Summary:Laynia joins the mission Under the Dome. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Word has progressed to Laynia through SHIELD that a certain individual found in some of her less well fleshed-out reports has shown up and volunteered to assist with the Staten Island situation. It seems 'Hunter' was found lingering nearby to the mission briefing, and was 'convinced' to join them. The stoic, laconic homeless vet agreed to join the mission and pointed out to one of those present - Agent May - that two of the Pride had disappeared into Staten Island the night of the Event and had not returned.
Naturally, the Hunter is on the case.
And equally as naturally Laynia, knowing the Hunter will volunteer to liaise with the Mutant Town volunteer, being a mutant and all, it is a very plausible thing to do and quite reasonable. When Hunter is preparing for the run, Laynia will just show up at her side, checking her supplies and kit, protective amulet worn tucked under her costume against her skin. She doesn't say a thing, just queues up for the trip and packs a lot more knives than she usually carries since there's that thing about tech being converted.
Once she's locked and loaded, a nod. "Poydem?" (Shall we go?)
Hunter's response is typical of her: she just shrugs her shoulders, turns and follows the others on the mission. She lobbied hard for a tunnel entrance, but has been overridden. She thinks these SHIELD folks are idiots, but she has to get in there and find her people, and she's guessing some of these idiots are going to be in trouble in there without her help and advantages.
And the idiots have people who know magic. Hunter does not.
Once through The Dome, Hunter is transformed … almost not at all. She has become the physical representation of the Ranger: clad in green and brown, heavily armed, lightly armored, and leading the way. Bow. Dual scimitars. More daggers than one can shake a stick at. And she carries none of it, just loping along utterly silent, making almost no noise, and preternaturally aware of her surroundings and everything around them far more easily and quickly than anyone else.
Hunter also has that frustrating tendency to move at incredulous speeds and stay ahead of the party. But never quite so far as to lose them, or allow them to lose her.
Laynia's transformation is a bit more startling, the Mutant Mistress of the Darkforce grows about half a foot taller, her costume transformed into a flowing gown of roiling black - Darkforce bound in a silken matrix, much like her energy costume only actually physical. The material is constantly changing opacity and twisting about like ink in water, blacks of every hue altering between glossy to matte and all stages in between and accented with greys and whites. The gown is snug up top, with a modest neckline, and slit to the knee at each side. Finally it has a shart train.
Her skin is likewise roiling with Darkforce, and her eyes solid black. Her hair is stark white and hangs to her bottom.
She blinks a few times, and then sighs. "Of course I am Darkforce Witch." A shrug, and then she lifts off the ground so as to be able to move without catching her gown on every bit of detritus and debris, and thanks to this has little trouble keeping up with the Hunter as Ranger.
And of course the Darkforce Witch decides to float up and interfere with her sneaking and scouting! Hunter Ranger is grumpy! But also laconically silent.
Go figure.
Hunter manages to keep the party well clear of most encounters, until such time as she picks up the sounds and scents of battle ahead. Picking this up far before anyone else in her position could - hello, weretigress senses! - she takes a knee and turns, making hand signals back towards the rest of the group, communicating rapidly that there's a large collection of big meaty threats attacking a small village. Her signs include a basic analysis of numbers, locations, distances and degrees of approach.
That done, she does not wait, nor does she explain further. She immediately rises back to her feet and bounds off, her mighty strides literally launching her into the air higher and farther as she gobbles up the intervening distance at nigh-blurring speeds. And then she LEAPS! and drops amongst the on-rushing orcs.
Here is where things go odd. For some reason, Hunter does not deploy her weapons. She does not transform. She actually sets about with her fists and feet, knees and elbows, deploying martial arts, and doing so in a swiftly brutal but non-lethal fashion.
Hunter was listening. All the way through the briefing. She is aware that at least some 'creatures' here are not normally creatures, but are people who have been transformed by the magic. And she is apparently taking care not to murder them, while making sure they do not murder anyone else.
She can almost feel the disapproval, but…is not going to tear the gown so she can walk, doesn't want to have to replace her costume in the real world, though…seeing the mildly grumpy look she does, after a bit, land and bind it up so the thing is wrapped around her upper legs like a heavy skirt, and then held in place by her belt. It is much less pretty, but she can actually move like this without too much fuss, her slippers are utterly impractical however, so she surrounds them with Darkforce to keep them safe and her feet with them!
All of this changes with the battle Hunter warns about, at that point she takes to the air, and lets the gown down again. Flying over the battle field she focuses on destroying inanimate objects, like wagons or siege weaponry if there, and if not then she'll provide cover and shielding for the defenders of the village. Sure, she launches a blast every now and again, bowling over mounted enemies, tossing whole squads around like ten pins, but the Darkstar follows Hunter's exemplary restraint. No killing!
Bruises, scrapes, contusions, possibly even a break or two - but no deaths.
The battle is swift, and incredible. THe party is seemingly a bit of everywhere during this, including some chick who prefers computers and drones now being reduced to working out how to use magical trinkets! But through it all, Hunter remains on the move, swift, brutal and efficient. She roars with incredible laudness and inhuman sound to intimidate the orcs, and ends up in one-on-one conflict against what seems to be their strongest warrior, all while bounding dozens of feet from spot to spot in the fight to keep the orcs from the town.
The fight finally comes to an end not long after Hunter picks up something and shouts out, "Riders!" and points in a direction. Soon thereafter a party of mounted warriors come charging in, driving off the last of the orcs. These, of course, are 'knights' transformed both physically and mentally by the spells of The Dome, and comport themselves accordingly. One amongst the party recognizes one of these as a police officer in Staten Island. And eventual comments lead to mention of not the baker, whom Hunter is seeking, but her son who was her deliveryman, and is apparently now the headman of the village the party has just defended.
She gives little hint of this, but it's possible Laynia knows her well enough to know when she gets extra intense.
Once the battle is won, Laynia lands next to the Hunter, and yes, she picks up on the intensity spike. In part because she recognized the name too, but mostly from having some small measure of experience and contact with Hunter. In Russian, spoken quietly, a whisper that one with normal hearing would need to be millimeters away to parse. ~I can get another amulet, perhaps, or maybe we can find a way to share their power with another?~ A nod, and still ultra quiet. ~Perhaps shift necklace to forearm, and loop about other person for transit through barrier?~
She did when the arrived check to see if her portals could open through it, and they could not…at least they work inside the dome, they just can't be used to circumvent it.
She's not sure how risky her plan is, but it is unlikely there's spare amulets to be had, and without one, there's no escaping the dome.