Fantasy Is Hope a Choice?

[DarkAncient]

Many people have said, "there are two types of people in this world..." with so many interpretations and so many different ways of looking at it. It is true that there are two types of people in this world, but it is not so complex as many wish it to be. There are two types of people in this world, good people, and bad people. The complexity only exists in deciding which kind of person you are. There are so many ways to "determine" such a thing, but in reality one must simply look no further than themselves. If you are given power how do you use it? There are so many answers to that question. There is no I use it in a good way or I use it in a bad way for in reality power is grey. One may use power for something that appears good either to them or another person, but in reality there is nothing but evil in the actions. One might also use power in a way perceived as evil, but it is truly a good thing to do. In the reality of it all there is only one kind of person, grey. It all falls upon what shade of grey you are though, what hue of a specific color. In the end there are many light grey people and there are many dark grey people. The world has never been so black and white after all as many authors and historians have pointed out. There has been great evils that believed themselves to be heroes, and great heroes who believed themselves to be great evils, as well as the opposites. In the reality of every day life we color ourselves with ever single moment. The greeting you give to those you see on your daily walk either adds a little black or a little white to your shade, and eventually, after enough time, your shade begins to show. It is shown in your everyday actions, in the way that you move and the way you speak. It is even shown in the way you do menial tasks such as sweeping your house, or whether or not you do. In the end the question must be asked of oneself, "what color grey am I?" You see there is a war coming, a war over one very particular thing. You see your hue is decided mostly in part by how you stand on one question. Is there hope for humanity? Nobody can decide the answer to that question but you, and only you can decide how you view the question itself. There is a lot of work to be done very soon, and if you cannot decide whether there is hope or not, you may find yourself in the crossfire of a war you never saw coming, and never believed would happen. In the end, you have to decide whether or not you see the war, and whether or not you stand.

 

[DarkAncient]

As with any journey, or any great war, heroes must begin somewhere. From a humbler beginning, to a call for action. In this story, our heroes all began in a dream, but what was to follow was not a quest for a holy grail, or a war to decide all of humanity, but a war to decide upon utter bloodshed, or upon peace in the world. This falls upon the players of this game, will they find that they can hope, or that hope is lost?


Dominic woke up like he always did, to an alarm blaring at him, reminding him it was 7:15 in the morning and sleeping in any longer would make him late for work. With a soft groan he sat up and pushed his way to the end of the bed, rubbing his eyes. It was hard to wake up sometimes, especially with this conflict happening. His nights had been getting later and later, there were just too many fights happening in his area. It was bad enough that the media had begun to call it a gang war, but if they really got involved they would all be at risk. "What am I saying, they are already at risk, everyone is." Dominic felt himself lose hope for a second, and then his eyes came to rest upon his umbrella. It stood leaned against his bedside take with the handle up, exactly how he had placed it the night before after getting home. With a soft smile he finally rose, pushing bed head out of his face and clumsily pulling off his pajamas. It was time for him to shower of the previous nights sweat and put his head back to pediatrics. He made his way into the bathroom and started the shower, jumping in as soon as the water started. He didn't mind the cold water, in fact it helped him think and clear his head. After a minute just standing under the water he finally began to wash himself, making sure to wipe off any signs of a previous conflict. The war was getting bloodier, and hiding the signs of combat getting harder. His mind began to wander again, to the first time he had seen combat. He had just woken from the dream, they all had, and the war began. It took less than hours for the hopeless to begin causing destruction, and in kind the hopefuls including himself had begun to retaliate. It had gotten bloody fast, and the death toll was going nowhere but up. By the time he was done thinking he was already sitting in front of a finished bowl of cereal preparing to get up and get to his car. He had a long day ahead of him.

 

[Viper]

The morning light shined through the stain glass windows, giving the room an unearthly golden glow. If you were to look in any of these windows you would see flawless wooden benches all facing a single podium. Angel wings were engraved on the front, perfectly sculpted so as that whoever stood behind it would look as if the wings were embracing them. Behind that was a mural which took over the entire wall, depicting the moment Satan was cast from Heaven, his white feathers scattered across the image, having fallen off and replaced with jet black ones. It was here that Arius knelt, a cross gently placed against his lips as he recited a prayer for the third time since day break. His shoulder length black hair fell across his face, masking the seemingly ill mans face.


When Arius heard foot steps sounding behind him he ignored them, "Hey you there! How did you get in here?" the old mans voice questioned. The church was not open to the public yet so finding a man kneeling behind the podium was suspicious and even worse was that the prayer didn't skip a beat. The older gentleman approached and continued to try and get a response but received no sign of recognition until once again Arius had finished the prayer. He stood up and stumbled, a drop of blood dripping from his leg in the process, a wound Arius received from the previous nights battles "Oh are you alright young man? Let me go get a band-" The mans words were cut short when a pale hand gripped his neck. He quickly realized the danger he was in and tried to beg for his life, saying that murder was a sin but Arius looked at the man without expression. He simply said...


"I have spoken with God and he has abandoned us"

 

[DarkAncient]

Dominic made his way into his car and began to drive to work. He was becoming more and more troubled by the news in his area, specifically an unexplained string of deaths. It was obvious to him what the cause was, but there was one problem, a good series of the attacks were happening during the day. With no real way to fight during his working hours that left Dominic with only the night to try and find the one responsible. He managed to get into his car and buckle up, but suddenly his mind began to wander. He worked in a hospital, and with the fruits of hate rampant in the city any of the people who appeared sick could just be a hopeless looking for victims. There would never be a child though, he worked in pediatrics he didn't have to worry, or did he? The thought of a sickly looking child entering a room with him and suddenly attempting to murder him suddenly crossed Dominic's mind and it made him almost vomit. It was a sickening thought, how young was too young for a war like this, when would it all stop. The thought continued to play in Dominic's mind until he finally decided that he could not work today. He pulled out his cell phone and quickly called in, letting his supervisor know he wasn't feeling "well enough to do his job" and then hung up. For a good moment he just sat there in his car, gripping the umbrella that he now used as a weapon and thinking. He ran a shaky hand through his blonde hair and sighed looking up at the ceiling. Finally he started his car and decided that he would go visit a church, or perhaps he would just go downtown and spend some time relaxing away from the war. He hoped that maybe he could find some level of peace in the crowds.

 

[Viper]

When Arius released his grip there was nothing in his hands but a dust like substance. For a moment he stared down at the left overs of the maggot food beneath him, all that was left was the clothing the man had once worn. So, with slow seemingly painful movements Arius leaned down and dusted off the cloth before stripping himself. Once he was wearing nothing but his underwear he used the tattered shirt he just removed to wrap up his leg, making a make shift bandage. Once he was sure that the wound would not leak through he stood up and put on the now owner-less clergy suit. His mouth twitched heavenward when he saw his reflection in the polished organ. He still looked ill but no longer did he look homeless, in fact, he felt like he finally was home again. Arius picked up the cross hanging around his neck and idly played with it as he set himself to the task of sweeping up his mess and preparing the church for the day. The actions were second nature to him and he prepared the church to perfection, even though on a Thursday there were hardly crowds at 8 in the morning.


Right on the dot Arius opened the large, double doors that lead into the church. The morning rays hit Arius's pale face, causing him to squint into the light. No longer did it make him think of Gods warm gaze, he knew that God resided in the darkness now. Still limping Arius retreated into the building that was only lit by natural light and sat at the organ, beginning to play a slow hymn with expert skill, letting the music echo through the walls and out into the parking lot.

 

[DarkAncient]

Dominic finally settled on going to a nearby historic downtown that contained an old chapel he had gone to when he first arrived in America. Parking nearby the chapel at a shopping center he was surprised to see the doors open and to hear the organ playing. The old clergyman who ran the church was getting on in years and opening on a Thursday this early was almost uncalled for. Dominic made a mental note to visit it later and began to walk the town, umbrella in had. He tried his best to hide among the crowds of people, hoping to blend in and to be without notice. In a war like this it was hard to tell who was fighting and who was an innocent bystander, but there always happened to be somebody who knew better than you. He felt a cold chill on his neck and let out a sigh, somebody was nearby. There was a famous hopeless going around his town, at least the news would like to make him famous. A man who used a ritual power to turn humans into a mix between living and dead, and they were always extremely cold. Ducking into a shop Dominic watched the passing people and kept an eye out for somebody in the crowd who looked abnormal. There was no way he could start a fight in the street, or in front of the crowd, but the creature among them was dangerous. Thinking as he watched he finally spotted it, a person whose eyes had gone pearly white and whose hands had been removed of all flesh leaving nothing but bone. It is amazing how little people notice in a crowd, so he knew he could get it out of there fast. He walked out of the building and then grabbed the half living creature by the arm pulling it into a nearby ally. The creature opened its mouth and made a motion as if to lunge, but Dominic was ready the moment they reached the ally. With a quick movement he struck his umbrella into the heart of the once man, and it crumbled to dust.


"This is unforgivable, not only is he killing them, but he makes us finish them off. It's like being told you have to shoot a dead prisoner who committed no crime." Dominic sighed and exited the alley, his actions would certainly draw attention to the summoner, so he decided to stay among the crowds for a bit, shopping and generally having a good time. Around noon he decided to enter the chapel, entering the door he bowed his head and placed his hands in the dish of holy water before entering through the archway. "Father McGonal?"

 

[Viper]

When Arius finished playing the hymn he slowly rose and stared out the open doorway. He had felt something... strange. He did not feel the ever present, dark gaze of the Lord above but instead there was the presence of something attempting to cut through it. The feeling quickly passed but Arius was left with a concerned mind. He stood up and picked up a spare bible, opening it randomly and reading the familiar words that seemed to hold a new meaning. Eventually the church bells changed from eight to twelve chimes. By this point Arius had stopped reading and moved towards the back of the church in order make sure that no one else would be coming to work that day. After reading a few emails it came to light that the only other person who would normally come in was a girl in her late twenties but after some suggestive emails she was trying to quit, much to the clergyman's perverted dismay. When the same feeling from earlier returned Arius sharply snapped his eyes towards the door. "Father McGonal?" the male voice said.


Arius stood up and grabbed the cross hanging off his neck "This feeling it reminds me of that girl..." Arius remembered back to one of the first nights after he discovered his powers, he was walking through a suburb at night when a forty year old woman appeared from seemingly nowhere holding nothing much a white candle. It turned out that she could control and empower the flame coming from the wick. It took more time than Arius thought but before she and her candle were nothing but dust in the wind, it was then that he learned there were those on Earth who had taken God's gifts and were using them to oppose him. This was the only hopeful he had ever encountered, after that he had stayed out of their way and went after the average sheep. Slowly, hand still playing with his cross, Arius walked out from the back room and looked at the stranger and answered him, "Father McGonal is no longer qualified to serve God's will, he has turned his gaze to me. I will now assist you, for the righteous gives and does not hold back."

 

[DarkAncient]

Dominic felt something was wrong the moment he saw the man. The feeling was one he knew, and the limp and sick look gave even more away. He knew this man was a hopeless, and he knew he was powerful from his looks. There was no way he wanted a fight at this hour, especially with a heavy crowd outside the doors walking up and down the town. He gripped his umbrella tight and looked the man over before smiling lightly. A small drop of water from his hand hit the umbrella, and it let of a small blue glow for a split instance. To an untrained eye it would pass by without any notice, a trick of the eye, a small mistake in your vision. Still smiling Dominic gave a nod to Arius attempting to keep the conversation in light spirits, and trying to keep him from noticing what Dominic was. He brushed some dust off his long coat and held out a bit of chocolate he had gotten from a nearby candy shop. He made sure to keep the wrapper between himself and Arius, mostly afraid the man would grab him and try to drag him off.


"Did the old man finally get caught for being a pervert?" Dominic's thick Slovic accent showed through most when he was nervous, his words taking on a foreign tongue as he continued to speak. "Do you care for sweets?" He laughed slightly, almost hoping the answer would be a hard no. His attire was never meant for battle, but it was covering. He wore a long white trench coat and a pair of dress pants with a white long sleeve and a white vest. He was always dressed nice, but also dressed for rain. It was never a bad time to be prepared for a drizzle or a storm after all. "The old Father was always a bit off, but he was a nice man, now that he's free of his duties perhaps he will pursue his hobbies." Dominic let out another fake laugh, it was obvious what happened to the Father. If he was found alone with a hopeless than there was little to no chance he made it out alive. Didn't matter who or what you were the goal was to kill. "What is your name sir?" Dominic began to fiddle lightly with the pockets of his trench coat, making sure to keep a solid hand on the umbrella. In a worst case scenario that this became a fight he began to think about exits and ways to keep this inside the church. If he killed the man he could easily make it look like a suicide or like he stumbled on a murder, nobody would believe that an umbrella could have cut a man in half or stabbed his heart. His mind racing at a mile a minute he began to sweat and show signs of anxiety.

 

[Viper]

Arius cocked his head to the side like a bird and other than a slight creasing of his brows, his expression stayed black. "Yes..." Arius said slowly as he approached, "You could say that he was finally punished for his sins." As if the flamboyant way this man dressed was not enough Arius now knew that the stranger in front of him know of the 'holy' mans perversions yet did nothing about it. It was disgusting. Keeping a black expression Arius lifted his arm and reached out the hand which was not safely in a glove, just in case the hopeful attacked. Arius considered grabbing the man and ending him now but instead he carefully plucked the chocolate from the strangers hands, making sure that he made no physical contact. He couldn't attack just anyone, he needed to get to know this man more, he may have been given a purpose on this Earth. "Thank you. For your kindness I will answer your question, I am called Arius Vorman. Tell me, who are you, child?" As he waited for an answer he slowly fumbled with the chocolate, the shaking in his hands making it rater difficult. Eventually he got through the wrapping and threw the sweet into his mouth, letting it melt rather than chewing it. This made Arius's stomach churn loudly, reminding Arius that he had not eaten in over 24 hours.

 

[DarkAncient]

Dominic smiled again and relaxed slightly, still cautious he continued to speak. "A please to meet you Father Arius, this chapel is old, I do hope it is not too much for you to care for." Dominic knew the sickness in the man most likely was caused by the power he had been given, and he knew it was something not to be taken lightly, especially from the extent of his condition. "I am Dominic Konrad, a Slavic immigrant to this lovely country. My father died sending me to this place so I could study medicine in this country, and so I carry on his memory by helping the sick." Dominic knew there was no treatment for the man before him, but he held on hope that perhaps somehow the transformation of a Hopeless could be reversed. He guessed that was what made him a hopeful, his hope that anything could be solved, any sickness cured, even a sickness of the heart. "The old man was one of the first people I met upon arriving in America, kind old fool but he was a pervert deep down. In my home that is not uncommon but I knew that here in America it is looked down upon. I had not seen him in some time, I figured I would come see if he was still trying to repent." Dominic let out another nervous laugh and loosened his grip on the umbrella slightly, trying to give a more relaxed look. "Have you always been a man of God Arius?" Dominic decided to try and act casual and so he picked up a nearby bible and flipped through it. "I was raised Catholic, it is not hard to see God in the eyes of ones parents, and the eyes of children, wouldn't you agree?"

 

[Viper]

Arius stayed where he was as the hopeful took a few steps away and began to flip through the bible. A corner of his mouth twitched up when he was asked about his past, "Yes... I spent many Sundays in a church similar to this one and as I grew I swore my body, mind and soul to the church in order to serve the Lord fully. I am pleased to say that I have upheld my oath. As for your other question. I always though-" Arius' sentence was cut short as his body convulsed into a coughing fit, the force of the coughing causing him to double over. After only a few short moments Arius stood back up, looking a bit paler than before but showing no signs of true weakness other than a small red stain on the sleeve of his suit. "As I was saying..." he continued as if nothing happened, "I always thought the same until recently. Now I know the truth, God cannot be found in the eyes of the youth or in the kind, he is found in the eyes of the dying, of the sick. It only when near death can one ever truly know Gods plan for you."


Arius limped a few feet forward until he was inches away from Dominic. "Will you do something for me Doctor? I was injured this previous night and received a rather deep injury. I imagine that you know more first aid than I do, so if you will look at it, I am sure the Lord will smile upon you for another night." Although it could be taken as a threat it was actually a promise for mercy. Arius knew that in order to complete Gods will he had to exterminate the human population but if Dominic helped him today, the next time they meet Arius would let him live.

 

[DarkAncient]

Dominic looked at Arius and new in a moment that the man was dangerous. To see God in the eyes of the dying was the sign of a truly mentally ill man, but he could not kill him here. He was misguided, and part of Dominic believed he could truly be helped. He listened for a while and watched the coughing fit, taking a step forward to assess the situation. His sickness had most likely given him lung ulcers, and they seemed to be rather volatile at this point. There was little to be done other than surgery for those, but Dominic knew that even surgery would not help this man. The sickness would come back the next time he killed. Putting the bible down he looked the man over and listened as he spoke of a previous injury, thinking for a moment before he spoke. He could not turn down a patient, no matter what they had done or would do, the sick needed help and that was an oath he had sworn.


"Of course, I will be honest without a full kit I may not be able to do much, but I always carry some supplies in my jacket pockets." Dominic smiled and spoke with more confidence than he had used during most of the conversation. He was obviously more comfortable in a medical situation than a combat one. In reality Dominic had nearly tripled the amount of medical supplies he carried since the war began. He had to, and with access to all the professional equipment it wasn't hard to have a large emergency kit fit into his jacket's large pockets. Hidden in his pockets was a very large first aid kit, containing gauze and bandages as well as multiple different pain relievers and antibiotics, and a few minor surgery tools such as a scalpel, tweezers, and a needle and thread. He had started carrying those after a hopeless with a gun shot him one night and it occurred to him in the ER he could easily get his own tools and just keep them on him for another emergency. "What happened to you?"

 

[HoneyPieGigi]

Kelly woke up, rubbing her eyes. She went to her friend's bachelorette party, so they went to a bar. She normally didn't like bars, or clubs or whatever, but this time she had fun because no creepy dudes tried to hit on her or her friends.


The first thing she did this morning was walk into the bathroom, because bathroom is where beauty is made. She caked on a pound of makeup along with perfume, and the best outfit she could find. She brushed her teeth for exactly twenty minutes, god forbid she ever went outside her house with morning breath. She walked outside with a power bar, and got in her Lexus.


She drove along the road calmly. She was seeing her friend today. Her friend wasn't really a friend, more of just a person who she hung out with.

 

[Viper]

Silently Arius began to strip for the second time that day, slowly he removed his pants to see that the make shift bandage was already soaked through with blood. The area around it was a vibrant purple, a bruise received at the same time as injury. Arius had not realized that the wound opened up again, he was far to distracted with the hopeful in front of him. In spite of the situation Arius chuckled to himself, quickly realizing that this mans strong set of morals would get him killed long before Arius could do it himself. "I fell." Arius answered simply at first but elaborated further with the truth only after he removed the makeshift bandage to revel the bruise more clearly as well as the crater in his thigh. "I fell from a second story window directly onto the pointed trunk a small tree. The trunk wasn't long enough to go all the way through my leg but it did make a rather large hole, as you can see." Arius motioned toward the wound with an arm. This may have been true but Arius made a point of not mentioning why he was falling out of a window or that it was not his house he was falling from.


Dominic went to work on Arius's leg who was showing no pain, even as Dominic pressed down on the wound to stop the bleeding. This type of wound should have been causing Arius to weep in pain yet his face held little emotion other than the occasional brow creasing. When Dominic's head was bent down, looking at the pale thigh, the hopeless smirked. He had no idea easily it would be for Arius to injure him and he wouldn't even have to move. All he would have to do would be send a wave of his gift away from his hands to his leg and Dominic would no longer have a hand pressed against the wound but a worthless stump of bone. Putting on his mask once again Arius asked suspiciously, having an idea that this strange dress code had to do with him being a hopeful "Tell me, why do you carry an umbrella and dress the way you do? There is no chance of rain today nor is it cold."

 

[DarkAncient]

Dominic went carefully to work on the wound listening to the story. It was quite possible that the man had been injured in a fight, but his voice gave away no lies. As he continued to work he thought over the scenario, and in the end decided that this man could have been the one at fault for the mysterious deaths in the area. Dominic quickly pulled out a pair of gloves from his jacket pocket and began to work with a surgeons needle that he had on him. He had needed to perform more than a few makeshift operations on his own body during the war, and he was not going to leave the house unprepared for a large gash in his side. After all he himself was currently hiding a rather large healing wound on his chest. "I see, falls are always nasty, especially for one of your stature. I must admit though, it is much harder to work on adults than children." He let out a small laugh and continued to work on the leg, sewing it up and pulling out a length of gauze. "I haven't operated on a full grown man in some time, I work mostly on children, and occasionally I work in the children's ER. It's amazing what children can do to themselves, especially when falling." Satisfied with his care of the leg Dominic stood and smiled, taking off the latex gloves and putting them and the needle into a small bag he had in his back pocket, before placing them in one of his jacket pockets. "Stay off that leg as much as you can and get yourself a pair of crutches, I might even recommend a wheelchair if the church is accommodating to that father."


Hearing Arius' question of his attire Dominic let out a small laugh. His answer was half truth, and half lie to hide his true nature. "The umbrella was a gift from my father before he passed, he always told me that it was a shame to be without an umbrella, as for my attire it is the same principle. A sort of ideal to remind me to always be prepared for everything." Dominic was not lying about the reason he held on to the umbrella, but he was not going to tell this man that he wore a rain jacket everywhere because he could make it rain holy water. It was never good to let a hopeless know your power, because knowing your opponent was half of winning. "Tell me Father Arius, was there an injury in your past that lead to your current state? You seem rather frail for one your age, I hope I am not intruding on your privacy, just the doctor in me trying to get a fix on my patient." Dominic gave a truthful smile, and a small happy laugh as he watched Arius' every move.

 

[Viper]

Arius ignored the doctors recommendation and stood up, shifting weight between his legs a few times as if to test the strength of his leg. Once he was satisfied that he could function he looked back up to Dominic, not bothering to put distance between the two. For this close it was clear that Arius was smaller than Dominic in both height and width, yet when Arius looked into the eyes of the doctor, it was obvious that he didn't feel intimidated in the slightest bit. Tired black eyes stared into the blue ones above him and even as Dominic laughed the expression on the 'Fathers' face stayed neutral. "There was no injury or illness. My heath was a small price to be payed in comparison to the gift God as given me." Arius looked as if he was about to say something else but at that moment another person entered the church, a woman who was talking openly on her cell phone. Arius watched that woman ignore the water at the door and walk directly to a pew, using one of the bibles which accompanied every pew as a fan. She continued to walk in a loud tone, ignorant to the stabbing gaze Arius was wielding.


The hopeless was quickly losing interest in the doctor and took an unconscious step towards the sheep. Dominic made a sound or movement which briefly reminded Arius that they were not alone. The religious man blinked slowly at Dominic and drawled, "Our time is up my hopeful son. May Gods eyes fail to fall upon you." Arius didn't know that he had just called out Dominic on his position in the war. Arius had encountered only one hopeful and no hopeless, he didn't know about the proper terms or how large in scale the battle was. Arius didn't even know that he was called a hopeless by most circles, to him there were only 'those that appose God' and 'those who follow him'. The dark man limped away from the doctor at this point, almost completely forgetting about him. Arius approached the woman and used his silent steps to his advantage as he came up behind her, snatching the phone out of her hands and ending the call before she even knew what happened. When she turned around and saw who dared to do that to her, she creased her eyebrows and hesitantly, but still furiously, began yelling at the blank faced 'Father'.

 

[DarkAncient]

Dominic's suspicions were finalized when he heard Arius speak of God's gift. It was easy for those who had been given power to throw the reason for that power at a deity, and even easier for serial killers. He was worried at this point that he could possibly be in trouble, or that Arius would pounce on him when another woman entered the church. Immediately Dominic's blood ran cold. Alone in a church with a dangerous man was one thing, but when a civilian was involved there was a completely new danger. Dominic watched her as she entered, and felt the stare of Arius fall on her as she talked loudly in the church. It was like watching a Cobra stare down a mouse; cold, collected, and most dangerously silent. He had a way of starring at a person without alerting them that made Dominic very uneasy that he might not work alone. Smiling slightly Dominic shifted and lifted his umbrella holding it over his right shoulder with a casual stance. This stance allowed Dominic to appear at ease, but also be ready to suddenly swing.


"Excuse me Miss, but I believe you forgot the holy water? Or perhaps you are not of faith and are here to convert?" Dominic let his accent take over in this instance. He found that American's loved the sound of an accent, and that it helped him in many situations to lay it on heavy. He had to hide a shiver when Arius called him a hopeful son, as he was unsure if it was an intentional jab at him or a slip of the tongue. Watching Arius grab the phone made Dominic nearly jump and he himself made a silent rush to her side his umbrella ready in hand. "Father I understand her disrespect to your church but you must be careful, surprising people like that can cause a good deal of harm to them." He figured that was the point, or possibly the end game for Arius, but Dominic hoped to distract him long enough to get the girl to safety, or worst case only injured slightly.

 

[Viper]

As the woman continued to screech at Arius he let the phone slip from his hands and crack on the floor. The woman's eyes widened as she looked back and forth from the cracked phone to Arius, her complaining turning to threats and insults. Arius had not moved his gaze from the women, even as Dominic spoke to him. "That was my intention, good doctor." He mumbled as a warning before throwing off his other glove and punching Dominic with it. Dominic was prepared however so instead of making contact with his neck like Arius wanted to, his fist made contact with the umbrella, not damaging the weapon in the least bit but there was enough strength behind the attack to push Dominic back a few feet. The woman was silent now, attempting to flee, but was unable to escape due to the hand tangled in her hair. Arius stared into the face of the woman and whispered, trailing a single finger down her face until it rested on her lips, "Do not fear those who kill the body, for we cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body. Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me." The way Arius quoted and shifted the bibles words to fit his dark deeds was frightening, the woman increased in struggle as she realized the danger she was in. Arius knew that Dominic would try to stop him, so he hosted himself over the pew and directly behind the woman, holding her by her hair and now her neck as well. I pressed her back against my chest and forced her to walk forward, towards the main exit.


"I gave you my word that you should you assist me, the lord would smile upon you another night, well that night has come. Step away from the entrance and you shall see those children at the hospital again. If not..." Arius tightened his grip on the woman and began using his power, her voice almost instantly loosing volume, "...then you will suffer the same fate as that perverted man." Arius knew there was only three outcomes of this situation, the woman and Dominic died, Dominic let him go and just the woman died, or if it meant saving his own life, Arius would allow each to to walk out of the church.

 

[DarkAncient]

Dominic watched in shocked awe at Arius, was he really bold enough to attack a woman in broad daylight. Having blocked the blow to himself he watch Arius carefully, now holding the umbrella more like he would hold a sword. It was obvious now what properties the umbrella held, as he took up a fencing stance and looked at his surroundings. There was more power in Arius' punch than he had expected and it had caught him off guard, but his only concern was now the woman. He was going to save every life he could. It took a moment though for Dominic to notice Arius' power, and to realize how possibly hopeless of a situation that was. Her body seemed like it was aging with each touch of his hand, and though it had very little outward effect he could see her becoming weaker. Dominic bit his lip and thought of the situation at hand. This man had obviously killed plenty of people, and whether or not he had found his true potential was yet to be seen, but Dominic had an idea.


"You put me in a tough spot Arius, I know what you are and I know you will kill again, but I also know how little my chances are if you manage to touch me." He sighed and took a step away from the door for a second, giving Arius a small way out. "I know what you say is true, I must keep the children in my mind and heart if I am to be of any use to this world." As Dominic spoke, the air around the church began to grow a slight chill, and storm clouds surrounded a small section of land around them. It was an unnatural setting, as the clouds only seemed to cover less than half a mile around the church, but it set a gloomy atmosphere around. Dominic still needed a lot of energy to do something even this basic with his Ultimate Hope, but he desperately needed some edge. Looking out the window Dominic gave a sad smile and opened his umbrella above his head. "Like I said, you can never be too prepared with an umbrella." Dominic hoped that the holy water that fell from the sky would be enough to slow down Arius, or maybe make him slip up and release the woman, but he himself would be nowhere near fast enough to catch the man himself now. As he spoke a pouring rain began to fall around them, and Dominic began to pray.

 

[Viper]

Arius could sense the storm cloud form and he looked up, watching as the stain glass windows which once were shining radiant red and golden yellow darken and become flat. It was risky yet Arius did start to walk towards to door and the holy rain, it was obviously unnatural and attached to Dominic yet there was no other way of escape. Arius and the whimpering woman managed to reach the doorway without trouble, Dominic knew there was no hope should he try and directly stop the hopeless. Slowly Arius let go of the woman's hair and extended the hand outside, testing the waters. He gasped slightly when a drop of rain fell onto his fingers but he didn't remove it. "Interesting..." He mumbled to himself, before turning his dead eyes towards his foe, "Your power is remarkable but it is a shame that you use your gift to stop Gods will from coming into reality. Soon you will learn that no matter how hard you try to save the world around you, it will fall into chaos one way or another. Humanity has been abandoned and they are to focused on their pitiful lives to realize it. Yet you are not so ignorant to the corruption and so, I will bestow upon you another gift, a preview of the future." Arius peeled his hand away from the woman's throat to reveal a hand print embedded in her neck, grey and wrinkled. With a shove the hopeless threw the woman forward and directly in the pathway of Dominic before turning on his heels and running into the holy rain. He left the woman with Dominic because he knew that there was no way to save her at this point, she would not turn into dust as the true Father had, instead she would suffocate within the hour as her lungs failed her. Even if she manages to get to a hospital in time where they could give her air manually, she would not live long. She knew far to much and she would not keep silent about what she has witnessed, there would be far to many questions about how this happened to her throat, making her a target of other hopeless and perhaps even some hopeful. She was as good as dead.


Arius pushed through the pain and as he quickly limped across the parking lot and around the corner. He didn't stop running until he had escaped the rain, falling to the ground from exhaustion and the force of another round of coughing. He croaked out another lump of blood yet that was no what caused his eyes to widen. His hands and most likely his face had burns on them, caused from the drops of holy rain. He let out a groan and tried to ignore the throbbing as he got back on his feet and walked into the the depths of downtown. He received many looks yet none dared to approach him, a man with such hollow cheeks and dead eyes must be diseased and maybe contagious. Arius returned to the place he called home, a simple three room apartment where the neighbors ignored each other and didn't even bother to nod when passing each other in the hall. His home was simple yet clean and organised, in the bedroom there was only a mattress and a lamp with clothing piled neatly in the corners, the bathroom was normal besides the folded blood stained clothing waiting to be washed, and lastly there was the living room/kitchen. There was a single bar stool pressed up against the counter which served as a table, a bookshelf filled with religious texts, and the sole example of luxury, a several hundred dollar piano. He ignored all of this and went into the kitchen, taking out some eggs as he began to cook himself a meal for the first time in at least 24 hours.

 

[DarkAncient]

Dominic watched as Arius spoke, and bit his lip. There was hope in the world, and that is what he held to. It was that hope that had made him what he was right now, and without that hope he would become like Arius, and work towards nothing but destruction. He listened though, and felt his fears come to life as Arius threw the woman in his direction. Running to her and picking her up he looked at her neck and let out a deep sigh. He recognized the signs of decay, and looked into her eyes to see how she was doing. Her eyes looked up at him with a desperate shimmer, as tears began to flow from her cheeks. Her larynx was collapsing, and so she was desperately clinging to the ability to breath, but would be unable to speak. It was one of the worst, and most painful ways to go, and Dominic would not let her. "I am so sorry about this, about what you became a part of." He looked at her, and her eyes showed that same desperate desire to live, to find help. "A war is going on under everyone's noses, and it just keeps taking casualties." He shook his head, and let himself begin to cry slightly. As he did the rain around them stopped, and the sky cleared to a sunny day again. "I am a doctor, but I have to tell you that you will die, he's destroyed your lungs." A pained sob shot through the young woman's body, and she seemed to be trying to speak, but only painful sounds of sobbing came out. "I wish there was more I can do, but I can ease the pain." He reached into a back pocket of his coat, one that was hidden very well from prying eyes and pulled out a needle and a bottle. The bottle was labeled Morphine, and Dominic filled his needle with it and slowly injected it into her arm. "This will make the pain go away, and make you sleep." He nodded to himself and finished the injection of morphine. The overdose he gave her was enough to slowly ease her pain, and in moments, she was dead in his arms.


Leaving the church Dominic made an anonymous call to the police that a murder had happened at the local church. He explained that he had found a woman who's larynx had been crushed and she had been overdosed with something to kill her. As he walked away the storm clouds had ceased, and a large rainbow stood between some trees behind him, a sign of new beginnings. It didn't take him long to get to his car, and even less time to get home. As soon as he reached his driveway he picked up his umbrella and swung at a tree in his yard. His anger got them best of him for a moment, and he made a good sized chip in the trees trunk. If he had killed Arius the moment he met him, then the woman would still be alive, but Dominic, he didn't want to think about that anymore. He made his way to his kitchen and made himself some tea, too upset to think. Picking up a picture of his father he kept on his table he looked it over and slowly spoke to himself. "If there is no more hope in the world it will crumble, but if you hold on and pray for a better tomorrow then you are the tool to fix it."

 

[Viper]

Arius finished his meal and cleaned his dishes right away, there was no telling when or if he would return to do them later. His life was like that, chaotic and without a set schedule. There were times that he missed his past, the simple day to day actions of prayer and contemplation, but that was long gone. There was no more time for contemplation, he knew his path now, a path filled with action and decay. He tried his best to savor this quiet time yet, laying back in his bed just to close his eyes and relax but it only took an hour for the silence of his apartment to be cut by the pounding of his neighbors actions. A woman's moans and a mans panting sounded through the wall which caused Arius's eyes to snap open. This was the fifth time that this happened since Arius moved in here not long after the dream. Arius couldn't have stayed with his parents any longer, for they were the ones Arius had tested his powers on first, instead he took what money was around the house and moved into the worst apartment that he could find. Plenty of drug deals, gang fights, and more went on within these walls, and the hopeless was fortunate enough to get a room right next to a very active porn director, who liked to film his art at every hour of the day.


Arius was tired from the days events, on top of using his power he was riddled with the hopeful water which seemed to sap his power from him. In spite of this, Arius considered going in there and showing them how much of a sin lust was but knew that if he were to do that, he would no longer be able to stay here. On the other hand, he was meant to be a tool of action now, a weapon. The woman let out a loud gasp sending Arius straight to his feet and into the main room. He wouldn't go searching for trouble, but if they came to him... now that was a different story. He began to play loudly on his grand piano, knowing that his neighbors in every direction would be able to hear him. He didn't used to have a neighbor on his right yet when he came home, he found a sign hanging on the door that didn't used to be there. At first there was no response from anyone but eventually there was an angry pounding at the door. Arius smiled to himself and slowly limped to the door and opened it. His brows creased ever so slightly as he saw not his neighbor standing outside the door but a teenager he had never seen before. It was a slightly above looking blonde boy who looked to be 16 or 17 and who looked rather normal except for two things. His rabidly blinking eyes were clouded, almost like a blind persons, and his aura was dark and hopeless. The boy looked furious and before Arius could properly react to another human with powers, the boy had pushed Arius against the wall and clicked, "I don't care if your on my side of this war, you will never touch that fucking piano again."


Arius stared down at the boy and knew without a doubt that the only way to get through to this boy would be through violence and intimidation. The hopeless smiled down at him. "You will pay for your insolence child, yet not until you tell me more about this... war you speak of." The kid refused to willingly be of assistance so Arius closed his eyes and prepared for night of action and decay.

 

[DarkAncient]

Dominic finally picked himself up after a period of tea drinking and let out a loud sigh. There was only one thing to do about today's events and that was to handle it, and keep any more causalities from occurring. He picked himself up and went to the locked door near his bedroom, pulling a key out of his pocket and slowly twisting the handle. Inside was an office, strewn with papers and piles of unfinished work and books. On the main wall of the office was a detailed map of the city, with red and blue pins on different portions of it. Dominic had originally hated the idea of using a map to mark where he had seen signs of hopeless and hopeful activity, believing that recording such things would only lead to him dwelling on the pains of losing lives. He was easily persuaded though by the wealth of knowledge given to him by another hopeful he had met who had become sort of an oracle to him. Her powers were nothing to use in a fight, and she was not one for bloodshed, so when Dominic found her in the middle of an altercation with a hopeless she was almost dead. He had barely saved her, and in return she had assisted him in tracking activity. Sighing he opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out an outdated flip phone, quickly dialing her number.


"You have reached the almighty Oracle, the keeper of knowledge, the knower of all things knowable, and the most beautiful hopeful in all the land, how might I help my knight in shining rain coat?" The woman on the other end had a shrill yet soft voice, that ranged from high to deep with almost every word she spoke. Dominic opened his mouth as if to say something but was quickly cut off by more of her banter. "Oh but no no, it's no fun if you tell me. Let me guess...you ran into a hopeless!?" Dominic sighed and nodded to himself before responding in the affirmative that he had, and asked her how she had known. "Oh sweety you should watch the news more often. Young lady found in church after anonymous 911 caller tells them a murder has occurred. Authorities are saying she looks like she rotted from the inside out, which is something we have not seen before but there have been disappearances in the last few days that could be linked to a man able to make things rot to dust!" There was the sounds of typing on a keyboard and then the sound of the lady on the other end sipping some form of drink before speaking again. "Do me a favor will you Dom? Connect the dots on 4th, Tyler, and the one you will now be placing at the church you just visited." Following instructions Dominic connected the three dots into a triangle and looked at what was there, standing puzzled. "I'm sure this man has been on a much bigger spree than that, but for now that is the closest you have to his comfort zone. He probably lives in that area, for now though I have some muffins in the oven that need to be brought to momma! Bye!" The line suddenly went dead, and Dominic sat in his office chair, starring at his map and sighing.

 

[Viper]

Arius was still forcibly pressed up against the wall, looking detached or at the very least bored of the situation. The blonde boy began to press down harder on Arius, nearly blocking the air in his lungs, so there was no more time to waste. Meeting the gaze of the fellow hopeless the ex-holy man focused his power to his throat and twitched his eyebrows in amusement when the kid pulled back in pain. "It is not my time to leave this earth yet." He preached using the wall to kick himself off of the wall and directly into the kid. They both fell to the ground and Arius felt blood get expelled from his face when the kid punched him square in the jaw. With a quiet snarl Arius kicked up and forced the boy off of him. They both quickly returned to their feet and squared off again, now on an even playing field or so Arius thought. The boy looked at Arius and a grin spread across his face a moment before he winked one grayed eye. A flash burst through the room, originating from the boy, blinding Arius. He began to blink desperately yet his eyes stayed splotched, he would have been screwed if not for his nearly empty house. Arius charged right for where he remembered the boy standing and merely grazed him with his power, hearing the boy hiss as the priest sent a flash of decay through his arm. This dance continued as a simple filler until Arius's eyesight returned to normal. When he could see again the child was standing still, his clothing a bit tattered from Arius's attacks. Arius could tell that something was wrong when the boy closed both eyes for a moment and when he opened them everything in the room stood still, the dust in the air and the priest included.


With a cocky smirk the boy picked up a knife from the kitchen and returned to Arius, trying to quickly end this before his power wore off. Arius drifted his attention to his piano as he reached deep inside himself and prayed for strength, the change in the room was immediate. His Ultimate Hate was activated and there was no fleeing. The clothing on his body, the boy, and everything else in the room began falling apart. The boys eyes widened in shock when he took a step forward and heard a loud creak, making eye contact with Arius as the floor beneath them both crumbled beneath them. Both hopeless fell into the lower apartment, much to the dismay of a drug dealer who had a needle a third into his arm and when he looked up with amazed eyes all he saw was a corner of the apartment still in tact, where the piano safely sat. Trying his best to ignore the pain racked through his body, Arius pounced on top of the still recovering boy and held him down, making sure to put skin against skin. "That is enough child, now tell me your tale. Start with your name." At first it seemed like he was still going to resist but then thought better of it and introduced himself as Felix, a parasitic hopeless with a connection to cameras.


"Who the fuck are you freaks? What the hell happened up there?" The drug dealer snapped taking up a defensive position. The two hopeless exchanged a glance before Arius allowed the boy up and advancing towards the dealer. Arius threw a hand to the mans neck and took him out the same way he did to the father that morning. "Dust to dust" Felix murmured in amusement. The pair were a sight to see, covered in dust and blood, while both looked tired from the excess use of power but it was clear that Arius was worse off. He had fallen into a coughing fit, nearly every third cough sending out drops of blood onto the apartment floor. As if the wounds from the fall hadn't been enough, he had no used his power at least three solid times that day AND his ultimate hate, he had no strength left. Felix came over and helped the priest to stand, "If you want to know what is really happening around here, the war, than you should come with me. I know someone who would like to meet a hopeless like you..." He starts leading me towards the door and I let him, interested in what this 'other person' would have to tell me.

 

[DarkAncient]

Dominic was done starring at a map, and was ready to act. Picking up his phone again he made another call to a different, friend, one whom talked little. It was a very one sided conversation but Dominic got the point across. "I am going to take a week off work. In that week we need to increase hunts and begin to take out more hopeless. At this point the entire world thinks there is a serial killer epidemic and that is not good. Soon enough a hopeless with a desire for spotlight is going to show up and let the whole world know what is happening, and then there won't be any more secret war. If word of what's happening in dark alleys at night gets out, then there will be much more unnecessary blood shed. Meet me at the clock tower at 6 tonight and bring your book..." There was a brief pause and Dominic sighed before speaking again, "...I know how much you hate to use it at this point, but you are a hopeful and you cannot avoid your powers now meet me then." Dominic quickly hung up the phone and sighed, picking up his umbrella and looking out the window of his little office. "It's a beautiful day for rain."


Dominic was at the clock tower in the center of town at exactly six on the dot. He had run into a hopeless who was looking to make himself look cool by killing him, and had found the man easy to dispatch of. Ritualistic fighters really didn't have any place at the front lines of this war, it took too long for them to really do anything and by the time the boy was ready to really fight Dominic already thrust his umbrella through the boys heart. It haunted Dominic how easy it was getting to kill others, though it still haunted him to do it, it no longer took any hesitation. Suddenly there was a rustling next to him, and a figure emerged from a nearby alley. Wearing a black hoody and torn up jeans the figure kept his face hidden well despite looking directly at Dominic. "War makes it easy to kill, but you should never make it easy on yourself." Before Dominic could ask how he had known what he was thinking the figure answered him. "I can always tell, you make such a terrible face after you've killed somebody, and you wonder why I have such a hard time using my power when you give me that face." Dominic sighed and nodded to him. Dominic motioned then and asked if he had brought the book, to which the figure nodded and pulled out an old torn up bible, flipping to a seemingly random page and pausing. "Are you sure you want me to do this? You know how much attention it will bring." Dominic simply nodded and sat there waiting. "Very well...When the wicked advance against me


to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident." As he spoke every hopeless in the area began to feel a slightly painful pull towards where Dominic and the figure stood, and the closer they got the less it hurt. The farther one attempted to flee from the pain the worse it got, but it never was enough to cripple, only enough to feel uncomfortable and in pain. Though the figure stopped speaking his bible glowed a bright gold, and until he closed it the strange sensation would remain. "I am the shepherd, and my flock now comes. You are warned Dominic."


"You don't need to be so dramatic Clem. Your power is draining but..." Before he could finish his sentence a weaker hopeless came stumbling into the area, obviously drunk and attempting to flee any form of discomfort for the night. Dominic took no time in striking, and cleaved the man's head off before continuing to speak. "If we do not gather the flock for the slaughter, the flock will slaughter the rest of the world." Sighing he sat and waited for more to come. Clem would only be able to continue this for another few minutes, but he hoped he could get the attention of a few hopeless who would be smart enough to realize the strange sensation was coming from the clock tower. He had a hunt to do.