Nightfall:Into the Grave of the Ill-Mother

[Thursday, June 16th 2:20 AM
Arizona-Utah border, Nemo's Secret Lair]

Nemo: He stares at the glyph on the ground for a moment after Yuri vanishes. He then looks to Kit and Ricky. Alright, your guy's turn.

[5:26:27 PM] Arbi: Ricky: He looks at Kit before looking back down at the glyph. Avo was one of the most powerful people I knew when she was alive... What's gonna happen if we try cutting off her hand...

[5:30:06 PM] Omniance: Kit: He gives Ricky a discerning stare for a moment, before looking to Nemo. Should we expect anything?

Nemo: Yeah... Probably. That's why I wanted to send both of you. He looks at Ricky. We don't really have another choice.

Kit: He stares at Nemo blankly. I'm not keen on gravedigging, especially when it's defiling the grave of someone particularly powerful.

Nemo: He looks at Kit for a moment then back to Ricky.

[5:33:13 PM] Arbi: Ricky: He turns around and looks down at Nemo. You already have the book. Why don't you just come with us and unlock it there?

[5:38:23 PM] Omniance: Nemo: I'm not powerful enough to perform any rituals right now, I need a body first. He looks at Kit. Which is what the clay is for. While you guys are doing this. He looks back to Ricky. I'll be transmuting it into flesh to make a new body. Then I can do the ritual to open the book, and with the book I can help free Lucas. He looks down at the glyph as he thinks of the plan, like he's mapping out all the things he'll need in his head. Without a body I can't really do anything. Even summoning demon takes a lot outta me, and that used to be really easy. Kit narrows his eyes as Nemo says that last part.

[5:39:51 PM] Arbi: Ricky: We can wait until you get your body. He looks at Kit to see if he agrees.

[5:44:17 PM] Omniance: Kit: It seems you're making this overly complicated, and we don't have much reason to trust you. Especially after I watched you burn a huge black pit into the middle of that park downtown.

Nemo: He looks at Kit with frustration. That wasn't me.

Kit: Looked like you.

Nemo: He holds out his hands. Smell anything?

Kit: He looks down at Nemo's hands. No.

Nemo: He leans forwards and opens one of his eyes wide with his hands, his brown eyes darting around. See any demons inside? He opens his mouth wide, like he's at the dentist, then closes it quickly. That wasn't me.

Kit: That doesn't explain why we can't just wait.

Nemo: I'm not a witch I can't just go somewhere and wave a wand and the cosmos changes itself for me. Alright? All the shit I use is in the basement.

Kit: He glances at Ricky for a moment, then back to Nemo.

[5:52:50 PM] Arbi: Ricky: While he's watching Nemo overreact to their questioning an old memory comes back to him and he can't help but to smile a little. Alright, we'll get you the hand... but it might be a little easier if you gave us something to cut it off with.

[5:56:04 PM] Omniance: Nemo: He stares at Ricky angrily for a moment then realizes he's right. About a minute later, after going down to the basement, he's back on the patio, holding a saw. This is my favorite bone saw. Try not to break it. He holds it out to them.

[5:58:55 PM] Arbi: Ricky: He takes the saw, looking it over briefly before looking at Nemo. Thanks. He looks back at Kit. You ready?

[6:00:54 PM | Edited 6:02:33 PM] Omniance: Kit: He looks at Ricky for a moment, then back to Nemo. Yeah let's go.

Nemo: Step onto the rune. He waits for the two of them to step onto it. The closest function rune I have to the graveyard is the taco shop nearby, which is just down the street. He looks to Ricky. You remember where she's buried right?

[6:03:17 PM] Arbi: Ricky: He steps onto the rune and looks back at him. I'll find it...

[6:05:36 PM] Omniance: Nemo: Good luck. He looks at Kit for a moment, then suddenly says. Taco Time.

Kit and Ricky are suddenly standing outside a small taco shop on a four-way intersection. Directly ahead of them is the looming St. Peters cathedral and the large cemetery nearby, where Avo was laid to rest. Since it's to early in the morning there's very few cars, and no people out at all.

[6:10:57 PM | Edited 6:17:21 PM] Arbi: Ricky: He takes a quick look around, seeing the cathedral off in the distance. It's this way. He starts walking down the sidewalk towards St. Peter's to get to the graveyard. Both of them notice the difference in temperature, it's not as cold at night here in WIldomar.

[6:18:38 PM] Omniance: Kit: He walks beside Ricky with a steady pace. It feels strange that he was out in the middle of the desert, and now he's nearly home, walking streets familiar to him. They quickly pass an begin walking beside the cemetery wall, which is only about six feet high. He let's out a quiet sigh, despite not putting up much protest, or showing and inner-confliction, he really has to mentally prepare himself to break into hollowed ground and do something so despicable. Warm summer nights... This is why I moved here. He adjusts his robe, loosening the ties on it a little. He apparently tightened them at some point due to the cold desert air.

[6:23:33 PM] Arbi: Ricky: He looks at Kit and notices his discomfort about what they're about to do. I'm not thrilled about doing this either. He looks towards the cemetery wall, it's covered in plants and beyond the wall they can see a few large trees in the moonlight. I used to know Avo when she was alive.

[6:25:37 PM] Omniance: Kit: He looks at Ricky for a moment, then away. You guys seem to spend a lot of time in cemeteries. He looks around, not being tall enough to see over the wall. This is the second one I've been to in under twenty-four hours.

[6:28:54 PM | Edited 6:29:26 PM] Arbi: Ricky: He sighs a little, having just gone to Marcus's funeral a few weeks ago.

[6:31:41 PM] Omniance: Kit: Let's just get this over with. He hops and grabs the top of the wall, pulling himself up with his arms without even looking like he's even exerting himself. He stands on it in and looks back down to Ricky, seeing if he can make it over.

[6:36:53 PM] Arbi: Ricky: Despite having seen Kit move around before it still surprises him when he scales the wall so easily. He grabs the top of the wall with both hands, using mostly his demonic arm's strength to climb up and over before moving down a little, letting go and landing in the cemetery.

[6:38:11 PM | Edited 6:43:01 PM] Omniance: Kit: He lands next to Ricky silently, then looks around, like he expects a patrolling guard or something. He sighs, realizing what a dumb thought that is. Lead the way.

About ten minutes later Kit is standing over Avo's grave. He's is keeping watch while Ricky digs with a shovel they found in a shed that they had to break into, Ricky melting off the lock. Ricky is about halfway down to the coffin.

Kit: As his eyes scan the headstones, a morning fog has started to settle across the graveyard, and the familiarness he felt after they first arrived is starting to dwindle back to a feeling of strangeness that he's had all day. You said that this woman was very powerful?

[6:44:30 PM | Edited 6:44:49 PM] Arbi: Ricky: He shovels more dirt out of the way onto a large pile, he wipes some sweat from his face before looking at Kit. Yeah, why?

[6:45:59 PM] Omniance: Kit: I've never heard of her... She must've kept a low profile. He turns his head quickly, thinking that he saw something.

[6:46:47 PM | Edited 6:51:42 PM] Arbi: Ricky: He goes back to digging up dirt. She lived in Vera's house for about a year before she went back to the asylum in Riverside. You're right... she usually kept to herself.

[6:52:11 PM] Omniance: Kit: He watches a wisp of the fog intently for a moment, realizing it was nothing. ...Asylum? What? He turns and looks at Ricky.

[6:53:02 PM] Arbi: Ricky: He focuses on the digging and doesn't look up at him. That's what I heard.

[6:57:13 PM] Omniance: Kit: He lets out a long sigh. So we're digging up the body of a powerful insane person, and we're going to cut off her hand...

The bottom of the hole that Ricky is digging suddenly gives out and he slips as he quickly begins to sink. With lightning speed Kit immediately grabs the back of his shirt, holding him up as the bottom of the grave collapses into a very deep pit, they can see the edges of the coffin as it falls down into it.

[7:02:30 PM | Edited 7:03:26 PM] Arbi: Ricky: He grabs onto the grass at the edges of the hole and climbs out with Kit's help, he sounds thankful for saving his life. Thanks... He turns and looks down at the hole, watching the dirt sink into a deep pit along with the coffin.

[7:03:19 PM] Omniance: Kit: That can't be by accident. He looks down into the pit, getting down on his haunches.

[7:04:15 PM] Arbi: Ricky: Maybe we can climb down... He holds his hand out and it lights on fire, lighting up the dark pit.

[7:05:57 PM | Edited 7:08:23 PM] Omniance: The light doesn't reach the bottom of the hole, though it looks like it's at least twenty feet down.

Kit: Seeing the depth of the pit He looks at Ricky. Can you climb that? There's a loud thundering boom from underground, and the earth below them shakes violent for a split-second, almost causing him to stumble.

[7:12:24 PM] Arbi: Ricky: He moves his hand away from the hole and grabs the grassy ground to keep himself from falling forward. His breathing is going a little fast, mostly from thinking Avo might rise from the grave somehow. Shit... this is scary.

[7:14:34 PM] Omniance: Kit: He lets out a long sigh. Well we need that hand... He leaps down into the hole. and grabs onto the side, digging his fingers into the soft earth. He starts to climb down.

[7:16:37 PM] Arbi: Ricky: Wait up. He starts climbing down after him, his fiery arm keeping the darkness lit around them so they can actually see.

[7:22:44 PM] Omniance: After about five minutes of climbing down, Kit's grasp slips as the dirt he was grabbing into crumbles away from the side of the wall, and he falls. The crumbling earth causes a chain reaction all the way up the sides of the pit, causing Ricky to slip and tumble down too. The two of them continue to slip for almost another minute.

Kit: He somehow keeps from panicing, before the walls of the hole vanish and he's falling through open air. He lands with a soft thud on cold ground, dirt raining down on him for a moment before Ricky lands on him. He lets out a gasp, feeling like he was almost flattened, as the wind is knocked from his lungs. After a moment he moves out from under Ricky and rolls onto his back, his eyes still closed as he runs his hands all over his face to gain dirt and mud off of him.

[7:26:01 PM] Arbi: Ricky: He brushes dirt out of his hair and quickly gets up onto his feet. What the hell happened? He raises his fiery hand, trying to figure out where they fell.

[7:28:12 PM] Omniance: As Ricky looks around, he sees something strange. They apparently didn't fall anywhere. They're in the cemetery.

[7:30:20 PM] Arbi: Ricky: He lowers his hand as he realizes they're outside again. There's no fucking way... He looks back towards Avo's grave.

[7:31:28 PM | Edited 7:31:48 PM] Omniance: Kit: He's standing up, patting himself off.

Ricky and Kit see that they landed on the pile of dirt Ricky had made from digging. At the bottom of Avo's grave is her coffin. The lid is open, and it's empty.

[7:32:54 PM] Arbi: Ricky: He just stares at the empty coffin, unable to figure out what happened.

[7:34:25 PM] Omniance: Kit: He looks around in a dazed confusion as he finishes patting dirt off of his now dirty robes.

A woman's gravelly voice cuts through the air. What do you think you're doing?

[7:36:11 PM] Arbi: Ricky: He looks around when he hears her voice, beginning to realize what she's doing. We need your hand...

[7:38:11 PM] Omniance: Avo: My hand? The earth shakes, and the cathedral's spires in the distance topple over as the structure seems to sink down into the pit. The cemetery earth itself ripples and bends from flat terrain into small hills.

[7:40:41 PM] Arbi: Ricky: You can stop the theatrics, Avo... I was against coming here but it's the only way to save your grandson. He looks away from the toppling cathedral.

[7:42:32 PM] Omniance: Avo: I've already helped them far more than I've cared to.

Kit: He watches the cathedral crumble and sink into the earth with horror.

Avo: I've already helped you more than I care to.

[7:50:05 PM] Arbi: Ricky: Everything was fine until Yuri and Nemo showed up. Now he's paying for their mistakes...

[7:51:12 PM] Omniance: Avo: I'm going back to sleep. The lid on her coffin can be heard slamming shut, and the dirt starts to flow back into the grave.

[7:52:59 PM] Arbi: Ricky: No. He jumps into the grave and grabs onto the side of the coffin, pulling it open with all his demonic strength. You're dead! That hand means nothing to you anymore...

[7:54:32 PM] Omniance: Avo: A withered rotting hand darts out of the grave as he rips it open and grabs his neck. The coffin rises up out of the grave. It is mine.

[7:56:12 PM] Arbi: Ricky: Fire can be seen in his eyes as he grabs her arm so she stops choking him. How many times are you going to fight us?!

[8:00:40 PM] Omniance: Avo: The coffin turns upright as it continues to rise, and Ricky can see her pale eyes staring at him from behind long mangled silvery hair. You stole my book from the serpent mother. She protects my daughter. You and your group have ruined my peace! The coffin blasts apart so that she's now floating above the ground a good five feet, still holding Ricky's neck tightly as he struggles against her.

[8:09:42 PM] Arbi: Ricky: Your daughter threw Vera out onto the street! She disowned him because he loved me! A wave of red fire falls across his entire arm and hand like a wave, igniting as pulls back and places his feet on her body as he squeezes his fire lit hand around her arm, burning it down to the skin. Now I'm the only one there to protect him... and I won't let someone like you stop me from saving him! Hellfire suddenly erupts from his hand, burning through her limb and breaking it off.

[8:14:46 PM] Omniance: Kit: He watches the spectacle, unsure of what to do.

Ricky falls to the ground, the hand is still gripping his neck tightly.

Avo: She glares down at him. She was in her right to do so. She throws her other hand forwards and the earth around Ricky ripples and starts to pull him down into the dirt as it crumbles and shakes, turning into mud. You half-tainted witch-child. I should've let you die all those years ago. What life I've given, now I will take!

Kit: He runs over to Ricky and grabs him, trying to help pull him up from the sinking earth.

[8:24:01 PM | Edited 8:25:36 PM] Arbi: Ricky: The fire leaves his eyes begin to change color from orange to a dark blood red. ...You.. can't stop me... from saving him, witch!... His strength suddenly overpowers Avo's and he rips the hand from his neck, allowing him to reach into his pocket to squeeze the talisman with his human hand.

[8:25:11 PM] Omniance: Ricky and Kit suddenly appear on the patio, both of them covered in dirt.

[8:32:59 PM] Arbi: Ricky: He brushes more dirt off his clothes as he stands up. He looks at Kit, smiling a bit. Thanks for the save back there...

[8:33:47 PM] Omniance: Kit: He stands up and shrugs slightly, looking around in confusion. After a moment he turns and looks to the dark horizon. The cathedral...

[8:37:59 PM] Arbi: Ricky: Vera's mom goes to that church... He places his hand on Kit's shoulder. If we're lucky it was spared.

[8:39:11 PM | Edited 8:39:28 PM] Omniance: Kit: Spared? He looks confused as he looks from the horizon. How? I saw half the damn thing collapse!

[8:42:08 PM] Arbi: Ricky: The last thing she wants is to scare her daughter... She just wanted to scare you.

[8:43:07 PM] Omniance: Kit: He stills seems confused as he looks around.

Nemo: He opens the door to the patio. You guys get the hand?

[8:43:52 PM | Edited 8:44:27 PM] Arbi: Ricky: He brushes some dirt out of his hair. Yeah. He tosses the hand to Nemo, it's burnt black just beyond the wrist.

[8:45:51 PM] Omniance: Nemo: He catches it. We'll be ready in a few hours then. He holds it up in front of him, and it seems to twitch slightly. He shakes his head a little. Just need to finish making myself a body. He smirks and shrugs, walking back into the house.

[8:46:30 PM] Arbi: Ricky: He turns back around and looks at Kit.

[8:48:45 PM | Edited 8:51:47 PM] Omniance: Kit: He seems a little rattled, which doesn't fit his normally collected and stoic appearance, which makes him seem a lot more like a normal person. As he continually looks around he pulls down his hood and runs his fingers through his messy hair, causing some small clumps of dirt to fall out of it. ...How do you guys live like this?

[8:53:04 PM] Arbi: Ricky: It's not easy... He walks up beside him, giving him a glance before he looks out towards the dark desert. I thought we got away from this life when we moved to LA... but I guess eventually this dark world catches up to you.

[8:55:07 PM] Omniance: Kit: He sighs, calming down a little as he keeps his eyes on the dark desert. Nemo's house is like a small dot of light compared to the vast darkness of the mesa around them. Even the sky is clouded and starless now. You think this is going to work?

[8:58:58 PM] Arbi: Ricky: He remembers Lucas waking up from one of his dreams and holding onto him while he calms down. The sad memory causes him to close his eyes. It has to work...