'Sup?

The ceiling!

Ready for some total rekage of various people today?

Yep, all ready to continue destroying everyone's lives.

I'm curious to find out who's trying to kill Jerry, Armin and Eliza. XD

Heh, who else uses gas bombs? ;)

IIIIIIIIII CALLED IT

Also hi :D
I'm gonna be working on Mia's ref today (finally, because I found the thing where I drew and put info for her robot friends) so I can get Morty having a bit of a moan at Brink and Brink can be angery

Hello King! Can't wait to see her ref. :D

Should I go ahead and start?

Yes.

Also @Draco (when she shows up) we can do a little time skip with Sheldon and Tochi.

(Aggron)

With vampire reflexes, Armin dodged the knife and twisted around in mid-air, trying to see exactly where the missile had been thrown from. //I can't see anyone yet,// he reported. //Be careful down there, won't you?//

----

Crowley nodded, examining the shining ring for a moment longer before he headed back into the house and began to investigate the next room they hadn't looked in yet. He looked around, gaze alert for a sign of anything valuable.

@Aggron
Toby yips and steps back, whining softly at being hit, but quickly gains a bravado and barks angrily again, though more cautious now.
Ango puts an arm up to defend herself, anger bubbling inside her as the martial artist whips them. Her hand then lashes out, just managing to grab the vine as it comes close to them, wincing as the thorns cut into her.
"Leave. Us. Alone!"
She says powerfully, done with so many people trying to kill her and her family with no reason other than the fact that they were humans.

@Radiant
Forrest's eyes widen as Ana charges from him, leaping from the balcony and landing on top of Ryker, who yells out.
"Get off me, you idiot!"
"You either help me or we die!"
"We're gonna die either way!"
"At least make sure you die first so I can use your damn body!"
Forrest retracts it's reach to the bird, the corpse ceasing to move in the ghost's jaws.

(King)

The ghost werewolf dissipated as Ana stopped paying attention to it, causing the bird's corpse to fall to the ground. Noticing that the two boys were busy arguing, she grinned a nasty grin to herself. //Only idiots fight among themselves when there's a real enemy around...//

She lunged at them a second time, jaws gaping wide as she aimed to grab Forrest by the arm or leg. Her ghosts ran behind her, ready to attack the moment they were called upon.

{Jerry and Eliza emerge from the bushes with their weapons drawn.} "I don't see anyone. Stay alert."
{From the darkness, more knives are thrown, not at the group, however: These knives are aimed at the streetlights, knocking them out, one by one. Grabbing Eliza by the arm, Jerry rushes with her into the building where Old Man Garvey has his sniper post. As the last light is hit, it doesn't go out right away. For a mere second, as it flickers, the Illusionist appears under the light before darkness envelops the area entirely.}

{Vitis wastes no time in pillaging the place, pocketing anything of value.}

{The goon Keenan is fighting struggles to get loose.} "Hey! I have orders too, ya know! Orders ta kill all hoomans, so cut me a break!"
{When Ango grabs the vine, the martial artist wraps it around Ango's wrist and uses it to pull her forward.} "I can't just let you go! Sargon's orders!

(Aggron)

Armin circled higher, catching a glimpse of the stranger as he stood underneath the dying light of the streetlamp. //Who is he?// he asked to no-one in particular. As he spoke, he briefly saw the Illusionist's outline again. His vampiric eyesight was sharper than a human's, but he still couldn't see the man well; he could only catch the occasional flicker of movement in the dark.

(Aggron)

'Eeeyyy, look at this!' Crowley cackled, tearing open a wooden box and finding a stash of coins. 'This guy must be rich as heck. And I bet this isn't even all of his money.' He began stuffing the coins into his pockets, as many as he could fit.

(Prepare for a long thing with Morty lmao)

(I a m p r e p a r e d)

Elsewhere in the city, Mortikai halts in his stride, a searing pain flaring in his chest. He gasps, clinging to the nearest wall for support. His other hand grips his shirt above his chest, as if that would help, and he suddenly becomes aware of Dark Brink's presence around him.
"What...what's wrong with me?"
//Hurts, doesn't it? You know what they are to you, don't you?//
"I want to make sure. I want...I want to ask her myself."
//I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Mortikai. I have something else in mind for you.//
The pain passing, he stands to his full height, glaring at the feline spirit.
"No! I don't care what the hell you want me to do, I need to find them!"
In that moment, the air goes cold and still.
//You're not...disobeying me, are you?//
Dark Brink's form swirls and shifts into a humanoid form, taller than Mortikai but similarly built. Morty staggers back, looking up in terror at the familiar form.
//You know what happens when you disobey me.//
Swallowing hard and gritting his teeth, he retorts.
"I'm not a kid anymore, Brink. You can't scare me with my own father anymore."
//Then why are you backing away?//
Dark Brink's grin curls, advancing towards him swiftly and grabbing a hold of his throat with a spectral hand.
//You will do as I say. And don't worry, I always make sure my children are safe. I can see that they will be attacked, and I will direct someone to take him out before they are harmed. You just need to do as I tell you and I'll make sure that happens.//
Mortikai struggles before managing to pry the spirit's hand from him, stepping back and gingerly rubbing his neck.
"Fine. What do you want?"

{Jerry shuts the door, but not before catching a glimpse of the Illusionist himself.}
Jerry: "Oliver!"
Eliza: "What!?"
Jerry: "I just saw him! It's Oliver!"

Vitis: "What did you expect? This is the Gold District, baby!
{Vitis appears wearing all kinds of bling.} "I just found his jewelry box!"

(Aggron)

Armin folded his wings and flew straight down to where he thought the Illusionist was, sharp hawk's talons extended to stab and tear. He hadn't noticed that Jerry and Eliza had gone inside the building yet.

(Aggron)

'Cool, bro,' said Crowley, grinning. His pockets bulging with coins and other objects, he made his way off towards the front door. 'C'mon, let's get out of here. We can't carry any more, and I wanna find somewhere to sell this crap later.'

//Mia Falaz. I want you to find her and return her to us.//
"The technomancer? How the hell am I meant to do that?"
//Prove to her that we are more powerful. Tell her that her new leader is now one of us.//
"Mmph. That'd work. She's always going after the powerful ones."
Mortikai brushes himself off, turning to go back to the Tower.
"I trust that you'll uphold your end of the deal."
Dark Brink grins, reforming back into his usual form.
//Don't I always?//
It dissipates, and Mortikai sets off.

Deep in the city, inside the prison, Ruscar wakes.
The place had been ransacked, non-humans being freed and humans either being slaughtered or turned. He was left for dead. But now he could feel power surging through his veins around the werewolf bite marks on his body, a low growl leaving his lips as he heaves himself to his feet. Being alive meant he could get out. Being able to get out meant that he could find them. Being able to find them meant that he could take his revenge. With a roar, his body rips into the form of a dark werewolf, panting for a moment before throwing his head back and letting out a bloodcurling howl, the primal call for a hunt thundering through the empty prison. He had his targets, and he was going to find them.

@Aggron
As she's pulled forwards, Ango uses the momentum to run forwards and punch them in the face, grimacing and almost letting out a cry as pain shoots up her injured arm.
Toby barks before darting towards the martial artist and latching onto one of their arms, attempting to inhabit their ability to hurt Ango and the others.

"Can it, ya goon! The only break you're getting is if I have to break your arm!"
Keenan growls, then looks up at Thorn.
"You okay?"

i
a m
n o t
a
f a i r y
p r i n c e s s

(Draco:
Wow
O k a y)

@Radiant
Ryker is the first to notice Ana charging towards them, throwing Forrest to the side and shifting into his wolf form, finding time too tight to run, so he instead leaps up, only just landing on Ana's head.
Forrest scrambles to his feet, almost stumbling as he runs to a group of bodies, looking behind himself in fear as he pulls them awake, three bodies groaning as they amble to their feet.

(Okay draco you're not a fairy princess)

{The Illusionist saw Armin coming, and knew that he couldn't see him well. Using this to his full advantage, the Illusionist stabs Armin right in his flight muscles (His pectorals in bird form.) with four daggers in quick succession, leaving them in with the intent of downing him.}

{Vitis, also with bulging pockets, follows Crowley.} "Yeah! Mo' money, mo money!"

{The martial artist remains relatively unfazed by Ango's weak attack. Headbutting her, and breaking her mask in the process, the martial artist tosses her aside, like a rag doll. When Toby attacked, however, the martial artist actually yells in pain. Taking the vine, he wraps it around Toby's neck and starts to strangle him with it.}

(King)

Ana felt something jump onto her head, but didn't see whether it had been Forrest, Ryker, or one of the moving corpses. Then she felt the wolf's sharp claws digging slightly into her blue scales. 'Ryker! You flea-bitten freak! Is that you?!' With a growl of irritation, she flicked her head violently to one side, trying to dislodge him. A mental command from her sent two of the ghosts, both human-shaped, running towards Forrest. Each carried a large shard of broken glass for a weapon.

(Aggron)

The hawk's screech of pain and surprise split the air like a dagger. Armin fell from the air, only just retaining enough flying ability to veer away from his attacker so that when he landed, he was almost thirty feet away from the Illusionist. As soon as he touched ground, he shifted back to his human form and drew his sword, holding it somewhat awkwardly with both hands, due to his injuries.

'I could use some backup here!' he shouted in the direction of the building.

(Aggron)

Once outside, Crowley headed down the path away from the mansion. A soft jangling noise followed him as he walked, making it obvious that he was carrying a lot of money. He was also still limping. 'Hey, let's follow the road those weird vampire guys took,' he said, referring to Jerry's group. 'Maybe I can go kill them now.'

(d i d e v e r y o n e d i e)

Jed growled and charged forward and bit down on the vine, trying to free Toby. He ignored the thorns on the vine pricking the inside of his mouth.

(I did momentarily to reply to various things akxjnwmdnnc)

@Radiant
Ryker clings tight to Ana's head, yelling a little as he's shaken side to side.
Forrest sees the ghosts rushing towards him, grinning and laughing with a bit of nervousness and madness as he pushes the zombies ahead of him, looking around quickly before scaling up to another balcony.
"Fight 'em! Dissipate them up!"

@Aggron
Her mask cracks in the centre of her forehead, protecting her from most of the impact. The sticky tape holding the part of her mask under the left eye hole comes loose, effectively making her whole mask broken halfway down the centre. She yells out as she's thrown to the side, managing to put out an arm to soften the hit to the wall. Blinking slowly, she staggers to her feet, steadying herself before running and jumping onto the artist's back, swinging her arm under their chin and pressing down hard.
Toby makes a strangled barking noise as he writhes about, scared out of his mind. He tries to ease the tightness on his throat, yipping with thankfulness as Jed comes over tl help.

(King)

Impatient, Ana reached up with a clawed forepaw and grabbed Ryker by the back of the neck, tearing him off of her head. 'Scum!' she shrieked, shaking the werewolf before opening her claws, letting him fall to the ground. Luckily for Ryker, it wasn't a long drop, only six feet or so. As soon as she dropped him, Ana turned away in disgust and stalked towards Forrest instead.

The ghosts were already charging at the small force of zombies, swinging at them with their makeshift weapons. Ana summoned two more ghosts as she walked. 'Forrest! You're going to die!' she yelled.

@Radiant
Ryker attempts to land somewhat smoothly, but ends up hitting the ground on his side. Groaning in pain, he decides to just lay there and pretend to be dead for a bit.
Forrest looks somehow terrifed and excited.
"Then come and get me! Or are you just scared that I can kill you just as easily!"
He sounds as if he's getting way too cocky for his own good. He directs the zombies to swipe at the ghosts, their weapons only slowing them and cutting into their decomposing flesh.

(Random side note
I'm currently doing a dnd campaign with some buds on Discord and I may have accidentally given my character boar-related sorta ptsd
It's brilliant
They're just having breakfast and he can barely look at the bacon)

(King - But that makes perfect sense
Bacon is terrifying, everyone knows this)

Completely ignoring Ryker, or maybe assuming he's dead, Ana continued storming towards Forrest. Her four ghosts quickly engaged in combat with the zombies, hacking and slashing at them, though failing to actually destroy any due to how tough the undead creatures were.

At first it looked like Ana was just going to walk up to Forrest and attempt to rip his head off, but then she halted, a little distance from the young necromancer. Her jaws twisted as she unleashed a blast of power at him, intent on displaying her magical superiority. 'Excruciate!'

(Yo, my internet might be going off soon, so I'll probably be heading off now.)

(I was ded, but I have been reboRN! XD)

{From the doorway of their building, a light shines through the darkness, revealing the Illusionist. Alarmingly, he's only feet away from Armin with his blade readied. Seeing the light, he turns and runs back to the safety of the shadows, all the while being shot at by Jerry and co. Eliza and Jerry's shots hit the stone building with ricochet noises, while the old man's leave massive craters in the walls with a sound comparable to that of an explosion.}
Eliza: "Armin, get in here now!"

{Vitis laughs once again.} "Really? You're limping and weighed down by all this loot, and you want to go chase down some vampires?"

{The martial artist then loops the other end of the vine around Jed's neck, and lifts the vine up, effectively strangling both the dogs at once. Feeling ango on his back again, he simply reaches back and throws her off.}

(Aggron - You're not a draugr, are you? XD)

Armin obeyed without hesitation, running into the building where Jerry and Eliza were. Once inside, he sheathed his sword and turned to look at them incredulously. 'That was Oliver Morrow? I'm impressed. He could've killed us all.' He leaned over, catching his breath.

(Aggron)

Crowley thought about it and realised that Vitis might be right, but he certainly wasn't going to admit that. 'I can chase down whoever I want! ...But you're right about one thing. I've gotta get rid of all this treasure first. I'm going back to my old apartment to stash it.'

(I'm gonna get going now, see you all!)

( @Radiant No. XD Bye!)

{Closer inspection revealed that Jerry's light source originated from a small, silver locket with an impossibly bright stone. Closing it after locking the door, Jerry puts it around his neck and reloads his weapon.}
Jerry: "Don't be so impressed, he's basically cheating to compete on the same level as nonhumans. His suit's enchanted, allowing him to surpass your speed. That, coupled with the shadowskin cloak, makes him a far deadlier night killer than even the most seasoned vampires. How is this even possible or make any sense, you ask? Magic. Fricken magic is the retcon of the natural world."

{Vitis nods in approval.} "Good idea. Let's go!"

(Aggron)

'I see you have strong opinions on the subject,' said Armin dryly. He peered through the window at the street outside, but there was no sign of the Illusionist. 'So, he's the one we're looking for. Any ideas on exactly what we're going to do with him? He's fast and hard to see. It's not going to be easy.'

(Aggron)

'So, uh, you're coming with me?' Crowley threw a quick, uncertain grin at Vitis as he started walking. 'Not that I care or anything, but you might have nightmares for the rest of your life if you see my apartment. Think you can handle it?'

Jerry: "There's not a lot we can do currently. We all might just die if we go out there after him. We're going to have to devise a plan."
{Eliza was about to pipe up when she noticed the knives in Armin's chest.}
Eliza: "Ooooh, uh, Armin.....doesn't that hurt?"
{She gestures towards the knives.}

{Vitis laughs in Crowley's face.} "Oh, please! How bad could it be? Besides, I don't have my own place yet, so I wouldn't mind stashing my loot there as well."

(Aggron)

Armin nodded towards Jerry in agreement, then glanced at Eliza and smiled grimly. 'Of course it does. I was just ignoring it.' Without seeming too concerned, he pulled the knives out and tossed them onto the floor. None of them had gone in very deep, but had still left nasty wounds. 'It'll be healed in a few hours, no worries.'

(Aggron)

'Yeah, sure, if you really think you can deal with it.' Crowley quickened his pace, still limping but not quite as badly as before. 'My place isn't far away. I don't have to pay rent anymore, 'cuz the landlady is dead.' He laughed manically as they turned a corner in the street and the run-down apartment came into sight.

{Before anyone could say anything more, a voice rises from the outside.}
Illusionist: "I'm not your enemy, detective. We share a common foe."
Jerry: "Not sure how you came to that conclusion, Oliver, when you're currently in possession of a curse capable of killing us all!"
Illusionist: "Now, now, that curse will be Sargon's reckoning. He, and his entire army of murderous monsters will be wiped from the face of this world."
Jerry: "Oliver, I believe that Sargon is a radicalized idiot. Would you agree?"
Illusionist: "Well, yes."
Jerry: "Ok, now, when you release that curse, and it imitates a plague, Sargon will likely try to burn the infected bodies. You do realize what will happen if the curse is exposed to fire, right?"
Illusionist: "Of course. It will become airborne."
Jerry: "And you don't see a problem with that?"

{Vitis looks the place over, not impressed.}"Huh, kinda a dump, isn't it? Ah, well, free is free! Heheheh."

(Aggron)

Armin tilted his head as he listened to the Illusionist speaking. 'He's an idiot,' he said. 'If he DOES unleash this plague thing, everyone in the city will die. Not just Sargon's people, but all the others who aren't part of his army. Any human stragglers left here will die, too. Can we just leave him and go tell Dianne he's got her curse?'

(Aggron)

Crowley climbed the stairs and went into his own apartment; the door was unlocked. The place was small, dark and dingy, with a suspicious smell of blood hanging in the air, too faint for a human to pick up. Various pieces of mismatched furniture, some broken, decorated the room. Moonlight came in through a single tiny window.

Crowley crossed the main room and flicked on a lightswitch. 'Wow, you're even uglier than when I last saw you,' he commented - to the room, apparently. 'Alright Vitis, find somewhere you like and stash your crap.' He then pulled open a drawer by random and started shoving all the gold, jewelry and other objects he'd stolen inside.

(And it would be at this time that the Illusionist says "Good luck telling her, 'cause I told Sargon about her helping you Trolololololol!", but because Forrest and Ryker are taking so got-dang long to die, my awesome timing has been severely offset. XD Should we just stall the group with Crowley and Vitis until Ana's ready?)

{Finding an empty dresser drawer, Vitis stashes his goods.}
"Awfully ripe in here, isn't it? What's with the blood scent? Did ya kill the landlady and stuff her in a steamer trunk or something?"

(Sure, we can wait until next Saturday if we need to, and then King and I can finish the fight with Ana.)

(Aggron)

'Noooo...' said Crowley, throwing out a few pairs of socks from the drawer so he could stuff more stolen goods inside. 'I didn't do that. I told you, she got screwed over by the Sargon guy's army. They came here yesterday and cut off her head where she stood. Hyaaaa!' He swung an arm through the air to mime a head flying off. 'It was awesome. The blood got onto the ceiling.'

(We could continue on, because Crowley said he wanted to tussle with the Jerry crew. If Forrest and Ryker aren't dead by the time that interaction concludes, we could wait for Saturday then. Or, we can just wait for Saturday and do both at once. Your call.)

{Vitis nods.}"Ah, too bad I missed that. Welp, I stashed my goods. What now?"

(Let's just continue with Crowley and Vitis for now, and go with the flow. We'll see what happens later on.)

Crowley looked up from the drawer, then pushed it shut and glanced around. 'Weeeell... I've definitely healed enough to kill someone.' He still had large wounds in his side, but they seemed to have stopped bleeding. 'Let's go hunt down those vampire guys in the Gold District!'

{Vitis nods again.} "Heh, if you're sure, then lead the way. I can still see your ribs though."

(Aggron)

'I'm fiiiiiine,' said Crowley in a singsong voice, before staggering slightly. 'I'm fine,' he repeated. 'Let's move.'

He shifted into his dragon form and left the apartment, hurrying down the streets as fast as his injuries would allow.

{Vitis followed at Crowley's pace.} "Do you mind if I ask you a question? Why do you think that doctors are for the weak, and push through wounds that would kill a lesser person? Not that I really care what you do to yourself, but I am curious."

(Aggron)

'Duh, why not?' Crowley stumbled a little as he walked alongside Vitis, but kept moving. 'I wanna be better than everyone else! If I go to the doctor every time I get a little scratched up, it means I'm weak. Besides...' He considered for a moment. 'I can't really feel pain, so it doesn't really matter to me if I get injured. As long as it doesn't kill me.'

{Vitis tilts his head.} "Hm. So, you think that succumbing to wounds means you're weak, and by fighting with no regard for your life, your worth will be proved? Kinda weird if you ask me."

(Aggron)

Crowley folded his arms and gave Vitis the evil eye. 'It's not. It makes me tougher. And it makes people afraid of me! Come on, wouldn't YOU be scared of fighting someone who never stops no matter how much you mess them up?'

Vitis: Well, yeah, that's why I don't go picking fights with La Bruja (Dianne), like you. There really is no end to those dead things she sends after people. You, on the other hand, will die eventually, no matter how unrealistically tough you might be. If someone tears your head off, that's it for you."

(Aggron)

'Yeah, I got that, but I'm not gonna LET anyone rip my head off,' said Crowley. He grinned and made a slashing motion with his knife as they walked. 'I'm waaay too fast for anyone to catch me, baby! I'm not gonna die!' He didn't seem aware that he'd come close to dying several times in the last few days alone.

{Vitis just gives him a sideways glance.} "Right. I guess you just jumped into that frost dragon's maw out of kindness then? 'Cause there's no way he'd be able to catch you." {Vitis says sarcastically.}

(Aggron)

'I was trying to rip his eyes out,' Crowley muttered sulkily. 'It's hard to do that without SOME risk that you're gonna get caught.' He turned a corner in the street. They were now inside the Gold District again. Crowley sniffed the air, scenting blood - probably from the dragon he'd killed earlier.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't jump towards his mouth next time." {Vitis says mildly.} "If you're really as fast as you say, then you should be able to run circles around him, no problem."

(Aggron)

Crowley grinned and nodded. 'I could do that, easy.' He suddenly stopped and looked around, a look of mild confusion on his face. 'Uh, where are we going again?'

"You wanted to kill that group of vampires from earlier, remember?" {As they walked by, vitis spots two dead werewolves, the very same two who Jerry relieved of duty. They were lying there, massacred and brutalized in a familiar fashion. } "Huh, looks like the handiwork of that masked psycho (Illusionist) we met last night. Sure you still want to go looking with him around?"

(Aggron)

'Who cares about him?' growled Crowley, walking past the dead werewolves without concern. 'He's just some big idiot. Walking around in a mask, killing random people, trying to draw attention to himself... Soon people are gonna fear him more than they fear me, and I won't let that happen.'

{Vitis gives Crowley a jeering look.} "Oh, yeah? And just how do you plan on doing that? 'Cause from what I've seen so far, almost no one considers you to be anything more than riff raff. That's quite the opinion to change."

(Aggron)

Crowley glared at Vitis. 'Shut the hell up! I'm WAY better than YOU are. I haven't even seen you fight before - I bet you're too cowardly. Is that why you didn't come out to fight the frost dragon earlier? I bet you were hiding in an alleyway like a scared little kid.'

{Vitis snorts.} "Oh, please. I didn't come out to fight the frost dragon because if I did, you'd be all like, 'Oh, I didn't need your help, I'm too perfect!', when in reality, you were getting your tail whipped. Need I remind you, I //saw// you run away from that fight willingly. So, remind me, who's the scared kid again?"

(Aggron)

'I told you, I wasn't running away!' Crowley was starting to look aggravated. 'It was part of my strategy! I would have died if I stayed back there, so I left, so that I can go back and kill him later! 'S'not cowardice. It's INTELLIGENCE.'

(Hahahahahahahhahaaaha I didn't forget to do any replies what are you talkinf abo u t ,,,,,,)

@Radiant
Forrest stares at the surge of power, enchanted by it for a moment before it hits him. He yells in pain, legs giving way and almost falling off the balcony. Wildly, he tries to grasp the railing to pull himself up, gapsing heavily and trying to ignore the pain writhing through his body, though is miserably failing. His control over the zombies weakens, leading their movements to become less lively.

@Aggron
Not put off at all, Ango gets to her feet quickly, takes off her mask and stashes it in her hoodie pocket so it wouldn't get more damaged, then kicks the back of his leg (y'know where the knee bends) to make him fall, using it as a foothold to get a better grab around his neck again, pulling back slightly.
"Leave. Them. Alone!"
With each stressed word, she squeezes tighter.

(King - SATAN IS ALIVE)

Ana's magic flickered and faded as she stalked towards Forrest, causing the pain in his body to disappear. Before he had a chance to recover, she reached out and grabbed him around the middle in her huge jaws, lifting the necromancer high off the ground. She ignored the possible threat of Ryker and the zombies.

('Ryker and the Zombies' sounds like a really weird band name)

(SATAN HAS BEEN REVIVED
oh it does huh spooky)

@Radiant
Forrest swears loudly, struggling and pushing against her massive jaws to try to get out of them.
"Ryker! You useless mutt, help me!"
He yells, all his bravado gone and terror starting to creep into his system.
The named werewolf lumbers to his feet, huffing quietly.
"Oh, to Hell with it. I'm.dying either way."
He decided before sprinting towards Ana and latching onto one of her legs, sinking his teeth and claws into it.

{Annoyed, the martial artist stands up, hangs the vine from the windowsill, letting gravity do the dog choking, then once again prying Ango off his neck, slams his knee into her midsection, with all his dragon might. However, instead of throwing her aside this time, he starts dragging her away by the ankle.}

( @King I don't remember what that goon fighting Keenan was doing last, so let's just assume he's not a problem anymore, ok? XD )

{Vitis looks stern for a moment, before that expression dies away into mischievous glee.}"Heheheh, so serious. And illogical. First you claim that you're perfect and never die, then openly admit you made a mistake and were in danger of dying. Get over yourself. You're just as mortal and flawed as the rest of us."

(King)

Ana hardly seemed to notice Ryker clinging to her leg, intent as she was upon finishing off Forrest. With a massive surge of strength, she threw him hard enough to send him flying into the buildings on the other side of the square. 'Die, traitor!' she screamed.

(Aggron)

Crowley knew deep down that Vitis was right, but he still didn't like being outwitted. Scowling, he turned away and continued walking up the street, following the signs that pointed to the city hall. 'Yeah, whatever.'

{Vitis chuckles, seeing that he won.}"Heh, cheer up, ya grumpy birdo. I think if you think more logically, you might find more success."

(Aggron)

Crowley curled his lip in disgust. 'I don't do logical.' He looked up as he walked, noticing the silhouette of the city hall up ahead. Something looked wrong about it, and it took him a moment to realise what it was. 'Huh, that's weird. There should be streetlamps lit up over there. It's completely dark.'

(Oh Aggron, I had a quick question that I forgot to ask earlier. XD
Armin and Jerry's group is going to return to Riverside once they're done with the Illusionist, right? I sorta had something planned for later, but it needs to wait until they're back there. There's no rush, though.)

{Vitis stops to take notice.} "Huh, you're right..." {As he says this, he notices a voice in the darkness. It's the Illusionist talking with Jerry.}
Illusionist: "Oh, you want to tell her, do you? Good luck with that. You see, I've already told Sargon about her...obstruction of his plans. I wouldn't doubt he's already sent goons after her. Better hurry and warn her, before she's dead."
Jerry: "What?! Who's side are you on?!"

( @Radiant After the Illusionist, Jerry and co are probably going to fight Crowley and Vitis for a bit, then they're going to rush to Dianne's place. By that time, it'll probably be close to morning, forcing the group back to Riverside. At least, that's probably what will happen. Would that be too long?)

(That sounds fine to me. Like I said, there's no rush. I don't need to do what I've planned at any particular time. I can do it the next day.)

(Aggron)

Crowley squinted ahead through the darkness; he'd never admit it, but his night vision wasn't the best. He was a crowdragon after all, not an owldragon. 'There's some guy talking to some other random people in that building. Should we sneak up and listen to them?'

----

Armin listened carefully to the conversation, preferring to let Jerry do the talking.

(Also hey, after the Illusionist is done with Jerry and crew, will he be free? Cus I might unleash Ruscar on the doggo squad soon (and maybe deal with some of the reinforcements :)))) and Brink'll need to get him to hop on over to deal with him before he does some bad murders-)

Re: aaaaaa you're welcome!!! :D

(Also I realise that I should've said that question earlier or tonight XD)

( @King Yup. The Illusionist is right about to trolololol off into the night. Once he does that, Brink can command him to do whatever.)

(So I've just seen from the chatroom, I'm guessing we're staying here?)

(yes)

(Okiiieeeeeee)

@Radiant
Forrest's yell is cut short as he hits the side of the building, falling to the floor with a sickening thud. He stirs, only just, knowing that something is broken from the pain rippling through his body and daring not to move any more in the bizzare hope that he can get out of this somehow.
Ryker barely looks up until he hears Forrest smack into the wall, staring at his body and frozen to the spot.

{Oliver doesn't reply right away.}
Illusionist: "Well, I'm on my side. The side that wants Sargon dead."
Jerry: "Um, we want that too, but your telling Sargon about Dianne has severely impacted our ability to combat him."
Illusionist: "Well, having her around is severely impacting my ability to combat him, and my way of dealing with him is far quicker and more effective."
Jerry: "Oliver, if you release that curse and Dianne dies before she can recall it, you might just end all life on the fricken' planet! How is that more effective?"
Illusionist: "Oh, she won't die. You're going to make sure of that. I'm going to leave now, and you're going to rush back to her aid. Otherwise, this might get out of hand."
Eliza: "How about we just run your ass down and take the curse instead, thus circumventing all of this bullshet?!"
Illusionist: "A futile endeavor, for you see, I've already released the curse. Sargon will catch wind of it by morning."
Jerry: "Son of a --"
Illusionist: "I'm leaving now. I'd hurry if I were you, you don't have much time. Tah tah."
{With that, the Illusionist departs, leaving the group alone.}
Jerry: "Dad! We need to move!"
{Old man Garvey appears from the stairwell, rifle in hand. Jerry doesn't hesitate to open the door.}

( @King
Illusionist: "I'm done with Jerry. Command me!")

(King)

Ana let out an inhuman howl of delight and leapt towards Ryker, only just remembering that the werewolf existed. Now in a complete killing frenzy, she pinned him under one of his huge forepaws, snarling down at him, saliva dripping from her fangs as she readied herself for the death blow. 'Say goodnight, pup,' she growled.

{Vitis nods and walks in the direction of the voices, only to see Jerry opening the door.}
Vitis: "Oi, Crowley, there they are."
{Jerry, seeing Vitis, speaks.} "For f#$k's sake, now what?!"

(Aggron)

Armin shoved past the others to get out the door first, staring around wildly until he accepted that the Illusionist was really gone. 'Bastard,' he grumbled. 'So what now? Do we hunt him down and put a bullet through his head, or are we going to Dianne first? It looks like your great plan isn't going too well.'

(Aggron)

Crowley grinned. He raised a hand and waved at Jerry's group. 'Hey there, we've come to kill you! I notice the invisible ninja guy hasn't already done it!'

{Jerry's pretty upset at this point.} "Gee, Armin, I can see that, thanks for keeping us informed. Moron. Obviously, we go to Dianne first. If she dies, so does everyone else, we can put a bullet through his head later." {Still fuming, he turns to Crowley to reply.} "Go f#$k yourselves! We don't have time for your bullsh!t! Let's go, everyone." {Jerry starts walking away.}
Vitis: "Ooooh, temper, temper."

(Aggron)

Crowley folded his arms, smirking as Jerry's group walked past. 'Woooow. That was harsh. I almost don't want to kill you now - I think it'd be more fun to watch you.' With that, he started following the group, though keeping a safe distance behind.

Armin's expression darkened at being spoken to like that, but he didn't say anything, not wanting to make the situation even worse. He walked a little behind Jerry and kept silent, though it was obvious he wasn't happy.

{As they briskly walked, the old man brought up the rear, keeping a watchful eye on Crowley and Vitis. Eliza, walking next to Armin, touched his arm and shot him a look of "Everything ok?"}

@Aggron
"Thorn! Keenan! Help them!"
Ango yells, trying to spin around and grab at and hold she can.
Getting off the unconscious goon, Keenan runs to the window and, seeing the vine and dogs hanging from it, swears loudly and unties them, releasing Jed and Toby from being strangled. He's about to leap from the window and shift when a black mass of fur bolts past his vision, leaping onto the martial artist and sinking it's teeth into his neck with murderous rage.
The mass is quickly identified as a werewolf, Ango quickly recognising the look in it's eyes and pulling her leg from the artist's grasp, scrambling back in fear as quick as she can manage.

{The Martial Artist howls in pain and desperately tries to get his assailant off, dropping Ango in the process. The army waiting at the front of the building hear it, but aren't sure if they should do something.}

@Radiant
With a final grin and no regrets left, he grins up into the face of death.
"Goodnight."
Forrest manages to look up at them, wondering if he had enough power left to raise Ryker after he died.

@Aggron
Ango stumbles to her feet, running to Jed and Toby to make sure they were okay before taking her mum's hand and trying to pull her away before the werewolf saw them, tears of fear now rolling down her cheeks.
"Mum- mum /come on/, we-we need to get out of here, please, come on-"
She pleads quietly watching as the werewolf flings his head back with flesh and blood in his jaws.

{The martial artist finally succumbs to his wounds, leaving Ruscar without a target.}

(Uh, Earth to Dark Brink, the Illusionist won't know to save anyone unless you tell him.)

(Yes I know, I'm just waiting a little XD)

(Ok XD)

@Aggron
Ruscar slowly backs off, shaking blood from his fur, then turns his attention to Ango and Emilia with a grin. Slowly, he stalks towards them, painfully shifting into his regular human form, cracking his neck.
"Oh...I've been waiting a long time for this. Sweet, sweet revenge, for being wrongfully put behind bars. Since there are no police officers left in this town, I had to dwindle my list down to the family that abandoned me."

Dark Brink materializes sat on the Illusionist's shoulder, grinning slightly.
//I have a job for you. There's a dark furred werewolf wanting to tear two of my...assets to pieces. I want you to end him in whichever way you see fit. He's located behind the Orphanage. There are other non-humans in the area, so you'll need to be careful.//

"W-we didn't abandon you! You weren't even part of our family!"
Ango tries to retort, but the fear is too strong in her voice to sound angry or threatening at all.
Ruscar laughs menacingly.
"Oh, Ango. You're just as adorable as you were six, long, long years ago. You still have my marks on you, I see. I did quite a good job, wouldn't you think? Showing that filthy father of yours that I was meant to have her. It's his fault, you know. If he had just let me have her than none of this would have happened. You wouldn't exist, and we would be happy."
He directs those last lines at Emilia, who still is far away from the situation at hand and hadn't yet realised he was actually there.

(He's having a bit of a monologue XD)

(XD)
{Oliver stops in his tracks.} "It will be done. Sargon's goons are of no consequence to me."
{With that, The Illusionist runs at his max speed through the dark towards the Orphanage, never so much as making a single sound.}

(Aggron)

Armin looked down at Eliza, surprised that she cared enough to approach him. He gave her a reassuring smile. //It's alright,// he said telepathically, on a private frequency so that nobody except Eliza would hear.

(I came back to find a huge lot of replies, I need a moment to read through everything. XD)

(King)

Ana grinned. 'You're a brave one, aren't you? Don't worry... I won't let it hurt...'

In a sudden movement like a snake striking, she lunged downwards and tore off Ryker's head. It was quick and painless, just as she had promised. Gently stepping off the werewolf's body, she turned and scanned the square to see if Forrest was dead.

(Aggron)

Crowley sauntered after Jerry's group, curious to know where they were heading.

{Eliza nodded and smiled at Armin, continuing to follow Jerry.}

----

{Following along with Crowley, Vitis speaks to him in a low voice.} "So, what are we doing now?"

(Aggron)

'I'm following them, duh,' muttered Crowley. 'Why's there such a big group of people walking around here? They're not part of that Sargon dude's army, so what are they up to? I wanna know.' He folded his arms and grinned arrogantly. 'If it gets too dangerous, we can escape.'

Re: he scream and he disapprove
Aaaa thank you though! :D

"Alright then." {Vitis shrugs and follows along, not really knowing where this was going to end.}

(Aggron)

'Sooo,' said Crowley, bored and wanting to make conversation. 'Do you have a family somewhere? Not that I care or anything, I'm just curious.'

As the night drew on, a lone dragon swooped down and landed at the edge of Riverside. Quiet as thieves, Wendigo's three riders dismounted and began to look around.

'It's silent, Sir,' one of the werewolves grunted. 'Hardly a soul in sight... or in smell, to be accurate.'

Frederick had to admit the creature was right. 'It's as if the villagers all left,' he said softly. 'Which isn't surprising, given what has happened recently. But it does make things easier for us. Lord Sargon plans to take control of Riverside - well, we can return and tell him that the village is empty and ready for the taking.'

The werewolf bowed his head, not voicing his doubts. //What is some enemy of Sargon's is laying a trap for us?// he thought. //What if there are still people here who can hurt us?//

Frederick gestured for the others to follow him. 'But before we leave, we must search for the ones we're looking for. Jeremiah Garvey and Armin. They've been causing Lord Sargon no end of trouble.'

@Radiant
Ryker's body lies still, the mark of Dark Brink now gone from him. Forrest, now terrifed, tries to force himself into an upwards position despite the pain, hot tears of fear rolling down his cheeks.
"No! No I don't want to die! Brink! I take it all back! Please! Save me!"
He screeches, to no avail.

@Aggron
"My dad was a far better person than you! He wouldn't have treated us like you have!"
"Then why did he leave? Why did he disappear without a trace? You know, people only tend to do that when they have something to hide. I knew your mother was trying to find him the whole time. Even taught you how to decode the silly little symbols of some long forgotten religion. But some people just don't want to be found. He's the reason behind Emilia's condition, you know. I didn't do anything."
He slowly walks forwards as he speaks, forcing Ango to back away.
"He's...he's still way better! Mum cared about him way more than she did you! And he cared about us too!"
Ruscar laughs in disbelief, not knowing how this puny child of his enemy could think this after so long.
"If he really did care, he'd be here right now, wouldn't he? COME ON MORTIKAI! COME OUT AND PLAY!"
He suddenly yells, a wild grin on his face.
"You hear that? Nothing. No one's going to save you, and I'm going to save these idiots a job by cleaning the last of the humans in this town off the planet."
Toby whines quietly, still stood under the window. He wanted to help Ango and Emilia so badly, to protect them from harm, but the strong werewolf scent Ruscar carried was simply terrifying to a normal dog, let alone the massive form he took.

{From the darkness, the Illusionist speaks, having heard most of Ruscar's banter.} "How disgusting. You married the mother, just to abuse her and her child. And now, with the power of a Lycan, you still prey on the helpless. Brink can't be that bad, if he ordered me to end your miserable existence."

{From a very far distance, Grandpa Joe, who was keeping watch, caught a glimpse of Windigo as he landed. Hurrying down from the roof, he breaks the news to everyone.} "Bad news, chaps, a dragonshifter just landed to the north! I think Sargon's scouting this place out!"
Aunt Sarah:"Get Bob on the phone, tell him to come back with Ivy, stat!"

(King)

'You should have said all of that BEFORE you got yourself here!' exclaimed Ana. 'Goodnight, little necromancer. I'll take care of your pet for you.' With that, she slashed at his neck with her claws, killing him in a similar fashion to how she'd killed Ryker.

Frederick led the two werewolves through the village, stopping when they came to a shabby-looking inn. 'It's empty,' he said. 'We'll stay here for the night. We'll sleep in shifts so that someone can keep an eye out. We don't know for sure that this place is deserted. I think I smelled humans back there somewhere.'

The werewolves nodded in agreement. Back at the edge of the village, Wendigo took flight, intending to find a quiet spot outside Riverside to sleep. //I'll call you if I need you,// said Frederick telepathically to the dragon.

'Let's try laying some traps,' said one of the werewolves. 'Y'know, just in case someone DOES sneak up on us.'

@Radiant
With a strangled, gurgling croak, Forrest falls to his side, bleeding out fairly quickly and Brink's mark disappearing from his body just as quick.

(Re: BECAUSE IT FEELS LIKE A WASTE OF TIIIIME
I LIKE IT HERE)

@Aggron
Ruscar whips around with a deep growl, trying to locate where the Illusionist was.
"Oh, so you're one of his little friends then? Too busy worshiping some godforsaken long-dead cat to save his family so he sends someone else? That's pathetic, if you ask me."
He sneers, shifting into his wolven form with a sickening crackle of bones.
"I'll tear you to bloody pieces, then I'll make mincemeat out of these things, and then I'll rip the beating heart out of Mortikai Ondor. Sound like a plan?"
Grinning wildly with a lust for blood in his eyes, he slowly pads ever closer towards Ango and Emilia.
"Or maybe I'll deal with you two first..."

{As Ruscar padded towards Ango and Emilia, a knife flies from the darkness, catching Ruscar right in the side of the neck. With that, the Illusionist steps out of the shadows. He's not sure which of these people is Brink's asset, so he decides that he's going to keep them all alive.} "Mortikai didn't send me, Brink did. You want a fight? Start with me, swine." {In Oliver's left hand, he held a throwing knife. In his right, his machete.}

{Vitis shrugs in response to the question.} "Eh, just my no good parents. They never much cared for me, they were too busy drinkin' to pay me any mind. How about you, Crowley? Got rents somewhere? Brothers? A super hot sister?"

{Bob, who was with Ivy, hears his phone ring.}
Bob: "Hello? Ah, honey what's-...Oh, I see. Ok, we're on our way back. Bye."
{Hanging up, he turns to Ivy.} "Bad news. A dragon touched down at the north side. We need to go, now."

As soon as she saw Forrest was dead, Ana wasted no more time standing around. Opening her wings, she leapt skywards and angled towards Atlas Tower. Before she could go far, however, a familiar voice rang out in her mind.

//You are to find Dianne, the dragon necromancer. She is our enemy now. She is the one responsible for destroying our stores. Find her, and kill her. It cannot wait.//

Grinning wildly, Ana flapped her wings and started heading towards Dianne's house. //Nobody will threaten the Count while I'm around!//

(Aggron)

Ivy frowned, hands on hips. 'ONE dragon? Why is that such a big problem? You guys can deal with it easily, can't you?'

(Aggron)

Crowley snorted out a laugh at Vitis's remark. 'Noooo, just a stupid younger brother,' he said. There was something in his voice that spoke of a long-harboured resentment. 'I left my parents when I was about 16. Just got up one day and left. They didn't care about me much. They like my brother more, the pathetic little white-winged rat.'

(Re: guess what's going to happen now :))))))))
aaa, but thank you! :D)

(Re: YEAHHHHHH

PLUS I WAS ON VAYCAY FOR A WEEEEEK AND HAD TO STUDY AHEADDDD SO I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO GO ON DAAAAAAAAAA)

{Vitis chuckles.} "That sucks bro. Was he your first victim?"

{Bob smiles.} "Of course it's no problem, we just need to regroup first. C'mon, let's head back."

{Meanwhile, Dianne is sitting behind the counter in her home. The second saboteur team of rat draugrs had already set off, so Dianne only had five dragrs at her disposal.}

(Re: UH HUUUUHHHHHHHHH)

(Aggron)

Ana flew down and landed in front of Dianne's house. //Hmm, now how to get her attention?// she thought. She briefly contemplated knocking, but decided that was far too boring. Swinging her long tail around, she knocked down most of the front wall of the house in a single blow. Choking dust filled the air, and the crashing noise could be heard for miles around.

As soon as she did this, she retreated back a step, performed her Cloak spell to make herself invisible, and began searching the area for corpses.

(Aggron)

'Nah.' Crowley sneered unpleasantly. 'I tried to kill him before I left, but my dad caught me. He fought me off. Nearly killed me - all to protect the little goody-two-shoes brat.'

(Aggron)

'All right. But this had better not take long. I need my beauty sleep,' Ivy commented, holding the gun she'd been given for practice and following Bob.

{Dianne heard Ana land. However, she didn't expect at all what happened next. Ducking behind her counter, she manages to avoid the flying debris. Standing up, completely beside herself with rage, she yells out to whoever did it.} "HEY! What the F@ #k is your problem!?"
{From the debris, some of the draugrs burst forth, snarling ad weapons in hand.}

{Hearing the crash from a distance, Jerry looks around.} "That can't be good. Let's hurry!"

{Vitis nods in understanding.} "Damn, dude, that sucks. Where's your brother now?"

(Aggron)

Ana was ready for it. Grinning madly, she focused on the nearby mound of corpses and pulled five ghosts - the same number as the draugrs Dianne had. The ghosts snatched up pieces od debris from where the wall had collapsed, wielding them as makeshift weapons. Ana sharply called the spirits to order and they assembled themselves around her like bodyguards, ready to attack at a moments' notice.

'Just try it, you stinking piles of rot,' she said, laughing at the draugrs that burst out to confront her. 'I'll melt the flesh from your undead bones.' Purple flames flickered in the depths of her throat as she roared at them.

(Aggron)

Crowley shrugged. 'Hell if I know. What do you think I am, his babysitter? I don't care where the snotty little brat is. He's probably still living with my parents.' He considered, then added, 'I'd like to go back and kill him someday.'

{The draugrs begin to advance as a phalanx, until Dianne orders them to stop. Speaking in an unknown language, she orders Magnus to do something, after which, he retreats and runs upstairs. Turning to Ana, Dianne speaks. From her, comes an unsettling aura, and as she approaches, Ana's spirits start to flicker and twitch, as is some otherworldly force was affecting them.} "Anastasia! What is the meaning of this?! I demand an explanation!"

{Vitis chuckles.} "Well, whenever you decide to go back, I wouldn't mind lending you a hand. Hey, wait, where'd that group go?" {It seems that while Vitis and Crowley were talking, Jerry and co. inadvertently out ran the two in their haste to get to Dianne.}

(Aggron)

Ana scowled momentarily when she noticed her spirits reacting strangely, but turned her attention away from them for the time being. 'You,' she said loudly, 'have been labelled as an enemy of Count Sargon! YOU are the one who is responsible for destroying our food stores! Well, you won't have the chance to do it again. I'm here to make sure of that.'

An unearthly green glow came from her pupilless eyes as she drew upon her magic, and the ghosts around her raised their arms simultaneously, improvised weapons shining in the night air.

(Aggron)

Crowley started to answer, then stopped and glanced around. 'Huh. That's weird. Looks like they ran away while we weren't looking, like scared little kids.' He smirked and played with his dagger. 'That's a shame, I was planning to stab them in the backs while THEY weren't looking.'

{Dianne, at this point, is just getting progressively angrier.} "What the F@ #k are you blathering about!? I have committed no such act! Your master has been deceived!"

{Vitis laughs.} "Oh, I'm sure they couldn't have gone far. I'm sure they'll turn up"

(Oh, man. My censorship has spawned a tag. XD)

(Aggron)

'DON'T LIE TO ME!' Ana screeched, her good humour abruptly vanishing behind an explosion of protective anger - likely caused by Dianne's implication that Sargon was gullible. 'We got a tip-off! The Count knows it was you. Why don't you own up to your deed, necromancer scum?' The ghosts flanking her fell into more aggressive postures, triggered by their mistress' bad mood.

(Aggron - Yep. XD)

'Maaaaybe...' Crowley looked at the street ahead thoughtfully, still running a finger up and down his knife blade. 'Let's just keep walking this way. I think I heard a weird crashing noise over there somewhere.' He sniffed the air. 'And it smells like brick dust.'

{Shouting in anger, Dianne violently swings her arm towards Ana's ghosts. Upon doing so, Ana's ghosts dissipate, with their weapons clattering upon the floor. After that, Dianne levels a finger at Anastasia.} "Let me explain this in a way even a //mindless// lapdog would understand. I have //committed// no crime. Your tip, was most likely delivered by an enemy to your cause, hoping that we'd fight each other. Sargon is already fighting one war, does he really want to start a second one over an anonymous tip?"

"Ok, let's go." {Vitis follows Crowley, hoping they get to see some action soon.}

(Aggron)

Seeing how her ghosts disappeared, Ana let out a howl of rage. 'You are trying to save your own skin!' she snarled. 'Has it occurred to you that you're one of the only people in this city with the power to break into our stores unnoticed? I'm sure you had your undead minions do it for you. Nobody else can do that! It was YOU!'

(How does Dianne make Ana's ghosts vanish? Is it permanent, or can Ana summon them back again?)

(Aggron)

'Hey, looky over there!' Crowley suddenly piped up after a minute or two of walking. He pointed with his knife-free hand. 'There's like, a column of dust rising over there. And I can hear people shouting. It looks like there's one heck of an awesome fight going on!' With that, he picked up his pace to a run.

(Essentially, she just forced them back to the next dimension over. She's a lot more powerful than Forrest. XD If Ana can pull the same spirits from the same bodies multiple times, then it's not permanent.)
"Save my skin? No, I'm trying to save myself the trouble of getting involved in world politics again. It doesn't matter if I could do it, the fact is I //didn't// do it, and you have no concrete proof that I did." {Dianne's eyes are transitioning to reptilian slits now, and she has a mouth full of fangs.} "If you want to start a war over a 'maybe', then go ahead. I guarantee you'll lose."

{Vitis runs after Crowley.} "Hey, wait for me!"

(Ooh, alrighty! I'd say Ana can pull them back again. She's quite powerful at the ghost summoning thing.)

'Nothing is a 'maybe' when it comes to my orders!' said Ana loyally. 'Do you think I only obey Count Sargon when I feel like it? He is my leader, and I've sworn myself to him. And I know that he's right!'

With that, she made a huge effort and dragged back the spirits Dianne had sent away. Only four of them reappeared, but she didn't seem to care and sent them to engage the draugrs anyway. At the same time, she lunged towards Dianne, jaws gaping and teeth gleaming.

(Aggron)

Crowley ran on for a while, then suddenly pulled to a halt. He was standing on a street corner. Peering cautiously around the corner, he saw the remains of Dianne's house at the other end of the street, dust rising into the night sky. 'Look at THAT,' he breathed. 'There's a huge dragon and a load of zombie things.'

{When Ana made contact with Dianne, she got nothing but a mouthful of smoke. Rematerializing behind her, she waves her hand again, dismissing Ana's ghosts once more.} "Novice! Sending ghosts after me is like sending lumps of clay to kill a sculpter!" {Dianne once again becomes a smokelike mass, but this time, she rematerialized in her dragon form. With a snarl, the draugrs move to engage Ana.}

"Woah!" {Vitis exclaimed with stars in his eyes.} "Dragon fight! Gentlemen, place your bets!"

(Aggron)

Rather than being intimidated, Ana laughed out loud, enjoying the prospect of a good fight. She spread her wings and jumped twenty feet into the air, where the land-walking draugrs couldn't hit her. Flapping her wings strongly, she flew above Dianne and then dropped down, stretching out her jaws to grab the other dragon by the neck.

(Aggron)

Crowley was grinning from ear to ear. 'That blue one with the witch's hat looks kinda cool,' he said, sounding like a commentator at a wrestling match, 'but that red-eyed one is bigger and keeps turning into smoke. What d'you think, Vitis?'

(I gotta go for now, so I probably won't reply until later or tomorrow.)

Vitis: "I don't know, Crowley. The red eyed one does appear to have the size and magic advantage, but the hatted one appears to have venomous spines. If the red eyed one isn't careful, she could get poisoned, and the tables could turn very rapidly."
{Dianne was ready for Ana's aerial attack. swinging her massive tail, she knocks Ana to the side and into a building.}
Vitis:"Oooh, and she goes for the tail slam! I think Red Eyes knows that her best bet is to play it defensively!"

(Ok. bye!)

(Aggron)

Ana grunted as she flew into the building, knocking down most of the wall with her bulk. She recovered quickly, launching herself at Dianne's side with her head lowered like a charging bull. This meant that the venomous spines on her head and neck were pointed towards Dianne, and is she wasn't careful, the other dragon was going to get impaled.

'They're both pretty good,' commented Crowley, leaning against a wall as he watched. 'I mean, it's not often you see giant dragons fighting around here.'

{Dianne reared up and grabbed Ana's face. Ana's charge was pushing her backwards, with her spines dangerously close. Struggling to keep from getting poisoned, Dianne twists Ana's head and forces her onto her side.}

"Heh, yeah." {Vitis says while leaning back.}"I'mma just watch and enjoy this."

{Finally arriving at the battle, Jerry and co stop at a fair distance.}
Jerry: "Damnit, it's already started."
Eliza:"We need to do something, we need her alive!

(Aggron)

Ana reached up and slashed at Dianne's front legs with her claws, trying to force her to let go. At the same time, she flicked her tail out sideways, hitting the other dragon on the side of her head. Ire flickered in her eyes as she fought to free herself, and her hat fell off and rolled away into a corner.

(Aggron)

Armin stopped beside Eliza and eyed the two grappling dragons. 'Hmm, I wouldn't recommend getting too close to that,' he said lightly. 'Maybe we should wait and see what happens. You never know, Dianne might win.'

(Re: aaa gosh thank you :D
And yes, that tag...
It's a secret :)))))))

{Dianne snarls at being hit in the face, snapping at Ana's passing tail. Ana's claws cut into Dianne, but she maintained her grip. Keeping Ana's head pinned with one hand, she lifts the other and slams it into Ana's neck, her claws puncturing Ana's scales. Holding Ana in place, Dianne starts to use her decay magic to eat away at Ana from all points of contact.}

{Jerry takes the heavy rifle and takes aim at the dragons.} "Maybe you're right, Armin, but if things start going south, I'm shooting the blue one."

(Aggron)

Realising now that she needed to get away if she wanted to live, Ana cast her Ward spell. This created a thin, transparent barrier of magic around herself, pushing Dianne away without harming her. Ana then scrambled to her feet, snarling and stretching out her wings in a show of intimidation. Her scales were slightly decayed in places, but she'd gotten away before anything worse could happen.

'Your move,' she spat, grinning nastily at Dianne, waiting for her to do something. Her Ward barrier was still faintly visible.

(Aggron)

Armin glanced at the rifle, then returned his attention to the fighting dragons. 'That sounds dishonourable, somehow,' he commented. 'Shooting it while it's not looking. Well, I guess it can't be helped.'

{Dianne backed away as the ward materialised, while her draugrs finally catch up and start attacking the ward. Narrowing her eyes at Ana, Dianne takes a moment to think. Seemingly coming to a decision, Dianne begins to circle Ana, watching her carefully and waiting to see if her draugrs can break through.}

{Jerry keeps the gun trained on Ana.}"Honor? What semblance of honor does Sargon have? Why should we hold ourselves to honor when he so rankly disregards it?"

{Arriving back at the hotel, Bob leads Ivy inside before addressing everyone else.}"So, what's the plan?"
Aunt Sarah: "Half of us, including you, are going to deal with our visitor, the other half stays here and continues with the sabotage prep. If Sargon's already snooping around, we need to hustle on scuttling the crops and processing plants."

(Aggron)

After taking several hits from the draugrs, Ana's shield flickered and disintegrated. Without giving Dianne time to act, she roared and sprung at the other dragon, claws extended. As she did so, her ghost slaves reappeared behind her and attacked the draugrs, taking advantage of Dianne hopefully being distracted to get a few blows in.

Armin shrugged. 'Well, you don't want to lower yourself to HIS level, do you?'

(Aggron)

'Hey, wait one minute. Plot whole here.' Ivy raised a hand to get everyone to notice her. 'You said that you saw some dragon landing in the village. You don't know for SURE that it's one of Sargon's minions.'

(Quick note, please don't kill Frederick's group just yet, I need them. XD)

(Ok, I'll stall the welcome party. XD)
{Dianne lunges as well, claws outstretched, and decay magic at maximum output. Colliding with Ana, Dianne winces at the claws, but wrestles Ana onto her back. Tooth, claw, and decay, Dianne begins to tear at her underside. The draugrs clash with the ghosts, targeting and destroying their weapons, rather than their ethereal forms.}

{Jerry doesn't falter.} "Armin, if Dianne is slain, we die with her, sooner or later. Now you tell me what's more important; our 'honor', or the survival of this land?"

{Aunt Sarah loads up a heavy rifle while replying.} "We're not taking that risk. Sargon's or not, that dragon dies."

(Aggron)

'This is ridiculous,' Ivy huffed. //I used to have a friend who... wasn't human. Not all of them are bad.// 'You can't just walk over there and kill it without knowing. Besides, it hasn't hurt anyone, has it? It just showed up.'

(Aggron)

'I'd say both are important,' said Arrmin. 'But I guess in this case, we don't have any choice.' He looked away from Jerry, returning his gaze to the battling dragons. 'Let's just wait a little and see what happens.'

(Aggron)

Ana yelled out in pain and rage. Stretching out her neck, she grabbed Dianne's head in her jaws, biting down hard enough to pierce the scales and the flesh beneath. At the same time, she coiled her tail around Dianne's and used it to try and pull her backwards.

Behind them, the ghosts fell back in an organised retreat as the last of their weapons were destroyed. Rushing towards the ruined house, they gathered new makeshift weapons from the debris and charged at the draugrs once again. One of the ghosts managed to slice a draugr's head off with a sharp piece of something.

{Dianne roared in pain, but didn't falter. She uses her forearms to grab Ana's neck, and planted her feet to keep from being pulled off. Her decay magic was starting to seep through every point of contact, spreading into Ana's tail, neck, teeth, and jaws, causing her teeth to come loose and the flesh in her mouth and on her neck and tail to begin to wither.}

{Jerry keeps looking through the scope.}"Well, looks like she's winning. That poor blue dragon had no idea; Dianne's magic is incredibly caustic. If this keeps up, she'll be reduced to bones and decayed flesh."

{The draugr without a head turns to ash, while the others repeat the same strategy}

{Aunt Sarah doesn't even look up.}"If we give them a chance to explain themselves, and they are one of Sargon's, we give up the element of surprise, and risk losing people. I'm not going to take that risk."

(Aggron)

Until then, Ana hadn't really been aware of how much danger she was in. Now, she realised she was going to die if she didn't do something. With a howl of fury, she cast her Excruciate spell in an attempt to incapacitate the other dragon with a blast of pain, while simultaneously casting Ward to push her away. Now free, Ana staggered backwards, gingerly examining her injuries and the points where Dianne's magic had eaten away at her.

The ghosts continued clashing with the draugrs, even as one of them flickered and disappeared from taking too many blows.

(Aggron)

Suddenly, a look of surprised recognition came over Armin's face. 'Hey, wait a minute...' Without warning, he grabbed Jerry's rifle and looked through the scope. 'The blue dragon is Anastasia! Sargon's right-hand minion. Remember, I told you about her before?'

(Aggron)

Looking annoyed, Ivy whirled around to face the rest of the family. 'Well?! What about you?! Do YOU agree with this madness?'

(Aggron)

In the deserted inn, Frederick had already gone upstairs to find a bed to sleep in, leaving the two werewolves to guard the place. They had locked the door and pushed furniture against it from the other side, making it impossible to open. Suddenly, one of the werewolves spotted something. 'Hey, check this out,' he said.

It was a small hole in the door at about chest height. He grinned at his friend. 'Doesn't that look useful for warning off the door-to-door salesmen?'

The other werewolf considered for a moment. Then he smiled evilly. 'Get a pistol.'

{Dianne shrieked as the spell took effect, the ward pushing her back easily. Falling in a heap, Dianne takes a second to get back on her feet, breathing heavily and her face filled with rage. Upon noticing Ana's injuries, which consist of massive open wounds, caused by the decay, and the loss of quite a few teeth, Dianne's rage turns to an evil grin.} "Heheheheh....Good luck getting Sargon to love you now.....now that you look like a diseased, toothless okie! Ahahahahaha!"

{Jerry's expression drops upon hearing Dianne scream.} "Wait, what just happened? Quick, give me back the rifle!"

{There was a unanimous murmur of agreement in response to Ivy's question.}
Random cousin:"Yes. Better them than us."
Random uncle:"Sarah's right. We're not going to risk personnel over a maybe."
Jerry's mom:"Sweetie, this is a war. Sometimes, we have to do things we normally wouldn't to ensure our survival."

(Aggron)

Ana snarled hatefully at Dianne, showing a good mouthful of teeth despite losing quite a lot. She too was breathing heavily from pain and fatigue. 'You... filthy scum...' she panted. 'Your magic is so disgusting. Making things rot alive? Controlling dead bodies? I bet NOBODY has ever loved you, you hideous witch!'

Her ghosts moved back to gather around Ana, sensing that she was injured.

(Aggron)

Ivy made a disgruntled noise and folded her arms tightly, her entire posture showing her disapproval. 'So you're going to murder every non-human you come across just because they MIGHT be one of Sargon's? This is probably why they decided to kill us all in the first place! Whatever. I'm not going to help you.'

(Aggron)

'No, wait...' said Armin, staring intently through the rifle scope. 'She's fine. Honestly, Anastasia looks worse off than she does. I think Dianne is still going to come out top.'

[Dianne just smiles, her draugrs rallying at her feet.} "Oh, wee lamb...did you honestly think all magic was a beautiful thing?You're right, no one has ever loved me, at least, not for who I was inside...they just loved me for my body. And you, any affection Sargon shows you is for your power, not for you. We're similar in that regard, but different in how we dealt with it. You continue to chase something that doesn't exist; a fairy tail ending, true love. I have long given up on such things..." {Dianne begins to approach menacingly.} "This world has never showed me love, or kindness, or beauty, so why should I reciprocate what was not given to me? That's why I became the monster I am. That's why Dolorus and Thanatos have bestowed upon me domain over the spirit world. I wanted, so badly, to leave my past behind and never again partake in the gruesome and systematic extermination of living things, but people like //you// keep dragging me back in." {Halfway to Ana, her ghosts once again dissipate}"Sargon brought this plague, brought //me//, upon himself. So yes, I am a terrible, disgusting person who never knew love, but people like you //made// me this way."

(That was a pretty awesome speech.)

Ana grinned menacingly, but it quickly faltered and disappeared. Her claws dug hard into the ground, her breathing ragged as she tried to regain some of her energy. 'Such pretty words for such a pitiful creature! You talk about wanting to leave your violent past behind, but here you are, hurting and killing people again. Let me ask you a question, witch: if you really didn't want to be involved in this war, then why did you attack the Count? Destroy his stores? You should have stayed out of our business while you had the chance.' She flared her torn and bloody wings and lashed her tail from side to side, readying herself for the next attack, whenever it might come.

{Jerry just frowns.} "I still want my rifle back, Armin. So, that's Sargon's right hand, the best of his best? Dianne's completely whipping her."

Bob:"Hey, not //all// non-humans, just the big ones who could potentially kill all of us at once."

(Aggron)

'You can do without it for five minutes,' said Armin, still watching through the rifle. Dianne and Ana didn't seem to be fighting anymore, the two dragons facing each other down from a short distance apart, seemingly talking. 'Yeah, I'm not surprised about that. Anastasia's a smug, overconfident piece of... well, you get the idea.'

(Aggron)

'But you don't KNOW that the dragon's going to kill us,' protested Ivy, then considered. 'OK, how about a compromise? We go out and look around. But we don't shoot anyone without some kind of EVIDENCE that they're our enemy!'

"And who's fault was that? Yes, I admit, I destroyed Sargon's food, but only because a literal god asked me to help the opposing side. Notice, however, that I didn't physically hurt any of Sargon's men until //you// came down and made a mess of my home, and declared war on me on Sargon's behalf. Had you thought about this with what's between your ears instead of what's between your legs, you might have saved him and all those under him from a fate worse than death. Now come at me, so I can end your misery, and get on with the task at hand."

(Ah, thank you. I really try hard with my speeches. XD})
{Jerry crosses his arms at Armin's remark, then chuckles about how he described Ana, then perks up at Dianne's statement.}"Wait, Lucci was a god?"

Bob:"That's way too risky-"
Sarah:"You know what? Ok, Ivy, we'll do it your way. You're coming with us. You're going to approach the dragon and yell out 'Sargon sucks' to it. If it tries to kill you, we'll know it's one of his. If it doesn't, we don't shoot it. Agreed?"

(Aggron)

Ana bristled at the insult, her ears going back flat against her head. 'Oh, you think you're so much better than me, don't you?! Why don't we take this to the sky instead of these cramped streets, and I'll make your vile blood rain down on the whole city.' With that, she spread her wings and leapt into the night sky, goading Dianne to follow.

'Hey, they're taking off!' exclaimed Armin. He tossed the rifle back to Jerry. 'I don't even think you can shoot her now.'

'Hey, they're taking off!' Crowley exclaimed, pointing at Ana.

(Aggron)

Ivy hesitated, having not really expected anyone to take her seriously, but she quickly recovered and grinned smugly. 'Of course! I think you'll see that MY way works out just fine. Come on, let's go!'

(Dianne and Ana's insult competition is the best. XD)

(Heheheheh, yeah. XD)
{Dianne smiles smugly. //Foolish girl. She thinks she's leading me into a trap.// Spreading her wings, Dianne takes to the skies, producing high velocity winds near the ground at takeoff. Matching Ana's altitude, Dianne jeers at her opponent.} "You think the skies give you some advantage? They will be your undoing."

{Jerry takes the rifle and braces against the wind.}
"Yeah, no, I can hit her. we just need to follow them."

{With a motion of her head, Sarah directs everyone to get ready.} "You're awfully confident, Ivy. Let's see if that comes from experience, or stupidity."

(Aggron)

//Undoing? Advantage? Who does she think she is?// Ana thought, irritated that Dianne seemed to think she'd already won. 'You talk too much,' she snapped. Opening her jaws, she shot a blast of purple flame at the other dragon, making the first move. She was slightly smaller than Dianne, so she expected to be faster and more agile in the air.

(Aggron)

'Be careful not to hit Dianne by accident,' added Armin. 'It could be pretty difficult when they're both tangling together up there and being moved around by the wind.'

(Aggron)

'Of course it doesn't come from experience, you idiot!' hissed Ivy as they left the hotel. 'I'm just confident that I'm right. For a start, I don't think Sargon would send ONE dragon over here if he wanted to hurt anyone. He has an entire freaking army.'

(Aggron)

Wendigo had found a large tree outside the inn to roost in. Sleeping lightly with his head under one wing, he stayed alert for the slightest noises, even while asleep.

Re:

(Sorry. Don't know where else to comment. Feel free to delete this!)

xD Thank you! I'm glad you like her new look.

{Dianne begins to fly right for Ana while firing a fireball of her own, which intercepts Ana's and explodes, taking it out before it reached her.}

{Sarah chuckled.}"Of course he wouldn't, this is clearly a scout. Your method won't at all work."

{Jerry just rolled his eyes and followed the fight from the ground. }”I’m obviously not going to shoot if Dianne’s grappling with her! “

(Aggron)

Ana laughed at the fireballs exploding. As Dianne came flying towards her, she swooped higher into the air and swung her tail forwards to smash the other dragon in the face, while getting the rest of her body out the way of Dianne's charge.

Armin shrugged. 'Well, you might never get the chance to shoot her.'

(Aggron)

//My goodness, do all hunters complain this much when they're working?// Ivy thought, exasperated, but she didn't say anything. As they got outside into the village, she pointed at the large tree where Wendigo was roosting. 'Look! It's not killing anyone, it's just sleeping there. And it's not even a very big dragon.' This was true, as Wendigo was powerful and muscular, but not especially big for a dragonshifter.

{Ana’s tail hit its mark, eliciting a snarl from Dianne. But Dianne was quick enough to catch her tail in her jaws. Using her greater inertia to pull Ana along, she grabs Ana’s tail and starts reeling her in.}

The family takes up sniper positions in the nearby buildings while Sarah hides in some bushes.} “Well, what are you waiting for, Ivy? Do your stuff.”

(Aggron)

Ana waited until Dianne had pulled her in, then took advantage of it to grab both of Dianne's front legs with her claws, holding them in place, and then lunging forwards in an effort to close her jaws over her opponent's neck.

'Maybe they're both gonna die,' commented Crowley from below.

(I’m going to wait for the new RP to reply.)

(I'm waiting till I post the new room to reply with Ivy, too.)