(Posting a little early.)

Hey, that picture of Morto's pretty cool!

(A) Thanks! I tried to make him spooky. XD

He does look ominous.

So, what's on today's agenda? Who's face is getting shrekt? XD

(A) Eh, I'm not sure. XD I have some ideas, but I'm waiting for the right moment to spring them.

I need to write something with the Sargon and Ana duo, so I can start today if nobody else wants to.

Do it! I want to see what her first reaction to being revived is. XD

Alrighty! Give me a minute.

After Brink disappeared, Sargon turned to see how his necromancers were doing. To his surprise, all of them had ceased muttering and stepped backwards, forming a wider circle around Ana's body. Two of them had collapsed from exhaustion and were being held up by their companions.

'Is it done?' he said sharply.

Before anyone could speak, the witch dragon's body gave a sudden, violent jerk. With an unearthly howl, she leapt to her feet, throwing off the last of the rubble and dust that coated her. She was no longer the Anastasia he knew. Half-decayed, covered in wounds, with sunken eyes and broken bones, she looked like something never meant to exist.

Sargon stepped forwards. As he did so, Ana spotted him. Instantly, she sunk to the ground in front of him, bowing her mutilated head respectfully. 'Master! You're here! I...' She trailed off, looking around in confusion at the dragons, the necromancers, and the ruined buildings. '...What happened?'

i am the globglogabgalab the schwibbleflibblediddlewibbleflibberflabbledab i'm full of swibbleglibberkind i am the yeast of thoughts and mind

i want someo ne to delete this comment

(IT'S MORT
MY SON)

(Drac - No. You can look at it always)

(King - Good son)

rr - dang thats a shame

(Drac - want to do a tochi
they're all just sitting in the car and sheldon was asleep
make something dramatic happen)

rr - okiid
dramatic will happen

{After seeing Wendigo off, and calling ahead for his arrival, Jerry looks to Dianne.} "Ok, where to next?"
Dianne: "To the west now. There are a few."

They drove on for a few minutes. Tochi was begining to feel sleepy as well when the car violently lurched to the side and, just before it reached the car on the other side of the road, swerved back - Tochi making a loud noise of shock - narrowly avoiding a collision.

"What the /actual heII/, Henry?!" Caroline shouted.

(A)

Armin gave a thumbs-up and swiftly transformed himself back into a hawk, taking off and flying above them. As he did so, a telepathic message came in from Frederick. //Sargon has just resurrected Anastasia. I don't know what will happen next, but I would advise caution, wherever you're going.// With that, Frederick cut off communications and returned to whatever he was doing.

( @King So, what's the doggo squad doing right now?)

(D)

Sheldon, of course, jerked awake while all of this was going on. 'Wh-what was THAT?! Did we hit someone?' he gasped, looking around wildly and accidentally knocking the Monopoly game onto the floor.

{Jerry looks around at the group.} "Great. A dragon lich. Now we've got to deal with that shet."
Dianne: "Fear not. Whatever necromancy Sargon possesses pales in comparison to my mastery. Should Anastasia find us, she will die again."
Eliza: "Umm, she won't look like those dead curse dudes, will she? 'Cause if she does, I'm retiring and going home."

"No, no, it's all fine!" Henry insisted. "I thought I saw a slug - not completely certain, but it's better safe than sorry-"

"NOT COMPLETELY CERTAIN?" Caroline sounded absolutely furious. "You risked our safety for something that was probably a rolled-up leaf or some dog sh,it?!"

(A)

//No, she won't,// said Armin thoughtfully. He was flying low enough to hear everyone talking from the ground. //She'll look just the same as she did when she died... So, whatever people look like after they've been buried under a collapsing building.//

(D)

'Um,' said Sheldon, watching them argue with a nervous look on his face. 'I have a feeling he shouldn't be driving,' he added in an undertone so only Tochi would hear. His heart was still racing from their near-death experience.

"Oh, ok." {Eliza said.} "Wait, is that better or worse?"
Jerry: "What do you think? I'd take a squashed reanimated dragon over a diseased one anyday."

(Aggron)

//It depends what kind of state she's in,// said Armin with a hint of laughter in his voice. //But I agree with Jerry, I think it'll be better this way. The only problem is, Sargon can bring her back no matter how many times we kill her.//

"Not if I destroy her body, and bind her soul to me." {Dianne said, a hint of smugness in her voice.} "It would be most pleasing to see the reaction of both if I compelled Anastasia to kill Sargon, still aware of herself but unable to disobey."
Jerry: ".....Jeeze, Dianne, you sound like a super villain."

( @Aggron
They're currently regrouping - Ango and Emilia have stopped some distance away, Toby and Jed are following after, and Thorn and Keenan are just leaving after having a talk about Ruscar's dead body)

(Oh yeah that reminds me hey Draco want me to copy the last doggo squad over?)

(Aggron)

//Yes, you sound perfectly insane,// said Armin pleasantly. //But I guess it's understandable. Most of us want Sargon and Ana dead. ....Hmm, I wonder if being a lich will destroy Ana's mind or if she'll still be exactly the same? It'll be funny if she's a hideous zombie monster but still wants to jump into Sargon's bed.//

"Maybe not," Tochi agreed, her wide eyes flicking between her grandparents.

"We ARE safe! Everybody's fine, and the slug's fine!" exclaimed Henry.

"Oh, you piece of- OK, pull over," Caroline ordered.

They stopped at the side of the road.

"You get out," Caroline said icily, "and I'll drive. No buts. Hurry up."

Henry got out of the car and they swapped sides. Caroline, gripping the wheel fiercely, looked back at Sheldon and Tochi. "Are you two okay?" she asked, very apologetically.

(Draco)

'.................I'm fine,' mumbled Sheldon. 'I think.' He rolled down his window and leaned out of it, partly because he wanted fresh air, and mostly because he wanted to make sure there was nothing else on the road. 'Um, we've been driving for ages. Will we... be there soon?'

{Jerry made a disgusted face, but Eliza just looked confused.} "Wait, why would that be funny?"
Dianne: "Anastasia is a bit...promiscuous....and she's madly in love with Sargon."
{Eliza took a second to understand, after which she made the same disgusted face as Jerry.} "Uuughhh! Gross! Thanks a lot for //that// mental image! I changed my mind, //this// is worse than the diseased guys!"

"Shouldn't be long," she replied, heading back to the road. She drove much more carefully than Henry, and a few times she could be heard muttering something about carehomes.

(A)

Armin was laughing so much that he nearly fell out of the sky. //Sorry,// he said, in between uncontrollable chuckles, which sounded odd since he was still a hawk. //Sorry... That's just what Ana's like. I don't consider it worse than those infected people, though.//

(D)

Sheldon gave a tiny sigh. 'That's somehing, at least,' he mumbled, gazing out the window.

(*something)

@Draco
Keenan starts off, pausing beside the werewolf's body and nudging his head with his foot.
"Y'know, I've only just realised who this is. Ruscar sommat-or-other, on the news years ago for attacking someone in the street, then this whole domestic abuse thing got released and he got locked up. Didn't realise he was Ango's dad. They look nothing alike."

Toby paces around, sniffing close to a pile of rubble and recoiling back in surprise as he realises there's an arm sticking out from under it, yelping slightly.

{Eliza glares up at Armin for laughing at her.} "Well, I hope I never have to see those two 'getting it on'. That's bloody disgusting!"

( @King Why is that arm in the rubble relevant?)

( @Aggron
I...don't know, I just thought it'd be a thing to put in
...sorry)

'Ana,' said the Count, looking up at the huge dragon. 'You seem to have lost a little of your memories.'

One of the necromancers cleared their throat awkwardly. 'We tried our best, sir, but some things just couldn't be put back together.'

'What are you all talking about?!' Ana shouted. 'Why are we standing on top of a collapsed building?' She twisted her neck around in an attempt to look at herself, and her jaw dropped when she saw the ragged wounds, crushed bones and tattered wings. 'Wh-what happened?' she asked again. 'My lord! I didn't... fail something you asked me to do, did I?'

Sargon looked at her for a moment, then said, 'Ana, a great deal has happened since we last spoke. I think that we should all go somewhere else where we can safely discuss this. Let's go back to Atlas Tower.'

(A)

Armin just laughed harder. //Oh, the things I could tell you all... I worked under Sargon for decades, and I have to say, Ana has never given up on trying to get him to sleep with her, even though he doesn't like her in that way at ALL. She's crazy about him...//

"If she's that obsessed, I doubt she'll give up now" {Jerry said unenthusiastically. Coming to a halt, Dianne stops in front of their next destination. Pythia's temple.} "In here. Of course the infected would seek refuge in here."

(A)

Armin flew down and shifted back to human form so he could accompany them inside the temple. //Although if we run into any more of those corpses, I'm out of here,// he thought.

"Weird things happen, man. Especially around these parts." Thorn looked down at the body, her whiskers twitching.

Jed looked at the arm, surprised and slightly grossed out. He gingerly gripped one of the fingers and started to pull the arm out of the rubble.

{Dianne walked in first.} "Pythia?" {No answer. That is, no answer from her. From around the corner comes some infected individuals, shambling like zombies with black veins.}
"H-elp us....Please!"
{At the sight of them, Eliza bolted out of the building so fast, the only sign that she did so was the fact that the door was swinging back and forth.}

(A)

Armin took one look at the zombies and immediately followed Eliza's example. 'Nnnnope. Sorry Dianne, you can deal with them yourself.'

{Jerry followed in suit, but the old man stayed, curious to see how Dianne was going to cure them. Sighing, she speaks.} "Pansies, all of them."
Old Man: "Ya can't blame them. They're not used to this sort of stuff."
{Dianne proceeds to recall the curse from the zombie-like folk by merely touching them for a few seconds. They felt the effects immediately.} "Hey, I feel better already? What did you do?"

(D)

Armin listened to the conversation from outside the building, then cautiously stuck his head around the door. 'Oh, they're fixed now? That's good. Are they any more of them?' He re-entered the room, gazing around curiously.

(I meant to put A there, not D.)

@Draco
"Yeah..."
Shrugging slightly, he looks off down an alleyway.
"We'd better catch up. They can't've gone far."

Toby scrabbles at the rubble, helping Jed pull whoever it was from underneath. However, he soon scrambles back with a yelp as he realises the arm wasn't attached to anything. If his face could pale, it would have.

{Dianne walks further in and cures the rest of the patients.} “I cured you. Unless you want it to come back, I suggest you get rest.” {Without another word, they all scrambled to their beds.}

(A)

Armin watched this, then wandered back out of the building, humming under his breath. //I wonder what Ana and Sargon are up to right now?// he mused.

{Dianne walked further into the building, finding the sealed room, Dianne disables the ward and walks inside. Eliza approached Armin.} “Hey, how bad is it in there?”

(Aggron)

'Well, there were those zombie things, but Dianne cured them, and they seem normal eough now,' said Armin. 'I think it's safe to go inside, if you want to.'

(I'm gonna get going in a few minutes.)

(OK) {Eliza shakes her head.} "No way. As it is, I'm going to have nightmares for weeks. Dianne and all her dark magic cr.ap can deal with that on her own."

(A)

Armin smiled and leaned against the side of the building. 'I'll stay out here as well, then,' he said. 'I don't like this kind of thing any more than you do, which is weird for somebody who used to work for Sargon. I'm used to seeing blood and violence, but this curse stuff is just... not right.'

Eliza: "I know, right? I've seen the innards of just about every species during my time as a hunter, but this...this just makes me sick to my stomach." {As the group was talking, Pythia landed right in front of her temple. Changing back to human form, she eyes the group.} Pythia: "Um...Can I help you?"

(A)

Armin was about to say something when he was distracted by Pythia showing up. Looking at her curiously, he said, 'Is this your temple? We just came over to cure those cursed people who are all over the city. Our... friend, Dianne, is inside helping them now.'

{At the mention of Dianne, Pythia's eyes widen and she runs inside.}
Jerry: "Umm, you sure that was a good idea? What if she's one of Sargon's?"

Pythia: "Dianne!"
{Dianne walks out of the quarantined room.}
Dianne: "......Um.....hello again...."
{Pythia gives a sigh of relief.}
Pythia: "You're recalling it. Thank the divines..."
{However, that relief turns to anger.}
"How could you let that hideous thing loose!?"
Dianne: "Now, wait a minute..."
Pythia: "Don't try to deny it, you're the only one here capable of conjuring such a thing, //Delilah//!
{Dianne stands there, frozen for a second, seemingly at the name.}

(A)

Armin looked exasperated. 'Jerry. Dianne just brutally killed Sargon's most powerful minion. You think she can't handle one dragonshifter? All the same... I'm curious about what she's going to do...' Throwing a brief glance towards Eliza, he ventured inside the building. Hearing voices up ahead, he stopped, listening to the conversation.

{Pythia continues to chew Dianne out.}
"That's right, I know who you are! And I know what you did!"
{Pythia throws the book at Dianne's feet.}
"A member of The Will of Death, Nightmother, Orphanmaker, among other titles. I know who you are."
{Dianne just stands still, her hands balled into fists.}
"I want an honest answer, Dianne. Why did you do it?"
Dianne: ".....I didn't....."

(A)

Armin kept listening. //I'd like to know that myself,// he thought, and waited to find out if Dianne would answer the question. In the few moments' silence, he crept a little closer to the room they were talking in. If either Pythia or Dianne had sharp hearing, they would probably notice him coming.

(Gotta go now! See you all!)

(Bye!)

{Jerry and Eliza followed Armin quietly, listening intently. Dianne and Pythia knew they were listening, but did nothing.}
Pythia: "If you didn't, we wouldn't be here."
Dianne: "Yes, I made it, but I didn't release it! Someone stole it! And I'm here to fix it."
Pythia: "It doesn't matter. You still made it. Why?!"
{Dianne doesn't answer right away.}
Pythia: "Well? You knew what it was capable of. You //have// used it before, after all."
Dianne: "I made it because I couldn't take it anymore, ALRIGHT?"
{Dianne raise her voice, causing Pythia to flinch a bit.}
Dianne: "That curse is a physical manifestation of my worst emotions, if you really read that book, //you// would know this! I fought with them until I thought I was going to lose my mind and revert back to the //monster// I was! It was either spit out that curse and contain it or possibly bring harm to everyone around on account of those emotions! Now, high priestess, you tell //me//, what was I supposed to do?!"

(A)

Noticing that they didn't seem to care he was eavesdropping, Armin stepped forwards until he was standing in the doorway of the room they were in. When there was a pause in their conversation, he cleared his throat quietly. 'Can we maybe wrap this up soon? I'm sure it's important, but we have things to do, and if we stay here too long we're in danger of someone finding us.' He didn't say anything about what he'd overheard, knowing it wasn't any of his business, but it worried him to think of how dangerous Dianne must have been once.

Sargon led Ana back through the ruined streets to Atlas Tower, ignoring her questions. The necromancers climbed onto the backs of the dragons and flew back alone.

Once they got to the tower, he noticed a problem; there was no way Ana was going to be able to fit inside anymore, and he doubted she could transform back, seeing as she had died in dragon form. Instead, he turned away from the tower and led her to Merchant's Square, a large open space where they could talk.

'My lord, please, tell me what happened,' said Ana as she sat down in front of him. In a broken piece of glass on the ground she caught sight of her reflection, and her breath caught. 'Th-the last thing I remember is... killing those two boys...'

'You did kill them, Ana,' said Sargon calmly. 'On my orders. And then I ordered you to fly to Dianne's house...' Ana frowned, clearly struggling to remember who Dianne was. 'And you died.'

'I... DIED?'

'You were killed fighting her, and I commanded my necromancers to resurrect you so that you may continue serving in my army.'

Ana looked at the ground. She didn't know what to say.

(Ana: what happened to me D:
Sargon: you died lol
Ana: D:

(Sargon, master of tact and consideration)

{Dianne looked at Armin, then back at Pythia, who wasn't speaking, and wore a face of shock and bewilderment.}
"I know you're upset with me, but you can't understand what it's like to walk in my shoes. You're not the only one who's afraid of Delilah." {With that, Dianne walks out of the temple, past everyone, and leaves Pythia without a chance to retort.}

(Aggron)

Armin watched Dianne walk out without saying anything. Then, once she was gone, he turned to Pythia and asked, 'What was that all about? Do you know her?'

{Pythia's demeanor calms a bit.} "No.....not really. we've spoken a little, but I don't personally know her."

(Aggron)

'Seems like you know her better than the rest of us,' said Armin, with a shrug. 'I don't even know whether to trust her or not, most days. Especially since she's the one who unleashed this curse thing.'

"I know who she was." {Pythia stated.} "I can't speak for who she is now."

(Aggron)

'I guess so.' Armin approached her and held out a hand to shake. 'You're Pythia, right? And this is your... temple?'

{Pythia shakes Armin's hand.} "Yes, I am a priestess of Symponia. This temple is under my care. And you are....?"

(Aggron)

'Armin,' he said. 'It's a long story, but I'm currently working with these guys to bring down Sargon. Except that we got a little sidetracked by having to stop this curse spreading all over the city.'

As dawn turned into full morning, Crowley awoke in his apartment. He fell out of bed, yawned hugely, and went to look out of the window. 'What a beautiful day it is!' he said, apparently to himself. 'The sky is blue, the birds are singing, and there are people waiting to die a horrible death!' Smiling, he picked up his knife and left the apartment, ready to go start his day.

{Pythia nodded.} "I see. I'm glad to hear that she's decided to stop the curse, rather than letting it run rampant."

{Standing outside was Vitis.} "'Sup, Cro-boi? What do you want to do?"

(Aggron)

Armin shrugged. 'I guess so. But I don't know why she cares enough to even bother stopping it.' He looked around to see if Jerry and the others were still there or if they'd followed Dianne outside.

(Aggron)

'Arrgh!' Crowley stumbled backwards, wide-eyed, and nearly fell back through the door he'd just exited. 'What the hell are you doing lurking around outside my apartment? Stalking me?'

{Jerry had followed, but Eliza and the Old Man were still there. Pythia gave Armin an exasperated look and points to the dead infected in the quarantine room.} "Why does she care? Maybe she doesn't want everyone to end up like that!"

{Vitis shrugs, not really caring that he spooked Crowley.} "I dunno, I'm bored. I saw them dig up big blue and turn her into one of those dead things, then I decided to come here and see what you were up to."

(Aggron)

'That could be why,' said Armin thoughtfully. 'I mean, she wasn't the one who unleashed the curse in the first place. It was that Oliver Morrow guy. He's crazy enough to want to kill everyone just to get revenge on Sargon.'

(Aggron)

'I was sleeping,' said Crowley, looking mildly aggravated. 'That's what people do at night, right? Well... sometimes... I don't sleep EVERY night.' He looked around the street, then said, 'So they turned the blue dragon into a zombie? That's kinda awesome.'

{Pythia gives Armin a disbelieving look.} "Oliver Morrow, as in the famous magician? You can't be serious."
Eliza: "Um, yeah, that guy."
Old Man: "We've seen him ourselves. He's not mentally stable."

{Vitis smiles.} "Yeah. I was going to get a closer look. That old vampire guy's talking to her down in Merchant's Square. I'm going to go get a closer look."

(A)

Armin let out a laugh which he tried to turn into a cough before anyone noticed. ''Not mentally stable' is a polite way of putting it, but OK.' He eyed glanced back at the others. 'So, are we going? Are there more infected people somewhere else, or have we got them all?'

(*glanced back at the others)

(A)

Crowley smirked and nodded. 'Yeah, let's go do that. I know the way to the square.' He immediately set off at a quick walk, expecting Vitis to follow him. 'I'd fly there, but y'know, I can't actually shift in daylight.'

Eliza: "I overheard Dianne outside. Apparently there are still some wandering about and we have to track them down."

{Vitis follows.} "Heheheh, is that so? Good to know."

(Aggron)

'Really? We'd better go and find them then.' Armin glanced at Pythia. 'Nice meeting you, I guess.'

(Aggron)

Crowley didn't say anything until they reached the edge of Merchants Square, where he immediately concealed himself behind a low wall covered in moss. 'They're over there,' he breathed, pointing.

Ana and Sargon were in the middle of the square together, talking quietly. Sargon appeared to be trying to reassure Ana. The witch dragon looked distressed and worried.

'Wow, she's ugly,' muttered Crowley. 'I guess getting crushed under a building isn't good for your looks.'

"Mhmm." {Pythia acknowledges Armin mirthlessly. Believing that Armin was done, the Old Man and Eliza turn and begin to leave.}

{Vitis chuckles as he looks.} "Yeah, no kiddin' Can you make out what they're sayin'?"

(Aggron)

Armin followed the others out of the temple. As soon as they were outside, he said, 'So, how many more of those people are there? And where are they?'

(Aggron)

'Nah...' Crowley squinted, tilting his head in an attempt to hear them. 'The blue dragon sounds like she's crying. Let's try getting closer. Tell me if you hear anything.' He inched his way out from behind the wall and crept around the edge of the square.

(Hey King, I feel like it's been a while since my characters really got involved with yours. Could I have Crowley encounter Morty again sometime soon? XD)

(Oh, that'd be neat :D
I've just sorta been hanging about since I don't know what to do with Mia and Morty, and the doggo squad are kinda looped until Draco appears-
Plus Morty will be Extra Salt TM if anything more stops him from getting to the doggo squad so if Crowley still wants to kill him he's gonna get a fight-)

(Heh, I wonder what would happen if the doggo squad encountered a roaming infected. >:D)

{Dianne was standing outside, facing a stone wall. There was a crater in it where she punched the bricks. Clearly, the encounter had left her in a bad mood. Jerry was taking to her as Armin walked out.}
Jerry: "...calm down, that's why you're fixing it. You're not that-"
{He stops and turns when Armin comes out. Dianne speaks to Armin with thinly veiled anger in her voice.}
Dianne: "...Not many....Let's just get this over with..."

{Vitis creeps closer, past Crowley, ducking behind a building, within earshot. He motions for Crowley to follow.}

( @Aggron
Ango would /not/ be having any of it XD
Tbh they'll probably run again, Keenan might have a go but he'll decide better on trying to fight a literal zombie with fists and probably electrocute it)

(King - If you want to have Morty wandering around somewhere, I can have Crowley run into him. He'll get bored of spying on Ana and Sargon before long. XD)

(Aggron)

Armin nodded slowly, eyeing her with slight wariness. 'I'll just go up here, then,' he said quickly, shifting into his hawk form and flying away, more out of a desire to be as far from Dianne as possible than a need to disguise himself. //Let me know if anyone needs me.//

(Aggron)

Crowley crept alongside Vitis, gazing out towards the forms of Ana and Sargon in the square. This time, what they were saying was clearly audible.

'...But how could I have failed?' Ana was wailing.

'Ana,' said Sargon impatiently, 'you did not fail. I overestimated the power Brink had given you and you died as a result.' Ana's sobs stopped abruptly, probably out of shock that Sargon had admitted to making a mistake. 'There will be plenty of time for you to do better.'

'But... what can I do? Now I'm like this... I'm horrible...'

'You are still powerful, Ana. You still have your magic.'

'But I'm not even ALIVE! I'm only standing here talking because of dark magic! I shouldn't be here!' Ana's sobs started anew.

{With that, the group begins to walk away, searching for the roaming infected.}
"Da.mn, she's even uglier up close!" {Vitis whispers.} "What's she goin' on about, failing and dying?"

(Aggron)

'Duh, do you have memory problems?' whispered Crowley impatiently. 'She failed him by not killing that other dragon last night! I bet you anything he was the one who asked her to do it.'

Meanwhile, Sargon was watching silently, waiting for Ana to calm herself down.

'I-I have to do better...' she sobbed. 'I can't fail again... even though I'm w-worthless now... I promise I-I'll do everything I can to serve y-you...'

Sargon nodded slowly. 'I played my part in this too, Ana. Never forget that. Your death at Dianne's hands was not entirely your fault, but in the future, I expect you to flee rather than let yourself lose a battle. I do not want to lose you again in my service.'

'Y-yes, my Lord...'

(Aggron - You can do the next part for Armin and Jerry's group, since I don't have anything for Armin to do right now.)

{Vitis nods.} "Right, right. Man. I've got to lay off the weed."

.

{The group walks for a while, until the sound of someone in distress is heard. From around the corner comes a man, stumbling about with black veins, wheezing and muttering.}
Jerry: "There's another one. Do your stuff, Dianne."
(BTW, remember that bearded vampire at the beginning of this RP? What was his name again, Gerald, or something like that? What ever happened to him?)

(Aggron - Oh wow, I barely even remember him. He was only a background character, never meant to be significant. He could be anywhere. XD)

(Aggron)

'Yeah, don't do weed, alcohol's better,' said Crowley - perhaps a little too loudly. In an instant, Ana's hideous, rotted head whipped around to stare in the direction his voice had come from. 'Oh crap,' he whispered.

Sargon followed Ana's gaze, then shrugged indifferently as if to say 'go for them if you want to'.

With an unearthly shriek, the blue dragon leapt towards the place where they were hiding, claws extended.

(Aggron)

Armin stopped flying ahead when he spotted the infected man, and began to circle around above the group, not wanting to go any lower.

(You want to make him this infected? >:D)
{Vitis leaps from his hiding place, narrowly avoiding Ana.}
"Run, bit.ch, RUN!!!" {He yells out to Crowley while laughing maniacally.}

{You know, I've noticed something. Remember in TDS, how @LillyLightstar would express distaste everytime one of my characters would curse at somebody? Kinda glad she's not apart of this one. ShackleStone can be an uncouth world at times, filled with gritty characters who sometimes express themselves with harsh language. I don't think she'd enjoy this one at all. XD)

(Aggron - Sure, go ahead and make him the infected. XD

And hah, yeah. I understand that some people aren't comfortable with swearing, but I'm glad too that we can say whatever we want in Shacklestone. XD I always wanted this RP to be pretty free, with all the coarse stuff allowed. I don't like restrictions if I can help it.)

(A)

Crowley grinned. 'Woohoo, you great ugly tur.d!' he yelled, and showing incredible agility, he leapt sideways, grabbed the edge of a roof, and pulled himself up on top of the building.

Ana screamed in rage and, after a brief glance at Crowley, started to chase Vitis instead. She was rather slow and lumbering as an undead, and kept stumbling into things.

{Vitis continued to laugh, keeping quite a distance away from Ana.} "Come get me, ya walking maggot farm! Ahahahahahahah!"

(yeah, I appreciate the freedom of expression in this RP. It's made for a grand time. :) )
{Dianne approached the man before Jerry stopped her abruptly. } "Wait, I recognize that one. He's one of Sargon's original goons. I saw him in that house the police raided that night."

(A)

Roaring in rage, aware that she would never catch up with Vitis, Ana let out a huge jet of flame in his direction. It licked up the walls of the buildings and set a couple of bushes on fire. Crowley, still on the roof, whooped with excitement.

(A)

Gerald, the infected vampire, continued stumbling forwards like a zombie, his hands outstretched as if to grab someone. Before anyone could do anything, Armin flew down and landed behind the man, shifting back to human form as he touched down. In one clean movement, he drew his sword and decapitated Gerald. The vampire's head rolled away as his body slumped to the floor, dead.

'Good riddance, Gerald,' said Armin pleasantly, looking down at the corpse.

@Radiant/Aggron
Mortikai leaps down from a wall, shifting into his human form once on solid ground. He fixes his appearance slightly, hand brushing against the pocket with the pouch Emilia had given him in and feeling a pang of guilt, though he couldn't tell what for. The screeching of a dragon nearby makes him flinch, looking in the direction and spotting Ana through a gap between buildings. How he hadn't noticed her before, he didn't know, but he quickly sees her decayed appearance, realizing that he had seen her downfall when he had been convincing Mia to join them again. He hadn't noticed Vitis or Crowley, however, and seeing whatever she was fighting had piqued his interest. The shifter feels a pull in the back of his mind, telling him to ignore the rampaging dragon and to go see what had become of that woman and her child, but he instead ignores it. They were protected, and were getting out of the city. There was no reason for him to worry so much.

{Seeing the flames, Vitis jumps down an alley with a yelp to avoid getting cooked.}

.

{The group all stopped at Armin's bold execution.}
Jerry: "Good riddance, indeed, ya bloody child molester."
{Dianne looks between Armin and Jerry, slightly confused.} "...Friend of yours?"

(A/ K)

Crowley laughed hysterically as he watched Vitis diving away from the flames, but he wasn't laughing a second later when Ana's tail slammed into the building he was sitting on, making the foundations tremble. Quickly, he ran across the roof and leapt down over the back of the building, ending up in another street. He spared a thought for Vitis, decided that the thief could take care of himself, and set off running up the street.

Meanwhile, Ana had completely forgotten Crowley's existence and was still trying to catch up with Vitis.

(A)

'Just on ex-colleague who I didn't get on well with,' said Armin, giving Gerald's body a distasteful glance before sheathing his sword and walking over to the rest of the group.

{Vitis was now weaving through narrow alleys, trying to shake the massive zombie.} "You call that fire? HA! My ex would spit hotter than you! And she wasn't even a dragon!"

.

Jerry: "Yeah, last time I saw him, he was standing between me and two kidnapped kids in an old house on the bad side of town."
{Nodding, Dianne recalls the curse from the corpse.}
Dianne: "In that case, you might have wanted to leave him to the curse's devices, rather than decapitating him. It would have made for a more painful death."

(Aggron)

Ana let out another ear-splitting shriek of rage and, opening her tattered wings, she leapt upwards and began pursuing him through the air. Now flying above the cramped alleyways, she had a clear view of where her victim might be going. She spat another fireball down, aiming for a spot a few feet in front of Vitis this time.

(Aggron)

'I didn't know how long that might have taken,' said Armin, shrugging slightly. 'Anyway, are there more of them around here?'

{Dianne was about to speak when she heard Ana's shriek in the distance.} "About halfway between here and that shriek. Maybe we should get that one last and clean up the western part."

{Vitis stopped, the fireball cutting off his advance. Cursing, he turns around and throws himself through a window and into a building.}

(A)

'Your call,' said Armin, throwing Gerald's headless corpse one last look. 'I wouldn't recommend going too near Anastasia when she's already in a bad mood,' he added, with an obvious grin.

(A/K)

Ana howled in triumph and dived upon the building Vitis had just gone into, where she immediately set to work pulling the roof off, her claws tearing away great chunks of wood and tiles.

Crowley was running through a neighbouring street, listening to the sounds of Ana's chase and Vitis's flight, but unable to find a way into the network of alleys they'd entered.

{Vitis crouched down, out of sight. As Ana was tearing apart the roof, he snuck out the same window, and started to sneak away.}

{Dianne narrowed her eyes at Armin's response, but her mask hid it.}
Dianne: "Are you doubting my combative capabilities? I killed her once, I can easily send her back to hell."
Jerry: "Hey. We don't need to go picking fights. Let's deal with the task at hand and get the hell out of here. Ok?"

(Aggron)

Not noticing that Vitis had escaped, Ana tore off the rest of the roof and peered inside. //Where is he...?//

Back in the square, Sargon had listened to the sounds of Ana chasing Vitis. When she didn't return for a few minutes, a telepathically called her. //Ana. Leave him. He has nothing to do with us and chasing him is a waste of energy.//

Growling in frustration, but obedient, Ana took off back to the square.

(Aggron/King)

Crowley paused in the middle of the street and leaned casually against a lamp-post, gazing around for any sign of his friend. As he was doing this, he spotted a figure some distance away; a strangely familiar tall figure wearing a large top hat. Squinting against the sun, he tried to get a better look at them.

(Aggron)

'Not at all,' said Armin. 'But she COULD have killed you before, and if she now knows not to let you trap her underneath an office block...' He trailed off with a little shrug. 'Well let's go and find these other people, shall we?' Drawing his sword again, he settled it over his shoulder and set off in the direction where there were supposed to be more infected.

@Radiant/Aggron
Mortikai watched Ana scramble around to try to find Vitis, chuckling softly at how this cat-and-mouse chase was more akin to a cat-and-spider chase with how much smaller her prey was, and how easily they could crawl away. He spots Crowley out of the corner of his eye, halfway between grinning and grimacing.
"Never thought I'd see you running away from a fight, considering how much you claim to enjoy them."
He calls to the shifter, standing casually with his hands in his pockets.

(King)

Surprise flashed across Crowley's face, but was gone quickly. He strode over to Mortikai, one hand tightly clenched over the hilt of his knife. 'I never thought I'd see you again without a pack of stupid humans behind you,' he snarled. 'Where's that woman? Amelia or whatever her name was? You know, the one you wouldn't let me fight?'

He glared up at Morty with fists clenched, but the gesture looked less threatening than it should have done given how much shorter Crowley was.

@Radiant
"Don't worry, she's far away from your filthy reach. I see you're still all alone. How's that holding up for you?"
He asks in a slightly bored tone, holding himself back from retorting about Crowley's view of humans.
(I just checked and Crowley is a foot shorter than Morty
why is this so funny to me I'm actually dying--)

{As Morty was talking about how Crowley was alone, Vitis come sprinting up to Crowley, laughing quietly, and offers Crowley a high five.} "Hahahahh, that was awesome! So, what did I miss?"

{Dianne cracks her knuckles out of anger. Before the group could move on, however, the Old man approaches her.}
Old Man: "Dianne, you really should know your limits."
Dianne: "What are you t-"
{Mid sentence, the Old Man hit Dianne in the stomach with the stock of his shotgun. The impact made a clank noise as it hit her armor, but Dianne instantly folded in half and fell with a pained noise.}
Old Man: "Your wounds haven't completely healed yet. If they did, that wouldn't have hurt at all. Until you can handle a little hit like that, you're not going to fight anyone."

(King/Aggron)

Crowley scowled, folding his arms and surveying Morty with a slightly cocked head, like a bird. 'I'm not alone! I was with that guy until the dragon showed up and w got separated. I've got way better friends than YOU, nowadays.'

He turned to look as Vitis came running up to him, and returned the high-five. 'Uh, nothing much. I just ran into a friend - FORMER friend.'

(King - Yeah, I love their height difference. I should draw them together someday, they'd probably look really weird together. XD)

(Aggron)

Armin, flinching slightly at the sound of someone being hit, stopped walking and looked back. He immediately spotted Dianne on the ground with the Old Man standing near her, his shotgun in his hand. 'Hey! What's going on back there?' he asked, starting to walk back to them.

{Vitis turned and looked Morty over.} "Former, eh? Wait, I know that fool. He's the town weirdo/pedophile, Mortikai, right?"

{Dianne takes a minute to get back up, digging her fingers into the brick and mortar wall next to her. Eliza's looking in horror and Jerry's helping Dianne to her feet.}
Jerry: "Dad....not cool."
Eliza: "Was that really necessary?"
Old Man: "Relax. I just needed to prove a point."
Eliza: "Was the point that you're a dick?"
{Not showing much emotion, the Old Man brushes past Armin and continues walking for the next objective.}

(Aggron)

'Well, he doesn't need to prove that,' said Armin loudly. 'We already know.' He shouldered his sword and started walking again, following the Old Man, keeping a careful eye on him. He wouldn't say it outright, but he didn't trust Jerry's father in the slightest.

@Radiant/Aggron
"Former friend? I'd hardly call us that, more like...unfriendly acquaintances. At least I-"
He pauses, glaring at Vitis with bloody murder in his eyes.
"What did you just call me? I'll have you know that I am /no/ pedophile, and I certainly don't prey on innocent children. I'm disgusted that you eve thought that of me."
His voice turns into a growl, stepping closer to Vitis until they were inches apart.

(Vitis is an inch shorter than him too so Crowley is an tiny boi here XD)

{Dianne, finally on her feet, grabs Jerry by the shoulder.}
Dianne: "You had better keep a leash on that old man. The next time he wants to 'prove a point' like that, I'm going to 'make a point' of driving my fist right through him." {Pushing off the wall, she continues along their path}

(King/Aggron)

Crowley, seeing Morty's anger, quickly stepped backwards out of the way, wanting to get a clear view of Vitis and Mortikai almost nose-to-nose. 'Aw yeah, let's see what happens next,' he muttered, grinning excitedly, as if he were watching an action movie.

(Aggron)

'Oh, I'll help,' said Armin casually, having heard what Dianne had just said. 'I mean, I don't like you either, but I like him a bit less.'

{Vitis doesn't back down, grinning from ear to ear.} "I dunno, Morty. I've seen you turn into a housecat and approach the kids. Pretty smart, if you ask me, changing into such an innocent form to get close to them. I've seen the way you look at those kids when they're scratching you between the ears. If I had a kid, I know I'd keep them the //hell// away from you."

{Dianne give Armin a side glance as she limps by. The blow had clearly agitated her condition.} "The feeling's mutual."
{The group continued on until more zombie-like shuffling could be heard nearby. Eliza stops at this, looking kind of petrified.}

@Radiant/Aggron
In a sudden movement, Mortikai grabs him by the neck and brings him up against the nearest wall, almost snarling.
"I am not one of those vile excuses for a human being, and I am certainly not my father. And if you continue to consider me as such I will have no choice but to kill you as I did him."

{Vitis' grin disappears. As Morty is holding him against the wall, a prick can be felt under Morty's chin. Vitis was holding the tip of a knife at Morty's throat.} "Careful, kitty cat, I have no idea what kind of man your father was, but I assure you, I'm a lot harder to lick than an old man. But, ghost cat behind you or not, this is one fight you won't win."

(A)

Armin raised his sword and gazed around them, waiting to see what kinds of infected would appear; if they were Sargon's people, he intended to kill them just as he'd killed Gerald. 'Careful...' he murmured as the shuffling footsteps grew louder. 'I can't see anything yet.'

(K/A)

Crowley let out a loud whoop and hopped backwards. Far from being concerned about his friend, he was laughing, egging both Morty and Vitis on. 'Fight! Fight! Fight! Go on, cut each other up! Hahaaa!'

(I kinda want to throw the Jerry and Armin squad into a fight. XD)

@Radiant/Aggron
"Your little toothpick there doesn't scare me. Even if you did win and somehow manage to kill me, I'll just be back in ten years to kick your ass, providing you live that long."
Mortikai lets that set in for a moment before stepping back, shoving Vitis back slightly while doing so. He then glances around at Crowley, his blood still boiling in his veins.
"You'd better be careful, tweetybird. If it's a fight you want it's a fight you get if you two decide to piss me off even more."

(Let's just get everyone to fight that'll be fun :))))))))

(Let's have a free for all! XD)

{Vitis' grin returns, as he looks at Crowley like //you wanna get 'im?//} "Come back in a hundred years, creep, and my dusty old bones will still kick yer arse!"

{From around the corner comes an infected werewolf, whimpering and staggering, it approaches Armin.} "Armin, //cough cough//....Is that you? Please, you have to help me!....I don't think this is just the flu!"

{Near where Sargon stands, Pythia lands and shift back to human form.} "There you are. Well, I spoke to Dianne. She's recalling the curse as we speak. Apparently, she made it, but had no intentions of using it . Then someone stole it, and apparently used it."

(King/Aggron)

Crowley gave Vitis a lazy grin back. Then he looked up at Mortikai and said, 'What, you can FIGHT? Come off it. You don't even have anything to fight us with.' He roved his eyes up and down Morty, searching for a weapon. 'What're you gonna do, talk us to death?'

(Aggron)

Armin eyed the werewolf as it staggered towards him. When it was close enough, he raised the tip of his sword and set it against the werewolf's neck, stopping it coming any further. He tried to remember if he'd ever seen this one before, but couldn't. Well, there were hundreds of werewolves in the army. 'Sorry, but we don't help anyone who's in league with Sargon,' he said. 'And you're absolutely right. You don't have the flu, you're cursed.'

(Aggron)

'Really?' said Sargon, turning to look at Pythia. 'I don't suppose you know who stole it. But thank you for talking to Dianne. If she recalls this curse and never does anything to sabotage me again, I will leave her alone.'

Just then, there was a noisy flapping of wings and Ana landed heavily in the square. 'He escaped, the dirty little rat!' she exclaimed, not noticing that no-one was paying her any attention.