Chapter III: The Fall

Completed chapters of the serial storyline are stored here after completion.
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Karl the Mad
 

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Re: Chapter III: The Fall

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Partway through, Mary realized this was just sentry duty, to watch out for anything that might derail Tom's plans and fuck it up for him. She was no practitioner; even Ciaran had more access to via than she did, even if she hadn't been auged up and hanzer'd out like she was.

But honestly? That was just fine! Mary knew exactly who she was and what kind of person she could be, and nowadays it didn't bother her anymore. Surely it used to, in the months immediately following her departure from SCRT. The constant mistrust, the paranoia, the automatic vigilance... it was so tiring! No wonder she had turned to booze and pills for so long!

And having thought that, she further realized she hadn't needed help to get to sleep at night for close to six months now. Damn, these Shield kids were good.

Still, though she appreciated Tom's efforts to keep her included, she knew this wasn't her show, so she was content to stay back and keep her eyes peeled. One hand, as always, on the hilt of her blade. If something went wrong, if one of the bodies had the wrong soul, she'd have to act quickly.
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IamLEAM1983
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Re: Chapter III: The Fall

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The dark-skinned man, ostensibly the one Tom had called Eyes, groaned. The body's credentials might have suggested a Russian background, he nonetheless spoke with a fairly local accent. As to where he'd picked that up, one could surmise Tom had kept broadcasting his daily life, allowing his friends to benefit of some measure of prior preparation.

"I'm fine," he slurred. "Kinda woozy, but fine. Tom warned us about the initial shock," he said, as he shook his head. "Field of view's still foggy... That purple patch has to be Tom...
- It's me, yes!" called out the warlock, his voice strangled by sheer joy. "Y-Your lenses are probably fogged up; a basic healing spell aimed at your eyes should help. How are your urges?"

Eyes grunted. "It's hard to feel horny when you don't know what you're looking at, Chief! I see a... sword-wielding dark blur with a whitish face, and a gun that's just hovering off the floor!"

Tom scoffed amusedly, the sound still having sob-like and chuckle-like qualities. "That's Mary and Ciaran. They'll keep watch until we know you're safe!"

He stood up, his legs shaking uncontrollably underneath him, and he gripped the pod's side to stay stable. "Watch out," he then managed, "your legs might've atrophied if the body's been suspended for a long time!"

He indeed didn't have much in the way of calves, his physique suggesting the remnants of an athletic disposition neglected by the obvious stillness of clinical death. He squinted at Jameson and managed an uncertain grin. "Sorry about, y'know, being naked! I'd have hoped for better introductions, but it is what it is! I'd reach out and shake your hand, but I'd either miss it or I'd end up going for a faceplant!"

In the meantime, Dancer's sobs had receded to halting breaths, and she carefully managed to get on her feet, where she proceeded to try and assist Aislinn in waking up the others. First came Patience, a dark-haired beauty who seemingly said nothing but gave the room a shocked look. It was only when she saw Tom that a shiver of directed motion ran through her. 

"Oh, my God," she gasped, using English but still latching onto the body's old Russian accent, "you made it, Tom. You actually made it... The mortal plane, and nobody could possibly send us back..."

A few ministrations from Aislinn cracked open another pod. In it was a teenage girl, who slowly opened her eyes as if from a deep sleep. Like Eyes, the new intellect within chose to express itself with a local accent. 

"Who are you?" she weakly asked the roane. "Why do my eyes hurt?"

Banging noises were then heard, even as the plexiglas casing to Volker's pod cracked and was warped outwards. When the lid gave out and snapped open, a whitish-grey mass of fur tumbled out. He looked to have been in even greater shape than Eyes at the time of the body's death, as he immediately recovered from his tumble and kept his center of mass low. Ears pinned backwards and a snarl affixed on his face, Volker spun in place a few times. There was some shock and some relief in his features, but also the sense that a perceived duty was forcing him to shelve his own emotional baggage aside for now.

"We were followed, Magnus," seethed Volker. "Everyone out of the circle, now! Grab whatever it is you can - it's coming."

Although his steps were rigid, he was still the most physically able of the planar immigrants. Following instructions he'd seemingly been the only one to receive, the wolf reached underneath the table with the cleaning necessaries and cultural immersion materials, pried off a length of kick mold from the base of the wall, and pulled out a padlocked wooden case. Thumbing in a combination, he tossed the lock aside once it was disengaged, and threw the case's lid aside to pull out a brand-spanking-new M18 Alkaev Maglev rifle. Then, acting as though being in the buff if a hastily clipped-on ammo belt was exempted was normal, he headed back to the edge of the circle and sighted the exact center, aiming above Tom's head.

Volker flashed a fang. "Magnus, I love you, thanks a bunch and all - but if you don't move your fat Warlock ass out of the perimeter right fucking now, I might shoot you in the head."

It was Tom's turn to look shocked. "Lucifer - the circle's still building up and neither of us noticed!" he said, looking at Aislinn.
- We'd agreed, you idiot - no kumbayas until it's safe!" groused Volker. "Go stand next to Jameson and work up some fireballs or something!"
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TennyoCeres84
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Re: Chapter III: The Fall

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"Shit!" Aislinn swore, hauling Tom up quickly. She only spared the teenager a moment's look before Warrior informed the group about the coming threat. "Introductions later, girl! Get behind your siblings for protection! Grab something to protect yourself, in case your eyes adjust to the light!" she said, hurriedly scooting the young succubus out of the circle and over to the wall for some needed support. She followed suit with Patience and Eyes and pulled them out of the circle, giving them similar instructions.

Meanwhile, Ciaran dropped his invisiblity and followed Volker's movement, aiming his handgun for the center of the circle. Aislinn stood next to her brother and readied her telekinesis for attack, which picking up scattered pod debris to send at whatever thing decided to appear through the portal.
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Karl the Mad
 

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Re: Chapter III: The Fall

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Whoever this Warrior would turn out to be, he was staying fairly faithful to the old Volker's mannerisms. She could only spare a wave for Eye's attempt at introductions; she didn't have time for naked people right then, there was Stuff coming down the line and she had to be ready. She drew her sword and went to stand by Volker. "You know where a girl can find another one of those?" she remarked, referring to the rifle. Whatever was happening, it was apparently unsafe to stay inside the circle? Wouldn't be getting much done with a sword, which at the moment was all she had.
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Re: Chapter III: The Fall

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The pentagram's lines blazed, loose power crackled within the circle's perimeter - and just as Tom and Aislinn stepped out, a large patch of red haze manifested into being. It stood about eight feet across and nearly touched the large room's ceiling, its overall shape growing more precise by the second. Four cloven hooves came into view, along with the tall and muscular ridge of what vaguely looked like a boar, tusks pointed forward like pair of lances the size of small trees.

"A murder-boar," weakly noted Tom, fire already dancing between his fingers, "totally called it..."

His apprehension turned to dread as more details came into view. The giant boar was armored, for starters, the plates forming what looked like the four-legged version of a Roman centurion's chestplates, if said plates had been riddled with black spikes. The hijacked arcane portal produced what sounded like the hiss of static, until a low, booming voice could be heard pushing past it.

"I am Malphas, envoy of Wrath, Third Duke of the Valley of Spite, Second to Belial! Tremble before me, Warlocks!"

Details oozed into view, the plates and hairy, mottled flesh beneath becoming visible. The animalistic demon lowered its head and tossed it from side to side, which caused Patience and Dancer to dart away screaming. Avoiding those tusks in this space would turn out to be a difficult proposition...

"Belial and Asmodeus will both reward me for this. Your stolen flesh is mine, apostate!"

His face set in a tight snarl, Volker unloaded a few rounds on the nose ridge at the edge of the boar's adapted helmet. The metal was seen buckling, but the HV rounds weren't penetrating the forged Brimstone.

"Suck on this, Dukie," groused the wolf, as he thumbed the rifle to Automatic, adjusted his sight, and let loose a tight column from the boar's exposed snout all the way to the base of his skull. A few welts appeared and the four-legged demon snorted, but he was far from intimidated.

"We need your Dungeons & Dragons shit, magic people!" he shouted to Tom and Aislinn. That seemed to pull the warthog out of his stupor, and allowed him to start flinging what had been Quint's signature "wet" fireballs.

Volker then snapped an eye to Jameson. "Same crate, second layer! Take the rear, Fatso can't face us all simultaneously! Hindquarters won't be armored so much!"
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Karl the Mad
 

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Re: Chapter III: The Fall

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Darting toward the secret crate, Mary found that indeed there was another such weapon in there, and she hefted it easily. Grabbing a couple extra clips and stashing them about her person she kept running, making for the beast's rear end as Volker had indicated. Hopefully the creature didn't have gas...

As soon as she was in range, she fired a tight burst into its hind legs!
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Re: Chapter III: The Fall

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Perhaps she wast still riding on the high of her warlock boast from earlier, but Aislinn wasn't trembling in her boots. With her lips curled into a snarl, she sent the smaller, but plenty sharp bits of debris right for Malphas' face, right for all the tender spots his helmet didn't protect. She added her signature slashing motions to the back of his legs. "Shove it, porkie! We're not going anywhere!" she bellowed.

Undeterred by the threat, Ciaran didn't bother with flinging insults and went with his sister's example, shooting in the same areas. The bullets might not have been as formidable as Warrior's, but they would likely do some damage on his eyes.
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Re: Chapter III: The Fall

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Malphas tried to turn his face away, but his musculature and overall physical makeup made it difficult for him to cover both sides of his face. That was without mentioning how Mary, Ciaran and Eyes made him stumble, ripping a loud boar-like bellow out of him.

"Rrrrraaagh! Insolent vermin; you shall all die by my hand!"

The demon gathered its mass, managed a static jump and spun around in the same gesture, which made him face Mary, Ciaran and Eyes. The Black man did the best he could to attempt to juke sideways at the right moment, but one of the boar's long tusks tore a shallow gash under his right arm, ripping a scream out of him. A strong shoving motion from Malphas followed, which sent the already-precarious fellow barreling into Aislinn and Tom. "Shit, I'm sorry!" was all he could manage. A worrying motion in the opposite direction allowed Malphas to shove the Littlest away from the group, which left her to scream helplessly even as the boar attempted to manage a front-facing stomp.
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Re: Chapter III: The Fall

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Even with being barreled over by the collision with Eyes, Aislinn pushed herself up and wielded another piece of pod leftover, this time the door Dancer had shoved open only minutes before. It was flung at his massive backside, literally tearing him a new one and enough to leave a mark. "Leave her alone, fucker!" she screamed.

In the chaos, Ciaran went into invisible mode again and stealthily clambered up Malphas' back, armed with a battery-operated drill. He then proceeded to impale the bit right into the boar's spine, in the area below where his helmet ended.
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Karl the Mad
 

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Re: Chapter III: The Fall

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It was easy for Mary to evade the clumsy beast, but she couldn't get a good shot off while he was lumbering about like this. So she put the gun down and whipped her sword out, hitting the nano-edge button as she was slashing for his arms. Two seconds of monomolecular sharpness; two second to fuck this guy's shit up hardcore.
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