Post by Chryseis "Crisis" Teotwaki on Jul 31, 2015 6:49:21 GMT
Chryseis' "Crisis" Teotwaki always thought Gallowstown was an awfully morbid name for such a beautiful, coastal city. She couldn't imagine that it was named that for any particularly pleasant reason. The thought occurred that, being a recently-founded city, it was named for the "Hanging Man" merchant's guild that practically ran the place, but what legitimate businessmen willingly identify themselves with a method of execution? Maybe she was reading too much into it. A little research might clear up any misconceptions she had (Gallo was a Desierto name, wasn't it?), but that would have to wait until later. She was here on official Fairy Tale business, after all.
Not that it stopped her from window shopping along the way, of course. Gallowstown was as modern as cities got, and had the trendy shops to prove it. She'd have to buy some souvenirs before she left.
The client's father ran a bodega in an area of town settled primarily by refugees. Crisis almost couldn't believe she was still in the same city she was meandering down the shopping district of less than an hour ago. Refugees typically didn't have much more than the clothes on their back and a dream in their hearts. So finding decent housing was difficult, but leaving town even more so. People settled where they could, be it in cramped, multi-family housing originally meant for one person or a shantytown in whatever open space they weren't thrown out of. Places like that turned decrepit about as fast as the property values dropped, since landlords couldn't afford professional maintenance while taking a loss on rent and the concentration of desperate elements became more than the local authorities were willing to deal with.
That said, the convenience store the old man Brauer ran wasn't in too shabby a neighborhood. It was as well-maintained as a family-run business could be expected to given the economics of the area. Any unacceptable blemishes had been hidden behind signage, potted plants, and other decorations, which gave the establishment a distinctive look. The inside was fairly cramped, but cozy, with short shelves arranged in narrow aisles. Sitting behind the counter was a wizened, old man who looked over at Crisis as she entered and smiled. His white hair stood in stark contrast to his dark skin.
"Welcome, young lady," he said. "Can I help you with anything?"
"Actually, I'm here to help you," Crisis said. "I'm from Fairy Tail." In response to the old man's uncomprehending look, she continued. "I understand you've been having trouble with a local gang."
Before the old man could stammer out a confounded reply, his daughter, a woman with skin darker than the old man's but with hair that was darker still, stepped out from the back room carrying a large box. Upon noticing Crisis, she hastily balanced the box atop a nearby shelf and hurried over to the counter. "Oh, you're here!" She gave the girl wizard a once-over. "You're... younger... than I expected."
"Big things come in small packages, ma'am," Crisis said proudly as she tilted her hat up. "I'm just as capable as any other wizard in our guild. In fact, you're lucky I managed to snatch up your request before someone else did. Our guild has something of a reputation for collateral damage, but I'm not so reckless with my magic." She snapped her fingers. "You must be Johona, right?"
"Just Jo is fine," the woman said, still visibly nervous. "Are... you sure you can handle this? These aren't some random street punks."
"Oh, I'm more than capable," Crisis remarked. "Allow me to demonstrate." She tilted her hat back down and began to chant. “Dimensional warp engaged. Expanding distortion field. External parameters defined. Internal boundaries unlimited. Crisis Gate, OPEN!”
The eye symbol on Crisis' hat opened as a wave of magic expanded from the young mage. Almost instantly, the three of them found themselves standing in a windswept field of grass, speckled with patches of daisies and the occasional tree. The only indication that they were still in the same place was the door to the shop that seemed to be as in the middle of this field as they were, yet still gave them a view of the street outside.
"I'm something of a prodigy when it comes to illusions," Crisis said as the old man walked around the door. The other side, still seemingly out in that field, showed the inside of the store as it really was. "In fact, you're not really on the other side of that door. With my powers, I can easily hide your store so the Leather Devils won't be able to find it."
"Wouldn't that make it difficult for customers to find the store, as well?" Jo inquired as her father walked through the door with a dumbfounded look on his face.
"That's why I will instead disguise your store as your store," Crisis said. With a big smile, she snapped her fingers and the store returned to normal. "They'll never see it coming!"
"Doesn't that defeat the purpose of disguising the store?" Jo asked, now just as confused as her father.
"Relax, I'm joking," Crisis replied. "I'm just going to cream them."
"Jo, we can't afford anything like this!" the old man protested.
"Don't worry about it," Crisis said reassuringly, raising her palm. "I'm not the kind of..."
Crisis' platitudes were drowned out by the sound of motorcycles pulling up outside. Within moments, several leather-clad brutes had muscled there way into the store, forcing Crisis and the Brauer's back.
"You better have our money, pops!" the lead brute said. He sported a Mohawk and an ecstatic gleam in his eye. "'Cause your insurance premiums just went up!"
"Please, take whatever you want!" the old man pleaded. "Just don't hurt us!"
"Mr. Brauer, please," Crisis said, putting a hand on the old man's shoulder. "You need to be firm with people like these. Let me handle this." She marched right up to the lead brute, glaring at him menacingly despite he head barely coming up to his exposed pecs. "Listen buddy." She jabbed him in the chest with her finger. "You and your friends can either leave, buy something and then leave, or get ready to explain how a little girl handed you your ass on a silver platter."
"Oh, is that so?" the lead brute said, glancing back at his crew as they chuckled derisively. He leaned forward and got right in her face, poking her the same way. "And just how are you going to do that. Little. Lady?"
Seconds later, the store's facade exploded as a locomotive burst through from the inside, sending the gang flying into the street. The train vanished into a magic circle as Crisis stepped through the gaping hole in the wall. The man's mouth gaped almost as severely.
"My store!" he cried out. "I thought you said there wouldn't be any collateral damage!"
"Just being dramatic, Mr. Brauer," Crisis said with an apologetically sweet tone as she turned back to him. She snapped her fingers and the illusion dropped, revealing the store to be as pristine as when she entered it. "Illusions are my specialty, after all." An arcade crane descended and helped the lead brute to his feet as she approached. She manifested a toy donkey on a fancy plate and offered it to the thug. "Now, perhaps you'd like to tell me where your boss is."
Gallows town was rather nostalgic for Raven. He'd spent a piece of his younger days in this particular city when he'd been handedly defeated. It'd been a sobering growing experience... every single day of his time spent. He'd left Tulip over one particular grave, her favorite flower. He was down on one knee over the grave with a sad expression. "Sorry... it's been far too long, hasn't it?" "It's about time we go see that shop again!" A gruff voice snapped him from the grave. Looking up he saw a gang of men clad in leather. They had various weapons on them, something Raven noticed immediately. The sounded like thugs so far, and looked the part too. They seemed to rally around one of them, but that particular man didn't strike him as a thug leader.
"You mean they haven't paid us?!" A smaller one pipped up. He seemed overly eager about this question. So eager in fact that he was gathering his things and working himself into a bloody fervor. "Let's go make 'em regret not paying us for protection!"
"That's not a bad idea!" The other man stood up and grinned wickedly. "An' the boss might even reward us! Saddle up boys, we've got a shop to go convince to buy our services! Gahahahahah!"
While they were in earshot, many of them had already been on their bikes. And so they were off before he had much time to react. Looking back at the grave he sighed. "...I see some things never change, old friend. But you were always patient, always waited for me to come back."
"I'll be back soon," He finished speaking as he stood up. The sword made it's way to his back, and his bag was at the inn where he'd left it. He stood up and started running, his leather coat trailing behind him. His nose stung from the scent of the bikes, but Raven ignored that as he followed them.
By the time he'd gotten there he was dodging bikes and bodies. He caught one guy and dropped him on the ground as he continued forward. Only to find quite a scene unfolded before him. there was a dark skinned woman and an old man. If he had to take a guess he figured they worked the store in question... they didn't have that many scents that didn't belong in the area.
It was the short girl who was practically radiating magic in front of him that was out of place. Which became more obvious once he spotted the Fairy Tail symbol on her. So that meant she'd been hired to sort things out. And of course no one listened due to her size, so it became violent. At least that's what Raven thought.
He walked forward tightening his half gloves. The lower part off his leather coat billowed behind him, and the crimson scale like design on the cuffs reflected the light in a red display of lighting. The wings emblem on his back only added to this look. Sunglasses covered draconian, yellow eyes from view. Though he had no issue seeing through them. The look was rather unique for the somewhat famous, or infamous dragon slayer. But he also easily could have passed for one of the men that were just blow away. "So what's going on here?"
Post by Chryseis "Crisis" Teotwaki on Aug 3, 2015 7:12:03 GMT
The head goon had been tight-lipped so far. Gang bangers like these tended to bound by some sense of loyalty as deep as brotherhood, if not deeper. It stood to reason he'd be unwilling to give up the location of their beloved boss so easily. Plus, he was just run over by a train, so he was pretty out of it.
She didn't have much time to grill him before someone came up and started asking her questions. She looked at him and found a man wearing just as much leather as the Leather Devils themselves. His attire was somewhat fancier, though, and he had some slick-looking shades, too. The thought occurred that this was their leader, but that was probably hoping too much for a quick and easy job. The goon squad didn't seem to recognize him (again, probably not conscious enough to do so just yet), although she got the feeling she may have seen this man somewhere before.
"I was hired to dissuade these fine gentlemen from racketeering in this area," she explained matter-of-factly. "They mocked my stature, so I hit them with a train. Y'know, standard procedure."
"Standard procedure for Fairy Tail...." Raven muttered and rubbed the back of his head. Well, he only had one real path at this point. And that was to stick with the young, yet familiar looking girl. Fairy Tail had a thing for going all out, and someone would need to be there to reign her in if she went crazy with her magic. After all... he hadn't been there for the assurances she'd given the shop keepers.
"Well, I'll lend a hand then," Raven said with a nod before looking away towards the city. It'd been so long since he played hero here. As much as he resented Kotone's attitude about being a hero, he couldn't help but wanting to be one again in this place. An aloof grin crossed his face as he turned back to Crisis. "I've got some fond memories of this place. And it wouldn't be right to just let thugs and gangs trample all over that. You won't need to worry about me. I'm good in a fight."
"I don't know where their leader is though," He shrugged rather carefree given that they were likely going to be beating up some people shortly. "This bunch though... they came from the graveyard. If that helps any."
Post by Chryseis "Crisis" Teotwaki on Aug 4, 2015 5:00:51 GMT
Crisis smiled back at Raven. "Cool. Let's go." The crane holding up the one thug vanished, causing him to drop to the ground just as he was regaining consciousness. "Graveyard's a Hell of a place to hang out, but I can see how it'd appeal to a bunch of degenerates. As good a place to start looking as any."
As she stepped out into the street, an outrageous-looking motorcycle materialized in front of her. If it wasn't the gaudiest motorcycle the Dragon Slayer had ever seen, it had to be a top contender. It was an "Easy Rider" type of bike, with long handlebars and a backed seat that allows the rider to sit back rather than hunch over the body like with sport bikes. Any similarities to a normal motorbike ended there. In lieu of normal exhaust pipes, there were three, trumpet-shaped horns on either side to the rear of the bike that curved up and back, ending in a bell-shape. They were partially covered, however, by a pair of folded-up wings attached to the underside of the vehicle. Instead of a headlamp and forks in front, there were the head and forelegs of a violet unicorn with a rainbow mane and horn that looked like they belonged on a carousel ride. To top it all off was a samurai banner with Fairy Tail's logo on it.
"The name's Crisis by the way," she said as she climbed onto the proportionately larger mechanical monstrousity and waited for Raven to do the same. "Crisis Teotwaki. You?"
Raven shrugged at the degenerate comment. He liked that particular graveyard and, on occasion had spent time there, even before she died. What transpired next was nothing short of jaw dropping horror. he bike that seemed to come out of nowhere was so... so.... flamboyantly gaudy it was practically blinding him through his sunglasses. His jaw hung open as he stared at it, noting that she was getting on it. And it looked like she wanted him to get on too!
"I'm Raven," He hesitantly walked towards the... thing that'd be taking them around town. Once there he climbed on and had a seat. It was a good thing she couldn't see his eyes. They were filled with so much pain at the idea of riding such a needlessly weird machine. He tried to focus on other things. Besides how people might mistake him for being in Fairy Tail now. That name was rather familiar too... "I'm ready to go."
Post by Chryseis "Crisis" Teotwaki on Aug 5, 2015 6:06:33 GMT
A motorcycle helmet appeared in Crisis' hands, which she then tossed back to Raven for him to put on. A second one simply materialized around her head, the same color as her hat and sporting an eye on it as well.
The motorcycle roared to life as rainbow-hued flames erupted from the exhaust-horns with a sound not unlike a chorus of zebras braying in unison. The magnificent monstrosity promptly reared up before setting off at full speed, leaving a trail of flames in its wake. Scenery flew by in a blur as Crisis wove around slower traffic, the motorcycle tipping slightly as she swerved and turned.
"Actually, I used to play in a graveyard all the time when I was little," Crisis called out over the roar of the engine. "Mostly because it was closer than the regular park. One time, me and my brothers played hide-and-seek there, and I accidentally fell into an open grave. They didn't find me for, like, six hours. My mom says it explains a lot about my personality, whatever that means."
Raven was sitting on the bike as a sense of dread washed over him. Why did he dread riding this monstrosity? It only looked bad right? So why? It'd been years since he'd even rode train now that he thought about it. Why had he never rode the train? Well, that was easy. It was because- "Wai- aaaaaaaaaagh!"
Raven's shout was drowned out by the zebras and rainbows. Instantly he could feel it. The reason he didn't ride vehicles! One hand instantly cupped over his mouth as he struggled to keep breakfast and lunch down. Why had he accepted the offer for the ride!? He deserved a lot, but he didn't deserve this!
"I have... a friend who lives in tthe graveyard in town," He said trying to fight back the dizziness. Life had a very twisted sense of humor... and he needed it to stop! He was going to be no good in a fight like this! "So I visit on occasion."
Post by Chryseis "Crisis" Teotwaki on Aug 7, 2015 8:00:34 GMT
"Lives in the graveyard?" Crisis remarked, apparently oblivious to Raven's discomfort as they swerved around the corner. "It must be some pretty hot property. I bet people are just dying to get in."
As fast as they are going, it doesn't seem like they're getting any closer to the graveyard. In fact, Crisis just seems to be crisscrossing the city and making random turns. Additionally, they seem to have passed the exact same taco stand several times now.
"Okay, this is going to be a little embarrassing," Crisis finally said after a while, "But I have absolutely no idea where the graveyard is. And where we are now is a little iffy, too. Now, I'm not saying we're lost, but I think you're going to have to tell me how to get there." Not knowing where she is or where she's going doesn't seem to be discouraging her from tearing down the streets at full speed. If anything, she's only going faster now. "Otherwise, I'm just going to wind up driving around and around and around..."
"I... ugh...!" A sharp turn cut him off. It was one thing to have to suffer the motion sickness. It was another to have to suffer it AND painfully terrible jokes. Though, Raven wasn't one to complain about bad jokes... his were pretty bad too. But he at least tried to consider the feelings of others.
That's when they passed by a stall they'd already passed by. And when Crisis made her admission his face went white. She was trying to kill him! That was the only explanation that came to mind! The worst part was there was nothing he could do in this condition except hang on. Especially as she made another high speed turn.
"Okay okay!" Raven shouted as he pointed wildly to the right. "The grave yard is on the east side of town! Just hang... a right... And I'll let you know if you get off track! Just stop... going in circles..."
Post by Chryseis "Crisis" Teotwaki on Aug 12, 2015 7:18:58 GMT
"Ten-four!" Crisis confirmed as she power-slid around another corner. She wasn't entirely certain where East was, especially considering she took so many turns already even she was turned around, but since she had a navigator she figured it wasn't such a big deal for now. She just had to drive straight until Raven told her to turn around or something. Of course, the "No turning" provision didn't stop her from weaving through traffic. "You alright back there? You're starting to sound a little faint."
With Raven's helpful, if strained, guidance, they arrived at the graveyard in due course. Crisis was no worse for wear, of course, although Raven most likely looked like he was ready to take up residence here, himself. The motorcycle promptly disappeared out from under them as they pulled up, Crisis casually walking from that point as if that's how she got there since she had full control over the thing. Anyone not ready for it to vanish would be unceremoniously dumped onto the sidewalk.
"I'm... fine...!" Raven ground out summoning up every ounce of willpower he had to hang on. He would not be bested by thi monstrosity! He'd slain dragons and leaders, monsters and demons! He would not be beaten by a child and her plaything! Whoever invented vehicles needed to roll in their grave under the weight of a thousand curses!
That's when the bike suddenly vanished, leaving Raven to eat dirt. As angry as that made him, relief washed over him from being on solid ground. His vision still spun, and his body protested moving. But he slowly pushed himself up to his hands and knees. "What kind of hell spawn taught you to drive!? Fairy Tail... I swear...!"
Post by Chryseis "Crisis" Teotwaki on Aug 17, 2015 5:42:35 GMT
"I guess you could say I'm self-taught," Crisis said as she glanced over her shoulder at Raven. "Although that may depend on your definition of 'Drive'." She walked up to the graveyard's fence and began peering around and through it to try and spot the Leather Devils. "Technically, what we were riding doesn't exist, so I wasn't actually driving anything." She turned back around and walked back to Raven. "Although, there is one that does, so I can't really say that it doesn't, except this was a copy of that, so it doesn't exist per se." She extended a hand in an offer to help him up. "With me so far?"
Regardless of whether or not Raven allowed her to help him up or even responded, she soon continued. "So I don't think you need a license to drive something that doesn't exist, and I'm probably too young to get one, but I probably should just to make sure."
"Don't screw with me," He said with an edge to his voice. He slowly pushed himself up purposefully ignoring her hand. Once he was standing he took a deep breath to center his senses again. The world spun less and he felt control of his magic come back. Though not entirely... He still felt weaker than normal people. But it was a start. "It obviously existed."
"Illusions have no lasting physical effect on people," He reasoned with a small nod. He turned slowly to look around as well. He understood magic theory far better than people would expect. It was a little secret hobby of his. "So either we're still outside the shop and you have me thinking we're at the graveyard. Or the bike was real until you released the spell. And I'll trust my senses on this one... so the bike was real while you held the spell."
"So now the question is... where are they?" He asked as he reached into his jacket. He pulled out a bottle of water and started drinking it. He'd be switching the water for something much stronger later...
Post by Chryseis "Crisis" Teotwaki on Aug 25, 2015 5:20:18 GMT
"We're really here," Crisis assured him as she started looking around again. "Maybe they're in a mausoleum or something? Unless they also have an illusionist, and are cloaking themselves." She stroked her chin in thought. "I really ought to work on some anti-illusion spells. Mostly I just make stuff to hit people with."
About then, the sounds of motorcycles could be heard. Not from the graveyard, but from the streets behind them and getting louder by the moment. Crisis turned around and conjured up a spyglass to examine them through. "Aw, yeah. That's them, alright. They guys from the store. Probably coming back to lick their wounds, but I'm willing to bet they're more than ready for round two now that they think they know what they're up against."
She tossed the spyglass over her shoulder, letting it disappear in a puff of smoke as she cracked her knuckles. "Okay, we've got two choices. One, we let them find us here, then beat them up and hope at least one of them remains conscious enough to tell us how to find the rest. Or, two, I could hide us and, assuming they haven't noticed us already, follow them to the others." She turned to Raven with her hands behind her back. "You seem like an experienced, older gentleman. You can make the call."
