Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Auria: City of Legends (Open for All)

Tenoji turned to the newcomer, his hand flicking into his jacket to touch cold metal as he wheeled around to face the voice. But seeing that the figure emerging from the shadows did seem to have any intent to harm them, he answered her question. "That would depend, my dear. On the following two things; first, what did one such person do to make themselves such a mark for being murdered. And two, does that person have anything that might endear her to one of the factions working behind the scenes of this city. Cause gonna be honest with ya, sweetheart, your best bet might be to either join a group willing to protect you, or hire some bodyguards." He fumbled his hands into his pockets. "Where I you, bodyguards seems the logical bet. Recent events have made certain more powerful groups unwilling to stick their neck out. But I was just about to get to that..."

He took the edge of the roof at a run, and vaulted over in a long full-body jump, landing on his head and somersaulting to his feet. He cast his eyes about, eyebrows raising as his eyes fell upon exactly what he was looking for. He reached down and picked up a set of wooden planks, setting them across the gap for his entourage. "Come on, It'll make more sense when we get to an example." He beckoned them to follow.

Ten lead them over the rooftops, till finally they reached a small block that, for lack of a better word, was utterly devastated. There was extensive water damage, the fronts of the apartments ripped away and the contents of the homes scattered about the yawns. The yard itself was boarded up with a plywood fence to keep people from looting or squatting. Ten crouched low on the edge of a roof of the abandoned storefront they had arrived at. "The city was founded in the eighteen hundreds, wasn't there at this point so I can't tell ya much. I do know, however, that the first of our community to get to Auria, was the Vampires. They established the way things would be done in this city for 200 years. And let me say, can't say I approved. The Vampires enforced a harsh law that befit their kind. However, they never thought the city would attract as large and diverse community of the Unreal as it has. However, that's Vampires for you...and as the stereotype goes for their kind, they where just as stubborn and unable to bend for these new creatures. That was around when I arrived." He chuckled lightly, musing, "And oh the troubles I caused back in those days for them. Especially when the fang-mouths got to the point where they were so frustrated they tried to enforce that all supernaturals with a non-human base form descend into the sewers and make a life there. And things where beginning to get out of control, as our powers drew from the constant conflicts and secret wars."

He returned a look at them, grinning, "The vampires went through leadership rather quickly, with greater turn-over than a fast food chain, each more foolish, desperate, and badly decided upon than the last. Until a vampire-mage by the name of Alexander Folken came to power. And did perhaps what was the only smart thing I'd ever seen him do...He dissolved all vampire laws and engulfed the city in a massive spell. This spell, made all humans aware and comfortable with the existence of our kind...within the boundaries of the city. If any human left, they immediately forgot everything regarding supernaturals until they reentered the city. We were free to walk among them, at their expense of course. Not the best system, but it worked, until half a year ago."

He barked a small laugh, "Tired of the history lesson yet?"

Siltrake followed the kitsune as he came to the ruined part of the city. He smiled looking over to him as the kitsune began to tell his story. Once the kitsune finished his story, siltrake tilted his head and let out a smile grinning."Ah yes that is Such a great story but do go on. I find that Vampires are stubborn. There is one that is comeptly opposite. I had a friend of the name of kenji. His vampire changing was rather different. But yes it is sad of the city it gets tormeneted. But yes human do need to be comfortable of our existence. I belive that many wars were caused becasues of that reason. However do go on enough of my chirping. I rathre intrigued of the story of the city unless you don want to go on?"He said reaising his eyebrow foucising on the kitsune.

Kuro followed the Kitsune in the back and was not surprised by the histroy of the city, or by the effect of the spell. However she was curious what the spell would do to her since she was half human. "If you don't mind me asking, but do you know what effect the spell casted on this would on a halfbreed human slash animal? Just curious." She was hoping that raises questions as to where she such an idea from.

Tenoji gave Kuro a soft smile, "Worried about lingering effects? Because I am afraid I cannot offer much comfort. I have no idea what they effect would be on one of such bearing. But I can say, with some certainty, that it never effected any non-human. So, there is that." He patted her on the shoulder, before addressing Siltrake's request for more.

"We've begun to simply call it "The Storm". The humans know it as a freak oceanic storm that rivaled hurricane force. We supernaturals know it...as the beginning of the end. See, the storm...it was a hurricane. A magical one. No one knows who made it, or where it came from. But we knew what it did, it ate that which made us special. Literally all magic and supernatural power, be it from a living creature, ancient artifact, or bound enchantment. It consumed like a empty voracious beast, stealing the powers from the strongest of us, and then proceeding down the ranks, until we where all brought to our lowest points. Many of us died outright, even more where rendered mundane. We've...all yet to fully recover from the blow." He looked at his hand, and slowly it changed. His nails became black canine claws, his palm twisted into a black paw-pad, and his skin became sheathed in silken black fur. "After the storm, we found that Alexander Folken's spell had been shattered, and humans once more where no longer aware of us. We had to take precautions. We had to re-establish the old traditions, and we had to do it right, so everyone would be fairly represented."

"Now this is the important part, and why I've talked all this backstory, we get to how you newcomers fit into all this. And why it is so fortunate that we've encountered one another so early." He gently cleared his throat. "So, I rallied anyone who would listen into the forests nearby, and we discussed. In the end, we formed a council. Each supernatural group would be loosely affiliated by 'genre', holding council among their various clans, police themselves as according to their traditions, and elect a single being to function as a mouth of the groups overall needs on the council. Myself, I function as Mouth for the shapeshifters." He pointed to Siltrake, "That means you. As mouth of the Shapeshifters, I'm both responsible for your well being, as well as your actions. Don't blow it."

He looked over to Kuro, "Now you, you're a little harder to place. You're part human, so you would be among Magik and her unnatural humankind. But you are part beast, which would mean you'd fall with me and mine. So I suppose you have a choice of which side to go to."

Siltrake grinned and put his hands up defensively."oh., oh oh, dont worry. you will not have to worry about me scaring the living day lights of the humans. Butnow i see why you do not want me to change so freely. But I suppose if im in a circus act I woulf probally be a freack. Or if i really wanted to mess with people I could change into a woman.But yes i shall remain in disguise. But do not worry my mischeivious demanor does have its benefits. I am helpful when i so choose. Im rather curious of this magical storm as well."He said looking at the kitsune just as intrigued witht he back story as well as the cause.

Tenoji just gave a sad smile, looking out distantly over the city for a while, before closing his eyes slowly. He replied to Siltrake calmly, in an even measured voice. "I appreciate the enthusiasm, but we've searched ourselves. All we got is the central point of origin, the forgotten lair of a certain demon known as Durza. Trail ran cold after that, place was nothing but barren rubble and a null zone of all magic. Whatever caused it, it's dead now, nothing could've survived being at the epicenter."

Ten forced his face back into a cheerful expression, "Well, that about wraps up that. Lets get you to your individual desires before I have to get back to business, shall I? Siltrake, if you are looking to perform, I can recommend a few places to get your start." He pulled a small pad of paper out of his coat, a pen stuffed into it's spiral wire binding. He pulled out the pen and began to note some things. "If you are looking to do something with singing and music, Joker's Wylde holds an open stage night twice a week. It's a good way to get noticed by Magik Mason, who runs the club as well as a local recording studio. But I imagine you are looking to do more acrobatics and such, so the best places would be the Pier or Mi-doh. The Pier is one of the main entertainment centers of the city, buskers and street performers are common and make a fair living for the work. Right now, the summer carnival is just opening up on the Pier as well, so it would be a good time to get on the ground floor. Mi-Doh is an authentic Chinese open marketplace, run out of our version of China Town. Again, thanks to the atmosphere, street performances are pretty common and those that match theme are well rewarded. Would those help you?" Ten looked up from his writing, the page having all the addresses, before writing his cell-phone number on the bottom of the small page.

Siltrakes eye brightened at the sond of him being able to perform acrobatic stunts to attract people he also heard the carnival, being high strung as he was he would enjoy going to both the Mi-doh and the pier. He grinned and clapped his hands excitedly but still maintianting the quietness of his voice."oh yes those are perfect, the pier, Mi-doh, and the summer carnival will be perfect.Ah yes you are such a brillant kitsune you are. I do Owe you a favor, and before you reject. It is my shapeshifter ways. I you are ever in need of help I shall be off assistance. And I do have another question shall I be seeing you around? And I would love to help with the magical storm as well. that part is curious with me as well."he said with another wide grin looking at him then to the pad as he was writting the adress on them. He tilted his head and then shook i trealizeng that he would have no idea were these ploaces were."um if you do not mind, dear friend. could you tell, me the landmarks to look for when spotting these places. Im not to well with adresses."He said blushing and looking away knowing that wiht adress he never paid them any attention as well he was in a new place. His directions normally pertained to adress and the smells a place would give off.

"Brilliant? Now, I wouldn't go that far." He stood and turned back towards the ruined city block. His eyes caught what he was looking for, a single woman walking alone in the dark. His eyes narrowed, trailing after her. His nostrils flared. "Mi-Doh should be instantly recognizable when you start smelling authentic Chinese cuisine everywhere and oriental spices clinging to everything. Or you could just follow my scent trail there. I live near Mi-Doh, in a asian themed townhouse." He reached into his coat, pulling open a buttoned pocket and drawing out a pure white japanese Kitsune Mask. He placed it over his face, and strapped down the leather straps. His voice was distorted from behind the polished mask. "The Pier...all streets lead to the pier, just head towards the coast and follow the flow of the traffic until you see a boardwalk of neon and thrumming music, you'll find it." He turned back to the street, watching the road, casting his eyes up and down the quiet street. His nails had turned to black claws as he watched. "As for helping, forget the storm, it's a lost cause. If you want to help, help someone rebuild. That's really what we need right now. Hell, do what I did for you tonight, that's one less newcomer I have to clue in." He gave a rueful grin from behind his mask, but the expression was tense and taut. Ten waited, slipping onto the edge of the roof and taking a crouched position.

Siltrake grinned happily and then clapped his hands happily and then bowed to the kitsune. He grinned and quickly thanked the kitsune in his polished mask. He was about to dart away to find Mi-doh on his on then he shook his head and looked to the kitsune once more. And then noticed his windswept clothes and his tattered clothes his face turned red from teh embaresment and then quickly shifted into something an asian perfomer would wear, he aslo shifted his red hair into a duller black and changed his bright green eyes, to a duller blue. He sighed and loked to him and then said with a bow."with your lead, kitsune ill follow you to Mi-doh."he said polite.

Ten cocked an eyebrow, "Unfortunately...I am not going that way till later tonight, when I get to go home..." His eyes returned to the woman as she walked along her way. His brow furrowed hard, before his tilted his eyes to the moon again, cocking his neck sideways and framing the moon in the lens of his eye. Just then, a pair of high beams flicked on at the end of the block, and Ten whipped his head that direction. "Balls..."

The lights where attached to a large black van, with black tinted windows. There was the loud squeal of tires as it rapidly accelerated towards the walking woman.

Ten was already moving, he had no more time to talk. He raced back to the far end of the roof, just the woman realized that the van was coming for her and in a panicked state turned suddenly and raced between two of the destroyed buildings. She moved incredibly fast for her size...

Ten was in motion too, unable to worry about Siltrake at the moment, the shapeshifter would do what he would do. Whether that was to interfer or become a bystander was up to him, Ten just had to hope that the newcomer wouldn't get himself in too deep.

Ten rushed past, the burn of his fox magic racing through his blood like white hot lighting as he blurred past and took to the sky in a massive leap towards the destroyed buildings they woman had ran between. Ten bit his lip as he felt the momentary rush of uncertainty as he arched his body and eyes followed the path of his travel. He had misjudged the landing, he was heading for a water damaged piece of flooring...he tucked his feet up to his chest, counting carefully, before he kicked his feet forward to the satisfying splinter of the weakened wood structure, as a pained ache filled his shins, and it gave way with him. Ten readjusted, eyes questing for something to stop his descent. A two-by-four offered itself. he cast his hand out and gripped it, swinging himself up as he wrenched his arm, claws digging into the pine. He perched like a gargoyle, getting his balance before dropping to the floor.

He listened to the Van come screeching to a stop. The woman must've been caught, as doors swung open just beyond the wall and the was the hissing reports of pressurized air guns. He smelled the scent of many human men. Ten had been right, he hated being right. He had to move.

He knew what was to happen from here, the men...all black suits, black surgical masks over their faces, high powered dart pistols in hand, would advance on the woman they'd downed with tactical injection of whatever chemicals where in those thin white darts. If he didn't stop them now, she'd end up another Missing Supernatural.

Siltrake heard that the Kitsune wouldn't be able to show him the way tonight, as soon as he was going to speak he heard the irridescnet sound of tires coming to a halt. As soon as he caught wind of what the kitsune was looking at he sighed as he saw the van pursing the woman. The woman ran unnaturaly fast for her size he tilted his head and let out a girn as she saw the kitsune Dart of to protect the woman. He sighed and cursed to himself and immediatly shapeshifted bending the light around himself to make it appear he was invisible. He immediatly followed after the kitsune however he took a different route, instead of following the woman he followed the mysterious van. He saw that they wore black suits and surgical mask, he hissed to himself unaudible but he then cuaght a smell of some noxious chemical. He shook his head the form he took before gone, his red hair came back as well as his bright green eyes shone through, he immediatly shapeshifted and gave himself thicked skin to block the darts he wacthed them studying their movements as well as their equipment. HE grinned as he cotninued to wacth them now realizing they were human. He decided in his head, either he create a big enough distraction to keep their mind of off the woman, or he intervene and resuce the woman himself. He rethrought the decision in his head, he was good at evading and distracting not rescuing. He looked at the van and the quickly darted else were finding a local fireworks store a good mile away. He quickly set up the fireworks in the vicinity of the destroyed town. He set it up as well as some black power bombs , he set the fuse waiting for it to light. Once it lit he left the place not even leaving a trail for the to follow. He grinned and as soon as he was clear as he timed it the fireworks went off creating a loud rukus, as if it were some kids playing in the destroyed part of town. He returned to the van, and watched them and the woman ready to intervene he waited for the kitsune's actions before he would act in return.

Tenoji had to keep himself moving, time was wasting. He moved along the wall, ducking a boarded up side window. There was a side door out into the alleyway. Ten braced himself in the door frame, he pressed his ear to the door, and listened. He counted foot steps as they approached, listened to them speak among themselves. And then he heard his opportunity come, as one of the men stood directly to the side of the door itself.

Ten took three steps away from the door, an sized up the door carefully. Water damage had weakened it's structure. He could definitely make this happen. He lined up the blow, and delivered a hard kick dead center to the door. The solid wood door did not break, but it did break easily free of rotted hinges. It flew from the frame and onto the human outside, who screamed.

Ten's hand flew to the cold steel in his coat, drawing forth three long throwing knives and nestling them between his fingers. He somersaulted out the door, rolling over the man trapped under the heavy wood side door. as he came to his feet, he threw the dagger's towards two of the other humans, aiming the throws towards the barrels of their dart guns.

The human opened fire on Ten, and darts met knives and cracked to the ground. Using that advantage of them having to reload the darts, Ten stomped down hard on the door, until the man beneath it stopped struggling. At this point, Ten caught sight of Siltrake running away. What was he up to? No time to think of that.

Ten however, had misjudged the number of humans, as a third opened fire with the hiss of his dart gun from behind the hood of the van. A hardened plastic syringe appearing in his shoulder. The numbness spread from there, but these dart where not intended for his race. They were hunting vampires.

Ten flung his auxiliary knife towards the man, embedding it in the metal hood. That should give the man some pause, as he rushed the other two, his fists in a stance.

Ten was not strong at least, not when compared to other lycanthropes and the like. But he was fast, accurate, and agile, he had that going for him. He dodged incoming blows as struck numerous strikes to the men's bodies. But Ten's luck would not hold out forever, he needed to drop one of them, fast.

The other guy finally got his dart gun switched to a different sort of narcotic . And that was when Ten's luck started to fail, as he took one of the darts to the back. The numbing spread much quicker this time, spreading over his back and making his next blows clumsy.

One of the men clocked the kitsune right on the jaw, sending him sprawling. Ten briefly wondered how these humans got so strong?

They reached down, grappling Ten and lifting him by his arms. And began to rain blows on his masked face. Ten's vision swam, as he reached deep. He needed his magic, he needed to drop the charade. He'd have to kill them after that, but he needed the strength that came with his transformation.

So he let go, and let the beast come up from inside him, and bring forth the change to the jujin form...the Fox's war form.

And that was precisely when the bombs Siltrake set went off. The man immediately began to look for the next threat, the incoming attack, whatever their attacker might've planned.

It was exactly the distraction Ten needed, as his mask dropped away, revealing his fox face, and he jerked his arms down, before lashing out and knocking away the two men that held him. His transformation washed some of the toxins out of his system. Ten turned, throwing his coat to the side, revealing his bare red furred chest and the many knives belted around his waist.

He let out a primal fox's scream, flexing as he did so. Now, it was on.

Siltrake smirked as he heard th bombs going off and the pankcied scrambling of the humans. His ears twitched once he heard the primal growl of the kitsune. Eager the ones that were near the van scrambled and pankcied it gave siltrake the oppurtunity he needed. He beend the light around himself yet again and immediatly began attacked them. He landed several blows of pressure points on the humans letting it flow so quick he paralzyed them. As the fell to the ground. he grabbed the woman and immediatly revealed himself and changed the color of his skin and hair on purpose to look human. He grinnedc his green eyes blaring as he continued to fight off the humans that surrounded him. He heard the kitsune and hoped he would be alright.
He at least hoped that the kitsune would get the woman out of here. His distraction proved worthy however. He heard several darts wizz by his head and one managed to wizz straight by is cheek scrathing it. He felt his face go numb and rubbed it, he immediatly shed the skin and formed a new one. Making it seem as if he was some sort of reptilian creature. He grinned for now he would pretend to have those characteristics.
Again he felt another dart wizz by his face and he did he best to wriggle out of them, He grinned his slender body getting in between groups of humans as he began to hit them hard enough in the neck to render them unconcuios. He grinned as one dared to rush him, the human assumed he was weak and tried landing blows and shooting him from upclose. HE succeded as he felt himself becoming dizzy as the dart landed in his chest. He let out a reptilan roar letting Ten know that as soon as he could to get the woman out. He growled landing hits on the humans chest knocking the wind out of their lungs immoblizing them. He growled feeling sevberal more darts implant themselves in his back. He felt his vision becoming hazy. He let out another growl and purposely let out wails of pain as he sfited into a creature with thick hide, he shifted into a repilitan like creature. His skin hard as leather , he bore a large alligator like maw, as well as a tail and claws. He growled he didn't want to kill humans but it was becoming ever so needing. He hoped that Ten would mind him so much if he accidentaly did kill one. He felt himself becoming a littl emore unstable the replitalin bloof flowing through him buying him so time with the chemical gthat flooded his system.
He side swiped several humans bitting there arms and smashing the dart guns. The left bite marks in their arms to keep them from picking up the dart gun. He swiped his tail knocking several off balance. He panted and awaited the next swarm to come on him.