Jefferson City's Shindig (Event Thread: Prologue)

[SieghartyVeteran Member]

Jefferson | LOL

Log - Day: April 6, 2421 - Assignment: Search and Destroy

Numerous reports of abnormal activity reported pertaining to Jefferson City. A building influx of Demon Energy and Hollow Energy has been reported. Reports show an exponential rise that shows no signs of ceasing. All attempts at infiltrating the City has failed. Scouts report a stronghold around the city of Hollows and Demons alike. Multiple scouts are missing from action. After intercepting a message from the airways, there appears to be someone amassing an army within the boundaries of the city. The disappearance of rouge souls indicate a more sinister plan at work. This has been prioritized as a high level threat. Forces have been spread thin due to recent events, forcing for the Vandenreich to call for volunteers. End Log.

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“Well, piss.”

Stepping outside his tent, a man dressed in all white, his face covered by a black beard, looks out at the ruined remains of Jefferson City. However, there’s one thing wrong with this picture. The summarized log detailed the fact that forces would be around the city to impede their assault. His poor eyes see no demons nor hollow, not even with the help of binoculars. Unwise as it may to believe the reports somewhat exaggerated, he is incapable of ignoring what he is seeing for himself. Maybe they are too late. Maybe whatever is going on has ended, but that would mean something worse is to come. Either way, his assignment is still the same.

“Commander Dick, sir!”

“That’s Commander Richard, Jenkins. Proceed.” A look of annoyance on his face as he turns his head to his second, a younger male who could use a bit more meat in his meals. Both would greet each other properly despite the second banter and begin their discussion.

“The volunteers have arrived, sir. The main forces are also geared up and preparing for the assault on Jefferson, sir. We await your orders.”

Finally. Any longer and the suspense of it all would have keeled him over before the demons could. Making his way towards the multitude of tents decorating the plains far away from the city’s border, his eyes watch as the various members of the Vandenreich move about, preparing for the upcoming siege. Not too far from the largest tent, he’d catch the large truck that was dropping off the volunteers pull off, returning to Washington most likely. With each step towards the tent, people began falling inline behind him, knowing that the time is near. All that remains is one last lecture and a hoorah before they enter a new supposed Hell.

END POST | YOU GON DIE

[LockeVeteran Member]

ALASTAIR EISFLUCH | STERNRITTER

The ride over from Washington had been a quiet one for Alastair, tucked away in one corner of the transport with his nose deep in what few reports he had been able to dredge up concerning Jefferson City since the end of WW4. To call it a fruitful process would be an exaggeration, in a little over half a day of cross-checking various outlying documents he had learned little beyond the fact that it remained outside of official jurisdiction and there was a hostile presence of unknown size and origin holed up within. Nothing he hadn't deduced already when the call for this mission had reached his ear from Vandenreich Command.

As the call went up that they were within sight of the camp outside of Jefferson, he began to put away the documents and prepare himself for the task ahead. Then it was on to buttoning up his coat, pulling up his gloves, and finally picking up his cloak from its resting place over the back of his seat and fastening it around his shoulders. Soon enough, the truck ground to a halt and it was time to get boots on the ground.

It was livelier than he had expected, though the exact scale of the operation here had not been part of the directions given, and he pulled his gloves a little tighter as he headed toward the Camp Commander for an introduction.

END POST | FRESH OFF THE BUS

[YakshaExperienced Member]

Yaksha, The Überseele

Yaksha

The city was far more sparsely populated than most of the reports had indicated; the troops had been making their way into the city incrementally as time had gone on, doing their best to navigate. And they had indeed found exactly what the reports showed: A great number of hollows, a great number of demons, and a great amount of havoc being wrought. It seemed everywhere they looked, something was being defaced, or there was some squabble going on between the spiritual denizens of this place. There was no shortage of concerning things to be seen.

But none of them stopped to wonder whether or not they were in the Abyss, and that went back to bite them in the ass; there were precious few reports, if any, of the faintly-flickering white orbs that hung from otherwise shattered lamp-posts, or burned like candles in windows. There was no reason to suspect that there were more scouts than simply the Vandenreich's in this city. And there was -no- indication that there was any sort of higher intelligence coordinating things in this city. It looked for all intents and purposes like pandemonium itself: The place where all the demons resided.

It wasn't a simple task to make one's presence known and instill order in a span of a few days once the scouts withdrew, and the gathering of actual war forces began. It was an untamed city, full of mercenaries and vagabonds, intent on scouring the place clean like scavengers picking at a corpse. But like any scavenger, they began to flee in the presence of an apex predator. And in this case, -everywhere- they fled there was an apex predator. Yaksha may not have been legion, but he could do a damned fine impersonation when it came to the superstitious and uncunning hollows that loved populating a place such as this.

He had corralled them effectively and patiently, all towards the pen he intended to erect for them for quite some time, the place he intended to turn into his new magnum opus. It had left very few if any presences in this place, and it had occupied a great deal of his free time, so he arrived to the party ever so slightly late; just long enough for people to begin marvelling about the exact reason why the city was so devoid of life, when the first bruise in Gaia's flesh formed; a purplish-black swirling vortex in the ground, that quickly spat out the head of a regal figure, one whose horns resembled nothing more than a crown of sorts, and whose wings were easily large enough to engulf a car if the need arose. The creature rose from the earth itself, nearly a mile from the battle lines that the Vandenreich has created, taking great care to appear without any haste or needless exposure of energies. He didn't want them thinking this was intended as some challenge to their authority.

He finally pulled himself free from the thick blackish ichor that resembled nothing so much as ink, before turning towards the commander and his troops, and beginning to approach. One hand rested by his side, with the air of someone prepared to quick-draw from the hip and fire off a projectile if he was attacked. The other was raised, fingers constantly waggling in a manner that at first looked like a puppeteer pulling strings, but became more obvious after a few moments that it was the closest approximation to a wave they were going to get for the moment.

There was only one chance for a first impression, so any greetings had to be truly spectacular at a time like this. So what could Yaksha say, to break the ice? Well, there really was only one option, wasn't there?

"Be not afraid."

Behind him, the swirling vortex of purple and black remained open for just a few more moments, until his better half, the other presence without whom none of his plans could come to fruition, extricated herself from their makeshift pen, and joined him for the upcoming negotiations. THAT was the real hard sell, he felt; so hard, in fact, he had every intention of simply burying it entirely until the ink had dried.

Coding Altered From: [The Frost]

[SlayerThicc Boi]

INFANT ELDER GOD

The time for action was now! Or... something. Ky'rin wasn't exactly sure what was happening but knew that it had to be there since it was asked to. Well, it was more so take to be there, Iota had some sort of plan that was way too complicated for Ky'rin large yet small brain to comprehend. Politics were complicated and something that Ky'rin wasn't into even in the slightest, it just did what it was asked and returned in one piece. Today was different though, it could tell that it wasn't like any other job just by the way that Iota spoke about it. Called it Operation Kurtz, based on a form of literature that Iota had read long ago. Never explained why though, the reason for the name and all.

Anyways, the portal that Ky'rin was supplied with was a moderate distance away from the commotion. Far enough that nobody would notice but close enough that it could walk, and walk it did. It took roughly an hour for it to get to its destination, but during that time Ky'rin took in the surroundings. The sounds of war could be heard, though who exactly was fighting, Ky'rin did not know. The area from its drop-off point to its destination was absolutely devastated by these battles, leaving debris and destroyed buildings as it walked. Occasionally it would come across other forms of life, but they chose to not interact with Ky'rin, which was a good choice, to be honest. Something akin to fear and realization had started to settle in, not that it affected any of Ky'rin actions or thought process at the moment, but was important to know that it was there. Being in such a wartorn and foreign place had started to take a minor toll on it. But it had no choice but to go forward. Iota trusted it with a task so it will see it through to the end.

Or so Ky'rin thought until another mortal had entered the scene. This one was... notable. Not for its name, reputation, or action, but purely by appearance. So far, this masked creature was an enigma to Ky'rin. Were they of the same breed as Ky'rin or another abomination native to this world? What were their intentions? What was up with the bone-like material it was covered in. And why would Ky'rin be afraid? Should it be? Many questions started to rack the mind of the Lord of Thought, though none seemed to come with easy answers.

In any case, from where the elder god was standing, it could see both this new white mortal and a group of... humans? They appeared to be humans but Ky'rin couldn't exactly tell from where it stood. They looked to be preparing for something, so Ky'rin figured it should prepare too.

It then began to just stand there, doing nothing. Stiff like a statue, any passerby would assume it was dead.

END POST | NOT LOST THIS TIME

[LillianVeteran Member]

ENTER CALYPSO'S POST

Artist: SilvaGunner - Song: Hip Shop

Another presence had laid behind the veil, readily stepping out onto the scene with the much taller hollow. She too had taken great care to mind her energies, instead emitting a subdued, calming aura as she had stepped out. Things would fall apart if they immediately deemed them a threat, so the woman kept all of her natural features on the down low - no need to look threatening with her claws and teeth, this wasn't her home world where such features were more than normal for even harmless little children to have.

Any and all worries were nothing but the wind - she had confidence in this plan, breathing out all troublesome emotions that could possibly hamper her ability to remain calm in a situation like this. Calm was needed, even a bit of hostility could be taken the wrong way, she needed to remain as neutral as possible.

Jefferson, the city she first tasted the true consequences of war in. But a child, watching as the city burned with lava.. She couldn't remember what caused Hell itself to rupture from the ground, but at the very least she had mourned for the souls who were buried by the soot and molten rock. No emotion dared cross her face as she gazed upon the ashen grave, only silent apologies for the lives lost.

Standing by Yaksha, the hollow easily towering over her much shorter form, as the only things differentiating her from those who wished to 'cleanse' the city were her odd colored eyes. If she could help it, nobody had to die or suffer today. Though, she knew a few of the stray demons who had taken occupancy in the deserted city may prove troublesome, others likely had fled here to hide and survive, having nowhere else to go, perhaps Earth was the only home they knew. However, if she caught even the faintest idea of lingering Shadow Fall soldiers, she would kick them back to their world faster than a thought could be uttered.

She didn't speak a word - That was Yaksha's job to start off after all. However her gaze drew to her surroundings, soon lying on a little creature who was peering at Yaksha. What was she? She felt like a creature she couldn't quite pinpoint, something.. Strange, yet familiar all the same. If it noticed, she'd give it a wordless, comforting look, before focusing back on the task at hand.

[BladeThe Hybrid King]

Saisei Satō | Lookin' For His Place In Life

The inside of Saisei's tent was devoid of light, the boy had spent the last hour taking care of his expected training. Meditation had led him to a state of near deep sleep, the world around him becoming one with the soon-to-be Quincy. As of late, the boy did very little else but spend his time with the higher-ups in order to prepare for Jefferson City. Despite that, he continued to try his best to remain vigilant in his training.

"Sir?"

Saisei's mind had been abruptly halted in its tracks, the soft mumbling of a recruit's voice filtering through his void-like tent. The small woman had given the boy a wave, the obvious request for him to follow was clear. It seemed as if it were finally time, Saisei's only interest in Jefferson was to rid the area of any unwelcome guest. Whether demon or not, his intent was clear. Those taking refuge in the city that wished harm upon humankind or allied with shadowfall were all but a figment to him. Death would be swift, as sad as it may seem coming from someone who treated life with such calm and caring hands.

"Right. Lead on."

Though he was hesitant on his actions in regards to the mantle of The Vandenreich, the boy knew that he would have to treat things with care he never truly thought of. After all, if the higher-ups made a point clear he would have to abide by that point. No matter how he felt, he was not the one that could declare such important matters. He was fodder, through and through.

Leaving his tent, the boy dawned a jacket that had hung outside his abode and turned towards the Camp Commander that quickly made his way across the sea of tents. Following the small woman, Saisei jogged his way towards the grouping of recruits and fell in line, as always.

Well, he fell in line until those faithful words rang from whatever... monster had approached. His previous spot in the mass of recruits became empty, his legs speeding him off without any cause for concern. Saisei hadn't rushed his way out of the camp, nor had he left the throng of tents. He did, however, find his way to the very precipice of their reach. The arrival of the hollow and, what in turn seemed to be a demon, left his stomach torn. It pulled left and right as his anger near boiled over.

It spoke, sentient and expecting of no hostility. This was a joke, it was disgusting. Everything in Saisei's body requested for him to take off and attack. The beings felt as if they were a treatment of equal nature. Though they may not be Vandenreich, they were 'here to help'. It was obvious they weren't hostile, that didn't keep the racist nature of Saisei's being from inching ever closer to the surface.

"..."

Silence filled what would be a spouting of slurs and disrespect towards the \visitors', instead Saisei had spit on the ground before him and moved back to his place among the recruits. As he sulked, he noted that as he thought before, he was not the one to make these decisions. The Camp Commander would do as he pleased and would deal with the three beings. All he could do was stand among the bodies, doing as he was told.

"This is a joke..."

Muttering to himself, the recruit faded in to obscurity and stood along his brethren, the anger from before still boiling its way to the surface. This was against his nature. It was, in fact, a joke to allow such beings to find their way to the operation. If he had his way, they'd be gone in an instant. That wasn't an option, obviously. He shook his head and listened to the Commander, taking his rightful place as another recruit.

It truly was a joke.

END POST | Hoping For A Clear Future

[GammaVeteran Member]

Yugiri | Wandering Vizard

It had been back to America after her stay at Ada and her fruitless search, it wasn't all bad however. What she had went to Japan for might not have been fulfilled but she got much out of Ada which made it well worth it. She felt lighter and more sure of herself, it'd been a while since she felt this way.

Contrary to everyone else who was either showing up at a Vandenreich base a couple of kilometres away or were part of it, Yugiri was not. She was sleeping in a grove since this was where she had decided to setup camp. Did she know there was a massive operation going on in Jefferson? Nope. Her reikaku did determine something might be going on which is why she decided to linger here for a couple of days and take it easy.

When the sleeping beauty heard a couple of words come from a few soldiers on patrol she didn't bother reacting. She was content to just let them discuss.

"Hey, there's a girl over there. Looks like a shinigami at a glance."

"Looks like it. What's she doing asleep out here all by herself? Hey, Vogel. What's up?"

"Dude, check it out. Definitely Ds."

The pervert cracked it laughing while the other guy laid into him and started scolding him. Yugiri just laid against the tree staring at these two idiots while contemplating what she should do about it. Oh well, no one could get her to move from this spot unless she wanted to. It wasn't like she was part of whatever these guys were in.

"Hey. I'm trying to sleep, beat it."

Her spiritual pressure flexed a little to make her point which saw them swiftly run off when she casually implied she could beat them up pretty easily. Man, that's going to be attention she didn't want, isn't it?

She just pulled her hoodie over her bare shoulders and leaned back in to try and get some more light sleep. It was pretty cold just wearing shorts and a sleeveless top as the main articles of her attire. Oh well.

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN | END POST

[MaeStarter Member]

i'm about to drop off,
drift into a deep fog

Dressed in Vandenreich whites, with hood pulled taut over his face, Loukas couldn't quite wonder why exactly he was here. To be quite frank, he was weak, especially when compared to the some of his fellow recruits. It's just... he still wanted to make himself useful, even if it meant he was going to be used as cannon fodder or, more accurately, as a distraction for the actual strong people to deal some damage while he died.

Yeah, he didn't have very high hopes for himself, but he'd still do his best. At the very least, he'd probably be able to evade enemies long enough with his speed and Kumopu to hopefully make a difference... Right?

Either way, he was here. Loukas left the tent, wincing a little at the sudden brightness of the daylight. Squinting, he looked around, waiting for his eyes to adjust. As he did, he noticed a few different things. A girl sleeping against a tree fairly far away. A strange-looking child. And two people fellow recruit Saisei was glaring heavily at. Loukas quickly walked over to Saisei in the group, shoving his way through some people to get to his side.

Loukas lightly elbowed Saisei, glancing over at him and shaking his head almost imperceptibly. "Not worth it," he whispered, and then returned his attention to the scene beginning to unfold in front of him.

LOUKAS.

[RawkGod of Love]

IRA HOLYFIELD

Now, most of the time, a small girl probably wouldn't have been allowed anywhere near the Vandenreich's Jefferson outpost. In fact, even the fairly small handful of people who knew the reality about Ira probably would have wondered why he was here. So, then, what was his reason? There were two, actually.

First, he'd heart there might be some lovely ladies coming along on this little expedition. Turned out that was an absolute lie, so at least he had the second reason to fall back on; he really needed to toughen up. Ira had spent a whole lot of time practicing what he'd learned from Ulv, working to get himself into tip top shape. This sort of mission would be good, and besides, it probably wouldn't be too dangerous with all these Vandenreich fellas around, right?

...Right?

Well, maybe he'd assumed that a little too quick. Seemed like most of the folks in this camp had gotten pretty riled up when Slim over there started heading over, but Ira simply leaned against one of the barricades, staring with all the disinterest old age tended to bring.

"What's to be afraid of?"

END POST | JORTS ARE FINE COMBAT ATTIRE

[SieghartyVeteran Member]

Jefferson | LOL

Action, so early in the morning? It is but a normal routine for the Vandenreich. Yaksha is welcomed by a line of robed soldiers, a reishi bow taunt and aimed at the draconic Vasto Lorde. Of course, his entrance, despite his attempts at hiding himself, proved futile in the end. To believe that the Vandenreich had no eyes, even if sparse, planted for at least a mile away from their camp is just foolhardy. However, precautions must be taken to ensure that everything runs smoothly. What sort of Hollow or demon would believe themselves invulnerable to hostilities simply because they waved and spoke such sacrilegious words?

“Why, Yaksha. What is there to fear of a measly Hollow? Please, don’t pat yourself on the back too hard. You may dislocate a wing.”

Stepping forward, the second in command, General Jenkins, left the line of Quincy and approached the Hollow and demon duo. Calypso is met with nothing in particular. His smile is far from friendly though, but the rest of his body language gave none of his contempt away. He simply raised his hand, two fingers up, and with a nonchalant wave, commanded for the line of soldiers to lower their weapons. It is then that he turns his head towards the commotion occurring near the main tent. Quickly, a hand is placed against his ear, his head nodding.

“If you wish to be of assistance, then by all means, pay attention, Hollow, but we’re going to have to ask that your friend be, how do I put it, detained? It’s not every day an Asthavon simply waltz into your camp.”

Information on Calypso, an Asthavon, could not simply be ignored. She may be here with good intentions. Her idiocy is enough for anyone to know that, but the risks are too great. Two soldiers are already moving to her location, aiming to grip her by her arms from both sides and take her away to a tent where she would be sat down in a chair and left waiting. Determining their response, things could get messy, but if things go smoothly, General Jenkins would turn and head back towards the main tent, leaving Yaksha with his own pair of soldiers that were assigned to him.

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“What’s this? A dead kid?”

“Dead? It’s standing straight up like a statue. It also has pointy ears. A demon, perhaps?”

“Well, anyway, it doesn't seem to be trying to sneak into camp, but we should probably keep watch on it. Let’s take it back and see of what the Commander or General thinks.”

Two soldiers that were on patrol just so happened to come across Ky’rin who’s just standing there, doing nothing. Finding a kid out here is a bit strange, especially one with odd features like Ky’rin. One man would try to move her, either by taking her arm and pushing against her back. The other soldier stood back, his attention alert for any hostility. They would bring her into the camp and take her into the tent that Calypso was placed in if there isn’t any resistance. The two would be left there as events occurred outside the tent.

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What a mess. The operation hasn’t even started yet and the new recruits and volunteers are running amok. Yaksha. Of all the Hollows to show up, of course it would be the only one who has stakes in this country. His Las Vegas expenditures are known, and it’s far too obvious that this is an attempt at goodwill. However, the Commander is unsure why he would bring an Asthavon, of all beings, with him. He has his duty to do however. Luckily, his Second is handling the situation. He has better things to do, like giving instructions to everyone.

Lowering his hand from his ear, he did not leave his place on the small stage set up beside the tent where all the members who are officially participating in the operation now stand at attention. He couldn’t help but take notice of Saisei, the one Miss Armstrong had told him about. Of course the kid ran off at the first sign of trouble. He better not prove that headstrong during the operation, or he’s as good as cannon fodder to the Commander. Anyway, hands behind his back, and his expression stern and without blemish, his time has come.

“Attention to all. Today marks the day. Many of you already know why you’re here and many more of you have no idea. Jefferson City has become infested with Demons and Hollow alike. The sudden growth in activity has been nothing more but paranormal, even for our current world’s standards. That is why, today, you are all here to participate in a Search and Destroy. Our task is simple: discover the cause of this sudden influx in activity, destroy it, and secure Jefferson City before anything cataclysmic may occur. There will be three teams. Bravo 1, Delta 2, and Omega 3. Bravo 1 shall be the main force, tasked with spearheading this operation and shall be entering the Jefferson from the North. Delta 2 is the second main force, entering Jefferson from the South East. Omega 3 shall work as the backup squad, entering from the South West, but none of you recruits shall be a part of that team. Shortly, you will receive direction of your squad through your earpiece. Please quickly reach your required location and pay head to the directions given. That is all.”

He will leave it to their squad leaders to give them the specifics of their assignments. Immediately, Saisei and Loukas will hear the orders that they are to remain put near the main tent in their ear. They are in Bravo 1. Alastair will then hear that he is to report to the South entrance of the camp where Ira is located. This is where Delta 2 shall convene. Quickly, the mass that were situated near the main tent begin to grow sparse as everyone moves. However, there are no further instructions from there because Commander Richard, the leader of Bravo 1, has left his spot on the stage, his person soon appearing inside the tent with Calypso and Ky’rin. They have a mission at hand, but a demon and a strange creature running loose near his camp must be dealt with immediately. To make matters a bit more complicated, a Shinigami has been reported not too far away as well. Already an eventful day.

END POST | YOU GON DIE

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