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Post by SlvrNight on Apr 8, 2020 12:49:46 GMT -5
In the southeastern part of the continent of Ardenia, close to the ocean, lied the simple unassuming locale of Orlon Village. Far enough away from the larger cities such as JX City and Rovenheim, yet not quite close enough to be considered part of the Greylocke Kingdom. The village survived by being a popular rest stop on longer trips in its part of the land due to its abundance of seafood, the various dishes made from the fruits and vegetables unique to the area, and the comfortably warm weather tempered by its proximity to the sea. Geist crystal technology never truly became an integral part of its people and their lives, who preferred to do things the old-fashioned, and often more difficult, way.
Such a lifestyle had its appeal however, and the rise of akma in the continent after The Eight Hour War saw various nonhumans eventually making their way to Orlon. Some were simply passing through, while others would find themselves becoming accustomed to the place and settling down as farmers, mechanics, doctors, guards, and the like. Either way, the people of the village didn’t mind. It mattered not how you looked, so long as you carried your weight; whether it be through physical labor or contributions of the mind.
Unfortunately, Orlon has had some rather strange occurrences recently. Rumors had begun to spread that the village was suffering from unexplained disappearances and weather that would normally be impossible in the region. Many would take such things as nothing but stories cobbled together by overactive imaginations ravaged by paranoia. Of course, there were also those few that would hear a kernel of truth in the rumors and make their way to the quiet village with the hope of uncovering what was really going on. For whatever reasons they had.
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Post by Jisui on Apr 8, 2020 21:22:47 GMT -5
Orlon Village Mavis Riverbank
"Garrett... you're ruining my favorite spot."
"Shut up. Aren't you supposed to be comforting me?"
"How mean."
Shortly after delivering that rather callous sentence, the young man known as Garrett casually clenched a smooth pebble in a gloved hand, casually chucking it across the riverbank with a sullen expression on his face.
One, two... ah. Four. His highest was six. Unlucky.
Well, he supposed it wasn't all bad. There was a nice breeze today, cool wind mixed with the spray of the nearby river. It brushed through the surrounding area, lightly touching nearby wildflowers and bringing its floral scent about the area.
Leaning back into the grassy bank that he had been laying on, Garrett brought two fingers to his lips and took a long drag of a cigarette. Feeling a familiar warm burn in his chest, he exhaled out a billowy cloud that caused his nearby companion's expression to wrinkle as if dissatisfied. The young woman next to him had a rather unusual appearance, with drooping eyes, round cheeks and frizzled hair, along with a disinterested expression that neared indifference.
"I suppose that's true though. Then, I guess I should say something comforting now."
Raising an eyebrow at this, Garrett turned to look at the young woman, who's features were scrunched in deep thought as if spending all of her brain capacity to muster a response.
"...Fourth time's the charm."
"..."
The phrase was said in a complete monotone, with a seriousness that caused a variety of emotions to surge in his chest. Sifting through them, he decided that the most appropriate response was disdain.
"Sorry. It would have been better if you said nothing after all."
"How mean."
The breeze blew about again, tugging at a tightly clenched piece of paper in Garrett's free hand. From the top, just the following words were visible:
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Blayz
Initiate
Lets hit 'em with that woah.
Posts: 36
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Post by Blayz on Apr 9, 2020 11:45:17 GMT -5
"Okay! I think I'm ready to start my next job. Now I just need to--"
"Alright Kitten! I'm ready to tag-along with you! I'm dressed perfectly for the occasion!"
The banter between these two young men had just begun and they hadn't even left yet. Blayz, a young man with long onyx hair wearing an asymmetrical grunge aesthetic outfit was sighing at one of his closest friends. B.Jay was his usually scantily clad friend with shorter peanut-butter colored hair. Today however, B.Jay was... more covered.
"B.Jay... I can still see you're not wearing pants--" A concerned Blayz started before being interrupted.
"I know but, if the 'Dangerous Beauty' still lives here and I happen to see her? she'd remember that this is what I wore when we figured out the mystery right here in our own town!" he replied while striking multiple poses.
"Uh-huh..." Blayz sheepishly replied
"Also look! I'm even wearing some thigh-high socks this time!" he stated proudly.
Blayz couldn't help but chuckle because B.Jay usually wouldn't care at all what some random people thought of him. For this person to get him to dress more conservatively? They must be blessed and highly favored.
"Alright, Alright! You win! You had better properly introduce me to this 'Dangerous Beauty' as well. Anybody that can get you to wear your thigh-high socks is obviously someone worth plenty of praise." he quipped at a still posing B.Jay.
"I know right?!" he exclaimed as he stopped posing before strutting out his Blayz's room. Blayz laughed before following him to their penultimate destination. The Giga Stream. What were these two young men about to get themselves into? Time would only tell.
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Post by SlvrNight on Apr 9, 2020 12:04:06 GMT -5
Orlon Village Mavis Riverbank
It had only been a single day, but Sophia was already getting impatient. She was also very nervous. To be as accurate as possible, she was feeling a large mixture of emotions. She had arrived yesterday afternoon with the hopes of investigating the recent rumors surrounding the village. Her best case scenario would have been immediately getting to work with some kind of solid lead. But after meeting with the village elder, as well as the member of his council, it turned out that there were no solid leads. While there was obvious proof people were vanishing, homes becoming empty after nights with a blood red moon and a few bloodstains here and there on the streets, the villagers themselves had no clue how to deal with it.
The red haired akma had been informed that a few of their stronger villagers had elected to stay outside during one of these "blood moons" in hopes of dealing with whatever was causing this. Unfortunately, all this resulted in were the bloodstains on the street.In the end, all Sophia could do was wait for another blood moon and follow the same idea. She certainly had confidence in her combat skills, but she didn't exactly enjoy it. There was also the possibility of whatever she came up against would simply be too much for her to handle alone.
Sophia took a deep breath and looked up towards the clear sky, doing her best to reign in her anxiety. She leaned back against the trunk of a tree, sitting on one of its thicker branches, and closed her eyes. She had to relax. Had to calm her nerves.
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Post by Jisui on Apr 10, 2020 10:39:54 GMT -5
"Did you hear? Lance Milson went missing the other day."
Garrett paused as if to digest the information, silently thankful of the shift in conversation topics. Blindly feeling about in the grass for another rock, he felt his fingers successful clasp around one.
"The fisherman's kid?" Hefting his arm back, he let loose another rock. One, two, three... ah. Five this time. "Same as the last time?"
"Mm. That's what they say. The elders are even considering evacuating for now until professionals come." Twirling a strand of her hair, the young woman's monotone voice began to be tinged with concern. Not that he could blame her. After all, how long had it been...
One month? Two, three?
Had long had it been, since they had started to disappear?
At first, it had been the baker's daughter, Sara Goodwin. They had thought it had been a kidnapping, or perhaps she had just run away. Then the blacksmith's wife, the gossip across from his house, the librarian who always greeted him with a kind smile...
It would be easy, almost preferable had it been the work of a serial killer. If not for one thing...
He brought his fingers to his lips, and took a long drag to relieve the tension that was building in his core. It almost seemed silly that he had been allowed to take a medical exam while this was going on. Sillier even to worry about it when they were being plucked away like stray lambs.
"...You convince your pops to evacuate yet, Rino?"
"No, father is stubborn. He must have gotten it from your father." The young woman replied, smiling slightly upon hearing the hidden concern from her friend.
"Tch. Damn straight. Old man still refuses to close down the clinic." With a grunt, Garrett pushed himself up from the grass, his companion mimicking the action upon realizing they were leaving.
"Come on, its getting dark. Your old man's going to beat my ass if I don't get you home."
"Garrett. I'm tired, let's rest."
"How much do you get out woman?! We've been walking for fifteen damn minutes!"
Despite his annoyance, Garrett stopped their walk and quickly scanned the horizon. Spotting a large tree near them with an abundant amount of shade, he gestured towards it with a jerk of his head. Nodding in acceptance, Rino slowly walked with him towards it, and promptly plopped down on the grass as if it was her bed.
Watching this in slight disdain, Garrett took the chance to grab another cigarette from his pack, before hearing her softly speak.
"...I wonder if it'll come again tonight. The blood moon."
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Post by SlvrNight on Apr 10, 2020 13:19:13 GMT -5
Sophia heard voices from down below and set upright, looking at the source.
"Garrett. I'm tired, let's rest."
"How much do you get out woman?! We've been walking for fifteen damn minutes!"
Ah, a man apparently named Garrett and a woman. They seemed to get along rather well, despite how the man may have sounded just now, she could tell he wasnt serious. Seemed like they were going to take a rest for a bit. Sophia looked towards the sky, noting it would be getting dark soon. Taking a rest outside now posed its risks, but so long as the two of them paid attention to the time they should be fine.
"...I wonder if it'll come again tonight. The blood moon."
The woman said this softly, but Sophia's hearing picked it up easily. Truthfully, she was wondering the same thing. She should probably say something. She was beginning to feel rude sitting here eavesdropping, even if she was at this tree first.
"Part of me hopes it does, part of me hopes it doesn't."
Wait. Shit. That could be taken as her being an asshole and hoping someone else disappears.
The pointy-eared akma quickly followed up by clearing her throat. "I came here for the sole purpose of figuring out what the hell's going on with this blood moon and the disappearances. Kinda want it to happen again tonight so I can get to the bottom of this, but at the same time I'm the only one here to deal with it. Part of me doesnt want another blood moon to happen until there's more peole here to investigate and back me up, just in case."
Sophia looked down at the two. If she was getting this talkative then she may as well introduce herself. She jumped off the tree branch, landing a few meters away from Garrett and clearing her throat again.
"I'm Sophia Mirtyn. Hopefully here to help."
She adjusted her shoulder cape, making sure it covered her left arm as much as possible. Orlon Village was known to be fairly open-minded, but at this point it was just a habit of hers.
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Blayz
Initiate
Lets hit 'em with that woah.
Posts: 36
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Post by Blayz on Apr 10, 2020 14:53:25 GMT -5
The young man with the long onyx-colored hair had finally come to after the transportation via the Giga Stream had been a success. As he meticulously surveyed his surroundings, he noticed that he was near some type of.. pond? No, a river! Okay good, so he had a source of water and potentially food if they couldn't get to a town or their destination of "JX City".
Just then, his scantily-clad friend started to awake with a big yawn and a stretch, rubbing the back of his head.
"So that's what you go through? Its not at all what the movies make it out to be, Kitten!" B.Jay exclaimed as he sat up and stretched more. Blayz chuckled.
"Right?! The first time I used the Giga Stream I never thought I'd be teleported but put to sleep! I've tried asking the engineers who run it to explain to me the science behind it but, it eventually got way too confusing for me to handle." he exclaimed laughing sheepishly.
It was then B.Jay's turn to glance over their surroundings and much to his disdain, he was unimpressed with where they were.
"Oooookay, Kitten? Mind telling me why we're in a forest-y looking place? Where's the hustle and bustle? The bright lights? The glitz and glamour?! We're supposed to be going to JX City, right?" bombarding Blayz with question after question. He couldn't help but smile as he remembered his first time going on a trip like this.
"Well B.Jay, usually the Giga Stream puts us somewhere near our destination leaving some room for us to explore and take in the universe as a whole. I remember when I went to the Pokemon universe; I completely lost my damn mind when I woke up and saw I was a Lopunny. Thank god I didn't make a complete spectacle of myself then, who knows how that would have went!" he explained while reminiscing about a past adventure.
That however didn't last too long as something or rather someone had caught B.Jay's eye. Or maybe "some people" would be the best way to say that?
"HEEYYY!!!" he cried out hoping to get the attention of three people under a big tree.
Blayz quickly got up and rushed towards B.Jay how was making his way towards the small gathering. He knew bringing B.Jay along would be a wild ride but he didnt think it'd start two minutes in!
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Post by Jisui on Apr 10, 2020 15:38:02 GMT -5
"Part of me hopes it does, part of me hopes it doesn't."
As soon as Sophia spoke, Rino began to look around confusedly for the source of the noise, as Garrett's body tensed up. When Sophia began her descent down the tree, his eyes began to desperately scan around him, his expression shifting to that of an animal watched by their prey. His eyes began to glaze over, looking similar to that of a soldier reliving a battle.
Ambush. They were in the trees. Locate. Every second of indecision was wasteful. Locate.
His body moved like clockwork, turning to the location the enemy would fall before she landed.
"Garrett-"
Arm drawn back. Draw forward, load-
"GARRETT!"
Upon hearing the unusually hysterical voice of his companion, he awoke with a shudder to find himself training a pistol on the newcomer, Rino's hands on his arms with a concerned expression on her face.
Breathe. Deep breaths.
"I'm Sophia Mirtyn. Hopefully here to help."
Hearing the woman's voice begin to trail off uncomfortably, Garrett slowly returned the pistol to his side, clearing his throat awkwardly as a distinct silence began to settle about the group.
"Uhh... bad day. Sorry, I guess." He finished lamely, unable to look at her in the eyes. Attempting to smooth over the situation before it got any worse, Rino quickly stepped in front of the two with an apologetic expression.
"Umm... we're sorry about that. He's Garrett Ellis, and I'm Rino Hallia. Nice to meet you."
"HEEYYY!!!"
Breaking what was sure to be another awkward silence was the approach of a rather scantily-clad young man walking with a long-haired man.
"...Friend of yours?" Garrett felt compelled to ask Sophia despite the situation, feeling a migraine come at what was quickly becoming an eventful evening.
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Post by SlvrNight on Apr 10, 2020 19:06:34 GMT -5
"Well that at least makes me feel better about being awkward, so it's fine." Sophia brushed the issue aside, not wanting to dwell on it and possibly make Garrett feel worse. She was able to tell what was wrong the moment she jumped from the branch. Increased heart rate, heavy breathing, those movements... Sophia could see that this man, Garrett, had some of his own issues to deal with. Best to move on from it for now.
"Anyways, it's nice to meet you two."
"HEEYYY!!!"
Sophia's eyes shifted to the side, looking at the two newcomers. A man with long black hair and a man with...not enough clothing...were heading towards them. She then looked back at Garrett and Rino, answering in a monotone voice.
"I've never met those two in my life. No idea who they are."
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Blayz
Initiate
Lets hit 'em with that woah.
Posts: 36
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Post by Blayz on Apr 11, 2020 18:23:13 GMT -5
As the questionably "dynamic-duo" walked towards the congregation under the tree, Blayz's thoughts were racing a mile a minute where as B.Jay had one goal, to see his friend again! So when they finally got close to everyone, the scantily clad young man smiled wide before he began to speak.
"Hey everyone! I hope you're all having a good day! My name is B.Jay and this is my friend Blayz!" he exclaimed bringing Blayz to his side to introduce himself.
"H-Hello! Nice to meet you all!" Blayz responded. This is not at all how he'd do things, calling out to what seems to be a small group of friends is just begging for people to think weirdly of you. He was completely swept up in B.Jay's flow and had absolutely no choice but to play this completely by ear. Just then, B.Jay let out a chuckle.
"You'll have to excuse Blayz! He's a bit timid when he's meeting people for the first time!" he explained looking at Blayz who simply reacted by turning away and scratching the back of his head. B.Jay continued his... plan?
"Anywho! We're so glad we've finally found some people! We've been lost for a few hours and we'd really appreciate any help you guys could give us!" B.Jay pleaded.
Blayz couldn't believe B.Jay was... actually not screwing this up!? Is this the same person that's so much of a klutz that all the dishes in their apartment were replaced with plastic to avoid cleaning up broken plates everyday? To say he was impressed is a huge understatement. However, now was not the time to sit there shocked by B.Jay's sudden competence.
"Y-Y-Yeah! We're even willing to help you all back in return if you let us!" Blayz added, hoping to sweeten the deal so that they wouldn't be wondering around this new environment aimlessly for too long.
Hmmmm... B.Jay, why are you examining everyone so thoroughly...?
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Post by Jisui on Apr 11, 2020 18:50:27 GMT -5
...Lost travelers? A bit odd, considering how out of the way Orlon was, but not entirely impossible. So, to summarize..
"So, let me get this straight." Garrett began with an irritated sigh, beginning to massage his temples at the slowly creeping headache. Behind him, Rino tilted her head inquisitively, giving a blank stare at BJay's somewhat disturbing stare towards them.
"She-" Gesturing roughly towards Sophia, Garrett turned to examine the newcomer for the first time in detail. Noting her pointed ears and non-white sclera, he immediately identified her as some type of akma. Not entirely rare in these parts, but for a moment, his eyes hovered over her hidden left arm and slightly narrowed. Quickly moving past it, he continued his line of thought.
"Knows about what's going on, and came to save us." Whether he felt relieved or not from that was yet to be known. He wasn't immediately reassured by her rather diminutive presence, but knew that appearances could be deceiving.
"And you two-" He turned to Blayz and BJay, expression turning sour upon catching the same aforementioned dubious stare from BJay.
"Must have the shittiest luck I've ever seen. I'm tempted to give you the directions straight out of this place."
Again stepping in front of her grumpy companion as if she had done this many times, Rino's indifferent expression took on a hint of apology for the behavior of her friend.
"Um... sorry. He's Garrett Ellis, and I'm Rino Hallia." She repeated. "But, he's right. Unfortunately this village isn't safe at the moment."
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Post by SlvrNight on Apr 11, 2020 19:18:45 GMT -5
Sophia watched Garrett, Rino, and the newcomers talking. She caught Garrett's brief glance towards her arm but made no movements to hide it any further. She also noticed BJay's look towards them all, as if analyzing them. Or perhaps he was just paying extra attention in case they pulled anything hostile. Perhaps the man wasnt as foolish as he looked?
Ah, Garrett's friend just stepped in. This was probably something she had to do often.
Blayz and B. Jay...where were they from? How could they have gotten so lost that they ended up in Orlon? The village was pretty far from the cluster of cities near JX and the settlements of the Greylocke Kingdom. It was possible they were from one of those regions though and got lost while traveling far. But even then...they didnt look like fighters. They shouldn't get involved with something with this much danger.
Sophia took a small breath before speaking. "She's right. Things have been getting pretty dangerous here recently. I dont know if you want to get mixed up in this."
Rather than wait for the inevitable attempts at bravado she continued.
"People have been disappearing. No idea what's happening. No one's figured out a way to stop it. The few villagers that tried also vanished with nothing but bloodstains left behind. The moon and sky turn red when it's gonna happen. Overall, sounds pretty bad right?"
Her eyes looked at B.Jay, then focused on Blayz.
"It's gonna be night in a few hours, so where are you headed? We can give you directions and you can hopefully get out of here before dark. Trains are still running right now, but even they avoid the village now when night approaches."
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Blayz
Initiate
Lets hit 'em with that woah.
Posts: 36
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Post by Blayz on Apr 12, 2020 15:11:06 GMT -5
Thank GOODNESS!!! Blayz and B.Jay can get directions to JX City! Way to go B.Jay, Rena would be so proud of you! That moment of sheer brilliance soon came to an end when B.Jay snapped out of his focus upon hearing what Rino and Sophia had just explained.
"D-Disappearing?" B.Jay inquired. Blayz then silently turned to B.Jay with a concerned look on his face. Almost as if he was wishing that B.Jay would just thank them for the directions so they could get the hell away from this situation. But...
"I know we just met you all, and there's no way to gauge just how useful we'll be to you at all in these times but, I wouldn't feel right just running away and leaving you to deal with such an awful situation." he declared. B.Jay then turned to Blayz with a look of determination in his eyes. He wasn't gonna let their new "friends" just deal with whatever by themselves, right?
Blayz however, knew this was going against everything his Master taught him. She had taught him to not play the hero and to always take the safe option. On the other hand though? B.Jay wasn't going to budge not one bit, regardless of what Sophia, Garrett or Rino told him. So the safest option in this situation? The onyx haired fella took a deep breath.
"B.Jay's right. While it would be convenient for us to leave and pretend we never heard anything you just told us? It wouldn't sit well with either of us if we just left you without at least trying to help--" he responded finally dropping the "timid" act before being interrupted by... take a wild guess!
"Yeah! He might not look it but, this Kitten has claws! Those pretty thighs of his aren't just for show!" B.Jay hyped much to Blayz's chagrin.
"W-Well in any case! I can defend myself, so we should just send my friend here on to--" he started.
"Nuh-uh!" B.Jay interjected
"Wha--?" Blayz responded
"I'm joining you!" B.Jay stated.
Aw Hell Naw... This is gonna be some shit a'int it? Where's Rena when you need her?
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Post by Jisui on Apr 12, 2020 15:39:55 GMT -5
If there was one thing that Garrett equally respected and hated, it was a hero. He could appreciate the selflessness, and he hated the fact that they always ended up dead.
It took a stupid, but admirable person to willingly stay in a paranormal village where you were liable to vanish. Even he was beginning to think that his family and Rino should have left weeks ago. The idea of someone willingly putting themselves in danger for an unknown cause pissed him off, but left him with a grudging respect.
"...Well, I'm not your guardian." The ex-mercenary grunted out, scowling slightly. "Not my fault if you have a death wish."
An uncomfortable silence ensued at that, the only sound being the scuffling of Garrett's shoes as the group visibly watched the gears turn in his head. Finally, he let out an irritated sigh, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.
"...Guessing you don't have anywhere to stay for the night? Food?" Glancing over at Sophia, he continued, "What about you, tree lady?"
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Post by SlvrNight on Apr 12, 2020 17:45:52 GMT -5
Sophia's eyes briefly wandered down towards Blayz's thighs and she then decided it was best not to say anything about B. Jay's comment at all.
Either way, she was hesitant to rely on these two strangers but she didnt exactly have much of a choice. After all, she did need more bodies to help her figure this whole thing out and she would take what she could get. But she did have to say something before things went further.
"It's you own decision to make, I told you as much as I know. If you're going to stick around and help though, I should probably say this now rather than later. I'm more accustomed to doing things on my own, not too good at fighting with a team. I'll do my best to keep you guys safe, but I can't guarantee anything beyond that. Especially since we dont even know what we'll be dealing with."
"...Guessing you don't have anywhere to stay for the night? Food? What about you, tree lady?"
The sharp-eared akma's eyes widened for a moment at Garrett's invitation. She certainly wasnt expecting that from him but she was grateful all the same and responded with a bright smile.
"Sure. I'd very much appreciate that, Garrett."
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