15790/Fall out from monster smack down

Fall out from monster smack down
Date of Scene:	12 November 2023
Location:	Mexican desert
Synopsis:	The last mop up of the trip to face the dogmen and chupacabra.
Cast of Characters:	Harry Dresden, Willow Rosenberg, Satana

---

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry is still moving a bit slow, but moving. He tells River Shoulders, a masive sentient sasquatch, that he intends to bring someone in that he doesn't need to be around. It would be difficult for all involved so the big beast decides to be scarce for a few hours.

He turns to Willow and hands her a card,"Call this number and tell Satana these coordinates." He hands her a card with the lattitude and longitude on it."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Of course. Harry doesn't have a cell phone. Noooooo! He depends upon people like Willow to have one.

"Okay, but you realize I will have to be downwind from you." Okay, it doesn't matter if she was downwind, she just said that. The trick is to stand away from him.

So she did.

Putting her phone back together, and peering at the number. "Great, it's long distance from here. You do know that, Harry. Long. Distance." Still she put the number in, and waited.

*ring*

*ring*

*ring*

Satana has posed:
It's the modern age, not the dark ages. Willow doesn't get the old-timey ring-ring-ring-ring sound in her hear. Instead she gets...

        Color me your color, baby
        Color me your car
        Color me your color, darling
        I know who you are
        Come up off your color chart
        I know
        where you are coming from

        Call me (Call me) on the line
        Call me, call me any, anytime

...

And so on. That '80s classic from Blondie that couldn't be escaped in the age no matter how hard you tried. And it's coming in with clarity that a mobile phone should technically not be able to deliver. Because of course it is.

The song is rudely cut off by a husky voice, breathy, a little ragged.

"The number you have reached," Satana's contralto says, "is mid-climax. Please hang up and call back in a few seconds ..." Some kind of gutteral growl escapes her throat. "... or days when it's over. Or leave your message at the tone. Beep."

Yes. She spoke the beep. There's a pause and then a giggle.

"Sorry, Willow, I couldn't resist. Are you ready to start your lessons?"

The breathiness and raggedness is gone.

"Or do you just want the climax to be real and yours?"

Succubus. Dammit.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Uh.. Yes? But what I was really phoning you about is Harry. You know.."

And she went on explaining who Harry was. Because she's Willow.

"I think he is in trouble, Right.." Willow yelled at him. "Right? You want her to help? How would she get here fast enough?" As though she didn't arrive here in one of those very such ways.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry is far enough from the phone to not know what was said. He does roll his eyes and laugh softly when he replies,"I'll pay you phone bill this month Willow." he suggests simply enough.

He looks over the desert and there is no sign of the bigfoot, but a few tracks. He levels his walking stick and pushes will through it,"Forzare!" A force wave of powers makes the footprints flat sand again.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Like I said. He's hurt. And I think there is more to it. But I'm not sure. Because he won't tell me the truth." Louder so that Harry can hear the sentence after, "Right, Harry? He doesn't trust me."

When he does. Just he knows to call in the cavalry when it is needed.

Enter Satana. The cavalry.

Satana has posed:
"Oh dear. Harry is hurt? Is he dying? That would be terrible ... if I wasn't there to ... guide his soul!"

Satana. Putting the 'psycho' into 'psychopomp'.

In her Boston mansion, Satana makes the gesture that turns whatever room she's in into a telephone receiver and transmitter so she can prepare while she talks. Sweeping through her study, she quickly gathers up what she needs to become effective at combat, at escape, at evasion, at seduction.

*Sigh.* Succubus.

Vials and envelopes and scrolls and ritual objects are tossed into a leather bag too small to hold them all ... yet holds them all.

"I'll be there right away, Willow," she says reassuringly. "Just let me collect a few items..."

She stops at her wardrobe and is instantly faced with decision paralysis. Sexy and slutty? Sexy and regal? Sexy and domineering? Sexy and ... There was so much to choose between and so little information on what would be appropriate. She finally chooses sexy Queen of Hell: revealing yet awe-inspiring, complete with growing a full circle of ram's horns out of her head, the bat wings, the thigh-high laced boots with six inch heels. The bustierre that enhanced her already impressive upper physique. And the long, ever-flowing, never-still cape waving behind her, with her rod of office, complete with white grinning skull on top, hung at her waist. Thankfully putting all this on was just a matter of momentary will exertion and ... she was there.

"Should I bring along some imps? Even maybe a fiend or two?" she asks. "I'm ready to come now..." Her voice goes sly. "...and I can be there in a few seconds too, but if you think I need to bring assistants..."

*Sigh.* Succubus.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry gives Willow a smirk and shakes his head. The smirk changes to a frown and he motions Willow to hurry. The blasting rod appears in his hand again and he faces the western landscape, opposite the direction River Shoulders went.

"We have company." he tells her and suddenly, it is urgent. Hsi voice tells it all as he shakes his shield bracet down and mutters,"I guess they really are afraid of him."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Assistance?

Harry said just call this number. He didn't ask for assistance.

"Uh, I don't think you will need anybody else." *bing* Willow realizes what she is for. "I'm supposed to help you." Well, maybe not, but that's what she is going for. "You can call it my first lesson."

If she thought about it she may not have offered. Still, there you have it. Willow and Satana.

"Hurry, please."

Satana has posed:
"I do very much hate..." Satana starts to say. A ring of fire and smoke appears near the pair, the smoke smelling of sulphur and the gate emitting the screams of the tortured damned. It quickly widens to about a 2 metre diameter, revealing in its centre a literal Hellscape of fire, of demonic hordes torturing larger hordes of sinners. And revealing the form of the self-styled Queen of Hell, bat wings idly flapping, eyes burning with the very same flame that surrounds her. She steps through and the door vanishes behind her leaving only oily smoke stains on the ground and the lingering foul sttench of brimstone. "...being rushed," she continues in person, putting away her phone. "But since it's you and Harry, and it seems to be some kind of emergency, I'll allow it."

Allow it. She's certainly doing the regal act correctly.

If it's an act.

"Now what appears to be the pr..."

She cuts off and looks to the west, frowning, eyebrows knitting together.

"That feels ... not very good."

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry looks into the distance and tells Willow,"Stand beside me so I know where you are and don't have friendly fire." His knee buckles a little and he leans on the walking stick.

When he hears Satana's voice he mutters softly,"I was hoping this was going to be an extraction, but..."

In the distance, three pairs of glowing red eyes are suspended in the air at about 10 feet. The moon casts enough of a back light to reveal there heavily muscled beasts, more of the dogmen,"There are three corpses behind us, one to the right, and another body I realized is alive still, not by much."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow hangs up her phone, and disconnects the battery - just in case! She's only got the onephone, and even though her scholarship is pretty generous she doesn't want to jinx it by buying a new everything. Especially since this one still worked.

She slipped into the circle of Harry's regard. "What do we do?"

Satana has posed:
"For starters," Satana says through gritted teeth as the dogmen approach, "we bolster Harry. I can feel his shields slipping. My original plans for your first lesson consisted of me distracting you while you put up and held up a shield." She mercifully doesn't mention how distraction was meant to be accomplished. "Instead it appears you're going to learn how to integrate. Concentrate, Willow, feel the flow of mana as I put up my own shield and meld it with Harry's."

Which she does.

Harry's shields are subtle. Invisible. Hard to detect. Which Satana's shields can be, but in this case she chooses not to go that route, both for reasons of expediency and for reasons of signalling to the encroaching figures that the board has changed and they may wish to withdraw rather than press on the attack.

A few gestures. A vial of some foul-smelling substance. "(Black blood of the Earth,)" she explains to Willow conversationally as she withdraws it and starts to sprinkle it around the trio. And from her fingertips erupt flames so intense it seems the very sun has been relocated to the immediate vicinity. The flames stream out of her fingertips to reach Harry's shields, intermingling, bolstering, and weaving in with his in a shimmering orange-red wall of mana that simultaneously serves to defend, and to signal the line across which none shall pass.

"Now, Willow, you have very good shields. PUT THEM UP. Do what I did. Interleave and interlace. You felt the mana flow. Have confidence in yourself!"

Harry Dresden has posed:
Leaning on the walking stick, Harry puts his will into the interweaved shields and he mutters,"They are here for their dead I suspect. I think that's why they are never found." He sounds a little tired, but focused in at least.

The blasting rod dangles in his free hand, ready to feed fire to the monsters.

The dogmen get to the edge of the shield and one touches it, withdrawing it's hand an snarling in a menacing teeth baring, drool flying way. All three lunge against the shield and get pushed back. More growling and snarling.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow indeed had some very good shield. Not that she thought of them that way. Where Harry's were invisible, and subtle, and Satana's were bold, strong, and nearly impenetrable, Willow's were like strands of silk. Very fine. But, oh so hard to cut. She wove them around the other, so that together there were almost a wall of titanium.

Satana has posed:
"OK, I think we've got the shields up so they can't cross. And I love your shield design, Willow. I never thought to emulate spiders. Well done!"

Satana pulls her rod of office out of its holder at her waist and holds it up, routing her Hellfire through it in a circular torrent to keep the shield alive without conscious effort, letting the rod recycle expended mana while drawing from her any lost mana without conscious thought. She throws this to the ground, causing it to stick out of the Earth, grounding the shield further.

"Now let's show these bitches how we do things downstairs."

There's something in her voice that should give any who haven't seen her exposed deep chills. Specifically there's a second voice, almost, but not quite, exactly one octave lower, causing dissonance in her speech that turns her usually melifluous voice into something that screams danger.

"Harry, shall I do the honours?" Hellish flames start to wreath her body, collecting into large balls at her hands. "Or would you like first crack?"

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry shakes his head, concentrating on standing and holding the shield,"I've done my share. Have your fun." he tells her tiredly. He leans heavier on the walking stick and watches all the goings on, glancing behind them to make sure nothing else approaches,"They are fond of Pearl Harbor tactics so you two take them down and I will hold the shield's consistency."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow had only thought of that configuration right now. With Harry's at the base, and Satana's interlinked with his to form a woven blanket, all there was was the cracks. Really she saw it in her minds eye like a silk cocoon stretching itself outfilling the chinks and holes up.

Either way, between the three of them, the shield wall between the three of them was solid.

While Satana was preparing fireballs, and Harry was watching the shield, Willow took a different approach. As Satana had fireballs, she had balls of pulsating energy that throughout with lightning crackling from her hands across them, and to the sky gathering more and more energy as she gathered power to her.

She may have used fire before, but her favourite thing was lightning, and she had practised for many years now in private.

Looking over to Satana, Willow nodded. "When you're ready."

Satana has posed:
"Let's rock this joint!" Satana's double-voice is filled with malicious glee as she gets the chance to harm; to punish and cause pain and/or death. Ever the showgirl, she steps forward, clapping the two hands gathering Soulfire in churning balls together, causing a veritable tornado of flame to reach out, with her at the narrow base, toward one of the attacking beings. Faster than the eye can follow the swirling flames reach out, slide through the joint shield, and envelope one of the dogmen.

The screams and howls of agony are cut mercifully short as the creature dies, immolated, its charred flesh dropping to the ground only to get further charred by Satana, malicious grin on her face, eyes blazing with delight, until it is little more than a pile of charcoal on the ground.

"Can I cook or can I cook?" she finally says as her flames disappear. She proudly surveys her handiwork before signalling Willow. "Your turn. Turn them to kibble."

Harry Dresden has posed:
In the distance something makes a whooping sound that echoes across the sands. Harry turns around and his eyes widen as he levels the blasting rod,"Fuego!!!" he shouts. Neither Satana nor Willow can possibly miss that rather than fire, Harry projects Hellfire into the face of a third dogman trying to get the aforementioned drop on them. The creature's head doesn't stand a chance and the body falls to the ground.

The one dogman left throws itself at the shield again, raking claws and biting at the shield."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow needed no second push. She was ready. In fact if her friends in the Scoobies could see her, they might be a little bit worried. Good thing they weren't there! Well, except for Harry, and she expected he wouldn't blab on her.

The power of the lightning almost lit her up from the inside, creating almost a vision of Galadriel. White with light, but oh so deadly. Only a redhead, and shorter.

In slow motion it seemed as if the last dogman was surrounded by lightning. At first he seemed to be lit up from within. And he laughed. Was /this/ a joke? It seemed that Willow didn't have control? Big power, itty bitty control? He laughed.

Until..

The lightning crackled along the dogman's skin. Each crackle became bigger.. and bigger.. and.. All the atoms began to vibrate, and gradually crackled until they couldn't hold anymore. They exploded out, then just as fast imploded in, until the dogman was no more.

Not even a wisp of smoke. Just.. gone.

Satana has posed:
In the subsequent silence, Satana looks at Willow appraisingly, nodding in approval. "Not quite enough suffering, but that was a good spectacle. Used against a group you could break morale and invoke terror in ways very few can match. Well done, Willow!"

Still in her regal "Queen of Hell" mode, she surveys the surroundings.

"There will come more," she says. "I think you're right about their dead, Harry. We should gather up those bodies and leave. I can stockpile the dead ones in my lab's storage and I have a place to contain the one that's not quite dead yet. A contingent of imps can keep it from escaping." Her mouth curls into a smile as she looks over Harry. "And you're welcome to visit my abode any time, Harry Dear. And you too, Willow. And while you're visiting for the oh so many pleasures I can supply, you might want to look in on the subjects as well."

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry leans on the walking staff a little harder and he nods,"You did great Willow. Very impressive." He looks at the dogman with the incinerated head as well as the one that is fully incinerated as well.

"I want you to get Willow back home too please." Harry tells Satana,"I can make my way back through the NeverNever in a few days. I am too tired and spent to do it right now." He smirks a little at the being right comment,"Some other time that might be reassuring, Princess of Hell telling me I'm right."

He looks at Willow and gives her a look,"I will be fine. I just need to rest and heal up. I have a watcher." She gives her a wink and looks back to Satana.

"Once I get back, I will be only too glad to come to your abode. I want to see what theses monstrous things are made of." He indicates a pile of smaller bodies,"Chupacabra, several, if you want a body or two of those."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Ooops? They might have wanted the dogman for research?

Wait a minute.. Why did they want them? Should she plug her ears so that she didn't listen to them? Then again, given what she had just done, could she could say that she was better then they were?

Probably, in this instance, not.

Nodding to Harry, she agrees, however reluctantly, that she probably should go home. "But you'll call as soon as you come back, right? And if you aren't back within a week, I'm coming to find you."

Turning to Satana she nods.

Satana has posed:
Surveying the scene, Satana picks out a few bodies that she's going to claim for research, along with the heavily-injured one. Picking up her rod of office, she walks around, tapping each of her selected targets with it to mark it magically.

"Willow," she says, turning to the woman--definitely "girl" no longer after this display of might!, "is the cemetery good enough for dropping you off? Carrying this much I'd rather go along Ley lines between Sunnyvale and home."

Her rod starts to glow, baleful orange light spilling from the eye sockets and mouth of the skull.

"If it is, let's go."

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry nods to Willow and leans on the walking stick,"I'll be home by the end of the week if not before. I need to make sure the rest of this is cleaned up and I am healed up."

He looks to Satana and nods to her,"You two be safe and make sure you try to figure out what makes those tick. It took ridiculous amounts of power to stops these things. One squared with an Amazon and she had to actually put forth some actual effort to put it down."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"I can get home as long as public transit goes near it. So, the graveyard is fine. I live in Gotham by the way."

Willow finds it funny that everyone thinks she is still at home with her parents. (Thank the goddess she moved away!).

Eeek? Willow wonders who was the one that Harry mentioned. Jane? Cassie? They both were fighting hard. All of them were fighting tooth and nail.

"One week, or I'm coming to find you. Be careful, Harry. Okay." She nods to Satana. "Let's go."

Satana has posed:
"If he doesn't come back, come visit me, Willow. I can find anybody. Anywhere." Satana winks. "Which pairs with astral travel in entertaining ways. There's a few very nice men and women I follow around just to watch their bedroom shenanigans."

She shakes her head and focuses, the rod glowing brighter, beams emanating from it to encompass Willow, her selected bodies, and the still-(barely-)living dogman. From Harry's perspective they've all been hit by an old-school Star Trek phaser: wrapped in red, then vanished. From Willow's perspective there's an intense vibrating sensation that, when ending, leaves her and a pile of bodies in the cemetery in Gotham. Satana smiles at her.

"Here you are. Unless you want to come home with me and spend a life of luxury and sensual fulfillment..." She winks and ... now Willow sees the phaser effect, leaving her alone in the graveyard.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry watches as the two prepare to leave. He leans on the staff and watches as they start to vanish. Behind Harry a massive shadow moves into view. Standing close to ten feet tall, the ape like man creature looks for all the world like Bigfoot. Bigfoot takes Harry to go and rest from all the chaos and recover.