Cosmos Of Terror Episode 1 (Urban Fantasy Reboot) (IC)

[Flarbinia]

"I am not surprised. Most Psychics gain their powers at puberty. They are brought into Division 16 with a basic understanding of their powers and how they work. You, on the hand, are a Late Bloomer. Your powers manifested later in life and thus have less experience than your fellow recruits. However, Late Bloomers have one advantage over garden variety Psychics: the amount of raw power they bring to a battle. Now that I have answered your question, it is time to move to the next lesson." Agent Nolan said to Alan McDonald right before he blindfolded himself, turned around, and walked fifteen feet from Alan. "Like all Psychics, you can use your mind to detect danger in situations where you cannot see or hear a potential threat. With enough practice and experience, you can even dodge bullets and arrows, grab a Dragonfly while it's in flight, and block lethal blows that move too fast for high-speed cameras to detect. For this demonstration, I will need one of you to approach me in a threatening manner. Any volunteers?" Agent Nolan said to the recruits, briefly turning his head to address them.

[Odinburgh]

"I am not surprised. Most Psychics gain their powers at puberty. They are brought into Division 16 with a basic understanding of their powers and how they work. You, on the hand, are a Late Bloomer. Your powers manifested later in life and thus have less experience than your fellow recruits. However, Late Bloomers have one advantage over garden variety Psychics: the amount of raw power they bring to a battle. Now that I have answered your question, it is time to move to the next lesson. " Agent Nolan said to Alan McDonald right before he blindfolded himself, turned around, and walked fifteen feet from Alan. "Like all Psychics, you can use your mind to detect danger in situations where you cannot see or hear a potential threat. With enough practice and experience, you can even dodge bullets and arrows, grab a Dragonfly while it's in flight, and block lethal blows that move too fast for high-speed cameras to detect. For this demonstration, I will need one of you to approach me in a threatening manner. Any volunteers?" Agent Nolan said to the recruits, briefly turning his head to address them.

Alan stepped forward. Then he raised both his hands attempting to force choke Agent Nolan. Agent Nolan quickly deflected and forced Alan on his backside on the ground hard.
"What was that for?", he said loudly.

[Flarbinia]

"I could detect your movement before you could strike and was able to react accordingly. Now that I've demonstrated that power, it is your turn to use this power." Agent Nolan said to Alan McDonald as he took off the blindfold and put it on Alan McDonald. "Concentrate. Your goal is to detect my attacks and dodge as many of them as you can. I am not expecting perfection, so don't overexert your mind during this exercise. Unnecessary stress can cause problems for even the most experienced of Psychics." Agent Nolan said to Alan right before he slapped the Late Bloomer. "Let this be the last hit you take without detecting it coming a mile away, Agent Alan." Agent Nolan said to Alan before walking a few feet away. "Begin!" Agent Nolan said to Alan Mcdonald as he turned around and began to charge at him, hands clenched into fists as he rushed towards Alan.

[Odinburgh]

"I could detect your movement before you could strike and was able to react accordingly. Now that I've demonstrated that power, it is your turn to use this power." Agent Nolan said to Alan McDonald as he took off the blindfold and put it on Alan McDonald. "Concentrate. Your goal is to detect my attacks and dodge as many of them as you can. I am not expecting perfection, so don't overexert your mind during this exercise. Unnecessary stress can cause problems for even the most experienced of Psychics." Agent Nolan said to Alan right before he slapped the Late Bloomer. "Let this be the last hit you take without detecting it coming a mile away, Agent Alan." Agent Nolan said to Alan before walking a few feet away. "Begin!" Agent Nolan said to Alan Mcdonald as he turned around and began to charge at him, hands clenched into fists as he rushed towards Alan.

Alan began as he was instructed to detect Agent Nolan's moves. He had trouble concentrating as he could hear some noise outside. He fell to floor as Agent Nolan once again took him to the ground. "I heard something outside."

[Flarbinia]

"I'll get maintenance to fix the soundproofing. No noise is supposed to get in or out of this chamber. In the meantime, you will just have to ignore such distractions." Agent Nolan said to Alan Mcdonald as he helped him up and put the blindfold back on the recruit's head, turning around and walking back to his previous position. "Now, prepare yourself. In five seconds, I am going to charge again and this time, I expect you to dodge the attack. I don't care how close I get to hitting you, so long as you avoid getting hit." Agent Nolan said to Alan before charging at the new recruit again, only this time he missed completely. "Nice one, Alan. You managed to keep your head in the game this time." Agent Nolan said to Mcdonald as he removed the blindfold. "Listen up, maggots. This is your last lesson of the day, so pay attention." Agent Nolan said to the recruits as a large flame suddenly ignited in the palm of his left hand, the latex skin melting off, revealing a metal hand straight out of Terminator. "Pyrokinesis. One does not need to be psychic to know that fire needs oxygen to ignite, but a psychic can use their mind to ignite one. Imagine something flammable, focus on the oxygen over your hand, and once you've got a big enough flame, shoot it at the target." Agent Nolan said as he pointed his left hand at a nearby crate, a beam of fire whooshing towards it. Within half an hour, the crate was reduced to red hot slag by the conflagration. "Of course, as you witnessed earlier, this ability comes with the risk of damaging your hand, so don't hold your fire for too long. There is also the risk of the flame getting out of control if you allow it to grow to big, but hopefully, I won't have to get the fire extinguisher again. Now, begin" Agent Nolan said to the new recruits before multiple chutes opened, metal crates landing with a thud.

[Odinburgh]

"I'll get maintenance to fix the soundproofing. No noise is supposed to get in or out of this chamber. In the meantime, you will just have to ignore such distractions." Agent Nolan said to Alan Mcdonald as he helped him up and put the blindfold back on the recruit's head, turning around and walking back to his previous position. "Now, prepare yourself. In five seconds, I am going to charge again and this time, I expect you to dodge the attack. I don't care how close I get to hitting you, so long as you avoid getting hit." Agent Nolan said to Alan before charging at the new recruit again, only this time he missed completely. "Nice one, Alan. You managed to keep your head in the game this time." Agent Nolan said to Mcdonald as he removed the blindfold. "Listen up, maggots. This is your last lesson of the day, so pay attention." Agent Nolan said to the recruits as a large flame suddenly ignited in the palm of his left hand, the latex skin melting off, revealing a metal hand straight out of Terminator. "Pyrokinesis. One does not need to be psychic to know that fire needs oxygen to ignite, but a psychic can use their mind to ignite one. Imagine something flammable, focus on the oxygen over your hand, and once you've got a big enough flame, shoot it at the target." Agent Nolan said as he pointed his left hand at a nearby crate, a beam of fire whooshing towards it. Within half an hour, the crate was reduced to red hot slag by the conflagration. "Of course, as you witnessed earlier, this ability comes with the risk of damaging your hand, so don't hold your fire for too long. There is also the risk of the flame getting out of control if you allow it to grow to big, but hopefully, I won't have to get the fire extinguisher again. Now, begin" Agent Nolan said to the new recruits before multiple chutes opened, metal crates landing with a thud.

"I actually did something right. Was that part of the test?"

[Flarbinia]

"We've moved onto Pyrokinesis, Alan. I won't repeat myself. Use your mind to create fire, and when the flame gets large enough, point your hand towards one of the metal crates until it is reduced to slag. The flames should shoot towards your target. With the amount of raw power you have at your disposal, it shouldn't take too long, Late Bloomer. Of course, if your hand starts to get too hot, you can stop right then and there, but once you've cooled off, hit it with everything you've got. And before you ask, yes, I am a cyborg. I was in a Psychic Duel that left me barely alive. In order to save my life, Medical removed my brain from my mostly destroyed body and placed it in an endoskeleton of Tungsten reinforced Titanium/Coltan alloy. However, unlike the Terminator from the first two films, my endoskeleton is covered with latex skin instead of synthetically grown flesh" Agent Nolan said to Alan McDonald as he got the new recruit into position, the others sending a torrent of flame towards a crate, their targets glowing red hot.

[Odinburgh]

"We've moved onto Pyrokinesis, Alan. I won't repeat myself. Use your mind to create fire, and when the flame gets large enough, point your hand towards one of the metal crates until it is reduced to slag. The flames should shoot towards your target. With the amount of raw power you have at your disposal, it shouldn't take too long, Late Bloomer. Of course, if your hand starts to get too hot, you can stop right then and there, but once you've cooled off, hit it with everything you've got. And before you ask, yes, I am a cyborg. I was in a Psychic Duel that left me barely alive. In order to save my life, Medical removed my brain from my mostly destroyed body and placed it in an endoskeleton of Tungsten reinforced Titanium/Coltan alloy. However, unlike the Terminator from the first two films, my endoskeleton is covered with latex skin instead of synthetically grown flesh" Agent Nolan said to Alan McDonald as he got the new recruit into position, the others sending a torrent of flame towards a crate, their targets glowing red hot.

"Create fire. Got it." Alan slowly concentrated as he pointed at the metal crates and slung huge firewall at it. Nothing was left. He had confidence.

[Flarbinia]

"That is your final lesson until you begin Advanced Training and if you complete that, you will still have much to learn in the field. The rest of your time in Basic Training will be spent sharpening your skills. Now, if you'll excuse me, it is time for lunch. I suggest you get going before the food gets cold." Agent Nolan said to the new recruits as he ushered them out of the room. "Hello, Alan. I am Agent Grant. I was Agent Forelli's partner when he was the new kid on the block. I see that you and the rest of the new recruits have finished your lessons early. It usually takes three or four tries for a new recruit to learn how to detect danger with their mind. Speaking of lessons, I am willing to teach you some powers that are not covered in either Basic Training or Advanced Training. I have already gotten my Supervisor to sign off on it, so all I need is you to say yes and we can begin after lunch." An Agent with graying hair said to Alan McDonald as he escorted him to the canteen.

[Odinburgh]

"That is your final lesson until you begin Advanced Training and if you complete that, you will still have much to learn in the field. The rest of your time in Basic Training will be spent sharpening your skills. Now, if you'll excuse me, it is time for lunch. I suggest you get going before the food gets cold." Agent Nolan said to the new recruits as he ushered them out of the room. "Hello, Alan. I am Agent Grant. I was Agent Forelli's partner when he was the new kid on the block. I see that you and the rest of the new recruits have finished your lessons early. It usually takes three or four tries for a new recruit to learn how to detect danger with their mind. Speaking of lessons, I am willing to teach you some powers that are not covered in either Basic Training or Advanced Training. I have already gotten my Supervisor to sign off on it, so all I need is you to say yes and we can begin after lunch." An Agent with graying hair said to Alan McDonald as he escorted him to the canteen.

"You seem familiar to me. I think we met before. Yes at that internet café three years ago in London. You bumped into me and asked me to come meet you somewhere on a urgent matter but you never showed up. Sure I agree to this but I have questions still."

[Flarbinia]

Aos sí Apartments. Albany. New York
Silvanus, the landlord of Aos si Apartments (a building that had been abandoned until the Roman God of The Forests bought the building and renovated it as a home for Elves, Fauns/Satyrs, Centaurs, down on their luck Leprechauns, and the occasional Psychic or Wizard, their true nature hidden from Mortal eyes by an enchantment that enhances people's natural disposition not to see what they don't want to, don't expect, or can't explain), entered the apartment of Bramble and Malekith. "Bramble, I'm gonna need you to pick up some special herbs from Grigori's Gardening Supplies & All Natural Remedies. Over-The-Counter herbs. Prometheus has a migraine and Epimetheus is booked for the next two weeks on account of being this building's only handy man. Complete this task and you will not have to pay rent for the next three months. I apologize for the inconvenience, but between protecting my tenants from Yuppies looking to tear this building down to build luxury condos and keeping this building pest free enough to avoid being shut down by the Health Department and the preparations for Lupercalia, I'm too busy to get it myself." Silvanus said to Bramble as he handed him the entire shopping list, the difference between the items on the list and the elderly Russian Sorcerer's usual wares being that they had to be imported from India or Africa instead of being locally sourced, which would make them more expensive.

[Flarbinia]

"Silvanus, the lights on my floor have gone out. Can you send Epimetheus down there? My customers can't drink by candlelight." A Leprechaun said to Silvanus as he stared through the doorway, not wanting to be rude by entering the apartment without the permission of the occupants, causing the Forest God to turn around. "Epimetheus is busy with the regular elevator, Quaid. The most I can do is add the lights on the Seventh Floor to the list. If your usual customers have problems with that, open the bar to nerds who play Tabletop RPGs. They like the candle lit tavern aesthetic and you can make a pretty penny by breaking out the authentic medieval drinks." Silvanus said to the Leprechaun, the tenant smiling at the news. "Oh, and before you leave, I have one thing to tell you: don't piss off the Wizards. The last time you stiffed them on payment, I had to pay a hefty Noise Violation Bill. Do it again and you'll living with Walnut in Central Park, whether you have my rent money or not." Silvanus said to the Quaid as he towered over the tenant, the Leprechaun simply nodding in agreement before heading back downstairs. "I'm sorry you and Malekith had to see and hear that, Bramble. I usually handle such affairs in my office. Now that I have sorted that out, you can head downstairs. Please take the Employee Elevator. Grigori will have closed up shop for the night by the time you get there if you take the stairs." Silvanus said to Bramble before heading out of the room.

[Ceystile]

Bramble and Malekith: Aos Si Apartments
"The tiger lilies let out a rumbling, low purr when Silvanus came in through the entrance of their greenhouse.
“Ah, if it isn’t the old goat himself!” Malekith flashed a bright grin, leaning against one of the trees. “I thought rent wasn’t due until next week.” Bramble rolled his eyes.
“You know for a prince, you sure do have an appalling lack of decorum.” He turned to Silvanus, standing up. “Forgive him, sir. My husband…he’s something else. What task did you have for me?” Apparently he wanted him to run to a gardening shop to pick up some supplies. “Normally I have servants for that sort of thing but unfortunately, they’re not here right now.”
“You go to that place all the time, it’ll be right up your alley. Hey!” Malekith straightened, a twinkle in his dark eyes. “Maybe we can go together, it’ll be like a date!”

“A…date? Seriously?”
“I mean yeah, we’re married. May as well act the part.”

[Flarbinia]

"Greetings, Malekith. Welcome to my humble shop." Grigori said to Malekith before turning his attention to a small Demon hanging from one of the sun lamps hanging over some Moly. "Trag'thug, fetch me his list and I'll take five years off of what you owe me. If the prince of the Dark Elves and his roommate are willing to slum it for herbal remedies, they must be looking for something special and very specific." Grigori said to the Demon, the horned monster flying towards Bramble, landing on the Elf's shoulder, and grabbing the list with his tail, flying to Grigori. "I can see that you're only interested in the exceptionally rare. It will take us three hours to find everything on the list, but you won't be disappointed with the results. I'll be sending the bill to Silvanus, considering that there is only one resident of Aos si Apartment that needs this much of the heavy-duty remedies." Grigori said to Malekith as he read the list and headed into the back, the Demon flying to some small airtight jars and grabbing them, carefully placing them on the counter. Grigori then returned with small bags of herbs. "Sanjeevani is said to cure all ailments, but when the one taking it can see the past and the future, he will need more than what a Mortal would consume. And make sure that the seal on those jars is not broken. Otherwise, the potions will go bad in an hour and all you'll have is expensive slop." Grigori said to Bramble as he handed the bags to Bramble and the airtight jars to Malekith before motioning for the two Elves to leave.

[Flarbinia]

"The little prince and his pet in the same store where I'm looking for the perfect shovel to bury him. It must be my lucky day. Silvanus and his pet Ogre can't protect you here, young Malekith." A man said to Malekith as the door closed behind him, pulling off his hood to reveal that he is a Dark Elf with Demonic tattoos. "The politics of your homeland have no place in my store. You can't come in here and threaten my customers like you're some thug in Queens." Grigori said to the Dark Elf as he pressed the silent alarm. "Who do you think you are? All I see is an old Russian who doesn't have anything more powerful than a BB gun thanks to New York's asinine gun laws. I can drop you in ten seconds flat. Now, empty the cash register or I'll blow your brains out." The Dark Elf said to Grigori as he pulled out a laser sighted AMT Hardballer Longslide with the serial numbers filed off and pointed it at Grigori, the shopkeeper drawing his Markarov and pulling the trigger, the thug falling to the ground with a hole in his head. "Sorry about that, Bramble. I don't usually get robbed, so I don't hesitate to pull the trigger if someone points a gun at me. The fact that I live here means I don't have to worry about going to jail after the body hits the floor, especially since his actions were caught on camera." Grigori said to Bramble as he pointed to the camera, the Rune concealed by the logo on its side indicating that any Human who is not magically inclined will not see anything that could break the Masquerade. "Hands off that gun. You'll get your fingerprints all over the weapon." Grigori said to the Demon as the blaring of a police siren could be heard in the distance, the Demon using glamour to make himself appear like a little person.

[Flarbinia]

After an hour, the cops had left the store, the body of the Dark Elf that had attempted to rob Grigori already on its way to the morgue. "Please give Bramble and Malekith some Charms. The sun is going down and there are things that go bump in the night, even in Albany. It wouldn't hurt for them to have a little extra magical protection when they walk home. Do this and that's six years off of your debt." Grigori said to Trag'thug, the Demon flying into back, returning with a pair of small whale bone pieces with some runes on them. "Sorry, your highness. These are the only ones that can be spared, and their owner expects them to be returned by next week. You want to get any Charms more powerful than those without payin' a Wizard's fee, you'll have to head down to the Bronx and hope that the Fisher King's Pawn has one in stock. Magical items tend to end up there from time to time, though the owner can be a bit stubborn." Trag'thug said to Bramble as he handed the charms to the Elf Prince.

[Flarbinia]

Aos Si Apartments
"I can assure you, Goren, that Bramble and Malekith are safe and sound. Grigori would not allow harm to come to them, even if it means that old Wizard must part with some of his Charms for a while. Not to mention that Bramble knows some magic and Malekith has been trained to fight with sword and shield and dagger and his fists by the best warriors in his father's court. Of course, someone could try to kill them in their sleep, but between me and Bonecrusher and some of the deadlier plants in Bramble's collection, anyone who makes it past the wards won't get very far." Silvanus said to Goren Bronzeleaf, the Mayor of Faytown (a community of Fay living in the Mortal World), through the crystal ball on his desk. "I hope you're right, Silvanus. I gave my word to the parents of those two princes, meaning that if either of them dies at the hands of an assassin, I'll get the chopping block. I know you don't care much for politics, but this noble families take oaths seriously." Mayor Bronzeleaf said to Silvanus before ending the conversation, the image in the crystal ball fading away.

[Ceystile]

Bramble waved his hand and a spiky vine disappeared from around one of the assassins' neck and back into one of the normal plants on the stores' shelf while Malekith was pulling his sword out of another, straightening up. He turned to his husband with a slightly worried expression. "Hey, you okay flower?"
"I'm fine...and you?"
"Me, I'm good! I'm my father's finest soldier, ain't no touching me!" Malekith grinned, causing Bramble to roll his eyes. "Okay Sir Show-Off, now we need to figure out who sent these assassins after us." They were interrupted when an old wizard, Grigori came back and gave them some protection charms. "Thank you sir, these will come in handy." Malekith said solemnly, while Bramble's leaf-green eyes were glaring down at the bodies of their would-be assassins like they had personally offended him. "You need these for evidence?" he asked the cops. "If not, I have tons of hungry plant children who can make use of them."

[Flarbinia]

Suddenly, a winged monster slammed into the car that had been pulled over for a speeding, crushing the driver under its hoofs. The cop who had stared confused at Bramble turned back around as his partner opened fire, the cop drawing his weapon and opening fire, the monster shrugging off the bullet wounds as it jumped at the one who shot first and rammed its hand through the poor police officer's chest. It then turned around, tore off a large chunk of windshield, and tossed it at the other one, the piece of safety glass landing between his eyes, killing him instantly. The monster looked up as the bullets popped out, revealing that it had the head of a horse. "The 13th Son. the Terror of The Pine Barrens. The Jersey Devil." "Grigori" said as the beast charged into the shop, smashing through the door, shattered glass falling to the ground. The Jersey Devil slammed "Grigori" into the wall before approaching, the glamour fading away to reveal that it was not the owner, but his Demon servant Trag'Thug. The Jersey Devil attempted to slice open Malekith's throat, only to be stopped by a wall of azure light, the runes on the Charms glowing blue.

[Flarbinia]

"Should we attack, my Alpha?" A brunette with long flowing hair said to a hooded man as they stared at the entrance to the shop from an alley across the street. "No. It is only a Half Moon. We will need to be at full strength to have a chance at killing them. Besides, our Pack was only hired as a contingency plan for if the Jersey Devil failed to kill them. Even with the Charms around their necks, the chances of them defeating the 13th Child are slim." The hooded man said to the female Werewolf as they saw a thorny vine get tossed across the street. "And if they kill him?" The Werewolf asked her Alpha as they heard shouting and the breaking of glass, the two immediately heading away from the alley. "Then we will have to wait until Lupercalia to strike. Silvanus and the two Titans living in Aos Si will be in Italy on that day, meaning that there'll be nobody in his office when we finally make our move. We do the deed, our employer pays us the other half of our fee, and we head to Appalachia before Silvanus gets back." The hooded Werewolf said to the woman as they entered a nearby building.

[Flarbinia]

A spider sitting on the wall behind the counter watched as the Jersey Devil fought against Bramble and Malekith, the Jersey Devil hitting the blue forcefield created by the Protective Charms with enough force to send the Dark Elf Prince crashing through some store shelves, potted plants and jars containing pills that were made from medicinal herbs falling to the ground. If it wasn't for the fight and the fact that people don't usually look up, the two Elves would've noticed that the Spider was not one that is native to the northeast. It continued to watch until the Jersey Devil grabbed poor Trag'Thug and tossed him towards the ceiling, causing the spider to turn into a fly and flee through the vents. "Did anyone get the number of that Ferrari?" Trag'Thug said as he rubbed his head, looking up to see the Jersey Devil standing over him. "Your life's pathetic. I mean, you work for a damn Human. Even the fuckin' Imps are laughin' at you." The Jersey Devil said to Trag'Thug as he grabbed the smaller Demon's leg, Trag'Thug tossing balls of Hellfire at the Jersey Devil. Enraged, the Jersey Devil lifted him up in the air and slammed him into the floor, breaking Trag'Thug's leg.

[Flarbinia]

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning arcs from behind the counter, hitting the Jersey Devil, knocking him all the way to the doorway and stunning him for a few minutes before he got back up. "I ain't surprised by that. You're old. Wizards may grow powerful with age and wisdom, they are still Human with all the limitations that come with it. If you hadn't let up on such a powerful Lightning Spell, the electrical current would've stopped your heart right then and there." The Jersey Devil said to Grigori as the old man appeared from the shadows, Wizard's staff in hand, the air around its tip getting colder and colder, Grigori fired the Ice Beam at the Jersey Devil, the beam hitting its mark, freezing the Jersey Devil's arm solid. "An Ice Beam so soon after a powerful Lightning Spell, old man? Impressive, but nothin' short of my own demise will stop me from fulfilling my contract." The Jersey Devil said to Grigori as he slammed his unfrozen hand, the ice shattering from the impact. "Contract? What, pray tell, do you get if you kill Malekith and Bramble?" Grigori asked the Jersey Devil, keeping his Wizard staff at the ready. "They came to me, offerin' gold and jewels and magical artifacts of immense power if I bumped off two Elf princes. I told him that, in no uncertain terms, I would never accept anythin' less than the souls of ones they wanted dead." The Jersey Devil said to Grigori as he turned his attention to Bramble, the Elf Prince still standing.