The trouble with Magick (Tag Todd!)

[Aurora]

(( OOC: anything spoken, would be in Ancient Greek... Aurora wouldn't know English yet))


"It's Time."

A simple thing spoken, but that's all it takes to make my sisters fall silent, heads slightly bowed, as we all walked in a very specific form into the field circles.
Natural circles are always best for the most potent magick working.
And tonight we had to make every precaution possible.
For tonight, we summon a Creature of negative nature.
Though we all know why we are here, not all of us have been filled in on the reasons behind this ritual.
It's been ordered by the High Priestess, and we support our tribe. We don't need to know.
Now slowly dancing as we start to chant, the ritual begins.
The Highpriestess is shouting incantations into the winds as they pick up and howl all around us, the energy raising to dizzy levels, as our voices get louder, the wind practically ripping our chants from us in it's fury.
At first, the wind is the only visible sign of our working, but soon a dark portal starts to open before the High Priestess, a large taloned hand coming out.
She doesn't flinch back, and shouts words lost to us, no doubt showing her authority in this circle.
But someone else does flinch, one of the sisters stumbling in shock as the creature pulls it's body into full view, her steps breaking our barrier.
And that's when everything falls apart.
The winds continue to thrash, no longer in the circle we summoned, but from every direction almost at once, as if Nature herself was now attacking.
The creature laughs, and grabs the High Priestess off her feet, and that's when I summon my Sword and Shield, no longer chanting, running toward the creature.
With our circle broken, we have no authority here, and I can't stand by and see my High Priestess torn to shreds... I can't!
But before I can come near the creature, everything gets weird, and I can't tell which way is up or down.
And things change.
The field seems to turn to stone, everything changes all around me.
A chemical scent seems to cover everything, and the portal spits me onto the hard ground, shutting closed above me.
I stand up, quickly, my sword and shield out and ready as I try to get my bearings.
But everything's different.
The Creature seems to have dropped me straight into Hades.
The fumes, the sounds, everything feels like an assault, and the portal is gone... none of my Sisters seem to be here with me.
Is this because I was going to attack the creature?
Or did they all get sent somewhere else?
Some big creature tries to blind me, two globes of light coming my way, a loud urgent sound coming from it.
With my blade already drawn, and in a near panic, I attack the creature, it's skin so hard it makes horrible sounds as my Sword cuts into it.
Hot water and steam pour from the foul creature, as screams erupt, and two people seem to push their way out of the belly of the creature, running for their lives.
I hack away on the thing a bit more, before running myself, the creature sputtering and steaming, but no longer moving: I have no worries it will try to eat me now.
But there's other monsters all around, each with their own lights, and honking sounds, and angry people shouting at me.
I run from it all, seeing a place to hide from it, I duck around a corner, and lean up against the strange stone like structure, breathing heavily a moment, before hearing the sounds of someone near by.
Slowly I look over my shield, to see what other horrible creature will try and attack me here, and I see the last thing I expected to see...
A man....

[Todd Garret]

New York was a happening place at night. People just kept coming and going and it was so easy to just grab someone’s wallet – and forget about an ID. No one with basic visual comprehension would bother carding Todd. He looked even more weathered and aged than he actually was, especially in his beat up suit. So long as he stayed quiet in the shop, he could slip in, buy the booze, and get to drinking. He had started late in the afternoon, but he was already waddling around the streets before midnight. He had a nice six-pack of some weird faux-foreign beer and already tossed three bottles away, working on his fourth.

And he had to pee. Like really, urgently pee.

He took a detour from his aimless walk into the first alley he could find. Nature’s bathroom. It took him five minutes to figure out where to set the beer that wasn’t completely disgusting. A pile of quasi-dry newspapers would have to do. He set the two remaining bottles down and kept the half-empty one in hand, maneuvering himself to do his business with his left while still drinking with his right. A perpetual drinking and filtration machine.

Before he was even halfway through the endeavor, he heard a horrible, ear-splitting crunch that actually made his body work faster. Beer and manhood still in hand (and at work), Todd side-stepped to the opening of the alley, almost tripping over himself and making arches on the brick side of the building on several occasions. When he was just about to show the entire street his glory without realizing it, he found himself face to face with a lady.

A big lady.

He lazily craned his head back, the last bit of beer finishing off with a slide down his throat while another liquid finished off elsewhere. One eyebrow raised, he could only stare with the bottle to his lips and his dick in his hand. Big, big lady. Only when he dropped the bottle and heard the smash on the ground did he come to his sense with a jolt. Todd shook his head and tried to get himself back in his pants. Then he paused as a sick urge streaked down his spine. Before zipping, he looked up at the giantess.

“I mean, unless you want to.” He snorted and clapped his hands together. Todd stumbled back. He started groping around for the beer. Then he looked back up.

“Holy shit. You’re a really…really big lady. And what…what’s all that what?” He waved his arm limply gesturing to her weird clothes and was that a sword or something or what? Was he supposed to be worried? He couldn’t keep still, he just kept shuffling back and forth. “What was that that that noise?” He tried to get his balance against the wall, but failed. After trying to walk and find the beer and look at the big lady, he fell back on his ass.

“Ffffuck….” He groaned. Luckily, his ass landed right next to the newspapers that held his beer like a majestic stinky pedestal. He grabbed one of the bottles and screwed off the top, swearing while the edges cut into his palm. Finally, he had his baby back. Instead of getting up, he leaned back on one arm to look up at the weird big lady while he drank.

“You…are you…you gonna kill me?” For some reason, that struck his funny bone, and he starting laughing again.

[Aurora]

The man stumbles a bit, and says things, but it all sounds like gibberish to me.
I tilt my head a moment, watching his every move, not feeling threatened at all from him, even as I have no idea what he's saying.
I suppose not everyone in Hades speaks the same language.
There used to be a 'universal' language, that the tribes taught, for times of trading and such, in my time. But over time it became undependable.
Too many versions being taught, the language changing a bit every generation, until it too became it's own language.
So when that failed, those of us that practice magick were taught a spell, and I mumble the spell now, hoping that it still works in Hades.
The energy of the spell can be felt, but other than that, there's no indication that I cast anything.
I clear my throat, to test it out,

"In my world, an Amazon would have cut that off for hanging out so disrespectfully."

It seems the spell worked. Even as I don't really recognize the words formed from my own mouth, I am sure their meaning is conveyed.
I still don't know what all I missed before the spell, things he's said to me. But it doesn't matter.
If he's a lost soul in Hades, he can't help me get back anyhow.
Moving my shield between us, my sword still summoned but pointed to the ground as there is no threat, I look him over again.
I had assumed that he strange staggering and lack of balance was just a state of being damned. But the more I watch, the more it seems he's intoxicated.
How do the damned claim the glory of Dionysus?
Something isn't right here.
I turn back to the man, hoping he can at least provide the most important answer I need right now,

"Where in Hades are we? Would you know the way to the river Styx?"

Mumbling the rest to myself:

"I need to convince the ferry man to take me back across. The living aren't meant to stay here."

[Todd Garret]

She put her sword down, and that was cool. She had a big sword. Big lady with a big sword. Why was she up so high? And she kept asking all these question things and I wasn't a thesauras. She was so big. She must've eaten the Statue of Liberty Mutual. No. Yes. Something like that. Yeti in New York: news at 11.

"Um...we're in New York...I think." Was my dick in? I looked down. Yeah. "Yeah, it's still there." That totally answered her question. How many beers did I have left? Like at least seven.

"And whatchu mean your world...your world what? No...no this is Earth. Are you a crazy person?" I drank my beer. It wasn't empty. "If you're crazy - and I think you are, just yeah it's Earth. And New York. And New York again and I think this is a ghetto maybe I got no fuckin clue. But if it is an you wanna...wanna mug me...I don't have money. Wait. You said Amazon? Amazon lady? Oh...oh my god...." Holy shit. I scooted back on the pavement.

"Holy shit I'm sorry, Xena, I'm so fucking sorry! I'll stop watching Hercules oh god I didn't know!" I tried to drink more beer but it was gone. "Kevin Sorbo is a dick and I mean I just like the fighting I only get basic cable in motel rooms. Oh shit, I'm sorry." I knew one day the gods of television would smite me. The beer was gone and I couldn't find the last one. Was that the last one? No, like seven left. I had to try to get to my feet.

"Hey...Styx?" I struggled but finally wabbled upwards. Wide stance. Keep my balance. Sort of. "I do. I know Styx. Like I don't know know, but I know. Yeah. Gonna go sail away. Just come sail away, come sail away with Mr. Roboto." Was there weed in my beer? I had to find some more alcohol and beer. I was going to get closer, and I kind of stumbled forward, but lady still had sword.

"Hey, hey...I put mine up, so you have to too...too."