Summary:A disturbance in the park with a Wyvern Log Info:Storyteller: None |
Related LogsTheme SongNone |
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Colonial Park is usually pretty peaceful. Not quiet. Quiet is not the same as peaceful. There's usually a lot of people out here. The local community uses this space for recreation, for celebration, for assembly and at night sometimes for less savory purposes. A lot of it is still cordoned off after the attack. Parks and Rec is not the quickest moving department in the city.
What's happening there now might well set their work back a bit.
Keiko knows what the sound of a Wyvern is. Wyverns are kind of like dragons but instead of six limbs (four legs and two wings) they only have four. There is only one Nightfall spirit caller she knows of who commands a wyvern. And that wyvern just landed hard in Colonial Park bellowing a challenge to the ex-cult member. There is no possible way, given the size of that thing, that this is not all over the airwaves and getting attention from people like, say, the Asgardian Embassy. Or… people of an 'avenging' bent.
Or WAND. Though Agent Turner isn't there yet. He is booking it there as fast as traffic will allow.
Kai is just out walking down memory lane, taking in how the neighborhood has changed and minding his own business, when suddenly? Wyvern. He stops short and almost drops his latte. "What the…" He looks up at the thing, then glances at the people around, all stacking up nicely to be colateral damage.
Squaring his shoulders, he makes his way toward the creature. It might say something about his bravery or general stupidity that he doesn't even hesitate to haul back and lob that latte at the Wyvern's hide. He can pitch it pretty far, too, much more than it looks like he should be able to. Splat! The paper cup explodes, splashing admittedly tepid coffee on the beast. "Oi!" calls the Elf. "You can't park here!"
The Avengers are probably off saving the world. It's what they do. So the responding superhuman presence is a little less 'full roster of Earth's greatest heroes' and more 'redhead in purple tights'.
Still, she makes a glorious green comet trail towards the park, and when it resolves into a human shape, there's Koriand'r. Green shorts, croptop, thigh-high boots, and hovering ten feet off the ground.
"Strange beast! You must depart from this area immediately!" Kori tells the Wyvern, and rests her fists on her hips, Super Heroically. "You are not welcome in these climes! Depart, uh, forthwith!"
She spots Agent Turner and then startles. "Agent Turner! Hello, friend!" She dramatically swoops towards Koa, the wyvern momentarily forgotten. "It is I! Starfire! You know…" She loosk around, then cups a hand to her mouth. "Kori," she whispers, the action utterly at odds with the flaming green beacon she's generating around her.
So much for keeping a lying low. Keiko Kurita stands some distance from the Wyvern an incredibly worried, but distracted, look on her face. Koa might recognise it - she's 'seeing' through the eyes of another beast.
Kai will recognised the big black dog that passes him by - a Barghest, a mythological creature, that hunts its prey to the end.
"Don't call it's attention to you …" she tells the man. "Conner is hunting it's owner now …"
And there's Kori and Koa arriving now.
The owner can't be far. Well, the owner COULD be a couple of miles away but probably is within shouting distance of all this. Connor has a scent and it's strong. It's leading off toward the overgrowth near that playground behind the wyvern.
Koa gets out of his truck as Kori flags him down. Or well, waves and announces her presence. He waves back, somewhat worried about the flying beast. He's seen what Keiko's can do and has no idea how capable this one is. "Watch out, Starfire! It might try to-"
Ram her. The beast flys right at Kori, aiming to clip her with a wing. A wickedly sharp and spikey looking wing. It is momentarily distracted when it is hit by a paper coffee cup.
And lets out a blast of crimson flame in Kai's direction. It does not like French Roast, apparently.
If Keiko isn't too distracted by the flames aimed at Kai she'll see right when Connor finds his mark. There. Behind a tree. With the usual staff…
Kai wasn't expecting the Wyvern to be a fan. He ducks and rolls, then pats out the singed hem of his shirt and the sparks burning into his jeans. "Better me than them," he tells Keiko with a nod toward the people no doubt starting to scramble around them.
He's a quick fellow, and he's on his feet again in the blink of an eye. He's just about to call out to the Wyvern, something to get its attention, but then he catches sight of the Bhargest. What little color he has drains from his face, and he sidles back away from it. The Wyvern didn't get much in the way of concern from the Elf, but the black dog? That scares him.
WHAM!
Kori is knocked flying through the air. She hits a low stone bridge, smashes through it, and blows a bunch of water out of the low trickling stream. A few seconds later, the Tamaranean warrior floats twenty feet skywards. The fire limning her frame burns hotter, and her eyes are pools of viridian anger.
"Ah! It is THAT sort of fight," she announces. With zero telegraphing of intent she abruptly accelerates with bewildering speed towards the Wyvern and leads with a swinging fist that could knock a military tank off its treads.
"It is a mighty beast! Be wary, friend Turner! I believe it may intend to harm you somehow!" she announces, and puts herself between Koa and the angry beastie.
The double vision of Cullens sight and her own, causes Keiko some vertigo issues. She's so much slower and careful at the moment. "It can be bought down just like any creature, though it's tougher. Vulnerable areas are the eyes and underbelly." She tells the others as she turns to the brush to where Cullen is. "And cold iron makes it more so …"
That's something they've learned.
"Cesar …" she growls the man name as she shakes out the short metal rod shes carrying. It forms a quarterstaff and she's already stalking the man. "… you don't have to do this …"
Dragons? Dragons. Well, at least that's what Sunny took it to be. She'd more -felt- the creature than seen it at first. There was no roar of a motorcycle, just a blaze of light and heat glowing through the air before the figure steps out of it. Wrapped in her duster, her weapons worn openly on a gunslinger belt with 'Fang' on her hip and 'Claw' at the front at her navel. Her eyes, hair, all of it are practically glowing with light as she advances…and then stops. Other people here…huh.
Well that was different. Still, the flying beast rushing Starfire was clearly a threat and so…
The gunshot rings out, the glowing bolt of the magically infused bullet slamming into the side of the creature.
"I do. You have betrayed the brotherhood and you have betrayed Lord Plokta." Cesar steps out from where he's hidden. Like Keiko he's seeing double but he seems to be very adept in compensating for it.
Kori's warning to Koa proves very timely because as she begins to fight it, a blast of fire heads his way, forcing him to dive away. The beast strikes and claws at Kori. There's no skill to it but there is art and animal cunning. Its going for her back, or her throat, of course. But she's a much more agile target. As it begins to kick and bite it loses altitude only to flap and try and regain it. Kori can tell she's hurting it. But it's very difficult to tell - since it doesn't bleed - how much more it has in the tank.
As Caesar steps out and closes toward her another animal manifests. A second black dog. But rather than going for Cullen, it goes right for Kai, bolting at an impossibly fast sprint, jaws slavering and snapping before it leaps right at the elf.
The new threat from the ground has the dragon re-evaluating the situation. New plan. Try to clothesline Starfire and dive with her INTO the marksman down below.
Has Keiko betrayed Lord Plokta? That seems to be a question for everyone lately. She left the Nightfall but she certainly hasn't seemed to have … forgotten … her faith in the Splinter Lord. Whether that's more of an automatic response because it's all she knows, is a very good question.
"And you're going to do what?" The small tattooed woman shakes her head. "I was always better than you, Cesar. I was always top of our sibko. Have you risen to that yet? Or did Romana show you up again?" The staff twirls and she feints in his direction.
Pushing his buttons. Yes, she is. And she's very good at it.
"Mortally harming the creatures with harm the wielder … " She calls out to the others, watching Cesar foam at the mouth with that betrayal. "Would you like to know why I have betrayed you …"
Kai's eyes widen as the second black dog manifests and runs at him. He yells in alarm and stumbles back, but turning to run would be pointless. He reaches a hand out toward the pool, of all things, and he makes a sweeping motion. Several gallons of water well out of the pool and barrel toward the dog rather quickly. Not before Kai goes down, though.
Kori jukes back, swoops around, and moves in a tight arc that would do a housefly credit. She dodges grasping claws and flaming breath and comes up from below with an uppercut aimed at the Wyvern's jaw. Dragon or not, nothing with a grasping maw likes getting a punch to the button on the chin, let alone one with *that* much force.
She grabs the Wyvern in a chokehold, shoulder against the monster's throat, and *twists* with all her strength. On the ground would be one thing, but Kori's rooted in midair with the raw power of her people and locks herself in a relative station, functionally clotheslining the mighty monster.
"It is very strong, friend Agent Turner!" she shouts down. "I do not wish to maim it but I am unsure I can restrain it for long!" she confesses.
Thankfully, Sunny was a little more than just some western enthusiast who decided to ty and shoot monsters with anachronistic firearm. The black metal frames of each gun in the woman's hands carried an engraving that seemed to blaze with energy like a certain hammer as more shots ring out and blast towards the Wyvern.
Then Kori's trying to call out to some agent about not wanting to maim the creature, calling out over the din. "I don't think it feels the same there darlin'!"
"Keep it still, Starfire." Koa says as he takes aim and starts to fire as well. His shots are emerald green and along with Sunny's, they scorch the underside of the creature's belly. It writhes and screams and blasts fire. But Kori can feel seconds later when it loses the strength to keep at her. Indeed the strength to keep in the air. Starfire could put this thing anywhere she wanted…
Kai's water shot does make the black dog stop and shake. It's a few seconds. Maybe enough time to get up. To mount a defense or just to get out of sight. When it clears its face and eyes it starts casting around for its target again. Where did that elf go…
"Dime." The man snarls. Tell me, in Spanish. He spins his staff and then winces as the wyvern is badly hurt. That should give Keiko an opening but not much of one. He recovers half a second later and lunges. Was she fast enough?
Keiko rarely does anything impulsively and that's no different now as the small asiatic woman circles, staff always moving. A feint here, jab there, trying to draw Cesar out, to provoke him. "So Romana did. She was always better than you …" This is a cruel side of the woman that few ever see.
When Cesar falters, she's ready, moving in for a quick combination. Knocking his staff wide and bringing the end of her staff whistling at his knees. The Gossamer forged weapon hurts when it hits.
"Tell you? For all I know you're in league with the Magi. The Magi don't all follow Plokta, they're in league with another power and are subverting us to follow a different path …"
Kai runs to the lifeguard's chair, up high, and climbs up to it. At least dogs don't usually climb, and he just needs a moment to think. Once he's perched up there, he calls down, "Begone! You got me once, that's all you get! I'm sure that's a rule!" His voice cracks. He is not sure that's a rule.
He frowns as he sees all the good stuff going down, and he's practically treed by this… this fiend! He touches his fingertips to a pendant around his neck, tucked into his shirt, and it unfurls into a pair of rather wicked looking knives. "I don't want to hurt you," he tells the dog, "but I will gut you like a fish and wear your pelt home if you try to bite me."
Kori exchanges huge blows with the Wyvern. The big beastie buffets her with wings and rakes with talons but the Tamaranean's simply too agile and strong to be easily mauled. She throws those fists with piledriver force again and again, dodging, throwing starbolts back in ready exchange for the burning fire sprayd at her.
Kori gets a good hit that knocks the Wyvern's head back and she flies up, then down in a sharp angle. It's a move right out of Pro Wrestling, an arm wrapped aroudn the Wyvern's neck and slamming the whole thing to Earth with a ground-shaking *THUD* as Kori flips it in midair and her natural inherent aptitude for flight temporarily negates any flapping wings.
Well…it was on the ground, that was a good start. There was a giant dog thing chasing another guy…not so good. And people yelling about Kings and names she'd never heard of…yeah, no idea there. Sunny just shrugs and looks back towards the grounded beast and the flying woman who'd brought it down. Tucking one revolver under the crook of her arm, she's reloading the first in the blink of another before stepping forwards the fallen creature to level the weapon.
She didn't share the qualms about hurting the best, Sunny intended to put it down.
Keiko's swipe puts Cesar on his back. He gives Keiko a venemous look for her barb as he rolls and comes up with his staff at the ready and then cries out as between Starfire and Sunny, the wyvern expires. It turns into smoke which flows back into the tattoo'd mans body.
Cesar lets out a sharp whistle then turns and legs it. His black dog breaks off of Kai and does the same. Ten steps into his run a portal opens to scoop him up, as if someone was watching this whole thing. If this was about Keiko, it's possible that someone was.
That leaves Starfire, Sunny, Kai, a Wand Agent and a former cultist all panting in the park.
"Anyone badly hurt?" Is the first thing Koa calls out.
Kai climbs down from the lifeguard's chair. If it had been anything but those dogs… He approaches the others and says, "I'm all right. Thought for a moment I was going to get dragged back to Svartalfheim, but no worse for wear." He perks up when he sees Sunny, and he waves a little.
Then he collapses the knives back into a pendant and hangs it from a chain around his neck. They just don't look like they should work that way, and yet, they do.
If this was about Keiko, they'd have to have known where she was. New York is a big city after all.
Keiko lunges again, staff swinging to swat Cesar across the backside as he runs. "Give my love to Romana … " she calls out as the man turns tail. She expected he would. It's been a pattern.
"I am unharmed, Agent Turner." Keiko will have some bruises, Cesar got some wonderful hits in on her after all. "That was well done all of you …" She blinks at Sunny who she hadn't noticed arrive and looks for Kai. "Are you alright, Sir?" she asks very politely. Conner pads silently to her side and … sits. Tongue lolling, making him look goofy. whuff.
"Hello Kori. You sound like you were having fun."
"I was!" Kori floats six inches off the ground and beams a smile at Keiko. "I learned that move watching your World Wrestling Entertainment Federation. It is called a 'the suplex' and I delivered it 'like the Hulkmeister'," she explains.
Her lambent green eyes track around, focus on Sunny. "You were the person with the powerful weapons!" she informs the woman. "I am much the grateful for your assistance. /I/ am Kori Anderson, mild-mannered teenager and leader of the Youthful Avengers."
She floats towards Koa and leaaaans sidelong towards him, speaking sotto voce: "someone told me that was a 'the cool' way to introduce myself." She looks around at Kai, Keiko, and Sunny, then lifts her palm again to shield her mouth (to utterly no avail) and ask: "How did it sound? Do they seem impressed?"
Ever one for a flourish, when the creature fades to dust? The revolvers in Sunny's hands get showy twirl before being holstered in a single smooth motion before nodding at Kori and flashing a smile. "Sunny," she offers, the only name given but really the only one she had these days. "And it wasn't a worry. I figured giant rampaging lizard was probably not a great thing…" Her gaze flick to Kai now, about the only face in this mess she actually recognized before resting her hands with thumbs hooked into her belt. A question to be asked, addressed to all of the folks gathered.
"So…what was all that about?"
"Yes. Very impressed." Koa assures Kori. And they do. It probably has more to do with her suplexing a wyvern but her rather… unique mode of introduction can't hurt. "Oh, you remember Keiko right? She saw you eat a whole bucket full of crackerjack."
Koa still remembers wondering if Kori's jaw was going to unhinge.
"Well this gentleman apparently was worried about being dragged back home?" That's news to Koa and if the man needs protection he'd certainly like to hear of it. "But the rest of this seemed to be for her benefit." He points to Keiko. Yes, sorry Keiko. Koa just threw you under the bus in front of Sunny and Kori and Kai.
"I take it they've gotten some way to figure out where you are, Keiko. That or they have informants in the city." He looks to the others again. "They're called Nightfall. Nasty folks, and something of a big problem at the moment."
Kai waves a little at Sunny. He then says to Keiko, "I'm fine. Sorry I didn't join the fight. I've got a thing about hunting dogs, particularly the ones who hunt me." He looks around. "Sunny I know, and I'm sure I've seen you before." This he says to Keiko. With a nod to Koa, he adds, "And you look different without the glitter, but I've seen you before."
Offering a hand to Kori, he says, "I'm Kai Alfsson, it's nice to meet you. You're good in a fight. Thank goodness for that."
Conner yawns and lays down beside Keiko, putting his head on his paws. He really is enormous but at least he doesn't seem inclined to take anyone anywhere. "It wasn't your fight and the Nightfall have … tricks." Keiko says rather seriously. "I'm Keiko Kurita, as Agent Turner says. Cesar was one of my sibko. We grew up together and … " she frowns looking back to where the portal opened.
"I think if he could have he would have taken me back. But maybe they were testing me as well…" beat "I think it would have gone very differently if you hadn't been around to help."
Kori looks at Kai and flashes a dazzling pleasant smile at him. His hand is taken and given a politely pompous shake, and then she leans forward and kisses both of his cheeks. "Greetings, friend Kai Alfsson. My name is Kori Anderson," she repeats. "I am very glad to have been here to be of aid. I think you would have managed well without me," she assures Kai and Sunny. "I was merely fortunate to be nearby when the call for help went out."
She glances from Koa to Keiko in confusion. "I am sorry, I do not know this word. What is a 'sibko'?" she inquires, drawing the word out deliberately.
It's a word lost on Sunny too, but at least there was a little more explaination then she'd started with. A shrug of her shoulders and the woman moves to cross her arms over her chest. "Strange days when someone's using magic dragons and hounds to drag someone home," she muses, this coming from the woman who'd literally appeared in a burning light firing magical bullets. "Think they'll be back anytime soon?"
"A… training company for abducted children in a very, very creepy cult." Koa mutters. He will let Keiko handle a bit more of that.
"Ah yes. The K-Pop exorcism. So much glitter. Nice to meet you again Kai. And Sunny."
He'd introduce Kori but she's done that already. In, naturally, very impressive fashion.
"Sadly, probably. They've been making trouble here for a few weeks, enough that a fair few folks are pretty upset with them, but none more than Keiko here. They're not usually quite so obvious though." Dragon fights in the city on the regular would get lots of attention. And probably upset the authorities. And men who dress like bats. Kori would have surely heard of it in that case, not that anyone else here would be aware of that.
"When did you come up with the, er, code name, Kori?"
Because he hadn't heard 'Starfire' last time they'd met. And it's definitely not on her ID.
"That's some interesting hardware you've got there, Sunny. I don't suppose you're from the same neighborhood as Kai here?" Because elves, light, seems to go together.
Kai tells Keiko, "Anything that threatens this city or its people is my fight." He looks abashed as he says, "I won't let the dogs slow me down next time. It just took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting to see them again. I, uh, had an incident. Years ago, with the Wild Hunt."
His smile returns for Kori. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kori Anderson. It's good to see people like you around thes days." He doesn't look old enough to have a 'these days' to refer to.
To Koa, he says, "Yes! I looked up K-pop after that, and I've got to say, it's pretty crazy. I try to stop listening to it, but…" He shakes his head. "So damn catchy. Not exactly something they'll be playing in the halls of Asgard, though."
"It was a very impressive introduction, Kori. You could be on one of those shows I watch." Keiko's grasp on English is fleeting at times and she might not understand how that comes across. Then again, Kori might not as well.
"Sibko. It's a group of six children who are placed together. We learn and live together until we're given assignments." There's a glance to Koa as she takes a breath in. "It's where I got my tattooes from and there are members here, taking children to swell their numbers …"
Hearing Kai's story, Keiko mutters some words and Conner dissipates to smoke - smoke that trails to her arms and sinks into a tattoo there. A tattoo of a rather lifelike Barghest.
" Ah, I see," Kori says. Her head tilts, and eyes go distant. Fingers touch her ear. "Yes. Yes, I am recieving. I will be there shortly." The Tamaranean starts levitating off the ground again, and a consternated expression flashes over her fine features. "Friends, I regret my need to depart hastily. I have been informed of a motor accident that the services for emergencies cannot access. I hope you will forgive me, but someone's life may be in danger. Farewell!" she cries, and with a burst of light and heat she arcs skywards, vanishing in the distance and making a beeline for the Brooklyn Bridge.