Mistral blinked and began to return to her senses, though dark spots still clouded her sight and she could hear nothing but a ringing in her ears.  Once she'd recovered some portion of her bearings she made a sharp motion of negation that instantly sealed shut the small portal from which the attacks had come.  Mistral leaped to her feet and began to chant and gesticulate broadly in a vaguely defensive manner...

When the new flash-bang hit Noah already had his eyes closed and his body was already armored. Though now he had that tiny Eeeeeeeeee ring in his ears. When mistral started closing down her portal he stood to his full height and kept his attempts to disburse the cloud away from people.

 Mistral managed to close the portal after the flashbang was thrown with minimal effort (it WAS her scrying portal, after all).

 Moments later, a man with greying hair, stubble, and bags under his eyes slammed open the door to the Amethyst Palace. He was dressed in a long white shirt and white boxer shorts. His voice held some slight irritation. "What was that explosion and why am I being called by the Secretary of Defense? Did you guys blow something up while I was asleep?"

Nefertiti's eyes fell upon the man who just walked out and they looked at him with great interest.  Was this the creator of the Synthetic People the one that might be able to help her in her own problem.

She waited to see who would answer his question for he looked to be in a nasty mood.

Noah gave one big flap more to push the smoke away. "Just someone poking the bear. Why didn't you put your phone on silent?" Noah's voice was titanically loud as both Mistral and He had lost their hearing and Noah had a voice that could wound an entire boat full of people, but he knew better than to use full volume.

"Tracking some corrupted wolves and ran into something bigger. Mist just got done with a bit of a scry."

 Talion stared at Noah groggily. "Right..."

 He looked around at the island, the smoke, and the people on the floor as someone was screaming at him through the phone in his hand. He lifted it up, not bothering to take it off speaker. "No. It wasn't any of mine... and No, I'm not going to download military protocols into domestic synths for reinforcements. We just had a genocide here three months ago. A spark could rekindle the fighting.

 I will send you a dragon though."

 The audio could be heard and Talion made no motion to hide the discussion.

 "Dragon? Is that some new kind of tank?"

 "No, an actual dragon."

 "Like the kind that breathes fire?"

 "Yes."

 "How did you get a dragon?!?"

 "I am very wealthy."

 "Where did you get a dragon?!"

 Talion paused for a second before answering. "Wish."

 "You mean the app?"

 He paused for even longer this time before answering. "... yes. Not that this back and forth isn't terribly amusing but I have a talking, flying, fire breathing dragon that I'm willing to lend you as reinforcement as long as your men don't shoot at him."

 "It talks?"

 "Yes, now do you want reinforcements or not?"

 "Can you promise it won't go on a rampage?"

 Talion took a deep breath and sighed, raising up the phone and pointing it at Noah.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 04:09, Thu 01 Oct 2020.

Noah did not move from his position near Mistral. He knew all too well not to move when there was a portal fight going on. He was more than happy to loiter until the all clear was given. He did smile at the conversation.

"I'm not a mindless attack dog. But I can promise to apply the minimum force required to counter a threat to myself or my handlers. Do make sure to have a few sets of gear handy for them."

 There was a pause over the phone. "It does talk."

 Talion sighed, the tediousness of the conversation wearing on him. "Yes... he does. Now do you want his help or not?"

 There was another pause over the phone. "If you think it will help minimize casualties then we would. The United States Government appreciates your help."

 Talion grunted and hung up the phone. "I hope you don't mind me volunteering you like this but this is your 'in'. After this, you won't need to hide anymore."

Michael was about to answer Noah’s question when Mistral gave a load out of what the marines had. Then came the Flashbang and gas grenade. He caught a lung full of gas and was hacking and wheezing on the ground until Noah had blown the gas cloud away. The priest had just recovered when the Secretary of Defense and some unknown man were having a conversation over the phone. He sat on the beach waiting for the conclusion to the call.

Noan smiled ear to ear... Litterally. "It's getting me to shut up thats the trick."

Once the call was over Noah shrugged. "I have full confidence in your ability to judge the situation. Are we going with the story that it is a mix of Advanced Synth tech and genetics or did you have something else in mind?" He turned his head to check on Mistral. She was about the only one other than Talion that could handle a space mage fight. And she was the only one who knew it was going on.

 There did not seem to be much in the way of a fight going on. Once the portal was closed, the assault had stopped completely.

 Talion yawned. "No need to complicate matters. The story is that you are a human brain inside a synthetic body. You specifically requested the body you have and the process was voluntary.

 Also, would you mind letting me use your Brain Dance machine? The one you used to revive Amy? Turns out the crate I took from the Collector turned into photographic memories, so now Emily's whole life plays out when I close my eyes."

Noah reached into his bag and pulled out a square key, tossing it to Talion. "Dont forget to put a screen on any memory age twelve and down so it's only remembered if actively reflected on. It makes the fresher memories have room to breathe."

He sat down, there was a lot going on... "Are you ok my lady Mist?"

 Talion caught the key and nodded as he made his way to the massive ship, leaving the group once more to their own devices if no one interrupted him.

Mistral finished her incantation and seemed satisfied that no further attacks were forthcoming.  Blinking at the black smudges that still clouded her sight, she remarked drily, "Knight as well as dragon now, are we?  ...I have been worse."

Mistral's attentions were more on what she'd seen at the site than on Talion and Noah's amusing negotiations with an important military officer.  Once clearance had been given for a public dragon appearance but before Talion's exit, Mistral explained, "The being that seized my scrying portal was a humanoid lacking signature de résonance but was cloaked to the visible spectrum, comme Fluffy.  It utilized something akin to Tenebremancy, but not quite.  It has slipped multiple powerful bonds.  Très dangereux."  She concluded gravely, "Without intervention the military personnel surrounding the structure will all die within minutes, I suspect.  Where is le rendez-vous?"

 Talon stopped mid-stride and turned to look at Mistral, now fully awake. "Did you say, that it didn't have a resonance signature?"

 There was a look of genuine concern on his face. He took a deep breath before he spoke. His tone was very serious. "Mistral, listen to me. There is a chance that this thing is not a normal supernatural. It might just be something that learned to hide its resonance very well... but if, at any point, you begin to suspect that it actually does not have a resonance at all and that your own powers are not sufficient to kill it then do not hesitate to use your wish to do so. I'll give you another.

 In fact, even if you do kill it, use your wish to make sure it stays dead. I'll still give you another. There is a type of supernatural called a Husk. They are humans who lack souls or resonance. Despite this, they can be incredibly hard to kill. They can absorb and use the powers of any supernatural that they kill. They can detect my presence and flee from it... and I cannot detect theirs so, if you do use your wish, make sure you can see the creature and that it's not an illusion. You'll only have one shot."

Michael’s interest in this new threat was definitely peaked as the MM would like to know about this as well. He stepped forward and inquired to Talion. “Before I attempt to create a ward against such a creature, is it possible my ward that can afflict supernatural creatures be able to affect it? If so, it will help to weaken it in the upcoming battle. Is it considered a demon? Is there a type of substance that particularly affects it?”
This message was last edited by the player at 07:37, Sat 03 Oct 2020.

 Talion shook his head. "No, it won't. They are still human in a vague sense. If they've been possessed, then the ward might do something against the creature inside but they are not in control. Husks serve as prisons for possessing entities and torment them beyond all measure anyway. The only thing they are particularly vulnerable to is excessive force, applied liberally, without any consideration given to the concept of overkill."

Nefertiti stood there still silently and listening to all what Michael and this man has to say, especially the part on Demons, it seemed to bring a slight smirk to her beautiful face.

The talk about a Wish did peek her interests.

"A Wish you say? she asked with a bit of interested.

Noah smiled, "A dragon Mistral, now that is one hell of a Christmas gift."

There was mention of a lot of force and overkill. "Shall I go dig and see how much C Four I have left? I am sure I can whip up a mana bomb as well."

"Sounds like I ought to finish gearing up. If you'll excuse me..."
Sal said before heading for his room, then the weapon stash.

 Talion nodded. "The more force you can apply, the better you will fare. If it isn't a Husk, then it will wish it hadn't learned to hide its resonance so well. Make sure to confirm a body though. If you fail to kill it, it will hunt you all down and kill you when you are alone or in small groups."

 Talion seemed to pointedly ignore Nefertiti's mention of a wish.

Mistral nodded once, “Oui.  That is precisely what I descried.”  She listened carefully to Talion’s information, looking resolute and focused on what needed to be done.  She inclined her head to Talion in confirmation of the warnings and recommendations for destroying the Husk.

She then turned to confer with the others, “L’ennemi is nearly invisible to seeing, both mundane and supernal.  We must not grant this advantage.  Ideas?”  Mistral glanced to Grey, who was by now quite finished with the half-dozen cinnamon rolls she’d brought back from the international coffee run.  Considering, she said, “It needn’t be complicated...  Grey?  Might we borrow some flour from your kitchen, s’il vous plaît?”

To Noah’s question about explosives, Mistral confirmed, “The profane shrine beneath that structure must be destroyed.  Explosifs plastiques will simplify that effort.”

Michael inquired once more. “Is this invisibility an innate ability of the creature or some active power it has to focus on? Depending on what it could be, I might be able to help with seeing through it.”

 Grey, who had been sitting on the ship with Fred until now stood up and set down the crawfish terrarium. "'Kay!"

 She came back with a 50lb bag of flour. Mistral had to wonder just where she was getting all this stuff since she had been forbidden from trading without supervision.

 "Husks are as varied as any type of supernatural... but I've never known any to have any innate invisibility. It's likely acquired the ability from a possessing creature or from one it's killed. Considering the enemy is a demon cult, I'd wager the former. The abilities themselves will always follow the rules of the type of supernatural the power was taken from, so you'll need to find out what other powers its stolen and figure it out from there."

Michael held his chin with his thumb and index finger in thought. “It might work then. At the very least, it will highlight any spirits or other supernatural creatures in the area. I’ll wait until we are on site before praying for the Lord’s Sight.”