The Hunt for Le Fay: Do you really want a monster hunter?

[Elsa Bloodstone]

OOC: Since Rumalth seems to have left the board, I am pushing ahead with my little side story here...K

IC:

Elsa Bloodstone sat in silence as Pete Wisdom and the merry crew of maniacs he had assembled were parked in the MI-13 issue Range Rover at the foot of the lake that lead to Avalon. Captain Britain had gone off to take care of other business in Otherworld, so it was Pete, Elsa, Alf Bloodworth and some nitwit mage who could not part the bloody veil. "Pete, might I ask how bloody long this is going to take? I have other commitments I need to attend to..." Elsa started to say as Wisdom turned and glared at her. "Well, then get someone here who can get us onto the Holy Isle. Please. This is insane!"

"Always liked you Elsa," Alf said with a grin. "To the point. Take no prisoners!"

"Will you two shut it?" Pete snapped as the mage stood on the shore and looked at a small rowboat as it appeared nearby. "Well? Go on. Get in the boat!" he yelled out the window of the car.

"I gave up making a fortune on a reality show for this?" Elsa muttered as Pete turned back and glared at her again.

[Pete Wisdom]

"Emrys, will you live up to your bloody namesake and part the veil," Pete said as he jumped out of the car and watched his "rent-a-wizard" from the "mystic pool" at MI-13. "I was told you have Avalonian connections. Was I lied to?"

"Mr. Wisdom, please," Emrys Bleddyn replied as he felt the winds start to move more sharply around them. "If you wanted snappy, you should have called Enya Sun.  She is still the priestess of the isle, even if she hangs her athame with the X-Men now."

"Why didn't we just go with Brian?" Elsa shouted as she craned her neck out of the car.

"Because we are not the embodiment of the soul of Great Britain!" Pete howled as Emrys finally started to be making some progress. Or at least the goofy looking young man seemed to be. "We have to be vetted by this mystic nonsense with the boat and the Lady of the Lake and what have you!"

As he stood there, Pete wondered if he was being punished for breakign Dana's heart yet again.

[Emrys Bleddyn]

If he had not been wearing a long coat, you could have seen Emrys Bleddyn's knees shake as the boat came onto the shore. "Right, everybody, into the boat!" he shouted as he went over to give the tiny rowboat a close inspection. "No holes!" he said as he gave the thumbs up to Wisdom and the others.

"Pete, old boy, you got a real pip there!" Alf Bloodworth said as he exited the Land Rover and went to the boat. "And your auntie was the grand dame of Cardiff, boyo? You're pulling my wrinkly old leg!"

"I am not, sir," Emrys said as he bowed to Bloodworth. "And my great auntie is the Black Faerie!"

"You are related to Siofra?" Bloodworth howled with laughter as he turned back toward Pete. "This young man is related to the one and only Siofra O'Breaslain MacFeorais! Ha! You might be able to pull this off yet, boyo!"

"I certainly hope so, sir," Emrys said as the wind picked up in strength.

[Chloe Gwydion]

A motorcycle could be heard in the distance, and it roared over a hill and came down toward the lake at breakneck speed. The riders finally came to a stop near the Range Rover, and the pair got off the bike and made their way to Wisdom. "'Ello Pete! Ahem. I mean Hello Mr. Wisdom, sir!" the first young woman, a petite blonde with a bandolier of spikes and knives, said as she gave the MI-13 chief a snappy salute. "I brought backup!"

"Backup who doesn't have to salute you, especially since you got Dana upset," the second, a redhead with a backpack slung over one shoulder, said as Bloodworth started to howl in laughter. "Hey, Elsa Bloodstone. My foster mom says Hi. Kari MacFeorais. I'm Autumn Parker."

"And I'm Chloe Gwydion," the blonde said as she extended her hand to Bloodstone. "Autumn is a student at Buckland Academy and an X-Man. I thought she might be able to help if Emrys needs a hand," Chloe said as she waved at the "rent-a-mage" standing near the boat.  "And General Bloodworth, right?"

"I haven't been called general since your Papa was in my unit," Bloodworth said as he smiled at Chloe.  

[Autumn Parker]

Autumn walked past everyone and came right up to Emrys' side. "You were at Buckland last year. I remember you. You're related to Siofra, right?"

"Uhm, yeah, and now everyone thinks I' m Harry Potter because of it," Emrys said as he blushed a bit. "Can you help me fix this before Mr. Wisdom pops a blood vessel?"

"Sure, I can try at least," Autumn said as she pulled a small pouch out of her backpack. "I got this from Deirdre Sun," she added as she opened the pouch and emptied its contents into her hand. Fine azure powder pooled in her left palm, and she set it on fire with the touch of her right index finger. "Avalonian beacon dust. The boat is great, but we need the faeries to help guide us."

Soon the shoreline was dotted with the lights of hundreds of faeries as they started to swarm around the group. Their arrival was followed by the sound of wings and a roar overhead.

"Did I forget to mention the dragon?" Autumn said as she pointed upward. A small green dragon--well, small if you think semi trucks are small--swooped down and landed just behind the car and motorcycle. "Tamsin! Oh, thank the Goddess! Now the rest of you can have a ride while Emrys and I part the veil. We can't all fit in that rowboat!"

 

[Pete Wisdom]

"Stop snorting like a loon, Alf," Wisdom said as he looked past his subordinates and straight at the dragon. "At least it isn't that purple nuisance."

"Be nice to the dragon, Pete, or he might eat you for tea," Bloodworth said as he walked over to Tamsin Dragonborn, dragon breeder for the Avalonian court. Well, not so much for Captain Britain as for the crazy, leftover Avalonians from the days of Camelot. "My apologies, Tamsin. Pete can be a bit..."

"You need not apologize, General Bloodworth," Dragonborn said as she dismounted her dragon. "Merlin sends his greetings and wants you all to pick up the pace. If you plan to catch Morgan Le Fay, you need to be quicker to the punch."

"Of course Merlin is here!" Pete said as he threw up his arms and started to dance around like his own feet were on fire. "Why the bloody hell did I take this job?"

"Because, you nit, you wanted to save your friends," Bloodworth said as Wisdom looked again at the green dragon. "But you are too damned stubborn to admit it!"

"And what do they call you? Puff?" Wisdom asked the dragon as he shook his head. "Can't be that simple!"

[Tamsin Dragonborn]

Tamsin rolled her eyes as Pete Wisdom looked at the dragon and started calling it Puff. "Would you like it if my dragon started calling you by the wrong name?" she asked as she walked toward the MI-13 chief, wagging her finger at him and clicking her tongue as he got an odd look on his face. "And what is the problem?"

"Does Puff think I'm dinner?" Wisdom asked as the green dragon started to let plumes of smoke waft out of its nostrils. "And is it a he or a she?"

"She is a grand lady, so please do not make her cross," Tamsin said as she turned back and patted her dragon. "And her name is Meirionwen. That's Welsh for green and blessed. I call her Merry sometimes." The dragon started to make what could only be called a purring sound as she nuzzled her nose against Tamsin.

"As much as Merry there is lovely, I think I'll stick with the rowboat," Wisdom said as Tamsin shook her head. "Dragons usually hate me."

"Ah yes. Lockheed. But he's an alien, correct, and not an Earth-born dragon?" Tamsin asked as Pete nodded back to her. "But if you feel more comfortable..."

"I, for one, will gladly ride with you," Bloodworth said as he patted Meirionwen on her side.  "Captain Cranky Face can go in the boat. I'm sure Viviane will be thrilled if he tips the boat and ends up in the drink! Poor Emrys and Autumn there might not like it too much, though."

[Pete Wisdom]

"This is all because Dana and I..." Pete started to say as Bloodworth grinned like an idiot at him. "Do not go there!"

"Pete, you know the brass is wrong. They usually are," Bloodworth said as he walked to the MI-13 chief. "When this is over, go back to Raven's Rock and get that girl!"

"And dodge half the MacFeorais clan in the process," Elsa said as she crossed her arms ad rolled her eyes. "Seriously, they will kill you for dumping her!"

"Stay out of my love life, Bloodstone," Wisdom snapped as he looked at Emrys being more idiotic than usual. "Just get us across this lake! Now! I'll walk on the water if I have to. And no, Alf, no God jokes!"

[Dark Angel]

"Dear God," Shevaun said under her breath as she, Dane and Brian joined up with the group at the lake. "Pete, you are going to pop a blood vessel. Calm down. For all our sakes. Do you really want to test out how well these folks could heal you?"

"And where have you three been?" Wisdom asked as he rolled his eyes and continued pacing. "Getting biscuits at that nice little shop near the well? Did you bring any back for the lot of us? Old Alf there might be a bit peckish."

"Dana liked that place, didn't she?" Brian replied as Pete shot him a very nasty look. "Later you and I need to have a chat. Who in their right mind caused you to walk away from her? We might need to go have words with them when this is all said and done."

"Not now, Brian," Pete growled as the group kept watching Emrys and Autumn. "I bloody well wish Fiona MacFeorais were here with some of her elvish friends. We'd be across by now."

"I can always get Da and Mum," Chloe said as she looked over at Wisdom. "Dwarven knights are still held in high esteem by the clerics on the isle."

"I'm sure if we give Emrys a bit of a break, he should be able to part the veil," Shevaun added as she looked at the young mage. "Emrys, don't let this twitchy lot put you off your game."

[Elsa Bloodstone]

"I still don't know why you need me!" Elsa said as Dane Whitman walked over to her, all the while shaking his head and grinning like the American lunatic he was. "Well, do you see any monsters that need dispatching, Whitman? I don't, and I don't want to be wasting my time watching the magical boy wonder over there try to part the veil."

"Elsa, Elsa, you need a nap, some good tea or a beer," the Black Knight said as he watched Brian take Pete to the side for their chat. "I don't want to be in on that talk. I might have a candy bar if that would help," he said as he started to dig in his pockets.

"I am not suffering from low blood sugar. I just really hate wasting my time. And while I might be getting paid for this, I would be making more if I were not doing this for the crown. American TV producers pay more than MI-13. Much more."

"Oh, I believe that," Whitman replied as he gave up searching for the sugar snack. "But this is more fun. Seeing Pete turn 45 shades of red is such a sight to behold."

[Lochlan Connery]

"And now this!"

Lochlan Connery was trying to make sure the MacFeorais/Sun interests in all this were being taken care of by the crazy people running MI-13. He really had no use for Pete Wisdom, but when Kari asked for favors, he really didn't want to say no.

"Look at the lot of you," he grumbled as Elsa Bloodstone glared at him. "Nice to see you, too, Madame Monster Hunter. How're things on Monster Island these days?"

"If it isn't wayward wizards fouling up parting the veil, it's feral Avalonians being sanctimonious. I take it you're here to make sure none of us screw up?" Elsa quipped as Loch started to laugh.

"No, not entirely. I'm here to find an old friend on the isle. He might be able to help us. Kari is spooked, and when she gets spooked, that's bad," Loch said as he watched Wisdom and Captain Britain getting all sorts of fed up with each other. "And I take it Pete is still acting like an arse?"

Loch nodded in Tamsin's direction, but the petite blonde wasn't paying much attention to him. She was too busy with that crusty old fool Bloodworth at the moment. 

[Faiza Hussain]

"I'm sorry I'm late, but I was asked to help diffuse a situation in London," Faiza Hussain, the current wielder of Excalibur said as she got out of a second, British-government issue Range Rover and ran over to Pete Wisdom. "Why does everyone look so glum?"

"Because we still can't get across the bloody lake!" Wisdom snapped as Faiza stopped in her tracks. "And my patience is wearing very thin!"

"You might need to eat," Faiza replied as she dug into her messenger bag and pulled out an orange. "I'm a doctor. Don't get cross with me. Eat."

"Yes, Mum," Pete growled as he started to peel the orange. Satisfied that would be enough for now, Faiza walked over to Dane Whitman and waited to see what transpired next. She kept watching Wisdom to make sure he didn't chuck the orange in the lake.

[The Black Knight]

"Faiza! Finally!" Whitman said as he turned to give his comrade a hug. "Elsa might need a snack, too, if you brought any more oranges. She's acting a little weird..."

Before Bloodstone could reply to the quip, the mist over the lake started to part, and the isle of Avalon could be seen, clear as day, by all present.

"Who is that?" Elsa asked as she pointed to some old man pacing the shoreline of the island in the distance.

"Wait. I know that guy," Dane said as Loch started to wave back to the man on the shore. "Karenza's friend, right?"

"Doctor Henry Jones the elder," Loch replied as Pete and a few others got into the boat, and a second dragon landed near Merry. This one came with some sort of hut or tent-like structure strapped to its back. "And Tamsin, thanks for the ride!" the feral Avalonian said as he climbed aboard the second dragon and took a seat in the structure. "Hurry up, people!"

"He is such a happy camper," Dane said to Faiza and Elsa as they started to climb aboard the second dragon. "Loch, Doc Jones isn't going to run away on you, you know."

 

 

[Autumn Parker]

"See, Emrys, I knew you could do it," Autumn said as she climbed into the boat after Pete Wisdom. "Now everybody should be nice and happy."

"I don't think old Pete knows how to be happy," Alfred Bloodworth said with a laugh as he climbed aboard Merry with Tamsin. "He's always screwing that part up royally!"

Autumn tried not to look at Wisdom, but she could feel his pain. Like her guardian, Karenza, Autumn tended to be a bit more empathic than most people realized. "General, sir, aren't there things most of us screw up? With me it's schoolwork. I'm not exactly the most studious of the lot at Buckland. Well, except when we're in potions class. I love making potions."

"Maybe it's just Buckland that rubs you the wrong way," Lochlan said as he made sure the last of his group was seated before giving the second dragon the signal to take off for the Holy Isle. "Snape is a pain. Maybe Vivi can make a spot for you on the isle?"

"I'd love that, but I have a funny feeling that won't happen any time soon," Autumn replied as she watched Emrys climb in and push the boat off onto the lake.

[Henry W Jones Sr PhD]

Across the lake, Henry Jones paced and paced as he waited for the lot of MI-13 folks to descend upon the shores of Avalon. "What is taking them so long?" he muttered as he stopped and realized he had worn a pathway in the sand. "If Kari had been with them, or Enya, then this would not be happening!"

As he watched the dragon take flight, Henry finally smiled a bit. "Thank heavens for Tamsin and her dragons! Maybe now we'll get this taken care of! They have no idea what is happening in the world at large, and with that blasted Le Fay on the loose, things are only going to get worse!"

[Flynn Carsen]

"Henry! Henry! I take it Wisdom is fouling up things again?" Flynn Carsen said as he made his way along the shore of the lake on horseback, shouting his query to his friend and colleague as he approached the Arthurian scholar. He went to dismount gracefully but found himself planted face-first in the shoreline.

"When will you ever learn, Flynn, to stay off the horses?" Henry yelled back as he walked quickly to the younger man. "Did you break anything?"

"Besides my pride? No," Carsen replied as he looked up to see the dragons overhead. "I still can't get used to seeing that. I mean, it still leaves me in awe."

"It will leave you smushed into the dirt if you don't get up and they land on you!" Henry added as he tried to help Flynn get back up on his feet.

[Lochlan Connery]

"This never gets old," Lochlan said to the party with him on the second of Tamsin's dragons. "Home. I just wish Roisin was here to see it with me again. I've lived here on and off for centuries, so I'm likely the best tour guide there is. That long low house is home to the Lady of the Lake. And Merlin has his keep in the orchards past her house."

Loch had been trying to track down Weapon X and find his daughter, but they had hidden her away where even her own father could not find her. He hoped Viviane could help him find Rosie with the aid of the mage's watery portal magicks.

"We are coming in for a landing!" he shouted to his companions as the dragon swooped low and settled on the shore just past Jones and Carsen. "Blessed be!"

[The Black Knight]

Dane looked out to see the houses Loch was pointing out, and then he saw Doctor Jones and that goofy guy who called himself The Librarian. The Black Knight still had no idea if that was some super hero schlock nonsense or if the guy was really worth his salt. Dane was not as tied in to all the magical doings of the world as some of his friends were.

"And, why the heck is Brian flying off?" he muttered as he watched Captain Britain take to the air and fly back toward London. "Hope he'll be back soon," he added as he looked at Faiza and Elsa. "You know, I half expect to see that guy who runs around dressed up like Doctor Who. What's his name? Angus something..."

"Angus Buchanan?" Loch asked as Dane nodded in reply. "Oh geez. He's a real pain. I hope he is nowhere near here."