Noah noticed that Nefertiti raised an eyebrow when her called her Arc Crew.  Never had she agreed for such a position but only offering to help in removing the corruption that seeps over the lands.

Letting out a sigh she looked at the others for a moment and wasn't going to be the first to move out, seeing that most were well armed and with weird weapons. She thought it would be best to be closest to the back.  Her Powers were more of a range attack anyways.

Michael nodded and sheathed his Zweihander while taking off his bow. No point in wielding a sword if they start shooting before we even get close. “I will let you all know that if any of you die during this, please get their bodies to me a quick as you can. I have been taught the rite of Resurrection, but it is very draining on my soul. I don’t wish any of us to fall, but know that there is a backup plan.” The Hunter walked out of the command center.

Fate had been in the background of this scene as she had had nothing more to say. When she heard the name "Ark Crew" she too raised a brow, but she brushed it off with the thought of whatever and followed the group when the time came, gun in hand at the ready. Fate would stay behind Noah and Michael.

 The group passed the Marine cordon as they made their way to the ruined building still standing, broken but defiant, in the middle of what could only have been described as a giant footprint. Most of the rest of the block had been devastated, leaving behind only a few blasted shells. The wind-scoured skeletons of what were once buildings.

 There was no path one could take that would keep one concealed... but that also meant that the marines had a clear view of all of the creature's possible exits. It was eerily quiet, with only the sound of the wind around them. A faint howling in the wind, reminiscent of the screams of the damned.

OOC: no actual screams, just the wind with a disturbing affect to it.

OOC2: for those with spirit sight.


 

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
For those of you that could see the spirit world, the ground was writhing with black maggots and the air thick with flies, the rank stench of soured essence hung in the air like the scent of carrion, the screams of all those lives lost here imprinted upon the very soil of this place... and the scent of soured charnel only grows stronger as you approach.

---

Mistral was only too happy to exit the tent and leave the First Sergeant to his fretting.  As they exited she remarked drily, “I wasn’t aware this was paying work.”  Michael’s offer for resurrection raised a number of questions, but Mistral decided they would be better left for later.  “The area is warded, but I haven’t yet discovered what danger it may pose.  I will get us closer to inspect.”  Once out of sight of the military men she opened a mist-limned portal and stepped through it, taking them to a discreet location nearer to the site.

Once all were through she traced an invisible line along the ground and said, “This is the ward’s edge.  If you cross it I am uncertain what will happen.  Any ideas?”
This message was last edited by the player at 20:14, Sat 10 Oct 2020.

"Stick a hand in, and see what happens?" Sal suggests, half-seriously.

Noah shrugged and sat back. He put his hands in a prayer formation and pushed the tips of his claws to the indicated barrier. He had a natural resistance to magic so he figured if he could get in-between the threads he just may be able to open a hole for people to get through. Doing strange dragon stuff was always a flip of a coin. Really it was more Grey doing the moving with the armor as Noah's eyes rolled in entirely random directions. He still had teleportation vertigo but he had a number of fall back ideas. And using his magical resistance did not require he know which way was up or down.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:26, Sun 11 Oct 2020.

Michael observes the edge of the barrier and Noah interacting with it. “At the very least the barrier’s creator will be alerted to the crossing. We should expect retaliation or at least them being aware of our presence.” The Hunter observed the windows of the building as Noah crossed the threshold with its claws.

"Didn't really expect to surprise them at this point, did you, Michael?" said Sal.

He smiled. “A fool’s hope maybe. Just exercising all options.”

 Mistral managed to portal the group into an abandoned shell just an alley away from the destroyed ruin. The building itself offered little in the way of cover... but did allow just enough for the group to appear without breaking concealment.

Noah poked a mechanized claw through the ward but nothing happened. All was eerily calm as the group waited in anticipation of a reaction that did not come.

Sal stuck his own arm in. He wondered what this barrier did.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:25, Mon 12 Oct 2020.

Mistral considered the ward for a time, and said, "The ward is tied to Portes.  Doorways.  I can tell no more from here."  She turned away from the invisible ward and leaned against a broken wall behind the group, just as another Mistral approached from the side.  The replica, which was identical in every respect, said, "I will attempt to draw them out.  Await my signal or sign of danger apparent."

With that she passed through the ward's perimeter and crept toward the nearest entrance to the main structure.  If there was any way to see into the building Mistral would attempt it, and if there was a door she would discreetly attempt to open it.

"Going to be a moment. Grey is about the only thing holding me upright at the moment." And then Mistral mentioned that the ward was attached to doorways so he just hunkered down and let a master do her work. When it came to space magic it was all vertigo and confusion.

 Sal placed his own arm through the ward but found that nothing seemed to happen (he could only really see it due to the visual aide given to him) as Mistral's copy (at least, you think it's a copy) headed into the main building.

Mistral advanced through the unknown ward, stopped, then raised a fist to encourage the others to wait.  She followed a streak of blood that disappeared beneath a trap door, and remarked quietly, "This hatch leads to our enemy, and the atrocités it has done.  I will make preparations, then will open it."  Mistral spent some time carefully examining the portal for anything suspicious, then knelt and focused on a ritualistic work of magic to draw a protective ward over the premises.

If nothing goes amiss, Mistral will then pantomime a countdown to her companions before carefully and quietly opening the hatch.

If your powerset is involved with demons or portals, and can see Noah, roll an awareness for me.

Awareness...
This message was last edited by the player at 22:22, Tue 13 Oct 2020.

Response

PM

Awareness.....

Michael holds the Benedictine rosary that Noah gave him with the cross hanging down. He prayed to the Lord for guidance on where demonic powers might harm his allies.

 As Michael gripped the rosary, it began to emit a soft blue light, not visible in the mortal realm, but one that illuminated the spiritual world. The corruption present peeled back before it, setting the corruption ablaze.

Mistral:
Mistral:
Mistral:

Nefertiti:

Noah:

Michael: Handled by MoD

__________________________________

Inside: There was a shift that Mistral almost did not catch. Something had been moving to try and stay in her natural blind spots which to say she really had none with her mastery of space. The moment it twitched allowed Mistral to see her target like a Christmas display in a Halloween store. The shape vanishing through a wall right next to a door. It was fairly clear that this thing was heading outside to start working on a less problematic target!.

Outside: As Noah is laying down fully incapacitated by his teleportation vertigo the area around him grows excessively dark. There was a flicker as if something was causing "turbliance" for this effect but it was still going off like a good old ford truck that was refusing to give up!

 Darkness enveloped the incapacitated dragon and pressed down into the ground in an all too familiar fashion for Sal, who had once been on the receiving end of such a portal.

 Noah, for his part, experienced both another bout of Vertigo and Deja Vu as he was, once more, dropped through the solid ground.