The Finale: Return of the Dark Days

Well, after getting a sick thrill out of a crying pubescent boy who apparently was named Justine Beiben, Lance made his way to one of the pub and noticed one of the allies he had made while being a part of this group thing. However, it wasn't any mere individual, it was thee individual. He was an idiot of course, but he was much more tolerable than the rest.

"Hey, if it isn't the biggest ******* of the group." He put his fist up for a good fistbumb and then Lance sat next to Hunter and the Heartless that he had captured. "Hey bartender, I'll have what this idiot is having. Its on him." Before Hunter could even say anything, the bartender already had the drink up and out for him. He began to drink and sighed in agony. "Is it just me or are the drinks in this town getting worse and worse? Maybe some day they'll quench my thirst. Though, not even a cup of a child's tears can satisfy it. This world suck so much balls. Anyway, Hunter, what's the plans for tonight. I swear we better not have any male strippers this time." He took another drink. He reached out for some of the peanuts on the side and cracked them atop the Heartless's head.

"Oh right, I'm sorry. You're not a nutcracker. I just get confused because I just have this urge to smash you little guys. Don't know really why."

 

Aello had finished up with her heartless quota, at least she believed for the day. And decided it'd be best to get out of the forest while she still could. Aello summoned away her weapon and walked out to the forest edge's path and since she didn't go too far, she was relatively closer to Roland's Ford. And as she stepped out more into the path, she noticed someone running, away from R-F. Usually that was a sign either something was happening in town or keeping people from entering town.

Managing to keep as calm a composure as she could. Aello cleared her throat and spoke out towards the boy, "Are you alright? Is something wrong?"​

 

Neoph grit his teeth in frustration. This girl wasn't making things easy for him. When she pointed out the "bad people", Neoph nodded. "Yes, I know. Bandits. We got the Durlag city guard on that. They should all be dead now." He sighed. "Forgive me." With that, he sheathed his sword and grabbed Ana by her waist, lifting her with relative ease and hoisting her onto his shoulder, holding her by her legs so she wouldn't fall. "Sorry, but this isn't really the place for an argument!" With that Neoph, ran as fast as he could, weaving through trees and over boulders. Once they were a safe distance away from the fighting, Neoph gently set Ana down.

 

"I think I'm going to be sick." Ana gulped air, trying to relieve the twisting sensation her stomach was currently going through. She had never thought she would have to worry about motion sickness the way her sister had, but the mode of transportation she had just taken was clearly not boding well with her body.

Something the man had said stuck with her as she rested her head between her knees, relieved in some small part to find the book still attached to her waist.
Dead. They're all dead. It seemed too good to be true, and maybe they were words to try and placate her, but.....she was tempted to believe them.
Once her stomach decided that it was not going to be sick, she remained sitting on the ground, letting the hastily grabbed scythe rest across her lap once more.

"What's your interest with me?" She asked, gently running her fingers through her tangled hair. It was a habit, whenever she was nervous. Not to mention her hair really did need a good brushing.

"Don't you want to take care of whatever other Heartless are out in those woods?"
Not that the strange man seemed to need help, but where there was one, there were many, and if other people had stumbled upon her, perhaps there were still others that would stumble upon the rest of the monsters. She felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of anyone, especially a child, being caught unawares, and unarmed.

Not to mention she had no idea where they were now. But she hadn't in the first place either.

 

Hunter eyed Lance suspiciously as he entered the bar. As his fellow protectory guy held up his fist for a fistbump, Hunter gently placed his own hand around the man's fist. "Paper beats rock" he whispered before placing his hand back on the bar and drinking more of his drink. "I swear, you are the worst rock paper scissors player I know. Everytime I see you you challenge me, but everytime you go with rock. You're an *******, and I don't mind you, but you're no smarter than anybody else here" he said.

He turned to Heartless Paul, who was glaring at Lance. At least, Hunter thought he was glaring. You could never really tell with heartless. "Okay, okay, it's time you died. You just became useful to someone else other than me, which wasn't part of the deal" he stated. With a groan, he hefted the blade up onto the bar, alarming the bartender. "Here, hold it would ya?" he asked rhetorically, before turning around and palming Paul in his black face. God he hated black creatures. You turned away for one moment and they stole something from you, and they were damned impossible to catch. Least this one had been co-operative. As Paul stumbled back, Hunter got off of his stool and then approached the fallen heartless. Grabbing the stool he had just been seated on, he raised it and slammed it down towards the heartless. Paul reacted quickly, portalling the **** away from there before the stool hit, causing it to splinter harmlessly against the ground. Turning around, he grabbed his blade from the bartender. "Dunno how the meeting will be, don't really care. You're right about this town sucking balls, it's boring as hell. I'm going to go find something to kill now. I don't care whether you **** off or follow me, but I ain't sharin' my kills, so just be aware of that" the bounty hunter stated, walking away from Lance and out of the bar, on the hunt once again. ​

 

OOC: While Ana is with Neoph.....

Kala stopped in the middle of the street silently observing those around her. The ones that didn't immediately shy away from her presence anyway. Her hair itched underneath her hood, and with a sigh, she flipped it back. Her black hair gently teased around her face with the accompaniment of a breeze and she sighed again, this time in relief.

The movement, however, only drove the villagers further away from her. With her pale skin, dark eyes, and scarred right cheek, she supposed she really stood out in a crowd. Her messy black hair and cowl didn't detract from her mysterious persona either. Shouldn't have worn black. She thought to herself, eyes canvassing the street for a place of respite. Roland's Ford was charming, of that there was no doubt, but it was also rustic, promising very little in the way of luxury.

She tapped the hilt of her broadsword at her side, deliberating. It was much too early to start drinking, but she was bored, and what the hell else was she supposed to do? Shifting, her hand still on her weapon, Kala turned and looked the other way down the street, towards the forest. Perhaps more exploration was due before she turned in for the night.

 

Higure made to the roadside, finding it to be empty. Why he even hoped for those three to still be here, he did not know. However, good fortune was still on his side; as always.

"Are you alright? Is somethint wrong?"

The boy turned to his left to see a woman approaching. Without answering her orally, the ring given to him was quickly shown to the new face while using his free hand to point towards the deep forest next to them. I hope she knows the meaning of this ring. Gesturing her to follow, he quickly darted into the woods.

 

Neoph took a quick look around while Ana was trying to gather herself. It appeared they hadn't been followed by anything dangerous. Neoph still didn't let his guard down, however. Even in a quiet, peaceful, serene field like this, danger could emerge at any time. The Nobodies were becoming a real threat lately. And it was they that you had to worry about the most. Their cunning put them a cut above any Heartless. When Ana spoke to him, Neoph turned and smiled. "You looked like you needed help. That's all." He reached for his belt and grabbed his waterskin. He detached it from his belt and offered it to Ana. "Here. Drink this. You look like you need it. The name's Neoph, by the way. Neoph Rampart of Roland's Ford. Pleasure to meet you."

 

Ana muttered her thanks and took the offered water skin, swallowing a small mouthful. She was careful not to let any of the precious moisture fall to the ground. Neoph hm? "Ana." She replied,"Ana D-" she stopped, taking another swallow from the water flask before screwing the cap back on and holding it back towards Neoph.

"Just Ana." She decided. It would be better to keep her complete identity a secret until she understood who she was dealing with. There was no telling if he knew of her village or her family (neither of which were really important in the grand scheme of things), but it was better to safe then sorry, all the same.

The water rejuvenated her just enough that she felt able to stand. Still using the pole of her scythe as a crutch she pulled herself to her feet, testing out the strength of her legs before giving the area a glance over. Nope. Nowhere familiar. "So what's the plan now, Neoph?" The name felt strange rolling off her tongue, but she ignored it. Just because he's being friendly doesn't mean I'm going to trust him. Buuuut, it's a better option then being lost. For now.

He said he was from Roland's Ford. Maybe there's a place for me to stay there for a bit. She grimaced as she ran her fingers through her tangled hair and across her dirty skin. I need a bit of upkeep. Not to mention a bath might make her feel more human then she had in...years. But first, a plan.
"Because I'll be honest, if any more Heartless show up, I'm not going to be much help." He looked more concerned then she would have thought, but perhaps the Heartless were a bigger problem here then she had originally seen. There wasn't anything else out there.....was there?



Kala had decided to do what she was famous for doing; nothing. At least while the fancy struck her. The forest, while certainly tempting, felt a little too crowded. And it was just a tad too early to have anything to drink. So she waited, inspecting potential targets for information, glancing at wares from vendors, and just enjoying the shade in general.

Because who didn't enjoy a little shade during the day? She certainly didn't mind the camouflage it offered her, or the respite from the stares. Because as inconsequential as people were to her, the stares...were a little annoying.

By her calculation, she had an hour and a half before she could start drinking. If she didn't find something to amuse her by then. But by all that was holy she hoped she did because she somehow didn't think that taking burning down a village out of sheer boredom would endear her with the locals. And while Kala didn't particularly care what they thought, that just seemed too troublesome.

Although....she smiled underneath her cowl, eyes narrowing. There was supposed to be a league or something or people here. Strong people. Maybe, if she did something, caused some sort of small isolated disaster, maybe someone would come to stop it. And maybe, she could get in a good fight. It had been way too long since she had found a challenge.

 

NEOPH
Neoph stood by to help Ana get up, but she managed to do it herself. She was tough. That was a good quality. Attaching his waterskin to his belt, Neoph looked in the direction of Roland's Ford. "We go there." He pointed in that direction. You couldn't see the village due to the hills, but it was that way. "My home is over there. We can get you tended to." He chuckled. "It doesn't look like much, but I wouldn't live anywhere else." He stepped forward a bit. "Do you need some help? It's a good hour or so back to the village."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
????
As Kala passed the threshold between the village and the plains, she came across a tall man in a black suit. He wore a wide-brimmed black hat which covered the top half of his face in shadow. "Good day, miss." He stepped towards her. "Keeping well on this fine day?" It wasn't what most people would call a fine day. It was turning autumn around Roland's Ford, so it was starting to get cold. The sky was overcast with dark clouds. It wouldn't be surprising if it rained soon.

 

Ana shook her head, though she kept her scythe out. "No I can manage." She murmured, following after him towards...wherever he had pointed. An hour? Please. I walked for hours. She was confident she would make it. Just not very quickly.
"But to be clear, I don't have anything to pay you with. Anything." She stressed. If he thought she would pay him back with physical rewards then it was best if she get out now. Instead of when she was in his home. After all, he is a guy. And they rarely think of more than one thing.

Kala didn't turn. She knew he was there. She wasn't afraid. It had been a long time since she had been afraid of any one thing.
Was it rude not to reply? Probably. But she didn't know him, and he hadn't yet introduced himself. So she remained silent, tipping her head to the side to alert the man that she had heard him, and she was watching him. While she couldn't sense anything from him (which was strange, but not enough to put her nerves on high alert), it didn't pay to ever leave an unknown element at her back.

 

Aello looked at the ring and recognized it immediately and before she could even say anything the boy was leading her towards the woods. Well, she knew Aedion wasn't going to just hand over so she figured it'd be best to follow. He didn't say anything so she just went with it and ran to wear he led and summoned out Last Rites again in case it involved heartless or nobodies and she asked, "So what exactly is the problem?"​

 

"You have to be all kinds of messed up to call this a fine day" said Hunter, conveniently arriving as the strange creeper began talking to the female. Hunter had been looking for something to kill when he had remembered his prisoner back at his home, and he had set out towards the exit of the town so that he could return there. However, he'd run into something more important than making the prisoner crap his pants again. No, surprisingly it wasn't the female; that was just a bonus. He hadn't even found someone to kill, he'd simply found someone to piss off. And if there was one thing Hunter liked to do, it was piss people off.

As the bounty hunter approached the hooded man and female, he became distinctly aware of the mysteriousness the man had going on. A black suit, a wide brimmed hat, and thinking that it was a fine day? Either this was a funeral director way too into his job, or he was a stalker. "Bit overcast to wear a hat, don't you think? Take the bloody thing off, you look like a twat" Hunter ordered. God it was fun being in Neoph's little group; you could boss people around and do it all in the name of justice and nobody batted an eyelid. Though, he supposed he should probably actually make sure the guy wasn't a psychopath or anything. He didn't exactly do much else work for the protectors, and with Lance on the loose there were too many psychos around anyway. A second Lance...Hunter shuddered just thinking about it.​

 

Kala raised an eyebrow. Here was a new man, a new stranger. Friend or foe? She glanced over his figure, sizing him up without turning her attention from the first man. Confident. He must be a local. She noticed as he navigated the street with ease to stand by them. A fighter. She noted the sword at his side. Doubtless, he had other weapons hidden somewhere on his person. But is he any good? The thought made her grin, her expression hidden beneath the cowl. Perhaps I've found my entertainment. That was, if the hat man didn't suffice.

"Take the bloody thing off, you look like a twat." At first, she thought the comment had been directed her way. But no, it was towards the strange man. This local was focusing most of his attention on the strange man, leaving her free to move as she wished. So what did she wish?

Fight, fight. Her blood was singing the phrase, filling her mind with promises of delight and pleasure if she should take the sword against someone, anyone. Just do it.
She struggled to control the blood lust. It was not yet time. There would be time, later, but not now.
But perhaps it would be time soon. The local had just insulted the strange man, after all. A bold move, telling her that her observation of his confidence was not altogether off. But she never was. This man thirsts for confrontation. She placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, almost unconsciously. There was nothing better then someone who loved to stir up trouble. Because trouble led to blood shed. And blood shed was her reason for living.

Although....if a fight broke out between Hat man and Local man, whom would she side with? Her smile died a little as she considered the unforeseen possibility. Whichever one is the strongest will be the one I fight. She decided, eyes flicking from one man to the next. Or....I could fight both of them.....

Such hard decisions this life presented before her.

 

NEOPH
The purpose of emphasizing the "anything" in what Ana said was completely lost on Neoph. He was still somewhat of an innocent. Having grown up away from "normal" society and becoming a soldier in his younger years... he didn't really have much time or opportunity to develop the "dirtier" parts of his mind. "Don't worry about paying me. I don't do this for coin. I get enough of it, but i'll never abandon someone in need just because they can't pay me." This girl was indeed tough. Just as he suspected. Maybe she'd be cut out for his band? He wouldn't ask her now though. They had to get her somewhere she could rest and be medically tended to. "Alright. We should get going. Follow me." Neoph began walking towards Roland's Ford, careful to keep pace with his new friend.

---------------------------------------------
????
Hunter's intrusion didn't seem to bother the man. In fact, it seemed to amuse him, as the smile on his face suggested. He turned to Hunter and tipped his hat. "Ah, one of Neoph's group if i'm not mistaken." The smile widened. He was beginning to look a little creepy. "Careful who you speak to like that, boy. You might not get someone quite as merciful next time." The words were threatening, but the man's tone came off as him just giving advice. He began to part, but stopped next to Kala. "Should you ever feel the need to pursue a higher calling, you can find me there." He pointed in the distance to the Dark Peaks, a mountain range turned black by the ever-corrupting darkness. It was a dangerous place. How could someone live there? "Good day miss." With that, he walked behind one of the nearby shacks that made up the village.

 

So not only had that guy avoided being pissed off, but he had found it amusing? God what an *******. And then he had said something about others not being so merciful. Who was this guy and why did he have a bigger ego than Hunter himself did? The hell was with that? Merciful? Hunter wanted a fight. And the other guy ran away.

So Hunter won the fight, no questions asked. It's official, he kicked the ass of the shadiest guy in all of Roland's Ford.

Turning to the female who had remained silent this entire time. "Well, from the sounds of it I just got ya a job. So, congratulations. Your new position as head of evil incorporate will be fun; full of all kinds of torture, murder, and general ******baggery. Put in a good word for me would ya? Sounds like my kinda place" Hunter said, only half kidding.​

 

Ana stumbled along, determined to keep her feet underneath her, on the ground. Where they belong. She stared pointedly at her toes, hoping her thoughts got across. Was she slow? Absolutely. Was it maddening? Oh yes. But it was under her own power, and quite honestly, the freedom to be able to walk as quickly as she pleased was a balm to her irritation at being so slow.

She didn't speak as she walked. She honestly couldn't remember how conversation was supposed to work, and since a "Yes sir, no sir" response didn't seem appropriate for this situation, she was content with keeping her mouth shut. Words had done little good to her thus far in life, anyway.


Kala blinked. It had been when the Hat man reacted to the Local man's command. His voice had gone from benign to threatening in an instant. While the sound of it didn't exactly frighten her, it did make her more aware of the dangerous aura Hat Man emitted as he spoke. When he took the time to point out the peak in the distance, she felt her muscles tighten at his closeness, at the sense of wrongness.

At least it still felt wrong. She felt herself on the line between what had once felt right, and what still felt wrong. And oh how easy it would be to tip one way or the other. As the Hat man disappeared, she found herself turning to the Local man. Clearly, he was not going to pursue the Hat man. Was it wise? Maybe. But is he going to watch me instead? That would not be wise.

"If that place is such to your liking, perhaps you should be the one putting in a word for me." She replied, pulling her cowl up a little higher on her nose. It did little to muffle her voice, but that was not the part of her she was concerned about.

"I did not agree to become anyone's puppet in their plans." She paused, realizing she had just spoken more words in the last minute then she had in the entire month put together. She shut her mouth, and watched the Local Man, curious to see what he would do next. Hopefully it involved a fight. Her blood was still tingling with the whispered promise, and she would not be able to rest until she made good on her promise.

 

It was the same as always. He fist bumped Hunter but the idiot continued to imply that it was a simple gave of paper rock scissor. Though, it was acutally entertaining now. One of these days Lance would just surprise him with scissors, though the two fingers might be lodged in his eyes. Ah the dream. The only issue though was even the Hunter was an idiot, he was still more competent then the other's in this damned world.

Before Hunter left, Lance noticed that the portal for the Heartless that tried to flee was still open, just a little though. So, just to be funny, and maybe be a bro, but honestly it was just to see the creature die quickly and painfully, Lance reached in and grabbed the Heartless by the foot, dragging him back out. Lance could feel the claws grinding on the other side, begging not to be taken back to the world of the light. "Hey, we didn't say you could leave. In fact, I'm sure you have a job for Hunter. You know that running away from your assignment is just going to make matters worse for yourself. So C'mon, stay a while, enjoy the amount of life you have left in the world. I'll even treat you to another drink. After all, it'll be your last."


Before he could reach Hunter, he stopped to see some folks chatting it up. So, not to be rude, he decided not to not interrupt them by hiding behind a building and completely listen into their entire conversation. He was sure nobody would mind if he was stalk- I mean, gathering intel on them. Now that things had settled down as well, Lance made his way out to greet the lot.

"Hey, Hunter, I got this little rascal that tried to run away. Did you get the puppet yet?" He spoke out loudly from behind, holding the heartless up in his hands. He then looked away pretending he had no idea what the situation was, but in reality, he really heard the whole thing.

"Oh its you! You're the girl that Hunter talks about. Really, this guy just straight up loves you. He admires you from afar, looking in your window, taking your dirty garbage once in a while, the guy even has this wonderful collection of your underwear. I have to say, it is just awe inspiring. Totally not creepy at all. HEY, I had a wonderful idea, you should totally date him! I'm sure you'll have a blast. He is into this bondage thing that seems to be really in right now. He even likes to bring these little guys as pets. I think its a seriously good deal." Was this revenge? Maybe. Did he feel aggrivated that not once he got an actual fist bump. Very likely. Humiliating Hunter in front of a hot girl? Priceless.

 

"Nah, I tend to steer clear of dark and evil mountains of certain death. Much more fun survivin' around here" Hunter responded, crossing his arms. No sooner had he spoken that than Lance had arrived, bringing the heartless back. At this point, Hunter had almost lost interest in the small creature; what was the point in killing something if they didn't show any visible emotion? No suffering or anything? No fun in that. "Puppet? I have no-" he began, but didn't get any further before Lance began speaking to the mysterious woman and claiming Hunter did some very stalkerish things.

What the hell? It was true he'd looked in through the woman's window before. He did that from time to time with random strangers, it was good for a laugh when they eventually found out. He'd stolen her garbage once too; there had been a half eaten bagel in there and it was a sin to waste a good bagel in Hunter's eyes. The underwear thing was an outright lie. He hadn't stolen the underwear, he had won that in a bar fight, and he wasn't even sure whose it was. It might have been the woman's, it might not have, all he knew is panties made excellent gags. Although, Hunter was certain that Lance hadn't been around for any of that, so what on earth was he rambling about?

And then he mentioned the bondage thing. Up until that point, Hunter had remained perfectly expressionless, even looking a little bored. He was actor extraordinaire, and he was showing it. But the moment he mentioned the bondage, the man let out a gasp. He knew. How? Nobody living had seen it, nobody alive knew that, and yet here Lance was, knowing everything about him suddenly. He knew too much. Plucking one of the throwing knives from his belt, he held it forward and took aim at Lance before hurling it straight at the prick.

In what seemed to be the longest three seconds ever, Paul the Heartless made his move. He dove up and in front of Lance. Lance, who had bullied him and taken him prisoner. Lance, who had done nothing to warrant any affection ever. And yet...Paul cared, he cared enough that he threw himself in front of the man and took the throwing knife straight in between its eyes. It fell to the ground and dispersed into black vapour, dead. At this revelation, Hunter felt both furious that he had missed his target and was happy that he murdered a heartless. He grabbed the knife and put it back in the belt, and turned to look at Kala. "He's a lyin' little ****, he is. I've done none of those things. All I do is my job" the male responded in a very gruff voice.​