Night of the Marauding Dead

[Spekkun]

Located where country and ocean meet, East Clertaux is perhaps the biggest trade center this side of the hemisphere. Hundreds of thousands of people travel to the harbor town to sell any rarities and merchandise they may have collected over the years, the season's harvest or the booty collected from foes killed in battle. Dozens of ships come and go, bringing spices, metals, rare elements and anything else that could fetch a price on the market. It's a merchant's paradise, heaven for the eccentric buyer. Nothing is out of reach in the city.

The city streets are constantly noisy, only going silent halfway into the night. Auctioneers yelled out bids and salesmen advertised their products and "low prices" to any passerby's, tempting them to spend their hard-earned cash. The scent of the sea mingled in the air, mixing with cooked foods, raw meats, and ripe fruits, creating a smell that one would either love or hate. The city itself had such a rich economy that it could potentially exist on its own without the backing of its country, staying only out of loyalty to its nation.

But despite the booming city, all was not well and has not been for weeks now. It started with the capsizing of a large trade ship in the dead of the night. It was found hours into the day, split right down the middle. While foul play was suspected, no one was accused due to a lack of evidence nor any knowledge of someone capable of committing the crime.

The second night more ships met the same fate, as did the crews that slept on those ships. The boats were destroyed, broken into wooden pieces or split in half, but the bodies were nowhere to be found. In response, security detail on the docks was more than tripled in an attempt to figure out who or what was destroying property. That night, the guards were met with a horror they were unprepared for.

That night the horizon was covered in fog and the waters began to slow, growing cold, cold as though it were winter despite the summer season. It was difficult to make out, but one guard was able to make out the front of a large ship, the bow of the ship having been carved into the head of a dragon. But it wasn't the ship itself that would fill the guards with terror but what was upon the ship. The skinless bodies of the undead, rotting flesh dropping into the water, white bone open for all to see.



The guards stood no chance. The battle was brutal, no weaponry seemed to work against the creatures and while magic was effective, it was difficult to put them down for good. By the time the sun had risen the undead abominations had retreated back to sea leaving few guards left alive. Those that survived reported back to their leadership with news of what transpired the night before and the news spread quickly. East Clertaux's reputation and very economy was now at stake as fear rippled through the city, causing a few merchants to shut down temporarily or even leave the city altogether. As the nights passed the undead warriors only became more brazen, even daring to go beyond the docks and into the city itself.

Though the people of the city stand strong against the threat, without an answer soon many of its citizens and businesses will leave or be killed in the chaos.

********
​

For Ryan Chronus, this was a no-no. Not only was the city just beautiful, but he often bought materials for his inventions from Clertaux, and it was one of his shipments that was lost in the initial chaos with more following after. At first, he thought he'd just pay someone else to take care of it, but then he could feel that familiar tingle in his spine. This could be worth going to see himself, there could be something to discover, and if not there was always an adventure! Just the thought of a life-risking, rabble-rousing, fist-throwing, heart-beating, bruise-giving adventure was enough to send tingles down his spine.


And so, against the judgment of his peers, Ryan found himself sitting on a bench at the docks, toying with a finger trap he'd gotten stuck in. Despite the night being a few hours away many of the shops on the docks were already closing their doors, not wishing to tempt a run-in with the undead marauders. There were a few people, perhaps heroes in the making, that anticipated the arrival of night, hoping to solve the city's problem and make a name for themselves in the process. Some of them, however, looked like they were up to no good. Perhaps it was his eye for detail and an overactive imagination but he could practically see the evil intent just oozing out of them. Maybe they were going to wait and see if any loot was left over for them to take, seemed to be the most obvious answer.

"Hey...you look familiar." A man, a very large man at that, grabbed Ryan by the back of his shirt, lifting him into the air so that they were eye to eye. Ryan was about average height for someone in this thirties but this guy easily towered over him, one of the fortune seekers no doubt. "Hella familiar..." The man stared at Ryan and Ryan stared back. Both were silent for awhile, the man waiting for Ryan to tell him who he was and Ryan wondering if he should use a silly alias or not.

"Oh yeah, you've probably seen me around, I'm pretty popular." He grinned at the brutish stranger, raising both his thumbs up. "I'm a genius, pretty smart dude. Chronus is the name, getting my fingers unstuck from this trap is the game." He raised the finger trap so that the man could see. "You sir, have a good eye! Nobody else recognized me!" In truth, it wasn't a good thing, but he could probably control the situation somewhat if he was just honest. All the guy would want is a little money after all. "So if you put me down, I can get back to this finger mess and you can walk away with some gold in your pocket!"

"No...way..." The brute was quite shocked for a moment. This was a good day for him, not only would he become a legend tonight but he'd get some extra gold on the side! He could use that to buy those slick new boots he saw the other day. He was just about to lower Ryan to the ground when another thought hit him. "No way...I could get rich for life if I keep you!" He could just ransom him off, someone would pay a lot of money for this guy, right? He was a genius inventor, his people needed him!

"Hm." Ryan pouted, his nice dress shirt was going to be ruined at this rate. The man's eyes scanned the docks as he weighed his options. He could call out like a damsel in distress, but that could attract negative attention to him. He could try to fight back but that could yield the same results. Besides, he was far smaller than this guy, he'd have to go for the eyes and that just didn't sit right with him. People needed to see! He also had to save the good tricks he had for when he needed them most. So for the moment, he would just sit there and look pathetic until option number two was his only option or some kind soul decided to help him out.

 

[Psycho Of Ireland]

Erika Havensroot, a young (for a kitsune) kitsune that had been living in the port for most of her life, she still remember when it was a small trading hub but now it was this large sprawling city, and she loved it. From the smell of the air at the dicks to the hustle and bustle of the many shopping areas where traders peddled thier goods each place had its own character.

Walking alng one of the many places in the city she was able to see a youngman with his fingers in some sort of toy being accosted by a much larger man, a feral grin came over her face as she stalked toward the. She started to let out a slight hum as she walked drawing the attention of everyone around her as hey gazed at the attractive red head in the form fitting dress.

" Now now sir, I very much doubt that harming this young gentleman is the best idea right now, even more seeing as with a flick of my wrist you would be nothing but paste splattered over the wall" she said in a cheerful tone of voice as he eyes were completely icy and seemed to stare into the mans soul.

As this was happening a tall figure wearing a ratty trench coat dared past a few of the onlookers. His hand dipped into idle pockets lifting what they could before he slept inti the shadows.

 

[Greenie]

The docks were a place Nevin liked to often visit. He wasn't really a man well versed in seamanship, but he quite liked looking out at the ocean and count the waves, watched the ships coming and leaving the port city. East Clertaux wasn't where he was born; he and his pack had always lived among mountains and pine forests. However, the days of wolf shifters being a pack that secluded itself from the rest of society had changed. There were scarce fifty left in his old pack grounds; eventually he left for the city life, and then East Clertaux in particular, having heard of the lovely town and wishing to witness it for himself.

The then twenty-year old hadn't had an easy time at first, but he soon learned that many richer folk were quite happy to hire bodyguards around their shops and stores. The life of muscle was fine by him; while his human form seemed intimidating enough to some, it was his wolf form that caused others to step back nervously. Funnily enough, he was pretty much harmless either way, unless someone actually decided to act like a moron.

Which it seemed someone had, judging by the small crowd growing around a couple of men. Normally he would leave them be, seeing it wasn't his business, but all the fishy undead business was already causing enough drama as it were. Sighing, the wolf shifter rose from the bench and shifted to his rather large wolf form, dark grey nearing black aside from some markings on his face.

He padded forward, though came to a tentative pause when he caught sight of a rather cheery feminine voice threatening to turn someone to paste. Well that can't be good. While he could tell the woman was a kitsune by her looks, it was the scent that got to him first. He was slightly unsure of how to proceed now. He wasn't a magical sort, but his heritage caused him to learn about such beings and he certainly didn't want to get on the violent side of of one, or worse, the flirting side. It was probably best to watch from a distance for now. Women were, after all, scary beings.

So, Nevin sat down on his haunches, head tilted as he watched the commotion. Worse come to worst, he'll jump in or something.​

***​

At the same time, a young woman was watching the same shenanigans from the shadow of an empty side street. She didn't really enjoy the light, but she had decided to come out during the day anyway and wait for the zombies or whatever the hell they were to come out. Also... one of the cafes near here had one of the best double-doubles she had tasted, so there was that. She had just finished drinking said coffee and had dumped the cup in a garbage can when she caught sight of a smaller man being bullied by a larger one.

"Hm..." Her eyebrow raised momentarily, clearly not satisfied with the going ons, but she kept in the shadows nonetheless. She wasn't the sort of person who liked attention, and besides, daytime was for relaxing and drawing. It was night when she did all of her vigilante work.

Her quick eyes did catch one something, however. While the fellow in the trench coat may have been too slippery to be caught by a normal passerby or someone distracted by other affairs, a vampire was another matter entirely. Her brown eyes followed as he slipped away from the crowd. A placid look on her face, she easily caught up with the fellow, grabbing his sleeve with a tight grip.

"They might be idiots, but I sure as hell saw what you did. Bet you wouldn't want me to tell the police, right?"​

 

[Psycho Of Ireland]

Tore stopped as he felt someone grab his sleeve, turning his head he heard the voice if a woman, which made him shudder. His eyes took in her face even if they widen slightly in fear, he wasn't really too fond of the female persuasion.

Tearing his arm out of her grip he turned towards her, "oh so you would turn in someone trying to survive, that's awfully nice of you" he said sarcastically to her as she was now able to get a better look at him. Most if his clothes. Clearly his clothes had seen better days as these were covered in holes and rips and not to mention the few stains that were on them.

 

[Applo]

A hiss followed by a metallic crack tumbled out of an open pair of French windows high above the docks. Alex took a sip from the frosty can before pouring the rest of its contents into a glass and then wondering out onto the apartments small balcony, squinting in the late afternoon sunlight. He took a few more sips of his drink before setting the glass down on the balcony grubby white plastic table, exchanging it for a pair of binoculars. It didn't take Alex long to spot what he was looking for.

Years of training and practice meant that he could scan the crowds below quickly and still pick out the important details. Also his partner hadn't exactly made an effort to blend in and her shock of auburn hair and red jacket where hard to miss. She appeared to be haranguing a store holder who seemed far more interested in shutting up his stall than answering her questions. Without taking his eyes of his partner Alex ran his fingers down the cable that trailed from his right ear until he felt the little microphone and flicked the power switch.

"BOOO!!"

The ensuing bout of laughter meant that Alex struggled to keep the binoculars focused on his partner as she nearly jumped out her skin before turning around and, after a little searching, sent a two finger salute in Alex's direction.

"You ok down there hen?" Alex chortled whilst waving at her.

"Apart from having some utter dickwad shouting in my ear I'm fine. You're buying me a drink for that you know."

Grinning from ear to ear Alex picked up his glass and took a noisy mouthful of the cool liquid before letting out a sigh of contentment.

"You should have stayed up here, I managed to find the trip switch about an hour ago and the freezer works beautifully. Have you found out anything useful down there?" The only reply Alex received to this question was second two fingered salute aimed at him.​

~~~~~​

"Well I'll let you know if I see anything interesting. Give a shout if yous need anything."

"Yeah yeah yeah, now, piss off!" Sarah yanked the the headphone from her ear, letting it dangle from the zip of her jacket. For a moment she was tempted to have another go at asking the store holder some questions but she decided against it. The man had barely even acknowledge her existence so far and and frankly Sarah had the feeling that given a choice between answering some questions and being very far from the dock right now the man would be round the first corner before she could even say hello.

Giving up on this avenue of investigation Sarah wandered aimlessly around the docks occasionally stopping to ask a passer by questions that went largely unanswered. She was beginning to think about calling it a day and heading back to Alex and the apartment they were 'borrowing' when she spotted the strange little tableau.

Already the two men that seemed to be facing off had a small crowd watching them, including what appeared to be the world's largest dog and Sarah had to pace around a bit before she found a spot where she could see without having to get too close. She had no intention of getting involved unless she had to but she wanted to see what was going to happen. Maybe this afternoon wouldn't be a total waste of time.​

 

[Spekkun]

When the woman approached the two, many different things went through Ryan's head. Were those ears real or was it just a prop? Could she actually make paste out of flesh and bone or was it hyperbole? And most importantly, would the situation escalate further? If she actually could, he hoped she wouldn't, that would just make a mess and he wasn't going to clean it up, nor did he believe that she would and if you asked him, those poor city workers had suffered enough these past few weeks! Not to mention the law!

While Ryan had many things on his mind, only one thought went through the brute's head. "Ya jokin' with me, right?!" His tone was both condescending and a genuine inquiry. A part of him was worried by her words but he was tough in his own right. Did he really have to be nervous? "Look I've seen some stuff girly, but you don't look like you're even half my age let alone my size! I'm damn sure you ain't pastin' nobody today! 'Specially not me!" It seemed the more he talked the more his confidence shot up. "'Sides, me and this guy here are just…talkin' business." He looked to Ryan, a look on his face that just screamed 'You better agree'.

Ryan took notice of the face, biting his lip before looking back to Erica. "Well, foxy lady, I don't normally talk business with people myself. What should have happened was that his people would call my people and then they would work things out and…" Oh, he was monologuing again. "No, this isn't a business. I was just waiting for night to fall when this…this…brute! Grabbed me and decided to hold me hostage!" He then clasped both his hands together, giving Erika the most hopeful look he could muster. "Please oh please, won't you save me?"

"You just made this a whole lot harder on yourself." The brute was obviously pissed off, started to back away from Erika. The only thing he was thinking about was getting his bounty away from this girl, who more than likely just wanted to take him for herself. Not to mention anyone else that might take notice. As he backed away he grabbed Ryan by the wrist, prying his hands apart and pulling the genius's arm behind his back. The awkward angle made his arm look like a chicken wing and it earned a not-so-muffled shriek from the man. "Lucky I don't wanna damage the goods." He whispered to Ryan before looking at the horizon. "Sun is setting! I got my claim to riches right here, so you might wanna treat this undead business as yours!"

The man wasn't lying either. The sun had indeed begun setting and the night was approaching rather quickly. Most of the adventures and would-be-heroes that did notice the commotion now either didn't care or decided that their future legend was far more important than whatever was going on over there. They kept their sights focused on the horizon and thoughts on the immediate future.

The last few shops had finally closed, and shop owners had either already fled the docks or were in the middle of doing so. In their minds, it was better that this brutish man dragged Ryan away. The farther away from the docks they were the safer he would be. With the shops shutting down the only lights on the docks came from the lamps lining the borders and the red of the setting sun itself.

 

[Greenie]

Nisha raised an eyebrow, catching the look on the fellow's face. She didn't even have red eyes or elongated fangs at the moment; by all means she looked almost like a sixteen year old rather than a twenty-three year old woman. It was one thing she disliked; her small stature caused no one to take her seriously. This guy however was acting as if she was being malicious.

Well, she did just threaten to tell the cops on him, so there was that.

"Huh... and was it awfully nice of you to take things that weren't yours to begin with?" Nisha wasn't the sort of person to fall for sob stories... especially the kinds she had heard before. That wasn't to say she didn't sympathize with those less fortunate, but she couldn't and wouldn't condone thievery. "The people you stole from probably need that money, and even if they don't, it's not yours. Simple enough."

She ignored the noise from the docks and kept her eyes on the man. "Why not get a job or something instead? There're places that'd take you... this place's got odd jobs aplenty."​

***​

If Alex had super hearing, he may have heard the sound of small fluttering wings. If he didn't, it was no matter, because surely he would hear the sound of a small yet audible feminine voice. "I don't know if you find scary sea creatures interesting, but they will come when the sun goes down."

Sitting on the balcony railing near Alex was a small four inch person, a girl or a young woman by the looks of it, seeming to almost glow white. She was dressed in a white dress of sorts, though more noticeable than that was probably the pair of small butterfly-like wings on her back.

"Hello by the way!" She sounded rather cheerful, despite having just announced that there would be ensuing ruckus and chaos soon enough. "I'm Chi, pleased to meet you!" Fairies were common enough in the world, but they didn't normally seek out humans to chitchat with, so she was perhaps a bit of an oddity.​

***​

Nevin was quite unsure whether this was a potentially safe place to remain. Frankly the undead were a much lovelier prospect that a heavy-handed kitsune. He wasn't sure why she wanted to help the caught fellow; if he was a kitsune he'd simply watch how it played out and then go after the survivor. Then again, he wasn't a foxy-lady as the now begging man had called her just a little earlier.

Frankly, it wasn't even the kitsune bit that scared him... more the red hair and the instant resorting to violence.

Speaking of people with fiery hair, was that another woman with reddish hair? Was he being stalked? His mind inserted a scream emoji in his thoughts as he grumbled under his breath, though he didn't have much time to pay attention. The crowd had begun to lessen and darkness was beginning to show. The sounds of doors closing and shutters being pulled down meant these people had more enthusiasm to live than for live and free entertainment.

Mentally clearing his throat, he 'spoke' up, that is, the surrounding people would be able to hear him as he spoke telepathically. "So, it's getting dark, maybe leave the pummeling and extorting for tomorrow morning, eh?"​

 

[Applo]

~ Alex McLeod ~​

When a small, soft voice started taking in his seemingly out of nowhere Alex had to fight hard against the instinct to reach for the gun at his waist. After a moment to collect himself, he slowly lowered the binoculars away from his eyes and placed them carefully on the table before looking for the voice's owner.

He relaxed a little once he spotted the fairy sitting on the railing watching him, although he didn't let his guard down entirely. In his previous life Alex had learned quite a bit about fairies and he knew they were normally mostly harmless, normally being the operative word.

"Me and my partner are rather counting on that pet." Alex chuckled as he spoke and his face stretched into an easy grin despite his caution. "Investigating strange phenomena is wee bit easier when they happen on a schedule. Gives us time to get prepared and have a bite of tea before hand. It's much better than having to sit around for days watching for something to happen.

Alex reached out slowly towards Chi, index finger outstretched. "I'm McLeod, but you can call me Alex. Now tell me, what's a fairy like you doing here?​

 

[Psycho Of Ireland]

Erika could see the sun starting to dip beyond the horizon, night was coming and that was not good. "Listen tall dark and ugly, you have two choices. One you don't let him go and I break your arm, or two you let him go and you get to walk away intact" she threatened the large man that held the other person in his grip.

Personally Erika was not too worried about the dead rising from the sea to attack the town as they couldn't really touch her, she healed far too fast for that. But she refused to let the innocents of this town get hurt so yet again she would be spending her nights it killing and protecting."look I'm sure you would rather survive this night so make the right choice".

Tore looked at the women that had stopped him, from what he could tell she was younger than him by a year. "Did you look at the people that I took the money from at all" he said as he had only taken from those that had more money than they knew what to do with. "Each one of them waves around more money than I have seen in my life and yet you say they need it" he said incredulously.

"And a job?, Who would hire a homeless person in he docks in situation like is going on" he said to her with a slight snort. He already knew that no would hire him, they wanted people who could protect the wares, they had no use for him. Running his hand through his hair he moved it just enough to make it seem more tidy, "Look it's either I take this and possibly survive the night or I go hungry and don't have the energy to run from the dead" he said to her exasperated.

 

[Spekkun]

Everyone that "heard" Nevin was caught off-guard by the voice in their head, especially the would-be kidnapper. The fact that it went straight to his brain without traveling through his ears was enough for him to let go of Ryan's arm, something the genius was more than happy about. "What the hell, why do you people even care?" As far as he knew, nobody had recognized Ryan but him. "You should be more concerned with the dead than the living."

As he spoke, his eyes scanned the docks, looking at everyone for any telltale sign of the one who had spoken. It clearly wasn't the fox girl, she'd been speaking normally the entire time. And almost everyone else in the crowd seemed to be just as bewildered as he was.

It took him a moment, but his eyes finally landed on the wolf in the back. Rather or not the wolf was the one who "spoke" was of no consequence. It was a wolf, and the creature was looking directly at them. The brute decided to call it quits then and there. This whole thing seemed to be more trouble than it was worth. With everyone else around he probably had a better shot with his original goal anyway. "…Fine. Yer' lucky time ain't on my side." He told Erika, dropping Ryan as he slowly backed away.

Ryan fell to the ground but jumped back onto his feet quickly, dusting himself off in the process. His shirt had been stretched so now it looked far too big for him. As annoying as it was to have it hang from his shoulders he tried his best to ignore it. "Sweet Christmas that was close! I didn't wanna give that guy any money! Thanks for helping me out of that jam," He then looked at Nevin, "And to you, if it was you thinking aloud." He snickered a bit at his own joke if you could even call it that.

"Well, that was entertaining." Someone in the crowd laughed, more chuckling along with him. The whole event was, as bad as it sounded, a good relief of tension for some of the group. A lot of them, whether they hid it well or not, were terrified of the upcoming battle. They were focused on the horizon as a way to avoid abandoning what they had hoped to achieve tonight.

Ryan cleared his throat and tried to fix his shirt, blowing a raspberry when he failed to keep it from hanging low on his shoulders. "Huh...I should have worn a tough shirt." He told himself before looking at his saviors. "So, you guys here for the undead too? Pretty spooky right? I heard about it and I was like 'I just gotta see this with my own eyes'!" He finally stopped fidgeting with his clothes. "Ryan by the way." He introduced himself.

As he spoke the last light of the sun faded, signaling the end of the day and the beginning of the night. The harbor waters, once calm, started to grow agitated and frothy. A cold unsettling breeze rolled across the harbor, eerie enough to send chills down the spines of most of those there, especially Ryan. He shivered, goosebumps rising on his arms.

 

[Greenie]

"Hello Alex!" Chi immediately took hold of the index finger with her hand, giving it a hearty shake- well, it was hearty for her and probably light for the much bigger man. She smiled brightly as she let go of his hand, teetering back and forth on her feet, her wings making sure she didn't fall off the railing by accident. "Well, I normally would keep away from such a place because it does get windy, but I heard about the scary creatures! I don't like seeing them, but I was worried about people who may get hurt and wanted to be close by in case someone was hurt and needed help!"

Pure and innocent were good words to describe Chi, as were the words altruistic and sympathetic. Others would simply refer to it as stupid and naive, but she was hardly around others to hear such mean things anyways!

"So you must be like a detective!" She couldn't help but clap her tiny hands enthusiastically. "That sounds very exciting! Are you going to try and stop them, or are you just going to sit and take notes?" She put a hand on her chin as she stopped her teetering to think, turning round so that she now looked at the water. "I wonder if they can climb all the way up here? I hope not!"

@Applo​

***
​

Nisha listened to purple haired fellow, an eyebrow raised as she took in his words. Obviously he didn't get that no matter whether someone was poor or rich, it was their money and not his.

He was right about one thing, however: Night was coming and it was probably best if he scampered off before they came and decided he looked like a tasty purple treat to nom on. Besides, with her eyes and her skills, she could very well draw a sketch of the young man and hand it over to her friend by the cops. Who knew, maybe it would be to the thief's advantage rather than the other way.

"Well, go on then." She stepped back and waved her hand in a shooing manner. "Just remember though, if you get caught, you're the one breaking the law, not the one you stole from. Ta." With that said, she turned away and headed out in the open, no longer worried about the sun which was now nearly gone.

@Psycho Of Ireland​

***
​

Nevin figured people would know it was him talking, seeing he was the only non human about, and, well, he was a very big wolf. He did find this person a little stupid, however. Noticing there were only a few remaining and not wishing to talk mentally, he shifted to his humanoid form, now standing just as tall, though there was no sign of tail or fur on him now.

Well, aside from the orange cat fur on his dark jeans. Darn that thing.

"Nevin Nakamura." He glanced at the two other ladies there. "Kitsune." He was wary of the fox lady, even if she seemed to be somewhat peaceful... relatively speaking anyway. He next looked at the other woman there, the other redhead. She didn't smell like a shifter or anything fancy and potentially dangerous in the magic and supernatural department. "And Miss...? Guessing you're all here to check out these undead bastards as well, eh? Hope you guys can do more fighting than Ryan 'by the way' there." He didn't mean to sound derisive- no wait, he did. He felt it was justified though. He could probably tear a zombie to shreds in both forms, and he assumed the kitsune had her powers. What of the two humans?

@SkittlesAndSpike @Applo @Psycho Of Ireland​

 

[Psycho Of Ireland]

Erika giggled at the way Ryan reacted to being let go, it was rather cute in its own way but he wasn't her type so she wasn't about to do anything about it. As this Nevin fellow said something to the other woman there she barely even looked over at her, she had bigger things to worry about than another woman right now. ''It was my pleasure to help a cutie such as you, although I was kinda wanting to have a little throw down with big and scary there, been too long since I had a good fight'' she said as she ran her hands through her long hair.

When she pulled her hands out they seemed to be coated in some sort of metallic claws that graced her finger, each one was cured and looked wickedly sharp, enough to easily tear through flesh and bone. ''You think if I slash at these undead lucky charms will spew out? or is that just leprechauns?'' she asked seemingly unconcerned a out the fact that the dead would soon be upon them if the position of the sun was any indication.

''And you Mister wolf, you seem interesting, want to get to know each other some more?'' she asked as she cocked her head to the side and put her claw covered digits on her chin and her hips.

---------

Tore watched as the woman left him alone, so what if she went to the police they had better things to worry about. The dead rising being one of them. Turning around he saw that it would soon be the time for the dead to actually appear which he did not really like the thought of. Time to find somewhere to hide for the night and failing that a good position that he could defend.

Walking deep into one of the many alley ways of the city he soon found a rope ladder that led upto a rather large balcony, scrambling up the rope ladder he got to the top and pulled it up after him before looking around. The place was clear of anyone else. He then reached into a small alcove he had made when he was here before and pulled out a sleeping bag before laying down on it with a large hunting knife in his hands. He was ready.

 

[Applo]

~Alex Mcleod~

---

As Chi shook his finger Alex was careful to let her lead the motion. He didn't want to accidentally launch the poor wee thing off the railing. He was also a little surprised at her motivations for being here. None of the fairies he had dealt with in the past had never stuck him as being overly altruistic. That being said, there were multiple reasons that he had been sent to make contact with those particular individuals and none of them had even been to give out awards for good behaviour. In the privacy of his own head Alex was quite prepared to believe that this Chi was a different type of fairy altogether.

This character judgement went on hidden behind a face that wore a well crafted look of genuine interest and Alex laughed heartily when she declared the he and Sarah must be detectives. He was going to point out that to be detectives they would have to be getting paid by someone but before he had a chance to speak Chi had something else on her mind as she looked at the floor many stories below.

"I hope that too, though it would be quite interesting if they could and that is what me and my partner are here for. Besides…" Alex gave the fairy a wink before continuing. "This isn't our first go at this. There a few ways out of here if we need them and we've both got more than a few tricks up our sleeves for these kinds of situations. How about you? Have you got a plan in case this all get too much for you?"

---

~Sarah Pendleton~

---

The voice in her appearing in head without passing through her ears threw her for a moment and made her look around but once she saw the dog change in a man she settled back down. Wolf Shifter. She'd been there, done that and picked up a couple of nice scars in the process

Sarah was a little annoyed when the newly named Nevin looked over to. She had hoped to stay in the background so that the members of the group she was watching wouldn't pay her any attention. With the rest of the crowd melting away like the sunlight however and her staying seated where she was Sarah came to the conclusion that being noticed had become inevitable.Standing up, she dusted herself off and made her way over to the rest of the group.

"Don't worry about me wolf boy." She knew that was more than a little rude but the last wolf shifter Sarah had had to deal with had rather dimmed her view of them. "If me and my partner couldn't deal with the strange and supernatural we'd both be a thin red smear on the ground somewhere by now."

---

​

 

[Spekkun]

"You don't have to worry about me either, I'm here to observe and learn," Ryan assured Nevin, "I plan to stay way back here, and watch all you guys fight it." He didn't bring any weapons, not that he was a fighter in the first place. He did bring something in case he got into a jam but it was specifically for the undead, and even then it might not work. "She's ready to fight now, see? I'll be fine." He jerked a finger in Erika's direction. He had to admit, the claws were cool but the way she acted and spoke with them was...well...unhinged. It actually crept him out a little. "Don't worry fox friend, you'll get your fair share of action." He assured her. The undead would show up at any moment now.

"If I can get my hands on a body then I could probably figure out how to return them to the land of the dead." He needed to figure out the cause before he could find the cure. It could be a plethora of different things: An ancient curse, a spell cast upon someone, a problem in the realm of the dead. Each of these was plausible, and each had a different route to resolve the issue. "So, that's why I'm here. What about you guys? Out here lookin' for glory like the rest of them?" He asked the question not necessarily out of curiosity, but because he believed there could be some benefit to him, depending on their answers.

*****​

Unlike the rest of the folk who were still standing by the docks, probably people who thought they were invincible, Nisha had decided that would do something useful about the thief boy she'd caught and let go of. So he had a sob story; who didn't in this day and age? She found it ridiculous that he couldn't find a job; in fact, it seemed unacceptable to her. So, she made her way to the police department, deciding to visit an acquaintance who might be able to find a solution to this problem.


It was the usual affair once she stepped inside, rather empty save for one office. Her sharp nose and ears could smell and hear the telltale signs of someone being there. And sure enough, someone was, at least physically. The chief of police himself was staying late, but it wasn't for work. As if he had no shame, he had left both, his office door and window wide open, allowing anyone to see the state he was in. His booted feet were propped up on his desk as he leaned back in his chair, which looked ridiculously small for the tall man. His arms dangled on either side of his chair and a plate containing a half eaten-pizza slice rested on his chest rose and fall with every breath he took as he slept. To top it all off, the computer on his desk displayed not work but a video game, the window opened side-by-side with a 'how to' guide on building some grand castle.


"Hm…" Nisha's eyes most naturally fell on the computer screen and then the sleeping man, a look of exasperation crossing her face as she shook her head. "Yeah, sure. The intrepid police chief's solution to the undead is obviously castle building on his computer. Makes loads of sense."


Walking over to where he was sleeping, she reached out and gave a sharp tap to his desk with her sharp fingernail, relentlessly dragging it against the surface in a long and painstaking fashion. With how sensitive his hearing was, she was quite certain this would have an amusing effect. In fact, there was already a smirk dancing on her lips.


The intended reaction occurred nearly instantly. The chief practically flew out of his seat, slapping his over his ears. "Ooowww!" He practically howled, his groggy eyes staring directly at Nisha. The shocked expression his face wore changed into an accusative one as he narrowed his eyes at the vampire. "Nisha...why...why would you do this to me?" He almost sounded betrayed. In fact, he was pretty sure he was. "You couldn't just tap my shoulder? Or kiss my cheek?" He couldn't help but grin through the pain after that one.


"You saying that, I know it's more your way too large ego that got hurt than your ears." That being said, Nisha did feel a little sorry for the werewolf, though she would try her hardest not to show it. Hopefully… The police chief always seemed to find the best ways to make her cringe.


"What are you even doing… like… you fell asleep with pizza on you." Her eyes roamed the desk. "Dude… this is like a month old. You really need a personal assistant or something to keep you up to date on things while you're busy… uh, what's this you're playing? Craftworld? Mineplace?"


Now he was digging in his ear with his pinky-finger as if that would help them feel better. "Well...the point is I was hurt." He told her, removing his finger from his ear to gently tap the side of his head with his palm. "I was taking a short break that was all, my job is pretty tiring ya know. What with undead zombies, muggings, supposed ghosts attacking people." Truth be told, he'd fallen asleep not because he was exhausted from doing his job, but because he'd eaten too much while he played his game.


He glanced over at the paperwork and let out a sigh. "It's the worst part of the job, it's just not up my alley. An assistant would make this job so much easier." He could punch a monster in the face and feel awesome. But staring down a paper form? Too monotonous, plus papercuts were quite frankly the worst. "This game is pretty great, it embodies the best of both crafting and mining, you should check it out sometime! It's pretty darn addicting." He rubbed the underside of his nose, a smirk growing on his face. "So what brings you here again? Did you miss seeing my handsome face? Had to come see dear ol' Tucker?" His ego may have been wounded, but it recovered quickly.


By then, Nisha had already pulled a chair over and was sitting down, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, listening to the tales of the poor police chief. It was a rather strange affair that she was friends with the man, breaking the vampire and werewolf hate trend everyone seemed to enjoy propagating so much. Nisha didn't give a rat's ass he was a werewolf; she wasn't going to pin someone's race against them.


"I actually came to talk about a pickpocket I found around the docks," she started. "I know, normal enough with the street rats around. Still, this guy was an adult and moved fast enough… and I could tell from my nose that he's not a human. At least… not completely. Maybe he could be useful to you?" She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "You could use some help here, maybe."


"A pickpocket eh?" Tucker scratched his cheek as he thought about it. Having someone else on the force could be a benefit to the city and just as importantly, to himself. "Well, maybe if his fingers aren't too sticky I can give him a job on the force." His bosses would likely frown at the idea but he was going to whatever he wanted anyway. "I'll have to meet the fellow, give him an interview and all that stuff." He waved his hand flippantly. Shouldn't be a problem."


"Great," Nisha replied, hoping that if and when they met the purple haired fellow, he'd be reasonable and actually listen to a proposal


She stayed quiet momentarily before speaking up again. "Anyway, that was one thing. Second thing… what the hell's going on about those damn sea zombies? Is anyone even investigating that crap?"


"Oh man, those sea zombies are the bane of my existence." He sighed, shaking his head. "At first I thought it would be good for me, a chance to get away from this desk and knock some heads, just like the old days!" Not quite like the old days, the heads he knocked before belonged to living creatures, not undead warriors. "But I don't have too much of a lead and to be honest, I and my boys are the only reason they haven't made it much further into the city. Well, mostly me." He snickered a bit. "Anyway, I'm thinking that if we at least knew where they took the stuff they steal, then I could duck outside of the city for awhile. That way I'm not chasing my tail." He'd done enough of that, quite literally too.


"As if you haven't done that before." Nisha stuck her tongue out at Tucker, though she sobered up quickly as she thought of what he said. "Hm… well they'll be coming out there tonight, and I saw some others there, humans mostly, but there were so magicky folk too. I think they're waiting to… investigate? It could be an idea. I dunno… maybe catching one, seeing what makes them tick."


"I bet that lot showed up just looking to cash in on the situation." Tucker didn't blame them either, it was the perfect way to get your name out there. You could start your legend from something like this. "Ah, I don't care either way. As long as they keep the death count to a minimum. I'll take any assistance I can get...not that I need it." He added last minute.


"C'mon then." Without further ado, Nisha grabbed the plate of pizza and stood up, setting it down on the messy desk before grabbing onto Tucker's arm and tugging on it in an attempt to pull him up. If he'd been a normal human it might have worked. However, since he obviously wasn't anything of the sort, it was a very moot action. "Get off your keester!"


With a sigh, Tucker allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, huffing at the action. "Fine, I'm up, I'm up." Honestly, he wanted to use the whole "I want to be a hero" thing to get to his regularly scheduled goofing off, but it was probably for the better that he didn't. This whole mess had to end sometime. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you just want to walk around holding on to my arm."


"And you're probably just saying that so I get all flustered and let go." Nisha let out a huff, torn between leading him out or letting go of his arm. Finally deciding she didn't want to be implied as being a nagging mom, she let go. "Alright, lead the way instead."


"D'aww come on...of course I wanted to get you all flustered," Tucker snickered at her, placing a teasing hand on her shoulder, "You could have held on if you want, I don't mind." He told her as he headed out the door.


"Oh shut up."

 

[Greenie]

Oh god she's one of those. Nevin didn't want to deal with another flirtatious woman especially when he (hopefully) had gotten rid of the last one who took her one sided love a little too far.

"Interesting, eh?" he replied, crossing his arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the kitsune. He looked confident but he was wary. "Hell lady, that's kinda insulting, I just turned from wolf into a man. I'd say I'm f***ing awesome."

That said, he looked to the other redhead and then Ryan. Well, it looked like he didn't have to worry about them. He wasn't sure if he was mistaken, but was that veiled hostility he was hearing from the woman. "Whatever you say, eh." He turned in the direction of the water, grey eyes narrowed as he lifted head a little, sniffing the air. "Better get ready... I can smell those dead bastards are near and coming close." Saying that, he reached for his hunting knife. Not the best weapon at the moment but better than nothing.

​

@SkittlesAndSpike @Psycho Of Ireland @Applo

***
​

Chi hmm'd for a little bit before giving the much larger man a grin. "Oh, I might be small but I have tricks up my sleeve too! Well, not tricks really, more, uhm, magickiness? I have a partner too, but she's not here right now, she's somewhere out there." She waved a tiny hand in the direction of the water. "I can feel her though, over here." She tapped at her heart before nodding.

"Still, I do wonder where these are coming from, and how. I have a friend, she lives underwater, and she would never tolerate such a thing to happen." A small thoughtful frown found its place on Chi's face as she pondered over what she'd just said; blue eyes looked away from the waterline to the nearly set sun. "It's almost time."

​

@Applo

 

[Applo]

~Alex Mcleod~​

---

Almost as soon as Chi stopped speaking Alex heard the familiar call tone of his radio ringing.. "Whats occuring? Are we on?" he said into the microphone whilst still smiling at the fae.

There was a slight crackle of static and then Sarah reply arrived in his ear. "Seems like it, everybody's getting tense down here so you better be getting ready." There was a slight pause before she added "oh and I've got a wolf down here too. You'll know him when you see him, watch that for me would you."

"Gotcha!" Alex swore internally at the mention of a wolf. That was something they hadn't planned for. They alway made life far too interesting for his taste. Still, he'd have to cross his fingers, hope grin and bare it for now. The fact that Sarah wasn't calling with an SOS was a hopeful sign that things might be ok Alex told himself without feeling particularly reassured. After looking inside a long fabric bag that was lying just inside the apartments french windows, Alex extended a hand towards Chi.

"I'm going up on the roof, your welcome to a lift if you want one."​

---

~Sarah Pendleton~​

---

With Alex's now apprised of the situation Sarah looked around at spacing of the odd group of people with her and the position of the apartment where Alex would be, did some quick mental arithmetic and then hurriedly shifted several meters away from the left side of the group.

"If you want to stand a chance of making it through this then stay away from me unless I say otherwise." Sarah hoped they would listen pay attention to her warning. If what she had heard from witnesses was true then she what she really didn't need was to spend half the time making sure she wasn't impairing the living as well as the undead. She decided to take a few more steps to the left just in case.

Satisfied that now she was far enough away for now to not cause friendly fire, Sarah flicked the switch in her mind, feeling the slight shudder in the air as her power started to take effect. At the same time she reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of heavy brass knuckle dusters and slipped them over the fingers of both hands, opening and closing her fist round them several times to get them seated.

"Come on then you bastards."​

---

 

[Psycho Of Ireland]

The cloying scent of death reached Erika's nose and caused her to grimace, she hated this scent it clung to everything nowadays. It also meant the undead where near them. ''Well little guy I always get the action that im after, be that in a fight or somewhere else'' she purred out as she ran the blunt edges of her claws down her body as a shiver passed through her spine. she then turned to the wolfy who had declared that he was 'Fucking Awesome'. ''Now now for me to make that assumption would be wholly idiotic, after all I know very very little about you'' she chided softly even though she found his actions to be rather funny.

''No if you men excuse me, im off to do what most men can't'' she said in a sing song voice as she started to walk towards where she could hear the vague direction that the undead where coming from. Her 'Walk' was more of a models one, as she seemed to be both showing off her body and getting ready for a fight as a feral grin appeared over her face, her features shifted slightly and became more animalistic.

''Oh boy, you better hurry up if you want any of them left for you to deal with'' she called out in a playful tone. It was clear that she was enjoying this.

---

Tore could hear them, the shambling and other disgusting sounds reaching his ears as he hid on them. He was lucky that there was only one way up here which he had taken with him. They wouldn't get him tonight.

 

[Spekkun]

While everyone else got ready for combat, Ryan got ready to observe. He decided to take Sarah's advice and back away from them just a little bit more. "Alright, you guys do your smashing and your slicing and killing the undead!" He was very animated when he spoke, growling and flailing his hands about, imitating a stabbing or a smashing. "I'll keep out of your hair, and if you need help, just let me know." He gave all three of them a very big wink, one that reeked of overkill and looked stupid.

Of course, Nevin's nose was absolutely correct, the undead was among them. An ear-splitting horn came from the waters and blared across the docks, bouncing off the walls and causing those with more sensitive ears to either wince or cover them to block the sound out. The horn played twice more before ceasing, casting a deafening silence across the docks. Those who were easily intimidated stood still, holding their breaths while the stronger of the adventurers drew their weapons, poised and ready to strike.

In an uncanny fashion, a ship seemed to appear out of thin air. A wooden goat's head facing towards the dock, a sinister look carved into its face, horns pointed and sharp, colored red with what one could only hope was not blood. Standing with a boney leg, riddled with rotten and peeling flesh, propped up on the goat's head was one of the creatures, clad in chainmail and a helmet that was far too big for him due to the lack of skin and missing meat around his face. In his hands was a rather large halberd, and it seemed ridiculous that his arms, which were nothing but stained bone, were able to support the weight of the weapon. "Hnnggh…" His despite not having much of a throat left, his groan seemed to be just as loud as the horn from earlier, it sounded as if he had gravel in his throat.

The moment the ship got close enough to the docks, he climbed his way onto the head of the goat, raising his halberd into the air. "For glory..!" He cried out before leaping from the ship, weapon poised and ready to strike. The moment he was close enough to land, he swung it downward in an attempt to cleave one of the other adventurers in half. The attempt was mostly a failure as the adventurer managed to block the blow with a weapon of his own. The sound of metal clank of metal against metal screeched out and the wooden dock beneath the adventurer's feet splintered and cracked, nearly breaking apart beneath him.

"Aagh!" The adventurer cried out, his hand releasing his weapon and arm going completely limp at his side. He fell to the ground just as the war cry of several other undead warriors, each wearing the armor of several different cultures, began to leap from the boat, some of them landing in the water and others landing on the docks, rushing the swarm of would-be heroes, including Nevin, Erika, and Sarah. It was clear that the number advantage went to the enemy, more than a dozen already attacking while even more climbed out of the water.

*****
​

"Oi, it's already started." The sounds of battle and the raspy voices of the walking dead were far too familiar to Tucker. He'd been hearing them for nights now, enough that it was more bizarre if he didn't hear it. "Least we can skip the anxious waiting part, always much better to arrive a few minutes late anyway." Even though he was cracking a joke he was a little worried and it showed on his face only a little.

It wasn't for his safety though, or even Nisha's (he knew he was awesome enough to protect her and himself), but more so for the others. All the previous raids had not only caused his force's numbers to deplete, but the undead's to swell and grow, there was at least double from what they had started with now and he could make out those that were his fallen comrades. "I hope none of these people get themselves killed." He told Nisha. "They had to have been hitting other places too, their numbers have grown a lot, since yesterday even." But no other cities had reported anything so he was sure it was smaller towns on the seaside, the ones with less protection and limited capability for communication.

Still, maybe the realization of this wasn't too bad, he could probably grasp an idea of where they were coming from if he had a map of all the places that were attacked. Odds were there weren't any survivors, if at all. But one problem at a time, right? He had to keep these guys from moving any further than the immediate harbor area.

 

[Greenie]

Chi thought about it for a moment before she fluttered up onto the extended hand. She didn't need the lift, but it was offered and she was never one to turn down someone else's good deed. "Why thank you very much Mister Alex!" She offered him a cheerful smile, as if this was the most peaceful dusk ever, settling down carefully and holding on so that he didn't have to worry too much about jostling her about. It wasn't too long before the cheery look turned upside, a small frown creasing her forehead at the sound of the piercing horn.

Down below at the docks, Nevin couldn't help but stumble back, wincing and covering his over sensitive ears. Perhaps they weren't shaped as a wolf at this moment, but that didn't mean he lost any of his hearing or sense of smell when he took on his humanoid form. A feral growl rose in his throat, due to both the pain as well as the anger building within him. Someone was screwing with this city, and he was not happy with it, especially if it was going to ruin his hearing.

Thankfully the horn ceased, but that didn't leave any positive feelings in Nevin- he counted on the pain inducing sound to be the harbinger of something worse. And boy was he right. His hands dropped from his ears, held stiffly by his side as he watched not just the ship make its appearance, but the denizens of. Eyes narrowing, the growl increased in volume. His hands flexed, nails thickening, elongating and sharpening into claws that could easily plunge into a human flesh.

He barely glanced at the fallen adventurers, his now stormy grey eyes focused solely on the undead warriors rushing their way. The red haired woman, the kitsune, the man- they all knew the risks, so he decided he wouldn't be worrying much about them, at least not this moment. He leaped forward at the nearest undead, slamming his hand straight for its throat, grabbing it tightly. Ignoring the sword that sliced at his fab abs, Nevin lifted the undead warrior with all the strength in his arm and slammed him down on the ground, grinning at the sound of cracking bones. He lifted and slammed the undead a couple of more times for good measure before tossing him into the water.​

***​

It might have been far, but the sound of the horn had been irritating for Nisha; she could only imagine how it must have been for the police chief. She had been around for the previous days as well, despite her father being rather adamant she not join in the fight. Still, what sort of vigilante was she if she chillaxed while crime was being commited? She looked up at Tucker as he spoke, noting the look on his face. If he was looking worried then things were even more serious.

"Other places, huh..." She frowned as she hurried along, eyes red and fangs elongated, feeling the vampire blood within her overpowering her human side. "This isn't normal you know. I mean-" she let out a raspberry of frustration "-undead aren't normal, but especially this? I mean, where the hell are they coming from, and why even?" It smelled like undead, but it also smelled fishy, figuratively of course.

Of course, there was no time for further thinking. "I'mma go on ahead," she told Tucker. She paused a second before poking a sharp finger in his forearm. "You better not do something stupid and die or sommat. Don't think the other cops are gonna look at me with googoo eyes like you do." She smirked and exited the scene before he could retort with something that probably trumped what she had just said.​

***​

On a rooftop looking down at the chaos stood a young woman. She was rather fair skinned though her hair was as black as night, and her eyes a dark brown. She was dressed in clothes not at all appropriate for climbing, yet there she was, up on a roof without any wear and tear to her delicate sari. The smile that had been on her face during the day had faded, a stern look on her face as she looked at the chaos taking place.

She lifted a hand; slowly and then with speed a small glowing ball of white appeared upon her palm. She easily threw it in the direction of three undead; they stumbled back, screaming in their own rasp voices as the light burned at them. It wasn't enough, however- it would only delay them.

I must get to Chi, she thought to herself. Concentrating, she shifted. One moment she was woman, the next she was a fox, white and glowing. Without further ado she leaped off the roof, following the scent of the other light being.​

 

[Applo]

-Sarah Pendleton-​

---

As the first of the near skeletal figures started to climb onto the wharf in front of Sarah, she did nothing more provocative than pull out her mobile phone, flicking the camera to video mode. She didn't really care if the other at the dock with her thought it was terribly stereotypical, video evidence was the best kind of evidence she had always found. Once the warrior was fully ashore and shambling towards Sarah clenched the fingers on her free hand so that they looked like a pistol. After one last check to make sure her phone was focused on the undead being she flicked her thumb forwards, like the hammer of a revolver and muttered "Bang bang" into her mic.

Fractions of a second later the undead warrior was violently knocked to the ground; one of its arm's flying off back into the water, spraying a foul looking liquid behind it. Sarah watched the body until it started to try and pick itself up. "And the rest then soldier boy." This time the warrior was rocked by a succession of shots that if someone had been paying attention they would have noticed were all aimed at the various joints of it's decaying body. When the dust settled Sarah panned her phone over the larger chunks that had stayed on the dock, gently kicking what looked like the remains of a jaw bone with her toes.

"Well that seems to have done it. Whatever is doing this can't seem to overcome massive damage." Evidence gather, Sarah pushed her phone deep into a pocket before pulling two thick, hand length metal sticks off her belt. "My turn I guess, make sure they don't surround me." There was a click as the metal sticks in Sarah's hands suddenly elongated into hefty looking batons which Sarah twirled in her hands as she picked her first target.​

---

-Alex Mcleod-

---

​

On his rooftop Alex looked down the scope at his handiwork. He had been sure this aspect of the plan would work, but it was nice to see it confirmed. "Sorry about the noise." Alex wasn't exactly sure where Chi was, only that she had been on the roof before he had first pressed his eye to the scope of his rifle. Without taking his eyes off the scene in front of him, Alex swept away the small pile of brass casings that had pooled on the concrete next to his rifle with his forearm whilst the barrel of his rifle swung home on to the next warrior. "Let's see if a little lead lobotomy slows these things down at all shall we?​

---