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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jun 21, 2017 20:54:17 GMT -5
Many miles from the bustling metropolis of Void City lay the Ghost Town, a small, quaint village on the outskirts of the desert with a population of zero. Empty dirt paths stretched forth, lined with abandoned buildings in varying stages of disrepair, like a scene pulled right out of a western. Its residents had long since vanished, leaving the town in shambles, rendering it little more than a tourist trap for the curious and/or superstitious. And overlooking the desolate town was a large, decrepit old manor... dark, foreboding, looming over the little wooden shacks like a malevolent shadow.
Many rumors surrounded this town and the gothic mansion in its vicinity. Some believed that some great and terrible force within that house caused the town's residents to disappear without a trace. Some believed that the ghosts that resided there still lingered within those hallowed halls and wandered the dusty streets.
Whether or not any of those tales were true, one thing was absolutely certain...
There was a monster in that manor.
At least... occasionally there was.
A large, empty mansion far from civilization was an ideal place to contain a beast as ferocious as a werewolf. As such, three nights a month, Darien made this house his home. Three nights a month, Patrick would transport him to the manor for him to transform in solitude, while Ray would enchant him to keep his latent feral instincts under control. He had grown accustomed to the routine and even started to develop an appreciation for the ancient abode, but Darien never took any of it in stride. No matter how many precautions they took, he was always aware of the dangers involved.
Still... after so many years without incident, it seemed fair to assume that no one would be foolish enough to tempt fate now.
It seemed like just another evening out in the desert. The sun was sinking below the horizon, bathing the Ghost Town in the silver glow of twilight. The old manor stood ever apparent on the outskirts of town, creaking and whistling as the wind blew through its broken windows.
A flash of purple light burst to life in one of its many bedrooms. When it faded, two young men appeared, one short with straw blond hair and mismatched clothes, one tall with brown, blond-streaked hair, glasses and a jacket.
The short one took a deep breath and grinned, only to violently cough as he found himself inhaling copious amounts of dust. "WELL... AHEM... back to the old grind, eh, Darien?"
"Yeah... back to the old grind..." his bespectacled, British-accented accomplice sighed.
Ready to once again get this ordeal over and done with, Darien trudged over to the dirty, worn bed in the corner of the room, sat down upon it, removed his jacket and gazed out the window. Night was almost upon them. The full moon was fast approaching...
He could already feel it...
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Post by DanteMGalileo on Jun 22, 2017 19:07:04 GMT -5
"... Go. Sons and daughter of Lilith, son of the great one. Go forth."
Thus said Mort Isaac, his words a clear command. Jordan had no choice but to comply, following his older brother. He recalled falling...
And then, nothing at all...
The cloaked teenager didn't see how this connected to... anything, for that matter. But he supposed that all would be made clear. Perhaps this house was an indicator.
An unlocked window provided an easy opening, although he didn't quite expect it to suddenly slam, snaring his long cloak. Jordan mumbled an explicative under his breath and yanked it out, cursing mentally at the noise. Surely, someone would have heard it. Ah- an empty room.
He made a dash for it, but if someone listened closely, you could hear his footsteps...
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jun 22, 2017 19:34:38 GMT -5
"Hey, buddy, it's gonna be alright!" Patrick cheerfully insisted to his forlorn companion. "It's just another run-of-the-mill transformation. Nothing we haven't dealt with before."
Darien sighed and massaged his temple. "No matter how many times I explain it to you, you never seem to get it. You might have it easy, just waving a hand and calming me down, but it never gets easier for me. It's never 'run-of-the-mill.' It's three straight nights of pure torture."
"Well, with that attitude, I'm sure it is," Patrick teased. "Ya gotta relax, Dare. Complaining about it isn't gonna make the situation any-"
He jumped and whipped around when he heard a slam somewhere down the hall. "What the what?"
Patrick, calm down, Van insisted. It was probably just the wind.
Yeah, I'm sure the WIND just opened and closed a rusty as f*** window. That sounds perfectly logical to me, Ray grumbled sarcastically.
Even if he couldn't hear the conversation in Patrick's head, it seemed Darien was in agreement with the grumpier of the three. "Oh, bloody hell, is someone actually here?? Why?! Why now?!"
"Dude, chillax," Patrick calmly offered. "I'll go check it out, make sure the place is cleared out."
"H-Hold on, don't you think you should wait until-?"
"Be right back!" Not hearing Darien's plea, Patrick bolted out the door and into the hallway. He then conjured a ball of light in his palm, looking around the dark, dusty corridor for a moment before he began a cautious walk. "Hellooooo? Anybody hooooome? ...Besides uuuuus?"
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Post by DanteMGalileo on Jun 22, 2017 19:52:36 GMT -5
Reaching into his cloak, Jordan fished around, before drawing out his katana. He heard the clumsier footsteps, and sank further into the room, trying to blend in...
It was best to be prepared just in case. He reached into the cloak, and sprinkled a bit of the spice on the sheathe of the katana. If whoever found him, they would have to deal with a sudden unpleasant sensation...
He'd rather not deal with it. Instead, he opened his mouth, and said a single word.
"Squeak."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jun 22, 2017 20:10:48 GMT -5
Patrick came to a halt just outside the room, staring at the door vacantly and confused. He knew he heard a squeak, but... it sounded more like a person saying the word rather than an actual animal. Not by much, considering the noises the ROUSes back home made, but still. Unsure of what to do, he looked up and whispered, "Guys...?"
Well, obviously someone is in there, Van stated. Right now, the best course of action would probably be to escort them out.
Y'know, assuming they aren't here to make the situation worse, Ray grunted. But whatever you do, make it snappy. I got things to do.
Patrick nodded and gently pushed the door open, the creaks of the worn-out hinges echoing through the hall. "Hello? Anybody in here? I-I'm not gonna hurt you, but you really oughta know that there's a-"
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Post by DanteMGalileo on Jun 22, 2017 20:17:55 GMT -5
In the amount of time it took to blink, Jordan unsheathed the katana, releasing the spices on the sheathe into the eyes of the intruder.
Taking advantage of the momentary blindness, he dashed past Patrick, though making sure to hit him with the hilt of the katana, unaware of what else was in the halls.
"Perfect. Found. Unwanted..." he muttered under his breath, just trying to get away and hoping he wasn't seen...
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jun 22, 2017 20:24:29 GMT -5
"GAH!!!" Patrick soon found himself thoroughly blinded and knocked to the floor, where he curled into a fetal position and covered his tear-soaked eyes. "OWIE OWIE OWIE OWWWWWWWWWW!!! C'mon, man, not cool!"
Yeah, go figure... Ray sighed. Well, whadya waitin' for?! Get up and find the bastard!
Yes, time is of the essence... Van anxiously agreed.
"R-Right..." Patrick quickly cast a healing spell on his face, restoring his eyesight and ridding himself of the intense burn and throbbing headache. He then scrambled back onto his feet and dashed back out into the hall, illuminating the darkness with another ball of light.
"H-Hey...!" he nervously called out, not knowing where his attacker had disappeared to. "I don't wanna fight! But you seriously need to get outta here! You're not safe!"
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Post by DanteMGalileo on Jun 22, 2017 20:41:55 GMT -5
People always say they don't want to fight, but it's always those that lie...
He did pick up on the other person's warning, but he paid it no heed. Jordan continued his dash, stopping when he saw a... strange individual...
Must be a pelt. Maybe this one's trying to avert becoming a Feral Soul.
It was then that the cloaked individual realized- oh crap- that whoever this person was, he had spotted him. Tightening his grip on the katana, he pointed it at the second man.
"Move."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jun 22, 2017 20:49:03 GMT -5
In the time since Patrick had left the room, Darien had gotten off the bed and sat down on the floor, doing his best to shield himself from the faint light shining through the window. Though he couldn't see it, he knew too well that the sun had vanished completely by that point, the sky now illuminated by moonlight. All he had to do was avoid it until Patrick came back so Ray could...
Oh geez, who was this guy?
Darien stared up at the man standing in the doorway with wide, panicked eyes, even more so when he was shown the business end of the intruder's katana. With few other options, he slowly inched across the floor and into a corner.
"J-Just stay away from me... Y-You need to leave... NOW..."
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Post by DanteMGalileo on Jun 22, 2017 20:53:54 GMT -5
"Wanted?"
Then again, most criminals didn't hide like that. Most pelts about to go feral didn't attempt to hide their bestial nature. Without letting go of the katana, Jordan loosened the bandana over his mouth with his free hand. Maybe this would be easier if the other person could hear him fully and not through the bandana...
"Why? You seem... harmless. Seen worse."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jun 22, 2017 21:01:17 GMT -5
"Y-You... have no... idea..."
"Hey, uh..." Patrick cautiously approached Jordan from behind, keeping a safe distance and raising his hands defensively. "You, uh... probably don't wanna mess with my buddy over there."
The hand not illuminated by his light spell became engulfed in purple shimmers. "I'm willing to transport you anywhere you want. No harm, no foul... o-on anyone's part, hopefully."
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Post by DanteMGalileo on Jun 22, 2017 21:21:34 GMT -5
"... No. This..." Jordan actually cracked a grin, though it was far from a true smile. A very faint hint of red could be seen in his normally-green eyes. He nudged Patrick with the katana's hilt, pushing him back a step.
I don't even trust Leanne's teacher with teleportation.
"Let's go," he said, getting closer to Darien. "You and me. I will finish this mission early...!"
A slash, clearly intended to be a display, occurred right in front of Darien, missing him altogether, but clearly putting the message out.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jun 22, 2017 21:48:51 GMT -5
"Eep!" Patrick stumbled back, quickly freaking out and imagining the worst case scenario when Jordan approached Darien. "WAITWAITWAITWAITNONONO...!!!"
"Mission...??" Darien tensed up. "What're you talking abou-? HEY!!!"
He tried his best to leap back in a desperate attempt to put more distance between himself and the blade, only managing to hit the wall, bounce off and awkwardly swerve around Jordan. "D-Don't you point that bloody thing at me- AH!" His floundering steps eventually led to Darien tripping over himself and falling backwards onto the bed.
And there he lay still, staring into space, bathed in the glistening silver light shining through the window. His panicked expression turned oddly tranquil as the glow soothed him to his very core, drowning out the world around him until there was nothing but him and the moonlight. It was all he knew. He basked in its warmth. He felt its gravity. He heard its call.
Don't look don't look don't look don't look...
Slowly, partially against his will yet partially obeying it, Darien turned and looked out the window. His eyes grew more attentive as they were transfixed upon the full moon. The intense light set his blood ablaze. His heart beat faster. His breathing grew heavy. His mind seemed to sharpen, though his trance only grew deeper.
As Darien started to slip away, the mage boldly stepped in between him and Jordan. In the moonlight, his narrow eyes, once a bright emerald green, seemed to have taken on a darker tone, and his squeaky voice had somehow deepened ever so slightly. "You're gonna wanna back up, Samurai Jack."
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