Fantasy Silent Rapture

[The Velveteen Rabbit]

Listening silently, Kiyomi observed the others and their reactions to the child. Everyone seemed to have their own opinion about the Antichrist, and a few members of the group seemed completely against the idea of letting the young child live. With her eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed, she frowned as her eyes trailed across the floor, settling on the small baby nestled comfortably in Hino's arms. The Kitsune remained incredibly calm despite the turmoil they faced.

There was a crackling sound coming from outside the mansion and her white ears began to flick back and forth as they picked up the noise. It was the sound of tires crunching against gravel; rubber grinding against stone. Men yelled back and forth at one another, and there was the undeniable presence of gargoyles accompanying them. She could hear the clanking of chains constricting the beasts and the harsh cracks of their jaws snapping together hungrily so clearly that it sounded like they were in the very same room together. With her superior sense of hearing, Kiyomi noticed the incoming threat far before the others did.

Luckily, the others noticed the men before she could say anything, and soon the group was whisked away through the magical portal with the baby in hand. The magnificent house welcomed them on the other side, and Kiyomi stepped further into the corridor, stopping beside one of the windows that overlooked a field of flowers. For the most part, she remained quiet, listening to the others speak and watching as a few members of the group split away. She couldn't help but position herself closer to Hino and the child protectively as Gabe continued to be possessed by his other counterpart.

Jophiel seemed to take care of the problem rather quickly, and Kiyomi let out a soft sigh of relief. She was just glad he was himself again. As Harian unlatched the baby from the carrier and looked around for instructions, she took a small step forward and smiled.

"If you'd like, I can watch the child for now. I have been around children enough to know how to care for one." Kiyomi spoke in her usual soft tone. It didn't look like Harian particularly enjoyed the child's company, so the Kitsune took matters into her own hands. She reached out with both hands and scooped them underneath the baby's armpits gently before lifting him into her grasp. Naturally, her arms folded underneath him and she cradled the child in her arms, a warm smile on her face as she looked down at him. The baby reached up with both arms and cooed softly, a big smile on his chubby face at the sight of the white-haired woman.

As she did this, Kiyomi flicked her pale gaze towards Hino, tilting her head to the side.

"You seem to care for the child. Would you be interested in helping me? Perhaps we can work together." She asked him while continuing to cradle the child. A gentle smile suddenly appeared on her face and she giggled quietly.

"Only if you are comfortable with it, of course."

SilverFlight Naberius KhazTheGiraffe

 

[SilverFlight]

If the baby was ever a force of evil and bent on bringing the end of the world, he made no indication. Jophiel had proposed 'Adam' for the infant's name while Gabriel had put forward John, after a favorite film character, and with no further arguments (none that the angel was willing to consider, anyway) the name stuck.
John was as cheerful a baby as ever their was and it was not hard for him to capture any heart that spent more than 10 minutes with him.
Harian was fascinated by his ability to entrance people. She took a shine to him and was often nearby, watching other play with him, and occasionally changing into different animals just to hear him squeal in delight.

three weeks went by and there had not been a word from the archangel Gabriel, a fact Jophiel was both relieved for, and terrified of.
"They know. They know we didn't finish the mission, I'm sure of it." He was pacing in the kitchen while Harian had taken the baby from Kiyomi to give her and Hino a break. She sat cross-legged on the living room carpet, holding John's little hands as he practiced standing. He was wearing a blue onesie with an elephant hood and a little tail.
"But did they know they sent us after a baby?" Harian asked without looking up.
"I can't fathom that Gabriel would have known...the act is so...Harodian...it's...it's in very poor taste."
"Poor taste isn't surprising, given your wardrobe." Harian shot with a grin. The angel was too worried to look offended.

John let loose a high-pitched shriek of excitement, which made the djinn wince and smile. Apparently the child had entranced her as well.
She looked around the room, looking to see if anyone else wanted to play with him, though she would much rather keep him.
"How are we so sure this kid is going to grow up to be the antichrist? I mean, maybe it's in the raising. And I want to know why there wasn't any sign of a baby living in that house. It just doesn't seem right."
Jophiel had gone back to the house after things had quieted down, which had taken two weeks in itself. The evidence was clear, everything that had been for the baby was brand new, there was no sign of wear on anything, and no sign of anything else in the entire house.
"You don't think...well, you don't think the baby was taken there from somewhere else do you?"
"You can feel his aura just as I do, there is something sinister about the child, but what do you mean?" Jophiel asked, "you mean, you think he was...kidnapped?"
"Well, before we kidnapped him anyway. What I'm saying is, I'm not so sure this kid is exactly what we think it is. We should get him checked out."
""Checked out"? By whom?"
"I dunno, someone who can classify evil auras." She glanced at the group. "Open to suggestions here people, anyone know someone who could do that?"

The ring of someone's phone made Jophiel jump. He checked his, but it remained silent in his pocket. Harian shrugged. Not hers. After searching through a mess of papers, baby toys and a binkie Jophiel held up the phone...it was the one they had taken from The World's End.
Jophiel glanced around the room with a grave expression, then he tapped the answer button.
There was a voice on the other end but no one could hear a thing. Harian sighed and hefted the baby, going over to switch the phone onto speaker.
"Darrel, glad you're not dead. My boss wants you to make another delivery. The Central Fine Arts Gallery, Moscow. He was happy with what we saw on the news in London, as soon as your people get a hold of the Spring of Power, we'll start making regular purchases."
There was silence then, as if the speaker was waiting for an answer. Jophiel looked around helplessly before leaning into the phone.
"Sure thing." He growled in a voice that sounded soaked in whiskey. Harian smacked her forehead, but by some miracle, it worked.
"Good. There will be a guy there to help you get set up. The target is a painting ghoul. I'll let you see what it can do when you get here."
The call ended and Harian looked to Jophiel.
"Well, that sounds like a lead. We should decide who should go to Moscow, and who finds out more about our little bundle of joy. As it just so happens...I might know someone, ironically. They were last seen in Moscow too."

Lioness075 andujarprime The Velveteen Rabbit Naberius Crazy Trey-n KhazTheGiraffe GamerCarrot Feywild

 

[KhazTheGiraffe]

"Strike if you will, but know that you will only harm this vessel"

Adrestia was certainly tempting fate with that comment. Hino barely knew the man hosting the chorus of voices, and it would cost very little of his already (self-perceived) low morality. However, after deeper consideration and at the mention that Gabe was reluctant to kill the baby, he had second thoughts. Gabe was an innocent victim of the current circumstance and was that not the exact reason why he was protecting the child in the first place. Several other members of the group made snide comments and disappeared, clearly either unbothered by the fate of the child or disgruntled at the thought of letting him live. While he surely would have disagreed and felt quite frustrated had they stayed and defended killing the child, he still would have held them in much higher regard than what he had of them now. There was something to say about the character of people who stood up for what they believed in, even if it's wildly unpopular. A person who did that is far more trustworthy than someone who slinks off into the background. Hino made a mental note to be wary of the other, and to not leave them alone with the baby.

Shortly after he spoke up, Ayramis also joined the group that defended the child by threatening the many voices with some kind of horrible, yet hilarious, soul work. He was very impressed with his bravery and his creativity. He held some resentment towards the man while they were in the house, but it was obvious he was waiting for others to defend the baby. Kiyomi, Nero, and Jophiel soon joined the group to defend the baby against Adrestia, and Hino was feeling much more confident. Jophiel raised his hand and a bright flash of light filled the room as he cast the voices out. He was visibly flustered from the whole ordeal, and while this amused Hino, he also empathized with him. He too was beginning to feel the physical exhaustion of almost dying and the emotional exhaustion of dealing with a baby anti-christ. He was getting ready to head back to his room and take a shower when Kiyomi addressed him. The baby had been passed from him, to Harian, and to Kiyomi who now had him in her arms and seemed quite content.

"Umm..." He scratched the top of his head, preparing to say no. But unfortunately, this was the woman who had saved him earlier and he had now owed her a favour. "I.. uh... I guess?" He said reluctantly and let out a deep sigh as he walked over to her and the Baby.

****

Hino listened intently to Harian and Jophiel discuss the complexities of their situation. Both John and the groups' lives were now in danger from all sides, most likely, as a consequence of their choices. The Thunder God was quite certain that John was a tool being used by both groups; one as a mascot for the end of the world, and the other as a scapegoat to blame this whole Armageddon thing on. All he knew was that the end of the world had been prophesized several times in the past and nothing had happened, so why would this time be any different? And Hino knew better than anyone that prophecies and destinies for people are bullshit. People turn out the way they do for a variety of reasons, factors, and contexts, not because they were destined to. He of all people could testify to that. However, he was now eager to find some sort of person that could potentially support his beliefs which would save both the lives of the group, and more importantly, John.

"I would assume that someone associated with evil, or even death for that matter would be able to tell if John is what they say he is?" Hino did not feel comfortable calling John the antichrist in his presence. Even though it was completely irrational, he was afraid that the child would understand.

Lioness075 andujarprime The Velveteen Rabbit Naberius Crazy Trey-n GamerCarrot Feywild SilverFlight

 

[andujarprime]

Ayramis's anger was swiftly suppressed when the situation was resolved and the threat disposed of. For the time being at least. His eyes dimmed and returned to their normal grey/green. He left the group without any further words, now focusing more on inner reflection. He wasn't sure still, about why he was so protective. But he did not regret his actions, or his stance. He found his way slowly to his room. pressing his palm on the gold Ankh it slid open and a warm breeze greeted him. He sighed as he stepped in and swiftly changed into swimming trunks. He made his way to the healing pool, seeing it had been vacated he wasted no time in climbing up to the second tier and dipping in. He stood in the cool waters only long enough to heal completely then made his way back to his desert oasis. The water always felt much better when the heat of the desert acted as a counterbalance.

**********

Ayramis sat in silence as the scene before him played out. He chuckled to himself as the phone rang and Jophiel jumped, as if scared. Frowning his eyes glowed and he focused on the child. "I, am usually pretty good at feeling auras. What with working with souls and all, but this one is new to me." He sighed looking to Harian and Hino with a slight slump in his shoulders. "My apologies I am of no use here. There is definitely more than meets the eye with our little friend here." He said before brightening his face." I am willing to go look for this contact though, and see if they can't shed some light on this...John situation." He said, reluctant to refer to the baby by anything other than it's name. He smiled at John and waved a little finger at him.

Lioness075 The Velveteen Rabbit Crazy Trey-n GamerCarrot Feywild SilverFlight KhazTheGiraffe Naberius

 

[Crazy Trey-n]

For a few moments, Nero had considered the possibility that Gabriel's internal overseer would take action against them, but the group's passion towards him seemed to spur Jophiel into action. There were a few moments of blindness paired alongside the sound of the archangel's voice booming throughout the house and then Jophiel left before Gabriel had even spoke. It seemed as though he'd made the choice to let the baby stay.
He briefly pondered over whether he should stick around and help with the child, that same sense of familiarity tugging at his heart, but gradually the desire to rest overwhelmed him. With one last concerned glance back at the antichrist and the ones who had devoted themselves to his care, Nero wandered off to his room for some much-needed sleep.

***​

The boy had all but forgotten about the phone that he'd found on the day they fought against the plague demon. As far as he had been concerned until now, the saving of the world seemed to be a rather straightforward fluctuation between fighting big baddies, exploring the world beyond their home and getting rest when they were able. Apparently his expectations were wrong.
"Maybe he'll grow up to be an artist, or the next great philospher, or a... what was it called? A rock-star? Hopefully, at least." It was the only thing he had been able to get in before the call came. Nero had been perched atop one of the couch's arms, balanced precariously on two bare feet with his elbows resting on his knees. The ringing of the call had interrupted that and sent him sprawling to the cushions instead, though he recovered in time to listen in to the man on the other side of the line speak.

"Spring of Power? Painting ghoul? Moscow?" There was certainly some connection between everything that they'd seen and the information they'd gathered so far, but it was clear that to find out the extent of it, they'd have to do some serious investigation. While he was still a mingling of wary and protective of John, the young one had no shortage of supporters so far. He doubted that the child would be in danger without him. "I'd like to scout out and meet with the person that was mentioned, with whomever else wants to go," he finally spoke up to say. Nero glanced around the room, his eyes lingering on John for a few moments longer than the others. You'll likely be entirely fine in the care of at least two godly beings. Stay safe. He cleared his throat and added, "If that's okay, of course."

Lioness075 The Velveteen Rabbit Crazy Trey-n GamerCarrot Feywild SilverFlight KhazTheGiraffe Naberius

 

[SilverFlight]

Spoiler: The Kremlin and St Basil's Cathedral

The front door opened into a small antique shop just outside the Red Square. Beyond the tiny shop windows, St. Basil's Cathedral, with it's whimsically-coloured domed spires and the Kremlin, tall and white with its spires roofs in gold, could be seen. Small flocks of tourists meandered in the vast space between.
The weather was sunny and it was warm but not unpleasantly so. The art gallery where they were to meet the mysterious contact from the phone was only just around the corner. Jophiel looked apprehensive.
"We need to time this just right." He explained. "Deal with the contact first, immobilize him, and then make sure that painting ghoul or whatever he's got doesn't hurt anyone."
"Hey," Harian diverted their attention, she had Baby John on one hip, refusing to be the one wearing the baby carrier. John was giggling and rifling through her hair with both outstretched hands. He saw Zoya coming through the doorway and screeched with delight, throwing his hands out to her, for some reason he'd taken a strong liking to the Vilya. He whined and grasped at the air in her direction, threatening tears.

"Just looked up the local news." Harian bounced the baby, trying to distract him, to little effect. "The art gallery's closed. Apparently four people died there over the course of last week. Could be our ghoul. Can you imagine what it would have done if they gave it whatever the Plague demon had?"

She glanced at Gabriel, a more than a hint of concern on her face. "You're not allowed to die."

"Right," Jophiel picked up, "Extra caution then. This thing is obviously dangerous. There won't be any dying on my watch."
"I'll take John and the others to Polinka."
Harian had explained briefly before, that Polinka, was the descendant of an old friend, one of the last lines of true human seers with a gift strong enough to call on it at will.
Polinka now inhabited the exact same shop that her ancestor had bought centuries ago. Harian had helped her acquire the captial, though, she would not explain exactly how.

*~*~*
Team Museum

The Tretyakov Gallery. There was a barrier about the museum that kept them on the sidewalk, they couldn't even set foot in the square surrounding the building.
There were three guards, all armed, standing guard out front, just inside the barriers, and likely, there were guards at the back as well. They needed to get past.
"What do you suggest?" Jophiel turned to his companions, looking for inspiration. "If we cause too much of a commotion it might tip our informant off and we'll lose him."

Sneak past the guards without making a scene.

*~*~*
Team John

They wound their way through tiny little streets, that had likely been there for as long as the little shop they searched for.
"It was definitely this way." Harian said, sounding a little less sure than she had before.
They walked on for a while longer until Harian shouted: "Aha!"
She ran up to a narrow door, painted black with a golden eye done in intricate detail right in the center. The door was locked, but underneath was a keypad with seemingly random symbols, a fish, a pot, a flower, a shoe, a bee and an "A".
There was an inscription over top of the pad, in Russian, though it shimmered slightly if one stared at it too long and the letters began to look familiar:
"The hand sows, the eyes reap." Harian read aloud. "It's a riddle. I'll bet just one of these symbols is the answer."

Solve the riddle to get inside.

Lioness075 andujarprime The Velveteen Rabbit Naberius Crazy Trey-n KhazTheGiraffe GamerCarrot Feywild

 

[Naberius]

Gabriel flashed Harian a warm, calm smile. He couldn't help but picture her as a mother, with how well she had taken to handling the baby. Though if he ever said as much, she'd probably burn his favorite coat.
"Don't worry, it takes a lot to put me done for the count. I'll be fine. We have a good team, have faith."

He pondered the situation they found themselves in. He could certainly make it past the guards and security measures easily enough, but the problem was the barrier. And they had no idea what would be waiting for them on the other side of the door. And the issue of actually making it inside the building was a bit of a snag as well. It was an interesting situation and he briefly felt like a protagonist in a spy thriller.
"If I could get close, I could probably circumvent whatever mundane, mortal defenses they might have like cameras and trip wires. But I'm stumped as to how to get into the building unless everyone here can free-climb the side of a building. Or fly. Cheaters."
He began making mental notes on the surrounding areas, trying to hash out a plan in his mind before presenting it to the rest of the group. Hopefully something came to him soon.

@ SilverFlight Lioness075 andujarprime The Velveteen Rabbit Crazy Trey-n KhazTheGiraffe GamerCarrot Feywild

 

[Feywild]

Strutting through the doorway and peering around, Zoya’s eyes shifted around in interest as she took in the scenic surroundings, before narrowing in on a baby John who screeched ecstatic and seemingly wanted her of all people. Those little grabby hands, so small, it would be so easy to lean down and let them potentially grab fistfuls of silken hair, to maybe offer them her own pinky to latch onto. Pathetic. Instead she simply glowered at the child, her lip jutting upwards as she sneered and snapped her head away in silent defiance. It only lasted for a moment though, her eyes softened when she heard the whining continue.

There she was again, it seemed so distant yet so familiar, perhaps nothing had really changed at all. The gloom of the room, how her hands felt so heavy and itched to loop themselves in her hair, anything would be better than facing the daggers of guilt and sorrow that pricked into her, they were too hesitant to take the plunge now but that didn’t mean it wasn’t going to happen. Suffering was inevitable. Then it was gone, she was still here, she was still alive. Left with her mind clouded and concerns scattered, Zoya shifted away from Harian and John, her heart caught in her throat as she peeked back at the baby, looking away completely when it was too much.

***​

Glancing at the guards with a quirked brow, the Vila flicked her hair out of her face and turned her gaze to the team assembled, “I can fly, maybe even carry people up if they really can’t make the climb.” Zoya smirked at Gabe, it shouldn’t be cheating if you were just naturally blessed. “As for distractions, I got nothing.” She shrugged unhelpfully, choosing to pick at her nails and wait for someone else to pipe up with a plan that evaded her mind. “I don’t think I can really help much here other than standing around and looking pretty.” Her mind was still foggy, she couldn’t think straight and she knew it wouldn’t be the best idea to get involved in a commotion that required coherent trains of thought and planning.

SilverFlight Lioness075 andujarprime The Velveteen Rabbit Crazy Trey-n KhazTheGiraffe GamerCarrot Naberius

 

[GamerCarrot]

Seeing both Falarion and Zoya whisper and giggle amongst themselves she felt her heart sink, a deep red spanning over her cheeks. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they were giggling about her, yet she couldn't figure out why. Looking down at her side where the wound once was she saw it had turned into a scar, maybe she could leave them to their own devices so that she didn't feel so out of place because of their giggling. Grabbing the edge of the pool she went to lift herself out before Zoya's voice stopped her, she looked over and saw their apologetic smile which sort of relieved Hayle. Smiling back she let out a small chuckle "Well if it does doom us all feel free to blame me, I did help bring it here." she hoped the baby wouldn't cause them any harm or any issues to the group and if it did there wasn't a lot it could do till it got older. Feeling refreshed and since her wound had healed into a scar Hayle hopped out of the pool and grabbed a towel she had brought with her, drying herself with the towel she smiled at Falarion and Zoya "Well it was nice talking to you both." she smiled and waved both of them goodbye before heading back into the house.

***

Arriving at Moscow three week after adopting John, the new little addition to the group she decided that she would help Harian with discovering who John actually was and learn a bit more about him. Following Harian along they came across a door with a riddle on it, rubbing the back of her neck Hayle looked at the inscription a bit more carefully. Thinking for a bit on what the answer maybe "The hand sows the eyes reap?" she whispered to herself, looking at their options she pointed out the flower "The flower? I mean that's the more obvious option right? You sow the seed and your eyes reap the reward of watching the flower bloom and seeing all your hard work pay off." she spoke a bit unsure if it was the right answer, to her it was the only likely conclusion so there wasn't much of an option but Harian and the others may have a different answer to her.

SilverFlight Feywild Lioness075 Naberius KhazTheGiraffe Crazy Trey-n andujarprime The Velveteen Rabbit

 

[andujarprime]

Ayramis stepped through the portal and took in a deep breath. Behind him was his Jackal, since he's been with the group it seemed to always want to be out now. More people to interact and play with he guessed. He watched as little John reached and grasped with a smile. "Can I take him?" Ayramis asked, surprising even himself. That smile brought back fond memories from long ago, and it sparked an impulsiveness he hadn't felt in a while. He reached and picked up the baby, who let out a short laugh at the change in hands and faces. Ayramis found himself making silly faces at the babe and laughing along with him. He let his scarf flow from around his neck, and fasten itself around him and the baby, like a baby carrier he had seen before. The glyphs for protection pulsed twice as the baby was fastened snuggly and then they were still. "we're off to see the wizard then? Well, seer in this case." He joked as he followed Harian and the rest of his group. Coming upon the door, he looked at the symbols and began to think of the answer. He nodded at Hayle's answer but held up a finger. "The same could also be said about the pot no? One sows their seeds into the pot, or soil. Whatever the seed blooms into, the eye will reap the rewards. It can be more than just a flower." He explained his thoughts, his index fingers from both hands held by John's fingers.

SilverFlight GamerCarrot KhazTheGiraffe and anyone else on team John

 

[KhazTheGiraffe]

The group was quick to split up into two different teams after arriving in Moscow. Each had their own objective and wasted no time taking the necessary steps to accomplish it. Hino had elected to stay with team baby, as he felt he had a connection with John. He, too, was quiet, occasionally cranky, and did not speak. It was also far easier to protect him if he could keep an eye on him. Team John had arrived in Russia to visit a seer to find out what exactly John was. This was not the Thunder God's first interaction with an individual who can see beyond the mortal plane. The elders of many tribes had been given these gifts to help them predict changing weather, animal migrations, and danger. However, he hadn't spoken to one in quite a long time and he was well aware that seer's in other cultures were... strange.

As they wound there way through the streets, Hino offered a reassuring smile to the baby that was resting in Ayramis' arms. Above them flew Volt who only occasionally swooped down to surprise the Jackal before soaring back upwards. Harian's triumphant sound led him to believe that they had arrived at there destination, but there was a small roadblock; a riddle had to be answered before entering. Hino considered the arrangement of words and symbols silently. Hayle and Ayramis came to well thought out conclusions before he did, believing the answer to be the flower and pot, respectively, but these answers seemed off to him. They were too obvious. Seer's were crafty and not well known for there straightforwardness.

"I think we are looking at the answer far too literally. While the flower and pot are the obvious answer, they also feel like a trick. I wonder if we should be thinking outside the box for this," He covered his mouth with his hand as he mulled over the symbols a bit longer before turning back to the group, "I could be wrong... but I think the answer is the 'A'. 'The hand sows, the eyes reap'," He paused for a moment to let the group reflect, "'A' is a letter, right? We can write it down, and we can read it. Well... The hand sows, that could be interpreted as writing. The hand writes the words. And the eyes reap could be reading. We use our eyes to read. Therefore, I think... the answer is the 'A'." He confirmed. His voice was a little faltered as he wasn't entirely confident that he was right or that he explained his reasoning well.

SilverFlight GamerCarrot andujarprime

 

[SilverFlight]

Jophiel regarded his team thoughtfully.
"I, well...deception really isn't my forte, but I might be able to impersonate one of the guards and distract them long enough for you to slip into the complex. I think I can persuade them to let me in, Gabriel, if you could do something about the cameras, then we can work on getting inside."
He wished Harian was here. She was good at breaking into places.
"Shall we try it?"

The glamour was very convincing. Jophiel had mimicked the uniforms almost perfectly. He marched up to the gate and spoke in fluent Russian. The guards' attentions turned to him, leaving an opening for the others.

Once inside there were ample ways to get in, all likely protected by the alarms and several security cameras. Jophiel lead them around to the side of the building where a small room jutted out of the ground floor. The windows revealed it to be the guard room, with monitors lining one wall and a security guard asleep in his chair in front of them.
Jophiel went to one of the doors, checked it. "No good, we'll need to kill the electric locks before we can get in."

Inside the museum, a nervous figure waited. He only had one small talisman to protect him from the thing that was roaming the gallery halls. The shadows flickered out of the corner of his eye and he turned quickly. Nothing there, only the forlorn look of a woman in an old oil portrait...but..he could have sworn that for a second, he saw the woman smile...

*~*~*

Harian considered all their answers carefully.
"Both those suggestions seem logical, but flowers can also bloom without a hand to sow them, or eyes to reap them..."
Hino offered his answer and Harian smacked a fist onto her open palm.
"I think that's it! A letter is the only thing a hand has to sow! And nothing comes of it unless there's an eye to read it. The answer is the letter."
Harian glanced at her friends before stepping forward. She had no idea what sort of defenses the seer might have...the door itself might have been rigged as a trap.
"...keep John back." She advised, before reaching out and pressing the letter "A".
For a moment nothing happened. Then there was a faint click and the door swung open.
As Harian pushed it further in she examined the other side. Each of the other symbols on the keypad had been connected to glyphs on the inside of the door. Harian only recognized a few...but she did know they were used in some fairly nasty hexes.
"Jeez, this lady is not playing."

"Who are you?!" And aged voice snapped, the Russian accent was heavy. "Why hev you brought such a foul aura into my home?"
Harian looked at the others in the silence that followed. Then the voice spoke again.
"Step in zen...come through to sitting room...I hev made tea."
The room looked like it had hardly changed since the shop was built over 200 years ago: The furniture was all dark wood, varnished and often inlaid with abalone or mother of pearl, cut into complex patterns of flowers or animals. The floor was covered in antique persian rugs, and a ming dynasty vase sat on a pedestal by big bay window, glass misty with age. There was an old porcelain tea set on the table, a teapot steaming with a freshly-made brew
The sofa was threadbare and had once been a deep green velvet. On the sofa, piled in at least four wool sweaters, floral scarf covering her grey hair, glasses so thick she looked more like an owl than a person, sat the seer.
"So...you explain. I vant to hear your own words...vy hev you come to Polinka?"

Lioness075 andujarprime The Velveteen Rabbit Naberius Crazy Trey-n KhazTheGiraffe GamerCarrot Feywild

 

[GamerCarrot]

Hayle was a little shocked about the answer to the riddle but as she thought about it, it made more sense. She looked over at Ayramis who was holding John and making silly faces at the child, smiling at how cute the little interaction she smiled at John. But her admiration at the scene was quickly interrupted when the door swung open and she heard a Russian voice speak to the group, when they asked about the foul aura that they were bringing she looked back at John who she assumed they were talking about. It was so strange to think about a small child being so dangerous since at his current age but I guess that just comes with being the Anti-christ. Following behind Harian, she noticed the hex's all around the door. Had they not chosen the right answer she could only wonder what would've happened to all of them. Looking around the seers home she was taking it all in, the woman's taste in decoration was a bit strange but she guessed it sort of suited the old woman. Since no one was really speaking up when Polinka asked her question, gesturing to the small infant who was now looking around the room with great curiosity she smiled at Polinka. "Well... we came to see you about the child." It was very obvious that she really wasn't the person to be giving Polinka answers. She wasn't sure what she could tell her "We just wish to know more about him and what he may grow up and turn into?" she looked at Harian very unsure if what she was saying was what the group wanted but in her mind all she wanted to do was know more about John.
SilverFlight andujarprime KhazTheGiraffe

 

[andujarprime]

Ayramis stood back, his arms protectively around John. Stepping in through the doorway he could feel the energy from the wards and triggering hexes. He wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of those, that's for sure. He stepped in cautiously looking at his surroundings. He slowly made his way around the room, giving the seer a wide berth and stopping at the window. He looked outside as Hayle spoke then turned to the Seer. “That tea smells rather inviting Miss Polinka. Do you mind if I call you by your name, rather than some lofty title?” He asked taking a few steps closer to the table then finally taking a seat beside her. The seer was cautious, yes. Possibly dangerous, but Ayramis was not one to show fear, nor display rudeness. Especially when there was tea present, it almost always called for decorum and polite conversation. “May I?” He asked signaling to the tea pot.

SilverFlight GamerCarrot KhazTheGiraffe

 

[Naberius]

"If they start to catch on, try and get a signal to me somehow. I can cause a nice big distraction to get them off you. The locks and cameras are a piece of cake, I've hacked gameboys with higher security."
Gabriel's confidence was at an all time high, due mostly to recent events in his personal life. He was already putting together a plan of approach to get close to the building and splice into their security. This particular part of the mission was exactly the sort of thing he excelled at. He started pulling things from his duster pockets: the small gray box from the last mission, his gun, a tazer and zip ties. He put these in his pants pockets, needing to shed the coat to make sure his mobility wasn't compromised.
"Ready when you are, Cas."

SilverFlight Feywild

 

[KhazTheGiraffe]

Hino puffed his chest with pride as the door swung open after he offered his solution to the riddle. An old woman greeted them in a very sudden and possibly rude way, though he wasn't entirely sure.

"Shouldn't she already know who we are and why are we here? She is a seer after all." He whispered skeptically to the others as they walked through the entrance. The room before him appeared to be old, cramped, and quite cluttered. There were seemingly meaningless pieces of furniture, rugs, and knick-knacks scattered around the various surfaces in the apartment and it made Hino very conscious of his size. He had very nearly almost knocked over a pedestal with a somewhat expensive looking blue and white vase as he walked past it. Fortunately, he managed to catch both just as they started to plummet to the ground. In the center of a living room sat a mound of old coats that looked out of place. Of course, it was not a pile of coats, it was the seer Polinka, though Hino did not realize until she spoke up once more.

Hino was once again feeling uneasy, though it seemed to be a reoccurring theme every time he set out on an adventure with this group of people. But once again, he was in an unfamiliar continent, under dangerous circumstances, surrounded by accident prone individuals. It didn't help that he was also very wary of this seer woman. He had learned not to trust humans outside of his people who dabbled with any manner of magic.

SilverFlight GamerCarrot andujarprime

 

[SilverFlight]

The old lady nodded and smiled at Hayle. "Such a charming girl. You hev nice manners."
She watched with a careful eye as Ayramis skirted her, smiling at him too as he offered to pour the tea.
"I hev no titles, no epithets, unlike you, Master of ze Dead. I em simply Polinka."
She glared at Hino, with something of a perspicacious smile.
"I do know vy you are here. I esked for your own vords...because it iz you who do not know." She jabbed a weathered finger at him and got up with great effort.
"Bring me ze child." She held out her hands for baby John.
Harian caught Ayramis' eye and nodded.
When John was brought to her he broke into a happy smile, and Polinka smiled back.
"You vish to know if zis baby iz truly a force of darkness."
She took John and cradled him in one arm, placing a bony hand on the pink tummy of his elephant onsey. Something began to shine under her fingers. When she took them away a sigil was there, violent red and glowing angrily.
"A human baby iz only potential. No baby ken ever be vat you are thinking he iz. No baby ken be antichrist. Zat path iz chozen, far down along ze life. It iz not zomething you are born to."
"Then what the heck is that?" Harian asked, a little worried about the mark. It looked an awful lot like a binding sigil.
"Zis is mark zat was given to ze child...zis is vat iz giving you ze bad feeling. Not child's aura, zis dark magic. John iz...just baby."
Harian had a lot of questions. But she let the others speak first.
KhazTheGiraffe andujarprime GamerCarrot

*~*~*

It took Jophiel a moment to realize Gabriel had addressed him.
"Why do you keep calling me "Cas"?" He asked, genuinely curious.
The locks did not take long at all. Gabriel was as good as Jophiel had predicted and he nodded his approval as he opened the door for all of them.
The hallway was dark, and the guard was still fast asleep in his room. Easy enough to sneak by.
Jophiel lead the way to the rendez-vous point, pen at the ready.
"Stay sharp, we must catch this man and draw out what he knows about the strange capsules and the Spring of Power."
There were masses of white rooms, each one lined with paintings, from portraits and landscapes to still-lifes, and from every century right back to the renaissance.
The room they had been told to meet in however was empty. There were seats set in the center of the room, facing outward to viewers could look at the works of art.
On the floor by one of the chairs was a cap. If anyone went to investigate, they would find it still warm from wearing. Out of the corners of their eyes it might have seemed like something moved, but when they checked, they could only see the still, silent paintings, pale faces looking about out at them with neutral expressions.
Close to one of the paintings, on the ground, were a few spots of dark red, and some also on the frame of it...only a quick examination would tell the investigator that it was certainly not paint.
Feywild Naberius Inheritance Poenix Hunter The Velveteen Rabbit

 

[Naberius]

"What, you've never watched Supernatural before? We have Netflix, what do you do all day? Castiel. Angel, wears a trench coat, barely understands how humans work? Nevermind..."
Gabriel put his all into tearing through the security measures. When they made their way inside, he drew his gun and made sure to cover their rear just in case there was a guard rotation that happened by at a very unfortunate time. They made their way through the building, encountering no one. It was when he noticed the hat that he got a really bad feeling. Something was....off.
"Not to sound cliche, but....it's quiet. Too quiet. I don't like this. We should have at least caught sight of someone by now, one of the people who set this meeting up. Or heard something."

SilverFlight Feywild

 

[Feywild]

Slinking through the hushed halls, Zoya stood silent as the three reached the supposed meeting spot, there was no one to meet. Suppressing a shudder, the blonde frowned, this whole time the most peculiar feeling of being watched had been continuously washed over her. There was no one there, not when she looked at least, but she could’ve swore that there was movement and shadows that weren’t supposed to exist lingering in the corner of her eye.

“Last time I checked you are always sounding cliche, especially with Hari-“ her snickering was cut off when she noticed the flecks of crimson spattered onto the ground, instantly shutting up as she raked her gaze over the dark spots. Inhaling sharply, the vila cursed quietly to herself as she saw the same red speckled on the frame. Zoya would’ve assumed it was paint in most other situations, still hoped it was, but with the circumstances and how it was coagulating and not setting like any paint she’d seen, it all illustrated a rather sinister image in her mind.

“Uh, I think something happened to someone, there’s blood over here.” Zoya informed with narrowed eyes as she regarded the scarlet spots once more, now smearing her finger in the blood marring the frame and sniffing it curiously.

SilverFlight Naberius

 

[Naberius]

"I don't like this. Stay on your toes. This whole situation feels wrong. Joph, you see anything? I don't suppose angels have super vision or something do they?"
Gabriel's words may have made it appear he was nervous, but a better way to describe his current mental state would be anxiously alert. People who are used to being the hunter did not tend to take being hunted very well. He checked his weapon making sure the safety was off and a round was chambered, and made his way around the room, looking for any sign that they weren't alone. He felt like he was being watched, regardless of what area of the room he stood in.
He caught occasional bursts of sudden movement out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned there was nothing. He imagined this was what it was like to be hunted by a pack of wolves.


SilverFlight Feywild

 

[Feywild]

There was nothing off about the blood when she sniffed, just the usual acrid pungency of normal blood. “Of course this feels wrong, whoever we were meant to be meeting isn’t here and we are surrounded by a bunch of still paintings even though I swear I can see something moving.” Zoya wiped the blood on her finger on the inside of her wrist as she spoke a little irritated, striding over to the hat Gabriel had noticed and plucking it up off of the floor, a frown flitting onto her face as it was still warm from wear. “A human was here moments before we arrived, it’s human blood on the frame,” Zoya muttered, brows knitting together as she tried to piece together what’d happened, “whatever happened to make their blood be over there and a hat still warm certainly wasn’t awhile ago, I doubt that what caused it has just vanished.”

Now she was definitely tense, it didn’t add up. Why was it she could see movement but never actually identify anything when she looked? She didn’t feel like she was alone, obviously she had Jophiel and Gabriel with her, but there was the strangest sense of there being more than just three beings present. With her eyes landing on the paintings, Zoya quirked her brows when her gaze rested on the bloodied frame from before, “the blood on the frame must mean something, maybe we need to appreciate the paintings a little more.” She murmured, fixing the cap they’d found onto her own head and slinking back towards the frame, hand trailing down it and her eyes boring into the painting and then the surrounding others. The portraits had been cleverly painted where they would always hold your gaze, whilst she loved art and wanted to admire the skill, to have so many portraits blankly stare back was quite unnerving.

“I think we should check the paintings.”

SilverFlight Naberius

 

[GamerCarrot]

Being complimented by such a strange woman made Hayle smile, she moved over to the couch and sat down on any available spot hoping Polinka wouldn't mind the slight chill in the air. Listening to everyone voice their concerns she sat quietly as Polinka held the baby and showed a strange symbol on the baby's stomach, her eyes widen with concern. The first thought in her mind was why would someone do this to a child? If John was just a normal baby why bother with the mark? Looking over at Polinka she looked at the old woman with concern "Why would someone put such a mark on a child?" She asked before her eyes drifted down to John "You say it's dark magic? But what sort of mark is it. I assume it isn't just for giving us a bad feeling right? It has to have some sort of purpose." She wasn't too familiar with dark magic so she wasn't quite sure if her questions were even a necessary thing to ask but then again she was curious, looking over to Harian who seemed to be equally as confused as she was she decided to ask her a question too. "What now? If John isn't the anti-christ what should we do?" she knew Harian may not have the answer just yet but she still needed to ask her.
SilverFlight andujarprime KhazTheGiraffe

 

[SilverFlight]

Jophiel examined the hat carefully. The energy in the room felt...off. When Zoya found blood on one of the paintings he frowned.
"I think this may have something to do with why he wanted one of those capsules...but if our man is no longer around, it means we've lost our only lead."
He glanced back at Gabriel, thumbing the cap of his pen as his eyes shifted for another turn about the room. "Not super vision per se, but I can sense a very malicious intent..."
It was when Zoya went to examine the paintings that Jophiel shivered violently.
"Whatever it is it's--" But he didn't have time to finish. Three of the painted figures, sitting so perfectly in their gilded frames suddenly turned black, with black, void-like eyes and cruel fangs. Their hands shot out of the frames, seemed to stretch, inky, skinless sinew and grasping, razor claws. The grabbed for each of the room's occupants.
The first seized Jophiel's arm, bit into it savagely. There was a burst of flame and the sword sheered the thing off at the wrist. The stump went trailing back into the painting and a foul screech rent the air.
The other two limbs latched themselves onto Gabriel and Zoya and with an immense force tried to drag them back toward the paintings.

Feywild Naberius Inheritance Poenix Hunter The Velveteen Rabbit

*~*~*

Harian's jaw nearly dropped. She was relieved, but the relief only paved the way for sincere bafflement.
"John isn't the antichrist?" This was only the first of what seemed like a growing pile of questions. "How the heck did they pull one over on the angels? And who would set up a normal human baby to take that kind of fall?"

Polinka held up one weathered hand. "The Haylushka iz right, there iz purpose for zis..but iz very dark tale."
"I think we need to hear this." Harian said gravely, looking around the room at the others. Polinka looked resigned, even a little sad.
"Once, many thousands of years ago zere was great mortal king. He waz famed throughout his land, and loved by his gods...he defeated much evil in his time, learning magic zat was beyond the skill of most. Zere was one god, who praised his rule above all others. Zis god offered him gift, anything he desired. King made his wish. He wished to hev ability to grant power, to whom ever he deemed worthy of it. Ze god broke a stone at his feet and water poured forth. It made spring. "Whoever drinks waters from Spring of Power will gain all strength of king." Said ze god. Vat king did not realize vas, god vas actually demon in disguise. He took advantege of king's pride, and of evil in hearts of subjects. King vas killed by own brother, whom had been ze first to drink from Spring. A hundred years of bloodshed followed, Spring was used for such evil purpose, until one day, great mage sealed Spring of Power deep in cave under ze earth, where no one would find it, and she sealed door with unbreakable enchantment with only one condition to open..."
Polinka reached for something on the table next to the tea pot. It was a small, stone tablet, written in a language long dead. As Harian gazed at it she found she could read it, though she did not recognize any of the characters.
"Why can I understand what it says?"
Polinka nodded, "Because I let you. I em lest guardian of location of Spring."
This was a lot to take in all at once, but Harian leaned in to see the stone tablet, and read the inscription carved into it:

"To open the doors is to flood the world with darkness...the key can only he turned by the intent of the pure, shedding the blood of the innocent."
She looked to Polinka for answers.
"Symbol on baby's body iz spell. If he is killed by someone pure of heart, spell vill open gates to Spring."
Harian blinked, thinking of how close they'd come.
"Like an angel." She said gravely, "or half the gods on our team or...Gabriel."
A heavy hand slammed itself onto the door several times. Harian jumped, Polinka only looked pained.
"Ah...ve are out of time."

Outside there were three dark figures, one much larger and bulkier than the others, pounding on the door. Their collars were up and they were wearing hats, though a quick look at their shadowed faces told the team that they were not mortal.

KhazTheGiraffe andujarprime GamerCarrot

 

[Naberius]

Gabriel was so preoccupied with trying to puzzle out what was wrong with their current situation that he didn't notice the shift until something already had ahold of his arm. He was pulled backwards, stumbling over his own feet and he hit the ground. He let his instincts take over, and as he was about to be pulled into the frame, he spun and braced his feet against the wall on either side of it using his center of gravity to keep from toppling forward headfirst into the horrifying maw. He knew he couldn't overpower whatever this thing was, but he had something that had never failed him before. He placed the barrel of his .45 against the arm that held him and pulled the trigger, blowing a sizeable piece out of it and causing the thing to recoil in pain as he hit the ground again. He lept to his feet and scrambled back towards the center of the room, as far away from any of the paintings as he could get.

"What actual fuck are those?!"

SilverFlight Feywild

 

[Feywild]

“Aha! I knew it!” Was Zoya’s triumphant cry as the paintings warped and twisted in their frames, her fist raised proudly as it had been the paintings after all. “Oh shit guys we’ve been had.” Zoya’s smile vanished, mouth agape as the paintings certainly did not seem friendly whatsoever, latching themselves firstly onto Jophiel and then onto herself and Gabriel. Often when arms snaked around her body, it was intimate, now was not one of those times. Attempting to recoil only made the creatures grip stronger as she was yanked backwards, a yelp bursting from her lips. Flailing one of her hands around behind her, she stalled being dragged towards the paintings as she desperately began to claw away at the blackened limbs with a now taloned hand of her own. Sure it wasn’t as effective as Jophiel’s fancy flaming sword, but it got the job done after enough slashing and she’d hacked her way through both of the arms, leaving misshapen and odd stumps below what she supposed were elbows as they drew away and retreated.

Scampering away to join Gabriel in the centre of the room, Zoya whirled around with a clawed finger pointed accusingly at the things, face painted in anger. “Don’t touch me you uglies!” Her outburst switched to her shooting a look of both bewilderment and fury at Gabriel and his question, he had a point. What the actual fuck where these things?

SilverFlight Naberius