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

[nonvillainouscipher]

"Incoming!" Ed warns the group as his Guardian hisses at him. That quicksand is going to hold her for awhile; her arms would be pinned to her sides, and even as she tries to dig them out, more quicksand will quickly fill the gaps back in.

Cipher Nine nods, and goes to stand beside Clark. "Alright. Ready when you are."

[kalel_ofkrypton]

The Big Bad Wolf growls back at Maloker, the fur rising on the back of his neck. He howls again in challenge, drawing the attention of any enemies within shouting distance.

Harry doesn't like this plan. "Can you even do that?"

"That's why I need you," Clark says. "Just in case I can't get the two of you to come along on my own."

Harry absolutely hates this plan now. But he nods with a grimace. "Fine, let's do this."

[slayers_desire]

Since April is in panic mode -- she really can't think clear enough to know she is not getting closer to escaping. She is crying and sobbing, and just clawing to try to free herself from the quicksand.

A storm of shadows start to fill the cavern, swarming around Maloker in a twisting force of power and energy.

Once Clark, Cipher Nine and Harry enter the mindscape, they find themselves in the mushroom valley again. There is a darkness ahead, where the bats are surrounding the oak tree. Clotho is waiting there.

She stands, and holds out an amulet. Harry will recognize it as a Demontrap. "We know why you are here. This will serve you well. The others... won't go easy."

[fmalchemist160]

"I'm sorry, April," Ed breathes. The shadows are a problem, though he's dealt with them before. Out comes his flashlight, which he uses to keep the shadows at bay while he works. Once again, he finds himself wishing his former CO were here. The Flame Alchemist's talents would come in handy against shadows.

As it is, the best he can do is an idea he picked up from that time he and Clark fought Eyghon. He transmutes trough in a wide circle, which surrounds all of his allies, filled with a flammable liquid, and ignites it using a lighter from one of the pouches on his utility belt. The fire is in no danger of harming April (he kept the trough well away from her), but hopefully it'll keep the shadows at bay.

Cipher Nine kneels down in front of Clotho, leaving either Clark or Harry to take the trap. He doesn't know how to activate it. "I'm sorry we have to do this to you," he tells her quietly.

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Bigby can't do anything to create light, but he didn't become the Big Bad Wolf by being cute and cuddly. He snaps at the shadows, and any who are vulnerable to the wind also will find themselves having trouble getting anywhere close to the group.

Clark takes the Demontrap from Clotho. "You're going to come quietly? Why?" Not that he's complaining, mind you.

[slayers_desire]

The shadows are not bothering either Ed or Bigby. In fact, they are just swarming and gathering around Maloker. The Old One seems to be 'feeding' off the shadows. Claiming their powers and strength as his own.

"You have already found my fear. It is so dark..." Clotho is the one who is most linked to April's claustrophobia. "When you have all three of us bond, use the trap to bind the Old One."

[fmalchemist160]

"Oh, that's not good," Ed mutters, at a loss as to how to stop Maloker from consuming them. Old One, after all. "I circled the wrong area." He quickly fixes that, removing the previous circle (thus snuffing the flames by depriving them of their fuel, and attempts to reform it around Maloker instead.

Cipher Nine nods. "Thank you," he tells her earnestly. "Let's find Lachesis," he adds to the others.

[big_bad_sheriff]

"We don't have to defeat them, just keep 'em busy long enough for Clark to do whatever kinda magic he's doing," Bigby growls to Ed. "Don't let down our defenses here."

"Don't we need to bind her first?" Harry asks, frowning down at Clotho. At least they don't have to hurt her, he thinks.

[slayers_desire]

Besides Maloker is perched in the middle of the cavern. The small ledge where they exited doesn't have any means of pathway to get closer to the Old One. And the ceiling is too high to reach, without the power of flight.

"Yes you really should. Use their fears to bind the others." Clotho tells them.

[fmalchemist160]

Ed swears and reforms the barrier of fire around them. Mustang would be able to do it much faster than he can. "Maloker's gonna consume those shadows to take their strength," he says. "If you've got any bright ideas on how to stop him from doing that, I'm all ears."

"I think she's already bound," Cipher Nine answers Harry. "Judging by the advice she just gave."

[kalel_ofkrypton]

"I got nothin'," the Big Bad Wolf replies, yellow eyes glowing as he watches Maloker. "Unless you want me to bite him."

"Fine then," Clark says. "The faster we find Lachesis, the better. We need to find their fears, quick."

[slayers_desire]

While Maloker feeds off most of the shadows, a few are darting in (back and forth quickly) to try to bring April out of the quicksand.

Clotho disappears, fading into the Demontrap. The path clears slightly, leading them to the edge of the mushroom forest. To the north, where the oak tree is located on a hill, there is a swarm of bats.

There is no sign of Lachesis, who had been waiting here before for them.

[fmalchemist160]

"I doubt biting him will work," Ed remarks dryly as he transmutes an additional trough around April, connected to the one protecting the rest of the group to the fire can flow freely from the existing one and into the new one. He gives her enough of a buffer not to get burned by the fire, but it's still close enough to hopefully keep the shadows away from her. Once that's done, he also shines his flashlight on any of the shadows that try to get close to her.

Cipher Nine frowns at the swarm. "This could be problematic," he notes, not sure how to proceed.

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Bigby blows at the shadows, but there isn't much else he can do at the moment. He paces inside their defensive line, watching for any sign of enemies approaching them.

Clark frowns too, but strides forward. "Lachesis! Come out where we can see you," he calls out. It's only a mindscape, but he figures his mind should make his powers as real as they need to be. So he punctuates his demand with a burst of heat vision towards the bats.

[slayers_desire]

"Hello boys. When did you get here?" The question behind Ed and Cipher Nine belongs to Buffy. She comes out onto the ledge, with Angel at her side.

"Don't hurt our tree!" The blast of heat vision at the bats is enough for Lachesis to come out of the woods.

[fmalchemist160]

((I'm going to assume you meant Ed and Bigby.))

Ed whirls, narrowing his eyes at Buffy and Angel. "A while ago," he responds. "Mind helping us with the big guy over there?" He jerks his chin at Maloker.

Cipher Nine glances aside at Clark. "I think we've found Lachesis' fear."

[big_bad_sheriff]

Bigby growls at the newcomers. "Now's not a great time, kids." He's a bit suspicious; the shadows are some kind of magic, and there's nothing to say they can't take other shapes, other faces. He sniffs the air, trying to catch their scents.

"Awesome," Harry says, a little gleefully, and he swipes his staff in a wide arc. "Pyrofuego!" he says, casting Hellfire at the bats and the tree.

[slayers_desire]

Bigby is not getting a scent. These are not the real Angel or Buffy. They are shadows, trying to get closer to April. To help her.

"Sure. Where do you need us?" The Buffy shadow is too eager to help Ed.

Lachesis screams again, rushing at Harry to try to knock the staff out of his hands. "Stop it! Stop it!"

((sigh. name mistake above. thks for clarifying))

[nonvillainouscipher]

Ed glances over at Bigby. He's not the only one who's a part of this fight. And yes, she's a bit over-eager.

Cipher Nine, meanwhile, lurches forward to catch Lachesis before she can deprive Harry of his staff, trying to loop his arms around her waist so he can restrain her. "I'm sorry, Lachesis," he says. "We have no choice."

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Bigby's growl gets louder and he turns to face them fully. "Nice try. But you can't fool this nose."

Clark's eyes burn with restrained heat vision as he looks at Lachesis, and he funnels that sensation through the bond, hoping that it will affect her as profoundly as it did to Maloker-controlled April. All the times he's ever burned anything, any time he's been in fire himself, and he holds up the amulet.

[slayers_desire]

Lachesis resists for a moment, until Clark mentally gives her the sensation of the fire. "I'll go. Just don't burn our tree. It is the only thing that will bring us back."

The shadows hiss at Bigby, when he reveals that they are false. The Buffy-shadow darts forward to get to April. And the Angel-shadow move to try to tackle Ed to the ground.

[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."