Shanty City

[Crazy Scion]

Carl wasn't sure how to answer her question. Sure the cops had a fair amount of resources and manpower, but they were lacking in the department of actually skilled officers, but how can he tell her that. She might even back out if he tells her that, but luck would have it that he didn't have to say anything. Carmen looks off towards the street and to Carl's surprise there is a man running over dressed in a set of gold armor, and a group of maids in frilly outfits carrying guns. Interrupting there conversation with a simple, but anger driven question, "What's going on here? Have you seen a black cat?". The Question made Carl pause to think a moment before it hit him what the man was talking about, and Carmen gives him a look suggesting that he handle it. Carl was feeling the pressure from the ever increasing complexity of his situation, but he decided now wasn't the time to have a hissy fit. Instead he takes a deep breath, then putting on his professional face on slowly approaches the man observing the characteristics of him and his maids. His movement may be slightly intimidating or disturbing given the state of his body, and his wondering eyes may even make some uncomfortable. He took in several details about the man before him, and they all painted a very negative picture in his mind, and drew a couple inaccurate conclusions.

When he was only a foot away from the man he straitened his body and stood tall, then speaking with authority he had yet to show he starts yelling at him, "You irresponsible fool! I have met some very stupid people in my time, but you take the cake my man! I presume that that is your Girl over there!" He points at the unconscious Meow, then back at him, "You know how she got that way?!" Pointing at him self, "You know how I got this way, because you let her wonder the streets of a dangerous city in the middle of the night without supervision or protection, and you know what?! She nearly got run over! Luckily the worst was avoided, but look at my condition! This could have been her! As the girls Guardian you have a responsibility to keep your child safe, but here you are drunk and in a rage when you should be tending to your her care! Now please before I have you arrested for endangerment, tend to your girl and tell your staff to please keep her safe this time!" Carl got upset over few things, and bad parenting was one of the few things that set him off. Taking yet another breath he speaks more calmly, "I'll have squad car coming to take her to HQ. We have a hospital wing that can take care of her injuries."

As if to answer his last comment the sirens of Cop car grow increasingly louder as a cop car pulls around the corner. It's lights shine on the scene painting a very unusual picture for the occupants of the car. Two officers step out of the car, one is a tall man with green skin, grayish hair, and two little horns sticking out of his head. He was dressed in an actual police uniform and seemed to carry himself like an actual officer of the law. The other however, was a shorter man with normal skin, brown hair, and carried a big staff strange robe on with a pattern of stars on it making him look like a Merlin wannabe. Carl waves them over then looks at Carmen, still speaking in his authoritative voice, "Carmen explain to the two new officers the situation, and see that they get the girl some help. I'm gonna take a bit of a dirt nap to recover my strength." and like that Carl falls over backwards, but instead of hitting the ground with a thud, his body shimmers lightly and he sinks into the dirt as it were water.

[ImportantNobody]

Some of the maids had a horrified expression on their faces as the male began to shuffle towards them like a zombie, his body wounded from a freshly incurred traumatic injury, yet still rotting in some areas. Veltry had noticed earlier that there were two crashed motorcycles nearby when searching for possible points of danger, so it could be easily deduced, even in his drunken state, that it was the two adults here that had probably been involved in the wreck leading to these injuries. He had obviously not taken the kid into consideration as one of the possible drivers, but on second thought, with this place he could never be so sure. Well, that fact didn't matter much anyways. What mattered was that he was able to survive such damage, and not only that was still conscious and walking. Does that mean that he's literally a zombie? Veltry didn't know quite what to make of this. He had seen stranger creatures before, and ran away from most of them, but for now he wanted to stand his ground and see what was up with this situation at hand. It looked promising, and if this man was an average zombie like he thought, then his maids could easily take him out before he could eat his brains. Some of the more fearful young women had backed off slightly and were raising their guns at him with shaking hands, but Veltry raised his hand in a motion to get them to hold their fire for now.
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To his surprise, the man went into a rant that caused one of the girls nearby to give a sharp yelp and leap backwards with of fear of this sudden and unexpected outburst. Two of the maids behind her dropped their weapons to catch her while the others, even the ones who had appeared more at ease before, were now aiming their guns at this man. However, Veltry once again gave a motion to hold their fire and stood calmly during this outburst, rocking back and forth on his heels ever so slightly. According to the information he could assume that the cat had turned into this girl, and that she was probably not seriously injured. That being said, having a zombie yelling at him was no big deal. That he could handle. At last the rant finished with, "I'll have squad car coming to take her to HQ. We have a hospital wing that can take care of her injuries."
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"...you need a drink, mate," Veltry replied casually. "But besides that, some of my maids are experienced in first aid. I can bring her back to my mansion and take proper care of her there." He wasn't going to confirm or deny the claim that he was the proper owner. He wanted to be, and if the zombie was under that impression then it would help him out in this situations despite the claim of reckless endangerment. He was probably all bark and no bite anyways in this matter. He wasn't on good terms with the police, but he's never had any serious issues with them either. His gambling hall and problems with rowdy customers at the bar caused some issues in the past, but it had never lead to his arrest before. They had far bigger issues to work out from the sound of it. He didn't want to stick around in this mess any lounger then he had to. "So anyways, officers, the help won't be necessary." He concluded, motioning for four of his maids to go over and pick the girl up.

[Rayn Night]

• Strakhov smirked as he felt his fist connect with his stomach, a direct hit. The man would be in a world of pain soon if he didn’t stop being unskilled in the arts of hand to hand combat. There was a sudden change in his environment that he found quite odd, the gust of wind he felt towards him. It was enough to make his long coat flutter. He noticed he impacted was amplified by this and then the wind suddenly changed sides. Strakhov watched as Leo was knocked back ferociously into the wall behind him, going right through. It was hard to understand what had just happened, since none of it made sense. What caused all of that weather change? In that moment, everything was back normal, like it had never happened. Strakhov simply looked into the smoky screen of dust, into that darkness. The man had fallen, probably unconscious or something. Maybe it was for the best he learned his lesson.
  
  With that, Strakhov sheathed away the Trench sword and shook his head. There was no point in staying there for now, the Peace Keepers would eventually come and ask all sorts of questions he didn’t want to answer. And he started to leave the alleyway, but not before uttering some few last words for the young man.
  
  ‘You have potential kid, just need to know better.’
  
  And with that he started walking away from the scene, hoping that the young man would walk away with something to think about. It would be a shame to waste his potential for nothing. Young recruits in the Khadorian army never had that kind of real potential, other than probably being skilled in the arts of hand-to-hand training. One day the man will probably learn from his mistakes and that day, he will become the best soldier any Khadorian force has ever seen. Until then, he would have to grow up. And so, walking off into the night, he thought that something else might happen… But it was cut short.
  
  Strakhov felt a heavy impact on the back of his leg, hissing in pain. Immediately turning around, getting smacked on his chest plate, knocking him back a step. With a huff, Strahov avoided the two next ones by ducking down and rolling. But the last one hit him square on the shoulder plate, making a loud clanking sound. And oddly, it came from the destroyed wall. Strakhov stared into the darkness for a few seconds, wondering what the hell was happening within those walls… And then someone stepped out of it. It wasn’t Leo, wasn’t anywhere near Leo… A tall figure with long white hair… It resembled the Cryx Leaders. It was maybe one of them, but he wasn’t sure… No he would have destroyed him earlier. It really didn’t make sense…
  
  "Well now, I suppose we can both stop playing around. Am I right?"
  
  That was exactly the words that made Strakhov realize that it wasn’t a game anymore. That smirk changed as he put the mask back on. He wasn’t dealing with a kid anymore; he was dealing with something else altogether. He reached behind him to pull his shotgun right when the man charged at him, but reconsidered that option. Being charged for murdering a Peace Keeper wasn’t something he wanted to live with… Not in these areas. And so he lowered himself, ready to fight off this new menace. It was to say this was a whole new ball game.
  
  The man ran forth, running quickly to close the gap. Tightening his fist, he watched him as his palm came forth. He didn’t bother trying to do anything against it, instead took the full blow, slightly knocking his breath out. Strakhov deflected his second fist, knocking it away with his raight hand and get his fingers around his wrist… But he didn’t think that his right hand would come back so quickly, connecting with his mask. He felt the mask’s fabric smacking his face and crush his nose. It wasn’t broken, but it was painful. With his right hand holding his left wrist, he tried to grab it with his left hand and pull him towards Strakhov’s body. With a quick pivot, Strakhov tried pulling him over his shoulder and smack him to the ground, a position he could do what he wanted., He would also keep his grip on the man’s wrist to limit his options.
  

[Bloodbayne]

The crunch of Strakhovs mask radiating through the nerves of Leos fist brought a smirk and a chuckle to his lips. One thing he could admit was that it felt good to dish out some pain rather than to receive it, the thought however would be short lived. The smirk left his lips just as soon as it had appeared as he felt the man's solid grip grab hold of his wrist wrist and before Leo could pull free he felt himself pulled towards and soon over Strakhov. While this surprised him he did his best to keep his composure and figure out his next move, his eyes coming to life with a yellow light along with the soles of his boots. Intending on catching himself at the end of the throw Leo threw his legs ahead of his body, his boots producing a solid thud as the collided with the alleyway and used Strakhovs grip on his wrist to keep him steady for an instant.

The instant his momentum had died Leo jumped to action, pressing up and off the ground so that his feet were spinning up and over his chest, curled close to his chest so that they were pointed towards Strakhov in only a second. As soon as they were pointed towards him Leo kicked both feet out towards Strakhovs head, the bottom of his feet laced with an electrical charge that would be transferred into Strakhovs body. To create a more solid kick Leo would attempt to pull against Strakhovs hold on his wrist, to increase the speed in which his kick would land and the force he could put towards pushing the man away.

[Rayn Night]

• He felt the body being thrown over his shoulder, meaning that his move will most likely connect. Strakhov’s next course of action would have been to move onto him and neutralize him to make sure he couldn’t attack back. Once there, he would have an easy time to get him to talk… But unfortunately, it seemed that the young man had managed to do otherwise. Normally, the body would have collided to the hard surface, but Strakhov was amazed to see only his feet touched the ground. He had never seen anyone capable of such agility and strength, a move nearly impossible. And it didn’t finish there, he noticed the sudden change in his posture and immediately let go of him. He wanted to take a step back, but he didn’t have time. The kick had missed it mark, but instead hit him square in the chest, sending him back a few feet, although still standing.
  
  His breathing now a lot deeper and rapid, Strakhov immediately took a CQC pose, drawing forth his Trench sword. This man obviously wasn’t exactly what Strakhov thought he was. He wasn’t a Caster, nowhere near it. He was his own type of spell user. And so, Strakhov looked down on the man, saying this few words.
  
  ‘What the hell are you, a Hell Spawn?’
  
  Strakhov kept his CQC stance, awaiting on the man’s next action.
  

[Bloodbayne]

The lessening firmness of the mans grip was rather unexpected and displeasing, however the kick would seem to get the job done none the less as the thud vibrated midway up Leos legs as he moved forward through the air a little. A small smirk danced across his lips once again, it had been a long time since had to be so calculating in a fight with someone and to say the least; this man was more than the average back alley criminal. As he moved through the air Leo brought his hands out in front of him so that when he landed he would do so on the toes of his boots and the palms of his hands. When he landed he quickly kicked his feet against the ground to lift his legs above his head before twisting them quickly to the side to turn himself around before he pressed against the ground, flipping himself up and onto his feet pointed towards Strakhov. The smirk was still painted across Leos thin, pale lips as Strakhov spoke; bringing a quiet chuckle to rumble forth from Leos lips. Before he spoke however he bent over to place his right hand onto the hilt of his sword as it lay on the ground, letting the tip scrape loudly against the ground before he lifted it up to rest on the edge of his shoulder, locking his green eyes with Strakhovs.

"If I knew the exact answer" As he said this he brought his left gloved hand up and simply peered at the palm for a second before turning his eyes back to Strakhov. "I'd be more than happy to share it with you. Somethings in life remain a mystery."

As the last syllable fell from his lips he pushed the plate on his right shoulder against the blade to push the blade from his shoulder, his eyes coming to life once again with the yellow light though it was significantly brighter than it was before. As his blade moved through the air he guided it to his right side, the blade angled 45 degrees from his waist and it was now alive with the same bright yellow light that was held in his eyes and its surface crackled with the building energy. In an instant Leo dug the toes of his boots into the ground before throwing his body forward, landing on the ball of his left foot 2 feet away before throwing a quick slash through the air intent on slashing for the mans midsection from a foot and a half away. The blade was swung with one arm, but still held the strength of a grown mans two handed swing and the energy that was stored within the blade was intended to be spread through whatever metallic object it came into contact with and potentially pass into Strakhovs body.

[Tantalum]

It took the full length of Carl's rant for Carmen to gradually raise her left palm - aptly applying it to her forehead upon his completion. Expecting his pitch to be perfect would have been a stretch, but managing to get every sighted firearm ahead aimed at him was far beyond what she accounted for.
All in all, the pair was lucky that the group's leader was less intimidated than the maids alongside him. With a simple gesture the guns were put at rest again, as he opted for a more civilised solution.
Carmen noted Veltry's words as carefully as any. Putting forward a convenient proposition, he masterfully evaded the accusations hurled at him - a favourable action for avoiding conflict, although it left her to wonder what he could be getting out of it. His looks were not similar enough to be related to the cat at all, and his laid-back tone was not one of an assaulter; yet neither of these gave away why he had not denied the claims in the first place...

...And suddenly, the young woman found herself left on her own. Right on cue, the backup transport parked on the far side of the road, whilst Carl's literal disappearance had obstructed the closer side with dirt and debris.
She sighed audibly, before taking four formal strides towards the man in question. To her left, four of the maids hurried over to the injured girl, making quite a fuss as they did so. It was still Carmen's very first hour being a law enforcer, but if anything was to be getting sorted this night, it appeared she would have to take the initiative.

"Apologies on behalf of my partner, sir," Carmen finally addressed Veltry from a comfortable distance, smiling simplistically with head raised and one arm at her waist. Though apparently outmatched in height, physique and defences, no ounce of concern was to be heard in her practised receptionist-like voice. "As you may have seen yourself, this area has been highly turbulent for us this night. Two moderate-scale incidents have been reported, and our few stationed resources are currently working to resolve the situations. It isn't usual protocol," she made her stance tense a little, "but in these circumstances, your offer to care after this minor would be much appreciated."
She glanced over at the police car, sighting the two policemen outside the vehicle; the shorter appeared to have his sights fixed on the trashed bikes ahead, while the taller was staring back at Carmen with an uncertain expression. He was surely too far to overhear her words, but just in case, she much hoped her words were convincing enough to avoid any doubt of her position later on.
Dismissing the pair quickly, she turned back to the matter at hand. "...Could I get your name?" she asked the armour-clad individual.

[Rayn Night]

• Strakhov’s opponenet was one with an incredible mobility and agility. It reminded him of the Kaysay, the assassins of the Queen, able to move like a pack of rats. Whatever training this man had received was one far more superior than those of the typical Peace Keeper or even military infantry. This would change a lot of things in this whole confrontation… Although death to Leo wasn’t a choice for Strakhov, it was more tempting to since neutralizing without lethal force would seem impossible. He couldn’t take the chance of dying for a fool of a Peace Keeper. He would have to keep considering his options during the fight. And so Strakhov stood there and listened to the man, which gave him an answer that didn’t quite help him… And so he kept his stance and watched.
  
  The moment he moved, Strakhov knew what was coming. The sword was going come horizontally or up forty five degrees or so, anywhere from his legs to maybe his torso. And when the man land his foot on the ground, Strakhov immediately placed his blade to his left, ready to deflect it over his head. He could see the lightning emanating from his blade and knew what was coming for him… But it would be worth it. And so when the blade came forth, Strakhov made his own blade go forty-five degrees and deflecting the blade over his head. He then brought his blade up to make Leo’s movement going, making his sides exposed. But he felt the surge of lightning through his body and did his best to not crumble under the pain… He managed to say these few words in his pain.
  
  ‘Almost kid’
  
  Pushing the blade away, Strakhov took a step forward and tried to punch the man in his sides. He would then follow up with another step and bring up his knee as he pushed forward to knock him back to the ground and make a heavy enough impact to throw him off mentally.

[ImportantNobody]

Veltry carefully studied the point on the ground where the zombie had disappeared to, taken off guard by his sudden disappearance. Whatever he was, he clearly wasn't like most of the zombies that he had heard about in stories. However, he had come to realize that different worlds had different versions of the similar thing. He knew not to exclude the possibility of him still being a zombie, just a different kind of zombie then what his world was used to, or perhaps even an entirely unique version. It was an interesting thing to think about, and would perhaps warrant further study some time in the future. If he was to gain more influence in this world then he'd undoubtedly make more enemies, in which case he'd need to know more about all of the different kind of inhabitants. It wasn't that he expected to make an enemy of this person in particular, but it never helped to be prepared for any such eventuality.
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He was only half listening to the woman as she spoke to him, but he got the gist of her words. "My name is Veltirinus Elscapades the Third, Crowned Prince of Elscalptia, but you can call me Veltry. You're welcome to accompany me at the Elscapades Estate at any time, found within the Bamboo Forest. The drinks will be on the house for you, my dear," he said, flirting with her, seemingly oblivious to the dangerous incidents that she had just got through mentioning. He was trying to act cool at the moment, but that could change quickly given the situation. He saw that the four maids has successfully lifted the unconscious girl up without protest from anyone else, so his business here appeared to be all but concluded. He didn't want to dawdle here any longer then necessary. He was about to turn to leave when one of his ninja maids, dressed in an all black version of their normal outfit, came sprinting up to him. She was quick and quiet, so had almost gone unnoticed until she came out into the open to approach him.
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"Sir! There's a huge incident nearby!" She said with a salute. The young woman named Aimi was Japanese, being from a world other then where Veltirinus grew up called Earth. She was the younger sibling to the woman who had helped establish the ninja maid forces employed by Veltry.
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"Yes, I know. We're leaving that to the police," he replied, continuing his strides in the opposite direction from where the action was and where his rides were coming to pick him and his group up.
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"Yes sir, but one of the battle maid squads scouting with us has been caught between the mob and our current location," Aimi explained.
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"Hmm...I want your squad to assist getting them to safety. Regroup at my estate whenever you get the chance," he ordered. "Be careful and only worry about the lives of our girls." He didn't want to add on that the citizens of this place didn't matter to him, but that was in no way his highest priority at the moment. "Cooperate with the police if it helps you in this endeavor."
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"Yes sir!" She replied before rushing back into the shadows of the village to regroup with her ninja maid squad, who were helping to hold the perimeter for Veltiriunus's departure. The other squads would also fall back once he was safely out of the city with the wounded girl in tow. He could both see and hear his ride approaching now, a group of three high end looking bullet proof cleaning vans. The side doors opened and he filed into the front one, along with the four maids carrying the cat girl and one squad of battle maids. The rest of the battle maids went into the other two vans, having a squad in each. Three more vans would be in the area to pick up the remaining people employed by him, which would help complete their escape of this dreadful city.

[Tantalum]

"How charming, Veltry." Carmen's smile became ever slightly more forced - but still, the man held himself respectably enough, and a free drink would not go amiss after what she was going through today. "...When I'm off-duty I'll happily consider. Thanks for your cooperation."
She watched a while longer, in humorous admiration of the maids shuffling between themselves with such coordination. One in particular hurried over to Veltry in a black dress, probably informing him of the commotion she was meant to be seeking out herself.
'A prince...' Carmen would gladly bet that title was no longer correct, but it was clear enough this figure had the influence to back it up - and a mansion too, if his words were to be believed at all. Perhaps, he would even make a considerable ally down the line - but for the present situation, there were other trusts which she would need to gain first.

And so Carmen approached the two officers that had exited the car, waiting patiently with looks as confused as anyone else's. "Glad you arrived quickly," she said with clear words, "There's been a change of plans."
"I thought Carl had needed us here," the young man in robes said questioningly, also stepping forwards.
"I don't quite recall your face either," the taller, less human-like man looked down upon her with disapproval.
"Sargent Carmen Kaser," She wasted no time introducing herself, assuming a more asserted tone in response. "I worked as a Major of the Hemshire Police Force before the Disjunction. Your higher-ups agree that I'm more than certified."
"Grmph..." The second officer's eyes narrowed as he inspected Carmen's badge, but he said no more on the subject. "...Officer Rhesmer Inakal," he extended a bony, green-skinned hand, which Carmen shook formally. "And to my left is-"
"Marlus Escil," said the wizard hurriedly, with great pride and emphasis on his pronunciation. "Where is our assistance needed?"
"A third party has agreed to take care of the accident here," the woman signalled to the maids a short distance away. "I need you two to-"
"We don't involve civilians in our work," the taller officer interrupted, somewhat offended by this fact.
"Veltirinus here happens to be a trusted friend of mine," her voice raised subtly as her arms folded in front, "And I'm sure you'll agree our forces have more lives to attend to than a single unconscious minor."
"But..." Rhesmer indeed hesitated for a reason to disagree.
"Track down Lieutenant Leo, who is straight east of here." Carmen disallowed him time to consider further. "Report his status to Sargent Carl, and provide backup if necessary. If all is well, regroup with the other units at our primary incident."
"Lieutenant Leo...?" Rhesmer mumbled with uncertainty.
"And yourself?" asked Marlus, oblivious to the mistake.
"I'll be scouting on ahead," Carmen conveniently ignored Rhesmer. "Carl's almost left me with more work than I'm cut out for..." rolling her eyes, she began to turn dismissively.
"That sounds just like him," Marlus smirked. "Don't fret too much, we'll get back as soon as we can!"
Rhesmer shook his head at his partner. "...Understood, Sargent," he eventually shrugged, also turning away from the scene. "Keep safe."

'Roger.' Carmen giggled proudly to herself, parting from the two officers who had returned to their car. Had she a proper enlistment for the Cops, such a conversation would have gone far smoother - but a few less-than-truths had also gotten them to cooperate with minimal hassle. Now with Leo and the cat-girl both off her hands, there was one last mission for her to attend to...

She expected little as she headed over to her abandoned bike. Its body was remarkably in-tact, save for a few scratches - but the back wheel's frame had collapsed inwards on collision, rendering it unusable.
Confirming she had no other choice, she unfavourably crossed the road again, and climbed the pipes and cogs leading up to Carl's prior driving seat. Finding the key already inserted, its clockwork-decaled engine spluttered and roared miserably, and black fumes filled the already-dark street once again.
Carmen coughed a little, waving away the smog as she put on her glasses again. In irritable discomfort, she raised herself off the seat to stand, if only to lessen the deathly vibrations the vehicle's rear. If not just for its looks, the 'Carl's usual' was without doubt a ride fit for the dead...
'...What exactly is 'usual' about this thing??' She took a second to familiarise herself with the array of dials and controls she saw before her, but to no avail. Every display on the dashboard was without annotation, and instead surrounded by every manner of locks, sliders and wheels imaginable. Knowing better than to tamper with anything on such a construct, she left them as they were, and turned the bike back onto the road.
Despite its size, it handled well at least, and at this point Carmen could not ask for any less. Leaving the blood splatters and broken paving and melon fragments in her wake, she travelled speedily through the remainder of the street, seeking ever closer to the mysterious incident she was called to.

[ Continues in Bloodletting (Shanty City) > ]