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[Center][h2]Searching for the search party[/h2][/Center]
[Center]Dory & Laska [@Force and Fury][/Center]
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[hider=Visiting the Husband]
It was naught but a few minutes later when Edyta moved off after Dorothea to see if they couldn't find anyone to help in their search for Manfred, the two yasoi girls, Viktor, and Anna. In truth, she noticed, Ymiico had disappeared as well, shortly after some incoherent speech in broken Avincian earlier

The household Sister Laska and Dorothea would be seeking was the carpenter's abode. Heinrich Stigenroth was, just like his father and the father of his father, a simple man that worked with his hands. The 'shop' was open, with a good half converted into a workshop and the other serving as a living space. Mandelein had its own carpentry guild, however with the arrival of a child and Anna's ambitious to follow her step-father's footsteps, the father had made preparations to do more minor work from home. 

Of course, in these troubling times there would be no work done. Just the cries of a needy babe and a father far too overwhelmed to handle things at the moment.

Dorothea paused upon hearing the cries of the child, looking towards the good sister. [color=86608E]"Think he can help? He looks like he has more than he can handle anyway."[/color]

 [color=86608E]"Do you think Lady Stigenroth might still be... out there? If she was wounded badly and with the time that has past..."[/color]

The two women would end up at the carpenter's door with baby cries resonating from beyond the thick, stone walls. It took a solid minute of frantic footsteps until the door was answered by a young man with black circles around his eyes and unkempt stubble. [color=686A8F]“Was?”[/color] he asked dryly, clearly not in the best of moods.

Dorothea looked somewhat hesitant to ask anything of the young man, his appearance did not look all that rested. [color=86608E]"Ich frage Sie nur ungern..."[/color] Her voice became dry just by trying to get the request out. [color=86608E]"Der Suchtrupp ist ebenfalls verschwunden. Wären Sie bereit, uns bei der Suche nach ihnen und Fräulein Stigenroch zu unterstützen?"[/color]

Heinrich shot a nasty glare toward Dory, [color=686A8F]“Es ist Stigenroth. (It's Stigenroth.)”[/color] he corrected with growing anger in his voice, [color=686A8F]“Wie soll ich dir helfen? Ich habe einen Sohn, der seine Mutter braucht. Es ist ein Tier auf der Pirsch. Und ich bin nur Zimmermann. (How do you want me to help? I have a son that needs his mother. There is a beast on the prowl. And I'm just a carpenter.)”[/color] his hand clenched the doorknob and seemed about ready to close the door, [color=686A8F]“Bis zu Ihrer Ankunft war alles in Ordnung. Wie kannst du meiner Frau helfen, wenn deine Freunde es nicht können?! (Everything was fine until you got here. How can you help my wife when your friends couldn't?!)”[/color]

[color=6ecff6]"Heinrich."[/color] Edyta placed a hand gently but firmly on the door. [color=6ecff6]"The fear and helplessness you are feeling right now is not something I am... unfamiliar with."[/color] She bowed her head and shook it tightly. [color=6ecff6]"And I shall offer up prayers to Ahn-Eshiran to spare your wife, but I believe that Ahn-Dami gives us free will so that we might act to make good on what we pray for, empowered by the Gods."[/color] She paused as Dory translated for her. 

[color=6ecff6]"Perhaps the people sent with us are her deliverance. They have succeeded and are on their way back this moment. Perhaps they have failed. If the latter is true -"[/color] she shrugged. [color=f26522]"Then I doubt we will succeed alone."[/color] She was not finished, however. [color=f26522]"Yet, it also strikes me that this task falls to us as no other people in this town are looking for her."[/color] The Rezaindian shook her head. [color=6ecff6]"It is not my place to guess why that is, but it occurs to me that, were they to lend a hand, we would have a [i]much[/i] better chance of success."[/color] She gazed up at him implacably, but not without empathy either. Much of the personal effect was surely lost as all communication needed to be filtered through Dorothea, but at least the girl was an emotive speaker.

This woman spoke just like Jacques. All these religious formulations and confidence in a divine presence were all too intangible to Heinrich when his problem was very real. It all felt like an excuse to not take things as seriously as he was. The lone father was just about ready to slam the door into Laska's hand until Dory's translation got to the point: They wanted to do something, and they were asking for help. His expression hardly changed from one of contempt, but he was no longer clenching the door.

 It took a brief moment of silence before he'd answer to the nun directly, [color=686A8F]“No can help, me.”[/color] he said in broken Avincian, [color=686A8F]“But Koppelman?”[/color] he tried to explain what he meant, but lacked the vocabulary, so he gestured for the women to follow him to a shed at the back. There, hanging on the walls and surrounded by well maintained tools of a carpenter was a Koppelman 211 - similarly custom-made for the needs of the region. That thing resembled a portable cannon and was definitely heavy. Heinrich would explain that Anna's great uncle would hunt Skuggvars with the thing, although nowadays there was little use for it. It also came with five heavy caliber bullets. Why gather people when a big weapon wasn't going to second guess you at any point?

Dory's eye inspected the rifle... well it was quite a bit bigger than a normal rifle, her eyes would practically sparkle whilst looking at such a beauty. [color=86608E]"Eine Koppelman.... Was für ein Prachtexemplar. (A Koppelman, what a beauty.)"[/color] Her sight returned to Heinrich with a look that gave mixed messages. On one side it practically begged him [i]May I? May I? May I?[/i] whilst also asking [i]Is it really okay to lend such a thing[/i]

Heinrich didn't seem particularly enthused in giving away such a prized item to strangers, but they were also the only ones that were going to do anything about this. He merely gestured toward it, essentially giving the okay to Dory. 
With the big weapon in hand and time being on short supply.
[/hider]



[hider=Conversation through the mist]
It was about time the duo made off into the Teufelssumpf, following the path the previous group had taken. They had, at the very least, the location of the hunting lodge Viktor had been using. However, after a half-hour trek, they'd find it, of course, empty and without any indication of where the group may have went as Viktor had taken the map with him. Not optimal, but there was something both women could notice that definitely seemed off: Increased moisture and a drop in heat just two hundred meters North-East of the lodge. 

A cautious inspection would lead them to find a wall of fog in that covered a good 500 meter diameter. Sensing what was inside was difficult, as it felt like a lot of the energy there had already be used up somehow. The fog itself definitely looked out of place in this softer weather and just suddenly appearing there. For Laska, this could've been a trap, especially if she was convinced this was a Wildblood issue. Usually, when transformed, these creatures were consumed by rage and a desire to feast, but once they were 'taken by the beast', they eventually adapted to their form and, while definitely not 'intelligent' by human standards, developed instincts and strategies to catch prey without being overtaken by a murderous drive. This could very well be one of those traps.

Sister Laska's demeanour had changed. Her eyes flicked about suspicious and she seemed tense. Reaching into her satchel, she quickly pulled out a prime shot. There was a ghost of a scowl and she downed it without much fuss, tucking the empty vial back in. [color=6ecff6]"You have some special trick up your sleeve, right?"[/color] she inquired, giving Dory a once-over. Her eyes lingered on the crown for a moment. [color=f26522]"I may need you as bait but I don't want to leave a helpless babe out there in the forest."[/color] She began to grow indistinct, as if already slipping into the space between realities: that comforting space where everything was better. [color=f26522]"No matter what it is, it cannot sense me in that place. If you can draw its attention, and you're strong enough to hold it off, then I can appear at the right moment and solve it, once and for all."[/color] 

She smiled in what was perhaps meant to be a reassuring way, but Edyta did not have that sort of manner about her. [color=6ecff6]"Don't worry. This is not the first monster I have hunted."[/color] With that, she began to move, for there was ground to cover and a hunt to be had. The crown... the demon crown. She could sense its energies. She could [i]hear[/i] its whispers! How they called to her, [i]taunted[/i] her, begged her and [i]mocked[/i] her. She tried not to visibly shake her head. Whatever the beast was, she was certain it was powerful. yet, it was nothing compared to whatever had been sealed within the headwear she had not once seen her counterpart remove.

As Laska asked her about any special tricks Dory smirked and lifted the hand cannon up. [color=86608E]"I have the Koppelman."[/color] Oh, she could almost be seen to be hugging that beauty of a rifle. Then as the seriousness kicked in she looked rather hesitant to say anything. [color=86608E]"I do... Although I prefer not using it. It's not something people will look kindly upon."[/color] Dory tapped her crown softly with a questioning look on her face as if she were begging for advice.

Edyta pursed her lips. [color=6ecff6]"Hmmm. Yes."[/color] She kept her voice low as the walked, even though there was nobody to hear them. [color=f26522]"That is a dark magic artifact of unfathomable power."[/color] She shook her head, taking a couple of cursory glances around. [color=6ecff6]"Sometimes, it is necessary for the light to use the darkness. That's what I was taught..."[/color] She trailed off and the place they were walking through became more deeply eerie than before. [color=f26522]"But still, I have my doubts."[/color] She paused and a look of some concern came to her eyes. [color=6ecff6]" You haven't made any sort of deal with it yet, right?"[/color] Surely, [i]nobody[/i] could be so daft.

[color=86608E]"Unfathomable power? My little crown? Surely if that were to be the case you would have enlightened me on it all the way back in Ersand'Enise."[/color] Her expression was saddened by her zeno group friend's words. [color=86608E]"Doubts? What kind of doubts? That I do not use my gift to shine a light in the darkness? To try and make it better for my loved ones?"[/color]

A powerful human and threatening artifact had entered the den. Both would inevitably get noticed by whatever prowled these cold, misty grounds. Stray bones of wildlife found by trees were the first hints of something that wasn't quite right. Some of them almost felt purposeful in their placement, like a warning. But there would be nothing to sense within the intruders' range.

Deeper in, they would end up before a very steep downward slope. The fog wasn't letting up and the bottom was hard to distinguish, although basic drawing allowed them to determine it was no more than ten feet deep. On the slope itself were many roots from the nearby trees sticking out, some of them looking to have been uprooted not too long ago. Maybe from something that tried to climb out?

Beyond a couple of birds flying above the trees, there were no signs of life. Not even the smallest of critters.

Then came the distorted, remote howl coming from the West, very much beyond the foggy perimeter they were in and all too similar to what they had heard on their first day to Mandelein. 

Little time was giving for these two to ponder, however, as an overwhelmingly powerful force downright dragged them into the pit. A pit full of bones and cold, damp dirt. 

She had been misunderstood, as was so often the case. Edyta shook her head. [color=6ecff6]"Nevermind. We have a job to do and I will have your back. I will explain later, if we live."[/color] With that, she let herself sink out of this reality and into the space in between.

Scarcely had she done so when there came the howl of what could only be a monster, somewhere off to the West. The rezaindian stayed her course, however, rising close to the surface of the grey space and faintly sensing Dory to keep track of her. They were stopped at the edge of a pit of sorts and there was something eerie about it, without a doubt. The Feskan leaned over the precipice to peer in and, to Sister Laska's horror, seemed to lose her balance and start falling in. [color=f26522][i]Głupek![/i][/color] She shouted at the girl mentally, diving out from the veil to grab her. 

That was when she realized her mistake. Dory had not fallen. She had been pulled, and so was Edyta. Maybe it was the shock of judging so harshly and then being the idiot herself. Maybe it was the setting, her suspicious, and her lack of sleep. Whatever the reason, she was too slow in fading out of the world. By the time that she had, she was at the bottom. She went evasive, ready to attack if needed

The moment she felt herself being dragged downwards the first thing Dory could think of was propel herself upwards, however no matter how much force she put into the spell it did not matter for she was going downwards into the pit whether she willed it or not. 

Landing onto the damp dirt rather roughly. She wasted no time to get up however, readying her rifle whilst clicking her tongue. [color=86608E]"Scheisse, ich bin so blöd!"[/color] Looking towards Laska to check up on her. [color=86608E]"You okay?"[/color]

The Greyborn faded as she watched, disappearing into the space between dimensions with a small nod. Now, it was time to see what sort of hell awaited them.


The pit was filled with bones, some with old, rotting meat on them, others with puddles of congealed blood below them. Most were animals, with even a Skuggvar carcass set aside, belly wide open, but there were some unmistakably human bones too. The stench had become overwhelmingly powerful to those who lowered themselves into the foggy den of death. 


Before Dory, and eventually Laska, was a growing mass of energy that lurked within a burrow on the earthen wall opposite of them. They didn’t need to sense any energy or even see anything to know they were being stalked. Something behind the white veil, hiding inside the earth, had picked them as an appropriate mark for dinner. 


The thing crawled out of its space now that it had prey in its trap, and the sweet scent of food was too alluring. A large, barely human-like shadow began to grow within the fog. Loud, uncouth steps were getting ever closer to the duo of women that had gotten lost in the woods. Just a few more steps, and they could see the horror for what it was. Sticky, unkempt grey fur covered the beast that easily tripled their height, yet remained hunched to just barely surpass the tallent by a head or two. By how it stood, it was clearly bipedal but it favoured using its humanlike front paws to drag itself forward as would an animal.


It was now close enough for its face to be seen. It’s snout was that of a human, but its lips and teeth were undoubtedly that of a beast’s, clearly canine by the shape of the legs and the rows of teeth. It’s eyes were a strange blend of both worlds, making for an uncanny and misshapen horror that was the beast’s face.


It eyed both prey, and then stood on its hindlegs before unleashing an ear-piercing screech that would echo through the entirety of the Teufelssumpf. A howl so strong it could almost shatter the wills of both Laska and Dory as if they had tangible forms. 
[/hider]
 
[hider=The beast engages]
They were not given the luxury of any leisure as they recovered from the fall as the beast lunged towards Dorothea. A gasp of surprise was all that the time allowed to escape her mouth as the beast was quite a bit faster than his size would tell them. In a moment of desperation used the frame of the beast to propel herself back with the use of what little knowledge of Kinetic magic she accumulated. Her arm shook as the girl noticed that said push was not enough for the arm to go completely unscathed. 

The good sister however was able to land a clean slice against this thing’s knees. Growling in pain, the beast turned its gaze towards the sister which had delivered the blow. Dorothea tried her hardest to give Laska some breathing room by distracting it with magic of her own. It barely affected the large figure to much of her frustration. 

The beast was strong, but Edyta had seen things like it before, and knew it was no match for her. She had already damaged its left knee. She now savaged its wrist with blood magic. Then, Dory struck with an arcane lance that burned it as well. They kept it this way, pinned between them, alternating attacks as needed. 

The beast recoiled and glared at the two. Instead of lashing out, it extends its hindlegs, the initially wounded one now fully healed, to stand up completely straight. Then, it howled once more, although not nearly as loudly as it was with the one before. However it wasn't an intimidation tactic. Both Dory felt herself compelled to withdraw, make herself small and her body felt overall weakened. Edyta did not stick around for it. The moment she felt it - eerily like... She shakes her head to clear it. She fades into the space between realities. The beast itself looked invigorated in some way. 

Dory felt her mana not doing what she wished them too made her somewhat remember the start of what happened with the highwaymen. However! She was not as reliant on only magic as before! This time she has something else to help in cases like this.

She steadied her aim, waited for the right shot and fired away. The kinetic energy released by it was enough to practically fling the girl away. All that mattered in the end was for it to hit its mark and hit it did, the bullet hit true as a hole was blasted through a part of its abdomen.

The beast cried out as the bullet hit it. Its attention returned to Dory and attempted to gore her, luckily as it was about to bite down on the girl. Edyta summoned all of her kinetic magic to slam its hideous head into the ground. The beast only grunted further in pain. Blows were exchanged between the two parties yet Dory began to falter, her spells began to lose its effectiveness against this hulking monster. The beast was taking control of the situation as it circled the wounded women as if they were cornered prey

In desperation Dorothea fired a Dark Bolt and like it was as slow as molasses was dodged by the beast. The good sister began to build up a rather large cryogenic spell. Dory panicked as a lot of the damage done to it began to slowly heal away. The energy radiating from Laska’s spell caught the monster’s attention. Dorothea knew there was only one way she could hinder such a beast and once more readied her the Koppelman, steadied it for how much she could in what little time she had and fired it a second time, hitting true once more. The beast recoiled from the hit and cried out. This gave Laska the perfect window to release her spell upon the beast, freezing it in place. 
[/hider]

[hider=The mist subsides]
Finally, it was encased in a prison of cold that penetrated through the massive hole in its body and glaciated its entire bloodstream. Still, it didn't falter. In its agony and rage it attempted a final, desperate attack on the nun, only to stumble and fall right before her feet. Its heart had exploded from within, and no amount of binding could restore it from such catastrophic damage. The beast, with slush for blood pooling under it, had been slain. 

Sister Laska lined her scythes up to either side of the beast's head, crossed.

It didn't feel right.

Certainly, it had been powerful - a menace, even. Certainly she was good at the job for which she had trained since she had first manifested the Gift. Dorothea was, unsurprisingly, a capable mage, and with both Dark magic and the Koppelman in her hands... a menace.

Edyta's muscles flexed - taut and sinewy - and her twin blades finished the job. Slushy half-frozen blood squirted and then slowly began to pool. [color=6ecff6]"This was a beast, to be sure,"[/color] she said evenly, [color=f26522]"But it wasn't [i]the[/i] beast."[/color] She shook her head. [color=6ecff6]"The things we found in that dungeon. They weren't like it."[/color] The rezaindian pursed her lips and made a sour face, shaking her head tightly. Then, she forced a smile. [color=6ecff6]"But we did well today. I could not have done this without you."[/color]

She forced herself to gaze dispassionately upon the creature's misshapen horror of a face. [color=6ecff6][i]So close.[/i][/color] She had come so close to death, at least a handful of times in that fight, and Dorothea, even more so. [color=6ecff6][i]Still, we were only two.[/i][/color] She'd been blasted with fire and burnt, despite her mastery of the Thermal and her attempts to resist it. The wounds were healed now, covered with fresh pinkish skin. It was far from the first time Edyta had smelled her own flesh cooking and it likely would not be the last, but her clothing was tattered: almost indecent, and it bothered her. There were no men present, but she still pulled what remained of her habit over to cover her largely-exposed left side. Then there had been the teeth, the fangs, and...

Most of all, it had been that...[i]noise[/i]. The rezaindian had second-guessed it a few times, but her calling was specialized enough to have had contact with it before. It reminded her of Command Magic, as daft as that sounded. It reminded her of such and... she considered paying a visit to Fr. Dubosque, but she did not trust him, in truth. She would have to pray on the matter. For now... [color=6ecff6]"We should leave this pit of death and search for the others."[/color] Her voice became grim. [color=f26522]"First, however, within this place."[/color]

Dorothea's hands shook as the adrenaline from what had just transpired started to fade away.

[color=86608E][i]Not good enough[/i][/color] the girl gritted her teeth.

With the satisfaction of having beaten this thing came a feeling of bitterness. After everything she has done to be more imposing, more powerful it did not help much against this... thing, every spell she threw at it barely had an effect if any and it left her frustrated. Never has she been this close to death before. Eyes travelled towards the Koppelman in her hands, clenched tightly. [color=86608E]"Firearms never let me down..."[/color]

[color=86608E][i]This must be discussed with the young brother at the church.[/i][/color] Turning towards the sister. [color=86608E]"Do you think we might be able to find more evidence if we search this thing's pit for a while?"[/color]

With its death came the dissipation of the fog its body had been emitting, likely as a means to disorient and trap prey. There were bones everywhere, and a lot of rotting meat. The skuggvar is had been eating had been dead for likely over a week. The human bones looked old - not ancient, but old. 

Inside the den it had made itself on the earthen wall, there were piles of old clothes and leathers, along with a piece of metal that shined as the sun reflected on it. Some of the more intact skeletons and carcasses may also have goods that could be of use. If this experience taught this group anything, it was that anything they could find could be a considerable use in their endeavours against aberrations of nature!
[/hider]


[hider=Laska’s search]
Edyta went more or less immediately for the shiny object. Call her worldly or simple minded, she didn't care! She reached out. Laska found an old but well-preserved watch with a Haureenium casing. A very fine piece of Thalak craft with the initials 'C.W.' engraved on the shell. Would sell for quite a lot, or just tell the time very well. What is it doing here in Mandelein? Edyta blinked, pocketing it as evidence. She cast about for more. The skeletons were too old to be any of her peers, and that was some relief, at least.

There wasn't much more bling to find. A lot of it was old tools, bones and dried flesh. She could notice that the watch wasn't close to any corpse, and there weren't any bones in the creature's small den. It definitely gave some consideration to hygiene. It occurred to the rezaindian, briefly, that this watch had likely belonged to the original human that had become this... beast. She searched carefully for any further evidence of a link to someone she might be able to research later.

Unfortunately there wasn't too much to find beyond this watch. Clothing had long since been ripped apart and decayed into the soil. There were pieces of a rifle nearby, although most of it had been charred from the beast's flames
[/hider]

[hider=Dory’s search]
Dory looked towards the skeletons. looking around to see if anything was moving before inspecting them to see if they'd hold anything of interest. Dory found corpses of various typical wildlife in the Teuffelsumpf. Some human bones too with not much left of them. There was a big Skuggvar carcass stinking up the place. And a few echobird feathers remaining that aren't burnt from the beast's rampage. Dory grabbed the feathers before she made her way towards the Skuggvar carcass whilst preparing herself for the stench.

There wasn't much to salvage, except for the Skuggvar's tail, still filled with quills and Dory ripped it off before looking towards the sister.
[/hider]

[hider=Continuing the search]
Edyta grabbed the stock of the rifle, just in case and, with that, she dusted her hands off and emerged from the den proper. [color=6ecff6]"I think that about wraps things up here. We should go meet with the others."[/color]

Dory followed suit. [color=86608E]"I hope the others are okay, if things similar to this one is why the others took so long... It makes me concerned for their safety."[/color]
[/hider]

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