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

[fmalchemist160]

Ed dodges to the side, too distracted by fake-Angel to be able to do anything to stop fake-Buffy. He shines his light on fake-Angel, hoping it'll be enough to keep him at bay.

Cipher Nine loosens his hold around Lachesis's waist, but doesn't entirely let go until she's bound inside the amulet.

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Bigby leaps forward towards the Buffy-shadow, fangs bared. Wind rushes at his back, carrying him along swifter than an ordinary wolf.

Clark lowers the amulet, still feeling awful about doing this to April, but they have no choice and it's too late to stop. "Just Atropos left."

[slayers_desire]

Lachesis is now locked in the Demontrap along with Clotho. They move along the path, towards the cave. Atropos is not bothering to hide. She is clinging to the rock face, near the cave entrance.

The fake-Angel hisses at the light, but he tries to surround Ed completely, and tries to block out the light. Bigby easily tackled the Buffy-shadow. She screams, trying to fight against him.

[fmalchemist160]

Ed's response is to keep moving, employing his carefully honed dexterity and his very acrobatic fighting style to get away from Angel every time the shadow tries to surround him. Since Bigby is managing to keep the fake Buffy in check with physical attacks, he transmutes his automail arm into a blade and makes several slashing attacks in retaliation.

Cipher Nine lets out a long breath as they approach Atropos. "We just need to figure out her fear," he notes. "When we came here last, to get rid of Adam, she was afraid of losing Clark," he notes. "But I have a sneaking suspicion Edward managed to cure her of that fear in the process of helping to clear Adam out."

[kalel_ofkrypton]

The Buffy-shadow isn't really her, so Bigby has no problems whatsoever with mauling her with teeth and claws, biting hard and whipping his head back and forth, shaking her like a toy. It's been a long, long time since the Big Bad Wolf was let out to play, and although she doesn't taste like anything, it doesn't lessen that tiny bit of satisfaction deep in his chest.

"I'm open to ideas," Clark says under his breath as they approach the last of the Fates.

Harry makes a face. "Hate to say it, but we could try the fear of losing your kids."

[slayers_desire]

The Angel-shadow splits into two, to keep on Ed every time he tried to get out of the way. The blade does nothing to injure the shadow, as it just cuts through the darkness without injuring him.

The Buffy-shadow is pinned by Bigby's wind powers in order to disappear, or use its powers. He is able to literally tear it into nothing, until it is no longer a threat to them.

Atropos gives a sharp cry when Harry mentioned the fear of losing the children. She moves into the cave, trying to escape them before they can bind her.

[fmalchemist160]

"A little help here!" Ed calls to Bigby, now that he sees the Buffy-shadow has been torn to shreds. He resorts to trying dummy transmutations, scribing circles with Alchemy to keep Angel at bay with the flashes of light and static that go along with any transmutation.

"Blast it," Cipher Nine sighs as Atropos heads into the cave. He's hesitant to just tear in after her, though... the darkness when they were here earlier was so impenetrable that even his infrared vision didn't allow him to see. He doesn't like using April's maternal instincts against her any more than the others do, but if it gets the job done...

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Bigby whirls around, huffs and puffs, and blows a blast of northern wind at the Angel-shadow. He bounds back towards Ed, ready to do the same thing to this shadow as he did to the other.

"We can't let her get away," Clark says. He doesn't hesitate to run after her, despite the memory of the darkness.

[slayers_desire]

The wind knocks the Angel-shadow back. Bigby is able to capture one of the shadow duplicates in his mouth, and it weakens the original Angel-shadow as he does.

Ed might notice that meanwhile, April has stopped struggling.

The cave is unnaturally dark. But Harry should be able to 'enlighten' the situation.

[fmalchemist160]

With the support from the wind, Ed lunges to help Bigby tear the Angel-shadow apart, slashing multiple times with his blade-arm. Out of the corner of his eye, he does indeed notice that April isn't trying to get out of the quicksand anymore. He hopes it means Cipher Nine, Clark, and Harry are close to binding her Voices.

Cipher Nine heads in after them, not used to the complete darkness. He can't even see Clark and Harry by their body heat. There's nothing he can do to break it, either.

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Bigby's too busy with the shadows to notice what April is doing, or not doing, as the case may be. He savages the shadow in his teeth, ripping it to shreds.

Harry channels his will into his staff, making the runes glow and smoke, giving them just enough light to see by. "Whaddya know, it worked this time."

"Hurry," Clark urges them. "We need to follow her."

[slayers_desire]

They are able to follow the footsteps that Atropos left behind, through the weaving caverns, until they come to the first door. Atropos can't go through it, without someone there to open it. And so she is kneeling by a rock, trying her best to be still and unnoticed.

The Angel-shadow is destroyed completely. But at least April is unable to be freed of her temporary cage. There are no more shadows trying to free her.

[nonvillainouscipher]

Ed takes a moment to catch his breath, watching April carefully. Then he realizes something. "Dammit," he breathes. "There aren't any more shadows trying to free April. Maloker must've eaten the rest."

Which, unfortunately, probably isn't going to help, as Cipher Nine is doing his best to very thoroughly check the cave for her as they proceed. He stops in front of her. "Please. Don't make this any harder than it has to be," he tells her quietly.

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Bigby growls a little, and part of him wishes that the shadows could bleed. Either way, he looks at April now, noticing that she's stopped struggling. "Looks like whatever they're doing is working though."

Clark approaches Atropos, already thinking about his own fears about losing their children. What might happen if Lex remembers anything, if his enemies used Jonathan and little Laura against him, and especially remembering the anguish and desperation when Angel kidnapped Jonathan. "You know what I have to do."

[slayers_desire]

Atropos is the most cruelest of the Fates. But even she has her weaknesses, and she cries out from the thoughts and fears that Clark projects at her. "Don't. I will come. There isn't much time."

"Our power, takes three. Call upon us, and we will bind him." She speaks to Harry with this riddle. And then she too is drawn into the Demontrap.

With their mission into the mind complete, Clark, Cipher Nine and Harry find themselves back in the real world with Ed and Bigby. Harry is holding the Demon trap. Maloker seems to be a large shadow-bat right now.

[fmalchemist160]

"About time!" Ed calls when they show up. "She stopped struggling. Let's get this over with."

[kalel_ofkrypton]

"Of course, the wizard gets to do the secret magical ritual that summons the power of the Fates," Harry mutters, but it does make sense.

Clark wants to run to April and help her, but he doesn't dare, not until Maloker is vanquished, at least to the point where he can't control her anymore.

[slayers_desire]

They will still have to work together to capture Maloker in the demontrap. They will need a person to fly them closer. And it would make it easier on the flyer, if the ledge they were standing on was trasmuted away from the wall -- so they all can close the distance from them to Maloker.

They will need the Winds, to keep Maloker from using his shadow magic against them. They will need someone with a bond to Clotho, to summon the first fate. They will need someone with a bond to Lachesis, to summon the second fate. And they will need someone with a bond to Atropos, to summon the third fate. Most of all, they will need to use all their strategy and common sense to get it done quickly. And with a control of the magic they are about to summon.

[fmalchemist160]

That means Ed is needed twice over, along with Clark. He glances back and forth between the back of the ledge and Maloker, then says, "Okay. Here goes. Hope this doesn't result in a sinkhole on the surface." He claps his hands and gets down on one knee to start extruding out the ledge to get them as close to Maloker as he can. He has to use the earth surrounding the cavern to do it—hence why he's worried about opening up a sinkhole on the surface.

[kalel_ofkrypton]

"We'll need to work fast," Clark says, before they move into position. "Bigby, start the wind. Harry, shield us if you have to. Cipher, watch for traps. Ed, you and I need to get us all over there, together. I'll draw his fire if I have to."

[slayers_desire]

They move closer to Maloker on the floating ledge. The Old One throws shadow magic at them, trying to cloud their sense of direction.

[fmalchemist160]

There isn't much either Ed or Cipher Nine can do against the shadow magic at the moment. Cipher Nine does as requested, keeping an eye out for any traps, while Ed keeps transmuting the ledge further and further out.

((The ledge isn't floating. That's something Ed can't do. What he's doing is making it longer to get it closer.))

[kalel_ofkrypton]

The Big Bad Wolf huffs and puffs at the shadows, and Harry adds his own brand of magic wind to the mix, throwing out spells to counter Maloker's.

There's only so far that the ledge will go, and Clark takes hold of it, breaking it off and surging forward, counting on Ed to hold it together beneath everyone else's feet.

[slayers_desire]

((Okay, so now the ledge is floating. I am going to have April behind, near the cavern entrance, stuck in the quicksand. Along the tiny ledge that was left behind))

Bigby and Harry are able to prevent the shadows from attacking, allowing the group to get underneath Maloker himself. It is time to use the Demontrap. And those who are bond to the Fates, to call them forth.

[fmalchemist160]

Ed doesn't really have to do anything to keep the ledge together. His transmutations stick until he decides to undo them. He and Cipher Nine step to the forefront of the ledge, being the ones bonded to Atropos and Clotho, respectively.