The path eventually breaks off into a clearing where all semblance of orderly conduct had clearly been tossed aside, as cars would park wherever they felt like rather than following any of the once-visible guiding lines. Immediately visible is Henderson’s car; less visible is William Pinbacker’s.
And in between the range of visibility is a group of freaks.
“MONTE!!” The young man harshly whispered, as the amount of strangers doubled and was threatening to triple. For those close enough and attentive enough, there was a loud buzzing hum from inside his jacket, and a muffled feminine voice sounded out “bluetooth connected.”
“Oh that thing?” Henderson points at Syn. “That’s my Snorlax, I caught him… last night? This morning? Not sure. Don’t know if he bites or not.”
Henderson turned to face Will, a larger than appropriate smile comes across his face. “I am enjoying the forest quite well. It’s hunting season this time of year you know. I am trying to catch some … game.”
He opens up his truck. Will can see that it contains a tent and various survival gear. Henderson seems to nonchalantly reach for and check something in the trunk, though exactly what is not certain.
Henderson pokes his head out of his trunk. “You searching for the holy grail or something?”
Hacktop, still taking his environment in, doesn’t notice that Will has parked the car until he steps out. Back to his senses, Hacktop his finally able to get a good read on the snubnose. He is going to ask some pointed questions about it, but something else catches Hacktop’s attention before he says anything. Something is wrong. Something is very wrong. Something else is here other than “human” applications…
There shouldn’t other users logged in
Hacktop: Oh no oh no no no no ohhhhhh nonononono Hacktop: Do you see anything weird? Are you still in control of your body? Are things moving around that shouldn't move? Hacktop: Blink three times if you are in danger.
Styx turned her head half-way towards Little Miss Death so she can keep both Syn and LMD is view. Her eyes shifted on Death, trying to focus on only moving the half of her mouth facing the girl.
In a quieter voice she asked, “You said you were Death, right? What’s a demon to you?”
After turning her head slightly towards Henderson she asked, “Don’t you have a leash or somethin’?! If it gets close to me, I take no responsibility for what happens to it!”
As more people showed up, the drums rolled in that head of hers. These were the other losers who showed up to that dumb meeting, right? Where they all called back?
Having stepped back next to Pernille, bat still at the ready, she asks another quiet question.
“You said there might be others. Did you know they would come back here? Are those…”
Pernille blinked, “I am just a lone soul doing the task set before me, and while a demon is no matter for me, it is a matter for you of which should be more concerning,” she spoke with a tone matching Styx before glancing to the young boy.
Moving over slightly to him, she poked him again, “Oi, 'ello, you!” she promptly demanded, firmly but not unkindly, “How about you give us some answers! We don-Well,” she paused grinning, “I don’t bite, and it seems there’s a plethora of delightful people coming our way so do be quick.”
Sarah stared with grouchy eyes as she looked forward, “Well, guess that shouldn’t be surprising,” she squinted again, “Wait a minute…” her eyes narrowed as she saw Styx and some other child, “Wonderful, great, now I actually have to get out of the car.”
She slowly parked, a good distance away from the hubbub, and grabbed the stringed up notebook as she jumped out of the car. Her ax was hefted in the other hand as she walked determinedly towards the gathering with an aura of general frustration and distaste.
This Kay lacked confidence. While he would likely prove not much of an asset, he didn’t seem like the type who would get in the way, either. Getting in the way would take backbone. Ozymandia doubted this being had one. She did not noticeably acknowledge his introduction.
Ozymandia paused for a moment before responding.
“Walking is permissible.”
OOC: @Ghid are we good to have Kip and Mr. Mini-fridge show up at the forest?
Syn narrowed his eyes as he faced Pernille. The child was small. Almost insignificant. It was laughable. His eyes dashed towards Styx. Even worse.
These were the people who were chosen? A couple of miserable brats?
What a waste of his time.
“Fool.” Syn took a while to process this information. So they are morons too.
He glared at the little Miss Matchstick.
“You should know exactly what we both are. You are now bound. You are chained. Caught in a trap. And the only way out of the trap is if one of you-”
His eyes dart back to Styx- “Are good and deceased. Again.”
“So tell me, little one.” Syn said, with haughtiness in his voice,
“What foolish fate were you promised, hmm?”
Will holsters his revolver seeing all the people, and starts to say something to Henderson. But before he can start his eyes are drawn to a newcomer-
-one wielding an axe, and approaching fast.
“Hey who are you?” He barks, hand going to his side (though the gun stays holstered). He gestures around them. “You with the organizers or something?”
The notebook in Sarah’s hand is still. But it feels, very slightly, warm to the touch.
As she neared the scene, the audible conversations - and the shenanigans that followed - would become audible to both her and Striding Supervening Horizons.
The boy flinched violently in response as if he somehow hadn’t seen the action coming, half expecting this little girl to suddenly turn into a horrific monster of some sort. Now where had he gotten that idea from?
“Uhh,” He stammered, completely overwhelmed by a little girl jabbing him in the shoulder with her finger. “I don’t- I’m not the- I don’t know- I-I’m just here I don’t know anything!!”
His eyes kept darting to the treetops.
“Wh- what?” The young man almost whimpered in reply, so blatantly beyond his comfort zone that it was almost written directly on his face. But thankfully - or perhaps not thankfully - his current tension was about to be resolved in the least helpful of manners.
Before any other comments could be made or questions asked, the crackling device in the boy’s attire began screaming out the hoarsely-performed lyrics of a song that was undoubtedly too extreme to fly in the quaint town of Tempest.
“…my way to thePromised Land! I'm on the HIIIIIIGHWAY TO HELL!! HIIIIIIGHWAY TO HELL!!” The music blared, even as down from the treetops descended a majestic figure, with one massive eye and six feathered wings, who only remained in his glorified pose for a couple seconds before his brain kicked back into gear and he recoiled in abject horror at the words he was hearing. Turning slightly away, he began smashing the feathered ends of his wings into a small rectangular device known colloquially as an iPod.
“Turn off. Turn off!!” He growled, smashing more and more wings into whatever random buttons that he could as his temper rose. “TURN OFF OR I’M GOING TO RIP YOUR BATTERIES OUT AND… oh that’s the button.” He tossed the small device down at the mortified lad, glaring at it as it fell. “I prefer the good ol’ days of listening to music on the sonography, not the tripe you kids-”
“I meant phonograph.” He turned and pointed a wing in accusing fashion at Styx. “You don’t need to keep your mouth open all the time with your comebacks. Also your haircut sucks.” He hissed out the last bit from behind the back of his largest wing, as if it was whispered behind a hand. Styx might recognize the voice from somewhere recently…
“Anyways, are we all ready? Time to hit the road?” The ominous sphere looked around with an implied smile in his contorting eyelids.
Henderson shrugged, “Eh, I have a pokeball on me. Besides, I wouldn’t choose something if it wasn’t capable of killing federal agents. Try your luck if you want to. I think he needs a chew toy anyway.”
Henderson looked behind him and finally noted Sarah and the notebook in her hands. “Oh great, the Mormons have arrived, just like my grandpa warned me about.”
Hacktop: Hey Hey Hey don't to anything stupid please, I still need to identify the other users that keep showing up. Hacktop: ..... so that's what that object in the case does.... Hacktop: Dude if you delete one of your other similar applications I am going to flip.
Henderson turns sharply to face the newly arrived angelic figure. His face is filled with rage and disgust. “Oh come on! You had to ruin a perfect song with that entrance?! Don’t you have any respect for the classics?!” Henderson is so enraged by the music that he misses whatever else the angel said.
Styx muttered something like, “Why does everyone keeping tell me that?”, when Death goes to bother the boy.
She couldn’t dwell on the thought for long as the metal thing finally spoke. However, the gibberish that came from it lacked a sending address. Though it didn’t matter which one of them he was talking to as his trainer gave permission to scrap the thing.
There were so many things Styx wanted to say. Like, just go take a plane if you want to kill Feds. Or what is harassing some young women in the woods with your creeper going to do? Or wave a fist at the approaching Mrs. Dream Pie and demand answers. What happened to Viv and – was that a gun?
But all these were interrupted when a white blob came down from the sky.
If there was any awe or fear of seeing a flying dumpling, it was shattered when the thing failed to use an iPod. Styx’s head tracked the iPod’s fall, snapping back up to the puffball when a wing shifted in her direction. The voice started to click when he did that.
Her mouth barely parted and then she sealed it tight with a glaring scowl.
Styx scrounged for the nearest rocks or a piece of trash with some weight. When she found at least one, she threw it the winged cotton swab. Trying to hit the eye, but hitting it in general would do.
OOC: Going to wait for TheMOCingbird to write out their forest appearance first before I add anything with Blockade.
It was at about this moment that a golden retriever would come bounding through the underbrush, barking with excitement. Looking out, Kip saw, stuff. Some stuff he recognized, some of those were definitely humans for sure, even a few he recognized! But some of the stuff was definitely…not human. More like a big bird? Kip liked chasing birds, but something told him he might not want to chase this bird.
Upon careening to a halt at the edge of the clearing, Kipper turned and bark behind, hoping that the weird talking rectangle was keeping up.
“Hey, rectangle, do you know what that is?” He nodded toward the direction of the descending winged being.
OOC @the human characters who are currently in the forest, if any of you guys want Kip to recognize you/you want to recognize Kipp, feel free. He’s been around town the past few years, especially the past few months after his owner has died, so if you think it’d make sense for your character to already have some sort of relationship with him, feel free. He’s just a friendly lil guy.
“Oh? Chains? I suppose,” Pernille paused and thought for a minute before continuing, “but mine of gold and yours of heavy wrought iron. Both are earned, but I have mine as a blessing and yours as a curse to join the great Dragon to writhe in eternal flame,” she said with a shrug, “Trouble me not. Your time to command has not yet come.”
Turning back to the child she almost said something else before she was interrupted by the cacophony that was the iPod wearing angel lookalike.
Pernille stared, “It does do you good to mock what is good and holy, for I know you are not an Angel of the Lord, for none would keep themselves such as you do,” she shook her head with contempt, “Be still and do not play this game any longer.”
Sarah blinks, well he made a good pocket warmer at least, those were so annoying to keep buying anyway. With a smooth motion she slid him into her back pocket out of sight as she kept walking forward. She said nothing, but she kept her step clean and neat as she moved.
“Styx, take your friend and get in the van, we’re leaving.”
“No. Anyway,” The spherical entity rubbed his wings together in satisfaction. “Looks like we’re still missing a couple people from what I recall, so lemme give you a bit of a rundown on what’s going on. We-”
“…Okay, Matchstick, let’s get one thing clear before i get any other comparisons made.” The orb glared, pointing an accusing wing. “I am not an Ange-”
Styx would find several palm-sized rocks within stooping distance, just under the light layer of leaves which had begun to fall, as per their schedule in the year. Her throw was excellent, and the stone bounced off the side of the angry eyeball with the sound of thick glass. The eyelids immediately shut, and trembled back open with restrained rage.
“You are considering doing that again.” He turned towards her, the teeth he very clearly didn’t have grinding as he spoke. “DON’T.”
“…Dog? Wait, what?” The winged shperical entity looked about in confusion. “But you just got here!”
The young man on the ground turned slightly, mostly because he wanted to get a look at the allegedly-existing dog, because at least that was a grounded concept.
…well, if he could stop gawking at the giant floating rectangle, that is…
Blockade continues to float along, going in his smooth yet suddenly forward jolting motion. He roughly keeps pace, trying to stay above Kip so he can easily get in front of the dog. When they get into the area with the others, two black circles appeared on the upper portion on his front facing side. He scans them carefully.
Styx was beyond considering throwing another rock, she had already picked up another one and was in mid-throw. She only stopped when Mrs. Dream Pie spoke up, but kept the rock in her hand.
“Leaving where? Why where we even told to come here?”
When the anti-angel shouts about them having just got here, Styx changes her tune.
“Never mind, whatever. Let’s go. Come on Pernille, we can kill them later.”
She started to march towards the van but then saw something very important. DOG.
“Kip!” she squealed. “You aren’t supposed to be here. Miss Appleton, we’re taking Kip back with us too, right?”
“Listen William Perry, I don’t go around criticizing your hobbies, do I?” The winged orb snarled at Blockade. “Now don’t interrupt-”
“…No.”
The spherical speaker slowly rotated towards Styx, touching the tips of one pair of wings together. “This dog, this… Kip, is in the same situation all of you are. Which I suppose it’s high time I explained.”
“Last night you and these other irresponsible youths showed up to your local cult ritual expecting free donuts and coffee or whatever.” He began slowly traveling in a circle as he spoke. “Unfortunately, that made you prime targets for these Revenants, which are now just as stuck to you as you are to them. Even Kip’s got one.” He glanced at Blockade for a moment.
“And since we’re going to be stuck in that tacky van for several hours, we might as well get introductions out of the way.” Several wings unfurled in a barely-comprehensible bow. “Monte, at my service. This single parent household byproduct on the ground beside me is Derek McNelson, a last name which you may recognize as that nasty divorce that happened three or four years ago.”
William Pinbacker stares at the angel in the sky in complete silence. He ponders whether he should pull his revolver and discards the thought.
What are bullets going to do against-
-well, whatever this is?
His eyes drift to Derek. “So you…did this to us,” He whispers hoarsely. “Stuck these ghosts, these things with us. Why?”
He blinks and his hands shake and he doesn’t know if its from excitement or terror.
“Why is any of this happening?”
There are words writing across Sarah’s hand. Small enough for her but not others to see, accompanied by a soft poking sensation (as if someone is tugging on her fingers).
He knows what’s going on. We have to go with him. Figure out what happened.
Henderson, letting his rage cool off a bit, tries to listen to what Monte is saying. Some it flies by his head, but some details are starting to piece together in his mind.
“Wait wait wait wait wait, just what are you trying to have us do, go on a field trip? Don’t the kids here need to sign permission slips for stuff like that?” He points at Sarah, Styx and Pernille.
Hacktop doesn’t have any new messages for Will. Instead, he tries to remember if he heard the name Monty before, and where or not that is the name of one oh his managers. He tries to focus his “research” on him, but I doesn’t know how much he can find in his current position.
“Whoa, Skrillex, settle down.” Monte’s largest wings extended forward, curling back to mimic outstretched palms. “I’d sure love to blame high school dropout here for all my problems, too, but he definitely isn’t responsible for your poor taste in friends.”
Monte blinked, and then rolled to the side, as if he was leaning over to get a better view of William’s holster. “…Kinda hoping you have a bigger one than that little thing.”
“These rebellious youths snuck out to the local prom reject get-together, and you think they’d ask for permission slips?” Monte stared. “When I was even half of miss call-the-cops-on-a-five-year-old’s age, I was, um…”
“ Doing … Something.” Monte’s singular eye stared off into the distance, his pupil dilating rapidly as his mind failed to comprehend where his memory had run off to. “But, uh, that’s not important. Miss white-phosphorus-on-a-stick here’s not actually a child, I think…”
“Look. Just pretend you’re simply too cool for your parents and it’ll all be good.” He loudly whispered towards Pernille. “I like to pretend that it worked for me. Uh, any other annoying questions?”
Will blinks rapidly and takes a deep breath, tries to center himself. He immediately fails and only barely prevents himself from hyperventilating, looking back at Monte. “Follow you where?” He finally manages to say. “Are you taking us to-the actual leader here? The organizer, or whoever it was who started the event and did this to us?”
A small sentence writes itself across one of Monte’s wings. Do you know what we are?
The top half of Blockade’s right eye vanish, while the bottom half of his left eye vanishes.
“This should not offend. I am stating reasoning why you should not be of concern. Your increasing levels of aggression may change your current status.” Blockade tells him.
He appears to have no other questions or comments. He just levitates there, motionless.
OOC: Going to wait for Keith to respond before I do anything further with Styx.
