This is Harder Than We Thought

Posted on Mon May 1st, 2023 @ 3:53am by Dominique LaFramboise & Jarrod Lask & Nathaniel Cunningham & Gideon Asher & Andrea Carter & Astaroth/Lily-Mae Arnett & Jason Baraghani

Mission: Daemoniacus Tribulatio

Trying to keep determined rednecks out of a honky tonk was like trying to get a toddler to... well, to do anything, really. Not for the fifth time, Jarod wished he had some sort of talent other than fighting fires and resuscitating people; maybe he could distract them with a show. "This isn't working very well, is it?" he asked whoever was nearest as three more people walked into the club.

Jim was standing near Jarrod, dressed for the occasion, but also frowning. "It was never going to be easy," he grumbled. "We can't really order people not to go, and even if we could, we need there to be enough people inside to sell it to the demon," he opined. He turned his head as he heard a certain sound he instantly recognized and smiled. "Of course, the non-preternatural backup I asked for has arrived," he said, as a smile came over his face.

Just then a short, well-built man dressed very much like the clientele, well-fitted jeans, cowboy boots, and paisley, walked over to them. He thumped Jim lightly on the arm. "Major," he said. "Nice to see you. Sorry, we're late. It took a little work to get this to happen off the books," he added. "I'm going to be inside as well, but I wanted to both let you know we're here and give you an earpiece."

Jim nodded. "You know why we want to keep this quiet so whatever you think best," he said. He motioned to Jarrod and the tiger near him, "Jase, this is Jarrod Lask of the Werehound Leesh, and Tamsin Bragg of the weretigers. Jarrod, Tamsin, this is a friend of mine, Sergeant Jason Baraghani, who has arranged for us to have some backup that will hopefully be unexpected, should the need arise."

"We can use all the help we can get," replied Jarrod. To the sergeant, he said, "thank you for your service. You know, whether military or police force or whatever."

Jason stiffened momentarily. He was reasonably sure the hound meant nothing offensive but the empty platitude phrase still made him cringe. Time and place, however, and this wasn't it. "I'm told there's a demon involved. Me and the men I managed to get are well-trained in taking out the supernatural employed against us if we have to, but I can't say a divine entity has ever been on our kill list. Let's hope this night goes in such a way that I can still say that in the morning."

“Especially since my alpha hopes to restore the body’s rightful soul,” agreed Jarrod. “But she’d get over it, if it’s necessary.”

Jim grimaced. "I think we all agree that being rid of the demon is the most important goal, but the less blood the better, if for no other reason than I'd like to not have to explain bodies to the police," he said. "Or the military, for that matter."

Jason shrugged and reached into his pocket. "I need to get inside, but I have 3 earpieces. I intended to give them to the tiger, the Blood Ranger Commander, one of you two," he said passing them over. "If you could pass them on."

"I'll take one," said Risaldar-Major Natalie Kahn as she emerged from nearby shadow. "We'll patch it into ours. There's a bunch of us here to back you guys up, and to look after Miss Carter. The boss is here to, but he's trying to keep a low profile. He's concerned he's going to shine like the North Star to ole Nasty Astie if he draws attention to himself. But he's close, and like I said, we've got Rangers and surrogates out there, too."

"Works for me," said the sergeant. "The channel is preset, but if your gear can match it, so much the better. If you need things to get lethal we'll be prepared, and I have a couple of guys tasked to evacuate Ms..." he paused just briefly recollecting, "Ms. LaFramboise and Miss Carter, if we can identify and get to them if things go south."

Jim nodded. "Excellent. You really can't miss Nikki once you know what you're looking for," he said and spared a glance a Jarrod since he was about to describe his girlfriend. "She's just a touch taller than you, Jase, and completely unremarkable physically, though you know enough about lycanthropes, and strong ones to notice her. I don't know Miss Carter as well, but she had rather long, very red hair."

Jason nodded and waited to make sure no one else had anything to add before moving off inside.

"Well," Natalie said. "I'd better get this to the boss. Bye, bye for now." The Blood Ranger then stepped back into the shadows and disappeared.

“It’s so creepy when they do that,” commented Jarrod. “Wish I could do it. Anyway!” He shook himself as if reminding himself he had a job to do. “Now we just have to wait for the signal from inside.”

On the roof of a nearby building, Gideon stood. He'd done his best to retreat inside himself to mask his presence while keeping his senses alert. He wasn't wearing an earpiece. He wanted both of his ears clear. Natalie was standing near him and was wearing one and he could hear everything said over hers. Gideon could hear, smell, even feel everything going on in his vicinity. He could taste it all. He could sense feelings. Fear, love, lust, sadness, rage, self-loathing, desperation. He could sense and feel... POWER.

Gideon's eyes shot open. "Astaroth is here," he said. "Tell everyone. The demon is here!"

"Heads up everyone," Natalie said, not wasting time acknowledging the command. "The Havildar-Major says Nasty Astie is on site. Repeat: The demon is on site."

Had the situation been even a single tick less serious, Jarod may have chuckled at the name Nasty Astie. But as it was, he simply passed along the message to those without an earpiece. “Get ready to lead people to safety,” he said in general. “Wait! You really don’t want to go in there,” he said to a man about to enter. “Shit’s about to get bad. Like demon bad.”

Jim looked up and resisted the urge to laugh as he heard a rather indignant sounding, "We're not calling the MCM that," come through his ear. He didn't have time to comment however as Jarrod was engaging with a patron.

Said patron gave Jarrod a laugh. "What? Naw man, things bin good since they stopped playin' that rap shit tryin' to cater to the blacks. They startin' that shit up again or sumthin'?" he groused, though seemingly not really caring as he made to continue past Jarrod.

“Yes!” replied Jarrod, too quickly. “All rap! Nothing else. They’ve got-“ He was cut off by the door opening and loud country music obviously coming out of the club. “All right, look,” he said irritably. “Here’s the deal. There’s a demon on there- a real one- and we’re about to start a fight with it. Just stay away, okay?”

The drunk laughed even louder. "Hey man, I think you got the wrong bar. The fag bar is across the street. That's where all the demonic shit goes down that God hates an' all."

"No, I mean like a legit demon," Jarrod replied. "Like from the pits of hell. Horns and pitchfork and... well, okay, not horns and pitchfork. But you know what I mean."

"I think that's enough," Gideon said calmly as he appeared from the shadows as if by magic, his voice hypnotic and dripping with blood magic. "It's time for you to find somewhere else to be. Long past time. Perhaps that strip club you like. The one you don't tell any of your friends you've been to. The one where the women do magic with their tongues."

The drunk's expression slipped to vacant. "Yes, I should go there," he said. "The magic tongues. So good," he mumbled, starting to totter off. One down, although a good ten to twenty others had made their way in while they were focusing on that one.

Gideon chuckled. Natalie Kahn appeared from the shadows behind him.

"Boss, did you just send him to that strip club and brothel, run by the Aswang? The one run by Madame Chesa?" she asked.

"Yes," Gideon replied. "Yes, I did. Call over there and tell Chesa we might be sending her and her girls some snacks this evening and that if she or any of her girls drain any of them dry, she'll answer to me."

"Yes, sir," Natalie replied. "I'll make sure she tells those Filipino Werepig bouncers of hers to let lover boy and whoever else we send her way to let them in."

"Is that legal?" Jarrod asked nervously.

Jim shrugged. "The strip club is. Senora Chesa is very careful to make sure all the laws are being followed in public: no full nudity, closes by midnight, and at least 6 feet from patrons at all times, the usual. The brothel is illegal, of course, but some of the clients are in a position to make sure she gets enough warning that she's never caught. Now, if you meant Major Asher hypnotizing him... using preternatural power on someone without their knowledge and consent is very, very illegal, but none of us plan on telling, do we?"

"No," answered Jarrod. "But I meant the hypnosis."

"Exigent circumstances," Gideon said. "Exigent circumstances gentlemen. This isn't the first time I've had to give someone a verbal mickey finn in the line of duty, and it won't be the last. I'm allowed to use it in the course of my duties to protect the lives of others. In the old days, before the Accords, I used it whenever I felt it was needed. But that was then. This is now. Besides, no harm done. Eustis, that's our drunken friend's name. He frequents Chesa's place all the time. He knows they're using their tongues to suck his blood while they're playing tonsile hockey. He just doesn't care, as long as they don't kill him. Which they won't. Madame Chesa is old and powerful, but so am I." Gideon paused, as though he heard something. "On your toes. They may need help soon." Gideon wanted to tear the door off of its hinges, charge in, and kill Astaroth. The only thing restraining him was his understanding that while that would kill their meat suit, it wouldn't really harm them. But Andy was a vampire in his city. She was under his protection.

Involuntarily, Jarrod turned towards the club. “Nicks will signal when she needs us,” he said, spotting the clergy readying themselves. “She must have texted them already. That means Astorath is close.”

They didn’t have much time to prepare before the chaos inside started. Screaming could be heard outside and then, shortly after, Jarrod could hear Nicki’s voice rising above them. “Something’s gone wrong,” he said, starting towards the club.

(from It's a Trap)

In the midst of all the chaos, with the fire alarm blaring and people pushing about trying to seek an exit, Andy simply reached over to take Astaroth's hand and with a gentle tug, calmly led her to the front exit, heading straight towards the curb where her motorcycle was parked. She dug the keys out of her pocket and fed them to motorcycle painted with blue flames and kissed with a subtle silvery finish. Andy mounted the beast as it purred to life.

"My Lady, your chariot awaits," Andy said with a delighted smirk.

Gideon sensed Astaroth nearby and heard Andy through the noise. He heard the motorcycle start. "All Rangers converge where you heard the motorcycle!" he said, know that some of them would hear him and pass on the message. "Set up containment forthwith, but do not approach without my order!" He couldn't make it through the crowd, but he didn't let that stop him. The millenial vampire scurried up the wall and then across the front of the club at a pace only a vampire of his age could achieve. Once clear of the club, he hit the ground, still just a blur and a breeze to anyone he passed. He didn't stop when he saw Astaroth. He simply grew out his claws and raked the demon's borrowed body across the back. He would have ripped out their spine in any other situation, but a crippled Astaroth would almost certainly jump ship and take over either Andy or himself.

"Step away from her, demon!" Gideon hissed, looking every bit a vampire of someone's worst nightmare. He didn't need to defeat Astaroth in combat. He just had to distract them and hope that the Hounds and Lycans and Witches would arrive in time to give him some other option than destroying the demon's meat sack and forcing it to grab another body, either his or Andy's.

Astaroth grinned from atop the motorbike. "I think not," it said with a sadistic lilt before leaning into Andrea to whisper in her ear. "A barrier if you would to keep the vampire out and I'll clear us a path. Unless you'd rather go big and show him what a powerful alchemist can do teamed with a goddess."

Jarrod debated barely a few seconds on what to do. He heard Nicki shouting inside the club, and then followed a mass exodus of people. He opted to make sure they were all being orderly and check on the clergy. Gideon seemed to have the demon situation under control.

Jim cursed violently. "Jason, help the hounds corral the patrons and keep them safe. The vampire Rangers are engaging." Settled he considered where to do the most good.

Nicki appeared as soon as she realized that the demon was still around- which was fairly quickly thanks to her being a necromancer. Someone had to keep this from escalating too far. Again, though, wording was crucial. “You will not allow a single being here to come to harm!” she ordered.

“Nicks! Leave it!” Jarrod called after her, but even he knew that when she was this determined, nothing would stop her.

Fury bubbled up within Andy as she once again felt the force of Nikki's words against her will. Fuck this noise, if Nikki wanted everyone safe, then that's what Andy would do! Drawing on the well of power within herself as well as the demonic energy coursing through her and she smirked; oh, it was almost too easy! With a wave of her hand, barriers began to shimmer in the air around those gathered, but not just around innocent bystanders and looky-loos, but around the weres and reinforcements trying to block their exit, now finding themselves faced with an invisible and impenetrable force holding them back. There, that should serve as a sufficient middle finger for that damned command!

“What the-?” demanded Jarrod, tapping against the barrier. “Let us go!”

“Relax, Jarrod,” replied Nicki with an annoyed glance at the Vampire and the Demon. “They’ll dissipate once she’s out of range. Just let them go.”

Astaroth smiled as she waved a hand, shoving several vehicles out of the way. Letting them go was the smartest move for the hound to make. It made the demon consider carefully how best to proceed. She really wanted to cause a bit more chaos, but she had to consider how. She whispered into the vampire' ear, "Well played, my dear. Shall we?"

Gideon glared at Nikki, then at Astaroth. A look of grim determination came over him as he drew a sturdy rondel dagger from under his coat, a dagger enchanted with blood magic. Without hesitation, holding the rondel like an ice pick, he stabbed the dagger through the meaty part of his own thigh to drench it in blood (Gideon had fed well earlier in the evening, so he had red to spare), and then began a series of powerful downward strikes to the barrier. With each strike, runes on the blade too small to be easily read from afar glowed red. The barrier shimmered in response, but soon, small cracks began to appear in it.

"Did you imagine any of the necromancers in this town to be the first death witches I've ever encountered?" Gideon said. "Pitiful. I expected more from you, demon."

Internally, Gideon admonished himself. His enchanted hammer from his days as a Blood Knight, the same era his dagger came from, would have made a better showing against this barrier, or perhaps his mace. But he had neither, having opted for a more subtle approach. The dagger wouldn't break the barrier before Andy and Astaroth left the area far enough for the magic to weaken. Besides, Gideon could disable or, with the rondel, even kill the demon's body, but he couldn't kill the demon on his own. However... perhaps seeing Gideon vent his rage uselessly against Andy's magic would play on the demon's arrogance, perhaps enough to make her careless? Let Astaroth think him too consumed by blind, impotent rage to be a credible threat... for now. Others had underestimated Gideon in the past. It was rarely a wise decision to do so.

Nicki’s first reaction was shock and horror. What was he thinking? They couldn’t kill the demon by killing the body; surely he understood that! But then, subtle tells began to surface. Perhaps because she was a necromancer and Gideon was technically dead, but something in his posture hinted that his actions were methodical. Perhaps it was an attempt at some sort of misdirection. That was something she could understand, having regularly misdirected enemies to underestimate her.

Well, far be it from her to prevent that.

“Gideon!” she warned, loudly enough for Astorath and Andy to hear. “Leave it!”

Gideon stopped and turned to face Nikki, his eyes still red from blood rage. "This was your plan," he said. "This is your failure. If harm comes to Andrea Carter, Accords or no Accords, this account will be settled." He turned back to Astaroth. "This round is to you, demon. The future is yet to be determined." Gideon locked eyes with Andy. "Miss Carter... Andy... no matter where this creature takes you, we will come for you. Though others may fail you, we will not. Be strong."

At first, Nicki told herself to talk to him later. Don’t let the enemy see you argue and all that. But, then, she realized what he was up to and puffed herself up as well as she could. “This was not my plan!” she retorted. “It was all of our plan. I’m not the one to blame here!" She then gave him the barest hint of a wink and an almost imperceptible nod of the head. One would have to be staring at her pretty hard- as Gideon was now- to catch it.

Andy scoffed, then looked back at her passenger on the back of her motorcycle. Tugging the demon closer to put her arms around her waist, she then gave Nikki a one finger salute as she kicked up the kickstand. She revved the bike's motor, then peeled out of the parking space and down the street, cackling like a mad hyena as she and her passenger disappeared down the street.

While the Vampire and Hound bickered or pretended to at least, sirens began blaring in the background. Not surprising since the city's main police precinct was only a couple of blocks away. Jim grumbled and barked into his earpiece, "Jason, anyone with a uniform needs to get out of here, now. Blood Rangers, I can't give you orders but I suggest you do the same if you can."

Once Nicki was sure Andy and the demon had gone, she dropped the act and gave Gideon a nod. “Either I’m a better necromancer than I thought or you pick up cues really well,” she commented. “I’m going to go check on the clergy. And also explain to the authorities what they’re doing here. Jarrod, can you go talk to the club owner? Tell him to get someone in to look at the floor and call me with an estimate for repairs.”

“You got it, boss,” replied Jarrod, turning to head into the club.

“We’ll regroup at the Episcopal church,” Nicki continued. “We have to have a better plan.”