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Just a shark floating through the void with way too many bee's in the brain.

Self taught writer, artist, programmer and whatever the hell else the ADHD demands to be understood.
Still reading? Enjoy a race ship~.
newgrounds.com/art/view/fluxyshark/wi…

Most Recent Posts

Alright, I'll break this down into sections with headings so hopefully it makes it easier to read. There will be a summary in the next post too if this is too much. Please feel free to ask me any questions or make any suggestions.

Order of contents:
- General continuation of the game (Peronsel/Wealth, The War and Esty characters).
- District conflict resolution (Supplement rules if required, otherwise as agreed by players)
- Beach Episode (Fun little piece and time to regroup ideas/direction)
- Aid Crisis round (minor story impact event)
- Me in this situation (An unexpected turn of events)

- : Peronsel/Wealth generation, The War and Estylwen character territories : -


The beach episode will not acquire anyone Wealth or Personel as it is an out of character event. The end of the Aid Crisis round will continue standard play and I'll maintain the 0'th post in terms of Wealth and Personel income. (Unless agreed otherwise by players).

Regarding the war. In my mind it does not feel right to play out Estylwen's characters (Ezra Blackheart, Antonia Franchesca, Vincenzo “Vincent” Accardo) when she has worked so hard to build them and establish their presence in the world. For this reason I think it best to hold the war and interactions with Esty's characters for that of a month (longer if we can easily manage it). After this period we will decide as a group what to do moving forward, voting on options we place on the table and failing that I'll make the call. I propose two options at this point (and welcome others to propose solutions as well):

Option 1: We classify Estylwen's area's as locked down. Writing this should be easy, @SporkoBug's monsters overrun the area, military assumes martial law and occupies it etc, the lock down cleared once Esty returns.

Option 2: After a wait period Esty's territory becomes free game. I'll write resistance but otherwise it'd be like acquiring any empty territory. Once Esty returns those territories or some territories of the strongest players would undergo a "revolution" of sorts to return Esty's characters to the game with land to fight from.

In my opinion, option 2 would be best but relies on the good will of the strongest players to accept the loss of some territories to allow @Estylwen's return when she gets back. This would ensure that the territories don't get left behind through no upgrades or lack of geopolitical activity. Option 1 is easier, but leaves swarths of area inaccessible in stasis.

I propose these options so everyone can continue playing until her return. In my experience, projects like this that go on hiatus for extended periods rarely pick up again, so I hope my options allow Nocturnia to continue while keeping the seat warm for Esty so to speak.

Regardless of what is decided, Esty's characters will be written aside so they are free to return with her and free characters currently locked in interactions with them (Example: Ezra holding Adel, will PM @Yankee and @ERode about that. Anyone else locked in Esty interactions let me know and we'll figure a route out of it if necessary).

With that being said, onto that of faction vs faction conflict.

- : Game battles and District wars : -


My experience so far with fighting for districts has been that so long as the aggressor has the manpower/wealth to invade, they can initiate the event. From there the two parties write the battle and more or less amicably agree who the victor is through the writing (Esty explained it as a gacha game, but with no notes on actual mechanics, this is my best interpretation).

If this does not work moving forward, I'll propose a ruleset to roll for district victories so they can be rolled for and settled that way. Otherwise players are more than welcome to continue writing battle conclusions as they agree outside of dice and chance.

Draft district dice roll rules in hider:


The above rules are only there for players who wish to use them or settle disputes in battles if required.

- : Beach episode : -


I propose we take two weeks minimum to develop this (9th March - 23rd March) as both a well earned fun break and time for Esty to return. If anyone has direct contact or alternative details it'd be a really nice piece if they could send it to her as a PDF for her to read in her spare time.

I've also contacted an artist friend to hopefully commission and help co-create a beach portrait of all the current major characters. Something of a "Best Wishes/Get Well Soon" postcard and little gift for everyone for putting so much into this so far. Worst case we'll have the PDF at the very least. Once it's done or close to finished we'll decide if it goes in the IC posted clearly as an INTERMISSION - ALT UNIVERSE piece, in the OOC or somewhere else entirely.

In terms of the beach piece. Here's the setting:

Martin Luthin is a lifeguard, but he's better known as a dick who kicks over sandcastles. He likes the rules, and it's time to ruin Martin's day.

You get 3 points for every rule you break. I'll decide which player gets the points if multiple people break the same rule based on creative and comedic value with runners up for 2 and 1 points. The player with the most points at the end earns the honor of having ruined martins day.
(Or you can just write your characters doing whatever they want, interacting with whoever, however. Enjoy~!)

RULES TO BE BROKEN:
1 - No open fires/flammable sources.
2 - No loud music/noises.
3 - No firearms/weapons/explosives.
4 - No hunting.
5 - No vehicles.
6 - No camping.
7 - No Animals.
8 - No drugs.
9 - No surfing.
10 - Do not feed the wildlife.

Also, PM me or post in the OOC mentioning me with what your main player character would wear to the beach and me and friend will get to starting the art piece for the beach episode to be sent along with the final piece for Esty and everyone here. We can get char refs from the portraits but further detail is always appreciated~. A character brief should include:
- Character clothing.
- Character pose.
- Character activity (optional).

For example: Khor wears a full wetsuit with a scuba rebreather and purple/magenta stripes. She's intense in a comedic sense with her pose. She's throwing Adel into the surf.

- : Aid Crisis round : -


If Esty isn't back after the 'beach episode' round, we'll continue with the Aid Crisis IC to keep things rolling. The aim is for this to be a significant event that doesn't alter Esty's overall plot but provides players the opportunity to continue their dominion of Nocturnia. The reason for this is to avoid a long Hiatus (unless it is agreed upon by all players) to avoid the RP from dying out.

At this stage I'll likely PM all players at the start of it inquiring any plotlines they had with Esty and where they'd like their characters to go/what plots they'd like to ensure the RP is tailored to peoples preferences (to the limit of staying in the lines of Nocturnia's setting).

Ultimately for me this would mean my characters would also take a background role and my territories would be up for grabs by anyone as if they were free so I can focus on maintaining the world's reactions to or supporting player's actions. Khor, Antonio and Akir will still play their roles due to their place in the story now but can assumed to be 'factionless'.

This would also begin deviating from Esty's ultimate vision for Nocturnia. I'll do everything I can to respect her work and ideas but I simply just don't know everything she had planned and my additions will inevitable change the course somewhat. My efforts will be in the best of faith, but even my style of writing compared to hers is going to make things feel different, so I apologize in advance if that becomes more noticeable over time.

Finally, my position in this!

- : Flux the accidental show runner : -


Me and Esty have discussed deep plot points, no complete reveals but I have a general idea as to the source of power and how to make that a wild good event should players go for it (it'll shine best as players pooling resources and going together to find it). As for leaving the city, that's at least fairly self explanatory and pieces writing for the military have left me well equipped to handle that one.

On this though, I have no notes, no over arching plot, no idea outside what is mostly posted in the OOC first post about what and how Nocturnia is. It'll take me some time to develop some basic framework to follow (the beach episode will hopefully be long enough) but I'll also reach out to players for plots/developments they'd like to see to weave in.

Moving forward I'll coordinate the game/story according to arcs/chapters. This arc being The War. Once it concludes I'll see what direction everyone is going in and decide the next crisis/challenge to overcome until players are satisfied to write an ultimate ending or exit for their character/s. For example the next Arc could be Finding the Source of Power, if the prerequisite is paid for.

Finally, my own situation. I've been working a bit back and forth with Esty on this and have committed a fair amount of effort, but in open honesty I'm not currently sure if I'm in the position to run this indefinitely. I can do this for a month without impacting myself in the foreseeable future but beyond I simply won't know until we get there.

At that point, I'll either confirm myself able to continue or at least hopefully hold long enough to pass the reins again should it be necessary.

- : PHEW : -

Well this was a long damn post wasn't it? Don't worry I'll have a summary below.
I'll get to writing the second post now, might be a little lengthy, but summary of it is:
- Next round will be a 'beach day' for everyone's characters to be goobers.
- Round after with be the Aid Crisis.
- After that, we'll discuss together if Est still isn't back and I'll likely write her characters aside for her to use later.
Alrighty finally sat down sorry. First post will just be replying to stuff then second post will be the pplan inbetween Est's return:

instantly cancels flux

*Me being immediately deleted*
*WARNING LOUD*


Please no destroy me haha

Should the current war be put on hold then, Flux? Right now, Matthias is more leaning towards the "quickly finish the war by beating the shit outta people before the lack of aid becomes a problem" method of handling things, but I can understand if you don't want to puppet Est's characters in this case.


The current war will be placed on hold for the moment. I'm thinking of a scene/round where players have to establish some form of self sustainment for their faction/districts themselves or through collabs. Potential examples: @The Savant Asterion's public fruit gardens being expanded, @LanaStorm Emily's relationship with Noc Noc burg for infinite chow. (Will explain this micro crisis and reasoning further in next post).

It does leave my character(s) in a bit of a sticky situation (my own fault really), but I certainly don't mind waiting to resolve that, and seeing what other characters get up to in the interim.


For the next 2-4 weeks if the aid blockade crisis goes ahead that shouldn't be an issue. After that it'll actually be a very good way to sideline Ezra for later while getting Adel back into the game if Esty is still away. (Can explain Adel in PM's. Will explain Ezra and Esty's other chars in second post after this).

Currently, my character and NPCs are in an interesting situation, because I was writing up a storm with Est in a google document.


I imagine that is very heavily intertwined with Esty's characters directly, in which case out of respect I'm not sure I can help with unfortunately. I am happy to look at what's there and we can try rewrite it in the context of different character interactions though if that's possible and you still want to use that work. Otherwise can always wait until Esty's back and reformat it for that time ^_^.

People were asking for those "nice break scenes" we could possibly put everything on hold and have an imaginary reality sequence or something. So it's not overly serious and can be fun while Est is away.

I like this idea, that way Est will have an easier time once they return ^^. Nothing to catch up to. It would be like a nice...filler episode haha.

Every anime has those random filler episodes that don't make sense or they take way too long like Naruto. 😂 It could be a nice touch and it would help keep everyone interested hopefully along with making it easier for est to return too.


I was thinking exactly this and going with that 'beach day' idea I proposed not too long ago. I also think everyone deserves a fun piece to commemorate how far this has come. I really mean this when I say everyone has done a phenomenal amount of work toward this. All of it's quality material to read and some pieces are reaching the length of a tenth of a novel, combined together is truly becoming an epic and everyone should be proud of that <3.

<Snipped quote by Qia>
I'm excited to see what ideas Flux has up their sleeve as well. Their post got me interested.


I have A LOT of ideas I could run with, but I'll need some time to make sure I understand everyone's characters and the setting well enough to keep it faithful to it's origins and something that Esty can comfortably come back to. This is something I'll explain further in the second post.
This is going to come out of the blue, and I do this with a heavy heart, but a family emergency has come up which will remove me from the site for an unknown period of time. I won't be able to GM for you lovely people anymore. I nominate flux as my co-GM, and hope you can all still thrive without me.

Take care, everyone.


So sorry to hear :( hope things stabilize for you soon

I'll post something in a couple hours in terms of two intermittent events/plots that shouldn't really affect the overarching story too much and also keep Ezra, Vincent and Antonia safe for the moment (hopefully that could carry for approximately a fortnight to a month).

After that I'll make a call on my ability to run things and whether players are enjoying where I'm directing it.
<Snipped quote by ERode>
What is better... 100 new Gyfted police officers loyal to Leon? Or one Lion man with 100 new POWERS!!!!!??!?!?!


Leon's corruption arc is just becoming the most coked up sugarcrush goblin kitty this world has ever seen lol.

EDIT: I'd give the man some credit and say 8 - 10 before his heart just Explodes. My real question who would survive the crack off longer than the other, Khor or Leon? Crazy vs Actual Fitness. It's like a drinking game! Kinda! haha
Damn, y'all were doing shit in Riverbend right under my nose?

Guess that'd definitely put up some complications regarding trusting the Eel with anything. Which is fine. I need more enemies.


I wouldn't worry about the Eel. I don't think it's a name anyone will be hearing any more lol.


Khor Kosović - The Eel, Ezra Blackheart



War torn streets, Riverbend


In collaboration with @Estylwen
Mentions: NA Interactions: NA





Soon, Khor found herself in the back of a van entering Riverbend. The district was in ruins, smoke spewing into the air. She still wore her hospital gown, still had the pistol, the only addition being slippers on her feet.

Ezra sat across from her, arms crossed.

”Kill the monsters. Report back to the van.”

Those were his instructions he had told her before they left.

The van came to a stop, and the back doors were flung open.

Khor just stood in the alley she’d been ditched in, looking like an escaped asylum patient and just about as confused. She only managed to find her voice as the van disappeared, shouting out after it. “What- Are you serious? What the hell does that even mean?”

She quickly scanned her surroundings. What the good goddamn was Erza talking about. The sounds of fire fights dying down or periodically kicking off echoed through the district but other than being in a warzone she had no idea what ‘kill the monsters’ meant. Did he mean the bad guys? Who were the bad guys here?

She kicked off the slippers. They’d be useless here, at best tripping her up in a vital moment. Maybe she could find someone who fell in the fight that had occurred prior, if she was lucky she’d find some body armour, boots that fit well enough, some ammo.

Shit ammo. She’d been so zealous to share a moment with Erza she’d ditched the magazine and only left herself with a single bullet. On that note what the hell was she thinking, share a moment with Erza. A moment of weakness to let the monster in, the only uncertainty being whether that monster was him or herself. She scratched her head with the tip of the pistol while muttering. “You know it’d probably make you smarter if you pulled the trigger. Blast all that bad meat out of your own head. Idiot.”

The pistol went back to her side. A breath. By some miracle she was out and free. No point squandering yet another lease on life. Kill the monsters. Figure out whatever the hell that meant, get some gear, do some business, at least long enough to find a way back underground to disappear before they thought she was running away. That was the plan then. She could scorn herself for crumbling to her own demons later. Just need to survive. The simplicity was strangely calming.

Inspecting the alley found a man who’d bled out, complete with a helmet, knee and elbow pads and a vest containing undamaged ballistic plates. Checking his boots it seemed his size was close enough for her. Running would suck but it beat rubble and debris carving her feet up till she couldn’t even walk. Quickly kitting up she inspected the body for ammo. Not a bullet left. He went down screaming, without a doubt. The rifle rested empty but she picked it up too. Worst case it’d make a good club.

Now to find whatever the hell Erza was talking about. She walked carefully toward the end of the alley. Monsters. You’d think he could’ve been a little clearer. Hell if it meant putting an end to a fight she would’ve happily obliged. Seemed Erza was like most other cowboy speech rule the world types, speaking in metaphors rather than getting to the damn point-.

She looked by the corner. Erza’s words became clear. Kill the monsters. A broken body shambling just beside her exit with limbs pointing out in directions not thought possible. Each end a sharpened appendage of bone to shred whatever it struck. She found herself lost for a moment. He wasn’t wrong. That was a monster. An indescribable horror. As her mind failed to rationalize the sight it turned to lock its eyes on her.

She darted out. Monster’s scythe flying through where she was. Using the momentum the rifle swung out ready to strike. The monster seemed to brace itself. The rifle swung in. Butt stock one side. Wall the other. It’s head cracked and the monster fell, limbs still flailing. She swung again, the flailing now uncoordinated but more violent. Another. Spilt like a melon. The monster stopped.

She stood there breathing. What the hell was this thing? Looking up she spotted more. Four more. All locking eyes but frozen for the moment as if lost in shock. These creatures surely couldn’t feel such things. She couldn’t explain it but she readied herself regardless, rifle ready to swing. Voice growling. “Come on then. Come get some.”

The first two rushed in, the other two hesitant. The first met the rifle's swing sending it to the ground. The second stabbed its arms forward only to catch her follow through. Executing the first with a stomp it’s head gave way. These things were fragile, easy to break. The other two launched forward with wails. A roundhouse kick sent the first to the ground but the second found purchase. Arms wrapping her from behind trying to hold her still. The other got up again and rushed forward.

Khor balled up, coiling her legs. All her strength thrusted out to send the monster to the ground again before landing low on her feet. The monster holding her stumbled forward. She jumped, throwing her legs up. Her weight overwhelming its balance. Both falling flat she kicked out rolling to her feet. Bringing the rifle down like an axe, another monster went still. The other turned as if to run. She pulled the pistol and fired the sole bullet, putting it down quickly.

The last one on the ground seemed injured. Scuttling its limbs to try and get back to its feet but only pushing itself away from her. She flipped the pistol in her hand to hold it like a hammer. Coming down atop the monster the back of the pistol came crashing into its skull again, again and again. It stopped moving. She felt warm now, wet with gore. Ready for the fight. Looking further down the street she saw a countless horde dispersed about, just staring at what she was doing. Looks like Erza was getting what he wanted today.

Ezra watched from an unseen place, wholly satisfied with what he was seeing. See? She just needed the right target.

It wasn't enough, though. There were still monsters eligible to be decimated. For Khor to be truly transformed by this, she needed more. She needed to be thorough. She needed to leave no room for this to be simply chalked up to as a mistake.

So, he waited, anticipating.

Khor wasted no time. If the hoard were to swarm that would be that. Reflex replaced reasoning. Instinct overriding emotion. The only way out was through. Anything was a weapon. A brick. A pipe. A bottle. A knife. Occasionally the monsters carried firearms that were still loaded which were quickly emptied in Khor’s hands. The street was a haze of red. One insane effort to make it out alive but even that was fading. What replaced was a thirst for more.

More threats. More risk. More adrenaline. Slowly all that mattered was the rush. Riding the mirror's edge of survival. Nothing else compared to feeling so alive being so close to death. Actions became rhythmic. Exhaustion became irrelevant. So long as her blood pumped she could go on. Escape seemed a distraction now. The only objective at this point was turning beast bodies back into dead bodies. After minutes of madness the end of the street was nearing, the final groups remaining.

The cries of monsters were predictable, almost comforting. It was just a monster, wasn't it? This seemed to be an unwavering truth, until… Something strange happened to the noises they made. Changing pitch, then almost like they were changing frequency, until– pure, unadulterated horror of human voices cut through. Some very small…

And, before Khor’s eyes, the next thing to go was the veil over her eyes. The monsters quivered in their forms, before they lost their skins like waves of dust, and underneath? People. Some were Order, yes. But the majority? Civilians. Mothers. Daughters. Children.

Across the crimson-washed street, there were little shoes that fell off in one child's attempt to escape. A woman's purse. Mangled corpses no longer recognizable. The remaining groups of people stared in horror, before they continued to flee.

”M-monster!” A voice shrieked out.

And, standing silently by Khor, now revealed with his hands clasped behind his back, was Ezra, his abyssal gaze neutral.

”It's not your fault, you know? You can't help who you are.”

Khor just stood still. The rush dissolved immediately to shock. She didn't turn to face him, fearful of glimpsing her path of carnage behind herself. She stood, mind surprisingly blank, contemplating what brought this to happen. She'd let her guard down to let him in, and he proceeded to take every liberty and more.

Despite her denial she knew deep down who she was to begin with. She knew to keep it tamed and unleash it only to fight through the madness of this city when required. But she still offered that moment of weakness. All just to feel accepted for a moment. To feel like she wasn’t alone. To feel ok.

This was what she asked for. There was no avoidance of blame. She opened up to share a moment. All Erza did was fulfill that request, and even now, a part of her pleaded to give up and fall into the comfort of someone who accepted her.

The only question was why.

Khor’s voice was soft and low, between a growl and a whimper. “Why? Why would you accept this? What part of you makes you think this is ok?”

Ezra quietly moved to stand in front of Khor, the sharp cut of his suit catching the little sun that made it through a weak break in the clouds, shining through. He placed a gentle hand on Khor’s head, like how a father might be affectionate to his daughter.

”The power to shape your world is nothing to be ashamed of, my dear. When I was much younger, I was buffeted by the winds of those who took, and took, and took.

“Then, one day, a man came to me, and said he could make it all go away. I was given a gyft. But more importantly, I was given the power to shape my own destiny.

“The man wanted gyfts to be put to an end. I agreed, they brought nothing but misery. And so I intend to do just that. But you, my dear, I wanted to save you. Not only that, but I wanted to release you from your inhibitions. No more of this hiding from yourself. You owe it to yourself. You owe it to all your moments of weakness, when you could have taken action.

“You think of yourself alone, don't you? That no one understand you? This honest form of yourself.”


His hand shifted, nudging Khor’s chin up to look at him. ”I see you. And I accept you. No matter what anyone says, you're perfect. And I will be here, waiting, until you fully realize this for yourself.”

And with that, he simply left. Calmly pacing through the scattering crowd as if on a morning stroll. Khor didn’t track him, still lost in his words. He said so little but it carried so much, too much to digest in the shock of the moment. The only thought looping in her mind was that she wished Akir or Adel were here to make sense of everything Erza just said. Outside of that the consequences of her actions bore down upon her. If they had any right mind about them, they’d never see her again.

Erza was right from the start, or at least he was now. She had no friends, not anymore, not after this. All she could do now was accept what she had done and what she truly was. Mind turning further to static, a whirlpool of frantic denial giving way to grim acceptance, she slowly turned to take in her work. Before coming to a conclusion on her new identity she saw two people standing where she began, looking over the aftermath as she did. An Akula and another. Blinking away the disbelief she recognized Puddle and Rada.

Rada just stared at Khor, unable to process that this was the work of her friend. Puddle’s eyes wandered the street, analytical in scanning the carnage like he was just trying to attain a body count. It took a few seconds before he collected and concluded on what everything in front of him meant. Eyes locked on Khor’s bloodstained body, his expression burned through her with calm, righteous fury. Even over the chaos she heard him slam the bolt in the gun. Even over the dissipating screams of those who fled, she heard his words as his rifle raised, gun sights silhouetting her.

Puddle spoke clearly. “Śmierć przed tyranią.

His finger curled around the trigger. Rada wrenched Puddle’s arm. A crack.

Khor stumbled back. Dropping to her left knee. She tried to move her left arm. All that responded was twitching. The bullet tore through muscle. Flesh wound, but bad. The pain brought Khor back to the moment as she looked back to the two down the street, Rada yelling. “It’s Khor! What are you doing!?” Puddle threw Rada off, fury taking hold of his mind, rifle raised again, finding no other words but to repeat himself. “Śmierć przed tyranią!

Khor dove aside. Another bullet ripped through the air. She sighted a subway entry and broke into a run. Stumbling as another bullet cracked by her. Rada could be heard pleading for them both to stop but neither Puddle nor Khor had the mental capacity to comply or acknowledge.

Her injuries were taking their toll. On a good day Puddle stood no chance, but in her state it was only a matter of time before he caught up. Trying to stay on her feet she tumbled over a turnstile. She wasn’t sure why she was fleeing or where she was going. She only knew primal instinct, and that was to run, to flee, to be anywhere but here. Why she even wanted to keep fighting, to keep living was a mystery but she fought on for instinct’s sake alone.

Puddle could be heard clomping along behind, keeping better pace than herself, following the trail of her victims and her own blood denying her escape. Darting down service tunnels she descended further swinging round stairs as Puddle's breathing could be heard above. Soon Khor burst through a final door to find herself on a landing next to a raging waterway beneath the streets. Eyes wild found no other exit. Turning found Puddle. Rifle raised.

Puddle left the rifle hanging in her face as he slowly stepped closer. The distance inevitably closing with every minute step.

Puddle spat through clenched teeth. “Khor Kosavić. By my word, held as the highest truth, on the lives of my brothers and sisters. Under charge of tyranny, I challenge your title to trial of branding. Affirm status or accept the omega pact.”

Rada stepped through the doorway heaving, finding words through panic. “Puddle it’s Khor! It’s Eel!” Rada slowly approached Puddle. Hands raised. “Just put the gun down. Let her talk. This isn’t her. Someone else did this.” Rada’s eyes shot to Khor. “Tell him, tell him you wouldn’t. Tell him you couldn’t. Tell him what really happened. Please.”

Khor’s eyes drifted off the gun and onto Rada. Khor wanted nothing more than to lie, to tell Rada that this was just a bad dream or someone else's mess, but it just wasn’t her nature. She’d lived a life of fearless accountability, one that left her without regret. She always took responsibility for her actions so she’d be the champion of her own destiny, and now was no different. She looked at Rada one last time with a weak smile. She wouldn’t accept dishonor or death at Puddle’s or anyone else's hands, but she’d take both on her own terms.

She fell backward. Feet slipping off the landing. Rada shrieked. Puddle dove forward.

Then the water took her.


Leon "Leo" MacAoidh, Akula Gun Team Frosty






Heavy Crossguard - Destroyed warehouse


In collaboration with: @Herald
Interactions: None Mentions: @Estylwen Vincent, Erza
Leon stood staring at the spot where the Akula’s leader had suddenly dropped through the floor. Like nearly everyone within reach, he had tried to grab ahold of her but it was too little too late. Now, wherever she was he doubted it was a good thing for her and he had another gyfted person to watch out for. Someone who could open portals near instantaneously.

In a city where godlike powers were given to bastards that lurked around every corner, what hope did law and order really have?

He sighed heavily, looking around himself as EMS and regular Nocturnia Police Officers assumed control of the scene. He had released his bestial form, but kept the armor on just in case of trouble. The surviving members of the Akulas were being checked out by medics from Burberry under Leon’s direct orders. He still wasn’t sure what he was going to do with them but it was better to have them under his control where he could arrange for their paperwork to get lost in the shuffle or lock the cell door on them himself.

Hugh fell into step with his commander as Leon walked over to the Akula team. “I’m guessing whoever pulled the rug out from under your commanding officer isn’t on your team?,” Leon asked.

Lucky kept brushing his hand over the concrete where Khor once laid, still in disbelief that she could just fall through the ground like that. Grinch offered words rather than stunned silence. “I haven’t got a good goddamned clue how or where she went.” His eyes met Leon’s. “So no. Believe me when I say I wish it was just us pulling a fast one on you.”

“I’ll make this quick then. Who the hell are you? And what are you doing in the middle of my operation?,” Leon asked bluntly, clearly out of patience for surprises today.

Grinch stopped for a moment and groaned. He owed the good captain an explanation, even if this wasn’t the best of times. He gave his orders first. “Snowy, collect Blitzen, Comet and Dancer’s helmets. Lucky, keep trying to…” He stopped to watch Lucky’s futile efforts for a second before groaning louder. “Shit, keep doing whatever you’re doing I guess.”

Grinch sat down on some rubble and got to the Captain’s request. “You ever had problems in your districts or around town with punks trying to deal with crime or corrupt cops themselves?” Grinch thrusted a thumb at himself. “Well chances are they were Akula’s. People who just got sick of waiting on the police to deal with shit in their own neighbourhoods.” He raised a hand to indicate he meant no offense.

Grinch looked at Lucky searching on all fours while he continued to speak. “You get four kinds of Akula’s. Well that’s a lie, you have five types.” Grinch flicked a finger out. “The first are the Runner’s. Where every Akula starts and most stay without being officially recognised as an Akula. They just perform the small jobs. Stuff that isn’t going to get them into much if any trouble. Dumb kids too big for their boots that kinda crap. The real Akula’s are the Gunners, and you can break them down into four types.”

Grinch flicked out another finger from his fist. “Second, the smart ones who just want to give back. The engineers we call ‘em. Some of them even try to avoid carrying guns but we’re fairly persistent in encouraging some form of self defence. They tend to be the civil kind of operators. Building and repairing infrastructure that would cost too much or take too long for the city to approve. So they say ‘fuck it’ and do it themselves on our budgets. Doesn’t pay anywhere near as much but they’re just happy to work without the bullshit and it helps us reinforce our smuggling operations and general reputation. Hearts and minds, all that crap.”

He flicked another finger out. “The third. The specialists. Those guys are kinda like the central nervous system of the Akula’s. They deal with intelligence, strategic planning, economic stimulus, you name it. If it’s got something to do with the city getting hammered by supply shortages or power struggles, they’re the ones setting up operations to try and cushion Nocturnia from the blow.”

Another finger flicked out. “The fourth. Troopers. Bread and butter of the Akula line. Those guys are the poster boys if we had any. The ‘don’t shoot unless shot first’ types, unless the rule of engagement is a kill house or something like it. They’re trained more like you’d expect of a traditional militia. Full of piss and vinegar and not afraid to die for what they believe in, that usually being the prosperity of the city so they show a fair amount of restraint, avoid collateral.”

Grinch, now out of fingers, thrust his thumb at himself again. “Then there’s us. The mercenaries. We like making a mess and we like getting paid.” He showed an idiot grin as he threw his arms out before they fell to his side. “In all seriousness, we’re the guys willing to do what it takes to win. None of this honour or nobility shit most Akula’s live by and die to. We want to fight for the city, and aren’t going to play by bullshit rules for the sake of our consciences. Because if you haven’t noticed.” Grinch gestured to the mess around them again. “War ain’t got no rules. Only survivors.”

Grinch frowned. “Only issue with that is that other Akula’s accuse us of all sorts. Threaten us with being Branded because they shit themselves at the idea of a real war with real consequences. So ‘mercenaries’ are the people they loosely affiliate with so as not to damage their image.” He snickered. “Fuckin’ smugglers worried about their image. Self righteous cunts.”

Grinch pulled out a flask. “So that’s who we are. Akula’s for the most part, even if some Akula’s would prefer that we weren’t. The politics are a bit tricky and if you end up on the wrong side of the line they draw it’s a good way for another Akula to mount your head on their wall, but, they’ve got some cool shit and some really big guns. So it’s transactional.”

He took a swig. “As for why we’re here. Akula’s are about community. As we saw it, Vincent was bad for the community, pushing all these drugs and what not. So we blew his fucking stash up.”

Grinch shrugged. “Simples. Just glad there were still real Akula’s like Eel who saw the necessity of throwing a rocket or two and had the sense to rally us for the job.” His face fell slightly. “And god willing, she’s ok. Where ever she is now.” Grinch offered the flask to Leon, the fumes now close enough to reveal its bathtub brew origin.

Leon’s mind drank in the possibilities even as he reached for and took a swig of the gin. It was truly awful, considering his usual drink of choice tended more towards whiskeys, but he understood the gesture for what it was. Besides, there would be little point in trying to poison him. His own medic was well versed in Leon’s biological makeup and could counteract anything short of a virulent toxin designed specifically to kill him in seconds.

“Mercs. Engineers. Troopers. Smugglers. I’d heard rumors of civilian militia operations in other districts, widespread enough to know you lot probably have agents in my own neighborhoods,” Leon admitted, “never quite would have imagined you nutjobs had this level of firepower.” The barb was good natured, intended to admit he had underestimated this underground network.

“How much you guys charge for a job like this? Indulge me,” Leon asked, as Hugh shifted uncomfortably next to him. Private Military operations were of course, highly illegal on top of their admission to possessing military grade hardware, committing what could be labeled as domestic terrorism, and endangerment of bystanders.

Grinch raised his hand and started tilting it side to side. “Agent is a strong word. Think more concerned citizens. This being Nocturnia concerned citizen means crazy enough to stand up to maniacs who shit fire balls, so can you really blame us for the hardware?” He slapped an empty pouch on his vest. His eyebrows raised to address the next question. “Terms of pricing, if some rich entitled idiot needs some protection we like to highball it to get what we can. Situations like this though?” He smiled again. “Free of charge. We’re just concerned citizens dealing with a problem.”

Grinch scratched his head. “If you’re wondering where we get our baseline, it’s the smuggling. Nocturnia is missing a lot of critical supplies and the aid drops are only enough to scrape by on. We like to get the city what it needs. Little stuff we tend to distribute through the Runners cheap or free. Real money comes through the big orders. Hell I heard a rumour we helped commission the fission reactors underneath HOCJOC HQ in Brewery. Shit I still need to catch up with Crackler. If that crazy bastard can get fuel rods, I can only imagine what else he could get us.”

He thought a little deeper about Leon’s question about pricing. “If you’re asking about our price tag for yourself, that depends. If you serve yourself we’re real expensive. If you serve the people, you just throw some ammo our way and we’ll be happy to better coordinate ourselves with you next time.” Grinch’s head tilted. “Only clause is to keep yourself honest with us and we’ll return the favour. If not, well, we love to be a problem.” His smile returned.

“Honesty is a currency all in itself in this city,” Leon commented, then turned his head to the side, “Hugh. Take a walk.”

Hugh nodded, hefting his weapon and heading in the direction of the CSI teams poking around the warehouse. Leon had faith the Lieutenant was trustworthy, but the best protection he can offer his teams is plausible deniability when he slipped close to the line between legal and illegal.

“Here’s the situation. I’m a cop, and you all are an illegal militia. By all rights I am supposed to cuff each of you and have you sentenced to something like 10-20 years in prison, confiscate your gear and let it rot in my armory for those 20 years as evidence, and take your personal belongings to have them checked for links to anyone else I can put the steel rings on,” Leon said, sighing to himself, “but I am not an idiot. Your shots could have gotten us killed in there, but like I said, I suspect I owe your boss a favor. So here is what is going in my report:”

“This op was carried out by Squads Hercule and a private military contractor who’s license I can pull from the records. Your actions here are my responsibility, but the overall success of the operation should mitigate the damage from the fucking building nearly being leveled. A communications breakdown occurred, and as per our contract you went with a direct fire suppression plan while my team infiltrated the access point and seized the evidence,” Leon said, already getting a headache over the paperwork he would have to backdate to make that pass an inspection of his records.

“Why does this matter to you? Simple. I want to hire you to find your boss,” Leon said, crossing his arms, “if it comes out that you all are a bunch of fuck ups, I can discard you when the license to operate doesn’t match your unit. An unfortunate oversight prompted by an illegal hack into the PD systems when I ran a search on you initially.”

“Of course, this isn’t the end of the deal I want. I have a research unit working on something big in pharmaceuticals… and I need a distribution network outside of my zones that the regular citizen might be able to trust. Time comes around, a few crates end up falling off a truck somewhere and end up in the hands of people who need it, fine. I’ll just write up the loss of inventory and move on with my life,” Leon added evenly. “In exchange, your people end up with anything on Vincenzo Accardo or Ezra Blackheart and it happens to end up reported to my department, I’d consider it a favor.”

Grinch considered his words, head nodded gently before standing up. Though he was slightly shorter he ran his eyes and scanned Leon as if to be sizing him up. Shortly after Grinch spoke. “Sounds like you missed your calling as an Akula.” He chuckled. “We’re with you. Not just to get our girl back, we’re with your operation free of charge. You ever need idiots who enjoy getting shot at or some ‘special’ cargo.” He reached into a pouch and handed over a list of frequencies. “Skip over these till you get us. We’ll update you when they change.”

Grinch looked over to see Snowy approaching. Reaching out to collect the helmets tied together, Grinch then pointed to Lucky for Snowy to help find any trace or clue as to what happened to Khor. Holding the helmets of the fallen in one hand he spoke on. “We operate on a cell basis so we can align ourselves with you no problem. We’ll spread the word to other cells that Burberry enforcement is with the people so other Akula’s will stay out of your way. Hell, some might even volunteer their own cells to help you. Not often you find honest cops.”

Grinch raised an open hand offering a shake. “Next time we’ll integrate under your command. Save you any more surprises.” He swayed the helmets tied together, voice falling a bit. “Hopefully next time we won’t be doing so much dying either.” His eyes fell to the helmets. “Say you don’t have any road flares do you? The boys.” He lifted the helmets up. “They deserve a proper send off. Cultural thing. We’ll get out of your hair afterward.”

“Sergeant!,” Leon shouted in the direction of the officers still holding the cordon to keep curious citizens away from seeing anything of the operation. At his command, one of the line officers jogged over and stood at attention.

“Pull a crate of flares and give them to this gentleman, tell CSI to clear out of the open space for the moment,” Leon ordered.

“Sir, shouldn’t we be taking the bodies for-”

“What bodies, Sergeant? The fallen were consumed by the gyfted fighting. I’m sure your vision is clear enough for that. But if you’d like to protest, Mr. Grinch here will be happy to hear your complaints,” Leon said, an edge to his tone, “it’s all on my orders anyways, Sergeant. Do your job.”

For the first time Grinch’s expression became soft. He didn’t expect this level of allowance, at most just to light the inside of the helmets. It seemed Leon was willing to give them full rights to deal with their own fallen. The favor would not be forgotten. He brought himself back to the moment. Grinch cleared his throat. “We won’t interfere or cause a mess in your crime scene.”

The Sergeant nodded, then jogged off shouting another handful of orders that pulled the CSI teams away from the ruined section of the warehouse and pulled Nocturnia PD officers to the edge of the property.

“Remember the dead. Fight for the living,” Leon rumbled, stepping away to a respectful distance.

Grinch gave his orders. Not long after Blitzen and Comet were laid on the ground, Dancer’s body was already fully incinerated by Merc’s hounds. Rudolph limped over on Lucky’s shoulder. Words coming groggy from him. “Did we win?”

Grinch nodded, voice quiet. “Yeah. Took a lot of blood though.” He opened the crate of flares. “You all ready for Omega?” Lucky and Rudolph nodded. Snowy looked confused but Grinch spoke before questions could be asked. “Just watch. This is the one thing we promise each other no matter what happens. That we be remembered for who we are. Our bodies are dealt with so those memories can’t be altered or tarnished. An unalterable conclusion to our stories.”

Grinch packed the flares under the bodies. Lighting the first, the rest began to pop off. It wasn’t long before the bodies were alight. Finding a secluded area beside the warehouse the three helmets were placed on the outcrop of a building. The impromptu shine was out of the way enough so no one would likely stumble on it but visible enough for any passing Akula that knew about this fight could take a moment to honour the dead. Grinch lit the three last flares and placed them face down through the visors, the light shining from the openings in the helmets.

The flares would burn for a long while, but they only needed a moment. Just a minute or two to reflect and remember those they fought with no longer here. To honour who they were and the sacrifices they made today and to this point. Grinch spoke to Snowy. “That’s the promise we give each other. The Omega pact. Even at the end, we still have each other's backs. We make sure to protect each other's legacies so no one can take advantage of the fallen. So we’re always held accountable for the lives we lead.” He huffed. “Keeps us honest, and if something terrible happens, we can end the story before it’s tainted.”

The flares continued to burn. Grinch turned while the rest watched the glow. He nodded at Leon as if to ask if they were clear to leave now.
Leon's first job out of high school:



I cackled XD.
What if Soylent Green had a gun to his head?


*Affluent bidness woman with her bidness gun*
"Take a bite or I'll turn you into a burger as well son."

Who needs advertising when you can be that persuasive lol
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