Celestial Changes Part 4 *HF*
By Siren
Daemon was pleased to see that everyone was early to the meeting. The court members made their rounds to Mystikal to see how she was doing. At seven, everyone was seated and waited for him to begin.
"By now, you all know about the attack on Mystikal. She came up against a creature to which her powers were, for the most part, ineffective. Neither she, nor the young lady she brought back with her know what these creatures are. I'm going to let her give you the details of the event, and if anyone here knows what they are and how to destroy them, then let us know."
He stopped, looking at each and every person. Everyone showed concern on their faces. All eyes turned to Mysty.
"Mystikal...if you please?"
Mysty stood up, gathering her thoughts. "If it's ok with everyone here, I think it'd be much easier just to show you what I saw." She waited for consent of each individual. When she had it, she took a deep breath, concentrating on that night. When she had it crystal clear in her mind she projected them into the minds of the other court members. She started with her walk by the park, then led them through the meeting with Celeste and her shapeshifting abilities. Then there were the creatures and the ensuing fight. She led them all the way through to the jump to Daemon's office and her passing out. When she opened her eyes she saw some of the members breathing hard, while others tried to mask their reaction. They had not only seen the events, but had experienced her emotions. That can be hard on a person.
"Uh-oh." Everyone turned to look at Byron who looked a bit surprised.
"That can't be good." Mysty and Loki thought aloud at the same time. They looked at one another.
"Jinx." Loki chimed.
"Loki." He looked up at Daemon who didn't appear to be the least bit amused.
"Byron, what is it?" Mysty asked, quite concerned.
"Those creatures belong to the Hellgoat. You could say they're his personal guard or Gestapo. He only uses them for special assignments, like when he wants something, and he doesn't use them often. They can take human form to find their targets. As you saw, they're very agile and strong. Also, those tendrils are made for draining a person's energy, powers, and life force. They are quite effective in the tasks he sets for them."
"Well..how do we kill them?" Daemon asked, a hint of worry in his voice.
"I can kill them. It takes a few minutes. It's kind of like a self-destruct code that has to be activated one creature at a time. The only other thing that seems to phase them is ice."
"Well that's no help to us. If they return, we're going to have to rely on you to destroy them. The rest of you, should you encounter these creatures, do what you can to defend yourself, but keep a safe distance until they can be dealt with. Byron, is there anything else we should know?"
"Not to my knowledge, but that may not be reliable. These creatures were created a long time ago, but each master makes his own changes to them. They are quite secretive about this too."
"Alright then, everyone play it safe. Are there any questions?"
Mysty spoke up, "Yes. Byron, what does the Hellgoat want with Celeste?"
"I don't know. He is quite secretive about his interests. I have noticed however that they seem to appear whenever she shifts. So perhaps they are drawn to an energy signature she gives off."
"Anyone else have a question?" When no one answered, Daemon called the meeting to adjourn.
"Well," Mysty said, talking to Scrib and Echo, "I think I'm going down to the danger rooms for some practice. I really feel the need to blow something up."
Scrib nodded her understanding, knowing that Mysty was probably going stir crazy due to the bed rest that had been forced on her for the past couple of days. Daemon heard Mysty as he approached and he didn't like it.
"Mystikal, I don't think you need to overdue it so soon."
"D...trust me, I need the workout."
"I'll allow it if you keep it a level 5 or lower." Mysty smiled sweetly at him.
"Alright, it's a deal." It was too bad he hadn't noticed her cross her fingers behind her back. Scrib saw, but had no intentions of saying anything with Daemon there. When he was well out of range though, she spoke her mind.
"Ye shouldna go to fast. There's no need fer ye to be gettin' hurt doin' somethin' foolish." she scolded. Mysty knew she was right, but she wouldn't be happy with anything less than the most challenging.
"Scrib, it's ok. I'll be fine. Really." Scrib looked skeptical. "I'll be careful...I promise."
"And what of the King?"
"What he doesn't know...can't hurt me." she said and walked off, anxious to start blasting targets. Deadly sentinels sounded good.
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Celeste was sick of being in bed. She wanted out. There was no window in her room and the nurse told her none of the rooms had windows. So she got up, still in a considerable amount of pain, though her wound seemed to be almost gone. She wondered through the halls of the med station until the happened upon a elevator. She pushed the call button and in moments her ride awaited. She decided to go down since she wanted to find a way outside. The elevator door opened on the next floor down. She stepped out to find a long corridor with doors on either side spaced at huge intervals. She walked up to one , a little nervous, and opened it by pushing the button on the wall beside it. It raised up with a hiss and a groan of machinery. The room was cavernous probably three stories high. It looked as if it were probably six or seven acres worth of room. Strange, though was that there was nothing in it.
It must be storage she thought, though she couldn't imagine what a hospital would store in rooms so big. Maybe it's the "king's " room, she thought bitterly, It'd have to be this big just to hold his ego.
As much as she didn't want to think about him, she was curious. When he said he was king, did he mean for the hospital? Nothing made since anymore.
She opened two other doors, with the same results, huge and empty. On the fourth door, she expected the same thing, but was surprised to find lush green hills and woods greeting her eyes. Celeste walked out a few paces, then heard the door close behind her. She turned back and saw nothing. No door and no building. She was about to go looking for the missing building when a noise caught her attention. It was a thudding sound that shook the ground. She turned to see a huge giant leveling the woods and heading towards her. She froze. This is only a bad dream, she told herself, I can wake up whenever I want. The thing raised a hand and shot a ball of energy at her. She had no time to think or act. There was the familiar tingle and dark sparkle, and she found herself high above the ground. The blast created a smoldering crater where she had just been. She headed towards the woods, but another blast nicked her. She felt white hot pain shoot up her arm seconds before she hit the ground. The giant was reaching for her.
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Siren
Grey Paladin
Insanity Fairy