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Bright Journey	It's only a few days since Bright Journey left that wild, gorgeous manse way out there in the forests surrounding Great Forks. Since then, she's been traveling back through the woods, headed roughly towards the city, but making many detours and side trips along the way, collecting herbs here, tracking and killing a deer there. There may not be a lot of people to talk to out here, but there's a peace and beauty the city, for all its comforts, simply cannot lay claim to. Each place is a welcome balm from the other, in their own ways, and now laden with herbs and meat, Bright is making tracks back towards the city. So when the twitters and creaking of the forest give way to a distant but unmistakable rumble of thunder, Bright looks up and lets out an annoyed sigh. Of course, all she can see is leafy canopy at this angle, the sky's entirely blocked off. But that won't stop her from getting damp, and she starts looking about for a fine place to settle in for an evening. And that is when the high-pitched, piercing feminine shriek resounds through the trees, causing her to jerk her head up, staring westward, eyes narrowed in a search for movement as she starts moving closer.
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk knew that leaving home wouldn't be easy but it had to be done. She has gotten lost at least 8 times since she started her trip. She thinks that Great Folks must be nearby but hasn't been able to see anything through all the trees.&t Silk climbs another tree to get a better view and hopefully see the city when she hears an unfamiair shriek in the distance. She glances around and starts springing from tree to tree with the grace of a crane heading for the sound.
Hoarfrost	Walking at a slow and undirected pace. Enjoying the smell of the pines and the feel of the soft forest floor beneath her feet too much to be in any kind of hurry. The albino forest witch has found this forest makes for a great place to find herbs for the various medicines and has become part of the usual rounds for collections. Two large wicker satchels hang from her shoulders looking more like saddle bags than something a human would carry. Each half packed with different roots, bark and leaves. The sound does get her attention though and with a regretful sigh of the lost peace begins to walk at a brisk pace to see what the trouble is. Stride usually wide and brisk for someone so small.
First Socket of the Heavenly Garden	First Socket of the Heavenly Garden has headed out of town to find a nice quiet spot to do some things that may not be summoning demons to help her with some busywork. It's important to find a nice spot for that sort of thing. Have to know which way the dragon lines are flowing and where the nearest villages are and just how many torches and pitchforks they stock around there. That particular lesson was a hard-earned lesson from some village far in the south. The people there also didn't seem to like her horse very much for some reason. Particularly when she opened it up a bit to show them what's inside. Fortunately, it is very fast. But... right now, she's gone with walking with it, taking in the area and considering what she needs and what to build and what supplies that might involve.. though, of course, her reverie is somewhat interrupted by the cry in the distance.
Bright Journey	It's a good thing it's roughly the middle of the day, for were it any other time, it would be too dark to do a whole lot of anything. Now, though, the leaden sky behind the tree cover is just light enough so that the forest floor is in...well, reasonable light, even if there's no picturesque shafts of sunlight anywhere. With the rumble of thunder followed by the piercing cry of anguish, the sounds of the forest have quieted down to the point where rapid footsteps, quite possibly full-on running, can be heard. By themselves they might not be enough, but with that scream the sounds aren't that hard to track down. As each person comes closer, more sounds become evident, snaking through the trees like a serpent. More running, sure, but soon there's a dull whump, followed by a new sound: sharp-edged, vicious laughter. There's a good half-dozen voices laughing, too; not a terribly small group. Soon one voice cuts through the rest of the noise. "Enough, cut her off. We have much to do before tonight and I tire of this."
Silk Moon Lotus	Using her ears to help her follow the sound to the source, Silk jumps from tree to tree avoiding the underbrush below that might alert those below to per presence. She slows conciderabily when she starts to hear voices and movement. She drops down closer to the ground but still in the cover of trees to gauge what she is about to encounter. At least six people and maybe more. Doing some quick math, she knows she can probably win but it will be hard fought.&r&r She prays to the Unconquered Sun for help and for whomever they are torturing. She slips on her razor claws and extends them. Then starts to calm herself as she remembers her training.
First Socket of the Heavenly Garden	Socket is... not entirely much for subtlety. She's made a few steps that direction. Her horse made of gold is no longer polished up and looking like the Glorious Artifact Of Amazing Brightness that it was a few months ago, instead rather more covered with cloth to make it... slightly less likely to attract all sorts of strange attention. "Let's see what that was about!" she announces to it, as she rides towards the scream.
Hoarfrost	R The hurried run turns into a lopping gait and shifts finally into all fours. The witch easily shifting into a fox mid-stride using the underbrush itself as cover from onlookers. Approaching with cation to see what all the fuss is about.
Bright Journey	As it turns out, Bright Journey is not named "Sneaky Journey" for a very good reason. She is by no means crashing into the clearing where this little drama is taking place, but it hardly matters--with First Socket crashing through the brush, there is no doubt on anyone's mind that someone is coming. The laughing quiets down and the voice which spoke up before lets out a guttural snarl. "You're kidding me," he gets out, before the clear snapping of fingers is heard. "Get her and move your arses. Our friends will keep them occupied. Go!" The clearing is a-bustle with activity all of a sudden, but it might be too little, too late for the one speaking, for the ones who heard that scream are already there. All four converge on the clearing at roughly the same time. A vanguard of black hooded and robed monkish figures, clearly out of their element, stand roughly together and in a partial circle around one young lady, with dark hair and the bronze skin of one who works the fields. She's unconscious or nearly so, in full peasant garb with perhaps a bit of damage sustained in her flight through the woods. It's pretty obvious who the one in charge is--his hood and cloak are similar, but he has a great bronze-colored medallion and he's the one pointing at the girl. A couple of the cultists do in fact see the fox as she rustles the underbrush to one side of the clearing, but no one pays her any mind. They're all far too busy dealing with other things. As things are rapidly coming to a head, Bright Journey steps into the edge of the clearing boldly. Despite having run pell-mell through the underbrush, not a hair is out of place. Her armor isn't just clean, it -gleams- in a way no clothing should in the woods. There's an exceptionally large bow already in her hands, arrow nocked but not drawn. "Was this your plan?" Her voice is soft, but by no means sweet.
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk knows an oppotunity when she sees one. &r&r While the monks are looking the other way, she drops from her tree onto them using the Seven Points of Weakness technique.
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk strikes the cultist on the back just below the neck sending him flying across the clearing to sprawl on the ground momentarily stunned. A blur of shadows standing before he cultists with blood dripping from its claws.
Bright Journey	Well, -that- attempt to talk to them didn't last long. On the other hand, it's not as if Bright Journey hadn't been wanting to do this the moment she saw what was going on. Besides, were these the same cultists she was dealing with months ago, the ones that had summoned those...? And then, out of absolutely nothing but thin air, strands of bleeding, ropy muscle and sinew start to sickeningly coalesce from thin air, forming and colliding in a twisted knot of muscled, red flesh, and she knew. The same ones, summoning the same demons as last time. The leader may not have actually called them yet, but it didn't matter one bit. Blood is flowing, combat has been joined, and the erymanthoi, the blood apes, will not be denied the taste of manflesh. They Materialize on either side of the cult leader. Bright, on the other hand, had an arrow already nocked, and in one smooth motion draws and fires on the closest cultist to the victim.
Hoarfrost	The benefits of looking less important, even when seen your often ignored anyway. Taking a deep breath, she focuses on the plants and earth around her. The essence that flows through all things. The natural geomancy of the place the cultists chose. Reaching into the earth with her will tapping into the roots of the world she channels that essence into the plants around her. A mist begins to form around every living thing in the clearing drawing them into. The mist becomes a deep fog that obscures the fight and the clearing, perhaps giving the woman cover to escape.
Bright Journey	Bright Journey's arrow flies right towards the cultists's ear. He ducks--barely--but is wildly hopping on one foot as he tries to regain his balance...and while he does so, he takes a deep whiff of eventide vapors...
Bright Journey	It's only been a moment and the cultists have gone from laughing and terrorizing a woman to under assault for their very worthless lives! They're all far too close for anything else, but they do have smallswords under their cloaks, and clearly they at least had a little drill in theirr use, for all draw them as one and str...er, well, they at least TRY to strike!
Bright Journey	Well, the cult leader was -going- to order his little friends to attack, but with the bright coppery smell of blood on the air, the erymanthoi predictably couldn't help themselves. Granted, whether the actual cultists get devoured or not is a separate issue, but clearly, this is well past the point of simply collecting their maidenly prize and moving on. Some kind of stealth assassin, an archer, and a sorcerer all attacked at once, and while he knows his capabilities...he also knows to fight another day, when he controls the battlefield. He fades back a few steps when the blood apes started to materialize, then reaches into his own sleeve to twist some kind of artifact ring on his finger. He instantly vanishes, leaving the fight to his minions.
Bright Journey	As the Mists of Eventide roll over the battlefield, their edges fairly clearly defined by the edges of the clearing, it becomes plain that staying outside and looking in has become the rule of the day. Hoarfrost and Bright Journey are far enough away, but Silk was in the middle and caught a whiff of the soporific vapors. The cultists were already battered, and no fewer than half of them immediately fall asleep. The blood apes are more resilient, to be sure, but on the flip side, their anger is now directed at the one who cast the spell. The victim was mostly unconscious when this whole thing started, and has no chance to resist the vapors in any event. She's quite asleep.
Silk Moon Lotus	The shadow that is Silk moves with cat-like tread deeper into the battlefield becoming one with the mists and vanishing from sight.
Bright Journey	Unlike the first arrow, Bright Journey almost seems to move in slow motion. Drawing another arrow from one of her quivers, the archer hops back slightly from the two cultists whose weapons were skittering uselessly over her golden armor a moment ago. Her bow, almost taller than she is, almost comes alive, the moonsilver and bone gleaming white and silver as it sights creatures of darkness, its ancient prey. With consummate, Essence-laden perfection, the arrow takes on an aspect of shining moonsilver itself as it leaps hungrily from the bow, desperate to pierce demonflesh. The arrow strikes home, and while the blood ape didn't die, it screeches in agony and topples as the arrow burns its flesh with a touch.
Hoarfrost	Taking the moment of the confusion to dive into the mist and look for the poor girl. Once Hoarfrost finds her she does her best to wiggle under the woman. Trying to change shape into something larger so that she can move her away from the battle to some place safe.
Bright Journey	Well, this sure took a turn for the weird quick! Make no mistake, the cultists are WAY done with anyuthing having to do with this fight. They can barely see themselves, let alone their comrades, they're all but falling asleep now, and if they fall asleep here and the Blood Apes aren't killed they're demon doo-doo. All of them book it in different directions, stumbling over themselves and each other in a pell-mell effort to get away. And every one of them falls asleep less than thirty feet from the clearing. The mist was in their lungs, far too late for them now. The blood ape that Bright struck is also inevitably headed for dreamtown, but not before taking a final swing at the archer that brought him low! That arrow HURT. The other one lunges after Hoarfrost but can't come close to reaching her in time...and only Bright is visible now. Silk is in the mists, lurking, but it's Bright who will feel the brunt now.
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk melts out of the mists behind the ape her orichalcum blades slice through the deamon's hide like paper. As the blades pass through it's spine, the demon immediately starts dematerialize screaming in rage.