Current
That was the worst three months of my life. Health is close to normal again. Here's to making the insurance company cry!
1
like
1 yr ago
"Your copay today is $20,000" How about no.
3
likes
3 yrs ago
Well, the "I am but an ally" to "queer af" pipeline is real.
Bio
I have gone by many names over my life, and the one I go by here is Nori.
I am a non-binary individual who has a love of participating in these stories and creating my own. I am incredibly chronically ill. If my illness flares up too much I may be pulled away.
As soon as they arrived on the island Lila pulled several pieces of jewelry, treats, and various other knickknacks from the black jacket that hid most of the feathers on her chest and her arms. “Be my eyes and be safe,” Lila said as she offered the treats and goodies to her murder who quickly swarmed her hand and flew high into the sky. Lila was nervous, if there was anyone listening they would hear the sound of her leg vibrating and her foot tapping on the ground. She knew she would be a big target, and as such she dressed in all black and kept her wings tucked in as close as she could.
She listened to the others prepare, and began to subtly count down the seconds until all would go to hell. Lila knew that she’d need to focus on not doing too much. If she tried to transform she’d be inviting the bird bitch in more, and she knew if she used too much curse magic she’d be weakening the ability to keep the monster suppressed. It would be a balancing act like a single wire between two buildings.
And then someone started blasting. The gunfire quickly caused all her eyes to fixate on the direction it came from and instantly her vision was filled with different angles of the same sight. A golem holding a machine gun firing wildly at something inside. Lila gasped. It wasn’t because it was a literal golem holding a machine gun looking like something out of a Rambo movie. No, the golem itself looked familiar. It looked like one that someone in their coven used to summon.
“Lyss?”
A moment later the sun coated the entire mansion in light and an inferno broke out. Several of Lila’s crows were blinded by the bright light, and Lila nearly screamed at the pain of experiencing it. The crows that were impacted began to fly erratically, and Lila barred her teeth as she placed her hands on her head once again. While she wanted to vent her frustration at the one who caused it that thought of the golem entered her mind and focused her. The crows that were not blinded quickly returned their eyes to the front of the mansion and caught a really sun burnt woman who, if you squinted, looked different from Lyss but at the same time she reminded Lila of her.
“I think whomever started the party just walked out and passed out,” Lila paused as she stretched a clawed finger and pointed towards the entrance to the mansion, “I think they need help but there’s so many fucking zombies between us and them. We need something to clear a path so someone from Aggro can get to her.”
Jasper grinned as he finished his painting. He looked it over one final time. The details were perfect. The art was stylized unlike anything else he’s summoned before. It was dull, life like, and looked like any normal machine that could theoretically be summoned into a conflict or created beforehand. He hoped that it would not link this conflict back to him and his covens, nor did he want it to draw attention to the 317. It’s red eyes and blazing skull insignia painted on its shield would hopefully help. “I got something coming,” Jasper spoke calmly as he pressed his back into the shield from Stormy, “while it is active i will be dead weight. Cover me please.”
Jasper pressed his paintbrush to the canvas, activated the spell, and pulled his latest monstrosity out. As it hit the ground everyone nearby would feel a noticeable shake. It was a six foot tall metal looking monstrosity. In its left hand it had a giant flat shield that was at least four inches thick and enchanted to be more durable than otherwise. Its face was small, and simply looked to be two red triangles that made it look more robotic than not. On its back was a large backpack that gave it a very top heavy and bulky look. In its right hand was a long weapon with six barrels that stretched out four feet. Connecting the weapon to the backpack was a belt that fed it the magical ammunition. Everyone would see that it was a big robotic monster. It began to take steps towards the mansion and away from the group, each step looked labored and difficult and each one left a footprint deep into the grass betraying the true weight of it.
A soft whirl filled the air as the barrels began to spin. For three seconds they sped up, faster and faster, with the whirl getting louder and louder. The sound of its own steps were soon eclipsed by the whirl before the monstrosity slowed its walk to a crawl before stopping all together. The shield was raised up and covered most of its body, save for a small rectangular section cut out of the top right corner for the eyes to see and a square section on the left side to allow the gun to poke out from.
brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt
Jasper listened as his construct fired off its first the second burst into the approaching hoard and smiled. It worked. It actually worked. He had tried to summon it once before but he could not figure out how to make the gun itself work. He had spent two sleepless nights reviewing the manuals for real life chain guns and auto cannons and infused the spell with that functioning knowledge and it fucking worked. The monstrosity began to fire again. This time, it held down the trigger. Red tracer rounds dashed across the battle, impacting and shredding through the zombie hoard that stood between it and the girl Lila mentioned. It kept its aim at the upper chest level, careful to not aim too low to threaten the girl. It continued firing as it followed its two commands, protecting the girl and clearing a path to get to her. Spent casings littered the ground and if it continued at its pace it would soon have a mound of casings.
Jasper, meanwhile, was coughing up blood. Not only did it stain the black bandana that covered his mouth, but it also began to drip down to the black turtleneck sweater he wore. Similarly, his nose became a faucet and began to spill blood downwards, blood could be seen in his ears and his eyes went bloodshot. The sheer draw on his life force meant that his internal organs were in a terrible state. His heart began to skip beats, his lungs grew tired and his breath grew shallow, and his whole body felt cold. An eerie paleness fell across his whole body. He knew he could keep this summon up for a single minute and not a second more. Jasper hoped that nothing had changed from the last time he tried this. Regardless, he’d need a healer not long after his life force was returned.
In the middle of hell common sense would prevail..
In the aftermath of the cataclysm, Cloverfield lay in a fragile stillness, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and death. The warm spring sun filtered through the jagged remains of shattered skyscrapers, casting fractured shadows on the debris-strewn streets below. Every creak and groan of the leaning structures echoed like a lament, a mournful symphony of a city in mourning. Amidst the ruins, the cries of the injured and desperate pierced the air, mixing with the various sirens that rang out across the city. Flowers, brought forth by the many Green Lux’s featured in the battle, defiantly blooming in the cracks of the pavement, seemed to whisper hope amidst the chaos. Still, their beauty felt overshadowed by the overwhelming despair that hung over Cloverfield like a dark cloud.
Elara looked up from the flowers and over to where the monster’s vessel remained. There were several dozen adepts, adjoined, and various other magical beings all standing around it waiting to see if victory was found today or if another round of fighting was to come. Everyone waited with a bated breath for someone, or something, to guide their next move. She shifted her eyes over to a vast pool of acid. An hour ago her coven’s elders stood tall as they fought back against the horror that was unleashed on their city. An hour ago they were covered in the monster's acid and all that remained of them was a scar in the pavement that grew ever bigger as the acid ate through it, and the various bones that survived it. Elara knew that, at this moment, the leadership burden would fall to her, and a few others at her side, and she would need to prove that the Keepers of the Grove still stood tall despite this tragedy.
Across the way, Gideon, and a dozen gun-toting goons, all huddled up together. Gideon’s face is etched with the tolls of battle. The skin on his face has specks of blood, dirt, and other grime. His already pale skin is more pale as a thin layer of ash coats it, and the clothes that he wore. The dark circles under his eyes betray his exhaustion at first glance, however, if they were to linger for any longer than a moment one could tell that they burned with a fiery determination. His hands are all bloody and bruised, with streaks of red still dripping to the ground below. In them is a single M1911, with an ivory handle and silver barrel, and his hands gripped the pistol ever tighter as his eyes looked over towards where the monster remained. That monster had killed dozens of his friends, and countless others, and destroyed his beloved Lower District. His breathing increased as the grip of the gun began to squeal under the strain of his strength.
“That bitch needs to die,” Gideon shouted to the assembled masses, “now, you either stand aside and let me finish the mission or you will all get a bullet between the eyes,” spit flew out from Gideon’s chapped lips.
“And unleash that monster again? I know my education sucked but what the fuck are they teaching you magic-wise down south,” Elara shouted back as she looked over to Bryn. Elara’s face also showed the long night and terrible battle. Blood, soot, and ash all mixed on her face to create a thick layer of sludge that coated the lower half of her face. This same mixture caked her hair, and her eyes seemed to look far past whatever they rested on. A thick bruise, and noticeable swelling, forced her left eye to be in a constant squint while her lips had a cut that bisected them down the middle with a trail of blood that led down her chin and onto her neck. Her clothes sported various holes, and it was impossible to tell what she wore or what color it was under the layer of ash that coated it. Elara shifted her eyes over to where the Elders died, knowing full well they would need to find a way to retrieve the bones before they were gone. Elara shifted her eyes towards the North District and caught sight of a building swaying ominously in the wind, a soft but guttural groan of metal struggling filled the air as it did.
"Her body's the only thing keepin' that fuckin' thing trapped." Bryn stepped forward, putting herself at the forefront of the Grove members still standing. The ash that clung to her, and surrounded her, was just another weapon for her right now - as unfortunate and horrible as it was. So many dead… her expression was grim as she looked back at Elara, then over at Gideon. The ashes near his feet moved slightly, as if by the wind. "Don't start another fuckin' fight. Let's all retrieve our dead and fuckin' grieve, instead of killin' more."
“So what then,” Gideon paused as he pointed towards Princess, “she gets off without punishment? She invited in that monster, and now we get to just forget and not do anything,” Gideon paused as he scoffed, “that is bullshit. Do you know how many people she killed in the Lower District? Hmmm? I’ll tell you what. You guys either leave, and I’ll give you the option to fucking grieve away from here, or I’ll-”
A series of groans and creaks resonated through the air, the noise punctured by the sharp crack of steel and concrete giving way. The thunderous roar filled the air as a large building began to collapse a good distance away. The sound builds until it is more akin to a devastating avalanche before it finally gives way to the groan and rumble of the building settling on the ground. An ash and dust cloud rockets upward and outward from the building, coating the already-covered cityscape in yet another layer of a destroyed building.
Gideon watched this happen from a distance and closed his eyes at the sound of people wailing in fear. In his heart, he knew these girls were right. He could not kill the monster, at least yet, but that did not mean he’d let her get away without any punishment. “No killing her. Got it. What do we do with her then? I for one do not like the idea of a literal fucking nuke walking among us without something to keep her in check.”
Bryn frowned, not turning her head even as she saw the building fall in the distance. The devastation was something that would take years to recover from. And she understood - she wasn’t so forgiving after they’d lost so much. But at the same time, this was a child. "Then we watch her. But sealin’ ain’t easy to break."
She then shook her head. "She’s got that thing stuck in her now. Ain’t that punishment enough? Maybe you don’t get what it’s like to have a Ghost inside, but they ain’t quiet. It's trapped in her and she’s trapped with it. The rest of her life is gonna be reckonin’ with what she’s done."
“No one is going to let her forget,” Elara commented, “and no one is ever going to give her grace. As far as I’m concerned now that the threat is sealed this is done,” Elara commented as she shifted her eyes to the dust plume in the distance. You’d think that it would still hurt to see that devastation but at this point, what’s one more building?
“Fine. But if this shit happens again it’s on your souls,” Gideon paused as he holstered his weapon and his gang followed suit.
"Well he was a delight," Bryn snorted, narrowing her eyes at Gideon’s back. There wasn’t time to be bothered by it - and she’d been through enough in her life already to be unbothered by others' opinions like that. So she turned to Elara, inclining her head towards where the Elders had once been. Now only bones remained… "Do we try to take their bones? I could bring ‘em easily but… it would be as ashes."
“I can’t wait to get home and away from these city dicks. They’re liable to destroy us all. As far as I can tell you’re a leader now, Bryn, and our burial gal,” Elara chuckled as she coughed. The dust had gotten down into her lungs and she knew she’d need a deep bath in the grove after this to recover. “I will defer to your judgment.”
"Not how I wanted to become a leader… fellow leader," Bryn let out a slightly bitter laugh, wiping her brow. It didn’t do anything with the amount of ashes coating her, and her skin being sticky with sweat and blood. "I’ll do it here, and we’ll take ‘em with us to rest."
She walked over until she was in front of the puddle of acid. Her hands moved out in front of her, and she took a deep breath - only to cough as the dust clogged her lungs. "May you all rest in peace."
As she began to turn the bones to ashes, she murmured under her breath in an ancient language only taught to those in the Grove. The funeral rites she’d been learning thanks to her Abstraction… but she hadn’t expected to be in charge of it so soon. Before she became a leader, sure… now it was both at once. As the bones all turned to ashes they floated in the air, coated in flames of various colours. Then the fires were put out and only ashes remained, which Bryn carefully controlled over to her.
She turned to Elara with a weak smile. "Let’s go home."
The cold grip of late November settled over Raven’s Rest, as the Appalachian mountains as a whole were cloaked in a soft, white blanket of snow. Flurries danced through the air, swirling down from a slate-gray sky, settling gently on the evergreen trees that lined the narrow streets. The crisp wind carried a bite, rustling through the branches and sending a chill that crept into every corner of the small town. As evening approached, the fading light painted the landscape in hues of blue and silver, the world growing still under the weight of winter. Snowflakes landed silently, blanketing rooftops and sidewalks alike, transforming the familiar into a serene winter wonderland. Smoke curled from chimneys, punctuating the quiet with a promise of warmth within.
On the outskirts of this peaceful scene stood Bill’s Tattoo Shop, its neon “Open” sign flickering defiantly against the encroaching darkness. The warm glow spilled onto the snowy embankments. The shop, with its worn wooden exterior and eclectic décor, stood in contrast to the boarded-up buildings that flanked it and the lifeless street it stood on. Ever since the Cataclysm raged down in Cloverfield the town of Raven’s Rest had seen a flight of people. Many no longer found the mountain’s charm worthwhile when it meant you had to see everything that happened down in Cloverfield and everything that continued to happen. As well, many businesses found it difficult to keep their doors open as the normally consistent income brought in by visitors from far and wide was slashed due to the continual reconstruction efforts. Still, the far side of town would return to its former glory. A community like this did not let each other suffer. A community like this did not let each other fail. That is why Bill, a renowned tattoo artist, was still doing the work that he loved. In the past year and a half, he had seen the same faces he normally saw come in at a frequency unlike anything before. Some got whole sleeves done in a day and returned the next weekend for shading, and others kept coming back for flash tattoos that would only take an hour of his time but would get several on the days that he was slow.
Today Bill was slow, but he did not let get him down. As he sat in his tattoo chair he flicked between the days' mail, an overdue bill for his property insurance, an overdue electric bill, and finally an overdue bill for the water was his reading material. He scoffed at the amounts that these vultures charged, remembering the time before the City’s utilities were brought to the town. Back in those days, it was pennies on the dollar for water, gas, electricity, and even the internet. Sure, those days were only five years ago but it seemed like so much has happened it felt like decades. Now, now that the city was involved it seemed like everything was ten times as expensive. He reached over and grabbed his mug, filled with some Apple Pie Moonshine, before he took a sip. He tossed the bills onto the table as he pulled open his booking app and looked at the day ahead. Tomorrow, Elara would be coming in yet again. He was surprised that she had any skin left to tattoo after their last session but she had somehow found some on her back. She was a good tipper. And she’d either bring him some more of this delicious drink, or some food, as well. A small smile crept across his face as he closed the app.
*ding*ding*
The sound of the door opening forced a smile across his face. Maybe today wouldn’t be a waste after all. “Howdy friend, we’re closing in a minute but I can-,” Bill stopped talking as the smile fell from his face. At the door was a naked man, one who looked identical to Bill. From the birthmark that covered his right thigh to the exact length of hair, to the surprisingly large penis, and even the bags underneath the eye. The only difference Bill could see was the lack of tattoos across the mans body and the unearthly smile that crossed from ear to ear.
“Hello Bill,” the doppleganger spoke with his exact voice. A moment later it took an aggressive step towards Bill, who grabbed and threw the mug of Moonshine at the doppelganger's head, exploding into a hundred pieces as it did. A few of the pieces cut into the skin but no blood came out. Instead, the doppelganger smiled so wide it threatened to break the face it was attached to and took several more steps towards Bill. It grabbed Bill with a quick motion, picked him up, and tossed him across the shop.
As Bill slammed into the wall, the jolt kicked off his music system, which began belting out the Emo Time playlist on his device.
Bill rose up from the ground, small cuts and scrapes began to drip blood as he cracked his neck. He did not know what devil had entered his shop, but he knew he had one trick to help deal with them. He reached to his waist, pulled a Glock out of the holster, aimed at the Doppelganger, and matched its smile. He pulled the trigger but, as he did, his arm shifted the aim so the bullet missed by inches. Bill shifted his aim and pulled the trigger once more, yet something moved the barrel of the weapon so that the bullet missed once again. The smile fell from his face but not his determination. Bill pulled the trigger in rapid succession, sending bullet after bullet down range yet none would find a home in the creature and soon only the clicking of an empty weapon filled the air.
“Feel free to reload,” the Doppleganger joked as he took another step towards Bill.
Bill, sensing that it would not work, dropped the gun to the ground and grabbed a bat from the wall. The bat was mounted on a plaque with the inscription State Champions - Raven’s Rest Cardnials on it. Bill tapped the end of the bat against the wall, sending a sharp crack that reverberated through the air which was soon replaced by a dull thud. The smile returned to Bill’s face as he tapped the bat in his hand.
“I don’t know what you are, but you ain’t welcome in this town,” Bill paused as his eyes flashed an electric blue that snaked across it.
“Oh that hasn’t stopped us before,” the doppleganger joked back, “shall we?” The Doppleganger pointed towards the bat as its smile grew wider once again.
Bill lunged forward, the bat becoming engulfed in a vivid blue cackle of lightning. He readied a swing at the monster's head and swung, only for the bat to pass just inches above. The monster grabbed Bill by the shirt and lifted him up once more, lowering him down before shooting him back up sending him into the celing. Bones snapping filled the air as he hit it, and once again as he plummeted back to the ground. A moment later the Doppleganger grabbed ahold of his ankle and spun him like a doll in three circles around the room before releasing it’s grip sending him into the far wall once again. Bill ended up on his side on the ground, blood pouring from his mouth and a deep heavy cough that carried even more crimson with it. He did not get a moment to breathe, as the doppleganger once again grabbed him by the ankles and lifted him up only to slam him back down. As it released it’s grip, bill tried to crawl away but each motion felt like he was pulling himself through quicksand.
A gasp escaped his lips as the creature slammed both hands into his back. A second later Bill’s body began to convulse as all the color was drained from it, and as the convulsions stopped his skin grew tighter until it was sucked all the way up to the bones, which also gave way with a sickening pop as everything was consumed by the monster, leaving only the clothes off his back.
The creature stood up and smiled. It put on Bill’s clothes, and found both the bat and the gun. It picked up both and moved the gun towards the back of the store, but kept the bat in hand. It reached into its pockets and grabbed the phone, unlocking the Face ID with ease, and called emergency services. It rang for three seconds before the operator picked up.
“Nine one one, what is your emergency,” the female operator asked.
“Someone broke into my tattoo shop and tried to kill me.”
Elara jolted awake, her heart raced as the remnant of the nightmare hung over her thoughts like a thick cloud. Sweat dripped from her brow as she struggled to catch her breath, as the sound of collapsing concrete and metal snapping still filled her ears. The nightmare brought her into the building this time, instead of being blocks away like she was during the cataclysm. She experienced the building snapping and breaking, before it collapsed, and in its collapse she was flung to another building which also began to creak, and groan, before those sounds gave way to the sound of metal snapping and concrete crumbling. Her eyes darted across the room, searching for something that could ground her in the present. Yet the more she looked the more her vision felt like it could see the ash cloud coming towards her again, smell the heavy coating of blood and ash that coated her face, hear the screams of all the soon-to-be dead people, and feel the pain as she got struck with the debris once more.
Elara reached behind her and grabbed her pillow, her hands trembling as she did. She pulled the pillow into her chest with both arms and hugged it tightly into her chest. Tears began to stream down her face as she could no longer hold back the panic that was overtaking her. Her breathing became sharp and quick, and her grip around the pillow grew stronger. As she sat there she felt something jump into her bed. Her eyes darted up to see her fat orange cat Sebastian. He was sitting mere feet from her face. Elara knew that he sensed her fear, her sadness, and the terror that gripped her. She sniffled as he smiled. He was here to save her, and break her from the curse that had befallen her. Sebastian simply raised a paw up and batted at Elara’s nose, striking it with a single outstretched claw.
“Ow what the fuck,” Elara groaned as her hands let go of the pillow as she cupped her nose while all her senses returning to the present, “that hurt you fat fuck” Elara complained as she looked down at the cat who simply meowed as he pressed his body into Elara. Who needs therapy when you have a cat who’ll factory reset you when you are at your worst? Elara grabbed him and pulled him up to her chest, Sebastian protesting the move with a loud cry of displeasure. She held him tight as she twisted from side to side as she kissed his head numerous times. The cat began to squirm and Elara let him go. “You hungry already you adorable asshole,” Elara joked as she stretched her body as a groan escaped her lips. She threw off her blanket and stood up, stretching one more time as a large yawn escaped her lips. She was wearing an oversized tshirt and some boxers as she normally did, and her hair was a mess. Thus, Elara began her morning routine by brushing her teeth and taking a shower.
After taking the shower, and getting dressed, wearing dark blue denim jeans with a System of a Down t-shirt. She grabbed three logs and put them in the wood-burning stove that heated her trailer. The wood smoldered for a minute before it was engulfed in fire. She closed the grate before grabbing a stained brown jacket and throwing it on over her shirt. She walked over to the fridge, opened it, grabbed the fresh bag of deer jerky, and pulled out a few pieces. It would have to suffice for now, as she needed to restock her supplies. The sudden cold snap had ruined the vegetables that were not in her greenhouse but she was able to ensure that those that remained in it would survive, and a lot would be ready come Thanksgiving later in the week.
Elara knew she did not have time to dwell on the thought of that celebration. It was one of the three meeting days for the Keepers of the Grove. That meant that she had to make her way to church, and that meant she’d need to be ready once Seren rolled up. Elara pulled out her phone and looked at the time, it was eight fifteen in the morning and the meeting would be at nine, which meant that Seren would be pulling up in a matter of minutes. As such, Elara made sure that there was at least nothing on the concrete pad that was flammable to allow the stove to keep heating her home while she was gone. She also grabbed a case of her Apple Pie Moonshine and knew that the delay with her vegetables would require her to offer a replacement.
A second later a series of honks filled the air before being replaced by the telltale sound of tires on the loose gravel driveway. Seren was here.
Seren led the way into the church, they had their typical outfit with a button-up shirt, black pants, and an oversized jacket but they also kept their sunglasses on to hide the hungover look that their face carried. They had a half-finished ice latte in one hand and their phone open to TikTok in the other. They quickly found a place to sit down.
The Church was an easy meeting point away from the grove itself and allowed the group to have a space where they wouldn’t draw attention to the grove itself. It was an old church, dating back to the eighteenth century, that had served as the central community location for the town of Raven’s Rest. Currently, the keepers met in the common area of the church hall. There was a simple black fold-out poker table with several chairs strewn across it. At the head of the table sat Pastor John Michael. He was dressed in a black button-up shirt with a white collar. His sleeves were rolled up and he had a lit cigarette in his mouth. The man sported a well-maintained black beard, with black hair, and seemed to look a decade younger than his age of thirty-eight.
“So Seren, do I need to open the confessional early today or will you stop by at another time,” Pastor John smirked as he took in a drag of his cigarette, he spoke in reference to the night out that was evident on their face and body.
“Fuck off, father,” Seren groaned as they raised their middle finger.
Elara tossed the padre one of the jars of moonshine, before palming one and looking at Seren, “Ain’t you a bit young to be drinking” Elara joked as she slid the jar across the table to them.
“You try fighting a world-ending monster at seventeen and not having a small problem with alcohol,” Seren paused as they palmed the moonshine and put it in their bag.
“Ooo, what do I gotta do to get one of those?” Mari asked, sitting down beside Seren and not so subtly leaning over to try check whatever tiktoks they were watching. “Wanna love ballad or some shit? I can do that.”
“Fuck yes,” Seren grinned as they lowered their glasses.
“When your sister says you can,” Elara smirked as she wiggled one of the jars. “Speaking of, what schedule they on lately?”
“You shouldn’t ask that, the owners will change it on a whim,” James joked as he walked into the room, lit cigarette in his left hand. He was dressed in his typical dirty work attire, with stained jeans, a stained blue hoody, and his work hat still on. “You save one of them for me, Elara?”
“Oh of course love. This cold took away my garden so I brought up enough for everyone,” Elara grinned as she placed the jug down on the table.
“But not me?” Mari complained, pouting as she leaned back in her chair. She pulled out her phone, swapping to the shared family calendar where they all tried to put their shifts. Too many weird different ones to just remember. “Right now she's on five on, four off, night shift… so she should be here soon. Today's the last of the five too. Means she's gonna be extra grouchy and annoying, ugh.”
“So no different than normal,” James chuckled as he found a seat, “how are you doing today Pastor John?
“Every day is a good day thanks to the lord,” Pastor John joked as he took a drag from his cigarette, “Church speak for another day, another horror.”
“It ain't like anythin' changes around here,” Mari snorted, head inclining towards the Pastor. “Shit all day everyday-”
"You callin' the fuckin’ warm roof over your head and lovin' community shit, Marigold?" Bryn appeared out of nowhere - having managed to somehow slip in the door silently. Even more impressively she managed to look over her sister, even at only five-four. They were dressed in their work overalls, but with the top half pushed down and sleeves tied around their waist. It revealed the tank top underneath and their lithe muscles shone with sweat in the light. They'd pretty much come straight from the mines, after all.
“I ain't!” Mari turned her head around, nose scrunching up. “You couldn't've washed before comin'? Fuck, Bryn.”
"And waste time choppin' wood to heat up the fuckin' water cause someone used it all up? Nah. Ain't got time for that shit." Bryn snorted. They moved to sit beside Elara with a sigh, nodding to both James, Pastor John and Seren. They tilted their head towards Elara. "You need any wood cut? Gotta do a bunch for us anyway, may as well restock you too if you're runnin' low."
“Yes please,” Elara held up the next bottle of moonshine and placed it on the table in front of Bryn.
"Gotcha, I’ll get it done," Bryn grinned at Elara, taking the bottle and putting it on the table in front of her.
“Can I-”
"No," Bryn cut Mari off before she could get any further, turning her head to level her with a hard stare. "You ain’t old enough, and I ain’t dealin’ with that shit."
“But Seren gets some and they’re the same age as me!” Mari complained.
"Seren ain’t my baby sister, so they can do what they want," Bryn shrugged.
Mari pouted, leaning in towards Seren and whispering, “can I get a bit of yours? I’ll do anythin’.”
Seren shook her head no but secretly sent a text that said ‘ofc’ to Mari.
A moment later the doors opened once again as the vast majority of the remaining coven entered the building. The small group was led by tweedle dee and tweedle dum, Ethan Parker and Ryan Mitchell. The two were best friends from birth, as their parents were a part of the elders of the grove and as such they did everything together. That included working, partying, and the two recently bought a house together with their wives so that their children could grow up as close as they did. Both were coming from their overnight construction job so they had identical work boots and hoodies. If anyone in the grove needed something built these two are quick to offer their skills. Behind them was the ever present Blake Thompson, the grove mechanic. He had his typical jeans and shirt combo but spiced things up with a blue denim jacket with white fluff. Taking up the rear were the four ranch hands, Adam Sullivan, Kyle Anderson, Jason Caldwell, and Lucas Harrington. They all found seats at the table and many grabbed a jar. There were several open seats still available for the members that would be likely unable to make it today.
“So what’s new,” Ethan asked.
“Anything we need to be on the lookout for,” Ryan finished.
“You guys hear about Bill,” Blake added as he took a sip from the already open jar, “oh that’s got the good kick, thank you as always Elara.”
"No, the fuck happened to Bill?" Bryn asked, folding their arms and looking over at Blake.
“From my buddy at the police department it sounds like someone tried to kill him last night. Lights and sirens hours last night. Bill fired all the bullets from his gun, and somehow missed every shot,” Blake finished as he shrugged, “haven’t heard from him since yesterday in the morning but figured I’d bring it up.”
“It was on the agenda,” Pastor John revealed as he took another drag of his cigarette before putting it out in the ashtray.
“And he missed every shot,” Elara raised an eyebrow.
“I have him out on the farm once a month, he’s a better shot than I,” Adam rubbed his chin, “think it was someone he knew?”
"Fuck, must've been, I ain't known Bill to miss," Bryn shook her head, pressing a hand against her forehead. This was the pain with working in the mines - if shit happened while she was down there she didn't hear about it till she was back up. "Ain't any point guessin', you got plans after this, Elara? If not let's go check on him."
“I’m on the books with him after the meeting so-,”
“Another tattoo? Do you even have skin left for another one,” Pastor John sighed, “I ain’t gonna turn this into a sermon but maybe you should consider actual therapy,” Pastor John chuckled.
“I think Elara looks fantastic with all her tattoos, power to you,” Jason chuckled.
“So let’s stop by right after this meeting and see how he’s doing,” Elara finished the thought.
"Only therapy we need is the Lord and a buncha tattoos," Bryn snorted, looking at Pastor John with a sarcastic smile. ”Well, that's that. We'll head round soon as we're done and make sure he ain't need any kinda protection."
“At least shower first,” Mari commented, wrinkling her nose.
Bryn just waved her off. "Anyone else showin', or this it today?"
“Well if there’s any stragglers I’m sure you’ll be able to loop ‘em’ in,” Pastor John paused as he stood up and stretched. He walked over to a whiteboard. “We’ve had some concerning developments since Friday,” Pastor John paused as he spun the board around revealing a surprisingly detailed satellite map of the town and surrounding area. To the west of the town there were various red circles. They seemed to form a line that stretched above and below the western flank of the city. “This was two weeks ago. As you might recall, these were suspected vampire attacks,” Pastor John paused as he grabbed a ruler and tapped on the corresponding red circles, “these were suspected paranormal attacks,” Pastor John pointed at several more, “since then,” Pastor John once again paused as he put the ruler down and grabbed a red marker and the air was filled with it’s squeak for several seconds, “suspected werewolf packs, additional vampire attacks, more paranormal assaults and,” Pastor John grabbed the ruler and tapped on the town itself on the map, “this wave is coming right towards us,” Pastor John paused as he tapped the ruler in his hand.
“From the look of the map alone it seems like we’re about to take the brunt of whatever paranormal attack coming our way, right,” Pastor John asked the group.
"Right." Bryn narrowed their eyes at the board. It didn't look good, and it had just kept getting worse. "I tried investigating the attacks two weeks ago, didn't come up with shit. If it's just one vampire, that's easy… I see em, they're dead. I'm more worried about the rest. It's like shitnis awakening. And…"
She trailed off, frowning. ”I ain't said cause I didn't wanna worry y'all, but there's been strange shit startin' in the mines too. Ain't anythin' solid yet, nobody dead but… I'm worried.”
“The animals been acting real strange the past two weeks,” Lucas added, and the farm hands all nodded their heads.
“And nothing seems to be bringing me joy over the past two weeks. My favorite food been bland, my favorite music isn’t hitting the way it used to, it’s probably related, yeah,” Blake added with a nod of his head.
“That sounds like depression,” Pastor John responded with a raised eyebrow.
“Is that what it is?”
“That’s not even the most concerning aspect, Bryn,” Pastor John responded as he flipped the board back around and grabbed a black marker. He drew a crude oval of the Appalachian mountain, a crude circle for their town and another for Cloverfield, and several smaller circles up and down the mountain range. He then drew several red arrows that all pointed to the coast. “I just got off a conference call with the other paranormal pastors of the mountain and they are all seeing the same thing. Something is pushing the existing paranormal elements away from the mountain,” Pastor John finally revealed with a stern voice, “and I’ve gotten word that some of these paranormal elements have already entered Cloverfield as well.”
"Shit, that means whatever it is that's pushin' ‘em is stronger." Bryn was frowning heavily now. "This ain't good. We gotta protect our town and the Grove, but we can't just protect ourselves. If it's all across and there's somethin' worse coming… well shit."
She frowned, looking over at Elara and Seren. "We gotta talk to our allies in Cloverfield too, much as I ain't fond of goin' into the city."
“If they’ll get off their asses,” Elara rolled her eyes at the thought, “I know how to contact Magic Mike so I’ll get in touch with him, Seren you have contacts in the lower district,,” Elara paused as she looked towards Pastor John, “do you think we’ll need it? We’ve defended this town before, we’ll do it again.”
“This is bigger. From what I can see we have about a month before the worst of it hits us dead on, and we’ll probably see incursions until then. It would be wise to make some friends in town and get them on board. At least get them to prepare for something that will hit them sooner rather than later,” Pastor John finished as he looked towards Elara and gave her a stern, godly stare.
“Alright,” Elara sighed, “whatcha think Seren, Bryn,” Elara looked over towards the two.
“If this is going to be as big as you said I can head over and talk to people in The Hollow. Can’t promise they’ll listen, last I heard they’re dealing with some shit of their own,” Seren paused their TikTok video to look up from their phone.
"I think it's good we got Seren for the Hollow cause their leaders doesn't like us," Bryn chuckled, remembering what had happened after they sealed Nyrah the Ravager… criminal bastard had wanted to undo all their hard work. "I agree we need the help. We ain't got the numbers we used to, Eri… we gotta be realistic."
She sighed, pulling out her phone - an old as fuck Nokia brick. "I'll contact Twin-Hill, see if I can visit ‘em later today. We gotta touch bases with Moriah anyway."
“Then get to it. The keepers have long protected the grove, and this town, so I’ll speak for everyone else and say we appreciate all that you do,” Pastor John finished as he returned to his seat.
“You got it,” Elara took a deep breath before she looked to Bryn, “think you can give me a lift into town after we check with Bill” Elara asked with a smile.
"Ay, I'll be goin' anyway," Bryn nodding, stretching their arms above their head. "So long as you can wait for me to get changed outta my work clothes."
As she said this she opened up her contacts, finding Moriah after a bit of scrolling. She rattled off a quick text: "shit bad mo b rnd l8r”. Pretty quickly she got a simple response, ‘k.’
"Well that's sorted."
Downtown North District: 09:00
Freya stood in the dim lighting of the front of her bakery, wiping the flour from her hands on the baby blue apron she wore. The aroma of freshly baked bread, pastries, and other goods filled the air and it was almost pleasant enough to distract her from her daily stress. She took a deep breath as she looked towards the front door, before she shook her arms to try and knock off the rust of her four hours of work. Freya knew that today would be the same as any that came before it yet each morning brought with it a new wave of fear and worry. What if her recipe grew boring? What if all her hard earned success was just an outlier, and her business was actually doomed to fail?
She went to work on the display case to calm her nerves. She arranged the variety of croissants to the perfect angels to show off their profile. The macarons were adjusted so their spacing was perfectly aligned with each other. And each and every tasty creation was placed in a way to entice those who see into their display case. The smell of the coffee brewing in the back caught her nose forcing a small smile across her face. While it was never the biggest reason someone came to her little bakery, having the option to make whatever drink a person would want did help bring the customers into the shop. Plus, the iced vanilla latte was always a hit with the young crowd who’d stop by after walking their dogs in the park and she knew that they’d get the blueberry galette as she didn’t do any traditional pup cups specifically to upsell these people on that tasty treat to share.
Freya stood up straight as she walked to the front door and looked out to the waking world outside. Her watch dinged. One minute left until open. Freya removed her apron and hung it up behind the counter. She walked back to the door. She could see a few regulars already lining up, namely the high powered financial bro James who was typically dour until his morning coffee and cinnamon roll but today it seemed he was extra jazzed as his smile crossed from ear to ear. Freya hoped that her workers were ready for this day.
Freya smiled, trying to match his energy, before her watch beeped once again. She unlocked the door as her open sign began to shine brightly inviting them all in.
The Circle - 09:00
As Gideon strolled through the quiet, chilly streets of the circle neighborhood the breath of the early morning fog lingered in the air. His worn boots crunched the frost kissed gravel underneath each step. Much like the rest of the week the forecast for the weather was wrong, instead of the low to mid fifties that were promised the temperatures continued to plummet and snow could be seen in the far distance blanketing the mountains. Still, the coolness of late November air was hitting Gideon extra hard today. But he could not show it.
As Gideon approached a driveway he saw Mrs. Jenkins pull the trashcan out to the curb for the next morning. “Mrs. J good morning, how are you holding up today? Kids on break yet,” Gideon spoke with a clear voice despite the cold. “We’re hanging in there like always, Gideon, and not yet! They have another month left,” Mrs. Jenkins responded with a warm smile. “If you need any help with their Christmas gifts you just come and tell me, okay,” Gideon pointed and smiled back with his devilish smile. Mrs. Jenkins waved him off while laughing.
Gideon continued down and saw a small group of kids playing loudly in a nearby park. As he walked past the group he pointed towards the kids. “Keep it down, unless you want to wake the whole neighborhood,” Gideon chuckled as he continued walking past them. The kids all recognized Gideon and waved at him before returning to their game. A few steps later his eyes caught a man emerging from the tree-line of the park. Gideon narrowed his eyes for a second before they opened completely again at the sight of Mr. Thompson walking his Great Dane. “Cold morning for a stroll,” Gideon said with a nod of his head, “I see he’s healed well from the surgery.” Gideon bent over and pet the dog, who licked his face in return. “All thanks to you, words can not convey my thanks for-“ the man paused as Gideon stood up and waved his hands from side to side. “Listen, we take care of each other here. Don’t mention it,” Gideon said as he waved goodbye and continued on his way.
As Gideon rounded the corner he smiled. Despite it all this was what he did all of this for. This community, these people, and the love they had despite their circumstances was a strength that he drew his power from. And he’d do anything to protect it. His eyes caught another person but their visage caused him to stop in his steps. It was David Smith. He was a popular teacher at Central Heights High School, which was the district that contained the circle and encompassed much of his territory. He was normally a happy man but today, today his smile was nearly ear to ear. He watched Gideon with a very curious look, almost like the way a predator looks at their prey from a distance. In his mind alarms started to go off, and he felt something pressing in on his emotional field. It felt like it was coming from everywhere but nowhere in particular. He placed a hand inside his coat, grabbing a hold of his pistol as he did.
”Mornin’ boss!” Vin appeared as if out of nowhere - though it wasn’t out of nowhere, rather they jumped down from a roof to Gideon’s right. They’d traveled here as a rat - it was faster and just more efficient. Especially when their niece had been extra fussy that morning and they’d left late… ”Ain’t you out a little early?”
Gideon kept his eyes on David even as Vin appeared. David tipped his haters and turned down the road and walked off. Gideon’s eyes did but leave his frame nor did his hand leave his gun until he was gone. “Figured it was a good time to start the day,” Gideon spoke finally as he turned towards Vin. “We need to send a crew to go check on David,” Gideon said as he tapped Vin on the shoulder, “think he’s having an apparition problem. You heading to the hollow? I’ll walk you the rest of the way there.”
”Course, I was on my way ‘cross the roofs and spotted you,” Vin easily lied. In actual fact they were Gideon’s escort - but they weren’t going to argue with the boss about something like that. They craned their neck as if they could still see David, tempted to change their eyes for a moment - then deciding to leave it. ”I’ll get someone on it soon as we get in- can’t be havin’ Apparitions runnin’ rampant. Maybe I should take a look. Ain’t anyone else that deals with ‘em like I do.”
“Yeah, I’m thinking the same thing. We’ll see who’s at the bar when we get there and send you with some company,” Gideon said with a smile, “let’s get moving. I do not like this cold, and I could use some breakfast.”
”Sure thing, boss, don’t want you catchin’ a cold, that’d fuckin’ suck,” Vin agreed, throwing their hands behind their head as they started to walk at a reasonable pace. They weren’t even wearing that thick a jacket, but they didn’t seem too bothered by the cold. ”Y’know, ain’t it a bit funny David might’ve been possessed on the ‘Lord’s’ day? Big fuck you to the religious with that.”
“The lord hasn’t been with our people. He can keep his day,” Gideon said back with a confident, booming voice. “Though let’s not make jokes about David. He’s still a beloved member of our community, we need to protect him and the others from the paranormal. It’s not like the PRA is doing anything to help the average person. If we weren’t paying them off they’d have come for us and tried to destroy what we’ve worked to build here” Gideon talked to Vin with the same kind voice one would expect out of a teacher.
”Got’it, y’know I hate the fuckin’ ghosts- and feds- more than anythin’,” Vin said, nodding slightly. Their tone was pretty nice - they clearly weren’t upset about being corrected. Wasn’t like they’d had much parental guidance growing up, but they took surprisingly well to teaching that came from Gideon. Mostly because they actually respected him. ”I’d destroy ‘em before they took us down, though. Those corrupt fucks ain’t got shit on us workin’ our magic in fights everyday.”
“Oh I know. Which is why I’m sending you. If something has taken over David and he’s beyond saving, I know you’ll be able to give him the mercy of a quick death,” Gideon paused as a grin spread across his face, “and if those corrupt fucks ever tried to come down here with ill intent our magic would be the least of their concerns.”
”I hope it don’t come to that,” Vin said with a slight frown, as they cracked their knuckles. ”With David. I’d love to beat those bastards till they’re screamin’ for mercy- if they ain’t dead by the time I get to them.”
“Good,” Gideon paused as he spotted his building just ahead. He ushered the two towards the door and opened it for Vin, before following them inside. The bar, while open, was nearly completely empty. There was Marco Alvarez behind the bar, he was pouring a shot for a man who looked down on his luck. Malik Johnson and Caleb Morgan were playing pool, and by the looks of it Malik was about to win yet another game as he lined up the eight ball with a corner pocket. Jack Sullivan was near the door, the ever present enforcer for these early hours. Besides that, the first floor part of the bar was rather empty. Gideon knew it would be busier once he got upstairs. “Malik, Caleb, you’re with Vin. David Smith, beloved teacher, may have an apparition problem.”
”He was gone before I gotta good sniff, so I dunno what we'll be walkin' into,” Vin said as they strode over to the bar, leaning over it. ”Gimme a shot of somethin', anythin', Marco. Y'know that shit fuels me.”
Marco smirked as he reached behind the bar and headed a bottle of the Balvenie Doublewood 12 and poured Vin a double shot of it before sliding the shot glass down the bar. As he did that, Gideon turned to Vin and gave her a knowing nod. He walked through the door next to the bar and began to walk up the stairs. There was a lot on the plate today and Gideon was ever ready to clear it.
In the middle of hell common sense would prevail..
In the aftermath of the cataclysm, Cloverfield lay in a fragile stillness, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and death. The warm spring sun filtered through the jagged remains of shattered skyscrapers, casting fractured shadows on the debris-strewn streets below. Every creak and groan of the leaning structures echoed like a lament, a mournful symphony of a city in mourning. Amidst the ruins, the cries of the injured and desperate pierced the air, mixing with the various sirens that rang out across the city. Flowers, brought forth by the many Green Lux’s featured in the battle, defiantly blooming in the cracks of the pavement, seemed to whisper hope amidst the chaos. Still, their beauty felt overshadowed by the overwhelming despair that hung over Cloverfield like a dark cloud.
Elara looked up from the flowers and over to where the monster’s vessel remained. There were several dozen adepts, adjoined, and various other magical beings all standing around it waiting to see if victory was found today or if another round of fighting was to come. Everyone waited with a bated breath for someone, or something, to guide their next move. She shifted her eyes over to a vast pool of acid. An hour ago her coven’s elders stood tall as they fought back against the horror that was unleashed on their city. An hour ago they were covered in the monster's acid and all that remained of them was a scar in the pavement that grew ever bigger as the acid ate through it, and the various bones that survived it. Elara knew that, at this moment, the leadership burden would fall to her, and a few others at her side, and she would need to prove that the Keepers of the Grove still stood tall despite this tragedy.
Across the way, Gideon, and a dozen gun-toting goons, all huddled up together. Gideon’s face is etched with the tolls of battle. The skin on his face has specks of blood, dirt, and other grime. His already pale skin is more pale as a thin layer of ash coats it, and the clothes that he wore. The dark circles under his eyes betray his exhaustion at first glance, however, if they were to linger for any longer than a moment one could tell that they burned with a fiery determination. His hands are all bloody and bruised, with streaks of red still dripping to the ground below. In them is a single M1911, with an ivory handle and silver barrel, and his hands gripped the pistol ever tighter as his eyes looked over towards where the monster remained. That monster had killed dozens of his friends, and countless others, and destroyed his beloved Lower District. His breathing increased as the grip of the gun began to squeal under the strain of his strength.
“That bitch needs to die,” Gideon shouted to the assembled masses, “now, you either stand aside and let me finish the mission or you will all get a bullet between the eyes,” spit flew out from Gideon’s chapped lips.
“And unleash that monster again? I know my education sucked but what the fuck are they teaching you magic-wise down south,” Elara shouted back as she looked over to Bryn. Elara’s face also showed the long night and terrible battle. Blood, soot, and ash all mixed on her face to create a thick layer of sludge that coated the lower half of her face. This same mixture caked her hair, and her eyes seemed to look far past whatever they rested on. A thick bruise, and noticeable swelling, forced her left eye to be in a constant squint while her lips had a cut that bisected them down the middle with a trail of blood that led down her chin and onto her neck. Her clothes sported various holes, and it was impossible to tell what she wore or what color it was under the layer of ash that coated it. Elara shifted her eyes over to where the Elders died, knowing full well they would need to find a way to retrieve the bones before they were gone. Elara shifted her eyes towards the North District and caught sight of a building swaying ominously in the wind, a soft but guttural groan of metal struggling filled the air as it did.
"Her body's the only thing keepin' that fuckin' thing trapped." Bryn stepped forward, putting herself at the forefront of the Grove members still standing. The ash that clung to her, and surrounded her, was just another weapon for her right now - as unfortunate and horrible as it was. So many dead… her expression was grim as she looked back at Elara, then over at Gideon. The ashes near his feet moved slightly, as if by the wind. "Don't start another fuckin' fight. Let's all retrieve our dead and fuckin' grieve, instead of killin' more."
“So what then,” Gideon paused as he pointed towards Princess, “she gets off without punishment? She invited in that monster, and now we get to just forget and not do anything,” Gideon paused as he scoffed, “that is bullshit. Do you know how many people she killed in the Lower District? Hmmm? I’ll tell you what. You guys either leave, and I’ll give you the option to fucking grieve away from here, or I’ll-”
A series of groans and creaks resonated through the air, the noise punctured by the sharp crack of steel and concrete giving way. The thunderous roar filled the air as a large building began to collapse a good distance away. The sound builds until it is more akin to a devastating avalanche before it finally gives way to the groan and rumble of the building settling on the ground. An ash and dust cloud rockets upward and outward from the building, coating the already-covered cityscape in yet another layer of a destroyed building.
Gideon watched this happen from a distance and closed his eyes at the sound of people wailing in fear. In his heart, he knew these girls were right. He could not kill the monster, at least yet, but that did not mean he’d let her get away without any punishment. “No killing her. Got it. What do we do with her then? I for one do not like the idea of a literal fucking nuke walking among us without something to keep her in check.”
Bryn frowned, not turning her head even as she saw the building fall in the distance. The devastation was something that would take years to recover from. And she understood - she wasn’t so forgiving after they’d lost so much. But at the same time, this was a child. "Then we watch her. But sealin’ ain’t easy to break."
She then shook her head. "She’s got that thing stuck in her now. Ain’t that punishment enough? Maybe you don’t get what it’s like to have a Ghost inside, but they ain’t quiet. It's trapped in her and she’s trapped with it. The rest of her life is gonna be reckonin’ with what she’s done."
“No one is going to let her forget,” Elara commented, “and no one is ever going to give her grace. As far as I’m concerned now that the threat is sealed this is done,” Elara commented as she shifted her eyes to the dust plume in the distance. You’d think that it would still hurt to see that devastation but at this point, what’s one more building?
“Fine. But if this shit happens again it’s on your souls,” Gideon paused as he holstered his weapon and his gang followed suit.
"Well he was a delight," Bryn snorted, narrowing her eyes at Gideon’s back. There wasn’t time to be bothered by it - and she’d been through enough in her life already to be unbothered by others' opinions like that. So she turned to Elara, inclining her head towards where the Elders had once been. Now only bones remained… "Do we try to take their bones? I could bring ‘em easily but… it would be as ashes."
“I can’t wait to get home and away from these city dicks. They’re liable to destroy us all. As far as I can tell you’re a leader now, Bryn, and our burial gal,” Elara chuckled as she coughed. The dust had gotten down into her lungs and she knew she’d need a deep bath in the grove after this to recover. “I will defer to your judgment.”
"Not how I wanted to become a leader… fellow leader," Bryn let out a slightly bitter laugh, wiping her brow. It didn’t do anything with the amount of ashes coating her, and her skin being sticky with sweat and blood. "I’ll do it here, and we’ll take ‘em with us to rest."
She walked over until she was in front of the puddle of acid. Her hands moved out in front of her, and she took a deep breath - only to cough as the dust clogged her lungs. "May you all rest in peace."
As she began to turn the bones to ashes, she murmured under her breath in an ancient language only taught to those in the Grove. The funeral rites she’d been learning thanks to her Abstraction… but she hadn’t expected to be in charge of it so soon. Before she became a leader, sure… now it was both at once. As the bones all turned to ashes they floated in the air, coated in flames of various colours. Then the fires were put out and only ashes remained, which Bryn carefully controlled over to her.
She turned to Elara with a weak smile. "Let’s go home."
The cold grip of late November settled over Raven’s Rest, as the Appalachian mountains as a whole were cloaked in a soft, white blanket of snow. Flurries danced through the air, swirling down from a slate-gray sky, settling gently on the evergreen trees that lined the narrow streets. The crisp wind carried a bite, rustling through the branches and sending a chill that crept into every corner of the small town. As evening approached, the fading light painted the landscape in hues of blue and silver, the world growing still under the weight of winter. Snowflakes landed silently, blanketing rooftops and sidewalks alike, transforming the familiar into a serene winter wonderland. Smoke curled from chimneys, punctuating the quiet with a promise of warmth within.
On the outskirts of this peaceful scene stood Bill’s Tattoo Shop, its neon “Open” sign flickering defiantly against the encroaching darkness. The warm glow spilled onto the snowy embankments. The shop, with its worn wooden exterior and eclectic décor, stood in contrast to the boarded-up buildings that flanked it and the lifeless street it stood on. Ever since the Cataclysm raged down in Cloverfield the town of Raven’s Rest had seen a flight of people. Many no longer found the mountain’s charm worthwhile when it meant you had to see everything that happened down in Cloverfield and everything that continued to happen. As well, many businesses found it difficult to keep their doors open as the normally consistent income brought in by visitors from far and wide was slashed due to the continual reconstruction efforts. Still, the far side of town would return to its former glory. A community like this did not let each other suffer. A community like this did not let each other fail. That is why Bill, a renowned tattoo artist, was still doing the work that he loved. In the past year and a half, he had seen the same faces he normally saw come in at a frequency unlike anything before. Some got whole sleeves done in a day and returned the next weekend for shading, and others kept coming back for flash tattoos that would only take an hour of his time but would get several on the days that he was slow.
Today Bill was slow, but he did not let get him down. As he sat in his tattoo chair he flicked between the days' mail, an overdue bill for his property insurance, an overdue electric bill, and finally an overdue bill for the water was his reading material. He scoffed at the amounts that these vultures charged, remembering the time before the City’s utilities were brought to the town. Back in those days, it was pennies on the dollar for water, gas, electricity, and even the internet. Sure, those days were only five years ago but it seemed like so much has happened it felt like decades. Now, now that the city was involved it seemed like everything was ten times as expensive. He reached over and grabbed his mug, filled with some Apple Pie Moonshine, before he took a sip. He tossed the bills onto the table as he pulled open his booking app and looked at the day ahead. Tomorrow, Elara would be coming in yet again. He was surprised that she had any skin left to tattoo after their last session but she had somehow found some on her back. She was a good tipper. And she’d either bring him some more of this delicious drink, or some food, as well. A small smile crept across his face as he closed the app.
*ding*ding*
The sound of the door opening forced a smile across his face. Maybe today wouldn’t be a waste after all. “Howdy friend, we’re closing in a minute but I can-,” Bill stopped talking as the smile fell from his face. At the door was a naked man, one who looked identical to Bill. From the birthmark that covered his right thigh to the exact length of hair, to the surprisingly large penis, and even the bags underneath the eye. The only difference Bill could see was the lack of tattoos across the mans body and the unearthly smile that crossed from ear to ear.
“Hello Bill,” the doppleganger spoke with his exact voice. A moment later it took an aggressive step towards Bill, who grabbed and threw the mug of Moonshine at the doppelganger's head, exploding into a hundred pieces as it did. A few of the pieces cut into the skin but no blood came out. Instead, the doppelganger smiled so wide it threatened to break the face it was attached to and took several more steps towards Bill. It grabbed Bill with a quick motion, picked him up, and tossed him across the shop.
As Bill slammed into the wall, the jolt kicked off his music system, which began belting out the Emo Time playlist on his device.
Bill rose up from the ground, small cuts and scrapes began to drip blood as he cracked his neck. He did not know what devil had entered his shop, but he knew he had one trick to help deal with them. He reached to his waist, pulled a Glock out of the holster, aimed at the Doppelganger, and matched its smile. He pulled the trigger but, as he did, his arm shifted the aim so the bullet missed by inches. Bill shifted his aim and pulled the trigger once more, yet something moved the barrel of the weapon so that the bullet missed once again. The smile fell from his face but not his determination. Bill pulled the trigger in rapid succession, sending bullet after bullet down range yet none would find a home in the creature and soon only the clicking of an empty weapon filled the air.
“Feel free to reload,” the Doppleganger joked as he took another step towards Bill.
Bill, sensing that it would not work, dropped the gun to the ground and grabbed a bat from the wall. The bat was mounted on a plaque with the inscription State Champions - Raven’s Rest Cardnials on it. Bill tapped the end of the bat against the wall, sending a sharp crack that reverberated through the air which was soon replaced by a dull thud. The smile returned to Bill’s face as he tapped the bat in his hand.
“I don’t know what you are, but you ain’t welcome in this town,” Bill paused as his eyes flashed an electric blue that snaked across it.
“Oh that hasn’t stopped us before,” the doppleganger joked back, “shall we?” The Doppleganger pointed towards the bat as its smile grew wider once again.
Bill lunged forward, the bat becoming engulfed in a vivid blue cackle of lightning. He readied a swing at the monster's head and swung, only for the bat to pass just inches above. The monster grabbed Bill by the shirt and lifted him up once more, lowering him down before shooting him back up sending him into the celing. Bones snapping filled the air as he hit it, and once again as he plummeted back to the ground. A moment later the Doppleganger grabbed ahold of his ankle and spun him like a doll in three circles around the room before releasing it’s grip sending him into the far wall once again. Bill ended up on his side on the ground, blood pouring from his mouth and a deep heavy cough that carried even more crimson with it. He did not get a moment to breathe, as the doppleganger once again grabbed him by the ankles and lifted him up only to slam him back down. As it released it’s grip, bill tried to crawl away but each motion felt like he was pulling himself through quicksand.
A gasp escaped his lips as the creature slammed both hands into his back. A second later Bill’s body began to convulse as all the color was drained from it, and as the convulsions stopped his skin grew tighter until it was sucked all the way up to the bones, which also gave way with a sickening pop as everything was consumed by the monster, leaving only the clothes off his back.
The creature stood up and smiled. It put on Bill’s clothes, and found both the bat and the gun. It picked up both and moved the gun towards the back of the store, but kept the bat in hand. It reached into its pockets and grabbed the phone, unlocking the Face ID with ease, and called emergency services. It rang for three seconds before the operator picked up.
“Nine one one, what is your emergency,” the female operator asked.
“Someone broke into my tattoo shop and tried to kill me.”
Elara jolted awake, her heart raced as the remnant of the nightmare hung over her thoughts like a thick cloud. Sweat dripped from her brow as she struggled to catch her breath, as the sound of collapsing concrete and metal snapping still filled her ears. The nightmare brought her into the building this time, instead of being blocks away like she was during the cataclysm. She experienced the building snapping and breaking, before it collapsed, and in its collapse she was flung to another building which also began to creak, and groan, before those sounds gave way to the sound of metal snapping and concrete crumbling. Her eyes darted across the room, searching for something that could ground her in the present. Yet the more she looked the more her vision felt like it could see the ash cloud coming towards her again, smell the heavy coating of blood and ash that coated her face, hear the screams of all the soon-to-be dead people, and feel the pain as she got struck with the debris once more.
Elara reached behind her and grabbed her pillow, her hands trembling as she did. She pulled the pillow into her chest with both arms and hugged it tightly into her chest. Tears began to stream down her face as she could no longer hold back the panic that was overtaking her. Her breathing became sharp and quick, and her grip around the pillow grew stronger. As she sat there she felt something jump into her bed. Her eyes darted up to see her fat orange cat Sebastian. He was sitting mere feet from her face. Elara knew that he sensed her fear, her sadness, and the terror that gripped her. She sniffled as he smiled. He was here to save her, and break her from the curse that had befallen her. Sebastian simply raised a paw up and batted at Elara’s nose, striking it with a single outstretched claw.
“Ow what the fuck,” Elara groaned as her hands let go of the pillow as she cupped her nose while all her senses returning to the present, “that hurt you fat fuck” Elara complained as she looked down at the cat who simply meowed as he pressed his body into Elara. Who needs therapy when you have a cat who’ll factory reset you when you are at your worst? Elara grabbed him and pulled him up to her chest, Sebastian protesting the move with a loud cry of displeasure. She held him tight as she twisted from side to side as she kissed his head numerous times. The cat began to squirm and Elara let him go. “You hungry already you adorable asshole,” Elara joked as she stretched her body as a groan escaped her lips. She threw off her blanket and stood up, stretching one more time as a large yawn escaped her lips. She was wearing an oversized tshirt and some boxers as she normally did, and her hair was a mess. Thus, Elara began her morning routine by brushing her teeth and taking a shower.
After taking the shower, and getting dressed, wearing dark blue denim jeans with a System of a Down t-shirt. She grabbed three logs and put them in the wood-burning stove that heated her trailer. The wood smoldered for a minute before it was engulfed in fire. She closed the grate before grabbing a stained brown jacket and throwing it on over her shirt. She walked over to the fridge, opened it, grabbed the fresh bag of deer jerky, and pulled out a few pieces. It would have to suffice for now, as she needed to restock her supplies. The sudden cold snap had ruined the vegetables that were not in her greenhouse but she was able to ensure that those that remained in it would survive, and a lot would be ready come Thanksgiving later in the week.
Elara knew she did not have time to dwell on the thought of that celebration. It was one of the three meeting days for the Keepers of the Grove. That meant that she had to make her way to church, and that meant she’d need to be ready once Seren rolled up. Elara pulled out her phone and looked at the time, it was eight fifteen in the morning and the meeting would be at nine, which meant that Seren would be pulling up in a matter of minutes. As such, Elara made sure that there was at least nothing on the concrete pad that was flammable to allow the stove to keep heating her home while she was gone. She also grabbed a case of her Apple Pie Moonshine and knew that the delay with her vegetables would require her to offer a replacement.
A second later a series of honks filled the air before being replaced by the telltale sound of tires on the loose gravel driveway. Seren was here.
Seren led the way into the church, they had their typical outfit with a button-up shirt, black pants, and an oversized jacket but they also kept their sunglasses on to hide the hungover look that their face carried. They had a half-finished ice latte in one hand and their phone open to TikTok in the other. They quickly found a place to sit down.
The Church was an easy meeting point away from the grove itself and allowed the group to have a space where they wouldn’t draw attention to the grove itself. It was an old church, dating back to the eighteenth century, that had served as the central community location for the town of Raven’s Rest. Currently, the keepers met in the common area of the church hall. There was a simple black fold-out poker table with several chairs strewn across it. At the head of the table sat Pastor John Michael. He was dressed in a black button-up shirt with a white collar. His sleeves were rolled up and he had a lit cigarette in his mouth. The man sported a well-maintained black beard, with black hair, and seemed to look a decade younger than his age of thirty-eight.
“So Seren, do I need to open the confessional early today or will you stop by at another time,” Pastor John smirked as he took in a drag of his cigarette, he spoke in reference to the night out that was evident on their face and body.
“Fuck off, father,” Seren groaned as they raised their middle finger.
Elara tossed the padre one of the jars of moonshine, before palming one and looking at Seren, “Ain’t you a bit young to be drinking” Elara joked as she slid the jar across the table to them.
“You try fighting a world-ending monster at seventeen and not having a small problem with alcohol,” Seren paused as they palmed the moonshine and put it in their bag.
“Ooo, what do I gotta do to get one of those?” Mari asked, sitting down beside Seren and not so subtly leaning over to try check whatever tiktoks they were watching. “Wanna love ballad or some shit? I can do that.”
“Fuck yes,” Seren grinned as they lowered their glasses.
“When your sister says you can,” Elara smirked as she wiggled one of the jars. “Speaking of, what schedule they on lately?”
“You shouldn’t ask that, the owners will change it on a whim,” James joked as he walked into the room, lit cigarette in his left hand. He was dressed in his typical dirty work attire, with stained jeans, a stained blue hoody, and his work hat still on. “You save one of them for me, Elara?”
“Oh of course love. This cold took away my garden so I brought up enough for everyone,” Elara grinned as she placed the jug down on the table.
“But not me?” Mari complained, pouting as she leaned back in her chair. She pulled out her phone, swapping to the shared family calendar where they all tried to put their shifts. Too many weird different ones to just remember. “Right now she's on five on, four off, night shift… so she should be here soon. Today's the last of the five too. Means she's gonna be extra grouchy and annoying, ugh.”
“So no different than normal,” James chuckled as he found a seat, “how are you doing today Pastor John?
“Every day is a good day thanks to the lord,” Pastor John joked as he took a drag from his cigarette, “Church speak for another day, another horror.”
“It ain't like anythin' changes around here,” Mari snorted, head inclining towards the Pastor. “Shit all day everyday-”
"You callin' the fuckin’ warm roof over your head and lovin' community shit, Marigold?" Bryn appeared out of nowhere - having managed to somehow slip in the door silently. Even more impressively she managed to look over her sister, even at only five-four. They were dressed in their work overalls, but with the top half pushed down and sleeves tied around their waist. It revealed the tank top underneath and their lithe muscles shone with sweat in the light. They'd pretty much come straight from the mines, after all.
“I ain't!” Mari turned her head around, nose scrunching up. “You couldn't've washed before comin'? Fuck, Bryn.”
"And waste time choppin' wood to heat up the fuckin' water cause someone used it all up? Nah. Ain't got time for that shit." Bryn snorted. They moved to sit beside Elara with a sigh, nodding to both James, Pastor John and Seren. They tilted their head towards Elara. "You need any wood cut? Gotta do a bunch for us anyway, may as well restock you too if you're runnin' low."
“Yes please,” Elara held up the next bottle of moonshine and placed it on the table in front of Bryn.
"Gotcha, I’ll get it done," Bryn grinned at Elara, taking the bottle and putting it on the table in front of her.
“Can I-”
"No," Bryn cut Mari off before she could get any further, turning her head to level her with a hard stare. "You ain’t old enough, and I ain’t dealin’ with that shit."
“But Seren gets some and they’re the same age as me!” Mari complained.
"Seren ain’t my baby sister, so they can do what they want," Bryn shrugged.
Mari pouted, leaning in towards Seren and whispering, “can I get a bit of yours? I’ll do anythin’.”
Seren shook her head no but secretly sent a text that said ‘ofc’ to Mari.
A moment later the doors opened once again as the vast majority of the remaining coven entered the building. The small group was led by tweedle dee and tweedle dum, Ethan Parker and Ryan Mitchell. The two were best friends from birth, as their parents were a part of the elders of the grove and as such they did everything together. That included working, partying, and the two recently bought a house together with their wives so that their children could grow up as close as they did. Both were coming from their overnight construction job so they had identical work boots and hoodies. If anyone in the grove needed something built these two are quick to offer their skills. Behind them was the ever present Blake Thompson, the grove mechanic. He had his typical jeans and shirt combo but spiced things up with a blue denim jacket with white fluff. Taking up the rear were the four ranch hands, Adam Sullivan, Kyle Anderson, Jason Caldwell, and Lucas Harrington. They all found seats at the table and many grabbed a jar. There were several open seats still available for the members that would be likely unable to make it today.
“So what’s new,” Ethan asked.
“Anything we need to be on the lookout for,” Ryan finished.
“You guys hear about Bill,” Blake added as he took a sip from the already open jar, “oh that’s got the good kick, thank you as always Elara.”
"No, the fuck happened to Bill?" Bryn asked, folding their arms and looking over at Blake.
“From my buddy at the police department it sounds like someone tried to kill him last night. Lights and sirens hours last night. Bill fired all the bullets from his gun, and somehow missed every shot,” Blake finished as he shrugged, “haven’t heard from him since yesterday in the morning but figured I’d bring it up.”
“It was on the agenda,” Pastor John revealed as he took another drag of his cigarette before putting it out in the ashtray.
“And he missed every shot,” Elara raised an eyebrow.
“I have him out on the farm once a month, he’s a better shot than I,” Adam rubbed his chin, “think it was someone he knew?”
"Fuck, must've been, I ain't known Bill to miss," Bryn shook her head, pressing a hand against her forehead. This was the pain with working in the mines - if shit happened while she was down there she didn't hear about it till she was back up. "Ain't any point guessin', you got plans after this, Elara? If not let's go check on him."
“I’m on the books with him after the meeting so-,”
“Another tattoo? Do you even have skin left for another one,” Pastor John sighed, “I ain’t gonna turn this into a sermon but maybe you should consider actual therapy,” Pastor John chuckled.
“I think Elara looks fantastic with all her tattoos, power to you,” Jason chuckled.
“So let’s stop by right after this meeting and see how he’s doing,” Elara finished the thought.
"Only therapy we need is the Lord and a buncha tattoos," Bryn snorted, looking at Pastor John with a sarcastic smile. ”Well, that's that. We'll head round soon as we're done and make sure he ain't need any kinda protection."
“At least shower first,” Mari commented, wrinkling her nose.
Bryn just waved her off. "Anyone else showin', or this it today?"
“Well if there’s any stragglers I’m sure you’ll be able to loop ‘em’ in,” Pastor John paused as he stood up and stretched. He walked over to a whiteboard. “We’ve had some concerning developments since Friday,” Pastor John paused as he spun the board around revealing a surprisingly detailed satellite map of the town and surrounding area. To the west of the town there were various red circles. They seemed to form a line that stretched above and below the western flank of the city. “This was two weeks ago. As you might recall, these were suspected vampire attacks,” Pastor John paused as he grabbed a ruler and tapped on the corresponding red circles, “these were suspected paranormal attacks,” Pastor John pointed at several more, “since then,” Pastor John once again paused as he put the ruler down and grabbed a red marker and the air was filled with it’s squeak for several seconds, “suspected werewolf packs, additional vampire attacks, more paranormal assaults and,” Pastor John grabbed the ruler and tapped on the town itself on the map, “this wave is coming right towards us,” Pastor John paused as he tapped the ruler in his hand.
“From the look of the map alone it seems like we’re about to take the brunt of whatever paranormal attack coming our way, right,” Pastor John asked the group.
"Right." Bryn narrowed their eyes at the board. It didn't look good, and it had just kept getting worse. "I tried investigating the attacks two weeks ago, didn't come up with shit. If it's just one vampire, that's easy… I see em, they're dead. I'm more worried about the rest. It's like shitnis awakening. And…"
She trailed off, frowning. ”I ain't said cause I didn't wanna worry y'all, but there's been strange shit startin' in the mines too. Ain't anythin' solid yet, nobody dead but… I'm worried.”
“The animals been acting real strange the past two weeks,” Lucas added, and the farm hands all nodded their heads.
“And nothing seems to be bringing me joy over the past two weeks. My favorite food been bland, my favorite music isn’t hitting the way it used to, it’s probably related, yeah,” Blake added with a nod of his head.
“That sounds like depression,” Pastor John responded with a raised eyebrow.
“Is that what it is?”
“That’s not even the most concerning aspect, Bryn,” Pastor John responded as he flipped the board back around and grabbed a black marker. He drew a crude oval of the Appalachian mountain, a crude circle for their town and another for Cloverfield, and several smaller circles up and down the mountain range. He then drew several red arrows that all pointed to the coast. “I just got off a conference call with the other paranormal pastors of the mountain and they are all seeing the same thing. Something is pushing the existing paranormal elements away from the mountain,” Pastor John finally revealed with a stern voice, “and I’ve gotten word that some of these paranormal elements have already entered Cloverfield as well.”
"Shit, that means whatever it is that's pushin' ‘em is stronger." Bryn was frowning heavily now. "This ain't good. We gotta protect our town and the Grove, but we can't just protect ourselves. If it's all across and there's somethin' worse coming… well shit."
She frowned, looking over at Elara and Seren. "We gotta talk to our allies in Cloverfield too, much as I ain't fond of goin' into the city."
“If they’ll get off their asses,” Elara rolled her eyes at the thought, “I know how to contact Magic Mike so I’ll get in touch with him, Seren you have contacts in the lower district,,” Elara paused as she looked towards Pastor John, “do you think we’ll need it? We’ve defended this town before, we’ll do it again.”
“This is bigger. From what I can see we have about a month before the worst of it hits us dead on, and we’ll probably see incursions until then. It would be wise to make some friends in town and get them on board. At least get them to prepare for something that will hit them sooner rather than later,” Pastor John finished as he looked towards Elara and gave her a stern, godly stare.
“Alright,” Elara sighed, “whatcha think Seren, Bryn,” Elara looked over towards the two.
“If this is going to be as big as you said I can head over and talk to people in The Hollow. Can’t promise they’ll listen, last I heard they’re dealing with some shit of their own,” Seren paused their TikTok video to look up from their phone.
"I think it's good we got Seren for the Hollow cause their leaders doesn't like us," Bryn chuckled, remembering what had happened after they sealed Nyrah the Ravager… criminal bastard had wanted to undo all their hard work. "I agree we need the help. We ain't got the numbers we used to, Eri… we gotta be realistic."
She sighed, pulling out her phone - an old as fuck Nokia brick. "I'll contact Twin-Hill, see if I can visit ‘em later today. We gotta touch bases with Moriah anyway."
“Then get to it. The keepers have long protected the grove, and this town, so I’ll speak for everyone else and say we appreciate all that you do,” Pastor John finished as he returned to his seat.
“You got it,” Elara took a deep breath before she looked to Bryn, “think you can give me a lift into town after we check with Bill” Elara asked with a smile.
"Ay, I'll be goin' anyway," Bryn nodding, stretching their arms above their head. "So long as you can wait for me to get changed outta my work clothes."
As she said this she opened up her contacts, finding Moriah after a bit of scrolling. She rattled off a quick text: "shit bad mo b rnd l8r”. Pretty quickly she got a simple response, ‘k.’
"Well that's sorted."
Downtown North District: 09:00
Freya stood in the dim lighting of the front of her bakery, wiping the flour from her hands on the baby blue apron she wore. The aroma of freshly baked bread, pastries, and other goods filled the air and it was almost pleasant enough to distract her from her daily stress. She took a deep breath as she looked towards the front door, before she shook her arms to try and knock off the rust of her four hours of work. Freya knew that today would be the same as any that came before it yet each morning brought with it a new wave of fear and worry. What if her recipe grew boring? What if all her hard earned success was just an outlier, and her business was actually doomed to fail?
She went to work on the display case to calm her nerves. She arranged the variety of croissants to the perfect angels to show off their profile. The macarons were adjusted so their spacing was perfectly aligned with each other. And each and every tasty creation was placed in a way to entice those who see into their display case. The smell of the coffee brewing in the back caught her nose forcing a small smile across her face. While it was never the biggest reason someone came to her little bakery, having the option to make whatever drink a person would want did help bring the customers into the shop. Plus, the iced vanilla latte was always a hit with the young crowd who’d stop by after walking their dogs in the park and she knew that they’d get the blueberry galette as she didn’t do any traditional pup cups specifically to upsell these people on that tasty treat to share.
Freya stood up straight as she walked to the front door and looked out to the waking world outside. Her watch dinged. One minute left until open. Freya removed her apron and hung it up behind the counter. She walked back to the door. She could see a few regulars already lining up, namely the high powered financial bro James who was typically dour until his morning coffee and cinnamon roll but today it seemed he was extra jazzed as his smile crossed from ear to ear. Freya hoped that her workers were ready for this day.
Freya smiled, trying to match his energy, before her watch beeped once again. She unlocked the door as her open sign began to shine brightly inviting them all in.
The Circle - 09:00
As Gideon strolled through the quiet, chilly streets of the circle neighborhood the breath of the early morning fog lingered in the air. His worn boots crunched the frost kissed gravel underneath each step. Much like the rest of the week the forecast for the weather was wrong, instead of the low to mid fifties that were promised the temperatures continued to plummet and snow could be seen in the far distance blanketing the mountains. Still, the coolness of late November air was hitting Gideon extra hard today. But he could not show it.
As Gideon approached a driveway he saw Mrs. Jenkins pull the trashcan out to the curb for the next morning. “Mrs. J good morning, how are you holding up today? Kids on break yet,” Gideon spoke with a clear voice despite the cold. “We’re hanging in there like always, Gideon, and not yet! They have another month left,” Mrs. Jenkins responded with a warm smile. “If you need any help with their Christmas gifts you just come and tell me, okay,” Gideon pointed and smiled back with his devilish smile. Mrs. Jenkins waved him off while laughing.
Gideon continued down and saw a small group of kids playing loudly in a nearby park. As he walked past the group he pointed towards the kids. “Keep it down, unless you want to wake the whole neighborhood,” Gideon chuckled as he continued walking past them. The kids all recognized Gideon and waved at him before returning to their game. A few steps later his eyes caught a man emerging from the tree-line of the park. Gideon narrowed his eyes for a second before they opened completely again at the sight of Mr. Thompson walking his Great Dane. “Cold morning for a stroll,” Gideon said with a nod of his head, “I see he’s healed well from the surgery.” Gideon bent over and pet the dog, who licked his face in return. “All thanks to you, words can not convey my thanks for-“ the man paused as Gideon stood up and waved his hands from side to side. “Listen, we take care of each other here. Don’t mention it,” Gideon said as he waved goodbye and continued on his way.
As Gideon rounded the corner he smiled. Despite it all this was what he did all of this for. This community, these people, and the love they had despite their circumstances was a strength that he drew his power from. And he’d do anything to protect it. His eyes caught another person but their visage caused him to stop in his steps. It was David Smith. He was a popular teacher at Central Heights High School, which was the district that contained the circle and encompassed much of his territory. He was normally a happy man but today, today his smile was nearly ear to ear. He watched Gideon with a very curious look, almost like the way a predator looks at their prey from a distance. In his mind alarms started to go off, and he felt something pressing in on his emotional field. It felt like it was coming from everywhere but nowhere in particular. He placed a hand inside his coat, grabbing a hold of his pistol as he did.
”Mornin’ boss!” Vin appeared as if out of nowhere - though it wasn’t out of nowhere, rather they jumped down from a roof to Gideon’s right. They’d traveled here as a rat - it was faster and just more efficient. Especially when their niece had been extra fussy that morning and they’d left late… ”Ain’t you out a little early?”
Gideon kept his eyes on David even as Vin appeared. David tipped his haters and turned down the road and walked off. Gideon’s eyes did but leave his frame nor did his hand leave his gun until he was gone. “Figured it was a good time to start the day,” Gideon spoke finally as he turned towards Vin. “We need to send a crew to go check on David,” Gideon said as he tapped Vin on the shoulder, “think he’s having an apparition problem. You heading to the hollow? I’ll walk you the rest of the way there.”
”Course, I was on my way ‘cross the roofs and spotted you,” Vin easily lied. In actual fact they were Gideon’s escort - but they weren’t going to argue with the boss about something like that. They craned their neck as if they could still see David, tempted to change their eyes for a moment - then deciding to leave it. ”I’ll get someone on it soon as we get in- can’t be havin’ Apparitions runnin’ rampant. Maybe I should take a look. Ain’t anyone else that deals with ‘em like I do.”
“Yeah, I’m thinking the same thing. We’ll see who’s at the bar when we get there and send you with some company,” Gideon said with a smile, “let’s get moving. I do not like this cold, and I could use some breakfast.”
”Sure thing, boss, don’t want you catchin’ a cold, that’d fuckin’ suck,” Vin agreed, throwing their hands behind their head as they started to walk at a reasonable pace. They weren’t even wearing that thick a jacket, but they didn’t seem too bothered by the cold. ”Y’know, ain’t it a bit funny David might’ve been possessed on the ‘Lord’s’ day? Big fuck you to the religious with that.”
“The lord hasn’t been with our people. He can keep his day,” Gideon said back with a confident, booming voice. “Though let’s not make jokes about David. He’s still a beloved member of our community, we need to protect him and the others from the paranormal. It’s not like the PRA is doing anything to help the average person. If we weren’t paying them off they’d have come for us and tried to destroy what we’ve worked to build here” Gideon talked to Vin with the same kind voice one would expect out of a teacher.
”Got’it, y’know I hate the fuckin’ ghosts- and feds- more than anythin’,” Vin said, nodding slightly. Their tone was pretty nice - they clearly weren’t upset about being corrected. Wasn’t like they’d had much parental guidance growing up, but they took surprisingly well to teaching that came from Gideon. Mostly because they actually respected him. ”I’d destroy ‘em before they took us down, though. Those corrupt fucks ain’t got shit on us workin’ our magic in fights everyday.”
“Oh I know. Which is why I’m sending you. If something has taken over David and he’s beyond saving, I know you’ll be able to give him the mercy of a quick death,” Gideon paused as a grin spread across his face, “and if those corrupt fucks ever tried to come down here with ill intent our magic would be the least of their concerns.”
”I hope it don’t come to that,” Vin said with a slight frown, as they cracked their knuckles. ”With David. I’d love to beat those bastards till they’re screamin’ for mercy- if they ain’t dead by the time I get to them.”
“Good,” Gideon paused as he spotted his building just ahead. He ushered the two towards the door and opened it for Vin, before following them inside. The bar, while open, was nearly completely empty. There was Marco Alvarez behind the bar, he was pouring a shot for a man who looked down on his luck. Malik Johnson and Caleb Morgan were playing pool, and by the looks of it Malik was about to win yet another game as he lined up the eight ball with a corner pocket. Jack Sullivan was near the door, the ever present enforcer for these early hours. Besides that, the first floor part of the bar was rather empty. Gideon knew it would be busier once he got upstairs. “Malik, Caleb, you’re with Vin. David Smith, beloved teacher, may have an apparition problem.”
”He was gone before I gotta good sniff, so I dunno what we'll be walkin' into,” Vin said as they strode over to the bar, leaning over it. ”Gimme a shot of somethin', anythin', Marco. Y'know that shit fuels me.”
Marco smirked as he reached behind the bar and headed a bottle of the Balvenie Doublewood 12 and poured Vin a double shot of it before sliding the shot glass down the bar. As he did that, Gideon turned to Vin and gave her a knowing nod. He walked through the door next to the bar and began to walk up the stairs. There was a lot on the plate today and Gideon was ever ready to clear it.
She/Her | 23 | multiracial | 5’1 | 113 lbs _______________________________________________ Struggling _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "The thing about living in the mountains is you either learn a thing or two about a thing or two or you’ll never survive." ___________________________________
I can fix that ⫻ Elara has had to become proficient and repairing and fixing anything and everything. While she is no expect, she can pull apart and repair a lot of common problems for most of her devices and especially her motorcycle I can grow that ⫻ Taught from a young age the value of sustainability. As such, Elara maintains a garden that supplies herself with various vegetables, and her special herb. I can brew that ⫻ As is tradition in the mountains, Elara has the ability to brew a batch of moonshine when needed.
Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I will stop by Billy’s today and get another tattoo. Lord knows it won’t fix me but I’m willing to give it another try."
Elara is short, thin, and outside of her prominent hips she does not have many curves. Her body is well proportioned, and if and were any taller she probably could have made a killing in the modeling world. Despite her stature Elara Carrie’s herself with confidence. Her body is lean, but muscular, and her head held constantly high.
Her body is adorned with over a hundred tattoos. From the large pieces that completely cover her chest and breasts, to the completed sleeves that dot her arms, hands, legs, feet, and with none more visible than the various face and neck tattoos that frame her face. She has more skin covered in tattoos than open, and she is openly considering covering more of her face if time and money allow. As well, she has multiple piercings. Her nostril, and ears are pierced and her ears are beginning to fill in with jewelry. She also has her nipples and her belly button pierced.
It’s hard for people to place a pin on Elara’s ethnicity. The Appalachian mountains have always been a melting pot of different groups, and she is simply the product of that environment. Both of her parents were multiracial, and their parents were multiracial. While she is just a few shades more tan than a typical white person by nature, she has still been exposed to the worst that the south has to offer over her look.
Elara is the type of girl to forgo makeup. While she can put on a face, and does any time she travels to the North Side, she really does enjoy doing so. She has naturally clear skin thanks to her exposure to the grove of vitality, and she thinks that makeup is a colossal waste of time. Her sense of fashion is much the same. Her typical outfit is a worn out tank top with various holes and stains etched into the fabric. She likes to wear band shirts, and these are kept in at least a more consistent state of disrepair than the tanks. In the warmer months she’ll wear denim shorts, in the colder months denim pants. She does have an affinity for the boyfriend jeans cut with pants all the same. When she travels to the North Side she may dress up. She has a small, but growing collection of ‘fancy clothes’ that are considered out of style but she’ll be able to at least look the part if the need arises.
Psychology ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Listen, life is simple when you live by the golden rules. Be kind to others but don’t let them mistake your kindness for weakness."
MAIN GOAL ⫻ Elara has two goals in life. Her first goal is to always be comfortable enough to be able to live nicely, and to be strong enough to protect those close to her. Ever since the cataclysm she’s been one of the leaders of her coven, and she wants to make sure that this small group is protected and cared for. This extends to her personal life. She doesn't want much in terms of material wealth, but if she can create a space where she rarely wants for something the better she will feel about it.
PHILOSOPHY ⫻ Hard work is the key to success. Life in the mountains can be hard. You don’t get the same opportunities that those in the city get and as such you have to build your own.
SECRETS ⫻ Elara has taken one person to the grove without the coven knowing. They were bleeding, and would have died if not for the vitality magic of the grove.
SEXUALITY ⫻ Straight but a little bi-curious
FEARS ⫻ That the strange monsters that have begun to pop up in the mountains are a sign of something worse to come. The Tomes tell of an ancient evil locked away in the mountain. Although the details of this threat are vague, Elara believes that there may be truth to these legends.
WHAT DID THEY DO DURING THE CATACLYSM? ⫻ Elara helped fight during the cataclysm. She used her abstraction to provide support from afar and used her teleportation to transport wounded warriors to the healing crews.
FLAWS ⫻ Elara is naive. Despite everything she truly believes there is good in everyone. As such, she has never met an attractive man she did but think she could fix. As well, she may open herself and the grove to outside threats because she may trust the wrong person.
Backstory ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "We had a simple enough life. I wish it could go back to what it was."
Elara was born and raised in the mining community of Ravens Rest nestled deep in the mountains over Cloverfield. Her mother and father were both adept’s, and magic was as much apart of her life as anything else even before she kindled. She went to school, a rather small but close knit education system and her graduation class would end up being only thirty people in total. When she was walking home from a friend's house she had a chance encounter with a terrible aberration whose glamor drew her in. Once it revealed its true form, and she kindled, she tried to fight back but was outmatched at every turn. She managed to teleport away and landed at the front of her house half dead, where she was discovered by her parents. Her memory goes blank and she remembers the presence of some old dog as her eyes lost their vision.
She awoke in the grove. All her wounds were healed and she was pulled into the arms of her parents. It was here that she was told the truth of her family, and how their history was one of resistance, protection, and magic. She expressed interest in continuing that tradition and was brought into the covens ranks at the young age of twelve. She would spend the rest of her teenage years studying both the magic and the mundane, often feeling pulled one way or the other depending on the day. When she graduated she found work in the community where she could, and with the help of her parents she bought her own small cottage at twenty years old.
The next three years Elara learned all of the rituals for the grove, falling in and out of love, and expanding on her home garden. When the cataclysm hit her parents and the rest of the grove leadership knew that they had to help fight, but forbade the grove from being used to help heal. It was in the final battle that the entire leadership, and all the elders, were killed. She did not have any time to mourn during the battle as she knew she had to do what she could to help end the threat once and for all.
In the year and a half since she, and the rest of the grove, have attempted to return to some normalcy. She’s been more involved in the politics of the mountains and has been raising the alarm about the return of monsters
Abstraction ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ " I’ve been using a bow since I was a kid. Do you think I’ll miss, or do you hope I will?"
TYPE ⫻ Adept
ABSTRACTION ⫻ Elara is a red purple adept who can shoot elemental arrows from a magic bow she generates, and also can shoot purple lux infused magic arrows to teleport.
ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ Elara can summon a magic bow. The bow itself is a vivid white color and sparks and shifts uncontrollably, arching to the ground with streaks of elemental magic. When Elara pulls the bowstring back it creates a magical arrow of her choice. The magical arrow can do one of a few different things.
Fire Arrow:
Elara summons a fiery hot arrow that is blazing hot. Fires dance off the arrow both before it is loose and when it flies. The fire arrow is an area of attack tool that engulfs the area of impact and surrounding area in a sea of fire. The fire is magical and has no direct way of getting through a strong emotional field but prolonged exposure to it will burn the target. The fire acts like a liquid and can coat a five foot radius in this inferno.
Lightning Arrow:
If Elara's target is more well defended she can conjure an arrow of lightning. The lightning is cackling even as it’s drawn and once it impacts it shoots lightning tendrils into the target. The attack is limited to the point of impact and has no crowd control opportunities. The lightning penetrates emotional fields and contemporary armor.
Ice Arrow:
As a fight develops Elara can limit an opponent with an ice area. If the ice arrow hits a target they will become encased in ice, and find them weighed down by it. This ice is magically heavy, and will force the target to deal with it or quickly lose energy.
Water Arrow:
Sometimes you need to fight with the strength of a coursing river. When Elara fires this arrow it covers a ten foot area in a half foot of water. Obviously this may not last long, but it is enough to get an area wet and the initial impact of the arrow has the most force.
Combination Arrow:
If the need arises Elara can combine three different elemental arrows together. Fire and Water will create a smokescreen of steam, scalding those caught in it. Lightning and water will create a shocking pool that will stun those caught in it. Ice and water will create an ice rink with a magically slick surface that will cause any and all to slip and fall.
Teleportation Arrow:
Elara will often need to reposition. She can shoot a purple arrow that will transport her to wherever it lands. She can pull the arrow off the string and use it to mark a circle around her or an object to mark an area to teleport. It will teleport to wherever the arrow lands so she’ll be to ensure accuracy.
LIMITS ⫻
Elara only has one spell that will be effective against stronger apparitions. As such she’ll be to a more supportive role against these threats.
Her arrows are not magically enhanced to hit a target so she’ll need to ensure she aims well.
She’s immune to the arrows before their spells are activated, not after. As such, she must stay away from the various spells to avoid hurting herself.
WEAKNESSES ⫻ The elemental forces behind her arrows are easily countered by their opposite elements. Fire is weak to water, steam is weak to wind, and ice is weak to fire. As well, while she may be immune to the effects of the arrow while on the bow string this will not last forever. The more age uses her ability the less she’ll be able to resist the elements.
The teleportation arrow will teleport her exactly where it lands. This means that if it hits a building at a ninety degree angle she will teleport to the same spot feet on the building at a ninety degree angle. This is the same if she transports just herself, or others, so Elara will need to be accurate to ensure she’s not putting herself at risk.
Other ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I just brewed a batch, want to get drunk?"
Anyyyything else?
"I find it ironic. Defending this place all the while I could burn it all to the ground"
They/Them | 19 | Italian | 5’3 | 127 lbs _______________________________________________ Rage _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents " This entity wants me to be an agent of destruction. I will learn how to make it one of life." ___________________________________
Connections in places high and low ⫻ Before Seren joined accepted their birthright in the coven they were a social butterfly who quickly made friends with people on both sides of the river. A dab or two ⫻ Seren is always ready for a smoke sesh. When they’re out and about you have an equal chance to pull a marijuana cigarette as you do a regular one from their pack.
Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Why do you care so much about my style? Kinda cringe bro."
Seren is not the tallest of women but they makes up for it with a surprisingly busty chest and wide hips. They tend to slouch their shoulders, and this makes them look a little shorter than they actually are. They keep their hair its natural dark brown color but typically wear it in a shag style. Seren can be lazy with the styling so some days it looks amazing and other days they look like crap
Seren is half Italian, the other half is a bit of everything. They were born in Italy, thus getting them that coveted dual citizenship status. Their skin is a darker olive tone, their hair is naturally curly, and they have the ability to tan extremely well. They are still deciding if they want to commit to a tattoo or not, and have been talking it over with the other members of the grove. As well, they’re still considering if they want to get some piercings. As of now they do not have any but they think they’ll look very cute with a septum.
Their fashion is one that is simple. They tend to wear baggy pants with the cuffs rolled up. They always have button up shirts that are always thrifted. And they have a wide assortment of rings and bracelets that are always present but never the same mix. When the weather starts getting more chilly they bring out their prized possession: their Red Bull Racing jacket. It is several sizes too big, and it once belonged to their father before he died in the cataclysm.
If the need ever arises they can change up their style and go full masculine, with tucked in stylish button up shirts and a binder. If they go full feminine they’ll wear skin tight dresses and a full face of makeup.
Psychology ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I never wanted any of this. I could be Italy drinking on the beach but no. I’m stuck up this mountain."
MAIN GOAL ⫻ Seren has ahead wanted to be independent of their family and this goal has carried through to where they are right now. None of the inheritance went to them, and as such they are going to need to work to establish themself and then get out of the city.
PHILOSOPHY ⫻ Existence is pain and it was a mistake to be born. Their whole life was dedicated to a vision of the future and they were forcibly adjoined to the apparition Cinder at a young age. As such, they have a cynical view of the world and the people within them.
SECRETS ⫻ Three years ago a massive blaze destroyed a small section of the lower district. The district blames the developers from across the river for it and it ignited a city wide protest that lasted months. In truth, it was Seren. They were lost, and scared, and it was this fear that triggered a Wave of Fire that instantly ignited the buildings. The culprit is still wanted, and a reward is offered for leads.
SEXUALITY ⫻ Queer
FEARS ⫻ That they are destined to lose control and bring Cinder to the world.
Their crime will be revealed to the world and that they will spend time behind bars.
That they’re destined to exist in a state of perpetual poverty and that they’ll never be able to live the life of their dreams. WHAT DID THEY DO DURING THE CATACLYSM? ⫻ Seren hid away from the fight for the most part but did participate in the fighting in the final days.
FLAWS ⫻ Seren is highly opinionated and is not afraid to speak their mind. They have also learned to weaponize their emotions. They are emotionally immature and will not make amends when they’re wrong.
Backstory ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ " Born to be a monster. Raised to be a monster. I don’t think you know what that was like."
Seren was born in Calabria, Italy. Her father is an Italian man who married a woman from Cloverfield, and the two decided to make sure that their kids had the same opportunities in both countries. Their early childhood was unremarkable. It was pleasant but nothing really happened until they were seven. Their mother was a member of a coven known as the Keepers of the Grove and had seen a great evil in the leaves. They also saw that their child would play a pivotal role in stopping it and as such they forced their eyes open and then adjoined them to the powerful apparition Cinder.
They do not remember much outside of the training, the pain, and the lack of friends. They were homeschooled until they gained control over the apparition. Many of the elders had to lend their magic to help the young child through this turbulent time period. They were socially stunted for a long time as a result of this but Seren worked hard and managed to make up for lost time and become one of the more popular kids at school by the time that they graduated.
After Highschool expectations were high for Seren. They were supposed to go to the prestige Clovercity University, study, and practice their skills. Instead, they decided to come out as a transmasculine individual. Immediately they were cut off by their religious family, the money that was banked away for their tuition was rescinded, and they were forced out with a court order and forced to fend for themself.
The lower district welcomed them with open arms. They quickly established themself in the local queer community, found housing, and then found a job, and then signed up for their first year at the Nimtaké Community College. They were getting ready for their second semester when the cataclysm occurred. They originally ran to the hills and hid, but once word got to them that their parents and the other elders were going to fight they joined to finally show their worth. They survived, but the leadership did not. In the aftermath, they were approached by Elara who offered them a permanent place at the Keepers of the Grove. They knew the rest of their birthright was taken from them, and that their parents wealth would only flow to their younger sibling, but they at least ensured that they would take the thing that was most important to their mother from them.
Abstraction ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "When you burn you’ll be one with the fire forever"
TYPE ⫻ Adjoined
ABSTRACTION ⫻ Seren is Adjoined to Cinder, an apparition who grows stronger and hotter the more souls it consumes.
ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ Seren is Adjoined to Cinder, a primordial Apparition whose goal is to bathe the world in fire in order to allow it to be reborn anew. It does this by absorbing the life force, and soul if present. As it absorbs the stronger its own fire grows. The power is also tied to the emotions of Seren, specifically their fear. It will activate in a form of self defense if needed. The souls that are stolen with this magic are forever trapped in an eternal plane of fire. As well, if they themself take fatal damage they’ll be encased in a cocoon of fire and be reborn an hour later, draining the stored soul energy of Cinder.
Smolder:
The most basic ability, Smolder is a living beam of fire that can snake across an area. Currently if this beam hits a target it will be hot enough to cause burns within a few seconds of exposure. As well, it will sap away at the energy of the target.
Fire Lance:
Seren can point a single finger out, and often does so with a finger gun, and shoot a single intense streak of fire. The fire will burn but it’s a more directed and concentrated attack on the life force and soul of a target. On impact, red lines will spread across the body of the target. These streaks will last three seconds and will drain the energy rapidly during its duration.
Fire Wall:
If the need arises Seren can bathe every object in a one hundred foot radius. This spell requires Seren to charge up, and during it objects will progressively get hotter until they reach their combustion point. As Cinder grows in strength so too will the radius. Eventually, if a critical mass of souls are stored, Cinder could even cover the entire planet with this spell. After the fires burn, life will begin to sprout from the smoldering ash. A building that is ignited will soon begin to grow all forms of new plant life.
LIMITS ⫻
Cinder’s strength is tied to the stored souls. As Seren has refused to fuel the fire they’ll forever be limited.
WEAKNESSES ⫻
Cinder needs a reserve of energy to function properly and thus, Seren will need to drain the life force or soul of plants, animals, or people to function. As well, the process of collect this energy is addictive. Seren will eventually want to start consuming energy in this fashion and will become a liability.
Cinder will also push for Seren to do this every day. It will cry, complain, and bemoan for hours at a time until Seren relents and takes some life force. The more she relents the stronger Cinder grows, and the stronger Cinder grows the more control they will have.
Other ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Can we, like, not do this?"
Anyyyything else?
"Either we find some common ground, or I bury you six feet under it. Choice is yours."
_______________________________________________ Gideon Darren Cross
He/Him | 57 | Vaguely European | 6’4 | 232 lbs _______________________________________________ Control _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "I have built an empire from nothing more than my own blood, sweat, and tears. Imagine what I can build with my fortune behind me." ___________________________________
Wealthy beyond words ⫻ Thanks to his unique position among the Lower District Gideon has seen a massive influx of money. There is a skill involved in using it, and Gideon is strategic with the application of it.
Street Smart ⫻ Gideon has been involved with the crime scene in Cloverfield since he was a kid. He has a sixth sense for investigations, and those who try to follow him.
A strong presence ⫻ A lifetime pursuit of being the best is also reflected with his body. He is strong, with a mix of raw strength and old man strength.
Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "You always need to dress to impress."
Gideon is a tall, attractive, and muscular man who radiates importance no matter the setting. He is unblemished, with no tattoos or piercings. He keeps his beard trimmed to an acceptable level, and his hair is meticulously cared for and he often finds himself at the local barber shop. He has many visible wrinkles on his forehead and his cheek. He has never had any work done, nor does he plan on it. Life has been kind to him thus far, and he plans to age gracefully as it continues.
Even as a lowly initiate in the criminal underground Gideon preferred to dress nicely. He does not like the high quality and high fashion suits that are a dime a dozen. Instead, he goes to the same local tailor that has dressed the industria influential members of the community. His suits are still high quality but they’re not from one of the big name brands that dominate the landscape on the North Side.
His muscular frame is always on display even through his suits. This creates a natural intimidation due how tall he is and thus allows him to always have an upper hand in the underbelly of the city. While he is acutely aware of personal space he will use his body to put pressure on people by breaking it
Psychology ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ " Did I ever think I would give up my company to help protect the city I love? No. Do I regret it? Not a chance"
MAIN GOAL ⫻ Gideon has a dream to see the Lower District thriving in a way that maintains its culture and differences from the North Side. While he is not as wealthy as other powers at play, e still puts his money where his mouth is and is constantly investing into new projects. Most recently he has bought hundreds of generators to help the people of his town keep the lights on during the blackouts.
As well, everyone who works for him is considered a part of his extended family. He genuinely wants to do well by then at every opportunity. He often mentors those in search of it, pays better than any other criminal outfit, and ensures that everyone is financially accounted for. Gideon knows that a happy, healthy crew is an easy way to ensure longevity so he goes to great lengths to ensure that he always delivers.
PHILOSOPHY ⫻ Success is a ladder and some people start at the top. In order to be the most successful person you need to always be willing to pull those above you down.
SECRETS ⫻ His company was not destroyed by the cataclysm. He arranged for it to be destroyed during the battle to bury the secrets of the crimes that were committed and the ties he’s always had since he founded his business.
SEXUALITY ⫻ Straight
FEARS ⫻ Having the skeletons in his closet being revealed. The cataclysm did much to distract the authorities, but it’s only a matter of time before the spotlight is back on him.
He fear’s that he will fall in his bid to protect his city.
That the crime that he organizes and sits at the center of will eventually spiral out of control and do untold damage to the city.
His biggest fear is that his family will be caught in the crossfire or be used against him.
Everyone in his organization is like a second family to him. As such he fears that they’ll be hurt or killed.
WHAT DID THEY DO DURING THE CATACLYSM? ⫻ He was an active fighter in the Lower Districts.
FLAWS ⫻ Gideon is vain, opinionated, and has a cruel streak. He is willing to do whatever it takes to protect his town but is often willing to go too far. He is also cursed with a short temper and a fury unmatched. This is especially evident if someone hurts someone in his crew or close to him. While he does invest a lot of his money into saving the town he still could be doing more without hurting, and this financial reluctance is a sign of a greater problem with his selfish self.
Backstory ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Keeping crime controlled and organized is no joke. Someone had to do it, and I think I’ll take it another step further."
Gideon was born and raised within the Lower District. His early years were nice and simple, if a little poor. He found work at a factory right out of school and worked there until he turned twenty five. The Lower District had a way of claiming even the most pure of souls. One night on his way home he was arrested for a crime he did not commit, was held in jail, and was put on trial for it. He was convicted and sentenced to five years in jail. Gideon made many friends in his time in jail, none more so than Jack Nickolas.
Jack was a bar owner, and ran a small drug operation out of the bar. He was locked up on other charges and the two connected over their shared hatred of the North Side. The two became fast friends and when he got out he joined Jack at the Hollow.
It was here he met his future wife Sarah. Like him she was from the lower district and wanted more out of life. And like him she was more than comfortable taking shortcuts to get there faster. Within a year the two were married. Over the next five years Gideons first four children were born, forcing his time and attention to matters at home.
After five years his relationship with Jack began to sour. Gideon was a de facto leader of the Hollow at this point and everyone in the organization looked up to him in some fashion. A heated exchange turned violent and Gideon killed Jack. He pinned the blame on another local gang and led the Hollow on a bloody rampage. After the dust settled he was confirmed as the new leader of the hollow, and has kept expanding it ever since. He quickly got the local police force, PRA, and federal agents on his payroll. Unlike the other gangs and criminal elements he was not afraid to let magic lead the way, and this gave him an advantage in war.
Even as he began to grow wealthy through the various rackets he ran he never forgot his roots. Over the twenty years since took control he has consistently put money back into the community. Whether that was paying for the renovations for the community center, establishing a scholarship fund, or volunteering to give the unhoused population a warm meal and gifts during the holiday season. As his legend grew so too did his voice, and as his voice began to bellow more and more eyes started to fall on his business dealings.
A year before the cataclysm a new police commissioner began to crack down on corruption. This probe eventually began to point back towards Gideon. He knew that he would be caught eventually but was pleasantly surprised when the cataclysm gave him an opportunity to clear the field of these new obstacles. The police commissioner was killed during the chaos, the evidence was destroyed when the police station exploded, and all the eyes that watched for his fall shifted elsewhere
In the year and a half since Gideon has expanded his empire even further, establishing a strange criminal government out of the various factions of the lower district. And now he finally sets his eyes on the North District.
Abstraction ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Listen. People just work better when they have competent leadership. And when they see I am willing to put my fist where my mouth is."
TYPE ⫻ Adept - Brass knuckle as his channeler
ABSTRACTION ⫻ Gideon is an green-pink lux adept who has enhanced strength, speed, and durability from the green lux and the ability to learn the weakness of an opposing fighter with his pink.
ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ Gideon’s life has been one fight after the next. Ever since he kindled he’s had an advantage over those he fights. Gideon is able to use his magic to enhance his fighting capabilities, and he’s used this to great effect in his expansion into the criminal underworld.
Hit them hard:
Gideon is a strong fighter by nature. He knows that you don’t have to be flashy, you just have to hit someone harder than you get hit back. As such, when he places his brass knuckles on his hand he can channel his green lux to boost his raw strength to a level just above peak human. He can lift hundreds of pounds, throw punches that will break bone with ease. His speed is also enhanced and he’ll unleash a flurry of blows before a typical person can react. He can run as fast as the fastest sprinter and can jump further as well.
Don’t let them hit you back:
With his pink lux, once he makes contact with his fist he’ll have a connection with his target that will allow him to know what they’re going to do next. In a fight, he can use this to know how they plan to strike before the punch is even thrown. If he needs information he can place his hands on someone and get a limited sweep of information but he can not search for specifics or force them to show him something.
LIMITS ⫻
In order to use his pink lux he must make contact with a target. As well, he only gets a glimpse at the very next action they are doing. It’s not a future sense, it’s just a real time peak behind the scenes.
He’s not able to maintain the strength, speed, and durability for more than five minutes at a time.
WEAKNESSES ⫻
Gideon will feel a magical weakness fall over him after the magic subsides. He’ll be weaker, slower, and more frail than normal. The duration of this affliction depends on how long he keeps the magic active. If he goes to the full five minutes he’ll be in an incredibly vulnerable position that enemies can easily exploit. As such, he must be sure that he picks the right time to use this ability. As well, if he hits a particularly strong emotional field his pink lux will open a two way connection. While he’ll be able to get his peak behind the curtain his opponent will be able to do so as well.
Other ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Can we wrap this up? I have seven kids at home who expect me soon"
Gideon is a collector of muscle cats.
"I think people from the Lower District are lazy. They have the same opportunities in this beautiful city."
She/Her | 22 | Chinese | 5’5 | 119 lbs _______________________________________________ Snob _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "Oh I’m just a simple baker! I just like to cook." ___________________________________
[ Kitchen Witch ⫻ Freya is a renowned baker. Her shop is known far and wide, and she often pushes the bar forward for the small business food scene. Small business struggles ⫻ When age first opened her bakery she struggled. As such, she has an innate ability to overcome adversity. Popular online ⫻ With two million followers across all platforms, Freya is a successful influencer who is always posting cooking videos, following the latest trends, and even dancing. She’s been nearly canceled twice due to her stance on the lower district.
Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I need to be cute at every moment otherwise I will break down.."
Freya is an average woman who is neither tall nor remarkable at first glance. They tend to keep their hair at a simple, but clean, bob length. There are a few blonde streaks left at the end of her hair, a testament to a foolish decision she made a few years ago to go blonde. She’s been on an ‘Inner beauty and Outer Beauty’ focus lately and she’s trying to get back to her roots. Her makeup has also reflected this, instead of the bright and flashy that define many on the North Side. She goes with the ‘natural look’ style of makeup and still wears that full face everyday to hide the scars of a war long since won against acne.
Next door to Freya’s bakery is a rather cute and quaint vintage shop known as The Vintage Vault. Freya enjoys buying most of her clothes from here. From the dresses and skirts that dominate her every day to day to the powerful pants suits that she wields as a tool of power in any important meeting. While she has two full closets of more modern clothing there’s something so simple, and nice, about this vintage style.
Freya is Chinese, and she does her best to maintain the rigorous skin care routine and beauty standards of her home country. As such she often keeps her skin as pale as possible by bringing sun umbrellas, wearing sunscreen at every moment, and by taking a hundred trips to the local Chinese Massage Therapist for further work. Despite this she is still a naturally more tan complexion than she would like.
Psychology ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I just want to show you that a better life is possible with hard work, dedication, and the will to do more."
MAIN GOAL ⫻ Freya wants to become successful with her career. Her bakery has a focus on French, Chinese, and fusion pastries. She is known as one of the better bakeries on Main, and her close proximity to the Metropark means that she is always busy.
PHILOSOPHY ⫻ Hard work, at least the illusion of it, will lead to the life one yearns for. The only thing holding one back is their own lack of desire to do better.
SECRETS ⫻ Her bakery, the schooling she got, and the apartment that is featured in every TikTok video was paid for by her father, Wei Wang, an extremely successful real estate developer. Wei Wang is a polarizing figure who has big plans for a revitalized Lower District, one that will inevitably force out most of not all of the poorest individuals there. As such, she has adopted the babe Freya Collins to distance herself from it. She knows if this is revealed to her massive internet following all her comments, and posts, about the Lower District will be seen in a new light.
SEXUALITY ⫻ Painfully Straight.
FEARS ⫻ Actually having to pull herself up by her bootstraps. She is talented and skilled enough to stand out, but without having the cash to pay for the various forms of advertisement, without having the building, and without having the good will she’s generated would make that infinitely harder than she can take.
WHAT DID THEY DO DURING THE CATACLYSM? ⫻ She was escorted far away from the city by her fathers security team.
FLAWS ⫻ Freya is insecure. They have multiple Google alerts setup on their office to see when she is trending, or what people are saying. She gets too overjoyed at positive comments and too upset at negative ones. At this time there are seven videos of her crying on TikTok where she talks about taking a break from all social media only to return a week later because her only form of validation is found in these channels.
Freya is vain. She cares more about what others think of her than she actually cares about what makes her happy.
Backstory ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I was born into simplicity and have made my own way in the world."
Li Hua Wang was born in Dalian, in the Liaoning province in China. Her father owned one of the biggest property development firms in all of China and he was hired to take the growing city's skyline to the next level. She was the top student in all her courses. There was something so nice about growing up in a city that had seen several cultures build it up. From the grand Russian architecture near the center of town, to the countless authentic Korean restaurants and shops, and to the Japanese cherry blossoms on the south end of the peninsula.
The day she moved to America was one of the saddest days in her life. Instantly everything that was once grand, personalized, and unique was replaced with the dull drab that Appalachia was. While Cloverfield itself was an exciting city and as a young kid visiting all these new places was truly fun. Yet as the seasons dragged on the more she realized that this city lacked a soul. It was bright, glamorous, modern, and big but it did not have a distinct identity that her home had. She fell into a depression in her late teens and, in a bid to help his daughter, Wei gave his daughter a few options. He had noticed that his daughter found joy in the darkness with cooking. He gave her a way out. There were many culinary schools in France. When she finished Highschool he gave her the ability to study her passions, without strings, in a city with as much soul as any in Europe. Li accepted this option and moved there at 17.
It was here that a chance encounter with a vampire and their prey kindled them. Instead of helping the victim she ran. She tried to hide away from her magic. After four whole years she finished her studies, returned home to open her own bakery, and began to go by the name Freya. Before she could do any of that the cataclysm happened and she watched the destruction from afar. Once the smoke cleared she managed to snag her building and began renovating the building. She opened her doors a year ago and has been busy ever since.
Abstraction ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ " I’ve learned that if you eat this you’ll tell me the truth. And if you eat that you’ll explode in bloody fashion."
TYPE ⫻ Adept - channeler is an old wooden spoon
ABSTRACTION ⫻ Freya is a blue adept who can place curses on the food she bakes that will cause those who eat it to tell the truth, tell convincing lies, feel better or worse and even explode.
ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ Freya channels her magic through the wooden spoon and this causes her food to adopt cursed qualities. The power of the curse depends on the emotion that is filling it. Each curse will require a specific thing to break it. A desire to know more:
If Freya desires information, and her intent is so, the baked goods will compel the target to tell the absolute truth for five minutes. This spell, like all of her baked spells, gets around emotional fields and will begin once the baked good is finished. These spells cause the baked goods to have thin, blue lines cooked into the dish. In order to break the truth spell the target will have to want to tell the truth instead of being compelled to it.
Baked with love:
Sometimes someone needs a push in the right direction in matters of love. As such, Freya uses the quickest way to one's heart literally as this spell caused a person to fall madly in love with the first person they see. This love feels very real to the target, and they will stop at nothing to win over their new forever person. The magic also tends to make them more animated in their displays of their love. This will include standing outside of an apartment with a boombox playing some downright romantic song while procession their love with oversized signs layered on top of one another. The only thing that will break this curse, its stipulation, is true love. The kiss from their true love is enough to break the spell.
Not baked with love:
Sometimes someone needs to be punished. If. Freya infuses her magic goods with angry emotions she can cause one of two reactions. One, the target will become extremely bloated and their body will run cold with one so severe that not even the hot scaling water straight from the shower can touch it. In order to break this curse the target will simply need to find some tums. However if the food was infused with so much hatred there is very little that can stop it which will eventually cause the target to explode outward from the stomach.
LIMITS ⫻ The target must eat the full baked good for the curse to activate. As such, if the taste is spoiled at all by the magic it will likely lead to the target not finishing the food and thus the curse will not take effect.
She also does not have control of the basic once it’s baked into the good. Each pastry will be a proverbial grenade ready to go off. Thus, if she makes a cursed cake she must ensure it is disposed of properly.
Each pastry will have magic lines baked into it, with different colors will denote the curse. The love potion spell will have pink lines, the truth white, and the explosive one red. Thus, an eagle eye viewer can see which pastries are cursed and which ones are not.
WEAKNESSES ⫻ The curse magic is always being infused into her baked goods. Normally she does not put anything specific into the curse as she’s unaware she is doing it but if she’s positively angry while baking she can inadvertently curse her patron’s to an explosive death.
Other ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I will never let those ordering apps to break what I’ve built."
Freya has a secret alternative TikTok where she has been known to post a thirst trap or two.
NOTE. If you're going to make an NPC, PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE ANY OF THE CODING. This way, I can add your NPC to the appropriate section easily.
[row][cell][h2][b]First Name Here[color=2e2c2c].[/color]Last Name Here (If applicable)[/b][/h2][/cell][cell][/cell][/row][row][cell][center][img]NO ANIME, and try not to use an oversized ass photo please[/img]
[b]Age | Name | Pronouns [/b][hr//][i]"Optional quote here."[/i][/center][/cell][cell] [b]Description:[/b] [indent]Write their description here.[/indent]
[center][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjEwNi5iNTBiZmUuU0dWc2JHOGdZVzVrSUhkbGJHTnZiV1VzLjA,/overunder-personal-use.regular.webp[/img]
I have gone by many names over my life, and the one I go by here is Nori.
I am a non-binary individual who has a love of participating in these stories and creating my own. I am incredibly chronically ill. If my illness flares up too much I may be pulled away.[/center]
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><div class="bb-center"><img src="https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjEwNi5iNTBiZmUuU0dWc2JHOGdZVzVrSUhkbGJHTnZiV1VzLjA,/overunder-personal-use.regular.webp" /><br>I have gone by many names over my life, and the one I go by here is Nori.<br><br>I am a non-binary individual who has a love of participating in these stories and creating my own. I am incredibly chronically ill. If my illness flares up too much I may be pulled away.</div><br></div>
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