Monsterhearts:Out of Your Element

Monday August 18th, 3:55 PM
Wildomar, Just Outside Elsinore High
**They've been waiting in Chris's car for about twenty minutes, it's started to drizzle lightly.**

**Odie**: **He's playing pokemon on a gameboy to pass the time.** You know tailing him in a neon green mustang won't exactly be subtle. **The battle music for a gym leader starts.**

**Shane**: There's also the fact that he blew the engine out of my truck and then used the fire to almost *kill us*. **He's looking around in the rain, Leo's car is still sitting in the parking lot.** So being in a car is a bad idea.

**Chris**: Well we can't be expected to tail him on foot, can we? **He's sitting behind the wheel, leaning back in his chair comfortably. He's parked the car a little down the road.**

**Liam**: **He looks at Shane and shakes his head slightly.**

**Odie**: We could go get some bikes... **The sound of Zubat comes from his gameboy.**

**Chris**: I don't know how to ride a bike. **He sighs.**

**Liam**: What? You don't know how to ride a bike? **He looks confused.**

**Chris**: Never had one. **He looks into the rear view mirror at Liam.**

**Liam**: But riding a bike is easy... Even I know how. **He looks to the side and then back to Chris.**

**Odie**: There they are. **There's a dinging sound as he saves his game and then turns off the gameboy.**

**Leo is walking around his car as Lilith gets into the passenger's side. The car starts up and backs out of the parking lot.**

**Chris**: **He looks back towards Leo's car.** Maybe after this I'll buy one. **He turns the key in the ignition and takes it out of park, waiting for Leo to pull out of the parking lot.**

**Leo's car pulls out onto the street, after a brief pause the car turns left and goes up the street.**

**Chris**: **He waits a few seconds before pulling out onto the road and following.**

**Odie**: This is a terrible idea. We should've went to my boss and told him what the hell happened. **He lays back in his seat, pulling his seat belt tighter.**

**Liam**: Can't you just cut him up if he attacks us Odie? **He looks nervous.**

**Odie**: Fire melts ice. What the hell am I supposed to do? **He looks out the window, clearly distraught.**

**Leo's metallic red car turns onto the freeway.**

**Shane**: Odie has a point. What are we going to do when we get to him? The guy's a witch or something. **He's not sure he wants to risk getting incinerated again, even with Liam present.**

**Chris**: We're just tailing him guys, I'll stay back... I just want to see where he's going...**True to what he says, he's not driving quickly, hanging back behind a few cars.**

**Odie**: He's probably just going to give Lilith a ride home. **He watches the rain streak by the window.**

**Chris**: We'll just follow him for a bit, then head to your boss's place. As a group, we've been attacked twice because of those Sigils. If we can get even a small clue... It's worth a shot right? **He pulls behind a large semi truck, watching the off ramp lane.**

***About thirty minutes later...***

**They've been sitting in the car for about twenty minutes. Leo has taken Lilith into a nice house, and hasn't come out.**

**Shane**: So how do we know he doesn't just live here? **He's doing a little bit of his homework as they wait.**

**Odie**: **He's back to playing Pokemon, the Lavender Town theme is playing.** Because this isn't where Leo lives.

**Chris**: **He looks at Odie.** You know where he lives?

**Odie**: Yep. Lived a street over from the Twins. **He tilts his head as the music shifts to the pokemon tower.** Only went to his house once... Back before he turned all... Mean and evil... And stuff. His folks are weird... They're old, like... My grandparents old.

**Chris**: **He bites the inside of his lip and just stares at the front of the house.**

**Liam**: You think he'll lead us to any clues or anything? **He's holding his pack against his chest.**

**Odie**: Leo's smart, he's not gonna lead us to anything. **He mutters.** How the hell am I supposed to get passed these damn ghosts...? **He shakes his head, his green eyes seem to reflect the light, almost glowingly, as they fixated on the small screen.**

**Chris**: That the Poke-man game everyone's been talking about? **He keeps his eyes on the house, leaning forwards on the driving wheel, setting his chin on it.**

**Odie**: Yeah. You catch these little guys, and you make them beat the shit out of each other, it's pretty rad. **The music changes back to Lavender Town.**

**The front door to the house opens, and Leo walks out.**

**Chris**: There's our fire wizard... **He pulls away from the wheel and puts his hand to the ignition, but doesn't start the car yet.**

**Leo**: **He walks down to his car, pulling out his keys. He's alone, having likely left Lilith inside with whoever she lives with. He gets in his car and it starts up, after a moment it drives up into the driveway and then backs out, turning around and heading towards them. He drives passed, the tinted windows making it difficult to see.**

**Chris**: Here we go. **As Leo drives passed, Chris starts the car and turns to follow after him.** We'll just follow him to... Wherever it is he's going.

**Liam**: What are we hoping to find out anyway? **He's hunched down in his sleep.**

**Chris**: I don't know, but it's better than doing nothin. We'll just tail him for a bit more than go see your boss about him. **He hangs back, like before, a good six or seven cars.**

**Leo turns down a few roads, travels for a bit, and then turns again onto a dirt road that heads down out of the housing track, it's surrounded on both sides by trees. It looks almost like it heads down into a small swampy area.**

**Liam**: Hey... **He watches as Leo turns down the road.** Hey-hey, stop. Don't follow him down there, he's gonna do the same thing he did to us. He ran us down on an off road and blew the engine out of Shane's truck!

**Shane**: Liam's right, he's seen us. We should stop and go something else. **He looks around nervous.**

**Chris**: Honestly. **He shifts to a lower gear and follows Leo down the dirt road.** If he can blow the twin V8 vort this thing is pack'n I'll be mighty, mighty impressed. **He shifts back up a gear and drives faster.** This baby pushes out up to six-hundred horse power, and I've never gotten to even half that, let's see if he can. **He speeds up faster.**

**Liam**: **He looks at Shane, then back to Chris.** What the hell? You're not brave! You're an idiot!

**The red car ahead of them stops, turning slightly. Just as before, Leo steps out and raises his hand. The engine in Chris's car explodes.**

**Chris**: **He watches the RPM meter spike up, causing the car to speed up slightly.** Just gotta put your faith in the god of American auto-motive engineering. **He speeds up and then turns, drifting the car down the road before it stops about fifteen feet from Leo.** Color me unimpressed. **He opens the door to get out.**

**Liam**: What the hell are you doing?! He's going to burn you to *death*! **He watches Chris get out.**

**Odie**: If there were ever a time to confront him, it's probably now. The rain will keep him from burning anything too bad. You two wait in the car. **He opens the door and gets out with Chris.**

**Leo**: **He's standing in front of his car, the engine is still running.**

**Chris**: Leo, is it? **He walks up ahead of them, putting his hands in his pockets.** I'm Chris.

**Leo**: Lilith told me you saved her from that brute at school. Thanks. **He looks to Odie.**

**Chris**: Wouldn't quite call it save'n. She'd already gotten hit. **He looks over at Odie.** My friends, back in my car, say you attacked them with a ball of fire. Gotta say, that doesn't quite sit right with me...

**Leo**: **He tilts his head.** They were in possession of an object. A demonic Sigil. Only the evil carry them.

**Liam**: **He yells from the car.** We didn't have it!

**Leo**: **He raises his hand, the chain bracelet with the small silver trinket on it.** See this? It tells me where those Sigils are.

**Odie**: What the hell do you know about those Sigils Leo?! **The raid around him seems to pulse and turn to a kind of slush as a long spike of ice appears in his hand.**

**Leo**: I already told you what I know. They're evil, demonic, Sigils. **He looks to Odie's ice spike, which shifts to a Katana.**

**Taylor**: **(Rolling to** ***Manipulate Leo*** **3 + 4** **+ 2** **Hot** **is 9.** **Marking experience.)**

**Chris**: **He looks back at Liam.** How about you tell us everything you know, and we give you that Sigil that you're willing to kill for? **He turns to look at Leo, raising an eyebrow at him.**

**Leo**: **He takes off his sunglasses, as they're getting fogged up and wet. His unnaturally green eyes very evident. He takes a deep breath and looks at Chris.** You'll give me the Sigil, uncontested?

**Chris**: Scout's honor. **He looks at Odie for a moment, then back to Leo.**

**Leo**: They're items of power, created in hell, and brought here with a ritual performed in the mountains around here. **He wipes his sunglasses and puts them back on.** The Sigils allow their holders to perform Thaumaturgy, even if they're not normally capable of performing magic. Demonology, Demogensis, Necromancy, Aberratiomancy, Rot Weaving, Metamorphosis, Necromorphosis... Should I continue?

**Chris**: **He looks at Odie, he keeps his cool but he actually doesn't understand what any of those words mean.** Yeah. **He looks back at Leo.** So their purpose is that they give supernatural ability to your average joe.

**Leo**: They become powerless when they break. Any number of things can break them, but I know that expending their power shatters them, or destroying whatever it is that they're powering, usually Aberrations or golems. If they are not retrieved, whoever it is that makes them, sends an undead creature or other individuals to retrieve it. Usually a guy our age. **He looks at Liam and Shane in the car.** Which is why I've assumed that these two were responsible... However, if they're working with you and Murdoc, they're likely trustworthy.

**Odie**: And you just... Attacked them. For absolutely no reason other than that? **He's still holding his Katana at the ready.**

**Leo**: The first time I ran into one of these things, the guy holding it was an eight foot demon with wings, and he summoned several more demons. **His voice turns stern.** If not for the company I had with me, I'd have died. So forgive me if I assumed the worst...

**Chris**: When I pulled up behind you, did you try to blow the engine in my car? **He tilts his head in irritation.**

**Leo**: I did. Based on the appearance of you car, I assumed you were sent by someone to contest the sigil. Wouldn't be the first time. **He takes a deep breath.** ...Feels good that we're a bit more clear on what's happening here. **He yells out to Liam and Shane.** Sorry! For the misunderstanding! **He looks back at Chris.** But the demon your friend summoned, still makes me... Hesitant.

**Chris**: ...What? **He looks at Odie.** Demon?

**Leo**: The boy with the black hair... I don't know his name, but I saw him at school a few times. He summoned a demon, almost materially I might add, to defend himself. Ask Shane. **He looks passed them to the car.** He saw it.

**Liam**: **He shrinks down in his chair in fear, a massive anxiety weighing down on him. He quietly says.** It's not a demon...

**Chris**: **He turns and looks at the car, he murmurs to himself.** ...Demon?

**Shane**: **He calls out from the car.** It's not a demon!

**Liam**: **He feels slightly better when he hears Shane defend him.**

**Odie**: **He shakes his head and then looks to Leo. He speaks quietly enough for Shane and Liam to not hear.** I think if Liam was harboring a demon he'd be a little more... Not awful... At... Well *everything*.

**Leo**: Care to explain why one of them had the Sigil then?

**Chris**: But they didn't have a Sigil.

**Leo**: Ah... **He takes a deep breath.** So your promise that you'd give it to me was a lie?

**Chris**: No... **He looks at Odie.** We have it back at his boss's place... Right?

**Odie**: Yeah. **He keeps the katana ready.** What the hell happened to you Leo? You used to be a nice guy.

**Leo**: My best friends lead a girl I've loved since the sixth grade into the arms of a demonic cult so that she could die in a ritualistic murder to resurrect a witch. **He sighs, obviously becoming aggravated.** So now I'm stuck, halfway to hell because of a moronic blood pact I never even wanted to be a part of. Sorry if I'm not happy wielding the powers of Satan like you and your friends are.

**Chris**: **He looks at Odie and then back to Leo.** Let's just... Try to figure all of this out, alright? Together. No need to get violent.

**Leo**: You know what I'm starting to think? **He reaches into his pockets with his hands.** You're stalling. You know who has the Sigil I was looking for.

**Odie**: **He points his Katana at him.** You're not gonna to try anything stupid, are you Leo? It's raining. This is *my* element. I'll chop you shinobi style.

**Leo**: My mother used to say, when I was very young... **He pulls out a lighter from one pocket. It's a cheap red bic lighter, like you'd buy from a gas station or a dollar store.** "Those who play with the devil's toys..." **He pulls out a pendant from his other pocket, it has the demonic Sigil on it. The pendant is unbroken.** "...Will be brought by degrees to wield his sword." **He flicks on the lighter, and the flame flares up, it sizzles and pops in the rain, after a moment he turns his hand and holds it there without the lighter. The pendant starts vibrating and seems to glimmer, like it's reflecting the sun. The faint odor of wet paint fills the air and the flame in Leo's hand seems to writhe like and squirm, making soft humming noises.** So let's stop with the lies. I want the Sigil, I'm going to burn you alive, then I'm going to go get it.

**Chris**: **He narrows his eyes, looking at the fire in Leo's hand, he's starting to think this might've been a bad idea.**

**Odie**: Remember a few nights ago... When I said "Run", like fifty fuckin times and you didn't run? **His katana flickers with a pale blue light for a moment, and the frost on it that's gathering from the rain falls off and it seems to sharpen.**

**Chris**: ...Yeah. **He looks into Leo's reflective sunglasses.**

**Odie**: Well listen to me this time and RUN! **He swings his blade at Leo.**

**Leo**: **The fire in his hand shrieks and roars unnaturally, and it flows out like tentacles that meets Odie's sword and wrap around it, instantly dispersing it to nothing and causing a huge cloud of steam.** Where's Ricky now Odie? Where's your pyromaniac knight in demonic armor? What a pain he is...

**Chris needs to** **Hold Steady** **To help Odie. Helping Odie is ill-advised.**

**Taylor**: **(Rolling to** ***Hold Steady*** **2 + 2** **+ 2** **Cold** **-1 (Disadvantage))** **is 5.** **Marking experience.)**

**Chris hesitates momentarily, and a whip of fire streaks out from the steam and wraps around the left arm of his jacket. It breaks him out of his hesitation and sends him stumbling back, as he does the whip dissolves from the rain, but leaves his jacket ignited. The rain quickly puts the fire out, but it's no mere earthly flame, and it seems to have eaten straight through his jacket and heavily burned his right arm, causing** **2 Harm** **He somehow loses his nerve, the shrieking of the flames combined with their unearthly movements and appearance, sends him running back towards his car.**

**Chris**: **He slams the door shut.** Ahh... Fuck... **He looks at his arm.**

**The burn on his arm is a second degree burn, but the pattern is strange. It looks almost like rows of bite marks, burned deep into his skin.**

**Liam**: **He sees his arm as he looks over the seat.** Holy fuck Chris, are you alright?!

**Chris**: Damn it... Fucking... **He looks back outside towards Odie. His hand is shaking as he reaches for the ignition and turns the key.** Odie! Get your ass in the car!

**Odie**: **The mist forms into ice crystals falls to the ground. They can see him swinging a new, larger, katana at Leo as he tries to back off.**

**Leo**: Sorry Odie. **He throws out his hand and the flames scream forth and streak into Odie, tearing through his katana and slashing across his chest as tentacles in three quick strikes.** But I don't have time to deal with you and your scooby gang. **Odie screams in agony and falls to the ground, dropping what's left of his weapon. Leo swings his hand down and the flame roars out and whips Odie across the back, tearing through his shirt and splitting open his skin and flesh down to the spine. He forms the flames into a large club and raises it above his head.** So I'll make it quick...

**Illiadius**: **(Rolling to** ***Hold Steady*** **to help Odie. 4 + 6** **-1 Cold** **is 9.** **Choosing to carry 1 forward and gain the condition** ***Terrified***

**Liam**: **A flash of lightning streaks across the sky as he gets out of the car.** No! **He throws both his hands forwards. His eyes flicker gold and darkness flows out around him and into his hands as the beds of his fingernails turn black.** GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM! **A roaring thunder accompanies his scream, almost drowning it out as he yells.**

**Illiadius**: **Giving Avarada 2 Strings on Liam and using** **The Power Flows Through Me** **(Rolling for** ***The Price of Pain*** **to help Odie. 1 + 6** **+2 Dark** **+1 Forward** **+2 (Power Flows Through Me)** **is 12.** **Marking 2 Experience**

**Leo**: **He swings down and the club slams into a huge golden six-pronged Sigil.**

**Avarada**: **He's hovering over Odie.** *Astreiya...* **The golden Sigil vanishes and Avarada thrusts his taloned hand forwards in the shape of a claw. Three golden beams streak forth from each of his fingertips, Leo ducks but they tear through his left shoulder, and he screams in agony as his left arm launches off, tumbling to the ground a few feet away. Leo takes** **3 Harm** **The beams continues onward, piercing everything in it's path, and slices through the top of Leo's car, shattering the window in the process. Several trees on the side of the road, just passed the car, fall over at mid-trunk as the beams vanish and the demon lowers his hand.** *...Your Children are weak...* **Avarada's form melts away into darkness that rushes back towards Liam and flows into him. Liam stomach churns, and it feels like something is painfully crawling through his guts.** *...And I grow stronger.*

**Liam**: **He falls to his knees and screams in agony, falling over onto his side for a moment.** AHHHH!

**Omniance**: **(Rolling for Shane to** ***Hold Steady*** **to get out of the car and help Odie and Liam. 4 + 5** **-1 Cold** **is 8.** **Choosing to keep his cool.**

**Shane**: Liam! **He gets out of the car and runs over to him.** Jesus! What the hell was that?! **He bends down and picks Liam up, putting him back into the car, afterwards he runs over to Odie and lifts him. Odie screams as Shane touches him, but Shane moves as quickly as he can.** Open the door Chris! **Leo is slowly crawling towards his arm in the backround, he seems to be going into shock.**

**Taylor**: **(Rolling to** ***Stay Focused*** **and try to fight passed the pain to reach across the center divider and open the door 1 + 1** **- 1** **Constitution** **is 1.**

**As Chris attempts to reache over to the door unbearable pain rips through his arm, his skin had fused with the melted fibers of his jacket, and the sudden movement has cause his burned sleeve to peel away the burned and blistering skin to reveal sinew and muscle underneath. He screams in agony for a moment before he loses consciousness.**

**Shane**: **He watches Chris lose consciousness and lets out an exasperated gasp.** Come the fuck on guys! **He looks over Liam.** Are you awake Liam?! Crawl to the front and open the fucking door!

**Illiadius**: **(Rolling to** ***Stay Focused*** **for Liam to get up and open the door 4 + 2** **+ 1** **Constitution** **is 7.** **Marking Experience.**

**Liam**: **He crawls through the center between the front seats and sits down in the passenger seat, opening the door as he does. Afterwards he lays back in the chair, not feeling well as something seems to be settling in his body.**

**Shane**: **He lays Odie down across the back seat.** One down... **He shuts the door and runs around to the driver's side, opening the door and grabbing Chris. He drags him out of the car as delicately as he can, and then pushes Chris into the back seat next to Odie. He lays the driver's seat back and gets in, shutting the door.**

**Leo**: **He stands up, holding his severed arm. The pendant on it rings as it vibrates so intensely.**

**Shane**: **The adrenaline is overtaking him and he starts speaking quickly as his nerves unwind.** I am *so* fed up with- **He shifts into drive as the engine bursts from Leo's power and the RPM meter maxes out.** -Baseball stars that *blow up cars*- **He shifts into reverse and the car launches backwards, back up the dirt road, much faster than he thought it would as he's not used to driving anything but a shitty pickup truck.** -Nerds that turn into goths at the drop of a hat- **The engine's RPM bursts up to maximum again and it sputters slightly as Shane backs out onto the main road.** -and summon darker versions of themselves to play *lazer tag*. **He shifts into a higher gear and drives up the road.** Where are my super powers, *huh*? Why can't I shoot beams of light, leap tall buildings, hell I'd fuckin settling for singing and calling a bunch of woodland animals at this point! But nooo... I get *nothing*. At least Chris is rich. Bet he's fucking Batman, or *Ironman*, or something... **He groans, genuinely believing that's probably true as he haphazardly drives up the road towards the freeway so he can get to the hospital.**