Night Floors (IC)

[trollthumper]

Cannonade brought his knee up, trying to lash out at the tattered man's legs.. but the second before the blow could connect, the man sidestepped it like a rubber band snapping. There was a smell of caged mist, and the man was gone. Cannonade turned, and found the man in the pallid mask standing behind Kid Cthulhu. A whisper filled his head:

"It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living god."

There was a riot behind his eyes, a blaring of inhuman trumpets and scenes of carnage and rebirth. He grabbed at his eyes and wrestled with his thoughts, until the riot vanished into nothingness. He stared down the tattered man. "Nice light show," he said.

[Lone Star]

KC whirls around behind him, his psychic energy already stored and ready to go. The lights in the room flickered as KC let loose his mental barrage at the King, and the moans of tormented souls beyond the realm of the mortals filled the mind of the King. "Let's see how you like it, you royal jester." KC said as he turned around, his boots clomping solidly on the polished hardwood floor. As his boots echoed in the chamber, he realized how quiet the audience was. It truly scared him to the bone.

[trollthumper]

The man in the pallid mask reeled under the blast of Kid Cthulhu's mental volley. For one second, the theater seemed to twist and warp, taking on the appearance of a ruined marble ballroom before righting itself. "A nudge," the tattered man spat, "a tremor, that is all--"

Cannonade took advantage of the confusion to sprint across the stage, polished wood cracking under his boots. He channeled the momentum of the run into his fist, taking the tattered man right across the chin. "Let's see that ugly mug, shall we?"

For one second, the mask cracked slightly, then flowed back together like pooling cream. The man in the pallid mask vanished from their sight, then appeared again at the foot of Jane's "throne." "A mask disguises, a mask obscures, a mask lies," he said. "Know this: I wear no mask." The tattered man locked his unknown gaze on Kid Cthulhu, then lifted his hand to his mask. As it moved slightly, a sound like inevitability, a sliding sarcophagus, and the last flatline split the silence of the empty stage.

[Lone Star]

KC saw the man's mask, and closed his eyes, reminding himself that he was still in this world, not in Carcosa and the world's beyond. "Is that the best you've got? You're dealing with Kid Cthulhu here. The insane is practically what I see all day. If you think you can psyche me out by showing that ugly face of yours, you're mistaken!" he laughed.

He responded to the attack by sending another mental volley at the masked king.

[trollthumper]

The warping of the air and the sound of whispering dreamers did not seem to move the tattered man. He slid his mask back. "A simple treat," he said. "But you do not know how to --"

"Would you can it already?" Cannonade said, rushing for the masked man once more. In the second before the hit collided, the man stepped aside, covering more space than seemed possible. The charging hero had to pull back to avoid hitting the bound Jane... and found himself stopping right before the man in the pallid mask.

"No," he said. "No, I do not think I will." He stared -- as much as a man with no eyes could stare -- right into Cannonade's eyes, causing the man to start convulsing like a man run through with electrical current. "Do you see what revelation brings? The delights of the perfumed gardens?"

Cannonade slumped down on the stage, then lifted his eyes. Behind the helmet, Kid Cthulhu could see him trying to gain purchase... then locking his eyes on the young hero, his face sliding into pure rage. The man in the pallid mask vanished from the foot of the false throne with a thundercrack, appearing far stage left -- behind Kid Cthulhu.

"Enjoy the conscience of the king."

At center stage, Cannonade let out a strangled roar.

[Lone Star]

KC extended his nightmare wings and flew up, twisting around to see the King behind him. He gritted his teeth as his eyes glowed green. "That's quite enough. I'm gonna kick your ass right back to Carcosa, King." He shouted as he unleashed a psychic maelstrom at the King, which warped the air around it as it blasted straight at the King's skull. "No more playing around."

[trollthumper]

The reeling assault of pure madness caused even the tattered man to reel. Around him, the darkened theater began to split, showing a starry sky above. "No," he said, "I can show you -- I will show you --"

The maddened Cannonade scanned the stage. With Kid Cthulhu up in the air, his eyes locked on the closest target he could see. And at the other end of the stage, the man in the pallid mask quavered slightly. "Do not--" With a mighty bellows, Cannonade brought his hands together with the force of an explosion. The shockwave erupted outward, sending Kid Cthulhu reeling in midair and knocking the tattered man against the far wall.

As he pulled himself up, he knelt, bent over in pain. Then, with a sound like a faultline cracking, his mask crumbled like cheap china. "Not now," he whispered frantically, "not now, not now, I've seen so much, so much--" The air began to twist and swirl around them, like a watercolors dunked in gasoline. With a sound like silk being torn with a chainsaw, and a cry like mourning for lost decency, the theater fell away.

Kid Cthulhu found himself floating above the skies of Lincoln, looking down on the Piedmont. Maureen and the other inhabitants of the Smoking Lounge were standing there, confused by the sudden change. Jane was standing up, trying to get her bearings as well. And Cannonade shook his head as the last traces of madness slipped away. He called up to the sky.

"Hey good job, Kid! Some freaking king, huh?"

[Lone Star]

KC smiled and crosses his arms. "He was no match for a hero of my awesome mystical caliber! he said as he floated gently to the ground. "Man, that wasn't so bad. But that was sure one whacked-up theater. Never want to see that guy again." He brushed off his costume and looked around. The Piedmont was still standing, foreboding as ever. "Also...let's try to get a petition to get this freaky-ass place torn down."

[trollthumper]

It wasn't soon after that the police showed up. Once all the residents were out of the building, the Piedmont was officially cordoned off.

"So, what happens now?" Cannonade asked the officer on duty.

"Well, it's out of our hands," said the cop. "There's a branch of the Feds that deals with this stuff. They're sending in some agents tomorrow, but until then, we ain't touching the place."

"You find anyone else in there? Guy in a ripped-up suit, maybe..."

The cop shook his head. "If we found 'em, they're out here. Doesn't seem to be anyone beyond the tenants."

"Well, thanks. If you need to me keep in touch... well, y'know." The cop nodded, and Cannonade went over to Kid Cthulhu.

"They're apparently not touching the play until the experts get in, so things should be safe for now. Thanks for the help, KC."