Player Event - Chaos Plot

[folklorist]

Who: Helios and pretty much everyone who replied to this post
What: The demon god Apep which affixed itself to Helios’ soul has awoken.
When: August 6th-9th
Where: Starting around house 44 then mainly around town and the woods
Summary: Basically Helios gets possessed and causes all sorts of chaos and destruction that the evil god, Apep, is known for causing!
Rating: R for lots of violence



[ It’s strange how the twist of events of a simple evening walk could change much of everything. In an instant, that was Luceti’s way of things, changing things in an instant. And Helios never even saw it coming. There were still parts of that night and parts of his soul that he never truly understood. But there were always ways of finding out. They say hands on experience is one of the best ways of learning. And this is a lesson he and several others won't soon forget. ]

((ooc; Okay plot is a go! If anyone doesn’t have an out for their character to be saved please PM me or contact me on plurk at pathogenic~ Otherwise have fun!))

Comments

August 6th

[folklorist]

Locked to Katie

[folklorist]

[ The night was nice enough out to take a walk, albeit a bit warmer and more humid than usual. Helios himself was comfortable though because there was a slight breeze. His mind wandering from the past event and the magic group and of course Rei's premonition. He still didn't know what it meant and he's not certain he ever will. Perhaps what was to come may never and perhaps if was all just based on events that might never occur. He sighs and shakes his head. No, no, he was only trying to delude himself. Rei's vision had come true once before and he couldn't stop it. This time is might very well come true again. He'll grip his side with his good hand as he looks up at the false starry sky. Maybe there was a way to stop it, maybe there wasn't. Either way he was content for now to enjoy the peaceful night. ]

[flickerflash]

[Helios' path may take him close to the plaza eventually, where a small girl is sitting cross-legged on its edge and facing towards the water, humming Rem's song softly to herself as she runs her fingers through the water, her voice dipping curiously flat at parts despite the fact she can hold the tune well enough. There's a sword slung across her back, though it's sized for a child (and not magical at all, if he can see that sort of thing.) She didn't always take it everywhere, but she's lost access to her wayfare magic and someone killed her not too long ago.

Really, she supposes she should have gone home a while ago, given it now takes far more than a moment to get back to the beach. But it's a nice night out and she's... actually playing bait on the off chance she gets to meet a particular someone. But she'll stop singing and her head will lift as Helios get closer. Her nose still works just as well.]

August 6th, evening.

[quicktoanger]

After the mage group, Helios and I had set up a meeting to compare notes on the airship. At my own suggestion, we met near my old, abandoned ley line experiment in the woods- the magic circle was still there, and could be activated if we needed any spellwork, and the ley line itself could still be used to collect or focus energy. All told, a good place to start work.

I brought a thermos full of coffee and a couple cups, along with my notes and my journal. It was a nice night.

I sat in the clearing, beneath one of the scarred, deteriorated pentacles I'd carved into the trees months ago.

[folklorist]

[ It wasn't Helios who was to show himself that evening. The lack of silence was nice but the surge and rush of energy was even better. It had drawn Apep out and towards the area where this...Harry Dresden wanted to meet. Apep could care less about the man but he also knew that if he was able to get some more energy from this meeting then he would. The lack of color was annoying the fool had gone and gotten himself killed again, had he?

The good thing about Apep possessing him was that he got all the memories to boot. He knew who to attack and who to be wary of. This other wizard could be a formidable foe if given the chance. Surprise would be better suited to take care of him. And so he'll shift his magic and create an illusion to conceal his eyes. The snake would suffuse itself to Helios' figure only leaving a small aura around the man, but the shadow that trailed behind him was still oddly distorted and unrecognizable. Hopefully the trees would provide ample cover to keep himself concealed. It was only after a short while that Helios showed up from the shadow of the trees. His eyes looking around warily before ticking towards Harry. ]

I hope I haven't kept you waiting long. [ Ah, no, he should use more stuttering shouldn't he? The stupid fool was always so unsure of himself. It angered him so much to have been beaten by such a pathetic man. Reduced to this by such a mortal. He'll clench his jaw and then relax again in one fluid motion. He had to get used to using this body, it's been so long since he's ever come to use one quite like this. ]

[wise_maiden]

[It's well past seven, which is a bit of a later evening for Raine - but given she had been away on a mission, she needed to spend a lot more time at the flower shop to make sure everything was reorganized and that the plants were doing well. She would be home a little late for dinner, but it always felt good to get work done.

And honestly after being in the mountains for over a week, the heat wave was almost welcome. Not that it helped with any lingering tiredness. In any case, she doesn't want to be out too late, so when the signs of the sun setting start to become more apparent, she tidies up her work and steps outside into the evening air.

Just a normal, ordinary evening. Right?]

[folklorist]

[ For the most part the evening is relatively normal. You could say nothing has changed much aside from lingering silence over house 46 and 44. But that was neither here nor there at the moment. Apep had taken his time to recover his energy. It was always easier when it became dark out. He was a being born from it and so he retained and absorbed his energy through it.

It's when he happens upon the town that things become a bit more interesting. His head tilts to the side as he regards Raine as she steps out into the evening air. A smile playing lightly on his lips. He remembers her through Helios. She is a healer, a magic user but perhaps not as strong with it as he is. They also work together at the school... ] Raine isn't it?

[ There's a distinctive condescending tone to his voice as he walks a bit closer towards her. ] So. You are the one he works with at that school. [ Another flicker of a crooked smile as his black eyes with red irises look around the area in a cursory glance. ]

I realised I'd double-booked Grune on the 7th, whoops.

[lostinmyway]

[Grune loves to go for walks in the forest. It doesn't matter what time of day or night; she can always find something to enjoy. She never pays particular attention to her surroundings, beyond admiring the dappling of sunlight through the trees, or a pretty little clump of wildflowers, or the gleam of the moon on one of Luceti's rivers.

Tonight is no exception. She's lost in her own little world of beauty and happiness, and for all she knows, she's entirely alone.]

Apology not accepted! >:[

[folklorist]

[ Beauty and happiness are always well and good. But Apep prefers his to be something less...calm and stagnant. Beauty and happiness are synonymous for chaos and destruction. And a few scorched trees some charred ground and the smell of burning wood might drift their way towards Grune as she walks. A figure in the shadows stalks her through the trees as if in waiting for something.

He knew this woman from Helios' memories. She's a perfectly easy target. ]

LATE NIGHT WALKS YES

[de_bel_survivor]

[It's late at night, and Kouki couldn't sleep. Normally, it's from restlessness or thinking about a lot of things. Right now, it's a mix of both. The experiment ended days ago, so the young demon king must do other things to keep himself busy.

After dressing up and quietly leaving, Kouki walks around. One round around the village should be enough.

It's very quiet at night.]

August 7th

[folklorist]

[relictusdeus]

[’tis as they say - like indeed attracts like.

The Forgemaster pauses between steps as he feels a sudden, tingling twinge of his instincts like a chill sweeping through him, his head swiveling around to face the source – and in this instant, whatever he’d contemplated doing while ambling through the village is rendered irrelevant.

This darkness…

He's inevitably reminded of Hector, a man whom he could seemingly sense from across sprawling plains and acres of dense woodland. But while this felt distinctly different from his fellow Forgemaster, it did not quite belong to a stranger, either. For it was Helios standing before him in the near distance, that feeling of corruption exponentially stronger than before. It pulses powerfully from his core, and standing still, he feels it crash against him in tidal waves. But Isaac, too, is leaking energy of his own, a heavy, demonic aura that betrays his humanity.

A cool smile plays thin, pale lips. A knowing smile. Has he embraced the way of darkness?]

August 7th | For House 46

[risingshepard]

[It's gotten far too quiet. She doesn't like it.

The commander's waking hours were spent patrolling the outside of the house, her mind telling her to get out there and make sure nothing was wrong. There certainly wasn't, at first. There was nothing out of the blue she could recognize, or anything that would clue her in to something terrible about to happen. But then, she finds that she hasn't heard her own footsteps in that time. She tries to speak, but finds that nothing is coming out. What the hell had just happened? Why would she be suddenly unable to make a single sound?

She wasn't about to find out what caused it out in the open, though; having no sound means being unable to tell who's coming this way. So instead, she ducks into the house and takes cover next to one of the windows, Revenant in hand.]

August 7th

[no_compromise]

[Viral has completely missed the chaos happening around House 44 over the last day, having spent it walk about in the woods. Not much had remained of the kraken corpses that he and Saori had left behind after the Shift, but there was enough left to have Ikayaki for longer than anyone dreamed.

He was onto deliver some now to Rei, and to fulfill his promise to train with her on group tactics. Having someone that he needed to protect, regardless of what else was happening, was enough to give him something to focus on, and something that was necessary. He needed to get to know the others who fulfilled that duty in all circumstances, including non-combat ones.

It was counterintuitive, but he was making progress.]

Morning of August 7th [Action(Locked to Molly Carpenter) + Voice]

[quicktoanger]

The first thing I noticed was that my head hurt like a bitch.

The second thing was that I was outside.

The third, that it was already morning.

The fourth? I could barely move. I barely had any energy left in me, and the slightest movements felt like lifting a hundred-ton weight.

Helios.

No. That hadn't been Helios, that had been... been... shit. If he'd said it, I didn't remember. I forced myself to lean upright, but it only lasted for a couple seconds before I collapsed into the dirt again.

Journal. I had brought it last night. I couldn't manage prolonged verticals, but I managed to lift my head long enough to see the journal and sketches still sitting on a small stone, before the dizziness kicked in and dropped me to the ground again.

Alright. The hard way, then. I stretched out my hands, and, with a strained and undoubtedly kind of comical motion of my arms and legs, began pulling myself toward the journal. Reaching one hand up to the top of the rock, I managed to fumble the book down and started working on a filter.

... Which, of course, I was useless at. My life.

[Voice- Private to Sabriel Abhorsen, 2%]

"S-sabriel. Watch out for Helios. Not... himself. Dangerous. Maybe possessed. T-try... not to h-hurt him... unless you have to."

[Voice- Private to Molly Carpenter, 2%]

"Grasshopper. Got a small favor to ask."

Saleh and Shepard have dibs on hurting Ike more, but this is otherwise open! He's just a tad nuts.

[relictusdeus]

[His lips peel back into a gritted grin of fiendish glee as the Chauve-Souris arcs broadly through the air, smashing out another lamp-head. Sparkling shards of glass spray onto the ground. When the sun sets, let there be darkness in the streets.

A bench splinters under the force of his blows, and overhead, his dragon drops small, explosive bombs onto the cobblestones, leaving shallow, smoking ruts and chunks of debris.

Suffused with the head rush of exhilaration, Isaac feels tireless, indomitable, freer than he has in a long time. A pacing beast’s been freed from its cage, and, oh, is it a good day to be alive.

Alternatively, one might come across him in the library... his devil, first, bursting through one of the windows and racing through the aisles, overturning a few shelves with powerful swipes of its claws. Isaac climbs in a moment afterwards and looks about himself, smiling, with a look of ravenous appraisal.]


(ooc: Isaac's only *one* of Apep's minions, however... and there is still Apep himself to worry about! Be aware that Isaac's more aggressive than usual... so there's no saying how he might respond to a casual conversation. Levy says some damage to Luceti is permitted by mods.)

August 7th After Lupin's SOS.

[windandrain]

Locked to Isaac

[It'd started as a fairly ordinary day for Saori. She'd woken up, spent a little bit of time practicing her music and swordplay, but the entire time she'd been doing so she'd felt off. Her shamisen didn't sing like it was meant to, and her blade was distracted. Things were afoot. Foul, dark things and her weapon wanted nothing to do with the dummy before her, its desire firmly set on setting the evil to rest. A foul fog had rolled over the edges of the village, and the Daughter of Wind and Rain had pushed it back, keeping it away from her home.

But the source? She had no idea.

That is, until a desperate sounding transmission came over her journal. Lupin, calling for aid. She heard Adele's voice in the background, sounding equally desperate. Strapping her blade to her waist the goddess tore out of the house, her wooden shoes crunching on the dirt path as she ran. She had to get there. And she had to get there fast.

Only, as she neared House 46, a strange scarlet-haired man covered in tattoos appeared to block her path, his body positively radiating corruption. She didn't immediately register him as a threat, his own presence fairly muted compared to the enemy she felt in the distance. And this wasn't where her friends were. He was just some obstacle tossed in her path, meant to delay her.]

Remove yourself from my path, I'm in a hurry. I've no wish to harm you, but I will remove you by force if necessary.


Afterwards

[Having dealt with Isaac, Saori charged onwards, her face grim and her eyes dark. He'd been a good warm-up but the true enemy lay ahead. The feed hadn't stopped, there were still sounds of gunshots, screams, and a laughing madman. And then it cut out, an unsettling silence overtaking her as she neared her destination.

Much to her dismay House 46 had a shattered window, a gaping hole in the roof, and several bits of furniture laying around the yard, along with more of that damned fog. Anger welled up in the goddess, thunder rumbling in the distance as a lightning bolt ripped through the sky. Rain began to fall, heavy and fast, while she moved towards the damaged structure.

The sensation of evil was palpable, and it was concentrated on the back of the house, near the rear exit. Wooden sandals splashed through thick muck as Saori ran to intercept. Rounding a corner, she was confronted by a sight that made her blood run cold. Helios stood in the exit, a massive snake comprised of dark energy coiled around his body. In the spiritual world his aura was a tangle of chaos, pain, and torment. This man was tainted by some evil force, and a familiar one at that. The snake conjured memories of sand, death, and pyramids under a bleeding sky. Tesshin would have known who he was, but Saori had not studied the foreign pantheons as he had.

It mattered not. He was the enemy, and he'd hurt her friend. With a rasp as quiet as a wasp walking up a pane of glass the kami drew her sword and stepped into the view. Her spiritual anima flared, lightning crackled in the distance and the fog all but vanished. Pointing Cloudshifter at Apep, she spoke, her voice like whispering thunder.]

Creature of Darkness, I will allow your transgression to continue no farther. Face me, and embrace your end.

Re: August 7th

[inheavenslight]

[Luce has been following people around today, and wasn't quite sure how he ended up near some houses. Well, weren't they quaint. But- it was odd, but he couldn't tell what. He frowned a little and just looked around- trying to figure out how to get out of the area.]

August 8th

[folklorist]

August 8th | Western Lake - Twilight [WARNING - graphic content]

[brokencharter]

[In an ironic twist of fate, the safe house Viral had built out by the western lake had been the very site she had been preparing for the ritual. Her tools and execution had been simple and efficient. Over the pool of clay and gathering blood Sabriel had left Viral kneeling over the pile, his body hunched over to let the blood from wounds forced open to flow freely out and down in a steady flow. By that point there had been nothing left but to wait for him to bleed out enough to the point where she could mould the body that would await his spirit once she wrenched the wings from his back, the only way she knew how to kill the beastman.

Sabriel was aiming to make the strongest Lesser Dead creature available to her in the enclosure; a Mordicant. Normally the ritual involved human blood and bog clay...but with an immortal beastman’s blood and spirit, who knows what could happen. Perhaps the mystery of his body’s make up would enhance the effectiveness of the ritual? Or even make a stronger beast than has ever been crafted by a necromancer? Only time would tell...and if it didn’t work then there was no real loss. Viral would be returned to Life in a week and Sabriel would have found herself a new playmate by then.

Aside from the necessary spells murmured under her breath and the odd command for Viral’s obedience Sabriel works in silence, barely giving the suffering beastman a passing glance while she works.]

August 8th, Late Morning

[faithfulflame]

[Sailor Mars had spent the majority of the night preparing for a coming conflict with her closest friend from another world. Scrolls were written, magic wards prepared, and flames were consulted. She hadn't slept a wink, but her stoked fury kept her going. Sabriel had some nefarious purpose for taking Viral, and she could feel foul magic and dark spells being cast near the lake. Rather than risk letting the Abhorsen escaping again, she'd begun to place wards around the lake, setting out into the woods to create a ring to trap her.

It was in these very woods that she ran into someone she had not expected to see. Grune, the very strange, forgetful person she'd met a few times. Magical power positively bubbled around the older woman, but Mars had never put much stock in her memory. Still, Grune needed to be kept out of the woods]

Ah, Grune-san. Hello. I hope you are well this morning, but if you don't mind I think its best if you headed back to the village. There are dangerous things in the woods today.

August 8th | The Library

[redjacketthief]

[Lupin was smoking in the library, and no one was going to stop him.

After the debacle with the God in House 46 and everyone's subsequent retreat, they had used the opportunity for more than just licking their collective wounds. Shepard and Sabriel had been overpowered, something had happened to Adele, Saori was unable to finish her battle, and he had his arm wrenched out of place, but they needed to form a plan. The God possessing Helios was too much for any of them, but they had a clue and a name.

Apep..

They needed information. It was only natural then that the two relative noncombatants were sent off to do so, if only to keep them safe. With his injuries, Lupin knew full well that he was useless in a fight--and in general. He needed someone to be his right arm until this ended and they all could relax.

He barely slept more than a wink that night. Pain, adrenaline, and unease had kept him awake. After having his safehouse disturbed like that, he wasn't certain where he could go.

Just...research. This was a job, and it was something he could focus on.]

August 9th

[folklorist]

Locked to Harry, Molly, Saori - Early Morning

[folklorist]

[ Morning of the ninth is as bright and hot as any other morning these past few days. Nothing seems off, the forest quiet, but even so there is an ominous presence there that makes the animals silent and the wind hushed in a wary whisper. In a cave somewhere far off from the village the chaotic god rests, his wounds over the last few days healed and he himself rejuvenated from the night. But if there was ever a time to strike it would be in the daylight hours where his powers were not as strong and his healing not as quick. He basks in his victories planning ahead for more destruction and chaos for the days to come. The only opponent to make him wary was Grune and Saori but even then he had hardly felt either of their presences in day.

He was mildly annoyed at the fact his two corrupted followers had been put down so easily. It made his blood boil and his rage undulate like a seething ocean. He would make more, there were always more to be turned and used for his purposes. Tonight he would do so...when he was stronger. ]

August 9th, early morning | Call to Law--Locked

[redjacketthief]

[Between the kick of adrenaline, his unease, and the pain radiating from his shoulder, Lupin had only been able to sleep fitfully in the living room of House 53 despite his intent and Saori's order. He had hit his body's limits, but a dark corner of his mind kept insisting that the job remained unfinished. He needed to get back to House 46 for at least a little bit, if only to safeguard the entrances. With Luke and Obi-Wan gone, there was only Commander Shepard and himself to maintain the place--

and, obviously, their skills were nothing against a magical god of darkness and chaos.

He still had work to do, but the pain in his shoulder was insistent. though he had gotten it set as a first line precaution, it still wasn't feeling right. His melee with Apep had done something more than just a displacement, he figured. And with Adele an ambulant wreck...

Sighing wearily, Lupin pulled himself up and grabbed for his journal. He knew who he had to call.]

Hey, Mister Law? It's me. I hate to bug you right now...[Enough with the polite, easy tones that hid his fatigue.]

I need a pick up at House 53. Meet me out front, and be prepared to head to the Dome.