Fantasy Death Inc.

[Jean Otus]

The human experience is a great parade of acts, as the players wear their masks, strut about in their roles and experience their victories and many, many tragedies. The many deities of the heavens judge their worthy souls and condemn the unworthy. Not every soul is deemed glorious or terrible enough for the various afterlives preached about. Some souls are trapped in the in-between for all eternity, an existence walking between life and death. Enter Death, the original reaper of souls, the ferryman to all afterlives, as he looked on the spirits with no place to go. Death felt sorry for these wayward beings and gave them a purpose. Now those caught in the in-between police the world of spirits and aid the reaper in ferrying the souls of the dead to their final destination.

At first, this agreement was feudal in nature. Death was the king, the souls were his vassals, and as time marched on their numbers swelled, as did the kingdoms of men on earth. With their increased number, the living courted death regularly. The kingdom of death continued to grow alongside the world, serving as the land between the realms of Heaven and Hell. As more modern spirits found their way into the service of Death, the agreement required an update. Slowly but surely the souls that understood the contract between king and vassal. Therefore, the Kingdom of Death required a considerable modernization and a drastic rebranding. The kingdom was transformed into a corporation, with all the souls being made into its well-dressed employees.

Now the reapers of Death Incorporated manage the many unfortunate ends that the people of Earth meet. "This is where you come in, you poor, unfortunate soul. So very dead, but not righteous enough to be admitted to the heavens, and not villainous enough to be damned. You are the newest employee in our little company, and so long as you're still a rookie, I'll be your manager. It's a bit of a mess on Earth, as I'm sure you well know, and we're completely overbooked. I hope you're ready for a lot of overtime, rookie." Matthias cracked a crooked smile as he looked out over the small gathering of freshly-reaped souls.

"Welcome to Hell, well not quite hell, more like a subdivision of hell, limbo? Not quite. Purgatory, no that's not quite it either. Let's start this over, welcome to my office, which is, consequently, is in some manner of...afterlife...situation...yes." The reaper struggled with the words, departing from the script he had attempted to prepare.

"You're dead. Let's just get that out of the way. You're dead, you died, and I am the grim reaper who collected your soul. It happens every day, what with all you humans keeling over all the time. Now, you are a little young to be dead, you don't have all the necessary qualifications to get into heaven. That being said we're not going to just send you to Hell either, we can't do that. Now, normally we'd set you on the track for purgatory or reincarnation with a swift boot to your rear, but, we're a little backed up right now, and need to fill out the ranks to recover. It would seem that the mortal world is once more becoming a battleground for the corrupting forces of darkness and the zealous armies of the light. As psychopomps, reapers, spirits caught between the worlds, it is our duty to keep the balance." It was an unfortunate truth, but one that they all would have to deal with.

"To make this brief. You've been drafted. You all are trainee Reapers now. If you work hard, you could be as successful as me one day." Matthias joked dryly, pitying the poor souls who sat before him now. They were all about to be put through one hell of an afterlife. He let out a long sigh. They were a tragic bunch, young, taken before their time in violent ways.

"If you would all introduce yourselves, we can get orientation underway. There's a lot of work that needs to be done today, so let's hurry this along."
Simple_Traveler Xivi Gravitational Force Ace Cream LazyDaze

 

[Ace Cream]

Michelle

Ah, so she's dead, huh. The girl listened to the man's world carefully. Parts of her didn't want to believe that, but the other parts still remembers that moment when her body got dragged and squashed against the rail, that was an agonizing three seconds that felts like eternity. She shuddered, trying to shake of the memory off her mind.

Even though her mind was currently freaking out due to the unpredicted circumstances she was in, she kept her poker face on the display. Less her being careful and more because she simply didn't know what to feel about this. She thought dying would be the end of it all! Why was she in an office?! So many questions but she was unsure on where to start. Slowly, she raised her hand to draw the attention of the man that beckoned the group to introduce themself.

"I'm Michelle, 24. Question, sir. I mean, I have questions. First, can we die again? Second, are you Jesus?"

 

[Xivi]

Jasmine blinked, actually blinked. Reaching for her throat to find that there was nothing there just her smooth porcelain skin. Wasn't she just bleeding out on her kitchen floor? Bringing her hand down from her throat she tucked it in her back pocket. She did have to admit though death so far looked plain and boring. But she wasn't alone, there was another woman besides her, older than her in fact and talking as soon as she could.

This felt a little boring like there was more behind what this manager type reaper. Or maybe there was in fact a reason for being here. "Surely little chemo kids don't go to hell?" Flashing a smile to the male reaper and then turning to face the wom- Michelle who has introduced herself. Flicking her soft bluish green hair over her shoulder, "Jasmine Ortiz, Call me Jade though. Everyone does" Soft as she spoke, maybe Michelle was more interesting then she outed herself. Oh, wouldn't Jasmine have fun picking them all apart - mentally of course. "I'm twenty-two and fresh out of university."

So, death is the next great adventure after all, Hell did exist as much as Heaven did... Good to know, not all too useful now that she was actually here though.

 

[LazyDaze]

"Everyone did," Kazz corrected in response to Jasmine err Jade's introduction while trying to process his own death, as well as the apparent death of those around him. He continued to stare down towards his hands as he recalled the events before this present ordeal. The pressure, force, and unbearable heat...he really died. His heart started to beat at a quickened pace as several thoughts began to flood his mind. Thoughts about his family, friends, goals he never achieved and even if it was inconsequential to his present situation he couldn't help but think about the condition his body was left in. He felt across his abdomen as the feeling of shrapnel destroying his body, as brief as it was, returned to him. Even for someone who was usually composed, he couldn't help but have a mild panic attack although he managed to keep it together externally by biting the inside of his cheek. Releasing a broken sigh, Kazz did his best to relax before introducing himself. At the very least he couldn't have a mental breakdown upon what he assumed were his new co-workers.

"Kazz Lazarus...doesn't really matter much what I did on Earth since I didn't do enough to avoid slave labor," Kazz said while folding his arms and closing his eyes as he appeared to dose off. In reality, he was still thinking everything through before asking questions. He always hated those who prolonged class with useless questions that sent the professor on a tangent before they could get out early. Right away, he could tell they were blowing smoke up everyone's ass...partially. Painting this situation as some act of charity on their part to make them more compliant was a good strategy to create compliant hard working employees who would most likely get underpaid if paid at all. (What do you pay someone who is dead?). Meanwhile, from his explanation they were understaffed and in a desperate situation. It's not as much that they want to give them a second chance at life as much as they needed people to work for them. As long as they weren't crazy serial killers, or immoral bastards they could justify sending them here under such a guise. Perhaps death had just made him cynical. Whatever the case, he did have on question. How much freedom could they expect in this situation; however, a wise man once said don't ask questions you don't want the answer to. "...One question, how long have you worked here?" He wondered what the others had to say. Surprisingly, at least one of them seemed to be taking this all to well.

Xivi Ace Cream Jean Otus

 

[Simple_Traveler]

During Matthias' spiel about their present circumstances Simon had stood perfectly still, hunched forward with his long-fingered hands steepled in front of his face. Suddenly waking up in this office gave the Englishman a split second of hope. That the brutal attack at his dorm had been a terrible, terrible nightmare and he'd fallen asleep in one of the professor's offices. Then the memory of Simon's final conscious moment struck him like a sledgehammer to the face.
He couldn't breathe. Only cough and cough as his lungs filled up with blood. The last thing he saw as his vision blacked out was the dead, grimacing face of his murderer.

A man's voice had hooked Simon back into reality. The redhead listened to Matthias' words, soaking them in like a dry sponge. So, he died after all. A variety of emotions surged within the Englishman but with a tightly clenched jaw he sealed them off to be dealt with later. Soon the blonde man gave the floor over to Simon and the others to introduce themselves and voice their thoughts. While a few of the others spoke up Simon forced his body to relax. Wouldn't want his new "co-workers" to think he has a stick shoved up his arse after all.
Once there seemed to be a spot where he could slide into the conversation the Englishman pipped up with a shadow of his usual sardonic grin.
"Ah, introductions. How quaint. My name is Simon Talbot, 25, and I suppose I am now an ex-university student." Simon paused as he considered what questions to ask. His mind was buzzing with them, but for once he was unsure which one to start with. Hm, maybe a straight forward one. Simon could save the more complex ones for later once he had time to process everything.
"May I ask how exactly are we going to fight these creatures? Especially when none of my fellow trainees here seem to have any special talents or abilities,"
The redhead propped his head on his right hand, amber eyes practically boring holes into Matthias as he waited expectantly for an answer.
Jean Otus

 

[Gravitational Force]

Isaac slouched in his chair. He'd just died, he was going get comfortable before dealing with this. At the very least dying meant he didn't have to worry about getting in trouble for being late to work and bills. He rubs his forehead and groaned. He didn't drink, didn't do drugs, and didn't smoke and still die dyoung. Ugh, this SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKED. He had so much freaking unfinished business but now he was dead and still stuck in an office job with no view of retirement.

Isaac felt in the pocket of his coat but his hand came out empty. Leaving aside the metaphysical question of how he was still dressed in the afterlife this meant he had an immediate concern. The lemonade bottle he'd had in there was gone so he didn't even have a sweet drink to help destress. Well this was just a bad end to a bad day. Although considering he wasn't clear on how time in the afterlife worked he didn't know what time it was. He felt in his other pockets and was relieved that nothing everything was gone.

Still there were other people here and if this was an office there'd be a presentation where most of their questions would be answered. The best thing to do in this situation was wait until there was a chance to ask an intelligent but nonobvious question and make himself look good to the new boss. If this was anything like his old job he could get comfortable in the gears and hopefully make it through however long it took before moving up.

Let's see. The first question from Michelle started out reasonable but then went very wrong. Isaac didn't know if Jesus had been a real person but he definitely wouldn't look like that. Jasmine's question wasn't of immediate concern but also valid. What were the criteria for determining where one went after death? Kazz seemed obnoxious but Isaac would wait before making a judgement. And the length of their careers was definitely something Isaac wanted to know. Eternity in an office job sounded like a low grade Hell to him. And apparently this office job involved fighting monsters. Isaac couldn't square the two but he hoped it'd make sense once explained. Simon seemed a bit too smug but at the very least his question was useful too.

Isaac raises his hand nonchalantly. "Isaac Silverstein. 24. I'll hold my questions until the end, they'll probably be answered by then."

 

[Jean Otus]

Matthias, sighed again, leaning back on the heels of his dull leather shoes. It was far from an enviable position, being a freshly dead soul, thrust into a new world of which they understood nothing. All things considered, they were taking the experience of being dead rather well. Their questions were tame, for the most part. Some were surprisingly eager to get to work. They didn't realize how good they had it. Being thrown into the field immediately was practically unheard of. If it wasn't for the right mess of things now they would've been put on paperwork duty or some similarly dull job for a few decades before even getting to taste fresh air again. Putting them out there immediately was almost like a reward, or at least it would be if their immortal souls weren't on the line.

"To start things off simply, no, I'm not Jesus." Matthias cooed, "I'm not an angel or devil either. I am simply one of many grim reapers responsible for guiding the souls of the dead. I have been working as a reaper for nearly two centuries now. I personally witnessed each of your deaths and collected your souls. All so my employers could use you as soldiers in a war for the peace of the human world."

He gestured to the blank wall behind him and a picture coalesced, marring the stark whiteness. The picture was a cartoonish rendering of Matthias himself, showing only his blond hair, dark military uniform, and silver pocket watch. "The tools afforded to us to fight back the demons and other threats plaguing earth are few and are seldom powerful enough for the sort of monsters we find ourselves dealing with. You will only receive a monochrome uniform," he said, patting his chest, "and a reaper's tool." With that, the pocket watch in the picture shifted and changed into the shape of a long, bladed scythe. "These are the only things we will give you to defend yourself. If you die to the hands of a monster or are otherwise exorcised your immortal soul will be obliterated, and your existence will truly end."

With that, Matthias clapped his hands twice and a small trolley rolled into the room. On it was two trays, one which held the uniforms, black and white, and on the other were the reaper tools. Both of these had been ripped straight from the memories and imaginations of the souls in front of him. In a way, these were just as much a part of their souls as their bodies were.

"Come and collect your personal effects, once you're all geared up we have a job to do."
Gravitational Force Xivi LazyDaze Simple_Traveler Ace Cream

 

[Ace Cream]

Michelle

"So there IS eternal rest." Michelle sounded a bit too enthusiasthic when the senior reaper mentioned what would happen to their soul when getting destroyed by a monster or exorcised.

She's aware of how improper she was for thinking about killing herself again right after she killed herself for the first time, yet she couldn't helps but thinks of life as less sacred now that she had experienced death and know afterlife was just another office. Moreover, she didn't want to ends up like the senior reaper in front of her. He looks tired and and in the span of five minutes they had met he already sighed twice. The toll of soul reaping for two centuries might have gotten into him.

When the reaper told them to pick their items, Michelle started by examining the said reaper's tool that instantly drawn her attention. A handheld gaming console, and not just any console, but HER console. An old but versatile foldable dual-screen model with the exact same faded black color, the exact same crack on the upper left corner and the exact same doodle of a dragon drawn by a permanent marker on the back. She felts, nostalgic. Back in her high school days, she used to play this to calm herself. She especially likes Monster Crossing.

The moment she picked up the console, it instantly transformed into a lengthy metal polearm with a gnarly-looking circular saw at the top. There's a lid that hides several buttons at the middle of the shaft. Michelle was also surprised at how easy for her to handle the weapon, despite how the weapon looks like it would weight quite a bit. She effortlessly swung the weapon around. Yep, physic's dead too.

"So, sir reaper, if you're a grim reaper then I'm a leatherface. Yes?" She chuckled at her own thought, but really, was she supposed to reap people's souls with this? Seemed like her prey would die a slow painful death if she cut their soul with this thing.

The console/polesaw thingy riled up Michelle's curiousity. She fiddled with the buttons on the shaft, trying to find a way to turn it back into being a console. The first button she pressed revved up the engine, turning the static jagged wheel into a spinning saucer of death. It was vibrating so violently that Michelle lost her grip just for a moment. The pole saw jolted out of her hands and using the circular saw as a wheel, it stormed towards the door, splits it apart then continue charging down the corridor. Leaving behind a trail of deep line on the floor.

"Ooops. Sorry??"

 

[Simple_Traveler]

Matthias' answers to their questions satisfied Simon, atleast for now. He felt a bit miffed being drafted into such a dangerous job. Especially when one could apparantly apparently die in the afterlife. A fact that was both incredibly interesting and more than alittle terrifying. But as the reaper summoned the two carts Simon once again stuffed those emotions to the back of his mind. There would be time to have a breakdown later, that is if he survived their little excursion. The Englishman watched as one of the ladies, Michelle he believed her name was, picked up a beat up gaming console from one of the carts. His amber eyes watched intently as the thing suddenly transformed into a weird amalgamation of a polearm/buzzsaw.
What a strange contraption, Simon thought as Michelle fiddled with some buttons on the weapon. When the saw sprung to life and the young lady lost her grip Simon took a huge step back as the thing stormed out of the office like a demented unicycle. The redhead turned back to Michelle and did the only thing he could think. Slowly, deliberately, he clapped while his ever present grin stretched a bit in amusement.
"Good show my dear girl. Looks like I'll have to watch my back if I don't want to end up like that door there," he stated before turning to the two carts.
An item immediately cought Simon's eye. Laying on the flat surface with it's crystal clear lens gleaming from the florescent lights overhead was an ornate manifying glass with a brass frame and dark, wooden handle. It reminded him of the one his father kept, a family heirloom passed down from generation to generation. The thought of Simon's parents nearly broke the seal placed over his emotions but he quickly built it back up. Later, he remined himself.
Carefully Simon picked up the magnifying glass, wondering what sort of weapon it would turn into. He didn't have to ponder for long as the item was engulfed in a bright light. When the transformation was complete Simon now held a what looked like a long cane. The shaft was made out of the same dark wood as the magnifying glass while the crook seemed to be made of some kind of clear,crystalline substance that gave off a soft white glow. Simon gave the weapon a few test swings and couldn't help but feel disappointed at it's light weight. What use was this oversized stick going to be against monsters?
Jean Otus
Ace Cream

 

[Gravitational Force]

Isaac's face was frozen in a now fake smile. His expectations for this job had gone from "dull bureaucracy" to "Soviet foot soldier during the Battle of Stalingrad" in terms of comfort and life expectancy. To reiterate his previous thought: Ugh, this SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKED. Was it weird for a dead person to have a sense of self-preservation? Well in this case he was basically the same person except in another dimension, so no surprise there. Well at the very least it seemed like his next death would have it all be over, so at worst this would just be a brief continuation of his life before oblivion. So time to focus on what he could control and move forward from there.

"Well, might as well see where this goes."

At the very least it looked like the new hires were being provided with uniforms and weapons. Like in an anime. Isaac quickly changed into the uniform and looked for his weapon. Instead he saw two silver coins which seemed to call to him. Well this was amusing. Isaac chuckled
"Heh, obols for Charon."
He remembered reading about the ancient custom of leaving coins with the deceased to pay Charon to ferry them across the river Styx in the Underworld in Greek mythology. Well, time to see what these could do.

Isaac picked up a coin in each hand. Heads had a skull and tails was a scythe. Isaac wondered what he had to do, then blinked when the coins turned into a pair of silver revolvers with the same skull and scythe symbols on each side. He knew that unlike in movies you couldn't fire two guns at once and expect to hit anything. But with these it seemed as easy to move and aimed them as if he were an action hero. But Isaac got the feeling that this ability would only extend to these weapons.
"Well, these should definitely be useful."

 

[LazyDaze]

Kazz took a moment, removing his face from his hand when the others stepped up to claim their...weapons? This was really happening wasn't it. Kazz was as much a thrill seeker as the next guy, but fighting monsters? One moment you're blazing through the streets, wind in your hair, and your only care in the world was if you were going to get a McDouble or McChicken. In the next moment, you are in the place of every anime protag you have ever read about. Turns out, it is a lot more gruesome than they make it out to be. Kazz was no coward, but there was a big difference between fighting a drunk biker and a tentacle monster...he assumed the monsters had tentacles. Once again, the fact that they were taking this pretty well (on the surface), only made him sick to his stomach. How exactly did these sick bastards die exactly? As soon as the thought entered his mind Michelle unleashed her weapon on well...any and everybody who was in the way. Kazz jumped the hell out of the way although he wasn't exactly in its trajectory, but he already died once...he wasn't going to die in a damn meeting. As the buzzsaw scythe contraption thingy buzzed off into the distance, silence once again overtaking the room. He turned to Michelle with a look of annoyed confusion. He could probably guess that she died like a klutz. Falling down the stairs or something.

Kazz stood up, his legs seemingly moving on their own. "Better get my weapon now before anyone else has an accident," he said calmly. He wondered if he was able to mask the shakiness in his voice. Even now he was waiting for his alarm clock to wake him from this stupid dream. He was immediately drawn to the katana; he recognized the various charms attached to them, including one that looked very similar to his key. Kazz didn't bother unsheathing it, or playing around with it too much since he didn't want to cause a second work place incident. In fact; he just wanted this to be over. He sat down, tapping his foot lightly.

Jean Otus