2014-07-01 - Runaways and Ravens

From her humiliation some months ago, Amora had been licking her wounds. Now, back over in San Francisco then, the haughty Enchantress was otherwise planning for revenge. In any case, her revenge would be something grand, something spectacular.. And over in San Francisco, over along the Bay Area as a widespread illusion of her's cast the sea and made it seem of liquid fire, the scheme of her revenge began.

A speck of darkness flitters from an island. An island with a distinct tower poised on it. The speck grows larger, then, as it descends towards the beach, takes on a decidedly feminine form. The cloak billowing in the breeze, feet touch down gently as the 'fire' seems to take the form, only to dispell around her.

Raven looks out from under her hood, out to see. She knows illusions when she sees them. The only question is...why?

Nico Minoru and Molly Hayes come out of a pharmacy with a small bag, Nico explaining a few things as they walk through the door. "I have to get thread at the next store if we can afford it," she continues, propping the door with her foot. "And wasn't it darker out when we went inside?" is added suspiciously as Nico pauses in the doorway, eyes flickering around the area.

Molly Hayes seems let down. She really wanted to get gummi bears at the pharmacy. But Nico seemed to think it was more important to get medicine. She trudges along with Nico. "You know, gummi bears have a lot of healing properties too. Like um.... well they're fruit flavored, and that's one of the four food groups and fruit it healthy..." She heads out the door that Nico opened and looks confused too. "Maybe that Superman guy flew around the earth backwards and is making time go backwards?"

Molly thinks up ridiculous stuff like that which would never happen.

Some people yell, some people run, but for Amora the chaos is all part of the fun. She croons then, waving a hand over at Raven then in a grandiose manner then, "Now then demonling, come to me. Let's play a game." Around her and arrayed a group of enthralled men on the beach, muscled and wearing speedoes then that she had enthralled with a touch. "now boys, be dears and get her."

The men rushed towads Raven with a yell!

As the men charge, it seems that Raven actually grows darker...somehow. The shadows around her grow thick and she disappears from view, much to the dismay of the lovestruck men.

"Most people call first." The form of Raven manifests, floating above the beach, in plain sight of Amora...and anyone else that may be watching. "So, Asgardian, you wish to play a game? Did you so enjoy the sights I have shown you before that you come craving for more?" The darkness descends from Raven, enveloping the enthralled men and teleporting them someplace safe...and far away from her. "I am willing to offer you another look."

Nico says, "It was gummi bears or thread for your new pants and you know it," as she looks down the beach toward the events and goings-on. Her heart sinks a little in her chest when she sees the horde of people and hears the screaming. She puts her right hand on Molly's shoulder if she can, just touching to make sure the girl is still there, and says, "Molly stay behind me, we've got something totally not-Superman over here."

After a second, she adds in an awed, quiet voice "Oh my holy god that's Raven."

When Nico puts her hand where Molly's shoulder should be, it grasps nothing - mainly because Princess Power already running to try to get in on the 'superhero stuff.' "Cmon! It's a superhero thing and that's one of those Titan Teens!" She stops. "See, this is why we should carry around costumes." she says as she looks around to see who Raven is fighting, then looks to see if there's anything she can throw at said person. Because that's pretty much what superheroins is. See the hero. See who the hero is fighting. Help by throwing stuff at whoever the hero is fighting.

But Amora had been expecting that and for the moment while Raven is focused upon teleporting the men away, Amora grins viciously, "Now then Childe, let there be light." Her hands flash, and the area around Raven is lit up over like a flare then, if Raven did not get out of the way Amora trying to imprison her over in a powerful magic cage!

With her soul-self temporarily away from her, Raven is caught off-guard...long enough for the force cage to do its job and seal Raven off. The billowing cape drops as Raven's expression, normally rather stoic, expresses surprise. Well, for Raven, that means the widening of the eyes and a slight parting of the lips, as if she is going to say something...but not much more.

The magic lattice around the dark spellcaster is rather bright, causing people's attention to be drawn to it. It seems the goddess wants to make a spectacle of Raven. It also has the effect of keeping Raven and her soul-self separate, which does weaken the half demon sorceress, whether Amora knows it or not. The dark shadow keeps trying to return to Raven, but slams against the magic barrier...unable to penetrate it.

Running up late, the last to arrive, the asian girl with 'WITCH' on her t-shirt comes up to the scene empty-handed. She doesn't try to call Molly back, having had some experience with that tactic in the past. She comes up with a plan en route, one that'll mesh with what Molly is probably planning, and puts it into play.

"Hey, Shakespeare!" Nico calls out toward Amora. "Yeah, you. The one with the visible cellulite! Over here!" She's slightly across from where Molly is doing whatever she's doing, so Amora won't be looking that way.

Molly Hayes is the master of planning. Though most of her plans tend to be 'find something really big and throw it at someone' or 'punch the bad guy.'

To her credit, it usually is a pretty good plan.

Plan A. Punch the person. Plan B. Push or pull the person or throw the person. Plan C. If the person is too far away to punch, push, pull or throw ... throw something at the person.

Plan C it is.

Which is why, as Amora is attacking Raven, and being distracted by Nico, the next thing that happens is a semi truck is being thrown at the flying Asgardian Sorceress by the young girl with the Frog hat on her head.

Nico's belittling words make Amora's eyes flash, "Why you whelp as soon as I've finished putting this demonic wretch with the Crimson Bands of Cyrrotakk I shall remove your capability to speak!" Which serves the purpose of Molly going to grab the car, and send it hurtling over through the air which makes Amora's eyes widen. One energy blast goes up through it, causing the car to explode in midair.

But the energy field she had put about Raven flickers out of existence, freeing the half-demon girl.

As the containment field drops, the inky blackness of Raven's soul-self darts in, flowing back into her. The effect is instantly noticeable. The cloak flares out as Raven stretches her arms out wide. Dark eldritch words of power drop from her lips as the winds around her...and Amora...pick up, but leave the rest alone. The pieces of the exploding semi-truck are first frozen in mid-air...then suddenly whip around the Asgardian, held aloft by the magical winds and Raven's own telekinesis. As well...the fire from the explosion is collected into a centralized ball, floating in between the goddess and the half demoness.

Then...with a shout from Raven, all hell breaks loose. The bits of shrapnel from the truck fire at Amora from all directions. At the same time, the ball of fire elongates, then flattens into a stream of fire, sending the blast of flame and heated air at the Asgardian.

And the reply from Raven? "You talk too much..."

And the reply from Nico? Nothing, her jaw is kinda hanging open at the display given off by Raven's mystical powers. She stands there looking slightly awestruck for a grand total of five seconds really admiring the forces at play before stepping back away from the center about three whole steps. She closes her mouth finally, putting her left hand on her hip and her right pumping a fist in the air as she calls to Molly "Nice toss, Princess!" across the din.

Molly Hayes watches. And for once, Molly isnt jabbering on. "WOAH!" She looks over at Nico. "Did you see that! She was like, 'Wham!' and Asteroids Metroid Zena! And then the explosion turns black and a black octopus comes outta her robes and makes the fire black and a ball did you see that?!"

So much for not jabbering.

At the very least, Amora now knows who the new infidels are. Right in time for Raven to *SMASH* her over the head with a heavy truck that had been accelerated over like a fastball to send her flying and smashing down hard. Hissing, smashing over and letting out a scream as the superheated metal bolts slashed over at her, Amora let out a righteous HOWL!

"You will PAY for this! I SWEAR it!" But injured, being swarmed, and facing adversaries she had not expected, her form flickered, as if teleporting.. Trying to if she coul dput a false-image of herself over upon Raven to Molly and Nico, and a false image of herself upon Nico to Raven if her stronger illusions held!

What is left of the truck rains down upon the beach, in the area that Amora once stood. The teleportation of the sorceress was not unexpected. However....staying at the beach rather than fleeing was.

Raven drops to the ground, her arms dropping down to her waist as she glares as what she believes to be Amora. "Seeking payment still?" The black form of a raven manifests behind the cloaked her....dark shadow wings spread wide. "I will provide appropriate compensation..." Those who know Raven may know what is coming next. She's about to fight fear with fear itself...

Amora-Nico looks at Raven from her location of relative 'safety' with the realization that she's far from anything of the sort. "But, you blew up, I saw it," she babbles a little as Amora advances on her, arms stretched. Nico takes this moment to dive behind a Smart-Car, wishing she'd taken the time to get herself a little more prepared for combat as she takes cover, realizing a little too late that you can't hide behind a Smart-Car. 'ten seconds, give me ten seconds' she thinks trying to find a way...

Not-Amora-Molly yells, "HEY! YOU CANT GO BLOWING UP SUPERHEROES! THAT'S.... THATS MEAN!!!!" And a Humvee is thrown at Amora-Raven. Followed by a Hyundai Elantra.

Plan C is still in effect.

And as Amora-looking-Raven went to blast over at Amora-looking-Nico with a fear aura, and Nico went to go over for the powers of her staff then while likely being bombarded by the full aura of Raven's power, not-Amora-looking MOlly went to go for plan C. Which smashed Amora-looking-Amora over the head over with a car.


 * BOOM BOOM*

Good thing the fight wasn't at the marina. Then Raven would have to worry about flying boats. Even so, flying cars is not good. The shadow raven wraps its wings around Raven, taking her within the dark embrace, which makes the cloaked one intangible for the moment. Which is a good thing, as a parking lot just opens up at Raven's spot, complete with a Humvee and an Elantra.

Raven appears, back in the air, with that dark shadow above her once more. Molly's toss did enough to buy Nico some time...but is it enough?

It is time to find out.

Raven's soul-self flies, descending upon Amora-Nico, to take her within its arms to show her what fear is.

"Someone didn't get the memo," Nico says as she gets her elbows scraped on the pavement. In her darkling voice she says *When blood is shed...let the Staff of One emerge* and the great staff comes from her chest, actually pushing the Smart-Car out of the way itself. Nico's hand grasps the staff and, with her darkest fears driving her to her knees, her eyes snap open and she looks past Raven to where Amora is invisible. Right at her, instinctively.

The staff lifts, and Nico's voice calls out, "What was that you said, bitch? Crimson Bands of Cyrrotakk!" The girl on her knees drips blood from her scratched elbows as the power of the staff calls from the very horizons, all of them, bands of red to grab and enwrap the goddess herself as an aura of darkness flickers around the caster's body, seeming to be aflame with the stuff of night.

Alas, poor Amora. This was not going over well for her. Even as otherwise she might have started to monologue then, Molly went over to blast her full on the face over with a car then, which was her third of the night and hammered her HARD. And she was then hit over by the mystical and powerful bands as the Crimson Bands of Cyrrotak hit her, the full aura of the fear spell and the bindings hammering her hard with bindings which could contain Cthul himself.

Ankles restrained then, magical glowing bands appearing on them, her wrists being manacled together, her siren's voice being clamped over with a sudden faceplate which snapped up, cutting off her ability to croon and cry, Amora locked in a silent scream as the illusions dissipated, fully revealed, and vulnerable right as her spells snapped. As the illusions, and Amora, drop...Raven's eyes grow wide in shock...and perhaps a bit of fear as she realizes she is about to smack down the wrong person. And....the soul-self stops. Mere inches before taking Nico into the darkness. The dark shape takes on a vaguely human form before solidifying to a translucent image of Raven and retreating back towards her. She drops to the ground...in front of Nico. An eye goes to the Staff of One, then the glance turns back to Nico.

"Thank you." The voice is monotone...and quiet. "For the help." Raven looks back towards Amora...then to Nico once more. "Nice work."

Nico Minoru stays on her knees, looking up at Raven as Amora tumbles from her lofty perch, and she kind of squeaks, "You're...uh...welcome?" And proceeds to faint.

Molly Hayes looks around with another car over her head.. "Is it over? Because I think I ran out of cars!" She sees Amora captured, and Raven-Amora is now Raven-Raven. She puts down the last car in the area and looks at Nico. "I think we can SERIOUSLY use some Gummi bears."