8921/Sun King Ascendant: The Longest Night

Sun King Ascendant: The Longest Night
Date of Scene:	23 December 2021
Location:	The Midnight Mission
Synopsis:	The Uraean Brood attacks the Midnight Mission. Moon Knight is faced with an old foe, and there are /two/ kidnappings.
Cast of Characters:	Jonathan Sims, Lydia Dietrich, Phoebe Beacon, Morrigan MacIntyre, Marc Spector

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Jonathan Sims has posed:
    The Midnight Mission is quiet tonight, lit by candles, the scent of kyphi incense wafting through the air--wine and cinnamon, orange and honey. No music, no great conversation. There's a stillness and tension, as the Heliopolitans wait for the potential retribution of their foes. Despite what else they might be dealing with in the outside world, the Uraean Brood are still a direct threat.

    Jon and Agnes are both in the main room, Agnes still looking a little wan and pale from her ordeal yesterday. She's sitting in the chair beneath the Thoth statue, reading a book, while Jon paces the room. His restless energy breaks the stillness in waves as he moves, but it settles back behind him.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
There's a flash of purple outside the Midnight Mission which deposits Lydia. She makes her way up the steps to the Mission and makes her way in. She nods to Jon and Agnes, "How are you two doing? Feeling better tonight, Agnes?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe hadn't been called like this for some time. Her focus had been taken away from healing for some time, and when she was dropped off outside the Midnight Mission, it felt like something out of the Exorcist.

    Phoebe was wearing her Investigation gear rather than anything casual. The long gray coat over the backless vest and cream-colored blouse. The high bicycling boots with the full-on laces, light from a streetlamp catching dramatically off her nose piercing. It was weird to have it in.

    And she takes a deep breath, grips her leather bag tighter, and makes her way into the mission, and as she does so she raises her left hand, and presses her right palm to it.

    "Exolvo mi, da mihi lumen." she whispers, and unbinds her aura.

    She feels like Hope and Light when she walks in behind Lydia -- mindful of giving hte vampire space.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan's not a usual face at the Mission, but if things are going to get worse with vampire attacks and people are going to try to take a teenager then she's going to help out. She was on break as it was, so the time wasn't something to worry on. Her motorcycle is parked outside and she heads inside not long after Phoebe and Lydia do. There's a quiet nod of greeting to everyone as she looks around. She's dressed down this evening in jeans, boots t-shirt and a black wool overcoat.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Agnes smiles at Lydia as she comes in. "Yes, I am, thank you." The dragon ring on her finger glints a bit in the light as she carefully closes the book she was reading. She looks over toward Morrigan and Phoebe as well, eyes widening at Phoebe's aura of Hope and Light.

    Jon turns to regard them, restless energy calming a bit with Phoebe's unbound aura. "If the vampires come, I'm taking her to the basement," he says, "but I didn't think staying cooped up down there was a good idea. How are all of you?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia nods in satisfaction. "Good. I'm glad the ring is working for you. It worked for me, but in the end it didn't do me any good." She shuffles her way off to the side as more people enter, and nods to each in turn. "Good to see you all."

Tonight Lydia is wearing comfortable clothing. Grey woolen pants, a black turtleneck sweater and her black trenchcloak against her pale features make her look like a quintessential vampire.

"I'm doing good," she says to Jon. "I'm hoping that it'll be boring tonight, but I believe that would be too much to hope for. I'm ready for whatever comes."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "If they show, they'll make good practice." Phoebe states as she walks in. Her hair was in two poodle puffs behind her, and she gives a bright, gentle smile.

    "Good evening, Agnes, I'm Phoebe Beacon. I'm a friend of Dr. Sims's. HOw are you this evening?" she asks, giving the girl a respectful amount of space.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan settles down her bag off to the side so that no one trips over it. The violet eyed woman gives a look over the group, "Evening all." she greets. "And going to the basement isn't a bad idea if they come." she agrees with Jon on that. "Either way, I think we're all in for a long night." she states in a quieter tone.

Marc Spector has posed:
    The doors to the main area of the mission are busted open and in rushes a battered and dirtied Moon Knight. His costume looks very different from it's usual pristine glow. There are stains of black, red, and brown all over the armor. Tears and impact points are also evident in the suit, the blood shining underneath a dim reminder of how the Fist of Khonshu usually glows.

    "They're coming... prepare yourself" he says breathlessly. A tear in his mask gives evidence to a five o'clock shadow over a chisled jaw with olive toned skin that is also marred with a freshly bleeding cut along the jawline. Despite his appearance, he looks ready to continue whatever situation has put him in his current state.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    One look at Moon Knight and Jon turns to Agnes. "Downstairs," he snaps. "Now."

    Agnes blinks, brown eyes widening, and then darts out of the chair and toward the stairs down into the Mission's basement.

    Jon turns to look at the others. "I'll put up a shield and hold the door. I pray it doesn't come to that." He hesitates, then adds, "...Good luck."

    Outside, though there's no /sound/, those who have the senses can feel gathering darkness. It feels like it's all around them, heavy and foreboding.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
If Lydia was going to say anything, it's cut short as Moon Knight busts in. She nods to the man, the black motes of ectoplasm that surrounds her churning agitatedly. "I'm ready," she says.

She turns to the door. She can /feel/ them coming. Not something that her heightened senses can pick up but more of a general knowing of what is to come. She relaxes her posture and shakes out the nervousness in her hands and prepares for the incoming invasion.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe gives a low hiss as she turns, and she narrows her eyes as she brings her extending staff up, and brings her left hand down. The concentric circles form on the back of her hands as she readies some spells, biting her lower lip a moment and she breathes out.

    Her aura briefly intensifies.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan's eyes go wide when Moon Knight busts in looking worse for wear. She'd definitely seen his suit all busted up. She gives a quick look over her shoulder to make sure Jon and Agnes have gone and then she moves towards the center of the room. Her hands come up in front of her as she starts to call on magics to help, neon violet energy starting to twist and curl around her fingers, "We're ready." she states.

Marc Spector has posed:
    "Good" Moon Knight says before turning to the statue of Khonshu and pressing a button on the silver-white bracer at his left wrist. There is a beeping noise from behind the massive statue of his patron and something large comes flying through the air toward him with unerring precision.

    It's no Mjolnir of Thor but the Kudgel of Khonshu is impressive nonetheless. A 3 foot heavy club of dark metal inscribed with ankhs and crescents in silver. He catches it and whips in in an arc before him to get a feel for its heft before facing the door for whatever pursuers he had in tow.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    A scream from the stairwell is the only warning before vampires leap from the shadows around them. There's no bursting through doors, nor coming through windows. They simply step out of the shadows, one after another, at least a dozen in the main room alone. None of them look particularly powerful, but the energy that roils off of them is still all around, pressing, as if there's whole battalions waiting in the wings. They surround the four in the center of the Midnight Mission, hissing, moving in.

    In the basement, there are more of them, and it's that which triggered Agnes' scream. Another dozen at least in the hallway leading to the dormitories, and one of the ones in front leaps out to try to grab for Agnes. It's met with a blast of energy from the Archivist's staff; he transformed while running after Agnes. "They're coming in from below, too!" he shouts, then spins his staff in the air and sets up a barrier over the stairwell in front of Agnes.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
The black motes of ectoplasm snap to Lydia, surrounding her in onyx armor, great talons forming at the ends of her fingers. With vampiric swiftness she streaks down the stairs after Agnes, her only thought is to protect the child.

Eyes red and fangs out, she slashes at anyone who would dare get in her way, rending them with talons sharp enough to cut through steel. "Hang on, Agnes!" she calls out. "I'm coming!"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe lets Lydia go as she bares her teeth and goes to take point. She may not move as fast, but her aura is on, and it's beginning to become visible as she moves towards the vampires.

    "You have one chance." the young exorcist-hero snarls. FLEE

    And she turns the staff, using all her prowess to keep the vampires attacking at length and lobbing Holy charged fireballs at them, the flames licking at her fingers before she goes, forming the balls in her palms.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan gives a look to the weapon that Moon Knight summons, that was going to do some damage. She hears the scream from Agnes and her stomach forms a sinking feeling, "Shadow walking bastards!" she calls out as she throws the waiting ball of magical energy at the first vampire she sees (that isn't Lydia!). They were going to have to act fast...and get to Agnes and Jon before they were ran off with.

Marc Spector has posed:
    Moon Knight jumps forward into the mass of vampires. His injuries don't seem to be a concern for him as he swings his truncheon at whatever villain is in his way. "Forward. To Jon and Agnes... they're after the girl. Save her at all costs!" he calls out as he beats at whoever blocks his path with the might of a waning gibbous moon behind him.

    It's not his full strength, but it's enough to deal with a horde like the one before him. Or at least, it should be. "We protect our own! Khonshu, guide us against those who lie in the darkness away from your gaze!"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Valkkai /Whelp/," the vampire at the lead of the pack downstairs hisses at Lydia. She's fast enough that she get to them /just/ before the Archivist's barrier goes up, and cuts through three of the vampires before she runs into any that give her trouble. The next three have the chance to regroup, flanking Lydia and jumping at her from both sides, the leader in front. The two on the sides just jump in with fangs and claws, but the one in front lashes out with magical darkness to try to blind the vampire.

    The Archivist reaches out to grab Agnes' arm and pull her back up the stairs, pulling the barrier back a bit. "Lydia!" he shouts, and focuses his will. He doesn't go for the ones surrounding her just now, afraid to harm her in the process of casting his magic, but another pair of vampires coming out of a dormitory room fall writhing as the Archivist's healing water pours over them. Evidently the Uraeans do /not/ like healing energy.

    Phoebe's warning only leads to the vampires leaping forward. Many of them seem feral, new-turned and out of control. They fall to the power of the Light, to Morrigan's balls of magical energy, to the Kudgel of Khonshu. They fall screaming and writhing, but that doesn't stop more of them from coming at the group, nor more coming in the replace those who fall.

    This is what the Uraeans have been doing with all those missing homeless people, it's becoming horribly clear, by the clothing and look of these vampires. They've been turning them into shock troops.

    There's a huge thumping at the front door of the mission. A pounding rhythm. Thump, thump, POUND. Someone--or something--is trying to get through.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Don't worry about me!" Lydia shouts back to Jon. "Get Agnes to safety!" The ones with fangs and claws will find Lydia's armor hard to pierce. It's strong enough to stop bullets. However ineffectual they may be, it's enough to distract her enough that she's unable to dodge the magical attack, which hits her squarely in the chest.

Her armor is less effective against the dark bolt of magical energy. It manages to stop it from being a lethal blow but it does tear into it and blow her back off her feet. She quickly kips up into a crouch, wisps of ectoplasm wafting from the hole in her armor in her chest. Soon enough, more ectoplasm flows to seal the breach.

"Irappu /scum!/" she hisses, the beast within her howling to see the blood of her enemies spilt before her. She stands and reaches out an arm to grab one of the vampire minions by the face, intending to throw them bodily into the magic caster.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe grits her teeth, and she focuses her light, drawing more through. Her glow increases, and she breathes out as she grasps her staff, and then brings her light to her palm.

    She runs towards the door, using her pole to try and vault over the vampires, roll over the floor and make her way to the door to try and head them off -- her hand already has fire in it as she begins a longer incantation for a larger evocation of fire. Her eyes are beginning to glow.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan's attention is drawn to the door and she has a very bad feeling that the door isn't going to last for very long. She keeps throwing the energy blasts at the incoming vampires from the shadows, but she's trying to back up at the same time to see about assisting Jon and Agnes, "I can portal you two out!" she calls towards the stairs where they are blocked in for the moment.

Marc Spector has posed:
    Moon Knight crushes the skull of one of those he faces. He doesn't care who they were in life. They have invaded his home. His sanctum. His haven and such trespasses cannot go unpunished. The cudgel comes back smeared with black and red as he whips it at another. "Jon! The Door! You know what I speak of! She will be safe!"

    There is significance on the location he specifies. A safe room inside the mission that only select few know. His head jerks to the door as something pounds on it. "Get her safe!" he says as another vampire jumps on his back and bites into exposed flesh of his neck.

    He cries out in pain and sends a crushing blow to the face of the attacker, forcing her off him with an added spray of blood that was almost siphoned.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "WE ARE URAEAN!!" the vampire in the lead down in the basement howls at Lydia. He raises his hands to fling more magic at her, but Lydia throws one of his minions into him and they go skidding down the hallway. "Get off me!!" the leader screams, clawing at his own fellow in his haste to get back up.

    The Archivist raises his staff and light flares from its tip. Not Phoebe's Light, but enough to dispel shadows so no more vampires can step through them into the basement. He takes the barrier he had across the stairs and wraps it around himself and Agnes, pulling her into Moon Knight's ready room with him. He's angling for the secret entrance to the Midnight Mission, unknown to any but himself and Moon Knight.

    Before anyone can coordinate about portals or anything else, the door crashes open. The man who strides in at the front of another pack of vampires is /huge/. He's dark-skinned, six feet eight inches tall and built like a linebacker, solid body beneath paunch. It looks like half his face has been carved off, the other half covered in face paint like a stylized snake. His pupils are slitted and his tongue's been cut so it's forked like a snake. He's dressed in black fatigues, bearing multiple weapons. A mercenary, and yet a vampire.

    Moon Knight knows that face. Raul Bushman.

    Bushman sneers at the beacon of Light that stands in front of him. A vampire to his side is burned to a crisp by the Light, but intricate wards on Bushman's frame pulse with dark magic that holds it back. "Out of my way, little girl. I'm not here for you."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"YOU ARE /DEAD/!" Lydia yells in response, propelling herself forward. While, true, they were all technically dead, she aims to bring about the end of his existence. Augmented by her ectoplasm like powered armor, a black blade several feet long extends from her wrist which she /slams/ into the vampires piled on the ground, intending to impale them on the floor.

The third vampire isn't forgotten, though. A tentacle extends out of her back trying to wrap itself around them to keep him at bay.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe's eyes narrow. She grips her toes in her shoes, and switches her weight from foot to foot as the door blows open.

    And she lets her eyes burn gold.

    "Omnia ante me luce ure!" she calls out, bringing her left hand up as the eight-pointed star of interlocking squares forms, and she calls for fire to burn all that stands before her in Liverpuddlian-accented latin, brilliant copper-gold flames leaping from her hands.

    That was her answer to the big man, and she's not about to let him pass without a fight!

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan's magic is a flash of neon as it drives into vampires, though the door finally coming down draws her attention to it and the big dude that comes in at the head of the new vampire targets that have appeared. "Ah fuck." she states with a moment taken to look to Phoebe as the vampiric linebacker heads her way. She rushes that way, her magic poised to block the entry hall so that they don't get any further in, "You're not getting what you've come for." she growls at the man.

Marc Spector has posed:
    Another vampire is beaten away with the cudgel before the doors give way and a ghost from Moon Knight's past steps into the doors of his sanctum. The pulse of silver light pouring from Moon Knight flares and threads with red as the veins on his armor react to his biometric pattern. "BUSHMAN!!!!" a voice that is one part Moon Knight and one part something bigger and mighter bellows in abject, mindless rage.

    He pushes his way through the mass of vampires before him, beating them as if they were a rabid mass of wild dogs, giving them less heed than he might need to. As he moves to stand aside Morrigan and Phoebe. "*He is mine!*" he declares the red tinged silver glow pulsing around him as he doesn't shift his eyes from the hulking vampire mercenary before them. "Go see that Lydia, Jon, and Agnes are safe! Run this rabble from our home!"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Lydia's attack is super effective! The vampires are impaled, and they scream as they die, leaving the basement free of them for the moment--not for long, surely, but long enough for Lydia to regroup.

    More of the vampires with Bushman are burned down by Phoebe's attack. It's sheer luck that he raises his arms to project a shield of darkness in front of him that keeps Phoebe and Morrigan's magics from doing more than singeing him. "Yes," he says with a wide smile, "let him through. Let us face each other again, and see who wins this time." He looks aside to the one vampire that stood with him who remains, the only other one with the tattoos protecting them from the Light and the fire. "Get the girl. Kill Sims."

    "But the Oculus said--"

    Bushman pulls a machete from its sheath at his side. "I'm /done/ with that English f--. Do it!" The word he says is a /nasty/ slur for gay men, one we'll not reproduce here.

    The lieutenant pulls out a black orb, crushes it in his hand, and disappears. Down in the basement, Jon screams in pain. The Archivist transformation drops, the barrier drops, the light goes out, leaving them in darkness.

    Then there's a tiny spark of fire in the ready room, enough to guide Lydia toward them.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia hears Jon's scream of pain and is instantly in motion. The one vampire wiggling in her tentacle she has no time for. Another whips out, wraps itself around the vampire's head and just *twists* it off, all the while rushing to the room where last she heard Jon.

She doesn't need light to find her way. Her vampire eyes are perfectly attuned to the dark. But the spark of fire marks where she can find them, and she bursts into the room. There, she's hunched over, talons out and several tentacles writhing in anger behind her.

"COME OUT," she yells in a commanding voice. "COME OUT AND FACE YOUR FINAL DEATH."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I'll see to the ones below -- Doctor, if you stay up here?" Phoebe states, and she withdraws with a classic Hero-from-Gotham trick.

    She drops smoke bombs. "I won't be sad if his mouth goes first!" her voice echoes, and then, the light is gone, running towards the group in the basement.

    She rushes to the stairs, her aura growing stronger, the more light she pulls on from that sliver buried in her soul warming her. Her fingers glow with that rose-gold color that her eyes share, arcane symbols tracing their way, refining on her skin.

    "Sekhmet I do not ask for much, but give me the means to protect the girl." she whispers.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan doesn't really argue with Moon Knight when he tells them that the big guy is /his/. The Irish woman turns to look to Phoebe and she nods, "I'll keep up the fight up here, go and see to Jon and Agnes." she states. Phoebe's ninja vanish makes her smile, but it's only for a second before it fades and she takes stock of how many vampires that leaves her to deal with for the moment.

She wasn't worried about herself getting hurt, so when it's just her and Moon Knight left with the vampires upstairs there's a crackle as shifts into serious magic powers mode. The next magical bolt that is sent crashing into a vampire has the black tendrils that start growing within it.

Marc Spector has posed:
    If he hears Jon's cry or Agnes scream it doesn't show in Moon Knight's posture. "I killed you. I watched the life drain from your eyes as I tore off your face" he says to his old foe. He reaches to the back of his belt and removes one of the crescents attached to it. It's larger than the others and it's curves shiny with a sharper edge than the others as well. "It seems that I'll just have to do it again!"

    He rushes the bigger man ready to match Kudgel with the man's machete; his own strength and the strength of his god against the defilement of body and mind that was the leader of the Uraean Brood.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Agnes' breath comes in short gasps as she struggles to make enough light to see by, to push back the shadows. As Phoebe prays there's a pulse and the fire she's holding grows. It's enough to show that Jon is collapsed unconscious on the floor of the ready room, Agnes standing over him with one gloved hand raised, fire wrapped around her hand like a torch. Lydia joins them, and they're surrounded in short order, vampires in every shadow. Phoebe will have to fight through them to get to the three in the room.

    The lieutenant steps forward, right at the edge of the light from Agnes' fire. "Time to go home," he says, and reaches out toward Agnes with a tentacle of black magic.

    Up above, the smoke makes Bushman cough and recoil as the vampires flooding into the room try to swarm Morrigan. It seems they're leaving room for Moon Knight and Bushman to go toe-to-toe.

    Bushman laughs. "I got better, Marc," he replies as he parries Moon Knight's blow. "Vampiric power... you really oughta try it." He presses in, grinning down at his old friend past their weapons. "What're you doing here, playing priest? Think you can save your soul with this shit?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia shouts out, "No!" and swiftly moves to interpose herself between the lieutenant and the girl. A vampire tries to get in her way, but a razor sharp fin forms on the back of her arm, and she backhands the top of the vampire's head off. Another tries to tackle her legs, and that one finds her impaled with a sharp tentacle.

She reaches out to grab the tentacle of shadow with an ectoplasmic gauntlet, wanting to rip it away so it doesn't reach Agnes.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Vampire Mom's got some skills, but Phoebe's Light on her feet.

    Get it? Light -- nevermind.

    Phoebe leaps from the stairs, and begins to Wreck Havoc. Her family worshiped Sekhmet, Goddess of War, of Protection, of Fire. There was a statue above, there's got to be SOME presence here -- and it would be the first god that's ever answered one of Phoebe's asks.

    Her staff lights up with her power, the manifestation of Light itself. Hope. Life.

    And she wends her way through, fast on her feet, not having to worry about her aura healing her enemies. Not having to worry about the wreckage she leaves behind.

    "Agnes! Concentrate!" she calls out, "Pull on the fire! FEEL it in your hands, lighting up the room! You've got this!" she calls out, and she comes to a break in the shadows, and she raises her own right hand. She takes a deep breath and calls out, light filling her palm as she looks to clear the outer room of the vampiric scum that stand between her and her friends. This time the chant is in Khemet, not a prayer, but pulling forth on herself, a blast of Light brilliantly lighting up the room around her as she tries to blast away all the shadows.

    Hey, she learned how to pull on her powers in crisis. Maybe it's a good teacher?

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan's not invincible and that shows when she takes a few heavy hits from the vampires. Her face is bleeding and her jacket that she was wearing is not going to be repairable as a claw ripped the arm open and her blood spills down from the wound. She gets herself out of the damaged coat and tosses it into the face of one of the incoming vampires, hopefully giving her enough time to take a breath...

But that doesn't happen, she gets knocked into the wall hard as another vampire skulks out of the darkness. She leverages herself off the ground, a growl escaping her as she bares fangs at the vampire and she opens black eyes to look at them, "Ow." she states in a low tone. Her fingers twitch as a blade of shadows and that neon violet magic that she wields forms. She runs the vampire through with it, leveraging her weight and magical power into it's form.

Marc Spector has posed:
    Moon Knight growls in anger the borders on feral as he faces off against Bushman, club versus machete. "You mean you turned yourself into one of these monsters..." he growls and pushes off. The battle between the two is intense but neither seems to gain ground on each other.

    Cudgel and blade meet time and again in a clash of metal on metal, sparks flying as each man parries the others' attack. That does not mean that blows aren't struck. After a particularly intense flurry between the pair they separate and the flesh on Bushman's right arm bears a gash that seeps with dark blood, in the same time a deep rivet is carved into Moon Knight's lower ribcase, the wound oozes with blood, adding to the loss the man has already taken.

    More clashes mark their duel. Moon Knight scores a blow to Bushman's face, marring the serpentine mask he wears, while the Vampire Lord manages to imbed a dagger into the Fist of Khonshu's leg, punctuating the pierce with a vicious twist of the blade.

    After the damage to his leg, Moon Knight's attacks increase in recklessness and he takes more hits, losing ground on Bushman but not falling to the man despite the severity of his injuries.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    The tentacle of shadow does not reach Agnes, and the lieutenant growls his frustration. "You're stronger than we were led to believe," he hisses at Lydia. He whips out more of the tendrils to try to latch them onto the mutant vampire, but her ectoplasmic armor proves troublesome. Even if she can't do magic anymore, maybe some part of her understands it instinctively, to keep it away. Or maybe it's just that strong.

    Sekhmet listens. Or maybe Agnes listens. Is there a difference? She doesn't have as much to draw on as she should, but stands over Jon's still form, pulls the fire into both of her hands, a pulse that lights up the room. She takes a breath and pushes the fire out toward the vampires trying to creep in toward the pair, a gout of flame that burns down the ranks of vampires and clears the space between her and Phoebe. She grins over at the older girl, eyes bright and reddish hair shimmering like it's about to set on fire itself.

    Jon stirs, groans, holds his hands up to shield his eyes against the brightness of Light and Fire. He starts to sit up. There is only the lieutenant left in the room with them, and now he's outnumbered.

    The vampires' numbers are thinning out up above, Morrigan's wounds a testament to their numbers but her own magical prowess. Either Bushman's running out of shock troops or he wants to keep some in reserve.

    Bushman notices this and glowers at Moon Knight as he pulls back from a particularly vicious flurry of blows. He turns to Morrigan, and a tendril of black flicks out from his hand. "Maybe I'll just take this one from you too..." The tendril wraps around Morrigan's waist, pulling the weakened magus toward him.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"I am not some innocent newborn pup to be kicked around," growls Lydia, finding the beast within reveling in the carnage. "Before I was ever a vampire I was a /mutant/. Homo /superior/, and now you understand why we are called such." Heedless of what the others might be doing, bloodlust consumes her and she /leaps/ at her enemy, talons stretched out and teeth bared. She's going to rip out the throat of her enemy with her /fangs/ and drink deep his blood in victory.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe lets her light fade as she breathes out, teetering a moment as she looks to Agnes with a smile, and she takes a few steps closer to the LIeutenant -- Lydia leaps at the enemy, and Phoebe puts herself between Jon and Agnes, and Lydia dining on her enemy.

    She tries to take up Agne's vision.

    "Hey, hey, you've done really well. Let's see if Jon needs a hand, yeah?" she asks, looking down to Jon.

    "What's up, Doc?" she asks, drawing down and offering a hand down to him. "Need a light?"

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan's just finished with one of the last vampires that is near her when she gets grabbed by a tendril, "Well shit!" she blurts out as she stumbles. Then her hands come up, sending a shock of electricity back down the tendril towards the huge linebacker looking vampire. It might just tickle him, but oh boy is she going to TICKLE THE SHIT out of him. She can't get out of the tendril...and that's bad news for the redhead. "If you think I'm not going to fight you every step of the way you're sorely mistaken." she growls at Bushman as she tries to struggle out of the grip.

Marc Spector has posed:
    Rage boils over in Moon Knight and he bellows at Bushman. "Don't you touch her!" he all but screams as he lunges for Morrigan. Strikes at Bushman. scoring only another hit before he is batted away by the flat of the machete. He drops to a knee.

    "No. You can't...' he says, pushing himself up again to lunge only to feel the machete drive through his gut. He coughs and a gout of of deep red covers the upper collar of his armor. Even so he struggles on against the impaling blade.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Lydia jumps on the lieutenant, and he screams. His tendrils of black magic wrap around her, and some may even pierce through her armor, but she's got the advantage here. He's weakened by the Light far more than Lydia, whose clan lies so close to life and light and love. She will drink his blood, though it may take a struggle.

    Jon laughs at the joke and takes Phoebe's hand to pull himself to his feet. "Good lord," he says. "That /hurt/. I thought I was going to die." He chuckles. "Would've saved Michael a lot of trouble, huh?"

    Agnes beams at Phoebe. "I could feel it," she says. "Feel /Her/. When you told me, it was like--"

    There's a sudden swirling in the air behind Agnes and her eyes widen for just a moment before she's being yanked backwards. A portal, trying to drag her in.

    Jon turns to grab her, try to keep her from being pulled away. "Shit! Phoebe, help!" He raises his voice. "Marc! MARC!" He's not supposed to use that name, here, but he's not thinking clearly enough to remember.

    Bushman grunts, but mostly ignores the tickling sensation. He pulls Morrigan to him, hung in the air. "You can come for her if you live," he says. Smiles. "Don't worry. She /probably/ won't die before you can find us."

    And then he's turning to leave, taking Morrigan with him.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia has a wild, feral gleam in her eyes as she's bathed in the blood of her opponent, gulping down as much as she can. When he's nothing but a husk, she turns to the rest of the room, still hungry, looking for another threat.

There. The light. The light that drains her power. And the girl who shines so brightly. She needs to stop, so she will /make/ her stop. Lydia, with all rationality gone, /leaps/ at Phoebe.

And somewhere in the back of her mind the human part of her screams in horror.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "You did really good! Keep concentra-- NO!"

    Phoebe steps forward to try and Aid Jon, but catches the movement out of the corner of her eye.

    HEr eyes retain their rosy-gold glow, her fingers still lit in metallic hues, and Jon would recognize that scent of Rose Petals and Black Pepper, that citrusy tang that differentiated Phoebe's manifestation of the Light and magic as she turns.

    She brings her staff up, and as she moves it's in a well practiced motion. It's automatic, staff up to block the forward motion. Drop. Curl back and PUSH upwards, turning to spin back up to your feet in a crouch.

    Robin would be pretty proud of the movement, so would her sensei, and she sweeps her light staff in front of her again as she guards Jon's back.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
"Marc, no!" Morrigan cries out as she sees him lunge. Yeah...she's not worried about the name thing given everyone else is downstairs. And the other two know each other. The redhead is out weight classed for the time being and her energy is seeping out, magic had its limits. Plus Marc didn't need to get himself killed in this case.

She does make good on her promise of kicking and screaming as they go though!

Marc Spector has posed:
    Moon Knight, or Marc as he's been called twice now, slides from the machete and pushes himself up. Jon's cries for help war in his mind with Morrigan and Bushman's departure. He gives a look toward the back of the mission and growls before he sets off after the departing vampire lord and his kidnapped girlfriend.

    He is slow and sluggish, his blood seeping from a multitude of wounds but even as he moves they start to seal and heal, the infusion of the god in his psyche keeping him alive even now. But his powers are not unlimited and the fatigue of such a long and grueling fight slows him and he fires a grappling hook to the rooftops to get a better vantage point to pursue.

    He knows that it's likely futile. He knows that he's turning his back on those he counts as friends and allies. But even still he has to chase after Bushman and rescue Morrigan.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Bushman is gone. So is Morrigan. Marc can see the portal that he opens and disappears through. No chance to follow; he'll have to track down his girlfriend the old-fashioned way.

    In the meantime, Phoebe guards Jon's back as Lydia leaps at her. Jon screams again, in desperation, "/MARC/!!" He's got both Agnes' arms in his hands, trying to keep her from being dragged through the portal.

    Agnes can see what's happening behind Jon, of course. Sees Phoebe pulling in Light, Lydia leaping at her. She knows what that Light means to vampires--and Lydia helped her, took care of her. But Phoebe inspired her, and Jon cares about her. She can't let either of them get hurt. Fire flares from her hands and she uses it to push Jon away, pulls off the ring on her finger and throws it at Lydia, screaming, "LYDIA, /STOP/!!"

    It's enough that Jon lets go reflexively and Agnes gets sucked through the portal, which winks out as soon as she's through.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia is too far gone to use her mutant powers, really. She's running on vampire instinct and vampire instinct knows nothing of ectoplasm and it's use. She's pushed back by Phoebe's staff and is about to leap again, when the staff's brilliant light finally effects her.

It's like all the energy is drained out of the vampire. Her ectoplasm is burned away by the light, and Lydia stumbles as her legs give out on her. It may not cause her physical harm, but that doesn't mean it's harmless, and the Beast knows this. She scrabbles weakly away from the light, throwing up an arm to shade herself from it.

Agnes' scream seems to penetrate through the beast, letting Lydia surface just in time to be beaned in the head by the ring. "Oh God," Lydia says, her voice sounding horrified. "Phoebe... I'm... I can't..." As if they have a mind of their own her hands grab the ring and she gets up and stumbles to the door. "I'm so sorry," she says, before fleeing out into the night.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Then it's Phoebe and Jon, alone, in the basement of the Mission. Agnes and Morrigan gone. Marc trailing out. Lydia fleeing.

    Phoebe had let her light fade, coming forward, stepping closer to check on Lydia, her words still in quiet 'It's okay, it's okay--" but then she is gone.

    She has her back to Jon then. The light leaves her staff, and it's just an extending staff again, without the noisemakers and electrical implements that make Red Robin's so special. And slowly, she backs up until she touches Jon.

    And she sinks down behind him. HEr dark eyes look over the ash and shadows left in the wake.

    "... I'm sorry, Jon."

Marc Spector has posed:
    Moon Knight stops at the edge of the building and watches the portal disappear. He screams in rage and slams a fist into a brickwork hawk-like gargoyle. It shatters to powder and chips and he makes his way to the ground again, his cape slowing his fall before he drops.

    He moves into the mission ignoring the blood and and ash and destruction all around as he makes his way to the armory. Jon and Phoebe are given a cursory glace before he moves to start collecting things. "Bushman took Morrigan. I have to go after him."

    He looks at his armor and shakes his head. "Probably a wash" he says taking parts of the suit off with swift, almost manic movements. "I have a spare though. If I'm fast I might be able to find the right path in the tunnels. Find the lair. Get them back." From his actions, it's clear he is looking to go after Bushman right now, instinct driving his moves despite his blood loss and fatigue.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Agnes is gone, Lydia's gone... he doesn't know it but Morrigan's gone too.

    "Not your fault," Jon murmurs to Phoebe. He looks at her. "You okay?"

    And then Moon Knight comes into the room, packing, and Jon stares at him. "You're bleeding. And Agnes disappeared through a portal." A pause. "Marc? Marc!" He pushes himself to his feet. "Marc, you need to take a minute and make sure you're ready. Let Phoebe heal you."

Marc Spector has posed:
    Moon Knight shakes his head. "I will heal in time..." he slips off the armor, He wears a simple one piece jumpsuit underneath but it is as bloody and stained as his armor was. He doesn't seem to mind so much as he starts to pull on a second suit. This one has more black on it at the arms, knees, and midsection, but it seems just as sturdy as the one he tosses aside. "The girl is your responsibility. Morrigan and Bushman are mine."

    "If he is back..." he shakes his head. "He might try to turn her. I can't allow that. Not with..." He shakes his head. "I will find them both. Kill him. Save her. And it will be over."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "The girl is--" Jon gapes at Moon Knight. Then he shakes his head. "Fine," he snaps. "Good luck with that. I have to go figure out how to track down Agnes. While the world's ending."

    It's not Moon Knight he's mad at, and that's not fair, and he /knows/ all of that. But even Phoebe's aura can't /quite/ reach past the pain just now. So he turns to go, leaving the Midnight Mission. And once they're all gone, the place will be as silent as it was before.

    Except all the vampire bodies, of course.