Hell Bend

Locales found within the main city centers; primarily Inside, Riverside, and Skyside.
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Thursday Violist
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Thursday Violist »

[Intact House?]

Zophiel, of course, decides to stash the earrings in a little bag so for now he doesn't have to worry about dropping them.

The paladin looks up the stairs. He assumes the woman from before works for the woman here, so...he's not quite sure what conclusions to take from this yet.

The succubus here, examining him, will easily be able to conclude that he's definitely big. Muscular. Manly. Can probably make the ladies swoon if he puts an effort into it. Genetically speaking, he's definitely at least half-Paladin. Almost like a knight in shining armor, without the armor and more in a woozy and slightly-delirious and injured state. And a little bit of demonic energy absorbed in him, thanks to what he did earlier to use the magic-sight.
But! She doesn't have to worry: he won't collapse. The black floral tattoos are definitely doing a good enough job at keeping him upright.

He tries to think of what he should do.
He, of course, fails. Not just because of the drugs and injury, but also because he doesn't know this new succubus's motivations, her personality, where he is, or other critical pieces of information that he'd need to make an informed decision.

"...I'm fine," he says, a little warily. "Or rather, I should be fine soon." Just need to spend time letting the magic threads heal him and letting his liver do important work.

Since having more knowledge about this new succubus and having more time to heal (unfortunately, he can't count on his liver working fast enough to matter) will help him, he decides to ask her a question to get her talking. "If I may ask: who are you?"

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Reinholdt
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Reinholdt »

[Big Bad Wolf]

Red narrows her eyes. Why did the silver just... melt like that? The floor itself? But it hasn't been messing with her or the chalk. No... well maybe. But Red suspects the weapon in the succubus' hand that surely knocked the dagger away to begin with. A property of it that melted opponents down into red goo upon a touch. The succubus wasn't just aiming for Red's throat, she was aiming to get the slightest nick in. Maybe. Perhaps.

No room for chances or errors here. The woodsy girl steps aside quickly, turning her body, eager to get away from whatever it is the succubus is using. More than anything she can't let herself get touched with that. "Fancy tech. What is it, hyper-moleculization?" Red circles, continually stepping towards the side of the succubus not holding the weapon. A purple rapier springs forth from her hand with a little unusually long reach, seeking to drive into the side of the succubus' offhand arm.
► SHOW SPOILER
Ironsmith
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Ironsmith »

[Intact House?]

"...Fair enough." The pixie-haired succubus nods. "The name's Tiff. And to save you the trouble of asking where you are and how you got here, you're in the basement of the Havnaught Hotel. You're currently sitting inside a hellgate, which Shivers over there just used to fish you out of the Abyss." She kneels and gestures to the area behind Zophiel. "Come on, Shivers. Come say hello to the nice man."

"N-no thank you, miss Tiffany. I-"

"Shivers." Tiff repeats, a reprimandive edge to her voice.

The cobwebs behind Zophiel stir as a tiny creature trundles out of them, watching Zophiel warily. It looks almost humanoid, with a misshapen, sack-like body and stubbed, droopy limbs. Its head is far too big for the rest of it, being almost the same size as its torso. A webby membrane stretches between its arms and legs, still thin enough to see through, and a bony, spade-tipped tail drags along thr ground behind it. Its skin is a dull red, somewhat resembling dried blood, while its eyes are a piercing gold and likewise too big for its face. True to its name, the little creature shakes and shudders as it toddles past Zophiel, heading straight for the succubus and wrapping its arms around her leg.

"...He's a touch skittish." Tiff adds apologetically, scooping up the tiny creature in her arms. "Imps are seen as vermin around here." She pauses a moment, rocking back and forth as she examines Zophiel further. "...You sure you don't need anything? Strong coffee, maybe? You look a bit out of it."

[Big Bad Wolf]

"No idea what you're talking about, lady." The succubus croons, slipping her arm over the blade in an attempt to get closer to her, holding her own blade in a reverse grip to prepare herself for the incoming stabbing. "Awfully chatty for a junkie, aren't you?" She adds, her wings unfurling behind her as she abandons the invisibility. "Not to mention fighty. But if you're not here to steal my shit or to get got, why are you here?"

The succubus's eyes narrow as she flicks her blade along the shaft of Red's rapier. "Oh. Oh, I see how it is." She sneers, dropping the faux-warmth from before. "You're another hunter, aren't you? Is the constant stream of missing persons reports not a clear enough indicator how this is going to go?"
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Reinholdt
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Reinholdt »

[Big Bad Wolf]

A reverse grip. A reverse grip?! Who does this succubus think she's facing that she can play at being cool in exchange for efficiency? Red will show her a reverse grip!

"Honestly?" Red asks as the end of her rapier suddenly expands, becoming a double bladed axe head. Taking advantage of her own malleability as she withdraws her extremely thin handled double axe with an upward sweep as the huntress steps away, looking to catch the succubus off guard and punish the demon for trying to close the gap. "I just wanted to borrow your house for an hour."
► SHOW SPOILER
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Thursday Violist
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Thursday Violist »

[Intact House?]

Well...
Zophiel concludes that this Shivers probably isn't the same person as that Mallory, who might've teleported him here to this basement for Tiffany to do...something. And Tiffany, for some unknown-as-yet reason, is trying to make him think he's somewhere else.
But if that were the case, would Tiffany just straight-up admit to it if Zophiel asked? No, he's got to find some other way to find out what's going on. It's frustrating dealing with people when things aren't so clear-cut...and when he can't quite think so clearly. Ugh, this is rather frustrating.

The paladin looks over at the tiny creature. "I appreciate the assistance," he tells the little almost-humanoid creature.

He looks up at Tiff. "I've been poisoned," he says, shaking his head. "Coffee may treat many things, but poison isn't one of them."
Zophiel exhales.
He looks down at this 'hellgate' that he's on. "You wouldn't happen to know what put me into the Abyss in the first place, would you?" he asks, to see if that would give some clue as to whether Tiffany has anything to do with that Mallory or not.
Ironsmith
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Ironsmith »

[Big Bad Wolf]

shhrruuk!

The succubus screams as hot blood spatters against Red and the floor, the demoness falling in one direction and her arm in the other. Her knife drops from her hand and goes clattering across the floor, stopping at Red's feet.

The succubus looks up at Red, holding her bloody stump of a shoulder, jaw trembling in a mix of pain, fear, and rage. "You... you stupid bitch." She growls, baring her needly teeth. "You've just made it to the top of my shit list, you know that? Go ahead. Kill me. I'll be back in less than a day. And then I'm going to hunt you down and carve you up like a thanksmas turkey." She fumbles on her knees for a moment, attempting to get back up but finding herself overtaxed by the sheer agony of suddenly losing a limb.


[Intact House?]

"...Welcome." Shivers purrs, pointedly averting its gaze from Zophiel.

"...Poisoned?" Tiff frowns. "Why would someone poison you and dump you in the Abyss? Seems like overkill to me." She pauses again and looks him over, before taking a step back and gesturing toward the stairs.

"If you can walk, I've got a few things upstairs that might help." The succubus offers. "Including a comfortable bed, if you think you can just sleep it off. No charge for the first night. It just wouldn't be right."

In Tiff's hands, the little imp squirms and nuzzles up against her chest, prompting her to look down and give him a reassuring pat along the back. "...As for your question... I'm assuming someone dropped you through a different hellgate, since it's unlikely you died and passed the Peccatorium. Piss off anybody who might have wanted to make you disappear lately?"
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Thursday Violist
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Thursday Violist »

Ironsmith wrote: May 15, 2023 4:51 am [Intact House?]

"...Welcome." Shivers purrs, pointedly averting its gaze from Zophiel.

"...Poisoned?" Tiff frowns. "Why would someone poison you and dump you in the Abyss? Seems like overkill to me." She pauses again and looks him over, before taking a step back and gesturing toward the stairs.

"If you can walk, I've got a few things upstairs that might help." The succubus offers. "Including a comfortable bed, if you think you can just sleep it off. No charge for the first night. It just wouldn't be right."

In Tiff's hands, the little imp squirms and nuzzles up against her chest, prompting her to look down and give him a reassuring pat along the back. "...As for your question... I'm assuming someone dropped you through a different hellgate, since it's unlikely you died and passed the Peccatorium. Piss off anybody who might have wanted to make you disappear lately?"

[Intact House?]

Zophiel tries to answer succinctly: "Poison proved too slow, I guess," he says with a shrug.

"..."
He thinks.
He probably doesn't need overnight. To recover completely, yes he'll need overnight. But just to go out he should be good enough in a couple hours. "I should be good to walk," he says.

He's a little unsteady, but the magic of magic tattoo junk does let him walk! He moves towards and up the stairs. "Investigating a missing persons case," he says. He uses the railing to go up the stairs. He blinks to try to focus. "Ended up being a day or three behind the missing person, high likelihood of either mind control or possession involved. I gather the person who dumped me into the hellgate knew a lot more than she let on..."

...
It occurs to Zophiel that he doesn't really know how much time had passed while in the hellgate. Sure, maybe it was just minutes or hours. But it could have also been days or more, even.
"By the way, what time is it?" he asks Tiff.
Ironsmith
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Ironsmith »

[Intact House? -> Hotel Lobby]

"A little after three in the afternoon." Tiff answers, following up the stairs after him. "Good thing, too. We just had a bunch of guests leave and the next wave isn't due for an hour or so. I'd hate to have left you down there because I was too busy doing other things."

The stairs lead up into an open lobby, just behind the receptionist's counter. All things considered, it's a fairly small room; there's four couches filling out a rectangular space, with a walkway between two of them and stained coffee tables in the other spaces. A disorganized pile of magazines decorates each table, a few of which are visibly... suggestive. Then there's the area where Zophiel and Tiff just emerged, behind a window cut into the wall, somewhat resembling a breakfast counter in design. There's a cash register and a large ledger on their side, in a shelf just below the counter itself, next to which sits a bored-looking succubus playing with a lighter. If Zophiel really wants to leave, he has a clear shot at the double doors that lead out into the street. There's another set of stairs, and a hallway, opposite the doors, presumably leading to the hotel's other rooms. A stereo on the counter plays some lively music, filling the lobby with sounds of ska.

"...So, missing persons, huh?" Tiff prompts, closing the door to the basement behind her. "You see a lot of those in Hell Bend. If you're thinking three days behind or so... I would guess probably that nice young lady that came by around that time. She didn't look like she was from around here, and this neighborhood tends to eat those kinds of people alive. She was... wearing jeans and a red shirt at the time, I think. I think she said she was with DAMN?" Tiff looks to the other succubus. "Am I remembering that right?"

"Hm?" The succubus looks up from her lighter very briefly. "Remembering what right?"

"Forget it, Petty." Tiff waves her hand dismissively. "But yeah, sweet girl. I hope she's okay." She crosses her arms and gives Zophiel a small, sad smile. "If there's anything I can do to help you find her, I'd be glad to."
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Reinholdt
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Reinholdt »

[Big Bad Wolf]

Red squats down for a moment. "Maybe," Red says, her fingers wrapping around the knife's hilt and the sound of the knife being pulled away from the floor gently floating through as Red straightens up, her form looming ominously.

"Or maybe not." The girl in the red cloak steps forward to deliver a kick to the succubus' side to keep her entirely off balance. "But hey, if a teenager could do it, anyone can, right?" Red falls upon the succubus scientist now, her entire body leaning into trying to plunge the dagger into the maimed demon's chest or back.

"That is what you're thinking right?" Red asks, her voice rising as her arm pulls back and falls again and again in an increasingly furious motion. "That's what you're all thinking!" Again and again and again and again.

"RIGHT?!!"

Stabstabstabstabstabstabstabstabstabstab.
► SHOW SPOILER
Ironsmith
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Ironsmith »

[Big Bad Wolf]

"What are you-" The succubus's eyes widen as Red picks up the dagger. "No! No! Stay back!" She screams, a look of absolute horror on her face as she scrambles backwards, away from Red, only to have her efforts frustrated by suddenly being thrown the rest of the way to the floor. "Come on... die faster, die fast-"

Chnk!

The sounds that follow have no business coming out of anything that remotely resembles a human being. Calling them screams would be too courteous; it's more as though the air was pulling itself away from the stabbing, every particle of creation that could attempting to distance itself from the profane act taking place before it.

When Red pulls the knife away, she'll see it covered in... not blood. It's more of that bubbling, frothing red liquid she found in the bedroom. More is leaking from the succubus's now-mutilated body, from ever-expanding wounds that slowly eat away at the soon-to-be corpse.

Soon-to-be.

Even after that vicious stabbing, Red will find herself confronted by the fact that the succubus is still alive.

"You... bitch..." She gasps furiously, her remaining hand grasping futilely at the red goop rolling past her. "You don't know what you're fucking with. Y... You're hurting me, stop...

The succubus's voice softens considerably, going up in pitch and losing the undertone of malice, almost seeming to de-age in the moments she lays there, bleeding out.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, whatever I did to deserve this, I'm sorry, I take it back... I didn't do anything, on god, I just lived, you can't do this to me, who gave you the right to.... Gaaaagh! I hate you! I trusted you and you turned your back on me! I love you, so much, I always will..."

The regression continues for quite some time; at least another ten minutes, the succubus's voice getting softer, quieter, and younger as time goes on.

"...Mum... mum, I'm so scared..." The tiny remnant of the succubus cries, curled up in a fetal position. "Mum, hold me..."

And then she's gone.

Nothing left of her but a red puddle on the floor.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Reinholdt
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Reinholdt »

[Big Bad Wolf]

When Red stops it's half because she realizes how heavily she's shaking and half because she realizes it doesn't seem to be working. Only to discover it was working. All too well. Red pulls away, knife dropping from her hand as steps away from the slowly gooping succubus. Her eyes waver but cannot look away and more than once the thought crosses her mind to use conventional weaponry to end it. If she even could. Red cannot claim to properly understand what was happening before her, let alone whether it could be interrupted. Clutching the wall for support as the process finishes, Red leans into the corner and vomits upon the floor. The wave of nausea was... unexpected.

Red waits for a moment to ensure nothing else would escape her lips, taking relief in the merciful and oppressive silence. When she glances back, her eyes hover over the puddle for a moment before focusing on the knife. Why was the succubus scientist killing people in this way? Was the goo some sort of underground black market drug? Red takes a few steadying breaths before stepping back over and retrieving the knife, sliding it carefully into the holster that she hid her now useless silver dagger in.

A second glance at the puddle on the floor has Red pull her cloak off. She pulls it over the goo like a funeral cloth. Red then steps over and pulls the coffee table out of the way, shoving it to one side with a thud as she returns to the bedroom. The hunter eyes the kitchen chair from before and the red mess upon it. She steps close and squats down to see if the claws are still roiling, still trying to fight fate. "Are you still alive?"
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Ironsmith
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Ironsmith »

[Big Bad Wolf]

Mercifully, the bedroom is cut off enough that the acrid smell of puke doesn't follow her there.

Upon re-entering the bedroom, Red will find that things have indeed progressed considerably with the red goop. One of the bubbles that would normally spatter and disolve back into the red mess... hasn't, but instead seems to have turned solid enough to fall under its own weight off to one side, resting against the floor and slowly, quietly deflating.

Until Red says something.

The bubble stretches as a tiny set of red claws scrapes against its interior, trying and failing to puncture the membrane formed by the outside of the bubble. Or, rather, mostly failing... every attempt clears away just a little more, turning that section just a bit less opaque, and afford Red a glimpse of the inside.

There's a blobby, but definitely human-ish, shape inside. It's small; all things considered, it's not much bigger than Red's forearm, if all stretched out, and could probably comfortably sit in her hand if it remains curled up as it is. For the moment, it seems to have given up attempting to claw its way out, holding its tiny hands close to its chest. A tiny tail is growing out of its backside, curled around its body defensively.

After a moment of inactivity, the tiny creature flurries its claws again, this time pushing itself back against the opposite wall of its bubble, moving back away from Red.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Thursday Violist
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Thursday Violist »

[-> Hotel Lobby]

Zophiel looks around the room as he enters, and pointedly avoids looking at the magazine tables.
Seeing the door out, he considers just leaving, but...he really does need a few hours of rest, and that's unlikely to happen out on the streets - if he does go out, he'll just have to find some other building to stay in. As long as this hotel seems good enough, it's probably the best option for now.

Possibly three days back check
young lady check
jeans and red shirt . . . well, her outfit was left behind at Mallory's so it's possible she changed into this - either before or after going there
not from around here check
with DAMN - to be honest, Zophiel doesn't know what this refers to
Okay, nothing anywhere near conclusive, but maybe a 5-ish percent chance it's her, he estimates.

"Unfortunately," Zophiel says, shaking his head, "the only thing I know about her outfit is that she's no longer wearing what she was in the picture I have," so there's really nothing Tiff can do to help.

It takes too long for Zophiel to realize this, but! He could just show her the picture he has, right?
He reaches into his things to fish out the picture of the missing gal. "Oh, actually, I've got a picture. That way, you can say for sure whether you recognize her or not." So far his only leads seem to be 'investigate the origin of the magic in the earrings' and 'go back and interrogate Mallory'
Once he has the picture out, he shows Tiff. "She look familiar, or was it a different girl?"
Ironsmith
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Ironsmith »

[Hotel Lobby]

Tiff cranes her neck to look around Zophiel's arm, looking the photo over and giving a little nod. "That's definitely her. I never forget a face." She steps back and frowns, rubbing her thumb against her chin in thought. "I... don't think I should ask how you know she changed clothes. Something tells me I don't want to know. Not with the climate we have around here." She grimaces and shakes her head. "...Okay. So. If you're out looking for her, that's a pretty good sign for her... you seem like a capable guy, present circumstances aside. But I'd like to respectfully ask that you keep it quiet. Hell Bend doesn't need extra bad publicity right now. Riverside's at a boiling point already, the last thing we need is an excuse for some radicals to go on some kind of anti-demon crusade."

She hefts Shivers in her arms, gently rocking the imp as she continues. "Again, you're welcome to stay here if you like. I'd just like to lay out a few ground rules. First night's free, but after that I'm going to need payment in advance unless you've got good credit; you're looking at [modest rate] per night, plus any amenities. In the event that you can't pay, we do offer a labor program, which generally breaks down to one eight-hour shift covering three nights here, so you don't have to worry about being stuck. We also have a thing here about touching; don't do it to the other guests or staff. Treat the imps nicely and they'll treat you nicely back. And the other guests' rooms are off-limits at all times, even if they invite you in; if you have to meet up, do it in a common area. Believe me when I say that's for your protection; in this neighborhood, anything that happens behind closed doors is an opportunity for a scam or blackmail." Tiff reaches back behind the desk and produces a key on a length of fabric, setting it on the desk. "Breakfast is complimentary and served every morning between 6 and 10. Tomorrow's waffles on an all-you-can-eat basis, and there's a menu in the room for any other orders."

"Geez, read the room, Tiff." The succubus snarks. "The guy's been pretty ambivalent on staying here, why you gotta be so pushy?"

"It's called a presumptive close, Petty."
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Reinholdt
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Reinholdt »

[Big Bad Wolf]

Red watches the red baby's pitiful attempts at fighting its fate. It could hear her at least. And it was afraid. There had been true fear with the succubus scientist too. The kind that would have sent the King in Rags into an intoxicated tizzy.

"Well... it looks like you're progressing along. Or regressing. I don't know. I won't sugar coat it. By the time I get back here, you'll probably be gone. But if you aren't, I could look into reversing the effects. Chances are honestly unfathomably low, but I am motivated to try. Or... or I could attempt to accelerate the process now. Get it over with."

Red eyes the bubble for a moment. "Up to you. One claw if you want to fight, two claws for mercy."
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Ironsmith
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Ironsmith »

[Big Bad Wolf]

When Red speaks again, the infantile creature in the bubble again moves away from her, scraping its claws against the back side of the chamber, leaving shallow, ineffective cuts. Unlike a baby, the creature's eyes are already wide open, even in its present pupal state. It looks back through the thin spot in the membrane, staring up at Red, unblinking. Its eyes are an unnatural golden color, and almost seem to be shaking in their sockets. The creature's heavy, frantic breathing can be seen even from here, and it presses itself further against the wall, as though hoping the little extra distance will keep it safe from... well, Red.

It doesn't do anything resembling a "one" or "two" with its claws. Either it didn't understand the request or is too terrified to respond to it coherently.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Reinholdt
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Reinholdt »

[Big Bad Wolf]

Well... a lack of a response was information in and of itself. If she's able, she'd have to return later just to determine the rate in which the process occurs in someone who maybe wasn't stabbed twenty times. For now she had to focus. To bury all those emotions that were choking her and become the very model of efficiency.

Red steps out of the bedroom and replaces the coffee table in front of the door before returning to the circle in the 'living room'. It was time to continue the intricate work, relighting the candles and using chalk to draw the detailed diagram upon the floor.
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Ironsmith
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Ironsmith »

[Big Bad Wolf]

Drawing out the diagram will, doubtlessly, take a long time. Not an absurdly long time, but long enough that Red could probably expect at least one more interruption before completing it.

Thankfully, what she can expect and what actually happens are two different things. Ten minutes later, there will be a brief flurry of banging and scratching in the other room, followed by the sound of glass breaking, and then nothing. If she cares to investigate, she'll find the baby-bubble busted open and deflated, with no sign of its occupant, and a large hole in the adjoining window; the glass is on the outside, so something in that room broke out into the streets.

It shouldn't be hard to put two and two together.

Regardless, nothing else will get in the way of her mission. At least not this stage of it.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Reinholdt
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Reinholdt »

[Big Bad Wolf]

Things all suggest the bubble beast was growing, not shrinking. Just what was going on? Red hadn't the time to decipher this mystery. She'd need analysis tools she just didn't have here.

Returning to her work, Red pulls out her phone and shoots off a quick text to the ElfQuest group she's in.
Slayer wrote:Move into positions.
She double checks everything to make sure it's all as it should be. Holy oil, holy water, incense, diagram, ipod playing Gregorian hymns in the background. As she does, her hair shifts from brown to purple, the strands thick and cable like almost. Her freckles disappear and a velvet choker replaces the white lace around her neck, the rest of her clothes shifting to a more form fitting catsuit. Curves shift subtly and settle. A blink and black sclera fills her eyes.

Ilpholin in her true form steps forward and carefully puts six feathers in their anointed spots, one of them softer and larger than the rest. The nymph steps back and recites the words, a holy language perfectly recorded and intoned. Ilpholin's ritual reaches forth in order to summon the six angels these feathers belong to.
Last edited by Reinholdt on May 24, 2023 10:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Morty
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Morty »

[The Streets]

Upon Ilpholin's signal, the elves start enacting the plan. Two groups of three elves, wearing cloaks, enter Hell Bend from the southwest, one slightly after the other. Two of them, in separate groups, have weapons that can't be hidden under cloaks. One of them, an unstrung bow, is carried openly, while the other one, an axe, is concealed by a rolled-up sleeping bag and a blanket.

One of the groups takes position in a run-down park pretending to be simple vagrants. The other trio set up out of sight near a crowded street. Once they've taken up their position, the next two groups enter until all of them have arrived at their planned spots. Ten of the elves remain behind to protect Mister Squiggles.
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Thursday Violist
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Thursday Violist »

[Hotel Lobby]

The paladin shakes his head. Slowly, since it still hurts. "I've become a big proponent of people only getting punished for the things they themselves did," he says. "Since you say any publicity would cause problems for people innocent of the matter, I'll make sure to keep it quiet." Sure, Zophiel in that statement is calling a whole population of demons - many of whom are not 'innocent' by most definitions of the word - but he's specifically using it to call them innocent of involvement to this case.

He glances at the other succubus for what she said.

Zophiel then reaches and grabs a small bag of coins he has, and picks out some of them. He hands the coins to Tiff, two nights' worth, even though he hopefully won't need three days and there's a good chance he'll stay up all night anyway, as he doesn't want to spend too long to find the missing woman. "I doubt I'll need any of the amenities and I won't be staying in one place long enough to worry about bothering other guests, but..."
He thinks. He was going to say he'll ask questions about what she knows once he's done resting and recovering, but then he realizes she said she would be busy with checking in guests and such for the next several hours.
So he revises his plans: "...Tonight when we're both not busy, I'll ask you about what you know about where she went."

Zophiel places his palm on his eye, and exhales. For now, though, he needs to recover before he can go out again.

He grabs the key, and goes to rest and recover for a couple hours.
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Shadowcaller
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Big Bad Wolf]

Once the ritual is complete the sky is filled with strange phenomena's.
Six halo's can be seen in the sky and manifesting within them are what easily could be mistaken for sun dogs which now descend on the ritual site.
They all stop not far from the ground and hoover in place. Their bright lights blinding anyone seeing them but Ilpholin herself.

"We've been called." A harmonious voice declares.
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Reinholdt
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Reinholdt »

[Big Bad Wolf]

"Yes... I called you." Ilpholin looks over the five angels and the one archangel... well as best she can. They're bright and she admittedly has trouble distinguishing one from another. These weren't very much like the angels she already met and expected.

"A demon aligned fey momentarily tore open a portal to the abyss. While the portal was closed, many demons escaped into our city and have settled here," Ilpholin decides to jump towards the point. "The demons have become a menace to the city, spreading debauchery and defilement and preying on wayward souls. I and a group of elves are poised to strike the demons back into the abyss before more drastic measures are taken. To this end I have called upon you. To entreat your aid."
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Big Bad Wolf]

"'Back into the abyss'? We assume this means to destroy them all." They do not wait for a response. "We require a clarification however. As many of the mortals of this world are alien to us how are we to tell them apart from the demons? Since these demons are not yet marked by our Laws we cannot sense them. Indeed, we do even know if the word 'elves' means the same to you as it does for us. So are there specific demonic traits we should be looking for?"

A beat.

"Furthermore, is there any kind of tactic you wish for us to employ or should we use the usual purification protocols?"
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Ironsmith »

Thursday Violist wrote: May 25, 2023 1:07 am [Hotel Lobby]

The paladin shakes his head. Slowly, since it still hurts. "I've become a big proponent of people only getting punished for the things they themselves did," he says. "Since you say any publicity would cause problems for people innocent of the matter, I'll make sure to keep it quiet." Sure, Zophiel in that statement is calling a whole population of demons - many of whom are not 'innocent' by most definitions of the word - but he's specifically using it to call them innocent of involvement to this case.

He glances at the other succubus for what she said.

Zophiel then reaches and grabs a small bag of coins he has, and picks out some of them. He hands the coins to Tiff, two nights' worth, even though he hopefully won't need three days and there's a good chance he'll stay up all night anyway, as he doesn't want to spend too long to find the missing woman. "I doubt I'll need any of the amenities and I won't be staying in one place long enough to worry about bothering other guests, but..."
He thinks. He was going to say he'll ask questions about what she knows once he's done resting and recovering, but then he realizes she said she would be busy with checking in guests and such for the next several hours.
So he revises his plans: "...Tonight when we're both not busy, I'll ask you about what you know about where she went."

Zophiel places his palm on his eye, and exhales. For now, though, he needs to recover before he can go out again.

He grabs the key, and goes to rest and recover for a couple hours.
[Hotel Lobby]

"That's probably going to be a short conversation." Tiff says, passing the coins on to the other succubus and pretending not to notice when not all of them make it into the cash register. "But it can still wait. Sleep well."

With the room still spinning, it's probably going to be more difficult for Zophiel to get up the stairs than it should... which makes it quite fortunate that the key Tiff gave him goes to a room on the first floor. Getting down the hallway is considerably easier. When he finds his room (however long that takes), opening the door will reveal simple but pleasant enough accommodations. The room is small; not much larger than it takes to fill out a bed and a nightstand, along with a short corridor into the room proper, with a bathroom off to the side. The bed and the nightstand both seem to be brand new; they're unmarked and smell vaguely of styrofoam. The bed's blankets are soft and slightly warm to the touch, though Zophiel might notice, not in as good repair as the rest of the room; they look a bit uneven, and the stitching is still visible in some places, not to mention amateurishly done. On the nightstand is an electronic alarm clock, bolted to the surface with a pair of brackets. Next to it is a little pamphlet of a menu, listing a few breakfast options and the room service number. The far wall has a small window, which at present has curtains drawn over it; as soon as he closes the door, Zophiel will find the room pleasantly dark.

The bathroom seems to have the usual suite of toiletries stocked; fresh towels, tiny soaps and shampoo, a little bottle of hand lotion, and a cheap plastic toothbrush and accompanying tube of toothpaste (both sealed, ensuring nobody else has ever used them). The toilet, mirror, and shower are all immaculately clean, to the point where one might assume they've never been used.

The halls and adjoining rooms are quiet, as well. If Zophiel decides to just conk out and sleep, nobody's going to disturb him. Probably.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

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Damn few,
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Reinholdt »

[Big Bad Wolf]

"You... don't know what demons look like." Ilpholin rubs her head. Divine warriors... an archangel... and this is what she gets? Maybe... maybe that's why demons have been running so rampant lately. The angels haven't realized how bad things have gotten. The alternative is even less appealing to think about.

"Look, demons..." Ilpholin tries to find the right words in her head to relay to the angels in such a way that won't get her own elves killed, or worse. "Well they have a large variety of appearances and can even possess people to make things all the more confusing. But the best way to find a demon is with silver. When in close proximity to a demon, silver glows. The closer to the demon the brighter the glow. Not the most helpful in a crowd, so I hope you'll be somewhat discerning." Ilpholin motions to the pool of melted silver upon the ground. "You can use that if you have need of silver."

Ilpholin turns back to the angels. "I don't know what those methods are. As long as your usual purification methods don't cause unwanted collateral damage it should be fine." The whole reason to move in now was to stop excessive collateral in the first place.
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Big Bad Wolf]

There's a brief pause as the angels take this in. "This is fortunate. Perhaps these demons are not too unlike those we hunt after all. Since there's no need for you to provide silver as we can manifest our own. It's the metal of angels which is the reason our demons fear it."

And as if to prove this, six silver spears manifest in the air above Ilpholin. "But we shall be cautious then. Letting the virtue of mercy rather than justice guide us when doubt manifests."
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Reinholdt »

[Big Bad Wolf]

"Angel metal. Huh," Ilpholin notes, her eyes warily watching the spears that have manifested. Is silver just distilled angel essence then? Could someone... reverse the process? Infuse silver into themselves in such a way that causes them to ascend past judgement and become an angel? What maddening thoughts.

She hesitates for a moment before nodding. "Yeah... yeah, that's fine." The concept of mercy for demons is inherently revulsive, but if it keeps the angels from wiping out the elves, then fine. She and the elven warriors can themselves clean up any demons the angels miss.

"Then... shall we get started?" Ilpholin asks, making sure there was nothing else to discuss as she steps over towards the door and pushing the refrigerator out of the way so that it no longer blocked the exit.
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Big Bad Wolf]

"We shall. The silver will allow us to roughly identify where the demons are centered. Once we've have a better idea of their localization, choke points will also be identified and guarded. Once the purge starts we will depending on the demons reaction either guard these point and take them out as they flee or start to move in a flanking maneuver. Driving them between us."

As the archangel explains this the other five spears fly off through the now open door and further into the sky. Moving so fast that they quickly become a blur.
"This will take at most a few minutes. We will be able to oversee their movements from above and directly inform you how they're moving."
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Re: Hell Bend

Post by Reinholdt »

[Big Bad Wolf]

Ilpholin's half way to finishing a text to the elves when the angel requests a few minutes to analyze. "Ah, uh, yeah ok. Just let me know when you're ready and the elves will move in." The nymph has no map to motion to but continues anyways.

"Most of our group have come in from the southeast, with a small pre-positioned force in the southwest prepared to intercept any that flee in that direction." Ilpholin keeps her phone open and ready to send the word.
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