Scene #5975: P:WtWM - The Woodsman's Rampage

Owner	Pose
Janine Liberi	The rumblings from the Forest are so intense that there are reports of mirrors spontaneously falling from the walls or fracturing. Thankfully, the one in the cabin out in the woods remains intact, allowing Die Reisende to go through and investigate. The Forest appears as it normally does, with alien plants surrounding their little clearing. But the air prickles and bristles on their skin and in their lungs. Deep tremors shake the ground, mingling with the distant crash of felled trees. The Pig is hiding in his hollow, crying and shaking with fear. Janine looks tired. She had been reading a bunch of pamphlets before they set off. All bore snazzy logos for various exclusive universities, colleges, and finishing schools the world over. It seems she's not entirely planning on staying at Alberichstadt after she graduates high school. "Let's be careful," she grumbles as she examines her sword for smudges. "Last time there was something like this, there was that tattooed guy, remember?" It's not long before they reach the edge of whatever is causing this. It's apparent, because it consists of a massive area of felled trees. Each one has been cut down neatly, with the angles implying it was all done with a single cut. The same is true for the next swath, and the next. It looks like someone is cutting them down in a grid like pattern. As if searching for something, trying to drive it out. And then, in the distance, the one responsible comes into view. Of course, who else would be better at felling trees than a Woodsman? He ignores the party entirely as he grips his axe and swings again, causing another whole acre to be felled instantly, making the ground quake, and driving several shadows that survived the initial swing to crawl free. "How we doing this?" Janine hisses out the corner of her mouth.
William Pauwel	Well. Why would they call him the Woodsman if he didn't spend a good portion of his time manning at some wood? That's kind of the entire point behind being a woodsman, isn't it? Thunder shakes the earth and sends tremors up his legs. For once, Will wishes that he had robot legs instead of robot arms so that he wouldn't have to worry about this specific brand of nonsense. Even so, at least it makes their target relatively easy to find. "I'm not sure that tattoo'd guy would have taken the slow and methodical route to cutting down the entire forest," Will asides in Janine's direction. "That fella seemed the type to shoot lasers out of his eyes and cut the whole thing down in one big beam, you know?" That Tattooed Guy left a pretty strong impression on Will, it seems. To be fair, you rarely survive an encounter with... That guy. Intact. Another roar of thunder. Will whispers a mild curse and drops low to keep his balance. How are they going to /deal/ with this? "Well," he suggests, "I mean, we could get close enough to ask him what he's doing!?"
August Kohler	August is geared up for what may actually be a big fight. He's got his pistol, his knife, a mirrored bracelet, all the gear he usually takes with him. Letting Janine lead the group today, he's at her side, moving forward. Normally he wouldn't say much...but he's trying to be more communicable, more empathetic to others and letting his emotions show. So when he notices Janine looks tired, he speaks up. "You alright? I'm the one who's supposed to not be getting enough sleep. College stuff must be getting to you, huh?" It's probably weird for him to be so vocal, and it doesn't sound smooth or natural, like he's awkwardly trying to do it. Either way, as they reach the edge of this, and see the Woodsman, August grits his teeth. Of course, it's the Woodsman. He's doing something...but what? Will has an excellent idea as he speaks up, to the point that August starts stepping forward, making his answer clear with action instead of deliberation. Once he's in range to shout out that the Woodsman would probably hear him and not immediately be able to turn and cut him in half, August shouts out. "Hey! Woodsman! What the hell are you doing? And if it's just cutting trees, why?" August doesn't think it's important to tell him why they care. The Woodsman wouldn't care about a bunch of broken mirrors and quakes. It's good to gauge his mood in the rampage first and be prepared for a fight.
Sanary Rondel	The Pig won't be alone in that hollow with Sanary around! She's sitting nearby, holding a hand out to try and reassure him at least a little bit before the group sets out. "Don't worry. We'll get this take care of and... Uh... Yeah. Alright?" Well, at least he wasn't completely alone the whole time. Just after they left. Spying the cuts of the fallen trees, Sanary lets out an impressed hum as she rests her axe against her shoulder. The culprit is practically confirmed when the Woodsman is spotted, and she backs August up by approaching the Woodsman with a quick salute/tap to her forehead. "Hey there! Neat axe. Need a hand with all that?" The cleric raises her axe briefly and grins, apparently approving of a fellow axe-user even if he could very well be inclined to murder the lot of them.
Robert Speedwagon	Well, Speedwagon's kinda INVOLVED in things now, even if it's not his world. So when there's reports of some issues, he's going to come and help, if he can. He's bringing Tattoo and Kempo as well -- he's not as strong alone as he is with them. Besides that, they'd probably follow him anyway. Might as well skip the whole thing. Thunder! From felling trees?! "Bloody 'ell..." Speedwagon mutters, as he notices the felled trees. "Cut down with one bloody swing... it'd take someone as strong as Tarkus to do that!" Looking to his underlings, "Look sharp. This probably means trouble." Also he has no prior experience with this, so he doesn't know what to tell them to prepare for. But of course, he isn't going to tell them THAT. And once they find the problem... Speedwagon's eyes widen. "Blimey... doesn't even look like 'e's broken a sweat!" he exclaims. He really doesn't know how to approach this, but... "...Askin' 'im what's goin' on does seem logical." Then again, does logic even have a place here? He looks to Tattoo and Kempo again. "Stay back. Let's try talkin' first. But I don't want us all gettin' caught if 'e decides ta turn on us." This said, he heads as close to the Woodsman as he dares. Removing his bowler and holding it against his chest respectfully, he asks, "E-er... beggin' your pardon sir... but might I ask... is there somethin' wrong?" Oh, he's noticed the search grid type pattern.
Staren	Staren is... mostly hands off with things in Alberichstadt. But... developments there continue to be concerning, and he certainly wants to see how August and Speedwagon are doing. He shows up in his armor as usual, carrying an extra glass mirror just in case which he sets down in the cabin. He nods politely to everyone (and Speedwagon gets a intended-as-reassuring pat on the back when he shows alarm at the Woodsman's strength,) but retains that slight edge of nervousness, aware of how things have previously gone badly for him here. When Janine asks what to do, he shrugs. He doesn't know what their relationship with the woodsman is now... but Sanary cuts past all that and just says hi, so he walks out into the open after her. "So, what's brought this on all of a sudden? You're the woodsman, sure, but why do you suddenly need all the wood now?"
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa totally got not letting the multiverse or strange things back home. You can't let it rule you and she might even drop a few Pamphlets for schools she's aware of about the multiverse though in such a way Janine might just find them laying somewhere convenient. That aside? It was time to see what the heck was going on here. She thinks for a moment "This could be a function he's supposed to do? I say we should ask and that Tattooed guy scared me. Felt like ... the sort of guy who'd have been on the front lines in the old War. Like Prime or Nohman." She notes the sound of Thunder for a moment and peers. "We need to go ask I'll go ahead." Kotone says without thinking much about it, right? She's the one with a shell she's easier to /fix/ or so she sees it. So she's right up there with August. "Yes we'd like to know what is the cause of this mass clear cutting?"
Janine Liberi	The Woodsman ignores the initial prodding, but as it begins to pile up, he realises that they're not just going to go away. Eventually, he bark, "You have done your part. You need not concern yourself anymore." He turns away, and takes another swing, clearing another acre. His teeth audibly grind as he considers something, before putting the axe down for a moment. "You bested the Black Queen. Out of respect for your power, I will be frank," he booms. Turning, he sits himself on the deforested ground, using a whole tree as a sitting log. "I began pulling people in as a means of raising an army to deal with the Black Queen. The palace in which you found her is a place I am forbidden to go. Now that you have done that, your duty is done. You may return to your lives." And so he stands, and begins felling the trees again, as if the conversation were over.
William Pauwel	Wow, August is being... Not... August-y? Will frowns. Oh no, did something else break in his brain...? Well, he can worry about that later! They have a Woodsman to talk to! Well. Talk at, maybe. The Woodsman does not seem to be willing to be very conversational. Will frowns, holding his hat down as another of the Woodsman's swings rattles the air and what remains of the crystalline forest. "Okay... But that's not exactly what we asked you, you know?" Will clears his throat, moving just a little closer to the gigantic woodcutter. "Are you... building a giant crystal cabin, or something? We don't need to concern ourselves as long as there's nothing to be concerned about, but you're kind of making a commotion outside, and that's kind of an issue? Does this have to do with us beating the Black Queen, or is there something else coming down the pipe?" "I mean, if you want help... We're already in deep enough as is, you know?"
August Kohler	As everyone joins up with him, August feels sort of proud that he has such strong allies. But when the Woodsman responds, telling them why he did everything and that they're no longer needed...he bristles, instantly frowning. He remains quiet for several moments, presumably going to turn around and let the Woodsman leave. But that's not what he does. "Fuck you. You don't tell me what to do." August lets out his emotions as he usually does, showing his hate, but he doesn't attack or move hostilely. He's not planning to start a fight, he's planning on spilling his guts. "We may have done what we were 'meant' to do, but this isn't over. We know this isn't over and there's still something left, otherwise you wouldn't be in such a rampage clearly looking for something. You're creating quakes and shattering mirrors with every swing, so this obviously isn't recreational lumberjacking. You might be a big strong aspect of bravery, but you dragged us into this. And you know what?" August takes a single step forward, his body language still passive, if clearly upset. "I'm not done. This Forest is important to me now, and I want to protect it. I want to protect the people attached to it. You're probably not going to let us help, but I'm going to do whatever I need to do to progress forward with this. So if you don't want to give us information or set us in the right direction, fine." "But this /is/ my life. And that's your fault." Maybe this will show to Will that August is infact still August-y.
Kotone Yamakawa	So they talk for a moment, they get an answer from the Woodsman about that he brought people in to fight the Black Queen, for she was in a place he could not go. That made sense but this mass cutting did make her wonder what was up? Why was he not cutting the froest down before During their fight with the Black Queen and her minions? What effect might this have upon the rest of the population of this world? "Just what sort of effect will cutting the trees of the forest have on the people of thi...." There's August going full August, whelp she's got an idea of how this is going to go now. It's going to get very painful for someone. Augusts words also concern her but not so much as the Lumberjack's does.
Robert Speedwagon	Speedwagon's missing context here. That's not really the answer anyone was looking for, he doesn't think. But August does have a point. Speedwagon replaces his hat on his head, adding, "Yer talk like all these people are just... convenient tools. That's not 'ow people work. That's where the Black Queen went wrong, underestimatin' the fightin' spirit of this lot." He's not including himself in that group, for obvious reasons. "Now, if yer wanna make the same mistake, by all means," Speedwagon cautions. "But if yer make the same mistake, yer might have the same result." He's not going full-on 'Speedwagon Moral Compass' here. Though that's only because he's missing some context. He just doesn't like the 'I'm done playing with my toys' attitude that the Woodsman's got regarding the rest of the group.
Sanary Rondel	Sanary furrows her brow slightly as the Woodsman proceeds to not answer their questions, strapping the axe to her back before crossing her arms in front of herself. "Yeah, maybe we'd be able to help out if you explained things some. Or... Well." William and Speedwagon get quick glances, and then a more confident grin crosses her face. "You know what this group can do already. So let's just skip the posturing and talk this out, alright?" She keeps a fairly friendly tone, although there's some arrogance coming in through it all.
Staren	Staren... is also missing some context. "Look, if the forest is really no longer a threat to humanity, great. Glad to hear it. But, your activities here are causing earthquakes. It's destructive and concerning. We've got to resolve that... preferably by finding a way to accomplish whatever your goal here is less... violently."
Janine Liberi	The Woodsman, once again, tries to ignore the chattering people as he moves on to the next acre. He does a pretty good job of this until August actually cusses at him, causing him to turn on the spot and lower himself to eye level with the boy. "Don't think for a moment that beating her makes you my equal, boy. You are lucky that she was so limited." On that cryptic statement, he starts to turn and leave again, but pauses. "Actually, perhaps you can help. Tell me exactly what happened when the Black Queen died. Spare no detail." He turns once more and leans on his axe. The air around him is prickling, and the wood-clearing tool seems to shift to a brown sword for a second. The Woodsman is... nervous. "This is important."
August Kohler	"Whether or not we're equals, I'm still far more than you treat me like." August replies stubbornly, but he's not going to pursue the Woodsman again when he decides to leave. August was actually going to turn back himself, but as the Woodsman turns with a question for them...August narrows his eyes at the nervousness, laughs slightly, both from the fact that the Woodsman needs them and also a nervous laugh of his own, and then responds. "Will fired a massive beam of light. It hit the Black Queen, the room filled with horrible darkness, and then she was gone. Why?" The why is pushed on. August refuses to be left out of the loop here.
William Pauwel	A-August, that is you in there! Will's eyes sparkle with quiet admiration at his friend FINALLY TRYING TO COME OUT OF HIS SHELL. Beat. In a way that didn't involve immediately setting anything on fire or smacking it with a crowbar! He feels a feeling swell in his chest. Is this... Pride? But then, the Woodsman's question. Will's brow furrows at the massive lumberjack's words. "Important...?" Will thinks for a moment, then shakes his head. "...Sorry. I kind of knocked myself out then. She was hitting us with some crazy ice magic, draining the heat from everything. So I did something desperate and stupid, but it worked. So..." Will shrugs his mechanical arms. He didn't have those the last time the Woodsman saw him, if he cares at all. "I remember the wave of darkness. But then it faded and I lost consciousness. Otherwise... I dunno, maybe it was her power leaking out, or something? I'm not sure how Black Queens are normally supposed to die."
Robert Speedwagon	Personal curiosity? Then again, the Woodsman wasn't able to see the Black Queen die, so maybe he just wants assurances that she's really dead. Speedwagon rubs his chin in thought. He's sure someone else can provide an more accurate account of things, since he's almost sure that the others had a more complete view of things -- they have magical abilities, that means they can probably see things he can't -- but perhaps his view of what happened will help. Since August summed it up so well, Robert merely adds to that. "From what I could see -- mind yer, that wasn't much -- it was an explosion of darkness in the beam of light that took 'er," he offers. He also recalls it raining inside the room, but he's fairly sure that's not really important to the Woodsman's purposes.
Kotone Yamakawa	So the Woodsman gives his response for a moment she looks to the Wossman as he notes that the queen was limited compare to him. She pauses for a moment as he asks about the fall of the queen? She should have brought a display unit so she could run her own memories for all to see. Sadly such stuff is a bit bulky and she didn't bring one along as it's not an everyday thing even for someone like her, from a world like hers. "I kept to close combat trying to fight her I admit I was focused on not being crushed by her during the battle. I recall the wave as well it could be leaking out Will you make a point there. If we need to I can but the big explosion of darkness and the beam of light were the most notable things in the fight. I might be able to pull some footage if you give me some time."
Sanary Rondel	Sanary lets out a relieved sigh as things seem to be progressing well, loosening her stance somewhat and taking a moment to look the Woodsman over more carefully. Without knowing the circumstances of the Black Queen's death, there certainly were details that could probably be withheld from him. If only she was smart enough to be sneaky about that sort of thing. "She tried to.. Uh. Bribe me to help her before that, too." As she says that, she's purposefully avoiding eye contact with Janine and... Pretty much everyone except the Woodsman. "Last ditch to try and survive, I guess. Didn't work, though, 'cause..." A beat, and then she gestures at herself. "I'm still here and very not dead. See?"
Janine Liberi	The Woodsman scowls under that massive beard and turns away, muttering to himself. "A smokescreen? Surely they would have noticed if..." He goes quiet again, and the prickly feeling increases tenfold. The man's whole form distorts, appearing as someone else for a brief instant. Someone in armor. He turns, and looks at Die Reisende. "You are right, your role is not yet over." He rises, and paces angrily. "Suffice to say, the Black Queen is not dead. The cloud of darkness was a cover for their escape into your world. You must find her, and kill her."
Staren	The queen is loose in the real world?! Staren GROANS. "Nrrrrrrrgh. Okay, well, we'll get on that, but in the meantime why are you cutting down all the trees here?"
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa just gets a look of oh frag my life for a moment. "Well the Queen could end up blowing the lid on everything if she gets active outside the forest...this is going to be bad." STarten asks what she she was going to ask so there's nothing else she has to add right now.
Robert Speedwagon	All the shifting around of the Woodsman, becoming different people, is beginning to unnerve Speedwagon. He's still not used to all this supernatural stuff, even after being briefly exposed to Dio. And speaking of Dio, of course the Black Queen wouldn't be dead. These supernatural sorts just don't know when to stay down, do they? "What?!" Speedwagon exclaims. "Bloody 'ell... it was all we could do ta beat 'er LAST time...!" Tattoo protests. "An' how are we even gonna FIND 'er?!" With a shake of his head, Speedwagon replies, "Any way we can!" THERE'S the Speedwagon people know him as, enthusiastic morale-raising tone and all! "No matter 'ow many times she pops 'er head up, we'll have ter hammer it back down! An' if she DOESN'T pop 'er head up? We'll go DIGGIN' for 'er! Leave no hidin' place!" Yeah, he has no idea how to do that. But he's still gonna try.
August Kohler	As everything gets kind of more tense, August stands up as straight as he can, and stares up at the Woodsman. The massive figure is intimidating...but for once, he seems vulnerable to August, needing them again. He's probably not actually vulnerable...but August feels that way, the way that he's needed. It feels good. "Alright. We'll kill her. How will we know to find her? Surely if she was just strutting around we'd have found her by now." A nod to Speedwagon's encouragement, though. "Believe me, we want her dead. Maybe not as much as you do, but we'll find her. Just need some cooperation."
Sanary Rondel	Sanary shivers briefly at the prickly feeling and glances around for a moment at her allies to see their reactions, then turns to the Woodsman again with a skeptical raise of her eyebrow. "... Really? I mean... She exploded. That's usually a good sign someone's dead, right? If we need to kill her again, though?" Another grin, and Sanary punches her palm for emphasis. "We've done it once before. But.. Yeah, what he said." She jerks a thumb at Staren, then gestures at the fallen trees with her chin. "This tied to the Queen or something?"
William Pauwel	She's... Still alive? What the heck? How does anyone survive that kind of onslaught? Will's expression turns complex, conflicted. He sighs then, shaking his head. "I guess it's possible. After all, you have an apartment out there, so it stands to reason that she might have like, a mansion or something." "What should we look for?" Will glances at August, who seems to have the same concerns. "There are a lot of people out there in Alberichstadt, and unless she's shedding darkness and winter all over the place, finding her is going to be... hard."
Janine Liberi	"I was hunting for them. I know they are not dead," The Woodsman says to Staren. "But if they have escaped into your world, they have broken a pact, and I will not do the same to pursue them. So it must be you." He looks to everyone, and speaks plainly. "I do not know how you will find her. But I do know that she took the throne by possessing the Shadow of a person in your town. Look for anyone exhibiting strange behaviour, or inspiring the same in those around them."
Robert Speedwagon	"Possessin' a Shadow?" Speedwagon echoes. "So... the Black Queen isn't a Shadow 'erself?" It's a little confusing, but... Now, Robert's not stupid, so he can make intuitive leaps. "If it was the Shadow of someone in the real world... maybe she went ter whoever the Shadow belonged to?" he suggests. It makes sense to him. Particularly since his own Shadow found him with surprising ease...
August Kohler	August's eyes widen a bit. "Possessing someone's Shadow? That's..." August thinks it over, and then nods. "Alright." And then a glance to Speedwagon. "If she wasn't a Shadow, what could she be? ...I don't think it matters, as long as we slay her, honestly. Shadow or not, we'll end her reign of terror."
Sanary Rondel	"Like a... A contract?" Sanary says more to confirm it to herself rather than questioning the Woodsman, crossing her arms again after a moment. "Doesn't sound too hard. Just find a weird person in Albergig... Your place." She strokes her chin briefly, then turns to August and Janine. "You two notice anything weird around home lately? I mean... Neither of you moved out yet, right? Maybe we could ask your..." Another glancei s given towards Janine, and then the cleric coughs into her hand. "Er.. Never mind. Maybe... Not ask your folks."
William Pauwel	"Wait, do you mean that someone else in town is the... rightful owner of the throne?" Will frowns, shaking his head, "That's weird. I thought that whole... Thing was a new addition."
Staren	Staren looks around. "So... you were chopping down trees to look for the Queen, but /you're/ the one telling /us/ she's not here. What, did you somehow find out mid-conversation?" Staren points at his head. "What, you have a radio in your head with your buddies telling you stuff? Come on, tell us the truth and don't assume we'll miss obvious stuff like that, sheesh." Staren frowns, annoyed at the blatant attempt to trick them.
Janine Liberi	"Suffice to say, the creature you seek is more akin to me than base Shadows. Saying any more would be a waste, you have enough to do your job." He starts to leave, before turning and glowering at Staren. "Do not think me stupid, boy. That cloud of darkness that was released was a mere cover. I knew she did not die, because her dying would be like myself dying. Everyone, including you humans, would know. I assumed she has escaped into the Forest after you all left the Throne empty. Now I know otherwise."
Staren	Staren's proud of himself for catching someone's fast-talking attempt... until the Woodsman's explanation deflates him. "Oh. Hmph." Well, if the woodsman is leaving anyway, there isn't really more to talk about. And the ball is kind of in August's court here. Staren's thinking that maybe they should start working towards a safe, rather than panic-inducing, reveal of the supernatural, because if it isn't THIS it'll be something else, but he doesn't say it, just looking at August expectantly.
Robert Speedwagon	Speedwagon tilts his head at this, "...Well, ter be honest," he admits, "I did think it was a little strange. I would've thought that, if she'd died, the castle would 'ave disappeared. Isn't that how these supernatural types work? Endin' them permanently ends their influence, so wouldn't all the things connected to 'er disappear? Particularly the castle? I didn't think about it at the time, though..."
August Kohler	August considers the Woodsman's words, and nods at the explanation of it being something similar to him. That makes sense. Something primal and powerful. Staren's glance gets a confused look from August...who has his idea. "Agatha's books. We know the suspect's a girl at Drachenblatt. We'll need to take a look and see who may be suspicious." So yeah, August doesn't even consider breaking the Masquerade. His first thought is to use the clues they already have, though to Staren's defense, he wasn't there to see them. "Let's go. There's no more to discuss." August agrees with what the Woodsman is thinking, and moves to start back. He's actually willing to talk on the way back, though.
Staren	Oh yeah Staren didn't think August would go for breaking the masquerade. Staren just figured he'd do _something_, and he has. "Agatha's books?" He follows back to the mirror, staring off into space for a moment to check if those words mean anything he should have picked up on. "What are you talking about?"
August Kohler	August turns to Staren to answer. "At our 'victory' party, Agatha showed up telling us this wasn't finished and let us pick two out of three books. One of them had a Lost Child somewhere industrial, and the other had a female Unknowing Schemer at Drachenblatt, who had allies punching people in the face or something. If it's someone's Shadow...Unknowing Schemer fits the best."
Sanary Rondel	Sanary holds in a snicker at the Woodsman's response, eventually moving over to clap the catman.. Science... Guy on the shoulder. "Eh, we've got enough info here. I.. Think. Hmn... Yeah, I thought it was kinda weird the castle stuck around since it was her domain and all." Sanary coughs again, clearly not trying to pass off Speedwagon's own thought as her own. Clearly. ".. Oh, that weird lady from back then? MAybe... Hmm. Punching people in the face means that what's-her-name might be involved. The... One with the gang?" She tries not to look towards anyone in particular, although there's an air of guilt in her tone. "That... Caused that mess at the other party?"
Staren	Staren doesn't know who Agatha is, but... he's not sure he should get involved further. Then again, he does need to observe August to see if he's changed, and see if Speedwagon is indeed embracing the idea of seeking the power to be a hero. "So, what are you going to do? Just... look for weirdness around the academy?"
August Kohler	"Sascha Leitner isn't a student at the school." August responds to Sanary, though doesn't entirely dismiss her. "We'll look into her, though. We can also ask those we rescued before if they noticed anyone odd. And if that doesn't work...there's always the victims of the former abductions. The changelings. Even if they've been replaced with Shadows, we can maybe scout them out." August doesn't seem to have many other ideas, though. For now, he'll just work on those.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa sees they have a lot to talk about and plan. "Right we do have a lot to do we best get going shouldn't we? All right thanks for the information." With that kotone looks ready to head out and follow up what information they do have about the queen.