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

[Depresso Espresso]

Diana Young
(Tags - Sinny The Fool Solemn Jester )
Diana heard the bickering through her door, no doubt either making the kids laugh in the background or terrified along with them. The knock came shortly after the yelling as she moved to stand, walking over to the door and opening it to find a man in a mask, her face turning to surprise before she saw Tom hiding behind the wall, giving a smile and a laugh towards him, "What's with the creepy mask guy?" She said giving another short laugh as most of the people in the room let out a relieved sigh.

Looking around she let out a sigh, her face going blank, as she held out her metal arm to the person in front of her, "Diana, nice to meet you," She said in a blank tone finishing the hand shake before she looked at Tom, "Am I really that bad you have to be over there?" She said feigning pain holding a hand over her heart before she let out a laugh, "Whoever comes in last close the door." She said with another sigh walking back into her room.

The room was quite large almost as if it was specially made, a table and chairs in the corner with a tv hanging on the wall, a door on the left leading to a walk in closet that was half open and another door leading to a bathroom and shower room. Walking over to her bed she sat down crossing her arms as she kept a close eye on Clown, "So. What is it you needed Tom." She said in a slightly annoyed tone, leaning forward to listen more intently.​

 

[Azukai]

Corruption P.7
Camilla Ferrari | Sam Sarith
​

"Easier said than done" Byakko muttered in reply to Camilla. There was a feral snarl as he assumed his Zodiac's form; arcs of lightning crackled across his body while his glowing eyes fixated on the food-obsessed target. From Sam, a plethora of harpoons flung themselves towards the hollow who, in turn, had little intention of dodging. One by one, the cold steel pierced into its body, though not a single drop of blood bled from its wounds. Nonetheless, Byakko wasn't one to wait for the enemy's retaliation. Upfront, he sent an bolt of lightning hurling alongside the metal--an act that caused a chain reaction of sparks and shocks which left the monster shrieking in pain. Overall, it seemed as if the creature were paralyzed--it fell silent with its fingers locking up and its body's movements coming to a standstill. Using the opportunity, Byakko burst into the air at lightning speed. With a dagger in his hand, he positioned himself directly behind the hollow and sliced through the creature's wrists, leaving its hands attached to the chandelier while the remainder of its body plummeted.

"My turn." Ryu said with a grin stretching from ear to ear. He smashed his fist against his left bicep which shattered his wooden arm and produced a plethora of chips that he flung along the downward trajectory of the hollow. For a moment, his eyes began to extenuate their forest green color as the shards of wood rapidly expanded into a spherical cage which engulfed the creature's body within its tight seal. The wooden cage collided against the ground with a loud thud that was drowned out by the dragon's triumphant roar. That being said, he wasn't finished with his attack. He clasped his hands together in an act that forced the wood to collapse in on itself while distorting into an unnatural twist. "Is it over?" He muttered; his eyes remaining focused for any movement from the mangled cage.

Moments went by without any sign of life from the hollow, and Byakko, who had been hovering with his lightning at the ready, lowered his guard with a sigh of relief. The electricity dissipated from his body as he zipped across the ground and stopped at Camilla's side. There, he patted the girl on her shoulder with a glowing smile on his own face, "Not bad, Kitten." A second later he was at Kaivant's side where he began inspecting the man's injuries alongside of Sam. Copious amounts of red and black blood had poured from his wounds and soaked into the paper spikes; so much that they were beginning to lose the stability of their structure. There was no denying that it was a gruesome scene, though Byakko seemed relatively nonchalant as he smacked the man upside the head. "Come on, old geezer. A couple holes aren't gonna kill you." At first, there was no reaction until a loud groan escaped Kaivant's lips, soon followed by a mouthful of blood that he spat onto the ground. "I-Its not over...you fools."

"Nom." The single word was short and sweet, though with it came with pain for almost everyone in the room. Unbeknownst to the inhabitants were the plethora of mouths that had sprouted from the ground and taken a bite out of the nearest flesh they could find. Ryu had been ignored given his wood-like skin; a fact that left him with a perplexed expression towards the sudden yelps. Loud smacks and crunches filled the air with an obnoxious announcement for the hollow's return, yet there was no sign of his presence apart from the mouths and his voice. "Youth tastes the best...I need more..." Around the room, slits began to form on the walls and furniture--a transformation that left Byakko with a look of utter disgust and horror on his face. "Are you fucking kidding me..."

Dozens, if not hundreds of eyes were all staring at a single girl in the room; copious amounts of drool dripping from within the lids as they yearned to sate the hunger for their new acquired taste.

 

[silverlinedmist]

A slight pain struck Zeke's arm as the hollow attacked, knocking him forward as it tried to pull it's hand away, but not enough to deter him from his path. He stood strong, but was suddenly hit with a realization that this wasn't the entity he sought, though now wasn't the time to try to put together the pieces. This creature did look familiar to him. Had his nightmares brought him to Limbo before, or did he have his Zodiac to thank for this strange encounter? Zeke quickly shook his head, as if to shake away the thoughts and curiosities to focus. He noticed the creature attacked the same way each time, which made the next attack very predictable, and hopefully easy to dodge. It seemed like a risk to get too close to the creature, but with all these weapons lying around, maybe he had a chance.

Zeke kept himself on his toes, bouncing back and forth as if he was ready to sprint off in either direction. A grin appeared on his face to mirror the grin of the hollow. Was he enjoying himself? What a strange feeling this was, and what a strange moment to be feeling it. Was the risk of death really all it took to make him feel some sort of thrill?
The hollow swung it's arm out again, in the same way, though this time Zeke was ready for it. He put up the shield just in case he didn't dodge in time, as the shield surely wouldn't last through this attack. When it's arm was just above him, claws barely hitting the shield, he swung the sword upwards with all his power, slicing right through the ghastly arm.
He didn't have much time now. It would retaliate as soon as it recovered from that.
Zeke dropped the sword but kept the shield on his arm, reaching for a bow and the spare arrows scattered about. He lined up the shot, said a quick prayer, and let the arrow fly. This was considerably different than shooting a gun, and he could only hope his aim was better.

 

[Boss]

Corruption P.8
Camilla Ferrari | Sam Sarith​

???
???​

Camilla clicked her teeth in rejection of Byakko's acknowledgement. There remained plenty of ill feelings between the two speedsters that preventing Camilla from seeing their journey together as anything more than a temporarily alliance. However, she couldn't deny the fulfilling sense that came from putting down the birthed hollow with the help of her plan. Camilla sighed her stress away before she suddenly found herself off balance and falling - fast. Quick reflexes brought her right leg upward, but not entirely as her swift recovery was greatly hindered by the mouth's razor sharp teeth that sliced through her leggings and leg flesh down to the top of the boot, which the hollow's mouth took with.

Camilla shouted in agony as blood quickly turned her leg and the surrounding flooring red. The numerous slices down her leg only deepened the further down it traveled, tearing through her tendon and nearly reaching the bone. She threw her weight onto the harpoon Sam had given her and used it to support herself as a terrifying realization kicked in along with her pain. Camilla stared wide-eyed at the countless eyes that returned the glare. Her mouth opened to scream but ended up choking off of her irregular breathing. She felt another mouth attempt a chomp at her good leg, and as a result she limped away from it's grasp. Everyone else had been suffering the same, save for Ryu who stood dumbfounded at the current state of events. Fighting through tears and an unbearable pain, Camilla used the harpoon as a walking cane to hastily limp her way over to Ryu. Using her upper body strength and the reserves in her left leg, Camilla launched up to Ryu's shoulder using the harpoon as something to launch off of.

She was barely able to make it. Her limp leg did her no favors as she struggled to perch herself up onto Ryu's shoulder. "Sss-Sorr..y.." She winced out toward the hulking figure. One glance at her leg reminded her of the pain and seemingly made it worst. Holding out her right arm, the clothing that covered it had suddenly dissipated into smoke similar to Dominic's. The dark smoke wrapped itself around Camilla's exposed leg and rematerialized as a makeshift wrap of the same material. It quickly reddened with blood but at least it wasn't drenching Ryu's shoulder in blood.

For now, all Camilla could do was cling onto Ryu.

The Underbelly | Throne of Thorns
| Reunion |
Tom B. Stone | The Clown | Diana Young​

3:15PM
Diana's Base
Diana's Room​

Emerging from the darkest corner of Diana's abode was a robbed figure. The same robbed figure that Diana had spoken with in her dream. It was Axel, though her form felt more ethereal than last time they met. Neon green eyes peered through the opening of her hood. "It is better to lead than follow, some say." The Zodiac briskly stepped around the room, running her armored hand over the curtain's of Diana's window only for her hand to completely phase through the material. For a moment the Zodiac glanced at her palm with a slight frown before returning her attention to her host. "In life, I never led anyone. I was merely a pickpocket. A thief. I stole from the rich because they always had more than what they actually needed. My life was spent in solitary, so I cannot offer you any worthy counsel."

A series of knocks caught the attention of the Zodiac, and it wasn't long before two new additions entered the room. Axel's existence was completely invisible to non-hosts, meaning only Diana could see and hear her. Rather than continue to talk, Axel remained silent as she watched the two enter the room. A curious fit washed over her as she approached Clown and stood directly in front of him for examination. She didn't say much, but it was clear to Diana that Axel was completely puzzled on the mask he wore. She turned her attention to Tom, walking straight through Clown which would have given him a cold chill that washed over his body.

Axel hummed in wonder as she then examined Tom, taking particular interest in the hat he wore with a few prods. As expected, her finger phased through the hat and couldn't manipulate it at all. "So this is the world Tyrik was so interested in.." The girl muttered to herself.

Down with the Sickness P.5
| Lucy Black |​

???
???​

Lucy's swift decent into darkness dragged on for longer than it should have. What started to look like a cave felt a lot more like a bottomless cavern she was falling into. The air's resistant tore through the layer of webbing that constricted her, yet her rapidly declining altitude continued, even as the darkness she fell into had completely surrounded her and robbed her of vision. Many seconds passed before the air that brushed around her had slowed down to a halt. Was she even falling anymore?

"Mis-.."

"..dition... stabil-.."

Voices echoed through the abyss, as what felt like a never-ending expansion of darkness began to shrink. It felt as consciousness were returning to Lucy. What was once darkness slowly became light as she found herself back in the hospital, her arms tied to the railings of the stretcher, while a strap tightly secured her to the frame of the bed. Several doctors were staring into Lucy's eyes as she awakened once more. "Condition.." called out one of the doctors through his facial mask. He glanced over to the monitor. "...Stabilized. She's awake."

Off on the other side of the room was the nurse that had questioned her before her blackout. Her hands tenderly petted purple, bruised skin in the shape of a small hand's grip. The nurse peered at Lucy with a terrified expression while another nurse beside the original had mouthed inaudible words to calm her down.

"Ms. Black? Can you speak?" asked one of the three doctors in the room.

 

[Azukai]

Prologue
Boss Kisaki Sinny The Fool Solemn Jester silverlinedmist Depresso Espresso

Prior to the Great War, the Takumi Corporation was a long-standing conglomerate that dominated the pharmaceutical market with generic drugs that were offered at mere fractions of the market's standard prices. The company was originally founded in 1987; under the name of Rx Pharmaceuticals to which it maintained its status as a moderate pharmacy chain that spread throughout the Midwest of America. Its unprecedented growth wasn't until 2011, when the chain experienced a merge with an overseas company that brought it under the leadership of a man known as Daisuke Takumi. He was a shrewd Japanese businessmen who, with his family, immigrated to America, where he formed the headquarters for his new success in the growing city of Blue Springs, Minnesota. Good fortune shined upon him and his company; at least until everything came to a sudden end when he and his family were killed in a tragic fire that struck their mansion in the outskirts of town. The incident was deemed an accident, though it was the first domino to fall and trigger the chain of misfortune that followed soon after. By the time the dust of the war had settled, the Takumi Corporation was a husk of its former self--worth a pitiful sum that was quickly auctioned to the highest buyer, brave enough to undertake the baggage of its remains. This buyer turned out to be an eccentric man known as Doctor Magus Aldricht.

Doctor Aldricht was an elderly gentleman with a long-standing history in medicine and engineering. Up until this point, he had been an obscure figure in the research and development of biomedical implants--holding little fame or recognition across the world. What he saw in the remnants of the Takumi Corporation was an opportunity; one that he gladly took advantage of when he re-branded the company as Fracture Technologies and became a leading suppliers for the Dominion's (and other anti-Zodiac organizations') front line. In a time where the population was panicked and afraid, Fracture Technologies became a beacon of hope; the potential of humanity in their fight against the supernatural; and the ultimate diversion from the truth in the shadows.

Location: Blue Springs
Boss Kisaki Sinny The Fool Solemn Jester silverlinedmist Depresso Espresso

"Welcome back, Young Master." Magus said the moment he heard the doors to his lab slide open. There was no further acknowledgement, since his attention was towards a small, circuit board he was soldering a capacitor too. There was a small wisp of smoke as a bead of solder was transferred to the joint, and a satisfied nod from the elder who examined his flawless handiwork. A fatigued breath escaped his lips as he set the iron on its nearby holder and swiveled his office chair to face the visitor...himself. Standing in front of him was an near copy of his own body; the only difference being the visitor wore a suit in contrast to his own lab attire. "And I see you utilized myself, I am quite honored by this fact." There was no surprise in the elder's voice as he spoke to the visitor--only a sense of reverence towards the entity that stood before him.

"It's tiring being old." The visitor replied while reaching for the revolver that was holstered against his waist. "Even more so to use this ancient old thing on top of it." He tossed the revolver at Magus who caught the weapon with extra care. For a moment a wave of anger flared on the elder's face, though it quickly faded to a smile that he maintained for the remainder of he conversation. "This revolver is something only you can use. It is discreet, demonstrates no energy for the Dominion to detect, even though you utilize your Zodiac energy." The visitor scoffed whilst snapping his left fingers in the air. The sound of shattering glass echoed throughout the room, in response to the shards of glass that fell from his body and revealed the shorter, black-haired boy that was hidden underneath. "Yeah, yeah, I hear ya." he muttered in a rebellious tone that no longer resembled the raspy voice of Magus. Instead, it was a higher pitched voice that was fit for a teenage boy, no more than twelve or thirteen in age.

A sigh escaped Magus' lips, though he maintained his smile as he watched the boy pull a vial of black and green liquid from his jeans pocket. Like the revolver, the vial was caught with utter care--its contents soon placed into a centrifuge which began splitting it at a fundamental level. "I'll let you know what I uncover; I'd imagine your heading back to Brookfield...unsuccessful, no?" The teen rolled his eyes in response to question. "Obviously...my sister remains in the shadows yet; though it wasn't all that bad for a trip." He pointed to the blood that was being spun in the machine. "There's something special about that, I could smell it. My initial guess is a parasitic entity that attached itself to the hollow. It had a bunch of vines protruding from its body even though it was a standard hell hound species." The more Magus listened, the more his eyes twinkled with growing excitement towards the prospect of new discovery. Suddenly, the hour it would take to split the blood felt like an eternity for the man who began to pout as he listened to the remainder of the teenager's report. "And I found a girl with affinity, fearless in a stupid kinda way, though hey, at least she was cute."

Suddenly, Magus began to laugh--a development that left the teen red to his face as he glared at the teasing old man. "Leave me alone. Just because the only thing you find beautiful is technology, doesn't mean I can't appreciate a girl or two." Magus only began to laugh harder in response to the teenager's rebuke; at least until the doors slid open at the arrival of a second guest, a woman. "Welcome back, Young Master." Like Magus, she spoke with a sense of reverence towards the teenager, though her tone was much more serious--a fact that was further reflected in her overall appearance and attire. She wore a grey, form-fitting suit that complemented her icy-blue eyes which were visible through her horned-rimmed glasses that rested on her face. She had brown, mid-length hair that was pulled into a messy bun which held its form through a cat-patterned hair stick.

"Miyuki!" The teenager exclaimed in response to the arrival of what appeared to be his aide. "Are the preparations ready for our next steps moving forward?" The woman nodded, just before her eyes began to glow and three digital screens formed in an arc around her body. She raised her arms and began effortlessly typing on a keyboard, which like the screens, manifested midair. The screen directly in front of her body displayed a UNIX terminal that was being spammed with rapid-fire code; whereas, the screens to her side began to show the fruits of her effort. The screen on the left was a map of Brookfield with a flashing marker placed on the outskirts of the city. On the right was a similar map, though this one had a marker that was slowly moving through a neighborhood alleyway. "I've pinpointed the location of both the summit and the affinity." She explained without so much as taking a break from typing. On the left screen, the map zoomed out to reveal a several mile path that was highlighted along a complicated route. "My bug is in place. The Dominion will be receiving falsified data from their energy detectors. I can promise you the exact time it takes, having calculated the estimated traffic tonight. Any complications along the way and there's a chance the Dominion might get nosy."

Again, the teenager rolled his eyes. "Oh loosen up off the data. I highly doubt the phantom hacker, ICE, herself plans on letting the Dominion get the best of her." There was a momentary smirk on the corner of the woman's mouth, as she typed a quick command that rendered a 3D model on her center screen. The model consisted of an peculiar outfit that warranted a sly grin from the teenager who snapped his fingers towards the screen. A glass mirror began to form itself between the screen and the teen--its surface reflecting an image of the himself wearing the very outfit at hand. Without hesitation, he proceeded to walk through the mirror which exhibited a milky-like surface that rippled with waves as his body passed through. Just like the image, he stepped from the other side with the outfit on his body and satisfaction hidden behind the mask on his face. "Have our boys pick up the affinity along the way. This should be a good experience for her...familiar, if anything else."

Another mirror formed in the center of the room. There was a quick bow from both Magus and ICE, who watched as their master walked through the mirror and became yet another moving dot on the map of Brookfield.

Location: Brookfield
Kisaki

Amelia's walk through the alleyways of the neighborhood was met with relative peace, at least when compared to the events from earlier. Here and there, the occasional citizen passed her by, though they gave her little attention--their only motive being the yearn for home after a long day of work. The distance between the bakery and her apartment was relatively short. It was a matter of several alleyways, crossing a road, and arriving at her home. She was on the final stretch; her apartment clearly visible in the distance up ahead. It was at this moment, however, that any sense of peace was instantly shattered by the screeching of tires and slam of doors. The alleyway intersected with a road on both its north and south sides, where several Japanese men were pouring into the alley with an aura of general hostility. They had no weapons in their hands, though the sight of swords and guns were clearly visible on their belts. They began approaching Amelia, slow and steady, one of them even speaking in his native tongue as he beckoned towards to girl whilst pointing to his side. "Watashi to kite (Come to my side)."

 

[Kisaki]

Amelia cursed as the dangerous looking Japanese men came into view. 'So much for going home peacefully'. Her neighbourhood did have a large Japanese population; however, she knew the group wasn't from the neighbourhood. She wondered if her encounter at the bakery had anything to do with this.

The girl rolled he eyes, releasing deep sigh as the group ganged up on her. "Watashi o kinishinaide kudasai." Amelia spoke, straightening her back as the man she belived to be the boss came closer to her. It translated into' Don't bother me.'

"I don't want any trouble so would you please step aside." Amelia asked kindly. Her eyes scanned the men, assessing the weapons attached to their belts. She knew there was a possibility of a fight. " Trouble seems to be finding me today." Amelia laughed softly.

Azukai

 

[Boss]

Den of Snakes
NIGHTMARE
| Ezekiel Kokinos |​

???
"Limbo"​

The hollow arched backwards with a corrupted howl. A violent spray of black blood from the clean cut showered the immediate area, dotting the dust and corpses in black. It gave Zeke enough time to switch out his weapon and let loose an arrow bound for the hollow's head. In it's agony, the arrow found it's mark in the center of the hollow's neck and caused even more damage. The wounded arm dragged itself back to it's body as if it were safe from Zeke's reach. The hollow gave Zeke a more tame look before it's entire body began to worm itself into the ground and out of view. Once the hollow's remaining arm disappeared underneath the dirt, there was no sign of it anymore. No noises, no vibrations, nothing. From the looks of it, the hollow must have reevaluated it's situation and opted to live another day.

This left Zeke with nothing more to do than continue up the winding path to the building at the tip. However, the further he went, the stronger the wind blew against him, until it matched the ferocity of a rare hurricane. Zeke would reach a fork in the road where the main path continued upward, yet the second path veered off to the side where a small carving into the mountain existed. He would be able to barely make out an active flame that still lit the small cave. The main path was nearly impossible to venture, as the winds grew even more violent than what he was experiencing now.

Assuming Zeke decided to check out the cave, he would have spotted a robbed individual tending to the fire. Around the cave, the wind was much more calm and bearable. A pair of weathered hands withdrew from basking in the heat of the fire upon the figure noticing Zeke's presence. "Well, don't just stand out there, kid. I don't bite - yet." sounded an old man's voice. The man kept every part of his body covered in his robes, save for his hands that returned to the fire. "You must be starving." One hand motioned to a drying rack by the cave wall, where a small selection of god-knows-what was hanging from a suspended string, cooked.

 

[silverlinedmist]

The silence he heard after the severed arm disappeared under the dirt was deafening. Zeke's breaths were jagged, adrenaline still pumping through his veins. He almost wanted to let out a victory cry, quite pleased with himself that he lived through that, but remained silent. Unsure of what else was waiting for him, he picked up the sword, sticking it through his belt as it seemed to lack a proper sheath. He gathered up more arrows that laid all around, finding another spare bow and plucking the bowstring right off. He loosely tied them together, sticking them on the other side of his belt, letting the bow hang over it. Surely not the best way to carry such weapons, but it was all he had for the moment. With the damaged shield still attached to his arm, he looked forward, eyes scanning the path ahead. There was nowhere to go but up, after all. The area around him was eerily quiet still after the encounter he just had; Zeke could only hear his breathing, and his heartbeat, followed by the faint howls of the wind behind him. The soft crunch of the dirt below almost startled him as he took the first step, but he carried on nonetheless.

The wind, however, was getting violent with him. By the time Zeke had been blown over the first time, he took that as a hint to stay close to the ground if he wanted to keep going. As he made his way up the path, crawling slowly, he came to a fork in the road. Zeke could barely see through the dust being stirred up by the wind, which also made breathing difficult despite covering his face with his shirt. He saw a faint flame in the distance, and decided to take that path, as he was desperate for some relief from these violent winds. As he approached the cave and the winds grew gentler, he felt he could breathe again, taking a couple breaths only to send himself into a coughing fit. He bent over, resting his hands on his knees for support as he finished coughing. His body had felt like it had enough of that for now.

Eyes wandered up to the cloaked... Being, sitting next to the fire, seemingly friendly towards Zeke. He eyed the bundle of robes suspiciously, nodding at the old man's words as he stepped into the cave. A wave of fatigue hit him like a truck as he reached his hand out to the wall for support. The warmth from the fire felt so nice, though he wasn't particularly cold. He sat down, looking towards what appeared to be some sort of food hanging on the side of the cave, and shook his head.

"Ah, no.. Thank you. I'm just tired, the wind out there was incredibly strong, way stronger than I'm used to, hah. It was quite the workout to even get up here.." His voice trailed off as he stared at the man, unsure of what to do now that he was here. "Um.. If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing up here, in a place like this..?"

 

[Boss]

Den of Snakes
NIGHTMARE
| Ezekiel Kokinos |​

???
"Limbo"​

The old figure wrapped in a hooded robe never turned his focus from the flickering flame before him. "Fate has made this cave my dwelling." He returned. Rugged hands rubbed together to transfer it's warmth. "Judging by your tattered attire and your rustic weaponry, you must have recently become a host, am I right?" The man's hands retreated from the fire. "I became a host too late. No supernatural energy can prevent your destined expiration date. Nevertheless, I clinged onto my fickle hope and broke free of that prison. My experience as a traveler allowed me to get higher up the mountain, but alas, old age chained me down here."

"When I tried to return to the world of the living, I discovered that I couldn't. My physical body must be six feet under by now, so now I'm here, trapped in this cave to willow away into something.. unholy." The figure's hands rose to the corners of his hood, and one motion flipped it down to unleash a trail of black mist that originated from the man's head. It was the same black mass that coated the creature Zeke had fought. The man looked over his shoulder, and a bright red eye peered at Zeke from a half-corrupted face that twisted into a grin. "My appearance is nowhere close to what it aught to be, but my mind still remains the same. My only guess is that one day I'll become a Zodiac too and hunger for the life energy of a young soul." The man turned his head back to peer at the flames. "But enough about me, my story is ending. Yours is far from it, however."

 

[TerraBooma]

"Fuck!"

Sam had started reacting as the words escaped his lips. The scent of Camilla's blood hit the air like an explosion, and he barely felt the teeth scratching his legs. Thanks to his armored skin, Sam didn't take anything close to a wound from the teeth, but he was royally pissed off. As Camilla scrambled up Bryakku, the air around Sam was suddenly charged with energy. A massive circle suddenly opened up behind him, and a feminine figure stepped out from behind it. She was a woman, but legs gave way to nothing but wispy black nothingness. The woman's head examined the room quickly, falling into a defensive stance beside Sam. She wore a simple leather jacket, green eyes, brown hair done up in a ponytail, and was equipped with harpoons similar to Sam's own. This was Samantha, one of Sam's more powerful summons. While not his zodiac, she was a recreation of the sibling Cetus had had in life, and was quite happy to lend a hand in fights.

"Woah ho ho Sammy! You've gotten yourself into a world of trouble this time! Usually you call on Jericho first! Going straight for the big guns hu-" She was silenced as Sam waved his hand. Normally he'd be quite happy to speak with her, but now wasn't the time. The ghostly woman simply nodded. If Sam wasn't making small talk, that meant it was serious. Sam's gaze turned sharply to Camilla, and Samantha nodded. She'd been told about her in Sam's visits to Cetus' limbo. Whether Camilla knew it or not, the residents of the endless Soireee liked her quite a bit

"You got it Sammy! Consider her good as saved." She darted through the air like a shark, throwing harpoons down in a line at anything that got in her way as she did so. Thanks to her corporeal movement ,she was able to reach Camilla with ease. "Hey there! You must be the famous Camilla we've heard so much about! Nice to finally meet ya. I'm Samantha. Your going to want to duck now." Samantha suddenly lept onto Camilla with a burst of speed, enveloping her with her own form.

It was at that moment, Sam released a monsoon of harpoons into the room. Samatha's form extended outwards, protecting the others, and a huge cloud of harpoons exploded into the room. Each one finding it's mark in one of the mouths. digging deep into the room surrounding them. Sam's eyes searched wide, trying to find an opening to strike at the childlike figure himself. He'd gone and drawn blood from someone Sam had sworn to protect.

That was a mistake they wouldn't be able to make twice.

 

[Sinny The Fool]

"Clown & Tom B. Stone"

~Diana’s Room~

While the wait wasn’t very long, to Clown the time it took to hear any type of response felt like an entire lifetime had gone by and from behind the ominous door and the chuckles coming from the children sitting on the couch behind them, all equally amused by the shock that struck Clown when hearing yelling coming from within the room and instantly regret set in. He did his best to prepare himself and as the door opened, revealing Diana...Ready to run for whatever cover he could manage to find, he was relieved to find that he wasn’t instantly shot at.

He was about to introduce himself, but before he managed to get out any words, she had already spoken and referred to him in a manner which caught Clown off guard. “Creepy..?” rubbing the back of his neck and speaking under his breath “Frankly that is uncalled for..”. Extending his arm, partially on impulse to shake her hand - it took him a few moments to actually notice and process the fact she had a robotic arm, and it took almost every fiber in his body not to jerk his hand back to his side. “Uhh, the name is Clown..” being careful what he said, he repeated what Tom had told him in his mind ‘Just don’t mention the arm, don’t mention the arm...'

Tom let out a sigh of relief as he didn't hear the pathetic death screams of Clown immediately at the door opening. He popped his head back out from the corner, "Oh you know me. Better safe than sorry.” He told her smiling his dazzling white smile. As he always did when he met his love, Diana. "Ha! She got you pegged creeper!” Tom teased, before walking up and wrapping his arms around Diana in a loving embrace. "It’s soo good to see you. Anyway, this creeper is my hacker friend Clown. I brought him because he had nothing better to do, and needed some fresh air.” He said with a glance back at Clown warning him to keep his mouth shut, however, he was distracted by a sudden chill that he felt throughout his body which almost struck him as strange, “Jeez who turned the AC up in here??” he said after he had started walking around the room. Then Tom walked in, and took a seat, crossing his legs, and smiling. Until Diana asked him what he wanted. Which he gasped in response to, "How hurtful! Here I am, coming to see my darling Girlfriend, and you greet me with such a tone? I thought we were closer than that.” He whined ever so slightly.

Tom sighed, and his expression grew ever so serious. His eyes stared into Diana's like daggers, ”I'm interested in the summit. I want you to take me as your date. So we can spend some time together, and I can get a good look at what's going on between the gangs around the area.” He said in a straightforward manner that he didn't tend to usually use. Then he smirked and pointed a thumb at Clown. "Now if you refuse to tell me I'll have Clown boy search up the location, and if you kill him. Well, I have a man on the inside who's searching for the location for me.” He told her grinning ever so confidently. He patted Clown on the back heartily, "I would have had Bozo search it up for me anyway. But I didn't want to risk leaving a cyber trail. Besides, then I'd owe him something, and I already gotta give him some damn chips. Greedy bastard he is.” Tom stood up, and gently grabbed Diana's hand in his own. He held it against his face, enjoying the cold metal against his skin. "So please my love, won't you take me with you? I just want to observe, I promise.” He lied, crossing his fingers behind he back with his free hand as he did.

​

(This was a collaboration post done by Solemn Jester & Sinny The Fool )
(Mentions - Depresso Espresso Boss )
(Color Code - Tom B. Stone & Clown)

 

[SidTheSkid]

Devan W. Eldridge ~ Detective Stoner
High Status: 60% - It's Already Here
​

• IC

• (Location: Brookfield, The Streets SON )(Mood: Liberated)
  (Interactions: Audrey Quimm )
  (Mentions: Idri Ave , Boss )
  
  Maybe he was having some sort of panic-attack or something but it felt as if Audrey's face had went completely numb with the addition of the atmosphere surrounding both of them. Perhaps this was another hallucination of some sort created from his fatigue? Inanimate merchandise within the establishment dwindled in and out of existence, Colors of his environment begun clouding over themselves with a shrouded darkness, and a sense of surrealism hungrily feasted upon Devan's warped mind as he observed the outlandish influence establishing itself all-around his location. Signs of that old familiar urge was beginning make itself known through his trembling fingertips along with that thousand-yard stare which couldn't help himself from staring 'daggers' at the pharmaceutical boxes positioned three or so meters across from where he was comfortably sitting. "Not now, please.. I can't." He shuttered as he spoke, biting his lip before having his dark desires finally run rampant even though he dreaded what kind of mischief he'd get up to when pumping himself full of narcotics. "Audrey, I-i just need to check on something real quick." With a half-hearted attempt to make himself sound remotely in-control, he shuffled his desensitized-self instinctively in the direction of one of the pill bottles that broke free from one of the boxes before thoroughly inspecting the side label of the medication.
  
  "Stimulants, this should do the trick." Strangely enough, amphetamines like these are used to treat hyperactivity but then again mixed with other things such as strong alcohol or different prescriptions could result in adverse effects, even causing the opposite of what they're intended to do which in itself is rather dangerous as it can create internal complications although that'd be more likely for someone who wasn't as experienced with that sort of thing and just wanted to get a quick fix without knowing what precautions to take. Readily equipped with a half-emptied bottle of foul smelling rum and enough pill bottles to knock out a freaking bull elephant, Devan was more than prepared to get himself what's known as being outrageously 'fucked up' but something was stopping him from 'drowning' himself in fist full of pills once he tromped into the bathroom, Audrey. Even though she's an experienced boxer there's no possible way she could defend herself without him especially with suffering a hard blow to the head with a bat! Maybe he'd just take a few instead of scarfing them down his face like a rabid drug crazed lunatic, however as soon as that one tablet slid across his tongue and down his throat he was lost to a world of uppers, downers, and 'inbetweeners' if that was possible.
  
  One helpful swig of that bitter-sweet alcohol later, one pill turned into two and two turned into three... It was too late to stop now, he had already sunken too low and now he couldn't stop himself until it was too late. Half emptied bottles were strewn across the floor with the addition of puddles of alcohol leading to Devan who was just staring into empty space contemplating his guilt including wondering what kind of shit he had just gotten himself into. About an hour had past, now there were circles of flashing light from the background of the bathroom! Great just what he needed, after seeing things change around him he sluggishly glanced down with a deadened expression at the discolored floor, his detective's hat nearly drooping off the top of his head before he caught it with his right hand and glimpsed up at the mirror, revealing a former image of the Devan he once knew which suddenly faded away and replaced itself with an entirely different presence as his heart continued to pump the drugs through his system.
  
  "Until we meet again, old friend." A discouraging chuckle wiggled through his throat, a ferocious mien had now masked the former desolate personality once his dilated pupils had focused in on the dirtied mirror reflecting his wobbly image. "Sorry busty boobs but when it's time to party, it's time to fucking party." At that moment any desire of chasing the 'Zodiac Killer' or tagging along with Audrey was now out of the picture as he had been overcome with the spiritual need to 'fucking party'. Without giving so much as time to think about it, Devan ripped himself free from his shirt and leaped onto the closed toilet seat with a trail of confidence (gracious amounts of alcohol) leaving his lips upon doing so and accidentally releasing a paper slip containing a mysterious address which swept carefully onto the lid of the toilet before he leaped out the privacy window, of course shattering it with his heels as he vaulted out of it feet first in some mystical way.
  
  
  "Let's get this started!" Wiping away the seeping rum from the corner of his lip, Devan gleefully took to the streets with a joyful grin pushing his cheeks.
  With nothing to hold him back, he was ready to get himself into some mischief but where?
  There were opportunities everywhere to choose from.
  In any case, he was prepared for whatever fate had in store for him.
  Just about anything that would give him that rush he was looking for.​
  Spoiler: Party Time

  
  
  

 

[Idri Ave]

Haymaker pt. 2

Audrey Quinn
(Mentions: SidTheSkid )
​

Taken aback by the whole "babe" question Audrey didn't know how to answer, she sits crossed legged trying to figure out how to answer, she closed her eyes and took a breath. When she opened she looked up to where Devan should be, but he wasn't, confused she stood up and looked around. She heard some noise from the bathroom. He must be in there, waiting for a bit for him to exit from doing "his business". She then heard the sound of a window smashing, worried she went to the bathroom. "Devan? Are you ok in there?" After no reply she decided to enter, "I'm coming in!" She closed her eyes, not wanting to see what she thought she might. Without hearing any reaction to her entering she peeped through one eye. Realising no one was there at all. She looks to see the window smashed, on the counter an empty pill bottle and a alcohol bottle. With no Devan. She turns and runs out to the entrance of the store trying to find where he went. Unable to she goes back inside deciding to leave or wait until he comes back. She heads back to the bathroom for any clues of where he could of gone. Noticing a note on the toilet lid she reads it, it has an address on it. Audrey decides she should head to this address and see what she can find. She grabs her bag with some money left as well as some food and drinks, for she didn't know where to go. She decided to start going towards the address. She wouldn't need to go to work today so that was a plus. Audrey flips the closed sign to open, unlocks the back door and quickly heads out before the other employee can find her. Once she is a few blocks away Audrey heads in the direction of her home. Keeping a low profile.

 

[Randomfella]

Lucy Black
Snapped Back to Reality?​

Lucy finally gained the breath to scream as she continued to drop, though before long it had run out once more. Endlessly she would fall, almost waiting for the sudden impact to take everything from her, the feeling of a complete lack of control overwhelming the girl. Until finally... It stopped, her eyes opened, she was surrounded by figures speaking, speaking to her.

"The... They're trapped! Those creatures... I need to!" Lucy attempted to lift her arm up, her body soon following, yet the restraints limited them as the sound of the leather hitting the metal rang out. Her state was still fuzzy, the girl looked around, confused, until finally she realised she was back in the hospital bed. "I... It was a dream? Then..." Lucy didn't know what to think, it all felt so real to her, she could still remember the horrible things that ran through her mind. Lucy's deep blue eyes scanned around over the doctors, until finally resting upon the nurses hand, before she finally looked upon her own. It took a while for her to realise it, hell, she wouldn't have even thought she could posses the strength to do such a thing, yet still only shame could cover her face as she thought of what pain she might have caused.

"S-sorry, I..." Her voice began to shallow, watching on as the doctors surrounded her. "Yes..." She finally answered, though the question was now clearly mute, her voice softening into a whisper as she stopped. Lucy could hardly look the nurse in the face, even more so than normal, the terrified expression that the woman held too much for the girl to bare knowing who might have caused it. Gradually Lucy sunk down in a mix of shame and fatigue, eyes looking over those in the room again, and though it was nothing compared to what showed itself in her head, the idea of being surrounded still made her uneasy.

Boss

 

[Depresso Espresso]

Diana Young
(Tags - Solemn Jester Sinny The Fool Boss )
Diana let out a short laugh with a smile as she let out a sigh, "You're a terrible liar, you know that right?" She said giving another short laugh before she leaned back, her head looking over at Axel "I'm officially a gang now. And as such, I'm supposed to pay the fuck heads that now own me. Julius isn't my boss but now I've got some people who don't like me paying them to just stay here." She said in an annoyed tone before she looked back at Tom, moving close enough that her head was only a couple of centimeters from his, "If your planning on trashing the party I want in." She said in a plain tone, her face entirely serious before she brought her arms up and wrapped them around his neck, "So what do you say? I'll even dress nice for the special occasion, maybe." She said letting a smirk break out onto her face as she looked up at Clown with a sigh, moving her head closer to Toms ear as she continued looking at him, "He creeps me out..." She said in a hushed tone to Tom letting out another short laugh moving her face back into the position from before.​

 

[mikyuu]

Lynn Silverstein​

Lynn hummed a nameless tune to herself. Her pursuing major in chemistry would greatly help her own internal conflict, questions she wanted answered. Though part of her knew the answers she got were all there were to the death of her friend. Yet she kept on wanting to believe there was more to the story, more to why her friend needed to die. But some things just happen out of chance, like the casualties in automobile accidents. While rates of car crashes have significantly lowered by modern technology, there are still possibilities. Thus with possibility gave chances to said events to happen. The possibility of winning the lottery is extremely low, but yet someone still does in fact win the lottery. Everyone has told her to move on from the accident, and deep down she knew she should do so as well. Lynn just wished there was a more logical reasoning to why her friend had to die. It was unfair someone so close to her just had to die in a stroke of luck. There had to be something the police may have missed that could have lead to a reasoning of her friend's death. Yet through her own private investigations, she's found absolutely nothing. Not even the slightest clue on how anything could have possibly happened. Though it could just be here lack of skill in investigation as she was merely a starting forensics major. Which the courses haven't even touched on anything that happens in the field, only basic information like the periodic table and chemical compounds. Lynn didn't lack the knowledge to be a forensics scientist, but she definitely lacked the hours of actual field work.

She blew a piece of stray hair from her vision. Maybe leaving her home town would help her move on, a change of landscape could help her loosen the grip she held so hard on with her past. Forcing herself to remove her attention from her gaming console to the materials she needed to use for her classes, Lynn gently hopped down from her bed. She swiftly shut off her gaming console and shoved her previously prepared pile of books from the night before into her bag. She grabbed the worn out trench coat that her friend had given to her as a birthday gift, remarking how Lynn always had a detective vibe. While it was merely a joke, she really has lived up to the remark somewhat by pursuing the career of a forensic scientist. Nevertheless, Lynn grabbed her phone from off the charger and stuffed it into her pocket as she headed out of her dorm. Before she continued on her 5 minute walk to her classroom, she let out a long sigh. Another boring day of homework and classes on campus... Will anything interesting ever happen here?

 

[Azukai]

Kisaki

The leader of the thugs was taken aback. You could tell he wasn't used to receiving no for an answer, especially since his first response was to reach for his weapon. All around him, subordinates also began to arm themselves; though, nothing ever came from their display of hostility as the sound of shattering glass filled the air. Next to Amelia, cracks began to split the very fabric of reality; until they exploded into minuscule shards of glass that left a milky portal in their wake. From the swirling gate stepped forth the teenager boy who still remained shrouded behind his jester-like outfit. He flashed Amelia a quick, cheeky grin, just before he extended a finger towards the leader of the thugs and wagged it as if he were chastising a naughty child. "Terror is not the way." He said in a calm, cheerful tone.

"Yatagarasu-san!" The response was immediate from the gang of thugs who immediately did away with their weapons and gave the teen a low bow. The act of reverence only widened his smile as he responded with words of encouragement and forgiveness for their actions. "All is forgiven, rise." One by one, sighs of relief escaped the lips of the thugs who assumed a standing position, ready for their next orders.

Yatagarasu reached into his pant's pocket where he retrieved his phone and began browsing its gallery for a specific photo. "There we go..." He muttered upon success; after which he reached forward and manifested a mirror in the distance between himself and Amelia. Upon pointing the screen of his phone at the mirror, its surface began reflect the garnished patio set that was depicted. A couple seconds passed until he finally reached into the mirror--an act that shattered its surface and manifested the picture into actuality.

Immediately, the smell of sweets and chai filled the air from the plated slices of strawberry shortcake and cups of steaming chai that were positioned at the two chairs around the table. Yatagarasu seated himself at the nearest chair and beckoned for Amelia to sit in the other. "Let's have a chat. There is time before the summit, and I'd imagine you have some thoughts on your mind."

 

[Azukai]

Brookfield | Afternoon
mikyuu

It was a balmy afternoon, and the Ravenwood campus was filled with students enjoying the outdoors and its subsequent activities. Not everyone was lucky, however; namely the students of the afternoon chemistry course, who were cursed with an hour and half lecture in place of potential fun. Thus, It was no surprise to anyone, that the lecture hall was only partially filled; a good portion of its total class being absent for a breadth of reasons that could all be classified as skipping. Nonetheless, the professor seemed far from upset in regards to the absences--rather, she bubbled with genuine excitement as she impatiently tapped the podium and waited for class to begin.

The lecture hall was a standard auditorium with rising levels of seats that curved around the platform stage at the front of the room. As a whole, it was roughly three-quarters filled with a variety of students that were either preparing for the day's lecture or chatting among friends. Those who were in attendance were in relatively good spirits; after all, the current professor was both enjoyable and fun--qualities that were in large contrast when compared to the other faculty who taught the course. Her name was Dr. Amber Stone, a recent PhD recipient at the young age of twenty three. She was a stunning individual in the academic world, having wrote her thesis on a molecular composition that was capable of inhibiting the powers of supernatural entities for extended periods of time. More important, however, was the fact that she was a quirky individual--one that preferred lecturing through real-life applications over pure theory and terms. It wasn't out of the ordinary for her to have a special, surprise event at least once a week, and today was that day for the students in the class.

"Class, I have a special announcement for the day..." Dr. Stone began, her eyes brimming with excitement as she glanced towards the front row. "We have a special guest who is going to lecture to you all." As if on cue, an older gentleman rose from his chair and turned to wave towards the class in front of him. "This is Dr. Aldricht from Fracture Technologies, and he is here to continue our discussion on the importance of organic compounds." The man made his way towards the front podium with his lengthy, white robes trailing behind his feet. From the podium, he retrieved an additional microphone and began his introduction in a raspy, gruff voice.

"Good afternoon, students of Ravenwood chemistry. As my colleague, Dr. Snow, so kindly introduced, my name is Dr. Magus Aldricht. I am the chief engineer at Fracture Technologies--namely for the research and development of anti-Zodiac technology." He paused for a moment to brush a strand of his long, white hair out of his eyes. "Now, many of you are probably wondering what technology, specially anti-Zodiac technology, would have to do with organic compounds. And to that I open the floor for theories..." His eyes began to scan the crowd, many of which were purposely avoiding his gaze in hopes of being skipped for another. Nonetheless, he finally chose, his fingers pointed Lynn's way.

"Tell me, young lady. What is your theory? No answer is too stupid in the realm of science."

 

[Boss]

Unhinged
| Devan W. Eldridge |​

3:15PM
Brookfield | Commercial District
Streets
​

Despite Devan and Audrey's brief nap within a seized convenience store, the city of Brookfield was still as active as it was in the morning. Traffic in the commercial zone was a nightmare on any day of the week. It worked in the favor of the two as it kept the police department's responding cruisers at bay, giving them the time they needed to disperse. The sidewalks were more forgiving, but even that didn't stop the passing pedestrians from shuffling out of Devan's way in fear. Too common were incidents in which hosts would lose control in public and end up damaging a building or killing a dozen of innocent people without reason. Devan definitely looked and acted the part.

Wherever Devan went, he wouldn't find a single sign of crime for miles. The commercial district happened to be the cleanest and safest part of the city, which was also a hint that it wouldn't be long before someone mistook him as a host ready to blow and phoned in the Dominion.

Haymaker P.3
| Audrey Quinn |​

3:15PM
Brookfield | Downtown
Streets
​

By the time Audrey had released the unconscious employees, unlocked the doors and reopened the store, Devan was far off on his own rampage with only a written address as a clue to where he may have gone. Audrey's path took her back into the heart of the city, where there was always something going on. She was a lot more inconspicuous compared to Devan. She was merely a single body among a flowing stream of individuals that trekked the sidewalks. Her apartment came into view, but so did a concerning sight. Parked out front of the door to her apartment building were a pack of three SUVs, black as night, without a single individual within either of them. Audrey's landlord, a short and aged old man known for throwing out more people than he could count, stood beside the opened door to his building. He looked to be roughed up, which explained why he held a pack of ice to the side of his face.

The old man glared at the vehicles that carried the unknown visitors to his doorstep, muttering swears under his breath. Soon he caught sight of Audrey and called out to her. "Quinn!! Get over here!" He demanded in an outburst of rage. "You better explain to me why these men trashed my office to find you!" His volume never lowered due to the people who passed by. He couldn't care less. "They broke hundreds of dollars of equipment, Quinn! It's coming out of your rent!"

Down with the Sickness P.6
| Lucy Black |​

3:16PM
Brookfield General Hospital | Sixth Floor
Room 633
​

Although the atmosphere was anything but relaxed, there was a wave of relief that lifted a thin layer of intensity within the room. The frantic movement of doctors had dissolved as two of three saw themselves out after confirming Lucy's well-being. The remaining doctor - after checking her vitals - turned to Lucy and explained what her future held. "You're going to be transferred over to Dominion custody today. Their equipment is much more suited to your condition than what we offer here." Before the doctor could continue, there was a brief knock at the door before a new arrival walked in.

"Excuse me, I'm coming in." announced a soft-spoken individual dressed in a business casual attire. "Here they are now." responded the doctor with a relieved smile. "My name is Ben Peterson. I'm here on behalf of the Dominion. You are Lucy Black, right?" Although Ben asked the question, there was something about his smile that told her that he knew a lot more than he appeared to let on. "Can I have the room?" He asked once more towards the doctor and pair of nurses in the corner. One by one, the occupants strolled out of the room. The original nurse's terrified glare never parted from Lucy as the last body disappeared behind the door, which was then closed, leaving Ben alone with Lucy.

"I'll cut to the chase since we don't have much time." Ben reached over and undid Lucy's restraints before pulling up a chair and sitting next to her. His coy smile had turned to a cold expression that peered into Lucy's ocean eyes. "By the end of today, you will die." His stare took in every reaction Lucy would have to what he had to say before he continued. "You are experiencing a sickness that does not originate from our world. How you've managed to survive until today is mystery - one that the Dominion wants to crack, so we're offering you an opportunity. Sacrifice your capped lifestyle for complete cooperation within the ranks of the Dominion. We will keep your sickness at bay with what technology we have, and in return you may continue to live out your days as you wish, so long as you work for us."

The Underbelly | Throne of Thorns
| Reunion |
Tom B. Stone | The Clown | Diana Young​

3:16PM
Diana's Base
Diana's Room
​

The spirit watched Diana and the others in silence. Her curiosity sated for the time being, she opted to lean against the nearest wall with her arms crossed. It was definitely interesting to observe Diana as she mingled with others. There was something about their souls that felt.. different. Axel barely shook off the thought as her eyes closed.

... He was here.

???
"Limbo"​

Axel opened her eyes to find herself back in the land of Limbo, standing in the center of large train tracks. Off to the side was her rock giant, which carried the sleeping Diana in it's arms. The giant itself was reclining against a broken wall of a once standing building. The location itself was like an abandoned cowboy town covered in layers of dust and sand. Axel stood defiantly in the middle of the tracks that passed through town - arms folded. Her eyes narrowed as she sensed the presence of another.

The echo of a train horn spread throughout town and into the distance as a smoke tower faded into view just ahead.

Despite the train's speed and blaring of it's horn, Axel stood her ground. The train approached, showing no signs of stopping for anyone or anything. As a response, Axel broke off into a sprint towards the train, when upon their inevitable head-on collision, she pushed back against the much larger train. Her feet immediately dug into the ground as she forcefully brought the train to a stop where she had originally stood at. Steam sizzled out of the top of the train as it lost it's momentum. Using one hand to retrieve her dagger, she flung it outwards only for it to curve back towards the train and lodge itself into one of the wheels of the train as a wedge to keep it from moving. Axel let up from the train with an annoyed expression, and she stepped off of the now damaged track to walk alongside the large machinery.

"Very few can stop this beast.." sounded a voice somewhere atop the train's engine. A bearded man poked his head out from within the train's engine cockpit to exchange equally pissed glances with Axel. "Oh, it's you."

...


Several minutes later, and Axel was onboard the train with the sleeping Diana. The train's operator emerged from the cabin of the engine to stand in front of Axel. Visually, he was much stronger. His body had the perfect shape of a warrior. Parts of his clothing and skin were coated in soot from the coal. His flowing white hair and beard gave him a tough and experienced look. "What do you want this time, Maiden?" He questioned her. "I want to hire you for a few jobs." "Jobs, huh? Such as?" Axel took a moment before replying. "I need you to forge my host a weapon, and take us to Maiden Manor." Axel was determined in her tone. She told him what she wanted and she did so in a manner that was more demanding that it was asking. "And exactly how are you going to pay me? You Maidens always bring trouble." "My host and I will rid you of the titans plaguing your route."

Now this was a negotiation. A smile crept it's way onto the engineer's face. "Aye, sounds lovely. However.." Axel's eyes narrowed. "..You aren't the only passengers aboard, and these folks have already paid me to take them places." "I don't care. I'll deal with them." Axel replied sharply. A sigh escaped the engineer as he scratched his head. "If a fight breaks out and you so much as scrape the paint off of my baby, the deal is off." The large individual turned his back to retreat into the engine's cabin. Axel couldn't help but smirk as she reached her hand out and recalled her lodging dagger back to her grasp. As the train began to move once more, Axel sat down next to the dozing Diana and acted as a support.

 

[Sinny The Fool]

"Clown & Tom B. Stone"

~Diana's Room~

As Tom and Diana had continued on their conversation, in the background of it all was Clown who had been mostly gazing around the room, curious of his surroundings and muttering under his breath at the continued comments thrown his way by Tom who had been using him as a bargaining chip to win an argument against his own girlfriend. Dozing to his thoughts for a moment ‘To think what kind of relationship these two actually have to going..? He was easily able to ignore the odd names and creeper comments, however when Tom seemed to suddenly twist and forget their deal Clown spoke up “You DO owe me a favor, you owed me chips before this job.” he said in a louder voice this time, and going to lean back on a wardrobe. Even if his words fell on deaf ears to Tom under the overarching conversation taking place, Clown had no intentions of letting Tom try to slip his way out of their deal.

Tom was ready to turn on the waterworks, prepared to do whatever it took. Might pathetic sure, but all that mattered to him were results. He gasped, holding his hand to his chest clearly offended. "Moi? A terrible liar!? I'll have you know just yesterday I lied so well to some mafia members that they were convinced one of their oldest members was a rat...hehe, that was funny.” Tom said reminiscing on one of his latest jobs. Of course by the time they found out Tom was lying he had gotten what he needed, and was long gone.

"Oh, and I am not lying! Why would I do that to~SHUT YOUR DIRTY FACE STUPID CLOWN!” He suddenly roared as he leaped onto Clown, smacking each side of his stupid mask repeatedly. “Can't you take a damn hint! Now she'll know I've already hired you for something!!!” “What is she supposed to think I am here for you idiot!” they both yelled as Clown initiated in slapping Tom back, and Tom forgetting Diana was right behind him. Too annoyed by Clowns lack of tact that he forgot to be tactful himself. Of course, he continuing to proceed to smack Clown around, as he done his best to flail and smack him every now and then too, admittedly holding back some to not anger Tom more than necessary. Seemingly preoccupied with the task, Tom only nodded, and replied with "Uhuh, that's nice honey.” To her words, much like a husband tuning out his wife's chatter about her day in order to better keep up with his sports game. Of course, he caught just enough to require a double take. "Oh, that's ni~ wait wot now?” He asked suddenly ceasing his smacking of Clown. Although he still held him by the collar of his hood. That was until Diana wrapped her arms around him, and he responded by doing the same. Dropping Clown back against the wardrobe, and twirling Diana in the air, a snakes grin on his face. "Did I ever tell you that you're the greatest, most amazing, sexy woman, in the world? Cuz If not I apologize for not mentioning it sooner.” He told her a newfound fire burning in his eyes. It seemed lady luck was on his side once again. Now he just needed to set things in motion. "Alright, darling, it's a date. Just let me know where the summit is being held, and we can crash your new bosses little party.” Tom continued to hold Diana in his embrace, many different thoughts speeding through his mind. With Diana's aid, his plans could go smoother than anticipated. It was all so perfect.

After Clown was managed to fiddle and fix the position of his mask, which had been put in a crooked position after all the slapping he received from Tom and at the sight of Tom hugging his girlfriend and twirling around he crossed his arm tilting his head, the smirk on his face hidden behind his mask “Now you two look like an anaconda wrapping around its prey, how romantic~”

Tom didn't look away from Diana as he pulled out his pistol aiming it directly at Clown. "I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you through the mask.” He said a thin lipped snakish grin on his face. Almost blood curdling to see. "I suggest you take this opportunity to change your answer before that precious mask of you're ends up riddled with bullet holes.” He warned, his arm showing no sign of moving anytime soon.

Clown was taken off guard for a moment, straightening up his posture and letting out a sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck “Do you want your plan to go the way you want it to? Pr do you want to fill your plan full of holes?” he said, lowering his voice the further he went into the sentence and in his mind thinking ‘I need to learn how to think better at gunpoint..’

Tom titled the gun ever so slightly to one side. Something the thugs called a “Kill shot.” Which Tom used to indicate he was close to pulling the trigger. "Oh, what was that? Did you say you wanted me to fill you with lead? I'll gladly oblige your request if that's really what you want.” He said putting his finger to the trigger, threatening to pull the trigger at any moment. "Best speak up now or I'll take that as a yes.” He said his finger edging slowly closer to it. "My finger might just slip, that would be a shame wouldn't it?” He smiled maliciously, still having one arm around Diana, the other holding up the gun. Of course he'd never actually shoot clown. But he enjoyed scaring the shit out of the Clown hacker. It was one of his favorite past times after all.

For a few moments, Clown met Tom’s stare in a deadlock in a silence that felt a little too eerie for the likings of Clown and after the loose wavering of Tom’s gun he broke. Alleviating the intense atmosphere that had filled the room, making dramatic body gestures in an attempt to dismiss his previous statement “Oh okay, you win, you win...You’re much better at this gunpoint thing than I give you credit for..I, of course, said you two look wonderful together, very cute couple. Magazine worthy even!” and he hoped Tom was distracted enough by him talking to not notice the fact Clown had slowly moved closer to any possible cover he could think of.

Tom's scary face quickly change to a friendly smile as Clown gave in as he knew he would. “Now was that so hard? Ok, we need to head out soon. Got to set things up.” He turned to Diana giving her a soft kiss on the lips, before pulling away. “We plan to set-up an ambush, blow away all the gangs using a mafia faction. Would you care to help? We could use the extra manpower. Although your men would need to be disguised. It's for the best in case things go badly.” He asked, waiting for her response, then once he got her answer he'd head towards the exit. Preparing to go change for the big event. “Ok Clown, get the address of the event from Diana. Then send the Shipment somewhere close to the summit, our plans officially started.” He said as he exited the room. Walking back towards the exit, and his car. Where he would get a fancy black suit he had brought to change into. Clown turned his attention from Tom to Diana, and with hesitation approached her.

“Okay, because Tom doesn’t want to himself...I guess we should start discussing this summit location..Oh, and do you have a place I can set up my stuff?”

​

(This was a collaboration post done by Solemn Jester & Sinny The Fool )
(Mentions - Depresso Espresso )
(Color Code - Tom B. Stone & Clown)

 

[Azukai]

Hanjiro's Limbo | Afternoon
Boss TerraBooma

Ryu was unfazed by Camilla and her blood that poured onto his shoulder. If anything, there was a sense of sympathy from the man who reached upward and grasped her hand in a firm embrace against the pain. "Please do not die, child." Ryu said with genuine concern in his voice. "She's not gonna die." Kaivant spoke from the rear where the injured man was hobbling their way, wincing each time he made another step forward. His wounds continued to leak a mixture of red and black blood, though the overall severity of the punctures were seemingly lessened from before. "My hollow side lets me heal faster than normal." Kaivant explained as he arrived by Ryu and began using the man as a prop to stay standing. He reached towards Camilla; an action that sent a flicker of flame dancing around her wound--painful, but at least effective at cauterizing the flesh. "Kitten!" The concern arrived in a burst of lightning as Byakko appeared on Ryu's other side. Unlike Camilla, he had fared much better against the surprise attack; having reacted in time to escape with nothing more than a small nick on his leg. "You have much to learn after we escape from this. You gotta..."

Byakko was cut short by the arrival of Samantha, and not a moment too soon, as a hail of harpoons exploded into the room and began impaling themselves on the mouths and eyes. Byakko whistled as he watched the attack, and eventually nodded in thanks towards the spirit that was protecting them. Harpoons littered the walls and ground, with the exception of the ceiling where they had pierced through and vanished from view. There was a shrill shriek throughout the room as the impaled paper began to bleed ink. Though, the seemingly successful attack soon became irrelevant as the body of the creature reformed in the distance, sitting on the ground with its tongue sticking out. "Just kidding." It said amidst a fit of giggles. Near the original pool of Camilla's blood, the shape of a writhing tongue rose and licked the ground. "More." It muttered while the blow of its body and eyes intensified in response to the taste of blood. There was another flurry of paper as the furniture of the room lost its integrity and joined the growing whirlwind that formed behind the hollow. "You can't huuuuurt me. The paper is iiiiiiiiinfinite" It teased, just before leaping into the air and landing on the back of the newly formed chimera.

Like the legends, the creature was a combination of several animals, ranging from the heads of the lion to the tail of a serpent. Its back was filled with a series of tendrils that began writhing in the air. Almost immediately, they extended and shot towards Camilla, though they were disrupted by the guardian who protected her. The assault did not end with that, however. Every time Samantha did away with an oncoming attack, the paper simply reformed itself and continued with its assault. Effectively, the spirit was locked into an endless defense, but one that gave an opening for the others in the room. Ryu gently placed Camilla onto the ground before he began a reckless charge towards the oversized beast. There was a guttural roar as the man drove his fist into the face of the Chimera and sent a pillar of wood skewering through its body. Like the tendrils, however, the creature simply reformed its wounds before slamming one of its claws into the side of the man. There was a grunt as he lightly faltered against the attack, though he soon retaliated with another series of punches--an mindless onslaught that brought them no closer to victory in light of the enemy's regeneration.

There was a burst of lightning as Byakko left Camilla and joined his ally with a barrage of ranged support. Though, Kaivant chose to stay behind in light of his wounds--his attention directed towards the ceiling with a curious expression on his face. "Tell me, Camilla, Sam. What do you think is the key to our victory?"

 

[Boss]

Corruption P.9
Camilla Ferrari | Sam Sarith​

???
Limbo
Hanjiro's Limbo
​

One by one, each member of Kaivant's group offered their own version of pity for Camilla's ailment. It was honestly a surprise to her that they cared as much as they did. Ryu wasn't bothered in the slightest that he had become her temporary resting place. Kaivant had sealed together torn portions of Camilla's leg with a bright blue flame. Painful as it was, it still gave Camilla much less to worry about. Byakko's creepy self insisted that she trained, which she wholeheartedly agreed on. If there was a point to today, it was that she had much more to learn about not only the Dominion, but about herself as a leader and fighter.

Camilla rose to a standing position with the help of Sam's leftover harpoon. She watched Ryu and Byakko attack the creature endlessly as random tendrils attempted to attack only her. Sam's spirit Samantha had her work cut out for her as she knocked away each and every tendril deadset on bringing Camilla harm. Inwardly, she thanked the spirit for her assistance, and managed a smile for Sam in appreciation. However, she couldn't shake the increasing feeling of being dead weight to the group. More than half of the group had to protect her due to the hollow's obscure obsession towards her. Her fist clenched the harpoon in frustration. A feeling that was briefly interrupted by Kaivant's question.

For a moment she stared at him in contemplation. It was the question everyone wanted to know. Her eyes trailed back to the fight in front of her, and then it hit her. "..The collars..!" she perked up with a sudden movement, which brought instant regret as she winced in pain from her injury. Rather than shed light on what she shouted about, Camilla reached into her skirt pocket and felt around for the key item that could turn the tide of the fight. Originally when Camilla escaped capture from the Dominion, she had taken her collar with her in hopes that an individual from the village could identify and develop a counter to their deadlock technology. It was due to her concern for Lily and Willow that took priority though, and as a result she ended up forgetting to actually give away the collar she had collected, letting it remain in the pocket of her battle clothing.

Camilla pulled out the collar that had inhibited her connection to her Zodiac. "This should work against hollows too.." she uttered, staring at the collar in her hand. It was elastic enough to wrap itself around the largest, physically altered hosts without snapping. It's purpose was to cancel out supernatural energy the moment it flowed through the body it was attached to, like an electrical ground. "If this is wrapped around that thing, it shouldn't be able to regenerate anymore at the very least, or manipulate paper." With a deep breath, she offered the collar to Kaivant, who was more able than she was. She trusted him, his group, and Sam to seal the deal on this disgusting hollow once and for all.

 

[SidTheSkid]

Devan W. Eldridge ~ Detective Stoner
High Status: 65% - Slow Descent
​

• IC

• (Location: Brookfield, The Lonely Iris Tavern)(Mood: Content )
  (Interactions: N/A )
  (Mentions: Boss )
  
  Commercial District, it wasn't too surprising to imagine why this place was so 'safe' as the only thing that'll wind up potentially 'killing you' is the ungodly boredom that this neighborhood exhumed from its featureless locals, these mundane inhabitants didn't even have the boldness to so much as brush alongside him without helplessly shambling out of the way after receiving a questionable passing glance. "How embarrassing..." Fear itself was playing through the heart of Brookfield like a violin and the so-called 'brave' officers are doing nothing to control this senseless panic neither have they given a single thought to rounding up these Zodiac outlaws, instead they were idly standing by, pushing the responsibility onto others like placing a burdensome weight over the shoulders of others and expecting them to unquestionably carry it such as The Dominion, some bunch of rag-tag 'looneys' experienced with taking on these harrowing Zodiacs with the assistance of a few 'mad scientist' devices on their side before brutally executing them or doing God know's what to them, in spite of actually picking up the slack the department was incapable of they were still enabling this kind of lazy behavior not to mention having residents habitually rely on this 'heroic' faction to save them from the invisible boogey-man terrorizing their streets instead of fighting for themselves.
  
  Unconsciously scratching at his wrists in irritation, Devan gradually lost himself at the thought of this which further distressed the volatile addict as he continued to trudge his trembling physique through the confines of the Commercial district before reaching the outer-limits of the area where various appealing smells from one of the many bars tickled his nostrils and taste buds with idea of well-prepared food plus delicious alcohol that he could endlessly guzzle down in addition to all those multicolored pills that he has jingling around in his pocket. "The Lonely Iris Tavern?" His right brow lingered upward with curiosity as he stopped to take a helping glimpse at the dim flickering sign with a neon arrow pointing itself to a flight of descending stairs leading into a lower-level structure, presumably where the entrance to the bar was. Having exhausted most of his options, Devan decided he had no other choice but to find some entertainment in this underground pub and 'plunged' down to the bottom of the steps where he was face to face with a rusty iron door with a dirtied window which made it difficult for lurking eyes to see past. "What an utter shit-hole." Upon twisting the metal knob and letting himself in he was greeted with the customers who looked like they were drug through an alleyway made of shards of glass and mud, honestly a comparison like that was giving them too much credit, these people were real pieces of work but that didn't stop the eager former detective from 'gluing' his rump to one of the warm seats in-between a couple of shady 'gentlemen' that gave him a set of odd looks until they eventually resumed their nonchalant conversation.
  
  "Lookin' fer' somethin' bud?" A raspy voice uttered out from behind the counter, a man in his late thirties with a scruffy blackened beard advanced over to Devan with an emptied pitcher and dangling rag just over its glass lip. Apart from the majority of these bar-dwellers the bartender himself was probably the most intimidating even more so then he'd like to believe, although his intimidating presence didn't prevent him from piping up confidently and ordering himself a large mug of whisky which the bartender silently nodded in response to his request before wandering on off to the back-room. It was at the point a group of three or four already drunken individuals from the outside introduced themselves with a loud holler, they were obviously not from around here due to the selection of clothes they were wearing, typical college kid wear that made them stand out from the actual rough crowd who made them look like children. "I thought this place was rough! Me and my boys here are looking for a fight! Any of you wanna eat your own teeth?" One of the immature leaders spoke, it was obvious that he and his rest of his lackeys were getting far over their heads when they started requesting people to challenge them to a fight to which Devan was almost feeling guilty for thinking of the idea because of the inexperience written on their faces.
  
  It was only a matter of time before they were tired of being ignored by all of the patrons making them choose a random individual to antagonize, being at it was none of his business and they were probably gonna get their asses kicked before they could let out another 'peep', Devan simply shrugged off their remarks and watched as the bartender returned from the back-room and slid his drink on over to him but not before one of the amateurs decided to snatch it up off the counter and pour it on the late detective's head while laughing. "Oh? Did I do that?" Bad mistake, if it were the a sober Devan it would've been a bit different but unfortunately it wasn't. They soon got more than they bargained for once he got up from his seat and viciously collided his head into the brat's face, delivering a powerful headbutt that caused the kid to flail backwards and crash through an unoccupied table with the other three looking in awe at the scene, soon one after another rushed to Devan creating a three on one fight inside of the tavern with patrons looking at the confrontation with slight amusement as one charged at Devan only to have their entire head be smashed through a hardwood bar stool and into the tiled ground after using his momentum to do so. "You guys really need to try harder at this!" Angered by arrogance, the second to last assailant brought out a switchblade that he wove around recklessly which made it a bit easy for the Detective just to knock away his wrist and leverage the blade into shoulder, shouts of pain ensued followed by silence once his forehead was forcefully brought into the edge of the counter by Devan.
  
  "You'll pay for that you piece of sh-" Before the last one could get a word out of his mouth, the lower portion of his cheeks was promptly squished by Devan's hand making his voice become jumbled with slight worry after having his back colliding with the unforgiving ground and a now annoyed Devan holding him in place as he squirmed around. "Right.. Hope you brought a blanket." With one swift motion the thug was rendered unconscious by a swift 'clunk' to the head, seeing as all of them were going to be taking quite a long nap Devan returned back to his seat with a look of satisfaction in his demeanor as he comfortably situated himself.
  
  "There's a certain beauty in silence that I just can't describe." He smiled softly, bringing his hands up to both sides of his cheeks as he rested his elbows on the table.
  
  

 

[Kisaki]

Amelia Diamond

"Eh?" Amelia furrowed her eyebrows at the appearance of a young man stepping out from a portal. She was suprised when all the men stop their goal of harrassment and gasped ' Yatagarasu'.

"Old man?" She said in confusion. The young teenager was Yatagarasu? She watched as he pulled out a phone then use it to transport her and himself into an oddly comfortable room. " Do those punks back tgere work for you?"

"Wait.... what summit? When did I agree to go to some random summit?" She asked, crossing her arms as she slowly sat down on the chair. " Oh boy, I have a lot on my mind. Why didn't you take back your swords? Why aren't you old? What was that thing that attacked me back in the park?" Amelia took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. She reached her hand out to the chai tea and took a sip then took a bite of the cake. " Not bad but nothing can beat my mother's recipe." She said after she swallowed her food.

 

[silverlinedmist]

Zeke immediately felt sympathy for the old man he sat next to. The appearance of the man gave him a bit of a shock, impulsively leaning away in response. But in hearing the man's voice even after he exposed himself to Zeke, a wave of guilt rushed over him for the reaction. Somber eyes looked downwards towards the fire, trying to find the right words for the situation. But there were none. All he could do was tell the man about himself, in hopes of receiving some advice or comfort.

"I... Yeah, you are right, sort of. I knew I had a Zodiac a long time ago, but because of things going on in... Our world, I denied it for a very long time. I don't know when you were last in our world, but this group of people called the Dominion are out to get all hosts. Which is great, in theory. But they hurt even innocent hosts who could never do any harm. They are bad people who think they are doing the right thing for the right reasons, and..." Zeke cringed at the memory. "They almost killed me because of it. I don't remember what happened, but in that moment, despite months, maybe even years of rejection, my Zodiac was the only one who was there for me, who protected me, despite.. It's reasons also being wrong. Or at least they feel that way. It tells me I have so much potential, but it sounds so wicked. B-But it's saved me a couple times now. And it even listened to me when I needed it to. I came here thinking maybe there was hope, that I could use the powers of my Zodiac against the Dominion. Or at least gain some control over my life again. I don't know what's going to happen now, but while I'm scared... I feel sort of excited too. It's hard to explain, and probably makes me sound like a creep, hah.."

Zeke sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. Had he said too much?