2763/Zodiac Rising: No Stone Unturned (Part 2)

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Zodiac Rising: No Stone Unturned (Part 2)
Date of Scene: 08 August 2020
Location: Cairo, Egypt
Synopsis: The ancient order of the Monks of Thoth attempts to repell an attack by the corrupted Avatars of the Zodiac, who come in search of ancient knowledge.
Cast of Characters: Amanda Sefton, Victor Stone, Elektra Natchios, Neena Thurman, Malcolm Merlyn
Tinyplot: Zodiac Rising


Amanda Sefton has posed:
Cairo, Egypt. The desert night is cool, midnight having come and gone already. The stars twinkle overhead, the moon a week past full. The walls of the ancient monastery look more grey in the moonlight than the ashen sand they are under the noonday sun. The gardens within have an almost zen like quality, for all that the monks that tend them in this place are descended from the ancient priests of Thoth, not some Shaolin master or Jesuit missionary.

In the center of the garden is an ancient mausoleum where, legends say, all the monks of the past have been entombed. It's also, according to Serpens, the current resting spot of the second piece of the Tablet of Zalmoxis, which is rumoured to contain a map to the doorway to Set's prison.

Needless to say, that makes it exceptionally important he acquire it.

To that end, Serpens has sent his newly gathered Avatars of the Zodiac out to play fetch and bring the tablet fragments to him. In this particular case, that means negotiating a medatative maze of walls and statuary and, of course, well-tended plants. (It *is* a garden, after all.)

And dealing with any guardians that may be lurking about.

The modern Monks of Thoth appear on the surface to be scholars and mediators. However, in supernatural circles, they are known as some of the most formidable mystical warriors of the current age. Thus, it's quite likely there are more than just a modern security system of cameras and locks on the place. Magical wards and magical *wardens* are also quite likely.

In fact... they're guaranteed.

Victor Stone has posed:
A hulking, shadowy figure separates from its fellows on the darkened side of the monastery's walls, across from the waning moon. The only really distinct feature on the silhouette is a silver disc, chained over its chest, that catches the starlight as it moves.

There's only a moment to look for such features, though; seconds after emerging, its shadowed form seems to fold in on itself, color surging upward from within, and in moments it is a much more diminutive figure: that of one of the monks of Thoth. The monk reaches up with wizened fingers to tuck the still-evident amulet into its robes, then walks with quiet, unhurried steps toward the entrance to the meditative labyrinth.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
Elektra had been in Cairo quite a few times already in the past. Always in business not leisure unfortunately. And this time it seems it'd be business once again, or was it leisure? She wasn't too certain, but the trip had been strange enough, the pull to go to Cairo. Perhaps she'd meet a few contacts and go through a few contracts on the zone.. If anything this was an hot bed for it..

Yet a certain ring, her precious, had other ideas. When it was slipped on all thoughts of contracts were gone. The mission was another. To go to an old monastery and retrieve a tablet, or so Serpens ordained. And there was no refusing Serpens.

Capricorn was in charge now as they made way to the monastery, the sound of its hooves heard as it lands not too far from their destination, both legs and head those of a goat, eyes dark as they surveyed the place. Long, curled horns have sprouted from it's forehead, sharp and dangerous. It holds a rather long staff made of various metals, as if they had been fused together in some manner and various sharp knives are upon it's belt. Curiously enough the knives have no handles, only sharp points. Clearly they are not to be used with its hands!

As the new 'monk' begins to walk to the entrance Capricorn snorts but moves around to follow, not exactly right after the disguised one but looking for a point to jump over and in.

Neena Thurman has posed:
Cairo is just one of those places where present mingles with history, where myth meets magic, and somewhere in there is reality. It's a city that counts its age in millennia as opposed to centuries, and the kick of sand could uncovery mysteries buried.

Such a place had called an albino mercenary only days ago, and it became a life changing event. Literally.

The call was a pull, a drawing out, and while it was the albino form that wandered for the beginning of the call, it is now the avatar of Scorpio that stands in her place. Skin falls away to reveal a sort of carapace, the blue eyes deepen to all black, seemingly pupilless, and in hand, a scimitar on a pike. And a sharp, nasty looking stinger.

While she may have lost memory of who she really 'is', she hasn't yet lost that attention, the threat assessment that is always 'on'... and as she arrives, she takes a quick look around before she smiles; one of those 'creature' exhibitions designed to show off rather than actually show amusement.

A quick 'headcount', though, as she arrives, and her head lifts in acknowledgment. A throwback of who she was, maybe, or certain personality traits win out maybe, but she doesn't lose that grin.

"Let's do thissss..."

Malcolm Merlyn has posed:
    With the light of the moon, the gardens are lit...but there are shadows. Little pools of darkness that gather in corners, hold fast to the walls, cling to the well-tended hedges. It is at one of these pools of shadow that the darkness appears to thicken. Solidify. And...from within the opaque mass, steps out a figure. But...a figure like none other.

    For, it is the antlers, dark red and sharp as swords, that emerge first from the darkness. A red that is not natural, but a dark, rusty. Blood-stained.

    Then, the rest of the figure emerges. Red eyes, glowing with an unearthly light. A torso of a man, the face proud and stern. And....a hoove, then two. Then two more. A majestic creature out of legend, twisted by darkness. A quiver rests upon his back, for male he is. A massive bow held in the left hand.

    Those red eyes shift, taking in the one who spoke. There isn't a smile, nor even a murmur from the archer. There is, faintly, just the slightest of nods, before the archer steps back into darkness...and from sight.

    Let's do this, indeed.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
An ethreal hum rings out over the walls of the monastery grounds, vibrating like the aftersound of a large gong. It fades as the walls are breached, the intrusive Avatars in their monsterous forms landing on the sandy soil within their perimeter. The monk that is Gemini moves unimpedied, encountering none of his human fellows. Yet. But shivers run through the vegetation bordering the path, rippling ahead and behind his movements. Perhaps, however, it is reacting to the intrusion of the others.

The shadows conceal the great Saggitarius, save for the occasional glimpse of his glowing red eyes. But slowly, the eyes of statuary lining the pathways begin to glow with a life of their own, golden as the summer sun.

The evening breeze picks up, winds swirling around Capricorn and Scorpio, tasting their skins and flowing almost like water around them before circling 'round toward the center of the garden maze.

Victor Stone has posed:
With no one appearing to challenge his advance, Gemini wanders through the moonlit maze, ignoring the mystical alarm that rings out. He answers the others' enthusiasm and their malevolent rush with naught but a quiet smile, then parts ways with them at a fork in the path, content to let them draw any defensive attention away from his humble but unceasing advance.

As he continues past a row of topiary, one veined hand reaches out to brush gently against the shivering leaves, as if in a soothing response to their agitated shivering. Really, though, he is feeling out the powers of this new form.

If the monks' reputation as masters of the arcane is well-deserved, this figure that he has drawn from their collective memory -- a venerated master, since passed away -- should have the clarity of mystical vision to identify any magical forces gathering around him, and perhaps even the subtlety of art to unravel the sentinel spells before they can spring a trap on him.

All of that remains to be seen. But as he passes by the end of the greenery, he notes with satisfaction that his path has brought him to a reflecting pool, gazing up at the sky with an imitation gibbous. His opposite hand stretches out, to let its reflection join the moon's on the surface as he walks the perimeter of the pool. Whatever his form's strengths, Gemini knows he can rely on his own.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
Capricorn eventually chooses to follow some ways behind Gemini so as to not break their disguise. No plays with shadows or otherwise any display of infiltration powers. Capricorn was ..., more direct where it came to getting into places unlike the woman under the avatar.

The approach of the others is acknowledged with a brief nod of her head, taking in both the elusive Sagittarius and Scorpio but no words out of the goat! (Can it even talk? Lets hope so!)

The sound of the gong, and then it's subsequent silence makes Capricorn raise it's head, letting out a hmpph, hand tightening further around the staff while the other gestures, a couple of knives slipping out of her belt as if moved by invisible strings, beginning to flow about her.

As Gemini separates from them there's only a glance spared. She was fine about serving as 'bait'. In fact she was eager enough. For even if this may be an avatar there is no taming the call for blood from Elektra lurking underneath.

Neena Thurman has posed:
Scorpio tends not take things slowly, really. She steps forward where others may be a little hesitant, and with scimitar in hand, strides in and looks even to pass the hoofed avatars. With a deep, throaty chuckle (can scorpions even do that?), she too enters the maze, only pausing at the first real junction where the path cannot truly be discerned.

With a merged arachnidian/humanoid head twisted to look over her shoulder, there can be seen consideration on that smooth, pale tan face. "We mark this here." and in the ground with the butt of her pike, she carves out an arrow facing out.

Malcolm Merlyn has posed:
    The shadows hold no fear for one who walks amongst them. Or, for the case of the one that bears the quiver, for the one that walks *through* them. The pockets of darkness within the topiary labyrinth serve as portals for the likes of the great hunter Sagittarius. It isn't even a matter of falling to the habits of the host the centaur inhabits. It is just a natural inclination...the ease of navigating a vast maze when there are doors in every corner, all leading to one another.

    Still, it is that hunter's instinct that both avatar and host possess that warns of possible dangers. It is all much, much too easy, at least for one that commands the darkness. And so, ever wary, the bow is hefted into position. The silent shrill of an arrow, almost lost with the whisper of the breeze, being pulled from the quiver. Fitted to the string, the black tip deadly and ready to fly at a moment's notice.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Gemini's stolen senses tell him that the alarm has most definitely been sounded. Power flows through the vegetation and, even as he reaches the reflecting pool, the statuary surrounding it comes to life. More comes to life along the pathways.

Presently, stone creatures out of Egyptian myth and legend leap onto the tiled pathways, snarling, snapping, and roaring at the intruders. Their claws and teeth -- or sometimes beaks -- are sharp and thirsty. They have no fear of the monsters invading their home.

Roots errupt from beneath the tiles, seeking to bind the limbs of the less elusive Avatars. They are quick and strong, with rough bark and cutting edges.

Above several junctions, mini suns explode into life throughout at the maze, making long shadows much shorter, but those that remain much darker, too.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
Capricorn will be honest. It fully prefers Scorpio to be ahead of them instead of behind... Never trust scorpions. It knows what happened to that poor frog on the famous fable afterall... The suggestion is valid though and the goat head nods it's appreciation at marking a way out of the maze.

But then they are being beset by creatures, beaks, claws, teeth.. At last! Capricorn's expression turns to one of pure exultation, the two blades that were floating about her shooting out almost like bullets, cutting through one of those guardians that is still approaching from a distance. Not that the blades slow after cutting down one of the guardians, turning around like boomerangs and beginning to fly back closer to Capricorn. But that focus makes it so it doesn't notice the roots climbing up from between the tiles, capturing it's powerful hooves..

A bellow erupts, followed by a, "WE ARE UNSTOPPABLE!" apparently it does talk! And then the staff begins to shape and bend, forming into a wicked blade that it uses to begin cutting through those roots, powerful hooves doing the rest to get out of the trap. As it finally begins to walk forth again it uses the staff like a blade barrier of sorts, making it spin about her while it cuts through those roots that persistently try to keep her put.

But there's no stopping the avatars!

Neena Thurman has posed:
Scorpio is more than happy to take a lead, and upon turning a direction, doesn't get more than a step, two steps before the lights go on, the statuary comes alive, and roots come from the ground. A growled sound of annoyance exits her lips as her tail thrashes at the roots. It's not likely to do its intended job, that is, to dessicate and turn, but rather it's an instant, instinctual motion. At the same time, she's moving quickly to a side, bringing the scimitar to bear in deadly aim.

A slice to a statue's head is a lethal blow while her tail swings around to keep her 'six' from being too.. complicated. It's just a spin, however, with easy balance, and that blade slices again, taking another bit of stone and marble crumbling down at her feet.

Victor Stone has posed:
All the while drawing strength from the reflective pool, the Gemini monk regards the living sculptures as they approach, regarding him with confusion. His form is of those they exist to protect, and although he and his companions have tripped the mystical alarms, there is hesitation in the defensive approach.

Moreover, his form is that of a master mystic of Thoth, a moon deity associated with writing and magic. He smiles, gently, then begins to speak in short sounds and syllables, hands thrust forward to outline the shapes of ancient hieroglyphs, which take form in hazy moonlight as his guardians.

First, forests of reeds spring up to bind some of the statues; then, ghostly pools form beneath others, phasing them down into ground that moves like a mire. Finally, to escape the grasping roots that reach for him, he crouches, reaches upward, and summons the spectral form of an owl.

The hazy, gently glowing bird dives out of one moonbeam, catches his gnarled hand in its talons, and carries him through the arc of a prodigious leap deeper into the maze before vanishing just as it came.

He looks back with a sneer, then continues on his path as though nothing out of the ordinary just happened.

Malcolm Merlyn has posed:
    As the statuary spring to life, so too does the archer. A thin whistling sounds out in the night air as what appears to be a statue depicting Horus leaps to strike down the disguised Gemini, apparently not fooled by his humble appearance. The whistling intersects with the falcon...as the stone edifice falls at the feet of the false monk, the dark arrow still trembling within the back of the head.

    The shot left the centaur out in the open. As a hand again reached back to reclaim an arrow. the roots leap from the ground, seeking to ensnare Sagittarius. With a snarl, the head dips down, as the antlers flash in the light. As sharp as any blade, they slice through the roots around his front legs, giving enough leverage for the centaur to pull his hind legs free. Even that motion is not wasted, as the rear legs lash out, shattering another effigy into rubble before pulling his bow around to bear.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
The stone creatures are formidable. Some die with one stroke of the Avatars' enchanted weapons and relentless counterattcks. Others require more of a struggle, but all lose in the end.

Due to the nature of the energy that fuels her star sign, Capricorn's attacks are particularly effective against the earthen creatures, stone bodies crumbling beneath her blades. Similarly, Gemini's trickery ensnares and shatters the foes that seek to subdue him.

Maddenly, perhaps, the swift Scorpio is slowed by the roots that seek to entrap her as Gemini entrapped his foes. But they are merely a delay, one thwarted, at least in part by impeding pieces of living statuary falling to Saggitarius' bow and Capricorn's blades.

When Gemini lands closer to the middle of the maze, he is met by a cadre of arcane warriors dressed in Egyptian kilts and leather armour, weidling staves and blades. They look confused as they see him. "Master Abassi?" one says, speaking Egyptian Arabic and reaching out a hand towards him. "But that is impossible... You're dead!"

Victor Stone has posed:
"Trust in Thoth's wisdom, my son. He has blessed me with renewed life so that I may join you in guarding our treasures," Gemini answers in the same language, wearing Abassi's kindly voice. He reaches out to take the proffered hand in a quavering grip -- one that turns suddenly hard once it finds its mark. He blurts out another quick sound, and the ghostly image of a horned viper spirals up his arm and into the warrior's heart.

With a surge of strength, he twists and snaps the man's arm, flinging him at the others, then calls up a pair of moonlit lions that pounce and maul his opposition. "Your own wisdom, I'm afraid, is rather lacking," he taunts them, watching with satisfaction as the lions tear the men apart.

His owl-assisted leap carried him very close to the central mausoleum, and he moves more quickly now that the group's target is so near his grasp.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
As the creatures made of stone fall into pieces under the attacks of her blades and staff the Capricorn bellows again, this time in triumph. Hooves step through broken stone, snapping past the now still roots that tried to entrap them earlier. Yet once it notes that none of the other Avatars remains entrapped it's time to charge in. Capricorn style.

It gets into a run, following after the flying Gemini and with a mighty jump lands close to the start of the battle. The spinning blades about her shoot again like bullets towards the monks, a brow arching as the two targets dodge in quite the dextrous manner. Interesting...

Yet now they had a challenge. She spins the staff around and drops into a stance, gesturing with a hand in a 'come here' gesture, a taunt given to the monks while she waits, perfectly still..

Neena Thurman has posed:
Nice.. so the statuary does, eventually fall. There's a hissed curse at the type of foes to face, and spinning around such that her tail does a quick swing with it, she levels black eyes on the archer first, then the deer.. and there's a pause. She doesn't say 'thank you', but maybe somewhere, it's implied?

Still, the stones that have fallen makes a path through some of the maze, and blazing a trail, it seems that Scorpio has had just about enough- particularly as Gemini seems to be having all the fun.

Bursting into that first bit of opening, near the mausoleum, the few monks that are there are perhaps too busy chatting and .. screams are heard soon after.

Not to be late for the party, however, the mutant scorpion lashes out at one of the monks that is somewhat on the side, trying to conceal with shadows, hoping that perhaps their use of darkness will keep them from being seen? Scorpio's death black eyes look upon the man, and opens her mouth in a trope-filled snarl before she gets a facefull of, well, a sunburst of light.

Temporarily blinded, the Avatar thrashes with her tail, searching for anything that might get in the way of that razor-sharp, deady tail.

Pure luck.. as she attempts to regain her footing, and she strikes... a leg.

Howling with delight, Scorpio can feel the life force, the water drain and begin to fill her, the blindness receding as she does so. She wishes to see who she has now taken, and it is a monk. The once human wears a dessicated shell, looking very much like the mummies that are dotted around under the ancient sands. Now, with a something of a smile, she twists to look over her shoulder at the one that would dare attack her!

"Kill him."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
"Imposter!" one of the older monks bellows to Gemini Abassi. He springs forward, staff spinning around him. In an instant, it seems like there are a dozen of him, all dancing in a circle around Gemini, begining to attack. An illusion, doubtlessly, but an effective one.

Several monks swarm around Capricorn, responding to her challenge. They are swift and skilled, attempting to surround her as the elder monk has surrounded Gemini -- but with less duplicates. Instead, there's a weaving of brilliant colours and dark shadows to create a kaleidoscope effect meant to confuse their horned opponent as they each move in to strike in turn.

The monk mummified and subjected to the Will of Scorpio is lost to this world. And to his fellows. He attacks with the same skill as they, but with faster reflexes and impossible strength... in that way mummies have. He willingly kills for his mistress. He also helpfully throws more of the striving warriors in her way, just in case she wants more soldiers beneath her banner.

Saggitarius steps through the shadows to appear alongside the mausoleum. He looks out over the fray and sends arrows out to disrupt their enemies' best efforts. His shots dispell illusions and compromise the light and shadow spells the monks use to aid each other. He never misses and never runs out of arrows.

Victor Stone has posed:
"Ahsh," Gemini hisses, projecting more ephemeral water-mires onto the ground beneath his array of enemies. Illusions will be unaffected by the mudlike footing; his real enemy will slide down into it and find his approach slowed. Not for long, though; sidling back from the spinning staff, the master will cough the syllable, "baht," and trace wasps from the moonlight, a swarm to dive past his enemy's defenses and crowd, stinging, at his eyes.

Once the staff falters, Gemini himself will close the distance, grab the man's head, and snap his neck.

That attended to, Gemini will fling out entangling ropes toward Capricorn's opposition, his light constructs dissipating after only a second or two, but hobbling the mausoleum's defenders at critical moments, to stymie their attacks or leave them open to hers.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
Capricorn tenses, dropping into a lower posture, the hooves spreading and the staff keeping the monks at a distance while she studies each in turn, along with the images. She lets herself be surrounded, being that arrogant. Yet these monks will soon learn the errors of their ways, for besides her control of metal she is an eximious martial artist.

She notes the tension on their shoulders as they prepare to attack and then moves just a fraction faster, taking the first monk unaware or ..., an image. Annoying.. She spins and jumps away from the first attacks, the kaleidoscope effect making it so some of their blows land and Capricorn rages at the pain felt. All the blades on her belt come up in the air and beginning cutting the air about her, along with her staff, defensively for now..

Yet as both Gemini and Sagittarius start cutting down on the images and keeping them in place she turns into the offensive. Her staff hits a monk's head when it stays put for a second too long with one of those entangling ropes, another receiving a kick along with a flying knife through the heart when it's second image dissipates after an arrow..

"NO MERCY!" It screams out, now a whirlwind of carnage as she fights their enemies.

Neena Thurman has posed:
Scorpio is quite content to allow her minion to bring her more; to have one turned and fighting against what used to be allies, well... it's a morale breaker, to say the least. Or could conceievably be so.

One... two... that's all she really needs, and as she sinks her envenomed and moisture-stealing tail into chest, side, she grows faster, stronger herself. And she has those, other than the avatars, around her.

It's strange, really... and in the midst of combat, it's eerily silent to her ears as arrows bring down some, the deer, more, and her minions even more.

There is the quick-action born of supernatural powers now augmented that allows her to side-step in something of a scuttle, swing to bring her scimitar around to bear, and once more, dig into flesh that might have been preoccupied with else.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Saggitarius' hooves ring out unexpectedly on stone and tile. The hunter is capable of moving entirely silently, so the strike of his feet become something of a clarion, both to the Avatars and their oponents. The archer draws back an arrow and sends it high into the sky. A brilliant sun shines down where it explodes in air, dispelling the monks' remaining spells and allowing the centaur's compatriots to complete their battle with deadly finality.

He turns, rising up on his hind legs, front legs pawing at the air before they come down on the head of a monk seeking to enact the last defenses of the mausoleum itself. When the man is dead, the Avatar steps back, allowing Gemini in his monkish form or one of Scorpio's minions to open the locks for them so they may descend to the vault within.

Victor Stone has posed:
As he strides past the monastery's fallen guardians, Gemini allows the others a small smile, then turns his attention to the locked vault. The process to safely open it is etched in Abassi's memory, and within a few seconds he has thrown the door open wide.

As he passes over the threshold, he releases his stolen form in a furious unknotting of form and color, returning to the hulking, almost mechanical shadow he was when he first appeared. He peers through the darkness with invisible eyes, seeking the tablet fragment they came all this way to acquire.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
The bloodied knives that were cutting around return to circle near Capricorn once the last of their opponents is taken down. She looks at the others and offers a nod of it's goat head. "MY THANKS." cavernous voice echoing in the now silent battlefield.

And then they are moving again. The blades swirling about her shift, melding together to form a shield of sorts that floats nearby, protectively.. If there are any more traps inside the mausoleum she won't be wanting to be caught unaware.

Dark eyes turn one way and the other as they step within the place, looking for signs of danger.., and also of their objective. The tablet.

Neena Thurman has posed:
Scorpio looks like.. a queen as she stands regally, her trio of minions returning and looking well bloodied from their own endeavors. Interested eyes dart towards the mausoleum, and she steps forth with her tail twitching as it trails to join the others. A quick, wordless command is given to her followers that they must be sure there are none that will keep them from their goal. To that end, they pass her and the others to move; one to the left, one right and one central.

The tablet now is her concern.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Thanks to the death of the monk outside the mausoleum door, the last of the traps that might have waylaid the Avatars was disarmed. The dead that sleep in this sepulcher remain peacefully in their alcoves, instead of rushing through the narrow stone corridors like fiery, vengeful spirits.

Saggitarius remains outside the building, his bulk too much for its narrow confines. But searching the place, for the others, is not an involved process. The mausoleum is no palace, though it is something of a warren. Nevertheless, a treasure like the tablet would not be kept in the open, but in a secret space far from the prying eyes of outsiders. Therefore, it will be found at the very bottom of the winding stairs that lead into the deepest part of the crypt.

Scorpio's minions approach a shrine to Thoth himself, hidden at the bottom of the stairs. They gather up the tablet, wrapped in ancient linen within a chest beneath the shrine, and bring it back to their mistress.

Outside, Saggitarius watches with glowing eyes as a portal to Serpens hidden demense opens to allow them quiet egress, their mission successfully accomplished.