I12DT - Face to Face

[Samantha McManus]

As "Mallory" might have guessed, something had gone very wrong. Certainly she had some time to prepare, but the ominous shadow of an enormous flock of ravens barreling towards her window perhaps indicated that time was nearly up.

[The Book of Sins]

The window poses very little resistance to the flock, shattering as the crows flood the vaguely neo-gothic looking living room. It's quiet inside, though Sam would be able to feel the presence of a single mind inside the building. Somewhere down the hall.

[Samantha McManus]

"Through with your toys," she said as she started down the hallway, "and I've had enough of your games."

[The Book of Sins]

The hallway would lead her into the bedroom with it's big mirrored closet door, a door leading (presumably) to a bathroom, the huge bed and a large painting hanging above it. No sign of anybody. And the impression Sam's getting from the mind is very faint. It's just kind of there.

[Samantha McManus]

"Fled already? Bloody typical..." She muttered, casting her mind about, feeling things out.

[The Book of Sins]

Yep, there was definitely someone nearby. Yet that was not the reason why she'd feel like she's being watched. Or at the very least like something is just... off.

[Samantha McManus]

"Already found that thing you hid in her..." She probed at the presence, trying to pierce what was veiling it.

[Narrator]

Nothing really, it's just mostly... empty. She'd quite easily make contact, the mind responding almost eagerly to telepathic contact. Apparently that's what they had been waiting for and one of the closet doors slides open, revealing what is most likely Mallory Davis' mother. She bows her head at Sam and keeps it down, apparently waiting for instructions.

[Samantha McManus]

There was a look of disgust and pity that crossed her face upon seeing Melpomene's handiwork on the woman.

"Abandoned you, did she?"

[Narrator]

She looks disheartened for a moment, though probably for a different reason than Sam would expect. Apparently she wasn't expecting to be talked to normally.

"No Ma'am." she says with a voice that croaks from not having being used in quite a while.

[Regan Rourke]

The soulblade had many useful properties. One of those properties was amplifying and focusing the users abilities. In this case, it helped Regan move more freely between worlds. Particularly, our world and the spirit world. One advantage this gave Regan is that it was much easier to sneak around when you were just outside of reality.

Regan carefully crept out of the spirit world, taking form behind Sam. Her soulblade drawn and a delighted grin on her face. While Sam investigated the present Mel had left behind, Regan braced herself and thrust the blade forward at Sam, aiming for the Headmistress' heart.

[Samantha McManus]

Fortunately for Regan, she managed to hit home. It did seem to have an immediate and painful effect on the headmistress.

Unfortunately for Regan it didn't seem to faze her for very long. Her body began to twist and warp, her joints reversing themselves. By the time the headmistress' hand shot out for Regan's throat it was quite evident that the demon was no longer behind her at all.

[Regan Rourke]

Sam's hand would easily catch Regan around the throat. The girl grinned madly at Sam.

"Too late," Regan managed to spit out.

A red light began glowing in Regan's chest.

"We win."

Then Regan erupted in a blast of demonic flames.

[Victoria Valentine]

And that was when Victoria came crashing through the window.

[Samantha McManus]

Samantha recoiled in pain as, well, that's what you do when someone you were holding burst into flames, regardless of whether they were still present.

[Regan Rourke]

Regan blows a kiss at Victoria, "See you soon."

As the flames disappeared, so did Regan, leaving the two of them alone in Mel's apartment.

[Victoria Valentine]

Victoria's eyes flared, then she focused on the ring on her finger, meaning to summon Regan back. "What the hell?"

[Samantha McManus]

"They were working together," she hissed, the burned flesh on her hand slowly recovering.

[Regan Rourke]

Something was blocking Regan from being summoned back to the ring.

[Victoria Valentine]

"How is... SHE SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO THAT!" Victoria protested to the air. "What the hell was she doing here!"

[Samantha McManus]

"Stabbed me with that bloody sword of hers. Tried to fight back but she said they'd already won..."

[Victoria Valentine]

"They- All right, this is fucking impossible. If she was going darkside I'd know." As Victoria protested and growled, her avatar began detecting the path after her. "By the by? Really hating your little girlfriend now, and I haven't even met her."

[The Book of Sins]

The trail is faint but not impossible to follow. It leads roughly south-west, away from Maldon.

[Samantha McManus]

"They're getting help, we know that much."

"That sword bloody hurt, too."

[Victoria Valentine]

"A soulsword hurting is as ominous as it sounds, by the way," Victoria said. "But let's not let them get away with this." Acting in concert with her avatar, Victoria began forming a tunnel through reality to follow Regan's path.

[Regan Rourke]

Apparently, Regan had decided to take a shortcut. Victoria's tunnel opened right into a small section of Limbo.

If they wanted to follow the stray demon, they were going to have to follow her path through the hellish landscape.

[Victoria Valentine]

Victoria looked down at the landscape and got a grim, determined look. "Keep close to me. We don't have time to screw around here. Something stops us up, just keep going wherever one of me leads you."

[Samantha McManus]

"Likely seek to waylay us, not that it'll do them any good," she said as she followed.

[Regan Rourke]

Regan's path stretched through a rocky canyon full of blackened, razor sharp stones. The two wouldn't get far before they would get the impression that something was watching them.

Shadowy figures crept along hidden paths along the walls of the canyon, chattering in a strange language to each other as they stalked the two.

[Victoria Valentine]

"Listen to them. Violent, hungry, aggressive..."
"Stupid animals. Mistress's daughter couldn't tame this place."
"Trying was likely a foolish attempt."
"Do we want to attempt it?"

There was a brief pause in the mental dialogue.

"Take two steps and our power ebbs. It isn't the time for the way to wind here for long."
"Practical. Annoyingly so."
"Shut up and do what you do best."
"You sweet talker, you."

Victoria's avatar split off from them as she kept flying along the path.

"Hello, little beasties...

Ooze and seep, spread and creep,
Engulfing all who breathe in deep,
By power mine to bend and keep,
Vapors of Valtorr, flow and reap!"

It seemed to be mentally cackling loudly as the burning, toxic fumes spread in the path behind them.

[Regan Rourke]

The creatures shrieked and skittered away back into their hiding places and tunnels cut into the rock, trying to escape Victoria's spell. Only one brave little cave-demon stayed behind, it's face twisted in anger.

"Trespassers! Violators! Shriek damn you both!"

Then the miasma caught up with him, proving that his bravery was little more than thinly disguised stupidity.

[Samantha McManus]

"You seem to be having fun," she commented, continuing on.

[Victoria Valentine]

"All of us can be a bitch sometimes."

"Not all of us can condense all of that into one body."

[Narrator]

Not too much longer, the two would come to the area where Regan exited. Victoria could "see" the telltale markers of someone moving between worlds.

[Victoria Valentine]

"We're going to be coming in hot wherever they are," Victoria said. "And we're not going to know until we're through. Are you ready for this?"

[Samantha McManus]

"As I'll ever be. This seems too easy..."

[Victoria Valentine]

"This is a shortcut," Victoria said. "She took it because it's fast. THe real party is going to be... right... NOW!" She hit the unseen passage out of Limbo, dragging Sam with her back into their own native dimension.