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[dragnar]

If we ever get time, we should perform a hostile take-over of the kitchens, and teach the cooks how to freakin' cook. It may earn us some respect from the other technomancers.

I'm doubting we'll get much respect for cooking. These are a bunch of geeks, they don't care about the food, just the explosions.

Still not a bad idea though.

[Silleh Boy]

You locked the door of your room behind yourself as you stepped into your room, breathing in deeply as you inhaled the aroma of that food before you. It was like the first meal given to a person who had been starved for a week. It didn't matter what it was, it looked, smelled and no doubt tasted divine.

Food, wine, a soft bed, a hot bath on demand.

This felt as if it was as close as you could get to heaven, as if these simple things were all you needed right now to rest and relax. You knew that you shouldn't get yourself endlessly worked up over the fact that it was likely down to you to see to Eurochkoles rescue. You needed to be at your best to even hope to be half as brilliant as he was, you needed to ensure that you could think and manipulate at your best.

If the Technomancers and Clockworkers didn't come through for you then it would fall on your shoulders to do this for him. You felt that you at least owed him that much. He had gone through weeks of living hell to try and set things up for you after all, to make right that what he had done to you.

That was something that you didn't hold against him anymore, you had started to see that what he had given you was a second chance, a chance to be yourself instead of what the Enlightened were making of you. He had given you back a life you had lost, he had given you a life that you planned to make the most of again.

He had given you hope.

You were going to make damn well certain that he was set free.

You knew that there was Red, he most likely knew other people that Eurochkoles interacted with, you knew that there were the Clockworkers and the Technomancers, who would likely know the locations of a few less reputable types. You knew that they would never admit to knowing mad scientists offhand, though that wouldn't stop you finding the ones that they suspected and using them for help if need be.

That still left you with a lot of contacts to find, a lot of faces to get on the right side of, a lot people to play for the potential help that they could give you down the road.

You took mouthfuls of the fish as you considered these things, almost forgetting to chew as you washed it down with wine. More wine than you should. You could feel the buzz of alchohol as you polished off both the wine and the fish, before you made your way into the bathroom and started to draw a bath.

The warm water, the alchohol and the meal had you unable to keep your eyes open.

You were aware you were dreaming though as you opened your eyes to another world, this one taking the form of a prison, this one lined with a thousand cells. You walked past a thousand empty cells, looking in each one as pipes rattled and voices screamed, always screaming from the next cell before it turned out to be empty.

A thousand screaming voices, a thousand empty cells.

Then finally, the next cell was silent.

In it was a figure, a figure chained to the far wall of the cell who remained silent as two robed figures beat him. A figure who ignored the screams of the figures as they told him to talk, to listen to them, to accept the doctrine of the enlightened. The figure started to smile as he raised his head, looking up at you, before letting out a long, drawn out sigh as he closed his eyes again and lowered his head.

Eurochkoles...

"Eurochkoles!" you yelled, banging on the bars of the cell, taking note of the absence of a door to it as you tried to get his attention. It was only the two figures inside that took note of you however, two figures that you didn't recognise. You knew the mark on their forehead, the robes they wore, but you didn't know them.

"Who are you! Sister Anxiety demands to know your identities!"

"We are transcendent, Anxiety, we are what you could have become, we are breaking his body and his mind at the same time. You are in our domain now, and as your body slumbers we will kill your mind. You shall never awaken, traitor."

The two figures voices echoed as they spoke in unison, as they moved through the bars of the cell like they were made of liquid, as they advanced on you steadily. You backed away from them slowly, looking for something, anything to use against them as a weapon, only to bump into something, someone as you went backwards.

You jumped away from the figure, pressing yourself beside the wall as you started to slide beside them and away from the two advancing Enlightened. The figure looked like a gentleman, dressed in a dark waistcoat, a fancy shirt and well tailored trousers. His buckled shoes were pristine, his face clean shaven and his black hair short. He had the same unearthly beauty about him as you had seen in Eurochkoles, the same calm demeanour...

"Good evening miss." The figure stated as he nodded to you, almost disinterested as he turned back to the two figures advancing upon you.

"Who are you?" the two enlightened asked in unison as their hands transformed into the same wicked, ceremonial blades that were provided to the Enlightened as weapons typically.

"I saw the colours of your souls shining beautifully in the evening sky and I just knew that I had to have them. Such vibrant, wonderful colours, colours that I shall use to paint my greatest masterpiece yet."

The figures statement had the Enlightened look at each other briefly, before they charged towards him, before they dived at him, before the three figures vanished from the dream. As they vanished you started to run towards the cell that Eurochkoles had been in once more, screaming his name as you felt the dream world starting to lose cohesion, coming apart at the seams as he awoke.

With his return to consciousness came your own, the splash of water as you sat up with a start reminding you that you had fallen asleep in the bath. The bath felt cold now.

Taking a deep breath you tried to compose yourself and make sense of what you had just seen, as you asked yourself what you were going to do.

[dragnar]

We should go look for a wise-woman. Every fantasy town has one, and that might be our best bet at figuring out how to take a bit more control of these dreams.

It looks like we know how the enlightened get killed now. Their bodies might regenerate, but destroy the mind and it's over.

[Armok]

Check if we have become fish. Especially as we sleept in the bath...

[rickvoid]

Is not making a yeast infection joke.

It is not funny.

[Silleh Boy]

You grumbled as you pulled yourself from the bath, sitting on the edge of it as you looked at your fingers and toes. They'd gone wrinkly from the water. At least you were clean now, though this fact didn't make up for the fact that your fingers and toes were wrinkly.

You almost stormed from the bathroom once you had dried and dressed yourself, huffing as you told yourself you wouldn't be doing that again. You didn't like the fact that your fingers and toes had ended up wrinkly, you especially didn't like waking up in water that had gone cold.

You briefly wondered what time it was, as you had heard the figure in your dream specifically state evening. It was likely just a formal manner of speech, but it was worth investigating none the less. Especially given that there was no light down here beyond the artificial lighting provided by the electric lights and occasional glowing stone.

You lay back on your bed, gazing up at the ceiling as you wondered what the dream signified, as you wondered if it was symbolic or if there was more to it. You knew that Eurochkoles had been in it, that he had been taking a beating from the enlightened as they tried to bring him about to their way of thought.

If that was a reflection of his mind, then he was mentally shrugging off their abuse.

It didn't make you feel any better though, as being immortal meant that he could physically be put through hell and survive it. Mentally, he was enduring it well at least. At least, that was how it appeared to you. Maybe he was projecting that he was enduring it well to make you worry less, maybe he was actually suffering horribly and just wanted you to believe that he could hold on that little longer for you.

This wasn't sitting well with you.

You rolled over as you sat up, reaching for your machete, strapping it to your back, hopping to your feet as you made your way to the door, out of your room and onward. You didn't care where you went, you just wanted to be out of this place, you just wanted to be outside and doing something other than hiding away.

You were torn though, you had the option of hiding away safely and waiting for things to come together, to give you an idea of what you needed to do to ensure Eurochkoles was rescued by the incompetants of the two guilds, or you could go out and try and influence it yourself. That, or you could go out and look for trouble.

You didn't know why the idea of looking for trouble seemed so appealing, it was as if there was something deep down telling you to do it. Something that wasn't you. Something alien with a sweet sirens voice.

You hurried towards the reception room, slowing to a walking pace every time you had to pass by somebody in the hallways. You were feeling increasingly anxious, increasingly wanting of freedom, increasingly enticed by the thought of running outside and finding something exciting to do. You couldn't help it, you knew that this desire wasn't your own and you couldn't bring yourself to disobey it. It was was passionate and alive, it was wild and hungry. It was what compelled you forward as you strode through the reception room, swinging the doors open as you made your way outside and into the open air.

You took note of the fading sunlight bleeding over the horizon as it set, as you hurried down the steps, as you made your way forward. You took note of the dogs howling as that what went bump in the night started to awaken, as the early flocks of vultures took to the sky.

You felt a rush of adrenaline as you started to run down one of the main paths, watching as people hurried off the streets, watching as people fled from that what went bump in the night. People were terrified, but not you.

No, not you.

You could see the occasional vulture fall, doubled with the sound of gunfire as mechanical men, law enforcement and civilians alike thinned some of those early risers from the skies. You could feel that alien urge telling you to stalk the night, to hunt, to feast upon your prey. You almost found yourself salivating in response to this, while your mind screamed at you to stop, while your mind screamed at you to show that you were better than this.

Eurochkoles believed you were better than this...

Were you truely less of a person with this hunger though?

You were conflicted, did you fight it and run back inside the guild house, did you give in and rejoice in your nature as you hunted that what went bump in the night, or did you dominate that nature, laugh in its face as you remained outdoors and refused to let it take hold?

[rickvoid]

We are the master of our urges. The urges do not master us.

Kill any monsters that attack us, but shun their flesh.

Remember our good friend Brother Compassion, and seek him out. Surely he will help us!

[dragnar]

or did you dominate that nature, laugh in its face as you remained outdoors and refused to let it take hold?

This one. Look for towers away from the main part of the city that are crackling with lightning. We shall hunt SCIENCE instead of monsters.

[Osmosis Jones]

or did you dominate that nature, laugh in its face as you remained outdoors and refused to let it take hold?

This one. Look for towers away from the main part of the city that are crackling with lightning. We shall hunt SCIENCE instead of monsters.

[RAM]

We need to be at our strongest to rise to the occasion, find something to eat but be judicious about it...

[Silleh Boy]

You breathed in deeply as you tried to bring those urges to heel, as you told yourself that you were better than this, that you were your own master. You did not answer to these urges, you did not allow such urges to make you feed off the things that went bump in the night simply because you felt you needed to. You were stronger than that.

You took another deep breath as you dug your nails into your palms, your chest rising and falling, your eyes closing as you focused on ignoring those urges. You just needed to drown them out, to drown out those alien urges, those desires that would make you no better than some of the creatures of the night if you submitted to them. You were better than this, you were your own person, you were in control.

You were a woman who had recently rejoined the civilised world, you were a lover of comfort, you were cunning, you were sharp of tongue and wit. You were Eurochkoles only hope. There was too much responsibility on your shoulders, too much riding on you for you to submit to these urges. If you were to feast upon that what went bump in the night it would be because you wished to, not because you had submitted to some base urge.

You opened your eyes again as you let out a small huff.

You scanned the skyline of the city as you kept an eye out for trouble, watching as the fading day slowly gave way to night. It would be dark soon, though you had no fear of the dark. It was that what went bump in the night, those who hunted that what went bump in the night that you had reason to be worried about. You also had to be careful about running into the enlightened, though you had a feeling that you had more to worry about from them now.

Your mind wandered back to your dream as your feet wandered through the streets, two of the enlightened had referred to themselves as transcendent, able to inhabit the world of dreams and the real world at the same time. Did this mean that Pride had been secretly training up an elite task force, or did it mean that you had encountered two of his most trusted children?

You didn't like it either way, though you had been saved when another figure had invaded the dream, a figure who had taken away those two as if they were nothing. You were going to have to keep an eye out for him.

In unison the howl of dogs echoed from nearby, sending a chill down your spine as you realised they were in perfect unision. You picked up your pace as you heard another sound, one of heavy metal feet echoing lightly in the distance. If that howl was what you thought it was, then one of the mechanical men would keep you safe.

Another howl, this time closer, followed by the sound of sniffing and breathing echoed out from behind the corner of a house you had just passed. You picked up your face further as you took hold of the hem of your skirt, as you lifted it so it wouldn't restrict you as you started to run.

Three howls echoed in unison, prompting you to turn your head as a vast, multi headed beast bounded around the corner and started to chase you. It was just what you thought, a tainted, multi headed dog. A dog that came up to the chest of most men, a dog that was broad shouldered and muscular. You had encountered a few of these in your time with the enlightened and had never taken them down without at least several people being horribly injured.

Cerberus.

Glowing green eyes half way down the street told you that the mechanical man was near. You just needed to reach it and you'd be safe!

You ducked and weaved as you knocked over boxes and barrels to slow down the pursuing beast, before you started to sprint like your life depended on it. Sure, you could recover from this, but you didn't want to have to. You knew it would take some time to recover from half your body being devoured by a tainted beast.

"Cerberus Sighted, Initiating Engagement."

Your heart rose as those words boomed out from the mechanical man, yet it didn't slow down, arm itself and prepare to turn the dog into chunks. You started to sprint all the faster as you passed it by, knowing that one of these things could probably tear a mechanical man in two with ease.

At least it would buy you time.

There was the snarl and a clang of metal against flesh behind you, the sound of tortured metal as teeth sank into it, rending and tearing the armoured surface of the mechanical man. You were already looking for something to climb atop, a place to hide until the Cerberus lost interest in you and went for other prey. The mechanical man would buy you that much time.

At least you assumed that.

"Initiating Discharge."

A massive crackling boom filled the air as those words echoed out behind you, the sound of energy discharging filling the air. There was a whimpering yelp and then a moments silence before the sound of a heavy body thudding against the ground echoed out. You turned to see the form of the dog laying at the mechanical mans feet, smoke rising from it as the stench of charred flesh and fur started to drift your way.

You almost wished that the mechanical man could have been destroyed instead as it would have spared you the stench of burning from this thing. You took a moment to catch your breath as you watched the mechanical man reaching for the body, taking hold of one of its heads as it started to drag it off.

"Target Neutralised, Returning For Disposal."

As the mechanical man stomped off into the distance you took a good look at the skyline of the city, taking note of what looked most distinctive. Your heart was only half in it after the shock of being chased by that monster, though you told yourself that you needed to remain focused.

The skyline revealed several features of interest to you. There were the spires of a nearby church with a cross shaped lightning rod atop each one, there were a few towers on the outskirts of the cities with lightning rods, too. You could see big ben too, though there were few other features of interest that you could see in the fading light due to the houses around you obscuring your view partially.

It was getting dark quickly, though your eyes adapted to the gloom as quick as it came. Was it wise to remain out after being attacked, or did you have plans for where to go tonight?

[Osmosis Jones]

Ooooh Big Ben Big Ben! Sure, it will serve absolutely no purpose for hunting SCIENCE, but goddammit man, it's BIG BEN!

[rickvoid]

Heh. I forgot we were in London. Seriously, I did.

Somebody with more free time than me should do some research on London. Having knowledge of the actual city might be useful.

[dragnar]

Lets head for that church. No idea what we might find, but I'm guessing any church in this city would know where to find a demon hunter or two. Also the lightning rods are a good sign for SCIENCE.

[Osmosis Jones]

Or, you know, a tall building