The man had been running for the past hour without getting very far, everytime he felt he was actually pulling ahead one of the things behind him would jump forward and breath down his neck. Somewhere along the line he had twisted his ankle and fallen, and by that point he had thought it was over. But the creatures just sat, right at the edge of his limited night vision and waited for him to pick himself up. He had cried when he started trying to run again, because he knew there was no way he would survive this. But he couldn't just lay down and die, he wanted to live so badly. The creatures laughed as he screamed out from putting weight on his twisted ankle, their voices sounding like a mix between dogs and screaming primates.

At the edge of his vision he saw an end to the line of trees, and the creatures suddenly snarled and began to pick up speed toward him. But something about seeing an end to his plight pushed him forward even harder, ignoring the pain and running fast enough to make an athlete take notice. With a final dive he broke the line of the trees and landed on soft dirt, crawling forward on hands and knees only to finally turn. The creatures were there at the edge of the trees, their eyes shining with malice before slowly stepping back.

The man coughed for a moment before letting his emotions out in a scream. Tears sprang forth and his fists hit the dirt enough to leave an imprint. Such was his terror that he never noticed the two men dressed in military combat gear approaching him, raising a tranq gun and firing a dart directly into his neck. After that, there was nothing but peaceful darkness.

Chapter 1: A Jaunt in the Woods

The town they would arrive in was just large enough to have an airport and a bus station along with one or two namebrand stores, but that was about it. It was one of the many such towns that dotted across America that had obviously seen better days but was still trying to go on as if everything in life was just like before the last economic crash. Still it wasn't bad, and each of them had been given a ticket to the nicest hotel in the area, which was to say it was another name brand hotel declaring offers of Netflix and free wifi. It was better then some of the places that Strings called Puppeteers too, but it was far from the lap of luxury.

Normally when Strings called upon Puppeteers either from within their ranks or mercenaries they provided for all the basics, hotel rooms, travel fare, and a brief meeting for all parties involved. Thus along with the hotel tickets was a message to meet in one of the meeting rooms in the hotel for an overview of the situation and finalizing the hunt contract.

The room itself was rather plain, but there was coffee and some pastries set aside for them, not the best reception but jobs for the UN were always done by the books, luxury wasn't exactly something that was budgeted for. But the Puppeteers would have time to get comfortable and meet and greet with those they would be working with for the next few days. The UN reps were usually more on time but the front desk had informed them due to some rough weather they would be running about twenty minutes late.

Ayako Ayanami & Chiron

"Well, it sure looks like this is it," Ayako said curiously as she and Chiron approached the hotel, the steady clop clop clop of hooves notwithstanding. "This is the place that was marked down on the map. It can't really hurt to take a peek inside, can it?"

"We're not going to fit inside the front door together," Chiron noted, pausing for a moment. His auburn hair swayed majestically in the wind as he contemplated matters. "We're going to have to get in through the back. This hotel isn't very centaur-and-rider-friendly, is it?"

"To be fair, you're probably the only centaur alive right now," his rider laughed, tossing her head back in amusement. "I'm used to going through the back, and it's not like we brought my wheelchair with us. There's nothing wrong with using accommodations afforded to folks like me."

Chiron made an uneasy noise in the back of his throat and looked around before trying to circle around to the back of the hotel, where hopefully, a bigger door awaited them both. Or someone waiting with a wheelchair. Either would do.

Edited by JumpingFruit on Apr 7th 2021 at 12:58:40 PM

Adrian

As two people (one partially horse) made their way around the building, someone else was finding his way through the inside of it.

Adrian managed to find his way into the meeting room, quickly pulling up a random chair and collapsing into it. He waited patiently for the other puppeteers to arrive...for about four seconds, before getting bored and deciding to watch a video on his phone (with headphones, of course) while slowly depleting the room's supply of pastries.

Empathizing

French people tend to get bored easily. This is painfully true in the case of Lafayette Kitsch, freelance puppeteer.

Psychically, the mute would ask his dolly, Empathy...

So what kinda company do we have to look forward to?

Two humans...and a centaur

Well that got his attention.

Specs on the centaur?

Empathy took a moment to analyze before responding.

Tall.

Anything else?

No.

Welp, guess that was that. Lafayette was still rather excited to see this centaur for himself, eagerly pushing through the doors into the provided room. Well dammit, the centaur wasn't there. Only a guy. Guys were boring. This was heavily disappointing.

Empathy did not agree. Turning to Adrian, teh dolly would greet him somewhat enthusiastically.

Hello, guy.

Strange. She spoke, but her mouth didn't move...

Adrian (How To Get The Attention of Someone Wearing Earbuds)

Adrian wasn't paying attention to the room and didn't notice the entrance of Lafayette and Empathy. What he did notice was that someone had said something to him, and that he heard it perfectly despite the fact that he was wearing headphones.

Taking them off, he turned to look at the presumed broadcaster of the message. "Telepathy, huh?"

Local Hotel Meeting Room

Into this situation walked a woman who held herself with a somewhat nervous disposition. Every so often she'd hum out a note that reverberated a little as she looked around at the gathered others and carefully took a seat. Before she could do much more however, in a flash of light her Dolly appeared, taking a step forward and bowing.

I-am-here-to-hunt.

The words emitted from the Dolly rather than the human, in a voice that seemed to be made of clips of a male voice poorly chopped up and rearranged. The human attached to the Dolly closed her eyes and flinched, momentarily shaking her head and humming louder.

Greet-ings-I-am-rid-sy.

Ayako Ayanami & Chiron

"Well, we're here, and it took only a minimal amount of scuffling!" Ayako giggled nervously as she rode in on Chiron's back. "Ah, man, that was a little awkward, but no harm, no foul, right, big guy?"

"I hit my head on the doorframe," Chiron grumbled. "This is a most unfortunate affair. Honestly..."

"Cheer up, look at all the snacks!" the girl chirped as she leaned down to undo all the buckles on her saddle holding her legs tightly to Chiron's sides, pausing to deliver a greeting to all the people in the room. "Hello, I'm Ayako Ayanami, and this is Chiron! We'll be in your care!"

"Greetings," Chiron said in a more subdued manner as he swished his tail and knelt so Ayako could dismount gingerly onto one of the cushioned seats in the room. "It will be good to be working with you all."

"Chiron, leg, help," Ayako whispered, which prompted the centaur to move out from under Ayako while helping her to lift one of her legs over his flank. "Wow, thanks. Wonder why there's no wheelchairs around here."

"Probably for the same reason that we're meeting in a low-budget inn," Chiron muttered back. "But how are you all finding the accommodations?" This was addressed to the other people in the room as the centaur settled on the ground after retrieving some tarts for both himself and Ayako.

Edited by JumpingFruit on Apr 7th 2021 at 9:07:29 AM

Markus

"Cheap, as usual for STRING.", came a voice from the door. In the frame stood a man, with unkempt red hair, an unshaved five 'o clock shadow, wearing some jeans, a red shirt, a black jacket, and shades. The latter which he now took off, as he walked into the room, putting them into his pockets. His cold green eyes scanned the room and everyone in it, before eventually stopping at Ayako. He raised his eyebrows and grunted in disapproval. "Kinder...ist das ihr Ernst?", he mumbled to himself, as he stepped inside. He was carrying a large, black suitcase over his shoulder, which eerily resembled a man-sized coffin and had a mask that was crying and laughing at the same time painted on its back.

Then he spotted Ridsy, the only one in the room he recognized. "Good to see, Ridsy. How long has it been? Six months since Dublin?" He gave her a grim smile. It was good to see at least one familiar face here and Ridsy was, if anything, reliable. When he saw the question on her face, he answered before she had to go to the trouble of asking. "Me? Oh, I was in the area, when I got the call."

He leaned in his chair, looking at the others. "Five Puppeteers, huh? Must be something big this time around..." He had dealt long enough with STRING to know that calling together this many operatives meant something larger than your usual hunt was going down. The question was just....were they chosen specifically, or had STRING gotten desperate?

Edited by TheNohen on Apr 8th 2021 at 2:23:34 PM

Lafayette

Ohhhhh. So that's the centaur. Em wasn't wrong, he was very tall. It was times like this that Laffayette was grateful he couldn't speak, because if he could the intimidation gained from that thing would be obvious.

For now he just eyed the centaur, mentally drawing blanks.

Empathy, on the other hand, was having the time of her life. She didn't get to talk to many people that weren't small, french and very quiet.

Yep. Telepathy. What do you do?

Oh my god, a question! She had progressed in conversation! This never happens!

Ayako Ayanami & Chiron

"Don't worry, sir, I have Chiron here to take care of me," Ayako said gently but firmly to Markus. "And I'm nearly always riding on him when things get heated since I can't move by myself, so I don't really need chaperoning. Right, Chiron?"

"It is...unfortunate that neither Monsters nor the Dollmaker discriminate between adults and children," the centaur said, choosing his words carefully. "Nevertheless, Ayako insists on being useful, and leaving her alone and immobile does not sit well with me, so we most often ride into battle side by side. As for what I can do..."

"I can create four weapons at the moment," Chiron admits, looking back at Lafayette since the smaller Frenchman was looking up at him. "A sword, a shield, a lance, and a bow, of which I can maintain two of at a time. They would not be of much use in the hands of a more humanoid Dolly, but with my superior size and speed, it allows Ayako and I to be more effective together than apart, since she has some skill in archery."

"That is, if we can even get you to fit through doorways," Ayako snickered, laughing even harder at Chiron's exasperated but fond sigh.

Edited by JumpingFruit on Apr 8th 2021 at 1:10:46 AM

Adrian (Time Travel Understander)

"Well, I, uhm...it's kinda complicated." As he said this, he sat up in his chair and turned his whole body to face Lafayette and Empathy. "Basically, I can split the timeline into two concurrent timelines," he said, while making relevant hand gestures, "and then if something goes wrong in one of them I can, uh, drop it."

Then he noticed the three-to-five-depending-on-how-you-count-it other people and silently cursed himself for being that oblivious. Outwardly he was as relaxed as ever. He picked up another donut.

"So what about all you guys?" he said, addressing the group through a mouthful of pastry.

Hotel Meeting Room

Ridsy hummed a little as Markus appeared and after the little speech of acknowledgement just gave a faint nod.

Ah-Mark-us-it-is-good-to-hunt-alon-gsi-de-you-again!

Risdy looked down at the floor and closed her eyes, content to just rest as her Dolly continued speaking for her.

My-doll-Or-ie-us-can-strum-forth-flame-and-sing-sym-pa-thy-from-wi-res.

Meeting Room

The dorm opened with a soft groan from the person behind it. "Sorry I'm late, driving in all that muck yesterday really ended up slowing me down," the man who entered the room might have been a familiar face to those who had worked with String's before. He was rather round and seemed to always have just a bit of sweat on his brow, but despite that he had the sort of kind face that made one easily disarmed. At his side he carried a large metal briefcase that was handcuffed and attached to his arm. When he took a seat at the table the chair under him gave a groan before he finally let out a sigh of relief. Walker 'Saint' Johnson, the U.N. representative that dealt with Puppeteers as a middle man. Known for his good humor and casual air he was one of the easier members for outsiders to work with.

"But I'm sure you aren't interested in my troubles." he undid the cuff around his hand and opened up the briefcase, revealing folders for each of the Puppeteers along with a number of large looking handguns that had their serial numbers filed off quite thoroughly. "The mission String's is offering this time is a hunt and extermination, that means there won't be any extra bounty for live captures or specimens. Rather then a total tally or head count you will each be paid a lump sum when the destruction of the creatures nest is confirmed."

String operations came in a variety of forms, research missions, population control for certain creatures, and of course what was being put forth now, an utter extermination of all creatures within a single area. "The forests next to this town are a popular landmark for out of towners, and while there are well placed campsites with the normal amenities plenty of people dive a bit deeper into the forest, for whatever reason," he took out a handkerchief and dabbed his forehead. "Whether the current population of creatures was awoken by campers or have been there for longer is unknown, but expect the creatures to have a better lay of the land then you going in. Now if you would flip to the third page in the folders provided," he did so as well, revealing a grainy image of the creatures reported to be in the forest.

They were canine in base shape but their fur pattern more closely resembled feline, the color pattern ranging from yellows to black. Their faces were like those of Howler monkeys with very human like eyes of different colors. Finally their tails which were different forms of snakes. "Current working name is Chimera, their size should give you an idea of physical strength, but on top of that they have high speed regeneration, sonic attacks, and venom from their snake tails. Destruction of the brain is as usual the most surefire way to ensure that their healing won't get them back up, but damage of over forty percent of their bodies will result in probably death depending on location of damage. Pistols provided are hollow point and of sufficient caliber to ensure wounds that will keep the injury long enough to be noticed."

He flipped to the next page. "Payment is as usual, half upfront and then once the mission has been completed the other half will be sent to your favored accounts. Any questions?"

Ayako Ayanami & Chiron

"I hope that we are not expected to go on the mission at nighttime," Chiron commented, folding his hands in what counted as his lap. "The lowered visibility and increased sense of paranoia would not bode well for our combat capabilities and as a result, our performance on the job."

"How will we get into the forest?" Ayako interjected. "And will any mode of transportation be provided once we're in the forest? You can't expect everyone to fight those Chimeras on foot, you know. The best way to fight them would be at a distance. Not many of us look like we have Dollies built for melee combat, and I'm not about to let those things get near me while I'm riding Chiron."

Edited by JumpingFruit on Apr 9th 2021 at 10:38:20 AM

Markus

Markus didn't join the rounds of introduction. He wasn't really eager to talk about his Dollies, nor was he sure where this whole thing was going anyway, so for now he stayed silent. One could still talk at length about abilities, skillsets and more, once they knew what they were up against. And speaking of the devil...

Johnson was one of the more pleasant handlers he had so far. Certainly deserved his nickname with a demeanor and patience that would have likely qualified him for the church, would have cared to. He certainly had always stayed cordial with Markus, which was more than the german could say about some of Johnson's colleagues.

The mission was straightforward, which was a bad sign. If STRING didn't want something detained or merely culled, it was considered exceedingly dangerous or too hostile to be of any value. The fact, that they paid a lump sum also meant they had no clue how many monsters were there and were willing to pay bigger than usual, just to be sure. All in all, this sounded very much like a high-risk hunt. And we got at least two newbies with us... Markus threw a subtle look at the girl named Ayako and the mute man. The other one he had heard bits and pieces. Adrian....something?

Point was, they had two unknowns in the party, which didn't make Markus feel very comfortable. He didn't voice his concerns, since that would have been rude, but he threw Johnson a glare, making clear that he didn't appreciate being pulled into a hunt like this without prior warning.

Going over the dossiers of those Chimeras, he finally spoke up. "I assume, we have no information where the nest might be other than that it is deep within the forest, right? Do we have an estimate about their intelligence? Are we talking pack-tactics or humanlike intelligence?", he asked, going over the various notes and witness accounts.

Then Ayako spoke up and Markus looked at her. "I have an SUV, so if necessary I can provide transport to the forest. I expect, we will have to go on foot, once we reach the end of the road, though. Given that these Chimeras attacked only recently, they likely kept off the well-known paths," he answered for Johnson. "But I agree with your Dolly. It would be best if we strike in the daytime. Though, that's for us to plan, not Johnson. He is just here for the briefing. The rest, we will have to do ourselves."

Then he turned back to Johnson. "Still, a good point. What is the timeframe? Any attempts of these Chimera's to expand their territory?"

Edited by TheNohen on Apr 10th 2021 at 7:07:22 PM

Hotel Meeting Briefing

Ridsy took the offered gun, looking a little disdainful as she methodically checked it over. Once she was satisfied at how functional it was she briefly pointed it at her Dolly before holstering it.

No-ques-tions-I-am-ready.

Ridsy flinched, looking away and letting out a humming sigh.

A-day-light-fight-is-good. Flames-in-the-night-would-cause-such-alarm.

Adrian

Initially Adrian wasn't going to ask any questions. But as he went over Johnson's description of the Chimera, something popped out at him.

"Did you say sonic attacks? Can you elaborate on that? How does that work?"

Meeting Room

Walker listened to each of the Puppeteers concerns, looking over his own file booklet before turning his focus back to them. "Time of day doesn't factor in, however due to the trees odds are that you will have low visibility regardless of time of day. I can requisition some funds to pay for high quality torches, thats flashlights to some of you, for the mission. As for entry to the forest the best way would be to enter via the normal campsite, thats another expense that String's is willing to cover. It will at least give you a safe fallback point. As for vehicles we are sadly a bit against the current on that, so to speak," the large man leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "The UN officially doesn't have any real sanctions to act within the boundaries of the United States without above the board approval, and the amount of red tape we would have to cut through in order to properly act is staggering. And unlike when monsters appear in other parts of the world its not so simple to just grease hands and put gear in your hands. So for vehicle support you are free to use the funds provided upon accepting the mission to buy it, but other then that you will be sadly on your own."

His focus slipped over to Markus and his question. "String's has empowered me with the ability to offer a bonus if you are able to neutralize the Chimera within a week, however as this is an extermination mission without us being able to provide the usual satellite tracking, fire zones, or any real armed assistance I'm willing to extend that to two weeks along with coverage for any wounds taken," despite the generous offer it still boiled down to asking them to hunt down an unknown number of enemies without any real support. Then again Walker specialized in making impossible tasks sound worth taking. "There hasn't been any expansion yet, however as with most monsters once they encounter humanity we can assume they will begin to spread out beyond whatever normal zones they may have. If they reach the normal camping areas we are looking as a massacre, at which point things will have evolved past the point of us being able to handle it off book and will have to involve some of String's less...savoury individuals." it was an open secret among Puppeteers that String's had a few crazies contained that they could loose against the worst situations, but either due to personality conflicts or their Dollies not being stable the kept them as last resort cards.

As for the final question posed to him, that at least he had a simple answer for. "It takes a moment for them to charge it, but from whats been reported the scream effects the..." he looked over his notes for a moment and sighed. "Its a lot of technical jargon I'm not really sure of how to put, but essentially it fills you with an intense feeling of vertigo by attacking your inner ear. Ear plugs have so far proven ineffective, through the effect of their scream becomes less as you get further away."

He put his own file back into the briefcase and signed off on the checks, passing them over. There was one or two more zeros then the average mission, especially for the 'before' portion of the two checks they would be getting. "The funds have already been allocated to your choice of accounts, but keep these for tax purposes as usual. Once the mission is complete simply ring into the String hotline and the second half of the payment will be sent once extermination has been confirmed."

Ayako Ayanami & Chiron

"Then..." Ayako began, trailing off while looking at Chiron. An unspoken agreement seemed to pass between Puppeteer and Dolly, and they both nodded before Ayako turned back to face the other and continue. "I believe that Chiron and I are ready for the mission."

"I can carry one extra passenger if need be," Chiron offered, also looking around at all the other Puppeteers. "I have no doubts that my unique frame will expedite covering more ground and scouting over the uneven ground of the forest, and I look forward to working with you all."

Edited by JumpingFruit on Apr 14th 2021 at 1:09:17 AM

Markus

He leaned back, giving out an audible sigh. Were the others aware of what this mission entailed? The girl most likely not. Maybe Ridsy, since she had enough experience to know better. Markus, for his part, knew that this mission was not going to be easy. Unknown numbers of hostiles, no support, difficult terrain, and a very generous payday. It was essentially fancy gift-wrapping over a pile of shit.

Still, there was no doubt he would do it. Markus wasn't one to quit an assignment when given. And STRING, for all their faults, was quite good at judging what kind of level of expertise was needed for any given hunt. If they thought, this group could do it, then it was a decent bet. And then there was the possibility of them having to send the Hounds, as Markus called these Puppeteers of Last Resort, if this squad failed. He had seen their work once and had no desire to get them involved.

"All clear on my end, too," he finally said, after thinking for a few seconds. Then he grabbed his suitcase and stood up. "Now, I recommend we buy a few supplies, a map, and so on. Prepare for nights under the stars, but try to keep it light, if possible."

"We can discuss the details on the ride to the forest, but I would suggest we first get a feel for our enemy. Try to find one of these Chimeras and see how dangerous it is for us. If it's doable, we can try to locate the nest and eliminate it quickly. If they are too strong, though....well, then it's going to be a long hunt."

Hotel Briefing

Ridsy quickly plucked up her check and gave it a glance before putting it in her jacket pocket.

I-may-use-a-ride. I-am-not-a-comba-tant. Or-ie-us-is-my-only-defense.

Ridsy scrunches her eyes shut for a moment and looks aside.

Adrian

Grabbing a pistol, Adrian turned to the other mercenaries. "So what's the plan? Am I gonna be in the front or the back?" he asked. He then added, "My doll can't really fight, so I suggest the back."

hey can i join the rp?