Xander's Cross, Oregon: a small town ringed with forbidding mountains and misty forest. The sky may be gray, but the townspeople are welcoming to people of all kinds...and things that are not quite human as well. Here the native shifters, aliens, werewolves, and witches live in peace. They have yet to find out the new business owners encroaching on the land are also vampires.
The peace has been broken by murder, however, and things in Xander's Cross are about to become quite a bit darker.
Welcome to your new home.
is it better to out-monster the monster or to be quietly devoured?
August 20, 2020
The mayor, Rowan Starkwood, was found dead less than a mile from his home. Rumors say his body was mutilated, but the state of the body has not yet been released to the public.
Post by Mason Garcia on Dec 20, 2020 23:34:26 GMT -5
Mason sat on the cold floor of the garage, feeling the dirt and dust against her skin and the palm of one hand as she leaned forward to drag the sidewalk chalk across the concrete. She was sitting crosslegged in the center of a spell circle with a photocopy of her great great aunt's grimoire on one side of her, and her laptop on the other. In her lap sat her python, Brutus. The blue light of the computer screen lit more of the garage than the bare bulb above her head, but it cast unsettling shadows off her bike and the scant boxes along the far wall.
The spell she had chosen was to summon a guardian for her sister--someone else to protect Lauren, since Mason knew all too well that her own magical abilities weren't up to the task. 'Phoning' for help was fair play, right?
She felt guilty that she hadn't told Lauren about the conversation she'd overheard between Josie and the new guy, Kale, but it didn't seem like it was her secret to share. But that didn't mean she had to pretend she hadn't heard it, either. Something freaky was after Josie, and that meant it was going to be after her sister, too. There was no time to waste.
She sighed and wiped her clammy hands on her pants, looking over the spell again. She looked from the spidery latin description hand written in the book, back to the google translate version.
"Summoning. This is the spirit of revenge. They will keep you from Enemies. Put a rodent or chicken spell requires sacrifice. In accordance with this to be already made where full have hired will remain."
"Not very clear, is it, Brutus? We're just going to have to hope for the best. Worst case, I just don't get a guardian, right?" Mason stroked the snake's head where it draped over her thighs. The snake lifted his head to look at her, and she could have sworn he looked just as skeptical as her mother when she'd asked to make copies of a few pages from the family grimoire.
"Gee thanks," she muttered. "Very supportive."
Well, supportive pet or not, it was time to get started. She pulled her pocket knife out of her back pocket and reached for the foam box she'd set outside the circle. From inside she pulled the chicken, which, thankfully, was already dead. She could tell her poor little neck had been snapped. Still, she looked normal; she'd only been delivered from one of the nearby farms that morning. Brutus tasted the air near it curiously, and Mason groaned. "Not for you, Brute. C'mon." She nudged him with her leg, and he slid out of her lap and left the circle. That was probably for the best, to not contaminate it…
She took a deep breath, lifted the chicken by its feet, and sliced her knife across its throat. The blood didn't gush without a beating heart, but it did drip down and begin to pour slowly into the circle. Mason swallowed hard against her gag reflex and began to read.
"Veni ad me, O Vengance appetentis et revertetur furor meus super hostibus meis, et his qui custodiat te amo. tu bellator meum testamentum, quod ego præcipio vobis faciam. Offero rursus sanguinem vi quaeritis."
The light from the bulb above flickered, then brightened, until the bulb shattered. Broken glass and smoke burst outward, illuminated in the ghostly blue light of the laptop screen.
last edited Dec 20, 2020 23:34:53 GMT -5 by Mason Garcia
Post by Zenaida Carver on Dec 21, 2020 0:14:14 GMT -5
What was seconds for the girl was a few minutes for the demon as the bodiless entity sought high and low for a suitable vessel. Zenaida had learned forever ago that dead bodies were the way to go, it meant she'd not have to fight the person's mind or listen to them cry and whine the entire possession. Or, if she was lucky, she'd find a poor patient in an ICU with no brain activity, but then she had to deal with the family...and Zen was not a family person. A newly deceased human was the way to go- however, one that had been dead for awhile wasn't very ideal either.
Showing up to a client like a zombie didn't work out well. Ask her how she knows.
Fortunately, she managed to snag a meat suit who had passed away just minutes earlier, was still warm, and resting upon the slab in the morgue. In she went, and the magic of the summoning did the rest. Those poor hospital workers weren't going to know what the hell happened.
As the light in the garage shattered, it was just a few seconds of silence before the girl would hear someone draw in a deep breath and let it out. From the shadows in the far corner, a pair of glowing red eyes blinked in her direction until the shape of a body appeared before the witch. A groan left her throat as arms were raised high above her head and she stretched out her spine, adjusting to this new body fairly quickly.
A look down, though, she looked suddenly annoyed. A hospital gown didn't exactly portray the evil, vengeful appearance she was going for, but she had little choice in the matter. Despite that, she pulled back on the neck of the gown so that she could peer down at the naked body it shielded. Lips pursed, and she nodded in approval, "Heeeey, not bad." A grin curled her lips before those eyes fell back upon the girl, the red slowly dissipating into their normal ocher color.
Scarred eyebrow lifted in curiosity after she had glanced around real quick. "So, uh...where's your master, kid?" There wasn't any way this girl had summoned her...right?
Post by Mason Garcia on Dec 21, 2020 23:44:19 GMT -5
Mason yelped slightly and scrambled to her feet as the strange woman stepped out of the shadows into the pathetic light of her laptop screen. The stranger was dressed in a generic-looking hospital gown, splotched with dark stains. Mason watched in a mixture of confusion and horror as the woman checked out what seemed to be an unfamiliar body.
The woman's voice was casual as she spoke to Mason, clearly skeptical.
Mason drew herself up to her full height and put her hands on her hips. "Who says I need a master? I'm a full-grown witch," she retorted, although the slight tremble in her voice betrayed that she wasn't as confident as she tried to play. Her confusion seeped back in, though, as she tipped her head to the side and frowned at the person she'd summoned. This wasn't exactly what she'd been expecting.
"Listen, I think there's been some kind of mix up. You're obviously not the protection spirit I was trying to summon...right? Because I don't know, I was expecting like… spirit orbs or something. Not a person... " Her frown deepened. "Or, well, whatever you are. Not human, that's for sure."
Post by Zenaida Carver on Jan 31, 2021 18:44:18 GMT -5
One of those dark brows arched in curiosity at the girl's defiant stance, but the voice she spoke with didn't seem to match. That soft surprise melted into obvious amusement, and she pursed her lips in thought. "No master, huh? So, you...little witchling..." Zenaida's steps were slow as she advanced a little closer, but not too close. She was wary of the circle, unsure of whatever securities the girl may or may not have laid down. "You summoned me then?"
Laughter erupted from deep within her chest as there was absolutely no hiding how absurd this all seemed. Wrapping an arm across herself, the other rested upon her forearm so that she could place her chin on her knuckles in quiet contemplation. She studied Mason closely, looking her up and down as if trying to figure out her reasoning.
"No offense, kid, but I don't do petty vengeance anymore. So what is it? The boy you like doesn't like you back? Do the other kiddies mock your skinny knees? Someone steal your lunch money?" Head canted every so slightly as her expression grew serious. Zen snapped her fingers in urgency. "C'mon now, out with it."
Post by Mason Garcia on Jan 31, 2021 19:02:45 GMT -5
Mason ground her teeth, biting back a retort at the laughter. She may not be a good witch, but that didn't mean she wasn't worthy of respect. This lady was rude and it was trampling on even gentle Mason's nerves. But she could laugh all she wanted--Mason had summoned her. That meant she was in charge. Or at least, she was supposed to be.
The next insults were too far, and Mason and her boa constrictor seemed to hiss in unison as she bared her teeth and the creature rose up to 'stand' alongside her, with his head raised about to her knee and fangs bared. Mason was utterly unaware of the effect she was having on her pet--she was too focused on the snarky woman. How dare she? How dare she act like there was no way someone like her could have a cause worth fighting for? How dare she mock Lauren's life, her son?
"Someone stole my sister's son," she spat, her hands clenched into fists at her sides so tightly that they shook. "They took him, and now they're trying to kill her and our friend Josie for trying to find him. They sent a freaking shadow creature after her to kill her in her sleep. So is that important enough for you? Or should I summon someone who can actually handle this? Because I don't have time for games. They're in danger now."
Post by Zenaida Carver on Jan 31, 2021 19:49:14 GMT -5
There we go. That was more like her usual, more interesting clientele, when she was graced with such things.
Dark eyes flickered to the snake at the witch's side as it rose up, and it was curling a slow and intriguing smile onto the demon's face. Unless the pet could reverse the incantation on its own and send her back down to the fiery depths, it could not hurt her. It was a beautiful reptile, regardless. It also had spirit, as Mason was finally proving to have.
Thank the fuckin' gods.
Zenaida wriggled and stretched again, as though she was still adjusting to this body, and she sighed softly. No, she really didn't seem to care about some missing child or people nearly getting killed. However, everything the young woman said certainly sounded promising, but there was something missing. "That all sounds interesting, sweetheart, really...but, there's one teeny-tiny detail that I would need." She paused, her expression growing serious once again. "I'm not your dog- I don't fetch." Was that a warning in her tone? Oh, yes...it definitely was. "So, I need the name of the one who you seek vengeance on. Because...that is what I am. That is what I do." What did she think she summoning? "You are aware of that, aren't you?" She wasn't a damn detective, she was the punisher. Plain and simple. Playing copper wasn't in the contract she'd been woefully burdened with.
Still, did she really want to go back to other clients? They would just be the same other bullshit jobs. What if she was able to stay around for a bit longer, stretched out her legs a little?
Zen appeared to be contemplating something, her lips pursing in thought. "Is your sister here?"
Post by Mason Garcia on Apr 27, 2021 20:14:05 GMT -5
Mason relaxed a little bit as the woman stopped laughing at her--she was able to regain her calm a little bit as she bent and scooped Brutus up and draped him over her shoulders. He lifted his head to nuzzle gently under her chin, then turned his eyes to watch the demon with suspicion. Mason felt about the same way. This lady was strange...and she actually hadn't said who she was or explained her rules at all. Was Mason supposed to know that already?
"A name? Really?" Mason groaned. This was definitely not going according to plan. How was she supposed to help Lauren if she couldn't even call for help correctly?
"Well...Vengeance sounds about right for what I need...Vengeance against the one who stole my sister's son. But…"
Zen appeared to be contemplating something, her lips pursing in thought. "Is your sister here?"
Mason's eyes went wide. "N-no, she lives in an apartment in town. The only reason I'm renting the house instead of her is because of all the animal rehabs I do. Can't exactly have a cat, a boa constrictor, three rabbits, an eagle, and a bobcat all in an apartment, you know?" She rambled a little without meaning to, still nervous about this whole thing.
"Are...are you interested in helping? It kinda seemed like you were excited about having something interesting to do--this has kidnapping, a murder, creepy shadow creatures, and probably some other worse things. And um, I'm not bossy or anything, like some summoners might be, and you can have your own room up in the house if you want. Oh, and I make pretty good tamales if you like Mexican food."