[hider=The Event] [h3][center]Spirit Wielders: Lunch Disaster[/center][/h3] [center]Global Timeline[/center] [b][i]6:00 AM EST[/i][/b]: Oceanographers report strange sounds originating from several hundred miles off the coast of Maryland. [b][i]7:00 AM EST[/i][/b]: Meteorologists report a massive thunderstorm forming over the Atlantic. Despite its closeness to the shoreline, it had not previously been detected on radar. [b][i]8:00 AM EST[/i][/b]: Coastguards receive and answer a distress call from a fishing boat identified as the Atlantic Princess. Full search and rescue operations are deployed. [b][i]9:00 AM EST[/i][/b]: Severity of the approaching storm forces the search and rescue team to halt the operation early. Atlantic Princess believed to have been sunk or capsized. [b][i]10:00 AM EST[/i][/b]: Along the shores of the city, panic erupts almost immediately as a great white beast emerges from the waters and sprawls onto the beach. The anomalous creature appears to walk on six legs, and a long finned tail. It has a carapace much like that of a horse show crab, and a circular mouth beneath filled with teeth and a retractable barbed tongue. Following its appearance, a swarm of arthropod-like monsters rushed the shoreline. Shortly after, the city's power grid goes dark. Radio equipment and phone lines within a 1-mile radius of the white monster cease to be functional. Citizens attempt to evacuate as the arthropods flood further inland, but are quickly overwhelmed. Many civilians are trampled, both by crowds and by beasts, and several appear to have been impaled by barbed tails or tongue-like appendages. [b][i]10:15 AM EST[/i][/b]: Arthropods advance into the city and are met by the local police force, who are already responding to the supernatural disaster. Most firearms are revealed to be ineffective; the tough carapace from the Swarmlings able to endure light ballistic fire from standard pistols. Close range shotgun fire and precise rifle shots are able to eventually dispatch a few, but the impact is deemed insignificant. The Pale Monstrosity makes its way through the city, while the Swarmlings remain behind to pick apart civilian survivors and retaliating forces. [b][i]11:00 AM EST[/i][/b]: City has been overrun by large groups of Swarmlings. Communications are unavailable, with suspected interference from the monsters. Outside reports detail the power-shortage to have been caused by the storm and designate it as being localized within the city. Lakewood High is ordered to shut down due to the severe weather, but the power shortage and the lack of communication forces the building into emergency disaster mode. Faculty begin to close windows and boarding them to protect from harsh winds. Candles and matches are provided as light sources, as it is quickly discovered that even battery operated flashlights are nonfunctional. Lunch faculty continue to hand out what has been prepared before the kitchen was shut down. Additional snacks are being distributed for free. [i][b]11:10 AM EST[/b][/i]: Mass panic as monsters breach the school walls. [/hider] [hr] [hider=Lunch Disaster] [hr][h3][center]Lakewood High Cafeteria | 11:10 EST[/center][/h3][hr] The cafeteria was dark and crowded. Every other table had a lit candle, whose collective flames flickered and provided some dim light as shadows danced across the walls. Even the slight reprieve from complete darkness was welcomed, though. What few staff members were present worked tirelessly to keep the lines of students orderly and calm; panic was expected, but they were trying to keep it from overwhelming the student body. Some students asked questions about family members or other people outside the school, but these queries were ignored as the lunch lady handed out food. Ms. Summer Ford, the Language Arts Teacher at Lakewood High, was trying her best to boost morale with varying degrees of success. [color=#EA970D]"It's alright,"[/color] she called, her soothing voice attempting to cut through the general buzz of the students. [color=#EA970D]"The storm is only supposed to last a few hours, and your parents have been contacted."[/color] A blatant lie. The landlines and the cellphones were dead, along with all the power in the building; even the emergency lights wouldn't kick on. Plus, they had no idea how long the storm would last. Not a single person in the school had any clue as to what was going on, but it was their duty to provide some figure of stability for the children. After all, it was better to pretend as if nothing was wrong than to allow for a mass panic, right? [color=#EA970D]"Oh, I have an idea!"[/color] Ms. Ford called out, gathering the attention of the closer students. [color=#EA970D]"Why don't we-"[/color] [color=#EA970D]"What the [i]HELL[/i] is [i]THAT[/i]!?"[/color] The sudden cry of alarm interrupted Summer's sentence, and everyone in the cafeteria turned their heads towards the glass walls of the outside. Crawling on the window was a massive creature; something that Summer found reminiscent of a horseshoe crab, had it been enlarged and pumped full of steroids. For a moment, the room was completely silent as nobody knew what to say in the presence of such a thing. That silence was broken by the sound of shattering glass. Another creature, similar to the crab, had charged straight through the wall and easily broken through it. The spray of glass seemed to have no effect on the hardened exterior as it barreled through, knocking students and tables aside with ease. The previously uneasy crowd quickly devolved into pandemonium as teenagers screams and panicked, darting all different directions in an attempt to just get out of the way. Candles were jostled over in the rush to escape, spilling their hot wax across their tables and the floor, crushed underfoot as people tried to exit the cafeteria. Summer turned her head to look for another figure of authority, her eyes stopping on the lunch lady who was about to join the fleeing crowd. In the moment their eyes met, something massive pushed its way through her face, spilling pieces of skull and brain matter across the cafeteria floor. Her limp body was lifted and tossed effortlessly to the side as the crab-monster's tail reared back, the massive barb that capped the end now glistening with fresh blood. [/hider] [hider=It's Not Delivery] [hr][h3][center]Near Foxhole | 11:10 EST[/center][/h3][hr] [color=#EA970D][i]'Of course they had to send [b]me[/b] to brave the storm. As if I didn't have better things to do that get struck by lightning or some bullshit.'[/i][/color] Jon always complained to himself whenever he was given a task by the principle. After all, it always seemed to be [i]him[/i] that got stuck with the little things no one else wanted to do. Janitor couldn't make it? [color=#EA970D][i]"Oh, just put Jon on bathroom duty, he doesn't mind!"[/i][/color] Coffee machine out of order? [color=#EA970D][i]"Jon can drive to Foxhole! He needs an excuse to get some fresh air anyway!"[/i][/color] He didn't voice his complaints though. Over the years, he'd really started to enjoy his career as a gym teacher. He enjoyed the companions he made in the faculty, and the friend he could be to the students whenever it seemed like they had nobody else. These were both things that made the job worth doing, and he wasn't going to risk it just by denying the incessant requests of some 'to-big-for-his-britches' principal. The rain dropped like bullets over his poncho, which was tucked up slightly to shield his head from the downpour. It wasn't enough to keep him completely dry, but he wasn't getting soaked at least. Having rushed through the parking lot to get to his pickup truck, he didn't waste any time to hop in the driver's seat and jam the key in the ignition. However, the car wouldn't start. He couldn't even hear the engine turning over as if it were stalled; it seemed like the shitty thing was just [i]dead[/i]. He'd just replaced the battery in the damn thing too! What else could go wrong today? He'd have to open the hood to inspect it. That was something he'd unfortunately gotten used to with his beat up truck, and he begrudgingly left the relative comfort of his driver's seat for the torrential downpour of this horrible storm. He'd just placed his hand under the dented hood to pull it up when he stopped: something big was moving through the woods, mere yards away from him. At first he thought it was a bear, but even bears had enough sense to avoid being out in weather like this. Jon's jaw dropped agape as he saw the full form of the creature move out of the forest. The scuttling legs and thick, lashing tail of the Swarmling were definitely not a combination of body parts he'd seen on any creature around Lakewood, and the razor tip of its stinger hinted at a far more dangerous nature. The shock kept him frozen in place for some time as he just watched the thing slowly creep closer, but his fight or flight instincts kicked in only a moment later. Spinning on his heel, Jon felt the hard asphalt under each footstep as he sprinted back towards the school. He never cursed on school grounds before, but he couldn't stop the stream of profanities now. [color=#EA970D]"Shitshitshitshitshitshit what the [i]fuck[/i] is that thing!?"[/color] He reached the back door of the gym, his heart pounding as he pulled the door open. Before he could get the door open enough to squeeze through, he felt something cold and...[i]sharp[/i] on his leg. The pain didn't even register at first, which was a small mercy for the injury he'd received. As Jon looked down, one hand on the door and the other clinging to wall, he saw that the top of his ankle had been punched straight through by some sort of tongue. It had three barbs tipped around it, each pulling strands of frayed muscle fibers through the wound as they impaled him. The fleshy part of the tongue wrapped around the leg itself, and he could feel it tugging him backwards. Something within the tongue was scraping through the injury; the skin-crawling feeling of rough scratching across bone. Jon couldn't stop himself from screaming out in utter agony. Fear clouded his mind, and he could feel the warmth of adrenaline starting to take over his actions. He desperately tried to force his way inside, using his one good leg to push himself while both arms pulled the rest of his body through. Even though he was slowly making progress inside, the monster still clung to his leg; he could feel the circulation being cut off as the tongue wrapped itself tighter around his calf. He glanced quickly around, searching for anything that might help him in his struggle, and was rewarded with the sight of a thick, red fire extinguisher slotted into the wall on his left. He let go of the wall to reach for it, slowly being pulled back towards the maw of the beast as he smashed the emergency glass with his elbow. Though the shards cut into his skin, he barely felt the lacerations. Instead, he pulled the metal canister free, whirling around and slamming it over the tongue of the beast. At first there was no reaction, but Jon brought the extinguisher up once more, grabbing it with both hands this time and bringing it down with all the force he could possibly muster. This time, the creature wailed in pain, and the tongue's grip seemed to loosen: he could feel the sudden warmth of blood as the circulation returned and it poured freely from his wound. With one more strike, the combination of adrenaline and primal fighting instincts guiding his arms, he brought the canister down again. The blunt impact was forceful enough to sever the tongue entirely, fluid erupting from the appendage as the Swarmling let loose a horrific screech and writhed backwards, giving Jon just enough space to slam the door shut. He fell forward, the adrenaline not enough to support him on his injured leg. Pulling himself up against the wall, Jon inspected the damage to his left leg, or what was now left of it. Right above the ankle was a mangled layer of flayed skin, and he could see bone, tissue, and muscle that had been carved out through the puncture wound. The joint itself was twisted and broken, and he could feel the warm sting of tears in his eyes as he slowly tried to pull himself up. When he could not muster enough strength for that, he pulled himself feebly across the gymnasium floor, leaving a long smear of crimson from where his ankle was bleeding at an alarming rate. [color=#EA970D]"Help!" he cried out, giving another pull. "Anybody? Someone, help me!"[/color] [/hider] [hider=Delinquents] [hr][h3][center]Lakewood High| 11:10 EST[/center][/h3][hr] [color=#EA970D]"Why aren't we getting food right now?"[/color] complained a high-school boy. Garry was hungry, and this little detour of theirs meant that they were missing out on all the snacks in the cafeteria. He adjusted his glasses slightly, squinting his eyes to make anything out in the near-darkness. [color=#EA970D]"The line is way too long; I've got a secret stash in my locker we can dig into."[/color] said Vincent, grinning cockily as he turned to face his peer. He walked backwards for a moment, never taking his hands out of his pockets, while Garry scrunched his face in a mixture of confusion and disgust. [color=#EA970D]"Who the fuck calls anything a secret stash? You du-"[/color] [color=#EA970D]"[i]HOLY SHIT[/i]! Fucking [i]RUN[/i]!"[/color] interrupted Trevor, pointing forward at the new arrival in the hallway. Down at the other end a Swarmling skidded around a corner and crashed up against the lockers, unable to find purchase on the smooth, tiled floors. The sound of screeching metal echoed through the otherwise silent halls, the lockers nearly bent in half from the weight of the creature. It only took a moment to right itself, and began scurrying towards them with astonishing speed. Vincent and Garry were already turning in place, their bodies registering Trevor's order moments before their minds did. While Vincent bolted the other direction and Garry only steps behind, Trevor remained where he was. He pumped his fists together, another metallic slamming noise echoing down the hallway. Cold steel wrapped itself around his hands, seeming to fold and melt across his skin before solidifying into a pair of ornate gauntlets. He put one foot backwards, bracing himself for the approaching creature. [color=#EA970D]"Alright ugly; let's go."[/color] [/hider] [hider=An Asshole Appears] With the screeching sound of rubber on asphalt, a motorcycle skidded out of control and toppled into some trees near the Lakeview Highschool. The bike was wrecked, and as the driver was flung over the handlebars and into the foliage, there didn't seem to be any hope that he would come out any better. Miraculously, however, the driver confidently strode out of the brush moments later. He wasn't wearing a helmet at the time of impact, but the only sign of harm on him was the trickle of blood that poured down from his forehead and past his sunglasses. His personality seemed to be easily discerned from his blatant disregard for road safety, and the fact that he was wearing sunglasses while the sun itself was blocked out by a [i]hurricane[/i]. If this was what a savior looked like, the people currently trapped in the school were likely better off with the Swarmlings. [color=#EA970D]"Yeah, I'm here."[/color] the gentleman said to nobody, flicking droplets of blood onto the ground where they could mix with the downpour. As he spoke, he held forward a small trinket shaped like a cockroach, watching for any signs of activity. [color=#EA970D]"What's that?"[/color] he asked, pausing for an unheard answer. [color=#EA970D]"Yeah, yeah, hold on a second."[/color] The biker closed his hand over the trinket, turning to look towards the lake. The White Shark creature was slowly sprawling into the waters, but then seemed to stop suddenly. There was a ripple of force across its body as it was pushed backwards. The creature let out a guttural snarl in response, seemingly out of place for its shark-like exterior, but frightening nonetheless. [color=#EA970D]"Yeah, something appears to be preventing him from that."[/color] the biker said, seemingly speaking directly into the cockroach trinket. He lifted his head slightly to shout towards the battle: [color=#EA970D]"Hey Ryleigh! You doing okay, you fatass!?"[/color] While there was no verbal response, a spray of water was launched directly into the man's face. Annoyed and spluttering, he wiped the water from his brow with a gloved hand, leaning back into the trinket to speak. [color=#EA970D]"Yeah, he's alright. Still a bitch though."[/color] He paused for another moment, as if he were listening to something. [color=#EA970D]"Yo! Ry! Did you try-"[/color] he started, yelling towards the behemoth creature. It seemed that whatever he was talking to was already ahead of him, however. While the White Shark opened its massive jaws to snarl again, water from the surface of the lake rose up and snaked through the air towards it. The streams forced their way into the maw of the best, pumping in furiously as it seemed to spill from the creature's gills and into the parking lot behind it. [/hider] [hr][hr] [hider=Objectives!] [b][u]Main Objective (Everyone needs to do this)[/u][/b]: [list] [*]Don't die. [/list] [b][u]Optional Objectives (Not required, but may influence the story)[/u][/b]: [list] [*]Save people, kill the bugs in the school. [*]Fight the big monster outside. [*]Help the city? [*]Help the monsters?(Why?) [*]Bully the asshole. [/list] [/hider] [hider=The Monsters] [b][u]Ryleigh[/u][/b] A 20 meter long, 10 meter tall white monstrosity. Its body resembles an enlarged hammerhead shark. However instead of any fins, it has six long and muscular human-like arms. As a boss monster you should collab with me for any combat or interaction with it. [b][u]The Swarmlings[/u][/b] [center][img]https://i.pinimg.com/236x/7f/25/97/7f2597cdfc5de6985354b45070d78cc4.jpg[/img][/center] They range from the size of a large dog to a bear. Tough carapace but can be dispatched with mild difficulty. They also have a barbed tongue. They will generally attack the closest human to them and won't discriminate their targets. As fodder enemies you are free to control them for your own combat. There are about 30 total: 15 outside the school, 5 in the cafeteria, 5 on the roof, and 5 spread out in the halls. [/hider]