Sol Grim

The Wicked West

I'm your huckleberry, that's just my game.

Name: Johnny Blackburn
Appearance/age: Shoulder length long dark brown hair. Long sideburns with a handsome clean shaven face. Brown eyes with an athletic build. 32.

Bio: Johnny never knew his parents, being an orphan living in slums and pits. He was raised by thieves, all of which have since passed or moved on. He survived the West in his youth through trial and error, with a touch of luck. He's been in a few gangs here or there, but always manages to stay moving. Through his days he has learned to hunt skillfully, steal professionally, and his skills in magic are unmatched. (The card trick kinda magic). His main trade nowadays is through gambling. If he can't win on his own, he cheats.

Equipment: Two schofields at his hips. Deck of playing cards. Hunter's knife, and throwing knives. He randomly steals horses.

Skills: Stealth, prefers the quiet approach, though is also a skilled gunslinger. Thievery and pirating are common tasks on his journey. A talented hunter, uses traps and snares...or if all else fails, his guns. Magician, has a slight of hand that is faster than a blink of the eye, and his draw is just as fast. He uses his illusions to steal and pick up women.

Legends of the Lost Age

The preparations to journey back to the hellmouth had begun quickly. By the next morning, though still dark as midnight, all of the group was to be readied for departure, though there was no time to inform the king of the plan. Sybil was to tell him soon before they left, while the others readied the ship.

"The elf king made it clear, we're not to take Sybil!" Fanon pleaded with his comrades. They were at the docks, the waters placid with a soft fog rising over it.

"As far as we know, she's the only one who can close the portals," Armuille stated. "Which means she may be the only one who can open them again, save for the demons."

"She wants to come," Blackheart chimed in, smoking a pipe filled with tobacco. "The king may have to come himself, if he can't part with the lass."

"Silence!" Bernen Wildcat said sharply, as the tiger-cat dropped from the top of the ship to the others. "Listen."

It was faint at first, but then the sound grew louder. Off in the darkness of the night, something drew closer and closer. It sounded like birds flapping at first, the sound much stronger in the ears of the cats and elves. Within seconds, hundred upon hundreds of vampire bats flew over the elven kingdom from the dark sky.

"Sound the war horn!" one of the elven guards commanded. The horn blew twice, indicating that they were under an attack to all of the others. One of the vampire bats swooped down and tackled the elf to the floor, then sunk its razor sharp teeth into his neck.

The wounded soldiers that had just returned from their war against the humans were the first to feel the brunt of the attack. They were all bedded and healing in the gardens, just outside the castle and nearest the docks. It was only a moment after hearing the attack horns when the vampires all moved in.

Some of the bats were large and hideous, their wings spanning the size of two grown men and their claws as long as an elven blade. They tore through the unprepared elven soldiers, ripping them from their limbs and slicing them at their throats. One vampire smashed an elven soldier to the floor, then pulled his spine out from his flesh.

Ardenelle was to see the demon hunters off at the docks, but her first instinct now was to protect her king. Her fellow soldiers banned close around her, as did the demon hunters.

"The king is in the throne room," Ardenelle yelled, her words barely audible over the intense screaming and fighting surrounding them. "We must protect the king!"

"Dalious!" Blackheart grabbed the pirate by the arm. "This is not our fight, lets set sail."

"We won't make it far at sea," Dalious responded. "The throne room can be barricaded. To the elf king!"

"We'll trap ourselves in that way!" Blackheart pleaded. "Out there we have a chance!"

"There's no time!" Dalious said. He had already started running up the hill toward the castle with Ardenelle and the others. Blackheart hesitated, but then ran in suit.

They reached the gates just in time to be let in, as it was quickly shut behind them. They all piled into the large throne room, locking and barricading the doors and windows around them. The screams and shouting could still be heard from the outside, as the elven soldiers fought back in the kingdom.

"Protect the king!" Ardenelle shouted, and the elves formed around him and those nearest him.

The walls started to bang with noise, scratching and smashing and laughter from the vampires. The fortress was too strong even for them to penetrate, but they never stopped trying. As more and more of the elves fought and died on the outside of the castle, they continued to try to enter the throne room.

"Doors won't hold for long," Armuille stated. "Is there an alternate route, perhaps one leading underground?"

"There is, take the king to safety," Ardenelle commanded. "The rest of you hold position. We must defend this keep."

"Where does this alternate route lead?" Fanon wondered.

"Just outside the kingdom," Ardenelle replied. "Near the river."

"We need our ship," Dalious said.

"The ship is lost, captain," Blackheart spoke. "We took too long. Nothing out there but death."

"The kingdom is not lost, not yet," Ardenelle said. "You underestimate us elves, we will fight and we will win."

The passageway was opened and the choice remained for all, to flee with the king or to stay and fight. Blackheart, Fanon and Armuille went with the king, while Ronen, his brother Felian, and Bernen Wildcat stayed to defend. Dalious went over to Sybil as all of this was going on, mainly just to check on her.

"You should go with the king," Dalious told her. "Protect him, his kingdom might fall, but as long as he lives he still holds claim to these lands. We will try to fend the vampires off, if we reach the Sparrow we will meet you at the river. Goodluck." Dalious grabbed her close and kissed her on her cheek. "In case I don't see you for another decade." He gave a wink, as the golden doors behind him cracked. "Go, now. The vampires will soon get through."

Dalious unsheathed his elven katanas, ready for what was about to come through the doors.

The Dead and the Dying

and killed more people lol. So lets continue this fresh, since I find myself almost always wanting to come back for some zombeh action.

The Dead and the Dying

As soon as the firing started, everyone dispersed and tried to avoid the firing. Ethan was able to take down two with his gun, but he in turn took the blunt of the enemy fire as he was shot down and killed almost instantly. Kenjen and Elizabeth ran off to return fire, with Elizabeth being minorly wounded in the process. Steven gunned down quite a few, but he quickly ran out of bullets as the cultists charged in without fear. They tackled the former security guard and each shoved their knives deep into the young man; his death was quick but he suffered before it.

Kenjen fired shots back as he and Elizabeth ran to the back of the mall, back to the warehouse doors. He unlocked the hinges and used the pull chain to open the large rolling door, on the other side was the mall's parking lot which was quickly filling with the undead. "We either die by them, or die by the undead..." Kenjen said, noting their nearly impossible to survive situation.

The remaining cultists showed behind them, all of them stopping and forming a line to block them from returning into the mall. The ammo was all gone, as the cultists just stood there, waiting for the dead to take them.

"We have to take our chances," Kenjen said, assuring himself moreso than Elizabeth. "Come on!"

They went into the lot, with dozens of walkers approaching from the gates. Suddenly the gate itself crashed down as the large military truck drove through it, driving over and flattening many of the walkers in the process. The truck stopped just before Kenjen and Elizabeth, as Dallen jumped out of the driver seat with Erin sitting in the passenger side. Dallen carried out a rocket launcher with him as he took aim at the cultists. "Get in."

He fired a rocket, as the cultists tried to turn to flee, but it struck in the center of them all, erupting in a large explosion. Their arms and legs scattered and spread in the aftermath, leaving nothing but fire and blood behind.

When they were all in the truck, Dallen tossed the launcher in the back and got in himself. Kenjen hit the gas and they sped off, easily toppling over walkers and obstacles until they reached the streets again.

"Where are the others!?" Kenjen asked, even if he already knew the answer.

"Everyone's dead," Dallen told him.

"Not us," Erin added. Her, Elizabeth, Kenjen, and Dallen were the only survivors left. Erin wrapped her arms around Elizabeth as they made their escape.

"How about, no more cities," Kenjen said. "No more fucking cities! No more military! No more stations or malls...there's nothing left."

"Just keep driving," Dallen said, noticing that they had still half a tank of diesel fuel left. He knew Kenjen was right, but there weren't many options open to them. With the rogue military after them, and all of their group dead now besides themselves, there was little hope left in any of them. Still, they pressed on.

CHAPTER 3: The Unknown
One Week Later...

The Origin: A Devil Returned (Arc Two)

super long post for you all. Just a small bit to latch on to the end of that last post, for no real reason at all. Cheers!

The Origin: A Devil Returned (Arc Two)

"Bunch of weirdos," Dalious muttered. He was not noticed by them, as he was previously passed out along the floor of the inn. He had blacked out earlier from drinking and waiting on orders from his king. The conversation had awoken him, and so he got up and sat back in his chair. A half drunken bottle of rum sat on the table. "Ah, right where I left you." He started his day, even though it was becoming night, with drinking.

"What's that lots story?" he asked to Jeremy, but before the barkeep could answer he stopped him. "You know what, it doesn't matter. To early to trouble the mind with such things. Another shot, mate."

There was a lot that happened in the pirate's absence of mind, and so Jeremy filled him in with the important bits. A few new people here and there, what the king was up to, and the status with the enemy. Not much really, but it was a conversation to last until the sky was its darkest. By then, the pirate was drunk again and his eyes grew weary once more. This time he finished his booze, as he blacked out where he had blacked out previously.

Legends of the Lost Age

He had planned on retiring after this job, which they technically succeeded in. Save for bringing darkness over the lands, forever. However the temptation of all the gold they could possibly fathom weighed heavily, and the choice was easy to make thereafter. Dalious agreed to the king's terms, and the two factions would be allies at least until the job was finished.

They were to spend their time in the elven kingdom, living amongst the elves, until their research found the other hellmouths. It was something Armuille said could take anywhere from weeks, to decades, if even ever at all. Regardless, the elven king would rather pay them anyway until it was done. The sun had to come back.

"We'll be trapped in this damn kingdom for eternity!" Blackheart complained. The crew were all in the elven arcane study halls. The walls were massive and shined in gold, and the place was filled with books and scrolls as far as the eye could see. "They don't even have a proper whorehouse here!"

"You are welcome to leave at any time, mate," Dalious told him, of which Blackheart just shrugged and sat down. "If the other six hellmouths can be found, this must be the place for it. Everyone, I know reading is not our best attribute, save for Armuille here, but get to reading lads!"

"You may not need to find the other six," came a voice from around a bookshelf. Ardenelle, the dark elf, came around and half smiled to the group. She lay a book down in front of Armuille, who instantly began reading its contents. "You need but to find only one, which you already have. Re-open it, and enter it. The hellmouths are all connected on the other side, so they will be easily seen. Close them from within."

"...yes, I see here," Armuille agreed. "She is right, that is the quickest way. Though, we would need Sybil with us to re-open the portal."

"Everendall said no," Fanon reminded them. "We must not break our peace with the elves."

"Or, you need a demon to open the portal," Ardenelle chimed in. "Like a vampire, but that might be easier said than done, I know."

Suddenly a loud, elven horn blew throughout the kingdom for all to hear.

"The elven warriors return home from battle," Ardenelle informed the rest. "The wounded to heal, the others to regroup and set another plan."

"Are they winning the war with the Imperials?" asked Ronen.

"The battle was won, the war remains to be seen," she responded. "The next move is on King Hilden, of the Imperial Legion. They press us, while we defend. I fear the war will rage on for many years to come."

"And in total darkness, no less," Bernen Wildcat added. "Less we save the sun."

Dalious went out to see the elves returning home. He stood with Sybil atop an overlooking peak, the sea on one side of them and the kingdom behind.

"We found a way to reach all of the hellmouths quickly," Dalious told her. "We must enter one, close the rest from within, then exit back again before we are trapped forever. So basically, we're all going to hell. Hell is where I normally draw the line. If we are to do this, I not only want gold when I return...I want land and a castle. For all of my men. Tell your king this, would you?"

"And one more thing, you have to come with us. Or, at least, we have to figure a way to use your gifts. Maybe Armuille could study you? Without you, the sun never returns. The vampires roam freely, as do everything else. You have to talk your king into letting you go, or making him come along. Otherwise this world dies in darkness."

Legends of the Lost Age

so that post is my tribute to the sun actually getting blackened out over America, sometime in the next few days.

Legends of the Lost Age

"That was easy," Blackheart said and laughed, as Bernen Wildcat decapitated one of the vampires. They all turned to dust when they died, even the ones Sybil scorched. Nothing remained but fire and ash when it was over. "That's some power ye have, me lady." Blackheart nodded in the malignant's direction.

"It's not over," Fanon told them. "Those were the new sires, those from this very village. Newborns. Perhaps the masters left them to watch the hellmouth. We still need..."

He was cut off as Sybil's hand was raised toward the spirits flying from the hellmouth. A green beam came from her palm as it struck the hellmouth and encompassed it. Within seconds the power coming from her hand closed and sealed the hellmouth, leaving it just a pile of dirt before them.

"She closed the rift..." Armuille Blackcat muttered aloud. "Perhaps, Captain, it was a good idea to bring her along after all."

"Of course it was, it was my idea," Dalious said. "Sybil, how did you do that?"

Suddenly, up above the trees, a master vampire showed itself. It flapped its large wings and flew high above them, its claws and teeth were longer and sharper than the others before. The monster flew in place, not scared of the witches magic, yet knowing that all of them together were a threat to him.

"You are too late," the master vampire's voice boomed over the village, yet was still calm and dark. "The ritual is complete, you fools."

"Yeah?" Dalious shouted back. "Come down here and say it to my face, mate."

The sky darkened. Quickly enough, there was no light left. The sun was gone.

"Is it magic?" Felian wondered.

"The seven hellmouths were opened simultaneously together while the ritual was performed, he's right, we're too late," Armuille spoke.

"Too late for what?" asked Ronen.

"Darkness, forever!" the master vampire said. "For eternity. We have blotted out the sun, we are free to roam these lands and those beyond. This world is ours."

"Come and get it, then," Dalious said. "I'm right here." He bowed in confidence.

"Your time will come," the master said. "Very soon."

He flew off into the darkness.

"Uhh, how do we get the sun back?" Felian wondered.

"We would have to close the other six hellmouths," Armuille answered, as he had studied on this the night before. "Meaning, Sybil, would have to close them all, since she seems to be the only one able to. Yet, their exact locations are lost to us. It could take years to even learn only one's whereabouts. May I suggest we head back to the elven kingdom, the elf king might need to hear this."

"And to collect our pay," Dalious said. "We killed the vampires, save for one, and closed the hellmouth. Job is done. Once he learns Sybil is the key, he won't need us anymore."

"And the sun?" Blackheart added in.

"I'm more of a night owl anyway," the captain said with a shrug. "Back to the elves, lads."

The journey back they sailed the Sparrow over the open seas, taking the bit longer way back. The sun never shined come the next morning, as the crew, led by Ronen, started singing their battle song.

Roll the Old Chariot

youtube.com/watch?v=20n3N1uhztc

Legends of the Lost Age

"I see," Dalious said, of her comments on the elves and their king. If she was pleased, then it meant Everendall was in fact a good leader. Whatever the case, it was good to make an alliance with the elves.

"Happy?" he responded in wonder himself. "I will be when we get paid! As for the ship and crew, they suit fine by me. They're a rag tag bunch of pirates, the hardest of men...and cat."

Dalious felt he was able to read people pretty well, and he could sense the strength already within Sybil. She was harder now, much like himself. The pair of them could probably go on all night of the things they've seen and done. While they danced and the crew sang and sailed, the stars beamed brightly up above. When the trees cleared, they could all see the red beam of light that aimed up through the sky.

"The hellmouth, the beam comes from it," Armuille Black Cat said. "It is the spirits of the dead."

The men stopped singing as they drew closer, sailing the placid river toward the beam of light. Dalious pulled out a necklace of garlic and put it around Sybil's neck.

"The vampires can be seductive in nature," he told her. "Perhaps not for the malignant, yet still. If one draws in too close, they only need but to sink their teeth into your flesh and it's all over. They dislike garlic, for some reason."

"And crosses of Aru," Fanon added, putting a cross necklace on.

"Ye can chop their heads off, lads," Blackheart chimed in. He brought to deck a few wooden carved short spears, they were light to use and sharp at either ends. "Or use these, but ye gotsta get them in the hearrrt!" They were passed out to whoever wanted them. "Also, for mainly Ronen and the Capt'n, arrows should work just fine."

"The vampires you can burn," Dalious said with a smirk.

When they reached the shore of Rockhaven, it was a half days march through the thickening forest. The mountains surrounding them were seemingly carved to perfection. The elves lived in the trees and the massive standing rockbeds, but there were none around when they arrived. It was quiet and empty, not even the crickets or the forest animals could now be heard. The town was dead silent, with a storm brewing in the skies above them all.

The hellmouth was in the center of the village, when they walked up to it they could see the red aura up close. Spirits the demons have claimed were flying around the hellmouth, though they were harmless as they could not become corporeal like the vampires or the other demons.

"How do we close it?" Felian asked.

"You don't," came a voice from somewhere else. The voice was hoarse and harsh. "You've come to die."

As the group stood there in the center of the village, the vampires started coming out from the shadows around them. They formed a large circle as they moved slowly closer. Most of the vampires were the villagers that lived here, the elves and dark elves. Their faces were different now, red eyes and snarled faces with sharp teeth lashing out at the crew. One of them came forward and his face changed from an evil demon to a normal elven face. He was even handsome, the transformation incredibly fast from one to the other.

"You're all just in time for dinner," the lead vampire spoke, the other ones nearly foaming at their mouths in lust for blood.

The vampires rushed in.