Espresso That Can Wake the Dead (IC)

[quotemyname]

"You know," Valkyrie turned to Nick, "I should probably be upset that there's more of these things running around." She lifted her hammer and held it in front of her body. "But all that really means to me is: More smashing. Totally okay with that, by the way." The head of the hammer crackled with electricity, as if it were saying, "Me too."

"So," She brightened, "Anyway you can use those spooky necromancer powers of yours to track these guys down? You know..." She shrugged, nonchalantly, "More smashing, and all?" Then smiled the smile of a girl that really enjoyed her chosen profession.

[trollthumper]

"Yeah, it's possible," Nick said. "Let's see how receptive Atropos is feeling today..." Nick touched his fingers to the blood-stained fragment lying on the floor, went slack, and opened his mouth. Soon after, brief fragments came flowing out in a surreal death rattle.

"Conquers still... blood and blood alike... coin and claw alike... the hidden throne..."

The rattle subsided, and Nick came back to his senses. "And it looks like the Fates had other matters to deal with," he said. "Wasn't able to get a whole lot off the blood. But... it said 'coin.' I don't think we're looking for another rampaging beast. I think we're looking for someone who's managed to integrate themselves."

[quotemyname]

Valkyrie drew a blank expression, briefly looking annoyed, "Okay, I may be a history buff, but I know next to nothing about the arcane arts or other magic. Care to elaborate on this "integration" stuff? Is that like possessing an object or something?" Valkyrie was clearly grasping at straws here.

[trollthumper]

"Okay, 'integration' is the wrong word," Nick said. It's assimilation. And I don't mean like the Borg -- he's probably found a way to pass in society. Mortal identity, probably a job... like I said, he's not the rage Viking these guys were. He's part of the scenery now."

[quotemyname]

Valkyrie's face fell. "Well, that makes things significantly more difficult, now doesn't it." Then her face lit up as she considered a new idea. "Then again..." She pressed her left hand to her breast, and removed the Orb of Fate from it's socket in her armor.

Holding the Orb in front of her, she gazed into it. "I, Valkyrie, Chooser of the Slain, beseech the Norns. Show me what happened in this place, and what will happen. Impart upon me the knowledge of the fates of those involved, past and future." The orb glowed blue, and so did Valkyrie's eyes...

[trollthumper]

There is a drop of blood on a field of peat. The blood washes into the earth, turning it to mud... and out of the mud walks an old warrior, clad in leather armor and clutching an axe. His face, however, is rotted and withered, like the pictures of the bog bodies attached to the manifest. The leather armor melts away, and is replaced by riot armor, just as the axe changes to a gold coin. The warrior spreads his palms; both are bleeding, not in stigmata, but as if cut across them. The blood drips down, washing over the coin in the right hand, and drips to the ground below. Where it lands, fingers begin to poke through the soil.

The tableau shifts; where once there was a rotted field, there now stands a large tower, topped by a throne of iron that is crowned with chains and a mask. The warrior looks over the side of the tower; lines of what looks like blood flow up through the stone work, and one lies at the base of the throne. The warrior rips the chains off the throne, and the line that leads to it begins to recede. He takes his seat, and another line flows up -- thick and clotted.

[quotemyname]

Valkyrie jerked out of her reverie, panting with a cold sweat running down her face. Her first thoughts included her disbelief of the fact that the Orb had actually listened to her. It had never done that before. But then she began to remember what she saw.

"Well," She told Nick, "I have good news. I think we're looking for someone in a SWAT uniform, or at least some sort of riot armor. And that gold coin you were talking about? It's modern. Like one of those presidential dollars, or Sacagawea coins they printed a few years back. Also, it's a good bet he's got his hands bandaged, because that's what he had to cut up to make this work." She made a slicing motion across the palms of her hands to mimic what she had seen.

"But there's bad news too." She frowned, her expression and voice taking on a serious tone that Nick had not yet heard her use, not even in character as Valkyrie. "If we don't stop this guy, whoever he is, it's going to be bad." She gazed from side to side, quickly, "Really bad. Like, Ragnarok bad." She gave an involuntary shudder at the memory of the images that would likely haunt her for some time. She turned her gaze toward the front door, "We should probably start by asking those cops if they've seen anyone strange..."

[trollthumper]

"Ragnarok?" Nick asked. "Seriously? I know there's talk of the dead rising and sailing forth -- in ships made of toenails, at that -- so... this could be the advance brigade..."

Nick took a second look over the wreckage of the crates. "I got more of a warlord vibe from my vision -- not quite setting everything on fire, but sacking, pillaging, lamentations of their women, stuff like that. Then again, most of my prophecy's auditory -- may be I'm not getting the full end of it."

[quotemyname]

"From what I saw," Valkyrie responded, "You may actually be closer to the mark than I am. I may just have been shocked by what I saw. But there was definitely a dictator thing going on. There was just so much blood being channeled, and chains tying things down, I kind of assumed it was some sort of day of judgment. Which, I suppose it could be, and not be Ragnarok all at the same time..." Valkyrie mused.

[trollthumper]

"It happens," Nick said. "Prophecy's always a weird thing. But we should definitely keep our eyes open for any sorts of power upsets in the city -- if the guy behind this is anything like his friends, I doubt he's gonna be subtle." He paused. "Y'know, you were right... we should probably follow up with those cops..."

"Hold it!"

Nick raised his hands. "Well, there we go..."

"You two realize you may have just contaminated a crime scene, right?"

[quotemyname]

Valkyrie turned to face the patrolman pouring into the building. She did not raise her hands, but merely folded them in front of her chest. Her hammer she left on the ground standing straight up. She cleared her throat, falling into character once more. "Hark, mortals. Understand that we mean no offense by our presence, yet I, for one, will not stand for undue persecution in this matter." she began in an even tone. "Truth lies in fact, and fact tells us thus: Fouler hands than ours or thine hath contaminated this scene long before our arrival. Our presence hath done naught to upset this scene further."

Valkyrie unfolded her arms and held them out to the side to show that they were empty, "Fact gives way to common sense and simple observation," she turned and indicated the mess of blood about the place. "Simple observation tells us that thine crime scene is bigger than thou suspects. Bigger than thou or us," Valkyrie turned to face the police once more. She crossed her arms once more, "However, by thine leave, we will pursue the culprits, and put a stop to whatever foul plots were enacted here this day. Preventing us, I fear, will have even more severe ramifications than the events of this day." Valkyrie cast an appraising eye over the assembled policeman.

If you think I'm going to let you guys get in the way of today's smashing quota, you've got another thing coming...

[trollthumper]

The cop looked Valkyrie up and down, trying to process what she'd said. "Um," he said, "sorry about that, miss. I can understand... extenuating circumstances... but we do have CSU coming to process the scene, so if you could... possibly..."

Nick nodded to the cop and led Valkyrie out of the building. "Okay," he said, "so we've got a powerful draugr who's trying to raise some of his buddies. He's managed to fit in well with the modern world -- probably even got some cash to his name -- and he's getting involved in a power struggle. Something that could have Ragnarok-type implications, but may just -- and I use "just" in a not-at-all-appropriate sense -- result in blood in the streets."

Wait, what time is it? Nick thought. He pulled out his cell phone. Damn! My thirty's almost up!

"I'm gonna see what else I can dig up on draugr," he said. "Do you have a number I can reach you at? Or a favored patrol route, or something?"

[quotemyname]

Valkyrie shook her head, "Nay, warrior," she touched the Orb of Fate that had since been resocketted in her chest plate, "I go where the Norn directs me. Mayhaps thou can contact them? Or provide thine own contact information?" She turned to the police, "It seems that my companion has other responsibilities to attend to. Allow him passage, and I will remain for your CSU." She told them. Once more to Nick she said, "For mine own part, I shall uncover what information I can. Perhaps contacting the Norn is indeed what must be done here."

[trollthumper]

Okay, note to self -- get a second cell phone. Under a different name. And credit card.

"Yeah, well, the Norn aren't really happy about showing me the future," Nick said. "Why don't we meet again a few nights from now? Lagrange Cemetery, in the West End? How's that sound?"

[quotemyname]

"Verily," Valkyrie responded. "I shall attend you then. Now go and return to your responsibilities, and may Odin's gaze be upon you. I shall answer for the events that hath transpired here today." She turned towards the assembled police officers. "Take me, then, to see thine CSU." She hefted her hammer, and awaited with her arms open, an inviting gesture.

[trollthumper]

Nick nodded to Valkyrie, then walked calmly out of the brownstone. When he was calmly down the nearby alley, he started sprinting again. Halfway back to the Black Petal, he ducked behind a dumpster, called upon the depths, and changed back into his normal clothes. He had all the makeup off by the time he came back to the corner to the cafe, and managed to get back on his shift with two minutes to spare.

Okay, so... draugr. Gonna need to crack open the books...

-------------------------------

Meanwhile, back at the brownstone, CSU showed up five minutes after Nick's departure. Valkyrie stood out of the way of the investigators while they processed the scene. After a while, the lead investigator came up to Valkyrie to share his findings.

"It'll be a while until the scene is released," he said, "but so far, it's pretty clean. We found some shoe prints, but whoever did this knew the basics. No fingerprints on the door knob or key pad. We've got blood samples, of course -- hoo boy, do we have blood samples -- but it'll take us time to run the tests." He looked to the other investigators, then to Valkyrie. "Look, I know there's a lot of woogy in this town, but... you said you got called to the scene about a half hour ago, right? Well, the blood's still fresh. Quite fresh. By now, we would've expected some form of oxidization, but it's still slick. Either our burglar was taking anticoagulants, in which case there probably would've been even more blood, or... there's some sort of power in it." The investigator shakes his head. "Vampires, huh? Who'd've thunk it?"

[quotemyname]

"I claim not to understand the foul schemes of the servants of Niflheim." Valkyrie responded, "Their works have naught to do with the honorable dead." Valkyrie was really here to be an observer at this point. She spent a few minutes explaining her and Nick's part in the crime scene which would serve to account for any errant fingerprints and such, but the rest of the work was done by the police.

Ugh! Coffee! I never catch a break, do I?