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 Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2014 12:12 pm
 Aiden laid in silence, not knowing quite what to say. A sea of blood and death? It sounded like Mariah had a few demons she needed to confront. It sounded as if her drive to continue the fight was dying. Whatever fight it may have been. Aiden took a deep breathe. "Listen... The fate of the rest of the world, as we know it, depends on us. I can't do it without you. Without Mariah... The world needs us to be strong, and it starts with both of you." said Aiden grabbing hold of the sheets. "Should you fail....there is no doubt I, along with everyone other living being on this planet, will suffer the same fate. WE won't fail..." Aiden said boldly. He began to settle, resting his head back onto the pillow. "Goodnight Seira.." Aiden said softly___ Dark black clouds filled the evening sky, blotting out the sun above. Rain fell from the sky flooding the dirt like surface of the earth until it could no longer retain its water. A phantom like bike, dark as night, hovered over the earth roaming slowly toward the nearby city of Rima. Atop the bike sat The Dark One...eyes black and void of emotion. He whistled as he pedaled, tilting his head back and forth ever so slightly. He wore black robes from head to toe and a black ebony sword rested on his back. Under his black hood lied his dark hair, dangling over his eyes like curtains. The city was close now. The Dark One dismounted the bike promptly as it vanished into the night. Two guards approached the man from the gate protecting the small inner city. "What business do you have here..? We don't have room for newcomers, I'm sorry. There is another city a few dozen miles just west of here." One of the males said. The man in black approached. He was quite taller than the two males. "I'm sorry... I'm not here to stay............. I'm here to claim.." The man said with a devilish grin. The ground itself began to rumble under his feet. The tremors only grew louder. He began to laugh covering his face. "What the ******** is going on? WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" The guard said looking up to the man in black. The Dark One sat in silence. Louder the tremors grew. "................ Now we feast" A black shroud had made its way to the cities home front and the sounds of men, women, and children's screams filled the air. In mere minutes, The city of Rima was now, no more and corpses decorated the land. The Dark One mounted his bike and strolled off into the night, whistling as he vanished.
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Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2014 1:48 pm
Seira listened to what Aiden had to say. If she found any comfort or belief in his words, she didn't show it. She knew that it would take a lot more than strength for what they were going to get themselves into. She finally rested her head upon her two cool off white pillows and closed her eyes. "Good night," she said before she closed her eyes. When Seira opened her eyes again, it was only because she could smell the sizzling of bacon, which seemed to be the best alarm clock in the world. Sitting up, Seira stretched before looking over at Aiden who was still asleep, drooling on his pillow. She picked up one of her pillows and hit him lightly over the head with it. "If you don't wake up, I'm eating everything," she threatened. She would too.
Getting up, Seira picked up the remote and turned on the morning news. At first she expected to hear the usual set of headlines, but the images on the television turned her stomach. Mangled corpses torn open as if some beast had passed through the town ravaging each man, woman, and child in the worst way. Seira clenched her fists and swallowed the bile that had built up inside of her mouth. "Either this is a very powerful and very hungry demon or...no...it can't be them," she said speaking more to herself than to anyone else. Mariah came into the living room having heard the television from inside the kitchen. "Get dressed you two. We're going to go check it out. Maybe we can find some clues as to what happened," she said, ever the levelheaded one.
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Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2014 9:49 pm
Aiden woke up to the sound and smell of bacon being prepared in the kitchen. He sat upright, brushing his eyes free of sleep dust, and lightly massaging his nose. He stood to his feet, cradling his stomach in a manner displaying his hunger. His sluggish pace reminded everyone that Aiden wasn't always a morning person. Or whatever time it may have been. The last thing he expected to see right now was the suns rays peering through the windows. "Good morning... What's this...?" Aiden said referring to the news he happened to be overhearing. The nearby city of Rima had been decimated overnight. There was nothing left of the small town like city. "Oh my..... That demon horde must have made their way through that city.." Aiden said trying to make sense of things. But there was no way mere leeches and pawns could have forced their way through a city of that stature. Aiden turned to face Mariah as he took a bite of a piece of bacon. "Yea.. I hope we find clues and not a death wish.." He grabbed his clothes from the corner and began to put them on. "I'm starting to believe you 'Gate Keepers' enjoy getting yourselves in trouble just as much as I do." said Aiden, shaking his head with a smile. He grabbed his sword and pistols. He rarely went anywhere without them, and Aiden would often sleep with his sword in hand. You could never be too sure, right?
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Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2014 10:41 pm
While Aiden was off putting his clothes on, Seira folded the sofa bed back into the couch and put the cushions back on. "Yeah well, once you get into enough trouble all the time, you start to look at it as a constant companion...or that annoying clingy boyfriend-slash-girlfriend you just can't get rid of," she said before she went upstairs to the guest bedroom to put her own clothes back on before going into the bathroom to brush her hair out and pulled it into a ponytail. Seira then came back downstairs and grabbed a piece of toast. As she leaned against the counter and bit into her toast, Cadence came downstairs, her messy curls bouncing. Mariah approached her and knelt down to her level.
"Cadence...Seira, Aiden, and I have to go somewhere today. It's a grown up thing. I want you to stay here. Don't open the door for anyone and don't go outside. You can play games on the computer and when I return, I'll use my special knock so you know it's me. You do remember my special knock, right?" Cadence nodded. "Yes, Mariah. I'll find a way to entertain myself." Cadence then grabbed a few pieces of bacon and ran upstairs to the master bedroom. Mariah turned to Seira and Aiden. "It's probably best that we take my car," she said. "I don't think your bike is big enough for all three of us, Aiden."
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 10:37 am
Aiden laughed hearing Seira's comments. He turned to Mariah. "As much as I'd love to take you both on a ride outside the city, I'm afraid you're right.... Unfortunately." said Aiden with a sprinkle of disappointment. He walked out the front door of the cabin and out onto the grassy field. It was a miracle grass was still growing here. In most other places, the land was dying and withering away. People would most likely die of famine before they were cut down by demons elsewhere."Let's get moving. They're maybe some food and supplies to salvage. I wouldn't want to run into another faction, should we arrive in an untimely manner." Aiden knew of the pirate like bandits that roamed about, stealing and salvaging wastelands of former cities, much like Hans group. If he could, he'd like to avoid a confrontation. "I could use some extra fuel. It always sells well here in Zion..."
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 5:49 pm
Seira finished her toast and washed it down with a small glass of water from the sink before sitting down to slip her shoes on. Mariah nodded at Aiden. "We'll bring one of the gas cans that I have and fill it up with fuel so that you can fill up your bike when you get back. I need to fill up my car anyways." she said before they all went outside. Mariah locked the door securely behind her and peered up at one of the second story windows. Cadence peered out and waved at her. Mariah waved back before leading them into the car port where a sleek black four door car sat.
"This thing should get us there in time," she said as she waited for them to get in before getting into the driver's side and closing the door and buckling her seatbelt. Seira, who was sitting in the front seat buckled hers as well, before Mariah backed slowly out of the carport and straightened herself out on the road, stopping for a few seconds in order to press a button on the console. The wheels folded themselves in and the car lifted itself off the ground revealing itself to be a hover car as well as a normal car. While hover cars and normal cars were not rare and very easy to come by. Mariah's car, which was a hybrid of sorts was. It could only be afforded by some of the richest people in the Zion area. After putting in the location of the city in her GPS, she put the gear shift into drive and lurched forward, gaining speed with each passing second. It was clear that this car could match the speed of Aiden's bike if it wanted to.
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 9:28 pm
Aiden hopped into the back, spreading himself out across both seats. It was a very nice car. It also sounded as if it had quite a few horses behind it. Aiden removed another apple from his bag and took a generous bite. "This is a nice car you've got here, Mariah.. You wouldnt mind me holding onto this while you're away at home, would you? Aiden said jokingly. He sat upright, peering his head between Mariah and Seira as she drove. "I really do hate getting all the sand, dust, and debri in my eyes every time I take my bike out for a spin... It would be nice looking out from the protection of a windshield from time to time. I wouldnt miss an often bumpy terrain either with this thing flying around." Aiden sat back, enjoying the comfort of the rear car seat. The car was indeed fast as well. Very impressive.
The group reached the main entrance to Zion. Identification needed to be presented to enter and exit the city. As the car came to a stop, Aiden removed his ID from his wallet and gave it to one of the officials waiting at the checkpoint. He promptly handed it back to Aiden and the others. The group had left now. Well on their way to Rima. Or what was left of it. As they approached the door of the city could be seen. Its large metal doors were ripped apart like paper unto a blender. Rima had not been sheltered by a dome like Zion. As a result it often appeared foggy within the city. Although its walls stood 6 stories high, they could not keep out the frequent rain and sand storms. The lights within the city were dimly lit, as to not attract demons. "I believe we've made it..." Aiden said looking out the window at what was left of its front gate. "Let's hope we're the only ones here...."
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 11:05 pm
With the top down, Seira's ponytail fluttered in the breeze created by the ponytail, as did the wisps from Mariah's bun. Mariah chuckled in regards to Aiden wanting to take her car off her hands. "I'd be happy to let you and Seira borrow it from time to time. It's definitely a lot sturdier and convenient than a bike." After they reached the exit out of Zion and Aiden presented his identification, they were free to travel outside of the city and into Rima. There wasn't much left of it because of whatever had passed through. There was a dense fog around the city forcing Mariah to turn her headlights on as she slowed down enough to creep through the town. She found a parking spot near a gas station and stopped the car. "It'll be easier to look for clues if we go on foot," she said before she stepped out of the car. After everyone had stepped out, Mariah locked the doors using the button on her keys before pocketing them. "It's hard to see anything," Seira said trying to wave the fog away, but to no avail.
Mariah smiled. "I can take care of it. Fog is just clouds that are low to the ground and clouds are made up of mostly water," she said as she put the palms of her hands together briefly then spread out her arms. As she did that, the fog parted. Mariah then lifted her forearms up slightly and the fog lifted into the air before dispersing. Now that the fog was lifted and their vision was no longer impaired, they could see the damage that had been done to the town. Half eaten corpses were strewn out over various parts of the street and hanging out of shop windows. Even those who were not half eaten appeared to have still suffered very gruesome deaths as their stomachs had been sliced open and their innards were spilling out. They had never seen anything so horrifying before. Whoever or whatever had done this did not care about being discreet. It was like they wanted someone to find this, like they were challenging them.
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Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 10:39 am
As the dense fog cleared, the smell of dead bodies arose. It was even stronger now. Bodies decorated the streets of the city. Everywhere there lied bodies and limbs. They walked deeper into the city. Everything was dismantled or destroyed. There didn't seem to be any signs of life. "This was a slaughter.. I can't bare to look at things like this. I hope my stomach is as tough as my sword. Aiden said covering his nose. He walked slowly, examining the shops that lied around the city. A teddy bear hung from a broken glass window about two stories above.
As they proceeded even further into the graveyard like city. A loud screeching sound began to approach in the near distance. Aiden covered an ear, clenching his teeth. "What the hell is that?" He regathered himself peering through the darkness. A very large gruesome like beast, standing at least 12ft, approached from afar. It carried half eaten bodies in the gaping hole in its stomach. The demon appeared to be slightly wounded, but didnt show signs of pain or weakness. Aiden took a few steps backward, drawing his blade. The beast yelled with both mouths, throwing the dismembered limbs from its teeth and nearly blowing Aiden from his feet as he braced himself.
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Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 11:11 am
Seira stepped over the dead bodies as she looked at the damage that had been done. The smell of rotting corpses was very strong and turned her stomach. She closed her eyes and shuddered feeling herself becoming slightly sick. Despite all of the gore she had seen since becoming a Gate Keeper, it did nothing for her rather weak stomach. Mariah knelt down to pick up a small rag doll that must have been dropped by a child who might have been running from whatever had done this. Her eyes clouded over briefly before she took a deep breath and set the doll back down. As they searched for clues, there was a piercing scream. In unison, the two Gate Keepers turned their head towards the sound of the scream. A very obese figure approached them, even from far away, they could tell that it was very tall. It's two gaping mouths, one where a mouth should be, and the other mouth coming out of its grotesque and protruding stomach, each with rows of sharp teeth that held severed limbs and half eaten corpses within.
Seira could see fresh gashes as if it had been wounded by someone already, but it showed no signs of slowing or succumbing to the pain. Seira pointed the palms of her hands towards the ground. Thick thorn covered vines rose from the cracks in the cement, breaking down the already damaged road as Mariah gathered the water in the air to create four rushing torrents of powerful water, the kind that stings immensely when it hits flesh. As she attempted to surround the beast with them, Seira sent the vines towards the demon attempting to impale him or at least incapacitate him in order to distract him so that Aiden could get close with his sword.
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 10:28 am
Aiden clenched his teeth as he watched Seira and Mariah take the initiative of attacking the beast. He reached into his coat pocket, drawing one of his pistols from it holster, and aiming it up towards the beast head, firing multiple rounds. The monster covered his face with his forearm. Small burn marks, in comparison to his large size, covered his skin. It was then the currents surrounded him, cutting away at its dense flesh. Aiden seized the moment. He sprinted towards the beast, dragging his deep blue sword across the cement as sparks flew from its blade. He leaped into the air, holding his sword high above his head. A vengeful yell erupted from within the vortex. Out from the current came an arm, covered in slash marks, that reached toward Aiden. A thorn covered vine met the beasts forearm, nearly ripping it from its body.
Aiden took the opening, cutting away the beasts third arm that sprung from its back. The limb landed heavily on the ground, cracking the cement below. As Aiden landed behind the demon, he turned to face it. The monster swung its hook towards Aiden like a wrecking ball. Aiden hastily defended himself, but the force was to overwhelming. As the large hook met his blade, Aiden was hurled through a nearby shop window and onto his back. he groaned in pain clenching his stomach. He felt like a rag doll being cast aside. The beast turned on Seira, ripping the vine from its arm and rushing toward her. Blood gushed from his wounds, leaving a blackish red like trail. It lifted its arm into a fist, bringing it down upon her like a jackhammer.
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 4:59 pm
The thorn covered vine met with the beast's forearm, tightening around it and pulling it, almost ripping it completely from the beast's shoulders. The thorns dug in deeply, growing longer inside the beasts flesh. Yet, in almost a split second, the beast seemed to gain the upper hand by using his hook and Aiden's sword to hurl Aiden through an abandoned shop window. Seira briefly looked towards the window to see if Aiden was all right, but she couldn't see inside the window. However, before she could inquire if he was still amongst the living, the beast was upon her, lifing its bloodied arm to bring it down upon her. With one fell swoop, he could have turned her into nothing, but a large pile of blood and innards to be used in a soup. Or else, he would have if Seira hadn't rolled out of the way. The beast attempted to bring his arms down upon her again. This time, there was the cracking sound of a whip. The beast had all, but forgotten about Mariah, who was wielding a water whip of rushing stinging water, which she brought down upon the beast's back.
The beast let out a piercing roar and began to charge Mariah who stood her ground, her feet braced apart. However, Seira took this opportunity to flip herself into the air and land on the beast's shoulders while its back was turned to her. Long razor sharp vines wrapped around its neck, digging in. The beast screamed out in pain and struggled to throw Seira off by ramming into the buildings in hopes of injuring Seira or jostling her enough so that she would be forced to fall off. Seira winced as her shoulder was rammed into a brick building. Pain shot all the way through her arm, but despite the almost unbearable pain she was feeling at the moment, she held fast, tightening the hold of the razor sharp vine around its neck. As she did that, Mariah unleashed more water whips upon the creature's flesh, each whip larger and more powerful than the last. Blood began to run from the creature's neck as more razor sharp vines joined the one around his neck, these coming from the ground to pin him down. The beast was resilient, Seira would give him that. Despite what was happening to him, he stood his ground. ((I'll let you decide whether the beast should die in your post or if he should live to keep fighting. smile ))
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Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 9:04 pm
Aiden rubbed the back of his head, sitting upright on the ground. Dirt and broken glass fell from his chest into his lap. The deep blue sword was still clenched within his right hand. The small building seemed to be unstable from the damages. Aiden could here Mariah and Seira engaging the beast. The ground rumbled underneath him. Aiden attempted to stand, but a large piece of fallen debris had pinned his leg against the tiles of the store floor. He dropped his sword and took hold of his captive leg with two hands, pulling it toward him, in hopes he would be freed. The building quaked again, followed by more debris falling from the ceiling. "s**t......" Aiden said looking up. He frantically began pulling at his leg, but he was running out of time.
A large hand grabbed him by the collar lifting him up off the ground and freeing him of the large piece of debris. Aiden gasped slightly trying to turn and face his "savior". It was a man covered in black garments from head to toe. He carried a blade covered in black cloth on his black. His eyes were green like emeralds and his height rivaled Aiden's. "...... Foolish boy" The man whispered boldly. The building was collapsing in on itself now and rumble fell around the two of them. "Who the f--" The man's eyes flashed white, and a wind like force hurled Aiden from the gapping hole from which he entered. He slid on the ground, tumbling to a stop. Aiden, with haste, brought himself to his hands and knees, looking in the direction of the falling building. The building had now crumbled and dust filled the air.
The girls seemed to have handled themselves as expected. They were still far stronger than Aiden. The beasts head had been ripped from its shoulders by vines. The lacerations on its body were complements of Mariah's cunning water manipulative capabilities. The demons body soaked in its own blood spewing from its neck. "Yea, thanks!" yelled Aiden towards the collapsed building. He wiped his mouth and fixed his hair that had been ruffled during his tumble. He was slightly irritated by the manner in which the man saved him, but none the less, he owed another person his life. "Is everything ok out here? Things sounded grim from inside..."
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Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 9:33 pm
((I'm without a phone until my boyfriend pays the bill since the contract is in his name. He's in between paychecks right now. sad )) Seira's clothing was soaked with blood as the beast's head was pulled from its shoulders. As the beast fell, she leaped from her perch where she had decapitated him from and landed on the ground. Her shoulder hurt from where it had been rammed against one of the brick buildings. Each time she tried to roll it, it was met with a sharp burning pain. Cursing silently, Seira looked over towards Mariah to see if her fellow Gate Keeper had sustained any injuries. Aside from a few scratches and maybe some bruises, Mariah seemed all right for the most part. Slightly rubbing her shoulder, Seira approached the building where she heard Aiden's voice, however, Aiden wasn't alone. Seemingly keeping him company was a tall figure, male by his physique, however, his face was shrouded for he was covered in black from head to toe. Seira and Mariah studied him for a moment, obviously trying to decide whether he was friend or foe.
"We're fine for the most part," Seira said. "The beast has been taken care of. Although, there's no bringing back all of the people it devoured." She suddenly let out a loud yelp of pain as Mariah felt her injured shoulder, pressing down on it. "That hurts!" she snapped. Mariah rolled her eyes. "Quit being such a baby. You dislocated it. Just stand still a moment."[/b Seira winced, turning white from pain as Mariah popped her shoulder back into place and began to encase the injured area with water. Seira was surprised as she felt a relieving cooling sensation. "When did you learn how to do that?" Seira asked in awe. "About a few months ago. I can only heal minor injuries. Mariah said not taking her eyes from Seira's shoulder. While Mariah worked, Seira's eyes met with the stranger who had saved Aiden. She could not see his face, but there was part of her that felt like she knew him from somewhere, but that couldn't be. Perhaps he just reminded her of someone she knew from a few years ago. "Why are you here?" she asked. It seemed like a perfectly neutral question.
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 1:15 pm
The cloaked man looked down toward the decapitated corpse lying in its own blood and then back up to Mariah and Seira. They had grown so much since the man had last laid his eyes upon them. But even now, they had appeared too soon for the likes of him. "Why are you here?" One of the women called out to him. He stood in silence, staring at them emotionlessly. He finally opened his mouth, hidden behind the blackish-gray cloak that covered most of his face and body. "Leave this place..... And return from whence you came. Do not return." The man said boldly. He stood still for a few moments before turning to face Aiden, throwing him the deep blue he had dropped when the building collapsed in on itself. "Thanks, but who-" Before Aiden could finish the man, although hesitant at first, began walking away in the opposite direction.
The wind in the inner city was beginning to pick up a bit and lightning crackled through the sky. Light rainfall was still upon them. Aiden was growing agitated... "Hey?! Don't just walk away from us! We asked you a question!" said the bounty hunter as he tried to grab the mysterious man by the shoulder. A transparent, glass-like hexagon, stopped Aiden from ever touching him. The man stopped, looking over toward Aiden's hand that hung in the air. "What the....?" The man whisked his hand as if shooing a fly away. "That's enough...." A very subtle flash of hard light, of which only he himself could see, propelled Aiden through the air, landing him in between Mariah and Seira. Aiden sat upright holding his stomach "What's this guys problem?"
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