IC: Reclaiming the Void Options

[BishopMcQ]

Down the tunnel

The lead hound stands up and the tentacles pull into its body surrounding the muscled form in smoky tendrils. It barks once and the other dogs rise to stand beside it. Distant sounds of horns blaring and galloping horses begin to build throughout the hallway. The Huitzlcoatl shimmers into a falcon under the call of the Huntsman, and the connection to the Watcher is lost.

D'zan

You see the others heading off, following Leo. As they flee, a palpable silence builds. Elsewhere you can feel the night air crisp and cool, calling your name, calling for destruction.

Within the bubble of silence, you can suddenly hear snakes hissing, the baying of wolves, the call of the Huntsman's Horn. A cacophony of sound which speaks to you, Zirvi ni, doem ny qourt. Fiih tli trui powir of tli lumt amj bi frii of tli henetateomz of fhizl. The words translate themselves within your mind, deep in this place. "Serve me, join my court. Feel the true power of the hunt and be free of the limitations of flesh."

Fleeing

Following Leo's glowing form, you run down the hallway. Sounds of reinforcements and a full hunting party fill your ears. You quickly lose sight of D'zan's dark light. The warrior's form shimmers once to a broad-shouldered brute, blood seeping from his crown and coursing down his body to a massive stone axe. It fades back to the form of the Tlacel and continues to run beside you.

Roots jut out from the ground, grabbing at your feet.

[BishopMcQ]

Fleeing

In the shadowy light from Leo, you can see roots stretching out from all of the walls and floor, but the shadows bend and contort as the small ball of light weaves and dodges.

Uetz feels the wet chill of a root snake around his ankle and pull him to the ground mid-stride. As the shaman falls, he can see his guardian, the mighty Tlacel falling to the ground in front of him. Other roots begin reaching out to entangle each of the forms.

Papa Smurf watches his teammate falling and bats away one of the roots reaching for his arms and gun. The roots are nearly impossible to discern against the ground in the lower spectrums of his vision. There is a shifting of weight in his arms, as if something was growing inside the towel. The sudden change throws off his balance and the troll falls to the ground as well.

Argent seems to reflexively know when to jump and scurry to the right or left, his lean form relying on the instincts of a fox.

In the Hallway
The three hounds are running full bore down the path. D'zan can see that the ground smooths itself and the tunnel widens to allow two of the beasts to run side by side without issue. They have the look of wolves preparing to take down their prey.

[Redjack]

Papa growls. As he falls, he lets the towel and box drop from his left hand, using that hand to stop his fall while he continues to hold his SMG in the right. Seeing Uetz fall flat and the vines grabbing him further, Papa turns back. Seeing the hounds racing towards them by the sparks from there mouths as they pant and run, he levels his SMG targets the first hound, smiling. At least for the moment, the fire in their mouths is to my advantage.

The SMG coughs as a burst works its way down the hall.

[Buddha72]

D'zan feels the quickening of his blood at the offer - everything he had been working for was there in that promise. The deeper connection to the Arch Fey and true power - to decided his fate in all things. Along his link to Leo he felt the concern at his change in emotions - he quickly shut him from his thoughts but grabbed the power he needed from him as he did so.

I'm going to pay for this later.....

"I am not a hound to sent mindless on the chase. If I join it will be as a hunter - the one that calls the hunt and commands the hounds. I will not abandon my heart's echo or the ones I brought here. Speak plainly and tell me what you offer and what you require in exchange."

As he speaks he begins to draw the ambient mana to him to be gathered in the small space between his hands. The air ripples and distort as the weave becomes more complex and layered. It begins to glow with a cold brilliance and pulses in time with his heart. The light splashes across D'zan's face to show gleeful at the coming battle. His eyes fill with the need to strike out and to let the magic that infuses his being run rampant. He whispers under his breath as he flings the small ball of mana at the approaching hounds watching it explode outward and attempt to ground into their bodies.

"These puppies I see - asleep will be."

Leo
Whirling around and seeing the others entwined in the hungry roots he quickly launches a bolt of supernatural cold at the roots holding Uetz. As the energy discharges from his hands his face shows fear then panic as he reacts to something unseen. He appears almost ready to fly down the hall back towards D'zan but seeing the others around him still in danger remains - a look of resolve coming over his features.

[BishopMcQ]

D'zan

The cacophony dies down, and all that is left is a single voice, a voice that rings full of power. "Each of my vessels shares in my power. At the least, you must serve in my Great Hunt. More service brings with it more power."

As the power courses out from your hands, that same voice chuckles in your head. "Here, Will cannot harm the Hunt, only the tools of Men have that power. Be one with the Hunt and become one with the Land."

Down the Hallway

An icy blast smashes into the roots and instantly freezes them. The tangle of roots shatters leaving red welts around Uetz's arms and ankles.

There is a sudden smell of sweat, horses, and the deep forest from the center of your group. The towel falls back as a man steps through the mirror. At first he looks small and distant, but walks towards you and grows in size. Your minds struggle to straighten out the physics of perspective and relative distance against the fixed point of the mirror and the floor.

[Fenris]

Crap. The shifter shakes his head quickly, looking like he's trying to clear a distasteful thought, and he dives at the mirror, scooping it up and holding it out to Leo and Uetz as it picks the box up in the other hand.

"Does anybody know who this guy is? Is this help for us or reinforcements for them?" he calls out, looking ready to slap the mirror back into the box at the wrong response.

[BishopMcQ]

Down the Hallway

There is a blur of motion as the hounds leap and stretch, cleanly avoiding the burst of gunfire from Papa's SMG. The lead hound lands just behind your group, his breath sulfurous and hot as his chest bellows. You quickly notice that the other two hounds are in front of your group. Gouts of flame burst across the hallway, blocking your path, daring you to jump through them.

A second set of eyes open on the lead hound's head, glowing bright yellow as a series of runes burst along its back. Its jaw opens and a rough harsh language, very different from the howling from before escapes its lips.

"nortah fhizl ez liri, homg laz et biim iri wi jemij upom tli bomiz of tli hozt."

D'zan

With the eyes of the hunter upon you, you watch as two of the hounds disappear down the hallway. The lead hound ripples and the discordance of noise, speaking in the languages of rats and snakes, dogs and men washes over you.

"Mortal flesh is here, long has it been ere we dined upon the bones of the lost."

[JxJxA]

Smarting from what feel like mini frost-burns, Uetzcayotl fires a glance in Leo's direction to see who is shooting at him. He flashes the him a lopsided smile before looking back at the vines. It looks like I'm free! is the first thought that races through his mind. However, a disgusted howl snares his attention.

"Cowardly dogs!" spits Tlacelel, "Come forth and feel the wrath of a warrior of Tlalocan!" With a mighty tug, he rips the astral macuahuitl's blade across the vines that have trapped him.

I'm in no condition to fight, Uetz thinks to himself, and I didn't even think to bring a gun. He shakes his head and flings the fingers of his free hand towards Tlacelel casting forth a spell to increase the spirit's reflexes. Crackling emerald energy slithers from his fingertips and wrap around the spirit's arms and legs before fading from sight.

"I am going to stand alongside the spirit, friends," he calls out from over crackle of astral discharge. He is about to add more, but the unmistakable sensation of drain momentarily overwhelms his brain. He manages to shake it off, wondering how much more punishment his poor head will take before the day is through.

[BishopMcQ]

In the Hallway

The warrior lifts up his axe, hewing the roots from the wall in a massive blow. He shakes off the last of the entangling roots and prepares to rise.

In the distance, the sound of wolves and men draw closer. The hawk which was once another beast answering the call of Uetz, shrieks and dives at Leo. Its wings flutter, obscuring the light but the claws never strike.

[Buddha72]

Leo quickly draws upon his innate powers and wraps each companion he can see in it - urging them to move faster while flying to interpose himself between the others and the hounds threatening them.

"I have no idea about the new spirit and D'zan's busy so I can't ask him. You all should be able to outrun these things and I'll buy you what time I can."

[Buddha72]

Ok so note to self - learn to use a weapon of some sort.

D'zan hangs in the air feeling the frustration of not seeing something knocked senseless from his working.

"Fair enough - then seal the bargain promise me no harm to my companions and I will serve. Swear it and bind yourself to it and I will serve."

[Fenris]

Watching things falling apart around them, the fox-shifter curses, sweeping the mirror back into the box and snapping the lid closed. He wraps his shirt around it once and then tosses it to the ground, turning to look at the dogs. Too many of the group was standing, not enough of them were running.

Well, so much for making it big in LA. A broad grin spreads across Argent's face as he turns to take a stance facing the nearest dog, one hand on guard, the other motioning towards the beast in classic Bruce Lee fashion.

"Here, puppy-puppy-puppy..."

[BishopMcQ]

D'zan

"And so it is sworn, that for the duration of your service, I shall do no harm to your companions while they travel within my demesne. No creature within the hunt shall harm them within my demesne, else suffer in kind. Now, do my service."

Down the Hallway

There is a sudden shift in the air around all of you, as if the tunnel was turned upside down and righted again before you could begin to fall. The hounds stop suddenly, all turning their heads as if they were called. The fiery wall dies down.

A booming voice reverberates through the hallway, "Go forth and finish thy service."

The hallway seals itself beyond you, and two large portals open up to your right and left. One shows the front porch of the safe house, late in the evening. The other shows a broad open market where all manner of creatures are hawking wares.

[JxJxA]

As arcane energies crackle and disembodied voices echo, a single voice forces Uetz to banish all of the questions and confusions away.

Brother!

Sister! Uetz feels a small stream of tears begin to trickle down his face, and senses his twin doing the same.

Oh, Uetzcayotl, I had thought that I had lost you when you crossed into that place! Something keeps me from crossing into that particular plane and it cut off our spirit link. Even now, I cannot cross the threshold, but I guess that the open portal allows us to maintain our link.

Did you find what you were looking for? Quauhtli almost immediately resumes her business-as-usual attitude.

No, we have not. We now only know that someone demands our service. As to what that service is, I do not know...

[Redjack]

Papa stays there, squatting, unbelieving as the scene plays out. Then, just as it looks like they will all be chew toys... they aren't. As the two portals open up, Papa looks briefly at the safe house before focusing on the market. He scoops up the towel, with the box and heads through the portal to the market. "Oh yea. Once I start posting this, my subscriptions are going WAY up..."

[Fenris]

"Our subscriptions! Our subscriptions!" Argent is quick to call out, shrugging towards Uetz and Leo as he scoops up his coat and the rest of his gear and follows Papa Smurf through the portal to the market-scene.

[JxJxA]

As Uetz watches Papa Smurf and Argent recklessly scamper into the portal that does not lead back home, Quauhtli begins rattling off a line of curses that Uetz chooses to let blend into the background. He shakes his head, still woozy from casting.

"Nahualli, will you still be needing my services?" Tlacelel stands at the ready, still staring coldly in the hounds' direction.

"Great spirit, I ask that you stand by just in case we are in need of your protection."

Tlacelel nods and dematerializes.

"I shall remain at your disposal throughout the terms of the summoning."

Uetz turns to Leo, "Do you have any idea as to what just happened?"

[Buddha72]

Leo's face shows open sorrow and a profound loss as the tension drains from his body as the hounds are called away.

"I think we have just bartered for our safe passage from this place though I am quite certain that I will not care for the currency we used. We should follow the others through the portal to the Troll Market. We should be able to find out more about what's going there."

As he speaks the D'zan comes flying down the tunnel towards the portals. His face strangely ecstatic and subdued. The two companions lock eyes for a long moment then D'zan looks away as he begins to speak.

"I can't change your nature and I don't try please do the same for me. What's done is done. Let's get what we need from the Market and then get home. You can argue with me later about what I did and I can tell you how I had no choice. You know........the usual."

They both seem to sigh in unison as they fly through the portal leading to the Troll Market.

[JxJxA]

As he watches Leo and D'zan disappear into the portal, Uetz feels his sister release a resigned sigh.

Follow them, brother, and I will see if I can follow you. Just...be safe. Without your presence in my mind I felt loneliness for the first time.

As did I. I will be careful, sister. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Uetz steps through the portal and enters the Troll Market...

[BishopMcQ]

The Market

Stepping through the portal, inhuman scents and sounds wash over you. Creatures of dream and nightmare, brush against monsters you have only heard stories of. Looking around at one another, you see that D'zan and Leo have both returned to their normal form. Vendors hawk wares of meats, blood, and small knick knacks. 

Papa

Looking around the market, you can see stalls and wonders describedin your research. This is definitely the place where the Mage came and bartered for the price of his soul.

D'zan

Stepping in to the market, you feel a pull in your stomach toward Papa and the package.

[Buddha72]

D'zan pauses above the throng making their way through the Market taking a deep breath, letting the sights and sounds of the strange wash over him before flying tight circles around the heads of the rest of the team. His voice is clear and musical - strangely at odds with his frantic movement.

"Welcome boys and girls! This is the Troll Market - where every thought is given flesh, teeth and claws to set up a stall. This is where the Mundanes are served up as sweets for the window shoppers - every thing that has a been Named is here and available for purchase!"

He ends his dizzying loops and whirls in front of the box. His eyes bright and eager at the prospect of it's contents.

"Let's open this again - I have a good feeling about it now."

Leo hovers protectively near the group shaking his head at his partner's antics. He pitches his voice low to carry to the others - keeping a low profile in the swell of sound. As eh speaks he gestures for the group to tuck itself out of the way.

"Make no promises here - there are beings here who can bind you with your own words. Choose carefully what you offer in payment for goods here - there are no good deals here. Fair maybe but the axiom "Buyer beware" holds special weight when in the Market. Talk to myself or D'zan before buying. We should try to find out what our employer needs of us and of the enemy he is seeking aid from the Court of Stars against. We know some people we can ask but we will need to offer something in exchange."

[Redjack]

"That's what I meant... OUR subscriptions", he calls to Argent. Papa looks around in amazement. Seen things resembling this in the virtual, but never in the flesh.

He stops and focuses on D'Zan when the speech hits mundanes and sweets. He mutters under his breath. "The spell slingers call me a mundane....."

He starts looking around for a snack, pausing, not wanting to choose mundane giblets. He then realizes he's not sure of the currency even accepted here. "What passes for nuyen here?"

[JxJxA]

As Uetz walks through the portal, he senses Quauhtli's joyful laugh.

Thank the gods that this place does not separate us! Perhaps now I can find out what is going on with your friends' new acquaintances.

Despite Uetz's familiarity with abstract and the odd, he finds himself taken aback by the motley crowd of creatures in the Troll Market. Most of the market's denizens surpass even the strangest of Aztec mythological figures. He takes solace in the possibility that his own appearance may be just as shocking to the market's regulars.

A throbbing pulse in his forehead reminds him of his current priority---to rest and recover from the tolls of spellcasting. He looks around for a free spot in the market---a lamppost for leaning on or a step for sitting.

[JxJxA]

Upon seeing an ideal spot to rest---an open spot next to a building, Uetz walks over and plops himself down on the ground.

"Great spirit," he says softly, "I ask that you watch over me and protect me from harm."

"Very well, Nahualli. I shall protect you." Tlacelel shimmers into existence on the astral plane, standing in front of Uetz with arms crossed.

Uetz sighs and leans his back against the wall. He lets his eyes unfocus as his mind slips into daydreams. His breathing slows to a steady pulse of inhales and exhales, and he begins to rest.

[Buddha72]

D'zan answers without taking his eyes off the box - a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Dreams, your first laugh, the memory of your mother - currency is fluid here. Depends on who is selling to you. I only know of one merchant who actually deals in nuyen here in the Market."