3120/Reality Check: A Midnight (S)Troll In Central Park

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Reality Check: A Midnight (S)Troll In Central Park
Date of Scene: 27 August 2020
Location: Central Park
Synopsis: Central Park comes alive (literally)!
Cast of Characters: Stephen Strange, Daisy Johnson, Illyana Rasputina, Sara Pezzini, Achilles, Takako Kyozan




Stephen Strange has posed:
The reports of trouble in Central Park were odd ones. Talks of living hills and moving trees causing chaos and driving people out onto the surrounding streets. The NYPD have since cordoned off the great swathe of green at the heart of New York City, police cars with flashing lights parked at all the gates and entrances. The Park itself is remarkably still, dark and forbidding like an old-world forest from a nursery rhyme. From time to time, a distant thudding can be heard.

"Should we go look?" one officer at the Woodman's Gate asks his partner, clasping the top of the stone fence and lifting himself to peer over the top.

"Sounds like a mask problem," the other replies, glancing down at the glowing screen of his phone, "Let them handle it."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Odd troubles in Central Park? That's like a homing beacon for a SHIELD team to be sent.

No need to send the WHOLE cavalry in just for some strange reports though, so only an armored van with a team right now. Davis is on the steering wheel because they never let Daisy drive the damn things... Even if she has the experience of driving a van for most of her life!

She is finishing to get her tech gauntlets on, securing them atop her SHIELD uniform. A look is given to the rest of the team inside the van. "Just check on what is going on there and report. Remember, no lone heroics. This is a team effort." says Quake, the one known for jumping into trouble and such heroics.

As the van advances towards Central Park she looks out a window to check on what's going on out there.

"Park over there Davis and then scramble out. Let's get to the bottom of this." and with the van coming to a stop it's then time for SHIELD to get onto the scene. She puts her earpiece on and opens the doors of the van.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
As it happens, the greenspaces of Central Park make the perfect place to sip a bubble tea and contemplate stabbing dummies for practice. Or people! Nature provides many alternatives for intrepid, creative practitioners of the mystic and martial (but not marital) arts.

"Da, do not trouble yourself." The frosty Russian response has a trace of dark irony, responding to the officer up the path. Her hearing must be good or she eavesdrops on them instead of paying attention to the earbuds tucked under a fall of pale golden hair tending to wave slightly. Hey, that run around the park on a humid August afternoon is something. They might question why she's here past the cordon, but that really doesn't get an answer as she heads straight through the Woodman's Gate exactly like she belongs there.

Probably because she does. At least she is easy to see, which has its advantages for people monitoring the situation. What are the cops gonna do, tell her to leave? Not an issue for a teleporter.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
A reputation for being a magnet for the weird has led to some 'interesting' times. Flashing her badge, Pez crosses the yellow tape with a nod to the officer in charge of the perimeter.

Central Park is not her precinct; she gets loaned across the City, blurring the lines between jurisdictions. When things go strange or have the taint of the supernatural, her chief sends her out. In plain clothes, jeans, high-top Converse sneakers, and a light leather jacket, she lurks waiting for a SHIELD friend to show up - the perfect point man, among other things.

Achilles has posed:
    Things got weird. They do that now and then. I mean it's not as weird as it had been in ancient times. But when the gods involved themselves directly... as the modern vernacular says, 'shit just got real'... or unreal depending on the situation.
    But Angelo is gearing up in the back of the van. "Remember." he suggests. "I know you are in charge here, but I have had... a lot of battle experience. If I step up, it means I am planning to take a hit so someone else doesn't have to. But... this is weird enough that I think we need a specialist who just happens to have some local authority."
    With that, he speed dials Detective Pezzini, and when she picks up.. he's all business. "Crazy shit in the park. I think we need the blade. Don't worry, you'll find me where it's hottest." But he doesn't have time for niceties. He gives that message and clicks off the line. He hefts the old school Plasma rifle he brought along, and checks his holstered ICER and Armor Piercing needler. He has his other... toys in the bracer-storage of course under his standard issue SHIELD light armor.

Takako Kyozan has posed:
A black sedan with embassy plates and UN parking decals pulls up to one of the park gates. It is not the best parking job, but it's not like it can really be towed either.

From the vehicle emerges a Japanese looking young woman in a black pencil skirt, a suit jacket worn over a white blouse and heels.

The vehicle door is kicked shut as she scrolls through messages on what looks like a smartphone and starts walking towards the gate while stuffing the last bite of a burrito into her mouth.

Takako proceeds to walk right past the officers and into the park, better for them to stay back anyway.

Stephen Strange has posed:
The police officers don't make any trouble for the new arrivals. They do look at Illyana askance, but something tells them it?s a better idea not to get in her way. Overhead, an NYPD chopper does a sweep of the park and momentarily passes a searchlight across the treetops and grassy fields.

<There's people moving down there,> comes the chatter through the police band, crackling and concerned, <They look like they're ... building something?>

Sure enough, despite the unnatural darkness that has fallen over Central Park, they are still visible in the moonlight. Hunched creatures that stand seven or eight feet tall, wearing what look like dirty animal skins that have been heaped over them in such amounts that they look more like moving piles of fur than actual, clothed creatures.

Amongst them stands a short, squat man in grand, flowing robes. Barely four feet tall, if that, he holds in his hand a long staff adorned with a glowing citrine at one end. He waves it around over his head, the light illuminating his sneering features, bulging eyes, and patchy black beard as well as his sallow, pockmarked skin.

"Niðurlægðu Asgardíumenn!" he calls, almost dancing with the obvious excitement running through him, "Steinn fyrir stein! Byggja! Byggja! Byggja!"

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Sounds good. Anything I should know about this specialist?" Daisy asks, all too casually, but also all TOO CURIOUS. But she is the type to trust in the other Agent. If they will help then it's all fine by her. A thumbs up is given to Angelo, another check on her ICER and then it's time to go.. She moves close to that entrance where the policemen are, gesturing. "We are SHIELD. Going to take a look." a nod to a couple of the other agents. "Help our fine officers establish a perimeter please."

A glance to Angelo. "I know." this about the battle experience, then smiling faintly. "We have worked together in the past afterall."

Spotting both Takako and Illyana moving further inside the park she calls out while approaching them. "Hey, you guys know what .., is ..." and then she spots them. The tall figures in the darkness. It makes her narrow her eyes immediately and accelerate her pacing.

"Trouble. Look sharp." she says to the other Agent.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Weird. That's how this business flows.

Anyone following up on the back end of the police through Woodman's Gate might catch up with Illyana. Characteristically, she keeps a careful watch around her despite an air of relative disinterest in the world at large. Certainly it helps to her pried open her Sight slightly more than normal, moving adjacent to the path rather than trusting in good old fashioned New York pavement. That unnatural darkness isn't precisely bound to slow her down.

Rather tha opposite, what gives the unnatural creatures cover likewise serves her well as her jeans darken like ink-stained parchment, her shirt a web of black. It takes a little to orient on hunched over creatures definitely not like Rahne, but close enough to gain a second inspection.

"Old Norse," she warns Daisy over her shoulder. "Old Norse or Icelandic. Not quite interchangable but I know a thorn when I hear one." She glances from Daisy to Takako, and then produces...

A staff.

A glowing distaff, actually, one forked very curiously at the end, exactly like someone would use to weave. Tendrils of bluish light flow around it, disturbingly close to lapis where the tendrils weave around. She's happy to lean on it and just see what the squat man's response to her having a tall stick like him is.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The Witchblade comes to life, reacting to the presence of magic that runs through the night air. The trees murmur magic words, whispering to one another of power that doesn't belong to this realm. After pocketing her phone, Sara waits for Angelo, oddly eager to see what is just beyond the copse of maples, partly blocking her view of mammoth figures moving in the dark.

Other movement attracts her attention. Recognizing Daisy's uniform, Sara walks to join her with her badge open.

"Detective Pezzini, 11th Precinct," she announces. "Are you here for the weird?"

Achilles has posed:
    "Just following protocol." offers Angelo. But he also gestures to the other agents, "Odds are -they- haven't worked with me before." But either way, he shrugs. "My friend, the specialist. She's.. well she is an expert. Difficult to say more. Aside from her being a total badass. Serious magic mojo. She's also got a local badge so.. there's that." he offers as he heads into the park, rifle lifted and held in ready position before him.
    "Norse. Great. I wonder if we'll have Jotun here." he mutters as he shakes his head. "Ma'am." he says towards Daisy, "Got any suggestions, maybe orders?" she asks.
    And that's when Sara arrives and he grins, "Detective." he states. "Ma'am." he says to Daisy, "Meet my specialist. And by specialist. Specialist, this is Senior Agent Johnson. She's in command of our contingent."

Takako Kyozan has posed:
Recognizing Illyana from the harrowing City Soul adventure and the formation of the Infinity Watch, Takako goes to jog and catch up with her nearly face-planting in the process having forgotten she is wearing heels. She takes a moment to focus and wispy white energy seems to pass over her clothing until it is replaced with something more function, the black silver and red uniform of the Jingiin's Project Shintai.

Once in more fitting attire she finishes catching up to Illyana and gives her a nod. She is about to turn her head and say something in response to Daisy calling after them when her own vision falls on the site ahead, "Yokai." she says, looking them over. Of course they're not really Yokai in the traditional sense but it's closest word she knows to describe what she is seeing.

Stephen Strange has posed:
The gathering in the park seem unaware of those who have converged to watch them. The lumbering piles of furs seem to go about their work almost in a trance, their movement gradually slowing down like the running down of a clockwork toy. But then the small, ugly man with his staff waves it in their direction and they move with renewed vigor. On the normally green and verdant ground they lay out stones, spelling something in the elder futhark runes. A giant missive.

"Óðinn er vargdropi!" the squat man laughs, leaning on the staff to keep himself from doubling over before waving it at one of the lumbering mounts, "Fara hraðar!"

It's then that he turns, noticing Illyana and her own staff. And the others with her. His eyes narrow for a moment and he swings the staff through the air, the ground itself rumbling beneath the group's feet before erupting upwards in a sudden (and, strangely, very well-crafted) wall of stone as though to cut them off from the strange creatures and their work.

"This is not for you!" the squat man's shrill voice calls out over the top of the wall, "Begone, Midgardians! Lord Ljótt commands it!"

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Ah, the specialist." Daisy will offer Sara a smile when she moves in and introduces herself. "Daisy Johnson." she says with a nod of her head, a hand offered to shake in greeting. "And we are indeed. But first we need to know what it is we are facing. And if they are hostile." a look is given to the Agents. "Lets not assume they are aggressive from the get go, but approach carefully."

When Illyana tells her of it being Old Norse it makes Daisy hrm, a worried frown. "Old Norse? Very far from home..." Yet as that staff just appears out of thin air.., well.., she figures these people are the real deal. "We are Shield Agents, you have got our help."

And then there goes all civility when a wall is brought up in front of them! Really! "You are very far from home!" she calls out from the other side of the wall, nearing it and placing a hand close to it. She is ready to tear it down if she doesn't like the answers. "Can Lord Lnhotti come speak with us so we can handle this peacefully?" yes, she sort of butchered the Lord's name. In her defense those names are heard to pronounce!

"Get ready for a skirmish, don't think this will end well." she says in a lower tone to the others nearby.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
A concerning state of affairs if Takako nearly falls over and the thickening crowd of SHIELD representatives marks the arrival of Infinity Watch in pieces to go with those actual law enforcement professionals. Illyana straightens loosely on the staff planted against the ground, an added inch to her height announcing the possibility of rescuing the Japanese woman from disaster until that danger is averted.

"Agents. People. Good evening." Her gaze flicks briefly away, pupils a fair grey-blue to the point of being chips of cloudy ice rimmed in dusky gold. Uncomfortable to be under their weight. "Jotun? Exciting." The way she says it almost curls the girl's black-painted lips into a smirk, just a shred short of a sneer. The typical teenage posturing might be a show or real, but she gives an upnod in Sara's direction. "We can only hope, can't we? I'll give you second strike." Having an incarnated relic on hand is something they share in common. With Lord Ljótt insisting on his privileges, she arches her eyebrows and that smirk grows into a cold, harsh smile.

"Even better. I do believe this calls for diplomacy." In agreement with Daisy, then, all should go well. She doesn't step forward from where she is, but the squat fellow earns that desultory tilt of her head. "Lord Ljótt, you cannot command us. We in Our Majesty outrank you. Perhaps it will amuse us to hear your petition and consider it in our best interests to assist or proceed."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"Agent Johnson," Sara nods, taking Daisy's hand in a brief, firm grip, all business though she memorizes her face, curious about Angelo's work colleagues. "You guys have your fingers in a lot of pies."

A blue staff illuminates the darkness and a visage that Sara knows. "Illyana!" she exclaims, in time to witness the lumbering forms rejuvenate under the impetus of the little man wielding a staff.

Moving closer to Angelo, "Did you say Norse? Do you know I can understand what he's saying? Talk about weird." A red glow, barely discernable under the cuff of her coat, joins Illyana's glowing staff.

Agent Johnson's offer to negotiate strikes a chord with Sara. Illyana's high handed approach earns a grim smile. The Witchblade has a mind of its own and begins to armor itself against an impending threat, talons forming, as it prepares for battle.

Achilles has posed:
    Magic. Stupid magic bullshit. Stupid Norse magic bullshit. Angelo snorts, but doesn't speak up. He doesn't say or do anything about the wall coming up. He does however... sling his rifle and clench his fists. He is prepared to do whatever needs to be done. With the way the magic works, he's pretty much given up on the ability to use normal mundane weapons. He's preparing to summon Celestial Bronze to do the work with.
    "Friend of yours?" he asks Sara as he gestures towards Illyana. And then he waits.. ready to, in a blink... summon his shield to his left arm, and spear to his right.

Takako Kyozan has posed:
"A wall, really? This is not how you make friends." Takako sighs and it seems like she is about to do something when Daisy steps up to the wall and she takes a step back for the moment to see what the other woman intends to do, seemingly happy to let those who can actually communicate with this thing talk to it. The Witchblade's menacing transformation does earn it a sideways glance but the majority of her attention remains upon Illyana, Daisy, and the situation in front of them.

Stephen Strange has posed:
"Shan't!" Ljótt calls out to Daisy and Illyana from behind the wall, voice extremely petulant for someone dressed in finery, commanding a small legion, and wielding what looks like an object of considerable power, "Get lost!"

As he speaks, the stone wall shifts of its own accord and suddenly sports a portcullis gate that was definitely not there before. Through it lumber three of the towering piles of fur before it rattles shut behind them. This close, it's clear to see the ugly faces, long noses, beady eyes, and dripping fangs that make up their faces. Their long arms reach out, indiscriminately grabbing at whoever may be close enough with stone-like strength.

Meanwhile, the very ground beneath them seems to tremble and shake. Rolling back and forth like the deck of a great ship tossed about by the sea.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Right?" Daisy looks up to Takako with a roll of her eyes, clearly in agreement. Walls, pffft. But walls were also meant to be taken down. Which she prepares to get on doin' if fight erupts... Illyana's notion of diplomacy brings a grin out of the Agent. "I like your style." even if unfortunately Ljott doesn't. But apparently he doesn't like any type of diplomacy! So when the ground starts shaking and the portcullis is formed it's time for action. SHIELD style!

Her hand fully presses to the stone wall and a /whoosh/ is heard, followed by a clear vibrational wave that starts to crack through the wall.. Blocks of stone break and fly off to open a way for the rest of the group to move past it if they so will..

"Angelo, protect us. I am going to see if I can keep us steady.." she presses her hands down to the ground and focuses, beginning to absorb those vibrations under their feet.., or at least trying to so as the others don't get knocked down. But right now she is on a full on supportive role to the rest of the gathered. Of course that this focused effort also leaves her open to attack, already a troll coming near her..

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Illyana shrugs a shoulder at the order to scram. Maybe she feels like heeding it, maybe she doesn't. Leaning on the staff is just plain cool. "Walls divide or hide. No surprise there."

She shrugs and then flips the staff butt-end down, hand clasped around the midpoint. That turning circle may prove reason to step back, but she uses that diamond-bent end to propel herself up, airborne above the park's warm grass. That grants a better view over the stone wall for the speaker, her eyes narrowed in an attempt to espy its purpose. Or rather what comes through. Piles of fur and hideous monsters? Oh, exciting times as one of the trolls parades out and then another comes, snatching and swiping with rolling shudders.

Ljótt will come later. First up, trouble. She slides into action, a darkening thrill to the air sa she bursts down straight into the knot of violence. The staff transmutes its shape into a sword, the black clothing around her transmuted into armour that locks up the softer parts of her anatomy. Useful, really, considering she plows straight under one of those outstretched arms grabbing for the nearest mortal.

Her attacks come with a brutal precision, but a ruthlessness that only a burning blade can offer. The others are forgotten as she flings herself into the dark ecstasy of violence, and at this, she is exceptionally good.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Hopes dashed for a peaceful ending at the wall rearing high above her, the appearance of what she supposes are trolls; the Witchblade confirms the identification with one of the dizzying memories, it overlays her sight with. The metallic ring of a sword being unsheathed marks the appearance of a three-foot blade from the gauntlet. It glints with the blue light from Illyana's staff as Sara squares her shoulders to meet the oncoming monster.

So much for diplomacy. The earth dances, and the air whistles at a hairy fist the size of a boulder brandished at her head. She ducks the first swipe, lifting the blade vertically, ready to meet the next.

"Arrrrrg," she yells unheroically, making a mighty swing of the razor-edged sword. Black blood bathes the sword and her sleeve from the wound where she takes off the giant's hand. It thumps to the ground as she beats a quick sideways retreat trying to come behind the monster to hamstring it.

Achilles has posed:
    "Yes ma'am." murmurs Anglo. He snaps his hands out and the large Aspis shield appears on his left arm, along with a seven foot long spear in his right hand. He shifts position so that he is between Daisy and the oncoming Trolls.
    He lifts the shield, and as the first troll charging down on Daisy lifts its club to strike.... he thrusts his spear upwards and outwards... the tip entering the troll's body like a white hot coal into soft butter
    Angelo's problem however, is inertia. His spear is shoved deeper and deeper by the motion of the Troll. The Troll who almost doesn't -feel- the deadly weapon carving a course through its life sustaining innards. Then the Troll's club comes down towards Daisy... only to be met by Angelo's shield.. which catches it and redirects the thing so that it slides along the shield to strike Angelo in the face with enough force to shatter an armored car.
    As the dust clears, Angelo is on his back about thirty feet away... shield on his arm. Right hand empty. And the Troll is on its knees... slowly toppling over forward with blood pouring out of the wound that managed to reach all the way to its heart. As it toppled forward, the spear strikes the ground and is pushed out its back... heart's blood gushing from the wound.
    After a moment, Angelo mutters, "Ow..." as he starts to sit up. Slowly getting to his feet. In the time that it takes for him to get up on his feet, his body ends up surrounded in bronze Hoplite style armor, a Xiphos sword in his hand. All of it Celestial Bronze....

Takako Kyozan has posed:
Enough is enough for Takako, she's already had a long day at the United Nations, the office copier broke right when the Under Secretary called wanting that brief distributed to the general assembly by tomorrow. Then on top of that the voice in her head started acting up and well here she is.

Her smile falters as she looks at the advancing trolls, "So much for negotiating I guess, we could have worked this out over wine." The time for talking is done though.

Takako begins to glow with that same white wispy energy again. When in Asgard do as the Asgardians do, that's the saying right? Takako channels the Leech Child's Tama and dials her physicality up to Asgardian as she approaches the trolls and enters a trained combat stance.

The UN Goodwill representative is apparently no slouch at hand to hand combat, lunging forward she leads with a distracting cross punch before slamming her fist into the gut of one of the trolls causing its breath to escape. This is followed by a twist stance and her elbow slamming into the creature's solar plexus before glowing again as she carries the momentum through into one hell of an uppercut, literally growing in size as she does it until she is bigger than the troll, perhaps twelve feet tall! There is a nasty cracking sound as she nearly takes the monster's head clean off and it falls to its knees and then over to the ground.

Stephen Strange has posed:
The trolls are dispatched in varyingly gruesome fashion, toppling over in sundered pieces. The strangest part of it all, however, seems to be how they vanish. The second their bodies hit the ground, they become so much misty vapor that itself dissipates almost straight away. They leave behind nothing, not even a drop of blood even though cutting into them moments ago made them seem very real indeed.

The wall itself seems to struggle against Daisy's powers, as though trying to keep itself whole despite her best efforts. In the end the battle is lost, however, and the rocks begin to tumble down. On the other side, two dozen feet away, stands Ljótt with the glowing staff in his hand. The other trolls who were with him have slowed down to a complete stop, paused as though frozen in time. He keeps the staff pointed instead at the ground, as the very earth beneath them begins to rise up and up.

Suddenly they are standing atop the shaggy head of a monumental giant, sneering and ugly. It seems to be made from the very park itself, and the clearing here looks to be the crown of its head! It slowly rumbles to life, the pathways nearby cracking and buckling as they take the form of long and sinewy arms that reach out to try and push itself up from the ground.

Meanwhile, Ljótt keeps the wand pointed at the ground with his face screwed up in a look of concentration.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
As one turns to flying, the other dispatches trolls with a witchblade and they even get a 12' feet tall giantess with them it makes Daisy murmur. "Well, here I was getting worried." she says to Angelo with a faint smile, a thumbs up given at the covering done. "Good job." But the smile is quickly lost as ..., she can't control those vibrations? Odd... And then they are rising up in the air. Talk about instant nausea!

"Something isn't right, I .., should be able to contain this." not that it stops from continuing to try, her own expression now screwed in concentration.

"Knock that stick out of Lnhotti's hands if you can." she says to the others when she sees the pointing staff to the shaking ground, she now dropped to one knee.

Her aim is one now, to keep the ground steady enough so they don't go flyin' down. Or well, at least those who can't fly by other ways!

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
The raw pleasure of battle doesn't overtake the lack of blood, and the absence of viscera spilling out from wounds sundering bellies and torsos. Illyana does not break stride in her defensive bursts, though the vapor swirling around her black boots hardly causes a smile of pleasure. Cracking her heel against the heaving ground for one of the few moments she actually lands, she hisses through her teeth. "Staff is the source of his power," she tells Takako and Sara, as the pair of them are likely close enough from where she stands to catch the details. "Good time to go hunting."

She swivels the sword in loose figure-eights, loosening up her wrist muscles and preparing to launch herself into a vicious battle with the forming giant. The squat man -- dwarf? -- focusing so much on his work probably cannot afford an interruption, which is precisely why she goes darting off to the side and throws open a trio of portals at angles to him.

One connected to the Atlantic Ocean, a few miles off Long Island and at least fifty feet down. Second seized from the great sand sea in the American West. Third, Staten Island dump.

With any luck, a torrent of water, sand or trash will compel him to stop mucking around with his staff.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
It all changes in an instant - the trolls gone, the earth under her feet morphing.

"Well, DREK!" Sara's legs are deep in unsavory hair. Utterly repelled at the idea of falling into it, she struggles to keep upright. Daisy's voice pierces the horror.

"The staff," she mutters to herself as she makes herself plow through the grasslike hair. The Witchblade has begun to do something she has yet to see: it crackles with power, the heat cool to her touch. Experimentally she touches it to the hair. The stench of burning hair fills the air. Stalking forward, she aims at the wizard, focusing on the staff. The fire sizzles as she swings the blade projecting it at the small, wizened figure engulfing him in orange flames.

Achilles has posed:
    A clear objective. That is something that has been annoyingly absent in a lot of Angelo's activities of late. Now he has an objective. Better yet, it is one that involves his specialty... some people are specialists at close combat. Others are really good at shooting. Angelo, formerly known as Achilles... his specialty is war. Not any one aspect of it. But just... winning war.
    So he nods his head, "Yes ma'am." he says to Daisy before he surges forward. It's not a sprint, but it's not a jog. It is a combat run. Along the way, his sword vanishes as he passes where the Troll had been. His spear is scooped up and he begins the charge towards the master and his staff. Anyone in the way, anyone interfering... their deaths are incidental. Necessary, but incidental. His spear and shield flash, cutting his way through before he performs like an olympic athlete and with flawless posture... he shifts his shield forward, hauls back his right hand... plants his feet and hurls his spear at the wrist of the hand holding the staff.... Celestial Bronze gleaming...... whistling through the air.

Takako Kyozan has posed:
Takako struggles to keep her footing for a moment as the ground shakes and moves beneath their feet. She watches the truly massive giant being rising from the Earth like some primordial titan and just lets out a sigh, this is going to be one of /those/ days.

Taking a breath she begins gathering all of her power, this is no longer a situation where holding back is an option. The white wispy glow around Takako intensifies as she approaches the head and her form just begins to expand and expand and /expand/. While nowhere near the absolutely collosal scale of the nature titan, when her growth is finished the once twelve foot woman now stands a whopping two hundred and fifty feet tall, tall enough to be face to giant face with Ljótt on top of the creature's hand.

"This stops now." she informs him in a booming voice as she reaches forward to grab the diminutive humanoid bodily in her fist.

Stephen Strange has posed:
"This is naught even anything concerning thee!" Ljótt shouts in protest as he suddenly becomes the center of attention, his voice a rather nasal whine now, "Get thee gone!"

As he speaks, the ground beneath them continues to move. An immense figure over two miles long, and all of them perched atop its head as it lays down. The park itself seeming to come alive, long arms seeking to push it up but it moves with a great slowness as though struggling against the forces making it animate.

The dwarf opens his mouth to shout something else when the gout of flames prompts him to let out a cry of shock. The titan beneath them ceases to move, indeed sinking back towards the ground. He points the wand again, only for the open portals to suddenly blast him with all manner of sand, water, and refuse. He's still sputtering when the spear is flung, catching the bottom of the wand in his hand and prompting it to snap free entirely. He now only holds the gnarled, ornate topper crowned with the citrine gem.

"Forget it! Keep thy stupid park!"

As the colossal hand of the two-hundred and fifty-foot-tall woman, Ljótt turns and waves the wand through the air. The hand he stands upon forms what looks like a rocky cave with ornate, Nordic knots carved into the stone. There's a flash of multi-hued light as he dives through it, the head of the staff still in hand.

Beneath them the ground begins to settle slowly. Shaggy hair becomes grass, stony flesh becomes earth. All of it slowly returning, like a rubber band snapping back, to what it once was. All that remains is the strange cave that wasn't there before, and the colorful glow from within.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Oh boy, what did they get into?! Perhaps backup would be a good possibility... But then the titan recedes and only the cave is left... Daisy lets out a sigh of relief, getting back up to her feet. She glances over at the others gathered and then starts to near the cave.. Her eyes -do- go to the giant woman though, "I am thinking introductions might be in order." she says, then offers. "Daisy Johnson." this said to both Illyana and Takako.

Arms then fold together and she regards the cave with a determined look. "Shall we go after our friend?" yep, all ready for the heroics she is!

But that's just how SHIELD rolls. Embrace the weird!

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
For someone only vaguely aware of Sesame Street, Illyana crooning an Oscar the Grouch song would be uncharacteristic. Instead, she floats a little off the ground still, grass wrapped around her ankles in a vegetal noose until coerced to fall away by the combined efforts of the combatants of Team SHIELD, Team Mystic, and one rusty ol' Valor warrior?

She pinches off the seawater rush first, though the heap of sand and trash dumped through the portal onto the dwarf mystic show her opinion, clearly. A snarl escapes from her lips, low and challenging in reaction to the shocked cry, less a war-cry and more of a delighted retort from a predator fully content to throw herself into the fray.

The cave beyond is far too appealing not to step past. "Illyana Rasputina," a passing issue for the introduction. "Good work to calm this, da?" Rasputina being the feminine of 'mad Russian monk' might not be too far off the mark, especially with the blinding blue-white blade crackling away in her hand eagerly awaiting the moment to say to the Witchblade or dig more into trouble.

"He left the light on. Motel Styx, why not?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The transition from towering high above New York City to a grassy knoll in Central Park leaves Sara's heart pounding. The elements are brought under control by Illyana. A more or less normal night in the Park returns, crickets singing against a backdrop of distant traffic noises. The detective staggers toward Angelo and Agent Johnson, her eyes fixed above her at the giant woman, actually part of their team.

"Can it get any stranger?" She lowers her eyes to look at them both, her glance sweeping toward the glowing cave.

"Ah, jeez, Angelo. We're going for a drink after this."

Achilles has posed:
    Gleaming from head to toe, Angelo strides over to where his thrown spear landed. It stuck into the ground, and he reaches for it with a hand, gripping the haft slowly. Okay, so in the movie version, it would be a slow-mo moment as he pulled the tip from the dirt.
    Lifting it up, he arcs the spearhead up and over his head to rest the weapon on his shoulder.
    He glances towards Sara Pezzini and inclines his head, "Fire?" he asks. "That's new." he adds, a bit of jovialness to his voice. It is so weird that he is the sort of guy who is calm and thoughtful and less emotional until he's managed to get through a real battle. After that, that's when he feels the most alive and sure of himself.
    Either way, he starts to walk towards Daisy as the helmet, armor, shield, and spear all fade away to nothingness. "Drink. Yes..... a few drinks." But then Illyana speaks, and he glances her way. Styx? He hopes not. Yep.

Takako Kyozan has posed:
Takako's hand finds nothing but air as her quarry disappears into his new cave. Relief does show across her face as the collosal nature titan ceases rising though. With the immediate threat contained and because she'll never fit in that cave in her current state, Takako releases her power for the moment dwindling back down to her more usual 5'6" physique.

"Takako Kyozan, UN Goodwill Ambassador." She informs Daisy as if this explains everything. "He'll need to be dealt with." she adds glancing in the direction of the cave.

Stephen Strange has posed:
The Park seems oddly tranquil again. The darkness that had encroached upon it has receded, leaving it quiet but pleasant in the evening air. Even the occasional sound of nocturnal fauna can be heard again, where before it was silent save for the wizardly dwarf and his harsh words. All that remains is the cave and the strange glow of light from within it. And the sound of a quinjet roaring overhead.

The jet lands on the grass several yards away, and a number of SHIELD agents bearing the 'WAND' insignia pour out from within. Already they begin to set up barricades around the cave, with screens to come in order to hide it from view. The lead agent approaches Daisy and nods his head curtly.

"We got here as soon as the ground stopped ... moving. The Director wants this cordoned off until we know what's inside. I think you'd better head back and explain just ... whatever it was that happened here."