Fantasy &nbsp; Vexpara

Coin · Oct 10, 2018

The raid begins

With one bash of her shoulder, Marina was easily able to splinter the apartment door off its hinges. It fell with a resounding thud as the exorcist surged in over the fallen door, inciting a muffled groan from somewhere within. Her high lumen flashlight swept the dark interior of the apartment like a searchlight, but was unable to glean the source of the noise. The light scanned over a toppled loveseat, a cheap cracked dining table, tipped chairs and the remnants of a shattered coffee pot near the kitchenette. It was clear there was a struggle of some sort in the apartment, but there was no blood or bodies to account for in the main room.

As the team fanned out, another strangled gasp followed by a series of rapid chattering sounded from down the short hallway of the apartment, presumably where the bedroom was located. Rounding the corner into the hallway, revealed two doors. One fully swung open, with the inside appearing to be a bathroom, while the other was only slightly ajar with a sickly green glow radiating from within. A snarl, almost bestial confirmed that whatever was inside the apartment, was in the bedroom. The magical aura within pulsed like a heartbeat, rhythmic and totally unlike a powerful Augur or a demon's constant radiating aura. To those that could sense the aura, it was both unnerving and bizarre.

((Narrative for:

Katsuya ))

---

Perhaps he did, or did not notice, but in the brief moment that Jun breached the door but before he lobbed the flashbang grenade into the room, he was face to face with a splattering of emytherium pasted against the far wall of the apartment. The bloch was no larger than a handprint, and glowed a faint purple. Otherwise, even at a first glance, the inside of the apartment was spotless. After the flash grenade detonated, Nikodem barged in, ready to meet any threat headlong but faced none.

A careful investigation was not necessary for the duo to locate the emytherium against the wall. Perhaps most troubling was not the infernal poison, but the single unblinking eye that stared and followed them as they entered. Its pupil was slitted like that of a silent predator's, and watched the two exorcists for no more than a few seconds before bubbling away into nothing in the emytherium. Whatever it was, it had surely seen them.

As for the rest of the apartment, it looked as if no one had inhabited it in months. The bed was still made.

((Narrative for:

TPBx ,

DarkianMaker ))

Katsuya · Oct 11, 2018

- Magnolia Noir -

Magnolia didn't hear Irma hissing her name, but she did hear a bang from a door behind her. Pausing and letting Marina walk past her, she peeked over her shoulder one more time. The Ouro can see a glowing green eye from down the hallway. Her lips curled down in a worried and guilty frown, but she didn't move back. As much as she wants to walk back again to give some sort of comfort and piece of mind to Irma, she can't.

They are looking for a human or demon that used a large amount of Gate Magic just moments ago. They have to find whoever it is and stop them before they do something worse.

'Then again, I just followed a madwoman who likes to make loud noises during a dangerous mission to find the perp. Great.' Magnolia deadpanned in her thoughts, again believing Mrs. Lattimore is going to scold them after the job is done. Even when she sounds okay about Marina and her going in first without securing it correctly, it doesn't mean they will dodge a scolding from her later. She tensed when the sound of chains are coming close only to sigh quietly when she heard Conner's voice; lowering her gun as she continued to walk to catch up to Marina. Chain rattling gives her the chills, but it's not as bad as being watched by an unknown enemy; being watched is a lot worse then hearing chains rattling.

The short woman blinked when she heard Angelica's voice coming from the earpiece first, her lips quirked up as she listened to different pair of footsteps coming from behind her again. Though she didn't move away nor tense up. In fact, Magnolia welcomed Angelica's presence as she started to 'talk' to the Redheaded Blooden and Scarred Augur. Honestly having a friend nearby helps her relax and calm down. She can trust her and vice-versa.

Magnolia gave Angelica an apologetic smile, not minding the elbow nudging as she looked up at her glowing golden eyes. "I know. It's my job to scout for danger though. So I can't let her go on alone without backup."

Just then, the Blooden's voice piped up, sounding like she didn't give a damn of what Angelica said, and the short woman raised a brow. What does 'I handled your ma well enough last night,' mean? Unless . . .

Magnolia snorted in disgust at the uncalled comment, holding onto her friend's wrist as if to stop anything before it starts. "Job. We're in a job." She quietly muttered to Angelica, though it sounded like she was reminding herself to stay calm too; most likely annoyed. Her green eyes looked up when she noticed Conner's movements then she looked when Marina gave her three second to prepare. So she quickly went to the side of the door, ready to aim once she goes inside. She closed her eyes as Marina broke through the door, not wanting splitters and followed behind Conner; going inside the room.

She can see a bunch of handprints and different temperatures on the items and walls. It's not super bright like it would be when touched within seconds but Magnolia can tell that someone held the former coffee pot from the lingering soft blue-green handprint on the broken off handle. As they fanned out, she didn't hear the strangled gasp but she did hear the rapid chattering coming from the short hallway.

Whatever that's there is not normal, even by demon standards.

So she pressed the blue button on her earpiece to quietly report about hearing the chattering and feeling that odd aura.

_Line 213 · Oct 12, 2018

Quentin Granger
"Well, that's the fodder in," Quentin muttered to himself as the first two groups rushed inside. He raised his wrist after several moments, checking the simple watch sitting between his glove and the cuff of his shirt, before letting out a muffled grumble. "If there's anything in there, I'm sure that they're dealing with it by now. Let's get the front door open. Very, very, cleanly." In other words, no unexpected bullshit. He gave some of the others a bit of a stink-eye, then stepped through the open gateway, the beam of light attached to the bottom of his weapon pointing the way for the time being.

The slight trail of destruction left by the other teams made pinpointing the way to the wider building a cakewalk, though the Cranes were going to have to do at least a little to help secure that main hallway if they were going to have any chance at getting to the door.

"Just so you all know, once we round the corner, there's no way in hell I'm taking point," the old man said, advancing to the door and momentarily taking cover before looking out into the wider hallway, "if you can give an old man your seat on the subway, then you can give him your place in line." Cowardly? Maybe, but the way Quentin thought about it , he was merely being one-hundred percent pragmatic. There was no use in throwing old bones to the front line when there were younger, more agile bones to be seized upon. They can take the hits, and he can be the tactical support.

And besides, he had taken more than his fair share of that nonsense anyway.

Thankfully, several of the other Cranes went ahead before him, and that was good enough until they split up, heading into side-rooms alongside some of the other divisions. Quentin pursed his lips, waited, narrowed his eyes in hopes some would, you know, go the rest of the way down the goddamn hallway, then shook his head. "Everyone wants to make me walk today," he complained, setting his sights for the end of the hallway as various other exorcists took the apartment doors. Coming across something ahead of schedule and taking care of it early was all well and good, but coming across anything big without having that door open was going to create one hell of a mess that Quentin was definitely uninterested in cleaning up. Of course, judging by the sound of certain communications calls and muffled panic, red wine had already been spilled all over the previously-spotless, bright white carpeted floor that was this operation.

He looked over his shoulder to see who among the Cranes--or anyone else, really--was still nearby. Two stood out; that kid the guildmaster liked a little too much, and the gun nut, the only remaining Crane in the room. The younger they came, the more insufferable they were, but at least he could trust another Crane to be subtle.

Could he, actually? Maybe he'd have to reevaluate that.

"You. Boy. Come here. We're going for the front door since everyone else in our department seems to have contracted amnesia." He paused for a moment, briefly looking to the other kid. He likely had his own job to do despite just standing there, but he had his own orders. "And if you have nothing to do, you should come too." He jerked his head toward the door, then slipped out of the gym and into the main hallway as many other exorcists kicked down apartment doors left and right, carefully proceeding to the end and tucking himself against the corner. He quietly, quickly poked his head around the corner, then looked over his shoulder in hopes at least one of the two young'ins had followed.

"I'm a few years out from senior benefits, so you're going first."

Lucem

CerpinTaxt

Coin · Oct 12, 2018

Ekaterina Nikiticha Vorbieva

Nik and her small strike team of one other Blooden and a Crane entered the gym along with the others as soon as the breach team cleared the area of potential traps. Their work was quick and calculated, as their job was different from the others. Lattimore had entrusted them to sweep and hold the opposite stairwell by themselves -- the complete opposite side of the building from reinforcements. That's why Nik volunteered for the task in the first place. She was a hunter-captain, and wherever Kendra needed her, she would go.

When the guild broke up into several smaller teams to begin the first floor sweep, Nik and her wingmen pushed up the hallway without any mind to the closed doors they passed. Their only concern was the stairwell opposite of the front entrance. Upon reaching the door to the staircase, Nik flagged her subordinates to take point on the door.

"Get ready on the door, but wait on the signal," Nik hissed, as she whirled around to check on the other teams.

She squinted, her demonic eyes flaring as her vision sharpened past the chaos and the darkness. From there, she could see another Crane moving up towards the primary stairwell at the front. Good. At least someone else was following orders.

Nik thumbed her earpiece and spoke aloud into the comms channel. Her voice still had thick accents of Russian, on top of her gruff baritone, "Granger, this is hunter-captain Vorbieva. My team is ready at the north stairs. We will advance up the same time you do. On your go."

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_Line 213 ))

Lucem · Oct 12, 2018

Nathan Pierce

It had only been a month since their last big operation, but that seemed to be just enough time for some of the guild members to lose their minds. While a few people managed to stick to the tasks they were given, some had also decided to completely ignore instructions and do their own thing. The wild dog that rushed in first was problematic enough, but now Hudson was chasing right after the redhead.

Before he could say anything, the golden-eyed girl was running to meet with her fellow demon and the one that probably hated both of their guts. Marina was one thing, but having someone on his team do the same was even more exasperating. She made a point of bringing up Gate magic to justify her actions, but if the newbie was going to discuss Infernal spells, then Nathan was right behind Kendra in terms of skill. He would've been better suited to fill that role, but he knew better than that. He had his orders, so the role of being backup for a troublesome member was best left to someone else. Hudson should've realized that. This was just another reminder that he was dealing with a rookie. As annoying as it would've been to deal with the possibility of her bringing up any more rumors, having her nearby would have been preferable. It made him regret his previous thought about preferring her to Marina.

Things just kept taking a turn for the worse when Cazador also decided to follow after the attack dog. The formation assigned to them before the mission was quickly crumbling, left with only two. At the very least, Beauregard hadn't run off. There was also the Blooden that decided to tag along.

Granger's comments hadn't helped with the situation. He did have a job, but at the moment, some of the others didn't seem to care about it very much. He was now the only one left to guard one of their two Ouros. While the thought of getting heat from the boss for not being able to protect them properly did float around his mind, he was more concerned with what could happen as a result of their broken formation. He didn't want to get killed because of something stupid like this.

Running a gloved hand through his drying hair, Nathan sighed, not looking forward to what was coming. As much as he didn't like it, this was in his best interest. It was too late to do anything about Hudson, but he could still try to feel in Cazador. He didn't want things to get any worse for him.

"Don't wander off." Calling to Beauregard and Catcher, Nathan beckoned both of them to follow as he moved forward. Following the faint trail of light left behind by the Ouro, the young man scanned their surroundings with tired eyes, not wanting to take any chances despite having already cleared the gym.

Finally catching up to the scarred woman, Nathan called out once again, a thin layer of annoyance trying to overtake his usual exhausted tone. "Don't run off on your own. I'm the one who's responsible if you get hurt." He gave a quick turn to the only one of their original group that managed to follow instructions, hoping that she'd keep it up and not make a run for it. "Same to you."

He really hated doing stuff like this, but if he wanted things to go as smoothly as they could at the moment, then this was in his best interest. He just wanted to get the mission over with and head home, preferably without losing a limb or two because people were running around the apartment complex like a playground. "Follow orders and sweep the floor. Catcher, you stay in front."

Roleplay Skittle

Life.

Wolf Wolf

The One Eyed Bandit · Oct 12, 2018

With a skip in their step, a pair of heels clacked across the pavement. Of all the times that one of the horned girl's slow customers could decide to call her in, it was only natural that it'd be on the first day the guild did anything significant in a month. What was the concept again? Poe's law? It was even raining.

She'd had worse days, though.

As she ever did, Abigail Parris struck an odd sight as she made her way to the incident site. As soon as she'd finished up a nice, hard day of work, she'd scooped up her phone to find a guild alert of all things, and had made a beeline straight for the place. In the rain, fully decked in her silly, frilly outfit, and doing so as merrily as she could muster. It was the kind of sight that elicited glances even from some of the more bizarre inhabitants of the city. Not that she minded. All publicity was good publicity, or something like that; One of her regulars even came from a guy who was bold enough to approach her when she was getting from job to job like this.

Given the contents of the report she'd received, her merriness might be misinterpreted as insensitive by some, but, uh, the were wrong. Being a stony faced mope was just being too lazy to put a smile on, and respect was just another term for ego stroking. Or something like that. Those were her excuses for the day, at the very least.

With a pop, a skip, and a few moments of hurried explanation both to and from a fleet of, frankly, deadly-looking police officers, Abigail was soon face to face with a gate, and a tent that'd already been emptied of her guild mates. Alright, now she was actually feeling a little bad. Being fashionably late was one thing, but missing the whole start of an operation was a bit... much. Halfway nervously, she picked one of the leftover earpieces from a box, nestled it in her ear, and-

"Ah. Testing. Abigail Parris, reporting for duty. Do you guys need backup?" There was more than one person she hoped had muted their speakers.

Aldur · Oct 12, 2018

Finlay Douglas

There were fewer things less hectic than this mission. Everyone left Finlay thinking they were harboring repressed feelings about traditionally teenage crises of independence. They wanted to do their own thing. Fair, fair. Marina stormed off with a flashlight of unspeakable brightness, the level of which left Finlay temporarily blind in his left eye. It was, however, the eye covered by the high-tech gizmo. As that happened, he noticed that the two men in front of him had vanished, nowhere to be seen, at least by Finlay's impaired vision.

A pitiful mumble later, Finlay noticed that the big crowd had broken into smaller groups. Upon regaining his half-sight, Finlay saw Nathan trying to redirect his remaining colleagues towards the matter at hand. He also noticed that walking fossil, Granger, and his antics about not being as spring-heeled as he was back in the day.

As he was approaching Nathan's group, he relocated his shotgun to the left hand and grabbed his ax with the other. He positioned himself forwards and straightened his back.

"I'd advise ye to let me go first, as my meat's juicier and harder to chew. If yer ready, say 'Aye!'."

Wolf Wolf

The One Called X · Oct 13, 2018

Team Leeeeroy Jenkins

Marina Godwin (

simj26 )
Marina could hear it. Something was inside this apartment. She crept forwards slowly, down the hallway in the apartment. A green glow emanated from one of the rooms down the hallway, through the crack of a door ajar. The other room was wide open. “We’ve got company,” she hissed through the comms, then rounded around the corner to the open door, into a bathroom. She elected to dismiss the smell, and switched off her flashlight. Her eyes were starting to get used to the dark, and the next room had a glow in it that would probably keep the room lit. Swiftly, she made a 180, and brought herself up to the frame of the door opposite. She made eye contact with the rest of her team, their race and disposition now forgotten already, and signalled to them. She peered into the room, pushing against the door slightly, in hopes of finding a target she could paint, though that was in vain. “Unknown value, inside,” she whispered again into her comms, then pointed at Connor, then back at herself and then indicated the door. “Magnolia, rookie, hang outside in case.”

This time, it wasn't because she hated their guts. This time, it was because she had confidence that she and Connor could eat whatever anything inside could throw at them and live to tell the tale. Not those two. Even if they were demons, the boss would flay her alive if she let them eat shit now. Furthermore, if the perp tried to make a break for it, they could stop him. She scowled. This was why she'd rather pull solo duty. That way, she didn't need to worry so much about all the morons who thought following the attack dog was the smartest idea. Fucking idiots. They should have just left her well alone.

She jerked her head towards the door, indicating to Connor that he should be the one to do the honors this time.

Angelica Hudson
Angelica ground her teeth. It wasn't so much the insult that bothered her- she didn't remember her mother, except for a vague idea that she hadn't wanted Angelica in the first place- so it's not like she felt the need to defend the honor of a ghost. It was just- Godwin had started it. She'd been the one who charged into Angelica's space and started running her mouth for no fucking reason.

Angelica didn't start fights. She finished them. That was how you survived. Letting people talk shit to you made you look weak, and looking weak was dangerous. She wasn't good at snappy retorts, and it rankled that she couldn't just blast Godwin into a wall until she quit. But that, as Maggie was frantically pointing out, would be counterproductive right now. It was best to just let it go.

"Yeah. A job. I know."

Being the bigger person sucked.

Still. Angelica took a step back from Maggie, making sure the other had a clear line of sight, but staying close enough to shield them both if necessary. She curled her hands into fists, then stretched out her fingers, feeling the air heat and thicken over her hands as it took on the faint red sheen of undifferentiated Wrath magic- ready to become a shield, or lightning, or hellfire, depending on what was behind that door.

Something groaned when Godwin bashed the door in. It seemed almost ordinary inside. Signs of struggle, but nothing- upsetting. No, the freaky thing was that aura. She knew they weren't alone before Godwin said anything. Whatever was in there wasn't right- wasn't human, wasn't demon. Goosebumps rose on her arms and neck as the small group fanned out through the apartment.

“Magnolia, rookie, hang outside in case.”

Angelica nodded sharply. "Got it." It was go time, now, no time to argue. Besides, Angelica wasn't keen on demanding to be at the front of the group. She'd seen Alien. If this turned out to be a facehugger kind of situation, it was less dangerous to the group if a comparatively weak human got hijacked by the enemy as opposed to a demon of uncommon strength. She moved to the entrance of the hallway, where she could keep her body behind the wall and her eyes on the green glow under the bedroom door. "Maggie, shoot anything that gets past me."

Connor McKinley(

Soviet Panda )
Oh, he was babysitting alright. Though Marina wasn't the only one he had to watch. He had half a mind to bind them together then leave until they figure things out themselves. But then he'd be all by himself with a dangerous suspect possibly around every corner. Not the most ideal situation considering he relied so heavily on his incantations for his runic chain. And considering that he was beginning to pick up another strange aura...

He heard the chattering first, followed by the soft green glow coming from underneath a door. The aura had a strange feel to it, it was completely alien to him. Not impossible, but very strange none the less. And he was supposed to be the first one through. "Fine then." he mumbled, switching the target of Iknea's Strength from the Blooden to himself. And once the chains silently wrapped themselves around him, the voices giving commentary on how this would be the time they crush him, he gripped his True Silver club and went to kick the door in, the incantation for Bindings of Omu already leaving his lips. He just needed a target for it.

Katsuya

Wolf Wolf · Oct 14, 2018

Iris Cazador
Iris glanced back at the sound of someone calling her attention. "Ay, sorry." She wanted to make sure none of their own got hurt because of their reckless mindsets, but maybe letting them butt heads with each other would stop them from charging off into danger. Maybe. At least they could still protect each other, if worst came to worst. She turned right around and let herself be redirected by the Augur, until a certain redhead joined their merry little band of hunters. Only a few sentences in, and the burly man had Iris smiling. If only more people had his sense of humor, maybe hunts wouldn't be so dull and dreadful.

"Aye, Finn, let's get this show on the road. We'll stay right behind you." she said, the spell on her palm momentarily pulsing brighter before growing dim once more.

Lucem

_Line 213

Roleplay Skittle

Life.

Aldur

Coin · Oct 14, 2018

Connor's boot met the flimsy bedroom door with significant force, sending it flying open and slamming the doorknob into the drywall of the adjacent wall inside. The room was illuminated by a single source of pulsating viridescent light, a bipedal humanoid form hunched over behind the queen-sized bed in the room. When the door came crashing open, the creature turned, and revealed itself in better detail. Even to the most experienced exorcist, the creature was unlike the normal ilk of demonkind, an unrecognized monstrosity. As it stood to attention and full height, it was no taller than an average man, but was covered head to toe in a sand-colored chitin. The armored plates were porous in some areas like an igneous rock. Black, velvet-like flesh wrapped beneath the places where joints and chitin met. Oversized veins streaked across the flesh, which glowed a pale green and pulsated in unison to the creature's magical aura, like a heartbeat. Its pointed teeth chattered against each other as it looked towards the exorcists at the doorway. Most of the creature's face above the front row of teeth, including its eyes, nose, and much of its scalp was covered by a bulbous tumor-like growth that also pulsed green like its alien veins.

If it had been human at one point, it was human no more.

As if it recognized the exorcists as a threat, it reared back and let out an ear-piercing screech, intensifying the glow from its veins. It bared its clawed finger tips as a viscous green saliva fell from its open maw. In bit a single moment, it hurdled over the bed and pounced towards Connor. The exorcist's incantation, Bindings of Omu, caused the chains to strike forth like a serpent in response. However, the creature was so swift, and the range of the room was so short that the chain only managed to catch its arm. The chains attempted to restrain the monster, but it continued to press forward with a supernatural strength; so powerful that its arm completely separated from its torso from the shoulder and fell to the ground with a thud. The veins in the severed arm glowed brighter and brighter until the limb exploded in just a few moment of being separated, leaving a smoldering crater in the carpet and splattering gore and the same green fluid in a small radius around the room.

Meanwhile, the creature had closed the gap between it and Connor with blinding speed. It pounced the last couple of steps and took the exorcist to the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of him. For being man-sized, the creature was more powerful and fierce than it appeared. Connor could just manage to struggle against the monstrosity's snapping jaws, saving his jugular by grave inches. Its intact arm flailed, trying to find the upper hand in the brawl, all the while letting out a longer guttural screech.

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Life. · Oct 14, 2018

Bancroft K. Catcher

Not too long that Bancroft joined Nathan and Irma did someone else enter the group, Angelica Hudson, although she didn't appear to be feeling too well. The Blooden concluded that the vibe of the building was overwhelming for the demon Augur. With his position as a Blooden, his aura had not much reception to the influences of demonic magic besides his short use in combat. But from the manner in which the Augur held herself continued to further increase Bancroft's worries. This was definitely not an ordinary mission. But what was not unusual was when Marina Goldwin, or better known as the Boston Terror, stomped her way down the gym and into the corridor with no regards to the delicacy or safety of the mission. An exasperated sigh escaped the man's lips as he watched the red-head march off itching to fulfill her mission, which was also an agreement to Nathan's comment on her actions. Shortly after Magnolia joined in after Marina, announcing it over the earpiece devices.

Bancroft opened his mouth ready to respond to Nathan's question when Irma shot out to try and stop Magnolia Noir from following after Marina. But she held back when she saw her late action. He shut his mouth as he held his tongue back from trying to say anything to Marina. Fortunately Ms. Lattimore has stepped in and brought back the focus of the guild to the mission. Although she did requested for backup to the stray Blooden and Crane. Connor McKinley was quick to answer her request. Bancroft himself had the urge to follow after the speedy team, but he scanned over to the composition of his team and felt the need to stay. His thoughts were disrupted when he heard and spotted Angelica Hudson running off to follow after the leading team. Whatever Marina had said to Angelica must have really bothered her, but the demon Augur was admirable in going after the Blooden's group despite her words.

In most of the previous missions with strenuous conditions, it never failed for some disarray to occurred. Especially when tension was being felt within the atmosphere of the situation. More checks were being done as other teams were moving in onto rooms in the hallways. Bancroft turned his head over to Nathan when he heard him addressing his name. With a small nod that he hoped the team caught, Bancroft took to the front of the group, glancing back once over to Nathan, Irma, Iris, and joining them, Finlay. "Douglas take to the rear as I take head. Follow closely, we'll take on to any room that was missed." Without waiting for anymore interruptions and having a silent trust in his guildmates, Bancroft took the lead forward. With the gym and a few doors down the hallway dismissed as cleared, Bancroft glanced around to see which rooms have been left untouched. Due to a later start he saw that the doors that have been left untouched were ones farther down the hallway. "Team 3 is moving in." Bancroft glanced back once more to his guildmates before he pushed the door open with a large shove.

simj26 · Oct 15, 2018

Marina Godwin

“Contact! We’ve got a hostile!” This was exactly WHY she wanted to go alone. A storm of curses spilling from her lips, Marina dropped her handgun. Her hands slipped into her pockets and withdrew, now adorned with her silver knuckles, and she herself bounded forwards to Connor’s side, her instincts already taking over. In two steps, first her right, then her left, she was at his side, her stronger arm already reared back, poised to strike. She twisted her body as she let her fist fly forwards and upwards, driving the knuckles straight into the face of the attacker with an uppercut. Her entire armed flared with the infernal magicks she wielded, and at the resistance of flesh and bone of her target’s face, she injected every last bit of that twisted magic straight into the head of the monster. The effect would be instantaneous, every single cell in that head of his would grow exponentially and explode. He would be dead within seconds from a case of a ruptured head.

Coin · Oct 15, 2018

There was a sickening hollow crack of a shattered skull when Marina's knuckle duster collided with the creature's skull. The blood wails and chattering teeth were silenced in an instant as the creature fell to the ground in a heap beside Connor. The only noises for a moment that rested above the silence was that of panting breaths and the sickening bubbling of Marina's Plague magic, causing the rampant death and growth of cells on the corpse's carapace. Only a moment lapsed where the exorcists could gather their breath and attempt to make sense of what they had just encountered before the corpse in the room suddenly began to glow much brighter in green, just as its severed arm had. Liquids boiled in its veins, as foul smelling steam vented from micro ruptures between the armored chitin of the creature. Those more sensitive to magic were washed over with wave after wave of unstable infernal energy as the creature glowed brighter and brighter.

From the moment the corpse hit the floor, the exorcists would have only a handful of seconds to react and find cover before it exploded. The blast would be akin to that of a grenade, a quick, sharp detonation that obliterated everything within a few meters of the corpse. Beyond the initial explosion, gore, and fragments of chitin and bone was thrown out in all directions at high velocity. Dust choked the air in the apartment room, soon settling to reveal a small crater in the floor where the corpse of a monster had been only moments prior. The explosion had shattered windows and torn holes through the drywall, pasting the volatile green fluid across several surfaces.

Through ringing ears, the distinct sound of Kendra's concerned voice cut through the exorcists' earpieces as they came to their senses, "... --one? Godwin? Come in, dammit. Tell me what's happening! What was that?"

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Coin · Oct 15, 2018

With one heave of his shoulder, Bancroft was able to force the door to the apartment open with no issue at all. The door swung open to reveal a rather quaint looking apartment living room. A brief flash of lightning shone through the window, revealing a futon and a reclining chair surrounded a glass coffee table, facing a flat screen TV in the corner. Behind the living room was the apartment's kitchenette, an L-shaped countertop that connected to the stove below a wall-mounted microwave. Everything seemed to be in order, save for the splattering of blood on the coffee table and what appeared to be a makeshift bandage made of a torn t-shirt on the futon. Upon closer inspection, it seemed as if the blood trailed from the living room, all the way back into the kitchen area and behind the countertop.

As the team made their way into the apartment, the dull shake of an explosion could be heard from further down the hallway, causing a trickle of dust to fall from the ceiling. If any of the exorcists had sharp hearing or were especially straining to listen, they could just hear the slight whimper coming from somewhere near the kitchenette. It was almost immediately cut off by Lattimore's voice in their earpieces, trying to discern what that explosion that rocked the apartment was.

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The One Called X · Oct 15, 2018

Angelica Hudson

“Contact! We’ve got a hostile!”

"Jesus fuck, what is that thing?"

Angelica took a step forward into the hallway, but Godwin was already on the creature, dispatching it with one blow to the head. The Plague magic raised goosebumps on the demon's skin, and she snorted. Inelegant and frankly gross as Godwin's methods were- because ew, ew ew ew, so much ew to the thought of touching that thing- they were impressively effective, which was deeply annoying to admit.

Still. It was dead, at least. But then the damn thing started glowing. Angelica's eyes lit on the small crater in the floor- shit. The arm.

Fuck.

"It's gonna blow!"

She and Maggie were down the hall from Godwin and McKinley. She could shield them all- but he was too close to the corpse. She could use a shield over the corpse itself to contain the explosion but it wouldn't be strong enough, she didn't have time-

She was already bolting down the hall, towards the pulses of energy that every fiber of her being was screaming at her to run away from. She dove down, landing hard across McKinley- she had to get close to the body- it looked so gross up close- be as precise as possible, there was no margin for error here. She raised a hand and snapped her fingers.

The shield sprang up in the narrow space between McKinley and the dead demon. It rose about six feet upwards and stretched about six and a half feet across, with the edges curving to form something like a flat quarter sphere. Incomplete, but strong enough to shunt the main force of the explosion away from the group- though there was no saving the apartment. Though Angelica's eyes were closed, she could still see the green light through her eyelids. She hoped that Maggie was far enough away to be relatively safe.

Angelica let the shield drop as the dust began to settle. Coughing, she rolled away from McKinley to sit on the ground, shaking her head as Ms. Lattimore's voice in the earpiece became audible through the ringing in her ears. She pressed the button. "Godwin punched a glowing mutant in the head and it went kablooie."

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Katsuya

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Katsuya · Oct 15, 2018

- Magnolia Noir -

"Maggie, shoot anything that gets past me."

"Okay."

Magnolia took a few steps away from Angelica, going behind the toppled loveseat, and crouched down. Ready with the barrel of her rifle aiming at the hallway and past Angelica with her index finger hovering over the trigger.

Then shit just hit fan. The tiny Crane can hear chains rattling with inhuman screeches coming from down the hallway and-

"Contact! We've got a hostile!" That came from Marina from both her earpiece and down the hallway.

"Jesus fuck! What is that thing?"

Honestly, Magnolia has no idea what it looked like. All she can see past Angelica's figure is a weird looking thing with teeth and glowing boils. She couldn't tell if it looked human or demon. She cringed when she heard the cracking sound of a skull and imagined it might have been Marina punching. She couldn't hear screeching noises anymore. Her tense shoulders slumped in a bit of relief that it might be ove-

"It's going to blow!"

"What?!"

Training and fear took over as Magnolia ducked her head down and pulled the rifle away from the sudden blast of green lights. The high pressure of the explosion pushed the loveseat back. She swiftly planted her feet on the wall, her knees bended as she tried to keep the loveseat from squishing her to the wall. The floor shook under her, she could hear glass shattering and something breaking; it was like hearing the loud construction site breaking walls with the metal heavy ball. Then it got quiet, the pressure from the loveseat lessened, and Magnolia's body stayed tense for a couple of seconds as she shook. Panting and gasping for air as she thought of something. What of the others?! If she had to hold back the blast with the loveseat then-

"Angelica?! McKinley!? Godwin?! Is everyone alright? . . . What in the world?" Panicking as she stood up from her hiding spot, the Crane was about to enter the hallway when she saw the large hole that used to be the corner of the living room and hallway. Making sure she didn't stand underneath the crumbling drywall and dripping green slime, the tiny Crane peeked inside and gapped. Instantly regretting it. The foul smell-! She can taste it-! Gross!

Magnolia cringed at the sight of gore as she listened to the static of the earpiece followed by Mrs. Lattimore's voice. Then Angelica's voice.

"Godwin punched a glowing mutant in the head and it went kablooie."

". . ." That's one way to explain things, she supposed. The crane pressed her button. "M-Ma'am, I think the exploding mutant is the cause of the explosion in the video, it's too similar. There might be more in the building."

Then she walked over to Angelica and Mckinley, sitting on the floor as she took a good look at them. "Do any of you need to see an Ouro?" It was a strong explosion after all. Even she could feel it from down the hallway and she wasn't even close to it-!

TPBx · Oct 16, 2018

Jun stepped in behind Nikodem with his rifle tucked away, pulling out his side arm instead because of the tight corners inside the room. He scanned the room and found that there was nothing out of the ordinary. That was indeed a problem though because this entire situation was indeed far from ordinary. Everything in the room appeared as if someone had been living there, and then vanished into thin air, leaving it still in time. There was something obviously shady about the entire scene. Only then confirmed by what Jun saw out of the corner of his eye, a small black cloud floating across the wall and out of sight. Someone was definitely watching them remotely with demonic magic, Jun only then assumed it was only a matter of time before disaster

"Room 107 is clear, " Jun stated. He heard the commotion over the communication device and realized that Marina and another group had encountered some kind of hostile. "Yo, Nikodem, lets move on from here. I think there's a couple more rooms between us and the front entrance. Let's try and secure those as soon as possible so we have a safe way in and out of this hell hole." He holstered his pistol, exited the room, and pulled out his true silver crossbow instead. He peered down the dark hole and elected to move on with his flashlight in hand rather than use the IR sights on his rifle. The area was too cramped to use the rifle effectively, not to mention they lost the stealth advantage ages ago.

DarkianMaker

DarkianMaker · Oct 16, 2018

Nikodem

He spotted the Emytherium when he entered the room and certainly didn't miss the eye looking at him before it disappeared. He looked around the apartment to make sure that there were no further surprises lying in wait but found none. In fact the house felt like it hadn't been used in a long while. He sent a message over comms. "Nikodem here, room 107 is clear, traces of Emytherium found, observer ward triggered, no signs of recent habitation." He calmly stated so the later cleanup crew knew what to expect.

He then followed Jun out of the room and replied to Jun's suggestion. "Sounds like a solid plan." He said as he holstered his sidearm and instead pulled out his truesilver combat knife as it would be a better weapon against likely demon encounters than his sidearm. He moved to the door opposite the one they just cleared and deactivated his night-vision before turning on his helmet light. "Paladin and Jun, breaching room 106." He said over comms before he kicked in the door, threw in a flash grenade, stepped into the door frame to create cover for Jun with his shield before he averted his gaze so he wouldn't be blinded by his own flash.

TPBx

Roleplay Skittle · Oct 18, 2018

Irma Grace Beauregard

While everything currently wasn't going exactly to plan, it didn't seem that they had all strayed too far for some semblance of cohesion as far as their mission went. While it was unnerving watching Maggie go after Marina when they didn't exactly know what they were up against outside of it being something dreadful, Irma took a little bit of comfort when Connor followed after. She wasn't too happy about Angelica going after them as well, but she understood the kinship that the young demon held with Maggie and that was enough to make her glad that she had followed after. At least Angelica could most assuredly be relied on to have Maggies' back.

Despite Marina's seeming need to prove something by charging off ahead of the pack, everyone left behind seemed to fall into line rather easily after their initial shock. Irma was too and was a bit irked by the fact that Nathan thought it necessary to tell herself and the Blooden not to wander off. Though this feeling wasn't evident in her appearance because it was only displayed by a slight twitch of her scarred eye and that could be attributed to the fact that it was often irritated. Irma wasn't stupid but she also knew that anything could happen to her at any time just as it could to any of them whether or not they were all together.

"I hadn't planned on it but you can't be held responsible for everyone else's actions neither," her voice was dulcet and delicately laced by her southern accent. Regardless of her words, she stayed close by Nathan since as she had said, it wasn't her intent to wander off. She was a mediocre fighter and that wasn't her area of expertise anyway, where she stood out was virtually useless alone so it didn't make sense to go off on her own unless she was immediately needed elsewhere.

It seemed they were developing a rather sizeable party. First Bancroft, then a fellow Ouro and now another Blooden. Though with the most elder of them calling out for Nathan, she was unsure if their group would remain as it was. No matter, Finlay was large and intimidating and that brought her a sense of security since she was absolutely the opposite. All in all she had no problem letting both of the Bloodens go first if they so chose, that was their job anyway, right? She smirked shyly and nodded a single time before offering up her own, "aye."

Much as many of the other guild members had expressed, Irma was also eager to get a move on. Time was of the essence and they had probably all done more loitering around than they really should have. She readily fell into step behind Bancroft, looking to the other members of their team for a brief moment before she faced forward. She stayed close enough to make certain that she wouldn't get separated but far enough away that she wasn't crowding him and wouldn't bump into him if he suddenly had to stop. Though her own footsteps would pause as the arrived at a as of yet unchecked apartment and Bancroft forced the door open. Her proximity with him staying the same when she followed him through the door, though her steps were halted again as the walls began to shudder due to a nearby explosion, there was no need to really think too much on it because soon Angelica's voice was audible in the comms shortly after Ms. Lattimore's urgent request came through.

Irma couldn't help but sigh slightly, part relief and part concern for what they yet might face considering evidently some of the current hostile occupants of the apartment were likely to explode. Irma pushed those thoughts aside however, her focus was needed somewhere other than her own thoughts and once the momentary distraction was dismissed, her eyes immediately caught sight of the blood and the trail that led from it's initial location on the coffee table. She couldn't help but frown at the sight. Either someone was in there and injured, or they had been trying to escape and had vanished as the other residents had. Her gaze drifted towards Nathan before shifting back towards Bancroft as she skirted the blood, being careful not to get too close to the kitchen but assuredly showing the others that she wished to find out if there was a survivor still present.

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Aldur · Oct 18, 2018

Finlay Douglas

Gradually, the font size paled in comparison to Finlay's own prodigious self. And so did the objects he passed by. Banks had unapologetically taken the first position, in spite of Finlay's instructions, which prompted Finlay's eyebrows to suddenly form a frown, leading to an uninterrupted flow of low-volume mumbling on the giant's part. Friggin' Sassenachs...

Still, Finlay couldn't help his situation. The mission required sobriety and cooperation, so he followed suit and approached the doors at the end of the hallway. Finlay positioned himself opposite to the door and readied his shotgun. As Bancroft gave the mark, he nodded back and followed him inside, taking aim precautiously and with a tight grip on his ax. The sight of a banal apartment was all that the Scotsman noticed before the terrible sound of a distant explosion instantly seized his attention, followed by a barrage of loud questions coming from Ms. Lattimore. Finlay's head recoiled slightly and he ever so slightly cringed. He then removed both the gimmicky half-visor and the earpiece for a moment and closely inspected the room again.

A singular splatter of blood on the coffee table perturbed the bland harmony of the apartment. The hunter failed to even notice the bandage, as he quickly traced along the blood trail with his eyes. He noticed it went behind the counter, so he made a few steps toward it before his ears caught the distinct sound of a subtle whimper. He quickly pointed his shotgun in the direction of the noise and whispered.

"Hush! Banks, do ya hear that? It comes from behind the counter." Finlay nodded his head toward it then pointed at the blood leading up to it.

Lucem · Oct 19, 2018

Nathan Pierce

Nathan didn't stray far from the Ouros, but his eyes inspected everything they could from his position. For an apartment that had fallen victim to a demonic abduction, the rooms didn't look too bad. All the standard appliances and furnishings seemed to be in their proper places, free of any damage that would've indicated an assault. Well, aside from the obvious trail of blood.

While he could see fairly well in the darkness, the blue flashes from outside the rain-covered glass did a good job of making the red stains visible to the group of hunters. It didn't make much of a mess, being a simple path from the coffee table to behind the countertop. Most of it was probably soaked up the shredded remains of the shirt that was left on top of the futon. Compared to some of the other things he had seen over the years, the scene was pretty minor.

It wasn't just the sight of the blood that he was taking in. Quietly breathing in through his nose, Nathan searched for the familiar scent of a wounded demon. As much as he hated his sensitivity to the taste, smell, and sound of all things infernal, it did have its uses in times like these. Because of it, he could say for certain that it was definitely a human that had been injured. Although, that didn't really tell him much about what went down inside the room. It wasn't like some random resident was capable of seriously harming a demon.

Nathan wasn't an ace detective or anything, but he did get a few ideas after examining the crime scene. He could assume that whatever happened had a connection to the attack on the apartment. If it was just a normal accident, he doubted that whoever was living here would've started tearing up their clothes to stop the bleeding. They were either in a rush or a really tight spot. Although, that didn't necessarily mean it was the work of a demon either. He didn't think they would just let someone patch themselves up after injuring them. There was also the fact that the trail didn't leave the room, ending behind the kitchenette.

While gazing at the crimson path, the Augur's ears twitched as he heard an unfamiliar sound. It was faint, but there was definitely something making noise. Whimpering. It sounded a bit like a kicked dog. Before he could get a better listen, the low cries were overtaken by the booms that echoed throughout the building.

After feeling the apartment shake, Nathan could only guess that there was some kind of explosion. Even though there was a fair bit of distance between his group and the source of the sounds, the cieling above him still trembled, causing old dust to fly into the air. It was impossible to say what exactly caused it to happen, but he could say with confidence that it was nothing good. The other group probably just made first contact with the enemy. Depending on the person, that could be good or bad news.

Along with the loud sounds of combat, Kendra's voice also began to ring in his ear as his earpiece crackled with life. All the commotion made it hard to focus on whatever was crying inside the room, but it eventually returned when things settled down.

Thinking about everything else he saw, two possibilities came to mind. Either an injured person had been hiding inside their room and somehow avoided disappearing with the rest of the residents, or they were currently in the hands of an invisible demon. In either case, he wasn't the best person to check things out. If it was a demon, he'd have to stay back and play bodyguard, so approaching first wasn't an option. He wasn't the best at comforting victims either, so being the first person they saw probably wouldn't go so well.

Right now, it would've been best for one of the Bloodens to keep their positions and go first. Thankfully, he didn't need to speak up again. Finlay was already pointing the sounds out to Catcher. The guy was weird, but having him in the group didn't seem too awful so far.

While his position next to the Ouros wouldn't change depending on who was making those sounds, Nathan wasn't trusting enough to assume it was just someone that needed help. He was naturally suspicious of most things and now was no different. Some of what he saw in the room didn't mix well with his paranoia. If someone was injured, why would they just leave the makeshift bandage on the futon and start dripping blood everywhere? They had gone to the trouble of making it, so why not keep it on if they were still hurt? The thought of a demon using blood as camouflage or something crossed his mind, but he wasn't sure how likely that was. Either way, he wasn't going to take any chances, especially after hearing the explosion.

As the Bloodens moved ahead, Nathan placed himself between the two women and the kitchenette. If this did turn out to be a trap, he didn't want to risk one of them rushing to help someone in need. In case the opposite happened and something from the shadows charged at them, he'd have to be ready for that too.

Reaching over his shoulder, Nathan grasped the handle of his sword, prepared to remove the weapon from the leather strap at a moment's notice. With his other arm raised to cast his infernal spells, he kept an eye on the blood trail, listening for any movement inside the room. As suspicious as he was, he hoped that it really did turn out to be a civilian. That would've made things a lot easier.

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Aldur

Coin · Oct 20, 2018

Kendra Lattimore

Kendra was highly dissatisfied, apparent by her menacing frown and furrowed brow. Unknowns were the worst case scenarios. However much she favored Angelica and her go-getter attitude, the young demon was still a rookie. Nothing about her description of what happened actually helped Kendra piece together what they had encountered in their room. Some sort of knave? That would explain the glowing descriptor, but to be confined to a small apartment room would be impossible for even a minor knave. A suicidal imp, perhaps? No, even Angelica would have been able to identify an imp. An emytherium-laced ghoul? It was possible... Kendra's mind raced as she her body sprung into motion. She sprinted out into the main hallway and bolted towards the source of the explosion.

While she was in the hallway, a familiar voice sounded through her earpiece. Abigail of all demons had shown up as well? Well, Kendra had issued an all-call to the guildmates' personal lines -- it was just unexpected for even her to show up. No matter, Abigail was an exorcist just like the rest of them. The guildmaster couldn't help but smirk as she continued her run down the hallway.

"Abigail, we're in the middle of something, dear. Make your way to the far side of the apartment -- you'll find one of my gates there. Step through and you'll be in the gym. Grab a gun from someone if you need it and make yourself useful," Kendra ordered. "Have someone brief you, I'm a little busy. Chat later!"

With that, Kendra ripped her earpiece out and shoved it in one of her vest pockets. She didn't need any more distractions, and it was only a matter of time until some of her more doting subordinates tried to stop her from rushing head first into hostile territory alone. The guildmaster was more than capable of taking care of herself. In a few more strides, she reached what she could only assume was the correct apartment judging by the smoke, debris, and an acrid smell that reminded her of far more unpleasant times abroad. It was the smell of death. On top of that, there was an unnatural static in the air, like magical echoes of the explosion that clouded the edges of Kendra's infernal vision.

In her left hand, red lightning crackled in a ball of vicious energy. In her right, she held her sidearm at attention. She slipped into the room and held her magic forward, using it as a light source. One by one, she counted her guildmates like a mother wolf counted her pups. Connor, Marina, Angelica, Magnolia... All alive and kicking, though in various stages of confusion. Kendra scanned every corner of the apartment for any further dangers, but it was evident by the silence, gore, and odd fluid coating everything that the threat had already passed.

"Is anyone hurt? Can you all keep going?" Kendra asked as she knelt, studying fist-sized hunk of flesh on the floor. She holstered her handgun and let her magic evaporate as she unsheathed her knife and gave it a few inquisitive jabs. The guildmaster frowned at the findings of her field research, the flesh did not react the way demon flesh did when exposed to truesilver -- in fact, nothing happened at all. However, the dull green fluid that coated just about everything in the apartment was unmistakably demonic. Something was amiss.

"Marina, Connor, maybe you too, Magnolia," Kendra stood again to address the team, as she returned her knife back to its holster. "This green shit, whatever it is, get it off your skin. The emytherium concentration is high, but it seems, impure or something. We'll have a bio team come in and grab samples after we're done here. Take a second to gather yourselves, we're almost done sweeping the first floor."

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TPBx · Oct 24, 2018

Jun followed Nikodem to the next room, after waiting for his signal and hearing the flash go off, Jun followed Nikodem into the room, using his partner as a shield in case there was a demon hiding in the corners for them like there was for the rest of the group. He walked in with his crossbow raised and made sure to catch a glimpse of every corner of the room, looking over for anyone lying in wait or setting up some sort of trap. The room appeared the same as the last, but a slight bit messier but nothing out of the ordinary, it appeared as if someone was living here and then all of a sudden they just vanished. "Looks like this room is clear," Jun stated half confidently.

Jun lowered his crossbow and looked around the room for clues, trying to piece together what had happened in the apartment. There was nothing out of the ordinary, no sign of struggle. It appeared as if someone was living here then all of a sudden they weren't. Jun also expected another Emytherium watcher to be spying on them but that was not the case either, there was no sign of any of the black substance anywhere in the room, though it was fairly dark still so he could have probably missed it unlike the last time.

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