Ortus Woods - Outskirts
The rain poured down on the pavement of the old, dark forest road, the occasional lightning illuminating the path and the trees along its sides. Suddenly, the light from the sky was replaced by a car's headlights as a silver sub-compact car zipped on by, deeper into the darkness of the outskirts. Inside the car was a young man by the name of Nicholas, and he was just getting back home after working out at the gym and falling asleep in his car. It had been a rather long day at school and he needed to blow off some steam at the gym, but he didn't expect to fall asleep and be this late for dinner.
Nick kept his gaze on the road, carefully eyeing the tree lines to either side of him in case any wildlife emerged and ran out into the road. His windshield wipers whipped back and forth as they tried to give Nick a clear view of the road, but with this rainstorm, it only served to give him a second or two of clear sight. He squinted through the rain as he tried to make out whatever he could in this downpour, and that's when he saw it.
Illuminated by a lightning strike overhead was what looked like some kind of large black quadruped running alongside the left of his car beyond the treeline. This.. beast was no deer. No, in the split second of light, he could make out four large powerful limbs that connected to a muscular six-foot-tall animal. Perhaps it was a trick of light, or maybe Nick was going crazy, but he could see the jutting teeth in its vicious maw. Such a sight made Nicholas lurch back in his seat and swerve slightly away from the creature. Reacting quickly, Nick snapped his attention back to the road and started to drive faster. Wild animal or hallucination, he wanted to get away from it as soon as possible.
He heard a howl to his right and snapped his attention to that direction as well, and again, he saw things that should not be. Multiple pairs of red glowing eyes greeted him from the treeline. Dread quickly began to well up in his stomach as he quickly snapped his eyes back to the roa-BANG!
Foolish Nicholas, not keeping his eyes on the road, and now he hit something!! The panic surged for a quick moment as he sharply lurched forward from the collision. He squeezed the brakes and came to a sudden stop on the side of the road. Nick was shaking a little from the strike, but steeled himself as he set the car in park and turned on his emergency lights. What the hell did he just hit!? Was it dead? At the speed he was going, it had to be. Not only that, was his car okay? The pit in his stomach only got deeper as that thought came to bear. Despite this, he knew that there was nothing left to do but survey the damage, but would he dare after what he saw outside? What about the rain? God, this all felt like it was out of some horror movie! Nick swallowed hard and let out a deep breath as he turned on his brights and peered beyond his windshield. He could barely make out a silhouette in the downpour, nothing but a faint shadow. It was nothing but a crapshoot, so he reached for the door handle... Wait, no. It was not safe out there. Wild animal or not, if it was still alive, it was likely pissed and wanted to kill him. With this in mind, Nick reached beneath his chair and pulled out a 9-inch hunting knife, just in case. He then reached back to the door handle and emerged into the pouring rain.
Nick cupped his free hand over his brow like the bill of a cap in an attempt to keep the rain from obscuring his vision. With his car door now closed, Nicholas cautiously inched his way to the shadow he had seen before. With each step, the pit in his stomach deepened, his anxiety was on the precipice of fear as he got closer and closer. If this.. thing was the creature he had seen before, what would he do? After seeing that, what the fuck was he even doing out here? Before the thought could take root and heighten his current anxiety, he squeezed the handle of his knife and let out a deep sigh as he corrected his behavior. Assuming it wasn't a trick of his own imagination and IF that creature was really still alive, then he WOULD kill it. He was NOT defenseless. If it was to try and kill him, then he would take it down with him. He swallowed his fear and continued on down the road.
The creature's silhouette gradually grew as Nicholas approached. What looked like some sort of cow grew to resemble.. something not of this world! Nicholas felt a shiver down his spine as he gazed at the still creature. Even in the rain, he could see its broken, yet still powerful physique. It's muscly limbs were as thick as his own torso and ended in ferocious, beast-like claws that curled inward, as if by rigor mortis. Aside from the shattered side of its head, the creature's broken face looked vaguely like a wolf crossed with a bear. The muzzle even still had a few of the jagged, knife-like teeth still in its maw. What really took him by surprise was that from its very wounds, a hot glowing substance had begun to ooze out, producing steam as the rain came into contact with it. Just what the hell was this thing!? Nick gulped as he stared down at this monster. If it was alive, this monster would easily have been able to eviscerate him. Gauging the current situation, Nick looked back to his vehicle and judged the distance. The thing he had hit must have flown a good fifty, maybe seventy feet before it had hit the ground. That being said, he wasn't going to take any chances. With his knife in hand, Nick plunged the blade deep into the beast's jugular, ensuring that it was indeed dead. An almost unbearable heat escaped the wound, forcing him to yank the knife out and jump away as a spurt of its molten blood splattered onto the wet pavement and hissed. The black paint on his blade bubbled before the rain could cool it off, prompting Nick to let out a small huff of disappointment. His blade was ruined, but he brushed it aside as that was the least of his concerns.
In this moment, a thought occurred to him. If his first supposed hallucination was proven real, then what about the eyes he had seen glowing in the forest? Suddenly his sense of relief was gone. His fear from before came back in force as it welled up in his chest and caught in his throat, forcing the color to leave his face. His trembling vision darted to the treeline at his left, then to his right. Was the swaying of the bushes caused by the wind, or was something hiding there? That bush moved too abruptly! No, that one moved more! Oh god, they could be anywhere! His eyes swelled with panic as he ignored the beating rain and made a mad dash for his vehicle. No way in hell he was staying out here!
The more he ran, the longer each second felt. Fight-or-flight was in full swing, and that was perhaps what allowed him to notice the sudden blur of color in his peripheral. Nick's heart jumped as he grinded to a halt on reflex, narrowly avoiding the sudden entity. Nick let out a gasp as the creature that had ambushed him was now in full view. As if on que, the lightning above flashed as the creature gnashed its canine teeth at him and growled. Its dog-sized emaciated form was loosely draped in severely mottled, leathery, burnt skin. Adorning its head were three pairs of fiery red eyes that glowed with predatory intent. Its lips peeled back excessively, revealing not only its teeth but parts of the creature's skull. That was all Nick could see, as his car's high-beams were pointed directly at him. Despite the lack of sight and the rain beating down around them, the clacking of its hooved feet were unmistakable. Nick was face-to-face with a hell hound!
The Demon Slayers Club (IC)
02/11/2020, 05:29 PM #72
("Power To Strive" 00:00)
Ortus Woods - Outskirts
As if sensing the fear emanating from Nick, the creature let out a demonic deep howl before snarling and making a lunge for its prey. Fear was one thing he felt, but another was the fight-or-flight slamming into fight mode. With that, Nick lunged diagonally forward to the side of the demonic hound, and swiped hard with his blade as he passed by. Clasping his free hand over his blade hand, he was able to stabilize the knife and not only deflected the dog's snout, but also dug deep into the surrounding tissues, cutting through the jaw muscles, down its neck, through the shoulder, and gashed each rib. The beast tried to snap back on its landing, but crumpled from the injury. Hot molten blood spewed from the deep gash along the hellhound's body.
Nick was now at the advantageous position of having his back to the hi-beams, blinding the dog and giving him the opportunity to jam the knife down onto the nape of the dog's neck. The blade hissed as it buried itself through the beast's spine and into its boiling blood. Taking care not to damage the only tool he had for his survival, Nicholas yanked the blade out and jumped back in a split second. If he was not careful, then he too would be burned from the beast's blood. The devil dog slumped to the ground as the blood steamed from the rain, and it was dead.
The fight was not was not over though, as another dog had roared before charging up to Nick. Nick spun around and kicked the hellhound hard with his steel-toed boot, shattering its jaw. The dogs of hell were now emerging from the trees; first one creature to fight, now three. They began to try and encircle Nick, but he slowly maneuvered towards his car to keep the hi-beams focused on their eyes and not his. In truth, he was scared, but he knew that like the dogs he used to deal with in his old neighborhood, or even his own dogs, there were only certain ways these animals could move. They go high or low; low being for his legs, and high meant that they would lunge or hop up. Once in the air, they could not maneuver as well as when they were grounded, and as long as he grazed them and avoided the snouts, he could counterattack. If they go low, then they meant to go for his legs. Luckily, he wore his steel-toes today, so he could crack a few teeth, and if they caught his foot in their mouth, he had the leg strength to kick them away. That being said, he had to try his best to avoid those teeth. If they grab hold, then they would likely whip about to rend flesh. If he was caught, then he would have to quickly counter to minimize the damage. If on the off-chance he caught one mid-lunge with his hands, he could possibly clamp their mouth shut, preventing its jaws from opening. All these strategies were great, but if he could get to his car trunk, then he could really lay the hurt down with his tire iron and really even the odds.
All these thoughts flashed through his mind, and once he had made up his mind, he put his plan into action. Reacting as swiftly as he could, Nick sprinted up onto the hood of his car and tried to scramble up the windshield. The hellhounds tried to follow him, but only one managed to clamber up the hood of the car. This was now to Nick's advantage, as the pads and claws were not capable of gripping the smooth finish of his vehicle.
"Get the fuck off!", Nick shouted as he slammed the butt of his knife against the top of its snout and kicked the beast off, preventing it from scratching his car up even more. The others attempted to clamber up, but Nick took his moment of respite to climb onto the roof and slide down the back to reach the hood. He would only get a second to grab the tire iron, so he had to time this perfectly. Immediately after sliding his weight off the trunk, he had his hand on the button and yanked the compartment open as his feet hit the ground. There it was, in all its cross-shaped, heavy chrome glory! He could hear snarling racing along the left flank of his car, so he grabbed the tire iron in his right hand and swung as it rounded the corner.
A loud plong and a sickening crack echoed in the rain as the hex-shaped hole penetrated the dog's skull. A spurt of molten blood gurgled out from the wound, forcing Nick to let go before he could be splashed. He took a step back to distance himself from the destruction, but the other rounded the corner and lunged at him. No, his footing was all wrong, he was not going to be able to get out of the way in time. The beast's gaping jaws went straight for his jugular, but were snapped shut by a pair of thick hands. Nicholas dropped his knife to save himself in the last second, but was now on his back in the rain with a pissed off hellhound struggling for the kill. The hellish creature tried to shake it's snout free, but Nick squeezed tight and wrapped an arm around the dog's neck to keep it from escaping. After that, he forcibly rolled onto his side to get the dog off balance, and twisted the snout as far and as hard as he could. He could hear the creature whimper before the sickening crack of its neck silenced it. He twisted and twisted until the creature's neck stretched, and once the creature began to twitch violently, he kicked it away and scrambled to a stand.
Just then, a plume of fire engulfed Nick for a brief moment, eliciting a startled scream from him. He quickly somersaulted away onto the wet road and glanced to his attacker. It was the dog that tried to chase him onto his car. His knife was a few feet away, but he didn't know if he could get to it in time. Only one way to find out. He made a mad dash to his blade and lunged for it. The hellhound blew fire from its loosely hanging jaw and tried to ignite the boy, but Nick broke away from the beast's fire breath before it could really toast his flesh, knife in hand. Now he was the predator. Nick sprinted after the injured hellhound and barely managed to let his knife fly free of his grip before the beast let loose another blast of fire. He then broke off from the sprint and backpedaled. The blade flew through the cone of fire and struck the hellhound in the lower jaw, skewering its tongue and perforating the mangled flesh of the creature's lower jaw. It wasn't a perfect throw, but it was clean. The demon dog was now thrashing about and trying to get the hunting knife out from its mouth, to which Nick obliged after he closed the distance. Taking his red, glowing knife in hand, Nicholas ripped it from the beast's jaws and slammed it into the creature's neck, just like the first. The blade burned his hand, but he had to yank it back out before it melted. Nick gritted his teeth and yanked the knife out from the creature, jumping away and dropping the knife while the last dog sank to the floor in a puddle of its own fiery blood.
The rain was the only noise left after the battle settled. Nick was winded after the ordeal, heavily breathing as he looked about for more attackers. There were no more glowing eyes, only the glow from the lightning above. He looked to his now burnt hand and winced as he saw the redness taking form. It hurt quite a bit, but it would certainly heal in a couple days. That being said, his knife was ruined. The rubber handle was melted, and the blade was discolored. His Jacket was also likely cinged from the fire of the dog's breath. He took another few breaths before deciding to move, both for energy's sake, and in case there was another hellhound.
Not sensing any other demonic creatures in the area, Nick cautiously moved back to his car. Once inside, he sat there in shock for a good five minutes. Did all this really just happen? Did he really just fight a bunch of dogs with molten rock in their veins? Nick laid his head on the steering wheel as he tried to make sense of all this. Nobody would believe him if he told them. Even his car was roughed up by the ordeal. After a moment, Nick raised his head up and decided that the best course of action would be to collect evidence. For starters, he would have to take pictures of the bodies and his weapons. Second, he was going to have to take one of the bodies and stuff it in his trunk. He didn't really know what he was going to do with a dead hellhound, but at least he would have physical evidence. Maybe he would take it to the science lab at school, or maybe the local college and they could tell him what just attacked him. His mind was concluded, and with that, he would collect evidence. Taking his smartphone in hand, Nicholas took a deep sigh and went back out into the rain.
The first one was the body with the tire iron sticking out from its skull. The blood was still glowing in the dark, and by this point, the tire iron was pretty hot to the touch, not so hot that it couldn't be removed though. With a firm yank, Nick dislodged the protrusion and looked at it. The previously embedded portion of the tire iron was blackened and misshaped now, prompting a small frown from its wielder. Next image was the one with the busted jaw. This one showed that they could actually breathe fire, but it couldn't be salvaged for later study. The last one behind the car was a different story. All he had done was broken its neck, so it would be a good specimen to take with him. After opening his trunk back up, Nick grabbed the dead animal and stuffed it on top of a tarp inside. Now that he really got a good look at them, these creatures were really ugly. He closed his trunk and began to walk ahead of his vehicle, documenting the last dog. As he took pictures, he could swear he heard a shuffling up ahead.
Ortus Woods - Outskirts
As if sensing the fear emanating from Nick, the creature let out a demonic deep howl before snarling and making a lunge for its prey. Fear was one thing he felt, but another was the fight-or-flight slamming into fight mode. With that, Nick lunged diagonally forward to the side of the demonic hound, and swiped hard with his blade as he passed by. Clasping his free hand over his blade hand, he was able to stabilize the knife and not only deflected the dog's snout, but also dug deep into the surrounding tissues, cutting through the jaw muscles, down its neck, through the shoulder, and gashed each rib. The beast tried to snap back on its landing, but crumpled from the injury. Hot molten blood spewed from the deep gash along the hellhound's body.
Nick was now at the advantageous position of having his back to the hi-beams, blinding the dog and giving him the opportunity to jam the knife down onto the nape of the dog's neck. The blade hissed as it buried itself through the beast's spine and into its boiling blood. Taking care not to damage the only tool he had for his survival, Nicholas yanked the blade out and jumped back in a split second. If he was not careful, then he too would be burned from the beast's blood. The devil dog slumped to the ground as the blood steamed from the rain, and it was dead.
The fight was not was not over though, as another dog had roared before charging up to Nick. Nick spun around and kicked the hellhound hard with his steel-toed boot, shattering its jaw. The dogs of hell were now emerging from the trees; first one creature to fight, now three. They began to try and encircle Nick, but he slowly maneuvered towards his car to keep the hi-beams focused on their eyes and not his. In truth, he was scared, but he knew that like the dogs he used to deal with in his old neighborhood, or even his own dogs, there were only certain ways these animals could move. They go high or low; low being for his legs, and high meant that they would lunge or hop up. Once in the air, they could not maneuver as well as when they were grounded, and as long as he grazed them and avoided the snouts, he could counterattack. If they go low, then they meant to go for his legs. Luckily, he wore his steel-toes today, so he could crack a few teeth, and if they caught his foot in their mouth, he had the leg strength to kick them away. That being said, he had to try his best to avoid those teeth. If they grab hold, then they would likely whip about to rend flesh. If he was caught, then he would have to quickly counter to minimize the damage. If on the off-chance he caught one mid-lunge with his hands, he could possibly clamp their mouth shut, preventing its jaws from opening. All these strategies were great, but if he could get to his car trunk, then he could really lay the hurt down with his tire iron and really even the odds.
All these thoughts flashed through his mind, and once he had made up his mind, he put his plan into action. Reacting as swiftly as he could, Nick sprinted up onto the hood of his car and tried to scramble up the windshield. The hellhounds tried to follow him, but only one managed to clamber up the hood of the car. This was now to Nick's advantage, as the pads and claws were not capable of gripping the smooth finish of his vehicle.
"Get the fuck off!", Nick shouted as he slammed the butt of his knife against the top of its snout and kicked the beast off, preventing it from scratching his car up even more. The others attempted to clamber up, but Nick took his moment of respite to climb onto the roof and slide down the back to reach the hood. He would only get a second to grab the tire iron, so he had to time this perfectly. Immediately after sliding his weight off the trunk, he had his hand on the button and yanked the compartment open as his feet hit the ground. There it was, in all its cross-shaped, heavy chrome glory! He could hear snarling racing along the left flank of his car, so he grabbed the tire iron in his right hand and swung as it rounded the corner.
A loud plong and a sickening crack echoed in the rain as the hex-shaped hole penetrated the dog's skull. A spurt of molten blood gurgled out from the wound, forcing Nick to let go before he could be splashed. He took a step back to distance himself from the destruction, but the other rounded the corner and lunged at him. No, his footing was all wrong, he was not going to be able to get out of the way in time. The beast's gaping jaws went straight for his jugular, but were snapped shut by a pair of thick hands. Nicholas dropped his knife to save himself in the last second, but was now on his back in the rain with a pissed off hellhound struggling for the kill. The hellish creature tried to shake it's snout free, but Nick squeezed tight and wrapped an arm around the dog's neck to keep it from escaping. After that, he forcibly rolled onto his side to get the dog off balance, and twisted the snout as far and as hard as he could. He could hear the creature whimper before the sickening crack of its neck silenced it. He twisted and twisted until the creature's neck stretched, and once the creature began to twitch violently, he kicked it away and scrambled to a stand.
Just then, a plume of fire engulfed Nick for a brief moment, eliciting a startled scream from him. He quickly somersaulted away onto the wet road and glanced to his attacker. It was the dog that tried to chase him onto his car. His knife was a few feet away, but he didn't know if he could get to it in time. Only one way to find out. He made a mad dash to his blade and lunged for it. The hellhound blew fire from its loosely hanging jaw and tried to ignite the boy, but Nick broke away from the beast's fire breath before it could really toast his flesh, knife in hand. Now he was the predator. Nick sprinted after the injured hellhound and barely managed to let his knife fly free of his grip before the beast let loose another blast of fire. He then broke off from the sprint and backpedaled. The blade flew through the cone of fire and struck the hellhound in the lower jaw, skewering its tongue and perforating the mangled flesh of the creature's lower jaw. It wasn't a perfect throw, but it was clean. The demon dog was now thrashing about and trying to get the hunting knife out from its mouth, to which Nick obliged after he closed the distance. Taking his red, glowing knife in hand, Nicholas ripped it from the beast's jaws and slammed it into the creature's neck, just like the first. The blade burned his hand, but he had to yank it back out before it melted. Nick gritted his teeth and yanked the knife out from the creature, jumping away and dropping the knife while the last dog sank to the floor in a puddle of its own fiery blood.
The rain was the only noise left after the battle settled. Nick was winded after the ordeal, heavily breathing as he looked about for more attackers. There were no more glowing eyes, only the glow from the lightning above. He looked to his now burnt hand and winced as he saw the redness taking form. It hurt quite a bit, but it would certainly heal in a couple days. That being said, his knife was ruined. The rubber handle was melted, and the blade was discolored. His Jacket was also likely cinged from the fire of the dog's breath. He took another few breaths before deciding to move, both for energy's sake, and in case there was another hellhound.
Not sensing any other demonic creatures in the area, Nick cautiously moved back to his car. Once inside, he sat there in shock for a good five minutes. Did all this really just happen? Did he really just fight a bunch of dogs with molten rock in their veins? Nick laid his head on the steering wheel as he tried to make sense of all this. Nobody would believe him if he told them. Even his car was roughed up by the ordeal. After a moment, Nick raised his head up and decided that the best course of action would be to collect evidence. For starters, he would have to take pictures of the bodies and his weapons. Second, he was going to have to take one of the bodies and stuff it in his trunk. He didn't really know what he was going to do with a dead hellhound, but at least he would have physical evidence. Maybe he would take it to the science lab at school, or maybe the local college and they could tell him what just attacked him. His mind was concluded, and with that, he would collect evidence. Taking his smartphone in hand, Nicholas took a deep sigh and went back out into the rain.
The first one was the body with the tire iron sticking out from its skull. The blood was still glowing in the dark, and by this point, the tire iron was pretty hot to the touch, not so hot that it couldn't be removed though. With a firm yank, Nick dislodged the protrusion and looked at it. The previously embedded portion of the tire iron was blackened and misshaped now, prompting a small frown from its wielder. Next image was the one with the busted jaw. This one showed that they could actually breathe fire, but it couldn't be salvaged for later study. The last one behind the car was a different story. All he had done was broken its neck, so it would be a good specimen to take with him. After opening his trunk back up, Nick grabbed the dead animal and stuffed it on top of a tarp inside. Now that he really got a good look at them, these creatures were really ugly. He closed his trunk and began to walk ahead of his vehicle, documenting the last dog. As he took pictures, he could swear he heard a shuffling up ahead.
Originally posted by S121
Every time I see a new post on the Forum, I feel like a little kid during Christmas, all giddy.
sigpic
02/12/2020, 03:38 AM #73
The Boundless
Lance looked at Waelin, his expression appearing to become downcast for a moment. "First, I don't care about the threat level of other demons out there. Granglers will always be annoying to fight. Always. Slippery bastards. Secondly... I don't blame you for thinking that. However..." He said as he then stood up from the booth. "Currently major governments have dedicated branches that specialize in trying to deal with and neutralize demons. Most of which have hired demon slayers. A lot of whom are far better than myself, some of whom would have had no trouble taking care of those Granglers. Unfortunately Slayers of that power level are not common. I'm more experienced than the average Slayer, but I do have my limits. Not only that, but Demon Slayers in general aren't as common as they are nowadays..." Lance had explained, taking a couple steps closer to Waelin before leaning forward and placing a hand on the table in front of her.
"However this is where the main part of my job comes in. You see, I was stationed here in Ortus City to not just track and hunt down demons. That's just part of the job. The REAL part of my job is to look for others who have what it takes to become a Demon Slayer. To find people who either have unlocked their Figments, or those who have the strength and resolve to help fight Demons." As Lance finished explaining, he looked Waelin, locking eyes with hers. "And I honestly think you might have what it takes."
Residence | Ortus City Suburbs
As the two reached the second floor, the young man continued to sneak down the hall towards his room, being sure to turn around to the girl and putting a finger to his mouth before giving a quiet hushing her, pretty much telling her to keep her mouth shut as they crossed the hall. Though when they stepped by one of the closed bedroom's the sound of an older woman groaning and speaking in her sleep could be faintly heard, with the woman saying something about "one more glass please..." before ending in loud snoring. Hearing that made the young man stop in his tracks before giving a sigh of relief that the person inside the bedroom was still asleep.
Once that was finished, the young man continued to quietly lead the girl down to the end of the hall and to a door. On the door hung a small sign saying "Daisuke's Room. DO NOT ENTER" on it. Just as the reached the door, the young man now presumed to be this 'Daisuke' grabbed the door handle and gave it a small turn. However just as he began to push the door open, it let out a fairly loud creak. This made Daisuke grimace slightly, but within less than a second that grimace turned to that of complete fear as the sound of shuffling from the room beside his could be heard followed by the clicking of a light turning on. Immediately Daisuke knew what this meant as just then a young girl who seemed to be only a couple years younger than Daisuke came out. She had green hair similar to him, but she was wearing what looked to be simple green pajamas with little brown teddy bear faces all over them. Her green hair was messy as she yawned, eyes still closed as she spoke in a very tired voice.
"Daaaaisuke... is that you...?" She asked, only partially awake. Instinctively Daisuke stepped between this younger girl and the mysterious woman he's trying to sneak into his room. As if trying to hide what he's doing.
"Uuuh. Yeah! Just me sis! S-Sorry if I'm late! You know how Leon can be s-sometimes! Always calling and n-needing me to go and help him out with something and the worst of times!" Daisuke explained as he walked over to who seems to be his sister. Without thinking he then placed his hands on his sisters shoulders and turned her around. Good thing too as she was just beginning to open her eyes.
"Anyways you should get back to bed! You know how you get when you don't get a full night's worth of sleep!!" He pleaded, slowly pushing his only half-awake sister back to her room.
"But... I thought I just saw someone else-"
"Nope! As I said it's just me! Listen it's a very late night and you're just seeing things. Now just go back to bed, and I'll make breakfast for you tomorrow when you wake up!!" Daisuke said as he then pushed his sister into her room. As he did he looked over to the woman and tilted his head a bit to the side, as if gesturing the woman to quickly get into his room.
Lance looked at Waelin, his expression appearing to become downcast for a moment. "First, I don't care about the threat level of other demons out there. Granglers will always be annoying to fight. Always. Slippery bastards. Secondly... I don't blame you for thinking that. However..." He said as he then stood up from the booth. "Currently major governments have dedicated branches that specialize in trying to deal with and neutralize demons. Most of which have hired demon slayers. A lot of whom are far better than myself, some of whom would have had no trouble taking care of those Granglers. Unfortunately Slayers of that power level are not common. I'm more experienced than the average Slayer, but I do have my limits. Not only that, but Demon Slayers in general aren't as common as they are nowadays..." Lance had explained, taking a couple steps closer to Waelin before leaning forward and placing a hand on the table in front of her.
"However this is where the main part of my job comes in. You see, I was stationed here in Ortus City to not just track and hunt down demons. That's just part of the job. The REAL part of my job is to look for others who have what it takes to become a Demon Slayer. To find people who either have unlocked their Figments, or those who have the strength and resolve to help fight Demons." As Lance finished explaining, he looked Waelin, locking eyes with hers. "And I honestly think you might have what it takes."
Residence | Ortus City Suburbs
As the two reached the second floor, the young man continued to sneak down the hall towards his room, being sure to turn around to the girl and putting a finger to his mouth before giving a quiet hushing her, pretty much telling her to keep her mouth shut as they crossed the hall. Though when they stepped by one of the closed bedroom's the sound of an older woman groaning and speaking in her sleep could be faintly heard, with the woman saying something about "one more glass please..." before ending in loud snoring. Hearing that made the young man stop in his tracks before giving a sigh of relief that the person inside the bedroom was still asleep.
Once that was finished, the young man continued to quietly lead the girl down to the end of the hall and to a door. On the door hung a small sign saying "Daisuke's Room. DO NOT ENTER" on it. Just as the reached the door, the young man now presumed to be this 'Daisuke' grabbed the door handle and gave it a small turn. However just as he began to push the door open, it let out a fairly loud creak. This made Daisuke grimace slightly, but within less than a second that grimace turned to that of complete fear as the sound of shuffling from the room beside his could be heard followed by the clicking of a light turning on. Immediately Daisuke knew what this meant as just then a young girl who seemed to be only a couple years younger than Daisuke came out. She had green hair similar to him, but she was wearing what looked to be simple green pajamas with little brown teddy bear faces all over them. Her green hair was messy as she yawned, eyes still closed as she spoke in a very tired voice.
"Daaaaisuke... is that you...?" She asked, only partially awake. Instinctively Daisuke stepped between this younger girl and the mysterious woman he's trying to sneak into his room. As if trying to hide what he's doing.
"Uuuh. Yeah! Just me sis! S-Sorry if I'm late! You know how Leon can be s-sometimes! Always calling and n-needing me to go and help him out with something and the worst of times!" Daisuke explained as he walked over to who seems to be his sister. Without thinking he then placed his hands on his sisters shoulders and turned her around. Good thing too as she was just beginning to open her eyes.
"Anyways you should get back to bed! You know how you get when you don't get a full night's worth of sleep!!" He pleaded, slowly pushing his only half-awake sister back to her room.
"But... I thought I just saw someone else-"
"Nope! As I said it's just me! Listen it's a very late night and you're just seeing things. Now just go back to bed, and I'll make breakfast for you tomorrow when you wake up!!" Daisuke said as he then pushed his sister into her room. As he did he looked over to the woman and tilted his head a bit to the side, as if gesturing the woman to quickly get into his room.
02/12/2020, 04:03 AM #74
Daisuke's Home | Ortus City Suburbs
With almost an animal-like instinct, the girl hid behind this boy, whose name she has deduced as Daisuke, as he tried to cover the situation against a younger, green-haired girl: presumably Daisuke's younger sister. However, although Daisuke is a rather well-built, tall man, the girl was almost as tall and, more importantly, too curvaceous to fit behind him without showing a couple of her fleshy bits. With the door behind her open, and Daisuke's go-ahead, she stealthily entered through the door to completely shroud herself away from the sister's curious eyes.
With almost an animal-like instinct, the girl hid behind this boy, whose name she has deduced as Daisuke, as he tried to cover the situation against a younger, green-haired girl: presumably Daisuke's younger sister. However, although Daisuke is a rather well-built, tall man, the girl was almost as tall and, more importantly, too curvaceous to fit behind him without showing a couple of her fleshy bits. With the door behind her open, and Daisuke's go-ahead, she stealthily entered through the door to completely shroud herself away from the sister's curious eyes.
02/13/2020, 02:38 AM #75
(Bloodborne OST - Blood-Starved Beast - (00:00))
Ortus Woods - Outskirts
A very deep pit formed in Nicholas's stomach as his gaze swept towards the source of the noise, and as soon as he had, the muscular form of the Alpha Hellhound had already gotten within ten feet of him. Nick clenched his teeth as he leaped out of the way into a defensive roll, just barely clearing the monster now upon him. The large beast landed on its feet with a heavy thud and roared as Nick rose to a stand. Nick's gaze met the the traces of dried molten blood around its face and neck, confirming that this was the creature he had hit with his car earlier. Even worse, this massive canine monster was pissed.
Nick quickly put away his phone and reached for the partially melted tire iron and knife, but as he did so, the beast lurched forward again. Nick was not familiar with fighting something like this, but opted to apply a similar battle strategy to this one as well. The powerful beast lurched forward, and Nick lunged diagonally against it and just barely dodged the teeth, but he was not unscathed. He managed to outmaneuver the powerful jaws of the creature,but it had swiped its clawed hand outward in a wide arc as it landed, partially catching Nick's arm and cutting through. Even worse, he was swatted front and center onto his back, right beneath the monster's gaping jaws. Nick felt his heart jump as he stared up at those knife-like teeth. He tried to unpin himself, but the beast had him firmly between its paws. He tried to wiggle free, but only his arms could move. Then the beast struck.
The gaping maw surged down towards him, ready to tear his head from his torso. If he didn't act, then he would die! It was in this moment when Nick punched forward with the melted tire iron and wedged it deeply into the Alpha's powerful jaws. The beast bit down on Nick's arm and howled in pain as the melted tip of the cross-shaped tire iron buried itself deep into the roof of the creature's mouth. The bottom section was clamped against the inside of its bottom jaw, allowing the side portions to keep the beast's mouth partially open. Unfortunately, the beast's teeth still buried themselves deep into Nick's right arm, causing him to scream out. The hot searing pain of his injury caused him to cry out as he beat the Alpha's snout with the butt of his knife. Reacting to the pain of its abuse, the hellhound reared up its head and began to flail Nick around by his arm. Nicholas screamed as he held on to the tire iron for dear life, afraid that if he let go he would lose his arm. Nick desperately stabbed at the right side of the beast's face and neck over and over again in an attempt to get it to let go. The barrage of stabs penetrated the beast's jaw muscle and eye, but it didn't let go until he stabbed it three times in the neck. Finally, the beast let go, but threw Nick fifteen feet away, bouncing him off the pavement and injuring him further.
Nick laid there, paralyzed from the pain. His right arm was bleeding severely and was burned from being in close proximity of the Alpha's blood. Even his left hand had suffered from the heat coming off the knife and the spurting blood. The adrenaline was perhaps the only thing allowing Nick to get up, and when he rose to face the beast once more, he could see that it was trying to get the tire iron out from its mouth. Nicholas took this opportunity to charge for the creature and kill it once and for all. Knife in hand, Nick closed the distance quickly, but the creature was faster and was met with a powerful claw to his chest. The claw tore at his shirt and the soft flesh beneath before launching him into the ditch by the side of the road. It was a rather painful and possibly deadly miscalculation, because now the creature was running right towards him again. Despite his injuries, Nick scrambled to his feet and lunged beneath the creature's left arm, slicing at the underarm of the creature and severing the tendons. Molten blood spewed from the wound and splashed the grass, burning it. Nick couldn't tell if it got onto him, but frankly that was the least of his worries. Wasting no time, Nick spun around and slashed down against the left shoulder of the creature, severing muscle tissue from bone and tendon from bone. Molten blood spewed out, but he kept hacking. The Alpha Hellhound spun around and swiped at Nick with its right claw and grabbed his waist tightly with it, but was swiftly met with multiple stabs into its wrist. This quick thinking allowed Nick to escape, but even with the creature now on its back, it was not defenseless. Fire erupted from its mouth and doused Nicholas in flames.
Nick leaped back and into the grass as he tried to put out the fire. He was fortunate that the rain had drenched him already and that the mud was watery, or else he would have been severely burned. His whole upper torso had first degree burns, but the adrenaline negated the pain. He hopped back to his feet, only to be met with the creature's right claw again, swiping towards his torso. Nick barely ducked out of the way, but was swiftly back-handed hard. Nicholas slammed into the mud again, but used the slippery mud to slide into a crouched position and ran up into the road. The Alpha Hellhound followed suit and lunged at him. Nick slid below and slashed at the beast's chest and emerged on the left side of the creature. Mustering as much strength as he could, Nicholas hopped onto the beast's back and held on for dear life. His injured right arm tightly held onto the beast's neck, which was still coated in softly glowing blood. He screamed as his arm burned, but he had to hold on for just a bit longer. Nick laid atop the Alpha's back and stabbed the left side of its neck again and again, forcing more of the molten blood to erupt from the wound. His knife hand burned, but he kept stabbing. The Alpha bucked wildly and tried to knock Nick off, but he held firm until it began to weaken from the desperate stabs. Finally, Nick took his glowing white-hot knife back out from its neck and slammed it down into the base of the hellhound's skull, severing its brain stem. The Alpha Hellhound reared up and howled before collapsing onto the wet pavement, forcing Nicholas to let go.
(Sound of Rain - 00:00)
Nick plopped onto the pavement beside it and rolled over onto his back. Confident that the beast was no more, and too exhausted to move, he just laid there and tried to catch his breath. The rain beat down on his broken body, forcing him to look to the side and protect his eyes. His hands, arms, and upper body was badly burned, he was hemorrhaging blood from his arm and chest, and he could swear that a few of his ribs were broken. His ragged breathing slowed to a weak rhythm and his eyes began to slowly close. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, his injuries were getting the better of him. He was too tired and too injured to move, and his car was thirty feet away.
Would it be safe for him to lay here until morning? Was he to die here? Eventually his slow stream of thoughts stopped altogether as he lost consciousness, surrounded by his fallen enemies, and soon to join them.
Ortus Woods - Outskirts
A very deep pit formed in Nicholas's stomach as his gaze swept towards the source of the noise, and as soon as he had, the muscular form of the Alpha Hellhound had already gotten within ten feet of him. Nick clenched his teeth as he leaped out of the way into a defensive roll, just barely clearing the monster now upon him. The large beast landed on its feet with a heavy thud and roared as Nick rose to a stand. Nick's gaze met the the traces of dried molten blood around its face and neck, confirming that this was the creature he had hit with his car earlier. Even worse, this massive canine monster was pissed.
Nick quickly put away his phone and reached for the partially melted tire iron and knife, but as he did so, the beast lurched forward again. Nick was not familiar with fighting something like this, but opted to apply a similar battle strategy to this one as well. The powerful beast lurched forward, and Nick lunged diagonally against it and just barely dodged the teeth, but he was not unscathed. He managed to outmaneuver the powerful jaws of the creature,but it had swiped its clawed hand outward in a wide arc as it landed, partially catching Nick's arm and cutting through. Even worse, he was swatted front and center onto his back, right beneath the monster's gaping jaws. Nick felt his heart jump as he stared up at those knife-like teeth. He tried to unpin himself, but the beast had him firmly between its paws. He tried to wiggle free, but only his arms could move. Then the beast struck.
The gaping maw surged down towards him, ready to tear his head from his torso. If he didn't act, then he would die! It was in this moment when Nick punched forward with the melted tire iron and wedged it deeply into the Alpha's powerful jaws. The beast bit down on Nick's arm and howled in pain as the melted tip of the cross-shaped tire iron buried itself deep into the roof of the creature's mouth. The bottom section was clamped against the inside of its bottom jaw, allowing the side portions to keep the beast's mouth partially open. Unfortunately, the beast's teeth still buried themselves deep into Nick's right arm, causing him to scream out. The hot searing pain of his injury caused him to cry out as he beat the Alpha's snout with the butt of his knife. Reacting to the pain of its abuse, the hellhound reared up its head and began to flail Nick around by his arm. Nicholas screamed as he held on to the tire iron for dear life, afraid that if he let go he would lose his arm. Nick desperately stabbed at the right side of the beast's face and neck over and over again in an attempt to get it to let go. The barrage of stabs penetrated the beast's jaw muscle and eye, but it didn't let go until he stabbed it three times in the neck. Finally, the beast let go, but threw Nick fifteen feet away, bouncing him off the pavement and injuring him further.
Nick laid there, paralyzed from the pain. His right arm was bleeding severely and was burned from being in close proximity of the Alpha's blood. Even his left hand had suffered from the heat coming off the knife and the spurting blood. The adrenaline was perhaps the only thing allowing Nick to get up, and when he rose to face the beast once more, he could see that it was trying to get the tire iron out from its mouth. Nicholas took this opportunity to charge for the creature and kill it once and for all. Knife in hand, Nick closed the distance quickly, but the creature was faster and was met with a powerful claw to his chest. The claw tore at his shirt and the soft flesh beneath before launching him into the ditch by the side of the road. It was a rather painful and possibly deadly miscalculation, because now the creature was running right towards him again. Despite his injuries, Nick scrambled to his feet and lunged beneath the creature's left arm, slicing at the underarm of the creature and severing the tendons. Molten blood spewed from the wound and splashed the grass, burning it. Nick couldn't tell if it got onto him, but frankly that was the least of his worries. Wasting no time, Nick spun around and slashed down against the left shoulder of the creature, severing muscle tissue from bone and tendon from bone. Molten blood spewed out, but he kept hacking. The Alpha Hellhound spun around and swiped at Nick with its right claw and grabbed his waist tightly with it, but was swiftly met with multiple stabs into its wrist. This quick thinking allowed Nick to escape, but even with the creature now on its back, it was not defenseless. Fire erupted from its mouth and doused Nicholas in flames.
Nick leaped back and into the grass as he tried to put out the fire. He was fortunate that the rain had drenched him already and that the mud was watery, or else he would have been severely burned. His whole upper torso had first degree burns, but the adrenaline negated the pain. He hopped back to his feet, only to be met with the creature's right claw again, swiping towards his torso. Nick barely ducked out of the way, but was swiftly back-handed hard. Nicholas slammed into the mud again, but used the slippery mud to slide into a crouched position and ran up into the road. The Alpha Hellhound followed suit and lunged at him. Nick slid below and slashed at the beast's chest and emerged on the left side of the creature. Mustering as much strength as he could, Nicholas hopped onto the beast's back and held on for dear life. His injured right arm tightly held onto the beast's neck, which was still coated in softly glowing blood. He screamed as his arm burned, but he had to hold on for just a bit longer. Nick laid atop the Alpha's back and stabbed the left side of its neck again and again, forcing more of the molten blood to erupt from the wound. His knife hand burned, but he kept stabbing. The Alpha bucked wildly and tried to knock Nick off, but he held firm until it began to weaken from the desperate stabs. Finally, Nick took his glowing white-hot knife back out from its neck and slammed it down into the base of the hellhound's skull, severing its brain stem. The Alpha Hellhound reared up and howled before collapsing onto the wet pavement, forcing Nicholas to let go.
(Sound of Rain - 00:00)
Nick plopped onto the pavement beside it and rolled over onto his back. Confident that the beast was no more, and too exhausted to move, he just laid there and tried to catch his breath. The rain beat down on his broken body, forcing him to look to the side and protect his eyes. His hands, arms, and upper body was badly burned, he was hemorrhaging blood from his arm and chest, and he could swear that a few of his ribs were broken. His ragged breathing slowed to a weak rhythm and his eyes began to slowly close. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, his injuries were getting the better of him. He was too tired and too injured to move, and his car was thirty feet away.
Would it be safe for him to lay here until morning? Was he to die here? Eventually his slow stream of thoughts stopped altogether as he lost consciousness, surrounded by his fallen enemies, and soon to join them.
Originally posted by S121
Every time I see a new post on the Forum, I feel like a little kid during Christmas, all giddy.
sigpic
02/13/2020, 03:27 AM #76
Ortus Woods - Outskirts
As Nicholas lost consciousness, the brief sound of what sounded like a vehicle screeching to a halt could be heard, followed by the sound of a door being flung open and heavy booted footsteps, albeit muffled by the rain.
The source of the commotion was from the person Lance spoke to on the phone, the one that was no more than half a mile away just a bit ago. The woman Miranda had just managed to screech to a halt after seeing a parked vehicle, and what looked to be some sort of brutal fight in the headlights. If she had been any slower at slamming the brakes, she would have crashed into Nicholas's own vehicle. However that wasn't what was on her mind though, for as Miranda stepped out from her truck, Duffel Bag full of weapons and various supplies slung over her shoulder, she saw the sight for herself.
Hell Hounds. Each of them dead from various wounds, and on the road she could even see the melted remains of what looked to be a knife and... a tire iron? Seeing all this made Miranda quite concerned as she cursed under breath. "Damn..." Was all she could say in a tone that sounded more... disappointed than anything. Though what she saw next was something that really got her blood running a bit cold. Laying among the dead Hell Hounds, and resting close to the Alpha Hell Hound, was a young man. He looked to be in his late teens to early 20's, but more concerning was the fact that he was covered in all sorts of burns and wounds. Most of which looked... fatal.
The moment Miranda spotted Nicholas's unconscious body bleeding out, she cursed again before rushing over to him. "Shit!"
As soon as Miranda got to Nicholas's side she got down to one knee and placed her index and middle finger on the side of his throat as if to check his pulse. The result made Miranda worry even more, as while the poor sap still had a pulse, it was fading. Immediately she got down and began going through her duffel bag for something.
"Come on, where is it!?" She mumbled before she found it. A syringe for what looked to be an adrenaline shot, of which she quickly took and prepared it. Flicking the needle once, she then pulled up one of his sleeve and injected it right into Nicholas's arm. "Jesus Christ I hope this shit works!" She pleaded as the serum in the shot coursed through his veins.
The shot was indeed an adrenaline shot, and while it won't stop Nicholas from bleeding out, it should get him back to consciousness long enough to seek medical assistance.
"Come on kid, just hang in there! I'll get ya some help as soon as possible!" She said as she was about to help pick him up off the ground, however the sound of rustling from nearby could be heard, followed by the distinctive howl of several Hell Hounds in the distance. While she couldn't see them, she knew they were close by, as the howling didn't sound too far off. That and with the heavy rustling of the bushes and trees from nearby. She knew one thing, that she was surrounded. However she remained calm as she took out the shotgun from her duffel bag and held it at the ready, constantly looking at the tree line as a hell hound quickly lunged from the bushes and right at her. Knocking her off the road and into the tree line where the sound of her yelling profanity and insults, as well as gunshots could be heard...
Deep down though... in Nicholas's heart, something felt... for a brief moment, warmer. Whether it was from the shot of adrenaline, or something else, it was as though a spark was trying to ignite deep down. As if telling him to get up.
Last edited by SUSTIC; 02/14/2020, 03:14 PM. As Nicholas lost consciousness, the brief sound of what sounded like a vehicle screeching to a halt could be heard, followed by the sound of a door being flung open and heavy booted footsteps, albeit muffled by the rain.
The source of the commotion was from the person Lance spoke to on the phone, the one that was no more than half a mile away just a bit ago. The woman Miranda had just managed to screech to a halt after seeing a parked vehicle, and what looked to be some sort of brutal fight in the headlights. If she had been any slower at slamming the brakes, she would have crashed into Nicholas's own vehicle. However that wasn't what was on her mind though, for as Miranda stepped out from her truck, Duffel Bag full of weapons and various supplies slung over her shoulder, she saw the sight for herself.
Hell Hounds. Each of them dead from various wounds, and on the road she could even see the melted remains of what looked to be a knife and... a tire iron? Seeing all this made Miranda quite concerned as she cursed under breath. "Damn..." Was all she could say in a tone that sounded more... disappointed than anything. Though what she saw next was something that really got her blood running a bit cold. Laying among the dead Hell Hounds, and resting close to the Alpha Hell Hound, was a young man. He looked to be in his late teens to early 20's, but more concerning was the fact that he was covered in all sorts of burns and wounds. Most of which looked... fatal.
The moment Miranda spotted Nicholas's unconscious body bleeding out, she cursed again before rushing over to him. "Shit!"
As soon as Miranda got to Nicholas's side she got down to one knee and placed her index and middle finger on the side of his throat as if to check his pulse. The result made Miranda worry even more, as while the poor sap still had a pulse, it was fading. Immediately she got down and began going through her duffel bag for something.
"Come on, where is it!?" She mumbled before she found it. A syringe for what looked to be an adrenaline shot, of which she quickly took and prepared it. Flicking the needle once, she then pulled up one of his sleeve and injected it right into Nicholas's arm. "Jesus Christ I hope this shit works!" She pleaded as the serum in the shot coursed through his veins.
The shot was indeed an adrenaline shot, and while it won't stop Nicholas from bleeding out, it should get him back to consciousness long enough to seek medical assistance.
"Come on kid, just hang in there! I'll get ya some help as soon as possible!" She said as she was about to help pick him up off the ground, however the sound of rustling from nearby could be heard, followed by the distinctive howl of several Hell Hounds in the distance. While she couldn't see them, she knew they were close by, as the howling didn't sound too far off. That and with the heavy rustling of the bushes and trees from nearby. She knew one thing, that she was surrounded. However she remained calm as she took out the shotgun from her duffel bag and held it at the ready, constantly looking at the tree line as a hell hound quickly lunged from the bushes and right at her. Knocking her off the road and into the tree line where the sound of her yelling profanity and insults, as well as gunshots could be heard...
Deep down though... in Nicholas's heart, something felt... for a brief moment, warmer. Whether it was from the shot of adrenaline, or something else, it was as though a spark was trying to ignite deep down. As if telling him to get up.
02/13/2020, 09:14 PM #77
The Boundless
Waelin's eyes narrowed with a mixture of skepticism and irritation. "Like I said earlier. I weave quilts. I don't fight fucking demons."
Their voice paused for a moment, breathing in before their words came out low, deceptively calm, but with a very strong undercurrent of aggression. "What I did back there was a matter of desperation and i've probably got some nerve damage 'cause of that impromptu shock therapy of yours. Not to mention, you say that slayers are on the downturn. But if my eyes are still fuckin' working, what i've seen this past week says the opposite for these demons. One girl who doesn't even know how to fire a gun, let alone actually fight something properly isn't exactly going to be the biggest help in stemming the goddamn apocalypse that's brewing under this city's feet."
Waelin's eyes narrowed with a mixture of skepticism and irritation. "Like I said earlier. I weave quilts. I don't fight fucking demons."
Their voice paused for a moment, breathing in before their words came out low, deceptively calm, but with a very strong undercurrent of aggression. "What I did back there was a matter of desperation and i've probably got some nerve damage 'cause of that impromptu shock therapy of yours. Not to mention, you say that slayers are on the downturn. But if my eyes are still fuckin' working, what i've seen this past week says the opposite for these demons. One girl who doesn't even know how to fire a gun, let alone actually fight something properly isn't exactly going to be the biggest help in stemming the goddamn apocalypse that's brewing under this city's feet."
Sometimes when you're driving down a road, a bug hits your windshield. It's ugly and unpleasant, but you just activate the wipers / cleaning fluid and it's gone in a few seconds. It's just part of driving down the road. You don't dwell on it, because that'd be silly. Bugs aren't worth the time.
You just discard their guts and keep on driving.
02/13/2020, 09:48 PM #78
The Boundless
"Then I can't force you to become a slayer." Lance spoke, turning away before preparing to walk away from Waelin. "If you were to join us though, and since you have seemingly unlocked your Figment, you would be trained. You won't just be trained in how to fight by more competent Slayers than myself, but you will also learn how to your summon your Figment. Over time you would learn how to use the abilities it grants you, and then you'd be able to fight. While everyone's Figments are varied, there are still ways to learn the ins and outs of what yours can do. Even so if you don't wish to fight, you would at least then be able to defend yourself against more dangerous demons. In the end it is your choice." He explained further before reaching into his pocket where he took out his wallet, and from his wallet he took out what looked to be a small card that he put on the table. The card was a bit soggy, but the contents on the card could still be read quite clearly. It appeared to be a business card of sorts.
"If you do decide to change your mind, or need assistance. Then just call the number on that card." With that he turned and walked over to the counter where Enraku was, there he then took out a card with a different number on it as well as payment for his drink and handed it to them. "And call this number if you want to try and get that petition about demon classification started. They may actually listen to you this time." Once that was taken care of Lance turned and prepared to leave, though just as he stopped at the door he turned to Waelin one last time.
"Also, about that... possible nerve damage... Don't worry too much about it. If I wasn't mistaken and you DID call upon your Figment back there, then you won't need to worry. Almost all Figment users tend to have a better healing factor. Give it a day or two and you should be fine. If not, then Enraku could probably help. He's good with the whole magic stuff if I recall." Then without even saying a goodbye, Lance left... leaving out the door and back into the dark, stormy night.
Last edited by SUSTIC; 02/13/2020, 09:53 PM. "Then I can't force you to become a slayer." Lance spoke, turning away before preparing to walk away from Waelin. "If you were to join us though, and since you have seemingly unlocked your Figment, you would be trained. You won't just be trained in how to fight by more competent Slayers than myself, but you will also learn how to your summon your Figment. Over time you would learn how to use the abilities it grants you, and then you'd be able to fight. While everyone's Figments are varied, there are still ways to learn the ins and outs of what yours can do. Even so if you don't wish to fight, you would at least then be able to defend yourself against more dangerous demons. In the end it is your choice." He explained further before reaching into his pocket where he took out his wallet, and from his wallet he took out what looked to be a small card that he put on the table. The card was a bit soggy, but the contents on the card could still be read quite clearly. It appeared to be a business card of sorts.
"If you do decide to change your mind, or need assistance. Then just call the number on that card." With that he turned and walked over to the counter where Enraku was, there he then took out a card with a different number on it as well as payment for his drink and handed it to them. "And call this number if you want to try and get that petition about demon classification started. They may actually listen to you this time." Once that was taken care of Lance turned and prepared to leave, though just as he stopped at the door he turned to Waelin one last time.
"Also, about that... possible nerve damage... Don't worry too much about it. If I wasn't mistaken and you DID call upon your Figment back there, then you won't need to worry. Almost all Figment users tend to have a better healing factor. Give it a day or two and you should be fine. If not, then Enraku could probably help. He's good with the whole magic stuff if I recall." Then without even saying a goodbye, Lance left... leaving out the door and back into the dark, stormy night.
02/14/2020, 05:52 AM #79
The Boundless
Waelin released a sigh as the door closed, bells on the door ringing out. And then, there were two.
"I don't even have a phone anymore." the girl grumbled before pulling up a hand to massage their head. "This has probably ruined my life."
Enraku watched and listened closely as they finished their polishing. The bartender moved out of the bar, placing themselves within the seat Lance occupied. "Perhaps. Perhaps not."
While their head still angled downward, their eyes darted to Enraku for a moment before they unconsciously released a rumble, almost like a low growl. "How has it not? I've been turned into a freak of nature, i've been shown how completely fucked everything is, I can't even go home, looking as I am. I don't even wanna' know what my parents would think if they saw me now, let alone the rest of the world. Oh, and to top it off, i've got goddamn demons trying to hunt me down and end my life. So, again, how has this not ruined my life?"
"Well, the look is something I can solve, and that's a fair amount of your issues." Enraku calmly replied.
"What's the catch?" Waelin retorted.
"Why, I would never..."
Waelin's look shifted into a glare. Enraku let out a sigh.
"Okay, there is a price, but it's one that benefits you as much as myself. I've been looking for workers. Waiters, mainly. Maybe someone to fill in on my bartending."
"You, with the apparent super-speed?" Waelin commented.
They gave a shrug. "What can I say, i'm lazy. Look, you would be paid in addition to me helping you with your issue. Not even a five day work-week. Plus free access to food, drink, and the guest rooms when you need them."
Waelin eyed them suspiciously. "If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
"Ah, ah, probably does not equate to an absolute." Enraku noted. The girl looked conflicted.
"Tell you what, i'll spice it up even more. I'll give you a week to think about it, and a temporary solution for your problem in the meantime." Enraku replied.
"Temporary?"
"Correct. A magical glamour, to hide your more demonic parts from others. It was my planned solution in general. It only works on the more magically impaired. A slayer or demon would still see you as you are, but a regular human wouldn't." they explained. "So, what do you say?"
Waelin was silent for a couple moments. "Can we start said timer tomorrow? I feel like i'm going to pass out at any given moment."
"As you wish. The guest rooms are up via that stairway." Enraku gestured to the stairs towards the back of the bar. "First room on the left is a good choice."
"Thank you." she replied as they got out of the seat.
"I try to be as gracious a host as possible. It'd be rude not to." Enraku replied, giving a soft smile. "I will see you tomorrow."
Waelin could only give a small nod at that before they moved to head up the stairs, moving out of sight.
Only after did they hear the opening and closing of a door did Enraku move, their face returning to a neutral position immediately.
"What the hell are you planning, Ricthos?" they mumbled to themselves. They breathed out through their nose before they zipped back behind the counter. They had some calls to make.
????
Deep within the stronghold of the Veiled Eye, a figure sat atop a throne of bones and blood. It's form was draped in chitinous plates of red and black, it's four eyes leaking malice upon the surroundings. It's throne had many arms, to account for it's proper lord. High Prophet Ricthos, leader of the Veiled Eye, Herald of Wrath, and the Opener of Ways waited as the screams and yells from outside died down. The breakout was contained, subjects kept in their rightful place. It pleased them. It showed the prisoners that their attempts at escape were meaningless. And that would mean less dissent, more acceptance of their fates. Good.
A door opened, and a figure entered. They were considerably smaller than themselves, but they knew that that figure hid power that rivaled themselves.
"Ah, Berith." Ricthos spoke, his voice raspy, yet powerful, a distinct echo prominent within it. "Is the rioting quelled?"
"That it is." Berith's voice was almost a polar opposite to Ricthos's, young, almost high-pitched. While it lacked an echo, each had a light lilt to it. "All prisoners secured, all resistance completely crushed."
"Excelle-"
"But." Berith interrupted. "Except for one."
Ricthos leaned forward, their glowing eye-slits narrowing. "One escaped? Who."
"I believe their name is Waelin? You should know them, they were your little 'present' for Wrath." Berith spoke casually, even as Ricthos tried to intimidate. There was almost a smug note to their words, one that caused Ricthos's grip on their chair to tighten.
"Details, immediately." Ricthos darkened their tone further, while Berith's smug look only grew.
"Welllll, seems that they had quite a bit of fight in them. They managed to make a shiv from destroyed metal plating during the rioting, stopped a Grangler by removing one of their eyes and used the rest of the riots to slip out into the storm. Of course I sent some after them, but, who would've guessed, but they managed to awaken their Figment!" Berith gave a toothy smile.
"You said that was an impossibility with the procedures." Ricthos's voice rose with cold irritance.
"Improbability, not impossibility, you fuckin' cocknostril." Berith's voice turned sour for a moment as they were questioned, face scowling before they shifted back to smile on a dime, their tone once again peppy. "Annnnyways, they ran into another slayer, completely fried one of the Granglers, and the other was left heavily wounded."
"Info on said slayer?" Ricthos pressed.
"Mid-tier, utilizes a lightning-infused spear, and their name is Lance." Berith rattled off.
The last note gave Ricthos pause, a second of silence before they incredulously asked "The spear-wielding Slayer is called Lance?"
"I know, it's absurdly stupid." Berith beamed. "But after they left, the other Grangler tailed them a bit, they got to the Boundless."
Ricthos sighed. "Of course it had to be the Boundless... can we keep track of them regardless?"
"I've already got some on the case, you need not worry." Berith answered. "But yeah, that's all I know."
"You are dismissed." Ricthos rose a hand idly towards the door. "When you get a chance to capture them, take it."
"As you command!" Berith said, cheer slightly tinged with something resembling sarcasm. "Toodaloo!"
And with that, they vanished behind the door, leaving the Prophet to brood.
Enraku knowing about the girl was... problematic. They needed to get this done fast. They had days, probably less than a week before he knew. And considering Sloth... they needed to plan. They would not let this chance to restore the clan to it's height go to waste. And if the girl awoke a figment...
Ricthos smiled. Maybe this could be even better than they originally intended.
Waelin released a sigh as the door closed, bells on the door ringing out. And then, there were two.
"I don't even have a phone anymore." the girl grumbled before pulling up a hand to massage their head. "This has probably ruined my life."
Enraku watched and listened closely as they finished their polishing. The bartender moved out of the bar, placing themselves within the seat Lance occupied. "Perhaps. Perhaps not."
While their head still angled downward, their eyes darted to Enraku for a moment before they unconsciously released a rumble, almost like a low growl. "How has it not? I've been turned into a freak of nature, i've been shown how completely fucked everything is, I can't even go home, looking as I am. I don't even wanna' know what my parents would think if they saw me now, let alone the rest of the world. Oh, and to top it off, i've got goddamn demons trying to hunt me down and end my life. So, again, how has this not ruined my life?"
"Well, the look is something I can solve, and that's a fair amount of your issues." Enraku calmly replied.
"What's the catch?" Waelin retorted.
"Why, I would never..."
Waelin's look shifted into a glare. Enraku let out a sigh.
"Okay, there is a price, but it's one that benefits you as much as myself. I've been looking for workers. Waiters, mainly. Maybe someone to fill in on my bartending."
"You, with the apparent super-speed?" Waelin commented.
They gave a shrug. "What can I say, i'm lazy. Look, you would be paid in addition to me helping you with your issue. Not even a five day work-week. Plus free access to food, drink, and the guest rooms when you need them."
Waelin eyed them suspiciously. "If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
"Ah, ah, probably does not equate to an absolute." Enraku noted. The girl looked conflicted.
"Tell you what, i'll spice it up even more. I'll give you a week to think about it, and a temporary solution for your problem in the meantime." Enraku replied.
"Temporary?"
"Correct. A magical glamour, to hide your more demonic parts from others. It was my planned solution in general. It only works on the more magically impaired. A slayer or demon would still see you as you are, but a regular human wouldn't." they explained. "So, what do you say?"
Waelin was silent for a couple moments. "Can we start said timer tomorrow? I feel like i'm going to pass out at any given moment."
"As you wish. The guest rooms are up via that stairway." Enraku gestured to the stairs towards the back of the bar. "First room on the left is a good choice."
"Thank you." she replied as they got out of the seat.
"I try to be as gracious a host as possible. It'd be rude not to." Enraku replied, giving a soft smile. "I will see you tomorrow."
Waelin could only give a small nod at that before they moved to head up the stairs, moving out of sight.
Only after did they hear the opening and closing of a door did Enraku move, their face returning to a neutral position immediately.
"What the hell are you planning, Ricthos?" they mumbled to themselves. They breathed out through their nose before they zipped back behind the counter. They had some calls to make.
????
Deep within the stronghold of the Veiled Eye, a figure sat atop a throne of bones and blood. It's form was draped in chitinous plates of red and black, it's four eyes leaking malice upon the surroundings. It's throne had many arms, to account for it's proper lord. High Prophet Ricthos, leader of the Veiled Eye, Herald of Wrath, and the Opener of Ways waited as the screams and yells from outside died down. The breakout was contained, subjects kept in their rightful place. It pleased them. It showed the prisoners that their attempts at escape were meaningless. And that would mean less dissent, more acceptance of their fates. Good.
A door opened, and a figure entered. They were considerably smaller than themselves, but they knew that that figure hid power that rivaled themselves.
"Ah, Berith." Ricthos spoke, his voice raspy, yet powerful, a distinct echo prominent within it. "Is the rioting quelled?"
"That it is." Berith's voice was almost a polar opposite to Ricthos's, young, almost high-pitched. While it lacked an echo, each had a light lilt to it. "All prisoners secured, all resistance completely crushed."
"Excelle-"
"But." Berith interrupted. "Except for one."
Ricthos leaned forward, their glowing eye-slits narrowing. "One escaped? Who."
"I believe their name is Waelin? You should know them, they were your little 'present' for Wrath." Berith spoke casually, even as Ricthos tried to intimidate. There was almost a smug note to their words, one that caused Ricthos's grip on their chair to tighten.
"Details, immediately." Ricthos darkened their tone further, while Berith's smug look only grew.
"Welllll, seems that they had quite a bit of fight in them. They managed to make a shiv from destroyed metal plating during the rioting, stopped a Grangler by removing one of their eyes and used the rest of the riots to slip out into the storm. Of course I sent some after them, but, who would've guessed, but they managed to awaken their Figment!" Berith gave a toothy smile.
"You said that was an impossibility with the procedures." Ricthos's voice rose with cold irritance.
"Improbability, not impossibility, you fuckin' cocknostril." Berith's voice turned sour for a moment as they were questioned, face scowling before they shifted back to smile on a dime, their tone once again peppy. "Annnnyways, they ran into another slayer, completely fried one of the Granglers, and the other was left heavily wounded."
"Info on said slayer?" Ricthos pressed.
"Mid-tier, utilizes a lightning-infused spear, and their name is Lance." Berith rattled off.
The last note gave Ricthos pause, a second of silence before they incredulously asked "The spear-wielding Slayer is called Lance?"
"I know, it's absurdly stupid." Berith beamed. "But after they left, the other Grangler tailed them a bit, they got to the Boundless."
Ricthos sighed. "Of course it had to be the Boundless... can we keep track of them regardless?"
"I've already got some on the case, you need not worry." Berith answered. "But yeah, that's all I know."
"You are dismissed." Ricthos rose a hand idly towards the door. "When you get a chance to capture them, take it."
"As you command!" Berith said, cheer slightly tinged with something resembling sarcasm. "Toodaloo!"
And with that, they vanished behind the door, leaving the Prophet to brood.
Enraku knowing about the girl was... problematic. They needed to get this done fast. They had days, probably less than a week before he knew. And considering Sloth... they needed to plan. They would not let this chance to restore the clan to it's height go to waste. And if the girl awoke a figment...
Ricthos smiled. Maybe this could be even better than they originally intended.
Sometimes when you're driving down a road, a bug hits your windshield. It's ugly and unpleasant, but you just activate the wipers / cleaning fluid and it's gone in a few seconds. It's just part of driving down the road. You don't dwell on it, because that'd be silly. Bugs aren't worth the time.
You just discard their guts and keep on driving.
02/15/2020, 01:44 AM #80
Daisuke's Home | Ortus City Suburbs
Daisuke's younger sister could have swore she saw someone hiding behind her brother, but she blamed it on her groggy half-awake brain making her see things that likely wasn't there. However she also wasn't in the mood, or right state of mind really question her brother. "Oh... Okaaaay... Goodnight..." She grumbled as she then shuffled back to her bed, Daisuke quietly closing her bedroom door behind her.
With one hell of a bullet having been dodged, Daisuke just chuckled nervously to himself for a moment before he snapped his attention towards his own bedroom door before quickly rushing inside his room and shutting the door behind him. He tried to close the door behind him as quietly as he could, but he didn't do too good of a job due to his panicky mind at the moment. This did prompt a brief "BE QUIET! SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!" right from his sister in next room, which did make Daisuke jump a bit.
Thankfully, after a good 5 minutes of Daisuke not moving or doing anything, there was no further noise coming from his sister's room. Letting out a sigh of relief, Daisuke then slowly turned his attention to the young woman who is now in his room... naked, and most importantly, bleeding.
It took a moment for him to say anything, as he was trying to remember something... That was when he forgot that he's going to need to get a first aid kit for her! Not only that, but he's going to need to call emergency services too. There was honestly so many things going through his mind that it made it hard for him to think, add onto the fact that he's beginning to feel the effects of being up so late, it took him a good minute to decide on something.
"Okay... just wait here and... try not to get any blood on the floor, okay? I'm going to go get the first aid kit real quick, and I really don't want to explain to my mom and sister why I have a red stain on the carpet... So don't leave and be quiet. Got it?" He said in a hushed whisper so as not to make too much more noise. After that he turned around and quietly tip-toed out of his room to go look for the First Aid Kit. Leaving the young woman alone in Daisuke's quiet room. There was one thing though,
He forgot to turn on the lights for her, leaving the room to be illuminated by the faint glow of street lamps from outside, as well as the occasional flash of lightning.
Daisuke's younger sister could have swore she saw someone hiding behind her brother, but she blamed it on her groggy half-awake brain making her see things that likely wasn't there. However she also wasn't in the mood, or right state of mind really question her brother. "Oh... Okaaaay... Goodnight..." She grumbled as she then shuffled back to her bed, Daisuke quietly closing her bedroom door behind her.
With one hell of a bullet having been dodged, Daisuke just chuckled nervously to himself for a moment before he snapped his attention towards his own bedroom door before quickly rushing inside his room and shutting the door behind him. He tried to close the door behind him as quietly as he could, but he didn't do too good of a job due to his panicky mind at the moment. This did prompt a brief "BE QUIET! SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!" right from his sister in next room, which did make Daisuke jump a bit.
Thankfully, after a good 5 minutes of Daisuke not moving or doing anything, there was no further noise coming from his sister's room. Letting out a sigh of relief, Daisuke then slowly turned his attention to the young woman who is now in his room... naked, and most importantly, bleeding.
It took a moment for him to say anything, as he was trying to remember something... That was when he forgot that he's going to need to get a first aid kit for her! Not only that, but he's going to need to call emergency services too. There was honestly so many things going through his mind that it made it hard for him to think, add onto the fact that he's beginning to feel the effects of being up so late, it took him a good minute to decide on something.
"Okay... just wait here and... try not to get any blood on the floor, okay? I'm going to go get the first aid kit real quick, and I really don't want to explain to my mom and sister why I have a red stain on the carpet... So don't leave and be quiet. Got it?" He said in a hushed whisper so as not to make too much more noise. After that he turned around and quietly tip-toed out of his room to go look for the First Aid Kit. Leaving the young woman alone in Daisuke's quiet room. There was one thing though,
He forgot to turn on the lights for her, leaving the room to be illuminated by the faint glow of street lamps from outside, as well as the occasional flash of lightning.