The Deadland

I have a request to make from the inhabitants of Mercy Apartments! [Day sounds cheary and friendly] I have made a prototype of a poison that should be able to paralyse and kill these monsters pretty quick. But I need people to volunteer to be test subjects, we need to know if the poison is strong enough.

[There is a pause and it sounds like she is eating something] Name's Day by the way, I live in room 145. If you're happy to help test let me know and then you can come get a gun from me.

I have enough poisoned darts for five or six guns. Fighting experiance isn't needed, since the point is non combtants will be able to kill monsters this way but since the poison isn't finalised yet being able to run fast might be useful! [She laughs though it's not too obvious whether she is joking or not]

Oh and bring gloves if you have them, I have a few that I got from storage though if you don't have your own!

[Radio]

Bring your best loot and meet me in the town square. I have a lot of things you guys might be interested in.


[Action]

The merchant waits. He sits with his back against a lamppost and a blanket spread out in front of and under him. The monsters who usually haunt this place are nowhere to be seen, and there is a horse-drawn wagon stood not too far away from where he's seated.

Something had happened earlier, though Golbez wasn't clear on any of the details. Between whatever it had been, and the fact that apparently a little boy was missing, one might assume that his offer to teach magic to the less-capable "residents" of Asper would be put off for a more convenient time.

One would be wrong.

This was all the more reason to make sure everyone was capable of holding their own. Once the monsters had retreated for the night, he set up shop in the apartment next to his, using materials he'd looted from buildings around town; a whiteboard and some markers, and some notebooks and pencils for his "students".

The living room hardly made a proper classroom, and of all the people to have for a magic teacher Golbez was probably one of the worse choices. But they would have to take what they could get.


((OOC: For Lillet, Shion, and anyone else who's interested in studying FFIV-style magic. It will take quite some time for characters to achieve tangible results, but it's better than the alternative...

Tag in under the appropriate threads in the comments section.))

[At precisely noon, while the roaming monsters once again go on the attack, Mami leaves her apartment. It's only the second time, outside of trips out to find food, that she's left the safety of the room, and though she doesn't know it, she's not exactly doing it willingly.

Before she leaves the apartment complex, she manages to break into a nearby apartment - Lightning's - and steal the rifle and ammunition the woman had managed to take from the station. She left the empty apartment, headed downstairs, and outside. In a flash of light, her clothes were replaced with her puella magi costume, and without another moment's hesitation, she headed down the road. Just far enough so that people wouldn't immediately come running.

The first few monsters are taken down no problem. Mami is careful to conserve her ammunition; she was supposed to destroy all of them, after all. But the longer she fights, the more appear, attracted to the carnage. The ribbon around her neck comes alive as she unties it, using the magical item to bind several creatures at once to make targeting them easier.

On and on she fights, nonstop. She's aware of the burn of fatigue beginning to set in, aware of the monster blood splattered over her face and clothes from the occasional close call, but she continues. She's compelled to fight, and fight she will.

It doesn't take long for everything to go wrong. Her Soul Gem was already moderately low when she arrived. It only dimmed faster and faster as the days passed, as she found out about her own failure and lost herself further to despair. It only takes an hour or two of fighting for that despair to finally sink its claws in all the way, and she snaps.

Normal people might notice the ear-piercing shriek coming from somewhere on Market Street. The supernaturally sensitive might notice something showing up in that direction as well. The Puella (and Puer) Magi will definitely feel a chill roll down their spines, and their Soul Gems flair to life.

Witch.]

((OOC: A few quick notes! This is a free, open post for anyone who wants to get their character stuck in a crazy alternate dimension, though I will not be tagging unless someone makes it to the center. If you're not one of the magi, you may, but remember the witch is extremely dangerous, and as there are plans for the magi (Homura, Sora, and Suzaku) to bring it down, your character will be killed. Otherwise, they're free to roam around, comment on the creepy surroundings, and wait for someone else to find them. The barrier will disappear when the witch is defeated, so unless a magi helps them out, they're stuck until it's gone.

Subthreads up. Go for it!))

[Lelouch arrived in the bar down the road, and looked around for the blond curls that were attached to the young woman he was seeking. While someone else would feel bad about what he was going to drive her to do, he was not most people.]

[So he got comfortable, conspicuously alone.]

So, 'people of Asper'. It sounds like you're all getting the hang of fighting, and I'm sure you can be proud of yourselves for that. [ or whatever. He's hidden his sarcasm well, and mostly just sounds affable and amused. ] But we're not a pack of savages. There's more to civilisation than killing things. The theatre, for example. How many of you have even heard of Shakespeare?

[ and a brief pause later ]

What I'm saying is, who'd be interested in putting on a performance with me.

(ooc: Im assuming in the family meeting they let Patience in on their real names so they don't have to pretend in the house, but I'll correct if wrong.)

Suzaku didn't sleapt for most the night, his thoughts had been too jumbled, too confused. He instead had sat at the window his gaze drifting between the city and the soul gem he held in his hand. He was still struggling to take in everything Lelouch had told him as well as what had happened but there was nothing he could do now. So he accepted it.

He must have dozed off sometime before dawn though because he woke to the pattering of rain. Looking out the water he blinked in cofusion, instead of grey clouds like he was expecting, the sky was perfectly blue.

He rubbed his eyes and went out into the main apartment, no it was the same here. Raining but from blue sky, he had never seen anything like it before, he tapped lightly on Fletcher's door. "Come a..."

Fletcher wasn't in his bed. Suzkau frowned "Lelouch? Patience?" He went to knock on both their doors.

Radio Post a little later:

[There is a lot of crackling and static, Suzaku fixed his radio as best he could, but it still isn't perfect] H ...anyone... a little boy.... small... blonde hair... Missing... If you see... please ask... Zero

Regarding the matter of the holes that have mysteriously appeared around the city: Has anybody gone down into them? What have you found? A full-scale investigation is necessary, but we will need to assess the risks before we act.

And second: While many of us are capable of holding our own in a fight, I've noticed that many others are not. For those of you who are not proficient with weaponry, I can try teaching you the magic of my world. I cannot say how well you would be able to use it, being from other realities, but let me know if you are interested.

[Standing outside your room Elliot! KNOCKNOCK]

Elliot?

So... how long is it supposed to be until this universe, um, revitalizes itself? Did anyone ever say?

It is noon.

The TVs turn on to static, and the creatures start to attack.

Each monster when killed has a chance of dropping a random item, or a special item: Energy & 5 Fish Scales. Not every kill will drop something, but more likely than not it will drop at least some Energy.

[ ooc: Hi guys! We're testing out something new this week. Please comment in this post to fight the aggressive, Energy-dropping monsters out and about in Asper today! This in lieu of a whole new post for every person who wants to play out their character collecting items/Energy. Thank you. ]

A child, a wish, a dream. Her head spins with the might of a promised single wish and she wanders as though in a daze. There are many things that wish to hurt her. But hell's hands, shadow made tangible, help her along. She directs them toward one of the monsters and they cradle her as they eventually rip it limb from limb. And it goes on like this until there's a lot of them strewn about, the smell of blood is thick on the air and the sweltering heat of Market Park feels as though it may cook them and her both.

Oichi sinks to the ground next to the small body of a monster. A baby one, she thinks, even though it's fully grown. A great sadness grips her then and she picks the creature up, cradles its mangled body to her chest, and cries. She doesn't notice the flask by her knees.

[ ooc: Though this starter is in prose, will switch to action! ]

Lightning was indeed up and about early, as promised, leaving Day to her vaguely incomprehensible water project and Fang to sleep. Both had made off-hand promises to drop by, whether to learn, help out, or in both of their cases, needle Light incessantly, but that didn't mean they needed to be there at some goddess-forsaken time in the morning.

She did, because she needed to hunt down a few feasible weapon types first. The conversations over the radio had driven it home that as far as weapon stocks went, they were in serious trouble. So she had made a few rounds, moving through the city with antigrav-enhanced speed, and had returned to the courtyard with a variety of poles, sticks, knives and sporting equipment. These she stashed in the corner. She'd eaten during the search, so with nothing else to do, she picked a 'weapon' at random and started to try out a standard GC warm-up. The others would arrive soon, if anyone did actually arrive.

When that failed - the pole she'd chosen was too long and heavy for some of the higher flips - she switched to one she'd seen Kain use. Maybe it'd be easier to pretend the thing was a spear.

When she arrives, the first thing she does is search for a place to hide.

There are monsters. She can hear them, and see them so faintly. They scrabble over things to get to her, but she manages to run, by some miracle. She ends up outside a house, and upon opening the door and not hearing anything she closes the door, locks it, and drags a nearby table over to help hold it shut. Things were chasing her, and very quickly she hears growls nearby.

She runs upstairs and hides herself inside one of the bedrooms, again dragging a piece of furniture in the way of the door. She doesn't know how she didn't drop it, but she's been holding onto the radio this entire time. Flicking the switch, she speaks.

[ radio ]

These creatures. They won't stop. What are they? They reek of death. [ She sounds almost panicked, but her voice returns to a monotone with her next words. ] I need help. I need a weapon. Take these beasts away, get rid of this death, please, quickly, I must... [ She trails off. There's the faint sounds of banging. ] Quickly.

[It doesn't really matter who he was talking to. Or even what the conversation was about. Just that it was interrupted. Any individual or combination of people can be the other party on the radio.]

Dammit, these monsters are out already! [Shooting can be heard across the radio. After a couple shots, his voice can be heard again. He sounds pretty winded, and he's shooting again with one hand while talking into the radio with the other.] Zero, I'm pinned down at the co- [A screech of a monster, and silence.]

Anyone headed in or out of Mercy Apartments at around 8 AM might notice Golbez crouched in the middle of the road, peering down into one of the holes that has appeared overnight. He's shining a flashlight down into the darkness, but it really doesn't help much.

Of course, he's not so distracted that someone will be able to sneak into the building without catching his attention, or that monsters will be able to get the drop on him. Actually, he's been at this for maybe a minute at most. Still, this development is rather odd...

The night's sleep had restored what the world had drained, and when Lillet woke up, she knew instinctively that she'd have enough mana to alchemise a little of what she needed to be useful. Since she already had the flask and materials assembled, it wasn't a case of drawing a Rune so much as inscribing a small symbol on the inside of the flask with one glowing fingernail, and then pressing her entire palm against the suddenly-warm glass to infuse it with enough mana to create life.

The substances swirled within the glass, chaotically at first, but soon enough eyes formed, a mouth, the cat skull grew and malformed and sprouted muscles and skin and fur, barely fitting into the flask, and the rest of the creature's body formed within the narrower neck and expanded into the air, claws wriggling a little until Lillet obliged and tugged them straight. By the time it blinked and stared through its flask at her, she was ready to lift it and set it upright.

"My creator!" It greeted her, cheerful voice muffled by the flask. "What do you command?"

"First things first: we're going on a walk," she said. "I have to introduce you to everyone!" And, after a short pause, she knelt down to inscribe something else on the flask.

Hello, the writing read, My name is Blende. If found, please return to Lillet Blan!.

With that, she collected it in her arms (it snuggled as well as it could), and left to knock on everyone's doors. They'd be up, right?

Hey! This is Sora Himoto. I don't know your name, but-- um, the person who told me about where witches come from? Are you listening? I wanted to talk to you. I thought of something important.

[The accent is distinctly Australian at the end of the line, though if you asked her what part she was from she'd not know. She sounds way more relaxed than anyone new should be--waking up in strange places is something she's probably too used to by now, and the alcohol she and Lightning had had helped too.]

I guess it's about time I used this damned thing...

If every day is gonna be like today was, I could get used ta livin' here. Better than what I was doing before, which was a whole lot of nothing. I would like to know if anyone knows where I could getta hold of a pole, and some blades, since I don't have my lance with me. This bat is alright for now, but I would really prefer to start working on something more familiar.

Oh. Right.

I'm Fang by the way. I hear you people need some help with pest control.

[ it's nighttime, so maybe everyone's near their radios. Either way, Lightning is finally not occupied killing things or catching up with old friends, so she has time to talk. ]

It's Lightning here. Some of you wanted to learn how to fight close-up, and with this many monsters and ammo running low, we can't afford to be sloppy. I'm no teacher, but I can show you a few tricks that'll make your lives easier and a bit longer. If you're interested, I'll be in the Mercy Street courtyard tomorrow morning. Show up or not, I don't care, but I'll help anyone who does. There aren't many decent weapons lying around, so just bring whatever you can find.