15358/Into the Mountains II: Quell the Riot

Into the Mountains II: Quell the Riot
Date of Scene:	18 July 2023
Location:	Shadows of Dhaulagiri, Nepal
Synopsis:	Rescuers from the Shazamly, Justice League Dark, and a notable Spirit of the Eagle help keep Pookie, a gemstone-formed snow leopard and guardian spirit of a mountain in the Himalayas, from a military's grasp.
Cast of Characters:	Nettie Crowe, Talia al Ghul, Yaretzi Acama, Billy Batson, Franklin Richards, Audra Meridian, Belinda Gutierrez, Detective Chimp

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Nettie Crowe has posed:
    How did Nettie know Camkilo Ratna, the Shimmering Jewel, the now sparkling, crystaline gem-colored snow leopard with sapphire eyes was a boy?

    "Well, I asked him, didn't I? 'E's a minor god, sort of, of the mountains. Not many like him left in our world. Most have gone past or reincarnated. But he and a few others remain... precious few. He's tied to the glacier here. Bigger it was, bigger he was. Was near the size of an elephant when I met him first." Nettie states, and then she looks up.

    She winces, and grasps at her shoulder again. "The ol' body didn't like what it was Mr. Franklin's done, did it?" she murmurs, and she looks out, looking over everyone worn from the skirmish.

    And on the horizon, there are dark shapes in beige jackets. Assembling, making calls, and lugging rockets as they move towards the crystaline, delicate cave of the glacier's opening where the adventurers were hiding.

    NEW YORK CITY (Not the home of Pace Salsa): In the Candle, Book and Belle, closed for the afternoon to outsiders, a crystal ball with a little dot of red on a piece of white linen was sticky-taped to a tongueless bronze belle, which was in turn tethered from the ceiling and supporting in a macrame cradle a two pound ball of clear quartz. When Nettie's shoulder was shot, the bell began a low, insistant, metallic hum, becoming strong enough to rattle teacups and the crystal ball glowed RED. Bright RED. Alarmingly RED. And the macreme was beginning to smoulder just a little bit as if the point wasn't sent across.

    Across the universe, there was a disturbance in this little pocket of nature in the Himalayas, the snow-capped mountains and shrinking glaciers seeming to ache like an old bruise through the conciousness of those who were able to feel the network of the spirits, connections in the astral -- or it could just be some bad Taco Bell, depending on where you're getting your breakfast from.

    Pookie gives an echoing sort of chirrup. Head tilting, and stepping in front of the injured witch gives a low growl.

    "No, no, Pookie, 's you they want. You stay back, and run if you can.

    Meanwhile, the ruins of the village, where Nettie's group had originally tranported, reek of magic, and offers a staging point for anyone who was going to touch that crystal to arrive in -- and really tangled up the astral. Don't drink and teleport.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
In the cave, Talia Al Ghul is letting the others talk with the leoporad god. She's meanwhile taken out a large blade which she's moving to take a rag over to to wipe down. She goes to say finally.. "It's very likely that this position will be known to the enemy. If they performed a large sweep of the general area when they sacked the village, they'll have noted locations that could be used as cover. Once they've gotten the fires under control, they'll dig in and send out a pursuit force. They know what direction we went in so here will be a logical place for them to follow us to. WE should move locations quickly. We're vulnerable in a tunnel."
    This is all rather logical to her. All they have to do is pop in, throw a few concussion grenades in - or worse something like a flamethrower which she's rather sure a local militia could easily get thier hands on.
    This to her comes as a priority before anything else. And they just got here a short time ago! "We should also setup some traps to slow down pursuit on our way out. We might be short on supplies without going back and raiding the village for things, but we can improvise." She's not asking anyone to help her wiht said traps - she's guessing most of them won't particularly stomach her setting up things to cripple, maim, or kill those after them.

Yaretzi Acama has posed:
Some time ago, in New York, Yaretzi was sitting and reading on the family's rooftop patio... when she simply felt the *need* to transform into Golden Eagle. Glancing back into the house to make sure her parents won't see, she transformed into the heroine and floated up into the sky... and felt a 'pull', like she was being drawn in a certain direction. Never having felt a sensation like this, she immediately darted off through the air in that direction, getting to her top speed and holding it... and finds herself flying through a magical portal, appearing in the air over a small village in Nepal.

"Holy moley...!", she says, realizing she's been brought a LONG way from home... and how cold it is. "... a little heads-up about the weather would've been nice!", she mutters, mostly to herself. So, she's here, the Spirit of Eagle having answered the call for aid from the Mountain Spirit... but, with Yaretzi's mind doing the driving, the heroine really hasn't a clue what's going on... but she has eyes and can easily see the devastation from the recent battles, and she repeats, "Holy moley...!"... then frowns as she sees the armed 'troops' moving towards the cave. Without a clue what's actually going on, she stays up in the sky and, using her eagle eyes... watches to try and figure out what to do.

Billy Batson has posed:
Shazam looks at Pookie. the voices in his head, normally a soft spoken and serious rise to a roar and stagger him a little, <<Elder Spirit, this is our Champion.>> That was Zeus. <<He will protect you from the mortals who seek you. Shazam! I am Xenia Zeus. You understand?>> Shazam takes a knee and pronounces, "I am ordered by Xenia Zeus, the god of kindness to strangers. I will stop these men. I will not give up short of death. If 'Pookie' falls into their hands, something very bad will happen, I feel this. I will move this mountain and glacier if I have to." He's not the kid getting annoyed at being called 'Flash' now. Something much older than Billy is looking out of his eyes. With a nod to Nettie he walks out of the cave and towards the militia. Lightning forks from him and plays around the peaks.

"The god is done running! You think yourselves princes of the Earth, but you are full of the bones of dead men!" Hey, that was Biblical, Solomon was getting some play! A massive blast of thunder. He looks over his shoulder at the cave and says, "Get the hell out of here, what are you waiting for?"

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin lies back against the rock wall, assuming a lazy T-Pose. He wears multiple layers of clothing, making it difficult to straighten his arms by his sides. Although his eyes are closed, he speaks in a tired voice. "Your arm is lagging behind the rest of your body. It will improve with time. Stop fussing over it," he advises before falling silent once more. The dog at his feet remains alert, gazing out of the entrance. Franklin pats the dog's head reassuringly. "I know... Don't worry, I don't think it's a bad thing."

For now, Franklin stands in silence, allowing others to handle the current situation. Resting in the cave, he anticipates regaining his energy soon. Nettie's condition was more challenging to address than he had initially thought, leaving him drained. But within the peaceful confines of the cave, he is confident that he will find a second wind. Though he must remain quiet and refrain from assisting at the moment, he gathers his remaining strength, ready for action when the time comes. If they don't require his aid, he can still provide them with a means of returning home while enjoying some well-deserved relaxation.

Audra Meridian has posed:
Worn but far from backing down when there's danger and friends in need! If she was anything else she probably wouldn't be running with the crowd of Shazam and Co.

"She's right. You best keep to yourself." Audra clenches her hands into fists, the tron lines and greebles glimmering slightly as the gauntlets powered back up. "Not per say traps," she remarks with a nod towards Talia, "but we can turn the environment against them."

Then Shazam just walks right out to make a much bigger spectacle of himself. Okay lets see how this plays out, they can probably take advantage of it to back him up. "They'll have a hard time ignoring that."

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Crystal Orb Remote Viewing Array: eXperimental.

CORVAX.

Not the crow, sadly, but a moniker devised by devious minds in all-night cleaning sessions and chatterboxing moments. The proper Corvax probably despises the name. Hence, it stuck.

And is gleaming a fiery, madly pulsing red, as though in time to unseen heartbeats... and releasing a sharp, sharp scent immediately reminding of smelling salts and heavy garlic.

The reaction is instant: Belinda leaps over the counter, shooing a customer out the door ("Business emergency!"), locking the door and snapping the sign to < CLOSED >. First things: grab big green medical GO!-bag, stuffed full with gauze, bandages, medicines, and a host of other things one might need and Nettie in particular might require. Next-- approach the hanging crystal, determined as she pauses before the throbbing orb. Long breath-- exhale. Brace and prepare and--

"I am Belinda Isabella Francesca Gutierrez," she announces softly, eyes gleaming before she changes-- muscle flowing, rippling, skin shifting and changing, voice deepening-- "...I am Silverdane," she confirms, the second half of the mystic key phrase. "I am called!"

The crystal glitters, enflames, the hiss of something opening in strange, bright sound and smoldering light. Reality already twisting to accept this new form. Already tugging at insides and a place just behind the belly button and *forward*.

The heat of the city swaps in an instant for the cold of far, far away. Pause to shiver, to relish breath-- clean, city-free, wild! --her glance takes in the snowy expanse, drinking in the moments and seconds and--

Men. Men with guns, rockets, uniforms. Military men, setting up to ominize and agress and assail a cavern opening. Another breath, warm and sharp and-- scent drawn. Taken. Heat and spice and... blood.

Icy fury crystalizes in her. Dropping to a crouch, Silverdane moves forward, swift as silent feet and crunching snow allow. Dark grey and lavender uniform against white background-- not precisely stealthy from the air, but quiet enough to close, perhaps, to draw near a few of the rocketeers. Quiet, to take best advantage of the Lightning Lord's grand challenge, the howl of the rising winds! Quiet, save for crunching snow.

Like tiny bones, breaking.

Detective Chimp has posed:
Detective Chimp got the message something was wrong and not something small. The oh shit button has been pushed. So moving to a box under his bead Chimp pulls out a few things. A black combat shield uniform in his size. A pistol goes under his arm in a holster, a knife on his hip. He slings a rifle across his back, before taking the potion in a banana shaped flask out of the chest. He looks around and takes a puff on his cigar before taking it in hand and downs the the contents of the flask. He may look "cute" to some all suited up, but the Chimp is coming in ready. As the potion takes effect he grits his teeth around his cigar, and pulls his rifle up ready for trouble, hoping he can keep his lunch down at the odd sensations pulling his through something here and not here at the same time. And then with a soft pop and the smell of bananas WAND Agent Chimp is stepping from a shadow.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "Oh, they already know where here." Nettie replies to Talia quietly, drawing her fingers together. "I can try to teleport us out, but I'll need time to set the circle for you all. I'd stay here with Pookie. You lot aren't going to--" she winces. "... know what to do once we get up to the mountains." Because, you know, we're not already in the Himalayas. Nettie's nose scrunches as she looks to Franklin.

    "And you're not to do that again, do you hear me? Death rejected me. You'll just feel queasy afterwards... but thank you." she states softly to the Reed, and offers a gloved hand up from her good arm. "You've got this."

    Pookie, AKA Camkilo Ratna, the spirit of the shadow of the mountain, gives a garbled purring sound to Shazam. His head tilts, as if hearing Zeus in Shazam's head, and his tail curls before he head-bumps Shazam's hand.

    But loops back around the group, warily looking to the hunters, the militants he thought he'd escaped.

    As Shazam determines he's going to make another light show, the militants -- manyfold stronger than the few dozen they fought at the village site -- give pause. They're rattled as they watch lightning gather at the hands of the man in red and thunder rattle along the peaks, disturbing the snow deposited there, and threatening avalanches -- but they press forward, uncertain now. One dares turn behind and sees the oncoming shadow of Silverdane rushing their rear flank, and gives a warning call of 'monster, monster!'

    And something smells like... bananas and tobacco?

    What?

    "... give 'em Hell, lads and ladies. Let's show 'em why they don't stick our mugs on T-shirts and wrapping paper." Nettie growls, raising one fist up.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Well, this is awkward. They're rather outnumbered here and they're somewhat pinned. Even wiht the heavy hitters present, there's enough chance for collateral damage - likely to the mountainside if eveyrone has to cut loose both ways. No one wants to get an avalanche going - but if there's a brawl between individuals with heavy artillery and those with superpowers, it's quite possible. So Talia Al Ghul goes to do quickly what she can. She goes to duck down hard against the lower end of the cave..

And she promptly vanishes from sight and sense - unless one is /extremely/ good at picking up someone with a lifetime of training and experience wiht stealth skills not quite on par with the Bats. Talia Al Ghul will then go to stalk uot of the cave without so much as a noise, her outfit letting her blend in to the background.. her blade is in hand and there's not even a glint of it against the dim light of the cave. And presuming she's not spotted she's moving to simply leave the cave, and starts to move along slowly to try and flank the group of militants that are pursuing them. She has fought in these mountains before. She knows the ways of murder. she intends on showing these men the error of thier ways for thier disrespect.

Yaretzi Acama has posed:
The woman flying above, watching, sees Shazam come out of the cave to face off against the 'troops', and she narrows her eyes -- her choice is made as to what should be done! Her head falls and her feet kick up into the air behind her as she dives down towards the battle -- those men have chosen to fight against Shazam, which means they've also chosen Golden Eagle as their enemy!

With her focus on the troopers, then on Shazam stepping out of the cave, then her dive into battle, she completely misses the appearances of Silverdance and Chimp.

Her arrival to the combat is silent, save the sound of a rush of air followed by the loud ***CRUNCH*** of her hard landing. This is followed by the sounds of her laying into the soldiers' rear echelon, turning Shazam's counter-attack into a two-pronged counter-assault!

Billy Batson has posed:
Shazam smiles as bullet hit him. They mean to fight him, as if he is a man.

He shows them their error. They will survive Shazam. Zeus is merciful this week is the joke. They will endure him, get injured, hurled about, knocked senseless. But fight him? No. The Champion becomes a red blur and the sound of mighty winds and rivers flooding. A wave of snow, ice and dirt parallel to the militia advance is thrown up and at them. The lightning still flashes, laughing.

Audra Meridian has posed:
The men hesitate at Shazam's display and that is all Audra needs. She steps out of the cave, keeping her position so she's behind the red clad hero as the guns are being fired. She holds her arms up and slightly out the sides. Opens her palms and lets loose with the charge she's built up as Shazam moves into motion.

The howl of winds wasn't unusual amongst the mountains. But normally it didn't come in the form of two horizontal funnels of air force roaring to life, one on either side of Shazam as they blast towards the militants. Ripping up ice and rock from the mountain and hurtling that towards the men as well. There's a good chance of getting caught in the windforce or pelted with something especially if they pay more attention at avoiding Shazam's godly wrath.

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin listens attentively to Nettie, a small grin forming on his face. He chooses not to respond verbally, but instead acknowledges her gratitude with a nod. Finally, he adds, "I won't if you learn to move out of the way of the bullets," and lets out a light chuckle. As Low powered Franklin, he feels a bit bolder, allowing his words to flow more freely. His intention wasn't to say anything negative, of course, and he smiles a little. Raising his arm, he continues, "I know it's a thousand years too early to tell you what to do," before falling back into silence.

Talia moves away, and Franklin loses sight of her. He pats the dog on the head once more and reflects, "You know, there is an easier way." He falls silent, contemplating for a moment, then opens his eyes to look at Nettie. "Avalanche?" he suggests with a shrug. Falling back into silence, he considers that being in a cave should provide them safety, while the snow would potentially wipe out the people and the town. However, it would only work if they could initiate and sustain an avalanche. Franklin, being inside with Nettie, would have to investigate further to confirm, but he believed it was an option when he entered.

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
One soldier is quick, lucky; properly warmed and trained and steeled against the Unnatural, he whips his AK rifle around to bear on the loping she-wolf, muttering a grim oath in his mother tongue. Bullets cut loose; hammering coughs chatter across the mountainside, unseen waves of sound assailing the heavy, packed snow. 7.62 millimeter rounds-- old but serviceable --punch into monster and meat and flesh.

Healing, as quickly as they land. Those bullets may as well be punching air.

The crunching sounds of snow are met with the very real crunching sounds of bones breaking-- collarbones, snapped with twin, careful strikes. Gunfire cuts off as a man's shriek rises to the sky. "Twenty-five pounds," Silverdane growls, drawing her arms back as she moves from the disabled soldier and his useless arms, on towards the cav-- rockets! Artillery? And bright red, sparkling lightning, storm and skyfire and soaring heroes!

No time to be distracted again-- stealth abandoned for speed, running, racing for the crevasse and those within-- sight of Windrose! Knowing that she is *right*!

Detective Chimp has posed:
Detective Chimp steps over to Nettie and says "Bad guys out there I take it?" He asks, considering who he sees heading towards the front and out of the cave. He will sling the rifle again, and says "So, fill me in?" He asks her, figuring the big guns can handle this for a moment, and it will be more prudent to figure out what is going on while he has the chance and where to apply his own pressure.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Yep. They are outnumbered -- but not outgunned.

    The one thing about the Justice League Dark is that they're allowed to do what needs to be done, without answering to POlice. To Governments. Least of all answering for what's about to happen to the militants fighting to recover the snow leopard spirit.

    Nettie is thankful for that, given the company she keeps.

    She gives a wan smile to Franklin as he leans back into the snow. 'Keep it on the back burner. Between you and me, we could make it happen, but I don't think your new friend's good at digging people out of the snow. Best not to test him so soon, hm?" she replies to him softly.

    The sodiers are beeing battered and wiffled about. They fly to and fro, fleeing the thunder and the wolf. MOre than one gets trampled in the process. Darks bark and howl, attempting to flee Silverdane as the supernatural keys higher and higher under the rising moon of the Himalayan evening, and the shadows beneath the mountain deepen to purplish-black.

    Nettie breathes out, reaching her good hand outwards, her eyes closing.

    "I don't want to do this, but if she gives me enough to work with..." she trails off quietly.

    Gunfire and the hiss of rockets and grenades split the night, the BOOMs making Pookie curl back farther into the little cavern of ice.

    

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "Aye, Detective. Bad guys out front, party in the back, naturally." Nettie gives a wry little smile as she looks to the Tactical Simian. "You look dashing as ever. We're defendin' an old friend of mine. Say hello, Pookie."

    And behind NEttie, the crystaline snow leopard gives a curious 'mrrro?' and sniffs the air around Chimp.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
With her blade out, Talia Al Ghul is still circling in far behind the attackers. The ones with the RPG's are the highest priority for her. The explosives may not necessarily hurt those with the group, but they're the ones with the highest possibility of starting an avalanche or collateral damage. Her blade is out now as she goes in towards the first one with a heavy launcher.
    She approaches from behind, moving to yank her hand out over his mouth while he's busy loading another grenade in. He struggles, thrashing. Even as she slides her knife over his throat, slashing it silently. Hand on his mouth as she severs his vocal cords. She goes to catch the RPG mid fall, quickly disarming it. The grenades on the man are rapidly taken off him as she strips him of his weapon, in seconds having tugged his corpse out of the way to ensure that it's not immediately noticed. She goes to spiral back towards another in cover that's getting ready to aim his RPG over at one of the heroes that bullets are spanging off of. She goes up, calmly, behind him and moves to jab her blade through his spine, hand reaching up to snap his neck. Pulling him to the side and disarming him.

Yaretzi Acama has posed:
Golden Eagle's fighting is as *boom* or *smash* or *slash* or *OHGODMYBALLS!* as that of others... okay, maybe that last one every now and then... but she's pretty well bulletproof, and guns fired at her are all but meaningless. She *does* dodge the one RPG that's launched her way, though, before sending that soldier flying into the air and about thirty feet away from herself. Half the time, she's simply breaking the weapons of the soldiers before throwing them bodily into one another to render them unconscious, but sometimes she simply punches or kicks one of them, too -- those are the ones who're *really* getting hurt as she fights.

She fights her way foward through the troopers and towards the cave, having seen that Shazam isn't alone... and realizing that she, kinda, is all on her own in in the rear ranks of the 'bad guys' -- she's trying to fight her way over to where she can tell, thanks to the lightning and thunder on display, Shazam's fighting. "Shazam!", she calls out, when she catches a glimpse of him through the battlefield, trying to get his attention... just before she slaps another RPG away from herself and up into the air, where it explodes not far overhead. The explosion doesn't seem to actually hurt her, but the force of the blast does knock her off her feet, forcing her to stand up into a hail of gunfire.

Franklin Richards has posed:
Leaning against the wall, Franklin's attention is drawn to the talking and moving chimp. He opens his eye wide, observing the chimp for a long moment before shifting his focus to grab the dog's collar as Silverdane enters from outside. "Calm down... We're the weird ones," he reassures the dog, offering a smile that seems to resonate with the attentive canine. While the chimp doesn't bother him, the Silverdane elicits a low growl if she gets too close to Franklin. It's just a regular dog, but it does its best to appear intimidating in front of the larger person.

Franklin extends a small wave and decides to speak up to the others. "So, I'm guessing you two are the cavalry? Pleasure to meet you, I'm Franklin," he introduces himself with a friendly gesture. "And it's a non-smoking cave," he adds, chuckling and making a playful remark about the smoking. He's willing to tolerate it for a while, having grown accustomed to smoke due to Uncle Johnny. He looks at Nettie, nodding and letting out a sigh. "You guys are enjoyable to work with. I can be honest with you," he comments, a smile gracing his face. With his family, he often had to maintain a certain image and be proper, but it's refreshing to feel a sense of authenticity with this group.

Returning to silence, Franklin simply listens to the others for a while. He then raises his hand, though he doesn't move from his position. "Help is only a snap away," he says, accompanied by a light chuckle, indicating his readiness to assist if needed. After speaking though he glances at the cave entrance, "How many did you bring?" he asks a bit surprised.

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Silverdane moves as the others deal with the outsiders, crouching down with a grimace, shoving the bulky box of the medical bag before her as she grumbles and whines and presses through the crack.

"Medicines!" she announces in a short, sharp bark; her blush is hidden by shadow and furry cheeks as she coughs, continuing more softly. "The Crystal glowed. There are others outside. The stone showed someone was hurt?" Remaining hunched over, the werewolf slips to one knee, nostrils quivering as she focuses her eyes on Nettie, on Franklin, on dog-- growling, adorable! On--

"...Dios," she whispers, breath caught at the sight of jeweled feline-shaped spirit.

Billy Batson has posed:
Shazam sees the familiar form of Golden Eagle apparently down and being jerked by bullet impacts. He's a man again. The man in red blurs again, bullets are stopped. Rifles are slapped from hands, soldiers knocked aside. He catches one rocket a foot away from the firer, who falls to his knees as the rocket explodes and is somehow contained, the man merely deafened and stunned. He blurs again to stand over Golden Eagle and sprays bolts all around to sow confusion and fear.

"Tu se bueno, amiga?"

Audra Meridian has posed:
"Incoming!" Audra shouts, even as she uses her Zephyr Boots to backdash and angle sideways to avoid one of the grenades. There's a *WOOMP* in its wake as the explosive hits the ground and a plume of snow erupts skyward. "These guys aren't shitting around."

Normally she would be one a bit more restrained to avoid needless casualties. But she's got friends in danger, and these men definitely would not show the same concern towards any of them. So it's time to pull up the Serious Hero Business pants... well if she was wearing pants and not a partially armored bodysuit.

She builds up another surge, this time raising one arm to fire the discharge into the air. The ionized energy consolidates there, causing a peel of thunder and flash of light overhead.

And then the energy comes blasting back down towards a squad of militants in the form of a large orb of electrified air that hits the ground with such vigorous energy that it explodes not unlike a bomb, sending arcs of electricity and a wash of pressurized superheated air washing outward from it.

If you ever doubted Ball Lightning was a real phenomenon, well now you've seen it for yourself.

Detective Chimp has posed:
Detective Chimp nods a bit to this and looks to Pooka, Franklin and the dog. "We will do our best to get you all out of here safe, and Aint anywhere a fellow can smoke any more." He jokes, but looks over to Belinda, and says "You got the medical side of things? I will step outside and see what I can do to help out there. He does head towards the cave, but instead of heading out and down, he starts making his way up the mountain a bit for a better view.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Talia, the trampled ones, and those who have perished recently give good fodder for NEttie. She breathes out a moment.

    "Aye. Pookie, this is Silverdane, my young assistant. Belinda, this is Camkilo Ratna, good friend of mine from my twenties." she explains, stretching her fingers out.

    "Forgive me these tresspasses on the red, as I stain with black." she whispers.

    And the Dead begin to rise. Slowly. Shambling. Adding only to the confusion and chaos of the battlefield.

    Snow errupts skyward. The lightning flashes and thunder rolls, the dead dance and, as Chimp climbs up, he sees it all from his vantage point -- and the rumbles on the mountain get stronger.

    Avalance is a strong danger now, little bits of snow drift beginning to shake loose and spill in stark cascades over dark rock.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia has spent a large portion of her life over in the mountains. She knows what those sounds mean. She knows how little chance there is of survival from them. she goes to start to swear under her breath even as she's going to rapidly start to withdraw and looking for anywhere to position herself near that could give cover. The issue's not only being able to survive the avalanche.. But also to not get buried by it and never get out. The others might have magic, powers, or the like..
    But she could very much die. And she'd much rather not just be a flash frozen corpse to be dug up decades later still perfectly preserved. She would look over her shoulder at the rising zombies, and murmur under her breath in the local language. What she mutters is very /not/ nice

Yaretzi Acama has posed:
"Dude... use English. You're mangling the Spanish", Golden Eagle says as she finsihes getting to her feet. "... and I'm fine. I'm bulletproof, too. That rocket blowing up just knocked me down", she says, as she grabs another guy by his gun, throwing him aside before she basically snaps the rifle in two. "What's going *on*, here?!", she then questions, adding an, "Ay caray...!", when the dead soldiers rise... and start fighting the still-living ones. She actually takes a step back and just watches as this starts to happen, not fighting for a few moments at least.

Billy Batson has posed:
Shazam says, "That was acceptable Spanish. Sheesh. I think we're done here. I'd like to spare you this. I built a wall of snow they'll have trouble with -if they stick around. Come on. I'll introduce you. We're trying to protect a leopard spirit-slash-god." He lifts up and flies back to the cave.

Audra Meridian has posed:
Audra Meridian chuckles a bit at the remark about mangling Spanish as her maneuvering to keep firing blasts of wind to keep the soldiers at bay and scattered. She even throws a few cold pulses to help reinforce Shazam's snow wall before taking off as well. And good timing too, as the undead start to stand again... and thankfully go after the enemies.

In doing so she glances at Golden Eagle, then over to Shazam. "Another friend of yours?" Then back to Eagle. "Name's Audra. Or Windrose when using the special made-up names." Nothing like mid-fight introductions when it comes to the heroing business.

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin lets out a sigh and scans the surroundings, feeling the vibrations in the cave. As the monkey passes by, he advises, "If you're in trouble out there, just say my name. It could save you. But right now, I need to focus on other things." He closes his eyes, exhaling wearily, while Nettie makes a move. Since she expressed her reluctance towards the avalanche, Franklin decides it's time for him to act as well. He gazes at the jaded animal one last time, smiling slightly, and then turns, removing his glove so he can place his hand on the wall.

Inside the cave, nothing significant occurs, but outside, blue sparks can be seen racing over the snow. Franklin is melting the snow by channeling his energy through it, utilizing the principles of thermodynamics. The melted layer will freeze again due to the cold, creating a solid ice sheet instead of just snow. This should provide more stability for a longer period of time. Franklin remains focused on his task, unable to engage in conversation. He ignores the others, including the soldiers outside, as he concentrates on solidifying the snow.

After a while, he speaks up, his voice sounding a bit strained, "I cannot do this forever, and when it ends, we should be gone." He then returns to his focused state, blue sparks continuing to cover the snow above. As the sparks pass by, the Detective may observe them shooting past, purposefully avoiding him, as if they are parting a stream of energy to bypass him and ensure he isn't affected.

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Silverdane just... nods to the passing Detective as he departs. Though most eyes are for the shimmering Jewelcat as she finds purchase to breathe again!

"El Mas Honrado," she murmurs, bending her head. "Most Honored One!" An ear flicks to the sounds outside-- bullets and screams and the ominous subsonic growl of the mountain as it shifts, setles-- thermodyamics melting and refreezing, locking together tempted snow back from its potential slide. Meanwhile, eyes and nose-- focused on Mrs. Crowe, the dark blood on her shoulder-- clawed fingers move with remarkable deftness on velcro and zippers, tugging them open to retrieve the first roll of gauze and bandages and tape.

"Abuela," she remarks gruffly, calmly, "You were not trying to be a Marine again?" Teasing faintly, peering closely at the wound. "They are not bulletproof. You are not either. Besides-- no tank around to steal today." She rumbles, grudging approval as she chuffs; she turns back to the kit, removing a small vial from inside. "You said to bring this if injured," she adds, presenting it, "And to give it to you to drink." She glowers (sort of), tail curving to her side. "And to make sure you drank all of it in one go or I will play N'Sync for a week!"

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Talia can *deal* with the zombies. She's providing them. And Nettie would make sure she came back as not-a-zombie.

    The zombies do get up, but with her attention spread over so many, they don't do very much -- they're unsettling all on their own though, the dead soldiers mostly bumping into their comrades and waving their hands, windmilling in place before bumping again.

    The wall of snow is being fought with grenades and rocket launchers, making the rumbling more grumpy. The hunder and sssnow and wind howl louder than the wolf, and Pookie, being a wise old minor god retreats a little bit further back into the cave, eyes going wide.

    "Heh... Belinda, you cannot threaten me with the cursed Jukebox." Nettie states, and then she takes a deep breath.

    Well, with their comrades dying, then raising from the dead, thunder and lightning coming to life, and the threat of an avalanche looming, militants begin to peel away. Abandoning their gear, their comrades, and their commanders, who as they begint o lose underlings begin to decide that maybe a magic snow leopard isn't the best thing to lose your head over -- and they start to book it too!

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Well, this is making things a bit quieter - which is good. Talia's not used to having hte recently deceased being on her own side - at least the barely animated ones like these are. So she goes to quickly arc away over from the group of zombies and the group of militants that are for the most part breaking. She's going to circle back now over into cover as Shazam goes to pull off bringing the lightning, and the others are working together at driving off the militants. It's time for her to get back to rejoin the main cluster.

Yaretzi Acama has posed:
"Uhm.. hi! I'm Golden Eagle", is the latina superheroine's reply to Audra when she's followed Shazam, flying up thataway. "... and that was barely Spanish...", she asides to Shazam. Then, she realizes what all the extra 'kaboom' sorta sounds are. "Avalanche!", she calls... and, when the others head *into* the cave instead of away from the mountain, she follows after them, flying in and coming to a skidding sort of landing, facing to the outside where the moutain's starting to fall down.

... but, even as that 'natural' distaster is getting started, she feels that pull again, the one she felt when she was back in New York City, and turns around to look at the crystalline critter. A slight pout, as if she's deep in thought, comes to her face, and she steps towards the materialized spirit, kneeling in front of it... but mostly just to get 'face to face' even with it, not like she's bowing. "You're why I ended up here...", she says to it, quietly. "Do I know you?"

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin maintains his grip on the wall, sensing the retreating presence of others, and he smiles slightly. "You two should probably go. I need to release this and have a few words with our friend who went back into the cave," he explains, not wanting to cease his task, fearing it could disrupt the delicate balance. He glances over at Silver and nods, expressing his relief. "I'm glad to see she has people who care. Shazam would never forgive me if I harmed her." With his free hand, he points towards the exit of the cave.

Then, Franklin turns his attention to Nettie. "It'll be fine. Thanks for the exciting adventure. We'll meet again. Take your people and leave; it's safe here," he assures her. However, he pauses to reflect and adds, "I just need to ensure they understand the rules, prevent incidents like this from happening again." There are certain principles and boundaries that govern these matters, and a spirit animal needs to be aware of them to avoid accidentally disrupting the delicate balance. He looks at the new person and playfully quips, "I think we might be going the wrong way here. Why does it suddenly feel like there are more, not fewer?" He chuckles, teasing them a little, to lighten the atmosphere.

Audra Meridian has posed:
"The mountain got mad at all the fighting!" For a moment Audra considers staying in the air, but quickly dismisses it. That would be leaving her friends to deal with the matter on the ground, so she'll rejoin them in the cave and help make sure it doesn't get filled in or collapsed or anything like that.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Talia reaches cover, behind the wall of snow constructed by Shazam.

    The roar of an avalanche looms as the mountainside begins to fall down.

    "Oh. Because I was raising the dead, dear. I'm releasing them now. Poor sots. Back to the wheel for you." she murmurs in response to Franklin.

    And she stumbles a bit backwards, falling on her butt. The old witch looks up to Golden Eagle, and her head tilts a moment with a soft 'huh' sound.

    Others begin to come in, joining the group in the cave.

    And then, the gemstone-big cat gives a metallic, rumbling purr, satisfied that it's safe now as the snow roars overhead, darkening what light sinks into the cave.

    And Nettie just... leans back on the ground.

    "Ah, yes, Belinda, please --" Nettie reaches up for the vial.

    And the shimmering jewltone bbig cat looks all around, and with a deep, bass voice announces:

<Thank you. This is the second time you have come to my rescue, Annette Crow.>

Talia al Ghul has posed:
And then Talia is back behind cover, even as the snow-storm puts things icily away. She goes to sit down, tkaing a moment to reassure herself tha tit's safe now.. Then she goes to take out her blade, and a large rag that she moves to take over to the edge of the sword. And she goes to start the process of wiping it down and cleaning it. "So we've driven them away for now." She's not expecting most of them will survive this far out in the mountains with no transportation and exposed to the elements. There's not enough food or water and it's far too long to walk back to civilization with the exposure, even if they don't go over the edge.

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Silverdane-- Belinda --grins sheepishly as she nods. "Well, better than promising to steal cigarettes!" she manages, giggling quietly. One ear stays canted to the sounds of battle outside; a quirk of breath as she draws deep, releasing again as she gazes back towards the tunnel's entrance. She listens carefully, intently, motion frozen to stillness for endless seconds before she nods in affirmation of Franklin's announcement.

"They are definitely falling back," she murmurs, a subtle frisson of relief stealing through her shoulders. "I do not hear.... grrf. Explosions. Gunfire." She pauses, tail twitching . "Well, there is still much thunder," she adds as the mountain shrugs and slides down.

The gruff sound on her lips falls away as the others return; she squeezes back as much as she dares, splaying to the rocky wall as she pases the vial across to Mrs. Crowe. Eyes turning back to Bright Eagle and Bejewelled Feline. "He is Camkilo Ratna," she murmurs for the Eagle's sake, gaze renewed on that glimmering leopard as it speaks!

Yaretzi Acama has posed:
Golden Eagle, seemingly ignored by the crystalline spirit, rises step away from it, a pout on her lips once more. Glancing over to Silverdane, she nods. "Thanks... I didn't know its name, but I'm pretty sure it's why I ended up here in the first place", she says, putting her hands to her hips.

Audra Meridian has posed:
"Crystal cat probably has a lot on it's mind," Audra murmurs to Eagle, then slumps agains a wall of cave. Now she's really wore out. "That will hopefully get those jackasses to leave, if they survive..." Then turns her head towards Nettie. "Never took you for the raise the dead type, but guess it's not -that- surprising." She's long since gotten past magic doing weird unexplainable things like that.

Franklin Richards has posed:
Observing more people entering the cave, Franklin lets out a resigned sigh. "Fine, I guess since everyone is in here," he relents, removing his hand from the wall, causing the sparks to cease and the shaking to resume. The ice he had been creating, and holding he lets go, setting it in motion like a smooth ice sled sliding down the mountain. Franklin sighs, feeling the cold seep into his hand, and says, "Brr... Brr..." He gazes out to watch as the massive ice sheet continues its descent, colliding with the ground below with a resounding crack.

The ice sheet is enormous and shows no signs of stopping as it rolls past the cave. Franklin chuckles, aware that the chimp is safely positioned above it and that Shazam should be able to dodge such a large sheet of ice. Briefly turning to Nettie, he points at the colossal ice sheet gliding by and smiles. "Now, that's something you don't see every day. If anyone happens to pass by, they won't even find the bodies," he remarks, shaking his head. "You're such a bad influence," he playfully adds, his tone relaxed. However, a single bead of blood betrays him as it drips from his nose. Uncertain how long he can hold himself together, he quickly turns to look outside again, hoping the others won't notice, as he must maintain control. Though holding that much ice even if he changed the rules a bit was tough for him, and he would have to apologize to anyone left in the ruined villiage, as most likely it would be wipped out with this ice sheet as well. Franklin sighs a bit, and nature is a cruel thing at times, and he tended to not get in its way.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Nettie gives a slight smile. "Aye, been a hot minute since I yeeted that power and Kobe'd the ability to jive the unalived to power-up an' give us a bit of an ol' walkabout." Nettie mixes jargon. Possibly on purpose.

    "I have a natural talent for necromancy."
    And the Gemstone Feline goes around to each in turn. A headbutt to the canine who has been adopted by Franklin (Congrats, Franklin, you have a new friend). A gentle paw swipe to Franklin. A butt to the hand of Belinda and Audra, and gentle taps to Talia, Chimp and Shazam.

    It sits in front of Golden Eagle, and its head tilts before it appears to smile, and gives a graceful sort of bow in recognition before one final nose-to-nose boop to the other spirit, and then it hops away, through the ice and into the rocks of its mountainous home.

    And Nettie breathes out a sigh of relief.

    "Every hundred years or so he tends to get into a spot of trouble. Let's hope we're around in twenty-one-twenty-three, eh?" she asks, before wincing.

    "Give me a moment, duckies, and I'll open a portal for us home."

    She points at Franklin. "You Rest. Or Else."

    And then at Golden Eagle.

    "And who in the blue blazes are you?"

Yaretzi Acama has posed:
Golden Eagle stands very still as the feline spirit stands in front of her... then, when it bows, she also does -- thinking it's the right thing to do in reply. Then, she gets snoot-booped... and blinkblinkblinks her eyes in surprise.

Then, she's being interrogated...! Hopefully, she'll be given a chance to explain her presence, and hopefully she'll also be vouched-for by Shazam...