nexus_crossings | Bringing in Spring with a worthy revel

Bringing in Spring with a worthy revel

[With the changing of seasons, many Nexus visitors are very happy to see the snow melt away and life returning to their beloved home. Spring is here!

It appears overnight: a large pantheon in the center of the Nexus forum, and once can only guess how such a great building was erected without anyone noticing. Atop the Patheon are two golden thrones, adorned with gemstones of great value. No one seems to be sitting there, but they seem to hold a great deal of importance to the cloaked humans who guard the Pantheon entrance.

The land in front of the Pantheon is paved with smooth, old stones in the shape of a large circle. Lush flowers and grass grown along the outskirts of the cropping, full of beautiful and exotic plants. Truly the host of this revel wants even nature to bend before their whim.

On the left and right sides of the sides of the circle are two long marble tables, where different food and drink await those who enter. Freshly cooked meat. Ripe fruits and unsullied wine. Whatever your heart desires, be it simple or sweet, you will be hard pressed to not find it on one of the tables. Near the tables is also a large group of tents, adorned with many plush chairs and sofas for those who like to relax while indulging.

The center of the circle has a large bonfire pit, carved of fine stone, lit with a brilliant (almost unearthly) red fire. Comforting to those seeking warmth or invigorating to the souls of the weary: it carries an important symbol for the revel: let your soul burn as hot as the flames inside. Which, to the satyr, it means that everyone present should be partying and indulging with one another. There seems to be plenty of space for dancing and socializing alike, whatever your preference may be.

The entrance into this festivity is monitored by a group of half-human, half-goat satyr. They don’t seem to be picky about who gets let in, assuming you’re not here to ruin the fun, but it would be wise to check it with them first. This is a masquerade-style party, so all of the guests need masks.

But there can’t be anything possible wrong with such a wonderful party, right? Perhaps things are not all as they seem….]

((Here's your OOC guide guide to this event. Post when you can as you like, no worries. Have fun!))

((The second half of the event is live link here Please read the OOC thread so you know the details!))

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"It might seem petty to you, but to us, that meant everything!" One of the men shouts. Finally someone in the group caves and decides that if Harley isn't going to move, he'll make her do it. He rushes at her with a fist drawn, trying to punch her arm to release the weapon she's carrying.

A quick scan of the area indicates something unusual. The Pantheon seems completely untouched by the violence, and the masked man who started this mess is still sitting on his throne. Watching. Waiting. He definitely seems like a prime suspect in this whole mess.

She has her prime suspect. Harley's eyes narrow. She needs to take care of the situation she is in first -- without really hurting anyone.

Luckily, she has been in worst situations before. Because of her enhanced skills, she can respond quickly to the attack. When the man lunges at her, she grabs him and flips him. She strikes swiftly at the pressure point at his neck, to knock him out. One of the advantages of her psychiatrist degree is that she also studied biology. And she knows how to bring someone to unconsciousness without really hurting them.

Harley stretches for a moment, before springing into action to deal with the rest of the mob squad around her before any of them get bright ideas. She flips behind one man, striking him quickly at his pressure point to bring him down.

Then she sprints forward towards the next man. Ready to defend herself from any responding attacks, as she gets close enough to strike him hard at another pressure point to bring him to the floor.

"She's a beast..." Seeing Harley's power a second time is enough, but alas, too late. Each of the men crumble to the floor, defeated, as their friend struggles to get back on his feet. Despite everything that's happened, he gives Harley a sympathetic look, concerned about the safety of his friends.

"I don't know what got into them. We were having a good time at the party, then this happened." He takes off his mask and throws it on the ground. "Thank you, miss." He lowers his head politely to Harley, before slowly walking over to his friends with a PINpoint in his hand. If anything, he can get them all to the nearest Nexus hospital thanks to her.

"They will sleep it off. I am sure you guys will figure things out later." Harley reassures him.

Harley returns her focus to the Pantheon. She has noted that the entrance to the stairs leading up to the Pantheon are guarded -- so she is looking for another way to get up to where the throne and the man who sits upon it.

Perhaps there is a rope she can climb... or perhaps the growing vines are steady enough she could start climbing them.

Her main thought is to keep fighting to a minimum... but if she has to fight her way up... she will.

"Yeah, but everything they said was true...This whole thing is terrifying. I never knew they felt that way before." He lowers his head sadly, catching sight of other people being attacked and hurt, some maybe even being killed. He manages to touch all of his friends, then PINpoints away to safety.

No ropes can be visibly seen from the Pantheon, but there's a vine trellis that is growing on the sides, which should be enough for one person to climb them safely. However, there's evidence of blood on the wall where the vines intersect, and a dead body lays next to the wall. The corpse has been stabbed once, by a sword or a spear, left to bleed out. What's strange is that the puncture point is not near any fatal organs or veins, so the man should've been able to escape or at least not die as quickly.

Oh good. She found something to climb.

However, the dead body makes her pause. The wound was not enough to kill him... which means something else did.

Harley looks at the vine she was about to climb. She is very aware of how deadly plants can be. "Look..." She speaks to the vine. "I have no ill will towards you. So if you leave me be, I will just climb you and get off you quickly."

"But if you try to attack me..." Harley reaches for her other weapon, the flame sword that hangs at her back. The one she was gifted at Christmas. And with a wordless command, the sword ignited in flame. "It will get personal."

With that dealt with, Harley balances her sword in one hand, ready to use... and uses her other hand to climb the vine. She is strong enough (thanks to her aerial silk experience) that she can climb one-handed.

It seems like the vine is just another friendly vine, not out for murder of any sort. Most certainly it wouldn't challenge Harley, especially with a flaming sword in her hand. Fire and plants not do mix very well, after all.

It's only once Harley get a few feet off the ground that something starts happening. There's a quick sound of wind that travels past her, and she might see an arrow coming from the corner of her eyes. Back on the ground, two satyr stand, shooting arrows at Harley, while a familiar girl stands behind them. She's carrying a spear behind her back, a grin on her face while she watches them try to knock Harley down.

If they don't do it, she'll have to get her own hands dirty.

Harley turns slightly when the first arrow whizzes past her. Arrows? Really?

Okay, the fire sword goes back into its holster for now. She needs both hands to continue her climb. Her aerial silk experience is handy again -- as are her quick reflexes -- since she can use her agile skills to dodge the arrows.

Spotting the familiar girl, Harley rolls her eyes. "Buttercup... did you finally find some toys to play with. Too bad you don't have the skills..."

And she sticks out her tongue. Then continued to climb the vine, keeping her body turned so she can react to the arrows (and she is assuming that spear is going to be thrown soon).

"Oh, I like where this is going." She grins, while both of the satyr stop their firing to light their arrows on fire. Chara just watches. She's not throwing her spear, wanting to actually battle with Harley once they get her off the vine.

The satyr begin aiming their shots in front of Harley, setting the vine trellis on fire with their arrows. One way or another, they seem eager to bring her back to the ground...Despite everything that's going on, the girl doesn't seem to panic at the sight that's unfolding. She'll get her bloodthirsty desire for combat satiated one way or another.

Harley mentally runs through her conversation with Chara in her head. Nodding to herself that she didn't run off the mouth about her abilities. A good thing. It will keep a slight advantage.

However, she really doesn't know what Chara is capable of either.

And while she would really like to see who would win in a fight... she has a good feeling that Chara would call in reinforcements.

When the vine trellis is set on fire, Harley adjusts her grip to plant her feet on the wall. Then she cartwheels up the wall. The really nice thing about being trained in a circus is the girl knows how to defy gravity. Maybe she can get high enough to vault over to the Pantheon. She is going to try.

Chara is none too amused by the sudden display of acrobatics, turning to the satyr duo at her side in anger. Both goat men have no time to react as Chara stabs them both with the spear, while Harley completes her accent. The child psycho killer slashes the air, creating a strange portal with the spilled blood. The only blessing she ever appreciated from the Elder God Nyarlathotep.

The top of the Pantheon, once full of life, is surprisingly empty. Whomever was at the top has left for the lower levels of the shrine, only an empty throne awaits. There a brief moment of silence, before a strange red portal appears right next to the stairs. Out from the veil steps Chara, clearly frustrated.

"You can't stop me. I want to fight you whether you like it or not! Letting you interfere with the plan is forbidden."

Okay, weird portal summoning. Harley blow a big bubble, letting it pop obnoxiously when Chara makes her 'evil villain' statement about them fighting. She had seen what Chara had done with that spear... and suddenly that dead body with only one wound makes sense.

With a swift movement, she pulls out her flame sword. She swings it, summoning the flames to burst into action. "Awwww buttercup. Wanna play at the adult's table? We should find you a high chair."

Then she rushes forward, a bright smile on her face, hyped for the fight that is about to happen.

"This is what I've been waiting for!" Chara laughs, taking the spear calmly in both hands. She's not one for lots of talk or big dramatic villain speeches. She wants to kill everything and anything, and since the day she met Harley, Chara has wanted to face her.

The first attack only get a Cheshire-Cat smile from the child, as she brings the tip of the spear down, trying to hit Harley's legs with a sweeping motion. She's worry about the fire sword one she sees which direction Harley intends to swing it.

"Awwww make me blush. Waiting to fight me?" Harley reacts quickly to Chara's attempt to hit her legs with a sweeping motion of the spear by jumping up, and completing a round-house kick directed to hit the girl's face before she lands on the ground.

She swings her sword towards the middle of the spear, aiming to cut it half.

The kick connects, sending the small child back a few feet, until she regain her balance with the spear. Even based on the first attack, she's smiling and laughing.

"My world became boring. I killed it all and now I want to get stronger. You interest me." Chara sees Harley swing the blade and doesn't blink. The blade merely hits the spear, unable to cut through it. It looks wooden, but upon closer inspection, is metal.

Chara quickly attempts to push Harley back with the body of the spear, hoping to get some distance so she take another swing at the woman.

"Poor little baby... destroyed all your toys because they didn't make you happy anymore." Harley cartwheels back when Chara pushes her back, avoiding that spear. So cutting it in half won't work.

She will have to figure out another plan.

Meanwhile, she takes advantage of the distance between her and the young girl. She keeps the sword ready in one-hand, while her other hand reaches back and pulls out her gun. And she fires several shots at Chara, aiming one shot at her left arm, the next shot at her right arm, and the third shot at her chest.

"That's right. Or maybe I just hate everything." Chara steps back, carefully considering her next move. It's strange not immediately attacking Harley, but she can tell that the woman in front of her is stronger than most.

And then the shots come out of nowhere, forcing Chara to react. The first shot grazes her left arm, but she manages to dodge and weave quickly against the other two. Ouch. Chara looks at her arm, which is starting to bleed and smiles. Without any warning, she lunges towards Harley, swiping at the air around her furiously.

This motion might look scary, but it's clearly opening the girl up for some counterattacks.

Perfect. The fired shots did as Harley hoped -- pissed off the girl enough that she rushes in for an attack. Harley keeps calm (after battling some of the monsters in her world, she knows how to stay in control in a fight). And she relies on her agility to dodge the furious swipes of the spear.

It becomes as natural as a dance for her. Dodge the attacks... while countering some quick jabs and aiming to hit pressure points. Maybe she can immobilize the girl in other ways.

"Nah... Don't believe that."

For someone who dodges attacks themselves, Chara is somewhat amused by Harley's actions. It reminds her of a certain lazy skeleton from back home, except Harley is trying to strike back instead of slacking off. The change of pace and style of combat catches her offguard, causing one of the pressure points on her left arm to be hit.

Immediately her grip on the speak weakens, causing her to jump back a few feet to avoid an immediate counterattack. This battle, much as she hates to admit it, isn't going as planned. Her willpower and weak internal healing abilities won't be able to stop another attack like that.

"I haven't fought someone with your strength in a while. And even then, I cheated. Geez...not having the power to undo this battle really sucks." She fakes a laugh, bringing the spear up defensively.

Meanwhile, Harley still appears to be fresh and full of energy. And it does not look like she is anywhere near to being tired out.

"Boohoo princess. Life ain't fair. Even cheaters get cheated." Harley blows another big bubble as she places both hands on her fire sword again.

She rushes Chara quickly, hoping her enhanced speed and agility will catch the girl unaware again. She aims a swing of the sword -- hoping that Chara's reflexes on the left side of her body will not be as good since the pressure point did hit true, and she can score another attack.

"Damn. Didn't think this would happen so soon."

Chara is watching carefully, but her guard slips for a second when Harley rushes her down. She barely brings the spear to her side to block, but now before the flaming sword grazes against her arm. She winces in pain, at the burn and the visible cut, blood dripping on the stone rooftop.

She's not giving Harley a second chance to strike, especially not when she hears a loud booming noise come from the inside of the Pantheon. For a moment, it looks like the girl is staring off into space, before she reaches into her pocket.

Quickly, she throws out a item that resembles a smoke bomb, causing the area surrounding her and Harley to quickly fill with a deep black smoke. Instead of taking this moment to attack, Chara dashes towards the stairs, dropping another item near the staircase. It causes the stairwell to fill up with fire, which might take a few minutes to die down.

For now, however, Harley has won this fight.

Harley takes a moment to catch her breath after Chara tosses the smoke bomb and dashes towards the stairs. Being caught in a smoke bomb didn't really disorient Harley (Joker had used his fair share over the years after all).

She stares at the fire-engulfed stairs for a moment. Her thoughts momentarily distracted by wishing Diablo was still alive -- and here.

But Harley snaps back to reality. That loud booming noise might mean someone is in trouble. And she should find out where it happened -- even if it means taking a risk to run through the flames that cover the staircase.

The smoke clears, but the fire near the stairwell still remains. It looks like jumping through the fire might be the only answer at this point. If Harley manages to do so, she'll notice the interior of the building and three people standing around. The loud noise can be tracked back to the destroyed floor, which looks like it had a bunch of large rocks thrown into it.

Chara is visibly gone. Looks like the end is nigh for this revel, since the master of the festivities in standing before Adia and Caspar, visibly injured.

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Bringing in Spring with a worthy revel

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