Cashara sees the few missing and grows concerned, but figures they can handle themselves. by what Dr. Amp said, they may be encountering each other on the opposite end of drawn weapons.
She sighs and walks over to the screaming group.
she bellows, hoping to get their attention.
After she had gained everyone's attention and has quieted down, she continues.
"none of what you are screaming about matters now. What does matter now, is that we make it through this and get out of here. anyone who says otherwise can get stuffed!" she says. She was getting into the old police mindset a bit more at this point as she was stern. she had to be this way with fellow officers sometimes, and civilians when things got bad. and this was no different. "what we should do is make it to the closest cabin and figure out what the dang puzzle is and move to the next. the quicker, and with the least amount of bickering, the better! got it?"
While Cashara addresses the group, Caledon uses the dagger to quickly cut strips from his robe. When satisfied with the number of strips he collects some grass and leaves from garden.
He uses the strips to wrap his bare feet and packs in the collected foliage for extra padding and insulation.
"You're not the judge of what matters and what doesn't!"
"Do not interrupt us! Adults are speaking!"
"Stay in your place pig!"
As he constructs his footwraps, Caledon starts one of his long winded explanations, mostly directed at Vixen and Martha since Cashara is in her own conversation.
“Canines don’t see color and their vision’s depth of field is significantly shorter than humans – thus they don’t rely heavily of vison for hunting. However, at night they seem to see movement easier than we do.”
He cuts off another small strip from his robe before continuing.
”My experimentation with hunting dogs suggests they can hear at twice the distance that we do. They’ll often trigger onto the sound of equipment or clothing rubbing together as you move, so be mindful of your gear.”
He gestures to the sky.
”Wind and rain like this can significantly reduce the range at which they can hear as well as their ability to track by sent.”
He finishes one foot and switches to the other.
” Speaking of scent, that’s how dogs track. Some dogs prefer to track scent on the wind while others prefer to rely on scents left on the ground. It seems to be up to preference or training of the dog really. Regardless, it’s best to approach from downwind. Wolves and Wargs have better noses than domesticated hunted dogs. I’ve seen wolves pick up the scent of an elk from two miles in good weather.”
When Abbot Minkns gives Cashara sass, he interjects into their conversation ”I once saw her slay a demi-god. The upcoming mortal combat seems a little more pressing than embezzlement and insider trading schemes. You should listen to her.”
Turning his attention back to Vixen and Martha.
”We’ll want to try to mix our scent with the scent of the forest by rubbing leaves and dirt, or ideally a rotting carcass into our clothes.”
Finishing his second wrap he stands up and tests them out.
“If we can find trails created by local wild-life we should make use them to mix our scents and confuse the dogs. We want to be a background scent and not one that stands out. As we travel, we should split up every now and then for a short distance. Scent tracking can be a slow process and trails diverging and converging in multiple branches can really slow down the progress of a canine.
Caledon squats down and draws a pie slice in the dirt. “If we push hard for the next hour we can make about three miles in difficult Forest terrain. The best I can judge, the beach head has an angle of about one hundred and twenty degrees. A sector of a circle with that angle and a radius of three miles would have an area just under nine and half square miles.”
He points in the direction of the dog pit. “Those dogs have a large area to search and the bad weather will only make their task harder and ours easier. However, to keep our advantage we need to start moving now."
He puts a hand on Vixen's shoulder.
"We have to survive the first hour if we're going to find Fashion Bug"
With that Caledon, puts two fingers up to his lips and lets out a loud whistle before starting a hard jog toward the treeline.
Cashara pulls her remaining bronze dagger and puts it to Mr. DeVill's throat.
"I could gut you like one if you like." she growled. She was not going to have any of this. She turns to Zulu, still holding the knife to DeVill's throat. "I'll try to be more considerate when the situation does not need stern force to get pig heads under control." she try to say this a little more politely before turning to Minkins. "I have had several years of police experiance. That includes investigation, organization, and combat. I won't argue your ability, but I think that speaks for mine."
She waited for only a moment before lowering the dagger and continuing in a calmer, yet very firm voice.
"your bickering can wait till later." she said. "If all you do is fight each other, you are doomed. You never hear of a one man team for long, and a team that fights itself never survives long. If we get moving now, we will be able to get back to fighting each other later."
Zulu, Minkins, and DeVill tense up as Cashara reprimands them.
They are silent as the the wizard whistles and begins to jog away.
It seems that the weight of the situation dawns on them...
Suddenly Minkins kicks DeVill in the back of his knee a swipes his cane away! As DeVill let's out a cry of agony, Minikins starts to run down the stairs that lead to the beach, cane in hand!
"Gods damn you Abbott! " DeVill screeches as he lays crumpled on the ground!
The Vixen finally speaks up. To the ones close by, “Tricks that ain’t magic can’t be dampened. Don’t panic.”
She kneels beside Martha, gently taking her hand as she says, “Watch me lips. See if I can do this without it being obvious up close.”
She faces the squabbling trio. Cups her free hand on the side of her face where Martha’s not. And uses her Mockingbird Talent—the same trick she used to humiliate Zulu. This time, it may save her life.
From below where Minkins, Zulu and DeVille May be about to fight to the death, there is the roar of a lion—or tiger—or bear?
GRIZZLY BEAR – and VV’s imitation is so close, he might have believed it’s a real bear had he not witnessed VV making the sound herself.
What knowledge VV lacks regarding the differences between animal roars, she more than makes up for with her voice-throwing and ventriloquism. The mysterious animal, whatever it may be, sounds like it really is downhill of DeVille, Zulu and Minkins! VV hopes to scare them back up with the rest of the party.
Zulu lets out a horrified scream and runs to the door of the manor tugging vainly to open the door!
DeVill, currently laying face down on the ground, stiffens and stays quite.
Minkins stops on his heels and falls in a sitting position about 12 steps down! He looks around frantically and scrambles backwards up the steps, his glasses slipping down his fat, wet nose!
“Dammit, Zulu? It’s the same trick I used to make ye fart. Get up here before someone shoots ye through the door!
“And the two o’ ye,” she says to the men, “quit fighting o’er the cane. I’ll get Minkins his own stick when we’re in the woods. For now, we group up!”
Martha looks stunned for a moment as tears continue to fall down her face. She lets out a small snorting giggle at the foolishness of the situation, but quickly catches herself. She hesitantly takes the Vixens hand and wraps her other arm around her stomach as she stands.
VV gives the hand a gentle squeeze. “Whatever secret’s being held against ye, tell me when we’re on the boat. For now, we keep each other alive.
“I studied nonlethal unarmed techniques, so sure as hell won’t murder anyone to entertain a mad scientist. I’ll even bring her alive if I can.”
To Cashara, she adds, “Or dead if ye shoot her first. Amp’s too dangerous for holding back. At the risk o’ coming off haughty, I dare say I’m the only one who actually fights better with nonlethal blows.”
At hearing the roar, Cashara went to a ready fighting position before realizing it was just Vermilion.
"this is my point!" she says. "we have no idea what is out there, and the more we work together and stay close, the better the chances of our survival. Minkins, I don't want you hitting anyone! even a slug like DeVill. DeVill, if you don't want to be hit again, or gutted like a pig, I suggest you get an attitude and personality adjustment."
She looked at each in turn as she spoke. she was stern, and she may have hardened her voice a little when it came to mentioning or talking to Mr. DeVill.
"the next time one of you fights, or runoff, it might be you laying in the grave next. so sorry if I'm trying to help our chances of getting out of here alive!" saying this, she looked at Zulu and Mr.DeVill.
When Caledon gets some more distance between himself and the Mansion he tries dancing lights again.
Zulu pulls away from the door and Minkins gets to the top of the stairs as DeVill. All three of them prys his upper body of the porch but stays laying on his stomach. At the Vixens comment they realize theve been tricked! All three of them seem to get ready to fling insults in till Cashara lays down the law!
The old woman smooths out her tunic and adjusts her shawl. With a clearing of her throat she says,
"Hm... yes, fine, alright... I suppose there are more important matters to attend to..."
DeVill looks as though he wants to kill something but he hisses from the ground,
"Have it your way then, but tell fatass to give my cane back! That b%*$~ (Amp) stole my leg braces and encase you didn't know its rather hard to walk without them!"
The wizard has left the others and is now at the tree line. He notices that where the grass stops and the woods start there is a neat line of stones almost like a border.
His pets are nowhere to be found and it seems his magic is still unavailable. No amount of preparation could not have prepared him for this uniquely odd situation.
"Minkins, if you would." Cashara says with a small smile at how petty DeVill looked.
She looked around.
where is Cal? she began to wonder. and she bit her lip. Cal was the one person she didn't want to have to fight besides Ver.
after Minkins hands DeVill's cane back and the slug stand up, she continues.
"right. Ver, do you know where the closest cabin is?" she asked, turning to Ver.
Caledon slows his pace as he approaches the treeline and then comes to a halt as he notices the stone border. He looks about for any immediate threats, and to make a quick assessment of the forest. He spends a few extra seconds looking for specifically for the presence of Cedar and Oak trees.
Then he kneels down to probe the dirt around the stones with the brass dagger. While probing the dirt, it occurs to him to take a closer look at the Brass dagger, trying to judge if it was forged by a proper black smith using proper tools or by more primitive means.
He checks the stones for runes, markings, or indicators of the arcane and then tries to pick one up.
If he can pick up a stone, he will try to smash it into another stone to see if he can chip or crack one.
After inspecting the Stones he looks about to see if Hank, lance or anyone (or anything) else left tracks.
The wizard is in full survival mode!
He first looks for threats but see none. He can't locate any particular type of tree either. He realizes he's never seen this type of tree before, yet it shares traits with ceder, oak, and maple trees.
One look at the dagger screams poor craftsmanship. It was obviously made way to quickly by someone nearly completely untrained. The blade is far to thin and this seem like it attached to the top bit of a candle stick? Yes a candlestick. Holding the dagger blade down creates the part you would stick the candle in.
You think it could be ward stones but those usually have carvings. You pick one up and you notice that the now open spot on the ground seems to let the dark grass of the woods invade the light grass of the garden! The stone is light and smooth and when you hit it against another they clang together like metal!
You look around for tracks but you see none.
Minkins hesitantly drops the cane in front of DeVill... But not before popping off the top to reveal a gun and making a motion to throw it off the cliffside!
"Hold it!" she said.
Cashara tried to grab the gun, or his arm.
Alas! You grab his arm milliseconds after he let's go and the gun fly's through the air and skids to the end of the porch, teetering over the edge of the cliff!
"you have no idea how useful that could have been." she said as she glared at him. "I agree that DeVill shouldn't have it, but I sure would feel more comfortable with a gun."
She noticed how hard she was holding him and let him go.
"next time you want to act out of spite, make sure it doesn't harm our overall chances of survival. That could have helped us in the right hands." she said harshly. "I know you hate him. And I do too. But I need to know that I can trust you to make better judgment."
She was truly fuming. But she did her best to hold it back.
She almost felt like going into shock. She took some deep breaths.
Minkins nods meekly. He looks as though he wants to say something, but you feel it wouldn't be anything nice.
DeVill manages to peel himself off the ground and weekly stand. He blows a strand of wet hair out of his face, rubs water out of his eyes, and says in a surprisingly level voice,
"Regrettably, shes right. Survival is and should be first and foremost on our list of priorities...'
Martha nods at the Vixen and takes a deep breath. She closes her eyes and slowly lets the breath out. She opens her eyes and smiles.
"Alright. We wasted a good ten minuets but its now or never... I suppose..."
Cashara was a little surprised at DeVill's remark. He did try to seduce her on the boat when they arrived, and she thought he had dealing with the mafia, so she didn't like hi at all.
Yet, she knew you would have to be a fool to realize what would be more important then a petty grudge.
"thank you." she said with a slight nod. She took a deep breath as she turned back to Minkins. "If you have something you want to say, I'de prefer you say it. If you are afraid it's going to offend me, well, let's just say I'm not DeVill." she tried to sound a little calmer, and maybe reassuring.
The Vixen says, “Let’s start with the forest.”
If no one objects, she heads out, throwing her voice out ahead to call to Caledon—gambling on the most obvious (fastest) route away from the manor.
Hey, Cal! We doing this together?
She tries a few more times, projecting in a different direction with each attempt.
To anyone who hears her, but does not see her, it must seem as if she is (somehow silently) running hundreds of feet between call-outs. To those near her, her voice is a distant echo.
She has no way of knowing if Cal can hear her. Hank, Lance and Frogmouth have intentionally separated themselves.
Caledon stands up so the others can see him an jogs up to the nearest Cedar like tree. Using the 'stone' he smashes into the outerbark of the tree, and pries it back to get a good look at the inner bark.
Minkins face grows red and says,
"I'll have you know, I'm no assistant! Like l'd actually be scared of some cripple who can barely scratch out basic arithmetic! So, yes I have some things to say, Westsider, but out of respect and basic manners I'll refrain from doing so! Now, we have 46 minutes and 12 seconds of our head start left, so if you want us to move than let us move!
Cashara was again shocked. She blinked and came to in a second.
"well said." she said. "come on."
And then she starts walking off.
The Vixen does all she can to keep the group together. Once she sees Cal, the signals Cashara to follow along.
The outer bark of the tree looks like ceder, but the wizard notices acorns scattered around to bottom of the tree. When he breaks the bark off he finds a small trickle of syrup coming out!
Cashara follows quickly, making sure that everyone else follows as well.
With that, the guests hesitantly follow the others. If Cashara check for Frogmouth, she'll notice he's gone.
The group moves towards Caledon together, DeVill slowing them down.
While waiting for the others, Caledon starts collecting as many bark fibers as he can.
While striping the the fibers he speculates on whether this new tree my be the result of hybridization similar to the techniques botanists in Rooftoplis use to breed to species of orchids
"what'cha you got there Cal?" Cashara asked as she approached.
She took a closer look at what he was doing. Seeing he was taking a closer look at the bark and trees she simply says.
"Cal, you're staring at a tree and it's outer shell." and then she adds. "why is this more important than our survival?"
"We will need epoxy for longbow construction. If you can craft a bow drill using the roots of this... Cedar, I'll keep working on the strings for the longbows."
Th wizard finishes collecting as the other guest arrive. With a sizable amount of bark and your thoughts drift to the tree. There is obviously splicing or hybridization on some kind going on but its way more advanced than anything you've seen before!
The guests arrive at the edge, each in turn.
Martha, being led by the Vixen, takes a deep breath and wipes the tears from her eyes. She continues to breath deeply in till her breathing slows to normal and she looks to relax a little.
Minkins stomps forwards with a red face and agitated aura! His apparent annoyance is only heightened by the fact that his glasses keep slipping down to the end of his round nose and nearly sliding off!
Madam Zulu follows next, tromping though the muddy ground with a emotionally detached face and almost board attitude. It seems her old age doesn't seem to slow her down too much!
Then comes DeVill, wincing in pain with each step and leaning over his cane. His face has lost any trace of pompous narcissism, now replaced with with a slightly nauseous look of utter distaste!
Bringing up the rear is Cashara, of course, surveying the scene with a calm glare!
"some cedar." She said as she looked a little more closely at the cedar. "some roots." she muttered before adding. "the extra protection wouldn't hurt."
She starts looking for a good place to get the roots.
I mean... under the ground...? near the trees?
Okay, but good rolls so,
The cowgirl gets lucky (or perhaps its skill) but she finds a surplus of roots nearly perfect for the job (10 min off crafting).
"I'm... I'm sure this is for a greater plan but... why are we collecting pieces of trees instead of running?" Martha asks quietly.
"We only have 40 minutes left! Could we go now?!?!?!" whines Minkins as he glances back at the house.