event } take me down to paradise city (part two).

[seeingyou]

WHO: Errybody rollin’ around in Xanadu.
WHAT: How’s that (fake) afterlife treating ya?
WHERE: Anywhere in the city!
WHEN: After the first week, until the end of the event (March 20ish).
WARNINGS: Add these to your comment subject lines as needed! And if you get McMurdered by a robot, please make sure to fill out the death page.

Hello, newlydeads! Welcome to the end of your first week in paradise. Are you having fun yet? Of course you are - this is paradise! And the fun continues - nay, increases - with the official Welcome Gala!

By the end of the week, everyone in the city receives an invitation to attend a fancy masquerade ball held at the capitol building, square in the center of the sprawling city, and everyone is expected to attend. Your desired outfits and masks will be supplied (or not) by your magic closets. Go wild! After all, how often do you get a chance to get all glammed up for a night out?

And the glitz doesn’t end at attire! Inside the building, the main dance hall is full of bright, colored lights reflected by disco balls, uptempo music for you to get your groove on, and - you guessed it - an elaborate roller rink. No skates? No problem! There’s a magic closet here, too. Simply ask an attendant and you’ll be provided with an outta sight set of skates.



Food and drinks of all sorts are piled on tables and available at the bars stationed throughout the event area - literally any delicacy you can think of, plus plenty more you’ve probably never seen before. Drink, dance, and make merry for as long as you can, because the party won’t stop until - well, until the power abruptly cuts off near the end of the night.

The outage only lasts for a few minutes, but if you look outside, you’ll note that the entire city has been affected. And what’s even weirder is that everyone in the city, whether at the party or elsewhere, except for the new arrivals has gone completely still. They’re all frozen in place, like statues, completely unresponsive to any and all stimuli …

… Until the power flickers back on. At this point, every formerly frozen citizen reanimates, but their demeanor is drastically different. Before, they all seemed friendly and happy and welcoming, but now? Now they are cold, emotionless, mechanical, and they all seem to have a single goal in mind: MURDER. That’s right, folks, your neighbors have shown their true murderbot nature, and they’ve set their sights on you. Have fun fleeing the gala and doing your best to stay alive!

Comments

[betterhavemammoney]

Mammon stood by what he'd declared when they'd first arrived in this ridiculous facsimile of something enjoyable: this was stupid. It was annoying, and it was infuriating to be lied to, but the entire thing was just so phenomenally dumb that it seemed ridiculous even to him, a demon no one had ever accused of intelligence.

At least their weird robotic doll enemies were relatively easy to defeat, he thought as he grabbed two by the heads and smashed them together. It took a little work, but it wasn't really harder than shattering roc eggs to scramble. And he wasn't the only one who had something to unleash on these dummies, by the sound of it.

He glanced at Murmur, the angel already seeming much bigger and intimidating than when they'd first arrived. He was talking like a weirdo but Mammon understood the gist. He wasn't wrong -- none of the humans that he'd talked to here seemed worthy of a sudden violent death, and even if they were, this was just. So badly done.

He smiled, and the scent of petrichor grew around him, preceeding a rain that would never come. What followed was a flash of lightning and a reveal of Mammon's demon form, black horns twisting upward from the crown of his head and leathery batlike wings spread forth from his back. "If that's a dorky way to say 'do you wanna mess these guys up,' I'm in."

[albatrossomen]

Oh it is most certainly stupid. Incredibly so, and it's about to get a whole lot more dumb. Murmur's fairly certain he knows where these robots came from, but he'll figure that out for certain after they've had their fun.

Despite the insult Murmur looked pleased, too eager to unleash Heavenly destruction to be irritated by such small nuisances. "It is, indeed, my dorky way of saying I want to mess these guys up. Do you have a preference in weapon?" A peace offering, of sorts. If they were to work together Murmur would spare no effort in ensuring the dense, but powerful demon prince had what he needed to be most effective.

Just outside the building the wind whipped and howled, thunder reverberating in the clouds above. Murmur was summoning up a party favor for their hosts. One they shall not forget in some time.

"In return I only ask you assist me in protecting the mortals, and perhaps rounding up a fair few of these soulless vessels for their encore."

[betterhavemammoney]

"What kinda weapons do ya got?" Mammon lets the two murderbots drop to the ground in front of him unceremoniously. He wasn't sure what sort of firepower Murmur was packing, because he didn't look armed when he walked in, but he also didn't look like this kind of angel when he walked in. "I'm pretty fast, just let me get to 'em."

He'd rather not venture out into that ice storm because demons are not really built for the cold (and in his demon form, he's basically bare from the waist up), but he can at least do something about the ones in here before they get to separating their humans from their souls.

"Yeah, don't worry, I ain't gonna let 'em get to the humans. They don't deserve it, I think. Just tell me where ya think I should hit 'em."

[albatrossomen]

"I am afraid ice does not lend well to firearms, but anything of the more stabbing or blunt nature should do," In demonstration with a wave of his hand and a chill in the air a small arsenal is presented before Mammon: Longsword, daggers, hammer, battle axe, scythe. All forged out of a strangely durable ice possessing wickedly sharp blades like glass, yet lacking in the brittleness one would expect. "They will not last permanently, but should suffice for some good long entertainment."

"Your speed will be a boon within the walls where I am limited. Outside I will make them wish for floods." He's more of the big nuking type, which was becoming more apparent very rapidly as the sounds of the storm brewing grew all the more persistent. Whatever Murmur was, it certainly wasn't an angel of the First Sphere.

[betterhavemammoney]

Mammon looked over the collection of weapons and laughed, selecting the longsword and lifting it to test its weight and feel. Too cold for his liking, but heavy and gleaming and -- as proven by striking a murderbot with it -- very serviceable. He laughed and lifted it into an on guard position, grinning.

"What're ya gonna do?" If it wipes out their enemies he doesn't really care, but he's curious. Now that this angel is showing fuller power he doesn't doubt Murmur can provide a nuclear option.

[albatrossomen]

A good choice, Murmur nodded his approval as he dismissed the rest of the arsenal. Mammon could always call him back should he wish to try something else. With eyes and ears so opened he should hear any summons today.

Casually great blue-gray wings burst from his back just in time to catch a murder bot that thought to try to ambush him while they spoke, crushing it between the two massive limbs. As though he knew it was there. He grinned, conspiratorially. "Briefly I considered salt, but that's been done before. No, I shall tear open the sky and when I am finished ripping the buildings from their foundations I will bury this city in one hundred feet of ice."

You know. As one does.

[betterhavemammoney]

He'll come back for something else when the sword melts (he will want a try with that battle axe at some point). It may be solid, but Mammon plans on going fast and cutting down a lot of these metal murderers.

Mammon jumped back as Murmur revealed his wings, more than a little impressed to see he crushed one of the bots between them. He knew he'd underestimated this angel, but he didn't know he was capable of that.

"So, uh, ya want me to just get the ones in here?" He could do that. "Uh. What's your name?"

[albatrossomen]

He will be happy to provide, when the time comes. The sword should hold up for a time, though ice does have its limits. Burning blades really aren't his forte, so Mammon will just have to deal with what he can provide on short notice.

Pleased with the damage he beat his wings to shake bits of whatever scrap got stuck to them free. Long, impossibly long narrow wings like those of a gull or, more accurately, an albatross. Silvery blue and white, with bloodied feathers at the shoulders. Murmur might be starting to look just a tad too enthusiastic about what was to come.

"Former Duke, Murmur, at your service," He offered a deep bow with a sweep of his wing for emphasis. "And that will suffice. Do call upon me should you require any further assistance." With that he spread his wings wide, ready to take to the air and begin his acts of carnage. Only pausing long enough should Mammon have anything more to add.

[relance]

Julia for her part has had enough of these motherfucking robots in this motherfucking hell. This whole thing has just been too much and her blood’s been boiling since she’d first arrived so she’s ready for a fight. While normally Julia might remove her clothing before she shifted to preserve it right now she really doesn’t care enough to take that step. Instead Julia shifts within it. It’s fluid, the way that her body shifts and breaks and remakes bones and sinew and muscle into the large white wolf that comes over to them at a run.

Seeing what looks like a demon and an Angel would probably give her some sort of pause if the circumstances weren’t so dire and they didn’t need to protect the humans. There is the small matter that Julia really doesn’t want to be considered an enemy so she looks to them with eyes that are surprisingly human looking even with their unnaturally bright blueness and she lets out a little whine before she rushes at a robot. The way that Julia’s paws slam against the ground carry the momentum of her weight into it and it crumples to a tin can before she looks at the angel and the demon and tilts her head to one side as a question: what do we do now?

[betterhavemammoney]

Did he say Duke? Since when did the Celestial Realm have tiers like that? That was more of a demonic thing, but Mammon could question that later. Just like he could question what's going on with this very human-ish dog, but there are more pressing matters at hand.

He glances back at Murmur, deciding those big plane-like wings will keep him safe, and watches the dog start things off by slamming one of the murderbots flat. Easy enough. He hefts the sword and speeds toward an approaching bot, blade gleaming at his side. "You go that way, I'll go this way!"

[albatrossomen]

He did say Duke, and the Celestial Realm doesn't have tiers like that. As predicted Mammon failed to catch his hints, which is fine, now was not the time. Hopefully he was a more capable warrior than he was smart.

Mammon might not have realized what Julia was, but Murmur did. He offered the unknown werewolf a bow and something of an approving nod. They could use more bodies in this fight. "Will you assist in protecting the mortals? I am preparing to make it uninhabitable outside, so I would remain indoors. Before you go, a gift."

He raises a hand, murmuring a quiet prayer to himself. Julia will feel a faint layer of frost coat her fur, not unpleasant. A protective barrier that will help make her more durable, and keep her energy from waning too soon should this battle carry on.

With that he took wing, vanishing in a ripple to go start his work filling the city with ice.