[center][h2][b][color=#23F794]N[/color][color=#21F19D]a[/color][color=#1FEBA7]t[/color][color=#1DE5B1]u[/color][color=#1BDFBA]r[/color][color=#19D9C4]a[/color][color=#18D4CE]l[/color] [color=#14C8E1]S[/color][color=#12C2EB]e[/color][color=#10BCF5]l[/color][color=#0FB7FE]e[/color][color=#10BCF5]c[/color][color=#12C2EB]t[/color][color=#14C8E1]i[/color][color=#16CED8]o[/color][color=#18D4CE]n[/color] [color=#1BDFBA]A[/color][color=#1DE5B1]r[/color][color=#1FEBA7]c[/color] [/b][/h2][/center]

[center][h3][b][color=FireBrick]Joseph Mathers[/color][/b][/h3][/center]

[b]Location: Lost Haven, Maine, Outside The Cowl’s Ironworks
Time: Natural Selection, Present[/b]
[hr]

	The mystical vapors of Odette’s counter-spell crept up the wall to Holt’s location. He could feel the unsettling warmth of her magic rising to cut off his supernatural winds. However, a thin wisp of power caught him unaware, bidding him to end the chilling torrent. Holt’s raven form became unstable, Odette’s power forcing him into the shadows. His position was compromised, but Joseph’s plan had worked. Some guards stationed outside the ironworks quickly filed into the center of the building, leaving an opening for the team.

	With enough of the guards distracted and Odette on edge, Holt returned to the group. 

	“Are you alright,” Joseph was quick to assess the damage done to Holt’s physical form, having felt Odette’s attack via a weak shared consciousness. 

	“I’ll be fine,” Holt replied, “but more importantly, everything is going according to your plan, or so far it is.”

	Joseph sighed, getting in was the easy part. Now, the group would have to deal with a small army of trained men and all the power of the Fae. He decided then to leave the fighting to everyone else. He would be most useful to the group in combatting Odette and keeping her occupied, so he would do just that.

	“Now’s our chance,” he said aloud to the group, running rather recklessly toward the main door. Around his person was a duffle bag filled with items from The Red Devil. Inside were magical trinkets, ritual items, and anything else Joseph might need for both simple and complex acts of witchcraft. This time, he was prepared. 

	“Cover me,” he called to Holt, launching himself through the guards outside the door. They immediately began firing their weapons, but Holt was quick to intercept their bullets and back them away from Joseph when they neared. He could have taken a few of them down, but he needed to focus all of his efforts on Odette.

	Once inside, Joseph sped to the center, weaving behind machinery so as to maintain some tiny element of surprise, Holt bringing up the rear and shielding him from immediate danger. The guards inside were still disoriented from Holt’s surprise attack, giving Joseph plenty of time to act. Given Racheli’s current predicament, he wouldn’t have to keep her in mind, allowing him the freedom to perform larger acts of magic without cause for concern. Immediately, he brought out a sleek wand, a hawthorne blasting rod used in acts of baneful magic. He lifted it with his right hand, tilting it ever so slightly, and focused. The power of the rod on its own was to cause misfortune, to release the evil eye, and so it did. Overhead pipes began to shake, some bursting and releasing gouts of hot steam. Glass on certain machines shattered, the shards creating a shining wall of sharp debris. 

	“Holt,” Joseph directed his familiar to the steam. Holt nodded and flew over to the heavy streams of hot air, which now filled the room with a thick haze. As soon as his ethereal form touched the mist, it burst into flames, creating a dome of fire that was quickly contracting. Joseph expected quick retaliation from Odette, but he knew several of the guardsmen would be heavily burned by the flames and that she might be caught even more off guard, enough so that the team could launch a full assault and make off with Racheli’s containment unit.