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Glytch heard something in the forest, off in the distance. A fox barking. He stopped and listened carefully, his senses on alert. He resumed his walk, but moved more slowly, carefully, and silently now, ensuring his own noise wouldn't mask the sounds around him.
Then, a commotion exploded deeper still in the forest. He heard Eme's voice, muffled by distance and foliage, but she didn't sound happy. The hairs on the back of Glytch's neck stood on end. He stopped and closed his eyes for thirty seconds, forcing his pupils to dilate to better see in the dim light. Then, birds began to call out, warning their ilk of danger. Glytch opened his eyes, listening intently. The bird sounds were coming closer. Then, two figures burst from the edge of the forest and sprinted toward the Manor.
They were not running to attack, they were running to escape something. A man and a woman - neither of which had the light, lithe gait of his elven friend.
Glytch set off as fast as he could, reaching the two just as they came into the light from the Manor. It was Stan and Tina. "What's wrong? Where is the elf?" Glytch yelled.
"Something attacked! She's keeping it under control, but she needs help! She wants a golem!" Stan bellowed his reply before disappearing into the Manor.
If she needs help from a golem, she won't want me anywhere near... Everyone is in the Manor, safe in numbers, and protected by powerful beings... Except...
"Atsali and Castela..." Glytch breathed, fear suddenly clawing at his gut.

The hooded young man drew his bow and nocked an arrow, keeping it ready as he set off at a dead run toward their place. He was halfway there when he began to fervently wish he had Atsali's number... And Buck's, come to think of it.
When he reached their front door, he turned away and faced outward, kicking back against it to get their attention, and pulled the bow taut, grateful for the pulleys that made holding it fully drawn so much easier.
It was several extremely long moments before Katherine answered the door. "Ye- Oh? What's going on?"
"Let me in and lock everything!" Glytch hissed. "Are all four of you here?"
Kath let Glytch back through the doorway. He sidestepped and kept his arrow trained on the door while she slid the deadbolt in place before relaxing. "Yes, everyone's here... We were about to watch a movie. What's wrong?"
Buck entered the foyer and, seeing Glytch panting and in stance, immediately went to the kitchen, returning with three rifles, handing one to Kath and the other to Atsali, who had just poked her head out of the living room. Castela, remembering what her momma and daddy had taught her, went upstairs and barricaded herself in her bedroom. "Only Badgers Allowed!" She chanted once before falling silent.
Glytch nodded to Buck. "Good idea, rehearsing drills. There's something out there that has Eme' scared. She wanted one of the golem girls for backup. You guys are separated, so I came here to guard." He sheathed his arrow and pulled his phone from his pocket, tossing it to Atsali. "Enter 1123, then tap the 'Telepresence' app."
"Ok..." She did as she was told, swiping through the options.
"Kath, lock every window and door, and shutter all of the blinds. Turn out the lights and light candles, they won't shine through. Buck, guard the door."
"Now what?" Atsali gave Glytch a waiting look.
"Here," Glytch took the phone, tapped in his admin password, and pressed the big red button.

The office in the Manor suddenly began to produce a gawd-awful, high-pitched noise. Sarge got there first, picking his way through the web of cords. "What in the hell is-" he stopped short, reading the message on the screen.
Say Cheese!

Sarge's scowling face appeared on Glytch's phone. Glytch pressed the green button to let Sarge see him. "Sarge, shit went down in the forest, batten your hatches. Stan and Tina are looking for a golem girl to help Emerauld. I'm at Buck's, but I would really appreciate some heavy duty backup, or an escort to get us to the Manor."
Sarge dropped his scowl (partially because the ringing had stopped) and nodded. "Understood. Stay alert... I'll send someone to get you, but not before we think the threat is neutralized. Until then, they will help guard. Where is the problem?"
Glytch shrugged and shook his head. "It didn't seem prudent to go find out. Stan and Tina can tell you. If it scared Eme', no mortal has any business poking it with a stick." Sarge's scowl returned, this time accompanied with a steady stream of curses and oaths that would paint the Bob Michael Bridge blue three times over. The cursing continued as Sarge tried to escape the office tangle. "GLYTCH! Figure out these cords or I'll figure them out for you!"

Glytch put his phone away and looked up to see Kath covering the back door with her rifle while Atsali hid behind a kitchen counter for cover, keeping her rifle trained on a large window in the tv room. "All good?" He whispered to Buck.
"Yeah... I hope this isn't it." He muttered in his low voice.
Glytch knew exactly what it was. "Me neither..."

Drawing a runestone from her wristpouch, she whispered a name over it, then began to think. In the second camp, the curtain of thorns vanished, and Safyr quickly donned her heavy plate and helm, summoned her steed, mounted him, quickly grabbing her mace and shield, as she rode off toward danger.

Dos ph'kyorlin natha VEL'BOL!"came the thought as though shouted.

"Nempori tizzin. Talinthe ol zhah natha rivvil. Talinthe l'rogues her'tan elg'cahl ynmaryk zhah natha tasty hosenn." was the snarky reply.

"Remind uns'aa ulu batiny dos gajak, lu'naut wun natha i'dol jaluss orn'la talinth jivvin."

"Remind uns'aa ulu inbal natha discussion bauth Ironwood Yath'sargrah ste'kolen."

"Remind uns'aa ulu inbal natha discussion bauth shadowstepping. Anth jala bells?"

With that, she arrived at the clearing she left the weapons for that human and his paramour, and surveyed the scene.
Satisfied it was acting alone, she cast a few spells to prevent it from waking the corpse should it get loose, summoned a spectre to patrol and warn of anyone approaching, and drew her weapons to stand guard until help arrived.

"Thank you for helping. It's been a long, complicated day."

"It's what sisters do."

"You are guarding a WHAT!" Came the thought as though shouted.

"Ugly scaly. Thinks it's a human. Thinks the rogues guild poison stash is a tasty snack." was the snarky reply.

"Remind me to beat you later, and not in a way anyone would consider fun."

"Remind me to have a discussion about Ironwood Monk toys."

"Remind me to have a discussion about shadowstepping. Ring any bells?"

Brian hated taking the Wayzata Boulevard Freeway. All the Lexuses and Land Rovers were zooming past him in the HOV3 Toll Lane while his Jeep Liberty was tooling along at below the speed limit because of traffic.

He blew out a sigh of frustration, even as his GPS recalculated his arrival time for about the fifth time since he'd gotten on I-394. It'd been acting up since sometime on Friday. A glitch or something had made the screen blank out for a moment, then everything returned to normal. The only thing that was odd - at least to him - was that he was getting some irregular directions to some of the places to where he normally drove.

The signs for I-494 and the Carlson Parkway were coming up. Even with the traffic, he should be in Maple Plain in about 15 minutes. Then, the fun of finding his way to the Alexander Estate would begin.

GlytchMeister wrote: Castela, remembering what her momma and daddy had taught her, went upstairs and barricaded herself in her bedroom.
"Only Badgers Allowed!" She chanted once before falling silent.

https://www.pinterest.com/arodgers95/

Wait for it...

Running flat out, Stan & Tina headed back to the Main House...

"FALL IN!! FALL IN!! FALL IN!! WE HAVE INTRUDER ON THE GROUNDS! AL!!! BUD!!! BRANDY!!! MAY!!! NEIL!!! BOOTS AND SADDLES, LOCK AND LOAD!!! WEAPONS AND AMMO ONLY!!!" bellowing at the top of his lungs, "ALAN, JIN, KEVIN, SHELLY, JUSTIN, PHIX- ALL FRONT AND CENTER- WEAPONS AND AMMO ONLY,"
Neil trotted up with a 98K Mauser and three bandoliers of ammo, "What's up, Sarge? Where is this intruder?"
"We have intel arriving shortly- Tina and Stan are on the way,"
"OK- WHAT is this intruder?"
"Something that scared our wood nymph- other than that, I don't know. She's calling for golems,"
"Who wants us?" Bud and May asked in unison as they stumbled in.
"Emerauld has some nasty out in the woods- she's calling for 'bulletproofs'," Greg replied.
"Oh- so we're 'bulletproofs' now?" Brandi asked, not sure if she liked the term or the idea.
"Yes you're 'bulletproofs'- and don't get 'politically correct' with me. We each are utilized in accordance to our strengths and abilities, get over it,"
"Yes, and Sergeant Howard's specialty is the ability to offend," Al piped in as he entered the room- "Really, sir, you amaze me,"
"We don't have time for polite right now- and don't 'SIR' me, I WORK for living,"
"ENOUGH!!!" Bellowed Neil, "don't we have enough ass to kick without scrapping with each other? I know we've been cooped up here long enough- but dammit! Here we actually HAVE a baddie on the grounds and YOU TWO are at each other's throats? What's wrong with you?!?"
Al and Greg looked at each other-
"..the HELL is he talking about?" asked Greg.
"Haven't the foggiest," replied Al.
Neil buried his face in his hand, took a deep breath, let it out and did a quick head count as Amanda and Edward stumbled out along with Jin, Kevin, Alan, Phix, Shelly and Justin.
Phix glared at Greg- "Keep your voice down- you'll wake Aternia,"
"... who's..."
"Dixie," Neil whispered, then addressed the assemblage.
"Alright- everybody listen up. There' something big bad and ugly out on the property that Emerauld has cornered, possibly in submission, but we don't know for sure. She has called for golems, so I can only assume that whatever it is, it's just plain nasty. Tina and Stan will be arriving shortly and we will get the 'where' and 'what' a little better defined. Bud, (she came to attention), I know that you consider Brandy your superior, but in this I want you on point. May, you and Brandy follow. Justin, Kevin, Amanda, back up with rifles. Alan, you hold the fort with Edward and keep in contact. Jin, can you 'poit'?"
"Yes, I still have that,"
"Good- you go with us BUT KEEP TO THE REAR and be ready to do a runner to here if the phones are compromised, all right? Al- you have more combat experience than Greg- will you lead this happy group?"
"It would be my honor,"
"Good- Greg, I want you and your Lapua to be a flank oppressive fire group with Stan when he gets here- that scope is passive or active IR?"
"Either/or- and the batteries are charged. I'll let Stan handle the mini- it's good for suppressive fire,"
"Good... any questions?"
Alan spoke up, "Why am I stuck here at the fort while my pregnant wife deals with the ugly?"
Neil viewed him through lidded eyes-
"First of all- Edward can't do it alone. Secondly, your wife is capable of escaping in a way that you can't. Thirdly... well to be honest Alan, your shooting will have to improve dramatically to become abysmal... Dearest, you and Shelly do overhead recon and keep the ground troops informed,"
"When do we do this?" She asked.
"As soon as we hear from Tina and Stan,"
At which point the two stumbled in, looking much the worse for wear...
"WHERE WAS IT?" demanded Greg.
"About two hundred yards towards Buck and Kathy's place, on the main trail,"
"And WHAT was it?"
"No Idea, but I don't think Emerauld likes it very much..."
"Can you act as spotter for me on this?"
"NO !!!" Tina blurted out without hesitation- "He's not up to it,"

Tina was able to get some hot food into him, all the while a debriefing of sorts was going on around the big table in the kitchen, and Stan tried his best to answer what he could remember, forgetting that a lot of it would be in the recordings of the perimeter system he'd been finalizing when all Hell had broken out around him.

Somebody stuck a mug of something in his hand, he was directed "Drink" in a very stern voice, and it was bitter as all get out.
But he downed it in one chug.

With his plate mostly empty and the mug even more so, Tina interrupted the voices swarming around his head with a clipped,
"Back away, he's off to bed now...".
"But I'm still starving" he started to protest, but that observation was shut down with the comment
"your 'NEW' girlfriend said not to feed you too much tonight and to tie on the feedbag after we cleaned you up and you got some sleep..."
"Wha?, "That Lady of the Woods, is that who you are talking about? but shes not my.. I thought You where, whats happening around here?! "

Stan was stumbling in both gait and conversation at this point and it took a concerted and determined run at the stairway to get him upstairs.

There were a few half hearted beginnings of "Are you sure you don't..." and "Don't you need some hel..." but with the territorial glare Tina was radiating, the queries and comments died aborning, mid-sentence.

At first it had been enough to merely guide him in the right direction with a hand in the small of his back but by the time they'd gotten to the right floor she'd needed to drape an arm of his over hers to keep him vertical and it was good thing the door to the bedroom was already open when they got there.

Plopping him on the bed she began to remove his newly gifted clothing, enjoying it's fit and the simple yet detailed workmanship. Stan meanwhile, despite the grin on his face from being manipulated and manhandled while being disrobed was neither helping much nor putting up a fight.

Heading towards the bath, Tina started running water into the enameled clawfoot tub and returned to find Stanley in a semi-stupor on top of the bedclothes and a small satchel, tied with a small vine, on the pillow. She was sure it hadn't been there a moment ago. A small leaf growing from the vine glowed in silvered letters, but only when angled just right against the light and they spelled out

Soak Him in this Tea

She couldn't really untie the satchel so she dropped the whole thing under the now hot water flowing from the tub's faucet and watched as it as it first sank, then bobbed to the surface, than slowly began to submerge again and noticeably swell in size.

The aroma was both soothing and in some way medicinal smelling so she thought to continue on, trusting her gut that it was going to be beneficial in the long run.

Stepping back to the bed Tina removed her own clothing and getting sleepy Stan to his feet once more, she smiled to herself as he began mumbling, mostly under his breath, things like "But I never really ever met her before..." and "I don't even know her name..." and other inanities...

When they got into the bathroom it became evident Stan was fading fast and she found it necessary to put a little extra persuasion into her voice to get him to step up over the lip of the tub. Once he was standing in the water she was able to step in behind him and guide the both of them to a seated, then reclined position, her behind him, safe at last in the sweep of her arms.

Whatever their newfound friend had placed in the satchel it's aroma was having a very soothing effect- the contents seeping into the water and cleaning any remaining containments away, neutralizing the harmful effects.

Stan was already fast asleep as Tina noticed the she was also very drowsy, the stress of the recent event catching up to them both as the adrenaline had faded from their bodies.

It was a bit troubling to think they should probably get out of the tub and go to bed, lest they drown in their sleep, but it was just too comfy and Tina thought to herself, 'Well, this would be a much better way to go than the last time...'.

Sgt. Howard wrote:"FALL IN!! FALL IN!! FALL IN!! WE HAVE INTRUDER ON THE GROUNDS! AL!!! BUD!!! BRANDY!!! MAY!!! NEIL!!! BOOTS AND SADDLES, LOCK AND LOAD!!! WEAPONS AND AMMO ONLY!!!" bellowing at the top of his lungs, "ALAN, JIN, KEVIN, SHELLY, JUSTIN, PHIX- ALL FRONT AND CENTER- WEAPONS AND AMMO ONLY,"

Way to make an entrance, Sarge. Welcome back. I missed you

GlytchMeister wrote:

Sgt. Howard wrote:"FALL IN!! FALL IN!! FALL IN!! WE HAVE INTRUDER ON THE GROUNDS! AL!!! BUD!!! BRANDY!!! MAY!!! NEIL!!! BOOTS AND SADDLES, LOCK AND LOAD!!! WEAPONS AND AMMO ONLY!!!" bellowing at the top of his lungs, "ALAN, JIN, KEVIN, SHELLY, JUSTIN, PHIX- ALL FRONT AND CENTER- WEAPONS AND AMMO ONLY,"

Way to make an entrance, Sarge. Welcome back. I missed you

Thank you much... but with that, I'm going to bed- there's a sassy redhead waiting for me there...

Sgt. Howard wrote:

GlytchMeister wrote:

Sgt. Howard wrote:"FALL IN!! FALL IN!! FALL IN!! WE HAVE INTRUDER ON THE GROUNDS! AL!!! BUD!!! BRANDY!!! MAY!!! NEIL!!! BOOTS AND SADDLES, LOCK AND LOAD!!! WEAPONS AND AMMO ONLY!!!" bellowing at the top of his lungs, "ALAN, JIN, KEVIN, SHELLY, JUSTIN, PHIX- ALL FRONT AND CENTER- WEAPONS AND AMMO ONLY,"

Way to make an entrance, Sarge. Welcome back. I missed you

Thank you much... but with that, I'm going to bed- there's a sassy redhead waiting for me there...

Lucky bastard...

---

Dominic Whitaker sat dejectedly at his desk in the construction trailer outside of the old Pillsbury Mill. The developers had made it clear that they wanted the lofts to be open by December 1st. However, the strike by IBEW Local 1269 had put a serious wrench in those plans.

The strike had happened right after that shooting over in the Hiawatha area. He'd found it confusing, because the day before, they had informed him that the electrical for the "Great Hall" would be finished in a couple of days. He found out pretty quick what was behind it all – the cop that had shot the drug dealer was getting married in mid-December at the Lofts. IBEW 1269 was a heavily minority union, to boot.

He'd gone to the union leadership, offering more bonuses to come back and finish the job. Their simple response was to refuse to return to work unless A-Mill Lofts canceled the contract to hold the cop's wedding.

He tried to talk to Epimethus and his fiancée, but could only gain contact through that photographer lady whose studio was barely finished in the workspace part of the Lofts. He'd tried to assure her that if they could maybe work something out, maybe postpone the wedding until February. Ehrlich had yet to get back to him.

The other wrench in this whole thing was who was paying for the wedding. Apparently, someone high up at Alexander Harvester was footing the bill for the two – some connection through the bride's family, though he swore that he'd seen the father of the bride at an auto repair shop down on Lyndale South…

A knock on his door brought him back to reality. "It's open," he nearly yelled; the habits of being on a work site had conditioned him to do so. The door opened, and, as if almost on cue, in walked Ehrlich – with someone he didn't recognize.

"Hey, Dominic," she said as she stepped into the trailer. The outside din only subsided after she shut the door. The gentleman – a shaggy-haired, bearded gentleman with wire-rim glasses – seemed to be taking stock of his office. "Still having problems with the electricians?"

"They won't budge until your friends find somewhere else to have their wedding," he said. "Uh, is this your assistant?" She shook her head.

"This is Jacob Kronwulf, of JK Interiors," she explained. "He's an expert at short-term facility preparation for large events. Justin and Shelly have hired him to get the Great Hall prepped for the wedding." Kronwulf nodded at Dominic.

"Well, I hope he can do it without electrical wiring," he said, leaning back in his chair. "Because nothing's ready for juice in the Great Hall."

"That would be a concern to me only if I was working for your company, Mr. Whitaker." Kronwulf's voice was deep-throated, almost a growl. "My company is privately contracting with Ms. Wahnee to get the hall finished."

"And how do you propose to do that?" Dominic asked.

Kronwulf pulled out an iPad, swiped the screen, and after a few taps, handed it to Whitaker.

"My men will take over construction and wiring of the site, beginning at 8 PM tonight," he said firmly. "We will work overnight, finishing wiring and framing and whatever else is necessary. I can give you hard copy of the plans, if you'd like."

Dominic went over the drawings on the tablet. After swiping through the plans and renderings, two things were obvious: first, he knew exactly what needed to be done. He suspected Ehrlich had a hand in that. Second, the man was ambitious.

"How, exactly, do you plan on getting this all done in under three weeks' time?" he asked, handing the iPad back to Kronwulf.

"I don't," he replied, taking the tablet back and turning it off before slipping it back in his coat's inside pocket.

"It will only take us ten days."

---

Ursine Gadenyuva was carefully adding some spices, freshly picked from the garden that morning, to the beef stew she had planned for dinner that evening – when her husband Bernard wandered into the kitchen.

"Mmmmm, smells yummy!" he said with a smile, coming up behind his wife for a hug and a well-placed kiss on her cheek.

"You only resort to flattery when you're hungry, Benny," she said, unimpressed but smiling. "No sampling until dinner. The girls haven't come home yet, and I don't want you to leave them with thimblefuls."

"Speaking of which," he said, pulling out an envelope from his pocket, "their report cards came in the mail today. And it looks like Nadette's having some issues in her Creative Writing class." He pulled out the card, which indicated the younger of the twins' grades for the Fall semester at Gryphon School for the Paranormally Gifted. Her grades for the semester were all A's across the board – except for an unusual C- in the Creative Writing course.

"That's odd." Ursine put the spoon she was using to stir the stew on the counter, and looked at the report. "She had an 'A' in that course at the quarter break, back in October." She looked at her husband. "She usually loves that class."

"And it's a sudden fall off, too," he replied. "She has that course right before lunch, doesn't she? Maybe she's not getting a decent lunch at school." He shook his fist in frustration. "I knew I should have talked to the school administrators about ursamorph dietary needs…"

"Uh, I don't think that's the problem, dear," Ursine said, lightly touching his arm. "I think there's another reason."

"Care to tell your clueless husband what it may be?"

"I think… it's something that only a mother could deal with," she stated delicately.

"Oh. You mean that Atsali girl?" Ursine nodded. "Hm. And there's that wedding next month, too."

"Berdine's informed me that not all is smooth sailing with the wedding party, either," she added.

"Hmph. Anyone that's read the Paranormal Press recently knows that."

"I think I might need to talk to the girls when they get home… HEY!" She smacked her husband's hand as he sampled some of the stew with the spoon she had laid down on the counter. "No sampling!"

"But your stew is just so good…"

She pointed toward the living room. "Out until dinner. And I'll talk to the girls when they finally get home."

Glytch could hear Sarge bellowing from his pocket - he had left the phone connected to his laptop, but had turned off the screen to preserve battery power. This way, if something big happened at the Manor, he would know. Then the phone went silent.
They must have left to go out after it... Maybe even took everyone. Well... I guess there's no kill like overkill.
"And now, we wait." He muttered.
"Glytch?" Buck whispered hoarsely.
"Yeah?"
"Go take Atsali upstairs and stay with Castela. If things get bad, Atsali can fly you two out." His voice was a little thick with emotion.
"Mr. Alexa-" Glytch wanted to tell him that wasn't going to happen, but Buck wasn't going to have any of it.
"Please... Just Buck. Just do it, alright?"
Glytch stared at Buck for a moment before nodding silently and going to the kitchen. "Hey," Glytch drew nearer to Atsali than he normally would have to keep his voice down. "Let's go keep your sister company."
Atsali took a deep breath and nodded, leading Glytch up the stairs. "Castela, two badgers want in."
"Mushroom!" The door opened into what would normally pass for a regular child's bedroom with the exception of a large, empty terra cotta pot in the place of a bed. Castela smiled a little uncertainly at the two of them.
"Hey, there, you little butterfly," Glytch went inside and sat cross-legged on the floor, carefully leaning his bow against a dresser. "Want me to read you a story?"
Atsali raised an eyebrow at Glytch before hanging the rifle over her back and sitting down next to him. Castela's grin became more natural. "Yes, please!"
Glytch glanced at Atsali, giving her a sly smile before focusing back on Pickle, pulling out his phone and bringing up an e-book. "In a hole, there lived a hobbit..."

GlytchMeister wrote:Glytch glanced at Atsali, giving her a sly smile before focusing back on Pickle, pulling out his phone and bringing up an e-book. "In a hole, there lived a hobbit..."

Perfect choice!!!

I hate taking point. If there is one thing that one learns as a member of the military of any age it is that the sharp end of the spear gets blunted against an enemy - and being that sharp end is never pleasant.

With Neil's command I took over distributing my troops - getting the patrol ready to go. The bulletproofs were at the front (gods, what a horrid term), with myself and Greg behind them armed respectively with his scoped cannon and me carrying Greg's Mini-15 - an issue that rankled me but this was going to require firepower not finesse if anything at all. The others were set in single file behind (perfect for forest conditions), with Neil and his millennia-honed instincts at the rear with Jin - guarding our backs.


"OK, lights out. Half of you are going out the rear entrance, half out the side. Evens to the back, odds to the side - Ladies, 2 to the first and one to the second, please. Form up on the move - rapidly and quietly please." The lights on the ground floor went out, with Edward and Alan scanning the sight picture out the windows as best they could. We moved out quickly and quietly - our irregulars showing their mettle in how they handled themselves.

With eyes adapted to the dark, we moved to the doors and out into the night toward the forest. All heads were on swivels, scanning the darkness best they could with eyes not completely dark-adapted. Greg and I scanned our sides respectively, each trusting to the other's skills as we walked nearly back to back.

The woods loomed ahead of us, dark and deep in their impenetrability.

Dave wrote:

GlytchMeister wrote:Glytch glanced at Atsali, giving her a sly smile before focusing back on Pickle, pulling out his phone and bringing up an e-book. "In a hole, there lived a hobbit..."

Perfect choice!!!

I thought so too, glad you agree!

Blending in the shadows, yet trusting nothing but the figure standing next to her, Emerauld hung a single glowstone over the cage.

"L'rivvin shlubnaut kyorl wun nindol 'zil al 'zil udos shlu'ta, lu'F'sarn naut zhaunus ol doerrus maglust."

"Folt sentiment. Dos zhaun nind orn elgg ol 'zil ulnin 'zil nind kyorl ol."

"Nau. Nind orn dryss'ho de'lu'mith, lu'ka ol 'udtila naut laellmor, nind khaul wenress abbilen xor l'sphinxes zhal lar tribunal. Ka ol 'udtila, al, dos shlu'ta elgg ol p'los ol cas feir lu'adorn dosst keeshen."

"Udos zhal kyorl. Nind raq'tar ulnin, ka l'winds xun naut ulnar."

"Dos talinth Usstan zhal'la inbal elggen ol, xun dos naut? Ussta vlos cried doeb whol uns'aa ulu xun ji. Usstan crave naubol mzild taga ulu kyorl l'ichor d'thala harl lu'ol zhah solen alu olath. Usstan xunus naut, p'wal nindol ktonos uriu de'lu'mir d'ol zhah jabbuk nindel nind ssrig'luin, lu'nindel mire mzild ky'kiya taga natha centuries zhuanth grudge pholor biu entire dazzan."

"Nau, Usstan talinth dos inbal golorhin, lu'nindel F'sarn biu zhuanth wael, d'anthe dalninil. Refresh l'wylthen, Dorn thir'ku J'bober's kyorl perimeter."

"Ol zhah k'jakr natha suingmc kaas," Emerauld said, making a face.

"The humans cannot see in this as well as we can, and I'm not sure it came alone."

"Such sentiment. You know they will kill it as soon as they see it."

"No. They will gather information, and if it does not struggle, their clay maiden friends or the sphinxes shall call tribunal. If it does, well, you can kill it before it gets far and adorn your daggers."

"We shall see. They arrive soon, if the winds do not lie."

"You think I should have killed it, do you not? My blood cried out for me to do so. I crave nothing more than to see the ichor dripping down and it's eyes go dark. I did not, because this slayer has news of it's master that they need, and that holds more weight than a centuries old grudge on an entire race."

"No, I think you have grown, and that I'm an old fool, dear sister. Refresh the thorns, I'll change J'bober's guard perimeter."

"It's still a silly name," Emerauld said, making a face.

---

Brian pulled into the Holiday Stationstore in Maple Plain. The Liberty was in need of gas, and he figured it'd be a perfect time to give his daughter a call.

Filling the Jeep at $2.35/gallon, he pulled out his old Nokia flip phone and hit speed dial.

A few moments later, it started ringing.

After nearly ten rings, he got her voicemail.

Hi, this is Shel, I'm either at work or unavailable, please leave a message, thanks.

"Hey, Shellybean, this is dad, just wanted to see how wedding planning was going. Gonna try finding my way up to the Alexander estate, there. Gimme a call back. Love ya," he snapped the phone off.

===

Side note: the time frame from Dinky's post to mine is probably about two-three hours. Just as y'all are interrogating the monster, Shel's phone will beep that she has a voicemail...

Second Note: If we're trying to qualify for NaNoWriMo, we may be kicking posterior - Word says we're at about 91k words written total...

Brian navigated the Jeep down the narrow road to the entrance gate. The old Alexander Harvester logo - the one with the centaur pushing a plow, the adverts they'd used back in the 50's - adorned the grillwork of the main gate.

He rolled down the driver's window and buzzed the intercom. There was a pause.

"Hello?" Came the reply.

"Yes, Brian Wahnee. My daughter and her fiancee are expecting me?"

"One moment," came the reply. Brian saw the camera over the top of the gate pan and zoom for a moment. Huh, some security system they have, he thought.

"Miss Shelly will meet you at the auto shop," came the reply. "First building on the right." He nodded as the gate slowly opened.

Figures, Shelly can't get away from cars too long, he thought as he guided the Liberty through the gate.

What Brian didn't see was a little girl who looked remarkably like his daughter (only MUCH younger) watching the car enter.

Doesn't look like he was followed or tagged, Connie thought. She disappeared quickly as the gate closed.

---

Brian saw Shelly and Justin standing outside a line of garage doors with another younger gentleman. They waved, and after Brian got out and got his Shelly hugs (which were a little mor forceful than usual, he noted), they introduced him to Rodney Alexander. "Rowdy" was the younger of the two heads of the household, and he offered to escort the three of them to this tux shop in Wayzata. They'd used the place for his older brother's wedding, and Justin pointed out he was highly recommended.

"And, to save on wear and tear to your car, we can use the Land Rover," Rowdy said with a smile. There seemed to be some unstated reason behind this, but Brian wasn't going to argue.

The four headed off. Once out of sight, a disheveled young man with a hoodie emerged from the side of the building. He pulled out a phone from his pocket and waved it across the passenger door. Looking down at the screen, he nodded in satisfaction and headed back to the garage.

Al hated loosing Shelly and Justin, but it couldn't be helped- her Father was there, and not to be ignored. Rowdy brought the news just as they were closing in on the site- shortly after their departure, Bud encountered the damndest apparition any of them had ever seen... a cloaked, floating, spectral skeleton bearing a scythe, cackling upon their approach. Bud, already on pins and needles from her position, let rip with a scream and a blinding torch of flame much hotter than any welder's torch ever blew. Brandi and May flanked out and provided more of the same, torching anything in range. The specter cackled and danced in the wind, either oblivious to the threat or immune. Kevin and Amanda stepped forward, Kevin with a Mosin-Nagant and Amanda with 98K-Mauser... but neither one could see squat.
"Dammit, Girls, we can't see anything!!!" Kevin yelled, "We're fire blind!!!"
"BUD! MAY! BRANDI! STAND DOWN!" Al bellowed, "EVREYBODY TAKE COVER UNTIL YOUR NIGHT VISION RETURNS!!!"
"We can see perfectly, Al," May replied, "and that thing is not really there- we've hit it several times, and done nothing,"
Off in the bush came a high-pitched giggle. Al picked up on it-
"Safyr? Emerauld? is that one of you?"
"It is indeed, oh S'argt," replied Emeraud,- "in fact, it is both- and a visitor that might interest you- but please hurry, for it is foul and our magic is strained,"
"Heed our warning," called Safyr, "For this creature is poison... only the clay ones are safe in it's presence. It spits venom... and if killed, it's carcass has to be cremated in ritual fashion,"
"...clay ones... the golems are safe?"
"Yes, oh S'argt- the poison affects them not,"
"Girls, forward- be on guard. I am not sure what this filthy thing is, but apparently you are immune,"
Cautiously, the three approached- to see what appeared to be a human with scaly skin entrapped in a network of tree-roots. Al came up behind the three to see for himself, illuminating the creature with a brilliant field flashlight. The others followed suite as their returning vision allowed.
"THAT's not right," Greg commented, "THAT thing is not right at all,"
With a soft 'flump', Phix landed beside him. "THAT is a Yuan Ti" she commented to the group, whereupon the creature so addressed snarled and tried to spit at her.
"Yea... feelings mutual," she wryly snarked at him, "It would be best for one of you three to interrogate him- he can't harm you at all,"
"Well... that sounds easy to say... are we to torture this thing?" asked Bud, "I have no desire to inflict pain except in self defense... and this thing, foul as it is, cannot harm me,"
Brandy looked at the creature, then turned to the group- "Neither can I- May?"
"No... absolutely not... I have no problem KILLING it, mind you... I KNOW what these things are, I have encountered them before... but I will not inflict torture,"
"THAT'S BECAUSSSSE YOU ARE WEAK!!!" yelled the creature in a high, sing-song voice, "YOU HAVE NO SSSSSSTREGNTH TO BEGIN WITH!!!"
"Yea, well- you ain't that important anyway- hell, they sent you for 'recon by fire'... you're expendable, so they sent YOU here to see what we do and how we do it... and the fact that you are TOO STUPID to figure this out makes it that much easier," called back Greg.
"I HAVE A SSSSPESSSIFIC MISSSSSION!!! I AM TO BRING THE ONE CALLED SSSSSHELLY TO THE HIGH PRIESSSSST!!! HE PROMISSSSSED ME.... oh....oh sssshit!!!!"
"Yea.... not too sssssmart, are you? How good are you at sssssucking lead?" Greg asked as he raised the Lapua, "Everybody, cover your ears and open your mouths... and stand away from that moron, he's going to sssssplatter,"