4505/Persona:WTWM - Long Live The King

Persona:WTWM - Long Live The King
Date of Scene:	02 September 2016
Location:	Alberichstadt <P:WTWM>
Synopsis:	Everyone's <insert opinion here> tank-wearing cat returns! He has an offer to make, and helps the group start a catfight. Featuring a musical guest!
Cast of Characters:	August Kohler, 908, 151, Janine Liberi, William Pauwel, 1031, 999
Tinyplot:	Persona: Were the World Mine-1

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August Kohler has posed:
It's some appropriate time after school, Alberichstadt, Germany. The mirror is dark and red tinted again, signifying the Shadow of a Persona Game loser. August Kohler makes a call for action on the Multiversal broadbands, transmitting coordinates to an area in the Black Forest near the warpgate, not far from the Shack. Once he's clarified it's not someone they don't want near the Shack, he brings any new arrivals there. It's a nice shack, basically a little house, though it has a massive mirror in the middle of it, reinforced and kept secure. Though the Shack's not important. It's what's /inside the Mirror/, as August opens a portal and allows everything through. Regulars are used to this by now, maybe.

The portal opens up to a massive forest, shrouded in darkness. The trees are made of glass, and the entire place is alien and /unsettling/. Strange creatures with masks and yellow eyes flicker around in the trees, and chittering can be heard. In the far distance, some may even think the chittering is louder in a certain direction. But that's not the destination. Once everyone is through, August speaks. "Okay...I don't see anything out of the norm, yet. Let's keep going. For you new guys, keep your eyes sharp. This Forest is deadly, and pretty much everything wants to kill you."

The White Pig rummages around, chasing his own tail. When he sees the group, he oinks happily, before realizing why they're here, and leads them towards the familiar little area with a single log that this clearing leads out into.

On top of the log sits a strange sight. A small manged cat, weak, sickly, and with mottled fur, wearing elaborate fancy boots, and wearing parts of an absolutely massive suit of armor that seems to be made out of parts of a tank, with the rest in front of him, being tended to by his claws and paws. This cat is the Panzer Cat, who members of the group have fought before. He spends a moment trying to beat up his armor back into repair, but it's missing a lot of pieces, including the tank treads that hold it all together. Wonder where those went?

And then the Panzer Cat notices the group, yellow eyes darting over on them. He's not a normal cat, that's for sure, as he speaks up, excitedly. "Ah, there you are, my old rivals! I was hoping you'd get the message! It is I, Panzer Cat! How have you been since our pitched battle? Let us sit and talk a bit!" He seems pretty friendly, and doesn't obviously have any hostile intent, but he's still a Shadow. Can he be trusted?

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    At one point, Gudako arrives, alone, carrying a white box from a local pastry shop. It's filled with all manners of small cakes, of which we'll spare you specific mentions so you can claim your own favorite. The magus has, for her own part, already helped herself to an eclair.

    When she sees August, her smile widens, and signals: "Caster! Berserker! Foxpile the weary man!"

    The two Servants break into existence from nothing, red and blue robes immediatly wrapping around August as they sandwich the teenager between each other. It's probably a very awkward place to be, but one couldn't deny the two foxgirls are warm, pleasant, friendly, and definitely trying to comfort August. Due to some magic from Caster, it probably works especially well, having relaxing virtues!

    On the other hand Berserker hugs tighter than Caster, evidently trying to prove she is the best at hugging and comforting people. It may defeat the purpose.

    This happens even as the Panzer Cat demands attention, with Gudako ignoring tiny but massively armored cat to hand the box of pastries to August, flipping the lid open so everyone can help themselves to one. Maybe it'll pacify the Cat, too?

    "Aren't foxpiles the best? And cake! The only thing you're missing is chocolate milk to go with it all!" She didn't bring any of that, though.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
When Ainsley steps through the mirror, she momentarily closes her eyes, the sensation of stepping through still affecting her. She has always felt weirded out by the change in atmosphere and light and sound that occurs so rapidly when stepping through a mirror portal. Warp gates have a comparitively gradual process. She spends a moment to greet the White Pig with a small treat that she pulls out of a pocket, just some high grade pet food kept in a plastic baggy this time since she couldn't be bothered to buy anything fancy... and he made some comments the last time she saw him that made her less than enthused with him once she thought about it.

    She still smiles, though.

    Her smile fades once they get moving. She follows at a pace that keeps her close to the center of the group, her eyes peeled for traps so she doesn't end up with broken glass in her flesh again. She doesn't seem nervous, though, making her look like she's just casually looking around as if this were a simple stroll through any old forest. She spares only a moment to sigh and shake her disapprovingly at the antics of Gudako's Servants, but doesn't worry about it more than that.

    The Panzer Cat greets them, and his identity is entirely new to Ainsley. She activates her Sight immediately to try to assess the cat and keeps her mouth shut for now. After the problem with that mechanical bird, this particular Shadow is not going to get overlooked just because he already knows someone in the party. She waves at him nonetheless, his passive nature allowing for some polite gestures.

Janine Liberi has posed:
    Another day of cat-like readiness, in case the dim reflections in the classroom windows go murky for Janine. And once again, they do, the violent crimson of a failed Persona Game participant. To that end, she fakes a sudden fit of intense pain in her arm (even more so than usual) and slips out of school early. Thankfully, ever since the attack at her apartment, she had her sword nearby at all times, this time in her locker. Once outside the gate, she tries to get through to Emily and heads to the shack.

    In checking on the new arrivals, she brings her usual sharp tongue and pessimism. However, that doesn't stop her from plundering a cannoli from Gudako's box with a grunt of thanks around the mouthful of cream filling. "Live it up August, that's the most female attention you'll ever get," she deadpans as her fellow Persona user is turned into a Kohler sandwich.

    Into the Forest then, and Janine has her sword out immediately, keeping it between her and what lies ahead. And what lies ahead is a mangy cat that looks like it survived and scavenged from several battlefields. The last time a Shadow acted friendly, it had lead them to a trap, so she's not about to take any chances.

    Blade brandished, she scowls at Panzer Cat. "So you're the one fucking with the mirrors? That makes you the Shadow of someone who lost the game... what do you want?"

William Pauwel has posed:
    William Pauwel is approximately the worst possible person to go investigate something this far outside the pale of 'normal.' He's come anyway! Because people sound like they need help, and he's a guy with a gun, so that's gotta count for something, right?

Everyone knows 'gun' is the best superpower!!

    He arrives with a flutter of a poncho and a tilt of his hat, looking every little bit like a cowboy lost in time... Though perhaps not in the right direction. His outfit is littered with pieces of high technology that are more than a little bit... out of place. A dimly lit visor nestled just over his eyes, a strange assembly of gears and motors on his left arm and around both ankles. Not just a cowboy, then.

A FUTURE COWBOY.

    "Howdy y'all!" Will says with a grin. It fades quickly, becuase that sure is a CAT IN POWER ARMOR THERE. Will has prepared for many things, but no man can adequately prepare for NATURE'S CUTEST SUPERPREDATOR in a SUPER ROBOT SUIT. "Uh," Will says, staring at Der Panzerkatze. "H-howdy. Are y'all the one we're after, or just... Here to say hi?"

Ashurel Cloudbank (1031) has posed:
    There's an old woman slowly shuffling along behind Gudako. She looks elderly, probably close to 80, and she uses her staff to steady her walking. She's a new face, though. Definitely not seen around these parts before. The only possession she has other than robes and staff is a tattered leather bookbag.

    "Are you sure they'll want my help? I'm not quite what I used to be at this," She croaks out to Gudako in an aged voice. Her staff grips into the ground to pull her along. Weathered hands grip around the battered object and her hunched over form struggles to keep up with the much younger Magus.

    "I shall simply observe, for now," She comments, both to Panzer Cat wishing to speak and to Gudako in general. The woman leans on her staff a bit, seeming tired and mostly observing those gathered.

August Kohler has posed:
There's cake! August is distracted from tank-wearing cat to grab a piece, a chocolate thing made of chocolate. He only gets a single bite in before the foxgirls attack, snuggling him. He turns immediately red and freezes up, and then also becomes kind of pained because Berserker is a giant strong catfox. Eventually, he pushes himself out of their grip, to continue eating cake, and pay attention to cat. Ish, cake's more important.

Panzer Cat accepts pastry. A donut! It's plain, though. But he eats it, which looks a lot like a super starving cat eating for the first time in years. Once he's finished, he wipes his face with a paw. He reaches down behind the log as soon as people grab weapons, grabbing a massive ass TANK CANNON, which he then puts in a defensive position as a sword. He still has no hostile intent. "Rivals, rivals, please! No need to fight here, I come with a business proposition!" Panzer Cat nods towards Janine and Will, before speaking up. "I have a request of you, knowing that your group is full of skilled combatants, especially after...well, those ladies over there fought me, I guess, but after you all fought me!" Panzer Cat gestures to Gudako and her Servants once he realizes they're the only ones he's actually met. "And as pitiful as it may be, I know only you can help me with this request!"

"I want you to help me commit murder!"

Panzer Cat cheerfully smiles as he puts down his armor, giving everyone a minute to think over what he said before he continues. "You see, I have a problem. There is this king, and everyone says he's kindly, but he's not very kindly. They call him the Kindly King. He has a very large court of people, and he, well, tried to /force/ me to join him. It didn't quite work, now he wants me dead, and I'd like to return the favor in advance! He's not a very good person, so you hero types should be okay with it!" Panzer Cat waits a minute for everyone to think about this, before getting to the good part.

"In return, I'll give you a favor. It can be anything, anything in the world! Once it's used, though, we've having a rematch of that duel, to see who is truly the strongest in bloodsport! Though, this is a very good deal, so I recommend not wasting the favor. You wouldn't get any more for free!" Panzer Cat is pretty sure of his worth, here, as he doesn't even seem to think of the fact that they might refuse.

"So, what do you say? Any questions? Or are you ready to commit regicide?~"

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    It's over the radio of the Die Reisenden group that Gudako introduces people to Anna Emmos, and then remembers she isn't on it. Finishing her eclair, she snaps her fingers and draws Caster's attention away from August, while Berserker, dejected that August has broken free from her grasp, redoubles her efforts to be friendly and aggressively cuddles up to August. Her eyes almost gleam with madness as she insists: "Nya, you shouldn't rebuke the lady who made Japanese emperors swoon! You should show her appreciation and love!" Maybe she wants headpats or something. Or ear-scritching. Take your chances, August.

    Caster, for her part, walks towards the older magus, helping her walk forward and sliding something into one of her sleeves. "Don't worry, I'll help you keep up with that bratty master of mine~" the foxgirl offers, kindly.

    Gudako, well, her attention is back the cat, finally. "Murder?" 8D "That sounds up our alley! Regicide, it'll be my fi--" No, wait. Not at all! "Second time! Woo, killing more kings!" The first, some might recall, occured in that region called Lucrelia, but that's a story for another time. "How do we decide who the crown goes to, though?"

Emily Branford (999) has posed:
    "The first and most important question, is whether that's 'one favor for the entire group', or 'one favor for each person."

    The question comes from Emily. She's been standing behind and to the left of Janine this entire time. What, you didn't notice? Shame on you. That's not very nice.

August Kohler has posed:
"One for the entire group!" The Panzer Cat replies, cheerfully. "And it cannot be used to cancel our inevitable duel! That's the only rule."

William Pauwel has posed:
There are so many animal people. For some reason, Will is not too weirded out. He's just... preoccuied by how that Cat Fox Thing is aggressively hugging that guy. It's kind of distracting.

Ahem.

    "Uh. Killing a king? Well." Well. From what he's hearing, the king isn't actually a PERSON. Just part of a person. A person's dark side. But is it really such a good idea to just shoot that sort of thing outright? Hmn. "I guess that's... Not a problem. If there ain't no objections from all the rest, that won't be too bad, right?"

He's never actually commited regicide before. It'll be an adventure!

...Maybe.

Janine Liberi has posed:
    The moment the Cat whips out a tank barrel, Janine immediately feels outclassed. Her dinky little antique sword might not even scratch it, let alone that armour. And since he does seem genuine about wanting help, so she lowers the sword. But she doesn't put it away either.

    Listening to the cat ramble about what he wants, her eyes start to glint with a bit of cunning, but first she wants to ensure terms are being understood. That's something her father taught her. "Okay so we help you with this, we get to call in a favour from you, and then after that's done, we have to fight you to the death? Dunno about that last part, but..."

    She starts pacing a little, looking around at everyone. "Do you need him dead like right now? Or could we pit him against the Queen and her court, make him die that way? From what I've heard, this guy might be separate from her, and we could use all the help we can get against her."

Ashurel Cloudbank (1031) has posed:
    "Ah. Thank you, dear. You're so kind. These old bones aren't quite what they were when I was younger," She bemoans a bit tiredly, taking Caster by the arm and holding onto it with her free hand as she shuffles along after the fox Servant. She takes a slow breath and adjusts the sleeves of her robe a bit as if trying to keep them from dragging along the ground, "The help is much appreciated."

    Anna smiles gently and then seems to get a surprised look on her face when the demand is amde by Panzer Cat, "Oh my. That's quite the request. Surely a man named Kindly King earned the name somehow, did he not? Asking a group of people to agree to regicide sight unseen is a tall order. I think they should at least be allowed to go see him." She points out, waving a wrinkly hand at the feline, "Perhaps he will have a similar offer and you are scared it will prove more enticing."

    "It's a well known fact that cats are selfish, violent creatures. You may be no different, trying to prey upon the weakness and enthusiasm of others like the foul predator you actually are," Anna accuses, pointing her finger a few more times, "Being taken in by the first offer given, and by a cat no less, would be a reckless way to begin this journey," She points out, narrowing her eyes at Panzer Cat.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley finishes scanning Panzer Cat, discovering that this Shadow is only a threat if it decides to be one, like any other person. And his frank demeanor tells her he's unlikely to just outright attack everyone while they're not prepared. Having seen precedence in not just one but TWO Shadows being friendly enough, and at least one actively wanting to destroy the Queen (probably) she decides that Panzer Cat can at least be trusted to follow his word when they make a deal. His request's wording makes her brows lift in surprise until he elaborates.

    She has to turn her head slowly as the old woman over there starts to talk about how the cat may be trying to get them to make the deal just for his own benefit and protection. Ainsley proceeds to point out, "He wants to fight us in a duel as soon as he feels able to do so, and this offer is because the King tried to force him to be a subject. And since I can't really see him being deceptive when he is..." She looks at the tank-armor-suit-wearing-cat for a moment, "Well. You don't seem like the subtlety type, Panzer Cat," she says, smiling in an apologetic way. She could probably see how genuine he was anyways with her magic eyes. "You are more suspect than he is, when you try to blanket distrust him just because he's a cat. A /Shadow/ cat, by the way, and one made from human subconsciousness." Ainsley seems to be losing her patience with both Gudako AND the people Gudako brings with her.

    And as for Janine, "No, it's more likely this King is a direct subordinate of the Black Queen, and if we actually manage to find him to speak to him he's likely to attack us on sight anyways. There are a couple different kinds of Shadow out there... there's the ones like the Pig, there's the ones like this Cat, and then there's the kind like the Huntsman, Queen and so on. The King fits the latter category, I think, because he's a great deal more established and powerful, just based off of what we've been told and what we've seen, and since he's staying in the Forest he is unlikely to be made directly from a single human being."

    She then looks to the Panzer Cat and tells him, "I think we should accept your offer. My name is Ainsley, by the way. A pleasure to meet you, I'm sure that battle was impressive and I'm sad I missed it."

August Kohler has posed:
August is abducted by Berserker, in a sense. A catfoxgirl wants his affection, the one thing he is most awkward about. He very tersely begins to headpat her, and it's kind of awkward, he just doesn't want to die. Or get snuggled anymore, man this is awkward.

Panzer Cat shrugs at Gudako. "I have no interest in a crown, you can have it. I'll only take a crown once I've defeated everyone there is to defeat in this universe!" He poses proudly at his declaration, before relaxing his pose to turn towards Janine. "Yupyup!"

"I'm sorry, I need him dead ASAP! I mean, the sooner he's dead, the sooner I can sleep with my eyes closed. He's also over there somewhere anyways, so it's easier this way!" The Panzer Cat waves his tank cannon in the direction of that louder chittering. Huh, it sounds kind of like music over there, of some sort. Panzer Cat turns to Ashurel, and just laughs. "I knew someone who /really/ hated cats! Were you his grandmother?"

Panzer Cat does leap off the log however, turning briefly towards that sound. "If you'd like to see the Kindly King first, that's fine by me. But if he forces you into his court, I'd really be sad killing you when you weren't at your fullest, you know? I'd rather do it when we're all at full health and ready to fight, because otherwise it wasn't really a test of strength!" Panzer Cat speaks rather excitedly about this future duel, before nodding his head to Ainsley. "Panzer Cat! It was, even if it ended in a draw! I thought they'd all die in a minute, but nope, strong!"

"So, shall we all go see the King? And are you gonna accept the deal?~"

Ashurel Cloudbank (1031) has posed:
    Ainsley's accusation of Anna being suspicious seems to just earn a shrug from the old woman, "By your own train of logic, you are even more suspect because you immediately dismiss a viewpoint that is not your own, even more directly than I dismissed his. I simply sought perspective and knowledge to attempt to create a fuller picture of the situation at hand, Miss, so that the group could make an informed decision. I suppose that's what separates experienced Scholars from hobbyists and amateurs."

    The old woman gives a slow shrug a few moments later, "That said, I am new here. I will concede to the decision of the group. I was merely, as said before, attempting to offer an outside perspective on why a fuller picture should be pursued." She smiles to the rest of the group, "I may be old, and my magic is fading, but whatever you all decide is your decision to make."

    She shuffles in her footing a bit, "I will follow your decision."

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    Gudako does not get involved in the feud over cats. She has no strong feeling on the matter, because her endgame doesn't actually have room to cash in that favor. It would be nice, if she could, but things are very unlikely to line up such that by the time they kill the King-- IF they kill the King-- well.

    Nah, the narration isn't going to tell you what she's thinking exactly, that'd be spoiling. 8D

    Instead, as Berserker accepts headpats and Caster continues to support Anna when the group moves, Gudako asks the cat: "Wouldn't that be awfully too convenient? He'd be a very bad king indeed if we could just walk up to his castle and kill him! Why don't you tell us more about everything between us and the king, first?"

August Kohler has posed:
"What castle? He just has his followers and his bodyguard! Also, he's really, really fat." The Panzer Cat gives Gudako useful information!

Emily Branford (999) has posed:
    For the time being, Emily remains quiet, having no particular responses to give to the cat. She's content to stand behind Janine and wait.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley quirks a corner of her mouth and gives Anna an increasingly skeptical look, but lets it go without argument because there's just better things to do than get into a cat fight (hah) with some old stranger right now. "I think we should accept," she tells everyone. Then she looks off in the direction of the King and his followers, listening for the chittering and pulling a piece of paper out to cast a spell and see if she can make sense of some of that otherwise unintelligible noise. The paper vanishes in a puff of blue fire when she casts the spell.

Janine Liberi has posed:
    Janine fixes Ashurel with a long stare. "Okay so we got a Crazy Anticat Lady here now, thanks Gudako. Listen lady, it's just a name, he's probably a huge asshole like most Shadows." No mention is made of 'with the exception of present company' because Janine is like that.

    When the Cat dismisses her idea, she half-shrugs with her good arm. "Worth a try I guess. Hmm..." In her mind, she's trying to come up with ways to subvert the whole 'duel him to the death' thing, and one idea is to ask him to do something suicidal, like a rush on the Queen's castle... once they find it. Could work, and they still benefit if he actually pulls it off.

    "I say we do it," she finally says. "We need all the help we can get. Besides, a king probably drops some good shit to give to Agatha."

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    "That sounds like a really lame king. No castle? No army? Just a bunch of followers and bodyguards? That's no king! Hm. Sounds boring. I don't know if I'm committed anymore," Gudako admits, pondering. Maybe she'll just watch and eat the rest of those cakes. She'll figure it out when they get there.

Emily Branford (999) has posed:
    For a brief moment, Emily turns a side-eyed glance on Gudako.

    "Perhaps he deserves to die for misleading you about his regal nature? Just a thought."

William Pauwel has posed:
August continues to be accosted by kitty-foxes. Will feels a strange pang deep in his chest. Is this... Envy?

Well. In all honesty, who wouldn't be jealous of that? Jeez.

(Apparently not that weird old woman. Who could hate cats!? Seriously!)

    "Uh, well, I ain't got no say either way, but I ain't the kind of guy to serve a king just because." He shrugs vaguely in the direction of the Cat On The Tank. "I guess we could go ahead and do this. You said the favor's a... group thing though, right?" But what could a tank-armor-riding cat provide for a favor? A feast of tank-armor-riding fish?

    "So is there anything else you can tell us about this... Kindly King? Y'all keep saying he tried to make you his subject by force, right?" That sounds to Will vaguely like some kind of crazy kind of MIND CONTROL. This only makes sense, given that they're dealing with things that apparently come from peoples' subconsciousnesses. "How exactly does he... Do... that?"

August Kohler has posed:
August attempts to break away, now that they're leaving. He really, really hopes Berserker isn't going to chase him down.

"One bodyguard! But he's really big." Panzer Cat corrects Gudako, before replying to Will. "He told me to obey him, but it didn't work, so he wanted to kill me instead." It's a really simple explanation! Sadly, it doesn't actually say if it was mind control or not. Well, guess they're gonna have to find out. Panzer Cat leads the others through the trees. As they travel through, the distant noise gets louder: it's music. The chittering is turned into songs, and the sound of drumming can be heard.

Inside a clearing in the forest are dozens upon dozens of Shadows, all in a circle. Some are off to the side, drumming on pieces of glass, while some are with them, singing. Some draw pictures of a king, while many dance around. In the middle of this massive Shadow circle is a very large throne, being held up by atleast two dozen Shadows struggling to lift it. Sitting on this throne is a large, fat cat, morbidly obese and absolutely hideous to look at. He wears a small gold crown upon his large head, as he listens to the music his audience makes. Many of these Shadows seem to have a strange dazed look in those golden eyes...what's going on here? There also seems to be a massive mountain of a man standing to the side: an ugly giant, fifteen feet tall, with a sledgehammer in his hands.

As the group approaches, the Shadows part. Panzer Cat moves out of the way for a minute, while the Kindly King looks up to speak, purring. "Ah, new servants! I am your Kindly King! Please, join the dancing. Those with musical talents, use them. One of you, come massage me, my shoulders are sooooo stiff." The Kindly King then goes back to doing nothing really. The life of a king, right?

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Now that they've decided to go murder a King, Ainsley makes sure to pull her longsword, Mercy, out of its scabbard, but holds it in one hand while the other holds a large book. The book's pages flip through with a few unintelligible phrases until she finds the appropriate page.

    This means that when the get to the Kindly King, she is already prepared for a fight. She turns her attention among the followers, and frowns deeply at the thought that they would follow this feline just because they were told to. His demeanor -- lazy, demanding, presumptuous -- grinds her gears as much as any other self-respecting person, but she somehow manages to just frown at him and prioritize herself to doing something other than getting grumpy at him. She tries to assess whether he is directly controlling these 'servants' to see if she can disrupt the effect the moment this starts to get violent.

    Her eyes glow and magic circles appear within them, indicating the activation of her Sight. She looks a bit distracted with this task. Other people will have to start this ruckus. She wants to REALLY anger this King by depriving him of the one power he wants: Followers.

    She lets the others figure out their part of this, confident they have plans that will prove advantageous.

Ashurel Cloudbank (1031) has posed:
    "Oh probably. Probably." Anna agrees with Janine, smiling patiently. She doesn't seem to mind the nickname she was just given and mostly agrees that Janine is probably right, only adding, "I just wanted the full scope of information. Call it a quirk of old age." She waves her hand as she walks, "If you want to kill him, we will kill him."

    Of course, bored as the Wizard is as she walks along, she needs things to do. Things that involve distracting cats and making August's life hard. The woman reaches one sleeved arm into her book bag and pulls out a pinch of powder, "Ah. Berserker." She flicks some dust at the cat, mostly for her own amusement, "You should dance with that young man."

8th Level Spell: Maximized Irresistable Dance -> Berserker. It'll last about 30 incredibly awkward seconds.

    Back to the matter at hand when they arrive more fully at the King's court. The old woman looks sufficiently annoyed at the fact that the end product of this decision will require her to side with a cat instead of a cat. Or side with a cat over a cat. Too many cats.

    Mostly, since she's fully committed to a plan that involves murdering at least one cat, she starts to figure out which of her non-joke spells she wants to use.

Emily Branford (999) has posed:
    "Ah, a massage, of course, my lord. One of the many arts I'm trained in as a Butler." Emily is all smiles and obedient acquiescence, striding out at a crisp, calm pace. Her suit has either been repaired or replaced since their last foray into the forest, and she is absolutely immaculate as always - though the keen of eye might note that her left glove is black, not white. Interesting.

    She is careful to climb up the throne quite slowly and deliberately, seeking each purchase and handhold with the utmost caution. It allows her to easily get up and behind the king, wherein she carefully lays hands on his furry shoulders, as if inspecting the obese cat for something. "Goodness, for such calm king you've rather tense shoulders. It's good I'm here to loosen them up."

    Then Strands of Fate is in her hand, and she's snapping it around with inhuman speed, intending to lay open the Kindly King's throat from one side to the other.

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    "That IS a crime," Gudako agrees, although she doesn't seem totally sold. She'll follow, anyway, let's see what there is to see.

    Just one bodyguard, though? This king keeps dropping in rating.

    As Gudako observes, and Caster stays back, Berserker suddenly acquires the intense desire to dance, grabs August by the arm, and drags him to the circle of Shadows. She may be a Berserker but she can dance. Unfortunately she's a very active dancer, and may not totally control her strength while doing so.

    It's a lot like dancing with the Hulk, only she's not throwing August anywhere, just flailing him left and right to the beats of the music. Gudako seems amused, and Caster will use this to reminder her master she's the superior Servant at some point in the future.

    It's with a lot of honesty that, when Gudako eventually, speaks, she tells the King outright: "Sorry your majesty, we're here to kill you! Unless you can make a better offer to us? This little armored cat offered us a favor for your head, what's your counteroffer?"

    Oh, but that isn't all she does. "CASTER!"

    A GIANT MIRROR (well, one meter diameter) appears in the path of Emily's weapon(s). The mirror is sturdy as all hell and won't even chip under the pressure, although the feedback of the strike will transfer to Caster and momentarily weaken her. On the bright side, the king will probably be safe!

    "Come on, come on!" Gudako says, stepping forward. "Let's at least hear what his majesty has to say before we gut him for his delicious meat and loot!"

Janine Liberi has posed:
    Away they go then! Janine creeps behind a big tree of frosted glass to peek at the congregation. When she sees what sits on the throne, she shoots Ashurel a snide look. But also says, "Holy shit that is the fattest cat I've ever seen." She had been hoping to sneak around the clearing, maybe filter in some of Biancabella's power to weaken the crowd before they attack. But, they're spotted. Damn.

    Janine has to swallow several comments, the best one being about how the king looks like the cat that genocided an entire species of canary by eating them. Thankfully, Emily is there to take charge, what a good butler. Not that Janine would ever say that. But you know what Janine would say?

    "What the fffffffffffffffFUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" she screams at Gudako and Caster as they keep Emily from dealing a mortal blow. Her knuckles are shining white through her fist as she clutches her sword, looking intent on cutting down Gudako then and there. But she glances towards the dancing Berserker, remembering the time she threw Janine at a not-dragon. And not to mention that bullshit defence Caster has

    But okay, sure, fine. Gudako wants to maximise profits. But these dancers can't have anything to offer, right? So. "BIANCABELLA!" the Italian yells, peering into the blade of her sword, the mangled woman arising from an aura of blue. Immediately, the stink of rotting flowers billows through the clearing, aiming at weakening the Shadows. Protecting them all from immediate repercussion without killing anyone and making Gudako do more stupid nonsense.

William Pauwel has posed:
    Just... told him to obey? That's all that this 'king' needed to do, and somehow people just sort of... follow him? That definitely sounds like mind control. Will's lips twitch downward into a tight frown. The last time he ran into something like this, there were horrible aquatic parasites that jacked right up into peoples' brains. This time is a little more... abstract.

Also a little more hard to keep off.

Hopefully a little less permanent though!

    Soon, though, they stand in the court of the... The cat king. Another cat. Do people just have cats living in them? Is this normal? Does... Does he, too, house an INNER FELINE?

Is... it cute?

    Because this thing sure as hell isn't. Will grimaces at the bizarrely corpulent King Cat. It's like some kind of CAT SLIME, just sort of sagging full of fat and fluff into its throne. And it's surrounded by a whole court of blank-eyed stares. This is the king, then? So all they need to--

Oh! Emily is going for the kill!

...Oh, Gudako's foxy friend... interrupts.

And then the angry girl with the accent decides to summons SOME KIND OF MONSTER, HOLY SHIT.

    In the midst of all of this, Will has his gun drawn, the Solano leaking clouds of white-blue plasma as his aim pivots from target to target to target. "W-what the heck is going on!? Are we doing this!? Are we NOT doing this!?!?"

August Kohler has posed:
As soon as Ashurel casts a spell on Berserker, August is trying to run. Sadly, he's not faster than a Servant. Berserker easily grabs him, and induces heavy vertigo into him, leaving him dizzy and nauseated when she stops. Well, this is going to make August bad at shadowkilling tonight!

Ainsley gets some info, showing that the Kindly King seems to be in fact a /master/ at mind control. These Shadows are strongly controlled, and while she could break it, he could likely rebuild it with but a word.

The Kindly King smiles contently as Emily comes up. He shifts uncomfortably as she does, though, as if he's uncomfortable with her even being that close to him, despite his order. Just a minute before he dies, he realizes that something is up. But it's too late.

Oh wait, no it isn't. Gudako's mirror stops the strike, which causes the Kindly King to shout. "Smasher! Get rid of her!" As he does, the giant with the hammer comes forward and just trying to strike her with his hammer, hoping he'll go flying.

The Court is weakened, but doesn't do anything except sing, dance, and draw. As if they can't, because they haven't been told to do anything else. As Gudako declares their intent and asks for an order, the Kindly King fumes at her. "You've betrayed me! And you'll betray me again, I can see it in you! It's in your words! I can't trust you like you are, you'll betray me, and I will never be betrayed, not ever again!" And then, he Speaks. "OBEY ME!"

The words shake through the clearing. Those who hear them are being shouted at in their head, told that their friends are Bad, and that the Kindly King is Good. If they can concentrate, they should be able to break out of it...but can they, fast enough?

And as he does, his throne begins moving around. "MY SERVANTS, ATTACK THOSE WHO DO NOT OBEY!" The Shadow Servants suddenly stop their partying, moving to strike at any who is not affected by the King's orders. Meanwhile, the Smasher runs into the fight. As he does, the Panzer Cat leaps forward, attempting to stab him in the back with his tank cannon. He's met for his efforts with a devastating blow of a hammer, knocking the cat 15 feet back despite his massive armor. That hammer has quite the swing behind it.

=====================THE EMPEROR REVERSED & THE TOWER======================

------------------------MANIFESTATION OF REFLECTION------------------------

                       THE KINDLY KING & THE SMASHER                      
               THE KING OF ALL CATS AND HIS TERRIFYING GIANT              

----------------------------PREPARE FOR BATTLE-----------------------------

=================================IV & XVI==================================

The Smasher immediately attempts to strike into Janine with his massive ass hammer, his feet making footprints in the ground as he walks. What a big guy.

Emily Branford (999) has posed:
    It's an exceptionally rare moment where anyone gets to see anything other than calm on Emily's face.

    Congratulations. When Caster's mirror appears to deflect her whip from slitting the King's throat, you all get to see her make the 'Oh, bollocks' face.

    She doesn't even wait for the tantrum or the Smasher's response to it. In the next heartbeat, she's off the throne and halfway across the clearing, skidding to a stop in a three-point landing with her right arm holding her whip up and out. There's a brief moment where Gudako gets a /Look/. But then it's all about Janine's safety, first and foremost, and her form blurs into motion again. This time, it's around and behind the Smasher, where she slings her whip around and unleashes a good dozen or so cracks in the blink of an eye. Every single whipcrack is aimed at the same spot too - his left Achilles' tendon.

    The fierce order from the King? It doesn't even seem to make her flinch.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    "NO!"

    Ainsley bellows right back at the Kindly King, her own words echoing not just with the power designed to counteract it, but with the reverberating power of someone grabbing the very fabric of reality and throttling it to get it to do what she wants. The effect ripples like two tidal waves crashing into each other, with her pointing her sword at the Kindly King and having the power wash around her harmlessly.

    Then she stabs the longsword into the ground, and holds the book in both hands as pages flip and blue fire burns from it, illuminating the air around her and filling it with arcane whispering noises. She slams the book shut as the spell completes, and reaches forward as if trying to grab at something in the air. Blue light shines around her arm, indicating the focusing of all of her mana to try to combat the mind control spell.

    "Silence."

    A deafening silence would spread out from her, trying to wash out the Kindly King's control over anything she can hit with the spreading wave, just before she shoves the core of the spell toward him and tries to rob the King of his demanding voice. If he can't speak, he can't give orders, and the very root of his power will be taken from him.

    She holds her hand like that, as if representing her keeping a vice grip on his vocal cords, fingers curled into a wicked claw.

    It takes a lot of effort to do this, her body shudder and her legs nearly buckling beneath her.

Janine Liberi has posed:
    As the King's words wash through the clearing, it washes over Janine's mind like water over smooth stone. He's asking for obedience, and she's not very obedient. He's asking for help, and she's far from helpful.

    But she does need an excuse to mess with a 'teammate.'

    She calls Biancabella's name, a guttural and furious cry, causing the image of the woman to send a flurry of wilted rose petals swirling around Gudako, making her look like she stepped right out of a shojou manga panel. Except these petals come with an awful, cloying stink, making her eyes water, her knees shake, her throat close, among all manner of strong debuffs.

    So exactly like if she was a shoujou protagonist.

    But the Ainsley plants her sword, and makes silence echo. As mad at Janine is, she understands that living through this takes priority over revenge. So she takes the chance to 'shake off' the 'mind control,' making a show of blinking blearily and shaking her head.

    And then she starts trying to cave gaps in the horde of performers with strong gusts of winds. Gudako does not get an apology.

William Pauwel has posed:
Yep. They're doing it.

    Things start going bad pretty damn quickly. Will continues to look like someone who is ENORMOUSLY confused. What looked like it was going to be a quick in-and-out suddenly turned into just about the most stuck-in sort of brawl you could imagine. The only thing that might make this more confusing is if that tank-riding cat rolled in just now and stomped all over all of them. But that just doesn't happen.

Which is why, when that cat's strangely seductive words flood across his consciousness, the Chaser... actually seems to wobble on his feet. His aim shifts, the glowing, white-blue handcannon lining up a shot on one Janine Liberi's center of mass.

His finger hovers over the trigger.

...And then Ainsely SPEAKS.

Of course, what happens next will ulimately depend on just how successful she is!

Ashurel Cloudbank (1031) has posed:
Hostile Mental Magic Detected.
Analyzing... Effect: Mind Control...
Cast - Mind Blank

    It's a shame to waste a 8th level spell, one of the old woman's most powerful abilities, but a Wizard who could be mind controlled would be a poor wizard indeed. The old woman seems to shimmer for a few moments as she casts a spell on herself that immediately clears out any mental influence upon her in a swift fashion. It's a heavy price to pay and robs her of a spell she could use later. Still, she won't be mind controlled today.

    She nominally moves to help the group out, thereafter. She has to continue to pretend to be an elderly woman whose spells take her some time to cast and set up. She flicks her eyes around a bit and spots William, even with Ainsley's help, struggling against the Mind Control. She shouts to Janine in a somewhat horse voice, "Young lady! Be on guard!"

    The elderly woman slams the bottom of her staff against the ground, "A barrier of force itself to repel all damage! Wall of Force!" She casts, immediately erecting a 10-foot wide wall of pure force between Janine and William that will seek to repel any errant shot which may or may not occur.

    After casting it, she slouches over a bit looking somewhat worn out from the effort.

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    With the King producing such a weak counteroffer, the mirror doesn't protect her one second longer. Instead, the floating piece of divine metal begins orbitting EMILY, providing her one-directional defense against the occasional attacker. Perhaps it's Caster's way to apologize? She doesn't always agree with what her master says and does, after all.

    Caster, in fact, appears to be preparing a set of paper talismans, looking in Emily's direction. Sadly, the buffs never come, as the pink-haired Servant blurs, and appears by her master's side. She takes Janine's attacks, diverting them from her master, and with immediate effect too. Caster drops to one knee, her paper slips hitting the ground rather than remaining in her hands. It would appear Caster is out of the fight for the moment! Emily still has her mirror for now, but it'll likely drop after a few hits.

    Berserker's eyes light up, and Mad Enhancement overrides the desire to dance. It also, well. Makes her mad. "NYAAAAAA!" With absurd strength and speed, the red-robed Servant functionally flash-steps to Janine and Biancabella, tearing large sections of the ground in her wake from the force of her steps alone. Those large, clawed cat... mittens? Hands? Extended forward.

    On the BRIGHT SIDE, while Janine and her Persona are Berserker's target, there's a large number of Shadows around them, and the Shadows are much more likely to suffer the wrath of the Servant than Janine. Hell, Janine could try to kite Berserker right into the King!

    On the not so bright side Janine had better be quick on her feet.

    Gudako? Oh, she's standing back behind Caster and smiling. Watching. Being entertained as hell. She'll call Berserker off... probably. At some point. Non-zero chance?

August Kohler has posed:
Ainsley's spell is powerful. Everyone under the control of the Kindly King, including his Shadow performers, are immediately released from this control. The Shadow Performers chitter confusedly as they're smashed to bits by powerful gusts of wind and Servant claws, with those who aren't starting to run for their lives. The King moves to make another order, but finds his voice closed. It'll take him a minute or two to break out from it, but that's all he needs.

And sadly, the Smasher was a willing minion. As his tendon is smashed, he begins to limp, screaming from the pain. But his fighting spirit does not die down. His hammer moves forward to slam Emily down. It'll likely miss, but when it does, it'll suddenly create a localized earthquake around the impact, causing the ground to shake from the sheer force of the blow.

And then, a man plays a pipe. A beautiful, haunting song, that only a true artist could play. But only one person hears it. And they're the one person who wouldn't want to.

The beautiful noise of the pipe rings into Ainsley's ears as she concentrates on her spell. The music moves through, striking at her nerves, a song of static that hopes to paralyze her body. It happens all so fast. And then a few sounds of chittering come in from the woods, as feet and shapes blur.

A man in a multicolored coat, wearing a bowler hat, with striking yellow eyes, plays a beautifully colored pipe, his fingers stringing along it like lightning. He's a very familiar man, to those who have been in this Forest in the past, and his outfit might remind one of the Victorian era working class. The Pied Piper leaps forward, one hand leaving his pipe to grab hold of the small lizardwoman, as he takes but a glance of the battle going on before disregarding it. As he leaps backwards with Ainsley in hand, a small group of Shadows moves forward, serving to shield his escape. And while some may try to go after him...

The Smasher rushes forward in between Janine and Gudako's fight. He moves to slam his hammer into the ground again, creating a earthquake around the Persona User, the Master, and her Servants. Whether or not this was timed with the Pied Pier is uncertain, but it is certainly a great coincidence!

Janine Liberi has posed:
    Janine feels a pang of regret as Caster crumples under the weight of several debuffs. At least she had the good graces to try and protect Emily. Maybe she would buy her some treats, or arrange some alone time with August to make it up to her. Assuming she survives the inbound Berserker. She looks towards the Shadows being flung aside and starts to sweat. Oh no, not again. And then, at Ashurel's warning, she notices that Will is lining up a shot. Aw shit, what did she do to deserve this (besides everything)?

    The spell helps, but she has to think fast to deal with Berserker. And then, an idea. Gudako is her boss, right? So, she has to make it in her best interest to tell Berserker to stop. And so, with some fine fencing footwork, she starts to step around the magus, to put her in between Janine and Berserker.

    At least, until Smasher brings down the hammer mid-step.

    Janine goes flying, sword flung from her grip as she tumbles and lands at the foot of a tree at the edge of the clearing. Biancabella fades away without the reflection to sustain her as the Italian groans, for real this time.

Emily Branford (999) has posed:
    Emily finds evading the hammer child's play. The shockwave from it, rather less so. The force from beside and beneath her blasts her off her feet and into the air, and when she lands it's a rather hard one. It takes her a second to come up and out of that enough to shake it off, gritting her teeth slightly; and when she does, she realizes that both Janine and Ainsley are in serious trouble. There's a horrid moment of being utterly torn between the two - but then, her choice is already made, isn't it?

    In the blink of an eye, she's beside Janine's form, whirling and twirling her whip around herself and her charge in a threatening flourish. Then she crouches down slightly, keeping her eyes on the Shadows and Berserker while she rests a hand on the Italian's shoulder. "Janine, are you alright? Can you move?"

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley holds the Kindly King's voice hostage, her mana beginning to thrum dangerously as she continually tries to minimize the threat of the Shadow to the party. She knows if she releases her magic, it will mean the party could implode even further than they already are, and she is not willing to let that happen. All of her concentration is devoted to the spell...

    A soft tune hits her mind, washing her body with a tingling sensation and flooding out all ability to stay upright until she can't even speak when she collapses. When she does, the spell would deactivate shortly, giving the party a very small window to decide what they want to prioritize, because now the problems are split between two different directions.

    Ainsley helplessly slumps in the Pied Piper's arms, eyes widened in an anguish only absolute failure to protect these people could cause, the heroic soul railing against the very thought of getting pulled away. But the party has to deal with the Smasher, the Kindly King and even each other, and with Shadows guarding the Piper's escape...

    Ainsley shuts her eyes and focuses on trying to tell her body to move, prompting the slightest twitch in her muscles, but not enough to escape. It might just light a fire under the Pied Piper to get away or risk her figuring out how to move again.

    Left where she was standing is her book, left open, and her sword, left stabbed into the ground.

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    The King's strike against Berserker only angers the bloodthirsty beast even more. Now injured, she pursues Janine with increased vigor and power, until--

    "Berserker, dematerialize."

    Obeying her master, the pink-haired foxgirl disappears immediatly, turning incorporeal. Her presence is still felt, and her anger completely directed at Janine, but at least she can't interact with anyone like this.

    Caster is less lucky; her mirror returns to her, but provides little protection in her state. The Servant still shields her master from the shockwave, but bruises and broken bones suffered from the impact of the quake cause her to force a retreat. She picks her master up, princess style, and leaps a distance from the clearing and the fight, a vantage point from which they can observe.

    And from which Gudako begins using her low-grade healing spells to support Caster, for what little good it'll do. Gudako hasn't stopped smiling, which must mean she's not annoyed despite the way the situation is devolving.

    Chances are she's fine with it, let's me honest.

William Pauwel has posed:
Suddenly, it's like someone just poured a bucket full of icewater over his head. Will staggers, a hand going to clutch at his head as Ainsley's power reverberates right through his skull. A moment later, and he feels... Clear. Everything makes sense again!

Okay, no, that's a mild exaggeration. But at least he doesn't think Janine would look great with a big, smoldering hole in her belly.

    In his brief moment of clarity, Will catches sight of /something/ moving to steal a lizard. The Chaser's eyes narrow. Someone is trying to take advantage of the confusion-- for what? For a fresh body? For some sick ritual? Not if he can help it!

Of course, he has to get around a whole host of Shadows, and an Earthquake. But he can deal with at least one of those.

    "We've got a runner!" Will roars, levelling his left arm at a distant treebranch. The hook on the Chaser's arm fires with a soft *CHUFF* of electromagnetic force. A heavy grapnel yawns wide, then snaps shut around the limb. A half-dozen servo motors, each one vastly more powerful than their size suggests, fire at once. Will goes airborne as the ground beneath roils and ruptures.

    Will takes aim as he soars, the Solano's barrel burning with cyan flame. Bolts of white-blue light streak out through the shadowy canopy in quick three-round bursts, each one aimed for the MYSTERIOUS MAN abducting the unfortunate lizardwoman. He pushes it as far as it'll go, burning right through the normal cooldown intervals- he needs more firepower. Even if it leaves his weapon glowing white-hot and his palms burning as they hold it steady.

Will hisses as he lands, the wheels in his heels screaming as he rockets forward into certain danger.

No man left behind.

Ashurel Cloudbank (1031) has posed:
    There's so much going on. Anna, the frail old woman that she is, doesn't have quite all the spells that she used to. But she's still such a powerful wizard. An old wizard. Frankly, a wizard at all.

    As Ainsley is abducted and the spell begins to fall, being replaced by mind control once more, the shambling form of an old woman crosses the battlefield. She looks around, assessing all present. The King will have too much will for this to work, it may challenge hers. The same for the Pied Piper, the Will Save on Bards is insane. But the Smasher? That's a Fighter. To call their Will Save 'In the Dumpster' would be to truly insult a dumpster. It's a Martial Class, why is it even here?

    She calmly shambles up to the Smasher, moving with a grace and calmness that shows she was once quite the skilled adventurer. As she leans in, she doesn't make an attack. Instead, she raises her staff and presses the tip of it against the man's chest, staring up at him.

    Ninth Level Spell: Dominate Monster
    Spell Augments: Permanent. Empowered.

    It's a fairly huge gambit, considering at the end of the day she is a squishy Wizard and that's a dude with the ability to make earthquakes. Still.

    "Go finish off the King. You are *my* servant now."

August Kohler has posed:
The Smasher continues after his last quake. Multiple people are out of the battle. He raises his hammer again. He's going to shatter everything. He's not going to be defeated.

But then, a Wizard casts a 9th level spell and he rolls a Nat 1. Woops.

As the hammer hangs in the air, the Shadow stares over at Anna. And then, the Smasher turns, approaching the King. "Smasher, OBEY ME! OBEY ME!" The King doesn't even think about the others once he gets his voice back, just his minion. The only one who was willing. But he wills no more, and the Smasher ignores the Kindly King's calls. The hammer smashes down, brutally, over and over. In the end, all that is left is a stain.

The Smasher approaches Ashurel, afterwards. The giant mute he is, he just stands there, waiting for his next order.

As Ainsley twitches, the Piper continues to play his song, but his feet move just a smidge faster. Which is superspeed, really. But Will's an accurate shot. The Shadows are pierced through, as the Piper takes a moment to glance at his attacker. But he continues on his way, only shifting Ainsley out of the way of fire.

The speedy bard dodges most of the shots, but it's the last one that hits, piercing into his shoulder. He continues to play, but he shifts Ainsley's weight briefly, as something /falls/ out of his shoulder, allowing him to keep moving. As he disappears into the trees, the Pied Piper suddenly turns back one last time...

Before trees of glass rise inbetween him and Will, covering his escape on all avenues. The Pied Piper absconds with the lizardwoman, but he did get wounded. If anyone inspects the strange object on the ground...it's a multicolored dead rat! Came straight out of the Piper's body. This may be able to serve as a lead.

For now, the Kindly King is dead. The Smasher is under the control of the party. The Panzer Cat approaches, finally getting up from that mammoth of a blow, though his armor is gone. He's now just a really small cat with a /really big tank cannon/, as he speaks. "The lizard, she's gone? Well, what are we waiting for? We need to go get her, yes?" The Panzer Cat smiles optimistically, though ruffles his brow at the trees. If the Pied Piper can do that...he could cover his path, couldn't he?

Ashurel Cloudbank (1031) has posed:
    "Huh. What do you know?" Anna says with a bit of surprise in her voice, "A 2-handed fighter actually did something for once. I am surprised." The woman notes, before looking at Smasher and just waves her hand a few times, "Go. Shoo. Go find someone else to be a minion to or wait until that wears off. It'll be a day or so."

    Poor Smasher. Forced to kill his master and then discarded for Party Opti purposes. Surely he won't come back later as the Minion of a new boss. Or a boss once more. Ashurel's player surely isn't using this as a reason for a villain to become recurring and to generally play up the character's unfeeling nature. Either way, she's waving Smasher to stop bothering her.

    "Nnn. I am growing too old for this," She complains, watching as the girl who called her suspicious is abducted. THe others would surely go after her, but... Anna has a reason not to, at least, "Miss Ordia, in the future, I would recommend you enlist my successor instead of myself. You will find her much more helpful."

    She begins to tiredly scratch runes and a circle into the ground, "I believe I shall teleport home now, I am weary and winded. Would anyone like to join me to the outside, or will you be continuing your investigation?"

Janine Liberi has posed:
    Janine grunts to Emily, but she is slow to get up, her very bones aching at the jolt she suffered. But eventually, she's on her feet again, and assessing the situation. Ainsley is gone, but the King is dead. "... fuck," she intones, rubbing her side and waving Emily off. This is bad, real bad.

    But the pain in her side pierces the pain in her arm and the anger in her mind. Right now, she's in the focussed state she would reach before a fencing match. She knows what they need to do right now. "We're going after her," she announces clearly as she takes up her sword. "The Queen really seems to have it out for her, which means we want her on our side."

    She looks around at the assembled. "Right. Some of you didn't sign up for a hunt, so if you're gonna leave, do it now."

    Ashurel goes to dismiss Smasher, but Janine asks, "Make him smash through the new trees. Er, please. It would help in tracking them." And then, she looks up at Gudako and Caster through narrowed eyes. "You wanted a deal? Here's a deal; 5000 Euros if you tag along and don't pull anymore shit like what you did with the King. Deal?" To everyone else, she adds, "Same to all of you, if you help out."

    To August, a mere resolute nod. She's putting up big bucks for this. Does she actually care? Or is she mounting a rescue operation purely to spite the Queen?

William Pauwel has posed:
    The Solano is an incredible gun. Its shots aren't just bullets, but roiling spheres of compressed plasma. Its recoil is virtually nonexistent, and it never seems to run out of ammunition. Often, one good shot will remove a problem pretty quickly. But sometimes, usually when it counts, one good shot just isn't enough.

    "Damnit!" Will screams as the Pied Piper slips away. A wall of crystalline trees rise, cutting his pursuit short. "Hraaaah!" The Solano's barrel glows as it fires, the heat from its discharge turning the barrel white-hot. But... Nothing. By now, the bastard has almost certainly gotten away.

...But when he left, he wasn't entirely intact.

    A strange, prismatic rat. Will frowns as he grabs hold of it, showing ABSOLUTELY NO FEAR of picking up bizarre, technicolor rodents. He's a farmboy, after all. Rats are just a thing he learned to deal with. "...We got something," he says into the radio. "That bastard dropped something of his. He have a pet rat?"

August Kohler has posed:
The rat has a bullet hole in it, and pieces of cloth stuck to it. It would seem that this rat is actually the Pied Piper's shoulder, and he decided to just abandon it when he got shot.

Emily Branford (999) has posed:
    Emily steps away smoothly when waved off, though she does continue to look the girl's way in concern now and then. For the moment, she dismisses the Strands of Fate with a quick flick of the wrist, and then straightens her coat, her expression grown cool and professional. "I'm with you at your leisure, of course," she says, though it probably doesn't need saying. If the giant can smash those trees down, they might have a chance.

August Kohler has posed:
The Smasher stares at Ashurel briefly, before running into the woods. His massive size means the trees come down with him! Behind them, the Piper and Ainsley are both nowhere to be found. Well, obviously he won't be back and smashing them again, right? That's impossible!

August Kohler has posed:
August looks towards Will and his technicolor rat for a minute, before turning to Janine. "Right. Let's bring that rat to the Pig, see if he can't use it to track down the Piper. I'll send out the notice that she's gone, I'm pretty sure people will want to know." August grits his teeth. He's already decided.

"Let's do this, Janine."