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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Zubkavich" data-source="post: 883854" data-attributes="member: 8810">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.</blockquote>

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