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Post by Oracle on Aug 9, 2008 15:07:39 GMT -8
Ghost Rider Posted: May 11, 2007 6:16 PM
Summoning the ravaging hellfire that he had called upon took alot of spiritual energy out of the Ghost Rider. Hell, it wasn't easy summoning an inferno from the pits of Haides that could burn through adamantium as if it were butter. It was the best Johnny had at the moment. And he was hoping that it would be enough to stun Caleb long enough for him and his spandex clad friend to take him out, but that obviously wasn't exactly the case. Johnny needed to pull another move on this freak before it was too late.
With the eyeless slots in the Rider's skull, he could see what no mortal eyes could peer into. And that was the soul. And in Caleb's? He saw power being pent up through some unknown suppliant. And that wasn't good. No, that wasn't good at all. Ghost Rider was already weakened by his own use of power. Heh. It reminded him of when Dr. Strange had thrashed him around for his 'callous use of power.' But, man, Strange would certainly hate this guy. Caleb wasn't exactly uh....toning it down for the sake of the plane of mortality.
The next thing Johnny knew he was blown straight through a brick wall and out the other side. He didn't know what type of blast the priest had unleashed on him...but it was some sort of magic that was....incredibly powerful....because for the first time since he became the Ghost Rider...Johnny Blaze felt....like he was burning. Like his soul was on fire. And it hurt....alot.
The flame which always enveloped his skull weakened, taking on a blue hue, and dying down to an ember from the majestic blaze it usually held. The sign that the Rider was weakening. If he hadn't expelled an exponential amount of energy before Caleb had done his assault, he might not've been weakened so much...but he did...and he was.
Climbing from the building he had been tossed through he fell to his leather clad knees outside of the structure as it crashed down behind him. Weakened by the blast. The rest of the block was lookin' a bit shabby from it as well. Well hell, that was just dandy. He hoped Nightwing hadn't been blown to bits. Otherwise he might have to end up mailing him back to Gotham in fifteen tiny boxes with a sticky note that says "I owe you a boy wonder."
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Post by Oracle on Aug 9, 2008 15:09:46 GMT -8
Nightwing Posted: May 12, 2007 3:30 AM
"What the hell...just happened..?" Dick muttered, pushing himself to his feet. He didn't know who's apartment this was, but after seeing the explosion that enacted from Caleb's and Ghost Rider's power together...well, all he could do was jump straight through the locked window and cover his head. The fire escape he had been standing on a moment before ceased to exist, twisted bits of metal all that were left in it's wake.
Pushing himself to his feet and shaking his head, dust sifting from his hair he let out a sigh of relief, glad that at least the building remained intact. Man, that would've been disastrous. Alas, an impending creaking sound echoing through out the building allowed Dick to know he spoke way too soon. This building wasn't going to be up for too much longer. He needed to get out of here and find Johnny before Caleb came back for more. God knows that's all they needed at this point.
Climbing through the window before gaping at the devastation before him all he could do was shake his head. Caleb needed to be stopped, this widespread destruction couldn't go on for much longer. Dick had watched one city nearly die. He couldn't let another fall while he was right here.
Flipping from the apartment window he landed crouched in the streets pushing himself to his feet slowly, scanning the area from his new viewpoint to hope to get a view of where Johnny was. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of the leather clad figure climbing from a building he had been knocked through. Wow, the bonehead wasn't looking all that good. Well he never looked good, he was a skeleton for crying out loud, but right now he looked like his bones could turn to dust any minute.
Running over to him, he grabbed Johnny's arm and pulled it over his shoulder to help him walk. "C'mon, bonehead, we gotta get out of here before he gets back." Dick hated calling the retreat, but they didn't have a chance at this point. He caught a glimpse of an open manhole cover left by the explosion and ran straight towards it, before dropping into it to the sewer with Johnny right behind him.
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Post by Oracle on Aug 9, 2008 15:10:24 GMT -8
Caleb Posted: May 21, 2007 7:45 AM
Coughing violently, Caleb pulled himself up out of the loose rubble he was half buried under. Well of all the things he had been expecting, this was right low on his list of exceptable outcomes. As he started to dust himself off, the mad priest noticed two things. One was that his clothing was in complete tatters. That could be solved easy enough, there was a church near by and if memory served him a thrift store next to it. The joys of slum shopping, a few broken necks and he'd have a new outfit. The second thing he noticed, which gave him a bit more cause for alarm then being naked, was his limbs. They seemed heavier. In fact moving seemed to be like going against molasses. Then it hit him, in the power discharge, it discharged all of it. He could feel his energy returning slowly, but it would be a good while before he was up to snuff, at least an hour. Damn.
Well it was a good thing then that he didn't see any meddling heroes coming at him. The destruction around him seemed fairly bad, with luck they'd been killed or at least sent packing. He'd take his time walking to the church, kill folks the old fashion way and by the time he was ready, he'd be able to pop both of their heads off. There problem solved. So intent on this new course of action and on making his way out of this new ground zero, he didn't even notice the soft bright glow in the air behind him, the sparkle of energy that seemed to almost look like a rip in the sky....
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Post by Oracle on Aug 9, 2008 15:10:45 GMT -8
Ghost Rider Posted: Jun 16, 2007 11:08 AM
It was only a matter of time before Johnny had lead Dick to his apartment through the sewer systems. He pushed the manhole cover aside before climbing through to the surface of the street. He had long already powered down, reverting back to his natural flesh and blood state. The sweat-stained Johnny Blaze pulled himself fully out of the sewer system before watching Dick climb out as well. The two then made their way to the lift before heading into the stunt cyclist's apartment.
Johnny collapsed onto his couch, still more than worn by his massive energy discharge he had released earlier. He had really fought one HELL of a bout with the disdaining priest, but it seemed like their opponant got away...unscathed, to say the least. And that wasn't a good thing. Johny and Dick needed a new tactic, because their last attempt on that ravaging maniac was, to say the least, a failed mission. And if they sat on their asses for too long trying to figure it out, all of New York would be dead before they got their hands on him. And that was, needless to say, not an option. They had to get back out there before any more innocents were taken.
Letting his jacket slip off, and his chain rattle to the floor, he turned his eyes to his costumed comrade. "That guy's....tough. You got any plans? 'Cuz I'm not thinkin' a direct attack will get us any further than it did last time. I could probably hit 'em with the Penance Stare, but....I don't know if I could get my hands on 'em for long enough...any plans..?"
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Post by Oracle on Aug 9, 2008 15:11:33 GMT -8
Nightwing Posted: Jun 23, 2007 11:30 AM
Dick peeled his mask away from his face and dropped it onto the coffee table, taking Johnny's words in as he replayed the fight through his head, thinking of every keypoint his well-trained mind could muster as Batman's commanding voice inkled through his head. The answer is in the variables. That was one of the many lessons the Dark Knight had made Dick dedicate to memory when he was his squire. The main thing from this fight that Dick could definitely call confirmed was that magic was the best weapon to strike at this guy with. Dick's attacks were, at best, a distraction which could give Johnny the opening he needed to do some of that hellfire stuff which was completely over his head.
"I'm thinking, Johnny...just...."
He was cut short by Roxanne, as she rushed into the room to tend to Johnny. Dick had, admittedly, forgotten about his friend's love interest in the heat of the plague of a priest that was attacking the city.
"Hi Roxanne." He started, recollecting his last meeting with her when he had initially crossed the Ghost Rider's path. He learned more about Johnny than Roxanne during that period of time, but if there was anything that stuck out in his mind it was that she could make a mean coffee.
He snatched up an old wooden chair in one arm and placed it before him backwards before mounting himself on it, with his arms crossed atop the backrest, his sapphire eyes meeting Johnny's. "Sorry to say, but I'm a tad short on ideas. We're gonna have to figure this one out together, JB. While I try to keep myself...aware of all types of opponents...the mystical baddies are more of your game."
He then mumbled absentmindedly, "Why....why is he here? Batman once said you can't catch your opponant without knowing their motives. As far as I know, Caleb answers to some mystical demon....I doubt it would order him to attack hotdog vendors...."
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Post by Oracle on Aug 9, 2008 15:12:15 GMT -8
Ghost Rider Posted: Jun 24, 2007 5:57 AM
Johnny allowed Roxanne to help him to the couch, his leather clad figure leaning against the back cushions for a minute before he urged himself to sit up. Now wasn't the time for laziness. He and Dick had to plan out their next assault on this guy and quick. If they held too much downtime New York would be nothing more than a flaming pile of rubble before dawn. And that just wasn't going to fly with Johnny.
He could see the worry in Roxanne's eyes, having her career, it was no doubt she knew there was some sort of destruction going on downtown. The police probably blocked off the area for a good ten mile radius. the only reason he suspected this was because at this point in time her boss usually had her right in the middle of the danger. "Don't worry Roxxy...just..." he glanced to Dick, then back to her trying to figure out the right words. "....Superhero business." he finished. Well that wasn't the most elloquate sentence out there, but Johnny Blaze never really was much of a wordsmith.
Dick's words hit him just as soon as his own had left his lips. If Caleb had contact with the netherworld....the spiritual plane....then....
"Mephistopheles.....Mephisto." he said slowly, the realization hitting him. Mephisto was the demon Johnny had sold his soul to and therefore had his spirit bonded to the mystical being known as Zarathos. Therfore transforming him into the Spirit of Vengeance. The Ghost Rider. Ever since Johnny took a stand against the demon, he'd been going out of his way to take Johnny out. But because his spirit was trapped in the realm of Hell, he could never do the job himself. Because only Johnny had the ability to traverse between the planes. So then...
"Mephisto contacted this guy....and sent him after me."
Johnny looked from Dick to Roxanne. Not sure what else to add to the realization of what they were facing. Then Johnny looked to the books as Dick had mentioned. "I don't know. I don't think we have the time to form a study group either..."
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Post by Oracle on Aug 9, 2008 15:12:49 GMT -8
Caleb Posted: Jul 10, 2007 4:49 AM
"Hmm"
Tugging at the sleeves of his new shirt, he found them to be long enough, but they seemed to be a little tight around the wrist. Oh well, free was free. Reaching over to pat the decapitated head of the priest whose shirt he now wore, and believe you me cutting off a head without getting blood on the shirt was a skill Caleb forgot he had, he stepped over the body of an alter boy that currently had a large golden cross sticking out of it's ribcage. That was amusing to him earlier, but the humor in it wore off right about the same time his screaming stopped too. Glancing at his reflection in a mirror, the missing head shaped section that belonged to the church's other older priest not really a bother, Caleb noted that he looked as good as new. The shoes were a little nicer but other then that he looked just the same. What's more, his strength seemed to be almost fully back. Which meant it was time to start the hunt again. Of course, he could take a few minutes for one last bit of personal business...
Twenty minutes later, Caleb was walking down the middle of the empty street, both hands in his pockets and whistling a cheery tune. Behind him, casting an impressive glow to backlight the mad priest was the massive bonfire that was a burning church. As the roof, it's supports weakened by the fire and finding nothing to hold it's flaming wieght, crashed down to the ground Caleb found he couldn't help himself one horrible pun.
"Looks like I can still bring the house down with my sermons."
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Post by Oracle on Aug 9, 2008 15:13:43 GMT -8
Nightwing Posted: Jul 31, 2007 6:02 AM
Dick shook his head weakly at Roxanne's question. "No...'attacked' implies that he just assaulted the guy...and saying that he just assualted him would win the understatement of the year award." He decided to go into no further detail than that. Just thinking about what the crazed man had done to the innocent vendor was enough to make his skin crawl. And he'd seen some things in his day.
His brow wrinkled lightly in through at Johnny's realization. Concern filling his eyes as water would a jug. Mephistopheles. He didn't know much about the guy. But Johnny had told him a story or two. And it wasn't good news. If that was the guy holding all the cards....then they were obviously playing a game with a set deck.
For a minute he allowed himself to consider just how small he was right now. All of this was.....way above his head. But if there's a fight to be fought, he wasn't about to sit it out and let Johnny have all the fun. So he merely shrugged off the thought and allowed himself to get his head back to where it needed to be. Focusing on the task at hand and just how they were going to get this psycho off the streets.
"Well...regardless..." he started, "He's going to be back up to full strength soon. So we need to get ourselves a plan and get back out there before more lives are lost."
Roxanne's declaration that she could lend a hand was...well...they had no reason not to listen to her. She was, afterall, a journalist, so research was her thing. He was sure Johnny was thinking on the exact same level about the subject as well.
"Alright, " he started, turning his eyes to Roxanne, "We don't know much about this guy. He just kinda showed up one day. But here's what I do know. He's got enhanced strength and speed, and some other magical prowess granted to him by some sort of demon by which he bows to. He's got enough firepower to give Superman a run for his money. And that's sayin' alot...."
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Post by Oracle on Aug 9, 2008 15:14:08 GMT -8
Ghost Rider Posted: Jul 31, 2007 11:32 AM
When Roxanne asked how much destruction that had been caused as of yet, Johnny allowed himself to scratch his head lighlty, thinking back to the massive battle that had been held not all that long ago. "Oh well...." he started slowly, almost ashamed to say it. "Well.....we....destroyed an entire block..." he said slowly, thinking back to the massive explosion that was released when the two of them dispersed destructive amounts of energy. It was....almost enough to make his hair stand on the back of his neck. They had blown up an entire city block. What else could they do? Could they possibly level this entire city, turn it into nothing more than ash?
Johnny listened to Dick's small bio of the character. He was granted his power by a demon. It was identical to the way that Johnny claimed his own power. His spirit was bonded to the spirit of Zarathos. And that is what created the Ghost Rider. It was similar. And Johnny had his weaknesses. So Caleb had to have his. It was only a matter of finding them.
He turned back to Roxanne, remembering that she had been doing a lot of reading in his books lately. "Have you uncovered anything in there that we could use against him? I mean....I dunno. I just know that he has to have his weaknesses. If we don't find them in those books...then....we're going to have to go back out there and find them the old fashioned way...."
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