Demon Bait

[John Constantine]

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I've been looking for an original sin

John sat back on his heels. He should have asked somebody for help - he had plenty of contacts in the city now, but he hated getting others involved in dangerous work where demons were the target. All too often that ended in bloodshed and sorrow, and John had another soul weighing heavily on his shoulders.

No thanks.

So there he was, completely alone and half naked in the center of a summoning circle. If this went badly it was gonna hurt like hell, and those friends he'd neglected to tell about his little 'adventure' were either going to find his mutilated corpse, or have a possessed John Constantine on their hands. Neither option really appealed to him, so he really hoped that it went down how he wanted.

The candles were lit, the incense burning exactly so, and the chalk lines were all carefully laid out. Now he just had to chant the ritual words and the thing would come. It was something not from this world - in fact he was fairly certain it was from his world due to the nature of the beast. He was banking on that, because the binding circle he'd hidden just outside the summoning one wouldn't work as well [or at all] if it wasn't.

Once the words were spoken, a whoosh of air blew out all the candles, plunging the empty warehouse into darkness. \"Fuck.\" He should have planned for that and had some of the lanterns the engineers used on windy nights handy. Muttering a quick illumination spell under his breath, he winced as light suddenly flooded the area again.

The light bounced off a positively massive form now in the circle with him. John looked up, and had to take a step back and crane his neck to see the thing's head. \"Oh, fuck me.\" This wasn't the demon he'd thought. It was one from his realm, but this nasty was far more powerful than the one he'd thought he was catching.

\"That's a great idea, exorcist. I think I'll do just that.\"

Oh, hell no. John jumped back as the demon reached for him, and then carefully stepped over the containment circle. If he smudged that, he was well and truly [literally] fucked and he didn't relish the idea of this massive demon doing anything of the sort. Once outside the circle, he eyed the demon warily, grabbed his shirt and tie, and began dressing quickly.

The whole while he was chanting under his breath, strengthening the containment field and hoping that it was strong enough. Bright flashes of orange energy lit up the warehouse as the demon pounded on the energy field that sprang up when it tried to cross the barrier, and he was sure they were visible outside as well. Hope nobody comes to investigate. This could get ugly real fast, he thought as he scrambled to assemble ingredients for a quick protection spell for himself. If it got out, he wanted to make damn sure it couldn't get its greedy paws on him.

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[Amelya Shipwright]

The night was later then Amelya would have liked, but she'd been held up late at the Guild finishing some last minute things. Their leader had been insistent everything be perfect before she could leave, especially after one of their own had been arrested. All the numbers had looked right, and the woman had finally been allowed to head home. She'd turned down the offer of an escort home; she needed to keep her reputation intact after all. Unfortunately, the night was giving her a chill that wasn't related to the cold. As she walked towards her tiny little apartment, she pulled her cloak closer around her body, gray eyes casting around for any threats.

 

Despite the need to pull inwards, to keep herself warm, Amy kept her chin up and her pace quick. An air of superiority, of being able to handle herself. That's what it took to keep the less than honorable from wanting to handle her. Even still, though, her free hand went to the dagger she always had at her side. Paranoia crawled along her spine and she glanced back, only to find nothing lurking in the shadows that she could see. The thief took a deep breath and let it out slowly, before she turned her attention back to where she was going.

 

Orange flashed in her periphery and gray eyes flicked towards the random color that had popped up among the dark blue and black of the night. It didn't belong, that color. Her eyes settled on the warehouse, and her eyes narrowed. Who was getting into trouble this time of night? A mage fight, maybe? Still, it wasn't right.

 

Amelya broke into a sprint, and as she drew closer, it definitely sounded like some kind of fight was going on inside. There was some amount of a pattern to the flashes of orange, but what could be causing it? The woman slowed, her hand coming to rest on the side of the building. The large doors were shut, but she knew the warehouses usually had a much smaller door to access inside without dealing with the large heavy doors. Her hand slid across the wood of the doors, before her fingertips grazed the handle. A quick pull and she slipped in, letting the personnel door shut behind her.

 

"What... the fuck... is that?" The words were out of her mouth before she could think to stop them, her gaze lifting to try and measure just how big the thing was. That explained the orange flashes though, as it pounded against a shield she couldn't see. Her body tensed, frozen as her brain scrambled to catch up with what she was seeing. And to top it all off, there was a man scrambling to get a tie straightened out and grabbing things off the floor. "What the hell is going on?!"

[John Constantine]

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I've been looking for an original sin

John's concentration slipped when he heard a feminine voice behind him. God damn it. NOT what I need right now. He looked up at her long enough to note where she was but not much else and then turned his attention to the ingredients in his hands. Time to assemble them for a hasty spell. It wouldn't be nearly as nice now, because he'd have to protect her too, and that'd weaken it. But he wasn't about to let this demon anywhere near someone else.

\"Trying to contain a nasty bugger from my world that the portals pulled through. Afraid you walked in on him throwing a bit of a tantrum.\" He didn't look at her as he hastily wove the spell, though he did warn her about it. \"I'm putting a spell over both of us. Protection spell. Should keep the bastard from touching you, but don't let him get close. Can't promise that it'll hold for more than a hit or two.\"

Just then there was a shattering noise and sparks of magick flew in every direction. They were harmless themselves, but they told John that the demon had managed to use his distraction to draw on more energy. If he'd not had his attention divided he'd have been able to stop it. \"Damn. Back up slowly. He's pissed at me. Might not notice you at all if he gets his prize.\"

Not that John intended to let the massive demon catch him.Even with magick, he didn't like the thought of what it'd feel like if the bastard decided to make good on his promise to fuck the exorcist.

The demon lunged at John, who threw a fireball at its face, and dove to the left, further into the warehouse. The demon followed, slowly, but there was a static in the air, letting anyone with any magick sensitivity at all know that it was amassing energy for a powerful spell.

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[Amelya Shipwright]

 

The man's explanation was a viable one, though it certainly was an idiot move to do so without backup. Her stance turned into one of someone ready to bolt from trouble, and her eyes narrowed up at the demon. Her knuckles turned white around the hilt of her dagger as she sized him up, then she turned her attention back to the man in the jacket. He seemed familiar, but from where? Her mind kept placing him in a store of some kind, but she couldn't be certain.

 

"What do you need to do to send him packing, exactly?" This man was wanting to take on a demon by himself. How stupid was he? Even someone as inexperienced with this type of thing as herself knew that doing something like this without help was almost suicide. She wasn't going to run. Before the question was entirely out of his mouth, the idiot man was missing from her side, taking off into the warehouse and throwing a fireball at the demon. She growled some, though she could feel the hair along her arms raising. She hadn't specific magic training, but the static certainly had an affect on her hair. She took a deep breath, then let it out again, before yelling, "HEY! UGLY!"

 

Hopefully whatever the man had planned to contain this demon would be done quickly. She really didn't want to end up on the paying end of this monster, especially for whatever the exorcist had done to piss him off. Amy waved her arms over her head to get the thing's attention. "Over here! Come at me!"

[John Constantine]

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I've been looking for an original sin

The demon had been tracking him, until the woman started yelling at it and calling it ugly. That... was not a good idea with this one. It was a prideful nasty thing that liked to punish any insult. John knew he'd have to get its attention again and fast. He'd wanted the woman to run not draw attention. THIS was exactly why he fucking worked alone. Aggravation pushed him to move faster, and he began to chant loudly, before slicing his hand open and slamming it against the containment circle.

It was risky business, combining different types of magick and rituals, but he didn't have a choice, not with the big ugly focusing all his attention on the lady who'd interrupted John. Just as the demon was about to cross the circle a red glow erupted from the chalk lines and circled above the demon's head. It'd worked, but for how long he couldn't say. \"You'll pay for that, exorcist!\" The demon's voice had become a chilling howl, and he knew they were in for a not-fun time no matter what he did.

Whirling on the woman, John glared at her. \"What the hell, lady? I told you to back away, not draw his attention! If he got his paws on you, you'd have been lucky to be alive after! I don't need another soul damned because of me. Bloody hell...\" He shook his head, then began to circle the glowing sphere the demon found himself in, scribbling more chalk markings and pressing his bloodied hand into them to seal it - blood magick was dangerous but he didn't think he had a choice but to use it now.

It didn't respond as it had back home, which bothered him, but the magick here was different and he'd gotten used to it not always being predictable. At least it still responded to him. Mostly. He glared up at the monster. \"Not gonna say your name here as that'll give you even more power, but just so you know - I know exactly who you are. And what you do. You touch one hair on her head, or anyone else's and I'll know. I know your weaknesses and you're cut off from your boss and allies here. No way to get help, got it?\"

He flashed a very, very unfriendly smile up at the demon. \"I got a lot of friends though, and I know they'd just love to see what makes a demon tick. So be a good boy and back the fuck off. Don't do anything you know ol' John wouldn't approve of. I'm binding you into a mortal form - your own so no poor sod has to deal with your sorry attitude or stench - and then we'll go from there.\" The demon howled in fury, hurling insults in demonic at him, but John knew the bastard was at least partly contained.

His attention went to the woman. \"Okay. So he's stuck for the moment, but this'll wear off soon and I want to get this other spell I just threatened him with done now. You gonna help or would you rather leave before things get worse and it holds a grudge against you too?\"

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[Amelya Shipwright]

Amy had gone to dodge before the strange man had thrown up the spell, but her eyes remained locked on the demon that howled its rage at being contained. And then the Outsider was scolding her and she just lifted her eyebrow at him. "Not leaving you to deal with this alone, you idiot!"

 

Her eyes went from the man who clearly was the expert here and back to the demon, her body tense. The thief was ready to bolt if she needed to, get the hell out of Chiselwall basically. Still though, she'd not just abandon the man who was clearly stupid and had a deathwish, not if she could help it. This man was terrifying when he put his mind to it.

 

The woman's hand went to one of the daggers at her hip instinctively. It probably wouldn't do her any good if that thing got out, but she needed to do something to assure herself. "What do you want me to do? Not leaving you to handle this yourself."

 

Dark eyes drifted up and up as she looked the demon thing over, her eyes narrowing as she waited for her instructions. She smirked a bit as she glanced at the blond next to her. "You just owe me a drink if we survive this, you know."