Side Story Champions of the Arena II: The Hunt

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"Wait, shit-- Daniel!!"

Sean squirmed in Chase's grasp for a moment, largely surprised the guy could hold him, considering he didn't seem much older than Sean himself. Sean figured he really should have been used to superpowers at this point. Though, how he was supposed to come to terms with every video game and movie he'd ever seen basically being fucking real, he had no idea.

"You have to be shitting me!"

Out of desperation, Sean had stuck by Chase and had now completely lost Daniel, despite his plan of sticking by his kid brother no matter what. Now all he could do was hope he somehow survive this mess in order to get back to his brother.

@Lucky @Atomic Knight

***

Daniel kept his telepathic barrier up, though he could not stop hands from shaking. He stared at Samus, eyes wide in horror. He barely knew what to make of what she was saying.

"W-What can I do?!"

@Sark @Gummi Bunnies
 
Wr5emtl.jpg


❝ Hm... this was not the kind of reaction I was hoping to see here. Truly a wasteful shame, this one in particular shows no sign of feeling pain... ❞ Purezza grumbled with disappointment, not seeming to be overly concerned that the undead swordsman was leaning forward to take a hefty bite out of her body.

The Witch merely swung her hatchet again with the intention of slicing those grimy arms away from her, the blade grazing at her forehead due to how close the disgusting corpse was to her, blood trickling down her face. But it wasn't her face, it was Rena's. As long as it wasn't the Witch's true body, she could live with getting messy here and there. This blood stained Rena's being, not Purezza's.

Now while it wasn't her biggest concern that the undead she chose to face off again was a snorefest, she was mildly intrigued by how Daniel and the reanimated Samus were doing.

❝ The ending for this is extremely obvious. Surely you can make out the meaning yourself without having to listen to what remains of this person, or do I have to spell it out for you? Then again, this is none of my business by any means. Take that as you will. ❞

@Sark @Atomic Knight
 
With the blood of the Tengu within him, Yashamaru held a connection with animals stronger than most ordinary humans did. Even if there was metal in place of fur, even if oil served as blood...Prototype was an animal, and more than that a companion. In a situation like this where every minute could be your last, emotions run high and attachments are made in a fraction of the usual time. He'd been connected to Gen, and lost him. He'd been connected to Prototype, and lost him too. What was next? Sean? Daniel? Himself? Could anyone be saved? What if he couldn't save Ouka, or Charlotte, and they became another notch on Tormo's scoreboard?

He had to try. Prototype gave his life for this. And he'd be damned if he didn't let his companion down.

Ouka was off running, and Yashamaru followed his lead. He'd get back to the Diaz boys once he knew these two were safe. Hopefully he could reach them before that...abomination did. If he failed the brothers now, after all they'd been through...he'd never forgive himself.
Being swept off his feet, he didn't have time to protest before everything became a blur of protest. The sound of glass shattering and everything jolting to a stop was the only thing he had as a warning before he grew tense as his senses told him danger was near, a threat was coming towards them. Before he could respond to the flight or fight instinct that started to come over him, he found himself swept off his feet again by Prototype.

"Huh?" Ouka blinked as he was set down onto the rooftop after Prototype placed him there. Squinting to get a look at the Hunter's fighting in the distance, he knew that he couldn't get involved in it in his currently bruised and battered state. Besides, the ride itself looked unstable. With that, he turned and headed for the hotel from the rooftops. He was lucky enough his magic stopped the bleeding, even if he could see an infection had settled in, spots appearing on his shoulder.

Jaw clenched, he kept his senses on high alert despite the ache that settled through him.

He needed to get back home to Haijima-Sensei and Shou.

He was sure she'd be sad if he died. He didn't want to make her cry or be scared anymore.

He wanted her to smile.

He wanted her to smile because he made her feel like smiling instead of crying. Because he loved her.

That's what people who were in love did, wasn't it? She wouldn't smile if he died, so he'd just have to find a way to get back to her. First, he had to see if this Arcade would heal him.
DISTRICT B STREETS--> COMPENDIUM HOTEL
His prey turned and ran, but the Final Hunter didn't stop. It couldn't stop. It was inevitability. It was Nemesis. It finished toying with Blade Wolf and crushed its corpse underfoot. It marched forth like a titan. It started off slow. Its footsteps pounded out a slow, rhythmic tempo. But soon that tempo changed. Nemesis was picking up speed. It started to sprint. It started to hunt. A long, meaty tentacle ruptured froth from its wrist. Snaking forth like a sentient whip, the Final Hunter's newest appendage lunged towards Yashamaru.
The Blade of another Hunter severed its before it could nestle itself in its target's spine.
0df9678a4aa7b4f1268cb795df31cd2ff0ca98d5.gifv

"HUUNNNTTEEEERRSS!" Nemesis snarled in frustration, recalling its tentacle. "HHUUNNNTTEEEDDDD!"
"What's wrong, Meaty?" A blood-soaked maniac chuckled. "Expecting someone else?"
Jetstream Sam flicked the creature's blood from his high-frequency blade. He rested his weapon upon his shoulder and taunted the beast with a smile.
"How many Hunters have you killed, pal? Let's compare scores. I've got two kills to my name. I'm betting you've got a few more. Good for you. Bet they weren't as tough and ugly as mine were though. Sure, killing zombies is a challenge, but a guy who can fuck around with time? He's gotta be worth double points, right?"

HIT HAS BEEN ELIMINATED!
FATE: IMPALED BY THE FUNFAIR MANIAC'S HIGH-FREQUENCY BLADE!

BOUNTY ADDED! CURRENT BALANCE: 2,011,000

THE LARGE HEADED HUNTER HAS BEEN ELIMINATED!
FATE: BISECTED BY THE FUNFAIR MANIAC'S HIGH-FREQUENCY BLADE!

BOUNTY ADDED! CURRENT BALANCE: 6,011,000

"It's survival of the fittest out here, Mr.Hunter, and I think I'm the fittest one around. Normally? I'd let you killed these cripples and take you on when you're not so... distracted. But you've caught me on a bad day..."
jTY0d9H.gif

A metallic mouth-guard snapped over Sam's jaw.
"Well, that and you just killed my fucking dog." He tipped his sword towards his foe. "So I'm not feeling too friendly. Still. Let's see if you've earned your place on the leaderboard, Amiga."

INSANITY SCORE CHANGE
Jetstream Sam
0 [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] 10
SAVED FROM INSANITY!
JETSTREAM SAM IS NO LONGER A MANIAC

Ignoring Yash, Bad Girl and Ouka, Sam sprinted towards Nemesis, in inadvertently buying his fellow Hunted some time...
With the blood of the Tengu within him, Yashamaru held a connection with animals stronger than most ordinary humans did. Even if there was metal in place of fur, even if oil served as blood...Prototype was an animal, and more than that a companion. In a situation like this where every minute could be your last, emotions run high and attachments are made in a fraction of the usual time. He'd been connected to Gen, and lost him. He'd been connected to Prototype, and lost him too. What was next? Sean? Daniel? Himself? Could anyone be saved? What if he couldn't save Ouka, or Charlotte, and they became another notch on Tormo's scoreboard?

He had to try. Prototype gave his life for this. And he'd be damned if he didn't let his companion down.

Ouka was off running, and Yashamaru followed his lead. He'd get back to the Diaz boys once he knew these two were safe. Hopefully he could reach them before that...abomination did. If he failed the brothers now, after all they'd been through...he'd never forgive himself.
Being swept off his feet, he didn't have time to protest before everything became a blur of protest. The sound of glass shattering and everything jolting to a stop was the only thing he had as a warning before he grew tense as his senses told him danger was near, a threat was coming towards them. Before he could respond to the flight or fight instinct that started to come over him, he found himself swept off his feet again by Prototype.

"Huh?" Ouka blinked as he was set down onto the rooftop after Prototype placed him there. Squinting to get a look at the Hunter's fighting in the distance, he knew that he couldn't get involved in it in his currently bruised and battered state. Besides, the ride itself looked unstable. With that, he turned and headed for the hotel from the rooftops. He was lucky enough his magic stopped the bleeding, even if he could see an infection had settled in, spots appearing on his shoulder.

Jaw clenched, he kept his senses on high alert despite the ache that settled through him.

He needed to get back home to Haijima-Sensei and Shou.

He was sure she'd be sad if he died. He didn't want to make her cry or be scared anymore.

He wanted her to smile.

He wanted her to smile because he made her feel like smiling instead of crying. Because he loved her.

That's what people who were in love did, wasn't it? She wouldn't smile if he died, so he'd just have to find a way to get back to her. First, he had to see if this Arcade would heal him.
COMPENDIUM HOTEL
The Hotel was just a block away.
You were almost there.
Almost there.
It was just a breathe away.
Just around the corne---
View attachment 7871
Zombies.
Enough to fill a fallen skyscraper.
The staggering, shambling horde blocked your path. Slowly, the crowd started to shuffle towards you, moving like a stinking, grey wave.
The Hotel itself had finally come into view. The lobby's glass windows and doors were completely enclosed by silver shutters. Nothing was coming in or out of the Compendium with out its new manager's express approval.
The man himself sat upon a second-story window ledge, his legs swinging over the edge.
"Look what we have here!" Arcade shouted over the moaning horde. "Tormo's Legally Distinct, Dollar-Store-Edition Champions of the Arena!"
View attachment 7873
"It's good to see you, my empty handed, sadly-still-living friends!"
He gestured with his third bottle of Champaign. The Madman was drunker than a footy hooligan at the World Cup.
"Come to beg for my help again, no doubt! Well, you can all kindly fuck off! I clearly have my own problems! Besides, I'm starting to think that you pricks only love me for my demon magic and not for my black, black heart!"
From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Ouka.
"Ah! Look at that! A Champion who hasn't let me down! Jump from your roof to my window, friend, and we'll share a bottle of something stolen and expensive whilst the world comes tumbling town!"

Less than 1 minute until Bad Girl Succumbs to Frost's Poison

@Yun Lee @Jeremi @Takumi
Daniel kept his telepathic barrier up, though he could not stop hands from shaking. He stared at Samus, eyes wide in horror. He barely knew what to make of what she was saying.

"W-What can I do?!"
DISTRICT B STREETS
"The Hotel..." Aran spluttered through her tears. "Take me to... take me to the Hotel... please... Help me stand... I don't want to... I don't want to die here, Daniel... please..." She raised her trembling hands towards his. "If Arcade promised Chuck that he could save his daughter... maybe he can save me... maybe... please..."

❝ The ending for this is extremely obvious. Surely you can make out the meaning yourself without having to listen to what remains of this person, or do I have to spell it out for you? Then again, this is none of my business by any means. Take that as you will. ❞

@Sark @Atomic Knight
The shambling creature fell to Rena's blade, bleeding and weak. But it was just one of many. Faces emerged from the alleys. Dark, twisted face, stripped of their human features and feelings. Twitching and flinching, the slack-jaws undead slowly made their way towards the living. One zombie had fallen swiftly to Purezza's weapon... but half a district's worth? Now that was another story...

@Atomic Knight @Gummi Bunnies
Chase Davenport

Goddamn it, now was a bad time for his forcefield to wear off. Like a real bad time. " So, how do you feel about flying?" He asked Sean, not really waiting for an answer before grabbing Sean close and starting to levitate off the ground and above the zombies. He knew how dangerous it was to be doing this.....especially since lowering the shield wasn't an option.... but he just had to hope he didn't faint before they escaped.
RESTAURANT: SECOND FLOOR
Rising above the horde had brought Chase and Sean a couple of minutes, tops.
The Restaurant's second floor lacked any large windows. The only way conventional way out was the staircase they had entered. A poorly lit, barred fire escape sat in the corner of the room. A chain bound its town handles together. Even if Chase and Daniel could get back the chain, they would still have to fight their way through the horde of zombies that stood between them and freedom. The strain of using his powers was starting to kick in. It was only a matter of time before Chase's powers failed him. The pair were running out of options.

It was time to make a choice, before the Undead Chefs added them to the Restaurant's menu...

@Atomic Knight @Lucky
Before she realized she was a beast, Marianne had been fascinated by them. Monsters, creatures...to a child, the very things that scared you drew you in, made you learn all you could about them in the daylight so you could have grotesque nightmares when darkness fell. In the Edmund estate was a library filled with all kinds of books, and Marianne had enjoyed sneaking a few of the 'older children' ones out, back when she had nothing to fear. One in particular chilled her to the bone: a story of bodies reanimated by arcane magic after their souls had left this world, no desires other than the blood of the living. Risen, they were called. And Marianne had never been more grateful that of all the misfortunes in Fódlan, Risen were not one of them.

But seeing the corpse at this man's feet, Marianne's eyes widened, and instinctively she raised her hand, back on the battlefields once more. A beast is meant for thoughtless slaughter, after all. "Watch out!" That was the only warning Jyuto got before she sant an offensive bolt of Light Magic at the corpse. Nothing that would give her healing, though. The life energy of the undead had to be tainted in some horrible way.

@Sark @Casino
CASINO
Marianne's magical blast sent the undead soldier hurtling back into the armored car. The force of the sudden blow was enough to shattered car's windows, spraying Rabbit with a wave of blood and shattered glass.
"And there I was thinking that there was nothing left on this world that could surprise me..." Jyuto smiled, removing his arms from his face. "I've eaten fried tarantulas, sung for my life and battled some of the maddest MCs on the planet, but magic? Now that's enough to blow even me away... Fuck..."
Before Jyuto could ask for a better explanation as to how Marianne had performed such a miraculous feat, his attention was stolen away by the sounds of distant screaming. The once stubborn survivors were now running for their lives. Discarded credits littered the streets. Flicks of blood littered the streets.
"I don't know what the fuck is happening out there... but whatever it is, we can't do any good from back here. Corrupt or not, a cop's a cop, and these people need the strong arm of the law to keep them safe." Without missing a beat, 45 Rabbit took a knee at the base of the armored car. "I'll give you a boost over the car. You can give me a hand once you're on top. Consider yourself deputized. Welcome to the YCPD. You're going to help me to get to the bottom of this..."

@Yun Lee

Narancia totally didn’t feel like following the dictator’s brother, but he did anyways.

It’ll be one step closer to putting these tyrants out for good.
" Well, I guess sticking together has worked so far, so we might as well keep it up."
"There really is no good in this city is there?" Eight Hearts replied with a heavy sigh with those that ended up in District B. "When Hell itself is the more amicable place then you probably need to start questioning your priorities." He started to solemnly follow Mr.HC. "I'll stalk you like the pointless ghost I feel like..."
Chise winced as the bridge started to come down, and once they were across the thought occured to her that Juri might have stayed behind in District C to return to the King of Beggars. She seemed to like him quite a bit, anyway.

"It's just one thing after another." Chise grumbled with a sigh. She, personally, didn't like the sound of trying to double cross both the Mayor or the King of Beggars like this, though the general thought of double crossing anyone didn't really sit right with her regardless. They only had so much they could do in this situation, unfortunately unless an alternative to their limited options presented itself, well it's what they had so far.
DISTRICT B STREETS--> DISTRICT B PROPAGANDA ADVERTISING TOWER
"Believe me, Skully..." Mr.HC sighed as the advertising tower came into view. "There's not much good left in the whole damn multiverse..."
View attachment 7876
The tower's searchlights scarred the sky. The surrounding streets had been completely militarized. White clad solders stood on every street corner, ready to herd the volunteers towards the Tower's lobby. Large, 4 legged War Machines sat waiting at the Tower's base, watching like silent sentries as the Mayor completed her final checks. There was a quiet tension hanging in the air. War was coming to Prudence. You could feel it in your bones.
A check point stood between the Champions and their chosen destination. Two soldiers stood in their way. Each was armed with a high caliber laser magnum and a hand scanner with facial-recognition capabilities. Hundreds of volunteers were being welcomed into the tower, but for every 10 souls that the city accepted, 1 was turned away for having a known criminal past.
"If we just walk up to the tower, we're going to set off a couple of alarms. With my less than legal profession and your 'terrorist' status, we can't just expect the state to welcome us in with open arms. We're going to have to think of a plan. How do you guys want to handle this? Threats of violence? Disguises? Or maybe some well placed honestly might grease the wheels a little? Up you guys. Try not to get us all killed."

@Takumi @Jeremi @Ottonomous Ghost @Lucky @Capri
 
"I'm already indebted to you," Yashamaru yelled. "You haven't collected on that favor yet, have you? Why not get me to do something worse for you while you're at it? Yashamaru wouldn't waste any time scaling up the hotel's wall, Charlotte in tow. "She's dying. They both are. Whatever problems you have, I'll take care of them. The more people we keep alive, the more on our side to deal with Tormo." The thief tried to think up whatever he could to save Charlotte as time was running out for her. "Wouldn't that be nice, Arcade? You came back from the dead, saved the lives of those who will be more than happy to destroy Tormo? Prudence will hail you as a hero for stopping his game. You'll find fame and fortune at every turn. But you won't get that just by sitting here as everything around you falls apart!"

@Sark @Jeremi @Lucky

---

Oh, how Marianne wished she could refuse and run away. But she couldn't, could she? One good deed and now this poor man had faith in her. She was going to let him down, too. Just like Kruber. Just like Haytham. Already she whispered a silent prayer for this man's soul as she did what was asked, getting up onto the car and offering Jyuto her hand. Oh Goddess, please grant him mercy...he knows not what I will do.

@Sark
 


DISTRICT B STREETS--> COMPENDIUM HOTEL
His prey turned and ran, but the Final Hunter didn't stop. It couldn't stop. It was inevitability. It was Nemesis. It finished toying with Blade Wolf and crushed its corpse underfoot. It marched forth like a titan. It started off slow. Its footsteps pounded out a slow, rhythmic tempo. But soon that tempo changed. Nemesis was picking up speed. It started to sprint. It started to hunt. A long, meaty tentacle ruptured froth from its wrist. Snaking forth like a sentient whip, the Final Hunter's newest appendage lunged towards Yashamaru.
The Blade of another Hunter severed its before it could nestle itself in its target's spine.
0df9678a4aa7b4f1268cb795df31cd2ff0ca98d5.gifv

"HUUNNNTTEEEERRSS!" Nemesis snarled in frustration, recalling its tentacle. "HHUUNNNTTEEEDDDD!"
"What's wrong, Meaty?" A blood-soaked maniac chuckled. "Expecting someone else?"
Jetstream Sam flicked the creature's blood from his high-frequency blade. He rested his weapon upon his shoulder and taunted the beast with a smile.
"How many Hunters have you killed, pal? Let's compare scores. I've got two kills to my name. I'm betting you've got a few more. Good for you. Bet they weren't as tough and ugly as mine were though. Sure, killing zombies is a challenge, but a guy who can fuck around with time? He's gotta be worth double points, right?"

HIT HAS BEEN ELIMINATED!
FATE: IMPALED BY THE FUNFAIR MANIAC'S HIGH-FREQUENCY BLADE!

BOUNTY ADDED! CURRENT BALANCE: 2,011,000

THE LARGE HEADED HUNTER HAS BEEN ELIMINATED!
FATE: BISECTED BY THE FUNFAIR MANIAC'S HIGH-FREQUENCY BLADE!

BOUNTY ADDED! CURRENT BALANCE: 6,011,000

"It's survival of the fittest out here, Mr.Hunter, and I think I'm the fittest one around. Normally? I'd let you killed these cripples and take you on when you're not so... distracted. But you've caught me on a bad day..."
jTY0d9H.gif

A metallic mouth-guard snapped over Sam's jaw.
"Well, that and you just killed my fucking dog." He tipped his sword towards his foe. "So I'm not feeling too friendly. Still. Let's see if you've earned your place on the leaderboard, Amiga."

INSANITY SCORE CHANGE
Jetstream Sam
0 [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] 10
SAVED FROM INSANITY!
JETSTREAM SAM IS NO LONGER A MANIAC

Ignoring Yash, Bad Girl and Ouka, Sam sprinted towards Nemesis, in inadvertently buying his fellow Hunted some time...


COMPENDIUM HOTEL
The Hotel was just a block away.
You were almost there.
Almost there.
It was just a breathe away.
Just around the corne---
View attachment 7871
Zombies.
Enough to fill a fallen skyscraper.
The staggering, shambling horde blocked your path. Slowly, the crowd started to shuffle towards you, moving like a stinking, grey wave.
The Hotel itself had finally come into view. The lobby's glass windows and doors were completely enclosed by silver shutters. Nothing was coming in or out of the Compendium with out its new manager's express approval.
The man himself sat upon a second-story window ledge, his legs swinging over the edge.
"Look what we have here!" Arcade shouted over the moaning horde. "Tormo's Legally Distinct, Dollar-Store-Edition Champions of the Arena!"
View attachment 7873
"It's good to see you, my empty handed, sadly-still-living friends!"
He gestured with his third bottle of Champaign. The Madman was drunker than a footy hooligan at the World Cup.
"Come to beg for my help again, no doubt! Well, you can all kindly fuck off! I clearly have my own problems! Besides, I'm starting to think that you pricks only love me for my demon magic and not for my black, black heart!"
From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Ouka.
"Ah! Look at that! A Champion who hasn't let me down! Jump from your roof to my window, friend, and we'll share a bottle of something stolen and expensive whilst the world comes tumbling town!"

Less than 1 minute until Bad Girl Succumbs to Frost's Poison

@Yun Lee @Jeremi @Takumi

DISTRICT B STREETS
"The Hotel..." Aran spluttered through her tears. "Take me to... take me to the Hotel... please... Help me stand... I don't want to... I don't want to die here, Daniel... please..." She raised her trembling hands towards his. "If Arcade promised Chuck that he could save his daughter... maybe he can save me... maybe... please..."


The shambling creature fell to Rena's blade, bleeding and weak. But it was just one of many. Faces emerged from the alleys. Dark, twisted face, stripped of their human features and feelings. Twitching and flinching, the slack-jaws undead slowly made their way towards the living. One zombie had fallen swiftly to Purezza's weapon... but half a district's worth? Now that was another story...

@Atomic Knight @Gummi Bunnies

RESTAURANT: SECOND FLOOR
Rising above the horde had brought Chase and Sean a couple of minutes, tops.
The Restaurant's second floor lacked any large windows. The only way conventional way out was the staircase they had entered. A poorly lit, barred fire escape sat in the corner of the room. A chain bound its town handles together. Even if Chase and Daniel could get back the chain, they would still have to fight their way through the horde of zombies that stood between them and freedom. The strain of using his powers was starting to kick in. It was only a matter of time before Chase's powers failed him. The pair were running out of options.

It was time to make a choice, before the Undead Chefs added them to the Restaurant's menu...

@Atomic Knight @Lucky

CASINO
Marianne's magical blast sent the undead soldier hurtling back into the armored car. The force of the sudden blow was enough to shattered car's windows, spraying Rabbit with a wave of blood and shattered glass.
"And there I was thinking that there was nothing left on this world that could surprise me..." Jyuto smiled, removing his arms from his face. "I've eaten fried tarantulas, sung for my life and battled some of the maddest MCs on the planet, but magic? Now that's enough to blow even me away... Fuck..."
Before Jyuto could ask for a better explanation as to how Marianne had performed such a miraculous feat, his attention was stolen away by the sounds of distant screaming. The once stubborn survivors were now running for their lives. Discarded credits littered the streets. Flicks of blood littered the streets.
"I don't know what the fuck is happening out there... but whatever it is, we can't do any good from back here. Corrupt or not, a cop's a cop, and these people need the strong arm of the law to keep them safe." Without missing a beat, 45 Rabbit took a knee at the base of the armored car. "I'll give you a boost over the car. You can give me a hand once you're on top. Consider yourself deputized. Welcome to the YCPD. You're going to help me to get to the bottom of this..."

@Yun Lee





DISTRICT B STREETS--> DISTRICT B PROPAGANDA ADVERTISING TOWER
"Believe me, Skully..." Mr.HC sighed as the advertising tower came into view. "There's not much good left in the whole damn multiverse..."
View attachment 7876
The tower's searchlights scarred the sky. The surrounding streets had been completely militarized. White clad solders stood on every street corner, ready to herd the volunteers towards the Tower's lobby. Large, 4 legged War Machines sat waiting at the Tower's base, watching like silent sentries as the Mayor completed her final checks. There was a quiet tension hanging in the air. War was coming to Prudence. You could feel it in your bones.
A check point stood between the Champions and their chosen destination. Two soldiers stood in their way. Each was armed with a high caliber laser magnum and a hand scanner with facial-recognition capabilities. Hundreds of volunteers were being welcomed into the tower, but for every 10 souls that the city accepted, 1 was turned away for having a known criminal past.
"If we just walk up to the tower, we're going to set off a couple of alarms. With my less than legal profession and your 'terrorist' status, we can't just expect the state to welcome us in with open arms. We're going to have to think of a plan. How do you guys want to handle this? Threats of violence? Disguises? Or maybe some well placed honestly might grease the wheels a little? Up you guys. Try not to get us all killed."

@Takumi @Jeremi @Ottonomous Ghost @Lucky @Capri

God...his ginger ass was so fucking gross. Bad Girl didn't have much left. She felt that to her very core, but there was no fucking way she was going to beg for her life from...this guy. He had such a massive L on his forehead Bad Girl expected a bully to come around and dunk him in a toilet at any moment. "Besides," She added to Yashamru's pleading. "You need someone photogenic by your side when you get into the paper. And brother," She was cut, bruised, her outfit was almost in tatters and there was a lot of red all over. She smiled. "I make this shit look good."

@Yun Lee @Jeremi @Takumi @Sark




Eight Hearts didn't reply. What was there to say to someone like that? Instead, he followed on in silence until they reached the checkpoint. "Well, honesty has been the best policy." He looked around. Good, no one here looked stupid enough to- oh. His eyes stopped on Rhaast. "Let me rephrase. If everyone here believes honesty is the best policy then perhaps we can get through without incident."


@Takumi @Jeremi @Ottonomous Ghost @Lucky @Capri
 
NARANCIA GHIRGA
@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Ottonomous Ghost @Lucky

“Ah, didn’t ya hear the broadcast by that white-haired bitch?”
Narancia said, his words dripping with venom, “That broad labelled us terrorists. Didja really think that she’s stupid enough to believe the words of wanted criminals? I’d say some disguises might do,”
 
Chase Davenport

" I know this is the worst of the two options, but I think going for that fire escape might help, but I can't use three powers at once. Doing two is stressful enough about me.... so as soon as we get close, I'm going to need you to stand back, because I'm going to lower the shield and use my laser Bo to slash those chains open."
He would proceed to do as he said.

@Sark @Atomic Knight

Allison Argent

" I mean, yeah disguises are better. We need to keep our cash if we want to make it out alive, so disguises work for me.

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Ottonomous Ghost @Capri
 
"Jesus christ-- Okay, whatever you say!"

Sean followed Chase quickly, having just about no other choice but to. He tried to do as the guy asked and not disturb whatever he planned to do. It sounded completely insane, but really, just about all of this was insane.

@Lucky @Atomic Knight

***

Daniel shot Purezza a look of confusion. Distantly, it occurred to him he didn't really like the way she talked. He at least understood what she was saying though. He wanted to agree, however it was hard to ignore Samus' pleas.

"I, uhh--"

Daniel shook his head. He retracted his barrier, shifting the telepathic energy to be a sort of crutch to hold Samus up. He was not entirely used to using his power in this way, nor had he ever kept up something so specific for really long lengths of time, but considering this allowed him to subdue Samus whenever, he would try and hold her up using only his power for as long as possible.

... If he could save Samus, or really anyone, Daniel had to go for it!

He looked in the direction Sean had gone and figured his brother would be fine under the protection of that other guy, at least until Daniel could return. His eyes then wandered toward the other undead in the area. Real zombies were scary... like, really, really scary, but Daniel knew he was stronger than zombies.

"Where's the hotel?" he asked. "We have to hurry!"

@Sark @Gummi Bunnies
 
"I'm already indebted to you," Yashamaru yelled. "You haven't collected on that favor yet, have you? Why not get me to do something worse for you while you're at it? Yashamaru wouldn't waste any time scaling up the hotel's wall, Charlotte in tow. "She's dying. They both are. Whatever problems you have, I'll take care of them. The more people we keep alive, the more on our side to deal with Tormo." The thief tried to think up whatever he could to save Charlotte as time was running out for her. "Wouldn't that be nice, Arcade? You came back from the dead, saved the lives of those who will be more than happy to destroy Tormo? Prudence will hail you as a hero for stopping his game. You'll find fame and fortune at every turn. But you won't get that just by sitting here as everything around you falls apart!"
COMPENDIUM HOTEL
"Ooooohh a double debt? Tempting..." Arcade teased, his face contorting into a sneer. "Just think of all the horrible things I could make you do! Oh... I can see it now..."
Arcade reached down beside his windowsill and tossed an long stretch of rope down towards the streets.
View attachment 7897
"The Hero of Prudence is offering you a second chance... don't waste it."
God...his ginger ass was so fucking gross. Bad Girl didn't have much left. She felt that to her very core, but there was no fucking way she was going to beg for her life from...this guy. He had such a massive L on his forehead Bad Girl expected a bully to come around and dunk him in a toilet at any moment. "Besides," She added to Yashamru's pleading. "You need someone photogenic by your side when you get into the paper. And brother," She was cut, bruised, her outfit was almost in tatters and there was a lot of red all over. She smiled. "I make this shit look good."
"That you do!" Arcade chuckled, dragging the pair up onto the second floor. "And how is my favorite invalid holding up, huh?"
The two champions rolled through the window and struck the carpet with aloud thump.

The Hotel Room was in a state of disarray. Its wallpaper was tattered and torn. Blood was splatted across the wall. Its crumbled furniture was piled up by the door to form a damn, bloody barricade.
"Welcome to my humble abode..." The Madman smiled, surveying Charlotte's condition. "Ah... discolored skin... inflamed veins... sweating profusely... Yup. You're fucked alright." He picked up another bottle of champagne from his dresser and passed it around. "Well... you're fucked unless..."

"Ya see, you've missed your chance at saving your contact at the amusement part. Taking a detour to the Mall and playing reindeer games with Nemesis tends to waste precious time. You're running out of options. You're a couple of million credits behind the game' leaders. You're approaching the final day. If you guys want to walk away from this, you're going to do everything I say. Tell me."

"How good are you guys at killing Zombies?"


@Jeremi @Takumi @Yun Lee
Eight Hearts didn't reply. What was there to say to someone like that? Instead, he followed on in silence until they reached the checkpoint. "Well, honesty has been the best policy." He looked around. Good, no one here looked stupid enough to- oh. His eyes stopped on Rhaast. "Let me rephrase. If everyone here believes honesty is the best policy then perhaps we can get through without incident."
“Ah, didn’t ya hear the broadcast by that white-haired bitch?” Narancia said, his words dripping with venom, “That broad labelled us terrorists. Didja really think that she’s stupid enough to believe the words of wanted criminals? I’d say some disguises might do,”
" I mean, yeah disguises are better. We need to keep our cash if we want to make it out alive, so disguises work for me.
PROPAGANDA TOWER
"This isn't Kansas, Americans."
Samatoki smirked. "This is Planet Prudence. The bar here is real low. Half the people on this block have been accused of some mad shit. Hell, some of them have done mad shit on my orders. Some of those guys went on to be employed by the state. The rules here are different. It's not like they're gonna shoot us on sight or anything. A silver tongue can carry you further than you think. Besides. There are two guards. You could try both strategies, if you want. One group can try playing-nice. The other group can mess up their hair and try up some fake names or some shit. Up to you Chucklefucks. I ain't your boss."

@Jeremi @Ottonomous Ghost @Takumi @Capri @Lucky
... If he could save Samus, or really anyone, Daniel had to go for it!

He looked in the direction Sean had gone and figured his brother would be fine under the protection of that other guy, at least until Daniel could return. His eyes then wandered toward the other undead in the area. Real zombies were scary... like, really, really scary, but Daniel knew he was stronger than zombies.

"Where's the hotel?" he asked. "We have to hurry!"
DISTRICT B STREETS--> HOTEL
Samus raised a trembling hand towards the Hotel.
"A few blocks... that way... follow the others... Please..."
She lacked the strength to say anything else. Her arms went limp as she slowly faded from consciousness.
By the looks of things, she was running out of time...
***
The road before the Hotel was packed with zombies, just as it had been when Charlotte, Yash and Ouka had arrive a few minutes prior. The drooling creatures were mindlessly throwing themselves against the Hotel's shutters in a futile effort to break into the building. The tower was completely boarded up, save for a single, open window on the second floor. There was no rope for Daniel to climb-- Arcade had already retreated inside to broker his deal.
If Daniel wanted to get into the hotel, he would either have to try calling out for help, or using his powers some more. Samus wouldn't last long enough for him to hesitate.

@Atomic Knight @Takumi @Jeremi @Yun Lee
Chase Davenport
" I know this is the worst of the two options, but I think going for that fire escape might help, but I can't use three powers at once. Doing two is stressful enough about me.... so as soon as we get close, I'm going to need you to stand back, because I'm going to lower the shield and use my laser Bo to slash those chains open."
He would proceed to do as he said.
"Jesus christ-- Okay, whatever you say!"

Sean followed Chase quickly, having just about no other choice but to. He tried to do as the guy asked and not disturb whatever he planned to do. It sounded completely insane, but really, just about all of this was insane.
RESTAURANT: SECOND FLOOR--> FIRE ESCAPE
The lock snapped free of the fire exit. The doors swung wide. The scent of clean, fresh air- as fresh as the air could be in a city like Prudence, at least- washed over them for a moment or two.
But that moment didn't last.
A great, rotten hand came crashing down before the two Champions, blocking their path.
Two tattered wings- no longer capable of supporting flight- descended upon the fire escape.
A pair of great, stinking jaws screamed a wave of saliva over Chase and Sean.
View attachment 7899
"LOOOONNNGGG TIIIMMMMEEE NOOOOO SEEEEEE!!!"
Ridley sniffed deeply, taking in as much as the pair's scent as he could.
"TTWWWOOO LIVVVVEEE ONNESSS... I SMELLL TTWWWOOO FRRESSSHHH ONNNESSSS!"
He ran his jagged tongue- now riddled with holes- across his cracked teeth. He slowly lowered his head down towards the pair, his credits collar still flickering and flashing.
"TTWWWOOOO MOOORREEE FOR MEEEEE"
The pair were trapped between an undead rock and a very hard place...

@Lucky @Atomic Knight
 


DISTRICT B STREETS--> COMPENDIUM HOTEL
His prey turned and ran, but the Final Hunter didn't stop. It couldn't stop. It was inevitability. It was Nemesis. It finished toying with Blade Wolf and crushed its corpse underfoot. It marched forth like a titan. It started off slow. Its footsteps pounded out a slow, rhythmic tempo. But soon that tempo changed. Nemesis was picking up speed. It started to sprint. It started to hunt. A long, meaty tentacle ruptured froth from its wrist. Snaking forth like a sentient whip, the Final Hunter's newest appendage lunged towards Yashamaru.
The Blade of another Hunter severed its before it could nestle itself in its target's spine.
0df9678a4aa7b4f1268cb795df31cd2ff0ca98d5.gifv

"HUUNNNTTEEEERRSS!" Nemesis snarled in frustration, recalling its tentacle. "HHUUNNNTTEEEDDDD!"
"What's wrong, Meaty?" A blood-soaked maniac chuckled. "Expecting someone else?"
Jetstream Sam flicked the creature's blood from his high-frequency blade. He rested his weapon upon his shoulder and taunted the beast with a smile.
"How many Hunters have you killed, pal? Let's compare scores. I've got two kills to my name. I'm betting you've got a few more. Good for you. Bet they weren't as tough and ugly as mine were though. Sure, killing zombies is a challenge, but a guy who can fuck around with time? He's gotta be worth double points, right?"

HIT HAS BEEN ELIMINATED!
FATE: IMPALED BY THE FUNFAIR MANIAC'S HIGH-FREQUENCY BLADE!

BOUNTY ADDED! CURRENT BALANCE: 2,011,000

THE LARGE HEADED HUNTER HAS BEEN ELIMINATED!
FATE: BISECTED BY THE FUNFAIR MANIAC'S HIGH-FREQUENCY BLADE!

BOUNTY ADDED! CURRENT BALANCE: 6,011,000

"It's survival of the fittest out here, Mr.Hunter, and I think I'm the fittest one around. Normally? I'd let you killed these cripples and take you on when you're not so... distracted. But you've caught me on a bad day..."
jTY0d9H.gif

A metallic mouth-guard snapped over Sam's jaw.
"Well, that and you just killed my fucking dog." He tipped his sword towards his foe. "So I'm not feeling too friendly. Still. Let's see if you've earned your place on the leaderboard, Amiga."

INSANITY SCORE CHANGE
Jetstream Sam
0 [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] 10
SAVED FROM INSANITY!
JETSTREAM SAM IS NO LONGER A MANIAC

Ignoring Yash, Bad Girl and Ouka, Sam sprinted towards Nemesis, in inadvertently buying his fellow Hunted some time...


COMPENDIUM HOTEL
The Hotel was just a block away.
You were almost there.
Almost there.
It was just a breathe away.
Just around the corne---
View attachment 7871
Zombies.
Enough to fill a fallen skyscraper.
The staggering, shambling horde blocked your path. Slowly, the crowd started to shuffle towards you, moving like a stinking, grey wave.
The Hotel itself had finally come into view. The lobby's glass windows and doors were completely enclosed by silver shutters. Nothing was coming in or out of the Compendium with out its new manager's express approval.
The man himself sat upon a second-story window ledge, his legs swinging over the edge.
"Look what we have here!" Arcade shouted over the moaning horde. "Tormo's Legally Distinct, Dollar-Store-Edition Champions of the Arena!"
View attachment 7873
"It's good to see you, my empty handed, sadly-still-living friends!"
He gestured with his third bottle of Champaign. The Madman was drunker than a footy hooligan at the World Cup.
"Come to beg for my help again, no doubt! Well, you can all kindly fuck off! I clearly have my own problems! Besides, I'm starting to think that you pricks only love me for my demon magic and not for my black, black heart!"
From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Ouka.
"Ah! Look at that! A Champion who hasn't let me down! Jump from your roof to my window, friend, and we'll share a bottle of something stolen and expensive whilst the world comes tumbling town!"

Less than 1 minute until Bad Girl Succumbs to Frost's Poison

@Yun Lee @Jeremi @Takumi

DISTRICT B STREETS
"The Hotel..." Aran spluttered through her tears. "Take me to... take me to the Hotel... please... Help me stand... I don't want to... I don't want to die here, Daniel... please..." She raised her trembling hands towards his. "If Arcade promised Chuck that he could save his daughter... maybe he can save me... maybe... please..."


The shambling creature fell to Rena's blade, bleeding and weak. But it was just one of many. Faces emerged from the alleys. Dark, twisted face, stripped of their human features and feelings. Twitching and flinching, the slack-jaws undead slowly made their way towards the living. One zombie had fallen swiftly to Purezza's weapon... but half a district's worth? Now that was another story...

@Atomic Knight @Gummi Bunnies

RESTAURANT: SECOND FLOOR
Rising above the horde had brought Chase and Sean a couple of minutes, tops.
The Restaurant's second floor lacked any large windows. The only way conventional way out was the staircase they had entered. A poorly lit, barred fire escape sat in the corner of the room. A chain bound its town handles together. Even if Chase and Daniel could get back the chain, they would still have to fight their way through the horde of zombies that stood between them and freedom. The strain of using his powers was starting to kick in. It was only a matter of time before Chase's powers failed him. The pair were running out of options.

It was time to make a choice, before the Undead Chefs added them to the Restaurant's menu...

@Atomic Knight @Lucky

CASINO
Marianne's magical blast sent the undead soldier hurtling back into the armored car. The force of the sudden blow was enough to shattered car's windows, spraying Rabbit with a wave of blood and shattered glass.
"And there I was thinking that there was nothing left on this world that could surprise me..." Jyuto smiled, removing his arms from his face. "I've eaten fried tarantulas, sung for my life and battled some of the maddest MCs on the planet, but magic? Now that's enough to blow even me away... Fuck..."
Before Jyuto could ask for a better explanation as to how Marianne had performed such a miraculous feat, his attention was stolen away by the sounds of distant screaming. The once stubborn survivors were now running for their lives. Discarded credits littered the streets. Flicks of blood littered the streets.
"I don't know what the fuck is happening out there... but whatever it is, we can't do any good from back here. Corrupt or not, a cop's a cop, and these people need the strong arm of the law to keep them safe." Without missing a beat, 45 Rabbit took a knee at the base of the armored car. "I'll give you a boost over the car. You can give me a hand once you're on top. Consider yourself deputized. Welcome to the YCPD. You're going to help me to get to the bottom of this..."

@Yun Lee





DISTRICT B STREETS--> DISTRICT B PROPAGANDA ADVERTISING TOWER
"Believe me, Skully..." Mr.HC sighed as the advertising tower came into view. "There's not much good left in the whole damn multiverse..."
View attachment 7876
The tower's searchlights scarred the sky. The surrounding streets had been completely militarized. White clad solders stood on every street corner, ready to herd the volunteers towards the Tower's lobby. Large, 4 legged War Machines sat waiting at the Tower's base, watching like silent sentries as the Mayor completed her final checks. There was a quiet tension hanging in the air. War was coming to Prudence. You could feel it in your bones.
A check point stood between the Champions and their chosen destination. Two soldiers stood in their way. Each was armed with a high caliber laser magnum and a hand scanner with facial-recognition capabilities. Hundreds of volunteers were being welcomed into the tower, but for every 10 souls that the city accepted, 1 was turned away for having a known criminal past.
"If we just walk up to the tower, we're going to set off a couple of alarms. With my less than legal profession and your 'terrorist' status, we can't just expect the state to welcome us in with open arms. We're going to have to think of a plan. How do you guys want to handle this? Threats of violence? Disguises? Or maybe some well placed honestly might grease the wheels a little? Up you guys. Try not to get us all killed."

@Takumi @Jeremi @Ottonomous Ghost @Lucky @Capri

Ouka took a breath and took the leap, and once in the room tucked into a small roll until he was sitting on the floor. He didn't take much note of the bloody interior, before his attention was on Arcade. Standing on his feet he stared at the man blankly.

First things first, he felt...uncomfortable. Tense. This man was powerful, likely due to his supposed demon magic, and it only made his mind tell him the man was a threat.

This also seemed like the type of guy Haijima-Sensei definitely wouldn't trust, but given the circumstances Ouka would have to put a small amount of it on this man. Or rather, not trust him and simply tolerate him in this instance.

As Arcade mentioned taking care of Zombies, the young apprentice tried to remember if he ever read up on anything involving them between his studies and his usual chores. He wasn't sure, then again he never expected to ever have to deal with anything like them.

"Never had to encounter any before now, so my knowledge on them is lacking. How many do you want us to kill, and what's the easiest way to go about it, if you've figured out an effective way to do it?" Ouka asked with a tilt of his head.

It took a moment or two to realize, that he didn't like this man. He, however, didn't know what to do with this information or with these...feelings.

@Sark @Jeremi @Yun Lee @District B/Hotel

Chise listened to the other's speak for a moment, tapping her fingers on her thigh as she thought.

"If we went with disguises and fake names, wouldn't they ask us to have our hands scanned? I'm not sure if us Hunters were put into Prudence's system when we were forced into this game, but it'd recognize us if that was the case, right?" She asked. HC was the Mayor's brother after all, and he sounded as if he's been stuck on Prudence long enough.

@Sark @Jeremi @Lucky @Capri @District B/Tower
 
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Sean could do nothing to face... whatever the hell this was! He was powerless to do anything, short of jumping off the building or something.

"Do something!" he yelled to Chase, having no idea what the guy could possibly do.

@Lucky @Sark @Fire Escape

***

"Ugh... come on!"

That was the only entrance Daniel could observe. It seemed to him that people had to just be inside there, though...

"Hey!" he yelled up to the window. "We need help!"

Daniel had never tried to lift himself using his powers. Sure, he had thought about it and even kind of tried it before, but it seemed really hard. He'd have hated to drop himself accidentally...

He turned to Samus and reached out a hand to her. He manipulated his telekinetic power to begin lifting the woman off the ground. Himself, Daniel wasn't sure about, but he could at least get Samus up there. She at least was able to still talk, right?

No matter if anyone heard him or not, Daniel steadily raised the woman toward the open window...

@Sark @Takumi @Jeremi @Yun Lee @Hotel
 

COMPENDIUM HOTEL
"Ooooohh a double debt? Tempting..." Arcade teased, his face contorting into a sneer. "Just think of all the horrible things I could make you do! Oh... I can see it now..."
Arcade reached down beside his windowsill and tossed an long stretch of rope down towards the streets.
View attachment 7897
"The Hero of Prudence is offering you a second chance... don't waste it."

"That you do!" Arcade chuckled, dragging the pair up onto the second floor. "And how is my favorite invalid holding up, huh?"
The two champions rolled through the window and struck the carpet with aloud thump.

The Hotel Room was in a state of disarray. Its wallpaper was tattered and torn. Blood was splatted across the wall. Its crumbled furniture was piled up by the door to form a damn, bloody barricade.
"Welcome to my humble abode..." The Madman smiled, surveying Charlotte's condition. "Ah... discolored skin... inflamed veins... sweating profusely... Yup. You're fucked alright." He picked up another bottle of champagne from his dresser and passed it around. "Well... you're fucked unless..."

"Ya see, you've missed your chance at saving your contact at the amusement part. Taking a detour to the Mall and playing reindeer games with Nemesis tends to waste precious time. You're running out of options. You're a couple of million credits behind the game' leaders. You're approaching the final day. If you guys want to walk away from this, you're going to do everything I say. Tell me."

"How good are you guys at killing Zombies?"


@Jeremi @Takumi @Yun Lee



PROPAGANDA TOWER
"This isn't Kansas, Americans." Samatoki smirked. "This is Planet Prudence. The bar here is real low. Half the people on this block have been accused of some mad shit. Hell, some of them have done mad shit on my orders. Some of those guys went on to be employed by the state. The rules here are different. It's not like they're gonna shoot us on sight or anything. A silver tongue can carry you further than you think. Besides. There are two guards. You could try both strategies, if you want. One group can try playing-nice. The other group can mess up their hair and try up some fake names or some shit. Up to you Chucklefucks. I ain't your boss."

@Jeremi @Ottonomous Ghost @Takumi @Capri @Lucky

DISTRICT B STREETS--> HOTEL
Samus raised a trembling hand towards the Hotel.
"A few blocks... that way... follow the others... Please..."
She lacked the strength to say anything else. Her arms went limp as she slowly faded from consciousness.
By the looks of things, she was running out of time...
***
The road before the Hotel was packed with zombies, just as it had been when Charlotte, Yash and Ouka had arrive a few minutes prior. The drooling creatures were mindlessly throwing themselves against the Hotel's shutters in a futile effort to break into the building. The tower was completely boarded up, save for a single, open window on the second floor. There was no rope for Daniel to climb-- Arcade had already retreated inside to broker his deal.
If Daniel wanted to get into the hotel, he would either have to try calling out for help, or using his powers some more. Samus wouldn't last long enough for him to hesitate.

@Atomic Knight @Takumi @Jeremi @Yun Lee


RESTAURANT: SECOND FLOOR--> FIRE ESCAPE
The lock snapped free of the fire exit. The doors swung wide. The scent of clean, fresh air- as fresh as the air could be in a city like Prudence, at least- washed over them for a moment or two.
But that moment didn't last.
A great, rotten hand came crashing down before the two Champions, blocking their path.
Two tattered wings- no longer capable of supporting flight- descended upon the fire escape.
A pair of great, stinking jaws screamed a wave of saliva over Chase and Sean.
View attachment 7899
"LOOOONNNGGG TIIIMMMMEEE NOOOOO SEEEEEE!!!"
Ridley sniffed deeply, taking in as much as the pair's scent as he could.
"TTWWWOOO LIVVVVEEE ONNESSS... I SMELLL TTWWWOOO FRRESSSHHH ONNNESSSS!"
He ran his jagged tongue- now riddled with holes- across his cracked teeth. He slowly lowered his head down towards the pair, his credits collar still flickering and flashing.
"TTWWWOOOO MOOORREEE FOR MEEEEE"
The pair were trapped between an undead rock and a very hard place...

@Lucky @Atomic Knight

"As good as killing guys," Bad Girl said weakly as she coughed up some blood. "Fuck..." She looked at the pool for a moment before continuing. That's what you want us to do? Killing pest?"

@Sark @Yun Lee @Takumi




"Then," Eight Hearts started. "I will try my chance with my words before my weapons." With that, he calmly walked up to one of the lines waiting to get in.

@Jeremi @Ottonomous Ghost @Takumi @Capri @Lucky
 
Chase Davenport

Chase looked at the bird, retracting his laser bo and took a deep breath. " You really didn't think this through did you?" He asked, as he would switch over to using his magnestism to stick Ridley to it.. With a free hand, he would use his molearkinesis to wrap Ridley in it. " I don't know how long that will hold, but we aren't dying here."

@Atomic Knight @Sark


Allison Argent

" I will follow your lead. I think your silber tongue can get us in/"

@Jeremi @Sark @Ottonomous Ghost @Takumi @Capro
 
Chase looked at the bird, retracting his laser bo and took a deep breath. " You really didn't think this through did you?" He asked, as he would switch over to using his magnestism to stick Ridley to it.. With a free hand, he would use his molearkinesis to wrap Ridley in it. " I don't know how long that will hold, but we aren't dying here."
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Sean could do nothing to face... whatever the hell this was! He was powerless to do anything, short of jumping off the building or something.

"Do something!" he yelled to Chase, having no idea what the guy could possibly do.
FIRE ESCAPE --> DISTRICT B STREETS
The Magnetic Bubble held Ridley for a moment or two.
But it wouldn't hold him for long. The brimstone coated fingers of the Undead slowly clawed him free.
They were capable of recognizing their own.
View attachment 7956
The Undead poured out of the Restaurant and staggered after them. Their shadows painted the streets black. The scream of the car alarm was attracting more and more zombies to the area. It wouldn't be long until the pair was swimming in bodies.
They needed to get off of the streets. They needed to find some shelter and they needed to find it quickly. The District Security Forces had already set up a series of safe zones. The Propaganda Tower, the Church of the Goddess, the Cassino, the Mall and the Town Hall had already been fortified by the city's survivors. Another band of survivors had taken shelter in the Sewers, under the protection of a certain psychopath.

District B was falling, and it was falling fast.

@Atomic Knight @Lucky
Chise listened to the other's speak for a moment, tapping her fingers on her thigh as she thought.

"If we went with disguises and fake names, wouldn't they ask us to have our hands scanned? I'm not sure if us Hunters were put into Prudence's system when we were forced into this game, but it'd recognize us if that was the case, right?" She asked. HC was the Mayor's brother after all, and he sounded as if he's been stuck on Prudence long enough.
PROPAGANDA TOWER
"I doubt that Tomro went through all that effort." Samtakoi shrugged. "I mean, like 5 of you died in the first hour. Time is money on Prudence. Why upload a guy's face-prints and crap if you're gonna try and kill him like 10 minutes later? No, you guys are good. If you guys get scanned, you'll probably bring up some error codes or something. From there, it's up to---"

[BEEP]

The crowd shuffled Chise into the path of one of the guard's scanners.

[BEEP-BEEP]

The guard whacked the side of his scanner. He placed his other hand between Chise and the checkpoint, preventing her from going any further.

"Damn thing's is playing up..." He groaned. "Gotta scan you again. Hope you don't--"

[BEEP-BEEP]

"Shit... hey... don't I know you from somewhere?"

"Then," Eight Hearts started. "I will try my chance with my words before my weapons." With that, he calmly walked up to one of the lines waiting to get in.

" I will follow your lead. I think your silber tongue can get us in"
The crowd pushed Eight Hearts into the path of the other guard's scanner. Allison was shoved into his back a second later. For a moment the guard readied herself to scan Hearts. Her brain was on autopilot.

But she stopped himself, performing a quick double take.

"The Hell are you supposed to be?" She recoiled. "How am I even supposed to scan... that?"
She gestured towards his exposed skull.

@Jeremi @Takumi @Capri @Lucky @Ottonomous Ghost

"Never had to encounter any before now, so my knowledge on them is lacking. How many do you want us to kill, and what's the easiest way to go about it, if you've figured out an effective way to do it?" Ouka asked with a tilt of his head.

It took a moment or two to realize, that he didn't like this man. He, however, didn't know what to do with this information or with these...feelings.
"As good as killing guys," Bad Girl said weakly as she coughed up some blood. "Fuck..." She looked at the pool for a moment before continuing. That's what you want us to do? Killing pest?"
HOTEL INT.
"Ya gotta go for the head, just like the movies." Arcade replied, matter of fact-ly. "But you already knew, that, didn't you?" Arcade slowly turned to face Charlotte and presented her with a smug smile. "Excellent work on Vamp, by the way. Truly, I'm impressed. You really turned him into pulp, didn't you? And Yash! The way you finished off Dengar! Spectacular! Breaking Gen's neck worked out well in the long run, now didn't it? Imagine the world we'd be living if you had just stabbed him or something. You see, Ouka. Zombies aren't too hard to kill... in one on one matches, with the right equipment, in broad-day light... blows that we're not working under those conditions, doesn't it?"

Arcade scoffed at the works 'Pest-Control'.

"If only it were that simple." He added, dryling. He snapped his fingers. Slowly, life and color returned to Charlotte's face. Her tiredness faded. Her head stopped spinning. For the first time since the Bank Incident, Bad Girl would finally start feeling... better. "'Pest Control' would imply that my lovely hotel is simply infested. It's worse than that. It's being occupied. The Undead you see outside? They were created when that Skyscraper Fell back on day one. They were reinforced by the zombie bankers and jobbers you created when you destroyed my crystal, Charlotte. There are lots of them, sure. There are a shit ton of them, give or take a few. But the ones I'm dealing with? They're a little bit more qualified for their new occupations. Remember when you barged into my home, dear? Remember how you killed all my heavily armed, well-trained, well-equipped guards?"

"It's a little bit more difficult to smash a skull when its protected by a thick-ass helmet."
The Madman squinted. "Believe me. I should know."

"I killed a few, but demon magic isn't as effective against the undead as you may think. The last of my living allies 'volunteered' to hold the Undead off whilst I built myself this lovely furniture fort. The survivors guilt is killing me..."
He took another swing of Champagne. His words were already dripping with sarcasm. "I've been stuck here ever since. Much of my magic has been spent already, and Mephisto has stopped returning my calls..." He snapped his fingers. The infection ailing Ouka started to fade. "Once upon a time, I could throw mountains about the shop... but now? Healing is about all I'm good for now. It's tragic, I know."

"Still. The more of Zoms you put back in the group, the more of ol' Arcade's powers are going to come back to him. Clear out my Hotel and I'll see what I can do about fixing your friend's arm. Get be down to the basement, and... we'll... you will all find a far greater reward down there..."


@Jeremi @Jeremi @Takumi
"Ugh... come on!"

That was the only entrance Daniel could observe. It seemed to him that people had to just be inside there, though...

"Hey!" he yelled up to the window. "We need help!"

Daniel had never tried to lift himself using his powers. Sure, he had thought about it and even kind of tried it before, but it seemed really hard. He'd have hated to drop himself accidentally...

He turned to Samus and reached out a hand to her. He manipulated his telekinetic power to begin lifting the woman off the ground. Himself, Daniel wasn't sure about, but he could at least get Samus up there. She at least was able to still talk, right?

No matter if anyone heard him or not, Daniel steadily raised the woman toward the open window...
HOTEL EXT.
"So. Getting to the basement is going to be easier said than done." Arcade lectured. "This floor is pretty crowed. We've going to want to take a right at the end of the hall and--"

BONK

Samus' helmet clonked against the top of the window.

"Fuck!" Arcade flinched, instinctively raising his fists. He placed his hands over his heart and tried to slow his breathing after he set hes eyes upon his 'attackers'. "Just a flying corpse... I'm not even going to ask who or how or why I've got a corpse flying through my window. Somebody else can deal with this one. I'm too old for this crap. There's a rope down by the window. Someone can go bring the brat inside..."

"Please..." Samus raised her trembling fingers towards Arcade. "Please help me."

"Hm. Yeah. No." He shrugged. "Sorry. Busy."

The excitement of their encounter with Nemesis, the terror of crawling past the Undead, the dizziness that fluttered in the wake of Arcade's witchcraft... It was hard to tell what time it was.

A war was brewing in District B. Riots were consuming the District A. District C's two kings were desperately trying to reconnect with the mainland. Time was flying by.

CURRENT TIME: 7:30PM
TIME REMAINING: 27 HOURS

The Final Day is Rapidly Approaching...
@Atomic Knight @Capri @Gummi Bunnies @Jeremi @Lucky @Ottonomous Ghost @Takumi @Yun Lee
 
Last edited:


FIRE ESCAPE --> DISTRICT B STREETS
The Magnetic Bubble held Ridley for a moment or two.
But it wouldn't hold him for long. The brimstone coated fingers of the Undead slowly clawed him free.
They were capable of recognizing their own.
View attachment 7956
The Undead poured out of the Restaurant and staggered after them. Their shadows painted the streets black. The scream of the car alarm was attracting more and more zombies to the area. It wouldn't be long until the pair was swimming in bodies.
They needed to get off of the streets. They needed to find some shelter and they needed to find it quickly. The District Security Forces had already set up a series of safe zones. The Propaganda Tower, the Church of the Goddess, the Cassino, the Mall and the Town Hall had already been fortified by the city's survivors. Another band of survivors had taken shelter in the Sewers, under the protection of a certain psychopath.

District B was falling, and it was falling fast.

@Atomic Knight @Lucky

PROPAGANDA TOWER
"I doubt that Tomro went through all that effort." Samtakoi shrugged. "I mean, like 5 of you died in the first hour. Time is money on Prudence. Why upload a guy's face-prints and crap if you're gonna try and kill him like 10 minutes later? No, you guys are good. If you guys get scanned, you'll probably bring up some error codes or something. From there, it's up to---"

[BEEP]

The crowd shuffled Chise into the path of one of the guard's scanners.

[BEEP-BEEP]

The guard whacked the side of his scanner. He placed his other hand between Chise and the checkpoint, preventing her from going any further.

"Damn thing's is playing up..." He groaned. "Gotta scan you again. Hope you don't--"

[BEEP-BEEP]

"Shit... hey... don't I know you from somewhere?"




The crowd pushed Eight Hearts into the path of the other guard's scanner. Allison was shoved into his back a second later. For a moment the guard readied herself to scan Hearts. Her brain was on autopilot.

But she stopped himself, performing a quick double take.

"The Hell are you supposed to be?" She recoiled. "How am I even supposed to scan... that?"
She gestured towards his exposed skull.

@Jeremi @Takumi @Capri @Lucky @Ottonomous Ghost



HOTEL INT.
"Ya gotta go for the head, just like the movies." Arcade replied, matter of fact-ly. "But you already knew, that, didn't you?" Arcade slowly turned to face Charlotte and presented her with a smug smile. "Excellent work on Vamp, by the way. Truly, I'm impressed. You really turned him into pulp, didn't you? And Yash! The way you finished off Dengar! Spectacular! Breaking Gen's neck worked out well in the long run, now didn't it? Imagine the world we'd be living if you had just stabbed him or something. You see, Ouka. Zombies aren't too hard to kill... in one on one matches, with the right equipment, in broad-day light... blows that we're not working under those conditions, doesn't it?"

Arcade scoffed at the works 'Pest-Control'.

"If only it were that simple." He added, dryling. He snapped his fingers. Slowly, life and color returned to Charlotte's face. Her tiredness faded. Her head stopped spinning. For the first time since the Bank Incident, Bad Girl would finally start feeling... better. "'Pest Control' would imply that my lovely hotel is simply infested. It's worse than that. It's being occupied. The Undead you see outside? They were created when that Skyscraper Fell back on day one. They were reinforced by the zombie bankers and jobbers you created when you destroyed my crystal, Charlotte. There are lots of them, sure. There are a shit ton of them, give or take a few. But the ones I'm dealing with? They're a little bit more qualified for their new occupations. Remember when you barged into my home, dear? Remember how you killed all my heavily armed, well-trained, well-equipped guards?"

"It's a little bit more difficult to smash a skull when its protected by a thick-ass helmet."
The Madman squinted. "Believe me. I should know."

"I killed a few, but demon magic isn't as effective against the undead as you may think. The last of my living allies 'volunteered' to hold the Undead off whilst I built myself this lovely furniture fort. The survivors guilt is killing me..."
He took another swing of Champagne. His words were already dripping with sarcasm. "I've been stuck here ever since. Much of my magic has been spent already, and Mephisto has stopped returning my calls..." He snapped his fingers. The infection ailing Ouka started to fade. "Once upon a time, I could throw mountains about the shop... but now? Healing is about all I'm good for now. It's tragic, I know."

"Still. The more of Zoms you put back in the group, the more of ol' Arcade's powers are going to come back to him. Clear out my Hotel and I'll see what I can do about fixing your friend's arm. Get be down to the basement, and... we'll... you will all find a far greater reward down there..."


@Jeremi @Jeremi @Takumi

HOTEL EXT.
"So. Getting to the basement is going to be easier said than done." Arcade lectured. "This floor is pretty crowed. We've going to want to take a right at the end of the hall and--"

BONK

Samus' helmet clonked against the top of the window.

"Fuck!" Arcade flinched, instinctively raising his fists. He placed his hands over his heart and tried to slow his breathing after he set hes eyes upon his 'attackers'. "Just a flying corpse... I'm not even going to ask who or how or why I've got a corpse flying through my window. Somebody else can deal with this one. I'm too old for this crap. There's a rope down by the window. Someone can go bring the brat inside..."

"Please..." Samus raised her trembling fingers towards Arcade. "Please help me."

"Hm. Yeah. No." He shrugged. "Sorry. Busy."

The excitement of their encounter with Nemesis, the terror of crawling past the Undead, the dizziness that fluttered in the wake of Arcade's witchcraft... It was hard to tell what time it was.

A war was brewing in District B. Riots were consuming the District A. District C's two kings were desperately trying to reconnect with the mainland. Time was flying by.

CURRENT TIME: 7:30PM
TIME REMAINING: 27 HOURS

The Final Day is Rapidly Approaching...
@Atomic Knight @Capri @Gummi Bunnies @Jeremi @Lucky @Ottonomous Ghost @Takumi @Yun Lee

"Oh, I suppose in the usual way," Eight Hearts remarked to the security guard. "I do not want to be a bother after all, but I'll leave my fate in your hands."

@Jeremi @Takumi @Capri @Lucky @Ottonomous Ghost




"Look I know my tits are fucking powerful but what the fuck kind of crystal explodes by getting jammed into cleavage?" Bad Girl replied, now using her bat to keep herself standing. "Maybe that was fucking it wasn't it. Maybe your crystal was supposed to blow up in your fucking face?" Whatever. who gave a shit about that right now. "Look if you want fucking zombies dead you'll get fucking zombies dead. If I'm dead you have one less motherfucker to beat them up. I'll clean up your hotel so fucking nice there's not going to be a bastard left standing."

@Sark @Yun Lee @Takumi
 
Allison Argent

Allison wasn't too thrilled to be pushed back and couldn't help but smile as he answered the woman. " I mean, scanning an exposed skull should make your job easier, shouldn't it?" She asked.

@Sark @Jeremi

Chase Davenport

Chase was relieved that the magnetism was working, even if it was just for another moment. He looked over at Sean and groaed about the car alarms. Those would hurt him later.... but he couldn't worry about them. He would grab Sean and use his telekinesis and force field anmd fly them as quickly as he could to the town Hall.

@Sark @Atomic Knight
 


FIRE ESCAPE --> DISTRICT B STREETS
The Magnetic Bubble held Ridley for a moment or two.
But it wouldn't hold him for long. The brimstone coated fingers of the Undead slowly clawed him free.
They were capable of recognizing their own.
View attachment 7956
The Undead poured out of the Restaurant and staggered after them. Their shadows painted the streets black. The scream of the car alarm was attracting more and more zombies to the area. It wouldn't be long until the pair was swimming in bodies.
They needed to get off of the streets. They needed to find some shelter and they needed to find it quickly. The District Security Forces had already set up a series of safe zones. The Propaganda Tower, the Church of the Goddess, the Cassino, the Mall and the Town Hall had already been fortified by the city's survivors. Another band of survivors had taken shelter in the Sewers, under the protection of a certain psychopath.

District B was falling, and it was falling fast.

@Atomic Knight @Lucky

PROPAGANDA TOWER
"I doubt that Tomro went through all that effort." Samtakoi shrugged. "I mean, like 5 of you died in the first hour. Time is money on Prudence. Why upload a guy's face-prints and crap if you're gonna try and kill him like 10 minutes later? No, you guys are good. If you guys get scanned, you'll probably bring up some error codes or something. From there, it's up to---"

[BEEP]

The crowd shuffled Chise into the path of one of the guard's scanners.

[BEEP-BEEP]

The guard whacked the side of his scanner. He placed his other hand between Chise and the checkpoint, preventing her from going any further.

"Damn thing's is playing up..." He groaned. "Gotta scan you again. Hope you don't--"

[BEEP-BEEP]

"Shit... hey... don't I know you from somewhere?"




The crowd pushed Eight Hearts into the path of the other guard's scanner. Allison was shoved into his back a second later. For a moment the guard readied herself to scan Hearts. Her brain was on autopilot.

But she stopped himself, performing a quick double take.

"The Hell are you supposed to be?" She recoiled. "How am I even supposed to scan... that?"
She gestured towards his exposed skull.

@Jeremi @Takumi @Capri @Lucky @Ottonomous Ghost



HOTEL INT.
"Ya gotta go for the head, just like the movies." Arcade replied, matter of fact-ly. "But you already knew, that, didn't you?" Arcade slowly turned to face Charlotte and presented her with a smug smile. "Excellent work on Vamp, by the way. Truly, I'm impressed. You really turned him into pulp, didn't you? And Yash! The way you finished off Dengar! Spectacular! Breaking Gen's neck worked out well in the long run, now didn't it? Imagine the world we'd be living if you had just stabbed him or something. You see, Ouka. Zombies aren't too hard to kill... in one on one matches, with the right equipment, in broad-day light... blows that we're not working under those conditions, doesn't it?"

Arcade scoffed at the works 'Pest-Control'.

"If only it were that simple." He added, dryling. He snapped his fingers. Slowly, life and color returned to Charlotte's face. Her tiredness faded. Her head stopped spinning. For the first time since the Bank Incident, Bad Girl would finally start feeling... better. "'Pest Control' would imply that my lovely hotel is simply infested. It's worse than that. It's being occupied. The Undead you see outside? They were created when that Skyscraper Fell back on day one. They were reinforced by the zombie bankers and jobbers you created when you destroyed my crystal, Charlotte. There are lots of them, sure. There are a shit ton of them, give or take a few. But the ones I'm dealing with? They're a little bit more qualified for their new occupations. Remember when you barged into my home, dear? Remember how you killed all my heavily armed, well-trained, well-equipped guards?"

"It's a little bit more difficult to smash a skull when its protected by a thick-ass helmet."
The Madman squinted. "Believe me. I should know."

"I killed a few, but demon magic isn't as effective against the undead as you may think. The last of my living allies 'volunteered' to hold the Undead off whilst I built myself this lovely furniture fort. The survivors guilt is killing me..."
He took another swing of Champagne. His words were already dripping with sarcasm. "I've been stuck here ever since. Much of my magic has been spent already, and Mephisto has stopped returning my calls..." He snapped his fingers. The infection ailing Ouka started to fade. "Once upon a time, I could throw mountains about the shop... but now? Healing is about all I'm good for now. It's tragic, I know."

"Still. The more of Zoms you put back in the group, the more of ol' Arcade's powers are going to come back to him. Clear out my Hotel and I'll see what I can do about fixing your friend's arm. Get be down to the basement, and... we'll... you will all find a far greater reward down there..."


@Jeremi @Jeremi @Takumi

HOTEL EXT.
"So. Getting to the basement is going to be easier said than done." Arcade lectured. "This floor is pretty crowed. We've going to want to take a right at the end of the hall and--"

BONK

Samus' helmet clonked against the top of the window.

"Fuck!" Arcade flinched, instinctively raising his fists. He placed his hands over his heart and tried to slow his breathing after he set hes eyes upon his 'attackers'. "Just a flying corpse... I'm not even going to ask who or how or why I've got a corpse flying through my window. Somebody else can deal with this one. I'm too old for this crap. There's a rope down by the window. Someone can go bring the brat inside..."

"Please..." Samus raised her trembling fingers towards Arcade. "Please help me."

"Hm. Yeah. No." He shrugged. "Sorry. Busy."

The excitement of their encounter with Nemesis, the terror of crawling past the Undead, the dizziness that fluttered in the wake of Arcade's witchcraft... It was hard to tell what time it was.

A war was brewing in District B. Riots were consuming the District A. District C's two kings were desperately trying to reconnect with the mainland. Time was flying by.

CURRENT TIME: 7:30PM
TIME REMAINING: 27 HOURS

The Final Day is Rapidly Approaching...
@Atomic Knight @Capri @Gummi Bunnies @Jeremi @Lucky @Ottonomous Ghost @Takumi @Yun Lee

"Well, I guess that makes sense--" she started, before blinking in surprise.

a4334c7016ce7e9b4d821859e2885140964025ef.jpg


"?!" Wait, where did he go? Oh, she was getting swept away by the crowd. She wasn't really surprised by that, since it's happened before due to her height. Finding herself seperated from Samatoki, the redhead blinked and glanced around in an attempt to find him before she found herself going through the scanning process.

12dc6c532032ddcdb38fc627f4f7ae6bd0243862.jpg


"Maybe?" Chise simply shrugged in response to the man. She wasn't sure what else to tell him.

@Sark @Jeremi @Capri @Lucky @District B/Tower

"I see..." Ouka replied, giving a curt nod at Arcade's explaination. It sounded simple enough in theory, and gradually felt much better from the magic the man had though at a sudden sound he tensed, creating a crystalized sword in seconds.

He blinked at the sight of Samus, and tilted his head as she spoke. Ouka went to throw the rope down to Daniel, keeping as much distance from Samus as possible out of wariness as he did so, before poking his head out of the window.

"Grab on kid, quickly." He spoke, before eyeing Arcade as he brought his head back inside.

"Why not fix her? It'd be one less zombie to deal with wouldn't it?" He asked. It'd also be one less zombie in a small space with them as well.

@Sark @Jeremi @Yun Lee @Hotel @Anyone I missed
 
"Look I know my tits are fucking powerful but what the fuck kind of crystal explodes by getting jammed into cleavage?" Bad Girl replied, now using her bat to keep herself standing. "Maybe that was fucking it wasn't it. Maybe your crystal was supposed to blow up in your fucking face?" Whatever. who gave a shit about that right now. "Look if you want fucking zombies dead you'll get fucking zombies dead. If I'm dead you have one less motherfucker to beat them up. I'll clean up your hotel so fucking nice there's not going to be a bastard left standing."
HOTEL
"Please!" Arcade groaned. "I've snapped my fingers once already. Your boy's magic is already taking effect. You'll be fine. Stop winging." He snapped his fingers again, accelerating her healing further. "As for the Crystal well... it's quite the story. Say, have you been to hell recently?" The Madman chirped. "No, of course you haven't. I have, and let me tell you... it's not the place it used to be. There was a little change in management a while back. My old boss got ousted. The first chick who replaced him thought it would be a good idea to free all the souls in the realm. Sounds nice, doesn't it? Well, that little act of charity lacked foresight. A bunch o' folks came back from the dead, myself included. Seemed swell at first, but it went sour pretty quickly. You see, the dead didn't stop coming back. Some of us got to keep our minds. Most of us didn't. It's a chaotic process."

"You see, mortals aren't supposed to come back from the dead. The stunt Big Mother pulled in the Nether-world fucked up the cosmic balance. The souls that were supposed to go to Mephisto? They're roaming free. Hence..."
He returned to the window. He gestured theatrically at the shambling, staggering zombies that were flooding the streets. "Hence them. Thanks to Big Mother, the dead are walking. It only affects worlds that Mephisto used to call his own, but.... well, Mephisto got around. Nobody knows how many worlds he claimed. Nobody knows which worlds are going to be affected..."
His lips twisted into a smile.
"Well... almost nobody..."
"Still. The only way to be sure that the dead won't start rising is to get hold of a Soul Gem. Stick one of those in a city and bang. You're insured. It doesn't matter if you're on Uncle M's hit list. Your dead won't start rising. Here's the issue: Soul Gems are hard to get hold of. The Church of the Goddess hoards them like a dragon hoards gold. Needless to say, Church doesn't like to share its toys. It definitely doesn't want to share them with a planet like Prudence. Look around you! It was Sodom and Gomorrah out there long before the dead started rising. The only way planets like Prudence keep spinning is with a little help from the multiverse's underbelly. The Corporations brought the planet with a Soul Gem a few years back. In exchange, they got a pretty big slice of Prudence's pie. The Government. The Stores. The Charities. They're all Corporate owned now."
"Here's the problem. There are a bunch of people out there who don't want to see Prudence standing tall. Rival corporations would make a buck-load if OBLIVION energy went under. The Crime Lords world make a mint selling that Gem on the black market. It's a complicated issue. I wanted that crystal. The Hutts wanted it. Samatoki wanted it. Cluth probably wanted it too. Pity all our plots got tangled together. It was only a matter of time before one of you broke the Gem. All the energy it had game bursting out and... well. You saw what happened. You blew up A bank. Crashed the stock market. Started a zombie apocalypse. Before you know it, the world's burning. Does that satisfy your curiosity? Or would you like me to try
talking those Zombies to death?"

"I see..." Ouka replied, giving a curt nod at Arcade's explaination. It sounded simple enough in theory, and gradually felt much better from the magic the man had though at a sudden sound he tensed, creating a crystalized sword in seconds.

He blinked at the sight of Samus, and tilted his head as she spoke. Ouka went to throw the rope down to Daniel, keeping as much distance from Samus as possible out of wariness as he did so, before poking his head out of the window.

"Grab on kid, quickly." He spoke, before eyeing Arcade as he brought his head back inside.

"Why not fix her? It'd be one less zombie to deal with wouldn't it?" He asked. It'd also be one less zombie in a small space with them as well.
"You know what else would give us one less Zombie to deal with?" Arcade shrugged, pulling a gun from his jacket. He clicked its safety off. "This."
"Please..." Samus begged, reaching out towards Ouka. "Help me to me feet... I don't want to die on my knees."
"Step back so I can put a bitch down..." Arcade sighed, lining his weapon up with Samus' forehead. "Believe me. Zombie blood doesn't wash out..."

@Yun Lee @Jeremi @Takumi @Atomic Knight
"Well, I guess that makes sense--" she started, before blinking in surprise.

"?!" Wait, where did he go? Oh, she was getting swept away by the crowd. She wasn't really surprised by that, since it's happened before due to her height. Finding herself seperated from Samatoki, the redhead blinked and glanced around in an attempt to find him before she found herself going through the scanning process.

"Maybe?" Chise simply shrugged in response to the man. She wasn't sure what else to tell him.

NARANCIA GHIRGA
@Sark @Jeremi @Lucky @Takumi

Narancia ruffled up his hair and joined the line, ready to be pushed into a scanner.
PROPAGANDA TOWER
"Maybe?" The guard raised an eyebrow. "Maybe? The hell do I know you from?" He slapped the side of his scanner. "Piece of crap..." He mumbled to himself. "Look. I'm guess this is some sorta test from corporate, right? I'm supposed to run through all the usual procedures, and you're going to be recording the whole thing, right? How about you just promise to give me a good score, and I can let you through to the tower and we both stop wasting our time. I don't do this job for kicks, Miss. I'm here to feed my kids. So long as I can keep my job, I don't give a shit about my Employee Rating." He lowered his scanner and sighed. "Are we cool?"

"Oh, I suppose in the usual way," Eight Hearts remarked to the security guard. "I do not want to be a bother after all, but I'll leave my fate in your hands."
Allison Argent

Allison wasn't too thrilled to be pushed back and couldn't help but smile as he answered the woman. " I mean, scanning an exposed skull should make your job easier, shouldn't it?" She asked.
The guard tipped her head to the side and gave Allison a venomous glare.
"These things don't scan skulls, ma'am." She sassed. "Get back in line, okay? This isn't Open Mic Night. Let me do much fucking job, okay?"
She turned back to face Eight Hearts.
"Look. I haven't heard any reports of a creepy skull man fucking people up in District B. I haven't heard of anyone of that description coming into our ports, either. But I've got I guy in Tech on speed-dial. He's been monitoring transmissions all day. If I give him a call, what do you think he's going to say? Do you think he's going to tell me that you've been up to some criminal shit?" She fell silent for a beat. "Do you want to walk away before I call him? Or do you have something to declare?"

@Lucky @Jeremi @Takumi @Capri
Allison Argent

Allison wasn't too thrilled to be pushed back and couldn't help but smile as he answered the woman. " I mean, scanning an exposed skull should make your job easier, shouldn't it?" She asked.
DISTRICT B TOWN HALL
View attachment 8070
Boarded and barred, the Town Hall was closed to the public... or what little 'public' remained alive. Pair of sunglasses stared through a gap in the barricade.
"Hey! You!" He caught the pair's attention. "Yeah! You guys! You guys are alive, right?"
He turned towards an exhausted Chase. His strength had been spent on the flight across the District. Barely conscious, he wouldn't be able to use his powers for some time.
"Well... You're mostly alive, right? Say something only an Alive-Person would say!"
A moment passed.
"Just... get over here, okay? We're having a still-alive party in here. You're both invited. There's a break in the barricade above the door. Climb on in and we'll cook you up something nice."
Some whispering could he heard from behind the door.
"There's a guy in here who says he knows you guys? Says he's saved you a beer? Get in here before it gets cold."

@Lucky @Atomic Knight
 

HOTEL
"Please!" Arcade groaned. "I've snapped my fingers once already. Your boy's magic is already taking effect. You'll be fine. Stop winging." He snapped his fingers again, accelerating her healing further. "As for the Crystal well... it's quite the story. Say, have you been to hell recently?" The Madman chirped. "No, of course you haven't. I have, and let me tell you... it's not the place it used to be. There was a little change in management a while back. My old boss got ousted. The first chick who replaced him thought it would be a good idea to free all the souls in the realm. Sounds nice, doesn't it? Well, that little act of charity lacked foresight. A bunch o' folks came back from the dead, myself included. Seemed swell at first, but it went sour pretty quickly. You see, the dead didn't stop coming back. Some of us got to keep our minds. Most of us didn't. It's a chaotic process."

"You see, mortals aren't supposed to come back from the dead. The stunt Big Mother pulled in the Nether-world fucked up the cosmic balance. The souls that were supposed to go to Mephisto? They're roaming free. Hence..."
He returned to the window. He gestured theatrically at the shambling, staggering zombies that were flooding the streets. "Hence them. Thanks to Big Mother, the dead are walking. It only affects worlds that Mephisto used to call his own, but.... well, Mephisto got around. Nobody knows how many worlds he claimed. Nobody knows which worlds are going to be affected..."
His lips twisted into a smile.
"Well... almost nobody..."
"Still. The only way to be sure that the dead won't start rising is to get hold of a Soul Gem. Stick one of those in a city and bang. You're insured. It doesn't matter if you're on Uncle M's hit list. Your dead won't start rising. Here's the issue: Soul Gems are hard to get hold of. The Church of the Goddess hoards them like a dragon hoards gold. Needless to say, Church doesn't like to share its toys. It definitely doesn't want to share them with a planet like Prudence. Look around you! It was Sodom and Gomorrah out there long before the dead started rising. The only way planets like Prudence keep spinning is with a little help from the multiverse's underbelly. The Corporations brought the planet with a Soul Gem a few years back. In exchange, they got a pretty big slice of Prudence's pie. The Government. The Stores. The Charities. They're all Corporate owned now."
"Here's the problem. There are a bunch of people out there who don't want to see Prudence standing tall. Rival corporations would make a buck-load if OBLIVION energy went under. The Crime Lords world make a mint selling that Gem on the black market. It's a complicated issue. I wanted that crystal. The Hutts wanted it. Samatoki wanted it. Cluth probably wanted it too. Pity all our plots got tangled together. It was only a matter of time before one of you broke the Gem. All the energy it had game bursting out and... well. You saw what happened. You blew up A bank. Crashed the stock market. Started a zombie apocalypse. Before you know it, the world's burning. Does that satisfy your curiosity? Or would you like me to try
talking those Zombies to death?"


"You know what else would give us one less Zombie to deal with?" Arcade shrugged, pulling a gun from his jacket. He clicked its safety off. "This."
"Please..." Samus begged, reaching out towards Ouka. "Help me to me feet... I don't want to die on my knees."
"Step back so I can put a bitch down..." Arcade sighed, lining his weapon up with Samus' forehead. "Believe me. Zombie blood doesn't wash out..."

@Yun Lee @Jeremi @Takumi @Atomic Knight



PROPAGANDA TOWER
"Maybe?" The guard raised an eyebrow. "Maybe? The hell do I know you from?" He slapped the side of his scanner. "Piece of crap..." He mumbled to himself. "Look. I'm guess this is some sorta test from corporate, right? I'm supposed to run through all the usual procedures, and you're going to be recording the whole thing, right? How about you just promise to give me a good score, and I can let you through to the tower and we both stop wasting our time. I don't do this job for kicks, Miss. I'm here to feed my kids. So long as I can keep my job, I don't give a shit about my Employee Rating." He lowered his scanner and sighed. "Are we cool?"



The guard tipped her head to the side and gave Allison a venomous glare.
"These things don't scan skulls, ma'am." She sassed. "Get back in line, okay? This isn't Open Mic Night. Let me do much fucking job, okay?"
She turned back to face Eight Hearts.
"Look. I haven't heard any reports of a creepy skull man fucking people up in District B. I haven't heard of anyone of that description coming into our ports, either. But I've got I guy in Tech on speed-dial. He's been monitoring transmissions all day. If I give him a call, what do you think he's going to say? Do you think he's going to tell me that you've been up to some criminal shit?" She fell silent for a beat. "Do you want to walk away before I call him? Or do you have something to declare?"

@Lucky @Jeremi @Takumi @Capri

DISTRICT B TOWN HALL
View attachment 8070
Boarded and barred, the Town Hall was closed to the public... or what little 'public' remained alive. Pair of sunglasses stared through a gap in the barricade.
"Hey! You!" He caught the pair's attention. "Yeah! You guys! You guys are alive, right?"
He turned towards an exhausted Chase. His strength had been spent on the flight across the District. Barely conscious, he wouldn't be able to use his powers for some time.
"Well... You're mostly alive, right? Say something only an Alive-Person would say!"
A moment passed.
"Just... get over here, okay? We're having a still-alive party in here. You're both invited. There's a break in the barricade above the door. Climb on in and we'll cook you up something nice."
Some whispering could he heard from behind the door.
"There's a guy in here who says he knows you guys? Says he's saved you a beer? Get in here before it gets cold."

@Lucky @Atomic Knight

Bad Girl stopped listening around the line about hell. The next few minutes she picked her nails and checked over her bat. Damn, she really was feeling better now too. Then the droning finally stopped. "Uh-huh yeah..." Bad Girl twirled her bat around. "You said something about murdering zombies? Well, point me to where the fuck I'm supposed to go."

@Yun Lee @Jeremi @Takumi @Atomic Knight




"I'm in no hurry," Eight Hearts remarked. "I have nothing to declare, though I've heard some call me a lethal weapon," He joked. "Your friend might have something damning to reveal, but the only crime I have committed is to preemptively try and escape the chaos. I will understand that I might seem suspicious in more way than one, but I can assure you I'm not in the business of starting trouble."

@Lucky @Jeremi @Takumi @Capri
 
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