Arc all your friends are sucked into an ashy hellscape of oblivion in you're here DRUMMING?!?

Lol this looks good though

It stole my face >:[

Hmm if Arc had gone to Beyond then I think he would have hit the monsters with drumsticks

Hey there Alk!

Hiiiiii
I'll get to replying soon, just lazily sitting in bed atm x'D

Hru?

Haha, all good. XD

I'm doing alright. Just went for an evening walk in the local woods, was pretty nice.

Walks are the best! I went on one yesterday with tbe dog.

Regrettably I did not have bug spray and there were mosquitoes everywhere.

Ooh yeah, gotta remember that.
I see a lot of mosquitoes and other little flying bugs outside in the summer, especially in the evening.

They are little demons with wings

We should just opt to call them vamp fairies >:0

Yes. XD
Tiny evil vampire fairies

They come in the nIght

too*

Got my food and will be on pc

(It looks like I missed a reply last time so I'll just... do that now. XD)

@Alk

Upon hearing Shepherd's voice outside the cave, Pyre released his grasp on Marco to allow the dog to run outside to his master. Standing up and brushing himself off, the vampire then stepped out of the cave. 'The scorpion thing's gone...?'

Stal was fretting over Loch, who was just starting to regain consciousness. 'Are you alright?' he growled as he tried to help her to her feet.

'My head feels like a werewolf fell on it,' Loch groaned in response. She shifted to human form and looked around blearily, leaning on Stal for support. Her eyes fell on Pyre as he exited the cave, and she immediately ran towards him, forgetting about her headache. 'Pyre! Are you OK?'

Hello there

(Hi Xeno!)

(oH I almost forgot about that too x'D )

(Heyo Xeno!)

(Should we have some mob dudes vibin by the Downer's mansion to make Mason squint even more? x'D )

(If you want. XD
He just gonna drive past them with a Very Unimpressed Look)

@Rad
Looking back once more Den spotted a few men suspiciously hanging by the mansion. They seemed to be engrossed in a conversation, one glanced at the car as they went by. The man made direct eyecontact with Den, it made the dragon so uncomfortable that he ducked so that they couldn't see him.

@Rad/Xeno

Althea struggled herself as the monster shook about. She managed to stay on the beast and went straight for one of it's eyes by throwing a knife.

@Xeno

Euterpe grunts as well but no longer argues with Stella and hopes into the vehicle.

@Alk

Noticing Den's movement out of the corner of his eye, Mason turned his head to see what the little dragon had been looking at. Upon spotting the men lurking outside the mansion, his expression darkened.

'Those filthy vampires again... no doubt up to something immoral...' He muttered something indistinguishable before glancing at Den in surprise. 'Do you /know/ those people?'

@Alk/ @Xeno

The wyvern let out a shriek as the knife blade embedded itself deep in its eye. It started convulsing wildly, flinging its head backwards in an attempt to throw Althea off, flapping its wings as if about to take off.

@Rad
Marco flipped and flopped and wiggled his way away from Pyre as the vampire loosened his grasp. The Dog then came bounding past him towards the group outside,

"Marco!" Shepherd called, excited and relieved that his dog was fine.

The dog however payed no heed to the boy and ran straight past him to Loch and Stal. Marco then proceeded to do what any excited dog does when it sees a person. He sniffed and jumped on Loch licking and nibbling at her limbs.

Shepherd fell to his knees while looking defeated and betrayed. "Marco whyyyyyy"

(Marco is savage)

( I wonder id Loch would feed him beer? x'D)

@Rad
Den flattened his ear and looked back at Mason. "They look mean...." He said actually looking a bit scared. "Will they follow us?"

@Alk

'Oof,' Loch grunted. Marco wasn't a /massive/ dog, but it was still hard to ignore him jumping up like that. 'Why don't you go say hello to Shepherd? He's supposed to be your owner.' She firmly pushed Marco off and hurried over to Pyre.

'I'm OK!' the vampire said hastily as she checked him over for injuries. 'I was lucky... eheheh...'

Stal was looking around, teeth bared. 'What the hell is this place?' he said, to no-one in particular. 'I've never even heard of creatures like that.'

@Rad/Xeno

Althea was flung off the Wyvern's back. She had appeared to have hit the ground rather hard and procceed to cry. "AH OH GOD MY BACK" She squawked.

@Alk/Rad

{Dianne repositioned herself, now standing atop the wyvern, preventing it from flying away. She snaps her jaws over its neck and bites down with everything she has. Her decay magic is eating through its flesh. Dianne seemed intent on killing this thing.}

( @Alk - She might try if he keeps annoying everyone. XD)

'If they do, then they might find their day becoming distinctly... unpleasant,' said Mason with a hint of a growl in his voice. 'I want nothing to do with those disgusting criminals.'

He continued to mutter irately under his breath as he drove along, swiftly leaving the Downer mansion behind.

@Rad

Marco sneezed and stood in a confident position as he watched Loch walk off. The dog then turned to Stal and barked his tail raise and wagged, but it wasn't really all that of a friendly wag as the rest of his posture seemed tense and his fur raised.

@Alk

{Bufo started driving once Euterpe and Stella were in. Stella turns to Euterpe with a serious expression.}

Stella: "Ok, listen, we're going to go see a very powerful witch. She's not...the most mentally stable...So you let me do the talking, ok?"

@Alk/ @Xeno

The wyvern had succeeded in tossing Althea to the ground, but Dianne was preventing it from escaping. Its ear-splitting shrieks gradually quieted down, its struggles becoming little more than weak twitches. After a moment, the creature went limp under Dianne, seemingly dead.

(Vampires: *Fortnite dancing and vibin by the Mansion.*
Mason: Not those stupid kids again, nO resPECt )

(XD)

@Rad

"Do you think they could be theives or other werewolves?" Den asked. "They look like they'd capture some people and do bad things." He said frowning

@Xeno
"Alright, Alright, just as long as she doesn't try to chop off my horns, we'll be good."

@Alk

'Thieves? Perhaps. Werewolves? No.' Mason's expression remained dark as he drove through the city. 'They are vampires, part of a group who do... various illegal things, for money.' He didn't go into any more detail, since Den was young and he didn't want to scare him.

@Alk/Rad

{Dianne held its neck in her jaws until her decay ate down to its bones. Releasing it she walks over to Althea, still in dragon form.}

Dianne: "Are you alright, Downer?"

@Alk

Stella: "I won't let her do that. I promise."

Dolorus: //The sad part is, that crazy old coot might actually try...//

@Rad/Xeno

Althea pops up almost immediatley. "HA PYSCHE! Yea I'm good." She says, a smug expression written all over her face.

@Rad
"I'v never heard of them..." He said growing a little silent now.

@Xeno

Euterpe squints oddly at Stella. "Alright." She says slowly.

@Alk

'Hmph.' Mason fell silent, concentrating on driving. Unfortunately, a mile or so from Luxia's potion shop, they got stuck in a traffic jam. 'Oh, blast this city and its congested roads...'

@Alk

{Dianne just rolls her eyes.}

Dianne: "Fine...Now, we need to get out of here."

{She looks around at the barren landscape.}

Dianne: "...I guess we should look for a portal then..."

@Rad (So, when should I have Stella arrive at Luxia's shop?)

( @Xeno - I was thinking they get in before Mason does, so feel free to do it now.)

@Xeno

"Don't suppose you have any tricks that could help us with that now could you?" Althea asks.

@Rad (Ok!)

{After a few minutes, Bufo pulled up to the storefront, letting Stella and Euterpe off. Stella stands and looks at the front.}

Stella: "Ok...Let's go in..."

@Rad

"We could walk the rest of the way." Den suggested. "Why would we wait to move if we can already move fast than the rest of traffic?"

@Xeno

Euterpe beegins to inspect the shop before setting foot in it. "What on earth would you come here for? Besides portal snatching. Is that a regularity around here?" She asks

@Alk

{Dianne shifts back to human form.}

Dianne: "Unfortunately not...My discipline isn't interdimentional travel..."

@Xeno/ @Alk

The interior of the potion shop was nothing short of peculiar.

A dimly-lit room filled with shelves and cupboards, all stacked with glass bottles - most containing luminous fluids, others containing colourful gases or even physical objects. There were also two clocks in the room, for some reason, and only one of them was showing the correct time. The loud double ticking of the clocks was faintly unnerving.

Directly opposite Stella and Euterpe was a wooden counter, and behind that, an old woman with long silver hair sat in a rocking-chair. She was busy knitting an oddly-shaped garment, and seemed unaware of her customers.

@Alk

Mason adjusted his glasses. 'It's true that we could get there quicker by walking... but it's not as if I can simply abandon my car in a traffic jam...'

@Rad/Alk

{Stella approaches the counter with slight apprehention, eyeing all of the strange objects.}

Stella: "Excuse me, um, Luxia?"

@Rad/Xeno

Euterpe follows along cautiosly taking care not to knock any of the shelves with her wings. She walks up to the clock and watches it.

@Rad
"Why not?" Said Den looking puzzled.

@Xeno

"Damn". Althea spats and begins wandering into thought rambling something about magic and school. Things like "Should of payed attention more." and other things on how most of the time magic was dumb and useless.

@Xeno/ @Alk

Luxia continued knitting for about ten seconds without giving any sign that she'd heard Stella. Then she lifted her head, blinking.

'Hello, hello, hello, what do we have here?' she said. 'If you're with those people who came over yesterday to advertise their roof repair company, I'm not interested,' she added, very firmly.

(I wonder, what are Grey and Arc doing right now? x'D)

@Rad (Can Voidbeasts be raised as draugrs upon death?)

@Rad (gonna repost this as it seemed it got buried x'D )

Marco sneezed and stood in a confident position as he watched Loch walk off. The dog then turned to Stal and barked his tail raise and wagged, but it wasn't really all that of a friendly wag as the rest of his posture seemed tense and his fur raised.

(or wait did you reply? idk ya6uyrsyjxnyx)

@Alk

Mason looked equally puzzled, but not for the same reason. 'Because... I can't just leave the car in the middle of the road?' he said, bewildered. 'Because... it would get in everyone's way? Actually... blast it.'

He steered the car out of the traffic jam and parked up illegally on the pavement, amid several indignant honks from the other cars.

'Alright, we walk from here,' he announced, stopping the engine.

(Oml he actually did it x'D
Mad lad )

( @Alk - I just left them driving around somewhere, looking for Pyre. XD I'll probably ignore them for a while, until I'm less busy.
And oops, I didn't see that, I'll reply now--

@Xeno - I think so! Their bodies dissolve into black smoke if they die in the 'real world', but they stick around if they die in Beyond.)

@Rad

{Stella blinks a few times in confusion.}

Stella: "Uh...No..."

Dolorus: //Tell her you need to make a purchase.//

Stella: "I-I want to make a purchase..."

Dolorus: //But you need help on determining the type of item you need.//

Stella: "But I need help to know what's right...for what I'm trying to do..."

@Alk

Stal turned to snarl at Marco. 'Shut up, hairball,' he snorted, not at all happy that Marco had come into this world with them. //Maybe I can use him as monster bait later...// he thought darkly.

After making sure Pyre was alright, Loch turned to address Shepherd. 'So, you guys got stuck here too?' she asked, sounding worried. 'You're just a human, right? Damn... we'll have to protect you...'

Denarius was flung around a bit at the sudden swerve of the car. Though as Mason pulled up hee happily jumped out of the car. "Yay! It was getting stuff in there." He exclaimed.

@Rad

Marco stopped barking. For once the dog listened, though he continued to stare at Stal with the most uncomfortable of glares. The mutt then walked up to Stal and proceeded to sneeze on him, several times.

Shepherd seemed to be too much of in a daze to to really notice what was happening with his dog.

@Alk/Rad

{Dianne ignores Althea and raises her hand to the dead wyvern. All at once, it jumped to its feet, calmly walked over to the pair, and sat, as if it were awaiting commands.}

Dianne: "Believe what you want, child....But magic is the only reason we'll have any chance of survival here..."

(Lol I wonder iif they're stuck in that traffic Jam as well? x'D

Btw how would you describe Caelum's traffic on average? Is it like you're always stopped or is it at least slow moving?)

(Oof looks like I over looked what Pyre said to Shep, it's ok it works x'D )

"Roofing is overated anyway. I like seeing the Stars, too bad there aren't any in this city." She grumbled while watching the clock.

@Rad/Xeno

Althea jumped when Dianne the dead Draugr. "Ew." She said making a face. "Ugh you're starting to remind me of my highschool teachers." She sneered.

@Xeno

@Xeno

Luxia squinted at Stella, seeming a little thrown off by the woman's faltering speech. With a sudden movement that seemed unfitting for someone her age, she leapt to her feet.

'Speak up, girl, nobody will understand a darned thing,' she said impatiently. Her eyes narrowed. 'There's something veeeery odd about you... you look normal, but... there's something /different...'/ she muttered.

( @Xeno - Note: Luxia can't hear Dolorus speak, but due to her strong magic, she can vaguely sense his presence.)

(Eating food, sorry if I'm slow to reply)

( @Alk - It depends on the area, EC and SC are often pretty busy, but NC and WC /usually/ have less traffic.)

Mason waited for Den to climb out, then locked the car and began to walk briskly down the street, ignoring the honks and yells from drivers behind him. 'I hope this witch can help us,' he muttered, 'or I've just broken traffic laws for nothing.'

@Alk

Stal jerked back in disgust, then his expression turned murderous. 'You little...' He lunged forwards to grab Marco in his jaws, but Loch stopped him with a yell.

'Stal, leave the stupid dog alone! We need to be figuring out a way to escape, not bickering among ourselves.'

@Rad

"What does her shop look like? I never met a witch." Said Den curiously as occasionally looking back at the angry line of drivers.

@Alk

'I've never been there, personally,' replied Mason. 'Though, I have heard that she's quite... odd. Coupled with the fact that she's a witch, I imagine her shop will be full of strange objects. I'd recommend not touching anything.'

@Alk

Dianne: "And if you payed attention, maybe you'd be a little less useless..."

{She muttered back. She then starts walking for a hill in the distance. As the walked, the wyvern followed.}

@Rad

Marco barked at Stal once more before shaking himself. He then pranced off towards Pyre and Shepherd as if he won a nobel prize.
Shepherd fell on his back and egan to faintly say. "Maybe Euterpe was right, we shouldn't have stayed."

Marco walks up to the two and wags his tail, finally acknowledging his master. Though Shepherd was less than pleased with how his dog behaved and didn't really say anything to him other than pat him nicely.

@Rad (Ok)

{Stella looked unnerved, but cleared her throat and spoke to her more clearly.}

Stella: "I want to make a purchase, but I'm not sure what I'll need for what I'm trying to do. Can you help me?"

@Xeno/ @Alk

The hill that Dianne was aiming for appeared deserted from that distance, aside for a few birds circling the sky above it. They looked to be ordinary crows.

@Xeno
"WELL EXUSE ME GRANDMA." Althea exclaims looking offended. "You can go have fun with over that dirt hill with your piece of rotting bat meat, I don't care." Althea then pulls out something from her bag and cover it on her staff. before walking off in the opposite direction. "I can do magic." She mutters to herself. "No good stupid dragon lady."

( @Rad what do reckon Elves could learn as magic? x'D
Some of this is spontaneous)

@Alk

'Look, we can't just stay here,' said Loch, trying to take charge of the misfit group. 'We have to walk... I don't know where to... but /somewhere./ We have to find a portal so we can get back home.'

Pyre approached Shepherd with a worried expression. 'Hey, try to relax, alright?' he said. 'We'll all be OK.' He smiled, though his long fangs made it more unnerving than reassuring.

@Xeno/ @Alk

'All right, all right, I heard you the first time,' said Luxia, completely contradicting herself. 'So, what exactly are you trying to do? I can't help you without details. What do you need? Transformation spells? Love potions? A screaming armchair? Those are pretty popular right now.'

(I want a screaching armchair)

( @Alk - Hmm I'm not sure, I imagine them having a moderately high magic capacity, so they can perform pretty powerful spells, though only if they've practised it.
I think Elves would have a greater affinity for earth-based spells - stuff like manipulating wood and rock, making plants grow, etc. And maybe fire-based spells?)

@Rad

"Althea might've gone there a fww times,, or a place like it. But she never takes me along.."Mentioned Den. "She says that the potions might turn me into an octopus."

@Alk

'It would be better if they turned you into a donkey, then nobody would be able to tell the difference,' said Mason dryly.

@Alk

{Dianne glances back at Althea with loathing.}

Dianne: "Sure, go off on your own. When some hellspawn tries to eat you, don't come crying to me."

@Rad (A screaming chair? What, is this the SCP Foundation? XD)

Stella: "Um, no..."

Dolorus: //Tell her you need a way to access another realm.//

Stella: "I need to access another realm."

Dolorus: //The one that's been opening portals all over the city.//

Stella: "The one that has portals all over the city."

@Xeno

Luxia's face lit up into a wide grin. 'Trying to get into Beyond, are you? Hoho, you really shouldn't. Full of nasty, nasty people, it is. I don't normally tell customers how to get in there, so you're gonna have to give me a good reason why you want to.'

(I love how Dolorus has to literally tell Stella what to say. XD)

@Xeno
"I don't need your help, and besides I think they'll go after you first since YOUR the bigger target!" Althea sneers. The Elf proceeds to draw a few symbols in thee ground before slamming her staff.
The action made the Earth rumble causing a large rift in the ground. Not quite what she intended, but she was so angry it worked. "HAH there! Now you can STAY over there." As Althea to continued to get further away from Dianne she bagan fiddling around with her bag. //C'mon please tell me I still have those notes I stole from the teacher. Maybe he had something on vortexes.//

(How near are Shepherd and the gang to Dianne and Althea? x'D
)

(I think they're a reasonable distance apart, considering their locations when they were in Caelum, before getting sucked in. But they could still potentially run into each other.)

"I'm not a donkey! I a ferocious dragon!" Said Den all puffed up and angry. "Watch this!" He took a deep breathe and forced out a small unimpressive amount of fire. He grunts in frustration. " I can do better!"

@Rad

{Stella's expression shifted to surprise.}

Stella: "Y-yeah! Some of our friends got stuck in there, and I need to get them out! Please, we need your help!"

@Rad

@Alk

'Of course you can,' said Mason placatingly, though with a touch of sarcasm. 'I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunity to demonstrate your talents while we search for your friend.'

@Rad
Shepherd remained in disbelief. "Now I'm wondering if Euterpe got sucked in as well. She wasn't with us when I woke up..."

( @Rad Yeah, Dolorus has dealt with difficult sorcerers before, so he knows to get right to the point. Also, Stella doesn't have much experience with magical stuff. XD)

@Xeno

'Oh, really? Stuck? Well, that's silly. If they're not careful, they could get eaten by the killer rabbits...'

Luxia dissolved into unintelligible mumbling, then shook her head and looked up at Stella.

'Yes, I can help you. I can open a portal, one that will not disappear after one has passed through. But, do you plan on going inside to rescue them yourself? You'll just die, and that won't help your friends at all.'

Taking what Mason had said literally. Denarius began to try to burst out flames quite erratically, some were larger than others, even getting to the point where they were somewhat dangerous.

@Alk
{Dianne glances at the rift, then sneers.}

Dianne: "I can //fly//, you daft idiot."

{She gets to the top of the hill, looking around for any sign of portals or people.}

( @Rad^
AHHH I keep forgeting to adress the @ x'D

@Alk

'I don't think so,' said Loch. 'I haven't seen her anywhere. It was just you and Marco who came through. Don't worry about her. Come on, let's go and explore!'

Without waiting for an answer, Loch started walking in a random direction across the grassy plain. Stal huffed in exasperation before following her.

"Well go ahead and try, but considering how heavy you are I bet you'll fall in or some monster will crawl out of the rift and swallow you up." Althea said coldly

@Xeno

@Alk

Mason flinched slightly when a flame came a little too close, singing his boot. 'Stop that,' he said to Den. 'We've already attracted enough unwanted attention with that parking manoeuvre...'

@Xeno

The hill was covered in long, black grass, waving gently in the wind. At the very top lay a rotting corpse, so mutilated that it was barely recognisable. The crows were swarming around it, pecking at its flesh. Upon closer inspection, the corpse was not another demonic creature; it was the body of a transformed werewolf.

@Rad
Shepherd had just finished tying a rope around Marco before the dog took off after Loch. The dog yanked the rope as he ran Shepherd running as fast as he could to keep up with them. "You could give a bit of a warning before you do that." He huffed

Denarius stopped, breathing heavily as smoke slowly seeped from his mouth. He smiled innocently at Mason a bit ashammed but somewhat proud.

(AHHH I KEEP DOING THAT )

@Alk

Loch took the lead, walking along quite cheerfully, as if they weren't trapped in a hellish world. After a moment, she looked over her shoulder at everyone.

'Y'know, I've noticed something weird about this place,' she said thoughtfully. 'You see those mountains in the distance? They look exactly like the Argent Mountain Range back home. You can see them from Caelum on a clear day.'

Stal looked unimpressed. 'So the mountains here look similar, great work,' he said grumpily. 'That doesn't help us get home.'

Pyre took to walking along beside Shepherd, not wanting to leave the boy or his dog alone.

@Alk

Mason just sighed and continued walking. 'We're getting close, now,' he said. 'Not much further to go. Remember, when we get inside the witch's shop, don't touch anything that is on display. They might be... unsafe.'

@Rad
"Ok" Den said a little quietly, as if he had just been scolded. "I'll be careful..."

@Rad
Stella: "B-but..."

Dolorus: //Tell her we have it handled and that we have backup.//

Stella: "We have that handled. We have backup."

@Rad
"I hate to agree with the loud rain cloud over there, but what does mountain's looking similar have to do with any of this weird world?" Said Shepherd folding his arms. He was a little grumpy himself, afterall his impression of Stal and Loch weren't very good considering their previous actions.

@Alk/Rad

{Dianne was too far afield to hear Althea. She inspected the corpse curiously.}

Dianne: //This is fresh....This poor idiot got mauled by something...Something big...//

@Xeno

'Reeeally?' said Luxia doubtfully. 'It had better be some damn good backup... Alright, I'll put the portal in the back room of the shop, shall I? We don't want anyone stumbling across it. By the way, are you sure you don't want a screaming armchair? They're discounted.'

@Alk

'I dunno, I just think it's interesting,' said Loch. 'And you never know, it might mean something important.'

@Xeno / @Rad

Althea was finally pulled out her teachers notes. "Ahh Dammit, his stupid hand writing, how was he even a teacher!" She cursed to herself looking over the notes. Scanning her surrounding she put the book away again. "Probably not the best place to be looking over this she muttered." She then began wandering to see if could spot some shelter to hid in.

@Rad

"How faraway do you think it is?" Shepherd asked as he squinted out in the distance.

@Rad
Dolorus: //No, not now! We need to go get the backup!//

Stella: "Wait! We need to go get the backup first!"

Dolorus: //Actually, can she open it somewhere else? //

Stella: "C-could you open it somewhere else? Somewhere closer to our backup?"

Dolorus: //And descrete.//

Stella: "And descrete?"

@Alk

While Althea was muttering to herself, a rustling noise came from some nearby trees. Slowly, the branches parted as a demonic creature emerged from between them. It was vaguely human-shaped, with long arms, a skeletal body, and long claw-like fingernails. Its face was crude; just glowing white eyes and a gaping toothy mouth.

With an unearthly moaning noise, the monster began to advance upon Althea, raising its claw-tipped hands threateningly.

@Xeno

Luxia heaved out a long sigh. 'It's just one thing after another... fine, tell me exactly where you want me to put the bloody portal then.'

(Also, Luxia, nobody wants your SCP-396. XD)

(I haven't missed the last Den or Dianne replies BTW, I'm just being slow and thinking about what to write.)

(XD)

@Alk

Before anyone could answer Shepherd, Pyre stiffened, his expression turning serious. 'Um, guys? I just smelled something really, really weird...'

'Like what?' said Stal.

'Like... rotting flesh...?

'How do you even know what rotting flesh smells like?'

Pyre didn't answer. He turned and began to walk off in another direction, towards a patch of dead-looking trees, leaving the rest of the group with little choice but to follow him.

(I think I'm gonna have to stop for tonight, I'll be leaving the computer soon and I don't think I can access this room on my DS. XD)

@Rad

Stella: "Oh, um..."

Dolorus: //Tell her 55693 W Baker Street//

Stella: "What? Oh, um...55693 W Baker Street in Central Caelum."

(That's the rich district, right?)

(Ok, @Rad. :) )

(Alrighty!)

( @Xeno - Yeah)

Luxia's eye twitched. 'Central Caelum? That's bloody miles away! I don't have a car! What do you want me to do, skateboard there?'

@Rad
Stella: "We'll drive you! Look, I don't care what we have to do, we need to help our friends!"

@Rad

"Hey, wait!" Called Shepherd. "Didn't we just get out of danger?" He huffed from behind as he tried to keep up with the speed of the rest of the group.

@Xeno

While Dianne was examining the werewolf's body, the sound of heavy footsteps came from somewhere around the bottom of the hill. A creature resembling an enormous monitor lizard, with thick armadillo-like plating on the top side of its body, was slowly walking up the hill. Apparently, it was the thing that had killed the werewolf, and it didn't take kindly to Dianne being so near its prey.

@Rad

Althea's reactions to this creature was much like most people's when they see a pest, like a bug or a mouse.

"EEEEEucK" She squealed started at it's alien appearance.
"You're so groSS" She complained and pulled out her staff, which morphed into a spear. //I wonder if my poisons will be any good on these things..//

@Xeno/ @Alk

'Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!' said Luxia. She looked over her shoulder and yelled, 'ABIGAIL!'

A door behind the counter opened, and a tall, red-haired girl stuck her head out. 'What?' she said grouchily.

'You're in charge of the shop. I'm going out for a bit. Be good, and don't overcharge any customers. I'll know.' Luxia then seemed to notice Euterpe for the first time. 'Is that sentient ball of fluff coming, too?'

(Lizard: Ok imma go get some soda and ketchup to go with this thing, brb, don't go anywhere.

Dianne and Draugr: owo what this?

Lizard: hEY thaT's mY fooD, LARRY DIDN"T I TELL YOU TO STAY CLEAR OF MY TURF?")

{Dianne chuckles at the sight of the lizard-like creature.}

Dianne: "Get around it. When it drops its guard, use the incline of the hill to get it on its back."

{Dianne then shifts back to dragon form and the wyvern draugr agressively approaches it, looking to get to the side of it.}

@Rad / Xeno

Euterpe whipped her away from the clock to make one of her unusual odd expressions. "Fluffy!?!" She muttered.

@Alk

The strange humanoid creature did not hesitate when Althea's staff turned into a spear. It was apparently too stupid to recognise her as a threat, only seeing her as potential prey. Lunging forwards, it grabbed her arm in a bruising grip (the arm she wasn't holding her spear with), while its other hand stretched towards her face, as if to rip it off.

@Rad/Alk (Lol XD)

Stella: "Yes, she's coming. Let's go, Euterpe."

{ Stella then walks out to the car, paying the grouchy lady no mind, waiting for everyone to get in.}

@Xeno

The lizard stopped halfway up the hill, turning to keep its attention focused on the wyvern draugr. It seemed more worried by seeing a fellow voidbeast than Dianne. When the wyvern was close enough, it opened its mouth and spat out a spray of acid which, upon contact with the wyvern, viciously burned its flesh.

@Xeno/ @Alk

'So, what are your names?' said Luxia brightly as she accompanied Stella and Euterpe outside.

@Rad/Alk

Dianne: "Oh...Well, that's good to know..."

{That just seemed to enrage the draugr, causing it to shriek and assume an agressive stance. Dianne started to prowl towards it, hoping that it would stay focused on the wyvern.}

@Rad/Alk

Stella: "I'm Stella. That's Euterpe, and our driver here is Bufo."

{Bufo nods politely as Stella opens the car doors for Luxia. The car was a luxury sadan of some sort. It was black and very streamlined, but there was no maker's mark on it anywhere.}

@Xeno

The lizard seemed more intelligent than the wyvern had been in life. Rather than blindly attacking, it silently held its ground. With its monocular vision, it was easily able to watch both opponents at once. When Dianne got within its range, it swung its head around and sprayed acid towards her.

@Rad/Alk

{Dianne was watching the creature carefully and leapt to the side to avoid the acid narrowly. Once she was a safe distance, she then shot a fireball at it, to see if it had any affect.}

@Rad
Althea's face sour when the monster touch her. She took a breath and pushed her spear towards the chest of the creature while using her other arm to block the swipe.
Unfortunatley the creature was able to make a gash in her arm. Not something was at all happy about. In combination with her spear, she took her leg and aimed a kick at it's torso in an attempt to free herself of it's grasp.

@Rad /Xeno
Euterpe stalks behind them quietly, eyeing Luxia suspicisously. as they approached the car.
As she climbs in she moves to the far end of the back seat making it somewhat obvious that she didn't want to be anywhere near the old lady. Especially since this one had called here "sentient" and "fluff ball."

@Xeno

The lizard let out a screech of alarm when the fireball struck it, and hurriedly backed away a few paces. When the flames cleared, it was revealed that they'd left a few scorch marks on the lizard's armoured hide. However, they didn't seem to have burned through deep enough to damage its flesh.

The lizard continued to back down the hill, keeping Dianne and the wyvern in its field of vision.

@Alk

The creature completely ignored the kick Althea aimed at it, but when the point of her spear stabbed it in the chest, it jerked and hissed at her, as if in annoyance. The wound in its chest wasn't deep, but was oozing a thick black substance, presumably blood.

The creature released its grip on Althea, but in doing so, it shoved her backwards, forcefully enough to make her fall over.

@Rad

Dianne: "Hmm..."

{Dianne proceeds to repeatedly spit fireballs at the creature, seeing if she could drive it off entirely.}

@Xeno/ @Alk

'Lovely, lovely...' Luxia murmured, patting the side of the car like it was a living creature before climbing in and waiting for them to set off. She seemed unconcerned by Euterpe's attitude towards her.

@Xeno

The lizard retreated before the onslaught of fireballs, though didn't seem at all happy about it, clearly thinking Dianne was driving it off so she could steal its kill. It roared indignantly as it moved to the bottom of the hill, only stopping when it reached the edge of the ravine Althea had created.

( @Alk - I overlooked Shepherd again)

Stal just grumbled indistinctly. He didn't seem too pleased by the situation either.

Pyre led them into the dead forest, then abruptly skidded to a halt. 'Uhh... you might want to look away, Shepherd,' he said, sounding faint.

Loch, however, pushed past him to get a look at whatever he'd seen. 'Eww, that's disgusting.' Lying on the forest floor was a human body, though it had been ripped apart so much that it was hard to distinguish it as human.

@Rad
Althea fell to the ground with a thud. "Oof, Alright so you're a little hardy insect man.." She winced tapping on her spear with an ounce of magic. She wasn't the most exquistite spellcaster but her rough magic style would have to do. //When and if I get out of this, I'll remind my self to actually read a few of teacher's notes// She thought miserably to herself.

She rolled away from the creature to add more distance and while she at it, she aimed a few darts at the creature as well.

@Rad
"Not look? Why?" Shepherd peered over Pyre the smell was aweful and when he finally got a glance the color in his face changed somewhat. He didn't say much of anything and mostly frowned as he glared at the body. The sight seemed to have remind him of less than pleasant memories.
Marco pulled and squirmed. The dog wanted to sniff the dead carcass, maybe taste it. After he didn't get what he wanted the dog began to start whining.

@Rad/Xeno

Euterpe pressed up against the wall of the car and made another face. "HNNNN" She said a bit muffled trying to contain the fact that she did not like this woman at all.

(People: exist
Euterpe:HNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
)

(Oof this got buried I think x'D )
@Rad
"Ok" Den said a little quietly, as if he had just been scolded. "I'll be careful..."

( @Alk - I saw Den, I was just waiting until Luxia left before they reached her shop, to make things awkward for them. XD)

@Alk

The humanoid creature flinched as the darts struck its body, though it seemed more curious than worried as it reached up with its long fingers to pull the darts out. Its momentary distraction would give Althea time to decide how to act.

@Alk

'...We need to get out,' said Loch. Her previous lightheartedness had vanished; she now looked grim and worried. 'Whoever that person was, they've been completely torn apart. And look!' She pointed at a gun that was lying beside the corpse. 'They were armed. And they still died.'

Pyre was shivering slightly, his arms wrapped around himself for comfort. Stal seemed the least affected by the sight of the corpse.

@Alk/ @Xeno

'Oh, what in the world is wrong with you?' huffed Luxia as she glanced across at Euterpe. Her tone dropped to a mutter. 'Silly fluffballs, this is why I don't like doing business with dragons, such temperamental creatures...'

@Rad

{With a glance, Dianne raised the slain werewolf. It sprang to life, joining Dianne on the hill. With her new minion in tow, she began to once again advance on the lizard creature, spitting more fire at it.}

@Xeno

The giant lizard let out another roar before turning around and climbing /into/ the ravine. Claws clinging to the sheer edge, it descended down into the earth to evade the fireballs being spat in its direction.

@Rad

{As the car began to move, Stella engaged in conversation, hoping to keep Euterpe and Luxia's attention off each other.}

Stella: "So, Luxia, what can we expect to see in the...Beyond. What should we be most concerned about?"

@Alk

Moments after the car containing Luxia had driven away, Mason and Den approached the potion shop.

'Stay behind me, and be cautious,' said Mason quietly as he pushed open the door and stepped inside. Wrinkling his nose at the odd appearance of the shop, he walked up to the counter and waited for a member of staff to show up.

@Rad

{With the lizard in full retreat, Dianne was walks down to where she had fought the wyvern. She shifts back to human form and begins to pick up the fallen teeth of the wyvern. She then glances over at Althea.}

Dianne: "Should I....help with that?"

(imma nap and then maybe reply a little later. I might contine through the week but we'll see where my attention takes me, gonna try to focus on the arts stuff x) )

( @Alk - Alrighty! If you just wanna continue at the weekends that's fine, no pressure to reply in the week. :)

I gonna start on my half of the trade, I'm excited to work on it)

(Oooo :eyes: can't wait to see what you do!
I started something a little earlier today before taking a break x'D )