August 20, 2018
2:15:45 PM
Saint Paul Cemetery
New Orleans, Louisiana
Mission Notes
Location: decrepit Cemetery - Split trees, worn gate, busted brick
Monday afternoon, after a long day of school. Not like either of us really want to be doing this on a Monday, let alone the first day back after summer break.
Number one ghost hotspot; although, every cemetery must be the number one ghost hotspot.
Crazy things happen in New Orleans, but even crazier things happen in a New Orleans Cemetery.
Did I mention a cemetery?
98 Degrees, no clouds, no wind; humid, hot, and absolute discomfort.
Locals complaining about oddities and things going missing. What kind of things do ghosts have anyway?
Cemeteries were strange places full of many different odd emotions. There was something just as magical about a cemetery as it was forlorn. An area full of such wealth and history of the individuals that rest there were often eventually forgotten and unkempt. The Saint Paul cemetery was no different with it's peeling tombstones and cracked brick. The cemetery was not new, but it was not old. A zone coddled by an abundance of trees, grass, and flowers; the cemetery was well-hidden, and to most, it was forgotten. Moss grew on aging trees and leaves crunched beneath their feet. The gate depicting what name the cemetery used to have was broken, barely hanging onto the wrought iron fence. It was clear that time was surely a factor as the weathered down, eroded iron was broken towards the bottom, allowing anyone a grand entrance. It was the type of place that could be seen in movies where teens dared one another to enter and prove of its haunting.
This cemetery had seen a lot of history, and the two now entering it knew they were not the first. The taller of the two almost felt bad for interrupting the peace, but as one part of the rusted iron pole went down, so did her guilt. The sticky humidity had them standing slightly apart as if that would cool them down. As they walked through the sorry excuse for a gate, sunlight streaming through the thick canopies of leaves blinded them minutely, their gazes scanning left and right. No movement was spotted, though they continued to scrutinize the area. Cracked, moss-covered tombstones with hardly discernible inscriptions were laid in straight rows. Old vases of rotted flowers sat beneath a random few, reminiscent of an Edgar Allan Poe poem. While the newer tombstones sat out like a sore thumb, showing off their readable inscriptions, but still weather-worm from the passing seasons and years.
Different from the fresh air right outside the cemetery gates, walking in has the two newcomers reeling from the smell, a hacking cough coming from both as they continued. The shorter one coughs once again, trying to wave away the smell. "First, it's so hot and humid, then we walk right into someone's cloud of ass," She pushes her hair back once again, a gruff groan flinging itself out of her mouth. "First week of school and we're already at the cemetery. Fun ."
"I know you hate these types of things," Her taller companion speaks up, a slight strain in her voice, "But this is just how things have to be sometimes. I mean, I could do without the smell, but your hair always frizzes in anything higher than 60 degrees and we don't do low temps in New Orleans, or did you forget that?"
"I didn't, but it was nice to be somewhere where I didn't have to put an assload of product in my hair to keep it nice and wavy. I just don't understand why we're here again."
"We're here to check out..." She paused, leaning down for dramatic effect, " a disturbance ." The taller drops her gaze to her partner in a conspiratory way. "Things have been going missing from this cemetery— I don't know how they noticed, because this cemetery toe up [𝟣] and it don't look like anyone comes here."
"Doesn't, but...This place is actually really big. How do they expect us to cover all of it when there's only two of us?"
"It'd be nice if Ricky dawg-ass [𝟤] was here. But since he's not," She clears her throat, "It's up to the Dream Team: Aneri Magnolia and Briar Rose to deal with this."
" Maggie, but, I'm so excited." Maggie twirls her finger in the air. "Where are the ghulgh [𝟥] —!" Maggie jumps, a snarled scream leaving her mouth as she turns. A shudder rang through her body as cool fingers nipped against the nape of her neck. Briar Rose whips around, hands thrown up defensively. The two calm down as they see who is behind them.
" Johnson !" Maggie yelps, "What are you doin' all the way out here?" Johnson laughs curling himself up into a ball to float just out of Briar Rose's reach. "Touchin' on people like dat!"
"Aw, luv, don't be like dat," Johnson laughs once more. "Y'all here in one of m' li'l territories, so I hadda come an-and say hello t' my fav li'l agents, now huh?"
"Aneri Magnolia, I think you mean: What are you doing in this area? and Touching people in a most unwanted manner, but don't be touchin' on people, Johnson. You done heard her." Briar Rose sticks her tongue out at Maggie, before quickly switching roles and pointing a finger at him, her gaze hardening.
"What're y'all doin' so far from Quarter, eh?" Johnson ignores Briar Rose's warning as he stands on his feet, walking towards them. "Ol' 'mander let y'all out? Ain't seen ya lah girls [𝟦] in weeks."
"We were busy hunting things worth our time in another state, Johnson." Maggie fluffs her bun, pushing stray strands of hair behind her ear in a huff, "It was a great way to recover from your bullshit."
"Alright, now. Y'know I apologized fer that whole weredog incident, yanno. He turnt back to a real dog again, or did ya forget I did that?" Johnson wags his finger, clearly offended by Maggie's foul choice of words.
"That's not the point and you know it! Mowgli hasn't been the same since then and— you know what, I'm not talking about this." Maggie frowned up at him, pointing at the man petulantly. Briar Rose throws a hand in front of her sister, stepping forward a bit.
"Okay, okay. Y'all gettin' bucked up [𝟧] n' all dat. Let's all just calm down a li'l bit. Maggie, we got things to do. Johnson, don't you got things to do somewhere else?"
"Not particularly, no. What're y'all doin'? Maybe I could help?" Johnson wags his eyebrows, nudging the air in front of Briar Rose, not daring to actually touch her.
"We don't need any of your kind help, thank you. Come on, Briar Rose." Maggie turns on her heel, taking two steps before she trips over a tree root, stumbling through three more ghosts idly standing in her path. Maggie coughs, dusting herself off, continuing on as if she hadn't fallen.
"You heard her, c'mon Briar Rose." Johnson floats after Maggie while Briar Rose brings up the rear. "So y'ain't answer my question."
"There have been reports of a disturbance around here by the locals—i.e. someone's been grave robbing this area," Maggie informs Johnson, a slight distasteful mumble under her breath. She could have sworn the goal was to leave the nuisance behind, yet, he still somehow found a way to stick with the duo.
"Dunno how they can tell, but alright." Briar Rose shrugs, "So we've been sent to check up on it."
"Maybe try talkin' to these 'ere people." Johnson gestures to the ghosts now milling about the area, curious as to what the commotion as about. "We c'n split up n' whateva like dat."
"We don't need your help, as I kindly stated earlier." Maggie huffs, crossing her arms, "Briar, tell him."
"Well..." Briar Rose looks from Maggie to Johnson, who eagerly nods at her. "We need someone to replace Ricky..."
"Fine! But I'm going this way and you better not follow me!" Maggie tosses her hands up, taking a few steps and slamming her foot into a tombstone. The tombstone hardly budges, though the same can't be said for Maggie, who immediately freezes up. Then, in a quick motion, grabs her foot. "Fuckin' A!"
"Aneri Magnolia! Language, we are amongst the dead!" Briar Rose snaps at the smaller girl, who scrunches up her nose in pain as she attempts to walk it off.
"Heckin' A!" Maggie corrects herself, "Is that better? Is that better for you, now that I am in pain and wanted to put words to what I felt? Now that I'm hurting, is my cursing the only thing that bothers you? Not my pain?"
"You get hurt a lot, so..." Briar Rose looks away, "Have fun going that way. Johnson, you go the other way."
"No!" Maggie yelps, a pout finding its way to her lips, "I changed my mind. I'm going that way. Johnson, take my old path."
"How much is th' pay fer th' day's work?" Johnson asks, "I got mouths to feed n' all that."
Briar Rose and Maggie don't bother responding, instead, the two have already started talking to other ghosts, trying to find information. Johnson sighs, shaking his head. The things he did for these girls.
After wandering around the cemetery for the better part of an hour, Briar Rose, Maggie, and Johnson regroup in front of the old, weathered chapel. Maggie sits down on the steps, careful not to sit near one of the tombs, while Briar Rose leans against the stone railing and Johnson floats above them.
"Well, that was a bust." Maggie sighs, looking down at the dirty steps. "They had nothing to say other than to argue about who would be coming to visit them."
"All the ghosts I talked to had complaints." Briar Rose waves the list in front of her, "The Commander's gonna have to come talk to them because I ain't dealing with this shit." Who knew that in the afterlife there would be so much to complain about. The flowers weren't pretty enough, animals made homes on their tombs, no one came to visit them; the list sounded completely petty, but the two could empathize with how it felt to be left alone with no one to care for them anymore. If anything, the Commander would have to assign more agents to this area to perform monthly maintenance on the tombs just to keep the ghosts in the area satisfied.
"Aw, cheer up now." Johnson spins around, landing on his feet, "They say the dead can't tell stories, but they never said the dead couldn't complain. An' y'all signed up fer this 'nyway."
"Personally, I signed up for bangin' ass battles and trade [𝟨]ass boys, but as they say 'go off, I guess'." Briar Rose sighs, "Alright, let's take one more loop around and if we don't find anything, then we'll leave."
Maggie murmurs her agreement, moving to stand, though something out of her peripheral has her staying put. Her head snaps quickly to the left, almost enough to give her whiplash, though nothing is there. She stands, dusting off her pants as Briar Rose walks past her.
The two continue walking, with Johnson slowly floating behind both of them. Maggie shudders, stopping herself mid-stride and looking to her left once again. A shadowy figure darts by and the girl feels cold as she reaches for Briar Rose. Just out of her reach, Maggie pulls her hand back close to her. Surely it was just another ghost playing tricks on her. They enjoyed doing that since she was the one that got the most spooked out of the two.
Maggie's eyes dart around, never staying on one thing for more than a second or two. She wasn't being paranoid, just... cautious. What if it wasn't a regular ghost? What if it was something more? Maggie picked up her pace, not exactly matching Briar Rose's long strides, but tailing her closely.
Maggie slams into the back of Briar Rose, who doesn't even budge, but instead turns, grabbing Maggie's hand so she doesn't fall over again. "I never thought I'd have to tell you to watch where you're goin'." Briar Rose snickers, helping Maggie stand completely upright.
"Yeah, haha... sorry." Maggie stutters, breathing out. "Got... um, d-distracted."
"By what?" Briar Rose questions, "Did you see something?" Briar Rose scans the immediate area, "Huh, did ya notice all the ghosts were gone? Even Johnson ain't here no more." There was a pause as the girls looked around the immediate area, noticing that the cemetery had gone eerily quiet. A chill wracked its way up Maggie's spine, and she drew closer to her companion, holding onto her hand. Briar Rose gave the girl a soft, reassuring squeeze, senses on alert, eyes scanning thoroughly and slowly like the arms of a ticking clock.
"Isn't here anymore, but no... I was looking at something else. And that's just typical of Johnson. As soon as he found out he wasn't getting paid, you know he only stuck around because he owed a favor to us." Maggie clears her throat and taking a deep breath in to rid of the tightness that was left in her chest. "Where did they all go?"
"Maybe they're gearing up for a surprise Magic Maggis trick. Oooooh ..." Briar Rose's tone drops eerily, her fingers dancing across Maggie's shoulder and down her arm. Despite herself, Maggie shudders unconsciously, then catches herself. She then scoffs, pulling away from Briar Rose, feeling her heart hammering in her chest. "Aw, c'mon, don't get upset, Maggis. I found something. It's why I stopped walkin'."
Briar Rose steps slightly off to the side so that Maggie can see. Directly in front of them is a ring of equidistance mushrooms, most with brown tops and a slight twinkle to their tops. "A fairy ring...it's what scientists consider to be a naturally occurring ring or arc of mushrooms. As the fungus grows and seeks food underground, it becomes more stable. They are usually found in forests or grasslands...not cemeteries. Which is weird because—"
"Yeah, I read the book too, Database. This isn't Supernatural 101, you can save the lecture." Briar Rose rolls her eyes, cutting the girl off from her educational ramble. "I'm assuming this the cause of the disappearances. So... how do we get the fae to come out? Break the circle? I'm down for some mushroom kickin'."
"No! That's the first thing you don't do when encountering a fae." Maggie waves her hands wildly, making a wall between the taller girl and the ring of fungus. "Science says there's no problem entering it, but folklore says we will die young. And with my luck, I'll probably die right now."
"You're so negative sometimes. Is it because you're so short? It's a wonder I have Ana and you don't. You're both the same. So... what does Database herself say?" Briar Rose asks after a slight pause, checking her watch momentarily. "C'mon, we don't got all day, it's like 4:30 and Mom is makin' first week back Fritay."
"Don't have all day, but fine," Maggie puffs out a large breath, "I'll ignore the short quip in favor of us needing to figure this out to leave—it's too creepy without the spirits here. Okay, um...nine times to the sun." Briar Rose stares at her, waiting for Maggie to clarify. "You can only enter a fairy ring during a full moon, by running around the ring nine times in the direction of how the sun travels during the day... or you can just run around the ring nine times, still in the sun's direction—ten is too many and you'll have to start over. There's also the interesting method of wearing your hat backward because it can apparently confuse the fae, which, personally, I don't understand because—"
"Alright, we don't have hats, so we're running." Briar Rose claps her hands, effectively cutting Maggie off. Despite Maggie's protests, the two girls line up to run around the circle. On Briar Rose's count, the two girls begin running. Three laps in and only slightly winded, Maggie stops short, feeling like a meercat as her back straightens and she looks off into the clear distance. A feeling of coldness washes over her, and a suffocating pressure flattens into her chest. Briar Rose laps around her, nudging the girl as she goes by.
"Why'd you stop running?" Briar Rose asks, passing Maggie on her fifth lap. Somewhere in her mind, Maggie could feel envy rising at Briar Rose's athleticism and stamina. Maggie holds her arm out to stop Briar Rose as she tries to lap her for the sixth time. "Aw, now we have to start over—," Briar tilts her head, curiosity touching her tone. "What's with this hot ass wind? You feelin' that?" Hot winds weren't uncommon, but when the trees around them weren't even moving an inch, and there were no signs of wind coming from any other direction, it was rather strange. Ghost related, if you asked either of them.
Maggie doesn't respond, only shaking her head as she looks around. Briar Rose follows suit, though neither sees anything immediately.
The apprehension rises in them both, reaching higher and higher with every passing second. Maggie draws closer to Briar Rose, her breathing getting shorter with each breath while Briar Rose tries to situate Maggie safely behind her, though neither can tell where their supposed enemy will be striking from.
Maggie gasps loudly at the crunching and crumbling sound from behind them. The two whip around, just in time to catch the spreading of dark brown grass and crumbling mushrooms. In the middle of the decrepit circle lies a small creature, battered and bruised with traces of a translucent liquid on its body. "Is it safe to go in there?" Briar Rose asks quietly, her grip on Maggie's arm getting tighter.
"Th-Th-The, uh, the circle's gone...So, yeah...I think so... yeah." Maggie whispers back as if she didn't want anything overhearing them. The two slowly tread into the former circle, catching glimpses of what was formerly an entrance to the fae's realm. As they reach the fairy in the middle, all traces of the circle's connection to the fae realm are gone.
Briar Rose momentarily lets go of Maggie to kneel down, picking up the fairy in her hands. She stands, allowing Maggie to look over the fairy as well. It groans in Briar Rose's hand, moving slightly, eyes fluttering open and closed until they settle, half-lidded.
"Can you tell us what happened?" Briar Rose asks quietly, skipping the formalities. The fairy groans once more, a weak twinkle of its wings showing the distrust it has for them. "We won't hurt you...Uh, g-gimme a minute."
With her free hand, Briar Rose raises her hand, a sparkling yellow light emanating from it. In the air, a seal appears in front of her. In the middle of it, she draws a quick symbol. "Healing more, Healing- Move!" Briar Rose shoves the fae towards Maggie, who falls backward, and onto the dead grass while Briar Rose jumps up. Kicking off of the creature, Briar Rose vaults into a flip, landing just a few feet away from the creature.
Maggie plops down behind Briar Rose, looking up at the portal she just fell out of, sighing in relief. For once, she actually landed where she needed to, but she couldn't relax too much as she turned her attention back to the grotesque creature in front of them. Maggie cradled the injured fae against her, her heart stuttering as she heard the being whimpering in pain. She brushed a gentle fingertip against its head, trying her best not to jostle it too much.
The monster above them was ginormous, towering above with a long, willowy body. It moved in a manner of an ungraceful waltz, a guttural wail leaving its center like a banshee crying. The long gangly limbs reminded the girl of a person dressed in cult attire. Hooded head, white-boned face, with a chattering grimace. It was a true nightmare, something she was sure would haunt her in her sleep for many nights to come. What put the girl off the most was not the pointed thorn of a nose or spikes that ringed its shoulders like a necklace, but instead was the hole that was carved neatly where she assumed the stomach should be.
"What the fuck is this?" Briar Rose's voice rises an octave in a strange twist of panic and urgency. Her face twists up in disgust at the creature snarling at them. "Maggie, get back a couple more feet!"
"You don't have to tell me twice, but mind your language!" Maggie and the fae fall through another portal, ending up a little bit further away from Briar Rose and the creature. The creature wastes no time in running towards Briar Rose, but veers off, headed for Maggie. She wanted to commit the creature to memory, but it was making it a little hard with the special attention that it thought the girl needed.
Briar Rose runs, slipping on the grass, but manages to make it in time to take the brunt of the hit. Arms up to block, Briar Rose skids, until the creature gives one final push back, knocking her far away and into a tree. The old tree cracks and snaps, but Briar Rose is already standing and running once more by the time the trunk and branches hit the ground. "Maggie! What kind of heckin' animal is this?"
"Are you sure this is some kind of damn animal?" Maggie yelps back, "Cause it don't look like one I've ever seen! Show me the Animal Planet you've been watching!"
"I'm making some assumptions and I assume you need to answer my questions! Will you check the damn database?" Briar Rose screams, running from the monster. "I'm trying not to die here!" Briar Rose is barely heard over the guttural screeching of the monster as it chases after her, gaining on her in leaps and bounds.
"I will if you'd give me a minute and stop calling my mind a database!" Maggie clutches the fae close to her chest as she looks down at the grass, trying to think of anything she'd seen that looked even remotely like this Eldritch Horror incarnate in front of them. "Mask... white... mask... bl-black.. Black cloak... Middle Eastern? No... it's definitely not American... Maybe a hybrid? A hybrid but... of what?"
Briar Rose turns, jumping at the creature, who only swipes at her, knocking her up and away from it. "Fuck!" Briar Rose yelps as she hits a tombstone and rolls over. "Shit...this is so fucking poo." She couldn't even land a hit on the creature like this, and she could barely outrun it if she and Maggie were to make an escape. "Think, Briar Rose...you're not a captain for nothing..."
The glint of her bracelet catches Briar Rose's eye and she sits up. "Ah, right... how could I forget." Briar Rose quickly sits up, looking around the area. The creature hadn't caught sight of Maggie yet and instead seemed to be anticipating for Briar Rose's next move.
Briar Rose stands up, clearing her throat, "Ana, c'mon out, it's time to play!" Briar Rose raises her arm up. The gold bracelet glints once more, and in a swirl of leaves, a man appears next to Briar Rose. He yawns, taking a look around before looking to Briar Rose.
"Will you ever call me officially?" He asks, his tone flat. Briar Rose doesn't bother with a response, she instead waves her hand at him, her eyes never leaving the creature out of fear it may try to attack Maggie once more.
"No time for any of that, we got things to do." Briar Rose throws up a hand, "Gimme a weapon."
"..." Ana opens his mouth a few times before he sighs, waving his hand, a small leaf appearing out of his palm. Briar Rose snatches the leaf out of the air and pours spiritual energy into it. Vines shoot out of her enclosed fist, wrapping and warping until they form a long pole with a pointed blade. "You could say please. So entitled."
"Please and Thank You, O Wondrous One. Alright, let's see if this will work." Briar Rose twirls the Naginata in her hand, pointing it at the creature. The creature, sensing something different about Briar Rose, narrows it's attention only to her as she charges at the creature.
In a quick movement, Briar Rose spins around the creature, using her Naginata for movement and slices it on the back, whirling around to face the creature once more. A deafening wail leaves it's throat at the inflicted wound, though if anything, the creature only seems more enraged.
Charging at the creature again, Briar Rose becomes locked in a battle of strikes between herself and the being, with neither landing a good clean hit. Shallow cuts appear on Briar Rose as she jumps back, Naginata clutched tightly in her hands.
She pants heavily, staring the creature down, though it looks to have taken hardly any damage. "Maggie... d-id you find anything?" Briar Rose weakly raises her voice.
"I'm not sure what this thing is!" Maggie calls back, "It's strong, though."
"Yeah, I noticed." Briar Rose rolls her eyes, "God, I can't believe I'm getting beat by some unknown white mask joker-lookin' motherfucker. You better not tell Ricky 'bout this."
"Well, if you don't beat this thing, ain't nobody telling anybody anythin'." Maggie replies, "Just a suggestion: you could try fighting better." Not being much of a fighter, Maggie stood out on the side, throwing in her passenger seat driver suggestions.
"I'm doing my-Fuck!" Briar Rose reacts quickly putting her Naginata up to take the attack. The weapon snaps in half under the weight of the monster's strength almost crashing down on Briar Rose if it wasn't for Maggie creating a portal beneath her.
Briar Rose falls out of the portal just a few feet away from Maggie, where Ana appears next to her. "Oh, are we having a reunion without me? That's not fair. My dear Magnolia, why didn't you call me out? I'm hurt." Another male pats Maggie on the head, his lips pulled into a pout.
"Aconite!" Maggie yelps, "I didn't think it was that serious..." She clears her throat, "Anyway, Briar Rose, I only have about four more of my portal pellets left. Make them count, cause it's starting to look like I'm gonna be an only child."
"How about we just pray and die then?" Briar Rose deadpans, standing up. "Ana, another weapon, if you please?"
"As we know, I'll be doing just the dy—Bree! I'm telling!" Maggie helps, clutching the back of her head while Briar Rose stands as if she hadn't just smacked Maggie.
With a spear in hand— "You're really digging long, pointed weapons today, aren't you, Ana?" —Briar Rose takes another charge at the monster, once again getting flung away from it and hitting another tombstone.
"Looks like this has been going on for a bit." Aconite comments, looking from Briar Rose's losing battle to Maggie, then to Ana.
"Maybe five or so minutes." Maggie breathes out, a little bit calmer now that Aconite was near.
"How about..." Briar Rose yells, "Instead of talking," She ducks, jabbing her spear into the beast, "You get up and help me!"
"Fighting isn't really my thing, though..." Maggie reminds her, "So I think it's best I'm over here."
"Aneri Magnolia!" Briar Rose snaps, getting thrown back near the group. The usage of her full first name has Maggie sighing and standing. She hands off the fae to Aconite, who pats Maggie on the head, flicking his fingers over her bun. Maggie then pulls a small, purple colored tablet from a candy box in her pocket.
A small light sparks above her hair, and upon eating the small tablet, the flame ignites brightly before dulling down into a purple colored flame above her head. "I don't know what you're expecting me to do..."
"I need you to be the distraction while I do my incantation." Briar Rose explains, "Clearly a heightened human isn't going to do anything against this, so I have to get higher."
"Is that your catchphrase or something? Because it seems like you say that a lot... and usually only to me." Maggie looks at the creature. They hadn't been talking for more than thirty seconds to a minute, but the creature seems frozen as it watched them, waiting for their next move. This was probably the slowest paced, yet most fearful fight Maggie had ever witnessed. The unknown was scary. She gulped, reminding herself of who she was with, and what they were here to do. "Remember, I've only got—"
"Four Magic Maggis pellets and one successful way of getting on my damn nerves. I remember." Briar Rose finishes, "Don't worry, I won't take that long."
With barely any reassurance from Briar Rose's words, Maggie takes off running towards the creature, who seems to have snapped out of its trance. It swipes just above Maggie, who screams, ducking and running around the creature. It swipes again, this time Maggie uses her portal to slip out of its grasp. She lands on top of it, smacking her body against it's slimy back and flopping to the ground with a groan. "What the shit!"
"Maggie, how about you throw a punch?" Aconite calls out, "She should really try punching, don't you agree?"
"You sound like Briar Rose." Ana comments, "Maggie can't punch because she'll do more damage to herself than to the creature, or have you forgotten that?"
"Just a little bit." Aconite chuckles. "You can do it, my dear! We're rooting for you!" Maggie screeches back at him wordlessly while Aconite waves his hand.
"Alright, I'm ready." Briar Rose breathes out, calming herself. She puts a hand out in front of her, the seal appearing once more, however, this time, Ana stands on the other side, his palm also out.
"I call upon thee, Earth God, here my call, lend to me your tremendous power!" Briar Rose draws a symbol within the seal, as Anastasius does the same. Roses bloom across Briar Rose's head, connected by gold hanging chains and vines in a circular crown. "Deus Hoc Vult [𝟩]!"
"The half incantation? Are you practicing control?" Ana asks, almost impressed by Briar Rose. "This is a first."
"I'd love to go full on, but we both know I can't afford to pay for another cleanup." Briar Rose admits.
Maggie's screaming returns Briar Rose's attention back to the problem at hand. Briar Rose runs, darting with a heightened speed towards her sister and the creature, managing to snag Maggie out of the air before she could get hit once more.
"Took you long enough! And you didn't even do the whole incantation!" Maggie complained as they landed on the ground.
"It's been a while since I've done any incantation, okay?" Briar Rose flicks her, putting Maggie down on her feet. "Thanks Briar Rose, you're the best. Thank you for making sure I didn't die, Briar Rose. Who could ask for a more thoughtful older sister than you? is what you should be saying right about now."
"I'll say that... at your funeral!" Maggie pulls Briar Rose out of the way of the creature's attack. "It doesn't look like we're gonna be able to defeat this thing, so just try to capture it."
"You're gonna have to run distractions while I set up the perimeter, then." Briar Rose informs her, "You and Aconite can help too, you know!" She gives the two a look, "You're Gods, you can definitely still do the muscle hustle over here!"
"Aw, I would, but I'm holding this fairy a-an—Ana !" Aconite's whine turns into a mangled scream as he was forcibly thrown at a high speed towards the creature. While the creature roars and counters Aconite, who is able to turn himself around mid-air to throw a well-timed punch at the creature, Maggie sighs once more and runs back towards it, muttering profanities under her breath.
Briar Rose plucks a flower petal from her crown, placing it on the ground. It glows briefly before it disappears into the grass. As Maggie and Aconite continue to be tossed around by the creature, Briar Rose, now joined by Ana, begin laying petals around the area surrounding the creature.
"Do you think we have enough?" Briar Rose asks Ana, who looks around the area, noting the glinting flower petals dissolving into the ground.
"You better have enough!" Maggie pants from beside them while Aconite gets tossed into another tree. "I-I'm coming... d-down..." Maggie pants, sighing one last time as the flame flickers above her head then goes out completely, only a trace of smoke indicating the flame was left. "Yup, and I'm out for the count."
"I think we'll be good. Briar Rose, speak the incantation." Ana urges the girl. Briar Rose nods, steeling herself with a heady breath. Holding her palm out, Briar Rose once again summons spiritual energy into the appendage. With her quick speed, Briar Rose zig-zags her way to the creature, landing a solid hit on it's turned back.
"Stupefaciunt [𝟪]!" Briar Rose yelps when her hand makes contact. She flips one-handed over the creature, landing right in front of it. The creature wails, moving to swipe at Briar Rose, but the paralyzing effect quickly spreads, stopping the creature in its movement. "Alright, Rosa Est [𝟫]!" Briar Rose's eyes glow a sparkling gold color, streaks of energy trailing off. "Vitem tenuit [10]!"
Starting from the petal nearest Ana and Maggie, a large, thick vine shoots out of the ground slamming down over the creature and connecting to the ground opposite. In quick succession, all of the vines slam down over the creature, pinning it to the ground before it can move.
The creature struggles, but ultimately cannot remove itself from Briar Rose's vine trap. The group of four approaches the creature, with Aconite slowly limping over. Briar Rose looks down at the creature, concentration on keeping the vines tightly pulled over the creature. "All in a day's work." Briar Rose manages to strain out.
"That was more like a week's worth." Maggie comments, "What the hell is this thing, do either of you know?"
Aconite and Ana look over the creature, then turn to each other. Aconite shrugs, "I've never seen anything like this in all my years."
"I haven't either. Maybe it's some new form of hybrid? Or a created creature." Ana suggests, listing on his fingers. "We should probably take it back to the headquarters; maybe someone there has seen it before."
"That's our next course of action. Ana, help me figure out how to transport this thing." Briar Rose smacks her hand against the vines, causing the creature to wail once more. She slaps it again, to which it wails once more. About to go in for a third time, Ana grabs her hand.
"That's enough. Or did you forget the part of your pact about living creatures?" Ana scolds her. Briar Rose scoffs, rolling her eyes.
While Ana and Briar Rose set about making the vine hold portable, Maggie takes to walking around the creature, taking in details, though this is much harder now, with all of the vines wrapped around its body. The creature wails almost pitifully, though Maggie feels little to no pity for the creature. "You almost killed me, many times. And now you wanna whine like a dog."
Annoyed, Maggie slaps her hand against the vines, forgetting that her thumb wasn't as green as her sisters, and like a curse, her inability to maintain any kind of greenery reared its head. Two of the vines shrivel into brown, dried material, snapping off and freeing a part of the creature. Briar Rose whips around, hearing the screeching sound get louder as the creature once again begins to struggle against its confines.
Just as she approaches to try reapplying the vines, the creature manages to free itself, knocking both Maggie and Briar Rose into opposite directions. With one final wail, the creature runs off. Ana helps Briar Rose stands as Aconite does the same for Maggie.
"What happened?" Briar Rose asked. Maggie clears her throat, "Did you touch the vines, Maggie?"
"I forgot," Maggie admits, looking down. Usually, the girl was extremely careful around her sister's plants and the fact that she let the thing loose again made her feel a little ashamed. Especially after Briar Rose and Ana finally confined the creature. If it were Aconite the vines wouldn't have frayed so easily, however, control was something he had and surprisingly something Maggie lacked. "Should we go after it?"
"Yes!" Briar Rose answers, placing a hand on Maggie's shoulder, squeezing lightly. Maggie frowned, though she patted Briar Rose's hand. "It gave us a hard time— attacked us and the fae unprovoked and it's a danger to the spirits around here. Maggie, can you catch the trail? We'll have to call for backup since you're out of Magic Mana...I might have to go full in order to catch up..."
Maggie blinks a few times, her vision clearing as she and Aconite stand side by side. Putting a hand on Maggie's shoulder, Aconite nods. Maggie puts her hand out, waving it over the grass, just a few paces in front of them, a path of sickly black spiritual energy appears. "It shouldn't be far from here, let's get going."
Briar Rose nods, raising her wrist to use her SpiriWatch when it rings. Briar Rose answers the call, only to see a lone man standing there. "Commander Fleur, peace be with you." Briar Rose greets, saluting him.
"Captain." Commander Fleur nods, "Have you finished your assignment?"
"Almost, Commander." Briar Rose admits, looking over to her companions, "Is this urgent?"
"Yes, suspend your activities and return to base immediately." The Commander demands, leaving no room for argument, however, Briar Rose speaks up.
"If I can be frank, I don't believe this activity should be suspended until a later time, Commander. You see-"
"Return to base immediately, Captain Briar Rose." Commander Fleur cuts her off. "I expect you back by 1830." The call cuts out almost immediately afterward and Briar Rose sighs. Leave it to the Commander to leave no room for one final comeback in the most crucial moments.
"That doesn't sound good." Aconite comments, "He always says 'bye'."
"During a courtesy call, yes. This seemed to be more than that, unfortunately," Maggie sighs, glancing around at the damage that their little assignment caused.
"Well, all we can do at the moment is return to base as he said. Let's move out, team. And bring the fairy."
Terms to Know
[1] - "toe up" that's messed up
[2] - "dawg ass" he sucks/he's trash
[3] - "ghulgh" - maggie wasn't having it, makes this noise a lot
[4] - "lah girls" little girls
[5] - "bucked up" excited
[6] - "trade" a very fine boy
[7] - "Deus Hoc Vult" - God Wills It
[8] - "Stupefaciunt" - stun
[9] - "Rose Est" - rose vines
[10] - "Vitem tenuit" - hold of vines