Iced Tea In The Morning [IC]

[Ecalsneerg]

The Tea House was old Bette Lovegood's pride and joy. The little seaside cafe had been run by her in Port Regal for much of her life, and although it wasn't a lucrative money spinner, it made enough from regulars and tourists alike to justify her continuing to run it. It was rustic, with old wooden furniture rather than plastic tables, and china pottery displayed on shelves on the walls. Apart from Bette herself, she only employed a couple of young local girls as waitresses, and since it was the morning shift nearing the end of the tourist season, not many customers were present.

A couple of older gentlemen were the only ones in the cafe at the moment, drinking tea and chatting over their papers. They were regulars, nice guys who'd lived in the area most of their lives. Sitting alone beside the window was a quiet woman with long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She'd just come in, ordered a coffee and then sat reading for the past hour, only pausing to order another cup of tea while she went outside for a smoke.

Bette Lovegood sighed and smiled. It may be quiet, but at least it was her business.

It was at that point the clay monster crashed through her wall without breaking stride, crockery and stonework crashing down around in a huge ruckus. Blank black eyes stared out from its plain-featured brown face. Faintly visible across its head was a line around the brow. Black runs were traced all across its massive form. The cold sea air poured in as the golem took two steps forward and from within itself let loose a deep, throaty moan. Bette and her two customers cowered away from it, but the woman near the window merely rolled her eyes and sighed, putting down her book.

[Darksider42]

Lady Winter yawned as she slid on the massive trail of ice. She wasn't a morning person, but she wasn't sleeping very well lately. Bah, I'll just get something to drink...Coffee would be good if it didn't leave a horrible taste in my mouth. She suddenly stopped in the air,a monstrous sound resonating in the air. Observing the beach side, she saw a massive hole in the front of the Tea House. With people fleeing in terror. This early in the morning? and at a small store?"Ugh " She muttered as she made a beeline for the Cafe, a massive hammer made of Ice already forming in her hands.

She landed with a irritated look on her face. "OK, what the hell is...Oh." As she steped through the massive hole she saw the Towering Golem and the mystical marks running across its body. She stood there for a few seconds, blinking at the clay monstrosity before shaking her head and steading herself. "Not what I was expecting...Not matter, I can still crush you."

[Ecalsneerg]

The golem turned to face this strange newcomer, expression not changing, and let loose another deep groaning noise. Its clay brow furrowed as it casually flung aside an expensive-looking vase it had picked up, shattering it against the opposite wall. Bette Lovegood shrieked even as she and her two customers fled towards the door. however, they weren't exactly young anymore, and despite their fear and haste, weren't moving particularly quickly...

[Darksider42]

"Heard louder than that!" She yelled as she ran towards it, hammer gripped tightly in both hands. A blunt point started to form at the end of it as she brought it down on the Golems knee. Without pausing she brought the hammer from the creature of clays leg and slammed the hammer into its chest. This thing better go down soon before the others are hurt. And whats with that woman over there?

[Ecalsneerg]

The golem roared as Lady Winter's hammer rended two great chunks out of its solid form. Its black eyes suddenly flared red as it braced itself, its huge bulk looming up with both hands. Swinging them back in a rabbit punch, it aimed its too massive fists and surged forwards with surprising speed for its size.

But not speed enough, as its blows passed Lady Winter by, not harming her but for the feeling of the shockwave from the sheer force of the strike.

[Ecalsneerg]

The woman sitting by the window stood up, pulling out a pentagram from her coat as she did so. It shone silver, and with a thought, it flared into life, shielding her with an invisible field of magical force, protecting her from harm.

How to maintain my identity, and stop a golem? I'm not sure, but that woman seems to be managing well enough with that hammer. Siobhan glanced at the old-timers trying to escape. And those people need help first.

With one hand, Siobhan started turning her hand in a circle in the air, towards the back of those fleeing for the door.

"There's danger here,

There's danger there,

Try city hall,

Might not be there!

"

In a flash of white light, the three old-timers were caught up in Siobhan's spell... but one of them, thinking it something from this monster, threw himself down to the ground. Having had his back turned, he hadn't realised who'd done it, but it didn't change the fact only two of the civilians had been teleported to City Hall. "Oh."

Brawling with Lady Winter, something pinged in the golem's head. Someone was using magic. And it didn't like it.

[Darksider42]

"What the?" Lady Winter was a little thrown off by the sudden flash of light and everyone (Except one person) vanishing out of the way for the rampaging creature. She saw the woman near the window chanting something. I guess it would be silly to assume I am the only one with powers here in a city like this. It didn't completely change the situation though, she still needed to take it down. "Hey! I'm over here!" She shouted as she lifted her hammer high and brought it down on the golems arm.

[Ecalsneerg]

With a roar, the golem recoiled from Lady Winter's hammer. It looked almost in shock as a large lump of ceramic fell off of its arm where the hammer had fallen. In clay shock, it looked at Lady Winter, looked at its arm, then decided to investigate the magic it had detected instead.

Turning and lunging at Siobhan where she stood, it heedlessly charged forwards, swinging a massive fist towards her face.

[Ecalsneerg]

Siobhan flung up an arm as the golem attacked, face scrunched up in concentration. Pleasemisspleasemisspleasemisspleasemiss. Pushing outwards with her magical warding, and hindered by the golem's immense power, she barely succeeded in deflecting the attack wide, rather than holding it off.

"I think it's time we stopped this, don't you?" she said, clicking her fingers and gesturing with a flourish, checking to see that the old gent was still struggling to get up rather than looking at her. In a flash of white light, her costume was on her, a black trenchcoat over white shirt and pants, shirt and coat alike emblazoned with the split black-and-white symbol. A length of oak wood, engraved with arcane symbols, was in her hand.

With a dramatic thrust, she pointed the wand at the golem's chest and launched a gout of arcane fire at it, the heat haze blurring the air around it and causing her to start sweating. The golem just straightened up, completely unfazed by her magic.

[Darksider42]

Lady Winter backed away as soon as she saw the torrent of flame being blasted at the golem. Every instinct inside her body was telling her to run away, fearing the scorching touch of fire. He resisted though. She could always run away another time, but not now. She ran forward, more ice forming on her hammer as she got ready to swing it once again. "I said I'm over-" Before she finished, she brought the Hammer down again, cracking the new layer of Ice and frost off the hammer as it struck the Golem. "-HERE!"

[Ecalsneerg]

The golem roared in pain as the hammer once again crashed into it, sending the powerful creature lurching forward. Abruptly, it caught itself, swinging around with a double-handed blow. The colossal force of the strike sent a shockwave echoing around the room, knocking nearby chairs over (if they hadn't been already), and smashing the last of the crockery.

It hit Lady Winter full-on, and didn't even faze her in the slightest.

[Ecalsneerg]

Equinox whirled her wand around quickly, unsure of how to stop a creature apparently impervious to her magical flames. This woman seems to be managing well. She hasn't taken a scratch off the monster. I should try to restrain it.

She spun her wand in a tight arc, a white line appearing in the floor around the golem's feet.

"Eyes aflame and feet of clay,

Inside my circle you. Will. STAY!"

She exerted her will upon the magical circle, trying to hem in the golem, but its antimagic nature seemed to let it just crash easily through the wards and barriers she erected. Oh no...

[Darksider42]

Lady Winters head jerked down from the sheer force of the blow, but the Russians mutated body just took the blow with only a little pain. "Finally have your attention then." She said as she shook her head. She watched the woman summon some sort of circle, only for it to fail against the clay creature. Well, that didn't work. She took a deep breath and once more, heft her hammer and brought it crashing down against the Golems chest.

[Ecalsneerg]

The golem reeled from the blow, red clay eyes glaring even hotter and hotter with anger at its assailants. Its solid clay body was cracked and chipped in several places, and its low moan sounded dejected and unhappy at its situation.

Bellowing in defiance, the ceramic automaton whirled around and delivered a crushing backhand blow to Lady Winter. Once again, despite the sheer force of the blow, she barely flinched.

[Ecalsneerg]

Equinox winced as the golem broke from her bonds and once again delivered a catastrophically powerful blow to the woman with the hammer. Ouch. But the wince soon turned to a shocked expression when the woman casually shrugged off the blow. Ok, enough is enough. She glanced at the old man struggling to flee still at the other side of the room.

"This ends now, golem!" she cried, raising her arms to each side as a pair of spectral white wings faded into being behind her, lifting her up into the air. "Just STOP!" With a flick of her wrist, the magic circle on the floor rose up, and solidified into a wall of magical force. She swung her wand like a hammer, sending the circle crashing down onto the golem's head, leaving a deep crack running through the middle of its face.

Whirling, she noted its stunned, dazed "expression" as it stood vibrating slightly from the strike. One could almost imagine still-liquid clay running from the eyes in a simulacrum of tears. It has to stop. She bound another circle around the unresisting golem and called out to her newfound ally.

"It can't move through the circle, but you should be able to unless you're a magical being! Down him while he's contained!"

[Darksider42]

Lady Winter took a few steps back as soon as the Golem was sealed in the circle. Her face stung ever so slightly, but not enough that it would be a problem. "I think I have better idea." The Blue Russian said before she sent out a torrent of ice and cold air from her hands at the trapped clay creature. In seconds it was quickly covered in ice that only grew thicker and thicker until the Golem was all but trapped.

She tilted her head to the side with an audible crack. Being hit in the head a few times did things to the spin and neck sometimes. "I think we should find out where its thing came from first before we destroy it." She said to the mystery woman in the coat, the ladys accent slightly thicker than normal. "Another could be running around right now or perhaps later."

[Ecalsneerg]

Equinox raised an eyebrow at the impressive freezing of an entire golem into a solid block of ice. Still, she kept her magic circle up around the creature, just in case. "I agree, we should. I think I should be able to find a spell in my library at home that should find the creator of an object, but I'll need a little chunk of the monster to do it."

She walked over to the old man by the door, and took his hand. "Sir? Sir? We stopped the monster, now. I tried to teleport you all to City Hall for safety, but apparently you resisted it. Apologies for not warning you, but there wasn't really time with a monster like that rampaging."

[Darksider42]

"There are few chunks lying around. For something so strong, it falls apart easily." She said, streams of intense cold still streaming from her hands and onto the frozen hunk of ice. She seemed to be intent on making sure the Golem wasn't going to go anywhere anytime soon. "I do not believe we have met before. I am Lady Winter." The torrents of ice stops as she studied the hunk of ice for a few moments before turning to the woman. "I think he is still in shock. I don't think he was expecting a monster attack today."

[Ecalsneerg]

Equinox casually swept her wand towards a piece of golem shrapnel, pulling it from it's position across the floor in a flicker of white light. "Alright, I should be able to whip something up that'll find the creator." She slid the lump of pottery into her pocket and took Lady Winter's cold hand. "I'm Equinox. And I hope you've got some way of getting us to City Hall. I can teleport, it just takes a lot of effort, and I can fly, but I'm not sure that's going to be good for the poor man."

[Darksider42]

"I can get around." Lady winter said, shooting forth a quick spray of cold and ice at the golem just in case it breaks out somehow. "though I am not sure if you or the gentlemen wants to be carried around. I could do it mind you." In all honesty she doubted the man wanted to be carried around like that, especially after the attack had left him shaken. But whatever needed to be done, she would do it.

[Ecalsneerg]

"Well, I can cast a fairly simple levitation spell in order to fly," explained Equinox, fussing over the old gentleman and making sure he was alright. "Sir, I teleported Ms Lovegood and your friend to City Hall for safety, and I think that woman who was reading managed to run for safety. But we need to go check on your friends, so I was wondering if you were up to flying, or would prefer a more ground-based means on travel?"

The old man shook his head and adjusted his spectacles on his face. "I don't think I want to fly... would it be possible to call a taxi or something?" Equinox smiled at him.

"Sure thing, sir." She went to pull a cell phone from her pocket. "Ms Winter, I think we should await this taxi, and when this gent is safely picked up, go to my apartment so that I can try to find the artificer of this golem."

[Darksider42]

"It seems like a fine idea." The Russian said as she walked across the smashed room and picked up a surprisingly intact chair from the rubble and placed it where the man could sit while a Taxi was being called. "Such a pity this place was smashed to pieces. Might have actually ordered something." She commented of handedly. She looked over the golem, frozen in its tomb of ice, "I still don't understand why something like that would attack this place."

[Ecalsneerg]

Equinox quickly phoned the taxi, and was informed it would be there soon. Hanging up the cell phone, she replaced it within the pocket of her trenchcoat. "I'm not entirely sure why it attacked here, hence why I'd like to track down the maker." She pulled out a packet of cigarettes and lit it with the tip of her wand, taking a deep drag as she thought. Lowering her voice so the man couldn't hear, she spoke her thoughts. "If memory serves, golems can sense magic. And I was eating here. I really hope this didn't all happen simply because I came here for breakfast."

[Darksider42]

"Would be quite troubling if people are making monsters like this just to kill magic." Lady Winter said, keeping her voice as low as Equinox's. "Well then. Best this taxi comes soon. I do not like these rampaging things, even if the are quite easy to knock around...Though their punches do hurt." She wondered briefly why she didn't go flying when she was hit. but came with no other answer than the changes wrought on her body.

[Ecalsneerg]

"I dunno, golems are ridiculously powerful," mused Equinox. "Although I'm speaking from the perspective of someone who is nearly defenceless against them. In any case, you must be pretty powerful to take those kinds of blows."

---

Finally, the taxi came, and the old man was helped into it. "Take him to City Hall, please, and if they're not sending police around, could you get them to?" asked Equinox, slipping the driver twenty bucks to cover costs. "Thank you."

Flicking her wand, she floated up into the air, eagle wings spread wide. "Ok, my apartment's in the Theatre District." She turned, trenchcoat billowing out in the sea breeze. "Do you want to follow on?"