Out of the Ashes [Private T&J Game] IC

[Deme]

"I'm not actually sure what just happened, really."

Adrian shrugged.

"Anyway, waking up in a strange place does odd things to us all. But sooner or later, you get used to it...Or, at least, take solace in the fact that there are stranger places to wake up."

[Atreli]

Eric just smiled at that.

He was now fully dressed and ready to roll.

" Let me go and take Moon for a walk then we can go...wherever."

Hooking her leash up to her collar, they headed out the door once Eric had grabbed his cane.

[Deme]

Adrian nodded.

About midway through his walk, Eric felt something against his back. Moon began to bark.
"Hand over your wallet, and shut up that dog."

A telekinetic search would reveal a tall man in a long coat, pressing a gun to Eric's back.

[Atreli]

Eric's stress level was teetering dangerously high. All of yesterday and now this. Too much, it was too much.

It was just the last straw.

Suddenly Eric's telekinetic vision cut off, bathing him in darkness. Faintly he heard Moon barking at him excitedly, as if she knew what was to happen to next. Unbeknowst to him, red light was coming off of his body in waves. The ground began shaking beneath him, no doubt Adrian would feel it in their room. The transformation was pure agony, leaving his thoughts only full of the pain and nothing else.

What took Eric's place was nothing short of incredible. Chaos, a creature that was massive much bigger then humans could ever be in size and stature. Well developed muscles covered his broad bare chest, Eric's having ripped and shredded away. Black body markings decorated his pale flesh, he had shaggy black hair that fell into his eyes. From the waist down, he had a snake's body, what seemed almost an endless coil of black and gray scales.

Chaos instantly felt the gun pressing against his back. Chaos whirled around to face the dirtbag. Blood red eyes flashing and pinted, razor sharp teeth breaking into a grin, he swung his arm into the man. This horrid man made Eric afraid and for that he would pay. He must protect Eric. No matter what.

He was kinda hoping that this sent the dirtbag flying and far away from here.

[Deme]

The man ducked and tried to cover, at least a little bit, his mind boggling from the horror before him.

(2d6+2)[7]

In the hotel room, Adrian covered his head and sighed.

"...I knew this was going to happen...I should have..." No, he shouldn't have. He closed his eyes and clutched a small pendant around his neck. "Oh champion, my will summons you. My will guides you. My will binds you... Come, Star-wandered...Come, mage-devourer... Come... I'm right here!"

There was no flash of light. No theatrics. Adrian straightened.
Or was it Adrian? Oh, sure, the face was Adrian's...But the expression was hardened, taking that soft, boyish edge off of it. The posture was straighter, prouder, stiffer, and the man just seemed to wear the body differently.
And his eyes... His eyes were much colder, much older. They were eyes that had seen stars go out, and had seen its own compassion sputter and die like a candle flame.

This man walked down the hallway to the fire escape with a purpose -- let the alarm blare. He floated down light as a breeze, and looked about for the signs of what he was summoned to do.

[Atreli]

Chaos hissed slowly at the man's movements. " Get away from me..."

He could feel his temper rising at this puny human. Who did this punk think he was? There was enough of his plate already without adding this to it.

He was alone and his sense of smell told him that he was in the middle of the city. Which made no sense at all. The doctors at the institute had forbidden him any city visits for reasons you wouldn't need many guesses for.

Eric, on the other hand, was allowed visits into the city but were usually heavily supervised and he was tranqed instantly if anything seemed remotely out of whack.

But before he ponder what to do about this whole confusing mess he had take care of this creep. With one quick movement Chaos attempts to knock him over with his tail.

[Deme]

Given that the man already successfully defended from Chao's last attack, let's just call that unsuccessful, with Chaos taking 3 ranks of damage. The man fires his gun at Chaos.

(2d6+2)[10]

It was then that something else came at poor Chaos. A bolt of force, aiming at the back of his skull.

(2d6+4)[11]

The assailant looked like Adrian, but to Chaos's senses...Something was wrong. The smell, the posture, the tilt of the head like he was surveying the work of his shot. He held a small paper talisman in one hand, with a circle drawn on it. Magus hovered slightly off the street, giving him the impression of height.

[Atreli]

Pain burst in front of his vision like stars in a cartoon. For a moment he was greatful Eric was M.I.A so he could completely miss out on this.

The gun. The bolt. It was too much. His vision blurred for a second as he got a gander at his new opponent. " Adrian wha-?" Chaos uttered. The immense confusion he was feeling dripped off his tongue and into his words. What had happened? It was like that story his old doctor, Dr. Campbell used to read to him when he was younger. Down a rabbit hole and into a place that is entirely crazy.

His fingers went to stop the bullet hole from bleeding. The whole time he was panting heavily, unable to catch his breath suddenly. " Adrian wait! It's not...what it looks like! He attacked Eric...I was protecting..." Chaos turned and refocused on the man with gun just because he didn't want to risk getting shot. Again. No more. He didn't have the strength to get creative so he simply punched the guy.

(2d6+2)[8]

[Deme]

The man tries to dodge.
(2d6+2)[9]
...And succeeds. He is a lucky little mook.

Magus takes in the scene with an air of inhumanly icy calm; Adrian had seen Chaos before, but not exactly met him, and neither Chaos nor Eric had ever seen Magus...

"......Still, this is a rather lot of trouble. First things first...This petty little thug needs to go to sleep, to preserve these secrets..." A little twinge in the back of his head. "If not to clean up this street."
(2d6+4)[9]

He fires a blast at the man that wouldn't really hurt him...But would, ideally, knock him out.
When the man tries to dodge, he fails. He's now dazed and distracted, free for a good-ol'-Chaos Punch.

[Atreli]

Chaos growled at the guy as he dodged, his patience quickly evaporating.

Up there, was it really Adrian? It didn't smell very much like him at all. But there would more time to ponder that later. And to discover what the hell was going on.

Chaos went in for another punch, hoping this time, finally it would be over.

Spoiler

Show

(2d6+2)[14]

[Deme]

Aaaaand there's nothing he can do to succeed. The man is out cold.

"Right. Now...Let's cooperate quietly, shall we? This situation can only be made worse by public displays."

Magus landed, so he'd no longer be a floating guy.

[Atreli]

" Fine, I'll be a good boy." This was said with minor sarcasm but Chaos' deep voice just made it funny.

" But only if you tell me what the heck is going on around here." Bleeding and in pain, he didn't care. He was getting answers before anything else happened.

" I'm not allowed city visits so why are we here? Where are the nurses and the doctors with their handy dandy tranq guns? And who are you? You smell like Adrian but..." He would have folded his arms if he could but both of them were on the gunshot wound.

[Deme]

"Consider me a ghost in the shell. I'm in Adrian's service... And right now, the odds are very good the institute no longer exists, or is under attack. It certainly wasn't safe for either of the boys there last night."

Magus gave his answers quickly, and seemingly without feeling.

[Atreli]

" If I had more energy I'd jump for joy. Freedom does taste so good right now." His voice was quickly gaining that scratchy tired quality.

" You have your own name though right? What is it?" He was trying so hard to stay conscious. He hadn't even got the chance to see any trees yet. It isn't fair. Why does Eric always get that chance when he can't even see enough to appreciate it? " Tell me, please before Eric takes over."

" I can't hold on much longer..." The blood loss was making him way to woozy.

[Deme]

"I don't. But the master calls me Magus."

That was all he had to say on that; what was a name, to one such as him? Still... he stood watch, in case anyone had heard the news. There was magic to make this easier.

[Atreli]

" Magus...huh..." Moon wagged her tail, hoping to catch Chaos' eyes.

Chaos was becoming increasingly out of it due to bloodloss. When he couldn't hold any longer, his vision swam wildly. He glimpsed one more look at the sky before the darkness inside him swallowed him whole.

Eric's return was brutal. Lights exploded out of Chaos' body, cracks formed in the road below. The sounds of his bones going back into place filled the air.

Moon just sat silent and watched. Concern in her eyes.

Once the light had died down Eric was standing where Chaos had been. Naked. Shivering. Gasping. Bleeding from the wound that looked a little worse after such a horrid transformation.

Confusion and pain were first things he felt. He opened his mouth and tried to say anything but just air came out. He couldn't focus. Couldn't-

Eric went down almost instantly. He was unconscious in a moment after that. It would be two days before Eric would show any signs of waking up.

[Deme]

Specifically, Eric woke up in a hospital with a very exhausted Adrian at his bed-side. Exhausted and anxious. He probably had not slept for days.

"...Eric! How are you feeling?"

[Atreli]

Eric just responded with groaning. He turned to where Adrian's voice had come from.

" Adrian I-" he tried to trace back his memory of what happened and how they ended here back but he was just met with a gaping black void. The last thing he could vaguely recall was that teeny tiny motel.

" I can't remember. The hotel, we found a motel didn't we? Or did I dream that?" Eric moved to sit up in bed and did it quite easily.

The vision he got of the items in the room alone told him the story of where they were. Shouldn't they be at that motel? " A hospital? Why at a hospital? What happened?"

[Deme]

"No, that happened..."

Adrian mused that that was a bigger black-out than he expected.

"You took Moon for a walk. I'm...A little bit foggy on the details myself, but...It ended with a knife in your back and a large amount of the pavement torn up. Anyway, think you can stand? We don't have time to be here."

[Atreli]

Eric nodded slowly. Taking in the info like he was reading instead of having lived it. Even after knowing what the pieces were he till couldn't get the memories back. Aw well.

" Yeah, I'm good. We can go." Eric swung his legs out from under the covers and over the side of the bed.

For the moment he left the wires all in tht were hooked up in his arms.

" Did you bring any of my clothes, cause I'm thinking that sneaking out of a hospital in a hospital johnny, not a good idea."

[Deme]

"Of course. I got your bag...Particularly since the motel kicked me out; without you, I couldn't keep Moon there."

Adrian says with an alarmingly chipper grin. He brings up the bag.

"One of the night orderlies is a very nice woman who's been letting me sneak Moon in and sleep in the break room."

With a hand that apparently was rather practiced at unhooking an IV and a heart monitor discreetly, he removed them both from Eric's arm.

"I've got her tied outside at the moment. Hey, have you ever ridden on a train? There's one going to St. Louis that's heading by here soon, I think we could catch that. I've got some people who are going to be that way, too."

He tried to make himself sound cheerful, putting aside his own worries about travelling in such a hurry...and his report about what happened to the institute.

[Atreli]

Eric got dressed in a hurry so it only took him 5 mnutes tops and then they were ready to go.

" No, I don't think I've ever been on a train before. I've had to live here and behind walls so many years that was no real chance to go anywhere really. "

He slipped his dark glasses on.

" At least not that I can remember anyway." He said with a shrug.

Cane was the next thing he grabbed and then the bag with the rest of his clothes in it.

" I'm glad she's okay. For a minute there I was seriously worried something happened to her."

[Deme]

"No, no...Moon's fine."

Unfortunately...
The same couldn't be said for our boys, who find a man with a gun waiting for them in the hallway.

"Stop right there, you freaks! Stop and come with us, or I'll shoot!"

The man yells. He looks serious.

[Atreli]

" Adrian?" Eric said in a small voice.

" I can't afford to black out again but maybe I can..."

He tries to telekinetically push the gun out of the guy's hand.

[Deme]

He knocks the gun from the man's hand!

The man goes to recover it...

And Adrian grabs Eric's hand to run out of here as fast as he possibly can. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on a relatively clear path...Or, at least, the path he was going to take, and whether or not there were things in it.

(2d6+2)[10]

[Atreli]

Eric let himself be dragged away. Without looking back he kept his sights set on moving forward.

He was not the kind of person to be all heroic and be able to conquer any obstacles. A little shy and much too kind of a person.

So it was no surprise that fear had slithered it's way into his heart.

I want this to be over. I don't want to die! Maybe some peace would find them once and if they made it outside.

All his life he wanted to be out and among people but this really wasn't what he had in mind.

[Deme]

They managed to pull out, Adrian following his sense of where Eric would be, if there would be guards there...

Outside the hospital, Adrian pauses, panting.

"Ok. Ok. We need...We need to grab Moon, and get moving. I've...Not really figured out where we're going, actually."

[Atreli]

" Where is she? Is she close?"

Eric was panting very hard too.

" I'm not sure it matters...we could close our eyes...spin around and it would work...just fine."

[Deme]

"Not quite. I meant...Where we're going in the long run. What's going to be hiding us, where we'll get money, and so on."

He looked around. Moon was tied up to a nearby bike rack. There was a polite note: "This dog is not abandoned. She just can't enter the hospital."

"Ah. There she is."

Adrian walked up and untied her.

[Atreli]

Running a quick hand threw her hair, her tail began thump happily in seeing him.

Gently taking her leash , he pondered a moment.

"There has to be a way to hide in plain sight without quite attracting the attention of quite so many gunmen. " He paused. "Cause I don't know about you but I getting mighty tired of being shot at."

Moon walked a bit ahead of them, happy to be reunited with her master.

"But where? I'm not sure if a place like that exists anymore."