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Message: <blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 4798340" data-attributes="member: 3285">Wild Hunt: Part 16 – Happy Halloween!It was Halloween. Ravers and their friends and acquaintances were ready to partake of a night of drug-filled, music-blasting fun. They began to gather at Columbus Circle at 9 p.m. Hammer, Jim-Bean and Archive wore their Goth outfits and joined the procession.  Whenever around twenty people showed up, half of them begin walking the route. This prevented the police from noticing a large mass of people.  Around two hundred people went to the rave in this manner. At the beginning of the procession, a number of ravers drank a large amount of alcohol, and smoked some marijuana. The route headed past the "haunted" apartment building of the film Ghostbusters, at 55 Central Park West and 66th street. Male ravers shouted things like "I am Vince Clortho, Keymaster of Gozer!" while females yelled "I am Zul, the Gate Keeper!" and engaged in provocative hugs and caresses. The ravers started to use ecstasy, crystal, GHB, LSD, and ketamine. The route continued north to stop in front of the stately Dakota building, on 72nd street. One of the first fashionable West Side apartment buildings, the relatively squat building was better known as the place where Rosemary's Baby was filmed, and where John Lennon was shot. Ravers made various Satanic salutes and said things like "He has his father's eyes!" and "All them witches!" Ravers who had not yet used the typical raver drugs started to take them. Mushroom and PCP use started. The ravers then headed over to the park itself, and traveled over the hilly stretch of parkland designated Strawberry Fields in the memory of John Lennon. Ravers mockingly sang Beatles tunes. Some ravers actually thought they were seeing John Lennon's ghost. Most ravers were actively using drugs and alcohol.  They proceeded along a path toward the north side of the lake, toward the Ramble. “Give me your pistols,” said Archive.Hammer and Jim-Bean slipped him their weapons, and received them back a minute later after he had inscribed the Elder Sign on each weapon’s handle with a piece of chalk.A few torch poles were planted around a small clearing. The stage and speakers were set up in a circle around the dance area. Large water bins were placed around for the ravers to keep drinking so they didn’t dehydrate. The party began. The agents spread out amongst the crowd, staying in touch via their cistrons. The rest of the partygoers arrived throughout the night, about ten at a time. “Now what?” shouted Archive into his comm, trying to look everywhere at once.“Now, we wait,” said Hammer.Hundreds gyrated to the music blaring from super-woofers, the light from the burning torches, and the drug-induced exhilaration. They dressed in a variety of ways—snug, geek, porn star, Goth. Near the stereo system, people took turns being DJ. Drugs were handed about like candy. Synthetic heroin, crystal-meth, Special K, GHB, PCP, marijuana, alcohol, and more were being used with wild abandon. The party was getting started. Suddenly, the expressions of numerous people went blank. “This is a wild trip!’ shouted one woman dressed like a witch near Jim-Bean. “I can see through the past…I’m heading back, BACK!” Other ravers fell to the ground, screaming and clutching their heads.   “It’s going down!” shouted Jim-Bean. The air began to shimmer as if heat was rising from the ground. A hazy image appeared, superimposed over the area. The strange dark corkscrew towers of a city were framed by a sky of pitch-blackness. From the windows of the towers could be seen red blazing eyes. The image grew more and more substantial. “That’s Tindalos!” shouted Archive. Hammer drew his pistols.  “Start the spell!”Archive drew a circle with chalk on the ground. He stood inside the circle, then concentrated on specific numerical formulas concerning extrapolations of spheres and spherical sections in various hyperdimensions. Howls echoed all around them.“Tell me I’m not the only one who can hear that!” shouted Jim-Bean, his Glock out.  The ravers didn’t notice the armed agents amongst them, too busy helping screaming friends to think much about it. However, their general incapacitation from drug use was beginning to freak them out. Morbid fear grew within them, transfixing them in fright. Within the Einstein Circle, Archive felt a pull to release his life force. “I hear it,” said Hammer.  “Where’s Morton?”Jim-Bean pointed.  “There!”The black-garbed figure of Morton stood at the center of the distortion, indifferent to the pandemonium surrounding him.  The howling moved closer.  Forces were unleashed around Archive that tore about the area. Multi-colored spheres of various sizes, including colors never before seen in this dimension, began to bubble out of the ether around him. Archive was filled with the sensation of incredible forces transcending space-time. Hammer shoved a raver out of the way and then unleashed both Glocks on Morton. Morton’s body jerked from the impact of the Elder Sign-infused bullets, surprised by their effect.  Suddenly a sharp, piercing pain rent through Hammer’s torso.  He whirled to find Gregor snarling against him, a knife buried to the hilt in Hammer’s abdomen.Jim-Bean fired at Morton, but this time he was ready.  Morton’s form shuttered left and then right, like a stuttering film reel.  The shots went wide. Archive concentrated, forming a sphere of chronal energy around himself. As he concentrated, the chalk circle rose into the air and spun around him at an ever-increasing rate of speed like a gyroscopic hula-hoop, forming a chronal energy sphere. Morton’s huge maw opened and Jim-Bean got a close-up look at what he had seen only in visions.  A whip-like tongue snaked towards his head.  He ducked.The tentacle-tongue snapped past his face and only too late did Jim-Bean realize Morton wasn’t trying to skewer him. The tongue whipped around him several times, binding his arms to his sides and hoisting him into the air. The howling became unbearably loud. The image of Tindalos became crystal clear, as packs of hounds arrived. Hammer turned and, pressing both pistols to Gregor’s forehead, pulled the triggers. Gregor was still screaming when Hammer blew his head off.Jim-Bean was suspended in the shimmering air.  Morton’s huge maw opened wide beneath him.Just then, Archive’s Einstein Sphere collided with Morton.  He was slammed sideways from the impact and the tongue went slack, dropping Jim-Bean to the ground. “The key!” gasped Archive, eyes glowing with raw power. “Destroy the key!”“Key?” shouted Jim-Bean, looking around.  Then he saw the spherical gemstone, about the size of a softball, sitting at the center of the disturbance. Morton flashed in front of Jim-Bean and the Crystal Key, blocking his path. Then he whirled as Hammer peppered Morton with gunfire. The hounds were everywhere, tearing the reeling ravers apart.  One lunged towards Hammer.  Archive’s whistling sphere flashed forward, intercepting the Hound in mid-leap.  It flashed out of existence with a yelp.  A pair of jaws the size of a truck began to materialize over the carnage. Blazing red eyes opened above it. “What the hell is that?” asked Jim-Bean, agape. The jaws rained blue ichor upon the bloody scene below. Triangular crystal segments formed, the gigantic head of a wolf-like entity slowly manifesting around the jaws and eyes.Morton stutter-stepped to Hammer, grabbing him by the throat.  Hammer unleashed the entire clip of both pistols into Morton’s torso and he finally released his grip, falling backwards, tongue flailing in agony. Hammer took careful aim at the key.Click.  He was out of bullets.A Hound slammed into him, knocking him down.  Archive slammed into the Hound, knocking it off Hammer. As it touched Archive’s sphere, the hound flashed out of existence.“I can’t…control the spell!” shrieked Archive.“The Key!” Hammer shouted to Jim-Bean. “Throw it to Archive!”Jim-Bean snapped out of it.  He outstretched his free hand towards the Crystal Key and concentrated.The crystal floated into the air.  All the hounds stopped what they were doing and turned as one, heads pivoting to focus on the source of psychic energy nearby. Jim-Bean flicked his finger towards Archive and the crystal obeyed. The Crystal Key whistled towards Archive’s sphere just as the hounds turned to pounce on Jim-Bean. The Key exploded as it impacted the edge of the Einstein Sphere. The entire radius around the Key was swept with interdimensional forces. Morton was swept away through the vortex into the realm of Tindalos. The huge wolf-like head recoiled with an unearthly howl.  The Hounds of Tindalos all flashed out of existence. Hammer and Jim-Bean dove to the ground. The Tindalosian dimension had disappeared, but the fabric of reality continued to warp.Archive rose up into the air, the wind whistling around him, cackling madly.  “You are all insects! I will crush you like eggshells!" “He’s going to blow!” shouted Hammer.  “Run for it!”  Hammer took off at a jog. Jim-Bean aimed his pistol.  “Not this time.”  He squeezed the trigger…</blockquote>

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