VitaVitaAR

Shadow Contract: A Demon-Slaying Action RP

@LuckyBlackCat: Accepted.

Shadow Contract: A Demon-Slaying Action RP

@LuckyBlackCat: Alrighty! Looking forward to it.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fanilly took a deep breath. She'd nearly accepted the offer before learning anything about what they were actually looking for. It had almost felt like the eyes of her knights were boring into the back of her neck as she spoke with the mercenary captain.

Perhaps that's what reminded her to press a little harder than she had.

"... There's no reason to deny your offer," the Knight-Captain continued, "If you'll tell us just what you're looking for. You're right, it makes sense to work together if we're both trying to figure out what happened here. But it doesn't make sense to keep withholding details from us if you really want to work together."

Alette's crimson eyes narrowed.

Then they travelled. Across the knights, lingering briefly on Fionn, before drifting over her four lieutenants.

Abigail seemed to simply be admiring her. Bors nodded. Mathen said nothing. Clarice let out a sigh.

Alette's eyes returned to Fanilly after a few moments.

"You're right, it doesn't make much sense, does it?" the blue-haired mercenary suddenly grinned again as she spoke, "And I don't think it'll make our employer too upset regardless, it's not as if we know that much either."

She stepped forward.

"You're right, 'Sir Fionn', we did expect some problems. Turns out there might be some other parties interested in the item we're looking for. If you want quality protection for something valuable against some violent and unrestrained types, you hire the best," Alette continued, waving her free hand as she spoke.

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"The object we're looking for is black, and looks a bit like a shard of glass. Supposedly it's poisoned, or cursed, or something like that. Touching it is out of the question, at least with your bare hands, but wrapping it in cloth will keep you from coming into direct contact with it," explained the Shark, "So Clarice prepared some warded cloth specifically to add another layer of defense."

A smug expression crossed the parasol-wielding girl's features.

"When it comes to curses, there's no-one in this world who can claim they're better than I am."

That single comment made Fanilly feel even more wary.

"All of these dead, though... I can't think of a curse this strong, so something else must have happened..." Alette trailed off with a sigh, "Well, in any case, we were here to meet with a contact in the fort, acquire the object, kill the other party pursuing it, and return with it to our employer. Speaking of the other party... Bors!"

She looked back over her shoulder.

The hulking armored figure had already reached behind him, pulling out another corpse and tossing it to the ground. The dead man was wearing Thaln's colors, but...

"The mark on the back of his neck should tell you exactly who we're dealing with."

Indeed, tattooed on the deceased man's neck was the image of a ferocious gold and black boar.

"If we can't find it here, those bastards might already have it, but we can't walk away until we know it's gone."

@Rune_Alchemist@HereComesTheSnow@Raineh Daze@ERode@PigeonOfAstora@Conscripts@Crimson Paladin@Creative Chaos@The Otter@Krayzikk@Psyker Landshark@6slyboy6

Shadow Contract: A Demon-Slaying Action RP

Some DDF Branch Departments had multiple vehicles, simply due to the number of operatives that worked within them.

Branch 247 was not one of them.

While there was space for a second armored transport, only one stood in the garage currently.

The vehicle was large, and mostly black in coloration, with red and white highlights on the sides and a siren perched towards the front. It most resembled some kind of van, but more angular, emblazoned with the DDF letters on the side in the same red and white that adorned it elsewhere, their motto beneath it.

'For Humanity's Future.'

Atop the vehicle was another member of the branch's personnel. She was a young woman, perhaps in her early twenties, her pink hair tied into low braided pigtails beneath a blue baseball cap. Her features were bright, and her green eyes seemed to shine behind her round glasses. She was wearing a white shirt, large gloves, and blue overalls, and had just finished loading a set of Demon Denial Field stakes into the top of the vehicle.

"Ah!"

She hopped down as the operatives entered the garage.

"Welcome!" she declared with a cheery grin, "Since this is going to be your first time riding my pride and joy, it's time to introduce you! This bad boy can-"

"We don't have time, Terada-kun," interjected Ayako, flatly, as she proceeded into the open rear of the vehicle.

The engineer looked completely crushed, as if the Department Head's words had instantly destroyed her soul.

Inside, the transport was fairly simple, two rows of seats on either side of the vehicle allowing a decent number of operatives to occupy it.

Ayako took a seat, but the Detection Doll did not. She proceeded to the front of the vehicle, the door sliding open.

It shut behind her.

Such a small girl couldn't possibly be intended to drive, right?

"As soon as Shiro-kun is ready, we'll be departing."

Moments later, the vehicle hummed to life.

The garage door opened, and the siren blared.

DDF Branch Department 247 was deployed.

---

The construction site was already empty when they reached it, though a crowd had formed just outside of it. It was only natural that people wanted to see what was going to happen, even if Ayako could only sigh at the sight of it.

The transport pulled up outside.

A few non-DF operative disaster response workers had already set up a perimeter, but that certainly wasn't enough.

When the rear of the vehicle opened, Ayako had already risen to her feet.

"Shiro-kun, deploy the Demon Denial Field."

A small, soft voice emanated from the vehicle's communications system.

"Deploying Demon Denial Field."

With a loud ka-chunk, the port at the top of the vehicle opened, and the stakes were launched into the air. Utilizing the psychic targeting system tapping into the Detection Doll's abilities in order to locate the perimeter.

In moments, a hazy purple-gold sheen surrounded the entire construction site.

Now it was on the operatives.

"Stick together. Locate the threat, determine the nature of the more powerful signature, and eliminate every demon," commanded Ayako, pulling a pack of cigarettes from her pocket as she spoke.

The construction site itself was clearly early on in its development, with only the base foundations in place, equipment scattered from a hasty evacuation.

The Emergence Gate couldn't be seen from here, so it had to be deeper inside.

@Raineh Daze@Rune_Alchemist@RolePlayerRoxas@Quartz@Emeth

Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

It was never going to hit her directly, that much was certain.

She was able to move,still, even if it was clear her legs hadn't fully healed from her last impact yet.

The tail caught Aleksiya's arm.

The small girl's eyes widened, a sharp, hot sensation tearing through her shoulder as Kordelia's tail shredded muscle and shattered bone, tearing her left arm clean from her body.

It wasn't the first time she'd been hurt like this, but it was the first time that she'd felt like this since being revived.

She hated it.

Not to mention it ruined her dress...

Aleksiya clenched her teeth, bearing her fangs as she winced, a spray of blood erupting from the stump as the tail tore past her.

"Kordelia... I hope you can make this up to me," she hissed through gritted teeth, "I really did like this dress!"

Pouring her magical energy into the blood spewing from her left shoulder, the temperature around her lowered dramatically. Nearly instantly, the blood froze, crystallizing faster then it could emerge from the wound.

And trapping the transformed Lord's tail within it.

"This is for your own good, you know," she added, her voice still strained as her crimson eyes winced, "So you better help me find my arm when this is over!"

Her right arm snapped up, emanating white-and-blue light from its palm, swirling and growing as she condensed the moisture in the air, before letting loose a spear of ice aimed squarely at the undamaged hand. Thick, with a vertical blade, the aim was simple.

Cut it down the middle as the strings are severed.

@Click This@Rune_Alchemist

Shadow Contract: A Demon-Slaying Action RP

"I'm pleased to see none of you are deaf, at least."

Her voice was stern. But it was only suitable to be so, given the situation.

Ayako entered the briefing room. It was difficult to discern just how much time they had, even with the capabilities of a detection doll, so they couldn't afford to dawdle.

It was time to cut to the chase.

"Given you all heard the alarm, I'm certain you know what's happening."

She stood at head of the room, eyes scanning the operatives. Two new faces. The effeminate boy, Nakanishi. Contracted with a raiju. The Russian, Simonova. Contracted with the scapegoat Azazel. She'd already read their files, and there was no time to give them any further orientation. Not today.

"Orientation is going to have to wait, but any operative of the DDF should be capable of working on the fly," she continued, briefly addressing the new recruits, "I'm certain you know what she is, however, unless the academy's standards have collapsed."

As she continued to speak, another figure, the 'she' that Ayako had mentioned, entered the room.

She was small, child-like, her skin pale, her white, straight hair hanging past her hips. She wore a black-and-white, frilled dress, and her eyes were orange with a strange cross-like pattern in each.

She was completely expressionless as she came to a halt beside Ayako.

"This is our Detection Doll, Shiro," continued Ayako, "As I said, you should understand what that means, so I'll cut to the chase. Shiro-kun has detected the manifestation of an Emergence Gate roughly fifteen minutes away in northern Shinjuku, which falls under our jurisdiction. Additionally, she has identified roughly fifteen demonic signatures, likely originating from Beast-class demons, and a sixteenth of greater intensity. It may be a Monster or a low-level Devil."

Ayako placed her hand on the expressionless girl's shoulder.

"She has confirmed that they have not fully emerged, and thus it's imperative that we arrive as quickly as possible to eliminate the threat and prevent civilian casualties. We don't have the luxury of time for questions or further briefing. You are to proceed to the vehicle bay, board the transport, and ready for immediate departure. Once we have arrived, we will deploy a Demon Denial Field to contain the threat, identify the nature of the more powerful demonic signature, and then proceed to move in for elimination. Dismissed."

It was quick and to the point, but given the lack of time and explicit information that was typical of sudden Emergence events, it was only to be expected.

Ayako had already departed, the Detection Doll following her wordlessly, to the vehicle bay.

She expected everyone else to do the same.

@Raineh Daze@Rune_Alchemist@RolePlayerRoxas@Quartz@Emeth

Shadow Contract: A Demon-Slaying Action RP

Sirens.

It's as clear as day.

The memory of sirens.

The blood staining the concrete, slowly being washed away by the rain.

The grin on its face as it leers at her, its four crimson eyes all looking in different directions before coming to fall upon her. The red staining its teeth, dripping to the ground and its tongue lolls out, nearly reaching the ground.

Its laughter.

It's the moment in which she dies. She's certain it's then. No later and no earlier.

It's that very second.

She dies when it locks eyes with her laughs.

The her who steps forward is not the her who arrived at the scene.

The her who speaks those words is not the her who had woke up that morning.

The her who becomes the reaper is not the one who held that hand.

The demon is gone.

The rain continues to fall.

The blood washes away.

---

The smoke curled into the crisp air.

The woman leaned on the railing, her dark ponytail falling over her shoulder as she gazed out at the street below. Raising the cigarette to her lips, she took another drag.

The department wasn't even close to the tallest building on the street, let alone in the ward. But it wasn't a bad view regardless.

Everything seemed pretty quiet today.

At least, as quiet as Tokyo ever was. Of course the city was bustling with all kinds of activity non-stop. Even at night was pretty busy.

But as far as the woman was concerned, it was a pretty quiet day.

Not that it was going to last. In fact, she was certain it wouldn't. But it was the sort of time where you took advantage of a slow, peaceful moment before everything exploded.

Indeed, she was certain they would have to do their job today.

The branch wasn't big enough. Some of the operatives felt like they could really use some more training.

But that didn't change what their duty was.

It didn't change that there were lives on the line.

She took another drag on her cigarette, with a heavy sigh.

That's right.

It was her job to see to it that as few people as possible suffered.

... There it was. The flashing light, the whine of the siren. The detection doll triggered the alarm.

It was a familiar call to action.

Hirasawa Ayako, Head of DDF Department 247, tossed her cigarette to the ground and stepped on it as she turned to head back inside.

It was time to slay a demon.

@Raineh Daze@Rune_Alchemist@RolePlayerRoxas@Quartz@Emeth

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

The sound of cracking, crumbling porcelain.

The doll reeled as the joints of its foremost set of limbs snapped and shattered, its bladed arms detaching at the shoulder as it staggered backwards. While it wasn't likely such an entity could suffer pain, it had to be aware it just lost its main form of offense. Unable to even sacrifice its limbs as a shield, the arrow struck it squarely in the chest.

The eruption of magically enhanced air pressure blew open its body with a flash of light, scattering fragments of white to the ground and exposing a black hole rimmed with jagged edges. The upper half of the doll left the ground, balancing on its rear limbs only briefly from the impact, exposing the catastrophic damage to its torso. While it was still in one piece, the gap revealing whatever darkness laid inside of it took up a significant portion of its body.

Hewing the head from another of the smaller dolls, Velvetica straightened. It was no longer moving, slowly teetering back.

And the Witch, Tabitha, was clapping.

"My my, what a fantastic performance! Disarming my spider doll that way, such quick thinking~"

She smiled brightly. Velvetica narrowed her eyes. This 'test' had only served to slow them down. They had to-

"However, it isn't much of a test if it ends here, is it~?"

-The doll straightened.

Its three remaining arms suddenly lashed to its sides, snatching the bladed limbs of the smaller dolls. With a swift, effortless tug, it ripped them from its fellow constructs, gripping the razor-edged appendages in each of its remaining hands.

The giant doll was not finished, yet.

"Tch...! Aim for the damaged spot in its torso. It'll be too difficult to-"

A blade hurtled towards her. Velvetica swung Starshine up, and with a resounding clash was sent skidding backwards across the floor.

But she didn't lose her footing, nor did it do more then give her a brief pause.

"-disable all the remaining limbs, so break it apart!"

The remaining arms were blurring, lashing out, thrusting towards the nearest attackers.

Defense, or evasion, were key.

@Raineh Daze@Rin@AzureKnight@Psyker Landshark@The Otter@VKAllen@Eisenhorn@Crimson Paladin@Conscripts@HereComesTheSnow@Octo@PigeonOfAstora

Shadow Contract: A Demon-Slaying Action RP

Hey, I'm sorry for the delay, just really not up for a successful IC launch today. ^^;

However, I will ask if anyone's interested in a discord server. I tend to prefer them for OOC talk, but I'll ask first before I get one made.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

The men here had killed one another...

Fanilly's hands tightened. Her heartbeat quickened. This place had already felt so wrong, even before she saw the bodies. As if some sort of shadow was cast here.

And now that feeling had only deepened. These were loyal men of Thaln. Soldiers who swore their lives to the safety of the land and its people. Why had they done such things? Why would they have killed one another in such a manner? It was an abominable sight. She felt something rising inside of her, almost up her throat, and she clutched at her neck, breathing heavily.

The fort felt sick. It was the only way Fanilly could have described it.

"Grim sight, isn't it?" commented Alette. Her playful, cheery tone had vanished, for the moment. Whether it be a facsimile of sympathy or the genuine article, it was difficult to tell, "I haven't the faintest idea what happened here, but it isn't pretty."

She sighed.

Fanilly cleared her throat, taking another deep breath.

"You... call them out. As my knights said," her voice was somewhat stilted, "The others. We know they're here."

The Shark shrugged.

"Fine, I was gonna do it anyway. Abigail! Bors! Maethen! Clarice! Gather everyone and get on out here."

They weren't names that Sir Fionn would recognize, at the very least.

The first of those to appear had to be Abigail.

"Ah, I was merely lamenting the brutality, dear Alette..."

The figure who emerged from the doorway deeper into the fort was tall, and deathly pale, with hair that almost seemed bleached of color rather then white. Her eyes were yellow, and there was an air of beauty about her that, even now, Fanilly could not deny. Her unblemished, bleached white skin looked almost like it had been carved from porcelain, and her features were delicate and refined.

And yet it did not feel like natural beauty.

"So many deaths, without a hint of elegance," said the woman with a heavy sigh.

She wasn't disturbed by the violence, but rather the 'lack of elegance'? What kind of person...?

It was hard to remain focused on the woman when the one who was likely Bors appeared.

At first, Fanilly took him for an iron golem.

He was enormous, emerging from within the fort by barely squeezing through a doorway. Not a single glimpse of flesh could be seen, as he was concealed head to toe in dark grey plate armor. All Fanilly could glimpse a flash of green eyes within.

"I am here, Lady Alette."

His voice was like a rumble of thunder.

Maethen had to refer to the next figure. He was tall, though not nearly as tall as Bors, and possessed brown skin and orange eyes, with slender, refined features. The gray hair and pointed ears...

An elf of the near east? Desert Elves were an exceedingly rare sight in these lands.

He said nothing, but simply peered at the assembled knights.

And the final figure... was...

Fanilly stared blankly.

The others were clad in armor. The others were prepared for battle. They appeared as one would expect a mercenary to.

What was this ridiculous girl, shorter then Alette, wearing an elegant, frilled dress? A parasol in one hand, a book clutched to her side? Her purple hair in curls like that? No-one would mistake her for a child with that figure, but...

"Can we leave already? It's probably not here, and simply being present in this fort is a loathsome feeling. We can leave cleanup to them, can't we?"

The makeup. Everything. She looked utterly unsuited to a fight.

If the situation were different, Fanilly could have seen herself letting out a cry of exasperation.

But it only made the grim absurdity of the situation within the fort all the more detached from ordinary reality.

There were others who came with the four the Shark had called upon. Quite a few men and women, armed and armored in a manner one would expect of a high-quality mercenary band. Many of them with grim expressions.

In all of that, there was something Fanilly could latch onto.

It.

What was it? What probably wasn't there?

"... What is it? What were you sent here for?"

Fanilly echoed the sentiment of the others.

The way Alette winced when the girl named Clarice spoke implied she wasn't pleased to have it mentioned, but now being questioned from so many angles she had no choice but to speak.

"... We were sent her to meet with someone associated with our employer, if you must know," Alette said with a sigh, "To retrieve something. But when we, arrived, well... you can see what happened."

Alette gestured towards the soldiers' corpses.

"But your knight does bring up an excellent point, doesn't he? We're both here now, and it's not pleasant work to search through a mountain of bodies on your own," the Shark added with a smirk, "Why don't we search this awful place together? We're both looking for something out of the ordinary, I'm guessing. You for a cause to this senseless violence, and us for clue on how to earn the rest of our pay."

Fanilly could guess that Alette didn't believe the item, whatever it was, remained here. She was clearly unwilling to say what it was, probably because she wanted to try and avoid giving any hints towards the identity of her employer. So she was looking for clues as to where it may have gone?

But what was it?

What would have been at this fort?

What caused all of these deaths?

"... I... see no reason to reject the offer..."

@Rune_Alchemist@HereComesTheSnow@Raineh Daze@ERode@PigeonOfAstora@Conscripts@Crimson Paladin@Creative Chaos@The Otter@Krayzikk@Psyker Landshark@6slyboy6