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Realistic or Modern Vexpara: International Exorcism Solutions | A Side Story

Coin

Coin

world's okayest lobotomite
Vexpara.png​
Foreward
Hello everyone. Welcome to my first quest. Here's to hoping this genre isn't deader than dead.

If you are unfamiliar with questing, please read this post.

This quest is written in the same timeline and universe as a group roleplay I am presently running. It is geared towards those already familiar with the setting, but is open to the public for voting. However, I will not begin with a lore dump. That can be found here.

The voting period for each post's option will last no longer than 24 hours in most cases, unless I've decided to take a break. The option with the most votes (tiebreakers decided by me) will determine the outcome of the story.

I allow OOC chatter within voting posts, but I ask that you keep it to a minimum or closed within spoilers to keep clutter to a minimum. Please copy and paste the option you wish to select directly from the story post itself.

In any of your voting posts, please indicate if you would like to be added to the notification squad. If you opt in, I will tag you whenever I make a new story post.

That's all the preamble I have.

- - -

Vexpara Official Discord.
 
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CHAPTER 1
God damn it.​

New York City
202X

It was the quietest time of day in the city that never sleeps. To be more precise, it was 3:00 AM on the dot. In this time between night and morning, only a gentle disquiet remained in the air: the low hum of distant cars, a soft autumn breeze, and a faraway siren. The streets were not empty, but they were not crowded. It is said that nothing good has ever happened at 3am, and for Sidney Lake, that was reality. At this hour, Sidney was sound asleep, cast far away in the phantasmal land of dreams. That was, until the smartphone on Sidney's nightstand began to vibrate -- filling the previously silent room with a raucous chattering. Unfortunately, Sidney was a light sleeper.

Sidney groaned, rolling over to face the nightstand, "Are you fucking kidding me?"

With a few half-lidded taps, Sidney managed to pluck the smartphone from its wireless charger and braced for the blinding light. Alas, it was no use, no amount of squinting would reveal the caller to Sidney's poor blinded eyes. A few swipes later, Sidney picked up and pressed phone to ear. For Sidney's eyes, it was sweet relief as the darkness was healed.

"Hello?" Sidney mumbled in a poor attempt to conceal a heavy grogginess.

"Sid!" The voice on the line called out far too loud and full of energy for 3 o'clock in the morning. Sidney winced away from the phone. The voice was familiar, though, and were it anyone else in the world Sidney's phone would have been thrown across the room without a second thought.

"It's Kendra," the guildmaster announced, but Sidney would recognize the boss's voice anywhere. "Are you busy right now? Got a job for you."

"Wha-, Kendra, I'm -- I was sleeping," Sidney complained, knowing well that Kendra didn't care. That's just how she was, the guildmaster had her schedule and hardly acknowledged that those under her had lives of their own. So it seemed, at least.

"Right, sorry about that, kid," Kendra continued as Sidney expected. "Can you make it to HQ? If not, I'll call someone else."

Sidney wouldn't have wished that fate on anyone else in the guild.

After a moment of deliberation Sidney begrudingly responded, "Yeah, I can make it. Just give me a moment to get ready. What time?"

"How does 4am sound?"

"Wait, what? 4am?!" Sidney sat straight up. "Kendra, fuck me sideways, what time is it now?"

"It's 3am now. Oh, I've got to make another call! See you soon, 'kay?" And just like that, the call dropped.

Sidney collapsed back into bed. It is said that nothing good has ever happened at 3am.

- - -

Before we continue, let's get to know Sidney better. Please vote once for each of the following categories.

Sidney is an exorcist of Vexpara, a professional demon hunting guild based in the heart of New York. How experienced is Sidney?
> Sidney is a rookie exorcist with a lot to prove, even if that means going to work at 3am.
> Sidney is a seasoned exorcist, 3am calls are troublesome but normal.

There are many kinds of hunters in the world, but they fall within four main archetypes. Which of these archetypes is Sidney?
> Blooden. Sidney prefers to get up close and personal.
> Crane. Sidney prefers to scout and engage from afar.
> Augur. Sidney prefers to use a myriad of dangerous but deadly infernal magic.
> Ouro. Sidney prefers to study and support, rather than engage directly.

What are Sidney's pronouns?
> He
> She
> They
 
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> Sidney is a rookie exorcist with a lot to prove, even if that means going to work at 3am.


> Augur. Sidney prefers to use a myriad of dangerous but deadly infernal magic.

> He

add me to the notification squad father
 
> Sidney is a seasoned exorcist, 3am calls are troublesome but normal.

> Crane. Sidney prefers to scout and engage from afar.

> He
 
> Sidney is a seasoned exorcist, 3am calls are troublesome but normal.

> Crane. Sidney prefers to scout and engage from afar.

> He
 
>> Sidney is a seasoned exorcist, 3am calls are troublesome but normal.
>> Blooden. Sidney prefers to get up close and personal.
>> He
 
> Sidney is a seasoned exorcist, 3am calls are troublesome but normal.
> Augur. Sidney prefers to use a myriad of dangerous but deadly infernal magic.
> He
 
> Sidney is a rookie exorcist with a lot to prove, even if that means going to work at 3am.
> Blooden. Sidney prefers to get up close and personal.
>They
 
Previous poll results.
Sidney is a seasoned Blooden exorcist, preferring he/him pronouns.

- - -

Sidney set the phone back on his nightstand and reached over to abduct a stray pillow from the other side of his bed. He brought the cool surface of the pillow over to his face, smothering himself with the lumpy thing and groaned profanities into it. Of course Kendra called him in the middle of the night asking for him to come into the office. It wasn't the first time he had agreed to do it, and he had a terrible gut feeling that it wouldn't be the last -- unless that night's job killed him. That outcome was almost preferable to the dread that came with the thought of leaving the fortress of his bed.

For another five minutes or so, Sidney laid there in deliberating silence and considered going back to sleep. He imagined all the repercussions of skipping out on work, and especially what Kendra would nah him endlessly for. His better judgement won by a slim margin and he eventually chucked the pillow to the floor and swung out of bed. It was cold in his room, so he hurried and threw on a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants for the time being. He would find something better suited for work after he went to the bathroom to freshen up. Sidney carefully tiptoed through his room and slowly creaked open his door as not to wake his roommate, Quinn.

To his surprise, there was a faint glow of light coming from Quinn's room across their quaint apartment. Quinn's door was fully ajar, as Quinn was the type of person to keep the door open during waking hours. He knew that Quinn was practically nocturnal, and though it was not the first time he had seen his roommate up at this hour, it still struck him as odd. Sidney poked his head through Quinn's door and gave a small wave to get his roommate's attention. Quinn was leaned in to a fancy computer monitor, mouse and mechanical keyboard rapidly tapping away at some MMORPG. The only lights on in the room were from the monitor and LEDs from computer, mouse, and keyboard. Quinn glanced over to Sidney for only a moment before returning to the monitor, but removed one half of the headset and waved back.

"Too loud?" Quinn asked, still tapping away.

"Nah," Sidney shook his head. "My crazy boss called. I'm going to work early,"

Quinn huffed at somewhere between an amused chuckle and a solemn acknowledgement, "Poor boy. Don't get killed, yeah?"

"God forbid you'll have to find a new roommate, you NEET," Sidney sassed back and rolled his eyes.

"Says the flunkie," Quinn spared a moment from the game to point at the framed engineering master's degree on the wall, but Sidney had already left for the bathroom. Quinn made no attempt to stop him -- this banter was normal between the two of them.

Sidney dragged his half-awake body to the bathroom and flicked the lights on. He squinted at the sudden brightness, blindly turning the tap on the sink and rubbed the sleep from his eyes while he waited for the water to warm. He studied his grouchy complexion in the mirror as he ran his toothbrush under the tap.

- - -

Before we continue, let's get to know Sidney's situation even better. Please vote once for each of the following categories.

Sidney lives with his roommate, Quinn. What are Quinn's preferred pronouns?
> He
> She
> They

What sort of relationship do Sidney and Quinn have?
> The two of them are Craigslist roommates.
> The two of them used to be an item. Used to be.
> The two of them are good friends from school.
> [Write in your own response]

In this world of urban fantasy, demons and human cohabitate Earth. Is Sidney a demon or a human?
> Sidney is a human.
> Sidney is a lesser demon.

How about Sidney's roommate, Quinn?
> Quinn is a human.
> Quinn is a lesser demon.

The One Called X The One Called X
 
>He

> The two of them are good friends from school.

> Sidney is a human.

> Quinn is a lesser demon.
 
> She
> The two of them are good friends from school.
> Sidney is a human.
> Sidney is a human.
> Quinn is a lesser demon.
 
Previous poll results.
Sidney's roommate, Quinn, is a lesser demon who prefers he/him pronouns. The two of them were good friends from college.

- - -

Since Kendra wanted him in the office within an hour, Sidney forewent shaving and his typical morning routine. He opted just for a quick face wash, brushed his teeth, and ran his fingers through his hair. Sidney's mid thirties were sneaking up on him. In his younger days, his messy tousle of light brown hair and five o'clock shadow would have been somewhat handsome and rugged. However, with the bags under his eyes, greying hair, and judgmental scowl, he was starting to look more like a belligerent drunk each day. He would even swear that his normally bright green eyes were losing more color to the day. Though it was not a logical conclusion, Sidney thought his constant exposure to the demonic element of emytherium had finally begun to deteriorate his body like his more magic-inclined coworkers. The Ouros of Vexpara insisted on every routine checkup and post-operation health report that Sidney was still in peak health despite his concerns.

Sidney finished up in the bathroom and made his way into the kitchen of the apartment to scrounge up a sorry excuse for a breakfast. Quinn was already there before him, sitting on the countertop and scrolling on his phone. The microwave was humming with a couple minutes on the timer.

"Lunch? Or is this dinner for you?" Sidney queried while rummaging through the pantry. He tossed a couple of Clif Bars onto the countertop and grabbed his thermos.

"Just a snack. New DLC dropped last night -- the clan and I are doing a blind run of the raid, but Saria fell asleep at the keyboard. We're taking a break so someone can go over to her place and wake her up, since no one else is up," Quinn sighed, locking his phone and meeting Sidney's gaze. Quinn's eyes were blood red, and shone ever so slightly in the dimly lit kitchen. "Another world's first attempt down the drain. No biggie, I guess."

The lesser demon shrugged, popping open the microwave and pulling the scalding Hot Pocket out. He appeared no older than Sidney in human years, but was closing in on his sixtieth birthday. It was only by chance the two met at university, when Quinn had decided to get his life together and make something of his skills. Unlike Quinn, Sidney wasted his time at school, and eventually flunked out to go hunt rogue demons and infernal criminals.

"Come on, cut the girl a break and let her sleep. You assholes are always running her ragged," Sidney jabbed, scarfing down the energy bar and downing it with tap water.

"She's the clan leader, if she didn't wanna do it, she'd quit," Quinn chomped down on the Hot Pocket and scowled. Steam billowed from the sandwich. "Ugh, still too cold." Quinn flicked an index finger and conjured a tiny gout of blue hellfire. He held it to the Hot Pocket, sizzling the cheese and browning the crust. The demon's eyes glowed ever so slightly brighter.

"She knows all of you are helpless without her, obviously," Sidney shook his head and tossed the wrapper in the trash. "Anyways, I've gotta rush to the office before Kendra calls me again. Tell me about it when I get back."

"Yeah, will do. If you see Nik, remember to tell her about me," Quinn gave a thumbs up as Sidney left, rolling his eyes.

Sidney took the next ten minutes in his room packing and gearing up. His clothing was sturdy, functional, but wouldn't draw obvious attention to himself. Under his jacket, he wore a soft armor vest that was his last line of defense against handgun bullets, knives, and other conventional attacks. In his duffel bag, he packed a heavier chestplate and armor pieces of ablative ceramic to protect against infernal hellfire. Realistically, if Sidney was struck but a direct bolt of potent hellfire, his chances were slim -- but it was better than nothing. Next, he made his way to his dresser to finish gearing up.

- - -

This round of voting is more about Sid. We're almost done with his character. Please vote once for each of the following categories.

Sidney is a Blooden. His preferred combat style is to get up close and personal. What is his demon-hunting weapon of choice?
> A truesilver hammer.
> A truesilver-edged broadsword.
> A shotgun.
> A coffin.

What is his backup weapon?
> A handgun.
> A knife.
> A pair of knuckles.

How does Sidney get to work?
> He drives himself.
> He calls a Lyft.
> He walks, then hails a taxi.
> He bikes to work.

The One Called X The One Called X
 
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Sidney is a Blooden. His preferred combat style is to get up close and personal. What is his demon-hunting weapon of choice?
> A coffin.

What is his backup weapon?
> A pair of knuckles.

How does Sidney get to work?
> He bikes to work.
 
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