ic Codus Immortus: Icy Juice

[Exaccus]

"Sounds like a sinister chap and that he is indeed after morgen, though wouldn't hurt to do a quick check up on her see if she's still in the ice before we run off after him, maybe split up and look for clues."  he offered,, fully aware that he was infact the least experienced immortal present having technically not lived beyond his own birth era yet and spending most of his displaced time sleeping his way back to it.

 

"Been a while since Y'd showed me the way but i think i still got it up here." tapping his thick fingers against his high forehead "quite a walk mind, though ill show you where i beat the snot outta that demon; don't suppose murk sent a spare helmet for me did he? the one i was using kinda...rusted away."

 

He rambled as he trudged along leading the way and doing his best to avoid damaging the wilderness that might have over taken the path he'd been lead on by Y'd, it was important to him after all. still getting used to his body after the long period of immobile inactivity proved a simple enough task, it seemed he didn't suffer from atrophy in the slightest, even over such an extreme length of time.

[Supercape]

GM

 

'Twas not far to travel, even by foot, to the resting place of Morgen the burnt. An hour of walking through green pleasant feels. A few sheep looked up at the strange sight of the three heroes, but carried on chewing grass soon enough. 

 

The resting place of Morgen was still there, buried in the hill where, thousands of years ago, she had entombed herself. It was the scar that Dreadnough had closed, battling the remains of an icy age and an icy spirit. 

 

But now, that scar was opened, and she was gone. A faint chill still arose from the pit, which was a dozen feet deep, although it had been many many years since the last ice age, its faintest echo was still there. 

 

The moss moved beside it. 

 

And then, a four foot high man, all leaves and branches and moss and bark, was sitting by them. The camouflage had been perfect. 

 

"Oh, you woke up! Has been some time!" said Y Dderwen (for it was he). "And you have brought some friends, I see!"

[Exaccus]

"Good to see ya Y'Dd" he boomed, it was nice to see another friendly face so soon after awakening, whilst still groggy from his years of inactivity "Aye, these are codus members, Comrade Frost an' Klara here came to wake me up at Murks behest, say some sinister Chap calling himself Dr Sin's been monkeying about, came to check on Morgen, apparently he might've swiped her whilst she were sleeping;" a little blasie in his turn of phrase but to be honest he was just glad to be back in his own time again.

 

"You see anything like that buddy?" he asked earnestly "I understand its been a while an' yous prolly been busy an' all but anything no matter how minor would be helpful in sure of it."

[Tiffany Korta]

 

Zhenshchina-voin

"Y Dderwen you old poen yn y ass!" dread portents or not she wasn't going to miss a chance to greet an old equitable, giving the old tree man and a massive hug.

 

Whilst she'd never been on the team at the time she'd spent a lot of time around them as part of her Ministry work, and the 60's in London were a crazy time. Hug time over she was again back to business.

 

"I guess this means there are dread portents abound and terrible things are afoot?" there was a touch of humour in her voice but her face was serious, she knew how these things tended to work alas.

[Avenger Assembled]

Having had bad dealings with plant controllers over the years, Comrade Frost gave a polite nod to the plant-thing; keeping a safe distance lest he suck the dryad dry just by proximity. Such questions that raised! Instead he approached the pit, mindful of the cold within. Reaching into his coat pocket, he produced something that appeared to all mortal eyes to be a clear gem shot through with crimson streaks; giving it the appearance of a bloodshot 'eye' as he held it up to his face and used it to peer down below.

[Supercape]

GM

 

Y Dderwen nodded slowly, observing the three of them. "I didn't see it. But the forest did. And I am the forest. Or the forest is me. Its hard to explain. I sound like Lucy sometimes" he said, a sadness to his smile. 

 

"Someone stole Morgen's body and her icy shell. Can't say whom it was. Dressed in green, like an insect. Seven strong men with spades and hammers that worked like they had a fire up their backside. Eyes bloodshot, bodies full of sweat and blood. Something propelled them, for they worked without sleep or rest for three days" he said, almost impressed. But certainly concerned. 

 

"Lifted out be one of those vehicles that fly in the sky" he said, vaguely, wafting his hand in the air not interested in modern words like "Helicopter". This would explain Frosts zero readings. 

 

"Out of this land, I can tell you" he explained. "But I can feel the way they went" he said, by way of consolation. "Right here, I can feel everything that happened and is happening. And Morgen was woven into this hill so very very deeply..."

 

He wiggled his mossy eyebrows. 

 

"They went East, to a big city. Do they still call it Hong Kong?"

[Exaccus]

"Aye, so often the case t'be a step or two behind....not to worry though! ill root em out i will!" he boomed ever boastful and enthusiastic, that he had two new peers to show off infront of only bolstered his bravado further, slamming his huge meaty fists together with a satisfying boom that rolled across him down his legs and into the ground, sending a small ripple of displaced dust racing out from him.

 

His brain not yet apporaching the problem of how he was going to get his gentlemanly earthquake inuducing self to hong kong just yet

 

"Thanks Y'Ddren, you lemme know if theres ever anything ya need, hear? always willing ta lend a hand."

[Avenger Assembled]

Dimitri had discreetly stepped away, removing from his parka pocket what looked for all the world like a dead, frozen pigeon. Now as he spoke, he held the bird in his hands protectively. "Can have us in Hong Kong by tomorrow morning easy way. Can take you to Hong Kong now the difficult way." He had the idea their patron of the moment had access to teleportation, but he was loathe to owe Murk such a favor; and he couldn't remember off the top of his head if Murk had such a facility in east Asia. He looked questioningly at the others for an answer to his question, still keeping a noticeable distance from the nature spirit. There really was no use in causing a diplomatic incident. 

[Tiffany Korta]

 

Zhenshchina-voin

Having only being allowed to fight with the Peoples Heroes late in the war, where she met Anne and decided on her future, she'd only fought for a few months alongside Dimitri. But that was enough to know that his powers had a dark side, though Klara had never known the full story.

 

"If this is as much a threat as Murk figures we shouldn't dwell too long getting there. There's a, very annoying, teleporter in Vanguard, but that would involve too many questions I figure. So I'm willing to take the risk, if..." she looked over at Dreadnaught "...everyone is prepared to take the risk."

[Exaccus]

"Eh, I'm no friend of the government, loyalty to the country and the people always, the government when it deserves it i guess....I'm only in the vanguard so they can keep tabs on me i reckon." a offhanded shrug accompanying his statement as he turns to face the both and spies comrade frosts bird thing.

 

"Whats that about Frosty?" pointing with a thick finger at the form in his hands "Good luck charm?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"Of a sort!" said Frost, throwing the dead bird into the air. It flapped there in a mockery of life, its dead eyes staring beadily at the two heroes as Frost unbuttoned his tunic and pulled it open to reveal a gigantic crater of a scar over his heart. The frantically flapping bird dived down into that opening and promptly vanished there, causing an iris of unholy light to open before the heroes. "Come! Follow bird!" 

 

Once both of them were inside, they were joined by Frost himself in a ruined winter landscape of the dead, a mountain forest that had been dead a long, long time. There was no other word for it; the pine trees were dead and the birds were dead, frozen bodies singing eerie half-remembered songs beneath a sky that was covered in a grey somehow deader than even stars would have been. The snow beneath their feet crunched with an ominous noise, the sort that in a dead winter forest like this would surely attract predators of an unwholesome sort...

 

Frost was all business. "Well best not to linger! Hah-hah, seriously though." he whispered jovially as he cast about for the bird that they had followed there. "Good we did not bring your friend." He caught sight of the bird, perched in the branches of a particularly massive dead pine, and strode fearlessly into the nest of branches - 

 

To step out in front of the Russian consulate in Hong Kong. He took a moment to sit down on the sidewalk as the others arrived. Trips through Nifelheim were exhausting. 

[Tiffany Korta]

 

Zhenshchina-voin

Klara wasn't a stranger to death, she'd seen enough over the decades, but thanks to her people knowledge of science and magic they had no dealings with the lands of the dead. It was quickly clear upon entering the dimension that it didn't want her there, or perhaps she didn't belong there. She felt an oppressive weight pushing down on her and a feeling of cold spreading through her limbs, making every step a struggle as she fell a little behind the others. She didn't know what would happen if she got lost in this land of the dead, but it couldn't be good.

 

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity her ears were filled with the sounds of a city as they'd arrive at last. Unable to take another step she collapsed at the side of the building as the warmth returned to her limbs.

[Supercape]

GM

 

And so, one step through dimensions later...

 

Hong Kong, Midday...

 

There was a tepid light raid than was irritating and added to the humidity of a hot day. Hong Kong added some pollution to the mix, and all in all it was a most horrible air. Still, there was pleasant aroma's of street cooking, and the hustle and bustle of a vibrant city. 

 

The Russian Consulate was a funny old building - a mixture of run down and renovating. It had, of course, a heavy history of spying from back when the British ran Hong Kong. And it probably still did. Hong Kong was a peculiar place, politically. 

 

Dreadnought's appearance was of course immediately going to attract attention and photographs and all sorts of interest. It was only a matter of time, and this was a big city. But the three heroes had a moments grace, being parked just out of view from the main street. 

[Exaccus]

Dreadnought didn't get tired or Ill, not any more, his body was the envy of all living things, impervious to damage and ineffectable in its function, his mind and soul however remained all too human, the dour dimness of this place he'd been lead through had weighed heavily upon him and suppressed his spirit, his enthusiasm had evaporated in the ashen grey atmosphere of this underworld he'd walked through and whilst he had no idea of where he was or what he had experience he knew that it was somewhere he probably shouldn't have gone if it could've been avoided.

 

"Well...scenic as that place was i wouldn't build a condo there." he mumbled neutrally as he looked around at the busling skyline of Hong Kong, by comparison the lively urban landscape seemed garishly bright and colourful and filled with incessant buzzing sounds that made his temples ache slightly, enough to put his hand over his face, he remembered this feeling quite well, it was probably something he would've taken an asprin for, it was one he'd taken far too many asprin for when he'd first been released after the darkest day in his life, the desire to shut out the world for numbness and blackness.

 

"Next time, lets walk." he said with a humoured huff.

[Supercape]

GM

 

As the fingers started to be pointed and the cameras started to flash, one man in particular scurried forward. 

 

He was a youngish man, one would guess. Short, bony, with spiky black hair. Chinese, by the looks of him, with dark eyes and flamboyant cheekbones. 

 

"Hey, hey!" he called out without an accent, stopping but a few feet from them. 

 

"I'm Sonny. Sonny Cho. Murk sent me to be your guide" he explained. "Well, he told me to be here anyway. Well, more specifically he gave me a sealed envelope and told me to open it this morning. Gave your descriptions and where to meet you. And when to meet you, too..." he explained. 

 

"Golly, you are bigger in the flesh..." he said, eyes scanning Dreadnought. "Not exactly incognito, are you? That's going to be awkward. Well, what are you here for? I'm here to help!" he smiled. "I know this city like the back of my hand!"

[Avenger Assembled]

Comrade Frost briefly stepped away to use a remarkable invention that allowed him to send messages to his home base wherever he went - the cell phone. A quick text on a secure line told the Russian government why he'd simply appeared outside their consulate; or rather, told said government as much as he was currently willing to tell it. When their local contact made his appearance, Frost smiled thinly. Between the three of them, stealth was going to be a difficult proposition on this mission at best. "Not on street, is too crowded. We have information that certain magical artifact has been smuggled into city - you know who might know?" he inquired. "But we can talk later, perhaps in cab? Or...large truck?" He shot a look at Klara and Dreadnought, then gave their guide a ready smile. 

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Large Truck? Sure, great idea!"

 

Sonny was on his phone in a second, speaking Cantonese fluently and fast. Those who understood Cantonese would be party to a rapid conversation whereby Sonny was ordering a very large truck, and ordering it now, to their current location, paying a large sum of money chargeable to Club Immortus, Hong Kong, and even getting a reasonable bargain for such an unreasonable request. 

 

"Five minutes" he said in English to Frost. "Which, urh...might be a problem" he said, nervously, as the crowds started to congeal around them. "Police will be about five minutes too, and this is going to get political if we don't tread carefully" he muttered, with great distaste. 

 

"So if you are masters of invisibility, now would be a great time to be masterful" added Sonny. "Or otherwise do some party tricks to keep the crowd entertained..."

[Tiffany Korta]

Zhenshchina-voin

Klara picked herself up already feeling better, helped by a problem she could now tackle. She stood beside the other and whilst not as tall as Dreadnaught she still towered over most people.

 

"Nice to meet you Mr Cho, I'm afraid we're very aware of the pitfuls of politics." she gave Dimitri a sideways looks, before adding in Russian

<"How much of incidence would it cause if we walked into the Embassy? I don't want to cause you any more trouble than normal.">

 

It was lucky that Sonny spoke English as whilst she spoke pretty good Mandarin, and could read all the signs (those not also with English), but all she knew in Cantonese wasn't for polite company.

[Avenger Assembled]

If they'd landed in Russia, this would have been no problem, despite the political difficulties Frost had with the current government. Landing in Hong Kong, or rather in China, made things more complicated - Frost could easily have explained this as an emergency situation to China's superhuman community. After all, he knew most of them fairly well - even if it was as enemies for most of the last several decades. But explanation would have taken time and required attention they did not have, so instead he improvised. "Sorry, everyone, sorry!" he said, waving his hands at the crowd and speaking in accented English, "We were supposed to land in embassy! But you know how it is when you let Russians drive! We get there fast but maybe not always to right place! Amirite? Hahah!" He laughed a belly laugh that was considerably deeper than his usual chuckle. "So how are things in Hong Kong? I hear food is better than ever! 

[Exaccus]

"I get that a lot." a simple reply and yet it was laboured, making and keeping eye contact strained him and each enunciated word felt like it was being pushed through solid stone rather than ephemeral air

 

On almost any other day dreadnought would've taken to the attention with gusto, juggling manhole covers or offering to tie bits of metal into knots for his adoring public but still drained from the melancholic enviroment of the underworld of Norse myth it took most of his effort to remain standing.

 

Cho seemed nice enough as his acquaintances put themselves to work remedying whatever geopolitical intrigue they might've caused with their presence (he had little understanding and even less patience for such bureaucratic bullshit even on his best days) he instead simply resisted the urge to sit down where he was and tried to look impressive in his weathered costume as he looked on.

 

he decided perhaps he should at least make an attempt however.

 

"My. my such a big audience....you folks here to see me bench a truck? My buddy here." he said gesturing to cho "just rang it up to get me where im heading but im sure it'd be ok if we took a minute when it got here...till then anyone want some photographs with me?"

[Supercape]

GM

 

The Crowd where not homogenous; responses varied from cheers, adulation, neutrality, suspicion, resentment, fear. The overall atmosphere was a tendency to watch the marvels and take photographs - it was not, for the most part, one of antagonism. 

 

But now the crux of the problem materialised. 

 

For practically in the same second, police cars rolled up as did a very large truck, thanks to Cho's frantic phone calls. 

 

"What's going on here!" said one police man, coming out of the first car of five. He wasn't reaching for his gun, but neither was his hand far away. His English was quite reasonable, as so often the case in Hong Kong. His words had more the flavour of a statement than a question. His eyes flicked to the Russian Embassy. This was getting more political by the moment...

[Tiffany Korta]

Zhànshì dì nǚrén

Klara had to improvise quick, which wasn't always her strongest suit but she wasn't a chump either. All she had was that she wasn't in uniform, or well know either, if only she spoke Cantonese...

 

<"Of cause, why can they never properly inform people of these things!"> throwing up her hands and acting upset, relying on the fact that at some of the officers would understand Mandarin

 

"Forgive the error Officer, I was asked to come here from the Mainland to negotiate with our Russian allies. I guess we should have relied on one of our own teleporters but they insisted!"

 

It wasn't a lie per se and she never claimed that she was from China, just heavily implied it and hoped they assumed that she was one of there heroes. And if they did try and check the bureaucracy would take hours to finally get back an answer, she knew that from having to deal with them back home.

[Supercape]

GM

 

The answer came back in Mandarin of fair fluency. "<Rather you than me>"

 

The Russian Embassy was apparently not the most popular of places, and the Russian diplomats not the most popular of places. But then, this was Hong Kong. Everybody kind of had to get along; a philosophy born from its history. 

 

Sonny Cho was apparently just as fluent in Mandarin as Cantonese and English, and nodded his way through the conversation. 

 

"<I was just arranging transport for these diplomats>" he said, diplomatically - and he was diplomatic. "<Don't want to create a scene obviously!>" he added cheerfully. 

 

On this matter, there was a clear consensus from the Cops. Nobody wanted a scene!

 

And so...

 

Sonny, Dreadnought, Voin and Comrade Frost sat in the back of a truck that could just take their combined weight. Sonny had told the driver to drive in circles, for now. The truck was nearly empty bar a few boxes of dried noodles - but lamentably no water to add. 

 

"I'm here to help" explained Sonny. "Immortal, like you. A hundred years old and I have lived in Hong Kong all my life. I pretty much run Club Immortus here. It's save my life a few times, I can tell you" he said, wiping his brow. 

 

"I don't know kung fu and I don't shoot laser beams out of my head. I'm not a sorcerer or infused with cosmic energy. So I can't help you there. But I am immortal, I can speak to anything alive, and I know Hong Kong better than pretty much anybody. So consider me at your disposal..."

[Exaccus]

Dreadnought leaned against the wall of the trailer that was between them and the cab as he listened, occasionally picking up a box and giving it a curious glance to see if he recognized anything but otherwise in solemn silence, he was beginning to feel better enough at least that he began speaking when spoken to at least.

 

"always a pleasure, Sonny, Im Dreadnought and my powers are being too big to fit and too dumb to die. i protect folks in need to protecting and i punch folks in want of punching, they tend to coincide." he offered with humour "Im prolly the youngest of you lot mentally anyway, i fall through time now and again cause of reasons i don't quite get, though theres always something that needs my immediate attention and then sleep my way back into me own time." he explained

 

"As for the too dumb to die part, from what i can tell nothing on this earth can end my existence, Plenty of people tried plenty of things, disease, poison, radiation, violence, time itself, only thing that I ain't..." he was going to say tried at first but he thought better of it mid sentence "Been subjected too is bein' flung into the sun, pretty sure it'd suck but i dunno if it'd kill me."

[Avenger Assembled]

Hm - and here he speaks to the dead! Perhaps I should tell him - no, there is business afoot. "Zui is in the city," said Frost in English that seemed to have lost all but a few traces of a Russian accent - after all, now he was at work. "and has kidnapped a mystic artifact from Great Britain - a long-hibernating woman who may be an immortal. What have you heard - and if you have heard nothing, who would have?" He made a little gesture with his hand. "I trust we do not need to tell you the consequences of Zui gaining the power of mass-producing his immortality agents, hmm? This is a matter of some interest to some peoples."