Kain

Inspector Bolks puts out his cigarette onto the pavement. It's been three days since the attack's have been occurring. Midnight pedestrians or even gangsters have been eaten by what witnesses describe as a living bat made of stone. A gargoyle. Probably from Arrown past the veil. The term past the veil means from another world. Lately Kains have been getting visitors from other worlds especially Abel, Hiligree,Hikaru and Falstaff. Bolks huffs, he never did enjoy seeing strangers. Often times their just trouble. But here in Kain everybody is trouble anyways.

The world of Kain is a world covered in architecture. Every inch is building and pavement and crawling with industry. There is parks but the woodlands are all gone. Mountains have been replaced by skyscrapers. The oceans choked with city rafts and rivers polluted. The only clean water comes from water treatment plants. However there are manmade lakes and ponds. If any, natural lakes that are around would have shrank. Or at the very least have become polluted and turned into waste dumps. Much of ethnic culture has been diluted. And the air is foggy with smog from the industrial factories. Sunshine is rare and often most people that can find it usually have to pay to the owners who own the land. Money and commerce is the thing Kain is known for. It's also known for its poverty, it's criminal gangs and its fusion of magic and technology. Arcana-engineering as it is called. Though it gets visitors, it rarely shares its secrets. But it does lease it's technology to Abel via spaceship. It's trading partner that specializes in eco- tourism, foodstuffs and spices. Rarely does Kain get its hands on anything else. It is still second however to Hiligree. As this trading partner deals in wood,stone and its musicians. These musicians are said to cast magic out of their instruments. Hikari oftentimes gives out iron and fish as well as workers. They have a place in the downtown areas called Little Hikari, it's about the size of a continent. There is where the worst of the crime is. The magic of Hikari is outlawed in Kain which is melee weapon magic. It's not uncommon for people to smuggle this magic in. Very few succeed. Many get caught. In fact since swords are the main focus for their magic their is a public ban on swords.

Bolks fishes out a iron flask of whiskey out of his trench coat. He uncorks the stopper and takes a swig. He has even heard reports of a giant insect on a motorcycle. Or in his understanding a woman riding a bike with a helmet shaped like an insect. Supposedly she had a shotgun and steel chain, sometimes even flew in what reporters say on a swarm of flies. She was first spotted near a chemical waste dump. And has been running around looking for someone or something. It's been months. I doubt she's going to find it says Bolks. Most people lose something in Kain. Everyone does eventually.

Suddenly Bolks turns to see a officer rushing to him.

"Bolks, we've got trouble boss"

" Yeah what is it?"

"Turf War is breaking out among all the gangs. We are also hearing that Hiligree is sending their own gangs to fight ours,it's pandemonium"

"Get every squad to fight the fires we can't have the military swarming all over us just because we damned couldn't do our jobs ,as for me I've got leads to follow"

"Sir!"

The officer runs off to radio for backup, meanwhile Bolks looks up and sees a swarm of flies fluttering in the skies. Their angry drone is making his skin crawl.

Razt swatted a fly. He was lounging at his desk a phone and a potted plant being the only decoration. He was bored and right now he was getting even more upset of what was happening of late. Ice Vein Gang members have been seen making deals with the monsters. Vampires and Werewolves. They've been using them to get more leverage in the turf war right now with his side, the El Devils. Lately because of the monsters the El Devils have been on the losing end. We need something to turn this around but what thought Razt. Razt picks up the phone and starts dialing. He's going to call in a few favors from out of town.

Meanwhile outside the safe house ,on the roof a gargoyle sits watching him. The gargoyle seemingly animates and flies off, looking for its next meal.

Kaleb was crouched in the dark. A howling was in the distance and it was terrifying him as it sounded closer each time he heard it. Kaleb is in the park it's night and theirs the full moon. He stealthily crawled and hobbled his way to the edge of the pit, a duffel bag on his shoulder. It was said by whispered rumor that this pit was a tunnel toward another world. Supposedly all the worlds were connected by tunnels but were stacked onto each other a sort of thing like lasagna or an even better way to describe its like a sort of thing like dimensional chess. They are also separated as well. It was even said the three pillars of reality hold the whole worlds together sort of like gift wrap. Nobody knows how the first people got to all the other layers but it is said they used these. Most were found on mountainous pillars that wound its way up not down. But then most of them were collapsed and damaged during the apocalypse and were forgotten. Nowadays most of the remaining tunnels wind down. This was one of them. Nowadays most people travel using a spellcaster who knows how to teleport. It's costly but effective. However if one were to find a tunnel that went to another world the person who could find it and claim it would be rich. That is what Kaleb was doing. He needed the money to get his sister healed. She is very sick and needed help. The doctors won't do it without a sum of cash. And by law if you find anything you can claim it as yours usually by public notice, you could legally claim it online on the internet or you could notarize it at the government office that does such things. Kaleb was obviously going to notarize it online. He had a picture phone and a laptop. So he takes a couple of quick pictures of the surrounding areas, activates his gps tracking on his phone and emails the goods on his laptop. He then waits ever leery of the howls a baseball bat in his arms. He hears a chime sound, it's the office they need more proof. He grumbles he has to go into the pit and take a picture of the other side. I'm surprised nobody wanted this spot ,Kaleb thought, despite the creepy atmosphere it'd be a great place to set up business. He slowly inches his way down a flashlight app shining revealing little of the tunnel, that is how deep it is. Until finally he loses his footing and plummets down into the hole. Rubble collapses he's in a landslide. Until finally he hits his head on a hard surface while crashing down ,knocking the wind out of him. "Catherine" he cries out weakly as he loses his consciousness.

Kaleb opens his eyes weakly he gets up he's standing in a room. Subterranean and dirty. Years of freshly decaying earth wafts throughout the room. And yet despite the smell it also smells earthy as well. A sort of gamey scent. Walls on all sides. No exit or entrance. And their standing before him a creature wreathed in what appears to be ectoplasm or some sort of organic material. A cocoon. And from out of the dark room monsters appear. These creatures look like an amalgam of several animals known to man however there parts don't match with each other One was a Jaguar but it had the body of a elephant,one creature has legs of an upright ape but a bears head and body. One was a boars head and the body of a wolf. The other a deer with bloody antlers and tumors on its body. The last one was a eight lizard legged serpent with six falcon wings. They were as it seems rejects of nature. Or some kind of madman's design. A voice can be heard in the cocoon, a raspy tone,it says, " help...me I beg of ...thee... end my childrens' suffering"

Kaleb searches through his things quickly he didn't pack a weapon. But then he remembers he has a baseball bat and it's scattered across the room. The creatures hobble forward ever closer their eyes aglow with red eyed maddened malice. They salivate like that of rabid dogs. They hiss out guttural growls of a hungry devil. Kaleb rushes to the bat just in time from a swipe from the bear ape. It looses a howl of painful frustration as if suffering from some sort of withdrawal like that of exerting yourself when your sick and you have a painful fever. These animals were in pain Kaleb thinks. He swings the bat. Smashing the creatures claws and breaking the legs as it crumples to the floor. Next he smashes in a rage he hasn't felt before he smashes the boar -wolf's head its skull caving in. Then he uppercuts the lizard-serpent as it hisses. It's bottom mouth hisses it's tongue and it coughs and sputters as it bleeds. Finally Kaleb smashes its spine and it collapses like being hit with a karate chop. Before Kaleb turns he lets go with his left arm behind him and his club smashes the evil deer lurking behind him. The other monsters followed suit. As everything dies down and the only sound is that of dripping water from stalactites, the smell of decay dissipates. And the smell of earthy freshness fills the room. And what appears to be light from the cocoon has made it brighter.

"Thank you my children were suffering, bad evil has come corrupting and sickening their mind and warping their bodies. I have little power to stop this evil as I'm old and dying weak from a battle long ago. My children will die without me, but since I'll be dying soon I am forced to find an heir and hero who will save my creatures and people. The animals and beasts you see in everyday life were once much like humans but mans greed and hatred drove my people to slavery. The pain and trauma was so great that they willingly devolved magically to avoid the pain. They couldn't fight the armies and weapons of man so they chose to flee instead. Taking on forms that flew or ran faster than two legs. I have sworn an oath to keep them safe but I fear time is growing short the time is now for my path to become your path that of the wilder. A individual who will unite all of the animal tribes and eventually of nature under one banner to fight the true evil that corrupts and destroys. That will be you Kaleb"

As the ground shakes as if in applause the ground quakes until finally Kaleb opens his eyes. He looks at his hand and sees a mark. That of a animals paw wrapped in what appears to be leaves. He's in a tunnel like that of a hall. There's only two ways out. There is light on one end. Darkness in the other. He marches toward the light. As each step he takes he feels a calm and peace in him that exudes forth out of his body. It takes the form of a fine white mist. The mist envelopes him and his form and clothing change. His face is covered by a wooden mask, it's face like that of an old man with wrinkles. His head is wrapped around a wolf's head. His street clothes become a shell of wood. Like that of full plate armor. On his back a cape of leaves. His boots are made of bear skin. A warrior that has come to liberate his people. But first he must visit his sister. He had a feeling he knew what to do. No, he had faith in what he had to do.

Brazila was coughing red blood. Her body felt like it was on fire. She was having pain in the kidneys and heart. She desperately wanted to see Kaleb. Not because she wanted the cure but because she wanted to see him one last time. She knew he wouldn't get the right amount of money. The house they lived in is trash. Mom died and Dad ran off to another person's house. Leaving Brazilla and Kaleb to look after each other. That's when she heard a knock at the door. She stumbled and dazedly went to the door. And saw outside a old woman. She was wearing a wreath and a old women's coat.

"May I come in to sit down for awhile"

"Sure grandmams"

"Thank you child"

She comes in and sits down on the dirty sofa. And that's when Brazilla hears another person ringing the doorbell. She groggily answers it. And their in full armor and regalia is Kaleb.

"Kaleb!"

"Oh dear can you look this way"

She turns her head at the old woman who was staring right at her and next to her, and with a movement of her hand the old woman blows gold dust in Brazilla's face. She falls to the floor and falls to the floor in a heap. Kaleb sees her fall. And kicks open the door fully just as the woman vanishes out of thin air. Kaleb brushes aside the question of the old woman inside the house, that could come later but now he has to check the condition of his sister. He examines her,is she glowing, but faintly. There's a sort of afterglow of whatever that woman shot her full of. Kaleb drags Brazilla's body across the hallway into the living room and onto the couch. Kaleb comes to rest on the other couch. It's raining outside. Their is a slight tapping, a rhythmic tapping he noticed. Like that of a bird. He opens the backyard door and steps outside in a sigh. Standing before him is a man with a set of wings that are as if they grew upon him. He wears a yellow bandanna, a feather cloak and green pants. Right next to him is what appears to be a giant tree. But it feels and sounds like it's breathing. It's leaves swishes in the wind. The only thing discerning it is the grim countenance on its face. A face that is animate aglow with emerald fire. Right next to the tree is a woman in a blood red kimono of poisonous plants, a whip made of thorns is lashed around her waist. Her face is one of lust and fury. A girl wearing a pink kimono of roses and flowers heft's a giant blade. A nodachi. With flower filigree on the scabbard and hilt. Covered in purple silk. In the background there is a pale gaunt man with a straw hat and wears rags that resemble what was once a lab coat. He carries a quarter staff. And around his waist all sorts of flasks containing who knows what.

All around these notable figures stands every kind of bird, beast ,fungi and plant on two legs. Many of them are wearing armor made of scrounged trash. The weapons are mostly the same way. The creatures are chanting.

"Who are we guys?"

"We are the Natural Ones !" ,roars a lion man.

"Are we getting out of this place?"

"Yes!",squeals a pig woman.

"What are we doing?"

"Restore order!", yells a elephant man.

They bang their weapons to the ground and howl,hoot and thunder roars and bellows.

It seems as though Kaleb has found a way out. He turns around and find his sisters body gone.

The El Devils meanwhile are preparing for an aggressive assault with the Ice Veins. They've also recruited among their ranks the Bare Earthers, the Downtown Thunderers and the Aerie Furies. The Earthers are providing the muscle, with their magic baseball bats and sledgehammers. The Downtown Thunderers are bringing their mystical automatic weapons and the Furies are bringing their supernatural jet packs and shotguns. The Furies dwell on skyscrapers and other high up places. Everyone is armed to the teeth.

They march to fight the Ice Veins who have garnered to their side the Pacifistic street gang know as the Pacifistanns, renowned healers as well as coastal fighters, the Dusters who are the motorcyclists, and the Planters who are masters of poison and stealth who's territory are the city parks and other things that are the closest to nature and wildlife.

The Ice Veins are slowly losing ground as the El Devils march to every business owned and protected by the Ice Veins. Knowing that they were losing, the Ice Veins summon their allies the Zodiac of Darkness. And they come with their werewolves and vampires. As battle after battle week after week passes by with no end in sight. The war was doing damage to the city infrastructure. And so the war was put up onto a truce for now. Until there was word of an even greater conflict brewing and consuming the multiverse in a fire that has not been witnessed since the beginning of time.

A shadow was running and jumping on the roofs of the skyscrapers , a figure shrouded in cloth. He ran with a bo staff and a spiked chain. Around his chest he carried a bandolier of shuriken. He had a cloth mask hiding most of his features except for claw mark scars on his left eye. Coal as this figure is known as was on a mission of great importance. He must slay the Black Shadows, a gang rumored to have consorted or otherwise have connections to creatures from Hell. Demons. The Black Shadows were the ones who killed Coals parent's and sold him to a stranger for profit. He lost his chance to be a normal child. Tonight this was when the Black Shadows were meeting in the subterranean basement of the Jones Clock Tower. It is rumored that they are purchasing some sort of demonic weapon. Coal was on top of the roof of the clock tower. There was a way to get in and this was one of them. He opened the latch of the trapdoor. And crawled in. He then quietly shut the door. Inside the dusty clock tower the only sound was distant footsteps and the whirring and clicking of gears. A bell can be heard once in awhile.A clock at work. A guard in mafia attire is stationed on one of the walkways, a military rifle in his hands,pacing. Making not a sound Coal rushes up to him with his grappling chain. And before the guard can register, snaps his neck with his bare hands. He then sees to late that the guard is carrying a walkie talkie. It chirps. And a voice is heard.

"Hind, you their the boss wants you back something about escorting the thing we have been trying to bargain with, we need your muscle"

"Hind?"

"Hind hurry the f-"

And with that a loud crash can be heard on the phone as well as in the clock tower. Gunfire is heard. Yelling and screaming. Coal realized he's not alone in this clock tower and uses his grappling hook to latch onto a metal vertical pole just in time for the walkway to collapse beneath him. The bell collapses off its wooden hinges and crashes past him. The rapture of giant gears falling near and past him as the clock tower is falling apart around him. The angry buzz of a large insect swarm can be heard. The world seemed to spin all around him. As the loud noise was disorienting. Coal then climbs onto the pole and catwalks to the only thing nearby, the walkway to downstairs. A spiral staircase. He traverses down the sound of fighting seeming to die down for every flight of stairs he goes down. Then finally he reaches the basement level. And what he sees is something from a vision of Hell. Dead human mafia bodies were hanging off of meat hooks on chains. Their blood dripping into pools of blood in reservoirs, deliberately placed their to feed into a altar through little inlets carved on the floor. Clearly something related to demons. Perhaps a way to summon or strengthen them. And standing before the altar praying in a sort of religious zealous barbarous clarity was a beautiful woman, shrouded in a black wreath like those who mourn for their husbands at death. Her singing, the praise and serenading of demons and other evil creatures and powers, the calling of slaying of the forces of good, the time of resurrection is near she's says in her hymns. Then she looks in Coal's direction seemingly seeing through him. She smiles a smile that only the most evil of people can.

"Soon. Soon it happens soon. Soon my children, soon you will rise from the ash. The Father is near and the Dragon will awaken"

To Coals amazement at the words he also surprisingly hears... children's laughter? It's the kind of laughter that's faint, almost addictive but dark as well as a bit curious to hear.

Her eyes then focus on Coal. Then she lets out a hiss.

"You will not stop me, I know who you are son of fire"

And with that she throws something on the ground that creates smoke and she seemingly disappears.

In her place stands a demon. This demon has the horns of a ram, the head of an ape the body of a bear and the wings of an eagle. It's eyes hide a intelligence of a man however as savage as it looks it roars and charges at Coal. Coal jumps and rolls forward it's claws swiping at air. In which Coal throws his throwing stars at the monster. Then he attacks the legs with his bo staff then finally his hidden weapon: a ninja sword to the heart. The demon lurches then tumbled forward. Dead. Coal looks around and hears the sound of laughter of a maniacal sort. As the sound of broken glass is heard. And from through it, he sees a demonic rider riding a motorcycle. The motorcycle is itself on fire. And riding it is a unholy combination of foul insect and human. She swoops down taking a swing at him with her spiked chain. He dodges in a nick of time. And she zooms upward and out of sight into the night, going back from whence she came. The faint jubilant buzzing of angry flys can be heard.

Shortly after that night, a rash of murders has been seen. Children are being poisoned after eating candy from candy stores. It's believed that their is a supplier of this candy, who distributes it to the candy stores. None know her name but it is a female. Judging by the muffling sounds behind her doctors mask. There were reports that the wagon she uses has went to another place. It has yet to be found. However it has not left the borders of Kain so it is within this world. It's believed in whispers that she is the Avatar of Disease. Poison and virulence follows her wherever she goes. Even more concerning their is rumor of a set of books that give instructions on how to summon and control demons. They are being distributed by solicitors in dark alleys. Not even the questioned solicitors know who their supplier is. It's rumored to be from someone in Abel. But what bookwriter is capable of such things no one knows.

It is nighttime now, the time when evil is most active. The streets are overrun with garbage blowing in the wind. Inspector Bolkes sighs and pulls out from his jacket a flask. He gulps in the warmth of the liquor. No one knows what's happening and the city of Kain is near it's breaking point. People are panicking, riots all over the districts, homes and shops being broken into, death cults doing who knows what in cemeteries. It's as if the plane itself was presaging the beginning of the end before his eyes. He couldn't forget that one of his men was mauled, his eyes were that of terror and his body was torn up like a he was a doll with a cat. It's believed that it was some sort of cat hybrid creature. Part human part cat. But what troubled Bolkes more was he always had that feeling like he was next. A shuffling of feet could be heard around a corner. Bolkes whips out his gun and slowly makes his way to the noise.

"Who's there show yourself"

Where's my men when I need them?

"I'm giving you five seconds to show yourself, I'm not playing!"

That's when he hears a noise behind him. He turns around. And before him stands a figure clad in black armor, shrouded in shadowy cloth, a rapier in one hand and a device in the other, it's head covered with a gas mask. It presses a button on the device and it realeases a cloud of gas which hits Bolkes full on. His throat was itchy to the point he wanted to claw it out, his scream of terror was a rasp, his eyes watery and his pupils dilated. He hits the floor in a heap. His last thing he sees is a clothed figure his face ,no a mask of some sort, of a bird stands over him and inches closer into conquering Bolkes complete view.

Heathe was panting and running through the trees and undergrowth. Sobbing and cursing his fate. Behind chasing him a shadow. But a glowing one. It laughed and taunted like a evil sadist. It breathes fire and glowed like the Devil. Finally after what seems like painful years of running Heathe trips over a root and into a pile of tree branches. Seemingly they appeared from nowhere. Of course it could be that he didn't notice. However the branches gripped him like claws and fangs and that laugh was getting closer and closer, and that's when he woke up from bed. And saw that near his bedroom nightstand a calendar and a clock and it showed that it was all hallows eve. Then he noticed something. He was in black full plate armor. And emblazoned on his chest a pumpkin. A pumpkin with an unholy visage. A grinning skull inside the gourd. The gourds mouth opened as if to swallow the viewer.