[IC] Of Shadow and Flame: Beginnings

[Chevaleresse]

Sirens occasionally ring out as the moon rises over one of the city's poorer neighborhoods. A lone hospital stands in the area, appearing almost defiant against the backdrop of run-down and occasionally abandoned buildings. The current of tension running through the area is almost palpable. That was precisely the reason that more secretive elements tended to congregate here, however; one doesn't closely examine what they expect to find.

For certain individuals, possessed of senses and talents that they may not fully understand or even know they have, a strange sensation seems to emanate from a point in this area. Whether the call of a duty unknown to the world or simple curiosity does so, a pull is felt toward this place.

[Felicity]

His Supersenses were tingling. The time to act was NOW! Fate was sending it's agent to this run-down area to deliver swift justice to all who needed it... and perhaps those who did not. Ozymandias donned his coat, losing the facade of "Bobby" as he strutted down the street. He knew people were looking, intimidated by his aura of power... But should that fear drive them to fight, he would correct their idiotic decision with a display of awe-inspiring power...

Unil that happened, Ozmandias headed to where his Supersenses and Mother Fate guided him...

[Sutoratosu]

"Feels like it's getting stronger over there..." Faust thought to himself, the sound of sirens all but confirming the strange tugging he'd been getting in the back of his mind. A single, calm wind blew in the night as he reached for his lone physical weapon, the subtle reassurance of warm steel caressing his scarred palm. lonely in the absence of it's sister gun... right along with the bundle of Yen bunking with the deadly little device. The feeling only grew in intensity all the while...

"Guess Groceries might have to wait a bit longer..." He sighed in German. "though chances are, if I'm feeling it, so are others. Time to investigate, I suppose."

He cast a single, lingering glance on the streets around him... no one else out and about in this part of town, it seemed. He could fly if he wanted... "Hmmm... no. " he set off with a brisk pace, making sure to keep an eye out for anything... crazy in the meantime. "I'll have to simply book it. with only one of them on me, I should try to reserve enough power to get physical if needed- though of course, if no weapons are needed at all, it'll be all the better... but safe over sorry, as they say."

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

*tink* *tick* The sound of a zippo lighter being struck. Not for any particular reason other than it was something to do. She didn't smoke. Just a useful tool for surviving. Something that wasn't useful for surviving... going into town, even a rundown section. However, this blue haired woman was anything but reckless, and anything but stupid. She has survived out in the wilderness by herself for years, a feat not many could boost. She wielded an Old Sniper rifle, probably from some long forgotten war. It was a simple tool, a simple bolt action. But it was more than that. It was a precision instrument. One for long range target acquisition and elimination. At her side, the slight sheen of an old and dusty revolver. A six-shooter, much like from the old west. A back up for when a Sniper Rifle... was a bit too unwieldy. Stashed in her boots and in many other hidden places, a myriad of knives. From large broad hunting knives, to skinning knives, to combat knives. If you could name it, she had one.

The Vixen from the Forest had come out of hiding. Something drew her out. Normally she hide on the edges of civilization, watching... observing. But, something was different tonight. Something pulled at her, something that had to do with the magic she already had. The power that thrummed under the surface in her veins. On the outside, just a normal woman. But, towards the the source of this pulling she went. Knowing she wouldn't be the only one going towards it. She took great care to silence her movement and cover her tracks. A true hunter was only seen, if they wanted to be. She didn't want to be. Not yet anyway.

"I haven't been in any civilized place in nearly... seven years? I don't even remember, it could be longer than that." Vixen thought to herself. She shifted the weight of her rifle in her arms. She was ready, always ready. She moved silently keeping her finger off the trigger. "I wonder who else is after this, what people want whatever this pulling is. Even if I don't know what it is, and that I have no desire for it... other than to sate this curiosity eating at the back of my mind... It will still be good to see who moves towards it. I observe from afar."

[Jory]

Schick. Schick. Schick. Schick. The sound of plastic on metal grated against the oppressive silence as Bark watched his surroundings, years of experience teaching him to never let his guard down. His hands deftly loaded shell after shell into the chamber of his Remington Model 870. These Americans know how to put together a gun, he thought to himself as the shells slid smoothly home. Let's just hope I don't have to use it. The rather large man slung the weapon over his back, tightening the strap so it wouldn't clank against him unnecessarily.

He didn't know what he was there for, but he was. It was some primal urge, as though a beacon had been put up for him to follow. A long time ago he'd learned to trust his gut and it hadn't failed him yet, so he'd followed the mysterious force to here. And it seemed as though he was getting close to his destination. I'll find whatever it is, he thought. He began walking toward the hospital in the distance, making sure to observe his surroundings as he went. It wouldn't do to get ambushed so close to the source of the pull.

[Shamitako]

"Gaaah this place is so boring." Whined the nurse.

"Aren't I the one supposed to be itching to move about?" Kindle replied, waving her hand at the room.

It had been a week since the explosion, and Kindle still didn't see why she had to stay in this stupid bed. The only effect it had seemed to be blinding her in her right eye. Not a good thing, but hardly unlivable.

"Soo... Do they know what did this to me yet?" She asked.

Their excuse for keeping her was that they couldn't figure out what had happened to her. They didn't seem to believe her story about the exploding crystal, though even she had to admit it seemed a bit far-fetched.

"No, not yet." the nurse told her absentmindedly.

So quiet, it's almost like she's not even listening. Kindle thought, narrowing her eyes. Something about this place just felt wrong, Kindle felt more like a lab rat than a patient and the lack of enthusiasm from the nurse wasn't helping that feeling at all.

"Well, I'm done checking all these readings, you seem perfectly healthy, I'll be off now. Remember to use the intercom if you need something." The nurse said, walking out.

"Need something? Please." Kindle muttered, "What I need is to get out of here."

The worst part of all, was that it was her birthday, and she was stuck in a bed for no reason. The obvious answer was to jump out of bed and escape. She wouldn't have any more nurse visits until the morning, and visiting hours were already over. She quickly changed into her standard clothing, hesitating a moment before placing her eyepatch on. Once when she was younger, she'd dressed as a pirate for Halloween and she remembered distinctly how placing the eyepatch on had darkened half of her vision. But now no change occurred to her sight, and she found it quite unnerving.

After some indeterminate shenanigans sneaking past the front desk, Kindle found herself in the middle of the city at night. It was a familiar feeling for her, she oft ran around these neighborhoods when it was late and probably dangerous. But hey, she was reckless, stupid, and loved running. Not having much special to do, she picked a direction and bolted off. Something felt odd about running, she felt faster and it seemed almost effortless... Or at least effortless-er than normal. Then it hit her, nothing hard like a battering ram or the smell of onions, but soft, like a gentle wave. And it wasn't pushing her away, it was pulling her in, like the gravity of a black hole dragging in the light around it. She didn't know what it was, but she knew she had to find it. Without a second thought, and barely a first one, she flew off towards it, whatever it was.

[Chevaleresse]

As the various gifted people draw closer, a figure watches from a nearby rooftop. It's hard to discern much about him from the ground, given the poor lighting, but if one was close enough they could hear him talking.

"What do you think, Astros?" Hearing the voice, it was definitely male, but young-sounding. However, he appeared to be addressing. . . a cat? It was hard to tell.

"Certainly a beast." Any listener would have been rather shocked to hear the response. The cat spoke with a mature, deep voice, with a refined air to it.

"Is it the one that has you guys all worked up?"

"No. Trust me, you would know, Takeshi."

Takeshi sighed. "Well. I'd hoped it'd be something as simple as this." He fell silent for a moment, evidently concentrating on something. "I'm getting. . . anger, I think?"

"You are correct. Drunken rage, to be precise. One can tell by the general incoherent feeling; it has no real direction, lashing out at whatever is nearby."

"Fantastic." Takeshi took a deep breath. "Time to go, I suppose. Feels like it's about to coalesce." Grunting with sudden effort, he leapt off the top of the building. If anyone was watching, they might have seen a flash about halfway down. He thumped to the ground, cracking the pavement. Standing, his full form was revealed. He wore a very unusual-looking black outfit, with dull silver pauldrons showing at the top. A short cape trailed him, with two longer tails and light silver patterns in the center. His outfit was also differentiated with silver lines that matched the sheen of his long hair, reaching down his back with curls that formed almost winglike projections. As if he didn't look unusual enough, his irises glowed a bright, unnatural teal color, and as he rose from his landing his impressive height was revealed. Anyone nearby could plainly see him as he peered into an alleyway, which seemed to be the source of the strange pull some felt.

[Hiss13]

The job went without a hitch. Nagi had neutralized the target in a quick and efficient manner and due to the lack of any bodyguards, she had escaped without even having to transform. It was something that she would not want to rely on for these types of jobs yet she could not deny the convenience of her transformed self looking so radically different from her normal self. It was useful both for escapes and shaking off anyone trailing her.

Nagi walked down the road with her Savage 110 BA Sniper Rifle sitting comfortably in the case in her hand and walked down the road as her twintails and coat billowed up and down despite this windless night. She had decided to head back to her current hideout so where she could put down her sniper rifle and rest for the night after a nice bath. However, she felt that it would be best for her to take an longer alternate route different from the one she took last time.

It was midway through her route when she noticed that she had entered a fairly shady area. Well, shady may not have been the right word. It was definitely one of the city's poorer neighborhoods and such definitely showed in both the infrastructure and the architecture of the area.

Nagi stopped in her tracks for a minute. She felt something strange in the atmosphere. There was definitely something off about this location. In the end, a detour was probably a nice change of pace. So, she began to grip harder on the case in her hand and walked off the path she had planned and walked deeper into the strange neighborhood, looking for the source of the strangeness of the place.

Edited April 1, 2015 by Hiss13

[Yash]

It was closing time and Krys couldn't wait to leave. Something was bothering her and she couldn't figure it out. She hung up her apron and put her name tag in its pocket. Christina. How she hated that name! Krys shut the lights and walked out, waving goodbye to the owner. "See you tomorrow Sakura. Have a nice day. Give baby Aito-chan a hug and kiss from me." She smiled and left.

Krys left in a hurry. Not that she had anything to do, but she just wanted to get home. Maybe have a nice hot shower, grab something to eat and watch TV. She walked fast, hurrying through the lanes of the city. She kept thinking all the while, pondering at what could be bothering her. Her parents? Nope. She didn't care any more. Work seemed fine. She liked her new apartment. Plus with no room mate any more she had the whole place to herself. She liked it, being alone. She didn't want to pretend to be normal, and now she needn't. Then it struck her. That thing she saw. That's what was on her mind. She shook her head trying to remove it from her mind.

Krys looked around, suddenly realising that she was lost. This wasn't the way home. This neighbourhood was... poor. What is this place? How can anybody stay in such an area? It's filthy and run down. Even my apartment is nicer than this place. She looked around, unsure of where to go. Something seemed to be telling her to continue walking, maybe she would cross the area and find a place she recognised. At least she hoped she would.

She started walking faster through the area. She didn't like the feel of the place, it made her really anxious. She felt as though someone was following her, but when she turned to look there was nobody. Her heart started racing, and she was worried now. This place seems dangerous. I don't like this feeling. She looked around again. Nothing. She tried calming herself, It's fine, your going to be OK. She slowed down slightly and tried finding her way out. Left, I'm sure of it. It's like a big ol' signpost is hanging there. She turned down the lane going left, thinking of what she will find at the end of it.

[Felicity]

The Omniscient eye of the Warrior of the Light saw all, piercing through the darkness to see a figure who looked to be a worthy challenge for Ozymandias. The figure was peering into an alleyway, no doubt planning some shady dealings. Not on Bobb- Ozymandias' watch!

"You there!" The Warrior shouted. "State your business lest I strike you down with Holy Fury!" Ozymandias took up his trademark defensive stance, lifting his right leg and arms to balance on his left leg, imitating the graceful pose of the crane.

[Chevaleresse]

Takeshi gave the approaching fighter a quizzical look. You must be new here. . . or you think you're an anime character. I think I'd prefer the former. "For your information, I don't need to state my business." He gestured at the other man. "I'm not sure how you plan on 'striking me down' with that stance, either." Takeshi suddenly shook his head. "Whatever. I'm here for the same reason you probably are. There's a beast that's going to pop out any time now, and I plan on dealing with it."

[Felicity]

Ah, a fellow agent of Fate! Ozymandias dropped the stance, placing his hands on his hips and flashing a confident, dazzling smile at the man. "Very well, I shall deign to aid your endeavours my fellow warrior!" However, this supposed beast must have supreme skills of stealth to evade Ozymandias' web of information gatherers. "Pray tell, what is this looming threat of a "Beast"? I'm sure my all-powerful technique can overcome the enemy but a wise warrior knows his enemy better than himself!"

[Sutoratosu]

"Looks like I deduced correctly..." Fuast thought, slowing his pace and pressing himself flush against a weathered facade as two men came into view in the distance, his eyes blazing their natural violet as he shifted his glasses down the ridge of his nose, taking in every detail of the two with the enhanced eye sight. "A transformed man, though his form doesn't really give me too many hints about what his abilities might be... and then some whack job who believes this is a kung-fu movie apparently... seems like they might be hitting it off... excellent." The glow died down and he pushed the specs back into place with a single finger.

"Let's just sit and observe for the time being, shall we?" He mused as he backtracked a bit, disappearing around the very corner he'd just rounded before. The imposing nature of the crumbling structure would've immediately shied him away from even thinking about it months ago... but now? Oh no, now, Fuast was used to rather paradoxical ideas. Barely gave it any thought at all, really- he could fly, after all. Even if the roof gave way under his weight, not like he couldn't pull off a quick bit of manuevering... "It's always favorable to hold the high ground." He said as he drew his arm forward across his body, fist curled into a tight knot as if about to unleash it like a taut tree limb...

Then all at once, arm and wingspan burst forth into the night, the cold, electric blue of his plumes greeting him with their familiar crackle and spark. A crouch and a single, powerful flap, just like he'd been practicing over and over again for the past few weeks, and he was shooting upward like a bullet, dilapidated ground and debris of the run down streets falling away with the ascent. A few more strokes and his feet hit the shingles, a breif surge of satisfaction flowing when they didn't break through like touth picks into tissue paper. "Won't be needing this for some time..." The wing contracted and shot back into his back... and only then did he notice the draft. "Damn, that's right... I usually practice without a shirt... guess I'll have to fix that wardrobe issue when I get the time. But that's beside the point..." He gazed off in the distance as he lowered himself to a sitting position. "Time to observe..."

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Nothing like looking at the conversation of two idiots through a scope. Vixen could read the lips of the one, the flashy one that decided it might be a great idea to entirely blow his cover. Either way, Vixen read his lips, learning the source she was tracking was a beast. She had heard of the creatures, but didn't have much experience in the ways of fighting them. Creatures made of pure emotion... possibly dangerous to the world of mortals, those without the magical power she or the magical world had. If such was the case, she would probably have to help somehow, this was awfully close to town and it would be easy fro the creature to wreak havoc if left unchecked. However, she didn't want to be seen by these two. She decided to tail after them fro now, making certain to be extra careful to hide her footsteps, and the flare from the lens of her Sniper Rifle.

[Hiss13]

Nagi had a habit of not using the scope of her rifle on anyone she was not particularly targeting, especially if she had just started to observe them. So, she found cover in an abandoned building close to the shouting she had heard and picked a good vantage point to observe the conspicuous people in the area and put down her rifle case before taking out a pair of binoculars from it.

As she observed the two in the front, she noticed the softer-spoken one saying the word 'beast'. A shiver ran down her spine. As a former Protector, she knew quite well how dangerous magical beasts were and how they were not to be taken lightly. If there was a beast in the area, that would lead to a possible disaster. That was something she had to prevent even if she was no longer a Protector. After all, tragedy would only beget more tragedy and that would lead to the possibility of another Shinka being created. So, she made up her mind to find this beast and eliminate it as soon as possible.

As she reaffirmed her motivations, she saw another man flying up onto the roof of another building and landing. She put her palm to her face and sighed. "These idiots. Are they even taking the possibility of a magical beast seriously? They're being so conspicuous that it's like each of them is treating this like a game."

She sighed once more after muttering those words of annoyance and put her binoculars back over her eyes so she could continue observing the situation.

[Cyaloom]

"Darn. Why am I even here...?"

Dexter had just arrived in that place... Was it even a neighborhood of the city he lived in? It seemed more similar to a post-apocalyptic scenario. A lot of the buildings were abandoned and crumbling, with an hospital being the only edifice with some lights turned on inside - there was someone inside for sure. But what happened in that part of the city? He'd never seen that city district before, and no one told him anything about it (except the fact that it existed).

The blonde guy arrived there like most High School students would do; with a bus. He dismounted at the nearest bus stop and walked for... how many minutes? Half an hour? "I just hope this was worth something..." he tought as he kept walking in the roads of that district. Of course, no street lamps in that place, so near but at the same time so far away from the places where he lived... the unusually empty house, the school, that damned square where his father died... He was about to turn 18, he could try to get his life on the right track, realize the dreams he had as a boy...

A gust of wind interrupted him and made him stop right where he was. He stood still for a moment, trying to listen to every sound that he could hear, her hand on his father's gun. That was the only thing that he had to defend himself, and the only thing that could remind him of his father... that day, that square... it looked like it happened yesterday, even though two weeks were already passed. A tear came down his face as Dexter was thinking about that.

All Dexter could hear, in the end, was only a bunch of muffled words coming from an alleyway. "So I'm not the only one that is coming here for no apparent reason. But... maybe I'm the only human".

Dexter began to feel very scared as he heard those words. Was he even supposed to be here? Would he get killed on sight, or, like it happened his father, would he get killed by another Beast? What was about to happen in that almost surreal place? Who was talking there?

"Too many questions I can't answer. I'll just try to observe the situation and at least understand the reason why I'm here".

Dexter decided to enter a building, one of those which looked the most resistant, and went upstairs. He was able to reach a window - the glass was on the ground, shattered - and look down on the neighborhood. Then he saw an alleyway, right under that window, with some people, and tried to lean over the window frame, as slowly and as carefully as he could...

He immediately sprang back from the window. "The people who were talking were in that alleyway... I just hope they didn't notice me. With all of this around me, my blonde hair would also be easy to recognize".

He tried to observe the situation standing inside of the building, until someone muttered the word "Beast". Dexter winced, and returned on the same position as before - leaning over the window frame, trying to hear more words and not cut himself with the glass in the meantime.

"A beast here? Oh my... I don't want to die because of this... But why am I here again? Am I different from any other human? And is this people different too?"

The two last questions took over Dexter's mind. "I am... something more? This people is something more? Maybe more than me? More what?"

Dexter looked around there and again, sprang back from the window. This time, he noticed someone else that had his same idea. From an adjacent building, a woman was observing that situation. "Again, don't notice me... I think I'll refrain from talking, at all, now. If they want, they'll come to me. They can come to me. It's as easy as drinking a glass of water."

Edited April 1, 2015 by Cyaloom

[Chevaleresse]

"You know, you should really open with admitting you don't know what's going on." Takeshi seemed a bit frustrated, but he controlled it. "Beasts show up when emotional energy pools up in the environment. There's all kinds, but the one coming is a good old-fashioned rage beast. I can't say what exactly it'll look like-" His explanation was abruptly cut off by a massive, orange-brown blur that knocked him cleanly through a nearby building. In his place stood a massive, unnatural creature, easily ten feet tall. It resembled a mixture between a boar and a bear, though it dwarfed either and had a unique coloratiin. It turned to "Ozymandias" and let out a roar.

[Yash]

Krys was walking down the alley and something weird caught her eye. Something in the sky, shimmering an electric blue, but when she turned to look upwards she couldn't find the source. It must be nothing. I should hurry along. This place is creepy and I'm not so sure it's safe. She looked down the end of the lane and stopped suddenly. There were two people standing there and talking. One kinda tall guy with silver hair and wearing what seemed like a cape was talking to another guy with weird reddish yellow hair, wearing a black trench coat. She looked at them from a distance, wondering what on earth was going on in this place. Why is that guy dressed up as an anime character? Should I talk to them? I guess I could ask them how to get out of here. I feel like I'm going in the right direction.

She walked up towards them and could hear the tall guy say something about beasts. She didn't pay any attention to it at first and was about to start talking to him when something weird happened. He vanished and was replaced by a brown bear, except it wasn't a bear. That's when it struck her that this was what that guy meant by beast. It definitely was a beast. Humongous, really, and then it roared loudly at the other guy. Wait a minute. Beast? Wha-? That was when she screamed.

[Felicity]

Bobbies eyes widened and he damn near lost control of his bowels when the aptly named Beast diverted all it's attention on him. The strongest sensation of fear rippled along his body. That same emotion triggered Bobbys transformation and chasing the feeling of fright was the more substantial sense of change as he took on his Alter ego. His dyed hair changed, embodying the flame it was meant to imitate. His clothes too came to life, flickering hungrily, as true a flame as the kind Bobby once tried to make as a scout. Finally, the flaming skull on Bobbies T-shirt woke, the empty eyes Bobby had wrought now glaring at the beast with twin points of red light within the sockets giving a silent roar in return to the Beast.

Unfortunately the transformation hardly dulled the fear. In fact, it only served to almost emphasise it. Anyone nearby could instantly feel the surge of emotion from Bobby, urging them to flee so much they almost felt they were being given energy just for that, to speed their flight.

Bobby would have listened to those muscles if a scream from nowhere hadn't kicked his reactions into gear as he leapt up, the action seemingly involuntary to his conscious mind, and brought his right leg up to kick the Beasts jaw, hoping to stop that terrifying roar with a shocking amount of speed.

[Shamitako]

As she ran, Kindle's ears picked up on some shouting. Some very loud, annoying shouting. She didn't know what was being shouted, but she wanted to, and it seemed like it was coming from the direction she was going. She turned a corner to see a pair of guys doing, something and shouting at each other in an alleyway. It was a strange sight to say the least. She caught the words "rage beast" just in time for the creature to appear and throw one of the boys through a wall. Most normal people would have screamed, but Kindle had never been anywhere close to normal. To her, the obvious reaction was to try to ride it. She charged forward, closing the gap between her and the beast in seconds. It was tall, about twice as tall as she was, and looked like some kind of weird bear but with the head of a boar. Suddenly, the roar it had been emitting was silenced. Kindle noticed one of the boys from before had kicked it. No biggy. She jumped onto one of its forearms and grasped its fur tightly, almost daring it to shake her off.

(OOC: Ick, short, but I don't want to be ninja'd again >_>)

Edited April 1, 2015 by KosherKitten

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

And it now arrived. A giant mix between Bear... and Boar. It was pleasantly distracted by the others fighting it. Knowing this added to her advantage, Vixen stayed back. As to attack she would have to partially reveal herself, she wasn't willing to do it yet. She didn't know how the battle would turn out for those fighting it yet. All she knew was theri antics and idiotic thromping around is what drew it to them so, she wouldn't help unless there was the utmost risk of somebody dying. She had spent to much time hiding and staying hidden to blow it on a bunch of kids that didn't know how to handle themselves. But, she still didn't want any of them to die, so she would intervene if needed.

She focused. A Soft pale blue enveloped her left hand. Her skin shimmered nearly like ice. A Partial Transformation. In it she held a lone bullet. She focused the light into the casing and the shell. It took to the bullet, giving it what seemed to be a thin layer of frost... but it was much more than that. It would flash freeze any object it touched after fired from her weapon, stick it into place. But the ice would also cause more damage than a regular bullet as it tore into the flesh forcing it to become frozen. Painful... and deadly. It certainly wouldn't kill a Beast of this size outright, but it would severely hamper it's ability to function depending on what she hit. She slotted it into her rifle, and kept an eye on the battlefield through her scope.

[Cyaloom]

"It is here! I can hear it... And see it, too!" thought Dexter, surprised and shaking in terror in the same time. He and the other people were able to see the beast that appeared in the area. "So I can see beasts and know where they'll appear...". Almost immediately Dexter hid inside of the building, in the furthest corner from the shattered windows, hoping that the beast would not notice him. He could not defend himself from such a creature with just a pistol, and if he beast would fight Dexter, he'd kill him with ease. Like it happened with his father.

But her father was a normal civilian, he was something different. Simply because he could see that Beast.

Dexter tried to look around and see what the other people that were there were doing. Well, there was one of the two men that were talking in the alleyway kicking the beast in the jaws, and a crazy girl running towards the beast... But Dexter was more interested about that woman, who was still looking down below from that building...

After this Dexter asked himself why he was there. "Why? Am I here because I have to die like my father? It can't be... There is something that I don't know, something that goes beyond my comprehension... In fact, I don't even know why I am here! ...I just hope I'll get out of this alive. That is all that matters now."

[Yash]

Krys felt scared out of her mind. Though it felt strange, like she was feeling those things, yet not feeling them. She felt her knees give way and collapsed on the ground. She couldn't make sense of anything any more. The two guys, the 'beast', this tingling feeling all reminded her of her past. That thing she had seen in her town. That's what this feeling was. It reminded her of that. Some sort of energy in the area. Now she realised it was this beast. I wasn't crazy. I did actually see that beast. She felt a flood of relief at that thought.

It seemed to her as if she had lost track of things. The beast had stopped roaring. Trench Coat guy seemed different. Holy hell, is his hair actually on fire? Even his clothes seemed alive. It looked as if Firehead guy had kicked the thing. Wow, could that have been any more anime-ish? She found it really funny, almost to the point of giggling. When out of nowhere another girl jumped onto the beast and hung from his arm she couldn't help but laugh loudly. Wait, I must be crazy. I'm scared out of my mind and I may just die, yet I'm finding it funny.

She tried to move away from the beast. Towards the place the first guy had been thrown. Anime-Cape guy. She crawled away, trying to hide from the beast. Once she was inside the building she could find another way out of there. Maybe that weird guy can help me. I just hope he is still alive after being tossed around like that. Whoever they were, these two guys, and possibly that girl seemed to be her best bet to stay alive. They seemed to know what that thing was and they seemed powerful. They actually seemed like something out of an anime, transforming into powerful warriors.

I have to hurry and hide. I hope these people can take care of that thing. She pushed herself off the ground and ran towards the building finding a way to get inside. She reached a broken door and went inside. I should hide, maybe it will go away. No. Cape-Guy. I should find him. He could protect me. She started hurrying through the building, trying to find that guy.

[Sutoratosu]

Fuast said nothing as he surveyed the battle from afar, Glasses folded and eyes again blazing. Oh the joys of hawk-like vision... he could see so much more than his specs could ever provide him, could take number of all the crazies emerging from the wood work- from that tell-tell glint of a pair of binoculars in a window not too far away, to the two girls who'd shown up down below not long before the beast had emerged... to the Transformed man being tossed like a ragdoll, which he couldn't but wince a little at watching...but of everything he saw, nothing topped the cake, more than...

"What is she doing?" He asked, genuinely vexed by the sight of one of the girls- looking no more than mid teens or so, clinging to the damn monster like some toddler on the leg of their parent... "Good lord..." The glow faded as he shook his head. "Either their all very new to this, aside from the caped man... or they're all crazy. Or perhaps a mix of both-especially that one..."

While true, he had resolved to just watch and not participate... this had obviously gone past the point of necessary intervention- even IF he was a peacekeeper...He would not sit by and watch a bunch of apparent noobs get killed because of their stupidity; he'd been on the receiving end of bystander's apathy before, knew what is was like to have people watching yet not lifting a finger to help... and it still left a that same surge of bitterness it had months ago. And besides... now was the perfect opportunity to put the past few weeks of practice into actual play...

There was just... one slight issue though...

"This is a bit farther away than I've managed to stay on target... there's no guarantee I won't end up hitting her right along with the beast, or just completely miss the damn thing altogether and end up frying her." He sighed, calming his racing thoughts like spooked horses as he focused himself. A familiar teal blazed on his palm, igniting the scar tissue, filing the jagged line with it's ominous light before growing. expanding, lines and runes birthing outwards like spiders from an eggsake, connecting, forming, mating... until his entire palm was covered in a circular seal, rings spinning and words writhing on the skin like some living tatoo. It looked like it had that very night... but then again, the thing had never changed from what he could tell.

Faust gazed up into the black heavens, than back at the beast below... He rose to his feet, extended his hand. He gave another push of his focus. The Sigil spun faster, glowed hotter, grew wilder, to the point where it damn near blinded his own self- which was entirely the point, if it were to be effective. "Alright, simple plan- a two part strategem... use a fourth of the energy to draw it over, use the remaining three fourths to fry it once it gets close... unless of course, the girl is too damn stupid to let go... in which case..." He drew the desert Eagle with his free hand, glad he'd already taken the liberty of ensuring it had one in the chamber ready to go before heading out tonight. "We'll just have to see how conductive these bullets are; see if I got stiffed..."

And like that, he executed stage one of his plan, directing the growing charge and ordering it, and feeling that strange yet ever so familiar tautness and then silent snap in his mind. The sigil grew a bit brighter as the bolt formed and arced off through the heavens, lighting up every single rooftop around him, the effect more constituted of the sheer luminescence than actual destructive power... he could only hope the beast might take it's attention off the two obvious newbs and come to investigate...

It wasn't exactly like he had infinite reserves, afterall... and he would also prefer to not have to be helped home in a classic "My buddy's drunk, yah." carry... 'cuase the groceries weren't exactly going to buy themselves after all this mess was done.

[Chevaleresse]

The beast's roar cut off as it's jaw was abruptly snapped shut with a fierce kick. However, the silence didn't last long, as it retaliated with a fearsome swipe, the bulky leg lifting and swinging toward Bobby. It howled again as a discharge of energy pulled its attention away, whirling to face the new threat.

***

Takeshi shook his head as he pulled himself to his feet. Rookie mistake, that was. He shouldn't have let himself get distracted like that. Ah well. He wasn't injured. However, that thing could do some serious damage to the people around. He could sense some more nearby; they probably either couldn't sense him or didn't recognize the feeling, and therefore didn't think he knew they were there.

He set himself into a combat stance and called his blade into existence. Shouting a wordless battle cry, he charged forward at the distracted beast and dealt it a severe uppercut, blade flashing at its flank. The impact actually lifted it into the air slightly and sent it skidding a short distance across the ground, dislodging its would-be rider.

***

"Terrifying, isn't it?" A voice echoed from inside the building, behind behind Dexter. "Most people would have ran off or called the police by now." The voice's source wasn't clearly lit, but appeared for all the world to be an ordinary house cat, with an unremarkable tabby coat.