[IC] Crossing the Multiverse

[malmshodes]

Jim nodded at Rae's reaction when they got out of the car. "I know. It creeps me out too." With a grim smile he started handing her the bat but stopped when the shadow underneath slappy leaped out at her like a cat who never learned the lesson that bigger and smaller were two completely different things. Reacting on instinct he turned to run, but remembering how bad his instincts were he changed the motion in such a way it was almost a pretty good swing. It didn't do anything to the shadow which formed something like a bat in his new friend's hand. Which was of course met with shrieking and an attempt to throw the object away which was a success.

"So. Maybe that didn't have so much to do with the shadow creatures we saw earlier on the television as it has to do with those tattoos. They did brighten up just before the bat appeared." He shrugged. "Not sure if that's a good thing or not." He indicated the direction they'd need to go to reach the rift. "Either way it should be over this way." He handed her the bat. "Whatever that was just now was pretty cool, but until we figure these things out entirely its probably best to keep something we can count on handy."

[RaeoftheLight]

"I don't know what that was!" Rae screeched. She took the bat with a muttered thanks right before swinging it through the air in anger and frustration. "None of this makes any sense! Shadows just formed as if to my own thoughts!" Rae began walking towards where the rifts were assumed to be, terror and anger running through her in equal measure. "Why doesn't Mister Star show his face again?! He didn't prepare us for this! If he wanted us to help, he should have explained more!!!!!"

[malmshodes]

"Woh. Woh." Jim raised his hands and did a calm down motion. "I don't either. It was odd, and made me think of sand manipulation like in that anime Naruto, but with darkness. Which is kind of weird since darkness isn't solid, or anything. It's just like of anything. Which brings up the question, you felt it right? I mean, it looked like you held it. It's one thing to move the shadows but how did it get hard?"

"Hey! Let's not run into the danger." He hurried up to keep pace with Rae. "It can't hurt to scout around the area before we let those things know we're here right?" He paused while they walked. "Well, if whatever it was really needs help then maybe there's a limit to what it could do to help us like there was only so much time it was given to let us know what was going on, and it decided to use it on what it told us?"

They walked for a while before a strange sound called from a nearby alley. It was something like a desperate cry for help. "Oh." Jims wallwed hard. "Please tell me that whatever that was was just in my head. "

[RaeoftheLight]

Rae smirked but didn't say the sexual innuendo joke in her head out loud. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down, knowing what Jim said made sense. As she paused with him Rae turned to look at the shadows under a car near her, watching them for any sign of movement. Rae scoffed at herself for being stupid, and jokingly raised her left arm and thought, Come at the shadows. She was about to shriek again as the shadows did in fact move forward and coalesce into something dark and black and smoky, but another scream took her attention. The shadows dropped and vanished back into normal looking shadows under the vehicle as Rae answered Jim, "I don't think so."

[malmshodes]

"Oh." Jim arched an eyebrow and wondered if he was going crazy. It definitely seemed like a situation one going crazy would find himself in. It was hard to decide if he should hope that was the case or not. Whatever the case was there was still a mission for them, right? Right!? "Then maybe I'm just imagining things. That seems likely." He paused to look at the alley one last time before nodding his head back the way they were going. "Well come, we're almost there. Just a few more blocks."

He started walking again, thinking as he did so. "Hey, so if there really is something that we're supposed to do together, why do you think it ended up being us? I mean, has there been anything odd that happened to you like a strange old blind woman kicking in the hospital door to point an accusing finger at you, declaring you'd be a savior or the world. Ooh! Or some strange, thought to be extinct animals gathered around you once when you were playing outside alone and everyone of them bowed to you?"

Back in the alley shadows slithered out of the darkness.

[RaeoftheLight]

Rae started walking a bit quicker, afraid for what could be happening to the people screaming. If she could do anything, he would try.

Rae grinned, and shook her head. "Nothing unusual. Well the cookies I baked last week came out looking weird and the chocolate chips looked like a skull on one of the cookies, but that was pretty much a weird coincidence. Though if a pack of ancient creatures decides I am now their leader, I will take it.....What about you? Dance in any mushroom rings with some fairies? Or maybe invoke a magical curse by reading a Latin incantation from a mysterious old tome?"

[malmshodes]

Jim kept up with the woman. Someone screamed ahead of them. So he started moving faster. If there were survivors the sooner they got there the more likely they could keep it that way. Of course this was assuming they could do anything at all, but if not then they would just end up like the rest. That would suck, but on the bright side they wouldn't have to continue life with the burden of failing on their backs. He decided not to focus on that particular bright side as it was a bit depressive.

"Cookies huh? Damn it! I'm starving. Ugh. Now, I can't die. It's a rule right!? One can't be taken out of this world without a last meal? I read that somewhere. Though, technically yesterday's dinner would count as my last meal I no on account of that being more than eight hours ago!" He walked for a moment in silence, trying to think of anything strange, but nothing was coming to mine. Well, nothing out of his unusual, that is. "Uh. Well, yesterday there was a big tortoise in my room. I woke up and looked down and he was just staring up at me. Damn thing was bigger than some dogs. He was about ten pounds."

Jim walked a few more feet before flashes of black light streaked over his head and left purple scorched marks in the building on his side. "Duck!" And he did.

[RaeoftheLight]

Rae giggled to herself as Jim spoke. He was a humorous fellow. And she would probably have freake dif a giant tortoise was in her house. She began to say so but then stopped at the sound of a scream. She heard Jim yell duck, so she immediately dropped down, hands above her face. While her hand was out, fingers spread, the marks pulsed deep purple again and shadows nearby formed above Rae and Jim, like a large shield.

[malmshodes]

"Well" Jim said as he covered the top of his head with his hands because he liked his head and didn't want anything to go through it. Not that his hands would do much to stop that from happening. He was well aware of the fact, but did it anyways because he had to do something. "Now' the time we see if there's anything special about us, or if these tats are just a couple of elaborate pranks we completely misread." As if in response Rae's arm glowed and a black dome of shadow surrounded them. "Oh. Well that answers that."

He sat up and glared at his arm. "Alrighty buddy. It's time for you to do something. What can you do?" He stare intensified until his eyes started hurting and the one on the right began to twitch. A light flickered through the yellow lines. He continued and it didn't take long before swirling lightning moved up and down his arm. "Nice! Hey." He turned to his new friend and showed her his arm. "I can do it! Uh. Now what do I do?"

[RaeoftheLight]

Rae stared wide eyed at Jim's arm. Her shadow shield dissipated with her lack of concentration. "I kind of....want to touch it." Rae whispered, amazed at how it didn't seem to be harming Jim at all. "Can you...... like shoot it? Like a ball or blast of energy?" Rae looked at her own hand, thought Blast, and in a flurry of quick movement, shadows collected in her hand and shot out like a black blast from a ray gun, toppling over a trashcan in the distance. "Holy shit" Rae breathed in awe as shadow curled around her hand like slow moving smoke.

[malmshodes]

"I don't know." Jim said still staring at the lightning going around his arm. "Its not hurting me, but it kind of tickles like a continuous static without the pain." He blinked when he felt movement and turned to see the shadows gathering in the woman's hand before turning a trash can into the victim of an accidental game of target.

"Holy shit!" He echoed. "That's awesome. I'll try too." He glared at his hand, hoping it wouldn't embaress him. The lightning slithered up his arm like a cocaine fueled tree climbing snake. It gathered into a ball of light. He aimed it at the firing enemies and let go. A flash of lightning burst forwards and then the creature burst outwards. In response the others jumped and took cover behind some nearby cars.

[RaeoftheLight]

"Well then....no point in bringing weapons." Rae quickly grabbed Jim's shoulder and directed him to a more protected place. The cover was only a car, but at least the things from the sky didn't know where they were. Rae breathed in deep, gathering some courage, and then lifted her hand up, the shadows forming what was in her head- the minigun from FallOut 4. Surprisingly, Rae felt no weight despite the humongous size. It was a black shadow version of the weapon, but it had a full belt. Grinning, Rae swung up to begin shooting, but the entire thing fell apart, shadows vanishing as another bright and blinding pulse of light came from the sky in answer to a new wave of enemies.

[malmshodes]

Jim blinked at the weapon in Rae's hand. He didn't say anything but a part of him felt a bit envious over the whole thing. He didn't say anything about it though and instead decided to focus on the fact that they had something which could do some real damage to their shadowy attackers. Well, that is, they would if the shadow forged item was anything like what it did in the game. He leaned forwards, anxious to see the result of such a weapon in real life, but didn't get the chance because as quickly as it had appeared, the weapon vanished like a puff of smoke.

"What happened?" Jim said, blinking. He didn't blink out of surprise, as a way to pause, or in order to express surprise. He blinked because his eyes were dry and that's what you did. "You had it!" Of course, he didn't stand there while he was saying that. He grabbed her and pulled her down before rounds of fire flashed over where their heads and just been. "Well!" He called over the projectiles. "At least their aim is as good as any low level minion in an action movie. That's a plus, right!"

The young man glared at his hand and yellow power started surging up and down his arm and then into his palm. "Hey, so I've got an idea." He pointed with his none-glowing hand, in case that would cause him to fire. "Let's go over there. That street leads into other more narrow streets. I can' say with any certainty but since we're outnumbered maybe the narrowness will be some help. Plus, there's more ways to run." He pointed at his glowing hand. "I'm going to blast through the window and then we'll run like hell. Sounds good?"

Jim dind't wait for a reply. He blasted without bother to aim and yelled "Let's go" before going.

[RaeoftheLight]

Rae exasperatedly stared at her hand, upset about what had happened. She could almost feel the shadows cease to exist, as if the light....was too strong! "The light! If this is shadow, then the light must have destroyed it!" Rae exclaimed. She nodded to Jim about the plus side of the monster's aim. For a moment, Rae was delayed in following by shock at what he had done, but quickly dashed like a crazy lady after Jim.

[malmshodes]

Jim didn't stop when he was behind their target but kept going till he rounded another corner, just to be safe. He would've asked her what happened back there, but then he heard her words. They made about as much sense as anything else going on. Actually, they kind of made more sense since there was a logical reason for what had happened.

"So light's something we're going to have to watch out for then." He looked down at his hand and showed it to her. "Does this mean we're not going to really use our powers when we're together? I mean, this thing does give out a lot of light." He shrugged and looked around to make sure there weren't any of those dark ones coming towards them. "Okay, so I think we're safe for now, and by safe I don't mean there's no danger, just that the things wanting to kill us aren't currently in sight, maybe we can form a plan, because mine was only to get to the rift, but after taking time to think about it I've come to the conclusion that's more of a goal. Not a plan."

There was noise behind them. It was a strange chittering sound like a summer night filled with insects in the mood for love. "Uh. Well, let's walk and talk." He turned on another alley and started speed walking.

[RaeoftheLight]

Rae thought about what Jim said as she followed him. "I think maybe we will be okay. I mean, our powers come from the same source, I don't think yours would harm my ability to fight."

The noise made Rae walk a bit quicker. The situation was really setting her nerves on edge, and she hoped it would be over soon. "Good goal, but um....plan? I guess shoot our way through and find out what is happening on the other side of the rifts?"

[malmshodes]

"Mmm." Jim frowned deep enough that the ends of his lips were in danger of falling off his chin. "I guess in the strictest definition of the word that's technically a plan, but it's not a very well thought out one." He paused. "But since its better than anything I can think of I say let's go for it." He looked around and nodded. "Actually we're not too far from the rift." He pointed down another street. "If we go that way there's an old apartment complex that overlooks the square with the rift. It would be a good sniper's next for taking out enemies. Plus, I'm sure there'll be shadows for you to work with since we can just turn off the lights, right?"

He started walking and motioned Rae to follow him.

[RaeoftheLight]

Rae nodded. "Sounds good. If we can find out what is causing the rifts, we can stop it and then no more scary creatures! But definitely take as many scary creatures down as possible!" Rae followed close behind Jim, keeping an ear out for any sounds of the things getting closer to them. "I am all for not having light ruin my minigun, though maybe if civilians are around a minigun isn't the best choice."

[malmshodes]

Jim nodded back to Rae. "Yeah, I know what you mean." He paused to check if the door to the apartment complex was locked. It wasn't. He turned it slowly and pushed inside. "Oh." He swallowed hard. "Well I don't think you have to worry about hitting anyone innocent." His face went white as he looked into the room, washed with artificial light and gore.

"I don't want to go it there, but we're here now and its better to get things over wince the longer we wait the more of those things will come through that hole in the sky."

[RaeoftheLight]

Rae peeked around Jim's shoulder, then she turned to the side and heaved up what was left of last nights dinner. "Oh shit, shit shit shit.." Rae looked back to Jim, eyes wide. "We need to end this quickly."