Maleficar

  

    Alan had a great dinner with Rue. It was good to talk to another caster for a change. Rue's parents must have been nuts to give him the middle name of Agrippina. He was about to prepare for bed when his intensive network of wards began to buzz angrily. A paladin's life was hard enough without also being a sheriff deputy. He didn't have time to constantly prowl the Bleakhaven.

So he did the next best thing. He over a period of weeks gingerly connected small wards into a net that covered most of Bleakhaven. It seemed labor intensive but it was obviously working. It was clashing red. He had to look twice. Bleakhaven was a small city in the middle of nowhere, so why was there suddenly powerful malignant magic near a apartment complex? He dashed and got his sword and sheath and his armor and ran to his car.

It was a fifteen minute drive. But the nights of Bleakhaven meant the roads were almost completely empty. He fought his desire to speed. Recklessness always lead to inevitable fatalities. Slow and steady he repeated to himself. Step one investigate, step two engage. His mind stilled as the plan got came together. He parked not far from where the ward had been tripped and his armor buckled and fastened itself. It was not often that he got to wear his armor. The moment it finished it flared to golden brilliance.

As a paladin one had to practice until one could pick up malignant intent. His sight made it quite clear what had tripped his ward.  Next to the apartment there was an empty lot and there on the ground was a large festering echo. He unsheathed his sword and it burst into brilliant white luminescence. The bane of all malignant things.

His sword so embued could literally slice through spells with ease. It wasn't often that he saw a spell actually scream as his greatsword sliced through that echo. For a moment nothing happened and then a harsh screech as the spell collapsed with a loud crack and there was the sound of a demented carnival spew out and then two figures exploded from the portal. 

A black figure tumbled to its feet and its features changed and melded and Alan's eyes went wide. 

It was the void dancer from his dream like experience. Completely cloaked in utter black with limbs of bladed black. The void dancer took one look at him and charged. Alan brought his broadsword down but like his dream its speed and grace far surpassed his own and it flipped over him completely. He could barely turn fast enough to watch as the void dancer scuttle up the apartment building like a twisted mockery of a spider and was gone into the night. 

Alan barely had time to turn as he heard an enraged piercing screech of something not human. 

Fuck.

... He hated clowns. With their unnatural pallor, rictus like grins and disturbingly large feet and hands. he was going to put another dollar in the curse jar. But that curse word was worth it.... What.The.Fuck.  

For charging at him was undoubtly an incredibly enraged clown like creature. It wore a tattered and faded covered and many splotches were all that remained of its costume of pastel pink. Its matted pink hair was unkept and there was nothing human in its crazed eyes. Its massive grin opened wide to show many pointed teeth.

"Cheater!" It screeched but Alan wasn't particularly worried if a bit disturbed. 

His sword kept the monstrosity at bay. It also, seemed to piss it off.

It doubled back.

" Pinki not entertaining enough for cheaters? A better show then." It lunged and Alan ran it through but the clown opened its mouth wide its teeth tore through leather and latched onto a weak point of his armor. Alan cried out and then the clown exploded into confetti.He tried to look around and find where the clown had gone.

But there was nothing but the sound of a dying demented carnival and a loud but swiftly fading demented giggle. Two enemies had escaped into Bleakhaven....

or much worse. Had the void dancer unleashed what was the clown's name? Pinki?

That was a far more disturbing thought... His dream had been disturbing... what if this was just the start? He needed to heal and call his order for reinforcements this was rapidly becoming an uncontrolled situation.He needed to contact his order ASAP

and so he limped to his car as the clown's bite actively rebelled against the holy magic at his command. The best he could do was staunch the bleeding. With out access to his order's healer it would take weeks to heal. He slapped himself... marcus was arriving in a day.  His immunity to disease would have to hold till then.

 Alan had barely gotten six hours of sleep when his phone wrang. He cursed and sleepily picked it up. It was the sheriff's gruff voice. "We have another situation. There have been two more murders.... A woman was murdered in the hospital. Someone shoved a pair of shears through her eye socket brutally. Alan winced.

He had failed Bleakhaven. "And the other?" 

 " The medium" He heard the pain behind the words the medium and the sheriff had been friends for decades. " I'm sorry for your loss" 

The sheriff hung up. Alan Berger set his head on his desk. When his phone rang again. It was his order. " The situation has drastically changed." It was the bane of his existence. Grand Proctor Marcus but he didn't sound smug on the contary he sounded scared. " What do you mean?" He asked. Marcus replied "I'm bringing a detachment company of the order with me. Burnt Stake is heading towards Bleakhaven."

Alan's eyes widened. Burnt Stake was the most virulent and hateful "almost" terrorist group in the country. They weren't very good at hiding their hatred and more than one unwary caster just so happened to be found burnt at the stake.  Everyone knew wealthy people had to be involved somewhere to keep them well funded. Even the mundane people hated them. The government was oddly silent about them

With them arriving Bleakhaven was about to become a powderkeg because where they went mage factions were soon to follow. The order just might be able to keep the peace...Barely. Marcus continued. " I'm arriving tonight, I've rented a warehouse in the industrial district." Marcus hung up.

Alan sighed. Bleakhaven didn't have an industrial district per say but Bleakhaven did in fact have an industrial park and a warehouse district.

It was clear that Alan was going to need a lot of coffee for the foreseeable future.. Rue needed to know that Bleakhaven was about to get tense. He hurried and got dressed and winced as his neck was still sensitive from where the damned clown bit him. He raced down to the elevator.

The doors slid open just in time for Alan to hear furniture breaking. Rue's door was open there was a loud bang and a man flew out of rue's room to smash against the wall and he slid down.

"THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!"  Rue was quite clearly pissed off. He was wearing just yoga pants one of his arms and shoulder was bandaged.

Rue pressed his foot against the man's throat.

"Rue stop!" Shouted Alan.