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Captain Ash

A man gone wild, either by lust, by wars, or by the desert sun. Or maybe he's just clinically insane.

0 · 585 views · located in The Rockaverse

a character in “Lords of Rock”, as played by Lord Saethos

Description

"This reminds me of the war! Such happy days!"

ImageName: Captain Logrem Percival Ashefield "Ash"
Sex: Lot's of it. Sorry? Oh, right! Male! Yes, that's the one!
Age: Rather rude to ask, but 37!

Physical Description: Average athletic build, and a light skinned fellow (as he is very much a foreigner to this planet). He typically wears clothes designed for "wear and tear" and adventure, though can also enjoy more luxurious clothes (when time and money permits). Captain Ash has what could be called a "posh" accent, a feature of the "privilege" he was once born into.
Clothing: Suitable for any true adventurer!
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 160lbs
Skin Colour: Typically a light peachy tone, though the desert often leaves it a little olive.
Hair Colour: Golden Blonde
Eye Colour: Dashing Blue
Sex Appeal: In a phrase, dripping in it.

Home Town: Tytherleigh, on the planet of Sommer
Occupation: Once a soldier, now an adventurer, always a gentleman.
Culture: "Galactic", though "Sorillian", or more specifically "Sommerian" would be more accurate.
History/Bio: Captain Ash (proper name: Logrem Percival Ashefield), was born to a minor family of nobility on the planet Sommer, in the old Kingdom of Sor. Growing up, he was always destined for the military, mostly because it wasn't hard for nobles to get ranks like that, but his education had proved he had at least some natural skill in the area. Having joined at 17, he rose through the ranks quickly in the naval officers academy, eventually reaching the rank of Captain. Being only 21 by the time of the invasion of the Rock, it was decided it would be better to have him serve in the invasion first and actually demonstrate practical experience in the field.

"Ash" never was permitted to command a vessel, so instead he acted as a senior officer on the primary invading ship. What he didn't realize was that he wasn't intended to remain on the ship. His father was a very popular man back on Sommer, unfortunately he was popular with the people, not the nobility. While Ash was away for the war, his family was ripped apart and murdered by forces "unknown", but which undoubtedly represented ambitious noble families. Ash would not learn this information until he stepped foot on the Rock.

With that said, Ash was made part of a crack "first assault team" meant to go down to the surface and begin securing a base for The Devil's Trident. The area was full of hostiles, and death was almost certain, which he was also unaware of, much like the fact that he was meant to die there. He didn't. Ash's team struggled to secure the area, but with the help of several other officers, they managed to secure cover and ward off the "hostile" natives. Later on he would learn about what happened to his family, which lead to him learning why he (a naval officer) was sent to the planet with a combat unit.

He continued to serve on the Rock, switching between ground combat and naval roles, resulting in a pseudo "royal marines" type team that was created for the planet. Over time he got quite good with firearms (rifles, pistols, shotguns, anything he could pick up), and of course he continued to practice his swordsmanship (as any good son of nobility would). Ash also developed many relationships with the natives on the planet, sympathizing with their plight and often finding himself at odds with the orders of his superiors. His family had always been troublesome, but his "objections" to the conflict only served to make that more clear to his "superiors".

But within a year, none of that would matter any more. The Oblivion War had begun, and the Kingdom of Sor began to crumble. Much of the army abandoned the Rock, heading back to their home planets or going to defend the capital. It was a mess, and Ash? Well, this was the perfect time to get rid of a "troublesome" soldier without causing much of a stir. After a short stint in the war itself, he was ordered to return to The Rock to assist in the evacuation. When he did get there, he was abandoned on the planet, along with whoever else couldn't escape, or chose not to.

Again, he was meant to die on the Rock. And again, he didn't.

For 16 years, he's wandered the desert planet, sometimes with company, but often alone. Many places he's come to know like the back of his hand, and others still remain to be explored. And while there's still blood in his body and air in his lungs, he intends to explore it all.

Equipment and Weapons: A mechanized carriage that houses a large collection of pistols, revolvers, rifles, shotguns, and even a couple of swords that he's collected over the years.
Styles, Powers, and Abilities: A decent enough shot with most guns, a skilled swordsman (depending on the sword entirely), and a capable outdoors man. Since he acquired the mechanized carriage he uses, he's been forced to learn more about mechanics and machines to keep it running. He also has some skills with battle tactics, though he's gotten more rusty with that over the past 16 years.

Color Code: #CD7F32

So begins...

Captain Ash's Story

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Character Portrait: Captain Ash

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#, as written by Lord Saethos
The desert was often a quiet place. Nothing but sand and the wind. Explosions, crashes, those things are not quiet, the noise and excitement of earlier was starting to wind down however.

In the distance though, a light humming, rumbling, sound could be heard. Distant, and low, but also approaching. As it so happens, steam powered, armored coaches are also pretty bad for noise pollution.

"Hm hm hm hm hm hm on a metallic horse with no name.... Where did I put that confounded little... AH! There you are!" The posh sounding gentleman exclaimed, picking up a loose revolver round from the floor. The carriage was a bit shaky, made more 'precise work' a bit more difficult. He'd have to work on the suspension later. But for now, he had people problems to deal with.

Captain Ash was a firm believer in collaboration, but these desert cannibals and other gangs, they never went to a proper school! They never learned about organizational effectiveness, or anything like that! No, today the only collaborating that would be happening would be between these bullets of Ash's, and their heads.

He stood up, slammed a door open, and leaned out to get a better look. And aim.

There, on the right, he spotted four jump out of the sand and start chasing towards someone. Was it a gang member? A survivor? Well he'd just have to ask him politely. After.

With a quick spin of his hands, he was holding two revolvers, firing both with precision, and a bit of random madness. "Come on you little buggers! I've got a piping hot meal for you!" He fired off about 3 shots with his right, and 2 with his left. He saw at least 4 of the 5 hit a target, but only two of the cannibals so far, and only torso hits. Slowed them, but they were still moving. Another pass perhaps?

Oh most definitely.

Ash kicked away wildly at some levers, managing to get the awkward metal beast to make a turn, crashing through some dunes as he emptied the rest of the rounds. The two he already hit were now down, and one other seemed to be wounded too.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Captain Ash

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#, as written by Lord Saethos
A rifle got tossed towards Otis, as Ash turned his enraged eyes towards the new comer. "No, I'm absolutely bloody furious!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, as he scrambled to pick something up. He placed a smoking pipe in his mouth, lit it up, and began puffing away. "Ruddy little goblins made me drop my pipe!" He shouted again, with no explanation for his peculiar insult.

While still smoking away, Ash went back to what he seemed to be doing before: gathering up firearms, holstering some on himself, putting others in a bag. "Take that gun and start blowing those buggers away, you hear me? But NOT the Phoenix one. I want that bloody little prig alive for myself!" With that remark, he grabbed a rather large knife with a serrated edge and sheathed that as well; a knife for cutting things up.

Ash fiddled with a few more levers before a loud 'whirring' noise started up in the machine, which soon became two of that exact same sound. The carriage began to spew out more steam and smoke, and the sound of sand being moved could start to be heard. As the smoke and steam began to rise, Ash started undoing a hatch in the ceiling of his carriage. "Remember boy, the Phoenix lives! Put a bullet in everyone else!"

With that, he grabbed one more, rather bulky looking pistol, and climbed through the hatch to the top of the carriage, being forced to move some boxes around to get on top. The smoke and steam was creating a cloud around the carriage, but Ash could still see, and the carriage was managing to more or less stay in place, for the moment.

Ash pointed the bulky gun up into the sky, and fired a single shot. A light exploded out, and then the area became coated in a bright, red light from the flare. The flare illuminated his face just well enough that looking closely would reveal the immense grin of an absolute madman, glowing red and horrifying looking from the flare. Having heard the remark from the Phoenix (whom he was aware of because of the very convenient timing of the sinkhole, and the whole 'outstretched arm' thing), Ash decided to respond.

"You think some sand will stop me? You poor bloody fools! I'm not a devil, I'm the DESERT, and I have come to do the Desert's work!" He bellowed out following it up with a maniacal laugh as more steam and smoke began to erupt around him, sending up some sand into the air as well. And as soon as Ash finished his monologue, another two pistols were pulled out and already firing away. He wasn't yet aware of how many cannibals there were, but he was hitting a few of them at least. He saw two more for sure go down before he ran dry on those pistols.

Ash casually dropped the guns back down the hatch, pulling two more out of their holsters and continuing the fire. He could see where the Phoenix cannibal most likely was, he'd seen the arm movement and managed to more or less keep an eye on his whereabouts.

Now he just had to hope that this boy was good with a gun too.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Captain Ash

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#, as written by Lord Saethos
Almost as soon as Ash had seen the gates getting closer to the group, he slowed his pace, holding out his arm to signal the girl following him not to go further. Something wasn't right, he knew that even before he saw the guards surrounding Girthfield, Otis, and the man who had run. "Bloody didgeridoo..." He whispered quietly to himself.

Ash quickly clasped a hand on Syra's shoulder and led her away to another dune, keeping as low as possible to avoid being seen. They'd now been lying there a few minutes, watching the gates, guards, and activity going on in Schittle. Seeing as the men who caught the Guardians hadn't shot them, he guessed they were still alive, for the moment at least. Perhaps they'd try to torture them, get some info about the canon perhaps?

Was hard to say what was going on now, but Ash felt like their options were dwindling down to just a few. He looked to face Syra for a moment, a grim look on his face. "My dear, I'm afraid there may only be one option left for us." His face was solemn and stern as he spoke. "We're going to have to kill Theory and every last one of his men."

He looked back at the town, knowing just how difficult the task would be, if it were even possible. "They have guns it looks like. That's good, that means they have ammo. If they have ammo, I assume they don't want to be running out, which means they probably have some place to press their. Which means..." A wicked grin began forming on his face. "They probably have gunpowder. Nice, flammable gun powder."

Ash looked back to the gate, sizing it up, trying to sort out how hard it would be to sneak in, might have to go through a wall though. He looked back at Syra again. "We may end up needing a distraction of some sort, I..." His words cut off at the sound of... A violin? His pistol was up against the dune, finger beside the trigger, not on it. Ash saw the man, nearing the gates, coming out from Schittle. "He one of Theory's men?" He whispered to Syra. Ash got the feeling probably not, judging by the clothes and incredibly weird mannerisms. Did he want to get shot? What was his plan here exactly?

And that was when he noticed that the man and him had locked eyes. Ash tried to pass it off, thinking the man must just be crazier than even himself, but no. The man with the violin was looking straight at him, dead in the eye, from probably a few dozen, maybe a few hundred feet away. He felt unsettled, but couldn't decide if it was in a good way or bad way yet.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Captain Ash

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#, as written by Lord Saethos
Ash was stunned for a moment as he saw the guards beginning to fall, their bodies convulsing, either in pain or from their muscles seizing, he couldn't really tell. But he did know that this Galneryus had some strange things about him, and that he also had created a necessary opportunity for them all.

He wasn't sure how much the man could be trusted, but he wasn't about to waste the moment. Ash dashed towards the gates of the ruined town, flicking the knife out that he had earlier. Once he made it to the gates, he quickly went between each guard, making one quick, clean stab through each of their temples. His face remained stern and steely, showing no joy or remorse in what he did, just resolve. There would be no taking chances tonight.

After Ash finished with the guards at the gates, he darted towards some of the shadows of the buildings of the town, stalking through the empty alleys as he patrolled for the armory. He didn't know if Galneryus or the girl, Syra, were going to follow him or not. Didn't matter. One way or another, Ash was going to make sure the reaper got his souls tonight, and Theory's would be among them.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Captain Ash

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#, as written by Lord Saethos
As Ash skulked through the ruins of the town, he became aware of something. Some sort of uneasy feeling came over him, or perhaps it was hanging in the air. He couldn't quite figure it out, but something was not right. Ash stood still for a few moments, taking in the unnerving silence before a piercing sound caught his ear. A horn. Theory was coming.

A deranged grin started to form on Ash's face as he contemplated the situation. "Well, looks like the first plan is buggered... Guess I shouldn't have relied so much on the music..." He cocked his pistol and got into a ready position, taking aim from behind some buildings. "Guess I'll have to go with plan two..." Ash waited for a few seconds, reading himself to put a bullet in Theory's head, and to most likely take a hail of bullets himself.

Another sound caught Ash off guard, he spun around to look in the direction of the street that led to the gates, pistol facing that way too. But it wasn't one of Theory's men he heard. It was Otis, making a mad dash for the gates. At about this same moment, Ash realized that Syra and Galneryus had not followed him into the town. Otis was out, Syra and Galneryus were out, and Girthfield was unaccounted for. On top of it all, Theory was probably leading the charge right in this direction, meaning Ash was about to become trapped behind enemy lines.

He took only seconds to decide, but it felt like an eternity. Theory and his whole army deserved to die. But Ash's chances of even killing Theory alone were getting quite slim. He bowed his head, shaking it lightly as he made up his mind. "Ash old boy... Not today..." The Captain quickly jogged through the alleys as he made his way back to the entrance, keeping low and making sure not to be seen. He kept his pistol pointed to the ground, but at the ready, his eyes darting all around him as he got closer to the gate.

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Once Ash was within a few feet of the gate, he broke into a sprint as he quickly made his way across the sand, taking big strides as he tried to put distance between himself and Schittle, less concerned about being spotted at this point. It wasn't long before he made it back up the dunes to the group, now reunited with Otis.

He must have only been a few moments behind Otis, as it seemed he and Galneryus were catching up with each other. Ash remained silent as Galneryus spoke to the group, not really knowing what to say, and feeling a little overwhelmed by the events of the last several hours or so. 'Warrior of Ash' was something that stuck with him a little. He had to admit, he rather enjoyed the sounds of it, but that may have had to do with some pyromania in him.

The direness of the situation began to sink in as Galneryus finished and made his way back to the town. Not only was Theory to be considered, but Galactic Superpowers as well, none of which he was particularly fond of. Ash had heard Otis's words, but they didn't register for a few moments. He stood silent, watching the other Guardian walk undeterred to Schittle.

Ash finally turned back to Otis, face steely and serious, and gave the boy a nod. "Otis, for a long time, the only thing hanging in the balance on this planet was justice... But today, and for a long time to come... Survival now hangs there too." He looked between Otis, Syra, and the strange young girl who seemed to be standing a ways off, not really paying mind to anyone. "I am not about to watch the people on this planet, or any other, get slaughtered."

There was a devilish grin on his face once again, something a little more familiar. "I'll go to hell itself and bring justice with me if I must. But for now, I'll curb my enthusiasm and start with Cobran, with you." Ash gave Otis a light pat on the shoulder. He was in it for the long haul now.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Captain Ash

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#, as written by Lord Saethos
Ash had a look of displeasure at the remark on the clothes. He looked down at his waist, where he'd tied his jacket around for the time being. "Yes, quite..."

He tilted his head back to the boy at the mention of the path to Cobran. "Well Otis, not to get your hopes either up or down, but I believe we need to take some time traveling through the canyons. That's at least as best as I can recall. I do know that it was near the canyons at least, any further out into The Bright and the land gets bleached white, the mountains become hills, and your skin burns."

The man chuckled lightly as he wiped a bit of sweat away from his mustache. "Well, at least we have an idea of where not to look."

Marching ever onward, Ash and Otis made their way around the bases of some of the mountains, officially having crossed the threshold into 'The Bright'. Ash kept his eyes about, watching out for any falling rocks that may try to end the two of them. Or anything more living that may try to do the same...

Setting

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Character Portrait: Captain Ash

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#, as written by Lord Saethos
Ash had followed along with Percy, absorbing the story of the man's time spent on the planet. He admired the city, but did find it to be rather strange as well, something 'out-of-this-world', even more so than most parts of The Rock. There was a strange, nagging sensation inside of him however. At times he looked over to Otis, who almost seemed to fade into the background. Was hard to tell what the boy was thinking, but Ash wasn't even certain what he was thinking himself.

They eventually had reached some kind of public eating area. Percy found them a table and sat down first, with Ash and Otis following, and soon the strange voodoo man joining them as well. Another strange Yyban playing a caricature of some variety of Sorrillian arrived, bringing with him pizza, and with that an emotional revelation for the voodoo man with them.

Ash ate. Quietly. Not typical for him. Things Percy said, things the voodoo man said, and something else beneath all of that... There were many things that bothered the mind of the Captain. He looked above, eyeing up the ceiling and surrounding areas that circled the eatery. While doing so, he spotted two figures in particular peering down. It actually looked suspiciously like they had their eyes on Ash's group. Looked like two women perhaps?

His attention was snapped back to his own group as they all made conversation. "It's a shame this is probably the best gift Sor ever gave anyone." He said coldly, watching his plate as he continued to eat. "I assume most of us are on the same page of The Rock's news and current events." Ash looked up, his gaze going between the individuals seated with him.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Captain Ash

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#, as written by Lord Saethos
Ash smirked slightly at Syra's remark. "Not for the moment at least, but the quiet makes for a lovely change of pace." He followed both Otis and Horik as they entered the carriage, his attention being caught by the girl's remark about 'Mariglen'. The Captain scratched his chin slightly in contemplation as he went over to look at the map as well. "I'm not sure if I've heard of Mariglen." Ash mentioned. "Sounds like it might be familiar, perhaps I've even traveled through there, but I can't be sure."

After Otis had chimed in about the Witch, Ash looked over at the well dressed man for a moment. "Yes, I see you've got some points of interest on your map. Are any of these leads you intend to follow? Or perhaps leads you already have followed?" Ash asked inquisitively.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Captain Ash

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#, as written by Lord Saethos
Ash watched as Syra walked off without a word, a little concerned, but feeling at this point that she could probably handle herself. He gave a little wave to Horik and Otis as they started to make their way to the desert. "Sounds good, but do tread carefully out there. Don't want to have to deal with more worms." He smirked.

Arubak's suggestion surprised Ash slightly, but he felt comfortable enough to go along with the man. "Alright, well the saloon it is then." The Captain nodded back to Arubak as they headed towards the saloon.

After a short walk, the two men found the building, two stories tall, with the top level presumably being for bedrooms. There was a couple drunks stumbling around but they minded their business for the most part. Ash stepped into the saloon first, letting Arubak follow him in as they scoped the scene out. There was a couple of tables, mostly made up of barrels with scrap wood for the tops.

The two men made their way to the bar counter and took a seat. Ash knocked his hand against the wood counter gently to get the attention of the barkeep. "Pardon me sir, but could I bother you for a whiskey for myself and my friend here?"

The barkeep cocked an eyebrow, grumbling slightly as he went to get the drinks. "You don't sound like yer from round here. What brings you fellas here?"

"Just passing through. Heard an acquaintance of ours might be here as well, thought we'd ask around." Ash responded neutrally.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: M'Kama Character Portrait: Syra Onnet Character Portrait: Horik Character Portrait: Captain Ash

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#, as written by Lord Saethos
Ash turned just in time to watch the scantily clad woman drop her weapon, Arubak having used some kind of magic to project a pebble through her hand. He looked back to Arubak, about to thank him, but then the suggestion of kidnapping came up, causing the Captain to grimace in displeasure. That was certainly not something he found himself being okay with. That was besides the point though, before either of them could do anything else, the towns people began to shift into horrid monstrosities, creatures that seemed to be coated in mud, or water, or some such substance.

He looked back to the scantily clad woman, who was also now morphing into one of these deranged beings. "This bloody day..." Was all he could mutter. Ash turned to get Arubak's thoughts on the situation, but the man was already running, and the path he had taken was now being filled in by these creatures, cutting Ash off.

There was a sigh as the Captain hung his head for a moment, giving it a shake. "Why must I continue to be interrupted by such ridiculous tomfoolery! Fine! I tried to be nice, courteous, and polite. But ladies of the night becoming creatures of the night is where I draw the bloody line!" He looked back up to see the saloon patrons all morphed, the people in the streets quickly surrounding the saloon, even the barkeep was one of them now.

"You know what, I think I could go for a bottle now." In an instant the Captain had both his pistol, and the glittering revolver Percy had gifted him, in hand. He turned towards the inside of the saloon and began to open fire, sending two rounds into the scantily clad monster's head, before turning to the others. Ash kicked one of the tables over and used it as a slight barrier as he took more shots at the monsters near the left and right sides of the bar. Several monsters fell, but he ran dry in a moment. He quickly began reloading as the monsters started to charge.

Loaded. Ash hopped over the table and started firing to the sides again as he charged towards the bar counter. A few more of the nasty things fell and Ash was face to face with the barkeep again, his face looking decayed and rotted, disgusting brown goo oozing down his face. Both guns went to the barkeeps head and released one round each into his head. He dropped to the floor and Ash climbed over the counter and behind the bar.

The Captain grabbed a bottle of whiskey and quickly slid it into his rucksack before taking a few more in hand. Ash began tossing them at the floor, the walls, the monsters, anything he could. Every bottle from the wall was getting shattered against something, coating the room in liquor. The creatures continued to approach however, so Ash quickly began smashing a piece of the shelf off, pulling a board from it that he swung at his assailants.

Once Ash felt confident in his work, he swung the board at a few more monsters, spraying their disgusting drippings to different parts of the room, before jumping back over the counter and making a dash for the stairs. He dropped the board and rummaged through his pockets quickly. "Since you've given me such a warm welcome, I feel it's only fair to give you all an equally warm goodbye! TTFN, ta ta for now!" He produced a match from his pocket, lit it, and tossed it to the floor. The room began to quickly light up in flames, and Ash continued up the stairs.

More scantily clad women awaited in the upper level, lumbering out of bedrooms and other areas, their bodies also taking on new, horrifying shapes. "Oh you bloody things... You know this is going against some very fundamental principles for me? I do not approve of harming a woman under any circumstances, even if she's wearing leather and holding a whip!" He looked around the room for other options, spying a window down a hallway. He eyed it up before giving a slight nod to himself.

"Well ladies, seems this will have to wait till another time." He grinned with a nod as he dashed towards the window, throwing himself through it. There was a crash, and the sound of glass and wood splinters flying through the air and landing on ground and buildings around it. Ash flew through the air for a moment before his body thudded and rolled across the roof of a smaller building that was beside the saloon. Quickly picking himself up, the Captain continued to dash, jumping from roof top to roof top to find the rest of his comrades.

A few minutes later, and a great deal of physical exertion on Ash's part, and he was standing on yet another roof, heaving as he tried to catch his breath and allow his legs to rest from all the jumping. Walking over to the side of the building, getting ready to do yet another jump, Ash discovered Horik was standing in an alley below, with more of the disgusting creatures piling up at the entrance.

"Excuse me young lady, are you in need of assistance?" Ash called below as he laid down on the roof, hanging his hand down within reach so that he could pull Horik up.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: M'Kama Character Portrait: Syra Onnet Character Portrait: Captain Ash

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#, as written by Wing06Twilight
Syra watched M'Kama in awe, she was impressed by the man's Phoenix power, something she didn't remember seeing when the two first met in that haphazard fight over the Sorilian ship. She felt useless fighting the magic without her own magic, but she drew the dagger that Ash had given her all the same and worked to make her mark on the beast, slashing at its ankles until it vanished in the fog created by the drowned, possessed townspeople.

She continued to support M'kama's efforts until Ash showed up ready to assist in taking out the beast. She also noticed the strange Worm had coated itself in a milky white fluid as it attacked without any hesitation, swallowing the people that made up the Earthhound

Shouldn't we be focusing on finding the source of this??" She questioned after inspecting the body of one of the fallen townspersons. It was obvious they were being used, and she wasn't sure to what end, certainly it was a lot more effort than necessary to eliminate a few outsiders.

Setting

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Character Portrait: M'Kama Character Portrait: Syra Onnet Character Portrait: Captain Ash

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#, as written by Wing06Twilight
Syra fought to keep her footing as the muck and various hands tried to drag her into the Earthhound. She resisted the urge to stab wildly into the "Creature" these people were innocent, used to further this man's agenda. She felt her blood begin to boil, she knew what it was like to be used, looked at as just a thing. These people meant nothing to Divon, and she couldn't stand to see these people used in such a way, and for what? She had to know.

As she tried to make her move, the strange Worm shot its mucus at Divon, to which the Earthhound retaliated and pounced, sending Syra into the air, and crashing onto the hard earth below. "fuck..." She gasped, pulling herself to her feet. The sound of gunshots rang out, Ash had bought the worm some time, and subsequently, her some time to catch her breath.

"What now?" she stammered, the pain slowly creeping up her back. She held her dagger tight as she walked toward the two men that she now trusted more than anyone she'd trusted in a while. "What's your plan?" She asked M'Kama.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Captain Ash

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#, as written by Lord Saethos
Ash held back a shudder as he witnessed the strange slave to the witch beat some prisoners. Perhaps they were less of a 'slave' to the witch than he had previously imagined. They all approached the forge nonetheless, and were soon greeted by the witch.

M'Kama interacted quite peculiarly with her, perhaps he it was levity he was trying to use, but the Captain couldn't figure out what purpose it was to serve.

Arubak, as expected, demanded the witch return his ring, to which the witch responded quite... Agreeably? It seemed like she was being far too agreeable for what he had expected. All of this seemed to be easier than it should have been, but perhaps he was being paranoid.

A small sound in the distance caught Ash's attention. He looked around to see what it was, but couldn't see anything. It sounded like it had come from the pool, but he couldn't really say with any certainty. Also, it felt like the group was missing people... Or was it desert dementia setting in? Was he old enough for that?

"But why are the rest of you here? What brought you so far from home?"

His attention was brought back to the witch. Ash looked at his compatriots for a moment to see what they might say, but seeing how strange this whole encounter was, and seeing as there wasn't much point in hiding their actual intentions, he spoke up.

"The bullets. The artillery bullets for the canon." He spoke bluntly as he started to make his way up the pile of gold, closer to the forge. He stopped and stood about halfway between the group and the witch now. "Where are they?" He asked in a neutral tone.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Captain Ash

0.00 INK

#, as written by Lord Saethos
The city had started to devolve into chaos, word about the city being invaded had reached most of the city at this point, causing some to flee all over the place to find shelter, and causing others (the brave, the drunk, or the angry) to charge towards the gates, guns in hand, ready to take on whatever invaders may try to get through. The crowding was already causing problems for Arubak's security forces as they tried to push back the crowds of unruly 'guests', and to ensure they had ample space to fight in if Zambob's men broke through. The arrival of a giant worm, however, did not help the cause.

Price roamed the streets further away from all the chaos, closer to bee race track. He stopped and leaned against the fence, watching as people ran about trying to figure out what to do, how best to protect themselves, and a familiar woman placed a hand down next to his.

"Exciting night it seems boss. What have you been up to?" Theresa asked with a smile.

Price chuckled lightly with a sly smile as he continued to look out at the track. "Involving myself it would seem. But I'm not quite done yet." He said with a sly smile.

Theresa bit her lip slightly in nervousness. "I mean, if that's what you wanna do, but sounds dangerous."

"Oh certainly, but this next part is more for some of my dear employees. You see, there's some strange folk who have been spending a great deal of time with Mr. Arubak of late, but it seems as though they will be leaving the Holy Land for some time. Unfortunately, this means they're going to be leaving some belongings here. I'd like someone to go and collect their things, so they can be delivered later." Price smiled as he pulled out a cigarette, attaching it to the thin black stem he liked to smoke from.

"And how do you intend to do that sir?" She asked with a crooked smile, this time a little excited and hopeful.

Price snickered to himself as he let out a long puff of smoke, his eyes locked on the giant bees being hauled back to stalls. "I have a few ideas."

________________________________________________________________________


Ash thudded to the ground after Mild dropped him, the breath knocked out of him for a moment as he rolled onto his side, trying to brush the sand aside from him. "Bugger..." He muttered to himself. The Captain looked at his hand again, still frozen, but not an impossible feat to overcome. He quickly dragged himself over to an ant that had been seating Arubak before as his left hand quickly fumbled through his pockets for a moment. Bingo.

Ash pulled a single bullet from his pocket, put it against the side of the ant so the projectile was pressed into a crack in the creature's shell, and smashed the block of ice against the bottom of the bullet, as hard as he could. There was a brief flash of light and a loud crack as the bullet exploded, a small hole being put in the ant, which now reared and bolted forward in the direction of Zambob and his army, no rhyme or reason to its movements.

Looking at the block on his hand, Ash smiled to see part of it had already broken off, and the rest was heavily cracked. Grabbing a rock from the sand, he smashed the rest of the ice off, and tensed his fingers as he tried to bring life back to them. "Thanks for the info Arubak..." Ash muttered to himself. "Next time I'll just blow your brains out."

A short battle had broken out between the phoenix who flew up with Ash, and some other phoenix's that appeared to work for Zambob. The result was the flying one taking off back over the wall, and some kind of ice shield going up in front of the door. The Captain sighed rolling his eyes. "Always bloody complicating things..." He muttered. Which was around the time he noticed Seru's fight with the Tryptian. And Seru killing him. "Clearly spoke to soon." Was all he could manage through gritted teeth as he watched his leverage bleeding all over the sand.

And then the worm showed up, which at this point didn't even surprise Ash. As one of the knights charged towards Horik and Seru, The Captain had decided that he had had quite enough. He pulled his cane from his ant, gave it a small twist, pulled the blade out, and dashed to the knight. That shining armor meant very little for the man who moved at a snail's pace compared to the Captain, and before he knew it, his whole body shuddered as Ash smashed into him and knocked him to the ground.

Finding a gap in the armor, he slid his sword through the knight's shoulder, and out the other side through a rib, in a painful way wholly incomprehensible to most people. The knight shrieked in pain as Ash pulled the helmet from the skewered knight, now placing his revolver to the sobbing man's head.

"Please don't do this!" He shouted in terror.

There was a loud crack as the revolver went off and the knight's blood sprayed across the sand, his head dropping lifelessly to the sand as blood poured from it. Ash stood up, pulled out his flask, and two handkerchiefs. He wrapped one of the clothes around the flask, and tossed it over to Syra. "Disinfect the wound and keep applying pressure." The words came out coldly as The Captain wiped the knight's blood off his face, staring ahead at the collection of knights, Guardians, zealots, and gambling cowboys that were scattered across the sands.

He placed another bullet in the chamber of his revolver, before pulling out his other revolver to arm his left hand.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Captain Ash

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#, as written by Lord Saethos
Price gave an appreciative nod to the girl at the desk as he took a seat in the lobby. Was a lovely place all in all, much like many of the mansions and palaces of Sor, Ulfire, and now the Matran. Reminded him of what he left behind...

_____________________________________________________________


Ash's face lit up as Otis finally stirred. "Otis old boy! Finally returned to us!" He exclaimed as he ran over to the unsteady young man. "Far too much as happened. You got shot, if you couldn't tell, and we've been ah..." The Captain looked up to the canon. "Well, we've been fairly busy since that." Ash went into explaining the battle that had broken out, and how he wasn't exactly sure what set it off, but that it may have been one of Arubak's trigger happy men.

"That, or that woman who walked in on our meeting about the bullets. Well... Perhaps there's one other person..." He trailed off for a moment before looking at the others. "M'Kama wasn't on the battlefield with us, at any point. I don't know where he is or where he went, but I know he wasn't in that battle."

Ash went quiet as he let Otis take in the information he had relayed, looking once more to Horik and Syra, and also waiting to get some input from Seru. "We do need to locate some place we can stay safe, especially with the canon. Not sure I like the idea of waiting here though, feels to exposed. Anyone have any other thoughts or ideas?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Captain Ash

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#, as written by Lord Saethos
Several Weeks Prior -

A light mist poured across the rolling mountain tops of some forgotten and distant land, on a distant and forgotten planet. The light of the early morning sun glimmered through, giving the fog a faint, yet radiant glow. The green grass and lichens, as well as the hodgepodge of rocks, were all coated in a light film of morning dew, but remained ready in anticipation for a rainstorm that was gently meandering to the mountains.

The faint echo of a famous Chaldenian orchestral piece from long ago could be heard emanating from one particular mountain top. What recreated these magical sounds was an old gramophone, sat upon a dark oak table, inlaid with bits of brass decor, and intricate carvings of famous Sorillian design. For added stability, the table sat upon a large slab of marble that made up a large, square patio. Beside it were other furnishings of similar make and design, some Sorillian, and others more foreign.

One particularly ornate table sat the most centrally, with beautiful carvings across its surface that depicted a gloriously triumphant battle by the Sorillian army, encased in a smooth, protective surface of golden amber. It was more resilient than glass would be for such a table, and helped ensure the artistic beauty was preserved to the greatest extent possible.

Situated at the table was a tea set, piping hot and freshly brewed, a radio that lightly crackled with life, and a singular chair. The chair itself was, as expected, exquisitely extravagant. Dark oak wood, red velvet upholstering, a tall back, and firm arm rests, all suitable to a king.

The light clinking sound of a spoon stirring in a china cup started up as the chair’s occupant began to prepare his tea. Just a little sugar added to enhance the taste, one of the few indulgences he would permit himself. Smoking, liquor, intoxicants, they were all ways to tarnish and blemish the body, and he simply refused to endure that.

Steam poured over the edges of the cup, eager to join the mist that hugged the surface of the mountain top. The man sighed lightly as he gazed upon all that was before him; the mountains, the cliffs, the valley’s, rivers, lakes. He took it all in as he sipped at his tea. “Magnificent. And truly, truly marvelous.” He softly spoke.

Maximillian Haterius Axius, or more likely better known by his titles; The Black Knight, or The Hell Knight. The first title, it could be speculated, may represent his choice of attire, or perhaps his past, primary occupations. The second title however, may more likely be attributed to what he can do.

Maximillian was a handsome man, about 5’10”, with short, tidy blonde hair that could be befitting of a noble. Maximillian was repulsed by most military cuts, and equally as repulsed by long, flowing hair. He liked his at a more charming, gentlemanly cut on the medium side of short. His skin was fair, a light creamy color, evenly toned across his body with no blotches of pink or red, even on his cheeks. Not only this, but across his entire person, there was not one scar, mole, birth mark, or blemish. Almost every inch of him was flawless, almost inhumanly so.

The one and only abnormality was, unfortunately, one of the most glaring. His left eye. The sclera could scarcely be called the ‘white’ of his eye anymore. It was entirely blood red, with not a hint of paleness surviving. The iris too seemed non-existent, having deformed into a black color that effectively merged it (at least appearance wise) with the pupil.

Maximillian wore a Black Uniform, something that seemed vaguely Sorillian, but also very clearly not. It certainly was an artifact of that part of his past, when he served Sor, but had no official linkages to their official uniforms. This is perhaps a small part of why he was able to transition into a "new army" with little resistance.

He gently tapped his fingers across the dark surface of his helmet, patiently awaiting word back from informants. Old loyalists of Oblivion and his army. He took a sip from his tea, savoring the deep flavors of the dark brown liquid, a proper black tea brew. Maximillian reminisced on the past as his mind already planned for the future.

A louder crackling sound emanated from the radio before a voice could be heard. “My Lord, we’ve had eyes on the target. Can confirm that it is indeed real, and is still on The Rock, for the moment at least.”

“Excellent work gentlemen. You do us all proud, and I’ll see to it you’re rewarded for your efforts. I’m going to personally investigate this further, stand down for now and stay out of sight. I’ll be arriving in a few short weeks.” Maximillian smiled softly, belying the excitement he felt knowing the canon was real.

“Understood My Lord. Hail to Victory!”

“Hail to Victory.” He signed off and clicked off the radio. Maximillian finished off his tea as two attendants approached to stand next to him. “Please ready my ship, I’ll be departing immediately.” They gave a quick salute and left the mountain top, towards a landing pad that held Maximillian’s personal craft.

Once he was finished his tea, he stood and returned his helmet to his head. “It’s been quite some time since I last set foot on The Rock.” He muttered to himself. “I expect this shall be quite the interesting return.”

_____________________________________________________________


Ash looked at the severely battered body that fell towards the group, and unholstered his revolver for security. “You know this gentleman Miss Seru?” He asked as he cautiously approached the body. “If so, I’d suggest you grab some water quickly. He’s looking quite worse for wear.” The Captain rolled the man over so he lay on his back, exposing the patchwork of bruises, cuts, sun burns, and other types of weathering from whatever journey he endured.

“Might want to grab some of that Snake Venom of yours too by the looks of it.”

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