[RP] A Single Element

[Neo Emolga]

Tyler White
Life Mage
Glasgow, Scotland
Affected RPers: @Noblejanobii

Well, the shotgun shells weren't doing too much to Maddox. Might have helped if they were slugs instead of buckshot, but in the overall picture, it probably wouldn't have mattered. As soon as I ran out of them, I just tossed the shotgun aside. The whole thing was for show anyway.

Maddox was definitely going nuts. I didn't know what his motives were or how he even got here in the first place, but he was simply trying to kill whoever was in sight and kill as many people as possible. That was easy to tell for anyone just from watching this guy for five seconds.

"I won't let you send me back!" he shouted as he unleashed more death volts at the police. "I refuse to go back there when I just got here! And if you will not let me live, then you must die!"

They probably had no idea what he was talking about. Every bullet that hit Maddox was at least putting some kind of strain on him. Even though I could tell he was regenerating the wounding, it seemed the heavier the fire got, the more it slowed him down.

After killing a bunch of cops, he then conjured up a second hook sword and threw both of his swords at the helicopter. As if that wasn't enough, he then directed a massive death volt right at the helicopter, striking it hard and causing it to explode loudly, throwing flaming pieces of metal and embers in all directions. Well, I was quite sure those pilots and that gunner got wonderfully fried, but it wasn't something I couldn't patch up. But, first come first serve. I worked on reviving the first batch of cops that Maddox slaughtered, followed by the second. I was sure the police report was going to seem awfully strange that the damage cost was astronomical but casualties were zero and all officers, even the crew in the helicopter, were safe and alive even though they had just been blown up.

Reviving the crew wasn't any more challenging than the cops, really. Their bodies had been blown to bloody bits and giblets, but it was simply a matter of restoring and regenerating them completely, and bestowing the breath of life into them again, which yanked their souls right back into their bodies and suddenly they were alive again. There was only one minor catch: their clothing was still in tatters. I figured there wasn't much they could do without their gunship or their weapons, but hey, at least they were still alive!

"Officer down!" one of the older cops shouted. "God dammit, where the hell is that backup when you need it!? And who is this bastard!?"

While more cops were showing up to the scene, they were starting in bring in SWAT teams and even a few armored personnel carriers showed up with heavy machine guns mounted on the roofs. The situation crisis response was rapidly escalating and it seemed time was not on Maddox's side. If he kept it up, the military was bound to get involved and I had a distinct feeling Maddox would not enjoy that in the slightest.

In the meantime, I just kept reviving whoever became the victim of a death volt or a hook sword fatality. Eventually, I caught up and Maddox's killing spree had been reduced to a distinctive zero. I could easily imagine he was starting to take notice his victims were simply getting back up again perfectly fine no matter how much damage and punishment he unleashed. I knew he would suspect something was up and wasn't making sense, but he wasn't going to be able to tell what or who was responsible for all the revivals. I blended in perfectly with the other cops and even they thought I was one of their own.

Another armored personnel carrier had rolled up behind us and was unleashing a storm of bullets from its mounted machine gun. Meanwhile, SWAT officers came rushing out of the carrier and were taking attack positions behind whatever strong cover was available. I kept playing the role of cop, and I knew as long as I acted like one, Maddox wouldn't be able to distinguish me from all the other hundreds of cops that were gathering around the area. That would mean every one of these guys could just easily get revived and get back into fighting again. The only cost incurred on the humans in this whole mess would just be monetary ones.

"We're dry on ammo!" I shouted to the SWAT guys. "Hand me something to shoot with, for god's sake! This psycho isn't stopping!"

In just a few seconds, one of the SWAT officers handed me an M16 assault rifle. His buddies were also handing over bigger firearms to every cop there, and it was just becoming complete pandemonium as more and more guns were aimed and fired at Maddox. Ah, humans and their flashy toys. Learning to fire this thing didn't take too long as I watched the others do it. As I sprayed bullets at Maddox, I couldn't help but smirk. No matter who he killed, they'd just get right back up again.

By now, four armored personnel carriers were firing upon him, along with a few hundred cops and several SWAT teams. Meanwhile, I heard a second helicopter flying overhead, preparing to get into attack position. Hmm, I wondered how much more of this Maddox could take!

[Noblejanobii]

Madeline and Madder Hatter
First and Second Madness Mage Incarnations
London, England
Affected RP'ers: @Awasfriend @AWA1997

Madder snorted at the name and shrugged. "Most people just call me that guy that murdered half of England but hey whatever floats your boat, mate." Madder looked at Madeline. "I know where Maddox is, Madeline. If you get ahold of yourself, we can go."

"Madder… I don't know if-"

"That's not an acceptable answer, Madeline. Think about this for a second. The only reason I have an inch of control is because I know Maiden wouldn't want me doing this. Do you think Maddox would want you doing this?"

"N-No…" Madeline squeaked out, her face pale and her eyes wide as the realization came to her. She let out a long slow sigh then smiled. "Thank you, Madder." Dismounting her horse, she put her scythe on her shoulder. Madeline looked at John. "I would suggest locating Maddie. She's going to be the most unstable of the four of us."

With that, Madder summoned a card to his hand. He pressed it between his palms and began to chant what sounded like Latin, then threw it into the air in front of them. Suddenly, a portal opened, a blurry image of Maddox in Glasgow on the other side. Maddox summoned another card to his hand, The Tower, and looked at Madeline. Without a word, the two charged into Glasgow.

---

Maddox Hatter
Wraith Mage
Glasgow, Scotland
Affected RP'ers: @Neo Emolga

Things were not looking up for Maddox. Just as Tyler predicted, Maddox had caught on to the fact that his casualties no longer seemed to stay dead. He thought about retreating, but discarded the thought. He still had another trick up his sleeve. Maddox flicked his wrist, summoning a pocket watch to his hand. Holding it by the chain, Maddox let the pocket watch fall open, the face towards the soldiers. It began to glow but before anything could occur, space ripped open between Maddox and the soldiers.

"Tower, please, bring me your shield!" A red barrier formed between the soldiers and the Mads. Madder threw out four more cards to strengthen the barrier, his eyes glowing the same red. "Go Madeline! I don't know how long I can hold this!" Madeline turned to face Maddox.

"Maddox Poe Alastor Hatter! You stop this nonsense right now!" Madeline shouted. Maddox stared at Madeline, startled by the sudden cease in gunfire. He watched as Madder directed two of the cards to extend the barrier to protect them from the helicopter as well. Intriguing.

"Why should I, Mother? I finally have my chance at life. I get to experience the earth beyond the underworld! I finally get to live! Don't you want that for me?"

"I do, sweetie! I do. But killing people is not a way to live. I know, Maddox. Earth and all its wonders are fantastic, but is it right to strip other people of their ability to experience it?"

"If I get to experience it, then yes!" Maddox snarled at his mother. "I have lived all my life in the underworld! I've never seen the sun before, Mother! I've never felt the wind! Everything here is so… beautiful. And they're trying to send me back to the goddamn underworld, to a father that stripped me of my ability to see this."

"Maddox Hatter! You will not speak of your father like that. We both know it is not his fault that you died. Please, Maddox, just listen to me-"

"No!" Maddox yelled, "You're just trying to strip me of life too! I thought my own mother would support my decisions but I guess not. Which means…" Maddox summoned another hook sword to his hand, the blade sparking to life with black voltage. "you have to die too."

"Madeline! Watch out!" Madder screamed as Maddox charged and stabbed Madeline straight through her chest. Madeline didn't flinch, she didn't move, she only smiled. As her blood splattered across Maddox's face, something lifted from his eyes. He gasped and released the hook sword, the weapon disintegrating as it left his touch. Maddox dismounted his horse and picked up his mother's body.

"No! No no no! Mom! Mom!" Madeline's eyes fluttered slightly and she coughed.

"Hey baby, are you back to your senses?" Tears began to trace down Maddox's face.

"Mom! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't mean to hurt anyone. Mom, please, don't die again." Madeline reached up and touched Maddox's cheek.

"Shh, it's okay, baby. I know you didn't mean to. I don't mind dying. Third time around, you get pretty used to the feeling. Though I can tell you're not as strong as your father just yet. Even at full force you couldn't kill me with one shot of a death volt. Your father killed me at barely half strength. But still, you're so powerful, Maddox. I'm so proud of you, though it'd be nice if you didn't kill people with those powers."

"Mom, now is not the time for jokes," Maddox said flatly as Madeline giggled.

"I'm sorry but when your mother is completely insane that kind of thing tends to happen." Madeline sucked in a shaky breath. "So how does it feel, Maddox? How does it feel to finally be alive?" Maddox lifted his head a little and closed his eyes.

"Warm," he murmured, "the sun is so warm. The wind is chilly but not horribly so. The colors are all so vibrant. The sounds are so melodical. The air is so crisp, so fresh. Everything is breathtaking. I love it." Maddox sniffled, tears still coming down his cheeks.

"I'm glad," Madeline whispered, no longer able to speak up above that volume. "Enjoy it, okay? I know I won't be here to enjoy it with you physically but, I'll be watching over you and experiencing it all with you, even if you don't want me to." Maddox chuckled and let Madeline pull his head down so she could kiss his forehead. "I love you, Maddox."

"I love you too, Mom." Madeline's head lolled back and Maddox gently closed her eyes. Then, her body slowly disappeared, merely fading from existence as her soul was sent back to the underworld.

Meanwhile, Madder was silent. He was putting all of his strength into these shields but it wasn't going to last. Maddox winced as one of the cards above Maddox caught fire, then one of the ones in front of Madder burst into flames as well. Madder stepped back, drawing closer to Maddox and condensing the shield to a ball around the two of them, barely large enough for both of them to stand in. They were trapped.

[AWA1997]

Dagan Dimitris
Earth Superhuman
London, England
Affected RPers: @Noblejanobii, @Awasfriend

Dagan nodded. "If you can make sure that nobody realizes how quickly I got there, then fine." he said, heading through the portal provided, right as the two Mages left London. He grumbled. "I was too late." he muttered. "I hesitated too long." He paused before finding a secluded area. "Do you guys know where they went?" he asked the Space and Time Mages, hoping to be able to help where they went since he couldn't help there.

Castor Spellman
Enchanter, Alternate Universe First Incarnation
Pyramids of Egypt
Affected RPers: @Noblejanobii

Castor sighed. "Or maybe you need to quit putting the blame on everyone else for what may or may not be in their control." he said. "As the Enchanter, you are the person that requires the most contact with the other Mages. If I acted the way you do, I would have no supplies to work with because nobody would work with me so I could get them. Honestly, I'm surprised you do. You should be one of the most understanding Mages when it comes to mistakes, because I can guarantee you that you had made mistakes that seemed bigger in the moment that they happened than they turned out to be, and the ones you're blaming for everything made mistakes that seemed smaller at first than they ended up being." He stopped to mutter his incantation and packed up what he had made. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Mr. Almighty, Infallable Enchanter, I have to go and try to save what's left of your world." he said before teleporting, first to London, gaining the attention of Dagan as he teleported in. When he saw no sign of Madeline, he pulled out his compass, which showed the direction she was in before snapping to Madder when she died, showing him in the same place she was. He then tried to find Maddox, but couldn't locate a Mage whose power type he had never infused into the compass. Dagan started towards him, but he vanished again, teleporting to Glasgow to see what was happening there.

Kritana Sephtis
Death Mage
Underworld
Affected RPers: @Noblejanobii

Even though Kritana had relaxed significantly when he had taken Kora's shadow's hand earlier, he became more restless and obviously in more and more pain than before as people were being killed and revived left and right in Glasgow. But, as the fighting in the areas of the first three Mages slowed and stopped, he returned to an even more stable state. Still under stress from the last of the Mages still terrorizing their area, but not near as much as when all three were attacking.

[Noblejanobii]

Jude Audrey
Fate Mage
London
Affected RP'ers: @AWA1997 @Awasfriend

"I told you to hurry up," Jude's voice echoed from behind Dagan. "Well, one of them just died, so there's two in Glasgow, but the more lethal of the three remaining is in Paris. If I were you, I would pick up the pace. The situation... it's not exactly pretty.

Arian Black
The Enchanter
The Pyramids of Egypt
Affected RP'ers: @AWA1997

Arian merely snorted as Castor's words. Foolish man had no idea that this was all just part of his master plan. Yes, it was all his fault. But that was on purpose. Very much on purpose.

Maddie Hatter
Madness Mage Third Incarnation
Paris, France
Affected RP'ers: N/A

Oh how foolish these people were. They thought they could stop her? She already wiped out most of France. Now she was just picking off the stragglers. Still, these fools thought they could stop her when all of Paris's police force had not stood a chance. Maddie looked over her opponents. She recognized them all except one. All but one were from her world.

The first was Terra Mere. Wife of Paradoxes, Mother of Space, Mother of Time, Mother of Animals, Mother of Nature, Best Friend of Life, Enemy of Death, First of Earth. By far the most powerful of the earth mages, her temper made her volatile, the equivalent of a ticking time bomb. She could have easily killed Maddie by now if she had wanted to, but she was holding back. And that was her mistake.

The second was Michael Kerauno. The original Magnetism mage, he had died close to the beginning of the universe, but that did not make him any less powerful. He also was holding back, which was costing him greatly. Maddie had almost completely worn him out, but he was still clinging to consciousness.

The third was Haruka Vijon. The man who often escaped from one world to another, burdened with the ability to see but not change the future. He had been relatively useless in this fight beyond using what enchanted items he was wearing, most of which were now broken. He also was barely clinging to life.

The final was one Maddie did not know. She was of this world, not hers, but had blood powers. Though she did not appear to have immortality. She was obviously straining herself, but refused to back down like a childish mortal. Still, her mentality was different than the others, she was out for the kill.

Maddie giggled before lifting her hand in the air. She winked at Haruka before forming a giant teacup over him. Haruka barely had time to look up before it slammed down on him. Haruka still managed to duck out of the way, like a pest, but that was no matter. She would crush him eventually. His future vision would fail him eventually. The earth below her began to warp before splitting, forming a capsule around Maddie. Maddie paused as darkness encased her. Oh? Did Terra really think this could cage her? Maddie took hold of the moisture in the air and turned it all into tea. Forming a ball of tea, Maddie threw her hands out to the sides, slicing the capsule open. Maddie stuck her tongue out at the three as she observed them all.

Terra was panting, sweat beading down her forehead. She was overexerting herself in this fight to capture not kill. Michael had only slightly uneven breathing, his hands out to the side as he prepared another attack. Haruka was down on one knee, attempting to catch his breath, the human standing between him and Maddie. Blood was splattered all over the mortal's body, but she did not seem to mind, as one would expect of a person with blood powers. She extended her arms, sending was appeared to be bullets of blood at Maddie. Maddie twitched her fingers and tea formed a bubble around her, blocking all the bullets.

"My turn," Maddie giggled, shooting a spear of tea at the girl. Haruka pulled her down, the spear barely missing the girl as she collapsed to the ground.

"I can't believe a mage just saved me," she grumbled as she stood back up.

"Mages or not, you're still fun to play with," Maddie said with a laugh. "Now, how long before you die? I've wiped out all of Paris, so now I think I want to go somewhere bigger. Maybe Tokyo? Only you stand in my way. Is it because you don't like tea?"

Michael grimaced, not liking where this was going. But they didn't have to fight much longer, hopefully. At this point they were just stalling for more backup. Though, if backup never arrived, Michael was unsure what they would do. They might be forced to kill Maddie, which did not seem like an option.

[AWA1997]

Dagan Dimitris
Earth Superhuman
London, England
Affected RPers: @Noblejanobii, @Awasfriend

"Ok, send me there, quickly. Don't even bother with disguising how quickly I get there. I'll just say that I can't explain how it happened." Dagan said.

Castor Spellman
Glasgow
Pyramids of Egypt
Affected RPers: @Noblejanobii

Castor sighed as he showed up in Glasgow. "Hey, Madder, Maddox." he said calmly as he stood as he looked them over. "I see that you two have come to your senses at least for the moment. Do you think you can stay that way long enough to help with Maddie? I have a feeling that we'll need all the help we can get so that we don't kill her."

[Awasfriend]

Bernie Sumner
Space Mage
Alaska
Affected RPers: @AWA1997

"Several mages are covering her, but they don't look good," he told Dagan opening a portal right outside the battle.

John Smith
Science Mage
London
Affected RPers: @Noblejanobii

"Thanks for the lift," John told the Space mage running through the portal after picking up one of the hats Madeline hid behind. Things were not looking up for the mages fighting her. "Maddie!" John yelled at her away from the portal hoping to draw her attention away from it. Tossing the hat he grabbed towards her transforming it into a teacup and saucer right before it reached her.

[Morzone]

Rowan Summers
Music Mage
Araxie's Home, Italy
Affected RP'ers: @Noblejanobii

Rowan Thought it over. "Northern Canada works, then. To be honest I was more worried about our skin tone, which would stick out in southern pacific areas, especially in places with less tourism."

He paused, feeling in the air the daunting task of going on the run. Eventually he said, somewhat awkwardly, "I guess... we should go."

Marx Hunfree
Fire mage (posing as Superhuman)
Glasgow
Affected RP'ers: Noblejanobii, @Neo Emolga

It didn't take Marx long to discover disturbances when he flew over Glasgow between the sirens, the panic, and smoke trailing from destroyed materials, He could easily tell the general location of the mage. The helicopter shooting down into the street helped him too, though only a little.

Hovering above the helicopter, Marx looked down into the chaos below. All of those soldiers shooting at those shields of cards... Clearly the first step was to break it open. Aiming carefully, Marx focused his energy to create flame as hot as he could manage and fired three bolts of searing white flame crashing down onto the shield of cards.

[Neo Emolga]

Tyler White
Life Mage
Glasgow, Scotland
Affected RPers: @Noblejanobii @Morzone

Maddox had created some kind of weird red barrier reinforced with cards to protect himself from the police force. I didn't know the full nature of it, but despite the attempts to shoot it down, most of the bullets bounced right off. For now, it seemed like we had Maddox on the defensive, but we still couldn't tell what was going on inside.

In the meantime, anyone that Maddox killed had been resurrected, so the only things that were lost were just a few police cars and some building damage here and there. All things that were easily replaceable.

The good news was at first, it seemed like the bullets weren't doing much to the barrier, but they were damaging it slowly but surely. One of the cards suddenly caught fire, followed by another. The cops didn't know what kind of barrier this was, but they knew they were at least damaging it.

Meanwhile, the civilians had all been evacuated from the surrounding area. A second helicopter had positioned itself to lay another barrage of gunfire upon the shield, dealing even more damage to it. From what I could tell, the police weren't even going to ask Maddox to surrender. This was something supernatural they were dealing with and they didn't want to risk even trying to capture him only to have him break loose later on and kill more people. Couldn't blame them there.

It wasn't long until some military support had arrived. Now, beyond the bullets, they were starting to fire anti-tank rockets upon the shield to finally break it open completely. Meanwhile, I looked up to see Marx, launching firebolts upon the shield of cards to deal even more damage to it.

I wasn't sure if Maddox was going to retreat back to where he came from, but staying here looked like certain suicide.

[AWA1997]

(I just realized that I didn't tag everyone in my last post...)

Dagan Dimitris
Earth Superhuman
Paris, France
Affected RPers: @Noblejanobii, @Awasfriend

Dagan rushed through the portal when he saw that John was acting as a distraction. He looked around to get his bearings on what was happening. "Someone bring me up to speed, please." he said, preparing to use his powers as a barrier.

Castor Spellman
Enchanter, Alternate Universe First Incarnation
Glasgow, Scotland
Affected RPers: @Morzone, @Neo Emolga, @Noblejanobii

Castor put up a barrier of Stone as the attacks began to threaten him as much as the other Mages. "I can't keep this up long, if you think you can hold yourselves, I need to know soon." he said urgently as rockets began to pound against the solidified earth.

[Noblejanobii]

Maddie Hatter
Madness Mage Third Incarnation
Paris, France
Affected RP'ers: @AWA1997 @Awasfriend

It was not looking good for the team facing up against Maddie. Elisabeth was unconscious, surrounded by her own blood, having been sent flying through the window on the top floor of a four story building. Michael was off to the side, on his knees, barely able to keep his eyes on Maddie as he spit up blood. Only Haruka and Terra were still fighting against Maddie, and she was not even breaking a sweat beating them. Their only saving grace was John's intervention at the last second. As the hat turned into a tea cup and saucer, Maddie reacted immediately, sending out tendrils of tea to catch the cup and saucer.

"Now that was just rude!" Maddie said, retrieving the tea cup. She picked it up and inspected both the cup and saucer before glaring at John. "You could have broken the tea cup!" Without another word, Maddie began to send the tendrils of tea after John.

That was when Dagan ran up to Michael. Michael gasped for air before replying softly, "We're getting our asses kicked. Miss blood over there hasn't woken up sent Maddie knocked her straight in the skull with those tea tentacles or whatever. The other two are doing their best to hold her off but in all honesty on Terra's powers have very offensive capabilities. Haruka is just using whatever jewelry he has to fight. And my powers don't seem to affect her for some reason. Either way, we're in a mess since we need to catch her alive."

Maddox Hatter and Madder Hatter
Wraith Mage and Madness Mage Second Incarnation
Glasgow, Scotland
Affected RP'ers: @Neo Emolga @Morzone @AWA1997

It was too much. The constant barrage of attacks was causing the shield of red to cracks. The smell of burning paper filled the bubble as both the remaining cards threatened to burst into flames. Madder could feel the life being sucked out of him as he put everything he had into keeping this barrier up. He did not care if he died, but Maddox had to live! If only for a little longer! None of this was his fault. Suddenly Madder felt something rise in his throat and began to cough, blood dribbling from his mouth.

"Madder!" Madder waved off Maddox, but he knew that the real risk was kicking in. He was exhausting his temporary immortality to the point that if he took too much more, he would die. "Madder!" Maddox suddenly shook Madder as one of the cards burst into flames. The sudden shaking broke Madder's concentration, causing the barrier to fall right as the three shots of flames had been fired. Now in full view of Tyler and the other soldiers, Madder collapsed onto the ground, barely able to stay awake as Maddox just stared up at the sky. He slowly lowered his head, tears tracing his face as he waited for the inevitable, but it never came. Suddenly Castor was there with a barrier of stones to protect the two from being hit. Madder's breathing began to even out as the immortality spell no longer had to work against Madder's magic. Maddox picked up Madder and ran over to Castor. "We'll do our best," Maddox said, "please just get us out of here."

Araxie Scripture
Writing Mage
Assisi, Italy
Affected RP'ers: @Morzone

"Oh well I think the islands near New Zealand and Australia might not be bad but you're probably right." Araxie paused at the awkwardness in Rowan's voice. She sighed a little and nodded, looking over her house one last time before gesturing towards the door. "Shall we go then? To Canada?"