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Eating Silver; [P] Rinrae Drrrrromigg
Topic Started: Wed Feb 20, 2013 6:26 pm (1,298 Views)
Lady Eko
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They rested in a blown-out warehouse. Jachin, just a pup, was in his human form when they were hit. Eduardo carried his broken body the whole way. He was the first to arrive at this safehouse, but it didn't take long for his loyal packmates to join him. Callista ripped a silver bolt out of her skin and tossed it aside while it still sizzled. The blood was matting her light brown fur. "Give me the lock cutters," she growled. Their omega Simon handed her a hefty pair of metal cutters, which she used to tear open the padlock on one of their safest lockboxes. This emergency necessitated it, and it was better they access their stockpiles before the separatists did. Eduardo barked orders at the others, making them set up a perimeter around the building, issue first-aid to the wounded, and piece together a last stand.

"What should I do with the human girl?" Kostya, his beta, asked. The tall, lithe auburn werewolf was holding a small girl in his claws like she was unclean or something. Blood trickled from Eko's brow and she was clearly unconscious. He had only brought her along because Eduardo ordered him to.

"Hide her." Eduardo checked Jachin's pulse and was relieved to see that they had at least saved one of their pups. "Just stuff her in an alcove somewhere, I don't care. Prioritize our own."

One of their watchmen howled a warning that they were coming. A heartbeat later, Eduardo could hear the growling outside. They were outnumbered and surrounded. Callista pulled out a huge shoulder-mounted crossbow and, using a thick glove, loaded up a heavy-duty quarrel with a head of solid silver. The others reached into their now-opened emergency armory and, using proper protection, locked and loaded with all sorts of silver and silver-alloy weapons that were too valuable to use in a light conflict.

In the oftentimes brutal pack wars of Balefire's Southern Quarter, silver was always more valuable than gold.

Eduardo's remnants of a pack opened fire on the invaders as soon as they were within range. Silver arrows and silver bolts and silver throwing weapons all filled the air at once, tearing holes into the attacking werewolves. They ran low on ranged ammunition quickly and Eduardo ordered they slow it down. Kostya threw his hand crossbow aside and pulled the bastard sword off his back. Being edged with silver, he had to tear off the protective covering. The attackers never slowed their advance. In fact, they didn't seem to be affected by the silver at all. There was no smell of charred flesh, and only a few of them had gone down.

"Matvei! Where are you, traitorous mutt?" Eduardo growled.

"Ye gods, are they immune to silver?!" Callista put another quarrel through one of their former packmates, sending them flying across the room from the sheer force of it. Their body crumpled to the floor, was still, and then pushed itself back up to continue the advance.

"It doesn't matter. Fight down to teeth and claws if you have to."
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Rin
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For some unexplainable reason, Rinrae Dromigg had always liked Balefire. True, the city was a sprawling labyrinth of narrow streets perfect for ambushes. True, the sun never shined on the city, leaving it perpetually draped in shadows. True, crime was rampant in the alleyways and the sheriffs were feared for their brutality and corruption. Still, she had only had good experiences in the City of Lanterns. She had first visited here only weeks after her creation, hunting down and executing a mind-controlling witch. She had returned later and been acquainted with a disreputable rogue who had the absurd moniker of the Orphan Prince, saving his life in the process. Most recently, she had helped a friend smoke out a group of anti-magic extremists from the sewers beneath the city streets. All of her adventures here had been fun ones, and hopefully the trend would continue on this visit.

When her extrasensory perceptions had indicated that the next page of the Grimoire she sought was hidden somewhere within Balefire, the first thing she had done was go and visit the Orphan Prince. The construct had received new clothes as a gift from the information broker, garments that would allow her to blend into a crowd more easily than her traditional sundresses. She was wearing a bulky robe over her normal attire, the cloth patched and replaced so many times that it was impossible to identify what color it had been originally. Despite its conglomerate appearance, the robe was surprisingly well-made and sturdy, with a deep cowl she had pulled over her face to hide her stark, sculpted features and golden-blonde hair.

The Orphan Prince had also given her some advice when he had learned she was heading into the southern neighborhoods of the metropolis: bring silver. Apparently the Quarter was run by a series of warring werewolf packs and right now was a particularly turbulent time. None of the weapons in her arsenal were made of the substance, bane to all werecreatures, but she could make do. It had been a rather simple process for her to alter the composition of her standard sword, changing its metallurgical properties so that the blade was laced with a trace amount of silver. It meant that she wouldn’t be able to fight effectively with her assortment of legendary weapons, but Rin felt fairly confident in her ability to survive with just a simple sword in her hand.

Of course, she wasn’t stupid enough to walk through the Southern District openly carrying a silver blade. From the description that the Prince had given her of the current climate, that would be tantamount to personally declaring war on every lycanthrope in the city. Rin would only let the situation escalate that far if it was the only option remaining. So, for now she wandered through the neighborhood unarmed, blue eyes constantly scanning her surroundings for threats as she let the page’s presence guide her steps.

It led her to what looked like a full-scale battle. A blown-out warehouse was being besieged by a group of werewolves. Rin paused and watched the scene for a few moments, noting the steady stream of crossbow bolts being fired from within the damaged structure. Although the bolts that shot through the air flashed silver in the lamplight, it didn’t seem to be hurting the attackers as much as one would expect. In fact, the lycanthropes seemed capable of shrugging off the effects of the mystical metal as if it were nothing.

The constructed pursed her lips, tilting her head to one side and half-closing her eyes. The power of the Grand Grimoire were different than most magic, alterations to the substance of reality rather than the manipulation and redirection of mana. It was a subtle difference that most magicians wouldn’t even notice, but she had specifically been created for the purpose of locating the Grimoire’s presence. It didn’t take long for her to deduce that the attacking werewolves had been changed by the page’s energy, a subtle alteration that was probably responsible for their resilience to silver. Rin sighed and tapped her foot on the cobbles, watching the confrontation progress and wondering what action she should take.
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Lady Eko
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They didn't quite have to fight down to teeth and claws, but when the enemy werewolves hit it got bloody -- fast. Eduardo tugged his necktie even looser, cracking his neck. The old wolf rummaged through their safehouse's stockpiles and picked out a longsword he could easily wield with one hand. Kostya tore into his former packmates. An enemy, seemingly dead to pain, grabbed the beta's blade in her claws and pressed it into his skin through sheer brute force. Callista bashed the offender with her crossbow to free up her ally. When one of the attackers came at Jachin, Eduardo pounced on them, running them through with his blade as his jaws clamped around their throat. The two sides beat against each other unrelentingly, both taking grievous wounds, but no one after the initial casualties actually died. In fact, the silver-resistant attackers in particular seemed to be even hardier than usual.

"This is pointless, Makvei!" Eduardo shouted when he had a chance.

The man in question stepped out of the shadows quite literally. In human form, Makvei was unremarkable as any omega: a plain-looking, pale man wearing a battered suit jacket over a waistcoat and fingerless gloves. The ability to blend seamlessly with the shadows was fairly common in Balefire, and didn't come as a surprise to anyone present. The etchings on Makvei's skin glowed through his clothing; it appeared almost as though he'd absorbed something powerful and the writing now covered his body. He called for his crew to back off. Callista tried a cheap shot but took a silver slash to the stomach in response.

"Where's the girl?" Makvei said.

Kostya, wincing from a steaming wound on his thigh, gave the old werewolf a look. Eduardo figured there was no use lying. "Stashed her somewhere. But that's not really why you're here, I presume." Normally the banter would have continued, but it was at that point that they noticed something was off about Makvei. He was acting really distracted, kind of on-edge. His legs were tensed to run. "You alright there, pup? You look worried."

"There's... something... it's nearing," the shadowdancing werewolf mumbled. After a short pause, he howled. Makvei's werewolves piled out of the blown-out werehouse as if in pursuit of something. His eyes turned back to Eduardo, but sweat was beading on his brow and he spoke in a rush. "I'm alpha now. You are the rebels. So if you don't join back under Silver-Eaters, you die. Some outsider's promises of an exodus aren't gonna save you." With that, he melted back into the shadows.

Eduardo wasn't sure what to think about this turn of events. Callista voiced his exact thoughts in her own way: "God damn. This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime strokes of luck. We'll never turn around this easy again."

"Damn straight," a still-grimacing Kostya said.

Just because they were seemingly in the clear didn't mean they were safe. While Eduardo went to check on Eko, Simon came back from spotting outside. They gave him permission to speak. "They are attacking a girl with a sword," he said in a small, shaky voice.

"The hell did you say you stashed the girl, Kost?" Eduardo called back from the alcove.

"She was like right there!" Kostya shouted. "I didn't really care about hiding the meatbag, sorry."

"Well, she's gone then."

Callista muttered a curse.
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Rin
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It didn't take long for the Grimoire-enhanced werewolves to break through the shoddy defenses around the warehouse. They disappeared inside the building, leaving only a handful of visible sentries keeping watch in the street. Rin was standing at an intersection roughly fifty feet away from the action, casually leaning against the wall and watching the confrontation. The construct usually charged into situations haphazardly, but the Prince had begged her to keep a low profile and avoid making the situation more volatile if at all possible. She sidled slightly closer, trying to look nonchalant, wondering what was going on inside of the structure.

One moment she was alone, the next a werewolf had materialized out of the shadows and was staring down at her. Rin's eyebrows raised slightly, but otherwise she showed no sign of surprise or shock at the being's sudden appearance. The lupine stood at least eight feet tall in its bestial form, his entire figure covered in lean, powerful muscles and shaggy black fur. There was a gash across his chest that bled sluggishly, but the lycanthrope didn't act as if he was in any pain. "This matter does not concern you, girl." His ears flicked to one side, snout lolling open to show a mouthful of pointed teeth.

The girl smiled and leaned forward towards the werewolf, taking a deep breath through her nose. "You reek." The werewolf's eyes widened in shock at the blunt statement, but before he could pounce she continued. "Oh, not your odor. Not exactly. You reek of power that you should not possess." Rin smiled slightly, tilting her head back to stare directly into the lupine's eyes. "How did you come by it, pray tell?"

His response was almost instantaneous and violent, disdaining the use of weapons and raking his clawed hand in a horizontal slash at her throat. Rin ducked underneath the barehanded blow, twisting and grabbing the lycanthrope's wrist in both hands. She used the momentum and strength behind the attack to twist the limb behind the werewolf's back, slamming him into the ground in a blur of motion.The being growled in surprise and started to rise, but the slight girl leaned on his arm slightly and pressed one ribbon-wrapped foot firmly between his shoulder blades. The werewolf hissed in surprised pain and stopped struggling. No matter how strong the lycanthrope was, from this position all Rin had to do was apply the proper leverage to rip his arm from his socket.

The construct nodded calmly to herself, as if apprehending dangerous werecreatures was something she did on a daily basis, and reached out with her supernatural abilities. She could feel the way the Grimoire's power had been infused into the lycanthropes flesh, infusing every inch of its body and enhancing its natural strengths while eliminating its primary weakness. It was a subtle working that must have required an insane amount of self-control and finesse from the individual responsible. The air around RIn began to twist and undulate as she used her grip on the werewolf to manipulate the substance of reality itself, sinking her fingers into the metaphysical representation of the Grimoire's presence.

In one smooth movement she jerked her arms back and away from the werewolf, ripping out every drop of that power in an instant.

Rin hopped off of his back as the power flowed up her arms, a pleasant sensation akin to dipping her hands in a warmed basin of water. The werewolf twisted onto his feet in a flash, growling deep in his throat and lunging at her again. The construct spun out of the way, conjuring her longsword as she dashed past the lycanthrope's side. It was a simple blade, with numerous scratches on the flat and a grip of comfortable black leather. However, when she slapped it against the werewolf's rump he howled as if she had just pulled the sword out of a forge. The smell of singed fur filled the air as her foe dashed away, disappearing into the shadows of a nearby alleyway as suddenly as he had appeared. Rin smiled slightly, twisting her wrist absentmindedly to swing the sword through a series of wide circular slashes. "Well, that seems to have done it..."

She lapsed into silence when she realized that she had gained an audience during the confrontation. The girl stood in the middle of a loose cluster of werewolves, each of the bestial figures glaring at her with undisguised hostility. She saw several of them glance down at her sword and remembered too late the warning from the Prince about openly brandishing a silver weapon in these parts. Rin sighed heavily and raised her free hand to pull the cowl off of her head, revealing her features and making sure the patched fabric wouldn't obscure her peripheral vision. "I don't suppose you would like to discuss the matters rationally?"

They did not.
Edited by Seele, Wed Feb 20, 2013 10:42 pm.
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Lady Eko
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Eko felt a sudden vertigo and gripped her perch to steady herself. She blinked away the darkness that was creeping into the corners of her vision and tried to focus. Getting out into some fresh air where it didn't smell like burning flesh helped a lot, but she wasn't sure it would be enough for what she needed to do. She wiped away flakes of dried blood from her face while she eyed up the shot. No way she could hit from this distance in her current state. Eko clambered down the side of the ruined wall and tried to blend into cover, darting between pieces of rubble and ruins nearby. The human girl pulled out her blowgun with one hand and lifted a capped dart out of the folds of her clothing with the other. After ripping the cap off with her teeth, she shoved the dart into the back of the blowgun and aimed for the wall of fur and muscle condensed around someone. It didn't matter who, just that they were attracting the wolves' attention for now.

The dart flew across the fairly short distance and stuck into one of the beasts. The poison on the tip worked and within seconds that particular individual stopped moving, stunned. Eko hurried to fire off two more before vertigo overtook her. She fell behind her cover, back to the wall, and slid down into a sitting position with her knuckles pressed into her brow and her chin tucked down.

The wolves didn't allow her enough time to get herself together. A smaller one appeared in front of Eko, and she was so out of it that it took her a moment even to notice. At first she thought it was Eduardo's auburn-colored beta male, but when its lips split into a wide grin she quickly knew that wasn't the case. She started clambering out of the way a mere moment before it lunged at her, and despite her best efforts managed to grab her by her loose jacket and scarf. The beast lifted her up almost as if by the scruff of her neck, giving a low chuckle. "I just can't get over it. You humans look so frail." A male voice. It elevated to a shout. "Found the girl!" This was immediately followed by a yelp of pain as Eko slashed the tendons in the wrist he was holding her with. He dropped her and she ran for her life, out of cover and into the street, and several of the wolves peeled off from the main battle to pursue her.
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Rin
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The gang attacked with same mentality and ferocity that a wild pack of wolves would demonstrate when fighting against a bear. She doubted that the werewolves knew exactly how apt that metaphor was, given their relative levels in strength. Rin might look like a mundane (if beautiful) seventeen-year old girl, but that appearance was a carefully-maintained ruse designed so her opponents would underestimate her. She was actually far faster and stronger than a typical mortal, with weaponry skills that were almost unbelievable. This became evident in the first few seconds of combat. One werewolf rushed forward from directly in front of her, but that was not the true attack. That honor belonged to the two lycanthropes that pounced at her from behind, intending to rip her to shreds while her attention was diverted.

She responded by jumping straight forwards to meet the distraction with a manic grin, the blade whipping through the air in a silver streak. The creature had clearly expected her to try and flee back into the reach of its comrades and paused for a moment, giving her just enough time to take full advantage of the situation. At the last second she twisted her grip on the blade so she struck with the flat instead of the edge. However, there was still enough raw strength behind the attack to give even a creature as large as the lupine pause, and she had aimed the blow perfectly so it struck the being in the kneecap. The werewolf fell to the ground with a growl, but he still had enough composure to snap at her leg as she went past. Rin casually snapped one foot up, kicking the underside of the lycanthrope's jaw and slamming it mouth closed before it could find any purchase, sending several shattered teeth flying across the alleyway.

She pivoted quickly to find that its companions were still advancing, howling in rage as they loped across the street. Rin brought her other hand down to grip the hilt of her longsword, setting her feet and smirking slightly. The first one attacked with a heavy halberd, sweeping it in a horizontal arc a few scant inches off the ground. Rin hopped into the air to avoid the slash entirely, which was exactly the response the second werewolf had expected. He lunged forward, clawed hands extended to dig into her supple flesh. Without any surface to kick off of, the girl had no way to reorient herself to avoid the attack. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she thrust the blade forward, piercing the exact center of the werewolf's palm. Her knee came up to knock aside his other arm, falling backwards and kicking upwards with both feet. Her feels struck the lycanthrope in the gut, launching him in the air and tearing his hand free of the sword.

She sprang to her feet just in time to see one of the lupines near the back of the crowd collapse bonelessly, falling into a pile of fur. Two more beasts followed, and only on the last did the construct notice a stubby dart sticking out of her thick neck. Rin was too busy dancing back and forth to search for the origin of the missile, weaving a steel web of defense around herself to keep the werewolves at bay. They were more cautious after the spectacular failure of the initial trio, but they had such a numerical advantage that it almost didn't matter. She needed all of her skill simply to keep them at a safe distance, but even with their immunity to silver they respected the bite of the blade. Likewise, there was no way for her to divulge them of the Grimoire's power when she was constantly in motion. She would normally trust that she could outlast the entire pack of lupines, but with their bolstered physiology they could probably keep up the assault for hours.

A few moments later, there was a shout from nearby about having found a 'girl.' Rin frowned, scouring what portion of the lamp-lit street she could see but spotting no one. Clearly, she was not the only one under assault from the werewolves. The construct's grin turned into a thoughtful moue as she cleaved the haft of the halberd in half, eyes narrowing slightly. This was accomplishing nothing. Even if she killed every last one of the lycanthropes, there was no guarantee that the holder of the page was in the pack. Perhaps the 'girl' they were talking about would have more information. After deflecting a silver shortsword and hacking halfway through a werewolf's wrist she jumped into the air, launching herself far further than should have been possible and landing on the edge of a rooftop. With a merry wave at the gaping werewolves below she took off across the shingles, following the small group of lupines that had split off from the main group and were undoubtedly in pursuit of the 'girl.'
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Lady Eko
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As she ran, Eko shoved her blowgun and knife back in their respective spots -- it took two tries to line up the knife over its hidden sheathe -- to free up her hands. She crossed the street, disappeared into a narrow alley, nearly tripping over herself at one point. Even without bothering to try climbing, it was no contest. The werewolves were faster, stronger, and in better health. Eko knew she couldn't fight them directly if she wanted to survive this encounter. The only thing she had against them was her small size and perhaps her wits, though she doubted the latter at this particular moment. I think I have a concussion, an idle thought pulled at her when she stumbled again, pushing herself off a moldy wall with her hand to keep herself upright.

She ducked into a crack between ruined buildings shortly before the wolves caught up with her. They skidded and slid, claws clattering across the ground. Eko backed herself as far into the crack as she could go, breathing fast and heart racing. The wolves growled, snapping and trying to fit their claws into her hiding spot. A few transformed back into their human forms, but couldn't quite reach. Eko wondered how long she would need to wait them out here. They could starve her out of her hiding spot, certainly. Eduardo and his pack had no obligation to go looking for her, and she didn't expect them to. Likewise, her family wouldn't come looking for her, nor even know where in the world she would be if they wanted to. Her friends would be concerned and a few could find out what she was up to, but she always told them to never go looking for her if she disappeared since it would only lead to them getting hurt.

"Eko Human," they began to taunt. Calling her coward and a bunch of other things, some of which being south quarter slang she wasn't even sure of the definition, but they sure sounded insulting. "You're the reason our pack is split, little meatbag."

"Or can we even call you meatbag? No meat at all, just bones."

Eko smarted from a splitting headache. "Couldn't you have just blamed your omega like you people usually do?" her small voice came out of her hiding spot. They howled protests all overlapping each other. She thought about how long she could go without food or water.
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Rin
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The construct ran across the rooftops, vaulting over the narrow gaps between streets with ease. It was simpler here than in most metropolises in Imythess due to the cramped nature of the city and tendency of builders to add additional levels on top of preexisting structures. Angry howls sounded from the street behind her, but she ignored them completely. The werewolves could probably keep up with her on open ground, but their heavier bodies meant that it would take them some time to scale the buildings and reach the rooftops. She estimated that she would have at least a five minute lead on the pack she left behind, which meant only the group that split away would be problematic. Rin kept an eye on them from overhead, making sure that they hadn't caught up to whatever girl they had been referring to.

A few minutes later the group skid to a halt, their snouts lifting as they sniffed at the air. The construct followed suit, crouching down behind a smoke-spewing chimney so they wouldn't notice her profile on the rooftop. It seemed like their quarry had hidden herself away somewhere in the immediate vicinity. She scanned the surroundings from her lofty perch, but she couldn't see anyone amidst the piles of debris or any obvious hiding places. Of course if it was easy to spot, it wouldn't be a great hiding spot, would it? Rin smiled to herself and set the point of the silver longsword on the roof, waiting for any new developments.

Less than a minute later one of the werewolves let out a noise that was more like a growl than a laugh. The being was crouched down, staring at a crack in the wall and reaching inside. Rin reacted without thinking, lifting her blade over her head and throwing the sword. It spun exactly one-and-a-half-times before sinking into the base of the lupine's neck, severing its spine. The werecreature dropped like a bag of flour, the blade protruding from its neck. The construct threw herself into the air, dropping on top of another one of the wolf-warriors. Before it could react she grabbed its muzzle with one hand and the back of its skull with the other, twisting sharply as she dropped to the cobbles. The combination of her preternatural strength and her full weight falling from such a height was enough to snap the lycanthrope's neck with a sharp snap!

"Excuse me." Rin let go of the werewokf's skull, letting its body fall limply to the ground. She reached forward and yanked her silver blade out of the corpse, flicking it to one side to clean the blood from the blade. "I don't suppose you have re-thought having a rational discussion?"
Edited by Rin, Thu Feb 21, 2013 3:20 am.
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Lady Eko
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Just as Eko was starting to calm down, her heart jumped into her throat again as something outside loudly crashed. A battle erupted just outside her hiding place, with bodies moving fast across her narrow field of view. The wolves scattered. She heard one of them howl, and then they all left. The air quieted down. Eko leaned against the cold stone of her hiding space, one hand braced against her bloody head like it would do something to curb the headaches and vertigo. She didn't exactly know what had happened, but wasn't too interested in thinking too hard about it. Except then her mind raced about the possible implications. She suspected it was a trick, that they all acted like they got in a fight and ran away when in fact they were perched just out of her field of view, ready to tear out her guts as soon as she checked if the coast was clear. But that blood looked awfully real, and the sickly sounds of cracking bone too. Something had just flat-out killed them enough to make them retreat, it seemed like.

Either way, Eko was in no way interested in putting her life on the line by investigating immediately, no matter how curious she was or wasn't. In fact, coming to that realization made her even more hesitant to reveal herself. It was almost like those old bedtime stories where the fish that seems big ends up being eaten by an even bigger fish. Whatever could have killed those enhanced werewolves was even worse, even meaner, and assuming that her enemy's enemy was a friend was a deadly one to make in Balefire. Eko tried to calm her breathing, even holding her breath a bit as he heard the person's steps, backing as far into the shadows as she possibly could and hoping for dear life that they weren't interested in what the werewolves were after.
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Rin
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The remaining werewolves stared at her, their lupine expressions a mix of surprise and fury. Several of them glanced at one of the shapeshifters, revealing that the lithe female was the leader of the pack. She bared her teeth and growled at Rin... who responded in the exact same manner, not backing down an inch. Body language was incredibly important when dealing with predatory creatures, even hybrids like her foes. This reaction clearly surprised the lycanthrope, who blinked and took a hasty step back. The construct kept her teeth bared in a feral grimace, twirling the sword and wrapping both hands firmly around the hilt. A few second later the female threw her head back and howled. A moment later they all turned tail and fled, disappearing out of sight within seconds. Rin didn't move for almost a full minute, making sure that it wasn't a ruse, before she turned and examined the crack in the wall. The girl knelt down next to it, peering inside but seeing nothing in the obscuring shadows.

"Hello? Are you there?" Rin considered materializing one of her glowing weapons to illuminate the hiding place but didn't want to spook whoever was sheltered there. "They're gone for now, but the rest of them should be getting here in... oh, three minutes or so. I personally don't want to be anywhere near here when they do." The construct paused and banished the sword, suspecting that the 'girl' would be more willing to accept her aid if she wasn't carrying a bloodstained blade. "I mean you no harm. Cross my heart and hope to die." Rin smiled winningly and stepped back, allowing the individual inside the crevasse to get out. They could also make a run for it, if they wanted to, but the construct was confident she could keep up with the victim of the werewolf pack.
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Lady Eko
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Eko took a moment to weigh her options. She was shocked to hear the voice belonged to a young woman. It sounded like silk, almost, if a voice could sound like that. It wasn't the kind of voice she expected based on what just happened. The Balefiren girl inched forward, leaning to try to get a good look at her. She caught sight of a sliver of golden hair and wondered if this was the person all those wolves started attacking out of the blue in lieu of the Gouveians. Apparently she was worth abandoning bitter enemies in order to deal with -- or posed enough of a threat, rather. The kind-sounding voice promised not to hurt Eko, but her gut was still twisted with a primal, instinctual inhibition and fear. She realized that what was probably putting her off was the contrast between the girl's seeming good-naturedness and the way she managed to cut a swathe of destruction through enhanced werewolves and even force them to retreat. That dissonance was actually more terrifying than a killer both looking and acting the part; at least then it was predictable.

The first thing that became visible in Balefire's lantern-light was the clip-pointed tip of Eko's knife. It was followed by the small hand holding it, knuckles and wrist wrapped in cloth like a boxer. Eko was a small girl, her scrawny build covered by several layers of warm jackets, baggy trousers, and a thick scarf with ragged edges. Her ethnicity was hard to label definitively. She peered at Rin with pale green eyes, trying her hardest to prevent her intense fear from showing through her otherwise stoic appearance. The side of her forehead was scuffed with dried blood. Eko opened her mouth to respond, but she felt like the ground was shifting under her feet and, suddenly dizzy again, half-stumbled forward. She caught herself without even needing to lower her knife. "I'm not so sure they'll come now that the others retreated. That was a specific kind of howl." Eko made sure to keep as much distance from the girl as she could. "You can run, though. Better to be safe. I can't gain on them in three minutes. I need to find a new hiding spot."
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Rin
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The first thing to appear out of the crack in the wall was a blade, a small knife whose tip was quivering. Rin took the hint and backed up several steps, making sure both empty hands were held loosely at her sides and palms out. The girl that wormed her way out of the small cranny was much younger than she had expected. She clearly wasn't even as old as the construct appeared, and her attire was a collection of ill-fitting garments that gave her a rather roughshod appearance. The girl watched her with wide eyes, trying to speak confidently but not managing to completely hide an apprehensive quiver in her tone. Although she was putting up a brave front, it was obvious that the girl was on the verge of collapsing, which probably had something to do with the lump on one temple that was coated in dried blood.

"Don't be ridiculous. Werewolves have an amazing sense of smell, which I'm sure you know. You can't find a good enough hiding spot before the rest catch up." Rin kept her voice low and soothing, not making any sudden movements or advancing even an inch. She didn't think this girl would have been a threat to her even in prime condition, but that didn't mean she wanted to hurt the waif. "I could carry you, but I don't know the area that well and I'd just get lost. If you'll let me, I can heal your head. Then you can get away, and I won't even follow you if you don't want me to."

Of course, that last offer was a lie. For whatever reason, the Grimoire-enhanced gang of werewolves had an interest in this urchin. Rin didn't plan on letting the girl out of her sight until she figured out why. More importantly, if she stuck close to the stray it would mean she would have a surefire way of finding that specific pack of lycanthropes again. Usually she would be able to divine their location thanks to the power they had stolen, but something was obscuring her ability to detect the Grimoire's power. None of the specific lupines she had encountered held the page itself, that much she was sure of... but she had no idea where it could be located. This girl was perfect bait, even if she didn't realize it.
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Lady Eko
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Eko eyed the girl. She was dressed like a local, but looked like a foreigner. Clean skin, delicate facial features, that sort of thing. Most everyone in Balefire was rough by comparison, except for the Lords, but this girl probably wasn't one of those. "I can't just run off now. I need to go back. There are people I'm trying to help. And healing is never free. But..." Eko looked over her shoulder, realizing how pressed for time she might be and how much she really just wanted to keel over and vomit. She wasn't useful to anyone in this state. After a moment of hesitation, she put away her knife and approached the foreigner. "I'll worry about the price later. Please heal me now."

The instant the symptoms of a concussion faded away, Eko tore off toward the approaching danger with surprising speed. She ran a couple steps up a vertical wall, jumped and grabbed the edge of a rooftop, scuttled up and launched herself back in the direction of the blown-out warehouse. She hopped past gaps, hurtled over chimneys and eventually came upon one of the taller buildings in the area. Eko climbed all the way up the decoration on the top level -- a plus-shaped cross probably serving as a lightning rod -- and perched on top of it, scanning the darkness below to gauge the position of the werewolves. Shapes were disappearing in the far distance, and none were close. Eko sighed with relief; they were too numerous to belong to Eduardo's crew. She climbed down from her vantage point and cut a beeline back to their safehouse to assess the damage.

"It's Eko," she called out before coming into their view from behind a crumbling wall. Announcing herself didn't stop them from pointing all kinds of weapons in her direction. Eduardo's beta had an itchy trigger finger and shot at her with a hand crossbow, but she was so far away that it didn't hit her -- only scared her enough to flinch and make a choked gasping sound. She picked up the silver-plated bolt head and pressed it against her skin to prove she wasn't a shapeshifting imposter. The human turned around to check and see if the foreigner had followed her, then returned her attention to the badly wounded half-pack in shambles. Eduardo, the alpha male, was sitting next to a cot occupied by his son Jachin. Alpha female Callista didn't take her heavy-duty crossbow off of Eko. Omega Simon, a scrawny white werewolf, avoided eye contact even with her.

"You think you got all the answers, meatbag, so tell me this," Kostya said. "Why the hell are we all alive right now?"

"Matvei was distracted by a greater threat." It was pure speculation, but Eko had a bad habit of passing such things off as facts through her direct tone.
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Rin
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It took the urchin a few moments to accept any aid, but she eventually gave in and allowed Rin to take care of her injury. The construct nodded and stepped forward, reaching out and laying a hand gently on the waif's shoulder. She half-expected the girl to jump away from even that gentle contact, but she kept herself from flinching away from the construct. Rin nodded and closed her eyes, using that tactile connection to probe the stranger's signature in reality. She could detect the injury as a slight aberration in her being, so small that it was almost nonexistent. Still, even a slight injury to the head could be debilitating. With a slight effort she wiped the deviation away, effectively healing the wound. It was a different method from traditional healing magic,but just as effective in the long run.

As soon as the lump disappeared the street urchin took off, not waiting to see if Rin would follow. The construct did with a tight smile, drawing back up her cowl as she dashed after the girl. Although she could have scaled the walls to the rooftop more easily, she made sure to use the exact same sequence of steps to follow her 'guide.' The stray probably already suspected that Rin wasn't a typical teenage girl, but she didn't need to give her any further reason to distrust her. The waif hurried across the rooftops with the ease of familiarity, quickly scaling a high building and quickly scanning the neighborhood. She waited below for the girl to finish, watching the rooftops to make sure they hadn't picked up a lupine tail during their escape.

Eventually the urchin came back down and led them to what appeared to be an abandoned structure, but quickly was revealed as something else when she called out her name. Filing that information away, Rin turned to see an assortment of weapons pointing straight at them. A hand crossbow was even fired, but the owner hadn't taken the time to aim and the bolt missed. Even then, the construct was on the verge of conjuring her sword once more before she realized that the attack had been a result of frayed nerves. She scowled within her hood but kept her arms at her sides, making no aggressive movements. A battered-looking female was holding a heavy crossbow aimed in their direction, and one of them wasted no time in asking what was going on. When Eko mentioned a greater threat, Rin realized she was probably referring to her. Still, she didn't say anything, trusting that the girl would know the best way to deal with this situation.
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Lady Eko
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Simon in particular looked uncomfortable as a result of Rin's presence, appearing to desperately want to say something. Eduardo set his deep gold eyes on the two girls as he stood. Living up to his local nickname "Cautious Gouveia," he didn't order any of his packmates to stand down. He was the biggest werewolf of them all, just narrowly beating out Callista in terms of both height and build; his fur was so black it almost seemed to absorb light, and he wore ripped and bloodstained human clothing.

"You have no use to us now, Eko Human. Matvei made a promise I'm certain he'll keep." She watched him, waiting for the alpha male to go on. "The safety of my packmates has always been the bottom line. I know now that simply fleeing the Southern Quarter will not guarantee their safety. We need to defeat our separatists or die trying."

"Your last surviving son is dying. Let me take him to a safehouse in the Western Quarter. If you die, he can continue the pack's legacy."

That made Eduardo think. In the meantime, Callista turned her crossbow to Rin. "Who's the other human? Your girlfriend?"

"She's the one they all attacked. Her name is, er..." Actually, she had no clue who this girl was, where she was from, or anything. She was human, at least. "Wait, why did you follow me? Weren't you going to get out of here? Stay out of our business."

"Don't get so cozy including yourself in 'our' business, outsider," Kostya growled.
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