Log:Portraits of Power, Scene 4

Portraits of Power 2008/03/30 	 Blue Angel Ellbeth Halcyon Kagura Sumegami HMP 4

Ellbeth wrinkles her nose at the noxious odor. "How uncivilized. Now that was the delaying action. The real performance is occuring beneath our feet."

There was a reason why Halcyon was nowhere to be seen during the fight with the demon. Just as he revealed himself for what he truly was, she decided not to be near that anymore. She hid, stepping through shadows into the basement. She has not emerged since, not sure how long it would take for the group of heroes to stop such a thing and having little in the way of methods to figure it out for herself without actually going back up there.

HMP comes running finding nothing out the norm for this place. She jogged over to the group and looks over at the rest, "did I miss anything?"

Ellbeth says, "Priestess, check out the pantry on the west side of this house." She's looking at her laptop, "According to the geological survey that's the closest to the caven."

Kagura Sumegami heads towards the pantry, looking about for any signs of magic.

Ellbeth looks up and around, "Where's young Halcyon?"

Since there was no basement, it would seem that Halcyon found the pantry. Out of concern that the food might also turn into something ugly and scary, she does not try to eat any of it.

HMP looks around and shrugs, "I have no idea" she about to call to her but stops remembering that Halcyon would not hear it so she does not bother.

Ellbeth frowns. "She could be in trouble. She can't call for help. Call me if you or the Priestess find the entrance to the underground. I'm going to search for Halcyon."

There's nothing out of the ordinary in the pantry. The floor is cement, instead of the wood floorboards that are present elsewhere in the home, however.

HMP nods and looks around, "shit where is she?" she follows between the two her hand on her her sword ready if attacked.

Seeing Kagura enter the pantry on her own volition, Halcyon makes her appearance, waving to her. She looks halfway apologetic and halfway relieved.

Ellbeth thinks the young Halcyon will have either gone outside or hidden inside. She be invisible too. So all she has to do is be seen so Halcyon knows the fighting is over for now. With that thought in mind she steps outside and circles the house.

Kagura Sumegami looks at the pantry. "Hmmmmm...." she says, as she detects no magic, but sees the cement floor. She proceeds to try jumping up and down repeatedly on the cement floor.

The floor is as solid as it appears.

Halcyon creates words out of shadow on the cement floor, 'What are you looking for?'

HMP smiles behind her mask and walks over Halcyon and strokes her cheek show she happy to see her since she does not want to retract the bottom of her helmet in unfriendly area.

Kagura Sumegami jumps up and down like an idiot. "... ummm... uhhh... exercise." She eventually stops jumping and straightens up her hair a bit. "Pantry seems clear."

HMP leans against the wall and folds her arms, "what are we looking for again and why are we looking in a pantry?"

Ellbeth returns inside the house still looking for Halcyon. "Has anyone seen Halcyon?" she calls out on her way towards the stairs.

Halcyon exits the pantry with Kagura, puzzled.

A transparent figure, dressed in red robes that flow to the floor rises through the floor of the pantry. It remains semi-transparent, but in plain view of the people who are in or who have just left the pantry. It's Broome, again.

Halcyon hides behind Princess, going invisible. Her first few outings with the real heroes seem to be going a little unwell...

"Kagura Sumegami..." Broome says. "I hadn't expected to have to deal with you quite so soon. Allow me to give you a proper welcome to Colonial Bay. I suspect that I'm just the sort of person that you've come here to eliminate."

HMP first instinct is to pull out her long sword, "don't tell me we are fighting spirits!?" She takes a ready stance and stay between Broome and Halcyon. She does not attack not knowing if she can hit him.

Ellbeth goes through to the kitchen and thus into sight and hearing range of the pantry. "Interesting... The real Mr Broome at a guess?" she says to the apparition.

Broome looks towards HMP. "Hmm. You're that /other/ crazy sword-wielding woman."

Halcyon emerges, while invisible. Her presence is barely noticable by Princess, being right beside her.

Kagura Sumegami pulls out another ofuda from her sleeve and looks at Broome with cold eyes. "I will send your soul to where it belongs, demon!"

"And Dr. Ellbeth Wyrd..." Broome says. "It's nice to finally meet you in person. I'd like to say that I'm rather impressed..."

HMP blinks behind her mask and tilts her head, "other crazy sword-wielding woman?" She almost ask who the other is but instead she replies, "If I was I would of attacked already. You have not done anything to show you will attack. So far that is."

"I'd hoped that the Dungeon Master would have finished you for me, Wyrd." Broome says. "But it seems like his style was more extravagant than effective. Still, he served his purpose -- he occupied you long enough for me to retrieve the painting that Peregrine had sent to you."

Ellbeth smiles coldly, "Much as I'd like to stop and chat I'm afraid I have a rather pressing engagement to attend to. You do understand I assume."

Halcyon watches with puzzlement, getting what she can of the monologous spelling out of planning.

Broome answers Kagura, "I'm not a demon. I'm just a man. More ambitious than most, but still just a man."

Broome says, "You're a bit early, Dr. Wyrd. But if you're behaved, I might let you stand witness to the dawning of a new age of man."

Ellbeth ponders for a few seconds. "Projection or spirit form? I wonder. Still, there's a simple way to find out. I'd like to assure you this will hurt you far more than it hurts me. But I don't mind a bit." She follows up her short speech with a Spirit Strike spell.

Broome braces himself for the attack and descends through the floor, vanishing from sight.

HMP shakes her head, "you think we will just stand around and let you do that ghost boy?"

Ellbeth looks with interest at the floor of the pantry. "So how thick is that? Can anyone bore a hole through that concrete?"

Ellbeth bends down to place her hand against the surface of the floor.

Halcyon makes words appear on the concrete: 'maybe can pass through shadow past it' She becomes visible too.

Kagura Sumegami ponders. "I wonder if that concrete floor was always a concrete floor..." She then begins to chant in Japanese, swinging the ofuda between her fingers all about, before throwing it at the cement floor.

HMP looks for the stone floor and frowns, "Let me guest we have to get through that?"

Ellbeth stands "That's a substantial floor. Almost six feet thick." She smiles and starts casting another spell.

Halcyon vanishes again, stepping into a shadow.

HMP nods, "I not sure even I can break the that" She sighs and thinks and looks for a way to get down there.

Kagura Sumegami hops thru the gate, her hawk perched on her right shoulder as she does so.

Halcyon looks a bit creeped out by the presence of the paintings, since she has heard something about them being summoners of bad things. She remains behind one of the spotlights, careful to avoid actually touching it to give away her location.

Ellbeth completes the spell and the surface of the concrete shimmers and rolls away making a tunnel through the floor to the chamber below. "I modelled this on the magic wall in one of the old Harry Potter films." she says to nobody in particular.

HMP sees the gate open and walks over to it, "Near trick I forgot that you can do this. It a lot better then my idea." She places her sword back on her back not out of feel safe more so she does not stab anyone on the other side. She takes a deep breath and steps thought the portal.

Beneath the Broome home there is a natural cavern nearly 15" in diameter. The far end opens into the face of the bluff and a 8" drop to the water below. The smell of ocean air and sound of the tide enter the cave through this opening. The cave looks as if someone has moved into it. Spotlights are set up around the room, providing light.

In the center of the room, someone has carved and ornate diagram in the floor. It's a pentagram, with words in Latin inscribed in a ring around the star. At the five points of the diagram, the five paintings sit on easels.

At present, the entire pentagram sits beneath a protective force bubble.

Broome is present, outside the force bubble that protects the pentagram. He's not alone however -- four robed wizards are also here, and they seem prepared to fight.

The wizards are group of humans dressed in robes similar to Broome's except of different colors: White, Black, Gold, Blue. Three of them are male, one female.

Broome shouts. "Order of the Red Key... Attack!"

HMP pulls out her sword and smiles, "well look at this" She turn on her scanner which she keep to a heavy metal station. The music blast in her ears. She chariest at the nearest wizard forward sword raised.

Ellbeth winces at the sound of full-on heavy metal rock.

The Gold Wizards gestures with deft flick of his wrist. And energy field flashes as is deflects HMP

The Gold Wizards gestures with deft flick of his wrist. And energy field flashes as is deflects HMP's dead-on strike into a glancing blow. He's still knocks down from the force of the attack, however.

Kagura Sumegami pulls out a paper ofuda from her sleeve and begins to chant, waving the ofuda about between her fingers. She then throws the ofuda at the female wizard in black robes.

Blue Angel sets her sights on the White Wizard and fires an energy beam from the palm of her hand.

Her blast misses, impacting against the cavern wall.

Broome curls his hand into a fist, and as he squeezes, his hand bursts into flames. "You may have prevented me from performing the summoning ritual, but I've had just enough time for one other ploy. I've been granted the boon over power from none other than Lucifer Lightbringer himself!" He levels his hand at Kagura and throws a ball of fire at her. When the fireball hits the cavern floor, it explodes!

Ellbeth is tumbled backwards off her feet by the explosion.

Blue Angel is blasted from her feet as well.

Kagura Sumegami is found lying on the ground unconscioous after the explosion, smoke rising from her Shinto robes.

Ellbeth keeps her mage shield active as she Shift spell's herself across to the edge of the force wall around the paintings. On the other side of the bubble to the mages. First she strokes the force wall and then she knocks on it with a knuckle while looking at it carefully.

The White Wizards gestures towards HMP and a gust of wind threatens to sweep her off her feet.

The wall of wind buffets against HMP harmlessly.

The Blue wizard raises his fist in the air, and as he does, giant pillar of water rises up from the ocean. He then points towards Blue Angel, sending a plume of sea water towards her.

Blue Angel gets caught by surprise by the attack, but mostly just ends up wet.

The Gold Wizard climbs up after getting hit by HMP's attack. He shouts out something in Latin. The ground rumbles as a giant sharpened stalagmite erupts from the ground and tries to stab HMP.

The Black Wizard holds, trying to figure out how to escape the ofuda.

HMP Gets hit by the shards and gets knocked back some and falls to one knee. She curse under her breath.

Seeing the wizards have their ability to make magic happen but probably like Ellbeth require sound to do it, Halcyon blankets their location in stillness. Nothing can be heard by them, and nothing is heard from them.

Seeing the wizards have their ability to make magic happen but probably like Ellbeth require sound to do it, Halcyon blankets their location in stillness. Nothing can be heard by them, and nothing is heard from them.

Kagura Sumegami slowly gets up off the ground, having been cooked just moments ago. She pulls out another ofuda and begins to chant in Japanese, waving the paper talisman all about. She then throws the ofuda as it glows and disappears, her finger pointed towards the female wizard she entangled earlier.

The Black Wizard doesn't seem affected by the latest attack.

Skysabre enters from Universal TransMat.

HMP Stands up from the last attack from the gold wizard. She taps her helmet as her head set goes out. She frowns behind her helmet. She raise her sword and takes aim at golden wizard. She chariest forward again and brings down her sword hard.

HMP's attack batters past the Gold Wizard's defenses. He drops to the ground, unconscious.

Blue Angel says with a laugh in her voice. "You thought that would take me out? As if." She targets the Blue Wizard with an energy bolt.

The blast strikes a energy field that protects the Blue Wizard. The man stumbles backwards and falls to the ground.

Broome turns and levels his gaze at Halcyon. He puts his hands together and unleashes a torrent of fire at her.

No sound emits as the blast strikes Halcyon, nor when the girl hits the wall. She looks alright, and surprised.

Ellbeth waits for the mages to act before committing herself.

The White Wizard drags a dagger from beneath his robes. He leaps to try and attack HMP from behind.

The Blue Wizard stands looks towards Halycon. He begins charging towards her.

Halcyon looks for cover, not wanting to be struck by that again.

HMP sees the dagger comes to her and side steps it quickly

Ellbeth begins casting a spell. Or so it seems although she's in the silence field. She face is set and stance braced as tendrils of fire start flickering at her fingertips.

Kagura Sumegami closes her eyes and prays.

Ellbeth completes her spell and releases a torrent of flame as incandescent and furiously hot as any dragon's breath. The force wall collapses under the surge of fire and a painting chars and bursts into bright flame. Ellbeth smiles, lifts her hand and blows out the last lingering flickers of flame at her fingertips.

Broome spins around, horrified.

The smoking remains of the painting clatter to the ground. The glowing ebmer sit on the ground, forming a curious ring of debris. The center of the ring darkens and it seems possible to see past the ring, through the floor.

Ellbeth mouths to herself, "Uh... oops?"

Halcyon watches too, still focused on keeping the area silenced.

HMP Looks over at the panting and almost laughs at the sight since she was the one who said they should just burn it right off the bat. She looks at Broome, "you lost just give up and we will not have to harm you"

The smoke rising from the remains of the painting stops rising. Instead it's sucked downward and disappears into hole formed by the debris.

Kagura Sumegami fears that something very evil, very dangerous is on the other side of that hole... so obviously, she has to go there. She runs to the hole and proceeds to try to squeeze her way thru.

Upon seeing the painting destroyed, Broome and the Wizards begin to flee. Broome flies for the cave opening that faces the ocean. The Wizards start running on foot for the opening.

Ellbeth thinks. o O (So... do they know something we don't. Or are they running from us now their plan is all burnt to a crisp?)

Ellbeth moves quickly over to Halcyon and asks, whether silenced or not, "Have you been hurt?"

Kagura Sumegami sticks her head in front of the hole and says, "THAT does not look pleasant down there...."

Halcyon shakes her head, standing up without trouble.

HMP looks at the hole the then villains escaping, "damn. What now?"

Ellbeth shrugs, "We tidy up, declare victory and go home." She uses a Invisible Hands spell to brush the remains of the painting down into the hole without having to touch it.

Kagura Sumegami looks up from the hole, her hair turning white. "This hole is very bad... very bad...."

One of the paintings falls over by itself, pulled over by the increasing suction of the hole. It's simple work to sweep the other paintings inside.

Kagura Sumegami collapses unconscious moments after looking up from the hole.

With the final painting swept down the hole, it closes.

Editor's Note

The heroes round up the wizards, but Broome escapes.