Fantasy &nbsp; New Oasis: Four Heavenly Kings

SilverFlight @The Prophet

SCENE:

Dragons Arc 2: Scene 1 [The Child]

LOCATION:

Rooftops, The Markets, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Dyne, Ra, Shiri, Hou, Ruriko

The Child

"Not a listener, are ya?" The man, the one which Shiri had just disarmed, howled a typical cannon-fodder-sounding line, and then his eyes ignited with violet light. Shiri sighed. His body twisted, turning into an amorphous cloud of cloth and hair, obscuring his form entirely. The beam shot wide, and Shiri dashed past the man, a glint of silver flashing in the sun as he passed him by.

There was a spurt of blood, and then in one clean slice the man's knee was separated from the lower half of his leg.

"What did I say? Chicken nugget. Now be good or I'll take the other one off above the knee." The man, or more like what was two-thirds of a man now, fell limply to the ground as his body found itself suddenly unable to support its own weight, straight down into a pool of his own blood. Screaming and writhing, whatever the dude got up to, Shiri didn't care much. He was duller than a doorknob.

"Right then, big guy!" He levelled his sword at the ogre, who he presumed was the leader of this gaggle of idiots. Ruri had already eaten up her helping of losers, so now it was just Shitbag Prime left. "You're outnumbered. You gonna cough the kid back up, or do you wanna go the way of your Dodo-ass pals here?"

Interacted With:@Beann

Elenion Aura
General:

Damafaud

Chaos Gallant · Aug 8, 2022

Jack

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 2: Scene 3 [Happily Ever After]

LOCATION:

Shopping Mall, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Alice, Elias, Jack, Charmy, Jackson

Happily Ever After

Jack reached into his pocket to pull the buzzing phone out. A smile crept on to his face as he began to pick up his pace slightly. He turned to Charmy, “Jessi’s got my gear for me, I’ll be right back. Oh, you ain’t gotta wait on me I’ll make it quick and then catch up with yall.” Jack took off running to the north end of the mall, only taking a few bounds on foot before conjuring a dagger under each foot to lift himself into the air. He zoomed through the halls of the mall, it took him less than a minute to reach the exit where Jessi was waiting. “JESSIIIEEEEEE HAW!” Jack yelled at the top of his lungs as he released the two daggers from underneath him. He somersaulted onto the floor in front of Jessi, a large smile across his face.

“Oh please, you act like we didn’t just have breakfast together a few hours ago.” Jessi put the tan cowboy hat squarely onto Jack’s head. “And what’d I tell you about leaving a mess, huh?”
She handed Jack the bag holding the rest of his clothes.

“I know, I know…” Jack muttered not paying much attention to Jessi’s scolding as he quickly began to strip off his shorts and sandals. He had his jeans and boots on in less than the time it took you to say “cowboy”. He slipped his belt through the loops and secured the large golden buckle up front, displaying the twin mountains of the Montaña brand. “Now we’re talkin’, time to get some work done.”

“Eh-ehm.” Jessi cleared her throat, leering at him.

“Right, thanks bud, yer’ the best!” Jessi gave him a quick punch in the shoulder. He didn’t wait much longer to try and put his shirt on, lifting himself into the air once more as he buttoned up the front of his shirt. “I’ll try’n get this over with, fast as I can.” He called out zooming back towards Elias and Charmy.

“Yeah yeah, I’ll be in the car.” Jessi turned on her heel, and began walking towards where she’d parked.

Jack was halfway back to the other tigers when he heard the gunshots ring out across the mall. He slowed down to look behind him towards the exit, ‘Well, ‘bout damn time we had some real fun.’ Jack picked up his speed once more, propelling himself away from the new commotion.

AriAriAbabwa

BluEndings

Mqueserasera · Aug 9, 2022

REVELER

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 2: Scene 3 [Tailing the Dragon's Heart]

LOCATION:

Platinum Rabbit Lobby, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Anna, Tri, Reveler, Merin, Dante, Peyton

TAILING THE DRAGON'S HEART

She had only a split second to judge the nature of the woman’s potential. So terrifying it could cause someone in possession of a greater amount of sanity to flinch. Reveler was not so fortunate. She thought only of blood waiting to be released from flesh prison now. The blade buried in the woman’s thigh was wrenched, and then its existence doubled, cutting into meat, widening the wound, and grazing the femur. But her other dagger had melted, that was a problem, but exactly how she could not comprehend, hindering her need to split apart the victim from either side. In the air, she pulled the second dagger out of the opponent. Impacting shock suddenly vibrated and spread, an ache over her back against the ground. She just hit something, the ground. The floor, and before that the wall had melted. So it was that: she could melt things. But not me, Reveler though, perhaps not people. Past the initial shock, she knew now to be even more reckless. Melee then. Close in, giving her no quarter. Rolled over she lunged once more towards her enemy, but this time she went into the hugging range, practically falling over the woman with blades like talons to grab and penetrate.

simj26 · Aug 9, 2022

Lin Kairong

SCENE:

A Brief Meditation

LOCATION:

白春花茶莊, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Kairong, Shen, Hadrien, Omar

A Brief Meditation

“Quite the predicament. Quite the predicament indeed.” Kairong hated to quote cliches, but he was, as they say, getting too old for this. The fire that was once in his heart was no more than a dying ember now. Still, his heart was not stone just yet. Karin returned to his side. She was remarkably calm, given the odd circumstances of the child appearing in the shop. Perhaps it was simply the effects of having stayed in a world of Potentials, forcing her to come to terms with oddities being commonplace.

“Teleportation?” the young girl queried. She was already thinking. A pity that she was not amongst the Dragons. Or perhaps it was a relief that she was not.

“It is possible.”

“What’re we gonna do?”

“Take him to the police, I would suggest. I have my doubts that we would have actionable intelligence on who his parents are.”

Karin folded her arms, and pondered while Kairong stood up. The young girl had her misgivings about the New Oasis Police Department, but there was simply nothing else they can do. He was much too old, much too alone now to take care of yet another child. Furthermore, wouldn’t the child’s parents be worried? The ones who have landed themselves in his hands had…issues with their own families, or were handed off to him to care for. This was a completely different situation.

“We could just print posters.”

“We could also request a member of the Dragons to put up something on the Internet as well. I know of one. He is quite reclusive though.”

“That’d work much better.” Karin looked a little disappointed that his idea was much better than hers.

Before they could discuss further, the door opened, and the young King stepped through the threshold once more, waving a goodbye to Omar. Karin’s posture shifted. She was right to be rather wary of the man. He was, after all, one of the rulers of this land. Kairong swept his hands behind him, straightening up fully. “Master Shen, you’ve returned. Alas, this one is not of my brood. It would not do for me not to recognise one of them. Hah hah hah!” He had not noticed the child at his legs bristling with fury, directed straight at the man that stood at the door. “Karin, would you mind?”

Karin nodded, and took the boy’s hand, leading him towards her friends, who immediately started to chatter with glee about how cute he was. Kairong allowed himself a small smile. The smile did not last for long, however, as the door flew open once more. A young man doubled over, attempting to catch his breath as he rested his hands on his knees. “Master Shen! Master Lin! We’ve got trouble all over the place! Platinum Rabbit’s got snakes crawlin’ around the place, and Ms. Ikeda and some others are fightin’ some people! Ain’t got an idea where those’re from!”

Kairong turned towards Karin, who nodded, and attempted to harry her friends out of the conversation completely and refocus on the young boy. “Well, Master Shen, we have quite the problem here. Will you go to their aid?”

Nobody Special · Aug 9, 2022

BASH HIRABAYASHI

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 2: Scene 2 [Tailing the Dragon's Heart]

LOCATION:

Second-Highest Floor of Platinum Rabbit, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Anna, Tri, Yuto, Kisara

✕ POTENTIALS BANNED:

None

TAILING THE DRAGON'S HEART

Once his rosy-skinned companion was a few feet down the laundry chute, Bash quickly lifted his feet to begin climbing in behind her. As he hoisted himself into the hollow tube, he wondered to himself, ‘What the hell are laundry chutes even for?’ Were they meant to transport clean laundry to some sort of big linen room? Why the fuck weren’t these bastards just walking the laundry there themselves? Well-off people were so fucking lazy. He supposed being from the streets had taught him more skills than he could ever realize.

While he was busy being angry at the wealthy, a quiet thud from the very bottom of the chute echoed upwards and hit his ears. Shit! I gotta go!

Without wasting any more time, Bash gripped the top of the ramp and hopped in. Before his descent had officially begun, his nose twitched in reaction to a new scent that had entered the room. It smelled… earthy, like permeating petrichor after a brief downpour. By the time he had craned his head up to see who was behind them, his vision was briefly invaded by a strong, bright flash, and then went back to the darkness of the slide. He was too late.

He was ejected from the chute with a not-so-smooth landing, face first into a pile of sheets and clothes. They didn’t smell very fresh.

…

“MOTHER– FUCK!”

He leapt out of the bin at a breakneck speed, shaking himself off like a dog who had just gotten inside after a rainy day. This was all so… gross. Slowly, but surely, Dragons were climbing up Bash’s ladder of most-hated gangs. He’d have to vent his anger by visiting the East with clenched fists more often.

Kisara had discovered some sort of hidden tunnel, and without hesitation, the mighty Ace of the Sable Serpents fearlessly dove in right behind her.

Big mistake.

As soon as the darkness of the poorly-lit cavern overcame him, forcefully robbing him of one of his core senses, Bash’s spine tingled. He had always been wary of ghosts. No, not scared, god damn it– wary. Cautious. If a ghost decided to pop out of this freaky-ass burrow right now, he wouldn’t have a single problem using his divine fists to send it back to the deep depths of hell from which it came!
Of course, the sound of Kisara’s voice and the sudden flash of purple that appeared before her had him biting his lips to prevent any sort of childish squeal of terror from slipping out, and his fists raised in a defensive position to fend off whatever uncanny beast had just appeared to try and eat them. Thankfully, he realized that it was just Kisara using her potential and returned to normal before she could turn around and see him in such a pathetic state.

After watching Kisara whack herself with the stupid rock, Bash leaned over her shoulder to reach for it. It would be best if the powerhouse of a woman didn’t have a gem to worry about if they ended up running into some enemies. He was willing to admit– in a tight space like this, a blast of fiery energy would do way more damage than taking someone’s potential away and beating them half to death.

Now that he had the goal of the mission in his hand, he was reminded of the others who had (probably) been fighting for their lives this whole time. As much as he’d love to stick around and fight some Dragons to the death, as Ace he had to make sure his subservient lackeys made it out of this whole thing alive. Whipping out his phone (and fumbling with it for a few seconds), he managed to send a text to Anna’s stupid group chat.

GOT THE STUPID ROCK. IN SOME STUPID TUNNEL. GET THE FUCK OUTTA THERE, NOW!

In hopes of getting service, he held his phone up to the trapdoor from which they’d entered, waiting for the familiar ‘ping’ that came with a message being sent before returning to Kisara’s flank, ready to follow her into whatever came next.

Caffeine_Obsessed · Aug 10, 2022

HIDE ISHIDA

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 2: Scene 2 [The Bounty]

LOCATION:

Slums, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

R~~aphael, Kyoden~~, Sang-Cheol, Mimi

THE BOUNTY

" OH FUCKING SHIT- " Hide yelled out as some sort of explosion blew up in the room, a fallen cracked ceiling nearly crushing him. He stumbled onto his ass, smoke and dust filling his lungs as an uncontrollable coughing fit overtook the insomniac. Throughout the smoky haze, he lost track of the freaky woman who's head nearly rolled off like a golf ball rolling off of its pin. Not that Hide ever played golf... On the other hand, he did catch sight of two figures rushing about. Wait- was he- WAS THAT NERD SERIOUSLY LEAVING HIM TO DIE LIKE THIS?! ARE YOU FUC- " YOU SON OF A " cough " MOTHER " wheeze " BITCH "

Hide pushed himself up, nearly toppling over again in his rush. He looked around frantically, searching for a way out before the flames burned him alive like a crab in a boiling pot. It was hard to see anything in the smoke- he could barely even see his shoes. If only Hide was good at remembering directions. He put a palm over his face, trying his best to cover his mouth and nose from all the soot and smoke.

Squinting, he could make out dark shapes- probably those tube things he saw when he and the nerd crashed through the wall. Scrambling closer, he tried his best to peek inside, though to no avail. What were even in these things?! Grabbing the ledge of- what felt like- some kinda door, though a surge of strength, he tore it open, blinking his eyes at the sight before him. It took him a good few seconds to register exactly what he was seeing, but once he had-... oh god. Hide felt bile rising in the back of his throat, his eyes widening in horror. A body. A dead fucking corpse was just sitting there... What the fuck was that sick fucker doing?! was that woman- both hands now came to cover over Hide's face. It was... too much. He had to get out.

Fuck his bounty. Fuck that nerd. Fuck that creepy corpse keeping mother-

Hide rushed back the way he came until he felt a wall. He frantically followed along it, looking for the previous hole he made whilst his heart was hammering against his chest- feeling like it was about to burst. He felt sick. Hide had seen a lot of shit in his time- but this- ugh....

Finally, FINALLY, Hide had found the breakage of wall. Lunging out, it was easy to find his way out of the flaming, crumbling house from there. he didn't care if that Dipshit Martin made it out alive, it might actually be better for Hide if he was dead. The white haired man lurched through the front door, gasping out a breath of fresh air. Once he was a few feet away from the burning building, he collapsed onto his knees. His quick, frantic breaths did nothing to alleviate his beating heart.

With shaky knees, he brought himself back up, staring back at the horror of a building. He didn't know how many people were gonna make it out- who already had. Did Raphael-... Hide's jaw clenched. He couldn't think about that. He just- ...Either way... there was nothing he could do about it now.

A final realization... Hide cursed under his breath, spitting onto the floor in aggravation.

He lost his glasses again.

Elenion Aura @Beann @Misuteeku

BluEndings

Doctor Llamabean · Aug 11, 2022

HILARITY ft. Hector

SCENE:

The Recruit

LOCATION:

South District... Random back alley...

PARTICIPANTS:

Hector, Ashley, Boltius, Tiger NPCs

THE RECRUIT

Hector continued his frenzied charge against Hilarity. His erratic swipes against her more agile and controlled moves created an unusual sense of harmonic beauty. A dance between bull and matador. Hector was overcome with emotion, far past his tipping point, and every time he felt flesh under his blades it only egged him on to try even harder. On the other hand, he was finding it hard to catch his breath – not due to any potential – but because his body's cries for rest were being ignored over and over again.

Hilarity's attacks were hitting hard, and the only option Hector saw was to further his own attack. His claws grew longer, sharper, deadlier, as he looked for an opening to go in for the kill.

Though he dared not distract himself with it, Hector knew that they had more company. He was right not to lose focus as his opponent upped the ante with a knife. He wasn't even listening to Toga's bold threats, not until the gun went off. That got his attention, but when someone got Hilarity's attention too, it brought the battle to a brief halt.

Oblivious to how close he could've been to Hilarity's blade, he watched in stunned silence as she struggled with the jacket. "Things ain't funny now, are they?" He muttered to Bolt and Darren, though they passed him by too quickly. He felt his heart pounding, the sweat dripping down his forehead, the throbbing headache, the hum in his ears, the aching muscles. Don't stop now. You can't stop. He let Hilarity's ranting go on for a moment, her rage acting as more fuel for his own, and he found himself charging against her with everything he had.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP." Metal gripped one hand, painfully locking his joints in place without any care as the claw morphed into one larger blade that he swung without hesitation.. "DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE." Keep going, keep going, keep going.

And so they collided with fierce vigor, the metal of their blades crying out with each clash, sparks flying.

Hilarity’s movements, while still graceful, lacked a certain quality now compared to before. That cautious confidence was no more. Rather, a sudden recklessness accompanied her attacks and, as such, more openings revealed themselves.

She wanted to win. She had to win.

He was here.

Her attention wavered, eyes flitting toward Toga and the other Tigers as she half expected them to lock eyes. However, they didn’t, and the icy bite of Hector’s blade carved deep into the bone of her forearm, eliciting from her a startled screech.

Quickly, she jumped back and recalibrated her form, no time to inspect the wound for the Ace was vicious and relentless in his murderous pursuit.

Get it together, Hessa.

"YOU SHOULDA STAYED HOME." Hector yelled as he went in for another wild swing, missing this time. He no longer cared about saving his breath, it seemed that Splenda hadn't made any moves in a while. Though he was moving forward towards Hilarity, it was clear she had the advantage when it came to agility.

Hilarity sprung into action and began executing nimble gymnastic feats to elude her attacker, and when the moment presented itself, she quickly swiped Boltius’ jacket from the ground and tossed it at Hector’s face. Right behind it, her knife followed, its tip hungering to gouge an eye as she took hold of her potential and willed the rushing blood from her arm to transform.

A red haze enveloped their surroundings and, slowly, it spread throughout the alley, reaching even her allies. Hold your breath. An unspoken warning to those that mattered.

Heavenly Tiger’s Trivia Hour: Hilarity’s potential, Hysteria, allows her to overwhelm her opponents with uncontrollable laughter or sobbing by converting her own blood into a fine mist, which she may manipulate. The mist (which clears on its own after 30 seconds max depending on the level of distribution relative to quantity) must be inhaled. Experiencing a form of shock or another will cancel the effects of her potential, but may kick back in if the mist is still active.

Hector raised his hand, the one that wasn't fused with a giant knife, up as his vision became obscured by a flash of orange fabric, but he was too late. He was met with excruciating pain, not soothed at all by the sensation of metal covering part of his face, his body's instinctual defences working faster than his mind.

...Huh?

He stumbled backwards, ripping the jacket away. It snagged something on the way, causing a fresh wave of pain, and Hector fell to the ground, holding his palm to his face.

He felt part of a knife and a trickle of warm blood leaking through the metal barrier that kept everything wedged in place.

Something had gone terribly, terribly wrong. He looked up- Why is my eye shut- with his open eye. He blinked- What the fuck? WHAT THE FUCK?- and caught a glimpse of a blurred Hilarity above him, obscured in a red mist.

"You're... dead. Fucking dead."

Hilarity smirked and the fight continued. With her knife now lodged in the Phoenix Ace’s skull, she was, once more, empty-handed. Morale could be a defining factor in a fight, and hers was boosted, and her moves grew fashionably more fierce.

You're ok. You're ok. Just fight. After briefly considering taking out the knife lodged in his face, he thought against it, not confident in his medical knowledge, and lowered his hand to push him off the floor. Seeing that Hilarity wasn't ready to quit, it was a desperate situation, but Hector didn't get this far by backing away from fights.

"..." The only sound between them was Hector's sharp breathing as he rose to fight back against Hilarity's next onslaught. He pushed through the mist, driving his bladed hand forward towards her abdomen, and attempting to defend her attacks with his claws. Time was critical now.

But after Hector attacked, a mad cackle emerged from nowhere, and though he quickly silenced it, he felt the overwhelming trembling of his chest as the stifled laughter grew in intensity. The Ace's deranged, wheezing laugh was let out for all to hear.

At this point, there wasn’t a cackle, chuckle, or guffaw she hadn’t heard.

Any attempts to stifle the laughter now were fruitless, and as Hector’s blade narrowly missed the acrobatic Tiger, it was hard for him to will his body to match her movements. He couldn't even wipe the tears away from his open eye as the hysterics continued, yet he continued to follow her as best he could through the mayhem. He stood up straight, defying the urges to double over, and his chest felt like it was ready to burst open. One swipe at the air followed another swipe, but Hector similarly suffered no damage.

Hilarity danced like death around the Ace, failing to acknowledge that, despite his current state, her attacks were not landing. She was euphoric. Victory would be sealed, and the Ace’s head a trophy mounted upon her wall. It was then that she wondered how Toga’s fight was going, and her focus shifted.

A second was all it took.

A shaking hand found its way past Hilarity's defences. Four fingers pressed underneath her ribcage, wavering for a moment, as if unsure about what just happened. Then, the hand drew back, revealing four long claws, dragging a mess out with it. Hector looked down at the blood trickling into a pool on his palm and then up to Hilarity, continuing to laugh all the while.

Then, another hand swung against the wounded woman, this time colliding with her neck, a thick blade slicing through the precious arteries and veins within.

"F-Fuck you."

Hector had plenty to say, but those simple words were all that he could muster between his cackling. Contrary to his usual attitude after a fight, where he'd relish in spilling his enemy's blood all over the floor, he began to feel quite unwell. Perhaps due to the potential's grip over him or his own injuries that he hadn't quite processed yet. He didn't feel triumphant. He almost felt more like prey than the apex predator he'd usually see in himself.

All that remained at his side was the dear departed; a lifeless frame—its essence drained in one fell swoop. Ambition leaked into a pool of red around her fresh corpse, conforming to the rough terrain, still warm, yet the world trekked on without a second glance. Snowfall from a distant source feathered down and melted with the blood…

One by one, they fall.

Elenion Aura (Collab with:

WhiskeyMarten )

Lucem

Roda the Red · Aug 12, 2022

CHARLIE HUGHES & HITOSHI YAMAKAWA

SCENE:

Phoenixes/Tigers Arc 2 : Scene Transition [Shopping Spree! -> Happily Ever After ]

LOCATION:

Shopping Mall, Upper Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Hitoshi, Elias, Alice, Jack, Charmy

SHOPPING SPREE!! -> HAPPILY EVER AFTER

Collaboration with

joshuadim

As he grabbed the boy's arm, Charlie couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy by the eerie cold feeling of his body, but kept his iron grip firmly. Shortly after, the mirrors that he had spotted started to shatter unnaturally, giving him the reassurance that his gut feeling was correct.

"Should've thought twice before preparing that little surprise attack" Despite the other guy's unnaturally threatening glare, Charlie's threat remained, and it wasn't a bluff, he wasn't proud of it but he HAD done this very thing once before, and he wasn't a big fan of the sound of bones being crushed.

His grasp was cut off shortly after though, as a swarm of bees surrounded all of them minus Alice, Charlie instinctively let Perry go and tried to shove the bees away with his arms. He didn't have to worry about the bees piercing his skin, but they still managed to be a big distraction to him.

Keeping the ball rolling, Charlie was unable to catch a break as he was immediately grabbed by the arms by the mall security, part of him wanted to fling them away, but he new better, things were ugly enough as they were.

"Hey, let me go! It was those two who planned to attack us!" because of all the things occupying his attention, Charlie was unable to hear Alice mentioning the tigers, but he did notice Alice approaching some guy he had never seen...Given how she approached him in such a friendly way, he guessed the man must be familiar with whoever she was heading back. The guards eventually let go of him, seemingly reaching to the conclusion that he held no hostile intentions.

"Wait, Alice, can you at least-!" Before his words could reach to her, the guards had already taken her, a feeling of unease overpowering him. On one hand, this all reeked of a foul stench, something wasn't quite right, why was everyone so interested in her, was she perhaps more important than the rich girl from west he thought she was? But most importantly, he didn't want to let his new chance to get in contact with her just go to waste like this.

He took a step forward, but that was about it, his body froze in place by the newfound hesitation.

Are you sure you want to go there? You know what's up ahead, you left that life behind

That cold... Soulless life

Matters of the west are not your problem anymore, let the girl live in her own world

You are a phoenix now, don't forget it.

Despite his efforts, he could not take another step, it was clear to him that this was not his place to step in, not anymore at least. Feeling defeated and halfway reassured, Charlie weakly waved Jackson goodbye from a distance before he proceeded to head back to regroup with Hitoshi and Reika, who fortunately were still at the same spot nearby the chocolate fruit stand.

"Hey, I'm back, sorry for the wait...I just wanted to say hi to someone"

Hitoshi had been walking with Reika, immersed in looking into the contents of his box with a subtle glee as he looked at the amount of wares inside. Nose candy, speed, blue ice, dope, molly, it was quite the selection of produce to choose from and they were guaranteed to be of the best quality given where he sourced them from. He was so enamored by his plans for use that he didn’t notice Reika’s own concerned gaze from her peripheral, nor Charlie’s return until the latter spoke aloud.

He quickly turned about and saw his friend returning. “Ah, welcome back!” Hitoshi replied with a grin adorning his face as he closed his box with a sudden snap. “Guess we got all we need from here then if you’re back now, right?” he then asked, “Should we head back?”

“Indeed, we’re going back” Said Reika, her playful tone now almost completely gone as she turned her face away from her phone screen.

”We have trouble stirring back at Lyric’s place, a bunch of tigers sneaked in and stole something important, and they need help now”

Charlie gasped audibly, the news catching him off guard. “What could the tigers want from us? This is very much unlike how they usually work…”

Hitoshi’s head perked up once he heard the news from Reika and stiffened from mention of the Tigers. “Oh sheesh, then we gotta hop to it then!” Hitoshi replied, speeding up his pace while giving Charlie a pat on the shoulder.

The trio headed outside of the mall through the southeast exit and walked all the way down to the end of the parking lot for Reika’s car, the three of them were able to spot from the corner of their eyes from afar that a group of people were entering the building, but their focus was on getting back to South District, quickly placing their acquisitions inside of the trunk. However, as the group started to get inside of the vehicle, the loud banging sound of gunfire could be heard from inside of the mall, followed by a wave of screams of panic and agony.

“W-What’s going on!?” Asked Charlie, shocked by the sudden chaos taking place within the building

“Shit! It has to be a bunch of robbers or a minor gang causing trouble, I hope they don’t make our leave any harder”

“Leave!?" Charlie stared at the mall in horror, the realization of the event reaching to him. "W-We can’t leave, innocent people are getting killed, we need to help out!”

Hitoshi himself turned about when the sounds of violence was heard, his face plastered with both confusion and concern. “Oi oi, nandato?” he said aloud, seeing a small group of people fleeing the mall dash right past them. His gaze followed them as they fled before returning his gaze back towards where they had come from.
Hitoshi didn’t particularly want to stay, as this didn’t concern them in any real capacity. But he also wouldn’t just up and leave Charlie out to dry. He looked back to Reika before quickly opening the box and taking out a small pouch before handing it to her. “Guess I’m staying with him. Keep my goods safe will ya, Reika-san?” he then asked with a grin.

“You guys can play heroes all you want, but not when the phoenixes are in trouble and need your aid, this is NOT our turf anymore so it’s not our problem, we have more important things to take care of”

Charlie could feel a cold chill crawling down his spine, Reika’s words resonated deep within his psyche.

It was true, he was a Phoenix, and family came first…But could he really stand by idly as innocent people were being murdered right in front of him? The screams of pure horror that the civilians let out penetrated into his mind even deeper than the Queen’s words.

“...I’m sorry, Queen, I’ll accept my punishment later” With nothing left to say, Charlie leapt off from the backseat of the car, quickly transitioning into a frantic sprint towards the Mall.

“STOP, CHARLIE!” Reika clicked her tongue in frustration as the boy ignored her command, her face now turning towards Hitoshi.

“So are you gonna follow him? I won’t let you off easily if you do, Hitoshi”

“Hmm, sorry chief. But guess I’m sharing that burden with him now aren’t I?” Hitoshi replied with a smirk as he clambered out of the car slowly and turned his gaze to the Queen one more time. “Besides, you said family matters right? I ain’t about to let Charlie get into danger by himself.”

With a glare followed by a sigh, Reika wordlessly turned on her car's engine and quickly drove off out of the parking lot. The loud screech of tires speeding on the asphalt floor following the vehicle as it disappeared into the street.

Hitoshi watched as Reika drove off and cracked his neck in preparation. “Oooh I’m gonna regret this, aren’t I?” he muttered as he began walking towards the mall. “Alright then, lets found out what mystery I got stored in here!” he then said, increasing his pace as he opened the pouch and slammed it straight into his nose. He inhaled with a series of strong snorts, getting juicy goodness into his system as he managed to catch up to Charlie. “Hoo! Guess today’s sampling is speed!” he then said with a grin, tossing the pouch aside and cracking his knuckles. He could feel every ounce of narcotic now being pumped directly into his bloodstream and felt his own strength renewed as a result. “Now, where are these assholes?”

“Aniki!” Charlie’s tone was that of both relief and appreciation, he knew that Hitoshi might get in trouble for this as well, yet he came to his aid anyways, the boy would not forget it.

“Over there!” He pointed further down from the southeast hall the duo arrived from pretty much at the central area of the building, half a dozen armed people, donning white masks scouted the area as well as occasionally shooting whoever they spotted on their sight. Charlie almost screamed in horror as he noticed the bodies of multiple civilians on the ground, pools of blood forming underneath them. He managed to hold his voice and regain his composure.

“Aniki, I’ll face them head on, they won’t see you coming”.

Charlie dove both of his arms into his jacket, reaching for the concealed knuckle dusters within as he activated his Hypercharge to full power.

With a battlecry, Charlie charged head on towards the white rabbits, his heavy steps resounding through the tiled floor. They quickly took notice of his presence and a couple of them opened fire, in response, Charlie lowered his torso slightly, raised his shoulders and crossed his arms in front of his face, taking the painful yet not terribly dangerous shots directly.

Once within reach of the closest unit, he grabbed the firearm by the muzzle and shoved it aside as he rotated his hip to land a clean uppercut under the criminal’s chin, knocking him out cold right away. Not wasting another moment, Charlie then dashed towards the next one in his vicinity, landing a straight jab at their stomach, sending them flying against the wall.

One of the White Rabbits, seeing Charlie having charged towards them, raised their pistol to fire at this new threat. He took aim and prepared to fire but was suddenly interrupted by a tap on his shoulder. He quickly turned around to see an arm sticking out of the window of the shop he was standing next to, its surface rippling like water from the point of contact. Shortly thereafter it grabbed him and pulled him straight into the mirror as if it weren’t there and disappeared entirely from view, much to the shock of his other compatriots.

A few short seconds later he reappeared, flying out from another window nearby with clear battering displayed on them and followed by Hitoshi shortly thereafter. He twirled his arm about to charge up a haymaker and let out an audible ora as his fist connected with the face of one of the goons at full force, sending them flying back onto the ground. Now the full brunt of his high was kicking in and he quickly turned attention to two others nearby as they prepared to counterattack, but quickly slid downwards and began to twirl around using his shoulders as momentum with a windmill breakdance. He couldn’t help but let out a cheer as his feet connected with a series of kicks towards the goons around him in rapid succession, knocking them all down and taking them out for the count.

Afterwards, Hitoshi would quickly stand up and place his hands behind his neck to massage it, clearly pleased with himself in the moment.

AriAriAbabwa QuirkyAngel BluEndings Chaos Gallant

Doctor Llamabean · Aug 12, 2022

NAKAZAJO CHIKAGE Ft. Yuudai

CS Link

SCENE:

Insufficient Details

LOCATION:

Lower Central District; Around the block from Mach Sling

PARTICIPANTS:

Chikage, Jaimme, Billie, Odessa, Yuudai

INSUFFICIENT DETAILS

“Captain!” One officer cried with worry as Chikage laid there embedded in the collapsed windshield of his personal cruiser. Firearms at the ready, useless as they were, she and a few other officers formed a barrier around his limp body to separate him from the woman in the green tracksuit who now had their attention. Help was on its way—that much they believed. It was only a matter of buying time.

However, the woman paid them no mind and pivoted on her heel to face the Serpent King, whom she regarded with utter glee. “Eeek! Mr. Beast, it’s really you!” She had a job, Sophira. That job being to convince Yuudai Fuse to agree to a meeting with her Boss, Quintus Alexandre.

Or… Perhaps that was actually Synchrony’s job and Sophira was just an aid. Either way, lucky me! I found him first!

“Say,” Sophira stuck a finger to her chin, “Would you mind telling me your life story!”

A different officer this time. “Captain Nakazajo! Are you okay!?”

Physically, of course. Hardly a scratch.

“Captain, do you hear me!?”

Loud and clear.

”Heh. Little lady, I like your style. Stick around while I devour these little piggies and I’ll tell you whatever story you wanna hear.” The Serpent King flexed his fingers that at once were claws. ”Hey, Piggy Piggy. Wake up. I got a hot date waiting.”

The King snarled at the ring of cops defending their Captain. One swipe would be all it took. He let his claws elongate.

Delicate shades of pink and green cascaded Chikage’s mind then, and, beautifully, they rippled in shimmering waves—a duo-colored sea dappled with flowers of an endless variety. Laying there still, he clung profoundly to that image, awash with calm as his heartbeat fell in synch with each ripple.

Willing himself, at long last, to get the hell up, the car creaked and groaned as he pried his form from its caved clutches, bits and pieces of glass sprinkling off him with glittering reflections of light.

“Courage and strength are wasted on the likes of you.”

The surrounding officers stepped aside to allow Chikage through, keeping aim at the Serpent King and his allies despite their fear. Fear so deep it had settled in most of their bones that if even they wished to run, they could not, for their bodies would no longer obey.

This was a battle between gods.

“I wanna go home,” an officer mumbled, lip quivering.

Footsteps approaching, Chikage’s attention was caught, and he glanced aside to see Oliver Lawless approaching the scene, swinging his metal bat against the pavement as he did. Grating as the sound was, Chikage was relieved to see him. Whack!... Whack!....

Then it stopped once Oliver was within talking distance.

“Ay-yuh, wus ‘appenin’? Baws, ya car ain’t lookin’ too good, yuh. Should prolly. Getta. Checked.” Chewing his gum, lips smacking, Oliver took glance at Yuudai across the street, spotting also Odessa and the orange-haired woman in the green track-suit, and he hummed amusedly.

“Officers!” Chikage’s voice was loud. “Run a final perimeter check! Sixteen east-west! Eight north-south! Get it done!”

Sophira Wise clapped with excitement at the rising tension and laughed. “Best. Day. Everrrrr!!”

“Lawless.”

Oliver tipped his glasses and looked to Chikage. “Yuh?”

“It’s us against them. Don’t lose.” With that and a scoff from Oliver, Chikage narrowed his sights on Yuudai. With steady breaths, he counted down from five, readying to charge.

… 3, 2, 1. Crash.

He was a lion. He was a crocodile. He was a bear. The animal kingdom lurked beneath his skin. It was finally time to let the Beast loose.

The ground trembled under the weight of their collision. Yuudai, his fist a claw, boxed Chikage across the face.

Chikage took the hit but it would not be his fall. He followed up, a brutal uppercut straight for the beast’s chin, and the trading began. Back and forth, two monsters locked in battle, taken hostage by the moment, that which was fashioned by a cruel and uncaring world.

They battled up and down that once-bustling, now all-but-abandoned street. Finally..! This was what life was all about! A scaled-tail tore through the flesh of his backside as Yuudai whirled, catching the Police Captain in the flank with all the force of a steam-engine train barreling down its tracks.

A screeching halt to regain composure, ruby-red eyes scanned the surroundings erratically, mere seconds to think before the Serpent King was on him again with a leap. As he descended, reared back to strike—a blow enough to flick the head right off an NP—Chikage reached aside and plucked from the concrete a lamppost, which he then used to swat the beast out of the air. With a crunch, the lamppost crumbled and Chikage wasted no time discarding it as he chased after Yuudai, who caught himself on all fours and dug his claws into the pavement to slow his momentum. Long, craggy lacerations were left in his wake. Snarling something enraged and amused, Yuudai charged back and, again, they clashed like two worlds colliding.

Locked hand in hand, they grappled. Tearing, grabbing, and tumbling…

Yuudai rolled atop of Chikage and bore down on him with crushing weight. But Chikage fought back and, for a moment, they were at a standstill, both eager to see who would fold first. A silly arm-wrestle.

Something inside of Chikage wavered then, however… A tint of red stained the precious pink-and-green image that was his serenity, and the edges of his vision darkened.

Dread. The result of his ever-worsening burden. Crippling anxiety that, should everything go dark, he’ll not wake again.

No. He begged; desperate.

A faltering composure. Pathetic. Yuudai saw it, and with it he saw opportunity.

The reptilian tail that whipped back and forth from the Beast’s backside moved with purpose now, but by the time Chikage could notice, the scaly appendage was three inches deep in his ribs, threshing hungrily as diabolic, gurgling laughter from Yuudai mixed with pained, volcanic bellowing from Chikage.

Growing ever darker, his vision shook violently.

Amidst the pain spreading like fire throughout his mind, he summoned an ounce of resolve and used it to muster strength; power. And since it was Chikage, he knew he’d only get stronger by the aching minute, as were the effects of his potential.

Just then, no longer a scream as much as a long, savage growl, Yuudai felt the odds turn against him as Chikage’s grip tightened, and an increasing force lifted him up.

Everything felt still, then, despite the continued struggle.

Then, all at once, the Serpent King was flung weightlessly into the air where he flipped and twisted, pre-calculating his footing. Before he even reached the ground, however, a projectile Honda Accord spiraled savagely toward him.

Yuudai shook his head and turned, eyes reflecting the grill of the midsize sedan growing alarmingly larger with each passing millisecond until it had filled his vision. Crunch! The crumpled car, now more a twisted hunk of metal and plastic than anything, settled precariously in the spot where Yuudai had been. For a moment, the air was still. Yuudai slowly regained consciousness, eyes open, though no light reached them through the wreckage of the car-turned-projectile. He smiled with a mouth full of blood. Who did this piggy think he was?

He was the King of Beasts. He was an Apex Predator… He was YUUDAI.

The ground rumbled as the ruinous remains of the car were tossed aside, revealing the scaled, massive form of a creature long-since thought dead. Its hide was like armor, its teeth and claws like swords, its maw large enough to snap a grown man up in one bite.

The creature rose up on its massive hind legs. Reptilian eyes scanned its surroundings before landing on the source of its malice. Staring down Chikage where he stood, the monster that was Yuudai reared up to its full height, and roared. (Collab with:

Elenion Aura )

CHIKAGE NOTES: — —The majority of the front, right half of Chikage's body is badly scarred from burns, stopping halfway up his neck. The skin is distorted and unpleasant to look at. For this reason, he wears a black, leather glove always covering his right hand, and usually wears long-sleeved, concealing clothes. Reference (X)

— —In this specific scene, Chikage is wearing his officer's uniform.

— —SCENE DESCRIPTION: An intense showdown between the Central District Police Captain, Nakazajo Chikage, and the Serpent King, Yuudai Fuse!

SilverFlight · Aug 12, 2022

Hou

SCENE:

Dragons Arc 2: Scene 1 [The Child]

LOCATION:

Rooftops, The Markets, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Dyne, Ra, Shiri, Hou, Ruriko

THE CHILD

The club came hurtling towards Hou, aimed at turning his handsome face into jelly. Though the goon certainly had the muscle behind the swing, it was slow, or at least, it was slow for Sun Wukong. Hou shifted his own density and suddenly, he was moving faster. He bent backwards and limbo-ed his way out from under the club's arc.
The weapon shattered the concrete at Hou's feet. He looked up, wearing a murderous grin. "My turn."
"Oi! Keep the ogre alive!"
It was the pony-tail dragon.
"Wait, you mean this one?" Hou leaned out from behind his opponent so he could meet Ruriko's eyes, pointing at the massive guy with the tip of his staff.
"Yes ma'am!"
The ogreish man collected himself and aimed a punch at Hou's gut. He sidestepped with little effort and his fist found the side of the ogre's head with a significant but controlled force. It was meant to knock out an HP.
Hou shook out his fist once it was done. "You know, if I couldn't control the density of my skin that would have hurt like a mother f- Oh right, the kid."

The cage lay where it had fallen, back to its normal state once Hou had broken contact with it. He grasped the lock and, using his power, twisted it clean off.
The door to the cage fell open with a loud clunk onto the broken street...
"What the heck? Where is he?"

The cage was empty. It was as if the boy had never been there at all.
"Uh, we all saw him go in there right?" Hou looked to his new friends/rivals and shrugged.
"So...kid's got wings, eats like a small bear aaaand maybe can disappear?"
Once that theory was said out loud Hou began looking under cars and inside trash cans, calling for the boy to reappear.
"What the heck's the deal with this kid anyway? Why're these weirdos so hell-bent on getting him?"

Damafaud

@The Prophet

The One Eyed Bandit

@Beann

AriAriAbabwa · Aug 12, 2022

THE KNAVE

SCENE:

Tiger Arc 2: Scene 3 [Happily Ever After]

LOCATION:

Central District, Mall, Southeast Exit

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Hitoshi

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

"BOOM, clap!" A powerful shock wave burst from his clapped hands, sending the interior of the small store into total disarray. The employees' bodies flung around with the rest of the clutter toward the back. "The sound of my heart, the beat goes on and on and on and on and,"

Knave looked towards the wall. "BOOM, clap!" Another clap, and the wall crumbled over from the coming shock wave, going into the neighboring store. "You make me feel good, come on to me, come on to me now!"

As he ransacked the place, bobbing his head to the rhythm of song, he left his group of White Rabbits to move further ahead by themselves. The mission was simple: kidnap a girl and blast through a mall. Why not do some "shopping" while at it?

But this cakewalk of a mission faced the same old issue that never ceased to pop up: HPs playing hero. He only learned about the trouble when one of the NP White Rabbits ran into the store and shook Knave's shoulder, forcing him to take one earbud out. He sighed—more amused and lax than concerned. "Don't worry about a thing, that's what I'm here for!" Still bobbing to the music, Knave left the store where up ahead were the two troublemakers.

Unlike the others, Knave did not bother with a mask; he saw no point in hiding himself considering his status as an HP. As he neared the duo, he began applauding (though not actually touching his hands together) as he stepped over the bodies of civilians and unconscious White Rabbits. "Well, shit, we got some real knights in shining armor on our hands, don't we?" One cute blue-haired girl and a funky-looking older man, today, it seemed.

He reached into his pocket, raising the volume of music from his phone. "Consider yourselves lucky, for you have the honor of meeting the Knave!" He theatrically bowed, much to the discontent of the remaining robbers only now catching up from behind. "And the Knave cares not for wannabe heroes!" He raised his foot into the air, slamming it into the ground with a loud crash. In an expanding cone area, a shock wave traveled forward, ripping through the furnishings and the mall interior—barreling towards Charlie and Hitoshi.

In moments, the halls ripped apart with debris in the path—and if the unconscious White Rabbits weren't dead, they definitely were now after being tossed around like ragdolls, much to the living ones' unseen horror. Though Knave didn't see where either of them went, they weren't in his sight anymore. To him, that was good enough. Knave turned to his troop. "Chop chop, people! Alice should be further ahead if the Hat guy's any reliable!"

Roda the Red

joshuadim

Lucem · Aug 12, 2022

Ashley Hart

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 2: Scene 1 [The Recruit]

LOCATION:

Alleyways, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Ashley, Boltius, Darren, Hector

THE RECRUIT

After knocking his opponent out cold, Ashley thought he wouldn't be hearing anymore annoying laughter. However, even with the mouthy woman laid out at his feet, cackling still filled the alley. When he turned around, he saw Bolt and Darren acting like they'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. Neither of them was standing, now left holding their sides as they kissed the pavement. What happened while his back was turned?

From what he could see, Hector was the only one not busting a gut. Well, him and the remaining Tiger. As Ashley watched their fight, he noticed that the woman was wearing some kind of mask. What did she need that for? Was there something in the air? That would explain why the others were losing their minds.

While he knew Hector probably wouldn't be too happy about someone intruding on his battle, Ashley didn't want to stick around the alley for much longer. YY and the others were still out there, and the giant iceberg that popped up out of nowhere wasn't a good sign. If he wanted to get things moving, he was gonna have to step in and give the Ace a hand. Unfortunately, another distraction pulled up to the scene before he could take a single step.

Hearing tires screech behind him, he turned to see two of the SUVs from earlier stop just outside the alley. A dozen Tigers flooded the narrow area, blocking the exit. At the front of the herd was a guy who clearly didn't think much of them, casually approaching without hesitation. Just like the unconscious woman he kicked, the first thing Ponytail did was start yapping. Did all Tigers have a problem keeping their mouths shut? Having to listen to the string of metaphors was worse than getting burned. We fucking get it. We're birds.

While hoping that the Tiger would choke on his silver spoon, Ashley eyed the gaudy revolver aimed at him. That was another annoying thing about this guy. While part of it had to do with his inability to fight at range, he just hated guns in general. They were weapons for cowards. If you wanted to hurt someone, it was better to put your ass on the line and do it yourself instead of hiding behind something like that.

At first, Ashley didn't think anything of the revolver. A bullet that small wasn't a threat to him or any other HP. However, when the gun began to glow, he realized that the bullet itself wasn't the danger. He moved to dodge, but by that time, the blond had already squeezed the trigger.

The bullet hit its target, piercing Ashley's helmet with ease. As it sped out the other end, it forced his head to snap back. If he made any sound at all, it couldn't be heard over the gunshot and the chaos behind him. He just stood there, remaining motionless as black plastic fell from his face.

"Bastard..." After a moment, he finally broke his silence, his words accompanied by a low growl. Snapping forward, he revealed his face to the crowd of cats. The crimson glow around his teal eyes intensified as he stared at them through the crack in his visor. Once again, he felt the rush that accompanied his Potential's activation.

He was quick enough to avoid taking a bullet to the brain, but he still took the hit. He felt the stinging sensation in his cheek and the warmth of his blood dripping down his neck. It probably wasn't a pretty sight, but it'd be healed up by the time he could actually get a look at it. Compared to the real damage that gun did, the wound was nothing.

"I really liked that helmet!" With a rage-fueled grin stretched across his face, Ashley let out another roar. Despite just getting shot, his helmet was the only thing he cared about. If he was lucky, there'd be enough cash on the Tigers to get it fixed. If not, he'd just have to settle for beating them into the ground. One way or another, they were gonna pay for this.

Right as he was about to charge in and get revenge for his helmet, Ashley saw an inferno blaze down the alley and crash into the herd of enemies. It didn't take much to figure out who was responsible for that. It was good to see Bolt and Darren finally getting into the action. Their laughter had stopped, but he could still hear the woman in the back losing her shit. Tigers really never shut up.

"That's more like it! Go all out!" With Darren and Hector both at a safe distance, the only one who could get caught up in Bolt's storm was him. Getting cooked wasn't a very pleasant experience, but they wouldn't have to worry about friendly fire like this. Citrus could turn up the heat as much as he wanted.

Following his fellow Phoenix's lead, Ashley rushed at the remaining Tiger. Even faster than he was before, he closed the gap between him and the gunman, fist positioned to deliver another punch to the face. Although, instead of following through with the same treatment he gave his last opponent, he changed things up at the last second. With enhanced speed, he suddenly crouched and went in for an uppercut, aiming at the jaw.

“TWO MILLION!”

The Tiger got another shot off before his Phoenix opponent closed the distance. Before the Phoenix’s fist slammed into his chin with enough force to lift him off of his feet. Toga’s eyes went glassy, the shock of the hit scrambling his thoughts temporarily. As he floated there, a small sound escaped his lips, a whisper, “Ten million.”

After a pause measured in the beating of his heart, a tiny voice spoke inside of his mind. It answered, “… Cha-Ching! Deposit received. Thank you for your Patronage!”

Money was power. And the Tigers had money to burn.

Before his feet once again found solid ground, Toga unleashed a vicious return hook toward Ashley’s head.

Despite taking another bullet at point-blank range, Ashley didn't falter. His grin only grew wider as the airborne Tiger threw a punch of his own. Now that the guy finally had the balls to ditch the gun, it had turned into a real fight.

Instead of trying to dodge the incoming attack, he dug his heels into the ground and took it head-on. The outer shell of his already damaged helmet was easily shattered by the impact, causing it to burst into a shower of plastic. With nothing left to protect him, Ashley felt the pricey punch collide with his face, knuckles digging right into the spot where he was missing a chunk of his cheek. He didn't know if the cracking sound in his ears came from the helmet or his jaw, but he didn't really care. It was his turn now.

Seemingly unfazed by the pain, he grabbed the Tiger's wrist before it could pull away. Squeezing as hard as he could, he kicked off the ground, leaving two small craters where his feet used to be. The red in his eyes glowed as bright as the nearby fire as he charged like a rampaging beast. Going in for a tackle, he joined his opponent in the air and spit out all the blood that'd been pooling in his mouth, aiming right for the guy's face. The rest of his strength went into his free hand as he directed another punch at Toga's body, planning to use enough force to bury him in the concrete.

Crunch.

Toga’s body inverted, folding like a cheap suit as Ashley’s fist stoved in his middle, driving the Tiger into the dirt. The Phoenix Hunter let out a strangled gasp as all the air in his lungs was forcefully expelled, along with a fresh mist of blood that had welled up in his mouth… But he was not dead yet. Scrambling with the desperation of a wounded beast, Toga kicked out from underneath Ashley and the hole he’d tried to bury him in. Staggering to his feet, he retreated toward his contingent of Tigers, who’d succeeded temporarily in beating back Darren and Boltius’ combined assault.

Toga’s face, contorted with rage, spat savagely at the now fully un-helmeted Phoenix, whose face he still did not recognize. “Who are you?!” He demanded of this no-named nobody who dared to sully his suit, as if that were all he’d done… He didn’t wait for the Phoenix to respond, though, as his eyes had spied something much more interesting: a cloud of red mist emerging from his on-and-off paramour. Toga knew what followed, and so did his entourage behind him.

He took a deep breath and held it, not so much as flinching when the Phoenix Ace tore out his lover’s throat. He had plenty more.

Doctor Llamabean

WhiskeyMarten

The One Eyed Bandit · Aug 13, 2022

ANNA GARDENER

CS Link

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 2: Scene 3 [Matter of the Dragon's Heart]

LOCATION:

Platinum Rabbit Lobby, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Anna, Tri, Yuto, Kisara, Bash, Celestine, Meirin, Reveler, Dante, Peyton

Matter of The Dragon's Heart

Anna crashed into the floor with a dull thud, just to the side of the stabbing woman. Her body, well used to the sensation, hardly blinked at the impact, especially when it was distracted as it was by the deep, hot-red wound in her leg. Her opponent had tugged her blade from her leg as they'd fallen, and her blood was now pouring freely from the open wound. Anna gritted her teeth. That was bad.

She kicked back as Reveler rolled out from under her, scuttling across the floor in a haphazard scramble. Tap-tap-tap, her palms went as she fled her opponent, her Potential infecting the floor as she went. She made a final push, sending a final rush of her Potential's energy into the ground, sending both herself and Reveler plunging into a pit of liquid carpet and foundations as she collapsed upon her. Anna's wound poured freely into the sludge, but she was still the prepared one here. She dropped to the bottom of the liquified pit, and kicked back up to the surface, pushing the other woman aside as she went.

Her wound screamed at her, polluted with a concoction of construction supplies that was probably better left unknown, but now was not the time for any part of her body to be protesting. She threw herself from the pit, and the moment she was free of it, dispelled the effects of her Potential. The pit first turned muddy, and then solid, freezing the woman in a cage of concrete and carpet.

She hoped.

Interacted with:

Mqueserasera
Relevant to:

/border]

QuirkyAngel · Aug 13, 2022

Elias Yumin

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 2: Scene 3 [Happily Ever After]

LOCATION:

Shopping Mall - Empty Kiosk, Upper Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Alice, Elias, Jack, Charmy, Hitoshi, Charlie

Happily Ever After

Brought her.

Looking up from his phone, Elias straightened and smiled as Alice neared, accompanied by two members of mall security and Ronald. “Alice!” He might’ve said more if not the voice that interrupted them. Mr. Hat appeared at the other end of the kiosk and Alice immediately ran to her Tiger caretaker. Former Tiger? The guy that tried to run away with her? Little details that hardly mattered at this point as he watched Alice interact with her bodyguard. It was plainly obvious who she trusted more.

If Elias was surprised by Janay’s appearance, he didn’t show it. He simply tilted his head and listened while Janay took the meeting on behalf of his sister, his eyes traveling down to the offered hand. Elias took it, not because he trusted Janay, but because he didn’t. His potential did not read intentions. However, by browsing through Janay’s past memories, he was able confirm everything Mr. Hat said about the White Rabbits.

He saw Janay’s excursion to Lower Central, his interactions with ‘old friends’, his journey with Alice, and all the events that Janay had witnessed, leading up to them being at the kiosk–including Alice’s friendship with a boy called Jackson as well as Charlie, from the Scarlet Phoenix gang and the White Rabbits blocking the exits. Through it all, Elias confirmed two things: Mr. Hat really did have Alice’s best intentions at heart and the White Rabbits weren’t very good people at all. Not that the Tigers were any better, mind you, but they were more likely to be kinder to Alice at least…

Then again, what was kindness really?

“Whether or not Alice remembers this whole ordeal can be decided later…” He had intended to unveil the truth to Alice (slowly), give her the choice to decide, then back off if she resolved to leave the gang she had known all her life. It really wasn’t his cup of tea to keep a girl captive against her will–least of all a Veteran Tiger, which delved more into intergang politics. Elias still hadn’t picked a side yet.

Markus’s side.

Lucy’s side.

Brandy’s side.

Dante’s side.

Ronald’s side.

There were so many facets and intricacies within the Albino Tiger gang, varying opinions, that it was a wonder the gang remained united at all. But it did. United by money, or at the very least, a strange sort of understanding, that made the Albino Tigers a powerhouse gang in the West District. Elias had joined out of curiosity. There were other benefits as well of course, including connections with the wealthy underhanded, corrupted assistance in a competitive market, etc…but for Elias, he’d been mostly bored when he paid the ‘membership fees’. He wanted to observe something interesting.

“For now, I’ll agree to your proposal Mr. Hat. If you truly desire to make amends with the Tigers it can be done,” Elias winked. “I’ll just tell him I erased and altered your memories so you are firmly on his side. The Cold King doesn’t trust me, but he trusts my potential.”

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have pulled a random rookie in to look for information involving some sort of Tiger Claw artifact. Elias played along because he wanted to see the outcome of Markus Weiss’s plans. Was some random stolen trinket that Weiss just wanted back? Or was there more to it? Given all he’d observed of the Albino Tiger’s current king, Elias believed it to be the latter. But of course, Markus trusted no one, so who could say?

It took more than money to inspire loyalty, but Elias couldn’t say Weiss didn’t have a certain charisma about him despite his standoffish personality. It was a different kind than the one Alice and Passeri exuded; A strong determination that made others want to look his way and see how far he was willing to push for his plans. Like watching a dog chase after a bone, really.

Elias kept his grip on Mr. Hat’s hand. “So make us invisible, please. I also want to avoid all this hassle.”

Elias didn’t entirely trust that Mr. Hat wouldn’t scurry Alice away provided the first opportunity, but he also knew that, in this position, he could’ve started wiping Janay’s memories at any time. Trust was earned with trust. As someone who’d grown up rich and spoiled all his life, who could read the memories of those around him, he knew money couldn’t actually buy trust. It bought fake trust. Fake friends. Elias thought he was perfectly fine living in a fake world, as that was how society ran itself, how it functioned, but maybe a small part of him wanted something of greater value.

A girl from a long time ago had inspired that in him.

Either way, Elias wasn’t deaf. He could hear all the screams from innocent civilians as they scrambled to get to safety. Hear the gunshots and fighting as the White Rabbits invaded the mall to retrieve Alice. Elias could fight, if he had to, but compared to other combat-oriented HPs, Elias wasn’t much of a fighter. Sneaking off on his own with Alice was a little awkward given the party he’d arrived with, but hopefully Ms Fortune, with her eyes closed, would just randomly bump into them or something. That’s what luck was all about, right?

“You guys didn’t forget about me, right?” Hands on his hips, Ronald scowled next to the two mall security officers.

The Regal Rper · Aug 13, 2022

Dante (OG) | East | Platinum Rabbit

Dante smiled, Peyton's reaction to the realization of just how much he had revealed was cute in its own way. He had no intent of using the information he had against him, but it was still information that was good to know for the future.

"My impression of the Serpents?" He parroted the question with a thoughtful expression. "I would say they seem more like the unruly bunch of misfits if you ask me. It's a wonder from what I've heard, how that gang doesn't face constant internal conflict on its own." Then again he didn't need to explain why he thought that way. It was how he had used to think of the situation before he got a better understanding of how each gang functioned in its own district thanks to his uncle's help and the help of their contacts. The Serpents were unruly, true, but it wasn't because they were just criminals- they all were technically by the eyes of Amestria's government or any sensible government for that matter. It was because they had the numbers to do what they wanted and no one to challenge them in the time since the gang had been founded, the only thing piecing them together was their unified ideology on freedom and the leaders of their cliques that kept everyone else all in line.

Factor in the fact most people that became Serpents were people that were running away from an abusive home, adrenaline junkies, naturally inclined towards violence or their own personal interests to the demerit of everyone else- and the Serpents were basically just a club for bullies playing leader, victims, sociopaths, and the traumatized channeling their goals into unhealthy outposts.

Peyton had not struck him as falling as under any of the categories, but hedonism also fell into the Serpent mindset, just like it did for the Phoenixes.

So did it entirely surprise him to hear that Peyton had been an experiment of Tri's? Not really. He had met the 'good' doctor in the bars in North more than a few times. He knew the man was quirky. Anyone that participated in the kidnapping of others was bound to be quirky in a unique kind of way. And though he liked Tri to a very minor degree for that quirkiness, he did not like him on a personal level.

"Joinin' them though" he chuckled, "fraid I'd have ta pass on that one. Ain't quite my cup of tea." Dante replied with a small smile through the lie.

He already did enough dirty work for the Tigers, he had no interest in being made to participate in the kidnappings of innocents for whatever twisted experiments the Serpents conducted with their abducted. His siblings would never forgive him for that- even if the odds did justify the means. There were specific lines, he had to avoid crossing.

At least until it became impossible to avoid crossing them. He hoped it wouldn't have to come to that though.

"I'm glad they let you in." Dante said suddenly. "It's good to see there are signs of decent people in this hell hole of a city." Dante stated with a genuine touch of warmth in his voice as his violet eyes looked over at Peyton. "I doubt the Serpents would be allowing me to stay in their establishment like you guys allow me- then again, I doubt they have places as swanky as this."

"I haven't been to the North much, but the things I've heard there..." he frowned, it was genuine, "always make that place seem almost uninhabitable. I guess for the people that joined the Serpents its more about holding on to what they can control, than what they can't. I guess that's why anyone joins these gangs." He said, sounding almost sad.

Not like he didn't understand what it was like living a life where nothing really felt like you had control in what went on around you.

Didn't mean it didn't irritate the hell out of him that Celestine had decided to join the very same gang he had been spending his entirety of their high school life together, cleaning up after. To say he hadn't been slightly irritated at her for quite some time, even now, with this recent situation, when he found out that she had joined them despite the sort of things they did- that he knew they did, should have been enough to make him cut ties with her completely.

Yet, he hadn't. Had he been younger, perhaps he would have. After all- her mind was prone to forgetting things quickly given enough time and the right circumstance. If she forgot about him entirely- erasing their friendship out of existence would be easy. Though he couldn't. And part of that was because he'd grown too attached to her- which only made it that much more important to hide things. Despite wanting to hold the strings to every relationship he had in this damned city, there were some things about his own emotions he couldn't control.

Emotions were fickle. He understood why Markus kept everyone at bay the way he did. Of that, they had an understanding completely.

As his thoughts wandered so did his eyes, and that was when he finally noticed the hole in the wall a distance away.

Eyes widening Dante rose, tongue forming the circle and his body changing into Callan's already. Just as Mei herself entered

Mentions:

angel doe

Interactions:

Fantasy - Four Heavenly Kings: CS Thread

Coyote Hart

Damafaud (Tri)

The One Eyed Bandit (Anna)

Vahn · Aug 13, 2022

Omar Ayad.

CS Link

SCENE:

Dragons Arc 2: Scene 2 [A Brief Meditation]

LOCATION:

白春花茶莊,East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Shen, Kairong, Hadrien and Omar

A Brief Meditation

Omar wanted to say more but he could only remember the teachings of his parents and Faa Yun came to mind. The words that Omar remembered were like a memory. "Offer facts not advice. No one needs to hear advice from a tool. Always wear a mask even to your friends and allies."
As these words echoed through his head; he remember one more saying that it is not his place to say anything more. Omar fixed the collar of his own shirt and removes a speck of dust. Once done; Omar looked towards the street and wonders if there was more he could do before staring at the on-goings of the people passing Mister Kairong's tea shop as he noticed something odd. Was that a police officer on patrol? Was that one of their unmarked cars parked a few feet away? Omar wondered if he is paranoid but well better safe than sorry as Omar turned around and said to Shen Yue and Elder Lin Kairong a statement Omar knew they wouldn't find strange "The book shop offers its humble gift to the young master. I shall take my leave until next month farewell. "

Omar would begin his walk back to his humble bookshop as he got the time to drop of his supplies before he would need to do his next chore which might involve a visit to the junkyard and eventually the Eternal Night Palace. Omar had a suspicion that maybe the child that appeared from nowhere is worse than a real life ticking time bomb so Omar does what Omar does in a situation like this. Omar tries to get as far away as quickly as possible before the situation explodes.

simj26
@Slav

QuirkyAngel · Aug 13, 2022

Meirin Azuza

SCENE:

Serpent/Tiger Arc 2: Scene 2 [Matter of the Dragon's Heart]

LOCATION:

Platinum Rabbit, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Dante, Reveler, Peyton, Meirin, Tri, Anna, Kisara, Yuto, Bash

Matter of The Dragon's Heart

Legs folded, Meirin sat on the floor and watched as Jun tried to soothe the owner of the Platinum Rabbit who was crying about his stolen rock…after turning off the alarm which was starting to grow annoying. It wasn’t hard to guess what had happened given the broken door and all. The cameras in the chief’s office had given away the identity of the thieves as well: ‘The plunderer of the priceless, the pilferer of prizes, Prinz Gyoushi!’ and Taipan from the Sable Serpents.

Meirin tsked. She had just missed them. If not for Roxie, who she’d been carrying to safety, she might’ve chased them down the laundry chute, if only to see what they were up to; Stealing a jewel from one of their treasuries, apparently.

The owner of the brothel couldn’t exactly go to the police–given the establishment he ran–which is why it was the Dragon’s responsibility, in Meirin’s mind, to mete out justice. The police were pretty much useless anyway–pushing paper and going through loops after loops to get a criminal legally arrested only to release them once some rich dude paid the bail. Or bribed them. Dragon punishment was much swifter. Cleaner.

The East District remained peaceful so long as the Azure Dragon gang ran it.

Sure, sometimes things got a little loud, sometimes accidents happened, and there were oddballs like Reveler around that could get a little chaotic at times, but such things were regular consequences when dealing with HPs. That was simply the world they lived in. Meirin had grown up in the East District. She’d been taught, by the orphanage Matron, as well as Jun, to be fearful of the Azure Dragon gang. To avoid getting noticed by them. However, after receiving her invitation into the gang, she saw things from a different side.

Jun had been sold to them–or rather one of their brothels–but she admitted to being happier where she was than with Wei Wuxian. They punished the offender. Money didn’t matter to them as much as it did Albino Tiger gang for example, or even the crooked society they lived in . It mattered, of course, because it was necessary currency for trade, and Meirin wasn’t stupid enough to think it wasn’t needed in a peaceful society, but to her there were other, more important things–like honor.

The pretty rock the Serpents took, to Meirin, was just that–a pretty rock; It was worth a lot because people decided such. However, that wasn’t the problem. The problem was that the members of the Sable Serpent gang had stolen it from its rightful owner. If peace was to be kept, thievery mustn’t be a thing. Their reputation, as the prominent gang in the East District, was at stake as well after the Cobalt Wolf debacle. Fear wouldn’t keep HPs and other chaos mongers from running rampant if they let things slide too easily.

Such was the nature of humanity.

Yet, too harsh and they incited rebellion. Meirin wasn’t too good at thinking about such things. That was why she’d rather leave it to the leaders. Meirin wasn’t a leader. She just wanted to live a simple life with her sister…and help the friends she made in Eternal Night Palace, which she inherited from her Dragon father. Yet their lives were both intricately tied to the Azure Dragon Gang, bound by honor.

“I can go after them,” Meirin offered as she prodded Roxie, tied to a chair, who seemed to be suffering…withdrawal symptoms?…from the very strong aphrodisiac. The woman leaned into her touch.

“The safety of the workers here should be our priority,” Jun said firmly before sighing and speaking to the Plat Rabbit's owner. “This is what happens when gangs get involved. I advise you to follow Eternal Night Palace’s procedure when something like this happens and close the brothel for the day. We may lose a day of earnings, but it’s better than losing lives. Clients won’t be coming in anyway.”

Meirin nodded, wondering if Jun regretted calling her–the Dragons–for assistance. “I’ll stop the fighting.”

The hard way if necessary. Glancing out the window from the owner’s office, she saw Peyton make their way back into the Platinum Rabbit with someone she didn’t recognize. He looked like one of Callan’s illusions, in fact. She couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but both of them looked fairly beat up. “Stay with Long and lock the door, Jun.”

Er…broken door. Meirin’s face heated.

Long nodded solemnly, not seeming to mind Meirin’s mistake in phrasing, pushed up his glasses and and created a barrier of light to surround Jun, the brothel owner, and Roxie. “Please be careful, Miss Mei.”

“It’ll be fine. I’m a Dragon, after all~” Winking, Meirin stood and stretched her legs before dashing back down the steps in typical HP breakneck pace. As tempted as she was to just jump out of the window and grow giant, she knew the collateral damage her large form could do…and randomly smashing the ground to try and ferret out the thieves, who she guessed to be near the basement laundry room, wasn’t the best idea. No point adding to the rumbling that was already going on. At worst, it de-stabilized the entire structure and sent the Platinum Rabbit crashing down. Meirin wasn’t the smartest, but she knew the building to be worth more than the jewel. Probably.

At the very least, the lives of innocents were worth more than a rock by her book.

She hadn't even made it back into the lobby yet, when she saw, from atop stairs, the stranger transform back into Callan. Was it one of his illusions? Another potential of his? Meirin didn’t know and it didn’t matter. They'd driven the Serpents out and seemed to be breathing. That was the important thing.

She called to the people below her. “Ya'll look like you've been through the wringer! We can talk about what the Snakes were doing here later. Have any of you seen Rev–,”

There was a melted hole in the wall adjacent to her. Eyebrows raised, Meirin jumped through it, landing on the other side of the lobby, further away from where Peyton and Cal rested, where an injured Velvet Meadow stood. She didn’t see the fight, but she could guess what happened.

Meirin cracked her knuckles, her tone turning dark. “Where. Is. Reveler?”

The blonde might be a little crazy, but she was still an Azure Dragon. Meirin had talked to the woman who often snuck around Eternal Night Palace to…do research? They were friends. She even admired Reveler to some degree. Not all degrees, mind you, but still. She knew Reveler longer than she knew Velvet Meadow...who...by all accounts...seemed to be liar.

The One Eyed Bandit

The Regal Rper

Coyote Hart
(Mentions:

simj26

Nobody Special )

Damafaud · Aug 14, 2022

TRI

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 2: Scene 2 [Matter the Dragon's Heart]

LOCATION:

Entrance to Platinum Rabbit, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Anna, Tri, Yuto, Kisara, Bash, Meirin, Reveler, Peyton, Dante

WEAPON:

Lovemaker 3000, Stick

Matter of the Dragon's Heart

<<< Previous Post

Tri was in a taxi that was speeding away. Tri tapped the driver's shoulder. "Turn back."

The driver gritted his teeth. "Sorry, Deacon. Boss' order. I have to bring you out of here."

Tri didn't like that order. Everything had happened so fast in the brothel he didn't even have time to take a selfie. He hadn't even used up the ammo for Lovemaker 3000. He pointed Lovemaker 3000 at the driver's head. "I need a selfie. Turn back."

The driver gritted his teeth. A lot of people got injured in this operation, and Tri was still thinking about selfie. Cold sweat ran down his back as he sat at the end of a muzzle. He had heard about what the gun could do. The infamous Lovemaker 3000. If he was shot from point-blank range-

A radiant explosion interrupted their scuffle. It was tense. Then, a gigantic figure landed right in front of them and it was horrifying. The driver let out a terrified screech as he swiveled to avoid Steve-Paul. Tri used the chance to shoot Lovemaker 3000 out of the window. Powerful physical HPs usually had similarly powerful resistance against drugs, so he didn't hope to stall Steve-Paul for long.

"Run," said Tri to the driver who needed to further prompting. If they were caught, he was probably the first one to die considering he was an NP.

---

"B-boss, emergency!"

""WHAT?!""

Paris and his assistant turned simultaneously. A goon, unfamiliar to them both, flinched at the entrance..

"I-it's the cop. They got him-"

"Impossible!" The assistant shrieked. "Deacon is on the taxi! He is safe!"

"Not Deacon, Boss, the King!"

"I have enough nonsense for a day."

BANG! The goon screamed in pain as a bullet penetrated her thigh. Paris looked on coldly before turning to the room. "The fucking idiot to spread useless gossip will receive a death kiss. Take her out. Demoted to test subject."

The room returned to work.

Interact:

The One Eyed Bandit
Mention:

simj26

QuirkyAngel

>> Next Post

The Regal Rper · Aug 14, 2022

Dante | East | Platinum Rabbit

He wasn't sure what to make of the sudden boom and then the disturbing way in which the stairs bubbled into liquid batter, sinking down into the ground, the wall that connected to those stairs adjacent to them, gaining a new door. Rising to his feet to take a look, Dante glanced curiously at Peyton- uncertain of what exactly was going on. No doubt it was the results of a fight but for something to happen so suddenly and no one to immediately come out... His tongue traced a circle under the roof of his mouth and just as he was about to transform, in came Mei- looking around for Reveler, at least till her eyes settled on him, then the unspoken question directed at Peyton.

To say he was glad he didn't need to explain anything when the Dragon covered for him, stating it was him, just in another form, was a bit of a relief. Saved by a Dragon, he should have been glad it wasn't someone more nosy. And was glad that Mei was so willing to accept certain things at face value without asking further questions. She moved on quickly, and that was a direct beeline towards the hole in the wall that had formed a short distance ahead in the entrance foyer they were all. While Mei went through the gaping hole in the wall and then disappeared out of sight, Dante turned his attention to Peyton, giving him a smile.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Honestly meaning every word. "I don't know if you're in a condition to fight but keep an eye out if you choose to stand guard here. I'll go in with her to make sure nothing bad happens."

As he entered through the massive hole that had formed in a large vertical line from the floor above that connected to the stairs, Dante touched the parts of what had once been part of the upper stairs and wall, looking up to see the floor above them. The heat from what had been melted though already solid and slightly sticky in some places, was still slightly warm. This wasn't normal fire, it had been heated up.

A potential associated to heat or thermodynamics.

His eyes narrowed. He searched his memories of the people they had seen here. Tri...Tri and that masked female...was it possible the masked girl was actually the same one he had met at Mach Sling?

"...."

If it was that masked gorilla girl from before that had basically brought the whole building down on them, he wasn't about to take any chances. She had been desperate enough to level a whole building, he wasn't about to doubt her decisiveness in doing it again if she felt like she was cornered and needed a way out. Even as he passed through the hole, falling after Meirin, he saw no sight of Reveler even with Anna in the minor pit she had created. It looked like he had no choice. He'd need to use Lancer. He had no idea if she could heat up Jasper's constructs, but he wasn't about to take the risk in finding out if she could. Anything his constructs touched he'd feel the feedback on some minor degree and if he was going to keep her contained, he needed a form that would be resistant to temperature like Lancer was. This wasn't exactly the thing he wanted to do- but it was better than having this whole place collapse on top of all the innocent people in the building, especially Meirin's sister.

With Meirin searching for Reveler, Anna on the move, Dante tapped his tongue on the roof of his mouth, tsking. "Should have ran away with Tri when you had the chance" He muttered in a cold tone. "Pushing me to do this was a mistake."

He was engulfed in light, and even as he was engulfed, he began rushing Anna like an angel of death from hell. Even as the light around his body flaked off into fragments and his form changed into a metal tincan, eyes burning brilliant blue mist as he charged her, Dante's steps did not clank like armor normally would. He parkoured, stepping onto the destroyed pieces of the metal wall and then leaped into the air, canonball flipping over Anna, and hitting the ground on his feet with a thud as he landed.

Without hesitation, as soon as he landed, even as his feet touched ground- Dante, Callan- or as Anna should know if she paid attention to anything happen in North's streets or had ever been to the South-- Lancer, took one step in her direction, blocking her path towards the exit and then despite his armored form, rushed Anna with a surprising burst of speed, in the same moment. He was on her in seconds, maybe even less, as chains materialized from nowhere into his hands he moved onto her- aiming to ensnare her in the metal in his hands. Yet even if she tried to fight him off, the metal in his hands did not yield to her power. It resisted, becoming colder, which would only make the sensation worse once he wrapped the links around her.

Mentions: n/a

Interactions:

Coyote Hart

Damafaud (Tri)

The One Eyed Bandit (Anna)

The One Eyed Bandit · Aug 15, 2022

Passeri Park

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 2: Scene 6 [All Proceeds]

LOCATION:

Cloudwalk Stadium, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Daemon, Sabrina, Dagger's Dogs, Fahru, Masker Concertgoer K, Minato

All Proceeds

Well, that was anti-climactic.

Passeri stood in a field of twisted iron and warped steel. It had been quite the display, and for a moment she'd even started to worry, but the mystery woman just didn't have it in her to stick the landing. That was something that she'd seen plenty of times in her line of work.

"Fahru, honey?" Passeri's voice was gentle and, at least she hoped, quite convincingly concerned. Her shoes clacked loudly against the stadium's metal roof, and then she was beside the girl, kneeling over her and their mystery woman. "Are you okay? I know HPs are tough and all, but..." She gestured to the carnage that the woman had left in her wake. "That looked like a pretty nasty shock."

From beneath them, up through the hole that she'd used as a thoroughfare, she could hear the stadium's electronics lurching back to life. The thrum of music had returned, and bright, sunny stadium lights had blinked back online. She didn't have much time left before people started questioning things. She gave a morose sigh, and then offered the younger girl a hand up. At the very least, she could spare her a hand to get back to her feet.

"But unfortunately, the show has to go on! You can take some time catching your breath, but after that, would you mind showing this nice lady out for us?" She paused for a moment, and then snapped her fingers, manifesting a pair of luminescent handcuffs which quickly clamped themselves around the woman's wrists. "Those'll go away on their own in a couple of hours. Just leave her somewhere safe until she wakes up. If she's willing, I'd like to chat when she does."

"Oh." Her expression turned serious, but not deadly-so. "And take another break after that. You get the rest of the day off, okay, dear?"

Interacted With:

QuirkyAngel
General:

simj26 @azenmannumber2 @Slav

Elenion Aura · Aug 15, 2022

SHEN YUE

SCENE:

Dragons Arc 2: Scene 2 [A Brief Meditation]

LOCATION:

白春花茶莊 → Platinum Rabbit, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Shen, Kairong, Hadrien, Omar, Dante

THE DRAGON AWAKENS

Shen listened to the fellow who'd popped in to Kairong's shop and let them know of what was happening in the district. He nodded to himself, then he nodded amiably to Kairong. Yes, he would help them!

“I will go to the Platinum Rabbit and when I'm done I'll look for Ru Ri! But if you beat me to it Mister Kairong, that's okay too.”

Without delay, Shen turned and exited the Tea Shop once again, all but oblivious to the fact that the Child had been baring his fangs at him all the while. Stepping back over the threshold, Shen wasted no time, the knowledge that his District was under siege was all the motivation he needed to get a move on. Shen was in the air almost immediately, soaring through the sky. He folded his arms neatly, comfortably above the small of his back as the metal that was—as always—around him, wrapped around his forearms, woven into the fabric his robes, permeating the very air around him, spirited him into the dreary, drizzling sky, even as the metallic particles kept him more-or-less dry... Though they did little to stop the rain from obscuring the King's vision of his district as it stretched out beneath him. Luckily he knew where the Platinum Rabbit was... More-or-less...

Not that one... Not that one... Shen zipped and hovered over one rooftop, then another, then another, getting as close as he needed to to determine if it was the rooftop that he was seeking. The roof of the Platinum Rabbit, where the enemies had dug their own graves. Almost... There!

Shen spied his quarry, the roof of the Platinum Rabbit from above, and began his descent. Hovering through a rather conspicuous opening in the wall, Shen past by individuals milling about here and there, including Peyton, without so much as a glance, as if he hadn't even registered the boy at all. Meirin was there, too. Shen was aware of her presence, even if he didn't look her in the eye. He might've said something to her, too, if time was not of the essence... If not for the curious sight that lay before him: an armored man was in the midst of attacking a defenseless... Woman? Man? Masked-person? The two of them battled—if one could call it that—through the ruins of a thoroughly destroyed Platinum Rabbit. This man must have been the disturbance—the Snake—that that boy in Kairong's shop had mentioned. That meant that the masked one, whoever they were, was the one in danger. A citizen of the East. Shen's responsibility.

Do not worry, masked person. I'm going to save you!

Unhooking his arms from the small of his back, Shen waved a lazy hand at the chain that the armored villain wielded, as if he were testing something. The result apparently pleased him.

Metal.

WIthout delay, Shen flexed his fingers and snapped each link of the chain at once with his mind. In the very next moment, the Dragon King rocketed his body through the gulf of space that existed between him and his enemy like a torpedo, aiming to tackle the intruder away from the masked person, before he dragged them through the wall of the brothel beyond and launched them into the air overhead.

After all, fighting was more fun if there was more space to move!

simj26
@Slav

Vahn

The Regal Rper · Aug 16, 2022

Dante VS Shen

Collab
Masked Tiger vs Dragon King

The chain snapped.

It caught him off guard.

One moment it had snapped, the next he felt an impact, then another as he was slammed into the wall. Dragged across it like a yo-yo pulling the 'dog walk' trick on ground, and then tossed straight into the air.

The only thing he got to see out of all of that before Anna faded entirely from his sight was who had momentarily knocked the wind out of him with that tackle.

Shen.

Despite the surprise, the Shit Dante thought, was more tame than it should have been.

As Shen cast him into the air- the Tiger had already begun maneuvering his body into a roll on the roof.

I should have left instead of staying to help.

Fighting Shen was the last thing he wanted to do, and right now, even as he landed into a roll and came up crouching, his Halberd popped into existence in the free hand, Dante, could not help but see the disadvantages in all of this.

He needed to use Jasper. There was no way he would win with Lancer.

Yet even with that thought, he was already moving. In his crouched stance, Dante rolled forward, and as he rose with the Halberd made of wood, engraved in strange shifting symbols, burned the same sickly green light that the symbols glowed. Imbued with the power of supernatural aura, the Tiger spinned the polearm around his body, catching it behind him in the crook of his arms. Sending a wave of pale green aura out in Shen's direction. Enough that it would at the very least act like a wall towards any projectiles he sent, while also acting as a blockade to push him back and obscure his view so he could think on his next action.

Shen hovered and watched as the armored man landed on a roof. He watched the halberd as it spun, producing a wave of… Energy? Before launching it Shen’s way. A barrier? A test! Shen would face it head-on. He took a moment to center himself, then dove toward the green wall before him as invisible metallic particles coated the air surrounding him. Like a battering ram, Shen punched through the green aura field and emerged out the other side, searching the rooftop with his eyes to find the armored man again.

Except, he wasn't. There was a hole in the roof, he, gone with the piece.

Shen blinked. Gone? Luckily it was obvious which way. Not wanting to give up the chase so soon—especially if an interesting fight lay at the end of it—Shen darted after the man. The chase was on!

He found himself, after dodging beams, a hallway. Though it was actually an empty closet. The door, torn open.

Two people, butt naked, wait no, there were two more under the bed, fearfully looked at the Dragon King and with wide eyes, wordlessly, pointed toward the hole in the wall that had been made next to the door.

Outside that room, a large corridor and two sets of stairs. One went down the other went up, but another hole in the wall made the choice that much easier of where to go.

Entering this room another couple- no extras this time. The two men pointed towards the wall to their right and there was yet another massive hole in that wall.

This time, Shen found something different.

In different directions: left, right, forward, there was a corridor and more rooms ahead. Yet interestingly, the signs of the armored man showed he had sliced a path going forward as a few occupants of a room or another poked their heads out and looked down the path.

Shen absorbed each of the sights with the same detached interest. He was single-minded in his pursuit. Apparently the lessons about restraint that Mister Kairong had attempted to impart had fallen on deaf ears. Shen craved a battle. He had since the bridge, though as of yet his desires had gone un-sated. Just today, Hadrien had denied him a fight. He would not be denied again. His pace quickened, the speed of his passing leaving gusts of wind in his wake that tore through the rooms and halls that the metal man had passed through. For a moment he thought he’d caught sight of him, heard a telltale crash of a wall being broken down.

There, ahead. The last wall. There!.. Shen stopped. He looked to his left. He looked to his right.

An orc, muscular yet lean, dressed in tight jeans, sunglasses and wearing nothing but a jacket for a top, walked casually past him from behind.

Dante casually inclined his head down as he looked at Shen while he passed him by. "Big guy, wearing armor? Saw him go that way." He pointed straight down. "Big ass hole in the wall, can't miss it boss." He patted Shen with a smile, one that was more filled with confidence in having fooled the King than anything else. "I believe in you." His expression suddenly serious as he rose a fist up to Shen, in offering of a fist bump. Whether it was accepted or not, Dante grinned. "Kick his ass for me when you find him yeah? E knocked me over when he was charging through here."

With that said and a wave, fist bump or none, Dante made his way down through one of the holes Shen had entered from, whistling casually as he readjusted the sunglasses over his golden eyes.

Mentions:

Coyote Hart

Damafaud (Tri)

The One Eyed Bandit (Anna)

Interaction: Shen

Participants:

Mqueserasera · Aug 16, 2022

Fahrelnissa Peynirci

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 2: Scene 6 [All Proceeds]

LOCATION:

Cloudwalk Stadium, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Daemon, Sabrina, Dagger, Fahru, Masker Concertgoer K, Minato

ALL PROCEEDS

Those words rang true: she needed a rest. Her muscles and her entire mental faculties had all worn out. She hardly felt her effort so far merited a rest, for what had she done but merely what was required of her? And it was not even done well—sloppy, messy, even. It should have been done swiftly and neatly, without inconveniencing others and affecting the show as a whole. And yet she was desperate for that undeserved rest. So she sighed and nodded meekly.

Now the orange hue that was once hope raised the listless body and dragged it behind each heavy step. She would find the security room, and deposit the woman there. Then it would be someone else’s problem.

After that she would go backstage and seek, if there was one, a quiet place and possibly quite dark, away from all the bustling, hustling of this headlong world. There she should rest. For how long she could not yet tell. Nor did she care to. When a rest is what one needs, a rest is everything on one’s mind. For the remains of the day she shall be erased of thoughts.