[audio] Caedra's Summoning - Call to Arms

[synthedick]

[In good news, the Guard's watchtowers are working. Hadriel's latest bunch of unwanted guests only get a few minutes in the city before the call to arms goes out. The bad news, of course, is that a call to arms has to go out at all, but that's the norm in a city like Hadriel. No one can say the place is dull. And if they do, then they're probably the ones stirring up trouble like this in the first place.

Nick's voice cuts in, along with the telltale shuffling of papers -- that'd be the maps rolling out across his desk, ones made specifically for times like this.]

Guard, report in. In case you missed the memo, it looks like we have a mess to clean up.

[There's the scratching of a pencil as he writes down who is supposed to be patrolling where at this time. Might make things easier to manage if folks are where they ought to be.]

We got a report from the southern tower about enemies manifesting in the streets near Rage's temple. Three fliers, maybe a dozen on the ground, all ugly.

[And when a guy with the side of his face torn off says something is ugly, it's probably true.]

We're looking for a lady with black eyes while we're at it, last seen near the temple.

[Maybe Caedra is involved, maybe she just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time; however, if she is a demon and all these monsters are suddenly showing up the second she starts skulking around Rage's temple, it doesn't look good -- especially when she was also in the neighborhood of the sewing shop earlier. Nick's patrol is later in the evening, and he usually walks past there. It's a rare occasion Margaery isn't in, and she doesn't seem like the type to invite folks over then not be there. Maybe it's just a series of coincidences, but Nick's gut, mechanical as it may be, tells him otherwise.

And he's been a detective long enough to know to trust that feeling.]

Henry is already headed down there, and Ignis is the one who sent word from the tower. The rest of you let me know where you are, maybe where you're headed. Let's see if we can't get areas covered and these things taken care of before they wreck the place. And if you aren't on the Guard, but have intel you're willing to share or skills you want to put to good use, I'm all ears.

[Valentine out. Click.]

Comments

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin, reporting in!

I'm just passing Confusion's temple and heading for the bridge. I'll be at Rage's temple in a few minutes.

[ You can tell by his breathing that he's running. ]

[audio]

[synthedick]

[If Nick ever had to take bets on who would be first to the scene of any emergency, he'd have safe money on Curufin.]

All right. Be careful down there.

[And as a second thought:]

You and yours know a thing or two about archery, right?

[Not a great time to ask, but better now than while he's fighting.]

[audio]

[so_dark_a_road]

I will, thanks.

Yes, we do know archery. We've all got bows and quivers of arrows. I've got a rife and a shotgun, too, but they're unfortunately at my house.

[synthedick]

It might be worth the run back if arrows don't take down those fliers. See if you can't focus on them once things on the ground get under control.

audio

[evocation]

Uh, my intel is don't do any stupid shit. Those are demons, and demons don't fuck around. Like, fate worse than death style, or whatever?

[Kyna sounds flippant, but it's mostly an attempt to cover up the fact that she's getting kind of freaked.]

[audio]

[synthedick]

If it makes you feel any better, we've dealt with demons in town before. Good to know that's what we're up against again.

[Hopefully with less possessions and mercy-killings than last time.]

[evocation]

What kind of demons? These guys are the type from my world. Or, uh... They look pretty close.

[voice]

[circumitus]

[Immediately there's a sound of shuffling in the background.] Me, I can--

[CRASH. Thud!

[Whatever just happened, it sounds painful. The clatter of the phone falling from her grasp is also heard, as is the muffled noise of cursing as a hand struggles to grasp for it. That pain can be heard in Rey's strained voice when she speaks again:]

--can help. [No, Rey. You literally just woke up yesterday and are dealing with periodic shocks to your brain and body after fucking with your head. Stop.]

[audio]

[synthedick]

You'll help by staying home.

[audio]

[circumitus]

[BUT DAA~AAD.]

I can fight those things. It isn't right to just... lay here! [You know, on the floor. Where she belongs.]

text

[ghostlocked]

good luck.
how much do u know about what ur dealing with?

[text]

[synthedick]

Only a little more than we usually know when it comes to dealing with trouble. Every time the Door opens, and every time the gods decide to toy with us, it's something new.

[ghostlocked]

fair enough for the demons ig. keep smackin em. ull figure it out.
or just listen to kyna. shes given u good advice.
dont go after the lady tho. not worth it.

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[braveoff]

[ Drake's seen Laura's post, and her description of the 'demon' that tried to kill her matches the one Rita gave him of the woman who did kill her. Add the other newcomer in that post reporting their own murder, and if the sewing shop woman really was killed... that's three known murders and at least one more attempted.

What the fuck are they going to do about that? Maybe it's time they talked to the gods about some kind of jail situation for the locals as well. It's not the first time they've had a serial killer run loose.

He really should have reported Rita's murder, and is feeling kind of responsible for this one now, but he was distracted by the flu immediately after and only just recovered. And now there's an immediate problem to tackle, the creatures wreaking havoc within city limits. All this at once probably isn't a coincidence. At least the boy who attacked him is probably unrelated?

Focus, man. Handle what you know you can. Monsters near Rage's temple. Got it. ]

I was supposed to be manning the eastern tower in twenty minutes, so I'm still in spire four. Should I head south to help on the ground, or take position somewhere to try and shoot down the fliers?

[audio]

[synthedick]

Knock the fliers out of the air if you can. We're stronger on the ground, and they can cause a lot more problems up there for us, especially if they decide to let themselves into one of the spires through a window.

[They've had some nasty visitors to the housing areas in the past, but that would be hard to top.]

Re: [audio]

[braveoff]

Got it. I'll get to a roof and see what I can do.

[ There's radio silence for awhile, and when Drake calls back he's somewhere windy. He's speaking a little louder to be heard, but still sounds calm. ]

Nick? Bullets aren't doing shit, I think I'm just pissing them off. Do we know where they're coming from, yet?

audio;

[claritatis]

[Manning the watchtowers is usually a quiet, routine affair. Ignis even has company at times. He's alone, however, when he sees the disturbance that would later reveal itself to be a summoning of daemonic creatures. It's almost a visceral instinct that has him recognising them for what they are before he calls it in, terse and sharp as his free hand grips tight against the watchtower balustrade.

Now, he's itching to get moving. Ignis has never been one to stand by and observe while a battle plays out in front of him.]

By your leave, I'll head down to the temple. There's little more I can do from up here save watch.

[audio]

[synthedick]

You got the call out. That's what matters.

[Nick will tell him thanks when the fires are out.]

Head down to the temple and see if you can't stop some of the ones on the ground from getting too far. Henry oughtta be down there soon.

[That's Nick for watch his back, please.]

[audio]

[claritatis]

[Putting the fires out is always the best first course of action, or there'll be no one around to be thanked.

Ignis doesn't need to be told twice, and he's already on the move before Nick finishes speaking. The sound of him taking the stairs two at a time forms a staccato backdrop to the conversation.]

I'll find Henry, and give you an update if I can. [No promises, he has no idea what it will be like when he's there.

But he'll watch Henry's back. No problem.]

Audio

[soldier_blade]

Sonya Blade, reporting in. [There's the sound of shuffling and fabric. Sonya's shift wasn't scheduled for another hour, but that didn't stop her.] I'll be there in ten minutes.

[Thank god for mopeds.]

[audio]

[synthedick]

[Ah, one of the new recruits. Nick hasn't spoken to Sonya personally -- only seen her in the building a time or two and assigned her patrol route -- but he's glad to hear from her all the same.]

Good. What's your position?

Re: [audio]

[soldier_blade]

Just leaving past Spiral two. [She was at home when the message arrived, catching up on some much needed cleaning, but the time delay was only enough for her to get dressed and armed up.] I could take the nearest watch tower if you need work against the Fliers.

[Archery might not be her strength, but her power gauntlets were fully charged-and had been tested against demons before.]

audio;

[solase]

[Alucard isn't oblivious to the happenings in the city, but he's new to the guard and he's just adjusting to the idea that anything like this would be something he's supposed to be dealing with. Also this whole phone thing is still taking some getting used to. (What is technology...) As such, it takes him a moment to find this call to arms, as it were, and another moment to respond to it.]

Emery, reporting in. I'm in Spire Three, which means I'm not far off. I don't know how many magicians you've got on scene, but tell me where you need me and I will do my best to add my skills to the fray.

[audio]

[synthedick]

[Just as Alucard isn't used to technology, Nick isn't as used to magic as he could be. He's seen it, but from what he gets, it's different from world to world, and works differently from person to person. So long as it's useful for keeping monsters off the streets, he's not about to complain.]

Got any magic tricks that can either knock the flying ones out of the air, or to keep them on the ground once they're there?

audio;

[solase]

['Magic tricks'. The look on Alucard's face right now. That is, if you could see the look on his face. He still hasn't quite mastered the whole video thing here. One step at a time...]

Well, I can manipulate the air itself. As well as earth and water. Those are my elements, you see. So I daresay that I'll be able to do something useful.

[Is his tone of voice a little arrogant? Perhaps a little. (In his defense, he does place first in what is basically the magical Olympics back home. Not that he knows that yet.)]