Masks of God

Zen

The Bartender
Original poster
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
Writing Levels
  1. Intermediate
  2. Adept
  3. Advanced
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
Genres
Fantasy, Modern, Magical, Romance, Action, Urban Fantasy
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A shadowy figure sat at the top of the Kingsburg Bridge, watching the traffic go by. The air was cold, nipping through his clothing and prickling his skin. No one seemed to notice him, perhaps because they were too busy making sure they safely went through the bridge. All he could hear were the cars passing and their horns blaring. He swung his legs back and forth in a sort of giddy fashion, and even though his face was in the shadows, his grin caught the faintest of light.


He couldn't contain it anymore, his laughter.


"He...Hehe...Hee - Hahahahah!"


His hand slapped against the hard metal of the bridge, his head thrown back from his laughter.


"They didn't even notice! Those idiots!"


The laughter died a minute later, leaving the Trickster in a solemn silence. The bridge was enchanted, as were the other exits out of the city - the harbor, the mountain road, the woods, and the sewer system. Anyone leaving the city would alarm him to their presence. At least now his brothers and sisters couldn't accuse him of being careless. He set up precautions. He even set up a barrier around the airspace of the city. No one would leave with the masks without his knowledge. His siblings knew of his habits. They only ask that he be careful with his antics.


From the pockets of his oversized trench coat he pulled out an ominous mask... The owner of this disguise would be most displeased if it found out this was missing.


He drummed his fingers along the mask, licking his lips.


Ahhh, this one he would have fun hiding.

"And now... We wait."​
 
Mum and Dad said they would be back soon. I'm soooo hungry.

Lolita tossed the fish bones, remnants of her dinner, back into the dumpster, huddling close to a fire burning in the trash can. It was a chillier night than normal, for she wore a hat and gloves. Lolita was clothed in garments that many people wouldn't wear, but she didn't have much of a choice. Aside from the hat and gloves, she wore an oversize coat and woolen trousers. The wool made her legs itch, and her coat made her sneeze. Not a single article of clothing was clean.

She lived in the streets, in a neighborhood where the homeless and evicted out numbered the actual tenants. Many of the condos and apartments in these parts were empty but the cops kept her people from ever living in them. Lolita looked into the window of such a place, longing to just be inside. It was mid autumn, but it felt like the transition to winter was happening fairly quickly.

Her stomach grumbled loudly; her fish was not a very filling meal. An hour passed and still no mother and father. However their faces and deaths would be plastered all over the evening news, victims of a drive by shooting. But six year old Lolita would never know this. Figuring that her parents would return in the morning, she resolved herself to digging into the dumpster. Maybe someone had thrown out some Chinese take out...

But a stranger thing caught the child's eye.

It was a mask, a very pretty and glittering mask.​
 
Issac walking home from the bar after a night of drinking. He had refrained from drinking as much as his friends but still drank enough to feel a bit tipsy. He tripped a bit when walking down the street but managed to keep his balance. Eventually someone bumped into him and he fell from the force. He already knew that he stole something, probably his wallet but he didn't care. There was only three dollars in his wallet anyway. He left his credit cards at home because he knew something like this would happen, especially when he was out drinking.

After falling from the shock he looked to his right into an alleyway and something shining caught his eye. It took his mind off of the scraping feeling when he turned his face. It glinted slightly in the setting sun. Issac got up and walked into the alleyway against his better judgement. He spied a glittering black and gold mask with a crown formation. It really caught his better judgement and he picked it up. He could probably make a bit of money off of it or he could keep it.

He grabbed it and started walking down the street to his apartment. This was the second time he moved this year. He was hitting some hard times and his dream of being a chef weren't that much closer. He placed the masquerade mask gently on his bedside table and took off his clothes. He sleepily closed his eye and started to slip into bed. He had to shake off the hold the alcohol had on him and gain his sobriety. Issac wasn't a heavy drinker, he was a lightweight and would only drink on the odd night with his friends and fellow waiters from work. Pulling the covers over him he stared at the ceiling for a second and the next he was lost in dreamland. But one only one sentence resonated in his sleep; Put on the mask. He would dream of himself putting it on and being the center of attention. He normally wouldn't like this but for some reason this idea appealed to him.

Issac woke up a couple hours later in the dead of night.. or so he thought. He checked the simple red digital clock that displayed simple red digital numbers that would change periodically. Nothing special there. It read 11:36, still pretty early. Next to it, though, was the masquerade mask he found earlier. He had not known what it was doing there nor how it got there, it simply captivated him. He promised himself he would wear it in the morning, but he had the dying urge to put it on. He had not known where this need came from, but he purely acted on instinct and reached for it.
 
Pencil gliding across the page... swirling... flowing..... pictures turning to words within the swirl of artistic fervor.... WRONG," DAMMIT!!! Why cant I do this?" Connors head slammed into his desk. Dammit... dammit.. dammit," No matter what I try it always comes out how I would want it.... always wrong." Once again the his bosses had shoved a big contract on him, once again theyd asked him to come up with a miracle, but the style the client wanted.... all wrong. Not a single bit of true art in the entire thing, just looking at it was enough to make him cringe. And they somehow expect him to fix this?

Artistic block... thats all it is, right? Maybe a walk will work.... Connor stood up and looked around his room, taking a moment to look at each of his drawings, each painting or poster, that hed done over the years that had been rejected, he looked at the ones hed done purely for himself and sighed. Nothing he could do about it though... if corporate doesnt want it, its not worth anything... Maybe some inspiration would do him good.

As he left his apartment he turned left heading down the road and into the local shopping district. Its a place full of lights and sound, huge crowds with random people of every shape and size, and stores of every stripe. Connor wandered for over an hour before he finally stopped, a glint of golden light catching his eye.... a mask, sitting in an old antique store window. To him it seemed to blaze with the light of the sun, the swirling designs catching its own glow and magnifying it into a thousand glittering diamonds. He managed to tear his eyes away just long enough to glance around at the people around him.... not a one seemed to notice the strange item.. not one seemed interested. Connor was shocked, he himself was mesmerized by the item and yet no one else seemed to even notice it.... but him... he had to have it.

When he entered the store he took a few minutes to look around making it look like he was just browsing.... but his eyes never really left the mask. Finally he merely walked over to it and picked it up off its stand,".... Excuse me do you mind if I try this on?"
 
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Cathy glanced down at the clock at the corner of her monitor. My my, was it time to go already? Hurriedly, she closed out of her tabs, gathered her things, and left the cubicle to go clock out. The job wasn't the most glamorous thing in the world, she thought as she made her way out of the skyscraper of a building, but it was something she enjoyed nonetheless. And boy, was she good at it. Helping other people was in her nature, not to mention she just had a knack for technology. Her coworkers occasionally joked that she was talking to the client's computer over the phone, asking it what was wrong. That was silly, though. It'd certainly be nice to be able to talk to computers like that, but it's not like it was really possible.

She walked along the busy city streets, nimbly weaving through the crowd, a skill honed by years of practice. The place was always bustling, filled to the brim with people of all sorts. Voices swirled around her while she walked, catching her attention for the briefest of moments before melting back into the swarm. Cathy always sort of liked the walk back to her apartment; she liked to listen in on other people's stories, to learn a little more about the city around her every day. Sure, it was technically eavesdropping, but what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them, right? It was certainly her main motivation for leaving her car in the parking garage whenever she made her morning commute.

As she passed by her favorite music store, something strange shined out of the corner of her eye. Cathy looked up and stared, squinting against the glare of the sun, up at the source of the odd light: something was hanging off of the gutter of the building in front of her. She narrowed her eyes further, trying to figure out what it was, and suddenly it became clear: a mask. It was unusually shiny for a mask, like someone had covered it with glitter. Or maybe it was made of metal? Either way, Cathy found herself mesmerized by it, for reasons she couldn't quite explain. She found herself wondering if she could get away with scaling the side of the building, even with the dress she was wearing.

It didn't matter, however. A sudden gust of wind blew through the city, dislodging the mask from its perch and allowing it to fall to the ground...right into Cathy's waiting hands. Curious, she studied it, flipping it around in her hands and observing every detail. While it was definitely made of some light metal, it was cold, despite the fact that it had just been roasting in the sun not too long ago. What an oddity, Cathy thought. Maybe her friends would get a kick out of it. She had to make sure it would even fit her first, though.

A tiny voice whispered in her ear, urging her on and congratulating her on her decision as she slipped the mask over her face.
 
He grinned a wide toothy grin, clapping his hands together manically. The God felt it, felt the masks being carried, lifted, caressed. He could almost see the wearers' faces, their curious and longing expressions. Oh, how fun! He wasn't sure who had placed them on yet, but he knew it would happen soon.

Flipping himself through the holes in the bridge, he cackled as he realized that the masks' personalities must be erupting soon. How amusing it would be to see these mortals come to the bridge and find something conflicting within themselves. And that feeling would fester and boil until it just couldn't be contained anymore! Oh yes, perhaps the wearer could get rid of the mask, but that desire for power would overwhelm their reasoning. No doubt about that.

"What fun!" he shouted.



It was cold, so very cold. Odd how the mask felt so warm in between her fingers. Lolita clutched the thing tighter, staring at the open spaces meant for the eyes. She couldn't find anymore food in the dumpster, everything had either rotted or was already frozen over, or a mix of the two. It would be another hungry and sleepless night for her, without her parents.

"I wish you were food," she said to the mask. "Mummy and Daddy didn't bring me any."

She sulked next to her fire, her fingertips running over the glitter on the mask. Not a single speck of it came off, which was curious. She became curious, as all children would be. Turning the mask onto its backside she placed it onto her face - it fit like a glove. Lolita expected the material to be cold, but again it was warm. She smiled and giggled.

"I don't need sleep! Mummy and Daddy aren't here, they can't make me!"

Jumping into the dumpster, Lolita began to toss things out, a t.v., hats, cups, paper plates and plastic utensils. She dug and dug until she found what she was looking for. Brandishing several $50 bills of Monopoly money, the girl walked out to the streets and called for a taxi. For a good while the girl stood there, waving her paper money. At last, perhaps they were crazy or perhaps they had sympathy for the child - whatever the case a driver stopped. Lolita climbed in, grinning beneath her mask.

"Kingsburg Bridge please."​


The owner of the antique shop was a porker, his belly pouring over his belt. However it didn't meant that he wasn't well qualified to do what he did. The man was balding but he wore a toupee which was a shade darker than his actual hair color. The resulting look was rather tacky, but the fellow didn't seem to notice or care. He hadn't taken notice of the visitor, he was far too busy reading his ledger. But at Connor's voice, the man looked up, squinting.

"Oh yes, go right ahead."

He squinted harder, his thick eyebrows coming together.

"Odd, I don't remember having that item in my inventory. Must have missed it."

Shrugging and shaking off his confusion, he continued to read his book.​
 
Issac had sleepily put on the glittering mask without ever thinking about it. It felt more like him watching himself on autopilot. As the mask fit perfectly onto his face his thoughts, his views, his ways all changed in that one instant. He was a new person with a dying need to go to Kingsburg bridge. Issac had rarely ever passed through there, but for some reason he knows where it is. He doesn't know why but it overcomes his needs for sleep, though he didn't feel sleepy when he put on the mask. He got up and put on his jeans and jacket. He opened the door and walked outside with a new look on life, people were no longer people with emotions. They were just tools to be used for his gain and stepping stones to success. He silently laughed to himself and walked off into the direction of Kingsburg bridge.
 
Qeren sighed and smiled as she strode down the halls of St. Theresa Children's Hospital. It was her first year as an intern, and she already had multiple patients. Knocking on door 445, Qeren walked in and saw a little boy, Mathias, playing with toy cars as he recieved his IV chemo treatments. Mathias has Stage Two leukemia, and they seemed to have control over it. Seeing the six year old playing with toys was an excellent sign that the chemo was a successful treatment

"Hey, Dr. A!" Mathias cheered. The poor boy could never say her name, even of he tried.

"Hello, Mathias," she said as she used her laptop to search his file and smiled at his mother. "How are you feeling right now?"

"I feel like a superman!" he yelled enthusiastically.

Qeren chuckled and made sure he was stabilized before leaving and telling the energetic boy to take it easy. Mathias was luckily her last patient of the day, so that meant she was free to leave after six hours of intense overtime. Her nerves were frazzled, and she looked like she'd been hit by a semi truck and lived to tell the story. It could be worse, and she knew that. Sometimes, she just wanted to feel sorry for herself, but all she could remember were her patients.

When she got to her car, Qeren noticed a large mask with snakes on it. She'd always been fascinated with masks and their various cultures. Perhaps this was a gift from one of the other doctors. It was too hard to resist the temptation of trying it on. The mask was a perfect fit, and it was gorgeous on her. Its design stood out magnificently. However, it made her suddenly feel drowsy, like she was drugged, and suddenly, a smile came over her face. For the first time in years she felt alive. Qeren could do whatever she wanted, and she wanted to go to Kingsburg Bridge. That's exactly what she did.
 
Connor smiled dreamily at the man and gave a muttered," Thank you." Of which he received nothing more than a grunt in the way of response... well whatever. The mask awaits. He smiled at the thought, but really it was true.... the thing seemed to call to him, it whispered promises.... and really he wasnt all that sure he wanted to ignore them. In fact he smiled gleefully as he placed the mask upon his head, the wings upon the side wrapping around his ears as if trying to bond itself to him....

And suddenly, he felt something. A light that flowed into his veins, through them, burning away years of stress in an instant, taking all his petty problems and throwing them to the wind... Suddenly Connor felt free. And as he looked around he could SEE the light weaving around him in a beautiful eternal dance, its radiance nearly bringing the young man to tears. He reached out a tentative hand, willing himself to touch it, and in truth he felt something, merely a light tingle upon his bare skin but hed felt something.... how marvelous.

With a happy grin he turned to the clerk and threw a pile of bills at him," Ill take it!!" How much was it? Who cares~ Theres always more money in the world, but wait... where had that come from? Money is important, you cant stay afloat in such a world without it.... No who cares. More money later. For now, the light pulsing in his blood called for something, the sudden loss of all his burdens left him feeling light enough to float across the city... and why not?

It sounds like a splendid idea. With a happiness he hadnt felt since childhood Connor practically danced out of the store and into the busy streets,yet even with his oddly erratic movement he didnt seem to touch a single person as he went, so light, its almost as if I were a feather blowing in the wind... hrm... Thats right.. im a feather... weightless and free. With a widening smile the aspiring artist ran over to the nearest building and reached up, gaining a finger hold, Right up we go!! With a single tug he launched himself up the wall, flying up nearly a dozen floors with ease...

"Oh how fun!!" Suddenly he was overcome with tinkling laughter, sounding nearly like that of a child," Feather feather im a feather~" And what do feathers do? They dance in the wind of coarse! With a sense of childlike elation he ran to the edge of the building and leaped, flying over the road on the breeze and landing without so much as a scratch.

His blood was singing, the light that had infused him glowing from every pore, a flight across the city would indeed be splendid. With a childlike wonder he danced his way from rooftop to rooftop, his destination, unbeknownst to him, the bridge in the far distance. Oh that looks like a fun place to play!!
 
The very instant the mask touched her skin, Cathy felt as though all her happiness and curiosity were being drained away. As people trying to make their way down the street started to bump into her, instead of apologizing and getting out of the way like she would have any other time, she began to feel angry. How dare they walk right into her like that? She had places to be, people to see, and they were treating her like a pest, something to be shoved out of the way for their own goals.

Well, maybe it was time she started shoving back.

Ignorant of the shouts of protest and frustration, Cathy walked quickly through the crowd, pushing people aside as much as possible. It felt good to take back the control she so richly deserved. She'd been such a doormat before. Newfound energy raced through her veins. The world was hers to control now. She had the power to take what was rightfully hers, and her voice would be heard...

She didn't know what her destination would be, but she had to find someone who would listen, followers to grant her wishes. Maybe she could start a gang. Or build an army. As thoughts raced through her head almost faster than she could process, her feet began to take her to the Kingsburg Bridge. Now was her time to shine.
 
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"You guys don't have a used copy?"

"The game came out yesterday." That was Copper's response. It was never meant to come out so stony and sarcastic...but come on. Who asks for a used copy to a game that came out yesterday? Maybe it was just. Maybe she was the one losing her mind with the last minutes of her shift dwindling away. Copper shifted her green eyes to the bottom right corner of the register's touch screen, telling her she only had about 14 more minutes of the gaming torture. It had to be her going insane.

"Well, can ya check?" Her eyes slid back to the long, langy teen that wore a plaid blouse that looked like someone shit rainbows on it. She secretly nicknamed him Rainbow Barf in the back of her head, but Costumer Hospitality forced her to keep a straight face when she forced out a small smile.

"Sir, as I previously mentioned not even 6 seconds ago, the game came out yesterday. I am quite positive that we have absolutely no used copies of it."

"Yeahhhhhhh, but I'd still like you to check. Could be my lucky day, ya know?!" Copper's face fell into a "are-you-shitting-me?" look, but said nothing else to the man, afraid she may get a little more than sarcastic with him. Instead, she took the road less traveled, and turned to her supervisor, wracking a hand in her orange-brown hair.

"Hey. Horus. Can you give me the key to the back so I can check for a used copy of Turant 3?" As soon as the sentence left her mouth, Horus whipped around, gelled black hair not moving at all. He was a big man, taller than her by more than 6 inches, and way too large behind to be behind that tiny counter, she thought. His beady brown eyes hit her incredulously and Copper silently counted to three, awaiting what she knew was coming in any second.

"Copper, you copper idiot! That game came out yesterday!"

"No kidding,"she replied, face not budging from it's marble expression. Her head slightly twitched over to the red-haired Rainbow Barf and Horus looked over to him before tensing up.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Here. Make sure you look to the right under the Wii shelves. There's a present under there for you I think you're going to love."

"Horus, you hate me. It's a dead animal, isn't it?"she asked, taking the small, bronze keys from the man with a questioning look in his direction. To her dismay, he was smiling from ear to ear which could not have meant good news for her. With the smile being the answer to her question, Copper swore under her breath and walked to the back of the store, which was a whole 5 steps away from her. GameStop had always been incredibly small, which is why they only had about 3 people working at one time. Anymore and they may have exceeded maximum capacity. Copper hated that; not being able to have her own personal elbow room. There was nothing to do for it, however. If she wanted this job, she had to go through some major bullshit for it.

Obviously.

Copper opened the back door and immediately looked to where she did not want to look. Over to the Wii Counter. Sitting there was a giant poster written in bright pink, orange, and lime green colors: THIS MONTH IS
BUY ONE GET ONE FREE MONTH! GET YOUR GAMES HERE! There was also a large arrow pointing to the right and, at the very bottom, lay a single pink mask with a feather at the head. Copper wrinkled her nose and stared at it for a couple of seconds before it finally clicked.

"Oh, hell no."

"You're doing it or you're fired,"came Horus's voice from behind her. Copper's face turned into something even more disgusted when she turned around and glared at him. Horus's expression did not change at all, and, to her fear, she didn't think it was going to.

"You're making me a mascot?"

"At least I don't have you dressed in some kind of suit. It's a mask! Don't girls like pretty, frilly things?" Copper's hard glare was his answer and the two of them walked out the room. Rainbow Barf still waited patiently for a game Copper didn't have. As if it were really going to be there. Copper forced the previous frown away and planted a smile on.

"I'm sorry, sir, but as you can see, we don't have any used copies, because, and I don't know if you notice this, the game came out yesterday." And, without even bothering to wish him a good day and thank him for shopping at GameStop, Copper grabbed the poster and mask securely in her hands, and walked out the store without so much as a goodbye in Horus's direction. The wind hit her and the breeze was a negative to the negative day she already had. Two negatives make a positive. Copper looked down at the glimmering pink mask and frowned.

"I wonder what three negatives make..."she mumbled, grabbing the mask and sliding it over her face for kicks. Just as well. She might as well had gotten used to the feeling of it because she was apparently going to be wearing it where everyone could see her. Copper sighed beneath the pink mask and grinned.

"Mmmmmmmmm ah well! Nothing to it but to do it!"she exclaimed, loosening her grip on her poster before hopping in her car. Once she was in, she turned the key and started the vehicle up. The rumble got her excited and she jumped in her seat, laughing at how such a little sound could spark so much adrenaline. She tapped the side of her nose and smiled wildly. "Whens the last time I went sight seeing?"she asked herself aloud, and, without waiting for an answer from herself, wheeled the car off to Kingsburg Bridge, leaving the poster board crunching under the car's tires.
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Lily had been sulking all day. Her parents intervened and told her to go out and socialize. This happened from time to time. She only did half of what she was told. She was near the a bridge, one she did not know. She didn't know why, but she had walked far from home to this place. She was at the base of a pillar, close to a river, when something caught her eye. Ten yards away, she could see a glittering object in the wet sand. Running down, no control over her urge to get it, she snatched it up marveled at its beauty. Even though it had been in the sand, it wasn't dirty. The red streaks looked just as if blood was flowing, but from emptiness.

The mask called to her, begged her to put it on. She couldn't resist the urge. So she out it on. In an instant, she felt carefree and joyous. It wasn't her, yet it was. Then another urge came. The bridge she was standing at the base of called to her. Beckoned her to answer the call. Skipping up the hill, she hummed to herself. Luckily, there was a sidewalk on the side of the bridge, she didn't think people would like her walking in the street. Once she was in the middle, she stopped and waited. For what, she didn't know.
 
foggy-bridge-in-budapest-hungary-800x500.jpg


Fog was building up quickly over the surface of the bay, blanketing only the water. It wouldn't move anywhere else, didn't touch the bridge or either shoreline. It stayed there, waiting.

Oh my, they had gotten here rather quickly, thought the God of Trickery.

Leery eyes inspected the masks and their wearers. There was Lily, the teenaged girl with the gray and red mask. Goodness, it did look like there was blood dropping down its face. And what was this? Was there someone flying over to him? Oh no the person was leaping! The God chuckled, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. What merriment! He turned to see a cab stop just before the entrance to the bridge, watching a little girl wrestle with the cab driver. She was trying to pay with Monopoly money and the driver just wasn't having it. What a shame.

Two simply walked, the gold tint of Issac's mask catching the light of headlights and street lamps. Cathy's mask was simple, but effective. The lights made the rest of her face look shadowed - how creepy. Well at least they arrived if not as fashionably as the others, the God couldn't complain.

Qeren and Copper were the last to arrive and they had done so by car. They were in separate lanes, but still on the same side of the bridge.

Now was the perfect time.

The fog billowed over Kingsburg Bridge, swallowing everything whole. Copper and Qeren's cars would suddenly sputter and then die in the middle of the street. Both the front and back ends of their cars would be hit by their neighbors, hopefully the drivers had their seat belts on. The sounds of other drivers and cars honking would soften and then deaden entirely. The fog grew denser and denser, obscuring everything. People, other cars, and the bridge itself would disappear, making it seem like the wearers were standing in the middle of a cloud. Random streams of light floated in existence, apparently the fog couldn't cover that up. But there was another thing all of them could see.

A figure up above clung to a metal railing, a metal railing that was slowly swallowed up by the fog. Now it looked like the man was hugging air. He waited to be noticed before he spoke.

"And so you have come, my entertainment."

From high above they could see his grin, white pearls of teeth catching the faint fluorescent light.

"I suppose you are curious as to why you have these powers? Or have the masks' personalities deaden your senses?" He spoke normally, but none would have trouble hearing his drawling voice. "Either way, I'll let you work out that problem on your own. As of right now I'd like to offer you something interesting. I've been rather bored you see, so very bored. And I was wondering if you humans could remedy that problem for me. You see I have this mask -"

For a brief second all of them would see the outline of a mask, but no other finer details.

"And this mask is very important. It is called the Creation Mask and it does everything you think it does, and more." He paused and grinned wider, wondering what expressions were held beneath their facade. "You'll have control over every single living thing in this world, even animals. You can even get rid of free will if you wanted. And anything that your mind can fashion, will exist in the blink of an eye. The problem is... I seem to have lost it. Could you find it for me? I promise you I'll make it worthwhile. What do you say?"

He released an arm, dangling from an invisible branch in the air.

"Of course, you can keep it for yourself and do whatever you like. Let me know your answer and I'll begin the hunt. Refuse to play and I'll kill you on the spot."
 
With a sadistic grin and an evil chuckle that wasn't like Qeren at all, Qeren thought of what she could do with that mask. She could kill her enemies and maybe even take over the entire world. With that mask, Qeren could save all the children with cancer. The thought of such grand power made her feel like she was on a euphoric high. Who knows, she may be able to bring back the dead. She could be God or even more. It was too tempting to even consider refusing.

"I'll take the Mask of Creation," Qeren chuckled. "And I'll be doing great things with it. Care to give me a clue?"
 
Issac thought about this. All he could ever desire. Becoming the God of earth and even the heavens. The thought appealed to him greatly. He wouldn't have to worry about anything. The lack of free wil for everyone. Issac smirked. "I accept." He thought about everything. He knew that alone he would never get it. He looked at the girl in the pink mask. She looked to be useful. He didn't like sharing so he would probably stab her in the back later. He plotted on who he could use and who would be enemies. It was too early to judge, but he might as well guess.
 
Lily jumped up and down in excitement. In a very cheery voice that chimed like a bell, told the masked man "oooh, a treasure hunt? Sounds fun. Maybe I could give everyone in the world candy for breakfast and ice cream for lunch, and then chocolate for dinner. Mhmm. I'm hungry. Masked man, do you have candy?" She asked, her eyes pleading like a puppy, her lip slightly sticking out. She really wanted candy. And the guy looked nice enough to give her some.
 
Connor looked down on the assemblage with a childlike grin, his face split ear to ear. He giggled lightly as a fog rolled in, little tendrils brushing his skin like light caresses, Oh look at it come, how interesting. Ive never seen fog move that way~ As the fog slowly rolled across the bridge cars seemed to stop in their tracks, some minor fender benders were the most that happened but still, there seemed to be a minor panic as people tried to figure out what was going on... But Connor could care less, his rapt attention on the way the fog seemed to swallow everything it touched, people, cars, everything, as if a giant beast had gobbled them up.

A fog monster? Is that it? I wonder if it would like to try and chase me?? The idea brought a jolt of glee, but his thoughts were soon interrupted by a voice, booming down from above his head... Someone else out for a little climb today it seems, his smile broadened as he caught site of the man hanging from a rafter high over even his own head. Connor listened to the mans en-rapturous voice, mostly because he could do nothing else, the voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, blooming in his mind as well as his ears. But really all he heard was a game. Find the mask, get your wishes. Not that he really wanted anything right now... he was free, and really, what else matters?

But still he chimed in letting his voice slip out in an amused chatter," Id love to play, friend. Shall we start?"
 
Cathy turned her cold stare up to the man dangling from the metal of the bridge. The fog that rolled in...it wasn't natural. Clearly this guy had power. That mask was no joke; instinctively she was sure that the power he promised was for real. Oh, the things she could do with such power...suddenly all her half-dreamed-up plots and scenarios would be right at her fingertips. But...maybe she could use the mask's power to help the sick? ...No, that would be ridiculous. Where did that thought come from? Other people's emotions didn't matter; the only time Cathy would need to heal someone was if she needed them to fight or work for her and their illness was holding them back. The rest could suffer for all she cared. It would certainly make them easier to conquer.

"I'll go along with your little plan," Cathy called out. "What do you want us to do?"
 
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Copper drummed a beat with her fingers on the steering wheel of the car. There was no music playing and the beat didn't have a definite tone, but once it sprouted in her head, she took a hold of it, adding in nonesense words until she came up with a tiny spree of lyircs.

"I gotta shrouded shadoooow~
I gotta happy life,
I know, I know!

I gotta distant battllllle~
I gotta sacrifice,
I know, Ohhh oh!"


Right where the second verse was supposed to be, Copper let out a yelp when her car suddenly stopped. It shut off, the hum of the engine skidding to a stop. She blinked once behind the mask, tilting her head and looking down at the keys that dangled from the ignition. They were turned to where they were supposed to be, saying the car was on, but still, nothing happened.

"Awwwe what? What happened?" She pouted her lips a slight and tapped the gas meter, noticing that it was still more than half a tank fool. Copper mused for a second before giving up due to the sheer lack of excitement in finding out the cause of her sudden blow out. "Ah, well! I'll just walk the rest of the way!" Maybe it was just her, but as soon as Copper got out of the car, she shuddered against the slight breeze of fog around her. Of course, in her other mind, she would have questioned why fog had suddenly appeared at that time of day and at that specific place, no doubt, but Masked Copper didn't. She looked ahead of her at a crowd of people that were listening to something...someone.

"*Gasp!* A concert!" She ignored her poor excuse for a car and ran beside the one named Cathy, nudging her slightly in the elbow. "Hey, who's playing?" Just as she said the sentence, the voice hit her with an ultimatum. Find the Mask of Creation or die. Copper leaned on her hip, brown hair swinging onto her shoulder while her nose wrinkled behind the mask.

"You want us to find it or.....die? Well DUH I'm gonna help! I don't wanna die!"she exclaimed, rolling her eyes and placing her hand on her hips. "What do we do?"
[/DASH]
 
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One of them called him a friend, another asked him for candy, another just seemed hyper. What were these fools thinking? He just said that he intended to kill them if they didn't play, surely they knew he wasn't the best person in the world? The man scoffed, blaming their naivety on their new personas. Just when they thought his grin couldn't grow wider, it did.

"I'll beam you the hint in just a second. I believe there are bigger problems to be dealt with."

The fog vanished quickly, sounds and sights assaulting the wearers immediately. All around them were fires, burning from the many cars that were lit aflame around them. Some of them could see bodies, crisping up and blackening from the heat. There were cars smashed into another, others had veered off course, teetering from the bridge. Screams and shouts filled the air, from those that were in pain and others that were panicked.

Bright powerful lights moved around them from up above. A beam of light stopped on Copper, another on Cathy, before moving on to the others. Two helicopters were circling the bridge, focused upon the masked people. Soon they heard someone speaking from one of the vehicles.

"This is the Corthan Police Force, we have you surrounded. Take off your masks, and put your hands on the ground. Repeat, take off your masks and put your hands on the ground. Failure to comply and we will open fire."

The god, who mysteriously wasn't noticed by the police, still clung to the bridge. He was laughing merrily, almost uncontrollably.

"They, They think - Hahahaha - You were the cause o-of this ACCIDENT! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Humans are so stupid!" He inhaled sharply, clutching at his sides. "Oh right - Here's your clue."

Suddenly their vision would be obscured as a message in gold was scribbled neatly in the dark.​




Kiera was invited to dinner with her father, a business tycoon who ran the monorail systems throughout the city. Her mother would have joined them but she was off attending a meeting of some sorts. According to Kiera's father, it was a meeting that was sprung upon the woman. He rambled a bit about how their mother was being treated by her company.

"If she started her own business, she'd be the one making the meetings!" He exclaimed, slamming a fist onto the table. "Then maybe she'd be able to come to dinner with us once or twice!"

Luckily there wasn't many people around to embarrass Kiera. The girl merely smiled and ate her chow mein, occasionally making a comment. They were at a rather upscale restaurant, where their chairs were padded comfortably and a large fountain stood in the center filled with koi fish. Her parents very rarely cooked at home, so Kiera ate out often. She was finishing the last bit of her meal when the waiter came by with the check and a handful of fortune cookies. As her father retrieved his credit card from his wallet, Kiera reached over and cracked a cookie opened. She tore the paper out and read the message, the writing written in gold.

The waiter returned again, but he bore a peculiar look upon his face. He already finished processing the credit card so both were looking at him very oddly. The man turned towards Kiera and from his behind his back, he revealed a very elegant looking mask. This he handed reluctantly to the girl.

"I'm sorry - a gentlemen from the back asked me to give this to you. At first I refused, but he said that it was yours. Must be a secret admirer or something." He bowed from the waist. "Have a good evening, please come back very soon."



Her mother just finished reprimanding the girl again for skipping school. The principal had called this time for what seemed like the third time that month. Chidone's mother wasn't having it anymore. The two had gotten into a big fight, her mother screaming and Chidone screaming back. At first her mother tried to understand what made her daughter skip school, but the woman slowly lost patience as the girl's grades started to slip.

"You're gonna go to your room and think about your future! If you skip school again I am shipping you to boot camp, you got that!"

Inside with her door closed and the sounds of the city rolling in through her window, Chidone opened her laptop. It was the only light source in the room, the girl liked it that way. Sounds of keys tapping accompanied the car honks and faint talking from outside. Her mother didn't think about taking away her laptop, just her phone. That was fine though - Chidone was talking to a handful of her friends via messenger. She was back to her former self, chuckling and smiling when a mysterious IM came through. It was from Cagn_V2.0. This message was written in gold as well and as quickly as the message arrived, the person had signed off.

The sound of glass shattering sent the girl flying to the floor. Shards tumbled upon the windowsill and onto Chidone's bed, along with a mask. Someone was laughing outside, a high pitched manic like laugh. The sound faded away and a knock on her door almost gave the girl a heart attack.

"Chidone, what was that? Let me in sweet heart."


"Brown murky and smelly, that liquid runs underneath your feet. The next hint lies underneath the street."