"We opened the door to the shadows...

[nightbeyondfire]

The man sat alone, back slumped against a wall as he stared down at the pistol in his hand, unloading and reloading it in silence. Over and over again. How long had he been here, ignoring the sounds of life around him and the chatter and racket from the communication device on the ground along with the discarded necklace? Days? Weeks? Months?

It didn't really matter. None of it did anymore.

Load. Unload. Reload.

"You look like crap."

The man looked up, staring upwards at his only companion for what felt like an eternity. Himself... only different, like seeing a photo negative version. The colors were all wrong and there were a few things off.

It had no eyes. He'd found that strange once before the feeling had been bled out of him.

Load. Unload.

It was this thing that had shown him the truth. It had started with whispers in his mind when he was alone and had grown from there, appearing in shadows, taking the place of his reflection and finally standing right there beside him exposing the plain, hopeless reality of where he'd found himself.

An ugly grin split the negative version's face.

"So, what's the hold up, jackass? You know what you have to do now."

Load.

Yeah, he did.

-------------------


In the early morning, it happened without warning. A shudder ran through the entire city and for just a moment it was almost as if reality itself... bent for a moment, warping out of shape before snapping out of place and one of the buildings of Genessia's skyline vanished into a rising cloud of smoke and dust.

The thing rose up out of the cloud, standing over the buildings around it. Misshapen, grotesque, it could only be called humanoid in the most generous of terms. Its body was colored in splotches of red and black, its limbs twisted with the right arm many times larger than the spindly left and it stood on legs that should have been bent and twisted too awkwardly to support it at all.

The head swiveled from side to side on a too-long twiglike neck, wide, blanket white eyes that seemed painted on searched the city and a toothless mouth opened wide in a low, groaning howl that rumbled over the city.

The creature’s body convulsed and with a chorus of sickening splits and cracks its body bristled with weapons, and they all fired as one, shearing the top floors off of the next several blocks and covering the rest of the town in burning debris.




Through the city, every communicator screamed out a deafening alert, which was followed by the voice of the AI.

“CORRUPTED ELEMENTS DETECTED. PLEASE ASSIST IN PURGING IN ORDER TO ENSURE THE CONTINUED SURVIVAL OF THE CITY AND ITS INHABITANTS”


[OOC: Subthreads are up. Post in them for combat, or go nuts with planning/reactions through the rest of the comments.]

Comments

[mewhobelievesinyou]

DON'T WORRY, JAUNE, HELP IS ON THE WAY!

He'll even get a warning in the form of screaming jet engines from above before the huge red robot comes barreling downwards out of the sun and SMASHES INTO THE GROUND causing it to HEAVE UNDER HIS FEET. One fist comes down with the momentum to crash in the front line of the monsters SCATTERING THEM AROUND THE STREET.

The mecha stands up then, and stands straight, sunlight glinting off its AWESOME SHADES.

"HEY, YOU!" The voice comes booming over the robot's loudspeakers. "LEAVE THESE PUNKS TO ME! YOU GO GET YOUR GIRL!"

[short_n_sweet]

Screaming jet engines? Who brought a jet?! Jaune looks up just to see that massive robot come crashing down, smashing into the ground nearby with a force enough to kick up the pavement beneath him - and Jaune, springboarding the poor guy through the air. It's a heroic display of flailing limbs and girlish screaming as Jaune sails through the air to hit the ground roughly. Oof!

Pushing himself up a bit, Jaune stares at the mechanical marvel that started shouting at him with way too much bravado. Who the heck was this guy?!

As bewildered as Jaune is, he knows he doesn't have the time to wait, so he picks himself up and nods. "Thanks giant robot man!" Jaune waves, before picking up in a run again.

Where's that giant at...? Seems it's getting distracted so much that it's lagging behind, with frozen feet, Harry firing a cannon at it, Sage and Natsu trying to take out its weak legs, and Ruby doing who knows what with Erza and Captain Hammer - to say nothing of the ground forces taking on the monsters spawned by its feet. Yeah, that thing's met its match!

So Jaune runs all the way to Raye's building. You'd think that means he can relax, but of COURSE the elevator's out, so... he has to run up several flights of stairs, at least until there's no more walls - that's a good sign he reached the right place.

"G... Guh... Don't... worry... Raye...!" Jaune pants as he now has to climb over rubble just to make it to her home - which was less a home and more a hole at this point. "I'm... I'm coming... to save you...!"

[mewhobelievesinyou]

"Heh."

Kamina grinned, watching the goofy blonde guy run off through the streets. He didn't know him, or this Raye girl, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was off looking after the people he cared about, like a man should.

"So much for resting in peace." He sat back for a second, shutting his eyes before he seized the controls and zeroed in on the monsters in his way. "HEAR THAT, YOU SCRUBS? YOU WENT AHEAD AND STOMPED ON A GRAVE YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE! NOW I'M GONNA SHOW YOU THE REAL POWER OF THE GREAT KAMINA WITH THIS GURREN MARK-2!"

His words echoed off the buildings around him, thundering far and wide and as the monster horde lunged his way, he fired off his jets again and blasted forward to meet them all head-on.

"RAAAAAAAAAAGGH!"

Okay, I waited just in case!

[short_n_sweet]

Finally, Raye's apartment... or at least the now open-sky pile of rubble that used to be Raye's apartment. Jaune had made it, and barely managed to clear out some rubble that was blocking his entry from what remained of the floor's corridor.

"Raye?!" Jaune stumbles into the door to look around quickly. Just where had she ended up...? It didn't take long to find her. It seemed like she'd barely made it out of the bathroom before the roof collapsed on her.

"Raye!!" Jaune hurries to her, scrambling over debris and falling to his knees in front of her. "Raye, can you hear me? Raye!" His hands touch her shoulders, just trying to get some kind of response out of her.

[flamescout]

Raye's head had fallen onto her arm, her eyes closed as the dizziness overtook her for several minutes. She wasn't panicking over what seemed like an inevitable doom; she'd died before. She hadn't enjoyed it, but there was no fear of the unknown. The only sickening feeling she knew was that she'd have to give up something important to her. What could she even surrender? Memories of her mother? Of Harry? Jaune? The other scouts? Not in a million years. She'd rather go bald, or lose a leg.

Dimly she was aware of someone calling her name. Her consciousness swam through thick darkness, and with a soft groan, she opened her eyes and raised her head. Someone was here. She could feel his hands on her shoulders.

"Jaune...?" She blinked blearily up at him. "I'm okay..." As okay as she could be. She wasn't dead in any case, so that was reassuring for the both of them.

[short_n_sweet]

Barely responsive, but responsive. That's good. That's very good. Jaune feels just a slight bit more at ease - well, actually really relieved. As cheesy as it was, he was scared he was going to lose his first--

No time to think about that!

"Okay, Raye, just stay with me, alright? I'll get you out! Just hang on, okay?" He may sound like he's trying to convince her of this, but he's really trying to convince himself. Raye's half buried under a fair bit of concrete... How's he supposed to move that?! He's no Yang, no Nora, he's not a heavy-hitter...

He can see that giant outside. It's coming towards them.

He has to try.

Sheathing his sword and putting away his shield, Jaune begins desperately trying to lift what he can off of of Raye's body. It really depends on the size and weight of what had fallen on her - if it's fifty pounds? Sure, he can haul that off her. If it's a hundred? Well that's tougher, but he may be able to shove it aside if he clears out some of the lesser stuff around it. And let's not forget, he's tired. His muscles were aching for him to stop, so every lift was shaky. His arms have started to feel like rubber, his lower back almost felt like he's pinched a nerve. It's not easy, but he has to get Raye out of there. It's either that, or die trying.

[nightbeyondfire]

The abomination outside was still heading toward the building, stopping only to deal with the citizens attacking it. It was hard to tell how the battle was going from where Jaune was looking out, but the city around it has been reduced to so much fire and smoke. Every once in awhile a deep, bellowing roar would come up from it or an arm would sweep through the smoke. Just to show that it was still coming their way.

But that problem was still far away yet, and Jaune had more current issues to deal with. As he tried to pry Raye loose from the rubble, a black, curled up shape dropped in front of the hole in the building dangling from one limb. Slowly, it unwrapped itself, teeth grinning at Jaune from a misshapen head as it swung in balancing on eight limbs like a spider although each one ended in a far too human hand.

The creature swung its head toward Raye, tilted it curiously and then zeroed in on Jaune, opening its mouth wide before lunging....

1/? [Bear with me here!]

[short_n_sweet]

It wasn't enough. Jaune cleared a lot of the rubble off, but not enough to pull Raye free. Maybe she notices the weight feeling a little lighter, but unless he can work faster...

... Well then something like that would happen. Jaune hears the sick thud of one of those stupid monsters behind him, and he freezes for a moment.

"Crap."

Looking over his shoulder, he spots it unfurling its sickening maw, and he swallows hard. "Aw crap..."

2/?

[short_n_sweet]

You know what? No. To heck with this thing, to heck with that thing outside, to heck with all of it.

"Hang on just a bit longer Raye," Jaune says, reaching for his sword.

That thing was eyeing up Raye now. Okay, you could hurt Jaune. You could break his ribs or bruise his face. He's fine with that. But the one thing you never, ever do?

3/?

[short_n_sweet]

You don't mess with Jaune's friends.

With his sword and shield drawn and ready, Jaune's facing this thing down.

It's go time.

4/4

[short_n_sweet]

"Hgyah!"

Jaune's lunging right back, and doesn't hesitate to bring the business end of his sword across that thing's stupid, ugly face!

[nightbeyondfire]

Jaune's sword thwacks across its face, turning its head aside and at least keeping it from biting him clean in half on its first lunge.

The monster falters a step and then snaps its head back around to Jaune and one of the rear legs whip around on multiple joints to smack him right back.

[short_n_sweet]

*Thunk!*

Maybe Jaune's actually learning, because he takes that hit not just with his shield, but by bracing his weight behind it. He hunkers behind the protective metal as it gets struck, and then quickly retaliates with a strong upward swing at that very leg to try and cut right it off. That'd show it what-for!

[nightbeyondfire]

The monster's leg recoils when Jaune's sword comes at it, not quite succeeding in taking it off but cutting into it nonetheless. The head tilts again, glaring at Jaune from its eyeless face as it lets out a low hiss and springs upward, clinging to what's left of the ceiling.

From this new angle it skitters over to stop above him and swing downward with all eight of its legs, driving to break past that defense of his.

[short_n_sweet]

When that... thing hits the ceiling, Jaune's expression is pretty telling of what he was thinking. Something along the lines of "you've got to be freaking kidding me." He raises his shield immediately and attempts to turtle himself beneath it,but he can't defend completely against all that weight coming down on him. He gets taken off his feet pretty easily, and is knocked onto his back on the floor pretty hard.

Being so displaced makes him nervous. The apartment doesn't have many of its walls left from the giant's attack.

"Ngh... Yeowch..."

[nightbeyondfire]

The thing grins wider when Jaune gets knocked down and releases its hold, legs reversing mid-drop and landing above him. Two arms snatch at his weapons, trying to disarm him and the mouth opens up wide again, ready to chomp him right in half.

[short_n_sweet]

"AH! AHH!" Jaune's yelling as the thing descends upon him like that,, and he immediately tries rolling his body to keep its grabby hands from disarming him. He's purely panicking at this point, and on pure gut instinct, he closes up his shield before the thing had a chance to grab it, which allows him to slip it away. Unfortunately, his sword is tossed across the room.

As the creature's maw opens wide, Jaune barely manages to suck in a frightful gasp before thrusting his now-sword-sheath forwards into the creature's mouth...

... Then he makes the shield shoot back open inside.

[nightbeyondfire]

When the sword is knocked across the room it seems all is lost for the would-be Huntsman. Down come those teeth, in for the kill when the shield springs open inside its mouth.

There's a crack and something that sounds like a gagging noise from the beast as its jaws are wedged wide open. There's a moment where it almost seems shocked... and then it lets out a gurgling rumble and starts tossing its head like a wild animal, feet-hands stomping as it tries to dislodge the painful wedge of metal.

1/2

[short_n_sweet]

OH THANK GOD.

Honestly it takes a moment for Jaune to even realize what's happening and what he'd done. But when it dawns on him that he had a moment, he bolts for it! He flops over onto his stomach and scramble-crawls away as fast as he can to get his sword. He even kicked it once with his feet before he snatches it up, like the class act he is.

Spinning back around, he grips his sword in both hands and charges back into the fray while the thing's distracted.

2/2

[short_n_sweet]

"GyaaaaaAAAHHH!!" His two-handed lunge is aimed right at the creature's throat. He's coming in low and hard, and he'd throw all his weight into a powerful stab towards its neck, near where it connects to its body.

[nightbeyondfire]

Distracted by trying to pry the shield loose from its mouth, the monster is wide open for Jaune's follow-up. The sword sinks deep into the thick flesh on its neck, purplish blood spurting from around the wound.

But it isn't done for just yet, and the reaction is immediate. The thing lets loose a roar and rears up, thrashing its body around in a fury, trying to crush its enemy against the walls and debris around it.

[short_n_sweet]

"Gya-ha!"

A solid strike, right to the neck! But just as Jaune thinks he's won, the beast starts to thrash around with such impressive strength that it starts to swing him around. He smacks him into walls, crushes him between itself and various bits of the apartment, and all the while he's holding onto his sword for dear life.

"No! NO! I stabbed you in the-- Hyurk! Ugh... In the neck--! Oof! You're suppossed to be dead now-- Rhgnh!" He tries to plant his feet on the carpet as the creature swings him around, but his feet slide. "Oh come on!"

He looks back, and sees that it's heading towards the gaping hole in the wall that looked out over the city. Oh no you don't.

Gritting his teeth, Jaune slams the soles of his feet into the floor, and with a brief, firm stance, and a hard grip with both hands, he tears his blade sideways to slice through the being's neck and cause yet more of that sickening, dark violet blood to now spray from the open wound like some Japanese samurai movie.

[nightbeyondfire]

The creature was grievously injured to be sure, but it wasn't about to give up the ghost just yet.

The creature shrieks and rears up, finally tearing the blade free as it writhes and thrashes around, smashing into walls and damaged supports in agonized abandon. One mighty slam even flips it over Jaune's head and with a loud crunch, the portion of the floor gives way, tilting wildly toward the gap in the wall.

Gravity takes its chance and the creature begins sliding toward the hole but it isn't giving up yet and its arms grab at Jaune even as it falls, trying to take him with it.

[short_n_sweet]

Jaune ducks and steps back, tyring to keep his distance from the monster as it wildly thrashes around. He even stumbles, and falls to one knee, which allows it to swing over his head. That's when its weight takes out a part of the floor and makes it sink down and create the worst slide Jaune has ever had the misfortune of being on.

"OH! GAH!" Jaune grabs wildly for the edge of the upturned floor, to keep himself from outright falling. His poor sword doesn't make it. It slides down the floor and off the edge of the building to fall into the city street below. (Don't worry, it's fine.) Given that he's got a firm, two-handed grip on the edge though, he creates a fine opportunity for the creature to hold on and also keep from falling.

It's grabbed onto his foot, and it's HEAVY. Jaune grits his teeth and tries desperately to haul himself up, while kicking down at the thing's hand and trying to knock it loose. "Come... on... just give it up already!"

[theywerebeowolves]

Lie Ren had got the patchy call, but had got enough to know that Jaune needed some help with something. He turns up in time to see Kamina and Jaune parts, and in that split second decides his efforts would be better placed in covering his leader's back rather than trying to catch up with him.

As Kamina charges, Lie Ren jumps in, firing a stream of bullets behind him to further his momentum and soar into the thick of things. Kamina is spared a look and a nod, before the blades of Stormflower are ready. He's much more use at closer range combat, unfortunately Stormflower's high speed rate of fire doesn't equal quite as much power as some of the rest of the teams could provide were they here.