2024.11.14 - Abominations Unleashed: Truck Stop Aftermath
This log follows the story from: 2024.11.13 - Abominations Unleashed: Truck Stop Trouble
The story continues in: 2024.11.19 - Pool Hall Downtime
Evening at the Old Truck Stop leaves the place in a strange state. The chaos of debris and things knocked over indicates something serious just went down. The conflict, however, appears to have ended.
Having just fought a rather intense battle with a group of acid bats (?) from some hell dimension (one would assume), Ryki stands in the center of the truck stop parking lot. Other than a lack of shoes, he doesn't really look like he's been in a fight. His shirt is a little more wrinkled than it was before, but he doesn't seem to have been injured at all.
However, his gaze travels over the others assembled who participated in the rather impromptu combat. Lips drawing into a tight line, he inclines his head toward the nearby mess hall before heading off in that direction. It's a quiet summon to any who feel like discussing what the heck actually just happened.
This late in the day and following the commotion, the place has cleared out. As Ryki makes his way toward one of the tables, his eyes move to watch and see who might be curious enough to follow him into the structure. As he grabs a chair, he flips it around and sits backward on it with his arms crossed over the chair back. He watches, through the large windows, and waits.
There is nothing better for Dale to do, so the redhead follows into the glorified pavillion. He settles into a chair and rests his feet up on the table, leaning back with his fingers interlaced behind his head. His shoes might actually be cleaner than the floor, which is kept fairly clean. "So... That was a thing," he comments to the stranger he followed. "Never seen those before, or heard of no acid demons from nightmare land. Think they were constructs? Or summoned?"
The shadows gather again beneath the table, and then the form of that same pale, gothy young guy whom said shadows had previously seemed to consume reappears, flowing up from below the table to settle into a seat near the others. "They were abominations," he says matter-of-factly. "That which should not be. The only way to deal with them is to destroy them, and if possible eradicate whatever brought them here." He reaches into his pocket, producing the chocolate bar from before, then starts to unwrap it. Once it's open, he offers it around, silently inviting others to take some.
The roar of a motorcycle rises in crescendo for a brief moment, but the sound is cut off suddenly. Anyone glancing out one of the many windows will see the yellow and black motorcycle pull up, with a familiar - now at least - figure, though likely more of him. He's removed the light gray shirt he had on, anyone recalling the fight might remember seeing it get acidified. He's carrying a black leather jacket over one arm while he brushes his other hand over the material as he heads for the door. It's only a moment before the door opens and he enters, stopping just inside the door as he gives the vending machines a derisive look, as if one of them had just kicked his puppy. "Worse than the fucking school cafeteria," he mutters to himself.
His attention is grabbed by the three other familiar -- to him now at least -- faces seated around a table. His thick soled boots make a repetitive thud on the ground as he heads in their direction, giving each a once over with a pair of hazel eyes, the ring of golden yellow around the iris gone...for now.
"Don't eat any of that shit. You get hungry after fighting for your life, I'll take care of you." Without asking, he takes one of the end chairs, pushes it back from the table and plops down, sitting the right way, not quite as cool as the blond mop brigade.
"Nic," he says simply as that should be enough introduction. "If this were school, we'd have the weirdest fucking table...a jock, a goth, a gear head, and a prep," he notes as he looks at each in turn around the table, as if letting them fill in the associations.
Ryki arches a brow at Nic's entrance, glancing at the others seated around the table as if to assess the stranger's assumption. Yeah, he could see it. Kinda. He looks a little pensive as he considers Dale's question and Simon's response. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Whether they were created by some dark power or summoned, either way it's bad." His gaze lands on Nic. "If you're correct, you chased someone or something around the corner. Whoever or whatever it was, you seemed to feel it was responsible for the appearance of those monsters?" A frown tugs at his lips. "It's concerning."
Simon's offering of the candy bar prompts Ryki to break a piece off with his fingertips before popping it into his mouth. He gives Nic a faint grin. "Candy bars are great, what are you talking about? They're one of the food groups." His face switches to serious mode as he adds, "It's fortunate that no one was harmed. Well, much. That one lady ended up a little banged up and will likely never come back to this spot again, but she'll be alright in the long run." He pauses for a moment. "Trauma therapy's gotten much better these days." It's not clear if he's joking or not, but he's not smiling when he says it. So he might be right.
His eyes turn to Dale, now. "That was your singing, wasn't it? Seemed to have quite an effect on a lot of the people in the area. Bravo."
"I agree. Maters, taters, grease, grits, and chocolate. The five food groups." Dale takes a piece of the offered candy and pops it into his mouth, then leans back again as he lets it melt in his mouth. He watches the others curiously as they all speak, but when Nic introduces himself, Dale smacks his chest and grunts, "Dale." If he's the jock of then he can play the stereotypes with good humor. "Everyone else will be able to go about their lives normally. I could've fixed her, too. Probably. Maybe."
Simon regards Nic with a politely puzzled expression, glancing down at his candy bar, then asks, "Does that mean you don't want any chocolate? I like chocolate." He glances from Nic to Ryki, then to Dale. At first seeming unsure but not especially cautious, when Dale gives his name, the goth guy seems to come to a conclusion, and he nods, saying, "My given name is Simon, but I'm usually just called 'X.'" He doesn't immediately explain why that might be, instead nodding uncertainly to Ryki and looking generally like he's not so much lost by the conversation as, just, unsure what to make of the others. Dale's claims lead him to nod again, and he says, "Witches. Witches are very useful and interesting people. I'm pleased to meet you." A pause, and he looks to the others, "And you, too. Werewolves are also very useful, especially for severe acts of violence. And...mops...are useful. For cleaning floors, usually."
Nic doesn't say much more at the start of the conversation, just taking in what the other three were talking about while he rubs out a spot on the sleeve of his leather jacket. When he's satisfied, the small shrug and "Damn..." signifying it, he slides one arm then the other into the jacket and leans back against the chair, arms hooked over each side of the chair's back, spreading the jacket out and giving a pretty clear view the guy is well built, dark skin visible in the dim lighting of the place.
When he's settled again, he nods towards the blond with no name, "You did good with the mop." Then as an afterthought, he reaches into the pocket of his jacket and pulls out a metal pipe and slides it across the table. "For your dinner party." Checking that off his list, he continues, "I....I smelled something...or someone...not like those vile winged things, but close. It wasn't there by the time I got there, but it's headed towards town or past it. Can't say."
Dale's good natured chest thump draws a bit of a grin to Nic's lip and he gives the red head an appraising - some might call it predatory - stare for a moment before he speaks. "You got it all wrong, man. It's fats, protein, carbs..." there's a pause before he reaches out to take the offered candy, "and chocolate." He nods to the eye-liner marked guy. "Thanks. I was talking that crap in the vending machines."
After he places the piece of candy in his mouth, he grins at Simon, "X? Like marking the spot?" He looks back at each one when Simon susses them out. "Thought I smelled some magic on all of you...coral...damp metal....and musty oil..." He doesn't go into more detail until he adds..."Yeah, werewolves...we're useful for a *lot* of things..." It's not quite delivered with innuendo, but the grin that plays at the edge of his lips laces it enough.
Ryki shrugs a shoulder at Dale. "It would be nice to have been able to help her, for sure. But I don't know how well someone can recover from being attacked by an acid-demon-bat, then being thrown around by a full-size werewolf." He regards the others are they introduce themselves, following Simon's lead and explaining "I'm Rykard. My friends call me Ryki." It's not exactly an invitation to use his nickname, but he leaves the offer open it seems.
The mention of the mop again causes Ryki to smack his forehead lightly. "If all I'm remembered for is that mop, I'm going to have the worst rep ever. Jeez." As witches are mentioned, Ryki just nods absently. "Ah, that would explain it. And the pyro, too. He seemed to be... making symbols. Of some kind." He absently rubs his feet together under the chair as the pipe is handed back. "Oh, I bought it for a rainy day. You never know when one will come in handy. But thanks." Accepting it, he rolls it back and forth in front of him like a rolling pin. "Well. It's fortunate that things transpired the way they did. My concern now is if more of those things might show up elsewhere, around people that really can't defend themselves."
"Where there was one," Simon says with a shrug, "there will usually be more. To stop them, you must cut off their access." He glances to Nic thoughtfully, speculating, "If you scented a spellcaster, then someone was likely summoning them intentionally." He sighs, shaking his head in a long-suffering way, and snaps off a corner of chocolate, lifting it toward his lips, and says quite casually, "We'll probably have to kill them. That fire-boy would be helpful for that, too. Werewolves and witches, helpful for killing nasty things. And...." He trails off, peering at Ryki, and asks, "Do you have any lethal skills? Besides making floors slippery at unexpected times, I mean." The tone seems genuine, rather than shady. He pops the chocolate into his mouth.
"Tyson is new to magic. And his is hard for him to control. Fire is a beast. That I have yet to tame. Since it's my primary opposite. We'll get him up to snuff in no time. Lucky I was there, though, Tyson almost blew the whole place to kingdom come and back again." And yet, Dale doesn't sound like he's gloating or propping himself up, just stating facts as he sees them. He lifts his feet to put them back on the table and rests his head on his hands again. "Heard the Hellhound is in the area. Let him deal with them. It's his job or something. Or is it its job? Is it a he or... what... Nevermind."
"Where there was one," Simon says with a shrug, "there will usually be more. To stop them, you must cut off their access." He glances to Nic thoughtfully, speculating, "If you scented a spellcaster, then someone was likely summoning them intentionally." He sighs, shaking his head in a long-suffering way, and snaps off a corner of chocolate, lifting it toward his lips, and says quite casually, "We'll probably have to kill them. That fire-boy would be helpful for that, too. Werewolves and witches, helpful for killing nasty things. And...." He trails off, peering at Ryki, and asks, "Do you have any lethal skills? Besides making floors slippery at unexpected times, I mean." The tone seems genuine, rather than shady. He pops the chocolate into his mouth.
At the mention of a hellhound, Simon brightens visibly. "You have a hellhound? Hellhounds are VERY useful for inflicting lethal force! I used to have a pet hellhound. I called him Momo."
"One thing I've learned around here. Weird shit doesn't happen randomly." It seems to be directed at Ryki when he wonders about where the danger will hit next. "I'll be headed back to town to see if I can pick up the trail. Had to buff some bat acid off the bike...and my jacket," he says with a growl, the barest hint of a golden glowing ring around his Iris flashing as he touches part of the sleeve on his left arm. He offers a roll of a shoulder shrug in Ryki's direction, "Worse things to be remembered for than carrying a big stick in a fight. You clean up well." His delivery is matter-of-fact though there is a bit of a look he gives the blond.
The mention of fire and the other mage draws a sharp look from Nic in Dale's direction, "Was that what caused the fucking nuclear blast overhead at the end?" His words are laced with some undertones and anyone who might have seen him recoil from the fire might put two and two together. Dale's lack of concern seems to earn him a scoff, "Some of us live in town and I kind of like the woods there. Don't need some bat creeps burning it up with their acid. You can sit it out if you want or sing a song about it when we're done."
He nods at Simon's analysis, "Only worked with one fire mage before...that's about my limit, especially if he's got no control." To Ryki's defense, Nic adds, "Looks like he was going all Bruce Lee on one of them things." He doesn't say anything about the hellhound at first, but nods in recognition, then quirks a brow at the name Simon gives for his. "You've got the unique name angle covered, man."
Ryki tilts his head thoughtfully at the discussion of Tyson. "New to magic? Hmm. That's interesting. I suppose, in hindsight, it did seem like things got a little volatile. I thought it was a bit of show for us, but it seems I was mistaken in the assumption." Nic gets a pensive look at his reaction to the conversation, but Ryki doesn't comment further.
Hellhounds, on the other hand, when brought up by Dale earns a bit of a surprised look from the blond. "Those are around? Here? Wow. Wouldn't have expected that. Not too familiar with them, personally. Only by reputation. I suppose one would be helpful if this becomes a persistent problem." Narrowing his eyes at Nic, Ryki adds, "And you are correct that this is going to continue to be a persistent problem."
Simon gets a 'look' from Ryki at the inquiry about his combat skills. "Against demons? Not really. My fighting techniques are designed more for mundane opponents, or at least things that walk on two legs and have weak points." Not flying acid-bats, but you can't win 'em all. "I have good instincts. Let's call that my talent." He gives Nic a smile at the acknowledgment that he isn't completely helpless in a fight.
"Yes, the firebomb was Tyson letting the fire control him instead of the other way around. There is a time and place for letting the magic work through you, but a fire witch above a fuel store is not the place." He ignores any accusations of sitting things out. It's not really in his blood to interfere in things unless necessary, though the recent Coven's Call might have him reallign his oriorities. "If they're headed seaward, they're pretty much doomed, though."
Simon looks a little disappointed that the hellhound topic didn't stick, but he tries again, looking at Ryki and saying helpfully, "Is your instinct to hit lethal abominations with a mop? Because if it is, I think I have to question how good your instincts are." Once again, the words seem sincere and guileless rather than overtly shady. Looking to Dale, he says, "Then we should drive them into the sea! Or just set them on fire. Or tear them to pieces. Oh, or we could dip them in acid." He strokes his chin thoughtfully, lost in thoughts of violence. He looks back to Nic, then, a bit distracted. "I do? Is 'Simon' a unique name? Or...is 'X' an unusual letter?"
"Well it's been a hell of a day and night...and yeah, Ryki, we got a hellhound in town. Haven't seen him lately but figure he's still there." Nic stretches his arms above his head and twists back and forth, some bones popping and giving quite a view of his naked torso. "I'm gonna text a few folks in town and let them know to be on the lookout for flying half-bat acid things." When his body contracts again, he rubs his temples, "I need to run a bit of this energy off. Didn't get a chance to let loose like Jessie...I like my jacket," he comments and it does seem to be well loved and cared for, if worn. "Might head back to town tonight or stay here and check out the area. Not sure yet."
At Dale's comment, Nic shrugs, "Lots of places to destroy between here and the sea." He seems to be thinking something over in his head when Simon addresses him. "The 'X' part. Guessing there's a story there or just a nickname." It's not said as a question but is left hanging. His eyes seem to flit between Simon and Ryki a bit of a grin tugging at his corner of his mouth as he slowly inhales through his nose rather pointedly. When he fixes on Ryki, he asks, "Looked like your ride didn't show. Not sure if the rest of you got rides to where you're headed."
Ryki taps his chin thoughtfully as Tyson is discussed. "Hopefully he can learn control sooner rather than later. That sounds like a very dangerous magic to have little control over. Are you the one instructing him in how to better manage it?" Simon gets more side-eye from Ryki asking about the mop again. "Anyways, cleaning supplies aside, my instincts are just fine thanks. No fire, no water, no shadows, no fur, and yet not a scratch on me." He holds his arms out to his sides as if to demonstrate. He notably refrains from mentioning his shoes.
Ryki doesn't seem to have any particular thoughts on how exactly to destroy the creatures. He does have thoughts on his cancelled rideshare. "Yes, would you believe they cancelled on me?" Pausing to think for a moment, as if something just occurred to him, he chuckles to himself. "Oh. I suppose that would make sense. I'll have to find another way home, I guess. No big deal."
"Well... I can just pull my broom out of my ass and take to the sky." Dale hardly skips a beat before he adds, "Or... I can go jump on my bike. Not really a whole lot round here to see and I'd feel a lot more comfortable at port." Land sickness is not something he's particularly wanting to succumb to among others. It's embarassing. "I'm a sea witch. I wouldn't know the first thing about how to control fire of that intensity. I can barely control a cigarette lighter." Yet he can manage a small storm. Go figure.
Simon looks over to Nic and gives a nod, affirming, "Yes, you're correct." He doesn't elaborate, though. Instead, he reflects, "I will go to town. It's not far to travel, and there should be somewhere I can camp there, yes?" When Ryki speaks, Simon nods to him and says, "You avoided harm very well! But avoiding harm isn't a means of lethal force." This is delivered in a tone that seems sincere but a little off, kind of like telling someone they deserve a cookie or a gold star without realizing it sounds sarcastic. On hearing that Ryki lacks a ride, he suggests in a helpful tone, "You could ask Nic for a ride, since he has a vehicle. Or I could carry you again!" Dale's comment gets Simon's brow to furrow, and he asks, "You keep your broom in your ass? That's an unusual spTemplate:--oh. Yes, the bike sounds...less...crowded." In that same helpful tone, he shares, "I had a cigarette lighter, once. But I lost it when a fire demon ate it." So far, there's little evidence the guy can speak without a proverbial neon sign flashing overhead that says: not normal, not from around here.
"Glad you asked," he directs Simon's way, "I wasn't sure I should mention the broom or his ass." Despite the words, he doesn't seem upset just cautious maybe. Turning to Dale, he nods "Sounds like you've got a ride then, man. Unless you can shadow walk or something from here to town, bet you can bum a ride off him." Lastly, he looks towards Ryki, "Yeah, you can ride with me if you need. It's only about an hour. You ever ridden on a bike before? Besides, the speed I'll be driving should make it in less than that."
Ryki frowns at Dale. "Well. That's... only slightly unsettling. Hopefully he'll learn some control on his own, then. Although I'm not sure what one does to practice that." Simon gets another confused look from Ryki. And a lot of blinking, almost as if the young man isn't sure what to make of the words he's hearing. "You seem to have led a very colorful life. I look forward to hearing more about it someday. However, I think I will have to turn down your offer of carrying me off in a swarm of shadows as a) I don't know how I feel about that long-term and b) that would create quite a spectacle." Nic gets a faint smirk. "I've ridden on a motorcycle. I don't know how to drive them because they low-key terrify me, but I typically know when it's safe to ride one." He gives Nic a once-over before he adds, "Although I'm not sure how wise it is for a short blonde to accept a ride from a wolf to his grandmother's house. At least I'm not wearing red, I suppose."
"Hopefully he can find some instruction from Earth or Air or find another attuned to Fire. Or instruction from a generalist. But the Four of us seem to have been thrown together for a reason. Earth is from here, Air from Cali. Fire from Ohio. Water from Georgia. And yet we've come together. Oh geez, now I'm sounding like the Xanthos. Someone help me." Dale leans forward to dramatically rest his head on the table with a deep sigh.
Simon blinks at Ryiki in clear puzzlement. "But, shadows at night aren't very noticeable. Also, there's no need to fly. I can shadow-walk." He says this in a tone that suggests he thinks it should be obvious, but before he can expand on it, he's reaching over to pat Dale on the shoulder. "I met Xanthos once," he offers helpfully. "He was a genius loci from the Lycian acropolis. Very...eclectic." And finally, he offers a wide smile to Nic, clearly sincere but...just a bit off, somehow, like maybe when they were giving out smiling lessons he missed the first week or something. "Motorcycles are sex symbols. They suggest virility and, possibly, sexual availability." He considers, then shrugs, "I don't have a motorcycle. But I do have a pair of leather pants."
The flirtatious tone in Ryki's voice seems to be received and he cocks his head as if he were looking under the table where Ryki's sitting. "Ain't seen the underwear yet. They could be red. Don't worry, I ain't lost a rider yet that wasn't pissing me off. Just hold on tight and keep your mouth closed." Is he talking about the bike ride or something else, it's hard to say because it's delivered very matter of factory.
In answer to Simon's question, Nic nods, "Shadow walk,huh," he thinks maybe he was right then. "There's woods yeah. Pack lands are nearby, and we've got rooms for rent if that's more your style?"
Dale's rather exasperated sigh gets his attention. "You aren't talking about us four I take it?" It should be obvious but he's checking. "Who's from Ohio? That fire guy?" He lets out a short laugh, "Small world then." Then he just goes quiet as Simon and Dale start talking stuff that is just not anything he knows about, until motorcycles are mentioned, which perks his ears. "You got that right," he says simple, possibly encompassing everything Simon said. "Where are you from again? First time here I take it?"
Ryki nods idly to himself. "So you've established a coven of the four elements, it sounds like? That's a lot of potential. Could do a lot with that, if curated carefully. I wish you the best. And hopefully no magic gone wrong."
The obvious being pointed out about shadows gets a headtilt from Ryki. "Okay, fair. Shadows are probably a convenient method of travel at night. Why don't we put a pin in that as something to explore later. I definitely want to discuss the finer points of how your shadow travel works. But I'm a bit too worked up after that fight for my brain to think about things like that right now." Ryki then glances down at Simon's pants. "Leather pants can be hot. Literally, in certain circumstances. But also just cool." He's making temperature jokes, run.
Nic gets a faint smirk as Ryki quips back "Oh no, not red. Today I match, so black." The boy does a little head bob, angling his head from side to side as if weighing options. "I think I'll go with a bike ride tonight. I can tell you where to drop me off." Glancing at the others, he adds, "Whenever we've wrapped up here." Tapping his lower lip, he says, "I think we all agree that these things are dangerous and there will be more of them. So perhaps keep your eyes open for anyone acting suspicious. Though, in this town, that is a really challenging thing to distinguish."
"Not the four of us. A circle of witches. Funnily enough two of us are related. Half brothers. Same dad. Who happens to to be in the area, too. Very strange. Like destiny or something. Yet I wasnt told. I usually get told these things if there's a disaster looming, so hopefully that means it's all gonna turn out fine." Dale shiftsbhis attention toward Ryki. "Everyone in the city acts suspicious. And the city territories are only vaguely hidden. The Den? Red Street? The Garden? Can we say shifters, vampires and fae?"
"Oh, renting rooms costs money," Simon says, his tone not unlike that of someone sharing an interesting fact about some obscure insect. "I don't have money. I'll just find a place to set up my tent." At the question of where he's from, he helpfully supplies, "I was born in New Mexico." Turning to Ryki, he gets a deeply seriously look and says, "But if I put a pin in you, you'll bleed." A full beat, and that too-wide smile returns. "That," he announces brightly, "was a joke." He turns thoughtful-looking, though, to muse, "Leather hot pants...would be sexual signifiers, too." He explains to Ryki, as if thinking Ryki won't understand, "Hot pants are very short and tight, making them revealing, so they're sexually suggestive." Another pause, and he adds helpfully, "Everyone here would look appealing in hot pants. Or out of them." There goes another beat, and, inevitably, "That was ALSO a joke." He almost continues in response to Dale, clearly feeling on a roll, but he seems to think better of it. Instead, he says, "That's very helpful to know, thanks."
"Sounds like we're wrapping up. Well I am." The biker stands and stretches a bit, pulling the bottom of his jacket in around his waist, though it doesn't cover him much more than it did. "Ready to go, man?" he asks of Ryki, canting his head towards the blond. Dale's assessment gets another nod, "Worst kept secrets are the best way to hide, right?" The werewolf looks at Simon while he tells his jokes, staring somewhat deep at him. "There's gonna be some folks who are gonna love you in town." He doesn't bother sliding in his chair as there's no one else here and the chairs are in disarray anyways.
"If you're camping out, there's some good spots east of town before the coast. South of that is pack lands, so I'm sure we'll find you. If you hear any howls in the night, well...you'll know what's out there." he turns finally to Dale, "If your coven decides to look into things, let us know. I know a little magic, just enough to cook up something good. See you two later." With that, Nic starts heading towards the door, glancing back to see if Ryki is coming or not.
Ryki idly nods to Dale. "Hence why I said it would be a challenge to notice something out of the ordinary. Perhaps, as much as I hate to say it, we'll get another clue when - not if - these things show their ugly faces again. Not looking forward to that, but it would be nice to have a lead on whoever or whatever is doing it."
Simon's first joke elicits a laugh from Ryki, and his follow-up comments about pants causes the blonde to arch a brow at him. "Uh huh. Totally a joke that you'd love to see me in or out of hot pants. It's okay. I know I'm sexy." He grins at the sorta-goth boy, leaning in to playfully tap him on the nose with a fingertip. "Thanks for the chocolate. I will see you around. Don't be a stranger, X." He gives Dale a nod of acknowledgment before he begins to follow along after the werewolf toward his motorcycle. "So, I should hold on really tight so I don't fall off, right?" he asks, his voice carrying toward the others as he moves away.
The story continues in: 2024.11.19 - Pool Hall Downtime