ic Visitors? Visitors! (IC)

[Cool Homosapien]

Windleaf rejoiced. She was in her element. Nature. The dead zone of the towers cut her off from this fertile, lush, cold place. It still felt much better than the urban jungle. She danced from tree to tree. At first it was joyous, but her happiness faded as she touched each tree. She looked worried. Scared. Like she was in the wrong place. Like a stranger still. "This land's spirits," she shouted suddenly grabbing her head and falling to her knees. "They're not... They don't..." Her frustration turned to silence.

 

She put her face to the ground before pulling herself up to a cross-legged sitting position. Her face covered in a mask of slush and dirt. "I'm not of this world," she said monotone, "this land rejects me. Says I'm unnatural." She looked up to Warp, "you know, I'm the reason we're here? Not you and me. Us. The Squires of Avalon. Well, besides the raiser of the undead." She picked up a clump of land, bathing her forearms in it. "The raiser of the undead chose this place. Because I would be useless here. Didn't he?" She shrieked, "didn't he?!" She picked herself off and vaulted off into the forest.

Edited January 3, 2018 by Cool Homosapien

[Cool Homosapien]

Hysti had no idea where Maine was, but reading Shrike's mind, she knew exactly where to go. The two disappeared from the bench and appeared in the cabin. Shrike felt something roiling as they traveled. Like every bit of her being was saturated in chaos. There was a bit of wooziness after the trip. Even though Hysti was an adept of chaos magic, even she felt it. The two held on to each other until the buzz subsided.

 

Hysti looked to Shrike, "this is cozy and confined enough." She smiled, raising her left hand, she splayed her fingers for Shrike to see. There were six fingers. One between her ring and middle finger, "I am a child of chaos. I was once like you. Relying on trinkets and such." She giggled, "I still rely on them, but that's the besides the point." Stepping in to Shrike's personal space, she touched her cheek, pulling back the hat from her outfit, "if you were to apprentice to me, I could teach you such things. Let's start with the basics."

 

For the next couple of carnal hours, Hysti gave Shrike what she promised. Lessons about hand gestures, tongue loosening, the right force to use such. And other such innuendo. By the time she was done, Shrike was tired out and Hysti was still, well, she had time to mess with Shrike's gadgets. True to her word, Hysti covered Shrike in her silken robe.

Edited January 3, 2018 by Cool Homosapien

[Cool Homosapien]

Barron was not amused. There was hardly anything worth taking around here. Well, maybe the food. The little man swiped from each plate when people weren't looking. None of this green paper would fly on his world. Maybe the coin? Still, there were little gadgets that people seemed to gaze at longingly as they ate. Made it easy to steal their food. He had to get his hands on one of those. But the people seemed to keep their eyes on them all the time. He pulled the gadget he swiped from that girl back there and touched it. He didn't read the language, but he would find out how to use this thing!

 

Gorth nodded. "Meat, cooked meat. Best meal." He looked to Murk, "I hunt. Not in town. Hunting in plains. Best hunt. Elf does forest. Likes animals. Easy kills." He looked over to his ax, "brought me many kills. Animal and monster." He looked to Murk again, "will bring down the wizard."

[Supercape]

Mr. Murk [At restaurant]

 

Mr. Murk considered the words and essence of Gorth, reminding him of times ancient. 

 

"I remember. The hunt, the kill. The plains of Africa, the warmth of the fire and the sound of crackling fat. The flavours were brutal like the times, devoid of all complexities. But, ah! you feel the purity, do you not? The simplicity of the ritual, uncomplicated and direct to the soul. Yes, Gorth...I feel that ax in your hand, I feel that shudder as it cleaves, that moment of lust and rage and everything in between!"

 

Then, he sat back, smiling. 

 

"But the world is more complex than those moments, and those rituals and seconds must weave with the world, rather than shield against it. I think the tapestry is different, here. The map has changed, and I understand the instinct to grasp your map tighter, I do" he said. 

 

"Now, tell me about this wizard of yours. What sorcery does he wield, and....here is the depth behind the surface...why does he do so?"

[Curious Key]

Warp felt immediately better when she passed through her portal. She let go on Windleaf's hand, stepped back and took some steady breathing. There were still tons of sounds in Wharton and that wasn't exactly amazing, but at the very least there weren't as many people and there wasn't any real pressure. She could take a moment to find her bearings while Windleaf hugged the trees or whatever it was she needed to do to get in touch with nature. Then, Warp could talk to her, try to make her understand not to murder people, because she trusted Barron about as far as she could throw him. But if she had Windleaf at her back, maybe they'd have more leverage.

 

...But apparently it wasn't going to be that easy. She shouted something about being 'unnatural' and 'rejected by the world' and started running.  "...Figures." Warp sighed and ran her hand through her hair. The world wouldn't even let her have this one thing!

 

Someone had to keep track of the runaway druid to make sure she didn't get into too much trouble. She wasn't slow, exactly, but compared to Warp Windleaf might have been standing still. Warp tried not to rub it in Windleaf's face, staying just a little behind the druid at all times as they warped from spot to spot, waiting for the interdimensional interloper to calm down or tire out, whichever came first.

[Heritage]

Gretchen sighed; she was going to be in sooooo much trouble with her girlfriend, especially after all the s### she'd given Lynn after she'd slept with Moira last March. Tentatively she reopened their mental connection.

 

- Hey. -

 

- There you are! Where the f### were you, I've been worried sick! I've been scanning every piece of me in a two hundred mile radius for the last two hours, and there was no sign of you anywhere! Are you okay? -

 

- I've, uh...I've  been bad. -

 

- Oh God. Is anyone dead? I'm from Jersey, I know where to hide a stiff. - 

 

- No, nothing like that, it's, uh...we met this...I met this witch, and- -

 

- Oh God, the 'hot chick'. Did she put the whammy on you? - 

 

- Maybe? I don't know. We...-

 

- You had sexytimes, and now you feel like s###, is that it? - 

- Uh...yeah, actually, uh...are you mad? -

 

- Well, sure I'm mad, but mostly because I was worried sick you were lying face down in a ditch somewhere, when you were actually having...y'know! But I also know hard it can be to resist that kind of thing. The important thing is, did she make you do anything you wouldn't normally do? Because if so, she's going to wake up screaming some day soon. - 

 

- No, no, nothing like that. Also, we're...working on a case. With Queenie, Warp and some other people -

 

- Well, be careful out there. And if that witch tries to pull any more s###, let her know I'll rip her lungs out, okay? And keep this channel open. -

 

- Will do. And...thanks.-

 

- I love you, too. - 

 

Suddenly her eyes opened, and Gretchen sat up and turned to the witch. "We need to stop f###ing around. Where do we find this wizard?"

Edited January 5, 2018 by Heritage

[Cool Homosapien]

Gorth listened to Murk's tales of hunting 'the old ways'. He enjoyed the simpler life. These iron towers did not bother him like they did Windleaf, but Gorth prefered nature to the clatter of civilization. He too told staries of brutal hunts as the food and drink came to the table. While Murk's hunts happened ages ago, Gorth's happened a few days ago. The lion he wore as a loin coth was a hunt that happened just this season. The beast was no normal sized lion. It was monstrous, but Gorth was much more savage than the beast. Of course it was enchanted shortly after it was finished. It protected him finer than any steel, made him faster, kept him warm in the cold and cool in the heat, and had a spacious room for storing things.

 

Gorth shook his head when Murk mentioned the less savage, more civilized world they were in. "I know. If had chance, take you back. Show you true way again." He woofed through his fifth helping of whatever was brought to him. Being half-giant, it took a lot more to feel him. And the drinks were fizzy, which he liked, but had no kick to them. Still, he thanked the serving girls, complimenting them on their service while leering at the prettier one. But all of that stopped when Murk asked about the wizard. Gorth's jovial attitude soured back into gruffness. "Takes bodies of the fallen. Twists them. Makes them his undying slaves. Hysti, Windleaf says he takes soul. Uses it to control." He reached into the mouth of the lion and pulled out the same bounty poster Barron showed earlier. "Tried to take our world for undead domain. Failed. Now hunts for other worlds to corrupt. He's here. Somewhere."

 

Barron had found a way into Warp's tablet. There were puzzles to unlock gold. But the damn thing didn't cough up the gold when his expert fingers slashed through the fruit. Maybe this thing could be turned in for a reward of gold?

[Cool Homosapien]

Windleaf seemed tireless, running for an hour tops. Warp, however, easily followed the trail. Windleaf's sadness turned to angry yelling after a while. She went from caressing the trees to hitting them with force enough to shake the weaker ones and bloody her soil covered knuckles on the thicker ones. She stopped only after she tripped over an unseen rock formation. Warp knew that Windleaf could keep going. But she'd just stopped, sitting on the rock she tripped over. She pulled up the hem of her dress and rubbed her calves.

 

"I-It's no use," she said with a whimper, "I'm no use. Why do you follow me? Leave me to rot here in this alien forest." She looked up to Warp, seeing she was not going to leave. Standing up in anger, she turned into an owl human hybrid with wings on top of her arms and an owl head. She screeched at Warp something terrible, but Warp could tell it was all show. the owlbeast woman turned away, returning to her normal form and looking to the sky. "I'm trapped here. I know it. We're going to meet the soultwister and I'm going to assume my owlbeast form and," she stopped herself, "not do anything. Can't do anything." She turned to Warp one more time, "Do you know how long they'll last without my ability to call upon the spirits of healing and protection? Going in their naked would be just as useful." She stopped, and let it all sink in. "I'm going to get us killed," she said sadness overcoming her again, as she sat on the rock.

[Cool Homosapien]

Hysti had been playing around with the helmet and the cloak. She wasn't able to get to the ring. The two items were more than enough though. The spells cast on them were very VERY strong. But the chaos tempered them for her mind. She could use them, if only for a little while.  The items were unaffected by the Hysti's insights.

 

Hysti was not startled by Gretchen's sudden jump. The magic she learned from the helmet warned her of incoming danger. So she was ready for it. The helmet, the cloak, and Shrike's costume were strewn over the bed's side table. Hysti was wearing a white silk gown. "That robe," she smiled at her garment on Shrike, "it looks good on you." She stared for a quiet moment breaking the silence suddenly after noticing Shrike had asked a question, "that's the answer we all want to know, apprentice. The necromancer takes the bodies of the fallen. He takes their soul. He turns them into his undying slaves."

 

Hysti placed her hand on Shrike's lips, shushing her response, "but he's walked into his own death trap. When he dies and tries to return? He won't be able. His hubris in coming to this world. We're going to kill him here. Put an end to his reign of terror." She pulled closer to Shrike, "and when he dies, I will drain every last bit of his magic and the souls he possesses. And you, my apprentice, will reap the benefits of my ascension."

[Heritage]

Gretchen didn't say anything for a while,  but then she finally shook her head and smiled her little half-smile. "Wow. It really is about the power for you. What will you do once you have his power? Will there ever be enough power for you?"

 

Meanwhile she fired off a mental message to her lover.

 

- I need you to text something to Queenie. -

 

- Go for it, I've got pencil and paper. - 

 

- - -

 

A few moments later, the heroic restaurantuer received a troubling set of texts from her friend Lynn Epstein.

 

Quote

Hey Q its lynn. Got intel from G, she says wichy poo def wants to kill yur target

 

Quote

Wants to take his power and soul for hersrlf,  def cannt be trusted, may be nuts

 

Quote

Shes in cabin in maine wiyh her, will be bavk soon. Doesnt think shes in trouble yet, but may need help. Love lynn

 

[EternalPhoenix]

Queenie was back to Maybelle McQueen, master chef. And Maybelle in and out of the kitchen trying to keep up with Gorth’s vast appetite. For this round, she had grilled some steak to medium well and tossed in a bowl of today’s soup special (cream of potato, mmm). She didn’t carry her phone when she was cooking, but on the way out (with plates suspended via the Ring’s power) she checked her messages. Well. That was just super. So this was ending with blasting, after all. Still, that didn’t mean the other three were evil. She places the plates on the table. “Murk? Look at this.” She showed him Grim’s messages. “Can you keep an eye on these two if I need to leave, suddenly?” Then she tapped out a reply.

 

Quote

You know me, Lynn. Someone calls for help, I’ll come a-runnin’

 

Quote

But I'll keep that in mind. This could be a messy one.

 

Ugh, and Warp (and the…druid, Maybelle guessed?) were…probably late. Well, one thing at a time.

[Supercape]

Mr. Murk

"

Quote

"Murk? Look at this"

 

"It may have escaped your attention, but I am blind" he said, bluntly but kindly. 

 

Quote

“Can you keep an eye on these two if I need to leave, suddenly?”

 

"Ill certainly keep my eyes on them" he chortled. "Although I can't say that will achieve much, since I am blind..."

 

He actually burst out laughing at the situation. 

 

"No. Seriously. I cannot read, but I sense the souls of these two perfectly well" he explained, pointing directly at the two anachronistic bounty hunters. "And if you need to leave suddenly, then please do so. As long as you supply us with the finest food and wine known to man. No reason we can't dine and wine whilst we wait, hmm?" he asked, politely and warmly. "Even if it isn't freshly roasted and killed"

 

He turned his blind eyes back to Gorth"

 

Quote

"Takes bodies of the fallen. Twists them. Makes them his undying slaves"

 

"That is concerning. There must rest for the dead. We must indeed stop him" he agreed. "On that we agree..."

[Curious Key]

Went Windleaf finally stopped and started throwing her little tantrum, Warp was plainly seething. Of the powers she'd chanced into, she'd never gotten super stamina. "Are you done?"

 

"I swear, I wish Arcturus could see this." Warp's scowled, dragging the nails of her right hand across her face. Marcus was a werebear with anger issues, but he had his pulse on the whole 'balance of the world' thing. And he'd the smarts to be prepared for if he couldn't just bear up and throw a car at something. "I don't know if he'd be laughing at you or trying to pretend he couldn't see you."

 

"You know what? You're not doing nothing. You're already doing something." She crossed her arms. Warp wanted nothing more than to tell Windleaf how overblown the 'heroes' from her stupid backwoods universe were, but she wouldn't listen.  "While everyone is talking strategy, we're out here. I'm chasing you around, so that when you finally get over yourself we can go back. Instead of telling them your problems, you're running around. I could be coasting the city, the world, looking around. but instead I'm babysitting you. Congratulations," she spat. "You've done more to help this stupid necrodancer just by smashing around. Even if you were your party's only hope, you'd have just been making it worse."

 

"If this all Heroes are good for in your world, I might as well ship you home right now. Because I can probably work that up for you. It's either that, or we go to Queenie's and plan with what we got? Because whatever this is?" Warp gestured at Windleaf. "Nothing'd be an improvement."

[EternalPhoenix]

Maybelle looked at Murk, really looked at him. And blushed ferociously. “I’m so, so sorry. I actually hadn’t noticed.” Really, she genuinely hadn’t. She wasn’t the type to take stock in appearances. And her attention had been on the otherworld travelers. “Well…it is just a basic warning from a friend of mine. I may have to leave suddenly.” She leaned in and whispered, only for Murk’s (hopefully sensitive) ears. “I may to go rescue Shrike from their magician friend. She wants the wizard’s power and isn’t sounding entirely sane about it.” She straightened up. “So, how’s everyone enjoying this round?”

[Supercape]

Mr. Murk

 

Mr. Murk smiled. "Do not fret, at least not unduly" he said. "I see with my heart, not my eyes".  

 

He leaned forward to whisper. "Do as thou must. I am not sure I could contain these fellows, if I need to, at least not with my fists or strength. But with words, perhaps" he explained. "And I dare say that words and passion will be the war on this day, more so that axes and spears". 

 

He leaned back again. "The food smells most wonderful. I look forward to tasting it. For me, I have the palate for old world wine, ah! yes, the south bank grape, fermented, rich, complex and old" he mused, the addressing Gorth. "Have you tasted such marvels? better than ale. Like earth and fruit on your tongue all at once!"

 

"*Perhaps you speak French?*" he asked Queenie, hoping there might be a suitably cryptic language that they could converse in free from understanding ears. Well, she was a cook...

[Cool Homosapien]

Shrike

Hysti looked confused and surprised. Like the thought Shrike put forth was anathema. "Is it this world that has no ambition or is it you?" She stood up and looked down to Shrike, her hands gesturing gesturing quickly, "power is the only thing that keeps us alive. Power is the only thing that will keep anyone alive." She put her hands down in front of Shrike, palms up, splayed in an arcane way. An eye appeared in both hands. "Take my left hand and I'll show you true power. Give you some of mine. Take my right hand and I'll show you where you started... after i take my robe."

 

Warp

Windleaf looked up at Warp with tear-stained cheeks. Like she understood her. It was all so futile though. "I'm not the one to talk strategy," she said meekly. "Barron is our leader. His brilliant mind knows no bounds." She wiped her eyes and stood up, "but you're right. Even though the spirits of your alien world will not take me, I... I can do some good. Even though I can't access the life force of your alien world. Even though..." She stopped, a moment of silence, looking as she was about to cry again. "I don't want to die. I don't want them to die. Fjords, I don't want that abomination of life to die. But some times, things need to die." Me. Them. Him." She looked to Warp, "take us back. To the tavern Gorth was going to."

 

Queenie/Mr Murk

"Can understand. Witch spell," Gorth said in a perturbed tone, "don't keep secrets."

 

Barron saw the two heroes conversing and tried to listen in, but Gorth let the cat out of the bag. He shook his head and appeared in the chair next to Gorth, standing on it. "Last time I leave you as look out for th' smart bunch." He scarfed down the last few bits of his first plate, surprised that Gorth hadn't gobbled it down. "Listen, th' biggun is righ'. We can' start keepin secrets. Come on now. What are y' tryin' to hide from us?"

[EternalPhoenix]

The shift was subtle. Maybelle didn’t put on a mask or a costume to become Queenie. In fact, unless one was deliberately looking for the difference it would be hard to spot, based on pure visuals. But for those talented at reading body language, the cheerful chef and the noble superhero were almost two different people. Which is a longwinded way of saying Maybelle shifted into superhero mode, becoming Queenie again. “I know some French terms, but I don’t speak the language.” She hadn’t sat down. She folded her arms across her chest, considering. “It isn’t a secret. Hmm. I’ll ask this before I tell you. How well do you know your companions, and how loyal to each other are you?”

Edited January 8, 2018 by EternalPhoenix

[Supercape]

Mr. Murk

 

Mr. Murk's smiled kind of solidified on his face. He was not just a pleasant wise old man. He was an immortal sorcecrer who had lived longer than any of them and whilst he kept the Murk under shadow, never showing his hand, it did not mean he held no cards. 

 

"I keep secrets. You keep secrets. Sometimes we lie, sometimes we bend, sometimes we omit. The greatest secret is from telling the wrong truth" he explained, carefully. "Of course I keep my secrets, sir. And of course you keep yours. The question is, can you trust me?"

 

He stood up, firmly. 

 

"You can trust me to help you find your wizard. You can trust me to help you stop him. But you cannot trust me to kill him. I will prevent you, barring the most awful of circumstances. And so will us all. Now, I have told you when, and what circumstances, you can trust me. Perhaps you can tell me when, and under what circumstances we can trust you..."

[Cool Homosapien]

As if on cue, from the outside, a horde of people were walking down the street. They wore the form of human, but as anyone could tell, these were the recently dead. There was no time for answers. Barron scoffed, "so, sorcerer, this'll be my chance to show y' my loyalty." He drew two sharp glowing daggers. Gorth was already up and out of the door, giant ax in hands, screaming in his barbaric language. Barron sighed, if y' wan' any of th' dead in one piece, I'd recommend gettin' out there quick."

[Heritage]

Gretchen just stared at Hysti's extended hand for several seconds before she let out a quick, barking laugh; she didn't laugh very often, and it was surprisingly loud. "Wow. Boy, did you get screwed when you picked someone to seduce. You just slept with one of the least ambitious people on the planet." She sighed and shook her head as she pulled off the witch's robe, casually tossed it aside, and methodically began to get dressed. "This country that you're in right now is full of ambitious people. People who would gladly push their own grandmother off a cliff to obtain the kind of power you describe." She paused as she was about to zip up her fly. "And all of them are colossal ***holes."

 

zip

 

"You are barking up the wrong tree, missy. We need to suit up and find your necromancer."

[Curious Key]

Warp took a deep breath, rubbed at her eyes. That was all well and nice, but couldn't she have realized this sooner? "Maybe your team is top form wherever you're from," she said. "Best of the best, whatever. But if this necromancer thought this world was gonna be an easy squat, he picked wrong." She reached out and touched Windleaf. She wasn't feeling the portal, for now. "No one is going to die today." And, then, in a flash, she and Windleaf were gone.