Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Lutetia City: The Phantom Quarter
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Ronin
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"Thought you all didn't come 'round these parts."
"Good." He stepped around the dying boy, examining his wound. "He will die very soon."
The paladin reached into his belt and retrieved a phial filled with red liquid. "Here." He tossed it to Arty. "Smear that shit on his wound."
He watched Arty very closely, his hand on his belt.
"How long have you been out here?"
"Good." He stepped around the dying boy, examining his wound. "He will die very soon."
The paladin reached into his belt and retrieved a phial filled with red liquid. "Here." He tossed it to Arty. "Smear that shit on his wound."
He watched Arty very closely, his hand on his belt.
"How long have you been out here?"
Arty caught the vial deftly out of the air, stopping to look at it. The red liquid meant nothing to him. "What am I, your fucking errand boy?" he muttered, glancing back up at the paladin with a scowl. "Isn't this shit your job?"
Despite his protests, he crouched down next to the boy and tugged up his shirt, pouring out the contents of the vial onto the wound. "Don't see how it's any of your business how long I've been here," he muttered, giving the paladin a sidelong glare.
Despite his protests, he crouched down next to the boy and tugged up his shirt, pouring out the contents of the vial onto the wound. "Don't see how it's any of your business how long I've been here," he muttered, giving the paladin a sidelong glare.
Ronin
Active Member
"It's my job to kill monsters," he replied. He said nothing else, but as the boy worked, the paladin unsheathed a keen great sword from his back. He produced another potion from his belt - this one a golden yellow - and shattered the glass on the blade. He smeared the liquid along the edge of the steel with the back his gauntlet. At once, the sword began to glow with an amber hue and radiated with an intense heat.
CLNK. The blade slammed into the sidewalk next to the dying boy and stoop upright, grip pointed towards the sky. It acted a heater, offering the boy relief from the cold.
"Let's say I make it my business. Law abiding citizens don't frequent the Phantom Quarter. Criminals do. Or monsters."
CLNK. The blade slammed into the sidewalk next to the dying boy and stoop upright, grip pointed towards the sky. It acted a heater, offering the boy relief from the cold.
"Let's say I make it my business. Law abiding citizens don't frequent the Phantom Quarter. Criminals do. Or monsters."
"And people with nowhere else to go," Arty muttered, scowling at the paladin. When he was done with the salve, he straightened again, stuffing his hands back in his pockets. "I'm a homeless piece of shit that came here to avoid judgement from fucks like you. Happy with that?"
He glanced down at the boy in the snow. "He's still gonna die, y'know."
He glanced down at the boy in the snow. "He's still gonna die, y'know."
Ronin
Active Member
"I'm a homeless piece of shit that came here to avoid judgement from fucks like you. Happy with that?"
"More so." The knight nodded. He looked down at the boy, offering a nod. "Yeah. He is."
The wind picked up and whipped streaks of snow through the street.
"Do you give a shit or something?"
"More so." The knight nodded. He looked down at the boy, offering a nod. "Yeah. He is."
The wind picked up and whipped streaks of snow through the street.
"Do you give a shit or something?"
Arty shrugged. "People die all the time. Shit sucks. Would rather it didn't happen so much, but it's not gonna keep me up at night. Don't know the kid, and there's shit all I can do for him."
Shit all that a paladin would like, anyway. To the tin can, death would probably be preferable to undeath, even if the two weren't all that different.
"Do you?"
Shit all that a paladin would like, anyway. To the tin can, death would probably be preferable to undeath, even if the two weren't all that different.
"Do you?"
Ronin
Active Member
"No," the knight replied, "but if I could help him, I would. That's also part of my job." He knelt beside the rapidly fading boy and made a quick frisk of the corpse - subtly slipping a tracking tack into the boy's pocket.
His hand went down to his belt and grabbed his radio. "I'm going to call an ambulance to pick his body. Then I'm going to look around." He drew his lawkeeper. "Stay put."
He went back to his bike, made the call, before disappearing into one of the alleyways of the Phantom Quarter.
His hand went down to his belt and grabbed his radio. "I'm going to call an ambulance to pick his body. Then I'm going to look around." He drew his lawkeeper. "Stay put."
He went back to his bike, made the call, before disappearing into one of the alleyways of the Phantom Quarter.
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Arty frowned, but said nothing as the paladin disappeared. Once he was gone, he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure..." he muttered. Like hell he was just going to sit here and wait for it to be too late to help the kid. He waited a few moments more to be certain that the paladin wasn't about to turn around and immediately come back, pulling out his phone while he did. 'Bringing the kid to the old church. Paladin's not fucking off.'
After slipping his phone in his pocket, he bent down to pick the dying boy up, cradling him carefully in his arms. "Gonna be alright, kid," he murmured. "Hope you'll thank me, not hate me, when you wake up."
With that, he set off at a jog, disappearing into one of the far alleyways. His destination was an old ruined church a few blocks away. Hopefully Ghast would meet him there, and they'd be able to save the boy - with their own specific brand of saving.
The old church showed its signs of age and ruin clearly. Some of the walls had half collapsed on themselves, and the doors had long since rotted away. Water marks from flooding stained those walls that were still standing, and inside, those pews that hadn't fully decayed were scattered haphazardly around the hall.
Arty had laid the dying boy down near the old altar, and was perched on the steps up to the dais beside him. Ghast was still a few minutes out, according to the last text he'd sent. Not that there was any huge rush. The kid would have to die, one way or another, before he could be brought back. A few minutes more of death wouldn't make a difference one way or another, as to how well his revival went.
After slipping his phone in his pocket, he bent down to pick the dying boy up, cradling him carefully in his arms. "Gonna be alright, kid," he murmured. "Hope you'll thank me, not hate me, when you wake up."
With that, he set off at a jog, disappearing into one of the far alleyways. His destination was an old ruined church a few blocks away. Hopefully Ghast would meet him there, and they'd be able to save the boy - with their own specific brand of saving.
The old church showed its signs of age and ruin clearly. Some of the walls had half collapsed on themselves, and the doors had long since rotted away. Water marks from flooding stained those walls that were still standing, and inside, those pews that hadn't fully decayed were scattered haphazardly around the hall.
Arty had laid the dying boy down near the old altar, and was perched on the steps up to the dais beside him. Ghast was still a few minutes out, according to the last text he'd sent. Not that there was any huge rush. The kid would have to die, one way or another, before he could be brought back. A few minutes more of death wouldn't make a difference one way or another, as to how well his revival went.
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Ronin
Active Member
Without warning, the huge wood doors of the church burst open. The paladin stood at the end, glowing sword in one hand, lawkeeper in the other. Snow and wind howled behind him in the broken streets - it was turning into a blizzard.
"Don't. Fucking. Move."
He kept his gun trained on Art and began stomping down the isle.
"Don't. Fucking. Move."
He kept his gun trained on Art and began stomping down the isle.
Arty was on his feet before the paladin spoke, dropping into a defensive stance and subconsciously putting himself between the boy and the paladin. His eyes narrowed in recognition a moment later.
"What's your problem?" he hissed. "Kid's gonna die anyway. Long before any ambulance comes out to this slum. I'm not doing anything wrong."
He clenched his fist around his phone, hitting the call button in the process. He couldn't get a text in without being obvious about it, but no doubt Ghast would be able to get an idea of what was going on by the sounds coming through the handset if he picked up.
"What's your problem?" he hissed. "Kid's gonna die anyway. Long before any ambulance comes out to this slum. I'm not doing anything wrong."
He clenched his fist around his phone, hitting the call button in the process. He couldn't get a text in without being obvious about it, but no doubt Ghast would be able to get an idea of what was going on by the sounds coming through the handset if he picked up.
Ronin
Active Member
The paladin halted in the middle of the isle as Arty took a defensive stance. He leveled his gun at the boy.
"Shut up," he cut the boy off before he could finish, "lie on the ground, face down, with your hands behind your head. Now."
The something shifted inside the weapon, the color bar on the frame changing colors.
"Shut up," he cut the boy off before he could finish, "lie on the ground, face down, with your hands behind your head. Now."
The something shifted inside the weapon, the color bar on the frame changing colors.
"Fuck you," Arty spat back, making no move to comply with the paladin's orders, but making no aggressive motions either. He stood his ground stubbornly, glaring daggers. "Don't you paladins have worse shit to deal with than homeless kids who aren't hurting anyone?"
Ronin
Active Member
The hammer cocked.
BZZZAAT. BZZZAAT.
Two shock rounds fired for Arty's chest. If there was any remaining electric signal subsisting between Arty's muscles and his nervous system, he would find himself incapacitated if struck with the rounds - as well as afflicted with a quick, bright pain.
BZZZAAT. BZZZAAT.
Two shock rounds fired for Arty's chest. If there was any remaining electric signal subsisting between Arty's muscles and his nervous system, he would find himself incapacitated if struck with the rounds - as well as afflicted with a quick, bright pain.
Arty's body convulsed as the shock rounds hit him, twitching and spasming as his muscles contracted violently, and he dropped to the floor. His face contorted briefly before he forcibly tuned out the pain of the shock, then settled back into a grimace. Where the shock would have left a normal human incapacitated for a good few minutes, Arty's recovery would take only as long as it took for the rounds to stop delivering their shock. Despite this, he stayed on the ground, hoping both to lure the paladin into a false sense of security, and buy additional time for Ghast to arrive to back him up.
Ronin
Active Member
The paladin advanced cautiously, rounding Arty's body so that he approached closest to his feet, away from his arms. THNK. His sword stuck into the ground. He stooped over Arty, reaching into his belt for a pair of handcuffs...
Unless deterred, the paladin would handcuff Arty's wrists together. The corpse-boy's ploy seemed to have work - the knight was none the wiser to the fact that Art wasn't actually unconscious.
Unless deterred, the paladin would handcuff Arty's wrists together. The corpse-boy's ploy seemed to have work - the knight was none the wiser to the fact that Art wasn't actually unconscious.
It was as the paladin was reaching over him to apply the handcuffs that Arty sprung. With inhuman speed and strength, the ghoul boy lashed out with a backhanded swing at the paladin's face, the haphazard blow carrying the force of a straight punch from a man twice Arty's size. A moment later, a foot came up to kick at the paladin's midriff with enough strength that it could have come from a horse, aiming to shove him backwards and away as the boy scrambled to his feet.
Once up, Arty made a grab for the most convenient weapon he could find: the paladin's sword. He made to wrench it from the ground and hold it out defensively and with an obvious lack of training.
"I don't wanna do this, man!" he yelled. "Just fucking leave me alone!"
Once up, Arty made a grab for the most convenient weapon he could find: the paladin's sword. He made to wrench it from the ground and hold it out defensively and with an obvious lack of training.
"I don't wanna do this, man!" he yelled. "Just fucking leave me alone!"
Ronin
Active Member
"AUUGHN!" the paladin growled, Art's blow ringing inside his helmet. The ghoul's foot cracked against plate mail, his inhuman strength pushing him backwards into the pews. He rolled through the worn-out furniture, splintering the wood.
Art would find the sword quite heavy - though perhaps its weight was of little consequence, considering his powers. It glowed with a bright light and exuded an aura of intense heat.
By the time he finished speaking, the paladin had backrolled onto the balls of his feet. His lawkeeper rotated another chamber and he took aim, firing three times at the undoubtedly superhuman freak.
These bullets were real.
Art would find the sword quite heavy - though perhaps its weight was of little consequence, considering his powers. It glowed with a bright light and exuded an aura of intense heat.
By the time he finished speaking, the paladin had backrolled onto the balls of his feet. His lawkeeper rotated another chamber and he took aim, firing three times at the undoubtedly superhuman freak.
These bullets were real.
The bullets struck true, ripping through Arty's body easily and leaving bloody holes in his torso. The force of the impacts staggered him, forcing him back a step, but he otherwise didn't even flinch. He'd left his pain receptors disabled since the shock bullets had hit, and so the shots barely gave him pause, as did the sword's heat even as it burned his hands. Within a few moments, the bullet holes were already starting to close. "Fuck you!" The ghoul screamed. "I did nothing wrong!"
Fuelled by anger and fear, he launched himself forwards, swinging the heavy greatsword in a haphazard arc towards the paladin's gun-arm with ease enough that it might as well have been made of plastic. "I just wanted to help him!" he continued to yell as he swung, his voice cracking slightly as he did.
Fuelled by anger and fear, he launched himself forwards, swinging the heavy greatsword in a haphazard arc towards the paladin's gun-arm with ease enough that it might as well have been made of plastic. "I just wanted to help him!" he continued to yell as he swung, his voice cracking slightly as he did.
Ronin
Active Member
The paladin snarled, backstepping as the boy lunged forward with the blade. He leaped backwards as Arty swung, pulling his lawkeeper to the side of his body. The glowing blade caught the open air, missing its target by half a second.
Before Arty could push forward, the paladin struck. A new ammunition loaded into his lawkeeper and issued from the weapon at near point blank range. KCHOOM. KCHOOM. Buckshot. The high powered, close quartered rounds were aimed at Art's face and chest, powerful enough to shred muscle, chalk bone and pulverize organs on-contact. These packed even more stopping power than the lead rounds. At this range, they might very well knock the boy off his feet.
"You little shit..." he spat. Blood soaked his teeth.
Before Arty could push forward, the paladin struck. A new ammunition loaded into his lawkeeper and issued from the weapon at near point blank range. KCHOOM. KCHOOM. Buckshot. The high powered, close quartered rounds were aimed at Art's face and chest, powerful enough to shred muscle, chalk bone and pulverize organs on-contact. These packed even more stopping power than the lead rounds. At this range, they might very well knock the boy off his feet.
"You little shit..." he spat. Blood soaked his teeth.