ScreamSin

[CENTER]M-LVS[/CENTER] This world is one of never ending winter. No one is really sure how the sun was blocked, or who did it. Maybe we did...maybe they did. It's been so long. All we know is that when they finally stopped, it didn't matter. We had won, but in winning, we got the prize of watching our race go extinct in this endless world of snow. The Skycleaner hasn't worked since the key was stolen by them. The Scraps...in this world of never ending winter, humanity will take it's final breath. ------------- ((Welcome to Scrapworld. In this story, it is the aftermath of a war between man and machine. The Scraps, clockwork automatons, have pushed humanity to the brink of extinction. Sometime during the war, the sun was blotted out by a giant machine that changed the climate to one of perpetual winter. No one is sure who built this, mankind or Scrap. But without the sun, humanity is slowly dying. Their only hope was the Skycleaner, but the key that started it has been stolen and broken by the Scraps. The world is drained of resources, a new key can't be made. In desperation, a group from those inhabiting the run down Skycleaner has been organized to try and find the Key. You can be either a human in search of the key, or a Scrap who retains a heart or even both. Scraps who still have hearts are not mindless automatons seeking the annihilation of humanity, but instead choose their own paths based on their own ideals. Feel free to get creative with the characters. Note: There's some background and terms in the [URL="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?p=841409#post841409"]Backstage area here[/URL] to help out anyone with questions about some of the stuff I just said. And yes, you are MORE then welcome to make two or more characters! [B]DON'T JOIN IF YOU AREN'T GONNA STICK AROUND! I'd rather this never start then have it end three pages in.[/B])) Human Sign Up Name: Age: Gender: Profession: ((In this world, there are few if any surviving soldiers from the war. Most are too old to be of use. Your profession is a job that would make sense in a struggling arctic world in which there are no more enemies, but the land itself is more dangerous then you can imagine. Think mechanic, medic, scavenger, etc. There are no soldiers anymore.)) Appearance: ((BE. DESCRIPTIVE.)) Personality: ((What makes you tick?)) Background: ((A little bit about yourself. Were you born at the Skycleaner or did you find it and were taken in? Family, friends, your life before the group was formed basically. Why Are You Searching: ((Why does your character even care to find the Key and reactivate the Skycleaner?)) Scrap Sign Up Name: Age: ((A Scrap can be a max of 500, but remember! The older you are, the more run down your body is.)) Purpose: ((What were you originally designed for? Heavy labor, construction, search and rescue?)) Appearance: ((You are a Scrap in the clockwork world. Meaning you are not a streamlined robot of shiny awesome. You are a rusting pile of bolts and a series of clicking gears. Be creative, and think of how you would have been made for a specific purpose.)) Personality: ((You're a Scrap with a heart, meaning you do have a personality. Whether you fully understand it yet is another matter entirely.)) Background: ((Did you fight in the war with the humans, how did you end up in the Skycleaner, does anyone take care of you, maintain you, or are you just kind of a junker who helps out?)) ----------------------------------- Name: Archimedes Age: 77 Gender: Male Profession: Archimedes was a doctor at one point, but at his current age, most people come to him for advice on various matters. Appearance: Hazel eyes, gray/white hair, pale skin. Archimedes hasn't aged particularly well. A long scraggly beard and mustache dominate his face. His bushy eyebrows and sagging skin serve well to remind everyone of his age. His wild hair is rarely brushed or cut, sticking out at all angles from underneath his sable hat. He wears a heavy faded red parka and uses a long brass pipe as a walking stick. His somewhat frail appearance is increased by the layers of clothes he wears. Standing at about 5'7" and weighing around 100 lbs, one would think Archimedes wouldn't be able to take a fall very well. Personality: Archimedes is curious about everything and anything. He holds vast knowledge of history, including the time before the war started. He loves nothing more then sharing his knowledge to a willing audience *and sometimes unwilling* and can talk for hours on end about the history of a single brick. Very compassionate towards others, Archimedes loves curious people and strives to be of help to everyone who needs it. He loathes to feel like a burden and hates being treated like he's senile or useless. Background: Archimedes was a field medic during the war, and one of the few survivors of those years. When the war ended, he and a couple of soldiers attempted to survive in the Wastes, salvaging what they could and moving between shelters. No one is really sure of much about what happened to the group, as there's a gap of two years where they went missing. Archimedes was found stumbling around outside the Skycleaner, disoriented and suffering from severe fatigue. He was taken in and became a doctor for the shelter. Now retired, he still makes himself useful cleaning old knickknacks, repairing small items for free, and dispensing wisdom to anyone who needs it. He took residence in an old study, and gathers old books, notes, and bits of paper anyone finds while out scavenging, making him an unofficial historian and librarian. Why Are You Searching: Archimedes has read about what the world was like and longs to see it's former beauty. Above all else, he wants to see a flower with his own eyes. He goes with the group mostly to offer his advice and knowledge when needed, but he does worry that he slows them down. Name: Heat Age: 124 Purpose: Waste Disposal Appearance: Heat is made entirely of brass, to prevent him from rusting in the damp conditions he would have been used for. His frame is heavy and lanky, with oversized arms and legs and large hands with claws at the end. The claws are fully articulate to help with gripping junk. His head is little more then a brass cylinder with a camera eye mounted in the center. He's able to rotate the eye all around his head for a 360 degree view. Made for heavy lifting, His body is covered in large gears, stands around 13 feet tall, and he weighs in at about 3 tons. Other then his claws, his only other method of self defense is a small flamer attached to his left hand, inside his thumb. However, it ran out of fuel years ago and can only create a tiny flame, much like a lighter. His voice is a small speaker mounted in the throat, though his vocabulary is limited. Personality: Heat doesn't understand his own sentience, and seems to have a problem with the concept of time. He'll recall events that happened decades ago, but won't remember if they were years or minutes in the past. He wants to understand his purpose, why he's here, but he has difficulties grasping elaborate concepts like self awareness. Background: Heat was repaired inside the Skycleaner and is used mostly to clear debris and do the heavy lifting. He is sent with the group as a packhorse mostly, and is generally thought of as a broken tool that should probably be thrown out. Archimedes has kept him around and operational, but Heat is beginning to break down completely, and will most likely cease functioning sometime soon.

Here, you can ask me any questions you wish about [URL="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?p=841410#post841410"]Scrapworld[/URL], and it is here that I will also have a list of terminology and some basic background for you to peruse, thus helping to avoid confusion. Also, when the RP begins, I will put up a list of the characters here as well as who is playing them as a quick reference chart. When the RP starts, any discussions/suggestions/questions you have can be asked here, or via PM to me. [CENTER][U]Character List[/U] Archimedes - ScreamSin *Scrap* Heat - ScreamSin *Scrap* Rose - ExcelExcel Maya Kane - chibi-master Duo - Knuckles' Girl Grahm "Kilo" Francis - Sazabi Julian Rosenfeild - Inuyasha Fandom Ishild - Lilt *Scrap* Zlota - Lilt Lucy Nere - Rurouni922 *Scrap* Grettel - Xemos *Scrap* Vangelios - Esbell[/CENTER] If you aren't in the roster, and I haven't sent you a PM with my problem with your character sheet, let me know. If you got a PM, make those changes and you'll be added. [B]--Current Date--[/B] No one knows what year, month, or even day it is. To the inhabitants of the Skycleaner, it doesn't matter. Survival is everything. While there are around 200 inhabitants in the "town" of Skycleaner, it's believed that pockets of humans still survive farther out in the wastes. Most of the inhabitants came to the Skycleaner after the war, following radio transmissions sent out by those who made the machine. Blizzards tear the landscape, and everything is frozen or under snow.Those within the Skycleaner have, out of desperation, organized a group to find the Key that would restart the machine and return their planet to it's former state. Most believe this group will fail, and that it's just an attempt to give the survivors false hope and keep their moral up. The world is unnamed and unrecognizable. Countries, continents, even cities and towns have all lost their names to the Wastes. [U]Living Conditions[/U] All inhabitants of the Skycleaner share dorms, which are little more then big metal rooms with beds in them. There's generally 4 to a room, though a few lucky souls get paired with only one person in a dorm. Males are grouped together, and females are grouped together. Two bathrooms per hallway, about 10 rooms per hallway. The Skycleaner has no pleasantries in particular other then what is scavenged, and most of the day is spent maintaining. Scavenging teams are constantly sent out. Free time is minimal, as something is usually always going wrong inside the shelter. Storage halls are unheated to cut down on energy needs, with minimal lighting. Almost everything is made of metal. Children are generally left in the care of the older inhabitants who can no longer perform maintenance. [U]Staff[/U] The Heads of each department run the show for everyone, working together to keep everything running smoothly and keeping moral up. [B]Lyle Heart[/B] - Head engineer, Lyle is generally considered the top man of the entire Skycleaner. Smart, calculating, and unrelenting in his demand for total and absolute 100% in all things. [B]Rosa Gonzalez[/B] - Chief Doctor, Rosa is a caring and passionate doctor and humanitarian. An undying optimist, Rosa runs the medical ward and often loses sleep watching over her patients. [B]Scotts Wilkinson[/B] - Head of Agriculture, Scotts is responsible for maintaining the hydroponic gardens that provide the food. Awkward around people, Scotts spends most of his time fretting over his crops and running after Lyle shouting for more parts to repair a broken piece of equipment. [B]Boris Vernon[/B] - Boris is head of the scavenger groups and schedules the maintenance rotation alongside Lyle, making sure everyone has enough free time to rest and eat before their next task. An expert scavenger and excellent tracker, Boris also leads search and rescue teams into the Wastes for missing people. [B]--Terminology--[/B] [U]Skycleaner[/U] - A massive construction made during the war, it supposedly will change the climate of the world back to it's original form and end the never-ending winter. Currently, it's being used as a shelter by humans who salvage what they can from the landscape and try to survive. Food is grown via hydroponics, and water is obtained by melting ice against the steam pipes and water traps that catch snow during blizzards for melting and sterilization. The massive generators keeping the place running are kept maintained by rotating shifts of volunteer engineers. [U]The Pipes[/U] - The lower levels of the Skycleaner are a twisting labrynth of steam pipes and thick electrical conduits known as the Pipes. Injuries are common down here, as most of the metalwork is failing and pipes explode frequently, causing massive burns and shrapnel scars. Maintenance is done in five rotating shifts of 'volunteers'. Everyone participates in these shifts. Morning, noon, evening, night, dawn, there's always a group down below welding and patching. [U]Never-Ending Winter[/U] - A term used to describe the frigid global temperatures dominating the planet. Not a single part of the world is believed to be above freezing. No one is sure who changed the climate during the war, though most believe it to be the Scraps. [U]Scraps[/U] - Large clockwork automatons, no one is really sure who built the first Scrap. What is known is that at some point, the Scraps became incredibly violent and hostile towards humans and a war ensued. Humanity won, but their numbers were reduced to the point of being endangered. Humanity is the only living organic creature left in the world, or so it's believed. [U]Factories[/U] - The Scraps were mass produced at giant industrial factories. When the war began, each Scrap had a permanent radio frequency link to the factory that produced it. Destroying the factories put the Scraps linked to it into a state of dormancy. No one knows who set up the links, or even why the Factories were thus involved. [U]Hearts[/U] - Scraps with Hearts are Scraps who have become sentient due to a complex and elaborate machine in their chests called Hearts. No one knows who made the Hearts, or even how they work. All that is known is that a Scrap with a heart has awareness and is usually not hostile towards humans. If a heart is removed from a Scrap, they become mindless, violent automatons. The Hearts were discovered during the war, and were installed a year after the War began by an unknown creator. The Hearts effectively sever the link between Scrap and Factory, giving them free will and choice. [U]The War[/U] - The War between Humanity and the Scraps. It lasted for 30 years, ending with the current world. All who were in the war are either elderly or dead. [U]Wastes[/U] - The world is nothing more then giant snowfields and mountains, pocketed with ruins and shelters made by humans struggling to survive. The Wastes refers to anything that isn't a shelter or city. [U]The Key[/U] - A device that can activate the Skycleaner and return the world to it's original form. It was stolen by the Scraps during the war.

I'll join. Could be interesting to see how well it does. I'm a little tired of RPs dying after a few action packed moments, so if this club could help mend that, I'm all for it.

A heavy thud shook Night's door as he hurled one of his boots at it. "WHY IS EVERYONE OUTSIDE MY ROOM WHILE I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!?" Night pulled the pillows over his head, grumbling loudly. He wanted at least three more hours of sleep. Just three. ----------------------- Heather smiled at Benoit, then gently pulled a seat over to the foot of the bed. Sitting calmly with hands folded in her lap, a gentle smile still on her lips. Her eyes followed his every move with the intensity that insanity brings. "If you please, are there any questions other then my marriage eligibility that you would like to ask me sir?"

Alright, anyone who knows me knows that I'm working on a big comic project called It's All Greek To Me. If you don't know me: "Hey, I'm working on a big comic project called It's All Greek To Me". Now, I need some opinions on certain things that are plot related. This is a simple "What do you feel makes a good story good?" question. Please answer to the best of your abilities. Which would you find more interested/appealing: A story that focuses more on smaller, more personal events such as a rivalry between two characters, a romance, or more personal problems that really only effect the characters? Or A story that has a larger problem, a more worldwide or destructive issue, such as a monster attack or someone attacking the world whose connected to the characters in some way? Feel free to give examples or ask questions. I can't really give away anything about the plot, since I'm keeping many details of this hush hush, but if you want me to elaborate, I will say what I can. I know this question is a difficult one, please do your best and give me whatever opinions you can. Feel free to even suggest a different idea that you think it tops those two.

Night stared listlessly at the food Thea had pushed towards him. The few volunteers who choose to remain at the mansion always left food in the rooms for the returning Hunters. Those who cleaned and cooked within the mansion were not fighters, but doctors and regular civilians who knew the truth, but could not bear to face the horrors of the daemons. Although he had told them several times to not treat him like some rich connoisseur, several always seemed to leave him platters of cheese, or bottles of wine. The hunter glared at it, Thea's words ringing in his head. [I]"You're not as young as you used to be."[/I] He grabbed the glass of dark wine, crushing it in his gloved hand. As the shards fell onto the table and the liquid poured across the wood, he grabbed the edge of the plate and flipped it upside down. The dish rolled off the edge and fell onto the carpeted floor, the food scattering around it. The hunter sat at the table silently, staring at the mess with his crimson eyes before shrugging off his heavy coat. With a slight grunt, he put Vendetta on it's mantle rest. Peeling off the thick bodysuit, Night caught a glimpse of his body in the mirror on the wall. Scars, all over his body. His entire body was a quilt of jagged gashes, snarled patches of twisted burns, and a road map of slices. There wasn't a single part of his body that wasn't decorated with some form of horrific reminder of his existence. Standing in his underwear, he stared at his wrecked form. Sinew, bone, scars, and muscle. Nothing else. His long hair, his constant stubble and the deep bags under his eyes, along with the bloodshot whites, showed what he was, through and through. "....hunter..." As Night mumbled the word, he walked slowly to the window, sliding the curtains shut until his room was in darkness. Then, the hunter crawled slowly into his bed, pulling the blankets over his shoulders as he shut his eyes to get a few hours of sleep.

Being the shameless art whore that I am, I figured what better way to get my name out there then to start shuffling my work into the world? I give you Night, the leader of the Hunters in an up and coming action comic "Hunters: Overdose" And Atropas, a main character from the up and coming romance comic "It's All Greek To Me" Atropas is a Greek Fate, to be precise, the daughter of Atropos, the Thread Cutter. Incredibly arrogant, she often loses her temper at the drop of a hat. She wields giant scissors as her weapon of choice. Night is the leader of a group of vigilantes that defend the city of New Vista from the threat of Hell. Night has suffered a lot from the daemons, and can best be summed up as rage in human form. Wields a large cleaver and a magical artifact known as Wrath.

The hotel known as Twin Red rose into the air in downtown New Vista. The entire organization was controlled by Acolytes, from head manager down the bellhop. The entire staff and indeed, most of the residents, were devout followers of Hell, having sold their souls for promises of their dreams fulfilled. In the spacious hotel suite Senka and Benoit had been stationed in, the smell of booze was already flooding the area. The suite was a large three room luxury accommodation. Two separate bedrooms, and a grand bathroom complete with a jacuzzi tub. The large refrigerator within Benoit's room had been liberally stockpiled with all forms of incredibly potent liquor. Senka's room had been stocked with fine cuisine, along with her more...primal...appetizers. Hunks of flesh wrapped in blood soaked paper crowded the ice box. A knock on the door announced the arrival of the Servitors. Two robed figures entered the room, the man bowing low to Senka as the woman entered Benoit's room. The man was strikingly handsome, with elegant hair framing a noble face. However, the entire left half of his face was horribly deformed and mangled, the eye little more then an oozing socket and the mouth twisted upwards into a horrible sneer. The man wore a black gauze veil over the mangled flesh, though the features were still somewhat visible behind the thin fabric. His voice was a soothing tone, but as he spoke, the deformities on his visage snapped and popped. "Mistress Senka, I am Henry. I have been ordered to assist you in carrying out the plan of the great Emissary." The man folded his arms behind his back, his delicate fingers twirling a large black cane with a silver top slowly, a slight smile on his face as he looked at Senka carefully. She blinked, folding her hands with a cruel grin. "And what makes you think I would want your help?" The man smiled, apparently expecting the question. "My dear lady, I am single handedly responsible for the deaths of over 14 Hunters, I have served the daemons well for over 12 years. I am a skilled tactician, and I have survived over 67 encounters with the Hunters during my service to the Burning Shadow." ----------------------- Benoit, who had been passed out on the bed, was awakened by a gentle touch. A lily white woman, incredibly slender and wearing a throat high dress and long sleeves stared down at him with bright blue eyes. The black outfit highlighted her incredibly pale skin and deep red hair as she stared at him with a slight smile, the smell emanating from his body didn't seem to faze her in the least. "Master, awaken. I am Heather, and I am your Servitor, as commanded by the great ones!" Her voice was incredibly soft, nearly incomprehensible as she folded her arms and curtsied to Benoit as he rolled around on the bed. From her hip hung a large magnum revolver, spattered with dried blood. Her brilliantly blue eyes followed Benoit's every movement as she straightened her dress. "Master Benoit, you do not need to rise. I am merely introducing myself to prepare for the up coming plans of our glorious masters. You have no need to get up yet."

By the time Night finally drove the car into the garage, dawn was already creeping across the city and the inhabitants were beginning to wake up for their daily lives. As the beat up old car squeaked to a halt, Night slowly got out, dragging his sword out of the backseat. He glanced up as Ty rose from his car, dusting his hands off. "Night, I need to talk to you." "About tonight's ambushes? Get in line." "Mostly. But I need to tell you something about Rasic." "What is it?" ---------------------- From inside the mansion, Night's incredibly loud "WHAT?!" could be heard from almost every room. The garage door was kicked nearly off it's hinges as Night stormed inside, a huge dented crack left where the doorknob slammed against the wall. "[SIZE="4"]RASIC![/SIZE]" The half daemon hopped to his feet, straightening his bandages as Night stormed up to him, grabbing the front of his shirt and hoisting him off the ground. "GOD DAMMIT, WHAT PART OF LISTEN TO TY WAS TOO HARD FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND?!" "I-" "SHUT UP!" Night dropped the half daemon, grabbed his arm and whirled him to face Ty. "Ty has more experience at this then you do, if I say listen to him, you listen to every goddamn word he says! He keeps you alive! You don't make a goddamn move unless he says to!" "B-but I thought they were innocent-" "SHUT! UP! If there are innocents, you let them die!" The entire room went silent at Night's words. "You need to look at the bigger picture, you can't risk your own life just for a few others! If I lose you, I lose a hunter! A hunter who could have saved hundreds of lives later on, if not thousands!" Night released Rasic's arm and glared at him. "Don't you EVER do something that stupid again! You want to risk your life for every tied up civilian, do it on your own time! Not when you run the risk of getting another Hunter killed!" Night turned and started to leave the room. As he neared Ty, the red coated hunter gripped his shoulder, leaning towards the other man so that only they could hear his words. "If you can't handle keeping another Hunter under control, you better damn well tell me now so I don't ever have to put my trust in you again only to have it backfire in my face." His red eyes glared at Ty for a moment before he headed up the staircase towards his room. With a savage yell, he kicked several of the supports out from the banister, the shattered wood clanking to the lobby floor as he made his way down the hall. The entire mansion could hear his door slam violently shut, followed by a loud growl and what sounded like him hurling a bookcase across the room.

Night cursed as the car fishtailed around a corner, regaining his balance from the throw. He took a brief moment to regain his breath, staring off as the car scraped past a light pole. Turning, Night steadied his weapon, leaning the blade over his forearm as the daemons swarming over Thea began to take notice of him. He lunged forward, slashing and stabbing with his sword rapidly, pivoting and spinning as the blade dipped and swayed, each time rising with more and more blood. As Night slid next to Thea, the two spun and maneuvered around each other in a violent dance of brutal slaughter, Night's red coat trailing across behind his blade as he ducked under Thea's wings, her claws gutting the daemons and tearing their throats. By the time the spectacle was finished, both were back to back, breathing heavily in a rising storm of cinders as the bodies of the daemons burned away into nothingness. Night's blade hung loosely at his side as he leaned backwards slightly, eyes shut as he regained control over his breathing. Thea glanced at him, and Night wiped a hand across his mouth, forcing himself to regain his composure. "Come on, we're heading to the construction yard to help the others." He shouldered the blade and started to head towards the yard, though his gait was considerably slower then before as Thea took to the sky. Night began to serpentine into the city, heading towards the construction site. ------------------ The acolytes and daemons surrounding the group had thinned considerably, and most of the worshipers were fleeing for their lives from Ty, Cal, and Rasic. Blood, corpses and ash littered the area as the hunters slowly regained their breath. Ty's phone buzzed as Night's number flicked onto the display. "Ty, Thea and I are heading to the yard, is everyone still alive?" "We've pretty much cleaned up here. Jonas is dead...Cal is still alive though." "Dammit...alright, head back to the mansion...it's only a few minutes till dawn, so the daemons will be pulling back. We're done for the night...I'll see you there." ----------------- Night waved a hand to Thea. "Thea, it looks like we're done for the night...I'm going to grab my car and head back to the mansion...go ahead and head back without me, I'll see you there." Night shouldered the sword and rolled his neck, trudging towards the alley he hid his car in. -------------------- Mortus appeared in the warehouse in front of the Emissary. The giant daemon was feasting on several acolytes, blood dripping from it's fangs as it looked up at the gathering acolytes. It's eyes fell on Senka as it ran a claw across it's mouth. "Is this the mortal you spoke of Mortus?" "Yes great one. Senka has proven her loyalty to us time and time again, and she will be most useful in this next phase of your great plan." The Emissary rose to it's hooves, leaning down towards the cannibal. "Who do you serve, little mortal?" "Hell and it's masters, great one!" The daemon snorted, then looked up as a loud banging was heard by the door. Benoit stumbled through the door, his shoulders caught by two suprised acolytes. "And this one?" "This is Benoit, the other I mentioned. He too has proven that he is an invaluable tool to our arsenal." The Emissary spread it's wings wide as it glared across the crowd of hooded figures. "All of you, listen well! Tomorrow, you will be part of a plan to finally deliver this world into the warm embrace of your dark masters." The crowd of acolytes broke into cheers as the Emissary pointed towards Benoit and Senka. "You two will be at the forefront of this mission." The Emissary turned and headed deeper into the warehouse, leaving the crowd to their fervent musings and hopeful chatter. Mortus walked alongside him. "Great one, what role do these mortals play in your plan?" "In time Mortus. They will serve their purpose, and then removed with the rest of the frail humans. All will be made clear, as the Shadow Lord has plans for you as well." The sun began to rise on New Vista.

Night stared at the man, sword still raised, but fatigue was starting to set in. He had been moving nonstop since midnight, and it was going on 4 in the morning. Sweat rolled down his face as he glared at the acolyte. "You're all insane, only a psychopath who doesn't understand their own worth would sell their soul to Hell! What do you expect to get from that bargain?" Night winced slightly, but refused to show the pain from the smack to his ribs. He blinked as the acolyte lost his balance for a moment, falling to the ground. The ape like daemons seemed to recover from the initial shock of Night's attack. They moved in to surround the hunter. Benoit managed to climb to his feet as Mortus stared down at him, sitting on the hood of his car. "Benoit, return to the warehouse. We have new orders for you." The daemon hopped off and locked eyes with Night. "Well well, we meet at last. I won't deny I have been waiting for this moment since news of the Red Coat Hunter first reached Hell. And you even have your little half breed pet, how adorable." Mortus snapped his fingers and the ape like creatures charged forward, swarming over Night and Thea. The hunters were pushed backwards before regaining their footing, both holding their ground side by side as the daemons died left and right. The daemon smiled, and disappeared in a flash of flame. Night pushed forward, trying to wade through the daemons to reach Benoit, but was shoved back by the beasts. Thea was surrounded alongside him, hacking and slashing through the daemons with her claws and fangs.

The Acolytes fleeing the building had indeed seen something. Night was sprinting full tilt, sword drawn, straight towards them. He had flushed most of them out of the buildings into the streets, and he was slicing them down left and right, never stopping. He head straight towards Benoit, boots pounding against the street as he leveled the blade towards the Acolyte's throat. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Kabra, twisting and rolling around. As it writhed about, Night saw wings and a purple figure hanging on for dear life. Thea! The hunter swerved, kicking off towards the snake daemon and away from Benoit. With a roar, Night sank Vendetta deep into the scales of the Kabra. The creature hissed loudly, coiling around to slap at Night with it's tail. The hunter took the blow hard to the ribs, skidding across the ground. Rolling with the impact, Night quickly took to his feet, running back towards the daemon. Spinning around, he dodged a strike, swinging Vendetta upwards and cleaving a huge gash through the exposed underside of the beast. He spun again, releasing Vendetta as he ducked under a tail swipe. Grabbing the handle, he brought it down heavily onto the beast's back, cutting through the spine. The creature gave a final death roar before crashing limp into the street. As it's body began to burn away, Night grabbed Thea's arm, hauling her away from the blaze. He spun, remembering the Acolyte he had missed. He stared at the apparently incredibly inebriated man, who stared back with a strange expression. Night glared at him, breathing heavily as he raised Vendetta to point at the man. Then...silence. The man did nothing. He didn't approach, he didn't threaten, he didn't run. He didn't do anything that an Acolyte normally did when facing a Hunter. Night narrowed his eyes. "You wanted to keep us distracted, not kill us. What happened tonight? What have you done, slave of Hell?" --------------------------------------- A hound walked over to Senka. From it's gaping mouth came a voice, disembodied and slurred with corruption. "Senka, the master commands you to withdraw back to the docks. The hunters have regrouped. Even now, they approach this location to aid their brethren. Leave your minions, they have served their purpose. Return. The Emissary commands it." The hound turned and bounded back to the fight. --------------------------------------- Mortus bowed his head to the large daemon standing in front of him. The acolytes had been killed during the ritual, their blood soaking the fur of the black, lion-headed daemon that stood in the warehouse. "Welcome lord to Earth! All is prepared for your arrival." "You have done well Mortus. Many of the inner circles believed that the wretched hunters would prevent my arrival. I am pleased that you proved them wrong." Mortus allowed himself a small smile, head still bowed. He raised his eyes to the beast. "What do the Shadow Lords wish of me?" The Emissary's horrid face split into a disgusting grin. "We have great plans for these mortals. Come. We have much to do to prepare." "Pardon my asking, Lord, but what are we preparing for?" The creature spread it's wings, setting the pommel of it's gargantuan axe into the ground. [CENTER]"The Grand Apocalypse, hell-kin...the greatest ever seen by the universe."[/CENTER]

((Tetra, whoa, no no no. Not good enough kitten. Fix that, you completely ignored your own foe and topped off the other one way too easily. Guys, I should probably emphasize something: Daemons. Are. Hard. To. Kill. You aren't uber soldiers here, you're tough, not invincible. Put a little more effort into this guys, seriously! I told you this would be combat heavy, that doesn't mean you win everytime. Either put a little thought into your post or leave the RP. If something happens where you can't post, lemme know, not a big deal.))

Night hung up after the third attempt to call Thea. No answer. He sped up, dialing Ty's number. "*click* Night, we-" "TY! GET OVER TO THE CONSTRUCTION YARD NOW! WE'VE LOST SEVEN HUNTERS ALREADY! SOMETHING'S WRONG, THEA'S NOT ANSWERING HER PHONE, I'M HEADING OVER TO HER NOW!" Night rounded a corner, nearly slipping as he spotted the hotel. Then....music? There was music in the distance, from the hotel. "Dammit! Dammit dammit! It was all a trap! Get over to Cal! Skylar will meet up with you guys there! They were waiting for us! I didn't see-!" Night stumbled slightly as he paused to catch his breath. "Night? Night?! You still there?!" "Get to them before something horrible happens! NOW!" Night quickly hung up the phone and started sprinting towards the hotel again.

Bryan sat on the bench near the fountain in the middle of town. Emma had her head resting on his knee, eyes shut as he slowly scratched the top of her head, staring at the clown doll balanced on his other leg. His sunglasses slid down the tip of his nose slightly. From the corner of his eye, Bryan saw a strange blurred shadow sitting next to him on the bench. He flinched, head snapping towards the shadow. He blinked, instead staring across the plaza at a girl in a wheelchair. He shook his head, sliding his glasses up and down, still looking over at her. "Huh...must have been a glare or something..." ----------------- As Nick slowly rose from the ground, he noticed a shadowed figure in the corner of his room, about the height of a young girl. He blinked, turning to get a better view, and there was nothing there, just a corner and the pile of clothes with the toy soldier sitting on top. Nothing there. ----------------- As Eden headed back towards her home, from the corner of her eye she saw a flitting movement in the reflections of the store windows. As if someone was walking next to her. Turning around, she was alone. Nothing around her. ----------------- ((I'm not totally sure where everyone else is in town, so to the others I didn't throw a shadow at, have your characters briefly glance a shadow somewhere.))

Night started walking quickly towards downtown. "Don't waste your breath praying for daemons, they'll gut you while your distracted and sending them to a 'higher plane' is a bigger punishment then sending one of us to Hell. Go to the construction yard, find Cal, Kurai, and Jonas, help them. Move quickly, we've already lost three other groups." "What about the hunters who called you?" "They're already dead, and I don't plan on losing anymore." "But-" "SHUT UP AND MOVE! We're low on time! I'm heading to Thea's position, I'll send Ty and Rasic to help you out when I get into contact with them." With that, the red cloaked hunter moved towards downtown, tossing his car keys to Skylar. "Use the car!" He sprinted around the corner and was gone, heading rapidly towards the hotel. Whipping out his cell phone, he dialed Thea's number. "Come on, come on....don't be dead..." -------------- Jonas limped out of the room, covered in daemon blood. He looked up at Cal dueling with the huge daemon. He moved to help, but a hellhound caught his eye, sprinting towards Cal's exposed back. The hunter unloaded three rounds, straight through the hound's eye, then put himself behind Cal, watching the flood of daemons moving towards them. "I got your back, don't worry!" The hunter pulled out a knife with his left hand, aiming with his right, and set to attacking the other daemons. --------------- Senka paused in her steps as a large flame snapped in front of her, materializing into Mortus. He stared at her with his green eyes. "The ambush was a success Senka. Night is moving away from the docks, and we even managed to kill several Hunters. You're doing well, but others are coming to aid them. Keep them distracted for a little longer, then withdraw back to the docks for further orders." Without even waiting for a response, Mortus disappeared into a flame. -------------- ((The skirmishes are wrapping up, start finishing off your foes and wrapping up.))

The music surrounding the group drowned out the hissing and rasping of the creature slithering around the lamp post behind Thea. As it reared up, reaching a height of 20 feet off the ground, the half daemon's ears finally picked up the noise. She barely dodge the strike of the gargantuan emerald green serpent as it came crashing down, barreling through the street with a screeching hiss, crushing a crater the size of a car into the asphalt. As it coiled back up, it's head rose to lock eyes with the hunter. It looked like a colossal cobra, but a human skull with needle fangs stood as it's face. It coiled it's massive body around, swaying in front of her as it hissed and roared at her. It was probably 30 feet long and 5 feet thick around as it prepared for yet another strike. --------------- Night spun and brought Vendetta down against the skeletal daemon, forcing it back against the wall when his cell phone rang. He whipped it out of his pocket and avoided another charge by the Gilgamesh. Hitting a button, he jammed the phone against his ear. "WHAT?!" "Night! This is Francis, down at the -SHIT LOOK OUT! LEFT! LEFT! - Down at the slums! We need help, we're being swarmed here! There are - DOWN! DOWN, IT'S MAKING ANOTHER PASS! NIGHT WE NEED HE-*KZZZT* The number you have dialed has been temporarily disconnected, please hang up and dial again." Night leaped out of the way of the Gilgamesh again, cursing as his phone suddenly rang again. Another hunter's number. "Night, they're everywhere! I've never seen this many daemons! Boris and Nikki are dead! They just came out of the - ARRGHH! *FWOOOSHH-Kzzzt* The number you have dialed has been temporarily discon-" Night slammed the phone down, shoving it back into his pocket as he smashed against the daemon again, shoving it out a window. What was going on? The city was crawling with daemons and acolytes, but something was very strange. They were ambushing all of his hunters, they were separating them off. Everything was organized, planned. Something was wrong here. He had to get his hunters back into one group, before any more were picked off.

From behind Jonas came a low growl. The Hunter whipped around and gave a shout, diving to the side as an emaciated woman swinging a meat cleaver pounced at him. Kurai spun to react, but two clawed hands burst through the wall near her, grabbing her arms and hurling her into the next room, separating the three Hunters. Cal didn't even have time to react as a daemon with long knife claws stepped in front of him, the blades rasping against each other as he roared a challenge. The halberd fell, but the creature rapidly deflected it, kicking Cal hard in the chest with one obscenely long leg. The hunter rolled backwards. This daemon was fast, fast enough that mere slicing wouldn't be enough to beat him. Jonas unloaded round after round into his attacker, but it did little to stem her rabid assault. Kurai was trapped in a large concrete room by a heavy handed obese daemon with a gaping jaw, and all her attacks seemed to be ignored as the creature plodded towards her, long tongue snapping in the air like a bull whip. --------- Night ducked under a sweeping slash by the Gilgamesh. The daemon looked like the skeleton of a horse, only much larger, and covered in spines. It hissed, lowering it's head to charge forward. The red cloaked hunter leaped onto the wall and kicked off, vaulting over the daemon as it smashed through the wall. He spun, Vendetta making a glittering arc of steel as he slashed at the beast's hindquarters. The creature roared, rearing forward and kicking Night heavily in the chest. He flew backwards, slamming hard into the brick of the building. "GAH! Oof! Dammit!" He rolled out of the way of yet another charge, and the beast rumbled as it glared at Night, turning to face him as it's mouth began to glow. "SHIT!" The hunter vaulted higher, grabbing the railing of a nearby staircase and hauling himself upwards as a fountain of magma spewed from behind the fangs of the Gilgamesh. He pulled himself onto the second floor, inadvertently moving farther from Skylar. He readied himself as the beast climbed the stairs towards it's prey. With a shout, he threw himself forward, sparks showering as Vendetta carved through the rooftop, slamming down onto the beast's head with a resounding CRACK! The creature shuddered, pushing back as Night slid across the floor, shoving all his weight onto his blade against the daemon. He spun and slammed the blade into the creatures shoulder, cracking the bones and lifting the massive beast off the ground. With a roar, the hunter hurled the creature against the opposite wall, regaining his balance and rushing towards it, Vendetta whistling through the air as claw and blade clashed again.

Bryan stared at the clown doll intently, having focused back onto it after seeing the kid burst into tears. "Hey Grinner..." "...oh come on! Are you all going to choose the toys I don't want to sell you?!" "Oh come on, this thing is awesome! Big old clown doll! Give you 45 bucks for it!" "Look, Bryan, these things belonged to some kids who didn't make it in the fire back in 82! They have sentimental value." Usually, Bryan would have left the issue at that. But something about that clown. He HAD to have it, there was no alternative. He looked up at Mr. Grinner. "I'll take good care of it. 50 bucks?" The old man looked at him helplessly. "Oh....fine...." Bryan smiled and patted him. "The kids would want the toys to be used, if it makes you feel any better." The old man rang Bryan up, and watched him walk outside, the clown tucked under his arm. Grinner turned to Nick. "I suppose you have something of mine that I don't want to sell you but you just have to have? Such a peculiar morning..." ------------------ Bryan walked down the street, the feeling of the clown in his possession giving him a strange warmth in his chest. Emma trotted at his side as the pair wandered for a little ways, then turned to head back to the house. Bryan grinned wide, for some reason he was feeling really, really happy.

((Oh this is going to be an interesting group of people, oh yes.)) ------------------ "Excuse me." Geoff turned and Bryan gave him a heavy shove backwards, watching as he stumbled over the shelves and toys, caught off guard by the push. Bryan had a size advantage on all levels over this guy, but he didn't really feel like fighting in Grinner's shop. Plus, his shove simply caught the guy off guard, he had no idea if he would be able to win in a fight. Bryan's heart was racing, but he wouldn't show it. No one talked that way to Grinner when he was around. "Listen up kitten, just because you can't stand to look at yourself in the mirror because you failed at life doesn't mean you should take it out on good people. Toy's not for sale, and if you feel like threatening people, how about threatening me?" Geoff gave a laugh as he regained his balance. "Well, look whose got some balls! Showing off for Red? Or maybe you just want to feel like a man for once in your life?" Bryan gave an annoyed quirk of his brow, Emma giving a low growl as her hair stood up along her back. "Think you can take me and my pooch before the 'crazy old man' calls the cops on you?" "Hell yeah." Grinner stepped between the two, holding up his hands. "Hey! Both of you stop now! Bryan, let me handle this, ok?" Bryan didn't move, staring at Geoff solidly over Grinner's shoulder. The owner of the toy shop faced Geoff. "Fine, I'll let you have the soldier for five if you get out of my shop!" "Grinner..." "Bryan, I'm handling this. Not everything needs to be solved by violence. If he wants the toy that badly, I'll part with it to make sure neither of you get hurt." Grinner laid a hand on Bryan's shoulder and gently guided him away. He then turned to Geoff and gestured towards the register. "Five bucks, it's all yours. Just pay and get out." Bryan snorted and walked back over to the toys, tugging Emma next to him. He hated guys like that. Usually he wouldn't have bothered, but his complete disrespect for Grinner was enough to make him interfere. He placed a hand on the shelf, tapping his fingers rapidly over the wood as he stared angrily into the eyes of a doll. It took him a moment before he realized the doll he was staring into was a clown. He picked it up slowly, turning it over in his hands, the incident completely wiped from his mind as he stared intently into the black crescents of the clown doll.

Bryan wandered the stuffed animals, not really paying attention as he let his hand slide slowly over the fabrics and furs. Emma sniffed here and there, trotting at his side. He glanced up at Faye and smiled before turning his attention back to the animals. Emma tugged on her leash, leaning towards the young girl and licking her hands. Bryan turned and pulled the leash back. "Hey hey, leave her alone Emma!" The Golden Retriever ignored her owner and kept pulling towards Faye. Bryan sighed and knelt down, pulling the dog backwards as he pet her chest. He gave the child a grin from over his sunglasses. "Sorry there kid, she's just really friendly." ---------- ((When you ask Mr. Grinner about your toys, he'll refuse to sell them to you at first. It'll take some convincing to get him to let you have it))

The female captive looked up at Rasic quickly, and with a violent snarl, leaped onto him, plunging a knife towards his throat. Rasic barely managed to grab it before the other two captives whipped out concealed knives and rushed him. The captives were also acolytes! Ty moved to help the half daemon, but suddenly the floor in front of him exploded outwards and a Hellhound, with fire dripping from his fangs, pounced. All around the theater, the floor exploded as hidden hounds rushed towards the Hunters. From behind the curtain poured more Acolytes. ---------- Mortus smiled as flames erupted from the Emissary Circle. His ambushes would definitely keep the Hunters from stopping the ritual. He had gone all out, summoning copious amounts of daemons for weeks. His fangs glistened in the sickly light of the Hellfire pouring out of the circle as the first claw reached out of the depths into the world. ---------- Night rounded a corner, Skylar not far behind, when he froze and crouched, holding up a hand signaling his partner to stop. All was silent. "What is it?" "Shhh...something's...following us..." The building above suddenly crumbled outwards as a horned skeletal horse the size of a car came screeching down towards the pair. Night threw himself onto Skylar, both rolling out of the way as the daemon smashed into the ground. It rose slowly, hissing at the pair as the Hunters got to their feet, weapons drawn. From behind, footsteps. A door was kicked open and Acolytes poured out of the building towards them. "Shit! Skylar, take care of them! I'll handle the Gilgamesh!" With that, the red cloaked hunter threw himself towards the daemon, whirling Vendetta around in a glittering arc as the pair clashed. The Acolytes spread around Skylar, surrounding her as blades were pulled from robes and jackets. "Gut her quick, so we can get to Night!" They all rushed in towards her.

[CENTER][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="4"]Doll Shop: Nursery Rhymes[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER] [COLOR="DarkRed"]--20 Years Ago--[/COLOR] The fire roared upwards into the night sky. The entire town of Benista was ablaze as people ran screaming towards the river. Using the bridge, flocking into boats and rafts, or simply swimming for dear life, the citizens crossed the river to avoid the deadly blaze. Back on the town shore, a woman was dragged towards the boat. "MY DAUGHTER! SHE'S STILL IN THE TOWN! I CAN'T LEAVE HER!" "GET HER IN THE BOATS!" "I CAN'T! NO! NO!" "MOMMY!" ----------------------- [COLOR="DarkRed"]--Present Day--[/COLOR] ----------------------- Bryan slowly opened his eyes as sunlight filtered through the window onto his bed. He blinked against the blinding light as he slowly came to. With a slight groan, he pushed himself upwards, elbows popping as he stared sleepily at his pillow. A strange sighing noise at the foot of his bed told him that his dog, Emma, was not happy at his awakening, using his legs as a pillow. He rolled out of bed. "Come on girl..." The golden retriever gave a grunt as she rose and hopped off the bed. A few minutes later, a showered and dressed Bryan left the house with Emma in tow on a leash. "Taking Emma for a walk, back in a bit mom!" "Be careful!" "Always am..." The pair headed down the main road of Benista, towards the shopping center of town. The two were moving at a leisurely pace, enjoying the fair weather that was a constant in the small town. Bryan looked around from behind his sunglasses at the newly restored part of town. So clean and...boring. The new construction had gone with a more modern look to their buildings, making the place seem less cozy to Bryan. He prefered the older part of town, the part that survived the fire. Old brick buildings, cracked sidewalks, and at the very center, a huge stone fountain. There was a lot of character in this town. Bryan rounded the corner and head up the street towards "Grinner's Toys", one of his favorite places to roam. Mr. Grinner was loved by all the residents of the town as a kind hearted old man who could make anyone smile. The brass bell over the door chimed as Bryan entered the old store. It had the smell of fresh wood all around, and from practically every inch of the store, there were crammed toys of all sorts. Old wooden nutcrackers and marionettes to modern day action figures and video games. Bryan smiled and wrapped Emma's leash around his hand to keep her close. Mr. Grinner walked out from the backroom with a big box in his arms. He gave a wide grin when he saw Bryan. "Hello my boy! Hello Emma. You guys going on your walk?" "Yup. Stopping in to look around. Anything new?" Grinner's appearance was that of a flabbergasted professor. His bright white hair stuck out at in every direction, with stray whisps sticking straight up as if he was being shocked. His nose was bulbous, and he wore circular rimmed glasses very low on it. His baby blue cardigan was torn at the elbows and had frayed threads hanging out of the seams. His black suspenders were patched and stained, and his black shoes were scuffed and dirty. He gave a wink as he set the boxes down. "My boy, when someone doesn't find something new in my store, it'll be the day when I am no longer running it! Discover what's new! No fun in me telling you!" Bryan smiled and cocked an eyebrow. He began to slowly walk up and down the aisles of toys, running his hands gently over shelves. ---------------- ((Alright children, you're not cursed yet. Enter Mr. Grinner's shop. There, you will find the toy that will curse you and pick it up. And from there, we'll set into motion our story.))

Cast -reserved- Nessaja *you got one more day to get it in* Mykul -- Nick Niffin chibi-master -- Faye Fawn Korey -- Geoff Knightly Stephanie -- Phedre LaFontaine cheesemaster -- Eden Primevera ScreamSin -- Bryan Bornes You're all accepted *some of you have some VERY unique Curses, which I love!* I'm sure you all understand this, but I'm just going to make sure, your Curse is [B][U][SIZE="3"]killing[/SIZE][/U][/B] you. Even if you don't use your ability, it's killing you slowly. No escape unless you cure it through one of the methods mentioned at the top. Just reiterating in case anyone didn't understand that. I will start the RP tomorrow, sign ups will remain open until then.

The pair eventually came to a side door into the theater. A heavy padlock prevented entry, but was easily bypassed by a quick smash from Rasic's knife. Ty held a finger to his lips, signaling now was the time for stealth. The door slowly opened into shadow, and the pair waited till their eyes adjusted. They were in the back halls, which were shockingly deserted. The entire theater was silent. Ty pointed to a flight of rickety stairs, and the Hunters climbed to the balcony level. The door they had opened slowly and quietly slid shut, filling the halls in darkness again. On the balconies, the hunters had a clear and unhindered view of the entire theater floor. The seats were old and rotting, but what drew their eyes were the three people tied up to a post nailed to the stage. One woman and two men. Surrounding them were hundreds of lit candles, and they were positioned in the center of a giant rune splashed across the wood in blood. They were apparently unconscious. No Acolytes could be seen. Rasic leaned over the edge as Ty scanned the ground floor. "I don't see any Acolytes...either they're getting ready in the lobby or backrooms, or they're-" Ty's words were cut off as Rasic leaped off the balcony and landed with a thump onto the floor, crouched low as he moved quickly towards the stage. "What the hell are you doing?!" Ty hissed. "We need to help them! I'm not missing this chance!" "You idiot! You fucking idi-!" Rasic was already out of earshot, moving quietly through the chairs. He kept his head low, scanning the room at all times. Ty wouldn't be able to make himself heard without shouting, and he wasn't about to do that. He needed to get down to Rasic before something happened. Every fiber of his gut screamed this was a trap. He had to get down there and stop Rasic, but the fall would break his legs. ((You know, I bet if someone posts, something will happen! *gasp*))