That time of year

Zachary surveyed the area. He didn't have a way to get rid of the fog because the gift he had once possess for such a thing had been taken by his master before he left. He was supposed to retrain and learn new ones and earn his old ones back while he was here and he just hadn't quite gotten around to that yet. Nevertheless the situation wasn't going to change just yet and he couldn't just go ask a wind spirit to teach him right now. He hadn't seen the three creatures climb out of the water, but was very surprised to see two large creatures charging in at him. He leveled his AK-47 at one of them and opened fire, emptying the rest of the clip before pulling it out, turning it over to the second clip strapped to the bottom and popped it back in.

He leveled the AK at the same one he had been firing at, only to have something long and slimy rip it out of his hands.
"Oh I'm going to have to find that later you motherfucker." He said angrily, though he never shouted. The assault rifle went flying off into the distance, into the fog, and he turned back to his coffin, wishing he had gotten his bow out instead... it packed a little more punch after all. Then one tongue wrapped around him and he was lifted into the air, tossed eighty feet up in the air.

The fall gave him a minute to think. Aurora was already aware of Nakata who bore a power similar to the nameless ones, still, did she need to know about him? Did she already? He didn't know much about her except that day here at the lake where she had been talking to the guy that threw around explosive objects and blew up the tree. Did she even know it was him? He could see the two creatures still standing at his weapon case, that was when he saw the third one burst out of the fog heading for Nakata and Aurora.


Nakata breathed, pulling in spiritual energy from the moon. His chi mingled with that of the moon and pulled it toward him from the umbral plane. It was slow at first but began to gather faster and faster until finally he could stand again. This did not mean, however, that he was back to full. The power he had used was taking a toll on him.
"Thank you for helping me. I'll heed your advice." He said. He had enjoyed being able to use powers similar to what he once had again, but he had his upper limits and too many huge spells had drained it. There were spheres he wasn't using but he hadn't figured out how exactly to use them yet. He looked around just in time to see an assault rifle go flying into the fog. A minute later, Zachary went up into the air, flung by some creature that had apparently appeared while he was down.
"I don't think I'm ready to fight that yet." He said to Aurora, as he resheathed his sword which he had been using to try to stay up on his knee instead of collapsing.

As if the one monster heading toward them wasn't back enough, the other two were barreling down the hill at the two mages. The fog still obscured a large portion of their view and Zachary was in the air still. Shaking his head he used the sphere of forces, though this time he simply caused a strong gust of wind to blow. It stayed steady, and began to blow away and scatter the fog. Meanwhile he continued to draw power from the moon. The time it had taken to do that though had the one in front of them close enough to use its tongue. The long thing lanced at them like a whip and Naka barely managed to move out of the way. When the thing hit the ground it created a four inch deep crack in the ground past the snow. He couldn't help but wonder what it would have done to him and didn't want to find out. At the same time the other two had gotten close enough now to use their tongues, and two of them lanced at Aurora.


Zachary had decided finally on a course of action. As he came down he twisted, arching his back so that he could stand upright before landing, and using his arms to help guide the direction he was falling. The one that had thrown him had made the mistake of running in the direction it had launched him and now he was going for a little payback. He shifted to crinos form, a 700lb hulking wolf man hybrid war form of the garou and landed with both feet on the head and neck of one of the creatures, roaring loudly as he felt the head and neck detach beneath his feet. As a result, one of the tongues lancing toward Aurora was detached, flying and folding up harmlessly as if someone had thrown a sock. He did not manage to stop the other tongue though.

———-

Wilhelm froze when he saw the werewolf. The school even had those? He hadn't made something big enough to counteract that, although he figured if anyone was going to do it, the test subject he had just sent up was more than equipped.

Still, he had one more ace up his sleeve, though he waited to see if all of his other creations would get taken down before daring to summon it. Afterall, he had built a special wing just to house the monster and didn't want to have to get his new creation all scuffed if he didn't have to. Still, he was more concerned for his tongued monsters.

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Two more of the monsters erupted from the ice just as the fog started to clear. Sensing out the situation they took towards their prey at once. Trying to close the distance, sensing they had a meal ahead of them. All they wanted was food, that was their only driving instinct... food, blood, meat.

Three more of the monsters climbed out of the water, bringing to total on land to five with three dead for a total of eight. Zachary, in his war form, roared loudly, a wave of almost palpable rage escaping him as he threw the body of the monster he had crushed at another of creatures. He had been watching Aurora out of the corner of his eye as she seemed to teleport, being one place at one point and another place with her sword through the second monster's skull.

The licker that had been hit with the body of its compatriot screeched loudly, and the second licker jumped at Nakata, leaping through the air instead of using its giant tongue. Taking something of a page from Aurora's book, he simply knelt, holding his blade in front of him with his hand behind it as though he were blocking a powerful blow from another weapon. Tapping into the sphere of entropy, he simply altered his luck, increasing it greatly and throwing a tiny bit of force into it the spell so that the monster separated itself on his blade, cutting cleaning in half and spraying the ground around him with blood and entrails while he remained unscathed. The two perfect halves of the monster lay on the ground while he swung his blade, freeing it of blood.
"I think I might be getting the hang of this subtlety thing." He said in Aurora's direction, mostly teasing since he was pretty sure he was still only operating on instinct.

Zachary roared and made a leap of his own, right onto the licker that was covered by the one that had been thrown, and burning into his rage to tear into it (rage at 6/10) A small frenzy of well placed claw attacks tore the skull off, then the brain was thrown out to the side, huge canines were buried in the neck of the licker and a couple of claw strikes severed the head from the body, which he then struck and sent it flying, bathing the three new ones in gore and leaving his fur wet with blood. He was in control, but the scene was going to be bloody.

Nakata hadn't seen a Garou in war form before. There was a reason they were terrifying, and a reason why his cousin had said to watch himself. Add to that he was pretty sure that Aurora had performed some odd kind of what she would refer to as "vulgar magic".
"I'm glad I called for backup this time." Naka joked... or half joked at least. He was the one playing backup more or less for these two, though he was smart enough to at least continue drawing power from the moon.

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Subject 25532B, A.K.A. Tezzeret Dhalsim trekked slowly along the lake bottom. He was angry at his captor for having sent him, but he was aware the his body wouldn't hold out under the stress of the sun for long without having to return if he didn't do something about it. Antediluvians should have risen by now but they hadn't just yet. The world was still how he remembered it before he enter torpor and had eventually awoken to find himself in captivity. The 3200 year old kindred of the Assamite clan had found himself forced to deal with mortals, two of which were kine, and one a lupine.

1500 years of being an assassin welled up in him. He knew he would need to take the opportunity to gather information and he did just that, using the vampire discipline of auspex to astral project himself up out of the water, using obfuscate to hide his body, and moving in to watch the fight. If all went well he would scope out wilhelm's facility and put an end to the fool who thought himself the equal of his kind.
"Scurry cattle, breath but lightly on the mirror of fate so your awaiting deaths are not completely obscured." He thought, wishing they could hear him.

Nakata looked at Aurora for a moment and shrugged. When he wasn't pushing it, the "vulgar magic" felt natural to him. Unfortunately he didn't understand why that was, or half the time what exactly he was doing. It felt like it was muscle memory and he wasn't really sure whether or not it was reflexive or just ingrained knowledge from everything he had been through. Regardless he had a simpler answer for her question.
"Yeah it's a lot easier." He responded back. And in truth it was for the most part, but it was counter intuitive. She felt something that he didn't automatically. She must have been monitoring constantly because she spoke up.

"I'm sure you feel that Nakata. That's a nasty bit of mana. Really nasty." She said.
He had not, but he used the sphere of correspondence to feel for what she was talking about. He didn't recognize it himself, but it felt similar to one of his cousin's "pack" members.
"I do now. Not sure exactly how to handle that." He responded. "I think we should be concerned about other things right now." As if on cue, six lickers erupted out of the lake, breaking the ice and crawling up on the land.

Zachary roared loudly as the new monsters crawled up on the land. He was raring to go, ready to shred them, and in this form he could still use the Houzuki Ryu martial arts style. He extended his left foot forward, and prepared his charge, baring fangs at them and letting his rage flow forth.

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Wilhelm didn't like it. His vampire subject still hadn't made a move yet. He should have been out of the water already. The monster that had appeared on the field was still there and it was shredding his creations like they were just a simple waste of time. Anger took over his features as he contemplated his situation and considered using his final creation. After that he would have to start all over, gathering subjects and getting ready to test them. He was far from helpless on his own anyway. Still, there were still things to be done.

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The six charged at their food, three of them leaping at the furry smorgasbord that was Zachary, and the other three headed for Nakata and Aurora. A huge grin crept across the werewolf's features as he prepared for their approach and Nakata hefted his sword and tried to think of a way to protect himself and Aurora, but time was approaching way too quickly.
"Motomeru wa ishin da!" He shouted, stomping the ground as he finished the last syllable. As he stomped, a large wall of rock lifted up from the ground, creating a blind spot, but blocking their direct approach. It was a bit of vulgar magic, but he could do something that would look somewhat coincidental from that, he timed it, estimating how long it would take for the monsters to have made their approach. A smirk crossed his face as the wall simply crumbled, huge boulders falling to the ground.

The monsters had begun to climb the wall after smashing into it mid-leap. When it started crumbling, they screeched, falling to the ground in various positions, and one of them was crushed to death by the falling boulders. the remaining two landed on their backs, one of them had its leg crushed into a pulp by a boulder but the other remained unscathed.

The injured licker crawled on its three remaining legs and hobbled forward as the second one stood, getting back its bearings.

Zachary prepped as the monsters launched themselves at him. As they prepared to jump he sprung forward burning with rage as he did. When one of them jumped, he grabbed it out of the air, digging his claws into its chest and holding on to whatever bone he had gotten hold of, and he spun, slamming it into a second one and knocking it out of the air, he then rammed the first monster, that was still hanging from his claws, into the one on the ground breaking the bone he was holding onto and ramming his hand the rest of the way through the first creature and into the second. A grin crossed his face again as a large bone blade erupted from his forearm, and he used it to slice the monsters open so they fell off his arm. (Rage at 4/10) The third one leaped, landing on his back and knocking him forward as its claws dug into his back.

——————

Patient 25532B waited under water, watching from his astral form as a lupine tore away at the monsters and the mage tore apart the very earth. Decidedly he was going to have to use strategy. Take the mage out first, then the lupine, then the girl he would drain dry. It wasn't going to be an easy fight, but he decided that it was necessary, though he continued to watch, wanting more information on his quarry.

Anger flared as the creature dug in, but suddenly it let go, dropping off of him though the claws dug furrows in his back on their way out. The wounds they had created were made by a supernatural creature which meant that they weren't healing on their own and he felt rage boil in. He had been careless. Had his master been here he would probably have been punished, and the thought of that angered him all the more. (rage 5/10) He did manage to calm down, breathing in sharply and preparing to use one of his gifts. Then he heard her voice.
"Are you alright? He looks to have gotten a rather painful shot in." She said.
He nodded, but walked to step forward in front of her. There was still the monsters on the ground, the one with the missing leg and the other one that looked like it was ready to pounce. He let out a ferocious roar as his body started to glow, the touch of gaia healing his wounds with a golden glow as he challenged the monsters.(gnosis at 4/5)

His body felt lighter and he took his stance, just like he would have if he had been in human form. Claws extended at the tips of his fingers and he lowered himself, prepared to lunge.

Meanwhile Nakata had regained his bearings. Even though the last spell has used a bit of his quintessential energy, it was no where near as bad as the firestorm he had performed earlier. He stopped drawing power from the umbral moon and walked forward. In a flash his sword made two distinct strokes against the uninjured creature which he tied with the spheres of time and matter. As a result, even though the strokes looked normal, the blade was actually cutting extremely slowly and as it made its track through the licker's body, it transmuted portions of the creature's brain, heart, and other organs into water which mixed with the blood and dripped out of it in what looked like very thin blood. The speed of the strike ensured that as tissue dipped forward from the lack of support from liquified parts of the tissue and made contact with the blade, that tissue was then also liquified. From what had looked like two quick slashes, a spray of blood erupted from the monster and it fell to the ground and Nakata continued to walk toward his companions, joining them toward the edge of the lake.

The final licker struggled to turn and follow him, but it was no where near fast enough to manage the turn. Zachary gawked, a little annoyed, but also wondering what exactly else they were capable of, and he made a definite point of getting the information back to the Utsuzumi brothers about techniques like that. Then he looked back at Aurora, he hadn't really been catching what she was doing, but he was starting to see that was probably because she was better at concealing it than Nakata, or the member of his own pack who seemed to love flashy spells the same way, though to a much smaller degree. With that he simply nodded toward her and then toward the licker. It was an honor among garou packs to allow someone to take the final kill as it garnered the most prestige among the spirits in terms of purifying an area. While he couldn't communicate the verbally, he was hoping the impatient look at his wolf-like features would communicate that thought.

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Tezzeret didn't like what he was watching. A lupine by itself was bad enough, but two mages who seemed to be at different states of power. He wasn't at all happy with the odds and decided he was going to have to take one of them out of the game before his presence could even be noted. All three of them were dangerous and he didn't enjoy games, nor was he possessed of the Treme's thematurgic prowess. He didn't like being forced into a corner and that was, more or less, what the group had done. He continued to watch, waiting patiently to see any sign of weakness.


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<a href='http://youtu.be/T6CkRibOYJk' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Zachary's roar</a>

With no other forthcoming threats Zachary scanned around, looking at the lake for signs of something. Nakata looked too, reaching out and searching for the what it was that Aurora was talking about.
"I sense something unnatural, but I can't pinpoint it. Zachary might be able to sense it." He said looking at the giant werewolf standing nonchalantly by the lake. He only shook his head in response.

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Tezzeret saw his opportunity. First he used the vampiric celerity granted by his very nature as an Assamite. Next, he melded with the earth, a power he had learned from a vampire of another clan he had assassinated, drinking him down to the very essence of his soul. Finally, he utilized Quietus, another assamite discipline. His blood coated a shamshir at his waist and a dagger at his wrist as he slid up through the earth. Next he once again used Quietus, creating a zone of complete silence. No sound, no thought, nothing would escape. He came up a fair distance away and used his obfuscate powers to conceal himself in the shadows of trees at first, and finally in the shadow of the male mage.

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Suddenly spikes of shadow erupted from the ground Impaling Nakata. No scream was heard, no gurgling of blood as his dagger slashed his throat and his shamshir removed the head. The lupine, however, abruptly turned his head at the scent of blood. It was unfortunate that his discipline did not dull all the senses, or at least he hadn't learned a way to do that yet. Baring that in mind, and the sudden futility of it all, he once again disappeared from sight. Depending on the female mage's ability she might be able to see him, but the lupine should only be able to smell him and that made him the next logical target. The girl was more of an unknown, his blades would take their fill, and he would paralyze her, drain her, and use her blood to gain knowledge which he would use to mimic the tremere's thamauturgy. Blood truely was power.

In his younger days he would simply have used the same trick he had just used, but he had learned long ago to change tactics with every victim. A smile crept over his face as he moved, not with the celerity of an ancient vampire of his lineage, but with the precise movements allowed him by his disciplines. No foot print was made, no sound was heard, and the death of their friend, the sight of his head rolling across the ground should have caused some sort of response. He was everywhere, and no where.

Silently he stood just to the opposite side of where the lupine was looking, though it was difficult as his attention moved from place to place, almost as if he was following his scent. Without warning the lupine moved, Zachary lashed out, moving as if possessed. The sudden fury he was unleashing left Tezzeret on the defensive for a moment as he dodged, trying to figure out why he was having to fight this hard. It struck him then. He had entered a frenzy, he was tracking him purely by scent. Once again, he stepped out of the darkness and as the lupine lashed out at him with his claws, he sliced the arm, carving it down to the bone. To his surprise, Zachary continued the onslaught, ripping the dagger out of his hand. He was forced to hide once again. This must have been why the Vizier always said to run from the lupines.

He used the vampiric celerity to move, faster than he thought the werewolf would be able to follow, and cut into its back, his shamshir only narrowly missing a vertebrae. Two more slashes and he had cut the lupine's calf muscles and rendered his arms useless with a final slash across the shoulder blades. Despite his fury, the lupine was grounded, left panting. He briefly ignored the girl for just an instant, raising his blade for the final blow.