Sign Up Virulence

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson]We walk through you, we are in you, we seep through the hemispheres of your brain and have been given free reign to dominate, destroy and pillage your inner sanctum.

Black, twisted gray skies will blanket your every waking hour and the rain that falls, the curtains of rain, will soak down to the very core of your being touching you with an icy horror that refuses to lift itself. There will be no empathy or pity, we will drown every ounce of you within a collection of terrors that will unhinge and rend you into pieces.

From these pieces we will construct you anew and give you a new life. A life as one of us, a life as one of our minions.

Welcome to the Collective.

-~-

A bullet smashed through my face. My black blood gushed out in spurts matching the rhythm of my heart. I glance around wildly with half my vision and spot a lone gunman lurking in ruins two hundred feet away.

I let out a roar and charge forward, hunkering down. The terrain around me blurs as I leap instantaneously at him.

I raise my arm..

-

'Fuck.' I look up to the mobbies disfigured, mutated arm as it comes down. With an inch to spare I roll backwards and slam into a wall behind me. Pain ebbs down my back but I force my eyes open as the ten foot tall beast tears through the shot-out window I had been at moments earlier.

I scramble to my feet, rip the cartridge out of my gun and replace it. The mobbie bears down on me but I stumble through a doorway next to me. A stairway ascends in front of me. The bottom four are broken out so I leap over them and hurry upwards. At the top there is a hallway leading right and left from me. I look left, and then right, and listen to the roar beneath me.

I run to the right.

-

My wound has clotted. I curse my slowness and spit on the ground. Even bent over I can barely fit inside this damn human residence. I leer up at the ceiling but hear a low creak come from it. Realization washes over me. My fist easily breaks through the ceiling above and I grope around blindly.

Bullets rip into my hand. A smirk crosses my face, I was right. With my other hand I easily bring the entire floor down around me.

-

"Shi-" I fall briefly for a moment before landing in a heap of rubble. I raise my rifle up and fire at the monster. The bullets make a 'schlop, schlop, schlop' noise as they go into it's abdomen. It seems unaffected and approaches me with a sinister expression on it's twisted face. It's hard to recognize it as anything, let alone something that was human, but it's eyes.. it's hard to mistake those eyes.

My clip is empty. I pull out my pistol and fire fruitlessly at it's head. The hit I got early on it's eye.. it's already back together again. Shit.

-

'.. turn... him... turn... him...'

I consider the human for a moment.

'.. TURN... him... into... one.. of us...'

I obey. I approach and grip his mouth, forcing it open. He struggles like a mouse caught in a trap. I take a few drops of blood from my wounds and raise my hand over his mouth.

-

I taste the most foul thing I have ever tasted and feel a warmth spreading throughout my mouth. I cough and sputter but it's already entering my system. Beads of sweat form on my forehead and I fall backwards. I stare up to the ceiling.

My vision goes white.

'... awaken... to the Collective... awaken...'

An eye forms within the white void, blood shot and wicked. It stares through me and leaves me feeling meek, feeling that there is no escape. My mind screams as a thousand images of torture and violence run through me.

'AWAKEN.'

Images of humans being raped, being abused, being ripped to pieces a tiny bit at a time. A baby, dropped, down, the flames lick at her face I.. why..

'... awaken.'

"Stop." The images cease.

'...'

"I apologize." A voice says. "You're infected so I cannot spare your life but.. I can make it so that you do not die watching this."

The white light fades into a deep purple spiral that appeared like a maelstrom.

"C'est la vie."

Darkness.

-

A cloaked figure walks past the gaping hole in the wall and stands outside the building. The Hunter turns and looks at it, bearing it's teeth. A stillness settles over them. The figure stands with the sprawling, ruined skyline of the city behind him. A single, dark purple symbol decorates his otherwise white cloak: a circle divided into quarters. Earth. It is the Earth.

"That will do you no good." The figure said. "I do not frighten like these Partisans do. Would you like to step outside?"

"For.... what?" The Hunter's lurching voice was guttural and difficult to discern.

"Would you rather die in those ruins with the young gentleman you attempted to turn or would you like to die in a more open area?" The figure gestures to the dusty wasteland around him. "I do not mind either way."

"... Hah.. hah." The Hunter's grotesque face twisted into a wide smile and dribble drips down from it.

His movement would have been too fast for any human. A sound similar to thunder booms and the figure is frozen mere inches from injuring the figure. His hood had been blown back, revealing a handsome, yet unkempt, young man. His deep purple eyes stared cooly at the monster.

"I see." He said and raised his hand. He tapped the Hunter's forehead and it's eyes shut. Flames erupted from it's body and the ashes fell onto the ground. The ash lifted itself and twirled around the figure. Soon it was joined by a huge, seemingly unending cloud of ash.The ash shot up into the sky and blotted out the sun.

All over the city roars, screams and cries, all inhuman, ripped out. The man glanced down to his white robes which were somehow untouched by the ash. "Ahh, good."

The young man smiled.

They knew how many he had killed already that day and they were afraid.

-

'... we must survive... survive... we must.. survive.. observe, adapt, learn, survive... those are the unbreakable rules.....'

-

The mutation and spread of the Collective took little over a year. It could not be found exactly what it was but it's effects upon infected humans was obvious. The mutations were horrific, rendering some almost entirely beast in worst cases. These turned humans called themselves members of the Collective, a hive mind that seemed bent on bringing all of humanity under it's grasp.

It seemed unavoidable. The fall of major world powers happened almost monthly and the warlord partisan groups that remained in their wake fruitlessly continued to try to stem the tide of the turned. Sanctuaries dot the globe, fortresses protected by firepower 'borrowed' from the old governments. They fight a losing defensive battle against the no man's land that is much of the Earth where the Collective burrows, similar to military bases, exist. Lone nomadic groups of armed humans exist in the shadows of the no man's land, refusing to join the sanctuaries in their ever-louder swan song.

Increasingly there have been reports of mysterious individuals easily defeating the Collective. Calling themselves the Blue Bloods, this group is gifted with extremely potent psychic powers. Tales of their valorous protection of Sanctuaries has spread quickly across North America.

Looming in the future is a war between these evolutionary. The Collective continues to hone it's mutations into more powerful monstrosities with each turn. As the older crop of Collective are slaughtered by the Blue Blood's, a newer, more dangerous brood is born made to combat them. The Blue Blood's find themselves awakening every day with more power at their disposal and yet it never seems to fully stem the tide of the Collective.

In the middle, between both groups, lays the bloodied, dying vestiges of an increasingly obsolete species that can do little but struggle to avoid becoming abandoned along the evolutionary vine. Their ingenuity and spirit intact, they soldier on stubbornly in the face of the writing on the wall that foretells their own demise.

-

[b]Name[/b]: Collective names are usually mere numbers or letters combined together. Blue Blood's usually refer to themselves with call names brought from history, mythology or wherever they please.

[b]Species[/b]: Collective, Blue Blood, Human.

[b]Appearance[/b]: A rule for the Collective is that, for example, if you are going to be actively seeking humans to turn you will be a rather physically impressive individual to make you excel at that. The appearance matches the duties demanded of you. I do not have any guidelines for how you should appear or what it is you do, you can do whatever you would like to within the Collective although I presume most people will want to match the Blue Blood's with their skills.

Blue Bloods are very attractive physically and have oddly tinted eyes in comparison to what is normal for humanity now. Gray, silver, purple and pink are the most common colors. They appear very fit physically and have all the skin colors and racial appearances men have now.

Humans are just humans. Ragged, worn, scarred but human nonetheless. Armed, armored and morbid.

[b]Capabilities[/b]: Collective's and Blue Blood's are both very powerful. The Collective have creatures that can move faster than sight can follow. Some can topple skyscrapers. Others spit fire across acres of land, creating massive firestorms that none can escape. Increasingly, new Collectives display the kind of psychic capabilities the Blue Blood's exhibit. A combination of typical Collective physical destructiveness and psychic abilities of the mind make them juggernauts on the battlefield.

Blue Blood's are all talented psychics who can use their mind to do a never ending list of things both defensive, offensive and utilitarian. Every day Blue Blood's seem to learn new tricks they can do with their mind. Shields, telekinesis, pyromancy, precognition and numerous other abilities are the Blue Blood's domain. Physically they fight with melee weapons tempered and crafted with the mind rather than the body which can wound and kill the Blue Blood's as normal human weapons cannot.

Humans have at their disposal the weapons created when they had dominion over the Earth. Though bullets usually have little affect on the Collective, they are very susceptible to sonic weapons. Research within the more wealthy and healthy Sancturies have produced sonic weapons that have proven lethally effective upon the Collective. Pressed to adapt to the Blue Blood's arsenal of psionics, it seems the Collective cannot currently take the time to adapt it's newer broods this threat. Humans lacking these armaments are generally easy prey.. if caught. Humanity continues to show that it can scurry around ruins like rats, appearing and fading through sewers, ruins and tunnels in feints and surprise attacks.

[b]Snippet/Biography[/b] (optional):[/color]

[Wondershot]

Name: Alistair Harvey

Species: Human

Appearance: A man in his thirties, Alistair has the constitution and immune response of an infant, and his face is usually pock-marked with a variety of discolored blotches, most of which are covered by a scraggly mane of black hair and a few days' growth of beard that he attempts to shave whenever he gets the chance. He stands at about 6', is quite emaciated, but few can tell thanks to the multiple layers of shredded clothing (including a tattered trenchcoat several sizes too large for him on top) he wears for makeshift protection against the weather and "other undesirables", as he calls the Collective. His right hand is missing, as a wound he once received on his right palm became gangrenous and he was forced to remove it himself, but thanks to his baggy clothing both his arms are covered to the fingertips so few can tell at a glance. Underneath his layers of clothing he carries a large supply of medications for his own use, most commonly digitalis for a heart condition he has. He is further burdened by the presence an ancient laptop computer hanging from a rope around his neck, and a variety of speakers and discarded radio equipment attached to his back and shoulders which he keeps on his person at all times. Evidently, this equipment is also powered by a gas generator that he carries on his back, but since he cannot always find gasoline readily available, the generator is off most of the time.

Capabilities: Whenever someone incredulously wonders aloud how someone so physically weak as Alistair has managed to survive for so long, Alistair insists that it is because of his ingenuity and knowledge of the habits and biology of the "undesirables". This, however, translates to the fact that Alistair does an excellent job of portraying a corpse when he is alone, which does not interest the Collective creatures. However, Alistair is highly trained in working with machines and advanced communications equipment, and even if he has never seen an object before, can usually surmise its function and operate it within a few moments. He also does a surprisingly good job of estimating locations of enemy attacks or potential safe hideouts from the Collective creatures, and people with whom he has traveled often begrudgingly admit that they owe their continued survival to his intellect. On the other hand, the general consensus is that Alistair is mad, and converses with himself more often than with others, usually when trying to solve a problem. Also, he claims that the equipment about his body is part of an effort to develop a weapon of mass destruction against the Collective, as he believes that, given the efficiency of sonic weapons at destroying the creatures, there must be some sort of sound-related phenomenon at work that could be applied against the Collective. Unfortunately, his research efforts are usually for naught, and he finds himself spending more time trying to stay alive, getting more digitalis or fuel for his generator, than actually applying his ideas. Also, his physical weakness prevents him from activating his power generator's pull-cord starter motor very easily, either, so it is usually only by luck that the machines he has on him can function properly when he needs them.



"Well, I'm sure that resonant frequency must have some sort of an effect on the creatures."

"Don't be ridiculous, resonant frequency only has an effect when the perfect frequency is achieved in the first place. Why would the sonic weapons work right away in that case?"

"Perhaps because they struck the right resonant frequency."

"Since their inception? There is no coincidence great enough to explain away hitting the right resonant frequency by luck alone."

"All right, but even if it's not the right frequency, that's why I'm working on this, to try and find the solution that would allow even basic pulses of sound to have an effect."

"Maybe you should look at the disturbances in the air current? Perhaps that is the effect you are looking for instead."

"So you would surmise that air current motion has a greater effect than the sound being created by said motion?"

"I'm saying that the normal rules don't apply to these things. Perhaps you have to think outside the box a little more on this one."

"I do that, I will get sidetracked and never be able to finish the project in my lifetime. Oh? It is that time already?"

"Hm, sun at the angle of...distance..."

"Yes, yes it is time for my medication."

"Of course, you hardly have any. You should really just drop that other speaker and just use the one so that you have more room for digitalis and fuel."

"What if I have to include power or volume in the equation? What if the speaker I keep fails? I have to keep whatever I have available."

"Oh? Look over there."

"Ah! There's one now."

"Well, quickly! Play dead! It looks rather thick, it will pass you right by!"

"No, no, I think I'm going to try my latest attempt on it. It's too good an opportunity to pass up."

"You idiot! Who is going to help you if it fails! You'll be dead!"

"No, no, no, I have the utmost confidence in this latest attempt. You saw what happened the last time!"

"Yes, they retreated, but only because that Blue Blood chap happened to be among our ranks! We have no such advantage this time!"

"Don't worry, it will work fine."

"Very well, go die, then."


The creature turns to the sound of a starter motor being pulled. It turns a malformed eye around in its socket a few degrees, and sees a bit of smoke curling out from around a ruined pillar. The sound repeats itself, and the motor roars to life. The creature lurches over, one misshapen leg crossing over the other. It eventually confronts the source of the noise and smoke...it's latest meal. It seems unusually amused with itself for something about to die. It proceeds to press a few buttons on its stomach with its left hand and a noise begins to pour out of the its back and shoulders. It's quite repulsive, the sound being quite painful to the ears, but a moment later it is cut short by a fountain of sparks shooting out of the being's back. The noise ceases, the creature finds itself able to think once again.

"Oh dear."

"Oh fuck."

The creature lunges, and is promptly halted as it is cut into infinitesimal pieces...by a red-haired man standing tall behind it. Alistair wipes off a little of the creature's saliva from his clothes and gazes balefully at the red-haired Blue Blood.

"Are you all right?" Alistair's savior asks.

"Well? Are you?"

"Oh, be quiet, I was just about to document the findings when that fuse blew. I'm trying to remember what the frequency of that blast was."

"Will you stop it? This man just saved your life, you could be a little more grateful."

"Oh, you're acting like my mother, I just need to remember that one detail."

"Uh..."

"He's waiting, you should really say something."

"Look, you want me to say something so urgently, you help me think of the number."

"I don't know, somewhere around 15,000 hertz?"

"That was from last time, now it had an oscillation of about 12,000..."

"Hey!"

Alistair's attention returns to the Blue Blood before him.

"Yes?"

The Blue Blood approaches, looking Alistair right in the bloodshot eyes.

"Why are you...talking to yourself like that?"

"He asked you a question."

"And I intend to answer, as soon as I find that frequency..."

The Blue Blood grabs Alistair by both shoulders.

"Hey! Are you okay? Are you talking to me?"

"Yes, yes, I am quite fine, but I wish I could remember that..."

"13,000-14,000 hertz, with oscillations every third of a second."

Alistair looks at the Blue Blood, unperturbed.

"Ah, yes, thank you for that. You are quite observant, I must say."

"Yeah, so, are you all right?"

"Oh yes, absolutely."

"For someone who nearly got himself killed."

"Well, at least we got some more usable information."

The Blue Blood, somewhat disturbed by this display of Alistair's one-man conversation, continues his walk in search of more Collective creatures to finish off. However, just as he was pondering whether or not he should follow Alistair, Alistair calls back to him.

"Oh, and if you're looking for more of those undesirable elements to hunt down, might I suggest looking more towards the southeast, as it is an area where a camp of survivors had been sheltered earlier and the creatures are most likely searching for them now."

The Blue Blood stares back in response, then nods briefly. Alistair, however, is already ignoring him once again, this time choosing to ramble on about his theory of resonant frequency once more...to no one in particular but himself.

[DeathAngel]

Name: Raiden

Species: Blue Blood

Appearance: Raiden a young attractive man even for a blue bloods he has very tan skin and blood red eyes which he loves because his preferred color is red although Raiden is fight most of his strength is in his legs which are extremely ripped, standing about 5' 9'" Raiden is short for his age of 26 years he always wears a cape on his back which is red, a symbol rests on the back of his cape two swords and the earth, the swords cut the earth into four areas. His clothing is a pair of Jean and a Red T-Shirt both have dried Collective blood. The red T has ripped sleeves because it was a long sleeve shirt until Raiden's massive muscles ripped holes into them and he then ripped them off. The jeans are baggy and have a hole in the left knee from sliding down a cliff while chasing a human and a Collective hunter. Raiden's left arm has a tattoo of a dragon and lightning on it the lightning circles the dragon in an interesting way.



Capabilities: Raiden [U]loves[/U] lightning and fire both he can summon and work with his mind on. Raiden's weapon is a Two Sided Fire and Lightning broad Sword which has seen many years of use Raiden tend to call his Blade [I]KUCHIKI[/I]. Because Raiden is so strong he can cut through a Collective like a "Knife through hot butter." Raiden can also pick things up with his mind and hurl them long distances. Raiden also has the ability to summon a shield of psychic energy to protect himself and others.


Raiden stood back from the battlefield and admired his handy work 200 Collective with out breaking a sweat. as Raiden finished killing the Collective in front of him Raiden began to wounder if it was all worth it. While Raiden was staring off into space a Collective made its way behind him with out warning it jumped at Raiden and was cut down in mid air by Raiden's Blade [I]KUCHIKI[/I] the Collective fell to the ground in two peaces and into a pool of blood.

"What a loser tried to sneak up on me. You should know thats useless."
He said with a sneer

as he walked more of the collective started to form where he was a minute before.

[Ugamon]

Name:K5G4 AKA Kredion

Species: Collective

Appearance: 5,6, Dirty Blonde Hair, Green Eyes that change color on mood, Pale Skin, Wears a Black Shirt and Black Jean, However he doesn't wear any shoes and due to his age he tends to look like a fourteen year old human.

Capabilities:Kredion has the ability to move at amazing speeds and blend into shadows. He can change liquids into poisons and acids. His senses are enhanced and he uses these and his relexes to preform assassinations and spying.

Snippet/Biography (optional): Kredion due to his strange role as spy at times has a mind of his own and although he must keep in touch with the greater whole he can only do this away from his duties.

[DeathAngel]

(:D so we in? or are we waiting for more people)

[DeathKnight]

[quote name='DeathAngel'](:D so we in? or are we waiting for more people)[/QUOTE]

[color=crimson]Mas people if they show up.[/color]

[Darth Vectis]

[SIZE="1"][B]Name[/B]: Achilles

[B]Species[/B]: Blue Blood

[B]Appearance:[/B] [url=http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b18/Sagethefiend/Art%20images/?action=view¤t=sparda_drawings.jpg] [I][U]Achilles[/U][/I] [/url] He stands at about 6?0? and has the usual build of a Blue Blood, maybe a bit more muscle then average though. His regular attire consist of a black shirt with a special emblem called the Red King, it is a triangle with three arrows coming out of the bottom. One points straight down, the other two turn diagonally to the left and right. Then there is a fire in the middle of the triangle, and then a circle is drawn around the triangle. It represents fire and power, fire because of the fire that burns in Achilles to gain the power.

He wears semi-loose pants that stay close to him enough that it won?t get caught on something, but allows him full motion to move and fight. He also has sturdy black boots that has a spike on the heel that is about and inch and a half long and half and inch wide. And finally he has his cloak with is broad hood so that he can cover his face and use it to cover his body when it gets a tad bit cold and the symbol of Earth on the front that is complete when the cloak is closed.
[B]
Capabilities:[/B] As a Blue Blood his powers are not limited, they can do anything with whatever there minds can think of, some Blue Bloods stay specific and consistent with there methods of eliminating Collective members. But Achilles likes to change up his method of attack whenever he can; using whatever is around, whatever psionic power appears before his mind and whatever he can do to see as many of them destroyed. Though, he has been known to use the wind to his advantage more often then not. He likes to use it to provide a blade of invisible destruction and is a powerful weapon to use against an enemy that seems to use its physical attributes to battle.

But, occasionally, he likes to craft a blade from the metal around and use the earth to create a hand held shield so he can battle face to face with the Collective creatures. But like I said, Achilles will change his methods often and quickly and will fight relentlessly so to throw his enemies off balance and get his killing stroke in with the only consistent move he does. He always uses some of his blood as his finishing weapon, always taking different forms and shapes, but always made of purely his blood.
[B]
Snippet/Biography (optional):[/B] The sky was a dark grayish hugh, the wasteland was a depressing sight and its vastness was enough to make the weak minded crack and turn them in to clinically insane mess. But, these conditions did little to effect a Blue Blood, especially the feverish hunter Blue Bloods. The ones that were adept at tracking and killing there prey, Achilles was one of these Blue Bloods. He could hear the crunch of debris and the long dead plants as he walked through the wasteland. He was on the search for a Collective minion, there duty was to eliminate this oppressive race and make sure that humans had a place to thrive again.

He was growing tired of watching as humans were forced to scurry around like rodents and flee for there lives when they lacked the right technology to kill these creatures. He had seen humans mutate and was forced to kill them before they fully changed. He took no pleasure in killing people who weren?t suppose to die, but it was better to die then be a Collective minion. Blue Bloods already had a way to keep them from falling into Collective hands; it was usually kill them before they had the chance to. But Achilles had a more specific means incase he was unable to kill the creature, and only as a last resort and hoped he would never have to use it.

He continued his trek through the desert lands as the wind picked up and blew his cloak violently to one side as he kept walking, his grey eyes searched carefully though the sand and dust. Trying to make sure this wouldn?t be the day to implore his last resort defense, he stopped dead for a moment then kneeled down and touched his hand against the sand, feeling the change of vibration in it as he searched without seeing. He felt the sudden shift in vibration and rolled to the side as clawed hand shot up from the sand, erupting it into the sky. The creature then pulled itself from the sand, revealing a grotesque sight of a mixture of animal and human.

Achilles kept his eyes on the Collective minion as he used his other sense to determine if there were more, sometimes they traveled in packs and other times they were solo. Very rarely had he seen them in battalion that was only when they were taking sanctuaries and fortresses of humans. The creature slowly started to circle Achilles as the Blue Blood stood erect and looked cool and calm under that cloak. The face of the creature had mandibles were its mouth was and began to speak in its guttural voice.

[B]?You?re a ?.. long way out?.. human. Are you looking for a chance to become part of the Collective??[/B] The creature continued to circle Achilles as he waited for his response, Achilles just kept his hood up and remained silent, his grey eyes followed the disgusting monster before him as he thought of what method of death he was going to use this time. The creature tightened its circle and got closer to Achilles, trying to see his face and provide a more threatening and intimidating look as he drew closer to his prey. Achilles was growing tired of this Collective drawing to close to him; he held out his arm away from the cloak and flicked his hand when the creature was in front of him.

When he did his motion, the sand suddenly kicked up and moved towards the creature, as if there was a giant snake under the sand moving at quick speeds to find its target. The Collective being stared at the sand movement; even to the last moment when a spike made of solid stone erupted from the dirt and impaled its left shoulder. He screeched and clawed at the stone spike, trying to break it off and tear apart the man in the cloak. Achilles flicked out his right arm this time and sent another spike made of stone into the abominations right shoulder. It screamed louder as it tried to struggle and squirm free, Achilles moved from his standing spot and approached the creature.

He pushed back his hood and looked into the multiple eyes that once were human, and belonged to a person who was born into a world of death, destruction, wasteland, and Collective monsters. Every time he did this, every time he looked into the snapping face of another collective disgrace to this world, he remembered clearly why his kind existed. Why Blue Bloods were given there abilities, so that they could eliminate this race of disfigured and monstrous things. And bring peace to this shattered earth once again. Achilles glare shifted to his hand as he cut his hand just a bit, using his air technique, and turned the small amount into a spear that was made of him.

He gripped the spear tightly with his right hand and braced his legs as he thrusts the spear with enough force to send ten men flying into the air. The spear penetrating the Collective monstrosity?s torso with ease. Achilles straightened himself out and backed away from it, he then waved his hand again and his spear made of blood fused into the hole and was diffused into its body. It squirmed more as it tried to release itself from his grasp. Achilles stared at it before putting his hood on his head again and speaking softly.
[B]
?Its time you are released from you tortured state, be free.?[/B] He held out a clenched fist, and then opened his hand quickly. The creature roared and screamed just before its chest exploded in all directions, taking it apart from its core and leaving nothing behind. He withdrew his hand and started his walk again, heading for the nearest fortress or sanctuary. He needed to keep his rounds of checking up on them, making sure the Collective hadn?t taken a new stronghold, or wasn?t planning in the process of already taking one.[/SIZE]