Episode 24: Ring of Fire

## Synopsis

Bjorn, Henry, and Sammie fight a stone golem. Henry nearly dies twice, Sammie once. Bjorn saves them. Bjorn's anger toward Ben Lasky is dangerously high. Henry spots Ben ordering Guy to jump off of a railroad trestle.

## Episode Description

Our heroes have been beaten, shot, stabbed, and become very, very angry. Now they finally have a target. Will they be able to find the boy and stop him before any more tragedy can strike?

## Key Events

* The crew discover the monster is a Dybbuk. It can't be harmed by anything because it's incorporeal and they must break its bond with its master.
* Ben Lasky is able to summon a stone golem to keep the crew distracted.
* At the end of the fight with the stone golem, Henry spots Ben pointing for Guy to jump off of a railway trestle that looms over a rushing river.

## Summary

Holland rushes in at the sound of the man's heart monitor flatlining. She asks if Bjorn got any good information from him and Bjorn tells her about Guy Hackett, but asks that she let them handle this alone. Holland agrees and tells him to go get his crew.

Bjorn collects Henry from the cafeteria. Henry texts Sammie that she needs to meet them. Sammie leaves her hospital room and meets Bjorn and Henry. They realize they know nothing about the monster, or where Guy Hackett lives, but know they need to research and act fast. Bjorn tells Henry to call Miguel at the Fort to ask if he has any research that can help them. Bjorn goes to talk to Holland about finding an address for Guy and Holland is able to find it for him.

Henry calls Miguel and passes along all the traits of the monster. Miguel tells him it has to be a dybbuk - a creature from Jewish folklore that preys upon good people and makes them do bad things. Sammie calls Blue to see if the Order has any information on a dybbuk's weakness and he informs her that nothing can. It's incorporeal so they can't hurt it. The only way to get rid of it is to break its connection with whoever is controlling it. Bjorn calls Indigo at H.U.N.T.E.R., but he's not able to provide any other new information.

When they arrive at the address for Guy Hackett, they're greeted with a trail of blood leading into the house. Bjorn gives Henry his gone back, but tells him to be careful. They walk into the house and find a woman on the ground, bleeding out. Bjorn is able to stabilize her, and she asks where her husband is. She says that 'the boy' came here 'with a demon' that went into her husband and then her husband stabbed her. Before they leave, Bjorn wipes her memory so she doesn't remember the event.

Sammie spots the man and the boy leaving the house. The boy, who appears to be a teenager, spots them and tells the man to run. The man seems to exhibit superhuman speed as he then disappears. They're running toward a railyard. The crew is in hot pursuit. Bjorn and Henry make it over the fence with ease, but Sammie is slowed down.

As the teenaged boy, Ben Lasky, finds himself cornered in the railyard, he begins to whisper under his breath. Ben then raises a giant stone golem from the ground in front of him and runs away again. The stone golem is a large, hulking form seemingly made of the red clay ground beneath them. It forms a club and advances on Henry.

Bjorn shoots a fireball at the golem, calling out to Henry to use fire magic on it. Bjorn misses and sets the ground near them alight. Henry tries to antagonize the golem into walking into the fire. It stumbles into the fire, but hits Henry with its club. Sammie finally arrives on the scene to find Bjorn and Henry have walled themselves off with a barrier of fire. Bjorn leaps into the air, shredding his jacket with his wings, and punches the golem directly in the face. The golem grabs one of Bjorn's wings and slams him into the ground.

Sammie begins to crawl over some of the shipping containers and drops her crossbow. It falls into the fire and is set alight. Henry picks himself up from the ground to fire his magnum at the golem. A hole forms in the golem's chest. Bjorn rams into the golem's leg and causes it to fall. Sammie runs in to stab the golem in the shoulder, she is successful but the golem bashes it's head into her. Henry takes another shot, but misses. The golem smashes Henry with it's club, hurting him severely.

Bjorn shoots the golem with his assault rifle, hoping to finish it off. When the golem doesn't go down, he swoops in to grab Henry and fly him over to the other side of the fire wall to stabilize him. Sammie creates an opening for him to do so by stabbing the golem again. As she dodges another blow, she drops her knife and the golem steps on it, lodging it in his foot.

Bjorn takes aim again with his assault rifle. The golem melts and then reforms as two smaller versions of itself. Bjorn shouts at Sammie that they need to leave because the real problem, Ben, is getting away. Bjorn launches himself into the air, grabbing one of the newly formed golems to drop it into the fire from the sky. The golem twists Bjorn's wing before it's dropped, but immediately shatters once it hits the ground.

Sammie's knife that was in the larger golem's foot is now in the smaller golem's chest. She tries to grab it, but the golem smashes her with its club. Bjorn swoops in to try and drop the second golem. Instead of shattering like the other one, it splits again into two smaller golems. One grabs Henry and slams him into the ground. Sammie grabs her knife before the other smaller golem tosses her into the fire. Sammie manages to get out of the fire but is badly hurt. Sammie attempts to leave by climbing a ladder on a nearby railcar. A golem climbs up behind her. She attempts to kick it away from her, but the golem grabs onto her. They both fall and the golem begins to pull Sammie into itself. It begins to suffocate her as it pulls her in before Sammie is able to break free.

Bjorn swoops in to pull Henry out and stabilizes him again. He then flies in and grabs Sammie to stabilize her as well. Bjorn tells Sammie to get Henry and get out of here and that he'll finish this. It begins to rain and the rain puts out the wall of fire, meaning the remaining two smallest golems can follow them now. Bjorn tries to get the golems' attention and lead them away from Henry and Sammie by running past them. Henry flies Sammie down off the railcar. As Henry and Sammie are in the sky, Henry notices the figures of Ben Lasky and another man standing on a railway trestle. Ben is pointing at the man to get closer to the edge of the trestle. The man gets closer to edge, which looms over a deep ravine leading into a river.

## List of Appearances

* Captain Jolene Holland
* Bjorn Olafson
* Henry Marlowe
* Sammie Overbrook
* Miguel Rodriguez
* Blue
* Indigo
* Guy Hackett's wife
* Ben Lasky
* Guy Hackett
* Stone Golem

## Harm Taken

\*Andrew's armor started at 3, but realized later that having 3 armor was too much according to the rules. His armor drops to 2, but it's not stated exactly when. At 1:26:06, Andrew says that he suffered 1 harm during this fight. Because this is the only 3-harm attack Bjorn has taken, assuming his armor was adjusted to 2 before this fight.

## Harm Healed

 Andrew/Bjorn
 Andrew/Bjorn
 Andrew/Bjorn