[IC] Afterlife [M]

[Moonlit_Fae]

El appeared within the bank right beside Aidoneous. She had transported them after all. She clutched tightly onto her scythe as she took in the situation. One ghost trapped and Kari and Stitches following orders to free him. Aidoneous was on the attack with the assaliants. El followed his lead and figured offense was the best at this point. She went to the other end to give more protection to the other two while they worked to set the ghost free.

Her scythe shined brightly under the lights as she moved it into attack mode, out in front of her ready to catch any enemies that came her or Aidoneus' way. "Well this should be fun!" she said cheerfully. Happy to prove her worth in the offense for once. Psychopomps usually took a back seat to such action, but she would do anything to help her friends in need.

El's eyes quickly saw one of the minions throwing another cube toward the ghoul in the trap. She used her scythe like a baseball bat to hit it out of the way, hopefully preventing the trap from hitting its mark...

[SikstaSlathalin]

As Aidoneus and a random Psychopomps joined the fray the two men decided this fight was getting too heavy for them to handle on their own. The man on left ran to his comrade's side and from his pocket the man on the right pulled out a clear glass ball. He whispered something to it watching as bright red smoke began filling up the baseball sized sphere.

As soon as the entire ball glowed red he hurled it into the ground causing it to shatter like the crack of thunder immediately filling the interior of the bank with thick red smoke obscuring the gathered specters' sights. The magical flashbang grenade was another tool given to them by their employer, he would not be happy to hear about their failure, but maybe telling them where his life long rival Aidoneus was would buy them some leniency.

[Heson Shadowbane]

There was a similar sound of snapping and tearing as Stitches came through the wall. Her spiritual form was changing as she came into view. Where she had been dressed in a clean pair of scrubs, she was now in her WW2 army outfit, the front of her stained with blood and patches of her uniform seeming to smoke with embers. She looked up at the figures that had been attacking Thaddeus, grinning a near feral and bloody smile that went past her mouth and up her cheeks. She would've charged forward and attacked if Aidoneous hadn't showed up.

Her nature was urging her to attack. To rip and tear into the flesh. To no listen and to continue her charge into the enemy. It took herself a few seconds to get herself under control and stood herself at attention, saluting him. "Yes sir! At once sir!" Her voice was a bit hoarse or gravely in her ghoul state as she dropped the salute, turning to Thaddeus and pulling a medkit off her belt as she walked over. She wasn't worried about Aidoneous, the top man can take well good care of himself.

"Evenin' lil one. Quite the excitement from what should've been a simple job eh? Now what do we have here with ol' Thaddus?" The army medic looked him up and down, an examination of one ghoul to another. "Ya still in there old one? Need a lil something to perk the brain back in. Nod if you can hear me, growl ferally if you don't."

[Yggdrasil_Hugger]

Thaddeus howled in animalistic rage as one of his feet were caught. His first instinct was to gnaw through his own leg and continue the pursuit, but his prey were suddenly tossed backward by a descending force. Nodding grimly to each other, they pulled out small glass globes and disappeared in a crimson fog.

Then, another ghoul appeared. Another ghoul, in his territory. He chased the thought out of his mind like a bird. They were here to help. As she melted from the wall, her clothes changed into a World War II-era field medic uniform, complete with the scent of gunpowder and blood. Her ghoulish form was barely different than her regular one, and Thaddeus felt a small pang of jealousy.

She marched right up to him, searching through her medic bag. His arms were free, she was in range... no. Her voice was murky, and he could only catch a few words.

“... excitement... still in there... brain... growl ferally...” Well, it would be rude not to oblige. He let out a monstrous screech, strings of bloody saliva flying from his distended jaw. Then he cocked his head, waiting for a reply.

[Lady Celeste]

Kari jumped back slightly as Thaddeus roared, but otherwise retained her composure, if only for the sake of appearances.

“Guess that answers that question.” Kari quipped, tensing up a bit more as she waited a brief moment, not saying anything else just yet. These sorts of things needed to be handled very carefully, so Kari continued to slowly reach toward the trap.

“That’s it...” Kari said, occasionally adding a soothing word to reassure the trapped spirit. With just the slightest push, the trap was undone and promptly discarded, at which point Aidoneus levitated the trap and examined it.

“It seems I was right.” Aidoneus mused.

“Right about what...sir?” Kari asked, quickly tacking on the ‘sir’ for professionalism’s sake.

“These men meant to capture Sir Grimshaw, and they were all too quick to recognize me.” Aidoneus said, barely noticing the slight dripping of blood that ran down his hands. His tone hardened as he turned to face Kari and Stitches. “I will have to attend to this matter more closely from now on. No one is to confront these men again without my direct clearance. Do you understand?”

“What’s wrong?” Kari asked. “You know these guys?”

“Do you understand?” Aidoneus asked, much more softly this time as he looked Kari in the eyes.

Kari said nothing at first, but then nodded, followed by a brief “Yes, sir”.

[Moonlit_Fae]

"I will aid you Aidoneus so you do not have to face this threat alone. However, we will need the assistance of the guild eventually if the threat is as severe as you say." El said, speaking her part. She knew he wanted to protect Kari and the others, but he also needed to realize at some point all hands on deck would be needed to bring this situation to an end.

El did have to say, she was sort of disappointed to not have the chance to fight and prove her worth. She knew they only ran because of Aidoneus, but she wanted to chase after them if that were possible at all. To get her mind off of it she put her attention onto Kari. "Nice work with Sir Grimshaw and freeing him. You have become stronger since we saw eachother last." El kept an indifferent face but on the inside was very happy to see the soul she saved to have grown up and become such a strong asset to the guild.

[Heson Shadowbane]

She noted the feral growl, but she also noted the pause that came after. The twinkle of some intelligence in those eyes as it waited for something else from her. the impossibly long mouth grinned and nodded as Kari worked the trap off him. "Ah, got something in there. Here this might help..." She pulled what seemed to be a juicebox labeled B+ from her medical bag, stabbing a bendy straw into it. She gently took his hands, tenderly wrapping it around the box before raising them to his mouth and placing the end of the straw in it. "Drink slow. It's my own blend of blood and mental stimulants. Feed the hunger while keeping the brain active."

She kept an eye on him, half expecting the feral side of his mind to take over and shove the entire juice box into his mouth. It was hit and miss with ghouls really. She snapped a salute to Aidoneus. "Yes sir, crystal clear on engagement orders sir! What shall we do with Grimshaw once we have him calmed down sir? Do we have enough ghostpower to keep a watch over the haunt just in case?" She stood herself at ease, the blood and embers slowly fading from her uniform as the flesh of her mouth worked to stitch itself together to a normal mouth complete with cracks and squelches as things rearanged back to normal.

[SikstaSlathalin]

Upon fleeing the botched bank robbery, the minions jumped into an inauspicious black car that was parked a few block away from the bank. Their employer would not be happy about this at all. But they couldn't lie nor hide from him. So after pulling their glasses off they started the car and sped away.

An hour or so out of the city the men pull into the heavy iron gateway leading back into the old growth forests. As their car pulled in the gates slammed shut on their own and a pulse rippled through the air making everything glimmer with magic. Instantly the air inside the gates became stuff feeling, but still they drove on. The drive way was cobbled with large flat stones that seemed to have carvings of some kind on their faces. Neither man knew or cared what they meant, all they knew was to not worry about being attacked while on them.

After ten minutes of driving the black car pulled up the gothic looking mansion of their employer, one Mortimer Grimm. Scion of an ancient family that have been rumored to behind the world's fascination with orders like the Illuminati and Free Masons. "Delightful distractions from what's really happening" he often said. Exiting the car the men shared a single look and walked up the carved granite steps towards the main house. This time of day Mr. Grimm would likely be in his collecting room in the subbasement of the house.

In the subbasement, just before the collecting room, was a narrow metal bridge overlooking the massive rows of machinery below. The Grimm family’s signature brew was a very ancient secret, but its mass production had always kept up with the times, using only the finest and most advanced equipment available. From his perch on the bridge, Alistair Hydrick surveyed every single phase of the production process, keenly watching for even the slightest flaw. Only when the two operatives passed by did Hydrick look up from his work, and only for a split-second.

“Back so soon, gentlemen?” Hydrick said. “And nothing to show for it, I see. Such a shame... such a shame...”

Mr. Grimm would surely be displeased with the men, but that was no excuse for any slacking off on Hydrick’s part, and so he did not. Hydrick quickly returned to his own tasks without paying any further attention to the men, though already Hydrick mentally braced himself for the distraction that would inevitably follow from Mr. Grimm’s reaction to the news.

The two men looked up at Hydrick the taller of the two scoffed up at him. "Our hands were forced. A Psychopomp and the Directer showed up. We were not prepared." The man's voice sounded artificial and kept a steady monotone, but was strangely loud even without any inflection in the words.

From the far side of the subbasement a large metal door swung open. The sounds of mournful cries and wailing flooded the room for a few seconds before the metal doors shut silencing all. Then the crisp clack of hard sole shoes approaches. Soon a tall man dressed in fine clothing and blond hair stands at the top of the short flight of stairs looking down at the three men. "I gave you enough tools to handle three Psychopomps. That is no excuse." His voice soft, but very stern. His hand casually moved to the rapier at his hip as he slowly walked down the six steps, his eyes never left the minions. Who despite being in trouble showed no sign of fear or any other emotion.

The shorter one spoke now taking a step forward. "Yes sir, but the Directer also showed up at the bank. Nothing we had could fight him."

Mortimer's chiseled features hardened further and angry crossed his handsome face for a split second before his hand shot out. An invisible force surrounded the shorter minion silencing him, panic flooded the minion's eyes as the force constricted around him. He was visibly screaming, but no sound was heard and a half minute later the minion stopped screaming a green light surrounded him before it rushed into the ring on Mortimer's hand. The blood ruby glowed brightly for an instant before dulling into blackness. The force left the minion's body and it turned into a pile of dust and a strange gumlike substance. "I do not abide cowardice, next time remember it only takes one to deliver a message." His hard green eyes shot towards the remaining man who had returned to his emotionless posture. "I give you the bodies of magic resistant homunculi for this exact reason. That even if my old friend shows up you can complete your mission. Ugh just go, I'll summon you when I come up with a way to fix this latest annoyance." Turning his back on the homunculus he made his way up to the catwalk where Hydrick worked. By the time he reached it the minion was gone. "So hard to make good help these days, wouldn't you say good Doctor?" The wizard asked shaking his head lightly.

“Hm, indeed.” Hydrick mused. Though he turned now to face his employer, his eyes continued to wander every now and then to the machinery below, still making sure that everything was working to perfection. As expected, the scolding that the two henchmen had received would be unsettling to most, but Hydrick was used to seeing such things by now, and did not skip a beat in his own duties.

“So, the Unseen One shows his face once again.” Hydrick continued. “Still hunting for us, I would assume, but it’s been quite some time since he last appeared.”

He contemplated asking if Mr. Grimm had any specific plans to deal with this new development, but promptly stopped himself. It was not his place to know — or care — about Mr. Grimm’s every move, and any involvement on his end with the Unseen One would be handled in due course once the threat had been dealt with.

Mortimer nodded rubbing his chin slowly as he looked over the production. "A few decades at least yes, I knew he would show up again. The question is why now though, the target was a ghoul...little more than a mindless beast. His greatest asset has always been his invisibility, maybe his little Agency's numbers are so low he needs to step out of the shadows. " Sitting in thought for a few seconds he glanced sidelong at the Alchemist. "Do you keep in contact with your friends in the Gatekeepers, Dr. Hydrick?"

“Naturally, sir.” Hydrick said, an absentminded smirk creeping onto his face. “Our ranks have scattered in the centuries since that dreadful night, but our presence is still felt in many places. In fact, one of my old colleagues recently took over the management of a remote little hotel in England.” Even as he said this, though, Hydrick turned more intently toward Mr. Grimm.

“Did you have something planned, by chance?”

"The beginnings of a plan." He said simply moving to the other railing. "I need more information on the old man's little play group. They've always been a thorn in my family's side, but they've always been to well hidden and had too many numbers for us to deal with quietly. If that has changed this might be the best time in centuries to deal with them. Are any of your comrades close to the Agency?" He asked looking directly at the fellow Alchemist.

At that, Hydrick set aside his earlier tasks for now. All was well on his end for now, while Mr. Grimm clearly had something in mind at the moment.

“A few mediums here and there have managed to gain a bit of trust from them, but they guard their secrets well. Our sources are seldom given more information than whatever is deemed necessary.” Hydrick replied, but then paused as a thought came to him.

“Only a ghoul, you say...” Hydrick said next. “Hardly worth the direct attention of the Unseen One. If I may speculate for a moment, I should think he was there for something else. Something of far greater importance, if not to those meddlesome spirits then perhaps...”

There was a slight gleam in his eyes as he considered the thought.

“...then perhaps to the Unseen One himself.”

Mortimer narrowed his eyes in thought. His arms crossed over his chest his head nodded slowly. "Hmm you make a good point Doctor. What could be worth him showing himself around some ghoul's haunted bank?" The man paced along the catwalk for a few feet his centuries old mind moving meticulously. "Will the Gatekeepers be able to roam around the bank and hunt for information without alerting the Agency to their motives?"

“That can be arranged.” Hedrick said. Though he retained his usual professional composure, there was definitely the slightest hint of a smile on his face as he watched the gears turn in Grimm’s mind. “Shall we begin the preparations there then?”

The Wizard nodded stopping his pacing and looking at his comrade. "Yes immediately, I'll cover whatever monetary expenses they need. But I need stealth and usable information first, if we can remove the old man and his Agency as a threat or even capture them all of us will be very wealthy indeed." Giving the Doctor a nod, Mortimer bid him good evening and went to handle other matters.

[Moonlit_Fae]

After everyone left and it was just the two of them, El turned back into her human form. There was no immediate threat so no need to stay in her paranormal shape. It took a lot of energy to keep a corporal form in the mortal realm. Now she was back with her blonde hair in a ponytail and commoner clothes of a simple shirt and jeans. Her scythe magically disappearing as it remained in the spiritual realm until she called upon it again.

"So what now Aidoneus?", she asked as she began to look around the place. She wasn't too sure what she was looking for. Perhaps some spiritual residue she could get a reading off of. Her powers to sense emtion could come in handy. Help her to understand the enemy.

"Those cronies seemed pretty scared of you. I'm sure they will be back though and better prepared for an attack." She shuttered at the thought who they left to report to. The thought of draining ghosts for their power sickened her to her stomach.

[Lady Celeste]

“They’ll be back.” Aidoneus said, briefly staring into the distance as Grimshaw left to attend to the repairs around the bank, while Kari and Stitches departed for the Texas safehouse to have the traps analyzed.

“But for now, you’re right.” Aidoneus continued. “I cannot keep silent any longer; it would only leave them all unprepared. I’ll talk to Kari and Stitches and send word to our other comrades, and keep watch over Sir Grimshaw in case they return for him. For now, you should focus on staying safe and watching over your charges.”

---

Meanwhile, per Aidoneus’ instructions, the discarded traps were promptly collected for further analysis. Kari and Stitches were to go there now to ensure the traps arrived safely and to receive an update soon on how to handle them in the field in the future. Kari hesitated to leave, sparing more than a few glances back toward Aidoneus on the way out. Still, she did as she was told, though she was not entirely happy about it.

“I don’t like this.” Kari said to Stitches on their way out. “The director was really mad just now. And the way those two ran right after he showed up… something’s going on that he’s not telling us.” There was just the slightest hint of hurt in her voice at the thought, but more than anything she was getting worried.