I GM'ed most of this, but Cyrus took over more or less when the navy types came ashore.



Tue Aug 12 19:34:56 2008

--[ Ennisport ]--------------------------------------[ Amber Countryside ]----

This town has seen better days. Tucked in the corner where the
mountains to the east come to the see.A single road curves around a
shallow port, lined with simple wood and brick houses. The colors here
were once bright, almost gaudy, but they have faded and turned as a
black mildew has crept over every surface, speeding rot and carrying a
foul scent of decay. Since the black road's arrival, there's been
precious little agriculture in the eastern kingdoms, and in turn
there's been little call for shipping along the coast. The wide cogs
of Baylesport sit idle at port, painted the same garish colors of the
town, and blackened by the same rot, despite clear efforts to stave it
off. Only a handful of fishing vessels head in and out with any sort
of frequency.

What little life there is in town seems to be found in one of the
larger buildings in the center of town, a meeting hall that seems to
serve as an inn and tavern. The proprietor seems to have taken a
pragmatic approach to the mildew, and painted the whole building
black, and natives refer to it as the Blackhouse. The road heads west
down the coast to the Oisen delta, and swings north towards Garnath.

Beatrice, Niklas, Quina, and Rae are here.

-------------------------------------------------------[ Exits: N S W X1 ]----

Beatrice and the land forces have been massing all through pre-dawn and the early hours of morning. Now it is late morning, and they are in position. Ennisport is flanked on the land side, north and east, and with the Defenders on Kolvir to the west. She still has several thousand of the Silver Host with her, and today the Weir are in evidence as well. But the town of Ennisport is a sorry sight; it's been coated in slime and ruin since the first Black Road invasion, but now it seems especially covered in muck and mud. Rain has fallen in profusion and the town's small ditch outside its modest walls has become a sea of bubbling mud. One scout reported seeing a lamb stray into the mud and vanish in the pre-dawn.

Quina left Amber before Captain Malachi's ship even left the city's waters. In her equine form she ran, not slowing or stopping and letting the moon and starlight as well as her own enhanced vision guide her steps. It's during that pre-dawn light that she comes near the city and then lets her nose guide her to the forces waiting there to invade. Specifically, her nose will guide her towards the Weir, and once she's close enough there's a shift back to human and an approach. And, of course, a request to be taken to Beatrice.

Rae travels at the head of the warpack. Not just a tiny subpack, no. There are two hundred Weir at her back, only a handful left back near the North Gate should they be needed. Her eyes and hair are crimson, her expression one of seriousness. No time for the jester, lately, only the fighter remains.

Beatrice greets, warmly, "Quina." She's already mounted on her brown, with her men formed up. They have the position of height against the town.

Niklas stands with his sister, arms crossed over his leather clad chest. He stares back at the Warpack with no small amount of approval.

Quina nods. "Beatrice." she replies, then moves to stay out of the way. "If there is anything that you need of me, please ask."

Beatrice warns, "I'm not sending the men down with their horses; that mud looks tricky. My best advice is to stay back and keep an eye out for where you feel you can jump in and keep sending word to Cyrus." A thoughtful pause, "I had thought you'd be ~with~ the Admiral?"

Quina smiles towards Bea. "I have issues with Captain Malachi. I was not able to travel by ship. So, I came by land." she says quietly, to not involve others.

Beatrice nods her head, not questioning. She waits with her binoculars for the ships to come in sight along the shore, and as they are nearing and can certainly seen from the town, gives the signal for the advance-guard of the infantry to begin their approach....

The trumpets sound! The men advance! But they are not rushing forward blindly, instead going forward on the muddy ground at a speed where they can stop and change directions if necessary. It doens't help -- as they near the outskirts of the town, the mud ERUPTS! Beings -- some bipedal, some toad-like, some snake-like appear to be birthed from the mud -- many, varied in size, and all of them vicious, with too-solid claws, teeth and fangs. Battle is joined!

Quina follows, but quite behind the others. She watches intently, not near enough to become involved in the battle.

The trumpets are joined with the howls of the warpack, their own signal to charge. The Weir take to arms as the creatures start errupting from the ground, slogging onwards to join in the fight.

Niklas places a hand on his sister's shoulder, gives it a light squeeze, then turns toward the battle himself.

Beatrice herself does not join battle; she is not a general in name, but is acting the part here. Her job is to keep the high ground and watch the carpet of battle roll out below her, and adapt her orders according to what is revealed. As the mud-monsters come up and their extent becomes evident, the first round of orders are given.

RPG: Niklas challenges a difficulty of 10, using his Force plus PHY-ST. Niklas succeeds.

RPG: Rae challenges a difficulty of 10, using her Grace plus STY-SW. Rae succeeds.

Mud monsters! Mud monsters everywhere! Some of them are managing to entirely cover the soldiers with mud, and where this happens, it does not seem the soldiers are corrupted so much as just -- absorbed like food. Screams of horror erupt from the mortals who are first into the mud. The Weir have it a little easier -- it seems they cannot be quite so easily consumed. Ripples spread across the line; monsters are cut in half, but slice as easily as mud, re-forming into smaller shapes and continuing to attack! But soon it becomes clear that if one slices these things enough, they do in fact dissolve, uselessly, back into mud. Mud... that the men still need to try to fight through, though it becomes knee-deep.

The creature Niklas faces is one of the largest of the tead-creatures over by where the Weir have approached. It is agile, leaping away rather than being easily caught by teeth and claw or blade, but where its mighty, four-feet wide feet land, teeth dig down into its opponent, and is trying to land on Niklas...

Whereas Rae is facing one of the mud-snakes -- slithery and slimy and twisting and nearly impossible to pin down. It keeps trying to slide in close to wrap itself around her legs and limbs, its goal being to sink its fangs into her, to drive her down into the muck. And it is singing.... singing softly. But the others surely do not hear it.

In his human form Niklas laughs at the flying creature, apparently unconcerned. Both Katars are unclipped from his weapons belt and at the last possible moment he spins, one Katar outstretched to catch the leaping toad-thing as gravity pulls it down. "Rae! What do you say to frog legs for dinner?" he calls out.

In his human form Niklas laughs at the flying creature, apparently unconcerned. Both Katars are unclipped from his weapons belt and at the last possible moment he spins, one Katar outstretched to catch the leaping toad-thing as gravity pulls it down. "Rae! What do you say to frog legs for dinner?" he calls out.

Rae's sabre is drawn, the snake given a look of distaste. She doesn't answer her brother, twisting and hopping back in steps to avoid the curling of the serpent, its quick strikes. There's a brief pause in Rae at the singing, and she looks down with rapt fascination for a moment--long enough for the thing to start curling around one leg.

The toad is sliced! One foot falls off, and becomes one with the mud beneath it... slowly re-forming into a smaller version of its former glory. Meanwhile the larger being shifts its weight, even mid-air, landing as a monoped -- less manoeverable, but dripping with mud and with a greater reach for its jaws, now made from what used to be its foot...

The snake sings and sings to Rae, rising and slithering, long enough to wrap her torso if she is not careful....

Niklas blinks as the thing changes, perhaps not expecting it. He wastes not time, however, with being surprised and launches himself at the monoped with swinging weapons.

Rae sways a bit with the song, and the red of her eyes shifts darker. Something, however, snaps the woman to her senses-- she starts stabbing at the mud-snake with her sword, carefully trying not to get herself in the process.

The Monoped Toad and mini-Toad soon become three... and four... and soon are just mud -- slimy, greenish-blackish mud, spattering Niklas and his weapons, but thready, wormlike things that seemed to be its essential 'life' are cut up enough and bleeding and visible for a moment (before vanishing under the mud) that they are visible.

Meanwhile, Rae's snake has brought itself in close, and been charmed a bit by the swaying. So much so that it is taken a bit by surprise as she cuts it to ribbons -- literally. It meets a similar fate as Niklas's.

Around the two, the soldiers are fighting on. Too many have fallen under the effects of the mud creatures before the threads inside the mud are cut up sufficiently.... but finally the outskirts of the village are just knee-deep mud, with the monsters gone. The walls are easily breeched, and entered....

Beatrice has more specialist forces held in reserve. The owl on her shoulder spreads his wings for balance and majesty as she lifts her arm and signals them forward. As the line closes, she holds her own position, and the communication lines narrow and deepen.

Out at sea, the ships are attacking something in the water with ballistae. But here in town, those coming over the wall are met with what is left with the Black Road army -- most of these are hollow men (and women, and some are even children), some who were born of Amber but seem to have surrendered their souls -- others must have come with the road. Amongst them are a few odds and ends the cat dragged in -- the last of the troll-liek beings and other twisted creatures who were first encountered in the mountain. They smell of rotted meat and decay, and each seems as covered, shoulder-to-foot, in greenish-black ooze as the town itself.

They are met with force. Archers stand upon the walls and rain arrows down, but they get only two volleys before the pikemen and others must go down to confront the enemy and the archers cannot do another mass-volley.

RPG: Niklas challenges a difficulty of 11, using his Force plus PHY-ST. Niklas almost succeeds.

RPG: Rae challenges a difficulty of 11, using her Grace plus STY-SW. Rae succeeds.

The Weir move forward with the pikemen, swords and claws prepared for the further fighting. Rae doesn't take the point of the pack, back somewhat so orders can be called out and heard by the majority of her men. They meet the enemy forces without hesitation, doing what they do best.

In the trees off to one side of town, something is moving. Beatrice's sentries notice it, and there is an agitation of response as most of the forces are committed inside the town.... but out at sea, the ships seem to have noticed it, and the Apple is preparing to fire...

The fighting inside town is bloody -- there are not that many to put up a fight at first, but soon every house opens and more and more of the Black Road forces pour out onto the village streets. Beatrice's footmen spend their numbers so that the other Amber forces on hand can fight their way behind them. Rae finds herself beset with two unearthly warriors -- one male, one female, but in all other ways seemingly alike. Their features are fair and regular, but whatever they do seems to be done in silent, perfect unison, and they will test her speed...

...While Niklas is facing off against something that appears to be super-human -- taller and broader than a man, with enormously thick arms. Heh as claws and large, sharp teeth, and though he is unarmed (save except with his stench, reminiscent of rotting eggs), his reach is more than Niklas's short blades, and his claws are vicious.

Rae does not fall victim to the lull of sweet, evil singing this time. She is fast, and she knows how to use this speed, her flexability, to her advantage. She ducks, twists, backbends and even drops flat to the ground to avoid the strikes of the twosome, sacrificing a few scraps of skin and some locks of hair to attempt a killing blow to the male.

Some say Niklas is without fear and, perhaps, it's because of times like this. He gives no thought to the size, stench or severity of his foe's claws. He rushes forward with Katars held up and ready. When the thing swipes he ducks, trying to put his left handed Katar in it... somewhere, with an upper-cut like punching motion.

The twosome -- we shall call them Male and Female -- are alluringly impassive in their unison. Female goes cuts low, and Male cuts high. She cuts left, he cuts right. They circle as one to keep Rae penned....

The monster Niklas is fighting is stabbed once and ROARS -- letting out, amongst other thing, a fresh wave of his foul breath. He is stuck in one arm, but this barely seems to phase him as he seeks to get his gian tarms around Niklas....

Beatrice meanwhile is busy reacting not just to the town but to the *thing* in the woods... Fortunately, the ships have spotted it and have a great line on it, and soon enough she is merely keeping her men out of the way as the ships release fire on what some might glimpse as a giant worm.

** BOOM ** -- lightening hits in the trees beside the town! The ships are making for the beach!

If there's one thing Rae doesn't like, it's being penned between two people. That are trying to kill her. The young Weir twists her body in ways that many wouldn't be able to, balancing on the toes of one foot at times, jumping in the air others. Her blade swings, and it finally strikes a vital target--going into the chest of her female opponent.

Privately, to Quina, Beatrice and Quina can make out the unresonably large worm that was making for Ennisport in the trees, taken out by the Apple. There are also tentacles out in the water, but they seem to have been beaten down by the ships.

The impassively deadly countenance of Female erupts into shock, pain and finally blood, which pours from her lips in a thin trickle. For a moment, time shimmers, suspende, as Male comes out of a swinging cut at Rae to catch sight of his sister/twin/unholy wife/whatever-she-is dying before his eyes. And his impassivity melts away, as well, as murder comes into his eyes. True blood lust meets deadly accuracy and he howls an echoing, keening SCREAM as he lunges for Rae, abandoning tricks of grace and speed in a mad rush to impale her with his sword!

Around those fighting in the town swarm the Silver Host and other soldiers... but the town is fairly full of bloodshed, and while they are spending their lives for a good price, the Silver Host are definitely going down in droves. For every ten men dead there are fifteen of the enemy gone... but they are still lives that will not rise again. And over this, there are strains of despair and fear coming from the black building at the very center of town. Perhaps hints of desperate please for help over the wind....

Niklas doesn't waist time. As the thing he fights is distracted with the plunging of his blade he swings the other around in a slash at it's gut.

There is deep and unholy laaughter from the ogre Niklas is fighting. He comes in for a cut and this is just want it wanted, for it finally gets its arms around him, and there is a sickening sound of a super-thick chain grabbed from its belt in the process--- silver, it seems the monster is intent on strangling Niklas with it, but instead it slips down his body to his torso. Content to try to crush him that way, the ogre-man presses and squeezes....

Niklas cries out as the chain pins his arms to his ribs. That cry grows louder as those same, muscled arms begin to compress his own ribcage. He struggles against his confines in futility for a moment before he suddenly relaxes. Then, in a moment of clarity, his left leg comes up sharply, the steep tip of a large boot aimed directly at the ogres groin. Hopefully they keep their genitalia in the same place.

Rae keeps her edge of grace as she's attacked, along with a mind that isn't hindered by true bloodlust. She growls, a fierce and feral thing, into the face of the male as their blades lock. "Die," she hisses, passionlessly. His blade is knocked aside, wide, and a dagger is suddenly in Rae's hand, and then in the man's jugular. Pushing forward, she rides her enemy to the ground.

Quina meanwhile may not be a warrior, but that doesn't mean she's entirely useless here. She uses her speed and grace to dash in where she can and try to bring out the injured. Some can drag themselves onto her back, and some are thrown onto her by their fellows in a brief moment of opportunity.

The Ogre cries out as Niklas did a moment ago with fury and pain, his hold on Niklas first tightening before going slack altogether. It doubles forward in pain and agony, bleeding miserably upon the stained earth.

The Male warrior gifts Rae with the sight of one last twinning echo of his Female counter part as he dies -- for blood gurgles at his lips as the bloodlust freezes on his face and he crumples off her blade, lying head-to-head with his twin.

Niklas coughs at the tightening, blood spraying from his mouth and onto the Ogre. Despite his wounds Niklas takes the things head into his hands and, holding it in place, pummels his leather clad knee against it repeatedly until the black ochre the monster calls blood begins to flow down Niklas' knee. When he finally stops and the thing falls to the side it's face has been completely crushed in, now just being a mass of broken bone, twisted flesh and black goo.

The fighting is dying down all around -- though there are MANY injured, and they are grateful for Quina's assistance in getting them free. Yet it's clear there is still once last line of the enemy -- camped out on the rooftops and all around the large black building at the center of town. Rae and Niklas may find something familiar in the threatening gesture of the torches and the large meeting-house, for it has kindling all around it and clearly there is a threat to burn it. As the cry of steal on steal dies down around them, the cries of the innocents inside can be heard -- what is left of the clean people of Ennisport are within, whimpering with fear and prayers to be free.

Caine, Cyrus, Molly, Dinah and Malachi have arrived.

Beatrice has moved her central vantage point form high up on the hill to up on the walls now that the walls are cleared and most of the bloody fighting in the town is dying down. She is careful not to present a target, but is close enough to see what is happening first hand and for her orders to be carried more swiftly. The Host's numbers are dwindling rapidly. What were once thirty thousand men are now just over five hundred.

An enormous worm easily three times larger than the one which was destroyed on the shore rises from the muck around the Blackhouse and slithers toward it with surprising speed. A few arrows and crossbow bolts appear in its thick hide but it does not appear to notice. The source of the missles is apparent, now. The thundering, screaming horde of Royal navy sailors and Minosian crewmen descends upon the creature.

Niklas moves over to where Rae is, his left arm clutched around his chest. Blood trickles from the corner of his mouth in a thin, but steady, stream. A cough is stifled in a fist that comes away bloody as he looks to the worm, eyes widening. "Fuck me..."

Admiral Caine appears behind them all, soaked and stained with black blood. He eyes the worm thing the men run at a moment, before patting himself down. He finds the second best thing, a silver hip flask, and drains it.

Beatrice issues her orders, whispers over the carnage. To most of her men, to fall back and assist the navy with missiles and munition. To one platoon of a hundred; Onward on the foe. To the Weir, to save the villagers stuck inside the inn before this worm falls and crushes it, or worse.

Some of the Weir warpack have fallen, or are deeply injured. Rae, having disposed of her Twin Foes and left them to their muddy grave together, moves to meet her wounded brother. "Stay back with the others," she says in a fierce and firm tone that brokers no argument. Her Alpha Voice. "Help them." Before he can reply, she's darting forward to follow Beatrices orders, sabre at her side, a chakram in her other hand.

For a moment Niklas just watches his sister go but, perhaps knowing what might happen if he doesn't do what she said, he turns to assist the other wounded.

Quina continues to run through what parts of the city she can reach, a deep, dark brown horse with a white mark on her forehead. Using Life Sense and her other senses, she searches for survivors to bring to safety.

Beatrice is alone, issuing her orders. The spread of her owl's moth-patterned wings can be seen for a moment between the slime-ridden stone crenellations.

Dinah is striding forward with the combined Navy/Minos forces. "Oh what the bloody fuck. These things travel in PAIRS?," she asks of the worm with a wild gesture.

Molly comes along behind Dinah at a fast, rolling limp. "Lets just hope it wasn't a whole family vacation, eh, Boss?"

Malachi travels in the midst of a cluster of men from his ship, sighting up at the worm with his crossbow. "Could be three," he says to Dinah, his voice carrying easily over the noise of the sailors around him.

Dinah *eyes* Molly, then Malachi. "You two did -not- just say that," she mutters, obviously preparing for a third worm to appear.

The worm roars a response to the discussion of its family status and slams its massive head into the inn. Chunks of masonry fly outward but the building holds. For now.

Caine tucks his flask away and draws the borrowed sword, keeping hold of the long knife he holds in the other hand. He doesn't rush forward, however, watching the worm a moment, noting movements, then looking about intently around it. Calling to a group of sailors advancing in a group with their heavy sabers, the Admiral directs them toward a damaged building nearby, held up by a wide porch and beams.

Malachi takes a group of men to another side, his sailors peppering the worm with inconsequential missile fire. A concentration on the beast's head suggests less intent to kill than to keep the creature distracted for a time.

Rae is not unwounded, but her injuries aren't anything serious enough to slow the Weir down--not that the blood can really be seen with the mud covering her. Hair and eyes still gleam blood red, though, as she and the Weir travel towards the meeting house, where the pleas for salvation are coming from. "Quina!," she calls out, her own request for aid.

Caine shouts over the wind, "Mal! Trying to bring this thing down on it somewhere, direct it my way in..." he glances to the men hacking away at support beams. "...four minutes?"

Molly gives Dinah an appropriately sheepish look as she pulls a clunky and awkward-looking pistol from one of her pockets. She also gives a quick look-round for the potential other worm before turning back to the one at-hand.

With the worm going after the inn, and there being a fair number of life signs within, Quina heads that way at top speed even as Rae is calling for her. She circles a bit to look for exits that won't get the people using them eaten, and finds a back door. It's locked, but a kick with her strong back legs solves that. The voice that comes out of her mouth isn't that of a horse at all, of course, as she shouts for the people within to get themselves out.

Some of the men trying to bring the building down have realized some flaw in their leader's plan, and unload rope to help bring it down... without being /under/ the thing when they do. Caine leaves out these details sometimes.

Malachi raises a hand towards the Admiral to confirm he's heard the order, and keeps his men moving to get the beast's attention and test leading it.

The crew from the Apple--most of them distinguished from the Navy forces due to their lack of uniforms and, well, looking a lot like pirates, make noises of attack. Crossbows are lifted, aimed, and bolts are shot towards the damn giant worm.

The worm bellows a hellish sound and thrashes its way towards the inn again. The arrows and bolts from the Orchid Queen's men cause it enough discomfort that it turns its attention on the sailors instead of the Blackhouse. One by one the terrified villagers file out but they look uncertain as to where to go from there.

Other Navy sailors pull at ropes and... there is an ominous creak and the damaged building appears to lean forward. Caine waves his hands at them to halt their pulling and looks to the worm. THEN he remembers to move back.

The Weir work to protect the squishy humans that come out of the Blackhouse, Rae perhaps not looking like the friendliest of people to be listening to.

Malachi's men are worm-herding briskly into position, despite their lack of experience in giant animal husbandry.

The worm undulates and rolls over several men from the vanguard of the Moon Pass's crew. Then it sets its 'sights' on the Apple's sailors as they are the ones currently annoying it the most. It rares back as if to strike at them like a serpent. It lunges forward faster than anything that big should be able to and -stops- with a muffled shriek. The remainder of the building the sailors were chopping at has fallen on the worm's tail, pinning it in place.

Since Rae and the Weir may not look the friendliest, Quina orders any coming out with a gesture of her head in the direction they need to go. "That way! Fast!" Of course, those words coming from a horse might give them pause, but compared to all the Black Road ick she probably looks better. She continues trying to get the people out of the inn, forcing herself through the doorway to go help physically herd them.

Beatrice has issued the last of the fully black-clad platoons in to cover the people fleeing the inn. A hundred men in black and silver fighting and dying.

Caine orders his man forward with a sweep of sword and advances, himself, to take advantage of the stationary beast while they can.

Beatrice is quick to regroup her archers and those with heavier missile weapons. Something just over four hundred men remain under her command, and they stand upon the walls, now, and some are loading ballistae and other engines into the town over the mud. The several-score men on the walls with arrows have lost their immediate CO, and so it is at Beatrice's personal commadn that they aim and fire.

Malachi keeps his men moving, a fluid line of constant scatter-shot fire that herds the worm towards other attackers.

Dinah orders for her men and her Molly to attack the worm, with whatever they've got. The Captain herself unholsters her pistols with a wicked grin. "Oh this is going to feel -SO- good," she intones, thumbing one hammer back and aiming...aiming...and letting loose a bolt of white-hot lightning towards the worm.

Molly nods to Dinah and takes a few stumbling steps towards a clearer line of sight on the creature to draw a bead on the its head. She fumbles only a little with the awkwardly-shaped gun and aims more carefully than usual before discharging it at the worm.

The hail of new arrows from the walls signals the beginning of the end for the huge worm and the blasts from the pistols sign the death warrant. The fighters on the ground keep the thing further coralled as it dies a death of a million cuts (and lightning bolts). It takes a long time to stop moving but eventually enough damage makes it through its hide to bring its hideous existence to an end. It lies there charred and full of arrows.

Caine steps back and his gaze goes to, apparently, a headcount. He starts with his kids, naturally, and goes down rank from there.
The officers from the various ships begin bellowing orders for their men to gather up. The final numbers are lower than what each vessel starte with between the attack on the worm and the problems in the water but not as grim as they could be.

Once there is no further need to talk, Quina stops talking. And when there is no further need for rescuing locals, she returns to searching for the injured in order to bring them to the medics.

The monster fallen, a cheer comes up from the remains of the Silver Host -- though the majority of those who are left are in brown or other dull colors. Quietly, Beatrice comes down from the walls, the owl again spreading his wings as she takes her final leap off the ladders to the ground, to stride across the mud-and blood-slogged field towards the others.

Caine counts up his men and finds the captains still alive, and sets them to organizing necessary things while he lights up a cigarette.

Malachi supplements his officers' calls for the Orchid Queen's crew to rejoin with orders to a few of his more eager--or panicked--men to stand down from wasting bolts on the creature once it's dead. That being done, he moves off towards the Admiral at a leisurely pace.

Caine gives his son a casual nod, a nasty gash across his cheek gone puffy.

Dinah starts making a headcount of her own. Dad, check. Favorite Brother, check. Gunner, check. There's a brief look of panic as she looks around for..."Oh. Yeah. No Stormcrow." Satisfied, she starts towards the Admiral herself.

Molly wobbles back to Dinah, following her towards the Admiral. She mumbles, "Bastard went down. Leastways didn't go'n wreck my marriage for nothing."

Rae, even with her human throat, issues a howl that carries over the warpack. The Weir start to move into formation, gathering their wounded and their fallen, and bringing them to their current leader.

Beatrice strides towards Rae first. "All accounted for?" She's been doing her own headcounts, of course, and must know the answer.

Dinah puts a supportive arm around Molly and gives her a curious look. Then a look that clearly states they will Talk on the way home.

Malachi has done a brief familial head-count of his own. It seems to have left him without complaints, as he joins the Admiral with a lit cigarette to consider the battlefield.

"Least it wasn't bugs," Caine remarks, wiping goo off himself with a thumb. He looks much more ripped up and chewed up close. The coat is /ruined/.

Beatrice finally goes to bow her head to Caine and more or less hand over control of the city to him, ordering her men to assist with clean up and then get out.