Overlord Thraka

The Room

*The man's eyes shoot open and he growls, then begins to change as he pushes against Karma. He grows exponentially, easily tripling in size as orange and black fur sprouts along his body*
*Suddenly his eyes fill with panic as he realizes that transforming has only increased the pressure on his throat*
*He gurgles weakly and fights as hard as he can*

*From of the crevasses in the wall comes a scream of agony and a number of high pitched giggles*

The Room

*Around the bend is a rather lavishly decorated room with large Persian rugs strewn over the rocky floor, piles of rich purple pillows and at one end a ornate thrown, carved from the rock itself. The room is lit not by torches, but by what appear to be several miniature suns, about 2 inches in diameter, that give the place a rich tone of soft golden light. They float up against the high ceiling, but give off more than enough light. The scent of incense is strong about the place and there's almost a thin haze of smoke floating in the air. Against one side of the circular chamber are two openings leading further into the cave system*
*On a pile of pillows rests a young, powerfully built man, wearing little more than breeches and a belt to keep them up. He's snoring loudly and several empty golden plates of food lie about him, along with a large half-empty jug of wine.*

The Room

*Horus nods*
Horus: Aye. I'd be happy to help.
*He looks pained at the mention of his running away*
Horus: I.. need a weapon... But I didn't run out of fear... Iris needed me..
*He sighs and sits down, then grabs himself a bottle of rum and chugs it in one.*

__________________________

*The trail eventually leads to a cave, set into the side of a mountain. There are numerous paw-prints around the cave but no human footprints or bootprints. The cave curves slowly so that Karma might only see a few yards down it before losing sight, but a faint glow comes from inside.*

The Room

*Xan limps over to a sofa and passes out*

*At first Mergoux's trail is just heavy bootprints, but then there's signs of a struggle. On the ground are random bits of Mergoux's armor, a large number of crossbow bolts having spilled from their quiver and a great deal of blood. Onwards towards the mountains leads a bloody trail of someone obviously being dragged*

The Room

*Horus rolls his eyes but chuckles*
Horus: Please, John. I've been aiding humans for millennia, why should I not aide your cause?

*Xan's mouth waters at the steak. She uses a chair much like a old person's walker and cooks a large deal of meat like Nonac did.*
*She then digs into the meat with little noises of enjoyment as she feasts*

*Depending on where Jillian is she might see spatters of old blood or something from when Mergoux was dragged off*

The Room

*Xan nods*
Xan: I know name not. Sounds bad.
*After a little bit she looks around and slowly, carefully, stands one one leg, pulling herself up the couch. Her stomach growls hungrily as she awkwardly moves towards the kitchen, hopping and using whatever furniture she can find to support her weight*
Xan: Ay havath evirn. (I smell food) Feast?
*She hobbles into the kitchen and collapses into a chair, looking around at the food*

*Horus frowns*
Horus: Resistance huh? Is there a signup-sheet?

*After some time Iris pokes her head out of her room, then creeps towards Hanna's and knocks*
Iris: H-hanna? Are you in there?

The Room

*Horus frowns*
Horus: I know they were bad guys. But what I'd like to know is why they were here and who they are.
*He crosses his arms impatiently*

*Xan frowns*
Xan: Bearlord? What Bearlord?

The Room

*Horus frowns and looks outside to see the wrecked bot*
Horus: Hm. Well then. Alright. John! You seem to know what that thing was, care to share that information?
*He follows John to the bar but doesn't take a seat or a drink, instead looking sternly expectant down at John*

*The woman looks after Horus as he walks off, seeming in awe before turning back to the barbarians*
Woman: I Xan. I from far away place. Stranger here, not like. Want to go home but cannot. I come here not by choice, but now I here.
*She shrugs in a "what-can-you-do?" gesture and winces as her shoulder twinges*
Xan: I come to this place because told was safe. Not so safe after all... Blood Feasters... But Eldari! Never seen one have I! Who be he?
*She goes into a string of rapid speak in her language, seemingly to wonder over Horus.*

The Room

*Horus nods slams the door while shouting "stay here" then goes out to find what's going on*
Horus: What's going on?! John? What the- What did you do?!
*He glares at the barbarians and reaches for a sword, forgetting momentarily that he has none*

*The woman stares in awe at Horus*
Woman: Eldari... Ancient One...
*Horus barely spares the woman a curious glance before turning his attention back to the couple of Barbarians*

*Deep in the forest, at the base of a mountain, hidden in a network of caves, Mergoux lies in a cage. Togan's sister prowls around it, poking at her cruelly with a red-hot iron poker. With every scream of pain from Mergoux the tiger-woman giggles*
*Between jabs of pain Mergoux concentrates, resisting the pain, praying for relief and rescue and hoping her ally reached the room*

*Iris wakes after some time and shudders as she realizes it wasn't a dream, and that Horus is not there. She stays curled up in a ball, wishing for some miracle to change her back, or for at least someone to come and snuggle her sadness away*

The Room

*Horus sighs and tries to think of how to phrase his next words carefully*
Horus: Then... maybe you should just stay here for now... Iris is sleeping, but I'm going to go see if can help somehow. Just stay here and stay safe okay? Iris would never forgive herself if you got hurt... and neither would I.
*He looks down at her seriously*

*The woman stirs and sees the head-choppy-offy*
Woman: Nala ik shaza? (What is happening) What...?
*She sits up weakly, noting her arm has been fixed and her wounds tended to.*
Woman: You help? Why?