Log:Chaos Reigns, Scene 6

Chaos Reigns 2014/12/19 	 Randal Duran Amy Bastion Chen Lazare Annie Snow

6

Lazare raises his hands, and incants a couple of words in a similar language that The Cartesian had been using. A portal opens up near Snow, and she gets sucked into it...disappearing from view. "Enough of that. It'll take her long enough to get back here."

Chen catches sight of the detective out the corner of an eyes, "Detective Carpenter, stay back. If you get involved someone will have to stop fighting the opposition to protect you." she says. It's blunt, but true. At the same time she sends a fist shooting out to punch another of the demons.

The shadow demon which is struck fades out like the other that had been hit a couple of times physically.

The Cartesian looks over toward Lazare, but decides to deal with the immediate threat. He uses another arcane bolt on one of the shadows...

...and the shadow which is struck shreds and disappears, leaving but one menacing shadow remaining.

Bastion is always late to the party, even when he knows about it in advance. This time he just happened to be near the park when he heard the fracas start and decided it was his duty to investigate. Whoah. Eyes open wide and he blinks, "Wow. Magic. Like. Real magic." You'd think he'd believe in such stuff after countless heroes but seeing is believing. Either way he gets as close to the fray as he can upon his arrival.

Commercial-zoning is fun, and a shortcut through the park makes it quicker, also. Annie isn't scared of any cemeteries. They're always nice and quiet and "What the frack is going on here?!"

Grimm leans against a gravestone with one hand for some balance after having her life essence drained away. Her body may be left weak, but she's still able to channel darkness. "Your shadows are NOTHING compared to mine," she says darkly, though her breathing is labored. She's still surrounded by a black aura from which four ten meter long tentacles of inky blackness wave about menancingly. One whirls twice overhead to wind up before flinging out in a fast snapping motion at the last shadow, trying to slam it towards another mausoleum.

The shadow demon which is hit splays over the mausoleum it's thrown against, but it's still intact.

The shadow lunges back for Grimm, and reaches out touching its target. Energy leeches off of Grimm and into the shadow.

Grimm sinks further against the gravestone she's using for support, her tentacles fading out and her dark aura dimming to almost nothing. "What's...happening...?" she murmurs as she feels almost the last of her energy draining away, leaving her mostly human.

Amy tries to find something else to throw at the shadow. Oh! Those pretty pebbles she found earlier! She take them from her pocket and chucks them wildly at the shadow. (Those that miss happen to bounce of a gravestone and get it from behind anyway.)

The last shadow demon fades out as it's struck.

Detective Carpenter heard Chen's warning, but he's still not inclined to just sit this out. He moves forward a little bit, and aims his firearm at Lazare. After making sure the line of fire is clear, he takes the shot.

The bullet strikes Lazare in the shoulder, embedding itself in his jacket. But the target doesn't seem any worse for wear.

A purple portal opens up...and not one, but two beings tumble out of it, ending up standing on the ground of the cemetery. Snow is face to face with what can only be considered yet another demon.

Chaos Demon Mantis(#2714TOn)

A seven foot tall humanoid-ish Mantis with a white and grey mottle carapace.

Annie drops her bags when demons come tumbling out of nowheresville. "Crash! Demons to strife!" Did anyone expect her to react any differently? She closes on the disturbing disturbance, her own form rippling to resemble something like a demon... but worse: dark red-black chitin, tentacles sprouting from her shoulder blades, claws and teeth lengthening, darkening, and now dripping ichor. Demons? Pfft. She can totes pummel them at their own game!

Chen grins, "This is more like it." she says to herself as she moves across to face off with the new arrival via portal. "Interesting travel companion." she quips to Snow as she unleases a hard back fist strike at Mantis ugly.

The mantis leans back, avoiding the strike. It makes a chittering noise that seems to come from more than one direction at once, almost like physics applies differently.

Chen treads in a puddle of slippery something, demon slime maybe, just as she strikes, annd misses as her foot slips several inches sideways.

Lazare grimaces as Snow arrives again. "No! Why does nothing work as planned?!" He notes the horrible odds at this point, and he creates another portal. This time, he steps through it himself and he disappears.

Amy tried subtle against a mantis before, and it didn't works so well. So she just moves in a bit, picks up the first rock that she hurled at the shadow and throws it again at the mantis-demon.

There's a cracking sound as the rock hits the mantis and it tumbles backward, landing in a heap.

Bastion can do nothing but watch all the activity leaving shadows splashed on buildings, Grimm crumpling, and then there is a mantis demon getting flung all over. He breaks out into a full on run, trying to close the distance as fast as possible!

Snow arrives out of no where and there is this Mantis demon right in front of her. "That was not cool." she says, and then sees Lazare vanish, "I so owe him." she mutters and shakes her head a bit, "Lets try something a bit cooler then." she says and an icicle forms in her hand and she hurls it at the Mantis Demon.

The mantis is struck with the icicle...and it cracks in half, spilling out hundreds, no thousands of smaller bugs which skitter off in all directions.

Chen turns to take a look at each of the two new arrivals. "I hope you're on the side of the good guys." she tells Bastion. "I's hate to have to mess up someone as handsome as you." Thewn to Annie-Demon, Chen shifts to martial form and gives her the classic Bruce Lee 'come-on-then' wave of a hand, "Bring it on if you think you're tough enough!" is what Chen tells Annie.

The Cartesian doesn't seem inclined to warn. He pivots and after an incantation, another blue-hued arcane bolt leaps from his hands headed toward Annie.

Amy joins Cartesian in the assault on the remaining demon - going for a bad-luck curse, as generally handy in a several-to-one situation.

"Strife those de-" Annie the Better-Than-A-Demon starts to growl, but is stopped short by Chen's little come-hither. Before she can fully turn towards, she gets magic-zotted by the impatient Cartesian. Chitin is blasted and flesh is left with a smouldering crater in it as she is shoved back several meters to wind up on her big demonic derriere.

Bastion blinks in horror as Annie is blasted, "STOP!" He yells, "She's a shapeshifter on our side!"

Chen spots the human flesh where the chitin was blasted away. "What he said. Stop!" she yells and moves over to shield Annie with her own body.

Annie may have been surprised by the arcane blast, but her flesh is not so easy to trick. Air, water, vaccuum, broiling heat, freezing cold... it's pretty adaptable. This seems to include curses or clutziness, too.

Amy blinks. "Oh! Someone should have said!"

Amy says, "Oh! Or what if it's a shapeshifter pretending to be a shapeshifter pretending to be a demon! Maybe even a demon shapeshifter!"

The Cartesian's hands are still wreathed in blue flames. He looks to Bastion, "Are you sure?"

Chen protects Annie, looking down at her. "You've taken a pretty gad hit. Take it easy for a second or two. Can you regenerate? Oh, I'm Chen. I'm like you. I'm a shifter."

Bastion looks right at The Cartesian, "Sure enough that if you try and shoot her again you're going to end up in traction." He rumbles dangerously.

Annie shakes her blackened maw of teeth and blinks away the stars. The blasted portions of her flesh are already starting to repair and replenish. "What the..." the gravelly, scraping voice changes pitch as her body ripples and consolidates into Annie Annie, "..hell was that for?!" She may look way more scenic, but she still looks mad. To Chen, she snorts, "I'm dozy. Totes had my head lopped off last time. Still here."

The Cartesian looks directly at Bastion, "Then perhaps your friend should consider not appearing as one of the enemy in the middle of a firefight."

"I'm mega more scenic than those lame little bug demon things were..." Annie adds for Zappy Boy's benefit.

Detective Carpenter walks back to where the heroes are and holsters his pistol. "I almost shot her too. I didn't know who or what she was."

Amy says to Annie, "Sorry, you looked like a demon, I didn't mean to zap you!"

Chen smiles, "Been there. Got the blood drenched tee-shirt." She looks over to make sure Cartesian has dropped hostilities before offering Annie a hand to stand. "I didn't know there was another shifter in the city."

Snow shakes her head and sighs, "I really want to get rid of that guy." she murmurs and then looks around a it.

Bastion says, "Maybe you should have enough awareness to have, I don't know, /watched/ her shapeshift maybe? She clearly wasn't summoned by whoever that lamer was." He rumbles with a frown and a shake of his head, the little demon bugs now probably escaped as at least he's forgotten about them. Walking over towards Chen and Annie he crouches down next to the pair, "You ok Annie?"

The Cartesian shakes his hands, like he's getting rid of water. The flames around his hands go out. "Yeah, sorry. I'm sure it wasn't so chaotic that I should have noticed that the last remaining demon wasn't really a demon. Just like I'm sure you have an idea of exactly why we're here? I bet you do, since you're so observant." His voice is filled with sarcasm. He shakes his head and pulls out his compass again.

Carpenter steps in front of the Cartesian and speaks quietly, "Hey. They're basically kids compared to you. Cut them some slack."

Amy says, "Anyway it gets really confusing when there are shapeshifter or evil twins or clones or robots or holograms or stuff about!"

Snow stretches a little, "What is up here?"

The Cartesian nods to the detective and sighs quietly. He looks over to Snow and says, "We were in search of an artifact of great power. It is here in this cemetery someplace. The power of Chaos wanted it for their own ends. Hence the demons and Lazare, the Anarch, being here." He holds up his magnetic compass and it spins again several times before settling on pointing toward one of the mausoleums.

Chen looks over at Bastion, "Hi. I'm Chen. You know, uh, Annie, then?"

"I'm dozy, Bastion," Annie flashes the big mas a smile. She's already got the wind back in her sails and the rest will be all perfect again shortly." Annie looks to Chen. "Totes? How could you NOT know about me?!"

Amy says, "Hi I'm Amy, or Lady Luck, you can call me either, it's fine!"

Chen points out to Annie with a large grin, "Did you know about me?"

Chen(#2559PeACcF?)

Chen Li is pretty much indistinguishable from any other young Chinese girl. Maybe a little shorter and slimmer than the average even allowing for the smaller physical stature of those of Chinese descent. She wears casual clothes, jeans and teeshirts normally. Add a coat in cold weather. Her hair is the typical raven black like most Chinese girls, trimmed short. Her face is pretty rather than beautiful and usually animated and lively with unrepressed energy.

Amy(#2344PenACcF?)

Standing only 5'1" tall, this young woman is seldom without a smile on her cherubic face, and her the twinkle in eyes is echoed in the the dancing light motes which always surround her, shifting colours with her mood. She wears her chestnut hair swept back behind her ears, but she is always pushing it back again as it falls forward.

She's wearing a T-shirt with the caption "Feeling lucky, punk?" tucked into her jeans; both are tight over her distinctly feminine curves. On her feet are well-worn sneakers.

Annie(#2679PenACcF?)

Long legs, blonde hair, blue eyes. Not everyone notices her features in that order, but many do. She is only average height, but her limbs and athletic figure make her look an inch or two taller than she really is. For the summer, her skin is a light golden bronze: not pale, but not over-baked. Her posture, smile, and skin all exude youthful vigor and exuberance.

Her pale blonde hair falls nearly to her waist when it's down, and mid-back when in a usual high ponytail. Matching brows and light blue eyes both look even lighter against the tan, or make the tan look darker. Either way, it's a nice contrast.

For the season, she's usually dressed lightly. Shorts, tank, and sandals are very popular. A bikini with or without the shorts is great for around the beach and ocean. Whatever she wears, less is usually more. She has to keep up that tan somehow.

Bastion(#1342PenACcF?)

Standing at 8 feet tall (2.43 meters) Sebastian would stand out by height alone but add in his impressive physique, sun bronzed skin, platinum blond hair, and it's even worse. Then there is his classically handsome features, strong square jaw, wide expressive mouth with full lips, high forehead, and beautiful baby blues to seal the deal. If that wasn't enough there's just something special about him, a sense of presence, or power that goes beyond self-confidence. All of this together elevates him beyond the mere mortal.

He wears casual clothing, a black T-shirt that is tight across the shoulders and upper chest but loose around his tapering waist giving him a triangular shape overall. Comfortable worn in blue jeans have seen better days but they get the job done hugging his lower half in all the right ways. On his feet are a pair of white leather high-top basketball shoes.

This area is part of Colonial Bay City, but you wouldn't know it. Woodsy homes, set back away from the roads, are barely noticeable when passing by. Many of the driveways are still gravel or packed dirt. The rural feel of the area has been preserved with simple 2-lane roads cutting through the forested countryside. Various evergreens, birch and even some large oaks grow unfettered in this designated "green acres" section of town. The scattered houses blend into the natural setting, the muted wood tones and angular architecture hidden behind wooded lots. It's peaceful and serene, and wildlife appears to have taken refuge in this natural landscape.

Detective Carpenter(#861TOnp)

Detective Carpenter is a clean shaven young man with a crewcut, making him look like he might be ex-military. He's relatively muscular for a police officer, with the requisite tie and long trenchcoat.

Grimm(#2694POeACcF?)

A fair skinned young woman standing at 5' 6" with layered, textured long black hair. Shes wearing a half-buttoned up red flannel shirt with blue and dark red cross-lines on it, and an army green tank top underneath. Charcoal grey cargo capris end just below her knees, finished with ankle-high flat brown boots with a series of straps and buckles. The flannels sleeves are rolled up to her elbows.

On her right wrist is a black banded bracelet. A silver banded ring adorns each thumb. Her left eyebrow is pierced with a silver ring just past the arch. Her left ear has a helix piercing with a simple silver loop earring, with standard lobe piercings with black spiral hoop tribal earrings. Her eyes vary from blue to pitch black depending on her powers and mood. Dark eyeliner and eyeshadow shade her eyes, and her fingernails are painted a dark purple.

Cartesian(#992TOn)

An older bald man with paper-white skin. His facial features are gone, covered by a spell of disguise. His clothing consists of a black trenchcoat, white dress shirt, and black dress pants.

Grimm slowly draws herself up to a full stand as her powers return, feeling a rush of power that is...dangerously intoxicating. She's angrily cursed DEMON for leaving her changed by the power, but now that she has it, it's difficult to let it go. She closes her eyes and inhales deeply in a recovering sigh.

Bastion nods towards Chen, "Yeah we go to school together." He rumbles, "I'm Bastion." And then he offers Annie a hand up if she's not up already before he straightens to his full eight feet of height and looks over towards Cartesian, "Then I guess I woulda been only slightly wrong. Looked like a vendetta going way back to the point where you were so focused on dropping him you didn't realize Annie didn't look like shadows or mantis monster..." He looks around, "Where did all those bugs go anyways..." Amy also gets a smile and a wave afterwards before he goes to check on Grimm, "Hey, you ok?" He rumbles since Annie is clearly fine.

The Cartesian shrugs, "Because those are the only kinds of demons around? Chaos demons can look however they want. They choose to look as they do because of a comfort level. Many can shapeshift at will, using magic. That's especially true for the demons of Chaos, as their nature is constantly shifting and changing."

The bugs appear to be long gone, having scurried away.

Snow nods, "Is anymore assistance needed?"

Detective Carpenter nods to Snow, "Perhaps. Apparently this artifact needs recovering. Then it needs to be taken to Egypt."

Grimm nods once and slowly opens her eyes with a growing grin, darkness wreathing her in a protective envelope once more. "Much better, now that I don't have those shadows feeding off of me."

Chen nods to Bastion. "Colonial Heights? I used to attend there myself back a few years. In case everyone else forgets, let me thank you two for coming to help out."

The Cartesian paces around the mausoleum, making sure it's the right one. "This is it." He says a quiet prayer, asking for forgiveness. He then speaks another incantation and a blue-ish portal opens in the wall of the mausoleum. He reaches through it, and he pulls out a amulet. The portal closes immediately thereafter. There is a tension in the air when it's brought out into the light, even though the skies are dark, somewhat like getting hit with a jolt of electricity.

Grimm looks over to the Cartesian. "Though...the artifact. Safety of reality and all that. Let's go take care of this," she says as she strides over to the Cartesian and Detective Carpenter. "Nice shooting," she turns a smile and a flirtatious sounding compliment Carpenter's way, then turns her attention to the amulet.

Detective Carpenter smiles, "Well, it didn't do much good in the end. But thank you."

Amy says, "Who makes all this powerful stuff everyone wants to steal anyway?"

Chen says to Annie and Bastion, "Yeah. Let's go over and see what all the fuss is about." and suiting actions to words she cross to the amulet holding group.

Amy also joins the group.

"Yeah." Bastion says to Chen, "I'm a senior there." Then there is the artifact that draws his attention as well and he nods in agreement. Walking over towards Cartesian and the artifact he asks, "Well, if the stories are true, it'd be like, Gifts from the Gods, or powerful wizards. Maybe faerie lords or whatever, genie's maybe?"

The Cartesian shivers a little bit, "If we destroy this, there will be a cost." He looks at it for a long moment. "We don't know who created this one. One theory is that it was Ramses the second. Another theory is that it was Marduk himself."

Amy says, "Huh, what kind of cost?"

The Cartesian looks to Amy, "One that won't need to be paid by you. I'll have to bear the brunt of it."

Chen puts out a hand, "May I?" she asks.

Bastion asks, "What would it take to destroy it and why do you want to? Can't it be used for good?"

Amy says, "Maybe I could help with - hey, what is a brunt anyway?"

Grimm casts a glance at Amy. "Usually people who want a new toy to get them more power?" she says with some resentment, but it's not aimed at Amy per se. More to those who create such items. "That far back...? Why did they want something like this? To help rule and bring order?"

Chen reaches out and takes the amulet unless anyone objects.

The Cartesian keeps a hold of the chain of the amulet, but he places the main portion of it in Chen's hand.

The Cartesian chuckles quietly at Amy's comment, though he sounds melancholy, "'Brunt' means that I would have to pay it. I have been ordered to use this item by my superiors. But to do so could mean an equally bad result for the people on this planet. So, I am ignoring those orders and I have decided to destroy it instead. There's always a consequence for ignoring orders. Always."

The amulet feels cool to the touch in Chen's hand. And then warm. And then cold again. It causes images of violence to appear in her head, trying to make her lash out randomly. But she's able to resist its call.

Chen's flesh flows around and over the main part of the amulet. "I'll keep it safe until you all decide what to do with it. I'm not from Chaos or Order." she looks at Cartesian. "I don't have a dog in this fight except to keep the world safe. Since I live on this world I do have an interest in doing that."

The Cartesian sighs, looking at Chen, "I'm also the only one who can destroy it. But your lack of trust is clear." He lets go of the chain, "I pray your will is strong enough."

Grimm's look of surprise at the Cartesian's words are two-fold. That he had concealed his orders, and that he's willing to disobey them. "So all this time, the talk of freezing the world in place as is in complete unchange, and you were under orders to use it?" She turns her look to Chen. "It should be destroyed. It doesn't do any good to people on this planet. It'll either freeze everyone in stasis forever, or mutate and melt reality. It's a danger to this whole dimension. Who knows, it could risk bleeding into others as well! Why leave something like that around to tempt them?"

Chen says, "When you're ready and able to destroy it I have return it to you, Cartesian. Until then this is the safest place. Safer than a bank vault of anywhere else you can think of."

The Cartesian nods to Grimm, "That's what my superiors want, yes. To freeze the world...and make entropy stop entirely." He shakes his head as Chen speaks, "You're mistaken. But you will learn in due time, I think. As I said, I hope you are strong-willed."

Grimm puts her hands on her hips. "Don't you get it? He's already going to pay the price from his superiors for not using it and giving it to you. He may as well do some good with that and keep the world safe once and for all from the Ataxianate." She doesn't seem to trust Chen's intentions, having no idea who she is. "Sorry if I don't take your word that you're the safest place in the world."

Chen tells Grimm, "All I intend to do is keep it safe until it can be destroyed. You don't think Chaos is going to give up, do you? Or that Order might decide, even if Cartestian doesn't, to make any effort to get their hands on it?

Bastion frowns, "So... no ideas how to destroy it then? I don't know if that's a good idea Chen. We should destroy it right now. Lets go throw it in a volcano, or toss it into a star, or whatever it takes to break the thing. Heck. I'll even try. I'm pretty strong."

Detective Carpenter shakes his head and says to Bastion, "Apparently it requires a ritual that needs to be performed where it was made, in Egypt."

Chen nods, "Fine. Let go do it."

Amy says, "Yeah!"

Grimm replies to Chen, "I don't think they'll ever give up. They have all the time in the world to hunt it down. That's WHY it needs to be destroyed. Chaos or Order; neither should have it."

Chen's face changes. For a few moments it's like she's trying to take on the facial features of dozens of people all at the same time. "I... Uh... It's probably a good idea to hurry." she says a bit worriedly.

Bastion shudders, "That was creepy, maybe you should let go of it and we can just like, put it in a super unbreakable briefcase till we get it to where we need to get it to."

Grimm nods at the mention of a trip to Egypt, cracking her knuckles and rolling her neck. "Now that, we can do. I think. My aim may be...a little off," she grins mischievously.