Cass turns around when you approach and her face turns from worried about you to worry about something else, and she pulls out a letter and hands it to you, "I- I went to find the girls at the shop, but they weren't there, so I went home and found this on the door. I'm worried and didn't know where I'd find you, so I just came here to try and help because I was worried Timmy was getting back for what happened earlier." The letter is from Beth, addressed to Cass and is her bragging about how Timmy and the Kings invited the girls to a private party at Ascend and how Cass should meet them there.
"We definitely need to find you a way to contact us. As for the place... Whether it's Timmy or not, blood will flow. I wouldn't like you to be in the thick of it, but I wouldn't like to leave you alone either... Do you know of any safe place near? Police?"
"I agree with Racine. It's time for you to find shelter elsewhere because it's about to rain."
"There's a police station not far from here. I can see if they'll let me stay. I- I'll make something up, of course. Please, don't let anything bad happen to them, okay?" Cassandra pleads before sneaking to a safe distance and then making her way to safety.
The concrete warehouse is about 35 feet tall, but Frank does make out some high windows about 25 feet up the wall. However, in terms of feet, the back door is slightly closer (but also locked and made of metal).
|
small retcon: Frank would have cast shield in last post as well. Sorry forgot to post it.
"I won't let them harm Beth." He then looks to the others.
"Catch up when you can." With that said he focuses inward. His face goes just a bit pale. A moment later he leaps from the ground and propels himself through the closest window.
Frank hovers there taking a moment to look around as blood drips from the several tiny cuts now on him. Fortunate his hardened body was unhurt by some of the glass. He calculates his next move looking and listening for anything or anyone.
Current Status: HP 42/44 | AC: 28
Frank smashes through the window and looks around and sees three burly men alerted by the noise. One turns to look up at Frank and points, "How is that even possible?! Get 'em, boys!"
Doc growls "Moron..." as Frank does his flying-bull-in-china-shop act. He races to the door nearby, muttering over his tools as he quickly works the lock. "Do I have time to check for traps? No, because Cap'n Hormones only has one brain and it isn't near his skull."
Racine takes a biscuit out of a pocket and starts nibbling at it as Frank performs his stunt. "Isn't it just pleasant to make a nice, reasoned, sensible plan and carry it out without a hitch? Scouting ahead, taking advantage of the position, flanking, the surprise factor... I just love working with sensible, rational people."
Her eye is caught by a flyer on the ground.
"Huh. They're performing the Epopea of Grabthadaar at the Silgrad Metropolitan, full dwarven cast. I've been meaning to watch it for a while."
She finishes her biscuit and takes out her rifle, chambering a round.
Long jimmies open the lock and opens the warehouse door slowly, just in time to see and hear some bouncers (unaware of him), point at Frank.
They just look like thugs, likely hired muscle. And we are breaking and entering, after all. Why do I feel like we'll need to hide corpses and lie to the police before this is done?
Aiming for the knees of the farthest one from Frank, Racine infuses a bullet with magic before firing.
Doc looks around the room, hunting for a more worthy (and likely skulking) target than the three thugs. Finding a suitable victim, he smoothly draws the long-barreled pistol from his cross-belly holster and aims for the man's head before firing.
Frank rips a man in half with his mind, followed by Long blowing a hole through another's shoulder and Racine shattering the kneecap of the other. Caedus follows Racine and Long into the building, keeping cover behind his shield instead of charging in to attack. The living bouncers fall to the ground and grip their wounds, "Please, we'll tell you whatever you want. Just let us live! I don't know what we've gotten mixed up in, but I promise neither me nor him will say anything to the police. The stage - there's a trap door. Timmy and his boys rode up and took the girls down there. We were just paid to keep intruders away. I swear. Just let us go. Please!"
Frank locates the trap door and when he opens it, a crackling green light swells up from below and through it Frank just barely makes out the lower half of a black-robed man.
Doc doesn't quite point his gun at the talkative thug. "Where is the other way down? I'd be surprised if the trapdoor is the only option."
"Oh, I'm freaking done chasing after him, he walks into a trap, I'm officially beyond caring. It's like watching after a cat with a sugar high as he chases our best lead away."
Racine stands next to Doc, looking at the wounded thug.
"I don't know, man! Were paid to watch the place, break some kneecaps if we had to, not build this warehouse. If we were told to guard some second entrance, that's where we'd be! Hey. Why don't you let me go outside and look around for you, huh? Please, I'll uh, I'll see if there's a second entrance for you, okay? You can leave the other guy here as, um, insurance." The bouncer says, clearly trying to make up an excuse to get away as the speechless kneecapped one glares at him while trying not to make too much noise.
At the bottom of the stairs, a black-robed Von Steffan is putting the final touches of an alchemical symbol on the far wall. In the center of the chamber, upon a pedestal, is a black stone throbbing with an eerie green glow, casting a sickly pallor onto the faces of the bound captives lined up against the far wall. Crumpled at the foot of the pedestal is the body of Timmy, sucked dry by Von Steffan. Timmy's two best friends and the girls are all here and tied to chairs. They are petrified with fear and completely helpless.
Having finished his glyph, he turns around to face the brazen man before him, his flesh, now losing its hold on the soul to which it was once anchored, hanging about his body in sagging folds, rubbery and loose. With cataract eyes rimmed with rheumy discharge, Von Steffan’s
points a long boney hand at Frank, speaking with a strong (Swiss) accent in a whispy voice, as though the sound was half coming from another dimension, he makes a proposal, "The girl yet lives, but her fate is contingent on your surrender. Give yourself unto me that she might survive this ordeal."
Caedus follow Frank. The man was impulsive, but had a knack for finding their objectives. Hearing the Swiss accent, Caedus gritted his teeth, preparing himself for action.
Seeing as Caedus follws through, Racine casts a spell before hopping down the stairs. "Ukryć w świecie!"
Long glares coldly at the bouncer, considering the practical wisdom (and pleasure) of putting a bullet into his lying eye socket. He stands up and holsters his gun. "Do you know why we shot you? Because it was the kindest death we offer. If you cross us again - ever - you will die badly. Now, grab your compatriot and leave. I'd suggest you get as far from here as you can." With that, he gives the bouncer a feral smile and slowly fades to invisibility. "Remember what I said."
He makes sure the thugs are heading for the door before he slinks down the stairs.
|
|
Frank looks to Beth then back to the thing this man has become. The corrupt blood pulsing and influencing his every action. He lowers the blade and speaks.
"First allow me to take her safely up to my companions. Do this and you have a deal."
Frank while wishing to get Beth to safety has not intention of allowing his soul to be taken without a fight.
The bouncers run out the door and Long stealthily makes his way down the stairs.
He rubs his boney, rubbery hand on his chin thoughtfully and agrees, "Very well, young man. You and your...priestly friend here can escort two of the girls upstairs - you may take a third if the priest agrees to sacrifice himself as well. Yes, you two will make excellent substitutes."
|
|
Frank nods and looks to Caedus expecting him to agree as well. Either way Frank does not hesitate. Dropping the massive blade as he flies down to Beth. The blade disappearing on the floor he picks up Beth and one of the other girls and starts to fly them out. Assuming he gets them back topside he finds and leaves them in the care of Cass.
"Get them to safety." Is all he says before heading back down.
"So what now? What are you? You could at least offer me that bit of peace before taking my soul."
Frank does his best trying to get the old man to monologue his evil plan. :)
Slowly, her shape and colours blending in the surroundings, Racine moves until she's got a clear shot of Van Steffan. Seeing the dismal state of his complexion, she exchanges her standard bullet for a silver one. Then she takes careful aim, ready to unload at the first sign of trouble.
Caedus nods.
"Very well. I accept your offer. I would not leave my friend alone."
Caedus is, in fact, going to ready an action. He's going to ready a Dispel Magic to counter a spell that Von Steffan casts. If Von Steffan acts without casting a spell, Caedus will do something different on his initiative.
Doc slowly and cautiously sneaks down and behind Von Steffan trying to avoid standing in any obvious avenues of attack. Then, he waits.
On Caedus and Frank's return, Von Steffan's flesh continues to droop, his rubbery exterior barely holding on to his mushy skeleton. "It is almost time for my ascension," he says, as he pulls out three vials from his robe and hands one to Caedus and one to Frank. "Drink, that you and I retain our promise for the children's safe return." he drinks the third vial and his flesh slowly starts to regenerate. He looks at the stone in the pedestal, "Yes, the moment is upon us. In mere moments, Hans-Ruedi Von Steffan, alchemist of the Keys of Aeons, will die. In his place will be Frater Adolphus Sestus, daemon of the underworld. I will shed this mortal coil and convert vital human life force into daemonic power, pledging whatever remains to my new otherworldly overlords. Yes, in just moments, I will attain immortality!"
"You got one part right, bud. You'll be dead. Strzelnica! Nova!"
With blinding speed, Racine fires a barrage of silver bullets, loaded with magic, at the horrid alchemist.
Caedus follows the actions of his more martial friends, ready to support them with his divine magic.
Caedus did smirk to himself, however. He couldn't help but think,
always with the villains and the monologueing...
From his spot behind the loose-skinned potion-slinger, Doc waits for Frank to press his attack before launching his own assault. He hammers the alchemist's mind with psychic screams then draws his rapier and drives it at the man's back.
As soon as Frank draws his sword, Racine's becomes visible and fires a shot, which seems to hit Von Steffan, but flattens against an invisible force right as it hits his robe, clinking to the ground. At the same moment, Long becomes visible and sends a blast of psychic energy at Von Steffan's mind and stabs him him in the back from behind, causing his rubbery body to fall to the ground unconscious, but not before he smiles and utters, "The...stone.".
Racine kneels next to the man, frisking him for magic items. "Something's definitely wrong here. Why smiling? Something's in motion. Caedus, check on Beth. Wykrycie magii!"
Opening her eyes to the supernatural wavelengths, Racine takes in all the details of the surroundings.
At Racine's suggestion, Caedus runs upstairs to check on Beth and sees the bodies of the three girls slumped over on the floor near the exit. Racine looks around and notices that the stone is still pulsing with green light, but isn't emitting a magical aura - in fact, she recognizes it as one of the fabled Philosopher's Stones, legendary stones capable of manipulating chemical properties through alchemical and geometric (basically math magic) rituals. As she pats Von Steffan down, Racine suddenly detects a strong transmutational aura coming from Von Steffan, as his now-conscious hand grabs her, sending a wave of disintegrating energy through her body.
A blast of telekinetic energy shoots from Von Steffans other hand towards Long, blasting him into the wall. Von Steffan lets out a hellish roar as the stone pulsates more rapidly, "I AM ALCHEMY!" and his body explodes in a puff of black smoke as if his whole body was burnt to cinders, leaving only a book of alchemical formulas and some inert alchemical vials and bombs, while the two tied up boys rapidly decompose in a form similar to Timmy and Antonio. Caedus checks on the unconscious girls - all three are alive, but their skin is grayed and cold.
Just then, as the stone's light fades away, you all receive a telepathic message in Von Steffan's voice, "I felt the need to thank you, for being either such beacons of purity or hormonal meatsacks. When you broke in, I actually thought you might kill me and stop the ritual, but those girls gave me the diversion I needed to stall you just long enough to complete it. Never let it be said that Sestus was not merciful, but make no mistake: I did you all a favor, and for the girls' sake, I hope you return it when I ask - and I will ask."
|
|
Frank picks up the now inert stone and hurls it against the wall in frustration. Then remembering Beth and the other girls he fly's up out of the trap door. He sees Caedus standing over them. Once he assures him they are alive he calms a bit and floats down to them.
"Seems for now all we can do is get them home safely." He then picks Beth up and awaits the others to join them back up stairs.