Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)

26st of July 2006 A.D.

The journey back to Chicago is long and winding, punctuated by the sound of old school rock ballads that manage to strike the balance between everyone's musical tastes, the sound of a light summer rain blowing in from the north and more than once by the horns of a whole line of drivers objecting to the congestion of the I90. Dad would have liked to stay one more day and specifically one more night in Cleveland to give you and Lydia a chance to make up for not sleeping a wink last night, but in the end he decided it would be more prudent to get out of the city as fast as you can.

After all you had busted up an old folks home ran the staff out of there, leaving some mutated corpses behind then smashed up irons into a submarine in an abandoned amusement park, came out of the lake with several duffel bags worth of dodgy pharmaceuticals... and then lit a bonfire to burn several dozen bodies. On top of it the latter half of it had been done after dad felt his task was done so you are not sure to what extent you can rely upon Providence to cover up your tracks.

"Dad?" you ask as the car car slows to a stop behind the furniture delivery truck you had been training for the last twenty miles. "Why did your job end after we dealt with the Rashka?"

"Hmm..." He gives you an understanding look, like this was something he had expected. "I don't suppose 'God works in mysterious ways' is going to cover it?"

You shake your head, feeling a little guilty at the lack of faith, but he just smiles at you. "I was not expecting it to Molly, the truth of the matter is I don't know, but I have been doing this long enough to make a guess. The thing we killed in that tank, the Raksha..."

"Not killed, beat back, it was kind of reaching a hand into our world, or I guess more like a proboscis since it was feeding," you interrupt.

He nods. "I'll take your word for it. Anyway it was trying to get out wasn't it?"

"Conceptually yeah, Iku Turso was trying to get back if the myths are anything to go by, get itself un-banished by the descendants of the son who did it to him. The Pathfinders were basically harvesting the fumes of his failure for their own ends."

"And what do you think would have happened if it had gotten out?"

"I..." you are about to say you have no idea when Usum gives you one. "He would have probably tapped the Dragon Nest to create a Freehold, sort of like a fortress in this world and the Spirit World and then he would have followed the story that defines him, he is, was, whatever a dreadful sea beast and sire of illness, beyond pity, though not beyond reason. The lake is probably sea enough for him to dwell in being so big and all even if it is fresh water. He would not have demanded sacrifices exactly, but once someone figured out enough to make them he would have accepted them... "

You trail off, adding a moment later. "You're saying that is worse than Rhys and his magic pills? But it's all connected, if you did not kill him what's to say he wouldn't have done something like this again which some other monster.?" Iku Turso you suspect will be far too angry to answer any summons from the Pathfinders or their masters. His kind have a long memory.

"Who is to say his master won't get someone else to do it?" Dad counters. "All evil is connected if you dig down far enough, and all good for that matter. The Sword cannot follow every bloody trail, cut off each head of the hydra, it is only one of three, two now moving in the world. Where is is most needed is where no other sword will suffice, the light in the darkness. That is not to say we who bear it cannot choose to walk another few steps down any given path and fell whatever evil stalks there, that is the privilege and the responsibility of free will."

You nod thoughtfully, you have free will as well and your power is only growing.


Though you get home in the afternoon and crash into bed until the evening you still have four more days in the month to fill:

[] Father of Hosts: It's not often someone gets a business card from Odin, or maybe it is, you are no expert on Norse Gods turned private military contractors, go talk to him and see what he wants and what he has to offer

[] A Rose's Tale: Follow up on Rose of Autumn, you are sure she will be happy to learn what became of the Pathfinders in Cleveland

[] Rescue for the Rider: Get Black Rider loose one way or another. You are pretty sure you can make the money you need in an at least semi-legitimate way now, or the impound lot could snuffer from a unfortunate technical glitch at just the wrong, or the right time.

[] Write in

OOC: You will note the date is the 26 now, that is because there was a dating error from way back when you want to bed in Cleveland. All Edits have been made so the rest of today will be spent catching up on sleep leaving you 27-31st of July to follow up one one of the leads left over from this turn.