Episode 85

The thunderous, overwhelming roar of water ripping through the canopy floods the saturated air under the tall trees. Harsh jets of rain pound the forest floor, spraying up into a thick, obscuring mist throughout. Darting out through a cloud of the damp haze, Deedri leaps over a large shrub, slides along the muddy game trail, and tumbles into a soggy patch of moss. She scrambles up behind the wide trunk of a tall tree and squeezes herself into a rain shadow. Pressing her back against the bark, she reflexively pierces her claws deep into the outer layers of the oak and stares distantly, in wide-eyed terror, out into the curtains of water and deep fog obscuring the forest depths. Flicking her damp furry, tufted ears, she closes her auburn eyes and sorts through assault on her senses from the deluge around her. Seconds of hunting later, traces of tension leave her body, and she slows her frightened panting. Glancing around the area, she inspects her soaked outfit, muck covered boots, and drenched long, multi-colored hair. She slides her large backpack off, carefully opens the top, and eases out a sigh of relief, confirming the contents. Pausing a moment, sorting through her frantic thoughts, she draws in a long breath and lifts her head back against the bark of the oak tree, whispering to herself. "Oh... Fuck..."

She peers aimlessly into the watery chaos surrounding her tiny reprieve under the barely sheltering tree, Frowning into a grimace, she rests her face in the palm of her hand, muttering fvalian curses at herself. Her furry ear twitches and perks around the tree. Carefully peeking around the corner, she secures her backpack, readying herself, and waits silently. Through the haze and noise, Deedri's water-dripping, furry ears pick through the acoustic chaos and track new sounds.

Slaps of boots against mud, a splatter of water, and loud shifts of wet rocks rise up from the background drone. A hard, large smack against unforgiving mud later, a familiar voice mutters out a string of evuukian curses, and Modoran swiftly slides down a fresh stream of muddy water. Gravity sails him down the hill, and the current washes him into the middle of a large trail. Laying on his stomach, Modoran remains still and grumbles out his pride between frustrated huffs and bubbles of curses. Moments later, he pulls his arms underneath himself and pushes his mud covered self into a seat in the pooling water, unleashing a defeated sigh.

With a growing smile on her fair skinned face, Deedri's auburn eyes spring wide open, and she directs a loud whisper. "Modoran!"

Modoran's long, pointed ears twitch, and he meets Deedri's gaze, presenting a relieved, awkward grin on his dusky bluish gray face. Blinking his dark blue eyes, he smiles with genuine relief and weakly chuckles, glances over himself. "Deedri... Gods... I hope you are doing better than I am."

Lifting a thick braid of her hair, Deedri squeezes the bundle tightly, draining out a significant amount of water. "About the same."

She walks over from the cover of oak and reaches out her hands to assist Modoran, scanning the vicinity. "Did you find any shelter better than a tree?"

Modoran graciously holds onto Deedri's hands, pulling himself up, and pushes off the coats of mud upon his pants. "Not yet. I have just been running around trying to find anyone else."

Deedri nods, staring out in the surrounding rain and mists, and shakes her head. "I know. It's just been so crazy... I just now started to really think about..."

Her soaked furry, water-tripping tufted ears droop down. "How lost I am."

With a comforting smile, Modoran chuckles, the sheets of rain blasting layers of mud off his jacket and backpack. "You are NOT the only one. But, there are two of us now. So... I'm sure we can figure out a plan now."

Nodding with a lighter smirk, Deedri narrows her stare and points out towards a sparser section of forest. "I think there's a clearing that way. Maybe it's worth checking out?"

Stepping up, Modoran searches into the distance in the same direction and agrees with a curious twist of his mouth, focusing his attention downwards at an outline in the thick mist. "Yeah... Huh. That looks like a building... Maybe?"

Deedri lifts herself up on her toes, peeking over a line of tall shrubs obscuring her view, and glances over at Modoran. "Might as well see. ANYTHING is better than soaking out here."

Carefully traversing the water-logged slope, Deedri and Modoran climb down the slippery hill through the constant barrage of rain and push through a wall of brush together. Spotting the small stone building, the two rush over towards the front side facing a large clearing and slip through the entryway. Out of the constant downpour, Deedri puzzles at the huge field within the haze and the barely visible silhouettes through the mist of trees surrounding the area. "This clearing is huge! And look at these trees!"

Modoran narrows his stare and scours through the sheets of rain and foggy air. "It looks like there are other buildings. But, I can not see anything clearly."

He turns around, staring down the dark, central hallway, and grimaces uncomfortably. "Well. Huh. This place does not seem that inviting. Need to get some light..."

Deedri ponders a moment. Holding her hands close together, she focuses. With a flicker of auburn in her eyes, magical flows condense around her clawed fingers, and she mutters a series of incantations with slight gestures. A small, floating orb glows brighter with the energy collecting inside of it and flashes to a bright blue-white illumination. Modoran blinks, his eyes adjusting, and smiles appreciatively. "Nice. Much better than my aetherphone."

Holding the glowing sphere in her hand, Deedri walks along with Modoran. the two step warily down the long corridor towards an open heavy door. They stop midway through and notice locked side chambers behind bars. Deedri's ears droop, and she grits her teeth uneasily. "Does this feel like a..."

With an uncomfortable grimace, Modoran nods. "Jail? Yeah. Yeah, it does. But, I do not think it's been used in a while."

Both arrive at the doorway. Modoran carefully inspects it, peeks through the opening, and gradually pushes the door the rest of the way. Deedri holds the light out. Both survey the room beyond the threshold. Modoran shrugs his shoulders at the small space with a simple cot and glances over at Deedri. "Honestly. A lot nicer than what I was expecting to find."

Deedri pushes the glowing orb up and watches it float up, sticking onto the roof. She releases a long sigh, slumps her shoulders, and buries her face between her hands. "Gods... It's just nice to be out of the rain."

Chuckling lightly, Modoran scratches the back of his head awkwardly and shrugs. "Yeah. I think we should hold up here for now. I am really not up for wandering around aimlessly in the rain right now. Doubt it would accomplish much anyway."

Deedri slowly rocks her head in silent agreement, remaining quiet in her thoughts and uncomfortable breaths. Listening to the slight shudder in Deedri's sighs, Modoran takes off his backpack, rests it upon the ground, and steps behind Deedri. Lifting gently on Deedri's large pack, he motions his head towards the wall and politely asks. "Is it okay if I put this over there?"

Blinking her auburn eyes back to awareness, Deedri lifts her face up, thinking a moment, and nods appreciatively. "Oh... Yes... Thank you."

Deedri slides out of her heavy pack, and Modoran hoists the weight over to a spot next to the wall with a gentle drop. Brushing off some dust and debris from the cot, Modoran directs Deedri's attention over with a kind smile. "Sit down for a bit."

Glancing over at the cot, Deedri studies her soaked clothing and shakes her head. "Let me get these off. I really don't want to drench the only dry place left to sit."

Quickly finding the zipper to her top, Deedri loosens up the decorative garment and slips out of it. Wringing out the excess water out of her loose undershirt, she fans some of airflow down the collar of her light body suit, holding the sopping wet top in her other arm. She notices Modoran stiffly facing the other direction and extending his arm towards her. Modoran musters up his voice through flush hints on his cheeks. "Um, I know a spell or two to dry clothes if you want me to... Um... Dry them for you."

A moment of self-consciousness rearranging her undershirt to be more presentable later, Deedri cracks an amused smirk and places the top on Modoran's awaiting arm. She quickly undoes the fasteners for her long skirt and unsticks her shorts off her leggings. Placing the bottom garment in Modoran's arms, she lightly taps a claw on his shoulder and cranes around his side with a smile. "Thank you for being considerate. But, I'm decent."

Modoran nervously laughs, nodding, and finds a place to hang up the soaked clothing, working the embarrassment off his face. "Oh. Yeah. I will get these dried off for you."

Quickly gesturing through an incantation, Modoran directs flows of magical energy to his hands and methodically motions over the clothing hung on the heavy door, each pass guiding water off onto the floor. Deedri eases herself onto the cot and slowly breathes out her nerves, drifting off into her mind. Minutes pass by in comparative silence, with Deedri searching through her thoughts with a frown and Modoran focusing his attention upon pulling water out of clothes. Finishing an initial pass with Deedri's garments, Modoran glances over, asking. "I am going to try to dry off my clothes if you don't mind."

Deedri blinks out of her trance, shakes her head, and refocuses her attention. "Oh, no. Go ahead."

Unzipping his jacket and pulling off his pants, Modoran strips down to his damp shirt and shorts, finding some old metal loops in the stone wall to hang the clothing from. Deedri's eyes drift over towards Modoran, and she stares. Seconds later, her conscious mind realizes the situation, and she redirects her thoughts with a question. "Um... So... How do you know these types of spells and tricks? Clothes drying, towel arrangements, and knowledge of resort booking?"

Modoran shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly, chuckling to himself, and glances over to Deedri with a grin. "A bunch of random stuff I picked up from part time jobs with my family's businesses."

Blinking, Deedri searches her mind and perks her furry, damp, tufted ears. "Wait... What businesses does your family own? I talked to your mother and sisters for hours, and they NEVER mentioned anything to me."

Rolling his dark blue eyes, Modoran snorts, shaking his head. "Not surprised. They were on vacation and happy to talk about anything else. But... It is a whole collection of different hotels, motels, and resorts. No central brand, on purpose. My mother and father know all of them by heart. My older sister probably is getting there."

The idea distracts Deedri briefly with an intrigued smirk. Other pressing thoughts quickly force a frown on her face. She remains silent and staring blankly. Her wavering breaths and shaky hands catch Modoran's attention. Stepping over, Modoran glances down at Deedri with concern. "Deedri, are you okay?"

Contorting her face, Deedri droops her ears and uncertainly fumbles over her words. "I don't know. We're lost... We're separated from the group... There's some gods awful spirit driving a death drone around after us. And..."

She gasps in some air and frowns. "I'm supposed to be the medical mage ready to help out anyone who could be injured right now. But..."

Her tail reflexive coils around her waist and into her hands, and she grips hold of it tightly. "All I can do right now is... Cower in a damned hole, and be scared and clueless what exactly to do next."

Watching the distress growing on Deedri, Modoran clears away his idle, nonchalant exterior, mustering up his confidence, and kneels down in front of Deedri. Meeting her auburn eyes with his dark blue gaze, he smiles reassuringly and places a gentle hand on Deedri's shoulder. "Hey. The best we can do is survive, so we can have a chance to help everyone else. There is no point in us wandering around the storm. Let us see if we can get our aetherphone radio transponders working. Meanwhile, we will dry out, rest up, and calm ourselves down so we can think straight."

He pauses a moment with a breath in and nods to Deedri. "We can figure this out."

Gazing into Modoran eyes, a hopeful smirk emerges upon Deedri. She shifts her attention over, feeling the faint trembling of Modoran's hand on her shoulder. Placing her hand upon his, she smiles at him and holds onto his hand. Seconds later, Deedri glances over to the space on the cot next to her and genuinely asks. "You want to sit down for a while?"

Modoran blinks out of his trance, nods quickly, and eases himself onto the cot. The two enjoy the peaceful moments in the small room with the ambiance of the rain hammering the outside world. Deedri shivers briefly, wagging her tail awkwardly, and grumbles, feeling her waterlogged fur. Pausing in thought a moment, she bites her lower lip. "Do you have any spells that can help dry my tail out?"

An amused smile appears on Modoran, and he nods slowly, prepping a spell. "I have got one that is basically like a hairdryer."

Deedri flops her damp tail up into her hands and combs a bit of it out with her claw tips. "Gods. THAT sounds so nice right now."


Rolling walls of water dump through the battered canopy above and pound the brush below. Tripping over a large tree root, Veevi slides belly first down a muddy game trail. splashing down a long decline head first into a murky pool. Lifting her head up from the muck, she spits out the dirt saturated water and peels her soaked mop of pink hair out of her eyes. She pants in near exhaustion and darts her spooked stare around the disorientating haze and constant watery onslaught at the thinning edge of the forest. Her gaze settles upon a large stone structure in front of her. Blinking to the realization, she stumbles up to her feet, searching the area, and slinks towards the building. She stands under an overhang and presses her back against the exterior wall, breathing a few sighs of relief. Listening to the surges of rain blast the other sides of the building, Veevi peeks around the corner and pans her glance across the open field visible within the obscuring mist perimeter and the front of the old, stone structure. She spots a huge archway, darts across the stretch, and quickly checks the entryway. Another waterfall from the skies above approaches, and she rushes out of the storm inside.

Inside the dark, she stands dripping in her tight fitting outfit and nervously gawks into the shadowy surroundings. A distant slam booms out. A pink furred tail slips out of view behind an upturned table. Veevi shudders in fright behind the furniture, her fuzzy ears twitching around at the eerie quiet of inside, against the rhythmic deluge outside. Tense minutes later, her pink pupil eyes uncertainly dart around the area. The interior quiet looms still. Easing out a breath, Veevi rolls the tension out of her shoulders and slumps behind the debris surrounding the toppled table top.

Summoning up the little nerve in herself over the eerie minutes, she quietly rises back on her feet, glancing around, and ventures deeper down the large, long central hallway. Faint sources of light from distant outside windows break up the surrounding darkness in the tall, echoing corridor. Veevi stops midway, grimacing, and holds her hands together. Mumbling to herself, she winces in concentration, strains her body, and focuses her gaze hopefully to her palms. Seconds later, faint flows of magic condense and form into a dull ball of light, providing a modest amount of illumination. Gritting her teeth nervously, Veevi surveys the dark area around her. The dim glow projects a light out into the surroundings around at the intersection before massive, broken doors. Shifting her gaze between shattered furniture, cracked bows, and random objects piled up, Veevi's dread simmers further. She catches the glints of bullet and shell casings in stark contrast against blackened scorch marks on the floor and walls. Freezing in a surge of horror, she fights against the recognition of the dried, morbidly shaped pools and smears scattered through the area.

A bright flash erupts from nearby windows, and Veevi freezes in wide-eyed fright, tensing through the loud crash of thunder erupting through the space. In a panic, she runs through the double doors, frantically panting. In the barely lit, echoing chamber, she trips over a few steps and tumbles into a shallow, circular pit. Pulling herself back together, she forces herself and flows more energy into the dull glowing orb in her hand. With the extra light, she sits up in the middle of a round depression in the floor with encircling shattered steps. Veevi blinks in confusion at the crushed masonry, the deep gouges in the floors, and tool marks around the shallow, circular pit. Her wandering stare surveys the huge chamber, desks of scattered papers, shattered magical equipment, and shelves of empty bookcases. Wrapping her arms close to herself, she notices a stairwell in the corner and scrambles over in a surge of fright.

Quickly moving through the smaller halls, Veevi steps around remnants of strange scenes. Fighting fear, she glances into a room beyond torn down doors and halts at the remains of a master bedroom. She steps over into the room, carefully, awkwardly walking through the recognizable furniture in the mix of chaos and upheaval. Slowly exploring the upturned room, she finds elaborate, nature themed garments in the debris, and a mostly intact mattress with nearby sheets strewn over the area. Relaxing her breathing, she briefly puzzles at an empty compartment in the floor next to the overturned bed. She pauses a moment, lost in her thoughts. The wind blows into the room from an open window in the small connecting bathroom, and she feels her damp clothing. Stepping over, she picks through the clothing in the debris and settles down upon the mattress.


Slowly marching through the torrent, Trakenthin leans against a tree and lifts his large arm across his helmeted forehead, shielding the rain from the aetherphone in his other hand. He squints through the harsh spray of water splattering on his visor and watches an array of signal strength bars pulsate between different heights on his display. Two reach near the highest point of the scale, and two others slowly rise with each oscillation. Shaking his head, Trakenthin wipes the excessive water off his helm and searches into the mist obscured clearing. He growls loudly and fights a mix of frustration and worry, staring out into the distance.

Two of the signal bars pulsate at the top of the range with an alert beep, and Trakenthin glances down briefly. He lifts his helmeted head and strains all his attention into the horizon through forest and haze. A few fruitless passes later, two familiar voices sound out. Chad kneels slightly, bracing against a tree, and holds his arm out back towards Tassilda. With a staggered glide across the loose, slick dirt, Tassilda catches herself upon Chad's outstretched arm and backpack. Grumbling out her aggravation, she releases a long stressed breath and summons up a tired, appreciative tone. "Thank you. Sorry."

Chad shakes his head with grimace, holds his shield up against the waves of rain, and turns his gaze, checking on Tassilda. "It's fine. This situation is just fucked anyway."

Taking the moment under the shelter of the shield, Tassilda pulls her soaked raven black hair back out her light blue on black eyes and nods begrudgingly. She lifts up her aetherphone into view, checking on similar signals in the area, and opens her eyes wide. "Oh gods. I think we're close to everyone else now. All their signals just jumped up."

Staring out into the distance, Chad spots a tall, imposing, and familiar figure against the waves of rain. He cracks a hopeful grin, pointing Trakenthin out to Tassilda, and leads the way. Trakenthin stands tall in his armor and greets Chad and Tassilda with a reserved smile. "Good to see you."

Patting Trakenthin on his shoulder, Chad laughs through his exhaustion. "Same. Any signs of Deedri, Modoran, Veevi, or the crew?"

Trakenthin shakes his head, twisting his dark bronze face. "Nothing from Veevi. No sign of crew. Deedri. Modoran. Must be near. Signals are stronger here."

Directing attention over towards the distant outlines of ancient stone buildings contrasting the mist and rain, he contemplates out loud. "Believe they are in these structures. Sharp increase in signal since going over the hill."

Tassilda nods in agreement, searching around the area, and motions towards a nearby mid sized building. "Same thing happened on my phone. Let's check this one out. And, get out of this rain."

The trio navigate down the slight slope through perimeter brush. They rush around to the front of the building facing into the clearing and stand outside a busted doorway. With a bit of hesitation, they carefully enter the structure. Inside, Chad, Trakenthin, and Tassilda cautiously fan out and explore the entry with multiple side rooms. Each pauses within the room, investigating the strange stacking of supply crates, upturned furniture, and broken debris. Discomfort growing, they find traces of conflict by impact holes, magical burn marks, and dark splatter stains upon the walls and floors. The group reconvenes in a large barracks in the back of the structure and slowly rearrange cots. Chad pulls his helm off, shakes his head, and sighs uneasily. "Okay. So... I can't be the only one that would have rather just found this place full of dirt, cobwebs, and bugs."

Shuddering with a wave of discomfort, she slings off her backpack onto the ground and releases her waterlogged cloak onto the floor. "GODS, NO. What IS this place? And..."

Glancing around briefly at the stale signs of chaos, she grimaces. "What THE HELL happened here?!"

With snort, Trakenthin grumbles, rolling his shoulders, and studies the vicinity, concern refreshing. "Something BAD. Must tolerate it for now."

Chad releases the straps of his breast plate, dropping it off to the side. He pulls off the damp under armor from his skin and nods reluctantly. "Yeah. This is the first bit of shelter we've found. So... We'll have to ignore the..."

Wrestling a frown, he strains a breath through his hose. "Hopefully... The not too recent history... For now."

Tassilda lifts an unamused eyebrow at Chad and rolls her eyes at the situation. "History. That's a nice way to put it."

Shrugging his shoulders, Chad pries out his aetherphone from his pants pocket, shaking off the water, and presses a button to wake the device. "Let's see if the radios want to work now. I think that THING was jamming them or something before. Hopefully, check in on Deedri and Modoran and see where they are."

Chad presses and holds a button on a two-way radio app and speaks clearly. "Deedri. Modoran. Deedri. Modoran. We detect your phone beacons. Where are you? Are you okay?"

The tense silence looms over the seconds, Chad, Trakenthin, and Tassilda waiting. Chad's phone speaker chirps out a few key ups on the channel, along with the sound of fumbling hands and background murmurs. Deedri's voice sounds out. "Chad?! Thank the gods. Modoran and I are fine. We're near this really big clearing taking shelter in this... um, strange... small stone building. You heard from anyone else?"

A wave of relief washes over Tassilda, Trakenthin, and Chad. With a happy smile on his face, Chad presses the transmit button. "Yes. I'm with Trakenthin and Tassilda. We're okay. Just really, really soaked. We took shelter in another building around a big clearing, too. Haven't heard from Veevi or any of the crew. So... I don't know. The drone didn't chase us after a certain point, so it might have flown off and left everyone else alone."

A radio key up later, Deedri ponders out loud, uncertainly. "So, what's the plan? We're a bit lost as to what to do next."

Glancing between Trakenthin and Tassilda's indecisive expressions, Chad thinks a moment and directs his voice out towards the group local and remote. "Well. We'll shelter in place until the storm moves on. Keep our transponders running, and take turns monitoring the radio and doing a call out once an hour. And..."

He shrugs his shoulders and sighs. "Rest up the best we can. Sound good?"

Trakenthin and Tassilda nod. Moments later, the radio keys up, and Deedri's voice crackles out. "Yes. Kind of how we felt."

From the background of the far side of the radio broadcast, Modoran comments. "Good enough for me."

Keeping the transmission going, Deedri sounds out from Chad's aetherphone with an uneasy tone. "Not to make things creepier, but... Does this place seem... WEIRD to you all?"

Chad eyes around the large barracks, narrowing a stare towards the front entrance, and nods slowly, keying up his phone. "Yeah... Let's not plan on staying here longer than we have to."


Underneath a rocky overhang, Samantha, Gerald, and a dozen recording crew members hide, water splashing down along with bits of terrain. Gusts of wind blast rain upon the huddled masses. Samantha whispers loudly over the storm to Gerald with a grimace. "Everyone is accounted for, right?"

Nodding his head of wet hair, Gerald sighs and stares out into the misty forest. "Yeah. A bit roughed up from running through this forest, but... Okay."

He contorts his face uneasily, groaning, and shakes his head, glancing around. "But... We got to find some kind of shelter. Real shelter. That fucking spirit drone thing is due to make another pass in this area, and I don't think we have that many passes left before it narrows down to where we are."

Samantha grits her teeth, snorting out frustration along with spatters of water dripping down her face, and furrows her brow. "Gods dammit. Why the hell is it hunting us down?!"

Her temper chills in the downpour, and she whines in defeat. "Oh... Nevermind..."

Directing her voice over towards Urdi, she steps closer. "Any luck on figuring out where those beacons are coming from?"

Urdi flicks her wet, furry ears in thought, wrestling with the indecision on her face, and points in a rough direction. "I think we need to go... That way. The further that direction we've gone, two of the signals got stronger. Three other signals have settled to the same levels. So, uh, they may have regrouped?"

A hint of worry rises in Gerald's tone, and he glances over to Urdi. "Anything from Veevi's aetherphone?"

Shaking her head, Urdi frowns. Checking a readout from some equipment, Radnae quips. "Then again, she probably couldn't figure out how to turn the beacon on. And yes, there's still too much interference to broadcast a clear radio signal out."

Watching a sharp increase in activity on the monitor screen, Radnae waves frantically at everyone and loudly whispers. "It's NEARBY. Everyone back. HIDE."

Gerald, Samantha, Urdi, Radnae, and crew duck and tuck close together under the overhang. Under the obscuring waterfall of drainage, they wait in nervous anticipation. In the distant haze, the powerful, sharp whir of rotors and crackles of electrical arcs rise above the sounds of the pummeling rainfall. The large drone soars through the trees in a wild display of awkward navigation, charting an erratic search path through the woods. Occasionally, a powerful electrical arc pops into a nearby branch, sizzles of steam popping out of the wood. In the minutes, it looms around. It disappears back into the obscuring mists of the forest, the hunt leading it away.

The assembled crew wait tensely, watching and listening through the stormy chaos. Pointing in the direction suggested by Urdi, Gerald breaks the relative silence, motioning the rest of the group. "Well, we're not sticking around here. Let's MOVE."


Curling up on the mattress under a pile of scavenged towels, blankets, and sheets, Veevi snores softly. The storm rages outside the open windows of the large, ruined bedroom, and the wind blows through the room across Veevi's outfit draped over a chair. Tossing on the mattress, Veevi unconsciously stretches out in the nature themed clothes on her and mumbles to herself in her sleep. Her fuzzy ears twitch with the sounds of voices in the hallway outside the bedroom entry. Something hits the stone floor, echoing out through the corridors. Veevi startles from her slumber.

Listening to the voices getting closer, Veevi's pink pupil eyes widen in a bewildered panic, and she scrambles around. She fumbles around the debris near her and finds her laser pistol. Scurrying behind a pile of debris, she shakily trains the weapon at the broken entry doors, fear driving her frightened panting. She shudders nervously, and the pistol trembles in her hand. The muffled voices grow louder. The rainfall surges outside into drowning, disorientating cacophony. Veevi's grip tightens on the pistol.

In the midst of a chorus footsteps outside the bedroom door, a voice speaks up. "Okay, let's what we got in here-"

A laser beam pulses into existence out the doorway, the bright green flash flooding the bedroom and hallway, and scorches the wall opposite the doorway. Immediate silence seizes the area. A surge of bravado drives Veevi up to her feet, and she angrily screams through panic. "THERE'S MORE OF THAT IF ANY OF YOU MOTHERFUCKERS COME IN HERE! I'LL BURN YOU ALL TO A GODS DAMNED CRISP!"

Over the frightened muttering of a man's voice, Samantha yells back into the room in an absolute, seething rage. "VEEVI! IF YOU DON'T PUT THAT FUCKING PISTOL AWAY, I'LL SHOVE IT SIDEWAYS UP YOUR PINK FURRY ASS, AND KICK THE SHIT OUT OF YOU UNTIL IT FIRES! YOU DUMB BITCH!"

Immediately recognizing the voice, Veevi's pink pupil eyes spring wide open, and she quickly lowers the pistol to her side. She shrinks her posture back down into hiding and meekly replies with drooping ears. "O-okay... Well... Sorry?"


Beams of early morning sun angle down into the large clearing in the middle of an ancient tree perimeter. A series of watery footsteps sound out into the area, and two trails of footprints form a path across the soggy soil. The depressions into the grasses appear, and water oozes in, filling them quickly. Leading into the mid sized structure, two pairs of boot prints stamp watermarks onto the stone floor of the entry. Modoran and Deedri gradually fade into full opacity on top of the watery outlines. Blinking intrigued, Deedri smirks, whispering at Modoran. "I REALLY need to learn how to do those spells."

Modoran grins nonchalantly and shrugs his shoulders. "Yeah. They have their uses."

The two slowly step inside further and cautiously inspect the entryway. The growing morning highlights the signs of past, messy strife. Modoran spots Chad down the hallway and leads the way through the leftover chaotic clues. Shuddering with the recognition of old bloodstains, Deedri rushes through that corridor section. Chad waves the two in and sighs with a relieved smile. "Good morning. I hope you two got some rest. We tried our best here."

Twisting his mouth into a grimace, Modoran shrugs uncertainly. "We dried out and took turns getting a few hours of sleep each. Not the best sleep I have ever had honestly. Not the worst either."

Sneering her upper lip, Deedri uneasily squirms out her disgust. "Didn't help that we stayed in some makeshift jail cell."

Chad opens his brown eyes wide, frowns slightly, and glances around the room. "Gods... Yeah. This place has some... HISTORY... That I really don't want to know about right now."

Tassilda finishes brushing out her long raven black hair, pulls it back over her spiraling horns, and dons a relieved smile. "Yes. But, it seems like everyone is safe enough."

Deedri's furry, tufted ears perk up, and she gazes between the group. "Really? The crew and... Veevi?"

With a wry chuckle, Tassilda stands up from her seat on a cot, stretching out her arms, and rolls her light blue on black eyes. "Yes. The crew followed our aetherphone beacons, and they found Veevi for us. She hid in some bedroom in the big building at the other end of the clearing. Nearly blasted Gerald's head off when the crew tried to explore the room she was in."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Chad slowly shakes his head and grumbles. "GODS. Need to take that damned pistol away from her."

Trakenthin groans in agreement, nodding his head sternly at Chad. Modoran pivots in place, studying the layout and contents of the room, and queries the assembled team. "Any theories about what this place is?"

Chad rests his hands at his side, puzzling at the environment, and ponders out loud. "Maybe some kind of base? This place looks old. But, all the furniture looks like it was kept up until recently. So..."

Leaning over to a corner of covered supplies, Trakenthin lifts up a cloth wrapped bundle, steps up to Modoran, and presents it. "You may know about this. Found it while clearing out space for camp."

Modoran takes hold of the loose package, unwraps it, and tilts his head back in surprise. Carefully gripping the finely crafted wooden bow, he meticulously examines the inscriptions and magical channels carved into the structure. He cocks his head of short, grayish white hair to the side, astonishment and worry blending together upon his dusky bluish gray face. Searching his mind for conclusions, he exchanges glances with the curious team and inquires further. "Did you find any quivers or arrows?"

Trakenthin nods, pointing to the corner of the supply collection, and directs Modoran's attention towards a quiver of three well crafted arrows with magical markings. Blanking his expression, Modoran mumbles out a phrase in Evuukian and draws an awkward breath in. Chad narrows his gaze at Modoran, tilting his head intrigued. "Anything we should know?"

Modoran shrugs his shoulders, resuming his nonchalant exterior, and sighs with hints of reservation. "It is a wonderful magic imbued bow and nicely enchanted arrows. I am a bit worried about who made them. BUT..."

He eyes the space and corridor leading outside. "I get the feeling they are not here anymore. So, I will hold on to these... If no one objects?"

Chad searches the rest of the group for opposition and nods in agreement. "Go ahead. You're probably the best one to use it from what I've seen."

Staring outside and focusing her furry ears towards faint sounds of Veevi's voice, Deedri levels a question at the team. "So, what's the plan?"

Noticing the attention upon him, Chad draws in a breath, searches his mind a moment, and plots. "We'll regroup with the crew... and Veevi. First order of business is to figure out where that drone is. That way we can try to be where it isn't. After that, we double time back to camp, load up, and get the hell out of here."

He glances off to the side with a frown. "I think we have enough evidence to show that the drone is not exactly... Um, recoverable? Currently in use? Shit. I don't even know what the fuck to call it. BUT, I hope that's enough of an explanation for the Grand Library."

Rolling her light blue on black eyes, Tassilda smirks sarcastically. "From what I've heard about the Grand Library, they'll probably send a team to try to study that thing after we're gone. So I doubt they'll care one way or another."

Nodding at Chad, Modoran slips the quiver onto his back, holds the bow at the ready, and motions towards the exit. "Let us see what the crew and Veevi are doing, then. Then, we can get the hell out of here."

The group assembles and walks to the entryway. Upon stepping out, they notice Veevi in front of the largest ancient structure, standing boldly in front of the entrance. In her revealing adaptation of her recently found clothing line, she soaks in the attention of cameras. The team halts their progress and reluctantly watches. Modoran squints his eyes, gritting his teeth into a grimace, and cringes. "Ooo... That... THAT is a lot they are going to have to fix in post."

Tassilda sneers her upper lip, placing her hands on her hips, and snorts derisively. "Oh please, she's shown far more in far less before."

Shaking his head, Modoran draws an uneasy breath through his teeth. "Yeah, but those are Terra Priest symbols on all that. I am certain that will NOT appease the Evuukian market."

With the team starting to comprehend Modoran's words, an unfortunately familiar whir of rotor blades creeps out from the background noise of the surrounding forest. The sound surges louder and louder. The drone slowly navigates through an open section of cleared branches between two ancient trees and passes through the perimeter into the unoccupied section of the large clearing. It hovers menacingly over the small jail structure, starting a slow scan of the area. The team ducks back into their building, hiding out of sight. Gritting his teeth, Chad whispers to the group, thinking out loud. "OKAY. We know where it is. But, we have to deal with it. I'm thinking if we can disable it. At least so it can't fly well enough to follow us. Umm..."

He eyes the bow in Modoran's hand and smirks. "Modoran, you think you can do some damage with that?"

Modoran pulls an arrow out of the quiver, checking it over, and nods tentatively. "Oh yeah. I am not familiar with these arrows. BUT, I know I can put it through the hole in its side if it stays still."

Lifting a finger with an idea springing forth in her mind, Deedri points over to Tassilda. "I got something, I think. Spirits can be influenced by mind-affecting magic. That's how they are often controlled. At least, from what I've read... So... Maybe..."

Tassilda cracks an eager grin on her gray face, lifting an eyebrow, and flexes her hand of long, black nailed fingers. "A charged up sleep wave?"

Deedri's auburn eyes light up, and she smiles. "Yes! And, I can boost up a hold spell to try to immobilize it."

Nodding at the forming plan, Chad glances over to Trakenthin and smirks. "And if it goes down, Trakenthin and I will close in to chop its wings."

Trakenthin nods affirmatively, dons a stoic gaze, and readies his sword. Chad sorts through the process and outlines the plan. "Okay. Deedri immobilizes it, and Tassilda sleeps it. Modoran sends an arrow or two inside it. If it goes down, Trakenthin and I will try to keep it from flying again."

The assembled team relays their agreement. Chad twists his face, pondering a moment, and grumbles. "We just need a distraction-"

A loud, bold yell echoes out into the field, and a series laser blasts cast a bright green hue into the entry. A single dull, metallic ping rings out, and rotors flare up. humming angrily. Veevi screams out over the sound of the laser pistol firing. "You're not so tough! A few good shots will take you down!"

Chad blinks blankly and releases a sigh along with the dismay of the team. Trakenthin quips, rolling his hazel eyes. "Asked. Received."

Outside in the clearing, in front of a line of gradually retreating crew members, Veevi takes shaky aim at the drone hovering distantly and pulls the trigger repeatedly. A few bright green beams flash past the approaching machine, and it slowly pivots in place, its rotors adjusting. With a few arcs across its fuselage, the huge, airborne anima infused aircraft shifts its propulsion and coasts towards Veevi, sparks drifting off of it. In a growing panic Veevi jerks more wild shots off her weapon, sending random beams roughly in the drone's direction. The furious machine gains velocity with intent blatant.

With a loud roar of rotors spinning up to speed and blades chopping through air, the aircraft pitches its nose sharply down and fans out arcs of electricity. The crew instinctively scatter away and flee in sheer panic back into the huge ancient structure. Shakily keeping her laser pistol pointed towards the drone, Veevi glances back at the frightened people running away and stares in absolute terror at the visibly aggravated machine. She freezes in horror, shaking in her boots, and shrinks in hopeless awe.

Shimmers of energy jet up from the ground, quickly enveloping the drone, and stiffen into a thick translucent cloud. Sputtering out quick fvalian curses just outside the stone barracks structure, Deedri digs her finger claws into the soggy dirt, saturated with magical flow. She glances over with a wince at Tassilda and growls out. "NOW! I don't know how long- I can- stretch this out-! Never meant for THIS!"

With a flash of light blue glow in her eyes, Tassilda cracks a confident smirk, presses the swirling magical flow between her hands, and aims the palms of her hands towards the struggling drone. With a flex of her upper body and arms, the energies surge into a focal point and erupt out in a narrow cone at the anima controlled craft. The nearly transparent flow engulfs the drone, washing through the entirety of the chassis. Moments later, the rotors spin down to an idle maintenance speed, servos lethargically level out, and the craft hovers still in the air. A fast sigh of relief leaves Deedri's lungs, and she recovers her composure, panting. "Oh gods... It's not fighting back now. I think I can keep it steady."

Modoran nods with concern at Deedri, steps up front with the bow in hand, and nocks an arrow, glaring determinedly at the drone. Pulling back the bowstring, he draws in a calm breath and lines up his shot to the hole in the fuselage. Flows of magical energy swirl around his arms and sink into the bow and arrow. The markings on the bow glow brightly, and a misty illumination vents off the head of the arrow. The drone drifts enough, exposing itself fully. The bow and arrow light up to their brightest. Modoran releases. The bowstring snaps forward. The arrow disappears into a blue-white streak across the clearing. The fiery ball of energy zips inside the chassis of the machine, leaving a miasma trail behind.

A fast succession of loud metal slams pound inside the body of the drone, each impact losing volume and leaving a smaller dent on the outer hull. The final crash sizzles into a loud expulsion of smoke, and the aircraft flops down upon a shallow puddle. Chad and Trakenthin charge out. Modoran draws another arrow from a quiver, examining it closely, and quips in a bit of surprise. "Huh. So that's what that enchantment did."

Chad takes the lead with his shield forward, and Trakenthin follows right behind. The mechanical beast roars out a confused, pained cacophony of synthetic chaos. Narrowing an examining stare at the struggling drone, Chad yells out to Trakenthin. "Try to break the blades on the rotors! Even a little damage will make them useless. Then, jam the mounts!"

Trakenthin nods, splits off from Chad, and the two rush to opposing sides of the drone. Carefully stepping forward, Chad grits his teeth, small arcs of electricity sparking out from the drone, and gets near a spasming fan. With his shield up, he holds his sword downwards above the chaotically spinning blades, winces his head back, and spikes his weapon in. With a loud shatter, fragments ping off his shield, and Chad struggles with his grip on the sword, the rotor grinding to a harsh halt. Trakenthin narrows his focus, waits for the arcs to wane, and crashes his large sword into the metal chassis surrounding the rotor unit. The drone jerks at the sudden stop, blades carving into the intake cowling. With shrill, electronic cries of rage, another furious blast of electricity erupts. Chad and Trakenthin retreat back quickly, and the aircraft fights against damage and physics to rise again.

Modoran readies another arrow, starts flowing his energies into it, and glances between Tassilda and Deedri. "Can you two give me another opening?!"

Deedri grits her sharp teeth, strains her body, and stares at the drone with glowing auburn eyes. Translucent forces lock the machine onto the ground. Tassilda steps up, aims her hands, summons up another burst of energy at the grounded aircraft. Modoran takes a deep breath in, leveling his aim, and yells out. "STAND BACK! I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS WILL DO!"

The arrow zips across the clearing, through the hole in the fuselage, and plants itself inside. Everyone watches expectantly for seconds. Deedri strains, keeping the drone locked down. A high pitched whine rings out from inside the machine. A powerful concussive burst explodes out. Silence overtakes the area. The drone remains still. The electrical arcs wane to nothing. And, the last signs of life fade from the rotors and servos.

Chad and Trakenthin regroup with the rest of the team. A minute later, Chad glances over the team, presents a proud, bright white grin, and chuckles. "I think it's done. But... We'll keep back and..."

Chad's voice trails off with the bewilderment of the team. They watch Veevi strut triumphantly up next to the drone. With the camera crew recording from a distance, Veevi dons a prideful grin, assumes a revealing stance, and poses with her laser pistol. Tassilda glares spitefully, her knuckles cracking from clenching her fist. "That little fucking pink bitch..."

A faint glow pulsates inside the hole in the drone, and a small entity of brightly shining, translucent, angular shapes, and jagged energy trails leaps out. Scrambling around frantically, the entity briefly skitters around. It pauses a moment and lunges towards Veevi, merging into the laser pistol in her hand. The weapon electrocutes itself out of the Veevi's hand and lands upon the ground. Stumbling onto the soggy soil, Veevi dramatically clutches her hand and whines out in pain. The camera crew shifts their full attention over to the gun. Using arc magical energies, the pistol rights itself on the ground, pivots its aim, and fires wildly. The crew ducks and scrambles away. Chad hoists up his shield and growls out loudly. "Enough of this shit!"

Trakenthin stands defensively in front of Deedri and Modoran. Chad approaches the laser pistol, and Tassilda rushes up behind, patting his back. "Get me close. I'll see what a dispelling blast does to it."

With pulses of bright green beaming out across the clearing, Chad and Tassilda approach slowly and carefully. In a final push, Chad moves up to the chaotically firing weapon. Tassilda swings her arm out from behind Chad and flings out an orb of magical energy. The ball of disruptive flow impacts the flailing pistol and bursts out into a plume of power. Leaping free, the anima flees the weapon in a high-pitch electronic shriek. With a chitter of synthetic panic, it darts around the clearing and flies off into the forest.

Chad steps up cautiously towards the motionless weapon and picks it up gingerly. He ejects the power cell, engages the safety, and holds the discharge button. Shaking his head, he grumbles out a blend of frustration and relief. "I'll be holding onto this."