Log:Buried Prematurely

2015/06/04 Lightray Enforcer Raven Matt 1

You remember is fighting against some gang bangers out in north Harrisburg, a new gang calling themselves the Ded Boyz. You were wiping the floor with the white faced gang bangers when suddenly, without any warning, something jabbed you in the neck punching through your armor. The last thing you remember is seeing a very pale face with blood on it's lips leering at you.

And now, well, you seem to be in a very small confined space. And you feel very lethargic.

Enforcer stirs slowly, his head feeling like it's just come out of a thick fog. He tries to sit up when WHACK! He hits something in the dark. He slumps back down and tries to rub his head while feeling about with his other hand. . o O (Can't believe those punks got the drop on me. What'd they do to me?)

It appears that you are in a box of some sort. It seems to be lined with some slick cloth. The box is just over shoulder width across and there is maybe a foot or so clearance at both head and foot of you. The box seems to be about two feet deep at most.

Enforcer has every weapon and tool location memorized. He reaches back to the fourth pouch on the left carefully, running a gloved finger along to count the pouches as he goes. He's used to hiding in the dark and having to know where to find the right tool. He draws out his tactical flashlight. He squints his eyes partially shut as he prepares for the sudden brightness. . o O (Let there be...) He presses the on button. o O (Light.) When he can see, he's not that much happier about his whereabouts as he looks at the red silk drapings along the inside of the weapons crate he appears to be in. He presses a hand against the top lid and pushes.

The lid does not give. Some dirt does seep down through the boards that make up the lid though.

Enforcer grunts a little as he pushes more, and causes more dirt to fall in. He's still groggy and weak from whatever the Ded Boyz did to him. How long had he been in there? How much air did he have left? There doesn't seem to be enough room to draw his sword and carve his way out. There's the explosive charges, but...he's too close to use those without potentially hurting himself, and burning up whatever air he has left. He runs his hand along the roof and knocks in a few places to try and see if there's any weaker parts that may sound hollow, or thinner.

<>

Enforcer blinks a few times with an odd expression as his hand rests against the silken lining. "I...seem to be quite good at that," he says over his comm. "Gloating over getting the drop on me?" He lines up his hand, his mouth a grim line of determination. Maybe he's hearing things. Maybe it's the Ded Boyz leader taunting him. But he's not going to just lay here and give up. He still has Sasha to return to. He lines his hand up, fingers lined up against the lid, and gathers what woozy strength he can. After a moment of recovering, he tenses and collapses his fingers to punch up, trying to punching into the lid to break through it. There isn't much room to draw back for the punch. It's brief, maybe two inches of space to accelerate and get any sort of force behind it.

<>

"Who are you?" Enforcer asks. "And how do you know what I'm trying?" Still, he takes the advice and takes a slow, deep breath before attempting to strike.

Krack! You shatter a couple of the boards and dirt starts to slowly fall into the 'coffin.' It's not filling it up fast though.

<>

Enforcer winces at the impact of knuckles on solid surface, even with the armor plating on them. As he draws back his hand, he has to flex his fingers to get rid of the sting. This may be a long climb, Enforcer thinks to himself. "How? Hidden camera? What's your deal in this?" He takes another deep breath. A little pain isn't going to deter him.

<>

Enforcer flexes his hand again at the suggestion. "Right," he says under his breath, still mistrustful. He momentarily places the flashlight in his mouth so he can use both hands to tear at the board and contort himself in the box. He starts digging his way up as he wriggles himself through the hole. He has to shut his eyes against the dirty as he digs his hands through the earth.

<> The voice has an encouraging tone to it, like a coach egging on an athelete.

Enforcer angles towards his left, grabbing at handfuls of dirt and trying to drag himself upwards while pushing off with his feet. His lungs are starting to ache from having to hold his breath while exerting himself, and his already taxed endurance is starting to flag.

<>

The encouragement and thoughts of Sasha cause him to renew his efforts. Just a little more. Hopefully. His lungs are burning now, so with added effort, he pushes on despite exhaustion, trying to claw his way free with everything he has.

And with that final push, your left hand breaks through the ground into open space. As you are flailing about trying to get a grip on something, a warm hand closes over yours and begins to pull you upwards.

Enforcer grasps the hand gratefully, hoping it's not some sort of trap. He is suspicious in nature, after all. He never got a helping hand when growing up. With the help of the hand, he pulls himself up until his head, arms, and shoulders breaks the surface and his gasps for air. Hacking at some of the dirt as his flashlight falls from his mouth, followed by huge gulps of oxygen as he sags a little in his early grave from the exertion. He recovers enough a few seconds after that to stare up in awe at the angelic figure holding his hand. His first thought is Sasha will be so mad he died on him. Though his lungs wouldn't be burning if he was dead. And then he recognizes the figure from once before. "Thanks. Jamie, I presume?" he utters weakly.

Lightray blinks slowly then murmurs in his deep basso profundo, "N-no...I am Lightray..." His gaze goes over your shoulder then comes back to you. "Are you quite alright, sir? Do I...Never mind, let me heal you, it's obvious you need it." He pulls you easily from the grip of soil and then lays you with one arm behind your back and other on your chest as he kneels. His hand suffuses with golden sunlight that seems to turn to liquid and pour from his hands into you. The sunlight fills your body, healing first your wounds, then your tiredness and then clears the grogginess from your mind. This happens all in the course of 10 seconds or less.

Enforcer starts to breath a lot easier, the burning in his muscles and lungs fading as he feels reinvigorated from the healing. "Thanks...that's much better," he says in relief as he starts to sit up on his own. And now he's confused. "If you're not Jamie, then how did you know I was here?"

Lightray regards you for a moment with his pupilless glowing golden eyes. "I knew you were here because I saw your hand stick up out of the ground. I was just over there after all." He points behind you, and if you follow it, Lightray is pointing at a gravestone a few yards away. A gravstone with fresh flowers resting atop it that also glistens as if freshly washed to your nightvision. The front of the gravestone faces away from you.

There are two rows of the wedge shaped marks carved near the top of the tombstone.

Enforcer scoops up his flashlight and shuts it off, slipping it back into his belt for now. He rises up slowly and starts to brush off the dirt clinging to his armor and cape. The hood has fallen back from the climb and he tips out the dirt gathered in it. "I guess I was just lucky you were just hanging around here, then," he murmurs as he tries to figure something out. And then the name registers. "Lightray, you said?" he asks as he looks back to the angelic figure.

Lightray rises to his feet as you speak. "Yes, I am Lightray." He nods to you as he offers a hand to help you stand. "And are you Enforcer? Your reputation proceeds you." His tone is still polite but a bit more neutral.

Enforcer eyes Lightray and the offered hand carefully after the mention of his name. "That's me, yes," he answers guardedly. To show some trust, he takes the risk and accepts the offered hand to his feet. "Yours does as well. At least by mention."

Lightray gently, and easily, pulls you to your feet. "Well, it is good some still think well of me. I am not as active as I once was." He glances down at the hole you dug yourself out of. "So, buried alive by choice or by someone else?" His lips quirk into a gentle smile. "I am guessing someone wants you dead?"

Enforcer smirks in an amused sort of way. "If it was by choice, I wouldn't have wasted the effort climbing out. I got hit by some new gang calling themselves the Ded Boyz. Guess they thought it'd be funny." He dusts off some more dirt from his shoulders as he replies casually, "Lots of people want me dead. This just happens to be the ones that got lucky."

Lightray quirks an eyebrow at your tale then murmurs, "Far too lucky. It is fortunate they underestimated you. Arrogance in an enemy is a gift." He looks over you. "Still, I would check for bugs. Well, other than the beetle on your left calf."

"I'll be sure to shower off when I'm done for the night," Enforcer says. Still, he leans down and brushes the beetle off casually. "There's enough luck to go around." He finally straigthens up and looks up to gaze Lightray in the eye. "I've heard about you from Harlequin. Do you know him?"

Lightray nods slightly. "Yes, Harlequin and I have crossed paths from time to time." He shakes his head. "We agree to disagree on certain subjects, but in all, he seems to be good man. Despite the magicks he sometimes wields."

Enforcer tries not to frown too heavily at the disparaging comments. "Yes. Despite that, he's a good man. He fights for the good of the city." He folds his arms over his chest as his cape closes down his front. "He spoke well of you. Said you were an example to look up to. To strive for."

Lightray nods slightly, a gentle smile on his face. "Yes, he is a good man, Enforcer. I just worry about his use of Black Magic. I would hate to see him fall because of it." He adds after a beat, "And I know Lady Winter trusts him. Which is a mark well in his favor in my opinion." He then nods agsin. "And I am glad he thinks well of me, Enforcer."

The glowing man steps over towards the grave he pointed at earlier. "Do you mind if we speak while I finish cleaning up his grave?"

"Then I will help you recover whatever you were buried in. It may help you. You are a detective, correct?"

Enforcer frowns a little more. Mostly in worry about the sudden thought of Sasha falling to black magic. "He's strong enough to handle it. But sure...go ahead," he motions to the grave to let Lightray continue. "I'm not much of a detective. But I may be able to gather some clues."

Lightray walks over to the gravestone then kneels next to it. He reaches up to grab the red roses and marigold bouquet that he apparently left on top of the gravestone. As he does, you see what is inscribed on the granite: 'James Allen McMasters, Born October 13, 1917 - Died March 10, 1989, Beloved Friend.' There is a bas relief of a baying hound on the tombstone.

"I am certain Harlequin can handle it, but sadly," Lightray says with a self-deprecating laugh, "it is in my nature to worry about others." As he speaks he les his fingers rest on the tombstone's face for a moment.

Enforcer watches quietly. This scene seems familiar. Much like the last time he secretly spied on Lightray. "Who was he?" he asks quietly after giving Lightray some time.

Lightray lets his fingers trace the baying hound carved on the gravestone. "James McMasters was a hero, Enforcer. Whoever put his gravestone up seems at least to remember it." He picks up the bouquet and places it in a holder at the base of the gravstone. "James lived and died in another century, Enforcer. I would be surprised if you knew of him. He was not a flashy hero like Captain Star or the Rocketeer. He fought criminals and gangsters more than superv..metahumans. And his hero life was a secret. Besides, if people had known of his secret life his convictions as an ADA might have been overturned. He would have hated that." This last is said with a slight smile.

"You...talk about him like you knew him," Enforcer comments quietly. He can't help but compared the situation to something a bit more familiar. A long lived loved one, and the one who isn't quite so flashy and fights street crime more than big metas.

Lightray softly says, "He is, was an old dear friend, Enforcer." He is silent for a moment then adds, "I missed the last few decades of his life. But, he was waiting here for me, or his grave rather, once I returned."

Enforcer is silent in thought for a few moments before finally responding, "Sorry to hear that. Did you two have a falling out?"

Lightray rises from his kneeling position at the side of the grave. "No, we were parted when I died protecting members of the Supreme Court. On the day VIPER tried to take over the world back in April 1960." He looks over at you, a look of remberance. "We were fighting side by side, as usual, but someone must have gotten behind me and stabbed me through the back. I died almost instantly but I remember seeing the blade come out of my chest." He reaches, unconsciously you think, to touch a spot over his heart.

"Oh. Sorry," Enforcer murmurs, a little embarrassed at the earlier assumption. "But you came back eventually? Not really sure how, but why look a gift horse in the mouth. It's a shame you didn't get a chance to see your friend again."

Lightray looks over at Enforcer then gently shakes his head. "Or my wife or my children growing up, Enforcer. Only my daugther was alive when I returned. And she, well, she thought I looked so much like her Daddy." He gestures over towards the mausoleums. "They are all over there."

Enforcer's cape, armor, face, and hair are smudged with dirt. His hood is down and his arms are folded over his chest as he speaks quietly with Lightray. He's not quite his usual standoffish self. His head turns towards the mausoleums. "Was..." he notes the past tense on his daugther. "I'm sorry. It must be difficult, losing your family." Not that he has a family to lose or have an idea of how that must feel. But he at least knows 'sorry' is something you're supposed to say in such a situation.

Enter stage left, a Raven. Walking through the cemetry with her PDA screen a faint glow as she follows the map displayed on it of the graves newly dug in the area. She seems to fit in so well here, the low mist swirling around the hem of her robes, her steps almost silent on the grass, take while she's making no attempt to be stealthy she doesn't stand out either.

Lightray sighs softly. "Yes, it was a...shock to find out how much time had passed since my death. And how much had...changed since I was alive." The glowing angelic figure takes a deep breath. He then says in a brisk tone, "But I doubt you need to let me depress you." He looks back over at the grave Enforcer dug himself out of. "Shall we dig up what you were buried in?"

"Sure. But I thought you said I don't need to let you depress me," Enforcer smirks mildly, still a bit sore that someone got the drop on him. He turns and leads the way back to the disturbed grave he was left in.

Raven orients herself using a on screen compass and the name of the gravestone in front of her. . o O (That way. This fog is annoying. Visibility is virtually non-existant. So much for night vision.) With a shrug and slight increase in pace, because she wants to get this done and return to reviewing her school notes, Raven strides off into the obscuring fog in what she hopes in the right direction.

Lightray turns around to follow Hunter then frowns slightly. "Do you feel that?" he murmurs as he looks around.

Enforcer halts his step and lifts his head, growing deathly silent as he becomes alert. "What?" he whispers back as he tries to peer about and listen.

Raven stops as she vaugely makes out a human shaped, more or less, glow in the fog ahead of her. A glow that she can tell is of supernatural nature.

Lightray murmurs softly, "Something stirs out there. I can feel a strong supernatural presence." Sunlight flares about Lightray as he raises his defenses girding himself in the armor of the sun. "Who goes there?" he calls out in a basso profundo voice.

Enforcer slips away from Lightray quietly, treading silently and disappearing in the fog as Lightray issues his challenge. He hopes it's the Ded Boyz come back to check on the grave they put him in.

Those sensitive to the arcane feel a sudden strong pulse of witchly magic as Raven summons a spirit wolf to her side, "I am the Chosen One. The bane of darkness. Who are you that walks this ground in the dead of night?" she calls out in a firm unwavering voice.

"I am Lightray, Seal-Bearer of Utu-Shamash, Chosen One." He then continues in more casual tone, "And I am here tending to the grave of a loved one. And, fortunately, was here to help a young hero who was buried alive as well." He begins to walk towards where he thinks Raven's voice is coming from. "Damned fog," he mutters under his breath.

From behind Raven, Enforcer steps from the fog and says casually, "It's fine, Chosen One, Bane of Men. I mean Darkness. Like the new title." He figures she took a note or two from Rakshasa.

Caught in surprise by the silent arrival of someone behind her Raven utters a shocked 'eek' and spins around in a forward leap so fast she loses her balance and stumbles, ending up on her butt on the fog dampened grass. The spirit wolf growls momentarily and then resumes its watchful passiveness as Raven's link with it assures the wolf there is no danger. "You... you... will you stop doing that! Tie a bell around your waist or something." she says irrately to Enforcer.

"Are you alright, Chosen One?" calls out Lightray as he takes flight.

Enforcer smiles slightly. "Sorry. Old habits. I don't suppose it would make you feel any better that half the time, I'm not actually trying to sneak up on you." He steps forward and offers a hand to help her up. Albeit a dirty gloved hand. He's definitely seen better days.

Raven reaches up for Enforcer's hand. "I'm fine, Seal-Bearer. Apart from sitting on my butt on wet grass." she answers Lightray. Then to Enforcer, "What are you doing out here, other than jumping out and scaring me?"

The Seal-Bearer, also known as Lightray, lands by the two of you. One might note that while his wings are tendrils of light, it sounds like distant mighty wings beating when he flies or hovers. And that his wings pass through most objects, but not the spirit wolf if it touches them. "Ah, he was the young hero who was buried alive, Raven."

"Yeah. Involuntary resident," Enforcer adds, releasing her hand once she's on her feet. "I don't recommend burial, by the way."

Raven glances at a nearby grave, "I suspect someone else shares your views, Enforcer." But after the instant of flippancy she turns to Hunter with concern written on her face. "Buried alive? Are you all right? What happened? Do you need healing?"

Being buried alive is going to be a truamatic expereience for anyone, even as pragmatic characters as Enforcer. Raven tries to call Bobby to come give moral support and when she can't get hrough there she calls Matt to come and provide that support.

Matt checks his texts.."Buried alive?..what the 'ell.." frowning he grabs a black jacket, and jumps out his window...only to keep going as he flies at speed for Harrisburg..

Enforcer pats himself down, some grave dirt falling away from bits of his armor. "I could probably use some. I'm fine, but I think you know who will be upset if I just tough it out." He rubs his ribs a little, turning his head to look down at it, then hissing slightly. His right hand reaches up to the side of his neck. "Ow...guess one of them cut me," he says as he pulls his hood down. "Doesn't feel too bad." Enforcer is good at playing things down. But Enforcer can't see what Raven can now easily see. There's a large bite mark on Enforcer's neck, just above the armor of the suit. The teeth marks look human.

Raven gives the bite a serious searching look with magick attuned eyes. "That has to be painful. And possibly toxic as well. Seal-Bearer, can you heal while I cleanse Enforcer's system of toxins and infections?" she says partly to Enforcer but mostly to Lightray.

Matt is flying over as fast as he can..he hopes he will be there in time..he's definitely coming in hot, literally as he draws from the plane of fire to push the speed..

Lightray places one hand just over the wound on Enforcer's neck, his palm just above the bite mark. After a moment, liquid sunlight seems to flow from the glowing man's ahnd and down into the wound. Enforcer can feel the sunlight within him as a pleasant 'glow.' From Raven's POV, the liquid sunlight seems to flow into the wound and close it in moment. No trace of scar is even left behind.

Raven is equally busy. Several large butterflies emerge from her wide sleeves and fly around Enforcer with dust from their beating wings drifting free and settling on Enforcer. All Enforcer feels is a slight tingling as any and all infections and toxins are eliminated from his body.

"Don't tell me, the Ded Boyz were rabid? That would be just my luck," Enforcer mutters as the two do their work.

There is a meteor flying right at the trio..well, maybe not, but Matt's flying under Pele's effect, He lands nearby scorching the earth, hands blazing. "What Happened?!"

Lightray turns and looks at the fiery youth who lands and snaps out his question. He nods politely to him and then turns his attention back to Enforcer. "Not that I know, Enforcer. Raven would be a better one to tell you. But your neck is healed as should any other injuries you have."

Raven casts a warm smile Matt's way. "I'm almost finished. If there was an disease it's been dealt with. But I'd rather like to know what happened myself. I don't recall ever seeing you defeated, Enforcer. Who did this to you?"

Matt nods "Who did this to you?" he rises up and looks around...

And salt is rubbed into the recently healed wounds. "They got very, very lucky," Enforcer grumbles. Part of his pride is definitely wounded at having been ambushed. "Some new gang in the 'Burg called the Ded Boyz. Bunch of white faced gangers. I was wiping the floor with them when someone snuck up on me and cut my neck. I..." his brow furrows behind the mask as he recalls what happened. "That guy bit me...I remember seeing blood on some pale faced Ded Boyz' lips before I lost consciousness."

Raven muses, "I saw no penetrating wounds of the kind produced by a vampire's bite... but white faced, blood on lips... If you come across them again and get to hang onto one I think you ought to call me, Enforcer. It might just be they come under my remit as much as yours."

Enforcer shrugs. "I think they were just a bunch of punks playing dress up." He rubs at his neck where the healed wound was. "But if I find the one who bit me, I'll call."

Matt looks around "Something is down there.." he says, he lifts a hand at the sound of the noise he hears, dirt rising and moving out of the way like flowing water..

Raven looks in the direcion Matt indicates. "Well, what do you know. The Coven got it right for once. Something nasty this way comes, or rises from the ground anyway. Since you're here anyway feel free to join in. I'm not greedy. A quarter share of a vampire will do me fine."

Enforcer tilts his head and glances at the dirt. "You sure it's a vampire and not just another person like me that got buried alive?"

Matt's fountain of earth ends with a large coffin being revealed. On top of the coffin are sigils of a dread nature in some dark dried substance. This call all be seen as Lightray is now casting a bright light. (PEr rolls from those with magical sense, please)

Raven says, "Generally they make their nature very clear, Enforcer. They are hungry when they rise."

Enforcer thinks for a moment, then frowns. "Yeah, but...if they're still in the ground, then they're just new victims, right? They can't help it."

All the talk of vmpires has Matt thinking, and he calls upon the power of Apollo, and begins to glow like Lightray...

Raven says, "A rabid wolf can't help being what it is but we wouldn't let it roam freely, Enforcer."

A loud pounding can comes from the metal coffin then a hand breaks through the lid. It is qukcy joined by another hand and with a slow tearing sound the coffin lid is slowly torn open from the inside.

"Not freely, no. I'm just hoping you aren't asking us to stake it like in the movies," Enforcer comments as he reaches for his collapsed staff. With a click, the staff extends to full length.

Matt says, "not good.." Matt says with his normal perchance of understatment, 'not good at all"

Raven shakes her head as she examins the runes and glyphs. "I don't do that, Enforcer. This is not good. Those sigils are part of a powerful demon summoning ritual. And what is breaking free is not a vampire. Think of it as a zombie of ultra steriods. Just as dangerous though."

The figure within the coffin is clad in the vestments of DEMON. A gaping hole is in the chest of the man where his heart should be. Dried dark stains surround the gaping wound. His eyes are crudely sewn shut as well. He begins to stand up through the hole in the coffin.

Matt's fists glow, and from them daggers of light form, he dives foward and attempts to put the daggers of light in the head of the..whatever it is..

The daggers of light carve deeply into the reanimated man's head. It makes not a sound, hoever, as Matt peels away dead flesh and pierces bone. It is defintely damaged but it still moves unimpaired.

Matt says again as the daggers do exactly what he wanted and yet..does not do enough. "Not good at all."

Enforcer stares at the undead that rises up. Well, forget he said anything about being sympathetic and pitying. He takes a half leap back as he reaches for an explosive charge on his belt and throws it at the creature.

The creature at the bottom of the grave deinitely does not like the fiery explosion. The first sounds it makes come from its motuh as it howls in pain and fury. Its vestments are smoldering and its dead flesh is charred.

Matt says to himself. "Fire..got it."

The creature reaches one hand into where it's heart opnce was and pulls out a necklace made of tarnished silver. As it does so, anyone with magical sense can feel that the necklance is a very powerful summoning artifact. As it is pulling out the necklace, it points a hand at Lightray then pulls it back into a grasping motion.

Again, anyone with magical senses can sense a powerful magical spell being cast by the creature. Those with even more acute senses can tell it is a necromantic spell of controlling undead.

Lightray raises his left hand as the creature is gesturing and a sword of sunlight forms in his hand. The glwing man then shudders and goes till for a moment before the reaches out a hand and carves an oozing furrow into his own chest. He then flings the gobbet of oozing flesh at the creature.

Raven flinches as the Seal-Bearer carves into his own flesh. Summoning up a ball of witchfire she tracks the gobbet of oozing flesh on it's path and when she has a good lock on its speed and direction the ball of fire resting in her hand shoots out at it.

The ball of fire flashes from Raven's hand at the oozing gobbet of flesh and turns it into a charcoal briquette.

Raven says, "Seal-Bearer, get out of it's sight. Enforcer and Matt can handle it. It's too dangerous to let it cast the summoning using holy and profane essences."