Smohalla fights the scattering effect the background count causes on his power.

The mana of the area gathers around him like a protective blanket, helping to concentrate the energy.

His features shift as feathers sprout from his body, covering him in a heavy glistening coat.

The animal instinct becomes hard to hold back, rending and tearing foremost in his mind.

As his first target falls he shifts his attention to others, searching those who might target the group.

After the shot, Stogie does a double take at Jake. So that's what happened. "It's OK, Jake," Stogie radiates comfort to the dog. "It will go away soon."

He calls out to the punks, "First round was gentle, boys. Stand down now and you live to walk away." Heh. They don't know yet how literal I'm being.

Ellesar surveys the destruction, content that none of the others appear gravely injured.

"This doesn't have to get any worse," he shouts. "No one needs to get hurt; I'm sure you're keen enough to see that!" His voice drops so that only Stogie can hear. "I hope they are wise enough to see the folly in retaliation."

Stogie replies, equally quietly. "Well, if they shoot back, I ain't aiming for the weapons anymore."

These guys might not be the most sophisticated operators but they're realistic enough to know when they've lost the initiative. The elf on his butt looks at Ellesar and Stogie but decides that a long distance shot from his backside would be ill-advised. Nick shakes lightly, trying to hold himself together. He raises his hands above his head lamely, unsure of what else to do. The other human just stands there, locked in place, looking back and forth. It's possible he's thinking of running to the Tata for cover.

The two elves exchange a confused look with each other. The one with the injured hand yells across the river, "Oy!!! What the frag was that for?!"

Stogie answers the irate elf. "That was to keep you and your buddies alive. Now, if you boys would just put all of your hands up in the air, we can resolve this situation in everyone's favor, and go home with a good story for the grandchildren."

Nick raises his hands a little higher over his head, feeling more assured now that he's been given clear instructions to do what he was already doing. The other human puts his hands up too. You can tell he feels dumb.

The elves don't comply. The one with the injured hand maintains steady pressure on his rapidly swelling trigger finger with his other hand. His gun is on the ground and not within easy reach. Presumably he'd have to fire it with his off-hand, so his threat value is low.

The elf on the ground doesn't drop his gun but nor is he making any sudden moves. He seems to understand that he's vulnerable and exposed; furthermore, his revolver doesn't have the range to come anywhere near you. The bullets would splash harmlessly in the river. He uncocks the hammer and sticks the barrel in the dusty ground to give him some support.

"What's this about, pops?" the uninjured elf shouts at Stogie. "You after the bounty too? We should team up then. If the Sisters are as tough as gramps here" (he means Smohalla) "says they are, then you'll need all the help you can get. There's more than enough nuyen to go around. We've got the rig and some mojo, plus some stims to even the odds. There's, what, three of you and three of them? You can't go one-on-one with these chicas, you know that! No man who gives a warning shot has a chance against chicks who burn towns to the ground!"

Stogie rests his aim on the elf still with hands on a weapon. "One last time. Hands in the air, drop weapons. I won't ask again."

Jake covers his ears. This gun is really loud.

Smohalla keeps quiet, allowing his friends to negotiate the situation.

"Go frag yourself, pops!" the elf shouts angrily. "You want to geek me in cold blood here in the dust, that's on you! I ain't done nothing to you or yours! I can't do drek here and you know it! So stop getting your rocks off on your little power play and tell us what the frag this is all about!"

The two human share an uncertain look. It's clear that they're uncomfortable being held at gunpoint in some god-forsaken husk of town by a madman hiding in the bushes with a hunting rifle and a dog. The two elves are resistant but seem smart enough not to try anything rash. Astrally, it's clear that their elven pride has been wounded. They are angry and defiant but not suicidal.

The two elves look to Ellesar, either because they're searching from some elven camaraderie or because they figure that he's the good cop of this duo.

Bad memories surface into Stogies consciousness. Jake starts whimpering, responding to the red haze that transmits to him through his Link to Stogie. There's a twitch in his right eye Ellesar recognizes.

"Oh shut up!" Ellesar shouts back at the elf. "Stop trying to dig your own grave. You're only disgracing your own kind. How about we all just calm down and discuss how this is going to go? I'm thinking something along the lines of you four going home safe and sound."

He looks to Stogie and lowers his voice. "Any thoughts on how we go about this without having to kill them?"

The elf quiets down, throwing his hands up in an expression of confusion. He's less defiant with Ellesar than he is with Stogie. Stogie's enhanced sense can hear him muttering under his breath.


"Alright!" he shouts, still on one knee. "You want us to go? We'll go! We'll get in the Hotspur and we'll drive back to Barrens, just like that. But there will be more coming through here looking for the same thing. That's not a threat, that's just a fact! Money like this draws attention. You're going to have your work cut out for you if you plan to shoot every runner that passes through here!"

Astrally:

Smohalla calls out.

You speak wisely for once.

How did you learn of this bounty?

"How does anyone hear about anything?" he yells back in exasperation. "The streets!" he adds, as if the answer were obvious.

"Backroom rumors, cryptic comms, some rat-faced fixer that your no-good brother-in-law hooks you up with because he thinks he's doing you a favor and wants to get cut in on the proceeds. What the frag does it matter? Word is out, and it's spreading!"

Nick shuffles nervously, his arms growing tired from holding them up. The other human's eyes dart back and forth between the elves and the men on the far side of the river. The elf with the injured hand continues to squeeze his swelling trigger finger. He glances back at the humans in his party, who look at him for a long moment.

The answer from the elf causes Smohalla to speculate with his friends.

This bounty must be stopped.

What proof would Gunny accept that the Sisters are no longer a threat?

It is doubtful he would heed our assurances that we are with them, attempting to guide their actions.

Yet this bounty does nothing but fan the flames of the Sisters determination.

The more danger they face, the more dangerous they will become.

"Which leaves us with a Cold War situation." Ellesar mentions. "Both sides will grow in power the longer this goes on and neither will back down. Even if we can find a way to stop the bounty we have multiple teams already out there. Maybe I'm being ignorant but finding and scaring them all off seems unreasonable."

His voice raises to call out to the others. "You can put your arms down slowly. Any sudden movements, however, and we will blow your knees out."

Nick and the other human slowly lower their arms with a visible sense of relief. The two elves cautiously rise, keeping an eye on whether Stogie is lining up another shot or if Ellesar nocks another arrow.

"So which is it?" the elf shouts at Ellesar. "Go home, or stand here motionless while you line up shots on our kneecaps? Can't get in the Tata and drive off if we can't move!"

Stand still until you hear otherwise from us

Stogie hears:

Smohalla sees:

To his companions, Smohalla murmurs

Unless you mean to do some seeking in the electronic world, I think we are finished with this area.

I can visit those I trust and ask if they know the source of the bounty.

The red haze drains from Stogie and leaves a tired vacuum behind. Jake stops whimpering, but he slides sideways to shoulder Stogie's leg. To Ellesar Stogie whispers, "Well, I don't want the Tata bad enough to murder these losers for it." To the losers, he shouts, "That damn bounty is putting a lot of innocent ones in danger. And you, too. Go back where you came from and forget about hunting where you don't know what's what." He moves the rifle to no longer point directly at the strangers, but still stay at the ready.

"It would not be worth the effort." Ellesar replies with a slight smirk. "And I am glad that it has not yet come to that. This place is already so full of destruction."

The words of his companions sound wise and compassionate.

Smohalla nods his head slightly in agreement with their decision.

If only their ongoing situation were as easy to solve as this one was.

The elves slowly straighten up. The one who was knocked over stands with as much dignity as he can muster. The one with the injured hand slowly grabs his revolver off the ground, frowning as he inspects it for damage. He doesn't look pleased with its condition. Nick and the other human move back to the Tata. Nick gets in first so that he can sit between or behind the elves. The other human jumps on the back and holds on to the roll cage. He's decidedly less animated than before. The elves get in, start the engine, and slowly point the Tata out of town. They roll the windows down to give you the one-fingered salute before they slam on the gas, spinning the wheels and throwing up a cloud of dust before the Tata regains its traction and bolts for the highway. They're gone.

You're back by yourselves, left to wonder who put the bounty on the Sisters and how it can be stopped. ¥15,000 is a healthy bounty, one that would draw a lot of attention out in the woods, especially among hunters and subsistence types for whom the money could last a year or two. But ¥15,000 for each Sister is serious nuyen, the kind that attracts professional hitters - gun bunnies, gillettes, and madmen of every sort who are good at what they do simply because they are not dead. They will not be so easily scared off.

We must find out who is offering the bounty.

As of now it seems only the foolish and unprepared have appeared.

Yet those who are more capable will surely follow.

Who would have the resources to offer such a high amount?

Could it be offered as a way of revenge?

The boy killed in the fire watch tower...

His father was a powerful man, was he not?

"Yeah," says Stogie. "He's a mover in Gaeatronics, from what Jeff figured out. A company with a reputation for working on the clean side of things. Certainly the money would be there. There's the university where he was studying, too. Maybe if we figured out what he was working on, we could tell who wanted it stopped. I think Jeff figured out that Shiawase was being blanked out of Seattle energy providing. If the youngster was on to something big, they might have tried to stifle it.

"So, it looks like we have at least two angles to work."

Smohalla pauses and thinks back before answering.

According to Ellie he was working on something that would steal Talol's energy.

A sense of foreboding fills my being.

The longer we are away from the Sisters...

It is dangerous to leave them by themselves, both for them and for others as well.

Can you conduct inquiries from the remoteness of their campsite?

Or is some special item needed?

"No, man, this would require going closer to the source of information. Jeff mighta been able to do something with a satellite link, if he hadn't buggered off on that thing with his girlfriend, but not me." Stogie scratches Jakes ear, as the dog has been poking his knee with his muzzle ever since the rowdies left.

Smohalla doesn't seem entirely comfortable with this idea.

The thought of interacting too much with modern civilization...

If Stogie didn't know better he'd think that he'd ruffled a few of the shaman's feathers.

Ellesar notices the expression inhabiting Smohalla's face and decides to interject. "We should be heading back to camp. No telling what the sisters could be up to by now. I do not like leaving them alone. Besides, we will need a plan before we go messing with the locals again. I think a good place to start will be tracking down the man that was so in tune with continuing the student's study. And who is this Talol anyway?"

Talol is a kachina...the spirit of the mountain.

He has grown more powerful since the Awakening.

This student's project was some scheme to steal power from his very essence.

The Sisters show no remorse for their actions, but I cannot fault their goals.

My friend, you speak wisely. We should return.

It's been all of 16 hours since you walked into Greenwater. As it will be an easy flight, Smohalla is not particularly daunted by the prospect of returning to the Sisters. Stogie and Ellesar, however, are not quite so blessed. Their feet are already singing to them from yesterday's 30 kilometer hike and here they are, setting off to do it all over again. Man, Ellesar didn't even have to hump like this in the Peace Force.

Your bodies are starting to cry out for better nutrition too. You have rations so it's not like you're going to starve, but the high-fat, low-fiber MREs leave you feeling heavy and ungainly. The cool weather means that you're not sweating much, so the high salt content of the meals prompts you to drink and retain a lot of water. With luck, Ellie will have something homemade brewing for you over the fire, hopefully something that doesn't require any of the ingredients on her shopping list that you've ignored.

The hike itself is uneventful, just you and your dirty socks and hot feet. There's no Toothy, no barghests, no city slickers out of their element. Smohalla flies high above, keeping overwatch on the forested valley below. He conjures some modest spirits to accelerate the journey so that it doesn't take all day.

You walk back into camp shortly before dinner, finding it a drastically changed place. The earth spirits have been busy, transforming the area approaching the lake into something of a maze of trenches and berms. Making your way through, you find the Sisters seated by their campfire. Sure enough, there's a pot bubbling over the fire, wafting something into the air that smells good. This clearing hasn't been altered just yet; you get the sense that it will be the last thing to change.

Ellie looks up, welcoming you with a smile and a happy "Ah!" She stands and holds her arms open. "You've returned! And so soon! We hardly expected you until tomorrow at the earliest!" She looks pleased. Hester and Selene look rather passive at your return. K'wa'iti is here in wolf form too, his muzzle covered in red. He glances up from something he's gnawing on, which looks distressingly like someone's arm.

Jake takes the maze of berms and trenches as a personal challenge, and scurries up and down, around and through. Stogie knows that Jake will be able to negotiate this maze better than any of their team, now. Except Smohalla, of course, who will just fly over it.

As Ellie rise to greet them, Stogie comes to her and receives her embrace. He smiles at her, and at the two less demonstrative Sisters. "You've been very busy! Amazing work. It's just as well. We had to cut our journey short and return to you. We need to talk. May we rest a moment before we fill you in?"

Ellesar follows Stogie's lead, remaining quiet. His face exhibits as positive a demeanor as he can manage, considering the day's events.

Ellie looks mildly taken aback. "Well, yes, of course. We can talk over dinner if you like. I have a stew in the pot. Don't worry - K'wa'iti didn't supply the ingredients."

She turns back to the fire, which looks inviting. It's a cold autumn evening now that the sun has gone down. Ellie returns to her seat while K'wa'iti gnaws on his mass of blood and bone, eyeing Jake with a territorial warning in his eye. The troll seems to be carving a piece of wood that's about a meter long. It has a sharp, conical point that makes it look like a spear, although in her huge hands it looks more like a giant dart. The ork summons a small ball of fire out from underneath the cast iron pot. She passes the flame back and forth between her hands, letting it hover over her palms. Whether she's practicing something specific or merely amusing herself is an open question. She smiles at the flames as they illuminate her face from beneath.

Smohalla eases himself down near the fire, close enough for the warmth to be comfortable.

He studies the actions of the campsite dwellers before turning to their main host.

Our quick return had me unable to buy the supplies you wanted, Ellie.

Please forgive me for failing in this task.

Yet the situation seemed grave enough.

The arm-gnawing shapechanger gives him pause.

It seems you have had more unwelcome visitors during our absence.

Ellie's lips purse in a look of disappointment at the news that you didn't bring any groceries. "We're out of sugar," she says, tapping her chin. "Dessert will be savory then."

Hester and Selene scrunch up their faces too; they look annoyed by the prospect of no dessert. "We'll just have to go into town ourselves then," Ellie says in response to their scowls, clapping her hands once to demonstrate her decisiveness.

"Pay no attention to K'wa'iti," she adds with a dismissive wave and a distasteful look. "Who knows where he got that dreadful thing." She looks away with a puckered face. "But we mustn't chide Nature for following Her course."

Stogie takes a seat near the fire, warming his hands in front of him. Jake curls up at his feet, just happening to be facing in the direction of K'wa'iti. Stogie appreciatively and obviously draws in the smell of the stew. "Mmmmm. Smells great."

After a few moments warming up, he begins. "We only made it as far as Greenwater. We explored a bit, and rescued a lost dog, returning it to its human companion. The human told us about the dreams you sent. Nice touch, that. A group of young thugs, more hormones than talent, drove into town, looking for information about you. We sent them packing back to the city, tails between their legs.

"But we did learn that there is a broad and lucrative bounty put out on the three of you, and that many are taking up the call to make some money. You are not going to be left alone here as long as that bounty is out there. Our current best guess is that the wealthy father of the young man who died in the watch tower has decided to get revenge. If that is the case, then the bounty could be up for quite some time. The desire for vengeance doesn't necessarily fade with time, and the father may be willing to leave the money available for as long as it takes.

"I'm afraid there may be no peace for you for some time to come."

Ellie takes a seat by the fire, her hand flicking out to wave at the bowls stacked on a nearby log. They leap up and coast to the pot bubbling over the fire. A ladle serves stew into each bowl, which then fly into the hands of everyone around the fire along with utensils and linen napkins. Her duties as hostess satisfied, Ellie sits back and listens to Stogie.

Her expression doesn't change much as he speaks, although she does give a small, curt nod at the mention of dreams. Stogie notices the ork's eyebrow raise ever so slightly, and the troll shifts her weight. "Watchers," Ellie explains. "Naturally a mundane would not understand the difference between a dream and the astral world, but we must not hold the deficit against them." She gives a faint, almost reflexive glance to acknowledge Ellesar.

"A bounty, yes, I believe that is what we had concluded by the time you left yesterday," Ellie continues. "Perhaps the source of it is irrelevant. We were destined to make enemies; our course puts us at odds with the modern world. I'm afraid that, at the core of things, the two world views are incompatible. One of us shall overwhelm the other; it is inevitable. Do you like our odds?" She smirks grimly, her eyes steely and cool.

She turns professorial for a moment, channeling her inner school teacher. "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man," she cites from memory. "George Bernard Shaw. Applicable here, is it not? The great God and Goddess have set us on our course. Our course is to change the world, to rewind it to what it once was, what it once more could be. The world will resist, naturally. And so there will be bounties, and bounty hunters, and whatever comes after that. Regrettable, yes, but simply the first step among many. No peace for our time, indeed." She smiles bravely, sighing inwardly.

"Careful who you quote, Ellie. The same guy said, 'Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.' Even before people showed up, the world was constantly changing. Seems to me that bringing back the old world as it once was is a little bit about adapting the world to your own desires. Me, I think keeping the good of the old and the new makes for successful adaptation."

Stogie digs into the food with gusto. Here and there a spoonful ends up on Jake's tongue.

Ellie looks down at the fire, the flames illuminating her face and warding away the creeping chill of mountain night. The twigs crackle and pop, dry needles sending rising embers through the air. Ellie smiles sadly, lost in reflection for a moment as people continue to eat until their spoons scrape their bowls.

"Let us not cut Mr. Shaw short," she says. "What he actually said was, 'Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.'"

She's quiet for another minute, looking down at her untouched bowl. "You make my point for me," she says to break the silence. "I was not always this way. I led a very different life, one that was in line with society at large. House, lawn, Land Rover. Not many people Awaken in middle age. How old were you, Stogie? A teenager, perhaps? Do you remember what it was like before? It's for the best when it happens early, when it's least disruptive."

Another minute passes. Hester and Selene are silent. Forest noises begin to surround you as nocturnal creatures awaken for their turn in the world.

"I've made my change. It hurt, but it was progress. And so shall it be for the rest of the world."

Smohalla picks at his stew during the conversation.

In his advanced age hunger has become an old friend, well-known but not often visited with.

Change is inevitable.

The world around us changes constantly, every second.

We, the children of the Great Mother, we change with her.

But it is for us to determine how we change and in what ways.

Ellie, did you know a man named Gunny before?

A look of mild disappointment crosses Ellie's face. She frowns, seemingly displeased that Smohalla, of all people, doesn't quite get it.

"Respectfully, Sky-Father, we don't always determine how we change and in what ways. The greatest change of my life was a great blessing, but it was very much imposed on me without my will or consent. I imagine your have never been separate from your magic. What if you woke up one day and found yourself with a new way of seeing the world and living in it, a new tradition if you will, completely foreign to you but intractably, undeniably your own? New mentors, new gifts, new voices in your mind that you feel more than you hear. It is not a change that may be resisted. I know, because I tried."

Ellie looks down at her bowl following her confession. Her appetite seems to parallel Smohalla's, but finally she takes a bite. She looks pleasantly surprised by the results, modestly nodding to herself. She thinks for a long moment about Smohalla's second question before slowly shaking her head.

"No, I don't know any 'Gunny'. Do you, ladies?" She turns around to Hester and Selene. They shake their heads, grunting lightly. Ellie turns back. "What does he look like? Is he important? Is there a reason we would know him?"

Astrally:

Stogie fills in. "Gunny is the front man offering the reward to anyone who puts an end to your reign of terror." He makes a wry face to make sure the ladies know it isn't his opinion of them.

Stogie decides for some openness on his own part. "He hired us. Unlike others who have come out here, it seems, we decided to find out for ourselves the truth of what is going on. And since his wording allowed for solutions other than outright murder, we took the job. Doesn't look like many others see it that way, though."

It seems we now have two options.

Either we realize a way to prove to Gunny that the Sisters are no longer a threat...

Or we figure out who is sponsoring this bounty and put a stop to it ourselves.

Ellesar remains quiet throughout the meal, occasionally glancing off into the woods as if looking for something sinister to come crawling out. He perks up as the conversation turns away from speculative authors and magic, moving towards the real reason they find themselves here.

"Another good meal," he states seemingly to the forest. "I may not have been reborn into your world of espers and phantasms but I would say I've had my share of new beginnings. Stogie has also known great loss, if the stories are told true. We want to help you but we need to know the details, even the dark ones. They may be the key to ending this without bloodshed."

Hester and Selene snap to attention at Stogie's admission of being associated with Gunny. The air of the campsite takes on an immediate charge, a stiffening of the air and a crackle of ozone that almost feels like an imminent lightning strike.

Astrally:
Ellie sits there quietly, holding up a hand and quietly shushing Hester and Selene, even though they haven't said anything. The ork and the troll stare daggers into Stogie and Ellesar. K'wa'iti stops gnawing on his mangled victim and turns his attention to Stogie and Jake, studying them closely and watching for any transfer of power between them.

"There, there," Ellie says consolingly to Hester and Selene without actually looking at them. "They're not in a murdering posture now, are they? You can see as much in their auras. So let's be calm and think this through." Still, you can see Ellie's eyes dart around the circle more than they have before.

"So Gunny wants us out of the picture," Ellie says, restating the facts from the beginning. "He represents someone who wants us stopped, killing optional. A long list, I'm sure. I suppose we should go through it. It's not like we're delaying dessert." She shoots Smohalla a sly smirk.

"Stogie, you think that it might be Mr. Higgins. He certainly has the financial resources, I grant you. But tell me, Ellesar, if you were to put a bounty on the men who killed your wife and daughter, would you allow enough wiggle room to allow them merely from being stopped from doing the same thing again, or would you insist that the men face the ultimate punishment? Or you, Stogie - would you pay a bounty simply to stop the men who took your dogs and your land from you, or would you want retribution? As a mother, I know what my answer would be. So perhaps Mr. Higgins is responsible, but I would not think him to be the most likely candidate of the bounty you have described."

She pauses and takes a sip of peppermint tea before continuing. "The immediate family of Mr. Longshanks has perished, so it seems. The mine owners are not likely to pursue the matter, especially given the financial condition of the mine. But perhaps they fear a future strike, which is not an unreasonable concern. It would be rather astute, actually. But, still, they are in a fiscal bind, just as we intended.

"Perhaps the people of Greenwater banded together to offer the bounty, but I would think that they have more pressing demands for their resources. The same is true for the town of Lester. If they had the money, which I do not think they do, then they would likely spend it to reestablish themselves elsewhere."

She pauses to consider things through once again. "Outside of that, we have no enemies, other than the corporations, the cities, and society at large." She smiles at her wit. "Identifying the source may be difficult indeed. But it will certainly be easier than proving that we are no longer a threat to their interests, because I assure you that we most certainly are." Hester and Selene growl their assent.