Center of the CaernThis is the central point of the 30-meter-wide clearing. The ground is a mixture of dark, rich, muddy soil mixed with clay, though there is an occasional patch of grass. At the center rests a large white boulder, immovable even by the strongest crinos. The boulder is shot through with streaks of quartz that produces scintillating colors when light strikes it just right. It is, for lack of a wholly adequate word, beautiful.Around you, twenty yards in every direction, stretches the caern. To the southeast, a waterfall plummets over the edge of the chasm into a small pool in the caern; nearby, to the southwest, steam comes from cracks in the ground, perhaps some of the same water. Northwest, a rocky spar juts out of the ground at a low angle, showing a sloping but smooth top. The chasm walls narrow a bit to the northeast, causing some of the mist to swirl in that area.The sky is dizzyingly wide. It's painter's blue from horizon to horizon, so bright and unmarred that it makes the Wyrm's touch seem not only distant but impossible. It's beautiful and endless, more vast than the ocean. Only the hard-beating sun provides any break in it. The ease and lethargy which pours down from above makes the solemn preparations below seem poignant but powerless, useless, like they're merely for display. Horace keeps a mime's silence as he moves around the Caern clearing, walking widdershins in a circle, carrying with him a brush of purple sage which he uses to beat down the earth to his left. It's strewn with fresh summer hay, specked with flowers and bright herbs, and it gives off an intoxicatingly stuffy scent, like the smell of a freshly cleaned barn.
Kevin seems quite at his ease as he watches Horace at his work. He turns to Vera whom he's standing next to. "Wonder if we're going fishing again," he speculates. "Perfect fishing weather, this. Unlike the last fishing trip."
Dillen finds his way down to the center of the caern. He's quiet as he walks down the way, settling near a tree to watch as things go on. He stays somewhat off on his own though.
Vera smirks, leaning most of her weight on one leg. "May not have been the best weather for fishing, but we certainly managed to land a rather large catch."
Howls-Accord watches Horace quietly. She's dead still, even a little stiff, entirely unlike her normally energetic self. Her tail is close to her body, her entire focus intent on the Ragabash's every motion.
Shield-Bearer down the train from the north, a wide shield on the metis' back. She's quiet, fidgeting as she doesn't seek out any contact with the others.
Kenneth stands himself out off to a side of the Sept Alpha's left, unassumingly. His eyes follow the Horace and his path as well, seemingly absorbed in the ritual than the rest of the gathering Garou.
Reggie walks slowly into the caern, feet heavy on the ground, his wolfskins hanging a little loosely on his well-padded frame. As he leaves the dark confines of the forest, he squints at the sun, taking its measures as if for the last time, then drops his eyes and studies the ground until he stops seeing spots. A sniff at the air brings him the scent of the sage, and he briefly looks over at the sage bearer, as he continues to blink sun spots out of his vision. He slowly looks around the small gathering, a frown crinkling his scarred face as he regards the Shadow Lords, and he takes a step backwards, glancing at the coolness of the forest, then reluctantly keeps his spot, and studies the rest of the caern for any late comers.
Shield-Bearer stands off by herself, looking vaguely uncomfortable. The Crinos takes the shield off her back, setting the bottom of it on the ground, holding the other end to keep it from falling over.
Horace continues his slow circuit of the golden circle of hay and continues to beat at it, loosing the scents entrapped within until the air is a heady mix of seed-spores and musk. Normally the Wendigo performing the rite would be calm and uglily composed as he performs this holy rite but today there's a nervous apprehension in his movements, a jerkiness in the sweep of his arm. Every so often, with guilty trepidation, he turns his soggy sweat-soaked face (looking like it's begun to melt in the summer heat) away from his ritual and at the Garou, all seven of them, gathered around.
Vera lifts her chin and scratches at her throat, then lifts her voice so that all can hear her. "Do we have a volunteer to lead this Hunt?"
Promises-Kept makes his way towards the Caern. He got special permission to stand on the holy ground for just this moment. The wolves white fur seems more or less clean, with only a thin leather necklace hanging around his neck. He keeps his tail low and submissive, listening and looking.
Howls-Accord jolts a bit as Vera calls for volunteers to lead the hunt. She cautiously raises her head and looks at the small gathering, trying hard to keep her ears pricked, while not looking too 'volunteerish'. Her nose twitches idly as she watches to see who steps forward.
Promises-Kept pauses, looking towards Vera, to the comment of a Volunteer. He takes a single step forward. One is of the alpha tribe, and is willing to lead the hunt, even if One is guest to the sept. Honor knows no boundaries, of septs and guests, nor does the prey find distinction between those who would hunt it.
Kevin grins as though the very thought of volunteering to lead would be amusing, then shakes his head in mock-reluctance.
Dillen steps up, pushing himself off the tree. He looks to Mathias with a raised brow. "I will do it." His hands coming from his pockets as he looks at Mathias and folds them across his chest. He lifts his head a little bit.
Reggie pauses in his survey of the caern to listen to the Alpha, then looks around a minute longer, before stepping forward, stating in his gravelly voice, "I will."
Kenneth doesn't step forward, but takes this moment to shift himself to the nearwolf. His ears swivel towards Dillen when the Get volunteers.
Leaves-None skitters and jumps her way down the trail by the waterfall, easing down to a trot once she draws closer to the Caern's center. Seems like this Gnawer is a smidge late to the proceedings, but at least she's shown up. Panting when she stops, she quickly takes in the gathered number and otherwise quietly listens.
Vera looks at Promises-Kept for a moment, lips lifting in an odd little half-smirk. When Reggie volunteers, she turns her attention toward the Uktena and nods in approval. "An Ahroun, the Traditional Leader of the Hunt has spoken up and will lead, unless there are any who would Challenge him?"
Shield-Bearer remains silent, herself.
Promises-Kept looks between Dillen and Reggie, before he submits and takes a step back. One submits to others more worthy to lead this hunt.
Dillen looks to Reggie and ponders. "His rank is worthy of following. Lead on." The Get speaks and lowers his head a notch as he steps back into the group.
Kevin looks sidelong at Dillen, tensing up a little, but relaxing when the Get doesn't force the issue.
Howls-Accord's ears lower as the issue is decided, and she gets to her feet. The Galliard shakes out her ruff, then stands ready.
A howl of greeting, new and unfamiliar to all but the Alpha, is heard at the edge of the Caern a moment before Brightside appears on the trail and makes his way on down into the Caern proper.
Horace pays no attention to the politics and positioning that goes on around him. There's still nerves in his step when he walks, though, nerves that even the strong hot ocean of blue above cannot soothe. Everything is bright and brilliant, and even moreso when the ritemaster's arm reaches out and with a small, quick, nervous release he hurls the brush of sage into the centre of the circle of hay. His step gets quicker, until it's almost a dance that draws him along the circle of bright hay. Slowly it grows faster until it reaches something frantic and earnest. Sweat drips from the young Ragabash' face and arms, it flies from him like water off a diver, and though he's unfaltering in his movements his eyes go listless and unseeing.
Promises-Kept gives a look towards the direction of the the howl, his ears moving quickly to check it out. He stays put, except for turning to face the new and possible threat. Even if it gave greeting, the silver fang is wary.
The wind, already strong, picks up and swirls around the caern's clearing, a quiet hurricane that gains more and more force and substance.
"A guest," Vera states after Brightside's howl. "He has been given permission to come." As the wind picks up, Vera falls silent and simply waits.
Kevin performs the homid equivalent of pricking up his ears at that howl of introduction, and he looks to Vera expectantly. Her explanation doesn't appear to fully satisfy him, but he doesn't say anything.
Far-Cry's ears lift up and attentive again at the howl. As the wind whips the sound away, the philodox licks the side of his muzzle, looking around at the others again. It is by Vera's word that the halfmoon looks placated. ~If he wasn't, the Guardians would deal with him,~ he adds on.
Reggie considers Dillen, sizing up the Get, and he slightly rises on the ball of his feet, increasing his height by just a fraction, then settles back on his feet as the matter gets settled without blood. He looks questioningly at Vera, then walks around the group, accessing them. "Are you ready to battle, Leaves-None? Are your claws ready for blood, Power-Up?" He looks at the ones whose names he doesn't know, Shield-Bearer, Promises-Kept, Brightside, and asks, "Who are you and do you fight with us today?"
Dillen looks to the newcomer and raises a brow. The winds picking up bring him to giving curious looks all around them. At Vera's words, he gives the alpha a look. He turns away, looking towards Reggie for any sort of guidance.
Howls-Accord watches Horace's dance, ignoring unimportant things like guests. Her nervous stiffness fades a bit as she watches her tribemate move. Wide eyed, she remembers where she is just in time to avoid jumping in to the dance, instead fidgeting a bit near the edge of the circle.
Leaves-None scratches one paw at the ground in a restrained display of eagerness, ears pricking towards the howl while her attention settles on Reggie. A gravelly, rumbling growl is her answer to the Ahroun as her tail lifts a fraction.
Brightside is careful to step down this new path for him with the wind, his fur blowing about him, mostly to the side. Soon he is down and he heads towards the center of the Caern and the group that has gathered as he melts into the homid just long enough to offer, "Bright-Side. Philodox and Cliath of the Silent Striders. The spirits put this place in my path and I believe today is among the reasons why." With that he melts down to the lupus and with a snap of his teeth growls in an uncomfortable sounding tone, eager and ready.
Shield-Bearer hefts the shield, putting it on her left arm, and then moves down closer to the center of the Caern. Her ears are perked, watching the Ahroun. ~I am Shield-Bearer, Fostern Metis Theurge of the Black Furies. I introduced myself several moots ago.~ He answers, eyes dropping.
Promises-Kept seems to calm as he hears Vera, but he still watches. When Reggie passes him, he shifts to that of crinos and replies. ~One is Promises-Kept, knife moon of the Alpha Tribe. I hunt today to perserve Gaia, ready to fight to ensure that Gaia may live another day.~ His tail remains submissive, but his posture suggests that he is ready.
Khem's first feature worth noting are his eyes. Not in and of themselves however. They are a striking dark green. This is not too impressive until you take into account the fact that the rest of Khem's physical appearance screams of a desert dwelling decent. His frame is lean and strongly bound in road-toned muscle, face giving an appearance of length and thinness. He has the sun-burned brown skin that seems the most indicative feature to showcase his possibly-Arabic genetic heritage. His hair is long and thin, black, and slicked back down to his shoulders. Over this hair he wears a medium-brim tan 'cowboy' hat, just large enough around to shade his eyes. His other clothing generally consists of a comfortable pair of jeans and a collection of tight and thin gauzy shirts of various light color, mostly tans and creams.Kevin shifts up to crinos form at Reggie's questions, apparently with the express purpose of showing the Uktena his claws. ~These weapons are always ready,~ he responds matter-of-factly.
The wind continues to curl around the Garou until it passes through them, tussling fur and stinging eyes. It finds its focus somewhere just south of centre, just outside the circle of hay; it forms a tornado for just a brief moment before it quickly topples like a downed beast and flails on its side, kicking and awkward until the eye opens up, stretches wide, and forms a yawning circle of purple and gold, the same colour as the sage and the straw. The moonbridge is ready. Horace continues his dance, a low moan stretching out of his lips, either a chant or just an animalistic groan of exertion. He no longer seems to notice even where he is.
The wolfskins hanging on Reggie's padded frame twist, merging, scars forming around their edges, and form Rags' fur, as the Uktena transforms into the Crinos warform, as he replies to the newcomers, ~Your claws are welcome in this fight.~ He raises his voice into a howl, ~We all fight in this together, we all go to war together, against the darkness of the Wyrm! Howl your defiance!~, he attempts to inspire the crowd into feeling war-like.
"Dillen Francis. Bane-Of-The-Bloodsuckers. Skald of the Get of Fenris. Cliath." The Get speaks to Reggie and gives him a bow of his head before he shifts into crinos, ~I am ready.~
Shield-Bearer's attention turns the moonbridge when it opens, before tossing her head back to howl.
Power-Up studies the moon bridge wide-eyed, as though he has never encountered one before, and for several seconds he does not join in the howl.
Vera shifts into Crinos, glossy-black fur whipping around in the wind. ~Let us Hunt!~ She howls out toward the sky, ~and destroy our enemies!~
Brightside is looking upon Horace as he can with the wind with apparent interest in the ritual. Once the path is ready the Strider looks to the one he knows, the Alpha, for cues on the next move. He doesn't look too impressed or surprised by the formation of the path itself. At her shifting he two rises up into his sleek crinos form.
Promises-Kept looks to the moonbridge himself, before he tilts his head back and howls out to the air, a long strong howl from the theurge as he proclaims himself to the world. ~To Gaia!~ He howls, the crinos giving it his all.
Howls-Accord steps from the circle, joining the howl the metis begins. Her reply is quick, a 'Yo!' sort of response, then she shifts to Crinos and sings again. This is a little closer to what it should be-a fierce, warlike howl. ~For Grandmother!~ she sings into the wind.
Rags' teeth gleam as he nods approval at the opening of the moonbridge, and he continues to howl to the crowd, ~I am Rags-torn-to-Rags, Ahroun of the Uktena! Follow me to go to war to fight the Wyrm!~. He sharpens his claws on the rock of the caern, and prepares to board to the moonbridge.
Leaves-None draws herself up into Hispo and lets out a gravelly, higher-pitched howl that is nonetheless sharp in its defiance as she joins in.
Shield-Bearer turns and jogs towards the Moonbridge, preparing to join the Ahroun also.
Dillen steps over and sharpens his claws as well. He gives a low and deep growl before he makes his way to the bridge with the others.
Promises-Kept gives a look, howling as he moves in Crinos, his claws leaving their scratches behind on the rock. By the time he makes his way to the bridge, it's a low level growl filled with anticipation.
Culls-The-Herd follows Rags toward the bridge, claws and teeth at the ready.
Howls-Accord dips down briefly to touch the caern's ground with her claws, then stalks towards the moonbridge. The freshly-cliathed Wendigo is all bluster and bravado as she enters the moonbridge.
Jihgfed's Abattoir(#3897RFJ)It's black here, a blackness deeper than the insides of eyelids. Close your eyes and you'll see strange flashes of colour, muted sparks and half-scenes, the random firings of visual neurons, but here is a blindness which cuts right to the brain. Everywhere is a rich mulchy smell of wet earth and faeces. There's iron and rust and the squallid, penetrating smell of decades of unswept filth, slowly accumulating in the wet, thick sludge gathered in puddles here and there at their feet. Stretch out your arms and you'll feel wall on both sides; walking without stooping your head will dent pipes. The ground is a patchwork of slick brickwork engorged in algae and slime and raw, rank earth, loose in places so that a foot will sink into it up to its thigh. The corridor slopes erratically downwards. Other than that there is just darkness and the vile smell of the deepest, vilest sewers.Shield-Bearer has arrived.
It appears Gaia started making an upright beast of burden, and became distracted with something else halfway through. Standing in excess of nine feet tall, the creature is a bizarre juxtaposition of features. While it stands on broad, uncloven hooves, the smooth-furred, black beast is topped by a lupine head and sports a similar tail. While its wide, three fingered hands lacks claws, it doesn't lack sharp, pointy teeth.Carrying:
Elk Tooth Necklace
Brightside has arrived.
This large beast of wolf and man is tall and lean, with some elements of jackal blood coloring his features. The snout is large, almost over-long, and filled with what seems to be all dagger-point fangs, fit to bite and tear. His eyes seem close to that of a human's, inscrutable and intelligent. Tan fur runs along the back of the beast's head and down it's sides and the outside of it's limbs. Starting at the back of the beast's neck and along his back the fur is almost pitch black, this coloration continues down his tail. The underbelly of the jackal-wolf-beast is a bright white, this along the insides of the limbs as well. That sense of intelligence from the beast's eyes also is seen in how this thing moves and carries itself. Very obviously aware of itself and all that surrounds it, this larger ears indeed seem to work just fine, active in swiveling and picking up anything that might be of interest. The beast stands tall, straight, and regal, and while he may give the appearance of being thin he is also, just by the nature of what he is, quite massive.Far-Cry closes his eyes and concentrates on a gift before he takes steps to follow the others through the moonbridge.
Power-Up finally stops admiring the moon bridge enough to snap back into action and transverse it in Rags' footsteps.
The journey is a quick swirling blink, just three steps and they are there. There's not even time to get bearings before the Garou are spilled rudely out into a length of black filth. The sounds of running water and dripping pipes are loud as howls. The smell of the place in the Garou's noses is like suffocation. It clogs airways and deadens the brain. It's like being underwater, with that same sense of distance and numbness. They cannot see hands in front of their faces. The corridor is neither wide nor tall enough for even a human to walk comfortably. The claustrophobia is maddening.
Rags charges onto the moonbridge, not afraid of anything that might be blocking it, or of falls from high places.
Promises-Kept follows along, white fur marching. As he spills out to the filth, the crinos seems quickly disoriented, gaging on the scent, and trying to get
something for his bearings.
Jihgfed pages to the room: Order may be important here. Reggie obviously went through first. As far as I could tell it's just a pellmell after that. Is anyone specific about where they'd like to be, or can I just use the order with which you entered the room?From afar, to the room, Shield-Bearer'd prefer to be towards the front.From afar, to the room, Promises-Kept would hope to be third?Far-Cry pages to the room: Is there enough room to manuever around people, or is it strictly single file?Brightside pages to the room: I would be in the general back, though not necessarily in the very back.From afar, to the room, Howls-Accord is wherever she is.You paged the room with 'I'm cool with wherever.'.From afar, to the room, Leaves-None is good just about anywhere she needs to be, but tends to be in back.Dillen pages to the room: Put me where you wish. If my stomach doesn't calm down I may have to get knocked out.Jihgfed pages to the room: You can squeeze around each other, but you wouldn't really be in fighting form, and you'd have to be in Homid/Lupus.From afar, to the room, Far-Cry can take right in the middle.
Dillen finds the small quarters not so nice and shifts into his lupus form.
Culls-The-Herd's muzzle wrinkles up and she shifts down into lupus.
Brightside almost seems to already be on his way to the lupine as he tumbles down into the muck. From which he stands tall, and counts on ears and what he can get from his eyes to tell him what he should be paying attention to just now.
Promises-Kept quickly moves and changes forms, to help reduce crowding, as he moves and becomes that of the near-man form. If nothing else, to help deaden the smell.
As nervy and overexcited as she is, Howls-Accord tries to stand tall. The whack she gets from the ceiling of the tunnel prompts an angry whine, and she slips to wolf form immediately.
Shield-Bearer shifts to Homid, the metis girl slouching so she can navigate through.
Jihgfed pages to the room: Here it is: Reggie Shield-Bearer Mathias Vera Far-Cry Dillen Howls-Accord Power-Up Brightside Dillen Leaves-None
Leaves-None takes the change in scenery with a hastily muffled yelp that comes out as a faint whine. The closeness necessitates lupus and she takes the smaller form uneasily, hackles raised from the confining space alone. The darkness and stench leave her trying to move forward without sticking her nose up someone's rump.
Power-Up finds the moon bridge narrow and he takes on lupus form as the garou around him jostle. Finding himself directly ahead of the stranger, he peers round once or twice to satisfy his curiosity.
Far-Cry, stubborn though he may be, doesn't stick to a wolven form in this stench-ridden area. He shifts instead to the nearman, ducking his head and hunching defensively. A hand reaches up to feel for the ceiling, getting a feel for the space.
Bloods-Bane gives his head a shake and wrinkles his nose at the smell.
In Lupus the stench is even worse: it drives its way into the wolves' brains like thumbs going in through the nostrils. Concentration is intensely difficult. With only blackness at the eyes and only pain at the nose, the sound of water dripping is like a drumbeat, and the hoarse breathing and wretching of the Garou is like a bedraggled army on long march. There's a jostling nervousness but nothing to concentrate on, which only makes it worse. Rags-Torn-to-Rags is at the head of the pack, his paws thick in the dirt, staring at a long, black decline; Leaves-None is in the back, claws ticking against brick, watching she knows not what.
Power-Up sneezes twice once he steps off the moon bridge and into the narrow, stinking passage. His body language displays utter distaste at the stench, but he keeps his place in line and moves along in pace with the rest.
Promises-Kept keeps quiet, luckily, his sense of smell is a bit more dead then as a lupus, and keeping
some of the stench from slaughtering his senses, but, it's never enough. For a moment, he throws up in his mouth, before quickly swallowing it down again, trying to keep it from the others as a sign of weakness.
Thyra feels her way as she stumbles along after Reggie. For those who can see her, she's especially unnerved.
Rags finds his crinos form definitely too big to fit in this dank place, forced into a doubling-over and a sudden slowing of his charge. He shifts down into glabro, and is still nearly doubled-over, shoulders pressed against the ceiling, but marches forward into the darkness, his maimed right arm held in front of him, reaching into the unknown.
Howls-Accord picks up her paws like a cat with tape on its feet. Her eyes are closed, her ears flat against her head. Her tail twitches and irks, trying to express her utter disgust and anger at the tunnel and the reeking darkness that surrounds and blinds them. Her hackles rise.
Culls-The-Herd is making a point of breathing through her nose, for what good that does her. The darkness and stench remain overpowering, as the Adren plays follow the leader.
Kenneth stops as he bangs his shoulder, grunting at contact and turning quickly. His eyes squint at the light, finding the ladder. "Found a ladder," he reports. And if that wasn't enough. "Don't tell me we're in the fucking citysewers..."
Promises-Kept gives a look about, no doubt unsure where this supposed ladder is. He waits, looking to see how others deal in the situation.
Up ahead the Garou can make out, low but ominous, around the sounds of pipes and pressurized water and their own hurrying pawsteps, a quiet, relentless grinding noise, muffled by distance and obstacles. It's almost mechanical, an unstopping, muted thrum of object against dirt.
Promises-Kept suddenly gives a pained scream into the dark, finger-claws working his head over, trying to get at something in the dark. All rational movement lost as the Fang no doubt shoves into someone else, not caring whom it might be.
Brightside blows out his nose with a strong huff then takes on the homid form. Pulling a cell phone from his pocket the Strider flicks it open and pushes a button on the side, the large display panel on the front and smaller one on the back illuminating rather brightly.
Thyra stumbles down onto her knees, head jerking from front to back, somewhat panicked in the dark.
Power-Up hears a cry of pain (is it?) from up ahead, and lurches forward a moment, until he nearly runs into the back of Howls-Accord and desists from pushing forward, his ears flat in nervous distrust.
Rags halts adruptedly as he adds colour to the lightless surroundings with curses, ~Motherfucking spawn of the abyss!~. He struggles to yank his leg free and kick vigorously at the unseen object on the floor.
Howls-Accord gives a sharp howl, urging the group forward. She lunges, likely colliding with Bloods-Bane. Fight! Horned Serpent! There, there, hear it, there! she barks and huffs, backing off a bit to give the Fenrir some room.
Culls-The-Herd scrambles out of the way as Promises-Kept flails around, lips pulling back as she snarls at the Silver Fang.
Bloods-Bane lets out a growl of annoyance. ~On me.~ As he reaches with his hands to try and pull off the thing that gives him such excruciating pain, were he not using his gift. ~Light.~ He says to Brightside as he fumbles with whatever cut across his shoulder and is now eating at his chest. When he is collided into he grunts, still trying to get whatever it is off of him!
Leaves-None pads along cautiously but quickly with her attention shifting between the Garou ahead and the space behind them with equal wariness. The transition from one speaking voice to the scream and curses sets her even further on edge and brings her up closer to the group growling.
Jihgfed pages to the room: Please pose only what your character does, and not what's happening to him, if the latter wouldn't be obvious to others.Kenneth bites back a curse as there's more jostling, squinting and focusing on what light there might be. The philodox grits his teeth, stifling his own annoyed feeling as he looks towards the front of the line.
Power-Up spins around when a light comes from behind him, and gives a menacing growl of warning, only to find that there's a homid-formed garou behind him casting the light. He backs away from Brightside, which makes him bump into Howls-Accord's rear again and maybe even knock her forward into Dillen again.
Promises-Kept has his own problem to deal with, still trying to rip something off him, his finger-claws digging into the skin near one ear as he tries to pry something loose. He gives a pained huff, as he stabilizes himself, trying not to knock into anything else.
The celphone's pale blue light only adds to the terror and hectic uncertainty. The screen at the back is as good as useless, but the front sheds a thin, weak cone about far enough forwards to shine off the fur of Culls-the-Herd's back, or as far back to faintly light up a couple metres of corridor, or high enough up to show the things lurking in the tangled maze of piping above. Each about a metre long, blind and wriggling like maggots, they dangle out of the ends of pipes or chew their way through the earthen walls. Higher above, where light glints of shimmering walls thick with slime, more can be seen of them, longer, stretched out lazily like pastey white anacondas, with mouths of three beaks that open and close like flowers in the sun. There's one attached to Blood's-Bane's, chewing away, just like that sound at the corridor's end, ferociously munching and grinding. Slowly more descend from the pipes above, or cawl up the passageway, or crawl through the pipes. They are hungry, and ahead and behind is only darkness.
Power-Up, in front of the light source, looks at the maggot-things with dismay, noting that even the ones he can see are considerably more numerous that might be desired. Rather than delay an attack by shifting back to crinos, he tries to find the nearest one within range of his lupus form, and bite at it fiercely.
Promises-Kept grabs something, and manages to remove it from where it was with a good deal of effort. The effort mostly being to get his arms there the get leverage in the dark. He gives a colorful curse towards the thing as it makes a wet noise next to him, the fang quickly stomping a foot to try and kill it.
Howls-Accord makes a split-second decision and lunges for Bloods-Bane again, aiming with wolf-jaws to rip at the thing on his chest and neck. She is loud as she does so, with big, threatening snarls.
Thyra can hardly see, but panic about her is enough to prompt the metis to return to her birthform. The Shield is raised to protect her head as she crouches.
Bloods-Bane continues to fight off the creature that chews at him. His claws try and sink into its flesh and tear it off of him.
Culls-The-Herd squints up at the beaked creatures in the darkness, posture going still as she focuses.
Rags stops his curses and stomping, and stands, panting from the effort, as he focuses on the conga line, their silhouettes black against the blue cell phone light,white maggots dripping above. ~The enemy lies ahead!~, he calls out. He moves down the corridor, nose wrinkled against the smell.
Kenneth's eyes widen at the sight of the giant creatures. At the call of the chosen leader, he shakes out of his staring and looks forward. He starts forward, keeping in easy reach of Culls.
Leaves-None backs up slightly and tucks her ears back, eyes watching the things as they writhe. Her progress forward is hampered by the others so she growls in frustration. With a moment's concentration her form begins to fuzz and blur at the edges and the Gnawer all but bounces back and forth as she paces in the close space.
As the group spreads out slight from moving on, Brightside hesitates for a moment to make room. He then takes on the glabro to continue with the group, claw/nails flashing out at anything that tries to get too close to him for comfort, more to bat them away than strike for the kill.
Promises-Kept's attempts at kicking the creature beside him resemble, vaguely, a paraplegic's animal's attempts at playing Twister, in the strobe light of Brightside's celphone. It's a wretched, wrenching affair, that leaves him almost doubled-over, and easily accessible to the thing he'd dislodged's return. Another one of them drops down on the Theurge's back, sinking its three beaks as one into the fur of his back, lodging there with desperate resilience. Shield-Bearer and Rags-Torn-to-Rags leave him behind, heading further into the darkness ahead of them. They, too, are assaulted by the creatures from above, as evidenced by a series of hard sharp clangs from hard metal of the Fury's shield, but no sound of complaint issues from the darkness beyond. Power-Up lurches and snatches one of the maggots from the pipe from which it's crawling: his teeth clamp down hard against its soft shell, and bile and white blood dribble down his muzzle as it flails in his grasp. Blood's-Bane's thrashing rips through the creature's shell like a water balloon, spilling over his fur, but it's Howls-Accord's deft snap that finally pulls it from him, and it hits the ground, dead, though for her efforts she pays dearly, as a pipe bursts above her, and three of the creatures spill down ravenously on top of her. She pulls back from one but the remaining two fall, mouths-first, against both sides of her back, just above her rear leg. More squirm out, unseen, along the edge of the tunnel: one lunges at Leaves-None but the sprightly, paranoid Gnawer swiftly retracts her paw. Despite his attempts at defence one of the things, in dropping from the ceiling, attaches itself quickly and painfully to one of the arms that flails out to stop it.
Promises-Kept gives another pained growl as a second one latches onto his back. Using his hands to balance himself from complete collapse, the theurge tries to stand back up and slam himself back against something. Wall, steam pipe...dosn't matter as the pain drives the theurge to try and crush it the only way he thinks he can.
Power-Up's teeth keep digging into the one he's pulled from the pipe. Still in lupus form, he tries to bring his front paws into play by clamping them on the soft purulent body of the thing and jerking his head back, aiming to tear it in half.
Bloods-Bane does his best to pay back Howls-Accord. His claws move in to skewer and pop one of the ones that latches onto howls. ~They pop like balloons.~ He says out as he tries to pop and pull at least one off of Howls.
Jihgfed pages to the room: Just to clarify, you can see (though only vaguely and with difficulty) everything that's happening from around where Vera is down the line. Only those past her are obscured.Kenneth pages to the room: You mean past her up front, or past her as in behind her?Jihgfed pages to the room: You can't see in front of her. I.e., you can see everything that's from where she is on, in the direction that the light actually is. The only light is still Brightside's cellular phone.Culls-The-Herd's ears flatten back against her skull, as she does what she can to avoid being trampled by Promises-Kept. Hold still! She barks out at the silver Fang.
Howls-Accord's attempts to rip away her attackers are confounded by her lack of hands. Without them, she snaps her fangs at her back, trying with a modicum of success to give Bloods-Bane room. Diediediediedie! she yelps.
Leaves-None snarls sharply as she pulls her paw back, swelling up into Hispo before striking back at the offending thing with a larger set of claws. Any one of the squirming beaked appendages that come within reach are fair game for a clawing or biting.
Kenneth finally turns to look behind him, glaring around for the offending, loud lupus.
Shield-Bearer crouches even lower, recoiling as whatever hits her shield. She stops herself before she strikes back, peeking out from under shield to
see what's impacting it instead. ~Wyrmfoe! Above us!~ She hisses quickly.
Khem tosses the phone from hand to hand quickly, the light going crazy in the tunnel for the moment and aiming at only the wall directly to his left for now as his now empty hand reaches over to dig in and stretch the attacked creature out as teeth gnash down to 'chop' it in half.
~Above us? Around us? Below us!~, Rags snarls, as he stops squeezing into the ever-narrower space, and slams his fists into the offending, stinky region. ~Attack it!~
Shield-Bearer swings the shield around to use the hard edge as a cutting edge. She uses her other deformed hand to aid in the swing, so both limbs are used.
The light is wild and useless, all it adds is mood, a frantic, insistent sense of urgency. In the darkness, cut only fleetingly and at random, the maggots move. The walls come alive, the ceiling collapses in flashes of white movement and suckers. At the front of the pack fists and shield are driven fiercely down with squelchy, disgusting success, coming away with bruised flesh and blood. Just as it's done though, almost in response, the two at the front are beset: one crawls over the thing to jam its beak in the Ahroun's elbow, in the fleshy, sensitive funny-bone, while another gets him right where he'd been injured before, attaching to his shin and chewing away. Shield-Bearer brings down her shield hard, squeezing the thing's tail like a mouse caught in a mouse-trap, not severing it but making it limp and fractured; as she brings it down it's no longer protecting her, and one of the maggots falls right across her back, digging in just near the spine. A boulder's throw behind them, Mathias is occupied struggling to beat the thing on his back to death using his own body as a battering ram: it's hard to tell which suffers more damage in the process, but eventually the maggot goes limp. It's the end of the pack, though, that suffers the brunt of the assault. Blood's-Bane manages some small success, sticking his claws into a creature that just refuses to die, struggling to curl around to dig its pincers into his flesh, while Leaves-None just gathers one up in her jaws and bites: the vile liquid is like cough-syrup and shit on her tongue. The Silent Strider's still-humanlike jaws grind at the thing's flesh, puncturing it here and there and nearly making him vomit his lunch back up at it with the smell and the taste of fecal liquid, but it doesn't stop it, and though its rear half dangles limply, its teeth are still firmly lodged. The monsters swell out of the murky ground and spill from the ceiling, clamping onto the rear half of the group like leeches on a group of swimmers. Two more manage to clamp on to Howls-Accord: she can't reach them, the awkwardness of her form and the tight space compound. There's four on her now, jawing away, and the buffet shows no signs of ceasing. One falls on Dillen as the Galliard is distracted with his kill; one lurches up to clamp Power-Up mid-thigh. Two each manage to find fresh purchase on Khem and Leaves-None: the Silent Strider now sports three of the things, one at the arm, one at the small of his back, and one right on the crown of his head, worn like an odd hat, scraping away at the scalp; the two on Leaves-None have got her from behind, latching on to her belly and her left haunch.
Still in lupus, Culls-The-Herd snarls and tries to wriggle past Promises-Kept, to join Rags and Shield-Bearer.
Shield-Bearer pulls the shield up long enough to make a grab for the tail, before she strains to attempt to haul back the beast.
Bloods-Bane growls out and shakes his whole body, trying to throw them off so that he can slice at others. His claws then rip at the ones that have sung their teeth into him prying as he grows into hispo.
Howls-Accord's whining and snapping turn into screams of panic and anger as she shifts from her wolf-form to her glabro. With short, jagged finger-claws, she pulls on the things on her body, throwing herself to the side to try to squish them against the walls of the small tunnel. The thrashing Wendigo yelps louder still as the worms actually draw some blood.
Power-Up shreds the maggot in his mouth in a highly satisfactory way only to find that a second one has attached itself to his thigh. He shifts up to hispo form in order to gain bulk, and lets his newly heavier body flop down onto it in the hope of simply squashing it to death.
Promises-Kept more or less squishes the thing off his back, or so he hopes as he goes claws out towards the front, trying to help the three in front of him by clawing at things that get past them, or onto them.
Khem is glad he allowed for some room between him and other folk as he bursts into Crinos now, gagging loudly but not seeming to care that he does so. The cell phone's light is practically erradicated as the more massive crinos hand covers the thing almost completely. Brightside's teeth on the 'leech' on his arm turn to tearing fangs and his other claw reaches up to try and tear into, grip, and rip the one from his head... no brains for j00!
Rags yelps and snarls at the creatures taking him to be today's special on the menu.He grabs with his hand at the one munching on his elbow, squeezing it like a tube of toothpaste as he forcefully pulls it off, simulataneously dancing, making room for Vera.
Leaves-None bears through the foul taste with quite a bit of will and shakes her head violently around her mouthful like a chew-toy. As the two latch on to her, she gives a muffled yelp and spits out the mass in her jaws. She backpedals a bit and does a stop, drop, and roll maneuver in order to kick at the thing on her belly first. If she happens to even slightly squish the one on her haunch, all the better to her mind.
While Culls goes forward, Kenneth goes to help the back. Dillen's struggling and shaking this close lends for better access, and he turns around to help. Hands reach out in hopes of grabbing one of the offensive creatures to yank it off from the galliard.
Trying to squeeze past Promises-Kept is like trying to slip a microwave through a mailslot. The Crinos takes up too much space, and in his waddling struggle forward he's not making it any easier for the Ragabash behind him. Pipes and cramped space block his way, and the going is slow and arduous. They move together, and as they do, the creature's pull themselves out of pipes and onto their passing bodies: one attaches right beneath Promises-Kept's swinging arm as he tries to haul himself forward, and one gets Culls-the-Herd's haunch as, frustration mounting, she jumps awkwardly over the Silver Fang's hunched back and wriggles past him like a greased pig. Shield-Bearer's single-minded devotion to her quarry earns her another passenger, as another one of the maggots sucks onto the Metis' back. Despite all the strain and fierce effort, Shield-Bearer can't budge the monster she's grabbed hold of: its stiff coarse hairs dig into the earth, and it moves like rubber on cement. Rags-Torn-to-Rags manages to crush his intended prey, though one still clings to his leg. Bloods-Bane easily yanks one of the creatures free, but it is a battle against time and time just keeps crushing on, as two more just take its place, though Kenneth behind him picks one off and smashes it against a nearby pipe. Again the end of the pack suffers the worst of the onslaught, as more and more maggot leeches just come spilling from the ceiling, crawling from the pipes, all around, until the very air seems thick with them. Just as Howls-Accord (who finds the Glabro form she's adopted much more useful for detaching the suckers on her back) and Power-Up manage to pull the maggots off them, smash them into the ground, slice open their soft skins, another one takes its place, sucking and chewing madly at the Garou's flesh. Leaves-None and Khem are more unfortunate: they gains two for the one they lost, both of them at the shoulders, blindly, relentlessly eating. There's a sense of foreboding from the thickness of the air and the carnage of the battlefield, and as if to capitalize on it the grinding, munching sound in the distance intensifies, it becomes a fierce, grinding, chainsaw noise, and a faint, unsettling tremor resonates through the piping. Though the creatures are having difficulty getting through the Garou's hard skin, their numbers are many, and their hunger, unending.
Jihgfed pages to the room: Just a recap of how many of the suckers everyone has attached: Reggie: 1; Thyra: 2; Mathias: 1; Vera: 1; Kenneth: 0; Dillen: 1; Veronica: 4; Kevin: 2; Brightside: 3; Masao: 5
Promises-Kept gives a growling bark, as the crinos reachs a paw over to grab at the
next one that bites onto him. Trying to grab a hold of the thing and to snap at it with his huge jaws, to destroy it.
Shield-Bearer continues to pull back on the creature, though not as hard, as she tucks her head to try and shield it before she invokes the Metis elemental gift.
Veronica keeps yelling and flailing, making plenty of noise to add to all of the other confusion. She tries to shake off the maggots, flailing and grabbing, and trying to struggle further along the passage to escape the onslaught of worms.
Bloods-Bane grows through his forms and into glabro and moves once more to swipe and slash at the creatures that gnaw upon him.
Culls-The-Herd snarls as her that beaked jaw sinks into her thigh, form instantly swelling into Hispo as she draws on her Rage. Jaws gaping wide, she does what she can to ignore the chewing beast and sink her teeth into whatever Shield-Bearer is attacking.
Leaves-None lets out a whine that is both frustrated and pained and blurs up into Crinos. The cramped space keeps her at least to all fours but she more avidly reaches for the maggots attached to her and tries to tear them off with all the strength she can pour into her limbs.
The demise of the sucker on his elbow allows Rags to pound freely on the large monster, like a boxer busy at his punching bag. He stomps his foot in annoyance, trying to shake off the sucker there.
Kenneth takes a step back to avoid any wild flailings from the Get Galliard, and then snarls out a curse. ~Going to be eaten alive here if we don't move!~ The philodox reaches out again, trying to grab onto another maggot clinging onto the galliard next to him.
Brightside growls out violently but focuses his rage and will into the new hitchhikers. His jaws and both claws going to the leech on the left shoulder while he attempts to slam his right shoulder
through its critter and into the wall.
Power-Up roars out, his scent disappearing from the miasma of sickness that is pervasive in the tunnel as his fangs seek purchase on a sucker on his left shoulder, near to the 'head' of it, seeking to strip it to bits off of him. Meanwhile his powerful hispo claws on the left arm reach across and seek to rend the leech on his right shoulder to pieces.
There are now three in the far blackness, though Vera's arrival is awkward at best: with Shield-Bearer in Crinos, the Ragabash is faced with the same difficulty she had been trying to pass Promises-Kept. She manages it though it slows her forward assault, vaulting over Shield-Bearer's side, one paw skittering across the Theurge's metal namesake, gaining too more leechlike tagalongs in the process, before finally firm on the ground she bulks into Hispo. She is just in time for a facefull of fire. Singed eyebrows all around as yet another of Gaia's fickle gifts works better than intended. It's instantaneous: a searing, blinding blast of flame, and then nothing but the burning embers of moss, casting no real light. In the flash the dark corner is revealed: Rags-Torn-to-Rags, Shield-Bearer, and Culls-the-Herd are all crowded next to the body of a giant worm, which stretches out until it fills the whole earthen corridor just perfectly, and nothing can be seen beyond. There are no pipes here, no brickwork, just earth and roots tangled above. The Ahroun is smashing his massive ham-fists into it, eyes wild with rage, as another maggot crawls out of the earth beside him and latches onto his back. Shield-Bearer has the creature by its crusted tail. It's just a flash, and then it's darkness again. Deeper down the tunnel, once again the rear of the group is buffeted by maggots that fall from the sky as liberal as hail. They've gotten good, now, at dislodging the monsters form their fur, but more just keep piling on, bursting out of the ground or the pipes. Howls-Accord, Power-Up, Brightside, and Leaves-None all have a brisk exchange of gains and losses, though in the end the tally is more grim pain and the sucking, insistent chewing of maggots. Howls-Accord, Power-Up, and Brightside have three of the creatures while Leaves-None, exposed in the rear, has four; they show no preference for vitals or weak spots: they just lunge, as quickly and as suddenly as they can manage. One of the ones on Power-Up hangs from the piping above, long and thin, just like a noose.
From afar, to the room, Jihgfed apologizes for the vagueness towards the end: I'd upset my dice so couldn't remember how many you all managed to dislodge, and how many managed to grab on, but I still had my total tally, so I just went with that.Jihgfed pages to the room: Damage: Howls-Accord: 2; Power-Up: 1; Brightside: 1; Leaves-None: 1Promises-Kept manages to rip the little beast off his arm, as he suddenly finds himself in the middle ground between two groups. Specificly, in a rather good spot for what he's good at. He starts to move towards those in the front, actively trying to see how bad they are hurt, trying to figure who would be best to use his gift of the Mother's Touch on.
Shield-Bearer untucks her head once the small explosion is over, and continues to pull on the giant worm's tail. At the same time, she leans forward to bite down on the monster flesh as far ahead of her deformed hands as she can reach.
In the flash of light and as that he's not being gnawed on at the moment, Dillen makes a bolt for the big worm and the ones at the front of the pipe. He slashes at anything that gets into his way.
Culls-The-Herd gains two more passengers and yelps in pain as their beaks did in, then as fire sears the fur from her face. Rage filling her yellow eyes, the Shadow Lord lashes out with her teeth at the giant maggot.
Rags takes a pause from his pounding to howl his dismay at having been blinded by the sudden light. The eyebrowless Uktena shifts wildly into Crinos, slashing madly with his claws at the bruised flesh.
Leaves-None slashes and bites at each spot of pain that links to a maggot, the unrelenting assault starting to wear on her. Wordless growls and grunts of determination punctuate her movements.
Kenneth only just catches the flash of light, nothing more. He sidesteps as much as he can as Dillen lunges right for him, snapping out a quick ~Watch it!~ as the Get bullies past. The philodox turns his attention back towards the back half and makes to help the next one down the line. ~Move forward!~ He doesn't stop reaching for the next available maggot on the next one up.
Brightside turns to Power-Up who is already facing his direction. The two side by side seem to get the simultanious bright idea that they can more easily get to the leeches on each other than themselves. In particular the Strider reaches out for one on Power-Up's shoulders as the Glass Walker returns the favor. The two looking rather bizarre perhaps clawing and snapping and gnawing at leeches attached to each other.
Veronica continues to flail about, tearing at the maggots chewing away at her skin.
Suddenly the end of the tunnel is slick with the strange beast's blood, and footing is almost impossible to find. All at once claws and teeth snap and strain and the giant maggot's rubbery hide bursts from the pressure and the damage, and its blood is fast sinking into the now-dry earth. As if to protect it the Garou at that end are suddenly set upon by the monsters - although perhaps it's only the inevitable balance for the beating the others had received before. In the darkness, now, knowledge of the attacks on them comes only from the pain they bring: both Rags and Shield-Bearer, at the forefront, can feel two more of the things, on heads and paws, whatever's closes to the ground or the walls or the ceiling, to add to the two the both of them already have. They move now more sluggishly, carrying their cargo with them as they go. And boy, do they go - at least, Shield-Bearer does, as in that moment of rage and ferocity the beast finally stirs to sudden, manic life, and it is off like a shot, burrowing itself frantically away and dragging the Theurge along behind it, dangling awkwardly through the slick blood-soaking tunnel. It is gone before Blood's-Bane can reach it, which is lucky for Promise-Keeper, since the Theurge was in the way and the Galliard didn't look like he was going to ask him politely to move. Culls-the-Herd and Promise-Keeper are both attacked from below, the creature's burrowing up from beneath the ground to latch awkwardly onto their paws, though the connection is insecure. Mercifully, those in the rear, so maltreated until now, have a moment, at least, to catch their breath, lick their wounds, and pry the vile things from their flesh, all except Kenneth, who is rewarded for his generosity in pulling a maggot from Veronica's back by the thing turning on him instead, and being joined by another which coils down from the ceiling and attaches to the back of his head, trying to chew through the bone, and another, which gets him right at the ankle. Everyone else is freed to extricate themselves as best they can: Veronica manages to smack one off her, and Leaves-None does the same, killing the one on her haunch and dropping it to the ground. Brightside and Power-Up seem to have hit on an efficient way of going about it, and soon there's only one maggot in a hard to reach to reach space on each.
Jihgfed pages to the room: Damage: Reggie: 1; Shield-Bearer: 1; Brightside: 1Promises-Kept pages to the room: Hmms, so that thing burrowed and came up to get at their feet? Or, just went along the ground?Shield-Bearer snarls and barks as she's dragged along with the giant worm, but doesn't release her grip just yet. Pulling herself just forward, she bites down on the thing's flesh again.
Rags and Culls lash out in the darkness, the Uktena attempting to sink his claws into the retreating beast and the Lord charging after it with her teeth. Veronica tries to pull off yet another maggot, driven to near panic by the cramped conditions.
Bloods-Bane goes with flashing claws to try and free Shield-Bearer as she barks for help. His claws fly and he tries to dig her away from the beast.
Promises-Kept tries to go after whatever has him by the paws. Using his crinos like claws to try and rip into it's flesh and to rip it to serious pieces. Make it pay for biting him, and causing him pain, and being in this horrid stinky place.
Jihgfed pages to the room: No. As far as you can tell, what's nibbling at toes is just regular maggots, like all the others.From afar, to the room, Shield-Bearer thinks she's long gone before Dillen reaches her.Shield-Bearer pages to the room: Right?Jihgfed pages to the room: This round, certainly, since he's got a wall full of Crinos in his way.Leaves-None tries to make the removal of the remaining maggots as quick as possible since painless has long since been out of the question. The lack of more incoming attacks has her vainly looking around to gauge the situation and growling ineffectually at the darkness.
Kenneth snaps a hand to the back of his head, grasping for the maggot that's latched on. With a snarl of ferocity, he wastes no time to shift to his warform. Claws come into play, as he's digging into the maggot to rip it off. Then he's sweeping down to slice and dice the others in a mad snap of claws and teeth at the rest.
Brightside and Power-Up take the breather moment only for the brief respite that it is.
Jihgfed pages to the room: Okay, a quick recap, because apparently there's been some confusion: Reggie's at 4 damage, Dillen's at 1, Veronica's at 3, Masao's at 4, Brightside's at 3, Kevin's at 1, and Thyra's at 1.Shield-Bearer trails along behind the thing like a skateboarder on a truck, hands fiercely wrapped around it to make sure it doesn't escape her, though her paws are doing most of the propulsion towards keeping herself at speed. She sinks teeth into it, leaving the others behind: as she goes, it's as if she's trolling for more of the worms, and it's miraculous that only two more manage to attach themselves to her. She's practically coated, now, and she can feel them all digging through her skin, pushing, straining to get at the softer flesh beyond. The worm streams out before Culls-the-Herd and Rags-Torn-to-Rags can reach it: they, too, go screaming through the infested tunnel, and they, too, are besot, though Rags, already slowed down by wounds and the leech's drain, is the only one who doesn't avoid the constant, darting grasp of the maggots. The others, clustered as they are together, used as they are to defending themselves and now, lately, each other, from the maggots flesh-sucking attacks, fight a holding battle that rarely sees them overwhelmed: even when Veronica has three drop on her simultaneously, they're so quickly pried gaspingly from her flesh that all she's left with are welts and bruises.
Jihgfed pages to the room: Reggie takes one damage, Thyra takes two, and Vera takes one.Jihgfed pages to the room: To recap: Reggie has five of the maggots on him (ouch!), Thyra has six (double ouch!), and Vera has four (still not good). Everyone else has cleaned themselves up.Bloods-Bane turns and as he missed the worm and has no maggots on him, he begins trying to clean off as many as possible from the others as he can. He heads for Thyra as she is the one who seems to have the most.
Shield-Bearer pulls her legs forward, digging her hooves into the ground to pull herself upright. Letting out a loud whoop from the adrenaline rush despite the pain and discomfort, she starts to run under her own power, moving at a unnaturally blistering pace along behind the worm. She stays low, half raising her now-scuffed shield to offer protection from more cling-ons, while her other deformed hand lets off the Worm and reaches over to start yanking off the maggots.
Promises-Kept makes his way as he can, trying to get closer to the others, clawing at anything that bites or moves too fast for being a Garou. He tries his best to kill like a proper Garou, but, he's having trouble finding valid targets.
Reggie seems to have had enough and attempts to dislodge the smaller maggots. ~Hey, the big one is over here!~ Culls continues to chase after the big maggot, jaws wide as she attempts to sink her teeth into it.
Veronica shifts down into lupus and prepares to give chase.
Far-Cry comes out of his whirling dervish attack with a sharp glare at the rest of the maggots continuously coming. Taking a moment to look for the front runners, the philodox snaps his jaws shut with a click and a growl. Any maggot coming close to him, Brightside or Power-Up gets quickly dispatched between them, but he's soon urging the back end of the line again. He seems all too eager to move after the bigger prey, especially when Reggie makes note.
Leaves-None helps to pull one of the maggots from Veronica, turning her head towards Reggie at his call. She does her best to move the back-end group further down the tunnel and make sure no one is left straggling.
Both Promises-Kept and Blood's-Bane are about to get their wish. It's like a car being hit by a freight train, like a pedestrian by an eighteen-wheeler, like a large bird by a baseball bat. Dillen barely even notices it coming. The creature comes out of the earthen wall beside him silently, without screech or anger or intent other than to feed. He tries to move out of the way but while his paws are nimble and swift he notices the thing too late, and then he's against the wall. It's teeth cut deep into his flesh, sinking past his hardy flesh, past ribs, past everything that might stop it. If he hadn't been able to get out of the way just that little bit, he might be dead; but as it is, he's merely pinned to the wall by his completely crushed shoulder, the thing's three great stone teeth hitting the opposite, brickwork wall, just missing lung. The other maggots seem to have slacked off - or perhaps they are simply more carefully choosing their targets. Two more lunge at Shield-Barrier, so that the Theurge is now wearing them thick and complete as clothing, they spill from her everywhere, crunching always, increasingly further into flesh. Two more find Leaves-None, almost a leader, now, believe it or not, sinking into her flesh.
Jihgfed pages to the room: Thyra takes two, Masao takes one, Dillen takes 4.Promises-Kept tries to get closer to the sounds of whatever the big squishy maggot is, as he tries to make sure there are no Garou in the way before he slashes with his claws, trying to get as much of 'it', that he can manage.
The one usable arm that Bloods-Bane has is now slashing and doing it's best to get this worm from hell off of him. He opens his mouth in a mighty roar as every bit of him that doesn't flail, legs, teeth, and the one arm fight with the beast that has him pinned.
Shield-Bearer smashes into the suddenly stopped worm, her shield arm absorbing much of the blow as as she rams into its butt. Taking the opportunity the stopped beast provides, the Theurge begins yanking off maggots as fast she can before they dig any deeper.
Veronica voices a startles yelp as the creature comes bursting through the wall, then she shifts into lupus and charges toward the beast. Reggie continues to do the dance of maggot-removal, trying to get them off. Culls' continues to chase the creature through the tunnel it originally made, foam and spittle dripping from her jaws.
Leaves-None doesn't waste the effort to growl as she rips at the new maggots, simply intent on getting them off. Even as she tears at the biting mouths, she moves towards the Get's roar as fast as she can.
Far-Cry goes still for a moment as the big worm attacks from the side. Then with a roar, the philodox lunges forward for the Wyrmcreature, turning all weapons at his disposal on the monster. Brightside and Power-Up follow quickly, trying to manuever around the Shadow Lord and get in their strikes as well, no quarter given.
Promises-Kept is the first of the stragglers to hit the beast, with restrained Rage and caution: his claws find firm purchase in the soft flesh of the thing. Far-Cry is the second, though he replaces caution with fervour, and it's luck in his rage that he doesn't do more than scrape through the soft flesh of the Silver Fang's stomach as his claws go screaming into the thing. The two Crinos effectively block the passage: struggle though Howls-Accord does, she isn't able to get in much more than a nip. On the other side, Blood's-Bane does all he can, but even though he can barely feel the pain which would otherwise cripple him, angle and leverage keep him from exerting his full force on the thing, and though he tears his claws do not go deep. Behind the creature, more effort is put towards keeping themselves alive than killing the beast: Shield-Bearer and Rags-Torn-to-Rags both scrape themselves against the dirt and turn their claws to their own selves. Culls-the-Herd chases the worm but when she sees her way blocked by the Black Fury, she gradually, almost begrudgingly, begins to assist her in clearing herself from the creature's terrible grip.
The beast itself, however, begins to move. Just as it had eaten through the dirt all around it, it begins to eat through the brickwork and flesh that now keeps it from moving. It munches away, its great stone teeth working unthinkingly through Blood's-Bane's arm. It's slower, now, as it chews through Garou flesh and sewer wall, but it's definitely on the move.
Jihgfed pages to the room: One damage to Dillen (that arm's already so mangled that there's only so much more it can do to it), and, surprisingly enough, no damage to Reggie or Thyra, you lucky bastiches.Jihgfed pages to the room: Oh, right! One damage to Mathias.Jihgfed pages to the room: He got lucky, too.Bloods-Bane still fights the good fight, swinging and throwing anything he can at the worm.
Shield-Bearer keeps trying to yank the remaining maggots that are coating her off, the Metis still frantic in her doing so. She uses teeth where she can, but her hands do most the work.
Promises-Kept sees the problem Blood's-Bane is in, as his claws work to try and scrape and cut and break whatever the monster may have there. Claws flashing as he tries to move quicker in a burst of rage, to try and free the garou, and not have that arm removed.
Far-Cry continues to carve away as best he can, mind settled on attacking what's within his reach. In the meanwhile, Brightside and Power-Up try to move around him, still looking for openings.
Leaves-None flashes her claws and teeth here and there, trying indeed to keep herself and anyone within reach in the here and now. If she can do little else than keep the smaller maggots at bay than she does her best at that.
Culls-The-Herd snaps at the maggots coating Shield-Bearer with Hispo jaws, doing what she can to remove the giant bugs. Rags continues to tear at the disgusting creatures attached to him, howling in pain. Howls-Accord whines in frustration, still trying to find enough room to attack the creature chewing on Dillen.
The beast surges on, but it doesn't get far. Dying of a thousand wounds, it doesn't get further than a foot into the side of the wall before it stops, bloodily and quietly, lost to the raking of a half-dozen Garou claws. Strands of Blood-Bane's arms are still half-mingled somewhere inches deep in the wall, as the creature dragged him with it as it went, though he remains blissfully unaware of the gritty, blinding pain he should be in. He can pull it out easily: the arm almost untouched from about halfway down the bicep on, however a thin strand of masticated flesh is all that attaches it to the rest of him. Slowly the other Garou extract the maggots from their flesh, but even in the silence of this victory there's a foreboding, undefinable threat, in the blackness all around, in the vileness in the air.
Shield-Bearer relaxes slightly when the worm goes lax, the Theurge finally clear of the of the attached maggots. She presses down low so to let the Adren pass over top of her to the worm.
Promises-Kept looks over Blood's-Bane, as he reaches in to touch his shoulder. A huge paw with claws as the Silver Fang growls and woofs, a mixture of the garou tongue. It is a call out to Gaia to heal her wounded warrior, to mend the flesh that had protected her, and to restore Blood's-Bane to his proper place as warrior among this hunt.
Jihgfed pages to the room: Three points healed.Bloods-Bane manages to pull himself from the wall and looks at what hangs from his shoulder. He reaches over and pulls his mangled arm close to him. He looks about, giving a growl and then kicking the worm that had him glued to the wall. ~Fucker.~ At Mathias' touch, Bloods-Bane looks to him and then his arm to see if it mends. ~Thanks.~ He says, moving his arm about some.
Far-Cry continues to slash his claws through Wyrmflesh even as it dies, as if its very presence still lying in the sewers is offensive enough. He slows eventually though, when the sounds of battle and squishing come to a general stop. The stench-filled air filling his lungs quash any urge to howl. Brightside and Power-Up remain defensive, wary against any more maggots coming their way.
Culls-The-Herd does not go after the beast when it goes lax. Instead, she shifts into Glabro and removes the four maggots from her flesh.
Howls-Accord whines in frustration, suddenly lacking a target. Bleeding heavily, Rags removes the last maggot from his flesh and squashes underfoot.
Leaves-None, after making sure the others are all maggot-free, gives a low, grating growl and sinks down to briefly rest on all fours. The Gnawer is nowhere near relaxed and makes audible sniffing noises at the air.
Shield-Bearer starts her way back through the tunnel, keeping her sheild up above her to protect herself from any more raining maggots.
Promises-Kept starts to go among the other garou, doing quick triage of those present. Those who can barely carry themselves are the ones that Promises-Kept also calls upon Gaia's help to heal. And with that, he looks to return his way to the exit.
Shifting to his homid form, Kenneth eventually makes his way up the manhole and has a look around. The lid gets pushed against warily, and the philodox lifts himself out after. It seems to be a bit too long in waiting, before he calls down to the others. "Clear!"
Bloods-Bane eventually makes his way up the manhole and out.
