[IC] Genesis: Land of the Gods

[Ya Boy Tendou]

The Story Begins

Genesis has been relatively peaceful since its creation. Many centuries have passed, and although times have not always been good, those of Genesis have survived. They have might and they have merit. But no one will be prepared for what is to come. The Celestial Siblings, the creators of Genesis, have been dormant since Genesis's creation. However, a dark, mysterious and tremendous force has awakened within all of Genesis, shaking the spirits of these celestial beings awake, only in the form of tainted, monstrous creatures. Mindless, blackened creatures had been popping up all over Genesis lately. These terrible beings seek only to consume and destroy. They are called "The Blackened". Especially powerful Blackened may create pocket dimensions around large areas known as "Shadow Dimensions", where they kill everyone trapped inside in order to add to their own power.

Our journey begins within the cities of Alpenrose and Rumaan.

Edenweiss - The City of Alpenrose

The refined city of Alpenrose was one surrounded by pine forests and beautiful mountains. Known for being one of the most luxurious and affordable cities within Genesis, tourists were always flocking the area. The traditional cobblestone streets and well-kept, chic stores have attracted citizens from far and wide. A stagnant chill settled over the city today. But it did little to deter the bustling businessmen and women. The streets remained active. It was deep within Winter in the area. Edelweiss winters were the coldest of them all, but everyone managed somehow.

Yet, today there was a disturbance in the area. From the well-known Viola street, loud screams could be heard, just barely audible over monstrous snarls. Several, canine-like blackened had erupted from a nearby storm drain, attacking nearby passerby!

Snapdragon - The Village of Rumaan

The village of Runaan was known for it's calmness and serenity. Although it was winter, pleasant warmth still clung to the area, allowing the crops to flourish as the village children played outside. Even though it was surrounded by dry forests and patches of desertland, Runaan was a frequently-visited area, mostly for trade. The sunlight stretched over the area, bathing the village in a soft glow.

However, the tranquility suddenly erupted into chaos. The sky turned a distorted purple, and loud, snarling noises echoed throughout the area. The village had been caught in a Shadow Zone, set up by a Queen!

[Snagglepuss89]

"That's 'Mr. Rosenfeld', you know my work was the best ever sold in this junk shop anyway!"

A load crash responded to the man from inside the smithy, followed by what sounded like the bellowing of a bull.

"How about Jackass instead you ungrateful dirt-shoveling-can't-forge-worth-a-damn son of a Snapdragon rancher!"

A smile played on Llewelyn's lips as he made his way down the street. He always tried to pay his old boss a visit when he was in town, and such visits always ended the same way. A bit of drinking, then a lot of yelling. That smile quickly faded though and he pulled his coat tighter as a breeze blew through the city, it seemed he would never get used to the northern air.
His weapons clanked in response, but he paid it no mind. He was well known enough that the police didn't harrass him, and even if they did he carried his license to bear arms in the city on him at all times. It wasn't worth spending a night in jail while the cops sorted the situation out to leave it.

It was towards the Edelweiss University that he walked, the jewel of the city's academia. There were several colleagues he planned to sit down with, have a few more drinks and discuss his notes. The complete history of the peoples of Genesis was nowhere near finished, and required constant fact checking whenever he added new sections to it.

Mostly though, he just wanted out of the cold at this point.

He had just turned onto Viola street when the chaos erupted. Startled by the sudden noise, he backed into an alley while he assessed the situation, drawing out his shotgun. At first, he assumed it was terrorists, trying to cause chaos in the otherwise peaceful city. Somehow, the answer was much darker. When he first caught a glimpse at the shadowy canines he was taken aback. In all his time on the road he had never run into any Blackened, although stories were abound all over.

For a moment, he considered fleeing, but sighed instead. It wasn't likely he could outrun them if he tried to anyway. So instead, Llewelyn dropped to one knee and began loading, he only had ten shells and needed to make them count. Unfortunately, the people trying to escape made excellent human shields for the Blackened making their way down the street, and he cursed his luck at lacking a clear shot. So he waited, useless while people where being slaughtered in front of him. Finally, a young woman was knocked down only feet away.

Llewelyn didn't waste the opportunity and fired at the Blackened standing over her. Part of him hoped she wasn't caught by any of the pellets, the other part of him knew it was a better fate than awaited her otherwise.

He grimaced and fired again.

[Viciousmarrow]

The Village of Runaan

"Sorry, sir, I don't buy rocks."

The words came from a rather dull looking merchant, young and rat-faced. Izual, a red haired Tengu with amber eyes, slammed his hands down on the merchant's stall, clearly irate. "Oh don't give me that crap! These aren't rocks! These are minerals. Min-er-als! They shine. Rocks don't. Got it?" the tall, lanky warrior exclaimed with an annoyed tone, beckoning to the large clumps of sparkling pyrite crystals in front of him. The merchant didn't seem to be listening at all, too busy digging a finger into his ear.

"I can't do anything with rocks, sir. I'll buy that cat trinket you've got around your neck though. Does 5 copper work?"

There was an exasperated gasp that came from the Tengu, and he quickly clutched the cat shaped charm that swung just below his neck. "Not my Maneki Neko! It's a good luck charm! Don't try to con me out of my valuables!" With a huff, Izual scooped up his pyrite, placed them in the satchel that hung at his side, and promptly stormed off. The merchant didn't react at all and simply stood there with a bored look on his face.

Grumbling, the flaming haired Tengu marched to the center of the village, a look of defeat and anger on his face. His stomach growled, his feet hurt, and he still couldn't peddle this pyrite off! These people knew who he was too! He could hear them talking about him! "I'm Izual the Dragonslayer! Yeah, you've heard of me. Yeah, I'm kinda famous, but I'M SO HUNGRY!!" he complained out loud to himself, running both hands through his hair in frustration. Sure, he figured he could go out into the wilderness and hunt something down to eat, but he was already in this damned village. He was way too stubborn to give up.

Suddenly, the clear, blue sky twisted into a nightmarish purple. Izual's ears picked up the screams of terrified citizens and the snarls of whatever monstrosities were out there. Most people would panic and run for their lives, or at the very least, begin to worry. Not this Tengu though. He saw an opportunity now. Wrenching the enormous Wyverbuster from his back, a wide grin spread upon Izual's face. If he warded off whatever was happening and showed these people he was the real deal, he'd be eating for free everyday!

"Guess it's time to earn my meal ticket!" he proclaimed, scurrying off to investigate this menace.

[GrafRoy Zeppeli]

Einri - At Edenweiss

He who hath arrived to the city by mere accident, after losing his head a town or two back.

Some scared girl was the first to find the disembodied head and, luckily, she told the adults. Some less scaredy woman picked him up and brought him back to the local inn.

His body later came in to find him so it was all fine and good. Or at least it seemed like it.

Attaching his head back to his body as if it were a lightbulb, the dullahan walked out into the streets and stretched out.

He was wearing a long, black coat, with only one button well, buttoned, at the front, a white shirt unbottoned at the top, a pair of black pants and a pair of shoes. He also wore a scarf to hide the intersection between his neck and head.

His weapon was resting at his back and his more monster-like arm was covered by the sleeves of his coat.

"Ugh. That was awful, dumbass." The dullahan complained to his body. Seemingly, he had left Edbert in the nearby stables. "You don't KNOW what I had to go through. I went down a hill, my mouth was filled with leaves, then I fell to a river and felt like I was going to die. A dog then came by and took me with him all the way here.... he was pretty sweet too, so I guess not everything was SO bad. But if you lose me again, I-!"

His self berating was interrupted by the sudden screams coming from Viola street.

He raised an eyebrow at first, confused as to what may be happening. When he realized that the panic could actually be because of the blackened beast that had started to become common place around here, he hurried to the scene, taking the scythe into his hand.

When he arrived, he saw a man already training his weapon on one of the beasts, however, there was also a woman in the range of his weapon.

Einri gasped at the sight of this. The man shot, so Einri hurried over to the woman.

Thankfully, the blade of his weapon was able to stop the incoming pellets, at least the second wave of them.

He did not waste half a second when he had already turned sideways to the woman and stabbed the blackened creature right through its snout.

"It's all right now. Go look for refuge!" The dullahan ordered the woman as he lifted the black creature still stuck on his weapon. "Now!"

The woman nodded, still frightened as to what had happened, and then stood up as fast as she could and then ran away. She was leaving an slight trail of blood, but Einri could only heal her afterwards.

He turned a slight glare to Llewelyn, but even he knew that probably shooting her would be the lesser of two evils. He was also probably an ally, and he couldn't afford losing one with how things were looking.

"I guess it is no time for introductions, huh?" The dullahan said, before spinning his scythe and hurling the Blackened beast away from its blade. "Worry not, for Einri, Knight Of Souls has arrived to aid you!"

The man said, before putting his weapon forward. He was too discovered, though.

That thought made Einri's head tilt a bit to the right. Fearing it would fall off, the dullahan was quick to put his hand on top of his head to keep it in place.

An incoming Blackened to his left made him turn to him a little too fast, making his head fall off.

"Yeowch! Hey, dumbass, you dropped me again!"

Heeding his head not, Einri's body striked the Blackened beast with the pool of the scythe and then spun it around in his hand, until he brought the blade down on its head. He retrieved the weapon and then hit the beast as if his scythe was a golf club.

He turned again to his head and picked it up, before fitting it in place again.

"Ugh, embarrassing."

[Rune_Alchemist]

Edelweiss - Just outside the City of Alpenrose

Rayne & Miya

It was a cold day indeed, in Edelweiss. The winters in the country were always cold, but for a certain demon samurai, she found herself enjoying the days chill. She had never been one fond of warmer weather, and the cold suited her just fine, even though she grew up in a warmer area.

Saika Miyano, or Miya as she preferred her friends to call her, had been up since dawn almost. She had always been an early riser, though that may have just been habit from the training she received. What wasn't part of her training though, was her habit of carving little masks in her spare time.

A little art she picked being basically banished from her home. It started as a little something just help cure boredom on her travels, but in the two and a half years or so since being kicked out the craft had grown on her.

She was currently sitting on the ground, leaning against the tree with her carving knife in her right hand, whittling away at the chunk of wood she was carving it from, a cup of her and her travel partners last bit of alcohol next to her. She briefly wondered if Rayne was up yet. If she was, they could head into town already and get some more supplies. She was terrible at hunting, and was feeling rather lazy, so it was out of the question.

Ahh...maybe she'd go bother Rayne to make her something. She definitely wasn't going to be doing any cooking herself, even if she was rather decent at it, she didn't particularly enjoy it. But then again, she didn't really find anything too thrilling aside from clashing her sword with another or training.

Which is one reason why she was grateful to have met Rayne. The older woman was definitely a skilled swordsman. Hell, she had completely trounced her, and she liked to think she was pretty good. The two had been traveling together for a few months now, and she had re-learned something she had slowly forgotten since being exiled.

There was always someone stronger than you out there, no matter how good you thought you were.

Yeah, she learned that after getting her ass kicked after trying to rob the girl. After that, and a few other misadventures, she asked the other girl to train her. It was obvious from her movements and the fact she had lost so easily the girl was a master. Miya didn't like to pry into other's pasts, but Rayne had to believe that if she still had both of her arms, that she was easily one of the best swordsman in all of Genesis.

Actually, she might still be the best swordsman in all of Genesis. She was certainly good enough.

Well, whatever it was she had finished carving the mask. It was a...well,odd looking thing to say the least. Two big eyes, shaped like a heart with four spikes on either of the bottom sides and two pointing straight up. Sometimes she had to wonder where she got the ideas for these things from. She had certainly never seen something like it before.

Well, whatever. She tossed the mask aside, and grabbed the cup of alcohol, downing it quickly. She should get back to camp then, see if Rayne was indeed awake. With a stretch, she pocketed her knife and walked back to where they had set up camp.

---

Opening an eye she sighed, getting up she looked to the left of her and saw Miya was quick to get up. She grinned slightly, getting up and stretching her arm "I dont know how she does it, I'd kill to wake up with as much energy as that girl sometimes..." she peeked her head outsite their tent and saw she wasn't around, meaning she was probably not to far but just enjoying the bitter cold air.

Putting her head back into the tent to avoid the cold, she quickly went into her bag and put on what she could find to make herself a little warmer. Putting on the hood, she began packing a bag for herself and then for Miya. It was felt nice these past couple of months having her around, it reminded her of faces far past gone and forgotten but Rayne didn't forget the comfort she felt when it came to having another person around.

Grabbing her sword, she quickly slid it into a back holster on the back of her waist, sliding her sword out to check it quickly, before putting it back into it's sheath, she grabbed both bags and left the tent. Dropping the bags, she went back in to find their stash of foods and spices, coming back out and putting the pot on the fire pit Miya had made.

Snapping, a buzz could be felt standing next to Rayne, before fire appeared under the pan. Cracking eggs into the pot, she put enough for the both of them to eat, before adding more stuff and sitting while it cooked, she tapped her right leg and glanced over to her missing left arm, feeling a twang of phantom pain

It didn't take long for Miya to make her way back to camp. By the time she could see Rayne, she could already smell the food being cooked. It definitely put speed in her steps as she walked back, looking eager to eat Rayne's cooking. As she approached she saw her friend sitting close to the fire, waiting for it to finish.

"Morning." Miya replied, a small smile displayed on her face. "Sorry, but I drank the last of the alcohol just now. We'll need some more if we're going into town." She informed her, taking a seat next to the Tengu. Honestly, between the two of them she was surprised they didn't run out of drink more often.

She felt a twitch in her hand and she smiled "Of course you did, damn you demons. This time you'll get to pay for it then" she started dicing the eggs in the pan "Mind grabbing us plates, forgot those, and cups too, might as well finish what we have and get more while we're there, kill two birds with one stone."

"Oh like you weren't drinking most of it last night." She chuckled, grabbing the plates and cups. "But fine, I'll buy some more when we're in town. If I have enough money, anyways." She placed the plates where Rayne could reach them. "We should probably find some work in town while we're at it."

Of course, they could always not and just rob some poor guy on the road. She wasn't against that either.

"Hey it's for the pain, just cause it happened a long time ago doesn't mean i dont need to self-medicate" she laughed a little before putting the food on a plate for Miya and passing her the plate, then pouring some of the juice that was left. Putting some a plate for herself, she remembered Miya's bag and moved the bag next to her.

"You should have enough in there, I put some of what I got from the last job for you to get thigns for yourself, count the alchohol as repayment" she took a bite out of the food "You aren't wrong though, we do need to get a job or move on to the next town if we cant get a decent one."

Thinking more "I just hope someone wealthy doesn't pass us by" she smirked looking at Miya.

Miya gratefully accepted the plate of food, bowing her head slightly in thanks as Rayne passed it to her.

"Hehe, maybe if we're lucky, they'd be carrying enough so that we could by all the alcohol we wanted for the rest of our life." Of course, she doubted they'd ever run across anyone that wealthy. Not to mention, they were a bit too close to a town for comfort for her usual banditry shenanigans.

"Pretty sure it shouldn't too hard to find work though." Someone was always in need of an extra sword, it just depended on if they could find that person, and if they didn't mind that kind of work, whatever it was.

Finishing her food, she sat up and stretched, picking up her glass and plate and putting them back into the tent, she went inside to make sure that things were okay, pulling out what needed to be put away, collapsing the big tent, it folded itself quickly "Thank god we bought this before it got popular, i've seen the prices and holy hell, sell half my soul for this thing and my first born for all the extra things we got."

Putting the other things away, she began hiding them "We'll have to come this way regardless of if we get a job, might as well leave them here, less weight to carry, mind putting that fire out for me? You're weapons should be over there as well too."

"Yep, I got the fire." She replied, quickly dousing it, going to retreive her weapons after. She strapped both of them to where they belonged. Makaze, a lighter, slightly smaller Katana at her side, and Akaiittou. A larger Katana on her back. The entire sword was huge, for a katana, not to mention the thick, heavy but still sharp blade. It was a sword she typically had to wield with two hands, to get the full potential of.

Her hands lingered on the blade, only for a moment as she brefily remmebered her old friend, but qucikly dismissed it.

"Well, let's get going. Still got a bit of a walk to go." She said, after making sure her weapons were secured. And with that, her and Rayne set off towards Alpenrose

Edelweiss - The City of Alpenrose

It didn't take the duo long to reach the city, only being about a fifteen minutes walk outside of the town. It was rather uneventful as well, aside from some smalltalk between the two swordswomen, though as usual Miya wasn't too keen on talking all that much unless it was important, save for some friendly banter here and there.

Miya was glad to be back in a city after so long. She loved the outdoors as much as anyone else, probably more so, but it was always nice to return to the more civilized parts of the world. Though, she couldn't say she was entirely fond of the giant cities with those giant skyscrapers, being from a small rural place. She still got lost in those giant cities sometimes.

"So first, we obviously buy Alcohol." Miya said to her friend as they walked down the cobblestone street. That was only partially a joke, considering she did think drinking was one of their biggest expenses.

Of course, that was before she heard something. Some sort of commotion further down the street, the sound of a gun firing and even people running. Her eyes narrowed, a small frown on her face as she turned to Reyna.

"Sounds like trouble." It was obviously none of their business what was going on, but she being who she was, couldn't just leave - so she headed down the street to investigate, moving at a light jog with her hand on Mikaze, not checking to see if Reyna was even following.

[TheWildBunnii]

In the Mountains, near the city of Alpenrose.

The feels of suns' heat still making its appearance through the wildflowers now held the morning snow of the chilled night before. The sun had stood moments ago near blinding whoever it touch, a great form now stood in silhouette with the sun's rays sparkling around it as though on fire. The great Stag stood tall, proud and majestic.

On the back of wild Stag, an unconscious hooded figure with long, soft pink hair framed an oval face with ludicrously long eyelashes; the coldness eating at her spirit.

The sound of the Hawk "Tawodi", circling overhead, seeking for the prey to feast on. The Stag had spent the better part of dawn making his way up a steep slope of a nearby mountain. The rocks crevice casting images in shadow as the sky appeared making it one of the favorite places to hike and explore at the moment.

The enormous animal cautiously made it's way down the narrow trail, silently without so much as single twig cracking beneath its feet as though somehow magically walking on air. It shook its massive head of snow, the crown of antlers looking almost too heavy and burdensome to bear. The trail of crimson marked the gaping wound on his hind leg made by a pack of wolves. Minutes later he broke through the thick trees he'd found himself wandering around in. Beyond, a meadow filled with color beyond the minds imagination. Every color of wildflower known to exist had to be within this meadow. A kaleidoscope of brilliant hues that weaved itself like an ever-changing blanket, the wind blowing as colors formed, changed and reformed once again into differing magnificent patterns. One of the many fears for a Stag was being out in the open field, wounded.

He lifts his head to notice in the far distance, suspension smoke, the very sign he hoped for. Civilization. Soon, he will be able to seek the help he need for his ill-rider.

It was the sudden piercing howls that broke, sent revelry, fear, panic down his spine as he felt himself free-falling now rather than walking. Tumbling, spiraling out of control, landing hard. Now entering the meadow, not one, but perhaps a dozen or more fierce powerful wolves as they surrounded, then charged the two of them below.

Above him, another cry, another screech as he stood watching the magnificent Hawk above him go into a shallow dive, swooping downwards then peeling off, disappearing behind the ledges above him, reappearing moments later, once again circling, waiting for a taste.

Dakath nearly made it to his feet when once again he was rocked, his breath knocked from his lungs by the impact as yet another, the biggest of the wolves first appearing. It now sunk its mighty fangs into the flesh of his back. Swimming through the matted once beautiful wildflowers now torn, destroyed, the coppery stench of blood filling the air, no longer the fresh fragrant smells of beauty, but of death. He leaped at the first wolf that had lost interest in him and broken away now charging at the elf, lying a few meters away and for the first time, her eyes fluttered open.

A grunt escape from his throat when the rip and tear of flesh could be seen on the Stag's flanks, yet it turned not away from its victim, choosing instead to impale it upon its horns, tossing it aside, only then turning to face a new and separate challenge even though he grew weaker himself with each passing minute. One by one, he met them all until none was left, though he stood on unsteady legs, dripping with blood.

His ears twitched, picking up loud, snarling noises along with cries of terror rose in the distance. A crescendo of anger and pain adding to that which Dakath himself felt. Helpless to do anything as he pushed his nose, pawing the earth where a near-lifeless body of his mistress rest. He felt himself growing colder, his legs gave up from under him, it became more and more difficult for him to concentrate, but he willed himself to do so anyway. And with each breath becoming harder, he began to notice a change, he saw the first real intake, then exhale of breath as the elf's breast rose in a renewed fight to survive. Dakath saw the glaze of her eyes begin to dissipate, becoming clearer, even as his own began to fog.

" Dakath..." she whispered weakly, her hand reach to touch the soaked fur.

He saw her shimmer, the energy of her magic now encompassing them both as the power's light shot upwards, illuminating the sky like a flare. Snow began to fall covering the ground. The soft rich soil beneath them soon soaked.

[Ya Boy Tendou]

Alpenrose of Edelweiss

GROUP OBJECTIVE: Destroy all of the Blackened!

Sol

"They say there's a heaven for those who will wait. Some say it's better, I say it ain't."

Preferably, Sol would have enjoyed a day off from tedious labor. He was usually stationed in Baldrian, a city that wasn't as large or as pretty as Alpenrose. Baldrian was closer to the mountains and more rugged, not nearly as fun or classy in Sol's opinion. The kitsune' strolled along the immense streets, observing the various, colorful signs and fruit stands clustered here and there. Alpenrose was certainly a sight to see. The historical buildings and architecture were enchanting.

The modern, urban streets of Kinofuji were vastly different from Alpenrose's elegant avenues. Kinofuji was known for its neon signs, blasting music and rampant nightlife. But Alpenrose seemed to have a classier atmosphere, which was deeply entrenched in its historical roots. Sol had merely arrived a few hours ago. He wasn't expected to work for another two days, so he had time to wander around and amuse himself.

He might even try to make some new friends~! Sol wasn't one to have a large amount of amigos, but some people just to spend time with. He often picked up random acquaintances when visiting different areas, only to leave them when he needed to travel to another area. Some he would keep in touch with, but not many. Sol's life revolved around amusement. If he became bored, it was likely that he would move on to the next area, unless he had work to do.

He moved down the cobblestone road, able to see that he was entering the richer part of Alpenrose. There were many expensive clothing stores and fancy grocery stores. And self-serve yogurt places where people could have as many toppings as they liked. As many toppings as they liked? That was too much power for any mortal man to have. These yogurt places should be careful, he thought carefully to himself. With his thoughts roaming, Sol continued to walk down the long street. His ears flickered, sounds of the crowd drowning out most of the temporary worries that plagued his mind. Once in awhile, he found that it was better to lose himself within his surroundings, rather than fret endlessly about the future. That way, he could return with renewed energy. He caught bits and pieces of various conversations. Some businessmen were worrying about the factories that manufactured aglets, whatever those were. A group of girls busily gossiped about how Jessica had worn the same outfit as Tiffany... Nothing too interesting, but nothing that required too much thought.

He continued down the street, but he was jolted from his dream-like state at the sound of terrified screams and monstrous snarls. Ah... It seemed that there was trouble up ahead. Hand on the sheath of his sword, he rushed forward, tail billowing behind him. A massive amount of people were fleeing from one of the busiest streets in the district, and soon, it became apparent why. Groups of canine-like blackened were swarming the area, wounding citizens and damaging property.

Sol swept forward immediately, unsheathing his sleek katana, which soon glowed a bright blue. He slashed through one of the Blackened, great waves of blue fire surrounding him and latching onto other, nearby Blackened. Howls and shrieks erupted from the terrible creatures, as they were slowly defeated, an dissolved into grey ash. Sol's movements were swift and keen, as many of the Blackened turned their attention to him. Bluish-purple foxfire latched onto many of the unsightly creatures. However, one managed to catch him on the shoulder with sharp claws, causing him to hiss in pain, before plunging his sleek sword straight through it.

Sol was quickly becoming surrounded by the beasts, and his expression turned into a fierce snarl, before he rapidly looked to see if there were any other fighters in the area. He spotted what seemed to be a Dullahan, and immediately called out to him.

"You, there!" The kitsune yelled out, hoping to get his attention. After more foxfire billowed from his form in order to temporarily keep the creatures at bay, he spoke again. "Come help me!" He demanded.

Rumaan of Snapdragon

GROUP OBJECTIVE: Locate and kill the Queen Blackened!

The blackened that Llewelyn had shot screamed in pain. It was an ungodly, high-pitched wail. The terrible beast reared onto its hind legs, allowing the young woman to scramble away, before whirling around in search of whoever had hit it. Reeking, black sludge slid off of the beast, but its immense silver claws gleamed as it threw its head back and forth, trying to locate him. Eventually, it locked onto him, taking in a deep breath. It seemed to rely on scent more than it would rely on sight. But it soon dashed forward, towards Llewelyn at a terribly fast pace, fangs bared as it approached.

Izual didn't have to look too hard to find the menace attacking the village. Several, smaller Blackened could be seen scratching and tearing away at the door of a home with several children hiding inside. Even as he approached, none of them would pay attention. The Blackened were dirty creatures who went after the most vulnerable targets first. Splinters and pieces of wood flew as the creatures became closer and closer to their goal.

[LunaAnarchist]

Alpenrose of Edelweiss

Rayne

"Wait don't rush into any trouble!" One Gold wing sprouted from her back and she jumped up, onto the roofs of the buildings. Running behind Miya, incase she was running into something bigger then she realized, Rayne would have the high ground to help Miya out. Opening her hand, she formed a pure blue bird, throwing it into the air, it quickly divided into several different smaller birds, flying up and above the two, she prepared for a fight and grabbed her sword from it's holster on her back.

As they quickly approached the fight appearing between blackened, Rayne was confused at the sight, there so many, and it was so random it was almost out of place "Miya! There is blackened ahead, be careful!" she suddenly jumped forward in a flash of pure lightning and appeared in the air ahead of of Miya, barreling towards the ground, she sent a shockwave, killing a four or five blackened as she landed and slamming the sheathed sword into the approaching opening mouth of a blackened, killing.

Seeing a Kitsune surrounded, she pointed and the birds that she had released in the air, striking the blackened surrounding Sol. She helped a kid up and pushed him to run "Tell everyone around to leave if they haven't yet this, it's too dangerous to be around, go" she turned and quickly moved out the way as a blackened jumped towards her, slamming her sheath in the middle of the beast, an electric discharge sent through it's body, killing it. Quickly making her way to Sol to check if he was okay "Hey did any of my birds hit you? You were much closer than I realized but I'd rather hit you, then these things, I'll grab your name after the excitement, names Rayne."

Her golden wing sprouted again, jumping up and onto the roofs above them, aiming her hand at more blackened, a blackened suddenly appeared next to her left side, biting at her nonexistent arm, confusing the beast, she quickly killed it and was suddenly surrounded by multiple blackened. "For fucks sake, what is going on?! There's so many and they don't end."

[TheWendil]

~Marianne~

---

Ah, the beautiful sounds of strife and chaos. How it gave the young girl a happy smile and a skip in her step as she weaved and walked among the spreading carnage all around her. To those foolish Blackened that tried to oppose her, she simply did away with using her magic, the mindless creatures underestimating her potency in the dark arts.

The village of Rumann was such a wonderful place to visit this time of the year. Sure, it was perhaps a little cold for the dark-hearted girl but the freezing winds only helped in preserving everyone’s precious bodies. Thus she was practically ecstatic to find the still fresh corpses left behind by the Blackened’s earlier attack, humming away as she bent down and got to work.

“Well salutations Mister Corpse. I hope you’re doing well today, yes? There’s no need to worry anymore because today because I’m going to be your new best friend,” Marianne said cheerily to the dead body, indifferent to the madness around her as her pale fingers slipped around the charred man’s eye socket. She pressed down, applying a small excerpt of pressure before a soft popping sound was heard.

The girl continued to hum even as she placed the bloodied object that was once a human eye into her dress pocket, wiping some of the left over blood onto the dead man’s shirt. Marianne did take pause when she heard the screams of children, turning around to see a Blackened scratch and hiss at the door with the intent of doing…something. Honestly, it wasn’t Marianne’s problem.

With another hum, this time with a change of tune in her voice, Marianne continued to work over the corpses. She moved with surprisingly diligent speed, moving between human and Blackened alike. Each corpse would receive her usual greeting before she went right back to work. And for the dark creatures who wanted to impose the progress of her art making? They too would join the pile of stanching death rotting on the ground.

It was so nice to make new friends.

[Rune_Alchemist]

-Alpenrose of Edelweiss-

~Miya~

Ignoring Rayne, Miya rushed down the street, her hand ready to draw Makaze should she have need of it. Really, she should have probably listened to the older swordswoman, but she couldn't just not help when she could. Maybe it was just her training, but she was getting an uneasy feeling. Something was wrong, incredibly so, but she did hope she was just overreacting and she was just a tad bit drunk however unlikely that was.

"Miya! There is blackened ahead, be careful!"

A frown crept across her face, but she said nothing. Blackened. Her gut was right then, and she quickened her pace. No doubt Rayne was going to get there before her since she couldn't well, even sort of fly, or move at the speed of lightning, but that was fine, she'd just have to fight harder to make up for any harm that came to anyone while she was still moving there. By the time she arrived, Rayne had already taken care of a few of them, and was in a fairly decent position to pick them off from range while her and this Kitsune dealt with them on the ground.

"For fucks sake, what is going on?! There's so many and they don't end."

Miya didn't even have much time to react to the wolf like Blackened. They were on her the moment she got close enough to even assess the situation. One leaped at her, aiming for her throat. She drew Makaze from it's sheathe and sliced right through the Blackened in the same motion, sending it to the ground where it died.

"That is an understatement." Miya thought quietly to herself, dodging another one of the beasts attacks, causing it to stumble forwards, landing in front of two others. At least the bulk of them were focused on the Kitsune and Rayne for now, giving her a good opportunity to take care of a few of them. In a flash, she ran up to a group, swinging her sword in a wide, horizontal arc sure to at least hit all three of them, though the wound wasn't deep enough to kill them, so she followed it up with a bit of magic before they could properly react.

Shadows danced across Makaze's blade as she swung it. As she brought it back for a second attack, she thrust forwards with the blade. Instantly, A large, wide pulse of dark magic shot from her blade, slamming into the beasts and sending them flying backwards, and killing them instantly.

"Kitsune, Dullahan." She replied in a somewhat serious manner, holding Mikaze in front of her. "We can introduce ourselves properly later. We've got bigger things to worry about at the moment." In fact, she was pretty sure they were surrounded now. Where the hell were these things even coming from?

[Snagglepuss89]

MEANWHILE, LLEWELYN WAS TOTALLY IN EDELWEISS TOO GUYS.

It had been such a peaceful day earlier. A nice walk through the streets, a drink and visit with his old friend, and plans for more drinking with more friends later. Then Blackened decided to start making massacre of the street he was on, a freaking Dullahan appeared out of nowhere whipping around a damn scythe and messing up his aim. Swiftly followed by a white haired maniac with no sense of restraint, followed by two women also appearing out of nowhere.

Was Llewelyn the only sane one here? It's one thing to be caught in this commotion by chance, it's another thing entirely to rush headlong into it unrestrained.

Sighing, he had no chance to respond to the Dullahan before the headless scythe-wielding fool was called away by the sword-wielding fool. Instead, he focused his attention on the blackened still making their way down the streets. Hugged against the building he was taking cover behind a young university student stood wide eyed, covered in blood that didn't appear to be his. A Blackened took an opportunity to break away and leap at the easy prey.

Llewelyn responded with his third shotgun shell, his ears ringing from the noise.

"Well what are you waiting for?! Use that head of yours and get the Hell out of here you loon!"

His shouting seemed to have finally snapped the man out of his shock, and the student began sprinting away from the carnage. Another Blackened at his heels was taken out by Llewelyn's fourth shell. While he looked for a good target for the fifth, he wondered what he was even doing here. With the others on the street taking up most of the attention, he could easily slip away at this point. The civilians who could be rescued were, and it was unlikely their small group could contain these numbers. Where were the police when you actually needed them?

And where was the end to these Blackened?

He had answers for neither question. Instead he took his brief moment of respite to load a few more shells into his shotgun, and step out of the alleyway to where the others had gathered on the street. If he was going to stick around he may as well join the other fools. A Blackened turned to rush him as he made his location known, and Llewelyn's fifth shell entered it's skull for the trouble.

[GrafRoy Zeppeli]

Einri - At Edenweiss

Luckily, the two of them were not alone.

More people rushed in to help fight the Blackened. A kitsune and two other women he couldn't quite determine what they were.

Truthfully, he would've rushed to the kitsune at once without thinking about it, but....

"I am kind of busy right now!" The dullahan shouted back with a wry smile in his face.

Just like the kitsune, Einri was more or less surrounded as well. There were less blackened around him but it would be dangerous nonetheless to make a break for it right now.

One jumped forward to him. Einri spun his scythe in his hand brought the pole of his scythe down on the blackened's head.

He back stepped while spinning and then pointed two fingers at it. His fingers then shot an stream of light magic that pierced through the blackened's skull, and yet his small victory was short lived.

Two more of the shadowy beasts leapt towards him. He readied himself and bent down, leaving the blade of his weapon close to the ground.

"Oh cleansing light, lend me your strength." He chanted and the blade of his scythe started shining.

His next attack cleanly cut off the heads of both wolves with ease. He did not stop then and brought his blade down on another one of the creatures that was standing not that far behind him.

After disappearing in specks of grey dust, only his scythe remained, jammed into the floor.

"We might need to bail from here." Einri put two fingers into his mouth, and then impulsed himself forward to jump past the horde of Blackened that had started coming around him.

As he was in the air, the dullahan whistled, so loudly that if the beasts had actually been dogs, they would've been taken aback by the volume of his whistling. He was calling for his horse.

The man landed past the horde of Blackened and they were quick to follow their pursuit.

Einri dashed forward towards the other two that were already surrounded.

"Don't give in now! Knight Of Souls Einri is coming to rescue you!" Einri shouted as he approached the other group.

Einri stopped at least a pair of meters before the Blackened surrounding the Kitsune and company.

He took his scythe by the end of its pole, rather firmly and then swung it horizontally, stabbing at least three Blackened in one fell swoop.

"Pitiful creatures, without a soul to even reap. May you find rest in the other side of the River Styx." The young Dullahan whispered. There were still a lot, but 4 of them should be enough to be rid of them.

With a smirk in his face, the dullahan turned to the kitsune, "Next time say please and I will consider coming quicker." Despite the light tone of words, the man was still very much on guard, grasping his scythe tightly with both hands.

[Viciousmarrow]

"Well, well, look what we have here."

The red haired warrior finally found the source of the chaos: Several canine-like creatures clawing at a door, desperately trying to get inside. Inside, he could hear the cries of innocent children. The Blackened didn't even bother to look Izual's way, annoying the Tengu just ever so slightly. "Man, not even these guys notice me! What am I? Chopped liver?!" the man grumbled to himself, wondering if the Legend of Izual the Dragonslayer had finally come to end. Gone were the glory days, where he'd walk down the streets and people would call out his name, the days where people would actually buy his pyrite and give him food! He was old and decrepit, a monument to an era lost to the sands of time!

Even he were an ancient relic, Izual decided he was going to save those kids, this town, and his reputation. More than that though, he was going to vent his frustrations and have fun doing it. Readying Wyverbuster, he charged forth, a blur in the darkness. In the blink of an eye, his sword crashed down on the first one, severing its head from its body. Before the others could even begin to register what was happening, a powerful gust of wind launched them skyward. The Tengu's huge, black wings unfurled, and like a bullet into the sky, he burst into the air, immediately skewering the Blackened creatures upon his blade. "Triple kill!" Izual cheered, a wide grin on his face. With a mighty heave, the corpses burst into pieces, raining their blood and body parts below. With his minor mission accomplished, the eccentric Tengu fell back down to the earth.

He landed a few meters away from a dark haired woman, who happened to rummaging through the corpses littered throughout the area. With a cocked head and crossed arms, Izual watched her momentarily as she pilfered Omni-knows-what from the dead. Sure it might have been a little strange, but he couldn't judge. After all, he was wearing a necklace with a cat on it that he believed gave him good luck. That was weird too. However, Izual's amber eyes did widen when he noticed a small detail though: blood stains just above her left eyebrow. Swiftly, he rushed over to her.

"Hey, cute girl." the Tengu spoke somewhat awkwardly. He knelt down, got very close to her face and began to exam the blood stains. Luckily, there was hope! There was an easy fix for such a mess! Izual licked his thumb and pressed it against the girl's forehead, wiping away that nasty, nasty stuff. "You had blood on your face. I got it though, so no worries!" Izual stared down at her collection of body parts, then back up at her. A grin and a thumbs up came next, as if applauding her. "Nice eyes! Maybe you should come help me defeat the rest of these guys though. I don't know if you have cool abilities like me, but hey, the more the merrier!" he told her with a bright and cheery attitude.

@TheWindel

[KoL]

Jormungandr

Rumaan

"Give me this many." A young woman said to the man behind a food stall, as she placed quite a sum of money, waiting for the supposed merchant to sell her the some of yakitori that was making her stomach growl with its delicious smell.

"Bu- but, are you sure, lady that's-"

"I said give me this many!" Jormungandr slammed her palm on the man's stall, looking quite furious that the man didn't wanted to sell his food to her. She gave him money, what more he could want?

"O- ok, miss, I- I'm sorry."

A few minutes later and Jormungandr was walking the streets holding a paper bag filled to the brim with the hot and spicy treats, eating them as she walked and discarding the sticks with little to no regard of where they would land. Apparently the village was in chaos, with people running everywhere, and screaming like crazy and a purple sky that made Jormungandr want to have grapes for her next meal.

Seriously, what was happening? Jormungandr didn't understood and wasn't interested in doing so. Even the sight of the few uncommon people like the tengu trying to play the hero or the eye-patched girl picked the eyes of the corpses meant nothing to Jormungandr as she walked searching for somewhere to sleep.

It was so until a Blackened pounced on her unsuspecting form and caused her to drop her bag of food, only to crush it with his foot. A look of shock took Jormungandr's face and she finished her last yakitori stick between tears of sadness for the lost food, before glaring at the Blackened with rage in her eyes.

"How dare you? That was my food!" Jormungandr yelled, a moment after a portion of the space besides the Blackened collapsed suddenly, compressing the air until it exploded as a ball of plasma, incinerating the creature. "My food you hear me! You don't step on my food!" With her heart full of rage, Jormungandr stomped the ground, summoning her sword with a shock wave that sent the chunks of earth flying everywhere like a carpet bombardment.

"YOU DON'T MESS WITH MY FOOD!" Jormungandr shouted, readying herself to slaughter every last one of the Blackened and whoever else got in the way.

---

@Viciousmarrow@TheWindel

[TheWendil]

~Marianne~

---

“Hmm?”

Marianne blinked through her one good eye, looking up as a random man seemed to land right next to her. Stranger things had happened to her before so his appearance wasn’t really off-putting. Even when he reached over to wipe some blood off of her face, she merely looked at him with continuing confusion. Then the compliment and the rest of his words clicked and she smiled sweetly.

“Ah, hello there Mister Warrior. Yes, these are wonderful eyes aren’t they? They’ll do just fine in going with my collection. I have a wonderful display of art nearby…oh, but it truly is a pleasure to meet you,” Marianne said, standing up and looking at the strange man with more clarity.

She was apathetic to the surrounding chaos all around her and the shrieks of terror along with the crackling of open flames did nothing to bother her. She even heard the death bellow of a certain purple-armored amazon, though she chose to ignore even that proclamation. Something about food…

“Oh no, no. I’m afraid I can’t help you right now Mister Warrior. You see, my new friends want me to make them feel at ease. It seems the fighting really has them spooked,” Marianne said with a shake of her head, turning to the mangled corpse she was just working on. “They really must be deathly frightened to have not said a single word and-oh! Where are my manners? Apologies Mister Warrior. My name is Marianne. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Grinning softly, the dark-haired girl offered up her hand in greeting. Unfortunately said hand was coated in blood and eye fluid from plucking the parts off of the corpses. It didn’t seem like she would budge though unless she got a proper greeting back in return.

---

@KoL, @Viciousmarrow