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Bright Journey	There's nothing quite like the...aromatic...aftermath of a fight with erymanthoi. And Bright Journey thought they smelled bad on the outside! As she slowly lowers that massive powerbow of hers and gently releases the string back to neutral draw, she looks over the site with a critical eye. The cult leader, gone in the blink of an eye. The blood apes, already dissolving as they are sent back to whatever hellish abyss they came from. The regular cultists, a few hurt and all snoring peacefully. The misty cloud of somnolent vapors, already dissipating into the aether. And, last but assuredly not least, the three participants still awake. Well, two, if you don't count the one that just darted off. Well, one, if you don't count the one that's barely even visible, cloaked in gloaming shadow, barely visible as the greyish daylight slowly lessens towards dusk. "...Is anyone else still here?", says Bright Journey as she looks around.
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk coughs a couple of times to get the last of the sleeping gas out of her lungs. Her eyes are quickly drawn to the woman at the edge on the clearing glowing brightly in the fading light. "Are you a...Solar?" Silk looks around to ensure there aren't any members of the Wyld Hunt closing in on them from the massive use of essense. "Did you see what happened with the fox spirit? I didn't see where it went." Silk releases the essense she was holding to maintain her concealing shadows to reveal a young woman in travel stained grey silk pants and shirt. She retracts the claws back into her gloves and relaxes.
Hoarfrost	It takes a moment for the Unicorn to stop fleeing. The sound of battle dying down as fast as it had started. Turning her head the Unicorn glances up and down over the sleeping woman. Other exalts? All stumbling into the fight at the same time? She isn't sure what fate has in store for this woman such that so many chosen are stumbling upon her to protect them. Ears turning back and forth searching for any lingering sounds of demons and hero's alike. Unsure if she should meet up with her fellows or if it is better to simply get this woman to safety and vanish. With a soft snort of resignment she slowly trots back to the clearing. Pausing only to make sure her riders is secure.
Bright Journey	Bright Journey isn't actually glowing, but considering how difficult it is to stay even slightly clean in a forest, she could certainly be called 'glowing' in poetry. She and her clothing are all immaculate (though definitely not Immaculate!), which all but smacks of some sort of enchantment itself. Bright pauses for a moment, considering to herself silently as she looks at the young woman sheathing those claws. She returns her last arrow to one of her two quivers and releases the bow, which shimmers with its own moonlight as it vanishes Elsewhere. She looks around curiously, but the sounds of trotting out in the woods, leaves underfoot, heralds the imminent and fairly casual return of the third person. A self-deprecating little smile comes on Bright's face as she looks at Silk for real for the first time. "I guess there's not a whole lot of point in denying that now," she replies. "I saw the fox spirit, or whoever she is, take up that poor girl and leave. She was a lot bigger but I admit my focus was on the demons at the time. I didn't get a good glimpse." She tosses her pink hair over one shoulder and nods towards her left, out towards where the rustle of underbrush can be heard. "I think he, or she, is on their way back. And I think that sleep cloud was their doing, because it wasn't me." Her grin turns brighter, almost infectious. "Anyway! Whatever caused us to meet here--and I don't think it was all coincidence--I have to admit, we fight well together. Please, call me Bright Journey."
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk tries to quickly remove the most recent dust from her clothes. She blows a long strand of black hair out of her face then tucks it behind her ear with a practiced gesture. "Sly little fox putting everyone to sleep like that." Silk bows respectfully towards Bright. "I am Silk Moon Lotus. A pleasure to met you out in these woods." She looks at the sleeping cultists. "We will need to deal with them for what they attempted to do. Perhaps some questioning?"
Hoarfrost	"Hoarfrost Rent from Morning's Dew." It is not said, so much as it is simply understood by anyone nearby as the unicorn enters the clearing proper. It shows no indication of used essence, caste markings or tattoos. "It is a honor to meet a Lawgiver in the flesh." It continues in its language that is not words, bowing it head with respect. Moving from the bow to turning back to the woman and lifting her off her back by the scruff of her neck and depositing her onto the forest floor before Bright Journey. Carefully glancing between the two others with her bright red eyes.
Bright Journey	Well. A unicorn was not exactly what Bright was expecting, going by the dual raised eyebrows, but let's be fair: Not the strangest thing to happen today. Bright gives a short, but respectful bow--as one would to equals--and replies, "Pleasure to meet you both, then. I think we have a few things we should discuss, but for right now, please, feel free to call me Bright. Most people who know me do. "Silk Moon Lotus, your suggestion is exactly what I was thinking. This is -not- the first time I've run into these...cultists." Her intonation of the last word gives it a connotation similar to 'filthy'. "I never saw that leader before, but these robes, and especially the demon summoning? Definitely. Kidnapping young ladies? Absolutely. I wonder what they have in common..." Bright takes a moment to look over the sleeping victim, considering her carefully. "She's kind of pretty, in a village girl sort of way, but I can't see the Guild going to great effort to manacle her." Her expression twists in distaste for a moment. "So why her specifically? Or was it just wrong place, wrong time? I have no idea where she came from, unlike the last time this happened." Bright glances at the nearest sleeping cultist. "I wonder if anything they have might shed some light."
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk imitates Bright's bow to the spirit horse "greeting forest spirit Hoarfrost Rent from Morning's Dew. I apologize for intruding upon your home. I only came to rescue the young lady from fiends most foul. I will depart once we have determined what plans these villians had for her." "Bright, you say you have encountered these people before? What context was that if I may ask?" Silk starts inspecting the cultists for clues of where there are from or have been.
Hoarfrost	The unicorn shakes its head slowly, tossing its mane as she does so, giving every bit of graceful deference to the pair. "This forest is not mine. I simply heard the call of a maiden in need, and Hoarfrost will do fine Ms. Lotus." Giving another bow, though less deep than the one she knows to be a Solar. Crimson eyes wide and curious as the two speak seeming content to simply listen and observe for now.
Bright Journey	Searching the cultists turn up a few things. Aside from the universally rank, unkempt grooming under their hoods, each of the men is dressed uniformly for the most part, with smallswords and buff jackets under their robes. They're clearly not anyone's militia, but are at least somewhat used to using them, judging by the sword calluses. At a quick glance, none really look like they could be sorcerers. Of greater interest are the signet rings on each cultist's left ring finger: A stylized eye, wide open, executed in blackened bronze with what looks to be onyx, or something similar, for the pupil and iris. While no one got a really close look at the amulet the leader wore, it's close enough to this symbol that it was probably the same thing. Bright frowns deeply and scratches the back of her head, considering one of the rings. "These are obviously meaningful, and...hum. I'm not a jeweler, but these don't look crude to me. In fact, they look amazingly alike, don't they? I wonder if...hm." Her voice trails off as she thinks. "Do any of you see anything useful? What about on the woman?"
Bright Journey	With the complete erudition of the Exalted, particularly the Exalted sorcerer, several truths become apparent. First, both of you are absolutely certain you have never seen this symbol before. You both have definitely seen symbols -like- it, though, it's not unlike other cult or even secret society symbols you've seen. The open eye as a symbol of secrets is an interesting choice, though. It implies a greater interest in understanding than in stealth, a bit unusual for a cult, but not impossible. The rings, though, are suspiciously well made. Most cults do not have the resources to make every ring exactly alike, let alone to mount what might be a semiprecious gem in every single mook's ring. (Perhaps an attempt at appraisal would be of help there.) The sorcerer's with her exquisite skill, realizes something deeper. Cults like this are for life, and ones like this, as well organized and equipped as they seem to be, may be sharp enough to realize these rings are obvious and designed to draw attention to them. Perhaps a more subtle, less easily found sign of membership exists...
Hoarfrost	The Unicorn seems mostly uninterested in searching the bodies. Not having hands might play a small part, having to rifle through their gear with her mouth the other part. Still she walks a slow circle around the group pausing as Bright seems to find something. Hoarfrost's equine head peers over Bright's shoulder as the ring is held up. The shape sparks a memory. Taking a moment to open her mind with her essence. Searching deep for the answer. "The rig is a decoy, designed to draw the eye. If they have a symbology it might be better hidden."
Silk Moon Lotus	"How long are they going to be asleep for?" Silk glances at Hoarfrost for a moment. "I can undress one of them if you think they have some tattoo or brand on them." Silk extends the blades on one of the clawed gloves and gentlely places it at the hem of the robe.
Hoarfrost	"Forever if you slit their throat." The unicorn some how managing a try tone without even using words. "Most of a day if left unmolested" she adds a half moment later.
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk carefully cuts the robe and the armor underneath with the razor sharp Orichalcum blades. She repeats the process several times with precise movements to remove the sleeves and destroy the robes and armor without harming the man wearing them. "Death is a very permanent solution. I would hate to make a mistake."
Bright Journey	"It doesn't matter," Bright replies, a bit tersely. "If you're right--and thinking on it, it kind of makes sense--we should search at least one, definitely." She draws a very ordinary, but well maintained hunting knife and gets to work on one cultists's robe. Once Hoarfrost has told everyone what they might look for, it's not actually all that hard to spot. A brand, done with a branding iron, is on each cultist's left bicep on the inside, where it's virtually invisible unless they were wearing something sleeveless. What's very interesting is that each brand is slightly different...one has the full symbol, two more have -most- of the symbol, and the three remaining have a lesser portion thereof. While the brands make out the symbol of the open, unblinking eye, the scar tissue makes one think that perhaps portions were done at different times. Bright stops and studies one of the brands thoughtfully. "You were dead right, my lady. Will you look at this!"
Hoarfrost	"It is surely evocative of the All Seeing Eye, and their Hunt." The unicorn is not giving much mind to the tattoos but the artifact weapon Silk used. The idea that both of these people may carry Solar essence is much more interesting than a band of cultists to her. Stories and even memories of the past tickle at the back of her head. Taking a breath to calm her mind she tries to focus back on the task at hand -er hoof. "We could ask the woman, perhaps she is aware of her own worth."
Silk Moon Lotus	Silks eyes harden for a moment "I guess it's time to deal with this filth. You wake the girl, I'll drag them out of the clearing and make it quick." Silk grabs the first one under the arms and drags him out of the clearing. She returns a couple of minutes later to repeat the process for each of them in the clearing. By the time she has finished with the last one, the look on her face has gone from hardened to horrified. "It's done, I found the ones that made it out of the circle and too care of them too. I did grab the rings. Someone might come looking for them and they will be useful when I need to infiltrate them group." The stains of tears are clearly visible on her dirty face.
Bright Journey	While Silk is handling the cultists, Bright is trying to shake the woman awake as gently as she reasonably can. Of course, this gets her nowhere, but with a murmured word from Hoarfrost, the woman slowly begins to stir. Needless to say, she's quite frightened at first--the last she remembered was a hellish nightmare! But fortunately, hey, she's still alive, and with the faces of a young woman, and a unicorn looking down at her. Still, she presses her lips together firmly, and is actually pretty successful at suppressing the sob that threatens to burst forth. "Easy there, miss--you're safe," Bright murmurs. "Try not to sit up yet, it's still a battlefield out here. But the danger's gone. What's your name?" It's at this point Silk is coming back, and Bright does not miss the look on Silk's face, or the tracks below her eyes. She sits up for a moment, a look of determination coming over her. "Hoarfrost, do you mind asking this young lady what we need to know? I have to take care of something that won't wait." With this, Bright stands up and makes her way over to Silk.
Hoarfrost	Hoarfrost seems a bit surprised at the request but offers another slow gracious nod. Stepping forward to the woman and settling down alongside her. Hoping she is doing her best to adopt a comforting, perhaps even protective place over the woman to put her at ease. "Shhh shhh, child it is alright." No words again but the body language folk learn when they are very young, comforted by their mothers. A soft nuzzle against the head, tail and mane almost veiling her like a blanket. Just sitting with her for a moment letting the woman cry, scream, or simply calm down as she needs to. The last few minutes would have been rather stressful for a mortal and she likely is In need of a moment to collect herself. Only when the moment seems right does she act, "These beasts that call themselves men. Do you know why they took you, or who they are?"
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk stops at the edge of the clearing seeing the girl awake. she whispers to Bright as she gets close "Is she ok?" She takes a deep shuttering breath. "It had to be done, right? I'm not becoming a monster, right?" More tears start to stream down her face slowly. "The Immaculates called us monsters. I don't want to become a monster."
Bright Journey	Bright isn't really any older than Silk, to be honest. They're both barely into adulthood. But she doesn't hesitate, leaning forward to hug Silk tight. "Hey...listen. Shhh....listen to me. It's all right. I...I don't know if I could have done that either, and if it bothers you, don't feel like you have to do anything like that. But..." Bright sighs, thinking for a moment before she speaks again. "Look. I've seen all sorts of things. I hunt, you know. Someone has to. And my mum was a village chirurgeon. Sometimes I've seen horrible things. Mum used to say that it should never feel easy to see horror...but we didn't ask for this, did we? And that woman sure as hell didn't. Just think what they would do to us if things were reversed. "So I guess what I'm saying is, I'm sorry it had to be that way. But we didn't ask for it to be this way, did we?" She pulls away just far enough to be able to look Silk in the eyes. "They did. Besides which, if we were monsters, would we even be thinking about things like this? Or would we be killing and enjoying it? You tell me." The woman still looks frightened, of course, but she doesn't pull away, and her hammering heartbeat is slowly starting to relax, just a bit. "I...oh, gods, I swear, I don't know anything! I was getting ready for bed...what? Last night, maybe? I don't know. But I was alone in my room, when they..." She sniffles and sobs. "They came in through the window! Just crashed in, four of them, grabbed me, hit me! My head still hurts. But I...wasn't all the way out. They picked me up and dragged me back out, and I think that's when I got knocked out. "Then I woke up, and I was in some kind of cart. I...I don't know what was going on. But I knew I had to get away, so I kind of rolled off, got up and ran!" She sobs again, looking up at Hoarfrost with tear-tracked eyes. "I...guess I didn't get all that far."
Hoarfrost	Looking down at the woman with soft empathetic eyes. Head tilting and just listening to her explain what she can. Hoping that the shape she is in, and its meaning bring a kind of unspoken comfort. Another reassuring nuzzle is given. The end of her muzzle ever so tenderly wiping away a tear as if to say "You where so strong. Your safe now." Looking to her back she offers her a place on it. "I will take you back to your home and watch over you for a time to make sure you are safe." Looking to the others giving a kind of mirrored comfort. "I will watch to make sure the girl is not accosted again. Can I trust you to hunt the creatures responsible?"
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "I am not a monster. Thank you." She wipes the tears from her face and uses it to clear up a little so as to not scare the girl. She says with venom in her voice "The Immaculates lie." She gives Bright a short hug as a thank you. She looks at Hoarfrost and nods "I will find them and they will pay."