Devil In The Dark(IC)

[Supercape]

"Noooooooooooooo!" yelled Pitch, full of fury. She was normally a good piece full of fury, but right now, she frothed over. There had been enough blood on this island. Enough people dead. 

 

She stumbled back a dozen feet, red in her eyes, literally as well as metaphorically, and let out a snarl. 

 

"You killed them! You! Not me!"

 

All the frustration at her life boiled over and she swung her hand, releasing a wave of metal spikes, twisted and barbed, thundering in a steel arc towards the demons in front of the bell tower...

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

The three demons that were attacking the humans were met with a metalical onslaught that reduced them to shreds. "And you are too blind to realise that you have been caught in a quicksand; the more you struggle, the faster you will sink in. " The Magician replied, ever the spectator, while their remains burned with the familiar blue flame.

 

"Weapons to auto, Smithson. Open fire."

 

"Yes, ma'am."

 

The Captain and Smithson concentrated their fire on one of the two demons, who tried to repel their fire using his weapon, and while the bullets managed to overwhelm his efforts through sheer numbers, they ultimately failed to hit even a single vital spot. "Blasted abomination." William spat.

 

"Don't lose focus, Smithson. Alternate fire with me, and keep close to the servants." The Captain calmly proclaimed, and the two continued their covering fire, while also trying to protect their fallen comrades from further sustainning damage. Whether this would prove a vain effort or not, one couldn't tell, but the two humans were not about to give up on them.

 

The Demon lost no time turning its attention to Pitch, who was burning white hot with fury, and once again, attempted once again to slice her off in conjuction with its last remainning companion.

[Supercape]

Pitch moved fast, backing off again, ducking behind some crumbling masonry. The tattoo on her spine itched, knowing that an Infernal blast of hellfire might come crashing down. Whilst such infernal magics would have no effect on her, getting sliced in two would. Tazel kept her flesh bound with smoke and fire, and she could take a beating with the Demon hissing in her. Still, no need to walk into a demonic fist. 

 

Leaning round the masonry she once again threw her fist, swooping down, and releasing two more spears of metal, black, smoking iron, bent and sharp and fired like harpoons at the demons. 

 

No mercy to them. 

 

"Mind telling me who you are, Mr. Spooky?" she said to the shadow and cape above her. "I'm an easy kind of girl, but I still like to know names on a first date!"

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

One demon fell to Pitch's metal barrage, the spear-like steel rods driving deep onto him and rendering him dead. The other demon, however, managed to avoid the attack, and even the hail of gunfire that the two humans had been throwing at him wasn't enough to dent him.

 

"I am the Magician, Daughter of the Cursed Cane, and you are the Fool." The Magician replied, and the Chalice that floated next to him came into view. With a wave of his hand, the Magician ordered the Chalice to target Pitch. "Heed my warnings, demontouched; if you persist on your current path, you will find that a long road lies ahead of you, and should you lose your will to press on, you may find yourself unable to take even the first step." With a snap of his fingers, the Chalice, as if obeying a command, poured out its bluish contents onto Pitch. The substance seemed to have a will of its own, and followed Pitch behind the rubble, surrounding her, and slowly sapping her willpower in the process. Meanwhile, the last standing sentinel demon flew above Pitch, and drove his spear to her, nicking her in the process.

 

Riddles and allegories! The Magician sounds as if he is alluding to something. Tazel noted.

[Supercape]

"Ill shove this stick up your damn fools ass!" yelled Pitch back at the magician. She barely felt the spear. As far as she was concerned the demons were just stiffs. She could eat them for breakfast. 

 

Wait...she paused for a moment trying to piece together the mystery through the red mist. This was symbolic...right?

 

She recalled some Tarot cards from her youth. The Fool? it wasn't that bad. Just like her really, diving in head first, oblivious to the wider dangers. But still, someone who sought out the unknown country. And the Magician...with a sword, a chalice, a disk, a wand...he was from the Tarot cards too. What was this? straight out of a Tarot deck? 

 

She guessed the Magician wasn't out to kill her, not with his monologue. But taunt her, tease her...there were plenty of ways to be malign other than with spear or sword. 

 

On that note, she pulled her hand back and launched a half dozen smoking barbs of spinning steel at the last demon above her....

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

The Magician simply laughed as Pitch dispatched the last sentinel demon, the metalical barbs oblitberating the monster out of existence. "Your foul words betray your foul temper. Anger, while powerful, when not properly tempered by insightfulness and good judgement, has oft led many a poor souls astray. If you let your feelings rule over you, you may quickly come to reg-" the sound of hailfire interrupted the Magician mid-speech. The Captain and Smithson had opened fire on the Magician, intent on putting some well placed holes in him, and while their bullets flew true, a small spherical energy field automatically appeared out of nowher, deflecting away the bullets.

 

"Tsk, so annoying." The Captain spat.

 

Giving out a dismissive sigh, the Magician waved the humans away. "The insects would do well to refrain from further action." He told them, barely acknowledging their existence. Turning back to Pitch, he once more ordered the Chalice to attack her. "Perhaps my advice is not coming through. Allow me to see if I cannot be more persuasive." Once more, the blueish substance spilled and flew towards Pitch, as if a wolf closing in on its prey.

[Supercape]

"Enough with the damn cryptic talk, man! I've had it to here with it!" she screamed back, red with rage. Of course, being smoky and on fire made that red hard to see. But there was a noticeable flare to her flames. 

 

"I don't know who you are, Mr. Tarot...you ain't a devil, probably a sorcerer, but people are dying on this island, and you ain't helping! So ALLOW ME TO BE PERSUASIVE!" she shouted at full volume, eyes sprouting angry burning smoke. 

 

She threw up a chain of black and burned metal, spinning through the air, letting all her fury seep into her veins and marrow, and all caution flung to the wind. This guy was going to give her answers!!!

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

The Magician regarded Pitch's threatening tone for a moment. "Hold your shouts, Daughter of the Cursed Cane. You will need every last bit of breath left to you." He calmly assessed, completely unphased by her attempt. "You still lack a proper grasp of what is trully going on in this island, if you believe that you can help the inhabitants of this island. You are only prolonging their suffering." As he said that, the chains surrounded the Magician, and where about to close in on him, when he ordered the four relics about him to block the chains. Teleporting outside the chains' capturing range, he recalled the mystic items to him. This time, the Disk stood before him. "But worry not, child. For I will be destroying that messed up illusion of yours." The Disk spun rapidly, creating a small wind current. With a waive, the Disk unleashed the windy current, which cut through the hail and went, following an irregular pattern, before finally landing squarely on Pitch's solar plexus.

 

The Captain and William remained silent, yet ever vigilant. They both knew that they had no hope agaisnt the Magician, and that if Pitch fell, their fate would be a grim one. Still, they couldn't run and leave Pedro and Dennis, so they instead opted to keeping an eye out for trouble from the other demons, who were rampaging nearby.

[Supercape]

Pitch caught her breath. In this regard, he was right. She felt the disc, barely. Through her rage, it felt like a dull thing of no consequence. 

 

"No use wasting my damn breath on you, as you seem to hear well enough, you pompous ass!" she said, through gritted teeth. The voice may have been softer in volume, but not in manner. Her blood was up, and that was a furious thing to witness. 

 

She brought her hand up throwing a bolt of red purple fire into the skies, up, up, into the man of cape and smoke. The flames wreathed around him. 

 

"You talk in riddles, dont ya? What do you want, buster? to feel like some self righteous know it all?"

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

From what could be seen, nothing but shadows covered the Magician's entire body, but Pitch could have sworn that a smile had formed in his face. "At the very least, you seem to have started asking the right questions." The still hovering figure of the Magician seemed quite pleased. "I do not want anything other than fullfilling my contract with my summoner. And to that end," he further explained, "I have arrived in this village for one reason, and one reason alone." The Disk glowed and spinned once more, this time, a powerful electric current running through it. "To make sure you suffer and struggle, demoncursed child." There was no malice in the Magician's words. But neither was any compassion. He was simply stating the facts, as he ordered the disk to unleash its thunderous bolt on Pitch. The current ran through her body, and the hail seemed to amplify its intensity.

[Supercape]

"Gragh! Enough with the suffering! I have had a belly full of it!" roared Pitch, sprouting fire and brimstone and speaking a terrible pun in so saying. 

 

She drew back her hand to throw another ball of fire. 

 

"I never wanted this, I never asked for it! It was what life dished up for me, and I'm gonna make the most of it! Some sorcerer summoned you up to rip me apart, is that it? I don't suppose you mind telling me exactly who that was, so I can stuff my fist down his mouth?" she demanded. 

 

And then, with her other hand, whipped up the Cantos cane, and splayed it sideways, a torrent of machine gun bullets, black and smoking, blasting through the air at the smoke and cape. 

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

As the bullets flew, the Magician's protective field came up again, only this time, it wasn't enough to dissuade them. The iron missiles pierced through the barrier, forcing their way into the Magician's personal space, and they would almost have left holes in him, had he not commanded the Disk to intercept them. Still, not even the slightest pertrubed, the Magician continued to talk to Pitch. "That is correct. The Risen Son called me upon this realm, from the heart of the island, inside the Gate to the Underworld. But do not get your hopes up, for reaching him won't be so simple." The sword waved and trembled, as a blackened mist escaped its edges. Soon, the sword circled the Magician furiously, and with every swipe, darkness started spreading through the area.

 

"Captain?" William said, as he clutched his rifle dearly.

 

"Shhhhhit." The Captain exclaimed, and she immediately grabbed Denis by the arm. "Grab the other one, Smithson. And don't let go no matter what!"

 

"Easy to say..." he muttered, but still tried his best to get hold of Pedro. "I can't even see my own arms in this darkness."

 

Letting a laugh, the Magician said. "For if you hope to see the light, first, you must find your way through the darkness." He propably thought to sound ominous and vaguely threatening. Whatever gravitas there was behind the Magician's words, a certain fiendish demon made sure to pitch in.

 

What a complete loser. He really thinks a little darkness is gonna slow us down. Shall I shed some light for you, Master?

 

His nausally tone inquired. It had to be said, that while Tazel was about as cooperative as a stubborn mule, even he was beginning to find the sanctimonious Magician annoying.

Edited January 5, 2015 by Vahnyu

[Supercape]

"Darkness? You think that ever stopped me?" she laughed, howling flames and smoke. 

 

"I can see you like it as a glorious midsummers day, wizard! But please do keep talking...I like the sound of this Risen Son...a man for me to meet...although what he had to do with a reclusive Rock Star? Thats for me to not find out because you will be telling me!" she demanded. 

 

This time, it was not flame that she threw, but the blackest, dirtiest smoke from the oiliest, greasiest forge. Soot and charcoal. A ball of horror, a million cigarrettes. The darkness did not bother her, her flaming eyes could see through it with ease...

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

The Magician stood unmoving, as the smoke barely passed by him. In fact, he did not seem at all apprehensive at the dark smokey matter Pitch threw at him. He WAS pertrubed a bit, since this meant that his attempt at concealing his attacks were for naught. "I'm affraid, Daughter of the Cursed Staff," he slowly said, as the wand glowed sickly green with power. "that this is something for you to find out." Throwing a green bolt of energy that made a curved motion before hitting Pitch, the Wand then established a connection with her, and attacked Pitch's psyche, in an attempt to wear her out and drain her of her reserves to fight completely. "But even though you can see through the darkness, you should still be weary of not letting yourself burn out." Meanwhile, the sounds of the demons that had been rampaging through the streets started to sound closer by the moment. It would appear that the big black ball of darkness was attracting them to the site.

[Supercape]

Damn...I have to finish this...

 

"Burning, I'm pretty good at that, and I haven't burned out yet! I can take anything you can throw at me, and I eat demons for breakfast. What do you think that means I will do to you?" she said. 

 

"Time to start talking, or feel my full wrath!"

 

She let loose with both hands, throwing loops of jagged chain, spears of black smoky metal, shards of twisting shrapnel, and more besides, all firing towards the elusive magician, whose cryptic taunts only inflamed her power more!

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

The Magician was unfazed by Pitch's seething rage in her tone. "Careful that the demons don't eat you, Daughter of the Cursed Staff. But for now, that is of no immediate concern for you. I am your opponent now, and I have said all that I wished to tell y-" Before he managed to finish, the spiked chains and blades blasted through his cloak, seemingly wounding the enigmatic apparition. They couldn't manage to bind him into place, but the shock from the damage seemed to at least be big enough to give him significant pause. "GHhkk! Grrrghh! ---you! I... If you wish... to find out more..." He struggled to finish his sentence, while writhing under the pain of Pitch's assault. "... then you will have to defeat... me!"

[Supercape]

"Easily done, wizard!" replied Pitch, spinning a burning chain in the air helicopter fashion. 

 

Gripping tightly, she threw the chain into the air, hoping to bind the sorcerer. "Maybe this will loosen your tongue. Its time to get medieval!"

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

The chains Pitch conjured once more surrounded the Magician, and for a moment, given his apparent helplessness, it seemed to be finally working in restrainning the apparition. However, as soon as the circle closed in on him, the Magician vanished, appearing just a few feet away from his initial position, leaving the chains grasping air and the previously lodged shards of metal Pitch had forcibly thrust in him, hovering in place for a second, before remembering to follow the rules of gravity.

 

"This is getting us nowhere near fast, Master." Tazel's nauseating voice bellowed to Carmen, a slight hint of impatience in his tone. Inasmuch as Tazel did hints, at any rate. "We could continue with this all day long, but I doubt they-" he added, referring to the crewmembers of the ship and to Acheron's servants, who had been trapped in the Darkness the Magician had generated. "-will last very long... But I suppose we could always bring their remains back with us, heheheehee." Tazel noted, ever the helpful paragon that he is.

 

Free from further distractions, the Magician commanded the hovering Chalice near him to once again pour its blueish substance to the air, surround Pitch, and engulf her in its noxious, will-sapping, sentient liquids. True to his words, the Magician appeared to be keeping his lips (or whatever he had that might perform a similar action) sealed tight.

[Supercape]

Smoke and fire belched from her eyes and mouth. 

 

"As impertinent as you are, demon..." she grunted to the demon in her veins, "I think you have met your match, this fool surpasses you in vexation!" she hissed. 

 

Another chain wound through the air, trailing smoke and floating embers, its steel black from the infernal forge from which it came. 

 

"Get over here!" she shouted at the floating sorcerer. 

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

Once more did Pitch conjure chains to bind the Magician, and this time, she striked true. The magically conjured metal chains surrounded the Magician, keeping him firmly in place. Indeed, the apparitious foe tried to shake the chains off of him, but that seemed to accomplish little. It finally appeared that Pitch would gain the upper hand in the battle, that she'd finally get some answers and start making sense of this whole debacle of an adventure...

 

... Before the Disk, one of the four relics that had been floating around the Magician, glew red before unleashing a concentrated laser of fire at the chains that bound the Magician. The metal melted off of him, falling to the ground before dissipating completely, freeing the Magician of his shackles. And the sounds of the monsters seemed to be but mere moments away from the battlefield...

[Supercape]

"Damn" grunted Pitch, fighting the rage boiling in her veins which, no doubt, was food for the demon inside her. She screamed a primal scream at the air. She would have loved nothing more than to tear the wizard above her limb from bloody limb, and perhaps she would have - if not for the soldiers she felt obliged to protect. 

 

Tactical retreat she shouted to her skull, like a mantra of poorly believed words. Grunting with effort, she resolved to fight another day. 

 

From nowhere in particular poured hot, acrid smoke, a cloud of obscene fumes. She took the chain that had been half melted and threw it to her companions. She could see well enough through any such fog, her eyes blazing red with Tazels power. 

 

"Follow me!" she yelled to her friends, and started to make way, chain in hand, to cover...

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

As soon as the Captain heard Pitch, she flailed her hands at the darkness until managing to grab hold of the chain. "I've got it!" She shouted. "Smithson, grab one of the wounded, then give me your hand." She told William, as she got the wounded Pedro's hand over her shoulder. They couldn't afford delicate handling of the wounded, here, she understood; it was do or die.

 

"We're ready here, Captain." Smithson replied, as the delirious from the pain Dennis rambled on, skirting the line between consiousness and unconsiousness, and more worryingly enough, life and death.

 

"Let's move out!" She called, and feeling the chain tense, followed it through the darkness towards Pitch's location.

 

The Magician's Disk glowed a light blueish colour, at the sight of the retreating Pitch, seemingly unimpeded by the fiery smokescreen Pitch unleashed. The Disk alinged itself with Pitch, unleashing a blast of magically enchanted water which split in three different blasts, their pressure hitting Pitch straight in the sternum, left thigh, and right arm.

[Supercape]

Embers and ash fountained from the disc. The ice cold was hard, like stone shooting through her bones. She gasped in pain, body arched. 

 

In defiance of screaming flesh and fire, she lurched forward, through the smoke, eyes blazing, stumbling through the doors of the watch tower and collapsing into the stony walls, fighting for breath. The smoke and the fumes that poured through her mouth came ragged, ragged. She felt the edge of fear through her rage...

[Vahnyu]

GM Post

 

The humans kept close as Pitch urged them on with the chain, the Captain holding it for dear life, as they navigated through the darkness, smoke, and embers. The heat and exhaustion were pilling up on them, on top of carrying the bodies of the two servants with them, but the Captian and William endured it and pressed on, intent on seeing this day through.

 

Above them, the Magician flew towards the weary Carmen, passing her by, until arriving 25ft in front of her, behind the worn down watchtower. The four relics followed him closely, floating circularly around him throughout the way, It was as if he was taunting her, as if he wanted her to know that she couldn't escape him, that no matter how hard she tried, he'd be there, one step beyond. He pointed his left arm towards Carmen, and a mass of shadows in the form of a human hand gestured at her, taunting her to come at him. His shadowy face glared, but left no other means of determining what kind of face he was making.

[Supercape]

Picking up her cane, ignoring the pain from her leg, Pitch put all her muscle into a head long charge. It was not easy, with her leg - but it was more a problem of balance than power, and she charged head long, the Cantos cane held above her. A powerful sorcery it might be, but it was also a hefty, weighted stick. 

 

"Take a load of this, old man!" she screamed, like a mad witch. With a final tumble, the cane smacked the man on the head, and she tumbled into him, landing heavily on the ground...