Dinner with Maloker ((group thread))

[slayers_desire]

Some may consider that all the 'Big Guns' that April has called together is overkill … but not really, not when it comes to the fact that many great minds are needed to find a way to prevent The Three (Discord, Disharmony and Cacophony) from their evil plans.

And the Big Guns are needed... when they have no idea where to start looking for The Three.

When other Keys (such as Dawn Summers) are being drained of their existence.

When the clock is still ticking on Lorne... and his battle with his disease.

Invitations were extended to Clark Kent/Superman; Harry Dresden; Sheriff Bigby Wolf; Edward Elric; Cipher Nine; and of course Spike, Angel, Buffy, Willow and Wes.

April is waiting in the planning room, for each person to arrive, going through some books as she does. For many... this will be a familiar encounter, as they had to come to fight together before. But there will be some new faces. And new ideas.

((forgot a posting order. Since multiple characters, Kat/Ael/ me))

Comments

[slayers_desire]

"The others... wanted my power. Are you here to see The-Bat-Demon-Who-Knows?" The exact name for the creature in Swahili is a lot more complicated than how it is translated.

[nonvillainouscipher]

"If you mean Maloker, then yes," Cipher Nine responds. Ed's still gathering himself following the whole hallucination thing.

[thepizzalord]

"We need to talk to him," Harry adds after Lasciel translates. "That okay?"

[slayers_desire]

"I can open his door for you." The child confirms. He brings out a piece of chalk, and starts to draw on the stone wall of the cave.

April moves from Clark's embrace, now that she is not in such desperate need for comfort, and crawls to Ed's side. "You okay?" She whispers. She knows that sometimes delusions can be hard to handle.

[fmalchemist160]

Ed looks over at her and leans his head into her shoulder for a moment. "I... kinda hallucinated that your mother was molesting me," he mutters, only half-joking. "She said something like... 'When the eyes go red... fill with dread, not all is right in the world. When the monster claims what is his, remove the whispers to remove the control.'"

[big_bad_sheriff]

Bigby can't help but overhear. "That doesn't sound good. We don't have to let this Maloker guy actually get what he wants, do we?"

[slayers_desire]

"No. Of course not." April doesn't want to give Maloker any advantage in this situation. Her 'mothers' warning is very cryptic, but at least everyone heard it. And they all are now effectively warned.

The child finishes drawing the door. He then uses his powers as a key to open it. The door leads to a large underground cavern. They will enter the cavern on a ledge, that overlooks the Grand Canyon-sized cavern. On the roof, in the middle of the cavern, is a large Demon bat.

By large, he is larger than the Empire State Building. They are a far-enough distance to him, and there does not seem to be anyway to reach him.

"I see you made your way here." Ember appears to their left.

[fmalchemist160]

Ed tenses when he sees Ember, and keeps a mental 'ear' out for any input from his Oscuridad guide. "No thanks to you," he says flatly. "You gonna tell us what he wants now?"

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Clark doesn't see any sign of the others who left before them, so he says nothing, not wanting to tip Ember off if she doesn't already know. "You don't look surprised to see us." He hadn't expected she would.

[slayers_desire]

"Not with that attitude." Ember crossed her arms, leaning against the wall.

"He called, and she came."

Maloker stretches his wings. For those who are aware of the time, even without any sign of the moon or sun, will know it is midnight. He unfurls his wings and growls deeply. Harry, with his 'Demon' assistance might understand him on his own. "Bow to me, my child"

As weak and drained as she is, April can't resist. And she is suddenly on her knees in reverence.

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Clark doesn't like seeing April bow to anyone. "Leave her alone!" He steps forward, though he knows there isn't much he can do to stop Maloker.

How melodramatic, Lasciel comments to her host.

[slayers_desire]

"It is fortunate that you have come. The Three are quite close to destroying the Sphere of Music, and when that happens, the whole world will be destroyed." Ember smiled, using her shadow magic to disappear from sight.

"Open the portal, my key" Maloker opens his wings completely. His eyes glow red. April's eyes glow red. She stands, and turns towards the five people who have come all this way with her.

"Help me!" She pleads. Maloker now has control of her abilities. And through his command, April uses her psychic abilities to send a psychic blast at her friends. At the same time, she summons a powerful psychic shield around Maloker himself, effectively protecting him.

Yes -- it is true -- the time for the grand smackdown has come -- and it is April herself that they must fight.

[fmalchemist160]

"Scheiße!" Ed's eyes go wide, and he reacts by clapping his hands together and transmuting a big stone wall to deflect the blast of force away from them (and not reflect it back at April). He knows they're at the moment Dru's hallucination warned him about... But the only interpretation he can think of is to cut April off from her voices. He saw that happen once before, and he doesn't want to inflict that on her again.

Cipher Nine knows that going invisible isn't going to do him much good against April's powers. He draws one knife and hunkers down behind Ed's transmuted stone wall to avoid the blast of force. "We need a plan!"

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Clark is horrified. If April's mind was being controlled, he could reach out over the bond and try to talk her down. But she's still in there completely, it's her body that's being controlled. And he can't do a thing about it.

Harry readies his staff, the runes smoking as he gathers his will, taking cover behind Ed's wall as well. "You're kidding, right?"

Bigby growls, now-yellow eyes flashing dangerously. "We should just kill Maloker. That'd stop her."

[slayers_desire]

In truth, it is a combination of both her mind and body being controlled, hence why Maloker can use her powers to attack them. And the part of April that is still aware is desperately trying to connect to Clark through the bond -- but she can't get to the mental tree, as there is a swarm of bats surrounding it. She is being prevented by the very thing that give her special abilities -- her voices have been triggered to fight against her and her friends.

"No. You can't kill..." Maloker prevents her from saying any further. From warning them to exactly why they shouldn't kill Maloker. He doesn't want them to know that he could possibly possess and claim April's body as his own, if they do destroy his current mortal shell.

April directs another psychic blast at them, this time hitting above where the stalactites are hanging, trying to break them off and fall onto her friends. Meanwhile, in the back of his mind, Ed can hear the insistent hum of his spirit guardian. The shadow spirit is trying to tell him something.

[fmalchemist160]

Ed's Oscuridad guardian will have to wait a few moments as Ed hears the rocky crunching of the stalactites being separated from the ceiling. He pales, and transmutes another, thick, rocky barrier. Several, actually, to protect them from attack on all sides. Only once they're shielded will he turn his attention to her. "What?" he asks her under his breath.

Ed has definitely told Clark and April that one of the Oscuridad sisters he thought he'd killed during the Order of Aurelius thing (he assumes she's the elder of the two) had stuck with him in her new spiritual form, and that the other had managed to find Al and bond with him. Cipher Nine has figured out that Ed's got some input from something that no-one else can perceive, even if he hasn't discerned what. Ed also probably told Harry, given that they were both there when Ed ostensibly killed them, and Harry had witnessed how distraught Ed was when he thought he'd ended their lives. He wouldn't be at all surprised if Bigby were a bit confused right about now, though.

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Clark tries to reach her too, trying to force his way through the swarm of bats to reach their mental refuge. But Maloker's blocks are strong.

Harry adds to Ed's defenses by adding a bit of offense, swinging his staff in a wide arc. "Pyrofuego!" he says, casting Hellfire in a circle around them, the flames roaring above their heads.

Bigby isn't paying much attention to anything but April, Maloker, and Ember. He growls, sounding more wolf than man, and he bares sharp teeth at them.

[slayers_desire]

The Hellfire definitely helped, since now the Oscuridad guardian can take form. Ed's own shadow changes, into something more feminine. The Osuridad guardian can't speak. But will try to communicate through -- yes, you guess it, shadow puppets. Using the shadows, she reminds Ed of the time he and Harry fought her and her sister. How a bond between two people is so strong, that harming one could be a way to bring harm to another.

Ed's rocky barrier is suitable to protect them. However, it can also be used against them. As now, April is channeling her psychic energy to close in the rock walls that surround them.

[fmalchemist160]

Ed hastily tries to use his alchemy to counteract the force April is exerting on at least one of the walls. They'll definitely still need an immovable object for the rest, though. He watches the shadow play, then says, "Guys... There might be another way to cut Maloker off from April, using the Soulmate's Bond between her and Clark."

Cipher Nine, who doesn't feel particularly useful right at the moment, glances over at Clark and frowns. "Hurting him to distract her?" he guesses, sounding like this idea does not sit well with him at all. (Hell, for that matter, Ed doesn't sound particularly enthused about it either.)

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Fortunately, they have an immovable object, although he can only be in one place at once. Clark leans on the rock wall, trying to help hold it back. He's still listening to the conversation, though, and nods once.

Bigby's eyebrows go up. "Excuse me?"

[slayers_desire]

The Oscuridad guardian is using her own experience to be helpful. There is still the advice that Dru had given too. They won't have much time to make a decision on what to do.

Because as they are dealing with the collapsing stone around them... April is is being forced to channel her powers to open the portals between worlds. If the portal gets too big -- Maloker will be able to escape.

[fmalchemist160]

"It's either that, or we temporarily cut her off from her Voices," Ed says. "I'm pretty sure that's what the hallucination of Drusilla meant. We gotta do something, though. Cipher?"

"I'm reluctant to cause harm to Clark, even if it's in a good cause," Cipher Nine says. "And her Voices come from Maloker. Temporarily silencing them seems the best course of action to me."

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Clark doesn't like the idea of cutting April off from her voices, such an important part of who she is. And he also knows that his decision will carry a great deal of weight in this situation. "Can they be restored after?"

"Who the hell knows, but we have to act, now," Harry says, keeping up the Hellfire.

[slayers_desire]

They do have to act quickly. April is near tears, being forced to open the portal. And unable to stop herself. She can't even tell them how to stop her either.

But luckily, Ed, Cipher Nine and Clark know her well enough to make a plan of action to stop her.

[fmalchemist160]

Ed shakes his head a little, trying to decide between their two options. He isn't fond of either of them. Finally, he says, "I think her Bond with Clark may be the best way to cut her off from Maloker. It's a powerful thing." He looks at Clark. "But she's your wife. Your Soulmate. Your opinion matters most."