• This section is for roleplays only.
    ALL interest checks/recruiting threads must go in the Recruit Here section.

    Please remember to credit artists when using works not your own.
OOC
Here
Characters
Here
Lore
Here
Other
Here
DAMIAN
SCENE:
Serpents Arc 3: Scene 1 [Thicker Than Water]
LOCATION:
Mysterious Black Site, North District
PARTICIPANTS:
Damian, August, Julian, Kinsley, Kisara, Kyoden, Peyton, Raphael, Sabrina, Shinko
THICKER THAN WATER
In the wake of the battle with the masked opponents, Damian felt a tinge of disappointment, but ultimately came away with a sense of satisfaction. He'd gotten the opportunity to replicate the clashes that were described to him years ago, providing him with plenty of long-coveted answers. However, that feeling was fleeting.

For him, enough was never enough. His curiosity-fueled cravings urged him to move forward. Now that the illusion had been lifted, he could continue exploring the depths of the warehouse and seek out the answers within. He needed more.

Heeding his mental call, the bisected tentacle on the ground twitched with life. Both halves slithered forward, guiding Damian and the other Serpents down the hall. As they advanced, he returned his massive blade to its proper resting place, sticking it to the crowned appendage sprouting from his back.

With every twist and turn, he shifted his gaze, hunting for anything worthy of note. Raphael was the main prize for many of the people here, but he also sought out other mysteries that had been buried in the black site. There had to be something more to all of this, something of greater interest that would make all previous encounters pale in comparison.

Unfortunately for him, he would find no such thing.

There were only walls here. Walls, walls, and more walls. Cold, gray, and dull. Nothing about the scenery was particularly captivating. However, it caused something to stir inside of him.

In the back of his mind, there was a faint tingle of familiarity. As he dragged his hand across the concrete, that feeling intensified, conjuring hazy memories of smoke and rubble. The similarity was hard to deny, and the unexpected connection evoked past sentiments.

It was dark. It was cold and confining. It was so...boring.

For once, the smile on Damian's face fell. With his hands stuffed into his coat pockets, he picked up the pace, not sparing any of his surroundings a second glance. Any interest he had in this place quickly dissipated, having been replaced by disappointment. The loose threads connecting the warehouse to his origins left him disillusioned.

It could have been mere coincidence. The people here may have had nothing to do with those who once tore away his flesh and sanity, but the possibility was enough to rip the wind out of his sails. If he was correct, then there was nothing to be gained from this. A peek into his own history, maybe? He didn't need something worthless like that.

Thankfully, something of value was eventually presented to him. He and his twin tentacles took notice of a group gathered at the end of the corridor. Several familiar faces surrounded a dark-haired individual standing in a swarm of red, and the echoes of their voices could be heard from afar.

The sight of the exchange was enough to put Damian's empty smile back in place. He walked forward, listening to the conversation until he came to a stop behind Raphael. Bending down, he craned his neck to get a better look at the man's features. The body was thinner than he remembered, but it was definitely the same person.

"I see you've found the Bloodfiend." As he turned to face the rest of the group, his attention lingered on a person he didn't recognize. Observing the blond man and the army of bugs at his command, Damian felt the spark of interest return. "And someone else."


 
ROLAND DREYER
SCENE:
New Oasis Arc 3: Scene 3 [Silence for the Damned]
LOCATION:
Dilapidated Clinic, North District
PARTICIPANTS:
Charmy, Dagger, Guinevere, Jack
SILENCE FOR THE DAMNED
"My apologies." Roland said and meant it. On second blush... Yes. He could see it now. One skull, two tenants. Only two? Hard to say. But this one was not the woman he'd spoken to before, though his face had not changed, structurally. There was a new quirk to the mouth, a different light in the eyes. People were strange.

That was why he loved them.

As Alva snapped his candid picture, Roland's eyes were on the sky, grey and overcast. As always. The world was full of noise and chaos, air-waves and cityscapes. The skies could only watch, and weep, as the ones below hurtled unknowingly toward a reckoning of their own making.

Once, this world had lived. Once, it had been so vast... Before fossil fuels, and e-mails. Before deforestation and factory farms. Once, the world had been full of music and light, as the great river of lifed flowed where it willed. Now, the world was regimented, ordered, and dead. Now, the only sound is silence. What's there left to save?

Roland rustled in his coat, producing a colorless, shining metal tube. It looked nothing like a phone; perhaps a tube of lipstick. And yet Roland said, "Reach me with this."

Roland held up. He turned to look over his shoulder at her.

"I was."

 
Kanna & Helva
Collab Post
SCENE:
Arc 3, Scene 2 [The Dragon and the Phoenix]
LOCATION:
Central District
PARTICIPANTS:
Kanna, Helva
The Dragon and the Phoenix
RECALL

To say Helva was surprised by Kanna throwing them across the room would be an overstatement, she figured the Jack would use their potential to whatever advantage they could. But Helva had made sure to fall onto her shoulders, crashing into a few offices desks before rolling across the floor and then jumping back to their feet. She had felt worse things, and the Jack seemed to be capable at least in hand to hand combat, regardless, that attack against them served it’s purpose well enough. It helped her gather intel on what tactic she should use in order to fight the Jack, and it was clear now that fighting in a blind rage would only end up to with her getting thrown around. So it seemed clear to them that now was the time to change things up a bit.

The jack was wounded and she plan to make things even worse for them, as she slowly made their way back into the fray. Intending to finish up what they started, that was until the Jack started speaking, Helva had frowned at what the Jack had said but was undeterred, if this was a attempt to either make her angry to make more costly mistakes or gather intel from her, then she refused to give in to what they wanted. I, don’t, care. with those words said, Helva rushed towards Kanna sidestepping last minute in order to place a targeted kick towards her bleeding leg. Now fully planning on going in with their new tactic of striking, targeting weak points and retreating into the darkness, before an effective response could be made, with the goal of wearing them out.

Kanna huffed quietly as she readied herself for Helva’s next attack, listening closely. Her eyesight still hadn’t adjusted to the darkness around her, but at this point the Jack didnt think it ever would. Out in front of her, she heard Helva respond to her earlier comment, giving away her position.

She listened closely for the sounds of footsteps as Helva moved in to attack once again, steadying herself for what was to come. In the blink of an eye, a sharp pain ran through her injured leg as Kanna felt Helva’s kick connect. The Jack dropped down to one knee, but Kanna was quick enough to recover and she had a general sense of where Helva was in relation to the kick.

Her hands balled into fists as Kanna’s right elbow came out, jabbing into Helva’s stomach. The Jack quickly followed up with their left fist, twisting her torso as she aimed a hook punch at Helva’s head. Whether it hit or not, Kanna quickly reduced her gravity, pushing back against the ground to move away from Helva before getting back up. It wasn’t the greatest strategy, but Kanna would have to allow her opponent to get close if she were to fight back.

Helva was a bit surprised by the fact the Jack was able to recover pretty quickly from a targeted kick towards their wounded leg. Then again, Adrenaline, could of been playing a key role in assisting them with that, a grunt of discomfort could be heard when the Jack elbowed them in their side, but Helva had taken stronger hits from her Sponseree Charlie in the past figuring that this was nothing in comparison. Still Helva didn’t want to take too many hits, from the Dragons and with the advantage of their sight, they were able to back peddle away before the Jack could follow their next attack up with a hit that they were sure would have probably rag dolled them into the air.

With them both taking distance, away from each other, Helva was quick to move back in for another round. This time she kicked a few desks around and out of their way, as she made their way towards Kanna, and once they were in striking distance she moved to the side in order to grab one of the office desks in order to slam it onto her head, throw what was left of it in her hand at her, and rush past her, with her fist targeting her chest.

Kanna heard the rattle of the chair as it was picked up, quickly raising her arms above her head as it came crashing downward, breaking into multiple pieces. Her arms remained up to block any follow up, which came shortly after as what was left of the chair was thrown at her.

Then, the footsteps came as Helva once again moved in to attack. Kanna braced for the impact, feeling the wind escape her as Helva’s fist landed the hit. But the Jack was resilient, and she didn’t earn her title just by standing around.

Kanna grunted as her hands came up, one of them gripping Helva’s arm and pulled them further in, closing the distance between them. Her other hand came forward, aiming a punch square at Helva’s jaw. At the same time, Kanna used the physical contact between her hand and Helva’s arm to reduce her opponent’s weight and her own, so if the punch were to connect, it would send them flying back to whatever was behind them. Hopefully, it was the window.

Helva cursed when the jack had opted to pull their arm in, closing the distance between them, she knew what her intentions were, and she wasn’t fond of it at all. Helva made sure to grab on Kannas arm in return, before then feeling a fist connect with her jaw sending them both flying up into the air. It was a unexpected turn of events as Helva was expecting to stay on the ground but instead they were both moving up. But Helva didn’t hesitate pivoting around and then letting go of kanna in a attempt to throw them to the ground, before then grabbing the ceiling tiles in order to slow herself down, before then crashing to the ground.

When Helva crashed she got back up saying ”I’ll admit this, your the most annoying person i fought all this week.” Helva looked at the wall behind her before looking at Kanna, seeing what she was trying to do, if she got lucky they would be rag dolled out of there, thus atleast giving her more time to recover. Something that Helva wasn’t exactly fond of doing, grabbing one of the computer screens off the office desk, Helva threw it towards Kanna rushing at them once again, aiming to kick them in their chest in order to push them towards the ground, so that she could capitalize, and possibly stomp their foot down directly on their face.

Kanna took another deep breath, letting it out slowly as they got back on their feet. Unless someone listened closely, it was hard to tell that it was shaky. The Jack’s eyes looked forward in the direction of Helva’s voice when they spoke up.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

She stood up straight, tilting her head from side to side as she felt her neck crack slightly. Kanna took her ready stance just as she heard another object being picked up. Her arms came upwards to shield herself once again, feeling the computer screen bang against her forearms.

As it clattered to the ground, Kanna remained in her defensive position. She felt the heel of Helva’s foot make contact as she aimed a kick at the Jack. Kanna allowed the force of the kick to push her back instead of down, maintaining her own weightlessness. She flew back a good distance from Helva, feeling her back touch glass behind her. That meant she was next to a window.

Helva didn’t expect Kanna to rag doll herself, but knew that it was an effective way to get information on their surroundings. Scoffing as they took what they said as a compliment, but Helva saw that Kanna was now near a window, not something she really enjoyed but she knew that she had to adopt. So Helva charged forward full speed in order to try to tackle Kanna, throwing them both into the outsides. Knowing outside it would give them a few advantages but also give Kanna the advantage of being able to more effectively use her potential, meanwhile. Helva would get the advantage of having her Sponseree with her by her side, and they would be able to take down Kanna as a team.

The Dragon Jack settled back down to the floor, her feet planted firmly. For a moment, Kanna debated whether it would be ideal to allow herself to be pushed through another window and back outside. But her thoughts were cut off by the feeling of a violent shake as the building they were in began to rumble. The glass behind Kanna splintered and cracked, eventually shattering just in time for Helva to collide into Kanna once more, sending both of them back into the outside. The Dragon Jack grabbed onto her opponent, twisting in the air in an effort to throw them off of her and down to the ground.

Now outside, Helva held an iron grip on the Jack in order to keep themselves from falling, as the Jack meanwhile tried their best to push them off. Though Helva would refuse to let her grip loosen on the Jack, as she held onto them in a sort of bear hug. That was until the dark orbs were deactivated, allowing for Kanna to see and Helvas vision to dampen a bit. This caused immediate worry within Helva, thinking fast Helva pushed off of Kanna and pulled on her wounded leg, in order to try to throw her to the ground, close to the position her Sponseree was in. Helvas worry and panic was clear on her face, but she didn’t want to lose her prey either, but at the same time she wanted to attend to whatever her sponsoree needed.

Kanna clenched her jaw slightly as Helva pulled on her wounded leg. But the Jack could clearly see the shift in dynamic. She now had the advantage over Helva. Without the darkness to shield them, the battlefield was much more even now, maybe more in her favor. Glancing ahead, Kanna caught a glimpse of a familiar sight. It wasn’t exactly easy not to miss Meirin, who was towering high into the sky as they had increased in size. By the looks of it, they were headed in Kanna and Helva’s direction. Once this was all over, she would be sure to ask them what had happened to the Kings.

The Jack felt the tug from Helva as they attempted to pull on their injured leg. Kanna allowed it, feeling herself being pulled downward. However, once she was below Helva in the air, Kanna kicked upward into Helva’s arm in an effort to force them to let go of her leg. As soon as she was free, Kanna increased her gravity, falling at a faster rate than Helva. Before hitting the ground, Kanna quickly reversed her gravity, slowing her descent.

Her eyes quickly looked around for the second person that was helping Helva before. It didn’t take long to locate Skadi. Kanna planted her feet to the ground, pushing off and floated forward towards them. Once she was close, Kanna quickly grappled them, twisting around so that she was behind Skadi and locked her arms around them, in a sort of hold. Once Kanna had a firm grip, she rose back into the air with Skadi, turning to face Helva who would’ve by now landed onto the ground. The Jack said nothing as she watched, waiting for her opponent’s next move

Helva was a bit surprised by the how the Jack was able to manipulate, themselves in mid air like that so well. But it served more to anger her than anything as she fell down and hit the ground, though while most would take a moment to recuperate before getting up, Helva quickly rolled over in order to climb back up to their feet rubbing their head, before looking back towards the Jack. The were surprised to see that their Sponseree had been taken hostage by the Jack, Skadi was highly trained, and a 5 year vet, trained by Helva personally. Though she supposed the Earthquake may of distracted them enough that the Jack was able to take advantage. Still Helva was entirely pissed off now.

Her entire plan to capture the Jack was now, out the window, as she now planned to kill them and deliver their head to Lyric. [color= #B8312F]”Nachthexe, ich möchte, dass du die Kugeln benutzt, um dir bei der Flucht zu helfen, und auch die Gegend verdunkelst. ”[/color] Skadi quickly replied as she struggled against Kanna “Nur dieses eine Mal mag ich es nicht, meine Kugeln aufs Spiel zu setzen..” With those words said between the two. The area turned dark once again, but this time, 3 different shadow orbs rushed towards Kanna, one targeted the back of her head, one just simply her back and a another targeted the back of her injured leg. Helva then looked at the spear that Skadi had dropped when the Earthquake came, and grabbed it throwing it up in the air for Skadi to catch. Once she did she would maneuver her leg behind the Jacks, in order to lock in and place and stab their other leg, accepting the risk of her probably stabbing her own in the process as well.

Helva meanwhile kept her eyes entirely focused on her Sponseree as they fought off the Jack, trying elbowing them, and stabbing at their leg in order to escape their clutches though, if they were on the ground, it would of been easier since she was trained to deal with that. But in the air, if was a bit more difficult but she had hoped that their Sponseree would persevere through that and could get themselves to fall to the ground, so that Helva could catch them.

Kanna was quick to react once she noticed the darkness creeping around her from behind. The Jack shot up into the air, carrying Skadi with her. The Jack doubted that she would be able to outrun the darkness, which meant she had to make her move soon. Especially since it looked like Skadi was about to stab downward into her leg.

The Jack quickly bent her wounded leg while at the same time pushing Skadi forward. Almost with ease, Kanna was able to slip out. She gave one final push, dropping Skadi and letting them fall back down towards the orbs. The Jack used the momentum of the push to propel her even faster up and away, moving in the direction towards Meirin. Kanna had to give her opponent credit for being able to keep pace with her. But if Helva still is insistent on fighting when Kanna was beside the giant woman, it would be foolish.

Once Kanna was close enough to Meirin, she raised her thumb and pointer finger to her mouth, whistling to get their attention.

Skadi was quick to divert their spear away when the jack pushed them forward, instead of full on stabbing their leg, they instead only went on the graze it, causing a small cut against themselves as they fell down into the darkness. Helva meanwhile was quick to jump up to catch Skadi in a sorta princess carry, once Helva hit the ground, she was sure to land on her feet with a powerful thud. Skadi had taken the liberty to deactivated her orbs of darkness, now that the Jack was out of their range. “Geht es dir gut?” Skadi meanwhile rolled her eyes as she got out of Helvas arms, saying “We can go back to speaking normal now, doubt the Dragon can hear us at this range.” “Fine, but you did a piss poor job in allowing yourself to be taken hostage like, that, i trained you better than that.” “Yeah, you did, the Earthquake just shook me up a bit.” Without much else to add Skadi walked on over to pick up the stake that she threw to into Kannas leg, before adding as she looked towards the Jacks direction “With any luck, the Jack will die from a infection, or atleast lose their leg.”

Helva let out a sigh at what Skadi said, before adding on “Maybe, i prefer being able to look the opponent in the eye as i kill them, but we take what we can get, i’ll call spirit over, and we will be able to deal with the added pest problem.” Helva said that in reference to Meirin. “Speaking of Spirit, i didn’t get much of a update from them yet, Skadi be a dear and guard behind me, I think i’m gonna need Jinn for this one, and no i didn’t get the info i wanted yet.” Skadi gave Helva a nod as she moved behind her, the three black orbs moving in a parallel line behind her, with just about perfect symmetry.

 
水屋 雪翔 MIZUYA YUKITO
SCENE:
Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 3 WHOLE WORLD BLIND
LOCATION:
Lucky Rabbit Casino - 1st Floor, West District
PARTICIPANTS:
Alicia, Charlie, Dante, Hector, Hide, Yukito, Raquel, Zachariah
WHOLE WORLD BLIND
The frost-troll watched the 4 regrouping guards with a serious look. He had heard his sponsor call for him as he went by and knew it was time for him to finish things. It was frustrating that only one was incapacitated but the most important thing was that they had been pushed back from interfering with Hector’s fight.

What was more of a problem was the new arrival. Yukito didn’t have time to entertain Nico’s performance, not when his mangled backup crew had begun to charge. Yukito weaved passed the warring factions, spinning back around on an icy foot to face the guards again. He knew his troll form could not be maintained indefinitely, and his icy armour had begun to chip away from the relentless attacks, and so he acted without delay.

From his feet, ice began to expand out in the direction of the guards, enveloping the floor around them in slippery ice. That with the constant shaking of the ground created a hazardous environment around the guards. He hoped this would at least slow their approach, and weaken their ability to defend if they tried anything. He was keen to get moving, but while he had the chance, he began to change form. His heavy armour and club were gone, in their stead were icy wings, tail, and sword. The frost-gargoyle quickly took flight, now feeling taller than ever as he hovered above the guards, almost like he was daring them to try anything on their unstable ground.

He hadn’t forgotten about Hector and his quarry, but first, he called to Charlie.

“Will you need backup?”

 
HECTOR MOSES
SCENE:
Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 3 [Whole World Blind]
LOCATION:
Lucky Rabbit Casino - 1st Floor, West District
PARTICIPANTS:
On the floor: Alice, Charlie, Dante, Hector, Nico, Yukito
Elsewhere: Hide, Raquel, Zachariah
WHOLE WORLD BLIND

The pandemonium on the floor didn’t cease as the ground continued to shake. The mess of people and furniture getting thrown around had reduced the once grand showing into chaos, and soon all electrics flickered to a stop. The fresh faces bursting out from the tearoom were insignificant in comparison, though the raged yelling of Pharaoh did not go unnoticed, nor did the blade attached to his hand as he sprinted towards the fleeing pair.

As he neared Dante and Alice, his metal blade morphed and rippled in his hand as he drew his whole arm back. In three quick motions, three razor sharp blades were launched, aimed at the Tigers’ heads. As he finished throwing, his blade returned to normal in his hand.

 
August "TAZZ" August
SCENE:
Serpents Arc 3: Scene 1 [Thicker Than Water]
LOCATION:
Mysterious Black Site, North District
PARTICIPANTS:
Damian, August, Julian, Kinsley, Kisara, Kyoden, Peyton, Raphael, Sabrina, Shinko
THICKER THAN WATER
At a steady pace, they moved, the sound of footsteps overlapping almost rhythmically.

August’s curious fingers dipped, once more, into the meaty gash at the back of his head, coming back bloody all over again. He wiped them on his pants where streaks of brown, once red, were already stained on white denim.

Ahead, the sway of black tresses found his gaze, which became idly fixed.

To-and-fro~ He watched Raph’s silky but disheveled locks sweep across Kisara’s back.

Then, together, at the behest of one feral vociferation, the footsteps ceased at once, accompanied by the sound of Raphael’s body hitting the floor, then the emergence of crimson ichor roused to life at his dominion when he stood and prepared to wipe them all out.

August kept to the back, not quite hiding, but also not making it a point to stand out amongst the rest.

Raphael looked them over with eyes veiled, a delay in his recognition of the faces that were only there to help, until a voice reached him. “Ralphy! Don't be like that now, look who I brought for you!”

Hearing the nickname, August’s brows pinched together. Ralphy? It finally registered to him that he only knew Raph as… Well, Raph. Nothing more; nothing less. But, perhaps, such was an insignificant error in his tale of close acquaintanceship with the man, and so it brought him no further consternation.

“What the fuck is this?!”

Kisara followed up first. A warm offering of words, it was, before her voice trailed off and Peyton started from there, ending his patter with the revelation of being a Dragon.

“Ah.” The vocalization caught August by surprise—his own voice—and he promptly shut his mouth, pulling up the neck of his shirt to cover his face, all but his eyes. Meanwhile, Julien tended to Kisara’s wound, the process drawing August’s attention now and again from wherever it wandered until the pink one’s abdomen was whole.

Just then, footsteps approaching from elsewhere were cause for passing concern, quick to come and gone just as fast, when several familiar faces drew near, spat out by the shadows of the long, dimly lit, corridor, and made visible in closeness.

“I see you've found the Bloodfiend… And someone else.”

Dropping the mousy act, “Easy as a needle in a haystack, mate~” August sauntered forward, his voice but a mere mumble, and knelt to take Kisara in his arms, hoping she wouldn’t mind later. As he stood, he noted her weight; she was heavier than most, belied by her lean physique, but not so much that it was any strenuous effort to carry her.

“This one’s takin’ a break fuh now. Maybe we do ‘er-” Teal eyes flitted toward Raph… then away again, “Do’em both a solid, an’ get tha bloody fuck on, yeh?... Ah’ve got a book-club meetin’ in thirty.” He had no such thing. “Real eager tuh talk about how Lynn kissed Brad undah Chase and Taresa’s weddin’ arch. Crazy drama. Ya wouldn’... Ah… Um…”

All of the sudden, August’s body denied him balance, and he staggered. He shook his head lightly, feeling out of sync with his own motions, like his mind was two steps behind the rest of him.

“Mh… Sorry.” Taking a deep breath, he cleared his throat. “...Was havin’ a vision. Meetin’s been canceled.”

A nap sounded nice.
AUGUST/POST NOTES​
— —WEARING: (See post image) White turtleneck; Teal jacket; White pants (smeared with blood); Black shoes; Earrings

— —AUGUST'S STATE:
- - Currently, August has a large gash at the back of his skull. His hair is bloodied and a knotted mess.
- - He has a concussion.

— —POST RECAP: August picks up Kisara then says random shit and gets dizzy.

(Interacting w/ Julian, Peyton, Kisara, Raphael, Damien, Sabrina, Kinsley, Taka)
(Mentioned no one)
Coyote Hart Coyote Hart simj26 simj26 AriAriAbabwa AriAriAbabwa Sei Shonagon Sei Shonagon Elenion Aura Elenion Aura QuirkyAngel QuirkyAngel Beann Beann Lucem Lucem Kyuubey Kyuubey
 
Dagger
SCENE:
New Oasis Arc 3: Scene 3 [Silence for the Damned]
LOCATION:
Dilapidated Clinic, North District
PARTICIPANTS:
Jack, Dagger, Roland, Charmy, Guinevere
Silence for the Damned
"Oh. Uh…" Dagger's face contorted into one of confusion and bemusement. That was surprisingly easy and forthcoming. She wasn't used to receiving answers without pressing the cold metal of a gun into an open wound. She could start to like this kind of feeling.

She cleared her throat, allowing the small second of victory to fade away. "Okay. Gunnolf, Akela, Alpha, let's go," she ordered, attempting to reclaim what amount of presence she had. She made a circular motion with her hand, and the wolves dissipated into bright motes of light, returning to her.

She pushed past the remaining undead, taking care to tread on the bodies that lay around her, plying into their brittle physiques with her boots. She gave a dismissive wave to the rest of the group as she fished out a pack of cigarettes, putting one stick in between her lips. "Bye."

Without another word, she walked off, still wrestling with her convenience store-bought lighter. The burner phone in her pocket began to buzz just as the flame came alive and torched the edge of the cigarette.

 
Last edited:
Ryoma Matsuno
SCENE:
Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 1 [Follow the Lightning]
LOCATION:
South District
PARTICIPANTS:
Tyr, Noa
FOLLOW THE LIGHTNING
The journey through what remained of New Oasis's old sewer system turned out to be surprisingly brief. Hoisting himself up to ground level once more, daylight greeted the trio as they emerged from the belly of the city. Ryoma offered a hand to each of his fellow Phoenixes as they scaled up the ladder after him. Once that was done, he took a brief moment to scout their surroundings. He realized they had managed to find themselves on the outskirts of South District, right before another tremor shook the city with a low, muffled roar.

The rising smoke in the distance, above the district's high-rises, alongside the sounds of numerous car alarms and police sirens, was telling of the events unfolding around them. Recalling the bits and pieces of the situation he had received, while they had been busy playing hide and seek with the Oranjese. Ryoma's jaw tightened. The atmosphere reminded him of years past, in the days following that dreaded Hurricane which had devastated South District.

At the time, he too had been sidetracked by something else important. His mind momentarily drifted to a dark place, before it was returned to reality by a cry of pain. Turning towards the multi-storied ruin in front of them, he shared a glance between Noa and Tyr. With a shrug, he physically communicated that he understood they didn't exactly have many leads pointing them elsewhere.

Taking the lead, he expected to run into more of the same. Happening upon the trashed aftermath of the Oranjese's destructive path in pursuit of Hitoshi.


( joshuadim joshuadim ), Noa( Peckinou Peckinou )
 
Last edited:




Gav | Central | Passionate Melody Onslaught




He was smarter than he would have been years ago trying to fight someone escaping his hold. She shouted something but he couldn't tell what it was clearly then leapt out of the cushions of his hand.

Gav, skidded to a halt at he perimeter of where he had been and watched as Screecher became a Kraken of inky substance.

He nodded. Knew she had some kind of tentacle based ability or something.

Then charged back towards falling debris, easily stepping past or around the flow of fleeing bodies towards the unstable building before using his sense of life forces to detect where exactly who was where.

"Five, nine, twelve. Got it. Altaia!" With every count he shrunk rapidly until he was back to his normal self- then releasing his spiritual alter ego as it separated from his body, Altaia reached to the sky and bolts of energy like limbs separated from the arm and rapidly chased after the life forces that Gav could sense. Once connecting to someone the tentacle limb wrapped around the person's arm or whatever was in reach and then immediately swallowed the person whole in a transparent film substance that acted almost like clothing. Gav grimaced as he focused- fueling Altaia's command as their counterpart snagged each individual, like a fishing rod reeled back- they pulled and twelve bodies came rapidly hovering over the ground in Gav's direction.

Striking the same hand raised pose as his counterpart the spiritual manifestation phased back into Gav's body while continuing the reel sequence- and then only when they were all in visible distance did the reel sequence slow as Gav shifted once more into his semi-spirit state, turned his head up to locate Milo and then upon seeing what he was doing shouted: "MILO! TAKE THESE ONES WHILE I HELP HER!" He called out to him waiting for when he might get close so he could potentially gift him twelve new figures to carry.


Mentions:@Anne Boolean @The Prophet @Ambiloquous

Interactions: The One Eyed Bandit The One Eyed Bandit Elenion Aura Elenion Aura

 
Omar Ayad
SCENE:
Azure Dragons Arc 3: Scene 3 [Ripples of Stardust]
LOCATION:
Zhànzhēng Resort, East District
TIME:
Hiram, Kazue, Kairong, Omar, Ottilie
Azure Dragons Arc 3: Scene 3 [Ripples of Stardust]

Omar Ayad looked at without any visible emotion on his face as Ervin Patrick mentioned that this whole standard of the key being a farce. While inside the mind of Omar Ayad, he knew it from the start as Ervin Patrick might not have known but this was usual in all of Omar Ayads meetings with the various owners, Chief Executive Officers, family businesses, stakeholders, corporations and conglomerates with all their ladders, loop holes, breach of contracts and even side contracts. If one is not versed in the way of the game then that person will fall victim with the various vocal confirmations, legalese of contracts, magnified clauses and handshakes that amount to nothing. Leaving a victim with nothing but hearsay and a legal binding contract that harm more than help the victim. A dance Omar Ayad has dance and played with for quite some time. Now Ervin Patrick would place a small coffer on the gound as Ervin Patrick would move on to mention about the abilities of the two masked people. Omar Ayad had a small guess that something had to do with the two masked people as the hallway didn't match with the city blueprints that he had ahem acquired. Omar Ayad would place the key into his pocket before using his cane to lift the small coffer of the ground and into his hand which holds the handle of the briefcase as Omar Ayad approaches Ervin Patrick to give a warning as whispered silently to Ervin Patrick ear. "It seems one of my employers will be arriving soon. If you value your life, I would suggest that you do not use the main entrance when you attempt to make your exit. "

Omar Ayad would walk backwards a bit before turning around and facing the two masked people and a young man. Omar Ayad would slowly make his approach to them and they can see his neutral face change into a big happy smiling face. The closer he approach the happier he seems but someting feels off with this picture. Is it because while everyone is starting to feel fear, Omar Ayad is the only one immune to it? Or is it because the shadows behind Omar Ayad seem to be growing as he strolls his merry little way closer and closer. Once Omar Ayad got close enough to the two masked beings would he simply tip his hat at them before simply standing between them and what ever it was they made to create the vacant room not even stepping foot into the vacant room that housed the young man. Omar Ayad would first toss the small coffer into the room where the young man seems to be in before he began his speech.

" Greetings and Salutations from the Eastington house, a legitimate conglomerate that wishes to extend its gratitude and share its future business prospects with the owners of the Zhànzhēng Resort. My name is Omar Ayad and currently I represent the Eastington house in its future expansions into Amestria and specifically Oasis. We wish to share a very profitable business opportunity with the owners of Zhànzhēng Resort which I presume you have a large holding share as its owner? Am I right to presume this? "

Omar Ayad decided to present this with the young man as Omar Ayad did not have any idea who this man was or if it even is the owner or his son Mingze Sieh. Meanwhile outside fear seems to be blending with the very wind itself as it drowns everyone and anyone into it as for those who has no fear, they could see it coming. A man wearing a pumpkin shaped helmet riding a motorcycle down the streets and getting closer and closer to the Zhànzhēng Resort. The motorcycle zips pass pedestrians and cars a like and with that split second the people walking and the people in their cars started to have a gut wrenching fear swept into them as the people walking turn into a full sprint just to get away from the motorcycle, some failing to do so as they either slump down to the ground, crying as they try to curl their bodies into the fetal position to avoid the untold fear that is coursing through them. (If you are eating or don't want to know what a panic attack can do and you are reading this part, skip this spoiler part. This is your only warning if you open this spoiler then its not my fault anymore.)
Some even start to suffer bladder control as they involuntary start urinating on themselves, involuntary defecating on themselves or even involuntary vomiting on themselves but to the unfortunate few there are some who gets all three at once.

This very moment, some of the people in the cars just open their car doors and ran in the opposite direction while others tries to switch the cars to reverse and drive in reverse. The worse part is when the masked rider turned on the motorcycle headlights as it glowed blue like the Willow o'-wisp, the people who still could stand despite the extreme levels of fear rising in their bodies could see the masked rider for what it truly is as the loud speakers would crackle to life and out came an unfamiliar voice.

" Hiss Screech Crackle Beware! Beware! Jack-o'-lantern is here! Beware! Beware! The Pumpkin Monster returns! Beware! Beware! The lantern needs fuel! Beware! Beware! The fuel might be you! Beware! Beware! He comes for you! Beware! Beware! Run while you can! "

The motorcycle speaker seems to be in loop as the voice seems to be painting a picture of what the Jack-o'-lantern appears to be. The imaginations of certain people seemed to have morphed and transformed the masked rider into a giant pumpkin headed creature with a jagged mouth carrying a lantern with a trapped Willow o'-wisp. Anyone can see that the Willow o'-wisp seems to be human shaped as it tries desperately pounding the lantern but to no avail as it does not break and only causes the lantern to sway back and forward. Some of the people in the van wanted to move only to hear the unfamiliar voice nearby as it whispered to them. "Wait for the signal. " Maybe out of fear or out of loyalty the men and women in the van simply obeyed without question while the Driver did not even noticed that he received a new test that reads out: "Fear the light of the Will-o'-Wisp for it will bring a creature not of this world." The masked rider would make one final turn to face the protesters as the masked rider revved the motorcycle engine before pushing a button on the left hand grip as it sparks a new voice on the speaker. A chorus of different people laughing before the same unfamiliar voice echoes out. " Jack-o'-Lantern is here for you. "

Some of the protesters already feeling the effects of the tidal wave of fear could see the giant Jack-o'-Lantern attempt to reach out at them as some of the protesters have begun to run away from its reach all the while the masked rider would now go full speed ahead towards the entrance of the Zhànzhēng Resort in hopes to catch its target. Seemingly ignoring the protesters and Azure Dragon members, the masked rider is attempting to go deeper into the Zhànzhēng Resort.


 
RAPHAEL SHAW
SCENE:
Serpents Arc 3: Scene 1 [Thicker Than Water]
LOCATION:
Dank Hallway, Mysterious Black Site, North District
PARTICIPANTS:
August, Damian, Kinsley, Kisara, Kyo, Peyton, Raph, Sab, Shinko
THICKER THAN WATER
As Raph's eyes darted from one familiar face to the next, he thought he felt the beginnings of a small, almost imperceptible smile forming on his lips. But that smile quickly vanished as he noticed Kisara's weakened state. Her body seemed to be shutting down before his very eyes, and the realization struck him like a bolt of lightning.

He had become so accustomed to his own suffering, so numb to the pain, that he'd nearly forgotten what it felt like to care for someone else. And now, here she was, having fought and sacrificed for him, only for him to lash out at her.

His legs felt like lead. He stared at Kisara, collapsed on the ground, as she murmured her apologies and drifted off to sleep.

“You..." Raph snarled as his eyes, suddenly burning with hatred, tore themselves away from Kisara and landed on Peyton. Traitor. How dare he speak? How dare he call him a friend? Still, Raph's mind slowly worked to process Peyton's words. Caio was here? And others. His mind was still hazy... But as he looked at the faces around him, he realized that he had to accept the reality of his situation – for better or worse, he was no longer alone.

Raph prepared a retort for Julian's smarmy interjection, but instead, his guilt at the supposed hand he'd had in Kisara's unfit state swallowed up his words, and so he snapped his mouth shut. He stood there, fists clenched at his sides—the tides of blood lazily orbiting his waist like a crimson asteroid belt—his face a mixture of anger, concern, and confusion. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart and steady his trembling body. As he watched Julian tending to Kisara's wound, he couldn't help but feel a surge of... Gratitude.

His gaze shifted from Kisara to the others, and he managed a weak, almost apologetic smile. "Well... Don't I feel like an ass," he whispered self-deprecatingly, the words barely audible, but at the same time full... Full of a depth of emotion that hadn't graced his voice in a long time. The sound of it surprised him. He sounded to himself like a stranger. Like an old friend.

He watched Julian as he worked, tamping down words like, I'm sorry, I didn't know, and, Is she going to be alright? His heart couldn't take hearing the thoughts spoken aloud.

Luckily, a distraction from his own swarming thoughts presented itself in the form of Damian. Raph, so desensitized to new developments by this point, craned his neck to stare the large Serpent in the face.

"Damian," Raph cooed, collecting the fragments of his former self piece by piece. "Are you lost? Don't tell me they roped you into this little field trip, too." A hint of genuine warmth crept into his voice, despite the dry remark. In the back of his mind, Raph couldn't help but think of Kisara, still weak and unconscious on the ground. But he knew that he couldn't afford to wallow in guilt or self-pity right now. He needed to focus on the present, on the people who had risked their lives to save him, and on what they all needed to do next. Most pressingly, Raph—and his merry band of misfit rescuers—had to get the fuck out of here. They might've gotten this far, but they had no idea what could be coming around the next corner at any given moment.

Speaking of people...

As August stepped forward, Raph's eyes flashed with the memory of their intertwining paths. Mach Sling. Geronimos. The Mustang. The almost k—a ghost of a moment that felt like an eternity ago. It would've been so easy to convince himself that August was nothing but a figment of his tortured imagination, a hallucination born from his isolation and despair. But here he was, and not just in dreams. In the flesh. His lip quirked, amused by whatever nonsense had just dribbled out of August's mouth, like the falling of pebbles that led to an avalanche. Raph was almost overwhelmed by it all. He almost doubled back, his mind briefly refusing to accept what was plain to see. Was this really real?

Pushing back the whirlwind of emotions threatening to overtake him, Raph suppressed his feral mind and nodded at August's suggestion to move on. But when the snowy-haired Tiger nearly fumbled his only friend, Raph let his defenses crumble and rushed to their side without a thought and without accepting any protest. He slung one of Kisara's limp arms over his shoulder and took her hand in his, letting her weight displace between them.

Before he let anyone question him, Raph snapped pithily and glared at each of them, challenging them to challenge him.

"Don't any of you start, I'm fine. Now," Raph weaved his right hand around Kisara's waist, in such a way that his knuckles brushed gently and not-at-all unintentionally up against August's flank. "If it's all the same to the rest of you I would like nothing more than to take this fellow's advice and get ~ the fuck ~ out of here."

 
Last edited:
Noa Bakoria Aquanaut
SCENE:
Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 1 [Follow the Lightning]
LOCATION:
South District
PARTICIPANTS:
Follow the Lightning

Noa wasn't exactly in the brightest mood at the moment, not being able to punish the people who ruined her entire day, and she was already planning on painting her last outfit red. She honestly regretted not bringing spare clothes, but thought one was enough, now she knew better for next time, that atleast three outfits would probably be needed when dealing with tedious missions like these. Noa couldn't help but vent a bit towards her bodyguard about her problem "The audacity of this, whatever gang, to come and cause problems with the Phoenixs of all gangs, in the south? Ugh, when i get my hands on them i'm going to, ARRRG!" Noa couldn't help but stomp in frustration as she couldn't think of a word to describe just what she was going to do to them. Looking around themselves, Noa couldn't help but scowl, as she noted the dust the earthquake picked up, first a Hurricane and now a Earthquake, it was like the South couldn't catch a break.

Though Noa, marched on, with her bodyguard standing directly behind her, as she followed Ryoma, towards a building, a building where she had started to hear a scream come out of. Noa didn't bat a eye as she eyeballed the building, already figuring that it would probably be best to investigate that area, Noa didn't really much care at the moment, as she needed to vent out some frustration and with any luck she would get the opportunity to, do that. So marching towards the building she was practically the first to go in, with her Tattoo of Power and Aggression all ready to be activated when needed to. Her bodyguard followed right behind her, knowing better than to be in front of her when she was in a foul mood, and seemed ready to take matters into her own hands.

 
Julian Midgley
SCENE:
Serpents Arc 3: Scene 1 [Thicker Than Water]
LOCATION:
Mysterious Black Site, North District
PARTICIPANTS:
August, Peyton, Kisara, and Takaonna
Serpents Arc 3: Scene 1 [Thicker Than Water]
There was certainly a lot to take in, particularly in regard to the curious new set of emotions that Raph displayed. Now it was Julian's turn to draw lines between faces with his eyes, an equally curious look on his own visage as he watched the exchange. First with the dwarf and then secondly with the new arrival. Speaking of the new arrival- blonde strands fell off the top of cheeks as he craned his head back to take in the full sight of the man. A dark antonym to his own bleached countenance.

Additional movements from his silhouette drew his attention to the black mass that slithered forth. The light hit the undulating surface and defined the contours of the tentacles that were summoned seemingly out of nowhere. A fish on land, one might say, or as in this case- an octopus on land. Or was it a squid? Julian observed the bumpy skin and the seamless transition from stillness into wriggling action.

Well, it wasn't the strangest thing he had seen. The group wrapped it up and he rose from the ground with a pronounced exhale. Julian dusted the dirt, to no avail, off his pants and turned to the dwarf. "Don't worry about that, he tends to be pretty grumpy when he wakes up." A little smile surfaced to reassure the fox and the blonde went to check off the next point on his to-do list.

Glittering eyes landed on the backs of the two lovebirds and scrunched up in delight. "Wow, look at you two- bumping shoulders. You must be happy Ralphy, to finally be so close to the one you've missed so much." On second glance it wasn't maybe delight, as much as it was amusement. The corners of his lips stretched in the direction of the newcomer alongside his hand. "Damian, was it? I'm Julian. Nice to meet you!" He beamed without reservation as he awaited a hand, or a tentacle, to accept the handshake.

That was the correct approach, wasn't it? To offer a handshake upon first meeting. Wait, had he introduced himself to the other ones? The blonde racked his brain for any memory where he had mentioned his name. Hmmmm...oh well. They knew it now.


Coyote Hart Coyote Hart Doctor Llamabean Doctor Llamabean simj26 simj26 Elenion Aura Elenion Aura Lucem Lucem
TLDR: Julian tries to cheer Peyton up and says hi to Damian.
 
Last edited:
HITOSHI YAMAKAWA
SCENE:
Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 1 [Follow the Lightning]
LOCATION:
South District
PARTICIPANTS:
Hitoshi, Noa, Ryoma
FOLLOW THE LIGHTNING

On entering, or rather storming inside the warehouse as Noa did, the rusted doors let out their aged groans as the hinges struggled to aid the metal to swing. Dust and pieces of flaked metal fell off near the entrance, though landing gently on the ground nearby and not on the Phoenixes as they entered inside. The interior was vast as it was impressive, giving the sense of scale of what used to be here: cargo that stacked up high, being transported to all corners of the country in its heyday. It was hard to tell which economic downturn this place fell apart and was abandoned from, as there were many in the decades prior, but the ominous emptiness gave the feeling of loss...

Or rather, it would have were it not for the very end of the warehouse. On the other side there were a group of men, the Oranjese as it was quite visible, were surrounding a figure whose arms where chained at the wrists and left to hand upwards to a support beam up above. Shirtless, and bruised from the beating he had taken, Hitoshi looked worse for wear as he gasped and groaned aloud when the one of the Oranjese, a well suited man, lazily swung a metal pipe in his hand. "So, is your memory jogged now?" the man spoke, his voice matching that from what they had heard at Sajeem's over the phone.

"Agh... I wouldn't know... I think I need a few more to get those brain juices going..." Hitoshi managed to taunt out through the pain.

"Tsk, cheeky fuck." the man said before another strike hit Hitoshi straight in the face.

"Boss." Emiel spoke, having noticed the Phoenixes' arrival almost immediately. The other Oranjese quickly turned about, which included the ones they had fought back at Sajeem's sans the ones they had properly incapacitated and some new, fresher faces. Their ringleader turned his head, only sparing a glance to the approach of Noa and Ryoma before scoffing. "These are the ones that kicked the shit out of Nicolas and Joren?" he asked with an annoyed tone.

Hitoshi lifted his head weakly and through the pain that blurred his vision saw that there were Phoenixes here to rescue him, much to his dismay. "W-wha... what are you doing-?" he managed to sputter out until another strike from the metal pipe collided with his chest and took the wind out of him. Hitoshi sputtered out, letting out spit and coughs from his mouth as he struggled to regain his footing while his arms continue to be strewn above.

"Shut up." the ringleader spoke angrily through clenched teeth before pointing a finger at his lieutenant. "Deal with them. My business isn't finished yet."

Emiel remained quiet for a moment as he looked at his boss with a hard glare, a faint feeling of disloyalty betrayed his stoic facade before giving a nod and turning. He, and the other goons he was in command of, turned to face Ryoma, Noa and Tyr and took a few steps ahead to intercept their approach. "J-just get out of here!" Hitoshi yelled out, but was met with yet another brutal strike to his belly from the metal bar.

Of the Oranjese there, including Emiel, there were eight in total. The portal opening guy lagged behind the rest of the group, again, to position himself as a backliner alongside Emiel while closer to the front were the guys that both Tyr and Ryoma had fought and not incapacitated, as well as a few others they didn't recognize.


EMIEL
SCENE:
Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 1 [Follow the Lightning]
LOCATION:
South District
PARTICIPANTS:
Hitoshi, Noa, Ryoma
FOLLOW THE LIGHTNING

"Well, I guess we meet again in the end." Emiel spoke up, though his voice was absent of any cheer as he had before. His hands were in his pockets as he observed the trio that stood before them and sighed. "Listen. You *can* just walk away, you know? Eight versus... two? Since the little one doesn't fight it seems. Hardly any honor in that." He seemed rather discontent with the whole situation now, and lacked any joy for having to work with his boss.

"Just doing my job, y'know? Same old shit every time." Emiel then said, with another heavy thud permeating the air. Emiel looked back towards where his boss was barking obscenities and yelling at Hitoshi while occasionally hitting him. His mouth curled up in disgust towards his *own boss* as he shook his head and muttered under his breath: "Sadistic little shit."

He turned his gaze again towards the Phoenixes and sighed: "So... what will it be?"


Interacting: Ryoma ( Stros Stros ), Noa ( Peckinou Peckinou )
 
Ottilie James
SCENE:
Dragons Arc 3: Scene 3 [Ripples of Stardust]
LOCATION:
Zhànzhēng Resort, East District
PARTICIPANTS:
Hifumi, Hiram, Kazue, Omar, Ottilie
Ripples of Stardust
If the Big Bang could be used as an adjective to describe other situations, this would be the situation to use it. The sudden and rapid expansion of matter and energy from a single hot, dense point. That's what it felt like to Ottilie right now. The afternoon had started out straightfoward enough but in just a couple of minutes everything had been turned on it's head with no warning. But as she stood there, with Rei in her hand still yipping away and Hiram knocked down to the floor by Hifumi, she realised that maybe there had been signs and she just didn't notice it. So caught up in the big picture, she'd miss the details. A rookie mistake.

Her brain clicked, taking a snapshot of this moment and saving it to memory. She would look back at it later and analyse the things that had gone wrong. For now, she threw out a hand in Hifumi's direction and slowed down the atoms in his legs, hopefully freezing it in place. While impreceptable to everyone else, to him it would have felt like he had just stepped into a block of wet cement which solidified instantly around him.

"Touch Hiram again and it'll be your heart I stop." She said curtly, hand poised to carry out her threat. Outside, she could still hear the protestors' panicked screams. "Who are you?" The pieces of the puzzle was slowly coming together in her head although she still wasn't sure what it all meant.

 
LUCKY RABBIT CASINO
SCENE:
Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 3 [Whole World Blind]
LOCATION:
Lucky Rabbit Casino, West District
PARTICIPANTS:
Charlie, Hector, Hide, Raquel, Yukito, Zachariah
Alicia, Dante
WHOLE WORLD BLIND

The casino remained on lockdown. Nobody in. Nobody out. Front doors locked. There was nobody manning the doors anymore, but it mattered little as, after the initial panicked rush, nobody was trying to leave. The situation was as bad inside as it was outside. The only ways out now were via the employee doors, or the underground parking lot, the latter of which had its gates shuttered.

With no end in sight to the tremors, and the deteriorating situation as more and more broke down, most priorities were on survival. So when the new staff member emerged on the ground floor, nothing he did could draw much attention above the screaming, crashing, and running that surrounded him. That left him free to leave his little gifts around before ascending the building further.

Not long after, his gifts were received, and they were received very well.

First, they erupted into deafening sounds, even audible halfway up the building. For many, the sound is all they would get to experience, as the accompanying explosions would knock them out if they were lucky, or dismember them if they had picked the wrong spots to cower in. The explosions weren’t as ferocious as the noise they produced, but still, a force to be reckoned with. It came with smoke that attacked the lungs of the now frenzied crowds that remained able to stand, and fire that began to consume and consume.

The first floor of course heard the explosions and could feel the intensity even from above, but the most devastating effects weren’t as immediate. A few seconds after the bombs went off, the floors crackled, crumbled, shook, and began to cave in. The walls weren’t faring much better. It was only a matter of time before the floor would be impassable altogether, though much of it remained intact for now.

 
CELESTINE & JOZEF
SCENE:
Serpents Arc 3: Scene 2 [Hunks In The City]
LOCATION:
Central District
PARTICIPANTS:
Celestine, Jozef, Markus, Nikolai, Tri
HUNKS IN THE CITY
Jozef watched the scene unfold, and increasingly began to regret his choice. He knew from the start that this wasn’t his fight, but yeah, no, this was not his fight. He remained safe at a distance, but as his question got answered, and the ground begin to shake, he began to sense his time here was running out. Though he continued to smile at the drama between the warring factions, his hand snaked up to Celeste’s arm, where she would feel a small squeeze, and hear a few quiet words.

“Celeste, how’s about we get out of here? These guys aren’t actually that cool.”

Celestine jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her arm, but relaxed immediately when she realized it was Jozef, glancing down at him and nodding, "Yes, I would like that very much.” She was more than happy to leave, she hadn’t even wanted to be there, to begin with.

Carefully, she removed his hand from her arm and grasped it in hers, giving a gentle tug and leading him away from the group, the ground shaking causing her to stumble. Steadying herself, she gripped Jozef’s hand a bit more tightly.

The shaking beneath them only continued to grow at a violent rate,

“And I think there’s an earthquake?”

"An earthquake… Okay, yikes.” Celestine had no idea how to react to this situation, eyes widening as she looked back at Jozef, then at the chaos around them. Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to them.

“Celeste, Jozef, good job saving the civilians!”

A momentary pause before Tri spoke again,

“Now let’s go down and away. If this place collapses, it will be dangerous.”

Celestine stared at Tri and Nikolai for a moment, her eyebrow twitching, before simply nodding, continuing to lead Jozef away, "Yeah, we were already on our way out.”

Jozef stumbled over the shaking road as Celeste led him away, turning his head around to give Tri a salute.

“All part of my job, boss!”

Thankfully, it wasn’t difficult to slip away from the action, though the situation around them was deteriorating further and further. The road was cracking under the quake and the buildings around them shook precariously. Jozef was beginning to think that perhaps things would’ve been better if they had stuck with Tri. The chances of him having packed some magical anti-earthquake device were slim, but not zero, and that’s really what they needed.
”Celeste, I uh.. I don’t know how we’re gonna get out of here.”

"I do not know how we are going to get out of here, either,” she responded, gripping his hand tightly as if he might slip from her grasp at any moment, "We should find somewhere to wait this out, but I am not sure what the safest place would be…”

Perhaps it would be safest to find a nearby building to take shelter in? Earthquakes had never been something they’d needed to worry about, so Celestine had absolutely no idea what their next course of action should be.

Celeste was at a loss, but she had to figure something out lest Jozef ends up hurt. God, she’d never forgive herself if something happened to him. She had to think of something and fast, which was unfortunate considering thinking fast had never been a strong suit of hers.

“Hmm, I don’t spend much time here!”

Jozef took a few steps down the road, keeping hold of Celeste. He looked around as the walls of a small row of buildings nearby toppled and collapsed into a pile of rubble across a neighbouring street, causing Jozef to pull himself closer to Celeste on instinct. He looked at the buildings on each side of them, now worried that they were about to get buried.

“I think we should just run if you’re able to. We’ll find somewhere safe!”

Jozef broke himself free of Celeste’s grip, not because he didn’t want to hold her hand, but to get ready to flee.

"You are right, I think that is all we can really do right now.”

Celestine didn’t like that she had to let go of Jozef, but it would just slow them down. Taking a deep breath, she took off down the street at a pace he would hopefully be able to match, careful not to run too far ahead.

Jozef ran after her, thankful that his casual attire was suitable for running. Playfully jumping over the cracks and rubble in the road, it seemed to be more like a game to the rookie as he caught up to Celeste. The street ahead of them looked as bad as the street they came from, the violent shaking not ceasing. But as Jozef ran by Celeste’s side, he waved his arms rapidly, gripping Celeste’s shoulder.

“THERE! OVER THERE!! GO, GO!”

Jozef pointed to a shop at the end of the street, still intact with its bright storefront glowing amid the chaos.

‘The Cold Shoulder’, a frozen yogurt shop.

“I KNOW THE PEOPLE THERE, THEY’LL HELP US!”
Celestine saw where Jozef pointed and without wasting another second, she lifted him into her arms and sprinted toward the building. It was definitely strange trying to run during an earthquake while carrying someone else, but Celeste was able to get them to the froyo shop in one piece.

Bursting through the doors, she stumbled slightly but managed to right herself long enough to set Jozef down before she fell on her ass, "How long is this damn earthquake going to last?” She muttered to herself, not making any move to get up off the floor.

“Oop.”

Jozef wobbled unsteadily as he was set down, not ready for the violent shaking as he grabbed a secured table for support. He leaned down, hand outstretched for Celeste to grab so he could hoist her back up. His eyes drifted to the shop floor ahead of them, looking for people but finding nothing.

“AHOY-HOY?” He called out uncertainly, “Maybe we oughta find cover somewhere, I bet that’s where everyone’s gone.” Jozef looked towards the ‘Staff Only’ door.

Celestine grabbed his hand, grateful for the help, and got to her feet, "Yes, finding cover is smart,” she followed Jozef’s gaze to the staff door, "Good thinking.”

She held onto Joe’s hand until they reached the door, letting go only to hold it open for him, "Is there anyone back here?” Celeste called as she ducked through the doorway after Jozef, narrowly avoiding smacking her head on the frame.

”Hello? Help!”

A voice called out but nobody was in sight, but as the rumbling continued, rubble shifted and fell to their side, and beyond that was a doorway where the voice had originated. Immediately Jozef climbed upon the bits of wall, ceiling, and furniture to see who was there.

One person was crouching under a shelving unit that had fallen and become wedged against two walls in the thin store room. Below them was someone else, lying unconscious, stains of red amid the dust littering their once white uniform. Without checking the danger around them, Jozef hopped down to the floor, shuffling under the shelving unit to join the pair.

“Celeste, c’mere! What happened?”

"Wait, Jo-” Celestine couldn’t stop him as he climbed over to the workers and she let out a small sigh, following quickly after him.

Squinting, Celeste crouched down and peered below the shelving unit, worried she might not be able to fit, "Jozef, is there any way to get both of them out of there before doing anything else? I think it may be too cramped.”

“She ran in here when the earthquake started…” The same voice spoke when they saw Jozef, their hand on the felled person’s bleeding head. “I followed her but she got hit in the head, she hasn’t woken up. You’ve gotta do-”

“Ok, Ok.” Jozef interrupted them, not in a rude way, as he sounded cheerful as ever, but loud enough to bring the panicked worker to silence. “Let’s get outta here before we all get squashed.” Placing his hands on the unconscious woman’s legs, he shimmied them out of the gap. When there was enough room, the other person followed, looking fearfully at the crumbling walls around them.

“Alrighty~” Jozef touched the woman’s hair, feeling the blood that was coating it, feeling the scalp for the familiar warm wet sign of a wound. It didn’t take long, but his smile was gone. “She got bonked pretty hard.” He was no doctor, but his unprofessional diagnosis was pretty accurate. Nonetheless, he had his gift ready to be used, and that’s what he did.

And just like that, the head wound was no more. The woman didn’t stir, even when Jozef let out a little “Wahoo!”, but he could only do so much. As he continued to inspect the woman for wounds, he looked up at Celeste, his smile back despite the tremors continuing to make the room incredibly unstable.

“We need somewhere better to take cover.”

"Right,” Celestine nodded, "Truthfully, I think the best we can do is take cover behind the counter. The two of you should go, I will bring her out.”

Carefully lifting the unconscious woman into her arms, she waited for the other two to leave before following them. Joe and the other worker had already ducked behind the counter, Celeste joining moments later and sitting beside Jozef, the woman still cradled in her arms to shield her from any potential falling debris.

”Hopefully this will be over soon…”

 
Ryoma Matsuno
SCENE:
Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 1 [Follow the Lightning]
LOCATION:
South District
PARTICIPANTS:
Hitoshi, Noa
FOLLOW THE LIGHTNING
Wordlessly bringing the open pill bottle to his lips as Emiel gave the group the option of turning tail. A handful of dark metallic capsules slid to the front of the yellow tinged tube before disappearing inside of Ryoma's mouth. Sliding down his esophagus, the tablets would inch their way towards his stomach, before making contact with his stomach acid. Triggering the initial stages of his Potential.

There was a noticeable glint to his eyes as his focus remained entirely centered on the Oranjese's boss as he continued to ruthlessly beat Hitoshi while Emiel spoke. Perhaps he was catching wind of some of the anger emanating from Noa at his side or perhaps still yet there was fury dwelling inside him over the Hurricane from many years past. Having no proper outlet, and being brought to bear on the present moment.

In either case, Ryoma had absolutely no intentions of walking, especially not after all the damage the Oranjese had caused, and with them having finally found Histoshi. Tossing the bottle to the side, it joined the lid in a lonely corner of the warehouse as Ryoma removed his jacket and drew up his sleeves while Emiel finished. Despite his body language speaking clearly for his intent to stay, he spared a few words.

"Afraid I can't do that. … If you knew anything about the Phoenixes you'd know… We'd sooner die than leave a Phoenix behind."

There lied a mountain of conviction and resolve behind Ryoma's last words. It was a line that he had repeated time and time again over the years to numerous enemies. Tigers, Dragons, Serpents, and the Law alike. From the budding days of his Phoenix career when he had the backs of his sparring partners, to the unforgettable night of that torrential storm which tore a hole in his heart in equal measure to the destruction it tore through South District.

In spite of everything that had happened, there was at no point in their pursuit that Ryoma had ever considered calling it quits. There was every intention behind his promise to share that drink with Anya when all was said and done. Of course, that would be after he broke a bone for every swing the Oranjese's boss kept taking at Hitoshi.

"Besides, I think you'll find she's more than willing to fight this time around." He added with a smirk.

Nodding his head toward Noa, he turned as she had her own select words to share with the group. While he had personally fought odds worse than the ones they faced, Ryoma planned to aid the two in what he expected to be their opening move.


Emiel( joshuadim joshuadim ), Noa( Peckinou Peckinou )
 
Alicia Morel
SCENE:
Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 3 [Whole World Blind]
LOCATION:
Lucky Rabbit Casino; Alice's Penthouse
PARTICIPANTS:
Alice, Dante, Charlie, Hector, Hide, Mizuya, Raquel, Zach
Whole World Blind
Alice went limp, letting Dante take control of her escape via full on carrying her. As her brain hacked through the intrusive thoughts and memories, she at least felt the air brush past her face as they leaped: a familiar sense, one she knew as the freedom of the outdoors, separate from the mall. Her breath slowed at that. She looked up at her rescuer, throat too dry and clenched to say a word. Her pleading demeanor said everything, though. She was in his hands.

But one of Hector's blades flew past her cheek, slicing a few strands of hair. Her face stung where a slight scratch was left behind. Tremors shook the casino. A deafening roar of an explosion swiped the air.

Like with Sisyphus and the boulder, Alice rolled back to the bottom.

She looked to the whole world, blinded to it all. She curled up against Dante, shakingly frozen pale and sweaty at once. Alice tried to say something to him, but it only came out in hoarse breaths as though she were suffocating. Lightheaded, she turned her gaze to the ground... and her stomach emptied itself.

Alice wished for many things. That she could curl up in a corner of quiet and darkness. That her mother was alive and well. For Janay to have successfully whisked her away into a worl devoid of Tigers. To have a hero come in like the fairy tales, defeating the evil and saving the princess.

Someone must have heard her prayer, for a familiar shade of blue caught her notice. In an instant, the twisting worry evaporated, leaving tear-worthy relief for the savior she never would have thought to see. "Charlie... It's Charlie..." she muttered, voice trembling out of delight rather than terror like prior.

He saved her at the mall! What were the odds he'd be here, too? Gathering her strength, Alice pushed against Dante. "It's Charlie," she repeated with the little breath she had. "He's here to save me...!"

The Regal Rper The Regal Rper WhiskeyMarten WhiskeyMarten Roda the Red Roda the Red
 
Sophia Ingram
SCENE:
Arc 3: Dragons Scene 1 [Securing The Future]
LOCATION:
East District, Tech Expo, target-rich environment —> place where the amogus
PARTICIPANTS:
Sophia, Jesper, Kasumi, Amari, “Jane”
Securing The Future

Oh, she was a fool.

Hissing out a rare expletive, then a few more, Sophie took off for the security room where this whole mess began. Before Guardian even started falling to pieces, she started running, practically dragging Ariadne's unconscious form against the ground. It was better than what she deserved.

Having burnt through her allotted swear words for the year, the tall butler arrived to the massacre scene. She didn't have time to do any kind of forensic investigation, but she could still glean a few observations.

1. Jane was a serious threat. Likely armed. Firearm, not a threat, but something to keep in mind. Crack shot, too. Also had some kind of wire, judging by the marks–too sharp to be hands. Decent dodger. Not perfect, as the burning coat revealed. So just keep a distance.

2. That coat wasn't too burnt. Fight was recent. Jane couldn't have that much of a positional advantage.

3. Fuck.

She took a moment to hastily search the nearest corpse for handcuffs. Digging them off the body and not bothering to find its key, she smacked them onto the captive's wrists a bit too tightly. That cut off circulation sure would be a problem, assuming Ariadne didn't have brain damage at this point. It was better than what she deserved.

While Sophie had been doing her little detective thing and cuffing an unconscious person, Amari had charged past to handle the actual problem. Those few seconds wasted were far too many. She cursed a few more times as she once again launched into a sprint, practically sliding around the corner into the doorway. Her blade feathers from earlier were already drawn.

Her rational mind told her to once again be wary. Expect the unexpected, block Jane's only path of retreat, and be able to protect Kasumi. And though every other part of her brain told her to attack, the tiny sliver of reason won out. Sophie stood rooted, preparing to react and allowing Amari to have her threat.



 
Nico Charise - NPC
SCENE:
Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 3 [Whole World Blind]
LOCATION:
Lucky Rabbit Casino; bar
PARTICIPANTS:
Casey, Mector, Alice, Dante, Hide, Mizuya, Raquel, Zach
Whole World Blind
#F47A94

There went his plans. There went all the time he spent helping Alice. There went his rise back into the spotlight. Rage was low on Nico's priority list, though, for a swarm of attacking Phoenixes, a tremoring earthquake, and now explosions battering the casino certainly made for attention. It was in this need to bring things to order that Nico left the metal man to Dante to deal with the supporting attackers in the tearoom.

To think this pair tricked him like so... At this point, the best thing to do was extinguish the fire he helped create. And so, mic in hand and bobbing to the beat, Nico had sent forth a few undead guests. "To my ever loyal 'fan' Casey, this song is devoted just for you! You and your lying, decrepit ways!"

The zombies, silent and pale, charged with their mangled bodies towards Charlie and, if he joined the fight, Yukito. They attempted to surround the Phoenix before charging in all at once, swinging wildly.

Roda the Red Roda the Red WhiskeyMarten WhiskeyMarten
 
NPC Post - Various
SCENE:
New Oasis Arc 3: Scene 1 [PASSERI PARK'S ULTRA PASSIONATE MELODY ONSLAUGHT]
LOCATION:
Central District
PARTICIPANTS:
Florence, Pascal, Gavril, Milo, Dimitri
THE LAIR OF THE MIDDLER
Streams of multicoloured ink ran through the air, and the panicked forms of stranded contestants were painted throughout Milo's notebook. A dozen pages, only a moment ago blank, were covered with richly rendered portraits of the show's cast, blinking in confusion within their new, two-dimensional world. For some of them, their panic only deepened, but they were safe nonetheless, sequestered away in a paper ark.

Above, Elizabeth struggled to hold the arena together. Another rumble ripped through the arena, causing a fresh shower of debris to rain down from above. Chunks of concrete broke against her thick, leathery hide, and her grip faltered. The room dropped another set of inches as one of her tentacles snapped loose from its anchor, and then another, and then another.

But it was enough.

Through Gav and Milo's combined efforts, the number of contestants that littered the arena dwindled, until finally, they only numbered three. In a rare show of decisiveness, Elizabeth let the arena fall free, and her tentacles shot through the air. She took the saviour pair into her grasp, sheltering them from the collapse of the room around them within a world of thick, inky black. Only noise penetrated her grasp. The muffled sound of the arena's collapse went on for minutes until finally, the dust settled, and Elizabeth's monstrous form receded from around the two men.

"That..." Elizabeth spoke through gasps as her form returned to a human shape. "Was awful... What... Was that...?" She was covered in ink and ragged, her body covered in scrapes and bruises, but considering the situation, that was probably getting off lightly.

"Are you... two oka-?" She started to voice her concern, but apparently, even a natural disaster was not enough to satisfy the god that had cursed her with misfortune. The pages of Milo's sketchbook rustled and then exploded with all the force of a bomb. Paper flew free through the air, and the other contestants went with it. Over a dozen bodies, yelling, flailing and confused suddenly erupted from Milo's sketchbook, flying towards Elizabeth like clowns out of an overstuffed car. Barely even a peep escaped from her before she was bowled over, and a stream of confused gasps and curses drowned out whatever else she had to say.

The unflattened contestants only had a handful of moments to collect themselves before another tremor ran through the building. If Milo and Gav had any thoughts of continued heroism, the manner in which the room began to fold in on itself would've been a clear message to put them aside.

"W-we'd better go." Elizabeth offered, scooping her now even more ragged body up off the ground. "If I remember right, the exit wasn't too far from here..."

 
Sabrina Felton
SCENE:
Serpents Arc 3: Scene 1 [Thicker Than Water]
LOCATION:
Mysterious Black Site, North District
PARTICIPANTS:
August, Damian, Kinsley, Kisara, Kyo, Peyton, Raph, Sab, Julian
Thicker Than Water

With the Requiem of Creation gone and Kraken’s tentacles leading their way through a labyrinth of perfectly ordinary warehouse corridors, Sabrina had plenty of time to think. Miasma’s parting words, full of indignance over the attack of his “home” and “comrades”, made it apparent that he was either a self-righteous bigot who thought the Sable Serpent gang wouldn’t retaliate to the taking of their own, or he honestly had no clue as to why the Sable Serpents were attacking in the first place. Given Avant Garde’s childish demeanor towards the end, and Miasma’s attitude, Sabrina was beginning to believe the latter. Did the dead soldiers truly not know of what went on in the warehouse? The kidnappings in the North District? The experiments–or voodoo magic– that, so obviously, made them into what they are?

Truly, the warehouse that Bloodfiend was supposedly kept in looked no different from some of the Serpent warehouses. Kidnapping and experimentation was nothing new to the Sable Serpent gang either. Was this why the North District was chosen? Did they intend to hide their misdeeds under the shadow of the Sable Serpents?

Her eyes flickered to Kraken, who looked more solemn than usual. She had nothing against human experiments. In a way, she was one herself–an NP that had gained potentiality through drugs. A good chunk of the Sable Serpent gang were, like her, products of experimentation, which served to inflate Sable Serpent numbers. Takaonna was more frightening than most of the undead she encountered since entering the warehouse.

But what did that matter?

Dead or alive, her enemies were the ones that attacked her and her allies were the ones that defended her. That’s all there was to it.

Sable Serpents were no exception.

The flat of Kyoden’s blade against her shoulder, Sabrina watched Kraken approach the group of Snakes that seemed to have found Bloodfiend before following suit, though at a slower pace and no smile adorned her face. Were these the only survivors?

She recognized all but one. Shortie with a shotgun was among them. Bloodfiend and the Tornado-maker seemed to be supporting the Prinz of Monsters, who appeared to have worn herself out. No surprise, given the way she’d seen Kisara fight earlier. No control. No thought. Just all out, pure raw emotions. Not a winning strategy by any means, but Sabrina couldn’t say she disliked those types. The rawness, the noise, made for good music.

She glanced at the haggard-looking Serpent who had been imprisoned for the last 8 months. “I’m down for leaving assuming you’re fine with leaving the Queen behind.” Shrug. “This was his operation.”

Then again, Sabrina didn’t have any particularly close relationship with Snake so it didn’t matter to her either way. Last she’d seen him, he’d been with Ronin, who she was convinced had turned traitor, so she didn’t have high hopes for the queen. She wasn’t blind to the blood that matted the back of Tornado-maker’s white hair either. Two of their current fighters were too worn to be of much use and one was out of commission. The smarter move was just to leave. They got what they came for. Push too hard and they risked losing everything. “More importantly, do you remember anything about the people that kept you here? Anything at all?”

That was the main reason she ran with the Serpents for this rescue operation. In order to defeat the enemy, one first had to identify them…and regardless of who these undead-makers are, or what their intentions were, they made themselves into Sabrina Felton’s enemy. There was no noble reason behind it. She didn’t care if the dead walked the North District (so long as they didn’t eat herself or those she cared for). She ignored the kidnapping, experimentation, and drug dealing of the Sable Serpent gang so long as it didn't involve her . The strong did what they want. That was the rule of the North. The "undead-makers" simply messed with her one too many times.


AriAriAbabwa AriAriAbabwa Beann Beann Coyote Hart Coyote Hart Doctor Llamabean Doctor Llamabean Elenion Aura Elenion Aura Kyuubey Kyuubey Lucem Lucem Sei Shonagon Sei Shonagon simj26 simj26
 
MARKUS WEISS
SCENE:
Serpents Arc 3: Scene 2 [Hunks in the City]
LOCATION:
Central District
PARTICIPANTS:
Markus, Tri, Nikolai, Celeste, Jozef, Toru,
(and Helva, Isaiah, Kanna, Kaede, Meirin, Rin, Shen, Vulken, Yong-Yut)
HUNKS IN THE CITY vs. THE DRAGON AND THE PHOENIX
“What is this!? One of yours?”

Markus snapped back. "The fuck you think?" Stupid question.

Markus glared from one face to the next. The ground below his feet trembled. Whatever this was, Markus knew it sure as shit wasn't good. He didn't have time to dawdle or play cops and robbers with these fuckin' dweebs. As Chikage dodged aside and the Jeep rumbled toward him, wheels bouncing along uneven earth, Markus raised his hand, briefly channeling the full extent of his power to send forth a torrent of jagged ice spikes erupting from the ground like a monstrous tidal wave. Its frozen claws collided with Sebastian's oncoming vehicle, ensnaring it briefly in permafrost. In the next moment, the frozen ground erupted and sent the vehicle spiraling through the air, flipping end over end, as if it were a mere toy caught in the angry embrace of a vengeful winter storm.

He scoffed, amused and contented by the sight. But he didn't have long to gloat. Before he could think, let alone react, Chikage had descended upon him like an avenging angel. His body hit the pavement with enough force to send little, spindling cracks out in a vaguely-man-shaped pattern. His head was spinning from the ride.

“HOW MANY CAN YOU SAVE!? BELOW! BENEATH US- HOW MANY?! WHAT CAN YOU DO?!”

Dazed, Markus stared up at the face of the man atop him, his features contorted in rage, and... Concern? No. Despair. Despite himself, Markus' lip quirked. In his disoriented state, he found this sight, the sight of the righteous King of the Police asking him—no, begging him for his help, for Markus to save him and his precious citizens... It was just too perfect. And yet... A small, persistent voice at the back of Markus' skull (the part that had just met the pavement so intimately) whispered to him. This might be his chance to change. To do something for someone other than himself. To be... Good.

Markus' eyes hardened and his smile vanished. His mind worked as he glared up at Chikage's ruinous expression.

... Fuck you.

It was little more than a whisper, a curse slipped through gritted teeth, as Markus fingers flexed upon the pavement. In an instant, a forest of icicles the size of tree-trunks sprouted from the ground around him, tossing Chikage aside, freeing Markus from his vice-grip.

Scrambling to his feet, stumbling as the earth continued to shake, Markus gave one last look to the chaos and the carnage before turning away and taking off at a sprint. With a wave of his hand as he ran, a surge of ice formed beneath him, flowing like a controlled tidal wave of frost, just wide enough for him to stand on. Effortlessly, he mounted the frosty crest, guiding it with his mind as he rode the icy swell away from the battlefield and into the unknown.


As he fled back toward the West, Markus felt a buzz in his pocket. Fishing out his phone, which had been cracked nearly to the point of uselessness—Fuckin' Chikage—he accepted the call and placed it to his ear. Silently, he listened to the voice from the other side as it told him its news. Silently, he waited for it to get to the good part.

Eventually, he was silent and so was she.

“Congrats... On 'yer promotion.”

He let the connection go dead.


 
Zygarde
SCENE:
Tigers Arc 3: Scene 4 [Puzzling Directions]
LOCATION:
Some Library, West District
PARTICIPANTS:
Matsuda, Minato
Puzzling Directions
They’d opened the door and escaped the building-now-deathtrap they had just stood in. As their steps got further from the library, the building crumbled behind the group, crushing the people that were neglected. Not that the old thing was all that stable in the first place, honestly. A testament to its strength.

The dog trembled in Matsuda’s arms, not being used to getting picked up. It continued wailing in alert, like a call. The only one to answer was, of course, Matsuda.

Neither the USB in Zygarde’s backpack, nor the address slip that was left in the wreckage, were on anyone’s mind anymore.

Not even Kiwi’s, who was huddled with Buttermilk under an office desk, shaking uneasily. The whole purpose for this outing.

They’d failed. It wasn’t that important, anyway— a simple errand. But… what was the point? To do nothing?



The dog would be returned later.

 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top