regency au } { of found chimeras and successes

[theloophole]

Ben: [it's a few days ride to get to the northern European coast. The first day is uneventful, and it's a nice day for their ride. He's left Hope with the ladies and fell back to where Landon and Raf are] You two doing well?

Landon: [nods as his horse keeps trotting forward] It's a nice day, which is a positive. Hopefully the weather will maintain until we get there. You?

Ben: I'm doing good. Claudia will be staying in Orleans for awhile, so I don't feel like I've left everything behind.

Raf: Yeah, it makes things easier having siblings around. [smirks at Landon]

Landon: Certainly does. I take it that means Jason is staying in Orleans as well?

Ben: He is. From what I've heard, he's thinking about trying to start a normal life here and wanting to make friends.

Landon: We could always use another guy around. The girls are formidable and scary.

Ben: That they are, and yet we still love them.

Raf: And what does that say about us?

Landon: That we're lacking in self-preservation?

Ben: Hey, you're the one who can't die. You have your own preservation secure.

Landon: That doesn't mean that the process of dying and coming back is an enjoyable stroll through the park.

Raf: Or watching it.

Ben: Sorry, that was in poor taste. My apologies.

Landon: [shakes his head] It's fine. You're not the first to make that joke and you likely won't be the last.

Ben: No, it's not fine. I'm still trying to learn to have friends outside of my direct family. I'll do better.

Landon: From what Hope indicated, you do seem quite isolated.

Ben: Yes, and then the majority of my cousins are female, so while I'm used to strong females in my life, I'm looking forward to spending time with you both.

Raf: Same here.

Landon: Likewise. And Hope certainly seems happier with you here.

Ben: [smiles at the mention of her name] It is mutual, and I knew falling in love with an alpha would mean my moving here, but after spending time here, I see why she loves it and I'm more than happy to start our family here.

Landon: Good. She was worried you wouldn't feel welcome.

Ben: Actually, I find it freeing here. I can't describe it really, but it's like here I can just run and not worry where my feet take me.

Landon: Really? It isn't like that in Norway?

Ben: Well, when it's not covered in snow... the land has been in my family's hands for a long time. When I go into the woods, I can feel their eyes on me. I can't find anything new because it's all I ever knew.

Landon: So it's about the adventure more than the space.

Ben: That, but also finding my own place within it, as opposed to having one already there waiting for you. Norway is familiar and comfortable. Here, it's something new that I can explore and discover new scents and sounds...

Landon: Makes sense. I've never really lived anywhere else long term.

Raf: It's become a safe, familiar place for us. But I remember when we first got here, how new everything felt. He doesn't get the scenting thing. [teasing his brother]

Landon: No my nose doesn't work that way thankfully.

Ben: You're lucky then. I love tourney, but it smells horrid.

Landon: Oh, I don't need a supernatural nose for that. Men can be disgusting creatures when given the opportunity.

Ben: then add in the horses, the extra feces from all the people and the horses...

Raf: Oh, and don't forget the rotting food, vermin...

Landon: [makes a face] Okay, I get it. You can stop now.

Raf: [laughs] Alright, we'll stop.

Ben: [grinning] So you two are brothers, at least that's what I think Hope said.

Landon: My mother took him in when we were very young. We have had no reason to be anything else.

Raf: My dad was a soldier. He died in battle, and mom couldn't handle the heartbreak. His mom caught me stealing from the market and brought me back to her place. [grins at Landon] Became immediate friends with this floppy haired klutz, and never looked back.

Ben: That's nice. My brother and I are close, but he spends most of his time with the younger half of the cousins.

Landon: I just thought it was nice to finally get along with another child my age. I think I enjoyed stories and song a little more than most.

Ben: Grayson is like that. He's all about his art, and not much more.

Landon: Art has it's virtues, but it does not make you well liked when you feel the need to remind people that their favorites in the Shakespeare plays often didn't have happy endings.

Ben: Probably not, but it sounds like fun.

Landon: I've moved on to writing my own. Nothing that I've had the nerve to see performed yet, but when you live among such interesting people it can't help but inspire.

Ben: Is it something I could read?

Landon: No, not yet. It's mostly just rambling scribbles and needs a great deal of editing.

Ben: My father's been teaching me how to write proper correspondence and keeping records. I know it's not the same, but if I can ever help...

Landon: I will let you know when it's something more ... coherent.

Ben: Okay. [he'll drop it if he's making Landon feel awkward]

Landon: [not awkward. he's just never shown anyone his work before. ever.] If you want to try real art, you should come by the cafe to try my mother's pastries.

Ben: You shouldn't have told me that. I may make that my second home here. [serious sweet tooth]

Landon: I'm sure she will be happy to hear that, if it means she gets another paying customer.

Ben: Does she need someone to help her? Claudia mentioned Jason was planning on learning to make his own way, and he would need to apprentice somewhere.

Landon: [he considers then shrugs] Maybe. But she's picky with her assistants.

Ben: Well, it could be a choice. I'm not sure he knows what he wants to do.

Landon: He has time to figure it out. I heard that your sister is going to be staying as well.

Ben: Yeah. She'll be staying at the manor with us.

Landon: That's good. For both you and Jason.

Ben: I'm going to try and get to know him better too. After he jumped into the ring to protect me... I don't know. He's nothing like I've heard about him, and I think Dina is good for him.

Landon: I think in the line of work he was in, it was difficult for him to be himself.

Ben: I'm realizing that now.

Landon: Better late than never?

Ben: Yeah. I think I've got a lot to learn still about understanding people.

Landon: It's not your fault. People are difficult to understand.

Raf: Especially humans.

Landon: Humans are just people.

Raf: Yeah, but like, basic level people.

Landon: [brow furrows] What's that supposed to mean?

Raf: Like, humans are basic level, and then they can take on a new level like werewolf, vampire, witch... phoenix... and be advance leveled people.

Landon: ... That doesn't seem right. We all want the same things, don't we? Food, shelter, safety, family.

Raf: Well, yeah. But wolves need that pack structure that humans don't.

Landon: Pack and family aren't far from each other.

Ben: I think I should recommend you guys leave the anthropology for another time...?

Landon: [shrugs] I just think drawing those distinctions of base level and advanced level just gives credence to what hunters think we are - not like them. We'd do more good connecting our similarities than harping on our differences.

Ben: Well, hunter don't need reasons like that. They'll come up with their own justification to kill us.

Landon: I know. But it all starts with how much they feel we aren't people.

Raf: True.

Ben: Or that they think we're abominations and sold our souls.

Landon: [shrugs. those are just excuses for them to not be people] It's hard, when you're dealing with something you don't understand.

Ben: That I wouldn't really know. Mom says my dad freaked out when he learned, but for the most part, everyone I know... well, knows.

Landon: Speaking as someone who believed he was only human for a long time, it's a lot to take in. Your world suddenly becoming wider can be scary.

Ben: [nods] I can imagine that.

Landon: But then I learned my father was a sentient mud man bent on consuming the world, so I try not to judge. [a joke to make things lighter]

Ben: [snorts] We all have that relative nobody likes... [trying to add to joke]

Landon: I'm sure we do. My brother Clarke is better than he used to be.

Ben: My great uncle Peter married a woman who's family murdered my grandparents. She got better over time.

Landon: See? Anyone is capable of change if they really want it.

Ben: You just have to want it.

Landon: And that is the hard part.

Raf: [just nodding at their side, still keeping quiet but contemplating riding ahead to the girls]

Ben: I'm trying to do better.

Landon: That's all that we can ask of each other. [but he'll drop it there, saving Raf from their moral debate going further]

Ben: Yes. [pauses] So I heard you could fly?

Landon: I can. Well, not very far, but I'm working on it.

Ben: That's amazing.

Landon: Yes, I think it's pretty exciting. And much more useful than coming back when I die.

Ben: So my uncle can set his upper body on fire when he's really mad.

Landon: I need to learn how to do that. Do you think he could teach me how to do that?

Ben: I'm sure he could try. Are you coming North with us when we travel back in a few months?

Landon: I don't know. I serve at the whims of the women in my life - in this case, my mother and Josie.

Ben: as do I with my betrothed. I feel we're going to get to know one another well while in their service.

Landon: Indeed. The three of them are as close as sisters.

Ben: Then I hope one day, I can be seen as a brother to you both.

Landon: Time will tell.

Ben: Just avoid setting me on fire when you learn that skill.

Landon: If I do, it won't be intentional.

Ben: I will try and remember that. [is trying not to laugh]

Landon: Look, learning how to handle fire abilities is difficult.

Raf: That's why the phrase playing with fire is a cautionary phrase.

Landon: I do my best not to perform in areas where people may get injured.

Ben: [and as the boys talk, a growl vibrates through the air, followed by a puff of green gas towards their faces]

Landon: [pulls up on the reins to slow his horse] Did you hear that?

Ben: [stops as well] The growl?

Raf: [failing his check] I didn't hear anything... [and into the gas he goes, followed by coughing]

Landon: Raf? [a beat as he tries to look ahead] Weren't the girls ahead of us?

Ben: They were.

Raf: [and there's the sound of his yowling in pain and so much snarling]

Landon: [charges forward, reaching out to grab his brother's horse to pull him back, heedless of the danger for himself]

Ben: Fuck. Hope! [he pulls his riding scarf up over his nose and mouth and rides into the fog. Roll constitution Landon]

Landon: [that's 11 for the bird boy, because he's dumb. and Hope rolled a 3 for her listen check to hear Ben calling after her, so she's probably preoccupied]

Raf: [he missed it by 1 so he's going to feel the effects of the fog, which gives him a burning sensation in his nose and throat as he inhales the gas. Further in, he will see a creature that looked like a frog and a goat had a baby that walks on two legs. Raf is on the ground, holding his leg in pain as the creature whips his tongue out. It drips with acid, and while Raf can dodge, it still drips onto his jacket and starts to eat through it]

Landon: [starts hacking as well before weakly shouting out after him] Monster. Monster!

Hope: [rolls a 12 for that one, and glances back over her shoulder from where the girls have been riding ahead] Did you hear something?

Lizzie: [and with 11 for her] What is it, the boys being predictable examples of their gender?

Ben: [and with an 8, even through the fog he's coughing as he reaches Landon and Raf. He pulls out his sword, trying to protect them as the frog turns to face the newcomers.] Get him out of here! [said between wracked coughs]

Landon: [will struggle to pull Raf back out of the way, summoning all that upper body strength that he so doesn't have despite being a bowman (6)]

Hope: [turns her horse and starts to charge back] Something's wrong. Let's go.

Raf: [he's trying to help Landon by pushing with his good leg, and he sees the tongue about to lash out again and grabs his brother] Down! [and with a 17, he tries to pull Landon to the ground to avoid the tongue lashing]

Ben: [Seeing the tongue, he tries to slice down on it, but he misjudged and missed (7)]

Landon: [goes where he's pushed, and picks up on the sound of hoofbeats coming closer, shouting back into the woods] Be careful! The fog is dangerous!

Hope: [pulls her horse up short, before raising her hand and summoning the wind to try and blow the fog away] Ventus.

Monster: [which it does, freeing the boys from the acid burning fog and revealing the Froat completely. It snarls, opening it's mouth full of teeth with dripping acid. Seeing the witches, it knows it needs to get its meal and run, so the tongue snaps out, wraps around Ben's arm, and snaps the werewolf back. Its mouth opens obscenely wide and it swallows half of Ben in one gulp]

Ben: [muffled screaming, his legs kicking in the air as the second gulp has him in the creature up to his hips]

Raf: Oh shit.

Josie: [comes in behind, her player remembering she's in the party, and sees Raf and Landon on the ground. She dismount, hearing their coughing and grabbing an herb from her medicinal pouch] Chew these, now.

Landon: [does as he's told, and looks at the Froat as it tries to swallow Ben] Oh, you just made a big mistake.

Hope: [snarls at the stealing of her boyfriend, and she charges forward, claws drawn but when she swipes at it, she's not quite successful (5)]

Lizzie: [but it's okay, because she's got backup, and after Lizzie draws her sword, she swings around the back and drives it forward into the Froat (16). She aims lower, not wanting to accidentally stab Ben in the process]

Josie: [since her sister has this, she's going to focus on her healing spelling, laying her hands on Raf's ankle and muttering the words under her breath. The acid burns start to heal]

Raf: [yeah, he does as Josie says because she's scary when she's mad]

Froat: [it just hit, stabbing into a nice fleshy part, but nothing major. It does scream in pain, which sadly lets Ben slide in to his knees before the teeth clamp down again]

Ben: [he's trying to fight back and get out, but the teeth keep him firmly inside, and his muffled screams are due to the continued acid damage]

Hope: [okay, since Lizzie seems to have that, Hope grabs ahold of Ben's ankles and prepares to pull. To Lizzie:] On my count ... one, two ... [and as she pulls (11) while Lizzie stabs again (11)]

Josie: [sees Raf's leg healing and goes now to check over her boyfriend] Are you okay?

Raf: [and he's going to try and get up to help hope, but is only able to get himself back to standing and shift this round]

Froat: [nope, you're just making it angry and it hisses through clenched teeth, spraying acid spittle on Hope (9)]

Ben: [his legs are kicking less as the pain is too much for him to keep fighting, and he's punching the inside of the monster weakly (12)]

Landon: [smiles at her] I'm good. Thanks for the save.

Hope: [tries to dodge the acid but refuses to let go of Ben's ankles, so she does get hit with some of it (7). But she grits her teeth and adjusts her grip to take a firmer hold (19)] Lizzie now! [And Lizzie stabs again, this time hopefully hitting home (18)]

Froat: [OW THAT HURT! It screamed in pain again, mouth opening letting Hope get Ben free, but he's covered in a green slime acid similar to the spit. It tries to turn and hit Lizzie, but that only makes the sword cut worse and it falls down and goes splat]

Josie: [she runs her hand along his cheek] You need to stop running head-first into danger. [and she will get up at that, looking to check on the others in time to see Ben's exit and she's off to go help him and Hope]

Raf: [and he's going to hobble to Lizzie, his claws still out] Think it's dead?

Ben: [yeah, he's still burning so he'll just roll around on the ground trying to get the acid off him. Thankfully, his clothes have made it that his chest and legs are still fine, but his face, hands, and that teeth mark spots are burning hair and flesh.]

Lizzie: [withdraws the sword, and stabs it one more time for good measure] Now it is.

Hope: [draws her own dagger, and slices into her wrist before offering it to Ben] Here. It will help you heal.

Josie: [and she's going to cast a spell on her flask to create limitless water, and then pours it over him to wash the acid away]

Raf: [and when the Froat doesn't react, he nods] I think you got him.

Ben: [he's not able to think clearly until the pain stops, so the smell of blood hits his wolf side and he's latching on, probably a bit rougher than she expected, to bite into the flesh and drinks the pro-offered blood.]

Lizzie: [smirks back at him] I'm very efficient.

Hope: [it's okay, she'll heal. She holds still until the wounds begin to heal, and then she pulls her hand away once his grip starts to loosen] There. Better?

Raf: I'd kiss you if we weren't standing over a gross corpse.

Ben: [panting, his brain clearing through the baser wolf instinct] Yeah. But that was horrible.

Lizzie: [grins as she goes to clean her sword] Promises, promises.

Hope: I'm sure it was. Are you good to stand?

Raf: You're welcome to redeem it when we camp for the night.

Josie: [goes back to Landon and hugs him tightly because her dumb but stupidly brave birdboy scared her]

Ben: I think so. But I need to change. [there are a lot of holes in his pants. He rubs the back of his neck, then slides over his bald head] And maybe shift to get hair back on my head.

Hope: [she eyes the sky, taking in the position of the sun] Let's make camp, then. We'll take some time to rest and resume in the morning.

Lizzie: [just smirks as she goes to grab her horse] I'll ride ahead and see if there's a good place to camp.

Landon: [wraps his arms around her and pulls her close] I'm okay. Just a bad cough.

Josie: I'm going to figure out a spell one day that will wrap you in a proactive bubble armor.

Raf: I'll go with her. [and yeah, they are totally going to be kissing once they are away from the superhearing folks]

Ben: [realizes something] Landon and I should probably find our horses...

Landon: That sounds very restrictive and hard to move. [just saying. he looks over at Ben and nods] I'll go find them. You stay here.

Josie: I'll make sure you can move while in it. [smiles]

Ben: Be careful... we don't know if it has any friends.

Landon: [nods] I'll be fine. But come fast if you hear screaming. [and with that he will go in search of the horses]

Hope: [glances to Josie] Go with him, just in case?

Josie: [nods, and she'll trail after her boy who probably isn't thinking to walk quietly in the woods]

Ben: [looks down at Hope] So I guess we're burying the corpse?

Hope: [wrinkles her nose, before shaking her head] I'll set it on fire before we leave. I don't think we want to touch it in case there's any residual acid.

Ben: True. [He's going to take off his riding jacket at least and throw it on top of the Froat.] I packed a spare. At least I won't smell like that creature anymore.

Hope: I'm sorry we got so far ahead. We should have stayed closer.

Ben: It's fine. You just proved our conversation right that the three of us are lacking in self-preservation instincts.

Hope: [laughs] I don't think a monster stumbling across your path counts.

Ben: Well, Raf just walked right into it, and Landon heard him scream and ran in without putting anything over his nose and mouth. Not that it did me any good but I at least tried.

Hope: Yes, well. We are people of action, not people of caution.

Ben: That is certainly true. [and he will walk closer, gently putting his arms around her waist] And my intended is one hell of a fighter.

Hope: [she smirks] If you were looking for a delicate princess, you miscalculated there.

Ben: I definitely didn't want that.

Hope: Good. Also, you should probably give Lizzie more of the credit as she's the one who did the actual stabbing.

Ben: She did? [and he starts to loosen his grip] I guess I should be hugging her...

Hope: [laughs] I think she would prefer you be fully dressed when you do.

Ben: Yes, that's true. But my clothes are on in my travel bag... attached to my horse. [looks at the froat] will a fire on that put acid into the air?

Hope: I don't know. That's why I was going to do that when we left.

Ben: Think we can build a fire then so we can stay warm until they return? [because he can't grow a fur coat like you]

Hope: [nods] We can definitely do that. [and she will look around for kindling and what not]

Landon: [but before they can get too far in the fire building process, Landon and Josie return, leading two horses with them (17)] See? Told you they didn't go far.

Josie: And they weren't even hurt. though I quickly washed them down and gave them something to chew on in case they feel any throat irritation.

Ben: Thank you, both. [and he's going to his horse and reaching for his bag]

Landon: Of course. Also you do know that Lizzie and Raf are going to expect us to catch up with them, right?

Hope: Well aware. As soon as Ben is dressed, we'll go.

Josie: [sighs] I'm sure by the time we arrive, there won't be anything for fifty yards from where we'll camp.

Ben: [yeah, give him a moment to change. These are not how he wants to discover acid washed pants. Thankfully he has three sets of clothing, since he knows the kinds of trouble he and Hope always end up running into]

Landon: If they distract each other, it keeps them from focusing on everyone else. Just remember that.

Josie: They just can't keep watch together, or else no one is safe.

Landon: That is fair. We'll make it work.

Ben: [and he'll return, buttoning up his second riding jacket] Shall we go find them and end their little tryst then?

Josie: Yes. I'm in need of a nice cup of tea after all the healing spells.

Hope: [nods as she heads back to the horse] Let's go. [and off they ride to find the camp]

Raf: [and yeah, he isn't at all adjusting his shirt since he heard them coming and had to get himself looking decent again] Hey guys. We were wondering when you would show up.

Lizzie: [smoothing her riding clothes as she steps out] You could have taken a little longer though.

Josie: Yes, well I'm cold and want tea. [she doesn't have a werewolf to snuggle against for heat. Her boyfriend only gets hot like that when he's coming back from death]

Ben: [dismounting] I'll go look for firewood.

Landon: I'll help.

Ben: Great.

Josie: [and she stops herself from offering to go as well, because they can't find trouble twice in one day, right?]

Raf: I'll clear the ground so we're not sleeping on sticks and stones.

Hope: That leaves us with the shelter. [and the girls will set up the lean-tos and spell alarms to help add an extra layer of protection]

Ben: [and so, the two men are gathering sticks, but not finding any logs] I don't know if we can carry enough sticks back to keep the fire going all night.

Landon: That's one of the bonuses of having witches when you travel. I think they have a spell for that.

Ben: I'll remember that. I don't often travel with witches. [stops] but if they can do a spell, why do we even need to gather firewood?

Landon: Unless you want one of them to hold it in their hand all night, they need somewhere to put it.

Ben: ... Yeah, I guess so. [and he's going to look around for some thicker pieces] So how did you and Hope meet?

Landon: Raf's wolf powers came up, so my mom took him to see Hope's mother, the alpha. Lady Hayley thought it would be good for the three of us to be friends.

Ben: How long ago was that?

Landon: We were eleven? Twelve? Something like that.

Ben: You guys must have missed her when she came to live with my family for awhile.

Landon: We did. But magical witch notes travel quite quickly.

Ben: [laughs] That they do. Did she also give you an enchanted quill so that you could write to her from anywhere and it would appear in that journal she carries?

Landon: No, she didn't. I have to have Josie send them for me the old fashioned way.

Ben: [and he'll smile at that, because that means his quill is something meant for him only] I find it funny that the magical witch note method is the old fashioned way. I usually send my correspondence with messengers.

Landon: Well for witches, there's the whole ritual that involves writing the message, and having something of the other person's and casting the spell while burning the message and somehow it comes out intact on the other side.

Ben: I've seen her do it. It's a beautiful ritual.

Landon: It is. But whatever you have seems to be much faster.

Ben: Well, except for when Hope visits, there're no witches living in Hale manor.

Landon: Ah. That makes sense.

Ben: So when did you learn you were a Phoenix?

Landon: Not that long ago. I was maybe fifteen.

Ben: Uncle Parrish knew what he was before he met my aunt. You had to die to find out, right?

Landon: Yeah. The less said about how it happened the better but fortunately it was among friends.

Ben: I wasn't going to ask the specifics. I know that's not my business. I just remember that you and my Uncle found out differently.

Landon: Oh, I still died. I just was vaguely aware I was supernatural beforehand because I cannot be compelled by a vampire.

Ben: Vampires?

Landon: [squints] You don't know about vampires?

Ben: I've heard about them, but I've never met one.

Landon: ... You have, actually. Kaleb, for one. MG as well. Also Hope's brother Marcel. And her father - you know about her father, right?

Ben: [rubs at his neck, trying to remember] I know of her father, as well as her aunts and uncles, but never met any of them. And I don't remember Hope telling me about Marcel, Kaleb, or MG being vampires. If she did, I really don't remember.

Landon: I think they might have assumed you knew. But then again, that's not something you can really just spit out in a public setting like the parties.

Ben: True. And honestly, it's not something I think to ask. I mean, I know about the werewolves because of needing to know the pack structure when I live here, and I know of Hope's coven and well, you of course because of Jason... [and look, Landon found a fellow rambler]

Landon: I think we're all pack, in our own way. After all, the witches and werewolves are here in the immediate, but one day Hope will activate her vampire side, and it will be the vampire members of the pack that help keep her herself.

Ben: That's good to know, especially since we don't know what it'll do to me when we're bonded and that day comes.

Landon: Assuming it isn't your bond that puts her there.

Ben: [nods, and he takes a deep breath] We really need to stop bringing all conversations back to death.

Landon: [laughs] Occupational hazard as a phoenix.

Ben: [laughs with him for a bit] We should probably get back before they think we have to be rescued again.

Landon: [grabs the last few pieces of kindling, before nodding and heading back] Let's go.

Ben: [and they will return with their wood to start making the fire.]

Hope: [and Hope and the girls will cast a spell over the fire to keep it burning longer]

Ben: [and they can eat, and then set up shifts to watch while others slept.]

Hope: [and then off they will continue to the island, where Hope will guide them to the mystery dock that Liam had shown her]

Raf: [wrinkles his nose] This place reeks.

Lizzie: [makes a face] Even I can smell it.

Josie: I have some herbs you can chew on to smell instead?

Hope: [shakes her head] We need to keep our senses sharp. No offense.

Ben: Thanks for the offer though.

Landon: I will take it, as I do not have a super nose.

Josie: [smiles and hands him a few mint leaves tied off with string] Don't swallow it.

Landon: [nods] Got it. Just chew don't swallow.

Ben: [pulling out his sword as he heads to the door] How do we want to open this one?

Hope: This was supposedly a secret entrance. It might not be as guarded as the main one.

Raf: [listening carefully] I don't hear anyone inside, but there's a lot of echoes of water dripping and metal straining.

Hope: [nods before holding up her hands] Stand back. [and once everyone is clear, she'll blow open the door with magic, just in case there are any traps]

Ben: [nope, no traps, but that made a lot of noise and the three werewolves will notice it got suddenly silent once the door settled.] That's one way to make an entrance.

Hope: [nods] Be ready for whatever might still be inside.

Raf: [so he will go in first, planning to protect his alpha and, well, everyone else. They will enter a hallway, dim with a barely lit torch on the wall. Steam pipes run down the length, making the hallway warm. There's evidence of small critters like rats, and then evidence of larger creatures taking chunks out of dead rats.]

Hope: [lifts her hands gently and waves them creating delicate bobbles of light to float around them for those without wolf vision] Lumnos.

Ben: [which isn't him, so he's going to follow behind Hope, making sure nothing can sneak up behind her]

Lizzie: [has her sword drawn, and is reaches out to place a hand on Raf's shoulder, siphoning a little magic, just in case]

Josie: [and she takes Landon's hand, siphoning herself a bit as well. She may not let go though because, you know, hand holding]

Landon: [he will totally hold her hand, crossbow in the other as he brings up the rear and occasionally glances over his shoulder to see what's coming]

Raf: [as they near the end of the hallway, the path branches into two directions] Left or Right?

Hope: I think the pit was to the left.

Ben: Left it is. [and as Raf starts to go that way, Ben will slip into the right just to listen and make sure nothing's sneaking behind them]

Lizzie: [follows behind Raf peering into the darkness beyond Hope's witchlights]

Josie: [she takes a look over Ben's shoulder with her lights, and sees a shadow move] Guys, I think we have company.

Landon: [spins and brings the crossbow up, preparing a shot just in case] Of course we do.

Raf: [and he'll be Raf and just grow out his claws and push past everyone. His werewolf sight can make out a shadow-wrapped being about 4 ft tall, standing absolutely still. He snarls, ready to attack when needed.]

Hope: [follows after him trying to get closer and see what this tiny thing actually is (15), ready to pull back Raf if they need to]

Ben: [he's watching the creature as well, seeing its eyes reflect silver in the dancing orb light. It doesn't approach, nor make any aggressive moves. But it doesn't retreat either.]

Lizzie: [that's fine by her - she doesn't actually enjoy fighting things. But she'll make an attempt at diplomacy, even if she isn't always the best at it (10)] Look, we're not here to hurt anyone. We just came for information, and then we'll leave.

Josie: [watches it] Why don't we try to just go down the other hallway and leave it alone?

Landon: Works for me. That's the way we have to go anyway, right?

Raf: Yeah, it is. [still watching the creature]

Hope: Then let's go and hope it'll leave us alone.

Ben: [and he's going to take the lead, forcing himself to turn around and instead walk forward down the non-shadow monster hallway]

Lizzie: [is going to back up, also keeping her eyes on the creature, and once they're all past the threshold, just in case, she puts up a barrier spell]

Josie: [and it won't follow them, and when the spell goes up, it's like the shadow just disappears] I think it's gone.

Landon: Good. Let's go find why we came.

Raf: [and he'll finally fall back into his place and walk with Hope and Ben as they approach a closed door in the wall across from the steam pipes. The hallway continues past it, the light dimming the further down it goes.]

Hope: [takes a moment to inspect it, trying to see if there's anything of note before they open it (13)]

Ben: [there's a lot of rust on the hinges, so it's not going to open silently. Otherwise, it doesn't look trapped]

Hope: If we open this, it's going to be loud.

Josie: I don't think you're going to find anything here that won't make noise when moved.

Hope: Good point. [and with that she will slowly open the door, sticking her head inside to look once the door is open wide enough]

Raf: [the room beyond looks like a supply room or storage room. It's filled with half-filled bottles of things, some spilled over, and boxes with symbols etched into them. There are also specimen jars - some of dead monster parts - and one hidden in the back that is filled with a black substance that may call to Landon]

Landon: Nope. [reaches past Hope, pulls her back and closes the door] We don't need anything in there.

Josie: [confused] What is it?

Landon: Don't know but there's something in there that wants me to go in there. Therefore we probably shouldn't.

Ben: [looks at Landon, then Hope] So we keep going?

Hope: [seems frustrated because she wants to know what is causing the problem and how big of a problem, so she turns to Josie] You and Landon scout ahead. I'll catch up.

Raf: I'll go with them. [since Landon is not a werewolf]

Landon: [makes a face] Be careful, Hope.

Lizzie: Don't worry. Ben and I will keep her from doing something inherently stupid.

Ben: We can try, at least. [smirks]

Josie: [nods] Alright, boys. Let's see what trouble we can find and avoid.

Hope: [waits until they're a good stretch down before opening the door again and tentatively stepping inside]

Ben: [follows her] What is something that could affect him like that?

Hope: Something connected to Malivore most likely. I saw a jar that looked like it was filled with some kind of black sludge.

Ben: Like the pit you've told me about

Hope: [nods] Malivore was the pit. So if there's a piece of the pit that they managed to store somewhere, best we destroy it as best we can.

Ben: But, doesn't that mean it could also absorb you?

Lizzie: Well, it might not be Malivore itself. It might be a Malivore monster, or monster powers that the Dread Doctors tried to get into a jar, or one of the keys that it designed to get itself walking again. [Lizzie scans over the room until she finds the jar in question. As she moves closer she holds out a hand, trying to see if she can sense any magic]

Ben: [oh, she can. The jar itself is a magical object, spelled to contain the mud from the pit. Which also reacts to her, bubbling in the surface as it feels her witchiness]

Lizzie: The jar itself is magical. Not sure what's inside, but if it's a preservation spell maybe I should siphon that off and let the magic mud shrivel away.

Ben: But what if releasing it brings Malivore back? What if that's why it was calling to Landon?

Lizzie: Do you have the tincture?

Hope: [nods, reaching into her pocket to pull out a vial] Without a physical form, the mud can't do anything unless it's interacted with. So let's see if removing the preservation spell has it catch up with the rest of Malivore, and if not we'll give it some of this.

Ben: Okay. I'm just going to stand back here and let you do your magical stuff.

Lizzie: [Hope nods to Lizzie and she nods back, before placing her hand against the jar. her hand glows as she starts to drain away the magic of the jar to see what happens]

Ben: [aaaaaand the mud starts to bubble and spit, rising up towards the lid to free itself]

Lizzie: [oh crap that's not good. she takes the tincture from Hope, pushing her back and using the magic from the spell to twist off the lid from a distance]

Hope: Lizzie!

Lizzie: If I get eaten, I need you to remember to come get me. [and once the lid is open, she goes to pour the tincture, featuring the blood of the werewolf, witch and vampire that created it into the jar and hoping that it performs as expected]

Ben: [the mud comes up, trying to grab her arm, but it then screeches in pain at the blood hits it. Before it can start to dissolve, however, it instead explodes all over the room. (roll reflex save)]

Lizzie: [the girls did not do great (8 for Lizzie, 7 for Hope), but Lizzie does try to dart back] It didn't do that last time!

Ben: [Thankfully he was back far enough that he ducked out of the way behind another shelf (12). However, everything that the mud touched starts smoking. Another bubbling explosion, and two monsters start to come out of the puddle left behind on the floor]

Hope: [she can heal, so the smoking bits fall away quickly. she throws up a barrier spell between the monsters and Lizzie, before pulling her friend back to examine her wounds]

Lizzie: [as she was the closest, she's not doing great] Ow.

Ben: [and he comes forward, moving to their side and looking them both over] Josie can heal it, right?

Monster 1: [grows up into a panther looking human with long fangs and yellow glowing eyes. It sees them and roars]

Lizzie: Probably. If not, Hope's blood will help.

Hope: [holds up her hands and tries to reason with them, because not all the Malivore monsters are malicious (17)] We don't want to hurt you. You're back in the world. You're not in Malivore anymore. You're free.

Monster 1: [hisses, trying to swipe at her, only being deflected by the barrier spell. It mrows at that, looking at its paw, then her]

Ben: Is that... good?

Hope: [shrugs, before trying to speak in a different language, starting with French] Do you understand me?

Monster 1: [its head tilts at that, sitting back on its haunches to listen]

Monster 2: [still forming, but it's vaguely growing into something clown shaped]

Ben: [looks at the monsters, then Lizzie] Go find your sister. I'll stay with her.

Lizzie: [nods and goes to head down the hall after her sister]

Hope: [is that a yes? She'll continue talking in French] You're not in Malivore anymore. You're free. We're not going to hurt you unless you hurt us.

Panther: [it mrows again, ears forward and eyes bright. You've got its attention, Hope]

Clown: [one round from forming]

Hope: [she's not going to let the panther out until the clown is fully solid, but she continues in French] Are you a shifter? We're werewolves.

Panther: [nods, and starts to transform into a tall, handsome black man. He speaks back to her in an accented French] You are not afraid.

Clown: [and yeah, he's formed and starts laughing maniacally]

Ben: Um, I don't think that jester is going to be on our side...

Hope: [continuing in French, but eyeing the clown] I've met things much scarier than you. If I take down the barrier, can you move quickly before I put it back up again?

Panther: [nods] I am fast.

Clown: [and he is going to pull a weapon made of bone and metal from inside it's pants, turning its attention to the Panther]

Ben: Hope, if you're going to do it... you need to go fast

Hope: [nods and lifts her hands and ...] Now! [she drops the barrier just long enough for their panther friend to get free, before quickly trying to raise the barrier again to keep the clown in]

Panther: [and he will leap through, landing somewhere behind them.]

Clown: [and he goes to give chase]

Hope: [and she will throw the barrier up, but she might not be fast enough (9)]

Clown: [(12) he will get through, aiming its weapon at Hope since he's closer.]

Ben: [well, he was already preparing for something like that, and he's going to slice down with his sword (17) and chop that arm right off]

Hope: [and she will quickly draw up another spell to blow the clown backwards (15)]

Clown: [and it goes flying back, crashing into a set of shelves with other glass containers, many of them shattering in the process]

Panther: That is Heyoka. He is angry because he senses the golem nearby and wants revenge.

Hope: There is no revenge to be had. Whatever you're sensing, it's not the thing that trapped you. [not that she can one hundred percent say for sure, but they might be sensing Landon, and while he will absolutely play dead for the safety of others, she's not going to walk him into that blind] Malivore is dead.

Panther: But his offspring remain, so he always has an avenue to return. I know better, but that one was betrayed before he was absorbed. It is personal, and he will not stop.

Clown: [and it stands up, yelling at the barrier in a vibrating wave of energy (9) to try and disperse it]

Hope: [manages to hold steady (11), before turning back to him] Unfortunately neither will I. [she heads footsteps coming closer and she doesn't want Landon to walk into a room that's hostile, and speaks directly to the clown] The one you wish to punish is dead. Anything that remains has done nothing to hurt you. Either you can accept that and go free or die here. Those are your choices.

Clown: [it just starts laughing, a deadly one of malice, before turning to its side and yelling at the wall beside it. The metal splits, and it tears the hole open further and rushes out through it]

Ben: Shit. We need to find the others..

Hope: Damnit. [and she rushes to the door, trying to catch up to the clown as quickly as she can, her claws extending as she attempts to leap onto it's back, but she does not roll well (2)]

Clown: [it laughs as it tosses her off into the wall (13) and keeps going. As it does, its arm and the weapon reform]

Panther: [yeah, he's not going to join this battle. But he will follow behind to see the end]

Ben: [and he does the one thing that all Hales do when trouble is nearby - he howls. (roll listen checks)]

Lizzie: [Landon doesn't catch it, probably (8), but Lizzie's head snaps around at the sound (20) and while she hadn't caught up to her sister yet, she does catch the clown coming her way and throws out a hand] Igna Lux. [ she doesn't have much magic left from the jar, but just enough to have a column of fire explode from her hand (15)]

Raf: [and he also hears it (16) and pushes Josie and Landon behind him] Ben's howling. Something's wrong.

Heyoka: [well, the clown does get set on fire. But it doesn't stop it, and it goes to throw Lizzie to the side (14)]

Lizzie: [dodges out of the way (19), drawing her sword in the process and trying to stab the flaming clown (12)]

Landon: [starts to charge forward like a dumb dumb] Let's go.

Ben: [and he is catching up, rushing to help]

Panther: [offers a hand to Hope to help her up]

Josie: Wait, we need a plan...!

Raf: [nope, where his brother runs, he runs]

Clown: [she cuts into his arm deeply, but he heard Landon and screams in manic glee and runs towards the voice]

Lizzie: Crap. [charges after, sword still out in case she gets a chance for another swing]

Landon: [catches up with the clown and ...] Oh, gods.

Hope: [takes his hand and nods] Merci.

Ben: It wants Landon! Run!

Heyoka: [the flames are fading away to show a crispy clown with murder eyes locking on Landon]

Josie: [and she will rush forward and grab Landon's shoulder, siphoning some power to put up her own protection barrier (12)]

Panther: [nods, motioning to where Ben had run]

Hope: [nods and goes to charge after her boyfriend]

Lizzie: [catches up, doing a running leap to stab the clown with her best Warrior scream (17)]

Landon: [stumbles backwards, drawing up his crossbow and trying to take a shot (9)]

Ben: [and he's right behind Lizzie, aiming his sword at the clown's midsection to bisect it (17)]

Heyoka: [is dead (3)]

Raf: What the hell was that?

Josie: [and she'll drop the barrier, then looks at Landon] Sorry, I didn't have time to ask.

Hope: Freaky clown. [as she finally catches up] The Dread Doctors manages to isolate him and a panther shifter from the rest and preserve them in a jar. We let them out. The panther shifter is nice though, but speaks French. [which is handy because most of them live in France.]

Lizzie: Are we done with the monsters now or are we still looking for something else?

Landon: No, it's okay. Probably for the best.

Panther: [comes up to the rest of the group. Still a naked, buff black man. He looks at the dead clown, then up at Landon] So you are the golem's child.

Raf: [nope, not at all intimidated by the newcomer] Yeah, and you are?

Panther: I am Mishipeshu. [gives the barest of bows, still looking at Landon, evaluating him]

Hope: This is Landon. He helped us destroy his father. He has no interest in bringing him back.

Landon: [nods] Giving up my bodily autonomy is not part of my plans.

Lizzie: [queen of tact:] Would you like some pants?

Mishipeshu: Good. If it was not, I would have to kill you. [ looks to Lizzie] Why would I need pants?

Josie: [yeah, is just going to slide closer to Landon]

Lizzie: Just a thought. We're very far north and you might be cold. [but if not then whatever, you do you]

Hope: Are you from France? We are planning to return there once we're finished here.

Mishipeshu: [tilts his head, then sighs. His lower half ripples, and then he has fur covering his lower half of his body] Does this make the lady happy? [to Hope] I am from that area, but it was part of the Frankish Empire, before the Holy Roman empire. I lived in peace protecting the waterways until Charlemagne set war.

Hope: [Lizzie mostly just shrugs because that was cool. Hope stays on task] Unfortunately, quite some time has passed since then. The world is quite changed. But if you would like to come back to France and see if anything remains of your family, you are welcome to stay with my pack until you find your footing.

Mishipeshu: I appreciate your generous offer. Thank you.

Hope: Of course. [to the group that was ahead] Did you find the pit room?

Raf: No, but we it's that way. There's a strong scent of mercury that way.

Ben: Liam mentioned that the rejects were injected with a metallic substance.

Hope: [nods] Then let's go and make sure the rest is gone.

Raf: [and he is going to lead them the rest of the way to the big open area. There is the big brown canyon that was the Malivore pit, along with two rusty green tables covered in rust and dried blood, a metallic chair with restraints, and a green, bubbly cylinder that has a body floating in it, their back facing the group as they come in.]

Hope: [there's a sigh of relief when the rest of the pit is gone, but her eye is immediately drawn to the body in the cylinder] What is that?

Ben: Looks like a human. [so not helpful]

Josie: [approaches it slowly] The machine they're in is still on. I don't know where the power is coming from.

Hope: Do you think it's magical? [Lizzie attempts to sneak by her to check, and Hope catches her arm] You've done enough siphoning today.

Lizzie: We both agreed on that plan.

Hope: Yeah, and we almost got killed by a crazy clown. We take the more cautious option this time. Josie, could you check?

Josie: Sure. [and she will approach the rest of the way, and place a single finger on the cylinder. There's no magic, but it's warm. She looks down and sees a steam pipe feeding into it, then heading out into a wall opposite of where they had entered] Not magical. Steam powered.

Raf: [and he's going to follow after her, but walk around the front of the cylinder to look at the face of the floating person. He then curses in French]

Hope: [frowns as she steps forward to meet him] What is it?

Raf: It's Lord Parrish.

Ben: What?! [and as he rushes over, they will see a version of Parrish suspended in the liquid. He looks their age, though, and his hair is more like Landon and Clarke's shade than his own dirty blonde.] How the hell?

Josie: [looks at Mishipeshu] Do you know anything about this?

Mishipeshu: No.

Hope: [frowns as she takes a closer look] It's like they duplicated him somehow. But why did they leave it behind?

Ben: Or did they? Maybe they're here still and we haven't found them yet.

Mishipeshu: Or they don't want to be found.

Hope: [makes a face] We can't just leave him here. We need to decide what to do with him.

Mishipeshu: Put it out of its misery. It is not a creature made by the Gods.

Ben: We don't know that. [looks at Lizzie and Josie] Can we know that?

Hope: It might be a Phoenix and we don't have a golden arrow. But phoenixes are supernatural so you guys should be able to sense that, no?

Lizzie: [shrugs] Not exactly. I couldn't siphon Landon until he was "activated."

Josie: We can't figure anything out until we get him out. Whatever he's suspended in is anti-magical.

Hope: [makes a face, because she doesn't like anything that's anti-magic, but she nods] Can we get him out safely?

Josie: [thinks, then nods] It's glass, so claws should be able to break it. We should stay up there [points at a landing above then empty pit] and they can break it to have the green stuff flow into the open crater. After that, we can figure out if he's even alive, and what he is.

Ben: If we need to, we can go to Hale manor with him. Lord Parrish will want to be involved.

Hope: [nods] Alright, you all get some distance. I'll find something to break it with.

Raf: We've got this. [popping his claws out] Get somewhere that you won't get touched by the anti-magic.

Hope: [makes a face] I can handle this.

Raf: Not saying you can't. But I'd rather my alpha be safe from whatever this stuff is.

Hope: [would argue that she can heal better than Raf can, but she knows it's not an argument she's going to win. Instead, she looks around to find a rod or something heavy they can use to crack the glass and passes it over to him] At least give yourself some distance.

Raf: Yes m'lady. [and he'll wait for the ladies and Landon to get on the landing, then nods to Ben, who'll use a claw to make a circle at the bottom of the cylinder. As Ben backs away towards the stairs, Raf comes around and hits the circle. It cracks, and then as Raf books it to where Ben waits, the glass shatters and the liquid drains out, leaving the body to rest half in, half out of the cylinder]

Hope: [makes her way closer once the liquid is gone, but doesn't touch him quite yet] Bring him out and see if he survives without the cylinder.

Raf: [which he can do easily, but as he lifts him, he feels something weird and looks at the skin under its arm] Well, that's not normal.

Mishipeshu: [crouches down, looking at the body] That is not human. But not Malivore. It is something... new.

Josie: [when its laid out, she will do an exam and feels a heartbeat] He's alive.

Hope: [moves closer to see what Raf saw] What did you see?

Raf: [he'll point to the patches of skin that go down the inside of his arm. There are strips of skin, patches about 4x6 inches each, of different types... different creatures. If they look on the other arm, they'll see the same thing. 12 patches in all]

Hope: This must be one of the chimeras.

Ben: But why does he look like my uncle?

Hope: That, I don't know. Maybe they had samples from him available to use?

Not!Parrish: [and he's going to start coughing up the green slime from his lungs, not fully conscious, but more to just be able to breathe]

Josie: That's it, get it up. [she will roll him onto his side to help him] He's going to need clothing.

Mishipeshu: You mortals and your aversion to the natural body.

Hope: It's not an aversion, exactly, but more that the rules of propriety have changed since you were taken. Also, we are quite far north, and he might not be able to regulate his own temperature.

Landon: I think I have something that could fit him.

Josie: Yes, he's warm now from the slime, but he will get cold soon. We need to get him cleaned off as well.

Raf: I could find something to use for a fire. We just need water.

Ben: I'll look for a pot and we can look for a well, or I can just go outside to get some.

Hope: Stay together. I'll see if there's something in this room we can use.

Ben: [looks over at Landon] You good?

Landon: [looks up from his pack] Yeah, I'm good. Go.

Ben: [and so off they will go, stepping carefully around the dead clown, and he finds a large empty pot in the storage room before they head outside.]

Hope: [and she will try and salvage some towels or rags to help with the cleaning]

Ben: [as they are outside] You doing okay. I mean, this wasn't something I expected to find...

Landon: [nods] Yeah, I'm fine. I mean, Lord Parrish warned us about the chimeras. I'm just not sure we expected to ever find one.

Ben: Especially one wearing his face. [he dips the pot into the water to fill it] You don't think its another Phoenix?

Landon: I don't know. I don't know how many phoenixes my father had swallowed that he would be able to cannibalize.

Ben: Unless the doctors did something to my uncle instead?

Landon: That's how he explained it. He said that his abilities didn't appear until after he went into the pit.

Ben: Yeah, but that was his first time there. He went back, about ten years ago.

Landon: The chimera looks like it's our age, though. It would have had to be cooking longer than that.

Ben: Which means he should have seen it then.

Landon: Yes. So either he wasn't paying attention or he didn't look far enough.

Ben: [pulls the full pot up easily] Let's just hope it's that.

Landon: [nods and gathers the clothing and makes their way back into the main room where Hope has managed to find some towels that at least seem clean enough and they can get started on cleaning the chimera up]

Chimera: [and he won't stir at first, but when he feels the rough towels against his skin, he'll start awake and push away from them. He speaks in Savoyard] Who are you? Where am I?

Hope: [lots of French dialects tonight. Hope is not as familiar with Savoy, so she keeps speaking French as she knows it and hopes it translates] My name is Hope, these are my friends. We found you in a tube, abandoned.

Chimera: [he understands it enough.] No demons? no doctors?

Hope: [shakes her head] Not that we found, no.

Chimera: [he nods, looking around the room, shivering] Why are you here?

Hope: We were looking for a different monster, or any sign of where the Doctors might have gone. The monster we seek is dead and we don't know where the doctors have gone.

Chimera: The doctors are never far.

Hope: According to what we've been told, this place has been abandoned for years.

Chimera: What year is it?

Hope: [and she will give the year, because I don't know if we ever decided on one]

Chimera: [nope. But it'll be a few years since he lasts remember] I lost another three years.

Hope: I'm sorry. But if we leave now, we can take you somewhere safe, away from the doctors. What is your name?

Chimera: Jonathan.

Hope: Jonathan. Let's get you out of here. We have some clothes you could use.

Jon: Thank you. [he will get pants on, then sadly look at the inside of his arms] I don't even know what half of these are. [he'll shake his head and pull on Landon's spare shirt.]

Hope: We'll figure it out. We have time. [they just need to get out of here. she turns to the rest of the group] Is there anything else we need?

Ben: I'm ready to go.

Raf & Josie: [they look at Landon, since this trip was partially for him]

Mishipeshu: All that is here is pain and death. If you don't need that, you should leave.

Landon: [nods] No, I'm ready. Let's get back to the boat.

Ben: [and they head outside without incident, though if they look behind them, the shadow creature is watching them leave from a distance.]

Mishipeshu: [sees the water and smiles] I believe this is where I will leave you all.

Hope: Are you sure? I thought you wanted to go back to France.

Mishipeshu: I can find my way there. But I haven't touched water in a long time.

Hope: Alright. My pack lives in Orleans.

Mishipeshu: There are many waterways through the land. I will see you again.

Hope: [nods and goes to join the rest of her friends at the boat, leaving him to his journey]

Mishipeshu: [and he will shift into a panther, but there is webbing between each toe bean. He runs into the water and gracefully dives beneath]

Jon: Did that man just turn into a panther and then jump into the water to drown itself?

Hope: He wanted to swim. [All kinds of strange monsters come out of Malivore so Hope doesn't even blink] Come. We should get off the island.

Ben: We going to Orleans or to Norway?

Hope: Norway, I think. But I can send a message ahead so your uncle knows what we're bringing.

Ben: Yes, please. I don't want to surprise him with this. [looks over at Jon] I can't recognize half the scents coming off him.

Hope: Who knows what they managed to pull out of Malivore over time? [as they settle in the boat, she sets up with a candle and a piece of paper and writes something quickly to Ben's Uncle:] I'm sorry to inform you like this, but we did find something on the island, in one of their tubes. A chimera that seems to bear your face. We are on our way to the manor, in Norway, but Ben wanted you to be prepared for our arrival. [unfortunately he cannot reply to this message unless Aunt Bonnie or another witch is around, but at least the warning is there]

Parrish: [no, he appreciates it, and he's going to go let Laura know about the impending arrival]

Jon: [and as they travel, he's quiet while eyes take in everything. But he'll answer questions asked. He's always cold, though, hugging himself with a blanket as he walks]

Hope: [will arrange for them to buy a carriage as soon as they get to a town with that available, that way Jon doesn't have to walk the entire way and it will allow them to move a little faster]

Ben: [and soon the parapets of Hale Manor are visible in the distance] Well, this isn't really the way I wanted to invite you all to see my home, but I hope you'll enjoy visiting.

Lizzie: Honestly, I just want to sleep in an actual bed, so I already think this is the best place I've ever visited.

Laura: [will be waiting to greet them, wanting to see this clone of her husband for herself. She smiles when she sees her nephew though] You all seem as though you've traveled well.

Ben: [and he will help Hope out of the carriage first, then go to greet his aunt with a big hug] We have, though the trip has had its moments.

Raf: [and he will help Lizzie out next, and he tries not to visibly stiffen at the scent of so many wolves in the manor]

Laura: [hugs him warmly in return] Your parents will be pleased to see you. We weren't sure how many of you there were, but all the rooms in the guest wing are prepared. You have plenty of time to clean up before dinner.

Hope: [nods as she smiles] I remember the way. It is good to see you again, Lady Hale.

Laura: Good to see you as well, Hope. You've been missed here. [her eyes glance to Raf] You're all welcome here. If there is anything you need, please do not hesitate to ask. [and Ben's other sister appears in the door frame over her aunt's shoulder, but she doesn't approach yes. She just wants to examine these new friends from a distance]

Jon: [and once Josie and Landon exit, he's going to slip out. He managed to get his own set of warm clothes when they got the carriage, so he's not as cold now, but he isn't comfy. He had been filled in about how they were coming here first because of his resemblance to Ben's uncle, but he doesn't remember any other men in his family.]

Laura: [and seeing the face does stop her in her tracks some, but she swallows it quickly, not wanting to make the poor boy uncomfortable] Hope will lead the way to the rooms, please let us know if you need anything. [and once all the teenagers have made their way to their rooms, she will go in search of her husband]

Parrish: [and he's been dealing with some Lord things and missed being there to great their guests, but he's just finished when Laura finds him] Have they arrived?

Laura: They have. Hope is showing them to the guest wing so they can take some time to recover before dinner.

Parrish: And this clone?

Laura: Is a very accurate version of your face, though twenty odd years younger. But the scent is all wrong.

Parrish: So not a clone, if the scent is wrong. [deep breath] That's good.

Laura: [nods] That may be due to his being a chimera, though. It's like his scent can't decide what kind of creature he is. It's rather disorienting. [unfortunately] But I had Gabriel escort Amelia to a ball at one of the nearby manors tonight, and Gracin went with Talia to the summer castle for a few weeks. We have time to assess things before we need to tell the children.

Parrish: Good. I don't even know how I'm going to deal with this.

Laura: We just have to get through dinner. Then we can figure out what the next steps will be.

Parrish: [nods] And depending on how long they wish to stay, I'll also get some time to sit with Landon.

Laura: That's true as well. And with two Argents on the grounds, tonight will be plenty entertaining without having to draw attention to the chimera.

Parrish: I think we'll need to break out the good wine for us.

Laura: I'll make sure the chef is aware. [moves closer and rests her hands on his shoulders] How are you doing with this?

Parrish: I'm worried, because I know this boy wasn't there when I went to the island a decade ago. Which means either he existed in the world already, leading me to wonder if I have a blood family out there I don't remember, or they grew him from me and something happened when I was there that I don't remember.

Laura: He's too old for it to have happened then. He looked to be Ben and Hope's age.

Parrish: Unless they made him age quickly? We don't know what these doctors are truly capable of.

Laura: [nods] Perhaps he can set some of those worries at ease.

Parrish: I hope so. Anyway, I should also go and freshen up before dinner.

Laura: [nods, catching his hand as he moves past her before tugging his hand back for one last reminder] Whatever this is, love, we do this together.

Parrish: I know. We also do. [and he will lean back to kiss her before he continues on]

Ben: [and since he already saw his snoopy sister at the front gate, after he leaves everyone in the guest wing, he will head to his family wing and go looking for his mother who probably knows he's here by now]

Cora: [she does, and she smiles when he sees him approaching] How was your journey?

Ben: Eventful. [and he will go to hug his mother tightly] I've missed you, mom.

Cora: [returns the hug warmly] I've missed you too.

Ben: I'm sorry I didn't give you any warning. I hope uncle Parrish let you know I was coming.

Cora: He did. And you coming home is never an inconvenience, Ben. As much as Orleans is going to be your new home that doesn't mean you are banished without invitation from the manor.

Ben: I would hope not. [smiles] How've you and Dad been?

Cora: We've been well. Alexander and Joy have been keeping us busy.

Ben: Well, just Joy alone would be a handful. [he knows you're hiding and listening, little sister]

Cora: [of course she is, because no one tells her things otherwise] She's not so terrible. It's hard being the youngest.

Ben: I never said she was terrible. Just sneaky. I haven't seen Alex yet, though.

Cora: I think he's out training with the other knights.

Ben: Well, I should probably clean up before dinner. But can we talk more later?

Cora: [she nods] We'll find each other after.

Ben: [and he'll kiss her cheek and walk a few steps down the hall, then reach into the alcove his sister's scent is coming from with tickle hands]

Joy: [jerks away and out of the shadows] Don't!

Ben: Too late, I've pulled out the tickle fingers. [stalks her]

Joy: [ grabs for his wrists to hold them in place] Stop!

Ben: Why?

Joy: Because I'm asking you to?

Ben: You too old for tickle time?

Joy: I'm not six anymore. [closer to thirteen, actually]

Ben: [sighs, lowering his hands] You grew up too fast.

Joy: So I keep hearing. [a beat] Is Orleans nice?

Ben: It is. Hope and her aunt have a beautiful garden with flowers that you can't find here. [and he'll motion for her to walk with him]

Joy: [falls in step next to him] Do you think you and Claudia will like it there?

Ben: I do. In fact, you're going to get to meet some of my new friends tonight.

Joy: [nods. That makes sense] Good, I guess.

Ben: And you'll be able to come visit us anytime you want to. Not only does Hope have the manor in Orleans, but she has some other family property in the area. Claudia and her friend are at one of them right now.

Joy: I'm sure Alex will like that too. [a beat] What do you think of Claudia's friend?

Ben: [thinks] he is more than I originally thought, and willing to go to many great lengths to prove his love and loyalty. I think he will be a good match for her.

Joy: That's good at least. I'm not sure she would have put up with anyone else.

Ben: No, she wouldn't have.

Joy: What about you and Hope? Are you happy there?

Ben: Very happy. We've figured a lot of things out now that we're able to just be together without others watching us.

Joy: Good. I'm glad. [hopefully she'll be that lucky, when her time comes]

Ben: And who knows, if you and Alex can find friends in Orleans and move there, maybe we can convince Mom and Dad to join us.

Joy: [she laughs] Mother leaving the manor for more than a trip? I doubt it.

Ben: If all her children are in one spot, it might just happen.

Joy: Perhaps, but it could be perceived as her leaving the pack for Hope's mother's if her entire family goes there, and she doesn't want to leave that impression. Plus, having all of us there would only draw more attention to Jason.

Ben: Well, I'm going to be the alpha's mate one day. So it's not too weird for her to be there. [and they reach his room and he opens the door] As for Jason, I think that situation is always evolving. He'll never go back to England again, nor to any tourney. That will limit his exposure to anyone who may know his past that isn't part of Hope's pack.

Joy: [shrugs] I also wouldn't get your hopes up that all of us will find mates in New Orleans. The only reason Claudia's is there is because she brought him there.

Ben: She brought him there because he trusted Hope and Claudia's plan, and she promised him safety there. He wants to stay because he made actual friends while he was there.

Joy: That wasn't my point.

Ben: Then what was?

Joy: That just because Claudia and Jason decided to stay doesn't mean that Alex and I will have that option.

Ben: You always have the option. And I was mostly joking about you both finding mates there. I would love it to have my family there with me, but I'm not actually expecting it, Joy.

Joy: Ah. [sorry. She doesn't always pick up on jokes the way she should]

Ben: Remember, Mom and Dad will let you marry whoever you fall in love with. You never know when you're going to find them.

Joy: [she makes a face, because she can see the logic in an arranged relationship, where expectations are set and not set on the whim of something as changeable as feelings, but she's also thirteen. She's still figuring out a lot of things] Arrangements aren't so bad. It worked out well enough for Uncle Peter. [... they may not be the best example, Joy.]

Ben: [tries not to laugh] Maybe, but ask Aunt Laura about hers.

Joy: [no, she's heard the stories about Daniel, she doesn't need to hear them again] It doesn't matter. No one is looking at me yet anyway.

Ben: So don't even worry about it yet. [and he'll kiss the top of her head] You'll know when you're ready.

Joy: [sighs] How long are you staying?

Ben: Not long. We're trying to help someone figure out where they came from, and we think Uncle Parrish can help

Joy: [nods] I should let you get ready for dinner, then.

Ben: Thank you. I'll introduce you to everyone tonight, ok? I think you might like Lady Lizzie.

Joy: [nods and will dart off to go find her other brother. or maybe prepare talking points in case she is trapped in one on one conversation]

Alex: [and he's been out with the knights, helping his Uncle Derek with anything he needs--which mostly involves running messages around the Manor and into town. He really likes being able to help people, but isn't all that fond of the idea of hurting people. But being an official page is just perfect, and he's good at it. He's on his way back to his room to clean up when he sees Joy] Hey! Did I miss anything today?

Joy: Ben's here, with Hope and her friends. Apparently they went to the island where Uncle Parrish was held and came back with a surprise. [basically, you missed something big] They're going to discuss it all at dinner.

Alex: Oh wow. Ben's home? [give him a minute to digest it all] Why would they go to that place?

Joy: [shrugs] I don't know. It must have been discussed in New Orleans.

Alex: That's a weird place to go on a trip. [shrugs] Well, I should clean up. [he pats his pockets, and then pulls out a piece of wax paper] I got you some of those lemon cookies you like on the way back.

Joy: [her face lights up and she takes them from him with a nod] Thank you.

Alex: See you at dinner. [and off he goes down the hall to his room]

Joy: [and she will go hide the cookies in her room so that she doesn't ruin her dinner but also so no one steals them.]

Kate: [and eventually they will all assemble for dinner, including Kate and Allison who come from whatever sitting room they've been holed up in, catching up on the latest family gossip]

Ben: [and he will escort Hope, along with everyone else, to the dining hall. He smiles brightly, seeing his whole family together. It's only been a month or two, but he's missed them]

Jon: [and he's hovering in the back of the three couples, hands deep in his pockets because he knows everyone's going to be looking at him, and he isn't fond of that kind of attention]

Hope: [poor kid. but at least the children on of the man he looks like isn't here. Hope offers him a small smile, before gesturing to the seat next to her] Come sit by me.

Jon: [nods, grateful for her. He doesn't know much about his new group of acquaintances, but he knows that the woman Hope is the leader and she'll take care of him. so he takes the seat on the side Ben isn't on.]

Parrish: [and yes, he's going to notice the boy and take a deep breath, leaning into Laura's ear and whispering about how strange it is]

Laura: [gives his hand a squeeze] I know. But we'll figure this out.

Kate: [takes note of the elephant in the room as she moves to sit next to her husband, leaning in to whisper] Did I miss something while I was with Allison?

Peter: [whispers back] Not really. They just arrived today, and we'll hear the story over dinner. But I think we can guess why young Stilinski came home for an unannounced visit.

Kate: Mmm. [and she settles into her seat, waiting for the information sharing to begin]

Lizzie: [leaning into Raf as she sits next to him] How long do you think before they get started?

Raf: Probably just long enough to make this very awkward.

Stiles: [and he'll look over at his son, amused how much Ben takes after him for ending up in strange situations] So Ben, are you going to introduce your friends to the rest of us?

Ben: Uh, Yes. [and he'll stand up] You all know Hope already. But to my left is Sir Rafael Kirby and Lady Elizabeth Saltzman, and to my right is Sir Landon Kirby and Lady Josephine Saltzman. And directly on Hope's left is Mister Jonathan.

Laura: I already greeted you when you arrived earlier, but we're all very happy to have you here. And we're very curious about what you've discovered.

Ben: Well, it's a lot, so we should probably eat while I explain. [and during the course of the meal, he'll explain about Malivore and the reason for their trip to the island, and what happened while they were there, hopefully with Hope and Landon interjecting at points to fill in details]

Hope: [yep, plenty of that from the b-squad]

Kate: [blinks before turning to Parrish] Wait, it was the Dread Doctors that had you? That's what they called themselves?

Parrish: Yes. At least that's what Liam remembered that they were called. I don't remember much at all of my time there because of the constant deaths I suffered at their hands. [looks at Kate curiously] Why do you ask?

Kate: [glances to Peter, then Allison] Peter and I encountered them many years ago, before his first marriage. They were making chimeras in a small hamlet not far from Orleans.

Peter: [nods] Kate asked me to help track one of the young maidens who disappeared. We found her, and many other failed chimeras.... children, really... already dead.

Jon: [and he's going to stiffen and curl up more into his chair, no longer hungry]

Ben: [looks at Hope and sees Jon's reaction, then looks at his aunt and uncle] Was it in Savoy?

Kate: No, somewhere in the middle of the two. Their intent was to raise a great beast.

Parrish: [looks at Landon] Malivore?

Kate: No. La Bete du Gévaudan.

Allison: [blinks] Our La Bete?

Kate: [nods] The one we built our house on.

Peter: But Marcel and I killed two of them.

Liam: [bites his lip, not wanting to remember these things, but knows he has to] There were three when they took me. They kept trying to bring La Bete back, but Clarke came and killed him by poisoning the cylinder. He then promised them greater success with aiding Malivore. I was maybe three then? They moved to the island at that point.

Kate: They're trying to resurrect a long dead werewolf, I wouldn't be surprised if they were able to resurrect themselves.

Laura: Did your father know about the doctors?

Kate: Of course. [it takes a second before] Daniel knew about Parrish before you knew about Parrish.

Laura: He said his father told him.

Kate: [rolls her eyes] Towards the end of his life he raved about how the world stopped fearing monsters. Possibly because he was worried our family was losing its standing. The return of one of the biggest monsters the world has ever known would be ideal. [looks back at the children] Tell me about this Malivore.

Parrish: Malivore is an ancient creature, created by a witch, a werewolf, and a vampire to destroy all the monsters in the world that weren't of their kind. A clay golem, bound with a spell to do their work. It did its job well, since most monsters we know are from myths than from reality. As it became more aware of itself, it wanted to make a family and then a body for itself that looked human. [looks to Landon] our half-brother, Clarke, was the first that survived.

Hope: He learned to sculpt from our friend Cleo, a muse. She was held prisoner by him for a long time, until she was able to foster a means of escape.

Kate: And it's gone now? From what you can tell?

Hope: They had some preserved with magic in a jar, but we destroyed it. Otherwise the pit was gone, and I haven't gotten report of any new portals appearing from any of my contacts. As far as we can tell, Malivore is dead.

Kate: Good. That doesn't guarantee that the Doctors or La Bete is though. [which means she finally turns her attention to Jonathan, and while her expression is softer than it could have been, the idea of the Dread Doctors just abandoning one of their chimeras is not without reason.] I think it's your turn, now.

Jon: [he tenses some more, staring at his hands, but nods. When he starts talking, they'll realize why Ben asked Kate about Savoy.] They have many labs, the Doctors. Two in France, the island, and one somewhere in your country. They have moved me through them all for the last ten years, not wanting their success to be found. I only saw La Bete once, in France. The man you spoke of, Clarke, he put a poison in the tank after they had taken a piece of his flesh and put it on me. It was to make them focus on the pit, and not the werewolf. They almost killed him for that. They then moved La Bete, but he was never in the same place they took me.

I spent most of my time though in either France or the island. I was never put into the mud pit, though. Instead, when the pit released a monster, the doctors would take a piece of their flesh. Once the monster left, they would remove me from the tube, lock me in a chair and replace a piece of my arm with the flesh from that monster. They thought since I took with one creature, they would see how many I could become.

Hope: Hard to kill a man made of mud. I think Clarke knew that. [but that doesn't make Clarke any better, in the end]

Kate: [listens to the story with rapt attention, slotting pieces into place] Have you had any patches of lost time that were not contributed to the tube? Time that you were allowed to be out and free that you don't remember?

Jon: No. When I was out, I was either shackled to the chair or a table. Sometimes I was locked in a room where they wanted me to try and use the "powers" I was supposed to have.

Parrish: What kind of powers?

Jon: [shrugs] I can shift into a wolf. I can fly with fire wings and a long spiked tail. I can turn invisible to blend into my surroundings. I can grow fangs and scales which have a weird silver poison that I can inject into people. And my eyes and claws can glow purple.

Kate: Wolf, phoenix, rugarou, perhaps ... some that I don't recognize in the abstract. They really were trying to build a better monster. [she shakes her head. This is part of her family's legacy that she had hoped had died, but yet it never seems to. They need to get to that body and destroy it once and for all. She turns back to Jonathan] If I put a map in front of you, would you be able to pinpoint where the labs may be?

Jon: [shakes his head] Not really. I was never awake outside after I tried to escape once. The only reason I know the one keep was in Norway... [he bites his lips, because he knows they aren't going to like it] because I could see your manor's flag through a window.

Parrish: [and that makes him stand up suddenly, pure fear in his eyes.]

Liam: [yeah, he's not any better, but he's still and fear is reeking off him]

Kate: [on the other hand, Peter can feel that her expression is not so much fear as anticipation, something to hunt and so close nearby? She may have hated everything her father stood for but in some ways she is her father's daughter] Which direction? North, south, east?

Jon: I don't know. You have a lot of flags.

Kate: True. It's still a smaller area to work with than all of France. [though she'll have to eventually go find those too. But more immediate problems first] We'll take a stroll around the grounds, determine the angle and go from there. [to her husband] Is there a nematon near here?

Jon: Please don't make me. I just want to go home. [and he'll look up at Hope because he's only been awake for a few days and has been silently freaking out the entire time]

Kate: I hate to tell you, but there's no truly going home until these monsters are gone for good or La Bete is destroyed. Doing it with me will go much faster than refusing to help. I won't make you go to the lab yourself, but you're the one in the best position to tell me where to look.

Hope: [gives him a sympathetic look] She's right. You can stay here at the manor, but if you tell us which direction seems the most familiar, the safer here you'll be rather than us going on a wild goose chase.

Jon: [nods, also afraid of what would happen to him if they found out] Okay, but I need the sun to know.

Peter: And you will get it. [looks at Kate] There is one, but it was cut down and used for weapons when I was still a child.

Kate: Cut down doesn't mean gone. [it's an action they can take now.] Show me after dinner? Perhaps there are clues there as well. [Peter remembers as well as she does what they found at the last one]

Peter: [isn't going to tell her who did the destruction since she can take a wild guess already] Of course. I'll check my parent's journals for the location.

Parrish: [and he's going to lean down to whisper in Laura's ear that he needs to take a breather, then motions for Liam to join him, and they disappear from the dining hall]

Ben: [looks at Hope] What do you want to do?

Kate: [nope, she can take a wild guess if it was needed for weapons. Mountain ash does literally grow on trees after all]

Hope: Well, we can't leave until at least this is settled. [she wanted to make sure the last vestiges of Malivore were gone and the Dread Doctors do not seem like something that should keep living]

Kate: Actually, I was hoping that if I wrote a quick letter, you might be able to see it delivered to your brother. Magically, of course. [there is a certain shorthand that comes with very long friendships, it's faster if she conveys the information rather than asking Hope to write it]

Hope: [nods] I had no idea that you and Marcel had such history.

Kate: I make friends in many unexpected places.

Peter: It's a very complicated history we all have.

Derek: I can have the knights assembled and ready by morning. We just need to know what kind of weapons we need and to expect to be used against us.

Ben: This is bigger than we were expecting. We need to keep people behind to protect Jon since he doesn't know anyone beyond us. But them having witches will be an advantage, since the knights are all werewolves.

Allison: [eyes watching Parrish and Liam as they retreat, wipes her mouth before getting up from her chair] Excuse me. I need to go check on something.

Kate: [nods] I will take whatever spell craft you have available to offer. We can use whatever advantages we can get. [especially since they don't have a vampire going with them this time and last time Kate almost died] My preference would be Hope, but this is a volunteer situation.

Hope: [would also prefer it be her, but she'll put it up to Jonathan] Would you be comfortable staying with Josie and Landon?

Stiles: You can also stay in my wing of the manor. I may no longer be good on a battlefield, but I can defend everyone within my tower if needs be.

Josie: And I can keep a barrier spell up so they can't even get near you.

Jon: [and that has him relax a bit] As long as they can't find me, they can't make me hurt any of you.

Kate: Good. Then we all have our marching orders. Let's just hope this evening remains uneventful.

Allison: [it's difficult to sneak up on a werewolf, but she's been trained to her entire life, never mind the fact that she enjoys keeping her husband on his toes. She does her best to not draw Liam's attention before she has to, but once she's close enough in range, she speaks up] You two shouldn't do this alone.

Parrish: I won't let my family come to harm going against these creatures. They've already stolen too much from me.

Allison: So you would rather they harm you instead and your mates in the process. [she's just saying] Running at this alone is stupid and a surefire way to end up with both of you dead. You have a pack for a reason.

Parrish: They can't kill me, remember? At least for long. We're the ones they are here for, and we don't know if they're even in the keep right now.

Liam: We're not dumb enough to take them on alone. But if it's us they are here to watch, by us doing something "stupid", it'll distract them if nothing else when you come to save the day.

Allison: They can't kill you, but do you know how it will affect Laura? Have you died since you completed the bond? Do you know if it will resurrect her with you, or if you will only make your daughter an alpha before she is ready? [and then she turns her attention on Liam] And how can we come in and save you when we don't know where you've gone? You can't make us half the plan without telling us there is a plan. And, no, having Malia sense that you're in danger is only an appropriate answer if the question is "how to make an enemy of my father-in-law."

Parrish: I know that a mate bond isn't instantaneous. If it was, Peter wouldn't be here. It can take months or years, depending on how stubborn a person is, and my wife is very stubborn. And you assume that isn't something we haven't already talked about.

Liam: You're also assuming that my wife isn't right now excusing herself to come find me and pronounce that I'm not going anywhere without her.

Malia: He's not wrong. [she followed the sounds of the yelling] But I agree with Allison. You're both being stupid.

Liam: [smiles] You knew that about me when we were kids.

Malia: Yeah, and you were supposed to have grown out of it. [she crosses her arms in front of her chest] This is what a pack is for, and if you waited five minutes, you would have heard that Hope also intends to use one of the chimeras to see if it counts enough for a locator spell. It would save you a lot of time and blood loss.

Parrish: So we're going to use the traumatized victim instead of letting the two of us familiar with these doctors try and locate the place first?

Malia: A locator spell just requires him to hold Hope's hand. One of you two could have volunteered in his place if you had stayed.

Liam: [looks up at Parrish, because this is his idea]

Parrish: [looks back at Liam, then nods] Fine. But if they saw him come in, we may not get the first strike, or even be able to wait until morning.

Malia: All the more reason to try the locator spell first, before my dad and Kate leave and we lose our two big guns.

Liam: It is a better plan.

Parrish: [yeah but he's a self sacrificing idiot] Fine, go back. I'm going to go up to my chambers and see if anything I wrote down when we were first released might help.

Allison: I'll go with you. [because she's not trusting you as far as she can throw you right now]

Parrish: [shakes his head, but he'll motion for her to follow and he'll head up to his library to start researching]

Liam: [and he'll go back to where the others are with his wife]

Allison: [and she'll take direction and help, if he'll let her]

Malia: [and they return to the main room] I found a volunteer for your locator spell.

Parrish: [he'll give her one of them to look through, and she'll notice that his early writing is in Savoy]

Liam: [looks at Jon sympathetically] He's gone through enough. You can use me. You may be able to also answer a question I've had for a long time but never wanted the answer to.

Allison: [she frowns as she looks it over] Are you from Savoy?

Hope: Works for me. [the map is laid out on the table in front of them and she holds out her hand to him]

Parrish: I don't know. The years of dying daily took away all my memories. All I remember is from the few days before we escaped on. Sometimes I have dreams that could be memories, but nothing solid enough to give me a place to start.

Liam: [he takes it, looking at Malia with a small smile] Alright, what now?

Allison: [holds up the journal in question] This is written in Savoy. It's your handwriting.

Hope: I chant, we burn the map, and if all goes well, what doesn't burn will be where we need to go. [she strikes a match on the box and begins to chant. once the spell really gets going, she lights the match to the paper and it slowly begins to burn (13)]

Parrish: [comes closer and looks at it] I haven't written like that in a long time, not since Roland taught me English.

Liam: [the map burns, and eventually a spot deep in the woods that many believe is haunted is revealed. When they go to look for the nematon, it isn't that far from it.]

Allison: [she nods as she starts to scan some of the pages] Some of these mention a sister.

Hope: [she drops the spell and looks over at Kate] Your nematon theory might not be wrong.

Kate: [eyebrows up] Isn't that convenient.

Hope: This also means the Doctors are likely here. We need to be prepared.

Parrish: [is confused, moving to her side] Where?

Liam: [and when Hope lets go of his hand, Liam stumbles back two steps, a hand going to his forehead with a small whine]

Allison: [points at the passages in question] Here, a twin it looks like.

Hope: [frowns as she turns and looks at him] Are you alright? I wasn't even channeling you.

Liam: [shakes his head, pushing back and away from them as his body starts to involuntarily start shifting, his heartbeat speeding up as he growls]

Jon: [and he's up, moving behind Landon and Josie] They're here.

Hope: [lifts her hand and does the first thing that comes to mind. she casts a sleep spell on Liam] Ad somnum.

Kate: [goes to find the nearest cache of weapons] Where's Allison?

Malia: She went with Parrish to the libraries for some research.

Kate: Warn her, now.

Liam: [and with a 3, his glowing green eyes roll up into his head and he collapses]

Parrish: I don't remember any of this. [he takes the book from her, trying to read it]

Allison: [lets him take it, before moving on to look at one of the other journals and see what else she can find, until Malia bursts in the door]

Malia: You need to come now. They're here.

Hope: We need to get him behind some mountain ash or a barrier spell. [goes to start to lift Liam's sleeping body to stash him somewhere safe]

Kate: Go, take care of him. I'll start sounding the alarm. [and she'll head towards one of the nearest group of knights and start spreading the word that they're under attack, but doing it quietly. They don't need their howls alerting the rest that they know]

Parrish: [yeah, anything in his journals is forgotten as he motions for Allison to go, and he'll grab his sword from over the library's fireplace and follow]

Peter: There are cages in the basement for when our children are learning to control their shifts. They're downstairs, and very easy to defend. Take him there.

Ben: [goes to help Hope] Jonathan, come with us. It'll be safe.

Jon: [not moving] Nowhere is safe from them.

Allison: [nods as she goes to her room to grab her bow and find her husband]

Hope: [looks at him] Are you going to fight then? Because those are your options. Either fight for your life or allow us to do it for you but the only thing that lies in between is death.

Jon: It doesn't matter what I want. They'll control me just like they're doing to him. [motions at Liam] You can't stop it. [thinks, then goes to join them] But you can lock me up so maybe I can't reach any of you.

Hope: Fine. [and she will follow Ben down to the cages and lock them both in.]

Landon: [back up in the dining room] Where do you want me? I can try and see what I can see from above?

Parrish: Right now, go to the highest parapet, which would be in Sir Derek's tower. Look from there, because your wings will draw their sight. Neither of us are dying tonight if we can help it.

Stiles: Move the younger children into that tower too. Elena and I can defend them if anything tries to come after them.

Josie: I'll set up the barrier spell too, and if you need anyone healed, I can come out to help.

Raf: I go wherever Hope wants me.

Landon: [nods and heads off with Stiles and Josie]

Hope: With me. [as she emerges from the cages. She knows Ben's family is capable, but of this is going to get violent, she wants someone with her who understands her cues and she doesn't have to communicate with much] Do we know where they are?

Lizzie: Not yet. Do we know anything they need for an advantage? Do they need to see? Do they need sound?

Parrish: They are skilled fighters, and they use chemical weapons, mainly mercury and this greenish gas. [pauses] They use sound, I think. They used to hurt Liam with sound kind of sound. [looks around] Where is he?

Hope: They got into his mind somehow. I put him to sleep and we have him in the cages so he can't hurt anyone. [to Lizzie] If they're using some kind of sonic mind control perhaps a silence spell could eliminate it?

Lizzie: If we do that, it cuts off our ability to use sound to communicate as well. But maybe that's the best advantage we can get. If I have someone strong enough to channel, I think I could cover a good section of the manor.

Peter: You'd also be taking away one of our major advantages as a wolfs. We won't be able to hear anything coming.

Lizzie: The other option is using magic to short out whatever devices they have, but we would have to get close, and they've developed anti-magic resistances.

Parrish: [curses] Perhaps we can destroy their equipment the old fashioned way. [by punching things]

Allison: Or from above? [Allison appears with her bow] Either way, it seems as though we need to locate them first.

Parrish: They'll probably split up. There's four targets they could possibly be after: me, Liam, Jonathan, or Landon. They could also try to go after Kate and Allison while one goes after a target.

Derek: So they could pretty much be anywhere.

Peter: Let's use our eyes in the sky to locate the nemeton first. They'd be looking for a large tree stump. Its probably going to be a clearing in the forest canopy because of that.

Hope: [holds up the burned portion of the map] What is here, other than the nematon?

Peter: [takes the map, looking] Before this manor was built, there was a smaller one here that my ancestors used centuries ago. It's been abandoned, decayed, and mostly reclaimed by nature last I checked.

Hope: Well, that's where the magic says they are. If we can keep them distracted here at the manor, a small group of us could sneak around and see if they have the corpse here as well.

Derek: [joins the planning party] If they're only attacking us now, it's either because of Landon or Jonathan's presence. Since they're stationed here, Kate and Allison should be as well, since these doctors will almost certainly show up here. [looks at Kate] I can make two detachments of knights: one to go with Peter looking for the nemeton, and one with whoever is going to the old manor.

Peter: [looks at his nephew because who's ordering who around... he's kinda annoyed, but also kinda proud] I'll just scout, see what I find and report back so Kate and I can determine what needs to be done here.

Derek: [nods, then looks at Hope] Do you want to lead the group to the manor?

Hope: [nods] Lizzie and I can cover our exit with magic, but we should keep the group small all the same.

Raf: You said you want me at your side.

Ben: [looks at Hope] If four is too many, I can go with the nemeton team.

Hope: [shakes her head] Four is enough, it only gives us one invisible person to worry about each. We'll sneak out the back and try to make our way to the manor.

Derek: Go. We'll make it work here.

Ben & Raf: [move to Hope and Lizzie's side, waiting for Hope to give her orders]

Hope: [nods to the back doors, taking the piece of the map with her and looking to Ben] Have you been to this old manor before?

Ben: No. It's crumbling and Mom didn't want me getting hurt.

Hope: Do you know where the nematon is?

Ben: [shakes his head] I've never even heard the word until you said it.

Lizzie: Giant magical tree, calls supernatural creatures to it like a beacon. If we get close enough, I should be able to sense it.

Hope: [nods] Then let's get moving and away from the rest, and we'll figure it out from there.

Raf: [moves next to Lizzie] Sounds like a plan.

Ben: [nods, trying not to show how shaken he is. This is home. Home is supposed to be safe.]

Hope: [places a hand on his shoulder, because she can read him better than most. she keeps her voice low as she leans into him] We have faced worse odds than this, and so has your family. Everything will be fine.

Ben: [whispers back] I just don't like feeling unsafe here. This is supposed to be the one place I'm always safe.

Hope: I know. But your family has been defending this house for a long time. They're not going to let some dumb doctors take it from them.

Ben: I know. [but he's also always thought his Dad was unbreakable, and couldn't believe that someone would abuse a child and force them to kill others to survive. The last year has tested a lot of the things he thought he knew.] I just worry.

Hope: [nods, leaning in to kiss his cheek] Focus on the problem. Once we solve it, we can unpack everything else. [and with that, she and Lizzie will cast their invisibility spells and they'll inch their way around in the direction of the woods]

Ben: [and the boys will be quiet, alert, and let the witches lead so they don't burst the bubble -- pun intended]

Hope: [they manage to get to the remains of the nematon, and she rests her hand on top of it, feeling the latent magic there - sleeping, but not gone forever] Here's step one. [she pulls out her portion of the map] According to the map, the old manor should be this way.

Ben: And there's no dead bodies around it, so that's a plus.

Hope: There wouldn't be if there isn't a hellhound here. [a beat] Marcel told me the story of the last time he encountered the Dread Doctors. He said that Danielle, the hellhound tied to the nematon there, was recovering the bodies of the lost chimeras so mockeries wouldn't be made of them. To keep them safe.

Ben: Have you ever met a hellhound? How would we recognize one?

Lizzie: You won't, unless their hound side happens to be awake. In which case it's very hard to miss the person on fire just walking through town unheeding any attempts to stop them.

Hope: They're usually someone who died a heroic death tied to fire of some kind. Danielle was trying to rescue her sister from a burning building when she was chosen.

Raf: You wouldn't miss noticing that for certain.

Ben: I don't know if we have someone here that fits that description. It's more people die and burst into flames.

Hope: The nematon has been sleeping for a long time. It might not have seen fit to summon one.

Ben: Then maybe it's best we let it stay asleep and move on.

Hope: [nods] To the east, then. [and she'll set off to follow the path]

Ben: [and it won't be long until they see the castle ruins that are covered in moss, a layer of frost over it. It looks like no one has been here for years. (roll spot check)]

Lizzie: [13 for Hope, 1 for Lizzie. She has normal human eyes and cannot see in the dark. in fact, she trips over a tree root and lands hard, knocking the wind from her] Ow.

Raf: [and he's at her side in an instant, helping her back up] Are you okay?

Ben: [he doesn't see much, but Hope will notice that there's a spot that the ground cover doesn't fully cover]

Lizzie: Yeah. Stupid darkness and stupid tree. [she lets him help her up though. Nothing is injured but her dignity.]

Hope: [points to the break in the cover] There's something over there.

Ben: [and he will go over, brushing the cover away to find a tangle of tree branches in two piles] Just kindling.

Hope: Are you sure? [she makes her way closer, crouching down to get a closer look (19)]

Ben: [now that she's focused on it, she will see that the branches are held together with dried sap, and under them is a wooden root cellar door with rusty metalwork and handles]

Hope: [she pushes forward, reaching to wrap her fingers around one of the handles] There's a door.

Raf: [looks over at them] You found a door? [Sorry, he was busy checking over Lizzie just in case she had gotten hurt and couldn't feel it]

Ben: [and he'll grab the other handle to aid her in opening the door] Get ready, just in case something jumps out.

Hope: [nods] They covered it in kindling and I think it's rotting, but it might be a way inside that they don't know about.

Lizzie: [is fine, just pouty] Is it well lit?

Raf: [has his sword out] Won't know until they open it.

Ben: [looks at Hope, ready to help her when she's ready. (str check)]

Hope: [she tries to give it a steady tug, but she can't seem to get a good grip on it (7)]

Ben: [yeah, he's not any better (3)] Maybe it's rusted shut?

Hope: [makes a face.] Let's try one more time. Raf? [she moves over to give him space to provide a little extra leverage and tugs again (13)]

Raf: [and he joins, adding a 9 to her roll]

Ben: [And he adds another 7, and the door opens but it is loud metal on metal screeching as the hinges move for the first time in awhile]

Hope: [winces at the noise before peering down past the stairs] Sounds like if they are camping out here, they're not using this door often.

Ben: Probably. But we've lost any element of surprise.

Hope: I'm not seeing a lot of light. Lizzie, stay behind--

Lizzie: Raf, yeah, yeah, I know. [she reaches over and places a hand on his shoulder] I'll be careful.

Raf: If you'd like, I could carry you so you don't trip.

Ben: Let me go first [he asked Hope, looking down the hallway] If something reaches out, if it comes at me, it'll give you time to react with your magic.

Lizzie: [gives him a look] I can walk, just give me heads up if there's a step up. You might need your hands free.

Hope: [considers, then nods] Don't go too far ahead.

Ben: Of course. [and he will inch ahead, moving silently (11)]

Raf: Good thing I don't need to carry a sword to defend myself then.

Lizzie: [she would point out that it's still hard to claw people with an arm full of lizzie, but she keeps following in line with Raf (9)]

Hope: [stays close behind Ben, also moving as silently as she can (14)]

Raf: [it was going to be more like a piggy back ride, but semantics. (3)]

Ben: [and between the door and the echoes of the hallway, they aren't really being quiet enough to avoid detection. As they reach a corner, the sound of flapping wings can be heard before the monster flies over them to grab the loudest one - Raf - with taloned hands cutting into his shoulders]

Raf: [yelling in pain, and trying to raise his arms to scratch at the man-owl chimera but the grip keeps him from being able to reach up]

Lizzie: [since her hand is on his shoulder, she's able to quickly siphon from him, and points a hand upwards] Incendia. [her intent being to set the creature on fire (15). she knows this isn't their fault, but Raf's life comes first]

Talon: [and the man gives a loud owl screech as its feathers catch on fire. It drops its prey, falling to the ground and starting to roll on the ground to put itself out]

Raf: [and he's free, put landed face first on the stone floor so that's not fun]

Ben: [there's an echoing screech from down the hallway, and Ben turns to look, seeing three more flying at them] There's more coming.

Hope: [eyes the situation around them, before throwing up a barrier spell between them and the incoming chimeras, hoping they'll collide, like birds against a clear window]

Talon: [yeah, they're not used to magic. They impact, but regain their balance and stand at the barrier, trying to claw at it. Their upper bodies are covered in feathers, the lower half in ragged pants. Bare feet look like thick chicken legs with long nails. Their hands have claws where their fingernails would be. Their faces are covered in downy feathers, their noses elongated into owl's beaks]

Ben: [watching them] I wonder if they are just trying to escape and we got in their way.

Hope: Maybe. [and then, since France seems to be the common denominator, she switches to that as she addresses them] Do you speak French?

Talon: [nope, only screeches. They don't have vocal cords anymore]

Hope: [okay, let's try another tack] Do you understand French? Can you nod, yes or no?

Talon: [still only screeches.]

Hope: [glances to Lizzie] Did your grandfather ever teach you any kind of translation spell?

Lizzie: Josie is better at it than I am but I can try? [and then she tries to cast a spell so that they all speak the same language (17)]

Talon: [and it works and their screeches come out in French] MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE

Hope: Look, do you want to get out? We'll let you go, so long as you leave us in peace.

Talon: [at least one of them has a human brain cell and responds] Go home?

Hope: Yes. You can go home. Just don't hurt us.

Talon: [the front one turns his head 180 degrees to look at the others] We go home now. Find food there.

Hope: [hesitates, watching them, but she slowly lowers the barrier, before, pressing her and Ben towards the wall]

Raf: [does the same, keeping Lizzie behind him just in case.]

Talon: [and they fly past, with two stopping at their crispy friend who can't fly and helped him onto one of their backs so that he could ride them on the way out]

Hope: [exhales slowly as they go, before turning back to the group and nodding] Okay. Let's keep going.

Ben: [and they will get to the main lab, where they will find another green cylinder, this time with Sebastian's body floating in it. However, there is no heartbeat coming from it.]

Hope: That must be La Bete. [and she'll start scanning the room, looking for any sign of the doctors (19).]

Ben: [oh, there's plenty of signs. This is their current lab, and she'll smell the fresh scents of mercury, chemicals, and fear that matches Liam's scent. The lamps are lit, and there will be scrolls open with metal tools keeping the edges down. They are alchemical equations mixed with witchcraft - confirmed by the clay bowl with the ashes of herbs, hair, blood, and bones.]

Hope: [she was thinking more of them being present in the building, but you know what? She came to destroy, so as long as they keep an eye out for traps, they should get started] We should start with the body. Let's break that tube open.

Ben: We're supposed to just scout and report back. My aunt knows how to make sure that he's dead for real.

Hope: Do we want to risk leaving it behind? What if they come back?

Ben: What if letting it out makes things worse?

Hope: [makes a face] Two of us should stay, just in case. When the other two get back, we can send a witch message with instructions. It will save time.

Raf: I can stay. Someone can put an invisibility spell on me and I'll stay still and out of the way in case they return.

Lizzie: I'll stay with you. In case we need to send an SOS back quickly.

Ben: We'll be back quickly.

Hope: Stay safe. [and with that she will return to Ben's side and they'll sneak their way back to the manor]

Ben: [and they will get almost to the manor door before they notice a dark figure turning around the corner of the doorway and into the manor]

Hope: [grabs him and pulls him to the side out of view, until they determine what the dark figure is]

Ben: [ looks at Hope, confused at why she stopped him. The figure has disappeared into the shadows of the manor wall, but the snow where they walked leaves behind a green gas cloud from the snow evaporating, and a puddle sits in the middle of the shoeprint]

Hope: I saw something. [... something very warm, it seems. but the green gas is strange] It disappeared into the shadows that way.

Ben: Split up? You track, I'll tell my aunt? [yes, he's being smart and asking her to handle the danger, and not him]

Hope: [hesitates, but nods. She can do that] Be careful.

Ben: I'll be quick. [and cue Werewolf running]

Hope: [and she will do her best to follow the shadow quietly (20)]

Kate: [is making her rounds, keeping an eye out for trouble]

Ben: [using his nose, he finds her quickly] Auntie Kate... manor gate... saw one... Lab working... he's there.

Kate: [frowns] Where's the rest of your group?

Ben: Raf and Lizzie... are watching the lab. Hope is tracking the doctor here.

Kate: [nods] Tell Peter about Hope, then show me the way back to the lab.

Ben [nods and he's off, telling Peter quickly before reappearing at her side] Let's go.

Peter: [and he sneaks up beside Hope, the master of moving silently. Ahead of them, the geneticist moves gracefully, taking her time as she checks the stables, then moves toward the back of the manor where the dungeon is]

Kate: [nod and follows him as he leads the way back to the lab and Lizzie and Raf]

Hope: [glances at Peter's appearance, before turning her attention back to the doctor she's following] What should we do?

Peter: [he'll lean in to whisper] They are just human, but have a serum that keeps them regenerated. We need to destroy the body completely.

Hope: [her head tips as she considers] Odds are they likely have some kind of anti-magic device on their person. We might have to take the brute force approach at first.

Peter: We have enough of that here. [the doctor is getting close to the window that Liam and Jonathan are near.]

Hope: [her eyes glow at that and she waits for her cue] Would you like to do the honors or should I?

Peter: [he is about to answer when a strong frequency vibrates the air, followed by Jon screaming in pain] Both, now.

Hope: [doesn't need to be told twice. she rushes forward, claws out and brings down a pair of strikes against the doctor, aiming specifically for the machinery to try and destroy it if she can (16, 15)]

Peter: [goes with her, and when her strikes land, he goes for the helmet, claws slicing through the tubes in the back, then shuffling back when green gas leaks from the openings]

Hope: [darts back from it as well, before lifting a hand and trying to test her magic] Ventus. [she attempts to summon a gust of wind to blow away the gas]

Doctor: [and that moment is all she needs before whipping around, a whip covered in wolfsbane oil snapping towards Hope]

Hope: [she recoils as her skin begins to smoke, and gives out a small cry of pain, but honestly that just makes her angrier and her magic works so] Fluctus inpulsa. [she holds up her hand, sending a shockwave through towards the doctor that might just disrupt the rest of her equipment]

Doctor: [the frequency of that vibration makes her pause, held tilting forward like she's wincing]

Peter: [and he's going to sneak behind and quickly snap her neck. The doctor falls to the ground in a lump]

Hope: [moves to strip off some of the armor so that she can get to the doctor's actual skin] Incendia. [and she's just going to try and light the body on fire, to put the doctor out of commission hunter style]

Peter: [and that is going to work a little too well, as the serum in her skin lights up a moment and then she bursts into an exploding fireball. Peter fails his reflex and ends up flying back into the snow]

Hope: [with a 15 she's able to dart back quickly and shove her hand into the nearby snow. she knows she'll heal but ... ow] Well. That worked. [but before they get too far, she closes her eyes and reaches out to Josie, yay astral projection]

Landon: [yelps as a wild Hope appears]

Josie: [turns quickly, reaching for Landon's shoulder before she realizes it's hope] everything okay? I heard something outside the window.

Hope: Fine. Peter and I took out one of the doctors. Do you remember the shockwave spell we used on the gargoyle?

Josie: Yeah. Why?

Hope: It messes with their equipment. Also be careful when destroying the bodies because something about them is highly flammable.

Josie: Got it. Though I think it also hurt Jonathan's ears.

Hope: [nods] How badly?

Josie: [looks over to where Jon is curled up, head between his knees, hands over his ears. A small stream of mercury leaks from it] It may have bust a blood vessel or something. His blood has a silver color to it.

Hope: [to Jonathan] I'm sorry. Here, this might help. [she uses her claw to slice a line on her wrist, offering her blood]

Jon: [shakes his head] I don't want it.

Hope: Are you sure? It heals.

Jon: I don't need anyone else in me.

Hope: Alright. I have to get back, but I'll be more careful with that spell. [and she pops back into her body and opens her eyes]

Peter: [and he's picked himself up, and aside from a few healing chemical burns on his face, he is fine. Just annoyed] Let's try not to do that again.

Hope: Agreed. I told Josie about the Shockwave spell and warned her about them being flammable. [it's especially relevant with Josie because firebug]

Peter: Good. Now Ben and Kate went ahead of us back to their lab. Shall we join them?

Hope: Where do you think we'll be of more use? [she'll defer to him as this isn't her territory, but there are 3 dread doctors and they've only killed one]

Peter: Let us scout around the area and see if we can get any scents similar to the one you just eliminated.

Hope: [nods and slowly begins to make her way around the side of the manor (11)]

Ben: [meanwhile, he returns to the lab and carefully leads Kate through the place until they get to where Lizzie and Raf are waiting in their invisible state. The green bubbling tube with the body of La Bete remains unattended.]

Kate: [finally, face to face with the beast that haunted her family for so long, she almost doesn't know what to say. She just knows she needs to destroy it before things go much further] Do we know anything about the liquid? Is it caustic?

Raf: We haven't tried to open it. The one we found Jonathan in had an anti-magic spell on it.

Ben: I think Hope said that wasn't the case with this one, right Lizzie?

Lizzie: I just tend to think the brute force approach is usually best. [she's already found a stick to hit it with while they waited]

Kate: [smirks] Girl after my own heart.

Ben: We can follow your lead, aunt Kate. Since you know this person better than we do.

Kate: I know more of him than anything else. This man killed more than five hundred people because he could. Either way, this body needs to be destroyed.

Lizzie: [nods solemnly] If we get it out of that cannister I can burn it.

Raf: Probably decapitate it too, just to make sure he can't heal from the burns.

Kate: [nods] Whatever it takes. [and she will hold out her hand for the stick because she's the adult here] Stand back. [and once they're clear she will swing for the glass hard (16)]

Ben: [The glass cracks and liquid starts to stream out. Another good whack should do it]

Kate: [she will do just that (14)]

Ben: [and the glass will shatter and Sebastian will flow out and lay limply on the ground, unmoving.]

Lizzie: [Kate looks to her and she nods, before holding her hand over the corpse to set it on fire] Incendia.

Ben: [there's no fight, and no reaction to even being set on fire. Almost as if there isn't anyone inside the body anymore]

Kate: [well, she wasn't expecting anything, because she assumes someone would have told her if the heart was beating. but she'll decapitate it once the flames die down, before looking around the rest of the lab] We should burn the rest as well, if we can control it?

Lizzie: [nods] It will take more time?

Raf: [sniffing the air] There's a lot of chemicals in here. I'm not sure you should.

Kate: [makes a face, because she isn't sure she wants to just leave it, but doing this safely would take more time than they have] Then we deal with what's happening at the manor first, and come back to handle this later.

Ben: Maybe there's some kind of magical alarm you could set, Lizzie, to let us know if someone returns?

Lizzie: [nods because that's easy enough] Do we know how many entrances there are?

Raf: Just do the doors in here. It's the main lab, and there's only three here.

Lizzie: [nods and she'll place a hand on his shoulder to siphon off some magic, before going to do that]

Liam: [and while they are doing that, we'll rewind a bit so that it's just after Hope disappears from where Josie and Landon are. If anyone comes down to check on Liam, they're going to notice that he's speaking French softly, but there are two distinct voices coming from his mouth]

Jon: [yeah, that's not good. He's going to press into the wall and, like a chameleon, blend into his surroundings]

Landon: [is eyeing him and glances back to his lady] Uh, Jo?

Josie: Yes? [and she turns, looking at Landon] What's wrong?

Landon: Liam seems like he's having a conversation with himself.

Josie: Maybe he's having a bad dream?

Landon: In two different voices.

Josie: Oh. [comes closer, then notices that Jon's cage is empty] Where's Jonathan?

Landon: [frowns] He was right there. Jonathan?

Jon: [softly] You need to hide.

Joy: [since the Stilinskis are there and she's the one with superhearing] Why?

Jon: Smell. Mercury.

Joy: [she does smell it. and she's going to get up and try to follow it (10)]

Liam: [she won't have to follow far as black vapor starts to seep out of Liam's skin as he stands up, but more like a marionette being lifted by invisible strings. As it surrounds him, it makes Liam appear to grow in size and stature, like he's shifting under it all. There's a low warning growl and suddenly red eyes snap open]

Landon: [reaches forward and pulls Joy back, fire starting to prickle around his shoulders] Go find your uncle. Now. Run.

Joy: [does so, following her nose to find the nearest adult not already in that room]

Parrish: [which will be him as he's going to be moving from station to station to get status reports. He sees her in panic and stops] Joy, what's wrong?

Liam: [speaking in French only, and it's not Liam's voice] You don't scare me, firebird. [the creature backs up to the outer wall and without looking back, bangs his first on the bricks. Cracks form and dust shoots out from them]

Joy: Something's wrong with Liam.

Landon: Oh, I'm not the one you should be worried about. [it will fully admit this, he's not the scary one] I would worry about the tribrid. [there's no better word for it so tribrid it is]

Liam: I smelled the Mikaelson. Her time will come. [another backward punch on the wall, and the bricks start to crumble and fall, leaving a gaping hole]

Parrish: Show me. [yeah, not good]

Joy: [and she will lead him back to the dungeon just in time for them to see the hole in the wall]

Landon: [yep, but he's not saying anything about the Argents. that gets to be a fun surprise] She's already killed one of your saviors. I wouldn't underestimate her. [looks up at Parrish] You should be outside.

Parrish: Joy found me. [his eyes lock on the creature] Who are you, because you're not Liam.

Liam: I am, and I'm not. But you'll learn soon enough. Give the Argents our regards. [and he's going to turn and take off, running on all fours faster than a normal werewolf, jumping over the manor wall and into the forest opposite from where the lab is.]

Allison: [looking from above sees the form moving and reacts before anything else. she raises her bow and takes aim, sending the arrow flying to try and strike a place that would slow him down (19), before immediately aiming a second in an equally debilitating place (20)]

Liam: [he howls at the two strikes, turning and snapping as the eyes laser focus on her and catches her scent] Argent. [He breaks the ends of the arrows off, and the one in his shoulder causes him to change to running on two legs as he holds the one in his ribs to keep it from jostling as he keeps running, black vaporous blood left in his wake.]

Allison: [that's cool, keep coming for her buddy. She raises her bow again, doing her best to not hit anything that would kill him - he's still in Liam's body, after all]

Hope: [and Peter round the corner after hearing the damage to the wall, and she tries to do some quick calculations and ... pulls a move she hasn't pulled in a while, but the end goal is to stop in him without killing Liam right? so she pulls the most annoying Hope Miakelson move:] Imitator Populus. [a simple mimic spell, but effective when you want to stop something in it's tracks and distract it from it's goals]

Liam: [and with a nat 20 to resist, the spell makes him stumble, but doesn't take.]

Peter: [and he's going to go for the physical violence route to stop him from aiming his claws at the creature's legs, but the creature is angry, hurt, and isn't in the mood to play, so he's going to dodge, then upward slash at Peter, slicing through his stomach and chest, then sends the man flying back at Hope before taking off again]

Hope: [fine, they want to do this the hard way, they do it the hard way. she takes off after him and does her best to try and get in spell range again]

Kate: [meanwhile, on the way back, Kate stumbles as a sudden wave of pain rocks through her] Something's wrong.

Liam: [yeah, he's not going to stop running, planning to get far away and then get his bearings when he's alone and healed]

Ben: We're almost there.

Peter: [in unconscious, slowly bleeding out from three claw slashes going from stomach to ribcage]

Kate: [nothing about the situation now feels good] Move.

Malia: [has come in search of her husband, finds her father instead and does what she can to stop the bleeding]

Hope: [is just going to keep following at an acceptable tracking distance]

Peter: [sorry Malia, he's already in shock after hitting the ground hard. But her being close helps with the not dying]

Ben: [and he's going to do the thing where he puts one hand behind her neck and lower head, and the other around her waist and he's going to werewolf run them both back to the manor, stopping just outside where Ben gets hit with the scent of Peter's blood]

Liam: [and he's going to head for a wide ravine and jump across it, landing on all fours but wincing as he lands from his injuries]

Kate: [drops down next to her husband, placing one hand against his chest as she assesses his injuries] What did this?

Landon: Liam. [Landon makes a face as he finally emerges on the field] He's the success. He's the one they used to bring back La Bete.

Kate: [at first she wants to object, but she's been a hunter long enough to know what it looks like when a ghost burns, and that wasn't it. So she swears] We were too late.

Hope: [watches him go over the ravine and thinks briefly about following him but she's trying to do better and not be reckless. So instead, she pulls out a handkerchief and tries to wipe up some of the blood, before turning to head back to the manor]

Parrish: We don't know how or when it happened, but right now we need to focus on the immediate problems. [moving to kneel next to Kate] Let's get him inside where it's warm and we can clean him up and access the damage.

Peter: [he's breathing, but ragged. Heartbeat is faster than normal]

Kate: [takes a breath and nods] One of you find Deaton. The rest take him up to our rooms.

Hope: [emerges out of the woods, handkerchief in hand] I lost him when he went over a ravine. But, I have his blood to track him.

Josie: Good. But I think we have other things to focus on right now.

Ben: I'll get him. [and off he goes because he's not going to make Malia leave her father]

Parrish: Landon, think you can fly him up to his rooms? It'll be faster.

Landon: Yeah, I'm ... not that good at flying. I can barely take Josie with me, let alone a full grown man who's injured on top of it. It'll probably be safer if I don't.

Parrish: No, that's okay. Let's carry him. [and he'll motion for Raf and Hope to help]

Hope: [she will, and they'll get Peter upstairs and settled in his and Kate's bedroom. Kate and Malia stay at his side as they want for Deaton to come and assess him]

Deaton: [and he arrives, but sent Ben on to inform Laura about his condition] Has he woken up at all?

Parrish: [shakes his head] No.

Kate: His breathing is uneven and his heart rate is too fast.

Deaton: And Liam did this? [he's going to start his examination, being careful of the claw slashes as he listens to Peter's chest]

Kate: It wasn't Liam. It was La Bete.

Hope: Do we know when this happened? [looks to Parrish] It's possible you don't remember everything because of Malivore. There's a spell, that we could do on you and Jonathan, that restores memories that the pit took.

Parrish: I don't remember anything before Malivore. I died too many times that it destroyed most of my conscious memory.

Hope: What about Jonathan? Maybe he might remember something.

Allison: It might be worth doing. [quietly from the door] For more than just our current predicament. But I don't think how is going to save us right now, unless it's how we are going to fix it.

Landon: Well, how was La Bete taken out last time?

Kate: Marie-Jeanne impaled him on a piece of iron forged from mistletoe, moutain ash and her own blood.

Malia: We are not impaling my husband.

Raf: Ouch.

Parrish: [to Malia] We're going to find a way to save Liam.

Josie: Jonathan's still in his cage. We can go get him?

Deaton: [nope, still evaluating Peter, checking in the gashes to see how deep the claws went] What color eyes did Liam have when he did this?

Allison: I didn't see it. I was too far away.

Hope: [makes a face as she tries to remember] It all happened so fast. I don't remember.

Josie: [looks at Landon] Red. Two red dots in a monster shaped black mercury cloud.

Kate: [frowns] La Bete wasn't an alpha. He was an omega - a powerful one, but still.

Deaton: If these dread doctors are involved, I wouldn't be surprised if they helped him upgrade. [opens his bag of medical supplies] Either way, this is going to take awhile for him to heal from, and he needs to be near his alpha at least until he wakes up.

Parrish: I think Ben went to get her.

Laura: He did. [and she'll move to stand at the end of the bed] But we can't let this problem lie. What are we going to do about Liam?

Malia: [opens her mouth]

Laura: To fix him, Malia.

Malia: [closes her mouth] Perform an exorcism?

Ben: Is that what possession looks like? Can it change his appearance like that?

Kate: Sam and his brother deal with demons more than I do, but not usually, no.

Laura: Sam and Patience are in England with Mercy, helping her prepare her belongings to come here. They're not an option at the moment.

Kate: Then we need someone who's expertise lies in the realm of the dead. [looks at Allison]

Allison: [purses her lips and nods] I'll send Isaac for Lydia.

Ben: Do we know where his brother is? One of us can go find him so we don't bother Sam.

Parrish: We also need to capture one of the Dread Doctors and get information out of them on what they did. Is there a truth spell that you can put on them to give us that information?

Hope: I can, but they've been known to build things that resist magic. And I've already destroyed one of them.

Parrish: Well, you have two more tries to get it right.

Deaton: I may have some ideas on spell components you can use. [he doesn't look at them, instead focusing on cleaning out Peter's wounds and bandaging them up with practiced ease]

Kate: You'll want the Surgeon. He's the one driving the ship, so to speak. Rumor is he's Sebastien's best friend who helped him hid the bodies.

Parrish: [looking at Laura] Would you mind me taking the knights and storming all their labs until we find them and drag them back to be questioned?

Laura: [shakes her head] Be careful. And make sure you don't leave anything of theirs behind.

Allison: I'll help.

Hope: What about La Bete? He was wounded, but if we let him rest too long, he'll heal.

Kate: I don't think we can do anything about that until we know more. But you should reach out to your brother. Let him know that our problem has resurfaced.

Hope: [pauses, then nods, and goes to send Marcel a message]

Parrish: I'll leave a small contingent behind to protect everyone, including Jonathan.

Deaton: I would suggest leaving Derek behind, for Peter's sake. If he gets an infection, he'll need all of his direct blood family nearby helping him heal.

Laura: [she nods] Malia, will you go address that with him yourself?

Malia: [makes a face and nods before going to find her cousin]

Derek: [and he's busy ordering his knights around, getting reports from scouts as they are looking for the dread doctors in the areas near the manor and in town. He knew something was wrong, but he had been on the opposite side of the manor and didn't know the details.]

Malia: [comes into the room] Parrish is going to be gathering the knights to go scouting but Deaton says you can't go.

Derek: [looks up, confused] Why not?

Malia: Because my father was hurt and he might need your help if there's an infection.

Derek: [and his face pales, but she has his full attention] What.... how?

Malia: My husband is possessed by the Argents ancient murderous werewolf and in order to escape Liam went through him. [yeah she's really not doing well but she's trying to hold it together by some slim threads]

Derek: [yeah, but she were sent to the empathy Hale so he's going to check in on her, even though he has SO MANY QUESTIONS] Okay... how are you doing right now?

Malia: [there's a long silence as her face goes from her usual firm resolve to something more uncertain, and she tries to blink it away when her eyes start to prick with tears] I didn't see it.

Derek: [and he'll step closer, a hand going to her shoulder] It's probably best that you didn't.

Malia: [gives him a look of how is that possibly better????]

Derek: You don't want the image in your head of Liam hurting your father, possessed or not.

Malia: [Oh. No that wasn't what she meant] I mean that I didn't see that there was something wrong.

Derek: None of us did. For all we know, whatever this is could have happened to him when he was a child and we've never known different.

Malia: [that doesn't make her feel better] But I'm his wife. And if this has always been there ... [it's uncomfortable, to think that it wasn't always Liam there with her. If there might have been something else when she was with him]

Derek: Don't let your mind go there right now, alright? We don't know much about this, and we need real answers to understand it. But that boy has loved you since you were kids. That Liam, he would never consciously attack your father. And if he knew he had something inside of him, he would have told us to protect you.

Malia: [she can't help it. she has nothing else to do but spiral] Anyway, you need to stay in case Deaton needs us.

Derek: Alright. Do you want to stay here with me? Help me figure out who to send with Parrish and who to keep back?

Malia: Not really. [she also doesn't want to leave her father's side, and she's been gone long enough as it is] Just come to Kate and Peter's wing when you're done.

Derek: I will. [and he will lean down to kiss the top of her head] Your father is a stubborn man. He'll recover.

Malia: [she nods and heads back to the wing to resume her seat next to Peter]

Peter: [and he's unconscious and in a lot of pain, and while he instinctively leans into Laura to get comfort from his alpha, his nose takes in Malia's scent and his head turns in her direction]

Malia: [she'll take his hand, not going anywhere, even if her head is going not great places]