Welcome To the Abyss

by **Arcana** August 9th 2013, 9:14 pm

The black vortex hunger over the town, its edges like grasping tentacles that seemed to be reaching for nothing, though occasionally a bird flying too high was unlucky enough to be grabbed by one of them. Where they went was unknown, but the vibe given off by the very darkness that emanated from the void seemed to chill to the bone. Death hung over the town, and from it came the hordes of hell, beings that dragged people kicking and screaming from their homes, some of them killed in the process. This was a process that went on each night, and had been happening for a week.

The mist would fall upon the town, and around five people were taken, though what kjept them from running was a small line of the mist that stood not far within the town. Some were out of its reach, and they were the ones that had called for help, if there was any. Metahumans of any kind were urged to help, with the promise of monetary compensation and perhaps even recognition in helping with the calamity. There were many scrambled transmission from within the mists veil, talk of a strange woman and her partner, that lead the hordes, and that they were demons of some kind. Those that had made it out of there had congregated at a church on the outskirts, and within eyesight of the veil of mist.

This was where the heroes were to gather, and where they would hear what was needed to be known before they began their dangerous quest. However, someone else was also on the move towards the doomed town, though their intentions were far from heroic. 'So this is it.” Sean noted, a single bead of sweat running down the length of his forehead, as he looked over the town. The portal had certainly cast its shadow on it, but that was light compared to what happened to it when night fell. He had heard everything about that, and it only piqued his curiosity. ”Not long now.” Each footstep left behind a patch of black and dying grass, the nearness of death alone ending their weak flames.

Night was close, and with it darkness would descend.

by **404NameNotFound** August 10th 2013, 1:38 am

"So. This is it." The boy known as Vaga approached the ominous place of worship with a mixture of nervousness and excitement. He had been scouring Chicago for leads, but nearly nothing to quench his desire to become heroic had cropped up. Too many heroes there already. Vaga sighed, adjusting his vest to be more comfortable in the cool, dry climate. Such temperatures were common in the Appalachian states, but it didn't make them any more tolerable if you were used to the wetter climates of England and the like. He'd get used to it eventually, he supposed, but it nearly made him feel homesick. Which was utterly ridiculous.

Vaga's search in Chicago had lead to no real results, but his current trail seemed promising. After his run in with a few supers, Vaga started wondering where everything was really happening. It was too slow, too quiet. In his years of wandering the countryside (A modern-day Huckleberry Finn), Vaga had accumulated a lot of contacts. One such contact, a kid named James from Hiawassee, told the newly-anointed superhero of some strange occurrences being reported in nearby Toccoa. Vaga, leaving behind nothing but a grumpy bullfrog, immediately set out for the sleepy town nestled in the mountains of Northern Georgia.

What he had found there was much more than he had been prepared for. The dark and eerie atmosphere combined all-too-well with the desolation that had befallen Toccoa. You could no longer see but maybe a handful of buildings thanks to the oppressive black fog that had settled across the city proper. An involuntary shudder crawled up Vaga's spine, causing an unpleasant tingle. Now was no time to show fear. He had been exposed to many terrifying things during his exploration into the occult, so he knew what kind of horrors could lurk beyond the veil. But there was no telling what lurked inside the fog.

Vaga shook his head to clear such thoughts. He raised his hand, whispered "Piuqe" and traced a sigil on his forehead. His mask - a large birdlike skull that matted his stark white hair backwards - formed from the air. Vaga had been practicing making his costume disappear and reappear, so as to better emulate the heroes of yore. This time, however, it was to hide the uneasy feeling that was obviously scrawled across his face. He started towards the church, hoping someone else would arrive shortly to cut short the foreboding loneliness that Vaga usually avoided.

by **Zell** August 10th 2013, 3:26 pm

"You must be in control, at all times. Purge yourself of all negative energies, allow yourself to be filled with the pure energy of YOUR spirit." The master instructed, his voice echoing off of stone temple. The dark and ill lit temple was a place of center, a place of hope for Zell. Zell sat in the center of the room, sitting upon an ancient circle of balance once used by the men and women of the temple to achieve true balance of spirit. Zell's eyes opened, the glowing green orbs pierced the darkness like a knife. "You must suppress this growing power within you." Zell felt a surge of energy inside him, bringing him so close to the balance he so craved. But fate had other plans, as he was robbed of the chance by the monster inside of him.
"Damnit!" Zell cursed as he drove his fist into the ground. "Master Shry what am I doing wrong!?" Zell howled, his voice practically causing the mostly empty temple to vibrate. The master sighed, unsure of what to do. Zell had been coming to him for the past year, always patient and never one to snap. The master stepped forward from the shadows to reveal the Samurai incarnate of Death itself, Shi Ryurou. Shi had never seen Zell is such duress internally, or with such and impatient and aggressive social disposition.
"You are doing nothing wrong." Shi assured him. The path to oneness was a long and perilous one. Shi had tread this path already, and now he attempted to instruct Zell to walk the same road. Shi paused to contemplate the possibilities of Zell's "survival"
Meanwhile Zell resumed his position, on his knees sitting back on his heels, meditating on the concept of life and death. It was not a concept he was unfamiliar with. Zell continued to try and find his center, while his master 'Shry', as he called Shi, also seemed to meditate on a concept. Zell felt a warmth fill him, then suddenly his mortal shell shivered and quaked as an unholy cold encroached from the physical realm. His inner warmth persevered and soon he was full of his energy, and his energy alone. There was no conflicting energy...all opposition was gone...but where did it go? Zell opened his eyes excited, but something suddenly stole all his joy away. Time was frozen, a rabid inky darkness was climbing the temple walls, and the light from the torches was a purple projection. Zell stood up and looked around, shying away from the approaching inky darkness. He looked to see A familiar face, Sean. It was interesting because Sean melted and the darkness fell away. Zell closed his eyes for a brief second, and he saw a church. He had no idea where it was... but he opened his eyes again and everything was normal.
"Master Shr-" Zell exclaimed. Shi put up a hand to silence the youth.
"Zell...Life and Death are a cycle. Death was meant to claim that land." Shi said, attempting to end the conversation right there and then.
"What? So we're just supposed to let them die? Why was Sean there, I swear If this is some twisted plot of OCEAN's Ill put that place in the fucking ground!" Zell spat. Shi looked at him, perplexed.
"Sean? What do you mean and how do you know him?" Shi asked.
"Sean is...a friend I guess, but still why was he in that "vision" or whatever that was?" Zell questioned, unsure of how any of this was relevant. To Shi, Seans involvement only justified his fears. Shi grabbed Zell by the shoulders.
"Zell, You cannot go." Shi said to him.
"I can't just let all those people die, Sean is a friend...I think...I'm going to save them." Zell said as he started towards the door. Shi shadow stepped in front of Zell.
"Zell I do not doubt your intentions. It is the intentions of what lies within you that I must not allow to clear these doors." Shi said. Like a trigger word to a hypnotized man Zell chuckled. He drove a fist into Shi throwing him six feet back, through the stone door, and into the snow. Zell stepped out emerging from shadow into the light filled world of white snowy mountains. He looked down at the snowy impression of Shi, red seeping out into the surrounding snow, outlining the unconscious samurai.
"Try and stop me...." He said, voice in an entirely different tone. Zell boarded his private jet, he'd be at the source of his vision within the half hour. Zell Sat in the darkness of the hold, waiting to save the innocents that would be decimated.

by **Chellizard** August 10th 2013, 9:46 pm

"Drive slower, you idiot!" screeched a teenager from the back of a car headed straight for Toccoa, Georgia. Ever since Tyuki had met Elaine, she had gotten more involved with Craig's List. And, on this Crag's List was a neat way to meet new people, and get gigs. She was supposed to be playing a show in Atlanta, but surfing this lovely list of Craig's had shown her a wicked anomaly. Apparently, a resident of Toccoa, Georgia had been posting on Craig's List about weird clouds that seemed to dip down like tornadoes; but it had been happening every single night, around the same time, and people were going missing.

The poster of the Craig's List article was a person that signed off their posts as 'unrealistic.entity.' What a weird username. Not as weird as Tyuki's, though. 'PonPonPon3000' was her signature ID. She had become a frequent pen pal with this Unrealistic Entity persona, and as such, she had dug even deeper into the anomalies and weird supernatural things happening over such a small blip on the radar. Sure, they had a WalMart, Gamestop, and a few chain restaurants speckled on their map, but it was just your average, run of the mill, town.

"I'm trying to get you where you wanted to go. You said you needed to be there by nightfall, kiddo. Hold onto your laptop," the driver said, pulling off onto an exit and then onto a main highway that took them straight into Toccoa. The car pulled up next to a WalMart, though the expansive parking lot and highway kept them separated.

"Are we here finally? I could really go for a happy hour slushie from that place over there," she said, pointing at a fast food place.

"Their sign say's happy hour is between two and four, Miss G--"

"Do I look like I care?" she stared into the rear view mirror, a scowl on her face. She then giggled and rolled her eyes.

"It's okay, we'll just get some not-happy-hour slushies. And, we need to find this address," she said, sticking a piece of paper in the driver's face. He dialed it into the GPS.

"It's in the stix, outside of town. Why do we need to go there?"

"I need to meet someone."

"Are you sure?"

"Why else would I give you the address?" she asked, diverting her gaze from the rear view mirror and back to her laptop.

Her fingers moved quickly, tapping in a quick instant message to her pen pal, Unrealistic Entity.

I made it. On my way to the address now. See you soon.

What's the worst that could happen by meeting a total stranger?

The sun was still up for Miss Gold, but she was itching to find out if this Craig's List article was true or false. She had to get to the source.

Maybe she should have told Elaine or Hermione about this... too late, though.

by **Forceaus** August 11th 2013, 2:41 pm

Where was he again? John couldn't remember how to pronounce the name of this place. Or spell it. Or even have a clue what it was even called again. This place was just some stopping point on the way to Atlanta because, um. Yeah so, his car broke down on the way there, and now he was here. He did not wish to be, at all. "Stupid car. Why'd you have to break down?" he muttered in clear annoyance. "I checked the engine before I left. It was fine." That time he sounded more sad than anything. John had left the car in a shop for repairs. The maintenence guy had told him it would probably take a couple of hours. Knowing his luck it would take longer. He didn't know what to do in the meantime with no way of knowing the way around this time. Having to be towed to that repair shop was just aggravating. He longed for a quiet spot to be alone, as he left the repair place. Go there and cry for awhile. This was far more upsetting than it should be. It just got to him, that's all.

He was there, just doing nothing for awhile. "Phone, ring already with news that the car was fixed. Seriously now, ring. Ring." Those were the thoughts that were said aloud. His demands for such an event led to nothing. Just further aggravation. Today was just not his day. Or anyone else's for the residents of this town. Not with what was happening outside. John hadn't noticed it yet though. Too busy whining to look outside. This would be such a degrading experience if anyone else were around to witness it. He lifted up his phone to send a text to inform somebody of what had happened. The lack of light made it difficult to see. Looking up to see where the sun was at and all there was in the air was darkness. Not a nighttime or cloudy darkness either. Just pure darkness. The end of the day may be approaching, but it was not causing this.

It was some strange kind of force that dwelled in the skies above. It stretched towards the horizon in all directions. Its presence loomed over pretty much the entire city. Perhaps more than even that. It was hard to tell where exactly it stopped. Just what was it though? What caused it, and what was going to happen because of it? There was no way of knowing. This was just all too weird. Knowing how things usually turned out he had an idea of what to do. Not sure if it would help though. In any case he started to head back towards the repair shop. There was some stuff in the trunk of the car he was going to need if he was planning on doing what he was thinking of doing.

by **Arcana** August 11th 2013, 3:19 pm

Sean stepped towards the veil of nether cutting off the town from the rest of the world, mist seeming to recoil at his presence yet at the same time recognize him. Dark shapes could be seen roaming through it, bestial and hunched over, as if they weren't even human. Among the nether, they were invisible to his senses, but they were visible enough to anyone with eyes. Small red dots within a greater darkness. He took a step towards it, as the fog seemed to part only for him, like a curtain pulled apart. Voices whispered in a language beyond understanding, but he could understand them well enough and it sent a sense of pride through his chest. As if he were a returning king and they the subjects loyally following him.

”Its thick here. The Abyss is strong within this area.” Sean noted, but his voice resonated with a dark tone. The markings that had once only covered half of him now dominated his entire body, and his skin had taken the color of white snow. Night was very close, as the colors of twilight had already begun to paint the horizon, and people would take cover within their pathetic homes, as if that would protect them from what was to come. 'The time is close at hand, The Abyss will swallow this place.” Behind him the veil closed, once again the gate way was closed. The closer her was to the great void, the more he felt himself strengthen and the more he felt himself become complete.

The time had come and soon enough the cloud would descend. The dark one had arrived and hell would descend upon the town. From the mist came misshapen creatures, with smooth black skin like leather. Instead of words, they spoke in inhuman guttural voices, acid dripping from their mouths and sputtering against concrete. This was an unforseen complication for those that had grown used to the pattern. The darkness had changed its plans, expediting the day that it would swallow thew town whole, and begin the conquest of this world of life. People would scream, pray and try to fight these demons but how long they lasted, only time would tell. They came by the dozens and with them, the death seemed to follow. Plants wilted, and all color seemed to go out of the world.

The sun was only moments from falling below the horizon.

by **Bliss** August 11th 2013, 6:55 pm

Amethyst stood between two headstones just on the turnoff of highway 123. The leading path of gravel fought off the overgrowth of the rampant spread of weeds and tall grass from the surrounding fields. A fresh layer of mud sprung up from the water hose pouring against the ground with abundant waste. It wasn't a gaping hole pouring over the sky, but it did give Ame a question or two about the church she came to, since water ordinances wouldn't let something like this go on. This little deluge encapsulated more than one memorial. Ame added another.

Whatever hung over the town could take in the trail of smoke rising up from the cigarette resting between index and middle finger. It looked remarkably close to where she came from as a child. Save for the heat pushing in from beneath her. Even with destruction on the horizon, the humidity still found a way to pronounce itself. Carrying a case with a number of luggage stickers from her movement across state lines and continental drifts, Ame dropped her cigarette and tossed her divining rods against her shoulder. She could already feel something taking hold of her in the air.

No one ever expects the end to be just around the corner, but an air over the town coursed with nervous energy and anxious anticipation. Water soaked against her boots as she dredged along the sunken garden. It didn't take long for her to locate the spigot and turn the water off. Judging by the heat swelling up, that water stood about as much of a chance of sticking around these parts as Ame did if she finished this job. If the world had to end today, Ame would make sure it didn't happen in Toccoa, Georgia.

"With a whisper and not a bang." Ame opened the lock and pushed into the house of worship. She allowed the sound of her trunk on the ground act as the harbinger for her arrival. The sun hid behind the low hanging curtains of the lobby Ame made for her starting point. She snapped open her trunk and pulled out a flask coursing with lightning. Shadows retreated into the curtains at the beckoning light intruding their domain. "I guess this is the place."

by **404NameNotFound** August 11th 2013, 10:30 pm

Vaga scanned the area as he walked towards the church. The sign read "Zebulon Baptist Church." Vaga stared, confused. Which one was Baptists again? He could never keep the religions straight in his head. With a name like 'Zebulon,' this was probably one of those crazy ones, with the aliens and the volcano and whatnot. It didn't terribly matter, when he really processed it. What was the difference to an Immortal? The looming threat of Heaven, Hell, purgatory, judgement, aliens, nonexistance... none of it should ever dictate what he did while he lived. That was what morals were for.

The Eternal Youth snapped back to reality, abandoning his momentary reverie when a woman turned off the nearby water spigot. The air near the church had been much closer to tolerable with the added moisture, but Vaga supposed not everyone would appreciate it. Night would be coming soon, if the declining temperature was any indication. Vaga realized she had started towards the door, and he walked closer. This person, strange as she was, had been one of the few people he had seen since making it to this godforsaken place. He followed her in, but she must not have heard his nails clicking on the steps up to the entrance. If she did, she made no indication. He heard her say something as she unlocked her a trunk. It had sounded like:
"With a whisper and not a bang."

Vaga looked at her, confused. "Don't you mean 'Not with a bang but a whimper'? I mean, if you're trying to quote Tom." She had already pulled out a potion coursing with lightning. He recognized the occult nature of the potion, though he was unable to know exactly what it did without some research. "What do you plan to do with that?" In his typical curious nature, Vaga had walked in without so much as looking around. He was nearly oblivious to his surroundings, save for knowing it was a religious institution. He patiently waited for the woman to reply, if she even intended to.

by **Zell** August 12th 2013, 1:57 pm

    Zell sat in his private jet, approaching the 'drop-point'. Sean was going to be here, and it thrilled him. Zell was ready for this; every part of him wanted this confrontation. Instead of being a mind divided, like on every other topic in his life, he was unified in finding Sean, and this was the place, they were sure of it. While Zell wanted to find Sean to give him a little taste of revenge, Ouro had something much more...devious in mind. Zell, under Ouroboro's inspiration had created a whole arsenal of new toys that Zell was dying to try out, and dying to kill with. Zell's only regret was that he had so many wonderful toys...but only one Sean to kill with them all.

       Zell jumped out of the cargo bay, landing on good old terra firma. The sun was on the horizon, setting. The poetic beauty sent a shiver down Zell's spine. Sean's time was limited, like that of the sun. By the end of this battle, Sean would be dead. Sean was a murderer, there was no mercy, no remorse. Zell looked around the outskirts of the town, the church from his vision in sight. He looked around, focusing as best as he could. He could have sworn he just saw Shara getting into a car and driving off. Zell snapped back to reality and saw that the car he just saw a woman get into, was utterly decimated, and what he saw couldn’t have possible been real. His mind was lucid, and his thoughts not coherent.

      ”The ghosts of innocents.” The voice growled as he looked with contempt at the car. He sighed and with nothing more he began walking towards the church. He felt himself calm, and thus he returned to his normal self, his voice losing the suave and soft ‘feel’. ”Okay…Sean. I’m coming for you.” He said as he began walking towards the church.

       His body was covered in the nanite-threads of metal, creating a clad second skin over the young CEO. The Armor cut through his current clothing, and replaced it with the suit known only as The Hydra Skin. Once, a long time ago, Zell believed calling the second-skin suit Hydras skin was a weird thing to call it…until he saw the sign for this church. He stopped, his mouth went agape, his right eyebrow dropped while the left one rose and he read the nice sign. Zell crossed his arms in disbelief.

    ”Zebulon…as in the sixth son of Jacob and Leah…or as in the Angel from The Word and Revelation of Esdras?” Zell asked himself. It made a difference, because it was ironically placed if it were the latter. Either way, he opened the church door and strode in. When he entered he saw a seemingly younger person, and a beautiful woman in there, one he immediately linked to Shara. He grabbed his head with his black glove and groaned. He shook it off and walked past them, leaving her to her little ‘magic’ trick and the younger man to his pointless inquiry.

   ”You may want to leave. I’m sure you’ve seen the weather outside…” Zell advised them before he walked back to the chior-exit to that led to the back hallway. Once he reached the door that said PASTOR he threw a kick, sending the door to the ground. He walked over and took the laptop, taking that and the skeleton key to the church that sat n the ‘pastor’s desk. He made his way back to the sanctuary, he set the laptop up, and looked around. At the center of the far wall, where Zell was stationed, there was a large metal cross. ”Their God says that they should have no idols…yet here they are…placing a cross on a pedestal.” He said in disgust. He then looked at the Organ, that was imbedded into the wall. Without a second thought he held up his hand, and there was a small blast of protonic energy taking out a large chunk of the wall, and sending a large organ tube down. Zell walked over and inspected it.

      ”I plan on making shield generator to keep this place safe. We may run into survivors, we can send them here and I’ll rig the device to produce the shield on command…could I get some assistance?” Zell said, revealing his own plans. He waited for a response. ”Look, churches like this USUALLY have copper plumbing, I need someone to bring me about…..three copper pipes. Please.” He said, if no one was going to help him he would have to do it himself. Meanwhile, he was busy putting his intelligence to work, recoding the laptop to sync in with his A.V.A.T.A.R through the ‘Wireless connection’ settings. Once that was done, he had full access to the laptop through his A.V.A.T.A.R. He cut the Organ in half with his blade, Misanthropy, and then he placed one of his new ‘Toy’s” inside each of the large organ pipe, keeping it in place with the copper tubing. Then he ‘repurposed’ the laptop to give off two different types of charges. Positive and negative. With this he would be able to turn the church itself into a defensible spot for not only civilians but himself. He placed the laptop by the cross, and then he placed each ‘device’ he made on either side of it.

     ”If my calculations are correct, I have just managed to rig this entire church up with two devices, one a shielding device, the other an offensive device.” Zell said, not feeling at all accomplished.

(Kill the King and Save the Queen are what are rigged up to the Church)

by **Chellizard** August 12th 2013, 6:39 pm

"I hate gravel roads..." complaining, the teenage popstar looked up from her laptop.

"I won't ask why we're here, Miss Gold, but I will ask you to be careful."

"Aren't I always?" she half-asked before wrenching open the door just before it pulled to a stop.

The car had pulled up to a driveway that looked mangled and overgrown. Her phone rang, and sent her jumping into the air. Clutching her chest, she gasped and pulled out the device and checked the message.

We cannot meet, after all. Call this number...

Sighing, she turned and climbed back into the car.

"Guess we came out here for nothing. Drive me back to civilization, please." she did not look at the driver, she kept her eyes on the phone, reading the number over and over again.

Why was it so familiar?

Maybe it wasn't, and she just wanted it to be.

Scribbling the numbers down onto the back of her hand, she then pulled up the dial pad and input the numbers with hesitation. Pulling the phone up to her ear, she waited, listening to the droning ring.

"Hello."

"Hello," the pop star was frightened, but her veins were coursing with adrenaline.

"I've led you here under false pretenses. My address changed years ago. But, I do keep in touch with the news of my old town. Look up," the voice instructed. It was hard to tell if it was male or female at this point.

"I'm looking up. Things are bad..."

"I'm sure there's a reason you were drawn to my messages. I hope there's a good reason for you being in this town, PonPonPon3000. I'll be watching the news."

"I--" and the line was dead.

Blinking at her phone, she silently sat it down on her left thigh and looked over at her guitar case. It held her power suit. She looked up at her driver.

"Everything all right, Miss Gold?"

"When you drop me off, I want you to leave. That is an order."

She knew what she had to do. Could she do it?

Time will tell.

by **Forceaus** August 12th 2013, 8:06 pm

It was really dark out and not even dusk yet. That ominous cloud hung over the entire city. Just what was it though? Whatever could it be? It swirled about and moved slowly in one general direction. Was following its path the best thing to do? Or was heading in the opposite direction a better idea? If you were trying to get to safety then that might a good idea if you couldn't take shelter. He wanted to do just that. John kind of wanted to just get out of here. Instead he ran back to the repair shop. The employees there were now all outside and staring up at the dense fog that hung overhead. Because of that it was easy for him to sneak past them and into the shop. He went to the back in search of the car. The nearest one wasn't it. It was a nice car though. A model that came out only months ago. He knew this due to all of those commercials for it, yet it was already in need of repairs. The driver probably overdid it. "What am I doing?" he asked himself profoundly. That of course meaning stupidly. John got back to looking and saw what he was looking for. He walked over to the car and opened the front door to click the switch that would open the trunk up. Once it was open he moved over there and started rummaging through what was inside. Not much in there. He didn't really pack anything so this was easy. He grabbed what he needed to grab and snuck out the back way.

Not long after he was far more prepared for this cloud. If it even did anything but float around that is. At least he was ready for danger. If and when it came. Now dressed up in his usual not so usual superhero attire, Forcewave gave quick chase after the center of the cloud. It was still moving steadily in the same direction. The sun could be seen setting in the distance. Would nighttime bring about whatever this fog had in store for this town of Toccoa. Oh, now he remembers the name of this place.

The fog was getting thicker as the sun set more. Its distant glimmers of light could barely be made out through the dense, misty air. He could barely make out the nearby buildings by this point. He saw large ones and small ones, but no idea what they were. There was this one building near the center of the cloud. He couldn't tell what it was, but he could just make out some people standing around it. They were just standing there. He got closer and saw that it was a church. Zebulon church on the outskirts of town. Back near where he first entered this city, and he was tired of running. Forcewave looked back up at the cloud as he slowed down. Something was happening. Things were falling from it. Not rain though. Way too big to be something weather related.

by **Bliss** August 13th 2013, 3:52 am

"If I made an incantation a quote, I would be unlocking doors whenever I took a stroll through the Humanities wing of a liberal arts school." The blinking lights of the pure energy shooting around the flask cast shadows along Ame's face. "I plan on using it to spare these nice churchgoers of a hike in their utility budget. It looks like the amount of water they left pouring into lawn they'll need to pass the offering plate twice." Before she could continue to discuss her revelation on the absence of a man watering the plants, a man barged through to call demand to himself. His demeanor and appearance gave him enough authority to let Ame know something was even more amiss. While he looked like he knew of the situation and what to do, that in no way made Ame feel better about the situation.

"I believe he is trying to help the situation." Ame peered down the hallway until she found herself in a bit of dismay as a door splintered and broke. "And he just kicked in a door in a church. I didn't quite make out his incantation, but it looks a little less subtle." Ame placed her flask back in her bag as the time for pleasantries and subtleties lie somewhere behind the rash activities surrounding her.

In all honesty she didn't know why such action really stuck with her. Maybe she thought coming here alone without Elaine would finally give her a chance to work with more rational, level headed individuals. Ame walked to the auditorium to check in on the ruckus the busy man attended to. "We might be able to find something like that, but it would probably be deeper under the church since--" And then he cut the organ in half. "Can you not destroy anymore of the church?"

Vibrating against her arms, the dormant dowsing rods began to come to life. Whatever came in the here and then could stay within that realm, but Ame knew better than to ignore her lifeline to forces beyond her imagination. Humming in the quiet of her mind, Ame focused as the rest of the world faded from her. Almost in a state of meditation, Ame walked through a trance. Sound and sight merged into one continuum, twisting a breaking light and the deep vibration against her palms into one singularity.

Casting aside the limitations of the material world, Ame focused on the intrusion pouring through the vortex. Their faces melded into Ame's mind. Each creature gave off a distinct, unmistakable sound. Each one fading into the next, giving Ame a precise number for what awaited them in the town. Their approach came with the diminishing of the meld in sight clutching to the divining rods. Light began to fade and when the darkness washed over the mental sight of Ame, she came back between the two headstones, gazing into the face of one of the beasts.

Acid poured down to water trodden grass pooling around the concrete markers with a hiss tearing through the placidity. "Drive back darkness!" Beckoning for her incantation, Ame pressed her palm against the vicious body of the creatures lunging towards her. The ward drove back the creature, but Ame could feel the resolve gaze into her. Jumping onto the flat surface of the burial plot, Ame pulled out her volatile flask. Pressing to dispatch the warding, the fierce creature refused to be waylaid by such a minor cantrip.

Water splashed against the foliage under the crashing assault, only to be met with broken glass and the horrific energy of the bottled electricity conducing through the puddle. Charred and dismantled, Ame placed a watchful eye on the smoldering carcass before her. Turning to the treeline parting just before the offshoot to the highway, Ame heard each distinct ring and rhyme of clattered jaws reenter her mind, though this time she didn't need the rods. A troop of the demons staggered towards the church.

by **Arcana** August 13th 2013, 6:46 pm

In what felt like only a moment had descended upon the town, and another night of terror it would be. Now even more of the inhuman demons would begin to pour from the mist, their eyes now seeming to slow an eerie red. Their jaws still releasing the acidic saliva, but its potency seemed greater somehow. These however had longer, more muscular arms that drug against the concrete, and dug ruts into them with large misshapen claws. The appearance of night meant that even greater beings of darkness could roam freely. At the beck of them was what appeared to be a larger version of the monsters, yet witch a more streamline body and a sort of intelligence within its dark eyes.

It would follow behind the large horde, serpentine tail dragging behind it, yet it had no intentions of doing any battle itself. And which they came upon the Church, a dark cloud descended upon the center of town. It appeared as if the void had vomited something out upon the town.

”I hate the mortal world” A female voice complained stepped through the veil of mist that exuded from the crash site.

”If you hate it so much, why the hell did you come in the first place?” A male voice questioned, deep and rumbling. The mist cleared away, revealing two humanoid figures covered in curious markings, and dressed in simple black clothing that hugged their forms.

”I wanted to see this newborn for myself, see if he really is the descendant of the old man.” She said, the two demonic blades at her side seeming to glow a deep red for a moment, before going dark once again. ”Besides, I am the commander of the army, so its my job to make sure that the assimilation of this area is a success.

”By kidnapping these worthless human? Seriously, you're wasting our time. If I were in charge, this would have been done by now.”

”Unlike you, I want to enjoy my spoils. And regardless, I’m sure we remember what happened the last time that you were given an assignment like this.” That shut the male up. ”Troops!Destroy everything! Tonight we claim this town for The Abyss!” Shadowy beings, with smooth bodies emerged from the mist and in an instant they went to work.

by **404NameNotFound** August 14th 2013, 12:56 am

"Oh, that was your incantation! I usually prefer something shorter than-" Zell had just burst through the door, and marched through the church like he owned the place. Vaga's face immediately turned to a frown. Who was this guy, and why was he messing up the Church? The woman in front of him put away her flask, approaching the man. Vaga followed diligently. He promptly ignored the stranger's "You may want to leave" comment - he wasn't going anywhere. Especially since the activities were just getting started.

When Zell (though the boy had no idea that was his name) destroyed the organ, Vaga nearly stepped in to say something, but the woman beat him to it. At least she had a firm head on her shoulders. This other hero seemed a little too loose-canon so far. Still, heroes needed to adapt. If this strange, destructive guy was in charge, Vaga would go with it for now. He turned to ask the woman her name, but she was already in a trance. He shook his head. Apparently all you had to do was introduce a little bit of supernatural phenomena and the world lost it's manners.

"I'll get your pipes. The name's Vaga, by the way." The boy paused to see if Zell would reply, before reaching down and touching an insignia on the top of his strange footwear. He whispered "Restaf" to them, and the insignia flashed. Vaga bolted at an incredible pace, flying towards the stairs. He leapt them with a single hop, bouncing off the wall with a little help from his cloak, and landed at the bottom.

The basement was stale and musty, having not seen much use as of late. The water leakage from outside had found its way down here, leaving the stored boxes in a state of mildewed disrepair. If he wasn't in such a hurry, Vaga would have mused that it reminded him of home. Vaga was a blur around the room as he delved into long forgotten swatches of fabric, clothes for the needy, Christmas decorations, and miscellaneous knickknacks. So much unnecessary stuff, it made Vaga a little upset. The blatant consumerism that had a stranglehold on this country was stifling. He noticed a long container in the corner. This box held promise. It was labelled 'Shenandoah Wind Chime' in scrawling black letters. Vaga opened it eagerly. Sure enough, it was just what he had hoped for! Better, in fact! He regretted his bitter internal monologue about their consumerism. It may have just helped save their place of worship. The chimes, nearly as large as he was, were already unstrung and ready for transportation. The were a little grungy, from the exposure to the water and lack of light, but otherwise completely undamaged. And - perhaps most importantly - they were made of copper. Vaga closed the box and ran it back upstairs at the same speed he had descended them, smiling like one usually would when successful in an endeavor.

"Here, I found some chimes. Will these work?" He handed over the box, looking about for the woman. "Wait, has she not come back yet?"

by **Zell** August 14th 2013, 1:32 am

A woman and her rituals. Zell had little time or inclination to ask about what she was doing. In the end it was irrelevant. She could strip down to a bikini and do the worm on molten lava and Zell wouldn’t give her a second thought. He had finished constructing the device, stepping back and nodding to the other young man, who introduced himself as Vega.

            ”On the second Hour they looked at what they had made…and it was good….Vega, a pleasure to meet you. Zell Atterrius.” Zell said without hesitation, offering his hand. He no longer cared if anyone was able to figure out he was the billionaire genius child. That was the old him. The one foolish enough to believe he had a future, a life to live. He would have given anything to be normal, but in the end he lost it all for being abnormal. He turned to the woman, and sighed. ”In regards to not destroying the church I will only say this… We can uphold this building’s integrity and die as foolish martyrs, or we can use what God have provided and live to praise him another day…” Zell said, slightly irritated by the woman.

          Zell walked out towards the front doors of the church. He observed the happenings, seeing a man, not too old, but not as young as him. Zell looked back in the church for a second. He closed his eyes and sighed. He did all he could for the Civilians…he did all he WOULD do for now. Sean was still here, and Zell wanted to make sure he got the chance to show off his little toys to the titan. Zell’s eyes felt heavy, they were burdened, and he had no intentions of opening them. He could have sworn he had fallen asleep standing up. Instead while he slept, a sudden spark of ethereal energy kindled inside him. With a calming sigh, his eyes opened and a predatory glow was shown from the emerald orbs. ”I’ll be back…don’t have too much fun now.” Ouroboros said, going out of his way to make his voice sound exactly like Zell’s. He walked out into the open air, and began walking towards a familiar energy. He had almost instantly located Sean, but now the issue had become getting the attention of the Titan.

        Finding the Titan was no small task, but even greater a task was avoiding the incoming Demons that would have flocked to him, likely attempting to end him and prematurely celebrate. He kept his arms crossed, as he always did and he wore that smug grin, as he always had. He knew that the young Titan could sense him, it would have been nigh impossible for him to not of, then again…with all of the events going on Ouro could never be sure.

     ”Oh where, oh where has my little titan gone?” He mused to himself with a relaxed sigh. Ouroboros looked back to the church. Zell’s fortifications were impressive, able to use the copper to enhance the projection of the barrier and increase the size of the blades. Sadly, it was all in vain. The Demons were beyond that, or at least Ouro was secretly hoping. The human race was a scourge upon the world, a flame to be bloodied out. From the sky dropped down The Ravenheart, Lourishna…the one that Ouro commanded to lead Sean to him. The bird would begin circling overhead, saying Seans name until he got his attention, in case the energy hadn’t. Ouro turned and saw Sean, not too far away.
       ”Well…Look who it is.” Ouro mused as he let a small smile creep on his face.

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