Between Gods and Monsters Archive Chapter #2

[Jiraiya the sage]

 the winged figure stares into the air and speaks to anyone who is listening: "by the way i have a name or title at least. my name is the yin yang protegee, and i bear non here malice, my mission is to save the people of where i am from. the gods of my world are akin to two of your world: God and Lucifer, they are like children in a constant power struggle. i have great power but cant match to theirs, and i really need help to save the millions of poeple who remain in horrible lives. im sorry for intruding in your world but i was thrown out of mine, please help me." at this point the protegee starts weeping to the point where the customers at the bar try to figure out what to do or say.

[Maxx]

"Five times?" Sebastian asked, eyebrows raised.  "Busy girl.  Would you excuse me for a moment Halo?  I think I see our first recruit."

He slipped off his barstool and headed for the new arrival.  Unseen by mortal eyes, his own wings spread out behind him.  Once they had been black and leathery, like the wings of a giant bat.  When he had broken away from the infernal legions and briefly joined the celestials, they had gone from leather to feather but the colour had remained.  If he made the grade, he had been told, the wings would have turned white.  He hadn't made their grade, so the feathers had stayed black.  So far they had not reverted to leather either, so he considered himself to be ahead of the game.

"Welcome, Yin-Yang protege,"  he said.  "There are those here that can help you but we have a crisis of our own that needs to be dealt with.  Perhaps you would be willing to aid us and we would in turn aid you?  My name is Sebastian.  For convenience's sake, can we call you Protege?"

[Tinker]

Halo peered over her shoulder at the newcomer and she felt her temper rising. Why was it that O'Leary's seemed to attract every waif and stray from the streets of every dimension. She had her own crisis to worry about and unless the winged thing had a Swiss bank account there was no way on this green earth was she pulling a probono for some otherworldly outcast. She had her own world to save from destruction and there sure as hell wasn't anyone showing face to cough up the cash for that, just her own sense of duty.

Halo was more than happy for Sebastian to go and talk to the lost soul, she still nursed the vision headache and could do without a whole new set of problems to further enhance the brain searing pain. She raised a hand in responce to Sebastian's suggestions, she found it highly unlikely that anything that self absorbed would want to lend a hand in this realms potential destruction and being that she was the queen of self-absorption, she knew damned well what she was doing.

She cradled her jug of strychnine sweet, little girl drink and pouted. That had to be, like the third or fourth interruption to her getting any action with Sebastian, she thought she must be losing her touch, the guy hadn't even gotten that lewd with her and she was all about the lewdity and crudity. There was a great oppressive feeling settiling on her shoulders, "Jesus Christ, Halo, what is your problem girl? Its hardly time to be PMSing out. . ."

Her thickly banged head shook in dismay at herself, then she realised that the feeling of oppression wasn't coming from within but from the man standing at the end of the bar. She eyed him over taking in his appearance and she found her head shaking again, "Great, this night just keeps getting better and better."

[Lvciferi]

"Thank you" said the figure as he looked up at the bartender who placed the drink in front of him. Two frail hands reached out and grasped the glass between them, slowly the new comer to the bar tipped the drink back, letting the rusty vitae flow down his throat. As soon as he did  the atmosphere seemed to change, subtly moving away from the dark atmosphere. The man himself seemed to be changing as well as he ingested the blood. Though his skin didn't become any darker it looked more healthy, and around his eyes the smokey deep patterns became blacker and more artificial looking, becoming more and more like make up. The long coal colored hair seemed to creep back, becoming noticeably shorter in the back and straighter and more styled in the front. And even the stranger's lips that had been so blue and dead looking were now bright red, seemingly stained from the deep red drink.

The more alive looking he became though the more the air in the bar shifted from a dark gloomy atmosphere to a much more innocent and sad one. The man rested his cheek softly on his fist as he traced a thin pale finger around the rim of the glass that contained the sustaining drink. His face was the definition of sadness, the blank empty gazed sort of sadness that betrayed how deep in thought the person was.

[Maxx]

He stepped inside and immediately noted the atmosphere in the bar.  He could likely do something to match it or bring the light up a touch.  He crossed to the bar, skirting the small cluster of people (but still managing to walk through one of Sebastian's wings) and nodded to the bartender.

"Evening,"  he said, setting a guitar case carefully on the floor and leaning it against the bar.  He made a quick check of his wallet before ordering a beer and a pound of hot wings.  "Do you ever have bands in here?"  he asked the demon bartender, looking around the bar and trying to see if there was a stage.

[Tinker]

Halo peered at the man and continued shaking her head, "No, no music in here except the jukebox and that rarely is switched on. The patrons have a hard time agreeing on which tunes to two step to."

Al grinned at Halo, eyeing her like an embarrassed parent. He noisily cleared his throat, "Sorry fella but she is actually kind of right. We don't have a live music licence, but we do serve musicians. What can I get you?"

[Jiraiya the sage]

"sebastian sir, protege is good for convenience", Protege says softly and with a light smile. "Of course if any here are willing to aid me in my quest so to speak then i will gladly add my powers to anyone with the group. Needless to say you will have my complete loyalty". protege looks at Halo and says: "I apologise for any intrusion i may be causing but I am only trying to save my people. if i have done you wrong then strike me now, but i promise if you wish to help me you will have my undying loyalty, but to achieve an alliance if you feel it necessary then strike me now." Protegee holds out a hand as a token of loyalty, saying : "Well i have one question for anybody interested, how can i use my powers in service of you folk?"

[Maxx]

"Knowledge is our best weapon, Protege,"  Sebastian said.  "For greatest results we should pool our resources.  Do you have any knowledge of a plot between death gods to destroy your world?  It may be connected to what is happening here."

[Maxx]

"Just the beer and wings,"  the guitarist said.  "Do you mind if I park myself outside your door and play?  I don't want to cause any trouble if you don't have a music license but outside isn't inside, right?  And I can always steer people through the door."

It was subtle but the keenly observant among the customers detected a slight note of disappointment, if not outright despair.  There was something about the way he touched the guitar, the way he always had some part of his body in contact with the case that let them know there was something very different about this man and his guitar.

[Tinker]

"Fella you can play outside the door, I have no problems with that, but the cops come around to shuffle you on, I'm oblivious to your existence, catch me?" Al tipped his head at the man and offered him his sharp angled grin.

Halo lazily swiveled on the stool, half facing Protege, "Sorry kid, colour me several shades of selfish, but I got enough merde to wade through in my own dimension and there is a whole new crop just about fit to fall right in my lap. Next time I have a spare five minutes when I'm not having to dig my way out of the great Cleveland steamer that is sitting on the chest of this fine city I'll look you up, until that time I'm afraid you'll have to do without this girl's talents."

Halo devoted her attention back to the slowly receding jug of Shirley Temple, cradling it like it was a newborn.  Her cerulean eyes scanned the embodiment of darkness beside her, she noted how he seemed to have shrugged off a portion of the gloom that had been surrounding him. She smiled weakly at him as she rested her forehead against her palm, "The sufferings here, the wait is gone. The streets are filled with a hollow song. Got a new death it lurks outside, follows me home, waiting for me", she shook her head and pressed her palms to her eyes.

[Lvciferi]

The dark eyed man with the aura of mournful menace around him seemed to brighten up when Halo started to recite the lyrics and he smiled.

"I love Danzig" he started, but as soon as the words found their way out from between his crimson lips he was interupted.

By a car.

A car that flew through the glass window of the bar, sending shards of glass, splinters of wood and the chairs and tables they belonged to, and people flying as it skidded to a stop in the middle of the bar.

Both dark haired men in the bar turned their very different looking eyes to the dust clouded hole in the bar from where the vehicle flew in. Slowly a figure emerged from the thick cloud, one the emitted a atmosphere of power and an archaic evil. The man, if it can indeed be called a man, had the face and complexion of a man from the Fertile Crescent, and wore not a stitch of clothing on any part of his toned body. A long plaited beard made its way to his chest and was interwoven with gold and purple silk, his long hair was dark brown and curly. The difference between him and a normal man that was immediately recognizable was the cobra that danced and hissed in place of a member. The serpentine creature was long and smooth, covered in black scales with a deep purple diamond pattern that ran down its length. The monster made no noise as he entered the bar through the massive hole, none that is except the hissing of the cobra. Eyes that looked like whiteless tar pits scanned the room in the tense moment that followed his entrance.

[Maxx]

The guitarist was in motion at the first sound of breaking glass.  He snatched up the guitar case and rolled clear of the danger zone.  Only when he as certain the instrument was safe did he relax.  "I somehow doubt I'll get that chance,"  he said, looking at Al.  "Thanks for the offer though."  His eyes moved to the hissing cobra.  "I'd likely be that cranky if I had to vomit piss all the time too."

[Tinker]

Halo's shoulders instinctively hunched with the booming of the freshly implanted vehicle landing squarely behind her. She reacted as if nothing so major as someone had dropped a glass, a heavy sigh heaved from her chest as she calmly placed her dust saturated drink on the bar. Slowly, her hands were placed on the bar straddling the jug and she slid from stool.

"For fuck's sake. . . .is it too much to ask for just one night where I can get drunk in relative peace? Is it?!"

She slowly turned to face the harbinger of destruction, "You, my friend have just made one hell of a sorry mistake. Tonight of all nights,you chose to throw a car into my bar?"

Her long fingered hands clenched into fists at her sides, the electrifying scent of ozone crackled across her pale skin, tiny currents of electrical charges danced in staccato along the surfaces of her knuckles, "Now, my fine friend, since you caught me in such a jovial manner, I would say you had the grand total of ten seconds to start explaining your grand entrance before I  create a gapping charred hole in those pretty chiseled abs."

[Lvciferi]

The figure's dark lips turned up in a sneer as he slowly extended his left arm to the side and made a gesture with his hand, pointing two fingers down. He then proceeded to do the same thing with his right arm in that practiced yet laggard way, but with his two fingers point up. After a moment the creature opened its mouth and uttered words that sounded like a mix between the wind and the roar of a lion heard from miles away, distant yet distinct. All the while his pure black eyes seemed focused on Halo.

"The time of peace above is done, there will be unity. As above, so below. And the below is chaos as above shall become" each word echoed in the chest of its listeners, like the bass of a drum. If the intruder was at all threatened by Halo's words he didn't show it.

[Maxx]

"Would you excuse me for a moment?"  Sebastian asked.  He stepped away from Protege, so that if anything happened, she would not be caught in the crossfire.

"Greetings,"  he said, giving the being a slight bow.  "Are you here for battle?  If so there are certain rituals that need to be observed.  Can we start with your name and the specifics of the form of combat you chose to indulge in?  Here we have a variety of formats, ranging from physical contests to battles of wills, right on up to the ultimate combat, freelance rap duels."  Sebastian had practice saying the most outrageous things in front of highly skeptical audiences.  He was gifted when it came to making things sound sincere.

[Lvciferi]

The being's coal colored eyes never left Halo, even as the broken winged creature stepped in front of him, they just seemed to pierce past him. The being didn't acknowledge Sebastian's words, it's also possible it didn't understand any of what the man in black had said either. A steady rhythm started to pulse in the air, seemingly coming off of the intruder who had started to hunch his shoulders while the snake that was attached to him seemed to swell in size and thickness, as well as ferocity. Golden eyes looked around the room as the snake darted its head back and forth, hissing and daring anyone to come within its striking range. The thumping in the air became more and more tangible, and as it did things started to be pushed back by the rhythm. Around the room things started to crash and be smashed against the wall, but the noise was overpowered by whatever it was that the creature was doing.

The creature may of been planning something, or even attacking in its own way, but for the most part it seemed to be just standing there waiting.

[Maxx]

Sebastian shrugged.  "Suit yourself,"  he said.  "You had your chance.  Now you get to pay the price."  He stepped aside.  "He's all yours,"  he said, moving well back.

Across the bar, the guitarist had found a table to place between himself and the intruder.  He quickly opened the case.  He didn't have time for the usual care with which he removed the instrument. Likely she would be angry about it, he thought.  Still, it was a time for fast action, not reverence.  He began to play.

The tune immediately called to mind the calm before a storm.  Whatever force was pushing things back stopped when it met the music, creating a ring of stillness around the player.  I wonder how long I'll be able to keep this up?  Not long if he decides I'm a threat....

[Tinker]

The trademark angst ridden teen sigh billowed from between Halo's lips for a second time in the evening, her clear eyes rolled skywards as she collected her thoughts to speak to the being now presented in front of her. She glared directly into its golden eyes as the entire bar reverberated,"Give me bloody strength", she muttered beneath her breath.

Her hands opened to reveal tennis ball sized globes of raw energy, they undulated and sparked serenely in her pale palms in glimmering shades to match her cool eyes.

"Okay, so thank you for the rather lovely sonic show. We get the point, you are all powerful and can make things jiggle off shelves and smash on the floor, nice one. I'm sure Al is more than thrilled that you have just wrecked his livelyhood. Lets just cut through all the bullshit. You've delivered you message with much style and finesse, who sent you and why here?"

[Maxx]

The guitarist continued to play, his nimble fingers maintaining the zone of calm around him.  The strain was beginning to show, however.  Music he could play and had played for hours.  Magic was a little more difficult.  If they take this outside, I might be able to give her some more juice, although I doubt she'd need it....

[Maltesedragn]

'What The............'

Arctos sheilded her  Wolven eyes from the flying glass,  as the vehicle  Flew through the window at a break neck speed.   

'Cay, You alright?'

The Shewolf awaited an answer from her aquaintance, hoping he was still safe. 

It was Odd that  such a neutral place as this...... seemed to be coming apart at the seams she thought to herself.   what strange occurences.   This is defineatly not  accidental.  Wonder if it has anything to do with the spoken Sumerian? Arcos pondered that last thought over again,  and looked around  at the debris.




  [/color]

[Jiraiya the sage]

"i dont think it would be a plot between the dark and light gods of my world Sebastian, but they might want to eliminate the humans of my world who are grey so to speak. deep down the gods of either side are scared of human potential, we are alligned to neither side." replies protege.  protege looks at halo: "that is fine with me, i'm glad you aren't an enemy." protege finally steps up and walks towards the demon creature. Protege turns his head and says to sebastian: "no offence sir but i am a guy, as i believe it is said in this world." Protege suddenly looks at the demon thing and speaks in a language which is beautifully angelic but filled with demon like malice. at the same time he telepathically transmits the conversation into english for the benefit of the people at the bar. protege says in this strange tongue: "Are you from the king of darkness or the king of light? perhaps you are remnants of my traitor father hmm? speak now else i will blow you back to the place from whence you came."

[Lvciferi]

A slow echo filled the room, strengthening as the seconds wore on until it became painfully obvious to all gathered that it was laughter. All who cared to look turned to see the same unnamed creature as before this time with his hands around the neck of Cay right next to the werewolf.

"The delusional angel speaks to its self. He simply says Satan backwards and moves around Yahweh to form the other name. He is pathetic to believe he could kill me. I am from a time and blackness before the so called adversary became the beast to fear. I have not come for the reasons the angel would deceive you to believe. I am here for the reason I stated. To bring a darkness" the words flowed from Cay's mouth but were obviously coming from the creature that held the red haired man by his throat in his powerful hand.

The being seemed finished with Cay and dropped him to the floor where he scrambled behind Arctos, pine green eyes wide.

Again the creature made the gestures, and again the room felt like it was being pulled backwards, this time with exceedingly more force. The very skin of the gathered patrons felt like it was being pulled at, all the while the serpent limb hissed and spat venom at the feet of those assembled, daring anyone to come closer, to fall for the ruse of a double again.

[Maltesedragn]

All Arctos could do is shield  Cay somewhat from further damage. 

'It's going to be a Long night' the shewolf muttered under her wolven breath.

[Tinker]

Halo watched with abject horror as the scene before her unfurled. She turned to the selfproclaimed protege and screamed in his face the energy shooting off her in vicious sparks, "What the fuck did you think you were doing?! You have NO idea what that is or how to throwdown with it, so why don't you back the fuck up and let someone who knows this dimension deal with it? Haven't you heard of ask questions first shoot later?" She held back the insults that were poised on her tongue, "I will deal with YOU later."

A strong wind worked up around her, billowing her hair up in grasping tendrils. She closed her eyes and and a deep guttural language tumbled from her lips. The globes of energy throbbed and pulsated in her hands gaining more luminance with every word spoken. Her eyes snapped open to reveal white-hot, glowing orbs, her chest heaved in her exalted state. A resonating voice thundered from her feminine lips, "There is enough darkness here, you have stepped beyond the boundaries governed by the old ones. The choice is yours, my friend. Leave now, content with the chaos you have brought or stay and have your ass handed to you by a small female human."

The energy consumed her body whole, swathing her in eye-searing blue light, crackling with explosive power as she strode towards the entity with cocky confidence, "You have two seconds to make up your mind before I loose my temper and smear that pretty face on these walls like peanutbutter."

[Lvciferi]

If the being considered Halo's words he wasn't showing it, he continued as if he wasn't interupted by the powerful mystic making a show of her powers. Eye's like a starless night met the shining ivory eye's of Halo as she started to move forward. The air started to pull backwards with more force, knocking over chairs and glasses, all the while the serpent attached to the creature struck out and spit poison at the one that called its self the protege, eager to show it how a master fought.