Croydon territory claim

[detectiveofthewest]

Likely Circle Daybreak had been anticipating a clash with the fae ever since they'd first appeared in London in force: it was only, as they said, a matter of time. Yet that anticipation had the potential to work to either side's benefit. The Daybreak witches would be prepared, true, but they wouldn't know the exact time of the offensive. And if they failed to protect their territory despite the forewarning, the blow could be a significant one.

The name of the fae's strategy this evening was guile, reflecting the personalities of the fae organizing the effort -- they took advantage of blind spots and bottlenecks, staged decoy attacks, made use of illusion magic and fae glamour to pit unprepared witches against each other. These attacks were designed to bring about a swift end, minimizing casualties on both sides. Whether this would be a successful strategy or not would reveal itself soon enough...

Comments

[knightscode]

He flinches as it hits the car, staring at it as the glob sides down and begins to burn through it. The car alarm starts to go off and he winces again at the noise, eyes flitting up and around at the buildings. Another glob sails close and he startles, throws himself sideways to grab for the metal bin. It brushes his shoulder and he curses, begins frantically shrugging off the jacket and throwing it aside before the stuff burns through to his skin. The black jacket sizzles and he pulls the lid off the bin, sheathes his dagger and grabs the empty body of the bin too.

Right. Time to go to battle with a dustbin. Adopt, adapt and improve etc.

He hauls it around and wields the lid like a shield -- grabs the edge of the container and runs at it. Maybe he can ram the dustbin over the horrible thing's head. That sounds satisfying, and would buy him time until it burns through.

[rules_winter]

Lancelot has yet to disappoint her, he grabs the bin and lid and looks like he knows what he's doing as he runs into the fray all courage and determination.

The water monster roars as Lancelot charges, turning to face him head on and lumbering forward to meet him. The initial contact with that shield makes it reel back with a bellow of pain, more fire flaring up as it swipes at him like a human might swipe at a bee that's stung it.

[knightscode]

Well, that -- worked better even than he hoped. An initially slightly ludicrous plan appears to have somehow managed to go in his favour. He pressures it as it reels back, slams the lid into it and then turns to crack the actual bin in its direction. It's a clumsy sort of swing, swinging a large hollow cylindrical object is not exactly easy, but it's the best he can do one handed and he supposes if he's going to enact his questionable plan of attempt to put an irritating fairy in an actual bin he's going to need it at least dazed or at best on the ground out cold.

This, he thinks, is either a stroke of genius or the best case of dumb luck he has ever had.

[rules_winter]

The creature roared when the lid hit it again, more green fire erupting between the lid and it's body and tried to again hit Lancelot with blunt force despite the fact that it was being pressed backward. Creatures like this were not particularly bright, the general mentality went along the lines of 'Grog smash'. It was yanking back a limb to fling more goop at Lancelot when that big crashes into it's body flaming green along a massive length of it, some of the gloop splattered in Lancelot's direction and some fell to eat away at sidewalk.

The creature's scream rattles the glass in the nearby windows and Mab puffs out a breath. Lancelot has already proven himself impressive on the fly and she's not sure if he was just smart enough to remember what the metals did to the fae or if he genuinely lucked out. The monster was still screaming as the fire died away, leaving a section of it's sludge hardened like a shell of dead fae. It was clearly limping now and she could see when it decided that running was the best way to survive human rubbish bins. It turned and began to limp in the opposite direction, bits of sludge leaving a trail, a pained moan still escaping it.

[knightscode]

It's somewhere between, really. He'd been holding a silver knife, after all -- Lancelot is aware what works against a fae. When he'd picked up the bin he'd hoped it might have at least a little iron in it, but it's pure dumb luck that it seems to. Luck he is very glad to have on his side right now.

The disgusting stuff splashes toward him and he catches it on the lid, makes a face as it starts to burn through the metal and the thing starts to scream. It makes his ears ring and he's disorientated by the sound a moment, recovers just in time to drop the lid before it burns through too close to the handle he's holding.

His ears still hurt, but the thing is running away and he's not about to let it go throw horrible acid at someone else if he can help it. He shifts to grip the actual bin itself and darts after the creature to take a swing at it. He is going to trap the horrible thing in this bin if it's the last thing he does.

After that, he's not sure what the plan is. He'll work on that bit if he gets that far.

[rules_winter]

The creature tried to get back to the water fountain, and it made it about halfway there when the bin takes it across the back sending it to the concrete with a pained yelp. Rolling once it lashes a sloppy foot out at Lancelot desperately trying to distract him from hitting him with firey bane again.

Mab's lips set in a thin line but she doesn't step in. If the creature could not handle this itself it really wasn't much use in the long run anyway. Though the excessive use of metal was ... troubling.

The creature on the ground swipes out a terrible hand and amongst the gloopy mess there seem to be sharp claws as well.

[knightscode]

It swipes out and Lancelot reels back a little, trying to avoid claws and the horrible acidic burn of its slime.

"Come on," he growls, and drips of the stuff are starting to make it difficult to step safely. He nearly treads in a blob of it and stumbles back just as the creature's hand swipes out, reels again and flails out with the bin.

This fight, he thinks absently, is quite possibly the strangest fight he has been in. If he survives the day he'll just have to hope it doesn't earn him some ludicrous nickname.

[rules_winter]

The creature's hand connects with the bin and it shreiks again looking somewhat desperately for escape from that horrible burn. It climbs to it's knees and lumbers up again, trying to get away.

It is not nearly as lovely to watch as his last fight but it gets points for creativity at the very least. Mab's expression is passively intent. Watching as the creature sways above Lancelot moaning horribly and clutching it's arm to it's body. It starts to tip in his direction.

[knightscode]

It starts to try and lumber away, sways and tips and Lancelot feels bad for a moment. The creature is alive, after all, and the horrible knowledge that he may have effectively beaten it to death suddenly connects and begins taking hold. He scrambles away as it falls, dragging the bin with him before noticing a part of it is beginning to rot with sludge and quickly letting go.

Has he... killed it? How would you even be able to tell? He can hardly take the pulse of something that appears to be largely sludge.

The adrenaline begins to fade and he hesitates, glancing around for anyone who might have seen. Well, equally he supposes he should be worried about leaving a sludge-ridden fae lying about even if it is dead. He picks up the bin again and very delicately pokes it with the corner of it. It's a particularly scientific test for life with fae, since they seem to hate the touch of this stuff.

If it's dead, he supposes he could try and scoop it up. When his life became such an awkward black comedy he really doesn't know.