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Legens Legentis

Deus Ex Machina
Original poster
LURKER MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
  1. Looking for partners
Posting Speed
  1. One post per day
  2. Multiple posts per week
  3. 1-3 posts per week
  4. One post per week
Writing Levels
  1. Adept
  2. Advanced
  3. Prestige
  4. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
Genres
Sci-Fi, Modern, Horror, & Romance
OOC Link
flooded_city_street_by_bellacullen4343-d410zg4.jpg

"Do you remember the Deluge, Mr. Reynolds?"

"I try not to think about it, sir."

That was the most common answer Davison got when he asked his employees. It was almost comical, how he anticipated the words before they were spoken. The boss gave a weak smile, and turned around in his chair, looking out of the glass pane in his office. Trees and other flora sprouted from broken windows, walls were defiled with graffiti, rust and decay touched everything that remained. It was a warm, bright day throughout the necropolis. Even winters managed to be somewhat humid. Summers, however, were intolerable. The heat stuck to the body more tightly than skin.

Davison leaned back and thought. He remembered how the waves crashed into the streets and swept away untold thousands. He remembered the confusion and the fear. The military evacuated as many as they could inland, but one could only wonder if there was still land to retreat to. The Deluge was too fast to save everyone. Staying behind was the only rational choice. Every now and then some poor fool would try to sail west and become a hero. They were never heard from again, as most expected. The risk was simply too great, but in the city, life could continue.

"That's fair. Any updates from the front?"

"We've received very little communication. Your caravan is still en route to Clearwater," the place which Reynolds spoke of was a dock town in the NT zone, which was fairly close to the Coalition's borders and carried friendly relations with them, thus far. It was a bustling port of a few hundred residents that circulated goods throughout the Territory. Everyone knew better than to attack Clearwater lest they sabotage their own people. At least, that's what Davison believed. The mission of the caravan was top-secret; an old FBI dossier had been found in the ruins and was seized by Coalition forces.

There must have been something worthwhile on that dossier.​
 
A blade glimmered, and in a second, met flesh with a quick slurch sound.

The Fiji mermaid began to heaved slowly, with less spasms than twenty minutes ago, when it was violently writhing to get free from its bounds that secure both wrists. It stopped breathing.

Jane exhaled through her medical mask, and wiped the blood that splattered on her safety goggles with a wet towel. Gripping on her bayonet, she smoothly pulled it out of the mermaid and placed it next to her equipment of surgical blades. Pulling up her sleeve, it revealed a digital armband that was assigned to her when she joined the militia of the Alliance.

"Log Date, 7-13-2061. I have been able to successfully execute eight Fiji mermaids without any collateral damage to their internal organs. I will admit that I have used a bayonet instead of a scalpel... though it was under careful precision." The tone in her voice was in a low and quick for a second, indicating that she slipped in the reason while abashed about using one of her military equipment during times like these.

"The mermaids will be under my keeping, to determine if any of the eight females managed to have gone under copulation and is now under expectancy. An update will be anticipated by next week. End of log." Jane closed the recorder of her armband and looked down at the creature.

She recalled getting one of these whilst patrolling a southern dock town within the Alliance's borders. It was troubling really, to manage to capture one in a group and double-check if the taken was female. If not, she'll have to throw them back to the polluted waters and search again.

Settling the last of the mermaids in a small cold room full of other frozen creatures, all Jane had to do was to gear up again and patrol on her next assignment: The northern part of Staten Island where the waters are close to the Neutral Territory.
 
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Charon's Ferry glided through the murky waters of the city. It was dignified yet dirty, like a disgraced noble who had been exiled from his kingdom. The vessel was around thirty feet in length, and bore three faded white words on its orange side that may have once meant something: US Coast Guard. Mounted on the back was a heavy machine gun, sleek and well polished, as opposed to the rest of the boat. Standing at the weapon was a man, around six and a half feet tall, in the tattered jumpsuit of a janitor, and who wore a sack over his face. The only skin visible was that of his hands, which were burnt and oddly scarred. He seemed to be a ghost, a watchful apparition who ensured no harm would ever come to the vessel of his captain.

A few feet ahead of the tall man and his machine gun was a small glass square acting as the captain's quarters. Inside was the steering apparatus, a few maps, and the captain himself, who was dressed in drab robes. Clenched between his teeth was a smoldering cigarette. He clutched the wheel of the ship in one hand, while in the other he held a cross necklace. He hummed a tune, a funeral song, as he drifted toward the neutral zone. Toward home.

Charon was a ferryman. He got people from one place to the other for free. All they had to give him was their word that they would repay him some day with a Favor. Be that to locate him a carton of cigarettes, or kill a man, it did not matter. Riding with Charon was a game of chance. Of course, ferrying souls throughout the city was not his soul occupation. Often, Charon would deliver packages or goods, such as he was doing now. A half dozen crates of preserved food, for a settlement known as Clearwater. A humorous name. The water was, for the most part, rarely clear. Humans liked to be optimistic or downright foolish in their name choices.

"Clear at the back, Gorn?" called Charon.

A grunt in response.

"Excellent."

Charon's Ferry continued onward, the captain's watchful eyes scanning the water ahead for other souls, for monsters, for anything that may impede his progress. In the distance, he thought he saw another boat. He wasn't sure, though. Best to keep an eye on it. They must be close to Clearwater. Right on time.
 
2061, 21 Junio
Martes, 6:03 a.m.
Empire State Alliance- La casa de la Bruja


Lucy was in a place unfamiliar to her. She stood at the top of a submerged building, between two taller ones, a body of water about a meter in width, flowed between them. The air was hazey, thick fog rolled over the buildings, along the water, even curled around her feet. The brunette looked about her, confusion graced her features she didn't know where she was and the space was too ambiguous to figure out. So she set foot on finding a way out into a space she knew. As she walked the fog seemed to follow her, keeping her vision short sighted, nothing seemed to move aside from her feet. The silent air was soon filled with a quite moaning, as if one were in pain and suffering alone. As it became louder and sadder, Lucy's heart beat quickened, slow foot steps turned to a fast jog. She was desperate to reach that noise but no matter how fast she ran, Lucy didn't seem anywhere close to the noise. She was trapped on that rooftop between the two larger buildings as the sobbing continued, louder than before, almost drowning her senses with pain and sadness. It was almost deafening, she had to cover her ears but even that didn't help muffle the sound. The tormental wailing had Lucy falling to her knees, curling into a ball as tears filled her own eyes. Her sobs mixing in the air with those of another, sad, ruined, lost.

As wetness touched her face, Lucy's eyes opened to early morning light against her bedroom window. The brunette blinked a few more times, to clear her vision and to make sure she was in the present. 'I must have been dreaming...' she thought to herself as one nimble finger touched the tears that ran down to her cheeks still. She sat up, with a lonely sigh and wiped her eyes. Lucy had been having the same dream for a week now. She did not understand where it came from. No one had died recently at the hospital - at least none she knew of- and her turmoil over her brother had settled. So what then was troubling her?

Before that could be situated Lucy had to make herself cognitive, and to do so she needed a cold shower and some coffee for the day. Her lithe body moved quietly from the bed to the floor. Lucy often moved as if she were a guest in her own home. Everything she did was in a hushed fashion; light foot steps, soft voices, and slow gentle care of everything she touched. If any one were to ask her why she would simply respond, "It's to let the spirits of the house know I am done resting, I reclaim my space without offending them." and carry on about her business.

Growing up in a Dominican family filled with brujas, Lucy came to take the family practice as her own. Often copying the methods she once saw her aunts, cousins and grandmother doing in their own homes.

Upon entering her bathroom, with a switch the room was bright with fluorescent lighting, causing Lucy to squint a little as she made her way over to the shower. A simple over head shower head, surrounded by three walls of tin and a long plastic curtain. After the Deluge many of the building's infrastructures became cracked an warped under the pressure and natural corrosion of the water. Most items Lucy used to fix up her home were made of old drift wood and metal scrapings. She let the water run a bit, so it could reach the perfect temperature and also filter out some the nasty brown water that came with the bad pipes.

While it ran, Lucy took some time to brush her teeth and asses her face in the mirror. Her eyes, were their usual honey brown color, now slightly red and under-lids puffy from crying in her sleep. With some cold water against the palms of her hand, Lucy pressed them against her cheeks, jolting her skin awake and getting some color back into them. Her white sleeping t-shirt getting wet in the process but that didn't bother her, it was coming off soon anyway. Checking the shower for the right temp of luke-warm, Lucy stripped of her shirt and cleaned herself of the sweat and bad feelings her dream left her with.

Now wrapped in a towel, the brunette was clean and felt a lot calmer than before. She went onto the other side of her apartment where the kitchen and small living area were. She had about 325 square feet all together that was split into three rooms, a bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen/livingroom. the third being the biggest space, it's were she kept all her herbs, crystals and other items for her work. In the kitchen she prepared herself a cup of coffee and sat at the small eating nook by the window. It didn't take long before she was starring at the coffee grinds at the bottom of the cup. She could do some tasseomancy to read her own fortune but her aunts often warned her against that type of self reading. It was considered bad luck, so she would have do discover her ailment another way. Putting the cup in a sink she went to get ready for the day. Pulling her mass of locked hair into a half up ponytail, Lucy dressed herself in a green no sleeve turtle neck, grey tunic trimmed with green and gold thread, flared at the elbow because of the hot weather, but could be tied up when needed, light weight black trousers and combat boots. Adding a quartz on a leather strip necklace as the finishing touch, and a charm to trap bad spirits.

Before leaving the brunette made sure to water her aloe vera plant that hung near to her front door. It was a way to keep bad energies from coming inside her home. Being a bruja came with a lot of superstitious beliefs and rituals, well for her family that was the case. Though Lucy believed in modern medicine she also knew some ailments didn't need all the pills and potions the doctors prescribed, a little herbal remedy, mother natures natural cures for most common sicknesses, was just as good as any man made prescription. Her plant was watered, now Lucy could leave. Taking her keys and her rucksack, she left her home with a quick lock of the door and made her way to the ground floor, the street where her house laid.


Because the Deluge was so great most buildings where completely submerged, only the tallest buildings from their past life as a civilization lasted. To compensate for the lack of ground space, large platforms were made between the spaces of the buildings, creating roads and walk ways for everyone to get too and from. Lucy was currently heading towards the Hospital. Being apart of the Empire meant they had the most resources. their government had spawned from the one of old, before the Deluge. Still, it wasn't as grand as the previous hospitals had been but it did its job in treating the people of the Empire State Alliance. Before the Deluge Lucy had some knowledge of medical care. When her mother was still alive she practiced medicine as a nurse at the Children's Hospital in their neighborhood. She would often teach Lucy helpful things the then young girl would practice on her dolls or family pets. But Surgical, such as transplanting a heart or amputating limbs was something Lucy wasn't well versed in and probably would never be without a proper education and license to do so.

From her house by the docks to the hospital near the capital, it was a twenty minute traveling time by dinger, an old run down open cabby. The area that encompassed the E.S.A. was that of what use to be Staten Island. Lucy planned on staying in her piece of Manhattan but the other factions had taken hold of it, quickly after the water settled. It left a sour taste in her mouth, abandoning her borough but she had to do what was best for her survival. Lucy had plans to stay in Harlem for as long as possible. Even before the Deluge struck her state and probably every other piece of land in the U.S., she wanted to give back to her broken community as a doctor or therapist. Now that was a wasted dream since central park and everything above that was submerged in the murky waters. Lucy shook her head as memories of her first encounter with the Deluge began to come to surface. She couldn't think about that now, especially because she had to work.

The dinger stopped in front of the hospital and Lucy got off, paying her fee for the twenty minute ride. The dinger man thanked her and drove off to find another fair. She watched him leave down the street before making a stride to the entrance of the hospital. Once inside she adorned herself with the typical doctors coat, white with the Empire's insignia etched in blue on her breast pocket. It was now seven, the sun was even higher in the sky, but not high enough to scorch the earth with its heat. The perfect time to get as much more as possible done. As coworkers past, they greeted Lucy with 'hellos' and 'how do you dos', typical morning commotion. The hospital itself was split into three areas, the elderly ward, general population and soldier care unit, and lastly newborns, children, and expecting mothers ward. Lucy was often placed in the first and latter, her calm aura was usually appreciated by both parties. Lucy herself enjoyed working in those sections of the hospital, she had many little cousins in the past she would babysit and her grandfather lived with her immediate family before he passed, so when her mother wasn't home, Lucy was in charger of caring for him in his old fragile age. Her experience served her well, but she liked doing this type of work out of her apartment. Lucy was very much a home body, she practically spent all of her time at home or an a boat when she wasn't needed at the clinic.

In the hall Lucy was stopped by doctor Francis, an actual doctor with an actual degree, he was the head of the pediatric division of the hospital and her boss. "Good morning Lucy, I trust your commute went well. You're needed on floor C room 218, we have a new patient in urgent care and I need someone to take the blood work."

Lucy nods respectfully, her expression non-changing as she addressed her superior. "Good morning Doctor Francis, the commute was exceptional, as usual. I'll get right on those blood works for you. Will Janise and Patrick need my assistance with check ups later?"

Francis looked past her as he began to think then focused on her once more. "No, I assigned Truance to help with that. For now blood work is on your schedule today, then you will move onto a 2 o'clock surgery with me."

Lucy gave another respectful nod then parted ways with the doctor, with her body now fully up running to get the job done. There was always something to do in the new Empire.
 
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Ron has up shop as normal and for the first time in a few nights he is full of energy and in a good mood, he clicks his back first then slowly does the rest of his body after he's done he looks over the list of items he recently acquired through deals in the list some very rare coins from back in the earlier earth years from japan. He then pours himself some tea he had grown from seeds now lovely fragrant leaves which puts in a made tea pot from an ex. ' it's ironic i thought i would the old army days but i haven't thought about it once, i enjoy my life as a trader and working on bits and bobs speaking of things i should try and find out some info on where my sister might be she's not one to kick the bucket either'.

Just then two thieves some how slip through one of the open windows, the wire trap quickly activates and not long after they barely dodges the rusty nail trap from the floor sensor activating, but it did scrap some of their body's causing them to bleed a little in turn it would make it easier to hunt him down. The boys manage to dodge the next traps but ron is now ready for the hunt and picks up his composite bow with some and loads some barbed darts into it but these arrows have had an improvement made to them the wire and mini grapple hooks.

One of the is trying to disarm one of the more complex traps, the other is goes in a room to hide but the door locks the minute he closes and something seals the door knowing would be gas coming, the windows are reinforced blalistic glass some very hard to break. An odder-less and colorless gas starts to fill room and the boys skin starts to feel like it's burning and so do his insides, of course he wouldn't die but he sure as he hell wish he was dead soon enough.

The boy starts to scream after ten minutes" help me big brother i don't want to be eaten by a family don't want to be eat by a family of sharks".

Ron laughs like the devil and says" I wonder how long it will be before he pisses himself i give it five minutes before the effects fully kick in, and where is the big rat come out and play so i can turn you into fish food".

The brother cringes and gives up on the trap finding it too hard to disarm and starts heading down stairs, when he gets to the bottom he takes deep breath and starts stealing things he sees along the corridor not know there's no exit down here so he would have to come back up with the bag behind him.


Ron can see the trail of blood leading down stairs and grins and now waits for the boy to have to come back the way he came.

The boy continues to takes as much as he can caught up in his own greed and now is heading back, but what he doesn't know is ron is waiting for him at the end of the hall and more than happy to make him suffer first before the thief would want to die.

The older brother is coming back and is laughing how he got so much and still has forgotten his brother is trapped, he moves as quickly as he can and when he sees son he raises his gun to shoot but he can't fully line it up right so when he fires it just grazes ron's face.

Ron coldly smirks and fires his special round not only does the arrow go through the trigger part part it pulls him with such force as it goes through his hand it feels like his arm is being torn off. He then fires another round through is other hand. The boy cries and says" Your a monster i hope you die a really painful death one day".

Ron gut punches farly hard and the boy coughs out saliva and then ron says" That's right i'm at times should of chosen to rob some clown not me, it's happened to me twice already and i vowed i would not be caught again"!


The boy blacks out from the pain as he tries to move and knows he's in shit street right now and wishes he could turn back the clock.

 
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Clearwater was especially busy today and Rhu and Saorise were scrambling to get all their supplies before everything sold out. They had made some good sales lately and were trying to stock up on food and freshwater. Saorise assumed the influx of people recently was due to the rumors that were going around. Apparently something had been found that could “save humanity.” Saorise and Rhu were both skeptical and doubted such a thing could exist. The rumor gave many hope, but was only a source of annoyance to the duo. Supplies were already limited. They didn’t need the extra competition. Saorise suddenly heard shouting behind her and looked up. Rhu had gotten into another fight. Most likely, she had been haggling with someone, which usually ended in Rhu flipping someone off since it was the only hand sign everyone understood. Saorise sighed, paid for the things she had been in the middle of buying and then went over to sort out the fight her friend had started. If she didn’t hurry, her friend would end up sending someone to the hospital. Again.
 
A fully-armored soldier huffed as she marched towards an accumulation of other soldiers surrounding a beached sea creature.

"Captain Myros." A soldier saluted at Jane as she trudged before them. "Sergeant Marc." She greeted the soldier back.

"I received your call just in time, sergeant. What do we have here?" Jane said as she started to walk towards the sun basked creature.

"A rare case, captain. We got a sea serpent this time."

Forty feet in length, only half of it's form laid still on the hot sand, whilst its other half remain submerged within the waters where it originated. Jane inspected the creature's head, careful and steady, skeptic that it may wake any time. She then stepped back, and turned her head towards the sergeant.

"Sergeant, has information of this reached the Major?"

"Not yet, captain."

"Good. I'll be looking over from here, sergeant." Jane lifted up her digital armband and began typing an entry on it's holographic interface. She then walked around slowly as she took pictures of the creature. She'll be studying the taken media later, for now, she has to take in the sight of what's in front of her.

She never saw a sea serpent this close before. Records of these creatures show that they rarely surface and feed on humans when food is scarce, and that they're susceptible to loud noises.

Jane ordered a few soldiers to step back, in which they complied to their superior.

"Deceased whales have a tendency to bloat due to the putrefaction happening on their internal organs. I need every soldier to stay twenty feet clear of the area as there maybe a similar fashion on how this serpent will be soon." The rest of the soldiers complied willingly with the others curious to what will happen as they backed far away within an observable range.

"Wait, captain. Do you mean...?" Marc asked, already knowing what will happen.

"Yes, it will. Now I need a long and sturdy pole with a long blade tied on its end, sergeant." Jane interrupted him. He nodded and ran as he left the vicinity. Moments later, he came back with what she requested. He handed her the spear and she gripped it as she motioned the sergeant to move back.

She walked farther towards a section of the serpent, with an estimation on to where the stomach is. Its form is slightly bloated than it looks, and Jane plunged the spear on its scaly flesh. Using both arms, she pulled and sawed the serpent's flesh as she walked back, creating a long horizontal cut on its underside with the blade deep within. A putrid stench began to emerge from where the spear sliced.

Then, a small, pink, flesh-like organ popped out from the cut in which Jane noticed-


A large burst of blood exploded on Jane's helm, forcing her to release her hold on the blade as she ran far away from its stomach, with the liver and intestines forcefully spilled across the sand and splashed on the now-bloodied water. The stench became unbearable as the gas from within its internal system was released, deflating the serpent in the process.

Soldiers nearby suddenly had their guns ready, but then saw the serpent's innards sprawled out in which one of the soldiers removed his helm and proceeded to vomit due to the sight and stench.

Most of the other soldiers laughed and cheered after seeing the exploding serpent, while Jane exhaled from the surprise. Sergeant Marc aided to her guide as Jane removed her bloodied helm and looked at the creature.

"That'll be... a lot to clean up, sergeant." She breathed.
 
Charon's Ferry arrived at Clearwater. It was a respectably sized settlement, and was not owned directly by any of the big three factions. It would be a good place for Charon to perhaps pick up a few passengers or some more goods. He pulled a cigarette out from the breast pocket of his coat. He lit it, and a cloud of smoke billowed out from his mouth. He needed more of these. He was running low.

Charon guided his ship into dock, stopping it at a makeshift pier. He killed the engine, then exited the ship. Gorn was already on the pier tying the ship up. The large man was getting glances from a few old men sitting nearby drinking, but that was to be expected. They were a strange pair. Charon was short and frail looking, while Gorn was massive and threatening. He suffered from acromegaly, meaning his face, hands, and feet were massive. He could fit a man's head in his bear-like paws. To top it all off, his body was covered in burns, thanks to an accident many, many years ago. He was an intimidating figure, and part of the reason Charon commanded such respect. No one wanted to get on Gorn's bad side.

"Gorn. Let's unload the cargo," Charon said.

Gorn grunted, finished tying the rope, and walked back on board, his footsteps causing the pier to creak and groan. Together, they began unloading the crates of food and setting them on the dock. About halfway through this, a man in a messy, oversized suit approached them. Their client, presumably. He looked nervous. Two men wielding machetes accompanied him, dressed in an odd assortment of different colored camo fatigues. He didn't trust Charon. Annoying. He had integrity. That was his best quality. He'd complete any task assigned him, and he expected the same in return. Integrity.

"Hello, Mr. Charon," the man said.

Charon nodded back.

The man shuffled his feet. "This is my delivery?"

Charon nodded again.

"And it's all here?"

Yet another nod.

"Do you mind if I make sure?"

Charon looked up, his cold eyes boring into the squinty ones of his client. When he spoke, his words were lifeless, yet meaningful. "It's all here. I made sure of it."

The man glanced nervously to his guards, who were eying the massive Gorn. "Um...very well. It's just, as a matter of policy-"

"It's here. Now for my payment, yes?"

"Right...right. Um, yes. Let's see, fifteen boxes, that'll give you-"

But Charon was already pulling out a sheet of yellow paper. He withdrew a pencil from his pocket, and drew a crude skull with two black horns sticking out of it. He then tore the paper in half, and handed one half to the man, who looked confused.

"You know what you owe me. A Favor."

"A F-Favor?"

"Yes. To be redeemed at any time."

"What...type of Favor?"

"Whatever I need."

"I find this ridiculous! All you did was bring some food!"

"Perhaps. But you needed it quickly. You needed a lot of it. And so I got it for you. That's how this works. No one else would've been able to get all this for you in just a few days. So remember that. And don't worry...maybe I'll never call in this Favor. But keep that sheet of paper. As a reminder. When the time comes, if it does, Gorn will come to you with the other half. He'll have your instructions written on it. He'll give it to you. And you will carry out your orders."

"I am a very important man, you know! What if I don't carry out your orders?" The man looked smug. Better put him in his place.

"If you don't...well, Gorn does get hungry," Charon said callously.

The man's face went white. "Oh shit."

Gorn waved from the ship, his huge, burned hand like that of a damned soul waving from hell.

"Pleasure doing business with you." Charon stuck the torn half of paper into the man's breast pocket, stuck the other in his own, and returned to unloading the boxes.
 
Noah sat on a bench, accompanied by four other men within his boat, each heading for the same destination: Clearwater. He had visited the dock town a number of times before to retrieve anything that father had asked of him. For the most part, this mission was no different. The hard part was getting there unharmed. Noah was the captain of his boat by virtue of having a rich dad, yet the man really in charge was the first-mate, an older fellow with a thin white beard and hard blue eyes. That gentleman guided the boat at the helm, while everyone else kept their focus on the water. Terrible things lived down there. One could easily see the pavement and the sidewalks lying at the bottom, reminding Noah of days gone by.

In that moment Noah saw a strange flicker beneath him. It looked teal-colored. A trace of bubbles followed, and the pieces clicked together in his head. There was a giant squid under the boat. He turned to face his comrades, putting a finger to his lips in order to shush them all. A soldier approached the guardrail to look over the spot in question. His face contorted with horror; the squid was following them. It was remarkably strange, as they'd typically attack at the first chance they'd get. Someone whispered in the first mate's ear to cut the engine. Noah aimed his gun at the only visible part of the creature: its hideous eyes, which were as big as dinner plates. The rest of it was a mystery.

And then, it simply disappeared. Never before had they encountered a squid that fled, at least while uninjured. The engines were fired up again and the boat continued on its path. The crew breathed deeply, relieved that their journey was still safe. Eventually Noah caught a glimpse of the dock town, beholding the crowds of people closely huddled together. The boat was tied down and half of the crew stayed with it. Noah, however, took it upon himself to retrieve the dossier. They had an informant in Clearwater that dealt with all kinds of sketchy goods. Some people retreated into their huts upon recognizing Coalition forces arriving. Others, namely the vendors, approached them eagerly. Coalition troops meant good deals on wares.

Ignoring them, he marched on to a single hut with a black tarp over it. The informant was surely inside.
 
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[fieldbox=" Jokas Valdorado, blue, dotted"]

jokas was playing with his small cherry plant when he heard a cry of mew beside his boat. he quickly shifted his head and walk out to see her cat trying to catch the fishes in the water and in each attempt of fails his cat cry "cmon elenaor lets help you out" he said happily as he walk inside his station and grab a large net. his cat watched him curiously as she followed him around and jumped when he throw the net into the waters and in moments of time Jokas pulled up the net as her cat. elenaor. eye's widen as she watched some of the fishes that he cached but gaved out a meaw of cry when he throw the little once

jokas look at her and chuckle "sorry little elenaor even thoe i know your hungry this little fishes can help us produce more food in the water and if we take them now they might go extinct ... i thought you like the big once" he said with a smile as his cat meowed and licked her paws "i know i know its hard to bite the big once but still, your lucky you get yourself to fill up" he said taking one of the fished and placing it down for Elenaor to eat

Elenaor quickly jumped down and started eating as Jokas smile and gently pet her head "eat well little one we wont know what will come to the future if ever the water will com down so hang in tight there okey little buddy" he said happily as he place a head phone in his ears and started traveling. watching. around the place he once called home now filled with water and abandon buildings with no knowledge of were the people were. or died

Watching the water moved pass his boat with fishes. a constant memory started to hunt him

'save me save me please save me!!'


jokas placed a hand over to his head and sat down the ground "its just a memory its just a memory jokas calm down" he said to himself, gripping his heir and groaning "stay with yourself jokas this wont get you anywhere" he said sitting down to the ground and looking up "please... im sorry " he whispered looking at the sky "i promise ill always sorry i promise... im so sorry" he said as he knelled to his ship and rubbed his aching head before standing up and looking over to elenaor munching over to the fresh fish in her mouth. he place a hand over to his stomach and walk over to his ship and started sailing

[/fieldbox]
 
Trudi - Brooklynn outside of Clearwater
-Talking to Marina (@Calypso Major)

It had been around three hours since Marina and Trudi had left the Cascadia Business Raft. They had left with a small caravan of scavengers from Cascadia and some other business partners. They would all go out and split up into teams covering different areas and then split up again split up by pairs of boats. Trudi was someone new to all of this until recently she had been mostly a financial person within the business, but management had insisted that she get her hands on some of the Scavenging business. They offered her some good pay but it was dangerous.

It was lucky Trudi had been paired up with someone that had a lot of experience with the trade. They had been partners for that time that Trudi had started. To be frank, Trudi didn’t know her all that well. They talked, but they were really just co-workers. Trudi could guess that trust was an important part of going out on the water. Trudi couldn’t say she trusted Marina.

Not for the fact that she wasn’t experienced. There was just a level of distrust that naturally came to her, especially with the scavengers. Where she grew up they had a reputation of being thugs and criminals and it would have been preferable to avoid them.

It was a strange wonder how she managed to join Cascadia in the first place. It was under reclamation of a friend. She couldn’t really say now since the job was located in a town that was reasonably safe compared to the open waters and he wouldn’t be going anything dangerous, but now it looked like the tides have turned.

Trudi slowed her craft as they approached a sunken building. A green tag was marked by its side. The stone of the building was water and moss grew up its walls. On top, a small tree grew. This hopefully was one of the untouched building tagged by their business partners. With any luck, the building would have been raided already.

“Marina I think we got something here,” Trudi said as she turned around from her seat. Her boat was a small hydroplane but there was just enough space to store a tank of air a respirator.
 
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"You've arrived," said the informant, calm as ever. He faced the wall and didn't bother looking at Noah.

"Where's the dossier?" he snarled in reply.

The informant, who went by the name of James (although he had plenty of other names to go by), gave a soft laugh at the boy's harsh tone. It was an easy way to end up dead if used on the wrong people. Still, James had a business to run. A bad reputation followed those who let down paying customers.

"It's right here," James lifted the folder above his head. "It wasn't exactly easy getting this. Alliance troops are better shots than you'd think." His head turned slightly, allowing Noah to view an assortment of different scars.

Another Coalition soldier walked in, carrying a wooden chest filled with salvaged jewelry. The terms of compensation had been established by Noah's father long in advance to the meeting. The boy grabbed the folder and made way for the door, stopped only by the chiming of his radio. He swiftly put it to his ear until a rumbling came from under the dock. Only then did he hear the warning: sharks. Noah put the dossier into his coat, drawing out his hand-axe in turn. Now was the time to leave. However, escape would not be so simple. The mutants had already heaved their fleshy masses into Clearwater.

"Take the dossier and go!" said another Coalition operative. Noah didn't question it, and ran as fast as he could to the boat. The sharks made easy pickings of smaller towns, ones that had less capability of defending itself. Clearwater was neither of those things. Gunfire and screams filled the air. It was a nauseating cacophony. Much to his dismay, one of the beasts stood directly between him and the boat. Time was running short. Adrenaline kicked in, his heartbeat was erratic. He had to fight.
 
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Rhu had been in the middle of knocking a large man unconscious for attempting to rip her off when the sharks came. Saorise came running towards her signing rapidly, "Get to a boat"

Rhu threw the man aside, "But the boat's on the other side of town!" she quickly extended her staff and knocked one of the sharks away and ran toward Saorise.

Saorise rolled her eyes, "I didn't say THE boat I said A boat. Come on this way!" The two made their way to the docks. Since so many people who came to Clearwater, there were plenty of boats to choose from. Rhu chose the first one she saw. Between her and the boat was one of the monsters. To her left was brown haired kid holding some sort of file. The boat was obviously his.

"So sorry we'll be borrowing this!" Saorise yelled out loud at him as she used her hatchet to dispose of the shark. "Hope you don't mind!" As the two ran towards the boat, Rhu turned back towards the boat and signed a one handed sorry to him. Luckily the key had been left inside and Saorise was able to start it easily. "Rhu hurry up!"

On her way to the boat, Rhu had been stopped by more of the sharks and was now struggling with a small group of them. She looked back at Saorise with a look that said "Help me you dumbass!"
 
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Jane was in an office, studying images of the sea serpent from earlier as she slowly swerves the chair she sat on. She recalled a report sent to her days ago, mentioning suspicious activity from the Coalition forces somewhere in the Neutral Territory. One of her troops were on a scouting mission during that time around the location, and conflict erupted after observing the ruins where the Coalition forces started frequenting there a bit too often.

The identity of the one who lead the forces was determined, though with only 43 % percent accuracy and there was more than one suspect under the 43 % accuracy. Sure the Alliance's technology was advanced, but apparently not enough yet to distinguish one face from another.

Turning off her digital armband, she laid back on her chair and thought for a moment on the obvious conclusion.

What were they looking for?
 
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ʢ Marina Docking ʡ

Location: Brooklyn | Neutral Territory | Outside Clearwater

Interactions: Trudi

Tags: @Neko_Green


Three hours ago, Marina would’ve told Trudi she loved her job. The open waves gently rocking her, the mostly-pleasant skies above her, the comforting click of Old Smokey’s barrel... what’s not to love?

But that was three hours ago. Now, Marina was forced to deal with this unusually large caravan— orders from the boss collectively assigned to all Cascadia agents in the area to help their partner business search for... something. Thinking back to what the leader of this hunt had said, Marina felt the corners of her mouth drop.

Look for something that you wouldn’t normally find...so, it’s probably something they don’t want the public aware of.

Suddenly, she heard the familiar voice of her partner call out.

“Marina, I think we got something here.”

Shutting the engine of her wooden vessel off, Marina drifted closer to Trudi’s boat before throwing half of a rope over to her— the other half already secured to a small notch on Marina’s boat.

It had been a few weeks since the other woman approached Marina with a letter from the company, which basically droned on about how Marina’s reputation would improve even more if she manage to get better prices off of her clients...

Quite frankly, she stopped reading the letter after the first paragraph, which mentioned safety against men with ‘ulterior, nefarious wishes considering a young woman of reputation’. Skimming the rest, she gave a cheeky grin to her new partner, and inconsistently taught her things about their job. Thankfully, Trudi didn’t have to teach her how to swim, and she picked up things quickly— like the fact that if the two are going diving, they should tie their boats loosely together, so as to not lose them entirely.

Looking around, Marina’s focus landed on the tree. Most likely, if there’s one that high up, then others had taken root elsewhere... making it less likely that the building is structurally unstable. Nodding to herself, the blonde grabbed her diving gear.

“Alright, let's go check it out. There shouldn’t be any cave ins, what with how old those plants look...”

Attaching the old gas mask around her neck to the tank, she swung it onto her shoulder.

“You remember the basics of the code?”

Referencing the onslaught of hand signals, Marina began moving her own hands fluidly, demonstrating the important words.

Crossing her arms with closed fists, the blonde pulled them up to show Trudi an ‘X’.
“Danger. Don’t forget to point a fist in the direction, if necessary.”

A single fist lightly drummed against her chest, the motion repeated for a couple times.
“Low Air. If you’re suddenly out, just shake your hand side to side near your neck, palm down.”

One hand extended towards her partner, thumb pointing up.
“Ascend. I’ll motion for this when we’re all done, but if you need to for any reason make sure to let me know.”

Although the motions were somewhat rushed, Marina had faith in her partner— which was pretty obvious, considering the small grin that autonomously grew on her own face. Putting her hands down, she fiddled with the sheath on her hip for a couple of seconds.

“Other than that, watch your air time, make sure to keep an eye out, and stick within eye sight...Questions?”
 
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Noah was dumbstruck at the sight of his boat getting stolen by two scavengers. Confusion turned to anger, and he withdrew his axe, opting for his blunderbuss instead. It was a short range weapon, but he couldn't risk sinking the boat, otherwise he'd ruin his best chance at getting out of Clearwater on time. The mission was top priority. "Get back here!" he shouted at the opportunists. One of them appeared to be cornered by the mutants. They stood taller than any human, and their rippling muscles indicated a twisted form that swam right out of Hell. Their jaws could rip through steel like paper.

Dismembering a human would be even easier.

Instinct overcame reason in the moment that Noah took aim at the closest shark. He pulled the trigger, watching a spatter of blood cover the docks. It merely succeeded in getting their attention. Using whatever vulgar word came to mind, he kept up the pressure. He counted three sharks closing in on him. Noah stood firm against the onslaught. He'd give almost anything for armor-piercing rounds, but that could wait. Bullets flaked against the monsters' tough scales, and something about their slow pace unnerved him. It was like they didn't even feel pain. One of them began to bleed heavily, forcing it to retreat back into the water. Two more to go. Noah swapped back to his hand axe, sprinting forward and keeping low, avoiding a clawed swipe.

He slashed at their ankles, causing them to topple over. Rather than leave, however, the sharks resorted to a disturbing crawl. Noah buried his axe into the face of a single beast, only to find the blade stuck in its flesh. Its companion was getting closer, dragging itself with all its remaining strength. Noah glanced back at the woman he foolishly (and unintentionally) tried to save.

"Care to return the favor?" he joked in desperation.
 
Trudi - Brooklynn outside of Clearwater
-Talking to Marina (@Calypso Major)


Trudi nodded attentively as Marina lectured her on the signals once again. Trudi didn’t mind being told over and over again. Be to honest, Trudi didn’t quite trust herself yet either so having Marina go over again was quite helpful. Though it did sting a bit as it implied that she didn’t think she knew the signs yet.

Which wasn’t totally true, most of the complex stuff she had to think about while under there. The stuff she was explaining right now was second nature at this point.

“What were the signs for the different encounters again? Like if we found sharks or squids or something like that?” Trudi asked her. As much as Trudi hoped there wouldn’t be any dangerous sea creatures there was always the chance that could happen and if one of them saw it first it would be helpful to let the other one know before they got their hand bitten off or their torso bound by some ancient octopus. If they were going this deep into Brooklyn they might be looking for something untouched. It wouldn’t a surprise if other teams had already gone too deep and disturbed some sea beast.

The fact that there were working with another company suggested that the boss was either paid off to find something in particular or the boss had knowledge of something out here. Trudi had heard talk in the meetup before they went out it was about that rumor that has been going around. That ancient machine that could cure the world and bring back humanity. Trudi didn’t really know what to think. One part of her thought it was just a fancy, humanity had already turned the world into something irreversible. While on the other she contemplated what something like that would be and what it would do.
 
2061, June 21st
Tuesday, 6:15 a.m.
Neutral Territory- Clear Water

With more or less an hour of going down the sea of the East River. To their sides the great skyscraps stuck up erect in the waves. Here in this plane of water Emilia and her Partner Manny were on a undercover mission. In her pocket Emilia fondled a red and gold medal. On it bore the insignia of the sickle, star, and gear. The symbol of the New People’s Alliance, something Emilia was very fond of.

Manny stood erect with vigor as their boat pushed against the rolling water. He was always the type to get excited for a mission and to spend time with his good friend Emilia. A woman who strikes fear into many people’s heart, so devoted in her task to spread the word and power of the N.P.R. Manny was convinced she was working for the greater good of the people. As his hair whipped around in the wind he turned to look at his partner. “Any idea who’s coming to fetch this business on the Dossier? Or did our contact not get that part?”

“As far as I know we are the only ones, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the other factions had managed to get a hold of intel and they were on their way their right now. That is why we have to be in disguise on this mission. Normally we could just walk in the Brook without any cover but if we want to avoid encountering enemy agents then it would be better to say in normal clothes.”

Emilia looked over and saw the beginning of the metallic and stone pillars coming out of the water. They glittered as the sun shown over them.

Manny’s eyes followed hers as the horizon was now scattered with the tops of old skyscrapers. His favorite missions where the ones when they had to dress up. He was also so good at impersonations and what not, never really knowing why until recently. A new memory had resurfaced, him at a theater with what he assumed where old friends. In his forgotten life Manny was in love with theater and plays. A small smile graced his face as he began to pull his dreaded hair into a ponytail. He was already in his disguised which consisted of a shaven face and heavy makeup that made his face deformed with scars. He wore contacts as well an opted for civilian clothing rather than his N.P.R. officer uniform.

“Sounds fun. I guess I have to be on my best behavior then? Unless we encounter any baddies that don’t want to cooperate.”


The metal columns grew larger as their boat sped towards neutral territory. Most business transactions were done here. Given that anything goes was the motto of this lawless faction it was easier to transport goods to and from different factions of New York. Besides the murmuring of a dossier coming to the small dock town of Clear Water, it was suppose to its usual calm sea town. But as screams and gun fire filled the air, Manny began to think otherwise.

His heart quickened as he grabbed the pistol that sat as his waist. As they got closer to the dock, the reason for the commotion became a clear visual.

Sharks.

Manny grunted as his eyes looked to Emillia. “Looks like we got some trouble. In all the commotion the dossier com roderers might have gotten away. Or stuck at the dock fending off those bottom feeders.” As he spoke Manny began filling his pistol with ammunition, making sure it was ready for the show down. “Seeing as this was your mission. I’ll let you look for that dossier mongrel, they might have done the exchange already, while I cover for you. Sounds good?”

Instead of slowing down the ship in fear of oncoming Shark attacks. Emilia sped it up. The ship zoomed into the harbor ramming straight into a Shark. The tip of the boat gutted into its insides and the Shark man sunk into the shallow ocean below. The ship slid back into the water and Emilia saw in front of them 3 more sharks. At this sight she immediately put the boat in reverse.


“Gun them down Manny!” Emilia commanded as she turned the ship on its Port for Manny to get a good shot at them. As this was happening Emilia peered over the docks trying to find their sum Coalition forces might be. At her luck she found a few but they were scattered. She didn’t know if the exchange had happened or not.

With his feet leveled on the boat, Manny grinned with anticipation as the boat took a turn. Giving him free range. With pistol in hand Manny opened fire, meticulous with his shots, he only aimed and shot -tried, they were big bulky things, but not so stupid- each in the head and heart. Doing so would in sure that they stayed dead. Their bodies when slack, as they sank to the floor, blood oozing from their new orifices. With a small whoop of victory Manny placed his pistol at his side. He hated the Deluge’s mutant sea creatures, ever since being harmed by one himself. He took pleasure in taking them out during encounters.

“Manny I am going in keep the Boat on incase we need to get out of here, cover me if any try and get on my. I got the Coalition forces to myself,” Emilia said as she took over her jacket revealing a half of a wetsuit before she dived into the water with knife in hand and her pistol on her side.

“I got it!” though she was gone already, her body disappearing under the murky depths of the water. Manny did protest to her sudden plan of action. He positioned himself near the wheel of the boat, still in an upright stance he returned his pistol into his palms and bean taking out the other sharks that were still on land, terrorising the people of clear water but also keeping an eye on the coalition forces that were still scattered by the chaos. He would need to take them out as well if they managed to get to their own boats. And that could not happen under any circumstances, as it could possible end their mission.



Collaboration- @Neko_Green
 
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Rhu drove her staff down directly down on one of the skulls of the crawling sharks, dazing it. Then she grabbed Noah by the arm and ran to the boat and half pushed, half threw him aboard before jumping on herself. Saorise immediately turned the boat out of the dock. They were lucky enough that the majority of the sharks seem more interested in Clearwater than their boat and Rhu only had to knock a few of them off the side of the boat. When it looked like they were safe, Rhu sighed in relief and sat down.

"Glad that's over with. Sorry we took your boat. We're just gonna bring it over to the other side of town where ours is, and then you can have it back. Thanks for saving Rhu....RHU WHERE IS YOUR BAG OF SUPPLIES?!"

Rhu pointed at her ears. Saorise always spoke too quickly for her to even being to attempt to read her lips. She was however, visibly angry and Rhu had a sinking feeling she knew why. After Saorise repeated her question in sign, Rhu double checked and confirmed that yes, she had left the bag back at town, "I left it back by the stall...I think"

"Dammit Rhu, you know we need those!" Saorise turned the boat around, taking them back to Clearwater.

Saorise already had her back turned but Rhu signed that she was very sorry anyway and stood up, re-extending her staff and getting ready to fight the sharks again. The two of them had seemed to completely forget the fact that Noah was still there and they were still on his boat.
 
Noah offered something resembling a grin at the stranger's sudden apology. He had stolen his fair share of... everything... when caught up in a survival situation. Still, the urgency of his mission clouded his thoughts. Every minute spent in Neutral Territory was more time for his enemies to follow the trail. He tried to breathe steadily, forcing himself to calm down, with mixed results. The son of Davison watched the two boat thieves closely for anything suspicious, although the silent one confused him the most. Their interactions were fairly amusing.

The amusement died as soon as the boat turned around. "Woah, what are you doing?" Noah grimaced. Taking them back to Clearwater was practically suicide. His outburst fell on deaf ears (pun absolutely intended) and he could do nothing as Saorise and Rhu hopped out of his boat. What was he to do? If Noah left them, he could make it back to the Coalition on time and avoid a potential betrayal down the line. However, if the two strangers had wanted him dead, they would have left him for the sharks. Against his better judgement, the young man grabbed his gun and kept watch over the dock.

He could afford one detour. A small part of him hoped they'd make it back alive.