Daxam

Code Vein (Closed)

Vincent Ryder

_{Interactions: ???}

---

Vincent silently watched Poppy walk off. In truth, he couldn't blame her for being so cold toward him. He was a new face, after all. He had met people in the past just like her, who closed themselves off to others, those who wanted to protect themselves from the pain of losing someone close. Whether he was ever like that, he couldn't remember, though he doubted it.

"Since you're new, here's a piece of advice. If you plan to keep up your reckless attitude, don't become too close to any of them."

Those words echoed in Vincent's head. While he had been on his own, his way of fighting had become so ingrained in his habits that even his dispersals did nothing to change it. He would be the first to admit he loved to fight, the reason behind which had been lost to him, and he was even aware that he often put himself in incredibly dangerous situations, such as rushing toward the Tsar Bomba on his own. Somewhere deep within, he knew he wouldn't have been able to fight it on his own, yet the thrill of taking on such a dangerous creature erased whatever common sense he might have had.

That said, he felt that the way he fought was perfect for him. He didn't have to worry about coming up with a plan and he could even keep the enemy focused on him while the people who were good at planning could think of something. The way he saw it, every group could benefit from having someone like him, someone willing, if not eager, to put themselves on the front lines to keep their allies safe

"Is that really what you think?" a voice not his own suddenly said. "Are you throwing yourself in harm's way to keep others safe...or because you hope it might finally end the pain you don't even remember having?"

Vincent brought his hand to his temple as a dull throb resounded through his skull. The voice sounded familiar, very familiar, but trying to remember something that no longer had a place in his mind was like trying to breathe in a vacuum. After a moment, he took a deep breath, straightened up, and slapped himself across the face. "No use in worrying about it, he thought as the sharp pain from his own open-palmed slap drowned out the dull headache. "Whatever memory that's from is probably stuck in a vestige somewhere I'll never find. Besides, it doesn't make any sense to miss something I don't even remember having!"

"Alright, I'm ready to go home!" he said to empty air as his usual grin returned.

Code Vein (Closed)

Vincent Ryder

_{Interactions: Poppy (@dreamingflowers)}

---

There was nothing quite like running for your life that got the blood flowing, as far as Vincent was concerned. While he would have loved nothing more than to stick around to finish off the Tsar Bomba, every instinct, the very thing that had kept him alive (or undead or whatever he was as a revenant) so far, he had was yelling at him to run, that there was no way he could kill it without causing it to explode. As much as he loved fighting, he knew when to cut and run.

By the time the group stopped to rest, the sun had started to dip below the horizon as it pulled a deep blue curtain flecked with stars across the sky. Vincent took a moment to look around before, having not seen anything in the dying light of the evening, he let out a long sigh. "Goddamn, that was fun!" he exclaimed as he stretched his arms over his head. "I haven't had a good time like that in as long as I can remember!" It was always a thrill for him to go up against a tough enemy and, as far as he could remember, that was the strongest one he had fought, yet. Due to his excitement, he was probably one of the few who wasn't tired.

It was then that he noticed Poppy sitting against an old bus stop. He heard Cerise call out to everyone that they found a place to scavenge, but he wasn't all that interested in whatever old stuff might be inside. Instead, he walked over to where Poppy was sitting and leaned against the glass of the bus stop next to her, his hands in the pockets of his coat. "Think this is the first time I got to chat with you since I joined up," he mused. "This is a good group. I'm glad we all got out of there with all our fingers and toes."

Code Vein (Closed)

Vincent Ryder

_{Interactions: Team VCAL}

---

"A Tsar whata?!" Vincent yelled back, then felt the air tremble as the creature let out a roar. He felt a thrill of...something run through him. It wasn't fear or even excitement, exactly. No matter what the monster was, he wasn't about to back down from a fight...but he also understood that whatever could make that kind of noise wasn't something to be taken lightly. [color=orange]First thing's first, make sure the others are okay, he thought. Worry about whatever Lys mentioned after!

He took a deep breath in...then out. Red and orange energy enveloped his arms and shoulders, growing more vibrant with every passing moment. Based off of the crow's cry, he took his best guess and turned to face the wall of a nearby building. "Alright! I'll clear a path to the others!" He ran toward the wall and crossed his arms in front of his head. With a loud crash, he broke through the wall as if it were wet paper and continued to sprint forward, letting nothing stop him.

---

---

The thrall dropped from the second story window, its eyes locked on the group ahead of it. It took a step forward, but stopped when it heard something crash behind it. When it turned, it had just enough time to register a closed fist hurtling toward its face before the thrall's world went black. Vincent stood over the dissolving remains of the thrall and let out a breath before he focused his attention on the other half of his comrades. He saw Dallas rush into a building and, assuming that they had things handled on their end, he turned his attention toward the sound of crumbling buildings. When he saw the mass of silvery flesh, he felt a strange mix of trepidation and excitement rush through his body. "Oh. So that's what's making all that racket."

As he walked toward it, he walked past a collapsed wall and took hold of a piece of a rebar that stuck out. He pulled it free, revealing a large chunk of concrete still attached to the end, and let the makeshift hammer rest on his shoulder. "I'm gonna go take out the Charred Wombat or whatever! You all can join me when you can, but don't get upset if I kill it before you get a chance!" With that, he brandished his improvised weapon in both hands and broke out into a sprint straight for the Tsar Bomba.

Code Vein (Closed)

Vincent Ryder

_{Interactions: Team VCAL}

---

Vincent walked along with his group, his fingers laced behind his head as he followed behind Cerise and ahead of Lysandra. Thanks to Poppy's care and the blood pack he was given, which now hung empty from his mouth, his arm was mostly healed. It still ached and he was sure the bones were still cracked, at the very least, but he was at the point where he was comfortable fighting with both arms, if he needed to. He would just have to remember not to hit so hard with his left as he would with his right, though even he was aware of how likely he was to remember that.

Though he seemed at ease, Vincent's senses were on high alert for danger. His eyes scanned the empty windows and doorways of the abandoned buildings flanking his group, his ears strained for the slightest out of place sound. He was on the lookout for the slightest whiff of trouble -- literally. He was well aware of the injuries he and his comrades sustained during their last fight and resolved himself to take more of the burden of the next fight on himself. Can't believe I spent most of that fight trying to take out one of those bastards, he thought. I'm gonna do better next time. I have to.

He pulled himself out of those thoughts and spat out the empty blood pack. He dropped his arms to his sides and asked his group, "So, anyone got any idea how much longer it'll be till we get there? I've been wanting to take a crack at the kitchen back home."

Kōkyo | Anime Survival Horror RP [Interest Check]

You've got my interest as well!

Code Vein (Closed)

Vincent Ryder

_{Interactions: Rear Team}

---

On your left. Duck. Jump. Pay attention, dumbass, that almost took your ear off! Vincent thought as he rushed toward the long range infernal. While his reflexes may not be as honed as some other AB types, they were enough to enable him to dodge most of the infernal's blasts, if only barely. He had taken another grazing shot to his left thigh in the time since he left Desmond and Lysandra, which tore a hole in his pants and coat, but he was durable, if nothing else. He figured the smart thing would be to find cover, but he couldn't stomach the thought of turtling up behind a car or pavement, waiting for someone else to do the job. Besides, if he did hole up behind some cover, it would be all too easy for thralls to close in on him. Vincent knew he was tough, but if he let himself get trapped, then that would be another memory gone.

His thoughts were interrupted as a thrall suddenly jumped at him from a gap in a nearby pile of rubble to his left. Vincent skidded to a stop and grinned as he caught the thrall in midair by the head. "Perfect! I needed a shield!" he exclaimed as he forced the thrall to drop its weapon by breaking its arm with his free hand before he resumed his charge. The thrall clawed at Vincent's forearm with it's good hand as it howled in pain with each impact from the infernal's crimson energy blasts, but it couldn't get through the thick fabric of Vincent's coat. The shots became more frequent, as if the infernal had started to panic when it realized that Vincent wasn't going to stop, which lead to its blasts becoming less accurate.

When his shield stopped thrashing and began to disintegrate, Vincent came to a sliding stop once more. "This is close enough," he muttered before he threw the thrall at the infernal. Seeing the improvised projectile hurtle toward it, the infernal jumped to the side and the remains of the thrall crashed through the wall behind it. When it turned back toward Vincent, it saw nothing but empty space where he had been standing, then turned its gaze upward when it heard the sound of fabric fluttering in the wind. Vincent had leapt into the air immediately after he threw the thrall and, like a meteor bearing down toward the earth, he now hurtled toward the infernal. "Gotcha now, you bastard!" he shouted, grinning wildly.

Then the infernal threw another blast. Time seemed to slow down for Vincent when he realized the situation he was in. Stuck in the air, he couldn't dodge out of the way of the blast that was destined for his face. The shot wouldn't kill him, but he knew it would stun him long enough for the infernal to finish him off with the short sword in its other hand. If it had been almost anyone else, they probably would have thought that was the end and resigned themselves to their fate. Not Vincent. Driven by instinct, the most potent tool in his possession, Vincent swept his left arm through the air. He felt the bones in his forearm shatter on impact with the crimson bolt of energy, but he ignored the pain and deflected the blast to the left, where it harmlessly collided with a chunk of concrete.

Before the infernal could get another shot off, Vincent landed next to it with a crash. The infernal raised its weapon, preparing to stab with its sword, but Vincent was faster. He turned and slammed the back of his hand into the side of the creature's head. The infernal landed several feet away and tried to get up, but Vincent landed on top of it. His knee caved the monster's chest in and his foot came down on the elbow of the arm it was using to hold onto its weapon. The creature wheezed in pain, unable to howl properly due to its chest having suddenly become concave. Vincent raised his good arm and simply said, "Shut up."

The ground shuddered slightly as his fist came down. Blood and viscera was all that remained of the infernal's head as the rest of it began to disappear. Vincent rose to his feet with a sigh and lifted his left arm to check the damage. The sleeve of his coat was missing up to his elbow and, though his forearm was covered in his own blood, he didn't see any bone poking through his skin. Well, at least there's that. Should heal up fairly quickly, he thought as as he let his arm drop to his side. He turned back toward his comrades and waved at them. "Gunner's down!" he shouted, grinning despite the damage he took.

Code Vein (Closed)

Vincent Ryder

_{Interactions: Members of Rear Team}

---

Bits of concrete and asphalt crunched under Vincent's shoes as he leisurely walked with the rear team, his hands laced behind his head. An itch sprung up on his cheek and he went to scratch it, only to grumble quietly when he remembered he still had his mask on. It was a simple half-mask that he had found weeks ago when his old one became damaged, so it didn't hamper his sight at all. Regardless, he hated wearing the thing simply due to the fact that his face seemed to itch only when he had to wear it. And now that's gonna bug me all day, he thought with a sigh. At least I don't have to sneeze. I hate sneezing in these things.

As he and the rest of his team passed underneath a leaning building, he looked up at the old structure. With his limited memory, it was next to impossible for him to imagine that people had normal lives before the Collapse, but it didn't stop him from trying to figure out what each building was for. Well, it's tall. Or, it used to be when it was straight up, I guess. Maybe it was one of those 'high-rise apartments'? Ooh, or maybe everyone had their own gliding machines and they used that building to take off! ...Nah, that's stupid.

As his thoughts settled down, they once again turned to the one thing he could recall: the name 'Erica.' That was all he could remember of what he assumed was his life before the Collapse and didn't know anything else about it, save for it being a woman's name. That, and the strange, longing ache in his chest that appeared every time he thought of it. Must've been one hell of a woman if her name's lodged in my head like this, he thought with a mix of grim amusement and distant sadness.

Shouting from up ahead drew his attention away from his thoughts. He stopped dead in his tracks as he began to feel the welcome sensation of his heartrate increasing. His muscles tensed and he could feel the adrenaline flow into his bloodstream, sharpening his senses and filling him with an excitement so familiar, it may as well be an old friend. "Finally!" he shouted, not caring that the Lost had appeared much sooner than they expected. In fact, he was overjoyed. "Time to have some--"

The sentence was brought to an abrupt end when something slammed into his shoulder. He stumbled, having been caught off guard, and looked up when he regained his balance to see a glowing thrall--What was it, again? Oh, yeah, an infernal!--firing crimson bursts of energy in the rear team's direction. He jumped behind a car and sat down with his back against the door, though not before he saw another infernal appear with a shield. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" he shouted. "First bit of action in days and not only do they have a shield, but a goddamn gunner, too?!" He peeked his head around the front of the car and yelled at the infernal, though he knew full well that taunting it wouldn't provoke a reaction, "Bet you're nothing without that little toy of yours! Get down here and fight me like a fucking man!"

"Ajax, Vincent, Dallas, I could use some help over here guys!"

The shout pulled Vincent's attention away from the infernals and over to where Desmond was defending Lysandra, who was doing...something that Vincent didn't understand, from a group of thralls. He looked back over to the gunner and approaching shield infernal and let out a growl. "Alright. First, give them some breathing room. Then, help that infernal discover what his gun tastes like!" he grumbled to himself.

Still crouching behind it, Vincent turned toward the car he was using as cover. He gripped the frame of the car from underneath and, as crimson and orange energy flickered around his arms and shoulders, he lifted the vehicle up onto its side, exposing the undercarriage. He let go of the frame and gripped the propeller shaft and lifted it until the shaft was level with his shoulder. He held tightly onto the vehicle as he ran to Desmond and Lysandra, using the car as cover. He could feel the car shudder each time the infernal gunner hit the top of the vehicle with its blasts, the metal crunching with each impact, and he hoped the car would hold together at least until he got to where he was going.

When the first thrall noticed him, Vincent jumped and, with a yell, brought the car down on top of the creature. It dissipated almost instantly, but Vincent didn't stop to watch it. Knowing he could take at least a couple more hits from the gunner, Vincent held the car in front of him and charged forward. He used it like a plow, bashing his way through the crowd of Lost that had gathered in front of Desmond and Lysandra, then swung the car to send them flying. He then planted the car on its side between his allies and the gunner infernal to give them cover. "That should buy you a bit of time," he told them as he held his side, where he had taken another shot during his mad charge. "I'm gonna get back out there and try to get that fucker shooting at us. If I can get the shield guy, too, then that's a bonus."

With that, he jumped back out of cover and ran forward once again, narrowly dodging blasts as he yelled obscenities at the infernals.

Code Vein (Closed)

Vincent Ryder

_{Interactions: Everyone in the Strategy Room}

---

Ah-choo!

Shortly after he entered his room, Vincent let out a sneeze, one loud enough that he was sure people could hear even as far as back at the armory. He sniffled and wiped his nose. For a moment, the old wife's tale that you sneezed when someone talked about you crossed his mind. "Hope it's something good," he mused with another sniffle. "Though, I'm sure I might've pissed someone off at some point in the past."

He picked up his coat from where it hung on a bedpost and was about to put it on when he heard something clatter to the ground. He looked down and saw the old, cracked smartphone that seemed to always reappear in his pocket, even despite all the times he had dispersed. He couldn't begin to count the number of times he had pressed the buttons on the thing to try to turn it on, but to no avail. As he picked it up, he gave it another try, pressing the few buttons it had in hopes that the jolt from falling to the floor knocked something into place. "Nothing," he said with a sigh. After a moment, a thought occurred to him and a grin crossed his face. "I may not be able to fix it...but I think I know someone who could. When we get back, of course."

He placed the phone on his bed and threw his overcoat on. The last thing he did before he left his room was slip his trusty studded leather gloves on his hands. He caught a glimpse of Dallas' back disappear behind the door to the strategy room and followed. He made the short walk down the hall and entered the room to see several of the others had already assembled. He approached the table and leaned forward, placing his hands on the flat surface. He had started to feel antsy when he first saw the group of Lost they would be encountering through the telescope, but as the time to leave grew closer, he couldn't help but grow impatient with excitement. "So, what're we waiting for?" he asked. "There are Lost that need killing!"

Code Vein (Closed)

Vincent Ryder

_{Interactions:@Force and Fury @Theyra (and everyone else in earshot)}

---

Vincent blinked and the spider was gone. He had been so focused on it that he failed to notice Lys approach, though that could also be in part due to how silent her wheels turned. When she returned and offered to take the crate he had been carrying, it took a moment for Vincent to gather himself. Awesome. Now I'm gonna be that guy who's scared of spiders. He quickly put on a grin that hid his embarrassment and said, "Oh, uh, thanks, Lys. For that and the offer, but I'm good. Really. I, uh, was just taken a bit aback by..." After a moment, he realized he was about to make excuses and mentally slapped himself. Oh, come on, Vince, you're better than that! Besides, you know she'll see right through it. He sighed and gave Lys a rare, uncharacteristcally sheepish smile as he said, "Thanks, Lys. But I'm fine, really. Though, since you're offering..."

He picked up another crate, one small enough to fit in Lys' lap, and handed it off to her as he added, "It'll go by a lot faster with you helping out." Just as he said that, he heard another voice address him and turned to find the one-eyed Desmond there, asking if there was anything else to load. "Oh...Desmond, right?" Vincent asked, still doing his best to learn everyone's names. He cast a quick look around the room and picked up a case of ammunition. "I think we're just down to the smaller things, like this," he said as he handed the case off to Desmond with a grin.

He carried his crate back to the van and loaded it up before he took a step back. He took in the sight of everyone going about their tasks as they prepared for the mission ahead. Even someone as dense as he was could pick up on the layer of tension that hung in the air, which was unsurprising given the nature of the job. Vincent was no stranger to fighting large groups of Lost and he was sure many in the group weren't, either. He eagerly threw himself headfirst into such encounters. This time, however, he was with a group. There were other revenants, sure, and Sidhe, but there were also humans. He was perfectly fine getting hurt in battle, but if he let himself get too wrapped up in the fight and someone got hurt due to his inattentiveness? "Guess I'll have to make sure to keep everyone's focus stays on me," he quietly said with a grin as he stepped into his room. "Shouldn't be too hard."

Code Vein (Closed)

Vincent Ryder

_{Interactions: @Izurich, @pantothenic, @Force and Fury, and possibly @Theyra}

---

As Vincent followed Dallas to the storage room, he took the time to once more look around the base as he walked. It still amazed him that not only were there so many revenants, Sidhe, and even humans in one place, but that everyone seemed to get along really well. Every time he had tried to put down roots with a group, it never took long for the group to tear itself apart. Sometimes it was something major, like one person cheating on someone else with another of the group, but most of the time it, it seemed to be a series of conflicts that ended with a straw breaking the camel's back. Let's hope this one stays together, he thought as he followed Dallas and Ionna into the storage room.

They weren't inside two seconds when Ionna gathered up three munitions crates and carried them toward the van. Vincent let out a low whistle as he watched the small girl carry the load to the vans. "Well, I'm not about to be outdone by someone almost half my size," he joked as he hoisted a crate onto his right shoulder and another underneath his left arm. He carried the cargo out to the van Ionna was loading, having assumed that was the one for supplies. As he loaded the crates into the back of the van, he decided it was high time to start getting to know his comrades.

As he walked back toward the storage room, he grinned and nodded at Lysandra before he hefted another crate onto his shoulder. He opened his mouth to address the group, but stopped. The color drained from his face and he felt his heart hammering in his chest as he stared at the creature that had appeared in front of him, dangling on a thread so fine, it was almost invisible. It was small, but to Vincent, the eight-legged menace may as well have been as big as a dinner plate. "I...sp...sp-sp..." he tried to say, though in the presence of such a creature, his voice couldn't seem to work.