Jackson sighed and looked at Lilith. "See what I deal with? Why do all these older beings call me a child." Lilith kissed his cheek, "You sort of are dear." Jackson groaned "Goddamnit. You're supposed to be on my side."

Lilith wrapped her arms around him, "She has a point about the cuts you know. You were lazy, we both know how much better you can do pet." Jackson outright scowled now and Lilith laughed. Grumbling he put his katana away, the red slit in the world appearing and disappearing.

"You old fucks always talk about your age as if you're better because of it. You demand things of me like you have a right to it. You don't. I don't care about you either cupcake. But I at least have some manners and despite your attitude I respect elders of my kind. As for the state of the War. It's a stalemate and will be for a while. Too many reinforcements for both sides, neither really gaining any ground."

He drank from his flask and offered it to the elder Darkling. "Thirsty?"

Lilith scrunched up her face. "She was rude to you." That was true, but he was the better man.

@Override

---

Sarafine smiled. "There difference between myself and other old fucks is that I am actually better for it. I've had the time to master my skills, shape history itself, and know exactly what I want. It's not undue confidence, but rather a simple fact. When you've lived millennia, anyone not even remotely close to your age is a child in your eyes. I'm sure you'll eventually find that out yourself, given enough time." Sarafine waved a hand casually at the offer of a drink, instead crouching down near the head of the headless warlock and rolling it a little ways away. "I'll be getting a fresh drink soon, but I thank you for the offer."

The fun begins soon?

"Yes, Asmodeus. Very soon."

Sarafine stood back up, idly toying with her hair. "How would you feel if the tides began rolling again? If suddenly it were chaos? If suddenly the Council fell, or the rebels were removed? What would you do if a pretty little Faerie removed the head from one of your leaders? Pray tell, my love, what would you do if everything changed?"

Will we really cause such mayhem, my sweet Sarafine?

Sarafine merely smiled. Asmodeus alone knew her thoughts and desires, and to pose such a question was amusingly a waste of a question.

She moved even closer to Jackson, her dark eyes locked with his. A finger on her cheek, she stood there, mere feet away, contemplating. What would his answers be, she wondered. What would his reaction be?

Jackson glanced at Lilith suddenly wary. Lilith merely shrugged, which made sense. She didn't care about the war atterall. To be honest Jackson didn't care about the council or its lesders. He csred about keeping humanity in the dark. There were exceptions to be made when called for but for the most part, keeping them in the dark was a good thing. It meant open war otherwise. Likely millions would die. What she was proposing was utter choas and madness without order.

"I would probably do my best to prevent it from happening. The Council is no friend of mine and it needs changed but it has a good purpose." He idly rand a hand over Liliths shoulder, "What you're talking about is pointless choas with no purpose other than violence."

@Override

---

Sarafine giggled, Asmodeus laughing fully beside her.
"There is always purpose within chaos. As there is destruction within order. The Balance is always there." Her hand slid down his cheek, light as a feather. "Fret not, love, I'm not here for total anarchy. But things will change, even if I weren't here, and you need to learn to bend like a Willow when the situation calls for it. Remember that, will you?"

With that Sarafine turned and walked away in a randomly decided direction. "If you'll excuse the rude departure, I have a few, ah, friends who owe me their lives. Until next time, love, ta ta."

So... We're really going to play both sides?

"Yes, dear Asmodeus. I have bigger plans than any of these younglings do."

Dylan Stroud

“You fancy me a skald, eh?” Now he was at her side and walking in lockstep. Rain fell, churning up smells of what the city once was. “I am afraid if I was to draw from personal experience then stories of heroics would be few and far between. I’m no Siegfried.”

Dylan looked up at the hidden heavens and heavy clouds, hanging there in seeming suspense with the threat of a torrential downpour. “At least the moon will not be jealous tonight.” He grinned.

Wetted hair was beginning to cling to his scalp and nape and clavicle. Lamplight danced in the wide pools of his eyes, and sparkled in the tiny puddles they splashed through, and shimmered in the moisture on his skin. However, it cast his companion in a new light entirely, without her jacket now, much of her form was visible, a tracing of temptation, and in the unnatural orange light, her hair might indeed be flame.

Rivulets ran through the crevices of the paving stones, splashing up as Dylan let his feet take him where they may, his destination a mystery. The silhouettes took a journey through the avenues of time, across the uneven cobblestone of memory. Hands cupped in front from his face and he struggled, but eventually succeeded, in lighting a cigarette.

Trailing smoke as he waved his hands about, he went on, “I do have a few tales involving horses and nuns,” he shook his head, his smile was empty, and the wrinkles seeming more pronounced as he thought of days gone by, “but those are far too adventurous for present company.”

After a long drag, he let free a blue, withering cloud. “I was in a circus for a long time, if you would fancy that.” He seemed to smile at something very far towards the horizon, “Those years of my life were most delightful. The whole circus was a colossal family. They taught me to juggle and walk the tightrope, and all other manner of showman’s tricks. I was a fast learner, but I had an unfair advantage." He gave a fanged smile, "Everyone there was peculiar to some degree. Next to a bearded lady I seemed quite normal.”

“It was a new kind of liberation. We were carefree in every way. Our time together was spent travelling or performing, or chasing farmer’s daughters, or carolling through the streets of Prague, or enjoying the Absinthe bars of Paris, or dreaming deeply in the silks of Istanbul, or skating upon the frozen Thames.” He looked at his muse, his own stolen star, a gift from the gods. She had the beauty of the night-time skies, and all that was best of dark and light, met in her aspect and her eyes. With the alcohol loosening his tongue, he told her all the wonders he saw with his troupe, of the close shaves with law, and of the nights in courtly manors - as well as those in wayside ditches, of ephemeral lovers and haunting performances. The nights spent running from women through cities, or looking for girls that hid from him. Stories of opium and alcohol, of food so fine it made his mouth water even then, and of the days when they had naught but gruel.

It was only a crossroad that stopped his rambling; not entirely sure where he was, even his feet stopped moving. He looked left, then right, and then straight ahead. “Say,” He began, offering the cigarette with a dainty hand, as well as an apologetic look, “You should have stopped me rambling, now my feet have gotten me lost.”

@Old Amsterdam



"I swear, do you ever shut the fuck up? Seriously.." Nora walked with a scowl on her face towards The Boarder. It wasn't too far from her now. She'd been sent after hearing about an attack on rebels in that area. The entire way there, Asa had been walking along side her, talking non stop like he often did. Nora had wondered in the past if he ever got sick of his own voice. His response was always that he would never tire of hearing himself talk and that he enjoyed annoying her with it.

"I told you...this is what happens when you flirt with those damn lycans. What was it that you said when I told you not to test me?" He side stepped in front of her with a smirk on his gorgeous face. She stopped, looking up at him with irritation written all over her.. "Oh yes, I remember. Fuck off, is what you said. When will you listen?"

"The day my flirting stops pissing you off." Was her reply before she pushed passed him to continue on her way. Asa laughed behind her before quickly catching up to her.

"Never."

Nora rolled her eyes and held back a response, it would only fuel his fire if she did. However, she stopped again as she drew closer to the Wards. Someone seemed to be crossing through. For a moment she thought it was possibly one of the warlocks stationed in the area, but Asa had other thoughts on who the person could be.

"Is that? Yes, it sure is. Oh this should be an interesting interaction, Nora."

@Ever

---

Sarafine looked up at the sound of talking. A feline smile lit up her face, and she redirected her steps to take her to the be arrival.

This must be our lucky day. Two of our kind mere minutes apart. Asmodeus chuckled lightly as they came closer.

"Ah... Nora and... Mhmm. Asa, I do believe it was," Safarine practically purred as she stopped mere feet away. "So, youngling, I'm going to interrupt your travels. Given your direction you're off to check in on some warlocks..." Sarafine laughed for a moment. "Well, they're dead. Council work. Anyways, I'm in a pleasant mood at the moment, and you're going to follow me. There's a group of Vampires who owe me their lives, and I want to chat with you. So, walk and talk, kill and talk, then chill and talk. Sounds good, yes? Of course it does."

Damn, Safarine, I haven't heard you talk that much in one go for a while now. Asmodeus chimed in while running a hand through along her spine. Safarine shuddered slightly at the touch.

With a twitch of her fingers to signal Nora to follow, heading further along the Border.

"Tell me, Nora, what would you do if this stalemate suddenly shifted? If the Council fell? What if the Rebels would obliterated? What would you do if chaos erupted all around you, child?" Sarafine Alex the same general questions she'd asked Jackson.

You're really stuck on those questions, aren't you my luv? Asmodeus asked with a smirk.

"I have my reasons for asking both of them, Asmodeus. You know this." Sarafine tsked.

Of course, but I'm bored. No destruction, no deaths, not even good healthy sex.

@Old Amsterdam

Nora was quite hesitant to follow Sarafine as she walked passed her. Not only had she just confirmed the death of the warlocks protecting the area, but she was also about to bring death to someone else apparently, vampires who owed her something. She wondered if it was Sarafine who had actually killed the warlocks, making her look at Asa curiously. He shrugged and then shook his head, the movement cause his beautiful black hair to fall over his eyes a bit. She loved when that happened.

“Sarafine has never been one to be on one side or the other. We both know that,” He said while nodding for her to follow the older darkling. Nora had met her once before and had been just surprised by her then as she was now. It had only been a brief chat during one of the many times Sarafine decided to hop over to the rebel side of things. I believe I might have called her a bitch at one point. It wouldn’t have been a surprise if she had, Nora was known for speaking her mind and having no filter. Plus, Sarafine really was a bitch, the ancient darkling would even agree to it.

“You ever going to answer her questions? She will find it disrespectful if you don’t. “Asa’s brow rose in question as he looked over at her.

Nora sighed, not truly wanting to answer the questions her elder had just asked her. They were such odd questions, it made her wonder why the older one cared what she thought. “Well I suppose if chaos broke out I would fight the best I could for my side. If the council fell then I would enjoy the luxury of being able to walk among humans without having to hide, they are what is preventing that, after all. If it is the rebels that fall, well I suppose I would fall along with them. Does that answer your question, Ancient one?”

@Ever

---

Sarafine tsked at the response. "That's essentially the second time in under twenty minutes I've been given the same answer in different words," she spoke up with a sigh. "You, at least, have manners despite my.... Uniqueness. For that I'll reward you with a hint as to why I'm in this area at all."

Her brow furrowed suddenly, and Sarafine stopped, an arm snapping out to stop Nora from moving forward.

Something is amiss. Asmodeus grumbled, eyes narrowing.

"Well, it appears I lied. These Vampires cannot give me what they owe. They are.... Infected . Do you smell it, child? That smell of rot that lingers ever so slightly, just a tad bit smelling of wrong ." Sarafine looked towards Nora, her eyes turning into bottomless pits that threatened to suck the souls themselves away from those looking in. A rift appeared at her side, and Sarafine pulled a flask out of her, downing the contents. "Blood is delightful. Now, Nora, I request you not get in my way. By no means don't get involved, this is an infection in your section of the city. I would be amiss if I kept you out of it. Do you know what an Infected is like, love?"

Putting the flask away, Sarafine reached up her skirt and removed her daggers from the holdings. They gleamed slightly in the light as she threw them up and caught them, toying with them slightly.

I do hope you'll be using more than just Curse and Purge, Sarafine, Asmodeus said with a sigh.

Sarafine merely smiled.

Introductory post

---

It was a long and uneventful journey to the city for Conall. The worst part was trading the forests of Éire for a concrete jungle. For a time, he will have to reside with… others. Solitude will be a thing of the past. The fact that most of them were not human did not improve the situation. While being in a group was not bad in itself, it was the fact that he knew no one else. He did not know what his ‘allies’ could do. He did not know if they would be useful. The second thing, this war has been in a stalemate for a long time. Would his arrival even alter the situation? Even though he is a capable warrior, he was not foolish enough to believe he alone could take on the council, and would not expect they would honor his right to single combat. Instead, he would need to find a way to isolate and whittle them down one by one.

As for his allies, he would need to know them. Why they fight, and if it could align with his goal. He would also need to find a way to control them, ensure his goal will be realized. Some might fight merely to have free reign over humanity, to prey on them in some way without worry of angering the council. Those would aid him well, for they will expedite the time for the next war. The others though, the ones who genuinely care for humans or otherwise do not actively wish harm on them would become obstacles later. He will need to find methods on controlling them or eliminating them outright as convincing them to aid him after this war will be difficult.

As for the city, he found it amusing that the rebels were located in the middle. I could walk any direction and find something to kill. Looks like finding fresh meat would not be an issue. Conall thought. Maybe this place isn’t all bad. I will have to be careful but I will find prey here, even on one of my ‘allies’ should it be necessary. Being surrounded on all sides will likely prove to be beneficial, desperation is one of the strongest allies. For now though, I should observe the environment. Figure out effective paths in each section for sneaking in and around. Stealth will need to be my greatest asset followed by my strength… and with that in mind, he set off

Lancelot waited nervously for Jackson to show up. He was in the bar again, but he knew Jackson would appear eventually. It was one of his favorite places and a common place to meet him. He sipped at his drink, the alcohol warm and pleasant. Jackson showed up finally half an hour later. Darklings were said to be rare, even though there were at least two taking part in the War that Lance knew of. Jackson had an air about him. A pulsing power that promised death and destruction to all who offered him violence. In his experience most Darklings had an air of violence about them in some way.

Jackson ordered and Lance walked up to him nervously. The Darkling's gaze flicked over to him, a startling shade of blue. His eyes assessed him and then flicked back to the side of him, suddenly filling with a kind of desire and admiration. Lance cleared his throat, "There's a matter I should bring to your attention." Jackson's gaze seemed to reluctantly tear away from what he was looking at to settle on Lance again. "I'm listening. Make it quick though. I just killed a fuck of a lot of Warlocks and I'd love a shower."

Lance pulled the letter he had gotten from on his pillow earlier and handed it to Jackson. Jackson read it, his intense blue gaze skipping quickly over the words. Finally he sighed, "I had hoped this wasn't true." Then he scowled, "Of course I suspected as much, love." Lance wasn't sure who he was talking to, but it made him slightly uncomfortable. Finally Jackson seemed to address him again after a fond smile crossed his lips, "Right. Go find me a few Dark Worlders and bring them back here tomorrow. We're gonna check this out."

Lance nodded and hurried off to carry out the Darklings request.

Nora had heard the rumor about vampires possibly being infected with some sort of virus. That had actually been the next thing she had planned to investigate, once she had figured out if everyone guarding the boarder was indeed dead. She sniffed the air as Sarafine asked her if she could smell the infected close, she indeed could. There was a faint smell of decay that made her nose wrinkle up a little. She hated the smell of rotting flesh and blood, it seemed like it was even worse now that she was a darkling. This was more than likely just because her sense of smell was a lot better than it was when she had been human. She probably wouldn't of even noticed the scent had she not been a darkling.

"Breath through your mouth," Asa said with a smirk on his face. "Though, you look really cute with that look on your face."

"Shut up.That is ridiculous, then I'll just be forced to taste it if I do that." She unwrapped her chain of fire as she spoke to Asa in German, knowing for once she wouldn't thought of as crazy for talking to herself. There was no doubt that Sarafine knew who she was really talking to, after all, she had a demon whispering in her ear as well.

"I wouldn't dream to get in your way, but no, I haven't dealt with the infected before. Just heard whispers about it at the rebel base. What shall I expect?" She asked, reading her weapon for whatever fight was coming their way.

---

@jdh97

Zeiss giggled at the vampire's notion that she would stop him from rambling; of course she'd like to get as much information as possible. She looked around to get a bearing on where they were within the Rebel Sector; it seems as though they crossed a few blocks to find themselves closer to the Lycan border than she liked. The buildings here were simple apartment buildings made of worn concrete and brick while convenience stores and small shops that sold an assortment of food lined the sidewalks, still operating as the night was still young and sundown had just happened a few hours ago. People were out and about, chittering about the latest news about the warlocks that had intercepted whatever it was at the border; apparently, they were killed and eviscerated. She could sense the stream of magic that flowed from the warded barrier in order to keep the rebels safe, though in war these things usually break like tissue paper just from the amount of force that was pushed on them. It was at least dented in as noted by the disturbance of mana a little to their northwest.

Maybe I'll have to work on the inscriptions for those as well, though I should probably just leave it up to the people actually trying to finish this war. I'll definitely have to tell the Runic Department when I get back to my office, but hopefully they don't plan on me bearing the responsibility for it just because I gave them the info, she thought.

Outside the center of the city she was no longer safe, she understood, but if she stayed here too long then she might want to see what was happening purely out of curiosity. Maybe it was about time to head home. She looked at her companion and eyed him as if to try and sear his visage into her memory; the wirey man had definitely been a good amount of entertainment this evening. He almost looked as if he was drawn like a cartoon with how expressive his eyebrows were as he talked about himself in detail. He was bold, and a little cute with how she felt like he was dancing to her tune; always nice to be in that position of power. He wasn't really her type, a little too lanky, but he was a good man by being a nice change of pace for the great Zeiss Calavan. She took the cigarette he offered and with a quick scratching of the 'Ansiz" rune on the tip the smoke alighted.

"I'm sorry, chronicler; your stories were too enrapturing and I felt I got lost in its rhythm as well. It actually gave me quite a few things to think about, maybe you'll let me try them out on you." She walked up to him while taking out a small piece of thin paper. "I had a good time tonight because of you; here I thought that vampires weren't so keen on witches like me. You are a fascinating man, but I must cut our time together short; if I'm not working during the day, my employers always want me to get it done in the night. I don't want to leave you empty handed for what you've done for me, so have a little reward."

Gracefully, she pulled the cigarette out, putting the piece of inscribed paper on her lips and leaned in to kiss him through it. The paper was thin enough they it might well not have existed, and she felt the man's thin lips on her full ones. Two fingers kept the paper in place as her left held rested gently on the back of the man's neck, feeling through his straw-like hair as she made sure the cigarette didn't fall out of her fingers. It was five seconds before she broke their kiss and pulled the paper away from her mouth, it alighting with a sigil and hardening into what appeared to be a business card. Zeiss smiled at it before presenting it to him, the bold font on the top of the card stating her self-proclaimed title: 'The Witch of Isa'.

"I don't do home visits, a little too risque for me after one little outing. If you'd like to see me again, come to the address on the card, give this to the front desk, and ask for an 'Abigail Aesir'. They will teleport you to the front door of my workshop."

A pseudoname, an alias; something she had been using while within the Rebel Sector as to alleviate the little witch hunt that almost followed her from her former home in the Magic Sector. There was no need for them to know who she was right now; she'll announce to the world once she showcased her magic for all to see. For now, she is distrustful of others with her personal life, but only time will tell if that notion remains a fact. She slipped the card into the vampire's coat pocket before giving him another peck on the cheek.

"If a young girl opens the door for you, don't worry; it's just my assistant. Could be more if you'd like. I'd love to see you again, my dear chronicler; I'll be waiting for you." She put the cigarette back into her mouth, turned, and faded into a group of people as the crowd grew around the man she allowed into her refuge.

@Ever

---

Sarafine nodded slightly at the response. "Mhmm, German. Nice touch," she muttered. "They're savage. Faster, stronger, and feral compared to normal vampires. Deformed features. You'll see what I mean. Kill some."

With that Sarafine set off, blasting a bolt of demonic energy that looked like red lightning into the building, blowing open the side of the building across from them. Infected started streaming out, about twenty in all, racing forward at the two Darklings.

Sarafine pulled out Curse and Purge in a whirl, beheading the first to reach her in the same flourish of movement. Tearing open reality, she stepped through to appear behind the group, making short work off five more in seconds.

"Finish them. Let any escape and I will remove your head as well," Sarafine called over, striding into the building.

Downstairs there were more. And they lasted just as well as the six Sarafine had already killed.

By the time she was done inside, there were about forty bodies ripped apart.

With a casual flick of her hands, Sarafine started to bring the building down, blowing out support beams and walls.

As she walked outside, the building fell in on itself in a thunderous crash.

That was disappointingly simple. Asmodeus complained.

"Hush, luv, I brought down the building just for you. Perhaps I'll burn the wreckage, if that would make you happy."

You know me so well, my beautiful Sarafine.

INFECTED ATTACK

Deformed creatures, Vampires, Lycans and magic users alike, ran in the streets. They were in the rebel section, they were in the DarkWorld zones. They came in dozens and they attacked whomever they saw. They bit vampires and witches, wizards and Warlocks. They broke through wards and drained the blood from people's veins. They had no sanity. They could not be reasoned with. The air filled with screams of pain and some terror.

Warlocks moved to fight back, Vampires defended themselves and Lycans shifted, Druids called upon the earth and they began to fight back. But there were so many of them. There was confusion and mayhem everywhere as rebels and Darkworlders alike shouted for a defense. For order. Fight or die. Those were their only options.

Infected Atack

---

” It is fortunate that this place has fallen to much less use…” Conall muttered as he navigated the sewers. He figured that few would consider, much less actually try, to travel underground in the sewer network in order to bypass sentries and other defenses. So far he seemed to be right. Armed with only a map of the city, Conall guessed how far he traveled with each step and approximately where he is. He dared not travel to far out of the rebel section, at least not while he is not certain of his location. Looking at his map, and mentally back tracking his steps, he felt content in the idea that he was only a few hundred feet outside the rebel section. Finding an exit nearby, he ascended to street level to gauge his accuracy. A low rumble could be heard, Conall assumed it was distant sewage flowing, an assumption that he would soon find incorrect.

Odd, nobody is around. Even with the proximity to the boarder, there should at least be a patrol… Conall thought as he came above ground. Looking around, he was happy to see a street sign that would place him close to where he thought he was. Looking even further down the street, his eyes came upon an unusual sight. A hooded figure sat slumped in front of a building, and even in a human form, Conall could smell blood in the air along with something ‘foreign’. Conall found himself moving towards the figure, as the idea of prey enticed his rumbling stomach. Moving closer, he grew confused due to the lack of movement on the part of the figure. When he was only a few steps away, he reached into his pocket and pulled a hunting knife. It wasn’t until he plunged the knife into the figure that he noticed it was dead. Conall had little time to ponder the cause as it soon became apparent when three figures appeared down the street.

One appeared larger than the other two (likely a Lycan) and all three rushed towards him. Conall looked behind him, seeing another two figures appear down the street. Slowly, a grin appeared on Conall as he began to analyze his options. ”Three in front, Two behind. They have me surrounded… those poor bastards.” Conall said as he began to shift. What normally would be a long and painful process to others was not so much for him. Years of changing desensitized him to the pain and he picked up a few ways to do shift within seconds rather than minutes. As Conall’s Lycan features began to form, his senses heightened and he began to realize there was something… ‘off’ about the attackers. He could tell by their movements that they were only interested in moving towards him as fast as possible and not thinking about self-preservation. This makes them dangerous, but much more predictable. Getting closer, he noticed the group was comprised of a Lycan, a Vampire, and three draoi (magician/wizard/etc.). The draoi would make for easier targets, and in the interest of killing them as quickly as possible, killed them first. An easy task as they seemed to enjoy running into his claws. The Lycan, while being a bigger and quicker target, still only took slightly more effort to dispatch. To Conall’s delight, the Vampire proved a more worthy opponent.

With every swipe Conall made, the Vampire expertly dodged aside and countered by attempting to bite Conall. After about a minute of attempts, the vampire succeeded in grazing Conall’s shoulder. A fatal mistake as Conall rotated his arm around to trap the vampire in a headlock. The Vampire tried in vain to free itself and only succeeded in biting at the air. With his free hand (or would it be paw?), Conall tightly gripped the creature’s head and with an audible crack, twisted it clean off the spine. A small feat due to how thin the Vampire was, but visually impressive nonetheless. Satisfied in battle, Conall gripped onto the corpse and feasted on the remains. Something he was a bit excited about as he never had Vampire before. ” hmm. Tastes a bit bitter…and German. Conall noted. ” good fight though, Lamh Laider an Uactar!” He shouted, half hoping some more opponents would hear.

---

Zeiss figured it would be an easy path back to her workshop; she simply needed to retrace her steps, she'll end up at the little bar, then she can figure out the way from there. She had done a bit more talking that she had intentded tonight, but again it was always nice to get a change of pace. Walking down the cobblestone street, she figured that this must be an old part of town. The road was uneven and the some of the buildings were in need of exterior renovation. Chipped paint across some billboards showed the extent of the war within the Rebel Section; everyone was so busy that they lost sight of aesthetics. Not like Zeiss could say anything about it, she was always cooped up in her little study trying to make the greatest magic of all time.

As she turned around the bend, she heard loud rumbling coming from nearby. She turned her head quick enough to see entire building collapse, debris and dust from the weary concrete blowing up into the sky. She watched the billowing of smoke as it drifted into the sky, but really didn't feel like checking it out; buildings getting destroyed in war; what were the odds? She let out a little 'hmph' and continued on here merry way, going down the street about the three blocks away.

Then she heard a scream; startled by the sudden noise, she swerved her head in that direction. A man with scraggly dirty blond hair was chewing into what appeared to be a young woman with short black hair. Zeiss narrowed her eyes, she really didn't need to see any dirty foreplay on a brisk night. The woman noticed her and reached out a hand, possibly calling for help. Zeiss was ready to hand wave the situation and leave until the blond man turned, grabbed the woman's head, and blasted fire right through her ear and out the other end. As the woman's side was completely blown away and melted, she collapsed, viscera splattering onto stone as the manturned to her. Zeiss turned her bulging eyes from the woman's disfigured features to the man's and realized he didn't look any better. He mouth was charred black with ash and soot caused by the elemental fire that gushed out of his mouth, his left eye burning like lava and almost melting out of his sockets. His teeth were ragged and sharp, blackened by the fire, and Zeiss realized he wasn't using any magic protection on himself for the abilities he was spewing.

"What in the hell?" she stammered. The wizard pointed with a blacken finger and a wild toothy grin stating "LaaAaAddYyy" before rushing at her, his skin bulging and pussing with blacken sores and fire. Zeiss did what she was capable of, and dashed down the street screaming.

Not looking to corner herself, she turned down the block to a more open pavilion, and saw a scene right out of the portraits of Hell. It was chaos here; Lycans, Vampires, Wizards, and Warlocks all duking it out in the main street, some appearing more feral than others. One's skin was bulging forward, like a cancerous tumor, which Zeiss knew as a side effect of using enchantment magic to an explosive degree, while a werewolf with ragged, wasp-nest-like holes sprouting from its skin trying to put down one of its own kind. In some way, this was worse than a dead end; it was being stuck between a rock and a terrifying lava rapist. She looked back to see the man still coming to pursue her and ran down one of the less crowded pathways pulling out her phone.

"C'mon, c'mon you little shit, pick up!" Zeiss heard the click and the murmuring of a drowsy but cutely feminine voice respond back to her:

"Hello, you're talking to Master Aesir's wo-"

"Sarah, get your ass in high gear or so help me I'm gonna be coming for you. And not in the way you probably will want!"

The girl made a little yelp and can be heard stumbling from her perch of a bed and tumbling out of her attic door, coming out of her drowsiness in a very panicked manner and a 30 foot drop to the workshop floor. Zeiss heard her stand up straight immediately afterward and replied, "Master Aesir! I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you, I just-I-what-it's 10 pm, what's goin-"

"No time, I need you to teleport all my Stasis weapons to me right now! I'm stuck having to deal with something I REALLY didn't want to deal with tonight!

"Roger, but what should I do about the deliveries-"

"If I'm not alive to be the one to do it, then fuck 'em; my life is more important right now! I'm sending you my coordinates! Don't call me back, I'll call you!"

She ended the call and kept running while side stepping a pillar of fire that bursted in front of her. She quickly pulled out her standard dagger and carved the rune 'Ehwaz' into the stone of the street. She slapped her hand onto the seal and a faint blue light pulsed into the street, off to signal Sarah of her location. Zeiss strained to keep herself in check, her body wasn't used to normal rune magic anymore and her hand started to spasm. She clutched it and turned to find the fiery, rabid man towering above her. She rolled to the side as the man blew flame down on where she was, and struggled to stand up; she wasn't a fighter, she's a magician. So was he, but this kind of berserk strength is something she wasn't capable of dealing with. The man grabbed her and pushed her against a wall, but she kicked him off with all the physical strength she could muster, causing him to tumble back.

"I'm not going down without a fight, you motherfucker. I'm worth more than you can dream of..." The man just smiled at that comment, and walked at her slowly, relishing her anxiety as it bubbled up to the surface like the sores on the man's skin. Zeiss had no weapon on her, her knife being dropped near the fire he spewed on the floor, so she can only strain for a miracle.

"CAN SOMEONE HELP ME OVER HERE?!"

"How can I not, with a fair girl such as youself crying for help?"

Zeiss peered out of her terror to see the fiery wizard being hit with a blade so hard you can hear the bones shattering on impact from the blunt side of the weapon. The man flew 20 feet into the air before crumpling onto the ground like a crunched up paper wad, very much dead as he burned in his own magic. Zeiss turned to her right, then having to look up at the Goliath that towered before her. In the fire and lamp light, he looked less like a man and more like her idea of what Prometheus would look like. If Prometheus wore a light blue tunic and beige khakis. The man scratched his stubble and grinned warmly at Zeiss, as if this was a common day occurrence for them. His green eyes twinkled with a Santa-like joy as he stooped down to her level to look at her evenly.

"Sorry, I'm new in town; is this how it usually is around here?", he gently asked, his voice carrying a rich Welsh accent.

Zeiss brushed her frazzled hair out of her face and snorted, "Not particularly, and I don't plan on staying either."

The man nodded, "Right, you look much too casual and weak to be on a battlefield such as this; excuse me." He then pushed forward toward the billowing tower of smoke Zeiss saw earlier, leaving her with an expression of shock and offense.

"Excuse me?! Oh, I'll show you how 'weak' I can be, swordsman." The way the man had so nonchalantly called her out on running irked her, and she was definitely going to show him how wrong he was. It might just be pride, but it was HER pride, damn it. Also she might be a little bit more interested in this phenomenon and having a super soldier with her was very ideal for the situation at hand. She saw a light blue glow as her usual handbag appeared at the previous sigil's location, and she picked it up while striding up to take even pace with her 'savior'. The man was at least a foot above her, looking less like a hero and more like a hiker with a passion for a great sword. While the man still had a carefree attitude about him, he looked very much within his element.

"So, what are you supposed to be, the Jolly Blond Asshole?" Zeiss aked coldly.

The man laughed with no trace of malice in his voice, "No, no, nothing like that; I'm just here to join the war. Fresh, young warriors being passionate is a passion of mine you see, and I've never participated in much group work, so this'll be a fun exercise."

Zeiss scoffed at the idea of anything like this being called a simple exercise, "Can I get a name? I'm...the Witch of Isa." She had always been wanted to be addressed that way.

The man turned his head to her with a firm expression on his face, looking almost calculating in the light of the fire that began to burn through the houses as more wizards seemed to go mad with power. "I am known by many things. The Druid of Cu Sith, the Berserker of the Draig, the Heir of Camulodunum. The fae make fun of me, call me King Arthur due to my given name. But I'm referred to by many as the Mountain's Wind. It's a pleasure to make your aquaintance, Witch of Isa."

JACKSON


_______________________________________________________________

Jackson Grey left the bar in a decent mood. He didn't feel like turning in for the night so he started to make his way through the city, back to the section that rebels called home. He whistled a pleasant tune into the night and didn't stop as infected vampires, Lycans, and a couple Wizards exploded out of a nearby town house. Lilith clapped her hands in glee as Jackson tore a hole in reality and pulled out his katana. The enchanted blade thrummed with the magic that gave it its power. A shield of crackling red lightning like energy manifested in front of Jackson as a Wizard blasted a bolt of lightning at him, cackling madly. The shield absorbed it and Jackson blurred forward, his katana flashing, two infected Lycans died instantly, severed in half.

Jackson made the existing shield condense downward, forming into a miniature disc like shape of red lightning that spun forward, slashing through to of the infected vampires, almost simultaneously Jackson wove the destructive red magic into another shield, this one square shaped and placed right in front of two infected Lycans who slammed into it and howled as they burst into black ash upon contact. In his left hand Jackson pooled the destructive magic into a ball of crackling red lightning that he blasted forth in a bolt of absolute destruction that killed the last of the infected.

Jackson sighed as he looked around him. The infected were in ashes, except the Lycan that he had cut in two. He looked at Lilith who's eyes were filled with undisguised delight at the mayhem. "Any better this time?" He asked her. She nodded her head vigorously and followed as Jackson walked along the street, the Katana held casually at his side. "Much better, pet."

Jackson thought for a bit as he walked. He had seen this before. Whatever was doing this wasn't really an infection. It was a curse. A Warlock or Witch had gotten ahold of someone's blood and cursed it to turn into the feral creatures Jackson had just cut down. It spread by bite and the 'infected' population would only grow. Someone had to be holding them back while they turned completely feral in order for it to have spread this much. It took at least a week for those cursed to get this far gone.

"We have a problem, Lilith". Lilith smiled at him, "Yes. You do."

@Lurking Shadow

---

Sarafine had left the building, having lit it on fire much to Asmodeus' delight. She hadn't bothered to check on Nora, preferring to assume the Darkling had managed fine.

It was thus that she stumbled across the recent battle between a Lycan and more Infected.

She stopped, raising an eyebrow, at the yelling noises.

"Enough of that, you fool. You've made two dire errors." she called out, crossing her arms. "You have no idea what you've just done, have you?"

Obviously not. How do you proceed? Asmodeus interjected.

"I mean, really, are you so dumb as to ignore the smell?" Sarafine said darkly. "Or are you so controlled by your beast that you can't make your own sane decisions?"

@Old Amsterdam

---

Conall was heartily enjoying the meal that he had slain. In minutes, he nearly picked the decapitated vampire clean of flesh when a voice called out to him from behind.

"Enough of that, you fool. You've made two dire errors."


The voice said, followed by a question. … Killed and eaten these guys? What was I Supposed to do, not accommodate their apparent need to kill themselves? Secondly, while eating people is not looked upon brightly, it honors his geis, a promise he dares not break. Conall thought, though the voice continued before he could reply.

"I mean, really, are you so dumb as to ignore the smell?"

An insult. One of Conall’s weaknesses was his pride. Rarely would he admit a mistake or calmly accept a hit to his ego. Of course he smelled petulance in the air, but he was no stranger to carrion so what difference could it make here? Though he wanted to attack, he felt it to be unwise as the speaker might prove a useful ally. Not wishing to let it go, Conall responded with disdain in his voice.

” You do not know me nor my reputation so I can forgive the verbal attack. I smell many things. I smell death in the air, and I’m glad to say a portion of it was caused by me. I smell the destruction left in your wake; I assume you left the fire? I smell the fear that grips the two factions. I smell the petulance that is ravaging these individuals, as I am sure you are referring to. I am Sealgair na coillte and I have feasted like the scavengers before. Why would I fear disease? Besides, my geis commands me to. Now it is your turn to answer. Who are you and why said I care about you? Most importantly, what brings you into this war?”

All the while Conall used his size to loom over the stranger, baring his sharp teeth and making other adjustments to his expression in order to appear as intimidating as possible.