Don'tcha Mess Wit Da Voodoo [Nat]

[Vyn]

Meecha's mind had a mind of its own.

The other mind, a lot like Meecha's normal mind, was sadistic and liked to see things dead. Usually Meecha heartily agreed with the other mind but, of course, this was not always the case.

Today was a good example. It had only been a couple days since Mnem had arrived and she was so very fond of her pretty human outsider, but the other mind didn't like her. The other mind wanted to do terrible things to her and often suggested that Mnem was trying to do horrible things to Meecha which was why Meecha should eat her.

But this... this was an unsatisfying idea. Meecha didn't want to eat Mnem.

Meecha would much prefer to eat someone else and, really, the other mind probably didn't care who so long as someone was dead. That, at least, was Meech's logic as she trudged out into the swamp.

[Nathalia]

Gaston would be the first to admit that he despised having to leave his Ace charger before entering the swamp, but the poor Horse would have been of little use here.
It just wasn't a good place for hooves, as one of his bounty hunting comrades could attest, Naha!
The Selkie Pony had been utterly, and obviously, regretting his brash decision to join the tiny hunting party ever since fully recovering from his hangover.
Too late for that now, chum! The Heart King thought, gazing back at the man and his newly shaved legs and arms, grinning a bit as the Spades Jack slipped and cursed the swamp.

Their other companion, a slender Morganberry/Esterberry Weasel/Mouse mix was a pretty little thing.
He'd get her in bed before they were home again, that if nothing else was certain.

"Come on, my dear companions! Adventure, mystery, treasure, and bounty await us!" He urged, knowing the Pony would likely be rolling his eyes and that the Morganberry mix would be stifling a giggle. He flexed a little for her viewing pleasure and heard the Selkie sigh. "Oh, come now, Vib. It's not that bad and remember! The corporation of losses will pay us quite a fancy sum if we bring back a witches head! He sneaked a side-long glance at the Spade. "Besides, don't you want your wife to take you back?"

"Shut it sir." The Pony hissed, gripping a stave topped with a thick blade tightly as he navigated a large sinkhole. "I'm not insulting your love life."

"You wouldn't be able to find anything to say, would you? Naha! No, take my lead, and you'll have loads of women waiting for you."

"Aye, me too, I hope?" The Weasel/Mouse asked coyly, her head tilted lightly to one side as she surveyed their leader.

"Of course, pretty one, anything you like! Can't think of too many bright young ladies that've slain witches. You could probably even bag a Yarrow, if you liked!"

He heard the girl hiss in pleasure at the thought and beamed.
Next stop!
A witch!
Or something dangerous that they could claim was a witch...now to just find one.

[carcinoGeneticist]

In all of his years of experience, Kristoff had learned a number of things about the people who entered his Realm. They could, for the most part, be divided into two groups: There were those who treated the Golfram as it should have been treated - as someplace dark and dangerous, something to be feared and respected. Most of the time, that was enough for the grizzled feline, and he let them pass through unmolested. That was helped along by the fact that those people were generally too observant for the feline to sneak up on.

The second group was what he considered the group of people he was following now to fall into. People who had something to prove by entering the swamp. People who wanted to conquer beasts and come back and lure pretty things into their beds.

The cat's whiskers crinkled as the big one laughed again. Such a damn annoying noise! Kristoff dropped to his belly and crept forward, tail lashing behind himself. Maybe he'd bring these ones to his Meecha. All that red... She would love it, he was sure, and he would be rewarded for his help. And maybe he wouldn't have to give her his pretty little Unicorn... A slow smile spread across his face as he darted ahead of them, knowing they would come to a crossroads soon enough. And when they did, they would find the cat walking along, his swagger accentuated in order to make himself look like less of a threat, his limp quite a bit more pronounced then it normally would have been.

When the rather noisy group grew close, the man raised his head, doing his best to keep his expression straight. "'ey, don' fee a whole lotta trav'lerf 'roun' defe partf. Wha' bringf yew here?"

[Nathalia]

Gaston flung out what he intended to be a heroic and dramatic arm to stop his fellow hunters.
However, the appearance of the Golfam had surprised him more than he would genuinely admit, resulting in Vib taking a rather hefty smack in the chest.

All three took about five silent seconds to observe the odd, crooked looking Card before them.
Then Gaston regained composure.
"Aha! A native, good to see you all aren't as bad off as they say." He lied pleasantly, grinning to the Cat and keeping his eyes peeled to all sides for an ambush. "We're actually out hunting, naha! You know the drill, bag a few bucks, see what we can find..."

He gave the Cat a cursory look. The fellow didn't exactly appear to be in good condition...maybe if he...?

Vib shuffled nervously in front of Pali, who smacked him lightly in the neck.
He took it and remained in placed...he be damned if he'd let the freak eat the girl...Yarrow lover or not.

"I say, man! You look like you could use a few good meals, we're actually trying to help someone...do you know of anyone in the swamp who's ah...exceptionally devious?" He grinned again, standing to his full eight and a half feet with antlers, hoping to simultaneously entice the ugly bastard, and intimidate him. "We'd happily pay for assistance, you know."

[carcinoGeneticist]

What a dangerous group. The big man was flexing all over the place and generally making quite the ruckus, but Kristoff was happy for the movements if only for the glimpse they gave him of the marking that was generally hidden by the man's bright red shirt. A King of Hearts... Like his Meecha, he was, and clearly very well off. Especially with his rag-tag group of companions. He owned an Ace Horse, so he probably thought he was some kind of hot-shit. Hearts from the Outside usually did.

Hah. Kristoff owned a Horse, too, but his was a King. He would have liked to have seen the burly man's face at that.

But that wasn't really on the table, just yet. Now, he had to keep that dull-witted expression on his face, mellow and easygoing. Kristoff wasn't the most intelligent person in the Marsh, but he knew how to take care of a problem like Gaston. Cunning could get you far, even when you didn't know how to read a single word of any language. One of his ears twitched, and his sickly yellow eyes glistened, but he gave them a broad smile. "Awww, yef, yef, not fo ba' off. No' yet, leaft! Ftill go' alla my toef.[/b]" He wiggled the digits at that, then chuckled. "An' I dunno annyfink abou' no Buckf, bu' I feen where'f a poffum nef' at. Good meat on 'em, poffumf.[/b]"

That was true. The thought of a good possum gumbo made the crooked feline's stomach growl, but he had no intentions of bringing this man to his food. No, he wanted only to bring them to his Meecha, and she would take care of them. She always did. He glanced at the woman that the Ace seemed to be trying to defend... She was a pretty thing, wasn't she? Maybe Meecha would reward him for bringing her that one... If he could figure out how to get them to the Swamp Witch, that was.

Gaston's words brought him the idea on a silver platter, and his smile went genuine, a number of crooked and yellowed teeth showing from behind his lips. "Deviouff? Yef, yef, ol' Kriftoff knowf deviouff... Dat'll be Meefa, de fwamp witch. Fe'll etcha fer brekkie, y'gettit?[/b]" His expression brightened more at the motion of pay, his tail swaying more quickly now, excitement getting the better of him. Money would let him buy more at the Capital, more of... well, of anything he wanted. "Ol' Krif'll help ya, butche gotta pay now. Overwife, I dunno if ya mean ta pay at all.[/b]" The man was tall. Even better to bump his stupid head on a low-hanging tree branch.

((...I don't even know if I know what he said myself. -headdesk-))

[Nathalia]

The Selkie Pony curled his lip at the Cat and flexed his fingers around his walking staff.
He did not like the look the freakish man kept trailing over him.
"I don't know if it's a good idea to follow the Cat, sir." Vib muttered, ears flattening as he watched Gaston discuss Ace Horses with the Feline cheerily, loudly bemoaning the loss of that damn Ace charger he'd had to leave at the Marsh's opening.
Effing moron would get them killed.
The Spade shifted uncomfortably, gripping his staff a little tighter and watching over his shoulder.

Gaston grinned and patted the hunched Cat on the back heartily.
"Naha! Good man! I like Aces as much as the next person, I'm ashamed to say I've really been missing mine since we had to leave him at that hotel at the Marsh front. Good old boy, Misty. So! "Meecha", is it? Naha! Sounds like an amazing plan, deviousness needs to be downplayed, wouldn't you say?"
It took him a few minutes to banter and decode the Cat's speech.
"Ah, of course, just a moment." The Heart dug around in his money pouch, producing a good amount of gold. "You'll get half now, my good man, and the other half once our adventure has come to a close."

Vib gave his "illustrious" leader a look of incredulous disbelief.
Was the man stupid?
The Pony tossed a look to Weasel/Mouse as she tittered.
Her tail was swinging with pleasure at the conversation, she found the Cat to be quite funny.
"Way to go, sir." She smiled, snickering a little. "Hey, there." She gave the Cat a small wave. "I'm Vie, good to meet you, Kristoff? Was it? I like Possum too, gotta say, I'm glad to have a guide."

Gaston shouldered his pack and grinned widely, eager to get the hunt on.
Soon, he'd be back home to his little Vio.
He'd have a nice gift for her and hopefully, she'd have been feeling better lately.

[Nathalia]

Vie and Gaston continued to chatter delightedly with the hunchbacked Feline as they made their way deeper into the Marsh, Vib trying desperately to keep track of their surroundings and finding the task utterly impossible for someone raised in the Selkie.
Hours passed, with the Pony becoming more and more agitated, wishing now more than ever that he had been sober when he had met the Hearts King and taken him up on his offer.
Vie seemed to be enjoying herself, marveling at the surroundings and delighting in the descriptions of strange foods Kristoff had eaten.

Finally, they reached an odd looking hollow in the marshlands, darkness lay beyond, as well as an odd, cloying odor.
The Cat mumbled something that sounded a lot like "Witches 'r in there." Before planting himself unconcernedly nearby and beginning to bathe.

"Are they?" Gaston asked brightly, suddenly whipping out a long-bladed knife and pressing it to the Feline's throat with a speed he ought not have had. "Delighted to hear it, chum. Now, you stay here to lead us out when we're done. Then, I'll pay you the other half of your salary and buy you a drink. What say you?"
A mutter of surprised ascension was all the King needed, slipping the blade away as quickly as it had been brought to light.
"Wonderful. Naha, excited yet, my friends? Come on!"

As though on a scavenger hunt for prizes, the King slid into the shadows, Vie soon sidling after him, and the Pony, casting wary looks back at the Cat, soon after her.



~Nathalia

[Vyn]

Meecha had only just left the hut behind her when a strange, boisterous shouting reached her ears. The accent and tone was all wrong for a local and even then she wouldn't be happy to hear them roaming about in her territory. Didn't they know better? The hamster's muzzle twitched up into a sneer and her ears flattened back against her skull. Most definitely an Outsider and, even if it wasn't, then her mood permitted that it was still food.

In a flash she was up a tree, moving smooth and stealthy in her bipedal form as she waited for the prey to appear. Before they even broke through the shadows, the wind brought her a hint of what was to come: three of them, from the smell of it, and all Outsiders --- but something more? Mmm, Kristoff. She'd recognize the smell of him anywhere. So he'd brought her these toys? She'd be sure to reward him when she was done with them.

Three forms soon appeared but her attention was fixed most fully on the obvious leader of the group. Oh he was a disgusting one but Meecha instantly decided: she wanted his head. Those beautiful antlers would look amazing on her wall and his coat was rich and swirly... Those golden swirls and - was that a hint of Avington three? Nice, perfect. He'd make for a grand coat and rack of horns!

Nevertheless, Meecha would most likely have to deal with the other two as well. Divide and conquer would be the best technique. She focused on the one lagging furthest in the back of the small group and activated her spell.

Large Ability: Without knowing anything about the person she is charming, she has the ability to project an image of the other creature’s most dearly beloved family member and/or lover moving further away from them in great distress. This image lasts as long as she needs it to and will say anything she wants it to in the creature’s exact voice. If the victim gets close enough, the image will even smell like them. It will not be corporeal, though it will look like it is.

[Nathalia]

"Musta been mad to follow you two idiots..." He hissed, stepping around a puddle of especially unpleasant ooze as the woman in front of him sniffed eagerly around the base of a tree and zipped on ahead of their leader while the King grinned and cheered her on.
"Anythin'd hear us comin' from miles away, bunch of bloody tossers..." His mane was full of bits of mire and his hooves were beginning to cake with the nasty rank sludge, his hands were tired of holding the too-large spear and his ears were pressed flat back with worry and nerves.
They could very easily die out here...and he really, really didn't want to.

A sudden, soft sound behind him made him falter and turn.
Staring around, he tried to convince himself he couldn't have just heard what he'd heard.
It cropped up again, almost feet behind him, whirling around, spear raised...he found himself staring...
Down...
At his daughter.
Mouth sliding open stupidly, he gaped at her.
"Daddy?" She asked, sounding confused and tired. "Where are you going?"
The spear dropped into the mud as he watched her, shuffling her little hooves, hands curling around each other as she tried not to twist her hair.
"Lilah? Sweetheart? Why aren't you with mommy?" He asked carefully, watching her every move.
She turned suddenly, as though frightened and stared back into the woods.
"Cause they got her, daddy." She whispered, before whipping around and sprinting away.
"Lilah!" Vib yelled, dropping his weapon completely and crashing after her, heedless of the cries of his companions behind him.

[Vyn]

Meecha resisted the urge to snicker as the one they called 'Vib' rushed heedless after his 'Lilah'. His weapon crashed into the muck and he vanished from sight. Without guide nor protection, that spell and the nature of the swamp would devour him before the day was done.

Now then. One down, two to go, and the fun was only just beginning. The other mind was much happier now, consumed by the task at hand with no time to fuss over who or what was dead or not dead except for the two nasty intruders left below.

Without warning to the ones below, Meecha dropped from her high post and rushed the dropped weapon while simultaneously activating two abilities: a patch of swamp earth directly beneath the little female's feet would burst into frigid flame while the swamp around Meecha burst into a blinding gas. With the element of surprise on her side and precious seconds of distraction to cover her, Meecha's claws closed around Vib's abandoned weapon as the Witch activated her weapon's proficiency and swung to face her prey with a wide, yellowed grin of satisfaction.

It was time to find out exactly what her prey were made of.


Small Ability: She is now able to cause a one square foot patch of marsh grass or swamp to burst into flame once per day, the flame will not burn hot, but almost painfully cold. It will last for one hour and cannot be moved form its spot.

Small Ability: Once a week, she is able to cause the swamp around her (this spell will only work in her native Golfam) to explode in a blast of hot, underground gas. The effect is blindingly bright, though only a few seconds long, and smells of petrol and rot.

Moderate Magical Ability: When activated, she gains an immediate proficiency with any weapon that he picks up. This can be activated and deactivated at will.