"I can try," said Raymond, "but..."
For one reason or another, sending this poor wretch of a man to the police didn't feel 'right' to Raymond. He couldn't put a finger on it, but then, he couldn't put a finger on most of his life. Best not to think about it. Because, if he did...
The snake-like iris flashed again, ever so briefly. Raymond put it all out of his mind, and the iris reverted back to normal as well. "Of course. Although, I can't give any guarantees. After-all, this is a vampire; not exactly the easier sort to control. Still..."
Raymond made eye-contact with the vampire, doing his best to concentrate and send a message deep into its mind. Eventually, he was able to start getting results; the vampire's breathing started to relax, his eyelids started to droop, and after a while, he softly fell into a deep, deep sleep. Raymond gave a sigh of relief, but he might have done so too soon. For the briefest of moments, he received a flash from the vampire's mind; a flash of a being so cruel and so malicious that it made dealing with this vampire look like a cakewalk. The snake-like iris appeared once more, and again ever so briefly.
"The deed is done," said Raymond. "For whatever reason, I can't help but be open to second chances. Though a second chance is all he'll get. However, there was something else in there. Just as I was finished with his mind, I received the briefest of visions; I couldn't make out just what it is, but whatever it was, it made this battle here look like a stroll through the park on Sunday. Which does remind me; do you recall that, during our battle, our opponent seemed to continuously refer to 'he'? If I could wager a guess — five bucks? No? Very well... ahem, if I could simply guess, I would say that this man is the one who turned our present vampire; it may even be possible that that man and that vision are one and the same."
edited 15th Mar '15 9:35:03 AM by kkhohoho
Cat Sith grumbled deep in his throat, but said softly, "naturally. Take care of the ice zombies, then meet me at my office. Preferably as soon as possible."
Cat flicked his tail once, fell backwards off the edge of the building, and disappeared into thin air.
OUT OF THE CROOKED TIMBER OF HUMANITY NO STRAIGHT THING WAS EVER BUILTTropica - The Lure
The Conductor drummed his fingers impatiently as he sat down, being bothered by one of the locals. "Fine; Miss, fetch me some fish and chips."
Darting an eye at Zack, he added, grumblingly, "Please."
At precisely that moment, a volcanic god proceeded to erupt out of the nearby - well, volcano, where else would a volcanic god erupt from - and made his angry declaration. An irritated twitch flickered from one corner of the Conductor's eyebrow to another.
"When I demanded to know why the gods were keeping me from breakfast this morning, I didn't think it would be literal..."
Sigh. His breakfast prospects looked unlikely at the moment.
"WENCH!!! When I return, I expect AT LEAST a 50% discount on my meal! AND MAKE CERTAIN THE FOOD IS STILL WARM!!!"
With that, the Conductor stood up, brushed himself off, and made his way into his oversized train. Speakers crackled to life before a familiar voice boomed across the entire block.
"GOD OR MORTAL, NO ONE STANDS BETWEEN ME AND MY BREAKFAST!!!"
Orie Streets
One news blip and then another appeared on Vy's phone. Snow zombies heading towards Nova. Angry volcano god at the beach. Well, things didn't change much in the city but it certainly kept busy. What to do...
The Hollow - Sewer
Taking a deep breath, Samson sighs as he leans against the wall. "Well, let it never be said the life of a hunter is a boring one." Feeling the kitten struggling against his satchel, Samson sighs much more annoyed. "Right, crap, the cat... Can you hold it for me? They don't like demonic essence and that stuff tends to rub off onto things." Breaking the ice on his satchel, Samson points it at Raymond so he can catch the kitten.
Going through the now cat-free satchel, Samson lays out several Apophyllites and Amethysts with a piece of preserved hair set in the middle. Taking back his grimoire and turning to a later page, Samson proceeds to chant. "With words of life, I seek a mind free, to listen to my report. Now is a moment of importance, and don't let be it ignored." With the hair burning blue and the gemstones shattering, a small blue pool of light opens. Immediately Samson begins speaking.
"This is Samson Cresting, Monster Hunter for the HUNTERS organization. I and a man named Raymond Reynolds encountered a vampire in the sewer that's been abducting and turning animals. The state we found him in implies he's of a strain meant for consuming mortals, and therefore his actions have been carried out under a very damaged mind. Once being properly fed, his true character should become apparent quickly. I advise a quick arrival as I'm uncertain how long he'll be out."
The light fading and leaving a blue scorch on the ground, Samson looks over to Raymond. "We should probably go now before one of the vampire animals decides we're food. Though Raymond, do you think I could come with you? I would like to see the people I help rescued this kitten for, and I'm about done with my break in the Hollow anyways."
"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."Eidolon, who had been flying around Nova and ended up in Tropica, heard as the volcano erupted.
"This...This is something."
He looped around and started flying towards the volcano.
"Phantom Scythe!"
A long white scythe appeared in his right hand. The blade glowed and left a purple trail behind him as he travelled through the air. He shot past Koluluno and looped back towards the monster so as to approach it from an angle that didn't risk collision with Hojada.
"Not today, foul one!"
Eidolon took his scythe in both hands and nimbly slashed at the monstrous giant.
Andreia was about to respond when Cat Sith chucked himself off the roof. "...Well alright then." And with that, Andreia leaped across the roofs again, and eventually came to where the mob of zombies was currently shambling down the street, where an extraordinarily muscular man was trying to protect un-zombified citizens, but as she watched, one slipped by and turned a young woman by making her inhale the most they were emitting. Not zombies, then, just people hypnotized and enchanted, probably. She leapt down and started laying waste, trying for nonlethal blows that K.O instead of kill, dancing around the zombies and holding her breath, then moving away to let herself breath again.
edited 15th Mar '15 4:22:14 AM by Tojin
“Not a promise, not an oath, or a malediction or a curse. Inevitable." - Taylor HebertTropica The Lure
Zack was rather surprised at the Conductor's reasonableness. It didn't fit his reputation.
But then a volcano erupted and an ancient and bloodthirsty god emerged. Finding a convenient spot out of the way he transformed and flew to the spot, his a bevy of frightened spirits telling him of what was happening. He waved to the Conductor as he was getting into his train.
Nova
Posters and handbill are being put up and distributed. One set advertising Kimiko's appearance at the Silver Star, the other announcing auditions for new acts, also at the Silver Star.
edited 15th Mar '15 6:33:44 AM by tricksterson
Trump delenda estThe Hollow, Sewers
"Certainly," said Raymond, taking the cat. He gave it the chicken bone to chew on; once it held it within it's sharp little teeth, it quickly calmed down. "And it won't even take that long to get there either. Let's just say that having the right item at hand opens all doors. Well, shall we be going?" Raymond then strolled back through the sewers with the intent of climbing up through the ladder, hoping that Samson would follow.
The Hollow
Following Raymond at a slight distance to avoid upsetting the kitten, Samson thinks back on what Raymond said. "Such a monster... turning someone against their will, forcing them to live a life of perpetual hatred. I have to find this sire, and prevent him from doing that to anyone else. Just..."
Small strips of angry tears coming from his face, Samson comes back on the surface and speaks up. "So, is this item some kind of magical key? Magical key makes sense to me. Hey, could I have my necklace back now? I just feel a bit uncomfortable without it when I'm not hunting. Mother's love and all that you know?"
"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."The Hollow
"Of course," said Raymond, handing him back the necklace. "And please, don't worry yourself", he said, having picked up on Samson's surface thoughts. "Whoever did this to our vampire, we will find him. Though, come to think of it, it's not as though this takes away any and all responsibility from our animal-napper here, nor will the owners of those he stole be very forgiving. Besides, unless we can find the sire responsible, we don't have any solid evidence that it wasn't all his doing. He'll have to do at least a few months time. Still, so long as they keep him isolated, I'd say he could do with a good few months to himself. Get things in order."
By now, the two had arrived at a small apartment. It didn't seem to amount to much, not that it needed to. "Right; just one swift turn, and we'll be there sooner than your best spittake. Ready to go?"
edited 15th Mar '15 10:44:15 AM by kkhohoho
Arriving back in Silicone Street, Cat sat on the edge of a tall building and coughed up a large diamond.
"Star Fall," Cat yelled out, knowing his voice would magically reach its audience, "Come see me please. There's a diamond in it for you."
OUT OF THE CROOKED TIMBER OF HUMANITY NO STRAIGHT THING WAS EVER BUILTThe Hollow
Putting his necklace back on and wiping at his face, Samson sighs a breath of calm. "Yeah, yeah he'll need to be held responsible. This just hit me rather close to home is all. The Hollow Police should be able to round up and change back some the animals though, so there's that. In all, I would say this was a job well done."
Straightening up and jumping around a bit to get himself going, Samson speaks in a much more cheerful tone. "Well, what are we waiting for? I'm sure your client can't wait for their kitten."
Nova
Looking down to see someone burning through the ice zombies, Liliana lets loose a small gasp and shouts down at the person "What are you doing!? These are people, you can't just attack them! We should focus on getting rid of this mist first and then subduing them for the police to capture! If you're using this as an excuse to harm innocents I'll have to stop you!"
"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."Flame Wing looks at the woman screaming at him.
"That's exactly what I'm doing! Maybe heating them up will get rid of the mist!"
Liliana should notice that the people are unaffected by the flames mostly, not a single ember even touching them. All they receive is some minor rashes from the heat and fire, easily healed by water and ice.
edited 15th Mar '15 11:12:58 AM by UndyingPhoenix
The Hollow
Raymond eyed Samson. "I honestly can't see what you're getting excited about. Unless of course, you're the type who enjoys heavy weaponry. Either that, or a rundown shack. No matter."
Raymond turned the key, opened the door, and stepped inside.
Silicon Street, Crazy Carlin's Wares
"And here we are!" Having stepped inside the door, Raymond (and Samson if he chose to follow,) were inside what seemed to be a shop. It was a rather musty and unkempt place; the floors hadn't been cleaned in days and it smelt of mildew. However, the most fascinating thing about it was what was on display; all sorts of armors, weapons, and technological oddities lined the walls, including the odd knicknack or two.
"Carlin?", Raymond called out. "Carlin? You there? We brought back Snuggles, in case you wanted to know!"
Rising up in a flash from behind the store counter was a 8'ft tall giant of a man, dressed in what seemed to be a white-undershirt, baggy pants, and a grey long-coat with a long grey ponytail and a thick coarse beard.
"You rang?"
"Indeed," said Raymond, holding up Snuggles for all to see.
"Snuggles!" Carlin grabbed the cat in a flash, and embraced him deep within his arms, even as Snuggles tried his best to break free.
"Just be sure to keep him properly fed," said Raymond. "You don't want him biting the hand that feeds you."
Carlin then placed Snuggles on the floor as his demeanor quickly hardened up, and he glared hard at Raymond. "What's that? Just what've you been up to this time?"
"What I've been up to," said Raymond, "is saving your precious little Snuggles, that's what I've been up to." He then explained the whole tale to Carlin, in exquisite detail.
"That so?" said Carlin, scratching his chin. He then pointed at Samson. "And who's this then? You better not be owin' anyone any money..."
"No, no, of course not! Not this time, anyway. Besides, by my count, it seems that this time, you owe me money."
"That be true," said Carlin. "Though I'd still like to know who this fella' is. See anything you like, son?," he said, addressing Samson.
edited 15th Mar '15 12:20:58 PM by kkhohoho
((Sorry it's been a while. Stuff happens.))
Silicon Street - Musuem
Star Fall was about to start blasting when he heard Cat calling him. He stopped short of unleashing his fury and decided to talk to him instead.
"Alright, listen here mortal fool," it was a good start, "Most people pass this place by wihtout a second thought. This is Silicon Street and the peons discount magic, belittle it and toss it aside. You, I think I know you, seen you flying around. I have an appointment that I completely forgot about untill now and I'm in a good mood. I'll let you live and I'll let you have the mask. Take anyhting else, no matter how inconsequential, and I will hunt you down and personally end you." With that, Star Fall flies out through another window. "Remember, this is my turf," he called back as he flew, "and you can find me here later. Then I'll talk."
Silicon Street - Cat Building
Star Fall scanned the area for Cat and saw the building he was sitting on. He gently set down next to him.
"Hello, Cat," he said wiht a bow. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Saint LaughterSilicon Street - Crazy Carlin's Wares
Following Raymond through the door, Samson looks in awe at the various weapons and oddities. Busy looking over it all, Samson didn't even look at Carlin until he asked if Samson saw anything he liked. Turning around to see the giant, Samson pulls his head back a bit. "Wow, of course the owner of such a tiny thing would be a giant. What is it with giants and tiny things anyways?"
Clearing his throat, Samson speaks up in a professional tone. "Samson Cresting, freelancer Monster Hunter with the HUNTERS organization. It is my job to fight evil, and my passion to help others. It was no trouble at all taking time to rescue your cat Mister Carlin. I would advise keeping a closer eye on it to prevent a repeat of this incident however."
His face breaking out into a bit of an excited smile, Samson speaks up again. "Though I would be interested in purchasing something sir. Is there anything here you would suggest a Hunter to buy? I myself are a rather mobility and travel focused action ice mage, if you wanted specifics on what to suggest."
Silicon Street - Museum
Simply watching on in stoic silence, Repulsor ever so slightly turns his head to see the demi-golem leave. "~Well now, that was disappointing. I at least expected a fight if he didn't want to make a deal. Stars, so self-involved.~" Making his way towards the mask, a window opens in his holo-field depicting Sarah. "~My lord, the computer has detected that Samson Cresting has arrived in Silicon. Should I contact him for you?~"
Grabbing the bird-like mask and restablizing the glass behind him, Repulsor puts on the mask as he proceeds to answer. "Yes, send him a job requesting him to bring back some raw crystallized magic from Avalon. I'll be needing some for my Spell Kaiser suit prototype." Sarah nodding respectfully to him, the window closes as Repulsor decides to test out the mask. Managing to float a few inches in the air, Repulsor begins moving much more fluidly as he activates his leg repulsors.
"Hmm... Interesting, I'll need to experiment with this augmentation later. For now I should avoid the police and any Stars." With that thought, Repulsor proceeds to flee from the area.
"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."Cat toyed with the fat diamond between his paws. "Well, I have need of you. Our previous...arrangement... may be long over, but this time there is more in it for you than simple rocks."
Cat rolled the gem toward Star and looked at him idly. "Are you interested?"
OUT OF THE CROOKED TIMBER OF HUMANITY NO STRAIGHT THING WAS EVER BUILTStar Fall picked up the diamond and carressed it. He look back at Cat. "Sure. You know I can and will do anyhting for anyone and, of course," he smiled at Cat wiht his eyes, "you know my price and I know your yours." He pockets the diamond. "What do you require of me this time?"
Saint LaughterSilicon Street, Crazy Carl's Wares
"Hunter, huh?", said Carlin. He walked over to the far right side of a room, and stopped in front of a trio of pistols, each one colored a different color; red, blue, and yellow.
"What we got here is somethin' special. These here may look like ordinary rifles that just happen to be color-coordinated, but the truth is that each of them have been infused with a different magical element. They all do what you expect; red shoots fire, blue shoots ice, yellow shoots electricity. Now, you're a magic user, right? 'Cept', unlike my boy Raymond here, you use normal magic, don'cha?"
"Just what do you mean by 'nor'—", said Raymond, but he was interrupted by Carlin.
"Ignore him. Anyway, Raymond don't use mana, but I figure you do, so you're gonna' run out at some point. If you take one of these puppies, you can keep yourself going for a while longer; just make sure you don't run out of cartridges. Now, you can pick up this ice-gun here if you just wanna' stick to that, but you might want to try covering your bases a bit with the other two. Now, as for how much these'll cost, well, normally one is... Ah, that's right. $1000 bucks. 'Course, I'm always willing to negotiate. I can also loan just about anything out for specific jobs or missions, as 'Patches' here will attest to—"
"I resemble that remark! ...Wait a seco—"
"-and I can do the same for you if you're willing. If you ever feel like taking one of these out for a spin, it's just $10 a day. Whatddya' say?"
edited 15th Mar '15 4:38:39 PM by kkhohoho
Silicon Street - Crazy Carl's Wares
Looking at the pistols approvingly, Samson looks over at Raymond when Carlin mentions that he doesn't use mana. Looking slightly worried, and yet also intrigued, Samson turns to Carlin when he offers to let Samson rent them. Moving his head a bit to work out some kinks, Samson speaks up casually.
"Yeah, I can see myself renting one. Its a good habit to carry around something for about any-" Stopping himself as he hears ringing in his satchel, Samson removes a small phone-like device. Noticing a mission from his contract Cornelius, Samson opens it up to have himself a new job. Putting it back into his satchel, Samson clears his throat a bit before talking again.
"I just got a job from my contract here in Silicon. He asked me to go to Avalon to get some raw crystallized magic for one of his experiments. So if it isn't too much trouble, can I rent your fire and lightning guns? You just can never tell with magic. Oh, and if you like I could try convincing him to give you some kind of robotic cat babysitter. He owns Richardson Craftworks, so it wouldn't be a bother for him anyways."
Turning to look at Raymond, Samson rubs at the back of his neck before speaking somewhat more seriously. "If you want, you could work with me on this job. I'll give you half of the pay, and I feel like I should do something to make up for using my Link Magic on you. I didn't know your magic eye wasn't powered by normal mana, so I'm very sorry for endangering your life there. Though the snake-iris was pretty weird, is that something else your eye can do?"
With that said, Samson starts rummaging through his satchel and counting his coins to get twenty dollars.
"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."Silicon Street, Carlin's Crazy Wares
"Snake-iris?", said Raymond. Ever so briefly, the iris flicked back on, if only for a moment before reverting to normal. He held his right hand over his right eye, as if attempting to block something out with even being aware of it. "...If you'd be so polite, I'd prefer you not to mention... whatever that was. I prefer to live in the present; some may call that a fool's errand, but if that's the case, than as God is my witness, I am that fool! Or something to that effect. Oh, and you did offer to invite me on a case, yes? If that's the case, I'd be delighted! If I may be a honest, I was a bit skeptical of you at first, but you're actually not half-bad. In fact, I wouldn't mind pairing up more often, if possible. But yes, if you're offering, then I accept."
He then thought just a bit more deeply about what Samson had said, and of what had happened in the tunnels, or at least as much as he wanted to. "And listen. Whatever happened down there; you did what you needed to do. If you hadn't, I'm not sure we would have lived to tell the tale. Once you've done something, it is done. Never regret, and never look back. Or at least, that's I always tell myself."
"Hmmm..... well, they appear to be creatures of the Hollow themselves! A fair bit colder than normal, but the walking dead, nonetheless! We must make haste, Sir Honja. It will not do to let others have the glory!" Mattrin said, surveying the images of destruction and mayhem on the phone.
—-
A sleek, futuristic mag-lev train slid into the northern Nova station, crashing into the rear end of the train from Winterland which had carried the ice zombies. Neither train was destroyed, but they were crumpled together in a rather spectacular mess. From the wreckage where they were conjoined a loud banging sound could be heard. A few of the zombies turned in curiosity just as Mattrin kicked the doors off the mag-lev train from the inside, sending them flying into the zombies and knocking them back. Mattrin jumped off the train and drew his blade, bashing zombies aside to preserve the small foothold he had created with his dynamic entry.
"Back, foul creatures! I, Sir Mattrin Crossgate, have arrived to deliver the king's justice unto thee!"
Unfortunately, his strikes seemed to have little effect on the zombies. They could be knocked aside easily enough, but they merely got back to their feet no worse for the wear. He soon found himself kicking them off of his legs and shaking them off of his back, unable to keep up with their sheer numbers. They could not harm his armor, of course, but the strange mist they produced began to creep into Mattrin's helmet. He coughed and grabbed at his faceplate, suddenly feeling rather woozy. Behind him, the freezing mist had crept into the interior of the mag-lev train that he had hijacked from Silicon Street. Warning sirens blared and a red light began spinning inside the train.
"WARNING: TOXIC CONTAMINANTS DETECTED. ALL PASSENGERS ADVISED TO DON PROTECTIVE GEAR."
The ceiling panels of the train popped open, dropping dozens of gas masks onto the floor. Mattrin lashed out with his shield, knocking half a dozen zombies back, but a dozen more waited behind them. He wouldn't be able to get back to the train on his own.
"Sir Honja! The protective gear! We require its protection!" he shouted in between coughs.
Attack of the Frozen Walkers: [7/7] (assuming Cen is present, if not 6/7)
edited 15th Mar '15 6:46:47 PM by CATS3688

The Hollow - Sewer
Noticing Raymond's iris changing back to normal and his rapidly recovered vitality, Samson dashes to the other side to avoid the punch as well. Seeing the vampire's arm get severed, Samson goes to cover his ears as the vampire screeches inhumanly... Almost demonically at that. "Don't you just hate it dealing with screaming lunatics? I prefer the kind that just creepily stare instead, far less annoying."
Generating three icy spheres in his left hand, Samson dashes up to where the vampire's arm was severed and throws them in. Teleporting back, the three spheres explode resulting in a mess of ice and bone. The vampire dropping to one knee in pain as he shifts bone to cover his exposed stump, black tears start leaking from his eyes. "This isn't fair... He stole everything, and this is what I have to put up with? People attacking me, stealing my pets... All I ever wanted was for them to love me, but I hate this! I hate you, I hate him, I hate being unloved by the only things I ever cared about! Do you even know what it is like to be hated by the things you love!?"
Slightly startled by his last sentence, Samson sighs sorrowfully. "I know what it's like to be hated by the things you want to be, if that counts." Glancing at Raymond, Samson speaks up. "He isn't in his right mind Raymond, I wouldn't feel good killing him. If you can put him out, I could call the Hollow Police to this location so he can be treated. Not sure how well a treatment even would be for him though..."
"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."