Witch Hunt [IC]

[Quinn]

Back at the church, Push had quietly waited for the officers to set up the crime scene, then took the Sheriff and "Eric" aside and gave her the whole spiel over the demon and the fire, along with what little he'd heard before he'd walked in. He'd caught some words that the beastie had taken a human form, but since he hadn't seen it, he couldn't give an exact description of the disguise.

"And that's pretty much it. Sheriff, right now this is pretty much going as it usually does; demon called up, goes for the nearest religious centre, causes havoc, etc. Not going to tell you how to do your job, I enjoy living too much for that, but I recommend you start surveillance on whatever major churches, chapels...whatever that you've got around here. If there's going to be a repeat, that's where they'll aim."

He shrugged and leaned on a (thankfully) unharmed pew, looking between the two of them. Whatever that kid had done, he was damned happy he'd done it; you could do worse than having an invisible bear as a tail on someone.

[trollthumper]

Jolene paused for a second, trying to figure out whether she was doing something wrong. Relaxing, she said, "Sam and April. Sam lives over in Westbury; he's been doing this a bit longer than I have. April's in town, but she's new to all this. I... don't really know of any other practitioners around here. Though there was this one guy I talked to online... he said he knew the way in, but when we got together for coffee, he just seemed really creepy."

---

Back at the church...

"Thought as much," Durand said. "I'll get my men out to the other churches."

"Send a small patrol," Eric said. "Keep some men back."

"Why?" Durand realized a second later. "You think there's gonna be another target."

"I thought the church was a primary target," he said, "but it may have just been to stir up a panic. It could be the next target is somewhere much more public."

----

Meanwhile, with Vigourie...

Vigourie returned to his motel room, and Arcturus followed. Vigourie slipped through the open door, leaving it open as it slid shut slowly...

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel's attention immediately sharpened. He straightened up from where he'd been leaning against the wall, his arms falling to his side. He then leaned forward a bit, his intense gaze probably a bit unsettling.

"What guy? Could you describe him? How did he seem creepy? Give us every detail."

There was something in his expression now. Almost a mania, with how intense his focus was.

"This is possibly the most important thing you will tell us."

[Quinn]

Push pondered briefly, then nodded at the two of them.

"Since you haven't told me to hit the road yet, I'll assume you guys still think I can be of some use. Look, I...."

He reached into his bag, rummaging around, then took out a piece of paper and passed it to Nick. A single frequency was written on it, and he tapped his earbud.

"If you've got a commlink or radio, that frequency'll let you contact me. Now, the cops may be good, but I don't think this town has a helicopter, and we could use an eye in the sky. Keep me out of trouble too, heh...Sheriff, where's the highest point in town?"

[GranspearZX]

There was definitely something off about Vigourie. There was something off about the entire situation; it was animal intuition telling him that something didn't smell right. The Beast Rune was tugging at his mind a little bit, though Marcus suspected it was just adrenaline from the sneaking around. As Vigourie slipped into his hotel room, Marcus slipped in behind him, trying to avoid the door closing. It would've been impossible if he'd been following in his bear form; heightened smell or no, there really were times when it was Marcus and not Arcturus who needed to deal with the situation.

He held his position at the door, looking around the motel room. He certainly couldn't open or close anything, not without drawing attention to himself or spooking Vigourie. This was definitely going to take a steady hand... all he needed now was something incriminating.

[trollthumper]

At the house...

"He was... well, he was kinda pushing fifty, I think," Jolene said. "He had gray hair, intense eyes -- like he kept trying to cut you open. Gods, that's why I didn't really like him -- it was like he was trying to find some way to cut into me and climb in. And he wore all black, like he wanted to be a Goth so bad..."

---

At the church...

"Highest point in town is probably St. Vincent's Hospital," Durand said. "Five stories. 'Course, there's Jasper Hill, but that's out in the woods."

"Why the woods?" Eric said.

Durand looked at Eric skeptically. "Well, that's where the hill is. You can't just move in to Main Street."

"No, I mean... this thing, it knows how to infiltrate."

"Oh. You're doing that thing Dr. House does, then. Someone says something, he gets an answer."

Eric looked at Durand strangely. "We do get TV out here, you know," she said.

"Yeah, it's like that," Eric said. "This thing can take human form. Mind you, we don't know how many forms, but... why the woods? Why not his bedroom, or the bathroom at school?"

"Witnesses," Durand said. "It goes in, everyone sees who did it."

"Exactly," Eric said. "If it's trying to frame someone for this, then why not do that in the first place?" He paused. "It's the dread. Kill one person, make a murderer, it's a tragedy. Kill one person, and just wait... and see what everyone does. This thing doesn't just want to make a scapegoat; I think it wants everyone else to make their own."

---

At the hotel...

Marcus kept the door open just a crack, keeping his eyes on Vigourie. Vigourie went into the closet, adjusted his suits, played around with the remote, then looked to the door --

No. Not to the door. To Marcus. Suddenly, it felt like there was a meat hook tearing at the back end of his brain. He looked up to see Vigourie pulling a silenced handgun out of his coat.

"That's quite enough pretending," he said. "Don't you agree?"

[Quinn]

Quinn nodded to both of them and stepped out the door, kicking in the kinetic jets and shooting up into the sky. A great deal of things were running through his head at this point, and he needed time to clear the air. For a few minutes, he simply hovered over the town, looking hither and thither in vain attempts to see anything fishy. He tapped his comms once in a while, checking if anyone was talking into them...which they weren't.

He sighed, stopping briefly. Then he came to a decision. A while back, he'd had some thoughts about trying to refine his abilities, better control over his blasts and swings. And part of that had been using that...kinetic sense he kept tapping into whenever he tried to leech or paralyze an enemy, and using it in a different method. If there was a demon walking around, it might have had a different kinetic silhouette! Or at least be unique amongst other humans. Granted, it was a longshot, but his options were few, and any chance to make up for that royal screw-up earlier would help.

He hung in the air, and closed his eyes. His mind slowly settled, focusing, tapping into that...spark...of kinetic energy, deep in the core of his being, and the cells of his body. For a moment, he could see...he could see it all. He could see the silhouettes of cars, the movement energy shaped around them as they trundled down the street. He could see a woman shifting a pan on the stove. He could see an arm lifting up to point a hand in a very familiar position at a figure who clutched at his head.

Wait, what?

His concentration broke, and his mind felt as if it was on fire as the backlash hit him. Push winced, shaking it from side to side, and rapidly looked about with his eyes before placing them on where (he guessed) that had been. Someone was holding someone else hostage. And that person was about to have a really, really, really bad day. He shot off at half-speed this time, refraining from the sonic-boom that he'd gone off on before, and landed a block away, hitting the ground running in a dead sprint towards the...motel?

[KnightDisciple]

At the house...

"He was... well, he was kinda pushing fifty, I think," Jolene said. "He had gray hair, intense eyes -- like he kept trying to cut you open. Gods, that's why I didn't really like him -- it was like he was trying to find some way to cut into me and climb in. And he wore all black, like he wanted to be a Goth so bad..."

---

Gabriel frowns as she describes the man. Anyone who would give a teenager such unpleasant feelings had to be-

His though process ground to a halt for several long moments, horror slowly dawning on his face. His gaze turned to face Siobhan.

Gabriel said a word he'd once heard the priest say when the baptismal font caught fire once due to the overzealous pranks of some of his "peers".

"Bloody hell, it's Vigourie! We've been had, Siobhan! I've got to warn the others!"

He closed his eyes, and when he next spoke, only a select few heard his voice: Siobhan, Eric, Marcus, Stone, and Sheriff Durand.

"Everyone, this is Gabriel. I've figured out who our culprit is. It's Vigourie. He's been playing us for fools, and worse, I think he's got some measure of power. I'm heading to the church to meet up with you."

With that, he rushed out the door without a further word to either Siobhand or Jolene. His face was a mix of anger and resolve.

Once outside, he took a moment to calm himself before kicking up dust as he launched into the air, hitting 300 miles per hour in just a second. He increased to near super-sonic levels in moments, tearing across the sky to the damaged church in moments. He slammed to a near-halt about 80 feet up, nearly dropping the rest of the way. He turned to face the Sheriff and Eric.

"Where's Vigourie at now?"

[Quinn]

Push uttered several words unfit for public hearing as he vaulted a fence, his breathing heavy as his boots pounded the ground towards the motel. He slapped the commlink on his ear, praying with every fiber that one of them would pick it up. C'mon, Eric...use that damn frequency!

"This is Push! I mean Stone! Whatever! Got Gabe's signal, and I know where the scumbag is! Stratford Motor Inn, and he's got someone at gunpoint! Get over here NOW!"

[GranspearZX]

In hindsight, Marcus really should have known better than to ignore the Beast Rune's animal instincts. A predator always knows when the prey has a heads-up, and he'd ignored it. The way the motel room door had closed was entirely too convenient; he'd been baited, and like an idiot he'd fallen for it... hook, line, and sinker. He bit back a yelp of pain as Vigourie's stare tore into his mind, nearly forcing him off balance. He could feel the Beast Rune pushing back, trying to force the intruding presence out, but by then, it was too late.

The last thing he could remember when his will was still his own was Vigourie's gun...

[Ecalsneerg]

"Dammit," swore Siobhan, pulling out her wand and tugging her pentacle out from under her shirt. "Stay here, keep down, and we should be able to stop this. Her voice was icily calm. The damn bigot... and that's what he was doing the whole time.

With a flick of her wand, she had exploded into light, white force field shielding her, white wings arcing from her back, and a radiant glow pouring from all around her. "Harm none," muttered Equinox, taking wing and heading skywards, hoping that someone'd have the foresight to direct her.

[Quinn]

Fortunately for Siobhan, she was about to be given a most pleasing signal.

As Arcturus's mind was crushed under Vigourie's will, Push leaped across the final barrier and sprinted across the parking lot, unconsciously reaching into his body and drawing upon the energy he would need. The air warped and crackled around him as he aimed for the room he knew the man was in, and he threw up a hand.

Vigourie stood, staring upon his new slave, and smiled...then looked up. A sound from outside. A very loud sound. It sounded like...

"Surprise!"

The wall beside Arcturus blew inwards with a mighty crash, wood and insulation and the like erupting forwards and bouncing off the interior of the room, mostly off Vigourie; fortunately none struck the ursine hero at his position beside the door. A second after the eruption, a figure in a brown coat leapt through the newly-made hole, charging low to the ground, and brought a warp-covered fist up right into the impostor expert's jaw! With an ear-splitting crack as the energy was released, the kinetically-charged uppercut lifted the villain clear off the ground, and right through the ceiling! Push stood, coat flapping as air whipped around him from his dynamic entrance, and pointed up at Vigourie's wildly spinning body as it bounced off the second floor's ceiling.

"Payback time, you lyin' hellspawn!"

[trollthumper]

Fifteen seconds before...

"This is control, you see," Vigourie said. "Not servitude to gods. Not prayers and wishes. The will and the way. It would be easy to kill you right now... but given the trouble your friends have caused, I'd rather see you kill them yourself -- "

"Surprise!"

The wall beside Arcturus blew inwards with a mighty crash, wood and insulation and the like erupting forwards and bouncing off the interior of the room, mostly off Vigourie; fortunately none struck the ursine hero at his position beside the door. A second after the eruption, a figure in a brown coat leapt through the newly-made hole, charging low to the ground, and brought a warp-covered fist up right into the impostor expert's jaw! With an ear-splitting crack as the energy was released, the kinetically-charged uppercut lifted the villain clear off the ground, and right through the ceiling! Push stood, coat flapping as air whipped around him from his dynamic entrance, and pointed up at Vigourie's wildly spinning body as it bounced off the second floor's ceiling.

"Payback time, you lyin' hellspawn!"

Vigourie failed to brace for the blow properly, and was rocketed upwards. As plaster settled and the screams of the inhabitants upstairs filled the air, Push could see Marcus stirring...

---

Meanwhile, at the church...

"Where's the Motor Inn?" Eric yelled at Durand.

"Three blocks down!"

"I need you to get me there yesterday!" Eric said. "Vigourie's the killer! He's got someone hostage!"

As she and Eric ran for the car, Durand shouted into her radio, "All units on the Stratford Motor Inn! We have a hostage crisis!" The two slid into the cop car as Durand hit the sirens and sped off.

"Oh, by the way," Eric said as shadows filled the car, "don't be surprised if I get changed on the way."

"Changed? What do you --?" Durand looked over to see Nick Cimitiere, in all black and skull makeup, sitting in the passenger seat. "Christ, have you ever heard of 'subtle'?"

"Heard of it. Never really cared for it. Can this thing go any faster?"

[GranspearZX]

Outwardly, Marcus didn't react. He stared impassively at Vigourie, even as his magic faded and rendered him visible. Inwardly, however, was an entirely different story; he was stricken with a cold, frenzied panic like he'd never felt before. Was he really going to make him shoot someone? Inwardly he struggled and fought against the fear of what he might do, powerless to do anything--even control his own body. In that moment, he wasn't a raging black bear or even a young magic-user... He was a powerless teenager. A year ago, that would have been fine, but right now, there was nothing more terrifying...

He wanted to scream or cry out or something... but he couldn't even do that. It was the longest, most agonizing 15 seconds of his life--until something burst through the wall. He couldn't see it at first, but he was genuinely relieved--who knew that he'd actually be glad to see Agent Stone show up?

Still... it wasn't over; he could feel his entire form tense, and he knew his own body enough to know exactly what that meant. He tried to fight it, but to little avail; he found himself lunging at Agent Stone from behind, staff raised to nail Push in the back.

[Quinn]

The strike came straight out of left field, connecting with a resounding crack on his left shoulder despite his shield's leeching. Push grunted as he rolled his shoulder with the blow, wincing as his arm numbed from the blow. Luckily, he regained his equilibrium right before he saw the second staff-blow arcing towards his head, and he ducked swiftly as it whistled overhead.

"What the hell!?"

Numerous thoughts ran through Push's mind as he stared at the young man who was mindlessly swinging his staff at the kineticist. Several of them wouldn't have been fit for young ears, but the one overarching thought was why in the name of...whoa!..is he doing this?! Damnit! OK, new plan. Lock him down, then go for Vigourie!

Push focused his mind and closed his eyes as he leapt backwards, reaching out to the truly prodigious amount of kinetic energy surrounding the young man. With speed born of experience, he reached out and tapped into it, leeching as fast as he could. Unfortunately...the link was too slow. Arcturus slowed, but didn't completely stop. And Push was running out of time. Vigourie could shake off that punch any second, and he couldn't go after him immediately because of...the link...two new signatures coming in hell-for-leather skywards...heh. Turning his attention upwards, he focused his mind once again on the impostor stumbling to his feet after having been sent through one ceiling and bouncing off another. Extending his hand and clenching it, Push felt a distinct sense of satistaction as he felt the energy clamp down onto the villain.

"Hey Viggy! Got some friends who want to meet you, they're right outside!"

And, opening his palm, he felt the man go flying across the room, and with a resounding crash (hmm, probably one of those nice french windows), the energy that was Vigourie's outline went flying out of the upstairs room, crashing with a thud into the middle of the parking lot. Push turned, and returned his attention to the now slowed Marcus...

"Alright, furball. Let's dance."

[Ecalsneerg]

Equinox soared in the air, gazing down upon Vigourie crash landing on the car park as she casually lowered herself downwards, wand levelled at him. "You asshole," she swore. "The whole time, all the bigoted nonsense you spout... it's been you. Well, I think it's time to remove a few misconceptions. This one's not just for you, but more for everyone who thinks I got rid of all the fire in the church and not, say..." Equinox smirked as her wand tip began glowing white hot.

"Stored it in magical form?" She discharged all the magical energy she'd saved in one shot, a veritable inferno of flame and smoke, scorching off the tips of her eyebrows. Even as her anger strove to force the flame outwards, to vaporise the entire area and those in it, Equinox's willpower tempered it, forcing the fire into a narrow lance of solid heat that wouldn't injure, only render unconscious. But it would still burn like Hell.

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel had heard where to go as the others were leaving. He took a moment to put just enough control on his rage to keep from blowing out every window in the state, and was suddenly on the scene. Just in time to see Equinox pour fire onto the "investigator" after he'd been thrown from the building. Gabriel's face was twisted in a snarl as he brought his hands up, the air warping and distorting from the energy he was barely containing. His voice roared out, the sound of Heaven's Judgment rolling in every syllable.

"Deceiver! Betrayer of trust! Accuser of innocents! Inciter of injustice!"

His hands lashed forward, the sonic energy tearing through the air and working to render Vigourie's defenses meaningless.

"Be ye now rebuked! Quail before your fate! Face judgment ALMIGHTY!"

[trollthumper]

About one block down the road from the motel, a gigantic din clashed with the wail of the police siren. "What the hell was that?" Durand said.

"My guess?" Nick said, looking out the window. In the distance, he could see smoke rising from the vicinity of the motel. "The cavalry." He had his hand on the door handle, and leapt out the second it came to rest in the parking lot. He was treated to one hell of a sight: the walls of a motel room in ruins, Equinox and Gabriel standing over a burning Vigourie, and a clear view through the destroyed masonry of Marcus swinging at Stone.

"Is this sort of thing normal where you come from?"

"You have no idea."

[GranspearZX]

Marcus really couldn't stop himself, though not for lack of trying. Being trapped inside of himself was like a horrific dream; as much as he disliked Stone, he didn't want to actually hurt him. Still not in control of his own body, he lunged forward, despite the field of energy slowing his movements down. His face was completely devoid of expression as he took another measured swing at Agent Stone, his staff gripped tightly in both hands...

[Quinn]

Push took the blow on his chest, this time the field kicking in with more than enough time to slow the staff down. It tapped as light as a feather on the hero's chest as he leapt backwards, and for the second time he established the paralyzing link. This time...it worked.

He watched with some satisfaction as the expressionless young man slowed to a crawl, and then completely stopped, his movement energy drained and his body in stasis. Push slowly walked over, looking right into the kid's eyes...then nodded.

"Don't know what he did to you, mate, but I think Equinox is making him pay for it. Sit tight, Nick'll know what to do."

And with that, he clenched his fist, a warp appearing around it, and he took up station at the hole in the wall. As Push stood there, he watched with grim satisfaction as Gabriel roared, the stunned Vigourie lying there being lashed by flame and fury.

[Ecalsneerg]

Equinox stood over Vigourie's prone form, wand still leveled at the prone man, wand smoking slightly from the sheer barrage of heat. The air reeked of flames, and the glow around her was visibly turning slightly red. "You're under arrest," she told him, flicking her wand to send white bands of force spiralling towards the liar in a mesh-like cage.

"This will be the last of your crimes."

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel's expression was still furious, even as Vigourie was restrained by Equinox's magic. Still, he decided it might be better to work on keeping the deceiver from running in some way besides pummeling him unconscious with sound.

The energy pouring from his hands ceased, but when he spoke next, Equinox could feel the extra power in his words, even if they weren't aimed at her.

"You deceived people for years, Vigourie! You've caused pain, misery, and death wherever you've gone! You're a wretched example of humanity! Now, you are faced with judgment! Repent! Wail! Gnash your teeth! For your sins are piled high for all to see!"

He hovers closer to the bound man, now perhaps 10 feet away from him, though still a couple feet off the ground. His hands rest on his hips, and his coat billows in the breeze, and in the wake of his power.

[trollthumper]

Vigourie shook under the aural assault from Gabriel. Tears ran down his eyes and his teeth clenched, but he did not lose himself. "You have no idea what I do," he said. "Mankind prays for power, ignorant of potential. I will sow seeds of dissent, breaking the altars and --"

The sound of rushing flames tore through the parking lot, joined by the screams of the damned. Nick Cimitiere approached the bound con man, the symphony of Hell emerging from his mouth. "You traffic in fel bargains, Vigourie," said something that may have been Nick. "You are a slave. You just can't see your chains."

Vigourie laughed through the tears. "A good ruse, necromancer," he said. "But I am not bound to Hell. I would never stoop to a power so low. In fact, it's rather the other way around." He drew in a deep breath and shouted, "LERAJE! LERAJE, I DO POTENTLY INVOKE AND EXORCISE THEE!"

The smell of brimstone began to fill the parking lot as something crawled from the ruin of the hotel room...

[Quinn]

Push's hand immediately leapt towards his hammer, but he checked himself. Whatever was coming out from that rubble wasn't going to be friendly, especially if Vigourie had called it. And Marcus was still down. He spat a curse, leaping up and kicking the kinetic jets in gear. As he did so, he reestablished the link to Marcus, lifting him up with what kinetics he could spare. Flying through the hole in the wall, he landed in front of the other heroes and walked towards them, the paralyzed Marcus being placed rather gently in front of Nick.

"Don't know what happened, but the kid's not in his right mind. Think our good friend Viggy here did something before I knocked his teeth in."

He took his place in line, unslinging his hammer and staring coldly at the monster emerging from the building.

[Ecalsneerg]

Vigourie laughed through the tears. "A good ruse, necromancer," he said. "But I am not bound to Hell. I would never stoop to a power so low. In fact, it's rather the other way around." He drew in a deep breath and shouted, "LERAJE! LERAJE, I DO POTENTLY INVOKE AND EXORCISE THEE!"

"Oh Goddess," snapped Equinox, whirling to face Leraje. "What do I need to do to shut you up?" She took a few steps towards the demon, whirling her wand in one hand even as the other traced intricate, spiralling patterns.

"Demon, how many times are we going to have to beat you down before you decide to finally leave us alone? Thou art out of thy depth, and all that the power I hast available, I will use to inflict harm unto thee until you relent. Also..."

"Thor! Donar!

Odinson! Father of Thrud!

Wielder of Mjollnir! LEND ME THY MIGHT!"

She carved an arc in the air from the sky down to the ground, lightning streaking from above and towards the demon.