Saiyan

The Second Falling of the Big Brother Government - (A Tale by KrystalKleo & Saiyan)

"I've lived in the raider base for thirteen years and just.. I can't do it anymore. I refuse to do it. So I left..." Isaac kept his gaze on the outside, mostly because he didn't want her to see the pity in his eyes. He couldn't imagine what she'd been through, all these years. Raider's weren't known for their mercy. Inside, Isaac cursed the people of the past, who went to nuclear war and gave birth to this hellhole. "...Tonight they were celebrating a recent ambush, were all too drunk to care of their own noses."

"Good thinking," was his first words in reply to her sad story. Then he looked over at her. "But they cared enough to come after you. And they might still be out there. So we have to stay sharp until we're far enough away. Do you have anywhere you can go? What am I saying, of course you don't." The young man out a loud breath as tried to think, placing a thumb and forefinger on the bridge of his nose. Where was the nearest town from here? "Hmmm... I think Grasscroft isn't far from here. Straight west, if memory serves. We'll head in that direction tomorrow. See if we can't find you a place to live, kay."

The girl really could use a break. She looked so drained, so skinny. "Hey, I said there was food n stuff in my bag. You sure you're not hungry?" Isaac got back to his feet and retrieved his rucksack, rifling through it before pulling out his water canteen and throwing it on the bed beside her. Then he brought a couple of ration snacks, tossing her a pack before opening one himself and sitting back down. This time he didn't put his feet up. He was sat facing her, leaning forward a little, intent on seeing her get something in her stomach. It was just some beef jerky and a pack of peanuts - good for a little bit of energy, in a pinch. "Don't be shy, I'm not gonna charge you," he quipped, popping a peanut into his mouth and giving her a reassuring smile.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

• Name: Lucas Storm
• Age: 17 years old
• Gender: Male
• Race: Human
• Appearance: Standing 5' 11" and a sleek 155 lbs, Lucas carries himself with the graceful posture of both an athlete and an artist. His smile is polite and unassuming, his eyes are bright and steel-coloured, and his hair is as white as snow.
• Personality: Although a little withdrawn in light of the relatively recent death of his parents, Lucas is slowly but surely returning to his old self: A warm and friendly young man who will always seek to raise his friends spirits, whether it's with an unfunny joke or an arm around the shoulder and an open ear. He also has an odd quirk of being fearless. Not courageous, no - courage requires the presence of fear - but complete fearlessness. Danger simply does not move him. He has somewhat of a darker side that went undiscovered until he started weapons training... he does like to 'talk a little trash,' seeking to press the emotional buttons of his opponent and get them off their game. It is a little jarring to witness, for anyone that knows him, to see him in this arrogant and malicious state. Aside from that, he likes card games, climbing trees and reading books about heroic deeds, adventure and rescuing princesses.
• Brief Backstory: Lucas Storm was born to Penny and Harold aka 'The Storms' - a double act in a travelling circus troupe that lived on the roads of Thain. They were not quite the main event, but between Penny's acrobatics and Harold's knife-throwing expertise, the two had their act down to a tee and made a good living at the top of the card. Lucas however, had shot into stardom as a gifted trapeze artist and worked with his parents friends often as the main event. Every night he risked his life to entertain the audience, and strangely the dizzying heights or the danger had never even slightly bothered the boy, not even the first time.
  
  Life was good. Simple, yes, but contented and full of love. Living on the road meant one was always an outsider and so the troupe had a trust and loyalty between them that went beyond community. More like family. They looked out for each other, lied for each other (certainly when thieves and pickpockets in the troupe began to make their extra money off the current town,) and they would no-doubt die for each other... something many of them eventually did. This circus life would indeed come to an end when they were assaulted in Velt by slaver unit. The troupe resisted as best they could, but were no match for amply-armed slavers. Many of them died, including Lucas' parents, Penny and Harold. Lucas was taken prisoner and caged, ready for sale.
  
  No more than three days after Lucas was thrown into a cage, the slaver encampment was set upon by a mercenary band who captured the place after a bloody battle. Lucas was awestruck as a hero straight out of one of his books, fought evil men valiantly and freed him from the cage. That man, he would find out, was Gerard Segremors. From that day forward, Lucas Storm wanted to be a hero, like in his books. A hero like Gerard Segremors. His first act a free person again, was to go to the quartermaster of the mercenary band and request to be recruited. Perhaps the quartermaster took note of the young lad's strong body and graceful gait. Perhaps it was the look of determination and fearlessness in his eyes. For whatever reason, Lucas' request was accepted and he began training under the quartermaster.
  
  This life as a mercenary did not last long however, as no more than some weeks - maybe months - later, the mercenary band was dissolved and folded into the military arm of the Church. Lucas didn't care, he simply waited to see what Gerard would do, and when his idol joined the Blades of Iron Roses, Lucas followed him into the order.
  
  Now, Lucas finds himself training under a real regiment, in an order of knights where he might truly become a hero from his books - a hero like Gerard Segremors. And he works hard to make it happen.
• Equipment: A set of battered plate mail. A longsword. All standard basic Order issue. He likes to carry several daggers on his person, preferably balanced for throwing or using in a tight situation.
• Skills: Free-climbing. Juggling. Dizzying acrobatics. Knife throwing. Hold Em Poker. Pickpocketing. Cheering friends up. Sneaking.

Bloodlines (A tale by Love Dove & Saiyan)

Brandon Archer

23 [Human] Lightning Corp Agent

Specialists

Driving

Durability and Endurance (If that even counts)

Been with company for a little over 3 years. Recruited, trained and protected for 90% of that time by the infamous Vatican operative, MacKensie Trydant. Due to the unusual circumstances of his career's manifestation, his general below-average competence as an assassin, and his brash attitude with his employers, Archer probably doesn't have long left in the profession. Whether that means the English native will be fired from his post, killed in the field, or be assassinated by Lightning Corp... that's anyone's guess.

Bloodlines (A tale by Love Dove & Saiyan)

A wolf has escaped from Central Park Zoo...

At least, that's what the papers are saying. Anyone with half a brain who saw the second victim of this 'wolf' would know that this was the work of no natural creature. All that was left on the murder scene was a piece of scalp with a little blonde hair, a skull with the spinal cord still attached, and pints of blood all over the pavement.

For those in New York who knew of such things, the general notion was that a feral Lycan was on the loose. Hunters, Assassins, B.F.P... everyone involved in the non-mortal community... they were all worried. The longer this creature was allowed to continue it's rampage, the more the risk of the non-mortal world being unveiled to the general human population, and if that happened, then the race of vampires might just make their move to take over the world.

***

It was dark. Brandon Archer crept forward slowly, one foot at a time softly crunching gritty floor underneath him. His desert eagles point upward, flanking his head, his squinted eyes searching the darkness of the narrow tunnel. In the relative silence was a slow, regular drip of water on some unseen pipe. Archer had been hunting the succubus known as Sindel all day, and finally, this late afternoon, he had tracked it to this underground service tunnel of Chase Bank.

<"I won't deny it, am a straight rider...">

The Tupac ringtone of Archer's iPhone shattered the silence and the assassin looked down to his coat pocket. Suddenly Sindel screeched, diving from the shadows and striking Archer to the ground with a stiff back-hand slap, the power of which belied the petite frame of the succubus.

"Ugh!" Archer landed hard on his back, but he quickly lifted his head up to see the fleeing monster. He aimed his guns and squeezed the triggers twice each resulting in four loud shots. Sparks and pings told him he'd missed his target, and the monster, along with her shrieking, disappeared into the darkness. "Shit!" he shouted angrily, the ringtone and vibration of his phone still going strong.

He stood up, holstered one weapon at the small of his back and pulled the phone out of the inside pocket of his grey trench-coat. "What!?" as soon as he put the phone to his ear. "I'm kinda in the middle of something..................... alright, whatever....... yeah, on me way."

Archer hung up, jaw clenched and teeth grinding. After spending a full week finding Sindel, he finally laid his eyes and guns on her and now he was being called back to headquarters for something apparently more important. Now that sudden burst of adrenaline had worn off, he could feel the painful mark on his cheek where he was struck by the succubus. He looked at the phone in his hand, then down the tunnel where his quarry had fled. Sindel was supposed to put him in double-figures for kills. Now she was gone.

"For fucks sake!" With that, he headed back to a service ladder that would take him back to the oblivious 'real world.'

The Second Falling of the Big Brother Government - (A Tale by KrystalKleo & Saiyan)

Isaac felt bad for the girl. She was half-dead from exhaustion. They got inside, both stood at the door, Isaac silent as he tried to listen for movement inside the building. The place seemed empty.

"You can have the couch, since I made you leave behind the bedroll you had."

"What do you mean, doll?" he asked with a smirk. "We're going up. Top floor." He looked pointedly at the stairs and when he saw her reaction, his smirk turned to a full grin. "Don't worry, just two more sets of stairs and you can collapse in a heap until morning comes."

He took the lead, doing a routine check on all three floors before finally setting his stuff down in the bedroom with the street view. He mentally acknowledged her offer of the couch. It was a nice gesture, but he wouldn't be sleeping tonight. No. Now, he was paranoid that trouble wasn't far behind. "This place has been lived in recently," he mused out loud, taking note of the oil lamps, the ruffled bed, the signs of discarded trash. But all supplies were missing. "Whoever it was, they're long gone by now."

He switched on the three oil lamps in the room, brightening the place so that he could get his first clear look of the girl he was with. "Wow," he appraised. "Bit of a cutie pie, aren't ya."

She was indeed cute. Her eyes were interesting, in particular. So sharp in shape, the two-tone hue making for a mystery. She was skinny, more malnourished than the average wastelander. Isaac guessed she'd been a prisoner of the raiders. And a prisoner for a while too. He didn't stare overly long, no more than a few seconds, before turning to leave the room. "There's a few snacks in that rucksack, if you're hungry. Water too."

He set about securing the building; making sure the doors and windows on the ground floor were shut properly. He set up a rope from the third floor bathroom, tied securely to some piping and ready to throw out of the window and climb down, should they need to escape. Lastly, set up a tripwire at the front door, tied to a trigger of a small shrapnel grenade. Anyone trying to sneak in would be in for a nasty surprise.

He made sure to let his new friend know about the trap downstairs when he returned, taking a seat by the window where he could keep an eye on the street below. Stretching and cracking his neck to one side, he light out a sigh and put his feet up on the broken radiator.

"Name's Isaac," he finally introduced himself, his eyes on the street. "Isaac Storm. How'd you end up on the run?"

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Excited. As. <beeeeeeeep>

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP Interest Check

I've just been reading the older RP and noticed that this is the 3rd(?) time you've ran this story, with players often returning and using the same character. Is the over-arcing plotline going to be the same? Like, will the veterans know, generally speaking, what's in store for us?

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP Interest Check

Oh I'm totally in! Save me a spot please.

The Second Falling of the Big Brother Government - (A Tale by KrystalKleo & Saiyan)

When she tapped Isaac on the shoulder and put a finger to her lips, Isaac gave a brisk nod, his breathing heavy because of the adrenaline. She started to sneak off and Isaac fired another shot off down the stairs before following her, trying to stay as quiet as possible. The injured raider at the bottom of the stairs fired more shots back, not realising that they were gone.

The girl led him down a different stairwell, descending beyond the groundfloor and to the basement level parking lot. Perfect. As soon as she let go of his hand, Isaac changed his empty gun clip to a fresh one, all the while running after her. Out of the parking lot and into the dead streets, Isaac followed the route she was taking until he suddenly took the lead. He looked back to see why she had stopped, then halted himself to watch her go start looting a table for something that'd caught her eye. Looting at a time like this!

"Really?" he asked breathlessly, once she caught back up. There was an exasperated smile on his face as they got back on the move. "Come on."

They ran for another twenty minutes, taking a left turn here, a right corner there. On his left arm, Isaac wore two wrist-watches. One of them was like any other watch, it showed the time. The other was a compass. He used it to make sure that they were steadily heading south-west and deeper into New York. After the running, they walked for 5 minutes to catch their breath. After that, they were jogging. Isaac had to be sure that no one was following them.

It was late. Luck was on their side that no animals, bugs or feral ghouls had crossed their path and attacked. They made a good distance between themselves and the raider town. Isaac began looking for a good, sturdy building to make camp - they needed to rest soon as the girl was exhausted, her breathing and wheezing sounding like she might collapse at any moment.

"There," Isaac pointed 200 yards down the street to the big townhouse on the corner. It was three floors tall, its walls looked in tact, and the buildings around it were rubble, so the top floor would have a good view of the surrounding area. "We can rest up in that townhouse over there."

The Second Falling of the Big Brother Government - (A Tale by KrystalKleo & Saiyan)

The alarm in the distance woke him easily. One of his blue eyes peeked open. One hand fished under his blanket and switched off the hand-radio by his side so he could listen for a moment. It sounded like trouble at the raider town. Maybe they were being attacked. Perhaps it just some wasteland critters trying to breach the defences. Either way, he felt far enough away from the town that he wouldn't need to get up.

At least, that's how he felt at first. Until the shouting voices he could hear, seemed to be slightly closer. Surely they weren't heading for the ruins, were they?

"Get her!" was a much, much clearer voice this time. They were indeed getting closer. Too close for comfort.

"Ah shit," Isaac muttered to himself, gun in hand, still lazily spread-eagled on his back, one leg sticking out from under the blanket. "Why me, universe? What did I do to ya, this time?"

He thought a little too long about getting up. He should've just done it. Because before he could, he heard groan and a strain before, down the other end of the broken building, a person appeared. Isaac could see the silhouette form in the moonlight, all the inner walls of the floor collapsed enough not to obstruct his view. And that silhouette form started bolting toward him. Isaac still hadn't moved, but now he raised his gun, looking sidelong down the barrel, pointing it at the person who was rushing toward him. Taking a shot lying on one's back like this was hard, and this gun's recoil would make it all the more difficult, so Isaac waited for the target to come closer. The person was approaching fast, hopping and skipping over holes in the floor, ducking low beams. Isaac had 3 pounds of pressure on a 4 pound trigger. Just a little closer.....

"She's getting away!" was the rusty, evil-toned voice of a pursuing raider.

That made Isaac pause for thought. This person was running from the raiders. He relinquished his aim as he realised the situation, so glad that he didn't just blast a potentially innocent person. As he did, she almost blew past him, but her foot caught on his leg as he got to his feet, tripping her and sending her head first into a wall. She cried out and Isaac was up, a little too late to silence her when he pulled her into his embrace, his hand covering her mouth.

"Sshh," was his instruction.

They were face to face - damn-near nose to nose - one arm around her waist, his free hand still over her mouth until he was sure she got the message. But one of the voices of her pursuers made Isaac break eye contact and let her go.

"I heard her! Top floor!"

He dipped down and started stuffing all of his things into his backpack. There was no time for the bedroll. Slinging the rucksack over his shoulder, he grabbed his gun off the floor and was on the move before he'd even risen back to his full height, grabbing the girl's hand and pulling her along to follow. They snaked through the broken down building quickly and quietly.

"Boss wants her alive!" was another voice.

Isaac counted three voices, at least, but he couldn't be sure. They got to the top of the main stairwell and paused. Unless she'd resisted, he was still holding her hand. "How many?" he whispered as he looked back at her.

Four raiders converged at the bottom of the stairs and charged up toward them. And their shouts of surprise and alarm was a clear indicator that they did not expect to see a man lean out from behind cover with a big canon pointing right at them.

"Shit!"

"!"

"Huh!?"

BANG!

....The first shot hit one square in the chest and sent him flying back down the ground floor. The recoil sent pains up Isaac's arm all the way to his shoulder....

BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!

The raiders tried to flee but it was too late, only one getting away, managing to dive behind cover on the lower floor. The surviving raider's arm was mangled from a bullet, but he fired back with his own gun and Dante leaned back into cover upstairs.

"Guys! There's someone else here!" the raider shouted. "Go get help!"

The raider and Isaac traded a few shots, but none found their mark.

"We need to get out of here," Isaac said to the girl, keeping the raider downstairs busy with a shot or two.