[center][h2][color=turquoise]The Cereal Killer - Well That Just Happened![/color][/h2]
[@BCTheEntity][/center]

As Oren's drone spittered up, up, and away, Runch beamed a great big smile, waving happily as it lifted itself to a higher point of surveillance. Once he felt the drone was no longer in earrshot, the pirate captain dropped his arm, allowing the aches of the "flesh grafting" to show on his face. Just because he could take an ungodly amount of punishment didn't mean he particularly enjoyed the accompanying pain. Still, he was thankful to Motley Crue for providing such a magnanimous act of generosity. That said, the frown that overtook K. Runch's usually happy and jovial face had nothing to do with the long, hard fought battle that so recently ended.

[color=turquoise]"Normally I'm one to give trust and respect until you lose it,"[/color] he spoke lowly, in hopes that the drone's microphone couldn't pick up his words. [color=turquoise]"But that announcer's statements sound extra suspicious to me. College folk are supposed to be educated and experiment, right? I wouldn't have come if I had known they didn't know what'll happen to the souls when all's said and done. I don't particularly care for this."[/color] Runch then rolled his neck, stretched his back, and popped his joints with multiple loud [i]crack[/i] sounds that could have been mistaken for small arms fire. In a second his demeanor had completely transformed back into the friendly and chuckling fellow he was known to be.

[color=turquoise]"Omnomnomnom! That was great fun! I can't wait to see what he's got in store for us tonight, right? Omnomnom! I wonder who's up to cross spoons with me tomorrow? Speaking of which, time to go find my spoonsaber!"[/color] Runch, completely ignoring Motley's previous criticism about the sheer size of the catacombs, tossed aside the cereal-formed makeshift swords and headed deeper into the passages. As the light from the exit faded, he formed a new glow-in-the-dark lantern from his left hand. Was he really doing this? What new spore of madness was this?! That sword was lost! The catacombs go for miles, sprawling out in all directions, and his weapon could have ended up anywhere! It was going to be completely, utterly impossible for him to stumble across the right path in this labyrinthine complex of the de-

[color=turquoise]"Found it!"[/color] Or he could have the devil's luck and be right back in less than two minutes. How the hell was that even possible? Runch came running back into the sarcophagus room holding his trusted and beloved spoonsaber in his right hand, guided by the lantern in his left. Wow. He really did find it. The whole situation felt almost... Comical.

[color=turquoise]"Ah, there we go. I never would have felt complete without it. Naked as a peeled orange, you might say! Omnomnom! Now mates, I say we go exploring! You never know what wonders and treasures may be around! I'd have never found the wishing machine early if I hadn't been poking my mustache every which way in this city, omnomnomnom!"[/color]

[hr][hr]

[center][h3][color=darkviolet]The Murder - An Uninvited Guest[/color][/h3]
[@kapuchu][/center]

Where was this? It had been a night much like any other. Samuel Raven had put on a show for hundreds of fans, spent ten hours avoiding sleep, inevitably gave in, and then... He woke up in a strange place he had never seen before. The magician sat atop of a colorful building surrounded by many others in a city he wasn't familiar with. Had he accidentally crossed over into the Primordial Dream in his sleep? No, he [i]knew[/i] the Primordial Dream. That was the source of his power, of his soul. It felt more like home than his own house, even if he'd never admit such a thing aloud. Yet this place felt surreal, almost dreamlike in how absurd the place was. Had he been kidnapped and placed on this rooftop by some idiotic soul thinking he'd get a ransom? If so, that person made the biggest mistake of their life. Samuel Raven was no ordinary celebrity, and he was rarely in a forgiving mood.

Looking up, Samuel could see and smell the telltale signs of a storm, one that had recently passed through. A big one, too. Interesting. It was just like that torrential downpour he had experienced the other night in his hometown of Seattle. That had basically been a hurricane. But this? The city felt like it had gone through something much worse. Samuel stood up, sniffing the air and turning his gaze to the streets. He appeared to be in some sort of shopping district which felt completely abandoned. He closed his eyes and listened. The wind was light, but carried with it the sounds of... Eating. Yes, eating. So somebody was nearby. Well, that somebody would have the honor and privilege of meeting the Stunning Samuel Raven. If they didn't have the answers to his questions... Well, he had ways.

First he needed to get the lay of the land. Many buildings around him were far too tall to properly see over. Hm. Troublesome. Well, there was one surefire way around that problem. Sam concluded that there wasn't anybody in the area that could see it, so the decision, while made with reluctance, was an easy one. Taking a deep breath, Samuel exhaled and shed his humanity. The body of the magician broke apart into dozens of smaller pieces. At the same time flesh bubbled and morphed. Skin grew feathers, bone became beak and talon, hundreds of little eyes formed. In under a second he had become his namesake. A great flock of birds, a murder, had replaced the human figure that had stood up on the roof.

The many crows flew upward into the sky, staying bunched together but facing every which ways. So many eyes took in so much of his surroundings all at once. Shops yes, many many shops of all kinds of sizes, colors, shapes, etc., but in the distance his avian eyes picked up things far beyond. Old historical landmarks, churches, the ocean, metal buildings, a horribly immolated tree of gargantuan size, and curiouser still: a great big hole nearby. The murder flocked to the cobblestone streets below, fusing together into a single being once more. Feathers receded, eyes closed up, and once more the magician known across the USA as Samuel Raven stood alone, no traces of the birds anywhere.

[color=darkviolet]"Almost no life... This entire city... Is abandoned. It's huge, though."[/color] He barely spoke at a whisper, contemplating to himself. With so few people here, were the others like him? Did they just... Wake up here? He'd find out soon. Cautiously, but with great purpose, Samuel Raven began the walk toward the nearest life he sensed in the area. It was fine if they moved around. He was a bird of prey, a natural born hunter. Nobody escapes the Murder.