Ch 9 - Acts of Bravery

Erich waited patiently at the gun range. He looked at his watch, 30 minutes late… he shook his head and laughed as he fiddled with the assortment of firearms again. Finally he heard a noise and looked up, Carla approach, her hair down to perfection but the slight dark circles under her eyes giving away the hangover he was sure she was experiencing.

With a smile he nodded and spoke, “Good morning lass, I trust you slept well?”

She looked up at him but only grunted and he laughed softly, “Well, never the matter, I have an assortment of weaponry for you to try, all are compact, easily concealed, and most importantly, in perfect working condition.”

He picked up a Glock 19, and rechecked it, leaving the slide back as he handed it too her. There was no magazine or ammo for it, he simply watched her to see how she reacted after being handed a handgun.



Sionn waited for Lilly by the front door. She was right on time, as he would have expected, and when she approached he looked at her, “Lilly, I donn’a want what happened last night to come between us in any way…”

She looked up at him and her eyes flashed in their mysterious way. He cleared his throat, getting the message and spoke, “Maybe now is no the best time to talk about it aye?”

He opened the door and smiled as he gestured for her to come outside. The sun was shining through sparse clouds and he opened her car door for her, then climbed in on his side and they were off to town.

The trip was short, and when they arrived he went straight to an industrial area. Pulling off down a narrow side street he stopped in front of a very plain looking garage, “The lad we need to see is inside.”

As they stepped in the smell of sweat, raw metal, fire, coal and steel hit them all at once. The distinct clanging sound of hammer work could be heard and a large brut of a man, looking to be in his late fifties came and met them. He had a low fitting cap, wore a white tank top under his Blacksmiths apron, and was chewing on an unlit cigar, “Sionn McGhee, good to see ya!”

Lilly would pick up immediately that the man was American by his accent. He looked over at Lilly and spoke, “So, you must be Lilly, I’m John Weber, but my friends call me Mack.”

As she shook his hand she would see the life long build up of callouses on his hands. He smiled as he wiped his hands on his apron, more out of habit than anything, and he gestured, “Come on back, I have a bunch of stuff laid out for you to look at, whatever suits your fancy I am sure we have something for you.”

As they walked through the shop, several Smitty’s were working away on weapons of one kind or another. Clearly Buck was making items for many members of the Races. They made their way to the back of the shop and Mack closed the door, all the noise immediately went away in the soundproof room, “So Lilly, what exactly is it you’re looking for?”



Lexy woke and squinted her eyes at the sunlight coming in the window, normally she left the curtains pulled back, because normally the sun wasn’t blasting through her window in the morning. With a grump she stood up and walked over, about to draw the curtain when she saw Sionn letting a dark haired woman into his car, and they drove off. She turned and looked at her sister who was still sleeping on the other bed in the room. She sighed softly and walked to grab her wool shawl to wrap around herself.

“Come here sister.”

Lexy whipped around, Elizabeth was still on the bed, eyes closed, holding a hand out to her. She laughed and walked over, taking Lizzy’s hand and sitting on the bed. Elizabeth smiled and spoke without opening her eyes, “Can you believe that Ean and Aurora are gon’ get married? Who would have ever thought that Ean would finally nab someone.”

Lexy smiled and laid down next to her sister, resting on her back and looking up at the ceiling, “Well, he was always looking, I just ne’er though a woman would ever agree to be with him.”

Lizzy laughed and spoke, “He is too nice, most women want someone a little rougher around the edges.”

Lexy looked over at her, “Why is that?”

Elizabeth half shrugged, still keeping her eyes closed, “I donn’a know, maybe because they want something to fix.”

Lexy smiled, “There is no a thing to fix on Ean.”

Elizabeth spoke softly, “Exactly.”

Elizabeth turned her head and opened one eye looking at Lexy and then the two started laughing. Lexy hit Elizabeth with a pillow and she squealed as she covered herself in the down blanket, Lexy jumped on top of her and starting tickling her through the blankets, Elizabeth was at her mercy, and could only scream and squeal all the more.

Suddenly Lexy looked up and saw Aurora standing in the doorway, eyes wide and covering her mouth as she laughed, Lexy looked at her and laughed as she chucked a down pillow right at Aurora’s head.

Lilly was more hurt than she was letting on but when Sionn spoke about what happened not coming between them her Irish temper rose and she was glad that he stopped speaking about it. She was quiet during the short ride into town, her thoughts on the kiss. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't just forget it happened. She was also thought about the guests that had shown up. She'd seen Aurora but hadn't met her just yet. The Native American woman was beautiful with her dusky skin and dark eyes. She could see why Sionn had fallen for her. She looked down at her own pale hands, almost an alabaster white, so different from Aurora's. She sighed but then was instantly alert when they reached their first destination. She liked Mack instantly, her hand swallowed by his much larger one as she shook his with her own strong grip. She followed him and Sionn back to another room, not noticing the lusty looks she was receiving from the other men.

Once inside the sound proof room, she removed her sunglasses she'd gotten into the habit of wearing to hide her odd, swirling eyes and looked over at Mack as he asked his question about what it was she was needing, not in least bit affected by her eyes which were swirling with different colors in her nervousness about being around other people. She turned to look at Sionn for the first time that morning, needing his reassurance that all was okay. She relaxed a little at his soft smile and his nod, indicating for her to tell Mack what it was she needed.

"I be a blade thrower, Mack. Perhaps ye heard o' me....Lilly Blades was the name I went by in the circus". Mack's eyes lit up, telling her that he'd indeed heard of her as he straightened up a little bit more, even going so far as to puff out his chest a little bit. She gave him a sweet smile and continued. "Me blades have always been small but lethal and perfectly balanced. All vary in sizes but never anymore than a full six inches in length from end to end. Here, if ye hae' something to draw on and with I be drawing ye what I be needing."

She grinned again when Mack laid down a piece of parchment paper and a marker for her, smiling down at her again, clearly becoming infatuated with the tiny Irish woman. She started drawing the various blades, the blade and handle all once piece. Some blades were triangular while others were slender and still others were wide. There were three different lengths from three inches to six inches.

"I will need ten of each, Mack and I will also need regular blades". She began drawing again, this time drawing intricate blades with beautiful handles. The blades on these regular knives were approximately five inches in length with the handles being four inches. Some were made to fit into the top of her boots. But the one she spent time on drawing was the blade that would be strapped to her hip. It had a blade of seven inches with a handle of five inches. From the tip back about two inches the blade was serrated like shark's teeth. Once it reached the hilt there was a half moon notch so that if the blade was thrust into the enemy clear to the hilt and then pulled out it would create quite the wound. The blade itself was also two inches wide and there was delicate Celtic knotwork designs on the handle. The sheath was made of treated leather and also decorated with Celtic knotwork. On the blade itself were intricate Celtic rune markings for speed, strength and accuracy. She looked up at Mack who was standing very close to her, towering over her small frame. "Can ye make this one as well, Mack with the special markings?" Her voice held a wealth of emotion, letting both Mack and Sionn know that this particular blade was special.

Aurora heard the laughing and giggling and rose from her bed, padding barefoot down the hall to Lizzy and Lexy's room. Standing in the doorway she grinned at their antics, her hand covering her mouth when the down pillow hit her square in the face. Her hands instantly came up, grabbing the pillow as she feigned anger, running towards them and leaping onto the bed, using the pillow as a weapon hitting Lexy with it as she laughed. The three women laughed so hard that Aurora's ribs began to ache as they hit each other with the pillows, alternating back and forth between the pillow fight and tickling each other.

Finally, breathing heavily with tears streaming down her cheeks from laughing so hard, Aurora lay in between the other two, holding her left hand up so that they all three could look at the beautiful ring as she smiled. Something she'd not been able to stop doing since Ean had proposed to her the day before. Even with the death of her mother, Ean proposing in front of her memorial was as if her mother had given her blessing.

"Isn't it beautiful? The most beautiful ring in the world. I love him so much it makes me ache."

When morning came, as it often does, the light of day slowly illuminated Carla’s spacious bedchamber. Though, try as the Scottisch morning might, not even its best could wake Carla. It was when the day really got underway and the denizens of the castle started their activities did some of these rumblings reach into her dormant mind and slowly pulled her into the morning.

When finally she could no longer fight it and opened one eye lazily with a heavy sigh the darkness still surrounded her. With a grunt she rolled over and pulled the pillow from her head, only to regret it immediately. The dim light, the little that managed to get past the thick curtains, immediately stung her. With a groan not misplaced for an angry animal she covered her eyes and slowly came to realize her state. She made an attempt to slowly rise from her bed, she had thrown herself onto it the previous night and drifted off, somehow managing to wrap herself in the blankets while she recovered from the evening’s affairs. She hadn’t even taken off her shoes beforehand and now felt the sting of one of the heels. A hiss and some loud grumbling soon followed before she finally managed to distance herself from the bed and immediately made her way for the bathroom.

There she tried to pull herself together, while she allowed the flowing water of the shower to warm her and wake her gently she thought she remembered a rapping on her door at one point. She could also tell her stomach was getting quite empty, though she had no real interest in eating anything at this time. She had some, well, perhaps quite a bit, of experience with these kinds of mornings and estimated she had missed breakfast for sure and, ah crap, she was supposed to be meeting the McGhee’s about means to protect herself right now wasn’t she?

Well, it couldn’t be helped, and though she did groan and complain she whipped herself into a presentable state and headed out of her room. It took her a moment to find her way, but eventually she found the shooting range and a patiently waiting McGhee.

There was an attempt at answering Erich’s greeting, though it didn’t materialize very well. Luckily he appeared to not mind too much and went on to make the Glock ready for her to handle. She slipped her right hand around the grip with her indexfinger resting on the side of the pistol and felt the gun as she tilted it some to get a look at it. Certainly, it looked in good shape. After she aimed it down at a slight angle and looked down the sights she put the gun on the table before her and simply stared at the gun for a moment.

“I did say I was going to show you my shooting, didn’t I?” She said and let out a short laugh.

A moment later she looked up at Erich; “Alright.” And then looked down range, “Silhouette at 50 yards?”

She shook herself loose before picking the gun back up and squared up for the target. Then she looked over the Erich once more, “Clip?” And presented her left hand awaiting ammunition and further instructions.

As the three ladies lay there, Elizabeth stared at the ring, “Aye, it is the most beautiful ring in the world, it has been in our family for sixteen generations.”

As Aurora looked over with wide, shocked eyes Elizabeth smiled softly in confirmation and looked back at the ring, “That sapphire is a shock stone, rumor has it that the magic within can only be awoken when the stones will decides.” She looked at Aurora again, “No living soul can recollect that last time the stone woke, in fact nobody really knows what will happen when it does, or if it even can.”

Aurora looked at her curiously and she spoke, “The Scots are a very superstitious folk Aurora, many of the tales we spin are long enough to be believable, but in the end they are just words.”

Lexy sighed as she swung her feet out of the bed and walked over to the window, “I saw Sionn leave with a dark haired lass this morning, I wonder if that is the one we heard about.”

Elizabeth looked at her and spoke softly, “I can no imagine it is anyone else.”

Lexy looked back out the window and spoke, “If she’s as accurate as the rumors say it will be good to have her with us.”

Elizabeth swung her feet off the bed and grabbed her shawl, wrapping it around her shoulders, “Doesn’a matter how accurate she is, what we need more of is bravery.”

Lexy smiled and spoke, “Well she did get into a car, alone, with Sionn McGhee, that makes her a pretty brave lass.”

Elizabeth stifled her laughter as best she could and then burst out laughing, as did Lexy. With a shake of her head Elizabeth walked over to Lexy and spoke softly, “More importantly is focusing on the here, and the now.”

Lexy looked at her curiously and Elizabeth smiled, “Aye, that’s right… we have to focus on the events of NOW, so much detail and facts within this very room that affect our futures.”

Lexy looked at Aurora curiously and then back to Elizabeth, “Like what Lizzy? What are you referring to.”

Elizabeth shook her head softly and tsk’ed her lips, “Dearest baby sister, sometimes the most obvious and easily missed facts escape even one of your intelligence.” Lexy looked around again and shook her head as she looked back at Elizabeth, “Like WHAT Liz?”

Elizabeth stood and looked at Lexy, “Like that fact… THAT I AM GON’ BEAT YA TO THE WASH ROOM!”

Elizabeth turned and in a sprint crossed the room, Lexy gasping and following quick on her sisters heels, reaching the door just as Elizabeth slammed it shut. Lexy smacked the door with her open palm and spoke, “Oh YOU!!”

From within Elizabeth’s giggling voice responded, “Toooooo bad.”

Dietrich was awake early as the first stirrings were about he attempted another shower finally feeling the warmth cut through him as he sighed, exiting to find some clothes that seemed to have been acquired for him he tilted his head as he looked around maybe the servants were ghosts he hadn't even heard the door open. He slid into the loose fitting clothes and moved to the heavy boots and began to check the plates of metal that 'decorated' their exteriors covering the heels and toes externally as he slid them on with ease. He slid his coat on rolling his shoulders in it though he missed breakfast as he read one of the two books from his harness before getting up again from sitting at the edge of the bed.

"Guess shouldn't keep myself idle." Pushing himself up as he slid the axe into the sheath blessing his shoulder as he caressed the worn leather haft knowing he was coming to terms with working with a team as he let his hand drop he made his ungraceful movement towards the dining hall first where they had first met his huge frame moving down the halls his heavy boots almost cringe worthy resounding steps on the hard stone floors. He found the room empty as he moved towards a seat running his hand on the intricate pattern he had missed yesterday hunger having got the better of him. "Starving men stay idle." As he slid his hand off the chair as he shook his head to a servant from the castle was about to open their mouth maybe if he requested something but he was fine as he began to move slowly glancing Sionn and Lilly going off to the blacksmith he chuckled the two awkwardly angry at each other it seemed as he moved from the window in the hall. "Training room?" Wondering where his destination would be with strange coincidence a servant was at hand coming out of a door at his side as he blinked as they smiled friendly he battled with himself to dare ask, sighing he moved on without asking.

He lumbered onto the courtyard his hands in his pocket breathing the always fresh air... a silver lining as he laughed to himself moving out of the main entrance seeking to find a quiet side plaza what may have been market stalls before the McGhees took over such a monumental manor of a place as he kicked at the loose mud in the market yard as he unsheathed the axe and began to casually swing the blade in long motions to stretch the still sleeping muscles out he was distracting himself painfully he recognized from the waiting as he laughed flipping the huge axe as if made from hollow plastic not Starmetal a rare ore from a blazing comet Thor called down... or so the rumors said no one dared to test the Legends of the axe in his family so it was still a 'Legend' he began to laugh wondering if it was real but he trusted it as far as he could throw it.... In his case it was far at least as he stopped the heavy swinging as sweat began to gather between his shoulder blades a burning in his side as he remembered he hadn't eaten or even stretched giving his neck a tilt it cracked healthily as he grunted a note of gratitude.

".... Still dont like that warning." As he looked up the sun wondering about her words praying she hadn't divined seen a glimpse of future his gut went cold as he remembered the stories he had read as a child one last warning to a warrior before he stepped straight to his death but he didn't break into cold sweat as his gut tried to twist him into fear he smiled she had told him it was going to be 'fun'... a dash of pain always made the rot excited letting out a bellow of laughter clearing his doubts spontaneously.

As Ean walked the halls of the massive McGhee castle, he was flooded with memories of this place. Though they had only come to this particular castle as a lad, he did have bits and pieces to recollect. Mostly, he thought of his older brother, and his heart ached slightly as the loss filled him. He thought about how he had died, fighting Druids, and how now he, and his sisters were about to do the same thing.

He then transitioned to thinking about his sisters, how much love he had for the two of them, how he did all he could to step in when their brother died, but often feeling that he fell short and inadequate. He walked the long corridor and traced his finger along the stone, feeling each nook and bump, his mind walking a step ahead of him in thought.

He came to the old, large courtyard and saw Dietrich standing with the axe, his back to Ean. They had not yet been introduced, but he had been told of the man. The words that were used were not definitive enough. Even Ean, for his large size, looked at the Norseman and lifted an eyebrow in surprise, truly this was a mountain of a man. He cleared he throat and Dietrich turned to look at him, Ean placed his hand over his chest and bowed slightly, keeping eye contact but showing a respectful gesture in his body language, “Ean MacGregor, House of Kells, ” He smiled broadly through his beard and waited for the Norseman’s response.



Erich watched her handle the weapon, he noted in his mind that she did not recheck the weapon to see if it was in fact unloaded, however he did not make an issue of it. As she reached for a magazine he smiled and handed her one that was heavy enough to be fully loaded, “17 rounds, let’s see what you do.”

He smiled and hit the button on the retractor, a paper silhouette popped up in front of her and went out to 2 meters and stopped, “2 meters, let’s see two shouts.”

Carla squared up and put two round right through the center mass. Erich smiled and nodded, “Aye, well done. “ He ticked the button and looked up, “Four meters.” Again Carla drilled two and Erich smiled, “Well done lass.”

He clicked a second button and the silhouette dropped again and a metal target popped up out at distance, “Alright lass, 50 meters, steel plate, let me hear you make it ring.”



Kimiko sat alone in the dining area. She knew that people were scattered around the property getting ready for the departure tomorrow. She sipped her tea and looked up as she heard soft footsteps. With a smile she spoke, “Kain, good to see you.”

The Punkie approached and she gestured to a chair, “I knew you would find your way here, I figured it might be a great opportunity to have our chat.”

--

Mack looked at Lilly, and then to Sionn, “I thought…”

Sionn looked at him and shrugged softly, Mack turned back to Lilly, “I uh…, well of course we can make you everything you are asking for, I guess I am just curious about the fighting knives. Sionn told me he gave you the two fighting daggers that I made from the Ulfberht steel… did you not find those satisfactory for your close in weapons?”

Aurora giggled at Lexy pounding on the bathroom door and then laughed when she heard Lizzy's voice from behind the closed door.  Rising from the bed where they'd all three just had a pillow fight and then Lizzy told her about her ring, she walked over to Lexy and took her hand in hers.

"Grab your things and come to my room.  Mr. and Mrs. McGhee were kind enough to give me a room with a bathroom as well.  I've already showered and dressed."

She waited patiently while Lexy gathered her things and the led her to her room which was just down the great hall and next to Ean's.  Beau and Eryn were there as well, Eryn now sitting over at the window sill clearly wanting out so Aurora walked over and opened the window to let the great raptor fly.  Next, it was Beau's turn to look at her with anxious, amber eyes.

"You too, huh?  Come on then, I'll let you out while Lexy cleans up.  LEXY!!  I'M HEADED DOWNSTAIRS TO LET BEAU OUT.  I'LL SEE YOU DOWN THERE."

Beau padded along side her as they made their way down the huge staircase finding their way around.  With Beau's nose they soon found a rear door leading to the outside and she followed him out, automatically searching for Ean as she constantly turned the ring round on her finger smiling whenever she looked down upon it.



Lilly smiled at Mack and then opened the vest she was wearing over her gypsy blouse.  What he and Sionn both would see were dual, homemade sheaths that were somehow clipped to her belt at the waistband of her pants.  They were side by side with enough distance between them to keep her from grabbing both at the same time.  Inside the tightly sewn cloth sheaths lined with leather from her only belt were the Ulfberht daggers.  She saw Sionn's confusion and she turned her now aquamarine eyes onto him.

"I asked ye mum if'n she had any sewing supplies for cloth an' leather.  She did.  So I made these last night before going to bed."  Then she turned back to Mack once more having to crane her neck back to look up at the big man, "As for the larger blade to hold at me hip", her eyes began to swirl with a myriad of colors then, indicating her rising emotions.  "Me mum had one exactly like it made for me when she realized that me true gift was the blades.  It took me years to find it after they died but I did find it."  A tear trailed down her cheek which she quickly wiped away.  "When the Japanese town was lost, tha' blade was in me hotel room.  It was the first time I'd not kept it on me an' there is no way to get it back now.  So, can ye replicate it for me, Mack?  I know ye canna put the magick into the runes an' markings but at least they will be there."

Carla wasn’t entirely sure why Erich bothered with the targets she could just as easily have spat on,  but you don’t argue about these sorts of things concerning guns. Aside from the fact that she was in no mood to speak too much and that having to fire a gun took most of her focus.

She made quick work of the first two targets, though perhaps too quickly. Her shots were all nice and center as well as swift, but she didn’t feel quite as comfortable as she’d like. The balance of the gun took some getting used to and the recoil was packing quite the punch.

Before going for the steel target at 50 meters she made sure to secure her stance and remembered her breathing. If it was ringing Erich wanted, that’s what he’d get, Carla decided. She fired the Glock at her target paced and controlled, though the fifth shot made an off sound.
Carla grunted, she must have just barely grazed the steel with that one and took a moment to right herself once more before picking up the pace and firing the last 8 bullets quickly and cleanly. She removed the clip and put the gun down before removing her earmuffs and turning to Erich.

“Surely you and the missus will sleep well at night knowing I’ve shot a gun before.” She said a bit crankier than she meant it. “Ugh, I’m sorry.” She corrected herself quickly, “I needed the practice. But what’s the deal here? A Glock’s nice and all, but will that have any significance against city gobbling powers?”

Kain had gotten up early that day, as sleep did not keep hold of him for long. There was quite a bit of anxiety brewing within him with the hunt for these druids getting ever concreter. He had found the kitchen and quickly ate breakfast and wandered the castle carrying the only two pieces of gear he had; the rod and his whip. The rod had driven him nearly insane last night, though luckily he managed to procure some oil to smooth out its extension. But it still felt pitiful.
He was thinking of what the McGhee’s could do for him in that department when his aimless walking eventually led him to Kimiko. How he had managed to go all about the castle for so long without bumping into someone was surprising enough, though to then find Kimiko with her tea was even more unexpected.
He climbed onto the chair and put his whip on the table as he watched Kimiko drink her tea.

“I almost forgot you wanted to discuss what happened in Japan further.” He said, “I’m not sure what I have to add to the matter, but while we’re here with little but waiting to do I am all yours.”

Dietrich had been mid swing when he heard the intake of breath stopping and a clearing of the throat he brought the axe to rest on his shoulder comfortable he didn't recognize the tone of the person from who he had met so far but turning he recognized Ean as he had probably him little need for introductions but manners took account.

"Dietrich Jürgen Second born Haus Von Zeitlos." Giving his formal title as he chuckled as his bow was almost formal as he slowly slid the axe into its sheath as he kept chuckling finally stopping as he finally walked up to Ean the man was an inch taller than him but the use of an axe made Dietrich much larger in frame as he smiled slowly. "A warrior of great renown I hear." As he looked down to the blade at his side giving a low whistle as he noticed the steel recognizing good craftsmanship. "Makes me feel like a grave robber wielding a dusty relic like I do." Giving a good laugh as he didn't seem to mind honestly afterall the years of use it felt like a limb now rather than a weapon though he hadn't tried picking up beers with it yet thinking about that thoughtful for a moment.

Eryn had caught her prey, a rabbit and had eaten her fill of it. She was flying around the castle when she saw Ean with a larger man, flying down to them crying out to Ean letting him know she was coming. She saw a the wood pile and landed softly onto it, her golden eyes studying the other man with Ean. Her eyes seemed to bore right through him as if seeing into his very soul.

It was then that Aurora and Beau came around the corner and Aurora's face split into a huge grin at seeing Ean. The huge gray wolf spirit was also studying the other man, his amber eyes doing the same as Eryn's had done to him. Aurora reached Ean, instantly sliding her small hand into his much larger one standing up on her very tiptoe to kiss his cheek.

"Good morning, love", she said before turning to Dietrich, "Hello....I am Aurora Jameson of the House of Hiawatha", she said to the large man with a smile, her large, dark doe eyes sparkling with love and happiness and yet still shadowed with the recent death of her mother. Beau stayed right next to her, his head coming up to her waist as he watched Dietrich thoughtfully.

Kimiko smiled every so softly when Kain spoke and she nodded, “Yes Master Punkie, I would like to chat with you, but I am not sure if my conversation will remain entirely focused on Japan, or even you for that matter.”

She exhaled softly and picked up her tea, the regality and properness of her body position and posture was unavoidable to observe. As she lifted her tea and sipped it with delicacy, she closed her eyes and took in the aroma, “It is amazing, they even knew what kind of tea I like.”

She set the tea down and looked at Kain, “Clearly, you have managed to find yourself in a place you did not expect to be… and I sense you also may not particularly want to be here.”

She watched him a moment and continued, “It is never chance when a gathering of the races occurs, and clearly that is what is happening. The group is balancing perfect, experienced and inexperienced, warrior and magical, weaponry at close range and from a distance… every factor of the perfection in balance that one would expect when something large is about to happen. It is undeniable that we are in the eye of a perfect storm, and it isn’t a great distance that we will need to travel to find ourselves in the heaviest of the conflict… yes, that is certainly coming.”

She sighed softly and set the cup down, smoothing her dress before she folded her hands and placed them in the fold of her lap on the soft grey silk embroidered with pink hibiscus flowers, “I myself did not intend to join in this effort, so in that respect I sense you and I are of the same accord. It was my brother that was eager to get involved, and when he called me with news of what they had found on the coast I had to come investigate to see for myself. It is tragic what happened and though I would never vow for revenge, I certainly can’t help but grasp at the answer which seems to linger just out of reach, ‘why then, why Japan, what is the bigger picture?’ There is always a bigger picture, especially when Druids are concerned. In histories lessons they are either moving to something bigger or dead.”

She inhaled deeply and finally looked Kain directly in the eyes, “So I have been asking myself all these lingering ponderables, and mostly I have been asking, why you?”

He looked at her and she spoke, “Respectfully Master Punkie, it is not common to find one of the ancient of the Races at your side, but here you are, an elder of the Races, capable but holding the situation at arms length, and that makes me question and wonder, ‘Why does Master Kain hesitate, what are his instincts screaming at him?’ I ponder, and I reflect, and still I arrive at no answer, so I felt it was best to simply ask, why do you hesitate to get involved? I understand, you are here, you have come THIS far, but you are not yet in for the long battle, you are one foot on the path of escape. Is it the girl?”

She leaned forward, this was the most engaged he had yet seen Kimiko, the normal reserved and quiet lurker was coming forward and asking a very pointed and direct set of questions, and clearly she was very interested in hearing his answers.”


Mack looked at the sheaths and then to Sionn. The Fara was looking at the blades and smiled as he looked from Lilly to Mack. With a soft chuckle Mack spoke, “I never had the chance to work with Ulfberht, few Smitty’s do to be honest about it. I was honored when Sionn came to me with the old blade. We melted it back down to ingots and built those daggers just like he asked us to, said they would go to the best person worthy of them, guess that means you.”

He smiled and looked to Sionn and then hit a switch on the wall, a massive pocket door slide into the wall that encased the frame and on the wall were hundreds of daggers, “So, I can make what you are asking but as I said it’s gonna take a few weeks,” Mack chewed on the unlit cigar and flipped it to the other side of his mouth, “These here though, they are available now, and I can loan some to ya until we have the ones you ordered are ready.” He looked at Sionn and spoke, “You know where you are gonna be?”

Sionn shook his head and Mack nodded, “Alright, no problem, we’ll just use the same method we used last time your sister needed those special arrowheads, it’ll work just the same for blades.”

Sionn smiled and nodded, “Aye, I was hoping so.”

Mack smiled and nodded, “Oh sure, works on anything up to a hand and a half, after that the amount of steel can overburden the spell and who knows where the blasted thing would end up.”

As Lilly looked back and forth at them curiously Mack raised his eyebrows realizing she had no idea what they were talking about, “Sorry little lady. I have a device that some Arbiters and Knights supplied me with a few years ago, it uses spirit to transport weapons to a matched stone, quite a handy little device when fulfilling orders around the globe.” He laughed as he continued, “Of course being a ‘simple’ human I have no idea how the blasted thing does what it does, but I know it does it just right every time, and all I have to do is get more of them glowing golf balls recharged by an Arbiter every now and again.”

He reached behind him and pulled up one of the sun stones that Arbiters use for storing magic and looked at it, “Pretty little things, always remind me of the glow in the fires, just the right color for gettin’ steel to the perfect temp.” He smiled broadly and set the stone on the table “So what we do is match a stone to the one connected to the order, and then when the stuff is ready we contact you, flick the contraption, insert the blades, then the stone, WHHOOOOSH, the blades appear wherever you are.”

He smiled broadly again and flicked the cigar back to the other side of his mouth, “So what was I sayin…. OH YEAH, so you can feel out some of these and find some that will work for you for now. There’s a throwing range out there, feel free to test ‘em out and find however many need to get you goin.”

He smiled and stepped aside so Lilly could walk to the wall of blades and start trying some out.


Ean smiled at Dietrich as the big man spoke and he responded, “There is nothing wrong with old steel my friend, in fact in my experience old steel can often rival new steel in every way.” He watched as the Norseman sheathed up his axe and could not help but wonder how the man managed to conceal a weapon of that size from the public, or perhaps he simply avoided the public all together, whatever it was he did clearly it worked, and Ean smiled internally knowing that soon enough he would get to find out for himself.

Ean looked around and spoke, “So, I need to get some stretching and practice in, haven’t been on the blade for a few days due to some circumstances that had to be handled at home before we left, as a fellow warrior, would you be willing to do some light sparring and exercising to loosen both our muscles?”

Before the Norseman could answer Eryn landed and chortled at him and Ean smiled broadly, “Eryn, nice to see you.”

He turned to Dietrich and spoke, “Dietrich, this is Eryn, Aurora’s Spirit Guide.” Just as he said the words Aurora and Beau came around the corner. As Aurora approached and showed her affections Ean smiled and returned her gestures before turning back to Dietrich, “And this is Aurora, as she just said, my fiancé.”

He smiled warmly at Aurora and then turned back to Dietrich, “So, no pressure, just thought it might be good to get a work out in and get to know each others methods and tactics… can never hurt to know how your partners are going to fight, helps us to all work together more efficiently.”

With a wide smile Dietrich would see that Ean had nothing but the most sincere and genuine intentions in his request, and he waited patiently for Dietrich’s answer.”




Lexy and Elizabeth found a nice quiet corner of the castle near a fireplace and sat in a couple comfortable chairs. Elizabeth looked around the room and felt a quiet sadness as she let her eyes wander over the richly wooded walls, “For all it’s grandeur this is a sad place.”

Lexy looked around and nodded, “Aye, it doesn’a seem to have the same cheer to it as when we were children, not that we spent loads of times here, I barely remember it to be honest, but I agree, it seems there should be more warmth than there is.”

Elizabeth sighed and flipped her spell book open, going silent as she went to her studies. Lexy pulled out the book she had been given in York and brushed against the pouch that Aurora had given her to hold her healing reagents. She smiled and spoke, the silence seeming to magnify her voice, “She is something special aye?”

Elizabeth looked up over the top of her book and looked at Lexy, “Aurora?”

Lexy looked up at her and nodded. Elizabeth smiled and nodded, “She’s a gem, that’s for certain.” She looked back at her book and Lexy rubbed her finger across the delicate stitching as she flipped her book open. After a moment of silence she spoke, [i]“The modification of already drawn spirit, to the degree of the castors manipulations should not supersede the ability within to control it. Pressing a spell in progress beyond the flow of sustainable and reasonable containment has the potential to over burden the body and cause the wielder to sustain injury, including the potential for their own life to cease…”[i] She sighed and flipped the book closed, “Why does it have to be written so bloody complicated.”

Elizabeth looked up with a raised eyebrow at Lexy and spoke gently, “How would you prefer it be written?”

Lexy looked at her and spoke, “I donn’a know, maybe just, ‘donn’a attempt to cast with more Spirit than you can control.” Elizabeth raised her eyebrow again and simply looked at Lexy in silence. Lexy looked at her and spoke, “What?”

Elizabeth smiled and spoke softly, “Clearly you know what it says, and what it means, so what is the problem?”

Lexy flushed red in her cheeks, “I donn’a know Lizzy, it just seems so oddly written, like, so it cann’a be understood by everyone.” Elizabeth closed her book with her finger in the place she was reading, “Do you think what you have the ability to do is intended for everyone to understand?”

Lexy looked at her and after a moment shook her head in a motion that was barely noticeable. Elizabeth looked at her and smiled, “Aye, it is no. Secrets are locked in the words for a reason, that is the nature of casting spells. You want to wield spirit as a healer instead of simply pressing it through your body to achieve more brute force, than you are gon’ta have to learn to read those words and figure out what they mean, an’ if you think THAT is strange and written in a way that is difficult to understand, wait until you start learning advanced spells.”

Lexy looked at her curiously and Elizabeth smiled, “Our path is no one for the faint of heart Lexy, what I can do is special, but what you can do is extraordinary beyond words, it has no happen yet, but you will be envied, even by wizards.”

Lexy looked at her and spoke, “Why?”

Elizabeth smiled, almost sadly, “Because it makes you special, and it is unique, and among the rarest of the magics available to the Races… with exclusivity comes the burden of isolation.”

Lexy looked at her and spoke sadly, “But I donn’a want to be alone and isolated Elizabeth!”

Elizabeth smiled and reached across, “You never will be sister, never.”

Kain sat and listened while Kimiko told him what was on her mind. He looked at her manners as she spoke while running his hand along the braided fiber that made up his whip, still half pondering about his equipment, but most certainly listening to Kimiko’s careful wording and tone.

He couldn’t help but chuckle as she leaned in and asked her question so blatantly directly. Well, blatant for Kimiko’s nature at least, still very polite for most people’s standards.

“Is it the girl that keeps my foot in the door, or is it the girl that has me looking for a way out?” He replied philosophically and smiled.

Kain looked down at his whip as his hand slowly felt along the braid as he got to the truth of the matter; “I feel responsible for her.” He said after a short pause, “I didn’t want to involve her into something like this, though in the end Carla has taken well to the situation. If she hadn’t, I’m sure I would have taken her away from this mess, parted ways and never looked back. Now that she fancies a part of the cause I can’t just turn away. I still feel responsible for her and on top of that she has a point; this affects all of us, no one can ignore the threat of these druids.”

“Doesn’t mean I’m eager to stay, though.” He said once he looked back up at Kimiko with a glimmer of fear in his eyes. “A lifetime of being told it is dangerous to involve myself with the races is hard to ignore. I didn’t think it was so bad; my only task was to stay away from a world I had barely any connection with in the first place. Don’t ask questions, don’t go digging in your memory and keep your distance from the races. Easy enough, did so for the better part of two decades.”

Kain explained but soon his face expressed painful conflict; “But now, here I am and how do I suddenly turn away? Now, I don’t know who is a danger to me or who I am a danger to. Now, I need answers I’m afraid to get.”

There was a clear sense of powerlessness in his voice as he spoke, but then he sighed.

“I just want to do what is right.
Being here with all of you feels right. But that won’t stop the nagging in the back of my head. I can’t plan to stay with you for the long haul just in case what feels right is just plain wrong.”

That was the simple truth. He didn’t know much more, though his best guesses on the matter were best kept to himself. To not be able to trust these people was a terrible thing to have to do, it’s not like they deserved it, but he supposed there were many things in this world that weren’t just.
They just were.

“Why me?” Kain asked the same question Kimiko had asked him, “I’d like to know that too.”

Kain shook his head, grabbed his whip and got back on his feet.

“I don’t know about fate or some grand design. But you’ve helped me realize that taking these doubts further into this conflict is not an option. I’ll have to speak with the only person whom I can talk to about this; luckily it’s practically on the way out west.”

Kimiko listened and watched as Kain identified with what she was asking, and worked through the questions. Her face showed no emotion or signs one way or another, she simply listened, and processed. As he stood and concluded what he was saying she gave a very faint smile and spoke, "I agree, for the sake of all of us, I agree, you need to know if you are in or out. It is especially true now that Carla has elected to stay, though I would disagree from a responsibility standpoint that she is in your charge, but I can see how from a personal standpoint you would feel that way, especially if there are feelings for HER. I am not trying to imply that there are, however if there is lingering doubt there you might want to put it to rest. I suppose what I am saying is, know why you are with us, and why SHE is with you. We can't have loose ends blowing in the wind when we walk into this situation, it is far to dangerous to having lingering wildcards or doubts hindering us, people WILL die if we, all of us, don't know with complete certainty why we are here, and what is expected of us. I say this not just for my sake, but for the sake of the group, and most importantly, you."

She sighed and spoke, "I do apologize, I do not mean to speak to one of the elder race in such a manner, but sometimes we all need a voice that helps us to focus... I can only hope that I have done that."

She stood and in a complete break from anything Kain had seen her do with any others in the group she folded her hands and bowed respectfully to Kain, "I leave you then Master Punkie, I do hope I find you at my side in the battle, however if not I will know you made the best decision for all of us."



Erich looked at Carla and smiled, "Well, like any tool, it's no about the shape but the application for which it was designed. A pistol is no good without the right ammunition aye?"

He reached back and removed a large box. Opening the lid he showed her the contents, "Specialty rounds designed for all situations, it will take some time to educate you on the uses, however as you can see, these are no available at any retailers, these are made special for us."

He lifted out a clear box that had 50 rounds for the Glock in it, chambered in 9mm. The bullets set into the cartridges were also clear and contained a glowing, blue liquid, "These for instance, would be perfect against that lumbering pile of rot you all fought on the beach. The liquid within these is a counter agent, now, it probably would not kill something of that size, however a few well placed shots in the leg for instance would cause temporary paralysis and would slow it down for long enough for one of the others to use a more effective weapon or spell to finish it off. Much of what you find in this box will do similar things, though with smaller creatures you may be able to cause a kill, I would suspect you will end up falling more into a supportive roll, assisting whomever you are with by placing the right round, in the right place, at the right time, to cause a game changing event."

He smiled and slid the box to her, "That is of course, if you are still interested in joining them."

His statement was not pointed one way or another, it was very flat in its approach, merely suggesting that if she had changed her mind, he would understand.

Aurora smiled at at Dietrich, tucked beneath Ean's shoulder with his arm around his tiny waist.  She listened to Ean invite the Norseman to spar and decided that was as a good time as any to take her leave.  She once again raised up on tiptoe, stretching to reach Ean's bearded cheek, causing him to chuckle as he leaned over.  She kissed his cheek again although what she wanted was a real kiss, but she wasn't sure how Ean felt about such public displays of affection so she was content with kissing his bearded cheek, whispering "I love you, Ean", into his ear.

"I am going to collect my own blade, bow and arrows and head to the practice grounds myself.  If I am strengthen my bond with the bow I must practice and learn how to speak to it", she said with a smile, her eyes on Ean the whole time.  "I also need to make sure I am ready with the long dagger you made for me, love.....practice wielding spirit while fighting with the blade.  It was nice meeting you, Dietrich.'

She left with Beau, Eryn choosing to stay with Ean.  ~She is still hurting, Ean......but she is trying to hide it.  I fear that she has buried her anger deep and it will fester if she doesn't find an outlet.~  With that mentally spoken to Ean, Eryn turned her golden eyes to the Norseman and turned her head so that it was almost completely upside down, studying him again, bringing a chuckle from Ean for her antics.

Aurora went back inside to her room bypassing Lizzy and Lexy in the sitting room and changed into training clothes, gathered her weapons heading back out again.  She'd yet to see Annette and Erich and wondered if they were upset with her for breaking if off with their son.  Thinking of Sionn, she cringed....she'd not seen him either and worried that he would be upset with her.  Sighing as she walked back out into the training grounds she decided that she would find out once they ran into one another.  She could only hope that their friendship was still intact.  Sionn would always hold a special place in her heart but it was Ean who held her heart and soul.  She smiled thinking of her big Scotsman as she reached the sparring dummies and began to work up a sweat.



Lilly blushed when Mack told her what Sionn had told him about who the blades were going to, not looking over at Sionn.  She looked over at the various blades, walking up to them and began picking up various blades one at a time.  Each one she would balance, check it's weight, twirl it then do various tricks with it.  If she wasn't satisfied, she replaced the blade and moved on to the next, repeating her tests.  It was clear that she had a gift as her movements were as smooth as water and as swift as the wind.  Some of the tricks she did her fingers were merely blurs but never once did she so much as scratch herself.  Finally, she'd chosen ten blades all varied in sizes but none were larger then six inches from the end of the handle to the tip of the blade.

"I would like to try these out if'n ye doona mind, Mack."

He nodded to her, taking her to the throwing range where her true talent came out.  Her motions were a blur as she threw every blade, hitting each target that was around the room at various levels and angles and hitting them dead to right.  It all took seconds.  She turned to Mack, smiling her rainbow eyes swirling in her happiness to be doing what she loved.

"Those ten will be perfect, Mack.  Thank ye."

She turned to Sionn, "Ye said something aboot clothes with the proper sheaths sewn into them?"

Kain waved off the apology for Kimiko speaking her mind, Punkie or not, he barely felt a part of this ‘esteemed elder race’. But other than that he couldn’t agree more aside from the very last statement.

“The best decision for all of us…?” Kain wasn’t so sure about that, he absolutely didn’t want to abandon the cause, “It won’t feel that way, I can already tell you that. I expect it to be nothing more than a detour in order to tie up these loose ends.” Though Kain frowned, “I’m not sure it’ll actually tie it up in any way, but I need to know more at the very least.”

It was going to be quite a home-coming, actually, he should probably call his father before he drops by. It wouldn’t exactly make it a lot easier for any of them, but it’d be worse if he just appeared out of the blue demanding answers. But first things first.

“I’ll go find myself a McGhee and discuss the situation, depending on the flight plan we might travel together as far as Salt Lake City, so you might be stuck with me for that long.” Kain said and smiled before he went off to look for a free McGhee.

He thought a moment more about what Kimiko had said about Carla and him. But aside from dragging her into this on a whim he was sure there was nothing else between them. Not for him anyway, but he’d be very surprised if she felt strongly about him in any way that wasn’t because they both tumbled into this mess together.
She’s a pretty lady, though. Of that there can be no doubt.

Then he considered his equipment; would the McGhee’s have something that could help him? Perhaps if they had Punkie sized protective clothing he'd be grateful, though also very surprised. When it came to further equipment he wasn’t sure his rod was really up to the task, it was easy to carry and it worked, but it didn’t exactly channel his powers optimally. It wasn’t quite solid enough to comfortably feed his power through. Now that he was going back home he was sure he could get his hands on his old thunderstone, but perhaps the McGhee’s had a metal rod that it could be fitted into.

As he went looking he noticed Dietrich talking with another pretty large specimen and a woman as he passed by a window looking out at them. The new arrivals, he supposed. He’d introduce himself but first things first. Luckily it didn’t take too long for him to find Annette.

“Ah! Mrs. McGhee I have a few things to discuss with you, if you’ve got a moment.”



“For some reason I thought you might have a magical blunderbuss lying around.” Carla said and managed a smile when she saw the contents of the box Erich showed her.

She picked up a bullet which had a vibrant pink tip which immediately caught her eye, “A blunderbuss would have been really cool… But these are pretty sweet too, Mr. McGhee.” She said as she wondered what this one might do, “But of course I’m here foremost to protect my home, how I end up doing so is a close second.” She said and actually laughed, though it hurt her head as she did so and quickly grimaced in response.

“But I’ll do my part.” She said decisively, “Will just need to figure out which one of these to use. Is there like a chart or something? There’s a lot of different bullets in here.” She said after putting the pink bullet back down and looking through the other possible options. Keeping track of all these different bullets and their uses, of which she doesn’t even have an idea they exist in the first place, is going to be a challenge, this much she knew right away.

Sionn remained relatively quiet, staying out of the way as Lilly looked at, handled and chose some knives from Mack’s available stock. As she threw with deadly accuracy Mack kept looking at Sionn with raised eyebrows and nodding his head slightly, clearly impressed. As Lilly turned to Sionn and spoke Sionn nodded, “Aye Lilly, let me go’nd straighten out some things with Mack and I will run ya right over.”

Mack and Sionn went back into Mack’s office alone and through the window she could see Mack talking to Sionn, his face very business like and Sionn nodding. With a final smile Mack extended his hand and the two shook, Sionn exited and half smiled to Lilly, “Alright lass, let’s to’it.”

As they made their way back through the Smitty Shop the workers kept their eyes down to their work, clearly this place was very busy and those who worked there were dedicated fiercely to their tasks. As they made there way outside and to Sionn’s car he popped the trunk and opened it so Lilly could put the bundle of knives in. He watched as she did and spoke, “The tailor is just down the street, we can be there in two shakes. I would recommend you have him work with Mack to have the blades fits perfectly to the sheaths, in the meantime we can have him work with something more rapidly for what’cha got in the trunk.”

He opened her door and she slipped into the car, as he closed the door he exhaled softly and got in, driving Lilly down the street. His face with clearly covered in thought but he perked up as they arrived, “Here we are.”

The shop was relatively plain looking, and looked just like a tailor shop would. They had several different items in the windows, kilts, jackets, and the like. Sionn went around and grabbed the bundle, then gestured with a soft smile for Lilly to go in. As they walked in a young lady, about 22 years of age and sat behind the counter blushed like a rose at Sionn as she spoke, “Mr. McGhee, so nice to see you again. Shall I fetch Ailie for ya?”

Sionn nodded, “Aye, thank you Kyla.” He turned and looked at Lilly plainly, but friendly, and suddenly there was a voice, “Sionn McGhee, welcome back.”

Sionn turned and smiled as a very lovely and graceful woman with peppery grey hair stepped out from the back with Kyla in tow. She turned to Kyla and spoke, “Please see that we are no disturbed Kyla.”

“Aye Ma’am.”

The lady smiled and looked Lilly over as she spoke, “You must be Lilly, it is a pleasure to meet’cha lass, come back and let’s see what we can do.”

Lilly looked at Sionn and half smiled again, allowing Lilly to go by and then he followed. The three walked through the very quiet area behind the retail store and to a large metal door. There wasn’t a sound of any kind through the dark back room. As Ailie stepped up to the door she brought a hand up and placed it against a black screen. The screen snapped to life and a voice crackled, “Verification Please.”

“Aileen Murray.” The screen scanned her hand and then turned green, “Voice and print verified.”

Ailie smiled as she looked at Lilly and Sionn, motioning for them to proceed as she pulled the door, which looked more like a vault, open. Inside was an amazing display of clothing and craftsmanship that would surprise. The room was very large, and several work areas with different sorts of equipment ran through the middle but there were no workers present. Ailie smiled at Lilly as the door closed and the latches engaged, “Well, Lilly… sorry for all the dreadful formality, I am Ailie Murray, it is a pleasure to meet you. Sionn tells me that you need something special, and I already have some ideas to get the conversation started.”

She walked over to a rack, several garments hung along the long chrome bar, long coats, short coats, vests, pants, and all the like. She looked Lilly over and smiled, “Well, Annette was right enough about your wee size.” With a very warm smile Ailie pulled a cloth ruler up over her neck, grabbed the short, waist coat and brought it over, gesturing for Lilly to bring up her arms. She slipped it on and tugged here and there as she looked, tapping her chin. Then with a raised eyebrow she stepped aside so that Lilly could see herself in the long mirror. The coat was black with a very slight texture to the very loose and comfortable fabric, “It needs a wee bit of adjusting, but this is a good option.”

As Lilly looked she continued, “Of course, I can tailor fit or customize things however you like, but I know we are in a pinch so I worked last night just to get some things started. Might need to nip it in a wee bit there, your waist comes in a wee bit further than I thought…” She pinned and then stepped back, “Aye, that’s better.”

She looked at Lilly’s swirling eyes and spoke with a distinguished smile, “Just so you know, everything is made of the best Armor Weave, very flexible and breathable but will stop bullets from handguns. I have also been working on some new threading that pulses with an anti-magic layer, however it has no been thoroughly tested.”

“We’ll have having Carla wear some of that, I will send reports as they come.”

Ailie looked at Sionn with a smile, “Aye, thank you for that.”

She looked back at Lilly, “SO, lass… what specifically are we needing TODAY… let’s get that done, then we can discuss what you will be needing in the immediate future.”

Annette was making her way through the castle when she heard a noise, then a voice. She turned, recognizing Kain’s tone immediately and smiled, “Well of course Master Punkie, please, follow me.”

She was carrying some of the dishes from the dining hall, whistling as they made their way to the kitchen. Several staffers were busy working Annette placed the dishes near the washer, “There’s only one load more, can one of you lassies fetch them please? I must have a talk with Master Kain.”

The gals responded cheerfully and Annette turned, “Now, Master Kain, come.”

She went off to the side of the large kitchen into a sitting room. Based on the look of it, it was for Staffers to take a break and sit. She offered Kain a seat and then spoke, “Would you like some tea?”



Erich laughed when Carla mentioned needing a blunderbuss and shook his head, “No lass, afraid not.”

As he showed her the ammunition and she inspected it, he spoke, “Aye of course, though it is more of a memory issue than a manual. Come, let’s talk.”

Erich led Carla to a beautiful office a short ways form the firing range. She could tell be the amount of books and artifacts that this is where he worked. He offered her a seat and then sat behind a large desk. It took thirty minutes or so, most of which was educational, some of which was just him telling stories, and Erich had walked her though each type of ammunition and what it might or might not be used for. He smiled, “So ultimately, you need to make the decisions for what is best and what is no. The biggest thing is remembering that the more you bring, the more it will weigh you down, there is an element of responsibility and planning that I can’na help ya with. What I can do is this.”

He walked over and opened a small wardrobe that was beside his desk and removed a long black coat that looked similar to a duster style of jacket, only not near as long, only coming to just below the waist, “Concealment is key, being able to move and react most important. This jacket is made of armor weave, a very special blend that is common among the Races. Those who use magic can no wear metal, and though there are many kinds of lighter materials that would perhaps offer a bit more protection for you, Annette and I felt that this would be the best option. Because you have no had the proper time to learn the subtleties of wearing armor, this will be the most similar to ‘normal’ clothing.” He handed her the coat to try on, “There are many pockets in the sides, and they have been enchanted to hold more than they seem they should, it’s an old trick to keep things hidden. Only you, once we pair the coat to you, will be able to access the pockets, same will go for this,” He handed her a belt with two holsters fitted back to back, “We will need to adjust it to your body type, but this will hold two pistols.”

He smiled and spoke, “Go ahead lass, try it on for size.”

Dietrich smiled as Ean offered an very honest sparring request he stared hard at the Golden Eagle he knew they were uncanny and intelligent one of the powerful symbols of mythology in Norse once being reputable of deaths watchful eye over battlefields.When the wolf came round this had a frown come to him two different spirits from one person as he looked to the women ignoring the thoughtful stares of the two spirits he gave a respectable bow now fully sheathed. "Dietrich Jugen of Haus Zeitlos" Forgetting to change it to house as he grinned a little standing straight as he looked at those dark eyes he turned to the wolf giving a low woof to it but smiled in jest.

"Efficiency is nice." Reaching to a hatchet on his harness.... he looked to Aurora as she said she was off to practice herself as he shrugged. "I wouldn't have minded two on one as long as their was no magic." As he smiled a little Ean raising an eyebrow as he didn't touch the ancient blade withdrawing an obvious modern production hatchet the blade slightly heavier than you would expect made for killing than back yard chibbling as he let it flip round his hand on his wrist catching it easily as if unconsciously done as he tilted his head. "No magic unless regenerative?"

Waiting for him to draw first he wouldn't be the first to attack as much as the ache in his arm told him to step in it was asking for a counter and he wasn't about to play shave the beard with the man this early in the day... not yet smiling at the thought as his other hand rested on the other hatchet as he clicked his shoulder 'loosening' it as he began to drum his fingers slowly on the second hatchet as his mind slowly considered his weapon and his own keeping the rots song for blood at bay with clear logic.

Lily had no idea what Armor Weave was but she did like the coat.  It was soft and comfortable and easy to maneuver in.  She stretched her arms, making sure she could easily move in any way in order to throw her blades then looked inside mentally seeing where each of the sheaths could go.  She grinned, looking up at Sionn.

"This is the nicest coat I've ever had against me skin", she said as she rubbed her hands up and down the arms, turning her swirling eyes to Aileen.  "What I be needing then are at least three coats and three vests.  Much like the one I be wearing now.  I doona care much for the coats that hang to me knockers for they tend to obstruct me movements with me blades concerning the placement of me legs an' feet.  All need to have hidden sheaths within an' Mack, the smithy, is the lad making me blades.  I must be able to move in a fluid motion, Aileen....in order for me accuracy to be at it's peak of perfection an' no hoods.  If'n I be needing something to cover me head with I will be wearing a hat so that me sight is no' impaired.", she said with a smile her right hand still smoothing back and forth over her left arm, touching the soft leather like material.


Aileen smiled at her, nodding her head as she spoke and writing in a notebook as she spoke.  "Okay....I can get with Mack for the future coats and vests an' I should be able to put something together in a jiffy for what you have now."

As Sionn and Aileen talked then, Lilly looked around the room, taking in everything and also began wondering about the world she'd been born into.  She was so young when her parents had died but even by six years old they'd already taught her so much.  They'd already figured out what her gift was and began training her.  She then remembered that she didn't have any other clothing other than what Annette had bought for her before she'd arrived.  Once Sionn and Aileen were finished talking she watched Sionn approach her, admiring the way he moved.  She mentally scolded herself then, reminding herself that she didn't need to be doing any such thing where he was concerned.  Until he decided what it was he wanted, they were friends and friends only.  

"Sionn.....ummmm", she began in a low voice, "I didna' check me drawers back at yer parent's castle to see exactly what yer mum had bought fer me regarding clothes and underthings.  Do ye think ye could find out.....tha' way if'n I be needing anything we could get it while we are here?"  She was blushing at the mention of underclothes, her modesty at such things showing as she asked him about it.  



Aurora practiced all morning with Beau watching her.  She had worked up quite the sweat by the time she was finished and decided to put her precious blade away and begin with the bow.  She made her way to the archery area and saw the various targets scattered about the field in various shapes, sizes and forms.  She reached for the bow and 'heard' it humming to her, smiling.  Looping the quiver over her shoulder she pulled the first of the ten arrows and notched it in the bow.  She closed her eyes, not pulling back the bowstring just yet.  She let the bow 'speak' to her, as if showing her what to do.   Opening her eyes, she looked at the target and thought of fire, projecting that image to the bow.  Amazingly, the tip of the arrowhead began to glow.  She pulled back and released in a smooth motion, the arrow hitting it's mark and when it did so the target burst into flames.

Aurora cried out in shock and horror, seeing what just her thoughts and the bow had turned the arrow into.  The whole target was engulfed in flames and burning extremely hot.  Being a gentle soul, it made her ache to realize that this was what she would have to do once the fight started.....she would have to kill.  It hadn't really sunk in until just then.  Her dark eyes filled with tears yet she squared her shoulders and pulled another arrow, notching it and aiming at a different target this time trying to see if she could project 'spirit' into the arrow.  She concentrated and fired the arrow, the tip of the arrow cast an eerie silver light as it flew, hitting the target dead center and making it explode.  She cried out again in shock, standing there stunned.  Had she projected too much both times?  She didn't know but she knew that whatever she'd done, her and the bow were definitely as one when in her hands.  Now she just had to practice so that she could focus on her target and know instinctively what to project to the bow and do so quickly...as in a split second.  She sighed, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, calming herself.  Over the next half hour, she fired repeatedly, using mainly fire and spirit working on how strong to project, controlling how much fire and spirit to use.  Once done she was exhausted from using so much of her own mana when she wasn't used to using any and was having difficulty standing.  She would have to talk to Annette and Erich and see about strong walls that she could practice shooting the arrows through to get to targets.

She looked down at Beau, smiling now that she was over the first initial shock, petting his head before turning to head back to the castle.  She didn't make it far before her legs gave out beneath her and she collapsed in a heap sitting on the ground. She felt as if suddenly all of her energy had been sucked out of her and knew then that she'd probably depleted her own personal energy using spirit. She was somewhat embarrassed as she was having trouble just keeping her head up and was trying her best to not go face first into the dirt.  Beau whined, licking at her cheek, knowing that she wasn't hurt, she'd just exhausted herself using her own energy, something she'd never truly done before and not realizing what it would do to her.  He too was mentally kicking himself for not warning her but he was too impressed by what it was she was doing to remember to tell her.  He gave her one last lick before turning to run to where Ean and Dietrich were sparring, giving a 'woof' to get Ean's attention.

~Aurora was using 'spirit' Ean.....she overtaxed herself and is unable to rise over by the archery range~, the wolf spirit told the big Scotsman mentally.  He was clearly not worried, but he was disappointed in himself for not warning her.

“Too early for whisky I suppose.” Kain chuckled and accepted the cup of tea after Annette finished pouring it.

“First off, let me apologize for being rather distant. It is certainly not for a lack of hospitality.” Kain said and smiled, “I cannot go into detail, but for me to be at the forefront of this fight could be…. Complicated.”

Kain felt it sounded horribly cowardly and sighed.

“Even though I hardly know most of the people gathered here I feel strongly about them and I’d hate nothing more than to see them go into battle without me at their back. I do not want these complications to hamper my commitment to this cause, but I do need to deal with them.” He explained once more.

“I don’t know what the travel plans entail, but with a bit of luck it’ll bring us close to Salt Lake City. Or a connecting flight from some other place where your jet ends up refueling will do just fine as well. Regardless, from Salt Lake I’ll find my way and it won’t take long before I’ll rejoin the others at their destination. A day probably.”

Of course there was a chance he would not rejoin them after all, but that’s not something he was willing to plan for and he did not want to plant any more seeds of doubt than he already had. He noted that Annette was mulling over the implications of his suggestion and figured he’d let her think while he continued.

“That’s probably my greatest concern, though I’ve also considered your offer about equipment. I did after all travel very light, and though I have some weaponry with me they might not quite stand up to the challenge, they certainly weren’t intended for a fight with druids.”

He fought off a hobo with his extendable rod once, though!

“And I carry nothing in terms of protection at all, though I’m not sure if you are able to provide anything in my size on such short notice…” Kain doubted even the McGhee’s ability to facilitate this, but who knew?

“But I am hoping you might have some manner of channeling rod that might suit me. Not too large and made of metal; steel with copper core and the ability to fit stones or orbs.” Kain knew quite clearly what would be preferred. “I had put some work into a design myself some time back, though I never had it made.” He shared and then rubbed his chin, “Though, I suppose, a more exotic metal that facilitates both magic and electricity could be even better.” But Kain knew little about such things.

“Anyway, that’s just what popped into my head, anything close to that will surely be much better than what I’ve got on hand.” He said and then looked at the whip he had laid on his lap, “This one will do just fine, though.” He said about it and kindly patted it. The fibers might be a little frizzled and dirty, but it was nevertheless Kain’s dearest tool. Despite never really seeing any use for anything. No, wait, he opened a door with it that one night as a party trick a couple months back.
It had its moments.

Now Kain took the time to drink from his tea and see what Annette thought of it all.
Mmmm, mint tea. Refreshing!



Erich’s study was a place filled with wonder, the old leatherback books, objects of all manner of sizes and shapes, the sparkling stones and colorful baubles; the bounty of many years traveling around the world and meeting mysterious people, possibly even many generations worth. The large room seemed filled to the brim with the stuff, and who knew what was hiding within the cabinets and what not.

It was hard to think of her time in his chamber as more than a dream, the surroundings and the things he told her, all of which incredible and hard to believe. Though, somehow most of what he told her stuck with her. Perhaps if he had told her the same thing outside or in a plain room she would have rejected nearly everything he tried to tell her, but in here the reality of the unbelievable seemed clear as day. Though it still made her head spin; spirits, sprites, living fire, rot, ghouls and other monsters, it was hard to unify the world of which Erich told with what she thought she knew of the world, but as most of her stay with these people, she’d have to try.

Eventually they arrived at a point where the stories ended and another episode of practicality came into play. Her first impression of the black coat was that it clashed with her style and she wrinkled her nose instinctively, though as Erich spoke of it, she looked beyond the plain black and somewhat bulky looking coat and became more intrigued.

She got out of the comfortable chair in which she had sat entranced for at least half an hour and reached into the sleeves of the jacket. As Erich allowed the armor weave duster to rest on her shoulders she was surprised how light it was.

“This is made of armor weave?” She asked, not sure what it meant and felt the fabric. It was both light and soft to the touch, though her attempts to rub at it did reveal an unexpected resilience. “This’ll protect me from…?”

As she asked her question Erich helped her with the belt. He had already made it quite a bit smaller before trying it on, but had to go back to the adjustment straps so it would fit more snugly around her waist, but then it really did seem to come together, belt and coat.

“Concealment, huh?” She reiterated as she looked at herself in a small mirror. Despite the comfort it still looked too bulky for her tastes and the color was a bit drab, but she was of little use as a good looking corpse, of course. And so she shrugged; “You and your wife are good at this, aren’t you?” She said and smiled.

Dietrich and Ean sparred for a short time, the clashing of steel rang out, though mostly they went through some movements of concentration and the exchange of blows was relatively limited. Ean did have two new bruises on his back from where Dietrich had managed to flat blade him, blows that would have certainly been lethal had the two been fighting for real. It was concerning to Ean, he wasn’t used to loosing, and he marked it in his mind to spar with the man more, the best way to get better after all was to practice with someone better than yourself.

The two were resting a moment when the wolf approached, giving Dietrich a glance and then speaking to Ean’s mind. Ean looked at Dietrich and spoke, “You are welcome to join me Dietrich, if you wish, but I must cease for now, my Squire seems to have over exerted herself and needs my assistance.

He bowed respectfully to Dietrich and spoke, “I look forward to more practice with you, and maybe, you could even teach me that move that you caught me in the back with.”

He extended a hand and with a firm shake the two exchanged respectful nods. Ean sheathed his blade and grabbed his coat, heading to where Beau led him. Aurora was still sitting in the drizzle and looked up at him when he approached, he looked more the Mentor than the Fiance at the moment, and though kind in his tone his words where more of that from a teacher, “I warned you against pushing too hard Aurora, I do no want to see you waste your own body away. Casting spirit beyond your means can kill you. You should have no done so without me there to guide you.”

He reached down and scooped her up, lifting her all the way off the ground, “Can you carry your weapons?”

As she nodded with a small smile Ean smiled too, his tone was suddenly back to that of the loving partner, “Come beloved, some tea, rest and a hot fire will see you right as the rain again.”

As they made there way into the sitting room, Lexy and Elizabeth looked up. Lexy immediately spoke, “What did ya do to her ya great donkey?!”

Ean set Aurora down gently on the couch and spoke, “What is it always you assume it was me?”

Lexy laughed and punched him in the shoulder, “Just funnin’ with ya, I mean you always were like a beastie in a china closet.”

Ean huffed and shook his head, “Can ya get her some tea please?”

Lexy nodded and with a smile looked at Aurora, “Of course.”

She left and Elizabeth stood, walking over to Aurora and kneeling down as she reached up and felt her friends forehead, then her hands, and finally gently pulled down on her lower eyelids and looked at the white’s of her eyes, “Over exertion.”

Aurora looked at Ean and Ean looked at Elizabeth, “Aye.”

Elizabeth smiled and patted Aurora gently on the leg, “Not that bad a case, but you were on the verge.”

Aurora looked at her curiously and she spoke, “Your eyes are showing signs of decay, but you must have stopped in time.”

Ean sighed softly and Elizabeth looked at him, “How could you let her push so hard Ean? Seriously?”

Ean looked at her and spoke, “I was sparring with Dietrich, she said she was gon’ go practice, I had no idea she was gon’ta cast Spirit.”

Elizabeth bit her lip gently and nodded as she turned to Aurora, “As your friend, I must request you be more careful, as your future sister-in-law, I must tell you to no do that again.”

She smiled and leaned forward, kissing Aurora on the forehead.



Aileen nodded and spoke, “Of course lass, we specialize in making things for those of the Races.”

She looked at the coat on Lilly again and made some small adjustments and pinned them in place, then removed it, placing it near a large machine. She turned and looked at the vest Lilly was wearing, “Come lass, let me have a look at it.”

Lilly removed the vest and Aileen gave it a bit of attention as she traced her fingers along the internal seams and got to know the garment, “Aye, very well, a simple enough vest to make.”

She smiled and handed the garment back to Lilly as she turned to Sionn, “Put the blades there lad, and I will fit the coat with sheaths, I will have it done by tomorrow morning. The other items will take some time, but I will get them to you in the United States with that contraption Mack uses.”

Sionn laughed and nodded, “Aye, thank you Aileen, I will see you tomorrow.”

Aileen smiled and spoke, “No bother, I will have Kyla deliver it, you have enough on your mind to be runnin’ back to town lad.”

Sionn nodded his thanks and smiled. As Aileen turned to fetch more armor weave Lilly asked Sionn her question about under things. He smiled and nodded, “Aye, I can take you somewhere, but that’s not the sort of thing Aileen would have around THIS shop.”

With a smile he gestured to the large door and drove her to a place to get what she needed.



Erich watched her and noted her initial reactions, with a kindly, fatherly smile he spoke, “I do realize that you are a wee bit more fashionable than something like this, and in time we can perhaps get something custom made for you that fits your personality a wee bit more, but in a pinch, this will protect you.”

As she tried on the coat, got to know the locations of the pockets and moved around in the garment, Erich retrieved a large, black box. She asked her question about Erich and Annette being good at this and he smiled, “Well lass, when you have been doing anything for over 300 years, you tend to learn your way around it, practice makes perfect and all that.” As she looked at him in shook he simply smiled and opend the box, swinging it around to her. Inside were two matching pistols, Glock 19’s. He pushed the box towards her and spoke, “These fit in the holsters, and I have plenty of magazines for rounds.”

As she looked at them he continued, “All this used to be Torri’s, there was a time when she considered switching from the bow to pistols, but in the end, she could no give up the bow. They have just been sitting around waiting for the right person to wield them, I think it might be you Carla.”


Annette listened as Kain spoke. Her face was one of total understanding and she spoke, “Master Kain, those of us who are counted among the races are a privileged lot. The Fara and the Elar’uma however, do not carry the same burdens as the Punkies. Though at times I wished for the superior intelligence and historical knowledge your race possesses, I also understand that with it comes a much heavier burden than I might want to carry. It is both a blessing and a curse that you can know every battle, every scenario, every death and how it happened, for every single person in your entire history.”

She smiled almost lovingly as she sipped her tea and spoke again, “I will see to it that you have all you need, we will plan to have the jet land in Denver, then hop to Salt Lake City. From there I can arrange for transportation for you, a large, comfortable vehicle. It would be my honor to do this for you.”

She smiled and spoke again, “Will the human be joining you?”

The spar was short but sweet as the sword was faster in on the swipes but Dietrich quickly found Ean following a rhythm unlike Dietrich's sweeping untimed blows that were looking for a way through and he caught him twice as his sword slid easily past an axe to be hooked away to carry the blade past his shoulder using the flat trying to be gentle but the momentum of the blow and his strength left the bruises as he was grinning a little at the break as he was sitting on some of the wood that the eagle had been patrolling as he saw the wolf he saw but heard nothing as Ean's expression changed slowly. "Telepathy." Lifting an eyebrow as he took note of the exchange as Ean stood Dietrich pushed himself up as well when he mentioned squire he tilted his head. "Aurora?" Getting a nod as he slid the hatchets back into the harness and pulled the long coat over them as they moved to find the damsel in distress.

He followed some distance as he kept his hands in his pockets watching as he scooped her up chuckling as he thought of a bag of flour from the mill over shoulder as they moved back into the building as he took them to one of the many sitting rooms in this place he saw the sisters as he moved in but leaned against a wall near the door as he watched the sisterly exchange with thier brother. It made an eyelid twitch it had been a long time since he had been home to see his family. He watched the milling action as they attended to Aurora hearing them mention spirit and decay he tilted his head as he wondered why someone would go to such length to... use magic he almost laughed at himself mid thought he did the same yet was granted extra life for forcing magic into himself.

He watched the exchange of the blame and wandered if it would drop on him as he smiled a little and made his way to the decanter as he looked for a slightly less harsh taster of the day but in the end why leave the good whiskey before he left the poor bottle behind as he began to pour himself a healthy helping as he turned to Ean. "You sticking to the tea?" Giving a wide grin the Norseman looked to a spare seat sliding the axe out of its sheath and placing it against the arm he sunk into the heavy leather pressing to cold drink to his forehead cooling his head off from the sparring the blood in his ears settling as it were.

Ean was glad that the Norseman decided to join them, and though he remained at a wee bit of a distance and silent, he knew the large man was with them all the way. As they got Aurora settled in Ean took a seat beside the couch and smiled at Elizabeth who sat back in her chair and lifted her spell book.

Dietrich spoke and made his comment about tea and Ean, with a large smile stood and straightened his clothing, “Well my friend, I could never let a friend drink scotch alone.”

He smiled and walked over, taking a glass from Dietrich and lifted it to him, “S’lainte” and the two drank. With a smile Ean looked at their respective, empty glasses, “As my grand father used to say, the only thing better than a wee bit of scotch, is a wee bit more scotch.”

With a smile he grabbed the decanter and poured them each a second glass. He was just about to lift the glass when Lexy came in with the pot of tea and glass for Aurora. She ran into the Norseman and squealed in surprise, twisting to avoid spilling the tea and looked up at him, blushing like a red rose as she stared at him, “P… Pardon me.”



She made her way to Aurora and sat as Ean and the large man drank their next glass of scotch. Lexy poured the tea and whispered, “Who is that lad?”

Aurora leaned forward and whispered, “Dietrich Jugen…”

“…House of Zeitlos.” Elizabeth added, plenty loud enough for Ean and Dietrich to hear. They both turned and looked and Lexy went beet red again, turning to Elizabeth as the two men took their attention away from the ladies and slapping her on the knee, whispering harshly, “Lizzy!”

Elizabeth chuckled softly and sipped her tea as she buried her nose in her book once again. Lexy looked at Aurora and smiled, “How are you feeling sister?”

She chanced a sideways glance back towards Dietrich, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, but listening to Aurora’s answer.