Adam & Aleksandra & Creature: Adam finally had a chance to draw a careful breath as the Creature's attention was suddenly drawn from him to the invisible assault from Lily. Adam watched in fascination as tiny wounds spread over the creature. It was like watching a fire spread across a grassland, each cut burst into flames like a blade of grass catching fire, spreading over the creature and turning it into a walking torch. With the creature distracted Adam took his chance and moved to the side, circling the beast. In a half-crouch he moved across clearing as quickly as he could. The creature was confused, fire obscuring it's vision and the brightness around it making the shadows ever so much darker. Adam used that to hide, catching his breath, and testing the injuries on his body so he would know just how far he could push himself. The sound of a gunshot blasted through the stench and smoke of the night, followed by Aleksandra's hurled insults. Despite the gravity of the situation Adam chuckled as he listened to her taunts. He had to remember to compliment her on them; shinier sword indeed. It definitely got the creatures attention and Adam calculated his next move as the Aleksandra took a turn at dodging the beasts attacks. The Creature was lost, confused, and growing more wild by the second. It's head snapped back as the bullet slammed into it's jaw, ripping it half off. Soon flames were dripping from where it's mouth should be. Any sane person would have run in terror by now from the horrifying spectre of this thing; fortunately for Adam those he had chosen for this mission did not conform to the normal definitions of sane. Wreathed in flames, unable to see clearly, the Creature desperately searched for the source of this new attack. It heard the taunts, registering what it would mean to his mother, it knew it had to kill these people. Locked onto Aleksandra it charged, heedless and uncaring, even as flames began to melt it's flesh and burn deeper into it's body. It felt no pain but that didn't mean it wasn't beginning to suffer. As Aleksandra's shots began to pick it apart, ripping apart it's legs and neck, it stumbled and slowed. Unable to move properly, it faltered and in a final attempt to catch the woman who had been shooting it, It threw all it's weight forward in a leap that carried it into the tree Aleksandra had just been standing in front of. A snapping sound, abrupt and harsh, reverberated through the clearing. The tree splintered as the Creature crashed into it, but that wasn't the only noise. Some harsh, metallic shriek blended into the sound of splintering wood and gunfire. Adam had no idea what it was but he knew it was something inside the Creature; something that had gone wrong with it's body. It was moving with labored staccato movements. Adam watched it try to fight off another invisible attack, body shuddering under the impact of the bullets Lily fired. It failed much more miserably this time and the metallic shriek grew more pronounced. Adam's smile was grim and determined as he raced forward, a split second after Lily made her leap to stab the creature through the skull Adam hit it from behind with every bit of force he could drive through his blade. He didn't even register further gunshots as anything further than the chaos and cacophony of the fight and while he noticed Lily's nearly invisible assault halt he didn't think it had import. The Creature stumbled first backward then forwards and finally just stopped and stood still, Adam's sword still embedded in it. Adam blinked rapidly, completely caught off guard by the sudden stillness. Foul smelling goop still dripped from it's wounds and fire burned across skin and muscle but the Creature didn't move so much as a centimeter. Even when Adam reached up and rather viciously yanked his sword free of the beast it didn't move. He stalked carefully around the thing but it was plain to see there was nothing left but a husk, metal, flesh, and oil, but nothing to power it. Whatever had given it life was gone. Hopefully it would burn out soon as well, before it caught the whole glade on fire. He figured they would need to take it apart, perhaps even take parts back for study, but he wasn't about to tackle that when it was still a mess of dripping flames. Plus the stench was nearly unbearable, he was actually struggling not to gag. Adam looked around looking for signs of further trouble, fire, or anything else. It was bad enough to be fighting a hellacious battle for one's life while stark naked; he really didn't want any further surprises. He spotted Aleksandra and reached out a hand to help her up, even as he looked around for the others and any horses that might not have bolted, a vain hope but still a hope. He saw no one, human or horses. “Ren?” he called, voice even but loud enough to carry across the clearing. “Here Master Adam” came the call, from somewhere among the darkness. “If you could join me? I am fine. Miss Lily is not.” ***************** [img]https://image.ibb.co/goXKDF/b99cf1877fc23406534369b5680a9687.jpg[/img] Isabeau Isabeau & Lucie: Isabeau stood arrogantly, staring down the other woman in the darkness. Her power flared around her, and around Lucie, a storm of dark energy visible only to those who had a Talent to see such things. Lucie might not have seen the effects of Isabeau's power but she felt them keenly. Isabeau was confident that the other woman would succumb, confident enough to take a step towards her. The lance of pain in her arm startled her and loosened her psychic grip, she hadn't even seen the other woman draw a dagger. This was the danger in using her power without appropriate study. Drugs affected different people in different strengths and ways. The same was true of psychic powers, particularly those that attacked the mind. The second dagger buried itself in Isabeau's leg even as she pulled her thoughts together to strengthen her Talent. Isabeau used the pain this time, focusing on it, using it to block her fear. Pain was no mystery to her, it simply was, and she could use it. She pictured in her mind the blood welling from her wound, pictured each droplet, focused her mind on each drop getting smaller and smaller, pictured the cells that made up the blood, imagined them flowing through her body. It was a powerful meditative technique, to picture something one is familiar with growing smaller and smaller, as one did that ones Talent grew more and more focused, more and more powerful. Unfortunately for Isabeau, though she was able to block off distractions and focus solely on her Talent it wasn't enough. Lucie seemed particularly resistant, or perhaps trained to resit such mind altering tactics. A third dagger buried itself in her shoulder, piercing muscle and weakening her arm. Isabeau knew now she couldn't fight, even if she wanted to. She was not ambidextrous and her sword arm was now shot. She had only one recourse now. She yanked her Talent back from Lucie, freeing her from any lingering effects, and poured it into her own body. She strengthened her lungs and blocked the pain, and turned and ran as fast as she could. Caution and bravado both gone now, she simply ran.