Bridled Lights from the Dark Sector [IC, invite only, +18]

[Denny2669]

The sun stood tall, sky riddled with clouds, yet clear, light shining the day away like death skiters into dark cracks and holes.

Lasria had seen better days, it wasn't known for being a grave yard after all. Yet even amongst all the decay, a Lotus, a sprout of hope, thrives and blooms, breaking the contrast of dark colors. And you ask yourself, have I really found such a prized flower? Despite the fact that I'm a weed to be plucked, and discarded?

Whatever you think you are, it doesn't change what the world thinks. They do not care for your face, your deeds, your past, for you are infected by the Technocyte. How and why is your own story... What matters is this opportunity. This radio signal may be anything, or nothing, but it must be something. If not shelter like it promised, then perhaps a quick way out of this mess. Fitting for it to be a church as well, you could see it in the distance, just as the broadcast described it.

Maybe you could get a better view from one of the nearby buildings, assuming they still stand. There were two ways inside the courtyard. East was the main gate, high and tall, rusty, and blocked from the other side by a wrecked Jackal military tank. West was a road leading through the actual grave yard, now littered with undying corpses, even with the light of day casting danger away. So, which will it be, plague carrier?

Welcome to Lasria.

[Cyriann]

Pulses litter her senses. 

"So many... Yet so quiet..." She opens her eyes looking at the graveyard, not a single trace of what she could feel à second before.

"Guess it'll be better to try and go through the rubble of the city." On those words Rinka stretches and yawns on her branch, arms up in the air she feels her weapon erupting from her wrist, the large dark blade always linked to her by that cord. She gets down, silently and gracefully, as if dancing on the tree, wondering how she knows how to descend like this, while also enjoying the moment. As she gets to the ground she hides herself in the hood and cape that had slowly grown from her neck and fades away as she moves toward the dead city, and that beacon that lead her here. 

Edited July 3, 2017 by Cyriann

[Drakeardian]

Outside in the Church's graveyard, lay a corpse resting by a tombstone or what appeared to be a corpse, across his lap, in his hand a large staff that seemed to hold a blade on it. It didn't move, it didn't budge nor did it respond to sound...

Then it slowly began to yawn and reached up to rub his eyes before it planted the staff into the ground to slowly rise, standing at around six foot five inches tall and looking as thin as a mummified corpse...

"Aaaaargh, That wasn't very comfortable." said the corpse with an italian accent as they looked around "What time is it?"

Edited July 3, 2017 by Drakeardian

[404Cygni]

Larunda stank. It laid cracked open like a nut. Its inhabitants, gone. Its buildings, wrecked by the infected. Blood, bullets and impacts leave untold stories of a hopeless world. Are we humans going to disappear? Crushed by one our own phantasms we so often painted.

The hunt was good. Three ammo boxes left. I'm getting more and more certain my rapier is unbreakable. And I reached the place the radio was talking of. The front gate is barely an obstacle. Although seeing a sacred place in lockdown like this ios rather depressing.

The place is almost empty. Almost. I see a silhouette in the graveyard.Humanoid, no doubt. My caller? the gates are locked, with some hunk of metal barring it. Using the...I'm not quite sure, but the massive thing makes it easy to climb over the gate and reach for them.

"Salutations."

As I get closer, I spot the wrappings. Bandages, laid as if to protect a corpse from decaying. A mummy stands before me, like a scene from those horror flicks. I feel my hairs straightening, fight or flight reactions kicking in. And, like most of the time, I fight.  I feel myself extracting my rapier from my back and take a stand, guarding in quarte, and stared, trying to compense my small stature with ferocity.

"Are you sophont, or will we have to fight?"

And then they spoke up, making my entire point moot. I recognize Italian, although I do not speak it.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Do you understand me? Me comprenez-vous? Вы понимаете меня?"

Edited July 3, 2017 by 404Cygni

[Drakeardian]

Quickly turning around, the tall priest looking person pointed their staff at the woman that had suddenly appeared. They stood silent for a minute before sighing with a bit of relief as she spoke.

"A sight for sore eyes my daughter." said the man with a silver cross around his neck. "Is one that is both infected and in their right senses." he slowly stood up, the old man looked quite weak if not malnourished. "Are there more chosen? Like you?"

Edited July 3, 2017 by Drakeardian

[404Cygni]

I nod negatively.

"I have no knowledge of others. However, unless you were the caller...No it was not your voice. So there would be at least another, barring the person who considerately left the radio message having ceased to live. Perhaps we will cross paths with them...Anyhow. I am Amelia Duval. It is a pleasure to meet you, father...?"

[Cyriann]

The girl shifts on the wall, should she show herself? she had taken the time to think about what to do, hide and observe see what the place is like and then disappear or stay. 

For a moment she had even thought of not coming at all, lost in the way she saw the dead city. What was a dead place to her had become a playground, looking at anything since her infection was different, she could see where to climb, run or slide and even hunt. She felt like a child seeing how the walls had become routes, how vents felt like they could be good hiding spots while also being funny places to venture into, any lighting could make a good swinging place or shooting spot, why did she saw shooting spots though was beyond her understanding though...

She sees the two not ripping each other at first glance, which seems engaging enough, though the man looks like a walking corpse, at least the woman seems to have a normal look. She had not a lot of options on her hands, and she felt like playing honestly would do her more good than trying to act like a snake, so she jumps down of the wall knowing she would make some noise getting down. 

"Rinka Tachibana nice to..." She pauses a second noticing her invisible hand, she coughs lightly. "Give me a second." To the two persons air would seem like to be shifting slightly before a cloaked figure would appear. 

"So..." She says as she pulls back her hood from her face. "Rinka Tachibana, nice to meet you two." She adorns a bright smile, one she used for her meetings with her fans, the only lie she could put up with. 

[MetroFallout]

Up in the skies of Lasria, a lone figure flew through the air with unbridled glee. Freya Madsen, former stunt pilot and amateur air racer had achieved what most pilots would ever dream of on the back of the attack by the infected that turned her into something more than human, unassisted flight under her own power. Having heard of the radio signal, she knew at the back of her mind that it was too good to be true and tried to leave the country but was turned back by the Lasrian airforce on blockade duty who have since listed her as a hostile UFO in their airspace.The signal was her only option for now for survival.

When she flew over to the church, she announced her arrival by way of the sound her thrusters roaring as she approached. Pulling out of the dive and slowing down to a stop within the space of about half a kilometre, she simply dropped out of the sky to land in the graveyard, letting out a burst of thrust to stop her from getting hurt from the impact while she did a three-point landing.

Edited July 4, 2017 by MetroFallout

[kyrozon]

A church as the safe haven? It came across as an ironic thing for her, concidering what she did a few days ago in another church. It didn't distract from the fact that this was her best bet to find help. She made her way up to the highest still standing building near the wall. It seemed to be higher than the wall giving her the chance to easily glide across. The top floor was worse off than the lower floors, but in this case she saw it as a good thing, since there now was a larger gap in the wall facing the east gate. Easy point to leap from.

It seemed like she managed to have a perfect timing to see Freya drop down. At least that explained the sound from earlier. She stretched her wings out and glided out of the building. She landed ontop of the eastern wall, but she leaned forward just a bit too much and fell off said wall. A few flaps with her wings managed to slow her drop, but it also made more noise than she liked. She landed on her back on the ground. Quick to scramble back onto her feet. Her gaze searching for Freya firsts as, as far as she knew, Freya was the only other living person here.

[404Cygni]

A martial artist works on their senses. They also work on their reaction time. I barely had the time to give the newcomer a curt nod (some kind of optical camouflage? Could be useful. Good to sneak around. Good for ambushes.), unable to give a proper response (all around me polite, no apparent danger) before I registered two new sources of sound. (One way louder than the other. Decoy? Two distinct, differently skilled? One trying furtivity?) and gave my interlocutors a look that tried to be reassuring. (No mark of military. No knowledge of combat skills. Civilians? One holy man, probably not good in combat. Not before infection, at least. Defend.) I spun towards the direction of the sound, placing myself into the most likely pathway of attack, (one possible hostile at  11 hours. Another at two. Placed in peripheral vision. Movement spottable.), pulled my handgun (incomers too far for blade or fist, need range) from my belt and got in shooting position. (Bad, right knee too wobbly, need to beware of recoil) and spoke up.

"Newcomers, are you friends or foes? I will not shoot by default, please show yourselves."

Oh god. I think I might have looked unflappable from out there, but the tension I felt seemed to be eating at my nerves. (Tension good, means I stay focused. Need focus to stay alive.) If this lasted too long I might slip and do someyhing stupid.

Edited July 4, 2017 by 404Cygni

[Drakeardian]

Raising an eyebrow at the newcomers, The man kept calm and waited for their moves, He did however tap his staff on the ground before replying to the Amelia " Francois Auditore, A pleasure." he pulled his hood back to show his gray hair and his gaunt but shaven face. 

"Come out please, We do not wish harm but I shall defend myself if necessary." called out Auditore "And it will hurt me as much as it will hurt you."

[DaMadReaper]

Sophia sat in the middle of a deserted street, watching some humanoid creature glide across the sky. It seemed rather majestic, moving along the blue of the sky with a grace that she'd never seen before. The creature disappeared behind a building, prompting her to stand and dust herself off. It's not every day you see a person with wings, infected or not.

She rolls up her sleeves, the patches of infected skin on her forearms glinting in the sunlight. The brunette began a short jog, making her way around the corner to see a church, which she assumed was the destination of the flying creature. Without much hesitation, she grabbed onto the rusted gate blocking her path, climbing it without much trouble, landing on the quadripedal tank behind it, finishing with a little bow to her invisible audience.

The woman took a look around her to see the creature from before, now appearing to be a woman with wings. Drawing her knife from her left forearm, she jumps down, attempting to catch the woman's attention.

"Howdy, buddy!"

[kyrozon]

Indy heard some soft voices from outside the wall, from the graveyard she spotted earlier maybe? Not that she had much time to wonder about the voices outside the courtyard as she was greeted by someone else. She turned to her right, the direction from which the greeting came. The first thing she noticed about the one greeting her was the knife being drawn from their forearm. Her eyes locked on it as she took a step away from Sophia. Her wings drooped down to make herself appear harmless.

"Hi there." Was all she managed to bring out, when she pried her eyes away from the blade. She was taking a look at the sky now, trying to spot her feathered companion. She hadn't noticed his absence earlier, which was rather unfortunate now that she might actually need a weapon.

[MetroFallout]

"Looks like a lot of people found their way here after hearing about the signal." said Freya to herself, flipping her hair after taking her sealable hood off of her head and powering off her thrusters. "... or a few."

Approaching the people who were congregating, she drew her scissor shield from the small of her back, expanding it out and hid her tail with it's bladed tip by coiling it behind her, ready to fight if they were hostile.

 

"Hey, you guys here about the radio too?" asked Freya, unsure if they were friendly.

[Denny2669]

The air was relatively clean, like a normal day, minus the chirping of birds. That's be unusual these days. Only the wind provided some noise which wasn't directly caused by anyone, and it was almost peaceful this way, until a comotion grew in the grave yard. Even if it were just words, not even loud ones, the air felt like it was tensing up. It wasn't far to the church from where the little group of Tenno have gathered in the grave yard, though a very rusty gate was in the way. No doubt some force would get it open, though it might cause more noise that anyone would be comfortable with. The stone wall beside it seemed to have holes in it, no doubt marks of battle, not even mentioning the infected bodies. Some graves seemed to be desecrated as well, though some seemed to be... new, recently covered.

The church yard seemed to be on a much more peaceful end, little to note about the area aside from a few tress, wooden benches, and of course, bodies. Dismembered, not a single bullet hole on the infected corpses.

[Cyriann]

"So?" She crosses her arms behind her head. "Shouldn't we... Move from here? I can say there is a ton of infecteds around here, and I wouldn't want to be caught in the middle of them waking up." 

She points at the rusty gates. "I'd say it'll be better if we, at least get behind those gates."

[DaMadReaper]

The sound of actual words exiting the woman's mouth teased out a small sigh of relief from Sophia. She relaxed her stance, leaning back in a rather loose stance. She looked her over with a rather analytical eye, her eye moving from her face, to her body and then to her wings, on which she lingered for a few moments.

"So, judging by your ability to form actual words, I'm assuming you're still pretty sane, and by pretty sane, I mean that you won't attempt to murder me the moment I get you out of knife point."

With that, she lowers her kukri, smiling at the flying creature.

"I'm Sophia. Magician, adventurer and infected."

[kyrozon]

"The name is Indy." She replied, running one hand through the feahters on her neck. This wasn't what she expected from a first meeting, but it worked out alright. She glanced at the sky again, "Now where did that bird go..." 

Her anwser would take place in a bird-looking mace dropping from the sky. "Oh come on? Really only now!" She complained to the mace as she picked it up, flicking the bird head engraved into it. Seconds after she did so a layer of dust crumbled off it, revealing infested feathers. The 'mace' stretched its wings and moved its head around, observing the scenery. "This little guy is Trace." 

[DaMadReaper]

Sophia was about to say something when the mace came to life. She just stood there for a few moments, wondering what she was seeing. As far as she knew, maces weren't exactly meant to have wings... 

"Y'know, I was gonna offer to do a magic trick in order to break the ice, but after seeing that mace turn into a bird, I think I've had enough magic for a while..."

She pressed the kukri back into her forearm, allowing the infection to house her weapon once again.

"So, what brings you to an abandoned church in the middle of hell?"

[Drakeardian]

"I am Father Francois Auditore, I came here to help speak the word of god to Lasira." replied Auditore to the newcomers, standing straight and holding his Staff upright. "I arrived here at this church a few hours ago...but I must have fallen asleep at this gravestone." 

He checked his watch to see what the time was but it didn't show and he sighed "Pardon me to ask but." he looked to the swarm of ladies that had arrived "What time is it?"

[404Cygni]

I manage a smile. It's fake, hollow. The depths of Lasria have since long pilfered my joy, destroyed my hope Minor casualties amongst far bigger ones. But I still smile. If I stop smiling, I let them win. And we Duval are nothing if not stubborn.

"I am Amelia Duval. I used to be a physicist, working at the power plant near here. Then, I got infected, and now bear the inferno's stigma. I tried my best to use this gift to protect this country. Not that i always succeeded, but..."

Repressed memories. A village drowned in blood. A child, crying on their parent's body. Corpses into a pile, cremated at the best of my abilities. Too little, too late. No, I did not always succeed.

"I have grown a bit of a name. The locals call me 'Angel of flames'. It sounds a bit pompous, but, it isb't like I picked it."

Edited July 5, 2017 by 404Cygni

[kyrozon]

"It's not magic persay. Its something the infestation allows me to do." Indy replies as she stretches her arm out, the bird taking a few steps over it before spreading its wings and flying off. The woman holds her hand out, circling in place, and the bird following suit perfectly by circling a few meters above at the pace she turns around with. "Although these abilities often feel like magic." She remarked. 

She stretched her arm out once more, and the bird came swooping down to perch itself on it. Indy couldn't help but flinch at feeling those bird claws against her skin once more. The infection probably had done something to her skin to prevent the bird from piercing it, but still it felt odd. 

[Drakeardian]

"If I may ask, shall we head to the church?" asked Francois to the ladies around him as he began to head over for the church yard with staff in hand, he then pulled on it to extend the blade out, the staff becoming a Scythe as he walked on towards the Entrance of the church.

Edited July 8, 2017 by Drakeardian

[404Cygni]

I nod in agreement.

"My ears told me we have at least one unknown. Most likely two. Fliers. I cannot tell of their hostility, so I do believe moving into the church would be advisable. If we have to fight, defense would likely be easier in there."

[Cyriann]

She goes to the rusty gates, noticing the scythe in the priest's hand but she doesn't want to dwell on it. 

She gives a push to the gates asserting that they are heavy and that moving them would be most likely extremely loud, which they would want to avoid. 

"Anyone having trouble with climbing?" She says as she swiftly climbs up the wall, not needing a grip for her hands she almost seems to walk on it. " 'Cause if so, I have a rope in my arm." She extends the gladius blade and the cable linked to it and herself while sitting on the wall legs crossed.