Queen Plot - Mingle Post!

[shadowqueen]

The sun has nearly set when the attack begins.

It's quiet at first, and easy to miss. Pools of shadow form and then slowly expand, and then strange creatures of the same rise from them, their only distinguishable feature their strange, glowing eyes.

And then they move, lurching forward and spreading through out the tower, around the fountain, and across the bridge. They grab whoever doesn't run fast enough, and attack only those who attack them first. They're single-minded, but swift and strong, and escaping from them won't be easy.

And of course, elsewhere lurks their master, the Queen...

((ooc: Have at it! If tagging this post, make sure to put your character's location in the subject line of your comment!))

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THE TOWER - Encounter With the Queen

[shadowqueen]

[The Queen is watching.]

[Standing in the floor of the tower with her clothing of shadow and her skin snow-white, the Queen observes her minions at work, watching at the creatures swarm and attack her escaped visitors. She is tall and imposing and seems strangely unconcerned with her creatures' work.]

[All the more reason to confront her, yes?]

[schrodingersghost]

Danny hadn't wasted any time. As soon as the attack started he had taken advantage of the confusion to transform and start fighting. He'd lost count of how many of these shadows he had blasted. But they just kept coming. This was worse than the sleepwalkers.

...By now he had no clue where he was.

[duomaxwell]

"God damn it!"

Duo's voice cut through chamber, clearly irritated at the current situation. How many of the damn things had he already sliced down with his weapon? And how many more just kept appearing? It was like this damn castle WANTED them dead.

"Get the hell away from me!"

[schrodingersghost]

"Watch out!" Danny throws a doublehanded blast of ectoplasm at the shadow things creeping up behind the other boy.

[duomaxwell]

"Shi--!"

Luckily Duo had the common sense to DUCK when something huge, green and glowing was being hurled in his direction. It struck the shadows behind him, dispersing them quick.

"... geez. Thanks, man..." he breathed, straightening to look at the ghost boy with a raised eyebrow.

[ the bridge --> sarcophagus room. ]

[kaderp]

[Here's this Kadar. Look at him! He's currently running for his life from the shadows. He was pretty sure that whatever they intended to do to him, it was not going to be helping him find a way out. In fact, he was rather certain it might end in death, imprisonment-- all number of awful things he'd really rather avoid.

So, he's freerunning across the bridge, and he's starting to get a little winded. And then you might witness what's happening when he doesn't quite dodge a shadow fast enough-- and it grabs him.]

Brother!

[...and then Kadar is gone, dragged into the shadow puddle. He's back in a sarcophagus, unconscious. Save him?]

[dai]

[Everything had happened so quietly, the shadows and everything unnatural about this place had seemed to accumulate. He had been able to avoid them for that moment and while he had some close calls its the voice that he heard the familiar sound and the title of which the form it came from regarded him. Tensing, he knew that something had happened and while he had been cautious since they he hurried along in attempts to find the noise. His breath falling and rising from his lips he hurried along, as fast as he feet could take him leaping and moving from platform to platform in attempts to keep out of the hold of the demonic creatures, these beast he was certain where not logical, should not make sense.

Almost grabbed he stumbled slightly before he fell to a lower level with a harsh breath that escaped his lungs.] Kad--

[He coughed as he looked around, his brows furrowed. Calling out loudly for the other to see if he would retrieve any response.] Kadar!

[foolnornovice]

[Something is wrong, and if that shout across the area is not enough to get his attention, it is the reaction that has him turning on his heel. Breaking his run in order to turn it around, the assassin feels something twisting in his stomach, something that made him feel sick as he avoided the creatures that he could. Already he had lost a few knives--some had been recovered but the attacks had done little more than daze whatever it was that tried for them.

Witchcraft, something they were not prepared for, he admitted that in a bitter thought. Quickly though, he made his way to where he had last heard the other, found the Al-Sayf elder but not the youngest. Shoulders heaving, he searched the area for any of the creatures, any sight of Kadar. At the lack of either he grit his teeth, rushed over.] Malik! He is not..

Where--? [Panic, unfortunately, seemed to be good company. For a moment, at the least. With a breath, he tried to steady himself, looked over the other.] Which way?

[kaderp]

[Kadar's heart had been beating a rhythm in his chest that was so hard he was surprised no one else could hear it, in the last seconds before blackness caught him. Dying the first time, he had known pain and red, he had known sadness and the sharp spike of worry that his brother might not make it home; that the Al-Sayf line would die entirely at the hand of the Templars, in that temple. It was painful and slow, and each ragged breath drove the point back home that he was not going to be saved, that there was no one to come back for him, that he had sent away the only person who could.

This was different. This was fear, tight in his chest, in every limb. He wasn't giving up, and he wasn't going to go down quietly like he had the first time. But it amounted to nothing: he was taken.

When he woke up in the sarcophagus, later, it was with a gasp and the end of a scream still on his throat. He let out a choked cry that didn't correlate to any words in any language he knew, rocking backwards and wrapping his arms around himself.

He wasn't dead. He wasn't dead. He wasn't dead.]

[dai]

[He recovered from the stumble quickly, dusting himself off and keeping an alert sense of things as soon as he had found himself off balance. Right now though, his head was rushing and his stomach twisting tightly beneath his skin, his chest rising and falling heavily with quick breaths. Kadar, the last time he had seen him things had not gone so well because till Malik was not one to believe in this supernatural consumption of what they knew to be real and in a reality were his brother was dead it was all the more a painful reminder with each day he saw him, that he was alive here but back home he was very much gone. It made his relationship with Altaïr tense once more and made his own mind busy with possibility and frustration.

Right now though, he had to find him--he had to find his brother because god knew that he cared for him, he knew that he was all important in his life and his death had changed so many things about him asides just the lost of his arm. He shouldn't have been so cruel, he should have been kinder and simply enjoy the time they had now.

The area was loud enough as it was with the motion of the moment and as he watched the shadows move towards them he turned to face the familiar face of the other man who was lucky that he did not turn his blade to him in haste.] I don't know. It was above, but now it's gone.

[Looking around the sounds of something catch his attention though--muffled and quiet but it was something and that's all they could work off of.] Come.

Hurry.

Fountain

[tophbeifong]

Toph didn't know what hit her, poor girl.

She'd been minding her own business, investigating the hall near the fountain. Sensetive ears had picked up a commotion somewhere farther in the building, but she couldn't pinpoint it.

Then without warning, a sharp pain in her back and shoulder had her lifted off the ground and soaring. To where, she didn't know. By what, she didn't know.

The next instant, without even time to scream or call for help, she was locked up back where she'd started... and she couldn't get out.

[dai]

He had been up and amongst the levels looking for other people that had been trapped. It was obvious that the shadows were attempting to seal people back in their tombs and while they seemed to leave people along who did not attack them, the idea for Malik was far in passing as he had immediately lashed out on his way up their the first time. Tension was wrought throughout his body as he searched around the area while Altaïr took care of things with the Queen, it had been better that they separated and he was find with that as he moved along.

"Hello?" His accented tone called out, echoing were noise was not to be found which the place seemed ripe with noise since the arrival of the creatures.

"Is anyone out there!" Another shout and he tensed. It was not like him to be so obvious and give away his location so easily but he was not about to overturn all of the sarcophagi around him and expend energy that could be expended by other means.

[tophbeifong]

The noise startled Toph into waking, but she felt too weak to do much more than moan, still slumped against the entrapment.

She recognized the voice and tried to call out to it... but all she could manage was an exhausted muttering, at least at first.

Another few tries, and finally, she was speaking loudly enough to be heard outside the stone, thought it was muffled and probably not too clear.

"Ma- Malik!"

[dai]

Toph. He tensed as he listened to the voice and looked around. It had been a few hours since the creatures had left the realm and who knew how long she had been trapped. Chest rising and falling heavily he kept his mouth closed as he looked around until he headed in the general direction as he moved along the ground, keeping mind of the debris.

"Toph!" His accented voice called out as he moved quickly, looking to all the broken tombs and then closed ones around the area. "Keep speaking to me!"

The Spring

[stoicperfection]

This must have been the wishing well Duo had been talking about back in the alcove. It didn't look much like a well and the substance in it certainly didn't look like normal water. Heero stood at the edge of it, peering at the glowing liquid and the surrounding stone structures.

Hearing some commotion outside the room, he turned and made his way towards the large door, readied for whatever the hell was going on outside. Or at least he thought he was. A normal fight would have been something he could have easily handled, but coming face to face with one of those Shadow Creatures was something he hadn't expected so soon. Armed with only a heavy, wooden stick, he took a swing at the thing and rushed past in an attempt to escape.

Before he knew what happened, he found himself locked right back up in one of those sarcophagi, unable to push the damn thing open. He grit his teeth and used his legs to try to push the heavy lid off, unable to do so.

[herotherhalf]

Harth had watched the battle, and he'd watched Heero. Seen him fight against those overwhelming odds where as he remained shrouded in shadow himself. He didn't bother fighting those things, only dodging where he could and evading so he could see what was happening with those that they captured. Pull them down into that black hole.

But that didn't satiate his curiosity in the slightest. It did make him wonder. How likely would it be that Heero had been taken to that room he'd woken up in? Like the others?

He climbed back down the chain wall and started moving towards the coffin room, following that scent of cold sweat. Heero didn't smell anxious. Calm the entire time. That was intriguing in of itself, wasn't it?

He climbed up a ladder onto a platform, following his keen senses. Inside one of these? He knew. That boy was here.

So walking silently, he listened. Breathing. Heart beat. A calm steady beat.

He knocked his knuckles against the stone and pulled open the top half of the coffin to peak inside.

[stoicperfection]

The sound of a knock nearly startled Heero. Relaxing back against the back of the sarcophagus, he waited a moment to see if the person would try it again. Instead of another knock, or even being given a chance to return the gesture, the top of the sarcophagus was pulled back. It was just enough for him to catch glimpse of someone.

Reaching out suddenly, he wrapped his fingers around the edge of the lid and began to push on it. He wanted out of this damn thing.

[herotherhalf]

He held the lid of the sarcophagus firm, letting it edge ever open still with Heero's help. Three inches now. Barely enough for Heero to see anything, but just enough for Harth to thrust his hand into the trap and grab Heero's shirt in an effort to yank him forward to smack into the stone. He didn't want Heero dead, just unconscious.

He didn't want his meal telling everyone who it was that bit him.

[The living area]

[last_lombax]

Ratchet had been in the common room when everything broke out. The Lombax was quick to get out his wrench and ready himself for the upcoming onslaught of monsters. There were several large bulky monsters that popped out first and came at the Lombax. He swallowed hard and threw his wrench at one when it get closer. It went down but before he could catch his wrench on it's return trip he was smacked to the ground by another one of them.

Ratchet hit the ground, grunting in pain as his body came down hard on the stone floor. He looked up in time to see the monster grab at him. He kicked out, lashing out with first, but it grabbed him and pulled him up over it's shoulder.

"Let me go! Let me go you Blarg Headed Frak Monkey!" No matter how hard he struggled, the cold still slowly slipped into his body, through his clothes and armor. Fuck not again...not again!

spiral staircase

[returntothesea]

[ she had been int he storeroom when the shadow creatures had made themselves known, to which she let out a yelp and followed her first instinct: to run. she ran as much as she could, and started to ascend the spiral staircase, hoping that it wouldn't follow her up. much to her dismay, the plan didn't work quite like that.

once she realized that, she turned around, focusing for a few moments, then raising her hand into the air. ]

Shade Comet!

[ as she cried that, a dark 'comet' formed in her palm, and she threw it as quickly as she could at the shadow. it seemed to shock it enough that it stopped for a moment, allowing her an opportunity to advance upward.

unfortunate for her, the reprieve didn't last long. it was back to advancing on her soon enough. ]

[foolnornovice]

[He is somewhere when the chaos starts, running around trying to keep himself away from the creatures. The voice in the distance is familiar however, and for it he moves towards the source.

When he finds her and the monstrous form moving in her direction, he unsheathes his sword, makes an attempt to slice at it in a rush. The creature hisses at him--he thinks it does, anyway-- and moves back, stunned for a moment. Looking over his shoulder, he shouts.] Run!

[Living Area]

[stillshinigami]

Whatever he heard Ratchet say before he was dragged down into that portal, it certainly applied! There were probably a dozen of 'em around the common chamber and he was cornered by two of them. The others? They were hunting down the others and two was more than enough to take a boy with a club. He swung at the one closest to him and it backed away, only to take a hammer blow to his right shoulder, falling back into the wall.

"There's no fucking way I'm losing to a buncha creeps like you!" He said with a growl, rising up and gripping the weapon crafted by their resident metal bender. He charged forward, singing it into the side of the one that hit him, then swung it around to thrust into the stomach--or whatever, of the other one.

He grinned as the one he'd attacked first fell and faded into the floor. He laughed mirthlessly. "There's one down... Who's next?"

Re: [Living Area]

[broke_the_world]

Hermit had tried to hide behind some boulders from the shadow monsters. These things were scary, scarier than he thought they would be when he first heard about them. Fighting one would have been easier...if his stick had worked on them. But he learned from trying to save the other girl that it just wasn't enough. The guy in the corner seemed to be doing okay against them with his weapon. Maybe if he could get beside him he could help protect him?

The catboy's train of thought came skidding to a halt when he spotted something dark out of the corner of his eye. He slowly turned to look up at one of the hulking large shadow monsters looming over him. All the boy could do was scream and run, narrowly avoiding those massive hands as they reached for him. He ran screaming towards Duo, fish sword in hand but obviously forgotten in his fear.

"Help me!"

[stillshinigami]

He narrowly dodged another blow, hammering that club into the thing's head once he had a chance. And then that thing started running at him. A screaming-- Is that a cat?

Shit! He took a strike to the chest and knocked back once, but he took it. Still, he was running out of steam even so and he'd already been doing this a while since the attack started.

Duo dashed around the monster to strike his weapon up at the creature's side, the one that was chasing the cat.

"Get behind me!" He said, backing up now to take the defensive. At least now the odds were a little more even.

[broke_the_world]

Hermit did as he was told and ran behind Duo's legs before raising his sword and waiting to see what happened. He had to help somehow, right? Now how could he fight monsters this big?

Another shadow came at Duo, a bigger thug one this time. He charged Duo, aiming to ran his shoulder into the pilot's chest.