DRAIN YOU OF YOUR SANITY

[fakethulhu.livejournal.com]

WHO: The Emissary and co. versus everybody
WHERE: Off the coast of Battery Park and throughout the City
WHEN: Just before midnight October 31st (technically November 1st)
WARNINGS: Violence and frightening imagery
SUMMARY: Drawn by Illidan’s magic, a demon from beyond reality has come forth to help the Betrayer doom the world. The battle that saves or destroys everything has begun. Happy Halloween, Cityverse!
FORMAT: Paragraph to start, whatever works after.

It came.

The Moon of midnight on All Hallow’s Eve shone wetly on the waters of the City’s Harbour. From beneath the surface a rumbling could be heard, as though emanating far, far below, within abyssal depths and ancient fathoms that could not possibly be there. First there was a ripple, then a wave, then the creature began to arise from the waters. It slid upwards and upwards, rising smoothly and continuously out of the ocean like a living edifice, a vast Thing ancient and immovable, a walking island sunken no longer. The head then the shoulders then the wings then the misshapen body came forth, yet still more of Its bulk remained beneath the waters, with slow thighs beginning to move It towards the City. All around it the sky and the ocean seemed to darken with an almost positive quality, as though jet-black ink was spilling into the universe itself. The Emissary had come.

Water flowed off Its body in torrents, mixing with drool and ichor. An unending series of sickly slopping and slobbering noises came from the twitching forest of tentacles around Its mouth, the product of a ravening hunger. The ocean heaved immensely around the Titan form, waves thrashing from the power of Its body. How to describe such a thing? How to even conceive of such horror, outside of madness or nightmare? That immense octopus head crowning the terrible body, those dragon-bat wings sprouting from Its back, those rubbery, sea-green scales, the mingled and loathsome aspects of the reptile, the mollusc- and the human! For it was on two feet that It moved, and with two arms did the Emissary reach out toward the morsels It slavered for.

An aura of panic and despair announced It, greater than any herald’s trumpet. Merely to look upon that incomprehensible shape and its alien geometry was to gamble with one’s sanity. Its very presence emanated a sense of immeasurable insignificance and absence of meaning, as though all the Earth was plankton in the presence of a whale. It moved with a shambling, unwholesome motion that had nothing to do with clumsiness, gathering speed. A mountain walked or stumbled! Toward the City, toward the Well. Toward the end of the world.

[ooc: goddamndoomchat is open on AIM if anyone's interested! There are some people fighting the Emissary who have not been slotted into threads yet; we will work those out as we go along! The raid against Illidan in Central Park will be posted by Jill later. Have fun everybody!]

Comments

[faithful_servant]

"I have water at home." And alcohol which would probably make his headache worse, but it would also dull the ache in his body.

His eyebrow raised and he nearly grinned. "I'm full of jealousy right now. Such a trick would come into great use."

[andromynous]

"I wasn't talking about water -- electrolytes. It'll help you feel better faster."

Andromeda laughed at his statement. "It's come in more useful here when there's fewer people who know to make magical barriers to keep it out."

[batbogeyed]

Ginny was worried. Andromeda was helping Wesley, but Sofia still appeared to be suffering, and Ginny's Patronus wasn't doing enough. She moved closer, trusting her spell to keep herself safe from Cthulu's aura of despair.

"Sofia, can you hear me? Come close to me, I can help you!"

[faithful_servant]

That probably meant needles since Wes was not about to drink a bottle of Pedialyte. "I have sports drinks at home although I doubt cabs are answering calls at the moment."

He sighed and tried to sit up. "Really Andromeda, I thank you for your help, but I'm quite capable of taking care of myself." And just to prove that point he fell back down too tired to actually sit up on his own.

[andromynous]

"I doubt very much that you are capable of taking care of yourself, Wesley. A strong wind looks like it might blow you down at any moment." And then -- well, it turned out he didn't need to even have a wind do that for him.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I'll be gentle, I promise."

[faithful_servant]

"That's somehow less than comforting." Still he manages a slight smile and gives into her care. "Would you then be able to get me home? I really would rather convalesce in my own bed."

[andromynous]

"I think I could manage to swing that if you promise to sit through a banana bag. Do you think it'll be safe where your home is, though?" That was an important question.

[fakethulhu.livejournal.com]

The four of them could take whatever time they needed for now, because the Emissary had at last been stopped- at least for the moment. It was standing stiffly with Its arms out and Its tentacles rigid, twitching and jerking and quivering, ripples rolling through Its vile jellylike body. Whatever eldritch nervous system It possessed, whatever nightmarishly alien standards of pain and sensation existed in Its mind, it was clear that Infinite Agonies was doing the job at binding the monster.

The fight was far from over, however. Even as the defenders regrouped, the Emissary's spasms were subsiding. Soon it would be able to force Its way past the spell, dispel Wesley's magic, and continue the advance.

[faithful_servant]

He resists the urge to roll his eyes because she's trying and she's nice and...no, he really shouldn't think of any more "ands."

"I live at the MAC." With all those so-called heroes it should be safe enough, right?

[andromynous]

She purses her lips. She doesn't like it, but -- "All right. Let's get you inside so you can head home as soon as possible. Sound good?"

[faithful_servant]

That purse of her lips is oddly endearing and it really shouldn't be, not when he still loves Fred and would really love some painkillers.

"Good." He tries to get up and fails instead just making a few grunting noises and sighing. "I don't suppose they have any wheelchairs about?"

[andromynous]

"Are you open to a little levitation-aided travel? If not, I can certainly go grab something else." Not everyone is completely okay with being carried by mysterious currents of magic, after all, especially when injured.

[faithful_servant]

More humiliation, but he really did just want to get this all over with so he nodded and closed his eyes so he wouldn't see the stares. "Levitation would be fine."

[andromynous]

Probably less humiliation than he thinks -- a modified version of the charm acts more or less like a wheelchair, anyway.

She draws her wand and proclaims the appropriate charm, making sure they don't go too quickly.

"So, do you make a habit of pushing your Dark-Magical boundaries, or was this a special occasion for the end of the world?"

[faithful_servant]

Oh that. He frowns and opens his eyes to look back at her.

"It's easier to tap into for me. For anyone really, but today needed a bit more power granted I've never displayed that much power in my own world. It was rather," addicting, "good timing on the Porter's part."

[andromynous]

"I've noticed an enhancement on certain aspects of my magic here too," she remarked, guiding them through the maze of cots set throughout the gym to a vacant one, "whether that's for better or worse."

She isn't going to lecture him on the dangers of Dark Magic. He's old enough -- or she hopes he is -- to know the dangers.

[faithful_servant]

He knows all the dangers, but at this point in his life he's learned that sometimes the only option is to reach in and embrace that darker side. "Right now I'm rather happy that you've been given a magical enhancement."

[andromynous]

Andromeda laughed. "It's not the worst thing to have happened."

Once he was down onto a cot -- still sitting -- she turned to him with a smile.

"I'll be back in just a moment, all right? Need to get some supplies."

[faithful_servant]

He nodded and closed his eyes already trying to fall asleep. Everything hurt and he felt as though he hadn't slept for a week. What he needed was a double and a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.

[andromynous]

If it was sleep he'd wanted, he should've asked Andromeda for a tranquilizer.

As it was, she came back with the banana bag and gave his shoulder a gentle tap.

"Still awake?" If he was really and truly asleep, she'd just -- leave him to rest.

[faithful_servant]

"Awake." He wouldn't be completely comfortable until he was home. "How does the casualty report look?"

[andromynous]

"I haven't been checking that." Bad for morale.

"It's -- well, up to you whether you want to open your eyes for the intravenous insertion or not, I guess." She wasn't terribly good at it yet, but she was -- improving.

[faithful_servant]

He looks up at her and slightly smiles. "You did go to nursing school, did you not?"

[andromynous]

"In the wizarding world," she reminds him. "It's kind of a different process of doing things, but I think I've worked the kinks out of the few spells that help me."

[faithful_servant]

That would have been more concerning had Wes been anyone else. "I'm perfectly willing to be your pincushion then especially if it means getting to go home."