Low Places

[Dr Archeville]

"NO!" the demon roared. Defying all logic, it reached out and grasped the edges of the portal -- the portal hanging in the air, which had no real border -- with its taloned hands and tried to hoist itself out.

Crap... I can't fight this, I'm being pulled in, not just my body but my soul as well. Maybe it's what I deserve... but maybe it's what I need, too. But I'm not going down without royally screwing with them all!

Gone, gone, O Belphegor!

Resume once more a mortal's form!

The scales of the demon suddenly tore off its body, revealing raw Caucasian skin underneath. Its wings and tail snapped off, cast into the burning winds of the hellscape beyond the portal. The horns and spurs on its body and head also broke off, its elongated fanged muzzle of a mouth split open and flew off to reveal a normal human mouth, and its eyes changed from solid flaming orange to soft green human eyes.

"Wh-where am I? Did I-" the very confused-looking man turned and saw the hellscape behind it, "No.... NO!!!! No, I don't deserve this! I didn't want a demon in me! It controlled me, dominated me! I didn't want to do those horrible things, but I had no say, no control over my own body! My God, the things I did... the things it made me do... help me!," he pleaded.

One hand slipped.

"HELP ME! PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD,"

The other hand slipped, and the man went tumbling.

"HELP MEEEEeeeeee...."

[Moira Morley]

Moira watched the demon... no, the man, get sucked into the very pits of Hell. The scene kept playing over and over in her mind to the points of her world slowing down as she watched it. A mental image that she would keep, no matter how she tried to forget. She couldn't let that happen to O'Ren! With a burst of speed she flew at the monster, trying to tackle it at she did the woman crumpled on the floor.

[Avenger Assembled]

The Necro-King was just about to reply to the Scarab when suddenly the empowered Wesley Knight and awe-inspiring Divine closed in on him! He dodged Wesley's strike with contemptuous ease, but had considerably more difficulty with Divine's blow. He grappled with her with one clawed, warped hand, his other busy with Hellbound's face, and ultimately proved strong enough to hurl her away with a single blow! "PETTY GODLING AND PRIEST OF FOUL LIFE! YOU DEFILE THIS SANCTUARY WITH YOUR PRESENCE!" As he spoke, a cloud of black flies began to form above his head, a swirling swarm of blood-sucking insects that were each and every one of them dead, yet at the same time horribly, vitally alive.

-

Avenger stared at the gates of Hell as they pulled the demonic skin from Belphegor's body, pulling away flesh and scales and skin until they revealed the man underneath. He listened to Terhune's pleas, saw the fear on his face, and knew the truth as if it had come from his own mouth. "Liar." A demon is a demon. He felt a moment of triumph at overcoming the demon's deception, one that was suddenly replaced by a crushing sensation of horror. A demon was a demon. A monster was a monster. Shaking aside his guilt as best he could, the stealthy Avenger slipped between Arrowhawk and the Elder, avoiding Arrowhawk's line of fire while throwing the swordsman away from his attack on the archer.

He followed it up a moment later with a direct attack on Lugat himself, thinking wildly all the while about the ridiculous power of the elder vampire, the sheer monstrous skill and will of the undead fiend. He hit the Elder too, slamming his fist right into the much older vampire's face. Good thing I'm not in this alone! And a good thing, too, because now the blood of an elder was in the air, and Lugat was definitely not focused on Arrowhawk anymore..."

[Cyroa]

Dark Star wasn’t used to these small chaotic battles. Things in space were much easier. A couple hundred miles between ships was considered pretty close. And the targets were much bigger out there too. Here everyone was jammed together, taking random action. There was no coordination amongst them. They were not acting in concert. Teamwork was needed…

Avenger and Arrowhawk needed support against the Elder. So did Hellhound, Divine, Knight, and Scarab. And a newly freed mortal was being lost as well…

"Avenger, Arrowhawk! Get Ready!" DS quickly gestured, causing the gravity of the area, but specifically for the Elder and the mortal, to become very high anti-gravity, causing them to shoot 50’ into the air. He doubted it’d work to save the poor man’s soul but he was running out of options. Maybe it would buy someone else a chance to act.

Unfortunately, the reversal of gravity would only give everyone a momentary respite as it was very temporary. He turned back to the Necro-King, ending his anti-gravity field and thus causing the Elder at least to fall back to the ground. DS focused on his ally, concentrating and focusing. This was not something he’d ever tried before…

"'Bound, this might feel a little...wierd." He reached out with the energy of his being to Hellhound and altered the man’s structure, pulling him closer to Dark Star’s own form. Hellhound would lose consistently, turn black as the night, and become a gravity being himself. For a short time at least. But long enough for Hellhound to slip the Necro-King’s formidable grip.

“As Scarab stated, you cannot have him.â€Â

[Hellbound]

That was the second time that someone had gotten his name wrong in as many minutes. First there was that freaky staff who'd called him O'Ren when only Moira was granted that right. The Dame of Divinity was the one person in Hellbound's life that was close enough to him to use such personal nomenclature.

Then there was Dark Star who, even though Hellbound appreciated the save, seemed to think he was some sort of infernal dog. It was an honest mistake, he knew, since Hellhound was a far more common term than the name he'd chosen for himself. But that didn't preclude him from correcting people when the got it wrong.

"The name... is HellBOUND!" He growled, drawing all of his anger and frustration into renewed effort. "Get it RIGHT!"

[Avenger Assembled]

"FEH!" The Necro-King hurled Hellbound aside even as his body transformed into cosmic energy, a look of boiling fury on the undead demon-lord's face. The cloud of monstrous ghoul-flies above his head grew larger and thicker, the buzzing noise beginning to set everyone's nerves on edge. With a gesture from the petty god of necromantic magic, the staff sprung from Hellbound's grip and into the skeletal paw of the abomination of anti-life that was the Necro-King. With he touched the staff, the flies above began to buzz really loudly, their eyes glowing with a malignant feral intelligence. "HERU-RA. ABOMINATION." The Necro-King pointed the staff at the Scarab. "YOUR MANIFOLD SOUL IS NOT MINE. BUT WHY SHOULD I NOT PULL THEIR SOULS WITH ME?"

-

The Elder vaulted out of the field of gravity that surrounded him, impossible speed and quickness propelling him far faster than any mortal man could. With a look of naked contempt on his face, the Elder swung his sword at Avenger. The blade struck home, slicing deep into Avenger's flank, bringing forth a cry of pain from the vigilante's throat at the wound. "ARROWHAWK! SILVER! MAGIC! HOLY! NOW!" Trusting that the archer could do the deed, Avenger stumbled backwards, hand against the eerily bloodless wound at his side.

[Ecalsneerg]

The plan was going to Hell, almost literally. An undead demon thing had opened a portal to Hell and was trying to suck people into it. An ancient vampire had stabbed Avenger, and shrugged off his conventional arrows. "Silver? Magic? Too complicated," he stated, aiming a black-tipped arrow at the vampire and letting fly.

[Avenger Assembled]

The arrow struck the Elder in the chest as he pushed past Avenger, burying itself in his chest and emerging from his back. "Hah! You think you can-" The arrow detonated with a roar, blasting a hole the size of a man's head in the master vampire's chest. Avenger threw up his hands and staggered backwards as flaming ash bounced off his mask, the Elder collapsing to the ground an instant later, his eyes rolling back in his head.

[N/A]

"HERU-RA. ABOMINATION." The Necro-King pointed the staff at the Scarab. "YOUR MANIFOLD SOUL IS NOT MINE. BUT WHY SHOULD I NOT PULL THEIR SOULS WITH ME?"

"Because I can offer you an alternative."

After the vampire fell, The Scarab studied him for a moment. Then, seemingly satisfied, she let her unearthly light fade. She reached out toward his inert body. It rose through the air and hovered toward her. Still staring into the eyes of the Necro-King, she made a motion as if tossing something over her shoulder. The vampire's body flew into the rift, into Hell.

"There. Another sacrifice. You have done quite well for yourself this day. I am quite certain you have more important matters commanding your attention than sparring with pawns such as these. Matters such as attending to your recent...acquisitions. Besides, foolish though they may be, I still have use for these brutes. And I have no intention of relinquishing them to you."

"There is no shame in withdrawal for either of us this day, Necro-King. There will be ample time in the future for us to resume this petty feud."

[Avenger Assembled]

"FEAR NOT, HERU-RA. YOUR MANIFOLD SOUL SHALL KNOW MY SWEET EMBRACE. AS WILL YOU ALL." The swarm of black flies overhead swept down over the room, touching everyone there in a sickly-sweet embrace that mocked all life and goodness before coalescing around the Necro-King. "I WILL RETURN." The swarm of flies that was the petty god of necromancy swept through the gateway to the Hungry Hells, the doorway to one of the darkest corners of the Cosmic Coil neatly sealing up behind him. The assembled heroes were left alone with the room full of ashes, blood, and death, the dead body of Rochembeau and the battered, filthy, unconscious Sister Sixtus. And the sound of sirens.

[N/A]

The Scarab dropped down and let her feet touch the ground following the Necro-King's departure.

"My apologies. I do not actually think of any of you as 'pawns.' I did not mean to insult anyone, and I hope you can all make allowances for theatricality. Self-styled monarchs like the Necro-Kings eat that crap up with a spoon."

"I have no desire to explain my presence here to the police, nor to be implicated in the deaths of all these people. I suggest we leave Sister Sixtus to the authorities, and adjourn to private quarters. I have a sanctuary where we can retire to lick our wounds and compare notes. And I believe DarkStar can ferry us there with a minimum of effort."

"Who wants to join me, and who wishes to go their own way?"

[Cyroa]

Dark Star sighed as he looked through to where the gate to hell had been moments before. Not for the loss of the vampire, but for the poor possessed man that he had been unable to save. He knew the guilt was illogical but it was there nonetheless. Finally he shook himself from his dark mood and turned to the situation at hand.

He drifted over to Scarab and Hellbound. With a simple gestured he extended his energies towards them, healing them of their wounds. "That was well done." He had serious doubts about their ability to beat the Necro-King. Or at least without taking some losses that is. Scarab had managed to bypass that battle for now. "Is everyone else alright?"

"I'm with you of course," he said in response to Scarab, not considering her previously bluff as needing a response.

[Dr Archeville]

"Hold a moment, Scarab!" a serene voice said from... everywhere. "Such matters as these are not for the police, Scarab, but they are matters for..."

A large glowing blue triangle with a circle in it appeared in mid-air. The circle expanded into a disc, and out of it stepped a very dignified man in a cape, crackling with arcane power.

"Eldrich, Master Mage."

[Cyroa]

Dark Star had just finished speaking when the voice sounded forth. He looked at the figure with one raised eyebrow. Obviously the man had power. And knew Scarab. But beyond that, Dark Star had no clue who this guy was. He was about to ask that very question and then noted his companions' expression. He gave a mental shrug and stayed silent to watch and see how whatever this was played out. But considering the other unexpected guests this night had seen, he was keeping his guard up.

[Sandman XI]

Wesley shakes his head, cooling his adrenaline fueled rage. "What happened," he questions looking around, "Where's Necro King?" Looking to the rest of the crew they're all alive and unhurt, due to Dark Star. Though the presumely undead one of their faction has disappeared. He shrugs at Scarab, "I guess you're right, we need to hustle though." When the finely dressed gentleman entered, Wesley smiled, "I know you! You're the guy who wrote Modern Metaphysics," he grins, "so you really are a wizard?"

[Avenger Assembled]

Avenger hadn't gone far, not with a painful wound in his side that would take hours to heal. Could be worse. Can't believe he cut me that deep. A human would be in agony, and Jack didn't exactly feel good. But he'd be all right. It wasn't as if he was going to bleed to death. From behind the wall where he hid, he watched as the others gathered around the very powerful mystic who had just showed up. I need to meet more people. Figure more things out... He ducked down to bind his wounds, covering up the dry cut on his flank with his cape.

[Dr Archeville]

"I am many things," Eldrich said to Wesley as the portal behind him faded. "Chief amongst them is Defender of this Dimension. While my duties prevented me from intervening before now, I was able to observe most of what transpired. May I prevail upon you all to, I believe the expression is, 'fill me in'?"

[Moira Morley]

Moira rushed to O'Ren after the threat was over. She hugged him and held on, leaning her forehead on his chest. Her tone was joyous, but fraught with disappointment, "I'm sorry I couldn't do anything."

Before she could address the Scarab, giving her a definite 'Yeah, let's split', the man who would be jailer to his kind entered the room. A little bit unnerved, she situated herself behind O'Ren, still holding on to him. Peeking over his shoulder, she got a good look at the Master Mage. While he talked, Moira whispered in O'Ren's ear, "Now I really wanna get outta here."

[Hellbound]

By the time Hellbound had stopped rolling from where the Necro-King had tossed him, his eyes were burning with anger. The young fighter came up ready to go a few more rounds with the godlike being, but apparently he didn't have to.

Suprisingly enough, that was actually a relief to him. This guy was a badass on a level that he'd never encountered before. While he'd been in some tough fights in the past, this was the first time he'd ever met someone who could toss him around like a ragdoll. The fact that he (and his new friends), didn't have to figure out a way to deal with the thing was a godsend.

When Scarab then made her offer, he gladly accepted. The comment about them all being 'pawns' hadn't bothered him. He knew that this wasn't a normal situation and that things needed to be said that he normally wouldn't have allowed. If she wanted the Necro-King to think that they were all under her thrall it was fine by Hellbound.

Besides. Regardless of what anyone said at any time, he knew that he was nobody's plaything. It really didn't matter if anyone made any sort of claim over him, he knew where he stood.

"Frag yeah I'm with you!" He replied to Sarab's invitation. "This was the best action I've seen in the 'FC' yet. I figure if I keep hanging with you guys there's going to be a lot more where that came from."

More than that, however, he owed a pretty big debt to everyone in the room. If it hadn't been for them, he'd most likely be making good on his name right about now. Though he wasn't exactly sure how well he'd do in Hell itself, the scrappy hero wasn't quite ready to find out.

Hellbound wasn't about to cut out and welsh on something like that. He'd figure out a way to repay everyone for helping him out if it was the last thing he'd ever do.

The appearance of the super-mage was a bit of a shock, forestalling any further attempts at conversation from Hellbound. Though he didn't know exactly who this joker might be, he was familiar with the type. Comic books were full of his kind, whether they were called Socerer Supreme, Fatelings or Majestic class magic users, they all seemed to have one trait in common. They all liked to meddle where they really didn't belong.

Or at least that's how it worked in fiction. Admittedly, he hadn't any experience with people like that in the real world, but a cursory glance at this self-described 'Master Mage' told him that the cartoonish stereotype might not be far from the truth.

So he wanted to know what was going on and Hellbound was more than happy to let someone else bring the guy up to speed. Likely the only thing that would come out of his mouth was the insistance that Eldritch simply frag off, and he really didn't feel like getting everyone in trouble again so soon.

The interraction he was getting from Moira was a little more along his accustomed speed. He reassured her that it wasn't really that big of a deal. The Necro-King had almost all of them outmatched and there wasn't any shame in getting knocked down by someone that much stronger than yourself.

After all, Hellbound himself had been pretty much helpless in the bastard's grip. Of them all, it seemed like only Scarab and Dark Star operated on a level that could face off against the demon lord.

But he agreed that the quicker they got out of there the better. He wouldn't mind seeing what Scarb's crib looked like. In his mind were visions of danger rooms and monitor duty, perhaps labyrinthine constructs of interdimensional walkways that he'd, again, read about in comic books as a kid.

Something in the back of his mind told him that this was the ticket to the big leagues. Allying himself with The Scarab and this crew would open up heroic adventures that he could only dream about. Before him now was the path to really becoming the superhero he knew lay inside.

Though, taking in his shabby and scruffy appearance, he wondered if maybe it was getting time to upgrade his look to something more professional...

[N/A]

"I am many things," Eldrich said to Wesley as the portal behind him faded. "Chief amongst them is Defender of this Dimension. While my duties prevented me from intervening before now, I was able to observe most of what transpired. May I prevail upon you all to, I believe the expression is, 'fill me in'?"

The Scarab turned to the Master Mage and nodded slightly in acknolwedgement. "Eldritch."

Damn. Well, I suppose I was lucky to have been able to delay it for this long...

"An upstart cult stole items of power from Fletcher Beaumont and attempted a summoning. Which, as you can see, went horribly awry. The extradimensional interlopers have returned home. The secular authorities are en route, and when they find Beaumont's stolen property here, they will link this scene with the break-in at the university. They won't have the entire puzzle, but they'll have enough pieces to close both cases, without implicating any of us."

"You needn't concern yourself any further. The matter is dealt with."

[Dr Archeville]

"I see," Eldrich said, looking around at everyone (except the hidden Avenger), lingering a bit on Divine and Scarab. He then looked to one small pile of rubble, and held out a hand. A glowing hand sprang from his and moved the small pile, revealing the Schattenklinge -- the stolen ritual blade -- which the glowing hand then placed on the broken altar. "In that case, we may as well make it easy for the police to find it. Though they needn't find these," the glowing hand picked up a few red and black gemstones from the rubble of the altar, then brought them to Eldrich. "Once I dispose of these components, it shall be considerably harder for this cult to spring up again."

"You have all shown exceptional courage and strength this evening, but know that there are more and worse things to come, and many challenges ahead, from without and within. The nights of Freedom can be dangerous beyond comprehension... so it is good that there are those of virtue who would protect it."

The glowing blue circle-within-a-triangle symbol appeared behind him again, with the circle expanding into a disc.

"I shall, I am sure, be seeing you all again in the future. Especially you." Dark Star, Wesley Knight and Scarab all thought he was looking at Scarab when he said that, but Divine and Hellbound thought he was instead looking at Moira, who was slightly behind and to the side of Scarab. A paranoid part of Avenger thought the mage's tone was referring to him.

And then he was gone.

[N/A]

After Eldritch made his showy exit, The Scarab shook her head and sighed. "Remember what I said about self-styled monarchs and excessive theatricality?"

"Anyway, you all now have a choice to make. Tonight was a trial run. An audition, of sorts. Which you all passed."

"When given access to artillery, any competent general will gather her cannons into batteries, and concentrate their fire upon targets of strategic importance, rather than scattering them about the battlefield. The battlefield has changed, but many of the old tactics still apply. Which is why we've decided to form a team."

"And teams are founded upon trust and comraderie. So far, almost everyone here is connected to at least one other person, but we aren't a cohesive unit. I'd like to change that. So I'm extending the hand of friendship to anyone willing to meet me halfway."

"Anyone who wants a part of what we're trying to build here, come with me. You'll be shown the location of our secret headquarters, and given unrestricted access. I'll share my identity behind the mask with you, and you'll reciprocate with yours. We'll help each other, keep each other informed. Coordinate our efforts, watch each other's backs. And, if necessary, act as a contingency. If one of us goes rogue, the others will have the information necessary to bring him or her down."

"If you're not comfortable with this arrangement, then while you won't be part of the core team, we'll consider you an auxiliary member. We'll be happy to keep in touch and work with you again in the future. But I won't put my loved ones at risk by tipping my hand to someone who won't do likewise."

"Make your choice, and make it fast. We have company coming. This should buy us some time, though."

The Scarab concentrated for a moment, and suddenly everyone present appeared, to their sight as well as others, translucent, ghostly. "This will keep you hidden from prying eyes and ears as long as you stay close."

[Avenger Assembled]

"All did well," said Avenger, his voice gruff as he perched on a broken beam left behind by their dramatic arrival, just over the heads of the ground-bound superheroes. Reappearing had been something of an effort for Jack, but Scarab including him in her disguise field had helped remind him that he was here to make friends. If not necessarily influence people. In his hand was the discarded blade of the Elder, the blade black and glistening with blood. "Suggest we take this with. Put in headquarters." The sword gave him an idea, something nice and theatrical, playing against the Master Mage's words and distracting from the ache in his ribs. "Maybe in a stone. For the Knights of Freedom!"

[Sandman XI]

Wesley wonders who the wizard was pointing at specifically. It feels like one of those vague mysterious things and that he pointed to everyone, but Scarab got most of it. Wizards are cool like that, he thinks, Maybe one day I'll learn magic and be like ZAP! But then again, I sorta already do that. He smiles at his silliness, but his playful tone is over ridden by Scarab's call to arms. "This is nice and all, I'd be happy to join a group of superheroes, but how are we gonna keep in touch," Wesley pondered the situation with his companions, "I'm not really grounded to one place. I'm sure notes while I sleep in my car is gonna get annoying to you guys one day."

[N/A]

"This is nice and all, I'd be happy to join a group of superheroes, but how are we gonna keep in touch? I'm not really grounded to one place. I'm sure notes while I sleep in my car is gonna get annoying to you guys one day."

"There is ample living space in my Lair. You are welcome to make use of it on as temporary or permanent a basis as you see fit. As for communications, my base is equipped with a state-of-the-art array. And then there are my own telepathic abilities."