Fantasy New Oasis: Four Heavenly Kings

[thebigfella]

The Docks

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Hitoshi

OUTBREAK

Vibrant eyes sharpened, Charlie’s charge was met by one in turn. The fish’s vocal cords strained within their throat as they unleashed their own roar of battle, water splashing underneath their feet as their massive form charged forward to collide with Charlie.

Their weights collided, rippling through the atmosphere and slicing through the rain like a sonic boom. Their muscles twitched, their teeth gritted, and their bodies pounded with blood and adrenaline as they clashed, but momentum sent them hurtling backward through the air to land on their, hydroplaning across the water.

Before it could move again, a shout caused its focus to change. Its legs twitched, thickened muscles, and shifting gravity damaged the crumbling ground beneath it. Beneath its colossal bulk materialized the same loudmouth, whose ear-grating voice begged to be squashed. Clawed fingers extended to smear the unpleasant bug away, but instead, a chunk of metal struck its lower jaw, sending its head reeling back and its lifeless hanging stem snapping in tandem, green blood oozing from its teeth. Its equilibrium changed, and its eyes jerked, rattling in an unfocused stupor, before they decisively narrowed, centering again.

Hitoshi’s arm came down with another swing of the bloodied metal; a raised arm stopped it in its tracks as it thudded against thickened bone and hardened flesh. A shadow raised overhead him as it came down like a hammer, barely giving the Phoenix any time to dodge as its other hand slammed against the ground. The cement tore and split as the ground rippled from the shockwave, bouncing everything nearby into the air from the force before being brought back down, loudly clattering.

Its hand lifted itself off the earth, taking a sizable chunk. With one hand, the fish lifted the enormous boulder upward, dust and other loose debris falling in to fill the empty void below. Like a football, it cocked its hand back before hurling the massive boulder in their direction as it spiraled through the air. However, rather than waiting for it to strike, it followed in its shadow, raising a fist and locking each scaled finger into place as it pierced through the rock in an explosion of dust and shards of stone.

 

[Elenion Aura]

JAVI ONEIRO SILVA

CS Link

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

Theater Street, Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Kanna, Javi, Meirin, Ottilie

OUTBREAK

As the rock man fell to the concerted efforts of Ottilie and Meirin, Grio popped itself off of the creature's face and floated lazily back to Javi's outstretched hand.

"Nice work," the boy said to his blob. Grio warbled delightedly up at its master before it was reabsorbed into the luminous heart of Javi's satchel. He was happy the little guy didn't see what came next. Didn't want accessory to murder on the little guy's mind... If it even thought like that?

"Man..." Javi thought out loud as he heard the crunch as Meirin "finished it" on Kanna's orders. He didn't have it in him not to look away, so the sound of boulders breaking was all he got, wincing with every crack. When he looked back, it'd be nothing but a pile of rocks. Right?

He stared maybe a little too long at the fallen form before them. It didn't look nearly enough like a pile of rocks for his liking. For a brief second he thought he was going to be sick. Meirin's acknowledgment of him, of his and Grio's assistance, of their participation in this, stuck in his mind. This was... Good. Was this good? Had there really been no other way?

Kanna's words jerked him free of his downward spiral, flinching as though another Rock Monster might come rushing out of the alley. As though this one might get up. "R-right..."

Like a good little soldier, he fell in line.

Theater Street

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Kanna, Javi, Meirin, Ottilie

OUTBREAK

Jennifer Lawson had her scoop. She could barely contain her disappointment. That was it? Honestly, she expected more. As the caravan snaked its way into the ominous shadows of Lower Central, she couldn’t help but feel underwhelmed.

Sighing, she snapped for Greg to collect the equipment. Their protectors were moving on without them. "Come on, come on, step lively, step lively!" She had an appointment to keep, and Ms. Lawson was nothing if not punctual.


As the Dragon Caravan delved ever deeper into the heart of Lower Central, where the streets grew sparse and the dark grew menacing, Jennifer walked backwards, microphone in hand, as Greg shot her next piece. It was mostly fluff. Filler that would get cut and pasted on the cutting room floor, where her editors would work their magic piecing together something wonderful, or so she'd come to expect. If they didn't, she'd simply fire them and find more. Her voice was steady, her gaze unwavering as she narrated the mundane details of their journey. As an old friend once told her, "You can never have too much B-reel!"

As they ventured further, the sparse streets of Lower Central gave way to an eerie silence, broken only by their footsteps. The buildings, towering and decrepit, disappearing into the gloom that obscured the great underbelly of Upper Central above them, loomed overhead, casting long shadows that danced with the flickering streetlights. Greg tripped on a loose piece of asphalt and nearly tumbled, taking the expensive equipment with him. He'd barely righted himself and ensured that everything was still well before Jennifer laced into him.

"Greg? Are you fucking kidding me, Greg? No, seriously, what are you, f—"

The sound of not-too-distant gunfire swallowed whatever remained of Jennifer's tirade. She turned instinctually towards the sound—it had come from behind her; therefore the shooting was dead ahead. It took a considerable amount of will to turn herself back towards her Dragon tour guides. It was by their leave that she'd made it this far, she supposed...

 

[tityanya]

𝑵𝒂𝒐𝒎𝒊 𝑺𝒂𝒕𝒐

CS Link

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

Railyard, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Tri and Peyton

Outbreak

In response no doubt to Peyton and Naomi's bickering, Tri spoke up saying that no one there would get infected without his permission. His white glow settled around the group like a blanket. Outwardly, Naomi made no response except a firm nod. Inwardly, she was massively relieved. Even if Peyton was somewhat excluded from the glow. It still surrounded him, it just hadn't settled on him like it had the rest of the group. Tri ordered a forward march, and Naomi followed Peyton and Doctor Miriam into the creepy tunnel.

This...certainly was an adventure. She hadn't bothered visiting places like this since she was a teenager. With a sardonic grin, Naomi realized that that was an adult's self-preservation stopping her from visiting creepy, abandoned places like this. She wasn't even aware that she had even an ounce of that instinct. She warily eyed the condensation dripping from the tunnel's walls, wondering what kind of sludge they could be bleeding. That was when Peyton slipped in front of her, letting out a cry as he grabbed onto Miriam's tentacle for dear life.

Watch your step. Yup, she was going to do that now. Her eyes drifted from the walls to the floor, covered in green algae. Naomi stepped carefully, her whole weight pressing down on her foot instead of heel to toe. Her arm extended out, partially to help with her own balance, but also to help Tri or Tristan should they lose their own balances.

The tunnel opened up, revealing a little habitual place that was just as seedy as the neighborhood Naomi lived in in the north. Ah, right at home. Peyton asked where they were, and Miriam said that she wasn't the best person to answer. Naomi realized that she kind of was the best person to answer. "Lower Central is like the pits of Central itself. The upper is full of life and light, and down here, well..." she gestured to what they saw before them. "Not exactly sure where we are in Lower Central, though. If there's not a party there I avoid it," she finished. She already got enough of slumming it living in the North. Why leave one shithole for another?

They continued through the pits, until they entered a clearing. Naomi immediately saw Miriam's body language change. Her tentacles quivered in the air, like a dog waiting to attack. Naomi halted, extending and arm to make sure that Tri stayed behind her. Miriam didn't stop moving, however, her pace slowed to a crawl. With one quick glance at Tri, Naomi matched it, her footsteps silent on the ground. She couldn't see anything unusual. But she could sense the same thing Miriam had--like someone was holding their breath, waiting.

The sudden appearance of the squad caused Naomi to jump backwards slightly. They were surrounded. Soldier-looking people crawled out of the woodworks surrounding them, guns drawn. Naomi sighed--this was the price of adventure, huh? Their leader, presumably, ordered the group to the ground. Naomi looked at the floor and sneered. There was no way she was going to do that. But his words halted. Naomi looked at his face, could see the recognition in his eyes. She wasn't sure she knew him--was he recognizing Miriam? His mouth began to move, but before any sound could come out, he got a tentacle to the face.

Was vindication what Naomi was feeling? That she was right that Miriam wasn't to be trusted? That was a hard thing to think with bullets flying through the air. Wasn't the military supposed to have rules of engagement or something? They were going to fire at each other, for God's sakes! Naomi pushed Tri behind her once again, not wanting him to get hurt. Everything was going so slow--was this the adrenaline kicking in? She wasn't much of a fighter! But well, this was quite literally life or death. At the very least, her outfit would get shredded if these soldiers had their way, and that was unacceptable. She pulled her hair-pin out, her purple-black hair tumbling around her shoulders, freed from the confines of the sharp weapon. She then launched herself at the nearest soldier, aiming the sharp object directly at the eyes.

POST NOTES​

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Coyote Hart Damafaud Elenion Aura

 

[Elenion Aura]

The Park

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Kisara

OUTBREAK

The battlefield was a canvas of chaos. Amid its maelstrom, the dark figure watched as Kisara's rage-fueled assault tore through the air, her violet flames shoving back against the deepening gloom.

As her blades sliced towards its shadowed form, the world itself seemed to tremble under the weight of that fury. The figure's formless gaze, fixed and unblinking, observed the spectacle. The shadows around him twisted and writhed like living creatures awaiting their master's call.

With a thought, the lake of shadows swelled, forming a barrier between Kisara and their caller. But the Serpent's Blade, alight with fire and fueled by a fierce, indomitable will, slashed open the darkness and forged ahead to its very heart. The Shadowman's form flickered, now more defined in the face of such light. It had not anticipated such ferocity, such raw power.

Meanwhile, the battle raged on above. Cillian and Jesper kept the creatures at bay. As below, the crack of the blow sent ripples churning up the fragmented earth. The ground beneath them, weakened by the violent energy of their confrontation, began to fracture. Cracks spider-webbed across the park landscape, racing across the very foundations that held the ruined field together.

With a deafening roar, the earth gave way, plunging Kisara, Anton, and the encompassing darkness into an abyss below. Together they fell, one light amongst a sea of infinite shadows.

 

[Misuteeku]

Sang-Cheol Man

http://

CS Link

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Sang-Cheol

Outbreak

Had it been a Phoenix, they might went in for the kill. Had it been a Tiger, they might have acted a bit more cautiously and exploit the situation. Had it been a Dragon, they might have observe the situation before distributing justice. For Sang-Cheol, he wanted to learn more about the situation. Shaking off the dust and debris, Sang-Cheol took a minute to take in the voice. A giddiness filled his being as he realized that the creature may have the capacity to speak. "Help? Are you sure you aren't a parrot?" Kicking off the plant, Sang-Cheol walked towards the source of the noise.

It was good to see that Lab Asterios was still producing good products. The time Sang-Cheol had used Minos's plant bombs, it immediately withered and died after growing to its max length. The stalk seemed relatively healthy and was searching for more nutrients to absorb. It'll probably die once it reached to the part of the museum was that consumed in flames, but that wasn't Sang-Cheol's concern. It proved quite effective against the strange crow creature.

Withdrawing a syringe filled with a sedative to take out five HPs, Sang-Cheol called out to the strange voice. "Where are you! Keep shouting! I'll be there soon!" Climbing, ascending, descending, from the bean stalk, Sang-Cheol reached the source of the noise. At worst the creature may stab his sword, but he'd just sacrifice his arm or stomach to take the hit. At best, he'd get a new test subject. Either way things seemed to be in his favor.

"Are you here?" Getting into position, the syringe in his dominant hand danced as he prepared to throw it at the unsuspecting victim. It would be disappointing if things were to end so anticlimatically.


Elenion Aura thebigfella

 

[thebigfella]

The Museum

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Sang-Cheol

OUTBREAK

The sounds of footsteps came, followed by the continued sounds of choking and gagging, hacking and retching, broken up by pleads and cries as they humbled forward to the sound of Sang-Cheol’s voice. A figure that could be vaguely made out from the darkness; it was not the chimeric monstrosity, at least it didn’t seem. The features and shape signaled a poor, innocent woman involved in a problem far beyond her understanding.

“Plea-se…help!” she continued to plead, her shaky steps barely keeping her upright. She struggled just to walk as her knees buckled, the visceral sounds coming from her strained vocal cords.

In the next instant, an explosion. It rumbled beneath their feet like thunder. The fire had most likely reached a gas pipe displaced by the earthquake and ruptured. The ground shook underneath them, the ceiling vibrated and dropped loose debris and soot down upon them as more and more of the museum began to crumble.

A flash of fire from a distance briefly basked the area in light, a faint burst of hit breathing across Sang-Cheol’s back, a moment of clarity gifting his vision. There stood that woman, who had been pleading for help this whole time. Tears streamed down her face, her eyes shimmered in wetness as the light reflected off her pupils, and blood dripped from the corners of her mouth.

Black feathers were stuck to her muddied shirt. The shaking ground made her lose her balance, and she tumbled forward.

She wore a face of somber acceptance, a weak frown as her lips opened to speak.

“Something…climbed inside me…”

Her words ended with a cascade of blood and bile; it spewed from her mouth like a river, and pushing through the crimson was a clawed hand that had torn its way through, breaking through her teeth and lips to grasp at Sang-Cheol’s neck, digging into his flesh and tightening its grip. Beaks broke through her skull, carved out through her eyes, and burrowed her ears; the cries of crows came in unison as they birthed their way out. Like a butterfly being born from a chrysalis of bones and viscera, reborn wings pulled themselves out, flexing and splaying wide as they shook off the muck of entrails and blood.

Its feathered-covered form squeezed its way out of the woman’s upper body, spittling and crushing it into pieces as more of its structure materialized and solidified. Masses of black feathers and disorganized crows unified to form legs that wetly plopped onto the ground. Discarding its corpse cocoon, it landed on the floor, splattering and leaking its leftover contents.

Beaks swallowed the last bits of meat they had yet to fully scarf down, feeding itself. With every bite it ate, the more its mass seemed to grow and restore, its grip on Sang-Cheol grew stronger.


The floor fell beneath them, the wilting beanstalk no longer acting as impromptu reinforcements. Tiles began to crumble, exhibits of ships and old model planes began to sink into holes in the lower floors, and shattering glass and creaking wood accompanied the sounds of cracking cement.

The crow-monsorsity’s wings stretched out, and with a flap, they were airborne. It weaved and darted through the vines and stalks, rising towards the ceiling until it approached a weakening section of the roof, with fractures showing its instability. It crashed through in a plume of dust and kept flying higher; the world below became smaller. The flames that spewed out from the lower floors of the museum had been growing until the whole structure was glowing a faint orange.

The chimeric kept its hand tight on Sang-Cheol; for once, all its different heads kept their focus united. All of their beady eyes looked upon the Serpent, differing cocks in their head as they decided what to do next.

A decision that came quickly as its grip on the man slowly began to loosen.





An oscillating vibration rang through the air, and the sounds of clattering metal echoed throughout the atmosphere.

The crow screamed in agony; the high frequency reached its ears, and it rattled its brains within their skulls. Disorientation took over, and its wings lost their patterns, fluttering and stilling. Then, gravity decided their fall. They coursed downwards, soaring through the air until--

The Towers

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Areith, Deirest, Sang-Cheol

OUTBREAK

Glass exploded; it showered like sparkly glitter as two vastly different forms wrecked through one of the giant windows on the side of the building. They tumbled to the floor together, but additional momentum and a moment of muscle control allowed the winged creature to control its trajectory; it bounced off the ground and swirled in the air, its wings flapped quickly in an attempt to right itself, but before it could, it slammed against something else. The creature covered in barbs, the undying Serpent, and the crows collided. The giant barb-covered chimeric lost its footing as it slid across the ground, while the crow amalgamation was sent flying off in the other direction, its feet slamming against the ground as it skidded to a stop.

Its heads darted around, quickly trying to reorient themselves to where they were. The numerous heads focused on what was in their surroundings.

3 serpents.

And another chimeric.

 

[Damafaud]

TRI

CS Link

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

The Train Yard, Lower Central

PARTICIPANTS:

Naomi, Peyton, Tri

OUTBREAK: TRAIN YARD

Tri wondered whether his weapon would see any actions.

He dressed befitting of a grizzled detective, but the arsenal underneath his coat befitted one, too; compact, lethal, and most importantly, illegal. The dilapidated darkness they traversed reminded Tri of the slums he used to frequent. A stabbing in this corner, the strong stench of alcohol there, it brought back memories. Like the time his crotch got stomped on by a single mother and her son. Did the mother survive the HP experiment? He recalled the son didn't.

Speaking of, Peyton used to be his experiment before Paris took over. His gaze shifted to the young man with a hop in his cheery steps. It was good Peyton was back. Naomi's stretched arm startled Tri back and he leapt over some slippery rocks. Noir detectives couldn't fall. Not unless they just failed a mission and it was raining for an emphasis on hopelessness.

The dense air soon lightened as the ceiling died to a gaping air. Freedom was in the air, but so was tension. Tri hummed and put a hand into his pocket. Miriam sensed it and the rest, too. Naomi stood to cover him and Tristan got closer to the group. They were Serpents; violence was not unfamiliar. Looks like he didn't have to worry about not seeing actions.

Soldiers encircled the space with an unbroken circle. Tri glanced back and blinked. Those, he didn't notice.

There was silence. Tri wondered how he should start, but he did not have the luxury of creating the perfect opening.

As soon as Miriam rose with murderous intent, the style was determined; a slaughter.

Naomi pushed him back and Tri leapt back further. He aimed his Sleeping Agent, a gun with neon lime lines toward the machine gun wielders above and shot. A golf ball sized projectile launched at unsound speed before exploding into a green cloud of HP-grade sleeping gas. Paris had progressed in the miniaturization of his chemical weapons. The cost was still unsuitable for mass production, but he was Tri, the King of Serpent.

"Don't let a single one escape." A barrage of bullets aimed where Tri was. He rolled to evade, a detective's must-do in a gun fight. That, and his power really wasn't great in combat.

That's why he had Peyton here, though. Oh, and Tristan.

"COME HERE, BASTARDS!" In a maniacal craze, Tristan did not hide and showered those behind with his submachine gun. He had confidence in his HP-grade physique to tank any bullets. Just a few bruises, he could withstand them. Whether it was the right choice, only time would tell.

Tri gave him a brief glance before aiming up high once more, shooting another sleeping gas projectile before focusing on hiding.

He wondered if Naomi could do fancy assassin moves?

Coyote Hart tityanya Elenion Aura

 

[Coyote Hart]

PEYTON XIONG

CS Link

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

The Train Yard, Lower Central

PARTICIPANTS:

Naomi, Peyton, Tri

OUTBREAK

Yup, they were lost. Neither Naomi nor Miriam seemed to have any idea where in Lower Central they were, other than Naomi's knowledge of how Lower Central worked. Honestly, Peyton agreed with Naomi-- he wouldn't want to be down here unless he absolutely had to. The North, surprisingly despite all its chaos and decrepitness, was miles better than down here.

Peyton sensed Tri's gaze on him, and he turned around briefly to beam at his King. He would've waved if his hands weren't preoccupied with holding Miriam's tentacle and holding onto his gun. Just like his King, Peyton was glad to be back. He was also glad that it was Tri who welcomed him back. If he had to go face-to-face with Caio... well, Peyton almost shuddered just thinking about it.

"Hm? Why are we stopping?" Peyton asked when Miriam paused in her step. Unlike the others, Peyton didn't sense Miriam's hesitation. He was never good at perceiving that sort of stuff anyway. Peyton got the answer to his question moments later when a group of soldiers rose from the rubble to bark demands at the group with guns drawn.

Those demands didn't sit well with Peyton. He had no issue with being told what to do, but only if there were fun or cruel motivations behind those words.

In contrast with Naomi, Peyton simply felt a rush of joy when he saw Miriam attack the infantrymen. A university professor choosing violence over words... that was the type of person that Peyton wanted to be friends with. The sudden and abrupt attack didn't make Peyton think any lesser of Miriam. But he was going to be curious after the battle-- keyword being after. Violence always came first, then the talking.

"Yeah! Let's kill them all!" Peyton said with a rather morbid level of cheerfulness. He gently released Miriam so that she could fight at full strength and began charging forward into the line of infantrymen. His gun made a wide arc as he brutally gouged at the nearest infantryman with his bayonet.

As he fought, Peyton flashed a grin to Miriam. The bloodlust was back in his eyes and his typical easy grin was more of a vicious baring of tiny fangs than a smile. Who knew that he'd be fighting alongside a chimeric mutant today? This was the best! Peyton twisted his gun to the side so that he could fire a shot at a nearby infantryman as he slashed at the one in front of him, "Pretty please, please die!"

Elenion Aura tityanya Damafaud

 

[Peckinou]

Noa Bakoria Aquanaut

CS Link

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

The Coliseum, Lower Central.

PARTICIPANTS:

Noa, Tyr, Leaf Haze- , Elenora mechanicalmania , Elenion Aura

Outbreak

Noa shrugged a bit when, Leaf26? caught on to her keyword of maybe, Noa wasn't one to make promises all willy-nilly due to the possibility of breaking them due to unforeseen circumstances, a small trait she picked up from one of her friends. But it seemed that Leaf26 had decided to take the promise into their own hands, it was something she wasn't going to protest but the responsibility of that promise was on him, not her. Still, though she was fine with helping the promise get carried out, helping NPs was always her main priority as a member of the Phoenix after all, well that and taking revenge. Noa kept quite though as Leaf began asking for information on the missing people, four people in total it seemed. With any luck they would all be together, though odds are that something bad happened, still though she wasn't one to lose hope and soon began to say their farewells to the NPs, leaving the place with Tyr and Leaf26 following in from behind.

Eventually, though they went on to link back up with Elenore and Leaf getting the entire party back in one place once again, Noa had opted to place a Tattoo of power on herself, with another one already being on Tyr, after five minutes of walking though she had added a Tattoo Aggression as well as a safety measure, though she planned to use that as a last resort due to all the risks with it. The darkness within Lower Central wasn't something Noa was so too unfamiliar with, she dealt with similar darkness plenty of times when exploring the depths of the seas, but instead of being in the sea, she was on land, with their main source of flight being from that firefly Elenore and Leaf were following. She wasn't sure what Elenore and Leaf had done but she did take note that they were following a floating firefly, and opted to just ask since they were on the same team anyways plus she didn't see any harm in it. "So what happened with you two? find anything interesting? besides the little firefly over there?" a question aimed both to Elenore and Leaf.

 

[Ramjammer]

Outbreak


Lorette Lècuyer CS LINK

Scene: Outbreak.

Location: Lower Central District.

Participants: Lorette, Hiachi, Missy.


Their job was to investigate and discover what the hell was going on. While an anomaly, the Chimera child could prove helpful to their cause, as they seemed pretty eager to share what they knew. All considered, things were going well.

Naturally, that put Lorette on edge.

A deep-rooted paranoia began scratching at her consciousness. Nothing in her world came free. Less so were things freely given. No matter how, where, or when, the fine print always came into play. That a child would prey on their desires and lure them all into a trap was nowhere out of the realm of possibility. A child that wasn't even human? Lorette had no reason to believe they even trusted anyone from the upper part of the city.

"They claimed to be from the East District...." She thought before realizing balefully that one of their own had admitted to being from the West.

Whether or not the strange child was deeply entrenched within the Azure Dragons was irrelevant to Lorette. Anyone they'd find poking around that hailed from another district was working in the interests of a rival gang. Like anyone with half a brain, Lorette saw right through the polished veneer of nobility the Dragons showed to the world. Staffing that many Brothlels without engaging in some rather harsh 'negotiations' was impossible.

The little Chimera had said something about a monster and protecting the children in the area. But when looking at the filthy and terrified faces of the children surrounding her, Lorette couldn't help but wonder just what form that 'protection' would come in.

She couldn't stomach the thought of what it might cost them.

"If you have anywhere safe to hide, get there. This is the only warning I'll give you." The woman said dismissively as she marched off into the darkened alleys after Hiachi and Missy. Her quarry was not far ahead. While the Catlike child would no doubt outpace them, the other two-thirds of their group were close enough for her to track. Taking off at a sprint, Lorette wound her way through the cramped alleyways, phone in hand.

"Have that package ready for transport immediately. I'm on the move, and I might be needing it." She all but shouted over the rush of air moving past her. Breaking neither stride nor losing her breath, Lorette was grateful for the enhancement to her physical form that her Potential granted. Making calls at a dead run was the single most efficient way to get things done.

She hung up, ears trained on the rapid patter of feet ahead of her. Once she was close enough to be heard, Lorette shouted.

"When this is over, we're all going to have a very talk about why you don't follow strangers into dark alleys!"
[/divde] @Elenion Aura @BriiAngelic @miki

 

[Elenion Aura]

Factory Row

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Lorette, Hiachi, Missy

OUTBREAK

The Child's ears twitched, catching the sound of the others following. He heard the voices chasing him, but he didn't slow. His feet pounded the ground, sometimes his hands. A small part of him felt something—was it guilt? Wariness? He could neither trust, nor expect these women to trust him. And yet he must. They must. They had to see, to understand.

The path he took was a labyrinth of backstreets and narrow passageways. He darted left, then right, leaping over fallen stone edifices, ducking beneath tangled electrical wires. The city's decay was evident here.

Finally, he reached his destination. Quick and quiet as a shadow, the boy slipped through an open door and entered a large, old factory. The structure loomed over the surrounding neghborhood, its windows all broken, its iron gates rusted and hanging off their hinges.

The Child's eyes adjusted quickly to the gloom as they searched for a familar sight: a hole in the floor. From out of which he'd seen the Monster rise. From whence, maybe, they came. Where they might be destroyed...

The inside of the factory was a cavernous space. Conveyor belts stood motionless, coated in a fine layer of settled dust. The machinery was all silent. His eyes scanned the shadows. Even now, he could feel it. Sense it. He was not alone.

A sound, a kind of skittering clamor, reverberated along the high walls and bounced off ceiling. The Child's ears flattened against his head. The sound that followed was like a low growl that might've been a moan. The Child whirled, the fine hairs rising up and down the back of his neck, as he heard heavy footsteps lumbering out of the darkness. The Child's eyes widened in spite of himself, as the figure melded out of the shadows. Its eyes stared sightlessly down at him, as its smile widened to allow fat globules of drool to fall and puddle on the concrete floor before it.

"Would you... Like some candy?"​

 

[FabulousTrash]

Kanna Katsura

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

The Rail Yard/Slums, Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Kanna, Javi, Meirin, Ottilie, Naomi, Peyton, Tri

Outbreak

Her eyes immediately shifted to the direction the gunshots came from. She raised her hand in a gesture to everyone else to stop where they were as Kanna listened for a few more moments.

It definitely sounded like there was more than one shooter. Maybe it was a group of people defending themselves? Or it could just be a fight between people trying to survive. Regardless of the case, it was something worth investigating. And perhaps whoever was there, assuming they were friendly, they would know more about what was going on in Lower Central.

Kanna gestured for the group behind her to follow. Without a word, she led them in the direction of the gunfire, weaving between alleyways and back streets. Eventually they found themselves at one of the many slums in Lower Central. This one happened to be nearby an abandoned train yard. Her eyes scanned the area until she found where the commotion was coming from. Almost instantly, she recognized a couple of familiar faces.

She watched as the group of serpents fought off the attackers. From what it looked like, they were handling themselves just fine. In that moment, Kanna weighed her options. Either they could sit back and watch, see what happens. Then if the serpents survived, they could approach them and hopefully they'd be willing to share any info they knew about the situation in Lower Central. Alternatively, Kanna could have the group intervene and help fight off the attackers to win their favor that way. Or, she could take a gamble with the unknown assailants and help them defeat the serpent members.

Once again, the Dragon Jack found themselves with a complex situation without a clear right or wrong choice. And once again, it was her role as the Jack to make those decisions and live with the outcome that followed.

It wasn't a moment longer before she made her decision. Looking back at the other dragons with her, she spoke softly and quietly.

"Take out the gunmen. Do not attack the serpents. They might have information we need about what's going on here."

With that said, Kanna motioned for them to split up. She went her own directions, moving around the perimeter of the slums until she got close to one of the gunman, who had a nice vantage over the serpents below. Her hand instinctively reached to her side, but her weapon was there.

Right, that got broken.

That wouldnt be a problem. Once Kanna was close enough to the gunman, she delivered a quick strike to the head to daze him. In the brief moment of confusion, Kanna grabbed the gun out of hands, using it to strike him in the head once again. His body crumpled to the ground as he was knocked unconscious. Kanna glanced down towards the serpents, before letting out a sharp whistle to get their attention. Kanna tossed the gun she had down to them, before turning her attention to the next gunman nearby. Whether they used the weapon or not was not Kanna's concern. What was, is if it would be used against her and the other Dragons.

The Dragon Jack's actions didn't go unnoticed, as some of the attention shifted away from the serpents to them instead. Hopefully they could end this quickly and Kanna could ask the questions needed. If worse comes to worse, they'd capture the serpents and take them back near the East-Central border to question them.

Elenion Aura QuirkyAngel Saturn_moon Damafaud tityanya Coyote Hart

 

[Saturn_moon]

Ottilie James

CS Link

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

Theatre Street, Lower Central

PARTICIPANTS:

Kanna, Javi, Meirin, Ottilie

Outbreak: Theatre Street

Ottilie wanted to protest. There were numerous reasons she could think of to justify keeping the stone golem alive. They could let her take the monster back to the lab to study. She could try to identify the cause of the mutation and aid the Dragons in understanding how to prevent such situations from occurring again. She could try and find a cure to reverse the effects of whatever was ailing these HPs. She could, she could, she could, but she couldn't.

Like Javi, she turned away and brought her hand up to her ears to block out the sound of crushing stone. An unfamiliar feeling had lodged itself in her chest since the mission at Zhànzhēng Resort. She wasn't sure what this feeling was but like a cancer that spreads through its victim's body, it seemed to be growing despite her attempts to ignore it.

The Dragons trudged on ahead with Jennifer Lawson single handedly making up for the resounding silence that had fallen over the group. The darkness was all consuming in this part of the city and whatever light sources remained seemed to be fighting a losing battle.

Time ticked resolutely onwards and the effort put into this mission was starting to outweigh the outcomes. "Perhaps we shou-" She'd wanted to tell them to turn back, or give up. That statistically, Central was not that big and if there was anything for them to find they would have found it hours ago. But as luck would have it, the point she was trying to make was rudely interrupted by the sounds gunshots going off in the distance.

Squinting through the darkness she tried to spot the snipers as Kanna had instructed but could barely make out one shadowy figure from the next. Not that a clearer vision would have made much difference in her knowing who was on what side. She'd never even met anyone from the Serpents or any of the other gangs for that matter.

There was also another problem. When Ottilie tried to move she found her legs rooted to the spot despite nothing holding her there. Cold sweat dripped down the back of her hoodie and pressing two fingers to her neck she found herself clocking an accelerated heart rate.

"Oh." She exclaimed softly in a calm but perplexed manner. "I might be having a panic attack."

FabulousTrash Elenion Aura QuirkyAngel

 

[Roda the Red]

HITOSHI & CHARLIE

Collab Post

SCENE:

Outbreak: Docks

LOCATION:

The Docks, Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Hitoshi

OUTBREAK: DOCKS

With a boulder coming their way, a fervent Temperer attempted to take it head on in place of Hitoshi, winding up his arm to strike at it with his tonfa after shoving the veteran out of the way. But large cracks crept up their way through the mass of rock, before shattering into a myriad of shards that scattered around with explosive force. Charlie was not spared from the assault, with sharp rock fragments of varying sizes impacting against his body, a lone piece gracing his face, making a clean, shallow cut below his left cheekbone. He was momentarily taken back by the sheer force of it, but quickly resumed his charge, his berserker-like state brushing off the pain and injuries with reckless abandon.

He leapt forward and landed a strike with his weapon against its face; bones rattled against the force that pushed the creature back as it cried in pain. However, with a ravenous ire of its own, it had also punched the rookie straight on and sent him straight into the ground. It then managed to grasp at Charlie’s ankle with its clawed hand. Temperer was then dragged by the massive arm into a mostly intact part of the docks’ floor, smashing him against it and causing it to cave and crack tumultuously, water splashing about as further dust spread.

The beast then attempted to stand up straight in order to gather its bearings. But resistance was met by his arm. Its inhuman eyes focused down on Charlie, who had now taken a hold of the scaled limb, securing it in place, a vicious smile cutting through his blood-soaked face as it resisted against the monster’s pulling.

It tried to shake Charlie off, forgoing noticing its surroundings as Hitoshi had circled around past the piles of rubble that had coalesced in the vicinity. The veteran dashed upon metal sheets that had, conveniently, created a ramp for him to scale and gain height. As the beast towered over normal people, this allowed Hitoshi to get halfway up its height as he made a split second decision.

Charlie was already beaten bloody, but still continuing the fight. Hitoshi would not allow this to go any further than needed as he leapt off the rubble and, using the sharp end of one of his pipes, stabbed into the neck of the creature. Vile ichor spilled out from the wound as the creatures let out a guttural roar of shock from this new sneak attack. A spurt hit Hitoshi head on, covering him in slimy blood-like fluids that caused him to grimace and close his eyes from the disgusting nature of this.

However, he wasn’t done as he let out a yell and pushed the spike deeper into its body to do as much damage as possible inside. Cutting through flesh and veins, blood continued to pour in vigorous amounts that resulted in Hitoshi being slapped off by the creature’s free arm. The veteran tumbled to the ground and rolled a few meters from the impact, causing him to groan from the pain. But he was content in dealing such a savage blow to the creature, scrambling back to his feet and back into cover like a rat.

Charlie’s smile had grown wider and more twisted with every blow he took from the sea abomination, each time the pain felt numbing, and in its place, the a craving for further violence grew stronger, thick, thorny vines wrapping themselves around his brain and heart alike, reason continued to take a step back, with desire and instinct taking center stage under the limelight. Whereas the now further injured monster's strength weakened, Temperer's only grew larger, to the point of stopping the beast's following blow with his open hand.

Pushing the fist aside, the rookie wrapped both of his arms around the locked limb, getting up on his knees, quickly followed up by getting on his feet, he had definitely broken a rib or two by, judging by the wave of pain he felt as his body moved up, that would certainly become an issue once the trance was over. But with a bloodlust stupor in full effect, he lifted the creature over his head, slamming it against the rubble where floor once was, shattering it further.

The enemy was denied a moment to breathe, its claws tearing through the rocky surface as it was helplessly dragged once more to the opposite direction. Explosions of concrete and water bursting out from the back and forth Charlie submitted to, animalistic roars from both parties barely managing to cut through the thunderous impacts.

With his arm high up, bringing the creature over him with a pulling motion, Temperer firmly had his hands firmly gripped to its massive waist. Bending his knees, the faint amaranth glow in his body grew ever so slightly brighter. He jumped high up in the air, the ground beneath him cracking further as he brought his opponent along for the flight. Once the parabola had reached its peak at over thirty feet, Temperer brought the creature down, making it spearhead their brutal fall. Impacting against the ground, the surface beneath them gave in, a large ring around them cracking down as they sank, then a second circle covering a larger area, and finally a third, massive ring of cracked stone before a massive geyser of water erupted in its wake.

Gravity asserted its dominance on the eruption. A heavily-panting Charlie stepping back through the rocks lying around the massive crater as water poured down on him. Reason slowly returning to his being as he kept a close eye on the creature that lied half-buried under the rubble.

thebigfella

 

[Ramjammer]

Outbreak


Lorette Lècuyer CS LINK

Scene: Outbreak.

Location: Lower Central District.

Participants: Lorette, Hiachi, Missy.


Not wanting to miss anything, while admittedly not wanting to be the last to arrive wherever their new 'friend' was taking them, while being the oldest, Lorette surged ahead of both Hitachi and Missy. Their destination was more of the same. A run-down factory, squatting like an ugly concrete toad amongst the ruined and abandoned buildings surrounding it.

Lorette had come to an abrupt halt outside the main entry, trailing the sound of scurrying feet left by the child as they disappeared into the gloomy interior. Skidding to a quick halt, Lorette crept slowly and quietly towards the door. She still couldn't be sure if they were being led into a trap and resolved to be cautious. If not for herself, then for the other two, much younger Tigers. Much as one could under the Tigers, the two women still had their entire lives ahead of them. Lorette felt that they should at least experience becoming old and miserable.

She held her breath and edged closer to the door, sidearm in hand. Peering in revealed nothing at first, though a sudden metal clatter and shuffling in the darkness raised the hairs on the back of her neck. Something was waiting for them inside, and it was uncomfortably large.

Straining her eyes, she could see it.

It.

There was no point in suggesting the thing was even human. It wasn't. If, at one point, there'd been even a single spark of human consciousness inside that warped mass of flesh huddling there in the dark, it had been long snuffed out.

Despite living in the world that she did, Lorette put little stock into the supernatural. The fantastical was nothing short of mundane in New Oasis. The total weight of knowing came part and parcel with having a Potential. To serve under one of the four Gang's banners. In that thing, too, waiting in the dark, Lorette felt the terror of knowing. Knowing that it was alive. Knowing that it couldn't be explained away as coincidental phenomena culminating in a supposed otherworldly appearance. Knowing there were more just like out there, creeping through the shadows of a ruined city.

It would find a way out of Lower and into every corner of the city. If not, that malformed thing looming over a child that Lorette belatedly and with increasing panic noticed was so painfully small. If not that thing. Then another, and another. And New Oasis would be lost. The rest of the world would undoubtedly follow.

Lorette swallowed thickly and retreated from the doorway to press her back against the ruined facade of the building. Conventional firearms would work against that thing as well as they did on her when she was feeling particularly catty. She trusted Hiachi's aim enough to know that the girl could hit any exposed weakness she found. But that would require her to have an opening.

Lorette resigned herself to being the muscle, confident that she could take and return any beating the thing dished out. But her companions would need to stay clear of the oncoming brawl if they didn't want to get trampled. The young Chimera cowering in front of the thing was part of that number. His apparent fear told her all that she needed to know. She'd offered to help, which meant not allowing any harm to him.

In the short interim between her arrival and horrific realization, Hiachi and Missy were quick to catch up. Lorette Threw out a hand to halt their advance, a finger pressed to her lips as she glared at them both to cow them into silence. She jerked her head towards the door and murmured harshly.

"The 'Monster' that kid was talking about is real, and it seems pretty close to eating him." She didn't bother describing what she'd seen; they'd all be getting up close and personal with it soon. Lorette grimly passed her phone to Missy and her sidearm to Hiachi.

"Give me a distraction. I need to get inside first, and I'll need a little time. I'll be too big to fit through the door otherwise." She said. Another thing that didn't bear explaining. The thing that Lorette became was also something terrible. Another monster, and one that the other two would have to get used to working with.

"Hiachi, I want you to fire on it, draw it away from the kid." Lorette's eyes darted toward Missy. "Pull him out, and once he's clear, get the heat off of Hiachi. I won't be long, but you need to keep yourselves and each other alive." She ordered. Surviving New Oasis was a feat in and of itself. Subjecting oneself to the machinations of all four Gangs required a specific fortitude. They would be fine. After all, Lorette wasn't one to put her life into the hands of losers.

"Oh, uh, one more thing," Lorette said as she shrugged off her jacket. She was determined that at least one article of clothing would survive that day. "If my husband calls, tell him that I'm busy."

Elenion Aura BriiAngelic miki

 

[BriiAngelic]

Artemis "Missy" Macnaught

CS Link

SCENE MUSIC:

Literary Nonsense

LOCATION:

Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Lorette, Hiachi, Missy

Outbreak-Factory Row

The sound of footsteps behind her eased her heart in a way she probably wouldn’t be able to put into words. She couldn’t expect Hiachi and Lorette to follow along with her whims and yet when she did something admittedly stupid they followed.

She hadn’t expected to get completely outclassed as Lorette passed them but it made sense. Lorette was clearly a woman not to be messed with. She put the pedal to the metal as she pushed herself to keep up with her as much as she could.

She had just enough reaction time to pivot even at full speeds to not slam full force into Lorette’s arm blocking her off. Thank you Ezra and the nine month training course. Instead she quieted herself mimicking Lorette as she peered closer.

It would be a much better comfort if they hadn’t wound up in this mess she’d led them to but she may not live long enough to regret that. Looking up to Lorette she quickly realized there would be no grabbing the child and running.

Perhaps it was too obvious that’s what she wished to do though as a phone was shoved in her hands. As the plans were dealt out she realized she’d have a slim margin of error here. Hiachi would be the first domino but if Missy couldn’t get in and out fast enough then both her and the child would be toast.

“You’ve got this Hiachi.”

If putting her literal life in Hiachi’s hands didn’t show sincerity… well she wouldn’t live long enough to regret the strained friendship.

She kept low to the ground as she ducked between containers trying to get into position as close to the child as possible without catching the creature's attention.

God she hoped this worked.

“Please Hiachi”

Ramjammer Elenion Aura miki

 

[mechanicalmania]

ELEANORE

CS Link

SCENE:

{=Outbreak=}

LOCATION:

The Coliseum, Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Eleanore, Leaf (plural) { Haze- }, Noa { Peckinou }, GM { Elenion Aura }

Outbreak

“I had hoped you’d be more self-sufficient than this.”

Did this man not know what the point of reconnaissance was? If she wanted to blindly charge into the unknown to get slaughtered in the wrong direction, she wouldn’t have bothered stepping in. At least this way, she’d blindly charge into the somewhat known to get slaughtered in the right direction. Professionalism and a sense of unease both kept her from reacting in the slightest to his final comment, alongside the small outlet for it being a grunt of agreement in Leaf’s snide.

But there wasn’t a point in any of that. As much as he tries to posture otherwise, the Doctor was dependent on the Phoenixes in this circumstance. He’d learn that one way or another, wasting the first actual lead the group had managed would’ve been foolish. Eleanore turned on her heel, giving Leaf a nod before marching off behind the butterfly, managing to still look both serious and glowering in the rather storybook quality of following a little glowing faerie.

“Handful of people went missing searching for supplies, according to the medical tent.”

Meeting up with Noa and… Leaf, again, was good. A glowing light did make it simpler to recognize one another than just calling out through the camps. Maybe she start carrying flares for the purpose… in any case, she’s slowing down her walk towards the entrance in the hope one of them had actually found some other information. Gives her an excuse and an easier time to readjust the strapped weapons, make them a bit easier to disconnect. Then just wave a hand dismissively.

“The doctor in there only wants to talk about his theories on the beasts when the situation’s resolved and he’s got his supplies, so this bug’s showing where he thinks they ended up. Did either of you find anyone more... forthcoming?”

 

[Doctor Llamabean]

The Shanty Town

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hector, Yong-Yut, Hide

OUTBREAK

Although the hovel was dim, the sickly man squinted and shielded his eyes as though it were still too bright to bear.

When Hector lunged, the man had not even the energy to flinch, but the breath audibly escaped him with a wheeze.

“Please what,” the Queen demanded.

The man’s mouth gaped and shut and gaped again, eyes lidded with exhaustion. “Please.”

“What happened here. Answer quickly,” Hector ordered.

The man’s voice was wet with phlegm thick in his throat. When he spoke, he choked on it. “Ack- They’re… not people anymore,” he whispered, reaching up to grab the Queen’s forearm. “We couldn’t… get away.” Tears welled in his bloodshot eyes. “It’s like a disease… A- A-... a disease- I- I don’t know.” He whispered those same words over and over. “I don’t know- I don’t know- I don’t know.”

He was clearly in shock and unable to cooperate.

“Please save me,” he said with tight-shut eyes. “Save me or kill me, but please… Please, don’t leave me to them.”


It was a game of tag, and Yong-Yut was putting the creature to work. It lunged more than once and fell short of reach each time, sharp claws shredding only empty space. Unsatisfying.

It snickered, “Little slower, wouldja? Kekeke!” But Yong-Yut persisted in her seeming retreat, and the creature pursued with a leap, pouncing effortlessly from one side of the alley to the other, shaking the fragile structures which comprised it.

It climbed atop a wooden awning and dove for the Phoenix, mouth wide in a bloody smile, eyes bulging, mandibles dripping.

Mid-air, two keratinous appendages exploded from its ribs just beneath the arms, resembling that of a spider’s legs, and it spread them wide, arching them back so that it could pierce the Phoenix through both sides in a vicious embrace.


Hide screamed and slammed his crowbar to the ground, and another stretch of silence followed thereafter. However, this time he was successful in drawing them out.

Altogether, on three sides—from behind, in front, and beside him—the creatures revealed themselves. The one in front came into view from a pool of blackness; the one beside him descended the wall; and the one behind him stuck its head over his shoulder, brushing cheek to cheek with a disturbing chitter.

They were human but hardly so, each with bloody mandibles and six, long keratinous appendages protruding from their ribs.

(Interacting w/ no one)
(Mentioned Yong-Yut, Hide, Hector)
@WhiskeyMarten @gxxberkit @Caffeine_Obsessed ​

 

[simj26]

Kisara

CS Link

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

Park, Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Kisara, Jesper, Cillian

Vincit Qui Se Vincit

Diving deeper, plunging further into the depths of the deep dark sea of shadows

Falling, falling

Darkness shadows their tendrils stretching out reaching out grasping grabbing holding blinding

Give in

With sweet sultry voices they called

Sleep, rest, another day will come with or without you

She was tired, so tired

Her body burned, pain surged throughout, she could drop at any moment

But in that all-encompassing darkness, she wrested against the pull, the lure of restful tomorrows, of a forever of rest, of an eternity of nothing.

She saw the Tower, the ever haunting Tower that loomed overhead, its peak taunting her, the tall, grim spires ever a reminder of her own weaknesses, of her own desire for strength and power, its pale white black stones ever shining in the back of her mind fore of her sight.

She grit her teeth

In the unending ever-dark, she struggled against the whims of fate, the weakness of the body, the futility of living, she lashed out, aiming straight at the beast of shadows, a laser focus on caving its head in carving it to parts incinerating it to ashes, anything that would work. Whips and blades of volatile energy tore through the howling descent to the tempo provided by the wild, brutish punches that her body still allowed her to employ, her immutable fury and self-hatred dulling the blows that she received in return

Like a falling star across the deep dark night skies, they fell, and they fell, and they fell

Elenion Aura @AriAriAbabwa @CelticHero37

 

[Haze-]

Leaf W. Natali (2026)

Scene:

Outbreak

Location:

Coliseum; Lower Central District

Participants:

Leaf(s), Eleanore, Noa, Tyr

Outbreak - Coliseum

He bowed to their blessings, simply, oddly polite for someone with his looks.

There’s a said level of soundness in cynicism— it’s a safeguard for future headaches. No matter how good the situation seemed, long as he was keen to keep his misgivings to himself, Leaf could always have the bitter ‘told you so’ once everything began to inevitably crumble around him

He used to keep that ‘told you so’ close to his heart, back with the Dragons of his time, but the moment he began to shed skin and loosen the azure scales, something had happened to him. At some point, somewhere, maybe a weekend staying up late with 20’ playing JRPG’s until the sun came up— at some point that cynicism became distasteful.

He didn’t want to be that man anymore, just a distrusting, hurt animal with his eyes warped to his back. Looking for another backstab, counting his steps.

It was laughable, pitiful, really, but he wanted to feel like a Dragon again.

Someone people could feel safe around, an iron fist. He’d made that promise to help, not out of a naïve gut feeling like the one he’d had when 20’d first dragged him out of his timeline, but out of plain self-complacency.

“Tch.”

He rubbed a weary hand on his shoulder, trailing up, feeling out the soft tissue of the scar going across his neck. A shudder of a phantom pain, something from a past no one but him had lived— be it something that was made-up by their potential or not, it was still fresh on his mind.

But it didn’t weigh on him now.

A swordsman’s word was writ with blood, penned on steel.

There was no other way to put it; he just wanted to put his rusty blade to good use one more time, feel like he still had it in him.

26’ wasn’t about to be a cynic tonight.

“A guy could really use one of those...” — He narrowed an eye at the ink forming across Tyr’s body, a defeated smile on his lips. Scoffing like it didn’t make him feel small to only have a sword to him. He wasn’t hoping that Noa would put one of her magic tats on him either; it was better not to get comfortable.

He performed better under pressure. His lungs would probably die out first before a couple of chimeras gone berserk managed to put him down.

They stepped up to the deep darkness falling over central, and as he was just about to flick a light into the cigarette dangling on his mouth, 26 ticked an eye at the sudden ghost light breaking through the shadows.

He smirked, Leaf only returned 26’s amused gaze with a sigh, trying to hold a still face to the prospect of being seen tailing a fairy. Like the prince charming of a children’s book he’d read before, ‘hair bright red as flame’ and all that.

It was an oddly good look on Leaf, unsurprisingly.

“What’s the word, kid?” — He chuckled, turning an eye when Noa spoke up. Coming back on Eleanore when she took the word; 26 sighed, shook his head. One hand on his sword, the other moving to flick the lighter and bring it up to his mouth.

“They’re beyond terrified, could barely get a few to speak up to us. Wouldn’t call it forthcoming,” — He pulled, huffed out smoke — "Heard a bit about the missing folk. Marla Jennings. Tom Eriksen. Lila and Ethan Grey. That’s all the names they gave us. As for any other pointers, we’re lost. We were just coming up here to lay news on you two.”

26 got up close to inspect the glimmering bug, a hand moving up without thinking, looking to see if it’d let itself get poked by him — “You uh…sure this thing can lead us to them?”

Peckinou mechanicalmania Elenion Aura

 

[Misuteeku]

Sang-Cheol Man

http://

CS Link

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Sang-Cheol, Areith, Deirest

Outbreak

Huh, so they were human after all. If Sang-Cheol hadn't been so distracted maybe he would reacted quicker to the womans transformation back into crow form. A monstrous claw gripped his neck. 'So that's what it looks like,' sounded more like, "Krrrrgaahh," from Sang-Cheol as the crow began to take flight.

Out of surprise, the syringe from his hand fell out and the next thing he knew, they were in the skies. That, however, didn't stop Sang-Cheol from igniting himself again, filled with the same anesthethic. Before that woman died, she said that something crawled inside of her. If Sang-Cheol could dissect this monster's corpse and obtain that strange evolutory object, then it'd bring him one step closer to his goals.

Though that quickly changed as they suddenly free falled to the ground. "That's not good," Sang-Cheol said to no one from particular. He could potentially die from this height with all the injuries the scientist had sustained. Everything went black as they crashed into a building.

"Fuck..." Everything was a little blurry and a lot than before. The child was right next to him petting his back as Sang-Cheol struggled to get up. Was the leg broken? It felt like it when he tried to moved it. Must landed on it badly in that case. Sang-Cheol reached out and stabbed another drug into his leg. He wasn't going to let that shitty monster go.

Elenion Aura thebigfella

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Meirin Azuza

CS Link

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

The Rail Yard/Slums, Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Kanna, Javi, Meirin, Ottilie, Naomi, Peyton, Tri

Outbreak

As soon as the order was given, the deed was done. No questions. No complaints. Perhaps if the creature had given off some semblance of human sentience–signs of fear, protests, comprehension, etc–Meirin would’ve felt a bit more guilt for what she had to do. However, it felt to her like breaking a doll. Or, perhaps, more accurate would be to say it felt like putting down a wild animal. With a grunt, the rock arm came off first, twisted off the hinges. A roar of agony accompanied the violent action. Then three stone-breaking strikes finished it off, delivered quickly when she realized its ability to feel pain.

Letting out a sigh as soon as she finished her task, Meirin shrunk back to her normal size, dusting her palms of rock debris. It wouldn’t be the first time she had to take a life. It wouldn’t be the last. Meirin couldn’t say that killing ever made her feel happy, but she comforted herself with the knowledge that travelers to the Lower District no longer had to worry about being randomly attacked by a living-rock-chimera-thingy. People lived. People died. How one chose to live the life given to them was the important part. Palms together, Meirin offered a final prayer to the deceased before moving on.

The rest of the journey into the heart of Central went by peacefully. No more chimeras attacked the “Azure Dragon and co.” group. Only Jennifer’s preppy voice filled the silence that surrounded their individual, troubled thoughts. Or, at least, Kanna, Otilie, and Javi seemed to carry complicated thoughts that best not be disturbed. Meirin’s thoughts (as they neared lunch hour) mostly revolved around food, and the sorts of things they would have to eat now that Lower Central had turned into a post-apocalyptic, chimera-infested horror show…at least until the gunshots sounded.

Nodding, Meirin followed Kanna as the Azure Dragon Jack led them through the alleys and toward the scene of the gunfire. She recognized two people: Deacon and Peyton. The presence of the former made it likely that the other two (tentacled-lady and pretty-lady) were Serpents. The presence of the latter…caused Meirin’s fist to curl. When she’d first heard, from Eternal Night Palace’s former bartender/waiter himself (prior to his disappearance), about how he’d been taken hostage by the Sable Serpent Gang, Meirin had been livid. She’d done everything she could to locate him in the dilapidated North District, whether he wanted it or not. He was one of her own after all and Eternal Night Palace’s network of connections/information-gathering ‘techniques’ wasn’t one to be taken lightly. However, as the reports flew in about how satisfied he seemed to be in the Sable Serpent gang, about how he seemed to fit in with the violent crowd, it became more and more likely that Peyton had lied to her; That’d he’d betrayed the Azure Dragon gang and chose to re-join the Sable Serpents of his own free-will. Long told her that was likely the case. Her own sister told her that was likely the case. Meirin resisted the notion for as long as she could of course. She wanted to believe in her people (the employees of Eternal Night Palace). However, even the pinkest of rose-colored lenses wore down eventually and as Meirin watched Peyton fight side by side with other Serpents, making no attempt to escape their clutches, it became harder to deny the truth.

Kanna’s orders pulled Meirin from her thoughts.

“Why would the Serpents be more likely to have information than those militia-looking men? This isn’t their territor–”

Kanna left before Meirin could finish.

The Warden of Eternal Night Palace sighed, scratching her head. Frankly, it didn’t surprise her to see Serpents picking a fight with the military. The Sable Serpents were notorious for being troublemakers, even amongst the four major gangs. And the military were…the military. The government’s lapdogs. At least, Meirin assumed they were some sort of ragtag militia (based on their clothes), possibly formed in response to the Chimera Crisis. Likely NPs as well, since they used guns. Lots of guns. Most self-respecting HPs didn’t. Then again, everyone was different (Jesper) and Meirin had no way to be certain. She had zero clues about what was going on. She only knew two groups of people were disturbing the peace and she had her orders.

Ripping the tail end of her qipao, Meirin tied the cloth around her nose and mouth (because a certain chemical-crazed fanatic had fired green globs of sleeping gas(?) in the air) before glancing at Otilie who seemed to be having a panic attack. She’d been a rookie before. Prior to training with the Night Lord, she’d know what it was like to fear battle. Fear guns…even if the HP body (with training) was resistant to it. Some things took getting used to. Therefore she laid a sympathetic hand on Ottilie’s shoulder. “Is this your first battle, Ottie? Take deep breaths. Participate when you’re ready. There's no need to push yourself. Stayin' alive is the most important thing in fights like these.”

Not all Dragons were invited for the same reasons. They all had their strengths and weaknesses. Otilie was a college student. Smarter than she ever could be.

Advice given, Meirin stepped out of the shadows of the alley. She passed the spot where Tri seemed to be taking cover/firing. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Deacon? Tired of messing with brothels so now you're making messes elsewhere?”

Bullets flew in her direction, blocked by a giant hand that expanded outward.

As the line of gunners prepped to fire another volley, Meirin extended her right leg and stomped hard on the ground with a disproportionately large foot, causing the earth to crack. Fissures formed, stretching towards the small army, and, as the ground shook, the gunsmen lost their balance, resulting in misfire.

“Listen up, Numbskulls! I don’t know who started this fight and I don’t give a damn! However, the next person that raises a weapon at me or my friends is gonna be kissin' the dirt! Period!”

That applied, of course, to the Sable Serpents as well. While Kanna didn’t want them to attack the Sable Serpents, the reverse couldn’t be guaranteed…and if Tri and his cronies attacked them first, for whatever reason, then she made no promises. She’d smack them to the ground all the same. Unlike all the liars in her life, Meirin was a woman of her word.

She didn’t even acknowledge Peyton.

Elenion Aura Saturn_moon @ATurei FabulousTrash Damafaud tityanya Coyote Hart

 

[Elenion Aura]

The Rail Yard

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Tri, Naomi, Peyton

OUTBREAK

Naomi's bullrush downed its intended target, his body falling under the weight of her, strangling a scream as she gouged at his eyes. Miriam whipped one soldier into another to the sickening tune of two skeletons crunching around each other like twisted rebar.

Tri's explosive narcoleptic agents saw bodies dropping left and right throughout the canopy of debris. Tristan riddled the ones above who were still standing with bullets, as Peyton cut a bloody swath through those below.

Sensing a shift in the tides, the gunmen who remained regrouped, took aim, and fired, shooting to kill... Just as the Dragons arrived. Several gunmen retrained their muzzles up at the fleeting visage of the Dragon Jack, whistling for their attention, only to have the ground torn up beneath them by Meirin's mighty boot.

Eventually, all of the soldiers were either dead, unconscious, or in full retreat... If the Serpents still wanted to make good on their promise to kill them all, the window was closing. In the slight reprieve that followed the quick and brutal conflict, Miriam, her adrenaline still spiking, spied an unfamiliar woman emerging from the dark, accompanied by a man holding a large, professional-looking camcorder. She was speaking to her, but through some combination of slight confusion as to the meaning of her words, and possibly a mild concussion from one too many blows to the head, Miriam didn't understand what she was trying to say.

"Terribly sorry, have we met..?"

JAVI ONEIRO SILVA

CS Link

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

Theater Street, Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Kanna, Javi, Meirin, Ottilie

OUTBREAK

Javi gulped, but prepared to do... Something. Follow Kanna's lead, he guessed? But then he heard Ottilie pipe up, and his attentions were immediately diverted.

"I-..." He gulped again, this time for lack of anything to say. Meirin had said it all, he guessed. And she had the experience to back it up. What did he have to add, when he was basically right there with her in the same stinkin' boat?

"I-I'll look out for 'er," he piped up, offering his services in a way that meant he, too, might be spared having to be potentially shot. Meirin had bounded off before giving a reply. It was possible she didn't hear him. He kind of hoped she hadn't. Was he a coward? Or was he just not feeling this anymore? Could it possibly be both?

Without knowing what else to do, Javi sidled a little closer to his buddy until they were brushing shoulder to shoulder, for her comfort, and for his.

Theater Street

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Kanna, Javi, Meirin, Ottilie

OUTBREAK

As the action mostly subsided, with a few melees carrying on here and there, Jennifer sauntered forward, Greg fast on her heels.

"What a show, yeah? It's going to make a damn good mini-series, I think. Oh! It's you."

She spoke directly to Miriam, undeterred by the woman's apparent lack of recognition for her.

"I see you've already received your Gift. Naughty girl." She winked, then carried on, gazing around the ruined battlefield. "I also see you've brought yours. As you can see, I've brought mine. We should be close enough here, so I'm going to text Anton, so we can get this show on the road.."

"Terribly sorry, have we met..?"

Jenn only smiled by way of answer, flipping out her phone she punched in a few quick jabs and sent the cypher off to spaces unknown. Moments later, the clearing was flooded with a strange glow... Rather, that wasn't precisely correct. It was more correct to say that, moments after Jennifer Lawrence sent her text, each individual within the clearing—Dragons, Serpents, Soldiers—were suddenly surrounded by motes of ethereal light.

Then they were all gone. The clearing was left empty and quiet, but for the whistle of a westward wind.

 

[Elenion Aura]

Factory Row

SCENE:

Outbreak

LOCATION:

Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Lorette, Hiachi, Missy

OUTBREAK

The Child only had the barest warning before the creature lurched forward, its once-smiling maw now unhinged wide, its jagged teeth dripping with saliva. It was only by a hair's breadth that the Child avoided the jaws snapping closed around him. Skidding along the floor of the factory, he hissed, ears flattening as the lumbering beast righted itself and turned to face him again.

"WOULD LIKE CANDY?"​

The beast bellowed, as the Tigers enacted their plan. It started out well. A volley of bullets sprayed across the creature's mottled face. It groaned, as pinpricks of black, tar-like blood seeped from a few small scrapes and cuts. The muzzle of Hiachi's handgun flashed again, as she strafed across the factory floor, leading the mutated giant's gaze along with her. The Child, bewildered by the sudden intervention, was easy pickings for Missy to swoop in and snatch, should she so choose.

This was where the plan fell apart.

The creature's glassy eyes found Hiachi amidst the gloom as she trained the sidearm at it. Something bulged in its throat, inflating it like a balloon. The warty, pickled flesh stretched and cracked as something gathered just at the top of its throat. Then, with a loud, violent retch, the creature expelled its tongue at Hiachi. The Tiger Rookie had long enough to feel the slight tug as the wet, mucous-slick, fleshy appendage molded itself to her torso, before the monster reeled it, and its prey, back into its waiting maw.

Someone screamed, but the beast didn't mind. It scampered, shaking the earth beneath it and the rafters above it, towards its burrow-hole, its prey clasped safely within the slick muscle of its lolling tongue. It slid on its belly down into the dark, and was gone.

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Deirest

SCENE:

Outbreak - The Towers

TIME:

July 12th, 2022

LOCATION:

Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Aerith, Deirest

The Towers

Cacophony; a harsh discordant mixture of sounds. The intrusion of the second chimeric and bespeckled Serpent brought with it a rancor of snapping beaks and clattering glass. Intertwined with the first chimera's shrill cries, it was almost enough to make Deirest's ears bleed.

And more than enough to spread her ire to one more beastly victim.

She didn't hesitate. Within the confusion caused by the crow-thing's arrival, Deirest sprung into action. She retrieved herself from the ground and, summoning the boons of her HP physiology and rush of adrenaline alike, grappled the quilled chimera by the abdomen. She felt the bite of the creature's unnatural defenses dig into her skin, but the fury in her belly was more than enough to numb her to it. One foot after the other, she marched the thing forward, faster, faster, in a beeline towards the beastly mass of crows.

Spines and all, she'd ram each of the beasts into one another. She was in the presence of a holy woman, after all, what better circumstances were there for such a union? They'd be together until death did them part.

And it would do them part.

thebigfella Doctor Llamabean Misuteeku​