[ THE CALL ]

[verty_events]

The inhabitants of the Temple were all assembled in the Dining Hall. It was a large room with high ceilings, warmed by the fire in the fireplace opposite the main entrance and several smaller braziers scattered between the tables. The three large tables, normally set side by side, had been pushed against the walls to clear a space at the center of

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[stormcleaver]

Loe didn't startle at first--he was far too accustomed to servants being skittish over the strangest things--but he did turn, and once he saw what, exactly, the young girl had screamed at, his reaction was immediate. He had a gun. He knew how to use it. And there was no way he wouldn't defend every person in here.

"Raina, do something!" he snapped at the woman, already lifting his rifle to his shoulder.

Dammit, dammit, dammit, what had Eir done?

[mezzaline]

In one minute, Mezzaline had been walked down the forest path, admiring the stark shadows the cool moonlight created.

In the next, she appeared inside a large hall. Her immediate reaction was confusion - where was she now? What had happened? What was this room that looked nothing of the buildings in Erremal?

It was pretty, at least. It could use a few webs, but then those weren't to everyone's taste...

Mezzaline cast a glance around the room and her gaze landed squarely on Loe. She tilted her head to the side curiously.

"Hello?"

[stormcleaver]

Oh, it talked. Wasn't that lovely? A monsters that could say "ow" when he shot it.

Not that whether or not it spoke made a bit of difference to Loe. A talking monster was still a talking monster, and a monster was a danger to Vertiline. There was no way he was going to allow that thing to get out of this room and into the country at large.

Rifle at his shoulder, Loe paused long enough to take aim...and fire.

[mezzaline]

The bullet tore through Mezzaline's side and she shrieked, blue blood pouring from the wound. She doubled over to cover it, her hair falling over her eyes.

She had to move. She was in danger.

But there was nowhere to go.

Still, Mezzaline skittered backwards, baring her fangs. It was a movement of instinct, of desperation, rather that true aggression.

[sorrowfulstone]

This was a disaster. Eir felt a lump rise up in her throat as Raina and Loe went on the offensive immediately. The crowd behind them screamed, panicked as they fled the scene. She stared at the assorted people in shock before the gunshot shocked her into action.

"Loe, stop shooting!" she called, reaching out to yank him back and away from the called. "It's them, Loe. They're the Called!"

[stormcleaver]

"The Called?" He didn't take another shot, at least, smart enough not to fire when there was the risk of hitting Eir. "What did you do?"

At least she'd managed to get his attention away from Mezzaline.

[sorrowfulstone]

"I didn't do anything," she retorted, trying to pull him back further. "I Called them, the same as always. We just didn't get the same...kinds as usual. So stop shooting them!"

[mezzaline]

Mezzaline should have been grateful for Eir's interruption, but she was not; she was only relieved that the attention on her was gone.

With a shuddering breath, Mezzaline moved away from them and into the crowd. Anything to get distance between her and the weapon. However, standing above six feet and with the body of a spider, she would be easy to find again... and a trail of blue blood would lead anyone right to her.

[stormcleaver]

"Same kinds? Same kinds, Eir? They're beasts!" Loe could see Mezzaline moving away. His fingers itched to shoot at her again, to take down the creature that had suddenly appeared inside the temple. Eir had to have made a mistake. She had to have.

But he hesitated, because Eir had never made a mistake before, and let Mezzaline go. He could hunt her down later, if need be.

[sorrowfulstone]

"The Call brought them here," Eir snapped defensively, not appreciating the way Loe was starting to put the blame on her. "It's not my fault that it decided to bring beings here that aren't human, and even if they aren't, they're no less unworthy or unfit for the task at hand."

She could see Mezzaline backing away, and for the spider's sake, Eir was glad, though she knew that they would need to get a healer to whoever she was quickly. Bullets weren't easily shrugged off, after all.

[stormcleaver]

Loe curled his lip in disgust. For all that he trusted Eir in this, that didn't mean he had to like bringing beasts here as Called. "We'll see how fit they are for it when they come face to face with it."

With that, he turned on his heel and headed for the door. The faintest sound of dogs barking greeted him once he was outside the banquet hall, and then Loe was gone.