Cross Effects: Rebirth (2.0) The RP

[Elf]

Nexus City, a cesspool crafted up of things and people from various realities.  It was a volatile city filled with creatures and beings from nightmares that should have never met. The Dimensional "Nexus" was a thriving pocket of reality that was much like a Roach Motel.  People and beings came, but leaving was nearly impossible.

However, as Ian Malcolm one stated, "Life finds a way."

Due to the No Man's Land of the Nexus, there was very little in the way of protection for those who would be preyed upon.  Luckily, Nexus City had a superhero of sorts, one of the monsters who was too good for her own good.  Armed with a love of pop culture, a bitching pony car, a smart mouth, and an absurd handgun she fought the forces of evil.

Donning her black leather duster, Forest made her way to her 67' RS SS Camaro to another night of patrolling Nexus City.

[MissingMandible]

Songbird was disorientated. He inadvertently escaped Fink's laboratory by touching a shimmering light in the middle of his chamber, launching him into a quite unfamiliar landscape; a foreign city at night. The launch part of that statement was not hyperbole; before he could even react, Songbird was flung directly at a building's rooftop. Songbird tried to contain the situation, expanding his wings in an effort to both adjust and slow his descent. But it wasn't enough.

Pain!

His stomach slammed the edge of the rooftop, causing him to screech out in agony while dislodging his oxygen tube as he fell down to the streets down below. Even more pain erupted throughout his body as Songbird crash landed on the hard cement of the street. What was a scientific achievement is now broken bird, gasping for air between his moans on top of the cold concrete of an unknown city.

[Knick]

A man ran though the darkness of the nexus city, attempting to escape down a series of alleyways.

Above the man a shadow jumped between the buildings, tracking him, following him.

‘Magic is sin, magic is cruel’

Panting the man continued to run, however a fence barred his way.

 “God damn it” and with that, in the man’s mind, a touch was lit, and with it the wires melted away by blue flames, making him a path. Quickly, without waiting another moment he ran down the new path. All the while the shadow watched.

‘So we shall become the hunters all those who hold sin Dread’, and the shadow moved with inhuman speed down the alley again, making sure not to lose sight of its target. The man continued to run, taking notice of the shadow following him.

“God fucking damn it, what the hell is that thing?!” Turning around the man raised his hand releasing a torrent of blue flame, racing at the shadow, now on the ground not far from the man. The wave rushed forward, hell-bent on consuming the person whose face could not be seen.

And yet…

‘To be hope for those who have no sin, monsters will become those who hunt their old kind.’

As soon as the blaze reached the person it vanished. With no trace it had ever existed, almost as if something had rejected its very existence. And for the first time the shadow spoke.

“We are those Hunters, forever hidden, and forever hungry to consume evil.” The voice shifted, could have been a man, and could have been a woman. Could have been an alto, and could have been a baritone. Such an voice could not be possible.

And so Amelia, with her blade drawn moved, ready to consume the evil in front of her. For it is all she knows.

[Puck-Chan]

It had been the oddest few days for Henry in Nexus City. For starters, San Francisco was his home for the last ten years. With his clinic situated in a less busier and quieter area of the urban perimeter, it was where many of supernatural nature frequented for cases ordinary doctors lacked the means to solve. Business has been fairly smooth for Henry Chae, so as long people tried to keep things kosher in their payments and with the lack of competition. Every night had ended with a peaceful note as he gnawed on a bar of Kit-Kat and a fake whiskey glass of blood.

But it was that one day that happened too soon as he stepped out for the daily grocery shopping. The San Francisco he knew had already changed overnight. The atmosphere had a minor tinge unlike back then. The most obvious and immediate changes in architecture had already told Henry that he was not in San Francisco anymore...

____________________________________

The streets were dark and lonely. What accompanied him was the sound of his own steps and the overlooking orange rays of streetlights. Nighttime was usually so lonesome here in this part of Nexus, very like his own neighborhood in SF. Cars drove by as he trudged through the darkness. The quietness promised an uneventful night, but the cacophonous screech shattered it.

Henry had paused. His morbid curiosity sank in as usual before jolting upon the thunderous thud in the distance. With quickened shuffling of feet, he started to sprint towards the origin of such sounds. The moans beckoned him closer with each step. It sounded of pain and suffering, but not as human. By the time he had arrived, the sight of metal caused eyes to become the size of saucers.

"What the hell...?"

It was the form of some kind of gigantic avian creature. Just on the very cold concrete with its lifeless form. Perhaps the only thing that moved was the tube just flailing around wildly. Perhaps it was its lifeline? Obviously it was hurt, but where and how was hard to tell with all this stuff grafted onto this strange machine-like creature. It felt... human, despite such contradicting features. Its life energy was waning in each second, he could feel it. His mouth was already salivating at the thought of a new soul with eyes still curiously observing this odd spectacle, but his very own teeth bit his lip to sway away such things.

The doctor finally asked, "Hey, you alright?"

"Could it even talk?" he wondered soon after.

Henry then slowly advanced forward while still staring at the figure that seemed to be dying with ragged breaths. It was at this point where he tried to decide whether to help or not. Though indeed it would be a waste to let this one die.

With a careful pair of hands, he grasped the floundering tube and then glanced at where the socket would be.

[Ivan The Mouse]

"Man, where the fuck are we now?!" The messy-haired blonde man asked his comrades. He was leaning his back against a tree, while he confusedly looked at a map in his hands. He was wearing sandal shoes, blue jeans and a white t-shirt underneath it.

"Neo, we're at the border between a city center and it's suburban parts right now, as we can observe. Perhaps you should know the name of this city, you are the one looking at the map." The blue-haired man replied to the blonde, while standing in front of him. He was wearing dress shoes, black pants, a black coat, a white collared shirt and a black tie. He was also wearing glasses.

"This fuckin' billboard beside us said that we're in Nexus City now. But I can't see shit on this piece of shit map!" Neo complained some more, still concentrating hard on the map before he finally just crumpled it and threw it on the ground out of frustration. "Fuck it, Ratt. This ass end of nowhere shithole doesn't exist on this backwater country's map, man. We just have to go fucking ask the natives and hope we don't get fucked in our asses just for trying to communicate with them."

"But Neo-san, I do not think this place is as dangerous and isolated as you think it is. It is a big city after all, right?" A green-haired woman in ponytail standing beside Rattus said. She was wearing wooden Japanese sandals and a dark green yukata.

"Well, fuck you, you retarded Jap bitch." Neo answered to her. "This East Jesus city might not be a one-horse town, but I bet my dick that you can't explain that minotaur over there on the hotdog stand." He pointed at a direction across the street from them, where a minotaur dressed in a red polo shirt, a paper cap and an apron stood behind a hotdog cart, putting mustard on a hotdog sandwich before handing it over to his customer, a muscular cyclops who is as big as the minotaur itself.  The three of them observed the whole thing happening, even until the cyclops walked away from the cart and ate the sandwich.

Watching the whole scene astonished the woman in yukata. She then asked Rattus "Onii-chan, I thought monsters like that do not exist in the real world, right? Then how come there are such creatures here in Germany?"

"I don't know, Yukina." He replied. "Nexus City is not a place in Germany. And this manor is at Potsdam-Mittelmark, in the middle of its forests."

"That's right, Yukina. And apparently, they stopped calling it Potsdam-Mittelmark and it's now fucking Nexus City. And the forests? Yeah, I think Jesus or Allah or maybe some smug asshole with too much time with their fuckin' hands replaced the trees with either urban shit, monsters or fucking neighbors. Ain't that right, boss?" Neo sarcastically affirmed. He then turned to the after mentioned billboard beside them. "I mean, look at this billboard over here. 'Nexus City Cola: It's for everyone to share.' Yeah, if I going to buy me some 12-ounce bottle of caramel-flavored and carbonated caffeine water, I won't drink it for myself and just give it to everyone because I'm a fuckin' idiot!" He then turned around and pointed at one of the neighboring houses beside the manor. "And how about this house beside us? Look at that, Ratt. That is what our house should fuckin' look like. It's got style, it looks big and it looks like the owner has an ounce of self-respect, every little shit that our house doesn't fucking have!"

"So, what are you trying to say now to us, Neo? It isn't clear, to be honest." Rattus said.

"Well, don't you dumbasses get it?" He asked them back before having a short pause. He then said, "Dorothy, we ain't in Kansas anymore!" What Neo said created a silence between the three of them.

But this was broken when Yukina cheerfully said "But I think it is great that we have neighbors now!"

"And this is the part where I become with you, Jappy." Neo nodded in agreement. "At least I don't have to drive a thousand long-ass miles just to get a cheap drink or a cheap slut now."

"But if we really are transported to another city, then what country is this?" Rattus inquired. "And how is that possible in the first place?"

"Well, it's magic. I ain't gotta explain shit." Neo shrugged at his questions. "And I know that it's hard for you because you're an arms dealer and you need a damn supplier for you merch. And you have shares to hold in fuckin' Germany. And you fuckin' love Germany. But I like this shit, Yukina likes it too, so majority wins. Now go mope about it like a bitch or suck it up."

"If everything you said is true, then I must consider starting my own company." Rattus declared.

"I want to be a shareholder like you, Rattus-san!" Yukina enthusiastically proclaimed.

Neo then joined in and said, "I don't know what kind of business it would be, but shut the fuck up and take mah money."

"Well, three shareholders are in now. But we can't start a company yet." Rattus said.

"Why the fuck not?" Neo grimaced in disappointment.

"I'm thinking of venturing into the steelmaking industry first. Of course we have to look for a mining company to supply us with ore and flux. But speaking of that, there's also a problem..." The man in glasses gave a short pause. "...Since we don't know where we are, I don't know if my checks and credit cards will still work here."

"We'll find out soon enough, man." Neo retorted. "But first things, first, Ratt: I should find out if they have an Internet connection here, what channels on TV they have and I gotta sell my fuckin' weed, boss. So, while you gon' thinkin' about this business venture, I'mma get me some researchin'." He then started walking back to the manor, leaving the two of them behind. "Catch you later, homies."

Rattus and Yukina then looked at each other for a while before he asked her, "Well, what do you think we should do now, Schwesterchen?"

She pondered for a while and then answered, "I think we should explore this city first, Onii-chan!"

"Good idea." They then started to walk towards the garage of the manor. "Let us ride the Kubelwagen and get some groceries. Then what will we do after that?"

"Let us go to the local mall and eat something!" She replied excitedly.

"Alright then. We'll look for groceries there too."

The two of them then boarded the old car and drove around the city. After half an hour, they found the Hub Mall in the middle of the city. When they parked their vehicle and entered the establishment, they noticed two things: The assortment of the different races and creatures in there as well as different specialty stores, such as a bookstore and a weapon enchantment station. They opted to find a cafe instead to get something to eat, and even it had it's oddities when they saw that a vampire was working behind the register. They bought coffee and strawberry cake for two, then began a chat about their observations on the city, such as when Rattus found out that that they accept all sort of currencies, which was proved when his credit card worked.

[Brahmastra]

Karna's cat-like eyes worked over every detail in his incredibly long-range field of view, as if the darkness of night didn't even exist to him. Truth be told he was not really favorable towards operating at nighttime, it was something that technically went against the code of war, but as the knowledge about the modern world implanted in his head upon his summoning had told him, the code was no longer something people respected, or even remembered. Such a thing saddened him a bit, but the advancements mankind has made since his death thousands of years ago were beautiful. It was something that truly deserved respect.

On the matter of his summoning, he truly had no idea how he had come to this city, an amalgamation of great cities of the modern world. Perhaps some entity similar to the Counter Force of his native world had called him forth, in flesh and blood with his long-lost armor returned, to protect it from some great threat. If that was his reason for being here, he could do nothing but obey. He would protect the ever flawed, but ever beautiful humans that he had always been so fond of. That was the real reason he was upon this vast monument he had heard referred to as "Tokyo Tower"; Modern man had an obsession with going out and celebrating the oddest of things at nighttime, and as Karna had long ago mastered the art of Turiya, he did not need sleep and could therefor protect man even in these dark hours.

His thought process concluded, Karna used his small foothold upon the peak of the massive tower where he stood to leap into the streets, landing with peerless grace as he began to look for any impending dangers to his fellow man. This was no doubt to be an interesting night.

[Umbra of Chaos]

Grigori smiled. This world was filled with such intriguing things. Works of art and technology that he had never seen before. Standing on top of a tall building Grigori watched the mage being chased by some hunter. It was capable of thought considering it could speak, and showed resistance to magic considering the fact that the blue fire was extinguished the moment it touched the hunter. Then there was it's appearance, or rather it's lack of appearance. It was a shadow with a voice that had a tone that Grigori simply couldn't understand.

"How interesting." Considering the hunter's apparent immunity to magic Grigori wasn't going to take any chances, but he did want to test it's capabilities. He raised his hand and a ball of fire was quickly launched into the night sky, and it promptly exploded with enough noise to wake up any humans near it. Any supernatural being nearby should be able to hear it. "Hopefully that will be enough to catch someone's attention."

[Knick]

Zolgen Makiri sat in the middle of his Workshop, eyes closed. He watched as a man on top of a building launched a powerful spell into the air, making a deafening explosion.

Opening his eyes he began to think, “hmmm, powerful, incredibly so, but it lacks finesse. Either way though, he seems to be a rather interesting magus, perhaps I should introduce myself.”

Closing his eyes he began to focus, issuing commands to all the familiars in the area around that man.

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

Behind the man insects began to shape a human form, mist and vapors spun together, and following there stood a man with dark blue bordering on purple hair dressed in traditional Japanese clothing.

“You could have increased the efficiency of that spell greatly though proper formation you know? But then again just brute forcing it is still the hallmark of a powerful magus in of itself.” Suddenly the buzzing of many bladeworms and hornets filled the air.

Zolken smirked as he watched the without a doubt powerful magus. “Ahh, but where are my manners, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Zolgen Makiri, it is a pleasure”

[Kurogami]

For Arisato Minato this was just another evening of walking the streets of Nexus City; Occasionally having to char-broil one of the city's many werewolves that were just a bit too dumb to live.

Dumb is an understatement, you're walking around with the presence of Death itself and the wolf freaks ignore instinct and attack anyway.

Minato simply continued to walk.

[Umbra of Chaos]

“Ahh, but where are my manners, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Zolken Makiri, it is a pleasure”

Grigori heard the voice from behind him, but he had heard the swirling of the air and the sound of the insects before the man even spoke. He turned around and spoke to the man behind him. "I am Grigori. It is a pleasure." He sighed. It seems like she wanted to meet him and he couldn't care less about a single mage right now.

Hair lengthened, moderately sized breasts formed, and any male characteristics were overwritten by female ones. She was astoundingly beautiful. "It was a waste of mana, but I was not focusing much on the cost of a spell as weak as that. I am interested in these insects of yours though, Zolgen Makiri."

A snap of her finger bound a beetle in tendrils of shadow. "What purpose could these creatures possibly serve?

[Knick]

"I am Grigori. It is a pleasure." He sighed.

‘So his name is Grigo….’ Zolgen's thought was cut off, as the man in front of him changed into a woman. A rather beautiful one at that. ‘ohhh, that is interesting, massive change in physical structure, water element based perhaps? No the amount of energy that would be required would be immense, illusions then?’

"It was a waste of mana, but I was not focusing much on the cost of a spell as weak as that. I am interested in these insects of yours though, Zolgen Makiri."

A snap of her finger bound a beetle in tendrils of shadow. "What purpose could these creatures possibly serve?

‘Interested in my familiars is she? Rather peculiar she cannot recognize them as such’, Zolgen watched contemplating his how he could approach this. ‘Well a brief answer on something so simple is not an issue.'

“They are simply my eyes and ears my lady, as all familiars are.” Stretching out his arm one of his hornets landed on his finger, its needle coated with a red liquid of some kind. “However some have more esoteric uses.” The insect then once again flew into the air, hovering slightly behind him with a light buzz, “But enough about something so trivial. I am interested in why you would do something like hiding your true gender. Maintaining an illusion for such of purpose seems like a waste.”

[The Man With All The Cute Boats]

Ragna woke up sweaty, uncomfortable and in an unfamiliar place. His eyes took a moment to blink until they shot open completely.

"Jin! Noel!," He shouted, getting up as fast as he could. Last he remembered, the Imperator had driven him berserk with those two around. The rest was nothingness, a blur.

He looked around, an alley. He ran out, into a completely unfamiliar setting. If he looked to his right, there was a city and a massive tower. To his left, a few buildings going into a bay, and in the middle of it a huge statue of a robed woman holding up a torch.

"What... the hell? Where is this?" He exclaimed loudly. "I don't have time for this shit, I need to, ugh..."

Ragna holds his head for a moment, his earlier berserk state having completely drained him.

"Damn it. I guess, I should get some food, get my strength back. Then... I'll figure things out."

With this Ragna walks towards the city, away from the statue, in search of a restaurant.

[Kurogami]

After a while walking Minato stumbled upon an unfortunate victim of a werewolf attack.

Face nearly gone, but the wounds themselves are minor, the bleeding has already stopped, it is the all but certain infection that will end this pour soul.

Minato switches to Messiah and kneels down placing his hands near the spots where the damage is greatest.

White light pours out of his hands and the wounds close, leaving no trace.

After he has finished, he stands and begins to walk away before stopping.

Reaching into his pocket, Minato pulls out a small crystal that he throws at the person he just healed; Upon impact the jewel burst apart wrapping the person in light before vanishing, taking the person with it.

Isn't it wasteful to use up a traesto gem for one person?

The nearest hospital is forty Kilometers away, would you rather have carried them all the way?

Good point.

[Mooncake]

The plants in the bookstore were agitated. Their leaves were frantically rustling in the still air, filling the abandoned store with a sound like a multitude of pages turning. They climbed the walls, growing from cracks in the floorboards and spaces where the floor had been removed entirely, leaving black, earthy soil. They wrapped around the shelves and ran across the floor, mingling with the many trees that had grown there.

The bookstore store was old, older than a lot of things in the city, and the person who lived inside of it was older still. Books mingled freely with the plants, creating dense stacks and haphazard piles. The musk of pages and leather made a strange combination with the abnormally large plants that grew from every angle, something that the resident found to his liking.

Pale skin slowly made it's way out of one, hollow pile, a hand randomly grasping at the floor in search of food. Not finding any apples in range (a favorite) the hand threw itself into the air in an expression of disgust, before retreating back into the pile. The stack of books crumpled in on itself as the sole resident of the old bookstore emerged, his pale features twisted into a scowl.

He would have to go and find some more apple seeds to plant, which required even more water. To some people, this would be the equivalent of simple grocery shopping, but for an existence like the resident, who disliked interaction with humans, the supernatural, or the city itself, going outside was a chore. A slight blur was all that accompanied his sudden movement to the door that creaked open with a touch.

Still scowling, he closed the door behind him and walked forward, fully intending to take to the roofs and go take seeds from a convenient flower store. He made it five steps before a black, 1967 RS SS Camaro roared into life right behind him. Freezing like a deer in it's headlights, his head whipped around at speeds fast enough to blur his entire form.

[Arch-Magos Winter]

Some good old fashioned rock n' roll came in from over the radio of the old Firebird Trans Am, the stereo system refurbished and retouched along with the classic fire red paint job, and of course, the firebird itself emblazoned upon the hood. Lawrence, not for the first time, felt a serious sense of pride in everything he'd done with the old car. Finding replacement doors and patching up the bullet damage had been an utter bitch, not to mention all his blood stains he'd had to scrub out. But now, it was truly his... or more accurately 'theirs.'

This place is strange. I can smell him nearby, though. Trying to hide from us. From those who hunt him.

The Drivers voice was its usual self, a mix of a bloody gurgle and the staccato cracks of a gun. He'd dragged Law back from death, offered him a deal - host me, and you'll be able to get your revenge. So far, this deal had worked out well, for both parties.

'Good.'


Law glanced at the .45 Auto in the passenger seat, taking a hand off the wheel to grab it, pulling the hammer back as he pulled into an alley, the muscle car rolling to a hault. Something that looked like the Eiffel tower, except painted a bunch of garish colors, loomed over the building in front of the alley his prey had escaped to. There was no escape now. Not for this son of a bitch. He'd been as good as dead the moment the Driver had dragged Lawrence back into the world of the living. It was time for some of the dish best served cold, with a side of hot lead: Revenge. Lawrence walked down the alley, pistol held at his side, his heart beating faster and faster as adrenaline kicked in. He was nearby. That son of a bitch was nearby. And he was going to pay.

Law didn't even flinch as a bullet flew past his head as his quarry sprinted out of from behind a dumpster, desperately firing at the man he'd killed almost a year ago. Not a single bullet touched the Sin-Eater or the car behind him, as Lawrence raised his pistol, took aim, and fired. The man's left kneecap exploded in a shower of bone fragments and blood, causing him to collapse to the ground. The gangster started crawling as fast as he could away, not even screaming in pain, fear driving him to move forward, to get away from the monster behind him. Law didn't even have to walk fast to catch up to him, kicking away the pistol the man had dropped as he did. Law's foot smashed into the gangsters back, forcing him to a halt.

"Please... god, no, I don't want to die...."

The man was begging him now, for mercy.

Do you think he deserves such a gift from us?

'No.'

"Neither did I," Law said, and pulled the trigger a second time. The heavy .45 caliber round did it's dirty work , blood starting to pool under the gangster's head, as Law lowered the hammer on the Automatic. It was over. Finally, this long, bloody task of revenge had been completed. The last of his murderers were dead, by his own hand.

The question was what to do afterwards.