That Ghoul (Oct Monthly)

[Zack Asiv]

That Ghoul

-Ahhh! Real Monsters!-[/center]

Format:

Single. (You may work with someone else for storyline purposes if you like but each person must submit his or her own separate ‘trip’ to claim the reward.)

Reward:

Choice of +4 EXP, $600 or upgrade item/item unlock
+1 Candy Tear: This candy is a light blue, and in the shape of a tear drop. It can easily be consumed in a single bite and seems to almost melt in the ingesters mouth. This candy can heal most minor wounds from cuts, and bruises, to concussions or internal bleeding. Muscles will even mend themselves after ingesting. Heals small wounds up to ripped muscles. +5 Con For thread ingested in. Can't stack.

Scenario:

Welp its almost holloween, time to go trick or treating... Yeah post-apocolypse style. This is life or death FIND THAT CANDY! But be careful, it seems like your being stalked.

Requirements:

• 1,000 word minimum
  
• Your character must hear about the Candy Tear somehow.
  
• You must feel like your being watched, or otherwise followed.
  
• Desperation and fear are heightened!
  

This Monthly Event ends on Wednsday, October 17th.

[/size]

[Delilah A. Black]

((OOC: i had way too much fun with this. The post is finiiiiished. Enjoy.))



One unseasonably warm fall day in what one could only hope was October, a boy lived in comfort in the Crows' base. This boy had turned five years old a few months earlier and had a wonderful birthday party with his mama and long lost dad all their friends. He hadn't received much by way of gifts, but that which he DID get was above and beyond his expectations. The young lad was acutely aware that video games and remote control cars were increasingly hard to come by: if all he could get was a bear vaguely reminiscent of Frankenstein's monster, then he would be happy with it.

Although this boy was very mature for his age, he was still a five year old boy. And while he never wanted for much, he finally did find something that he wanted, something that he wanted so badly that he was more than willing to do something he never, EVER did.

Scream for it until he got it.

"BUT I WANT IT."[/SIZE]

Fighting to keep her calm, Delilah sighed, her left brow twitching as she hovered over her young devil child son who was thrashing about on the ground in an uncharacteristic temper-tantrum in their living room. She was vaguely thankful that no one else was around to see this.

"Oliver, I told you, it's all the way up the coast--

"I DON'T CARE!"[/SIZE]

"--it's in a bad place where mommy might get hurt if she went--

"DON'T CAAAAAAAAAAAARE!!![/SIZE]

"--just a candy, sweetie,--

"NO."[/SIZE]

"--we can always--

"NO."

"--find--[/SIZE]

"NOOOOOOOO."

"--something--"

"NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NONONO NOOOOOO."

"OLIVER FENRICH STUART POTT, THAT IS ENOUGH! STOP THAT THIS INSTANT OR I'LL--"

At that point, the young boy began to emit a wordless, ear splitting scream. Combined with him repeatedly bashing the floor with his flailing arms and legs, adorable little face beet red and screwed up in his seemingly tireless rage, Delilah immediately lost the will to continue to argue with her five year old.

"ALRIGHT! Alright, fine, I'll get you the candy tear or whatever! CHRIST."

Oliver stopped his wailing the instant this came out of her mouth, reducing his sobs of anguish to minute sniffles. He looked up at her with an expression of sheer adoration coupled with an innocence that belied the torment he had put his mother through over the course of the last three hours.

"Really?"

She exhaled in relief, her ears ringing with the new found silence. "If it's that important to you..."

Oliver promptly threw himself at his mother, hugging her tightly around the neck. "THANK YOU MAMA! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU--"

And that did it. If Delilah had any inclination to find a subsitute or try and force some of her team to go find the damn thing, it evaporated when he pressed his sopping wet face into her neck and grinned at her with an expression so happy she thought he might vomit rainbows. Eff.

"Just one thing, love..."

He looked up at her with a look of uncertainty, afraid his mother would change her mind or make him do something before she found the candy tear.

"Who told you about the candy?"

He brightened, relieved that she wasn't going to back track on their deal. "It was Birch-san! He said it was the most amazing thing!" His eyes sparkled at the memory.

Delilah nodded sagely and patted her son on the head before tucking him in for the night. As soon as he was asleep, Delilah crept out of the apartment and began her hunt.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

The next morning, Delilah left the base on a dirt bike she recently fixed up for long excursions into Barker territory. It was by no means the prettiest thing, but it was fast and nimble. She had hoped this would be a quick in and out, simple as Birch said it would be before she knocked him unconscious, dressed him in the sluttiest women's lingerie, and hung him from the ceiling of the mess hall for all to see.

She had dressed for the occasion: On her belt were all three of her knives, her sword, a coil of rope and a tightly rolled map tucked into her pocket. Her ink black hair was pulled back tightly in it's customary clip, the pants she wore were freshly repaired and tucked into her combat boots, her grey tank top fresh and unstained. Helmetless, she rode through the streets as she approached Barker territory.

Already she noticed the difference of those living within the Crows' land and those who were still stuck living in Barker controlled areas. To say that the people were destitute was an understatement: she passed blocks of people just sitting, covered in filth and radiating misery. Some scampered away at her approach and others looked at her with a mixture of hate and fear. Others still simply looked at her as if not really seeing her, going back to wallowing once she was out of their line of sight.

As she went deeper and deeper into the ruins of the downtown core, Delilah began noticing less and less people. The thought sent a thrill of fear through her: there was obviously a reason people weren't congregating here...or perhaps they were hiding? Either way, the situation did not bode well for this trespasser.

She let out a shaky breath and pulled over to check the map. She was still a mile and a half away from the specialty candy shop. She started to twist the throttle when she heard movement behind her.

Delilah whipped around in her seat, drawing her bowie knife and holding it aloft threateningly. Her eyes swiveled from side to side, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound.

A minute passed. Then two. Then five. Not assured by any means but knowing she had to get moving before the sun set, she got back on the bike and sped off down the deserted streets. She increased her pace as she went, feeling hounded, a dreadful pressure increasing steadily over her heart. She fought for calm. Alone, deep in Barker territory with nothing but a few sharp implements to keep her safe and an open vehicle to get her from place to place?

Shit, she should have thought this over a little better before heading out.

After another half hour of riding (though it felt more like six with this fear pressing on her chest), she made it to the candy store. The place was pretty much intact, given that the tail end of a taxi was hanging out of one of the large windows. She turned off the engine and engaged the kick stand as she slowly stood, her knife still drawn. Though she hadn't heard anything since she had stopped earlier, she was still increasingly wary and growing more certain that she was being followed.

No. Not followed. Stalked.

She shook it off, but kept her knife drawn and started towards the store. Rather than try the window and wind up dislodging a hurricane of broken glass and rusted metal, she opted for trying the door.

It opened with a faint tinkle and she slowly stepped inside, warning bells sounding deep in her mind. The feeling of dread she had been carrying with her for the last few miles had come to a boil: if she tarried any longer, she would be in serious danger, of this she was sure.

Just as she turned to leave, something on the counter caught her eye. She looked and her eyes widened in surprise.

There it was. Or, rather, there they were: sitting not five feet away was a sealed glass jar labeled "Candy Tears: Cures what ails you, sweet tooth or stab wound! $3.00/per gram". The jar was full.

Grinning, Delilah stepped towards the counter and grabbed the jar.

A mighty roar shook the windows of the shop and Delilah jumped back in surprise, clutching the jar close to her chest and looked towards the sound. She only had a moment to register that a giant was barreling down the road and was about to crash into the store.

She dove under the candy counter for cover as the big man burst through the shop, glass and wood flying everywhere. She scampered out of the way as a shelf crashed down around her and tried to hide. Ice encrusted his forearms and Delilah could feel a chill emanating off of him. A Qi user? No. An experiment.

Shiiiiiit.[/i]

After giving the immediate area a cursory look around, the man emitted another blood thirsty roar and proceeded to pick up the various shelves and toss them hither and yon to his hearts content as he searched for his quarry.

Seeing he was distracted, Delilah started a belly crawl forward towards he door, letting the man get lost in his work. The jar was positioned precariously on the small of her back, her knife clenched between her teeth. Slowly, she made her way forward, her heart thudding against her rib cage. She could, in theory, take down a man this size on her own, but the risk of her getting injured or captured or frozen far outweighed that inclination.

She approached the door more quickly than she had hoped. Lifting the jar off her back, she placed it on the ground and rose slowly to her feet. The man didn't even notice. Delilah kept her gaze in his direction as she twisted the knob and opened the door.

-tinkle-tink-

The big man looked around and spotted her, the ice on his forearms forming into jagged peaks.

"Fuck."

She turned and began to sprint away from the candy store towards her bike. The experiment was right behind her, breaking through the shop as he chased her. Delilah had already mounted her bike and was starting it when he turned, grabbed the taxi hanging out of the shop window, and hurled it at her.

She screamed and twisted the throttle. That much gas made her pop a wheelie and send her careening out of control. Just behind her, the car smashed into the pavement and a tire sailed past her.

The experiment bellowed again, clearly displeased this ruse had not worked. With alarming speed, he took to the buildings around him and started chasing after her, clinging to the twisted metal and creating footholds as he leapt after her.

She regained control of the bike and sped through the streets, one hand on steering, the other clutching the jar for dear life. She had gotten this far to ensure her son's desired treasure was secure, there was no way in hell she was letting it go now.

Just ahead of her, a large ball of ice hit the ground and exploded. Delilah swerved to avoid it and was rewarded with a shower of sharp, icy shards pelting her face and arms. Just as she righted the bike, another ice-ball slammed into the ground not four feet away, forcing her to repeat the process. Then a third time. And a fourth.

The fifth time was the charm as the next falling ice ball clipped the back wheel of her bike, sending her into a tail spin. Rather than get caught under the sliding bike, she bailed backwards, twisting cat-like in the air to land on her feet with a stagger, still clutching the troublesome candy jar to her bosom. The bike scraped against the ground, sending sparks into the air before it came to a halt, sputtering before shutting itself off.

She turned just in time to witness the experiment leap from one of the buildings to land on the road, caving in the asphalt and sending dust scattering into the air. He leered at her, the ice coating his arms forming more jagged hills and valleys, cold pouring off him in stark contrast to the unseasonable heat. He started forward and he actually chuckled, thinking victory was evident. He pointed at her.

“Crow.”

He took another lumbering step.

“Crow far from her Nest.”

Another step.

“Trapped and alone”

Step.

“No one to hear if she caws for help...hehhehheheh...”

Step.

Seeing no choice, Delilah calmly laid a hand against the leather wrapped hilt of her sword and shifted into a stance. She drew it silently from it's sheath, holding it at an angle to her left, the razor sharp edge facing up with the tip pointed towards he ground. Her gaze was aimed slightly downward as she watched her surroundings with her peripheral vision, her expression soft, her hand steady. He was only ten feet away now. She exhaled slowly, releasing the tension and residual fear from her body. In her other hand, still clutched against her, was the jar of candy.

I'm sorry, Oliver.

The man charged, covering the distance between them in a single step, raising his left arm to pummel her into the ground with the gauntlets of ice on his arms. Delilah through the jar of candy at the incoming fist as hard as she could, and the jar exploded as it hit it's mark, sending candy and glass everywhere as well as shattering a small portion of the man's ice. This stopped the punch and he grunted in irritation, his momentum canceled out.

An instant later, he screamed in pain as blood erupted from a deep cut just below his knee, rendering that leg next to useless. The next instant brought a different kind of pain as a stroke on the same path of the cut crashed into his leg, knocking him off balance and helping him to the ground.

Delilah stood off just to the side of the punch that hadn't quite completed itself, her expression the same as she held her sword aloft after completing the upward stroke, blood dripping from the blade. She lowered it back to her hip and took two steps so that she was standing beside the thigh she injured. In his pain, the experiment didn't even notice as she lifted her sword again with the tip pointed down until twelve inches of steel was buried deep in his thigh, puncturing the artery.

He screamed again as dark red blood burbled up from the wound, more gushing out as she withdrew her blade to the side, drawing a long cut that made sucking noises as the sword left his flesh. He made a couple swipes for her and tried to stagger to his feet to give chase as she turned and started walking away, but could not rise on his rended leg. The blood was quickly leaving his body now, running out of him in rivers rather than streams. He put his ice arm on the wound, and though it began to slow, it was too fast for his body to counteract. He didn't want to die, he had just been following orders, he didn't want to die, it had only been two cuts, he didn't want to die, why was everything getting blurry, he didn't want to diehedidn'twanttodiehedidn'twantto--

By the time Delilah got back to the bike, the experiment lay behind her, no longer shouting in pain and fear, but breathing his last. Yes, it had been only two cuts. Yes, the opponent had been far stronger than she. The only difference was she knew where to hit and how effective that was, whereas with his brute strength alone, he would have easily killed her.

She righted the bike and sighed, mourning the loss of the candy she promised her son. She'd have to find a substitute or something for the time being until she could follow enough of a lead to find another. All the candy in the jar was now covered in blood or filth...she wouldn't let her son near that stuff.

Mounting the bike, Delilah felt a round, hard object shift uncomfortably between her breasts. She reached a hand between them and fished out...a candy tear.

Her expression instantly brightened at this. The last viable candy, and it had landed right in her chest.

You always find the darndest things in there.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Oliver stared at the little candy in the palm of his hand, mismatched eyes clearly confused.

Delilah watched him with growing unease, half expecting another temper tantrum. “What's wrong, love? This is what you wanted, right?”

“Yeaaaaah....but...” he trailed off, looking worried.

“Buuuuut?”

He was silent for a little while before he looked up at her with a frank expression of innocence. “I don't want it any more.”

She couldn't help it. Delilah stared at him, open mouthed with disbelief at the turn of events. She was completely speechless.

You mean...after all that, after everything I just went through, he doesn’t even WANT IT?!

Then he looked apologetic, smiling sheepishly. “I'm sorry, Mama....do you want it?” he held it out for her to take smiling hopefully as he attempted to make peace.

Now Delilah was silent for a few more moments before she managed to collect herself. She accepted the candy gratefully. “Arigato, Oliver.”

He beamed and bowed politely in response. Then he ran back to his room to continue playing dinosaurs and cowboys with the rocks he recently took to collecting.

She watched him run off, still stunned but laughing in spite of herself. She pocketed the candy with a shrug and went to go start dinner.

Who knows? she thought, This thing might just come in handy.[/size]

((OOC: EXP Plz~))

[Mathew Amtrum]

He was on the search for Leon, which meant that his journey would likely be full of danger and surprises. He was strong and confident that he could face whatever danger presented himself, but the reason he was confident was because he was always prepared. It was preparation more than brute strength that saw him through every challenge. That is what lead him here tonight. Preparation, he had heard about one of the healing tears in the area, and having one, even a weak one would be a boon in his quest for the most epic of best mans.

It was night time, the city streets were all but deserted. His footsteps were dead silent. He had taken to walking everywhere bare footed with the unlocking of his newest Qi incarnation. Though he was back in his old combat gear. His studded Dragon pants and bracers topped off with his Earth Dragon Coat once more. The weight was still something he had to get used to again, years without it had made him soft in some respects. But much tougher in others. He had the scars to prove it.

A crashing sound behind him caused him to spin around, his hands shifting up to defend himself. Emerald eyes flickering around the area, scanning the darkness for anything that could be lurking. He didn't like there being no power here. Seattle was his stomping grounds sure, but that did not mean it was safe. Especially at night. Even for him if they got the drop on him.

He stood there for several minutes, his eyes staring in to the blackness until he saw the shifting movement of something. He sent a pillar of Earth at it only to hear a cat hiss and meow loudly before running out of the heap of trash that had caused the sound. He relaxed his shoulders.

"Just a cat."

He was feeling jumpier than normal, probably because he would likely have to confront Barker to free Leon. A scary thought indeed. Memories of the correctional facility still invaded his dreams now and again, even if he had an easier time there than most. He let out a sigh and turned back to the streets in front of him.

"Alright, I need to get to Pike Place..."

Easier said than done now a days. Rubble and broken streets everywhere. Though again, that was easier for him to handle than it would be for many others. He continued forward, an itch appearing on the back of his neck. The feeling like he was being watched from somewhere. He continued forward, his eyes scanning the area in front of him, looking for any sign of who might be watching him. But there was nothing but shadows.

The feeling of dread continued to wash over him, and despite himself his pace quickened slightly. It was best to just get the tear and get out of here. That or try and find a way to ambush whoever might be following him. The latter option seemed to be the best one after thinking it over a few moments, without his stalker showing themselves. Whoever they were, they were good. If only he had brought Bastille with him. Though for all he knew she was the one following him. Not wanting to take her eyes off him. That would be in her character, it was probably Bastille. Though the feeling of eyes on him didn't feel like hers.

He swept across the corner of a building and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Nothing came around the corner tailing him, and yet the feeling of being watched continued to persist. His heart was starting to race, dread fogging his mind. There was only one being that could fill him with this much dread. Even without being seen. Just the thought of his name caused Mathew to involuntarily shudder.

"Winklewood...."

Please let it not be so. But that thought spurred him in to action. Mathew bolted down the street. That feeling of being watched growing more and more intense, the feeling of dread was almost overpowering. His legs would move as fast as they could. It could be nothing, it could be in his imagination, but if it was Winklewood around, he didn't want to risk it. He would rather run in to Barker right now than Winklewood.

He stumbled to a complete stop as he came to a large gap in the street, stopping just at the edge before he would have fallen in to the crater. Quickly he scanned over his shoulder, still no sign of anything. That only unnerved him more.

Focus Mathew.

He channeled his Qi in to the ground, the street stretching in front of him to make a bridge across the gap for him to walk across the crater. And like Hell he was leaving it up! As soon as he was across the bridge would crumble in to dust, and Mathew was back on his way. Almost to his destination! He could see the crumbling building that housed the outdoor market. Part's of the roof were collapsed, but there had never been walls over most of it, so getting in was simple enough.

This was probably one of the most eerie places in Seattle. Peoples wares were still out, the food rotted and infested with flies. The crafts covered in dust, and many of them broken. What caught his eye though was something that seemed to be brand new. Something that seemed to be untouched by the destruction that tore through the rest of the market. Almost like it was put there...

A rake...

He didn't know why, but he picked up the rake, just the fact that it seemed to be new was astounding. And almost instantly the feeling of being watched vanished as he held the rake.

"Must be a figment of my imagination..."

He looked over his shoulder to be sure. There was nothing there. And no one seemed to be watching him. It was eerie, but he would take what he could get. And he set about going through the ruins of pike place until he came across what he was looking for. An old candy shop, almost destroyed, but a flicker of blue caught his eye. And once he used his power to move through the debris he was able to find a tiny tear shaped candy in a box.

His prize.

"I'm coming for you Leon."

He grinned to himself as he pocketed the tear drop, allowing himself to sink in to the Earth, still clutching the rake. Just in case...

[Raikotsu Sudeki]

Halloween isn’t a tradition that Raikotsu usually followed but after his most recent encounter with his cousin he found out about this mysterious candy called the “Candy Tear” that was capable of healing some pretty serious injuries. So in light of this news he decided to go “trick or treating” to see if he could find this candy, though he didn’t really know where to start looking.

“I could just ask Spike.”

Raikotsu thought aloud to himself. But knew that Spike would try something crafty just to “Get into the spirit of things” blah blah blah, whatever. He started walking around town be sure not to stray into any areas he wasn’t supposed to go to. But something pulled at him, he felt the urge to go and revisit the alley way where he had fought Leon’s clone.

He headed in that direction looking around the alley way, he couldn’t see anything but shadows, trash, and rubble.

“What am I doing here?”

He asked aloud. He sighed and started to leave when he realized he was lost.

“Damn it, some fine mess I’ve found myself into this time.”

He walked around a bit more trying to find his way out but not having any luck. He decided best thing to do would be to pick a direction and follow it, it would eventually lead him out, or so he hoped. He started walking along when he heard footsteps behind him.

“Who’s there?”

He shouted into the darkness. But there was no reply, no sound, nothing. He thought nothing of it, turned around and continued down the path he was heading and just as soon as he did the sound of footsteps started up again and this time Rai spun around as fast as he could without warning trying to see who or whatever was following him, but still nothing.

“Whoever you are show yourself!”

Rai demanded the empty shadows, but still nothing. Rai was feeling uneasy, he knew there was something there but he couldn’t see it and it was the unseen that is the scariest. Rai continued walking the footsteps started up behind him again, but this time instead of turning around Rai would start walking faster. The footsteps kept pace with him so he walked even faster, and the footsteps were faster. Rai had started running now with it sounding like someone was in a dead pursuit after him but he dared no look back. He kept running trying to find a way out but instead ran into a dead end and he skidded to a stop and he knew that whatever was following him was behind him now. He turned around to look only in time to see something step out of the moonlight back into the shadows. Whatever it was following him it was white and this confused Rai because it camouflaged well in the darkness.

“I saw you this time and I know you are there show yourself, I mean you know harm.”

He said this not because he thought the thing in the darkness was worried about getting hurt but rather because he was worried about getting hurt by it! But there was no response and this was unsettling him. He drew his bokken handle and activated his qi through it.

“I’m warning you if you try anything it will not end well for you!”

He started forward trying get out of this area. Just then something jumped out of the shadows and attacked him knocking his bokken handle out of his hands. The thing in front of him was horrific. Its face was made out like some kind of a beast of legend it’s skin was leathery and it had a large hump in its back it almost looked to be grabbing at the ground with all fours its eyes look like pits he couldn’t see eyes in them. Its face though was the most gruesome, it looked as though everything this thing had ever killed was cut up and sewn together on his face. Rai was glad that the thing was wearing clothes over the rest of its body; he didn’t want to know if there had been alterations under those as well. The thing then started making a sound that sounded like a dry gurgling he could only assume it was a chuckle. In scratchy voice it said.

“Now now little one that’s no way to treat someone after you’ve intruded onto their property.”

He made another sick chuckle. Rai was confused and had dropped into a fighting stance.

“What do you mean your property? We are in a dark alley between broken buildings.”

He kept an eye on this creature not sure what to think.

“This is my home, the streets, and the alleys are mine at night, and you are trespassing.”

At this he attacked Rai charging like an animal. This didn’t catch him off guard though for he was expecting an attack but was surprised to find that it moved really slowly and only attacked out of reflex than anything else. Jumping back last minute he upper-cutted the monster when it was surprised to find that his victim was no longer where it had been, sending the monster flying back into a wall. There was a sickening crunch as its humped back collided with the wall, the sound made Rai flinch picturing the sewn together skins being ripped apart. But the monster seemed unfazed by this and attacked again, but for some reason he seemed faster. He swung his left fist at Rai’s temple but Rai blocked it with ease, not seeing the other fist go for his stomach. The strength of the monster was much more incredible than its speed, Rai was sent flying, and only on sheer luck he landed on his feet only to be doubled over by the pain in his stomach.

“What the hell are you?”

Rai yelled at the creature, but it just did another gurgling laugh at charged at Rai again. This time though Rai knew what to expect and he charged forward and at the last second dropped to the ground and did a sweep kick to knock the monster off balance. The monster toppled over surprised and slammed its face in the ground hard, Rai without missing a beat jumped onto the creatures back and grabbed the back of its head slamming it down into the pavement which he was rewarded another sickening crunch as the monsters head seemed to implode on itself. Rai jumped off of the monster immediately not sure what was about to happen. It was sickening what Rai watch happen before his eyes and he thought that he must be having a nightmare, the creature’s body was completely broken and out of the remains stood something entirely different the shadows were playing tricks but this time it seemed not to be a monster at all but a man. The man was solidly built suddenly Rai thought that maybe breaking of the man’s suit wasn’t the best idea in the world. He found out this to be true when the man seemed to vanish into thin air, and at that exact same moment he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck. The man had hit him just above the spine on his neck a spot meant for a kill, and it might have been a kill if he hadn’t had his training cloak on. But the force of the hit brought him immediately to his knees, all but defenseless, ready to die.

“What do you want with me?”

Rai forced out barley holding on, this man was too strong for Rai to have taken such a direct hit like that. At this the man chuckled sounding more human now.

“Want? You silly little boy, I don’t WANT anything. I just like to kill, and you just happen to be my next victim.”

With this he made a knife hand aimed directly for the back of Rai’s head and he was defenseless. Then from the same area that Leon had saw the flash of a white, a bright white blur flew from the shadows hitting the man like a train, he was caught completely off guard. Rai turned to look what had happened; he turned just in time to see the solid white wolf rip out the man’s throat killing him instantly if the man hadn’t been about to kill him he might have actually felt sorry for him. It was at that moment the wolf turned and walked over to Rai, nuzzling him to make sure he was alright. Rai was slightly afraid at first then attentively reached out to pet the wolf’s fur. It was soft to the touch and had a solid build to it.

“Are you the one that has been following me?”

The wolf just looked at him while he was petting seeming as though it understood what he was saying.

“Well do you have a name my friend?”

The wolf just kept staring at him nearly expressionless.

“Well I think I’m going to call you Angel. For it would appear that you are the guardian Angel watching over me.”

The wolf made a noise that Rai could only assume was acceptance, at that moment the wolf ran back into the darkness, but Rai had a feeling he’d be seeing his new found friend Angel again.

“Farewell Angel, until we meet again.”

There was a howl in the distance and Rai immediately understood that his new found friend agreed with him…

1,592 words.

[Date Masamune™]

“Sir I must advise you against this.”

“My heart’s not going to get better on its own Jeeves.”

“But Sir, to go out on such a ludicrous joke of a lead is insa-”

“Well I have the reports for you Mr. Yuy.”

The doctor stepped into Shugo’s study. The boy had made a small bed for himself in the room and his study also served as his office and bedroom in the manor, freeing up other rooms for the refugees to inhabit. The boy would look up from his papers and stand up to greet the doctor, as would Shugo’s butler who sat opposite to Shugo. The doctor would open up his own file and pick up the glasses around his neck and put them on.

“Mr. Yuy I’m afraid you’re pushing your body too hard. Your heart has been getting weaker.”

“I don’t understand Doctor. I’m physically active, I’m young, no one in my family has any history of heart problems. What’s going on?”

“The problem, Mr. Yuy, is your physical activity. Mr. Yuy, I don’t know if you know this, but the levels of adrenaline you feel in a normal street fight aren’t exactly healthy for your heart. Coupled with your history of substance abuse, and the escalated levels of adrenaline in your more recent encounters due to the circumstances that have befallen us, your heart is pumping too much blood too quickly. All the bleeding you do in fights doesn’t exactly do wonders for your blood pressure either.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll keep a handle on things try to keep my blood pressure down. Is there anything else we can do?”

“I’ve already placed an order for the medicine for your heart. It’ll help stabilize your blood pressure and over time strengthen your heart, but you’re going to need to take it easy.”

“I understand.”

“Good. The medicine will be here in a few weeks. Till then, keep your patrols and fighting to a minimum. I’m going to go check up on the other patients.”

Shugo would wait until the doctor exited the room before opening up his folder and examining his papers again. Meanwhile, Jeeves would get up to close the door behind the doctor.

“Sir this is madness. You heard what the doctor said. You can’t possibly still be wanting to go out.”

“Jeeves. I’ll be fine. Come on. It’s just a small treasure hunt. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Need I remind you what the doctor just said?”

“Look. Worst thing that can happen is this drug, or whatever it is, this miracle candy, doesn’t exist and I just had a nice evening running around for nothing.”

“Will you at least leave behind your will, Sir?”

“Oh Jeeves come on. You know who I’m leaving this all to. That irritating kid with the red hair.”

“Oh joy Sir. Excuse me while I go find a shotgun and a saw.”

“Alright well, I’m going to head out. You know the drill. You’re in charge while I’m gone. I’ll try to stay in communication but it gets staticy blah blah blah.”

“Indeed Sir, in that case my first course of action is to give myself the rest of the night off. If anyone needs me, they can find me in my room listening to smooth jazz with a martini. Please. Don’t need me.”

The boy and his butler made their separate ways. Shugo would head over to the garage before mounting his armored motorcycle. According to information the boy had received, there was a certain mad doctor who created a certain medicine, in the form of a candy, which could heal any wound. A story like that was too good to believe but what little choice did Shugo have? Revving up his motorcycle’s engine, the boy drove out of the reinforced steel gates that guarded the manor. The boy would speed up once he heard the sounds of the mechanized locking of the gates.

There was an ominous feel that night. Perhaps it was because the sun was beginning to set earlier, or maybe just the chill in the air, but Shugo could have sworn that he was being followed. The boy would attempt to shake the idea aside and venture far from home. Where was he headed? The ruins of 259. Shugo made his way through the neutral territory, that wasn’t the difficult part. He now had to wade through miles of Barker territory to make it to 259.

Luckily for him, he had learned from his past mistakes. Shugo had his motorcycle upgraded. It ran much quieter now and would make for an easier get away vehicle. Still, Shugo couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was following him, sending a chill down his spine. He tried to convince himself that he was fine and that no one would be able to see him. He had his motorcycle’s lights out since he had hit Barker territory and was using night vision technology built into the motorcycle helmet he was wearing. Rich kids get all the fun toys don’t they?

Feeling nostalgic, Shugo would park his motorcycle in the student parking lot. From his intel, the scientist had hidden a case of this Candy Tear in the basement. Shugo would take his bag of tools with him, a flashlight, a few military grade glow sticks, some water, a lock pick, pocket knife, and a shovel. Shugo also had a map of the ruin’s on his cell phone which he had in his pocket and had his position shown by a blue circle and he had marked the position of this candy with a red circle.

Shugo would work his way into the ruins. God how Jeeves would love to see Shugo now. The boy was jumping at almost any noise and the shadows of little rodents that passed by. Shugo could feel his heart racing but still he pressed on. Shugo would break a small hole in the floor in order to make it larger, using the shovel to smash it. Once it was big enough, Shugo would first bend a glow stick to activate it, and then throw it into the pit. After that, the boy would follow and jump down. By then he was positive someone was there.

“WHERE ARE YOU?!”

The boy would see a shadow move, and lighting up his gauntlets with electricity, Shugo would pounce. Jumping forward and throwing his fist against a wall, he would break a large hole into it.

“SHOW YOURSELF!”

The boy would then turn around and where he thought he heard a foot step, would once more leap out. At every slight sound, the anger prone boy would leap out and smash his fists down.

Realizing his heart was getting too high to be good for him, Shugo took a deep breath to calm himself down. The boy would sit down in order to get some rest and reassure himself, that besides a few rats and insects, he was the only one in the high school’s ruins. Finding his calm, Shugo stood back up and attempted to locate the candy tear.

In the basement, he would find a small room. Unluckily for him, it was locked. Luckily for him, he had that lock pick. The room had a desk, a bed, and a book shelf, and lots of blood stains. It looked like whoever had holed up here was long gone. Shugo would take a look at the notes. From as far as he could tell, it just looked like a simple recipe for candy. The boy felt a bit let down, but figured that the scientist might have been coding some of his research. Still, he had some frustration to release. Shugo punched the wall as hard as he could, causing a hole, and a long crack running along the side of the wall and then abruptly stopping and splitting off into multiple cracks.

“What the…”

Shugo would walk over to the crack, and using the end of the shovel, the boy would hit the crack and attempt to break off tiny pieces of the wall. Once he had broken enough, the boy was able to find a small case in the wall, with a single small pill inside of a test tube in the case. The boy smirked.

“God this better be clean.”

[[OoC: Word count was at 1400 on 259 before coding. And it was at 1389 on Microsoft Word. Also trying to unvault these:

.School Captain's Guantlets//+6 Constitution +2 All other Stats//Wrapped up and strapped to the back of his belt

Thanks.]]

[Kyrie Blaze]

It was a deep night. It was a dark night. The moon was hidden behind a thick veil of clouds that only allowed her silver brilliance to peek out briefly between long intervals of darkness.

The blonde found herself coming upon a less run down portion of the neutral territories. Not perfect, or anywhere close, but the buildings were generally in better repair than most other places. Images began to superimpose themselves over the evening sights, the cityscape before her. The visible lights became partially obscured as a fog rolled in, misty tendrils grasping and waving...


Must. The smell of tobacco. Smoke. The air was thick with those scents, the sight of misty smoke before her eyes, drifting as a dim haze. If she focused, breathed deeper, the petite girl could decipher the secondary scents. Sweat. The smell of sex. A tang of metallic copper: blood. Rot, both wood and other waste. Something burning. Urine and fecal matter.

It was a disgusting place, totally offensive to her senses, all. The only thing that offered relief to her eyes was the faint gleam of the once perfectly polished banister...or at least, one spot that wasn't marred by dust or blood of Gods knew what else, and Kyrie didn't even want to think of what may have wiped it away. Or how.

Along with the scents were the sounds. A consistent drip that could only - hopefully - be a leaky faucet. The pitter patter of tiny feet. A faint hiss. A squeak--abruptly cut off. The...mostly rhythmic creak of springs and floor boards above. Some tapping creeks as someone wandered and paced in a room. The shift and oh so faint wheeze of the planks beneath her own feet. The faint rumble of her stomach--always hungry.

Her eyes tracked movement. Vermin skittering around the edges of the room. A snake - the hiss - that snapped up a fat mouse, constricting and eating it alive and whole. Gross. But to live? Necessary.

--!

The blonde froze suddenly, stilling her breathing as her heart leaped into her throat. She melted back into the shadows almost seamlessly. Someone passed directly in front of her, and she focused on matching her breaths to the squeak of the floor. Slow. Soft. In. out. Hold. In. Out.

And so it went until the heavyset, lumbering man had passed. There was no skirt, no pretty dress, this was business. She skirted quietly up the stairs, taking note that the man had actually gone into the kitchen for a midnight snack. That had been the source of what she thought was pacing.

She swept passed the room with the squeaking springs and bed with a shudder, and moved into the bathroom, working in darkness. A cloth, and some precious, precious soap. Oh, the soap. Even though it had been touched by the foul bodies within this place - if it could be called such a thing - it was soap, and soap meant cleanliness. She scrounged around carefully, looking for feminine products, and came away with some. Thank the Gods, perhaps they were a little merciful after all.

On her way back, she paused beside the kitchen and cursed silently. The fat blob of a human being was still there? How was it that he lived and good people like her family perished? She frowned as she waited, crouched near the table that was set up, scowling to herself and waiting with as much patience as she could muster.

Kyrie wasn't acting, so her patience with people could easily be paper thin at times like these.

But she waited. Unmoving. In her cramped position. It seemed like forever, but was probably only a few minutes longer than ten, total.

"Ocean Tear. Or was it Sky's Tear? I should get the rats to go get that. Heard it was somewhere in the better part of the shitty, park statue or sommshit...phah!"

He was drunk. Kiyr smothered a groan and simply put her forehead in her palm.

When he left, and she saw his shadow move up the stairs, she carefully unfurled herself and made her way into the kitchen. Canned goods, fish packed in water, in oil. Some fruit. Thank God. Some rustic bread. Anything she could safely stuff into her pack - herbs? Unfortunately, just a want, she left those - and she took whatever else was small, including a couple water bottles before she booked it out. Another rumour to follow, or at least check up on. She wasn't putting much stock into it, but, really, even drunken ramblings had proven to be true...though most times, it wasn't.

Ocean's Tear. Or Sky's Tear...whatever it was, it sounded valuable...

The blonde had been so wound up and tense, she had failed to notice that she was even further on alert. That her sixth sense was telling her something.

Something important.

She froze and looked around, her heart beating out a steadily increasing tempo.

Something was there. She was being watched. She caught the glint of eyes. Her own narrowed in response, and she flipped herself over the ledge of the building she was on, sliding and catching herself before hopping down again. The next level, the next balcony. It was almost exhausting, but there was a sense of urgency and desperation. She hit the ground, rolled, and ran.

The park, the fountain.

There were footsteps behind her, racing, audible. She adjusted her stride and put her effort into running, silently, swiftly, launching herself further by landing and springing from the balls of her feet, not heel striking.

The fountain in sight, Kiyr gauged the distance and hit a long, rolling pace. She made for a quick glance behind herself before her gaze snapped forwards. The footsteps, even in the grass, pounded ever closer...

...closer...

...closer.

She leaped for the fountain's edge, grasped the overgrown arm, hoisted herself up, over, around, grabbing the small, sparkling object clasped in the once-regal statue's hand. With a gasp, she felt something, the thing grasp her foot as she rebounded off the statue. With a grunt, she struck out with her free foot, going for the throat, her heart in her own.

It worked.

She rolled free, quickly springing back to her feet with her pack still in-tact. She wasn't sticking around to find out who, or what, was following her. She wasn't taking that kind of risk at night. Not with her prize. Kyrie turned, and fled.

[John]

Closed, take yer exp