Ironmane sent her tent back to the earth as if it had never existed, then went about looking for her companions. Her eyes were focused and her body was obviously slowing from fatigue. She seemed a little off, but didn't look like she wanted to talk about it. Maybe the talk she had with Shepard didn't go well? Who knew.

She moved to raise stone walls as Shepard asked, sending strands of her sense of touch deep within the earth; it was only then did she feel the thunderous footfalls of two Riesen. She stopped in mid-motion and felt harder--Andre was running from one. She abandoned the notion of walls immediately, seeing how they were already inside the village, running towards the monster and her companions to aid them, her massive hammer in hand. She saw the Riesen as it was struck with ice, moving in instead of staying back and using earth. She took one large stride before the road was covered in ice, and she abandoned the idea. With a wild guttural growl and the momentum she had, she threw her hammer at the beast's legs. It might not take them out, but it would hurt like hell and stumble the beast further.
(Just wondering if anyone still checks this. It's been 2 months and I'm still waiting for it to go somewhere...)

Upon reaching the surface Saika began to scrap metal from all parts of the city that wouldn't otherwise affect their livelihood. Yes it was stealing and yes it was for a cause. It was all cheap stuff anyway. There was no gold or silver, no one would miss it. She melded the pieces together into a variety of snares, nets, and tripwires before littering them along the perimeter of the village and near any places that she suspected villagers to be hiding. It wouldn't be long until the commanding Riesen showed its face.

She stretched the metal wire into thin filaments and weaved them into a strong net before attaching weights at each corner. With any luck and preparation she could get the jump and...

...and Froth was headed her way...with kids...and ice. Thank God for ice.

"Really?" she sighed.

Launching forward, Saika tossed the net toward the Riesen, willing the weights to wrap around one another before she landed behind the monster. It only seemed to cover his upper body, but she already had the shuriken ready in case it broke free from everyone's hold.

Froth had relatively little luck finding people. He found maybe five in the span of fifteen minutes (GM NOTE: I think this is ample time for Shepard/Ironmane to speak, from Saika to lay down traps, and Froth to find some kids). Most were dirty-faced kids who were clinging and begging for their parents. Froth didn't even question why the kids so willingly came to him. He was different, cool, mysterious, and yet strangely warm.

Taking their tiny hands, he moved them toward the cave the emerged from. "Hide right at the mouth of this until I say it's okay to come out." Ruffling one of the boy's hair, he smiled before turning his head toward the sound of running feet and growling.

"Andre?!"

Sure enough, behind the running lad was a Riesen. It wasn't as large as he expected, which was off-putting. This was no God-riesen but a regular one. Still, the damage here just didn't feel right. It was as if another Riesen was someone else, just watching and waiting. With that fear in mind, he belted out to Saika, who was nearest him. "Keep your guard up. The damage here is far more than that Riesen could do. I bet we'll see a second or third."

Rolling back his shoulders, he flung out his arms and laced his hands together before cracking his knuckles. "Until then," he muttered to himself, "let's put this monster's crimes on ice."

Uppercutting his right arm, a shard of ice jut from below the Riesen, knocking it off its course. It wouldn't stop the monster, but it would give Andre that break he needed to get out from its claws.

When it started to get to its feet again, Froth dropped low and planted his hands on the ground. It probably looked weird, but in no time the ground became frosty. Soon, that frost became a thin, light layer of ice. Again, it wouldn't stop the monster, but it would certainly slow the Riesen down. This time, the sheet of ice would buy Saika ample time to lasso the thing, Ironmane a chance to lock its legs down, and Shepard a moment to get close enough to deliver the kill-strike.

It was odd to be summoned by someone, especially Ironmane so Shepard figured she had something utterly important to discuss. When the walls of stone came up around him, he shifted his wandering eyes back on her. "I understand your hesitation and I thank you for finding trust in me to confess what troubles you."

Leaning up against one of the pillars behind him, he gestured she speak freely without doubt or fear. He would have offered her a smile, had he not had a helmet on. So, for now, he would grip her shoulder in a reassuring, friendly way.

Andre Nodded at the helmeted man and went off with his wolves. He wandered the decimated streets, crumbled houses on either side, things burning and the stench of Riesan hanging in the air. He looked at every house, not only for the Riesan, but for any villagers that might be lingering, hiding in their crumbling homes. Unforunately, He couldn't smell them, and neither could Tinka and Geralt. There was too much smoke and Riesan scent in the air.

Eventually, he found the riesan. It was a large one, probably the size of a large horse. It was standing above a man clutching a stone talisman carved in the likeness of a wolf. The talisman was said to keep riesan away, but like most talisman that were said to keep out the darkness, this emblem meant nothing to the riesan. It was made by some con artist who was plpaying off people's fears. Of course, the old man didn't know that.

Andre knew he couldn't control this riesan, but he could distract it. He sent Tinka and Geralt back to the others to let them know which way the Riesan would be coming from. He then yelled at the Riesan and attempted to seize control over it. The one way to piss off a Riesan, Andre knew, was to get into it's head. The Riesan Roared, but was still enamored by Andre. He didn't need to control it for long, just long enough for the wolves to get a head start on him.

When the Riesan broke the connection, it roared and charged at Andre. Andre, doing the most logical thing at the moment, ran towards the group, hoping they would get the message. He couldn't do much to slow the Riesan down, but he could lead it through a longer path. And so he did, he led it through wider streets in a less direct route and eventually towards the group.

((This post may be inserted after everyone gets their defense set up, I'm just really busy nowadays and don't get much time to post.))

Ironmane grimaced, "Master Shepard. A moment of your time, please." She heard Shepard approach before she felt his footsteps through the earth. "Come close... this needs to be... private." Shepard left some breathing room between them, but not much. When she felt that the others were far enough away that they wouldn't hear their conversation, Ferayn made a chopping motion downwards on either side of her, sending a small sheet of earth up around them, leaving a small opening for light at the top, repeating it for the rear and front.
"This isn't meant to trap you, more of keeping prying eyes and unwelcome ears at bay... I must confess something to you, something I wish kept under wraps, but you must know the risks before we get too far..."

With a laugh, Shepard turned to look at Saika. She seemed to be the most verbal of the group, along with Froth. Why, even Shepard was coming quite the talker. Perhaps it was just to pass time? Or to keep the other preoccupied on him rather than the fatigued Ironmane.

He was about to talk when Froth actually cut him off. Head tilting to the side, he wasn't actually expecting what the white-haired man said. If anything, it caught him off guard and made him question why Froth had been chosen. He, unlike the rest (or so Shepard assumed), actually had someone worth being with. And yet, he was here?

"What I would give for your so-called boring life. Mine's hardly boring." Froth's hands clenched into fists. "The only reason I'm here is because I need to protect my son." A grimace crossed his face and he turned his head shamefully away. "I promised him that after losing his mother and sister, I wouldn't let monsters nor disease take his life." It was obvious from the way he spoke that he was purposely leaving something out of this sentence. His voice was vile yet mournful. Whatever he left out was something he had no interest in sharing just yet. Or maybe, never.

His glaze was forward, toward the stillness that surrounded the village. As his single, red orb scanned the area, his grimace faded into a dull look. "I don't hear screaming. Are we too late?"

A hand patted Froth's shoulder and Shepard stepped forward. "No, not too late. The scent of blood doesn't linger in the air. I assume they are all just hiding." His helmeted face turned to Froth. "I hate to ask this, but would you mind checking the houses for children."

With a simple nod, Froth started peeking into the nearby, hallow-looking homes. While he was doing that, Shepard turned to the remaining party members. "Andre, can you sniff the Riesen out. Give us an idea where it hides. Ironmane, I know you're probably tired, but we could use a wall. If we can force the Riesen to enter from one direction, it'll help. Saika, if you can, we could use some metal traps. Let's have the points facing the entrance Ironmane will make for us." Looking from the group, he watched as Froth moved into a building. "When he ensures no one will fall victim to a clash, can someone let him know to make the walls Ironmane creates slick, forcing the Riesen in the front?"

"No one's too ugly for some face to face time,"[/color] Saika grinned, "except maybe those Riesen."

Though her intention wasn't to be flirtatious she did enjoy the mystery behind the mask and who exactly Shepherd was. Despite acting somewhat like an open book he seemed to bait her into wanting to know more, something that none of the other chosen ones were able to do. Ironmane was simple. Froth was "frost" with an "h" instead of an "s", typical. Andre came a close second, but was far too quiet upon second glance. Yes he had wolves and could control minor Riesen but it would be a while before she could wiggle anything out of him.

"My story is a boring one," she shrugged as they approached an Ironmane-made hole, "I'd known that I had this power and I used it to my advantage in blacksmithing and bounty hunting, but after my parents told me about my lineage from the Tokugawa family (famous rulers in the East if you're curious) I just had to come along and save the world. I'm sure we all have a story to tell, even if it's not one we'd prefer."

Ironmane was quiet for the most part, walking with one arm above and behind her head and the other in front, taking her energies and focusing them into the tunnels, feeling her way to the village, paying little attention to Shepard's glowing helmet. She listened to the conversations around her idly until a certain comment about hiding things from the world pulled a scoff from her before she could stifle it. She shook her head but couldn't hide a smile, trying to free her attention from the conversation and back to the path--mostly to save her from having to answer any questions poked her way. It wasn't long when she noted the strain of holding up the earth was taking on her shoulders, knowing she couldn't keep it up forever with company, and furrowed her brows.
With a deep sigh that the earth seemed to breathe with her, Ironmane closed her eyes, but did not break pace. After a long moment of gathering her concentration, she seemed to have tripped over something that wasn't there, stumbling briefly before steadying and continuing. It wasn't two minutes later when she opened a hole up, the bright sunshine blinding those whose eyes had adjusted to the dimmer light. Topside, the group found themselves at the village, though it didn't feel like they had walked the full distance. However, it looked like Ironmane had walked enough to cover each member's lacking distance twice over. She sat on a rock, breathing hard and covered in a thin layer of sweat, eyes still closed. Some of her surface muscles twitched uncontrollably, if the keen of eye were to look.
"Young masters. We should make the most of the time given." Ironmane muttered between clenched teeth. She looked both angry and pained.

"Oh, I'm doing you all a favor. I'm far too ugly to be seen within a mask on. Besides, this mask has vents for air release. It's not as stuffy as you think and I've grown quite used to it." He was awfully chatty and surprisingly happy. His tone was his usually, robotic-like responses. This one actually had personality and a hint of tease to it.

"I know your pain all too well," Froth slid his hand to his eye patch. "Somethings are best hidden from the world." Unlike Shepard who seemed content with his ugly-nature, Froth's tone was more depressed. Clearly whatever ruined his eye was still of great pain to him. With a sigh, he tried to push out those demons and regroup his thoughts. It was time to stay focused, not drown in the past.

Looking over his shoulder at Saika, he scoffed. "So what's your story? Where did you come from?" With nothing but time on their hands, he figured why not get to know the group. He had a vague idea on who Andre was, but the rest were mysteries to him. Over time, he was sure he would come to know them but for now, asking would simply do.

Andre was the last to go through, having let Geralt and Tinka go ahead of him. He lit a torch as he descended. His eyesight was good, but it wasn't that good. Tinka went up to Saika and pushed her head against her hand trying to get pet, while Geralt, the older and more reserved of the two kept back with Andre. The wolves were born in the same litter but they had completely different personalities. Andre didn't know how Saika would react, but had no reason to stop her.

Saika nodded, shrugging off Ironmane's obvious annoyance and continuing into the caverns with a light of her own. It wasn't to say she didn't trust the burly woman but how much do we really know about each other's limitations?

The inside of the tunnel seemed stable enough, not crumbling one bit when Saika tapped against them. Okay fair enough, maybe she was wrong about the woman. She could concede defeat when she needed to. The caverns were already opening ahead of them, seemingly endless from the front but inescapable from behind. Ironmane was doing a good job making sure that they had the protection they needed.

The copper-haired woman managed a chuckle despite the awkward silence between the rest of the group and shook her head at Froth's accusation.

"It's only cheating if the enemy uses it dear Froth," she grinned "besides, a better question is whether Shepherd ever takes that thing off. 'must be stuffy as hell in there."

Not saying a word, Shepard was the first to enter the hole that Ironmane opened and perhaps there was a reason for his going in first. For once, it had nothing to do with his status or leader-like position either. It was merely because his helmet glowed an eerie cyan color. It was dim enough not to blind but it was bright enough to illuminate the about two-feet in front of him.

"Holding out on us, ey Shepard?" Froth stepped in neck and laughed at the irony. They were all so worried about an open flame that none of them even thought to use technology. Froth did find it rather odd that Shepard donned himself with a helmet but perhaps there was more to that helmet than expected. If it was equipped with running lights, what else did it have?

"Not to pry, but why the helmet?" He hadn't meant to speak but he was just too curious to let it go unasked. He was a mechanic at heart, after all. He was always yearning for knowledge and wanting to know why people did what they did.

Since the others didn't seem to be in a mood for much chattered, Shepard took that silence as his cue to speak. Were the others curious too?

"Even though robots and mecha were prominent things of the old world, I like to think that with such technology we can advance enough to reclaim our former glory. I happened upon this body-suit when I was scavenging a once luxurious city, well at least its remains. It didn't function at first, but with a bit of stubborn willpower, I got it to work just fine. This suit was used by stealth pilots to fight wars."

"Interesting," Froth mused. Humming a bit, he scoffed. "Wait, so your outfit is 250 some odd years old?" It almost seemed hard to believe, but anything was possible. Hell, before civilization collapsed, people lived in space! Granted, that was about 300 some odd years ago. From then until now, war ripped apart the earth and then, eventually, the Riesen came. It was just too hard for man to reclaim that former sci-fi lifestyle, especially when facing off against supernatural monsters.

"Heh, yes. I've always been old-fashioned though so it suits me. I do like how it has a head's up display that tells me when my stealth cool down times out. Invisibility doesn't do me any good if I don't know my timing. This helmet also has a head's up display that shows the location of living matter."

"Eh, isn't that cheating?" Froth drew his mouth closed, hoping that maybe the others would chime in and chat about something. After all, who knew how long they would wander in these dark caverns for. They needed something to pass the time, or they might all go crazy!

Ironmane nodded towards Andre, "Good, so if we are all in agreement, I'd like to get to the village before the Riesen do. That way, we might have a bit of time to coordinate if not evacuate the village." Ironmane looked at everyone before clearing her throat. She wasn't used to talking so much and it made her throat dry. She'd take a deep breath and wait for everyone to file into the tunnel before following. Opening the tunnel would take far less energy than closing it, and she wasn't going to leave it open for anything to follow them.

Andre noticed that the others were debating on a different course of action, but didn't chime in with anything. He knew the large woman had a point, but losing a member of the party from exhaustion could be bad as well. He noticed the ease of which she opened the earth, an thought about the scenario. She seemed dead set on her plan, and Andre couldn't find any major issues with it. So he decided to go along with her.

"The wolves are fine in enclosed spaces. And I carry torches with me." he said, precisely.

He didn't move until the group made a decision as a whole. but he'd follow the group. Splitting up would be ill advised.