los angeles ♔ just somebody's unholy hoax

[eldritchweaver]

♬ dear god - lawless, sydney wayser

WHO || Katniss, Toby, David, Jeanne, Kenzi, Paige
WHAT || A team of Knights is tasked to infiltrate the Dead Zone in Los Angeles and try to gather intelligence
WHERE || LA
WHEN || November 21st, 2017, just after midnight of the 20th [ 5 days after the Incident ]
HOW || Actionspam

[ The strike team has limited time to prepare before they are asked to report to the dragon's fire wing. Hasmed has one of the castle's valued greater teleport scrolls ready to go, explaining to them that they will be dropped at an office building that is outside the LA zone. It is currently in an evacuated sector that is under limited military scrutiny, and still has power and internet access. They are to use that location as a jump point for evacuation when ready to leave, using an instant connectivity spell with Sir Zero to return.

Having studied the area carefully via scrying, Sir Hasmed's spell functions perfectly, and the group finds themselves in the large lobby area of an office building that feels strangely quiet, and is dark around them aside from some gently humming electronics. the crackling energy of the spell fades from them, gusting a few papers off the top of the receptionist's desk. ]

Comments

[errantdetective]

[Toby's on her way as well, keeping her eyes and ears open with a spot 27 and a listen of 18.]

[anthophobia]

[Katniss is more than happy to get moving now that the decision has been made. The further they can get from that thing, the better tbh.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ they head back off down the streets, which continue to boast of an eerie and unnatural quiet, void of any regular city-sounds of talking, car horns, or even the steady murmur of traffic. kenzi swears that she can hear things moving about in the shadowed buildings they pass by from time to time, and both her and toby think they catch a glimpse of movement in the corner of windows, but nothing comes out and nothing reveals itself. ]

[arretez]

[ jeanne casts detect evil because she at least wants to know if there is a concentration of it in a certain area so she can take note of it. ]

[somepagesturn]

It's so weird to see everything so quiet and lonely...

[She wraps her arms around herself and rubs at her holy symbol absently.]

[errantdetective]

Honestly? It'd be weirder if it was normal.

[Considering everything that's happened. Toby breathes in, searching for the distinctive smell of magic (detect magic, obviously).]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ what they both sense is overwhelming - a backlash of darkness and of magic that doesn't seem to come from one place, but instead reverberates all around them, on a powerful level that causes them both to release the spell instantly instead of continue to hone in for more information ]

[errantdetective]

[Toby staggers slightly and grabs her head. Wow, that is not pleasant. She doesn't let it slow her down too much, though. She's pretty sure "this place is filled with evil magic" is going to be news to anyone.]

[somepagesturn]

[Paige's eyes lock on Toby.]

Toby? Are you all right? [Is Voldemort nearby??]

[generaldavideus]

[David also glances back to Toby, seconding the question silently because if this is some kind of possession style evil magic take over of Toby's body he's not here for it.

Which is why he doesn't say anything because let's not put that thought in anyone's heads.]

[errantdetective]

I'm fine. I just... [She shakes her head.] I knew this place was bad, but it's bad. Took me by surprise.

[arretez]

[ jeanne puts a hand on toby's shoulder, nodding in commiseration. ]

We press on.

[ not that toby had stopped, but in general, for the others that hadn't felt the overwhelming wall of evil surrounding them. ]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ the buildings begin to recede around a large building ahead, where several cars have driven haphazardly right up to the doors, which appear even from this distance to be barricaded from within ]

[somepagesturn]

[Paige immediately touches David's bicep the second she makes a connection, and points.] What do you think? Survivors?

[errantdetective]

We can hope.

[Anything evil probably wouldn't need to barricade itself like that.]

[generaldavideus]

[David stops when Paige stops him, glancing around over the scene before glancing back from his shoulder. He scans the building, trying to see if he can make out any signs of trouble before he makes a decision (spot 20 total).]

How far are we from the epicenter?

[behindcloseddoors]

[ at this far, they are likely still miles out. as david surveys the building, he can see that the barricading is shoddily done, including things like file cabinets pressed against windows higher up. some of the windows below are cracked, as if something already tried (or succeeded) at getting in at some point, and they've been barricaded from within now ]

[somepagesturn]

We should see if they're all right...

[Paige is maybe feeling a little guilty about the guards that got EATEN back there...]

And... Maybe they know something. It could save us time.

[anthophobia]

[They're not here to rescue survivors, but she knows they're not likely to just potentially leave people here. She's pretty sure Paige is using possible knowledge as an excuse, but Katniss isn't sure that the others won't agree and the sooner they did this the sooner they moved on.]

Go. [She looks at David.] I'll keep watch at the entrance.

[She's a ranged fighter; she should be able to try and hold something off from a distance while they get out if necessary.]

[generaldavideus]

[David glances to Katniss and he also worries that this could waste more time than it saves, but it's probably for the best that they check it out, just to be on the safe side. He nods, and gestures for the team to move forward.]

Shout if you need help. We'll try not to go far.

[If anything, David has ranged weapons on him, and he can shoot out a window.]

[somepagesturn]

[Paige looks relieved in the only way a Lawful Good in a den of pragmatists can look.]

We'll just ask them a few questions. There's... really not anything we can do for them right now other than give them some hope that help might be coming. That could be enough.

[sololoquy]

[Almost as soon as the team starts to move inside the building, a familiar dark and cold presence flares around the corner of the building. Kylo Ren appears, flanked by six armored spec ops soldiers clad in riot gear, all whom train their guns those in view.

In one hand, Kylo Ren holds what looks to be a bladeless hilt that ignites when he spots movement. The other hand raises toward Katniss in a gripping motion.

Initiative roll: 16]

[generaldavideus]

[If this were any other situation, David might have tried to reason with these people, or keep up their soldier facade. But they are in a pit of evil, with a guy with some kind of laser sword is making a threatening gesture towards one of his teammates and he reacts instinctively, maybe not necessarily logically.

It's one thing when they hadn't engaged the bad things yet - it's another thing entirely when the bad things are engaging them.

Without hesitation, he draws his Excalibur and fires four shots into the leader (attacks 31, 29, 25, 24, damage 7, 8, 4, 7 respectively for whichever of those hit).]

[arretez]

[ like any french lady, jeanne draws and ignites her sword and charges toward the man with the laser blade, making a smite evil attack with her flaming blade. (atk 37, crit on 19, dmg 5 + 2 fire + 12 smite) if she draws the attention of the soldiers then so be it, better her than paige who is necessary as the cleric. this is supposed to be strictly recon but she was expecting that to go up in flames long before. ]

[errantdetective]

[Toby steps to the side, inhaling as she gathers strands of magic and flicks them out towards her allies.]

I’ll put a girdle round about the Earth in forty minutes.

[The spell bursts, bringing with it the scent of cut grass and bloody copper. Congrats, you all have haste.]