and I've only got my brittle bones to break the fall
And run, they do.There's nothing quite as effective as scaring off a pack of helpless children as a screaming manticore. They don't stop to count the teeth (well, aside from that one nerdy kid some older sibling dutifully pulls along) as they scatter with a mixture of startled cries of alarm and some last minute insults about how Isla acquired her shift, and how all Ascended are trash, and the like. But for the most part, they just scatter like dust in the wind—harassing a manticore isn't as fun. Stakes are higher.
Aamu finds himself dwarfed, and he's okay with that. The manticore is very impressive, and Edy's got enough aura to feed a starving village. Aamu's content to be insignificant compared to them. "Neat," he says from behind them, meaning Isla's shift. He wonders who it's from.
But they still have work to do, though he toys with the idea of simply harnessing the manticore to the cart instead, but it seems like too much work to find her a fitting harness. He's willing to let her do what she wants, he's sure she can be useful even if she gallivants around as a manticore. He stoops to pick up another body part and place it into the cart. "Maybe we should go down that street-" and he points to a side street they haven't cleared "-and then head back. One of us could get started on the grave while the other two keep collecting."
Manticore!Isla manages to scare off the kids!
Time for some more very exciting collecting
Aamu
