This is a remake of a thread I've done before (many, many (many) years ago).
The general premise of the thread is world that has been constantly ravaged by demons. People live primarily in a few larger cities protected by energy fields that prevent the demons from getting in. These fields are powered by crystals that are closely guarded by the theocratic government due to their use as a power source and in magecraft. There are a few smaller outposts and towns in areas, primarily for mining or farming. These are usually only reached by trains, which are heavily armored.
However, for those willing to brave the wild, barren expanse there is money and power to be had. Players can take on the roll of a demon/bounty hunter in this Western style fantasy.
Magecraft is generally very limited in scope without the usage of a crystal.
---
The general premise of the thread is world that has been constantly ravaged by demons. People live primarily in a few larger cities protected by energy fields that prevent the demons from getting in. These fields are powered by crystals that are closely guarded by the theocratic government due to their use as a power source and in magecraft. There are a few smaller outposts and towns in areas, primarily for mining or farming. These are usually only reached by trains, which are heavily armored.
However, for those willing to brave the wild, barren expanse there is money and power to be had. Players can take on the roll of a demon/bounty hunter in this Western style fantasy.
Magecraft is generally very limited in scope without the usage of a crystal.
---
Intro:
Trip was at one of the larger local establishments. While not much of a drinker herself, she had learned long ago that they were one of the best areas to gather information, providing you were willing to wait while the patrons loosened their tongues willingly for you. She had been relegated to the far end of the bar, the last stool that had been available. The tables had a variety of seating options, but Trip hated to feel the gun that she had holstered visibly at the base of her back pushing into her body. She had made the mistake of forgetting to remove it one night and she spent the next week with pain in her lower back. For that reason, she kept her place on the backless barstools, sipping on what the locals called a Black Demon.
It was the evening hours and Trip could see the crimson sunset out the bar's windows. It was a striking beauty, especially compared to the worn down bar and matching patrons. It wasn't long though before Trip would be pulled out of her gaze by a gruff voice and a hand on her shoulder.
"You a Hunter?" the man's voice demanded, trying to pull her around in her seat to look at him. She could hear his buddies snickering - she had a count of three total.
She resisted, shrugging his hand off, "Maybe."
"This is our territory. Go back to the city and find your own marks."
Trip sighed, knowing full well how this was going to progress, "Or..."
With that, she slammed her right elbow into his lower abdomen, forcing him to stumble back, pivoting in the chair to pull her to face her attackers. She had already her two of them drawing their weapons and the scattering of the rest of the bar while the they solved things like adults. Trip, however, was faster than them. She quickly fired a shot with the pistol on her right hand, hitting the wrist the man wielded his own gun with, forcing him to drop it with a yelp before tossing the weapon into the air above her. Her left followed up on the other companion of her rude distraction nailing him in his left shoulder, dazing him.
Now began Trip's dance. Her right pulled her third weapon from the base of her back as she finished her quick spin, kicking the first man before he could fully right himself from getting the wind knocked out of him, laying him on his back while she lodged a bullet between his, slightly on the right hips, making sure not to take away his manhood.
"Are we done now?" she asked politely, smiling from her chair. "I really would like to finish my drink without having to get up. It's grown a bit on me."
They scrambled out as quickly as their wounds would let them, leaving trip to go back to sipping on her drink, for a least a little while longer.
---
Trip left the bar a few hours later, the still peaking above the horizon. She took another look at it before planning to retire for the night, having intentionally lodged at a place that was not the bar she used to gather information. She had learned that lesson a long time ago. However, there was something about that sky that made her uneasy. It was a bit too early for the sun to be as low as it appeared, against some mountains there were not supposed to exist in the area.
She closed her eyes to think and listen. It was then she knew what it was. She could hear the screaming winds that were rolling towards the town. It was a Horde.
With only moments to act, Trip began pounding on doors, screaming, with rather unladylike words, for those that had already retired for the night to wake up. Most responded in kind before bolting out of their houses and towards the train station. It wasn't even more than a few minutes before the dark mass that she had seen was pounding against the field that surrounded the town. Even Trip's untrained eyes could see the crystal was weak. The demons had sensed it's failing. They pounded on the field their bodies, quickly forming glasslike cracks in it.
Trip quickly ran over to a nearby shop and climbed onto the roof. The crates they hadn't pulled into their background provided a makeshift set of stairs, which she kicked down right when the field shattered completely. Pulling both of her weapons from her side, she quickly launched two shots at the first demons that entered the field. They were smaller, black creature that ran rapidly on four legs. The emanated a smoke like substance that made them difficult to hit for most people. Trip's bullets had no issues finding their homes, dispersing the two creatures as her hands began to glow. Like before, her right pistol was flung into the air just above her as she pulled her third from its holster. However, unlike before, the pistol in mid air fired at one a demon without her hands on the trigger while she fired two more.
She knew she couldn't hold them off herself, but she could least give the stragglers time to get to the bunker. Culling the first few waves wasn't hard, but the points of entry the Horde had continued to grow. A few other bold homesteaders had joined her on the rooftops firing their own weapons. It was mostly foolishness that Trip had to watch get paid in blood as the demons began to swarm the rooftops as well, shredding them in seconds.
Soon it was just her an an older man on the roof next to her. He lasted only a few moments longer. The three demons that had torn him apart came at her in a bloody mass. She quickly dispatched the two at the sides of the charge, but the third closed the gap faster than she had expected. Unable to fire, she fell backwards and kicked the creature upwards, a gust of wind from her heel, paying with a few gashes across her body from the sharp, sleek black claws. As she watched the demon hang in the air above her she could smell the scent of burning flesh preceding the fiery glow from its screaming maw. Trip was helpless.
It was then another shot rang out, the bullet passing through the demon's body and dispersing it as well. She knew who had fired the shot without even needing to turn to look; it was her old friend 'Key'. Quickly she scrambled up and moved towards the station herself as more shots rang out, each hitting their mark on the horde that approached them. Even with Key's assistance, they couldn't deal with the hundreds of demons that continued to flood into the town. Key was only giving her time to reach the safety of the armored train, which Key had staked out as his spot. She could see him and his rifle atop one of the cars. With a whistle from him, the train began to depart. She ran along the edge of the platform before grasping the edge of the open car door.
The outlands now had a new ghost town.
Trip was at one of the larger local establishments. While not much of a drinker herself, she had learned long ago that they were one of the best areas to gather information, providing you were willing to wait while the patrons loosened their tongues willingly for you. She had been relegated to the far end of the bar, the last stool that had been available. The tables had a variety of seating options, but Trip hated to feel the gun that she had holstered visibly at the base of her back pushing into her body. She had made the mistake of forgetting to remove it one night and she spent the next week with pain in her lower back. For that reason, she kept her place on the backless barstools, sipping on what the locals called a Black Demon.
It was the evening hours and Trip could see the crimson sunset out the bar's windows. It was a striking beauty, especially compared to the worn down bar and matching patrons. It wasn't long though before Trip would be pulled out of her gaze by a gruff voice and a hand on her shoulder.
"You a Hunter?" the man's voice demanded, trying to pull her around in her seat to look at him. She could hear his buddies snickering - she had a count of three total.
She resisted, shrugging his hand off, "Maybe."
"This is our territory. Go back to the city and find your own marks."
Trip sighed, knowing full well how this was going to progress, "Or..."
With that, she slammed her right elbow into his lower abdomen, forcing him to stumble back, pivoting in the chair to pull her to face her attackers. She had already her two of them drawing their weapons and the scattering of the rest of the bar while the they solved things like adults. Trip, however, was faster than them. She quickly fired a shot with the pistol on her right hand, hitting the wrist the man wielded his own gun with, forcing him to drop it with a yelp before tossing the weapon into the air above her. Her left followed up on the other companion of her rude distraction nailing him in his left shoulder, dazing him.
Now began Trip's dance. Her right pulled her third weapon from the base of her back as she finished her quick spin, kicking the first man before he could fully right himself from getting the wind knocked out of him, laying him on his back while she lodged a bullet between his, slightly on the right hips, making sure not to take away his manhood.
"Are we done now?" she asked politely, smiling from her chair. "I really would like to finish my drink without having to get up. It's grown a bit on me."
They scrambled out as quickly as their wounds would let them, leaving trip to go back to sipping on her drink, for a least a little while longer.
---
Trip left the bar a few hours later, the still peaking above the horizon. She took another look at it before planning to retire for the night, having intentionally lodged at a place that was not the bar she used to gather information. She had learned that lesson a long time ago. However, there was something about that sky that made her uneasy. It was a bit too early for the sun to be as low as it appeared, against some mountains there were not supposed to exist in the area.
She closed her eyes to think and listen. It was then she knew what it was. She could hear the screaming winds that were rolling towards the town. It was a Horde.
With only moments to act, Trip began pounding on doors, screaming, with rather unladylike words, for those that had already retired for the night to wake up. Most responded in kind before bolting out of their houses and towards the train station. It wasn't even more than a few minutes before the dark mass that she had seen was pounding against the field that surrounded the town. Even Trip's untrained eyes could see the crystal was weak. The demons had sensed it's failing. They pounded on the field their bodies, quickly forming glasslike cracks in it.
Trip quickly ran over to a nearby shop and climbed onto the roof. The crates they hadn't pulled into their background provided a makeshift set of stairs, which she kicked down right when the field shattered completely. Pulling both of her weapons from her side, she quickly launched two shots at the first demons that entered the field. They were smaller, black creature that ran rapidly on four legs. The emanated a smoke like substance that made them difficult to hit for most people. Trip's bullets had no issues finding their homes, dispersing the two creatures as her hands began to glow. Like before, her right pistol was flung into the air just above her as she pulled her third from its holster. However, unlike before, the pistol in mid air fired at one a demon without her hands on the trigger while she fired two more.
She knew she couldn't hold them off herself, but she could least give the stragglers time to get to the bunker. Culling the first few waves wasn't hard, but the points of entry the Horde had continued to grow. A few other bold homesteaders had joined her on the rooftops firing their own weapons. It was mostly foolishness that Trip had to watch get paid in blood as the demons began to swarm the rooftops as well, shredding them in seconds.
Soon it was just her an an older man on the roof next to her. He lasted only a few moments longer. The three demons that had torn him apart came at her in a bloody mass. She quickly dispatched the two at the sides of the charge, but the third closed the gap faster than she had expected. Unable to fire, she fell backwards and kicked the creature upwards, a gust of wind from her heel, paying with a few gashes across her body from the sharp, sleek black claws. As she watched the demon hang in the air above her she could smell the scent of burning flesh preceding the fiery glow from its screaming maw. Trip was helpless.
It was then another shot rang out, the bullet passing through the demon's body and dispersing it as well. She knew who had fired the shot without even needing to turn to look; it was her old friend 'Key'. Quickly she scrambled up and moved towards the station herself as more shots rang out, each hitting their mark on the horde that approached them. Even with Key's assistance, they couldn't deal with the hundreds of demons that continued to flood into the town. Key was only giving her time to reach the safety of the armored train, which Key had staked out as his spot. She could see him and his rifle atop one of the cars. With a whistle from him, the train began to depart. She ran along the edge of the platform before grasping the edge of the open car door.
The outlands now had a new ghost town.
