Issue 1 Downtime

"Is everyone accounted for?" Mariuset asked, looking around as she touched the beacon.

As everyone reached the beacon, something strange happened. The world seemed to be drained of all color. Everything around them was grey and sort of faded and indistinct the further away it was.

Also, there was a demon standing next to the beacon.

It was a tall and regal looking creature, dressed in a finely tailored suit. It had red skin, sharp black claws, and a smile like a knife.

"A very good show children," the demon said, "Very good."

"Now, I must apologize for the....interruption," the demon said, "But I assure you it was of the utmost urgency and that I come with completely peaceful intentions."

"What the hell...?"

There was a streak of light from above as Ryan came diving down from where he'd been watching.

This, apparently, was not part of your regularly scheduled midterm. It did, however, seem somewhat natural to see the angel diving down at the demon.

"Um, guys...?" Alex said, touching his rings for a moment, as he went to move up to the front of the group.

Cal frowned, holding up a small device to try to take some readings on what the hell's going on.

"Oh, how...dramatic," the demon said with a purr in its voice. Before Ryan could reach him, the demon spoke loudly to the instructor, "Hold, seraphim. I have something you need to hear about one of your charges."

Whatever readings Cal was getting were very close to the same annoyingly inconsistent telemetry he'd get from Regan.

Ryan's dive altered, only slightly, so that he slammed to the ground in a three-point crouch a few yards away from the demon, wings spread and apparently ready to attack again. "Talk. Fast," he growled.

Aisha screamed, really, really loudly.

"Great Set preserve us!" Mariuset yelled, as her hands became engulfed in flame. "What is that thing?"

"I swear to god, if this thing is going to pretend to be a 'ghost' too, I'm frying it right goddamned there," Cal said.

"Don't be frightened or angry! I come with a message, dear sirs and madams. A joyous occasion!"

The demon snaps and black envelopes appears in front of everyone present, glowing with an eerie light. The front of the envelopes have been addressed to the specific individual it floats in front of.

Inside was an invitation. In an elaborate demonic script it read: "You are cordially invited to the wedding of Lady Rourke of the Court of Belasco to Lord Malphas of the Lower Plains."

"Transportation has already been arranged," the demon says with an evil grin, "However, I must insist that you reply immediately."

"What!?" Alex snapped, grabbing his envelope to look at it. That's... oh fuck this, that's impossible.

"So is this guy going to take her out of school to come live with her? He might be my new favorite person."

"No!" Aisha said, almost hysterically "I will NOT go into Hell!"

"None of you are," Ryan said, taking an invitation from the air and reading it for any fine print before he would pick an RSVP box.

"This is bullshit," Alex snapped. "Where's the ride."

Haley's eyes widened in fear. Having been in Regan's head she knew what this thing was capable of. The slight nimbus of psionic energy that had been flaring around her quickly extinguished.

"N...no," she stammered weakly.

Steve sensed Haley's knowing terror and he too felt fear. He knew less than her, but knew enough more than the others to sense to truth of the situation.

"Guys. This guy so not a joke," he transmitted, his sincerity clear.

There was no fine print or tricky little details. It was just an invitation.

"It hardly matters to me if you come or go," the demon says, "Personally, I can't imagine why Lady Rourke requested your presence in the first place."

Cal glanced at Haley, then took a step closer to her.

"R-Regan's getting married?" Kay blinks, still trying to process all of this.

"Don't make the mistake of thinking that it's her choice," Ryan said. "So let's get to it, Mr. Wannabe Demon. Are you going to take me to Limbo? Or do I snap you in two and go look up a sorceror to send me there instead?"

Steph wasn't nearly as fast as Ryan since she couldn't fly, but she was still pretty fast, especially if she shifted into a form that ran on all fours. She growled a warning at the students to stay back, putting herself in between them, Ryan, and the demon before shifting into her hybrid form and standing beside Ryan.

Haley was frozen in place, terrified, her fear and some of Regan's memories of what demons like the one standing before the ground starting to flit through people's minds. As Cal approached, she didn't even regard him, her filth-streaked face gazing in terror at the scene in front of them.

Theresa took a long look at the invitation, her eyes hardening as she did so. Entirely ignoring Steph's warning, she stepped forward, holding up her invitation. "RSVP, no +1 for me."

"Please, hold all questions until after the trip," the demon says, "Now. It appears that decisions have been made, so..."

The demon snaps and there's a flash of light from each of the envelopes. Everyone who made a decision (or had a desire) to come along would disappear from the field. Anyone else would be left behind.

"We have to contact the school!" Aisha exclaimed

Haley leaned against a tree, somewhat embarrassed about how much she froze.

"I'm working on it mentally...we've all got radios too I think, so...see if you can get the school."

Haley hadn't tried this before, but she knew in theory it could be done, so she tried to place herself mentally near the school--they weren't that far away, and she had a vague idea of where everything was from messing around with maps on her phone when bored.

She closed her eyes tightly and put her hands to her temples.

Professor McManus? Mr. Asters? Robyn? Anyone? Can you hear me? We need help. Demons took a bunch of us...

"I've got it," Cal said. "I'm blowing up the network right now. Someone has to check their e-mail or their texts. I'll hit the switchboard next." He walked over to lean against the tree too, taking the instinctive 'protect your girl' stance. You okay, babe?

"Yeah..." she said distantly, still trying to reach someone mentally as well.

"...tired. Frustrated...scared. Those guys...they're...like for real not from around here, Nd they do some fucked up shit. I've seen it first...well...not really first hand but...scary any way."

Tired or not, Haley would sense a return thought from one of the staff that had been shooting at them with paintballs. Situation under control. Return to the van, obstacles are deactivated.

"I guess we can just go back to the van and they'll take us back, and we'll just have to talk to the headmistress and stuff." Haley said pushing herself away from the tree she'd been leaning on, dried mud crackling and falling off her uniform as she moved.