[Day 2, Night - A House South of Town]

[direstnews]

[Written into the ground alongside one of the houses to the south of town tonight are a series of strange letters, forming a rough circle near the wall. A figure of approximately Loki's build, not there during the day's exploration, leans against the wall at the corner. The door to the house is open.]

[Some hours after the sudden switch from day to night, Loki stands in front of the door, a candle before him, a kitchen knife in one hand and a spoon in the other. He checks the mirror set carefully in the darkness, nothing yet visible in its surface. Then he strikes the knife with the spoon's handle, and he holds his breath - and he waits.]

Comments

[12npcs]

[It is, in fact mostly sitting in the selfsame garden- In fact, a portion of it remains there, flattening as a holy blast rips the top off of it... the other surges upward, pouring over magical flames to rush at the half elf behind them.]

[direstnews]

[...come on, lower half. I know you want to move so I can get in there.]

[12npcs]

[As Asellus slipped up behind it... it lifts and starts to slide away...

The woman and child are gone.]

[direstnews]

[Lovely. So now you absorb things by touching them.]

[Waits for a bit of clearance before he makes that dash.]

[12npcs]

[As it divides again... slamming against a barrier and chasing a phantom horse, you have a wide open path between the two parts.]

[direstnews]

[Rushes in as fast as his legs can carry him, keeping a close eye on that thing so he can avoid ending up like the gardener and her daughter.]

[Let's see what you were digging for... and if it's in the place where we found the head earlier today.

[12npcs]

[The holes isn't exactly where the head was, but nearby...

In the dirt, between the roar of fire, flash of lightning and the bursts of holy light, you can catch something yellowed in the dirt...]

[direstnews]

[Flings dirt aside in his haste to dig it out, scrabbling at the soil.]

[12npcs]

[Your desperate clawing reveals a wooden torso, bare of clothes. The curves and rise of the planes of the chest suggest a female form...]

[direstnews]

[Hooks his fingers into the shoulder sockets and pulls- and pulls.]

[Let's get this thing clear and add a little distance before we use it as bait.]

[12npcs]

[It's heavy, pushing you to truly strain... but you get it up out of its shallow grave.]

[direstnews]

[Drags it across the ground, panting, keeping an eye on the fight to pick his position: a place that will cause most of the creature-pieces to pass right by an armed opponent if they did something like, say, charge blindly toward his location. If they're not quite so stupid as that, perhaps he'll serve distraction enough to gain the combatants a few extra moments as its attention is turned his way.]

[When he gets there, he drops the torso, cups his hands to his mouth, and yells at the top of his voice:]

Would you not have even one prize this evening?

[nyanotech]

[Leeeeaning over your shoulder.]

Do you really think this is a good idea?

[direstnews]

Their weapons cause it hurt. It wavers even now.

...I would grant them time.

[soul_sister]

[It works, more than a few... one attempting to absorb another girl... a small creature of hands and beast both pause, stopping in some churning indecision.]

[nyanotech]

We can grant a bit more if it's chasing us.

[direstnews]

Would that it would be persuaded so.

[Calls again.]

This is but the first of many! We've others, besides.

[12npcs]

[As it drops Asellus ... somehow it seems to be bigger, firmer...

And somehow faster. It turns towards you and starts climbing to you with blurring speed...]

[allsneakandnoplay]

[Raiden takes the chance the distraction has given. He finally leaps off the roof in a wide arc, sword in hand, to come down on the gathering mass from behind - it looks as if he dropped out of nowhere, and his hands move in a blur in an attempt to slash it to pieces.]

[direstnews]

Aah-!

[Flinches back and gets his hands up, though they probably won't do much good to block that. He'd meant to run, but he wasn't expecting it to be that fast.]

[nyanotech]

[Yes that is. Fast.]

Nya?

[12npcs]

[From where he stands, Loki can see the arc of the sword flash. It draws a heavy arc through the creature, parting it like heavy jello. The tip moving almost in slow motion, it passes almost inches from your defensive arm.

The two sides of it shudder in the air and drop in a wet spray of some thick, dark substance.]

[allsneakandnoplay]

[whatever splatter effects just like home]

[direstnews]

Oh, ick.

[nyanotech]

[Slumps a bit behind Loki, relieved.]

That was close.