Dark Snakes

June 30, 2015:

The darkness targets Lynwen in the form of serpents

Staten Island - New York

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions:

Mood Music: None.


Fade In…

Set by Fenris, Emits by Zatanna

Staten Island is widely known as the more or less suburban part of New York City. It's got a lot of parks too. A lot of green. Which makes it perfect for those of a natury pursuasion… and also a good place to hide. What's hiding? Well in this case, snakes. Snakes made of pure darkness. Kind of easy to miss, since they're not that large, but they're in the grass… watching, and waiting, someone in particular.


The evening is warm and Lyn finished with walking dogs for the day and grocery shopping is making her way back home. In her hand she is carrying a cloth shopping bag full of produce and dark fresh bread. Her hair is pinned up and she is dressed in shorts and t-shirt. Beads of sweat form on her brow and trickle down the back of her neck. She does not seem to notice yet the snake in the grass.


Joshua is punching atop a ladder at the front of the house, peering behind the eaves at something. He has a roll of black electrical tape in one hand. With the other hand, he is returning a pair of pliers to its holster on a leather handyman's belt. He reaches under the eaves with both hands, and then drops the tape into the large pouch on the belt. He sighs and begins to climb down the ladder. He glances down the street and sees Lynwen coming toward the house. A broad smile spreads across his face. He drops from the ladder onto the front porch, and then jogs toward her, reaching for the bag of groceries. "Let me help you with that, love!" he offers.


The snakes, there are more than one, stir as Lynwen and Joshua approach… tongues licking out to scent the air. Breaking into three smaller groups… that move to surround the pair. There'd be a half dozen small serpents in each group… small still, although they appear to be growing steadily larger.


She is talking in a mix of English, Welsh and tongue of Avalon when Joshua approaches. "I got more dried herbs and I was able to get tansy for the chicken." She tells him. "Also hard cider to go with it and more honey, the beekeeper and I had a good talk about the quality and flavor, he gave me what he calls raw honey to try. Oh, and for you to put away." She goes to dig into her pocket to pull out the money she earned from working. It is then out of the corner of her eye that she sees something as it slithers by. Her heart skips a beat and her eyes go wide. She begins to slowly turn around to see. "Sunstone, go back into the house." Color is beginning to drain from her face.


Joshua listens to Lynwen's report and takes the money, giving her a peck on the cheek in exchange. Then he sees her widening eyes and the blanching of her color. «"What is it?"» he asks in Welsh. «"From your look, I don't think that it's good. I should stay with you. Remember what we promised? We'll have each other's back." He glances around them, but without her sense of magic, he has no clue.


The snakes have grown… now quite sizeable and the ones behind Lynwen rear up, fangs flashing … and begin to move towards the Druid. A second and third groups appear to be trying to herd Joshua and Lynwen together…. all the snakes are huge now… creatures made of darkness, designed to incite fear in their targets.


Snakes are on the British islands but not snakes like these, her eyes are wide and she is now trying to keep herself between then and Joshua. «Darkness» she says in the tongue of Avalon. «It is here.» She is after all Captain Obvious with that comment. The last of her color drains from her face as she begins to chant and draw power to her. The earth underneath the snakes begins to grow and reach for them trying to pin them down and keep them from them.


Joshua sucks air into his lungs when the sinister serpents reach a size that prevents them from slinking in the shadows. He did not expect the danger, but his body reacts almost instantly. A blue-white aura begins to form around his body, and he wavs his hand in a circling motion. A wall of crackling electrical force rises around them, able to deliver a substantial shock to any snake that attemtpts to strike or even to come near to that barrier. Joshua nods to Lynne and murmurs, in the same strange tongue, «"Stay close!"»


The snakes hiss and writhe, growing till they tower over the couple….

Joshua's electrical field being ignored as the group in the middle moves between the two so they can't stay close. The third group moves to strike with flashing fangs at the mutant.

Lynwens drawing of power causes the first group to lunge at her, releasing a wave of dark magic designed to incapacitate the Druid.


«Joshua, run!» Before the wave hits Lynwen, she commands the trees and plants to slay the snakes by any means. She continues to chant as the wave draws closer getting ready to become more defensive with her magic next round. There is now a look of determination in her eyes.

Joshua sets his jaw and raises his hands toward the serpentine onrush. The aura around his hands grows brighter. Two forks of blinding lightning surge from his clinched fists and merge into one larger bolt, directed toward the closest of the attacking creatures. "No!" Joshua objects in English. "I won't leave you to them!" The aura intensifies around his feet as well and he begins to rise into the air.


Lynwens urging of the nature around her causes two of the serpants to simply disappear. The other one continue towards the woman, pushing that wave of dark magic at her.

Joshua's energy bolt takes the one he's aiming at out…

Overall there are still six serpents bearing down on the couple.


Another spell is unleashed and she calls for a circle of fire to surround her and Joshua to create a barrier. The one that circles Joshua turns white with heat and is layered on top of his shield. Her own is more normal looking. Just as she gets it up the wave crashes into her like ocean waves being driven by a storm.


As soon as one snake disappears in a wisp of smoke, Joshua targets a second, aiming the bolt of energy precisely into the creature's gaping mouth while evading the lunge of a second slithering opponent with a zig-zag pattern like that of someone shepherding a soccer ball down the field. While he is aloft, he is careful to keep himself close to Lynwen, He calls in Welsh, «"Love! If these are like normal snakes, they might flee from cold!"»


«They are not real snakes.» Lyn calls back to him. Her plants then awaken and they begins to start strangling them and pulling them into the earth. She herself is looking worn and ill. She continues to weave her spells and chant. A tree then moves and wades into the fray. Its roots rising out of the soil and seeking to smash and kill the creatures.


The serpent Joshua aims disintegrates into a puff of black smoke. One of the remaining serpants, sprays a jet of dark magic at the electric mutant… and continues to do so as he zigzags. They aren't stupid, these serpents, and eventually it adjusts its aim trying to hit where Joshua will be, not where he is.

The remaining three serpents turn upon Lynwen… they're intent on overwhelming the Druid with pure force… physically battering at the shield she's created as well as sending shots of dark energy at her.


«They are not real snakes.» Lyn calls back to him. Her plants then awaken and they begins to start strangling them and pulling them into the earth. She herself is looking worn and ill. She continues to weave her spells and chant. A tree then moves and wades into the fray. Its roots rising out of the soil and seeking to smash and kill the creatures, that are pushing through her fiery shields. The darks rays and her magic meet and form white smoke. She is continues to work against them looking more tired and worn with each passing heartbeat.


Flying has its advantages, and in this case, that means evading in three dimensions. Not content to evade, and seeing that these creatures adapt, he shifts to a looping, circling pattern. He directs each hand at a different serpent, still focusing the blue-white beams at their open mouths. As soon as one disappears in a puff of smoke, he aims at another.


Lyns plants account for two of the serpents attacking her… as they disappear into the ground, a waft a black fog rises upwards and into the last one serpent targetting Lyn…. reinforcing it.

Joshua's tactics yield results obliterating the one that was targetting him and clearly starting to hurt the remaining one… the one that is now fully focussed on Lyn. Whatever energy it's absorbed is thrown at her shield … but it's clear, her own power is having an effect, combined with Joshua's attack, the form is beginning to diminish.


Taking the fire from her shield she throws it at the creature as she continues to chant. There is a swoosh and then it engulfs it. She continues to chant pulling more energy towards herself. The air around her hums with magic and her change it's the focus to it. She is careful not to take her eyes off of it. More sweat has formed on her brown and it trickles down the side of her face. Its final effort to throw the dark energy at her works and it hits her. The magic around her flares to life as brilliant white light is created from the impact.


Joshua circles the remaining serpent, firing smaller, weaker blasts until the moment when the beast lunges toward Lynwen with its venomous mouth open. Suddenly, he dives directly for that yawning maw, bringing both hands together to send a blinding, blue-white bolt of energy toward the back of the creature's throat. The blast of electrical energy bursts through the back of the serpent's head and the dark entity disintegrates into a thin wisp of black smoke. In the same instant, Joshua pitches backward from the force of the final jolt of power. He summersaults though the air several times before he slams against the trunk of a tree. For a moment, he lies motionless, stunned. With his elbows, he pushes himself to a sitting position and groans, rubbing his head. He looks around him. "Sprite?" He calls.


As Joshua delivers the killing blow, the black smoke coalesces one last time and let's out an unearthly scream before spearing off into the air…. Lynwen can be certain this isn't the last time she'll it…


With the creature destroyed and its energies banished Lwynwen's magic begins to fade and the plants returns to their place and become plants again. What happened in the battle is not lost on her as she tires with all her will and strength rush to Joshua's side. She sinks down on the ground next to him and drops the grocery back. Taking his head into her hands she kisses him soundly before she asks him, «Where do you hurt? Cam move your toes?» She is speaking in Welsh. Already where the dark engery hit her a rash is begining to form.


Joshua takes a slow breath, testing his ribs before anything else. He winces. When Lynwen kisses him, he touches his hand to her cheek. Then he moves his feet from side to side. Slowly, and still wincing from the movements, he pushes himself to a sitting position with his elbows. "I … might have some bruises," he groans. "Nothing is broken so far." He peers at Lynwen for a moment, focusing his gray eyes on her face. "You need reset - no walking dogs for a few days." He bends his legs to plant his feet. He stands slowly. "Home we go, love," he urges, offering his arm to her.

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