Knights of the Roundtable

[ShadowHounder]

"So... let me get this straight. Mom was a fan of English folklore, specifically Arthurian legend, and named us after characters in the stories... and you want me to name our guild after the same legends?" Arthur remarked as he looked through the pile of papers in front of him. "I'll be real with ya kid, I ain't sure I'm all to into this 'Knights of the Roundtable' deal."

Merlin, who was standing next to him cleared his throat. "Well... I'd say you fit the bill for King Arthur. You're strong, courageous, wield a shining blade that vanquishes evil... and you never back down from a challenge."

The man simply sighed. "I also ain't the chivalrous type. I don't got time for manners and all that gentlemany bullshit... if a job needs done I get the job done."

"Please..." The guildleader's brother begged. "Could you do it for me?"

Arthur rolled his eyes and placed the mage in a headlock. "Fine... but you're coming with me to scout out recruits, got it?"

"Got it."

Arthur messed up Merlin's hair a bit before letting him go and continuing to deal with the paperwork before him. Starting next week he would be a guild leader. To anyone else, it would be a privilege to take on the mantle of leader. To Arthur is was a massive headache and a waste of his time. However, the Guild Association insisted that he take up the title... with the number of guilds falling to internal corruption leaving many parts of the world unprotected. At the very least, he didn't have to jump from guild to guild as a freelancer anymore. However, his first order of business was getting a group of at least five people to form the main staff... and a place to set up as their base of operations. Starting with an old childhood friend: Rebecca Vermone.

Arthur and Merlin arrived at a local tavern the next day. The guild owner flicked his cigarette a few times once he was out of the car. "According to a few sources, she spends most of her days here. Not sure what a modest girl like herself would be doing at a bar, but I'm sure a lot of shit has happened while I was gone. You're twenty-one, right?"

"Twenty-five." Merlin answered in a disappointed tone.

"That means I don't gotta leave you here, so come on," Arthur muttered as he approached the door. Once inside, he turned his attention to the bartender, who pointed to the short woman arm wrestling with a man three times her size. Her cheeks were peach red as she downed a mug of beer. As the man struggled to even budge her arm, Arthur was quick to notice it was covered completely in metal.

The maiden let out a small hiccup as she drove his hand into the wooden table. "Is that the best you all got? I've seen babies with more fight then that!"

"I'll take a stab." Arthur, to his young brother's surprise, stated. "But, I have to ask, what do I get if I win?"

"Is that you, Arthur?" The girl snickered lightly, "Boy, last I saw that ball of hair, you were being sent to boot camp. How have ya been?"

"You didn't answer my question," He repeated as he sat down across from her. "What do I get if I win, Rebecca?"

"Well..." Rebecca hid her grin behind another mug of beer. "I told everyone else that I've sleep with them if they won... might as well extend the same deal to you."

"That sure of yourself?" Arthur allowed a smirk of his own to form. "Can't imagine you've kept your virginity intact with that kind of bet."

The drunken woman placed her arm on the table. "Then the fact I still have it should go to show how good I am."

Arthur simply took hold of her hand and waited for someone to start the round. He kept his shoulder relaxed and his grip firm, the countdown vibrating through his eardrum. Then, with a sudden surge of energy, Rebecca's hand collided with the wood. The force was enough to splinter the impact area... the entire air of the crowd stunned by how quickly Arthur won. Completely unfazed, Rebecca simply turned her head and said, "Hey barkeep, gonna need a room for two."

"Hold on, you were being serious?!" Merlin exclaimed.

"Of course, I'm a man of my word..." Rebecca paused for a moment, "Woman of my word... English is fuckin' hard..."

"Probably would be easier if you were sober." Arthur chimed in as she stood up and walked towards the stairs.

"Nah, sober is bloody borin' anyway." The young woman remarked. "Meet ya upstairs... filthy animal."

Arthur stood up from his seat and followed Rebecca upstairs. Once inside the room, Arthur locked the door and stretch. "Pretty sure by now you know I have no intentions in fucking you."

"Ha! Knew you were too reserved to commit." Rebecca pulled out a flask from within her cleavage and drank it's content. "Betcha you are still a V yourself, mister stuck up."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I've had a few partners already. People like to get around in Guild Houses." Arthur scratched the back of his head. "But I ain't here to talk about your lack of experience... I'm here to talk about your actual skills."

"What, you saying you need a blacksmith for somethin'?" The brunette sat down on the bed.

"I need to hire a permanent blacksmith... seeing as I got a guild now." He answered, snuffing out his cigarette on a wall. "If you accept, drinks are on me."

"Using my alcoholism against me?" The woman joked. "I'll join, but first we gotta deal with the elephant in the room. Those dumb asses who tried to get in my pants are gonna cause trouble if they don't hear us going at it."

"They don't have to hear us. They just have to hear you." Arthur rubbed his wrist as Rebecca grinned, knowing exactly what he had planned.

 

[ShadowHounder]

Maiden of the Night

Arthur let out a groan as he approached museum. He briefly glanced at the report as he opened the door. Multiple witness reported sights of a ghost wandering the facility at night, leaving behind a trail of ash when it fled. This led Arthur to two conclusion. One was that of a vengeful spirit that was burned by the stake during medieval time. The other was that a Shade had found it's way into the building. Between the two options, Arthur would rather it be the former. Shades were vicious, ruthless... and a pain in the ass to kill. At least spirits were vulnerable to magic and could be banished under the right circumstances. Arthur paused when he noticed a line of ash along the edge of the wall. The guild leader allowed himself a small sigh before following the trail silently. Definitely a Shade.

He followed the trail and peeked around the corner it led him to. The fighter hugged the wall has he peaked past safety and examined the situation. The Shade was different from the ones he had encountered before. Her feature were soft, defined and easily recognizable as feminine. She bore no claws or ashen weapon. The Shade floated in place, examining a ancient suit of armor before her. Arthur slowly stepped forward and lit himself a cigarette. "What brings you to a place like this?"

The Shade jumped before flying away. Arthur grunted as he walked over to the armor in question. "I ain't gonna hurt cha. I just wanna talk."

"They... they always say that." The Shade responded from a nearby vent. "Before they drive their spears through me."

"Not sure if you've noticed lady, but I'm unarmed." The brown haired man retorted.

The Shade peeked out of her hiding place. Sure enough, Arthur didn't have a single weapon on sight, but she knew that humans liked to hide such tools. Still, she made herself visible to the man. Perhaps this one was different from the others. "What do you want?"

"What I want is for you to answer my question." Arthur replied with irritation.

"Why do you care?" She snarled at Arthur

The guild leader growled in response. "I'm sorry, but usually your kind kill first, ask questions never. So consider me a bit intrigued to find out you have a semblance of sentience... now, are ya gonna answer my question or are you gonna keep being a bitch about it?"

She dashed forward, her nostrils flaring with anger. "You're just like the rest of your kind. All you care about is your selfish ambitions and your greed. You harm anyone who would dare stand between you and your perfect goal. So, tell me, what dark twisted plan do you hold that demands you waste your time earning my favor?"

Arthur simply stood there, unfazed by her sudden movements. "Lady, if I was here for selfish reasons... I would've killed you without a second thought."

Her anger dissolved, allowing fear to take it's place. She flew off once more, hiding from the man as she tried to calm herself. It was then that she heard an all to familiar sound, and a voice ask. "Excuse me sir, but have you seen a Shade in these parts?"

She peered out from the vent to see a man with red skin and two small horns accompanied by a brutish like demon. Arthur turned around to face the duo. "No, I can't say I have. Why do ya ask?"

"I am looking for a special Shade, she calls herself Yavira Ima." The devil answered, "I heard rumors that she was hiding in this building... if you were to help me find her, I can assure you there will be benefits for your future guild."

"Read my mind again and I'll kick your ass." Arthur answered immediately.

"My apologies, sir." The devil shrugged. "I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page here."

"What's so special about Yavira anyway?" The guild owner asked. "It ain't like a Satanic being like yourself to be hunting down a mindless creature like a Shade."

The red skinned man grinned. "You see, Yavira isn't mindless at all... in fact she has developed a mind capable of learning a unique from of magic I have much use in."

"Alright, and what would happen if I were to say no to your offer?" Arthur let out a puff of smoke.

"Then my friend here will assist in 'persuading' you." He chuckled. "I doubt an unarmed mortal like yourself would last very long against him."

It was then that Yavira looked away. She couldn't watch a man die in such a horrific way... not again. She covered her ears and closed her eyes, maybe she would be lucky and his screams would be quiet. She heard the demon roar, but not in rage like usual. This time the beast roared in agony. Then she heard Arthur's voice as he said, "Let me make one thing clear to ya. I don't get along with manipulative bastards very well. If you want to continue to pursue this Yavira lady then by all means, keep looking. Just know that if you step a foot in this town again, you're gonna answer to me. We clear?"

The man let out a low growl. "You'll regret the day you cross Darius Creedhelm..."

Darius teleported out of sight as Arthur lit himself a new cigarette. He looked up at the vent that the Shade woman was hiding in. "Alright, Yavira, get your ass over here. You're under my protection now."

Yavira hesitantly left the safety of the air vent, asking, "Why?"

"Because I feel like it."

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and ZombieSplitter: Digging Deeper

Arthur shuffled through the papers on his desk. He had to looked at each piece of documentation with increasing irritation. "Why the hell do I deal with this shit? Small time guild and I get all the goddamn applicants in the world."

"Hey, Arthur, aren't ya being a tad bit harsh?" Merlin muttered from the corner of the room. "Shouldn't a King be kind to his subject?"

"And didn't the grand advisor help his King get his damn job done?" Arthur grunted as he repelled a portion of the paperwork towards his brother. "Remember it was your idea to make this whole deal Camelot themed."

"Yeah, yeah..." The young mage muttered as he grabbed one of the sheets. "Hey, how 'bout this one? Tina Kasagi."

"What about her?"

"Let's see here... Immigrated from Japan... Adept in elemental magic. Apparently she's half demon, Oni subspecies." Merlin read the data in front of him.

The guild leader let out a chuckle as he lit a cigarette. "Let Rebecca know I've got a job for her... And get in contact with miss Kasagi."

It didn't take too long to find Tina. She was doing a small time exorcism job, trying to get enough to scrape out some rent, when she was contacted. She made her way to the Guild the very next day, eager to see what they had in store for her.

"Why do I have to be the one to do this?" A short woman with an eye patch asked as she downed a flask. "Aren't you capable of doing the interview by yourself?"

"If ya keep bitching about it I'll have Elizabeth destroy your beer celler." The man sitting on the stairs next to her remarked. His eyes moved up at the approaching female. "You must be Tina Kasagi. The name's Arthur Mithril. I'm the guy who runs this joint. This is Rebecca Vermone. She's our blacksmith... And a raging alcoholic."

"Says the guy with a cigarette in his mouth..." Rebecca muttered before sliding the flask in her cleavage.

"Uh, hello," Tina said, bowing deeply and respectfully. "It is truly a pleasure. Honestly, I just put out my application on a whim since I was in the area. I didn't expect you to respond to me so quickly... not to say I am not interested or eager."

"We had a lot of nonsense applications, so it was easy to sort out who was worth looking at." The leader remarked as he exhaled tobacco scented smoke. "I've gotta warn you though, I don't operate the same as all the other guilds. You wanna join you gotta be able to prove ya got want it takes."

"And lucky for you, I've got a job for us to do." Rebecca answered with the flask in her hand. "One of the tradesman I work with has been having troubles with a Feral den. He promised me a nice discount if I could convince Arthur to clear it out for him."

Tina, surprisingly, nodded without hesitation. "I'm okay with proving my worth. Though, um... are you and your people okay with hiring me if I do well? I... one of the reasons I'm surprised... I didn't want to lie, um..." She pushed back some hair to show him her stubby horns. "I'm not... fully human..."

"Yeah, Half Oni, right?" Arthur let out a small sigh. "My brother has this weird thing where he can learn someone's age, race and gender by reading their full name. I can understand if you want to keep it a secret."

"Oh... well, thank you." She gave him a small smile. "Well, as long as you don't mind me working for you, I'm eager to get started."

"Shall we get going?" Arthur stepped on a strangely shaped platform, causing a portal to form in front of him.

"What kind of weapons do ya use anyway?" Rebecca mumbled to the woman as she took another drink. By this point it was evident that she had a large mace and small buckler on her back.

Tina raised an eyebrow, wondering if the intoxicated woman really worked here. "I'm, um... I'm good with fist weapons, or just my bare fists themselves. But..." She reached into a side bag and pulled out a worn pair of metal tonfa. "I'm good with these too. I also know a bit of magic."

Rebecca inspected the tools with a focused eye. "Mostly iron composition. Old, durable, but old. If ya really want to maximize your attacks... You're gonna need a stronger metal. Luckily for you, Johnny got me some titanium ready to go once we're done. If ya get hired, of course."

"R-really?" Tina smiled. "Well, that sounds great. I guess I'll have to work extra hard to get hired now. I've wanted to replace these for a while, just... couldn't afford to..."

"I'll just dock it off your first paycheck." The petite blacksmith muttered.

As they approached a slender man, Arthur waved his hand. "You must be Johnny."

"Ah, yes, Arthur was it?" The businessman offered the guildman a handshake. "No weapons?"

"Don't need 'em." Arthur returned the shake. "Besides... I'm using this as an opportunity to test out a new recruit."

Tina waved her hand. "Hey. Nice to meet you. You have a problem with ferals?"

"Unfortunately..." Johnny muttered. "A pack of them have a den set up in a mine I bought last year. If I had learned about it sooner, I would've gotten you involved before I lost fifteen good workers."

"Alright, point us to the mine and we'll have them out by lunch." Arthur stated as he walked past the suit and lit a new cigarette.

Johnny looked at Arthur, then turned to his trading partner. "Rebecca... Are you sure it's a good idea to have him walking around unarmed? Even the best mages around have daggers and staves on standby."

"If he needed a sword, I would've already crafted one for him already." The blacksmith retorted bluntly. "Just be sure to keep your promises... Besides, ya still owe me eight hundred bucks."

Tina rushed after Arthur, softly saying, "He has a point. I mean... I have an Oni's strength... well, half of one's anyway, and even I prefer to bring weapons to a fight. You sure you'll be okay?"

"Yeah... I don't use traditional methods exactly." He replied. "It's easier to show than it is to explain."

Tina bit her lip, but nodded. "Alright," she said, gripping her tonfa tightly.

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and ZombieSplitter: Digging Deeper Part 2

Rebecca followed behind the group as they entered the iron mine Johnny mentioned. The place was surprisingly bright for an underground cave network, nothing from within able to cast a shadow along the rocks. They wondered inside the mine for a while before the sounds of snarls echoed around them. Rebecca grabbed her mace and shield while Arthur took a... Swordsman's stance?

Tina gave him a curious look as she readied herself, prepared to defend the seemingly foolish man if need be. "What kind of ferals are we dealing with?" she asked softly.

The ground began to shake as a Feral bursted out of the floor and towards Arthur. It had a pointed ball-shaped nose surrounded by tiny whiskers. It's shovel like claws went to swipe at the leader, only to fall, severed, onto the floor. The beast fell to the ground moments later, blood leaking from it's throat. Arthur rested the newly conjured broadsword on his shoulder. "I fucked up my angle... Didn't I..."

"N-no, that... that was amazing, actually..." Tina had to pry her gaze away from the magically conjured weapon to examine the dead demon, cringing a bit. She didn't care for moles at the best of times, finding them ugly little creatures. "Well... one down. That wasn't so hard..."

"You're missing the point..." The blacksmith muttered as she downed her flask once more. "We needed to alive long enough to cry for help... Only way we can get the Alpha to come out of hiding..."

"And if the Alpha gets away all our efforts down here would be wasted..." Arthur muttered. "Just keep your eyes and ears out for another one."

Tina nodded, scanning the mine and letting her excellent hearing guide her as she took a few steps forward, listening for any shuffling in the ground.

The ground began to shift below her, before another feral popped out and tried to pull her in. She quickly shifted the the right and swung her tonfa with incredible speed, bashing the side of the creature's head with enough force to partially knock out its underdeveloped eyes. The creature let out a blood curdling screech that pierced their eardrums. After a moment, Rebecca brought her mace to the beast's head and ended it's misery. "I hate moles..."

Tina nodded in agreement. Now that she had almost been grabbed, she wouldn't be caught off guard again. She raised her arms, ready to strike at a moment's notice. The cave began to shake wildly as a swarm of mole ferals rushed forward from all directions. Among them was one that was larger than the others, missing an eye and having blood stained on it's claws. Arthur reentered his battlestance, sword in hand. "Hope you're ready for a brawl."

"Yeah." Tina looked forward seriously, a gust of wind starting to swirl around her. "Ready as ever."

Arthur looked around at the swarms coming from both sides. "This looks a bit crowded for my tastes..." He muttered as he raised his hand and sent a shockwave into the ceiling. The mine crumbled in front of the one group, placing a dead end between the swarm and the hunters. Arthur quickly turned around and sliced down the creature swiping at him.

Tina smiled at his ingenuity and quick thinking. She moved forward, her wind magic propelling her forward with such force, her tonfa obliterated one of the ferals, cutting through it like it was a blade. She quickly turned to a line of three and opened her mouth, exhaling and blasting forth a stream of fire that roasted them alive.

Rebecca swung her mace at any feral that got near her... As if the weapon was a feather. Arthur's blade cut down multiple beasts as he made his way towards the Alpha. As the three of them fought, a Feral inched out of the rubble and lunged at the blacksmith. However, when it's teeth connected with the woman's prosthetic arm, they shattered against the metal. "Don't taste so good, does it? Well that's what ya get for being a corrupted little shitbrain." She snapped at the creature as she slammed it against the wall. She took another swig of her flask. "Which one of ya bloody bastards wants take to me on next?"

Tina looked back at her in surprise, never seeing such advanced prosthetics. She kicked one feral into another, causing them to tumble into another and another, falling like dominoes. She pointed her weapons at the Alpha, saying, "You're dead, freak!"

The creature simply let out a shriek, only to find a sword being stuck into it's shoulder. The blade vanished and reformed in Arthur's hand. "You know how this goes dirtbrain. Ya wanna keep living here? You're gonna need to kill me first."

Leaving the alpha to Arthur, Tina turned to keep the other ferals off him. A gust of wind shot up under one that charged, popping it up in the air. Tina gave it a solid punch that shattered its spine and sent it flying into a group of others, scattering them like bowling pins. "What say we end this?" she said.

The Alpha let out a hideous screech before barreling towards Arthur. With a quick swing of his sword, he beheaded the creature. The other remaining ferals froze in place... As if they were paralyzed by their leaders death.

"Guess all that's left is to finish off the stragglers, yes?" Tina said with a smile, pleased at how things had gone.

"Don't need to." Arthur muttered before the creature began to crumble and turn to dust. "Without an Alpha they can't survive in this plane of existence."

Tina nodded, relaxing a bit. "That went well." She turned to the others. "Are you okay?"

Arthur simply nodded and turned towards Rebecca, who took another swig of beer. "Not even a bloody scratch."

Tina stretched and cracked her neck back and forth. "Your client should be pleased."

"We should get out of here so we can let him know." Arthur remarked as he pulled out a cigarette. "You still have the portal stone, Rebecca?"

"You always gotta doubt me like that." The blacksmith let out a drunken hiccup before pulling out the small stone with a purple rune carved into it.

As she opened the portal, Tina asked, "So how did I do?"

"Ya did good... got promise for sure." Arthur stepped through portal and lit his cigarette.

Tina stepped in after him. "So I got the job?" she asked eagerly.

"Yep." Arthur muttered as Rebecca ran past him to report to her trade partner.

"Great!" Tina put her weapons away. "Do I need to fill out any paperwork? Oh, I need to let my mother know..."

"Look out for my brother Merlin when ya get back." The guild leader stated as he opened a portal back to the cathedral.

Tina bowed deeply. "Thank you so much for this opportunity." She said as he left.

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and ZombieSplitter: A Man of Action

"Hey bro?" Merlin asked as he looked through the files. "What's Africa?"

Arthur's head perked up from his desk. "It was a continent that was destroyed by the demons during the exploration era. Why do ya ask?"

"This Tyrone guy is a descendent of the people who lived there." The young mage answered. "How would that be possible if they were wiped out."

"They had a bad habit of selling off their people as slaves." The guild leader answered as he blew out a puff of smoke. "Did the application saying anything about his skills?"

"Skilled fighter, no magical prowess, he's apparently a clean shot with firearms."

"Then let's see if the man matches and report." Arthur stood up and made his way towards the door.

The next day, a dark skinned man with a mohawk, dressed quite professionally which stood in something of a contrast to his lumbering, powerful physique, stepped into the halls of the Guild. He had a no-nonsense look about him, but waited patiently to be invited any further in.

From inside the halls, an elven woman with flowing blonde hair was sweeping the floor. Her body was clear, the wall behind her visible on her skin. She looked up at the man. "Are you a new recruit?"

"Um... yes." He looked at her with some confusion. "Are you a spirit?"

"Yes, I'm still adjusting to the fact." The woman answered. "Let me get Arthur for you."

She ran off, returning moments later with the brown haired guild leader. "Tyrone Washington, right?"

"Yes sir." Tyrone extended his hand. "I didn't... realize you hired Spirits here."

"She was here long before I set up shop. The only outsider I've hired so far is our Enchantress." Arthur answered. "Yavira isn't a fighter and Elizabeth here can't leave... So if you aren't comfortable working with demons, ya shouldn't have to worry too much for now."

"Alright. I'll have to take your word on that." Tyrone folded his arms. "So, what now. Do I have to fill out some paperwork?"

"Hey, Merlin." Arthur turned his body to face the younger, shorter man stepping into the room. "Any legal bullshit we gotta worry about?"

"No, but I'm still waiting to get my staff back from Yavira." The mage answered, readjusting his glasses clumsily.

Arthur groaned as he lit a new cigarette. "Note to self, stop hiring perfectionists..."

Tyrone remained silent at that line for a moment before saying, "So what do I have to do to get hired? I'm both eager to kill some demons and I have some bills to pay."

"Well, once Yavi's done taking her sweet ass time with that enchant..." The soldier stated with a stern look. "You'll be getting tested."

"A test, huh?" Tyrone smiled lightly. "Good. It's been far too long since I got to properly flex my muscles."

"We've got a job to investigate an abandoned warehouse just south of here." Arthur answered and walked pasted the dark skinned man. "Rumors are spreading around that Angels took control of it. We need to make sure that ain't true and, if it is, it doesn't stay true for long."

Tyrone nodded as he followed Arthur's movement. "Alright. A little angel hunting for us. Sounds easy enough."

Merlin quickly rushed after them, his staff in hand. "I already have the coordinates right here. As long as nothing goes wrong, it'll be a quick port and a quick port out."

"Alrighty, you know what to do then..." Arthur muttered. "Hope ya got some gear on ya, Tyrone, 'cause we ain't making a pit stop for anything."

Tyrone took his jacket off, tossing it on a chair, and reaching back to reveal a gigantic warhammer on his back. Lifting it one handed, he used his left hand to pat a firearm on his side, looking to be a sawed off shotgun.

"Fair enough." A small grin peeped onto Arthur's face while the portal opened from the platform. "Let's get moving."

Tyrone nodded, stepping up to the portal with no fear in his eyes.

They found themselves surrounded by rusted walls and pipes. Decades of abandonment showed in every crack and every damage. From the corner of the hall, a voice could be hear. "These beast claim to be protecting this realm. They claim they wish to perverse their cultures and their ideals. They are the rot that feeds the chaos. They summoned the demons... And who's to say they won't do worse? Who's to say they won't attack our realm? We will not stand for this!"

"Tch... typical angelic fanaticism," Tyrone muttered, his voice low but not really bothering to keep it quiet. He was just speaking to his new colleagues, unconcerned with humoring the angels with a response. "Hate demons with every fiber of my being, but at least they're up front with their intent. Angels hide their intentions behind bold speeches and a feeling of righteousness while being just as bad as the demons. Makes me sick..."

After Tyrone gave his speech, Arthur stepped out into the open. "Long time, no see... Lieutenant."

The head angel, who was encased completely in golden armor, turned to face the human. "That's captain to you."

"And the only thing you'll be is a dead man if you don't get the hell out of my city." The guild leader flicked his dying cigarette at the Captain's feet.

"Sounds like you know each other," Tyrone stated, gripping his warhammer tightly, ready to move at a moment's notice.

"I saved his life once... A shame that your celestial code demands you pretend that doesn't matter." Arthur grunted before summoning his blade. "So, I'm assuming we're doing this shit the hard way."

The captain replied by raising his spear and charging forward. "Men! Kill these sinners!"

"Figures." Tyrone cracked his neck side to side and walked forward. The first angel to reach him also had a spear. With a fluid kick up, Tyrone deflected his charge. While the winged man staggered back, Tyrone swung his hammer like it weighed nothing, striking the angel in the side.

Two warriors moved to stab Tyrone from behind, their attacks being interrupted by large blasts of arcane energy ravaging their chests. Merlin stood back from the rest, send missiles and blasts of magic towards the enemy. His eyes had a faint purple glow while his older brother clashed with the commander directly.

"Thanks for the help," Tyrone said, though it didn't sound like he was happy needing help. He clashed with two more angels, bashing one of their heads in before they could react. The other tried to take advantage of Tyrone's focus on the first with a sword slash. Tyrone released the hammer and swiftly dodged to the side, his hand almost gently pushing the sword to the side. He spun, hitting the angel with a closed fist, then pummelling his chest with a dozen blows in the blink of an eye.

Raising his knee, he hit the angel's elbow, knocking the sword in the air. Tyrone grabbed it and shoved it into his opponent's chest hard enough to push it through to the hilt and knock the man back. He then roundhouse kicked a third angel away before quickly retrieving his primary weapon with one hand, pulling his firearm and shooting the angel in the back with the other.

"The boy, I can sense his power." The captain remarked. "Why would anyone trust a beast like you with him? What devious plan do you have with him?"

Arthur, who had his blade locked with the Angel's, was seething with anger. "Devious plans? That's my brother you insufferable bastard!"

With a swift set of motions, Arthur disengaged with the warrior... Then began to chop him to piece. First his arm, then his leg, then his head. The kill was almost effortless... The guild leader lighting another cigarette as he watched the survivor flee. "Cowards..."

Tyrone looked at him with curiosity. He had gotten really serious all of a sudden, and Tyrone wondered why. Maybe it was simply the insinuation. Maybe it was something more. He glanced over at Merlin. He was a wonder too. To have an angelic captain give the closest thing to a compliment possible to a human was quite the feat. Perhaps Merlin was even stronger then he appeared on the surface.

Tyrone sighed. None of it was his business. He pulled out a large cigar and lit it with a wooden match. He looked at the gory mess of the angel captain. "A shame. They hate demons so much, they could help us get rid of them. Too bad they seem to hate us just as much. Maybe more."

"They believe our actions will eventually bring the demons to them." Arthur answered. "Not sure why they care, though. I doubt demons are dumb enough to attack the celestial realm and, with how many Warlocks are running around, you'd think we'd be extinct already."

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and ZombieSplitter: A Man of Action Part 2

"Hmph..." Tyrone shrugged. "Let them believe what they want. As long as I'm here to kick their asses, it'll be no problem. Speaking of which, how was my test?"

"Ya did well enough." Arthur answered. "Your stealth tactics need some work... But otherwise you did better than I was expecting. Bet Rebecca would want to have ya as a drinking buddy too, if you drink of course."

Tyrone nodded. "As long as she can hold her liquor, that sounds fine by me."

"Oh, she can hold her liquor alright." Arthur chuckled at the thought of someone who was oblivious to his blacksmith's drinking habits.

"Excellent." Tyrone nodded to Merlin, then back at Arthur. "Glad to see you two can fight as well. Last thing we need is a guild run by a bunch of pencil pushers who have never seen a battle."

"I was military trained and the kid was homeless..." Arthur murmured to the brawler. "This is anything but our first encounter with inter dimensional murderers."

Merlin walked up to duo. "If everything's taken care of... Would you like me to port us back?"

Tyrone nodded. "I need to let my sister know about my new job. Do you have living arrangements or do we take care of that ourselves?"

"We have a few resources for that." Arthur answered. "But mostly, yeah, on your own."

"Alright." Tyrone nodded his head to Merlin. "After you."

"Actually, you have to go first." Merlin stated nervously. "If I stepped through, the portal closes... Wouldn't want you to be stranded, right?"

"Good to know. I'll have to keep that in mind." Tyrone quickly stepped through the portal.

Merlin nodded and stepped through behind Tyrone. Rebecca was waiting just outside the cathedral as they arrived. She downed an entire bottle of whisky before saying, "Took y'all long enough."

Tyrone raised his eyebrow, eyeing that bottle. "Rebecca I presume?"

"Yeah, and who the hell are you?" The blacksmith answered, pulling her flask out of her cleavage and getting a drink. "Some new recruit or something?"

"Yeah, I am." Tyrone folded his arms. "And who are you supposed to be, the drunken entertainment?"

"I'm a blacksmith." The woman replied, followed by an alcohol filled hiccup. "Best one in town."

"Ha!" Tyrone laughed with little actual amusement in his tone. "You? A blacksmith? Impossible. From the smell of your breath, I'm surprised you're not too much of a lush to get dressed in the money, let alone handle and shape molten hot steel."

Rebecca took another sip of her flask, before muttering. "It's rusty..."

Tyrone raised an eyebrow. "Your skills?"

"Your hammer." She clarified. "Without the tools or skills to properly maintain the metal... It will begin to corrode and rust. Bloodying it only serves to accelerate that issue. So, tell me, have you been washing your weapon after every battle?"

"Tch..." Tyrone drew the weapon and looked down at it. "Not... every battle..."

Rebecca walked over to inspect the weapon. Small specs of brown rust could be seen scattered along the head of the hammer. "Lucky for you it needs to be replaced anyway. Iron isn't the best for our line of work... And the composition is outdated anyway. It can at least last ya until your first paycheck... Which I can dock in order to fund a replacement."

Tyrone stared down at it for a little longer. It had some sentimental value, but she was right. It was due to be replaced. He placed it back on his back and nodded. "Alright. I want to see your skills in action. Just don't hurt yourself making it."

"Can't do too much damage to myself when I got this." The blacksmith smirked as she raised her prosthetic arm.

Tyrone examined it. He was no expert, but had seen enough artificial limbs to recognize a high quality one. He gave her a small smile and extended his hand. "I look forward to working with you. Do a good enough job, and I'll buy you a drink."

Rebecca giggled. "Trust me when I say it's never just one drink."

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and Black0ut: A Challenger Arrives

Arthur looked around the powerplant. He sniffed the air of the area, a confused expression surrounding his eyes. "Didn't they say a group of Imps were supposed to be hear?"

"Perhaps another guild already took care of the situation?" Karmedon suggested, "It was a public request after all."

"Regardless, we should check for any wounded. We would be in trouble if we arrived only to do nothing." The guild leader continued to walk forward and examine his surroundings.

Unbeknownst to the team, a man hid in the rafters, a hand on one of his pistols; another hand on a steel beam. He surveyed them with interest, watching them proceed to the killing ground. If they searched well enough, they'd find some of his blood from the now-bandaged wound on his side. He had been a bit careless, after all.

The two guild members came across an unconscious man, his blood leaking onto the floor. A large gash could be seen lining the man's chest, but, when Karmedon placed a finger on his neck, he was still breathing. The elf's hands glowed white as he mended as much of the wound as he could. Once the magic faded, Karmedon opened a briefcase full of medical supplies and began his work. Arthur wandered away as his medical chief took care of business. He never was found of scalpels or needles. With his hands in his jacket, the brown haired fighter followed a small trail of green ooz. Some of them had made it out alive.

With his companion now being attended to, the man followed what looked like the leader; Arthur stalking away. He took out a pistol ready to get involved should something try and attack the man.

Arthur continued to wander the facility, before loud thumping echoed in the distance. The noise got louder and louder, obviously moving towards the guild commander. Arthur lit a cigarette as he watched a giant, brutish demon approach him. "What? Didn't like what I did to your friends?"

"You no masked man." The giant replied. "Masked man hurt friends, masked man gonna pay."

Arthur blew out of cloud of smoke, before sending a wave of magical energy. The wave caused the giant to lose balance and fall into a nearby transformer. "Sorry, can't allow that." The fighter remarked.

Four gunshots rang out, piercing through the demon's body, save for two; his eyes having been shot out. The man quickly retreated back towards the shadows, hoping he hadn't been spotted as he slid one of the two pistols back into their holster.

"Masked man!" The giant roared, thrashing furiously at the air around it.

Arthur turned his head slightly, staring directly at the hooded figure. "Ya know... it's usually a bad idea to blind an idiot."

The masked man raised his pistol, seemingly aiming it at Arthur before turning it towards the demon. A swell of magical energy coalesces around the gun before he fired, the bullet flying into the demon with all the speed a handgun can provide. However, unlike its predecessors, the area where the bullet struck, specifically the demon's foot, began to freeze over. Another shot hit the demon's other foot, effectively locking it in place.

The man stared over at Arthur and gestured towards the Demon.

Arthur sighed as he walked up to the massive demon. He slowly raised his right hand, a blade forming inside of it. He brought the sword down on the demon's leg with a swift motion. The demon fell forward in agony, it's pain short lived as the guild leader thrust his blade into the being's throat. The brown haired man turned towards the figure once more. "What's your name?"

The hooded man stared at him for some time, his pistol tapping against his leg. Finally, he answered, "Shojiro." His voice lacked any accent and any real authority, far too quiet as if someone might be listening.

With that, however, Shojiro walked away, back into the powerplant through the rafters, presumably to check on the far more wounded man inside.

Inside, Karmedon was able to stabilize the engineer. he was putting away his equipment when he heard movement. "Arthur?" He called out, holding on to one of his scalpels as he stood up. "Is that you?"

Shojiro merely observed, using the obvious height advantage and his dark rustic clothing to conceal himself. His eyes glanced over the wounded man; he let out a silent exhalation of breath, relieved that a life had been saved. However, as he noticed the medic's shifting attention, he froze, not daring to move a muscle. He didn't want to be seen anymore than he had.

A moment later, Arthur walked into the room. "Figured out who got here before us." He casually remarked once within earshot of the elf. "It seems Shojiro is still doing shit solo 'round here."

The medic let out an annoyed sigh. "Looks like we might've found someone who's stubbornness rivals yourself."

"The hell's that suppose to mean?" The leader gave his comrade an unamused look.

The masked man covered his mouth typ prevent his chuckle from being too loud. He checked his guns, reloading them and cleaning out any gunk from the discharge.

He nearly coughed, his torn-open side still bleeding. He had thought he had fixed it enough to stop bleeding. A drop of blood traced the ground with its presence. "Obviously not well enough..." he whispered through clenched teeth.

"You plan on shooting us?" Arthur asked their stalker. "I would suggest against it, considering the hot water you are already in with the Guild Association."

He ignored Arthur for the moment, putting away his gun and opting instead to remove the gauze bandage to treat his wound. He took out a gourd marked with some Japanese characters and poured a little into his freehand, promptly rubbing the liquid into the wound with an audible sizzle and a muffled grunt of pain.

"How long ya gonna hide from us?" Arthur remarked with another puff of smoke. "I'm sure you're aware of the bounty the Guild Association placed on your head. They don't take kindly to outside interference. I'm also sure you can tell that I don't care. Hunting down those who could prove to be helpful talent is just a waste of time."

The man grunted as more blood dripped down into the collecting pool on the ground. Shojiro offered a silent sigh, taking one of his pistols out, and fired at an already damaged window that was away from the group. The medicine would save him, but he was liable to pass out and be vulnerable, something he distinctly did not want to happen.

"Karm here is a medic." The guild leader continued, not moving from his position. "Judging by the sounds of it, you won't make it another five minutes before you pass out from blood loss. So, are you gonna waste your time trying to flee and make of fool out of yourself? Or are ya gonna skip to the part where we save your life and get you a job?"

"Why... why would I want a job?" Shojiro asked, rebinding the torn flesh on his side with more gauze.

"Food, shelter, money," Arthur replied. "Getting that bounty off of your head. Standard necessities and all that shit."

"And why... why would I trust you? We've just... just met." Shojiro leaned more heavily into the steel framework, his breathing becoming more shallow as time went on. He gently pressed on his wound to re-alert himself and keep himself conscious.

"To be honest with ya, you don't have much of a choice." Arthur picked up on the man's swallowing tone. "Besides, I'm sure you've had your fair share of encounters with guild warriors. A lot of them like to attack without a second thought... caring only about the paycheck. If I had intentions of turning you in, we wouldn't be having this conversation, now would we."

"Fair... fair point." Shojiro thunked his head against the steel beam a couple times. "I reserve... the right to leave... whenever I want."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Arthur sighed when he realized that Karmedon had already left the area to locate the gunman. "Why ya gotta be so damn hard to keep track of?"

Karmedon placed a hand on Shojiro's shoulder, removing his glasses as he spoke. "It would be easier for both of us if you didn't struggle." The doctor reminded his new patient.

"Just... just need a blood trans-transfusion." Shojiro said quietly, remaining still and limp. He would, of course struggle if the man removed his mask, as he had no injury there that needed attention.

"Under normal circumstances, yes." A white glow formed around Karmedon's hand as he pressed it against the wound. "Alongside five stitches, eight millilitres of antibiotics, a touch of healing magic and plenty of water. I'm lacking at least two of those at the moment."

"Already beat you... to antibiotics..." Shojiro groaned, reaching behind him and grabbing his Tanto, sliding the blade free with ease. "Please... move your hand." More magic seemed to be poured into the weapon as it seemed to glow with heat.

Karmedon slowly raised his hand, his eyes not moving from the Tanto. The wound had mostly been closed up by the elf's spell and the bleeding began to stem. Upon further inspection, one would notice the red lines running down Karmedon's hand, soaking into his white sleeve. "My magic is not harmful in any manner." He replied cautiously. "You have no reason to fear me."

Shojiro grabbed what looked like a small metal rod from his belt with his free hand, before placing it in his mouth. The flat of the tanto pressed against the remainder of the wound, cauterizing it and filling the air with a horrid burnt stench. Shojiro, to his credit, let out a near silent scream, his eyes watering as he fully staunched the bleeding.

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and Black0ut: A Challenge Arrives Part 2

When he had finished, more magic rendered the blade without any elemental properties, perfect for sliding back into its sheath. "There... no need... for sutures..." Shojiro murmured, his eyes staring into Karmedon's, barely able to focus on him.

The elf took a small line of gauze and began wrapping his hand. "You will still be light headed, but I gave you enough blood to keep you from passing out."

"Thank you." Shojiro looked down at his belt, debating if the several flashbangs, smoke grenades, and tear gas grenades he brought had been overkill. "Why... help me?"

"It's my job." The man answered. "As a medical professional, I am supposed to save any and all life, regardless of their background. You are no exception."

"That's... your job. Not why you... save people." Shojiro replied, turning his head to look for Arthur.

Karmedon paused for a moment, hesitantly stepping away from the warrior. "We should get down from here soon, Arthur isn't exactly a patient person."

The masked man nodded, as he stood up haphazardly, nearly falling off onto the ground below. However, he quickly stabilized, and despite his injuries moved swiftly and gracefully using the abandoned machinery as stepping stones to the floor.

Karmedon followed behind the warrior with similar grace, finding Arthur standing outside the facility. The injured man groaned from his new location slung over the guild leader's shoulder. "Looks like he's starting to wake up a little." Arthur muttered as he watched to the duo make there way to ground level. "So, you're the infamous guildless hunter, eh?"

"Infamous, no. Hunter, yes." Shojiro answered, cracking his neck slightly as he got closer. "It's not my fault you Guilded folk take help the wrong way."

"It has a lot to do with regulations, credit distribution and other bullshit." He answered bluntly.

"You're all still petty. Everyone is in their own way, though some more than others...." Shojiro started before shaking his head. Antagonizing new allies was not something he should be doing. "I take it you were sent to deal with the mess I mostly cleaned up?"

Arthur lifted up the head of a imp that tried to ambush him. "That was originally the intention, yes." He paused for a moment, his eyes honed in on the masked fighter. "Have you considered my offer at all?"

"At first, no. I don't care about your guild, Arthur, nor do I care about being added to its membership."

"But then your medic hurt himself trying to heal me. That good deed deserves another, but if he wants me to join, I will."

"My apologies, a transfusion spell requires that my blood makes direct contact with your own," The elf explained. "And, while your methods are questionable... we could use your talents."

"Questionable? How so?" Shojiro turned to look at the man, sizing him up.

The elf was tall, lean and frail looking. Not what you would expect from a fighter. However, the look in his eyes painted a much darker picture. It was a look of a man who would kill without a second thought. And, yet, his voice carried a casual tone to it. "I've always been skeptical of those on the bounty list. There is no telling what kind of twisted intentions hide behind their reasons for defying the government. You, on the other hand, seem trustworthy enough."

"From only one encounter?"

"Only encounter I care about." Karmedon answered. "Besides, double crossing Arthur here isn't the best idea."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." The guild leader lit another cigarette. "So, you gonna join us or not?"

Shojiro merely nodded, taking a few steps away towards the open entrance. "I'll see you both tomorrow."

"You better show up." Arthur replied as he walked towards the door on the other side of the building... Karmedon following closely behind him.

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and ZombieSplitter: Queen of the Trade

Arthur sat on the steps of his guildhouse patiently, a dying cigarette in his mouth. He had heard rumors of a special "exotic tradeswoman" who carried almost anything you could think of. One of his contact had given him a means to summon her... Now all he had to do was wait. To see if these rumors held up. Merlin approached his older brother and asked, "Any sign of her yet?"

"Nope." Arthur flicked the cigarette into a trashcan. "So either she's busy or she don't exist. I'm giving it another hour before I make the call."

A few minutes later, a bright light behind them caught their attention. Above the doorway to the guildhouse was a unique sigil that hadn't been there before, glowing a bright red. Moments later the door opened. Beyond it was not the guildhouse, but a completely different room with various trinkets lining the walls, various exotic smells wafting out.

A somewhat taller then average woman with long brown hair walked out, wearing revealing witch-like clothing, complete with a cape and a large hat. "Hello?" she said. "Did you summon me?"

"Are you Anastasia?" Arthur inquired as he hoped back onto his feet.

She nodded, smiling cheerfully. She briefly removed her hat and bowed. "Anastasia Alexandra Eucliwood Preobrazhensky. Always a pleasure to meet a new prospective customer."

"Sneaking away to look at exotic stuff without me?" Arthur could be the chilled touch of a shade contact his shoulders. He turned his head to see Yavira behind him.

"Bit too late for that." The guild leader remarked. "You mind if she joins, Miss Preobrazhensky?"

"Not at all! I cater to all folks." She waved her hand towards the door. "Would you like to step into my shop?"

Merlin let out a nervous laugh. "You two have fun... I'm gonna go get some supplies."

The young mage turned to walk away, only to have his brother take hold of his hood. "This was your idea in the first place... So you aren't allowed to chicken out on me." Arthur walked up the steps, practically dragging his younger brother with him. Yavira floated closely behind them.

Once they entered, Anastasia followed after them, a blue sigil above her door vanishing. She smiled at Merlin and said, "I have many magical impliments that would interest a mage like you." She looked him up and down, clearly sizing him up and liking what she saw. "You have... quite the powerful aura."

"I wouldn't go that far." The mage replied while rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm just good with spells, is all."

"Mmm... modest. I like that." Anastasia waved her arms about. "Welcome to Anastasia's Emporium, where if we don't have it or can't get it, it probably doesn't exist."

The space was huge, easily the size of a mansion's master bedroom, if not bigger. There were shelves upon shelves of items of every variety. Weapons and armor, old and new, plain and magic infused. Skulls and organs of every known being and some that were unfamiliar. Potions, portstones, wands, gems, crystals, jewelry, grimoires. There was even a small stand at the side of the store with various items for younger people, like toys of every shape and size. And this was just the start, as there were several doors leading deaper into the structure... wherever said structure was.

Anastasia clapped her hands together. "Dorothy, dear! Some tea and cookies please! Now... what may I help you three with?"

"Yavira wanted me to look into a few items she could use to add new enchantments to her library." Arthur explained. "You mind if I call ya Ana?"

The shade Enchatress was flying all around the room, looking at the various relics and materials with child like wonder. One particular item caught her attention. "A Blue dragon scale! They went extinct over three hundred years ago... Oh, to think of the possibilities this could have."

"She's already fangirling..." Merlin joked quietly.

"I like a girl who can spot a good find," the saleswoman said. "And Ana is fine. She pointed to a door on the left.

A young girl who looked like she was literally stitched together walked down a set of spiral stairs in the corner of the room, a full tea tray in hand. She walked up to the brothers and asked, "Tea?" in a somewhat bored tone.

"Dear." Ana gave her a wary look. "They're customers, remember?"

The girl sighed and put on an obviously forced smile.

"I'm more of a coffee person, but..." Arthur used his magic to pull the cup of tea towards him. "I'm also one for making exceptions."

Merlin bowed respectfully as he took a cup of his own. He took a sip while he looked around the shop. "I hope the guys at DC wouldn't mind too much if we went over budget..."

"Well, we can always try and work with you to get a good deal," Ana said with a smile. There is a reason nothing has a price on it. And remember, if there is anything you don't see here that doesn't mean I can't find it for you. I also deal in information if that is your cup of... coffee."

Arthur took a sip out of his tea. "I usually don't use information all too often... So I think I'll stick with items for now. First things first, how much for the dragon scale?"

"Well, we take money and trade," Ana answered. "Do you have anything to trade, or are we sticking to straight monetary values?"

"Monetary value." He remarked. "I doubt Rebecca would appreciate me putting her arm on the market."

Ana chuckled. "Dorothy?"

The girl placed her tray down and looked at the scale. "Dragon artifacts go between 800 and 3200. For this particular item, our going rate is $1400."

"Oh damn, that's actually not that bad for a blue scale." Arthur remarked. "Granted, if the kid is anything to go off of... You probably have a way to produce more without too much trouble."

Anastasia gave a hauty laugh. "Perhaps, my dear, perhaps. But that is my little secret. At any rate, you have been quite enjoyable company so far. You would be the surprised by the riff raff that somehow find a way to contact me. And I like your shade friend and her eye for quality." She winked at Arthur. "A hundred dollars off if you act now."

Arthur pulled out his wallet and began organizing a set of cash. "Do you have a business card or anything like that? Something to make contacting you a bit easier in the future?"

"I do, in fact." Ana reached under her hat and pulled out a card. It had her name and store slogan on it, along with a bunch of pink and purple skulls. "Just place this card on a simple summon glyph, and I'll be with you in a jiffy. Sorry about how long it took me this time. I'm usually faster but even I have my share of difficult customers."

"No worries, good to know you ain't just some fancy myth." Arthur casually tossed the card to Merlin, who caught it while stumbling slightly. While the guild leader handed over the payment for the scale, a sharp eye could notice the faint purple glow in Merlin's eyes as he read the card.

The aura that came off it was old, at least a thousand years old. Anastasia looked over at him and asked, "Something interesting about my card... boy?"

Merlin looked up at the woman in shock. He muttered under his breath. "One thousand, three hundred and... Twenty-seven?"

"Hey, Merlin." Arthur approached his brother with concern in his eyes. "You doing okay there buddy?"

"Yeah, Merlin...?" Ana narrowed her eyes. "Doing... okay?"

"Ah, shit, right, reading magic." Arthur muttered before looking back at Ana. "He has this thing where he can learn the age, gender and race of whatever person he reads the name of. He has no control over it."

"I see..." Anastasia smiled again. "Okay! If he has no control of it, how can I be mad at him?"

"Hasn't stopped you before... old woman," Dorothy said with a chuckled, and earned a bonk on the head.

"The more years under your belt, the more time you've had to mature and wise up." The guild head stated. "And being able to do so without worrying about the physical damage aging has gives your mother an advantage."

Dorothy rubbed her head. "I suppose so..."

Ana smiled brightly at him. "Thank you. You are ever so wise for you age. Truly, you are welcome here any time you wish."

"Alright, Yavira, grab the scale so we can go." Arthur shouted out to his ashen enchantress. "It was a pleasant surprise meeting you... We'll be doing business again soon."

"But Arthur..." Yavira whined. "There are so many cool trinkets."

"We ain't here to window shop, so either get here or I'll drag you here myself." The leader's voice was stern... A trait it lacked previously.

"A strong leader. Keep finding things about you people I like." Ana spoke a soft chant, and the blue sigil reappeared over the door. It opened on its own, leading back to the front of the guildhouse.

"Later." Arthur waved behind himself as the trio left the shop.

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and Dahlexpert: Blind of Mind

Arthur looked at the file his brother handed him. "Another half breed, huh? God, these demons sure do get around when they are left unattended."

"Don't you think you're being a bit... insensitive?" Merlin asked with hesitation in his voice.

Arthur looked up from his paperwork. "Have I ever give you the impression that I am the 'sensitive' type?"

"No, but think about how hard it has to be for Tina and others like her..." The mage brother answered.

"Hard life or not, I hold them to the same standards I hold myself to." The leader stood up from his seat. "We don't got the time to hurt feelings or special treatment. Now, let's call up Wreave and see how good he is at the job."

When Arthur called Wreave, he heard the sound of a hell hound whimpering before hearing a loud snap. "Hello? who is this?”

"This is Arthur Mithril, leader of the Knights of the Roundtable." The man answered from the other side of the call. "I was hoping you had some time today to show up for a trial mission... seeing as you submitted an application recently."

“Oh you actually read that. Hmm... fine.” He said in a toned voice.

"Alright, you have until fifteen o'clock to arrive at the address on the system." Arthur replied. "Any question?"

Wreave hung up the phone and went to the location that was given. "Hopefully this human will be more useful to me than any I’ve talked to and hopefully not betray me like the others.”

Arthur was already waiting at the entrance, alongside a transparent elf. The elf seemed to have a concerned look on her face. "Are... are you sure about this?"

"You know you aren't changing my mind." The Guildleader remarked as he lit a cigarette. "This is something we need to do if we intend on keeping the higher ups off our asses."

A short while later, Wreave showed himself. The man himself was shorter then Arthur, but looked more like a savage dragging along a two sided battle ax. He had a scar on his nose and his forehead. One of his hands looked to be in metal armor with claws on top of it, as he made his way to Arthur her just looked at him. "You called me?”

"You must be Wreave then..." Arthur muttered. "To be honest, I was expecting you to be taller."

“And I expect you to stab me in the back, now what do you want.”

Arthur let out a puff of smoke from his lungs. "Well, ya see, the Guild Council is on my ass about the number of otherworldly recruits I've gone and hired. Normally I would just tell them to fuck off and go about my day, but they are claiming that I've been corrupted by demonic influence. As for you, I have a plan... and, if you want the job, you're gonna help me with it."

"It's an incredibly reckless plan..." The spirit elf mumbled.

“Does it involve killing angels, demons or humans?” He said plainly.

"Demons." Arthur explained to the new recruit. "We're going to siege a demon stronghold... but, first, you and I are going to interrupt a summoning ritual. A group of warlocks got their hands on a gatekey... and we need that gatekey in order to even consider attacking demonic facility."

“Great more crazy people. Ugh, listen, are these warlocks humans by any chance?”

"Yep..."

“Then I’m going first. I should be able to make them think they summed a demon.”

"Alright, just make sure you take this with ya." Arthur handed him an earpiece. "Gotta keep communications up to make this work."

Wreave grabbed the communicator and put it in his ear. "Hopefully this thing doesn't melt easily." He said following Arthur and the elf to the warlocks.

Arthur continued while his spirit comrade stayed behind. "What's your story anyway?" The guildleader prompted as he approached a stylish looking car.

"Do you really care or is this just you pretending to care... just to later on betray me." He said lifting his ax over his shoulder.

"That obsession of betrayal you have peaked my curiosity." Arthur stated as he opened the passenger side door or his car. "Someone of your type usually would be caught dead joining a human organization... much less a guild."

Wreave rolled his eyes and got in the car. "I'm still questioning as to why I'm going this. I don't trust anyone but, if your willing to direct me to a fight and not do anything stupid, I'll probably tell you why."

"Alright, you got yourself a deal." Arthur remarked, getting his the vehicle and starting the engine.

As they drove along, there was a voice in the back of Wreave head. Don't trust them.

Arthur parked the car a few feet from a large, abandoned building. "This is the place."

"How nice do you know where they are? I would assume that they would like a grand entrance." Wreave took the wolf cloak off him, as well as the armored claw off his hand.

"We don't know where they commit any of there rituals... but I'm sure a bombastic arrival is sure to get their attention." Arthur lit himself a new cigarette. "Be sure to give them hell."

“That’s the plan.” Wreave skin started fall off him and his new one was much paler. His eyes went red and two horns burst out of his head. He ran towards the building... burning the door with his fire and crashing through.

A few of the warlocks turned to see the raging demon enter their secluded lair. One of them stood and said, "Yes, finally! The endless armies of the demonic legion see us as one of the own! Come! Claim our souls so that we made serve you endlessly!"

Wreave said nothing, but used his fire magic and burned the one that spoke. He then looked at the others and used his ax to cleave and dismember them.

The cultists did nothing to stop the halfbreed from killing them, except for one. One who fled to the upper floors of the warehouse. A coward who couldn't commit to the wishes of his prophet.

As he continued to kill cultist after cultist, he began laughing while he was killing them. He burned the corpses of the cultist so they couldn't possibly be used again. He looked to see one fleeing and chased after them.

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and Dahlexpert: Blind of Mind Part 2

The last survivor continued to run, moving as fast as he could before tripping on a loose pipe. His breath hastened and his movements became more panicked as he attempted to get back to his feet. However, pain suddenly surged through his left leg. The cultist turned to see a sword sticking out of his body, pinning him to the floor below. His gaze shifted to Arthur, who was resting his arms a top the guard of his weapon. "It seems you actually value your life. If ya got any plans of keeping it, you're gonna tell me where that gatekey is."

"I would... never... reveal... our secrets..." The man spat through the pain, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Really?" Arthur twisted the blade, causing the man to scream in agony as it tore open his calf. "Because it sounds to me like you ain't used to this. My bet is you won't last another five minutes."

Wreave soon arrived where Arthur was, and the man looked to have pissed himself at the sight of his demon form. "Where do you think your running to? You summoned me here. This is what you wanted after all."

Before the man even had the time to respond, Arthur sent a shockwave into his right arm, shaking his bones against the hard metal floor. "I'm running out of patience."

"Engine room, third shelf... right hand corner from the door." The coward cried out in anguish.

The blade dissolved from sight, leaving a massive gash along his flesh. Arthur stepped over him, waving Wreave to follow. "As a courtesy for your cooperation, I'll go ahead and let you live."

"Bastard," The adrenaline filled cultist shouted out. "So willing to torture a man for your own personal gain... what makes you better than Prophet Sin?"

Arthur paused for a moment, his calm demeanor not being challenged by the man's words. "Unlike your so called Prophet I still give a damn about this planet. I put my life on the line every day to keep cowards like you safe. And instead you choose to follow the words of a lunatic and where did that put you? Inside a burning with your arm broken and your leg partially severed. With no where to run and no time to hide. So, when the demons find your little ritual center... you'll have wished I put you out of your misery."

"Believe me they're worse then I am. I'm only half demon... real demons will do worse then what I did." He then turned to Arthur. "Can we wrap this up? I'm getting a urge to rip his spine out... or what's left of it anyway."

Arthur approached the door to the engine room, "Luckily for you I know the layout of this place already." He muttered as he placed his hand against the metal door. He sent out a shockwave strong enough to send the door flying across the room. From there, he walked to the right, opened the third shelf from the top and pulled out a small rock. The rock had a rune carved on one side, one that could be easily recognized as demonic.

"Right so what's your plan? Trick them with a demon symbol rock? I doubt that they will fall for this."

"With this gatekey we can access any demon stronghold on Earth." The swordsman explained. "For now we head back to the guildhouse. My brother will help you fill out the legal shit while I report back to the Council. From there I can coordinate with other guilds in the area to prepare a siege upon the stronghold in question."

“Uh you have fun with that, because this is the part where we part ways. You go do whatever it is you guild types do, I’m gonna go find more to kill.” Wreave's demon horns went back into his head he returned to his human form and dragged his ax on the ground as he was leaving.

"You sure you don't want to join?" Arthur remarked. "The rules and regulations are a pain in the ass, but at least it's a paycheck. Plus you get to avoid getting a bounty slapped on your head for getting involved with guildwork without proper authorization."

“Listen here, I don’t trust humans. Hell, I don’t trust anyone but myself. Humans will betray me, angels will hunt me and demons despise me. What makes you any different?”

"I don't care who you trust or why. All that matters is that you're able to do your job." Arthur dropped his cigarette and pulled out a new one to light. "If you don't want to work for me, then just say so and save me the headache of this betrayal crap."

Wreave thought about it, and the many years he’s been alone. How often he was betrayed by so called friends. He gripped his ax and looked at Arthur. "Ugh everybody gets one, so you get one chance with me. Betray me and I’m ripping your spine out... are we clear?”

"Just as long as it's equally clear I reserve the right to beat the shit out of you if you step out of line." Arthur answered.

“Fine then, we have an understanding... for now anyway. So, you have a home or something?” He said getting his wolf cloak and his piece of arm armor.

"We're in the middle of setting up living conditions within the guildhouse, but you'll have to figure out housing on your own until then." The guild leader replied with a puff of smoke. "The guildhouse itself is the old cathedral on top of Liberty Hill."

“Ugh a church. Sounds like I’ll be better off in the forest. You must be really new if you’re just setting up living areas.”

"We only just got officially set up a couple months ago." Arthur walked towards the exit of the building as he talked. "Not to mention the Associations refusal to fund the expansion of the building making matters... difficult. Between having to move all her equipment, needing to work on building the add on we need to set up dorms and her usually blacksmithing duties, Rebecca's got her hands full."

“Sounds like a pain, but who’s Rebecca?”

"Our tiny alcoholic blacksmith." Arthur stated as he got into his car. "I'm assuming I'll see you tomorrow?"

“I’ll think about it Oh, that reminds me. Are you still curious about why I don’t trust others?”

"I lost interest..." Arthur mumbled before driving off.

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and ZombieSplitter: Maiden of the Forest

Elizabeth silently swept the floors of the garden as she watched many of the new recruits move around the chapel. The young drunk known as Rebecca had recently began remodeling the building to better fit it's new role as a guildhouse... though the elven ghost doubted her qualifications were as legit as everyone said. Elizabeth tried her best to not think too much on it. In the corner of her eye, she noticed a small, weak sapling. it was beginning to wither, the larger plants and trees robbing it of water and sunlight. With regal grace, the spirit approached the young sapling. She crouched before it, whispering, "Now is not your time, young one."

The plant began to rise up and grow exponentially, blooming into a beautiful flower within seconds. She smiled briefly, before it slowly faded from her face. She returned to sweeping the floor of the garden. Even the children fear my presence...

Stepping out into the sunny garden, Tina took a deep breath as she shaded her eyes. She was just getting used to her new place of work, and this was her first chance to see the garden. A lover of nature, it brought a wide smile on her face. She noted Elizabeth and gingerly walked over. "Excuse me?" she stared as she came near. "Is this garden free for anyone... to..." She slowed her stride and came to a stop when, on closer inspection, she realized she could slightly see through the elf.

"No need to be alarmed, I'm merely a spirit." Elizabeth answered with a reassuring smile. "And, yes, this garden is free for anyone who wishes to visit it."

Tina was reaching into a bag on her hip when she paused, blinking a few times. "Oh... you're aware. So you... know what you are? And the others know of your presence here?"

The ghost elf nodded. "Arthur recognizes that I am bound to this place. He informed me of my... predicament and asked me if he could use this chapel as a base. I guess you could say I'm the groundskeeper now."

"A spirit groundskeeper. Now, that is interesting. People usually just want to get... rid of you. Sorry! That probably sounds so rude!"

"There is no need to apologies." Elizabeth placed her broom against the wall. "I have been told my kind aren't usually as sentient as myself, so I understand why there are people who fear me."

"Well, there are those of your kind worth fearing, but it is obvious you are not one of them. Spirits are not unlike humans. Just because some are malevolent or dangerous does not mean they all are." Tina gave her a curious look. "Do you... want to stay here?"

"Well, this place was once apart of my home." The elven woman answered, looking at the trees to her left. "If there is a way to cure my affliction, I would like to continue to live here until the realm of spirits calls for me."

"Your affliction?" Tina scratched her head. "Do you mean cure... being dead?"

Elizabeth paused for a moment before letting out a nervous chuckle. "Oh, no, I meant the demonic magic that ties my soul to this realm."

"Oh, I did not realize you were bound here by ways of a demonic curse." Tina rubbed the back of her neck. "I am a fairly competent exorcist, and I have experience with both spirits and demons, but not the two combined. Still, I would like to help if I can."

"I'll keep that in mind." Elizabeth gave the woman polite nod. "Oh! where are my manners. My names is Elizabeth, what's yours?"

"Tina." The half Oni bowed. "It really is a pleasure to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well." The elf returned the bow.

"Hey Liz~" A voice echoed into the air, the owner being a shade who floated up to Elizabeth. "I finished enchanting that watering can for you."

Tina took a cautious step back, regarding the shade with a lot more suspicion then the ghost.

The shade woman paused, looking towards Elizabeth. The elf cleared her throat. "Yavira, this is Tina. She's one of the new recruits."

Yavira let out a wide grin. "Getting cozy with the newbies are we?"

Tina hesitantly bowed to the the Shade, though kept her eyes on her as she did. "I knew they were not above hiring demonic forces here, but I did not expect to find a Shade here, let alone one with your aura."

Elizabeth sighed, "My apologies, Yavira here is a bit of a pervert."

"And this guild's enchantress." The ashen woman reminded her. "Now you don't ever have to worry about your can running out of water. As long as you don't use the last of what's inside, my enchantment will fill it right back up."

"Really?" Tina smiled softly. "That's... pretty amazing. You must be quite the skilled enchantress."

"I've had a lot of time to practice." Yavira answered modestly.

"I'm sure." Tina sighed. "This is going to be an interesting job. Any more demons or spirits on the staff I should know about?"

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and ZombieSplitter: Maiden of the Forest: Part 2

"Not to my knowledge." Yavira placed a finger on her chin. "But we are still recruits flooding in though, so I would expect more to join eventually. Why do you want to know?"

"Just being cautious. Want to know who I'll be working with." She looked away. "Diversity is a great selling point... but doesn't work well when different kinds of people are put together. Humans especially have a tendency to be... unexcepting..."

"I am aware of your kinds intolerance." Yavira answered with a slightly cold tone. "But I can assure you that Arthur has everything under control."

"I hope so." She looked up at the shade. "And they're not my people." She brushed some hair aside to show off her small horns. "Unfortunately, few people like me exist. And the smaller your numbers, the more those with greater numbers like to remind you of how alone you are..."

Elizabeth tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean? Are you saying you are an endangered species?"

Tina chuckled. "Nothing so dramatic. Just a crossbreed. Half human, half Oni. It happens now and then but few care for it. I plan to hide it from the others for as long as possible, but sooner or later rumors, my horns, or caving something's head in with my bare fists will expose me."

"Oh, someone's got some strength to her~" The shade remarked seductively. "I know a few enchantments that could help you out."

"Yeah?" Tina crossed her arms. "Any help would be nice. I wamt to prove myself as much as possible. Though I'm not sure how I could repay you."

"Well, most enchantments and gear is just taken from her weekly paycheck, so repaying me should be easy." Yavira remarked playfully.

Tina nodded. "Okay. So what can you do for me exactly? Enchant my weapons?"

"Weapons, armor, trinkets, clothing, you name it." The ash lady answered. "Though, my enchanting takes some time to set up."

"Alright. I can think of a number of possibilities. Thank you." Tina nodded. "You're alright. Much nicer then most of the shades I've come across..."

"Yes, my people aren't exactly the nicest bunch, I appear to be the only exception." She added as she plucked a strawberry from one of the nearby vines. "I hope you don't mind if I take a few of these, Liz."

"No, it's fine... just as long as you don't take all of them." Elizabeth answered.

Tina tulted her head. "Do Shades... eat fruit?"

"No, but they are a great base material for a wide variety of rituals when smashed into a paste." Yavira responded cheerfully. "Arthur was kind enough to buy me a blue dragon scale... so I need to use safe ingredients and markings until I know what it is and is not compatible with."

"I see. Well, anything I can do to help, just let me know." Tina turned to Elizabeth. "You to, Elizabeth. Any excuse to improve myself is good, and if I can help people along the way, even better."

Elizabeth bowed before tending the garden once more. Yavira giggled and offered Tina a handshake. "If you ever find yourself filing your horns, could you save some of the dust for me? It's a potent material for fire rituals that's hard to obtain due to the restrictions made by the Oni-Japan treaty."

"Um... sure. I do have to file them now and then to keep them from growing to long. I'll save you the shavings." She took the shade's hand.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Tina." The shade presented a wide smile towards the halfbreed as she began to float off. "Hopefully we will see each other soon."

Tina lightly waved, wondering what other interesting folk she might meet as she headed back inside.

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and Dahlexpert: Adventurous Encounters

Merlin swallowed the knot in his throat as he wandered into the woods. Arthur wanted him to check up on one of their newest recruits, a man named Wreave, and have him fill out the recruitment paperwork. "Why do I have to be the one to deal with the legal stuff?" The young mage groaned as he sat on an old stump.

The man saw a small fire and a camp not far from the guild. There he saw the man in question just staring into the fire. "What do you want, human?" He said, not looking at Merlin.

"Well... Arthur sent me to have you fill out some paperwork." Merlin answered nervously, intimidated by Wreave's scarred form and large metal claw.

When Wreave stood up and looked at Merlin. "Paperwork? What is that?"

"You... don't know what paperwork is?" Merlin tilted his head with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"I haven't been around civilizations since I was ten, so, no. What is this paper work?" Wreave said looking down at the papers in confusion.

"Do... do you at least know how to read?" Merlin asked the halfbreed.

"Are you implying that I'm a simpleton?!" Wreave said with his eyes glowing red.

"Just wanted to make sure..." Merlin stepped back defensively. "Anyway, the paperwork is just asking for legal information. Name, age, date of birth, social security number, things you would have... if you were born in a hospital..." A nervous chuckle escaped his lips as he realized the potential that his last statement could be false.

"Ou no wonder I never heard of... Paper work, I was born in a hospital but I didn't stay there long." Wreave tossed the paper into the fire and sat back down.

"Hey! You need to fill that out in order to join the guild." Merlin frantically rushed over in an attempted to save the documents from burning.

"It's fine, I don't have a social security or whatever is needed in functional society. The only thing you need is my name and you already have it, and I'm twenty seven. The rest I couldn't tell you."

"Well, not exactly." Merlin replied. "Everyone is given one when they are born, so I would just need to ask my bro to fetch it for us. But, without that paperwork filled out with your signature at the end... we legally can't let you participate in guild tasks."

“You people and your laws.” Wreave groaned. "I’m sure you have more of those papers then? Look if I’m coming off as, uncivil, it’s because I don’t know this stuff.”

The young mage sighed. "Why don't you come back with me to the guildhouse... it'll be easier to get every filled out there."

“You want me to go into that.” Wreave pointed at the chapel. "No, I don’t do churches.”

"Why not?" Merlin asked with a curious tone.

“Well considering me and god don’t get along, there’s also the memory of me almost dying in one... So there’s that.”

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell is god?"

“Right let’s just say that the angels have there own deity, and he’s doesn’t much like demons.”

"Weird, I don't recall coming across that name in my research. Hold on." Merlin's eyes glowed a faint purple as a book appeared in his hands. He quickly flipped through the pages before stopping short of the end of the bulky material. "God... the Father of Christ and all creation. According to this he originates from Christian Myth. Back in the medieval days people believe our realm was created by this god character and we were the only realm of life. Everything else just sounds like a bunch of cult style bullshit... guess there are some people who still believe in the myth."

"Yea and he's not very forgiving of demons any kind of demons, that's why I don't like angles or." Wreave looked at the chapel. "Or chapels... But my skin isn't getting goosebumps, nor am I feeling to nervous. Are you sure those angels don't know of this place?"

"My understanding is that the angels could care less about our buildings and ideals. Inconsiderate jerks just want us all dead." Merlin muttered in agitation. "Their damn Grand Exemplar sees us as nothing but pests."

“Oh, that actually great, means that you won’t try and sell to them. And yes that happened to me on several occasions.” Wreave entered the chapel and didn’t feel his blood boil, or feel his demon trying to force itself out. "Well guess I do have a home now, well for the moment anyway.”

The hall was rather large, branching out into different hallways. Elizabeth, the spirit elf from when Wreave was first recruited, was dusting off the upper portions of the walls. As the two of the walked, the sound of a shout echoed through the air. "Merlin! This is the third time this week you've broken your damn staff!"

Merlin jumped at the sound of the voice. It belonged to a rather short, brunette woman. She wore a steampunk like dress and had a whiskey bottle in her prosthetic hand. She drank out of the bottle as the mage let out a nervous laugh. "Sorry about that... been practicing a new spell and it keeps not working the way I want it to."

Wreave look at the woman with an eyebrow raised, he looked at her um and down and noticed her cybernetic arm... but he mostly stared at her chest.

"Like what you see?" Rebecca asked while a coy grin formed on her face.

“Yes I do, you are a very pretty lady. Do you also work here?”

"I'm the blacksmith around here." The petite maiden let out a hiccup, her breath ripe with alcohol. "So if you need any weapons built or repaired, I'm your gal."

Wreave sniffed the air around Rebecca. "Your blacksmith is a very heavy drinker. Is it safe to have her around fire?”

"That's the understatement of the year." Merlin joked. "She's always drunk... to the point where I've never seen what she's like sober."

Wreave looked at the woman. "To each there own I guess. Right, so your the blacksmith... think you can make me a weapon?"

"It's gonna cost ya." Rebecca answered, chucking the bottle haphazardly into a trashcan. "So, what do you want?"

“Give me a minute.” The half demon left the two and after a few minutes came back with a battle ax. "Can you make like this one?”

Rebecca inspected the weapon carefully. "This kind of weapon is easy enough to forge... I'm just amazed this thing last as long as it has. It's covered in rust and scratches... and it looks like you haven't sharpened it since you got it. Not to mention iron based steel is incredibly frail in the hands of stronger individual."

“It served its purpose for what it was made for. Now it’s time is done. Oh, and if you’re wondering how I kept it somewhat sharp.” Wreave breathed a little bit of fire onto the ax and used his metal claw to grind on the edges.

Rebecca pulled a flask out of her bra and took a swig of it. "With that fire magic, I'll need to use a tungsten composition to keep it from melting while you wield it."

Wreave stared at her chest again, but quickly snapped out of it. "I’m not gonna pretend I know what that means, but I don’t have money. Will you take another form of payment?”

"Usually I can just take the money off of your first paycheck, but..." The petite blacksmith grinned. "If you're desperate, there are other ways you can pay me."

“Ugh alright, what do I have to do? A sexual favor? You wanna take my pound of flesh? or do you need me to get you something?”

"Let's just say there's something I want to practice." She answered seductively. "Follow me if you wanna find out what it is."

“Right, sounds like I will have to do that paperwork later... but if you do find that what you called it social security number, do let me know about it.” He looked back at Rebecca. "Alright lead the way miss.”

Merlin looked at the two with confusion and blush as Rebecca led the halfbreed to a small room. Some portions of the walls were missing while a single bed laid in the corner. The petite blacksmith locked the door behind them. "Wouldn't want any interruptions~"

“Umm, well, it’s not the worst place I’ve been in, alright what do you want from me?” You already know what she wants, don’t play dumb. the demon voice in his head said.

"How about you start by showing me that 'pound of flesh' you were talking about." Rebecca responded.

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and Dahlexpert: Adventurous Encounters Part 2

Spoiler: LEWD!

Wreave sighed and took off the wolf Cloak he was wearing. He then removed the metal claw from him left are. His arm being heavily tapped. He then removed his boots and pants. His body was covered in scars and burns mostly looked to be from magic then weapons. "Is this good for you?”

"One last thing..." Rebecca got on her knees in front of Wreave. She pulled down his underwear just enough to reveal the package he hid underneath.

His manhood was in full display and Wreave was definitely bigger then the average man. "Are you satisfied with this? I’m not gonna scare you, am I?”

The metal of the smith's prosthetic arm felt cold as she poked the tip. "Any relevant fetishes I should know about before I blow ya?"

“Don’t have any... besides, this is me paying you so you may do as you please.” Wreave said with no emotion in his voice.

Rebecca gave him wide grin as she grabbed his shaft with a titanic grip. "Be careful what you say... wouldn't want to me to cross any lines~"

“I’ll be fine I... don’t have many lines.” Before he could fully enjoy what would happen he had to make sure of something.

Hey demon, does this do anything for you? your not gonna suddenly appear and rip her in half are you?

Relax human, lust isn’t what I enjoy I prefer killing. So you don’t have to worry about me coming out, in fact I rather not see this I’m going deeper into your head call me if you need a fight.

Wreave then grabbed Rebecca off him and went to the bed and grabbed a pillow. "For your knees, I’m sure the floor isn’t comfortable."

Rebecca chuckled sadistically as she massaged his tip with her thumb. "Let's see how long you'll last." The petite woman continued to massage him until he was hard enough for her liking, placing her tongue on the base of his rod. She gave it one long lick from the base to the head, swirling her tongue along the top for a few seconds. With her spare hand, she brushed her hair out of the way shortly before shoving Wreave's entire baggage down her throat

Wreave moaned with pleasure as Rebecca has his manhood in his mouth. "You... I know a lot about endurance, you might... Ugh be here a while lady.”

Rebecca moved her prosthetic arm from his tool to his sack, squeezing it tightly as he bobbed her head up and down.

Wreave grunted, while having a metal arm squeezing his sack was painful. It wasn’t as painful as turning into a demon. He held onto Rebecca head and started thrusting into her mouth.

Rebecca struggled the breath as the half demon ripped the control from her. However, she made to move to stop his domination of her small mouth.

As Wreave was enjoying her throat, he had to snap himself out of it. He remembered that air was an important thing, and removed himself from Rebecca mouth. "I’m sorry I... it just felt really good and I didn’t want to chock you.”

Rebecca tightened her grip on his balls to be far more then before. "Did I say you could stop?"

Wreave grunted and held onto her metal arm. "You're ok with what I was doing? you weren’t in pain?”

She answered by swallowing his rod once more and placed his hand on her head with a giggle.

Wreave was confused by the woman, but with her metal hand still on his ball he wasn’t going to argue. And so he went back to thrusting his manhood in her mouth, and after a few few seconds down her throat again.

Rebecca held firm has she began to drool lightly and gag on the massive stick being forced into the back of her throat.

This went on for several minutes, Wreave could fell something bubbling up in he crotch. "Damn it I’m gonna burst.” He slowly tried to take his road out of Rebecca mouth.

Rebecca let out a gasp for air once her windpipe was freed from his shaft. She moved her arm to protect her eyes while using her prosthetic hand to stroke him fast enough to encourage a release.

After a few seconds of motion Wreave ejaculated onto Rebecca face, Wreave was breathing heavily after words he then looked down at her.” Would you need... anything to clean yourself up?”

Rebecca licked some of the white goo from her hand. "I can just clean it off in the shower."

“Fine, is that a suitable payment for you. Or was there anything else you needed from me?”

"Yes, now get out so I can clean up." Rebecca stated with her flask in her hand. "I'll have your axe done by the end of the week."

Wreave put his clothes back on and left the room. "What a strange woman. Well, as long as she’s satisfied with the payment then I’m happy, now where is that other human?" Wreave left searching for Merlin.

 

[ShadowHounder]

Shackles of Agony

Jessica cautiously entered the old warehouse. The day before, she received a call. The caller said that they were "an old friend," who wanted to meet somewhere hidden. Jessica was skeptical, but she felt an urge to check it out. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as she thought. She was wrong. It was far worse than she thought. She opened the door to find the man who ruined her life, the man who abused her for years, standing inside. Her nerves froze and her legs refused to move. He let out a low snarl when he noticed Jessica. "Is this some kind of pathetic joke, you stupid bitch? It wasn't enough to have me thrown in jail was it? You have to humiliate me! Have me kidnapped so you can rub it in! I'm going to make you regret this!"

The man went to punch his wife, only for his fist to bounce off of an invisible wall. A voice called out to them. "Actually, I brought you here~"

A young woman, no older than Jessica, appeared before the two. She bore long, curly white hair and two, blood red eyes. She dressed herself in a white dress with blue lining to enhance her bright appearance. The maiden also wore a wide, unsettling grin on her face. "I heard a lot about you two. Jessica and Chad Williams. After countless years of abuse, you couldn't stop yourself from getting the police involved. You wanted to free yourself from the pain, but instead it followed you... stalked you. After all, you can run... but you can't hide what he did to you. The chains he forged still bind you to him. That is why you still love him, is it not?"

Jessica lowered her head shamefully. Whoever this woman was, she was right. Jessica, even after everything that had happened, still loved Chad with all her being. Just as it had pained her to be with him, it pained her to be without him. She was trapped in an endless cycle. One she had intended to break in front of the court. Chad simply growled at the two woman. "What kind of bullshit is this?"

"Oh, come on Chad, we know you just love to harm us girls." The strange woman continued. "But, why could that be? Could it be because your mother didn't love you enough? Because your sister always took the spotlight over you, no matter what you tried? Or could it be because your father beat you, just like how you beat your wife?"

The former couple felt fear creep up their spines. This woman didn't just hear about them, she knew them. This time it was Jessica who asked. "Who... who are you?"

"Who am I?" The woman chuckled. "They call me, 'Smiles.' A cute name, one I quite like. Now... let me free you from your shackles."

-------
"How bad is it?" Detective Johnson asked as he approached his partner.

"Real bad, Howard." Detective Rogers muttered, covering her nose from the smell of blood. "It's Smiles again."

Under the tarp were two victims, Chad and Jessica Williams. A demolition crew called nine-one-one three hours ago reporting that they had found their bodies in a warehouse. Both of them were sliced clean in half, with no evidence of a weapon on sight. To make matters worse, drawn upon the wall was a massive smiley face... drawn using Jessica's blood. "Don't beat yourself up over this, Jolly. We had no way of knowing they would attack these two."

The female detective sighed. "I just wish we knew their pattern..."

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and Dahlexpert: Just Demon Things

Rebecca applied the finished touches to the large battle axe. The weapon took her much longer to forge due to the need of tungsten for the metal base. However, thank to her father's specialized forge, the young blacksmith as able to finish the axe and still have enough time to test it on a target dummy. She gave the mighty weapon a wide swipe, cutting the plastic mold clean in half.

Wreave entered the forge area and saw her slicing the dummy in half. "Hmm that looks mighty fine. You did excellent work with that axe."

"It's my specialty," The petite lady remarked with a smirk.

"I will admit the weapon looks great... better then what I was working with for years. It was... was definitely worth the payment I gave you to make it." Wreave said rubbing the back of his head."

Rebecca winked at the man. "Any time~"

Wreave looked at the woman and picked up the Ax. "Listen I know that what I did was payment, and I’m happy you didn’t try to hurt me afterwords.” Wreave coughed to clear his throat. "But what I did was really suitable payment. There’s really nothing else? Because I wouldn’t mind continuing that.”

The blacksmith let out a drunken giggle and murmured, "Pervert..."

“I’m not perverted. It's just... it’s been a while since I’ve done that and not have it turned into a bloody mess the next day.”

"What are you two talking about?" Yavira interrupted with intrigue with her voice.

"Speaking of perverts..." Rebecca muttered before drinking from a whiskey bottle. "What do ya want, Yavira?"

Wreave breathed the air around him and it smelled of demon. His eyes immediately started glowing red and he threw the axe where he thought Yavira was. "That’s a warning demon. Now, show yourself.” Horns slowly formed on Wreave head as his skin started to crack.

The weapon passed through Yavira's ashen body. "Hey! Is that any way to treat someone you just met?"

“You're a demon! You have a few seconds to explain why I shouldn’t kill you.” Wreave horns being full out and his skin was pale. His other half was fully out and he tossed his claw to the side. "Start talking little one.”

"She works for us, dumbass!" The blacksmith yelled at the halfbreed.

The now demon Wreave looked at the blacksmith. "It works for us?" The half bread looked at the shade. "You don’t hurt the people here?”

"It? It?" Yavira's voice raised as her anger boiled. "I am a woman you inconsiderate bastard!"

“I don’t care what you are. You're a demon... just like me. I’m bound to this human. What’s your excuse?”

"Have you no respect?" The shade floated so that she stood taller then the demon before her.

This just made the demon smile almost begging for a fight. Now just wait a minute now, I know you wanna fight this thing. And to be honest I do to, but we can’t fight this shade we just heard that it works for these guys. The demon continued to stare down the shade, until his horns receded and Wreave was back in control. “To answer your question; no, i don’t. I don’t respect anyone until they prove they are worthy of it.” His skin started to heal and he pointed to Rebecca. "I respect her because she’s proven she’s a talented blacksmith. I respect Arthur for not stabbing me in the back. You, I don’t know... but I’m willing to try so let’s start over. My name is Wreave and you are?”

"Yavira." She answered, her expression still full of disdain towards the halfbreed.

“Right look I’m not used to being alongside demons... after all, most try and rip me apart and steal my other half. And, truth be told, I still don’t trust anyone here. That takes time. So I’ll tell you what... I won’t fight and kill you, if you promise not to do the same deal.”

"This little cupcake? Kill you?" Rebecca bursted into a fit of laughter.

Wreave looked confused. "Did I say something funny?” He said as he retrieved his axe.

"The fact that you see Yavira as a threat is adorable." The blacksmith remarked, still laughing.

“It’s... she’s a demon. All demons are a threat, including me... depending on how forceful I wanna be.” He coughed to clear his throat. "But you’re telling me that she’s harmless?”

"Of course! I wouldn't dare hurt anyone!" The ashen maiden pleaded with Wreave. "I'm just an enchantress..."

Wreave looked confused at the shade. "What's an enchantress?" He asked curiously.

"She uses enchanting magic." Rebecca crossed her arms. "Don't tell me you've been living under a rock."

"I've lived in caves, forest, the occasional tent... I think rarely in a apartment."

"Bloody hell." Rebecca groaned loudly as her hand collided with her face.

“What I lived in civilized society for the first ten years of my life, been on the road ever since." Wreave looked at the shade. "So tell me... what do these enchantments do?”

"When you apologies." Yavira demanded, crossing her arms as well.

“You are joking right? I’ve never apologize to a demon in my life.”

"When you apologize." Yavira repeated through gritted teeth.

Smoke could be seen coming out of Wreave mouth and nose. "Fine... I’m. I’m.” Wreave took a breath. "I’m sorry for throwing my axe at you.”

"Try again." Yavira stated.

let me kill her and get it over with.

Wreave sighed and took another breath. " I’m sorry for throwing my axe and threatening you and trying to kill you.”

"Anything else you want to apologize for?" Yavira raised an eyebrow.

“What!? What else am I apologizing for?”

Yavira sighed. "This is pointless..."

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and Dahlexpert: Just Demon Things Part 2

Wreave thought about it and scowled. "Oh for the love of god.” He then got a sharp headache. "Yeah, fuck you too, old man.” Wreave sighed. "I’m sorry for calling you a demon, a thing and not a lady. Is that good enough?”

"See, what that so hard?" The shade lady replied with a coy grin on her face.

“I can still kill you with my claw lady, and yes, that was very difficult.”

"Trust me, you can't." Rebecca chimed in with her flask in hand. "Shades are exceptionally hard to kill and Yavira here seems to be exceptionally harder."

“Great, that’s just wonderful. Now can someone please explain to me what enchanting is and what kind of magic it uses.”

"Enchanting is it's own kind of magic." Yavira explained. "Through ones own knowledge and study of magic, you can place magical properties, or enchants, on to practically anything. Weapons, tools, armor, toys, you name it. Of course, the larger the item or the more complex the enchant, the more mana you will need. Back in the day, priests would even use a portion of their own lifeforce to ward their churches from demons."

“Hmm question, can you add enchantments to a body part?”

"Enchantments don't work on living things." Yavira answered.

Wreave looked down at his claw. "Hmm... thank you for that information, will you like me to give you something, for that information and as an apology?”

"Unlike Rebecca, I don't do favors." She stated. "The information is free, however, if you want me to enchant anything, you'll have to pay up."

Wreave looked at his axe and back at the shade. "Think you can put two enchantments, if not then just one?”

"There is a limit of one enchantment per item." Yavira added. "But, yes, once you get payed, I can enchant your axe."

“Great, because I don’t wanna waste what our blacksmith gave me by turning this into a rusty bloody mess. Do once I get paid think you can enchant this so it never looses its sharpness?”

"That should be simple enough to make." She replied with a confident smile.

“Thank you.” He then turned to Rebecca. "Though that probably means I won’t be coming for favors, for my Axe. Though I’m sure I can find a way to give you favors for something else.”

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll come up with something." Rebecca grinned before taking another drink from her flask.

“Well you can label it as practice, that’s what you called it. And like I said I wouldn’t mind that again, so long as you don’t do something horrible to me afterwords.” Wreave went to rubbing his, not sure me how to feel about the Blacksmith's payment.

"Oh, practice? Tell me more~" Yavira floated over to Rebecca and wrapped her arms around the blacksmith. "What have you been practicing?"

"None of your damn business..." The petite human grumbled as she put her flask back in her cleavage.

“What? are you embarrassed by what we did? I mean, I enjoyed it and you enjoyed it... so who cares if people know?”

"I have no reason to share my sexual life with anyone, especially this pervert of a demon." Rebecca glared at the enchantress, who simply giggled seductively.

“You are all very strange people. I’m gonna test my new axe. I’m sure there’s some hell hounds around the area, or they’ll come to me wanting to drink my blood, regardless thank you Rebecca for the axe.”

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and ZombieSplitter: Drinking Buddies

Rebecca carefully placed the molten metal on a large anvil. She held the newly forged weapon with her prosthetic arm while she hammered away at it with her real hand. After several minutes of precise strikes, the blacksmith placed it into a vat of water. Steam radiated from the metal before she pulled it out, scoffed at it and placed the warhammer back into the furnace.

"No good?" asked a stranger, a dark skinned man walking into the forge with a curious smile. "Bet you're a woman of discerning tastes."

Rebecca pulled her flask out of her revealing shirt and drank from it. "What do ya want, Tyrone?"

"I have something I want you to look at." He lifted up a sheathed sword. The scabbard itself was really old and she could tell from the hilt that the sword itself was likely in bad condition.

The petite woman took the blade into her hands and inspected it. "This is rusted heavily due to it's age, more of a relic then a weapon at this point. Where did you find it?" She asked as she unsheathed the sword to examine the blade proper.

It was old, worn, rusted, and chipped. "Passed down through my family. Though it stopped being usable a while ago as I'm sure you can see..."

"So, whatcha want me to do with it?" She asked as she dusted the blade off lightly.

"Restore it," Tyrone said. "As best as possible. I know it won't be easy. But money isn't a problem."

Rebecca grabbed a walkie talkie from the table next to her and shouted into it. "Yavira, get your lazy ass to the forge!"

A moment later, the shade woman floated into the room. "What is so important that you needed to wake me up?"

"What I need is for you to check this aged piece of crap for enchantments and to clear any you find." Rebecca chucked the sword at Yavira, the weapon get stuck on her ashen form.

The shade sighed as she pulled the blade out of her body. "Always so aggressive..." Her interested peaked when she noticed the dark skinned man in the room. "Oh? Did you finally find yourself a boyfriend, Rebecca?"

Tyrone studied the shade closely, oblivious to her potentially embarrassing remark. "Are you... physically female? Interesting..."

Yavira paused for a moment, tilting her head like a clueless puppy. "I'm not sure what you mean by that..."

"He means that shades usually don't have features, much less boobs." Rebecca stated bluntly. "Now get back to work... Tyrone here still owes me a drink."

"I do, don't I." He crossed his arms. "We can go get that now as long as you're not too busy."

Rebecca pulled her bra up slightly and placed her flask inside of it. "Then let's get moving. Those drinks would drink themselves."

Tyrone nodded to the Shade and waved his hand to the door. "Of course, your reputation already has me worried this is gonna cost me a lot of money."

Rebecca merely chuckled as she followed him. "Better get used to putting payments on your tab."

"Oh? We gonna make this a regular thing then?" He laughed and shook his head.

"If ya want it to, I ain't gonna stop you." Rebecca remarked. "Just know I'm a feisty one."

"So where do we go to get a drink around here anyway?"

"I know a place, but fair bit of warning." The petite woman grinned widely at Tyrone. "I may have convinced a bunch of the guys that drink there that I fucked Arthur."

Tyrone slowed for a second. "Did you?" he shook his head. "Sorry... that's none of my business."

"Of course I didn't, I lost a bet, but he turned down the offer." Rebecca joked. "Of course, we had to make it convincing to avoid any backlash."

"Oh?" Tyrone smiled lightly. "Kinda wish I was there."

Rebecca chuckled in return. They soon reached the tavern in question. It looked to be somewhat run down, various signs of damage scattered across the entrance. Inside, sounds of an argument echoed there way outside. Rebecca quickly walked up to the doors and announced her presence by saying, "Guess who's back?"

The two guys who looked to be starting to fight immediately froze while the bartender let out a sigh of relief. "I thought I lost a valuable customer when that Arthur fellow showed up."

Tyrone stepped in behind her, surveying the room like he was on the hunt, never taking any chances.

Many of the guys seemed to be scared of Rebecca, while others looked at her with jealous eyes. Almost all of them, were buzzed if not completely wasted. The blacksmith sat down in her normal spot and turned to the bartender. "I got myself a new drinking buddy."

"Tyrone," he said to introduce himself. "I take it you're well stocked if she comes here regularly."

The bartender chuckled. "I hope she didn't convince you to pay for it. Her last drinking pal ended up living on the streets a week later."

"I really hope he's joking," Tyrone said to her, rubbing the back of his head.

"Get me my first round!" Rebecca exclaimed with excitement.

Tyrone sighed. "So what's your poison?"

"Beer and Whiskey." The drunken smith answered.

"Simple enough." Tyrone looked at the bartender. "Two Demon Heart Ales and two shots of whiskey."

"Coming right up." The bartender moved to start making their drinks.

As they waited for their first rounds to be prepared, two large looking men approached Rebecca. "So, who's this?"

"Why do you care?" Rebecca answered.

Tyrone looked up at them. "Tyrone. And the lady and I are here to share a drink... alone."

"Well, you see, this little tart is ours... so you don't get-"

The man was interrupted by Rebecca slamming his head against the edge of the table. She glared at his comrade, who jumped back in fear. "Lady, we... we didn't mean any trouble... I swear."

"Then don't take claim to something you don't have." The blacksmith growled.

Tyrone blinked. He thought he was a bit quick to anger... "I suggest you leave before things get violent... more violent."

He picked up his unconscious friend and ran off. Once they were gone, Rebecca bursted out into a fit of laughter. "Did you see the look on his face?"

Tyrone couldn't help but smile. "Guess when you try to claim ownership of someone, you should be sure they can't kick your ass, huh?"

"I think they should learn to hold there drinks better." Rebecca joked as a waitress handed them their drinks.

Tyrone nodded to her and said, "You hold yours pretty well. Though that seems to come from being drunk most of the time."

"Haven't found a single person who can out drink me." She answered while downing her entire drink in one go.

Tyrone drank his a little slower. "So... why do you do this?"

"Why do I do what?" Rebecca asked with a hiccup.

"You know... drink yourself into a stupor so much? Is there something eating at you?"

"Well, my father is dead and I never met my mother, if that amounts to anything..." Rebecca stated as she finished her fourth drink.

"Not trying to bring you down," he said. "Just trying to understand you."

She had finished her ninth drink. "Don't worry about it, I've got a job, what more could I need?"

He held up a hand. "Maybe... you should slow down a bit."

"Where's the fun in that?" Rebecca mumbled, her face bright red.

"I mean... if you drink too much and get too wasted, how can we carry on a conversation?" Tyrone raised an eyebrow.

"I'll let you know if that ever happens." Rebecca stated as she downed a drink.

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and ZombieSplitter: Drinking Buddies Part 2

Tyrone did his best to keep up, but was sorely outmatched. He felt himself become lucid and woozy while wondering how she could drink as much as she did without alcohol poisoning.

"You know you aren't supposed to drink yourself under." Rebecca stated as she finished her twentieth drink.

"Oh? No... no, I'm... fine..." He let out a soft burp. "'Scuse me. So... any siblins'?"

"Only child." Rebecca answered, getting up from her seat. "And it sounds to me like you're done for the day."

"No, no... wanna... have a few more. Talk about... sister. Love... erp, her..."

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Alright, off your ass, big guy."

Tyrone groaned and stood up, wobbling a bit. "You're da boss, pretty lady..."

The young blacksmith helped the man steady himself and guided him back to the guildhouse. As they walked along the sidewalk, Rebecca said, "Promise me you won't try and out drink me, okay?"

Tyrone laughed drunkenly. "Afraid I'll... w-win next time?"

"Nah, it would look bad for business if you died trying to keep up." Rebecca chuckled lightly.

He leaned into her a bit. "Still, we... h-had fun, right? But my wallet is... surprisingly light now..."

"I'd say it was a fun moment," She smirked a bit.

"You should... meetin' my sister. She'd like you..." Tyrone hiccuped. "Man... I'm wasted, huh?"

"No shit Sherlock." They were close to the guildhouse as she joked. "Maybe when you sober up I can show you how I convinced the guys that I fucked Arthur."

Tyrone chuckled and stood up straight. "I need coffee."

"What you need is some rest... 'cause you're gonna feel this in the morning for sure."

Tyrone placed a hand on his head. "This gonna be... one of those... 'I'm never drinking again' siti... sita... times, huh?"

"Yep..." Rebecca pulled her flask out of her breasts and took a swig from it.

He chuckled. "And yet still you d-drink..."

"I've developed quite the tolerance." The smugness in her tone was apparent as she opened the doors to the guildhouse.

"Is that a... good thing? Doesn't it take... away the fun?"

"Not when you're always drunk."

He laughed, a little louder then he otherwise would have.

"Get over here, you can sleep in my bed for the day." Rebecca offered her new drinking partner.

He nodded, his eyes opening and closing in odd patterns and slowly closing as he yawned.

He's gonna black out, isn't he? She thought while guiding Tyrone to her makeshift bedroom.

He tried his best to follow along. He didn't want the embarrassment of passing out on her.

Rebecca sat him down on the mattress, using her prosthetic arm to hold him steady. "You. Sleep. Now."

"Yes... ma'am..." He said, closing his eyes and quickly slipping off.

"Night, tough guy." The blacksmith couldn't help but grin at all of the teasing she could get away with the next day.