Prologue - Rashar

[Shrike7]

Walking home from work at the Wal-Mart on the South side of town, Rashar took Taylor Ave, as per usual. There weren't quite as many streetlights as he would have liked, but it was open, with long sightlines and few pedestrians, allowing him to keep a watchful eye out for anything and everything, nearly all the way to his house, in the residential area beside the College.

There was something wrong tonight though, something Rashar just couldn't place. He was the only person around, with the exception of the occasional car, but he couldn't help feeling like he was being watched, more so than usual...

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: Prologue - Rashar

Clenching his hand-made talisman in his pocket, Rashar starts moving faster. They're making their move tonight. Damn, I have to hurry. Taking his talisman out of his pocket, he loops the cord around his hand to make it harder for them to see him. The talisman is a small thing. A rough cube made of tinfoil and copper wire made water tight through the careful application of hot glue. Inside is a mix of various things, but mostly just glitter and the goo from inside a couple of glowsticks. The outside of the cube is covered in small painted symbols. So far, the talisman has worked. They hadn't been able to find him. They have tried, though, ever since that night 11 years ago, they want to finish what they started. Rashar's too skilled for them to catch, until now at least. This time, things are different. Somehow, they seem to have penetrated through the barrier his talisman makes. The talisman would still protect him slightly, make it hard for them to see him, but he needs to get back to his home. He has it set up full of various wards and talismans to keep them out. They wouldn't have him. Not tonight!

Rashar begins to break into a light jog. The jogging wouldn't interfere with his talisman, but it would make it harder for them to approach stealthily.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Prologue - Rashar

Rashar doesn't notice any change after he pulls his talisman out, though surely the fact that nothing jumps him as he jogs along is a good sign. The feeling of being watched stays there however, nagging at the back of his head. He takes a corner off the main street into the actual residential section where he lives, barely a block away from his house, and two things immediately draw his attention. The first is the sound of several people hollering a couple blocks off to the side, likely teenagers having a party, but still worth notice. The second was much more pressing, however. A pair of people, a man and a woman, walking down the sidewalk along either edge, chatting quietly to each other. The way it looks, they expect other pedestrians going the opposite way on the sidewalk to pass between them...

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: Prologue - Rashar

It's them! Those two must be the first of their agents! I won't let them have me! Rashar thinks before checking the streets. After making sure it's clear, he darts across the road, holding his talisman as a shield between himself and the pair of agents. I have to get to my house as long as they don't have more people blocking my way. If they do, I can try and lose them at that party. There's probably enough people there for that to work. He thinks before taking off into a true run towards his home.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Prologue - Rashar

The pair stop and turn from their conversation to watch Rashar dash across the street brandishing something small and shiny in their direction. The man calls out in his direction. "Hey kid, are you high or something? Do you need help?" When he runs away without answering (I'm assuming), they just look to each other and shrug, starting to walk again as they resume their conversation.

Rashar runs on, making it to his place without anything further. He quickly unlocks his door and dashes inside, feeling the rush of air as he literally slams the door closed again, locking it securely and leaning his back against it, breathing heavily.

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: Prologue - Rashar

Knowing that they would soon try to penetrate his home, Rashar goes to the safest place there is. Rashar's bedroom is full of everything from more talismans, to fuzzy dice covered in glowstick juice and glitter. Sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by a carefully laid circle of 7 paint and glitter covered cardboard boxes, each with a disco ball secured on top, is a small, sheet-covered beanbag chair and an alarm clock. He knows that he won't be able to leave his bedroom again tonight, so he puts aside the thoughts of getting dinner or taking a shower for now. He'll just have to wake early to get ready. Heading to the bathroom, he prepares to relieve himself, while this kept him away from safety longer than he wants, he can't risk his urine disrupting his barriers.

If all goes well there, he will head back to his bed (The beanbag chair), set his alarm for about an hour earlier than usual, and go to sleep with his talisman clutched in one hand.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Prologue - Rashar

While he was in the bathroom relieving himself, the lights suddenly cut out. no longer then three seconds after that, there comes three small knocks on the bathroom door, spaced about a second apart and at a polite noise level.

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: Prologue - Rashar

Fear suddenly dried up Rashar's need to finish relieving himself. They managed to get into my house! He thinks, quickly drawing up his pants before holding his talisman out between him and the door. Although they seem to know he's in the bathroom, maybe by using his talisman he can convince them that he managed to escape from there to somewhere else. With this in mind, he stays as silent and as motionless as a living human can.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Prologue - Rashar

No other sounds come out for a moment, until eventually someone speaks through the door, sounding somewhere between exasperated and bored.

"Oh, come on out, I don't bite. Quite the place you've got here..." The voice says slowly, but there is something strange about it. The inflection, the way it speaks, makes it sound really strange.

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: Prologue - Rashar

You're one of them aren't you? I won't let you take me! Rashar says before bursting out from the bathroom holding out his talisman. Stay back! He says, knowing the talisman should be able to hold of their agent temporarily. However, if the agent is strong enough to break into his house, he will need to get to his room and the power setup he has there. That's why he bothered leaving the bathroom in the first place. As such, Rashar begins to carefully move towards his room, eyes scanning the area for their agent.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Prologue - Rashar

Rashar spots nothing in the short hallway to his room, but hears some sounds coming from it that make him panic, increasing his speed. When he gets there, he immediately notices that nearly all of his carefully crafted talismans and knick-knacks have been tampered with is some way. A couple had even been disassembled, laying on the ground slowly oozing with the glo-stick fluid contained within.

"What was all this stuff anyways? Some kind of Magical Ward, perhaps? I think you've been reading too many fantasy books, kid." The voice says contentedly, somewhere in the room.

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: Prologue - Rashar

Stay back agent! Rashar says, starting to panic. How had one of Their agents destroy his wards? Them and Their agents shouldn't even be able to get near them. He wonders as he moves towards his bed, hoping to use the fragments of power left in the artifacts to repel the agent. As he moves there, his eye's frantically scout the room for Their agent.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Prologue - Rashar

A hurried glance around the room shows nothing at first glance, and Rashar makes it to his bed safely. That's when he noticed the eyes, staring at him from the darkness beside the doorway. There was no white to them, the entire orb was a sickly yellowish-brown and they had vertical pupils, like a cat's.

"Peekaboo." The voice says in a teasing tone. "So what's all this tinfoil supposed to protect you against, kid? Aliens?"

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: Prologue - Rashar

You should know, right? It's not aliens. It's Them, and you're one of their agents. Now stand back! You may have damaged my wards, but they give enough of a boost to my talisman for it to stop you! Rashar says, confidant that, even though they mostly been destroyed, his wards still haven't leaked away all of their power. In emphasis of this, he thrusts his talisman out between him and the agent, hoping to drive it off. This one, he knew, is more dangererous than the standard garden variety. They had twisted this one into a more powerful form so that it could breach the walls of his home.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Prologue - Rashar

The voice just let loose a throaty laugh, the eyes staring directly at him. Now that his eyes were adjusting to the darkness better, he could begin to make out a humanoid form standing there. It shifted some, and pulled something out. After a second Rashar discovered it was a yo-yo, one of those ones that lit up when you played with it, which was exactly what this thing was doing, multicoloured lights dincing up and down, giving him colourful images of a ratty shirt and jeans, but not much else.

"Wow, and here I thought you were just afraid of the dark. I should let a kook at you, see how messed up you'd get. But that's too much work, I guess. Then again, it would be just as funny to see what you would do to yourself, when-" he stops suddenly just as the yo-yo reaches it's apex, and the form suddenly lunges through the shadows, right at Rashar.

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: Prologue - Rashar

Having used the light of the yo-yo to study the agent, this one having apparently been disguised as a poor man in order to seem less dangerous, Rashar is slightly surprised when the agent lunges for him. However, he had known the agent would eventually try this, and now he thrusts out his talisman even as he stumbles backwards. Begone, agent!

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Prologue - Rashar

The thing stopped just as suddenly halfway between it's original position and Rashar, letting out a warbling hiss of anger. Some light from a streetlamp outside illuminates it more fully, and Rashar feels a stab of fear as he sees the monstrosity clearly for the first time.

His eyes are drawn immediately to it's mouth. The thing had a lamprey-like mouth, with a ring of half-inch fangs ringing it, giving Rashar a full view as it was wide open and pointed directly at him as it hissed. The rest of the body was a sickly grey colour, some parts looking rotten almost, sagging and a darker colour.

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: Prologue - Rashar

They really twisted you good, huh agent? You still can't beat my talisman, though, can you? Rashar says, laughing to himself with some amusment. While most people would be freaking out at the sight of an inhuman creature... Well, let's just say Rashar never really doubted that They would use monsters for their work.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Prologue - Rashar

The monster regained it's composure, and started speaking again. Now the odd quality to it's voice made sense: It must be difficult to make a human language come out of a mouth like that. "Incredible. You are so far off the deep end that you really think those baubles protect you from something. What the hell was it that happened to you, Kid?" It says, pulling out a different yo-yo and starting to play with it, this one a simple mottled grey with a thick string, nothing fancy.

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: Prologue - Rashar

You should know. Your masters send other agents to destroy the apartment building my family was living in, and now they've sent you to take care of the last survivor! Rashar says, advancing on the agent now waving the talisman at him. If he could corner him, then he should be able to use the talisman to banish him back to Them.