Behind The Veil

[Noah Autumnchild]

Noah's face hurt. Probably due to the broken jaw, but his busted nose might be contributing as well. He probably shouldn't have used Persuasion to convince them to attack each other. Either way his face was in pain, but it wasn't the only place.

The rest of his body wasn't doing so hot either. His torso hurt from all the punching and kicking it had recently endured. Adding to this his arms were bound behind his back at a bad angle, mostly because they were still stuck to the skin of the Fomori he'd punched. Punching the sticky Fomori had been a bad idea, he was willing to admit that now.

As he knelt on the cement of the skate park he was also willing to admit a few other things. First it had been a bad idea to go jogging at night through an unpatrolled park. He was one of Gaia's chosen so he should have been fine, should being the operative word.

He was also willing to admit that chasing the tall man in front of him had been a poor judgement. Certainly his Helios enhanced hunch had been on the money and the guy was of the Wyrm, but one of the things Noah hadn't counted on was that the Fomori hadn't been alone. The presence of four Fomori instead of one shouldn't have been the problem that it was, except there were more things he hadn't counted on. He really hadn't counted on arriving at the skate park only to find that he couldn't shapeshift. He really hadn't counted on that part. He'd never heard of Fomori who could prevent a Garou from changing shape, but try as he might he just couldn't manage it.

Without a weapon or access to the most basic Garou ability, the fight hadn't lasted long, but Noah had learned a lot. The black guy with the dreads, or Jamaica (as the Galliard had begun to think of him), had super strength. Noah's broken face attested to that. The blonde girl behind him had flesh like rubber and skin like glue. When he'd punched her in the chest, his hand had sunk between her cleavage and stuck there. Jamaica had forced his other hand to join it shortly after that. The tall Chinese looking guy and the dark girl in the bunnyhug remained a mystery, but not for much longer.

“If you keep up like this you'll really damage the goods and the boss'll be pissed.” said the Asian Fomori in accent-less American, “You know she wants him alive.” he tutted. “Let me do it.” he said reaching over to Noah. The Galliard struggled some more but the Jamaican was hold him down. If he got out of this alive Noah swore he'd hit the weights even harder then before.

As the Asian touched him his world exploded in pain and he screamed. The pain was immense, most would have passed out instantly, which was what the Fomori had expected, but Noah had once been a Spiral so his pain tolerance was far from average. But strong as he might be, he was going down, the blackness was already starting to form at the edge of his vision. He screamed until he was out of breath, then he inhaled and screamed even louder. No human authorities patrolled this park after midnight, but there was no way the Galliard was going to go quietly.

[Ciel Vivirito]

There were many things that Ciel liked to do, but only a handful of things he loved. But tonight he almost wished he could whistle while he worked, loving the fact that within the Velvet Shadow he was free to be himself, to stride proudly in his birthform- patrolling the spirit lands for any odd happenings, he had yet to run into anyone on his adventures yet...well, once, but that wasn't because he was hunting, but rather more...a happy accident, but either way, he had yet to run into a Garou while he was on the hunt, which was somewhat unsettling for the young ahroun.

It wasn't as though there wasn't work to do.

In fact, as he slid Dog-Tail through another lesser bane, Means-by-no-Means shivered, his hackles raised as he started to notice that the Wyrm-spirits were starting to swarm, like a hornet's nest that had been thoroughly shaken and they moved about wildly nearly so preoccupied by whatever it was just over the gauntlet that even one of Gaia's teeth found himself utterly ignored by the banes...even going so far to bounce up against his dark pelted body without minding that he was there.

Running his tongue over his teeth, Ciel snorted, head tilting in curiosity as he tried to change into something a bit more acceptable, however, in his shock he could not shift to his homid form. His blue eyes going wide as he shuffled from foot to foot, this wasn't good, and he couldn't help but think the worst- but it was obvious the culprit of this up rising was definitely within the physical world, and he while he hated to be so unsubtle, circumstances made it clear that he couldn't afford to be picky.

Stepping sideways into a darkened pathway, Ciel found himself overjoyed that the city was terrible with their parks commission, the lights were out and the shadows fed on whatever little light there was- a small mercy, considering he only had a moment to consider his surroundings before the sound of a man screaming made his large radar-like ears twitch. The Strider found his lips pulling back in a half-grin, half-sneer as he began to prowl, his black and brown hide making him a ghost among the night as he twirled Dog-Tail in his ready hand.

He was the vengeance that Gaia needed when others were so busy playing. The metis's natural anger was allowed a rare bloom in his breast as he prayed to Owl to bring him quietly to his quarry, the gift of Silence making the mute inaudible as he crept down the screaming man and his assailants, the first he heard was the one talking over the screech, though he got the gist of the situation there was very little consideration of the gravity of the situation. Ciel didn't wax philosophically about the hows and whys...instead, he let hungry flint close his first target.

Dog-Tail hissed as his wielder swung the khopesh along towards the neckline of the Asian fomori, the rage on his wolf-like face was plain as day, however the Garou was eerily silent even as the effects of the gift were nullified by the scrambling of others' feet. As he hooked the fomori close he brought his jaws down tight on the possessed man's head before giving it a violent shake. He jumped back, and regrouped, giving a bit of distance as he prepared for the onslaught...ducking and weaving as he jumped back sideways.

He always preferred the element of confusion when it came to fighting groups solo, and burning through his rage, he plotted his next attack as they, like the banes upon the other side, hummed and fretted over things outside of their control.

[Noah Autumnchild]

Noah screamed through the pain, waiting as patiently as he could for the wave to break. He tethered himself to consciousness with the strength of his own will, letting his rage grow fat on the feast of his frustration and agony. It was a technique he'd learned from his time in the Pit. If you frenzied when you were bound then you would do more damage to yourself then the torturer would. Noah held on to the hope of an end to pain like a man holds on to a life preserver when left in the middle of the ocean. It bought him time.

Then it hit. With sudden alacrity, the world went from blindingly painful to the cool soothing dark. His pain receptors were so burned out it took his body a moment to even remember he had other injuries. Further advantage revealed itself as the Jamaican let go of him and headed for the large Shadow. The third necessary stroke of luck was that his captors had forgotten to break his legs....His attack began with wild laughter.

As he got to his feet. he laughed for joy at the prospect of living. He chuckled at the foolishness of trying to bind a giant man with small woman, all the more thankful for a regiment of weights and yoga. He grinned wickedly as his angry moved his legs faster then any human would even go. The paradoxical chivalry of a man his size attacking two women wasn't lost on him. By the time he reached the bunnyhug girl he was cackling madly.

Noah's attack was based on a desperate theory, but that was more then enough to convince him to crash his thick forehead into the Fomori's face. He felt a slight difference but not enough. A tooth laden gargled bellow of fury summoned up his rage to bring him even more speed.

Over 230 pounds of Noah spun the under 140 pounds of Sticky Fomori of his back with great effect into the 117 pounds of Rage Sapping Fomori. The move dislocated both of his shoulders and torn a fair amount of muscle, but his shoulders near instantly popped back in as true healing began. The blow must have wounded his target for he was, with great relief and difficulty, able to shift himself to Glabro. He might have gone further had it not been for the knife the woman had just shoved into his heart. One thump, louder then the creation of the world, and it all went black.

Then his Rage sung forth as his inner wolf howled him back to life. It was Luna's most precious gift, through her power her Shifters would come back to life, just once, and at great cost. There was no question, the Garou body trapped between the two Fomori women was now in Crinos and alive. The knife popped out of his chest, his jaw reattached, wounds began to close, but Noah didn't return...at least not all of him. The price of Life had been to give himself completely to the Rage. Noah Frenzied, destroying the Fomori with uncontrollable fang and claw. The Galliard would never remember how he killed them, only that when he was done he would turn his attentions to Ciel.

...

Jamal gap wordlessly at the space where Chen had just been. Now there was nothing but a body. The fear nearly brought on shock but his spiritual parasite loaned him strength. They had work to do.

Pollution far more potent then steroids pumped through his veins bringing new might. He ripped a park bench from the ground and hefted it at the dark shadow before him. As the unconventional missile left his grip his body seemed to belch forth new muscle, provoking him to grown a quarter bigger then before.

[Ciel Vivirito]

Bursting back from the gauntlet Means-by-no-Means came out the other side to yoke the big guy picking up a park bench, racking his hind claws down his back as he made a snap at the muscular knot that Jamal might have called a neck once upon a time. The whole while Dog-Tail hissed for blood, the cobra spirit within it wanted nothing more then the annihilation of all things Wyrm, and while the fomori was not the vampires it often hungered for- it was a good compromise...taint was taint in the khopesh's rhetoric.

The sound and the fury, the man they had held down was a Garou, and Ciel took little shock at that- and now free it seemed that he wasn't the only one fighting these creatures any longer. However it was the sound that bothered the full-moon, given that the man started to cackle, he wrinkled his nose as he jumped out of the way of large possessed. The other Garou had been made victim to his Rage, which was nothing good. It would give his brother an edge, but soon it would mean that he would be Ciel's enemy soon enough.

Coming back to the black man, this time with the blade pointed outwards, the Silent Strider cut fast aiming for his tendons- upon the arms, the legs, hoping to slow the creature down and make his strength a moot point, it would be hard to be strong when you couldn't even move. Ciel spat, making sure that the blood he had in his mouth wouldn't touch him for long, he had no taste for such things tainted blood was just that- tainted.

Raising his muzzle in a mute howl he swung again and again, rolling the handle in his hand pull closer, cut, pull closer...cut, but never long enough to get within Jamal's grasp. The creature was fighting scared. Good. He should be, because Ciel would assure that his face would be the last thing he saw before he sent him to the lands of the dead. The feeling of battle was pulsing in his ears and beating a tempo in his heart that called to Mother Gaia and made him feel at one with her pain. So easy it would be to fall into a frenzy and slip comfortably into the fighting madness, but that was hardly appropriate, it was expected, and that would be the end of him.

The two danced for some time, the fomori eventually tearing a cemented down lamp pole in attempts to strike down the ahroun like a furious pinata, but Ciel would not have it, sure he took a few blows, but the Teeth of Gaia did go down so easily, with a huff and a snarl the metis ducked and weaved around the swung pole his claws now going for the vengeance that Dog-Tail wanted for itself, in a swift gesture he stretched out a wickedly taloned hand and slid it through his belly- going for the tender bits through, up and underneath...lungs, heart...those things that even humans saturated in taint could not do without.