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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"Safe? Why would you ever want to do that? This is the party of the century!" One of the satyr gestures to the madness all around them, indicating his joy for the situation. The other goat-man seems lazy about the whole situation, almost wishing her could be reveling instead of fighting.

"If you're looking for somewhere to go, this place isn't it. You're better off trying to escape near those tents." The other satyr points with his sword towards the resting area. "Unless you're actually here to surrender?"

It's tempting to snap back something sarcastic, but Caspar holds his tongue, looking instead in the direction the satyr points. "That's so far away," he whines. "Look at all those people attacking one another, can't I just stay here?"

He gives both goat-men a pleading look, but pays extra attention to the lazy one. Feigning nervousness, he wraps his arms around himself defensively. "Look, buddy, I don't know what you mean by surrender, but I'm willing to do just about anything to get out of here in one piece. What's your price?"

"No means no." One of the satyr has no intent of giving up his stance on the matter, while the other ponders Caspar's words carefully. Okay, maybe this human is just dumb and needs some help with getting away from the Pantheon.

"Surrender to Nyarlathotep, of course. Become one with the revel." He almost to say more, but gets a glance up at the top of the Pantheon, where the suit-wearing 'demon' is watching them. Both satyr turn their backs to Caspar, giving their attention to the 'God', who seems to be gesturing for them to kill Caspar.

Lacking any sort of intelligence, and actually letting their guard down for even a few minutes is probably not the best idea...

Oh, how he's dying to point out the irony of a consent slogan being tossed at him in the midst of a Bacchanalia. How did Aaron last so long pretending to be a milquetoast public relations officer? Putting on his best pathetic expression, he keeps his hands tucked in the safety of his blazer until both satyrs turn around.

Then the pulls out his switchblade and flicks the blade open.

His first target is the satyr with the better work ethic. He takes a stab just below the ribcage -- if he's lucky, he'll puncture a lung, if he's not, he's hoping it's still enough of a distraction to grab his sword.

There's no time for either satyr to react, as the switchblade cuts into human skin, causing the goat man to fall forward, dropping his blade to the ground. An injury like that isn't something he'll be getting up from at all.

Might want to grab that other sword quickly, Caspar, because the other satyr is not amused at his partner going down so easily to a human. He's coming at the Cylon with his sword raised at ready to attack.

Swiftly retracting the switchblade, Caspar wastes no time in ducking down and grabbing the hilt of the short sword. Bladed weapons aren't exactly his speciality, but he's quick to block the satyr's first attack. The swords ring out upon impact, metal on metal, but Caspar's grip and stance are solid and he doesn't drop his guard.

"How about you surrender," he snarls, and then he goes on the offensive, treating his sword like a blunt instrument -- no flair, no style in his swing, just brute force as he bears down on his opponent. His goal is to disarm, but he's not holding back, either. He needs access to the Pantheon, before it's too late.

Edited 2018-05-27 00:21 (UTC)

"You..." The satyr isn't used to this blunt style of combat, as he recoils with every swing. One last strike of the blade causes his sword to fly out of his hand, and the satyr stumbles backwards into the stairs. He still has no idea that Caspar isn't a human.

"We've underestimated your people." The sword is well out of the satyr's reach, and he isn't about to risk his life for it. Nothing else seems to be in Caspar's way now...

"Damn right you did." Caspar glares down at the beaten satyr, his stolen sword raised warningly, but any disdain he feels is incidental. His way into the Pantheon is clear; if the satyr wants to try any last minute funny business, Caspar will make sure he regrets it, but otherwise he's running up those steps and into the temple.

He does take a moment to pull off his mask, however, tossing it aside carelessly before taking a good look at the layout in front of him. He's certain that Adia is in here somewhere, but it's not a small temple, and there is still the matter of any other enemies lying in wait.

The satyr passes on trying to do anything to Caspar, valuing his life over any sort of 'mission' he was on.

The inside of the temple is empty, most of the troublemaker enemies are outside adding to the revelry. At first, things are quiet, but off to the left is a loud banging noise, like something hitting on wood with a hammer. That might be a good starting point to this affair.

The inside of the temple is as tranquil as the ones back home, a bizarre counterpoint to the chaos outside. Caspar stares at the reflecting pool, and the metal chairs beside it. One is flipped backward, as if someone got up in an awful hurry.

His heartbeat is like a deafening boom in the silence. He takes a slow breath and wills himself to keep his head clear. He doesn't know yet that 'Josh' is tied up in all this Nyarlathotep nonsense, but there is a churning worry that Adia's life is at an even greater risk than he had first assumed.

And then an actual boom disrupts the quiet, and he hurries quickly to the source of the sound, his sword held up and across his chest defensively, his switchblade in his other hand.

The source of the sound is a huge black and purple dragon with three heads, who is throwing his body against a large wooden door. Caspar's presence doesn’t go unnoticed, as the dragon raises his three heads, sniffing the air loudly. A growl comes from the Pokémon especially seeing weapons in the Cylon’s hand. A sentient creature can be negotiated with, hopefully...Hydreigin has no intent of letting Adia get hurt by this random guy.

For a hot second, Caspar thinks that he's stumbled into the presence of a hydra. He keeps his sword up -- not threatening, exactly, but careful to protect himself. A three-headed dragon is no joke. "Am I interrupting something?" he asks sarcastically.

He's not particularly loud, but Adia hears him anyway. She had been edging closer to the locked door, nervous about whatever had caused Hydreigon to stop his rescue attempt and start growling instead, but as soon as she recognizes Caspar's voice, she runs to the door and bangs on it with all her might. "Caspar!" She shouts. "Caspar, I'm in here!"

"Adia?" He steps forward, mind jumping to an unpleasant conclusion, but she anticipates this and bangs on the door again.

"Caspar, Hydreigon's been trying to get me out of here! That's why he's breaking down the door! See if you can help him!"

It takes him a moment for his mind to shift gears -- to think of the pokémon as an ally instead of an enemy. He's been burned before. But if Adia trusts him...

Slowly he lowers the sword. The switchblade gets retracted and tucked back into his pocket. "I can pick the lock," he tells Hydreigon. "Unless you want to keep slamming against it."

Edited 2018-05-29 13:06 (UTC)

Hydreigon is about to lunge froward, but hearing Adia's voice call out to Caspar is the think that stops him. These two humans know each other! The dragon Pokemon glides backwards, away from the door, so that Caspar can begin unlocking it. The visible damage has been done: it looks like the door was pretty well damaged, so it's a good thing that Hydreigon is on their side.

Although he doesn't show it, inwardly he's relieved that he doesn't have to tussle with Hydreigon. He'd fight an actual hydra if it was necessary to free Adia, but he'll take the quieter route for sure. All that slamming around could have attracted the wrong company, so he'll have to work fast.

Setting down his sword, he takes a few seconds to examine the lock. It's a simple metal lock, the kind that takes time and determination to pick, but no clever tricks. Fine by him. He slips a tie pin out of his delicately patterned tie and begins probing at the keyhole, catching at the inner mechanism and patiently working through it.

"This is going to take a few minutes," he warns Adia through the door. "Are you okay in there?"

The question cuts through the comfort of Caspar's presence that had briefly overrode her fear. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Please, Caspar, you have to hurry. 'Josh' is here somewhere."

Caspar's hand slips and he swears, fishing out the pin and starting over. "What?"

"He's possessed," she adds. "The witch that opened the portal for him, she's using him to bring a god named Nyarlahotep into the Nexus to spread chaos."

The image of that badly dressed man in the mask fills his mind and his jaw tenses unconsciously. "I think he already did, babe. There's a full on riot going on outside." All the more reason to concentrate on picking that lock and setting Adia free. "Hydreigon? Do me a favor and keep at least one of your heads on watch while I get this open."

Hydreigon keeps his three heads in the air, making sure to keep guard while Caspar unlocks the door. The conversation that occurs between Adia and Caspar can be heard by the Pokemon, however, he grumbles at the mention of Josh. Who is that? Clearly, the Pokemon has no idea how many aliases his master has.

That doesn't matter now, as the lock pops open after a few, long minutes pass. In that split second, Hydreigon growls, looking up at the staircase. Someone can be heard clapping from up above.

"Looks like I underestimated the power of true love."

Caspar ignores the grumbling while he keeps his attention focused on the lock. For a Cylon who prefers brute force to solving problems, his hands are nimble with the tie pin, using it to carefully slide the lock tumbler components into place. He only wishes he had that same kind of delicacy with his words. He can hear Adia pacing anxiously on the other side of the door, but can't think of what else to say to calm her. "I've almost got it open," he tells her finally. "Then we can go home."

Adia pauses in her pacing, but only because she remembers that Jeff has her PINpoint. This fills her with a dizzying wave of worry. What if Nyarlahotep decides to spread his brand of chaos to other worlds? Atlantis could be in jeopardy.

She places a hand on the door and takes a steadying breath, but it's Caspar on the other side who gives her balance. He'll get her out of here, and then they can work on that problem together.

The lock pops with little fanfare. Caspar already has the door open when he realizes that they have company. Swinging his gaze to the stairs, he bends down to pick up the short sword. Whoever it is, he's not expecting them to be friendly.

Jeff’s entire demeanor from earlier has changed; he stands there confidently with a large sword in one hand. At his side is the familiar Alolan Persian both Adia and Caspar are used to seeing, but the cat doesn’t seem eager to be at her master’s side.

”It looks like certain calculations were not taken into effect. The will of humans is much stronger in the Nexus than I anticipated. But the harsh reality remains: you are all creatures of chaos.” It’s still not Jeff’s voice, but to prove that it’s really him, the mask comes off. What lies beneath is simple terrifying.

It’s Jeff’s face, but his skin is completely turned gray, his eyes are a deep black. Whomever or whatever is controlling him is clearly not of this world.

”You’re not going anywhere.” He points the sword at the Pantheon entrance, causing it to be engulfed in a large wall of flames. The gemstones in his sword glow a vibrant red, and if Caspar even thinks about looking at his PINpoint for an escape, he’ll find the device is not quite working as planned. "Let's settle to score, here and now, Caspar Millen."

Caspar glares at the man in mask, the line of his jaw a hard edge. It's annoying to have himself lumped in with humans, but it's nothing he hasn't heard before. "So what you're saying is that you screwed up your little takeover party? Can't say I disagree with that, big guy. You should go back to the drawing board. Or better yet, frak off and take your horned flunkies with you."

Big words from a guy with a significantly smaller sword. But Caspar is not above talking smack if it gives Adia a chance to escape. He grabs his PINpoint with his free hand and shoves it into Adia's as she quickly exits her former prison, but by then it's too late: the PINpoint is dead and the wall of flames cuts off the other obvious avenue of escape.

Jeff's ghastly appearance makes Adia gasp, and even Caspar looks a little shaken up. He's looked death in the face before -- he's died before -- but he's never gone toe-to-toe with a god.

"Try to get her somewhere safe," he tells Hydreigon, gesturing for Adia to hide behind the dragon. As for Persian, he gives her a brief, reproachful look, before meeting the black, fathomless gaze of her master.

"Fine by me, unless you were planning to have your pet kitty do your fighting for you."

Edited 2018-06-03 15:42 (UTC)

"This is exactly as I planned. Whether or not people die here matter not. Instilling fear and my name is all that matters. People will talk about this for weeks, months, years. Thus, my presence will never be forgotten, only strengthened." He starts to walk down the stairs, Persian hesitantly following behind.

Hydreigon doesn't wait for Adia's approval, as one head tries to grab her by the cardigan she's wearing. If allowed, he's going to get Adia on his back and fly upwards, somewhere much safer than the ground. Persian looks at Hydreigon and feigns violence, slowly pacing the dragon, but is clearly giving him time to get Adia to safety. Clearly the cat Pokemon isn't loyal to Jeff either.

"No. We fight to the death this time. Me and you" He doesn't seem to care that Caspar has a small sword and his blade is an unfair advantage. Do what needs to be done. 'Jeff' takes a swing at Caspar without a second thought, aiming for the Cylon's shoulder.

"Sure you did." Caspar's dry tone hides his worry over what other tricks 'Josh' has hidden up his gaudy sleeves. "Trust me, you are vastly overestimating your presence here. If anyone bothers to bring you up, it'll only be as the flavor-of-the-week megalomanic. And you'll be in shitty company."

He takes a step back when the other man descends. A quick glance towards Adia when she squeaks in fright at being hoisted like a baby animal, but she settles quickly once she realizes what Hydreigon is trying to do. Wrapping her arms around the dragon's main neck, she tries to keep her eyes on the impending fight below. It's a relief to see that Persian isn't interested in fighting, but what does that truly matter, now that 'Jeff' is possessed by a dark god? "Caspar, look out!" she cries out when the other man starts swinging.

Caspar raises his sword and blocks the blow, grunting with the effort, then takes a swing of his own, attempting to push the other man back towards the stairs.

The two swords clash, echoing loudly in the room, as 'Jeff' smirks confidently. He does step backward when Caspar swings, but manages to put one foot back on the stairs easily. So much for tripping him up, as 'Jeff' skillfully steps up the stairs, giving him the high ground.

"You're wrong. The chaos can't be stopped, and to be honest, once Adia dies...It'll spur many people into despair and hopelessness." It's as if the God possessing Jeff knows what will piss off Caspar, expecting the Cylon to make a fatal mistake or movement.

It's perhaps not the wisest tactical move to give 'Jeff' the high ground, but Caspar is only concerned about getting distance between the possessed man and Adia. He presses on, attempting to herd 'Jeff' up the stairs, his blows strong and sure.

At least until 'Jeff' taunts him. Caspar snarls and overextends his reach, trying to stab the other man in the face to get rid of that insufferable smirk. Only at the last moment does he realize his mistake and draws back on his swing. "To be honest, once you die, no one's going to give a frak!"

Each blow is indeed powerful, despite 'Jeff' blocking each swing with his own weapon. The Cylon strength is showing, and despite having supernatural powers, Caspar is willing out. At least, until he nearly overextends, which gives him enough time to evade the swing and lunge forward with his foot, trying to push Caspar back to the center of the room.

"As if a God can die. But if you're referring to this body..." 'Jeff' holds out one hand. "I was prepared to sacrifice this form anyways. If it dies, then it doesn't matter to me." Those words alone cause Persian to snarl, frustrated at the situation.

Even Hyrdreigon, who still keeps Adia on his back safely above the battlefield, grumbles in discontent. Something has to be done. What can they do without hurting their master? Both Pokemon seem to be hinging their bets on Caspar's abilities for now.

Caspar stumbles back, but keeps his footing. The fact that he can't make any headway with this guy is discouraging, made worse by the words he speaks. He doesn't care whether 'Josh' lives or dies... well, okay, he'd prefer it if 'Josh' bit the dust, but a rogue Chaos God doesn't sound like much of an improvement, especially if Adia's life remains in danger.

A weakness. Nyarlahotep must have a weakness. Everyone does. Athena killed herself by plunging from the Gates of Hera, but that doesn't seem to be an option here. "Hey, Adia!" he calls out, blocking more pushback. "Any ideas on stopping this asshole without setting him loose?"

The question snaps Adia out of her tense silence. Despite everything, she doesn't want to see Jeff sacrificed any more than his pokémon do. "Try disarming him!" she shouts back. She can't articulate why, but that sword has been tugging at her subconscious this entire time. There's magic involved, clearly. Whether that's relevant to Jeff's possession is not something she can tell, but it's worth a shot.

Without missing a beat, Caspar changes the aim of his swing, this time going for the hilt of the sword, and the hand holding it.

Neither of them seems to be getting anywhere, and it's apparent that exhaustion or a minor mistake will be the thing that costs someone their life. The conversation between Adia and Caspar falls on deaf ears, as 'Jeff' is more preoccupied with trying to take Caspar out once and for all.

The swing at his wrist is ultimately starts the landslide of problems for Nyarlathotep. His grip is weakened, but he takes a last ditch swing at Caspar's arm, before stumbling backwards. Without warning, Hydreigon flies closer, his body glowing purple, and a stream of black and red chunks of rock appear out of nowhere. The powers Pokemon possess are truly scary as the Draco Meteors fly past Caspar, aiming directly at the feet of 'Jeff', sending the sword flying out of his hands.

The blade slides across the floor, well out of grabbing range, as Jeff hits the floor. Looks like the monster has been stopped for now.

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