Oblitus Magia: Verse 1 - Fateful Encounter in the City of Fools

[Sub-Zero MKA]

The woman was ignored... in favor of the Dragon pressing the ^ button.

No time to slaughter an elderly woman anyway, there were Witches to eat.

Xia slipped inside just before the doors closed. She said nothing to the ravenous animal or the old geezer.

Why am I doing this? I've been afraid of those people for years. Now that not one, but two are on the other side of this shaft, I'm going toward them? To fight?

It was a mystery, even to herself. Chan Li told her she would have to face her fears eventually.

"Living in fear of a far-off threat is like living in a cave to hide from the sun," Chan Li spoke as he watched Xia perform the stretching exercises he assigned her. "Eventually, you will have to leave for food, and face the sunlight. At some point, you will be confronted with what scares you the most. Will you run, or will you stand firm?

Xia didn't answer. Mainly because she didn't know the answer.

It seemed she finally did. At least for the time being, she was going to stand firm. Though, it was easy to say so with some distance between herself and the sun's light. Once she was basking in its golden glory, that would be the true test of her mettle.

[The Dog]

OOC: Selma was talking to Ange, who is on the top level of the terminal, outside where the Witches are. I know that Matt, Lucifer, and Jacob are there as well. Owen might be there as well unless he went into one of the elevators with the civilians. Not sure who else.

OOC: Ah, thanks.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

" Okay, where are they keeping Jacob's weapons. They have to be here somewhere. Hmm, If I were to guess. They would be keeping Jacob's weapons in one of these lockers. a locker would be the most logical choice to store away a high powered sniper rifle, and the rest of Jacob's weapons would be in that same locker," Rhea said.

Rhea checks each tagged locker for Jacob's name.

[Melon God]

"UAH--" Morgen ragdolled through the air as she was violently flung (again), but her rose bird was able to snag her by the collar this time, preventing her from painfully colliding with the wall. She made an almost graceful landing, settling to the floor with a weak sense of balance. First things first, she fixed her hair and clothes, surveying her face in the mirror again to make sure no teeth were out of place from the walloping she'd just received. When she felt assured her dentals were intact, she released a deep sigh. Administration secrets or no, some of these people certainly do rightfully belong in prison...

And what a shame, too! To have such an elegant opening tarnished, oh how embarrassing! The thanks I get for offering to help, well I never!

With a huff, she stormed angrily off out of sight and slumped down into a chair and stewed a moment, reflecting on her situation and her actions thus far. Her wound suddenly began to throb now that her brain was working through its senses - she put her hand to her lower ribs, where she'd been struck by the tail. She grit her teeth a bit, feeling the injury pulsate to its touch. She could still fight, if she wanted, but she wasn't in fair condition to do so. But, come to think of it, there was little to be gained by fighting either way. She listened passively to the voices outside, by the elevator.

Morgen rifled through her pockets and produced a phone, scrolling through her contacts. Staring down numbly at the screen, her thumb started to hover over some of the numbers. There was a hint of regret flashing her eyes, as well as hesitation. At length, she simply put her phone away and rested her hands on her knees. I can't always be calling my sister for help. If Lucia were here, what would she do? The young woman looked up at the ceiling.

Hm.

On one hand, she preferred to be a woman of her word. She said she would offer her assistance -- after all, it wasn't Mulvric's fault nor Ange's fault that she'd been demeaned like this.
But on the other... what was her game plan, exactly? Had she gotten so tired of her home life that she had, on a whim, decided this impromptu adventure was going to somehow make up for her pathetic family ties? If she were discovered here, consorting with terrorists, that would most definitely be the final cut. Pathetic as those ties were, her family was all she had. Perhaps she hadn't been taking it as seriously as she should have, but the danger of her situation was beginning to dawn on her.

---

On the floors of the Dupont estate, a slightly older woman lay lounging on the couch playing video games with a small group of friends huddled close to her.

"Hey, did you check the news just now?"

"What, the execution that's happening? Everyone saw that, right?"

"No, no, it's--"

The woman ignored the conversation happening around her, focusing on the game when something suddenly rang in her pocket. She shoved her controller into one of her friends' hands and produced her phone.

"--down near the bridge, there was... hey! Why'd you hand me the controller? I'm not playing!"

"Just for a second!" Lucia patted her on the back with a wink, facing away to take the call. "Alright you little troublemaker, what is it now?"

Silence on the other end.

"Morgiana, are you there?"

"..."

"Hello? Morgen?" The woman's tone grew slightly worried.

"Lucia..." the voice on the other end crackled, suffering from underground interference, and... something else. "Do you trust me?"

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Owen heaves a great sigh.

“Times running out, need to get a move on, you lot. The Witches will be done playing soon.”

He gestures to the innocents and the elevator.

“I would suggest you lot make haste.”

He steps up to Kinu and adjust his hat a bit.

“Well, this isn’t how I planned my day going.”

He stops, leaning against his umbrella and offering a smile for when the Witches come.

[The Chou Lives]

He on the other hand simply hold his ground, not uttering a word. Hell his flame gauntlets were not even lit up. He was going to go for the more controlled impacts this time.


He breaths only one big inhale.

https://youtu.be/spwTDpJ0-eY

He turns on the breath. His upper body clothes torn right off, leaving his gloves on, he was of smaller build but was properly jacked now along with killer abs and notable scars on his body. There was no scream or war shout, just dead silence during this time. However, a green glow in his eyes.


If o e could note nervous systems and wave points, one would note there is a sickening green glow growing in the nerve bundles. No, not turning the mana ball on yet, wanted to go with battle plan first. He was however mentally peeping himself for it.

[grampagen]

Owen heaves a great sigh.

“Times running out, need to get a move on, you lot. The Witches will be done playing soon.”

He gestures to the innocents and the elevator.

“I would suggest you lot make haste.”

He steps up to Kinu and adjust his hat a bit.

“Well, this isn’t how I planned my day going.”

He stops, leaning against his umbrella and offering a smile for when the Witches come.

Patting the heel of her palm on the metal railing of one of the catwalks overlooking the Skyport Terminal's central lobby, a low mutter escaped the Warrior of the Wasteland.

"Haaah?" She kinked her head to one side. "Am I hearin' you correctly?"

Bolting to her feet, she folded up the chair she was sitting on and slung it over her shoulder. "A day behind the Wards that isn't planned out, huh? What're the chances?"

Despite being the last to act, persay, Sigourney appeared to have the honor of being the first to arrive. Rising from the hole it had made, Tekeli-li gently deposited the girl onto the terminal surface just in time to witness the arrival of the Witches.

"How bothersome..." She muttered, apathetic still in the face of outright destruction. Although ignorant to her capabilities with the Lucifer's Hammer, she doubted Tekeli-li alone would be able to handle both in time before her own safety was jeopardized. The fact that they had noticed the orbital strike in the first place astounded her, but she was willing to accept any kindness from fate after seeing the callous nature of the two witches as they casually ended someone's life.

Still, it wouldn't be long before they noticed her and deemed her ruinious enough to slaughter. Until then she had wait and observe for her chance to strike.

Speaking of things that didn't go to plan, the foundations of the skyport seemed to shift as a sharp bang erupted in the concrete beneath it. The scene at the bridge ahead still hadn't changed, the EN soldiers and a handful of the survivors were picking out positions. So where...?

Frantically her mask darted about. Nothing within the terminal, at first glance. And then she saw it.

It was far too slim for a Witch's show of force. Almost as if by design, a man-sized fissure split the concrete outside. If it weren't for the noise, she could've sworn it was collateral damage from the earlier explosions, but whatever made this was far too precise.

The faintest trail of stony dust fell, a white trail-plume reaching high above, seeming to hint as if something had punched through from underground...

Then she saw it, the great pronged bludgeon, suspending its fall there, within its clutches a lean, thin girl.

"...is this a third one?" She wondered aloud, "Or is this somebody else...?"

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Patting the heel of her palm on the metal railing of one of the catwalks overlooking the Skyport Terminal's central lobby, a low mutter escaped the Warrior of the Wasteland.

"Haaah?" She kinked her head to one side. "Am I hearin' you correctly?"

Bolting to her feet, she folded up the chair she was sitting on and slung it over her shoulder. "A day behind the Wards that isn't planned out, huh? What're the chances?"



Speaking of things that didn't go to plan, the foundations of the skyport seemed to shift as a sharp bang erupted in the concrete beneath it. The scene at the bridge ahead still hadn't changed, the EN soldiers and a handful of the survivors were picking out positions. So where...?

Frantically her mask darted about. Nothing within the terminal, at first glance. And then she saw it.

It was far too slim for a Witch's show of force. Almost as if by design, a man-sized fissure split the concrete outside. If it weren't for the noise, she could've sworn it was collateral damage from the earlier explosions, but whatever made this was far too precise.

The faintest trail of stony dust fell, a white trail-plume reaching high above, seeming to hint as if something had punched through from underground...

Then she saw it, the great pronged bludgeon, suspending its fall there, within its clutches a lean, thin girl.

"...is this a third one?" She wondered aloud, "Or is this somebody else...?"

Owen pinched the bridge of his nose as yet another headache began to form.

“That’s no Witch. Not one I’ve seen or recognize, at least. Seems we have another new face to add to the growing list.”

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Too slow. Elevator was going too slow.

The chimera of a woman drew in a sharp breath, and managed to resist the urge to ventilate the elderly woman standing between her, and the pompous swordswoman. Instead, she un-slung the assault rifle and began checking it over carefully. Automatic. Box mag... Standard-Issue Ammunition? That certainly explained why she hadn't even flinched when the round glanced off her scales. It was almost as if...

"Rrrr."

Exhale.

A small gout of flame was discharged from her nostrils, as she carefully counted her ammunition. A way to pass the time. A way to forget, ever so briefly, the hunger. Much easier to simply let it overwhelm, so she could overpower. Hard to think through it. Especially when something so appetizing as two card-carrying Witches floundered about.

Focus.

CHA-CHAK. PTING.

In the elevator cabin, the sound inescapable as ejected the last round from the assault rifle and looked it over.

Added together, she didn't have nearly enough for the gun to matter much, and as much as the feel of it in her hands made skin crawl and set teeth on edge; the usefulness of her prey's tools was hard to overlook. They'd grown quite good at combating monsters, in their many years of struggling. Still. Witches meant that standard ammunition was all but worthless.

"..."

Bullet still in hand, she wrapped her claws around the case and with her 'thumb' claw, flicked the bullet off causing it to punch through the roof of the elevator and clatter against the shaft; at which point she repeated this process with four more bullets before secreting each of them away somewhere safe on her person. Satisfied, she checked the mag at her feet before slapping it into place.

It was only then, she remembered she wasn't alone in the elevator. The old geezer at her back, seemingly unaware of the situation and the woman- with the boring threats- standing opposite.

It seemed she finally did. At least for the time being, she was going to stand firm. Though, it was easy to say so with some distance between herself and the sun's light. Once she was basking in its golden glory, that would be the true test of her mettle.

"Hey," the Chimera said before tilting her head in Xia's direction.

"If your plan is to wait and see how it all goes down, before involving yourself? You're better off not getting getting out of the elevator." With this elevator trip taking as long as it was though, it probably didn't matter if she left or not. The Dragon was liable to rip through the roof and finish the ascent by hand; spelling death for the occupants as sure as the sun set.

[grampagen]

Owen pinched the bridge of his nose as yet another headache began to form.

“That’s no Witch. Not one I’ve seen or recognize, at least. Seems we have another new face to add to the growing list.”

Kinu nodded, before looking back up to the sky and the pale, waifish dot hanging there. Bad reaction to bad vibes, I guess.

"You figure she's one of the Survivors? Or something that came...from below..." Kinu paused, and she then slowly turned her head to face Owen for a moment. "...you know, the prison block."

Then in an instant, something else he said stuck out to her.

"...wait, you know who's on the Witches' starting roster?"

Either he was a plainclothes ringer for the Administration, or Owen here had previously made some close brushes with the authorities before...and lived to tell about it. Immediately she turned about face once more, peering at the approaching carnage through the entrance gates.

"I don't suppose there's any chance you've kept tabs on these two?" Chair held in one hand, she leapt up on the railing, leaning forward as she crouched on it like some strange pastel gargoyle. "Don't get the wrong idea. We're gonna take 'em out, of course, but maybe we can even do it in record time..."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Kinu nodded, before looking back up to the sky and the pale, waifish dot hanging there. Bad reaction to bad vibes, I guess.

"You figure she's one of the Survivors? Or something that came...from below..." Kinu paused, and she then slowly turned her head to face Owen for a moment. "...you know, the prison block."

Then in an instant, something else he said stuck out to her.

"...wait, you know who's on the Witches' starting roster?"

Either he was a plainclothes ringer for the Administration, or Owen here had previously made some close brushes with the authorities before...and lived to tell about it. Immediately she turned about face once more, peering at the approaching carnage through the entrance gates.

"I don't suppose there's any chance you've kept tabs on these two?" Chair held in one hand, she leapt up on the railing, leaning forward as she crouched on it like some strange pastel gargoyle. "Don't get the wrong idea. We're gonna take 'em out, of course, but maybe we can even do it in record time..."

He nods.

“Perhaps I have. Give me a moment....”

OT: Sandy, since Owen has had previous doings and meetings with Authority in various forms (and his mother being who she was), is there any chance he has met these witches before, or knows anything of them? I kind of figure he’s at least kept small dossiers on Witches due to his parents paranoia and caution.

[Noldere]

"Boss.....BOSS!" On of the Rebels watching the bridge side exit seemed simultaneously disturbed and transfixed by something outside. "We got....oh ****....something bad is going on outside...."]

When the rebel mentioned trouble on the outside, Lucifer took it as his cue to go- not to the supposed safety that EN believed could be found underground, but instead to get a closer look at exactly what was going on.

How bad could this supposed trouble possibly be?

Lucifer quietly and invisibly distanced himself from the evacuation effort, and cautiously made his way to a spot where he believed he could safely observe what was going on.

~ Skyport Terminal Bridge ~

On the opposite side of the collapsed bridge, there was a gathered crowd of distressed civilians and rebels who were cut of by the bridge explosion...in addition to a few interested parties who came up for a closer view of what was happening across the gap. Perhaps if any of them had an idea what was about to happen....well......

...The world has no place for could haves....

In a flare of magical energy that could have spun Odin's eye to the back of Owen's skull, the the far side crowd were thrown into the air. Over 50 people simultaneously vaulted skyward and then held their....left floating feeble and defenseless in the air.

"By order of the Administrator, This area and all who dwell in it are now under our jurisdiction." A quiet, yet carrying voice spoke. "Please remain calm and quiet while we determine the extent of the damage. All perpetrators of ruinous behavior will be judged according to the mandate of the Nephilim."

Below them, a young woman floated by...calm and serene, completely unaffected by the frightened cries of those suspended above.

Behind her, another woman trailed behind her on foot...a casual smirk playing on her face as her eyes flicked from one face above her to another.

"Now.....who is the filthy ruin lover I'm gonna yeet to the other side of the slums today.......Ahhh.....That one! That one right there!" She smirked girl suddenly spoke up, pointing to one of them rebels floating in the air....then excitedly jogging past the floating girl and brandishing her sword. "Ok...." She took a practice swing. "Ok....so when I say "shoot", I w..."

The rebel impacted through directly in front of the woman with so much force the road cracked and showered her in gore. "...*spitspit* ...UghhhhhhHHHHh....."

"You said shoot....." The floating girl smiled, completely at odds with her tone of voice.

"I WAS MAKING SURE YOU KNEW BECAUSE YOU ALWAYS **** IT UP!" The now gore splattered woman wiped it from her eyes and groaned, then pointed and flicked a bit of blood in the other girls direction.....splattering off something unseen just in front of her. "You can't even take **** like your suppose to."

"Vulgar..." The girl sighed. "....Lets dispense with these ones so we can look to the terminal. The Administrator wants it secured before her arrival."

Perhaps it would have been better if he hadn't. At least then he wouldn't have such a distasteful memory to accompany him from now until the end of his days.

Those are Witches? Those two? Really? How... unprofessional.

Something about the two who had shown up and began... toying with the lives of those stuck on the other side of the collasped bridge offended Lucifer on a nearly existential level. Perhaps it was that these obvious lunatics, individuals who seemed as though they should have been the ones in a prison, were claiming to be- and more horrifying, possibly even were- representing a legitimate authority of any sort, much less the Administrator and the Nephilim. Perhaps it was the horrible clothes the two were wearing. Perhaps it was a form of intuition, or a number of other things. Regardless of what it was, it was foul- they were foul. And had he the means, Lucifer might very well have smote them where they stood/floated.

Lacking said means, all he could do for now was watch.

[The Dog]

Selma sighed irritably as she loaded the last of the bullets into the clip of her handgun (a Springfield 1911 MC Operator) and slid it into the gun, wondering if things could possibly get any worse than it already was.

'Considering how things have been going directly to ****, it almost certainly will. Probably involve having to deal with a giant bug or annoying-ass dragon or something.' Selma concluded mentally, looking the gun over quickly before moving to find a spot to see the Witches and take a shot or two at them if possible.

[MrSandman]

He nods.

“Perhaps I have. Give me a moment....”

OT: Sandy, since Owen has had previous doings and meetings with Authority in various forms (and his mother being who she was), is there any chance he has met these witches before, or knows anything of them? I kind of figure he’s at least kept small dossiers on Witches due to his parents paranoia and caution.

OT: You know about as much as the bio entails. Anything else I’ll pm to you in just a bit.
Kicking this off later today.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Hey," the Chimera said before tilting her head in Xia's direction.

"If your plan is to wait and see how it all goes down, before involving yourself? You're better off not getting getting out of the elevator." With this elevator trip taking as long as it was though, it probably didn't matter if she left or not. The Dragon was liable to rip through the roof and finish the ascent by hand; spelling death for the occupants as sure as the sun set.

Arx's warning was met with silence. Jumping into battle with no plan was an easy way to die. She had seen how powerful these witches were.

So had this creature. If she remembered right, she was a witch killer.

Interesting.