Ramsey and Styx

The car radio was tuned to one of the music stations some classic rock, with DJ host chatter about various things, the latest concert tickets or some rude comments here and there. Ramsey didn't care about all that though, as he cruised through the streets. Children played just before school would start, and white color nine to fives drove off to work. The morning air was brisk as he drove through town, looking for his safe-house. It was in a decent part of town, though the building was nothing fancy, just a flat to put his feet up as he pulled into the parking lot. He pulled the piece of paper out of his pocket and read the directions once again matching them to the numbers on the building.

He opened the creaking car door, which had seen better days as he locked it up and walked over to the apartment. A kindly old lady sat just outside on a chair while Ramsey walked up to the building itself. In his hands were two keys, one for the outside door, and the other for his room."Room 12." He said, almost questioning it. Up the stairs he went the second floor had rooms ten through twenty. His door was on the right of the hall, just across from room 11. Whoever lived there anyways. 

Inserting the key, it clicked with a metallic sound as the metal scrapped the locking mechanism. With a turn of the knob, the door opened, revealing a rather used apartment. It wan't overly dirty. But it still had some cleaning to do before it was presentable. Not that Ramsey had anyone to show it to, well not yet. But that'd have to wait. He'd been up all night and all of yesterday so for now it's time to sleep.

The radio in his apartment blared, Ramsey had set it to go off later in the evening. So he could get some groceries, for his arm to fully grow back he needed to pick some things up, which took more than a few hours. The money Barron had went a long ways to getting what he needed, and by the time his fridge was loaded it had gotten dark. He turned on the T.V for some entertainment, but the only thing on was some cliche monster flick. Or was it? As he began to recognize some of the News Reporters. "Wait?" He said watching ever closer, intently almost touching the screen. "That's fucking New Haven!?" He said composing himself."Yeah has too be?" "The fuck, some Demon invasion? Kinda sounds fun now that I think about it? Alright, it's playtime." 

Ramsey grabbed a light jacket and hopped back downstairs and opened the car's door. With a turn of the key his car was off as it changed gears racing down the street. Police and EMS were all over the place, as Supers fought back hordes of hell. Ramsey slammed on the breaks as the car came to a screeching halt just outside the Museum of Supers. As Demons of all sizes fought, killed and had their way with anyone unlucky enough to get caught up in this. Ramsey had jumped out of the car, plowing through demons left and right. As one monstrously huge one lunged at him. 

Grabbing a nearby car, thankfully not his own. He smashed into it using his one good hand, beating it down. It seemed he was competing for kills now between the local heroes. As he continued to rack up the count. But the larger ones weren't through with him yet, as they whipped him with some tail, spiked thing. And sent him flying into the Museum. 

Breaking through the wall, he landed right behind some counter. As a few other demons poured in, and someone was hiding behind one of the displays. Not that Ramsey cared all that much, but she too would be caught up in all this.

Styx cringed as something was sent flying through the Museum. At first it appeared to just be another one of these super-humans, but following the crash she could hear the telltale sound of very angry, violation focused demons gurgling, popping, and weirdly clicking, pouring into the Museum. Thankfully, most of the glass had ejected from her system so she could at least run for it.

Jumping to her feet, she ran deeper into the Museum. She passed the iron armor of Old Iron sides, jumped over a long display case with various gadgets and dothingies left behind by the Greatest Generation of Metahumans, until finally noticing the Gift Shop. Nestled not far from the entrance at all, its wooden door was easily disintigrated by hellish flames. She scrambled inside. The gift shop was covered in memorabilia depicting various hero's and heroine's that were mentioned outside. Masks, mini statuettes, cd's. She didn't care or really know the purpose of any of these, so she drifted off towards the books. Scanning through the titles, she noticed literally every one of the books were about the Museum and its contents. Histories on Lady Liberty's contributions to the war weren't even relatively close to the Cthäat Aquadingen. The De Vermis Mysteriis wasn't here, neither was Revelations of Glaaki or even any of the Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan. Even barring any of those rare titles, this was the worst selection of literature she'd ever seen. Who cared about human history? 

As the demons followed the mysterious, female figure had run off, Ramsey busy dealing with whatever is trying to eat his face off, as it pushed back hard. Sending him through the museum, as he tried to push back to no avail as his one arm just didn't produce enough strength to keep it away. He managed to leverage himself as the demon began to snap at his face, he threw off the demon as it landed somewhere towards the entrance, perhaps even towards the female figure. Ramsey chased after it, picking up some debris and tossing them as they hurdled towards the demon. As he managed to get close enough and began beating down on it's ugly tentacle face. As smaller demons swarmed him, only to be thrown aside, and into the nearby gift shop. 

The larger demon, whipped itself around tossing Ramsey off and flying once more into the gift shop. Some demon looking woman was browsing the books, like anyone browsed books at a gift shop? Was this that female figure, well no time to decide. As whatever tossed him inside, decided it wanted to eat, and they both looked like tasty meals.

Before she even got the satisfaction of setting the gift shop on fire, some human smashed through the entrance. Spinning around, fire erupting over her hands, Styx shifted her attention to the much larger threat, the massive tentacle faced monstrosity. 

The demon lashed at them both, with Ramsey being licked by it's long tentacle tongues."Fucking nasty. And I still got more company, just great." He said thoroughly pissed As the demon whipped around in the store, it tossed shelves around as they landed feet away from the two. Ramsey still believing the other girl to be a threat tossed it at her. Clearing up some room for him to move, and tackled the monstrosity. As he wrestled it to the ground while it whipped it's back into the ceiling. Him falling to the side.

Rolling to the side as the demon was chucked at her, Styx threw several blasts of hellfire into its beetlelike carapace, shouting some curse in a tongue that seemed to actually speak before she said the words. At best, it heated the carapace. At worst it just pissed the demon off. It seemed like an unhappy marriage of both. As it swung its ugly, tentacled head towards her, Styx booked it for the destroyed gift shop entrance.

The girl demon met the thing with fire, which made it angry, very much so. It's now heated carapace aflame as it lunged towards Ramsey, who blasted through it using his Phantom step sending the monster flying into the wall as he jumped onto it's head and began ripping it's tentacles to get to it's face. It screeched and thrashed moving yet again, into the display cases, of one legendary super, some powered armor guy? He wasn't important. As the thing began biting into his flesh, Ramsey yelled."God fucking dammit!" As he finally managed to dig his hand into the demons brain, but the thing just wouldn't stay still as it convulsed violently charging into the fleeing demon girl.

Finally reaching the display case of some crazed Scot who had decided to bring along a zweihander, Styx broke open the glass and removed the blade. Turning around, she saw the monstrosity charging towards her. Not wanting to be ran over, Styx shifted her feet and prepared to move to the side. Thankfully the thing was stupid enough to not stop charging. Jumping to the side, she swung the sword directly into the heated part of its carapace. The blade lodged itself into the fleshy muscle beneath and refused to be removed with any amount of tugging. Styx let go, backing away quickly.

The monstrosity charged the Demon girl, who had removed a sword from it's display case, and swung it at the charging behemoth as it lodged itself in there Ramsey reached for the spot the sword had entered, pulling back the carapace to expose it's soft flesh. He tore into it, as he removed what appeared to be a skull. The sword itself fell to the ground once more, as the demon fell dead."Alas poor?.. Wait, how did that go again? Ferris? Ah forget it!" He said hopping down. Skull in hand. "So I suppose that leaves me to decide what to do with you, and here I was beginning to like ya?"

Styx glared at the metahuman, "You could snap open that skulls' jaw, gently place your head inside, and close it. Maybe the blood leaving your neck would help you figure out what to do." She turned her head back towards the entrance of the Museum. "I don't feel like waiting for more of the large ones making their way inside. I still don't know where Sorgath went..." she muttered as she finished the thought.

Ramsey actually opened the skull of the creature looking inside."You want me to put my head in there? Gah, things nasty as shit. What kinda drool is that. I think I'm good keeping my head out of giant demon skulls." As she turned her head looking outside. Ramsey stepped over to the sword laying on the floor, picking it up once again."Yeah, those large demons are nasty ass buggers, not too mention those supers won't take kindly to us wrecking the place, but here!" He said as he tossed the sword over to the demon girl."It looks good with you. Should keep it, not like anyone else is going to use it. So? Who's this Soorgaath? Thing?"

Catching the blade, Styx continued, "He's some vehement fifth incubi that's upset with the Ash tribe. I imagine it has something to do with the treatise on damned souls, his circle take souls damned by Anger. His circle wanted Lust, so I'm not too surprised he's taking the opportunty kill me." She let one hand off the blade and melted off about half of the blade with a spray of hellfire, leaving about three feet of sword. It would be a lot easier to carry around that way.

Ramsey watched as the sword was melted down to a more manageable length. "Right!" He said confused."I'm going to assume all that meant really bad shit, and he wanted to rape you? Let me guess he's even responsible for this invasion, and considering you haven't gnawed my face off, or tried to light me aflame you're here to stop just him right?"

"What?" Styx asked, confused. "No, he's a moron. You, human. I mean, a human instigated the ritual. No, wait...several. Point being, we were summoned. I'm here because of that and I'm searching for very particular Tomes. This so called gift shop had nothing of value."

"Cultists, always fun to kill. They scream about some demon god, who'd protect them. Ha! So, these Tomes? Are like books right? So you search a gift shop, if I'm getting this correct?" Ramsey belted out a loud laugh, coming to tears."Ha, haha.. Hoo. Well that's about as stupid as cooking a steak over water. Why didn't you check the Library, though I'm assuming these tomes are much older than that? So I doubt you'll find them there either, best try a Museum of History, and not some over glorified shrine to hero's holier than thou!" 

Styx' face turned a shade of orange, which in this case meant she was incredibly mad and embarassed. "I swear, I will tear you apart and burn the remains to cinders! Some filthy man in an alley told me to go here. I know there has to be at least one in this city when cultists are boring holes to your realm." 

Ramsey laughed, as he moved closer."So you believed some homeless drunkard about their being ancient tombs in this Museum? That didn't raise any red flags, it didn't strike you as even remotely odd, go ahead babe. Rip me apart, BURN ME even, truth is you don't know shit! About this place. Next thing you'll be searching toy stores or hot dog stands. So go ahead, but I'll tell you this! How many do you think would stop and listen to a demon? Go on? How many? You can pass yourself off as a meta for now, but soon your mug will be all over with the title DEMON under it. So kill me! Or let's get out of here before more of your friends show up to eat, or more Metas bust in to give us the beat down."

Furious, pissed, and other synonyms for writhing with rage, Styx stared furiously into Ramseys eyes. Quickly, she swung the blade towards his side, setting aside basic survival for making herself feel better at this moment. 

As she charged towards him blade in hand. Ramsey stood there, not bothering to move as the blade impacted his side, while it did cut, it certainly wasn't as deep as she had hoped. As Ramsey grabbed her hand and pulled her close."See babe? Don't know nothing. So? Gonna keep swinging that, or wanna get out of here?" As Ramsey spoke his blood fell to the floor, he only winced as he removed the blade and let her hand go.

Styx yellow eyes raised in surprise, frowned and gave up. This night wasn't going well enough for her to argue. She needed time to think it over and at best if Ramsey died on the way out of here she could eat him. She hadn't eaten since she jumped into this infernal plane and there was no way she could actually keep sprinting past the raging forces of hell. "Fine." she said simply with a hint of venom.

Ramsey began walking."Well, got a place not far from here, best get out while the party is dying down. I'll let you stay for a while, ain't like it's MY place exactly. Doesn't matter, so my car is right outside. Well close enough. Or do you got some other place set up?"

Following Ramsey, Styx asked half jokingly., "We could jump through the portal and go to Hell. Does that count?"

"Always wanted a vacation! Does it have long beaches, with plenty of sun?" He replied jokingly back. As they walked to his car, and drove off towards the safe-house. Cars passed them, more officers, and EMS vehicles until Ramsey came to a stop. "Well, take a load off. This is the place." He showed her up the stairs, as he examined his wound. It had healed up nicely, as he turned back to her."So name's Ramsey, or Ares, whichever. I'm going to call you something, what's it going to be, a name or I'll just give you one."

Following up the stairs, Styx paused to think it over then began moving again once she decided, "Al'qruni-tun'kil (the words seemed to, again, come from her mouth before she opened it) is my maiden name but I've also answered to the title of the nearby river. Styx might be easier to pronounce?"

"Yeah sure as hell ain't calling you by that name, so Styx works for me, just get some rest and don't raid the fridge!"