Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Westeria City: The Downs

Tiko

Tiko

Draconic Administrator/Mentor
Administrator
Mentor
Nexus GM
as written by Tiko, Faithy, and Script

Christian pulled up outside his dingy hovel and parked his car, which wasn't in much better shape. The rust bucket of a death trap was about all he could afford at the moment, but he was far too busy with his experiments to worry about things like income or wealth.

He turned the engine off fishing around in the back seat for a duffle bag that he tossed to Valentina.

"Come on," he told her as he got out.

He left his door open as Valentina would find that her side door wouldn't open from the inside. He didn't wait for her as he took the steps two at a time. The rotted out planks creaked in protest under his weight but he paid it no mind. He had lived in worse places.

He unlocked the front door and headed inside, leaving it open behind him for when Valentina caught up. The interior made the car look like a lamborghini. The place smelled of death and the carpet was rotted out from water damage where the ceiling leaked, and there where cracks in the plaster of the walls. Clothes and other belongings where strewn about the floor and dead roaches littered the floor for those who looked close enough.

____

Valentina sat silently as Christian drove to his place, NomNom still sitting in her lap. As soon as she took in his dwelling, the Vampire immediately wondered if she would need a tetanus shot. Catching the bag once it was tossed to her, she almost said something, but kept her mouth shut. When she attempted to open the door, she frowned a minute before climbing out the other side, grumbling something about the fact that he could have opened the damn door for her. Sliding to her feet, she let NomNom climb onto her shoulder and she carried the bag up the steps, grimacing as they creaked beneath her.

“Err… this is totally safe.” Muttering under her breath, she moved inside, glancing around with a disgusted look. Scrunching up her nose, she stood right by the door, realizing that this was not a place she wanted to be in. Between the leaky ceiling, the smell, and the clothes scattered everywhere, Valentina decided that she wanted to leave immediately, but if it helped Viktor, then she would remain.

“Euch… Why’re we here again and why did I have to come with you? This place is gross…”

____

"Nice place you got here, Christian."

Arien's voice came from the house's kitchen, before he sauntered into view in the hallway, leaning on the doorframe between the rooms. "Think your lock's broken, by the way. And there's a dead cat in your pantry." The young vampire smirked from beneath his fringe of thick brown hair. The expression was distorted somewhat by the large burn-scar upon his otherwise beautiful features, in the shape of a palm-print.

"Who's the kid?" he asked, nodding his head towards Valentina.

____

"A kid," Christian remarked dryly.

He honestly couldn't remember her name, having largely ignored her the whole night. "Viktor got himself tangled up with hunters, and the kid was with him when it went down. I need her to take you to where it happened. He's been poisoned with something, and if you guys can lift the arrow from the crime scene, it might help with identifying the toxin. Can you do that?" he asked.

The sun would be up within the hour, and he knew how much Arien disliked the daylight, but they couldn't afford a whole day waiting for nightfall.

____

Valentina squeaked the moment a voice sounded from the kitchen, her eyes darting over towards him. She grimaced at his comments, finding it harder and harder to stay in the house. It was nastier than she could ever imagine a place to be and the fact that there was a dead cat in his panty made her drop the bag and hold onto her white kitty, snarling under her breath. The snarl soon turned into a growl when she was described as a kid.

“My name is Valentina Rosetti.” She stated calmly despite the urge to rip Christian’s throat out. “Who are you?” She questioned towards Arien, her lavender eyes studying him cautiously before shifting back over towards Christian when he finally revealed why he had brought her alone.

“And what if the hunters come back?”

____

"Then I kill some hunters," Arien replied casually, shrugging. "That is, if we get there before daybreak. I don't fancy a fight with hunters under the sun."

His bright green eyes slid down to Valentina, "I'm Arien." he replied simply, "How far is this place from here? We've an hour before the sun comes up and we're sitting ducks for anyone watching the attack site. We'll need to move quickly."

He gave the cat an odd look, but refrained from commenting on it.

____

Christian thought to warn Arien that those hunters he was so cocky about had dropped Viktor of all people... but he knew it would be a waste of breath.

"I'll meet up with you guys back at Viktor's place," he said as he kicked the moldy carpet back to get at the trapdoor underneath that led down into his lab.

The smells that wafted out as he pulled it open was enough to leave even the hardiest of men retching. Fortunately breathing was optional for him and he didn't seem to even notice it as he descended downstairs.

____

“Unless you’re better than Viktor, I doubt that. But, fine, let’s go. It isn’t far from here, I don’t think.” Valentina just glared at Christian and watched as he opened up a trap door. Part of her wanted to go down and peek, but she really didn’t want to see anything else disgusting. Hopefully she would never ever have to come back here again.

“Ugh, you need a housekeeper, Christian. You’re so gross.” She grumbled before glancing back towards Arien. Sighing, she turned around and walked out of the house, leaping down to the sidewalk. She placed NomNom back onto her shoulder and turned around to wait for Arien to join her. Why was she going with a complete stranger back to the site of the attack? Oh right, she liked Viktor and wanted him to get better.

“Let’s go already then.”

____

Arien nodded his head, "We'll not want to walk if we want to get there in decent time." he said, nodding his head towards a motorcycle propped up at the side of the road. "Good thing I brought a ride, and one that's faster than Christian's deathtrap on wheels."

He swung his leg over the bike and sat, starting the engine up. "Climb on back and hold on tight. You'll wanna put the cat inside your jacket." he instructed with a grin, waiting for her to be ready. When she was, he gunned the throttle, and they shot off with a screeching of wheels.

"So, Valentina, right?" he called over the wind, "How'd you get caught up in this?"
 
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as written by Faithy and Script

“Erp… alright then.” Valentina shimmied up onto the back of the motorcycle and tried not to imagine her dying on it. She wasn’t really one for vehicles, especially ones that had absolutely no protection, but she was fairly certain being a Vampire meant she was harder to kill, right? Then again, if she lost her head, she would be very much dead. Cringing at the thought, she tucked NomNom down in her arms and said a few words under her breath before squealing when he suddenly took off. She wrapped one arm around his waist while holding tight onto her kitty.

“Yep! Valentina! Thanks for not calling me a kid or that kid or some kid or something like that. That’s all Christian has been calling me because he’s a fucking gross asshole who needs to learn manners. I am … umm…” Valentina paused, not quite sure what to call her relationship with Viktor.

“I guess you could say that Viktor and I are acquaintances and well… he saved me from the hunters. They killed my Sire, Lily and I found her body… and then I found Viktor.” She frowned at the memory, fighting to keep from crying.

____

"For all I know you could be older than me," Arien remarked, smirking at the thought. "And you've got the right idea about Christian. He really doesn't do people very well." The teenager tutted, "Unless you count dissecting them and stitching them back together like a modern day frankenvampire."

He rounded a corner with a screech, startling a couple who were walking along the street as he skidded past them. Thankfully at this hour of the morning the streets were almost deserted, and he only had to weave around a few cars here and there. "Uhg. Hunters. Slayers. Call it what you want, it's pretty much ethnic cleansing. I'm sorry to hear what happened."

Arien grimaced. "I'll chalk it up to the list of reasons I'm going to make their leader suffer before he dies, if I ever get the chance."

____

“Naw, I am a newly turned Vampire. I uhh… Lily saved me from a rogue Vampire when I was out with my parents. They got slaughtered. She was my world and then she got taken from me.” Valentina sighed and shook her head, forcing herself to think of something else other than the fact that now she had no one except her kitten. Her brow arched when she realized that Arien had just revealed to her that Christian liked to dissect people and stitch them back together. She couldn’t help but deeply sigh at the realization that he could have easily done to her. Moving forward once again with her thoughts, she shifted NomNom in her arms as they zoomed around the corner, squealing in the process.

“Why can’t the hunters or slayers just leave us alone…? I mean, sure, we feed on humans and junk, but… it’s not like we’re all bad…” She scowled a little and exhaled deeply, glad when the tears stopped threatening to spill down her cheeks. “Are we almost there? I’m getting sick at all this quick movement.”

____

"Nearly. I'll stop a block or so away so we don't draw any unnecessary attention from the police." Arien replied, "Last thing we need is them getting involved. They're almost as bad as hunters."

Arien had bad experiences with the police force. Admittedly, he'd deserved it in the end, but to begin with, it had been totally unfair.

"And hunters hunt us because they're threatened by us. They don't like that we're around - stronger, faster, and smarter than them. They're afraid. And their answer to that is to try and wipe us out. Humans have never liked things that are different. Especially when those 'things' are better than them."

The bike came to a halt at the side of the road, a short distance from Colcord Point. "This is as close as I'll drive us. Now we just need to find the police cordon. Keep your nose peeled for the smell of doughnuts and misery - it's coming up to the end of the night shift."
 
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as written by Architect and Script

"Nearly. I'll stop a block or so away so we don't draw any unnecessary attention from the police." Arien replied, "Last thing we need is them getting involved. They're almost as bad as hunters."

Arien had bad experiences with the police force. Admittedly, he'd deserved it in the end, but to begin with, it had been totally unfair.

"And hunters hunt us because they're threatened by us. They don't like that we're around - stronger, faster, and smarter than them. They're afraid. And their answer to that is to try and wipe us out. Humans have never liked things that are different. Especially when those 'things' are better than them."

The bike came to a halt at the side of the road, a short distance from Colcord Point. "This is as close as I'll drive us. Now we just need to find the police cordon. Keep your nose peeled for the smell of doughnuts and misery - it's coming up to the end of the night shift."

____

As Lark crested the rooftop, there were more eyes on him than those of his pursuers. Over the sound of his breathing and heavy footfalls on the concrete of the roof, the sound of his ringtone began to radiate from his pocket.

Upon his answering, a slightly distorted and digital-sounding voice spoke to him.

"Take a left, to the next building. Drop down into the alleyway on the far side, there's a warehouse. The side door has an electronic lock that leads into the security room, but it's open and the guard bolted three minutes ago to check on his family in Azure Heights. Close it behind you and it should buy you some time."

Then, without giving Lark a chance to respond, the phone went dead.

____

Who was that?

Lark didn't know whether or not he should trust the voice on his phone. It could just be one of their tricks. But when another agent dropped onto the roof in front of him, Lark found himself making the sharp left as he was told. He reached the edge of the building and leapt at the wall, briefly making contact with the cement before pushing off and dropping into the wall of the first building. He kicked off again and landed on a dumpster in the alley.

Sprinting down the alley, Lark found it did indeed run alongside a warehouse. He found the door where he was told and quickly slipped inside, shutting the door behind him.

He paused to put his hands on his knees and catch his breath.

____

Inside, the security room was filled with around a dozen screens displaying footage from security cameras around the warehouse's perimeter, as well as inside it. A single chair was in the middle of the screens next to the control console and a desk with a half-finished mug of coffee. A men's fitness magazine was splayed open beside the mug, with one of the advertisements roughly circled with a marker pen.

Loud banging resonated from the door, as one of the agents reached it and tried to kick it open, but it didn't budge an inch.

One of the cameras turned to watch the agent be joined by several others, some of whom were sent off to try and find another way inside.

"No time to waste on breathing exercises."

The distorted voice from before spoke again, this time coming from the speakers in the security console. The camera footage flickered on one of the screens, before blinking out to be replaced by what appeared to be a portion of a face against a white backdrop. One by one, the rest of the screens in the room followed suit, until they displayed between them the full head and shoulders of a boy who couldn't have been past his teens. He was white-haired, and his eyes were a luminescent cyan blue.

"They'll break in through one of the windows soon. I'll have an escape route with you in five, but they'll be on you in here by that time. You need to move in through the door on the far side of the room that leads into the warehouse proper. Move over to the main entrance, the big sliding doors. They're on an electronic locking system as well. Find somewhere nearby to hide and wait. When they open, you'll have to make a break for it. I'll have your ticket out waiting for you there."

The boy spoke commandingly, his screens briefly flicking as he spoke to illustrate his words - showing first the warehouse interior and the massive sliding doors, then the camera view of the outside of the front of the warehouse, a few metres away from the road.

"Oh, and watch your step. Looking at the documentation for this place, I'm pretty sure whatever's in those crates is either explosive, or alive. Someone's gone to great pains to keep its details off the system."

Far from looking concerned, though, the boy grinned.

____

Lark blinked once at the screen before slinking away from it. He'd gone too far to stop trusting that person now, whoever they were.

He skulked into the warehouse proper, looking around at the shapes hidden in the shadows. He could try to hide in one of the containers....but he didn't know what was inside. He climbed the stairs to a catwalk to try and see over the shipping crates and boxes. He heard glass break and sucked on the back of his teeth with a "tsk"

He was never good as good at hiding as some of the others.

He could hear them entering. Lark climbed onto the catwalk railing, and jumped up to grab hold of the nearest rafter. With a soft grunt he pulled himself up onto the steel beam and carefully walked along it's length. He found a section where it met a structural support, and formed a small niche just big enough for him to squeeze into.

____

Below, the men began to fan out to search the warehouse. Their speech was muffled - evidently they were talking via headsets or earpieces of some sort, as they weren't speaking loud enough to be heard over the distances they were working with.

If Lark was paying close enough attention, he might have noticed the security cameras scattered around the warehouse moving to track the motions of the men. One was also moving in a periodic arc past his hiding place.

In the distance, the sound of a roaring car engine cut through the relative quiet.

After a moment, however, it became apparent that the men weren't the only ones roaming the warehouse. A shriek cut through the air, as a shadow from one of the walls detached and lurched forwards. Disturbingly long limbs stretched out from it, with lengthy claws forming at their ends as it took a vaguely humanoid shape.

One of the men was forced to dive out of the way as it lunged at him, carving a gash in the concrete floor where it missed. Around the warehouse, more of the creatures were beginning to step out of the walls.

Gunfire ran out as the men fought back. If Lark had ever wanted a distraction, this was it.

As if on cue, the sound of grinding machinery began to ring out, and the large door began to slowly slide open.

Not a moment later, the shadows in the wall next to Lark's hiding spot began to move.

____

Lark watched with piqued curiosity at the men below. The creatures that revealed themselves in the warehouse were an unexpected variable. He wondered as to just who, or what he was dealing with, and why they had decided to assist him in the first place.

He didn't get to wonder long though, as he noticed that the wall nearest to him was beginning to manifest a creature of it's own. Not wanting to stick around long enough to figure out if it could tell him apart from the others, Lark bolted from his hiding spot, walking briskly along the length of beam before dropping down atop a stack of containers below.

Not a second after his feet made contact with the metal container did he hear a gunshot, the bullet ricocheting off the container with a loud ping. Lark flattened against the container immediately and two more shots snag through the air over him.

____

It seemed that the man's gunfire had drawn the attention of the shadows. As he took aim once more, one of the creatures lunged at him, driving a clawed hand straight through his chest in spite of his armour. Gunfire rained down on it as the man's comrades sought to take revenge, but it seemed to shrug the bullets off heedlessly.

Light began to spill into the room from the opening doorway, and the sound of the roaring car became louder as though it were drawing closer.

The creature that had formed beside Lark's hiding place had stalked after him as he moved. It slunk across the beam he had fled over with hunched, lanky movements reminiscent of a four-legged spider. Not long after the man shooting at Lark had been silenced, it dropped down after them, landing with a forceful thud on the container that slightly dented it.

Glowing empty yellow eyes surveyed him ponderously for a few moments before it bared a distorted mouthful of razor-sharp black teeth, hissing aggressively and spreading its claws in preparation to strike.

____

Lark blinked at the creature, and for a moment, refused to move. He swallowed hard when he confirmed that there was a device nearby. It was really the most troublesome thing. It's activation had been the only warning he'd had, he knew it was something only the project could come up with. But with that thing around, Lark knew that something like this creature was going to be very difficult to deal with.

After one more blink, Lark immediately rolled to his right and off of the container to drop onto a crate below.

____

Claws scythed down where Lark had been, slashing into the top of the container and carving through it with ease. The creature seemed to be moving sluggishly, almost as though it were deliberately allowing Lark time to move. It stared after him before continuing its spider-like pursuit, slow yet unerring.

The front door of the warehouse was now fully open, and light flooded into it. The men that had been chasing Lark were now clearly visible, being closed in on by shadows that seemed intent on herding them back out through the window they'd broken through. They were seemingly dragging their wounded with them - yet no blood was visible on the floor.

It was with a screeching of tires that the car that had been audible for the last minute arrived on scene, spinning in a perfect half-turn to skid to a halt right in the doorway, where it honked its horn loudly.

"Get in!" The slightly distorted voice of the boy from the before blasted out of the car's speakers, and the passenger-side door swung open. Strangely, the car itself seemed to be empty.

More shadows were beginning to emerge from the shadows of the crates between Lark's position and the doorway. Their movements remained slow as they dragged themselves from the ground. If he ran, he might be able to reach the car before they blocked his path.

____

Lark bolted for the vehicle, ducking under a reaching claw or two as he managed to slither his way through the crowd of creatures. He jumped into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut behind him.

"The pedal on the right please!" He shouted at the car.

____

Not missing a beat, the car's wheel turned and it accelerated away with another screech of its tires. Behind it, the doors of the warehouse began again to close. None of the shadows pursued out the doorway, and none seemed inclined to follow the retreating men out the window.

The car somehow managed to make the turn from the warehouse's lot onto the road despite the breakneck pace at which it reached it.

The radio of the car flickered to life, briefly speaking a line from the news. "... dragon appears to have departed the city, but fighting continues to rage at the Government Centre and on main s-"

It was interrupted as once more, the boy's voice cut in. Upon a digital interface in the centre of the dashboard that had been displaying details on the car's performance, his face appeared with a grin.

"Sorry about that. Did not see those weird shadow beasts coming. One heck of a security system, that's for sure."

The car seemed to be speeding towards the city proper, where billowing clouds of smoke were filling the sky from the many fires that dotted the landscape.

"Just one of those days, huh?"
 
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as written by Saarai

"Quiet." Natasha ordered, she and her team remaining very still as they hid in the dark shadows of an alleyway. An armored vehicle began to pass by the alley slowly, it's body of Oriyak graffiti letting it be known to all who was trying to stake their claim on The Downs.

Hearts were thumping as the vehicle moved. Natasha and her people could handle gangs and thugs, but not when they were outnumbered the way they were.

She'd brought a team of six out with her, it was all she needed for recon and rescue. But, it wasn't enough when hostile soldiers and gang members were making the most of the city's chaos.

"Clear. Move!" The woman ordered, she and her people, dressed in street clothes and armored vests, running out of the alley to take cover behind a crashed van.

"No signs of civilians yet. That we had a chance to look with everyone trying to murder everyone." One of her people said, "We can look now, but be ready for hostiles. And remember, less-than-lethal and non-lethal engagement only."
 
as written by Architect

"One of those days..." Lark repeated as he caught his breath. Yeah, if that's what you could call it.

As he continued to calm down, something occurred to him. He could still feel it. The device was still nearby.

The thought had barely entered his mind before he heard a loud thump come from the roof of the vehicle, shortly followed by a dangerous looking blade piercing right through at him.
 
as written by Script

"Oh shit." The eyes of the boy in the car's display widened. "Hold on, I'll try and shake him."

The car took a sharp right, swerving into a narrow alleyway. It burst straight through a couple of wooden stalls, thankfully unoccupied given the current chaos in the city, sending fruit and raw fish spraying over the windscreen and top of the car.

It didn't slow down, however, barrelling down the alleyway at entire unsafe speeds before bursting out onto another main road.

The high-tech sports car shot straight past Natasha and her team, taking a screeching turn to continue making a beeline for the centre of the city. As it drove, it zig-zagged expertly in an attempt to shake its passenger.

"There's a gun in the glove compartment," the boy called through the radio, his face screwed up with focus. "I'm trying to get you back-up but I can only multi-task so much."
 
as written by Saarai

Hesh watched Natasha and her team from down the road, eye pressed to the scope of his sniper rifle as he concealed himself in dark shadows just as his target had done moments prior.

"Zolner is in my sights." He said, "Observe her for now and then we make our move. I want an a quick and easy grab." He told his team.

No one needed to know the woman was taken, not until she was where she needed to be. Hesh was going to make sure she got there in a timely fashion of he could.

"Go." Natasha ordered, she and her team moving further up the road. They stayed to the sidewalks, or what would be sidewalks in a place like The Downs. They were hoping to avoid more speeding cars if there were any.
 
as written by Architect and Script

Lark shrank away from the blade as far as he could, and tried to reach for the glove compartment. The task was made much harder by the sudden movements and jerks of the vehicle as it tried to buck off whoever was atop it. As lark was thrown from one side of the vehicle to the other, he caught a glimpse of another blade, flashing just outside the windshield, only for a brief moment could he see it before it plunged through the hood of the car.

Lark could hear the car's motor squeal in agony before seizing up, causing the car's tires to lock up. The blade must've tripped a sensor of sorts.

He noticed the blades retreat and detached themselves from the car, just before he could feel the vehicle losing control, it was going to roll over. Instantly He reached for a seat belt, wrapping his forearm in it before he felt the tires leave the earth.

____

It was several blocks away from Natasha and her crew that the car overturned. The boy swore as it did, "Who the fuck are these guys? Hold on, don't die. Backup is en route and less likely to hit a fucking building now I don't have to drive this at the same time. Upsides, I guess? But fuck, you know how many self-driving cars are out there? Not many. This is personal now."

The vehicle rolled, its speed and sporty design causing it to flip over multiple times as it skidded across the street and into the side of a building. Thankfully for Lark, the interior was well designed with a roll-cage built in, so provided he'd got his belt on, he'd likely come out unharmed.

If he hadn't? Well, road safety laws existed for a reason.

____

When everything finally stopped, Lark could feel his arm burning. His shoulder felt like it had been separated entirely, luckily it was only pain. He groaned, shaking his head in a vain attempt to force away the dizziness.

He pulled himself through the broken window, shattered glass crunching underneath his weight. He let out an anguished grunt, managing to sit on his knees. When he looked up, he saw the tip of a blade pointed at him.

"13." He heard the faceless voice growl.

____

If the voice had planned on continuing, it would be swiftly interrupted by a loud whirring of engines, as a trio of small drones soared into view. They were compact in form, composed primarily of a cylindrical central unit with weapons attachments, and a single glowing sensor at the centre.

They descended towards the crashed car, their weapons audibly charging power.

"Step away from the vehicle!" The boy's voice this time emerged from one of the drones, "Or I will wreck you like I wrecked your momma last night!"

____

"The program above everything." The voice continued. "Did you forget that 13?" The owner of the voice had a wiry frame, and was obviously female. It was impossible to see the face hidden behind the demonic looking mask. Lark knew why she wore it, it was the same reason all executioners wore masks. She turned her head up for a moment to look at the drones, unflinching as she watched them. After a second she turned her attention back to Lark, who'd finally caught his breath.

"Allow me to remind you." The words were short and curt, and instantly the blade leapt forward at Lark's head.

The blade made contact with an invisible surface, the size of a quarter yet harder than diamond. An audible noise was emitted as it ricochet off, just barely nicking Lark's ear. Immediately Lark grabbed onto her wrist, pulling hard towards the ground and striking out at one of her knees with his other fist. She let out a gasp as she fell forward, but seemed to roll her body as she did so. The bodies seemed to entangle, too close to offer the drones a clear shot.

____

"Son of a ... I mean, daughter of a..." The voice cursed as the drones manoeuvred to try and get a shot. It was no good though. There was no getting a shot off without risking hitting Lark.

Time for a new plan.

A flash of light burst from one of the drones, shooting towards the floor a few metres away from where the two figures were entangled. The light swiftly took the shape of a person, before solidifying into the form of the boy who had been on all the screens Lark had seen throughout the chase. His eyes were closed and his expression one of total concentration.

The next instant, he locked onto every piece of technology on the woman's person that he could sense, and sent them haywire. Barring extensive internal security, he'd quickly gain control of them and overload their processors with information. If they emitted a signal it was jammed, if they took input then random commands were registered several times every second, and if they contained any data, it was corrupted beyond salvage.

The drones continued to hover, though their aim seemed to be a little off. A bead of sweat rolled down the boy's brow.

____

Lark continued to fight with the masked woman, oblivious as to what the drones were doing in the meantime. Lark knew he was fighting to survive, he knew exactly who he was dealing with, if she got even the slightest free moment, she'd finish him. He needed an opening, and she made it very difficult to make one.

However, Lark had not expected what came next.

He felt something happen. The air grew lighter, and the weight that had been crushing him had vanished. As he stared into the woman's eyes, he knew she realized it as well.

The device was no longer working.

It took everything in Lark to keep him from smirking. Clenching his right fist, Lark brought it rushing upwards. He felt it make contact with something hard, and immediately an almost explosive shock wave rang through the air. The Woman's weight vanished, and Lark watched her soar into the air. He'd hit with the power of a sonic boom, and Lark was confident that now that there was no longer a device nearby, she wouldn't be coming back for another round.

He got to his feet and dusted himself off. Turning with a smile to the image of his Samaritan. "Thanks for the help."

____

The boy watched Lark's assailant fly through the air, blinking in surprise. "Whoa," he said, glancing back across at Lark, "I figured whatever signal she had going was important, but I didn't realise... well, neat."

He grinned, "You're welcome. Was fun times. You're lucky I was surfing cameras to try and pick a good spot to avoid the dragon at."

His eyes turned back towards the now-nearby city centre, where the distant sounds of the battle in the sky continued, the occasional explosion visible in the air. "Soooo... how come the polit bureau and their crazy femme fatale is out for your blood?" he asked as he turned and meandered over to the overturned car. His drones continued to hover, though they seemed a lot more idle now.

The boy peered into the car, grimacing, "Yeesh, that's a write-off. Gonna have to steal another one now. That's a whole lot of effort I didn't need."

____

The boy watched Lark's assailant fly through the air, blinking in surprise. "Whoa," he said, glancing back across at Lark, "I figured whatever signal she had going was important, but I didn't realise... well, neat."

He grinned, "You're welcome. Was fun times. You're lucky I was surfing cameras to try and pick a good spot to avoid the dragon at."

His eyes turned back towards the now-nearby city centre, where the distant sounds of the battle in the sky continued, the occasional explosion visible in the air. "Soooo... how come the polit bureau and their crazy femme fatale is out for your blood?" he asked as he turned and meandered over to the overturned car. His drones continued to hover, though they seemed a lot more idle now.

The boy peered into the car, grimacing, "Yeesh, that's a write-off. Gonna have to steal another one now. That's a whole lot of effort I didn't need."

____

Lark watched his, well hero, with a curious caution. The boy seemed to be more of the aloof type, and his words weren't as weighed down with the heavy tone of most Terrans. Lark could tell even with just this short interaction between them, that he could easily be friends with this individual. Of course right now, that wouldn't exactly be the smartest decision.

"I'm sorry." He said with a momentary drooping of his head. "But I shouldn't involve anyone else any further. Thank you again for your help. Perhaps we will meet again one day."

____

"Dude," Kaiden replied, straightening and fixing Lark with a dubious look. "I'm already involved. I just fucked up some fancy equipment of theirs beyond repair, they're probably pretty salty." The boy shook his head, "So don't pull that face. That's the 'it's for my own good if I'm alone, oh woe, leave me be' face. Protip, life's more fun when you take risks."

He smirked, leaning back casually on the wreck of his car, "I'm Kaiden, by the way. You got a name?"
 
as written by Saarai and Ronin

"Dude," Kaiden replied, straightening and fixing Lark with a dubious look. "I'm already involved. I just fucked up some fancy equipment of theirs beyond repair, they're probably pretty salty." The boy shook his head, "So don't pull that face. That's the 'it's for my own good if I'm alone, oh woe, leave me be' face. Protip, life's more fun when you take risks."

He smirked, leaning back casually on the wreck of his car, "I'm Kaiden, by the way. You got a name?"

____

"No need." A deep, clotted voice rasped from the nearby darkness of an alleyway. A gaunleted hand came up - a gesture of peace - and was followed by a cloaked figure, garbed in shadow, plated armor gleaming a dull ash in the moonlight.

"I've already neutralized the two patrols on Narrow and Hartford, as well as the sniper on the Baxter stack." He tapped a button on his bracer and a holoscreen flared in front of him: a live feed from several different vantage points in the Downs. "We have five minutes before the patrols don't check back in with the base. Ten before they're able to send a recon squad."

He looked up at those gathered, his face obscured by a smooth, white mask. "I am Paragon. I need your help."

____

Vanessa raised her tranquilizer gun towards the approaching stranger, the rest of her team revealing themselves to him as well. They were ready for a fight, anything could happen. Especially now. Each day things spun more and more out of the government's control.

"Paragon?" One of the Invictus mercenaries asked, "Heard of you before." He said, "Friendly?" Vanessa asked, "For now." The mercenary told her.

The mercenaries lowered their weapons, several moving to play the role of lookouts. This was, for all intents and purposes, enemy territory.

"What do you need?" Vanessa asked, "We're in search of our friends. They went dark. Here. I've heard of this place."

____

"It's complicated. As it stands now, I'm here for the same reason as you - to recover the missing Invictus Operatives." His arm receded into his cloak, the holograms dissipating. "I'll debrief you on my mission once we're through here, in front of the rest of Team Ripper."

"You said your friends disappeared around here. Do you think the Oriyaks had something to do with it?"

____

Vanessa nodded, "Either them or someone else. Who knows? Things are going bad. We're running out of space for people at our compound. And people are running out of patience." She said to Paragon.

"It would be great if we had visuals from the night they went dark." A mercenary said, "Unfortunately, we don't. We try to not to do illegal things." Vanessa said.

"Often." Another mercenary joked.

Vanessa jerked a thumb behind herself, "It's best we continue this somewhere with less risk of being murdered. If you have something worth saying, speak to Mary. She's in charge and back at The Palace."

____

"'Illegal' is a fickle term," Paragon replied. He gave a command to his suits mainframe, quickly downloading the feed backlog of all security cameras in the area. He entered Natasha's face into his suit's facial-recognition software and cross-referenced the data with the acquired footage. It took his computer mere seconds to find the match.

A hologram on his gauntlet flared up for the Invictus to see. The video would feature Natasha and the other members of her team ambushed by well-armed troopers. They were disarmed and led away with frightening efficiency.

"Those don't look like Oriyaks."

____

"Not Aschen. They wouldn't need to hide, and that isn't their MO anyways." A soldier said, "Terrans?" Another asked, "Why?" Vanessa asked, "They don't trust us. Could be trying to get info out of us in the chaos. Intelligence is key."

"I would know." Vanessa said, "I was an intelligence agent for the PLA before the Invictus scouted me." She told Paragon.

"The list of suspects is long. We don't know where to look." Vanessa said to Paragon, "Hell, Fatin, our leader, went dark on Hera Prime along with another team. We're being targeted."

____

"What if I told you that there's a possibility these men are under orders from Ariadne Kale?" The hologram shut down and Paragon gloomed into Vanessa. "That she's systematically eliminating or capturing Invictus loyalists and plans to frame Stryfe for the Volary bombings to usurp the company and profit from the chaos resulting from the TNG-Shintenchi war?"

____

The Invictus soldiers looked to each other, they were clearly very skeptical of what Paragon was saying. Then again, he knew Ariadne's name. She was a private person, there was no reason Paragon should know her name unless he actually knew something.

"Think those could be her people?" Vanessa asked, "I mean, I'm not ready to point a finger at her yet, but..." She paused, "They did know where our people would be. The exact location." A mercenary finished for her.

"And we were supposed to have that vote about leadership. It was her idea." Vanessa said, "We need proof. Find out who's working with her. We can take this to the leadership, minus Ariadne, and see what happens."

____

"Working on the proof," Paragon replied, "I have video evidence implicating Lars, her assistant, in the Volary bombings. Nothing concrete on Kale. Yet." He pressed a button in gaunlet and removed a small chip. "This is a copy of the feed. He's briefing a mercenary in Windcrest. It's not enough to book Kale on, but it should cast some suspicion. I also observed Kale talking with escaped fugitives Hannibal and Jacob Haley in Van Leugen not a week ago." He offered Vanessa the chip.

"I'm going to stop Kale," he said, "but I'll need the assistance of Team Ripper. That means I need info on the last-known whereabouts of all missing Invictus operatives."

____

"That guy was with her when she got back into town." A mercenary told Vanessa, "We can't let everyone know. The circle has to stay small." Vanessa said, "That includes her people. Even Church." She added.

"He's a Scatterran, it was Ariadne who scouted him from the Coalition. He's dangerous if he's on her side." Vanessa told Paragon, taking the chip from him. It immediately went into one of her pouches.

"How do we contact you?" She asked, "We gotta report this back to Munroe. She needs to know that we've got to do pest control."

____

"Use this," his other hand came out of his cloak and he offered Vanessa a small crescent shape trinket. "Push the button. I'll know where you are. Contact me when the rest of Team Ripper is ready to move."

He looked up, scanning slow and careful at the surrounding mercenaries. "Be careful who you trust."

It was the last thing he said before he disappeared back into the shadows of the alleyway, his footsteps echoing off of the pavement before disappearing entirely.

____

Vanessa nodded, taking the device from Paragon and looking it over. She looked back up at him as he spoke, when he disappeared she turned her attention to the rest of the team.

"We might need to go. Or some of us can keep looking, at least. But, the others need to see this before the meeting." Vanessa told the team, "I'll take point." One of the mercenaries volunteered. "You get that back to home." He told Vanessa.

"Thank you." Vanessa said, patting the mercenary on the back. "Yeah, go. We got this." He told her, a quick hand gesture prompting the team to start breaking off into multiple directions.

Stealth was still the preferred method, "We got those patrols to contend with now. See you soon, Mulan." The lead mercenary said as he jogged one way and Vanessa began her jog the other way.
 
Even before the fall of Westeria City, the Downs had been a stain upon humanity. Sitting as one of the most desolate slums within the city, the Downs had enjoyed an alarming amount of criminal activity and disparity even at the peek of the city's prosperity, and the fall of the city had done little to alleviate the desperation of those who remained within it. What had once been a stain, now served as an overflowing cesspool of despair and brutality.

Barricades of heavily armed and shady militiaman maintained a semblance of safety from external threats but they offered little protection from the violence that ran rampant within.

The Downs served as home for those too poor, too weak, or too unfortunate to have made it elsewhere in the city as well as the criminals and outcasts who had been rejected by the pockets of civilization within the city. To live within The Downs was to accept a short and miserable life as victim to those around you, or to brutally climb your way to the top of the food chain.

The general mentality in The Downs was to simply take what you want, and those too weak to safeguard what they possessed didn't deserve to have it.

Those walking the streets often shied away from one another and the women often clad themselves in rags and kept their faces smudged with dirt and grime to avoid drawing prying eyes. Those unfortunate enough to become the victim of violent crimes had no one to turn to, and even the light of day offered no sanctuary for the less fortunate as people simply ceased to care for one another in their desperate gamble to survive.
 
The Downs of the fallen Westeria City...Not an uncommon sight to be seen, but definitely one to be wary of. A place where the scum of societies everywhere and everywhen gather. Beggars, criminals-in-hiding, pickpockets, murderers, outcasts...Pretty much anyone that couldn't live in normal society without getting in trouble for one reason or another. The only proper authority that this area seemed to have were guarding the border, not exactly caring about the inner chaos and despair of the slums. It wasn't the best place...but it would be good enough for now.

A cloaked figure walked through the streets, striding with confidence as if they thought that this place posed no cause for alarm. People simply strayed away from her, and any pickpocket that attempted to rob her of any possession would find that the cloak held nothing of import. There was a slight bulge on her back, which allowed others to wonder if she had some sort of deformity or large item hidden away.

The woman made a turn into an empty alley, where she waited. She had noticed a man following her, some common thug with a knife. They probably thought they'd found an opportunity to mug her or something. It was cute. He thought he had her cornered, and was in control of this entire situation. As he opened his mouth to make his demands, the woman flicked a pebble-sized fireball into his gullet, controlling its heat so it could move through him as fast or slow as she wanted.

The man writhed as the fireball burned through the his organs as if they were made of paper. He tried to scream, but could only managed to let out a gurgle. The pain that pulsed throughout his body was excruciating, so much so that he had collapsed and passed out.

The woman sighed at the sight. She snapped her fingers, and allowed the tiny fireball to set the body ablaze from the inside. The man wasn't what she was looking for. He was too soft. Too weak. She needed someone that was strong. Someone who wouldn't be reduced to ashes so easily. Like the wood used for fires, she needed something more than twigs and leaves for her intentions.

As luck would have it, one appeared the moment she turned around to leave. A child was frozen in place with fear. They had seen her actions. It didn't matter if she told anyone anything, murder was a norm around here, but the child was something that she needed. It was young, emotional, and still fresh. The woman walked up to them, looked down, and smiled...
 
Above, watching the streets from it's perch along a forgotten clothesline, what appeared to be a crow turned to watch the altercation, at first lazily, then more with interest as magic became involved. Nearby, other such watchers turned from their posts, hopping along the rubbish-strewn street, balanced atop signs, lurking on windowsills. A dozen sets of eyes turned towards the alleyway, a sight eerie to those who might catch it.

Casual violence was mundane enough, but this display of malevolence was enough to draw the fell attention of at least some of the Raven. Slowly, the "birds" began to converge, content to draw no closer than the entrance of the alley.

For now.
 
The woman hummed as she dragged the child by the hair. a simple silencing spell may have kept them from making noise, but it didn't quite keep the kid from struggling and attempting to scream. Now, many others would have found that fact annoying, but the woman seemed to like it. For her, it meant that, despite everything, the child was still full of vigor and energy and emotional extremity. They still had a strong spirit, and that was what was most important to her about them. The child was much more useful than that other person. That one fought back too hard and turned out to be dry food. Yes, compared to him, the child was like a marvelous bounty, and the woman was not about let it slip away.

She continued to hum as she waved her hand in the air. Some sort of circle with strange designs appeared in front of her. She pointed at the thing and twirled her finger. The circle spun in response, spinning for as long as she kept twirling, and stopping when she brought her finger to a halt. The design of the circle melted into itself, until it revealed something else. The circle held an image of a barren land that seemed cold, and almost empty. From the circle, the only thing that could be seen that wasn't nothingness was some sort of metal construct. It too seemed empty and cold. To anyone else, they would've figured out what this woman was about to do, but the kid was too scared to even try thinking about it.

With small grunt, she tossed the child into what looked like a large gap in the construct. The child tried to crawl out, but stopped and braced themselves when the woman tossed a small fireball at them. When it didn't make contact, the child dared to peek at it. The sphere was just floating in front of them. Of course, it didn't stay that way for long. The ball burst, and the child was set ablaze. The silencing spell kept their screams from sounding off, but the body writhed. The woman controlled the fire carefully, not because she couldn't control it, but because she wanted to see what prolonged pain would do as she merged the kid's body, mind, and spirit with her fire. The result was the fire growing larger and larger, until she finally decided to let them go.

The construct came to life, and the would-be screams of a child became the roar of an inferno. The blazing construct, still filled with the memories of the child that it once was, attempted to reach out and crush the woman. She just smiled like a mother would to her child, and spread her arms as if she would embrace them. The circle began returning to its original form, and the arm that almost looked to have made it through melted back into the original design. The woman tilted her head as the circle disappeared. She figured that that would be one of the better experiments she'd be able to perform in this place.

Still...She had sensed the presence of watching eyes. She may get a better test subject yet. Maybe she'd find something better. Or maybe she'd be disappointed. It didn't matter yet. For now, she'd simply be on her way. If there was someone or something watching her, they'd have to find a way to approach her, instead.

Somewhere inside the woman there was something...small. Something depressed. Something that had seen everything. It had attempted to cry, and cry, and cry...but those cries would be unheard by those who could help. Instead, it simply inspired the woman to hum.
 
The Raven had seen enough to have it's interest perked. Beaks opened as the various individuals flared their wings out, harsh cries forming...words.

"Stop. Hold. You....will stay."

Rough, as far as incantations go, but it sufficed for the purpose of channeling the chaotic energies that snapped unseen between the avian mimics into a vaguely wavering barrier at the alley's mouth, effectively sealing off the earthbound exit. As it formed, the bodies flung themselves at the sidewalk before it, splattering into a formless ooze that seethed with unnatural life, the sickly sheen of the oily substance roiling as it's mass increased. Rising, sembling into a shape that was vaguely humanoid, the size of child. A dozen forms alone was not enough to erect the typical appearance of this variation of the shapeshifting Servant, yet enough to suffice for the purpose of communication.

Moreso, when a few straggling looters noticed the scene and took off from the unnatural site, instincts screaming to flee. The still forming features of the Raven's small body seemed to smile as undulations swept across it, before finally melding and solidifying. A beakish nose, the dank appearance of feathery hair, ragged arms rail thin ending in raptor-like talons. Stumbling a moment on the thin, uncertain legs of it's makeshift form, the Raven turned it's empty, black orbs of eyes on this stranger, before it once again spoke in it's jagged, staggering speech.

"We watch. You...hurt them." The tinny voice had the rasp of the crow's call in it, as the figure cocked its head to view the woman sidelong. "Why? We...ask. You. Tell."
 
"Aw...The poor bird. I'm disappointed that you didn't ask for help, but oh well!"

The woman dramatically placed a hand to her head, as if she was about to faint at the sight. Of course, she didn't, but she didn't care either. It was fun to play around like that, annoy the individual in front of her. She liked to test their patience, because she knew that no matter what, she'd still win. It was an inevitability, after all.

"I guess you don't care about yourself. It's not my problem."

The woman was intrigued by the way the creature formed itself, but it was hardly a sight she hadn't seen before. It was definitely better than most, maybe even the best, but the point was that it wasn't the eyes she was expecting. Still, she just had to answer the being's question. After all, it was only fair to give the audience what they wanted. Within reason, of course. This was definitely within her reason. She didn't mind sharing the answer. It was a simple one anyway.

"As for your question...I was experimenting!"

Her voice was filled with a sort of childish joy, one that the child from earlier might have been able to give had they lived on to find a passion of their own. Oh well...They served a different purpose now.
 
"Ex. Per. I. Ment. Experiment. What is?" The woman's dramatics elicited no reaction from the Raven, the sub-form merely stared at her with it's empty eyes. Tilting it's head this way and that, the gestures not unlike the avian forms it had been composed of. It's seemingly nervous twitching might be taken for signs of fear, but all the Servant truly felt was curiosity.

"Nevermind. Not...interested. What is...what are..." The simple mind of the entity made communication challenging, at times, though other times, those aware of what the Raven was might suggest the struggling speech intentional. "Who. Who are you?"

It hopped closer to the barrier suddenly, it's clawed hands splaying across the energy, sending ripples of color through the wall of force, malignant red waves that slowly faded as they spread. Tilting it's head down, the empty eyes stayed eerily locked on the woman on the other side. It's act all to reminiscent of a cat, idly playing with a rodent.
 
"No one that important, yet. Just a young woman, trying to improve her craft!...But if you must know my name, then it's Girania. Girania Agidyne."

The nightmare felt the little girl shifting about inside. Saying her name always got a reaction out of her. Girania smiled. Not only because of the little girl inside, but also because the creature interacting with her thought it had her at its mercy...or maybe not. It didn't matter, because Girania found it funny. It was calming to see the waves on the barrier. It was amusing to see it struggle to speak and think simultaneously. It was intriguing to see this creature, whose presence was most curious, wonder about her reasons for doing what she just did.

"Such an adorable bird. You remind me of a little mass of poison and bug carcasses. Still, you're different from it. You're too simple. Too plain. Nothing much, in comparison. Such a creature can only be working under another presence...Why are you so interested in me?"
 
The Raven's beak opened in response, but the speech that issued forth was anything but the ragged caws the Servant used.

"Because, little fish, my child's task is two-fold in this broken city." Impossibly deep, resonant, the speaker talking through the Raven possessed a voice that was both as smooth as oiled silk, and rough as the ancient wyrm of the high mountains. The Raven's empty eyes filled with eldritch wytchfyre, smoldering with vast, alien intelligence. It's very countenance seemed to deepen with palpable malevolence, the ambient noise of the city falling away in proximity to this projection of the Servant's master. "The Raven seeks both blood and worth in this filth you hunt within, and cannot decide which you would be better suited for. If it had chosen blood, well..."

"You might have made for an interesting show. A brief one, alas." The chuckle that issued from the Raven's current form was far too melodious for it's frame. "However, you still are possibly of worth. If you can demonstrate it, that is. I wonder if you can impress this fickle child of mine."
 
"Aw, but I thought he liked me..." said Girania, feigning disappointment in a sickly sweet voice. "Oh well."

'At least this will give me a chance to test out my new toy~'

Girania had no doubt that her abilities were impressive. Truth be told, she didn't care much for this creature's master. Really, the only reason she was amusing this unseen individual was because she wished to move on from the little alley without anyone impeding her. Simply killing a servant would be detrimental, and liable to cause even more unnecessary complications.

"Well, I don't plan on doing anything in a dingy little alleyway. Give me a moment..."

Girania walked up to the barrier, and examined it for a moment. Barriers that were hastily made usually held areas of varying power. This one was alright, but not without its flaws, a little overload in magical energies in one spot would force it to disperse them, and in the process... A gap opened in the barrier. It was momentary, but open long enough for Girania to step through. She knew it. The spell dispersed too much at once, and needed a moment to repair itself.

She winked at the creature before walking off, and blending into the pitiful masses once more. Her sigil appeared on the wall of a building a small distance away, and slid its way inside...in a moment, the construct from before burst out, destroying the front of it without hindrance. The presence of the construct, the roar of the inferno that squirmed within, and the sight of the residents screeching and running as they burned caused a panic. People ran as the construct attacked, and within them, Girania hid.
 
The Raven and the one who spoke through merely allowed the woman to manipulate the former's crude barrier incantation, watching her stride away. As she had her back to the Servant, fractions of it began to peel away from the amalgam, sembling into their crow forms and scattering, though more than a few took positions to keep an eye on the woman. Slowly shrinking, the entity muttered a word, devoid of the harsh voice of the crow.

"Clever."

"Not by half, my Raven. She is still but a small fish, in a very large pond." Krycis crooned to the creature, even as they both watched with eyes adept at detecting the weavings of magic as she summoned her pet and let it loose. "Watch her, Raven. She's caught your interest, and she's caught mine as well. Watch her, so I can see if she is worth the effort."

The Raven took flight, already obeying it's dark master.
 
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