World Tree MUSH

    Alucard's usual quarry is vampires and their servants. Technically that includes demons, because vampire lords often employ demons in spreading their evil across their territories (and generally places where they have no business being). And there's certainly no shortage of vampires out there in the World Tree proper. But this particular evening, Alucard has a different problem. It's not vampires. It's demons.

    It's a well-known science fact that, when you cram more things into a physical space than the physical space can hold, some of that thing you tried to cram into that physical space will spill out. This applies to worlds too. So it's on occasion that a world's unpleasant things, the things that it tries to keep hidden, spill out of their intended container.

    And then you have things happening like... demons spilling everywhere. Like now.

    It's a regular flustercluck (to be polite) out there right now, in this abandoned warehouse building. Apparently someone had been keeping a demon-summoning artifact in here, and some idiot activated it. That selfsame idiot is probably the source of the nice red coat of what is definitely not paint that's splattered on the wall nearest Alucard. Oddly, there's only the one splatter of blood the only other debris around? Sand.

    The dhampir himself is an island of bright and dark in a sea of undulating bodies. He's dressed in his Victorian-esque finery and his near-white hair is left long. Most of the horde around him are a particular kind of demon with a scythe, though they vary in shape. The only things that are important? 1) There are approximately one metric shit-ton of them, and 2) they need to die.

What the heck is that... A young woman who is walking along whatever street is outside the warehouse. Until a couple of demons spill out of it. The blonde arches an eyebrow, turns to face the demons, and then actually smiles a little. The air around her crackles, sparks, just a hint of an aura. You going to mess with me, that aura says as clear as words.

    Sadly, yes... when there's a guy fighting a ton of demons inside a warehouse, enough ruckus is going to be generated that there will be a demon or two crashing through a wall. And, well. Once the hole is made, they'll start spilling out!

    These demons are near-mindless horrors, so... yeah, they're gonna try to mess with the sparking woman. The target inside is too tough for them, even in a horde. A young, juicy, succuluent human female should be a breeze.

    Of course this is not how it's gonna shake out...

    And a moment later, the woman with the sparking aura is suddenly not alone. There's a yelp of pain, a man's voice, and out of the hole made by the exiting demons is a human-shaped body. It's Alucard. He lands in a crouch, panting a moment to catch his breath.

    Then he sees the woman, and his eyes widen in horror as the escaped demons leap at the woman, scythes raised to attack. "Run! Quickly!" he instructs, and surges to his feet and heads for those demons. He's so fast that he leves afterimages of himself behind... and yet there's still no way he's going to reach them in time to stop them. And by the look on his face -- half stricken and half enraged -- he knows that...

She lifts her hands...and lighting curls around her arms, curls up through her fingers, and is released towards the demons. It streaks through the air, producing the smell of ozone and the faintest hint of a thunderclap. Nearby lights dim just slightly. THEN she runs. Well, not so much runs, as makes a quick strategic retreat, not fully turning her back on them. She moves like somebody who has been in her fair share of tough spots.

    Alucard is incredibly relieved that the woman appears to be able to fend for herself. The demons reel, shocked -- both literally and figuratively -- that their new target was so horribly underestimated. One of the pair falls immediately, fried... and after a moment, it pops softly, like a balloon pricked with a pin, throwing sand into the air. And in the next instant it dissolves into sand.

    The second? Alucard reaches the spot a moment after the lightning strikes, and there's a grunt of effort as he slashes at the demon, his sword leaving a blue contrail in the air behind it. There's no reaction for a moment... and then it looks curiously at its midsection as it starts to leak sand... and as its upper body starts to slide away from its lower body. The upper body thunks onto the groun, the lower body following it, and the creature dissolves into sand as the first did.

    Making his way over to the woman with the electric power, he inquires, "Are you all right, good lady?" He has a Romanian accent... he's super pale... dressed in all black... in Victorian style...

    Doesn't take a genius to figure it out.

Jenny Sparks has probably encountered vampires before. The air around her still has that faint ozone scent. "*I* am fine." She points at the piles-of-sand-that-were-demons. "I wouldn't mind an explanation of those, though." She has a British accent. As there seem to be no more demons, she powers down, and then reaches into a pocket and pulls out a lighter and a pack of smokes.

    There are more, but they're in the warehouse for now. Whether they haven't figured out where the hole in the wall is, they lost track of him in the warehouse, or they know he's out there and don't want to get chopped up like their brethren is anybody's guess, though. But there IS breathing room, for the time being.

    That being the case, Alucard bows. It's one of those formal, from-the-waist bows. "My apologies. I had not intended for these two to get out," he offers first. Straightening, he offers, "These are some peculiar sort of demon that infests one of the nearby worlds. Sand-based, clearly. I know little more of them than that, I fear."

    Looking at the warehouse, he notes, "There are likely more in there. Some fool activated a demonic artifact, and it began summoning low-level demons en masse. The artifact has been dealt with, but there are still more of these inside. I have been attempting a cleansing of the building. With fire and steel." The last statement is a bit wry.

Jenny Sparks smirks a little bit. She lights her cigarette, studying the warehouse. "Any reason not to just collapse the entire thing on top of them?" the Brit asks, a wry note to her voice. She actually sounds serious, or at least as if she is considering the matter. Hrm.

    Alucard looks as though he's considered it. But he does nod to the question of if there's a reason not to do it. "Consideration for the collateral damage it may cause," Alucard replies. "I've not the time to evacuate the area properly. Also, I cannot be certain they have all been destroyed unless I see it myself.

    "And there may be more such artifacts inside," he notes. "If a summoning artifact could be tucked away in some random crate of things, there is no way of knowing what else may be inside. Collapsing the building may cause more trouble if there are more. Certain artifacts release evil upon breaking. Or looters could get hold of such an item and repeat the process. Or worse, someone who does know how to use it could acquire it.

Jenny Sparks purses her lips. She looks around, then nods. "Then, I suppose, we have to kill demons." She doesn't sound too horribly disappointed. "And not break artifacts." As for what to do with them afterwards? She'll worry about that...later.

    Alucard is quick to ask, "Are you certain? I would not expect it of you. 'Tis not something I would merely conscript folk into doing. In fact, I would ask your forgiveness for placing you in danger. I should have been more mindful of my surroundings."

"I've dealt with a lot worse than sand demons." The electric lighting in the area flickers slightly, dimming. She takes a drag from her cig. "A lot worse." She looks far too young for that, but Alucard of all people should know that appearances can indeed be deceptive.

    "Of course. 'Twas not my doubt of your abilities that prompted the question," Alucard assures her. "Merely that I did not think it fair that you should be expected to... well, clean up my mess. That was my mistake. I will not turn away the assistance, should you wish to offer it."

    He nods once, a polite nod of greeting. "I am called 'Alucard'," he offers. "May I ask your name?" Names will of course be needed if they're to fight alongside each other.

"Jenny Sparks," she introduces. The second part of that she definitely lives up to. "And I could use the workout," she adds, with a bit of a grin. Then she puts out her cigarette and turns towards the warehouse.

    Alucard nods, and turns with Jenny to the warehouse again. Unless she has any objections, he'll go in first. At first glance, it looks like things are quiet. It doesn't look like there are any more demons, and sand is strewn all around the floors and over the crates inside.

    "...Perhaps they have gone into hiding..." Alucard intones quietly. "Take care. They will use the element of surprise to attack..."

Jenny Sparks narrows her eyes. She makes a slow turn, studying every part of the warehouse. And, unlike most people in these situations, she takes extra care to look up.

    Things are quiet while they search... for a few moments yet. As Jenny is studying the area around her, she is wise to look up... particularly as a deep, bestial cackle sounds. And as she looks up, the skull of a ram is within her field of vision...

    And then a ram-skulled spirit, with a shroud that's transparent, as if it's not really there, phases through the ram skull. The creature has skeletal hands and arms, but these appear translucent too.

    The only things that aren't translucent are its ram-shaped skull... and the massive pair of shears it holds in its bony hands.

Jenny Sparks lifts a hand and throws lightning upwards, aiming at the skull even as she leaps to the side, landing in a roll that ducks everything in. Protective. She's quick, and she's paying attention - and was apparently *quite* expecting that ambush.

    As Jenny leaps to the side, Alucard surges forward, his movement again leaving afterimages. Her lightning catches the creature off-guard, and it roars breathily, reacting as though it had been punched.

    Alucard takes that moment to clash his sword with its shears, to bind them. With the dhampir's strength, the spirit beast will have to drop is weapon to get free, and it doesn't seem to want to do that just yet.

    "Again!" he calls to Jenny. "I have it locked! Aim for the skull!" He's either placing a lot of trust in someone he just met, or he doesn't care about possibly getting fried by Jenny's lightning.

Jenny Sparks rolls to her feet, zapping up at it with the other hand. She's being careful not to hit him; she's not assuming he's resistant, although far stranger things have happened. If the thing's stupid enough not to drop its weapon and run, it *deserves* to get fried.

    To be fair, the spirit demon did see the danger it was in... though far too late to do anything about it. It had just released its grip on the great pair of shears when Jenny fired at it. As fast as it is, it's not fast enough to outrun a lightning bolt. Alucard does not actually seem to have any resistance to it, given he actually cringes and squints at the bright flash.

    But he makes it out better than the spirit demon. Her blast sends the thing into spastic fits... and then the glowing red ram's skull fairly explodes into a shower of bone shards. Headless, the beast wobbles in the air, its aethereal shroud beginning to flatten out like a discarded handkerchief. Suddenly the shears follow suit with the skull, exploding into glasslike shards, and the shroud seems to be blown away in a non-existent wind.

Jenny Sparks takes a deep breath, then continues her search for other problems, not relaxing yet. Her eyes and the set of her shoulders tell a different story from her yuothful-seeming face.

    Alucard offers to Jenny, "Good job." He doesn't sheathe his sword yet -- there's still scouting to do! Fortunately the place seems clear after that, and there are no more of the sand demons to be found. After finishing his side of the warhouse, he notes, "Nothing here. Anything?" Looking then to JEnny as he poses the question.

    There's nothing but more sand, and a crapton of crates with a bunch of random, possibly useless junk inside them. No more sand demons.