Under The Eclipse: Updated May 19th!
Zubkavich
First Post
Session Sixteen: Sacrifice For Snake
Karen tries her best to console Sandra as she stumbles, dizzied from the mental impression caused by Tim’s death. The psychic leader of Department-7 can’t pinpoint where it happened, and she’s in no state to concentrate further. She goes to lie down and try to figure out what they can do to find Jacob before he is snuffed out as well.
Karen quickly explains to Onan about Tim’s demise and they discuss possible courses of action that they could take. Karen also shows him the black scar on her arm that’s been throbbing when not exposed to light. He tries to cast sunlight upon it, but it doesn’t seem to have any effect. After examining it more thoroughly, he decides that there may be a way to purify it.
“I’m going to need gemstones, as pure as you can get to focus the light through and sear that sucker off.”
“Gemstones? Like jewelry?” she asks, confused.
“Uncut or polished... emeralds would probably work best. I don’t know where you’ll be able to get ‘em. I didn’t come up with this stuff; I just try to carry out the spirits' will as best I can.” he says with a shrug.
Karen thinks about some of the investments that her father left to her after his death and wonders how much she’ll have to liquidate in order to buy enough gemstones. Her thoughts are cut short by the shrill ring of one of the cel phones they recovered from the mysterious snake woman at the water treatment plant. The cel phone that used to belong to Tim...
As Karen reaches for the phone, she gains a supernatural flash of insight. Like before, she knows who’s on the other end of the line before she even picks it up or checks the call display screen: Morfuseid.
“Hello.” she says with a grin.
“Who is this? How did you get this phone? Where are you?” Morfuseid asks in rapid succession, obviously tense.
Karen realizes that Morfuseid doesn’t know that she has the phones. That must mean the snake woman hasn’t been able to report back yet!
“Calm down, pal. No need to be in a rush. Let’s just say that I’m someone who’s obtained a cel phone.” Karen says, amused that he hasn’t recognized her voice.
A long pause follows.
“Alright, stranger, let’s play. I’m interested in paying handsomely for that phone you have. Can we arrange a meeting place?”
“Nuyorican Café, in about twenty minutes?” she inquires.
Another pause.
“Y-yes... that’s fine.” He hangs up quickly.
With the clock ticking, Karen gathers up the group and lets them know about the little meeting she’s organized.
“Are you actually going to go and let him see you there?” asks Setakawa in shock.
Karen laughs.
“Probably not. I want to see how many guys he can pull together in that short a span. We’ve got to put him on the defensive. If we get him going on a wild goose chase for a bit, we might just figure out where the snake woman’s gone in the meantime.”
The group jumps into the Department-7 van and drives by the café, careful not to linger or look out of the ordinary. Parking a few blocks away, Karen and Tupilak sneak closer to the restaurant, climbing a fire escape on a building across the road and using a set of Evan’s binoculars to get a better look. After a few minutes of checking around the café, she can see a few suspicious men in the alleyway behind. Looking more extensively, she can see a sniper set up on one of the adjacent rooftops, watching the front of the café like a hawk.
“Should we slay these dishonourable dogs?” asks Tupilak, obviously ready for an impending battle.
“No. We’re not getting into this and getting ourselves killed. We’ll get them Tupilak, just not right now. Keep your anger in check and let’s get back to the others.”
While the group drives back to Dog-Eared Pages, Karen wonders why Morfuseid isn’t better informed. Unless the snake lady drowned, she should have been able to get in touch with him, identify her attackers and give the Shadow-Borne a heads-up on the assault at the water treatment plant. When she voices this to the others, Onan comes up with a possible explanation.
“Maybe the snake-chick doesn’t want Morfey to know that she screwed up?” he surmises.
(to be continued... there's quite a bit more to come...)
Karen tries her best to console Sandra as she stumbles, dizzied from the mental impression caused by Tim’s death. The psychic leader of Department-7 can’t pinpoint where it happened, and she’s in no state to concentrate further. She goes to lie down and try to figure out what they can do to find Jacob before he is snuffed out as well.
Karen quickly explains to Onan about Tim’s demise and they discuss possible courses of action that they could take. Karen also shows him the black scar on her arm that’s been throbbing when not exposed to light. He tries to cast sunlight upon it, but it doesn’t seem to have any effect. After examining it more thoroughly, he decides that there may be a way to purify it.
“I’m going to need gemstones, as pure as you can get to focus the light through and sear that sucker off.”
“Gemstones? Like jewelry?” she asks, confused.
“Uncut or polished... emeralds would probably work best. I don’t know where you’ll be able to get ‘em. I didn’t come up with this stuff; I just try to carry out the spirits' will as best I can.” he says with a shrug.
Karen thinks about some of the investments that her father left to her after his death and wonders how much she’ll have to liquidate in order to buy enough gemstones. Her thoughts are cut short by the shrill ring of one of the cel phones they recovered from the mysterious snake woman at the water treatment plant. The cel phone that used to belong to Tim...
As Karen reaches for the phone, she gains a supernatural flash of insight. Like before, she knows who’s on the other end of the line before she even picks it up or checks the call display screen: Morfuseid.
“Hello.” she says with a grin.
“Who is this? How did you get this phone? Where are you?” Morfuseid asks in rapid succession, obviously tense.
Karen realizes that Morfuseid doesn’t know that she has the phones. That must mean the snake woman hasn’t been able to report back yet!
“Calm down, pal. No need to be in a rush. Let’s just say that I’m someone who’s obtained a cel phone.” Karen says, amused that he hasn’t recognized her voice.
A long pause follows.
“Alright, stranger, let’s play. I’m interested in paying handsomely for that phone you have. Can we arrange a meeting place?”
“Nuyorican Café, in about twenty minutes?” she inquires.
Another pause.
“Y-yes... that’s fine.” He hangs up quickly.
With the clock ticking, Karen gathers up the group and lets them know about the little meeting she’s organized.
“Are you actually going to go and let him see you there?” asks Setakawa in shock.
Karen laughs.
“Probably not. I want to see how many guys he can pull together in that short a span. We’ve got to put him on the defensive. If we get him going on a wild goose chase for a bit, we might just figure out where the snake woman’s gone in the meantime.”
The group jumps into the Department-7 van and drives by the café, careful not to linger or look out of the ordinary. Parking a few blocks away, Karen and Tupilak sneak closer to the restaurant, climbing a fire escape on a building across the road and using a set of Evan’s binoculars to get a better look. After a few minutes of checking around the café, she can see a few suspicious men in the alleyway behind. Looking more extensively, she can see a sniper set up on one of the adjacent rooftops, watching the front of the café like a hawk.
“Should we slay these dishonourable dogs?” asks Tupilak, obviously ready for an impending battle.
“No. We’re not getting into this and getting ourselves killed. We’ll get them Tupilak, just not right now. Keep your anger in check and let’s get back to the others.”
While the group drives back to Dog-Eared Pages, Karen wonders why Morfuseid isn’t better informed. Unless the snake lady drowned, she should have been able to get in touch with him, identify her attackers and give the Shadow-Borne a heads-up on the assault at the water treatment plant. When she voices this to the others, Onan comes up with a possible explanation.
“Maybe the snake-chick doesn’t want Morfey to know that she screwed up?” he surmises.
(to be continued... there's quite a bit more to come...)
Zubkavich
First Post
Session Sixteen continued...
It seems a decent possibility. From all that they’ve seen, the Shadow-Borne probably don’t treat failure well. It means that the snake-woman will want to get some sort of revenge before she returns to Morfuseid and tells him about what went wrong. Karen wants to find her first, but isn’t sure how they can track her down.
Back at the bookstore, Tupilak offers a suggestion.
“I may be able to contact the spirit of Snake and ask it to help us find this woman that uses a snake’s body but does not worship the reptile spirits.” he says grimly.
“You don’t sound like you want to.” Karen remarks.
“It is... difficult. The cold-blooded spirits do not like you warm-bloods. They are not enemies, but not allies either. I will have to appease Snake with a ritual if I wish to communicate.”
Karen figures they have nothing to lose by trying and tells him to gather what he needs for the ritual. After a few hours, he has two eggs and a dead mouse. Karen isn’t sure what these things have to do with calling Snake, but sits at the kitchen table while Tupilak starts murmuring in his Inuit tongue. A minute or two later, he swallows one of the eggs whole, shell and all. Karen gags as he chokes back the egg, the sound of crunching shell and liquid emerging from his throat. Looking at the dead mouse, Karen’s stomach starts to feel uneasy.
“Please tell me you’re not gonna...” she stammers.
Tupilak grabs the mouse and takes a deep bite into its side. The squelch of flesh and blood makes Karen’s stomach lurch.
“I’m never telling Conroy that you did this while in his body.” Karen sputters.
Another couple of bites and they feel a presence appear in the air around the table. A serpentine voice seems to emerge from all sides, fading and warping as it speaks. Although Karen can hear it speaking in Inuit, she hears echoes of English she can understand.
“Why do you call me, spirit in man-flesh?” asks the voice with distain.
After explaining the situation, the spirit is intrigued. It negotiates a deal with Tupilak. It will find the woman and send him a vision of her location, but he must sacrifice her in the name of Snake and curse her soul. He agrees and after the spirit leaves, he finishes off the mouse to please Snake further. Karen can’t hold back any longer and runs to the washroom to throw up.
A few minutes later, Tupilak emerges from the kitchen with his knife drawn.
“I see her. We must go quickly by foot.” he says, staring off in a haze.
“That’s great. Brush your f**king teeth or I’m not going anywhere with you.” chokes Karen.
Before the rest of the group even has a chance to ask what’s happening, Tupilak runs out the door to start the hunt. Karen quickly grabs her gun and dashes after him. As she leaves, she tells Evan to stay at the bookstore and tell the others that they’ll be back soon.
Sprinting as fast as she can, Karen keeps Tupilak in sight as he streaks across streets and through alleyways, disregarding pedestrians and traffic alike. As athletically fit as she is, she struggles to keep up with him as he runs like a man possessed. She can feel her cursed scar throbbing as she runs, but does her best to ignore it.
Finally, Tupilak heads towards a cement drainage ditch and draws his knife. As Karen arrives, wheezing from the exertion, she can see Tupilak look around wildly, trying to find the snake-lady. As she glances up and down the ditch, she sees a flicker of movement. Squinting her eyes, she can make out a humanoid form blended almost perfectly with the nearby cement and refuse. Drawing her gun, she points it towards the camouflaged woman.
In a flash, the woman dashes forward as Karen fires at her, clipping her in the side. Tupilak dives at the woman, stabbing and slashing with a fervor Karen’s never seen in him before. As they wrestle in the mud and grime, Karen waits to try and get a clear shot. When Tupilak pounds the snake woman to the ground and looms over her to strike again, she spits acid full on in his face. The smell of burning flesh fills the air as Tupilak staggers backwards from the pain. With the two separated, Karen fires a burst of bullets at the woman and sends her sprawling into the dirt. Karen dives on top of her, crushing her face into the cement and keeping her held fast.
“Okay b**ch. I’ve got some questions for you.” Karen says, still breathing heavily.
“You shouldn’t fight me. I can sense magic from our world within you. We should be working together to bring about a new age.” says the snake-woman, trailing her S’s.
“I don’t think so. I’ve seen what you guys do to people.” Karen retorts.
“I can help you... you should work with us.”
Tupilak stumbles forward, following the sound of their voices. He edges towards the snake-woman, ready to slay her.
“Okay lady, why didn’t you tell Morfuseid about us? You couldn’t have been hiding all this time without a way to contact him.” asks Karen.
The snake woman hisses out a laugh as Karen keeps her face pressed against the cement embankment.
“The under-dwellers and the water-borne compete with us for Hizerath’s affections. Morfuseid is not my master and never will be.”
“There’s different species? What about Nealcatus? Which group does he lead?” she asks quickly.
“Nealcatus is a messenger of Hizaerath. He observes and pushes the transfer of worlds forward.” she says, trying to make Karen understand.
“What about that Crimson Path stuff? Who does that serve?” asks Karen, intrigued at her response.
“The Path is like larvae to the butterfly. It prepares you for the time when you may become like me, the under-dwellers or the other Shadows. It is evolution and you must not stand in its way.” she says, desperate to make eye contact with Karen.
Karen is horrified, but keeps her grip firm.
“We- we’re gonna become like you?”
“Yessss... yes. Understand your potential, girl. You would be beautiful, a goddess.” she says, obviously obsessed with the idea.
Karen stops for a moment, putting the pieces all together. The Shadows are colonizing... different factions fighting for the blessing of Hizerath, their dark god. Humans are just unknowing eggs waiting for the Shadow-Borne to impregnate them and increase their numbers. She thinks of the death and destruction that the Shadows will cause trying to carry their plan out and it becomes a simple decision.
“Tupilak, give her to Snake.” she says without emotion.
Tupilak stabs the snake-woman until she doesn’t move anymore and then launches into a fury of yelling to the sky, cursing her and all the Shadows in the name of Snake. Watching him, Karen can see that his face is destroyed, a melted jelly with one of his eyes sealed shut through scars and puss. He chops and kicks at her body for several minutes, gutting the snake-woman thoroughly and completely.
Karen watches the buildings nearby to make sure no one else sees the slaughter while she calls Onan to bring the van and pick them up. Her mind swims with what she’s learned, and she wonders how they’ll ever be able to stop the invasion permanently.
It seems a decent possibility. From all that they’ve seen, the Shadow-Borne probably don’t treat failure well. It means that the snake-woman will want to get some sort of revenge before she returns to Morfuseid and tells him about what went wrong. Karen wants to find her first, but isn’t sure how they can track her down.
Back at the bookstore, Tupilak offers a suggestion.
“I may be able to contact the spirit of Snake and ask it to help us find this woman that uses a snake’s body but does not worship the reptile spirits.” he says grimly.
“You don’t sound like you want to.” Karen remarks.
“It is... difficult. The cold-blooded spirits do not like you warm-bloods. They are not enemies, but not allies either. I will have to appease Snake with a ritual if I wish to communicate.”
Karen figures they have nothing to lose by trying and tells him to gather what he needs for the ritual. After a few hours, he has two eggs and a dead mouse. Karen isn’t sure what these things have to do with calling Snake, but sits at the kitchen table while Tupilak starts murmuring in his Inuit tongue. A minute or two later, he swallows one of the eggs whole, shell and all. Karen gags as he chokes back the egg, the sound of crunching shell and liquid emerging from his throat. Looking at the dead mouse, Karen’s stomach starts to feel uneasy.
“Please tell me you’re not gonna...” she stammers.
Tupilak grabs the mouse and takes a deep bite into its side. The squelch of flesh and blood makes Karen’s stomach lurch.
“I’m never telling Conroy that you did this while in his body.” Karen sputters.
Another couple of bites and they feel a presence appear in the air around the table. A serpentine voice seems to emerge from all sides, fading and warping as it speaks. Although Karen can hear it speaking in Inuit, she hears echoes of English she can understand.
“Why do you call me, spirit in man-flesh?” asks the voice with distain.
After explaining the situation, the spirit is intrigued. It negotiates a deal with Tupilak. It will find the woman and send him a vision of her location, but he must sacrifice her in the name of Snake and curse her soul. He agrees and after the spirit leaves, he finishes off the mouse to please Snake further. Karen can’t hold back any longer and runs to the washroom to throw up.
A few minutes later, Tupilak emerges from the kitchen with his knife drawn.
“I see her. We must go quickly by foot.” he says, staring off in a haze.
“That’s great. Brush your f**king teeth or I’m not going anywhere with you.” chokes Karen.
Before the rest of the group even has a chance to ask what’s happening, Tupilak runs out the door to start the hunt. Karen quickly grabs her gun and dashes after him. As she leaves, she tells Evan to stay at the bookstore and tell the others that they’ll be back soon.
Sprinting as fast as she can, Karen keeps Tupilak in sight as he streaks across streets and through alleyways, disregarding pedestrians and traffic alike. As athletically fit as she is, she struggles to keep up with him as he runs like a man possessed. She can feel her cursed scar throbbing as she runs, but does her best to ignore it.
Finally, Tupilak heads towards a cement drainage ditch and draws his knife. As Karen arrives, wheezing from the exertion, she can see Tupilak look around wildly, trying to find the snake-lady. As she glances up and down the ditch, she sees a flicker of movement. Squinting her eyes, she can make out a humanoid form blended almost perfectly with the nearby cement and refuse. Drawing her gun, she points it towards the camouflaged woman.
In a flash, the woman dashes forward as Karen fires at her, clipping her in the side. Tupilak dives at the woman, stabbing and slashing with a fervor Karen’s never seen in him before. As they wrestle in the mud and grime, Karen waits to try and get a clear shot. When Tupilak pounds the snake woman to the ground and looms over her to strike again, she spits acid full on in his face. The smell of burning flesh fills the air as Tupilak staggers backwards from the pain. With the two separated, Karen fires a burst of bullets at the woman and sends her sprawling into the dirt. Karen dives on top of her, crushing her face into the cement and keeping her held fast.
“Okay b**ch. I’ve got some questions for you.” Karen says, still breathing heavily.
“You shouldn’t fight me. I can sense magic from our world within you. We should be working together to bring about a new age.” says the snake-woman, trailing her S’s.
“I don’t think so. I’ve seen what you guys do to people.” Karen retorts.
“I can help you... you should work with us.”
Tupilak stumbles forward, following the sound of their voices. He edges towards the snake-woman, ready to slay her.
“Okay lady, why didn’t you tell Morfuseid about us? You couldn’t have been hiding all this time without a way to contact him.” asks Karen.
The snake woman hisses out a laugh as Karen keeps her face pressed against the cement embankment.
“The under-dwellers and the water-borne compete with us for Hizerath’s affections. Morfuseid is not my master and never will be.”
“There’s different species? What about Nealcatus? Which group does he lead?” she asks quickly.
“Nealcatus is a messenger of Hizaerath. He observes and pushes the transfer of worlds forward.” she says, trying to make Karen understand.
“What about that Crimson Path stuff? Who does that serve?” asks Karen, intrigued at her response.
“The Path is like larvae to the butterfly. It prepares you for the time when you may become like me, the under-dwellers or the other Shadows. It is evolution and you must not stand in its way.” she says, desperate to make eye contact with Karen.
Karen is horrified, but keeps her grip firm.
“We- we’re gonna become like you?”
“Yessss... yes. Understand your potential, girl. You would be beautiful, a goddess.” she says, obviously obsessed with the idea.
Karen stops for a moment, putting the pieces all together. The Shadows are colonizing... different factions fighting for the blessing of Hizerath, their dark god. Humans are just unknowing eggs waiting for the Shadow-Borne to impregnate them and increase their numbers. She thinks of the death and destruction that the Shadows will cause trying to carry their plan out and it becomes a simple decision.
“Tupilak, give her to Snake.” she says without emotion.
Tupilak stabs the snake-woman until she doesn’t move anymore and then launches into a fury of yelling to the sky, cursing her and all the Shadows in the name of Snake. Watching him, Karen can see that his face is destroyed, a melted jelly with one of his eyes sealed shut through scars and puss. He chops and kicks at her body for several minutes, gutting the snake-woman thoroughly and completely.
Karen watches the buildings nearby to make sure no one else sees the slaughter while she calls Onan to bring the van and pick them up. Her mind swims with what she’s learned, and she wonders how they’ll ever be able to stop the invasion permanently.
Broccli_Head
Explorer
Zubkavich said:
that's the great thing about baddies....there's so much in-fighting...
Lela
First Post
Well, she's managed to get the Spirit of Reptiles on her side. That's something. Soon they'll all be going around yelling, "Crikee, that's a big'n shaddow."
Then again, perhaps they should have looked into getting the Spirit of Avians on their side. Unless one of the heros happens to be afraid of feathers. . .
Then again, perhaps they should have looked into getting the Spirit of Avians on their side. Unless one of the heros happens to be afraid of feathers. . .
Zubkavich
First Post
Session Seventeen: Echo Of The Sky
Onan pulls up the van beside the drainage ditch and heads down to survey what’s happened. While calling magical sunlight to dispose of the snake woman’s body, Karen fills him in on how it went and how badly hurt Tupilak is. When Onan looks at Tupilak’s face, he chokes at the sight. Calling upon his healing powers, Onan is able to clean and start the healing process, but Tupilak’s face is still quite ravaged. Taking Karen aside, Onan has some distressing news for her.
“Look, I can fix the flesh, his nose and even his mouth, but I can’t grow back things that aren’t there anymore.” he says grimly.
“What do you mean?” she asks with concern.
“His left eye... it’s burned right out. The spirits’ magic enhances a person’s natural healing to phenomenal levels, but it can’t regrow things that are gone. Skin and muscle is relatively easy, missing limbs or organs is right out. There may be more powerful spells that can do it, but I don’t know them.”
Karen can feel tears welling up. If Conroy ever regains control of his body, he’ll be blind in one eye through no fault of his own. She walks over to the van and her anger gets the better of her.
“Dammit Tupilak, you have to protect that body! Conroy doesn’t deserve to be torn apart while you run around on your spirit crusade s**t!”
“My mission is more important than this one man.” he says without emotion.
“F**k that! That ‘man’ is my friend! He never asked to be possessed, he doesn’t even know the supernatural exists! He doesn’t deserve this!” she says through gritted teeth.
“You do not understand the way of spirits. This battle scar proves that I have fought with courage and honor.” says Tupilak, looking into the night sky.
“What?! You are f**king healing that thing as soon as Onan finds a way to do it, got that? I may not know spirits, but you don’t understand the importance of human life! You’re gonna have to learn it if you want to work with me!” she threatens.
The ride back to Dog-Eared Pages is filled with silent tension. When they finally arrive, Karen heads in first and explains to the others about Tupilak’s injury. She doesn’t want them to comment on it, or give him a chance to brag about his ‘battle scar’. After everyone settles in, she relays the information she learned from the snake-woman and the potential for trouble amongst the ranks of the Shadow-Borne.
After heading to her bed, Karen broods for a while, trying to calm herself down so she can finally get some sleep. The black scar on her arm throbs slightly in the darkness of her room, and she finally falls asleep with a lamp shining down on it and a pillow on her head to block the light.
Waking up the next morning, her arm aches with intense pain and she can see that the flesh around the scar is discolored and bruised looking. Realizing that she’s ignored it too long, she immediately gets on the phone and starts to call around to jewelry stores to see if she can purchase a raw emerald. After making several inquiries, she sets up an appointment at a jewelry store. Looking around for Onan to let him know about the gemstones, she asks Setakawa where he is. He tells her that Onan went to his job to make some arrangements, probably for taking more time off. Karen invites Setakawa to accompany her for the ride and they head out.
“Have you thought of a way to stop these Shadows?” Setakawa asks as they drive.
“Well, I’ve got the start of a cunning plan forming, but I’ll wait until we get everyone together before I go into too many details. Suffice to say that I’m sick of being on the defensive.” she says.
“If we’re able to save the world, what will you do afterwards? Will you go back to being a thief?”
Karen laughs.
“Yeah, probably. I mean, if the world didn’t owe me a favor before, they sure would then, wouldn’t they? I could pretty much steal whatever I want and justify it, couldn’t I?” she says with a grin.
“Don’t you think it would be better to leave the karmic scales balanced in your favor?” he asks.
“Maybe, but that’s the kind of debt that I don’t think I could screw up.” she says with a broad grin.
At the jewelry store, the clerk is surprised at Karen’s request and indicates that they may be able to arrange a raw emerald to ship within a week. Wanting it faster, she socializes and talks to the manager. Eventually, she’s put in touch with a Mr. Finley, a jeweler who mounts gemstones on rings and necklaces. She negotiates with him for the biggest emerald he has in his possession and they arrange for a transaction after a high-class dinner at a nearby Manhattan restaurant.
Heading back to the bookstore to get some better clothes, Karen is surprised that Onan isn’t back yet. Calling his cel phone, she can hear the sounds of him driving his car as he picks up the phone.
“What are you doing? I’ve been running around all day trying to get my hands on an emerald and you’re gallivanting around town. You’re going out for an expensive dinner tonight, so I wanted to make sure you made it back in time.” she says.
“High class meal, eh? Okay babe, I’m up for it. I took care of work stuff and now I’m on my way to my house to pick up some supplies and more clothes.”
“Are you sure that’s safe? We don’t know if these Shadow guys have tracked down our homes or anything like that.” she says with concern.
“It’s fine. The house is safe. If it wasn’t, I’d know. So... where are you stealing the emerald from?” he asks, obviously amused.
“I’m not stealing it! It’s all legal... I’m buying it from a real jeweler with some of the investment money my Dad left me.” she says, bristling with annoyance.
“Yeah sure... is this jeweler guy Italian by chance? Some mob guy you’re paying off with Dad’s blood money?”
“F**k you!” she yells as she hangs up the phone.
session be continued...
Onan pulls up the van beside the drainage ditch and heads down to survey what’s happened. While calling magical sunlight to dispose of the snake woman’s body, Karen fills him in on how it went and how badly hurt Tupilak is. When Onan looks at Tupilak’s face, he chokes at the sight. Calling upon his healing powers, Onan is able to clean and start the healing process, but Tupilak’s face is still quite ravaged. Taking Karen aside, Onan has some distressing news for her.
“Look, I can fix the flesh, his nose and even his mouth, but I can’t grow back things that aren’t there anymore.” he says grimly.
“What do you mean?” she asks with concern.
“His left eye... it’s burned right out. The spirits’ magic enhances a person’s natural healing to phenomenal levels, but it can’t regrow things that are gone. Skin and muscle is relatively easy, missing limbs or organs is right out. There may be more powerful spells that can do it, but I don’t know them.”
Karen can feel tears welling up. If Conroy ever regains control of his body, he’ll be blind in one eye through no fault of his own. She walks over to the van and her anger gets the better of her.
“Dammit Tupilak, you have to protect that body! Conroy doesn’t deserve to be torn apart while you run around on your spirit crusade s**t!”
“My mission is more important than this one man.” he says without emotion.
“F**k that! That ‘man’ is my friend! He never asked to be possessed, he doesn’t even know the supernatural exists! He doesn’t deserve this!” she says through gritted teeth.
“You do not understand the way of spirits. This battle scar proves that I have fought with courage and honor.” says Tupilak, looking into the night sky.
“What?! You are f**king healing that thing as soon as Onan finds a way to do it, got that? I may not know spirits, but you don’t understand the importance of human life! You’re gonna have to learn it if you want to work with me!” she threatens.
The ride back to Dog-Eared Pages is filled with silent tension. When they finally arrive, Karen heads in first and explains to the others about Tupilak’s injury. She doesn’t want them to comment on it, or give him a chance to brag about his ‘battle scar’. After everyone settles in, she relays the information she learned from the snake-woman and the potential for trouble amongst the ranks of the Shadow-Borne.
After heading to her bed, Karen broods for a while, trying to calm herself down so she can finally get some sleep. The black scar on her arm throbs slightly in the darkness of her room, and she finally falls asleep with a lamp shining down on it and a pillow on her head to block the light.
Waking up the next morning, her arm aches with intense pain and she can see that the flesh around the scar is discolored and bruised looking. Realizing that she’s ignored it too long, she immediately gets on the phone and starts to call around to jewelry stores to see if she can purchase a raw emerald. After making several inquiries, she sets up an appointment at a jewelry store. Looking around for Onan to let him know about the gemstones, she asks Setakawa where he is. He tells her that Onan went to his job to make some arrangements, probably for taking more time off. Karen invites Setakawa to accompany her for the ride and they head out.
“Have you thought of a way to stop these Shadows?” Setakawa asks as they drive.
“Well, I’ve got the start of a cunning plan forming, but I’ll wait until we get everyone together before I go into too many details. Suffice to say that I’m sick of being on the defensive.” she says.
“If we’re able to save the world, what will you do afterwards? Will you go back to being a thief?”
Karen laughs.
“Yeah, probably. I mean, if the world didn’t owe me a favor before, they sure would then, wouldn’t they? I could pretty much steal whatever I want and justify it, couldn’t I?” she says with a grin.
“Don’t you think it would be better to leave the karmic scales balanced in your favor?” he asks.
“Maybe, but that’s the kind of debt that I don’t think I could screw up.” she says with a broad grin.
At the jewelry store, the clerk is surprised at Karen’s request and indicates that they may be able to arrange a raw emerald to ship within a week. Wanting it faster, she socializes and talks to the manager. Eventually, she’s put in touch with a Mr. Finley, a jeweler who mounts gemstones on rings and necklaces. She negotiates with him for the biggest emerald he has in his possession and they arrange for a transaction after a high-class dinner at a nearby Manhattan restaurant.
Heading back to the bookstore to get some better clothes, Karen is surprised that Onan isn’t back yet. Calling his cel phone, she can hear the sounds of him driving his car as he picks up the phone.
“What are you doing? I’ve been running around all day trying to get my hands on an emerald and you’re gallivanting around town. You’re going out for an expensive dinner tonight, so I wanted to make sure you made it back in time.” she says.
“High class meal, eh? Okay babe, I’m up for it. I took care of work stuff and now I’m on my way to my house to pick up some supplies and more clothes.”
“Are you sure that’s safe? We don’t know if these Shadow guys have tracked down our homes or anything like that.” she says with concern.
“It’s fine. The house is safe. If it wasn’t, I’d know. So... where are you stealing the emerald from?” he asks, obviously amused.
“I’m not stealing it! It’s all legal... I’m buying it from a real jeweler with some of the investment money my Dad left me.” she says, bristling with annoyance.
“Yeah sure... is this jeweler guy Italian by chance? Some mob guy you’re paying off with Dad’s blood money?”
“F**k you!” she yells as she hangs up the phone.
session be continued...
