[h3][color=DarkSeaGreen]Henri Baptiste[/color][/h3]
[right][color=silver][i]Keeper’s Crossroads[/i][/color] | Silverbranch Glade
[color=silver][i]Interacting with[/i][/color]: [color=Peru]Regan Hadou[/color] [@CitrusArms], [color=9e0b0f]Argus Leandras[/color] [@Raijinslayer] and [color=ECECE2]Shiro[/color] [@Lunarlord34][/right][hr]
The assembled teams scattered from the guild hall and began their trek through the glade post haste. Henri swung from the treetops with the aid of his watery appendages, a familiar tinge of delight that was not his own stirring from within him. No doubt Sycorax was enjoying getting some use after what seemed like a long time. Life in a dark, watery tomb wasn't exactly invigorating after all. Henri couldn't enjoy himself, not with the image of Karla sobbing away into Meredith's arms still etched in his mind. Those who knew the comfort of a familiar couldn't imagine what that must feel like. The bond was more than just that of a pet and master - it is eternal, sanctioned by a Witch's Deity themselves. Within the lush greenery beneath him he could see the rest of the forces mobilized. Regan and Shiro were among them. Despite his opinion of her, when it came down to it Shiro was a very reliable sort. Not to mention Regan, who had only just met them and was willing to offer her assistance. She was quite astute in her judgement that the lanterns would indeed guide the way to the crossroads - though of course she need only follow one of the guild members who were familiar with the area.  Even Argus' determination was somewhat surprising. Not that Henri didn't think him capable, but he always seemed so down on himself. Taking charge when it counted was truly admirable.

Argus had departed earlier than the others and was no doubt close to the clearing where the crossroads lay. As the name suggested, the place was just a convergence point of three separate paths within the Glade. A marble statue of the Goddess Hecate stood at the meeting point of the three roads. It was kept in pristine condition, tended to frequently by the Daughters of Hecate. The three forms of the Goddess stood facing a different path each; the inquisitive Maiden held a ring of keys within her hands, the pensive Mother gently caressed her pregnant belly and the wizened Crone bore a mighty staff of fire. At the foot of the statue was an upturned silver tray that once offered incense, flowers, oils and wine which were now scattered across the path where the struggle had taken place. Karla and Talos seemed to have been ambushed whilst she was tending the altar. Sure enough, dried blood stained the cobbled path as well as a trail of claw marks and splintered trees that further illuminated where the Direwolf had been taken. Faint voices on the wind indicated that the poachers hadn’t gotten far - and sure enough if one only followed their path of careless destruction they would find a group of men struggling to contain a great, tawny wolf that towered over most men. Talos  snarled and snapped at their attempts to subdue him with chains. A larger man with a red scarf wrapped around his head blue a puff of cigar smoke into the direwolf’s face. Unkempt stubble littered his square jaw and thick neck; adorned with golden chains and beads. A tattered vest openly framed his bare chest where an insignia of an eagle’s talon was branded proudly.

“[color=silver]Bloody Hells, ‘e’s a right beaut this one! ‘Urry up an’ muzzle ‘im! T’was s’posed to be a discreet operation ya worthless shites![/color]” The man seemed to be the ringleader; barking orders at five brutes who were cursing and heaving as Talos fought in vain to escape their bindings. His vicious snarls turned to defeated whimpers; a final cry for help as the realisation set in that he would not be returning to Karla today. It all seemed pretty dire until the great creature felt the pressure on his right hind leg disperse. Not wasting the opportunity, he used his free leg to shift his weight around in an attempt to knock the others off balance. It startled them but wasn’t enough to secure his escape.

“[color=silver]Oi! Yer ain’t pullin’ your weight over there Freddy.[/color]' ' The man bellowed, spitting to the ground as he gestured for another pair of men to prepare a rusty, iron muzzle for the beast.
“[color=silver]Hagar, Boss! Freddy’s gone![/color]” Another voice called out in panic. Hagar, the assumed leader, sauntered around with a slight limp. His right leg was an old prosthetic that looked in dire need of a tune up. It creaked with every step, it’s parts rattling about as if it were to fall apart at any moment.
“[color=silver]’ave you gone loony? What’chu mean ‘[i]gone[/i]-’[/color]” He was interrupted by a sudden yelp from the one remaining henchman on the beast's side. This time he was close enough to spy a large, spindly arm of roots and vine emerging from the depths of the forest and grasp the man by his ankle. Before he could even scream the woodland mass had reeled him back into the dark woods and his visage faded from view. Hagar’s cigar fell from his mouth as yet another arm reached out in an attempt to wrest control of him. Fortunately for him he was no amateur and a quick flash of steel saw the animated appendage torn asunder by a flurry of scimitar swipes. It would seem the trees weren’t the only forest inhabitants fighting back against these poachers. Turning around to the rest of his men, Hagar found them under assault by all manner of woodland creatures - birds pecked away at their heads, deer buckled up to charge and it even seemed a swarm of gnats had made their way into the clearing.

“[color=silver]These bleedin’ woods ‘ave gone mental, they ‘ave![/color]” He grit his teeth, reeling back his scimitar to ready a strike against an oncoming deer. Before he could bring his arm back he found himself buffeted by a sudden blast of water. Skidding along the dirt into a crumbled pile, the ringleader was left winded by the sudden attack. Using his blade to push himself into a kneel, Hagar glared across the clearing to find the source of his attack. Henri’s stance was firm and strong, one arm reared back behind him and the other extended out in a fist. Both arms were entrenched by a watery mass that resembled that of a squid’s tentacles.
“[color=darkseagreen]You ‘ave made a grave mistake today, mes amis. Let them ‘ave it![/color]” Henri cried out, his fellow companions charging from the woods to meet the poachers head on. A few of the witches began gathering around the frightened Talos - his ensnaners releasing his bindings to combat them. The great beast thrashed about and growled, his eyes darting from person to person as the battle ensued. One witch muttered an incantation under her breath, sending forth a red flash of light from her fingertips towards the metal shackles that continued to impair the creature. The magic turned them to rust, crumbling away within a matter of seconds. Now free, Talos scampered back to the edge of the woods; still in shock from everything that had happened. He snapped at any of the witches who approached too close, a clear warning that he wasn’t yet calm.

Sure enough the poachers drew their weapons, the mages among them readying their spell circles to strike back at their assailants. Hagar was now back on his feet, spinning his scimitars around him menacingly.
“[color=silver]The only mistake here mate, is that you lot think you’re getting between me and the fat wad of jewels I’ll get for bringing in that monster.[/color]” Hagar smirked at Henri, holding his arms out wide as two magic circles appeared around his wrist.
“[color=silver]Sword Magic: Dancing Blades[/color]” He let his grip release from the hilts of his scimitars. Rather than fall to the ground as one would expect, the blade hovered in place for a moment before beginning to spin in large arcs. An ethereal energy poured from the blades edge, surrounding the spinning blades in a whirling mass of slicing magic. Hagar cracked his knuckles before charging headfirst at Henri. Readying his tentacles, Henri thrust one hand forward to send another precise stream of water towards his assailant. Yet before the jet could make contact, the spinning blades crossed before Hagar in one fluid motion - disrupting Henri’s attack and leaving him exposed before the bull rushing opponent. Hagar charged shoulder first into Henri’s abdomen, wrapping his arms around the back of his legs and heaving the large man to the ground with a hefty thud. Anyone who came to his aid was met by a slicing onslaught of the animated swords. For all his size, it would seem Henri had met his match as the brute Hagar kept him pinned whilst delivering blow after blow to his skull. He managed to weave between a few of them, but every now and then he’d get in a lucky slug. If it were to keep up for much longer, Henri wouldn’t be able to fight him off.

[h3][color=Firebrick]Bullet[/color], [color=silver]Meredith Clagnan[/color] and [color=silver]Zhulie Pesta[/color][/h3]
[right][color=silver]Wolven Pyre Greenhouse[/color] | Silverbranch Glade
[color=silver]Interacting with[/color]: [color=916C8E]Manami Fuyu[/color][/right][hr]
Amidst the canopy of the great hollow that houses Wolven Pyre laid one of the greatest accomplishments of the Daughters of Hecate - the greenhouse. Once home to all manner of magical reagents and flora, the greenhouse now only houses a limited range of plants to be used for potion crafting and rituals. The White Witch Grizabella once proudly tended to these gardens, her healing hand invaluable to the coven. Yet she left long ago, and took her knowledge on plant magic with her. These thoughts stirred through Meredith’s brain as she scanned what little remained. Herself a skilled apothecary; but without the magical touch of a deity it would be hard to produce anything nearing the caliber of what Grizabella once could. That wouldn’t stop her from trying.
“[color=silver]Manami, the cabinet over there should have a vial of asp venom - please fetch it for me. Then you can grind up some clove. Oh if only we had more treant sap. We’ll have to make do.[/color]” Zhulie twiddled her thumbs in the corner, awaiting an order from Meredith that never came. Regan had wanted her to watch the souffles, but she knew she could contribute something to help the others. Olga promised to look after the pastries so she could follow Meredith and Manami up to the greenhouse.

“[color=silver]What do you need me to do, Meredith?[/color]” Zhulie stood at the wooden table and watched the older woman skillfully clip, mix and extract all manner of various substances. She stopped momentarily to stare down at the young girl, rapping her fingers against the grain in thought.
“[color=silver]I need you to keep Karla company. I sent Bullet to get her some food from the kitchen.[/color]”
“[color=silver]But I want to help![/color] Zhulie insisted.
“[color=silver]You will be, darling. The poor dear is devastated. You always put a smile on her face.[/color]” Meredith reached out to gently stroke Zhulie’s hair. The girl pouted at the floor for a minute before meeting the older woman’s gaze with a determined nod. She made for the stairs with a newfound ambition.

On his way up to Priscilla’s office Bullet nearly jumped as Zhulie came barreling down the stairs.
“[color=firebrick]Geez! What’s the rush, squirt![/color]” He lifted the tray of food above his head, reminded of the detailed explanation of his demise Olga gave to him of he so much as dropped a crumb. That woman did not make idle threats. Zhulie was a few steps below, turning back quickly to address him.
“[color=silver]Meredith asked me to check on Karla, but I know there’s more I can do! I’m going out to gather treant sap for her.[/color]” She explained before beginning to bound down the remaining steps - only stopping when Bullet called out for an explanation.
“[color=firebrick]Woah, slow down. Meredith would never allow you to go off on your own - especially now.[/color]”
“[color=silver]I’ll be fine, I know these woods better than anyone! If we want the best chance of getting Talos back safely then we need the sap.[/color]” Bullet had never seen her so riled up. It was clear she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He nodded to her, setting the tray down on the stairs.
“[color=firebrick]I’m coming with you.[/color]” He’d barely gotten the words off before Zhulie dismissed them with a shake of her head.
“[color=silver]No offense, Bull, but you’ll slow me down in your state.[/color]” She gestured to the stained bandages wrapped around his torso. He hesitantly touched a hand to the wound, trying to muster up some argument to the contrary. He had nothing.
“[color=firebrick]Alright, I’ll cover for you if Meredith asks where you are.[/color]” Zhulie beamed up at his words, leaping up the stairs to give him a big hug. He winced slightly at her arms pressing against his sore spot, but nonetheless let her have her moment.
“[color=firebrick]Alright alright, that’s enough.[/color]” He gently nudged her away from him. “[color=firebrick]Stay safe, alright?[/color]” Zhulie nodded, turning on her heel before disappearing down the stairs.