Deth jogged down the street, her eyes searching to and fro. Her ire was evident.
'Womans work. How dare he...'
Pausing she saw one of the typical groups causing menace. They seemed to be attempting to break into a car. About 5 of them were there.
'Not a challenge.' However feeling the need to vent her rage, she went concentrated and appeared in the middle of the group. About the time they realized she was there, she was already mumbling. As they drew their guns, she felt herself connect to their life forces and 'inhaling' she drew their life force into her until they lost conscieness and collapse. Soon they were transported away, however, Deth was already on the way, searching, looking for more prey.
'Too easy,' she thought.
'I'll show him woman's work. Ahhh....'
Deth's eyes glowed almost purple and jogged toward a group. The green skinned humanoids were deep in talk about some drug or something. She was not concerned, nor did she care what they were discussing, she was here to deal some punishment and they happend to cross her path.
'Hello, boys. Care to give a girl a go?' Deth smiled seductively. 'Or are you goblinkind?'
'I get her, Torvast ' said one of the smaller one. He stepped toward her and the largest,, bare chested, wearing leather pants and boots, laughed. Torvast turned and went on talking to
the others. However, his conversation was soon interrupted by a high pitch scream that flew over his head. He turned toward where he expected to see his young protégé gloating. However, his eyes started glared over as he realized what had happend.
The smaller one came toward Deth grinning evilly, apparently thinking easy pickings. He pulled a bat and saying as he closed, ' Well, chicky, me beat you down and eat you up.' He swung the bat at Deth swore he connected. However, it was strange that he felt pain and looked down, he saw her fist in his gut and he found it hard to breathe.
Deth looked at him and smiled, breathing a dark smoke through her pearly white teeth. She swung and he sailed over the group, screaming.
The larger one turned toward her and his face grimaced and he growlled.
Deth looked up at him and smiled bewitchingly.
'Torvast was it. He was a bit small for me and I prefer much larger. Perhaps, you will be up to the task or maybe one of your friends. ' Bowing. ' Shall we dance?'
"Hurry up, kid." Lyle mumbled, watching for any sign that the group below might have detected the invisible Ivory. As Lyle watched, however, the meeting seemed to go downhill suddenly.
The troll began yelling at the Tsoo about welching on some deal. The Tsoo in charge kept his voice even, but his companions' hands went to their weapons. The troll growled, suddenly shouting over his shoulder.
Trolls began emerging from hiding places around the lobby. The Tsoo gripped their weapons tighter as the green thugs advanced on them.
Nexxes watched the Tsoo Sorcerers chakric responses to the Mental stab....
"Interesting.... unlike the Circle of Thorns the Tsoo untilize an enhanced form of psi-essence... If I remove his pituitary gland I wonder..."
Suddenly turning his head to the side.... "Hmmmm Nether energy... this could prove insightfull"
Releasing the Tsoo into unconciousness... Nexxes stands up...wearing robes that are vaugely reminiscent of the Circle of Thorns...He looks like a normal young man... except for his eyes which open into shadowed emptiness.
Warping light around himself becoming invisible... Nexxes floats around the building to where he sees Deth dancing with the Trolls....
"This female is connected to an Other or Others...? I wonder which?"
hmmm I sense other empowered life forms are here and more approaching... very interesting...
Sly materialized a few yards away from Deth, and he saw what he had feared. He knew this section of Steel was a hot spot for the leaders of the trolls, and sure enough, there she was... trying to take on a troll Boss all alone.
He sighed, and hoped the others would reach them in time... Preparing his energy, he teleported right into the middle of the group and blinded as many as he could with a brilliant flash of white light.
"It's time to go." Ivory whispered from behind Lyle, startling him just a bit. "Things are about to get messy and I think I know why."
The two men slowly back through the door to the balcony they were on just in tie to hear the roar of the Trolls and the Tso unsheathin their weapons. When the two turned to head back twords teh elevator shaft a duo of Trolls cracking their nuckles blocked their path, hungry grins creeping across their faces.
"The big ones don't like using guns."
With that, Ivory pulled a grenade encased in plastic with a clear liquid inside, pulled the pin and let the safety flip forward.
The Trolls began to charge.
Deth looked up as Sly Fox materialized beside her.
'So you've decided to come down to my level and do some women's work?'
She dodged Torvart's swing and gave him one in the gut.
'Cleaning up the streets. This is womans work. If this is too easy for you, why don't you go and try to clean up after a few men one day'
She landed another punch on Torvart but missed when he swung at her and she was knocked back on her rear.
"Your going to pay for that' Deth said, as she wiped a bit of blood from her lip and she planted a foot in the jewel box that men hold so dear.
Jumping to her feet, she landed a series of quick punches on the distraught Torvart , mumbled a couple of words and Torvart collapsed as she seemed to recover a bit.
Looking at the dozen or so that was left, she decided to walk away.
'Fox-san, you can handle the rest. I think I will catch some rays.'
Poof and she was gone.
"Oh sure... leave me to 'clean up!'" Fox called after her as she vanished.
Women... can't even take a joke... Sly absentmindedly dodged a swing from a Troll who had just regained it's sight. He looked distractedly sideways at his attacker, waved a hand, and 4 illusionary warriors appeared and began to take the focus off him as the remaining trolls swarmed them.
She's not getting off that easy he thought as he prepared to find her again.
Of course, he didn't see the one Troll slowly creeping up behind him and raising it's meaty fist...
"Dam," Lyle swore silently as they almost ran right into the trolls. He caught a glimpse of Ivory pulling something from his pocket, preparing to engage the troll nearest him.
Lyle quickly brought up his rifle, trying to get it between him and the monster. The troll, however, proved faster. It grabbed the barrel of the gun before it could point at him, the burst of bullets splintering the floor at his feet.
The monster's massive hand flew up, grabbing Lyle by his throat and lifting him off the floor. The troll grinned, suddenly heaving Lyle around and sending him crashing into the far wall. Lyle pushed himself off the floor, turning to try and see where the troll was, only to find himself staring at an oncoming boot.
The troll's foot connected with Lyle's head, sending him into another wall. Lyle sat up painfully. His gun lay a couple feet away, but the troll was already between him and it. The green monster grabbed him by his neck again, lifting up off the floor.
Just then a sudden noise from where Ivory and the other troll had been, drew the creatures attention. Taking advantage of the distraction, Lyle reached behind him, pulling out a small metal cannister. A grenade like device that, when exploding, released a mess of caltrops.
Hearing the small click of the device being activated, the troll turned back towards Lyle just as the old man hit the monster in the face with a taser. The troll yelled, more in surprise than pain. Lyle released the pin on the caltrop grenade, shoving it into the monster's open mouth as the thing dropped him in surprise.
As Lyle fell heavily to the floor, a muffled thud was followed by the troll falling to the ground, painful noises emitting from it's bloody mouth. Lyle quickly grabbed his rifle, keeping the sights trained on the troll. The troll was too tough to die from a load of spikes in the mouth, but Lyle bet that it still hurt like a mother.
Haunt closed in on the battle field to find Deth had already left and Fox was left with several other Trolls to "clean up", including one that was preparing to swat Sly like a fly. Haunt disappeared in a burst of negative energy again...
...and reappeared above the Troll that had regained its sight. His fists, wrapped in shadow, came crashing down, and connected squarely with the back of the fiend's skull.
"Sorry for the late arrival," Haunt said as it collapsed to the ground from the force of the blow; some of the shadows around Haunt broke off and swirled around the Troll, greatly hampering its vision.
Haunt turned so he was standing back to back with Sly, and crouched down. Eidolon began to pulse faster, and he lunged at the nearest Troll, dealing it a dozen crushing blows in the space of a few seconds. He ducked under a punch, and cracked him in the jaw with another "Shadow Punch". It sunk to the ground.
He let his gaurd down for a moment to turn again and see how Sly was doing, and in this time the first Troll, the shadows having disappeared giving him his sight back, landed a meaty punch to the back of Haunt's skull, sending him to the ground, disoriented.
"You sonova..." he managed to grumble as he struggled to his feet.
The sound was the sound hiss of Ivory's grenade throwing a thick coat of liquid all over the second troll and the ground underneath it, quickly solidiifying into a strong web of glue. Lyle knew the Troll was far too strong to be held down for long by the gadget, but it baught Ivory time.
With a flash of light, Ivory stepped into Limbo. As soon as he disappeared, Lyle witnessed Ivory reappear behind the troll, already freeing itself from the web. No longer anchored to the ground, the Troll was still covered in the glue as it lunged for Ivory who casually propped his rifle not against his shoulder, but at the side of his hip.
"I lost my favorite hat today. You picked a poor time to start trouble." Ivory spoke calmly to the rushing Troll.
Ivory looked away from the mass of muscle as a thick stream of flame shot like a fountain from the tip of his rifle, bathing the Troll in flames; the webbing glue began to heat intensely as it burned the Troll's flesh. A disgusting heap of charred flesh, still aflame, dropped inches from Ivory's feet. He turned to walk away but something took a firm hold of his ankle.
"Me break you good." said the troll, tugging at Ivory's leg.
Annoyed, Ivory toggled his weapon to a quick burst, more then enough to finish off the troll he thought. As his trigger finger tightened, the Troll threw Ivory's leg out from under him and a quick hail of bullets tore through the ceiling above him sending plaster and woodchips rainign down on top of the two.
Lying flat on his back with his rifle still heald by its hand grip in his right hand, Ivory stared at the cieling.
"Well god dammit."
Nexxes levitated up away from the Sly Flox and Haunt
"These all have an aura of selflessness...even the ones channeling negative energy" he thought to himself "I've yet to communicate with these 'Heroes'. Perhaps I'll follow them for a bit"
"The chemically enhanced Trolls, don't seem beyond their abilities but I'll encourage the heroes to win"
Flickering very briefly into sight... a green glow surrounded the Troll in front of Haunt.... the trolls eyes glazed for a moment and both Sly Fox and Haunt suddenly felt filled with energy, ready for anything, their endurance rejuvinated.
The next moment Nexxes vanishes from sight, still floating above the battle ground...
"Now to see what they do next"
((ooc: roflmao... I did actually read the thread all the pages... but obviously not close enough, now that is rectified... i'm very sorry.... but your post is pretty funny))
((ooc in my previously posted rules for open role-play you may have noticed a rule that said "read the whole thread" or something close to it. I don't expect people to read a 34 page thread to join in, but perhaps the last 5 pages? Lyle and Ivory are nowhere near the current battle with the trolls that Sly, Haunt and previously Deth are currently in. Lyle and Ivory are currently in an office building in Steel Canyon.
Some might call me a jerk for being so blunt, but please please please READ THE FREAKIN THREAD BEFORE YOU CONTRIBUTE TO IT! JEEBUS FREAKIN ANTICHRISTMAS is open RP really THIS hard?))
Nexxes proclaims that he is, indeed, a frog and that cat over rice is his favorite meal, Kyle Helsing then shoots both Nexxus and himself, fatally wounding the two of them. A wormhole induced by borg time travelling technology then swallows both of them and eliminates their entire past, removing them from time entirely. gg 
((ROFLMAO!))
back to IC:
Sly didn't even notice Haunt's quick thinking that saved him. He waved a hand and nodded absentmindedly at Haunt, mumbling a thanks.
Great, where could she be now? was all that his mind was focused on.
However, his energy had nearly been spent in the excessive use of almost all his powers at once, so when he finally blinked and took in current events, Haunt had just gone down.
Then suddenly, he felt... invigorated! It was almost as if he had slapped on a breath patch! Quickly extending his hands, he blew the troll and any of it's approaching friends back with a blast of wind. Then he reached out to Haunt and used the magic to restore oxygen and nutrients to his blood.
With Haunt no longer stunned or hurt, Sly finally acknowledge the man.
"I am sorry, Haunt... mind was elsewhere... were you the one who restored my magic like that? I must say, that is quite a gift! Why-- oh..."
Since Trolls don't take that long to pick themselves up and run right back to you, Sly realized it was time to slow things down.
He raised his arms and pictured freezing cold around the lead green-giant-goblin. When the snow began to fall, Sly grinned and turned to Haunt.
"If only Deth was here, I could have said 'Is it cold in here'?"
He couldn't help himself... he had to laugh!
Lyle turned as the flaming troll grabbed Ivory and threw him to the ground. Lyle painfully pulled himself up, trying to twist around towards the troll. The troll raised its arms over its head, preparing to smash the hero in front of him. Ivory shoved the barrel of his gun into the floor in front of him and fired.
The force of the recoil sent him sliding between the trolls legs. Finally managing to stand, Lyle took aim at the monster as Ivory dropped another slug into the chamber. Both rounds caught the troll in the chest, lifting the flaming monster and sending him crashing over the railing to the floor below.
"Well," Lyle said, wiping blood from his face, "that seems a good enough cue as any for us to leave on."
"Agreed," came Ivory's response, "but I think the elevator is out of order."
Ivory pushed on the door to the stairs and Lyle followed suit. As they descended the stairs calmly the sound of clashing metal, gunfire, grunts and splintering wood grew distant. When the two reached the lobby where they had earlier faught the Astral Gaurd Ivory began to seemingly speak to himself.
"The Steel Canyon secondary trade complex is crawling with Tsoo and Trolls, send SWAT and Detention." Ivory turned to Lyle who seemed to carry his rifle with infinitely more care then Ivory. "Let's find the others, the Tsoo are waging a dangerous kind of gang war."
As Deth reappears, she notices a blue and yellow blur collide with a dumpster. The blur turned out to be a female form of average hight in blue tights with yellow lighting striping. Her most unusual features were yellow antennae and multi-faceted eyes. While she didn't appear to be seriously injured, she was quite obviously dazed. The cause of her impromptu flight, an Outcast Brick, was preparing to crush her with a huge chunk of pavement and she was in no condition to defend herself.
--------------------
Lightning Bug
Defender
Storm/Electrical
Virtue
Lyle nodded, following after Ivory. He had noticed the way Ivory held his rifle loosely, seeming to almost forget it was there sometimes. This was another sign to Lyle to keep a close eye on the man. Someone who was that dismissive with their weapon obviously had some other tricks up his sleeve, probably more deadly than the gun itself.
Much different from the way Lyle held his rifle. The stereotypical military way. Always slightly downturned, ready to bring it up at a moments notice. Finger always hovering near the trigger. It was a habit with a lot of soldiers. Out in the field your gun was pretty much the only thing keeping you alive. Even teammates were secondary to your weapon, and you quickly learned to keep that weapon at the ready.
Ivory opened another hole in the air and stepped through. Lyle followed, sighing. The dust from the last trip was almost gone and now he would have to get rid of another layer.
Deth appeared atop her favorite spot to catch some rays. She was sitting on one of the microwave towers for the numerous cell phones around the city.
'This will cause a few missed calls but..oh well..' She pulled out her medallion and placed it between her breasts. She began to concentrate and the medallion began to glow. She started to glow and she sighed contentedly.
THUNK!
'What the...' Her concentration blown, she looked down and saw this little 'girl' ran into the dumpster.
'The kid should look where she is going.'
About to go back to her mediation, Deth started to turn and a Brick showed up and started to swing his weapon at the 'girl.' She stuffed the medallion back in to her top.
'Oh well, I guess I will have to wait to catch some rays.'
She dives off the building and swans all the way to the ground. At the last second, she starts hovering, upside down in front of the brick. Miraculously, her hat stayed on her head and her shades never moved. The brick stared at her in complete astonishement, stunned.
'Hey, gravelfist, I don't think she likes to play too rough. I, on the other hand, delight in the rough and tumble lifestyle. So, as I offered a green skin friend of yours today, shall we dance?'
He stared at her and coming to his senses, swung his brick fist at her.
'No, I assume...wait...I won't assume anything. You know what that means. I am guessing that the answer is no. I am not usually this forward, but I will make an exception.'
Deth grabbed his head and kissed him on the forehead. Any one watching would see that this guy seemed get a deathly, pallid look about him as he collapsed to the ground. His face almost seemed shrunken and skull like for a moment. Deth turned around and still hovering saw that the girl was recovering.
' I am Deth Aszicen friend of the famous...no infamous Sly Fox, though he does not know it. Now, I have saved you so I must offer my hand in friendship as well.'
She smiled motherly and offered her hand, though still upside down to assist the 'girl' up. Unbeknownst to Deth , six more of the Bricks friends ran around the corner and one was swinging a bat directly at Deth's head.
The girl started to extend a hand toward her benefactor.
"Thank you. I'm --"
Her introduction was quickly abbreviated and she extended both hands directly in front of her. This was followed by a sudden gust of wind that knocked the approaching Outcasts to the ground.
--------------------
Lightning Bug
Defender
Storm/Electrical
Virtue
Jess frowned and shook her head, still somewhat baffled at how she had been sitting, quite pleasantly, between a pair of grassy hills in the `Park, encased in a calming opalescent light .. and moments later found herself atop the type of building that could only be found in Steel Canyon (a very tall building, at that.)
'Maybe I should save the meditation for my apartment,' she mused, a soft self-mocking laugh slipping from between her lips before she could stop it.
Of course, it didn't take her long to realize who had 'ported her here since she'd made few powerful friends thus far; everyone else was either back home .. or dead. The Incomparable N-Demoness would taste her ire before too much longer (she despised practical jokes, especially ones that landed her atop tall buildings she had no way off of .. that did not involve a good deal of broken bones and a LOT of cursing.) With a soft sigh she unfolded her crossed legs and rose to her feet just in time to see a pair of women on one side of the building, while a half-dozen Outcasts charged towards them. A small smile (and the hint of a dimple) peeked from the corner of her mouth as a ferocious gust of wind shoved them all to their backs though that smile faded when it seemed that they would rise any moment.
Jessamin took a deep breath and jogged back a few steps, the light of the setting sun reflecting off the paper thin plate armor that covered her from neck to toe. Loosing a wicked looking war mace, she prepared to jump into the middle of the fray with her sights set on one of the rear combatants .. hopefully, she planned for a good many of the attacks to find her instead of the other two women, giving them a crucial moment to prepare themselves and (again, hopefully) join her.
This was going to hurt. A LOT.
Ivory and Lyle began their slow walk through the frozen lifeless world of Limbo. Cars sat mortionless, birds frozen in midair and people preserved in mid stride. Ivory hated walking. On their way back to Morningstar's humble antique shop the two happened upon an unexpected fight.
Sure Ivory had asked some of the heroes to go talk to a few outcasts but this was hardly what he had in mind. Outcasts seemed to travel in three sizes these days: pairs, trios and packs. It must have ben two for one when buying bulk on the streets of Steel Canyon.
Frozen above Deth and the unfamiliar girl were three shapes. In order of their hight above the battle they were a boulder at the lowest, a shocker at the mid and what looked like a rapidly descending woman in charmingly old fashioned armor.
A good block away, Ivory cut the frozen glass of Limbo and opened a jagged exit for himself and Lyle. Once back into the living, moving world, Lyle instinctively took aim at the Shocker but was inturrupted as Ivory lightly pressed his hand over the top of Lyle's firearm.
Ivory tossed his own rifle to land uncermoniously at the edge of a park bench. The setting sun had covered Ivory in a redish glow makin it hard to see the white suit he wore as he strolled casually twords the place to sit and rest.
"I know what you're thinking old man." Ivory spoke calm and cooly as he removed his glasses to clean them with a handkerhief; the action revealing his white eyes of light and smoke, a small mist seeping into the air at the corners before ending in a sharp trail. "Let's see how the ladies handle themselves."
Ivory took a seat on the steel bench, jostling his rifle just enough to send it crashing to the ground where it let out a solid metalic sound and the mechanical jostling of loose parts when it hit.
"Besides," Ivory mused. "It's getting late.
"No, it wasn't me, I thought you'd done it," Haunt said as he glanced at Sly, the confusion obvious in his voice. "I think it'd be best to question it later," he added as the Trolls regrouped.
Haunt did a quick body count as the creatures rushed towards them; there were three weaker minions surrounding their leader, all shivering as they slowly approached. He chuckled at the cackling Sly, then crouched again as Eidolon flared up, before charging them.
He lept into the center of the bunch, positioning himself to the side of the minions, who surrounded their boss in a triangular shape. Almost simulaneously, Eidolon first began to seep across the ground surrounding the group, draining their life force, and send a needle-tipped spike of shadow at the Torvast. The spike sapped the last of the weakend Troll's life force, as Haunt's body seemed to glow, invigorated yet again.
The other trolls seemed unfazed by their leader's downfall, and spread out into a line, moving in to surround him as the cold nipped at them and the shadow sapped their health. Haunt crouched into a defensive position yet again, waiting for the monsters to inevitably move into the right position for him to finish them off.
One second, no movement from Haunt.
Another second passed, still Haunt remained unmoving, save the ring of shadow cascading around him.
Three seconds, and he exploded into a whirlwind of fist and shadow.
He pummeled all three minions at once, and combined with the draining they had already experienced, they dropped to the ground at nearly the same time, unmoving. Haunt cracked his knuckles as Eidolon's form tightened around him again, then turned to Sly, who was already off, trying to catch up to Deth.
"Hey, wait up!" he called as Eidolon opened a portal to the netherworld, and they began to chase after the teleporting Fox.
Nexxes sank to the ground and became visible briefly examining the unmoving Torvast.
"An unusual use of netherworld energy... not demonic... this is worth more attention"
the trolls were not any threat to them yet the one with the hat seems very aggitated?
It should be fairly easy to follow the unsual nether energy trail
With that Nexxes raised back into the air and followed after the two.
Almost immediately following the gust of wind, the temperature dropped dramatically around the Outcasts. While it wasn't nearly cold enough to harm them, their movement became more sluggish, buying yet more time for the heroes to react.
Between her previous encounter with the Brick and her efforts to stave off his friends, the battle was obviously taking a toll on the girl. With the last effort she could muster while managing to sustain her delaying tactic, she swept her arm in an arc and the air crackled with electricity. Ball lightning jumped between her and the gangers. While the attack was indeed effective, the battle was nowhere near over.
She retreated a few steps, obviously straining to maintain her meteorological manipulation and hoped that Deth would be able to finish what she had started.
--------------------
Lightning Bug
Defender
Storm/Electrical
Virtue
Sly's verbal sparring with Deth was too obscure for Lobe to pick up on, and even with Deth's obvious anger, Lobe was unable to connect the two like he would a push and fall. So, it was to the fortune of everyone else in the vicinity that his rage at the mishandling of women wasn't invoked. However, Deth's obvious distress wasn't to be ignored. Seeing her fume out of the shop focused Lobe much like Helsing's previous bout of cussing did, and with predictable results.
Proud of his ability to remember not to stand to his full height, Lobe made his way to the front door and opened it.
Now Lobe's mental processes can be abstractly yet accurately described as trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Much to the chagrin of insurance companies, his actions can be described with the same analogy.
Having avoided damaging the ceiling further, Lobe, focused on comforting the nice lady Deth, walked through the door....and wall, and windows of the shop. If anyone had been watching the big fella's face instead of the disintigrating store-front, they would have seen a very brief look of confusion. It passed and he began to look for Deth. "Ms. Deth!" he called out. Failing to find her he began leaping down the street, trailing flashing shards of plate glass like droplets of water. "Are you alright maam?" he shouted, hoping she would hear him. "If someone hurt you I will thump 'em good, yup I will." Lobe smiled beatifically, continuing down the street.