[Other FULL] Gunpowder (M) (IC)

[gimmepie]

Alex Rose

Home Again

Alex, horse in tow, walked through Spider's Hollow at an easy pace. He'd been moving at a fast pace for days with his only real rest in recent memory being interrupted by Veralice's henchman.The town had come alive since he'd arrived. Bounty hunters stood at notice boards or headed towards Janet's agency, traders and shopkeepers were preparing for a day peddling their wares and at the small train station a group of miners were crowding angrily around a man. It seemed that there was some sort of hold up on the tracks keeping them from an easy journey into Gilded Brook. Alex figured some idiot had robbed a train or something, but that usually didn't hold things up particularly much.

Alex didn't spare much thought towards the unfortunate men, instead letting his thoughts drift back to Elias and the mysterious Flint again. He generally wasn't the type to be sentimental, but he'd come to like Elias, cowardice and all, in the short time he'd known the man. He hoped that this Flint wasn't dragging him towards his death. It seemed doubtful an old man like Flint would be after any particularly big catches, but Alex had known Janet long enough to know underestimating the elderly in a world rife with magic was not advisable. Still, Elias had survived an attack that had nearly cost Alex his life only hours before. This was probably going to be nothing compared to that.
"Look at me worrying like a housewife" he mumbled under his breath "That's a habit I better not get into."

---

It wasn't long before Alex's leisurely pace brought him to the familiar wooden house where he rented a room. He lead the horse to the small stable that sat behind the structure and into one of the stalls. Two other horses were also inside as well as an empty stall that was currently filled with rusty riding gear and aging farming equipment that had never actually been used. Alex made sure the horse had access to hay and water before trudging back towards the house through the dry dirt.

With a creak, Alex pushed open the front door. Immediately he was greeted by the smell of toasted bread. Steeling himself for the effort he was about to have to exert, Alex walked into the kitchen to see the tidy-looking Lily Crowley slowly eating her way through a slice of the aforementioned bread whilst her daughter, looking as unkempt as Lily did tidy, ravaged a bowl of what seemed to be a sort of stew like a starving urchin. Both froze and looked up at Alex as he entered, the former with a warm, motherly grin and the latter with an almost scary enthusiasm and curiosity.
There's no way this kid is going to not end up a bounty hunter. I hope Lily doesn't blame me.
"Well look who's home." Lily said, her voice teasing "I was beginning to wonder if you'd bitten off more than you could chew this time." She was being jovial, but it was obvious that this was a legitimate concern for the woman - one that Alex chose to ignore.
"No need to worry about that. I wouldn't dream of dropping dead before paying my rent."

Alex helped himself to a serving of the breakfast stew, pleased to find it was still warm. He ate quietly with the Crowley's, paying no heed to Burke's absence. The portly man was an early riser and was probably already at his tavern preparing to serve travelers their breakfast and alcoholics their first glasses of liquor for the day. Unfortunately, it was not so easy to ignore Sienna's staring. He'd even been careful to make sure he wasn't covered in blood this time, but it seemed that wouldn't be enough to make his absence seem uninteresting.
"Yes?" he sighed
"Well, what happened?" the child asked
"Shot some people, met a drunkard and made some money." Alex responded nonchalantly, wanting this conversation to be over quickly.
"Details!" the girl ordered, ignoring her mother's reproachful look.

Alex took another mouthful of the meal before relenting. He gave a brief description of his prolonged chase after Dead-Eye and his gang, explained how he'd met Elias and come back into contact with the weirdly altered Emmett and finished with his skirmish with Veralice's follower. He left out the part where he'd nearly died, not wanting to deal with Lily if that was brought up.
"What-" Sienna began again, but was cut over by her mother
"Enough already. You've got studying and chores to do, so clean up and get to work." Alex shot Lily a thankful look before finishing his meal and moving to help clean up after the morning meal.

Following the ordeal of interacting with his landlady and her kid, Alex headed up the stairs towards his small room. He was just now becoming aware of how tired he was and how much his arms and legs were aching from consistent galloping around. He dumped his guns on top of a cupboard and tossed his coat on the floor, a heavy thud and clanking noise emanating from the ammunition concealed inside as the garment hit the floor. Alex flopped onto the bed, briefly taking in the various wanted posters and news articles stuck to his walls before focusing on the wall to his right. It was almost entirely covered with information relating to Veralice's movements and attacks. He knew that Jebediah had been following the abomination himself, but Alex had learned patience was also an important skill when it came to hunting a particularly formidable prey. He'd extrapolated several locations where the demonic Big Bad was likely to visit next and his encounter with the water-user the previous night between Ironhaven and the Chasm had all but confirmed in his eyes where he needed to go. He'd spend the rest of that day resting and making any preparations he needed, but the next morning he'd be off towards Wrench. A violent grin spread across Alex's face as he contemplated the prey he was about to go after.​

 

[gimmepie]

Elias Stork
A History Lesson

Elias wiped a bead of sweat from his brow as he rode beside Flint on his stolen horse. He was glad that he was unlikely to have to mention that particular bit of information in the presence of the old man. There was no bounty on his head, but he was confident that not all bounty hunters were quite as keen to ignore crimes as Alex was.
"It's already starting to get hot." Elias said
"Almost like we're in a desert or something" Flint grunted in reply, prompting Elias' shoulders to sag. One thing he was learning about bounty hunters is that none of them seemed very good at making conversation. In the past day he's met three (counting Janet). Most of what Alex had said to him had been at least mildly insulting, Janet had threatened to remove his genitalia and Flint seemed to speak even less. Or maybe he just wasn't keen on smalltalk. Elias wasn't sure, but he himself had always been a talker and he found long silences uncomfortable.

He thought long and hard for a while, looking for a topic that might make Flint more inclined to say something more interesting than nothing. His thoughts drifted back towards his and Alex's encounter with Veralice's water-slinging henchman. That would make for a great story later, especially after some embellishments, but he didn't think it would be a good idea to give his companion the wrong idea about his abilities. So instead he settled on the events after that incident.
"So," he said "what's the deal with you and the old crone? You didn't sound particularly friendly. Actually, I'm pretty sure she hates you." To Elias' surprise, this elicited a brash laugh from Flint.
"I'm pretty sure she hates me too. Although I was hoping that she'd gotten over that a little bit over the years. Evidently though, I was underestimating her ability to hold a grudge. Stupid considering how long we've known each other."
"What'd you do to piss her off?"
"I'll trade you." Flint said, a smile almost tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You tell me how a scrawny, dirty fucker like you ends up a bounty hunter and I'll tell you why Janet would like to shoot me."


Elias was caught by surprise. Until hearing it verbalised, he hadn't really realised that Flint thought he was a bounty hunter. He'd never captured anyone before and he'd only made a kill shot twice in his life, both in the past day or so - and only one of them had stayed dead. Still, he figured that was what he was now in a way. He'd collected a bounty for Veralice's follower and he was now accompanying Flint on the hunt for another bounty.
"A bounty hunter, ey? Well shit I guess I am now." This drew a questioning look from Flint, so Elias quickly carried on. As the two road on, Elias recounted his misspent years in the North, his even more poorly spent time in the South and, skipping over the part where he essentially tried (and failed) to murder someone, covered his meeting with Alex and the events around that.

"I see." Flint said with a shrug "You'd be surprised how common stories like yours are among hunters. Still, for someone so new you've experienced some madness. Guess it's my turn then." For a while longer, Flint didn't say anything further. Elias wondered if he was about to be shafted on the deal before the old bounty hunter finally spoke up again in his typical gravelly tones.
"Back in the day, when I was a young newbie myself, I met this crazy tough woman a few years older. She'd been at hunting longer than myself and elected to take me under her wing. Obviously this was Janet. We got to know each other pretty well, I got yelled at a lot - she's always had that temper of hers. Long story short, life was pretty good." Flint took a swig of water from a flask before continuing "As I'm sure you've noticed, most bounty hunters really aren't in it for moral reasons. Either they need the money like you, they're in it for the thrill or they want to kill people without getting hanged." Elias' thoughts flashed back to Alex, he still wasn't entirely sure which of the latter two categories his former travelling companion fell into.
"Yeah I've noticed that."

Flint didn't bother responding to Elias' acknowledgment and continued the story
"Well, Janet's in it for moral reasons. She wants to wipe out as much crime as she can. Thinks it's the best way to get the north to help us out when we need it instead of leaving us to drop dead. So she takes her work seriously. I came to admire that. She came to like, well something about me, and eventually we got to be more than co-workers." Elias nearly choked to death on the swig he'd just taken from his own flask at that.
"Seriously?!"
"Seriously." Flint chuckled "Which went pretty well at first. Until I knocker her up anyway."
"WHAT?!"
"Will you shut the fuck up and let me talk?" Flint snapped, prompting Elias to do so "Janet took to parenting better than you'd expect really, although it was me that ended up doing most of the childrearing after a while. She couldn't keep from doing her work. So I ran a tavern in Spider's Hollow and went out for bounties when she was home. Everything was great. Problem is, when kids grow up hearing their parents bitching about the injustice in the world and the corruption of the marshalls, peacekeepers, courts and all that they take it to heart. Our darling daughter unfortunately came to a different conclusion on how to deal with that problem that Janet did." Flint's voice didn't waver, but Elias could hear the tinge of sadness in the man's tones "She left home, travelled north and started using her extremely considerable magical gifts to rob the rich blind and then dispersed that wealth down here."
"Oh boy." Elias said, beginning to get a sense for where this was going
"Janet tried to ignore it for as long as she could, but she felt honour bound to do something about it or something. The trouble was, Jess eventually broke into the national vault and a really high ranking soldier died trying to detain her. So we weren't looking at some time in prison anymore, we were looking at execution. Janet felt it was our duty to capture her ourselves, but I couldn't send my own kid to the gallows. When we eventually did come across her again, I turned tail. Next thing I heard, Janet was barely alive and I wasn't on very good terms with her anymore."
"What the fuck?!" Elias exclaimed "What the hell kind of a life have you had man? Shit."
"That's a pretty fair reaction I guess." Flint shrugged.

Elias was now desperate to change the topic again, not wanting to continue this depressing line of conversation any further, so he jumped on the first idea that came to his mind.
"Uh… right. So, you said we're going in the direction of Silverston? Who are we hunting anyway?" Elias figured if Flint was anything like Alex, this would definitely brighten the old hunter's spirits and shake the stifling mood their conversation had unleashed on their two-person travelling party.
"Didn't I tell you?" Flint said, the tone of his voice returning to normal "We're not heading to Silverston precisely but to this big mansion and ranch not far from there." This description sounded vaguely familiar to Elias.
"Why?"
"We're going after a man named Felix Griffin. His security's weak right now and I don't like him very much."
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Elias replied, now aware that he wasn't heading towards some petty thief but one of the ten most dangerous criminals in the country.​

 

[Ice1]

Emmett Holliday
Status - Outlaw – Prisoner again – Attempting to be creepy
Sorcery Level - 3
Element - Water
Bounty - 2000$

Jailhouse Rock/Hound dog​

Asper was the main problem. She had bound him, leashed him. It refrained him from leaving. Burt was an annoyance. He kept him from blinking away, from doing what he did best. Emmett was bored. He didn't like the cell he was sitting in, nor did he like the overly serious conversation his two captors were having. In trying to tune it out, he had started to change the words to nursery rhymes he knew to something slightly more unnerving. Icy horns and blue eyes, combined with his obsidian black skin and white hair made it something he hoped to be unsettling to the bone.

"What made you like this?" She asked, more as a question to herself than to Emmett.

"A mother that loved me too much, a father that loved me too little and a little encouragement from the devil down below," Emmett grinned.

"I meant it more physically than mentally. If you're fucked up you're fucked up, none of my business. I'm more curious as to what made you so… unhuman."

"I'd be almost scared if you weren't so childish," Burt interjected. Emmett shrugged

"Childish smhildish."

"I'm just going to take a guess and assume you're not going to tell us how you ended up this way?"

"If you wanna hear it, you can hear it," Emmett said. He grabbed the bars, trying to force his face through. "Goblin. It was a goblin. I got kidnapped by a goblin and he did this to me."

"Why did I even think you were going to say anything remotely useful?" Asper said.

"They lowered the shield," Burt said, peeking through the window. After a loud sigh he continued. "I don't get what's going on. Buzzard's on the move, and it's clear that he's planning something. His 'flock' has moved out currently, but still, there's a whole underground system only he knows his way around."

"I could he-"

"You don't help, Emmett, you just fuck around."

Emmett sat back on his hay bed again, his head resting against the wall. He could hear a dog howl.

"We do need to find a way to solve this problem," Asper said, nudging towards Emmett. "A four man law enforcement is small enough already for Ironhaven, we can't afford to always have both of us on watch here."

"Execution?" Emmett suggested. The two ignored him.

"I've sent a courier to contact people from Earnest. I'm hoping they've got someone to keep him in check, while we get him to a trial. The church's also interested in him, so they might be willing to help ou-"

"I don't see why execution isn't the way to go," Emmett interjected. Burt ignored him.

"They're instating a new Hand, so there's currently not really someone capable in Fairbell to send Emmett to. I think for the moment, we're just fucked. If there's anything we can do, I'm not aware of it."

Asper stared at the ceiling. She barely moved as she shook her head.

"Idea?" Emmett asked. "Because I have one. Just hear me out for a second, it's a great idea. Like, probably the best idea you'll hear today. What if, and it's just and if right, but what if you just… let me go?"

Asper sat down again. Burt started cleaning the table, ready to put serve lunch. The two had started sleeping in the sheriff's office, so they could keep an eye on Emmett. They had set up separate beds on each side of the room, a small table in the middle, and a crate with the necessary tools beneath that. Mugs, plates, forks. Burt seemed to eat most stuff with his hands, but Asper tended to give that a disapproving nod. Emmett had cheered Burt on whenever he grabbed something barehanded.

"What's for lunch?"

"Bread. Bread and water, Emmett. You know the drill."

They ate in silence, only disturbed by the howling of dogs in the distance, and the noisiness of the street besides them. People had started cleaning up, removing the corpses and the blood. It was a difficult task, mainly because the blood got on some very weird places. Emmett had offered to help, but he didn't really feel like people took him seriously. Not that he wanted that.

He let his hands run over his bare arms, to see the skin crease. There was something off about his skin, beside the unnatural colour. It seemed to be ever so slightly harder, as is callus had started to form all over him. Emmett wasn't one to get introspective, but he felt a certain unease in the back of his mind. The transformation the goblin and his friends had put him through tended to be deadly. He was one of the very few exceptions. Currently. He had started to suspect that the magic from his spellbook was trying to change him even further. The scary thing was that if his skin constantly got harder and harder, he wouldn't be able to move anymore. Lose the ability to run. The general appearance was nice to scare people with. Great for lollygagging. Emmett wasn't one to sacrifice that much for it though.

Burt and Asper started talking again. Nothing noteworthy. Nothing interesting. Nothing even worth teasing them with. It was boredom. Excruciating boredom.

He checked the room, spotting Burt's shotgun underneath the bed. He channeled his inner magic, drew moisture towards the barrel.

"He's doing something," Asper said, without looking at Emmett. Burt stood up, ready to grab his shotgun. A bolt of ice shot out from it. Leaving a grace on Burt, it slammed through the leg of the table. Immediately Emmett channeled a flash freeze, and slammed his head against the jail bars. Asper immediately bound him with her spell, as his hands and legs slammed together and became unmovable.

"Worth a try," Emmett said.

"Shut your mouth," Asper said. "There's an awful amount of dogs nearby, isn't there?"

The howling had become louder, and more plentiful. Emmett heard a chorus of at least twenty dogs coming from outside. Emmett had a solid suspicion as to where to sound was coming from. Beasty Boy, the goon of Goblin that had a couple of dogs with him. Cowboy had already started gotten him earlier, trying to bring him back to Goblin. It wouldn't surprise him if Beasty Boy was having a try now.

The door broke down, as a dog crashed through. A big Rottweiler, it's teeth dripping saliva. From thin air, his owner materialized. Bowler hat, vest, dress pants, Beasty Boy was dressed to neatly for a dangerous outlaw. There wasn't a speck of dirt on his costume.

He aimed a gun at Asper. The bullet left before she could react. It passed right through her, but the dog lunged for her, attempting to set his teeth in her neck. Her body coated itself with a purple haze, and she pushed the beast away. Burt had grabbed his shotgun and fired. Another dog jumped in front of Beasty Boy, blocking the shot gun blast. The dog was unharmed. It bit down on the gun, reshaping the end into a lot less useful shape.

Emmett felt the spells affecting him fade. His hands could be moved again.

Refraining a grin, Emmett blinked and used a new spell he had devised. Chaining the blinks, he left behind a trail. A trail of grinning Emmetts, challenging Beasty Boy. They were illusions, ready to break when they were touched, but they were a devilish spell. Emmett could disappear without someone noticing he had even blinked. He could spread decoys throughout the battlefield. He really was proud of this spell.

The amount of dogs spread throughout Ironhaven was unsettling. Emmett could see almost forty of them. What was more unsettling was Beasty Boy's ability to follow them. It was as if every dog Emmett looked at, the man was standing right next to them.

"Emmett, Emmett, Emmett," Beasty Boy spoke. "You killed Jonah."

Emmett nodded, as he kept running and blinking. Every single time he appeared somewhere, a dog lunged to bit him. He was fast enough to let them dispel an illusion instead of actually hurting him, but it was never much more than a close call. Emmett enjoyed this.

"I'm not the vengeful type," Beasty Boy said, as he cleaned his monocle. "I am, however, what some might call a workaholic. I take this very seriously, you see. And while you might've not killed a friend of mine, you did kill a colleague. The task therefore falls onto me to solve your little dispute."

Emmett had to jump away to dodge a dog, its fangs scratching the skin of his ankle. The illusion his blink was supposed to be leaving behind faded instantly.

"You've made quite a mess here, didn't you? You and Leatherface. Goblin used to tell stories about him. I was just a kid, serving tea to Mister Griffith. Word went round in the community at that time, you know. Some ancient magic had been revealed, allowing them, the white men, to finally cast spells without the spell book. Turned out to be a bit of an overstatement, didn't it? I wouldn't call stitching the pages onto your skin an elegant solution. And now there's you. A skin black as the ink you write with. Attempt fifteen. Success number three."

The dogs were invulnerable to any attacks. Emmett was trying to get a hold of Beasty Boy's spells. Duplicating his the dogs, that was one. There were way too many for Beasty Boy to control. It was clever. Enhancing them, making them quicker, stronger, less breakable, that was another. Emmett was less a fan of that spell. There wasn't much fun in a fight if you couldn't get hurt. On the other hand, it forced Emmett to get creative, and he did enjoy stretching that muscle. The third one was obvious, teleporting to his dogs and their duplicates. It made the man incredibly mobile. Meant he'd put up a great chase.

"I like to think I get away with this complexion. Especially with the horns," Emmett said, tapping his ice horns. "It really accentuates the whole ordeal."

"You look freakish. Nothing human left of you. Not even in there." The man tapped his head. "I've discovered the pattern you know. As to what makes it that you and that Leatherface can internalize your spell book, why the others all die. Same for the girl – and no, I'm not telling her name so you can visit. It's this complete desire to be an idiot. To not think, rather just do. I think magic and sanity are just a bad combination. I think you're what it needs to really blossom. Too bad the flower that it blooms into is cancerous."

"Have you tried being nice? Maybe all your friends wouldn't be dogs if you did that."

The man grinned, as he continued to follow Emmett's track throughout the city. They passed a seemingly endless amount of corpses, dogs sniffing at their innards only to lunge at Emmett whenever he passed. It felt a bit one-note, boring. No variation.

As the next dog lunged, Emmett flash freezed, the dog losing its momentum mid-air as the saliva froze stuck to its teeth. The corpses allowed for an interesting change of tactic. Another new spell, although not one he had devised himself. It allowed him to switch to things around, teleport the one object to the place of the other. Dead bodies were objects, right?

It didn't work on the dogs. Emmett still tried – multiple times, because if it doesn't work the first time, it still could work the twenty-seventh – but it was futile. It did give him this weird sense of how Beasty Boy's magic worked. The switch spell didn't work on some dogs because they didn't exist. They were just magical clones of actual dogs. It gave a different kind of failure reaction as to when he used it on actual dogs, the originals. He didn't know if this knowledge was particularly useful. He wasn't one to devise a huge plan, or any plan for that matter, on new knowledge. Granted, the few times he actually had a moment of enlightenment, it worked out beautifully. It was so much work though. Not worth it.

Emmett blinked behind a water barrel, waiting for a dog to lunge at him. This was a real dog. Not that it mattered. It climbed on top of the barrel, balancing on top, snarling towards Emmett. The corpse that had previously lain back in the street was replaced with the barrel, leaving the water behind. The dog fell down, and froze into almost a statue as Emmett flash froze the water. He grabbed his gun, and put the barrel against the beast's head. Drawing moisture to the weapon wasn't that difficult. It was right in front of him. Droplets of the ice statue that the dog was frozen in now flew towards the gun barrel, formed an ice bullet, and buried itself in the skull of the animal. Multiple dogs flashed out of existence.

"Emmett, Emmett, Emmett," Beasty Boy shook his head disapprovingly, as he suddenly appeared in the building behind him. "I didn't take you to for one to engage in such grueling animal cruelty."

Emmett shrugged. "It's not the first dog, anyway."

Beasty Boy fell through his knees, scratching the animal next to him behind the ears. It threw its head back in approval. New animals faded into existence around him.

"It's too bad I never invested a spell into a blink counter. It'd have been lucrative. It's rare a well-organized team finds itself without someone to counter that spell, but thanks to you we find ourselves without one. That doesn't mean that you teleporting around is capable of stopping me from nailing you down Emmett. I'm an army in myself."

The amount of dogs around Emmett was up to a hundred at this point. The street was overfull. People peered through their windows, scared. They were probably hoping that today would be calmer, compared the life-ending ruckus of yesterday. Too bad.

Emmett couldn't really find any more water barrels around. He blinked to the rooftops, his illusion being torn apart by dogs. Beasty Boy saluted him, and a pack of dogs appeared on the rooftops. They started running after him. They were faster than him when running. Luckily Emmett could blink, but more dogs appeared on the rooftops.

He materialized in one, even, when he blinked. It violently threw him out, slamming him against the ground. He could feel his nose twist in the most unnatural of ways. A dog pushed its teeth into his leg, and Emmett kicked it away, before blinking again.

He never had fought against something that he could blink into. Not that he was aware of, anyway. Magic dog and magic man appearing at exactly the same time was a bad combination apparently.

It wasn't a conscious decision, but Emmett was seeking out the real dogs. It wasn't another spell of Beasty Boy, turning his dogs invincible. It was the clones that couldn't be hurt instead. The fake dogs outnumbered the real dogs twenty-five to one at this point though, and there weren't any real opportunities to take them down.

It was probably best to keep running. Less fun, for sure, but this wasn't just a fight he couldn't win, it was one he couldn't participate in. Running was his only way of interacting with the events. He didn't really mind running away. It was very much in his nature.

To try and make his escape interesting, Emmett had decided to turn around, leave by escaping over the wall at the other side of town. Instead of dogs shimmering into existence around him, he dove through the pack. Landing on the backs of the animals didn't matter to them. His spiked boots didn't penetrate, and they barely flinched. It allowed him to almost skip over the dogs, as if he was a happy young girl going through one of those flower meadows they apparently had in the north. He had always felt like that inside, a happy young girl. This situation merely allowed for the realest him to come up.

"Just so you know," Beasty Boy said, appearing almost next to Emmett, and following him as he blinked over the dogs. "I'm tasked with bringing you back, not bringing you back alive."

He had accentuated the statement with the stab of a knife between Emmett's ribs.

 

[Sonata]

'Descend'​

​

Jebediah Kleutsch-Sanders, Bounty Hunter & Supposed God In Training
Level 3, Air and Water, $1,320
Silverston - Gilded Brook​

Jebediah shot through the air as if he were a bullet himself. Ripping through familiars and blinking to others, shooting in every which direction and slashing his sword as he reloaded. The battlefield slowly became a never-ending maze of flying bullets and regenerating familiars. And it seemed that all at once, a silence overtook it all. Each familiar fell to the ground near simultaneously and each bullet hit its mark. But once more, it only served to strengthen the enemies' numbers.

This round of regeneration however was different. As each wolf began to reform, a spark of light ignited within their bodies and traveled throughout. Some wolves reformed and appeared as blazing infernos, while others left trails of icy crystals, droplets of water and sparks of electricity in their wakes. Hundreds of wolves of these various elements began to converge on the winged man as he took the skies once more, surveying the entire scene.

"I'll be damned." The faint whisper was followed by a sinister chuckle as the man rolled his neck around and stretched out his arms. "Who'd've thought the bastards'd have even more tricks up their sleeve with these fuckin' familiars? I'll admit, it's not the most honorable way to fight given that they're not exactly fighting on the front lines themselves... but I can't argue that it isn't damn cool. Those fire and electric ones seem to be the scariest; scorching the ground with every step that they take. I'm sure the others would be pretty damn intimidating too if only we weren't in the middle of the desert."

Choosing to instead take the high ground, versus going back to his previous strategy of wasting time and energy by blinking to and from every single one of the small army slowly forming around him as he fought; Jeb started to shoot with one hand, and force the opposing elements of familiars to blink about and crash in to each other by the newfound 'switch' power. The corner of his mouth crept up into a grin as he imagined what he could have done to people if only he'd had this power sooner. Slowly but surely, this wave was also defeated. The fire and ice elementals clashed together, fire to melt the ice and the newly formed water to douse the flames. The electric and water butted heads as well, with the electric familiars rising to the top after causing their water based comrades to disintegrate into a fine mist which now covered the battlefield. Finally, each and every electric elemental were slowly euthanized - a fitting death for what looked to be any rabid and mangy mongrel.

Their regeneration took quite a bit longer this time, giving Jeb the time to finally catch his breath. Of course, the electric based beasts split into two and rose back up quickly; however all of the elementals which had been done in by their own brethren took several minutes longer to divide and pull themselves back together. Droplets of water began to pull themselves free of the sand and formed fully fledged familiars of their own, ashes which were once the embers of the flame familiars blazed back to life and also took on their own full forms as well. And the fine mist which had covered the land began to freeze and crystallize, forming beautiful albeit terrifying ice based wolf familiars which seemed to be somehow stronger than their previous iteration.

"Well shit. Here I thought things were going to get a little more interesting, and yet it's like nothing's even changed. I'm still just shooting fish in a barrel. Listen, Jeb, I don't know why you were struggling so hard with these fuckers, but I'm losing my hard on real fuckin' quick. It's nice to see you struggle and all, and it's nice to get some fresh air and show off what I can do, but at least make it a little bit of a challenge. Hell, I've probably already killed over a hundred of these fucks and I'm the only one that has lost any blood. All this fuckin' magic gettin' slung around and not another single fuckin'-"

Jebediah's words were cut short as a spear flew past his head and a man appeared in front of him, two guns pressed point blank against the bounty hunter's chest.

"Hooooly shit! Now we're fuckin' talkin'! Let's spill some fuckin' blood!"

The bounty hunter grabbed onto the hands of the man in front of him and grinned wildly as he forced the outlaw to pull the triggers. Two bullets shot out at breakneck speed only to stop after travelling nary an inch into the bounty hunter's chest. Still with a firm grip on the man in front of him, Jebediah blinked up into the air in the direction of the spear. Reaching out with his left hand he grasped the weapon and then pressed his head against the native's.

"It's your lucky day kiddo." The tip of the weapon pressed into the native man's bare skin, breaking the top layer as Jebediah slowly pushed it deeper into the man's rib cage. "This is the day that you get to know God."

The weapon plunged through the native's body, ripping all the way through his spine and coming out of his back as Jebediah tucked in his wings and sped towards the ground, creating a crater with the two men's impact. As the dust began to settle, Jebediah rose from the hole that he had made and pulled the spear free from the native's crushed corpse.

"A worthy sacrifice," Jebediah whispered while still facing the now deceased Jeiman. "I'll be seeing you."

The bounty hunter ran his bloody hand through his hair, slicking it back as he let out a deep sigh. He looked out over the familiars which were slowly circling around him and then licked his lips.

"Well now! Seems we've at long last finally broken the ice between us. So allow me to make a formal introduction to you all." The man removed his hat and hovered up into the air a few feet above the ground. "My name is Jebediah Kleutsch-Sanders, and I am your both humble, and powerful God. Please, please, hold your praise and your applause until the end. Those of you who would wish to bow now may do so. I will do autographs at the end of this battle for a measly one thousand each for those of you that are still alive. A rather cheap price I'd say for the God's signature. Now if you don't mind, since I've just been recently acquainted with one of your friends here, and have made myself known to you all, I do hope you'd be so kind as to return the favor."

A moment of silence passed. The familiars looked to each other, and then each group of the elementals parted in the middle, making way for nine men who slowly put away their spears and guns. The man closest to Jebediah spit on the ground beside him and then began to lower himself to a quadruped position, followed promptly by the other eight men behind him. As each took on this formation, they slowly underwent the transformation into wolves themselves.

"Well then, I suppose that'd be a no. Wouldn't it?"

​

 

[Sonata]

'God, a judge and a priest'​

​

Jebediah Kleutsch-Sanders, Bounty Hunter & Supposed God in Training
Level 3, Air and Water, $1,320
Who the fuck knows anymore​

The apparent leader of this new, human wolf pack disappeared with the blink of an eye and the others behind him quickly followed. A spear whizzed past Jeb's face as the leader reappeared several feet away from him. The others followed suit, appearing in a semi-circle around him as they tried to close the distance between themselves and the bounty hunter. Iron and steel flew through the air as the natives threw bullet and spear at the bounty hunter before returning to their bestial forms and blinking away once more.

"Sonsabitches! Well shit, at least now they decided to face me head on. Guess that'd be scored up as some typ'a win eh?"

Jebediah narrowly evaded and redirected each projectile which came his way, grabbing up and chucking the spears back to their owners who would blink back into existence only to recapture their own weapons as they flew through air and send them back at their target who was hoarding the mass of bullets that continued to rain down on him, creating an ever-shifting barrier the air around himself with the ammo in the process. On top of this new dance, the same old charade with the familiars continued. Some familiars were switched and forced to crash into each other, while others were dispatched with the wall of ammunition hovering in the air surrounding Jebediah. The bounty hunter sheathed his own weapons, realizing that even he wouldn't be able to keep up with it all if he continued to try and utilize his own weapons on top of what everyone and everything else was throwing at him.

But all did not go according to the plan that Jeb had been hastily piecing together as the onslaught continued. The addition of the shape-shifters had completely thrown off and disrupted his flow. Without knowing the full extent of the natives' powers, the bounty hunter had continued as he was before they'd ever arrived. The familiars continued to be forcibly blinked, however now it was not only by the bounty hunter's hand, but also by the natives'. Each jump forced by Jebediah was countered, and negated by a forced jump of the natives'. Every wolf that would have fallen to another was blinked to safety, and every wolf and native that would have been jumped further away was brought back closer.

Jeb's face was covered in blood as he found himself on the retreat. His previous tactics foiled, he was left with only being able to run and defend himself. Each time that he turned back to face the army which followed him, they inched closer. The electric based familiars proved themselves to be far faster than their other elemental brethren, bringing them to the point of nipping at Jebediah's heels as the seconds pushed on. Even with all that he had at his disposal, this was proving to be a hopeless and losing battle. There was nothing he could do, no way to gain the upper hand, no way to even turn to the offensive. He was crippled and backed into a corner where he could only react to what was being thrown at him. He could turn left, and he could turn right, but any which way that he went they would be there waiting for him. A familiar to the front, a familiar to the back and a native coming down from the skies to deliver the deathblow.

"I'll be damned. I can't even believe that I'm being pushed as hard as I am. I mean shit, I understand that I'm being outnumbered but still… to be rode to the brink like this by some fuckin' stick wieldin' natives… this place is far more exciting than I could have ever dreamed."

Jebediah bit his lip in excitement. This battle had progressed far from its point of origin, and in the distance he could see a small caravan wagon. Squinting his eyes, the bounty hunter could see into the small window of the wagon and recognized not only a priest, but also what appeared to be a younger looking judge as well as two well armed bodyguards. The driver sat atop the wagon with another armed guard, and two guards trailed behind them a few feet on horseback.

"Well, that ought to be a nice little diversion."

The bounty hunter flapped his wings and sped as fast as he could towards the caravan. The driver pointed off in his direction and pulled tight on the reins of his horses causing them to stop. The doors of the wagon flew open as the two guards who were seated inside stepped out into the open and un-holstered their weapons before being quickly joined by the two men who'd been trailing behind. Their jaws all dropped in amazement as they realized that not only was this man flying across the ground, but that he was also flying across the ground with wings instead of a magic spell or a full-on shift into an animal, and this winged flying man was also being chased by an army of teleporting elemental wolves.

Jebediah didn't even have time to catch them up on what exactly was happening. The guards quickly began to empty their magazines into the overwhelming numbers that now faced their quaint little transport. Jebediah slipped between the bullets and the men firing them, taking the time to hide behind the wagon and catch his breath for a moment as he waited for the men to be slaughtered. And indeed, it did only take a moment. In seconds, the natives had overwhelmed the five guards, impaling each with a spear and allowing their familiars to gnaw at and consume them as they screamed out in pain and terror. The bounty hunter inhaled deeply and then begin to push and tip the wagon he had been hiding behind. The priest and judge still cowering inside stared at him and seemed to be pleading with the bounty hunter to help them.

"Sorry father," he whispered under his breath, "but I don't have the time. I'm sure you'll forgive me in the next life though... after all, everyone else did too." With a huff and a push, the wagon flipped over and caused a cloud of dust to rise up from beneath it.

Attempting to turn what speed he had into power, he flew back as far as he could, blinking and slowing time as much as possible to build all of the distance that he was able. He furled his wings and then smiled as he nodded towards the native who had begun to climb the overturned carriage. Realizing almost too late what was going to happen, the native called out to his brothers in an attempt to get them to flee the area in time. It was close, but not all of them were able to escape the bounty hunter's revenge.

The man furled his wings and then tucked them behind himself, propelling forward with all of the strength that he had at the overturned carriage. Throwing up a shield of wind at the last second, Jebediah was able to propel the carriage across the desert sand with considerable force, crushing instantly the guards who had been protecting it along with several dozen of the familiars and three of their native masters.

"I think," Jebediah huffed, panting as he struggled to catch his breath and stay on his feet against the exhaustion. "I think that now would be the perfect time to catch one of those second wind things." Jebediah laughed half-heartedly as he fell to his knees.

The natives which were still alive crowded around their fallen brethren, their familiars pulling back a short distance to give them room and to regroup themselves. The leader of the native's pack knelt down beside the now broken and splintered carriage which had crushed and impaled their brothers and placed his hand on the face of one, closing the eyes which still stared emptily at the sky.

"Heh, ready to give up then?" Jeb coughed up a puddle of blood as he rose back to his feet. "'Cuz if not, I can do this shit all fuckin' day boys. Just let me know if I need to get serious or not. I'll bring the wrath of god down on yer heads."

The leader of the pack shook his head and rose. He began to open his mouth as he raised his hand towards the arrogant and boastful bounty hunter, but quickly shut it and clenched his hand into a fist as it fell back to his side. With a snap of his fingers, his pack reformed around him. Two of the larger electric elemental familiars walked up to each side of him, while the rest of their numbers followed close behind.

The native placed his hand on the heads of the wolves on each side of him and then closed his eyes as all of the electric elemental familiars began to glow brighter and spark wilder. Each began to lose their form as a familiar, and reverted instead into pure balls of energy which floated up to and into the hands of the native leader. The man's eyes shot open, his irises and pupils now two very vibrant shades of yellow as he began to grow exponentially larger.

The other natives followed in suit, with the fire familiars' numbers being cut in half to accommodate for the odd man. In the end of their absorption of the familiars, there stood one titanous electric native, two titanous fire natives, a water native titan and one native ice titan. Each loomed over Jebediah, and every one held two massive spears made from their respective elements in their massive hands.

Jebediah chuckled and ran his hand through his hair. "Y'know, it's not the first time I've dealt with your kind y'know? In two regards I suppose. Guess you injuns got a bit of a thing for trying to make yourselves appear bigger than your enemies. So tell me, are y'all just tryin' to compensate for somethin' or are you really just that overconfident? I don't actually know where we're at right now, seein' as we've run a good bit and all that, but I'm sure that being so tall that yer heads'r in the clouds doesn't exactly make you easy to miss. Know what I'm sayin'? If there's like, literally, anyone around who's lookin' out for you then they most definitely know where you are now if they didn't before."

The natives, of course, ignored the man's taunts and began to move forward, each step causing the ground to tremble and shake from the force while their footprints created massive craters in the ground as they passed. Now, the bounty hunter would have admitted that the water users posed a serious threat, given that every step that they took caused giant mud puddles to form hundreds of feet wide in lieu of empty or glassed craters. The bounty hunter would have admitted that he was wrong; if his hands weren't too full for him to break concentration for even the smallest of things. When he'd fought the titans before, it was with allies. Now, he was alone. Now, he was vulnerable. Any false step now could be his final.

​

 

[Sonata]

- Intermission -
'Rieve your hat at the door'​

​

Rieve - Mysterious Girl
Level ? Elements ? Bounty ?
Outskirts of Silverston​

?So, miss,? two large, rugged men loomed over the much shorter and cloaked figure of Rieve, their outfits a stark and tattered contrast to what she wore. ?Are you here for the entertainment, or to be part of it??

The young girl smiled as she looked up at the men, her eyes sunken into her face making her appear much older than she actually was. The shadow of the large house which fell over her in the midday sun didn?t help much either. ?Well, what would you think?? The girl pulled aside the cloak to reveal a sumptuous two-piece outfit made of lace and thin, interlocked golden chains.

The two men nodded and then motioned for her to move out of the way. ?Entertainment enters on the west side of the building. You?ll get your pay at the end of the week, granted that you survive that long.?

Rieve nodded and then moved around the side of the building and sighed, shaking her head. ?I?m not the one that you should be worried about surviving you buffoons.?

The residence wasn?t exactly in the best of condition, what with the busted windows, scorch marks all up the walls and bodies hung up all over the place. It did match up with Bogden?s usual motives though. Another town, and another piece of property fallen into the clutches of the old party hound. Someone didn?t pay their protection fees; poor bastards. Nice as the place was, or once was, it wasn?t going to be standing after the week with Bogden in it.

As the sun began to fall, people started to line up on both sides of the building. Where Rieve stood now, the entertainment had begun to arrive. A wide assortment of strippers, drug dealers, butlers, maids and other such servants along with cooks and bakers. Around the corner the entertainees piled in. Businessmen from across the country, regular townspeople, other outlaws, bounty hunters, government officials, artists and all other sorts of people from various walks of life stripped down to simple feathered masks and long, open front cloaks as they made their ways in. Badges, weapons, wigs, various other personal items and hundreds of thousands of dollars filled over fifty crates shoved into one of the busted out windows.

?Alright, make your way in. The guests have arrived.? A large, rough man similar to the ones that were waiting out front pushed open the door that Rieve had been waiting in front of. ?Dancers and pleasers to the left, dealers and cooks to the right, everyone else strip down, head into the main room and prepare yourself. The master of the manor will be making his address in fifteen so hurry it along.?

Rieve looked down both halls and then turned to the left to follow the line of other women and more, effimenite men. A short ways down was what appeared to have been at one point in time the ballroom. Two large pianos in opposite corners and a grand spiral staircase in the middle of it all were surrounded by men and women stripping down to bare skin. Two more large men entered the room with baskets filled with small pouches of a white powdery substance, tins of cigars, matches, whips, handcuffs and a pair of six-inch heels.

?These are your party packs, compliments of your most gracious host. These are to last you the entire week, any resupplies you might need will come out of your final pay. You?re all going to work in shifts of twelve hours for the next week. Everyone will join me in the main room for the master?s address in ten, so gather your belongings from the gift baskets provided and hurry along.?

?Shit? I?ve not ever had to wear heels before. This might be a bit of a challenge.? Rieve scratched her head as she switched the shoes between her hands and looked them over. ?There?s a lot of straps on these? I don?t even know if I?ll be able to get these on, let alone walk in there with them on.?

The girl looked around the room at the other women, watching intently as she tried to figure out how they put the shoes on so that she?d be able to attempt it herself. After watching another ten girls put their heels on, she finally figure out exactly how they worked and then stood up, swaying slightly side to side as she struggled to keep her balance with the added height.

Slowly but surely, Rieve made her way up the staircase and into the main hall along with the rest of the entertainment. A large wide open room with a three foot rail surrounding a ten-by-ten hole in the floor that opened up to the level below. On the floor above was a balcony that presumably led to the master bedroom. Two heads set on knives which had been slammed into the railing above; a man and a woman's presumably the previous occupants. Unlucky bastards. No worries though, they'd be joined here soon.

From the balcony appeared a portly, rough looking man of average height. His clothes were torn and tattered and his scraggly beard was covered in blood and scorch marks. His face was a bright red color as he raised up an unlabeled bottle.

?T? The f?ckin f?cks that used to inhabit this shithole. Thank you for your patronage you shit stacks.? his face remained straight as he threw back both his head and the bottle, a red-ish liquid ran down his face and chest, soaking his shirt as he pulled the bottle away revealing that the last drops had finally fallen. ?Enjoy yerselves. Tear this fucking place to the ground.?

The man waved his hand and instantly the once quiet room burst into noise as metal cages fell from the ceiling and half of the women and men who had come as a part of the entertainment stepped in and the other half leapt through the hole in the floor to join the guests on the floor below. Rieve was among those trapped in the cages at the moment, her body having moved involuntarily due to some sort of spell put over all the guests by the outlaw above.

?Well shoot.? The girl whispered beneath her breath. ?I should have just done it and left. This is going to put father seriously behind schedule.?

​

 

[Sonata]

- Intermission -
'A gun with no bullets - uncocked'​

​

Rieve - Mysterious Girl
Level ? Elements ? Bounty ?
Outskirts of Silverston​

Twelve, long, boring hours trickled by as Rieve sat restrained inside her cage alongside nearly two dozen others all awaiting their turn to hit the lower deck and make their pay. But this little girl wasn't interested in the common folk down below, she had her eyes set on the big prize. This wasn't some simple payday - this was a plan needing to be set in motion, a task given to her directly by her father in order to progress their goals. She couldn't fail here, and she couldn't waste any more time pussy footing around it either.

Bogden had to be killed, and she had very little time and few tools to do it with. She hadn't yet told her father about the fiasco with Jebediah and those brothers, which had already been an unintended impedance on their schedule. She'd actually intended to deliver the news about Bogden's death alongside the news of Jebediah's momentary lapse into the afterlife, but if she took much longer then her father would be sure to send someone else to finish what she apparently couldn't.

"Damn." The girl knocked her head against the metal bars of the cage and then sighed, looking up to the balcony above her wondering when, if ever the host would reappear.

One of the men who had escorted them into the mansion appeared from one of the spiral staircases and swept his hand through the air in the direction of the balcony, causing all of the cage doors to fly open at once. The first twelve hours were up, if that weren't obvious enough looking at the mass of men and women sulking up the stairs looking as if they could keel over at any given moment.

"You two," The man who had opened the cages motioned towards Rieve and another girl that seemed to be even younger than herself. "The boss would like the two of you to accompany him in his personal chambers."

The other girl cringed and cowered back into the corner of her cell. "W-why does h-he want me? Th-there's plenty of other p-prettier girls here to ch-ch-choose from."

The man snickered and then made a box with his hands, gesturing up and down along the girls' sides. "Boss likes 'em easier to handle, likes to make himself feel younger than he really is. And besides, most of the women here are regulars at these sorts of things. If he can teach ye how to act and work right now, then later down the line you'll be able to make yourself even more useful. Not only to him, but to all of his valued guests."

Rieve scrunched her nose in disgust and muttered to herself. "Disgusting little man… guess it doesn't always have to be a hindrance having such an undeveloped body though. This makes getting in there a lot easier for me."

Rieve went over to the younger girl's cage and grabbed her hand, nodding her head with an approving smile. The young girl bit her lip and then nodded back, closing her eyes as she stood up. Her breathing was heavy and her body shook. Coming to this place was clearly not her choice by the way that she acted. Most likely it was the will of her parents, possibly due to having come under some sort of hardship. It was a shame. Little girls like this shouldn't all have to grow up in the same world as Rieve had.

"Don't worry," Rieve whispered as she rubbed the girl's head with her hand, "I won't let things go on long enough for you to be put in that position. Everything's going to be alright."

"Get a move on, we haven't got all night. Mr. Bogden likes to keep a schedule about these things." The man who had opened their cages motioned at the girls as he spoke.

Rieve nodded and then pulled the younger girl out of the cage as she started to move on up to the staircase leading to the upper level. The hallway which led to Bogden's room was covered in scorch marks. There were three rooms, one on each side and the third directly at the end. Two V.I.P. rooms and the 'Owner's Suite'. The rooms to each side had their doors previously busted in, allowing a full view of the activities going on within. A dozen women on either side with a single man lost somewhere in the fray. A tub of bubbling of water bubbled and steamed in the corner and bottles of alcohol littered the floor while all in attendance giggled and moaned as their man roughed about with them.

Absolutely filthy… despicable beasts... Rieve's lips were moving, but no sound escaped. The insults piled up inside her mind, her eyes growing wild with hatred and disgust. If it were up to her, she'd burn the whole damn building to the ground with everyone still alive inside, their giggles and moans replaced with pleas for help and the screams of agony as flesh melted away from bones.

A light tug of her finger broke the woman out of her trance, reminding her of where she was. She looked down, noticing the frightened expression of the girl who she was leading on. The young girl looked as if she'd seen the devil itself. Rieve shook her head and then smiled at the girl, pushing her resentment for this place deeper inside of herself.

"We're here."

The man who had been leading the girls to the end of the hallway stopped and pushed open the door. Air rushed past Rieve, a comfortable mix of hot and cold blasted against her skin. The man pushed her and the girl attached to her hip into the room. The door closed silently behind the two, leaving them alone in the darkened room.

"Welcome to my private room my children. Please, make yourself at home."

Small balls of flame rose into the air, illuminating the room in its entirety. Pillars of ice stood from floor to ceiling all around, and the center of the room had been bowed in and transformed into a large bowl filled with water. Two bodies floated in the center of the pool, their hairless heads bobbing slightly up and down.

"What the hell?" Rieve muttered as she moved forward into the pool.

The water was hot, almost to the point of boiling. Her skin begged her to leave, but she continued on anyways. She didn't know what to expect, but everything in her body was telling her it couldn't be good. She approached the two bodies and rolled them over. Their faces had been boiled off by something, and it had been done recently. Little bits of flesh fell off of the heads in globules as Rieve lifted them up.

"What the hell… why are they…"

"Dead. Yes, but don't be put off by it. This doesn't happen often, just when little girl's don't play right."

"You're a monster… a goddamn filthy pig… you deserve to be slaughtered…"

"My, what a mouth. I suppose we'll have to do something about that won't we. I don't exactly like collecting teeth, but if it will change that attitude of yours then I just might try it." Bogden stepped out from behind one of the ice pillars and made his way over to Rieve, tapping a hammer against his hand with each step that he took.

Rieve stood in the center of the pool, waiting for the bastard to close the distance between them. The hairs on her arms stood on end as her eyes grew wilder. All that she'd been through these past thirteen hours came flooding back to her. Her fists shook violently, and then her whole body. Slowly clenching and unclenching her fists, she waited. Her head rose until her gaze met his. The naked little man, with his littler johnson and the hammer he kept tapping in his hands. Every time his foot hit the floor his entire leg shook and finished with his pecker slapping against it, quelling the ripples in his fat.

Rieve leapt at the fat little man, unable to contain her rage any longer. She pushed her body against his, knocking him off balance. She ripped the hammer from his hands and brought it down on his face, creating a small divit and knocking his jaw out of place.

"Urururu," Bogden called out, fear taking to his eyes.

"I don't fucking think so."

Rieve answered his plea with another slam of the hammer, followed by another and then another. She continued to hammer away at the outlaw's face until he was no longer recognizable, but still just slightly conscious. The girl tossed the hammer into the pool behind her and then stood, walking over to the place where the man had been hiding when the two girls came in to the room. Behind the pillar of ice hung a slew of items dedicated to torture, and some for a sick sort of pleasure. Shaking her head violently at the ideas, Rieve ripped a knife off of the wall and made her way back to the fat little man laying on the floor a short distance away. His face was swollen so that his eyes could no longer open, and nearly all of his teeth had been knocked free or shattered by the hammer. Blood mixed with tears in between the numerous lumps on the man's face as Rieve sat back down on his groin.

"Ruuuuu! Uoooooo! Eeeeee!" The man screamed out through his swollen lips, his voice cracking as he choked on his own blood and tears.

"Good. Very good. See, even when little girls do play right people can still get hurt."

Rieve reached down between the man's legs and slipped the knife up towards his stomach, grabbing his pecker with her other hand and tossed it out towards the balcony, drawing a small crowd that was curious as to what the mangled appendage was. The girl rose to her feet and then began to slash wildly at the man's chest as he shook violently from the shock. Blood spewed from between his legs and his chest began to overflow with the same crimson liquid.

"Now let that be a lesson to you. Remember us in the next life you sick fuck." Bogden continued to convulse as Rieve hoisted him up on her shoulder and made her way to the room's balcony.

"What are you?"

Rieve looked over her shoulder at the child she had come into the room with. "What am I?"

"What are you? What are you doing? Who… what's going on?"

"I'm an outlaw, not entirely unlike this bastard here. But as for who I am and why…" The female outlaw made it to the balcony and then whistled loudly as she placed the nearly dead host on the rail. Opening her lungs as wide as she could, she shouted, "My name is Rieve. And this is a message from my father, Jedediah Rush."

With the lightest of pushes, Bogden fell over the rail and his head splattered on the floor below, the letters 'JR' carved into his chest.

​

 

[JukeboxTheGhoul]

​

​

The Necromancer
Sephear and Estrello
[S-HIGHLIGHT]Music[/S-HIGHLIGHT]
​

Josiah looked over the deflated sacks on the table, he counted out the last bronze. He sighed, gazing over the books. it didn't balance out. Another month of intercepting cargo, raiding passerbys and preying on the weak wouldn't cut it. Unfortunately, that was the status quo in the south. Money troubles. Money was always a problem for everyone. People need help all the time. He wondered whether He would listen to his problems. He was doing His work after all. He decided to try to find out if He still heard them. After so long... He dropped from the chair on to his knees. Gingerly, He fondled the metal pendant hanging from his chain. The circle branched out above it in a rough spiral.

"Oh, Gaudium. Why don't you talk anymore? Why was it that you didn't pick us a new prophet?" He took a heavy pause. " You upset wit me? If I had some sign... I really need my gift. If it is a gift from you, why does it defy the words of the Prophet? How does it defy your will? The only thing I can do is to try to get what you mean. And that tells me that have a plan for me to have this power and a plan for me. The gift is one of the only things keeping us afloat, without it, we'll be gone. 'Thy will' couldn't be done without it. I plead with you, give answer! Please? " He raised his head from his prayer. Josiah caught out of his eye, the staring eyes.


Behind the office glass, gormlessly a man stared in to the window. His eye were glazed and his mouth was still. He had been obviously idling there for quite a bit. Josiah stood and opened the door. The accomplice smiled, "I wouldn't want to be interrupted during my prayers either."
Josiah welcomed him in. His voice was steeled in neutrality. He was preparing himself to deal with this false friend."Darius."
Once the door catch clicked, Darius' smirk dropped. He eyed the accounts. "Still in the deficit?" He didn't need to hear an excuse. He could tell by the face. "We have 60 men and women. 60 families, all good followers of Gaudium. They deserve reimbursement for their hard work. We've been operating for over a decade since the passing of the prophet. Gaudium hasn't given us another leader. We had to elect our own."
He instantly identified the thinly veiled threat."You need me. I'm the only wit a spell book."
"You don't need bones if you have a charismatic someone to boost numbers."
He needed another tactic, appeal to the religious side. "I was gifted by Gaudium."

Darius scoffed. His faith must have also been loosening. He thinks he can fix the problem, I'll show him I already got a way. Josiah thought. "Don't worry, I've got the answer."
"And what might that be?" Darius liked Politics, he was still playing.
"Project Crusader."
His game had been paused. "You're serious?"
"I'm going to 'im today."
Darius eyes were filled with fire. "You wouldn't."

"An' what would you do? We need the money." Swiftly he made his way out the door. His feet thumping the stairs like drumsticks. He nodded to a supporter who was tattooing the Gaudium symbol in to someone else. He went up to an armed member. "Keep Darius under watch, make sure he don't blab to no one." He was about to go when he caught himself, "Try not to hurt him this time."
The brute grunted. As Josiah went in to the dark
Josiah threw back his Stetson, it hung from a string from his coat. He pulled his hood over his head.


This was the place. The abandoned house barely stood. Cracks entangled the supports like veins. The ground floor still held a façade of normality. Betrayed by it's surroundings and boarded up orifices. The top floor was collapsed. Shards of bare brick and wood splinters dug in to the sky like a thorn. He peeled back the plywood, grabbing the frame of the door he clambered up and then slipped through it like a chute. Inside, it could give up the charade, the floor was mutilated in to a opening to a chasm. A basement that was more cave than anything. Lit a torch and delved in to the deep black. He spent a while assembling the things when he heard a brick bounce in to the cave.
Josiah looked at the man and quipped, "Careful, that hat might turn me to stone."


The pale man with the hat reminiscent of tales of ancient Witch-Hunters quirked an eyebrow at Josiah, eyeing the circle of bones and lit candles with strange, ethereal blue flames all surrounding an over-sized coffin. "So, is this whole setup how you plan to take down that troublemaker the boss wants to nip in the bud?"


"Yep." Josiah quickly finished the last piece. "I have about 60 salaries to pay and a warehouse to defend, when am I getting this money?"


"You get the money as soon as I get a guarantee that the dirtpile we informed you of won't be a problem anymore. Convince me the payoff won't be wasted, you've got 5 minutes before I find someone else."


"Hush hush, the dead don't like people who help wake 'em" Josiah gave a wicked smile as he jested. He struck a match, it glowed with an intense rage-field flame and then blew it out. "Calm down." He ordered the man.


The man's intense amber eyes glanced down at his watch and he took a deep breath. "Just git on with it." He grumbled, relaxing a bit, but remaining uneasy.


"Good." He turned to a smooth voice. "The dead, like babies, like to be welcomed the world in to a, whatchucall, tranquil atmosphere." He strikes a match, the flame was a cool blue. He lit the final candle which filled the cavern with a sweet scent, that tried to overshadow the murky dampness. "What's this kid's name again?"


"Boss said fella's name is 'Kelmorr Kuvag' guess they met before." He reached into his satchel and pulled out a bloody bandage, and a single, crushed daffodil. "He also said these belonged to'im, not sure why the boss'd keep somethin' like these, but he told me ta bring them in case it might help ya or what-ave-you."






"Perfect!" He yanked the bandage out of his hands. "You can throw the flower." He sat down. He crossed his legs. He started to mumble something. "In the name of my old master, Anaconda, the snake of knowledge. His master, Venom, The poison vanquishes all foes of Gaudium. His master, Enigma, Gaudium's Sacred Code. Reaper, take the astral plane. Osiris, the keeper of Death. And finally in the name of the One, He who has many names. Gaudium," He hummed as he gesticulated his hands. "I ask of you, God Of All. Shed me some mercy for ripping this soul from Paradise." He bowed his head slightly. He cracked his knuckles. "Time for the ceremony!"


"It ain't even started yet?" The agent questioned. "What is this, yer dayjob?"


"I do, I 'exhume' for a living " He started to make strange noises. Instantly the calm blue candles turned to red. They intensified and grew bigger and bigger, all at once the flames floated off of the candles like willow-the-wisps out of legend and towards the coffin. Josiah's eyes widened as much as the Agent's as the wisps converged on the coffin. The flames spread over every inch of the coffin, and yet didn't seem to burn. As soon as the flames completely covered the coffin a loud creaking noise issued from it, and it shot open. The new resident of the world announced himself with a scream somewhere between a brutish shout and a banshee's wail, and yanked himself out from the dirt. The abomination in front of them was much less grotesque than either expected at first glance. Morbid blue-gray skin was covered by a ragged, patched cloak, hulking muscles rippled on every appendage, and its rasping breaths reminded one of a panicked, diseased animal wheezing its last, yet with a wretched strength to them that brought doubt it was ready to die just yet. It's eyes were milky white, devoid of pupils, and even completely empty as they were one could see hatred and madness within the void. It's mouth contained only a few jagged yellow teeth and it towered over both men, clearly greater after its revival than the sum of its parts. At first the macabre beast simply stood there, chest rising violently with each gasp of unnecessary breath as it stared at both the men watching it's rebirth.
"Well, go on, give him the bandage." He jerked his head in the direction of the Revenant.


" 'scuse me?" The agent questioned. "You're the one who snatched that bandage from me, and this is your plan. Besides, shouldn't there be some sort of spell or whatever? I ain't goin' near that thing, it looks like death incarnate!"


"Relax, it's a joke." He grinned as he knotted the bandage around the creature's arm. Its deathly immortal eyes stare at him all the while. The blood began spreading, first to the entire bandage and then up his arm as if it was going downwards. The blood came away from the corpse and swirled around it until forming a bubble in front of its mouth. The creature ingested the sanguine fluid. As it dripped from its gaping maw, it sneered before letting out an intense, earth shattering roar that produced cracks all around it. After the beast finished venting what little of its fury it could, it began to stomp off without so much as a second glance at the pair, as far as it was concerned even the man who gave it life may as well have not existed at that point, it had only one concern.


The agent stood staring after the creature, mouth agape, but without the slightest bit of trembling in his body. After almost a solid minute of watching the monster's lopsided gait, he turned back to Josiah and raised an eyebrow. "So I guess it's off to kill'im then. Tell me, how exactly does that thing work, an' how strong is it?"


"The Revenant will hunt the guy forever, it'll disappear after he's killed, but never before. It's what you call unstoppable. I've been working on it for a long time... This isn't the normal stuff, it takes a long time to do what I do, especially that thing." He shrugged in the direction of the new path created out of the cave by the beast."They say you lose your soul in this job. I learned it in Sunday school, they said necromancers make a deal wit the devil, for d'eir soul, of course. And tis true. But they don't tell you about the real kicker. The devil don't like you either." His gaze drifted glumly to the cracks in the ground.
It wasn't forbidden to raise a Revenant, they didn't need to forbid it. It was the principals ethics of the religion, and presumably whomever followed it, which conflicted with it. It was a backwards thought to wish, let alone to actually bring, a soul back to the mortal hell. Ripping them from heaven was inexcusable.


He sucked in air through his teeth, "But I didn't come here to give you a masterclass in cooking, how 'bout the money?"


"Color me convinced." The agent said before hustling out of the cave. Less than a minute later the man returned, dragging two large burlap sacks full of money. "A bit cliché, but it should do ya. I'm pretty curious how all this will turn out, and it's not that big a risk, really. I believe your scheme will work out, and if it doesn't, well...if there's one man who knows how to get his dues out of people who fail'im, it's the Demon." After finally divulging who exactly he worked for, the man tipped his hat and strolled right off as if the meeting had never happened, leaving the information to hang ominously in the air.


With the deal done, Josiah was free to return, the sand shifted under his shoes. He scanned the scene intently. It felt different, he could feel death. When the door of the warehouse opened, his stone heart missed a beat when he didn't recognise who had just appeared. The Trademark Waltham was plastered all over him. Fuck, He stole some cover. He ripped a hole inside his coat lining and yanked out a hidden revolver. He wanted it not to be true, he wished it not so.

He ignored the sense of the dead. He loaded his gun and ripped back the hammer. He ducked closer, bringing his back against the brick. He was encumbered by the sacks he had just worked so hard for, he quickly buried it in sand, not before tying a bone to the sacks. He wiped the sand on his trousers and grit his teeth. His breath shuddered against the barrel. The Necromancer pounced on the prey like a panther. Hooking him round the mouth so he didn't scream, he brought him down to the ground. He growled at the pawn, "You monsters!"
The boy stammered, " We-I-I-I- Didn't kill them."

Angrily, he pounded down the butt of the pistol on to the man's head, like a hammer hitting an anvil. Blood seeped from his nose and the sand gave way for a deeper grave. With him out of the picture He snaked around the open door. He saw his worst fear. The dead, not any dead, but the piles of corpse that towered over the boxes was that of his brothers and sisters in arms. The place was crawling with Waltham Security. More-like Waltham thugs, here in the south. When they didn't get their payment, they took what they wanted to take payment. The discipline and civility of the north far out of reach. He was distracting himself with fixating on the enemy. It's just the dead, the dead are at your command, you can do this, this is just any old corpse. He repeated this lie to himself. He grabbed that sense of the dead, and gripped it with all his energy.


The lifeless carcasses came to life, some twitching and convulsing, then all movement stopped. The guards raised their eyebrows. One of them sauntered over and poked the lively one with the tip of his gun. At once, hands were digging in to his flesh and teeth digging in to his neck. His fellow guard raised his gun and let loose, shredding two. Light leered through them but they were still able to continue. Bodies piled on to the second guard as screams echoes through out. Panic swept the warehouse, Josiah climbed in to an empty crate to conceal himself. More and more bodies reanimated as the pile peeled off a layer at a time.

They threw themselves at the grunts who attempted to unsheathe their guns. The ones on the ground were too slow, arms and legs being broken off and raised in triumph. Gore washed over the men and women of Gaudium. The staircase rumbled with the scrambling rabble. A guard unloaded a shotgun shell in to one of the heads. The body bowed to the superior force of the bullet, their head exploding in to chunks as it bent around the railing and flopped to floor. It lied there limp as looking without eyes at the rabble piled on top of his killer. The zombies hissed with an ungodly cackle as they feasted on the final pieces of their victims.



When the roaring and the crunching stopped, the Necromancer crawled out of his burrow. The dead stood around him, watching him with glassy amethyst eyes. Hungry yet Satisfied, obedient yet wild. The people he saw in life were now finally under his control, but not in the way he wanted. A stab of remembering regret twisted in his gut. The face of the man he was talking to just hours ago was now staring down at him, the wicked Realpolitik smile now replaced with a gory jaw hanging open. His face more gormless than ever, thought Josiah. It seems, he had just won an election. Pushing past his friends and the families he protected, he marched to the office.

The place was cleared out. He had won the warehouse but more thugs were just going to turn up. What would be the use in futilely defending this place? He had to move. Hopefully his secret stache was still there. He pulled apart the floorboards and pulled out a safe. He enter the combination. and a flood of papers splashed out. He browsed, until he found the most recent information out of the hundreds of newspapers and wanted posters.

He had found the truth, Gaudium did choose a successor. His gaze drifted to that horrid face. Anima.
​

​

​

​

 

[gimmepie]

Elias Stork
The Entry Fee

"That's the place." Flint more grunted than spoke, indicating a conspicuous mansion surrounded by a brickwork wall. It stood alone in the middle of otherwise barren land, it's once perfect white coat of paint coated in light cover of sand and dust. Several paddocks stood out the front, populated with various forms of livestock - most of it stolen Elias guessed. In the distance, many miles behind the out of place structure, Elias thought he could just barely see the edge of the Chasm much as the faintest outline of Silverston could also be seen in the distance the other direction if one squinted. A pair of guards stood watch at the gate at the front of the compound. A convoy of horses tied together were approaching.

"What do we do now then? There's guards and a wall. We should probably not waste our time." Elias said, doing a poor job of concealing how little he wanted to be in the company of Felix Griffin. Non-magical or not, the man was still a Big Bad and therefore several cuts above what a first timer like Elias should have been going after.

"Obviously we're going to go through the front gate. Man up and follow my lead." Flint said, taking off before Elias got a chance to response. Their horses moving at a canter, they approached the mansion's front gate, reaching it at roughly the same time as the convoy which they could now see what headed by an unattractive, flabby and sallow-faced man in a vest and trousers. His long hair looked to be slick with sweat and oil.

"N' who tha fuck are you?" he asked, his voice an awful screechy noise. When he spoke, elias could see that he was missing several teeth. The expressions on the two guards made it pretty clear that they were wondering exactly the same thing.

"Quite frankly, it's none of your business." Flint said, completely composed where Elias was already having to try hard not to visibly shake with terror. Over and over he found himself repeatedly asking himself what exactly he was doing there in his head. He was rather glad nobody could read his mind.

"I'm afraid it is." One of the guards said, his voice smooth and controlled. To Elias he sounded more like a politician than some grunt for a notorious outlaw. The way he spoke was certainly a stark contrast to the screechy voiced horse-thief. "You're clearly not an associate of Williams nor have we seen you with anyone else under Mr. Griffin's employ."

"Tha's right fuckers. Now who're ya?" the man called William screeched again. A fireball appeared over his open palm, the unpleasant creature waving in about in front of Elias and Flint. Elias and the horses all recoiled from the flame, Flint wasn't perturbed.

"I'm here on business. I hear that there's job openings with Mr. Griffin since someone skewered Tess or something over in Fairbell a while back. Trust me when I say we have plenty to offer. Certainly more than McCarthy here."

"Is tha' right?" William, William McCarthy apparently according to Flint, said angrily. The flame over his palm doubled in size as anger filled his ear splitting voice. He was looking sadistically at Elias, as though he could sense the man's fear.

"You looking at something?" Elias said, nearly crapping himself when he realised he was deliberately antagonising McCarthy "Pretty sure we said we're here to talk to your boss not some worthless shitheap like you." Elias thought he saw Flint lips twitch towards a grin at that. He figured he was probably doing something right then.

"Just what do you have to offer?" the guard that had yet to speak interjected. Elias was silently thankful for that, he wasn't sure he had it in him to keep the act up for much longer there. Flint suddenly drew his enormous revolver, pointed it at McCarthy who was still leering at Elias and pulled the trigger with a resounding bang.

"Fuck!" Elias was thrown from his horse as it reared and he and the animal were both sprayed with McCarthy's blood. The captured horses neighed and reared and otherwise kicked up a fuss but found themselves unable to sprint off in different directions like they were trying to on account of their ties.

"Well for starters I have this wonderful convoy of horses and I won't shoot you two in the head as well if you let me in." Flint said, not even phased by the fact he'd just put a bullet through someone's head with next to no provocation. "My companion and I would like to get to the important stuff quickly."

The guards opened the gate.​

 

[JukeboxTheGhoul]

Shayne Jacobs
​

Stage Freaks
​

What he had just saw confirmed the suspicion that Anima had grown in power since his release, and that Anima was sick in head. Jacobs' hunch that Anima would return to the Gun shop was correct. However he didn't just sit there conspiring with Elliott and that Native bitch. He built a fucking cult. They had entered Fairbell when a crowd was forming around Anima's hideout. Everyone looked like zombies, electrified in the words of the speaker. The speaker wasn't Anima, it was some kid he'd met torturing some rats and conversing with prisoners. He looked like a man whose eyes stared right through your cloth and flesh to see your soul. His crazed grin unnerved him. Altan Burakghazi was seriously mixed up in the head when they met him. It seemed he had got even deeper in to shit


"And your children, beginning their journey from the Deeper Darkness, do you want them to experience trial and torment you experience; Every! Single! Day?" It seemed the crowd had fluctuating for a long time, it was not a giant crowd and he got the feeling Altan had only got the people hooked recently. He had to keep momentum. "Who here wants to make the ultimate leap of faith?" He pointed around the crowd and then thrust his hand towards the Astral Planes. Some ten hands went up. Clearly delirious after listening to the droning of that madman for so long, Shayne thought. Altan picked three. They all got up on stage, hooked in to this fantasy. They all fitted the noose around their head, a face of euphoria on their face. Altan paced back and forth behind them.


If this charade depended on them being happy, how will-...? His thought was cut short by a gesture by Altan, whose clenching of the fist signalled the implosions of the men's hearts. A deathly grin transfixed on their face their stools fell away and they hung there, like washing on a line.
It was with that beat of the heart that Jacobs' face paled beneath the dark spikes on his chin. He had hoped to find a weak Anima, alone except for the Elliott boy. But this little kid has gotten so strong​

 

[Sonata]

'A monster named Deja'​

​

Jebediah Kleutsch-Sanders, Bounty Hunter & Supposed God in Training
Level 3, Air and Water, $1,320
Who the fuck knows anymore​

Jebediah flapped his wings and sprung into the air, blinking his way closer and closer to the water titan. Out of all the ones that were there, he figured that the water titan would be the easiest to get rid of due to it having relatively less power than the others. Even though the fire titans were roughly half the size of the other five, getting close to them and dealing damage to the hosts would have been more troublesome at the moment. At least with the water, the native controlling the monster was still visible. All he had to do was cut his way into it and take the native down. Of course, things are never that easy.

As Jeb drew within arm's reach of the water titan, he was swatted down by one of the fire titans like a fly. Throwing up a shield at the last moment, his body was spared the direct damage of the fiery slap. As the shield dispersed itself, the tips of his wings caught flame and he was forced to make a retreat higher into the sky. He quickly patted out the flames which were growing wilder by the second and just barely noticed one of the titans pulling back its arm, readying to throw one of the spears.

A massive spear of lightning hurtled towards Jebediah so fast that when he attempted to dodge it, it ripped through his coat and tore away a small chunk of his side, cauterizing the wound on its own as it passed through. Jebediah watched as the spear flew past him a few more hundred feet and then burst into thousands of pieces which began to rain down on him like a shower of arrows. The bounty hunter tucked his wings and sped towards the water titan once more, hoping that it would offer some protection with its body.

Taking a deep breath, Jebediah ripped through into the center of the water titan and waited for the storm to pass. But for the titans, there was no rest. The shards of lightning continued to fall, ripping into and through the water titan's body as it did so. The other titans started to close the distance on Jebediah and his current cover, readying the rest of their spears to strike down their own brother. All at once, the elementals jabbed their weapons into their comrade, tearing apart its body as Jebediah swam out of the weapons' range. The water titan began to boil as the two fire titans intensified the heat of their flame-covered spears and snakes of electricity began to swim quickly through the water in all directions, closing the distance between Jeb and his death.

The bounty hunter quickly shot out of the leg of the water titan as it began to lose form due to its host dying. A trail of blood followed behind him as the boils began to rise up on his leg, having been caught up in the intense heat for but a moment before escaping. The water titan collapsed onto the two fire titans, dousing their flames and crushing the hosts within.

Jebediah chuckled as he glided to the ground. "Y'all really lack communication. I didn't even have to do anything there and you just killed all your friends."

The bounty hunter's wings withdrew into his body as he crashed into the ground, having been burned and eaten away at by the lightning in the water titan they resembled only a skeleton of what they once were. Jebediah propped himself up against a rock as he watched the lightning and ice titan absorb their fallen brothers. As they did, the two became even taller, their chests reaching the clouds as multi-colored spears formed in their hands. The sky began to grow dark as these natives manipulated the weather around them with their very presence.

Jebediah smirked as he recalled his first fight with Vereryl and the titans in Wrench. They had caused a similar phenomenon to occur, but the bounty hunter doubted those ancient beings would appear from the sky this time. The entire feel of this battle was different from the time before. Even if the ancients were natives themselves, Jeb could somehow tell that their motivations were different from the natives of his time… even if they were both still trying to kill him.

"Hey, look guys," Jebediah began, sputtering blood as he spoke, "I don't really have the energy for this right now. I would really appreciate it if we could just call it a truce for now."

A loud boom echoed from the sky above, rattling the rocks around the bounty hunter and causing him to wince in pain. It seemed they were finally willing to talk, but only because they knew it could cause Jebediah to die. Boom followed boom as lightning began to streak across the sky and a black hail began to strike the ground, causing hundreds of explosions every second and creating craters in the sand.

Jebediah tried to stand, not wanting to get caught in the bombardment of exploding ice crystals. As he rose to his feet, he wobbled and fell back to the ground hitting his ribs against the stone he had just propped himself up against. Choking on his own blood, he tried to stand once more. Rising uneasily to his feet and swaying from side to side, the bounty hunter slowly made his way away from the titans, using his sword as a walking stick. Before he had even made it twenty feet, one of the multicolored spears fell from the sky and impaled the ground in front of the bounty hunter.

"Oh fuck me." Jebediah shook his head and bit his lip, fighting back tears of regret as he realized he would actually be dying here. "Just give me a break already! I can't do this anymore."

As the bounty hunter spoke, five more spears fell from the sky and created a hexagon around the man. As the final spear hit the ground a milky white wall formed, connecting each of the spears together and ensnaring Jebediah within it like a cage. On every side, and up above the white walls had connected and completely trapped the man inside with no way out. He walked towards the wall and placed the tip of his sword against, causing the entire blade to bubble up and fall to the ground. The hilt of the weapon fell from his hand as the howling of a wolf echoed outside the prison.

"I'll give this one back to you Kleutsch. It's over for now. Our body is completely and totally spent… our only hope now is that you might be able to talk your way out of it. That is after all, one of the only things you're good for now."

The howl of the wolf grew louder as streaks began to appear on Jebediah's face from the tears as they tore through the layer of blood and dust caked on his face. Slowly, his eyes shut and the bounty hunter lost consciousness.

​

 

[gimmepie]

Elias Stork
Meeting Felix Griffin

Elias and Flint found themselves standing a vast open room with a polished wooden floor. Despite its size however the room was largely sparse aside from the single large table at the back of the room, at which one person sat in an oversized and out of place armchair. That man was Felix Griffin, the unelusive but ridiculously wealthy Big Bad. He reclined in the chair like it was a throne and flaunted his wealth in his attire - a perfectly fitted suit complete with gloves and bowler hat. Felix looked more like an eccentric businessman than one of the most feared criminals in Jeimas.

Behind Felix, two other men stood. A rugged man with greying hair dressed in jeans and a fading flannel shirt and a revolver at his waist and a taller man with a shaven head and dark skin. Unlike the first, he was well dressed much like his boss. He didn't seem to be carrying a weapon but he had a stern gaze and seemed perfectly comfortable in the company of several armed men. Aside from the five of them, one other person remained in the room. A young woman, dressed in black and wearing an amused expression. She seemed to be there for similar reasons as to what they were pretending.

Elias couldn't fathom it, but Flint seemed more concerned about her than the man in front of them who was worth in the neighbourhood of thirty thousand dollars.

"What makes you think I need nor want your services?" Felix said, adressing Elias, Flint and the young woman who seemed to have most of Flint's attnetion. "I might have lost Tess' support, but I stll have plenty of men loyal to me. Why should I hire you?"

"Well, you've got at least one opening now." Elias said, pointing out that Flint had just shot one of Felix's followers in the head only about ten minutes prior. "If people who get killed that easily are who you've got left without Tess' guys then I think you might want to reconsider your postion."

"What makes you think you wouldn't die just as easily." the woman interjected, still wearing the same amused smirk. Elias felt a shiver run down his spine at her words. It was like she could see right through his false bravado with ease. He'd always thought of himself as a master storyteller, but it was like she was looking right through him.

"Says the little girl." Flint interjected, finally seeming to come to his senses. Something about him still seemed off to Elias.

Just who the hell is she? He's hardly said anything or looked away from her. He's going to get me killed if he's that distracted. Fuck. Elias kept up a constant inner monlogue, although it consted entirely of lines similar to that one. He was terrfiied. He'd been dragged into an incredibly dangerous situation and the one person who might keep him alive wasn't on his A-game.

"I could just have Bellamy and Mr. White here kill you all." Felix's smooth, charismatic voice cut in. Interupting Flint and the woman before things could go any further. However, the debate didn't end there.

"I would really like to see them try." The woman said, her voice equally as mocking as Felix's was captivating. Elias felt completely out of his depth. "They don't seem to be particularly good guards to me."

"What makes you say that?" Felix said, raising an eyebrow. Now the woman laughed, the kind of laugh that was insulting more than mirthful.

"Neither of them have realised that those two men are bounty hunters. They're probably here to kill you."

There was no wait for confirmation, no rebuttal. Flint's revolver was in his hand and aimed at Felix in an instant. In the same breath he pulled the trigger and bullet flew from the barrel. Instead of blasting a hole in the target's head however, it was as though the space between them shattered. Thick shards of something like glass fell to the floor along with the bullet. The ironically-named Mr. White smiled a sinister grin as Bellamy pulled his own weapon from his holster.

Elias and Flint dived out the way as Bellamy pulled the trigger, narrowly avoiding death. In the next instant however, the shards had whipped up into a whirlwind inflicting numerous shallow cuts to both Elias and Flint.

"Damnit Flint, you said this wouldn't get me killed!" Elias yelled, shakily drawing his weapon and firing madly - missing all three of the men in front of him completely. He heard the woman laugh as she simply stood there, soaking up the chaos in front of her. Then, she drew a gun of her own and pointed it at Elias as he tried to escape the flurry of broken glass. She winked at him then, before turning the weapon on Felix who was still reclining comfortably in his chair. She pulled the trigger, only for the shattering effect to happen again. In an instant she was on the other side of the room avoiding a glassy whirlwind like the one tha had caught Elias and Flint.

"What the fuck is going on!?" Elias exclaimed through gritted teeth as the maelstrom finally died down. Bellamy aimed his gun at him, but Flint came to his rescue - several walls of earth exploding through the floor. Felix and his men were sent tumbling as the table was shattered by one of the walls. The bullet collided with the defense in front of Elias.

"That's Jedediah Rush's daughter!" Flint yelled at Elias, causing him to freeze in surprise only for him to very suddenly return to motion as Rieve appeared beside him and pressed her gun to his head. Elias ducked below the weapon as she pulled the trigger and tackled the woman, the bullet flying into the cieling above them as a result. She was only under him for a moment though, disappearing and reappearing elsewhere once more. Flint ran across from behind his wall, shooting at Bellamy who had taken shelter behind a large chunk of the destroyed table. "You'll have to excuse my granddaughter, she's got a temper like her grandmother."

"Your fucking what?!" Elias yelled as a spear of glass suddenly flew past him, White also still an active participant in the battle.

"I thought I already explained my life story!" Flint yelled over the sound of Rieve and Bellamy both shooting simultaneously. A second wall of Earth erupting to protect their backs.

"I think you left that part ou-" Elias began when suddenly he heard the sound of the heavy double doors behind them, interupting him.​

 

[Sonata]

'And the grand Vu'​

​

Jebediah Kleutsch-Sanders, Bounty Hunter & Supposed God in Training
Level 3, Air and Water, $1,320
Who the fuck knows anymore​

A darkness surrounded Jebediah's consciousness. He could tell that he wasn't dead, due to still feeling the phantom pressure of his limbs unlike when he had died before. He had passed out from the pain and loss of blood after his alternate personality gave control of their body back to him. He might not have been dead yet, but he was sure that it would come soon. He couldn't move his body, or wake himself up yet either due to his exhaustion.

"That's enough. Let him up."

The voice cut through the darkness, and just slightly Jebediah could open his eyes against the blinding light of the walls around him. The titan loomed over him, pulling away the roof of the the chamber along with one of the spears which made up a wall. Slowly, the monster pulled up the rest of the spears and then pushed Jebediah's body up against a wall, crushing the bones in the bounty hunter's left leg as it did so.

The bounty hunter lazily accepted the pain. His body was still for the most part limp, him still being too exhausted to move it. A low groan escaped his lips as the bones broke one by one and then were ground to dust as he was scraped against the ground. His back rested against the cold stone behind him as the rest of his body slowly slid to the left, falling easily back to the ground.

"Did I not say to stop?"

The voice came again. Jebediah adjusted his eyes, now completely unable to feel his leg. He felt even more lightheaded than before as he tried to make out the figure approaching him. The brown skin of the middle-aged man contrasted the white of the walls he walked past which were still sparking in and out of existence. The native stopped in front of the bounty hunter and scanned his eyes up and down the crushed man.

"Ruf yna oui vaamehk?"

"W-what?" Jebediah squinted his eyes at the man as he spoke the strange language.

"Cu oui tuh'd ihtancdyht… You're not exactly living up to your expectations Jebediah. I thought you had met with the Dark Ones before. Our language should at least sound familiar to you. From what my familiars had reported on you, I had expected much more. You have many tricks, but no real power."

"Yeah, well if you had just come back from the brink of death the same day you took on an army I think you wouldn't fare so well either."

"Ekhunyhd ehjytan… If you intend to take down Jedidiah, Vereryl, or any of the other great powers of this land then you should at least be ready to take on an army. You're nothing but a joke in your current state."

"Vereryl… you mean Alice? Do you know where she's gone off too? Tell me. Tell me! I have to find her… I have to…"

The native pressed his boot against the shattered kneecap of Jebediah's left leg and pressed down with all of his weight, prompting the bounty hunter to scream out in pain as shards of bone broke through the back of his leg.

"You lack the power required to save those you love, as you always have. You let Jedediah walk away because your powers were nonexistent. You let the demon walk away and kill not only your father, but hundreds of others because your powers were insufficient. Now, you die because your powers are unimpressive. I alone will end the scourge that the demon brings, as is my duty as the sole survivor of my clan. I will finish what I should have never let begin. This is my repentance… and I will not have you stand in my way Jebediah. Your destiny… your purpose no longer exists. Now, you only have the right to die here by my hands."

The outlaw reached down and grabbed Jebediah by the throat, wrapping both of his calloused hands around his neck as he lifted him up into the air. The bounty hunter lifted Rey and fired off two rounds into the native, but the bullets only bounced off of his stomach.

"I have no love for those who did not inherit this land from my ancestors. All those I once cared for also fell to the power of someone far stronger than me. This is why I have trained, strengthening myself for the tasks yet to come. I shall have my revenge on all those who wronged both me and my people. So for powers such as yours, I shall need no magic. For an invader such as yourself, using my land's powers would be a disgrace. There is nothing you can do now to stop me. I will fulfill my destiny, and take on yours in your place."

Jebediah winced as the corners of his eyes began to give way to the darkness. He could feel the hands tightening around his throat with every second that passed. The bounty hunter fired off seven more bullets in rapid succession and flailed his one good leg wildly about, trying as hard as he could to break free with what little energy he still had. He closed his eyes and grit his teeth together, wondering if he should begin to pray to himself or some other power.

Just when all was thought to be lost, the hands clenched around the bounty hunter's throat released. Jebediah fell to the ground, choking and gasping for air as he blinked his eyes rapidly. He was still alive. The man looked up at the outlaw, wondering why it was that he had dropped him when the job was nearly done.

Three black spikes were protruding from the native's chest as he stumbled backwards. The titan behind him readied the spears in its hands and then began to flail about wildly as black vines crept up its legs and pierced through its body. The Night Wolf screamed out as he pulled the spikes from his chest and tossed them to the side. Hundreds of spectral wolves began to appear from the outlaw's sides as he ignored the bounty hunter beside him and set off at a sprint.

Slowly, Jebediah turned his head to follow the path of the outlaw. Off in the distance were two men and two women, surrounding a little girl all clad in black.

Jebediah's jaw fell open as he came to realize who these people were. The bounty hunter rose shakily to his feet, finding that his sword was in his direct vicinity. Using the weapon as a crutch, he began to make his way in the direction of the little girl. "Alice," he whispered to himself as he began to close the nearly four-hundred yard gap between them.

​

 

[Sonata]

'Egress'​

​

Jebediah Kleutsch-Sanders, Bounty Hunter & Supposed God in Training
Level 3, Air and Water, $1,320
Who the fuck knows anymore​

Off in the distance, one of the followers of Vereryl was busy tearing apart the titan which had so easily defeated Jebediah. The dark imbued ice which the follower had been gifted with traced up and down the monstrous being?s body, splintering inside and out of it as the follower ripped it limb from limb. Inhuman screams boomed through the evening sky, sending the clouds scattering away in all directions. The giant being fell to its knee after two of its arms and one leg were torn away from its body. The pent up energy within the being quickly shot back out through the severed limbs in an attempt to replace the lost appendages. But as soon as they began to grow back, they were promptly ripped back apart. The titan was losing its size quite quickly as the mass of energy surrounding it was swiftly depleted. Soon, the being wasn?t even visible and the outcome of the two?s fight had surely been decided.

The bounty hunter looked away from the sight after only seeing the first few seconds. Ahead of him, the Night Wolf was wrestling with two of the followers while his wolves took on the other two. Alice stood back in the distance, smiling wickedly as she watched her followers dig their blades into the native?s body and rip apart his wolves.

?Fire, Water, Electricity, Earth and Air. Each is an inferior element to the powers of Darkness.? Alice hovered over the scene, speaking in a tone much deeper than natural. ?But when infused with their greater counterparts of Lava, Ice, Plasma, Wood and Metal, Darkness becomes that much stronger. Your ancestors would have had a much easier time with this than you Night Wolf. You are still too weak to take on the gods.?

The little girl hovered over the battlefield and landed a short distance from Jebediah. The Night Wolf continued to scream off in the distance, his anger consuming him as he wrapped his body in various elements and began to rip through the demon?s followers.

?Jebediah,? the girl stepped towards the wounded bounty hunter, its voice a mixture of Alice?s and the demon Vereryl, ?you too, are still too weak. You cannot save me. You must go back.?

?But I have to-? Jebediah coughed, spitting up globules of blood as he did. ?I have to take you back with me. I have to save you in order to repent. I have to become the God I am destined to-?

The little girl slammed her fist into the bounty hunter?s stomach. ?I am the only God here!? Vereryl screamed at the man, turning its hand into a blade and ripping through Jebediah?s abdomen.

Blood spurted forth like a waterfall from the man?s mouth as his head grew lighter once more. Lights flashed across his eyes as he blinked rapidly, trying as hard as he could to hold on to his consciousness. ?But I have too? it spoke to me? the guardians? that being that didn?t??

The girl withdrew her fist from the bounty hunter?s stomach, causing him to fall a few inches to his knees before she slammed both fists into the hole she had made in his stomach. With little effort, Jebediah was lifted into the air, blood flowing both from the wound and his mouth onto the girl, dying her black hair a brownish red.

?You are no God Jebediah. Only I and the council of five are Gods in this world, for ours is the only power beyond rival. You?ve lost hold of the darkness inside of you, and for that reason alone are you no longer worthy of my presence. I bid you begone. Do not return to me, or I will finish you once and for all.?

?Light and darkness are two sides of the same entity, for the Mother and the Father are one in the same. From dust were we all created, and from dust shall we all return, such is the nature of our lives. From the dust of gods can we create, but also from the dust of gods can we destroy. Alas, dust is still but just dust without a special hand to sift it. To hold only one type of sand or to hold all sands is the difference between the demiurge and the true divinator.?

A door rose from the sands around Jebediah, concealing his body behind it as the voice resonated from it. A set of statues followed soon after, and caused the young girl to hiss and shield herself. A magnificent light radiated from the door, illuminating several glyphs engraved upon it.

?You! You are not welcome here! This is not your place to interfere!? Vereryl screamed at the door. The demon cloaked itself in darkness, taking on a monstrous form several feet taller from that of the girl. Five horns protruded from the head of the being as its body was covered in a black, silk-like fur. Two golden eyes peered through the dark shroud around the monster as it screamed out louder and dug its hands into the ground beneath the door. ?You are not worthy of my presence! I have grown far stronger from when we last met! You shall not thwart my ambition for a third time!?

The monster that was Vereryl wrapped its long, black, bone-like fingers around the door, causing both it and him to hiss and smoke as the wood of the door began to melt away along with the monster?s fingers. The four statues which rose from the ground, accompanying the door began to morph into humanoid shapes as the demon struggled with the door. The statue which resembled a wolf rushed over to the place of the followers of Vereryl and began to assist the Night Wolf in his battle, mimicking his moves near perfectly. The statue which resembled an eagle picked up Jebediah in its talons and then rose into the sky, while the statues resembling a dragon and a bear approached each side of the demon and begin to attack it as the door swung open. A loud screech came from below as Vereryl scraped its claws against the ground, trying as hard as it could to resist the forces pulling it into the open door. As the door slowly shut itself, Jebediah fell back unconscious.

Some time later, Jebediah awoke in a cave whose interior seemed to be made up of a black glass. The statue of an eagle sat at his head, and the bounty hunter found that all of his wounds had been healed. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the glass around him was not simply tinted black, but was in fact radiating darkness. The man passed his hand over the shadow mist which was rising from within the glass, and found that it was doing him no harm though he found that it was considerably colder than anything he had ever felt before. In front of him lay a stone slab, untouched by the glass which surrounded them both. In the slab there rested a knife which the bounty hunter recognized from his time in Wrench.

"The only weapon capable of defeating the demon at this time."

The voice came from behind the bounty hunter. Jebediah spun around, and stared awestruck at what appeared before him. From the statue of the eagle rose the spirit of a native. The native hovered over to and past him, resting on the stone slab beside where the knife was.

"Long ago when the demon first walked these lands and all of our clans were at war, the stone statues from before appeared alongside a door. For days we all struggled to find the purpose of the door. Four of us, a member of each clan at that time were sucked into these statues and made to lie in wait of the demon's resurgence. The being which resided within that door told us we were a safety mechanism for when this day would eventually come. He gifted to one of the clans a resurrected member who carried a sword whose light was so powerful that it could not only counteract, but negate the darkness within the demon's heart. Those clansmen who lived on after the door disappeared then sealed the demon with that weapon, and made it into a ritual. Every year, someone was sacrificed on this stone slab to give the weapon back its former glow, and then this glow was plunged back into the heart of the demon, quelling the darkness within it. For ages this ritual continued successfully, until your kind encroached on our lands and stayed our hands. The outlaw, Jedediah Rush killed the descendants of our clans who were to meet at this point years ago to redo the ritual. Because of that man, the demon is free today. I know that you may not be on the best of terms with our descendants, looking at the way that the wolf has treated you... but I hope you can find it in your heart to complete what he could not. Even now he fights, knowing that his power is lacking. Without the weapon you see before you and a proper sacrifice, it will be impossible to defeat the demon."

"So then, what do you want me to do? I can't kill the Night Wolf, so there's no way for me to give light to the blade in the first place. As it is now, it's just a hunk of metal stuck in a stone."

"That is why we have returned. That being which hides beyond the door has spoken with you before, has he not?"

"The being beyond the door... what do you mean?"

"When you died once before, did you not go through the trials? Did you not meet with your family?"

Jebediah looked shocked, taking a step back he straightened himself up and swallowed hard. "H-how did you know that?"

"Because he spoke with us. He is the one who welcomed you to that place. He is the one who chose you for this mission. It was decided long before you - or any of us for that matter - were born. This is what they would call a destiny. It is your purpose to seal away the demon for the rest of eternity."

"But, I thought this weapon could only seal the demon for a few years or so?"

"That is true... but we have been assured that you would be able to find the answer to his eternal peace when the time comes."

"I don't understand any of this. I thought I was coming back to save Alice and enact my revenge? How do you supposed I'll save that girl if I'm supposed to stab her in the heart with a knife?"

"You'll figure it out Jebediah. But for now, we're running short on time. Healing your wounds took a great deal of effort on my part, so my powers are not exactly holding up the best right now. Please. We all are begging you. The doors will not hold much longer, you must free this world from the darkness of that demon."

"Even if I disregard everything you've said thus far, the weapon is still just a hunk of metal! What am I supposed to do, just go out and murder some random dark-skinned person and hope they're a descendant of your people?"

"Of course not. As I said, I am here for a reason." The spirit laid itself on the stone slab and held the knife above itself by the blade. "Take the hilt, bounty hunter. Plunge this weapon into my chest so that it may become consumed with my light, and then we may both put an end to the darkness that is Vereryl."

Jebediah ran his hand through his hair, his forehead beading with sweat as he bit his lower lip. "Fine... but when you return to that being in the other world, you tell him that he had better have my throne ready for me when I get back there."

The spirit closed its eyes and smiled as Jebediah placed his hands on the weapon's handle and pressed it through the surprisingly firm body of the ghost.

"If that were a possibility, then I would. But I'm afraid that by taking my light here, you will have essentially extinguished my existence." The spirit chuckled as its body began to disappear and the blade of the knife began to grow longer and surrounded itself in a blinding light. "I have been waiting in anticipation of this day for ages. I thought I had come to terms with it long ago, but sitting here on this slab now I find myself fearful of what is to come for me once I disappear. It's frightening to be honest and I just-"

A green liquid fell from the spirit's eyes as its voice faded away. The weapon reached its full length, and the spirit was no more.

​

 

[gimmepie]

Elias Stork
Chaos in the Griffin Mansion: Part One

The door gave way, a suit of armour marched in with a bloodied sword leaving a trail in his wake. It dissolved in to thin air, just to reform next to Rieve, hoisting his sword over and striking it downwards, cutting through nothing but air as she blinked out of the way. An arrow whistled through the air before shattering another invisible wall of glass, behind it a strong gust flowed throughout. Bullets began flying through the air as a group burst in to the chaos. Smog crept through the aperture to conceal the arrival. Ghosting out of the smoke was a woman with a hood drawn over her face. She loaded her bow and drew it back untill the string was taut. Letting it fly through the air to one unlucky soul. More people spewed forth, a brutish woman in green and brown patched clothing, followed by another man on the other side, very clearly an ex-bounty hunter. With a wooden cross around his neck, he dispensed justice through a volley from his gun.

A silhouette formed together just beyond the edge of the cloud. It quickly disappeared as shadow dashed forward to the middle of the room, becoming three-dimensional, creating a living shadow. The head was a shiny metallic skull-shape that enveloped the head of the thing. Its deadly eye gleefully watching the swirling myriad of chaos and destruction. Where the jaw's teeth bit in to the wearer's flesh you could see scars and patches of old burnt flesh all around the face.
He declared war, "Kneel to The Holy Order of Gaudium, infidels!" He growled, "In the name of Gaudium, under the Decree of Ascension, anyone who stands aside will die painlessly. Else, you shall atone for your sins through torture!" Behind the helmet a wicked grin was born.

"Are you kidding me?! Really?!" Elias yelled at sudden appearance of Anima and his followers, his voice barely audible over the confusion that had now erupted in the room. Bullets flew in every direction, spells soared over his and Flint's heads and periodically the sound of shattering glass signalled the destruction of Mr. White's constructs.

"Less talking, more shooting!" Flint yelled back at Elias, simultaneously taking a shot in the direction of Felix - who had now managed to aquire a shotgun somehow - whilst also causing a number of Earthen spikes to erupt among Anima's group. "Don't get distracted or you'll get dead!"
Anima and Martirio blinked out of the way. The native woman brought the wooden floor to life and anchored the spikes to the ground with roots. Any that slipped through she pushed away with blasts of wind.

"I'd already worked that out!" Elias replied, firing off a shot of his own as he heard the shattering sound signalling that Flint's hadn't made it through. He managed to get the attack in before White was able to create a new wall, but missed Felix instead pegging Bellamy in the shoulder. The henchman growled in pain as the bullet impacted him, Elias was unable to celebrate his victory however as Flint yanked him back under cover just in time to avoid an arrow piercing his skull. Out of the corner of his eyes, Elias witnessed Rieve blinking from place to place avoiding staying in one spot long enough to be a target for either Anima's group or Felix's.

Rieve performed another Blink, moving from Elias' line of sight to directly behind Anima, who stood calmly still in arrogant bravado. She lifted her gun, intending to put a hole in his head, when suddenly she saw a blur of motion out of the corner of her eye. Instinctively, she stumbled back, her vision becoming filled by a hulking man in a heavy suit of armour. Carrying, of all things, a massive sword.

"I am not dying to someone who thinks we're still in the dark ages." She hissed as he swung at her again, she ducked under his attack and raised her gun, intending to shoot his knee out, but was surprised by a kick to the face, the weapon flying across the room.. Her head rang and she was in agonising pain, but she managed to keep her witts about her and blink out of the way of the downwards swing of the armoured figure's blade. In an instant, she reemerged behind another of Anima's men - the man wearing the wooden cross. He was about to take a shot at Elias but never got the chance. Rieve pulled a knife from her belt and jammed it into the man's neck in a spray of blood, his cross falling to the floor covered in red, a droplet forming atop the figurine's face - grabbing his gun as he fell and levelling it to take the shot he never got to. Elias was already back under cover when she pulled the trigger however, the shot missing and striking Flint's earthen defence in a burst of dirt and rock.

Out of the corner of his eye, Anima regarded the woman splitting open their turncoat's neck. "Too bad, I was planning on him dying later."
A blonde man with a wandprop strapped to his belt and a pop-out magician's hat, crept in through the billowing aperture in the wall. Seeing Ian slump forward, he exclaimed, "Hey! We only just met, he even saved my life, too!" He took his gun and fired wildly, serving only to decorate the wall, Rieve having vanished from where she had stood. He realised that his aim wasn't very spectacular as well as being quite futile.

Anima raised his hands to his knight, "There's no point in you endlessly blinking. We could use you in a real situation. I'll deal with her" Anima faded to black as the tall armoured man charged at the the table, swinging his sword in a swirl of a sideways eight motion. Smashing the glass in front of him and finally breaking the table in front of the target. As gun shots fired from side to side, some stray bullets plinked off, while others dented it with a grunt.

A storm of glass fragments rose up around White, hurtling toward's Martirio. He turned to face the incoming attack and summoned a shield of earth. Anima blinked near to Rieve to keep her moving. He was disappointed he wouldn't be able to get close enough to pierce her skin. Cassandra fired at Flint as soon as she saw him peek out of his cover. She nodded to Shadow who moved some of the earth spikes with her roots to form a earth bank that she hid behind.

Flint narrowly avoided having his head blown off by Cassandra's shot. Grudgingly, he found himself forced to admit that the situation was moving downhill rapidly, with the sudden appearance of this new threat compounding an already worrisome situation. He poked his head around again, intending to retaliate, only to see the woman leveling her gun at him once more. He ducked back behind his barrier, once again narrowly avoiding death as the sound of her shot joined the cacophony around them. Anticipating another shot, Flint crouched down before peeking out around the base of his defense. Seeing his spires reshaped into a makeshift barrier of his enemy's own, he leveled his gun between one of the gaps in the blockade and pulled the trigger on his revolver, sending a bullet through the empty space and into the leg of the woman who'd been trying to put a bullet between his eyes. There was a sudden shout of pain as she dropped.

"Fucking bitch, I don't get paid enough for this shit." Cassandra grimaced, ripping out a few of the roots of her defense and wrapping it around her wound.
Cowering behind the door, Elliott quipped, "No, you get paid to deliver helmets."
Cassandra rolled on to her front, taking out her gun and took a potshot."I do a lot for you!" The bullet left her revolver, spinning as it soared through the air. Flint began to aim towards the shadow still shrouded in smog. The bulled collided with his hand and it exploded in to chunks of jelly that sent a shockwave of pain through him. It took a moment for the sanguine lifeforce to begin flowing from him as if he was a pump.
"And I'm not even magical!" She panted heavily in victory as she tried to reform the defense. Elliott shrunk away. Shadow let one loose arrow with a thud it buried itself in the earth defenses. She rapidly drew another and slot it in to its nook.

Elias' ears were ravaged by the sound of Flint screaming in pain, the older man's hand all but obliterated after taking a bullet and his gun sent flying across the room. Elias didn't have time to try and help the man though - he was busy shooting at anyone that moved in a blind panic. He was more like a cornered animal than a rational human being in his mindset at that point. He was terrified. He didn't want to die but every moment the fight went on made his death seem to loom closer.

He saw Rieve blinking around the room, trying to escape from Anima who was pursuing her. Judging her not to be a problem for the moment he tried to get a shot in towards Felix's group whilst Rieve and Flint had Anima's cult distracted. He saw the armour covered man get blasted by a torrent of what seemed to be molten glass - going flying across the room and screaming in pain. Felix raised his gun and pulled the trigger as Elias took a shot of his own and ducked back around the corner. Elias missed by a mile due to his aim being shaken as he retreated, a fragment of a shotgun round from Felix grazed across his arm causing him a searing ache.

"Flint!" Elias called over to the wounded man "What the fuck do we do. I'm running out of bullets. We are so screwed."

"If you're running low stop shooting wildly and actually hit someone!" Flint growled back, tearing a strip from his shirt with his teeth and attempting to wrap it around his wounded hand. Martirio felt what seemed like lava on his chest, it didn't pierce his armour but the temperature suddenly rose within his armour. Elias tried breathe, he aimed carefully at the weak one who had scurried from behind the door and out of the smoke near the blonde butch woman. He aimed up for a shot. Lucas Martirio grimaced as he raised his head, His precision vision saw the bullet leaving Elias' barrel. He screamed, "Duck!"
Cassandra rolled sideways from the barrier so she couldn't be hit. Elliott was crouched as the bullet with his name on it flew through the air. He panicked and froze, time seemed to slow and his heartbeat was the only thing he could hear. The word echoed a thousand times in the few moments the bullet inched forward. DO SOMETHING, DO SOMETHING, DO SOMETHING, his brain screamed at his body to move. Elliott panicked, and summoned his magic.

He felt tingling all over, suddenly he could see the muzzle flash through his hand. He became very numb, he couldn't feel his feet. He felt a shockwave through his body. He prepared for the inevitable pain... which never came. A ripple washed over him as if he had been a lake surface. The bullet left his back unscathed and embedded itself in the wall. Joy rushed through him, he felt that he could jump up and down. Except he couldn't. He looked down, and his feet had disappeared in to the floor and everything else was slowly rising. He felt like he was falling as everything returned to normal speed. He sank through the floor and crumbled together in to a pile on the dirt.

What is going on?!
Elias watched stunned as his target sank through the floor, although for some reason it looked as though the man was just as surprised as he was. Elias wondered if some other enemy had hit him with a horrific spell, fear at the thought of sinking into the Earth never to surface coursing through his veins. He swallowed hard as he tried to re-aim. He levelled his gun at White, his hand shaking, and pulled the trigger only to be met with a resounding shattering sound as another glassy barrier absorbed the impact.

"Shit!" Elias yelled, ducking back behind Flint's fortification as a storm of shards flew past him in retaliation. To his side, Flint was cradling his injured hand, regularly peaking out past the edge of his earthy barrier. Flint watched carefully, waiting for an oppening before unleashing his spell. A massive tower of stone burst from the ground under Felix's group, sending Felix and White sprawling across the ground and slamming Bellamy throught the cieling.

The tower then broke into hundreds of smaller chunks of rock, falling to the ground and pummeling the two outlaws who were forced to flee their cover to escape being crushed by debris. Amongst the falling rock, Bellmay body came flying back down through the gaping hole in the roof and hit the ground with an audible snapping noise as most of his bones broke. The outlaw lay there, his body twisted into inhuman positions. It was clear he'd never get back up.

Seeing Felix and his bodyguard displaced, Rieve blinked to be behind the two men as they climed to their feet. She raised the gun to Felix's head but was tackled suddenly by White, her gun going off in the process, a bullet piercing his shoulder. Grimacing in pain, White formed a ball of molten glass forcing Rieve to blink away from her target before she was burned by the superheated liquid. Suddenly, Anima appeared next to her. In split seconds which seemed like hours he raised his hands as if preaching. Bright light flashed from between his hands as the two lightning bolts met in the middle. The spark shone like the sun as a burning sensation ran through her eyes. All she saw was white. Anima cackled in joy, "You can't blink, if you can't see." He gripped the stock of his forgotten shotgun and raised it to take a shot.​

Joint post with Estrello

 

[Shak]

Sophia Hartmann
Status - Outlaw - Leader of Sangre Clan-----------------------Former member of Culebra Clan
Sorcery Level - 2
Element - Air
Bounty - 2200$

Achilles Nimbus
Status - Bounty Hunter
Sorcery Level - 2
Element - Electricity
Money - $3200 ($27, 800 to go)

Kelmorr Kuvag
Status - Bounty Hunter
Sorcery Level - 2
Element - Fire
Money - $3,000

Near Larkin - National Guard Provisional Base

Jeimas keep Holdin'em

"That's all there is to get out of 'em. I got a nose for these kinds'a things, and those bums don't know anything else." Kelmorr finished explaining to the captain of the guards while the overgrown native he'd lovingly branded 'Brutus' stood next to him, nodding, grunting, and occasionally assisting in Kel's explanation with eloquent phrases like "Yeah, they dumb." And "We kill them now, right?"

"Hmph." the captain grunted reluctantly. "HQ ain't gonna like us doin' more of these executions. Whiny asses 'd rather have 'em taken to them for heavy duty questionin'."

"Ain't the 'standard procedure' in these sort of situations ta lock up the convicts until they have a trial? Killin' someone in a fight is one thing, but executions require a judge n' jury, in my experience."

"Kill off the two guys. Leave the girl." the captain ordered. "If you're lucky hunter, you might be able to keep the bounty." he told Kelmorr.

Brutus let out something between a grunt and a laugh, cracking his knuckles. "Good."

"Take a couple of the boys with you and bring the bastards out back. Don't make a mess, hear?" the captain said, waving off the gargantuan of a man.

-----​

Sophia, Old Abe and Coady sat in their cell, slumped together against the same wall, the latter dripping blood from his broken nose. Sophia, who had been uncharacteristically quiet the entire time, had finally returned to her general senses. She hadn't been roughed up as much as the bounty hunter next to them, but she still felt sick. Whether it was the smell of blood and piss in the cell, or what she'd eaten in the morning, she couldn't tell. A single, half-assed guard stood watch in front of cell, leaning on the wall.

"Abe..." Sophia croaked, before quickly realising how parched her throat was from the heat. As the old man turned to her, she cleared her throat. "What happened to Marzia?"

Abe looked hesitantly at the guard, before looking back at her. He shook his head silently - a gesture Sophia wasn't sure meant reassurance or defeat.

Before the prisoners were left with anymore time to ponder their precarious predicament, they heard multiple sets of footsteps, heralding the arrival of Brutus, a fresh pair of guards, and Kelmorr. The new guards quickly explained to the one watching the cells that it was "time" and promptly unlocked the doors while Brutus stared at the criminals through the bars, smiling like a child who'd been waiting far too long and was finally about to get a hold of his favorite toy.

The cell guard had shaken off what drowsiness he'd accrued while watching the prisoners, and it was only that lucky fact that caused him to notice he'd lost sight of one member of the hangman's detail. "Hey where'd that bounty hunter get t-" The man was interrupted before he could continue by a dull thump, and had barely enough time to even comprehend Brutus' body falling to the ground like a gargantuan sack of potatoes before he felt cold metal against the back of his own head and a deafening crack signaled it was the last thing he'd ever feel at all.

Left without a chance to use any form of Blink so soon after 'Surprise', Kelmorr simply lowered the barrels of Wisdom and Mercy simultaneously to kneecap both of the remaining guards, the downward angle making it easier to avoid hitting the prisoners. Each man let out a single howl of pain before two more shots into each of their heads silenced them forever. The bounty hunter watched the criminals coolly while he reloaded his revolvers one round at a time. "Get movin' folks, I'm sure every one'a them idiots left heard that racket, grab the guns I brought ya," He gestured to the scattered firearms on the floor that the deceased guards had dropped. "And get ready to handle the rest of them." His eyes stilled upon Sophia a few seconds, and afterwards he spoke only to her. "As for the little lady with the pretty hair, I'd like to formally ask you to come upstairs with me a minute when we've got a path, I got something important to show you."

Coady spat a glob of blood on the ground beside him. He looked up at the bounty hunter, before stumbling over and reaching for one of the double barrelled shotguns the guards had dropped on the ground. "And what exactly is in it for you? Normally I wouldn't trust someone who I saw linin' up with my enemies so easily, but I see this as a new low for me."

"Dumbass, how about you dont pissed off the man who just saved us?" Sophia hissed, now feeling a tad more confident with a gun in her hand. She grabbed a shotgun off the floor and tossed it to her clanmate.

"So what, you're just gonna trust this snake because he called your hair pretty?" Coady spat back. The sounds of footsteps echoed through the halls, prompting Coady to eye up the door, before looking back at the duo. "**** it, do what you gotta do, but hurry up. I can hold them off for a bit, but I dont see old man Abe as my prime choice for back up. Not that you two are that much better, but still." He looked back at the shrivelled old man still sitting in the cell. "No offense." The group all dismissed Coady's sentiment as the footsteps grew loader.

"Alright little lady, that's our curtain call!" The bounty hunter broke through the noise with his own voice, then utterly surprised Sophia by holstering the revolver in his right hand, then offering that same hand to her. "I ain't lookin' for trust, but I promise you'll like this idea when we get there." The woman looked scornfully at his hand before looking him in the face, instead checking her own revolver for ammunition.

"Take me there, quick." she said dryly. She wasn't keen on leaving behind her people - although now her "people" only consisted of Marzia and Abe - but the man in front of her did not seem as untrustworthy as she assumed. She hadn't the slightest idea what he was calling her for, however. "Where is it?"

"Just a moment and we'll see. Name's Kelmorr by the way. I'm sure using it'd make your skin crawl right about now, but it'll make communicatin' easier." He answered, then simply disappeared. The assembled prisoners heard two more loud cracks, then the door next to the cell clicked and slid open from the outside. "There was a pair of numbskulls still watin' for whenever their glorious captain would settle down the fighting and bring you out for your sentence. But they're it for now, the rest are dealing with that commotion upstairs. Follow me, and don't think about trying to take me out from the back, yer still way too groggy to be quick enough for me." He gestured outside, then pointed one of his revolvers at the rest of them. "And that goes for the rest of ya. Besides, your friends upstairs'll need your help,"

Soph grimaced. Although she didn't want to admit it, he was right - she couldn't afford to take someone on in close combat, not in this state. She sure as hell wasn't going to let him get the jump on her though. "Fine, get it moving. It won't be long before more of them show up, and I don't want us getting cooped up more down here." she said, heading for the stairs. "I'm going to take care of something with... Kelmorr. Stay sharp and get ready to move out on my command." she turned to Abe, who responded with a quick nod.

-----​

Kelmorr led the woman out to the compound's courtyard and moments after he was out of sight, all the recently freed prisoners downstairs felt their heads clear as if they'd only just then really woken up. Once Sophia reached the top of the stairs and squinted into the harsh sun baking the courtyard Kelmorr stared straight into her eyes and spoke. "Alright, now take a deep breath and let's go, I need you as sharp as you musta been before...all this." And just like that the ex-culebra felt a haze, she hadn't even noticed was there, lift out of her head, sharpening her senses back to their usual sheen, minus some lingering nausea from being sick earlier.

"Wh-... the ****?" she muttered, blinking a few times. "The **** were you doing to me?" she yelled, reaching for her gun.

"Making sure all the guards were thinkin' even less clearly and more stupidly than usual and makin' sure none of you would jump to conclusions too fast and **** everything up." Kel replied, Wisdom's barrel already inches away from her face. "Spell runs on my voice, I can only direct it so much. I could have done plenty by now if I planned on causing you any more trouble. Is leadin' you instead of usin' you for a meatshield, and letting you think for yourself not proof enough?" The outlaw gritted her teeth, keeping her hand momentarily on the gun before pulling it away. "Good." He continued, turning away and walking towards the stairs at the other end of the courtyard as if supremely confident she wouldn't try to shoot him for the moment. "I know the dear captain's type. More full of himself than all Jeimas is of assholes, he's probably still sittin' in his office, feet up on his desk and hat tipped to shade his eyes from the sun. We're gonna pay him a visit, you and him really need to have a chat and without him his boys won't stand a chance. Leaders like him tend to surround themselves with idiots to help keep the illusion of superiority goin'."

Soph squinted. "The hell are we going to the head of this place for? If your sorry ass thinks we're compromising with the guards in any way you're out of your ****ing mind, bounty hunter."

Kelmorr chuckled outside of the door back into the compound after listening for the noise of the fighting they'd gone around. Satisfied they were far enough from the main skirmish, he stood next to the door, turned the knob and gently pushed the door open. "Oh no, he dies and I can't wait to see him hit the floor. But I need to ask him a question first. When I do it'll all clear up for ya." The bounty hunter slipped inside without waiting for an answer and crept slowly through the hallway, both revolvers drawn and ready to snap into action at a moment's notice.

Sophia still wondered why the man needed her present for this 'questioning', but something told her to see for herself when they met him. The duo made their way through the hall, passing by an empty lobby area and possibly a storage room. Sophia made a mental note to return later in case their equipment was kept there. As they prepared to turn a corner, the sound of running footsteps coming their way suddenly sounded through the hall, and the two quickly backed off. Moments later a stampede of guards rushed though the corridor beside them, towards the holding cell where all of their allies were.

"They'e got a real ****show coming for them." Soph muttered to Kel. "Where's the head's room?"

"Not too far now, same direction those goons just charged from." Kel answered. "When we get there, do me a favor and guard the door. This is gonna be close quarters, uncomfortably close, I'm not sure if you're steady enough for it yet. You'll know when to come in, though you're welcome to take a shot if you see one."

Sophia nodded, muttering something about taking a shot at either of them if she had the chance. The two continued towards the office before reaching a closed door with a star on it. The star was slightly slanted, probably loose from people slamming the door too much. Sophia wished she had her spellbook to blow it off its hinges with an airblast, but she would have to resort to the man's strength for now. "Alright, go for it. I've got us covered."

-----​

The door creaked open. Coady squinted as an unfamiliar figure crept through, followed by a terrified looking guard. He recognised him from back at the base where they were captured. Guy looked shook like a chihuahua. He wasnt like the others they'd sent down. There it was. His ticket out of there stood before him. He could go to find Achilles and Isaac or join these new ex-Culebras as their leader. Regardless of what he did, for the first time in his life, he was placed in a position where he had a choice. "Who the hell are you?" He bellowed, his voice echoing through the dungeon.

"You? Where is Sophia?" Marzia sighed. She glanced back at the door realising the predicament she might be in if her two new 'allies' found who they were looking for and she was forced to act on her own. She had hoped she'd be able to grab Sophia and Abe and leave the place all in one sweep, but clearly her work here wasnst done. The situation forced her to think fast. "Abe?"

The old man's head shot up as he heard his name being called. "Marz...what are yer doing with..." He pointed at Hudson, who was now even more scared as he looked through each prisoner before settling on Marzia.

The female Culebra opened her mouth to speak before the sound of gunshots rung through the hallway above them. "The hell are those idiots doing?" She hissed, glaring at the door. Taking a moment to think, she turned to Hudson. "You, get ready, these may have been your allies at one point, but if you're here now that isnt the case anymore." She couldnt help but sigh as Hudson fumbled his gun and pointed it toward the door. The guard's display was far from impressive; best to just pin it on the fact he was so flustered. It was almost cute in a way.

Another shot fired. This time from Hudson, as a rather unimpressed, now metallic Isaac stood in the doorway. The metal man sighed. "I dont know if I should attack you or call you an idiot." He turned his attention to Marzia, whose scowl was enough to pierce any sense of moral high ground he may have chosen to take. "Now I know what you're gonna ask, and in short...we're gonna need more guns."

A joint post of Foxrally, Shak and Sephear​

​

 

[Sonata]

'The Second Longest Night'​

​

Jebediah Kleutsch-Sanders, Bounty Hunter & Supposed God in Training
Level 3, Air and Water, $1,320
Alex Rose, Bounty Hunter
Level 2, Fire, $8,200

Outskirts of Spider's Hollow​

Alex rode out through the still, cold air of the Chasm, the sun was only just beginning to rise and whilst it wouldn't take long for its scorching heat to burn the land below it once more, the icy air of the desert night still lingered. Alex had set off early that morning, filling his pockets and saddlebags with provisions and ammunition for the challenge that lay ahead of him. He had left early to escape breakfast with the Crowley's, he didn't need Lily hassling him for heading out again so soon after a decent catch nor did he need her kid pestering for details on his next target... especially this one. He'd packed, grabbed a horse and eaten a small, cold meal on the edges of Spider's Hollow before moving out and now he was already making decent headway towards Wrench. In fact, he was so intent on his journey that he almost missed noticing the man heading towards him from not far off.

Jebediah was quickly closing the distance between himself and the fellow bounty hunter. He'd recognized the man a short while back when he was in the process of renting a horse. He'd made sure to avoid Janet this time around town, not wanting to let her know that he'd failed to retrieve his bounties... regardless of if he was the one to actually kill them or not, the bodies were important to the hag and he felt ill when he thought of what she might do to him for punishment. The bounty hunter recognized that his journey was entering more and more dangerous territory by the day so he'd opted to make a side-trip to the town regardless, dropping off a letter of apology as well as his father's sword which had been shattered at some point in his flight to that crystalize cavern. In the scabbard he now held the deus ex machina with which he was supposed to put an end to the demon. His scabbard glowed brilliantly, and removing the hilt from the sheath caused the weapon to regain its true size. A blade so bright that even the sun seemed to dim in its presence... it truly seemed to be a weapon of destroying even the greatest of darkness.

Alex was now only a few seconds away from the other hunter. Jebediah placed his hand on his hat and removed it, calling out to the man from a short ways behind him, waving his hat through the air in a friendly gesture as he did so. "Ay! I believe we've met before haven't we? What brings you out this way?"

Alex slowed his horse, allowing Jeb to catch up before he answered him. He was apprehensive of the older hunter, it wasn't uncommon for a hunter to quite literally stab another in the back over claiming a big bounty and Jeb was the erratic sort.

"You have. We both work for Janet." he said, "I'm just heading out after a bounty. I assume that's what you're up to with your... odd choice of arms." He hadn't failed to notice the dull glow coming from the scabbard. It was weird enough that Jeb carried a sword at all, let alone one that was literally gleaming.

"Yes... it's weird for me to think of this since our success as hunters depends mostly on our prowess as individuals... but... the game I'm hunting is rather powerful and unpredictable. I've just recently came into contact with it as well as another who was nearly on the same level and I just barely escaped with my life. I don't believe I'm strong enough to take it on myself any longer. If I go alone, I believe it'll be the fourth time I've literally fallen dead in this past year. Happening upon you in this way is sort of what they'd call destiny I suppose. Either that or you're just even less lucky than myself." Jebediah placed his hat back on his head and looked up to the sky, taking a few strides ahead on his horse as he gathered what he truly wanted to say. "Alex, regardless of what happens, i think after I take out this one it'll be my last. I'm going to retire after tonight - revenge be damned. I'd really appreciate it if you'd help me on this one... of course, it won't be without compensation..."

"Who are you and what the fuck did you do with Jebediah?" Alex said, completely bewildered by the usually sketchy hunter's unnatural politeness "Besides, surely you've realized that we're probably going after the same target anyway. I was in the cave too, remember? I almost believe you really did die with how fucked up you're acting."

Jebediah chuckled as he turned his horse around to face the fellow bounty hunter. "I've been on a journey my friend. I've done and seen things that I'd wished I hadn't. I'll never be the same person I was before, and perhaps that's for the better. This is who I was before I became what I am... I just hope to free another from a similar torment before it's too late. I know we're likely heading after the same target, but I just thought it would be polite to ask before barging in on the beast... and asking what I have to in regards to it... I'd rather not be your enemy, because there's bound to be at least one other there too. We won't be able to focus on fighting the ones who truly matter if we're stuck fighting against each other. There needs to be some sort of trust, possibly even an agreement."

"Well I'm not going to put a bullet in your head if some twisted demon thing is trying to murder me. I think I'll be too busy to worry about you." Alex said, shrugging. He turned the horse back in the direction of Wrench and continued in that direction, not bothering to check if Jeb was still following him.

Jeb nodded his head to himself. "Well, I would assume... however, it's not my life I'm really worried about but rather, I'd prefer it if you didn't kill Alice. I need her alive Alex, regardless of what happens. If worse comes to worse, I'll be the one to put her down." Jebediah picked up the pace until he was right beside Alex and then leaned over, placing his hand on the other man's shoulder and squeezing tightly. His voice grew deeper and his grip firmer as he whispered in the man's ear. "I hope you understand the implications, boy."

"I hope you understand that's a good way to get your head blown off." Alex said, not flinching at the sudden animosity. He'd pretty much expected it anyway at that point. Politeness wouldn't normally breed caution but when someone impolite is excessively so, that generally didn't imply anything good.

"And I hope you understand the difference between a boy and a God."

"I see the delusions of grandeur aren't improving then," Alex said, sighing "If you want to leave a Big Bad alive, you're welcome to try and stop me. Wouldn't recommend that though."

"I'm not telling you to believe, only to be expectant of what is to come. If you've a death wish then come at me, otherwise, let it stand that it's in your best interest to not cross me - Big Bads notwithstanding."

Jebediah's eyes were aflame as his alternate personality pressed at his mind, pressuring him to let him loose on the younger hunter and teach him what it is to feel powerless. The bounty hunter fell in line behind Alex, gripping at his own chest as he fought within himself to regain his calm composure. Regardless of what they thought about Alex, they would admittedly need help which is why they approached the man in the first place. It was best to save their strength for the battle to take place later that night, especially if The Night Wolf and Alice were both to be there.

"That's more like it." Alex said, spurring his horse to a slightly faster pace.

Jebediah winced, everything in his body telling him to just off the hunter now. But after recalling the beatdown he'd suffered at the hands of The Night Wolf's entourage and the carnage that Alice's disciples had wrought on them, he judged it in his better interest to go against his gut for the first time in a long while, even going so far as to sink his teeth into his fist as a means to stop himself from spouting off anything more to upset the boy. The bounty hunter picked up his pace, counting the seconds until the night was over and they could break off this agreement.

​

 

[Sonata]

'The Second Longest Night Pt 2'​

​

Jebediah Kleutsch-Sanders, Bounty Hunter & Supposed God in Training
Level 3, Air and Water, $1,320
Alex Rose, Bounty Hunter
Level 2, Fire, $8,200

Wrench​

As the unlikely duo made their way into the wreckage of wrench, Jebediah was surprised by the progress that had been made in the restoration process. What had once been withered down to a few stone foundations and planks of wood, had been brought back to being at the very least livable. The town now consisted of a handful of houses, a train station which was still in remodeling and a church displayed in the center of the town as if to be a warning sign for the demons who'd once demolished it.

However, regardless of how much progress had been being made, it had been brought to a screeching halt. All around the church and outside of each home, bodies of the people who had once lived there were propped up on black, crystalline spikes. Their bodies were torn open, their ribs held back by hooks and various organs had began to crystallize outwards, taking over the rest of their body.

Off in the distance, atop the hill where Cosma's mansion once stood, a lone wolf stared down at the two bounty hunters. The rubble beneath the spectral creature shook as it paced back and forth across it. It seemed that although the people had worked to restore the rest of the town, they neglected to maintenance the place where it had all began, perhaps in an attempt to forget what had transpired there. The beast threw it's head back and let out a loud and elongated howl as it dispersed its physical form.

"The Night Wolf expects us... that can't be good. If he knows we're here, then I'm sure Alice does too." Jebediah swung his leg off of the horse and then hopped down. The night air had grown much colder after entering the town, and the silence was extremely off-putting, causing Jebediahs words to echo long after he'd finished speaking. "I suppose up there's where we're supposed to go though. Figures that her house held more secrets. At least the new townspeople didn't have to suffer as those black abominations."

"Did you just say the fucking Night Wolf?" Alex said, dropping to the ground from his own horse. He felt his pulse quicken at the thought. Hunting one Big Bad was enough to get you labled as insane by some people, it was a massive challenge that was guaranteed to bring you a great deal of excitement and a great deal of wealth if you could survive. Hunting two? Alex probably should have been frightened by the thought, but he was well and truly down the rabbit hole. The idea of trying to take on two of the most terrifying criminals in Jeimas was invigorating. "Interesting."

"Yeah, looking back on things, I suppose I should have seen it coming. The signs were there that hed been following me for quite some time, I guess I'd just hoped to stay oblivious to the fact until after I took care of Alice." Jebediah walked slowly up the hill towards the ruins of Cosma's mansion, looking at what was left of the building and remembering back to what had happened the last time he was inside it. "That all changed once the both of them came after me mere hours after I'd come back to life. I honestly had hoped that the Wolf had died during his fight with Alice... If only we were so lucky."

As the bounty hunter got closer to the spot where the familiar had been, the sword at his waist began to glow even brighter. Jebediah began to slowly move the debris from where the familiar had been standing, not yet certain of himself. As he uncovered a hatch that darkness was seeping out from in tendril-like formations, he wondered if his strength would be enough. Had he been in his prime, would he have been able to take on the Night Wolf in the desert only the other day? Or would it have just proven a more apt grounds for the big bad to flaunt his powers?

'We are strong Jebediah Kleutsch. Do not doubt yourself.' The devilish side of the bounty hunter took form in the shadows of the man's mind, watching as he struggled to uncover their way of entering the demons lair. 'Alone you may be powerless against them, but together, we are unstoppable. Our power is absolute. We are the chosen, and we shall rise above all obstacles and obtain what is rightfully ours. The king is named to rule over his subjects, not the other way around.'

"Right..." Alex said, becoming steadily sure that Jebediah was losing his grip on reality. "So, the Night Wolf was following you? A no-name bounty hunter that means nothing to him? You don't think just maybe he was after Veralice the whole time? Conflicts between outlaws to expand their power aren't exactly uncommon."

Still, even if Jeb was losing his mind, Alex couldn't deny that there was probably enemies around them. He drew his shotgun, either he was going to need it to shoot at Big Bads or he was going to need it to shoot at Jeb. He was plenty quick on the draw, but better to be ready for anything regardless. He hadn't come as far as he had to be shot in the back.

"Doesn't matter if you believe me or not. I'm sure he was there long before Alice ever turned into the monster she is now. Nobody knew what was going to come from that night in wrench, and truth be told we almost were able to take care of it without Alice getting hurt." Jebediah placed his hand on the door to the basement and slowly began to pull it open. "Being here now is my punishment for not being strong enough."

As the doors slowly drew open, a cloud of darkness rolled out from behind it and the now much larger tendrils wrapped around and grabbed the legs of Jebediah. The bounty hunters eyes widened as he felt his body being forcibly drawn in to the room. Jebediahs eyes moved towards Alex, gripped with fear of what was to come he mouthed, 'help'. In a flash, Jebediah was gone and the doors had slammed shut behind him - leaving Alex alone to traverse the darkness by himself.

​

 

[gimmepie]

Elias Stork & Anima
Chaos in the Griffin Mansion: Part Two

Elias saw all this from his cover, not concerned about the death of a woman who seemed plenty happy to kill him. Disregarding the action, he turned to take aim elsewhere. He was unable to take a shot at anyone however, as Flint's form filled his vision. The old man, raised his good hand as several pebbles formed in front of it, firing off immediately in Anima's direction.

The first of Flint's hastily-fired stone projectiles hit Anima's arm in a glancing blow, inflicting seering pain and opening his skin but not doing any real harm. Anima whirled around and pulled the trigger of his shotgun instinctively, blinking away as the remainder of the projectiles filled the space he'd formerly occupied.

"What the hell are you doing?! She tried to kill us!" Elias yelled at Flint as Anima's shot flew well over his head. The old man didn't respond however, he merely rushed across the room - ignoring the warring factions as Mr. White and Anima's faction took shots at each other from across the room. In seconds, the old man reached his blinded grandaughter and slammed her into the wall, putting himself between her and the rest of the combatants.

"What?!" Rieve yelled as she hit the brick, aware of a body standing in front of her. Flint ignored her outcry as he called up several of his earthen walls to defend them. From behind the structure, he heard the sounds of Felix taking shots unsuccessfully on one side and a few of Anima's followers taking shots from the other side. His vision was lit up every few moments by a flash of molten glass flying across the room. Every time he saw an enemy directly in front of him, he shot off more of the pebble projectiles or attacked with a pillar of stone.Flint grunted. "Flint?! What the fuck?!" Rieve cried out, finally realising what was happening. Flint continued to ignore her as he shielded her from harm, focusing only on their enemies.

From across from the old bounty hunter, Elias could barely fathom what was happening. He only had a few bullets left but he'd seemingly been forgotten on all sides. Anima's forces were too busy focusing on White and Flint whilst Felix was cowering behind his henchman, apparently also out of ammunition and unable to move away from his defender to find more. Anima faded in and out of Elias' vision, firing at Flint and Rieve from different angles in an effort to break Flint's defenses. The bullets were soaked up by the earth and the electricity grounded immeaditately. Anima looked agitated. He didn't usually have to work so hard to blow off some steam.

Martirio arose, faced with a flurry of red hot glass from Mr. White. Martirio had no choice but to summon a wall of earth. Underneath him, Elliott jumped up as a wall of earth rocketed out of the ground and smashed in to the ceiling. The glass hit the wall and splayed out in all directions. Martirio hacked at the bottom of the wall hoping to dislodge it from its seat. Cassandra let rip a volley of attacks at Mr White, supressing his movement. A bead of sweat surfaced on his flesh as constant smashing of glass assaulted his ears. Martirio felt the earth wall loosen when another bolt of glass weakened the supporting earth. He rocked it back. He stamped a prideful boot in to the floor and pulled as if he was drawing the sword from the stone. It snapped off and he smiled behind his metal great helm. Quickly he buried his gauntlet in to the earth wall and wielded it like a shield. Thunder grew inside of him, he braced against his makeshift shield. He charged, roaring out a battle cry.

White was battered by the hefty makeshift shield and sent sprawling into Felix, his head ringing from the force of the impact. However, before Martirio could finish him off, he formed a thick wall of glass in front of him, the outlaw's attack barely scratching the materials surface. Still winded, White stood up and extended the wall until his assailant was trapped in a transparent prison, the barrier also serving to protect him from further attacks from Anima's brethren.

Rieve heard the sounds of bullets hitting earth around her, mixed with the ocassional crackle of electricity from Anima's periodic attacks. She couldn't see her grandfather, but she could feel Flint in front of her, his back pressed into her and holding her against the wall as he stood guard, fighting back against all the attackers.

"What the fuck are you doing?" she heard the younger man he'd been with calling out, Flint didn't respond with more than a grunt as he endured another wave of attacks. Rieve couldn't fathom what was happening. Not just because of her loss of sight, that left her helpless but it didn't cloud her mind. She couldn't understand why the man she'd tried to kill was now putting his life on the line to act as her body guard. Sure, they were related, but they'd never been family.

Amidst the chaos of the battle, Anima felt serenity in the moment. He was getting exhausted. He paused to soak in the death around him. He called upon his god to imbue him with a pulse of strength. He felt hope fill his heart. Beside exploding earth spikes, the prophet ambled through the tornado of destruction, the world around him seemed in limbo. The adrenaline filled his veins with one purpose. He came face to face with the old man. Somehow this person struck a familarity. There was a resemblance. A grandfather of his that he never knew, or was it Anaconda's Grandfather? This kind of fog smeared around the mysterious person from his memory. A figure, a role in a life he'd forgotten. Suddenly it were as if he was a child. The bright desert light blacked out the face of the Grandfather at the door. Soon that light engulfed the scene as he remembered his own house, aflame with the fire he'd been given. The fire in his heart. The glassy body of his relations stood in front of him, judging him. Then the spirit of almighty Gaudium filled him. Suddenly, he aged from a child to adulthood. He drew his dagger and thrust it in to the gut of the familial silhouette.

Flint felt the sharp object stick inside him and pain overriding his whole senses. The body lost it's footing and slumped in to the blinded girl. Anima casually yanked the knife out of the Grandfather and sheathed it - blood still smattered along its edge. As the carcass dropped in to Rieve's hands, she was forced to the floor with the weight. Spots of clearness began to seep through, the shapes forming in front of her as the deluded cultist took out his weapon and fired at his head. The chunks of blood and brains exploded over twin murderers. Anima relished the sound, the sight, the feel of death.
Anima looked the Granddaughter. He let out a haunting smile.

Elias looked on with horror as he watched Anima gut Flint and blow his brains across the room. He'd only known the man for a short time, but in that short time he'd come to view him as the tough, wise guy that wasn't going to die easily. He had got along fairly well with him, he'd respected him. Then, in just an instant, Flint had died before he got a chance to get to know him any better. Killed whilst defending the granddaughter that tried to put a bullet in his head. It was too much for Elias. He felt his body shaking like he was in a quake, he felt nauseas and he felt an anger he couldn't properly direct. Without thinking, he raised his gun and fired his remaining bullets at Anima. The first projectile flew by him. He looked to the boy playing with fire. Anima had found his next target and immeaditately turned in to shadow on wall. As the ghost charged at him, Elias could feel his heart pounding.

Rieve watched on, her sight continuing to becoming clearer, unveiling a scene of horror before her. She found herself slumped against the wall, covered in blood with Flint's corpse at her feet. In front of her, she'd seen Anima preparing to deal the death blow to her, when suddenly shots had fired and he'd disappeared, becoming a shadow and revealing the source of the gunfire. The cowardly man her grandfather had arrived with, shaking life a leaf had tried to empty his revolver into Anima's back. Now the outlaw was coming for him. She reacted without thinking, blinking to his location. She'd tried to kill Flint and he'd saved her. She didn't believe this man was trying to do the same, it didn't matter though. She suddenly felt she had to do this to thank the man that saved her life. As if saving her grandfather's companion would even things out. She grabbed hold of the man, and just as Anima got there, they were gone.​

 

[gimmepie]

Alex Rose

Entering the House of Horrors

Alex watched, unable to even consider concealing his surprise as Jebediah was suddenly pulled through the room by the tendrils, both the door they had sprung from and the door the pair had entered through slamming shut. At that point, a saner man might have tried to run. Alex conjured a small fireball over his left hand to light his way and made his way across the room, still wielding his shotgun in his other hand.

Alex soon reached the door on the other end of the room, choosing to forgo the element of surprise in order to keep both his weapon and his flame on hand, he kicked hard at the old wood, finding it surprisingly easy to break through into another room. He couldn't make out the details, but it seemed mostly similar to the one he'd just been in… if you didn't count the lightly glowing halo of fire visible on the other end.

Without further warning, a torrent of fire flew towards Alex, forcing him to leap to the side. The smell of smouldering would filled the room as the doors Alex had just burst through were incinerated by the spell.

"I am not getting into another lengthy fight with one of you fuckers. I'm here for your boss." Alex said, his voice filled with irritation and venom. He'd be damned if he was going to nearly die fighting one of Veralice's servants again when she was the one he was there for. He enhanced the size of his elemental burst and through the fireball towards his hulking foe. The half-demon raised a hand, Alex's spell stopping in front of him and quadrupling in size, filling the majority of the room with pale light. It launched the now far larger fireball back at Alex, but the bounty hunter was already gone. With a smirk he reappeared behind the monstrous being, shotgun pointed at its head. "This time, I'm making it quick."

Alex pulled the trigger, the shot exploding the head of Veralice's servant and covering the room and Alex in thick, black blood. The fire-user dropped to the floor it's halo extinguished and its head mostly missing.

"I guess anyone else knows I'm here then." Alex said with a sigh as he summoned another small fireball over his hand and kicked open the next door.​