https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtUJeBURzOk
The world, ever since the first human was walking it, remembers only the evil roaming the surface. Horrifying creatures, wild and untamed, have forced humanoids to take shelter behind walls, which later became states on their own, the four of which are Calt, far in the snowy north, with its God, The Machine God, and its technologically obsessed cult, living under an empire which is a superpower in the world. Cielo, the main rival of Calt, known for their friendly and helpful people, Cielo is also a strong military and technological force, to such an extent that their city is a flying fortress, but they use their power to help others. Azraq, a city of perfection, where all of the inhabitants seem to be as happy as humanly possible in such a world, living under a benevolent king, and an honorable force of knights clad in shining sky blue armor. Fero, a mysterious city, shrouded in mystery, the population is paranoid, never open up to outsiders, people wonder what takes place within the walls of Fero, but nobody seems to know for sure.
In this world, people struggle just to get by, hide in fear of the creatures outside the walls, and search desperately for a way to make life better for themselves.
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
Anastasia Ursa
Anastasia left her house at roughly 9AM and began heading down the, always crowded, streets of Azraq. People waved at her as she passed, regardless of whether she knew them, or even knew OF them, or not. Such was life in Azraq, the people were absurdly friendly, for the most part, especially the guards. Everyone smiled all the time. You could say it was perfect.
She strolled by a little black-haired girl in a purple frock, with a table of expensive-looking wares. A feeling clawed at the back of her mind that the girl was somehow out of place with her morning routine, despite the fact that there little to no regulation regarding who entered and left Azraq.
Breaking into her thoughts, the little girl called out to Anastasia.
"Miss, you should check out my merchandise. It won't take long, and I guarantee you'll find something you want. You won't regret it!"
Her voice was very soft, and there was no urgency in it at all, yet it still caught her attention as she walked briskly past her. She couldn't help glancing over her shoulder at the girl, and though it was merely a glance, she still got a good look at her.
She was beautiful. She had long black hair, beautiful blue eyes, and wore pink high-heels, black thigh-highs, a purple frock with indigo frills on the hem, and an indigo collar, with an orange tie. Anastasia immediately knew that she had never seen the girl before in her life. She briefly considered stopping by her shop, however, she didn't want to be late in meeting with her contact about her most recent bounty, he could be really flaky about, well, pretty much everything.
She quickly rounded the next corner, and stopped short, nearly slamming into the man she was on her way to meet.
He had blond, spikey hair, and was wearing a dark green, striped suit, with a blue overcoat, a brown undershirt, and a black tie. He also wore a pair of rectangular glasses. He didn't even flinch as Anastasia stopped in front of him, he just stared up at her face, as she was much taller than him. He pulled a sheet of paper out of his overcoat and flicked his wrist to straighten it, while also clearing his throat. "On time as usual" he said flatly, before continuing, not even giving Anastasia a chance to respond "Right here, I have your next assignment, from a very high class client. It comes from a man living out in Monsteropolis, who usually prefers locals, however, someone suggested you to him over lunch. He's very particular about how things are done, so you'll need to be very careful to follow instructions to the letter. If you do this perfectly, he may spread your name to other potential clients." he finished, holding the sheet of paper out to her, while also ensuring she can read it.
The paper clearly stated that the target was a man who owed the employer a debt. The employer wanted the man "roughed up, not killed", then instructed you to tie him up with wire, specifically, before being dragged all the way to Monsteropolis for him. She had never been to Monsteropolis, but she did know where it was. It was actually quite a large city, heavily populated by merchants and rich people who originated from other cities. You supposed that the first step to figuring out where this guy was, is to speak with some of the locals.
Anastasia Ursa
Anastasia left her house at roughly 9AM and began heading down the, always crowded, streets of Azraq. People waved at her as she passed, regardless of whether she knew them, or even knew OF them, or not. Such was life in Azraq, the people were absurdly friendly, for the most part, especially the guards. Everyone smiled all the time. You could say it was perfect.
She strolled by a little black-haired girl in a purple frock, with a table of expensive-looking wares. A feeling clawed at the back of her mind that the girl was somehow out of place with her morning routine, despite the fact that there little to no regulation regarding who entered and left Azraq.
Breaking into her thoughts, the little girl called out to Anastasia.
"Miss, you should check out my merchandise. It won't take long, and I guarantee you'll find something you want. You won't regret it!"
Her voice was very soft, and there was no urgency in it at all, yet it still caught her attention as she walked briskly past her. She couldn't help glancing over her shoulder at the girl, and though it was merely a glance, she still got a good look at her.
She was beautiful. She had long black hair, beautiful blue eyes, and wore pink high-heels, black thigh-highs, a purple frock with indigo frills on the hem, and an indigo collar, with an orange tie. Anastasia immediately knew that she had never seen the girl before in her life. She briefly considered stopping by her shop, however, she didn't want to be late in meeting with her contact about her most recent bounty, he could be really flaky about, well, pretty much everything.
She quickly rounded the next corner, and stopped short, nearly slamming into the man she was on her way to meet.
He had blond, spikey hair, and was wearing a dark green, striped suit, with a blue overcoat, a brown undershirt, and a black tie. He also wore a pair of rectangular glasses. He didn't even flinch as Anastasia stopped in front of him, he just stared up at her face, as she was much taller than him. He pulled a sheet of paper out of his overcoat and flicked his wrist to straighten it, while also clearing his throat. "On time as usual" he said flatly, before continuing, not even giving Anastasia a chance to respond "Right here, I have your next assignment, from a very high class client. It comes from a man living out in Monsteropolis, who usually prefers locals, however, someone suggested you to him over lunch. He's very particular about how things are done, so you'll need to be very careful to follow instructions to the letter. If you do this perfectly, he may spread your name to other potential clients." he finished, holding the sheet of paper out to her, while also ensuring she can read it.
The paper clearly stated that the target was a man who owed the employer a debt. The employer wanted the man "roughed up, not killed", then instructed you to tie him up with wire, specifically, before being dragged all the way to Monsteropolis for him. She had never been to Monsteropolis, but she did know where it was. It was actually quite a large city, heavily populated by merchants and rich people who originated from other cities. You supposed that the first step to figuring out where this guy was, is to speak with some of the locals.
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
Amun Khufu
Amun was wandering through the streets, as per usual, feeling the breeze from the massive city's flight through the air. One of the positives to living on a flying city was that it was never too hot, and there was always a breeze. Alternatively, inhabitants got to leave and explore the cities that it docks with to trade and just had to board before it left the aforementioned city again.
One downside to living on a flying city was that everything needed to be attached to something else, firmly, lest it fall over and/or roll around the city, he noted, as someone's trash can rolled through the streets, luckily without spilling anything.
The inhabitants of Cielo were also relatively nice to everyone, and the technology in Cielo was so advanced, it could compete with that of Calt.
An announcement through the intercom system that covered the entire city broke through his thoughts.
"Attention, citizens of Cielo, we will be docking with Fero sometime tonight, or early tomorrow."
Ah, Fero. A place where all of the inhabitants were incredibly paranoid, and stayed locked in their houses, and barely associated with anyone at all. The last time Cielo stopped there, they kicked an exiled teacher off the ship. Details weren't really released on what the man did, but to be exiled, he would have had to infringe on the rights of another Cielo citizen.
As he walked through the streets, he heard a metallic "clank" as he stepped on something. Looking down, he noticed it was an odd gem.
It was oval shaped, and it glowed an odd yellow color, and seemed to have some sort of mist swimming inside. Looking down at the gem, Amun thought he may have heard a voice coming from inside, but couldn't be sure.
Amun Khufu
Amun was wandering through the streets, as per usual, feeling the breeze from the massive city's flight through the air. One of the positives to living on a flying city was that it was never too hot, and there was always a breeze. Alternatively, inhabitants got to leave and explore the cities that it docks with to trade and just had to board before it left the aforementioned city again.
One downside to living on a flying city was that everything needed to be attached to something else, firmly, lest it fall over and/or roll around the city, he noted, as someone's trash can rolled through the streets, luckily without spilling anything.
The inhabitants of Cielo were also relatively nice to everyone, and the technology in Cielo was so advanced, it could compete with that of Calt.
An announcement through the intercom system that covered the entire city broke through his thoughts.
"Attention, citizens of Cielo, we will be docking with Fero sometime tonight, or early tomorrow."
Ah, Fero. A place where all of the inhabitants were incredibly paranoid, and stayed locked in their houses, and barely associated with anyone at all. The last time Cielo stopped there, they kicked an exiled teacher off the ship. Details weren't really released on what the man did, but to be exiled, he would have had to infringe on the rights of another Cielo citizen.
As he walked through the streets, he heard a metallic "clank" as he stepped on something. Looking down, he noticed it was an odd gem.
It was oval shaped, and it glowed an odd yellow color, and seemed to have some sort of mist swimming inside. Looking down at the gem, Amun thought he may have heard a voice coming from inside, but couldn't be sure.
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
Annie Doyle
Annie was sitting in her office, at the front, on a very slow day. Typically the sorts of cases she got ended up being lost pets, or items. In the rare events that she got missing person reports, the person in question stupidly went outside the walls and got themselves killed. In Azraq, people were relatively safe. Murders occurred rarely, theft was just as rare, and the raiders weren't stupid enough to attack such a heavily guarded city, and the creatures, while fully capable, didn't seem interested in finding out what was on the inside of the wall. Beyond that, Azraq was far enough from the water to be relatively safe from being completely annihilated by what lurks within.
In hind sight, setting up her detective business in a quiet place like Azraq was probably not the best decision if she wanted action, however, did she want action?
Her thoughts are interrupted by a loud metallic clanking sound, signaling a knock at the door. Without waiting for an answer, the person slams the door open and struts into the office.
She had white hair, despite looking very young, and was wearing welding goggles, striped stockings, several belts, brown shorts, matching her brown top, and had deep red eyes. Before Annie could say anything, the woman slammed her hands down on the table and leaned over it, before beginning to ramble.
"Ma'am, I haven't seen my husband! He said he was going to the local bar, just down the road, and hasn't come back! I went over to check on him, and he wasn't there. I've looked all over, and there's no sign of him! Please find my husband!"
She finished her ramblings, and stared at Annie, waiting for her reply.
Annie Doyle
Annie was sitting in her office, at the front, on a very slow day. Typically the sorts of cases she got ended up being lost pets, or items. In the rare events that she got missing person reports, the person in question stupidly went outside the walls and got themselves killed. In Azraq, people were relatively safe. Murders occurred rarely, theft was just as rare, and the raiders weren't stupid enough to attack such a heavily guarded city, and the creatures, while fully capable, didn't seem interested in finding out what was on the inside of the wall. Beyond that, Azraq was far enough from the water to be relatively safe from being completely annihilated by what lurks within.
In hind sight, setting up her detective business in a quiet place like Azraq was probably not the best decision if she wanted action, however, did she want action?
Her thoughts are interrupted by a loud metallic clanking sound, signaling a knock at the door. Without waiting for an answer, the person slams the door open and struts into the office.
She had white hair, despite looking very young, and was wearing welding goggles, striped stockings, several belts, brown shorts, matching her brown top, and had deep red eyes. Before Annie could say anything, the woman slammed her hands down on the table and leaned over it, before beginning to ramble.
"Ma'am, I haven't seen my husband! He said he was going to the local bar, just down the road, and hasn't come back! I went over to check on him, and he wasn't there. I've looked all over, and there's no sign of him! Please find my husband!"
She finished her ramblings, and stared at Annie, waiting for her reply.
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
Shayde Na'vash
Shayde crawled out through the window of the abandoned factory near the largest wall of Fero. As she exited, she cringed as she listened to the roaring ocean, a reasonable distance from the other side. All inhabitants of this world learned to fear the ocean at one point in their lives, there was no way around it. Especially the inhabitants of Fero.
She rolled off the tin roof and fell to the ground below, landing on her feet. She started to walk along the street towards the nearest bath house. She had made it about halfway there when she spotted some Fero guards on patrol, and quickly ducked behind a nearby garden bush.
They wore black armor with gold details, and red loin cloths. Since they already knew she was a thief, she'd have to avoid the guards until she relocated. After the guards had gone, she quickly ducked into the bath house and looked around. The bath house was mostly empty, but it was also fairly early, and most people had their own bathrooms and access to water through them, anyway, so this was fairly normal.
As Shayde looked around the bath house, she couldn't help but notice a man far as the edge of the city, near the wall, which was in view from where she was standing. He was too far away for her to get a clear view of him, but even without being able to clearly see him, she could tell it was the same guy that had been standing there the day before.
Shayde Na'vash
Shayde crawled out through the window of the abandoned factory near the largest wall of Fero. As she exited, she cringed as she listened to the roaring ocean, a reasonable distance from the other side. All inhabitants of this world learned to fear the ocean at one point in their lives, there was no way around it. Especially the inhabitants of Fero.
She rolled off the tin roof and fell to the ground below, landing on her feet. She started to walk along the street towards the nearest bath house. She had made it about halfway there when she spotted some Fero guards on patrol, and quickly ducked behind a nearby garden bush.
They wore black armor with gold details, and red loin cloths. Since they already knew she was a thief, she'd have to avoid the guards until she relocated. After the guards had gone, she quickly ducked into the bath house and looked around. The bath house was mostly empty, but it was also fairly early, and most people had their own bathrooms and access to water through them, anyway, so this was fairly normal.
As Shayde looked around the bath house, she couldn't help but notice a man far as the edge of the city, near the wall, which was in view from where she was standing. He was too far away for her to get a clear view of him, but even without being able to clearly see him, she could tell it was the same guy that had been standing there the day before.
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
Adrianna DeVos
"Why won't this thing work already?"
The engine to the vehicle coughed and sputtered, before making a loud clunking sound and stopping entirely. Adrianna had been working on the engine to this treaded Steam car for several days now, and it still wasn't working.
She needed something like this, fully functional, to get around outside the city in... relative... safety. She'd be too fast for raiders, and the tough metal exterior would, hopefully, protect her from any OTHER dangers.
She attempted to get the engine running again, cranking up the vehicle, however, this time all the engine did was clunk a few times, before stopping entirely.
She peered inside to check the engine again, and this time, she realized that a part WAS missing. She was missing the Coil Head.
Perhaps Adrianna should check the nearby shops and see if they have a part she needs, and if not, she may have to risk traveling to a nearby city on foot.
Adrianna DeVos
"Why won't this thing work already?"
The engine to the vehicle coughed and sputtered, before making a loud clunking sound and stopping entirely. Adrianna had been working on the engine to this treaded Steam car for several days now, and it still wasn't working.
She needed something like this, fully functional, to get around outside the city in... relative... safety. She'd be too fast for raiders, and the tough metal exterior would, hopefully, protect her from any OTHER dangers.
She attempted to get the engine running again, cranking up the vehicle, however, this time all the engine did was clunk a few times, before stopping entirely.
She peered inside to check the engine again, and this time, she realized that a part WAS missing. She was missing the Coil Head.
Perhaps Adrianna should check the nearby shops and see if they have a part she needs, and if not, she may have to risk traveling to a nearby city on foot.
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
Lucia "Lulu" Ludwig von Cielo
Lulu woke up and stretched in her room, before getting ready and walking briskly down the steps. After eating her breakfast, she began checking her schedule. In the midst of checking her schedule, she heard an announcement from the intercom systems covering the city, announcing that Cielo will be docking with Fero sometime soon. This piqued her interest, to some degree, as despite being, supposedly, filled with paranoid people who locked themselves in their houses, the place was also very mysterious. She could quite possibly occupy her boredom by exploring the place.
however, in the midst of mulling this over in her head, she heard a commotion outside.
When she stepped outside, she saw a man leap clear from the floor, to the top of a nearby house, before bounding up onto another roof. The man was making great leaps, seemingly with no effort whatsoever.
Lulu could barely see him, but what she could make out was that he was wearing an overcoat, blue smoke was pouring from his face, and he was wearing a top hat, and he had some odd sort of whip in his hand.
As she was watching after the man, however, a woman's mournful crying from nearby caught her attention.
She instinctively turned to her left, where she could see a man, flat on his back, his face a sickly blue, as if he suffocated. He wasn't moving at all, and a woman was crying over his body.
Lucia "Lulu" Ludwig von Cielo
Lulu woke up and stretched in her room, before getting ready and walking briskly down the steps. After eating her breakfast, she began checking her schedule. In the midst of checking her schedule, she heard an announcement from the intercom systems covering the city, announcing that Cielo will be docking with Fero sometime soon. This piqued her interest, to some degree, as despite being, supposedly, filled with paranoid people who locked themselves in their houses, the place was also very mysterious. She could quite possibly occupy her boredom by exploring the place.
however, in the midst of mulling this over in her head, she heard a commotion outside.
When she stepped outside, she saw a man leap clear from the floor, to the top of a nearby house, before bounding up onto another roof. The man was making great leaps, seemingly with no effort whatsoever.
Lulu could barely see him, but what she could make out was that he was wearing an overcoat, blue smoke was pouring from his face, and he was wearing a top hat, and he had some odd sort of whip in his hand.
As she was watching after the man, however, a woman's mournful crying from nearby caught her attention.
She instinctively turned to her left, where she could see a man, flat on his back, his face a sickly blue, as if he suffocated. He wasn't moving at all, and a woman was crying over his body.
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
Chris "CeeCee" Culgan
CeeCee exited her shanty, a rundown shack on the edge of Calt. Not terribly cold to the point of freezing to death, but certainly not as close to the city-wide furnaces that the rest of the city enjoyed. The surrounding area barely had anyone living there, but not too far away, the upper class lived.
Calt was ruled by a dictator, but it wasn't a bad place. As long as you served the Machine God and did as you were told, it was a safe place. The dictator of Calt didn't allow their knights to push people around, despite aside from the Dictator, being the next highest authority in the city, basically being the judge, jury, and executioner.
As she concluded her thoughts regarding her current living situation, she came into general vicinity of a local store. The owner recognized her immediately and called to her from inside "CeeCee Cruiser, hello!" and waved at her. He was used to seeing her in his store.
He had his guitar in his lap, and was wearing a tophat with a white undershirt, and a brown vest. He was a friendly guy, and she had never seen him angry.
CeeCee supposed she had enough money for some salted meat and a first aid kit. She would likely need them, since she also needed to hunt for not only food, but also for some merchandise to sell to her usual clients.
Chris "CeeCee" Culgan
CeeCee exited her shanty, a rundown shack on the edge of Calt. Not terribly cold to the point of freezing to death, but certainly not as close to the city-wide furnaces that the rest of the city enjoyed. The surrounding area barely had anyone living there, but not too far away, the upper class lived.
Calt was ruled by a dictator, but it wasn't a bad place. As long as you served the Machine God and did as you were told, it was a safe place. The dictator of Calt didn't allow their knights to push people around, despite aside from the Dictator, being the next highest authority in the city, basically being the judge, jury, and executioner.
As she concluded her thoughts regarding her current living situation, she came into general vicinity of a local store. The owner recognized her immediately and called to her from inside "CeeCee Cruiser, hello!" and waved at her. He was used to seeing her in his store.
He had his guitar in his lap, and was wearing a tophat with a white undershirt, and a brown vest. He was a friendly guy, and she had never seen him angry.
CeeCee supposed she had enough money for some salted meat and a first aid kit. She would likely need them, since she also needed to hunt for not only food, but also for some merchandise to sell to her usual clients.
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
Azure Laclaire
Azure had just finished getting ready for her morning, in her underground house, and was just opening the door to enter her underground tunnels beneath the city. As soon as the door had opened fully, she was startled to see two Cielo guards standing on her porch.
They both held strange emerald-bladed swords and were riding horses, also armored in green. Much like everything in Cielo, their armor was beautifully decorated in green. One of them spoke in a thunderous voice.
"Azure Laclaire, a Niphilim, and refugee from Fero. President Dan requests your presence as soon as possible." his voice boomed through the tunnel. One would wonder if he was the one speaking just because of how intimidating his voice sounded, and whether or not the other had the same kind of voice.
Azure Laclaire
Azure had just finished getting ready for her morning, in her underground house, and was just opening the door to enter her underground tunnels beneath the city. As soon as the door had opened fully, she was startled to see two Cielo guards standing on her porch.
They both held strange emerald-bladed swords and were riding horses, also armored in green. Much like everything in Cielo, their armor was beautifully decorated in green. One of them spoke in a thunderous voice.
"Azure Laclaire, a Niphilim, and refugee from Fero. President Dan requests your presence as soon as possible." his voice boomed through the tunnel. One would wonder if he was the one speaking just because of how intimidating his voice sounded, and whether or not the other had the same kind of voice.
