The Resident Angel, the Local Madman (Silent/OPEN)

It was a bitter February evening, the frigid night wind intensified by the salty air from the ocean. Such temperatures would seem unusual for this geological area. As Kristen vanquished the last shade demon of the wave, the demonic presence in the area, along with the unusually frigid night air, seemed to lessen a bit.

The cold never really bothered her anyway.

Gazing out towards the blackened Pacific, the dark twilight sky above darkened further as the sun completed its descent on the horizon and dark winter clouds closed in above it. As an idle attempt to lighten up the scene, Kristen charged up a strong Smite Gauntlet and threw the bolt of energy across the surface of the water as one would skipping a stone. It traveled several metres before fizzling out and was consumed by the growing darkness of the night.

Kristen sighed. "What a foreboding sign..." she muttered out loud before turning from the scene, stalking off wood-and-cement platform and onto solid land. She couldn't sense any more shades in the general vicinity, so she was making to leave the premises to search for others when she picked up on a very twisted and shattered chaotic presence. The wave of the aura visibly confused her as she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Who's there?" she called out to whoever the owner of the aura was, an even, calm tone covering her initial shock.

A dismal night, perfect for the deeds that were being committed. Two men had been hunting each other, neither having ever met the other. Smith was careful, picking his way along with a taser drawn. Normally an odd choice of weapon, but not when one considered his quarry. Meanwhile, in the shadows a man lurked. But this man, like his opponent, was no man. He was a weapon, a monster. But not all weapons were created equally. Smith was a highly trained operative and moved with grace and poise. But in comparison to the man in the shadows he was practically crashing through the night.

He saw something out of the corner of his eye and whirled around on the spot, taser raised. But all he saw were shadows. Frowning, he tried to turn back around before realizing he couldn't. In fact, he couldn't move his legs at all. He tried lo look down, terror rising in his gorge as he could only move his eyes to look down at the bicep of the arm clamped around his neck. Why hadn't he felt his assailant grab him? His mind was sluggish, but he slowly became aware of a white hot pain in his stomach. His training kicked in and he moved to bring his heel into his assailant's foot. His confusion increased as he realized his legs hadn't responded. Then it clicked: the pain in his stomach was starting to fade, but it's location was definite: dead center in his abdomen. His attacker must have stabbed him through the spine.

He tried to bring his elbow back, both in an attempt to strike his assailant and to bring the taser to bear. His attack was futile however as a vice-like grip clamped on his forearm. His vision was hazy now. He wouldn't last long. He felt his lower body jerk, but all sense of pain had left him. His head lolled back and out of the corner of his eye he saw the wicked grin, teeth parting as his assailant whispered in his ear.

"Sleeeep now, little pawn. You need to go back into your box." The man chuckled quietly as his prey slumped to the ground, a hole torn in his stomach. He walked over to his combat knife and picked it up from the ground where it had landed after tearing through the agent. He was wiping it off when a brilliant flash of light lit up the sky, forcing him to throw up a hand in reflex.

As it faded, his eyes narrowed and he rose to investigate, sticking to the shadows. Another come to play? Is it one of them? "Who's there?" A woman's voice split the eerie stillness of the night. After a moment, a voice answered, shrill and manic as if about to lose a fight with an extreme bought of laughter. "That would depend very much girly..." For the time being, only the outline of a human is visible, though something metal is sticking up over his shoulder. "What brings a lovely lady such as yourself to such a dismal place?" Like a hyena, he chuckled softly after speaking, though it sounded strange - as if he were fighting to hold it back.

"Evil is unspectacular, and always human. And shares our bed, and eats at our own table."

Unbeknownst to them as of yet, the scuffles and skirmish with the shade demons had brought another visitor: the Acrimonious.

Kyte often found himself going for flights when he had free time. They were always soothing to him; after all when you were able to fly and look over the world you could learn much of it and take in its beauty. He had heard the sounds of combat and decided to fly over as soon as he could, and he had arrived now. However, much to his dismay it was after the fight, so he couldn't partake in the violence, nor rescue a maiden in distress.

Though a damsel in distress was a far cry from this woman.

He landed in the trees, deciding to observe both of them and see what was going on. He had the grace of an angel, or an elf (If you were into that sort of thing), and made nary a sound as he landed upon the branches. He sat and watched them curiously, eager to see how this would play out. Would they be two allies starting a grand journey together?

Or two opponents trapped in the fate to clash?

Kristen noted the strange voice that the man in the shadows spoke with. She wondered if he was a madman, to possess such a disturbing aura, but he probably wasn't your typical maniac either.

"I go wherever there is evil in its purest source. If it is there, I vanquish it - extinguish it." she kept her gaze on the man's silhouetted figure. "Most specifically, I hunt entities known as demon shades. They are often mistaken for ghosts - spirits of the long dead. But in reality, they are the cruel apparitions of the underworld, brought to manifestation by the chaos and violence of this world." At an even pace, she casually raised her arm over her shoulder to point behind her with her thumb. "You may not have noticed, but there were a few lurking here moments ago. I destroyed them." She stated simply, letting her arm drop back down to her side.

"So what is your purpose here then, lurking in the shadows?" She asked conversationally. It was obvious to Kristen that, by the state of this man's aura, his psyche was extremely broken. Unnecessarily provoking him would be a mistake.

"Evil in it's purest form..." The man's voice, while still manic, was soft as if he was contemplating something. Then, like a sudden burst of vomit, laughter tore itself from his throat. His outline looked almost like it had convulsed. Another burst followed, then another. It was as if the floodgates opened and a toxic deluge of hysteric laughter roared forth in an all consuming tsunami. Unlike true laughter, this was empty, hollow, and joyless - like the wind whistling through a broken urn. The man was nearly doubled over by the time his laughter subsided and he managed to regain his composure.

"You're killing the wrong things then, girly." A few lingering uncontrollable chuckles spasmed from his body, like the last few strings of gooey spit after the stomach is emptied. "If you want to destroy the REAL evil... If you want to kill the REAL monsters, girly..."

He stepped forward just enough for the dim light to reveal his form. He was a man, or at least appeared to be. His jeans were tattered and in the dim light appeared to be stained black in several places as if a liquid had been splattered across him. His white tee shirt was in similar condition, though thanks to the white fabric underneath, it was more apparent that the stains were a deep rusty red. Some of the tears appeared to be small circular holes, which also coincided with some of the stains. Over the tee shirt he wore a brown leather jacket which appeared deceptively clean. The glint of a rifle could be seen over his back, though no visible strap held it in place.

From the muscle filling his shirt and twitching beneath his neck it was obvious he was in impressive shape, however someone particularly astute may notice something odd about him beyond the obvious - as if his skin didn't quite fit him right. His dark hair was slicked back against his skull, and his face was angled and hawk-like. Hazel eyes glittered at her in the dim light, filled with the spark of madness, along with something else that only the most adept at reading would notice - and even then only if they were looking for it. But one feature stood out above all else: His grin. It was eerily wide, seeming to stretch from ear to ear. A mask-like visage of white that seemed to dominate his face. No matter what he said or how he spoke, that grin remained.

He spread his arms wide, the moonlight glinting from a wicked looking combat knife in his left hand, minute traces of red still smeared across the blade where he hadn't finished wiping it off. His impossibly wide grin seemed to widen still more as he finished his sentence.

"You should be looking at humanity."

Kyte listened to the conversation happening between the two of them very attentively. One, a seemingly angel in the midst of darkness, cleansing the evil beings from wherever she could to make the worlds a safer place, and the other an apparent madman who enjoyed bathing in blood.

Kyte was nonetheless intrigued when Zack stepped forward out of the darkness and into the light, revealing his blood-soaked form and how built he was. Kyte, however, being one with an intuitive eye, noticed something off about the man's skin. It wasn't that he was built enough, no...he was almost like a teddy bear that was getting packed to the brim with stuffing. It was a horrible analogy, but Kyte, in all his poetry, simply could not think of a better way to describe the man he saw before him.

The angel explained that she vanquished evil wherever she found it, and that her main prey were demon shades, the beasts she had killed here before either of them arrived. She asked Zack what he was doing here, and instead of answering her question, he told her that she was killing the wrong creatures if she wanted to vanquish evil. Instead he said that she should be killing humanity, if she were so righteous that she wanted evil to disappear.

Kyte couldn't help but grin, hardly containing the chuckles. How amusing.

Psycho boy has a point. There is no creature more evil than that of mankind. Hell, I suppose I'm proof of that. Though there are sides to both arguments, of course... Kyte wondered if Zack was going to attack her. Then he could intervene, and stop being patient.

Though he had to admit he was really glad he could hear this conversation. It was so interesting.

The madman's words struck a chord of familiarity within Kristen. Long ago, her brother voiced a similar opinion about humanity's evil. "We waste our time by hunting these shades. They're here because of humanity's evil, not their own. As long as humanity stands, these creatures will roam the earth eternally. Cut the head of the snake, and the body will wither. The destruction of mankind and their insolence will be a sacrifice of peace for the rest of us. Let us return to our former glory as a people, and reclaim what is rightfully ours! It is our birthright!"

The flashback reminded Kristen of how wrong her brother was, but that wasn't the matter at hand. She shook her head lightly and looked back at the man, now out of the shadows. "A long time ago, someone I used to know would have shared your opinion. Unfortunately, I do not. I have my own reasoning for what I do."

Kristen noted the posture of the man in front of her, now standing tall and arms outspread, maybe as a way of intimidation, but she wasn't sure. She noticed he was armed with a few weapons and he was likely to attack depending on what happened next, but she wasn't threatened in the slightest. She also noticed that he seemed too heavy for his height, but not in a way that he was unfit, for he looked quite the opposite. This person was definitely not your typical madman, he appeared to be some kind of metahuman or technologically augmented being.

"I wonder how much of your opinion is based on past experiences." Kristen continued nonchalantly, voicing her growing inquiries. "Such an extreme accusation must be backed with substance."

"I'll tell you that I am not wasting my time hunting my chosen prey. The way I see it, yes, humanity can be cruel, humanity can be evil, but they didn't start out that way. Cruelty is learned. Evil is a corruption. The influence of these dark shades in the world helps breed cruelty and evil, and in turn, the cruelty and evil of the world manifests more shades. Its a never-ending cycle, but how it started is the key."

Kristen wondered if this conflict in opinions would cause the man to attack from his current position, or if he would hold his peace. Either way, her permeating spiritual aura intensified slightly in anticipation of his next move.

"How it started?" The madman chuckled again, his eyes seeming to glitter with an inner light. "Oh dearie, man has been filled with monsters from the start. When Cain first killed Able, When Eve first tricked Adam. We never changed. We simply became more... Creative." As if he'd just told some amazing joke, the man burst into laughter once more as he wrapped his arms around his stomach and doubled over, still clutching his knife.

Quite suddenly, he stopped, his head snapping up so that his gaze burned into her eyes with a sudden intensity that would have left many uneasy, even compared to his already disturbing appearance and demeanor.

"You wanted to know what I was doing here, love? I was doing your job. If you don't believe me..." His laughter returned in brief spasms. "Just follow the bodies!" Once again he was lost to a sea of maddened laughter, dropping to his knees and still clutching his stomach as he doubled over again.

"Pardon me for intruding."

He smirked as he spoke up to draw their attention to him, grinning. Of course, smirking meant very little at the moment, as the bottom half of his face was concealed by a mask.

"I'm quite sorry- interesting conversation you're having, really- but you humans did change. Quite a bit. When you Sinned-" he said in a bit of emphasis, leaving a hint for those astute enough to sniff it out, "It was all you. We just laid out the path for you."

He remained in his tree branch, grinning under the mask.

"I mean, don't get me wrong. We're the ones pulling you into it, but I don't have innate control over everyone that decides to kill somebody for being parked in front of them."

Kristen's eyes narrowed at the man's response. His allusions were based off of the logic that he understood only what the myths told at face value. Of course it would make sense to him, because that is what he knows to understand. If Kristen was phased by the madman's gaze afterwards, she didn't show it. When he admitted to murdering a few people in the area, Kristen sighed exasperatingly. His actions were probably what manifested the shades there earlier.

It was when another person revealed himself from atop a tree when Kristen did look up. This person had a different opinion entirely; it was much like the middle ground of what Kristen and the madman were discussing. A bit of temptation on behalf of preternatural forces and the submission to the temptation on behalf of the human party.

Kristen did not notice his manner of speaking at first, but when he began referring to the subject with 'we' and 'I', she couldn't help but think that his opinion was rooted in his experiences and in what he could be. "I take it you speak from experience, then." she mused, "It is known that shades and their Greaters are merely footsoldiers to their officers. There are many higher powers among the hellish army that exist, but my kind are not directly entrusted to take care of."

She paused, a glimmer of a smile appearing on her face before descending back into aloofness. "Is it safe to assume you have association with such powers?"

Zack watched as this newcomer came down, resisting the urge to shoot him on sight. It was very rare indeed that someone had the drop on him. He was certain he would have known if this man was sneaking up on them, so he had to have been waiting. That didn't bode well - what reason could there have been to lie in ambush if not for him? Maybe L.A.W. was finally getting smarter in the teams they sent after him. But then why talk about all this nonsense? Why bother talking? L.A.W.'s pawns didn't talk... Unless he wanted them to. Either this was some passerby, or he was something much bigger than a pawn, and the best way to find out which was to antagonize him.

"Someone has a high opinion of himself." The madman started to chuckle, and for a moment it seemed like they would be treated to another deluge of laughter, but then he stopped mid giggle like he was a video someone had paused. "Unless..." A pistol was quite suddenly in his hand, though he had only brought his arm up to aim it - never back to draw it in the first place. "You're telling the truth. In which case you're one of them." His voice darkened as he tilted his head. "Should I put you back in the box?"

His giggling resumed just as manic as before. "Or do you want him, birdie? As long as he dies I don't care." His giggling gave way to shrieking laughter and he doubled over, lowering the gun as his laughter seemed to keep him from being able to aim for the moment.

Kristen observed the madman's words intently. He seemed obviously paranoid, reasoning that this newcomer was here to attack him, although it appeared that neither person had met each other before this point. What exactly was this madman's pursuer, and why would they need to constantly track him down? Was he perhaps more than just out of his head? It was obvious that he was dangerous, as he had just slain some humans, but so dangerous that an organization was hunting him down?

All of these questions and more plagued the indoctrinated's mind, unknown to the other two thanks to the mask of aloofness being shown on her face. "Why would I need to attack him? He hasn't provoked me at all. Not yet, anyway." she shrugged. "But, why do you want to attack him? Did he wrong you at some point in the past? I can't exactly say I know what you mean when you say he's 'one of them.'"

After voicing some of the questions on her mind, Kristen hoped she might get an answer from the madman. If he was so far gone that he would not listen to reason, then she would probably have to take proactive measures.

Kyte chuckled, raising an eyebrow. How very interesting. He looked at the woman, answering her query. "I suppose you could say that. But what we are is highly misunderstood. Perhaps some of my siblings work with the demonic forces, but we were made from light, not shadow. So there's something that might get you excited, conspiracy theorist. Good guys backing and funding the evil people? That's happened since the very beginning of time, starting with us seven and daddy issues."

He turned his attention to Zack, addressing him. "Well gosh, now I just feel all offended. How interesting that you say I think so highly of myself but then go on to act as if you were in any position to put me down in the first place," he said, his eyes gaining a menacing red glow as he pushed himself off of the branch, but fell very slowly, touching the ground gently. "Can't say I'm at all familiar with him. Maybe I forgot about you? I'm easily forgetful."

Three beings who should not be stood oh so close in the cold night air: An Angel, a Sin, and a Monster. Each regarding the others with distrust, and on some levels, amusement. But one found more amusement in the situation than he thought possible. As the Sin stared into the eyes of the Monster, his own gaze aflame, the Monster looked right back without even the tiniest glimpse of fear - the fires of madness burning in his soul. The tension seemed to build in the air until it felt almost tangible. It shattered with a strained "Skkrrrk!" as the Monster tried and failed to suppress his laughter.

He was doubled over at first, clutching his stomach before dropping to his knees. And why wouldn't he be? It was all so funny. These two claimed to be privy to the secrets of mankind, but they knew nothing of mankind's secret. They acted all high and mighty but they knew about as much as children - well, children that hadn't been taken that is.

"You really want to know, pretty boy?" Zack's head snapped up, his laughter gone in an instant, his position on his knees the only trace it had ever been present in the first place. He remained where he was, arms still clutching his stomach as his gaze burned into Kyte's with the intensity of a white hot branding iron. "But will you listen? Will you hear? Or are you too prideful?" His grin widened. "You didn't listen to what I said a moment, and that was of no consequence. Why would you heed the warning of a madman?" He chuckled as if he was about to make a joke and the mere thought of the punchline had him losing his composure. "And that's the best part! You won't! Either I'll succeed, and you'll never know, or I'll fail, and you'll never know! You'll be too dead to notice!" He sounded like he was about to laugh again, but he didn't. Instead his voice lowered to a serious tone, completely at odds with his ever widening grin.

"There's a war on, one that makes pawns of you all. You beings think yourselves gods, while you regarded humanity as insects beneath you. But these insects... Heh... These insects made gods of their own." He chuckled, slowly building to full laughter as he continued. "And I? Haha... I am their failure! Heh.. HaHAha... I am proof of their sin! HAHhehe... And do you know what that means?!" He rose and stepped forward in a single fluid motion, bringing his face centimeters from Kyte's, glittering hazel eyes boring into burning red ones. "That I'm the only warning you will get."

He stepped back just as quickly as he had risen, losing the battle with his laughter.

» The Angel's Refuge (Open)
» The Angel Descends (Open to Titans East)
» It's Time...To Rise. (Fright Night Prologue)
» The Silent Sentinel [Open to all!]
» The End for Someone (Open to JaK & Silent Night)