8332/Dark Shadows

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Dark Shadows
Date of Scene: 20 October 2021
Location: Hudson, New York
Synopsis: The Ghostrider helps Princess Amaya fight off shadow assassins from Gemworld. Glowing crystals are not the same as phone numbers, but better than nothing.
Cast of Characters: Amy Winston, Daniel Ketch




Amy Winston has posed:
Life is rough when you've been gone for a year. With no plausible explanati on Amy Winston's Earth parents had no choice but to declare her missing. Of course given that she had left Earth entirely for the magical otherworld that is her birthright, that case went cold fast. Her reappearance has thus sparked all kinds of questions and her return to her parents' home in Hudson, New York has been met with not a small amount of police questioning.

The story she spun for the authorities wasn't entirely a lie, much of it was based on actual events that happened to her in Gemworld when she was for a time captured by Dark Opal's forces. What's more the police artist's composite sketch for the description she gave them of her kidnapper, a description matching Dark Opal, might even prove useful in the future should he ever choose to set foot on Earth.

The various procedures last late into the evening, but with them finally taken care of two officers are now giving young Amy Winston a ride home in a patrol car.

It should have been an uneventful ride home, Amy's Hudson neighborhood is not Gotham and has very little serious crime. It would have been a peaceful ride home if they were not transporting the Princess of House Amethyst, someone an otherworldly villain known as Dark Opal wants very very dead. But she is and they are. Superboy's questions may come back to haunt Amy as it becomes painfully apparent how wrong she was about the ability of Dark Opal's minions to follow her to Earth.

It only takes a split second for the peaceful ride to turn into harrowing chaos. One moment it is a clear road ahead, the next moment the police cruiser's front left wheel seems to sink into an incredibly deep pothole that wasn't there just a moment before and nearly turn over. Though just as quickly the shadowy pothole vanishes take the wheel with it and sending the vehicle spinning into a lamppost. Airbags deploy, but between the impact and whiplash both officers are rendered unconcious, while a battered and bruised Amy groans in the back.

Outside of the crashed vehicle the shadows seem to gather and slither forward in a most unnatural way.

Daniel Ketch has posed:
As fate wills it, Danny Ketch was returning home from work when he sees the police car doing... something very strange. Was the wheel shoot? Police cruisers are surprisingly sturdy, too. When they crash they tend to crush whatever they hit, while keeping the people inside safe. That crash was weirdly violent and... well, Daniel does a very un-New Yorker thing, that is driving closer to help.

Bad habits learned the last few years, really.

And as the shadows make odd shapes, he feels the familiar spark awakening. The policemen have been hurt. Vengeance is warranted. And the presence of supernatural makes the Ghost Rider relentless.

But it doesn't make Daniel hesitate, his motorcycle screeches at the side of the crashed vehicle, and he peers inside. "Do you need help?" He spots the unconscious cop, and attempts to open the door.

Amy Winston has posed:
The lamppost is far worse for wear than the cruiser, now bent at an odd angle and supplying only fitful sputtering light to the scene with the occasional shower of sparks from some damaged wiring as well.

The cruiser door facing the road is easily opened, inside both officers seem largely unharmed save for the high speed impact and resulting collision of their faces with the airbags. They're lucky really, any normal vehicle would have faired far worse.

From the backseat there is groaning. "What? Who is there?" The young woman's voice sounds disoriented, yet somehow she seems to be made of sterner stuff than the two grown men and is still concious.

Behind Daniel the shadows approaching the car seem to pool together in two spots, becoming larger until they seem to bubble up into vaguely creature-like shapes of living shadow, but not any Earthly creature. Two vantablack pits in each thing's 'face', somehow darker than the rest, vaguely resemble eyes. From the sides sprout appendages of varying lengths ending in shadowy blades, though they rarely hold a single form overly long flowing from shape to shape like some sort of disturbing sentient black liquid.

"Interloper." Screeches one of the shadow thingsThe actual sound is twisted and guttural and definitely not English but somehow understood.

"No witnesses!" Gurgles the other in that same guttural screech this isn't language but somehow understood and both creatures lunge at Danny, all manner of numerous bladed limbs attempting to tear him to ribbons.

Daniel Ketch has posed:
"Are you okay?" Amy might be able to see a young man with auburn hair, trying to pull one of the cops out of the car. When someone speaks from behind.

Daniel freezes. "Hide," he mutters, turning to face the shadow critters. "You are making a serious mistake," he states to the monsters. But before he can explain, they are lunging. Which makes the young man dive aside, and then mentally step aside. Not that he can stop his own personal monster anyway; the Ghost Rider is now pushing hard. And as Daniel stands up, his becomes fire, and his form grows and shifts.

"You do not belong here." The voice is completely changed, a deep bass that no human throat could imitate.

Amy Winston has posed:
Amy sits up in the back of the police cruiser rubbing her head. She peers out of the vehicle as her question goes unanswered. It is quite a sight to take in, a larger than life individual with a flaming skull facing off against two amorphous shadow entities, they both look pretty frightening truth be told.

"Or her!" One of the shadow creatures says in kind when told it doesn't belong here, lashing whip-like blade limbs so far failing to find purchase in anything but clothing.

"Take back! Opal's Will!" The other creature's guttural screech chimes in.

When their target begins growing and changing the shadow creatures seem undaunted, like fear is not something they are actually capable of, only an intense desire to complete their mission, more akin to some sort of twisted magical constructs than actual living things.

"Disappear! Yes! Disappear!" The twisted sounds that are somehow understood as words form a chorus and the shadows around Daniel begin to stretch and twist and puddle beneath his feat. It is not hard to guess that this is probably a bad thing.

From behind the various combatants there is the sound of a door behind kicked open, which shouldn't be possible from the inside of a police cruiser without tremendous force and out from the vehicle steps what can only be described as a fairy tail magical princess in all her glory dressed in purple crystalline armor and wield a purple crystalline sword. "What is going on?!" She demands to know, still rubbing her head with her other hand.

Daniel Ketch has posed:
"That remains to be seen," states the Ghost Rider, pulling the chain that wraps around his body. The ground is feeling unstable under his feet, but the creature seems unconcerned. Instead he launches his chain, which twists and grows as if it was alive, aiming to wrap it around one of the shadow monsters and pulling. Into the spiked glove around his right fist.

"Stand back," he growls to Amethyst. "I shall deal with these, they must suffer for injuring the lawmen."

Amy Winston has posed:
Catching the beings seemingly composed of liquid shadow is easier said than down. As it wraps around the creature part of it seems to burn away and their is a shriek, but the thing's amorphous shape seems to just flow out of the chain's grasp, at the same time Ghost Rider's feet begin to sink into the shadows beneath his feet. Meanwhile the second creatures dodges to the side and whips out a bladed appendage at Amethyst.

For her part Amy seems to be getting increasingly frustrated with the situation and lack of answers to anything. No mere damsel in distress, being told to stand back only seems to annoy her. "The way you fight shadows," The sparkly blonde young woman says while manifesting a crystalline shield on her arm to deflect the incoming blade, "Is with light!" She says tossing a trio of crystal shards not at the creatures but high into the air where they suddenly begin to emit brilliant light causing the shadow creatures to recoil and hiss, though it does not manage to actually dispel them.

Daniel Ketch has posed:
In his defense, the Ghost Rider would have told anyone, even Captain America, to stand back, as it is in his nature to protect mortals from supernatural threats. Even when he can't see to be able to hit the shadows effectively.

He has no way to bring light directly, but he has fire. First he pushes the wrecked car out of the way, sending it skidding a few yards away with a sweep of his arm. Then he breathes flames over the shadows. Hellfire. Maybe not the right weapon against beings that might have no soul, but it brings some light to the area.

Amy Winston has posed:
They may be soulless constructs of liquid shadow and thus evade the /full/ horror of Hellfire, but it hardly matters. What the creatures are weak to is light, not the mere presence of light but being absolutely engulfed in it. Even the crystals shining from above still allow for some shadow to be cast. The flaming torrent of Hellfire that the Ghost Rider unleashes from his mouth on the other hand completely engulfs the slippery shadows in its brilliant flames and by the time they have burned themselves out, the creatures are no more.

With the threat of the shadow creatures past, Princess Amethyst turns towards the flaming skull person, shield still raised, seemingly unsure what to make of him either and waiting for either answers or another attack.

Daniel Ketch has posed:
The flaming skull glances over Amethyst briefly, then peers inside the wrecked vehicle, where the police agents are slowly recovering. The chain that he used to wrap around the shadows slither back to his waist as if was some kind of snake.

And then he is back to glaring at Amethyst, assessing her more slowly. He is not overtly aggressive, but he has a dangerous intensity, beyond the fact he is a six and a half feet tall flaming skeleton in spiky biker leathers. "I am the Ghost Rider, Spirit of Vengeance," he introduces himself, his voice eerie and deep. "Why did those shadow monsters attack you? Who are you?"

Amy Winston has posed:
The sparkling princess in her purple crystalline armor and flowing half-cape still holds tight to her sword and shield, it is the posture of someone who has grown used to getting ambushed and attacked.

"I am Amaya, rightful heir to the Throne of House Amethyst, Princess of Nilaa." She declares. There is no sense trying to hide anything when she is literally glowing with magical power in her Gemworld attire. "I was attacked because I fight back against the rule of a tyrant and usurper, Dark Opal who holds the people of my homeworld under his boot. Apparently his dark alliances with fell creatures from other worlds enable him to strike at me even here."

Daniel Ketch has posed:
Titles that have no meaning for the Rider. Or do they? Sometimes he feels some familiarity with names and sights. It is annoying. "I see, but the lawmen were taking you, as they do to those who break the law." That is suspicious! But the Ghost Rider is not given to through investigation of facts.

Or to wait for more cops to show up. They tend to shoot him first and never ask questions. And in truth, he has rather limited respect for human laws.

Amy Winston has posed:
Amy has a mild teenager moment shaking her head at the suggestion that the police were arresting her, "No, they take those who break the law that way." She points down the road with her hand holding her sword. "To the police station. They were taking me this way." She points in the direction that the car was going. "To my home. They were escorting me home after some questions about my disappearance because it can be dangerous for young women to walk alone at night and I don't have a driver's license."

She glances in the direction of the two officers in the front of the car who care beginning to stir. "I should get back into that car before they wake up. Unless you like answering lots of questions, you may not want to be seen by them either."

Daniel Ketch has posed:
"I do not enjoy answering pointless questions," and apparently identifying rhetoric questions is not one of the Rider skills, either. "But I don't think the night would be dangerous to you if it wasn't for supernatural assassins, from which the human lawmen cannot protect you. Indeed, perhaps you endangered them with your presence."

Which is not really his business. The assassins and the one that sent them are the guilty ones, not Amaya. Still, he likes to keep people safe. "I can take you to your destination, it will be safer for them," he gestures to the police car.

Amy Winston has posed:
An audible sigh escapes from Amy, "I do not need their protection. You know this and I know this, but good luck explaining it to them. It is far easier to let them believe what they want to be believe. Even if you escorted me home, they'd just come looking for me and want to take me to the station for more questions, putting them in more danger."

She steps towards the vehicle. "Trust me this is the best way. The last thing I want them to think is I just ran away. That would be really suspicious. They're better off and in less danger not knowing the truth."

Daniel Ketch has posed:
"Is your 'home' safe enough?" Asks the Rider, considering the possibility of more shadow killers showing up in New York suburbia. Still, he is not going to stay much longer where he is not wanted now his presence is not immediately necessary. "I shall trust you know what you are doing, for now," he adds, walking towards Daniel's motorcycle, just a few yards away. Oh yes, a last question, "where can I find this Dark Opal?" He wants to 'talk' with him.

Amy Winston has posed:
"My home will be fine. I've warded it and there is no one there I need to hide my powers from." Amaya stops and considers for a moment before holding out her hand palm up. Swirling light appears above her hand and coalesces into what looks like a clear faintly glowing quartz gemstone about the size of a baseball.

"Dark Opal is in Nilaa, another world seperate from Earth." She throws the crystal to Daniel. " Here, keep that. I'll find you and explain things when the police aren't breathing down my neck over too much strangeness already."

That done, with a wave of her hand in an instant suddenly Amaya, the Princess Amethyst, looks like Amy Winston, Earth teenager, again. Probably none too soon either, "Huh, what? Ow my head. What hit us?" Can be heard from within the cruiser.

"Be seeing you." Amy gives a little wave before ducking into the cruiser and doing her best to make up some story about a really bad pot hole.

Daniel Ketch has posed:
The crystal is caught easily, and the Rider peers into it cautiously. He can't understand what it is, not easily, but he is a creature of focused tasks, not prone to investigate what is not important to achieve vengeance. He asks no questions.

The wheels of the motorcycle lit on flame as he takes the seat, and he speeds away, leaving a trail of flame the cops can likely see. They can blame him for the incident for all he cares. They usually do, and it makes for an easy explanation.

A few minutes later, on a side road, Daniel returns and finds the gemstone on his hand. "You could have asked for her phone number instead," he murmurs, trying to remember exactly what the Ghost Rider did or said as he drives back to his apartment.