Rick Ferlown and Jack "Dakota" Littlehorn were taking a little midnight break in a small park of Auburn. They shouldn't drink beer while on duty, but the Lone Star Headquarter was far away and it was a quiet night. No need to worry and such petty issues like professionalism. Littlehorn was corrupted by the mafia anyway and Ferlown as enough things to prepare for his retirement rather than following his code of conduct.

Right in the middle of their second beer, Littlehorn saw a strange light at the other side of the park. Ferlown saw it too, but said:

"Don't worry, Littlehorn. It's nothin'. And even it is one of these goddam Shadowrunners, we better just sit down and keep our asses safe."

"I don't like it Ferlown, replied Littlehorn. My horoscope told me something bad will happen to me this night."

"You really believe that stuff, Littlehorn? asked Ferlown. With a the awakening things, your training and all, you believe some punk behind a computer working for a tabloid could predict your petty future. If any folk had any real power, he wouldn't be working for a newspaper."

"Shut up, Ferlown. I heard someth..."

The gunshot was perfectly silent, although the result was pretty obvious. Littlehorn's skull was history. Ferlown got on his feet as fast as his overweight body could and tried to get his gun out of his holster, but his heart stopped suddenly, struck by a death spell.

Three shadows emerged from darkness. The tall, impressive figures said:
"The old one said their was a light. Could it be another team?"
"I doubt it, Flashpack, I doubt it, answered the slender shadow. Probably nothing but a squatter."

Suddenly, a thin mist appeared in the park. And it was getting thicker and thicker by the second.

The third and last shadow, with a gutural voice, asked: "Tricky, was is that thing?"

The elven shadow answered: "I don't know, I'll look in the astral."

And at that very moment, out of nothing, several figures appeared. They were of many different shapes and forms, but it was clear for Tricky, they were spirits.

"It's a trap, 7 spirits...Unknown origin.''

The ork dropped his silenced pistol and took his assault rifle out. "Flashpack, take them out. Tricky, find the goddamn conjurer..."

For a few moments, Hecate had been somewhat disorientated. It felt as though she had been summoned, but her memory was a bit of a blur. She'd felt the pulling of her being to answer the summons, and then, she was there on the Material Plane. But she couldn't see who had summoned her; likewise, she knew she was surrounded by a number of other spirits. There were more shadows, and voices...
She heard the commands for a 'Flashpack' to take them out, that it was a trap. Going on instinct, she started spell casting. Something to slow down the proceedings so 'she' cold get a grasp on what was going on. She works her figures in complex patterns as though playing 'cat's cradle', chanting very quietly, before throwing out her hands at the shadowed forms in front of her, the ones doing the talking and about to attack. Dark tendrils of shadow stream from her fingers out towards her targets for a few metres, before seemingly disscipating into nothingness. The sorceress-appearing spirit looks up from her casting, focusing on the homo sapiens.

<<@*&#(&>> aka Number 6, or The All Seeing All Knowing Eye as he was fond of calling himself stopped. And that was a problem, because he was fairly certain he was doing something. He was always doing something, usually involving counting or writing reports, which was pretty much the same thing where he came from. or where he usually came from. This time he wasn't sure what he was stopping, nor where he'd just come from.

Then the wave of residual emotion hit him. It was almost blinding. Something very bad had happened. Looking into the wash of emotive disturbance he paused. The chaos buffeted him as he paused for that infinitesmal moment.

maybe I can still help

Filled with the usual utter sadness whenever he felt the presence of death, he reached out, stretching and reached...

Flashpack, the troll physical adept was able to resist Hecate's magical order, thanks to his magical training and leaped on the spiritual magician for retaliation. His bare hands were filled with physical might AND mystical energy that severly wounded the spellcasting spirit.

Seeing the other "girl" wounded by the troll, Medh screams a warcry and hurls her spear at the troll. As it impacts it bursts into flame and a new spear appears in her hand.

The troll doesn't even move and is completly engulfed in the spear's flame. As the fire burned out, however, the gargantuan metahuman seems almost unharmed, except for a few burns on his skin. He groans and is ready to strike at the spirits again with all his power.

Meanwhile, the orc stayed idle, trying to fight Hecate's spell as much as his mind could, without success.

Adsinistrati found herself materializing in what appeared to be a park. With no knowledge or understanding of why she was being called forth from the Darkness, she chose a human form commonly associated with her kind - although she appeared to be a beautiful human woman, her tail and leathery black wings betrayed her otherworldly nature. Three metahumans were surrounded by spirits, including herself - and the troll seemed to be tearing apart one of them. An ork struggled against some magical influence, while the elf was going on about the Astral. They all appeared hostile - and at the same time, surprised.

Her eyes reflected their surprise, as she was unused to being summoned into combat - and certainly not by one who would (or even could) call upon these other forms of spirits. Another thing seemed amiss. She did not feel compelled to perform any particular task, for these men or anyone else. Aside from the immediate danger - nothing was tempting her to enter combat as the other spirits seemed to be doing. Clearly, some mortal called upon forces they couldn't control - but who? Whose hubris could be so great as to call me to this place without the proper offerings - or precautions....

She had no memory of her conjurer - and was having trouble at the moment remembering much more of her recent memory. What she did know was that she had no desire to be manhandled by that troll - and that it was unlikely that it was his fault he was here. Her black wings extended making her seem quite a bit larger than she really was, and, with a smile, she blew a kiss at the elf who had become dual-natured just as she was materializing. "Sorry boys, not my kind of party."

As she spoke, she extended her magical defenses to cover herself and the other spirits, and beconned the elf towards her with a black-nailed finger. "Please, protect me." Her eyes pleaded with him, but the cruel smile on her lips said she wasn't as helpless as she was pretending to be.

All Tu Shu Guan notices when he materializes is a trio of shadowy figures, one of which is tearing into one of the other spirits. Panicking, he punches the magician, fearing banishment.

It's dark...well of course it's dark, I'm not actually paying attention to what's going on around me!

A moment later, the plane reappeared to her vision in all its vibrant colors - but something was wrong. "What happened?"

That was when the more significant details of the astral world started to sink in, and the noises coming from very close by; She was not on her home plane, but the material one!

Whatever had muddled Crystal before was gone, and what was left behind was the wiccan spirit sitting on the astral - and the physical - watching as several other spirits (for what else could they be, shining just as spirits shine) were forced into combat. One of which did not appear to be fairing well against a troll and his astrally glowing hands.

"Damn, an adept who can channel his energies. That large brute is a danger to us all!" She had made her decision. She was going to fight in this battle as well. It might have been smarter to run, but The bizarre nature of the situation might provide insight into what had happened to her.

Also, she was already materialized, though why she was without her knowledge...

Enough idle!

The troll was the most direct threat right now - even if one of the other metahumans were a conjurer, the troll was able to harm them directly, and had obviously already done some damage.

The elvish spirit was up and moving, reaching towards the troll with, not a hand, but a portion of her long hair. With those few seconds, however, that hair was no longer innocent strands, but becoming several vines with obvious intent to coil and bind. She might not hurt the big brute by much (per se), but If he could not move, he couldn't neccessarily harm anyone either...

So long as I take root and keep hold!

<<@*&#(&>> thought to himself I think I got the eyes to open. oh, it's nighttime. that explains it.

In synchronized sympathetic motion the pile of animated meat relaxes it's chest muscles. Normally this would be an audible sigh, but as the lungs had been already empty the only visible effect was a slight chest motion, hardly noticeable in the light of fiery effects, trolls, winged succubi, waving plant limbs, a motionless pile of dirt, and general mayhem.

There wasn't the usual struggle in controlling a sentient. Another wave of utter sadness clouded his thoughts.

[Removed to repost later.]

The elf, probably with magically enhanced reflexes, managed to get out of the way. Meanwhile, a huge plant-like creature managed to grasp the troll within his roots, preventing him to move any further, although he appears to be unharmed otherwise by the magical assault.

The elf, backed away a few meters, fearing the mana-filled fists of the spirits and summoned forth allies she binded to do her biding. 3 mid-sized earth elementals appeared before her, blocking the spirits from directly attacking her.

Hecate, severly wonded from the drain of his spell AND from the troll's attack, moved behind the other spirits and instructed the orc under his control to attack the engulfed troll.

Should be like riding a bicycle <<@*&#(&>> thought to himself. But it was strange. He'd never been in this position before. Somewhere in the middle of life and death. He wasn't sure it was going to work. But he was going to try.

A moment later, after setting in motion as much as he could he took a moment to look around.

Things were a lot more crowded and chaotic, maybe he shouldn't be trying to stand up and make a target of himself.

Mr Twinkle was not always one to consider things before leaping into a fight, but these days he took thinks more slowly.

Lesse, I woz been beeing shouted at, and then I woz ere. The crystals that iz part of my material form iz here. Lookin round dere iz a big fight.

Taking deep breath he bellowed the wierdest battle cry he was ever likely to.

"EVRIEONE STOP FIGHTIN, PLEASE!"

The way he figured it he would know which side he was on from the first person to try and thump him.

But Mr. Twinkle shouting is not enough to stop the shadowrunners. The troll tried to break free from its wooden prison, but at the price of considerable effort, the roots are holding.

Adsinistrati's powers of charm didn't seem to be working against the conjurer - though the earth elemental reinforcements he called in gave her reason to believe that he was somehow behind this. Confidantly, she moved forward, advancing on the elf and his new bodyguards. "I'm the only spirit you're ever going to need, Tricky" (She overheard his name when the orc was barking orders as they arrived). "Release those earth elementals from service."

The words of the shadow spirit seemed to had a deep influence in the elf's mind and she began the gesture to banish her newly called spirits.

The orc, under the control of hecate's spell starts to shoot at his troll friend, but the bullets are blocked by his armor and natural toughness.

Seeing the engulfed troll and his two enthralled companions, Tu Shu Guan decides that now would be a good time to negotiate the runners' terms of surrender. Perhaps he could get something out of this bad situation.
"I don't suppose we could just stop fighting? We obviously have powers that aren't usable by most conjured spirits, and you have no hope of winning anyway. I think it's a good time to talk."

Crystal looks back and forth between the bedazzled, the controlled, and the trapped, and feels a slight throb within her head. "Leave it to me to be the one that can emulate a head ache."

She looks to Hecate, supposedly the one controlling the orc (unless he's just nuts).
"It's a bit hard to make peace in when you're shooting one of them. Why don't you make him hand over his weapon instead of shooting this one?"

Of course, that also involves getting the troll to play nice, who might not be so tempted after being shot - however harmless the attack was. Still, the plant spirit manipulates the vines just enough to prevent the slow strangulation as incentive. "The same goes to you, adept. Cease the violence with your friends and we all may avoid any more of a mess."

"It was the troll who attackedn me first!" Hecate pouts, her hands on her hips. "I was only trying to control them so we could gather what was going on first! But it only worked on the orc. After he attacked me, I decided to try giving him a taste of his own medicine!"

Medh laughs, "They make war on us! let them pay the price!"

Adsinistrati becons her new thrall forward as he banishes his spirits. "Come here, darling. I'll take good care of you."

Flashpack, being the only runner in his team still under the control of his actions, stopped struggling against the plant spirit, trying to keep an eye out for everyone (including his two manipulated friends).

"What do you want? Let me OUT!"

"Why did you attack us, raider of the mountains?" Medh speaks in a low voice, deeply sensual and smoldering with passion.

Mr Twinkle took the time to think over the last few minutes of his life, and rather painfully remembering the bit about Evanescence decides that now is not the time to be making enemies. Nodding to Medh he adds.

"Wot the spirit sed, but more polite, like." He adds in a flat monotone.

"I suppose we already know the answer to that question: they are the savage, warlike type. People such as them will use any excuse to wage battle.

"What remains to be said is what what we will do with ourselves now that battle is resolved.

"Does anyone have any suggestions?"

Inaudible pops and tears emanate from multitudinous muscles as Ferlown got ponderously to his feet. Thigh and belly fat shake with the unexpected sudden movement. After rising to his feet, he turns his vacant stare towards the group. In a sighing exhalation he asks, "Who will answer for this?"

<<@*&#(&>> thought to himself, just like riding a bike... oops...

Ferlown farted loudly.

Adsinistrati laughed. "It seems to me... we struck first." As the elf came within arm's reach, "Still, they were being very naughty."

"We can't just let them go... unmolested," She smiled sweetly at the elf, whose attention she seemed to hold rather steadily. "I would like this one for my own pleasure - the other two are a bit too violent for my tastes."

She wispered into the elf's ear, "Don't worry, Tricky. I won't let them hurt you."

"After that, do what you like." She paused for a second before getting a confused look on her face.

"I believe my summoning was supposed to be some sort of punishment.... by chance, are you also in exile?"

"Yes.

"What should we do with them? I don't think we should keep them for our pets; that's far too risky. And we should save looting for those who are more deserving; they acted partly in self-defense."

"I only cast that spell to stop the Men from attacking us!" says Hecate. "It was so that both sides could benefit from at least one side knowing what was going on!" She folds her arms.

Well, at least the fight is over.

"It's a safe bet that we're all here for very similar reasons. Why else would we end up together, after all?" The Elven spirit steps away from the tree troll to examine Hecate's wounds. "I can deal with this, a little, at least"

With a touch of a human(oid) hand this time, Crystal places it upon one of the more obvious wounds of Hecates, a light glow of healing power coming forth.

"I was wrongly accused. DAMN IT. Why? WHAT THE FUCK FOR. Some one will pay for this, I am a Princess of the Firey Firment! I have watched the king be crowned on Tara Hill and faced the Fomor on the field of Moytura. By my flame I will be returned to that which is MINE!" Medh's voices rises and falls with an almost musical tone, the music of sword and shield. It's clear she isn't the most stable of beings, but hey at least she's focused.

"I myself was also accused wrongly; but it's useless to focus on this. We must first start with the basics.

"First of all, how do we survive? Evanescence will claim us if we do not address it."

"Vengeance is mine..."

Ferlown stiffly moved to stand before the envined troll. <<@*&#(&>> filed away all the chatter around him, always useful, and in some cases revealing. Things were coming back to him. But business first. Turning Ferlown's face towards the troll, he spoke.

"This is not a Bargain. I only promise that I will not kill you, nor will the others kill you this night...I hope... consider this community service."

Ferlown exhaled and collapsed.

"If we are to negotiate with them, then I suggest you release either the ork or the elf from thrall. Preferably the ork, since he can't banish us."

With a look of ah well," Hecate waves her hand and releases her control on the orc.
"You also face evanescence? Interesting.... As for survival, my dear Princess, we fight will all our power to escape this fate and prove our innocence on whatever crime we have supposedly commited!"

Well, it looks like the fight is over. Good good. Time to find out what the metaplane of fire is going on.

Mr Twinkle speaks.

"I iz introducing myself, I goes by Mr Twinkle. Duz anyone knowz who dat big big big big spirit woz wot booted me?

Mr Twinkle turns to Medb

"Alsoz, Fomor? When woz you fightings Fomor... I haz not heard dat name for yearz."

"I'm called Medh. I fought during the second battle of Moytura in a age now long gone."

Adsinistrati had no intention of releasing her grip on the elf - although it seemed to demands a large amount of her attention. She was, however, both releaved and disappointed to see the orc start coming back to his senses. "I don't see what we have to gain by negotiation with the mortals. They have already lost."

"Besides their bodies, equipment, and energy - I think they have very little to offer us."

"Still, it won't hurt to give the orc a chance to explain why we should release his friends from our protection."

The orc still had his gun pointed towards the troll. It was just a matter of a few degrees to the left and he aimed at Adsinistrati.

"Listen punks. I don't know who you are or what you want, but I want my friends release immediatly. I don't care who you are, but i have a job to finish. If you have nothing to do with us, just let us go and we won't bother you..."

The orc gave a quick nod to Flashpack.

'"And if you don't want to, maybe we are not powerful enough to get you all down, but we are strong enough to bring some of you along with us. The lecherous lady first! So, what do you decide?"

Adsinistrati's brow furrowed. She had thought that releasing the orc was a bad idea. "Jealous?" she asked. "Threatening me probably isn't the best tactic. These spirits just met me, and have nothing invested in my existance."

"Still, I do - so I am willing to agree to those terms. He's replacable." She smiled and ceased influencing the elf. "Now aim somewhere else, or I'll kill you myself."

The elf, now under his own influence, nodded to the orc. The latter, with care, lowered his weapon.

"Release Flashpack."

Mr Twinkle smiles to himself at the silly little ork trying to threaten a spirit with a pistol.

Turning to Medb he says

"Phew, I woz thinking thoze buggers woz back or somefing"

Then to the group, pausing at the long word then looking pleased to have completed it.

"Look dis woz clearly a miss...understan...dink. If you guyz who fighted want to keep goin den jus don' drag me inna it. Now dat iz dun, got anny Karma you wanna trades, Orkie?"

Crystal, being the one holding the troll, takes a few steps back from him. "Be wary of spirits, horned one. We may not be the pinnacle of perfection, but neither are we the weakest links. Respect can get you far with many a being."

And with a slight twist of the hand, the roots that had once been hair unravel and sink away, freeing 'Flashpack'.


(and since we were talking IC appearances earlier, Crystal has the look of an Elvish lady, if with the pale, corpse-like tone of skin. Long dark hair, and a dress made of whatever tree leaves happen to be convenient in the area - magically seemless, of course).

(Tu Shu Guan is currently in his realistic form; he is a stolid-looking if blandly handsome Chinese man in the standard if somewhat lavish robes of the Celestial court.)

The Troll sensed a presence in his mind for a fraction of second as Crystal released him. He managed to keep the control of his self and backed off a few feet.

"I don't know what just happened, but if any of you try this again, I won't be holding my fists."

The orc subvocalized something and the three shadowrunners started to walk backwards in three different positions.

"Now, let us go and nobdoy gets hurt...or banished..."

"I am sorry for my own indiscretions and those of my fellow exiles, but our purpose is not to hurt or loot from you. We are spirits in exile from our home planes and are being forced to face a slow waning of our beings. We require magical items in order to survive, and I would be willing to do anything short of murder to obtain them."

Adsinistrati shoots Tu Shu Guan a look, "There is no need to offer up any more information. This fight is over. Telling them of your weaknesses could only make them reconsider."

To the others, she says, "Do you all feel as this one does? That you would do anything for magical trinkets?"

"It seems we may have another problem. If we all need such items to avoid fading into oblivion... that seems to put us in an awkward competition." She smiles sweetly, but her voice has taken a sharp tone. "Does this make us enemies, or allies?"

"I was, of course, neglecting to mention myriad other caveats to my offer that need not be spoken of.

"If I were to obtain the use of an alchemical laboratory, I would be able to manufacture all the magical goods we would need. There need not be competition, and in the matter of our mutual exile, I would prefer there be as much cooperation as possible.

"Do you have access to such a lab that I may purchase with my services?"

Adsinistrati shook her head, "I imagine most of us came here with nothing more than you did.... But if we find a man who does own one, I can probably convince him to let you make use of it."