birmar's telephone - I've already confiscated that one - to clarify that possibility.

"The situation with Agent Kessinger was a bit different, that was offering a deal to a prisoner to get information, not approaching a Technocrat directly but I do see where you are going with this Mr Wainwright. I guess asking for a favor from one of the Umbra port personnel might not be to far out of legality."
The old mage agreed.
"At least not if it is done here on neutral grounds."

We know the Technocrats have a construct almost literally in the back yard of the Nephandi hideout where Miss Bergen is held - if we could convince them to find, extract and deliver the hostage or hostages here to our care, it would be to our benefit; it would give us a chance to save Bergen's daughter, it would use Union resources rather than our own, and it would give the Nephandi a swift kick to their... well, whatever fleshy bits they may or may not have; they seem mutation-prone."

"Paradox is not kind to the Nephandi Mr Wainwright so yes they are as you say mutation prone."
The old mage said then he sigh.
"You may ask a member of the Void Engineers however the chances that they will agree to save Traditionalist prisoners and then deliver them to us are minuscule, attack the Nephandi perhaps, but they are far more likely to then keep the prisoners, torture information for them and then kill, Gilgul, enslave or forcibly recruit them when they are done so if Miss Bergen and Miss Birmar's mentor is there they will not be that much better of in the hands on the Union than being held by the Nephandi."

He frowned, "The obvious problem with this, of course, is that we would need to open diplomatic relations with them in the first place; not precisely something which would go over well with, well, anyone... If you think it a bad idea, I will not press it; I could not ask for a better sounding board than you alone."

"Asking a favor of the Void Engineers for saving the Umbra docks would be acceptable, however full scale diplomatic relations that would need the approval of the Council of Nine, approval we will not get, and like I said, talking them into attacking a Labyrinth will not be so hard, they have no more love for the Fallen than we do, talking them into giving us back our own captured members, that is far less likely so no I do not think it is a good idea as such, getting what information they have on the Nephandi of Chicago though...that might be something we can bargain for."

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded and knelt by Lori's side, resting one knee on her good arm, one hand on her hip and one hand on her shoulder, ready to hold her down should she wake up. "Information request it is, then. Probably a better chance of success at that, in any case... and if it turns out they have no information on that location in Chicago, it should stir up one hell of a hornet's nest for the Fallen there. So, immediate order of the day: cauterize Miss Birmar's hand, return the condiment bottles and get you something to drink, and join up with the younglings before I go barter with a Technocrat."
He looked up at Morgan, "Would you prefer water, fruit juice, or a carbonated beverage? You certainly need something after that exertion."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Jeffry nodded he begun to chant in Latin again, his hands forming complex sigils, normally he would not even need his focus for such a simple rote but he needed to use precision to close Lori's wounds without doing to much extra damage, then he brought his hand over the Sons of Ether's hand and fire rose from her flesh burning the wounds closed, there was more wounds and missing flesh than hand left but at least the bleeding would stop. Lori woke up and screamed again, buckling under Colin but she had no chance to toss him off her. After a few seconds the Old Hermetic was done with his work and he very carefully placed Lori's hand down on the floor again.
"That should stop the bleeding for now, we need something to wrap her hand up in though until we can get her to a healer."
Jeffry commented.

Lori went limp again under Colin her eyes was open though and she looked scared and confused.
"You shot me..."
She muttered.
"I failed...no my mentor..."
Sadness flooded the Etherite's pale eyes.

"Information request it is, then. Probably a better chance of success at that, in any case... and if it turns out they have no information on that location in Chicago, it should stir up one hell of a hornet's nest for the Fallen there. So, immediate order of the day: cauterize Miss Birmar's hand, return the condiment bottles and get you something to drink, and join up with the younglings before I go barter with a Technocrat."

"Just be careful Mr Wainwright, if it go well then yes your plan might stir things up for the Nephandi, if it go wrong...you might end up in the Technocracy's hand and trust me there you do not want to be."
The old mage said, he was obviously exhausted and even the simple rote of cauterizing Lori's hand had strained him.
"And we need to check on my apprentice and Miss Larson as soon as possible."
He commented.

He looked up at Morgan, "Would you prefer water, fruit juice, or a carbonated beverage? You certainly need something after that exertion."

"I will be fine, right now we need something to wrap Miss Birmar's hand up in, and we need to see if the medical station here at the Umbra port have some morphine or anything else for her, it should have bandages at least."
Jeffry muttered as he struggled to his feet again, he always put taking care of others before his own needs.

[Warpmind]

Colin frowned and stroked a hand across Lori's forehead, "I'd hoped you'd remained out of it for a while longer, Miss Birmar... We'll see what we can do to save your mentor, but he's not the only hostage the Nephandi have. We can't negotiate with those wretches, nor can we trust them to honour their word... For all we know, all the hostages are long dead, but we will still try to save them. We just can't bow to their demands."
He got back on his feet, "I think I saw a medical station through one of the doors over there, when I checked the entrances. I will get it, if you just, hm, sit on the patient. I'll be right back."
He ran off to where he thought the medical station was, scanning for a beverage dispenser of some sort at the same time.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"If they had threatened to kill my mentor I would not have...tried to..."
Lori's eyes filled with tears.
"I am so...sorry I..."
She said sobbing.
"I do not want to hurt anyone but they threatened to...send his Avatar to me in pieces."
Lori was clearly upset about what she had always done and fearful of what would happen now that she had failed.

Jeffry sigh and put a hand on the Son of Ether's shoulder.
"Miss Birmar please you must try to calm yourself you are badly injured, everything possible will be done for your mentor, but right now the only way you can help him is to make sure that if he is rescued he do not have to deal with the grief of a dead apprentice in addition to the trauma of whatever the Nephandi have done to him."
The old mage said then he glanced up at Colin.
"I do try not to sit on ladies Mr Wainwright but I will keep an eye on her."
Jeffry confirmed and he sat down on the floor next to the wounded technomancer.

You do find a beverage dispenser along the way it have a selection of the most common brands of soft drink as well as carbonated water. You do find a medical station, it is in the Technocratic part of the docks and contain a examination room, a larger room with five beds for patients and a small office, all of it is very clean, tidy and orderly. The name tag on the office door says Dr Rosalie Terlitzer, though she do not appear to be there at the moment and had probably been evacuated along with passengers and other Umbra dock personnel.

[Warpmind]

Colin swiftly rummaged through the medical office to dig up enough opiates to slug a horse, some antiseptics, assorted bandages and some scissors, and all the other necessities, gathered it all up in a bag and scribbled a quick note about what supplies he had taken, and headed back, stopping at the beverage dispenser for a few bottles of orange juice; Jeffry could do with one, and Lori definitely needed liquids to compensate for her blood loss.
He handed Lori a juice bottle, as he passed the bag to Morgan, "Miss Birmar, you need to drink this before we sedate you... you've lost a fair amount of blood; if there's to be a chance of getting you back to work, we can't have you dying on us."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

You find both morphine and other forms of opiates, bandages, antiseptics, several types of bandages and everything else you need. You get back to Jeffry and Lori, the old Hermetic was doing his best to keep the wounded Etherite calm. Lori looks at you pain swam in her blue eyes she did take the juice bottle though and managed to get some of the content down.
"B...but my Mentor the Nephandi will..."
Lori protested and Jeffry patted her on the shoulder.
"We will do what we can Miss Birmar, please relax and let us help you."
He said calmly.
"Did you find what we need Mr Wainwright?"
The old mage asked you.

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded, "It's all in the bag; I think it's all we'll need to patch her up for now; I may have rather depleted the doctor's office of some of the controlled substances, though. Once she's had some fluids, we should get to work with cleaning off the injury and wrapping it up."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Jeffry nodded he helped Lori sit up so she could drink some of the juice.
"Yes very well, let us get her hand taken care of and then check of Adley and Miss Larson, I worry about what will happen when Miss Summers try to escape."
The old mage said and nods.
"You will find that mage society have not adopted the so called war on drugs and I am sure the port's doctor can get more supplies."
The Hermetic said as Lori finished the juice with some difficultly and Jeffry then laid her back down on the floor. The woman cough slightly.
"Why are the two of you...helping me...I tried to kill you...kill all of us?"
She muttered at it was clear her actions made her shameful.

[Warpmind]

Colin gave Lori a warm smile, "Very simple. We are the good guys, and killing other Traditionalists, and even Technocrats, will only help the Nephandi. Saving their unwilling pawns and what they try to destroy, instead of sacrificing one for the other likely infuriates them to no end, and strengthens us. Besides, it's not like you fired a shot at either of us."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

The Son of Ether looks at you as you talk.
"I did not...fire because you stopped me..."
Lori said in a weak tone of voice.
"But I never wanted to...hurt anyone I just wanted to save my mentor..."
The red haired woman said before she begun to sob.
"Please save him...please..."
The Etherite cried desperately.

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded, "I prevented you from making the worst mistake of your life; actively aiding the Nephandi. Once you come around, you can tell us more about it; for now, you need rest."
He nodded to Jeffry and the morphine, "Best put her under until we move her... and have something to drink while you're at it. Sweating as much as you did while straining, and then losing your lunch is bound to leave you unhealthily dehydrated."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Jeffry prepared a morphine injection with a ease that indicated that he had done this before, he set the injection carefully and Lori's eyes quickly begun to slide shut as she relaxed and the drug affected her.
"I do not dare give her more, she might not be under but she should be fairly comfortable and groggy."
The old mage said as he sigh.
"I want Lisa Larson taken alive, she will answer for all the suffering she have caused."
The Hermetic grunted then he accepted a bottle of juice for himself and had a few sips.
"Thank you I...will be fine."
He muttered but he eagerly gulped down some of the juice.
"The woman spread pain and misery everywhere she go, she do not deserve being killed in battle."
He said as he took some cotton swabs and some antiseptic fluid and begun to gently dab it over Lori's wounded hand.
"Miss Birmar is a good woman, and she nearly threw her life away...killing herself, us and everyone for miles due to the actions of Lisa Larson, I might say she should have been stronger and not given in to blackmail and the fact that she did means she will not be the one I trust to have my back but still many would have done the same as her when the life and more of a loved one is at stake. Larson manipulates the emotions of others in the worst possible way. But I will not let her continue and before she finally die she will regret her actions."
The old Hermetic swore with a dark look in his eyes.

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded, "I agree. If ever anyone deserved to slowly roast alive over an open flame, it is her. Her one saving grace is that she has some staffing problems. She's got to be running out of threatened or idiotic minions soon. I hope she's got a few more of Diego's caliber, though; loyal, dedicated, thoroughly corrupt, and as clever as a sack of topsoil. Better that than the likes of Mr. Bergen and Miss Birmar, who only leave a bad aftertaste when we have to fight them... or the likes of the fellow who made that fireball, which is the sort I would rather not encounter at all in an inhabited county."
He rose and picked up the condiment bottles, "Now, it seems you have Miss Birmar's injuries under control; I'll get Adley and the ladies, if possible, and check with the evacuation process. Any messages for your prodigy?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin nodded, "I agree. If ever anyone deserved to slowly roast alive over an open flame, it is her. Her one saving grace is that she has some staffing problems. She's got to be running out of threatened or idiotic minions soon.

"She deserved to be kept alive for as long as possible after...The Council deal with her, being forced to live, powerless and impotent knowing everything she have worked for failed."
Jeffry said then he sigh.
"But I will not insist on such cruelty being inflicted on even her, no matter how much she deserve it, in fighting our enemies we must make sure we do not become them."
The old Hermetic said then he sigh.
"Something is telling me that minions in one thing Lisa Larson is not running out of."

I hope she's got a few more of Diego's caliber, though; loyal, dedicated, thoroughly corrupt, and as clever as a sack of topsoil. Better that than the likes of Mr. Bergen and Miss Birmar, who only leave a bad aftertaste when we have to fight them... or the likes of the fellow who made that fireball, which is the sort I would rather not encounter at all in an inhabited county."

"It is certainly easier to fight men like Diego that it is hard to have any sympathy for than manipulated Traditionalists or even Nephandi like Miss Summers and Mr Dale who's lives and fate is nothing sort of tragic."
Jeffry said and sigh he glanced in the direction of the Nephandi ship.
"As for the one who made the Ball of Abysmal Flame no, I do not think anyone would want him anywhere near a populated area, though that flashy and powerful Nephandi do tend to destroy themselves with Paradox sooner rather than later, it makes them no less dangerous."

He rose and picked up the condiment bottles, "Now, it seems you have Miss Birmar's injuries under control; I'll get Adley and the ladies, if possible, and check with the evacuation process. Any messages for your prodigy?"

"Just be careful Mr Wainwright, Adley can not just let Miss Summers go but she is still likely to get away from him I just hope she do not harm in the process, but seeing another Traditionalist might make her more aggressive. If he have managed to capture Miss Summers give him whatever assistance he needs to keep her under control, if she have escaped tell him and Miss Larson to meet us where we entered the realm...oh and tell him I am alive he might be worried when he see you without me."
Jeffry said as he continued to work on the Etherite's hand.
"If you see anyone who is working at the Umbra docks tell them that the danger is over and that they can return."

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded, "Well, we will have to deal with her minions as and when they appear. No way around that one. Unfortunately, I don't recall seeing a wheeled stretcher in the medical room; I trust you'll figure out some manner of transporting her out, as well as the rest of her little gadgets. I'll see you back at the entrance, then."
He gave a quick, crisp salute, and headed outside, returning the mustard and ketchup where he found them.

[Adley]

"There are Wards, something similar to a Aegis on the Labyrinth itself and a Ward meant to cause severe pain to anyone not Fallen on the tass storage chamber and the Caul's chamber, there are no direct traps though but we have a Hagalaz Barrabi and she might set some up and quickly if she feels the Labryrinth is threatened, she is new, one of the ones sent to us from Chicago so I do not know how powerful she is though."

His mouth tugged down in a half frown. "Who is the Hagalaz? What's her name?" Then he asked, "What time and place are your main event, as you called it, going down? Anything you might know about it?" Better to check if there'd been any changes to that plan, while he had the chance.

"What you say...do make sense but...damn it I want to find a way to help her, some way that she can be happy, she deserve that."
The Orphan said as glanced down the corridor. "She have suffered so much she deserve to find some happiness whatever it makes sense or not."

"It might make her happier to know that you're away from all that than the alternatives."

"Perhaps the Labyrinth will give up one day, and we can settle down somewhere, live a simple life." Hannah said hopefully but she knew the chances of that happening where slim, they would always be looking over their shoulders. "You are probably right but is it better than her running away alone, at least there will then be someone there to hold her when the nightmares come at night...someone to watch her back..."

He gave her a look that said that he did not believe the chances of the Labyrinth 'giving up' were good. "I do hope we vanquish that Labyrinth of your mother's, do not get me wrong in that. You know the chances for that are better if you stay with us, and I do worry after your avatar's fate as well as your own personal fate. I don't know if I would want my best friend to suffer along with me...I would like to say I would want to spare them that."

"Well it would be quite a entry into the Traditions, staring by breaking one of your most serious Protocols, it is bound to make me popular." She muttered but she did not sound like she did not consider it.

"The talk of the town and not in a good way," he said, with a frown. It would be the quickest entry there could be, one with a defined exit.

"So I just focus on myself and let her be taken in knowing what the Traditions will do to her?" Hannah said sadly. "I do not know if I can do that, I do not know if I could live with myself if I did that..."

"Living a good life in spite of it all is not selfish depending what you decide to do with it, Hannah. I doubt that you would not make a difference in the world, one that can have real impact. You have...well, a unique perspective. Preventing people from the Fall, from suffering at the hands of the Nephandi could be a worthy goal for you if you chose to put your mind to it. And I do not necessarily mean as a Nephandi hunter. But preventing your mother's current success alone would make a huge difference...and I admit that I do not want to see something else befall you, Hannah, nor your avatar." He wished he could explain more about what he'd learned about widderslainte...but he couldn't let more people know about Susanna, Beatrice or his brother and they were not in a safe place. Nor was he sure that such an option would ever be a reality for June, even if she reincarnated. Especially not after what she said...it was damnable.

"If she get captured...once the Traditions have done what they...what they do to Nephandi, are there any chance that she will survive...that she can be given a life?"

"There is a chance of surviving it, though it is not common for one to live afterwards, regardless of faction," he said. He did not know if it would be a kindness, even to let her live though he doubted that they would allow a confirmed Nephandus to do so. No one would take her in and even if Hannah cared for her, somehow, she would be in a horrible state for no reason. Her lack of closure with Felix and what had happened to him still sat heavily on her, as well. There was just not something good to be said about the situation.

Suddenly the string between June's fingers quivered and then went slack. Hannah gasped and seamed to prepare herself for death...but there was no explosion.

Adley felt his whole body tense up as he saw June drop her rote, but the time between one heartbeat and the next progressed and they had yet to be incinerated. He breathed a sigh of relief, eyes shutting for an instant and then moving on...he had no idea if his pater was going to live yet and he had to deal with June now.

June said then she struggled to her feet and looks at you, her eye sad, tired and frightened. "I...am to afraid to surrender Hermetic." The Nephandus said her hands shaking slightly. "Being captured would be for the best...but I am...frightened of what they will do to me and lack to courage not to run..." She said then her hands wove a new pattern in her length of string with alarming speed. "I will try not to harm you as I get out of here Hermetic and know that if you win and take me out...I will not blame you...just make sure Hannah do not throw her life away on me."

What the hell kind of week was this turning into, that a Nephandus was not going to try to harm him while she tried to escape? "Tell her that, June, I have been trying..." As he saw her begin her cats-cradling again, he dashed forward to try to knock her spell apart at its seams.

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