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 Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:31 pm
"Abaddon is a demon beyond most measures of power. He basically made... Next Door, we call it, and artificial chunk of Crossover... by his own power. However, his power is only fearsome and godly in Crossover," Josh explained, gesturing for Sam, Alex, and Alan to mop up the zombies.
"He only has appreciable power within Crossover, substantial power in the Six-and-a-half-th Pillar - Next Door, that is. His power is greatest in the eighth tier, a sort of control room called the Heart of Darkness.
"Because of how little power he has outside, he has invested a great deal of energy in a human he works with, a certain Jonathan Helmsborough. His name may not be threatening, but he's on an order of power with Legion even in normal reality, and is completely and utterly evil."
"As for the dragon," Alan commented wryly. "They're beasts under Abaddon's domain, as vicious and evil as Abaddon and his avatar. Abaddon, though... he's evil but he's very smart. Dragons are rare. He'd be grateful if we saved one, and he almost always returns favors when someone does something for him."
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Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 8:11 am
"So if we get out of here alive, we don't have quite as much of an issue, right? And if he's only as powerful as Legion, and you, Sam, Alex, and Alan are equal to Legion, you have us too, so that lands us on the advantage, right?" Paul queried, firing a firebolt or two from the iPod. One struck a zombie in the base of the neck, and his head rolled away with an unhappy expression plastered across it. "See, even if he's willing to do us a favor, we can't just let our guard down, so it's a good thing if we're advantaged, am I right?
"Oh, and what is Abaddon's avatar, precisely? Or don't I want to know?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 10:26 am
Roland sighed breathlessly.
Joe nodded, staring around the room. Amazing indeed. Let's get to work, OK?
He stepped forward, slamming his fist casually into a zombie as it shambled closer. It burst into bright flames, being consumed from the inside out. Joe continued sauntering forward, heading towards the dragon in the far corner, the green one.
He was halfway there when a large group of zombies surrounded him.
zombies?!> Roland asked in a disbelieving tone. Joe simply shook his head and began to destroy them, enjoying the new power of Crossover that he was feeling. He practically vaporized each zombie instantly. He made it to the dragon and put his back against the wall next to it.
"Hey!" he called up to it. "Can you speak? Or can you even understand me? I'm here to help you!" To demonstrate, he waved his hand, and a wave of flame consumed the closest group of zombies.
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Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 1:45 pm
"Our dear friend Mr. Helmborough is Abaddon's avatar," Sam explained as a broad slash cleaved four of the remaining zombies in half. "And just for clarification, Josh, me, and Alan together might be able to threaten Legion. No one of us is as powerful as him.
"I can understand you well enough, fleshbag," the green dragon growled back. "If you insist on helping us, assist my injured brother, and stay out of our way." It picked Joe up and threw him over by the black one, which two zombies were rushing. Joe burned them away immediately.
Then, a sound like a dozen jet engines filled the room, as well as a great deal of heat. The red dragon was breathing a wave of fire across the empty sections of the room, turning zombies to ash instantly.
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Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 10:04 pm
Paul gave a call of appreciation at the dragon's fire-breathing exhibition. What a thing. It figured that a few days ago, the most excitement he ever had was fighting for his life in high school. Now he got to fight for his life with dragons. At least it was, if not more idyllic, a little cooler.
Dispatching a quartet of zombies with point-blank exploding rounds to facial features and important neck joints, Paul whirled about, trying to choose another target. The dragon had practically cleared the room, and the only issue were those close to the other Hunters. "No, see, my point is that if Abaddon = Legion, and Josh + Sam + Alan = Legion, than Josh + Sam + Alan + Joe + Siber + me > Abbadon OR Legion alone. Of course, that doesn't account for Takeshi, or that other girl we fought with, or anyone else we might encounter, but if we all can get Legion alone, maybe we can take the upper hand."
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 2:30 pm
"First, those comparative values are only valid in reality. Here, Abaddon's avatar or Legion, either one alone, can one-up us by a load because they're getting far more out of Crossover than we are. That aside, I don't really feel too keen on making a deal with the devil," Josh countered. "Add to that, the most notable time an avatar of Abaddon and a being of Legion's power fought was in a little place called Pompeii."
A short amount of chopping, smashing, slashing, bashing, shooting, and throwing later, the room was cleared of murderous zombies, a fact that greatly facilitated conversation as compared to before.
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:25 pm
Joe backed up to Siber. "You're keeping him alive, right? Keep doin that, I'll make sure we're safe." He blasted a continuous rush of flame from his hands, which he swept back and forth across the encroaching zombies.
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:32 pm
((Wait, I thought green and red dragons jumped out of the window? Maybe I mis-read. Also- edit, after reading the last two posts.))
"Well, I guess that settles my part in this," Siber mumbled. "Thanks, Joe." To Josh, he said, "Well yeah, but we haven't given up anything, necessarily, so if he's not in on it, it shouldn't be too much of a problem." Pompeii? Nice.
Miss...?
Anaeris, if you will, answered the butterfly.
Miss Anaeris, would you mind, please, healing this creature and using, oh, three-fifths of my remaining reservoir to do it?
It won't heal him completely, she warned.
I know, but it might get him back on his feet; I don't know how these things work. In answer, Siber felt his magic being drained. It wasn't debilitating, but it was a tangible strain.
he squeed. And he did realize that squeeing was not the most manly response to this situation available to him, but despite the circumstances, he felt justified. Especially when Keldan stopped sulking long enough to repeat:
"Okay," he said quietly to the dragon, "if you can still hear me, what you feel entering you is not hostile. It's dæmon magic and I'm helping you as much as I am able without crippling myself, but know that it can be taken away and reversed if you threaten me." He did know enough to cover his own a**. "Sorry, but that's how it has to be. In return, we as a group, representing humankind in reality, would appreciate Abbadon's aid in slaying Legion. I don't expect you to be able to speak on his behalf, but levying on our behalf would be intensely appreciated."
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 11:17 pm
((I retconned it since it made internal consistency easier in terms of number of inconsistencies.
Also, people, I have a request and a reminder.
Please just read to find out what's going on if you can't remember. It isn't difficult.
Remember that Josh and co. are characters, not railroad tracks. They act within the bounds of their characters; so should your characters. You don't have to obey them absolutely as long as you don't violate a blood pact.))
"Taint me not with the essence of these lesser creatures," the black dragon growled at Siber.
"Don't be stupid. It's the least you deserve for charging in like that," the red growled. That's when it hit them what was odd about their voices. The voice of each dragon was identical to the others.
"And you," the green dragon said abruptly, seemingly continuing a communal thought. "If you claim to be a representative of the humans, you presume more than your seats on the Council of Twenty-Seven would find suitable."
"And Legion is our concern at this point."
"He has intersected Reality with Crossover."
"This foolish act will not go unpunished."
"You presume too much in seeking our aid."
"The honor of dismembering Legion is not to be ours."
"His Avatar ascends this construct as we speak." The green dragon seemed finished. Its thick body curled as it turned and moved towards the window. The more serpentine red one followed.
"If you wish to fight alongside him, you may. But he may kill you for his own enjoyment afterwards, so be warned. He is a chaotic man," the black dragon concluded, following its fellows to the shattered window. A burst of black light - a sort of un-light almost, a conceptual opposite like Unreality, engulfed the dragons. They took off towards the horizon in a triangle, the black dragon at the head.
"s**t. He's on his way up. Let's move!" Josh yelled, Sam and Alan on his heels, Alex jogging behind.
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:23 am
"Wait wait wait," Paul called out. "He may kill us afterward for fun? Correct me if I'm wrong, but having Abaddon, a being with supreme power in Crossover, trying to kill us just for fun hardly seems like a grand scheme. I don't know that we should wait, but then again I'm not sure we want to get involved, either." Appropriately given his words, Paul didn't stop, but stayed close behind Josh, obviously hoping for even a little protection by virtue of being behind the guy with the Titan's Fists. "I mean, beating Legion is all fine and good, but I don't want to get embalmed in hot, hot ash, and I'm quite sure the rest of us agree. Shouldn't we just get away and let them fight it out?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 11:27 am
Alex spun around, stopping suddenly and grabbing Paul by the shirt and bringing them to a complete halt as Josh, Alan, and Sam continued.
"All right, listen. I say, we go after whatever is grounding L.A. in Crossover. Let those crazy bastards fight. You can keep going if you want, but I'm going to start making a circuit of the city's edge and I'll need some thaumaturge to help alter whatever we're finding. If not you then another."
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 9:10 pm
Siber's heart began to beat faster in his chest. This was a turning point. He could, if he wanted, initiate a series of events and conversations that had magnificent, terrifying probabilities of getting him killed. Or, he could stay at the current apparent fifty-fifty chance he was at now and just go release L.A. Either choice would be laudable for any one man.
Keldan corrected. He had recovered from his frustration.
He may kill us afterward for fun... Meaning that there was a chance he wouldn't. But a chance he would. Siber harbored no doubts that this avatar's power would obliterate him without thinking about it... wouldn't he?
He watched the dragons go, his feelings chaotic as they waltzed in his mind to an erratic tempo of ire towards the creature whose life, as far as he was concerned, he had just saved, and slightly perturbed that his and his cohorts' reaction had been so anticipated. His whirlwind thoughts of possibilities, though... he remembered that he still kind of had Leviathan, and he still definitely had Sapphra. He could actually aid Abaddon, theoretically. But did his duty lie more immediately to his own species, whose lives were in the balance and whose lives he could save by following his leaders?
How would the humans with him now react? They were apparently volatile enough as it stood.
His fear overcame him. For the moment, he followed the others, but asked them, "How are we getting to the city's edge?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 7:04 am
"I can call in for temporary gateways to the city's edge. You'll walk out through a door here and emerge from a door miles away. Choose now." As Alex finished, he opened a door that exposed a street with a severely traffic-jammed corner and what may have been one very strange creature or two creatures wrestling. He stood just within the threshold.
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 11:32 am
After overcoming the momentary vertigo from the dimensional warp, Siber stopped in his tracks at Alex's words. He peered over the precipice of choice; a door to a black hole of infinite possibility awaited. Death is ever imminent. Life is a time bomb without a display. Besides, he had already died once- how bad could a second time be? Keldan smirked.
He shrugged.
"I'm staying."
Once the words had left his mouth, they were immutable, irretrievable. He knew the Avatar would be faster than he, so he needed to start running immediately so as not to be bypassed. Why was he ascending the building, though, with Legion at the bottom...?
No more time for questions.
He grinned and tossed a few unlit smoke bombs to whoever wanted them. "Use these if you want; I have plenty. Good luck!" He flourished a bow and sprinted up the stairs. If only he had had a hat to doff...
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:36 pm
Paul nodded. "I'll go with you, Alex. A little suicidal I may be today, but not that much." With that, Paul leapt through the door, again bringing weapons to bear. At least out here he was less likely to be fighting with Legion and more likely to be fighting with the "harmless" creatures of Crossover. They were in their element - sort of. Urban could just as much be Paul's element.
"So where do we start? And how will we know the object or magical field?" Paul asked Alex over the noise of horns and people screaming.
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