Even for Kadie-time things have been moving far too quickly for anyone's comfort. Thankfully, calmer heads have finally prevailed. Or maybe it was more Isolde's stern glare that seemed to stop the pair from dashing off after the people that assaulted Liliana. Instead, she insisted that they calm down and have a cup of cocoa. So, about an hour after the ritual, Liliana seemed strong enough to walk out of the lower chambers and find a new resting place in one of the overly pillow-filled chairs in the dining room of the Gnarly tree. There she's slowly sipping on a steaming mug while Natasha and Isolde take turns at bandaging her raw and oozing wrists and ankles.

Gnarly Tree Dining Room
This room is one of many oddly shaped rooms within the Gnarly Tree of Stonebarrow. As with most buildings, its height and furniture are sized for Kadies. Any creature larger may have to duck to avoid hitting their head on the ceiling. The table itself is made from an ornately carved stump, the top smooth from years of use. All in all, the room gives off a feeling of family and comfort; a place where generations have lived and dined.

"You can ask questions, but do not put any more stress on Liliana," Natasha remarks as she's applying some rather foul-smelling poultice to Liliana's left ankle. "And don't look at me that way," she adds to Liliana, "You are not up to anything stressful. You can barely walk as it is."

Amy stays in her seat, but her tail twitches like mad with impatience. "She already told me that she thought that her attackers were human," she notes.

Olivia takes the chair closest to Liliana (although still not in the way of Natasha and Isolde) and says calmly to Amelia, "True, but now that Liliana is feeling a little better, I hope she will remember more than just that. We'll need all the information we can get before we track these people down." Turning to Lili now, she says, "I know this isn't going to be pleasant for you, but would you tell me everything you remember about your attackers?"

Liliana is staring quietly into her mug, her index fingers slightly drawing one of her claw tips along the fired clay. "Dey knew what dey were doing, I guess. I was jus' out doin' some hunting and enjoying the feel of de air beneath my wings, y'know? Everyt'ing feels so free an peaceful up dere," she says weakly, "Remember feeling an odd tug in me mind to land. Like somethin' was comin' and I needed to hide. Soon as I landed dey dropped some horrid-smelling net on me; coul' barely breathe. Burned. Remember struggling in the net an dese cloaked people came out o' nowhere. Dey didn' say anything t' me, they jus' started hitting me with clubs until I quit movin'."

Olivia's claws sink into the wooden arms of her chair at this but to her credit, the expression on her face doesn't change. "Were you able to tell that they were human at that point, or did the realization come later?"

Amy fidgets further. "Yeah, they used a lure," she mutters.

"Oh, pretty sure dey were human. Humans got a particular body shape an' sound to em. The echo harsher cuz of no fur t' muffle sound," Liliana explains, though she still doesn't look up. She pauses there for a few seconds, then says, "I … begged 'em t' stop. I no fighter; no like I was any threat t' anyone. Thought they musta had de wrong person y'know? Dey jus' kept hittin, though. Remember getting very woozy an the world sorta jus' falling away. Honestly though' I was dyin' then. Vish I had; it vould have been a mercy." The Eeee starts to curl up on herself from the memory, though a gentle hand from Natasha on her knee stops her.

"Do not talk like that," Natasha says kindly, but firmly. "I know at least three who disagree."

"We need to hurry!" Amy notes. "They could be to Trollhaven by now."

As much as Olivia hates to speak her next question, for fear of the remembered pain it will bring to the Eeee, she asks as gently as she can, "And when they performed this… ritual… on you, did you recognize any of the language they used? Or did they indicate what their plans might be after it was over?" Then her eyes flick over to Amelia and she frowns. "Am I gonna have to ask Isolde to smack you on the back of the head again? Focus, Amy. We can't just run after these people without information and some sort of plan. Unless you want this to end badly?"

The Kadie girl twitches more, until Isolde gives her a look.

"Oh, I remember de cave," Liliana admits, her hands start to shake and she tries to steady them by gripping the mug in them tighter. "The language … reminded me of how Bravil talked in his sleep sometimes. Bosch, I t'ink? The language of de lands to de east. Dey spoke Standard too. Before dey … before dey tortured me, dere leader said something in standard t' me: The land would would be free of the horrible monsters that plague it. That my spirit would join many others and be the fuel for the cleansing," she says, voice growing quieter. "After dat, vell … have you ever been afraid of bein' burned alive? Imagined how much it might hurt? Vell, I t'ink I know how much it hurts now."

"Demon hunters!" Amelia barks. "But how did they know about Liliana?"

Olivia reaches over and squeezes one of Liliana's hands reassuringly but the look in her eyes says that she is thinking quickly – and she doesn't like her conclusions. "But a very particular kind of demon-hunter, it seems. Not ones that want to destroy the demons they find, but use them for another purpose. And if that purpose is the fight back the nightmares that inhabit Bosch… " She trails off and shakes her head. "These people may have been scouring Sylvania for years to find all the demons they could. That might explain why they were so practiced in luring Liliana to them."

"If they plan to return to Chronotopia, then they'll be heading for Blackshire," Amelia notes. "Unless they're… already tracking another spirit."

At this, Olivia looks quickly at Natasha. "Is there a way to pinpoint these humans' location by tracing the magic they're using to track other demons in the area?"

"I don' t'ink dey knew, dey were just passing through and seeing vhat dey could catch, like what Olivia say" Liliana notes as she continues to clutch to her mug. She draws in and lets out a heavy breath before finally looking up. Her ears splay to the sides, then fall and those now silvery-blue eyes are bloodshot and wet and the fur of her cheeks is matted down. "Am I so horrible? Jus' a monster?" she asks as her voice cracks. "Vhat haf I ever done t'anyone? I never hurts people. Yah, I've teased and joked, but I never hurts people. Vhy did dey do that to me?"

"If they just set out lures to see who shows up… hmmm," Amy says, rubbing her chin. "Then I should be able to find them if they do it again."

"Some magic can be traced, yes. But that would work best if we had something to lure them into being active about it. They must already be being cautious in their actions. Not directly hunting, but only seeking by lures," Natasha comments after some thought. "Such magic is subtle and targeted at specific things. Harder for a witch or mage to notice unless actively watching for it."

Olivia springs out of her chair to put her arms around the Eeee and hold her close. "They didn't know you, Lili," she says, trying to soothe the gypsy with her voice. "They weren't trying to hurt you for some wrong they thought you'd done. They just wanted the demon inside you. I'm- I'm so sorry."

"I've got a demon too!" Amy blurts out to Natasha, causing Isolde to roll her eyes. "It woke up when they set out the lure that caught Lili!"

The Eeee finally drops her mug. It hits the floor, spilling out its contents and breaking into a dozen pieces. Now that she's being held, the Eeee breaks down and starts sobbing. "Can't help vhat I was born as," she whispers, choking, "Bein' different doesn' make me evil."

Natasha rubs her thumb and forefinger over her eyelids. "Is she always this excitable and rash?" the Khatta asks Isolde and nods towards Amelia. Now to Amelia, she says, "And what would you do? Use yourself as bait? What would you do if they come? They know how to fight and trap those who are linked to spirits. What is your plan?"

Amy points to Olivia and Djivan. "They'll shoot 'em when they come after me! We can use Gunther's crossbows!" she claims.

"I can also plug my nose," the Kadie suggests with a grin. "And even without my demon, I'm pretty dangerous."

The Skeek is in an awkward physical position, half-kneeling and half-crouching to hug Liliana in her chair, but she doesn't let go. She just embraces her friend and strokes her hair while she cries. "It's okay, Lili. You've never been evil. We all know that. But we're going to bring this part of your spirit back to you… if we can just find the ones who took it first."

"And what if they hit you too?" Natasha asks gently. "What makes you think they would even come? You would have to go to their lures. And if these hunters are as experienced as they sound, they will be able to tell how many people came. Everyone has a spirit signature, Amelia. They may just assume they're your servants or summoners."

"Well… " Amelia stammers. "What about traps then? Or I could carry… um… " she seems to finally wind down. "They can't be allowed to get away with this!"

Liliana finally lets Olivia go and curls up on herself slightly. For a creature with sharp claws and fangs, Lili has never looked more harmless or weak. Djivan, who has been standing in the doorway all through this finally walks forward and kneels down beside the chair. He never says a word as he now hugs the Eeee gently. There's a moment where he lightly noses her cheek, then lets his chin rest lightly on the top of her head. Her holds her this way for a minute, then lets her go and sits down beside Olivia.

"I agree with Amelia," Djivan says softly but with conviction. "Ve haf to do something. Ve can't just sit around talkin' about it."

"Can't you ward us against detection or something?" Amy asks, looking hopeful.

Olivia looks pretty shaken by her friend's crying (which was doubly hard to take as she'd never seen Lili cry before) but after leaning against Djivan for a few minutes, she appears to gather her wits again. "Then perhaps we need to give these hunters a reason to poke about Stonebarrow some more instead of running off to Blackshire. Can we try to give them some signals that another demon is in the area and see if they come near? Like quick appearances in certain places before hiding again and popping up somewhere else?"

Djivan looks at Olivia for a moment, then nods at something. "Vou said vou had a demon? Might be a way t' make them show up without having ta try wards," he says, "Ve jus' haf t' make you look like our enemy. De whole enemy of our enemy is our friend ploy."

"I don't think these guys particularly care if a demon is causing trouble or not," Amelia says. "But it might be handy to have someone head to Trollhaven and look for a group of humans, and try to let them overhear talk about another demon… "

"I can ward against spirits passing through. I can cleanse areas of spirit magic. Both of those would be noticeable to anyone sensitive to it. Making you appear as background noise … that is delicate and difficult," Natasha admits. "That is something Isolde may be better capable of doing than I am. She is in tune with the land."

"Hmmm," Isolde grunts, looking thoughtful. "Would your familiar show up as a demon to these people? How do they tell the difference, other than just seeing what is attracted by their lures?"

"If that's something Isolde can do, all well and good," Olivia says, nodding. "Then we'd just use Amelia -or something else – as our lure and see if they come calling. But if not, I like Djivan's approach. Gods, they may not care about a demon causing us trouble but they'd certainly come back for another look if we noised that around. And they might even agree to help us openly… it would make them look like the good guys, after all."

Djivan nods. "Dat my point. If dey t'ink we believe dey helpin' us, dey no going to be on as much guard around us, aye?" he says.

Olivia nods back. "Right."

"Yeah, I see your point now!" Amy says, smacking fist to palm. "It's way easier to kill people who trust you!" WHACK Isolde has a long reach.

"I am not sure my familiar would. He would bear hallmarks of being crafted, not something more … natural," Natasha says after some thought, "But without knowing how exactly they are identifying things, as you say, I am making poor guesses at best."

"Plus, we goes to find out where dey takin' the spirits they capture, righ? If we just ambush em, how we gonna find it?" Djivan points out.

"Chronotopian demon hunters are not true mages," Isolde notes. "They're only wizards at best, and lack an understanding of the finer points of magic. Still, they might be able to tell the difference if they've been operating in Sylvania long enough."

"Mmm," Nastasha muses, "I propose a test, then. Can you tell the difference? If we had Amelia and her … companion beside my familiar, could you tell apart the subtle differences."

Olivia looks at Djivan in appreciation. "Good point, I hadn't thought of that! So, should we try the 'villagers in need' approach? Of course, if we do, that means we have to find these folks first. We can try Trollhaven but what if they aren't there? Make a trip all the way to Blackshire next?" The Skeek thinks about this some more. "Now I can see how luring them in or finding them by magical means would be better. Less time-consuming, anyway."

The witch frowns for a moment. "Given that I already know they are different, the bias would affect my reading," she notes. "It's not easy for a witch to ignore things like that."

"Too bad Zahn's flying machine isn't ready," Amelia grumbles. "I could cover a lot of ground trying to detect them with that. But still, if I can sense their lure… I know it's a lure. I won't be sucked into their trap."

"I suggest we stage something. I imagine while it would be difficult to hide things … Isolde or I could amplify their presence. I would expect that to get their attention," Natasha suggests.

"Amplify?" Amy asks, looking between the two magic users. "Uh, would that make me more… demonic… though? Or just… more magically stinky?"

Natasha has to laugh. "I see you trained your student well in the lore and terminology of magic," she comments to Isolde.

Olivia glances at Natasha thoughtfully. "We'd need a pretty important stage if we tried to lure these crafty people out into the open. Would need something grand. Like… a castle." Her eyes widen for a moment and then she grins over at Amelia and Djivan. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Would Pike go for something like that?"

"Amelia, remember what you learned about auras," Isolde snaps.

"What, lure them to the castle and let Pike's garden take care of them?" Amelia asks.

"I think Pike woul' go for anything if you dangled a 'cute bat' in front o' her," Djivan mutters.

Olivia gives the Kadie girl a weird look. "Okay, so you're not thinking what I'm thinking," she says, grimacing. "No, I mean stage a demon attack on the castle. Now that would be impressive!"

"Ummm… what if I break it more than it's already broken though?" Amelia asks.

"You? Break a castle?" Natasha asks, brow arched.

"She kin break some serious wind," Djivan seems compelled to comment.

"Djivan!" Natasha says sternly.

"Do not underestimate Amelia's capacity for property damage," Isolde notes, shaking her head at some memory.

"Oh! You mean, like, have Dr. Pike fly to Trollhaven to talk about how a demon is coming 'round every night or something?" Amy asks Olivia.

Liliana can't help but smile slightly at Djivan's comment.

"Well, that's where your acting and combat skills would come in," Olivia says. "Surely you know how to pull punches and make things look nastier than they are? I mean, don't you have to take things slow on new recruits to the militia during training? Challenge them without, uh, killing them?"

"Yeaaaaah," Amelia says, and looks at her toes for a moment. "See, the thing is… well… the demon likes to kill things. So if I let it out enough to be noticed, I don't know that I can actually pull punches and stuff. So… uh… nobody can actually be around me at the time."

"You don't know for certain, though. Perhaps you should try," Natasha suggests.

"What, here?" Amy asks nervously.

"Well then, we could try staging your attempt to get inside the castle in your demonic form and we could hurl the contents of Pike's garden at you," Olivia suggests, only half-seriously. "Then you'd just be attacking doors, walls, and venomous vegetables."

"Not here. Back in the ritual chamber when you can be contained," Natasha notes and rolls her eyes now. "She has not had much need for critical thinking, has she?" she asks Isolde.

"She's been spending too much time with the Wingnuts lately," Isolde notes.

"Hey, I'm under some stress here!" Amy says defensively. "I mean, I woke up this morning and had a demon talking to me! And then that warded cave, and… lots of stuff! Okay?"

"Oh, of course. When the world ends or your friends die because you were stressed and unable to think clearly, I'm sure they will understand," Natasha says sternly. "Those gifted cannot afford to be rash or unwilling to take a moment to think about a situation, Amelia."

Olivia, who was smiling before at Isolde's remark, now lets the smile fade from her face. "Will you at least try in the safety of the ritual chamber?" she asks softly. "We really do need a way of getting these hunters back in our area."

"This isn't helping me be more rational," Amelia says through gritted teeth. "So let's test things. Throw me in the chamber with Djivan. If I don't kill him after five minutes I should be able to not kill anyone."

"I think it would be safer to place you in there with my familiar," Natasha comments. "Vash may be annoying, but there are two women in this room who are fond of him."

"An I know Amelia secretly desires me too," Djivan says, "She wants t' jump me bones."

In case anyone really needs reminding of Olivia's feelings for Djivan, she gives him a quick kiss on the cheek. "In your dreams, dear. Besides, I don't like sharing."

"Right after I pull them out, Djivan," Amy retorts, and then screws up her face at the mention of the familiar. "Your dragon is the most annoying creature I've ever met."

"Why do you say that?" Natasha asks.

"He just gets on my nerves and… I still don't like how he tested me that time," Amelia grumbles.

"The choice of test was mine, not his," Natasha points out. "Or is it you don't like that he bested you?"

"WHAT?" Amelia asks, jumping to her feet. "What do you mean he bested me?!" she demands.

"He made you break down your shields," Natasha points out, "and accept things."

Isolde sighs. "You really need to work on that competitive attitude still, Amelia… "

"That's not… that… " Amelia fumes. "Let's go test me, then. We can't waste time."

"She hates anyone she competes with, doesn't she?" Natasha asks Isolde.

"I'm not sure that she hates them when she's not competing, if that's what you mean," the witch notes.

Olivia rises from her seat again and takes Amelia lightly by the shoulders. "C'mon, I'll walk with you," she says, steering the fuming Kadie towards the door.

"If Olivia wishes it, she can host my familiar in the test," Natasha offers as she now stands and follows after the pair.

"I just stay here with Liliana," Djivan says, "I don't wanna see Amelia get 'er butt kicked… "

"Don't push it Djivan!" Amy grumbles. "Unless you want to volunteer to be the host?"

Olivia casts an eye back at the Khatta as when she mentions this. "Um… how do I host a familiar?" she asks warily.

"It's effectively being possessed," Natasha explains simply, "Probably not a safe thing to do, given the circumstances."

"Nah, I don't vant to embarrass you by kickin' yer butt, either," Djivan quips.

Olivia looks somewhat concerned but manages to joke, "And when has that ever stopped me before?"

"Gunther survived it," Amelia tells Olivia.

"She too touchy," Djivan comments quietly to Isolde. "She need t' learn t' laugh more."

"Never when it should," Natasha answers that question simply.

"You are a good match for Miss Weaver," Isolde comments to Djivan.

Olivia looks abashed… for all of a minute. "Well, if you think it would help with the test, then I'll do it."

"Perhaps it would help; it gives her motivation to control," Natasha admits, "But the risk to you is very real. She could hurt you badly."

"I don't want to hurt Olivia," Amy points out.

"Then don't," Natasha says pointedly.

"I know you don't Amy," Olivia says quietly, "which is how I can see why Natasha thought facing me would be a good test for you." She takes in a deep breath, holds it for a moment, then lets it out slowly. "Okay. I'll do it."

"Djivan can't watch though," Amy points out. "Would be too tempting to see if he'd sacrifice himself for Olivia."

"Hmmm. I could see if your friend Zahnrad would be willing to host," Natasha suggests as they make their way back through the mazy passages. "If you are too concerned about Olivia… "

"No time for that," Amelia notes. "Plus… uh… other stuff might happen with Zahn that won't with Olivia."

Natasha's brow arches. "Like?" she asks.

Olivia appears interested in Amy's answer, as well.

"Doesn't matter!" the Kadie insists. "I don't want him to know about this stuff yet anyway."

"Ah, yes, you would become the ravishing demon instead of rampaging," Natasha comments with a chuckle. "No matter. We are here."

Ritual Chamber
This hemispheric room is somewhere within Witch's Rock, since the walls are of raw stone. The air is thick with incense smoke, which doesn't seem to have a means of escape. Even the light from the innumerable candles is somewhat muddy as a result, but still manages to illuminate the various and colorful symbols painted on the floors and walls. A small cauldron rests in the center of the chamber, kept hot by a clay pot full of glowing coals beneath it. There is also something not quite right about the acoustics.

Amelia pauses at the entrance, and then starts divesting herself of concealed weapons. This results in a small pile of throwing knives.

"What do I need to do?" Olivia asks Natasha.

"Center of the room. And I need you to relax and not resist," Natasha explains as she motions towards the center of the room. The Khatta unhooks her robe and slips it off, leaving her clothed in a simple shirt and pants.

Amelia watches closely. You never know when spirit-possession could be useful, after all.

"I'll do my best but I might not get it right the first time," Olivia mutters, doing as the mage asked.

"Gunther was able to sit through it, somehow," Amelia notes to Olivia by way of encouragement.

Natasha closes her eyes and concentrates for a few minutes. She lifts her right arm up, fingers and hand rolling more like a dancer than some practitioner of magic. She brings it up to her mouth, palm up. Gently, she blows out across her palm and a swirl of mist and frost rolls outward. The swirl twists and rolls through air, slowly taking on a more solid form; that of a serpentine, translucent, dragon. Its claws alight on the floor without a sound. "I promise to make it challenging, Lady Blacktail," it says in its melodic voice as it approaches Olivia.

Olivia doesn't startle at the appearance of the dragon, which she's seen before, but she does tense up a little, not knowing what the next part of the proceedings may bring.

"That means you're going to provoke me," Amy grumbles.

The dragon reaches out and takes Olivia's hands in its. Its touch is odd, cold and insubstantial. "Relax," it purrs to her. "Open yourself to me."

Olivia nods and takes a few moments to center herself. She actually looks not at the dragon but at the far wall of the ritual chamber… and after a while, her hands relax in its grip and her face seems to lose its worried expression.

"Relax," it repeats to Olivia and presses is hands forward against hers. The sensation is strange, to say the least … it rather reminds Olivia of sticking her hands in wet clay.

Olivia's brow wrinkles a bit at the squishy-clay sensation but she doesn't resist the spirit-dragon's movements.

"At least the spirit is gaudy enough for Olivia," Amy whispers to Natasha.

"Relax," the familiar keeps repeating as it presses forward. The strange, gooey, sensation spreads slowly up her arms as the spirit creature approaches Olivia. Soon they are standing nose to nose … and then the worst of the sensations come as it impresses its body onto Olivia's. For a few moments, Olivia suddenly understands what it feels like to be a gelatin mold. And then things seem to come into sharper focus. Gone is the Skeek, now replaced by a multi-colored, Skeek-dragon hybrid. To Olivia; everything seems sharper to her eyes and she feels more agile and somehow quicker. She finds herself crouching down, her body twisting in ways that somehow seem impossible (though much is really just the illusion of it.).

"And now, child of death and chaos. Daughter of Bloodfur," Olivia finds herself saying in a strange mix of voices, "Let us see how well you control your rage … or if it controls you."

Olivia looks at her strange new body as she says this to Amelia, feeling present and not, all at the same time. She almost looks forward to seeing how she will move in this shape.

"I hope I don't change into a monster too," Amelia says, stepping into the chamber. Tail twitching, she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Okay, you can come out now, she tells the spirit within, and releases the mental barriers she's put up along with her breath.