lostcarnival | ⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 4 PT2

The people in the room are getting scarier by the minute, and unfortunately, he's remember just how scared of monsters he is. Tamaki can't help but let himself drift to the back of the group, staying well out of range of any direct attacks.

But when his eyes light on Strange, Tamaki's eyes light up in understanding, and his experience from earlier in the castle makes sense.

"Mer-" He cuts himself off, shaking his head. "Strange. He's being controlled by something. By those guys."

Gongenzaka sets a hand on Yuuya's shoulder, shaking his head. "What you need to do is stay back-you and Yuugo are the one's everyone's hopes now lie on-allow us to handle this!" He adds, and with his wings spread, he readies the chains on his hands. He can't really...charge into battle like this, but he WILL provide some defense as best he can.

Pru hears what Tamaki says, turning to look in the direction of the approaching fae. So the man with them is under their control? It stands to reason. She frowns, her eyes narrowing, trying to decide how to act - before suddenly spinning around, with her weapon in the form of a bow and arrow once again.

Swiftly, she fires two shot - one into each of the crow sisters that Sans has been corralling. They won't have time to focus on that, right now. Like Foster, they are knocked unconscious, not dead. Hopefully someone will be able to help them in the end.

Then, only a beat later, she's spun back around, and sent an arrow flying straight towards Strange.

"Oh come on...!" because why wouldn't Yugo complain about being ordered to stay back out of the fight. "I can still help there too...!"

A huff from an ally that's totally been here that whole time, Reina, this guardian angel's charge.

"Sure you can, but leave this to the people that won't blow this for everyone if the worst happens."

The problem here is that thanks to all the fire magic flung around, there's plenty of water and plenty of puddles underfoot--and Strange is standing right in one of those puddles. As the arrow flies towards him, Strange's eyes widen and, almost instantly, he vanishes into the puddle, before reappearing from a different puddle, seconds later, a few feet away.

She tried to shoot him! Strange doesn't say anything but glares in Pru's direction. Muttering under his breath, he starts the magic: a fireball hovers ominously above his hand. But before he does anything, he looks over to Nightshade.

"May I?" he asks.

"Oooh!" Nightshade squeals, clapping her hands together. It won't be anything compared to Ignatius's fire magic, but still. "Please do!"

Between that and the water trick, this is like the first time he's been useful, ever. Nightshade is thrilled about it.

Oop, shit is happening again. Zangetsu recovers (more or less) from his hissy fit and stands, once again taking his fully angelic form. It was slower, and somewhat ungainly due to how long it was, but he couldn't deny it had some extra "oomph" that it looked like he might need.

"Summer court made it to the party huh? Too bad you weren't invited."

Pru takes her shot, and then there's fireballs. All this temperature change is going to give him a headcold. With his physical blade drawn, he's ready to knock any fireballs shot toward the ritual site into next week. Batter's up.

Oh wonderful! Nightshade's pleased with him, this is like the best day ever. Strange just looks so besotted for a moment before spinning around and launching the fireball in Pru's direction.

Well. That didn't work. However, Pru will be perfectly happy to let Zangetsu go to bat for her here - she has other stuff to be doing. For instance, they are essentially stuck here with no sign of the pendant. These fae could easily kill them all off in a way of attrition before the Count of Crows ever comes back. This has taken a turn for the worst.

"Oh, God," she says more softly, momentarily shaken. "I wish you could help us, now."

"WHERE ARE YOU?!" Ignatius yells into the air, his fists clenched furiously. His aura is thick with impatience at the moment, and he still feels little need to focus on the assembled creatures before them. Nightshade can deal with that for now, as far as he's concerned. He's looking for someone else.

"Count of Crows, I challenge you to martial combat for the claim of this courtyard! Show yourself!"

Nightshade rolls her eyes, crossing her arms impatiently.

"I have no idea what you're actually hoping to accomplish," she said. "All the Queen wants back is her blood kin, and without her here, having the pendant or the ritual space accomplishes nothing!"

Nevermind how annoying it is that the Rose Queen has refused to show up, after all of this. Sure, their powers are weaker here because of the Winter presence, but still...

Edited 2017-07-29 20:06 (UTC)

WHAP. Hope you can dodge your own fireballs, Strange, because Zangetsu is lobbing them right back, using his sword like a weird baseball bat.

.... Though he has to admit, he likes Ignatius' style. Reminds him of someone. Someone with a pineapple-shaped hairdo. Let the fae fight it out -- they could pull a Winter Court and snatch the pendant away while they're distracted.

Zangetsu, it's like you didn't just see him teleport. Strange vanishes into the puddle he's currently standing in only to reappear via the first puddle, the one next to Nightshade a moment or two later. The fireball careens off into the distance, smashing into some part of the Count's castle.

Whatever. If they destroy some of the bird's realm, so be it. He loiters behind Nightshade, remaining quiet and calm, letting her do the talking but ready to jump into action if needed.

"... Because I'd really prefer if my human didn't end up being killed, if possible," Nightshade goes on, conversationally. "He's... sort of cute once you break him in." She nibbles at her claw tip coyly.

Maybe that's what his wife saw in him. Hah!

Ignatius doesn't think it's funny, apparently, because he turns to thrust a finger in her direction, scowling.

"I'll remind you once, bug," he snarls. "Your Queen is not mine. If you wish to return to grovelling so badly, you are free to make your retreat."

Then, he turns back to the ritual area, and starts to approach again, the fire burning around him beginning to intensify.

Edited 2017-07-29 20:46 (UTC)

As worrying as Nightshade and a brainwashed Strange are (oh God, they have to save him) Ignatius seems like the most immediate threat. Carly's fire may be providing some sort of barrier, but is it enough for the Fae?

He looks up at Damien. "You know a lot about casting, right?! Is there any way to scry the pendant? Summon it?"

Could they summon the Count?

Damien has been running around the ritual circle, trying to get things set up, this whole time - it didn't matter if they were all about to get torched, if they did get an opportunity, he was the one in charge of being ready. Yuuya gets his attention, though, and he looks at the kid with a concerned frown, trying to think of what he can do.

His shoulders raise in a moment of helplessness. It's a fae of shadow... concealing stuff is pretty much the Count's bag. He doesn't know if anybody would be able to scry something hidden on his person... but...

Welp. He's got one plan. Let's give it a go.

"Uhhh... hhhey!" he says, rushing out to the front of the ritual circle to yell and wave at the approaching fae. "You better watch yourself! If you keep hurling shit as us, then I swear I'll disband this whole ritual, and then we'll all be fucked!"

He manages to sounds pretty sincere, despite the suddenness of his decision. He's running the ritual, now, and he can end it, too.

"Um... can he actually do that?" Nightshade asks after a moment, sounding genuinely unsure. As for Ignatius's threat, her face wrinkles in distaste, but she doesn't comment.

Yuya stares in disbelief. If... if this is the route they're going. Okay.

He cups his hands around his mouth and calls out. "That's right! We have the only way that you're going to get home too, so if you mess things up you're going to be sorry!"

He doesn't even know if this is true or if they're bluffing.

The sound of Ignatius' booming voice makes Rita visibly cringe. She remembers a different Rita... quiet and obedient, someone who strove to play the role of a tool perfectly, carefully avoiding his fury for years.

But now, Rita's the furious one, and Nightshade's the one to spark her anger. She's the one controlling Strange (and being weird about it while she's at it, great), and she wants to get Steven back for the Rose Queen? "Your taste sucks, and your queen's not getting a damn thing," Rita snaps at her, but she doesn't move to attack. Her eyes follow Ignatius with a wary look. As far as she's concerned, he's the biggest threat at the moment.

Ignatius comes to a stop, not sure what to make of that threat. Is it true? Ignatius is not much of a rituals type person, himself, and at no point in all of this had he been preparing for the event of casting one, unlike the Rose Queen.

It would stand to reason, considering all the energy that the Count has had to build here. Thankfully, Ignatius is in no rush. He raises his arms in the air in challenge, but doesn't progress any further.

"Then who among you will face me?" he laughs, as if the challenge is a joke to him. None of these fools would survive it, he's sure. His eyes do linger extra long on Rita, however.

He recognizes you, Rita.

"I will," Rin says confidently, striding forward. His sword is drawn and he is engulfed in blue flame.

"Let's see how good your fire power REALLY is!"

Psi reaches out to catch Foster's body as he falls thanks to the return of his psionics. He's mad in a way he didn't expect. That this woman would move to violence thanks to a simple discussion. It was clear from the very beginning Foster wasn't any kind of threat to a group like this. They'd simply been talking, maybe even getting somewhere, and she'd stepped in. There was no reason for it, except perhaps arrogance that anyone dare question her plans.

He doesn't say anything. He's not an idiot, at least not completely. He knows starting an argument now of all times would be disastrous for the entire group, especially if others were so easily moved to violence. He simply lays Foster on the ground out of the way, hoping that Pru is right when she says Foster should be fine. Of course that's when the true fae decide to enter. He doesn't care much for the Fire Lord's intrusion, but when he sees that purple witch his already tangible anger spikes. His Psionic aura grows, a soft vibrant purple glow surrounding him as he stands to regard the fae. He looks calm on the surface, but underneath he's anything but. It's been a long time since he's actively wanted to harm someone, but now was one of those moments.

The fighting begins, though it seems everyone's hesitant to do any true damage. Ignatius was angry and seemed to be acting purely on instinct. Meanwhile Nightshade was hanging back, letting her puppet do the work for her. Comparing the two Ignatius was clearly the bigger threat, but the Psionic didn't actually care about that right now. Nightshade had come for the queen's kin, or so she said, and the Psionic just wasn't in the mood to watch anyone get kidnapped again. The brainwashed Strange was bad enough.

Without moving or even a word, he attacks. His aura grows, purple color seeping into the air as he uses his psionics to throw any still remaining snow or water on the ground up at all three of their opponents. However, the real attack is the bright red and blue blasts that fire from his eyes towards their opponents, the snow and water hopefully acting as a smokescreen to delay any attempts to dodge. The light is impossibly bright and easily as big as Nightshade, perhaps even a bit bigger, and you can bet she's his target.

Somewhere else in this nest of the Winter Court's fae, there is the sudden feeling of rising fury. Some disturbed force of wrath boiling up, seeping through the walls and floors, its source unseen and distant. But it is felt.

It is bitter and cold, as suits this place, almost like an acrid taste in the air as it seeps across the battlefield. There's no blind frothing berserk frenzy here, not this frigid building storm of rage. No passionate intensity, but so easy to pick up on anyway, so easy to feel, so easy to make one's own, as if that feeling had once been theirs..

The fury of someone tricked, kidnapped, manipulated, trapped and only realizing it for the first time.

and someone will pay DEARLY

That force of terrible rage is coming this way. Slowly. Inexorably.

That too can be felt.

Strange doesn't have much time to act. As he sees the snow and water get thrown in the air, he steps in front of Nightshade, hands out as he casts a barrier spell, possibly the only useful thing that Portland-Strange has given him.

The air in front of him shimmers for not even a second before the blasts collide with the spell. His magic manages to hold off a large portion of the blast but the barrier cracks at the end, shattering as Strange takes the brunt of the remaining eye lasers straight to the chest. He lets out a yelp of pain at the impact, staggering backwards.

Nightshade's safe, though. That's what matters.

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