The Wolves Come Out At Night

[cityship]

Those left outside the city would find their experience to be far less exciting, but at least it was still relaxing for the most part.

The accommodations they were given were relatively spartan but well maintained, and the locals seemed nice enough. The food was good, and they were treated fairly well despite refusing to undergo the rituals.

But strangely, by the time night started rolling around, the locals began hurrying to finish up whatever they were doing, cutting conversations short and rushing back inside. By the time the sun fell, none of the locals were outside.

...Well. That certainly wasn't ominous.

[ooc: secondary plot is go! try to keep everything in one thread for now]

Comments

[halfa-hero.livejournal.com]

Danny couldn't sleep. It was weird, but he'd gotten used to the bed on the ship, Thinking it over, he walked outside. If nothing else, at least he wouldn't be tossing around under the covers.

[psi-flames.livejournal.com]

Jono had mostly kept to himself during the day. It wasn't that the people weren't nice enough, but there were a lot of them and he wasn't used to the way that they thought. So, slightly annoying.

Outside was nicer without so many people, so outside Jono went, sitting on the outside step and nodding to the white-haired kid as he came out.

[playsin-traffic.livejournal.com]

"...uh, maybe we should head inside...?" Tony offered, giving his surroundings an uneasy glance as he joined Jono and Danny on the steps. "Because they seem to know something we don't."

[death_adept]

From the corner of a nearby rooftop the Assassin had observed the locals as they hurried inside and thus where he sat as he watched the three who had made their ways outside. Making no attempt to hide himself from them.

"Awfully quiet out," He commented to the air, before looking to Tony, "The locals were in an awful hurry to get indoors,"

[nobel-berserker.livejournal.com]

Allenby had come out wondering how the town would be at night--in her experience, that was the best time to go to arcades and things.

This... didn't seem like it was going to be like that. She was pretty sure she could've heard a pin drop. Which was creepy. Real creepy.

"Yeah, I dunno if I like this," she said. She looked around. "Wonder what's goin' on?"

[cityship]

Suddenly, there was a sound that came from nowhere. Like the wind howling in the distance...only...

There was no wind.

Then there was a sudden rush of movement. Dark, shadowy figures, low to the ground, began to move into the settlement, slipping into the shadows.

This didn't seem like a particularly good thing.

[playsin-traffic.livejournal.com]

Well, this was familiar enough. Tony took a few steps from the porch and then his form shifted, bulged outward with the cracking and popping of bone resetting - his clothes seemed to absorb themselves into his body and in a few moments, his human form was gone, replaced by a nine-foot tall, half-wolf, half-man beast. The fur was ragged, but there was strength buried in his form. He fell to all fours for a moment, sniffing at the air and then let out a low growl, only able to make himself half understood.

"Bad."

[psi-flames.livejournal.com]

Jono had been around far too many mutants for the sudden shapeshift to take him by surprise. Instead, he pushed to his feet, reaching up and pulling the cowling away from his face. Fiery energy flowed upward, his eyes echoing the glow. Aye. Bad's pro'ly an unnerstatement, mate.

[death_adept]

Only through the focus on the outward threats did Jalith force his instinctive reactions to the crew members changes. Keeping the orders from his superior in mind and focused on the task at hand.

The Vindicare sweeping the penetrating gaze of his spy mask in the direction of the movement, built in auspex on a full sweep scan of the incoming hostiles even as he moved along the rooftop into a better position to cover the crew members on the ground below him.

[supersonicracer.livejournal.com]

"Too much of an understatement."

Quickly joining the group was Sonic, Caliburn in hand. The people quickly scrambling out was enough of him to worry that something wasn't right. This just made things worse.

"...who wants to bet we've overstayed our welcome?"

[cityship]

Jalith's sensor would return nothing. Only the presence of the nearby crew members would be registered.

Sounds like the snapping of the wind--or perhaps the barking of some strange beast--came from all around them. The shadows in the distance seemed to move, like something was there and yet wasn't there at the same time.

Suddenly, one of the shapes dashed straight towards them, like a living shadow.

As it leaped at the nearest crew member, they could see its shape better. Somehow, it appeared slightly different to everyone, even as malleable as its form seemed to be, but to most, it would look something like this

[halfa-hero.livejournal.com]

"SHIT!"

Danny, aka the nearest crewmember, brought up a ecto-shield with one hand, hoping to block the thing, and fired a beam at it with the other.

[bears-omnitrix.livejournal.com]

There was a brilliant green flash from one of the other huts as Ben joined in, rather POed for the most part that he didn't get to get in but moreso that this place had nasty things. "JETRAY!" exclaimed the newly changed Ben as he flew into the air and fired off a blast as well.

"How many can you guys see?" asked his watery electrostatic voice.

[playsin-traffic.livejournal.com]

"Many!" Plays replied in that half-growl, half-voice as he leapt forward to support Danny, a massive, clawed hand lashing out to tear at the shadowy creature.

Ah, this was so familiar.

[nobel-berserker.livejournal.com]

"Whoa!"

Allenby whirled around. Yeah, there were lots of the things all right. Way too many... of course, one was too many. Way too many. She'd never seen anything like these things before--was it just her, or did they have a V-crest above their eyes?

She didn't waste any more time thinking. Allenby leaped towards the nearest one, pummeling hard and fast.

[psi-flames.livejournal.com]

Also? Bloody feckin' annoyin'. Jono sounded strained because he was. Whatever was out there was difficult to pin down.

There was no way to jump into the fight without hurting Plays, so he didn't. Not yet.

[cityship]

Unfortunately, none of the attacks connected.

The creatures were just as insubstantial as they appeared, blows and blasts alike passing right through them.

Still, the creatures retreated back into the shadows for the moment, but it was only a temporary reprieve. Now, once again out of nowhere, the sound of whispers could be heard coming from the shadows, each picking at the doubts and insecurities of those listening.

Somehow, these creatures were also inside their heads.

[supersonicracer.livejournal.com]

Sonic grunted as things were starting to heat up. Too many to go against and yet they couldn't strike out at 'em.

At the same time, he heard the whispers, nagging at him for being unable to get inside, for not being "in harmony", for not being a real hero...

...and he grinned.

"Is that the best you got? Bullying teasing?" Sonic said, taking up a striking pose. "I didn't get through life worrying about 'shoulda, woulda, coulda'. You're not getting this hedgehog down THAT easily!"

For noncombatants

[rainfell-aqua.livejournal.com]

Sometimes, being jumpy around the shadows was a good thing. Aqua's overexcited state led her to throw up a barrier spell reaching as far as she could when she saw the shadows move.

They can't be Heartless! she thought.

[playsin-traffic.livejournal.com]

Plays had thought he'd gone through all this months ago. The whole Nightmare King debacle. He growled, flexing his claws - he couldn't even scratch them, apparently. And now they were trying to get into his head. He'd wait - even if the Rage inside of him wanted blood and wanted it now.

[starbolts]

Starfire had floated out of her room when the chill had settled in. Something seemed wrong, and a flash of green light in her hand revealed...somethings. Many somethings, threatening the crew.

She stood there with starbolt in hand, lip quivering at the voices tearing at her. "No, no! This was my choice. I would not betray him."

But it was difficult to be sure. Keep the light burning...

Re: For noncombatants

[lackofdarkwings.livejournal.com]

Matt reacted as well, looking worried. Calling up his power, he slammed his hands to the ground to protect the people.

But instead of a brilliant wall of golden energy, it was boiling and seething with darkness. Matt almost recoiled. "The hell happened to my magic?!"

[nobel-berserker.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, Allenby could not shrug it off quite so easily.

"Shut UP!" she roared, whirling and striking the insubstantial creatures. "Get out! GET OUT!" They--those bastards--they couldn't go in there! Go in there and start talking to her!

Talking about things like Earth. How she couldn't do anything to save it, powerless against the Ohm, couldn't do anything to help get it back--good for nothing but fighting, just a tool--shut up SHUT UP I fight 'cause I want to now--the DG cells that had controlled her--no--NO!

"GET OUT! STAY OUT! YOU TRY CONTROLLING US AND I'LL POUND YOU INTO JELLY!" Seemingly out of nowhere, a hoop of bright green energy appeared in her hand. She flung it out at the shadow-creatures immediately with a snarl. "Nobel Megacoil!"

[death_adept]

Jalith held his fire, as much as his trigger finger itched it was clear after the attacks the crew members below put forth had little to no discernable effect.

The whispers reaching his ears only heightened his suspicion of just what they were, blocking out the whispers with a half audible battle prayer to the emperor of mankind. Even as the whispers fought to tear at his doubts, prey on his suspicions.

"Be gone, Daemons," ejecting the clip of his pistol with ritual like precision, replacing the first shell with a single specially made shell from the harness on his chest, a shield-breaker round. One design in such a way that it was equally effect against psykers, daemon's and force-fields alike.

[psi-flames.livejournal.com]

Losing control had always been Jono's greatest fear. Hurting friends the way he'd hurt Gayle.

He threw up shields as quickly as he could once he felt the other minds trying to intrude on his own. He'd bloody well had enough of that with the Nightmare King and Fairplay. The shields weren't enough, but they kept the whispers to a dull roar. Enough that he could think. For a few moments.

Then he let go with a gout of psionic flame with concussive force behind it. He couldn't lock on to one mind to aim at, so he just went with where the darkness seemed deepest.