Icegalos & the Pandoran

November 24th, 2009

Tonight ended up being fascinating and disturbing. I think I am missing a few hours of time from the middle of the night. I remember the pandoran escaping, and speaking with Rowan and later Mona, but there are gaps in between those events that I can't account for. If I think hard, I remember going to read a book. But why would I decide to read a book and not go after the pandoran? Something isn't right, and that disturbs me. But I'll record what I do remember.

The sun set around 5pm. That is one benefit to being in Chicago over New Orleans.. earlier sunset. I can't ever watch the sun set. I don't enjoy food. But I just don't give a shit. Instead I have the means to do whatever the fuck I want. I wept the night Giuseppe killed me. That's the only word for it. Then I was practically homicidal with rage. Then I got the fuck over it. He was right, I wouldn't have agreed to it if he had asked my permission, but only because I didn't realize the opportunity it was. I owe Giuseppe. The guy I used to hate (he used to such a prick) turned into the closest thing to family I'd ever had. Dysfunctional and fucked up as it may be. I didn't choose this "life", but I damn well don't miss what I had before. The only thing that worries me is the monster. I'm no saint, but I'm fucking terrified of becoming some inhumane vampire killing machine. The temptation to tear out throats and drink people dry is always in the back (and sometimes the front) of my head..

Went out, fed, and headed back to the shop. It was dark now, and I sharpened my senses.. just in case. I've got too much bullshit going on to take a chance and get ambushed. A lot of good it did me.

I walked up the steps and reached for the door knob, and felt someone move behind me. I whirled, then stopped dead in my tracks and just stared. Jamaicastein stood at the base of the stairs. I wasn't used to seeing him look so normal. Usually he looked like a dead guy with a heart exposed in the middle of his chest. Now, out in the open, he just looked normal. It was jarring.

"What do you wish of me, Priestess of the Khaibit?"

I just stared at him like an idiot. I asked the only question I could think of in the situation. "What are you doing here?"

He seemed more than slightly irritated. "You called me. Now what is your command?"

That fucking piece of glass! At least then I knew what I had started. It was decidedly less life threatening than I had expected. At this point I wasn't at a loss for words, but my head was flooded with so many questions that I didn't know where to start. That was when Gio poked his head out the door.

"What the hell is going on out.. oh.. hi!"
Jamaicastien nodded to him, but kept staring at me.
Gio looked at me, pushing the door open wider. "Whats he doing here?"
"I called him.. apparently." I muttered.
"Huh..cool."
Jamaicastein started to look impatient. "You are wasting time."

I turned and walked into the shop, telling the Promethean to come inside. His visage changed briefly as he walked through the wards of the shop. For a split second I could see the mummy, the bulge in his clothing that covered the heart we had put there.. it was almost comforting in a way. I texted Giuseppe and Mona and told them what was going on. All Giuseppe sent back was a cryptic, "Learn", Mona responded that she was on her way over. That worked to calm my nerves a bit. I hadn't heard from her in a few days and was uselessly worried.

We all settled in the living room and I immediately started pelting him with questions. Giuseppe had told me almost nothing about the Khaibit and I was determined to dig up everything I could about my bloodline. Jamaicastein had known Yousef, he was a servant of the Khaibit, and he gave me what information he could. He also looked at me as though I were a slide under a microscope. He asked me about the battle with Ophios, asked me if I had been afraid of dying. I told him the truth.. that fighting Ophios was the first time I'd ever felt like I'd found a purpose.. I'd been terrified.. but it was secondary to wanting to kick the shit out of the opener of ways.

He asked me what it felt like to have purpose.. but how the fuck am I supposed to answer that? Its what I'd been waiting for my entire fucking life and ironically I had to die to find it, but I didn't know what to say to him. He seemed bitter and angry, but not at me. He was willing enough to answer what questions he could, but he didn't know as many details as I would have hoped.

Though Gio was happy- Jamaicastein knew things about the Cult of the Phoenix, elixirs and other useful shit. He also told us to call him Icegalos. Sounds better than "Jamacaistein".

We were sitting around talking for a good hour before I smelled something burning. A lot of fire and burning going on lately. I'm not a fan.

I jumped up and nearly knocked my chair over. "I smell fire."
Everyone was confused. Apparently the only one who doesn't breathe was the only one who could smell it.
"Oh... oh FUCK. That thing! the lizard thing!" Gio ran (as fast as a guy with a gimp leg can run) into the front of the store, yelling something about the statue.

It was a guess, but he was right. The sheet that we had draped over the lizard statue was lying on the floor, all that was left of the wooden carving were a few smoldering pieces of wood.

"What are you talking about?" Icegalos watched after Giovanni, suspiciously. It was about then that something flashed across the ceiling. Whatever it was, it was nearly impossible to see. I was the only one who could keep eyes on it, and even then, barely. It looked like it had cloaking like the fucking Predator.

Before any one could react, it struck out at Icegalos, tearing deep gashes in his shoulder blades... So I shot the motherfucker. We heard it yelp, and dust erupted from it. It looked like stripper glitter and it stung like a bitch. As if the thing wasn't hard enough to see already. Nobody got a face full and it nearly caked his eyes shut. He swung at the thing a few times, but never came close to hitting it. Nadi did her hand waving and the wounds on Icegalos shrank substantially, but judging by her face, that's not what was supposed to happen.

Gio went for the sawed off shotgun and blew holes in the ceiling. He missed the thing by 8 feet. "What the fuck is that thing?" He growled.
Icegalos winced, but kept his eyes on the cieling. "Pandoran.. Promethean gone wrong."

I was getting pissed. "Goddamn it Gio. Do something useful. Find something to mark it with!"

I spared a glance as I heard him cursing as he opened and shut drawers, looking for ink. He found oil and yellow pigment and started furiously mixing the two.

I lost sight of it until it went for Nobody. It lashed out with what I think was a claw. To Nobody's credit, he knows how to handle himself. I think he sensed the attack more than saw it. I watched the air shimmer, like heat rising off pavement and Nobody twisted himself in some ridiculously impossible maneuver and avoided the attack. The damn thing was fast.

It crouched behind Nobody and while everyone else had lost visual, I made out enough of a face to make eye contact. The eyes were reptilian and the pupils contracted as its slithering, oily voice made its way inside my head.

"I have no quarrelsss with you. Leave me the abomination. It musssst be dessstroyed."

I was barely able to choke down the rage. Icegalos was mine. Abomination or not, he only ever helped us out. I had called him, he was my responsibility.

"Fuck you." I shot it between its yellow eyes.

More dust exploded into the air and thing jumped back onto the ceiling. Bullets weren't cutting it, and no one else could see it.

"Harper!" Gio threw a beaker full of the yellow paint he had been furiously making. The throw was painfully short. Without even thinking, I forced blood into my muscles, lept for the descending beaker, caught it and used my momentum to swing the glass crashing into the ceiling. I heard a hiss as the paint nailed the thing in the shoulder. I felt like a fucking badass, even as I slammed into the floor, shoulder first.

Almost as soon as the paint had landed, Nobody was moving. He had a cruel looking spear in hand, brought it out from god knows where. He slashed at the thing. The creature screamed and bolted towards the basement door, one leg now useless. Icegalos panicked, screaming something about the fuse box.

For future reference, Promethean + Electricity = The worst day of your life.
I unleashed that rage I'd been holding onto, all towards that lizard bastard. I took the beast, focused it, and let it run loose.. my vision went red.

I don't remember a lot after that. Bits and pieces. The beast can be useful, and my frenzy was controlled, but cognitive thought went out the window. I know I tried to tackle it off the ceiling..and missed. Nobody rammed his spear into its belly and the weapon extended until it hit the floor, pinning it to the ceiling like a tension rod. It's neck stretched into next week and clamped onto Icegalos' shoulder (I don't know remember how Icegalos got ahead of it). They told me later that it had been sucking his life essence out of him.

Becca ran in and clobbered it with a tire iron. You could hear the bones in its neck snap loudly and it finally fell limp. It was very, VERY dead.

The beast roared in my ears. It wanted to rip the thing to shreds and bathe in its blood. I started to reel it back in when the creature started to twitch. The beast nearly howled in glee. We watched as the lizard man tore itself in half.. and jumped out the window, leaving its back legs to dangle uselessly from the ceiling.

And then I went to read a book.

And that's what disturbs me. Something isn't right. The beast doesn't just curl back up in its hole so I can go read. Nobody remembers doing the same thing, and Becca and Gio don't remember us being there for the next 20 minutes.. but don't recall where we went. Nadi conveniently disappeared to the library before I could ask her any questions.

This doesn't bode well..