thisavrou_log | The Demon Plot: DEATH OF GRINDING MADNESS [July Player Event]

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The Demon Plot: DEATH OF GRINDING MADNESS [July Player Event]

Who: Ensemble production, all individuals who opted in to the plot
When: July 9-21
Where: Two inhabited planets around the Ingress
What: The demon plot kicks off, in which malevolent shadow beings, copies of existing characters, begin to materialize and harass the PCs across the worlds. Plotting post is here, and a network post will go up within the next 2 days from several PCs advising on how to end the plot.
Warnings: Violence, psychological themes, possibly past trauma, etc.

Death of Grinding Madness
The Demon Plot
(mild spoilers for The Raven Cycle)

On July 9, a demon begins to make its way through the Ingress, summoned through by a shitty teenager.

July 9-12
Harrying

It's innocuous in the beginning. A movement in the corner of your eye, a shadow through a curtain-- merely a tree. But then the shadow figures begin to emerge into full being. Black-eyed wraiths that look like enemies, friends with whom you've had past conflict, or even you yourself. At first, it's merely harrying, minor harassment. Threatening gestures, broken gestures, jump scares.

Pursue them, and they disappear-- you might even catch a glimpse of how. They melt down into black slime, racing away across floors, through sewer grates, up walls, impossible to follow. By now, the worst of the climate freeze is over, but residual ice does pose a needles extra obstacle.

July 12-15
The Violence Escalates

In the days that follow, the situation only gets worse.

Sporadic harassment turns into outright attacks. The targeting is unmistakable. The shadow beings who can speak tell cruel tales of animosity, spite, even hatred. They are as deadly with their hands or strange powers as their doppelgangers are, and worse, they're functionally indestructible. Rip off one's head and it merely reforms out of sticky black ink. Limbs regenerate just as easily. The being might dispell for a few hours, but no doubt— it'll be back, if not to hurt you then someone you know.

The Savrii begin to notice. It's hard not to. While there is hardly an epidemic of panic, the disruptions are hard to miss-- broken windows, screams, random violence. Soon, the authorities begin to open safehouse facilities at which characters can seek shelter.

July 15-18
The Golem

On July 17, something horrific begins to happen— several shadow beings merge to form a massive golem in Kauto R1. It is a grotesque, horrifying spectacle, of limbs and eyes and pulsating flesh. It reaches almost sixty feet in height. Combined together, this shadow creature is considerably less intelligent than the individual beings were. However, it is also immensely strong and regenerates just like the smaller ones did.

Within the mall, hundreds of daytime shoppers are trapped within. Luckily, they have food and climate control. Perhaps you're one of them-- or perhaps you're trying to get in to provide medical care.

In the meantime, the attacks from the individual shadow beings don't stop. Despite the intelligence exhibited by some, all of them seem mindlessly bent on tormenting their targets until they are killed.

July 18-21
The Sacrifice

On the 9th day, a network post goes up (link pending, will be OOCly forward-dated to July 10th latest) revealing how to remove the invincibility of the attackers.

And by the 21st, the remaining beings utterly vanish without explanation— unless you happen to bear witness to the events that take place at St. Monmouth.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ She's expecting a chastisement, something like "stay focused, Lena." Jack stays silent for a moment too long, and she feels like she just missed a step going down the stairs.

This isn't Jack. Before she can react, he's lunged at her and she doesn't dodge fast enough. She gasps and tries to get away, but her timing is thrown off. ]

Shit.

[ Lena tries to pull away before he can get a good grip on her, but it might be too late. ]

[There won't be any words--at least not while the shadow is still trying to capture her, keep her from getting away. She's fast, of course, but it makes up for that in brute strength, which it will certainly use against her as soon as it can.

Fortunately for the shadow, she seems to be caught off-guard. Even as she tries to flee, the shadow is closing the distance again, following up on its first strike, lashing out and closing a hand around her arm.]

[ He grabs hold of her arm and Lena feels her stomach drop. Jack had no trouble containing her on Aisoros, and he was being gentle. She doesn't stand a chance in a contest of brute strength.

But her reflexes get the better of her. Lena pivots on her heel and throws a punch at his face. Mid-swing, she realizes the mistake she's made. She just gave up her other arm. ]

[The shadow isn't quite so quick-thinking as the original--she gets the punch in, but the hold on her arm stays. In fact, it tightens its grip, using the leverage and momentum to swing her around. In lieu of going for her other arm, it seems it will settle for outright tossing her away.]

You thought that would work, huh?

[It doesn't leave distance between them for long, taking a few long strides towards her and looming.]

[ In the back of her mind she thinks "not as good at tactics." But that doesn't save her from being thrown hard enough to get the wind knocked out of her. She rolls to her feet as fast as she can and resist the urge to rewind her time. She'll need that later, she's sure.

Lena pulls her guns out of their holsters but she... hesitates. Any possible quip dies on her tongue, and any will she had to shoot him is wavering. The visor is hiding the shadow's eyes, and it makes it much harder for her to do something that is already difficult. ]

What do you want?

[It can see that she’s hesitating, and the shadow takes full advantage of that, rushing to close the distance even as she asks what it wants. Where can it even begin—there’s so much about Jack Morrison’s people that leaves them vulnerable in so many ways that it almost doesn’t know where to start.

It settles for lashing out and taking hold of her wrist as she pulls the gun out, pointedly only going for one hand as if daring her to shoot with the other.]

Come on, Lena. You think that’ll do anything?

[ It's goading her. It's seen straight through her and her reluctance to defend herself at its expense. Jack would want her to shoot. He'd want her to fight back, to protect herself. But she can't pull the trigger.

Correction: she can't shoot him anywhere fatal.

Lena trains her gun on his face before suddenly shooting the wrist of the hand that's holding her.

And then what? She can't just leave it. It's a danger to others. ]

[It's enough to get the shadow to release her, at least, the pulse fire cutting through the shadow's wrist and dissolving it into black goo. It staggers backwards, clearly caught off-guard by the fact that she actually pulled the trigger. Though it's face isn't visible, it's easy to imagine the furious expression.

Some of its composure is lost, then, as its hand re-forms. It takes a wild swing, too angry to care very much about its aim, or the fact that it leaves itself open.]

[ Lena has fought enough shadows by now to know that they simply reform after taking damage. But that takes time, and that gives her a little breathing room. She blinks backward the moment its wrist dissolves, maintaining her space but not running away.

Someone has to deal with it, and she can't run away to save her own skin. She doesn't have it in her.

It's off-balance and angry now, which is both dangerous and an advantage.

When it goes for her again, she blinks away. ]

That all you've got?

[ With luck, she can at least isolate it, keep it away from any hapless civilians that might end up in the middle of it. ]

[No, that's not all it's got, but she manages to put temporary distance between them. As soon as it recovers, it's lunging again, just barely missing her as she displaces herself away.]

What do you think you're going to accomplish with this?

[With any of this, is the implication. The Recall. Dragging Overwatch out of the grave where it belongs. He reaches out, trying to anticipate her blink.]

Keep throwing yourself at the wall to see what sticks?

[ Lena just barely skims away from him, though it's getting very, very close to predicting where she'll appear. She's trying to be unpredictable, but there's only so much she can do while still guaranteeing that she's keeping its attention on her.

She doesn't catch the implication. Her mind is far, far away from their argument months ago about the Recall. ]

What're you tryin' to accomplish? Shadows aren't a chatty bunch.

[ It wants something. Whether to needle her or... is it distracting her too? If so, from what? ]

[Needle her, distract her--maybe a little from both columns. The shadow lashes out again, not providing a straight answer to her question so much as prove that he isn't actually interested in talking. It lashes out again, looking to get her back into its hold, but all at once it’s interrupted by a burst of gunfire—pulse fire, at that.]

Lena, get out of here!

[It's Jack--the real one, sprinting onto the scene and making a beeline straight for his doppleganger.]

[ The burst of pulse fire is enough to tell her who has arrived before he even speaks. She has the presence of mind to blink away from the shadow. But she's reluctant to leave. ]

I can't just leave you with it!

I’m the only one who can fight it.

[That’s all he really has time to get out before the shadow is on him—because that’s what they really want, and Jack is bringing his rifle up to try and put something between him and it. When pulse fire doesn’t slow it down, he switches his grip and swings it like a baseball bat, sending the shadow reeling and allowing him a split second to growl in Lena’s direction.]

That’s an order!

[ A long time ago, she would've obeyed. Even now, she hesitates.

But he's not her commanding officer anymore. She still respects him and values his insight, of course, but she no longer has to obey.

So she doesn't.

Instead, Lena grits her teeth and fires off a round at the shadow. ]

No, you're not.

[Jack heard the network post--knows, theoretically, what he has to do to get rid of this thing, but all of it is easier said than done. He hasn't exactly given up on the hope that he can just pummel this thing into oblivion, because the alternative is having someone else privy to a secret or a confession, even if Lena won't ever use it against him.

He's not her commander anymore, and he doesn't expect her to listen, but he'd hoped that he could get her out of harm's way.

Of course that's a ridiculous thought. Lena has never shied away from something like this, and if she's going to stay, then Jack is going to have to use her presence to put this thing down once and for all.]

I have to confess something to you. A sacrifice. Right?

[That's what they'd talked about over the network. What has to be done to damage the shadows.]

[ Lena keeps up the pressure on the shadow, trying to disorient it to give Jack some room to work. But she knows there's no way to take it out permanently.

Except the sacrifice. Lena nods. ]

That's what they said.

[ Lena isn't sure what to expect, but she's prepared. Whatever he has to say to get rid of this thing, she'll listen. ]

[Jack isn’t sure where he can begin with this, especially since he’s fighting the shadow at the same time. The only saving grace is that the thing is off Lena, more interested in causing harm to the original than her. Still, he can’t afford any wasted time, not when this thing is as strong and as fast as he is.

Even more unfortunately, the only confession he can think of is something that’s going to hurt.]

I thought you would all be better off without me. That’s why I didn’t come back.

[He punctuates it with a one-two punch on the shadow, throwing a glance at Lena as if asking her whether or not it’s working.]

[ Lena keeps up the pressure, for all the good it's doing. Maybe if she annoys it enough, it'll start slipping up and giving Jack more openings.

His confession brings back that dull sting in her heart. But she isn't surprised. He'd said as much before, right? ]

To keep us out of the crosshairs.

[ Does it count as a confession if she already knows? Or maybe she just thinks she knows. ]

No.

[She isn't entirely wrong--of course Jack wanted to keep his people safe, but it's also something he tells himself to swallow down how selfish all this really is.]

I needed to be done. Overwatch did more harm than good in the end.

[ That confession does more than sting. It dredges up those old feelings of loss and of being abandoned.

His reasoning is incredibly selfish and it throws her. ]

You stayed away because you wanted Overwatch gone? You wanted them to tear us apart?

No, I--

[He stops short, realizing that he hadn't quite worded that correctly--or perhaps his feelings about it are too complicated to explain. All of this is most certainly exacerbated by the fact that he's still trying to fight off his own shadow. He's not so good at swinging punches and explaining himself eloquently at the same time.]

I don't know. I needed to be done. I couldn't go back to that. Is this thing taking damage yet?

[Maybe she can see better from the outside.]

[ 'That.' He makes it sound like Overwatch is a curse.

It twists the knife a little more. ]

But you knew what they'd do.

[ She grits her teeth. ]

You ran away.

[ The shadow grunts in pain, Jack's pummeling finally getting to it now. ]

And you all needed to get on with your lives.

[He’s adamant about that, and he channels the anger in his voice towards wailing on the shadow, who finally seems to be responding in kind.]

You didn’t need me anymore.

You don't... [ Lena's knuckles go white around her pistols, and she stops firing. It's not needed now, not when Jack's punches are affecting the Shadow. ]

You don't get to decide that! Overwatch was our lives.

[ Lena had a place to go, a family, a home. But the thought of Winston losing his family, being holed up in Gibraltar because he had nowhere to go, that's what makes it hurt.

They all lost something when Overwatch was dissolved. Some lost more than others. ]

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