Exalted (closed for me and SHARPii)

[ShadowFighter88]

I watched the dark-clad man move quickly down the alley. From a distance, you wouldn’t really notice him if it weren’t for how rugged up he was under a heavy black trench coat with a wide-brimmed hat pulled low over his face. But even with that rather conspicuous choice of clothing (which reminded me of a darker Rorschach more than anything), something about him made your eyes glide away, like your mind wrote him off as just another guy on the street before you even realised he was there.

But I knew it was there, knew what to look for. That was how I’d found him earlier that night. When I’d found out about this little trick of his, I was rather relieved to find out he wasn’t just a psychopath. That the eight people he’d killed had been for another purpose. After all, no Deathknight would go to the trouble of killing mortals unless they had something to gain out of it (and if they were just in it for the slaughter, then others would’ve dealt with him already).

I had to take him out. No mortal would be able to stop him and I couldn’t stop to call one of the handful of other Exalts I knew of in the city. Mainly because my mobile phone was Elsewhere, along with the rest of my possessions. A city like New York and no-one pays any attention to a lone crow flying overhead, especially at night.

I am one of the Lunar Exalted – granted divine power by Luna, the Many-Faced Goddess of the moon to take the form of many animals. Personally though, she could’ve come up with a better way for us to obtain most of those forms, but such is life. That night, I looked like any ordinary crow. If someone with a particularly strong will saw me (and no mortal would be able to do this, mind) they would notice a slight deformity in my beak, almost like I had fangs, and my eyes would look more like a cat’s than a bird’s. And were I not hiding them with magic, anyone would see a massive series of swirling silver patterns through my feathers covering most of my body.

The person I followed was an Abyssal Exalted, also known as a Deathknight – a servant of the Underworld who seeks to reduce all of Creation to Oblivion. Like me, he was granted power from a god-like being that pushed him far beyond the capabilities of mere mortals.

It explained why the police had had such trouble finding him – he probably had all kinds of charms to prevent leaving evidence behind or from anyone hearing what he did to his victims. Each of them had had a part of their body removed while still alive and what was taken seemed totally random – a kidney here, an ear there, one had even had his entire spinal column removed. I didn’t know what he planned to do with these body parts, but I knew he wasn’t just taking them as trophies. That much care in removing the part intact meant he needed them for something.

Suddenly, he stopped. A woman was ahead of him, bent over and looking for something. Maybe she had been taking a shortcut through the alley and dropped something. I landed on the lip of one building and shifted back into my human form, my clothes and other possessions returning from Elsewhere. I slowly drew a dagger from my belt, ready to step in if the Abyssal decided to add a ninth to his list of victims.

 

[Malicious Lullaby]

Oh…what a long night. What I would give to simply meet a rich man to make him his spoiled little bride and be showered with lovely riches and lavishes. But then of course, I’d be a little gnat and a gold digger with absolutely no morals and I could not live that kind of life. Oh well, perhaps a nice hot bath would be nice. Hmm…lavender. Her mind reeled on and on as she was nearing closing time of the bar and grill. She was bussing down tables, making them squeaky clean—one of the only waitresses to give a care to keep it so clean—and putting the chairs up on the table.

As others started to leave, she soon remained to be the only one there, as she was the one to close up bar every night. Honestly, she hated it, especially since it was the city but it was always handy to come prepared; a rape whistle and a bottle of mace. It never hurt.

Locking up, she left the place and started on walking home, putting her keys away in her bag. Clad in a white shirt with the café logo on the top right corner and a pair of blue jean shorts that looked like they were once jeans with the way she had cut them, she pulled on her black jacket and tied her hair up in a messy bun. What a long day and all she wanted now was to take a hot bath and curl up under her covers and sleep a very long sleep until her next three o’clock shift. Not something she was looking forward to. She made really good tips but she did not appreciate the constant cat whistles and near attempts of grabbing her bottom. She could do without that, especially since she always wanted to grab their hand and twist them until the bone protruded out and blood spurted out. What a dream.

On her way home, she took out her phone after feeling and hearing the vibration of a text message but as she did, something fell out of her purse that landed on the dark ground with a metal clank. Oh crap, it must have been her rape whistle. She needed that badly, especially in this dark night. Bending down, she looked around for it, using her phone as a light to try to see it. There, in the gutter was her rape whistle. At least this gutter wasn’t so far down. Sighing, she put her phone down and crouched down on her knees and reached her hand into the nasty gutter and fished around for her whistle. Her hand grasped onto something squishy and she screamed, pulling her hand back. She began to quiver and shiver quite a bit, flapping her hand around as if she had just been bitten by something awful. She did not like the feeling she got when she felt that something squishy. “Ew…” She whined. During her search, her phone had been swiped away by some kind of an unknown source. So as she made her attempt to grab it so she could use it as a light, she found it gone. “No…” She frowned, letting out a loud sigh and reached her hand into the gutter again and grabbed what she believed to be her whistle. Pulling it out, she held it up and saw slime and gross fluids all over it and she groaned. “Nasty city.” She muttered, standing up and using her jacket to clean it off. Because she did that, she put her rape whistle away and took her jacket off in an instant and put it in her back, not wanting to be covered in that goop. What a great start to an even more awful night!

 

[ShadowFighter88]

As the woman stood up and took her jacket off, I noticed the Deathknight make a series of gestures. I was no expert on sorcery, but I recognise it when I see it. Sound in the alley seemed to dampen until I leant forward slightly and it all became clear. Obviously, the spell stopped sound from exiting a certain area and I was right on the edge of that area.

Another few gestures and I saw how he planned to keep the woman from running. Obviously, his subtlety extended only as far as people outside of the alley as the spell caused a wall of bones and skulls - no doubt formed from ghosts he'd bound to himself in the Underworld - to erupt from the ground and block off the woman's way out. Her only other option was to go around the Abyssal, who had already started to slowly walk towards her. He was still several metres away, but in the deathly silence he'd brought down over the alley, I could hear him clearly from the top of the building.

"Yes, your heart will do nicely." Seems he'd found a ninth victim.

 

[Malicious Lullaby]

Standing up, she turned and soon this swarm of human bones put together and created a wall around her. It was then her eyes caught onto the figure coming towards her. Swallowing hard, she felt herself freeze up a little bit but then when she felt some blood flow back into her body, she searched her purse frantically for her rape whistle and mace. She just had it too but now it was like it wasn’t even in there anymore as it took a long while for her to find it. “Come on…” Her hands and her body were shaking so uncontrollably that because she felt mace or the whistle would work, she didn’t think twice about running when she had the chance.

When she looked up, the figure had gotten alarmingly closer and she was officially freaking out. “Oh no..oh no…” She finally found her mace and she adjusted it to spray it but it wouldn’t spray. She whacked it a couple of times, fearing she may have forgotten to refill it because in the past couple of weeks, she had to use it quite often. Shaking it, she heard the sound of a liquid in there and she pressed her finger onto the nozzle to make it spray but it still wouldn’t work. As if there was something lodged into the spout to make not spray. Dropping it out of her shaky hands, she then fished into her bag once again, looking up to see him right dead in front of her. “P-Please don’t kill m-me…” She begged, her heart beating almost uncontrollably and uncomfortably in her heart.

 

[ShadowFighter88]

"Yes," he said, staring at, no, through her chest. "It is exactly what I require." He seemed to be ignoring her entirely, like he was looking at a camera in a store and deciding if it was what he wanted or not. And, sucker for the dramatic that I am, I couldn't resist using that line for a rather theatrical entry.

"Shame you won't get your hands on it then," I said, hurling the dagger down at him, the weapon travelling almost as fast as a bullet. Still, he was an Exalt too - that wouldn't have stopped him even if I hadn't given myself away. In the same instant, he seemed to almost teleport back from her a few metres as the blade embedded itself into the ground.

I was already on my way down, leaping off the roof and kicking off any foothold to slow my descent - several of which wouldn't have held my weight normally, before landing in a crouch between the Deathknight and the woman. My heavy tan duster was spread out behind me, my long dark hair tucked down the back of it, between it and my shirt. Because of the Essence I'd spent to throw the dagger and land safely, my forehead glowed with a symbol of Luna's power. A solid disc of silver light, marking me as a Lunar of the Full Moon Caste. The magic that had hidden my moonsilver tattoos was gone, revealing the silver lines that - to anyone with the skill to read them - told of my life up until they were applied. Of course, most of these were hidden by my clothes, only two thin lines running up the sides of my neck were visible.

My caste mark flared for a moment as I wrenched the dagger out of the ground and hurled it at the Deathknight, faster than the human eye could follow. But the Abyssal was no human and easily caught the dagger out of the air before throwing it right back at me, just as fast where I caught it by the hilt. He'd been a little slow on the catch though, as his hat fell back, landing on the ground behind him to reveal a gaunt, pale face. His head was bald and clearly showed his own caste mark. The half-filled circle of the Daybreak Caste, the sorcerers and inventors of the Abyssals. His caste mark, however, did not glow with light like mine, but looked almost like a wound, blood trickling down his face.

"Hey, miss?" I said over my shoulder, not taking my eyes off the Abyssal. "Stay behind me."

 

[Malicious Lullaby]

Her brow rose when it said that, and she swallowed hard. “Um…” It was then she heard a voice and she looked around to the origins of it but saw nothing until a dagger came flashing forward, the figure before her leaping back before the dagger made contact. Like a blink of an eye really. Quite astounding. Biting her lower lip, she then saw the person who owned the dagger come forth, causing a barrier between her and the figure, thankfully. Swallowing hard, she took a step back but then stopped, suddenly finding her body freezing and unable to move. Not by any certain force other than fear.

When the man before, her savior apparently, spoke, she nodded. “Of course not, because to do against it would be stupid.” She murmured, shocked she was even able to find any words to speak, let alone sarcastically.

It astounded her, the kind of power both these…specimens were able to contract, the glow from their foreheads mesmerizing. Looking at the man before her, he was an interesting one, definitely different and she had no idea that such could exist. Like she knew what he was at all but still; astounding!

 

[ShadowFighter88]

"Isn't it the Solars who normally save damsels in distress, rather than their pets?" the Deathknight mocked as he readied himself for a fight, the caste mark on his forehead resembling a searing brand more than a symbol of divine power. I didn't bother with a retort so as not to give him the satisfaction... well, that and because I couldn't think of anything. I sheathed the dagger and ran at him, a fist already aimed at his head. I kept swinging at the Abyssal, changing my style constantly to try and catch him off-guard. Fighting bare-handed was my speciality and I have to give him credit for dodging as well as he did. What blows did connect didn't land with any serious force behind them, but I was puzzled about why he wasn't using his hands to protect himself or fight back. That's when I realised what he was doing with his hands had nothing to do with the fight and I immediately lunged at him with a charm that could bypass all but the mightiest defence.

I felt ribs crack as my fist slammed into his chest and he was propelled backwards as his anima flared. Black un-light lit the alleyway, in stark contrast to my own silver anima that had flared as I made the attack, and he grinned as the ground opened up behind him into a staircase that seemed to lead down into the bowels of the earth. He landed on his feet just before the stairs and ran off. I had thought he was casting a spell to kill me, but he was escaping. And if that staircase lead where I thought it did, not even the Unconquered Sun himself could force me down there.

The black staircase faded away and my anima started to dim as the adrenalin made its way out of my system. I heard the wall of bone collapse as I turned around, the bones quickly turning into dust and fading away. Since she had seen me with my anima flaring, the power of my Exaltation was no longer hiding my Tell from her. The minor animalistic features all Lunars possess, representative of their spirit shape, their Second True Form. In my case, my Tell was gold, feline eyes and cat-like fangs. To normal mortals, the Tell is invisible, but to anyone who's seen a Lunar's anima blaze, it is permanently visible to them.

"You okay?" I asked her.

 

[Malicious Lullaby]

As soon as it started, it was almost like it was over. The creepy figure had escaped and now it was just her and savior. As he turned to face her, her eyes went a little wide because he definitely didn't look completely human. Pursing her lips, she looked around and saw the bone wall turn to dust and fade away as if never there. Looking back at him, she bit her lower lip. "Uh...sure. If that's how you want to say it." She nodded slowly, taking a step to him but then stopped.

Her eyes were locked onto his golden ones, unable to look away. They looked like two gold pebbles and were absolutely mesmerizing. "W-What are you? And what was that thing? And what just happened?" Her mind was boggling because she didn't know what to make of all this.

 

[ShadowFighter88]

((Sorry for the slow reply - things've been a bit hectic around here today.))

"That's... kinda hard to explain." I said, scratching the back of my head. "Strictly speaking, you weren't supposed to see anything strange, but that guy obviously couldn't resist showing off. Anyway, I have to get out of here soon, so I'll give you two options. You can either go home and forget all of this happened, or you can meet me at a cafe downtown in three days time and I'll explain it all there."

 

[Malicious Lullaby]

[no worries. i understand. it's been a long day tonight as it is. only just getting through to all my roleplays hehe]

Her brow remain raised and she nodded slowly. For all she knew, she had already been tucked away in bed and this was just a bad nightmare. One she'd probably forget or most definitely remember. It was easier to remember the bad than the good unfortunately. "Um...right. Well, this is clearly a nightmare so if I remember, I suppose I'll see you at Jobba's in three days." Jobba's was where she worked; perhaps a most friendly venue for a bar and grill. It definitely didn't feel like it was a bar for it had that nice homey feeling but it was indeed a bar. With that testament of hers, she most awkwardly held her bag closer to her and she turned slowly, walking quickly in the direction of her apartment. Once there, she got in quickly, locked all the doors and turned on all the lights. Pinching herself as hard as she could, she squeaked a bit at the realization that this wasn't a dream or nightmare at all. For the rest of that night, she found it impossible to sleep. She feared she'd picture that creepy dark figure again. A true terror.

 

[ShadowFighter88]

"Don't worry - I'll make sure that guy doesn't go after you. And if he does, I'll make sure you're safe." I had already shifted back into my crow form and taken to the skies before she turned around.

Even if she didn't take me up on the offer, that Abyssal had his eyes on her heart and there was no way I was letting him get his hands on it. So I tailed the woman from the air the same way I'd followed the Deathknight earlier. When she went into her apartment building, I started circling around it and waiting for lights to come on in one of the rooms (once again thinking to myself that I should try and learn a mouse form or similar sometime).

I saw her through the windows of one apartment and perched on the roof of an adjacent building where I could see into her apartment. I couldn't see her because she'd drawn the curtains after entering, but with her lights on I would be able to see any movement inside.

Now, even though I'm Exalted, I still need sleep, just not as much. I wasn't going to be able to cover her for all three days, but I knew another Lunar who owed me a favour. The next morning, I shifted back into human form when I got the chance (when she wouldn't see me on the rooftop) and called him, filling him in on what happened and making sure he could help cover her and deter - or better yet, kill - the Abyssal if he showed up again.

Over the next few days, things were pretty quiet. Me and my friend took turns watching over her and keeping an eye out for the Deathknight. He never showed and there was nothing else in the newspapers about further killings, but the latter didn't mean much since he'd always been quite patient between kills. So, come Friday afternoon, I found myself at Jobba's, heading in to see her. I'd been in the place a few times over the last couple of days, but never in my true form. Most people think Lunars can only change from human form to an animal one or into a warform, but that's not true. We can learn charms to swap gender or alter the minor aspects of our appearance (hair colour/length, eye colour, ethnicity, etc) or even change our clothing temporarily, and she could've seen me a hundred times without recognising me. Of course, I only went in about four or five times since I was having a bit of a mental block when deciding on how I should look going in.

This time, I went in as myself. Nothing special for clothing, plain tan trousers, dark shirt and a dark jacket. I grabbed a seat that was somewhat out of the way, but still somewhere she'd see me, and waited for her to come over. This was going to be a long conversation and I didn't want people overhearing. Of course, I knew the owner through a mutual friend and had told him I'd be meeting one of his employees. He knew about the supernatural so he also knew why I had to speak with her. He wasn't about to go letting on that he knew, he knew better than that.

 

[ShadowFighter88]

((Bump due to edited post - modified the start of it to have him reassure her a bit.))