Riverside 19

[Gullara]

[MERC Office - Kids]

Dena only stops once she is on the other side of the secret door and then closes it right behind the children. Too bad it opened from the other side, or she could have blocked it better.
She then turns to the kids and claps her hands together. "Alright, you've had your little adventure, but unless you want to clean up here, I don't think there is anything else for you in this office." She says with a broad gesture at the furniture which they manage to break even more.

Hekta only seems to have heard Koshal's suggestion however, which she sticks out her tongue in disgust at. "I ain't got that mad lust you people have. And you tied me up and chased me! We are even now!" She protests.

Dena turns to Koshal. "Speaking of which, you could go to the Lotus Garden instead. They offered to cover for your destroyed cellphone, Koshal. Just ask for a woman named Sarah." Then they would finally be out of her hair.

[MERC Office - Kids]

Iknika just glares at Hekta. This creepy little thing has caused them enough trouble.

"Listened to you about what? Whatever, let's just leave."

[MERC Office- Kids]

"Ew, hairless mammals are gross. And you realize you're wrong right? She promised you that there was a way out of there. But you didn't get out, you got caught by Miss Dena. Story was made up." Koshal says, crossing his arms stubbornly.

[MERC Office - Kids]

Eliseo shrugs. "Eh, there was another path." It's not like Dena actually tried anything to stop them anyway. Eliseo remains unfazed. "I'll take off." It occurs to him then never found any ghosts after all. Probably just fake anyway.

[8BitNinja]

[Eastside]

[VIGIL Arrival - Wenomir, Gary and Awen
Headed to Eastside

Following Wenomir's lead, Awen tries to run through how she can possibly help. She possibly overthinks it, too. "What should I do, Reynard?" she asks her fox. From so far away, there's not really much she can do with the swarm until they draw closer, but then they'd be really slowed down and it would probably be too late. Plus, all of those methods would really hurt Wenomir and Gary as well, so she probably should try to avoid them.

Let's see...she thinks. She could use their shadows to trap them. She could maybe try to use some ghostly mists to confuse them? Or maybe exhaustion would work better against them? That's about it, though...

She finally decides: if they continue trying to follow and chase after them, then maybe she could leverage all three of those ideas together. Of course, she'd have to try to slow them down as much as possible. She takes off her gloves and drops them to the ground (so her fox can carry them).

Awen stabs the underside of one wrist with her three of her sharp fingernails. Instead of blood, black thorns drip out and fall in her shadow. Then, moments later, hands come out of the shadows of those closest in the swarm. They reach out, hungry for the people who are casting the shadows, trying to grab them and bring them down.

Next, the witch's eyes turn completely black and appear to drip black tar down her cheeks. She keeps on trying to run behind the other two, but she does have to slow down a bit to concentrate on creating these spells. A slow haze drifts out of those shadowy hands; the haze tries to lull those who breathe it in to sleep, by playing a sad lullaby in their minds.

Of course, as soon as Awen does this, she reaches into her purse to bandage her wound, grab her gloves back from her fox, and then catch up with her teammates as much as possible. She has no idea if any of those magicks will be effective against the swarm of demons, but she can always hope, right? Maybe, at the very least, it'll keep them distracted long enough to be more vulnerable to Wenomir's grenade.

Gary follows the group to Eastside, running and firing his last five rounds in his M1 Garand at the demons as he runs. He stops briefly to reload before following again. He stays out of what he assumes is the general blast radius of the grenade.

[Morty]

[Phone Call - Dipsnig and Cassandra

Once Dena hangs up, Dipsnig gets back on call with Cassandra.

"Keep me appraised of what's going on here, but don't charge into any combat. I leave helping the defending forces to your discretion."

[Ashen Lilies]

[Cassandra]

"...sure thing, boss." Says Cass.

She trails after the group with Felandria in it, figuring the giant-sized woman should be enough cover to enter the city under.

[Kal]

Kal nods at Anika's suggestion.

"The river would be a good way to sneak in," he says. "We need a target, though. We shouldn't just wade in fighting every demon we see."

As fun as that'd be.

"Those giant constructs seem like the primary vanguard of their invasion, and taking them out would definitely blunt their assault, but they're a little too obvious. There must be a softer target somewhere we can hit.

[Shadowcaller]

Spoiler: Quotes

Show

Temple of Bane, North Northside

The soldiers are carried up to the Temple, where they and Fazimah are fussed over by several individuals before an imposing man wearing a suit of shiny black full plate and carrying a mace with a head shaped like a black fist. He'll head to his underling first, his hands glowing as he heals her injuries, before heading to the strangers. He'll try to heal them, too, channelling energy from his god to cure their wounds. Hopefully it works, but it's not a guarantee.

As the Hollow Hounds approach, a different man in full plate- not as shiny or ornate as the first guy's, but still the second best armour in the temple. He's carrying a spiked war-hammer. As they approach, he takes off his helmet, revealing a half-elf with one gold eye and one red one. He inhales deeply, and when he breathes out again, he spews out a billowing black cloud of toxic black smoke. The Festering Gloom should at least weaken the Hollow Hounds, acting by draining their life or animating energies, rather than traditional poisonous gas.

[Lotus Garden Border - Infernals]

Omiko is prevented from making any witty retort by Ilpholin's literally running into her just behind the Infernal's crashing leg. She does her best to grab the nymph (with two normal arms, one mechanical claw, and no fewer than four newly-sprouted mouths) and keep her from getting away. If they're crushed beneath a falling burning-rock-golem, so be it. She can take it. Most likely, though, Ilpholin's momentum knocks the two of them out of the path of the falling titan and all they have to deal with is the collapsing ground beneath them and the amount of getting burnt that they're doing.

She has to note, while falling, that she was too late. The infernal went down.

Hmm. Necromancy, or something like that. Power from everyone they kill, possibly?
Another spell. Antimagic. How interesting that it-
The former mayor dissolves, broken apart into vast numbers of rat-sized coin-colored dragons. Their magic sight shuts off, their destructive breath catches in their throats. For the moment, they mill around in confusion, unable to think straight.

Alice keeps running for a few moments after Felandria stops, only eventually looking back and stopping to help her fight the things. She sweeps both hands up, trying to swat them away with the force-fields and throw the things away from them and towards Felandria's blast of fire.

---

Now, those angels don't fare too well.
The beam cuts across the vanguard of scouts where they cluster at the front, cutting through them one-two-three and tracking a fourth perfectly as it tries to dodge.
Where they aren't completely incinerated, the remains fade away, turned to energy and gone.

The survivors spread out slightly as the swarm comes down.
The archers return fire; such tiny targets! The surviving scouts will leap up and bite at the swarming things, fully expecting that any they catch will be crushed to powder between their teeth.

[VIGIL Arrival - Wenomir, Gary and Awen]

"Thanks, Mia. I'll see what we can do, but we're unlikely to be able to draw the infernals anywhere."

With that, Wenomir leads his team into Eastside, towards the Infernal that didn't just topple over. When the swarms start coming towards them, he snatches one of his grenades, removes the safety and throws it, hoping the explosion, silver shrapnel and lingering silver mist clear them out.

[MERC Office - Kids]

Iknika just glares at Hekta. This creepy little thing has caused them enough trouble.

"Listened to you about what? Whatever, let's just leave."

[MERC Riverside Office]

"No, I think I've got it as covered as I can from here," Dipsnig says.

[Eastside City Hall]

Adir follows the women through the gate with his typical eccentric leap. One should always jump through portals, after all. He surveys the city around them with some trepidation. The stag perks his ears as Jezebel begins to speak, and can't help but feel a little admiration and confidence climb his spine. He stands with his legs slightly spread, right beside Cessie and just behind Jezebel. He looks at the sorceress. "I've never had people actually pray for me before. Wonder what that'll feel like." He casts his gaze forward again. "How long's it been since you were in a fight, Cessie?"

Always jump through portals.

[Lotus Gardens Observation Deck]

While silver might not have any additional effects in this situation, it's also the only mortar ammo Ilpholin and Mecha Squiggles dumped their life savings into. They really don't have much choice in the matter at this point. So he reloads and begins a new set of calculations. It's doubtful the demons will let that trick happen again and will attempt at the very least to intercept another attack. So he'll have to switch it up and use a different option. Fortunately with the communication barrier down, it's much easier to calculate those options.

Any indication Mecha Squiggles might have had about Zenon's arrival is masked by the same thing that disorients the Devourer. The price of no longer being able to use one's own eyes and legs for information.

[Lotus Garden Border - Infernals]

It's true, Ilpholin had no intention of remaining there long enough to be crushed. She'll just have to use her momentum and take Omiko with her to get out of the way. It's just as well Omiko latched on as Ilpholin can concentrate on maneuvering as if they were one entity. Though she'd rather not actually be one entity as the shield arm held between them and keeping Omiko's mouths to herself is proving. Unless the mouths are also on Omiko's hands. Not much to do about that.

Flung to the side, Ilpholin rolls them away from the infernal. Maybe it's a stop drop and roll situation with all the blistering heat. Maybe she's just extremely experienced with shifting positions with arms intertwined like this and can keep up the momentum. For a little while anyways. Like any best laid plan, she didn't expect the ground to break up under her. She ends their roll some distance away, or attempts to at any rate, with Omiko pinned beneath her, head dangling over a newly formed crevice. Ilpholin's hair still smokes as the ends linger in flame and the left side of her face has seen better days with less burns.

"NOT. IN. THE MOOD!" Ilpholin rages, the arm not being used as the intervening shield shifting into a blade and twisting to slice off two of Omiko's grasping arms, one mecha and one normal. If Adir hadn't shot her down just earlier today, maybe the wild eyed smoking hot nymph be more open to Omiko's advances.

[Eastside]
Eastside City Hall

The masked Harley Martinez is actually there. Or, rather, she arrives there. (It's just her player was completely lost about what was going on, so...)

She hasn't received any messages from Mr. E regarding the invasion, she has absolutely no divided loyalties at all.

She is momentarily lost about what to do. I mean, sure, she could probably fight against demons and defeat some of them. It's just...she has no idea of the progress around the city or how she can help Eastside.


[VIGIL Arrival - Wenomir, Gary and Awen
Headed to Eastside

Following Wenomir's lead, Awen tries to run through how she can possibly help. She possibly overthinks it, too. "What should I do, Reynard?" she asks her fox. From so far away, there's not really much she can do with the swarm until they draw closer, but then they'd be really slowed down and it would probably be too late. Plus, all of those methods would really hurt Wenomir and Gary as well, so she probably should try to avoid them.

Let's see...she thinks. She could use their shadows to trap them. She could maybe try to use some ghostly mists to confuse them? Or maybe exhaustion would work better against them? That's about it, though...

She finally decides: if they continue trying to follow and chase after them, then maybe she could leverage all three of those ideas together. Of course, she'd have to try to slow them down as much as possible. She takes off her gloves and drops them to the ground (so her fox can carry them).

Awen stabs the underside of one wrist with her three of her sharp fingernails. Instead of blood, black thorns drip out and fall in her shadow. Then, moments later, hands come out of the shadows of those closest in the swarm. They reach out, hungry for the people who are casting the shadows, trying to grab them and bring them down.

Next, the witch's eyes turn completely black and appear to drip black tar down her cheeks. She keeps on trying to run behind the other two, but she does have to slow down a bit to concentrate on creating these spells. A slow haze drifts out of those shadowy hands; the haze tries to lull those who breathe it in to sleep, by playing a sad lullaby in their minds.

Of course, as soon as Awen does this, she reaches into her purse to bandage her wound, grab her gloves back from her fox, and then catch up with her teammates as much as possible. She has no idea if any of those magicks will be effective against the swarm of demons, but she can always hope, right? Maybe, at the very least, it'll keep them distracted long enough to be more vulnerable to Wenomir's grenade.

[Outside the Drill Tank]

Maria, the grey witch, floats up in the sky looking around at as much of the city she can see. She speaks to herself, under her breath. "Far from paradise where the winds of war are blowing freely in my tired eyes run the bloody hosts of Ares' slaughter. After that hot gospeller has levelled all but the churched sky, I write the tale of a city's death by fire."

She raises one hand in the air: a hand that has a rising star that she carved in it not long ago. A small, controlled explosion appears out of it and she rockets downwards towards the tank, then stops near Zefir soon enough to hear his most recent order.

Seeking clarification for her orders (because either she can't remember it or didn't hear it), she asks, "As the leader who knows the good places, where do you want me to go?" Her question is a callback to what she said the other day in the volcano.

[Westside - Evolution Industries Power Plant]

The assistance from Evolution Security never came for the rest of Riverside. The division had already endured enough of their employer's agenda, and the company had been on a downturn, more and more poured into personal projects, yet none of them new or innovative, all derivative of past technology, adaptations and combinations, the spark that forged it all gone and replaced with cold, forced yet steady simplicity.

The truth was, the ghost in charge was not winning. His persistence could not last forever, death's call tugging ever harder as he clung to the physical plane. And now the same forces that reduced him to this state were at the door. Yet...they were helpful, in their own way. With the supernatural and metaphysical links to the outside world and the realms beyond cut, that call weakened. The demons had forced it out just the same as they did all else in their effort to sever the city from help.

Now it was time to use it while he could.

The decommissioned power plant sprang to life around him. He'd had to hardwire it into this chassis thanks to the lockdown interfering with insufficiently-powerful portal-based power beaming, but it wouldn't be long before his plan could become action.

The Lotus Gardens - Sleepover

Jezebel gives a small yet uncharacteristic shrug. "No, no backup plan in place. There are things like making a copy of my mind and digitizing it to put into a mechanical body of course, but I would never enjoy that unless it let me feel still." The woman admits before taking a small sip of her cider. "And I never set out looking to get rid of my humanity, it just sort of...happened. And in a way, I seek to regain that. Even if it means giving up longevity for a while." She points out. When she next takes a sip, she nearly chokes on her cider as a thought hits her. "What do you think, Cessie?" She asks, raising a leg up so her robe falls away to expose her calf and slippered foot. "If I became a robot, I could go either mirror-finish chrome or jet black. Which would be better? There's always cherry red..." She asks, just to tease and make light of a particularly serious situation for herself.

During the Invasion

Eastside - City Hall

Haley is left to her own devices unless she comes up to Jezebel seeking orders. In the meantime, Jezebel gives a small nod to Cessie. "Wise? Likely not, but I have more faith in our own ability to deal with potential masses of daemons than most others. Especially when my Hunters are arriving piecemeal." Jezebel points out, gesturing towards a street that Hunter Jones and his two battle-ready companions come down, guns at the ready until they get closer. "If they had more of the golems however, or the desire to use them, they'd have done so. It would have been far more effective at quelling resistance if they had dropped at least two on each segment of the city, but as far as my guards have seen Southside is entirely untouched." She points out. "But now it is time to prepare. We're going to need cover."

Without setting her Melta down, Jezebel steps away from the building slightly to a car parked on the street. She plants her shoulder against it, grips the bottom, and simply turns it on the side with some effort. If it hadn't been for the armor, she probably wouldn't have been able to do it so easily. The three Hunters pitch in as well, overturning another car, but after that Hunter Jones spots a bus further down the street and starts running to climb aboard. He'll be utterly exposed and in the open as he runs though.

Eastside - Sarah & Co.

The gout of flame doesn't reach Sarah as the demon will find the heavy weight of a particularly strong quarter-dragon landing on it from above. While Eric isn't all that heavy himself, he's carrying a heavy backpack loader and a truly massive heavy bolter which will add hundreds of pounds to his mass, which is all aimed at landing on the demon's head to crush it into the ground. Eric himself lacks wings despite obvious blue dragon heritage giving him patches of scaling, horns, and clawed hands and feet. He wears only a pair of pajama pants, having been caught while working and only having time to grab a weapon before being sent out.

He isn't alone either.

The flying demons will find a smaller figure literally skipping from rooftop to rooftop before launching itself into the air at them with (likely) startling speed. If the doll were living, the lack of clothes would be seen as indecent, but as it is her mostly porcelain and marble body is exposed to the elements. She stands a mere four and a half feet in height, and while she looks like something a toymaker would provide for a rather eccentric client, the joints of her body are made of dark purple flesh that writhes and pulses, and she even has hair of a similar material that goes down to her lower back in a single braid. As she leaps, her left hand twists, warps, and finally shatters into a single large daemonic claw that will try to swipe at the closest flying demon with the intent and capability to rip it in two.

Sarah however continues to be dazed as her mutant body works to try and repair itself.

[Outside the Drill Tank]

Inside the command center, a tiny black sphere appears with a small electrical crackle, before expanding to roughly the size of a softball. Two solid, flaming green eyes appear on its surface, before a maw filled with many pointed teeth also appears. The maw sphere looks to Zefir and Itholos, before speaking in a deep, gutteral voice that is still somehow reminiscent of Zenon's own.

"Am atop the Catherdral. The goddess appears to have left the Gardens, but there are a number of sorcerous or psychic soldiers here. One of them appears to have noticed me; will deal with the situation. Will leave this aspect manifested for communications."

The sphere's maw reverts to a hungry grin when Zenon finishes speaking, but its eyes project a holographic map. Zenon himself is indicated in the center, with the approaching entity coming from the Cathedral marked in red. Others are marked either in blue or orange, depending on whether they're psychic or a magic user, respectively.

[MERC Office - Kids]

"I didn't lie! It was just easier to sneak around you people! Stop being so stupid and mean! I'm not some animal!" Hekta hisses, staring down at the two. Her eyes still carried that uncomfortable effect if one stared right into them.
"Take the argument outside kids. I'm supposed to work today." And Dena will then quite firmly escort them out of the office building and slams the door shut behind them.

The Lotus Gardens - Sleepover

"None of the above I'm afraid. I'd wait until you figure out something that doesn't put you into a machine if you want to regain 'humanity'." Cessie muses with a smile. "In fact, when would you say that you have regained it? It's a nebulous concept when you think about it. Some would say it is only connected to ones morality, which makes it a very human-centric term." There were some that didn't consider mages human, but she buried that opinion deep down in her mind.

---

[Outside the Drill Tank]

The pit fiends seem somewhat hesitant at the appearance of this orb. Just what manner of allies had their king recruited for them? This almost seemed... god-like. "Yes, she had a little speech about it." Itholos remarks. "I should tell you, we are going to withdraw our troops from Eastsides borders. No sense giving them a place to shoot from when we have orders not to engage the place itself. Retreat if you encounter too much resistance. They seem to be gathering at the Eastside townhall." The pit lord gestures at it on the riverside map on the table. If Zenon can see it that is.

Eastside - Sarah & Co.

If the part-dragon is coming from above he will be fired upon by the other soldiers, who will at least have time to give their comrade a warning before he comes down at the flamer-wielders head.
The demon raises its right hand while speaking a runic word of power. "Sorth." Then the demon, and all its gear, suddenly double in size as it is infused with runic energy.
It then attempts to use the flamer as a club and slam the part dragon with it as he comes down towards it.

The remaining soldiers spots the other attacker and starts firing at her, but she will be able to reach them if the electric bolts do not hinder her. The pit soldier she reaches attempts to protect itself by blocking the claw with its weapon.

Eastside - City Hall

"I still remember how to fight, Adir. Besides, eldritch depend as much on practical as theoretical knowledge. My research will help us here." She gestures at the phoenix flying above them. "From its perspective, I can see that there is a group of those demon soldiers nearby. In addition, there are a those swarms in the skies. We need a way to deal with those as well." She informs them.

Especially considering how Jezebel was putting so much effort into barricades that would be useless against flying enemies. This was a enemy they barely understood, during the attack on VIGIL they had simply used those bat demons and the weird flesh balloons, but this was something quite different. They seemed far more advanced and coordinated.

[Attempting to enter Riverside] - Felandria and Alice
Heading to Northside

Felandria's fireball explodes in a rain of fire and fury yet it seems to take a moment for the small marble-like objects to even register it. They simply drop down on the ground, completely unmoved by the force of the explosion. Similarly, the marbles appear completely unaffected by Alice's forcefields, staying exactly where they are even as she attempts to push them around.
They just keep swarming around them like flies around a dying animal without even attacking.

Meanwhile, the legion above them now starts to approach and gather around the two as well, keeping further away than the first swarm.

---

Like against the mayor, the marbles form a web of energy-threads between one another as they descend towards the surviving angels. While the scouts certainly can attempt to eat the marbles, it might prove extremely unhealthy to them as the swarms tactic is basically move straight into the group and cause the web to kill or hurt anyone that goes through it.
They can hit individual marbles, opening small holes in the web, but the swarm is moving in a circular pattern, planning to hit the angels until they stop moving.

[VIGIL Arrival - Wenomir, Gary and Awen]
Heading to Eastside

Gary's bullets seem to have little to no effect to the swarming marbles. as they're as tiny as the bullets that he's firing and are still 40 meters in the air. While he might hit some of them, if he's lucky, this is not a particularly effective tactic to employ.

Awen's tactic is slightly more effective, while the marbles don't seem to have the need to breath, being constructs, their shadows can be pulled down though how does the magic work with swarm exactly? Would it pull down individual members or the entire thing?
Either way, this legion swarm does not seem interested in engaging them, trying to pull away from the hands grasping at their shadows.
Instead, another swarm that emerges straight from the clouds themselves move directly towards Wenomir, Gary and Awen.

[Lotus Garden Border - Infernals]

The pit soldiers certainly weren't expecting dragons to come out of the former mayor, but there was not room for hesitation now. First one of them carrying a cage on its back steps up and unleashes a wide stream of fire against the dragons. Then the rest move forward, attempting to stab the dragons with their swords. This was hardly the optimal tactic to use against a dragon swarm, but they hadn't expect this reaction when the mayors magical defenses went down.

Finally, the legion will attempts to attack the dragons that flies into the air by flying the marbles into them. Each marble seem to be transferring a charge of white energy in-between them so fast that it appears like there is a beam between each marble which forms into a web like pattern as they descend. If one directly touches this white energy with little protection the outcome might be directly lethal. But with at least a thick layer of metal or other similar protection, it will cause more minor effects depending on how well protected that are of the body is. These effects include searing pain, numbness, paralyzation, spasms, internal bleeding, and intense burn marks (the exact effects decided by the players of course).

Electronics coming in contact with it might cease to function though it won't actually damage non-living things structure, which is which thick layers of it are good protection against this.

---

The pit soldiers can't fire at ilpholin considering how easily friendly fire would occur at this point. They are getting into better positions to fire at her however.

The infernal still lay there, smoldering. Its hard to tell if its really out for good, or is just temporary out of commission after that blast.

Temple of Bane, North Northside

The hounds appears to slow down due to the gas, but they're still coming at them even if they seem drained when they gone through the cloud. This will give the temple protectors a to attack back before the hounds fall upon them.

In the distance, coming from another street, they can see a small group of Malechenar soldiers escorting what appears to be a woman with the lower body of a huge snake dressed in a deep cowl. They seem to be part of the defenders.

[Zefir]

Spoiler

Show

[Outside the Drill Tank]

Maria, the grey witch, floats up in the sky looking around at as much of the city she can see. She speaks to herself, under her breath. "Far from paradise where the winds of war are blowing freely in my tired eyes run the bloody hosts of Ares' slaughter. After that hot gospeller has levelled all but the churched sky, I write the tale of a city's death by fire."

She raises one hand in the air: a hand that has a rising star that she carved in it not long ago. A small, controlled explosion appears out of it and she rockets downwards towards the tank, then stops near Zefir soon enough to hear his most recent order.

Seeking clarification for her orders (because either she can't remember it or didn't hear it), she asks, "As the leader who knows the good places, where do you want me to go?" Her question is a callback to what she said the other day in the volcano.

The Lotus Gardens - Zenon

Zenon notes the positions of those with magical or psychic abilities, and his eyes change color to that sickly green glow, before the light begins flickering into small emerald flames. A portion of the Devourer entity caught Jezebel's announcement, and with no immediate trace of her power signature in the area, it's likely she is where she said she would be. Good. Time to report in what he's found so far, and with all haste, since he's about to have company, most likely of the type he won't be able to hide from...


[Outside the Drill Tank]

Inside the command center, a tiny black sphere appears with a small electrical crackle, before expanding to roughly the size of a softball. Two solid, flaming green eyes appear on its surface, before a maw filled with many pointed teeth also appears. The maw sphere looks to Zefir and Itholos, before speaking in a deep, gutteral voice that is still somehow reminiscent of Zenon's own.

"Am atop the Catherdral. The goddess appears to have left the Gardens, but there are a number of sorcerous or psychic soldiers here. One of them appears to have noticed me; will deal with the situation. Will leave this aspect manifested for communications."

The sphere's maw reverts to a hungry grin when Zenon finishes speaking, but its eyes project a holographic map. Zenon himself is indicated in the center, with the approaching entity coming from the Cathedral marked in red. Others are marked either in blue or orange, depending on whether they're psychic or a magic user, respectively.

Outside the Drill Tank

Zefir turns to the witch. He didn't thought she would come at all. After all she was a bit to free thinking then he likes. He looks up his screens.

"Keep things low." Zefir orders Zenon. "If the 'goddess' is out to fight, we might need to force her back. After all she would rather go home and look after her kind then anything else. If the resitance is to high retreat."

Sure he knows he repeated the demon, but this guy is from AMEN.

"No North. There are some individuals from Vigil. Do whatever you want with them, just keep them out of the city." he says looking at her with a straight face. "Should they run you can go into town and help the demons there. Keep damage at the city low, unless needed." Ne points to a henchman. "Take a CommDevice if you need help or so."

He waits for her reply befor turning to the orb. Zefir can barly imagine what the demon thinks, but from what happened here it's just something like: 'What the hell is with these guys'.

[VIGIL Arrival - Wenomir, Gary and Awen]

"Thanks, Mia. I'll see what we can do, but we're unlikely to be able to draw the infernals anywhere."

With that, Wenomir leads his team into Eastside, towards the Infernal that didn't just topple over. When the swarms start coming towards them, he snatches one of his grenades, removes the safety and throws it, hoping the explosion, silver shrapnel and lingering silver mist clear them out.

[Dmside]

Mia hangs up the call. After that she tries to send all the data she gathered to the other Vigil members, not sure if they got any equip that can read them and provide a map in any case.
---------------------------------------------------------
The scanning spheres drive closer through the north. After some got shot down from the emire they will avoid Southside. Somethings odd. Not only are there to many Demons in the buildings, but Southside is Demon free. She also assumes there is something like an outpost in the city as well. It might help Vigil to find it.

[Attempting to enter Riverside] - Felandria and Alice
Heading to Northside

Big targets are allways the best targets, right? So the henchman decided to take advantage of that. A line of Drill tanks appear just in range to use their canons. they all aim for the Giant . Sure their aim is bad, but the more shoot the more hit. (or at least anyone hits)

[Recaiden]

[The Toy Tinker]

Sticks produces a pad and paper and scratches down a few notes. He looks up at her at the further mention of compensation. "Yes, of course. I'll require a small fraction of your soul."

"..."
Should have known it sounded too good. She's using that soul, thank you very much.
Ruby picks up the wrapped toys, newly suspicious of them but not willing to leave them behind now they're paid for.
"I will remember you if I ever care to make bad decisions, sir."
And she'll spring on out of the toy shop.

[Lotus Garden Border - Infernals]

It's true, Ilpholin had no intention of remaining there long enough to be crushed. She'll just have to use her momentum and take Omiko with her to get out of the way. It's just as well Omiko latched on as Ilpholin can concentrate on maneuvering as if they were one entity. Though she'd rather not actually be one entity as the shield arm held between them and keeping Omiko's mouths to herself is proving. Unless the mouths are also on Omiko's hands. Not much to do about that.

Flung to the side, Ilpholin rolls them away from the infernal. Maybe it's a stop drop and roll situation with all the blistering heat. Maybe she's just extremely experienced with shifting positions with arms intertwined like this and can keep up the momentum. For a little while anyways. Like any best laid plan, she didn't expect the ground to break up under her. She ends their roll some distance away, or attempts to at any rate, with Omiko pinned beneath her, head dangling over a newly formed crevice. Ilpholin's hair still smokes as the ends linger in flame and the left side of her face has seen better days with less burns.

"NOT. IN. THE MOOD!" Ilpholin rages, the arm not being used as the intervening shield shifting into a blade and twisting to slice off two of Omiko's grasping arms, one mecha and one normal. If Adir hadn't shot her down just earlier today, maybe the wild eyed smoking hot nymph be more open to Omiko's advances.

The pit soldiers can't fire at Ilpholin considering how easily friendly fire would occur at this point. They are getting into better positions to fire at her however.

The infernal still lay there, smoldering. Its hard to tell if its really out for good, or is just temporary out of commission after that blast.

Omiko is pinned under a weapon-arm nymph (cute), and her legs are on fire (cozy warm, though her skin is complaining a little), head leaning down into a crack in the earth (how exciting).

"Aww, c'mon. Is the battle for the city so serious we can't stop and have a little fun?"

Only one of Omiko's mouths is on her hands-
-and the arm it connected to was just removed from her body, sliced away and flopped into the sinkhole behind them. The mecha arm is doing better. There are sparks and mangled metal where it used to attach to a shoulder, but it doesn't relinquish its grip on the nymph merely because of that.
Two of the remaining mouths slither along her skin and try to get their teeth into the edges of the shield.
The bleeding stump of her arm bulges and writhes and erupts with fuzzy little spider legs for a moment before being pinched shut as if it were a clown's balloon animal or a newly wrapped sausage.

Seeing that no, Ilpholin really isn't in the mood, the cabon swings her gun arm like a club, aiming to smack Ilpholin off of her and, if she angles it just right, maybe knock her into the crevice.

[Eastside]
Eastside City Hall

The masked Harley Martinez is actually there. Or, rather, she arrives there. (It's just her player was completely lost about what was going on, so...)

She hasn't received any messages from Mr. E regarding the invasion, she has absolutely no divided loyalties at all.

She is momentarily lost about what to do. I mean, sure, she could probably fight against demons and defeat some of them. It's just...she has no idea of the progress around the city or how she can help Eastside.

Eastside's mayor and Hunters are gathering here; they'll probably know what to do.
If that doesn't suit, there's still the giant Infernal Forsaken Light causing trouble in western Eastside.

[Attempting to enter Riverside] - Felandria and Alice
Heading to Northside

Felandria's fireball explodes in a rain of fire and fury yet it seems to take a moment for the small marble-like objects to even register it. They simply drop down on the ground, completely unmoved by the force of the explosion. Similarly, the marbles appear completely unaffected by Alice's forcefields, staying exactly where they are even as she attempts to push them around.
They just keep swarming around them like flies around a dying animal without even attacking.

Meanwhile, the legion above them now starts to approach and gather around the two as well, keeping further away than the first swarm.

Big targets are allways the best targets, right? So the henchman decided to take advantage of that. A line of Drill tanks appear just in range to use their cannons. They all aim for the Giant. Sure their aim is bad, but the more shoot the more hit. (or at least anyone hits)

Alice is baffled to find the marbles passing through her fields.
"They're...ghosts? Illusions?" Annoying, but...not doing anything yet?
She would say more, but something more important has appeared in front of them; she stops bothering with the swarms and returns all the power to the force-shields covering her and Felandria's front. The rounds from the drill-tank cannons crash against the shields - the collisions sending out flares of blue light - but none make it through. They'd need to surround the VIGILantes or fire a perfectly-aimed volley that puts all the pressure on one segment of the shield.

On a truly positive note, she receives a bunch of information from Mia, and now has a great view of what's going on in the city. And no real way to use it yet.

[Attempting to enter Riverside] - Angels

Like against the mayor, the marbles form a web of energy-threads between one another as they descend towards the surviving angels. While the scouts certainly can attempt to eat the marbles, it might prove extremely unhealthy to them as the swarms tactic is basically move straight into the group and cause the web to kill or hurt anyone that goes through it.
They can hit individual marbles, opening small holes in the web, but the swarm is moving in a circular pattern, planning to hit the angels until they stop moving.

The two scouts left near the center of the formation do not fare well. The swarm-beams cut them apart and they evaporate.
But the five other scouts, at the back and edges, they can snap up marbles at the edge of the swarm, shrinking the web and suffering only relatively minor cases of extreme burns to the snout (which will regenerate (soon, they hope)) and searing pain (which their controller suppresses - no hurt, only excitement). They are in a race; they aren't fast enough to all evade the swarm as it swings over them, as it swings back over them, more will die.

The archers, heavily armored as they are (well, more that large parts of their bodies are expendable), can tolerate the swarm passing over. Sure, their tails are twitching and their arms may be frozen, but they're shooting bullets bigger than their targets. And at point blank range, surely they'll hit something. Probably not enough.

The controller at their center has a leg or three burned off. Its antennae go numb, its eyes go blind. That's fine. It can see through the nine surviving the eight surviving various other angels. The charge are largely fizzling against its shell. In time (a lot of time) enough weak points will be struck to bring it down. During which it attempts to magically grab hold of the marbles and collect them in a ball, pinning them together where they can't reach anyone to attack.

And, trying to keep out of the fray, the worker angel that had been trailing along behind the battle group makes a run for the city.

[Lotus Garden Border - Mayor]

The pit soldiers certainly weren't expecting dragons to come out of the former mayor, but there was not room for hesitation now. First one of them carrying a cage on its back steps up and unleashes a wide stream of fire against the dragons. Then the rest move forward, attempting to stab the dragons with their swords. This was hardly the optimal tactic to use against a dragon swarm, but they hadn't expect this reaction when the mayors magical defenses went down.

Finally, the legion will attempts to attack the dragons that flies into the air by flying the marbles into them. Each marble seem to be transferring a charge of white energy in-between them so fast that it appears like there is a beam between each marble which forms into a web like pattern as they descend. If one directly touches this white energy with little protection the outcome might be directly lethal. But with at least a thick layer of metal or other similar protection, it will cause more minor effects depending on how well protected that are of the body is. These effects include searing pain, numbness, paralyzation, spasms, internal bleeding, and intense burn marks (the exact effects decided by the players of course).

Electronics coming in contact with it might cease to function though it won't actually damage non-living things structure, which is which thick layers of it are good protection against this.

As the tiny dragons wheel about in confusion, a blast of fire sweeps over them. Unfortunately for the pit soldiers, they're largely fireproof. A pair of the weaker ones are overcome in the heat and collapse to the ground. The swords hardly fare better. The agile little guys swoop and swirl around the blades, and even when a lucky stab gets one, there's dozens more. Scores of them dive on the pit soldiers, biting at eyes and hands and any place exposed.

The legion does better. The dragons are tiny, and there's no cover in the air for the ones fleeing upwards. Zap-zap-zap. Though the dragons are excellent fliers, the marbles are fast too. Plenty fail to fit through the gaps in the web, and die. The surviving majority scatters, spreads out. Their thoughts are coming back and they suspect the legion can't catch them all.

[Earl of Purple]

Temple of Bane, North Northside

As the hounds leave the black cloud, the Temple's defenders launch a volley of arrows and crossbow bolts at them, some dipped in various toxic substances to make them more effective, and a few are enchanted.

The half-elf, meanwhile, grins at the approaching hounds, and activates the magic in his warhammer, the weapon glowing a harsh gold colour. He'll swing at any Hollow Hounds that get to close. If he kills one, the hammer's magic will (if it leaves a solid corpse) reanimate it under his control, to fight at his behest for an hour. He's pretty confident in his ability to take the hounds on, and doesn't move back towards the church.

[Felandria]

[Attempting to enter Riverside] - Felandria and Alice
Heading to Northside

Alice's force fields successfully keep her from getting covered in Felandria chunks and Fel hears a *bwip bwip* coming from her side.

It's her battle suit's visor, she puts it on.

Hey, Giles, what's up?

Hello, Felandria, I have received some information from one of your VIGIL associates that might prove useful.

I may be able to use it to form a map, but I will need a few minutes.

If you require the rest of the suit, just let me know and I will send it to your location.

Thanks, Giles, if I need it, I'll give the word, let me know when you have anything else for me.

Very good, Felandria.

Felandria pulls out her Lightning Gun and starts firing at the tanks.

[Murkus]

[The Toy Tinker]

"Ah," Sticks lowers his notebook and folds it up, setting it aside. The tall man collects the money he was left and stows it away. He drops into a chair left behind the glass counter and clicks his claws on the countertop. IT is difficult to tell what he feels as he sits there and ponders.

[Eastside City Hall]

"You ever seen Jezebel use one of these before?" Adir hefts the storm bolter to show Cessie as he starts down the steps of the city hall. "They told me the projectiles explode. Like the way anti-air shells do. If this thing shoots like every other automatic weapon I've played with, I think I can deal with the swarms."

Adir starts to think about ground cover. He squats down beside another car, letting the bolt-gun hang from a strap around his armored torso, and clamps his hands beneath the bottom of the steel frame. With a considerable grunt he turns it over on it's side as he rises, the weight settling with a crunch of glass and crumpling exterior. "Oufh," Adir straightens up and looks at his work,
feeling his back. He turns to Cessie with an eccentric grin and says, "Did you see that? I wasn't sure I could do it!"

He looks around. "I wish there was some way we could make traps - or set up better lines of communication. I want to know what Vigil's doing for this," Adir says, dusting off his hands.

It's then that the stag notices Harley standing closeby. Strange masked woman! Possibly a demon? "Uh, hey!" He calls out, waving one gangly arm. The stag is about seven feet tall at the top of his head, antlered, with hair of white. He wears heavy plated armor with some sort of screaming monster engraved upon the breastplate. "You should get out of here! It's not safe!"

[Morty]

[Attempting to enter Riverside] - Wenomir, Gary and Awen

"Bullets won't work against them!" Wenomir tells Gary, as one swarm retreats and another advances. "We need to try large-scale attacks... your magic seems to work, Awen, keep trying. Otherwise we might need to bypass them without engaging." He readies a grenade to throw, calculating distance so that he can throw it when the swarm gets close enough, and have it explode in the middle of it.

[UncleWolf]

The Lotus Gardens - Sleepover

"I would say that in a...not quite spiritual sense, humanity is more of a sense of self than simply a matter of being human. I've seen far too many 'humans' end up not being very humane or seemed to lack any sense of humanity. I'd consider it a sense of self and purpose with direction. Sometimes moral, sometimes not. But I wouldn't say it has to do with being human as a species." Jezebel says after a few moments of thought before setting her cup aside. She shifts in her seat, fidgeting for a minute before getting up to sit at Cessie's feet with her back against the mage's legs. "As for when I think I regained mine...it was when the apartment got destroyed by the bomb." She admits quietly, letting out a long defeated sigh as she remembers it. "Until then, I had simply stopped caring. It served as a...reality check. Brought me back, snapped me out of my apathy, and I started actually feeling again. I'd been so dead to emotion and sensation for so long that it was like an ice bath."

During the Invasion

The Lotus Gardens - Zenon

The stone roof bursts open a few meters away from the intruder and he'll find a rather plain looking woman dusting herself off as she steps away from the hole. She's wearing a cream colored suit and a black half-mask over the upper half of her face. Her right shoulder seems horribly mangled and shattered, but she shrugs and it audibly cracks as it knits itself back together. "Can I be of assistance?" She asks, voice as clear as crystal and just as bright. She seems entirely unarmed except for a small comb that she pulls out so she can slick back her auburn hair. "I would ask why you are intruding upon us, but I somehow sense that you would choose not to answer. My name is Annah. I am the receptionist."

An extremely powerful daemonic one if the energy signature is right.

Eastside - City Hall

"Bolt shells explode on impact, not into flak." Jezebel advises as she looks into the direction that Cessie indicates. She frowns, something she feels like she's been doing quite often of late. "This isn't right." She decides after a moment. "This isn't a normal invasion. They're after something." She adds with a shake of her head. "I mean, look around. There are demons, but there aren't swarms or masses of them like there would be if they wanted to destroy the city. Nor are they quite organized. Just...patches of them here or there. The big ones destroyed large buildings, but they didn't attack actual leadership. Does that make sense to you?" She asks as she calls up an image of a city map on her wrist. "We know they landed in East, North, and West, but not the South or my Gardens. Nor did they destroy city hall and they aren't attacking civilians so easily. Just what in the Warp is going on then?" She asks, sounding confused. "It feels like they're only...posturing. Enough to draw our attention, but away from what?"

As she tries to puzzle out the situation, Jones boards the bus and starts it up. He doesn't drive it just yet as he looks down at the layout. He wasn't quite sure how a Manual was supposed to drive...

Eastside - Sarah & Co.

Eric the quarter-dragon is knocked out of the air just as the air is knocked from his lungs. He lands heavily on the ground, especially with his heavy gun, but while the demon was distracted Sarah has regained her senses.

Her tendrils lash out to try and wrap around the demon's neck so her sharpened talons dig in deep enough to almost decapitate it when she finally pulls the tendrils back with force. She might not be as large as the demon is, but she's quite heavy and still mostly on the ground so she isn't likely to be tugged away or thrown about like Eric had been.

The "doll" in the air is hit by the lightning, causing her to scream but the scream doesn't sound like one of pain...

She was enjoying that burning way too much, and even as it chars some of her flesh and leaves scoring on the inorganic parts of her, it doesn't slow her down. Instead her grin simply widens as her claw lashes out. Whether it strikes or not, she isn't flying. She had leaped to the flying demons and will have to land on a building lower than them as soon as her attack run is done.

Southside

"Then I shall not go through your territory to fight." The Empress declares. She still planned on fighting, but she would have to return to her estate first to get through Westside instead. If she isn't stopped from leaving, she'll simply turn her back and begin walking away, sword on her shoulder and shield in hand.

[Reinholdt]

[Lotus Gardens Border - Infernals]

"Who gives a crap about the city?"

Ilpholin is already pushing forward, starting to roll towards the crevice. Omiko's assault thus turns into a glancing blow. Not particularly damaging but it does do as Omiko wants and causes Ilpholin to tumble into the crevice, possibly yanking free of the cabon's mouths now holding on to her arm shield. To prevent excess stretching.

The nymph jabs a clawed fist into the crevice's side to keep from sliding down too far. She ends up clinging precariously a few feet down, smirking up at Omiko through her upheld shield arm. She'd be in a much better position if she used that arm for any sort of leverage to keep her from falling into whatever sewage waits below. Not to mention the high ground she's given up.

[Lotus Gardens Observation Deck]

THWUMP!

Mecha Squiggles fires again. This shell also heads towards Wrath of the Godless, but it's not just a heavy shell like last time. Predicting that the legion that gathered around the Infernal after the last attack intends to cover it, this shell is designed to explode in a shower of silver shrapnel either when it is blasted out of the air or when it falls to a predetermined height above the Infernal. The goal is less the Infernal itself and more any of the nearby legion. Any chip damage the attack might do to Wrath of the Godless is just a bonus. Omiko and Ilpholin are also close enough to be caught in this potential blast, though the latter is taking cover inside a crevice.

Mecha Squiggles admittedly aimed it off center a bit in an attempt to avoid causing harm to other nearby combatants, which will probably result in diminished effectiveness to the demons and more focus on Omiko. Something he neglected to mention to Ilpholin. Alas.

[8BitNinja]

[Attempting to enter Riverside] - Wenomir, Gary and Awen

"Bullets won't work against them!" Wenomir tells Gary, as one swarm retreats and another advances. "We need to try large-scale attacks... your magic seems to work, Awen, keep trying. Otherwise we might need to bypass them without engaging." He readies a grenade to throw, calculating distance so that he can throw it when the swarm gets close enough, and have it explode in the middle of it.

Gary yells to Wenomir as he ducks for cover, "But I turned all my weapons to silver. Will any puncturing weapon work?" Gary peeks out his cover briefly to rapidly fire off all eight silver rounds from his rifle, not caring if they hit or miss, before ducking to reload.

[Morty]

[Toy Tinker - Before the Invasion]

One day, a rather scruffy-looking occult investigator from Sigil walks into the store. In his hand is a job posting that led him here, as he looks for someone to talk to.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Outside the Drill Tank]

Zenon, through his manifested maw-sphere, can see the map Itholos points to. The sphere makes no reaction, though, other than a quick reply of, "Copy that."

The Lotus Gardens - Zenon

Ah, a being born of, or at least, having inherited quite a bit of power from, the chaotic energies of the Warp. The Devourer has encountered entities similar to this before; they always have a unique flavor. Zenon needs once again to manage the entity's boundless hunger. This one might prove useful as something more than food, at least, for a time.

What Annah sees is an armored humanoid. He seems to be mostly human, an athletic frame evident beneath strange, black and red armor that seems more like cloth, though his boots, greaves, gauntlets and helmet are obviously made of some sort of metal or ceramic. Two similarly metallic "holsters" are mounted on the outside of his thighs; the hilts of a pair of weapons of some sort just barely visible. His helmet has a v-shaped crest that extends from a triangular ruby on the nose piece back into a set of fins that protrude behind it. His eyes burn baleful emerald, flames of power licking from the irises and shading the sclera, before dissipating shortly outside the helmet's eye reliefs. A predatory grin is plastered on his face as he turns to regard Annah. Depending on what other senses she has and might be using, she may glean more than just this base, physical form. His voice has a slightly British accent to it.

"I see. Well, I suppose I could surprise you by shaking your assumption and telling you that I am here to observe. I wish to see what your goddess can do in the face of an attack like this. Unfortunately, I seem to have just missed her, so I suppose I shall have to be satisfied with observing her followers instead. Surely you all aren't just sitting on your hands, now."

[Celticbear]

Team AniXavKal

The hooded figure nods, and says: I agree, plus unless we have either some major magic or a bunch of explosives I don't think we could take down something that big. Well, unless they have a big self destruct button, but what baddie is that stupid?

[Shadowcaller]

The Lotus Gardens - Sleepover

Cessie silently takes a sip from the glass she was offered. Then... "Have you ever talked to anyone about these feelings of yours Jezebel? Anyone but me, that is? Since it sounds like you went through a lot during your younger years. These sort of things have a way of worming into your head and staying there."

Team AniXavKal

"I'm sure we can find one of the leader demons if we look around, they tend to be pretty obvious. Just looking for the one that shout the loudest." Anika says with a smile. "But seriously, we can't figure out anything from here. I say we sneak in and scout the city out. Then we can contact the rest of VIGIL and set up a coordinated attack against whoever, or whatever, is leading the invasion. We'll be the other teams eyes and ears in the city."

[5a Violista]

Eastside: City Hall

Harley neither goes to request orders from Jezebel nor heads out to the Infernal Forsaken Light to grant it assistance because (as a shapeshifter) her combat abilities are her most recognizable trait. (Besides her scars, of course. So I guess it's her second-most recognizable trait.) Voluntarily going out of her way to demonstrate them in addition to putting herself in a position where divided loyalties become obvious is essentially political suicide.

The masked Harley, trying to determine what she should do, notices that stag. She waves back. "Hey," she responds. She decides to feign ignorance; in addition, her current guise as Martinez has yet to show any combat capability so maybe she can play that up, too.

"Sorry," she responds. "I was just here for...regular elected official responsibilities when all of this started." She shrugs. "Not really sure where to go or how to help out, but here's seemed pretty safe so far."


Outside the Drill Tank: Heading Northward to delay VIGIL

Maria the floating witch listens to Zefir's orders. She doesn't speak, but just smiles in response. It appears she understands, given that she then quickly snatches a CommDevice from the henchman. She slips it in her dress pocket.

Holding her hands behind her, she uses her newly self-taught technique to rocket herself away from there, headed northward at breakneck speeds towards the side of the city that VIGIL's entering. The heat from the explosion warms up that henchman a little, but because she's quickly gone there's not much damage to things around here.

As she blasts herself over the rooftops of the city, she cackles and keeps an eye out for telltale signs of Vigil.


Attempting to enter Riverside: Team Wenomir, Gary, Awen, heading to Eastside

((Oh. I had a different impression on what this swarm looked like. Guess I need to work better on reading comprehension. Anyway, it doesn't change anything.)) The grasping shadows only pull at the ones closest to Awen, but as soon as more pass by those closest, more hands grasp towards the newly-closest ones.

Of course, being shadow, the hands will eventually fade away but Awen has to turn her attention to another swarm coming towards her group. Because this swarm is further above them (coming from the clouds), they'll be harder to deal with and the same method won't work nearly as easily. "Yes, sir," she says to Wenomir. She thinks through more of her magic she could use. Are there any corpses nearby...? She looks but can't find any. How about...

"Above us?" she says to her fox. She looks upwards, which is somewhat hard to do while running. She notices another swarm coming towards them. She tries to think through more magic that might work against these ones. Some of the magic she used didn't appear to work, so...

The biggest problem is that all of the ideas running through Awen's head would likely hurt her allies more than these...creature-things. "U-um..." she says, trying to be loud enough for Wenomir and Gary to hear. "I don't have many options that could safely stop them for long." For that shadow thing, she had to make herself bleed some weird things, and she doesn't have an unlimited amount of blood in her.

Fortunately, her fox gives her a suggestion for the ones coming from above. That might work... Awen stares up towards the descending swarm. In fact, she removes her veil so she has a clearer view of them. She's still not completely sure what these marble-swarm-things are or what's effective against them, so she needs to go all-out. Reaching into her purse, she grabs one of the poison bottles and dumps its contents under her tongue. If this works, it'll be hard for her to breathe or speak for a little while, but hopefully it'll be worth it.

She says something unintelligible. Sounds something along the lines of "Tztslhlhssmhs mslhswh" which, honestly sounds like a bunch of gibberish. It's a wonder her mouth can even make those sounds. As a result, the air leaves her lungs, passes over the poison, and then a green-colored whoosh of air fires upwards from her mouth towards the swarm. When it reaches the center of the swarm, that air suddenly bursts into an ear-piercing glass-shattering noun-verbing screech, with the air vibrating violently under the blast's shockwaves.

She spits out a mixture of the poison and saliva onto the ground, and puts the veil back over her eyes before she looks back at Wenomir and Gary. It takes a moment, but she can finally start to breathe again, even though it feels like breathing in broken glass. If it didn't appear to work...well, she might need a few moments to recover before she can use something else. She figures their best bet is to not stop moving towards their destination. Awen nods. She really hopes that worked well enough for them to continue.

[Murkus]

[Toy Tinker - Before the Invasion]

One day, a rather scruffy-looking occult investigator from Sigil walks into the store. In his hand is a job posting that led him here, as he looks for someone to talk to.

A tall elfin man is sitting behind the glass-top counter in the rear of the main shoppe. He has a straight jawline, a narrow academic's nose, and a thin-lipped mouth. His close cropped gentleman's haircut is a brilliant red. Most alarmingly strange, parts of his jaw, nose, throat, and numerous pieces of his body appear to have been replaced by brass and copper prosthetics. His spindly arms in particular, extending from a sleeveless tunic as they are, seem to be entirely made of metal. They end in very small, very precise, claw-like fingers.

He looks up, and his eyes seem to glow with a fey light. "Ah," he pushes away a monocular apparatus he seemed to have been using to peer at lion rendered in clockwork miniature. "So pleased to see a customer. How is it I can help you, sir?"

[Morty]

[Toy Tinker - Before the Invasion]

Michalson looks altogether unkempt. He's got a short beard and hair, and there's some small scars on his face. He's wearing a leather breastplate under his coat, and there's a backsword and a large revolver at his side. There's a slight limp to his right leg, and it seems something's not quite right with his right arm, either.

"Actually, guv'nor, it seems you might be the customer 'ere." He holds up the job posting. "This 'ere says you need help."

[Murkus]

[Toy Tinker - Before the Invasion]

"Why yes, I bet it does!" Sticks rises from his seat and comes around the counter, offering his hand to Michalson. "So fine to meet you sir! I am Sticks, owner and proprietor of this humble store. You are an adventuring man I take it?"

[Morty]

[Toy Tinker - Before the Invasion]

Michalson shakes Sticks' hand, a little awkwardly. His right hand is clearly not entirely fine.

"You could call it that. My tag's Michalson Barring. You're lookin' for someone who needs to deal with magic. I'm not a magician, but I 'aven't met many spells I couldn't crack. Or non-magical locks, for that matter."

[Shadowcaller]

Eastside: City Hall

"Yes, I've seen it in use." Cessie replies. "It's... a effective weapon." Her reply is curt, as if not wanting to stay on the subject longer than necessary. She doesn't seem to share Adir's love for the firepower.
She doesn't flinch when he fires it however, she had been in enough combat to get used to that life-ending bang by now. "I had no doubt it Adir, your specialty is ranged weapons after all."

But her attention is then drawn to Jezebel, just what in Artaris name was she talking about? "I'm fairly sure it isn't normal practice to cut down civilian population, Jezebel." She remarks in a dry tone. "The population makes the city after all. But really, how much have we've seen of their forces right now? Their main force might be in northside right now for all we know. We have precious little information what is going on in the right right now. For all we know there is a larger force on the way." That would explain the distraction, wouldn't it?
"I'm going to attempt to find out more-" She interrupts herself. "More demons, just just appeared right outside."

She just manages to finish the sentence a large group of hollow hounds are coming around a corner, charging straight towards the city hall.

Attempting to enter Riverside: Team Wenomir, Gary, Awen, heading to Eastside

As Wenomir's grenade explodes, the swarm first don't appear effected at all despite the cloud of silver released at impact. But then some of the marbles stop and simply fall to the ground.
More noticeably however is that the entire swarm appears to flicker as it comes in contact with the silver, yet how it otherwise seem to have little effect besides the parts of the swarm that simply fell out of the sky.

Indeed, Awen's spell doesn't seem to have much of a effect either. Simply causing some of the marbles to suddenly stop and fall out of the sky when they are touched (or were they?) by the poison.

So despite their efforts the rest of the swarm descends upon them and... just swarms around the group without actually attacking. Indeed, even at this short range Gary seems to have a hard time hitting the swarm. It's almost as if the bullets are simply passing through the marbles at times.

The second swarm, which prefers to stay away from the group, suddenly starts approaching as the first swarm is clouding the VIGIL's group line of sight.

[Lotus Gardens Border - Infernals]

The swarm had stopped approaching for a moment (mostly since their player forgot they were in this scene last round) but some of it is still caught when the explosion happens, many marbles are torn away from the swarm by the explosion, getting thrown in all directions. This causes the legion to immediately retreat even as the silver of the explosion starts to fall like snow over Wrath of the Godless (unless it doesn't, not sure how the bomb works in detail!).

Another bomb going off certainly discourages the pit soldiers from joining the fight, again.

Eastside - Sarah & Co.

The claw goes right through the pit lords metal weapon and even cuts a hole in its armor.
The soldier falls over with a grunt of pain and its closest comrade quickly grabs it by the shoulders and pulls it away from the doll as the others fire of more electric bolts towards it. "Ratrah! Tillak til bash!" One of them shouts as the group is starting to retreat back.

Back on the ground, Sarah's tendrils wrap around the pit lords neck and grips it into a strangle hold. But the demon speaks another runic word, causing the burning cage on its back to suddenly open up and unleash flames all around the demon.
Meanwhile, one of the soldiers touch down on the ground, wielding a huge sword. If the explosion of flames around the pit lord doesn't discourage Sarah, then perhaps a sword to the tendrils will. At least no one is firing at Eric who seems to have been temporarily forgotten.

[Attempting to enter Riverside] - Felandria and Alice

It should be pointed out, to both the tanks and Felandria and Alice, that while the marbles don't appear to be doing anything, they're clouding the vision of Alice & Felandria and the tanks. While it probably isn't too hard hitting Fel considering her size, Alice won't be visible to the tanks thanks to the swarm.

Similarly, it will be difficult for Felandria and Alice to aim at the tanks (but not impossible, the swarm isn't big enough to completely block out their sight.)

The other swarm is now approaching Felandria and Alice, relying on the fact that the first swarm is blocking their line of sight.

Temple of Bane, North Northside

The hounds are struck by the poisoned bolts, which does seem to slow them down, but doesn't stop them. They howl loudly as they charge towards the temples gates where half-elf meets them. But as crushes one of the hounds head with his hammer, he will notice it has the same set-up as the other one. At death, to contraption-like armor it has attached to it activates and explodes into a lethal cocktail of flesh, corruption and poison which is released as a gas around it.
The other hounds appear immune to this however and simply continues their charge. The first row of hounds are basically dead at this point and simply gets trampled over by the second row who haven't been hit by the bolts.
One of the three hounds making up the second row attempts to throw itself over the half-elf while the other two are charging towards the archers. Leaving several dying hollow hounds behind.

The Malechnar force is now approaching them, so it looks like they will have reinforcements soon either way...

[Attempting to enter Riverside] - Angels

The swarms are equally merciless and suicidal, their great number makes them sacrifice themselves just to inflict some damage upon the remaining angels even as they're being grabbed, shot, and crushed by them. By the end, an entire swarm might have been wiped out by the angels, but the rest just keeps coming, swarming around the angels like horse-flies around dying cattle. Each sting bringing their prey closer to death.

[Lotus Garden Border - Mayor]

The pit soldiers are heavily armored and there aren't many weak points on them for the dragons to bite at. They are stuck trying to deal with the dragons attacking them by attempting to grab them in mid-air. One of them, the demon wielding the flame cage, speaks a runic word, causing several flame wisps to emerge from the cage and attack the nearby dragons.

The legion, meanwhile, is attempting to kill the dragons that is flying away. But it appears that the members of the swarm can't get too far away from one another. They must remain at a certain distance from one another it appears, which limits their ability to chase the dragons down. Still, staying within the swarm too long won't be healthy for the dragon population as the legion is spreading itself out as a spider-web, leaving little room for the dragons to escape unless they dive close to the ground.

Meanwhile, Forsaken Light sits down against a nearby building like it was sheltering behind it. Looks like it's in need of repairs...

[All over Riverside]

Suddenly, the field that was deactivated some time ago powers up again. But this time, there is a difference.
The field now blocks teleportation and communication within its sphere, which envelopes the entire city and its surroundings.
It is possible the teleport outside the sphere and similarly, it is possible to broadcast to any location outside of it as well.

[Murkus]

[City Hall]

"I don't want to sound like a knob, but you guys should probably theorize later!" Adir says, swinging his body around to face the threat and spreading his legs in a fighting stance. He had been content listening to the women up until that point, but it looked like the enemy was upon them, which meant it was time for him to go to work.

"Get behind something!" Adir shouts at Harley/Martinez before he shoulders that bulky gun he's carrying, sights the hounds, and pulls the trigger. He aims for a wide, even spread, guiding the weapon back and forth across the oncoming group like a lead hose. There is thunder, without a doubt, and the trademark clang-thud of the bolter as it begins to fire...

[The Toy Tinker - Before the Invasion]

"Oh, splendid. You are a godsend, my friend. Cracking magical security is exactly the service I require. Among other things. You're familiar with the concept of 'delving' into a dangerous underground recess or redoubt at the behest of a wealthy employer?" He goes back behind his desk and starts fiddling around. "I'm prepared to pay you a substantial weight of silver to penetrate a wizard's vault hidden beneath this city. There is a substantial chance of danger, but I am quite certain its creator was not cruel or of a murderous mind when he designed the defenses that are currently in place."

[Recaiden]

Southside

"Then I shall not go through your territory to fight." The Empress declares. She still planned on fighting, but she would have to return to her estate first to get through Westside instead. If she isn't stopped from leaving, she'll simply turn her back and begin walking away, sword on her shoulder and shield in hand.

The southside troops refrain from doing anything foolish like trying to shoot the Empress as she leaves.

[Lotus Gardens Border - Infernals]

"Who gives a crap about the city?"

Ilpholin is already pushing forward, starting to roll towards the crevice. Omiko's assault thus turns into a glancing blow. Not particularly damaging but it does do as Omiko wants and causes Ilpholin to tumble into the crevice, possibly yanking free of the cabon's mouths now holding on to her arm shield. To prevent excess stretching.

The nymph jabs a clawed fist into the crevice's side to keep from sliding down too far. She ends up clinging precariously a few feet down, smirking up at Omiko through her upheld shield arm. She'd be in a much better position if she used that arm for any sort of leverage to keep her from falling into whatever sewage waits below. Not to mention the high ground she's given up.

THWUMP!

Mecha Squiggles fires again. This shell also heads towards Wrath of the Godless, but it's not just a heavy shell like last time. Predicting that the legion that gathered around the Infernal after the last attack intends to cover it, this shell is designed to explode in a shower of silver shrapnel either when it is blasted out of the air or when it falls to a predetermined height above the Infernal. The goal is less the Infernal itself and more any of the nearby legion. Any chip damage the attack might do to Wrath of the Godless is just a bonus. Omiko and Ilpholin are also close enough to be caught in this potential blast, though the latter is taking cover inside a crevice.

Mecha Squiggles admittedly aimed it off center a bit in an attempt to avoid causing harm to other nearby combatants, which will probably result in diminished effectiveness to the demons and more focus on Omiko. Something he neglected to mention to Ilpholin. Alas.

The swarm had stopped approaching for a moment (mostly since their player forgot they were in this scene last round) but some of it is still caught when the explosion happens, many marbles are torn away from the swarm by the explosion, getting thrown in all directions. This causes the legion to immediately retreat even as the silver of the explosion starts to fall like snow over Wrath of the Godless (unless it doesn't, not sure how the bomb works in detail!).

Another bomb going off certainly discourages the pit soldiers from joining the fight, again.

"What do you mean? The city's the whole point!"
Omiko scowls down at the nymph who tore free from her jaws and gets back to her feet. She can't help feeling like it's over. She has the high ground. She has plenty of limbs left. Her gun arm charges up, takes aim at Ilpholin, and-
The shell goes off right overhead and bits of sharp silver tear through her.

Now, although she might answer to the term 'cabon', Omiko isn't a demon like Ilpholin would understand. She just happens to be allergic to silver.
She collapses immediately, skin twisting like boiling water, teeth turned inward to rip out the offending metal at any cost.

[Lotus Garden Border - Mayor]

The pit soldiers are heavily armored and there aren't many weak points on them for the dragons to bite at. They are stuck trying to deal with the dragons attacking them by attempting to grab them in mid-air. One of them, the demon wielding the flame cage, speaks a runic word, causing several flame wisps to emerge from the cage and attack the nearby dragons.

The legion, meanwhile, is attempting to kill the dragons that is flying away. But it appears that the members of the swarm can't get too far away from one another. They must remain at a certain distance from one another it appears, which limits their ability to chase the dragons down. Still, staying within the swarm too long won't be healthy for the dragon population as the legion is spreading itself out as a spider-web, leaving little room for the dragons to escape unless they dive close to the ground.

Meanwhile, Forsaken Light sits down against a nearby building like it was sheltering behind it. Looks like it's in need of repairs...

The moment the barrier goes up again, a shrill cry goes up from them, and they abandon the attempt to fight with the pit soldiers to flee.
The dragons have no need to stay near each other, and dive in every direction, dispersing through the city. A single one is left, grabbed by one of the soldiers. Plus the dozens killed in the marble-spider-web.

[Attempting to enter Riverside] - Angels

The swarms are equally merciless and suicidal, their great number makes them sacrifice themselves just to inflict some damage upon the remaining angels even as they're being grabbed, shot, and crushed by them. By the end, an entire swarm might have been wiped out by the angels, but the rest just keeps coming, swarming around the angels like horse-flies around dying cattle. Each sting bringing their prey closer to death.

The angels fight on, and on. But there just aren't enough of them.
In the end even the controller is brought down. There's nothing left but clouds of demon orbs.

And, farther away, into the city now, those two noncombatants.

[Morty]

[The Toy Tinker - Before the Invasion]

"I've been to my share of vaults, crypts and other places people would rather I hadn't gone," Michalson says. "If that's the job you require, I'm the cutter you're lookin' for."

[Reinholdt]

[Lotus Garden Border - Infernals]

Silver would fall more like hail than snow. The bomb really is nothing special. It just expels a bunch of shrapnel that happens to also be silver.

Ilpholin would point out that if the city mattered so much, some hack from the dead husk of an organization wouldn't have singled her out and chased her down. No, for whatever reason, this was personal for the both of them. But Omiko seemed in far too much agony and one of those silver shards still came far too close to Ilpholin despite being in as much cover as she could manage. Having seen enough, she lets go of the wall and drops into the darkness.

[Sewers Below]

It takes great effort to not land directly in sewage water, but the nymph is having absolutely none of that and maneuvers her landing onto the walkway instead. This day was already awful enough, thank you very much.

Ilpholin immediately starts heading away from the infernal and Omiko. That open environment favored the demons' superior numbers far too much. And this wasn't like the island where they weren't expecting her. They came prepared to take her down. Something more confined where they could only come at her two or three at a time was better. If she could find such a place. She'd have to have Mister Squiggles send her some schematics and maps to- dammit! What happened? Gah, this static was so much worse. She could barely hear him at all. This no way he can transmit information like this. Great. She's traveling blind down here then and there's no guarantee that shapeshifter won't join her once it recovers. Best just to create some distance at this point.

[Lotus Gardens Observation Deck]

Darn. With that field back up, Mecha Squiggles can't fire so readily. He could theoretically fire at the last position he just fired at, but that was risky. Especially with his eyes on ground going underground. And he knew there were some innocent people still nearby. Fights can change positions too drastically. It was just too dangerous. The blackout field went down once before for some reason. Maybe if he just waited it would go down again. He'll load, just to have ammo ready, but beyond that he simply idles.

[Earl of Purple]

Temple of Bane, North Northside

The half-elf, previously confident in his ability to fight the Hollow Hounds, is taken by surprise by the explosion, and inadvertently inhales the gas. He collapses, coughing and wheezing as the poison takes hold. The corruption does, too, but his faith in Bane gifts him a limited ability to resist spiritual corruption of this sort. He'll probably get trampled by the second wave.

The Hollow Hounds will have some difficulty reaching the archers- they're on an upper landing, loosing their missiles through long, narrow (half a metre wide) windows that were always intended to serve as arrow-slits, but disguised with stained-glass windows (which have been taken down, again as designed). On the ground floor, other worshippers of Bane will thrust spears and pikes out of the lower parts of the windows, to deter the Hollow Hounds' assault. The upper landing's defenders will loose more arrows and bolts down.

The Temple's large front door has been barricaded, but its nature as a solid slab of oak reinforced with iron studs mean getting in, whilst safer, will be slower.

[Morty]

Attempting to enter Riverside: Team Wenomir, Gary, Awen, heading to Eastside

Wenomir holds his sword tightly, looking at the swarm around him. Any ideas he's had for dealing with it have been discarded when the swarm proved immune to both conventional and magical means of attack.