Encounterlogs
Ritsukas Odd Encounter Sr Elias 240915
In a peculiar encounter that unfolds at Rosie's Diner, Ritsuka, Syl, and Illyana are drawn into an urgent quest when they each receive a video alert on their phones, revealing a macabre ritual in progress by cultists of The Black Flame attempting to summon an eldritch horror in the woods outside Haven. Guided by a sense of duty and their unique skills, the trio decides to intervene. Ritsuka, skilled and empathetic, Illyana, a blend of angelic and human traits with a penchant for violence, and Syl, armed with a stoic demeanor and a sniper rifle, set out to disrupt the malevolent ceremony. Their journey is marked by a swift agreement and understanding of the gravity of the situation, overshadowed only by the urgency conveyed through the message warning of the catastrophic potential the ritual harbors.
As they arrive at the designated coordinates, the three women execute a strategic assault on the cultists, each leveraging their strengths effectively. Illyana's extraordinary agility and combative prowess, Syl's precision shooting from afar, and Ritsuka's swordsmanship quickly dismantle the cultist's attempts, saving the sacrificial victim from a fate worse than death. Despite the successful halting of the ritual and the elimination of the immediate threat, they are left with a moral dilemma: the fate of the victim, now grievously wounded and marked by the horror of the ordeal. Illyana, coldly pragmatic, suggests a more permanent end to the victim's suffering, while Ritsuka opts for mercy and the hope of recovery, enlisting the help of medical professionals and invoking her contacts within the military. The narrative concludes with the ambiguity of the victim's future and the cost of involvement in the supernatural world, leaving a lingering question about the true nature of mercy and the shadows that lurk in haven.
(Ritsuka's odd encounter(SRElias):SRElias)
[Sat Sep 14 2024]
In Rosie's Diner
Filled with nostalgia, this diner is a step into the past - to a time of swing and jive, and one would claim, simpler times. The walls are cream toned, letting the pink and turquoise neon striping along the ceiling give the space more vibrant coloring. Pieces of kitsch and memorabilia are posted here and there, providing character and retro style.
Behind the counter, cooks work the main line, allowing customers to watch as their meals are prepped. A soda fountain and a glass domed freezer is set away from the heat, where the soda jerk creates speciality floats, sundaes, malts and shakes.
Meanwhile, waitresses on roller skates gracefully take orders, their uniforms chock full of bling.
It is morning, about 71F(21C) degrees,
(Your target and their allies stumble upon a ritual ceremony of The Black Flame in the woods outside Haven. They are attempting to summon an eldritch horror. The group must decide whether to intervene and stop the summoning, or let it occur and attempt to deal with the fallout. The members of the cult are not inherently violent but will defend their ritual if threatened. Their beliefs and the reasoning behind their actions can be explored through dialogue, providing a moral dilemma for the characters.)
"I think Novel-san looks fine. I can't see him leaning wrongly or moving strangely," Ritsuka assesses in quietly spoken words before she glances around. She for her own does not have a coffee or food to eat for herself today. It is, in the simplest words, a very social encounter that she finds herself in.
Syl returns Ritsuka's bow with a subtle raising of her chin. "Good, how bout' you," Syl answers and asks in a drawl, answering a question from someone about how her day had been going. Having only just arrived she has not yet ordered anything. So her eyes move to the menu as she checks over her options.
Syl returns Ritsuka's bow with a subtle raising of her chin. "Good, how bout' you," Syl answers and asks in a drawl, answering a question from Ritsuka about how her day had been going. Having only just arrived she has not yet ordered anything. So her eyes move to the menu as she checks over her options.
Illyana Is sitting at the counter. She looks to have been here for a while; though has just run back in after moving her bike away from the death trap of one of the other patrons.
The morning carries on throughout Haven as it can often do in this small coastal town. Fall is starting to take small bites into the waning summer, but the weather still holds out with beautiful sunshine and comfortable temperatures. That does not mean that in various places, the leaves have started to change, during from the comforting greens to the beautiful reds. However, that is outside, Inside, there is the hustle and bustle of the morning breakfast rush at Rosie's diner. The smells of eggs, bacon, and coffee fill the air and the chatter of the patrons. While this seems like it could be a rather peaceful morning, each of your phones buzz or chirp, indicating that scouts are reporting an incident in the woods that they need help with. There is grainy video attached. When opening it, it shows black robed figures chanting with a living person at the center as a sacrifice. While not all might care for a life of an innocent, it is what the ritual is likely doing. There are several indications this is the Black Flame and they are likely trying to bring something horrifying through the Void.
Ritsuka glances at her own phone with a brief yelp, and then eyes her surrounding warily. "It is a bit of a first," she quietly says, squeamish. She watches the video and then looks at Illyana and then to Syl. "Did you both get the same video? I think I should go and take care of that, but I am not very skilled. Would you both accompany me if you saw that same video, too?" She asks, looking a a little bit like a fresh lamb woken from slumber.
Syl picks over the menu with cold blue eyes, dismissing option after option. A quick turn of her head toward a waitress on rollerblades is given, requesting attention from the woman as Syl quickly determines what it is she wishes to order. However, before the rollerblading woman arrives she is hearing numerous beeps from within the diner, including on her own phone. Reaching into a pocket she draws out her iphone and checks on the latest text. From the look of her, she might as well have been checking the weather for all the reaction she shows to the grim image of a coming sacrifice. After Ritsuka's question, she drawls, "Saw it too, yeah. And I suppose I owe you, what with you helping out at the graveyard the other day. Kind of owe both of you for that." She lets her head drift to Illyana including her in the answer.
Checking her phone, Illyana grumbles. The video plays and there's a moment where she listens for chatter over her coms. No one though seems to have it, so she looks across to Ritsuka and Syl who seem to have likewise received the notification. She looks for a moment as though she might ignore it; It's quite likely. She is wearing a new shirt and her shorts are not designed for the forest by far, but it looks as though there were no other choice. Then, Ritsuka asks for help, and in spite of everything, Illyana is a hybrid, and part of that is angelborn. It's not exactly as though she were actively resisting the potential threat management, but it is a saturday, and Illyana could just as easily sit here as the scouts deal with it. "Fine." she tells Ritsuka, gathering her things. Excusing herself from the larger gathering at hand, she waits- If Ritsuka wants the help, she can drive, and Illyana's bike, hot pink as it is, is going nowhere near the mud of Haven forest.
The GPS location is sent in a follow up text just behind the video. It isn't too far from there, just roughly a quarter of a mile into the woods. It would just be a matter of how everyone would intend on getting there and to start moving. A follow up text does send this message: [Urgent: Creatures of the Void are highly dangerous and very possibly destroy the entire town if not more. Any available should respond to this as soon as possible]. The follow up text seems a little redundant considering, but it seems the sender, whomever they are doesn't want to leave much to chance. It doesn't seem like anyone else in the diner has gotten the message, the other patrons still going about their normal days, even as some of them were obviously not unaware either, and why Illyana, Ritsuka, and Syl received it, it is unclear for now.
"Lead on, fearless leader." Illyana tells Ritsuka. The followup text comes and her eyes roll. "Yeah, no shit." Shrugging her bag on, Illyana waits for Ritsuka and Syl, letting them take point on this; After all, she cant do everything.
"We could go and collect your weapons if you would like, but I'm not sure if we can get it all done in time," Ritsuka quietly suggests as she, too, rises to her feet, now smiling a little sheepishly. She first bows lightly to the rest of the group and bids her goodbye before she starts to pace after Illyana "I have mine in my car." She looks back onto her phone to try and figure out where exactly it is located at and then looks at the GPS coords before then looking back to Syl "Thank you, Syl-san. It might be very dangerous. I havn't really been very helpful so far-" Once outside the diner she does begin to walk to a red economy class car that is safe. Maybe not the perfect option to drive into the forest with, but it still is an option, and the option that Illyana really settled to. On Illyana calling her a fearless leader, she blushes, unlocks the car, and reaches around for her backpack with her armor, katana and yumi bow and to move it aside so Illyana and Syl can take a seat where-ever they would like.
Syl had earlier looked at a waitress to attract attention. Now she raises her arm, moving her hand in a kind of lazy dismissive gesture as the waitress approaches. Syl doesn't look particularly excited to be leaving behind the diner. Still, as the others gather their things and rise, she does as well. Wearing a black techwear outfit with more pockets than anyone could reasonbly need, her clothing is of a synthetic material which whispers against itself as she stands. She checks over the follow on text message, noticing the area, then glances toward her sports bike which is outside. Voice lower to avoid being heard by others in the bustlig diner, she admits to Ritsuka, "Only keep a knife on me when I'm out and about. If we're going into the forest, should probably swing by Harry's to pick up my stuff from where I've got it stashed. Forest can be pretty dangerous."
Syl walks out of the diner with the two women. "If you're worried about timing, I have the GPS location. I could go get my stuff while you two head directly there. Meet up with you when I can? I'm not comfortable going into the forest with just a knife. Last time I went, bunch of frogs people tried to jump me. Was a real scare."
"What could possibly go wrong." Illyana shrugs. "Besides, there is nothing around or the cultists wouldn't be doing it where they are. But if you want to go off and return only to have the town overrun by eldritch horrors, you do you." Sitting in the back; The best place to duck down within the vehicle should anything happen, Illyana goes on. "Beides, this shouldn't be too much fuss. Kill a few, ruin the ritual and Bob's your uncle."
Regardless if everyone piles in with Ritsuka or they take off on their own means of getting there. Any stops needed to retrieve gear happen on route out to the GPS location. It does turn out to be a nice day for the drive in the woods if the circumstances were different, but often when travel in the woods happen here, it isn't for sight seeing. When arriving at the GPS coordinates it is quickly obvious that something is going down. There is black, non-descript van parked along the side of the road and there a small circle of roughly a half dozen of robed individuals surrounding their victim, a young redheaded woman stripped naked. It seems like there has been spikes driven into her arms and legs to keep her secure to the ritual circle, but it is obvious that she is still alive as she sobs. They are all chanting, in a language that seems adjacent to Latin, but somehow different too. The candles surrounding the circle ignite on their own and black flames jut out from their wicks, but the flames themselves produce no light, but instead seem to absorb it. Something is very wrong about this ritual and the wrongness starts to flow out from their circle and can be suddenly felt in the air.
Illyana is getting sick of these cultists and their attempts to summon tentacular monsters from the outer realms. That is without question as it shows in her eyes, the set of her jaw and in how her knuckles crack . She looks, from a safe distance of course at the van, the ritual, the robed figures-- The victim goes without saying for now. That can be handled later. The objective for now is the ritual and how it needs to be stopped. "Got a plan?" she asks Ritsuka and Syl. There is an effort to count the men. Are any isolated? How far away are they? Could Illyana move fast enough to disrupt things with gorilla tactics, be that hit and run, or ripping arms off of chanting cultists. Illyana isn't fussy. She has inhuman strength and she's more than happy to cave in a few skulls, too.
Syl gives Illyana a skeptical look at her blaise attitude about the whole ordeal. New to Haven and to Sanctuary, Syl doesn't feel quite so casual about stopping things. She strides with quick steps to her sports bike and peels away on it, heading back toward the Edwardian manor that she lives at along with Harriet and many others. In any intersection along the way that happened to have a stopped light, she would take a moment to forward the text she had recieved to a friend of hers - Dmitri, followed by a quick 'heading into the woods here, planning to deal with it'. Syl would look like quite the poser once she finally got the manor and got geared up. With her techwear outfit, a katana clipped to her side, and a large weapon case which looked like something out of a matrix film she is perhaps too edgy look. The drive back would be slower then the drive there, owing to the clunkiness of needing to keep the weapon case - and the sniper rifle within it - from unbalancing her as she rode the sportsbike. Having now arrived she takes up position beside Illyana and Ritsuka, assessing the cultists and the area. Merely human, she is looking for a place where she will be unlikely to attract attention and can provide support with her sniper rifle as needed.
"Mind if I borrow this?" Illyana asks of Ritsuka, gesturing to her bow and quiver. "I have an idea..."
During the drive, Ritsuka does call up a number at a moment where the way ahead seems to be straight. The name on the address, for anyone that is looking at it this moment is in Japanese, as is the conversation that follows "Saito-san, we are going into the forest to handle a situation with some cultists. I'm not sure how dangerous it is, but I'm letting you know since you're with the military. Something about eldritch horrors and a ritual to summon them." The conversation is brief, beyond that, a reply comes, some small details exchanged and it is hung up soon after.
Ritsuka does explain to Illyana "Just my contact with the military. Let her know what's going on. Just if there is too much trouble."
Once the group arrives close enough, Ritsuka grabs for her backpack and opens it to retrieve her armor, throw the hakama with ballistic kevlar layering over herself and then to take a hold of thekatana, which is set into a traditional saya(sheath), adjust it into the right place of her hakama at the left, and then the quiver with the arrows to the right. She does answer Illyana "We go there. Figure out the situation, you sabotage it, Yana-san or we 'persuade' them to let you look at it and 'fix' a mistake with it, and save the sacrifice. And when requested to borrow her ranged weapons, she nods and holds them over to Illyana before starting to step towards the cultists, saying loudly, though because of her ethnicity, high pitched and accented "Hello there! We must talk about this. This is very troublesome you know.""
Illyana holds out a hand. "Give me a spare bow string?" It is very likely there's a plan here, and it is likely going to involve garotting people.
Ritsuka reaches around herself to her right, and does pull out a string for Illyana. "Hai."
"As I see it, it doesn't matter if Red there dies early." Illyana explains to Syl and Ritsuka. "The thing is the ritual needs to be disrupted"
(repost for stupid ass cliant trouble cutting off) "As I see it, it doesn't matter if Red there dies early." Illyana explains to Syl and Ritsuka. "The thing is the ritual needs to be disrupted; Every part of a ritual is important, so the more it can be recked, the more likely it is that the thing will go wrong." Accepting the string, Illyana ties off the ends, giving herself a grip, angelborn speed aiding in the process. "The issue is, there are six of these guys. I can possibly grab two at once, but we need to get them all, and time is not on our side. Split up so we're not all huge targets and then start breaking people." she suggests. "Try not to get caught."
While the three discuss the plan on taking out the cultist, the ritual continues. The black robed cultists of the Black Flame continue almost feeling like out of a Hollywood production of a ritual. How much of this ritual is for theatrics to feed egos and how much of it actually is to call forth unimaginable monsters from the Void, it is unclear. What is clear is that the ritual is starting to work. The woman screams as smoky tendrils start to come out of the ground, wrapping around her. The sizzling sound can be heard as it they touch her skin and it blackens. But it is unclear if it is due to heat or immense cold, but it doesn't seem to matter in that regard. There is still time to do something if anything, but whatever the choice is going to be, it is going to have to be soon. The creature is starting to manifest.
"I'll be right back." Illyana tells the other two; She is likely the most experienced here and she is in a staggeringly wonderful mood. Some might even say high as a fucking kite- nearly orgasmic even and she's unquestionably riding that to its climax. And Illyana wants violence. Her eyes blaze with hellfire as she becomes enraged and her garotte blazes with her curiously dark brand of angelfire. Thankfully it's thin as what she does is employs her angelic speed to move off into the undergrowth, only to seek to come out behind one of the cultists, break their neck with a punch, then run off again, only to repeat the process. Will it work? One way to find out, so off she goes!
Syl gets to cover by the trees with her sniper rifle and settles down prone among the leaves as she looks toward the ongoing ritual. The screams of the woman being sacrficed have Syl smiling and in a good mood. They help to take the edge off her nerves, keeping her from trembling as she calms and slows her breathing and swivels the gun to put a cultist within the crosshairs. Mindful that she is not the best shot in the world she would make a point of aiming toward a cultist which was furtherest from where Illyana disappeared into the trees. Aiming for center mass, rather than the head, she would pull the trigger.
"We will just have to end them, they are probably not on sanctuary if they can permanently hurt the lady in a ritual," Ritsuka quietly considers, drawing the katana from its saya swiftly and rushing forward to the closest cultists. Hers is a very precise style and in this moment, empathy just drains from her eyes and she examines her target analytically again, looking for the slightest weakness or imbalance she can use to plain kill the cultist. "You should all just go and die."
The cultists seem to be en-tranced by the ritual and the otherworldly being coming out of it. It is like they are totally unaware of Illyana, Ritsuka, and Syl approaching. First off, Illyana strikes completely by surprise, punching one of the cultists in the back of the neck with the intention to kill him in one hit. That obviously was an optimistic action... or was it. Maybe not in the way Illyana was thinking, but it works. She makes contact with the cultist, instantly breaking him out of his trance. He stumbles forward with a 'gaah' and one of the tentacles that whips out and strikes the man. He screams but it is instantly silenced as he just disappears into a wisp of smoke and ash dusting upon the ground. Is he dead? Teleported to another realm? Whatever it was, it was clear it was very painful. Syl, while she might not have the confidence or skill of a seasoned sniper, a prone shot against a stationary target is literally like taking a trip to the firing range and at this distance, it is shooting fish in a barrel. BOOOOOM! One of the cultists heads is gone and the headless remains slump to the ground. someone works her way up with her blade, while obviously not as fast as Illyana, she does still close the distance in time to help stop the ritual. Very much like punching or shooting, someone' strike hits the motionless cultist, cutting a vicious slice down his back and he slumps over. Half of the cultists are taken out in the first wave of attacks. The remaining three seem to almost wake up from their ritual induced slumber, each of them pulling ritualistic knives that don't really appear for fighting. The looks on their faces clearly show they are caught unprepared and fear seems to be overcoming them. Once the ritual is halted though, the tendrils just simply dissolve into smoke. The woman however, groans as her body is bleeding and covered in burns. She is not doing well at all.
The cultists seem to be en-tranced by the ritual and the otherworldly being coming out of it. It is like they are totally unaware of Illyana, Ritsuka, and Syl approaching. First off, Illyana strikes completely by surprise, punching one of the cultists in the back of the neck with the intention to kill him in one hit. That obviously was an optimistic action... or was it. Maybe not in the way Illyana was thinking, but it works. She makes contact with the cultist, instantly breaking him out of his trance. He stumbles forward with a 'gaah' and one of the tentacles that whips out and strikes the man. He screams but it is instantly silenced as he just disappears into a wisp of smoke and ash dusting upon the ground. Is he dead? Teleported to another realm? Whatever it was, it was clear it was very painful. Syl, while she might not have the confidence or skill of a seasoned sniper, a prone shot against a stationary target is literally like taking a trip to the firing range and at this distance, it is shooting fish in a barrel. BOOOOOM! One of the cultists heads is gone and the headless remains slump to the ground. someone works her way up with her blade, while obviously not as fast as Illyana, she does still close the distance in time to help stop the ritual. Very much like punching or shooting, Ritsuka's strike hits the motionless cultist, cutting a vicious slice down his back and he slumps over. Half of the cultists are taken out in the first wave of attacks. The remaining three seem to almost wake up from their ritual induced slumber, each of them pulling ritualistic knives that don't really appear for fighting. The looks on their faces clearly show they are caught unprepared and fear seems to be overcoming them. Once the ritual is halted though, the tendrils just simply dissolve into smoke. The woman however, groans as her body is bleeding and covered in burns. She is not doing well at all.
The cultists seem to be en-tranced by the ritual and the otherworldly being coming out of it. It is like they are totally unaware of Illyana, Ritsuka, and Syl approaching. First off, Illyana strikes completely by surprise, punching one of the cultists in the back of the neck with the intention to kill him in one hit. That obviously was an optimistic action... or was it. Maybe not in the way Illyana was thinking, but it works. She makes contact with the cultist, instantly breaking him out of his trance. He stumbles forward with a 'gaah' and one of the tentacles that whips out and strikes the man. He screams but it is instantly silenced as he just disappears into a wisp of smoke and ash dusting upon the ground. Is he dead? Teleported to another realm? Whatever it was, it was clear it was very painful. Syl, while she might not have the confidence or skill of a seasoned sniper, a prone shot against a stationary target is literally like taking a trip to the firing range and at this distance, it is shooting fish in a barrel. BOOOOOM! One of the cultists heads is gone and the headless remains slump to the ground. Ritsuka works her way up with her blade, while obviously not as fast as Illyana, she does still close the distance in time to help stop the ritual. Very much like punching or shooting, Ritsuka's strike hits the motionless cultist, cutting a vicious slice down his back and he slumps over. Half of the cultists are taken out in the first wave of attacks. The remaining three seem to almost wake up from their ritual induced slumber, each of them pulling ritualistic knives that don't really appear for fighting. The looks on their faces clearly show they are caught unprepared and fear seems to be overcoming them. Once the ritual is halted though, the tendrils just simply dissolve into smoke. The woman however, groans as her body is bleeding and covered in burns. She is not doing well at all.
Appearing again, this time glowing with incandescence as the cultists have blades and Illyana isn't reckless (much) Illyana taps a cultist on the shoulder. That fiery weapon (the bowstring garotte) is around his neck and it's a question as to if the cultist or the bowstring will break first. She grins like a lunatic, glowing with unholy light and she speaks in a voice that suggests menace; "You have been noticed." Useful? Not in the least. Distracting? Likely, but the cultist has angelic speed a flaming garotte and a pissed off hybrid to deal with. Illyana trusts Syl and Ritsuka to deal with the other two. Then, helpfully, Illyana gives the sacrifice a small smile. "Hey, we'll be with you in a moment, Poppet." she calls, having entirely too much fun.
Syl kicks things off with a bang as her rifle flashes and roars. A shell casing spits out from the long barreled gun. Syl takes a moment to assess the situation after her shot. When she had been settling down there were six cultists around the woman who was being consumed by misty tentacles which sizzles at her skin. Now... Syl observes the missing head of her target and frowns. "Missed," she notes, shaking her head. She had been aiming for the chest. Still, she isn't too displeased. It would have hit the paper, rather than the center of the target. Actually, she finds herself quite happy. Unusually so. She can't seem to get the grin that has come upon her to fall away from her face as she settles back into her rifle scope as she swivels to take aim at another cultist. Mindful of the chaos and the potential for Illyana and Ritsuka to cross her scope she would be very slow to fire, only ever taking the shot if she was absolutely confident that she wouldn't hit either ally.
Hears the groan, and the coldness does come to leave from her eyes just for a moment. Ritsuka does give the sacrifice the briefest glance and then turns to face whichever of the cultists is closest to her. This time her approach is a walk, the katana raised in front of herself with the tip of the blade on the estimated level of her opponent's neck. She seeks an opening, be it to parry the ritualist's dagger by letting it slide aside or to slap it away to then quickly thrust forward. Regardless, she has the longer weapon, and she will use it to her advantage to lend it into a thrust towards the heart.
These cultists don't seem to be the Black Flames A-team, but probably like just a bunch of scholarly types studying ritualism instead any real combat application. It is likely the Black Flame sent them here to die, just to unleash the Void creature on the town, but only half of that plan seems to becoming to fruition. Illyana moving quick with her bow string and getting behind the cultist, she does succeed. He tries to flail the dagger at her, but it is easily dodged and she hits her mark. She starts choking him with the string as it cuts and sizzles into his flesh due to the flame magic imbruing it. After a few moments, he stops struggling as it cuts into his neck. Syl while not previously aiming for the head, it is still what happened none the less. This shot of hers is harder than the last, but aiming for center mass on someone that is distracted by two other assailants, it is still more or less an easy shot. BOOOOM! Another shot rings out and down goes the other cultist, a bloom of red mist bursting from his chest. At this range, there is enough momentum and stopping power to actually knock him off his feet instead of just actually slumping over. And then there was Ritsuka. The pale blue eyed asian girl along with the final cultist. He lifts his blade to defend himself but almost a cool, knowing feeling likely seems into Ritsuka's being, since it is obvious that the cultist is just mimicking things he likely saw in movies or a Bullshitsu video online. With a quick and precise slice, the cultist's head tumbles backwards and his body collapses shortly after. All the cultists are dead and all that remains is the redheaded woman, her naked body, bruised, blooded, and burned. But her chest still rises and lowers, but the severity of her injuries. Cold iron stakes puncture her arms and legs at the wrists and ankles, keeping her secure to the ground and unable to provide any resistance without great suffering. The burns in some places, such as her legs seem to go straight to the bone. In the end, survival seems unlikely.
Syl was black haired and proned, sniper rifle at the ready amid leaves. With the cultists now downed she pokes her head back up above the scope and looks around. Cold blue eyes are warmed by the grin she can't shake as she watches, not the cultists and the recently disrupted ritual, nor even Illyana or Ritsuka and the girl in depserate need of medical attention, but instead for anything or anyone else who might be around.
Now the cultists are dealt with, Illyana races, bowstring discarded for the captive. Crouching down, she offers a comforting smile, though it's quite clear there's no surviving for this one. She makes a show of inspecting the metal puncturing her and she sucks her teeth. "Don't worry." she says confidently. "I'm a medical expert. We'll have this dealt with in a jiffy." Illyana is in fact nothing of the sort, and has no skill at all in that field; Not even first aid, but never the less, that approach lets Illyana catch the sacrifice's gaze with her own and hopefully, she's been placed into a trance. Ritsuka is a med expert, but more than that, she has a sword, and this woman knows too much and shouldn't spread it. And why would Illyana spend the time layering psychic suggestions and hypnotism compulsions through her when a short, sharp chop can remove her suffering. Illyana is callous. She's Hand, but at least she has some form of compassion... or is it. She gestures Ritsuka forward, but there is a nod to her blade, not to her supplies in the car. Could it be a lesson in damage control? Illyana could very easily break this woman's neck, after all.
Ritsuka reaches down to quickly cut a large piece of the cultist's robe away and then rushes on over to the naked woman. She well understands that this is by no means the most hygienic type of bandage, using some random clothing, bit it is better than nothing. Her gaze grows, just for the briefest analytical as she tries to determine which of the weaknesses she sees needs to be handled first. And in a hurry, she instructs "Ma'am, count with me. Stay awake. Do not sleep, please. The time for rest isn't now, rest is trouble." She isn't a doctor. Not yet, but she is trained and so she does try to provide as much aid as she can with what she knows. Her katana is, in the meantime, wiped clean over her own hakama and sheathed, only partly drawn to separate the fabric where needed.
wants one thing, Ritsuka seeks another, but there's still a lesson to be learned here. Illyana steps back, not too far, still within her speed to annihilate the woman if she needs to, but Ritsuka is afforded her space at least to try; Illyana is too kind for her own good. She says nothing, simply crossing her arms, but there's no approval there.
With medical inspection, it is obvious to Ritsuka that the woman is very weak and to the untrained eye beyond saving. But those in the medical field know, as long as someone's brain, heart, and internal organs are largely intact and that there is still blood within their veins, there is a chance for survival. Many of the supernatural burns, the iron stakes, and the sort, the redheaded woman doesn't actually seem to be bleeding out. Much of the actual damage, like in most rituals is probably more psychic. As long as the spikes stay in place and the redhead receives emergency room treatment soon, there is a chance. The redhead, effectively knocked out at this point and unconscious, it would be a clean kill. Alternatively, the Haven Sheriff's Department is experienced in cleaning up messes of the supernatural world and the EMTs working out of White Oak are no stranger to these kind of situations. But if the redhead does live, without some serious fleshforming, she will be horribly deformed for the rest of her life and likely be in pain. She probably would never walk again. So the question becomes, it is a mercy to survive this event or is it a mercy to die?
Illyana lets Ritsuka work. She paces- She checks her phone- She browses myhaven. Looking over, she even remembers that Syl exists. She'd forgotten about her...
Syl rises from her prone position and looks down the length of her techwear clothing. Its dirty now, covered in dirt and leaves. Even though the screaming, the blood, the death had not managed to wipe away her grin, the dirty is another thing entirely. She grimaces, pale hands coming to her body and wiping along it, brushing away leaves and other debris. Once a bit more presentable and with her rifle safety clicked into position and the sniper rifle slung over her shoulder by a strap the young woman departs from her shelter in the cover of trees. Her head is on a swivel as she makes a line toward Ritsuka, Illyana, and the potential witness. Nike sneakers cover the ground in a confident stride as Syl fishes for a folding knife from her pocket. A bit deafened from the loud bangs of her own rifle she hasn't been making out the low and distant words. Syl is just as content to let Illyana work.
Syl to let Ritsuka work, actually.
For perhaps the first time, as far as some might seen, Ritsuka reaches around and takes a hold of her own communicator and speaks into it. "I have a stable victim here, at following coordinates." She recites the exact ones. "She needs to be evacuated to a medical facility and possibly some cover up done. Intended to be a sacrifice for a ritual, we stopped it." She listens for any response on the communicator before deciding on how to proceed next, though there is a touch of relief in her voice when she speaks into the communicator.
Syl' sniper rifle sways from the stop to her motion as she ends her walk standing near Illyana. She pauses as she listens to Ritsuka then murmurs to Illyana. "I see what Ash was meaning now, when he suggested he would come to you if I had any trouble at Rosie's." Standing amid the gore, its perhaps too light a comment for the situation.
"You need to deal with her memories." Illyana tells Ritsuka. "White Oak wont deal with that. They'll charge more and it's a lot." Not pausing in her pacing, Illyana continues to explain, "This is someone who will suffer. Someone who will have nightmares the rest of her life. Someone who will never be unaware again. She is scarred, beaten, abused and has seen enough to drive her mad." Turning on her booted heel, Illyana makes sure Ritsuka is listening. "This is suffering. This is pain. This is a life ruined by the supernatural. I wont stop you if this is what you want to do, but if my name comes up, I will have no choice but to throw you under the bus. The same for Syl. She's seen all three of us. Now, I can give her amnesia, but I want a bag of blood in exchange." Illyana deals. "Otherwise, you have exposed yourself and other people's agents as being supernatural potentially."
And it seems to be decided. It only seems to take a maybe ten minutes or so for vehicles to start arriving. Many of them wear symbols baring a sword crossed with a scroll, the tell tale signs of the Order. Even an ambulance arrives and EMTs start loading up the redheaded woman to take her off towards the Hospital. They are careful when moving her since the iron rod still remain in place and they don't want to risk removing them outside of a surgical environment. One of the medics blurt out, "Woah. What happened to her?" But the question is rhetorical as he keeps working regardless. Once loaded up, the ambulance drives off headed towards White Oak. Haven Sheriffs Department arrives as well, one of the deputies approach Syl, Ritsuka, and Illyana, "Move along everyone. It is taken care of. A shame that gas pipe exploded." And just like that, all responsibility to the side has been relieved from them and they are free to go on their way.
Illyana isn't happy, but the situation is handled... All except the woman, of course. But it is too late now. The only thing to be done is live with it, and if Ritsuka has exposed them, it will be dealt with. So she does one thing; She walks to the car, texting.
Ritsuka does listen to Illyana and she does look at her with calm eyes. She does not seem to disagree to Illyana dn waits until Illyana finishes before she answers "Someone that's alive can heal. Someone that isn't can't." She makes a deep bow to Illyana. "Thank you for letting me save her, Yana-san." And so, she comes to walk towards the car as well, likely heading back to Rosie's. "Syl-san, let's head back to Rosie? I can clean any blood from my hakama later. Even if it's a little unhygienic."
As they arrive at the designated coordinates, the three women execute a strategic assault on the cultists, each leveraging their strengths effectively. Illyana's extraordinary agility and combative prowess, Syl's precision shooting from afar, and Ritsuka's swordsmanship quickly dismantle the cultist's attempts, saving the sacrificial victim from a fate worse than death. Despite the successful halting of the ritual and the elimination of the immediate threat, they are left with a moral dilemma: the fate of the victim, now grievously wounded and marked by the horror of the ordeal. Illyana, coldly pragmatic, suggests a more permanent end to the victim's suffering, while Ritsuka opts for mercy and the hope of recovery, enlisting the help of medical professionals and invoking her contacts within the military. The narrative concludes with the ambiguity of the victim's future and the cost of involvement in the supernatural world, leaving a lingering question about the true nature of mercy and the shadows that lurk in haven.
(Ritsuka's odd encounter(SRElias):SRElias)
[Sat Sep 14 2024]
In Rosie's Diner
Filled with nostalgia, this diner is a step into the past - to a time of swing and jive, and one would claim, simpler times. The walls are cream toned, letting the pink and turquoise neon striping along the ceiling give the space more vibrant coloring. Pieces of kitsch and memorabilia are posted here and there, providing character and retro style.
Behind the counter, cooks work the main line, allowing customers to watch as their meals are prepped. A soda fountain and a glass domed freezer is set away from the heat, where the soda jerk creates speciality floats, sundaes, malts and shakes.
Meanwhile, waitresses on roller skates gracefully take orders, their uniforms chock full of bling.
It is morning, about 71F(21C) degrees,
(Your target and their allies stumble upon a ritual ceremony of The Black Flame in the woods outside Haven. They are attempting to summon an eldritch horror. The group must decide whether to intervene and stop the summoning, or let it occur and attempt to deal with the fallout. The members of the cult are not inherently violent but will defend their ritual if threatened. Their beliefs and the reasoning behind their actions can be explored through dialogue, providing a moral dilemma for the characters.)
"I think Novel-san looks fine. I can't see him leaning wrongly or moving strangely," Ritsuka assesses in quietly spoken words before she glances around. She for her own does not have a coffee or food to eat for herself today. It is, in the simplest words, a very social encounter that she finds herself in.
Syl returns Ritsuka's bow with a subtle raising of her chin. "Good, how bout' you," Syl answers and asks in a drawl, answering a question from someone about how her day had been going. Having only just arrived she has not yet ordered anything. So her eyes move to the menu as she checks over her options.
Syl returns Ritsuka's bow with a subtle raising of her chin. "Good, how bout' you," Syl answers and asks in a drawl, answering a question from Ritsuka about how her day had been going. Having only just arrived she has not yet ordered anything. So her eyes move to the menu as she checks over her options.
Illyana Is sitting at the counter. She looks to have been here for a while; though has just run back in after moving her bike away from the death trap of one of the other patrons.
The morning carries on throughout Haven as it can often do in this small coastal town. Fall is starting to take small bites into the waning summer, but the weather still holds out with beautiful sunshine and comfortable temperatures. That does not mean that in various places, the leaves have started to change, during from the comforting greens to the beautiful reds. However, that is outside, Inside, there is the hustle and bustle of the morning breakfast rush at Rosie's diner. The smells of eggs, bacon, and coffee fill the air and the chatter of the patrons. While this seems like it could be a rather peaceful morning, each of your phones buzz or chirp, indicating that scouts are reporting an incident in the woods that they need help with. There is grainy video attached. When opening it, it shows black robed figures chanting with a living person at the center as a sacrifice. While not all might care for a life of an innocent, it is what the ritual is likely doing. There are several indications this is the Black Flame and they are likely trying to bring something horrifying through the Void.
Ritsuka glances at her own phone with a brief yelp, and then eyes her surrounding warily. "It is a bit of a first," she quietly says, squeamish. She watches the video and then looks at Illyana and then to Syl. "Did you both get the same video? I think I should go and take care of that, but I am not very skilled. Would you both accompany me if you saw that same video, too?" She asks, looking a a little bit like a fresh lamb woken from slumber.
Syl picks over the menu with cold blue eyes, dismissing option after option. A quick turn of her head toward a waitress on rollerblades is given, requesting attention from the woman as Syl quickly determines what it is she wishes to order. However, before the rollerblading woman arrives she is hearing numerous beeps from within the diner, including on her own phone. Reaching into a pocket she draws out her iphone and checks on the latest text. From the look of her, she might as well have been checking the weather for all the reaction she shows to the grim image of a coming sacrifice. After Ritsuka's question, she drawls, "Saw it too, yeah. And I suppose I owe you, what with you helping out at the graveyard the other day. Kind of owe both of you for that." She lets her head drift to Illyana including her in the answer.
Checking her phone, Illyana grumbles. The video plays and there's a moment where she listens for chatter over her coms. No one though seems to have it, so she looks across to Ritsuka and Syl who seem to have likewise received the notification. She looks for a moment as though she might ignore it; It's quite likely. She is wearing a new shirt and her shorts are not designed for the forest by far, but it looks as though there were no other choice. Then, Ritsuka asks for help, and in spite of everything, Illyana is a hybrid, and part of that is angelborn. It's not exactly as though she were actively resisting the potential threat management, but it is a saturday, and Illyana could just as easily sit here as the scouts deal with it. "Fine." she tells Ritsuka, gathering her things. Excusing herself from the larger gathering at hand, she waits- If Ritsuka wants the help, she can drive, and Illyana's bike, hot pink as it is, is going nowhere near the mud of Haven forest.
The GPS location is sent in a follow up text just behind the video. It isn't too far from there, just roughly a quarter of a mile into the woods. It would just be a matter of how everyone would intend on getting there and to start moving. A follow up text does send this message: [Urgent: Creatures of the Void are highly dangerous and very possibly destroy the entire town if not more. Any available should respond to this as soon as possible]. The follow up text seems a little redundant considering, but it seems the sender, whomever they are doesn't want to leave much to chance. It doesn't seem like anyone else in the diner has gotten the message, the other patrons still going about their normal days, even as some of them were obviously not unaware either, and why Illyana, Ritsuka, and Syl received it, it is unclear for now.
"Lead on, fearless leader." Illyana tells Ritsuka. The followup text comes and her eyes roll. "Yeah, no shit." Shrugging her bag on, Illyana waits for Ritsuka and Syl, letting them take point on this; After all, she cant do everything.
"We could go and collect your weapons if you would like, but I'm not sure if we can get it all done in time," Ritsuka quietly suggests as she, too, rises to her feet, now smiling a little sheepishly. She first bows lightly to the rest of the group and bids her goodbye before she starts to pace after Illyana "I have mine in my car." She looks back onto her phone to try and figure out where exactly it is located at and then looks at the GPS coords before then looking back to Syl "Thank you, Syl-san. It might be very dangerous. I havn't really been very helpful so far-" Once outside the diner she does begin to walk to a red economy class car that is safe. Maybe not the perfect option to drive into the forest with, but it still is an option, and the option that Illyana really settled to. On Illyana calling her a fearless leader, she blushes, unlocks the car, and reaches around for her backpack with her armor, katana and yumi bow and to move it aside so Illyana and Syl can take a seat where-ever they would like.
Syl had earlier looked at a waitress to attract attention. Now she raises her arm, moving her hand in a kind of lazy dismissive gesture as the waitress approaches. Syl doesn't look particularly excited to be leaving behind the diner. Still, as the others gather their things and rise, she does as well. Wearing a black techwear outfit with more pockets than anyone could reasonbly need, her clothing is of a synthetic material which whispers against itself as she stands. She checks over the follow on text message, noticing the area, then glances toward her sports bike which is outside. Voice lower to avoid being heard by others in the bustlig diner, she admits to Ritsuka, "Only keep a knife on me when I'm out and about. If we're going into the forest, should probably swing by Harry's to pick up my stuff from where I've got it stashed. Forest can be pretty dangerous."
Syl walks out of the diner with the two women. "If you're worried about timing, I have the GPS location. I could go get my stuff while you two head directly there. Meet up with you when I can? I'm not comfortable going into the forest with just a knife. Last time I went, bunch of frogs people tried to jump me. Was a real scare."
"What could possibly go wrong." Illyana shrugs. "Besides, there is nothing around or the cultists wouldn't be doing it where they are. But if you want to go off and return only to have the town overrun by eldritch horrors, you do you." Sitting in the back; The best place to duck down within the vehicle should anything happen, Illyana goes on. "Beides, this shouldn't be too much fuss. Kill a few, ruin the ritual and Bob's your uncle."
Regardless if everyone piles in with Ritsuka or they take off on their own means of getting there. Any stops needed to retrieve gear happen on route out to the GPS location. It does turn out to be a nice day for the drive in the woods if the circumstances were different, but often when travel in the woods happen here, it isn't for sight seeing. When arriving at the GPS coordinates it is quickly obvious that something is going down. There is black, non-descript van parked along the side of the road and there a small circle of roughly a half dozen of robed individuals surrounding their victim, a young redheaded woman stripped naked. It seems like there has been spikes driven into her arms and legs to keep her secure to the ritual circle, but it is obvious that she is still alive as she sobs. They are all chanting, in a language that seems adjacent to Latin, but somehow different too. The candles surrounding the circle ignite on their own and black flames jut out from their wicks, but the flames themselves produce no light, but instead seem to absorb it. Something is very wrong about this ritual and the wrongness starts to flow out from their circle and can be suddenly felt in the air.
Illyana is getting sick of these cultists and their attempts to summon tentacular monsters from the outer realms. That is without question as it shows in her eyes, the set of her jaw and in how her knuckles crack . She looks, from a safe distance of course at the van, the ritual, the robed figures-- The victim goes without saying for now. That can be handled later. The objective for now is the ritual and how it needs to be stopped. "Got a plan?" she asks Ritsuka and Syl. There is an effort to count the men. Are any isolated? How far away are they? Could Illyana move fast enough to disrupt things with gorilla tactics, be that hit and run, or ripping arms off of chanting cultists. Illyana isn't fussy. She has inhuman strength and she's more than happy to cave in a few skulls, too.
Syl gives Illyana a skeptical look at her blaise attitude about the whole ordeal. New to Haven and to Sanctuary, Syl doesn't feel quite so casual about stopping things. She strides with quick steps to her sports bike and peels away on it, heading back toward the Edwardian manor that she lives at along with Harriet and many others. In any intersection along the way that happened to have a stopped light, she would take a moment to forward the text she had recieved to a friend of hers - Dmitri, followed by a quick 'heading into the woods here, planning to deal with it'. Syl would look like quite the poser once she finally got the manor and got geared up. With her techwear outfit, a katana clipped to her side, and a large weapon case which looked like something out of a matrix film she is perhaps too edgy look. The drive back would be slower then the drive there, owing to the clunkiness of needing to keep the weapon case - and the sniper rifle within it - from unbalancing her as she rode the sportsbike. Having now arrived she takes up position beside Illyana and Ritsuka, assessing the cultists and the area. Merely human, she is looking for a place where she will be unlikely to attract attention and can provide support with her sniper rifle as needed.
"Mind if I borrow this?" Illyana asks of Ritsuka, gesturing to her bow and quiver. "I have an idea..."
During the drive, Ritsuka does call up a number at a moment where the way ahead seems to be straight. The name on the address, for anyone that is looking at it this moment is in Japanese, as is the conversation that follows "Saito-san, we are going into the forest to handle a situation with some cultists. I'm not sure how dangerous it is, but I'm letting you know since you're with the military. Something about eldritch horrors and a ritual to summon them." The conversation is brief, beyond that, a reply comes, some small details exchanged and it is hung up soon after.
Ritsuka does explain to Illyana "Just my contact with the military. Let her know what's going on. Just if there is too much trouble."
Once the group arrives close enough, Ritsuka grabs for her backpack and opens it to retrieve her armor, throw the hakama with ballistic kevlar layering over herself and then to take a hold of thekatana, which is set into a traditional saya(sheath), adjust it into the right place of her hakama at the left, and then the quiver with the arrows to the right. She does answer Illyana "We go there. Figure out the situation, you sabotage it, Yana-san or we 'persuade' them to let you look at it and 'fix' a mistake with it, and save the sacrifice. And when requested to borrow her ranged weapons, she nods and holds them over to Illyana before starting to step towards the cultists, saying loudly, though because of her ethnicity, high pitched and accented "Hello there! We must talk about this. This is very troublesome you know.""
Illyana holds out a hand. "Give me a spare bow string?" It is very likely there's a plan here, and it is likely going to involve garotting people.
Ritsuka reaches around herself to her right, and does pull out a string for Illyana. "Hai."
"As I see it, it doesn't matter if Red there dies early." Illyana explains to Syl and Ritsuka. "The thing is the ritual needs to be disrupted"
(repost for stupid ass cliant trouble cutting off) "As I see it, it doesn't matter if Red there dies early." Illyana explains to Syl and Ritsuka. "The thing is the ritual needs to be disrupted; Every part of a ritual is important, so the more it can be recked, the more likely it is that the thing will go wrong." Accepting the string, Illyana ties off the ends, giving herself a grip, angelborn speed aiding in the process. "The issue is, there are six of these guys. I can possibly grab two at once, but we need to get them all, and time is not on our side. Split up so we're not all huge targets and then start breaking people." she suggests. "Try not to get caught."
While the three discuss the plan on taking out the cultist, the ritual continues. The black robed cultists of the Black Flame continue almost feeling like out of a Hollywood production of a ritual. How much of this ritual is for theatrics to feed egos and how much of it actually is to call forth unimaginable monsters from the Void, it is unclear. What is clear is that the ritual is starting to work. The woman screams as smoky tendrils start to come out of the ground, wrapping around her. The sizzling sound can be heard as it they touch her skin and it blackens. But it is unclear if it is due to heat or immense cold, but it doesn't seem to matter in that regard. There is still time to do something if anything, but whatever the choice is going to be, it is going to have to be soon. The creature is starting to manifest.
"I'll be right back." Illyana tells the other two; She is likely the most experienced here and she is in a staggeringly wonderful mood. Some might even say high as a fucking kite- nearly orgasmic even and she's unquestionably riding that to its climax. And Illyana wants violence. Her eyes blaze with hellfire as she becomes enraged and her garotte blazes with her curiously dark brand of angelfire. Thankfully it's thin as what she does is employs her angelic speed to move off into the undergrowth, only to seek to come out behind one of the cultists, break their neck with a punch, then run off again, only to repeat the process. Will it work? One way to find out, so off she goes!
Syl gets to cover by the trees with her sniper rifle and settles down prone among the leaves as she looks toward the ongoing ritual. The screams of the woman being sacrficed have Syl smiling and in a good mood. They help to take the edge off her nerves, keeping her from trembling as she calms and slows her breathing and swivels the gun to put a cultist within the crosshairs. Mindful that she is not the best shot in the world she would make a point of aiming toward a cultist which was furtherest from where Illyana disappeared into the trees. Aiming for center mass, rather than the head, she would pull the trigger.
"We will just have to end them, they are probably not on sanctuary if they can permanently hurt the lady in a ritual," Ritsuka quietly considers, drawing the katana from its saya swiftly and rushing forward to the closest cultists. Hers is a very precise style and in this moment, empathy just drains from her eyes and she examines her target analytically again, looking for the slightest weakness or imbalance she can use to plain kill the cultist. "You should all just go and die."
The cultists seem to be en-tranced by the ritual and the otherworldly being coming out of it. It is like they are totally unaware of Illyana, Ritsuka, and Syl approaching. First off, Illyana strikes completely by surprise, punching one of the cultists in the back of the neck with the intention to kill him in one hit. That obviously was an optimistic action... or was it. Maybe not in the way Illyana was thinking, but it works. She makes contact with the cultist, instantly breaking him out of his trance. He stumbles forward with a 'gaah' and one of the tentacles that whips out and strikes the man. He screams but it is instantly silenced as he just disappears into a wisp of smoke and ash dusting upon the ground. Is he dead? Teleported to another realm? Whatever it was, it was clear it was very painful. Syl, while she might not have the confidence or skill of a seasoned sniper, a prone shot against a stationary target is literally like taking a trip to the firing range and at this distance, it is shooting fish in a barrel. BOOOOOM! One of the cultists heads is gone and the headless remains slump to the ground. someone works her way up with her blade, while obviously not as fast as Illyana, she does still close the distance in time to help stop the ritual. Very much like punching or shooting, someone' strike hits the motionless cultist, cutting a vicious slice down his back and he slumps over. Half of the cultists are taken out in the first wave of attacks. The remaining three seem to almost wake up from their ritual induced slumber, each of them pulling ritualistic knives that don't really appear for fighting. The looks on their faces clearly show they are caught unprepared and fear seems to be overcoming them. Once the ritual is halted though, the tendrils just simply dissolve into smoke. The woman however, groans as her body is bleeding and covered in burns. She is not doing well at all.
The cultists seem to be en-tranced by the ritual and the otherworldly being coming out of it. It is like they are totally unaware of Illyana, Ritsuka, and Syl approaching. First off, Illyana strikes completely by surprise, punching one of the cultists in the back of the neck with the intention to kill him in one hit. That obviously was an optimistic action... or was it. Maybe not in the way Illyana was thinking, but it works. She makes contact with the cultist, instantly breaking him out of his trance. He stumbles forward with a 'gaah' and one of the tentacles that whips out and strikes the man. He screams but it is instantly silenced as he just disappears into a wisp of smoke and ash dusting upon the ground. Is he dead? Teleported to another realm? Whatever it was, it was clear it was very painful. Syl, while she might not have the confidence or skill of a seasoned sniper, a prone shot against a stationary target is literally like taking a trip to the firing range and at this distance, it is shooting fish in a barrel. BOOOOOM! One of the cultists heads is gone and the headless remains slump to the ground. someone works her way up with her blade, while obviously not as fast as Illyana, she does still close the distance in time to help stop the ritual. Very much like punching or shooting, Ritsuka's strike hits the motionless cultist, cutting a vicious slice down his back and he slumps over. Half of the cultists are taken out in the first wave of attacks. The remaining three seem to almost wake up from their ritual induced slumber, each of them pulling ritualistic knives that don't really appear for fighting. The looks on their faces clearly show they are caught unprepared and fear seems to be overcoming them. Once the ritual is halted though, the tendrils just simply dissolve into smoke. The woman however, groans as her body is bleeding and covered in burns. She is not doing well at all.
The cultists seem to be en-tranced by the ritual and the otherworldly being coming out of it. It is like they are totally unaware of Illyana, Ritsuka, and Syl approaching. First off, Illyana strikes completely by surprise, punching one of the cultists in the back of the neck with the intention to kill him in one hit. That obviously was an optimistic action... or was it. Maybe not in the way Illyana was thinking, but it works. She makes contact with the cultist, instantly breaking him out of his trance. He stumbles forward with a 'gaah' and one of the tentacles that whips out and strikes the man. He screams but it is instantly silenced as he just disappears into a wisp of smoke and ash dusting upon the ground. Is he dead? Teleported to another realm? Whatever it was, it was clear it was very painful. Syl, while she might not have the confidence or skill of a seasoned sniper, a prone shot against a stationary target is literally like taking a trip to the firing range and at this distance, it is shooting fish in a barrel. BOOOOOM! One of the cultists heads is gone and the headless remains slump to the ground. Ritsuka works her way up with her blade, while obviously not as fast as Illyana, she does still close the distance in time to help stop the ritual. Very much like punching or shooting, Ritsuka's strike hits the motionless cultist, cutting a vicious slice down his back and he slumps over. Half of the cultists are taken out in the first wave of attacks. The remaining three seem to almost wake up from their ritual induced slumber, each of them pulling ritualistic knives that don't really appear for fighting. The looks on their faces clearly show they are caught unprepared and fear seems to be overcoming them. Once the ritual is halted though, the tendrils just simply dissolve into smoke. The woman however, groans as her body is bleeding and covered in burns. She is not doing well at all.
Appearing again, this time glowing with incandescence as the cultists have blades and Illyana isn't reckless (much) Illyana taps a cultist on the shoulder. That fiery weapon (the bowstring garotte) is around his neck and it's a question as to if the cultist or the bowstring will break first. She grins like a lunatic, glowing with unholy light and she speaks in a voice that suggests menace; "You have been noticed." Useful? Not in the least. Distracting? Likely, but the cultist has angelic speed a flaming garotte and a pissed off hybrid to deal with. Illyana trusts Syl and Ritsuka to deal with the other two. Then, helpfully, Illyana gives the sacrifice a small smile. "Hey, we'll be with you in a moment, Poppet." she calls, having entirely too much fun.
Syl kicks things off with a bang as her rifle flashes and roars. A shell casing spits out from the long barreled gun. Syl takes a moment to assess the situation after her shot. When she had been settling down there were six cultists around the woman who was being consumed by misty tentacles which sizzles at her skin. Now... Syl observes the missing head of her target and frowns. "Missed," she notes, shaking her head. She had been aiming for the chest. Still, she isn't too displeased. It would have hit the paper, rather than the center of the target. Actually, she finds herself quite happy. Unusually so. She can't seem to get the grin that has come upon her to fall away from her face as she settles back into her rifle scope as she swivels to take aim at another cultist. Mindful of the chaos and the potential for Illyana and Ritsuka to cross her scope she would be very slow to fire, only ever taking the shot if she was absolutely confident that she wouldn't hit either ally.
Hears the groan, and the coldness does come to leave from her eyes just for a moment. Ritsuka does give the sacrifice the briefest glance and then turns to face whichever of the cultists is closest to her. This time her approach is a walk, the katana raised in front of herself with the tip of the blade on the estimated level of her opponent's neck. She seeks an opening, be it to parry the ritualist's dagger by letting it slide aside or to slap it away to then quickly thrust forward. Regardless, she has the longer weapon, and she will use it to her advantage to lend it into a thrust towards the heart.
These cultists don't seem to be the Black Flames A-team, but probably like just a bunch of scholarly types studying ritualism instead any real combat application. It is likely the Black Flame sent them here to die, just to unleash the Void creature on the town, but only half of that plan seems to becoming to fruition. Illyana moving quick with her bow string and getting behind the cultist, she does succeed. He tries to flail the dagger at her, but it is easily dodged and she hits her mark. She starts choking him with the string as it cuts and sizzles into his flesh due to the flame magic imbruing it. After a few moments, he stops struggling as it cuts into his neck. Syl while not previously aiming for the head, it is still what happened none the less. This shot of hers is harder than the last, but aiming for center mass on someone that is distracted by two other assailants, it is still more or less an easy shot. BOOOOM! Another shot rings out and down goes the other cultist, a bloom of red mist bursting from his chest. At this range, there is enough momentum and stopping power to actually knock him off his feet instead of just actually slumping over. And then there was Ritsuka. The pale blue eyed asian girl along with the final cultist. He lifts his blade to defend himself but almost a cool, knowing feeling likely seems into Ritsuka's being, since it is obvious that the cultist is just mimicking things he likely saw in movies or a Bullshitsu video online. With a quick and precise slice, the cultist's head tumbles backwards and his body collapses shortly after. All the cultists are dead and all that remains is the redheaded woman, her naked body, bruised, blooded, and burned. But her chest still rises and lowers, but the severity of her injuries. Cold iron stakes puncture her arms and legs at the wrists and ankles, keeping her secure to the ground and unable to provide any resistance without great suffering. The burns in some places, such as her legs seem to go straight to the bone. In the end, survival seems unlikely.
Syl was black haired and proned, sniper rifle at the ready amid leaves. With the cultists now downed she pokes her head back up above the scope and looks around. Cold blue eyes are warmed by the grin she can't shake as she watches, not the cultists and the recently disrupted ritual, nor even Illyana or Ritsuka and the girl in depserate need of medical attention, but instead for anything or anyone else who might be around.
Now the cultists are dealt with, Illyana races, bowstring discarded for the captive. Crouching down, she offers a comforting smile, though it's quite clear there's no surviving for this one. She makes a show of inspecting the metal puncturing her and she sucks her teeth. "Don't worry." she says confidently. "I'm a medical expert. We'll have this dealt with in a jiffy." Illyana is in fact nothing of the sort, and has no skill at all in that field; Not even first aid, but never the less, that approach lets Illyana catch the sacrifice's gaze with her own and hopefully, she's been placed into a trance. Ritsuka is a med expert, but more than that, she has a sword, and this woman knows too much and shouldn't spread it. And why would Illyana spend the time layering psychic suggestions and hypnotism compulsions through her when a short, sharp chop can remove her suffering. Illyana is callous. She's Hand, but at least she has some form of compassion... or is it. She gestures Ritsuka forward, but there is a nod to her blade, not to her supplies in the car. Could it be a lesson in damage control? Illyana could very easily break this woman's neck, after all.
Ritsuka reaches down to quickly cut a large piece of the cultist's robe away and then rushes on over to the naked woman. She well understands that this is by no means the most hygienic type of bandage, using some random clothing, bit it is better than nothing. Her gaze grows, just for the briefest analytical as she tries to determine which of the weaknesses she sees needs to be handled first. And in a hurry, she instructs "Ma'am, count with me. Stay awake. Do not sleep, please. The time for rest isn't now, rest is trouble." She isn't a doctor. Not yet, but she is trained and so she does try to provide as much aid as she can with what she knows. Her katana is, in the meantime, wiped clean over her own hakama and sheathed, only partly drawn to separate the fabric where needed.
wants one thing, Ritsuka seeks another, but there's still a lesson to be learned here. Illyana steps back, not too far, still within her speed to annihilate the woman if she needs to, but Ritsuka is afforded her space at least to try; Illyana is too kind for her own good. She says nothing, simply crossing her arms, but there's no approval there.
With medical inspection, it is obvious to Ritsuka that the woman is very weak and to the untrained eye beyond saving. But those in the medical field know, as long as someone's brain, heart, and internal organs are largely intact and that there is still blood within their veins, there is a chance for survival. Many of the supernatural burns, the iron stakes, and the sort, the redheaded woman doesn't actually seem to be bleeding out. Much of the actual damage, like in most rituals is probably more psychic. As long as the spikes stay in place and the redhead receives emergency room treatment soon, there is a chance. The redhead, effectively knocked out at this point and unconscious, it would be a clean kill. Alternatively, the Haven Sheriff's Department is experienced in cleaning up messes of the supernatural world and the EMTs working out of White Oak are no stranger to these kind of situations. But if the redhead does live, without some serious fleshforming, she will be horribly deformed for the rest of her life and likely be in pain. She probably would never walk again. So the question becomes, it is a mercy to survive this event or is it a mercy to die?
Illyana lets Ritsuka work. She paces- She checks her phone- She browses myhaven. Looking over, she even remembers that Syl exists. She'd forgotten about her...
Syl rises from her prone position and looks down the length of her techwear clothing. Its dirty now, covered in dirt and leaves. Even though the screaming, the blood, the death had not managed to wipe away her grin, the dirty is another thing entirely. She grimaces, pale hands coming to her body and wiping along it, brushing away leaves and other debris. Once a bit more presentable and with her rifle safety clicked into position and the sniper rifle slung over her shoulder by a strap the young woman departs from her shelter in the cover of trees. Her head is on a swivel as she makes a line toward Ritsuka, Illyana, and the potential witness. Nike sneakers cover the ground in a confident stride as Syl fishes for a folding knife from her pocket. A bit deafened from the loud bangs of her own rifle she hasn't been making out the low and distant words. Syl is just as content to let Illyana work.
Syl to let Ritsuka work, actually.
For perhaps the first time, as far as some might seen, Ritsuka reaches around and takes a hold of her own communicator and speaks into it. "I have a stable victim here, at following coordinates." She recites the exact ones. "She needs to be evacuated to a medical facility and possibly some cover up done. Intended to be a sacrifice for a ritual, we stopped it." She listens for any response on the communicator before deciding on how to proceed next, though there is a touch of relief in her voice when she speaks into the communicator.
Syl' sniper rifle sways from the stop to her motion as she ends her walk standing near Illyana. She pauses as she listens to Ritsuka then murmurs to Illyana. "I see what Ash was meaning now, when he suggested he would come to you if I had any trouble at Rosie's." Standing amid the gore, its perhaps too light a comment for the situation.
"You need to deal with her memories." Illyana tells Ritsuka. "White Oak wont deal with that. They'll charge more and it's a lot." Not pausing in her pacing, Illyana continues to explain, "This is someone who will suffer. Someone who will have nightmares the rest of her life. Someone who will never be unaware again. She is scarred, beaten, abused and has seen enough to drive her mad." Turning on her booted heel, Illyana makes sure Ritsuka is listening. "This is suffering. This is pain. This is a life ruined by the supernatural. I wont stop you if this is what you want to do, but if my name comes up, I will have no choice but to throw you under the bus. The same for Syl. She's seen all three of us. Now, I can give her amnesia, but I want a bag of blood in exchange." Illyana deals. "Otherwise, you have exposed yourself and other people's agents as being supernatural potentially."
And it seems to be decided. It only seems to take a maybe ten minutes or so for vehicles to start arriving. Many of them wear symbols baring a sword crossed with a scroll, the tell tale signs of the Order. Even an ambulance arrives and EMTs start loading up the redheaded woman to take her off towards the Hospital. They are careful when moving her since the iron rod still remain in place and they don't want to risk removing them outside of a surgical environment. One of the medics blurt out, "Woah. What happened to her?" But the question is rhetorical as he keeps working regardless. Once loaded up, the ambulance drives off headed towards White Oak. Haven Sheriffs Department arrives as well, one of the deputies approach Syl, Ritsuka, and Illyana, "Move along everyone. It is taken care of. A shame that gas pipe exploded." And just like that, all responsibility to the side has been relieved from them and they are free to go on their way.
Illyana isn't happy, but the situation is handled... All except the woman, of course. But it is too late now. The only thing to be done is live with it, and if Ritsuka has exposed them, it will be dealt with. So she does one thing; She walks to the car, texting.
Ritsuka does listen to Illyana and she does look at her with calm eyes. She does not seem to disagree to Illyana dn waits until Illyana finishes before she answers "Someone that's alive can heal. Someone that isn't can't." She makes a deep bow to Illyana. "Thank you for letting me save her, Yana-san." And so, she comes to walk towards the car as well, likely heading back to Rosie's. "Syl-san, let's head back to Rosie? I can clean any blood from my hakama later. Even if it's a little unhygienic."