Futuristic An Agent of Maniacles

[TheAdept]

GM: TheAdept
Co-GM: KinggUnlucky

In the year 2120...

A mercenary company, Maniacles Corporation has risen in power and influence thanks to their efforts in the advancement of technology, medicine, and also...weapons. Maniacles is credited for the invention of laser rifles, power armor, and many other marvelous new inventions. In addition to these advancements they had a major victory over a mysterious occurrence that many can't quite explain or understand.

In 2086 strange bug-like creatures started appearing in large numbers around the globe. These bugs liked the flesh of living things, mainly humans and came to be known as Pests. Thanks to Maniacles, the Pests were defeated in the western world.

It is perhaps due to this that you have decided to join Maniacles Corporation as a mercenary. Or maybe you just wanted a suit of power armor or to feel the kickback of a laser rifle when it fires. Regardless you are now a mercenary and are being sent on your first mission.

Likely related to the problem back in 2086 there has been a mysterious mass disappearance of most of the population of Moonlight Falls, West Virginia. The few still living in this area report sightings of the Pests. Being that we thought we had ended this problem decades ago, and of course we are being paid, a great first assignment for new mercenaries is the investigation into this matter.

But this is only the first of many missions...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to the Unnatural Universe, and original universe me and my friend Young Gun made up. There is a mix of sci fi and fantasy set in a futuristic world but resembling out current modern one. While low key and not well known about by the average person, there are mages and vampires living among ordinary people. Thats right, we got you a mix of laser weapons and spell flinging, high tech and ancient rituals, vampires and mutants and so much more! Join us!

Spoiler: Human Characters

Ya know...regular humans. Though not exactly if you work for Maniacles. Maniacles Mercs are some of the meanest sons of bitches out there. Advanced combat training, high tech equipment, and maybe a genetic enhancement to keep up with the supernatural guys.

Human CS

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Appearance:
Skills: (You can have three. Don't put stats like strength and endurance, you are already a badass in that department, but put other stuff like are you best with sniper rifles? Handguns? Your fists? This is also where expertise with hacking, repairing, or other major non-combat skills go.)
Enhancements: (Maniacles has different enhancements for its mercenaries, be it super strength, speed, a regeneration factor, etc. Pick one, for now if you want, but if you get one of these you won't get a laser weapon.)
Equipment: (What kind of weapons do you use. Pick a main weapon and a sidearm. Remember you don't get a laser weapon if you have a genetic enhancement.)
Backstory: (Optional)

Spoiler: CS For Mages

Humans...but humans who know the secrets of magic. Anyone can be a mage through know how, hard work and dedication. No need for incantations or wands for most spells, just cast at will.

Mage CS

Name:
Age: (Some magic can prolong life and slow aging)
Gender:
Appearance:
Skills: (Pick three skills, either combat or non-combat related. But this isn't for things like base strength and endurance, as a mercenary you are already badass with those.)
Magic type: (You may pick one of these and will be intermediate level. Fire magic, Ice magic, Buff Magic (enhances your own strength, speed, durability with magic), healing magic, necromancy, or even blood magic. You can pick a second type but it will cost you won't get to have laser weapons if you do.)
Equipment: (Pick a main weapon and a sidearm. No laser weapons if you have two magic types however.)
Backstory: (Optional)

Spoiler: Lore For Mages

*Magic is not hereditary. Any living thing can do it besides Vampires as they are cursed. It takes a lot of know-how and practice however.

*Staves, wands and incantations aren't necessary for most magic, this is part of what makes mages very dangerous as they might incinerate you or mangle your organs with a thought (this level of magic takes time and focus however.)

*Magic doesn't come from some "holy god" but is possible as a result of the Dead Gods (Dead Gods will be explored later on) thus no "holy" or "unholy" magic.

Spoiler: CS ForVampires

Wrongly demonized, vampires live among humans and have for as long as human history and perhaps before. Some do crave human blood, yes, but others merely need it for survival and prefer blood of animals for the taste and lack of guilt.

Vampire CS

Name:
Age: (Can live forever if they feed properly)
Gender:
Skills: (Combat related skills and non-combat. Not the place for things like base stats strength, endurance, etc. You are not only a mercenary but a vampire, you are already a badass in this department. Is your vampire a good sharpshooter? Good with forging weapons? Plumbing?"
Instinct Level: (Vampires already have drastically better strength, speed and resilience than a human or mage. Pick up to three levels. Level one is like an Olympic athlete who can survive bullet wounds. Level two and your physical capabilities are even better but you won't get laser weapons or power armor. Level three you zip around at supersonic speed, punching holes through the heads of ordinary humans and bullet wounds heal as they appear, but you don't fight with modern weaponry, restricting you options to melee, bows, and maybe muskets.)
Equipment (What weapons? Pick a main and a sidearm. Mind you instinct level.)
Backstory: (Optional)

Spoiler: Lore For Vampires

* Vampires have a strong thirst like the media portrays, however they still have morality like a normal human. This is why some choose to feed on whoever they can get away with and others choose to be selective or only feed on animals, blood bags, and of course on enemies.

*The vampire thirst can be nullified by taking up another habbit such as alcoholism or drug use (I will bring in another character like this). They are capable of overcoming it through only force of will, but its not easy.

*The universe doesn't really abide by any religion as being truth, so holy symbols or grounds don't hurt vampires at all.

*The Vampire Curse is a curse which passes onto those who are bitten, and this curse includes the inability to use magic (some of the characters kinda break this lore though.)

*Vampires aren't necessarily dead, just...cursed. They are still extremely hard to kill however can be through conventional means it is just very difficult. If one, for example, take a mortar shell directly to the forehead...yeah most likely not getting back up.

Spoiler: Rules

1. No Auto Hitting
2. No controlling other people's characters
3. No auto killing major NPCs such as boss fights and quest givers
4. No hijacking the plot
5. No arguing with the GM or co-gm. What we say goes.
6. No arguing, hazing, or bullying in the ooc
7. I might update this list if need be.
8. If I tell you to edit a post, edit it.
9. Enjoy

 

[TheAdept]

Spoiled Bread
crumbelivable
GamerCarrot

The sky was beginning to turn colors. Grayish blue giving way to the tide of darkness that was the night. Rain had fallen earlier, cascading the ground in water, leaving behind puddle after puddle, and a misty smell in the environment. Humidity choked the air, making sure there was little oxygen, and an abundance of sweat for anyone outside. Denton stood on a hilltop at the city limits of Moonlight Falls, West Virginia, hands in his pocket. Watching. Waiting. The town itself was mostly visible from his location.
It looked small,
And it was small.
But Denton couldn’t help but think that someone, a little girl likely, had gathered up a collection of dollhouses and built a town out of them. It all looked so fragile, so easily smashable.

The spirits he had deployed were currently in the town, searching, taking in what they could. They would return soon enough. This would be the third time in the last two hours he had used them for reconnaissance. Not that there was much to recon honestly, but it never hurt to be thorough. And thorough is in important in this business.

He turned his back on town, what used to be a town, going back through the path in the woods, and coming out on a road.
There were two armored trucks one-hundred feet from where he was, both outfitted with turrets at the top, a man on each gun, beyond that a fairly large tent, and further beyond that, far out of view, a roadblock. Each road into Moonlight had been given similar levels of security. No one in, no one out.

He passed the two gunners with a playful nod and sly smile, he enjoyed smiling. Smiles let people know things were in control, that everything would be okay.
Earlier in the week the Maniacles HQ informed him of two things. Firs,t he would be put in charge of a mercenary unit. Fun, fun, he’d thought. New toys to play with. It had been a long time since he had toys. Second, they wanted him to oversee a Pest infestation. A simple job they said, one that shouldn’t take more than twenty-four hours to complete. Denton planned to have it done in fourteen or less.
The tent they’d set up was fairly tame. Nothing out of the ordinary. Green in color, large enough to house dozen or so people, and high enough for those said people to stand up in it. Music was blasting from the inside.
‘Fortunate Son’ by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
A good day for it.
Denton entered the tent.

There were two others inside. The first was a man sitting at a desk in the corner. He had blonde hair, a cigarette stuck in his lips, and headphones on. He was speaking into a microphone, coordinating with the other tents and gunners throughout the surrounding area.
Second was a woman, sitting on the bed, loading magazines. She had raven dark hair, sharp and striking features, and dark fatigues, which much to Denton’s dismay, were covering very well tantalizing curves.

“Morgan,” Denton said, grinning. “How long until my people arrive?”

"Should be here any minute. They're the usual fodder." replied the woman with a stoic expression magnified by the sunglasses she was wearing.

Denton blinked at her.

"What?" She asked.

"Why are you wearing sunglasses?"

The slightest hint of a smirk arrived on the girl's face.

"Makes looking at ugly old men a little easier."

Denton's lip twitched into smile. "I just assumed you had outgrown the disgusting fashion sense you had when we first met. You look pretty stupid." He walked closer to her. "Also, fodder? A bit harsh. I mean, much to my surprise, you've managed to survive fairly long in this business. My intiall bet with Walken was...two weeks, I believe?"

The man with the headphones, Walken, said, "One week."

"Ah yes, that was it. One week."

"Every mission we do , I wind up having to save your ass in less then a week. Walken can't even fight." She retorted, not even looking over at them but continued loading magazines.

"Yes..." Denton shook his head. "He can't, but his lack of fighting ability doesn't excuse your lack of style." Denton patted her on the head as if she were dog, then took a vanilla envelope folder from the table by the bed. The files of those that would be coming. Interestingly enough there was another Morgan. a John Morgan. Vivian. Aria. And on and on. Humans, vampires, mages. Quite the crew HQ had collected for him.

Walken stood, cracking his back, and crushing out his cigarette. "Mercenaries are on their way up. I gave the gunners the go ahead to let them through."

"Excellent," Denton said.

...................................................................................................................................................................................................

The doors of the armored vehicle opened, and John Morgan stepped out into the warm West Virginia air. It had been a while since he visited the East Coast, and there was something about the humidity that made him feel at home.

"Country roads...take me home...to the place...I belong..." He sang under his breath as he walked forward then spun around to face his fellow mercenaries.

"You guys ready to kill some bugs?"

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Aria
​

The sudden jolt of the stopping vehicle woke Aria up from her brief nap. The Insect Morphology for Dummy and the reading glasses on her lap almost fell to the floor, but her quick reflex was more than enough to save those items. Seeing that they had arrived at their destination, she got off from the vehicle.

Aria inhaled the humid air as much as possible, it was somewhat familiar to her. Long time ago she used to work at a tobacco field somewhere in this region. Since she's pretty much illiterate at that time the present Aria couldn't even track down the exact location of her old workplace.

"You guys ready to kill some bugs?" One of the senior mercenary asked, probably tried to fire up the group.

"I am ready to apply my training and study so far!" Aria answered formally. While she had joined the Maniacles for several weeks, this one was her first field dispatch. Most of her time so far was spent on learning some martial arts moves and reading books about insects. She was really sucks at the latter though.

 

[GamerCarrot]

As the armoured vehicle came to a stop Viviana looked up from checking if her handgun was in working order and placed it in the holster on her hip. Standing up she pushed her long fiery red hair out of her face and exited out of the vehicle, looking around at the people she had ridden with her eyes were drawn to the man who has asked them if they were ready. Giving a sly smile she nodded, stretching her arms a little before placing her hand on her hip

"As ready as we'll ever be." she said as she looked around. Taken in the sights of West Virginia despite it being their newest battlefield in the war with the bugs she did enjoy the sight of it, since she had never been here before she tended to stay in one area and help out her fellow Maniacles.

 

[AbatedBigfoot]

Quentin chuckled to himself at the person who was awoken but was surprised at how fast she acted to catch her belongings. He opened up the door and stared out onto the land. He took one step off the vehicle and fell flat onto his face. Face turning red he stood up and dusted off his clothes. "Man, I really need to work on not being so clumsy" He looked to see if anyone had noticed his mistake.

He walked around to the group of others. "I'm down for fighting some bugs. Its been a minute since I've used my stick" after saying that, he realized he left his staff on the vehicle. He quickly retrieved it and came back. "Now I'm ready for some fighting" He smiled.

 

[crumbelivable]

As he felt rattling of the truck as it made its way down the old gravel roads of Moonlight Falls, Edison was thinking. This was the first time he had ever been outside Europe on a mission, and if the few American representatives he'd met with Maniacle were anything to go by, he'd be running with a pretty tough crowd, even by his standards. The flight up had been long, and he'd tried and failed to get some sleep on the plane. Ah well, he'd made up a bit of it on the ride up. For the first time he could recall, Eddie turned his attention to the fellow mercs who were sharing this truck with him.

On one side of the truck was a woman, asleep with a book over her chest, who physically seemed to be about Eddie's age. But, when he had seen her awake, he had noticed that the look in her eyes, somehow, seemed older, somewhat sadder, and not as youthful as that of someone like him. It seemed to him that they had a vampire on the team. Eddie had ran into vampires every so often on missions, mostly out in eastern Europe. He'd worked with a few, killed a few, even befriended a few. What he couldn't understand, however, was how they managed to go on just accepting immortality. How did one just keep living and living and living without getting bored? Personally, Eddie had made peace with the fact that life came to an end. It was, of course, a big part of his occupation.

On his side of the truck was another woman staring quietly ahead, one who he actually recognized, Viv. She'd taken speed enhancements around the same time he did, and in fact he was briefed about what to expect from the procedure based on how she had reacted. In that way, Eddie figured, she had helped him cope with the intense procedure, so he figured he was indebted to help her out as thanks. Towards the front were two others he was interested in. One, oddly enough, was a robed man with a staff. What was a man like this doing here? He'd heard mutters back in Europe about Maniacle having people capable of doing magic in their ranks, but he'd never seriously believed those rumors. Even the vampires he'd worked with hadn't used any magic. Maybe he was the group's priest or something. Standing near the truck's door was their commanding officer for the moment, who had introduced himself as one John Morgan. Honestly, from what he'd seen of the apparently legendary mercs of Maniacle America, Eddie was somewhat underwhelmed.

Suddenly, the truck came to a sudden stop. The vampire was jolted awake by this, sending her belongings flying, but managed to catch them in a manner that even impressed Eddie, reflex-enhanced as he was. Slowly, Eddie got up and stretched. "Nice catch", he said to the vampire, before following everyone else off the truck and outside. It seemed they had arrived at base camp. It wasn't much, basically just another quickly set up regional camp, not unlike those many he'd encountered on missions in Europe. On his way out, the man in the robes tripped and fell, and Eddie was barely able to stifle a chuckle. As he got up, the group's attention was turned to John, who asked everyone if they were ready to kill some Pests. This, of course, was Eddie's main reason for being here. His experience killing Pests during the final days of their existence in Europe meant that he had a lot of expertise on how to kill one, especially for someone so young. In response, he pumped his fist in the air, and shouted "FUCK YEAH!".

Everyone else seemed equally happy to be there, although their responses were somewhat less extreme than Eddie's. To his surprise, even the robed man expressed his desire to fight pests with his staff, which was incidentally still back on the bus, something he realized mid-sentence. Eddie was bewildered. This klutz wasn't seriously going to be fighting alongside him, was he? As the rest of the group looked around at the camp they'd be living in for now, Eddie turned to the robed man. "Hey, preacher-man", he said "You aren't seriously going to be fighting alongside us, are you?".

AbatedBigfoot Spoiled Bread

 

[Spacekitsune]

The woman had been sitting on the truck as they would be riding down the road. She had been thinking over her training looking over to the other people in the vehicle. She wasn't much of a talker unless someone talked to her but that was more becuase of her taining. She had a book the whole time as she read about it it was a book about magic as she would look reasonably armoured but nothing to big. She would seem to be flipping through the pages nodding at some of the notes that were written on it. "Yes that's correct." She says to no one in particular as she would put the book down as she just seemed to flatten into the chair. Not like laying back or anything like compltely flatten like she wasn't a 3d person anymore.

She would return to normal and return to her reading after that knowing that she would have little to no time once the mission happened to read again until the mission was over. Once the jolt of the vehicle stopped she would look towards the doors rubbing her eyes after they started to open. She had a small rest earlier and woke up before they had arrived but the darkness inside the vehicle made her eyes struggle to adjust to the light of the outside. She would get up after the vehicle stopped and headed out saluting with a stern and focussed look. "Amatsa Reporting for duty." She says with a dilligent tone to her voice. "Point me where I need to go and I'll do it sir."

 

[TheAdept]

John looked over his fellow mercenaries. The group looked less like a company of professional soldiers and more rag-tag to him, in spite of any Maniacles gear they were wearing. He had slept a big part of the long trip here and hadn't gotten a big opportunity to get to know anyone. One of them was talking about beating Pests with a stick, and one was even complaining about working with someone so clumsy. One mercenary was going along with his question, getting hyped for the mission, the another was even saluting to him.

He looked at the girl saluting him, taking this opportunity to troll someone.

"Soldier!" He barked in the most convincing commander voice he could manage "I order you to find earthworms and ingest them!" He ordered, wanting to see if she would actually do it,

 

[Freikugel]

"What a colorful team, I guess I'll be the sole survivor again..." Thought a particular woman followed by a yawn, then she stretched her arms.
She looked around glancing every single one, a few familiar faces around, other were news, some were even similar to faces she had seen before, something she was already used to, after all she had lost track of how many generations of people she had met before.
Around 5´4´´ with a slender body and light brown skin, most of her body covered by a black army suit and a small robe above her head, it wasn't as if sunlight was much of a trouble for her, but it felt like a back itching, it won't kill you but sure you don't like having one. Her hair was mid long and of a dark crimson color and her most particular feature were her both iris and lips of an intense red color, enough to stun a person for a few seconds before they could avoid her glance.

A disappointed sigh escaped from her mouth "I wonder if any of these rookies had ever killed one of these things. Back in time, entire populations were decimated by plagues because humans didn't had enough strenght to deal with them"

"Soldier!" He barked in the most convincing commander voice he could manage "I order you to find earthworms and ingest them!" He ordered, wanting to see if she would actually do it,

Her eyes caught the man screaming, she couldn't avoid to smile as she mumbled "lame"

 

[Spacekitsune]

She would look at the man and then smirked as she seemed to calm down from her soldierly demeanor. "I only do that for show and if you want me to eat worms, you can easily go shove them up where the sun don't shine. I'm here for killing and doing this mission. I'm not here to be barked at like a dog and treated like crap" She would have her arms crossed as she looked at the man. "I'm an intellectual skilled in magical theory, stealth and rifles..." She says looking at him. "And trust me i'll be here at the end of the mission. I plan to live to the end of my age which is probably older than a few of you."

 

[crumbelivable]

Turning his attention away from the helplessly foolish robed man, Eddie took a look at some of the other faces he could see gathered around the truck in front of their commanding officer, some of the ones he hadn't gotten a good look at on the bus. There was another woman, one in black fatigues, who looked around somewhat bored at everyone else, briefly locking eyes with him. She seemed like trouble. He made a mental note to be wary of her. His attention was then turned to the other girl, who had just identified herself as Amatsa. She seemed like the obedient type at first, the sort that would do anything their superiors told them to, even if that meant throwing themselves off a cliff. Probably fresh out of the military, he supposed.

John had clearly caught onto this as well. He turned to her and told her in the most serious tone possible to go find some worms to eat. Eddie cracked up at the remark, glad someone was trying to add some humor into this exchange. "Great joke, Morgan", he said. Then something unexpected happened. Whatever serious facade Amatsa had been trying to project completely shattered, and she ranted for a bit about how she wanted to be respected. He'd just been wondering how such a person even got into Maniacels in the first place. That answered everything.

"Now THAT'S more like it!" He shouted out in response.

 

[Kinggunlucky]

Denton heard sounds. The kind he'd been waiting for. Cars. Voices. Good. They were here. He exited the tent, leaving the folder behind. The group HQ sent him were about what he expected. A collection of various types. The supernaturally gifted. Denton approached the everyone, his hands clasped, a bright smile on his face.

He took stock of the group in front of him. John Morgan, Edison, Carmile, Amatsa, Vivian, and a couple others were the most experienced when it came to field work. Not to discount the others of course. He'd been allowed to request some of the people he got. The John fellow certainly seemed eager to engage the enemy. Good. Possibly reckless, but good. A good numberof the crew had followed his lead in proclaiming their want eagerness for mayhem with the exception Aria, Camile and Amatsa. Vivan and Quentin went along with the more loud members of the group, but kept their reactions level. Bored in Vivan's case. Agreeable in Quentin's.

Denton took this in, deciding, mentally putting them into groups. Keep in mind who's aggressive, who isn't, who goes along with who, who doesn't. John, Eddie, and Amatsa were engaged in conversation, from the expression Denton saw on the young woman's face he assumed it was one she would rather not be in.

"Ladies, gentleman," Denton said, voice level, but carried enough to interrupt the action. "Welcome to Moonlight Falls, West Virginia. I'm Denton Fisher. I'll be your new unit chief going forward." He spread his hands open. "I'd shake hands, but there are a lot of you and we are on a schedule. Please know you have my gratitude for agreeing to sign on with me. When HQ informed me I'd be put in charge of a mercenary unit I took the time to handpicking some of you. HQ decided the rest. Before I brief everyone...anyone have any questions? Are introductions in order?"

 

[Exzalia]

Owl stands quietly at the back of the group trying not to draw too much attention to her self. Nobody had said anything worth recording as of yet; still footage of the mundane may yet reveal secrets after a second viewing, the camera bug disguised as a necklace around her neck focuses on The man addressing them.

Denton, what was he hiding? A bit of subtle magic allows her to see past the clothes and Armour of the group gathered, she scans them noting the scars on their bodies or any pictures of loved ones in there pocket books. She grins to her self.

"These woman are lucky I'm not gay." She snickers to her self. "And these men are lucky I find them ugly." She dispels her true sight and focuses on Denton, she would have to get close to him. Perhaps now would be a good time to break the ice.

She raises her hand and asks. "Yes who are you exactly? And by what title should we refer to you? Commander? general? captain?"

 

[Darkling0096]

The vehicle door clicked open and shut as Samantha hurried across the space between the vehicle and the area the group was gathered. Fortunately, her skin was artificial, or she'd have some flustered red on her cheeks. The ride had dislodged one of her drones, and it had taken her a minute to recover the sphere from where it rolled under the seat, but she couldn't declare that as her excuse. There was a slight whir in her right arm as she stood to attention and rendered a salute. A courtesy, but force of habit.

"Adams reporting for duty," she said. Again, force of habit. She hadn't addressed a superior officer in a while. The heat and humidity reminded her that her suit was entirely black and grey. When the sun came beating down tomorrow, she would probably pay for it, but it's easier to hide blood and oil stains on black clothing than any other, so she could only hope for the best.

 

[TheAdept]

John's head jerked to the man who called him "Morgan."

"Please" He said "Just call me John."

He looked around the camp. This was it. He was part of Maniacles now. He was on a mission.
"So how man Pests are there? Is this like classic infestation levels? Are they centered in one area? Will we need to blow up their hive?"

John couldn't contain himself. He had heard of the heroic Maniacles mercenaries and their victories over the Infestations, and even loved a series of games called "Exterminator" which was basically based on the mercenaries killing pests. Now he was there to exterminate.

 

[Kinggunlucky]

"No, no, no," Denton shook his head, smiling. "Please cut the sir, chief, commander stuff. I'm just Denton. I prefer to keep things open. It makes for a better working environment, wouldn't you agree? No need to use such cold titles for a job that's already to cold for most people." He shrugged. "None of us are exactly normal people, though, are we?"

Denton scanned the crowd, his toys, noting the arrival of Ms. Adams. One of the people he had requested for. Excitement bubbled in his stomach, anticipation made his heart beat a tad faster. It's like Christmas morning, he thought.

"Now onto the mission. No John...I'm afraid this isn't a normal infestation. A level three. A Queen. One of the few remaining. HQ had been tracking her movements for awhile, keeping her on the run. We would have had her sooner, but Maniacles has been stretched thinner than usual. The fighting with Roosevelt Taylor and his militants on at least three fronts. The demon Junior has been performing virgin sacrifices in South America for reasons that haven't been made clear. Every team sent for him to deal with the son of a bitch hasn't comeback. A real charmer. The angel incident in Utah. It took attention away from this. And you know how pests are once they get a foothold somewhere. One can turn into one-thousand very fast. So here we are. Doing what should have been done a long time ago. Queen's are highly intelligent, large, and can communicate with the hive via telepathy. It makes it easy for her coordinate and prepare for assaults. Beware the maggots she releases. From what I've gathered the majority of the town is already gone. Turned."

A nasty chill crawled up Denton's spine. He didn't show it outwardly. Bugs were one thing, but giant ones were...bleh. A confirmation that God didn't exist. At least not an all loving one. He couldn't tolerate that. It didn't gel with his logic, like saying 3+1=5. Now, if God enjoyed fucking with people and went about it honestly, he would consider attending Church again. "The maggots infect organic flesh by burrowing into skin. Human, dog, bird, you know the drill. Do not let them touch you. Once inside you will become a Pest. You will belong to the Queen."

He paused, smile finally fading, turned and looked into the direction of the town, A minuscule fading white orb came into sight, floating towards him. The orb changed, expanding, turning into the flickering barely visible shape of a young woman with frizzy hair. A tattered floral dress on her. A clear line around her neck. A ghost.

"S...s....s....sorry...sorry....sorry," she repeated.

"Annie," he said. "Annie calm down."

"I smothered her. I...did it...I...my bab...my."

Denton put his hands in his pocket. "Look at me Annie. You're okay. You can go back soon, but we have to talk first, okay?"

"Right. Talk. I'm...here...to talk. You told me to watch. I watched."

"What did you see Annie?"

The ghost, Annie apparently, twitched her neck at inhumanly fast speed. "Do you hear her? Hear c...c..crying?"

"Who is crying Annie?" Denton asked.

"My baby...she never stops..."

"The town Annie. Were there people crying in the town?"

"Yes. Six, five, seven. Somewhere, somewhere. A church. They were crying. My baby cries..."

Denton nodded, understanding. So there were survivors. Dammit.

"Thank you Annie. You can go." He snapped his fingers. The ghost vanished. He faced the group. "Apologies. They have trouble staying focused at times, but I suppose you don't become a ghost because you're good at forgetting and forgiving, heh. Okay. Right. The job. My associate Morgan will be leading you into the town. She's in the tent. She'll be out shortly. You'll be going in the right side, using the forest and the night for cover. You'll be using earpieces to communicate with me. The goal is to kill the Queen, kill the Pests, and find the survivors."

 

[Spacekitsune]

Amatsa would look at the others an listen to the mission brief she was tapping her foot patiently as she was itching to finally fight a level three infestation. "A queen you say." her eyes seemed to light up at the challenge as she would be checking over her rifle and her pistol. "Sadly not much for stealth as they could probably sense you miles away but will be a challenge to kill it either way." She would then look to the others and Denton. "I'm Amatsa, I have already said my skills and talents but my main talent is my special magic... that I don't think many people do. I also know a lot more about magical theory so if you have any questions please feel free to ask me."

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Aria​

Aria nodded at Denton's explanation. Now the reason why the logistic departement told her to wear these rubber gloves and bring her baton was clear. The gloves would protect her from immediate danger from the maggots while the baton would gave her a bit more range. She raised her hand to ask a question.

"Capt- I mean, Denton, if there's three objective does that means we will be separated into groups too?"

Kinggunlucky

 

[KotaKotsu]

Ensuring that he had enough supplies for this trip while helping in the medical ward, he counted his reserves for his rations, 6 blood packs in total. With this, Kotsu was pleased. Hearing some commotion coming by and new smells wafting through the air, he was curious. That's when a medic approached him.

"Excuse me, sir? You seem a bit preoccupied. I wanted to thank you for helping us out today."

Kotsu shrugged. "Rather be out in the field than be a medic, but I took an oath."

The medic seemed unphased, as if this type of response had grown common. "Well, either way, sir. Here's a little extra."

The medic preceded to hand Kotsu another blood pack, which, Kotsu's stomach growled in retort.

Damn, Kotsu thought to himself, Can people gauge when I'm hungry as well by this curse? He accepted the extra one and sank his fangs in without a second thought. His current level of hunger forced him to drain it before he even registered what he done.
As he started desperately squeezing the bag against his face for any remaining crimson liquid that had become more valuable than gold to him; he grew disgusted in his own behavior.

The medic handed Kotsu a sanitization wipe to which he accepted with a quiet, "Thanks." And cleaned off his face. He remembered the earlier commotion and bid the medical team farewell for now to go and investigate. Upon making his way to the noise, he only heard one phrase.

"The goal is to kill the Queen, kill the Pests, and find the survivors."

After Amatsu had said she wasn't one for stealth, Kotsu knew that this mission would also be fine with him. Something to pass the time faster was always good when 100 years wouldn't kill him at this rate.

"Is there room for one more here?" Kotsu said at an appropriate volume. "Pardon my intrusion. But I'd like to kill Pests and time at once. So why not do them together?" A faint, sad smile crossed his lips. Only because he saw that these guys were new to the scene but recognized people like him in the group.

Upon hearing Aria mention that they may split up, it seemed an opportune time to capitalize on the situation at hand.
"I'd say we could team up for now. If you are all okay with that."

 

[AbatedBigfoot]

Quentin turned to the man that was talking to him. A little upset from his question, Q looked him in the eyes, "Yes I am" he said. He paused for a brief moment, "Are you afraid to be outmatched by a man who falls out of vehicles?" he said as he pointed his stick at him. For a second he thought about challenging him to a friendly fight but didn't go through with it.

Q could sense some of the powers coming off the other mercenaries and figured if he could feel their powers, they probably could feel his. "Great" he thought to himself, "it might be a little harder to keep the fact that I can do magic on the down low." He looked around at the other people. "Yep, definitely some different people here" He pushed his arms above his head and stretched, his back popped in the process."OOO" he shouted, "That hit the spot."

When the man who looked to be important started talking, he gave his attention that way. While the man was talking, Q's stomach growled. "Man I hope we get to eat soon" he thought to himself. Q couldn't remember the last time he actually ate something. After everyone looked like they were done talking, Q went ahead with his introduction.

"My name is Quentin, you can call me Q if you'd like. I fight with sticks" he said as he held up his bow staff. After his short introduction, he just sat down and crossed his legs and put his arms on top of them and waited for what to do next.


crumbelivable Kinggunlucky

 

[crumbelivable]

John, the one he'd assumed to be their commander, turned to Eddie and asked he address him by his first name. "Alright, sorry John" Eddie replied. He also turned to notice another merc just coming off the bus, one that seemed to be a cyborg, and referred to herself as Adams. She seemed to be acting a lot like Amatsa initially was. perhaps she actually was fresh from the army. Although the fact that she was a cyborg did weaken that theory somewhat. At that moment, however, another man walked up to the group assembled in front of the bus. When Eddie saw him, he realized he looked a lot more like a commanding officer than John. Sure enough, as he spoke, identifying himself as Denton, Eddie's suspicions were confirmed. He also mentioned that some of the people here had been picked by himself. Eddie wondered if he was among them. He asked the group if anyone had any questions. Eddie, having none, and just waiting to get the briefing, kept quiet for the moment.

After a bit of banter, Denton proceeded to give the mission briefing. It seemed that, even after the complete annihilation of the Pests in North America decades ago, a queen had somehow survived and seemed to be lurking around in the nearby town. Eddie seemed to have found the reason he had been chosen to be here. After all, he had experience killing a queen, back when he was first introduced to the Maniacles all those years ago. Being rather youthful for a Pest hunter must have helped too, though. Just then, however, their commander was interrupted by a white orb which slowly shifted into the form of a seemingly translucent woman. Eddie instantly recognized the woman, who Denton called Annie, as a ghost. Through the hard to decipher exchange between her and Denton, Eddie was able to deduce that she had been sent out to the city as recon. He felt sorry for the ghost. In his missions over Europe, he hadn't seen many ghosts, but those few he had encountered, especially those that had been dead for over 50 years, were always in some level of insanity. What made it especially bad was that it was commonly bad people who became them, which meant they had a tendency for violence. He'd gotten a pretty nasty scar a year or two ago during a confrontation with a particularly crazy poltergeist out in Scotland. He often wondered if that was what he'd wind up as some day, when he finally passed on.

Eddie's attention then was turned to two people, Amatsa and the robed man. Amatsa was discussing her skills, and brought up how magic was apparently her main skill. Eddie looked over at her, confused. Maybe he'd heard her misspeak, because he could have sworn she was discussing using magic. Although she did say not many were capable of using it. Then the robed man turned to him and spoke. He introduced himself as Quentin, Q for short. Apparently, he fought with sticks. Although he did seem quite certain he outclassed Eddie. Freshman confidence, he chalked it up to. He held out his hand to shake with the man, who was now sitting. "Edison Calder, nice to meet you. Although I do prefer preacher-man". He chuckled, and continued "Also, did you hear what that girl, Amatsa, was talking about. I've heard about the mercs up here using magic, but never really believed it. What do you think?".
Kinggunlucky
TheAdept

AbatedBigfoot

 

[Darkling0096]

Samantha took a minute to process the information Denton relayed. An entire town was a lot of parasites. If they were swarmed, they were doomed.

"Do we know where the hive is?", Sam asked Denton, preferring to avoid using names if her habit of honorifics was annoying, "If the queen has settled down I might be able to map out the hive." She didn't intend to disclose how if the answer was no, the queen was moving, but as long as the pests hadn't seen a DEHD before, she would probably be able to poke around. If it came down to it, she could turn her tool into a helmet and hope the Pests couldn't burrow through diamond, or her graphene would do her no good.

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu pushes his hand through his greasy hair to push it out of his face, wandering how long it's been since he's had a shower. He didn't smell bad. But his hair was matted and streaked with oil to the point it was reminiscent of gel. He decided to take a seat next to Quentin and await the briefing as well, eyes wondering amongst his new brothers and sisters in arms without any particular emotions. Just measuring them and their abilities as they introduced themselves. He wouldn't introduce himself unless asked to be a higher commanding rank.

 

[AbatedBigfoot]

"Edison huh, nice to meet you as well" he said as he stared up at the man. When he heard the man mention magic his heart sank. "Oh crap, do you think he's asking me because he knows that I have magic abilities, no, that's impossible unless he himself has magical essence and can sense mine. But then again I don't feel anything coming off of him." He thought to himself.

He turned his gaze over to the girl, then back at Edison, "I don't know what magic is, I've only read about it in books when I was younger. She did say that if we have any questions that we could ask her. Ill walk over there with you." After the words left his mouth, he regretted saying the last part in fear that the girl would be able to tell that he could use magic himself.

crumbelivable

 

[Kinggunlucky]

"Stay together," Denton said, staring at Aria. "Search and destroy first, survivors come second. This scenario will call for a tight formation." He looked to Amanda. "I haven't been able to find the Queen. My ghosts have covered roughly 65 percent of the area. No trace of her, but plenty of her ilk. Working off what Annie told me we'll assume whoever is alive is in the church. There are three churches in town. Two Catholic, one Baptist. All of them will have to be checked. "

The tent opened, Morgan walked out. She was carrying a dufflel bag over her shoulder.

Denton gestured to her. "Morgan here will be providing each of you with a map of the town and earpieces. We'll have a direct line of communication with each other." He walked closer to the group, putting on another smile, showing perfectly white teeth. "Less ground will be covered as a group, yes, but the Pests will come, and they will come hard. Here's the game plan,. Morgan, Vivian, John, Brick, Quentin, and Eddie in the front. First line of defense. The six of you need will be spread out about three to four feet apart.. Any of you see a Pest you kill it, burn it, shoot it. Nothing gets close. Range. Okay, second group. Second group stays behind the first at all times, but especially when the fighting starts. Amatsa and Aria, you two will be at the right side. Amatsa you flatten them, Aria you smash them.. Do not let any through. On the left, Camille and Kotsu, same general idea, different approach." Denton winked at the two vampires. "Your skills compliment each other. Let's see some blood." He looked at Owl, then to Samantha. "You two at the rear. The best visual senses out of us all. Owl you''re likely see what's directly coming before the rest of the group. What's in your way won't matter. You've got the sight, use it. See where the Pests are going to come from before they make a move, see what's in the houses and buildings around your team. Ms. Adams you'll be using your DEHD. Scan the perimeter, warn us if there are any strays, watch our backs. When you have the chance, attempt to locate the Queen, and find the which church the people are in."

Denton took a breath.

He couldn't remember the last time he had talked so much, but he enjoyed. Talking. Speaking to such a large body of people, people that had to listen to him, was a powerful thing, hypnotic even.