[COLOR=GRAY][INDENT][INDENT][center][sup][h2]O[i][sub][sup]nce was a man who lived a life so mundane, it could only be true. [color=2c2c2e]_[/color] [color=2c2c2e]_[/color] [color=2c2c2e]_[/color] [color=2c2c2e]_[/color] [color=2c2c2e]_[/color] Practically invisible to the world around him, life carries on while he felt perpetually stuck treading water just to keep his head [color=2c2c2e]_[/color] [color=2c2c2e]_[/color] afloat. Fortunately for the man, fate had different ideas and intervened with a heavy hand. Pushed into a corner, the man [color=2c2c2e]_[/color] [color=2c2c2e]_[/color] was driven to hide amongst dusty shelves and heavy tomes. In the silence, he could hear his name being whispered, [color=2c2c2e]_[/color] [color=2c2c2e]_[/color] over and over again, until his hand touched one particular opus. A worn book, bound in leather and tarnished steel. Though [color=2c2c2e]_[/color] [color=2c2c2e]_[/color] sealed, it opened for a price, and upon spreading its pages, the man's life was changed forever. [color=2c2c2e]_[/color] [color=2c2c2e]_[/color] [color=2c2c2e]_[/color] [color=2c2c2e]_[/color] [color=2c2c2e]_[/color] [color=2c2c2e]_[/color] Now, he is the Warlock they call...[/sup][/sub][/i][/h2][/sup][/center][/INDENT][/INDENT][sub][hr][/sub][sup][hr][/sup][CENTER][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5661999][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019e83f9-259f-75fb-95e3-57387106ed18.webp[/img][/url][/CENTER][sub][hr][/sub][sup][hr][/sup][SUB][SUP][table][row][cell][INDENT][h2][b][COLOR=SILVER]L[SUP][SUB]OCATION:[/SUB][/SUP][/COLOR][/b] [i][SUP][SUB]THE HAUNT - MILK STREET[/SUB][/SUP][/i][/h2][/INDENT][/cell][cell][INDENT][RIGHT][h2][b][COLOR=SILVER]U[SUP][SUB]RBAN [/SUB][/SUP]G[SUP][SUB]OTHIC[/SUB][/SUP] #1.04[SUP][SUB]:[/SUB][/SUP][/COLOR][/b] [i][SUP][SUB]HURT[/SUB][/SUP][/i][/h2][/RIGHT][/INDENT][/cell][/row][/table][/SUP][/SUB][hr][SUP][SUP][table][row][cell][INDENT][sup][h1][b][COLOR=SILVER]I[SUP][SUB]NTERACTIONS:[/SUB][/SUP][/COLOR][/b] [i][SUP][SUB]NONE[/SUB][/SUP][/i][/h1][/sup][/INDENT][/cell][cell][INDENT][RIGHT][sup][h1][b][COLOR=SILVER]P[SUP][SUB]REVIOUSLY:[/SUB][/SUP][/COLOR][/b] [i][SUP][SUB][URL=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5663632]HEAVY IS THE HEAD[/URL][/SUB][/SUP][/i][/h1][/sup][/RIGHT][/INDENT][/cell][/row][/table][/SUP][/SUP][INDENT][INDENT][COLOR=C0C0C0][i]Ow.[/i][/COLOR] His head was spinning. His vision faded in and out. The smell of vomit assaulted Archie's nostrils as he found the strength to push himself up. One side of his face felt like a cat had mauled it, while the other felt swollen, loose teeth, like he had been whalloped with a sledgehammer. He wiped his mouth, vomit staining the cuff of his shirt, while a fist dragged along the ground, retracting back to the rubber-like figure it belonged to. [COLOR=#E9967A]"Pretty Boy ain't lookin' so pretty now."[/COLOR] [COLOR=C0C0C0][i]Right, the @$$#@% from earlier.[/i][/COLOR] Archie rubbed his jaw before turning to look at his assailant, his blood warm from the alcohol. He felt his own blood dripping down the side of his face while he surveyed the dark alley for an escape. He should have left with Harri; instead, he was about to experience the World Record for the shortest time with a spine. "Does this look like a pisser to you, sweetheart?" Joe asked, as Archie shook his head. The problem was that he lost his filter somewhere in the club. "Definitely looks like a toilet." "Right," Joe laughed, winding his arm back before it suddenly shot forward, closing the gap and delivering a blow to Archie's abdomen. Unfortunately for Archie, apparently his stomach wasn't empty. That gag started in the back of his throat, before he exhaled harshly, followed by a retching gag. The limited contents of a mostly liquid dinner spilled onto the ground in front of him while his eyes saw stars. The smell of his own vomit caused a third gag while he tried to empty himself further. His ribs felt like they were cracked, and his head was spinning. Hell, his testicles felt like they had retracted into his perineum. Five minutes ago, Archie had considered drinking regularly; right now, he was wishing for the sweet release of death. Luckily, it seemed like Jake and his Dragons might actually grant that wish. "I forgot you were funny," Jake finished his statement. "Problem is, this is Dragon turf, and you're defacing Dragon turf." "Safe to say I didn't hurt property values then." Archie retorted, immediately wincing at his own words. [i]Inside voice, go back inside now, kay?[/i] "You've got a cajones on ya," Longo smiled, "Ya won't when they find ya body though." "No?" Archie straightened up, "Probably because your mom's going to be gargling them." [i]You definitely should not have said that.[/i] "Ain't nobody comin' ta save ya this time." Jake sneered, cracking his neck before pointing towards Archie. "Kill him." The order didn't exactly come as a shock, though cold-blooded murder felt like a slight escalation. In all of Archie's time in the District Attorney's office, he couldn't recall a single murder being attributed to the Dragons. But that didn't mean he was going to stand here and wait to find out. Archie pushed off from the wall, running as fast as he could out of the alley and onto the main street. A horn echoed past his head as he sprinted through traffic. If he had anything left in his stomach, he would have thrown up again. Behind him, the angry din of upset gangbangers echoed after him. But it was the one overhead that worried him the most as Jake used his Gray-abilities to sling shot himself through the air before flattening out and gliding above, easily over taking Archie again. In his life, Archie had been in a grand total of three fights. The common denominator? He lost. Everytime. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus at mi mi. In imperdiet porta dolor, at fermentum nulla commodo eu. Suspendisse volutpat et ex tempor suscipit. Nullam tincidunt at nunc vel auctor. Donec venenatis, nisl nec fringilla varius, massa quam porttitor turpis, sed bibendum purus sem id risus. Nullam scelerisque lectus eget diam gravida malesuada. Maecenas consectetur est ac sollicitudin congue. Maecenas interdum erat dignissim lectus sodales, nec ultrices neque egestas. Integer convallis lacus at consequat volutpat. The window shattered under Archie's weight. Glass shards flew across the floor while Archie crashed through a display. Numerous lacerations covered his body, pain felt like it was coming from everywhere. A metallic taste filled his mouth, barely noticeable between the numbness and lingering taste of his own vomit. Spitting, blood splayed across the cold wooden floor beneath him. A pained groan escaped from between his lips as his body refused to respond to his insistence that he move. [i][color=#FF4500]"[/color][color=#FF4A07]A[/color][color=#FF4F0E]r[/color][color=#FF5415]c[/color][color=#FF5A1D]h[/color][color=#FF5F24]i[/color][color=#FF642B]b[/color][color=#FF6932]a[/color][color=#FF6F3A]l[/color][color=#FF7441]d[/color] [color=#FF7E4F]H[/color][color=#FF7948]a[/color][color=#FF7441]r[/color][color=#FF6F3A]d[/color][color=#FF6932]w[/color][color=#FF642B]i[/color][color=#FF5F24]c[/color][color=#FF5A1D]k[/color][color=#FF5415].[/color][color=#FF4F0E].[/color][color=#FF4A07].[/color][color=#FF4500]"[/color][/i] The whisper felt like it crawled inside his head. His head whipped around side to side, crouching even lower to the ground as he continued to hide behind the bookshelf. The wooden floor creaked as the Dragons continued to look for Archie. He winced as a sudden crash echoed nearby. They were desperate to tear this place apart to find him. "Hardwick..." The voice grew more persistent, "I can give you the power you desire." "Archibald, accept my help!"[/INDENT][/INDENT][/COLOR]