Paris by Moonlight (IC)

[Supercape]

GM

The bolas wrapped themselves around the statues legs and arms together and it fell to the ground. Granite chips flew off it as it cracked the pavement with its fall. At this point, it looked seriously cracked.

The SWAT officer holding the bazooka reloaded again and started to take aim, but his commanding officer put his hand on the weapon and pulled it down.

"

The other work of Arc was lumbering straight at the King of Suits, swinging his sword in huge semi-circles, and with the force of an unstoppable, ram, crashing through masonry and wood, reached the costumed hero.

[Ari]

Jumping backwards at the juggernaut-like attack, Marceau stared up at the statue for a moment, in awe despite himself at how grand and imposing it looked, marveling at the craftmanship and time it must have taken to raise such things.

Then the red smoke leaked from its mouth and eyes again, and the presence of the demon reasserted itself in his priorities. Springing backwards and a little to the side,he reached for his bolas, and found an absolute mass of loose line. Baffled for a second, he realized that he must have left some of the weights back at Marcel's house, nearly slapping himself in the face at this forgetfulness. Then an idea struck: with so much cord to work with, he could easily tie up the entire statue, without the need for more than two of the weights he still had!

<"Find something better to do with your time Gallu!"> he shouted jeeringly as he threw the mass at the carving, pulling the bit he kept in his hand taut at just the right moment to send a huge confusion of cords about the thing's limbs. Throwing the remainder about its legs, he glanced over at the SWAT team, wondering again just how he was going to explain himself.

[Supercape]

GM

The second statue fell, again with a resounding thud like a falling tombstone, the subtle red mist spinning off as it did so.

As both statues struggled to gain freedom from the ropes, the SWAT officer once again took aim.

"" he yelled at Marceau.

The firing officer did not hang around. Whilst the King of Suits might get caught in the blast, he was sweating and scared - capturing criminals is one thing, giant animated statues another. Without delay, he pressed the trigger and the rocket screamed to the spear carrying statue, exploding with another furious boom...

[Ari]

<"Sorry!"> he called over his shoulder to the SWAT team, just in time to see the impending bazooka fire streaking towards the area he called "Way Too Close", and hurl himself out of the reach of its blast. He felt its flames all but overtake him, but his grapple gun managed to get him clear at the last second, and he looked down at the spear-carrier, amazed at the toughness of its stone to endure bazooka fire. Collecting some further unspent line and weight, he threw them unerringly onto the sword-bearing automaton of Gallu, where it helped bandage some of the harm done by the statue's efforts to free itself.

To the SWAT team he attempted to explain himself <"Much obliged for the assistance, sirs, I'm part of the House of Suits, and I've been investigating some recent murders committed recently, which has led me into battle with these statues, who are possessed by a powerful demon">

After a few second's thought he added <"Also I'm not drunk, nor an escapee from a mental institution">

[Supercape]

GM

The SWAT people looked up to the King of Suits. The Panicked Rookie was already loading up the bazooka with another explosive, and lining up his sight (which would once again expose the King of Suits to a serving of flame), before the older commander pressed the barrel down.

"" he said to his junior "".

To that, the small SWAT team broke into a round of applause.

Meanwhile, the statues slumped motionless, back to their original posture, and the faint red mist curled away like a zephyr...

[Ari]

The King of Suits gave a sigh of relief, and dropped down to the ground besides the SWAT team. <"Many thanks to you! I was hoping to lead these things to a magician friend of mine, and have him deal with the spirit that animated these priceless works, but I overestimated my marathon-running prowess"> he said, glancing down the road back to the Arc <"and I merely succeeded in leading the things away from potentially smashing structures had I attempted to escape by running across the rooftops"> he shrugged and cleared his throat slightly in embarrassment <"I apologize for this disturbance, and for the damage it has caused. They were chasing after this:"> he took out the Amulet and showed it to the leader of the SWAT team <"It appears to have some connection to this demon, Gallu. It was stolen by a man who was temporarily seduced by the promise of the power this has to steal it from a museum, if you'll allow it I would like to take it to my magician friend and try to discover its secrets, which shouldn't take long and after which I shall gladly return it to its rightful place."> He hoped fervently this was the right thing to do, as he had no intention whatever of trying to hide what was going on from the authorities.

[Supercape]

GM

The SWAT commander examined the amulet.

"

"" he said with a eye towards the frightened young man who had fired at them.

"" he added, as he bundled his team back into the van.

"" he said giving the King of Suits a salute.

As the Van started up, he winked at Marceau.

"" he added with a knowing smile as the Van sped off.

[Ari]

The King of Suits stared after the van as it disappeared down the Parisian street, questions buzzing in his brain. A Halbedier?! In the police force? This is an even better group for the House to get acquainted with than I had thought! I'll HAVE to tell old Aloysius about this! he thought, turning and grappling to the roofs once again, and setting out at an easy run back to Marcel's house. The excitement of the night had now dimmed, and he felt deeply tired, and not a little sleepy. Only the old woman's words kept him as alert as he usually was:

"Arc...de Triumph...by...moonlight...comes...the hands...the eyes...the bull...the wings..."

<"The Hands I have just escaped, so now the Eyes, the Bull and the Wings. But what will they be? The Eyes..spies of the demon, maybe? Ah, I can't think clearly right now, have to ask Rene. The Bull will be the brute when he tires of this game and comes out to get his relic back in person, and the wings..Gallu's a demon, maybe he was once an angel?"> he shook his head, this was hopeless right now. He dealt with secular crimes, not the workings of the vast entities that wielded such power as he was never to see or touch in his life. What could HE, Marceau Suvou, do about such a being? Cast him into a spectral prison? He was so far out of his depth that it was a relief, as the cold moon burned down onto him, the chill winds whipping at his armor and cape, and cooling his burning head beneath his cowl, to land on Marcel's doorstep and knock three times.

[Supercape]

The door was answered by non other than Rene.

"Ah they you are!" he said with a friendly smile. "Marcel is asleep. I managed, not without some considerable effort and skill, I might add, to purge ze plague from him. Of course, ze strain left him exhausted, and he is now fast asleep".

He yawned "to tell ze truth, my friend, given ze hour and my exhertions, I am somewhat in need of some rest myself. But come in, come in, I have some coffee that is mainly warm..."

He brought Marceaux into the shoddy house, complete with its distinctive aroma. Things were very much as they had left them, with some bread on the table and wine bottle emptied."

"So what have you found?" he asked, sitting down and yawning again.

[Ari]

Marceau had pulled back his black cowl, leaving his hair to spring up as it usually did when it came time to cut it short again, and began to tell Rene the story at once. He omitted nothing from his report, explaining simply and factually what had happened, Adding only a quiet <"You have friends everywhere it seems Rene, at least one policeman is a Halbedier"> to his otherwise dry verbiage.

<"...Then i returned here,"> he concluded, laying the Amulet on the table in front of his friend <"and brought you this. What, if anything, of use can we gather from this item?">

[Supercape]

Rene gently took the amulet away from Marceaux, and studied it carefully.

"Babylonian, maybe?" he said after some study "Old, certainly...and no doubt tied up with Gallu somehow. I can only think it is a portal by shich he enters this world. It contains vast power, but as that power is expended, it weakens the mist between our world and his, allowing him to seep in..."

He sat down and put the amulet on the table.

"I am not sure destroying it would help matters, either. And unfortunately Gallu has eroded into our world enough to have some power. Enough to do his best to take more, and use this amulet. The murders must have been his first, chaotic and maddened entrance to this world. As the amulet was used, he is able to direct himself in a more controlled manner. Not that we could ever say a demon of his magnitude is ever controlled, not by human standards...."

"So in other words, we need to close the portal. Undo what has been done. And for that we would need that fool who used it...what did you say his name was? Fred the Fat?"

[Ari]

Marceau had leaned back further against his chair as Rene spoke, listening with care to what the old man said. He was only a little surprised to find that the Amulet was possibly Babylonian in origin, seeing as that ancient people were once Gallu's..hosts? Worshipers? Secret adversaries? At any rate they had been connected with the being enough for it to consider itself Babylonian in some way, the idea of a demonic patriot was both alarming and fearsome to Marceau.

"Old, certainly...and no doubt tied up with Gallu somehow. I can only think it is a portal by which he enters this world. It contains vast power, but as that power is expended, it weakens the mist between our world and his, allowing him to seep in..."

That broke the casual air the costumed adventurer had been assuming, he sat forward with an intense stare at the demonic instrument, asking quietly "Should we destroy it? Could we destroy it?"

"I am not sure destroying it would help matters, either. And unfortunately Gallu has eroded into our world enough to have some power. Enough to do his best to take more, and use this amulet. The murders must have been his first, chaotic and maddened entrance to this world. As the amulet was used, he is able to direct himself in a more controlled manner. Not that we could ever say a demon of his magnitude is ever controlled, not by human standards...."

That sparked a flicker of fear across the man's face, his blue eyes burning in his head as he stared at the Amulet on the table.

"So in other words, we need to close the portal. Undo what has been done. And for that we would need that fool who used it...what did you say his name was? Fred the Fat?"

"'Frederick Klinefelter'," Marceau corrected "I presume I could find him by searching for role-playing clubs and other such fantasy-oriented groups, he was a fervent(if unpopular) member, and I don't doubt I could find at least a hint of where he might be or have gone. He seemed quite unsuited to dealing with actual magic, and might be cowering at home for all I know. He did steal an artifact from a public museum, after all, and wouldn't want to be caught so soon after his crime" he pushed the chair a little back to permit his standing "I'll start to search him out tomorrow Rene, unless you have some way of tracking him down with your supernatural skill?"

[Supercape]

GM

Rene stroked his beard gently, contemplating the matter.

"Perhaps, if I had something more to go on...an item that belonged to him, maybe? a lock of hair, that kind of things. There are certain rituals that I could use..."

"But it seems we are without such a luxury. I am afraid it may fall to your and your charm, young man...I am afraid things like role-playing clubs are a bit of a mystery to me. I have no idea what you are talking about, in other words..."

He chuckled, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"But if you can track him down, then you must! and more importantly, persuade him to undo what he has done. He is the key, the amulet is the lock. And we need him to twist it the other way..."

"And it is, as you say, late. We should try to get some sleep, but Gallu is, no doubt, watching. Marcel has done a good job protecting this house, by arcane means, but I fear Gallu may have grown too strong..."

[Ari]

"Agreed mon ami" assented Marceau, yawning and beginning the laborious removal of his armor and equipment "It wouldn't do to go looking for Fred without at least a little rest. See you in the morning" he added as he retired to an unoccupied cushioned surface.

The Next Day...

He had slept well, only slightly troubled by dreams about running from Gallu and suddenly being frozen to the spot as the demon's horns tore him to pieces. Walking along the cobbled streets in the bright morning sun, he asked passers-by if they knew of a certain Frederick Klinefelter, who he had met recently and wished to speak with. He described him as clearly as he could recall, carefully skirting just how they had met. When asked he blithely responded with <"Oh, around the Arch of Triumph">

He had debated with Rene the wisdom of taking the Amulet along, deferring to the old artist's judgement on that score.

[Supercape]

GM

It took a little time, but Frederick was not a hard man to track down at the end of the day.

He was a role playing nerd, after all. And German.

"!"

Later, At le Dragon's Dungeon Club...

""

Later, at the Appartment of Frederick Klinefelter

"

His flat was in an average part of Paris, and was averagely expensive. About the only thing that was noteworthy about Frederick was how mind-numingly average he was. In everything but social skills and abdominal girth. Worked in IT, for a worker, player role playing games, and computer games on the internet, and even a superhero roleplaying game over the internet.

[Ari]

Marceau was well-used to looking for people, and had to admit it was nice to wander a place like Paris, speaking in his native tongue with people he understood nigh-instantly. It was thus that when he finally arrived at the flat he was much more inclined to persuade Frederick than simply dump the sheer horror of the trouble they were in on his head to make things easiest for himself.

<"Ah! Mr. Klinefelter? It's me, the man you met in the Arch of Triumph. I need your help with a slight issue"> he jangled the Amulet for emphasis <"..that cannot be put off for long. May I enter? I assure you that it will be but a small effort on your part that is needed"> he concluded warmly, the sunny valley of Carcassone ringing in his syllables.

[Supercape]

GM

"What? You...! You ruined everything! I had it all! I had the invincible amulet of invincibility and you took iii...wait!!!" he interjected, hearing the unmistakable jangle of the amulet.

"You have it? You have the invincible amulet of invincibility with you?" he gasped then fell silent.

"...."

There was a long pause, as if Frederick was either shocked or pondering what to do. Probably both.

"You had better come up, my friend..." he said, his voice curling around the last words.

Fredericks flat was a mess. Computers, Role Playing Games, and dirty laundry peppered the entire home. What stood out from the normal flat of a complete nerd was a vast number of books on the occult, demonology, history, mythology, and the like.

"Come in, come in..." said Frederick, eyes fixed on the King of Suits and the amulet.

"Can I offer you some coffee?" he said "I have some, I have some, its good!" he said, excitedly, pottering over a pile of books, kicking over some twenty sided dice as he did so, and half stumbling into his kitchenette, where indeed a smell of think powerful German Coffee was present.

[Ari]

<"Coffee?" mused the Frenchman as he entered the flat "I am afraid I must decline, after getting drugged several times through coffee, and a natural disinclination towards drinks that make me thirstier makes me more than a little wary around them"> he smiled politely, leaning against a rather sparsely cluttered wall <"It would be best for both of us if I get straight to the point, so here it is: I need to know how you discovered and activated this Amulet's power. That and any contact you have made with demonic entities in the last month or so. This artifact"> he twirled the Amulet on its chain idly with his right hand <"is apparently a method used by the demon I happen to be chasing to enter this world"> he looked piercingly at Frederick <"And by the way Fred(may I call you Fred?): if you lie you will be doing a considerable disservice to yourself. I have no enmity towards you and wish to remove this monster from our world be done with it. I don't want to punish you for any foolishness on your part, won't reveal your theft to the police unless you want me to, and while I confess I'm really not into the sorts of pastimes you go for I'm not going to rag on you about them"> the steel rings on his right hand's first three fingers glittered in the reflected light of the whirling Amulet as he concluded quite casually <"Though if you get the chance, a good mile or so a day of running never goes amiss">

[Supercape]

GM

Frederick was halfway through making some coffee, or at least pouring it, when the King of Suits rejected his kind offer.

At the mention of drugged coffee, he started, dropping the coffee and a half open tin of pills marked "tranquilizers" on the floor.

"Damn!" he cursed, for more reasons that one.

He turned round to face the King of Suits.

"You can take your exercise and shove it, you steroid-freak-fascist!" he yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the caped hero. "So what if I finally wanted a bit of power? Make my mark on the world, instead of feeling its boot on my face? you ignorant, patronising..."

He puffed his cheeks and became red, lost for words.

"Why should I help you, of all people? what demon could be worse than the humiliation that I have to put up with day by day???"

[Ari]

<"The same kind, Frederick"> responded Marceau patiently <"Who would have no qualms about murdering their benefactor. I don't want you to come to any harm, and you're the only person who can remove this monster from our mutual world. I need your help, in short, or else the demon Gallu will simply kill anyone who gets a hold of this Amulet so you can't use it to banish him"> he approached him coolly and began the quick work of cleaning up the spill <"That and should you agree to help me, I can get you in touch with real magicians, men and women who have trained well and hard in how to use their gifts. They can help you become more proficient in your own talent and studies, not to mention make sure you don't accidentally get into messes like this in the future"> having removed the coffee and cup from the floor he gazed at the German, concluding <"It is your decision, Mr. Klinefelter">

[Supercape]

GM

Frederick gazed at King of Suits for a long time, his coffee mug held limply in one hand. One eye was raised, carefully and suspiciously scrutinising his nemesis.

"I can't say I trust you..." he croaked, as the mug fell from his limp hand "but everything you say is true. It's just, I...I wanted to be somebody..."

He sat down, tearful.

"For once, I wanted to be somebody. Somebody respected, not ridiculed. Why I am telling you this? well, I guess nobody else listens to me. I'm a nobody...a nobody..."

He was angry for one minute, and kicked over a pile of superhero role playing game books.

"What do you want me to do, then? apart from grovel and stew impotently. I'm pretty good at that..." he gave the King of Suits a weak smile and a sigh.

[Ari]

<"It is quite within your magical ability, Mr. Klinefelter"> Marceau told him warmly, feeling more than a little guilty at the cavalier treatment he had given the man earlier. <"According to my magical contact, the Amulet is...effectively a gate, using its power weakens the barrier that holds Gallu from interacting with our world. Three people were killed recently by the demon bull when it finally broke free of all but a little of its restraints"> he offered the Amulet to Frederick <"Whatever you did to release its power..you'll need to reverse it to recapture the demon. if you want,"> he added earnestly <"I can bring you to two mages who can help with the re-sealing. They're both quite strong and should Gallu attack during whatever is needed, together we could keep it from causing havoc">

[Supercape]

Later, at Marcel's House...

Frederick had agreed, although the man looked shattered, his mind frazzled by recent experiences. He was nervous, and twiddling his thumbs, pesetering the King of Suits with unanswerable questions.

Marcel bade Frederick good evening when entering. It appeared Rene had already set up much of the ritual.

"Aha!" said Rene "this is the Man you spoke of? the master of the gate?" he deliberately pitched the term to try and win Fredercik over, with a small success.

"Come come, sit over here, yes, yes. Have some coffee, if you wish. There is bread and ham too, if you feel hungry. For the real work is ahead of us, Non?"

Gently he took the amulet of Gallu and placed it on the floor, between the four men who sat around it.

"Now then Frederick, I will start the incantation, and we must all follow. In your mind, you must close the door, do you understand? as you opened it, by rejecting the foul beast, you will seal him away..."

"Everybody, it is important to concentrate. Steel your soul, do not be distracted. Gallu will rage, but he is still only part way into this world, he is but a shadow. Woe betide us if he steps in completely. As long as we do not fear, and do not break the ritual, all will be well!"

[Ari]

Marceau knew enough of the situation to understand there was precious little he could do. That little was thus of great interest to him, and so he asked the two Halbediers <"Friends, what may I do to help? Do you wish for a guard to sound the alarm if Gallu comes so he does not catch us unawares? I doubt I would be of much aid in sealing the beast back in his home dimension, and I confess I feel very uneasy with the idea of not doing anything to help"> he looked hopefully at them, maybe he could be of assistance after all!

[Supercape]

Rene smiled at Marceau.

"I think we are beyond material concerns at this point, brave halbedier!" he said, slapping the man on his back. "No, for now, we must focus on the immaterial world. As long as one of is saying the chant, then the door will close. That is important...you understand? Gallu will try to distract us, but as long as the chant is spoken, the door will close..."

He cleared his throat and sat down. Marcel and Rene had obviously been studying carefully and knew the chant well...

"Ostium clauditur ostium clausum est, Adaperire Adaperire!*

Ostium clauditur ostium clausum est, Adaperire Adaperire!"

The chant was slow, but steady, and as it was spoken a cold zephyr blew through Marcels living room, and at the very edge of vision and hearing, a creak, the snort of a bull, and movement....

Rene looked at Marceaux, encouraging him to join. Even Frederick joined in, although he looked petrified.

"It will come, it will come...." he gasped, clutching at his clothes and neck...

The door is shut, the door is closed, begone, begone!