Fantasy Z O D I A C | Umbra [Currently CLOSED]

[Boss]

The fight between host and sentinel raged on. Soon, many captured hosts cheered and rooted for the escapees, rattling the metal bars that contained them like they were watching "the big fight". Each pair of sentinels stayed focus on their chosen target, choosing to ignore the difficulties of their comrades in pursuit of the hosts' successful termination. The kinetic energy exerted from Camilla's punches had collected around the armor of her assailant and blasted back towards her, which sent her into one of the cell bars and onto her side. Camilla's body fought against her. She could feel the weight of it catch up to her despite the adrenaline of the fight which fueled her. Wearily, she glanced at the others. Willow was on the losing side of his battle, barely able to handle a single one of them. Lilith on the other hand must have synchronized with her Zodiac, Camilla guessed.

There wasn't much time to ponder on other matters however. The two sentinels chosen to be her target closed in on her. Sharp metal edges whistled against the air. There was no way they were going to beat these guys at their own game, and in just a few minutes, reinforcements would arrive. As the pointed edge of a sentinels blade flew down to strike her, Camilla disappeared in a stream of lightning which tripped one of the sentinels blocking her as it passed. With Camilla on the other side, she had enough space to think. Would she fast enough to free the other hosts? How would she even go about doing that?

Upon asking that question in her mind, the scientist's key flashed in her recent memory. That was it! The same remote that unlocked her restraints must have high enough of a clearance level to unlock the cells. Unfortunately, it was proximity based, so she would have to unlock each and every cell up close. Camilla shifted her eyes to her new companions. Lilith could handle herself for the most part, but Willow didn't have much time. On top of that, her own opponents had already recovered and were quickly closing the distance. Camilla lowered down into a running stance. Lightning bounced off of her in all directions, and just like that, she was off. Streams of electricity raced down the halls. Each cell lock being flicked off as she went. Within seconds, an angry mobbed of collared hosts poured out into the open from both floors. Camilla coming to a sliding stop in front of them. In her hand, the remote flashed a rapid red color. It seemed as if she was able to unlock all of the cell doors before the security system realized the key was stolen and rendered it useless. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you getting this?" Inquired a Sentinel as they were massively outnumbered now. "I am." replied a voice over comms. The visors of the sentinels must have been broadcasting the breakout. "Come back to the Branch. I don't want to lose any more than this." "Copy that, sir."

Just like that, all six sentinels disappeared as their cloaking device saved them from the angry mob of hosts that charged towards the locked blast door like a stampede. Camilla stepped through the crowd until she spotted Willow's battered form and offered him a hand up. After him, then Lilith. "Are you two okay?" she asked.

Merely a minute later, the blast door had suffered enough damage from the physically altered hosts that it was possible to pry the doors open. On the other side was a line of standardized Dominion units accompanied by an automated turret that leered over them. Massive as they were in size, the mob was technically human. The barrage of fire that opened upon the crowd took out the first few waves of hosts that struggled to escape through the only corridor. "Keep them back!" shouted a voice in the fray. It wasn't long before the line of units reloaded at the worst possible time. Dozens of captured hosts rushed through the defensive line, mauling that of the oppressive Dominion units and tearing the automated turret to shreds with their bare hands. It was then that the base was truly condemned. Hosts ran in all different directions in an effort to escape, like a group of mice who competed to escape a maze.

Camilla stepped over the corpses of both host and Dominion with a hand over her nose. The smell of blood at this scale was purely stomach-turning, no less the sight of the Dominion units who had looked like someone put them in a hungry lion's cage. The area was mostly clear, save for a few straggling hosts who were looting the bodies.

 

[Azukai]

Lilith wasn't really herself. Her conscious had long blacked out, and in its place, something far more dark and sinister. As her blood beat upon the sentinel, the only emotion that ran through her mind was the lust to kill that which had hurt her. Even after the sentinel retreated with the others, her tendrils continued to beat the same space and stirred up a cloud of dust stemming from the crumbled rubble of the floor. Some of the escaped hosts approached her in an attempt to calm her mindless fury; however, they quickly turned tail when smaller tendrils flew their direction with the same hostile intent. "She's crazy!" they announced to the others which caused a great divide as the mob of hosts gave her a wide breadth. That being said, Willow wasn't afraid and neither was Camilla; both of which came to her side offering her a hand.

"O-Okay?" Lilith mimicked as her crimson eyes focused on the hands Camilla and Willow had offered her. Slowly, her tendrils began to lose their form until they returned to the pile of blood from where they came. The crimson faded from her eyes, and soon after, her body collapsed onto the ground with a soft breath escaping her lips as a sign she was merely fainted, not dead. Willow knelt down and began inspecting the wound on her shoulder...or what was left of it. "Uhh, Camilla. You should check this out." He said with genuine surprise in his voice. What was a gaping hole had been replaced with a graft of black blood that was losing its viscosity and becoming more skin-like. "This girl...I don't understand what she is." He muttered with a confused expression on his face. Regardless, he propped her over his shoulder and made his way towards Camilla's side. It was only a matter of time before they found the exit in light of the current onslaught--freedom was guaranteed. And with that in mind, Willow's usual grin returned to face as he turned to give Camilla another wink. "Now how about we go find that brother of yours? I can make sure his soul is given peace."

 

[King Vioogra]

Res took a long drag from the cigarette in his mouth, the glow from the end illuminating the dark, dank alley he stood in. He slowly exhaled as he took the cigarette from his mouth and dropped his hand to his side, flicking away the ash. He took two or three more drags before tossing the cigarette farther down into the alley and walking out the opening of it. He took his phone from his pocket and scrolled through his applications. The same amount as when he'd been taken into custody. He clicked his tongue in an annoyed fashion as he went into his photographs and saw that they'd mostly been deleted.

"Son of a bitch." He said quietly as he turned the phone off and put it in his back pocket. He sighed loudly as he continued down the street, occasionally wiping the hair from his face before eventually just pulling his hood over his head. He then plunged his hands into his pockets as he studied the faces of the people he passed. 'What a bunch of extras.' He thought to himself as he clicked his tongue. He pulled a pair of headphones from his back pocket before plugging them into the phone, going into the music application and pressing shuffle. He clicked the phone off and placed it back in his pocket.

As Res neared the address posted on a note left by one of his friends, he noticed the dingy looking apartment building and sighed quietly. "This should be good enough for now." He said with a remorseful sigh before going up to the room his friend had told him about. He knocked on the door a few times with no answer. After about 10 minutes of waiting, he decided he'd shoot his friend a text and wait on the roof.

 

[Boss]

The entire block was littered with the ashes of a rampage. The crowd of hosts that remained must have encountered several forces on the outside. Deceased bodies lay about the perimeter, both host and Dominion. Spotlights and the facility's defenses were also destroyed. It wasn't going to be long before either the Dominion or the BPD came to clean up the mess. Camilla stood still, her eyes peering into nothing as her mind wandered off. Willow's voice broke that train of thought however. Retrieve her brother? It sounded like a good opportunity, but Camilla had to decline the offer. "I.. We shouldn't. She doesn't look so good." She nodded towards the unconscious Lilith on his shoulder. "Plus, my dad would want me home, I should.. tell him first." Her gaze dropped to the ground. Just how was Dominic going to take the news of his son dying? She shuddered to think how many lives would end as a result.

"..I know a safe place for you two." Camilla's expression changing from that somber state. "I can get a specialist to look at her, too. Come on, we don't have much time."

Camilla and Lilith still wore the prisoner jumpers from the detention facility. Walking down the usual route which consisted of taking major roads was out of the question. Camila led the two through a series of small roads and back alleys. It must had been nearly three in the morning, considering the roads were nearly empty. The chilled night air made the journey no more enjoyable, but at least it wasn't a lab. The three carried on for what felt like an hour until they arrived at a suspicious looking door located in the back alley of an old laundromat. A homeless man was reclined against the wall next to the door. His rugged, unshaven face turned to the three arrivals, and his expression lit up as he pulled himself up to his feet. "Sp-Spare some change for an old vet? M-my family and home was taken from me in the great war of gods." Camilla, the closest to the individual, responded to him. "They weren't gods, and no, I'm out of money."

The homeless man peered at the rest of in her party, namely Lilith, who was most likely still unconscious at this point. "Alright, you look like an interesting bunch." The man replied, his tone much more clear and showing of experience. The "homeless man" dropped his act and unlocked the door, which immediately freed the vibrations and noise of music from within. Camilla thanked the door guard and beckoned the others in, which was a set of stairs leading under the building. The deeper they went, the louder and more hard hitting the club music was. Finally they arrived. The air was thick with the mass of bodies moving to the beat of the music. Trails of smoke tinted the colored lights that illuminated the club and it's people. Along the wall were paintings and art of familiar people - hosts that contributed to the war that banished evil. Despite the secrecy and obvious appreciation of the supernatural, Camilla knew that the majority of these people weren't hosts. She looked to Willow and gestured him to follow in case he had gotten distracted. There was a clear path around the dance floor the three took. It led them to another door with another guard in front of it. This guard was better dressed however. A black suit and tie that separated him from the others, as well as a silenced pistol he had no shame in displaying in his hand.

Camilla approached the man non-nonchalantly and the two stared at one another for a moment. "I'd hate to see the other guys." He smirked, commenting on the multiple cuts and bruises Camilla donned on her face. "Where's the other runt?" He asked, scanning Willow and Lilith. Camilla frowned. "He.." The guard's eyes widened, both in surprise and fear. "Say no more cub. Come in. Colt and Sam were waiting on you." The guard quickly unlocked the door and let the group in. His face still stricken with terror. He had the same thoughts in his mind as Camilla.

The VIP room was smaller but much cleaner than the rest of the club. Reclined on one of the leather sofas was a suited woman - her face hidden to the side with her long brown hair draped over her suit. Her crimson eyes fixed on the one-way mirror that gave sight to the dance floor and DJ. The sound of the door closing behind the group grabbed the woman's attention, and upon laying her eyes on Camilla, she shot up from the sofa and the two bolted for one another. "Camilla!" "Colt!" The two shouted as they embraced in a lasting hug. The taller woman gripped Camilla with a care not many had. "I was two seconds away from running out there myself.. You foolish girl..!" "I know, I'm so sorry Colt.."

The two remained this way for half a minute before letting each other go. Camilla wiped the tears from her face as Colt's relieved expression degraded to worry once more. "Who are these two? Where's Logan?" Camilla sniffled and gestured to the others. "They.. saved me." She replied. Colt's expression remained unchanged as she asked again. "Where's Logan? Was he following you?" "Logan's-.. He's gone."

...

The room fell silent. Camilla subconsciously looked around for Sam, who she had often gone to whenever she felt lost.

 

[TerraBooma]

At that point, Sam walked into the VIP room, hand roughly down at his side for a pistol, a look of confusion and concern on his face. "Colt! The hell's going on in here? I smelled blood, a lot of it. What on e-" He paused as he saw Camilla, along with the two strangers who seemed to be a bit worse off than she was. Which was...at least somewhat reassuring. Letting out a sigh, Sam relaxed and moved towards the distraught girl.

The year hadn't been that kind to Sam, his hair was longer, still unkempt, and curls from under a new hat had seemed to lose some of the shine they had had back when he was in high school. He walked with a weariness, but there was still fight in him yet, and compassion to boot. It didn't take him long to close the distance between himself and Camilla, and he picked her up into a hug. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but based on the scent of blood...well, she looked pretty distraught. He held her tight, as if afraid of losing her again.

"You gave me a heart attack kid, you really did." He smiled sadly. "Colt here had to hold me back, wouldn't let me run out there. I wanted to go after you from the start. What...happened? Where's Logan?" After a second, he looked between Camilla and Colt, mind starting to process what had happened. When it did, he simply let out a slow breath and continued the hug.

"Listen...kid, it ain't your fault okay? Whatever happened up there...however it went down. It ain't your fault. But you need to tell me, are you injured at all?"

 

[Boss]

Camilla practically leapt into Sam's arms, tears running down her face as his reassuring words did little to alter her state of mind. She was the big sister, his protector and guide to the real world. In her mind, she was the one who pulled the trigger and condemned Logan to his death. To her, it was her decisions that led them to be captured. Realizing this only kept the flow of sorrow going. Colt gave Sam a worried gaze. "This isn't good." she noted to him. It wasn't until Camilla was let down that she shrugged her head, belittling her injuries. "No, but my friend needs help.." She pointed to Lilith with the other hand wiping her face. "These two helped me escape." She claimed. Colt could only manage a sigh at the response to the massive news delivered to their doorstep. "You all need rest, let's go back." Colt held her arm out, palm opened. A sheathed sword formed out of the surrounding vapor in the air, and with one motion, she unsheathed the weapon and flicked it at open air. A tear followed the path of the blade, which tore open into a portal in the middle of the room. After Colt had stepped through, so did the rest of the group.

What laid on the other side of the portal looked like the interior to an old castle. The cobblestone flooring and walls were cracked, but the area was well lit with candles and chandeliers. The portal had taken the group to a set of wide stairs. Behind them was a large wooden double-door that led outside. At this hour, it was locked shut. With the portal disappearing behind them, Colt led the group up the set of carpet covered stairs. Camilla could tell that Colt was shaken with the weight of the grim news. Camilla could only feel angry at herself for allowing this turn of events however.

The stairs eventually ended and opened up to a large throne room made in the middle ages. The throne room was empty, save for an incredibly large cloud of smoke veiling where the throne was. Upon stopping in front of the throne, the slow-moving tornado of smoke dissipated, revealing a figure sitting upon the throne, and a large white dire wolf resting at it's side. The wolf's fur trailed away like heat-less fire. Tribal patterns decorated it's body and complimented it's red eyes that laid on the group. The figure sitting on the throne was dressed in a similar suit, a trench coat covering most of it. A black cloth was wrapped around his eyes and hidden under his jet black hair. A five-o-clock shadow covered his stoic expression. "We've returned." Colt announced.

The figure rose, the ends of his trench coat dissolving into smoke behind him. Ominously, he turned his head to each member of the group. The man was blind, yet he could feel the presence of those around him - namely their energy. He stayed silent, scanning the dormant auras of those before him, until he came across a perverted aura, which seemed to form into a very familiar yet unwelcome face that grinned at him menacingly. Suddenly, he broke into a sprint, a sword materializing out of smoke in his hands. "NO!" Camilla shouted, using her supernatural speed to phase in front of Willow and Lilith just a mere second before the man came to a stop, his sword inches away from Camilla's chest. "Dad, enough! It's not who you think it is!" She shouted, her face still wet from crying. "Dominic, it's an escapee from one of the Dominion's camps. If it were really him, we wouldn't have allowed him to come here." Colt explained. Dominic's stance eased, his sword fading into the air. He dropped down to his knee and embraced Camilla, who had still had her arms up to her sides until then.

"I'm sorry."

"I am too, dad. I am too."

The two had pulled apart and Dominic rose to his feet. "Explain why one of Fushensetsu's perversions is standing here." Colt opened her mouth to explain, but realized she actually had no idea apart from that Camilla trusted the girl. "Her name is Lilith, and she saved me, her and Willow here." "She's a mere child, Dominic. A legitimate descendant of Fushensetsu." Colt jumped in. "I'll bet my life she's her own being." "She's not to stay here. Let the Dominion's dogs have her." Dominic turned back to make his way to the throne. "Give her a chance, please! I'll watch her! Colt will watch her!" Camilla pleaded. "Just because she's related to him doesn't mean she is him! It's just like Colt said: She's her own person!" Dominic remained silent. "Sir, I will personally guarantee that she causes no trouble here. You know that I'm capable enough to do so." Colt offered. Camilla looked to her in surprise and admiration that she would go such lengths for a stranger of bad blood. "She doesn't leave her room under any circumstances. You are to feed her yourselves. Do you understand?"

In a flash of lightning, Camilla closed the distance between her and the throne and hugged Dominic before he was able to sit back down. Dominic elicited an annoyed sigh and ruffled Camilla's hair. Letting go, she ran to the wolf who was quietly resting and wrapped her arms around it's neck in a hug. "Ugh, let go of me, girl. You reek of blood." the wolf Zodiac sneered. Camilla giggled and let it go. "Sir, there's-.. something else I need to tell you, but it's best we talk in private." Colt spoke up. She looked to Camilla and waved her off with a flick of her hand. Camilla nodded and beckoned for her new found friends to follow her to the castle rooms.

Colt continued when it was only herself and Sam who remained in the throne room with Dominic and his Zodiac. "It's about your son, Logan.." "I couldn't feel his presence here, is he still missing?" "Uh-.. no, he's dead, sir. He must have passed away in the detention camp."

...

 

[TerraBooma]

Sam managed to maintain his composure for most of what's going on once the penny dropped. The only indicator of his mood had been his smile slowly turning more shark-like through clenched teeth, growing long and even sharper. The blood in the air was messing with him, he wanted to frenzy. Wanted to attack. He held a hand to his head for most of the exchange, every instinct of his screaming that he should take out this spawn of fushinsetsu now before it could become a threat. Hostile memories swam above his head. The blood, the pain, the suffering, His hand reached for his gun in the moments that Dominic was darting himself. He'd put an end to this be-


Camilla's voice stopped him as well. Frozen with his hand on the holster, he stopped still, trying to regain control.

No.

He was better than some frenzied freak. Sam took some deep breaths. Trying to ground himself. He focused n on the room around him, the different colours of clothes. The different parts of the walls. He felt the frenzy fade. By the time Camilla left with the others he had somewhat controlled himself. He was breathing, and the tension in his arms was obvious. Still, he was slowly coming back to his senses, he found himself listening in only half-heartedly, but the words still felt his mark, and even he had to wince.

"Colt...your sure? He might've just...gone under the radar or something, we've lost people before." His eyes then spun between the two of them, and to the door that Lillith had walked out of. "And Dom, you gotta be joking right? There's no way we can let that bitch stay here!" Sam started breathing hard again, and he put a hand to his face. "Tsk. All this damn blood...has me riled up." He shook his head and stood still for a few seconds, slowly, his teeth began to retract again, as he came back to his normal self.

 

[KnightAarant]

"Big Boss." A reserved voice echoed from a dark corner in the throne room. A tan skinned man with a scar cutting through the left side of his mustache, and up through his thick eyebrow. His thick dreadlocks were tied into a large ponytail. He wore a dark brown, jacket with a fur lined hood and black jeans. He slowly walked towards the throne with his hands tucked in his jacket pockets. "There is a matter I want to discuss with you as well. The one from the before. Our enemy of our enemy. My..." Langevin paused to clear his throat proudly, "Scrying..." He looked even more satisfied having said the word, "Has bought me some more pieces of the puzzle. These attacks are telling more of a story each time." Langevin's proud demeanor fell flat and serious. "See, what bothers me right now is that girl. Lilith. I got the same vibes from her that was left behind from these individual attacks. Like someone was leaving behind a calling card. But in a manner of energy." Langevin crossed his arms, his face becoming puzzled. "Now, I don't want to say she was tied into these attacks on Dominion scouting parties, but whatever is isn't too different than what she harbors." Langevin took his attention off Dominic and looked towards Colt, Sam, and Kenshi. "Honestly I don't know what this energy is, but judging from your discomfort with Lilith who expresses the same power, you all are. Got any ideas?"

 

[Azukai]

In this day and age, skepticism was a way of life--it kept you alive longer when you didn't trust every other person who tempted you with the next fulfilling offer. Nonetheless, Willow was practically blood kin with his new found allies, yet even then, he couldn't help but discretely spread a few wayward soul flames as a safety net for their journey moving forward.

Being led into an undercover club was less than surprising to Willow. Hosts used every method possible to hide from the Dominion; though some were far more appealing to the ears than others. Will-o-Wisp was a wayward soul who preferred the company of the dead--blaring music was the furthest thing from what the spirit enjoyed; thus leaving Willow on edge as he followed Camilla with a slight expression of disgust on his face. Thankfully, their time in the club was short as the woman named Colt seemed overjoyed to have Camilla back in his arms, and within minutes, he was ushering them through a portal, not unlike his own.

Willow's first response was to whistle at the scenery of their new location. "Not often you see the old these days." He mused with a genuine sense of appreciation for the architecture that surrounded him. "Someone should give me a tour if we plan on staying here long term." He added in a cheerful tone to no one in particular. The heavy atmosphere concerning Logan's death was obvious between Colt and Camilla--the least he could do was try and inject a happy conversation or two, even if it were forced. That being said, he wasn't given much time for small talk as they soon arrived in the throne room where a smokey figured rose alongside of his wolf-like Zodiac.

"No one told me your dad was this man." Willow muttered under his breath as he stared at Dominic with a neutral expression on his face. Such neutrality soon turned too hostility, however, when the man sprung forward with a manifested blade swung towards the girl on his shoulder. "The hell is your problem, old man!" He shouted while moving his stave in a defensive position, up against Camilla's back who had flashed into position as a barrier between the attack. A flash of blue flame grew from his lantern and engulfed Lilith who vanished from the current realm and into his own. He wished to say more, but he held his tongue as Camilla soon entered a small bicker concerning the unconscious girl who continued to rest on his shoulder. He keenly listened as the argument bounced back and forth--his body still tense in case another attack or unfavorable outcome were to occur. Nonetheless, it seemed in the end Camilla was capable of diffusing the situation and they were soon dismissed in light of more pressing matters. Willow felt no better about the situation, however.

"Nothing against you." Willow started as they walked through the halls of the castle. "But I can't say I'm feeling too comfy cozy with this safe place of yours. Don't get me wrong, its a hell of a lot better than being a lab rat for the ol' Dominion, but I'm more concerned about Lily right now. Anyone with an ear knows the history of that time and what happened between the old hosts...but I don't know how well these old folk are gonna take to fresh concepts..." He paused with a sigh--shaking his lantern that expelled several blue flames which formed a portal that delivered Lilith into his arms once more. "Hell, even I could felt that dark energy the moment we met her; that being said, she has never once posed a threat to either of us. She's unstable for sure...but she seems...innocent...scarily so...?"

 

[King Vioogra]

Res sighed quietly before a small ding erupted from his pocket. "Oh finally." He said quietly as he pulled his phone from his pocket and opened it.

-Sorry for the wait. Traffic is hella crazy in this city. Shouldn't be more than five minutes.- The text read. Res sighed again as he typed a quick response.

-Hurry up, it's freezing out here. And thank you for putting me up now that i'm out. Not even my parents would let me crash.- Res responded quickly, not necessarily fishing for sympathy, but still openly welcoming it.

-Damn man. That's fucked. I'm pulling into the parking lot now, see you in a sec.- The tex arrived as a pair of bright headlights and a loud engine interrupted the natural quiet as his friend pulled into the parking lot and into their designated spot. A small smile crept across his lips as he saw his friends' slim but full figure get out of the car.

"It's about time!" He called out to her, drawing her attention up to him as he started waving his arms. A small fit of laughter escaped her as she skipped into the building and he began his decent back to the room he'd be staying in. When he say her on the other side of the hallway, he broke into full sprint before pulling her into a hug and swinging her around. She started laughing like a child as she held onto his shoulders, barely able to manage a "Stop!" through her laughter.

 

[Boss]

Colt knew that without words, Dominic was feeling intense waves of emotion. Not a twitch on his face, yet his silence spoke volumes in the moment. Sam was the first to break the silence, questioning Dominic on whether or not allowing the girl to stay was a good idea. Colt glanced to her side and gave Sam a look telling the man to hold his tongue. True, granting Lilith a shelter was risky at the very least, but the news of Logan's death heavily outweighed the girl's nature in terms of importance. However, the topic remained on the girl as Langevin entered the throne room and offered his knowledge on the girl and how it could be connected to recent events.

Dominic rose from the throne. "Sam, Colt. Be ready to move tomorrow night." He commanded as he swung to his right and made his way in Langevin's direction. "Discuss this with me in the morning, Langevin. I need time to recuperate." The man marched past Langevin with Kenshi behind him. The trail of smoke disappearing behind a corner, and with it the oppressive feeling of dread. Colt sighed. What she feared the most had been set in motion. "He's going to attack the Dominion directly." She said. "There isn't a chance he'll allow the Dominion to dissect Logan." Colt shook her head to clear her mind of the madness, then turned to face Sam and Langevin. "I'll go see to the girl. Goodnight you two." She said as she departed down the castle's corridors.


Camilla took the lead during the quiet walk to the bedroom chambers, Willow and Lilith behind her. She listened the entire journey to Lilith's new quarters and unlocked the door for Willow to carry her inside. "I wouldn't take any of that to heart. My dad will warm up to the two of you. The others will come around too." She reassured them, but even she was doubting her words a little. The girl followed them in. The room itself was a spacious bedroom for two, pulled straight out of a Disney film. A king-size bed off to one side and a bathtub on the other. The room was decorated in red and gold, like the rest of the castle's interior decor. On the far side of the room was a balcony that overlooked a large, modernized village down the hill. Many of the town's lights were off, but judging by the growing crop field and tidy roads, it was lived in. "And.. I'm sorry about not telling you who I was. Er-.. Who I was related to." Camilla looked away, then back to the two. "I'll go get someone to take a look at Lilith." She stated as she turned away to reach for the door latch, only for it to suddenly swing open before she could. Colt stood on the other side, her expression tense.

"My bad, I was just leaving." "You've done well, Camilla. I'll take care of them from here. Do you need anything?" Colt must have taken notice of Camilla's various bruises and cuts along her face, but the girl shook her head. "I'm fine, I heal fast." She said, flashing the older woman a smile before she stepped aside to let Camilla leave. "Go on, girl." Camilla gave the two a final wave before disappearing into the hallway. Colt looked to the fused Willow. "You can leave too, boy. Your room is the next door down." She'd have waited until Willow left before moving to treat Lilith.


And so time moved on...

Bright lights. The sounds of artificial birds singing beside a flowing river. It was enough to pry Len's eyes open for the first time in the morning, her hair in a fritz. "Off.". She growled at the automated alarm system in her apartment. The chirping continued. "Off!" She shouted this time. The morning alarm cut abruptly after a short delay. "Good morning, ID Number 3.4.1.7.9.." The disembodied woman continued on her monotonous morning ritual. Len really ought to change those settings. With a mental countdown, Len swung herself out of bed and glanced at the clock. The numbers were between 6:00 and 6:30. She stared drunkenly at the display, almost as if she could "will" it away like one of those hosts. The AI's voice was cut short once more. "Make a note." She said, standing up and searching for her pants. "..Yes, ID Numb-" "Report. I have tracked down Dario to 49th last night." "I'm sorry, did you mean.. Darius?" "DARIO, fuck face." Len retorted, beginning her morning routine. "..O.K. Dario fuck face saved." The AI responded.

"Target refused capture upon confrontation. I engaged Dario in a nearby parking garage with the assistance of Angelo, but the target escaped in the wreckage of the parking lot. Requesting further instructions." Len kicked aside a loose gun and stepped into the bathroom. "Send to Overseer." "...O.K. Sending note to... Overseer." Len took the opportunity to jump in the shower. It was then that she noticed blood washing down the drain. When was she hit in the head? By the time Len finished and tied her hair into a messy ponytail, a ringing tone echoed throughout the apartment. "Call from: Overseer. Work." "Answer." Len responded, staring herself in the eyes through the fogged mirror.

"He's really proving to be a thorn in our side." spoke a male voice. "I suppose you read my note that fast." Len commented. "Of course. Dario's capture or termination would mean we can re-purpose a lot of our units to other parts of the city. The manipulation of matter itself isn't something to take lightly." "Yeah, I had a chance to experience that hands-on." Len made her way out of the bathroom and got dressed as the Overseer continued on. "There isn't much we can do until Dario resurfaces on the grid. It's a foolish move, but there isn't much we can do with our recent incident." "..Incident?" Len's flatscreen TV flickered to life, instantly set on a private channel displaying the aftermath of the detention camp from a helicopter's point of view. "We're still trying to find an estimate on how many escaped." Len kept her eyes on the screen whilst throwing on her jacket for the cool weather. "But how?" "The breakout started from within." "Witnesses?" "All deceased. Some of our men were missing bite-sized pieces of their body." "Christ.. Savages."

Len turned to the door after holstering her sidearm in her gun-harness. "Before you go, I want you to meet with someone." The Overseer said. Len turned around to the TV, which displayed a young girl and her information on screen. "Lillith.. No last name?" "She's a young prospect from a local college looking to take the fight to the supernatural." Len rolled her eyes and began making her way to the door once more. "..She's being assigned to your unit." The man declared. His words stopping Len in her tracks. She swung around towards the TV, disgruntled. "Are you kidding? The kid looks like she hadn't even shot a gun before. She'll be killed in minutes. Worst case she'll slow us down." "That's why you are to train her, just as we trained you as a young pup. She has the same kind of potential as you all those years ago." Len barely shook her head, sighing "Ridiculous.." from her breath. "That's an order, Len." "Yeah, orders received." She replied with frustration. And with that, she was off.


As Len drove down one of Brookfield's major highways, she peered at her phone for the location of the meetup. A secretive training facility for recruits of the Dominion. Len furrowed her brow in confusion. Just what was so special about this Lillith character? It was like a puzzle Len couldn't finish. Whatever it was, it left a bad feeling in her gut. She shifted into a lower gear and blew past the car ahead. She wanted answers.


The hum of her engine shut off at it's final destination. A large warehouse formally used to harbor imported vehicles, re-purposed as a Dominion vehicle depot and training facility. After going past a couple of security checkpoints, Len emerged into the large, gym-like bay area, where a line of new recruits stood at attention. Each of them wore casual clothing, and definitely varied from person to person. The one thing they all had in common was that they were young. Eyes fell on Len as she approached and stood by the current drill instructor. "What am I looking at here?" She questioned the instructor. "New prospects. One of them is to be assign-" "To my unit, I know." Len finished, turning to the recruits. "Lillith. Step forward." She commanded.

 

[TerraBooma]

It didn't take a genius to figure out Sam had said the wrong words. The man was silent for a few minutes after his outcry, a frustrated look on his face after Dominic left the room. He knew that the loss of logan was goign to way heavy on everyone. Why'd he bring it up? He sighed but nodded as Colt left the room, it seemed the only thing to do now was prepare.

***

Much later, Sam found himself standing outside the door to Camilla's room. He was still pretty worried about her, regardless of how she said she said she fared injuries wise. In one hand he had a simple first aid kit, just in case. In the other, he held a cup with some juice in it. After a quick knock, he entered the room, gazing about. Seeing her in bed, he put the glass down relatively nearby before crouching down next to her, carefully taking the now free hand and nudging her awake.

"Hey. Kid. It's Sam. Wanted to check up on you. What with...everything that happened. Wanted to make sure you were...doin' okay." Sam shakes the first aid kit lightly. "Barring that, I brought you some juice? Hope you like orange. I can't remember." Sam chuckles sheepishly, the laugh slowly drifting off. "So...consider this a proper checkin."

 

[KnightAarant]

The sun rose, creeping its rays from the bottom of Mika's window lighting up her room. She was sprawled out over her futon, a leg hanging off the side and sheets draping off the bed like the drool falling from the side of her mouth. Her computer was still on, the low hum of the CPU fan was the only sound in the room drowning out her faint snoring. The sunlight beamed over her eyelids. The light was slowly pestering her awake as her vision motionless dark washed away to a warm orange. She hummed, exhaling through her nose blowing some hair off her face. She opened her eyes to a clear day through a mildly dirty window. She sat upward, the sunlight reaching halfway into the hallway being cut in half by shadow. She looked at her PC's clock and saw the time was 7:56am. She stretched her arms out in front of her rotating them side to side, popping her joints and continuing with the rest of her upper body. She kicked her legs outward, giving them a quick stretch before using her legs as weight to pull her from her perch and onto her feet.

She pushed her messy curtain of hair behind her ear and walked to the bathroom directly adjacent to her bedroom in the hallway. She picked up her toothpaste and with her free hand gestured as if she had her phone in her hand. Until the realization hit her. She woke up completely realizing she auto-piloted having her phone, squeezing her tube of toothpaste a little too hard making some wastefully spurt out into the sink. "Oh fuck what am I doing." She looked back into her room and found her phone hanging off the side of her computer desk daring to fall off the edge. She quickly sauntered back into her room, her socks racking up on static that shocked her fingertip when she picked up the electronic making her shriek in surprise comparable to a panicked small animal. She opened up a playlist and set it on shuffle, letting the music ease her into the morning routine.

. . .

"Phheeeeeew!~" Mika sighed in satisfaction, wringing her hair out over the floormat. She wrapped a towel around herself and shut her blinds as she continued to freshen herself up and dry off. She saw she had a single notification on Discord and opened the window for it through her taskbar. It was a message from Langevin again:

Spoiler

Noir

Spoiler

Today at 8:23am
Wake up, lazy.

Quasi Today at 8:38am
at least I slept, I know damn well you didn't

Noir Today at 8:40am
Never. There was a lot going on last night, hard to get to sleep.

Quasi Today at 8:40am
what happened?

Noir Today at 8:41am
I can talk about it when I meet you at the park. You still up for that?

Quasi Today at 8:41am
mhm, yeah
I got up briiiight and early but I was thinking you might oversleep

Noir Today at 8:42am
Not this time. I'm going to use this as an opportunity to fix my schedule, however long that can last.
It's been really busy with a large mix of things keeping me from sleeping at a reasonable time.

Quasi Today at 8:42am
how soon do you think you can make it to the park? same time as you said yesterday?

Noir Today at 8:42am
Probably earlier. I thought that I'd have cause to sleep but nah... We can go when you're ready. I shouldn't have any call-in work today... I hope.

Quasi Today at 8:43am
say no because you need to sleep

Noir Today at 8:43am
It's not that easy as just saying no. My job's important you know.

Quasi Today at 8:44am
yeah I know but still
you'll stretch yourself thin

Noir Today at 8:44am
They'll understand and let me chill out for a bit when I'm running on E. Don't stress it.
But I'm going to go ahead and start getting ready. You'll get to the park sooner than I can, so I'm going to get ready now.
See you there.

Quasi Today at 8:47am
oh, yeah see you

Mika minimized her Discord window and opened Firefox with her homepage set to Twitter so she can catch whatever news is trending at the moment. Most of her feed are retweets or people linking articles on a recent attack on a Dominion HQ with many Hosts escaping in the process. People are panicked, some even questioning how the Dominion managed to make such a big blunder in the state of things recently. Some others are, but a very small minority express a distaste to the inhumane treatment of Hosts but they're quickly shut down by the majority. These people either being labeled as Hosts or Terrorist sympathizers. As Mika scrolled through, rolling her eyes with disgust she caught another tweet that was liked by someone she follows:

Spoiler

T A G E M N' B A G E M @DominionCanDomMe · 14m
idk why people are saying it's bad that the Hosts were locked up???? but they act like wild animals anyway???? and now they're just going to get roped up, only thing i envy about them tbh (Place emoji wall here)

"Why are people like this?" Mika asked aloud, closing the page. "Whaaatever I guess I'll ask Vinny about that." Mika continued to get herself ready to leave.

She walked out of her complex in a junior peacoat she spent a whole paycheck on, plaid patterned burgundy and brass colored leggings and dark knee high boots. Her hair was tied into a thick french braid that rested off of her shoulder and into her coat. The sun was bright but the breeze and early morning windchill made up for the oppressive light. Nevertheless, she felt empowered in the suns rays. She felt lighter, more awake. She almost though her feet weren't touching the ground. She took a deep breath - almost inhaling the exhaust of a passing freighter - and exhaled feeling energized completely. She always started shaking from excitement from being in the open air of the park and beyond it outside of the rural area of Brookfield. She had an extended grin across her face that she wasn't aware off until she passed by the window of a popular diner. She quickly corrected her demeanor to look less assuming. She saw the name of the diner 'Soul Food' printed on the window in a creamy bronze tone. She took a moment to wonder if she wanted to grab something from inside, but against her wisdom of spending right now her good mood tantalized her to grab a mocha latte.

 

[Boss]

Truth be told, Camilla was already awake by the time Sam stepped into her room. She felt as if sleep wouldn't help the pain in her chest. The emptiness that returned every time she was alone. Her back facing the doorway, the girl remained motionless. Eyes staring toward the balcony, she listened to the bustle of life in the village below. Camilla finally rose to a sitting position and stared at the empty bed on the other side of the room. Logan's bed. A sigh escaped her as she stoically accepted the orange juice Sam offered. "Thanks, uncle Sam." She thanked him, before taking a sip of orange juice. Was that pulp?

Seeing the first aid kit Sam brought reminded her of her injuries. She placed her hand on her forehead, testing for any sharp spikes of pain along her head. "I'm okay, re- ICH!" Her finger landed on a soft spot still healing from before, and she tensed in pain. "Ahh, it'll be gone in a few hours.." She told him, smiling meekly. "I'm more worried about this silence, you know?" Camilla returned her gaze to the empty bed, and all of Logan's belongings still the same way as he left it. "I used to throw things at him until he'd get off that anicent Switch thing. Usually that would end in a bigger fight though." She scoffed, then a tear ran it's way down the right side of her face. "Oh, god, I can't.." Her knees skirted up to her face and she buried her face from view and started sobbing. It felt like reliving any memory of her brother brought forth the waterworks.

 

[TerraBooma]

"Hey...Hey. Kid. C'mere." Sam frowned and moved closer to the younger girl. He wasn't sure what to do for a fraction of a second, hesitating, before he wrapped her up in his arms. There wasn't much he could say. He sat there for some time, just holding onto her. Sam fought to find words to say, her own reactions reminding him of a very small version of himself bawling in a bedroom while holding onto a hat that was near and dear to him. There wasn't anything to say at that point, he'd just...be there for her. After a decent time of Sam just sitting there, trying to be a comforting presence, he broke his own silence.

"It's not your fault. I know it hurts, but remember that. Okay? I know it feels like there's a burning inside that you can't ever escape, but you can. It just takes time." He smiled softly. From both sides of the bed, two sharks familiar to Camilla would come out of seemingly nowhere, nudging her softly and trying to provide support as best they could. "See? Even Lucy and Lucas are helping out. They don't like seeing people sad you know."

Sam had never liked to see Camilla sad, and seeing her like this was heartbreaking, he wished he could do more...but he didn't exactly have the bestowed power of emotional support. All Sam could think to do was be there for her.

"Do you want to uh...talk about it at all? I ain't that good at it, but you know I got your back. So if you want to talk...I'm here. And uh, so are Lucy and Lucas."

 

[silverlinedmist]

The morning air was cool and crisp as a young man slept restlessly, tossing and turning, forcing his eyes to stay closed for those few more precious moments of rest. A gentle breeze came through his window, brushing against his cheek dotted with beads of sweat all over his skin. He shivered, his body unaware that he was still unconscious. Though, while it was trying to wake his uneasy mind, a mysterious entity invaded his dreams, with something else in mind entirely. The young man exhaled sharply, his hot breath turning into steam as it left his mouth, pulling the blankets closer without relief from the chills...

Spoiler

"...Ezekiel..."
Where am I? he thought, looking around despite the struggle to see anything through the thick mist surrounding him. Ah, this feels familiar...
He took a step forward, only to be startled by the sudden sound of cracking. His eyes shot down to the ground, noticing he was walking on ice.
"...Ezekiel....."
What was that? Was someone calling out to him? He found his heart racing as he looked around, searching for the source of the soft voice. It sounded desperate. Finally, his eyes saw something he never wanted to see. A pair of eyes looking straight back at him, sapphire blue and emitting some sort of smoky mist as they blinked at him. They looked as though they might belong to some beast, but he didn't necessarily feel fearful of what they might belong to. He almost felt a bit relieved to finally see something besides mist and ice. However...
"Ezekiel!"
Suddenly, the soft voice turned to a shriek. The voice dragged his name out, the tone so high pitched he covered his ears, fearing his eardrums might shatter. The ice beneath him cracked more, the cracks spreading beyond his vision. Panicked, he walked backwards as if to avoid it, but only ended up making the ice crack beneath his feet more. He tried to run, but with the first step, he fell directly through the ice. An icy shock went through his body as he struggled to get back to the surface. It was so cold, his body could barely move the longer he stayed under. His breath was gone, he felt himself drifting further and further, as if he were about to...​

Zeke gasped for air in bed, sitting up and throwing the blankets off of him. His skin felt very hot, and he was sweating immensely. He leaned back, putting his hand on the sweat covered pillow, only to realize it was.. Hard? It was hard, and ice cold. Zeke picked it up, both concerned and incredibly confused, before he noticed a pair of glowing eyes on the other side of the room, much like the pair he saw in his dream. His body froze, a chill went down his spine. Was he seeing things, or has... That thing come to visit him again? He glared back at the mysterious pair of eyes, reaching for his light to try to get a better look at what they might belong to. Though, the very moment he turned it on, something fell to the floor right where the eyes were supposed to be. His feet touched the unusually cold floor, walking over to see a mask on the ground, staring up at him expectantly. He could almost hear it calling his name as he reached down to pick it up. As he looked it directly in the eyes, something about it told him to put it on, despite all of his common sense screaming at him to drop it and get out of there. Zeke could only do as he was told, his arms moving without him even thinking about it.

Before he knew it, the mask was on, and he felt much, much colder. But it wasn't uncomfortable.

Naturally, he had to see how it looked on him. Zeke walked to the bathroom, his body feeling.. Very different. He couldn't quite place it. Though, the moment he looked into the mirror in his bathroom and saw the same blue, glowing eyes in place of his, something clicked. He hung his head, fully aware of what he's just done.

"For the love of... Alright, where are you, you asshole? I told you I wanted no part in this..." Despite his feelings, this mask seems to have sealed the deal. He felt the presence nearby frequently, but his stubbornness had at least dulled the feeling so he couldn't tell where it was, for the most part.

 

[Boss]

It was nice having someone to support Camilla through the pain. The mere effort shown to elevate her mood gave the attempt true grit in her heart. Sam was always the adult to run to when there was trouble, whether it be between her and her brother, or something else entirely. The extra notion from Lucy and Lucas made Camilla laugh. "I'm not a kid anymore." She told him, pouting slightly. Camilla figured it was best to simply put on her happy face for the day, else she's bring the entire abode down. Sam's offer to talk was tempting, but Camilla wasn't even capable of thinking about her brother for more than a moment before she lost her composure. "Thanks Uncle Sam, but-.. I don't think I'm ready for that yet." She confessed, hopping out of bed. If she was being honest, Camilla did feel better. Just having the opportunity to converse with another helped keep her mind off of the more grim parts of her memory.

Two knocks echoed throughout the room, and the door was pushed ajar. "Ferrari? Are you awake? It's time for your tutoring." An elderly woman's head poked in from the other side of the door and peered about. "Oh, Mrs. Pepper! Uh.. Actually.." Camilla ruffled the back of her head, forming the right words to get her out of her daily tutoring session without causing any more worry. "I'm really tired from yesterday. Can't I have this day off?" She pleaded. Camilla was far enough away that the drying tears on her face weren't visible to the older woman, who narrowed her gaze at Sam and the girl. "You better not be trying to give this girl any of your terrible advice." "Ahah, it's not like that, really. I'm just.. really tired."

The woman gave it a moment of thought before she spoke up. "Just today. Only because you were missing for a couple of days. At the least, go help my husband on the land." "Y-yes sir! I mean, ma'am!" Camilla saluted old woman Pepper, who leered at her once more before disappearing behind the door. Camilla sighed, an honest smile on her face. "I guess I should be going now. I'm going to check on Lilith too. I'll see you later, Uncle Sam!" The girl disappeared in a bolt of lightning. A rush of wind from her sudden acceleration threw the balcony curtains aflutter.


An eerie chuckle rippled through Zeke's mind, coming in from all directions, and fading in that same manner. His reflection had slowly ceased mimicking his frantic motion. "Ezekiel. What a mundane existence." His reflection spoke in a deep but soothing tone. Whispers of the unknown trailed behind his voice like lost souls. "Risen from the Earth, you choose to be nothing other than just that. Dirt." The reflection grabbed it's replicant mask. "I won't allow it. You have the potential to be so much more, to have an existence worth mentioning once you're gone. If you're gone."

 

[silverlinedmist]

"If I'm gone? You're kidding, right? Everyone knows very well that hosts can die too. Don't bother to try to feed me that BS," he mumbled, looking back up to the reflection in the mirror. "I'd rather not go down in history like that." Zeke reached up, placing both hands on either side of the mask, gently removing it. A wave of heat rushed over his body, his eyes returning to normal as his cheeks flushed a deep red color. He felt a bit dizzy. How tempting it was to keep the mask on, to feel whatever abilities it gave him all the time... It was as if his heart stopped, his blood froze; He felt invincible, practically not human anymore. But the temptation quickly faded as his body felt more normal within mere seconds of taking the mask off. He stared at it again, shivering slightly as he put it down next to the sink. His eyes glared back at the reflection, which was less a reflection now, but more of an illusion. The entity was simply playing tricks with his mind.

"My potential is none of your business, is it? What do you honestly want me for? Some wicked plan to take over the world or some shit? You strike me as the type, considering what a pest you are and how you refuse to leave me alone." Zeke walked out of the bathroom, back to his bedside, checking the time. He had to go to work soon, and he wasn't going to be late because of this thing. How could he ever explain that to his boss? He scoffed at the thought.

"By the way, can you take your mask back? I'd rather not have that thing sitting around my apartment all day. It'd probably emit some weird aura and make everyone in the building sick or something."

 

[King Vioogra]

When Res finally put his friend down, she gave him a light shove and giggled. "Don't do that! My downstairs neighbors already hate me." She said as she started pushing him towards the room. "Hurry up, I wanna hear all of your prison stories." She said smiling as they both arrived at her door. She pulled the key for the room from her pocket and quickly unlocked the door. She went in first and turned on the light. A small but clean apartment was lit up by two or three lights and Res couldn't help but smile. "This is the biggest room I've been in for five years." He said as he took a deep breathe in. He walked into the apartment and looked around, still smiling as he looked back at his friend. "Thanks again Addy. I owe you a ton." He said as his small, joyful smile erupted into an ear to ear smile. "You're lucky you're my friend. No one else calls me Addy. You know my name is Addylin." She said the last part in a small whisper as she grabbed his arm and started leading him around. "Now for the tour." She said as she pulled him around the two room apartment. "This is the kitchen," she pointed to the small kitchen area, "and this is the living room." She pointed to the couch with a small TV. "There's only one bed, which is mine only for now. You've been woman-deprived for five years, and I don't want you trying anything." She said in a serious tone, followed by a short "Pft" noise from Res. "Oh please, don't flatter yourself princess. I have a rough idea on what you've been up to for the time I was gone." He said giving her a small wink. A blush quickly wiped the smile from her face.

 

[Boss]

The formless haunting ceased. The mirror reverted to it's normal state as if the last ten minutes had never occurred. Nonetheless, the mask remained perched on top of the bathroom sink. It's sight seemingly mocking Zeke with smiling eyes. His rejection meant nothing to the entity, Ezekiel had worn the mask before, and it wouldn't be his last time either.


A painful silence fell on the training grounds. The recruits' heads turning from shoulder to shoulder. Who was Lillith? Where was she? Len glared into the crowd yet her calling garnered no response. She covered her face with her palm, exhaling built up frustrated that originated from the oddity of it all. "As you were." She commanded, handing over the floor to the drill instructor once more, who watched in curiosity as Len departed from the open warehouse and made her way back to her car, practically slamming the door once she was inside. "Make a note." Len spoke to the car's AI that lit up the dashboard with life. "Lillith was not present at the designated meeting point. Ignoring all remaining calls for the day unless it is an emergency. Too much on my plate for pranks." Len rose her head from the head rest and started the car. The sounds of high-tech growling filled the lot as Len pulled out of the parking area and rejoined the road.


The sun had finally been freed from the early morning clouds. The rays shined down on the sizable village of hosts, which sat in a valley downhill from the castle. Connecting the two establishments was a path made of stone and dirt. It was the same winding path Camilla had raced up and down for as long as she could remember. As she made her way down the trail, the village was beginning to start their morning routines. Closest to her was Pepper's farm, where Camilla had often volunteered to 'speed-plant' crops, much to their dismay. Something about being careless? In all honestly, the Pepper elders underestimated the acuteness of her precision. As she walked down the fence that outlined the crop field, she was beckoned by a lanky man taking refuge in the tool hut. His sunhat serving no purpose in the shade. His feet kicked up on a barrel. The man had lowered his newspaper for a moment to beckon Camilla once more.

The elder, known as Mr.Pepper by Camilla, mistakenly rose his newspaper to read it once more. He knew better not to read whenever Cam-

Whoosh~

A flash of lightning, and then a gust of wind threw the newspaper into the old man's face. "Yo, old man!" Camilla announced herself, though her abilities did it for her. Truly, this kid was something else. "Yes, Camilla.. I heard you skipped tutoring." For a moment, Camilla was surprised until she remembered Mrs. Pepper had telepathy. "Well yeah, I'm feeling a bit tired.." She stretched her arms out as if it helped her case. The old man held a single eye on the girl. "..But not tired enough to dash back and forth? I'll tell ya what," An old man passed by Camilla with a farming tool in his hand. His features completely copied. Then another old man came from around the corner, then another. Several clones of Mr. Pepper arrived, each one putting away a different tool into it's correct rack. "All this farm work has got me drained, you see, and by god I've got another field ready for seeding. I'll let you pl-" Camilla cut the elder's words short as she dashed out of sight, passing by a bag of seedlings and planting them row-by-row. The old man stood up and walked out into the sun to observe her progress. She was slower than usual at least. "Be careful! Don't burn the seeds!" Mr. Pepper fell into a coughing fit from all the dirt that began to kick up from Camilla's supernatural sprinting.


"Sam, there you are." Colt spoke up, coming up behind the man.

"I've been looking for you. We have to prepare for the attack tonight. Dominic said he'd attack that same detention camp." There was a shade of worry on her face. All along she'd known he would take the route of equalized suffering. "You haven't seen action in a while. Are you sure you can handle it?" She asked smugly.

 

[TerraBooma]

Sam had been walking down the hall when Colt came up behind him. He looked a bit startled for a second, doing a quick job to try and hide what tear marks Camilla had left on his shirt. he was still worried about her, but based on the energy that she zapped out of the room with...well, she was a pretty tough kid. He felt a bit sheepish to be caught with tear marks on his chest though. Maybe it was a pride thing? Whatever. He'd just hope she hadn't noticed.

"Listen, I might've been out of it, but don't think these teeth grow sharp." Sam grinned, and for a fraction his teeth turned long and shark like. But after that second, he let out a sigh. "I'll be able to handle myself, you know that. I'm tough to take down in a brawl. Skin's basically steel at this point. Hard for bullets to get through that. Plus I'm still being the one man champion for bullet proof vests. They still have some use, I swear. Beside,s you think you can keep up yourself? You know I've always been tough." Sam fell in beside her at first returning a smug look before it slowly fell, and the shade of worry on her face began to mirror on his own.

"I know I'm not exactly the most eloquent strategist, but you sure this is a good idea Colt? Dom's...probably not got his head in the best place for this one. It's not exactly going to be good for PR, and they're going to be on high alert after what happened...Sam shrugged before leaning against the wall.

"Be straight with me here, what you think the odds are that we get out of this scot free? In and out, no problems."

 

[silverlinedmist]

In the blink of an eye, the presence was gone. Well, as gone as it can be, stalking him like it does. Zeke sighed, pulling clothes out of his closet to prepare for work, only thankful he didn't need to prepare too much at this point. Though, the silence was deafening after that ordeal, and he couldn't handle it. He turned on some music, turned it up as loud as he could without potentially waking his neighbors, and peeked into the bathroom to look at the mirror again. Things were normal, save for the mask still sitting there. It gave him horrible feelings to even look at it, let alone leave it here in case something happened, but he absolutely could not take it with him. The closet was the perfect place, he thought as he stuffed it in there under a bunch of boxes he had for storage. Surely, things would be fine. Everything will be normal again if he just ignores it.
Surely.

The trip to work wasn't so bad. He lived in a relatively quiet neighborhood just outside the city, filled with people he didn't really care about, but didn't necessarily mind seeing either. Some of them were actually pleasant. He smiled at an elderly woman he saw across the street from his building, doing her morning routine as usual. She was one who helped him get the job he has now, so of course he would be thankful to her. The woman noticed him, his hair shining in the sun as the wind ruffled it up. He desperately tried fixing it as the woman laughed at him, waving her hand to imply she'd see him later, and kept walking. He snickered, shaking his head as he pulled his hood over his now messy hair.
The stop he sat at for the bus which would take him to work was not far from his building, luckily. The bus pulled up, Zeke paid, sat down, and waited. This was normal. Everything was fine. He put on his headphones, ready to ignore everything for the next 20 minutes.

Unfortunately, as usual, the drive was over way too quickly. He got off at his stop, and walked a few blocks to the cafe he worked at. His boss greeted him, with a hearty, "Good morning Zeke!" followed by a pat on the back that was way too harsh for his liking. Zeke chuckled, mumbled good morning back at him, and went into the back to start work.
Still normal. Still fine. He greeted his coworkers, equally happy to see him. They were good people, he thought. Good, normal, people. He suddenly smiled real big, throwing off the people around him. He was happy to be here, and happy to be normal, like the rest of them. No dangers to worry about. Today was going to be a good day.
He hoped.

 

[King Vioogra]

Res smiled at Addy's blush before thumping her on the forehead. "Welp. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to sleep. And unless you revoke your earlier rule, I'd get into bed if I were you." He said giving a small wink followed by a loud smooching sound effect. She sighed and stood up before walking off to the bedroom and closing the door behind her. "Night Res, it's good to have you back." She said as the door closed quietly. "Good to be back." He inaudibly responded as he laid back on the couch and yawned. He took a deep breathe in before looking over at Addy's door. His stomach growled loudly and he quietly mumbled, "Shit." He slowly got up and went to the door. "I'll be back in a bit. Just gotta get something to eat." He said, mostly to himself but acting like he was keeping Addy posted. He left the apartment complex and started walking down the road. His attention was drawn to a fast-food place that was one of those 24-hour service places Res had heard about while serving time. He smiled as he looked both ways before crossing the street quickly and going into the building.

 

[KnightAarant]

Mika entered the diner with a little pep in her step. She looked around to plenty of returning customers whom she could recognize from her repeat trips. The early morning breakfast rush uplifted her spirits. It gave her this latent feeling bliss. She felt like she was part of a series of revolving cogs, part of a bigger machine that works the morning life in the city. The activity, the interaction, the start to a day it all made her feel so accomplished -- Despite not really having much planned for today within nothing of the norm. She cracked a small grin not enough to be noticeably jubilant nor make her complexion come off neutral. Her excitable buzzing thoughts warded off the droning sounds of the tables of chatter completely shutting her off in her own little world, less to her own benefit as she walked up to the counter and bumped her abdomen almost jerking herself forward clumsily. The knotted sash around her wast punted her stomach and woke her up back to reality, embarrassingly waking her up. She wondered if getting out of the apartment was too much of a good thing so suddenly. She regained her composure standing straight and peering upward at the hanging menu, looking for the price for a medium sized mocha. She had managed to forget the price again, her embarrassment washing over her again thinking she looks clueless from sneaking a peek up at the menu.

She returned her gaze forward over the sales counter, looking for whatever cashier was handling the front for orders. She founds no one actively standing at the front, as the breakfast rush had everyone scrambling the kitchens. Mika looked to her left then right to see if anyone was around the registers at all. Finding the absence to be convenient since no one could have noticed her fumble a moment ago. She hung her head, and lowered her shoulders with a small breath of relief. "Phew.."

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Langevin rolled out of his backroom to the club at the middle of the Host hideout, the floor empty and lights off. The bartender was preparing his space and cleaning the area from last nights rave. He turned back towards the end halls close to where everyone else was collecting last night. He aimed to discuss the matter of their mystery man to Dominic before he headed out to meet a friend for the day. He wore the same getup as last night during a routine scouting mission of his own accord, a product of laziness. He continued down the hall and heard some familiar voices, feeling a little proud that his guess was right. He heard a strong, womanly voice and one more friendly but with some underlying aggression. He continued forward and walked past a room with Colt and Sam, standing in the doorway leaning on the frame. "There you two are, morning." Langevin greeted them both. "Do you know where the big man on campus is? If he's still asleep then I'm probably just going to see if I can find him when I come back."

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Spoiler

♪
Dominion lightly outfitted scouts lay sprawled out on the ground outside of Brookfields city limits in close to the wildlife reserve. Their white, fetching uniforms contrast heavily with the tears and unnatural scars left behind by some force of dark origin. The ground around them is dry, dead. The soil cracks and a dark bog with specs of dirty orange embers float upward dissipating in the sunlight. One scout remain conscious but incapacitated, the use of his legs has been forcibly taken from him. They're a mess of strange burns and blackened scars, lifeless as the scout tries to back away from his inhuman attacker. He reaches for his communication device, his hands shaking violently in fear hardly able to keep the device gripped firmly in his hands. He flicked through the comm stations with his thumb, sometimes slipping off the button. The device cried with muffled static from his palm covering the speaker end. He quickly rose it towards his face, his breathing erratic and short. His voice struggled to come out coherently, even to that end he was speaking to no one. An arm reached out, dark as obsidian and the same orange glow flowed through the cracks and seams. The fingers were pointed and the digits were segmented in a mechanical fashion. It struck the air, breaking a dark portal open. The portal opened next to the scouts hand holding the comm device, and the obsidian arm extended out of the portal and ripped the device from him. Pulled away through the portal and into the monsters hand. It squeezed the device, driving its sharp fingertips into it. The screen cracked and shattered and the device folded in half, the casing melting from the heat as the orange glow intensified in its palm and forearm. It let go of the device and let it drop to the ground. The melted trash set the grass ablaze from the heat alone. It walked forward, its legs were garbed in torn black pants stained from wear and its wearers own physiology. Its feet were partly flesh and coated in obsidian. The flesh was pale and its veins were a sickly grayish blue. It walked forward, slowly peering down at the scout with hateful eyes aglow. The scout was doing his damnedest to raise himself from the ground with his upper body strength. But he failed to push himself away quickly enough. It stomped down on his chest, keeping him firmly in place. Its obsidian hands reached for a sheathed sword. The scabbard crusted in dark shards, the hilt appeared clean with leather strapping and grooved to fit in the hand. The scout peered into its face, its hair messy and unkempt. The tips of its strands looked to fall, as if it was shedding heavily but there's no visible hair loss. Its face was partially covered in obsidian on the left side, at the left side of its temple a horn curved and pointed upward. Looking more like dry cracked bone than obsidian. Its bare chest was coated from obsidian in a v-shape starting from its abdomen. It slowly pulled the sword from its scabbard, the ringing sound of steel being drawn was the only thing the scout could hear. As if he was deafened to all noise. As the blade drew, the world around him grew dark. An unnatural dark. Its eyes pierced through that darkness clearly, joining its eyes were more in the distance all blankly peering at the scout but with the same malicious intent. The rasping of the blade stopped, and with that the eyes vanished.

 

[silverlinedmist]

Zeke worked away in the kitchen with his coworkers, suddenly hearing a slight *thud* from the front counter. He went back to working, hoping someone else would take care of whatever happened out there instead of him. However, his boss noticed that he heard the noise.
"'Ey Zeke, go help that customer out, will ya? We all got our hands tied."
He could only roll his eyes, knowing that no one in the kitchen was especially busy. Why he was picked on so much, he never understood. Maybe this was some weird way of getting him to be more social? Regardless, he put on his happy face and walked out, taking off his gloves in the process. Gloves flew into the trash next to the register as he stood up in front of this sleepy woman, trying his best to give off a good impression. He couldn't help but feel a tiny bit shy, though. He thought she was kind of cute.

"Welcome, and good morning to you. Seeing anything you like?" he beamed, leaning on the cash register in a very casual way.