3711/I hate demons

I hate demons
Date of Scene:	22 January 2018
Location:	Queens
Synopsis:	Shadowlite is pursued across the planet by minions of Satannish, ending with a confrontation in Queens.
Cast of Characters:	Redstar, Shadowlite, Shatterpoint, Aquaman, Shadow
Tinyplot:	Awakening

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Redstar has posed:
The city had been hit with a lot this weekend. Tonight sirens wailed in the distance still. Was it that presence she had felt rush past earlier that was the root of all the commotion? The one that left the faintly green trail of fire? Vicky leaned against the railing on the balcony. In the distance an apartment blazed, smoke going to the sky. "Damnit," She says with a frown, wondering if the people who lived there had gotten out. Behind her she lightly fanned her wings, resisting the urge to put her resistance to flame and freeze to good use. But the disappearances...they held her staring with stark worry and frustration on her face.

~There are other heroes, give it a rest and do something fun!~ Starr whined in her mind ~You'll just make ourself sick. I hate nausea.~

Vicky's lip twitches and she sighed, turning from the blaze still frowning. "I can't focus on anything else!"

~I hadn't noticed,~ Comes the dry reply, dripping sarcasm.

Shadowlite has posed:
For his part, Shadowlite had disappeared for most of the day.

That is, until Vicky watched as a dot of pure blackness came into view fron the horizon, followed closely by a pair of... somethings. Shadowlite is flying above the city on his black disk, and is visibly firing some kind of black bolts at the things as he goes. He's going decent fast at 200mph, but those black bolts are doing some serious damage to the city below as well... they seem to burn right through buildings with ease, along with various other city infrastructure. He's doing some real damage on his own, defending himself.

He seems to be holding his own, though. When the two creatures get near him, he forms some sort of Darkforce barrier and controls it to slam it away, dissolving it right after.

All in all, he's pretty visible in the city... and for the first time, showing off his real power to Vicky.

Redstar has posed:
The night is heavy with smoke as fires, random, pop up all over NYC. Heroes public and private have taken to the streets to help. A nasty wind off the Atlantic is only making things worse.

The things chasing Shadowlite are both female and young. One trails behind the other, though Shadowlite knows she is the faster. They have been playing cat and mouse all day. Around the lead demon, for the horns, wings, and miasma of evil could ve nothing other, wears an aura of purple flames. She is breathtakingly beautiful just as she is fiendish. Her companion is softer with donkey-like ears and curling rams horns. Her aura burns pale blue.

A blast from the man in black severs the braces for a billboard. It begins to screech, tilting quickly forward towards the street below. The time means there are less people for it to fall on...

Shatterpoint has posed:
    And fall it... Doesn't? To say that anyone should be used to things just arresting in motion is somewhat flawed, but luckily, this particular large falling object's loss of momentum isn't mysterious as a jagged hand made of nigh-luminescent blue ice pushes up from the ground, palm flat against the surface. It doesn't necessarily put it back the way it was- just catches it and holds it there, so that people can flee from beneath it. The hand extends into a forearm, which runs all the way into the ground, seemingly emerging from the concrete.

    Standing next to it is the only person who wasn't running- a black clad figure with eyes aglow in azure. They pulse with power, as her head shifts, her masked face directing its attention at the flying figures. As soon as the civilians are clear, she starts taking off towards Shadowlite, breaking from a stand into a ninety mile/hour run as if that was just a thing that people did.

Aquaman has posed:
Arthur Curry has been spending more and more time on land, and away from Atlantis. Almost all of this time has been spent in civilian clothes, and blending in. Few recognize him outside of his noted scaled armor, and he kind of likes it that way. Instead, the 6'4" man tends towards jeans and flannel, and various Hipsteresque band shirts, making him blend in with the other Millenials about.

Tonight he had been enjoying some time along, walking the streets of Queens and pondering life and his situation, when the chaos erupted. He races forward along the sidewalk when the billboard begins to teeter, but he stops when it is caught. He nods as he sees that happen, and instead he turns to begin ushering the civilians into the safety of the shops or indoor buildings. "Everyone get inside! Be safe!"

Shadow has posed:
    'Jen' and the rest of her Capoeira troupe are packing up their instruments after an enjoyable evening's practice in the Park. The mood is jovial, and the motion to find a pub is quickly seconded and enthusiastically carried by the majority, with only Jen herself begging off, pleading the need to study for an exam. She's standing by the curb, waiting for her taxi to pull up when the sky starts raining fire and screams fill the air. She swears inwardly even as she looks around 'in terror', searching for the sources.

    A taxi stops by her with a screech of squealing tires, and Benny opens the door without being prompted. Jen gets in and slams the door behind her as Benny takes off again, flooring it in the general direction of the flying demons. "Tonight sure got interestin' fast, Boss," he comments, glancing briefly at the figure in the passenger compartment through the rear-view mirror -- and then looking away again with a wince. 'Jen' and Natasha are both perfectly easy on the eyes, but that moment in between when shadows crawl over her face and through her hair, shifting from one to the other, never fails to disturb him. Fortunately, it doesn't take long, and Natasha is already pulling the briefcase containing her 'work gear' out of its hidden compartment.

    "Truth be told, I'm not sure how much help I'm going to be in a situation like this," she admits as she slips into the Shadow's signature greatcoat. "... But we all do what we can. See what you can do for the injured -- I'll get off here." the Shadow finishes as the scarf and hat settle into place, opening the side door and jumping out, vanishing into the gloom and heading toward the confrontation...

Shadowlite has posed:
For his part, Shadowlite ignores his surroundings, concentrating on the flying females. A voice scrambled baritone is heard as he goes, "Look. I can appreciate the female form as much as the next man. I've even had a couple stalkers in my time, but this is hardly the way to get my attention!" The black armored man quips as he switches direction and flies down an alleyway... then reaching out with his right hand. A misty black aura surrounds it as he puts up a titanium grade sheet of Darkforce at the entrance, trying to trick the two into flying into it.

Portals, useless. Running, useless. For the first time in a decade, the general public is watching the mercenary mutant use his powers full out in public. So much for keeping a low profile.

As it is, once he's at the end of the alleyway, his arms are aimed right above the sheet. They'll have to fly over it to get to him after all... and a barrage of Darkforce Bolts should be enough anti-air.

He hopes.

Redstar has posed:
"NO!" Vicky's eyes widen from the balcony she stands on. Her wings snap closed but ready and she simply leaps onto the railing and then off. A snap like a whip echoes among the nearby high-rises as she dives fir the battle. Blue eyes blaze to a near ice-white and glow faintly as she angles to impact the slower demon. "Leave him alone!" She screams as she twists to grab and let the other's flight carry them for a moment. Fury like nothing she has felt rips through her and the vicious bone spears that just from her wings are raked across the demonesses back, stabbing quickly, before Vicky releases and lets her fall give her flight momentum again

There is a screech of fury from the blue-fire demoness as her flesh is torn by the unexpected assailant from above. A streak of hellfire leaps from both hands, following Vicky's flight. It hits and does...nothing? The demoness pauses before sniffing the air. A slow smile creeps over her face. "PRIDE!" The blue demon cries as she shoots off after Vicky, catching up fast.

The purple demoness turns from their original quarry and her eyes blaze "HAHAHAHAHA! Get her, Sloth!" She calls before looking at Shadowlite, "It's been fun, boy, but I have bigger fish to catch,? The other says regally, her voice suggestive and demanding of admiration. Then she turns and aims to cut off the other flyer as her 'sister' flushes her forward. Vicky is inexperienced and it shows as she focuses on her pursuit.

People in NYC have learned to find cover when shit hits the fan. The issue is the people in red robes and the neighborhood dogs. The dogs? Their eyes burn with pale blue light and everything about them seems stronger and more menacing. Regular people find themselves fleeing in terror as packs start chasing people. Those in the red robes follow, chanting, a faint black and green sphere surrounding them as they move.

Shatterpoint has posed:
    Caroline is charging forward- the dogs and the cultists are of no mind for her. They aren't necessarily normal, but they're more normal than the two literal demons- well, three- that seem to be running the show. It makes a level of sense. Cultists follow demons. Cut off the head.

    The woman doesn't know what fear is anymore. Nor does she tire, or slow, or fall out of a sprint after all the running she does to get to where Shadowlite and the demoness are. She won't necessarily be able to pin the one called "Pride" on the ground, but she is likely to get there just in time to seemingly punch at the air... Which causes a bright blue chain to erupt from the hem of her sleeve. It surges forward, as if sentient, doubling down on her speed as it tries to catch an ankle, a hip- Really, -anywhere- on the demon that had lingered to taunt Shadowlite before taking to the sky.

    It only needs to touch, though, to be effective. The tip of the chain is not another link, but a small sphere, and at the moment of contact it bursts, freezing to flesh like one's tongue would to a metal pole in the winter.

    It might make sense to burn the ice, to try and melt it, or to tear it apart: But, that's the catch. This ice is incredibly hard, almost impossibly so- as every molecule of it is being held together by a willpower perhaps strong enough to wear a green ring.

Shadow has posed:
    Sometimes cultists follow demons and serve them. Sometimes cultists summon demons and command them. Either way, when demons and cultists both show up, they're both problems that need dealing with -- and the Shadow is not equipped for surface to air work at the moment.

    As she approaches the procession, she reaches out with her Will to the hounds, smothering their rage and aggression in shadows while she draws a bead on the lead figures and pulls both triggers. Time to see if a few blown-out kneecaps will stop the chanting.

Shadowlite has posed:
"The fuck?"

When you've been chased for most of the day on and off across the planet, and your obsessive fangirls suddenly bolt, confusion is a thing. For Shadowlite, it takes a second to register 'went somewhere else'. "Ok, now what." Shadowlite growls as he tries to fire off a bolt at the retreating demon... only to find Caroline trying to grab it. The bolt probably hits a nearby building instead as Shadowlite spares a split second to look down to the woman as he speeds off then out of the alleyway, the sheet that was there dissolving into black mist as he goes to see what changed the fan girls' mind.

Soon as he spots Vicky though, Shadowlite stops in midair and 'throws' a fist Darkforce construct at Sloth, trying to intercept her with fairly good aim, "Ok, I get it. You're jealous. There's enough of me to go around, but there's taking a hint, and having to be beaten off with a stick. Guess which one you are." Shadowlite quips, audibly out of breath.

Redstar has posed:
A perfectly shaped leg is struck by the will-chain and Pride lets out a yell of pain. Her forward momentum suddenly arrested dislocates her hip with an audible crunch. Purple fire runs down the chain, trying to burn it. When that doesn't work it moves on to the apparent owner. "Release me, peasant!? She shrieks as she lashes out with her own will. The will of an other-worldly being whose very essence is their indomitable belief in their power. Pride snarls as her leg begins to pull back in. In the meantime it is time to take Caroline for a flight. Straight up.

Sloth cackles with delight as she catches on Vicky despite her best. However the blue demon doesn't expect the two spheres the teen spins spins to fire. They splash against her and Sloth's flight turns on a 90 degree angle and starts to rocket away. The black fist of Darkforce is just inches from Sloth when she vanishes in a pale blue flash to appear flying next to Pride, glancing down with only one eye and have her face frozen seemingly solid. "It's her,? She snarls, voice garbled by the liquid nitrogen freezing her skin. Yet demonic healing is starting to melt away the edges. Soon she will have both arms and eyes again.

A chorus of wines run through the mega-pack. Several stand apart, the thing driving them fighting terror with fiendish might. These three, the biggest, cease their attack on fleeing civilians and turn to the thing firing at the cultists. They charge towards Natasha, teeth gnashing, foam flying, eyes blazing. On the plus side two of the men go down with cries of pain. Their sphere flickers and loses some vibrancy.

On silent feet a pack of dogs comes from the shadows behind Shadowlite and all leap in unison at the dark force wielder.

Shatterpoint has posed:
    It's hard to tell what might be more terrifying. That Caroline is on fire, or that it doesn't seem to be doing anything. The flame is not necessarily impotent- but it has long been impossible to burn the dead-thing that is Caroline Ramsey. The fires of Darkseid's Omega beams were her baptism into an existence as a walking nightmare. If she's to be dealt with, a more direct approach is required.

    It also helps that the monster cannot feel -pain- at all.

    Surprising, too, would be that she takes to the air. Her gambit is not to pin the demon to the ground- she knows she can't. She can lift a truck, but she isn't relying on that strength alone to hold Pride down. Instead, she's taking the fight to the air.

    The chain is, truly, sentient- and if Pride wants her to go up, for a moment, it's bound to seem like she's merely succeeding and Caroline is failing... Until perception catches up to ego and it's revealed that, like a fisher with a catch, she's reeling in the chain, and fast.

    It is likely that Caroline will be upon Pride before the ice detaches- and if this is the periphery, what the cold of this horror's heart can do at range, one must imagine what it can do up close.

Shadow has posed:
    Three slavering hell hounds leap as one at their target, maws open to tear and rend -- and slam headfirst into a brick wall while sinister laughter echoes mockingly along the alleyways. More shots ring out, aimed to injure and cripple those cultists not quick enough on the uptake to stop chanting and run for cover.

    Not that running will help them; Natasha has been quite angry with them as well as herself for the loss of life in the earlier incident. If Pride and Sloth are currently fighting a mid-air battle, Wrath is right here on the streets, incarnate in an indistinct dark shape that flows from one place to another, still laughing as it fires again and again, a wordless promise of inevitable retribution...

Shadowlite has posed:
"Ok. I get fangirls chasing me across the entire planet for the /entire damned day/ and-" And he's cut short from the hellhounds leaping onto his disk and chomping on his back.

"Really? REALLY?!" That'd be the sound Shadowlite makes when he's goaded into actual anger, and he throws his arm around, a black mist flowing heavily out of it as he forms a wall filled with spikes out of the Darkforce sheet he's standing on, and sweeps his 'playmates' off like a windshield wiper.

Then, he lifts more into the air, and turns to regard the two. "I'm tired, hungry, and really do not want to start leveling entire city blocks just to get rid of you two." Both arms pop up then, aiming for each. Two tiny portal apertures open once more as Shadowlite prepares to fire Darkforce bolts again. "Go back to whatever dimension you came from. With the mess you've made here, you're going to get most of the metahuman community coming down on you here in a minute."

Redstar has posed:
Another cultist goes down though he doesn't scream. His teeth grit and he slashes his hands in the air. A glowing shield of black light forms around him, hiding him as if he were never there. The dogs whimper and fall, dazed and whining, as the others begin to shake off their terror. Noses sniff the air and then they move around the remaining cultists. shots that were meant for the red robes are taken by dogs. Leaping in the way with enhanced speed.

Vicky pulls up and lands on a rooftop, panting, and stares up at the other two. Fear is in her eyes, but also a determination. The temperature suddenly plummets and the road and sidewalks freeze solid. The wind storm blowing through the area only make the sudden -128 Fdegree weather worse.

Pride snarls and reaches out to Sloth, glaring at the death-blessed woman drawing closer. As their fingers interlock they cease to be where they were in a flare of blue. Yet they do not reappear. Not visibly anyway. Is it time fore hide and seek? Vicky has moved out of sight on the rooftop where she landed, probably hiding to recover her breath.

Shatterpoint has posed:
    When the two in the air literally just... Disappear, Caroline has little that she can do about it. The chain she was attached by is no longer attached, and soon enough, her upward momentum becomes zero. The fall doesn't seem to alarm her, as she lands acrobatically enough, thudding to the ground on her feet with little recoil.

    As well, the cold doesn't seem to be bothering her... For obvious reasons. She looks around at that very moment, taking in the remaining cultists and the dogs protecting them. Like a lumbering colossus, Caroline begins to approach the group of them, flanking them on the opposite side of the Shadow.

Shadow has posed:
    Instincts and reflexes are wonderful things, allowing one to react quite literally faster than thought in a crisis. Unfortunately, both come at a price -- much like a hair trigger will let you shoot faster at the cost of an increased risk of an accidental discharge, tense reflexes tend to be much more susceptible to a well executed feint. Twitches and flickers of movement at the very edge of perception trick the hounds into leaping on pointless intercept courses moments before the *actual* shots tear the air and shatter yet another joint or two.

Shadowlite has posed:
Then, they're gone.

"Yeah, they're not gone." Shadowlite muses to himself, before he takes off in the direction of where Vicky went. The mess on the ground doesn't concern him; the two do-gooders on the ground are taking care of that, after all. No, suddenly they're nowhere, and have painted Vicky as their target.

"I just had to stop being a solo act..." Shadowlite grumbles as he scouts for the demons, and Vicky herself, arms kept extended as he seems poised for further combat. His armor and suit are keeping the temperature from affecting him, so another variable down. He also switches his AR goggles to have a PIP for thermal detection. Fire in a blizzard should be incredibly easy to spot.

Redstar has posed:
The remaining cultists cease their chanting. The sphere drops and a woman steps forward, her head shaved like the rest. "She is found!" As a bullet slices through her flesh. She stumbles but remains walking and standing as she approaches Natasha and Caroline. Nothing in her spread arms and hands "Let mine be the first sacrifice in her name!" An atheme appears in her hand and seems to be made of bone.

Crazed and fanatic eyes stare down the Shadow, for once her influence meeting a solid wall. Then the fanatic plunges the ceremonial blade into her jugular. It's design special as blood flows through a chamber to spurt from the handle. Black and green magic crackle and the blood that exits becomes black smoke, streaking towards the roof that Shadowlite now hovers above.

Vicky lays in a snowdrift on her side, groaning vaguely, apparently just thrown there. Pride stands only feet away, walking towards her, while Sloth appears suddenly behind Shadowlite. "Boo," She says and hellfire erupts from her whole body giving him only a blink to react. The sickly smoke blankets the unconscious teen before sinking into her flesh. She awakens with a jerk and gasp, eyes wide, and a blast of pure cold slams into Pride. The demoness is thrown from the roof and to the ground below with a grunt of pain.

Shatterpoint has posed:
    To say that Caroline is out of her element, in at least some regard, would be an understatement. She doesn't say anything, as yet, simply watching the cultists sort of... Stop? Then, to her amazement, the one that steps forward... Commits suicide. Caroline doesn't understand the occult- she has no idea what to make of magic. She's a product of a force of nature, perhaps something akin to magic, but it is far from anything she's anything more than aware of. For now, unless the cultists begin to attack again, she'll hold firm, waiting to find out exactly -what- just happened.

Shadow has posed:
    Natasha does not need to understand what that athame is doing to know that it's something bad. Truth be told, the last time she tried something like this the results weren't to her liking, but this time there aren't any innocents in the likely blast radius, and that woman is clearly already dead regardless. Her next shot impacts on the athame even as she backs up to gain distance from whatever might happen next...

Shadowlite has posed:
The scream of pain can be heard clear across city blocks as Shadowlites back armor is instantly melted through, and he's thrown off his black disk. Itself winking out of reality as Shadowlite musters all his willpower simply to reform his armor as he falls.

Everyone on the ground can see the inky black figure plummet to the ground as Shadowlite drops like an anvil... and cracks through the ice and the cement from the force as he creates a crater.

His armor holds, but Shadowlite himself isn't moving.... the only sign of life the swirling blackness reforming, then trying to keep the cold out.

Good thing the Darkforce suit keeps Darkforce particles in this reality without him needing to concentrate on them, or he'd probably be dead right now from that.

Redstar has posed:
The air that was cold in a second is as hot as the Sahara in high summer. The very air leeches moisture from the breath. Though the wind still blows it dies little, but chap and rob more liquid from the air. The ice and snow melt in huge gushes of liquid, quickly flooding gutters along the street.

The winged teenager rises to her feet in fury. Now her eyes blaze red and she launches at Sloth with speed she didn't have before. Again Sloth and Her collide, but Starr's strength and momentum is greater. The demoness is stunned and squirms against The red-eyed Starr's grip. The soul known as Vicky has retreated, leaving the battle to those more suited. As the two slam into a building the side cracks, crattering beneath. "BEGONE!" Starr roars with a power and fury that Shadowlite didn't know she had. With those words a horrific sound that no human throat can make screams. Windows shatter and the sound pierces to the soul, it even reaches Caroline's Soul-tethers. Then a flash of blue and Starr holds a regular teenager, about her age, unconscious and bruised. Started by the scream and blast she had dropped the other, and she now plummets some ten stories down.

Pride groans from where she lays not but ten feet from Shadowlite. Slowly she begins to pull herself up. The flash makes her stare in sudden concern at Starr. For those red eyes, burning brightly, have locked on her. They glance at Shadowlite and another snarl forms, "If you broke my new toy I will end your existence!" That voice again. It makes Pride stumble, backing towards Natasha and Caroline.

"You're supposed to be on our side!" She stammers, obviously afraid of the temporarily enhanced Starr. All attention on her as she dives to Shadowlite's side, carefully gathering him against her chest. "Stay with us, Vicky'll lock me up for good I let you die," She says, setting him back down now she knows he is alive.

The bullet hit the athame and it shatters. The black magic that had begun to slow returns to blood. As it does Starr's next step is a tumble, her energy supply cut off. Pride stops retreating and smirks suddenly, "Oh, run out of juice? Daddy's got plenty more."

Shatterpoint has posed:
    The howl that erupts does indeed rattle something within Caroline. The tethers are like ethereal chains, binding her soul to her body for however long it takes her to accept what she is. They are not a way to kill her, but rather a way to incapacitate her, and though that is not what this does, for a few moments it is as if someone is literally plucking her nerves. She slumps for half a moment, but it is not very long before her eyes flare momentarily, resuming their luminescence.

    It is that instant that she notes the retreating Pride. The woman's back is to her. She'd even been backing closer, until she stopped to -gloat.- Caroline's arm lurches backwards, and then forward, a renewed chain shooting forward, seemingly unaffected by gravity. If she'd been around in the nineties, she'd even have a catch phrase, because the -moment- it makes contact, she'll be pulling both with the telekinetic might that pilots the chain, and with the superhuman strength in her arm.

    The drag, of course, will be a nightmarish trip away from one's goal and right into the left hand of the death-touched, beautiful horror that is the former detective.

    If Pride finds herself in that grasp, what follows could be called nothing more than an absolutely brutal takedown- each hit from Caroline packs genuine might, yet what comes with it is a flash-freze of the liquid within the body beneath. Once frozen, too, it is a tool for her to use. She shatters bones, severs internal tissue- always avoiding injuries that will kill... But when your knees and arms bend the wrong way, and muscle groups sever, it may even test the resilience, and regeneration of a demon.

Shadow has posed:
    Natasha curses to herself as she sees the falling body. This... complicates matters, although after the earlier incident it wasn't entirely surprising. She makes a quick estimation, then leaps at the wall -- enhanced physical strength and dexterity combined with Parkour training allow her to scale surfaces faster than most humans would consider possible, and she gets into position to catch the girl before she lands on something less forgiving, while marking the stumbling demoness as someone to ask questions of later...

Shadowlite has posed:
If Shadowlite had more than a shred of coherent thought, he'd ask The Lost One for a split second analysis of his surroundings, but he's way too far gone right now... so Shadowlite has no real way to know Caroline is dealing with Pride already, since he fallplanted, but he can hear her talk, "Try... this... for.... juice..." Shadowlite reaches out a hand, and a Pride sized Darkforce fist winks into existence... thrown as hard as Shadowlite can muster with a dimensional boundary slingshot. With no care for the property damage he's about to do.

All in all, it's thrown pretty fast.

Then, he collapsed into exhaustion, going to sleep, his body going slack. The armor has a day before it falls back into the Darkforce Dimension, and most beings on the planet can't get through it easily...

Yeah, he's going to be stuck in there for a while.

Redstar has posed:
"The church, drag her there," Starr shouts to Carolone, pointing to the Baptist one on the corner. She doesn?t know why, but she knows it has a chance. A chance of making the demon flee. Finding herself unusually weak she turns back to Shadowlite and falls to her knees at his side. "Aw hell, how am I supposed to carry you in my state?" Always about her, though she doesn?t look like she really could carry him anyway.

The falling girl begins to scream as she comes to her senses, certain it is in time for her death. But then someone is catching her and she gasps in surprise and pain as ribs break and breath is knocked out of her. But it would have been much worse. This may be the first, or one of the rare ones, that someone has looked upon the Shadow like they were an angel and not a terror in the dark.

Pride is thrown back into Carolone's grasp by the darkforce punch. As the woman begins to pummel her she finds it isn't as easy as it should be. Her body resists. And it becomes more like one normal woman beating the snot out of another. Surprised and stunned she gets arms up to block, struggling against death's curiosity. "I will not be banished by beatings, fool. I am Pride and it takes much more to destro-" Carolone silences the monologue with a well places punch in the mouth. Black blood pours from her nose and mouth as she lays stunned.

Shatterpoint has posed:
    Caroline has never met anyone that she hasn't been able to freeze before- but that doesn't mean she can't freeze the demon... Nor that she's going to continue trying. As it turns into a more traditional fight- albeit between a demon and a dead woman- Caroline starts to get creative, and employ some more traditional methods.

    It helps that her powers are very adaptable, as shortly after she cuts off the word 'destroy', she shakes her fist not in pain, but to perform the gesture required... And the next hit is delivered not just by a fist, but one clad in a series of studded plates made of ice, each knuckle bearing a small, but pointed, spike. As she starts pummeling the demon's abdomen and other exposed areas, she quips- the first time she'd spoken, this harsh and horrid rasp sounding as if a woman's death throes had been translated into letters and words.

    "Is this much more enough?"

Shadow has posed:
    Finally, actual useful information. The Shadow nods, fully visible for a moment as the tall figure lifts the injured girl into a bridal carry -- cliche, yes, but the formal fireman's carry puts entirely too much weight on the ribs that Natasha is sure she heard break on impact. The figure sprints to the edge of the roof, then leaps, twisting in midair to brace against the wall on the far side of the alley and using it to slow its descent from "literally breakneck" to "stupidly dangerous even if you're in a hurry" and landing on the ground with a thud loud enough that most regular humans would need new knees and shins.
    The Shadow, however, simply straightens as if that was little more than skipping the last two steps of a staircase and strides over to the church, the doors opening on their own accord. Holy places are protected from evil and demonic forces -- despite occasional superficial similarities, those adjectives do not accurately describe The Shadow.

    Natasha walks straight down the aisle, coldly indifferent to the stares or words of any parishioners present, and lays the girl down at the foot of the altar before rising and looking the vicar straight in the eye. "Her name is Alice McKenzie, and until very recently she was suffering from demonic possession. She also has several broken ribs; I recommend someone call emergency services."

    With that, and without waiting for a response, the dark figure turns and marches out the same way it came in, back into the chaos and madness outside...

Redstar has posed:
The demon grunt and attempts to get her feet up under her and kick Caroline off. A kick that has about a five ton capacity at the moment. "I will...not be...defeated!" She shouts, bloody black spittle flying.

Starr reaches into the fanny pack and pulls out a 2" wide leather belt. As Caroline deals with Pride and Natasha with the girl, she belts him to her about the waist, his back to her chest. As Caroline lands another meaty thwack and wraps her arms under his and about his chest. Powerful legs allow her to spring higher into the air than one would expect. But her muscles are built to help her fly, thick and layered differently. And it seems her earlier 'weakness' has ebbed or she was faking. It is hard to tell. But she is getting her and Shadowlite out of dodge as cop cars round a corner, lights going, but cruising onto the scene silent and ready.

The church is where many took shelter from the chaos. Many scream and hide as the Shadow brings the girl in. The vical seems unsure for a moment before springing to action. Someone can be heard calling the paramedics as the holy man bends over the girl. Alice beginning to fade in and out before slumping unconscious.

One down, one to go. And holy ground only across the street from Caroline and her target.

Shatterpoint has posed:
    Five tons is just not enough. Her back curls, and her body lurches upwards, but for every bit of what she was hit with, Caroline gives ten strikes back. The pounding is unrelenting, and worse, the nature of her being is beginning to show. She could be at this for hours, for days, and while other beings would grow exhausted and tired... Caroline has an infinite reserve of stamina. She doesn't breathe. She doesn't eat. She doesn't sleep.

    Similarly, she is capable of seeing her surroundings- but despite that she knows there is hallowed ground not too far away, there is a message to be sent. This demon had called herself Pride. Caroline was going to beat her into the ground, to defeat her in a mundane fashion, before she resorted to the chapel.

    "You will. It doesn't matter how strong you are. How tough you seem to be. You will shatter, just like everything else."

    It's only a few hits after she speaks that Pride loses consciousness- as Caroline would define it, utterly defeated, though individual definitions may vary. It's a certain sense of fitting, and the message is, hopefully, sent.

    Hand gripping Pride's throat, Caroline drags her across the street, and onto the grounds of the church, towards the chapel if need be.

Shadow has posed:
    The Shadow was moving to assist Caroline -- but holds back when it becomes clear the assistance isn't required. Instead, the dark figure stalks over to one of the cultists, pulling him up by the collar of his robe and lifting him off the ground, heedless of the bullet hole in his shoulder. "TALK. What did you do? Why are you doing this? Who leads you?" Sapphire blue eyes blaze into the Cultist's, filling his world with the impossibility of lying or refusing to answer.

Redstar has posed:
Beaten, battered, and broken Pride is a limp doll within Caroline?s hands. No more resistance or wit tossed about. So when Caroline hits the hallowed ground it may puzzle her that dragging the demon in proves to be complicated. It is like pulling something through a wall of gooey taffy, only requiring all her amazing strength. The will of this demon and how tightly it clings is shown in this way. And it takes a good solid tug before the body falls through with her. As it does a purple cloud is left on the boundary of holy ground. It sits like mist before being dispersed by the wind. And that wind is one again cold. The unusual heat vanishing as winter reasserts her authority on the thrashed streets.

A slow and superior smirk spreads on the cultists face as Natasha shakes him. "Our lord and master will have his daughter back," He says in a gritty voice, eyes unfocused and almost drugged in their appearance. "Hail Sattanish, take my soul!" A tooth compartment. That is the sound Natasha hears. And it is evidently cyanide suicide capsule. The man begins to froth and convulse, that superior smile on his face as he dies.

Police have blocked off the street on both ends. Ambulances have arrived as well as animal control. "Sir! Put the man down," A cop says, fear trembling his voice, as he aims a gun at the Shadow.

Shatterpoint has posed:
    Caroline would normally transport what remained after the demon was gone to the hospital, but admittedly, she's normally not there when the police arrive. She leaves the girl, therefore, in the capable hands of the authorities, as it's likely better that way. As well, she has a few people that she can speak to in regards to who or what Satannish or the cultists are... So she has no reason to linger.

    Caroline Ramsey will be gone by the time the police reach the church, having pulled a Gothamite and taken to the rooftops by means of ice-chain. As is the usual respect, Caroline does not assume that the Shadow does not also have a way to escape the police.

Shadow has posed:
    The limp body drops to the ground as the Shadow releases it and turns their head to regard the cop, giving him a brief impression of a red scarf between the black coat and hat before those blazing blue eyes bore into him across the distance, laying his soul and all his sins bare for a brief instant -- and then he blinks, and the Shadow is gone, leaving only a sinister chuckle to echo off the walls.

    Some time later and a few blocks away, Benny doesn't even look up as he hears the passenger door open and close. "Drive," comes the command, and Benny obediently floors it.

    "Problem solved, Boss?" he asks, taking a smooth left turn while Natasha removes her hat and scarf.

    "Solved? Probably not. But at least now I have some answers."

    Now, The Shadow Knows.

Redstar has posed:
A couple blocks of queens have sustained a lot of cosmetic and some structural damage. Some were injured, but this time the only lives lost were the cultists. And to a one they killed themselves, a whispered name on many lips, "Satannish!"