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London Story: The Collector
By: Zorbak the Ebil Moglin Date: February 16, 2020, 7:43 pm
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(Story: The Collector)
Part 1
Collector Theme: Darkness (
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbSoazsorww&list=PLeU0Mbk_NG5SymLBRiSN3MPTHBb8kHKEJ&index=37<br
/>)
There have been things in the night that man fears every since
man began telling stories. Things from vampires, to werewolves,
and even some humans have come up with fictional stories about
creatures. However, there are creatures in the night that people
don't know about, and those are the creatures that people should
fear. No one knows much about some of these creatures. I
certainly didn't until that night when I found out vampires and
werewolves weren't the things in the dark that we should fear.
My name is Rachel Morgan, and my best friend back then was Erika
Hughes. We were complete opposites. Erika was funny, cheerful
and always happy. I was more held back, and didn't show many
emotions. Together we were like night and day. She was full of
emotion, while I wasn't. I enjoyed hanging around her though
regardless.
It was late one night, and we were headed home. There was a shop
that Erika ran, and I had gotten a job there. That was
originally how we met. I was the assistant manager there, and
Erika was the big boss of the place. We locked up, and got ready
to head home.
Erika was the first to notice something was off. Erika: Is it
me... or are the lights a little more dim than usual? She said,
looking up at the lights. It looked like the lights on the
street were a little more dim than usual. But in a town filled
with all kinds of supernatural creatures, it was pretty common.
At least the lights hadn't gone out like they did when a guy in
a white mask and black outfit blew up a transformer by accident
and cut power to an entire block... Well... We think it was by
accident. We were never sure. He jumped from pole to pole and
when he jumped from the transformer, it blew up. He just kept
going like he didn't care. But that's a whole other story.
I looked up at the lights and then I looked to her.
Me: Should we take a different way home? I said, pointing at a
nearby backroad. It was a shorter path, but it was a quite dark
there. Of course, we always had flashlights at this time of
night, so it wouldn't have been a big deal.
Erika: Hell no! Are you crazy?! She said to me. That's just
asking for us to get jumped by a vampire or werewolf. We're
staying in a well lit area. I don't want to die tonight. She
said as we start walking. She was right about that. Between
rumors of soul eaters, the man known as the Werepyre Hunter that
was still on the loose, and rumors of the Hellsing organization
fighting primordial shadow creatures that released an evil god
into the world, dark backroads and alleys were definitely not
the best way to go. Who knows what hides in the night there?
We made it about halfway home when it happened. The area was
well lit, so we were caught off guard. A creature grabbed Erika
by the back of her neck. I heard the scream almost immediately
and turned and kicked the creature in the face.
Oh yeah... Did I mention I'm a martial artist? We humans have to
do something to keep up with all the supernatural activity going
on in the world. I've learned a lot of different combat styles,
and did a lot of research on supernaturals just in case
something like this happened.
When my kick made the creature release Erika, we managed to turn
and look at the creature. He was black, and seemed to be
radiating a black mist of darkness. The light seemed to never
reach him. His form didn't seem solid, and we noticed two
things. The first was that he looked like a grim reaper, except
instead of being a skeleton, he was more like a black skinned
monster. His form was translucent.
The second was a lantern he was holding. When you looked at it,
the light from it... Were those... screams? It was faint, but I
could hear what sounded like screaming coming from the lamp. The
light wasn't like that of a lamp, the light didn't feel warm. It
felt cold, and empty. I couldn't put my finger on it, but the
light reminded me of something.
Erika and I tried to back away from the creature. I looked up,
noticing the lights were still shining, even if a little dim. I
tried to shine my light on the creature. My thinking was that it
might blind him since our flashlights are pretty bright, and it
might scare the creature off, since he looked like he was made
of darkness. He towered over us, being at almost 7 feet tall.
It was supposed to scare him or at least blind him... It didn't
do either. He just looked mildly irritated as he moved toward
us. Erika and I were prepared though. We took out vials of holy
water, mixed with the blessing of the church and made sure to
hit the creature with it. Vampire, werewolf, demon, the holy
water should have at least stunned it.
Once again, no luck. I took out my concealed gun. Unfortunately,
with times getting tougher, I had to be ready in case I couldn't
beat someone in a fight, so I had this weapon. Thankfully, it
had special holy ammo. Blessed liquid silver with a mercury
point tip. Let's see the creature tank that.
The creature was stunned for a moment, but the bullets didn't
really stop it. It just looked mildly irritated again as he
looked to us.
Creature: Give it up... Your weapons cannot hurt me. He said as
he makes his way towards Erika. I didn't know what else to do
since my bullets couldn't stop him.
Just then, another creature in black appeared in front of us.
Strangely, he didn't give off the same dark feeling the other
one did. When he appeared, the lights seemed to brighten up
again. Strange, but we were ready to run at that point since the
new creature wanted to fight the other. The new creature had a
sword, and looked ready to fight. I felt like it was trying to
protect us.
New Creature: Collector... Return to the Shadow Realm, or I will
destroy you. This is your only warning. He called the other
creature a "Collector"? The new creature said as it held it's
sword ready. Erika and I were ready to bolt. We were watching,
waiting for them to start fighting. Erika and I looked silently
to ourselves, not needing to communicate our plan since it
looked like she had the same idea I did.
Collector: Foolish... You know how many death wraiths I've
killed? You'll just be another addition to my collection. He
said as a scythe comes out of the darkness. The collector looked
ready to fight.
It was a tense few moments, but when they charged each other and
their blades clashed, Erika and I ran. We ran for what felt like
10 minutes. We were so panicked though, we didn't realize that
we weren't near our home yet. Because we went through the well
lit area, we had taken the long way. Sure it was longer, but we
thought it would be safer.
We had to stop to catch our breath. We noticed the lights were
dim again. If we encountered that collector again, we weren't
sure what he wanted, but we didn't want to find out. Let the
death wraith and collector fight.
Erika: Suddenly, the backroad seems like the better idea huh?
She said jokingly. I said nothing. Mostly because I feel like
the same thing could have happened either way. Except it
probably would have been a werewolf or vampire that got us
instead.
Me: We should call the police. Maybe the Hellsing organization
can send someone. I said, trying to be as calm as I could.
However, Erika and I froze before she could respond. The faint
screaming was back... Which meant...
We turned to the direction we heard it, and saw the collector.
He wasn't holding his scythe, and he didn't look hurt or out of
breath at all. If he fought that death wraith thing, then he
must have won easily since he didn't look damaged at all.
Collector: Sorry... But your soul will be added to my
collection. Nothing can save you. He said as he moves toward
Erika again. I moved in front of Erika. It was obvious now that
the creature wanted her. Erika was one of the few friends I
would fight to save, and I was about to prove that.
Me: Erika... leave. Get to Hellsing or Black Sun. Have them send
help. I said to her.
The collector came up to me and looked, as though studying me. I
wasn't sure whether to be creeped out or not. Collector: You're
not worth my time... You don't have strong emotional energy. He
said to me. Well... At least now I think I understood what he
wanted. Erika was a pretty emotional person, for better or
worse. I wasn't. But I figured that would work to my advantage.
However, Erika didn't leave. She came to stand beside me. Erika:
I'm staying. I won't let him kill you.
Me: NO. Leave! He doesn't want me!
Erika walked up to him. Erika: Take me... But let my friend go.
If you want me, you can have me. She said to him.
The collector just grabbed her and leaned down to her.
I wasn't about to watch him kill her, so I ran in and tried to
kick the creature. But the creature just grabbed my kick and
tossed me aside.
Collector: Your friend is being noble... Don't worry. You'll
have your friend back when I'm done. He said before leaning
down again to her. He put his finger on her forehead, drawing a
blue light out of her head. I didn't at the time what was
happening other than I noticed Erika's eyes going blank. I got
up and went to attack again, before the collector finished what
he did and Erika fell to the floor. I stopped my attack and ran
to her, worried about what he had done.
Erika got up immediately though. However, her eyes were
lifeless. The cheerful happy look she usually had, or even the
fearful look she had during the incident was gone. Her eyes were
more lifeless than mine. I was completely caught off guard. She
was alive, but... what was left of her?
Me: Erika?
Erika: Don't worry. I'm fine. I'm alive at least. She said to
me. However, her voice was not the same voice that she used when
she talked. Her voice was void of all emotion, and sounded cold.
It wasn't often my emotions got the better of me, but this was
one of those times. There was one emotion I was feeling: Anger.
Once everything went red, I attacked him, screaming in anger. I
don't even remember if he dodged or took the hits. The only
thing I remember next was him grabbing my neck and lifting me
off the ground. He wasn't choking me, but I couldn't see to move
and I was concentrating on trying to get free. I was still
angry, but no longer lost in it as the collector looked at me
again.
Collector: I was wrong... Maybe you are worth something. Your
anger. It is worth collecting after all. He said as he touched
my forehead. I couldn't think as I looked to Erika. She just sat
there silently, watching. She didn't try to help me or anything.
I didn't know what had happened to her, but I knew it was
happening to me as well. I could feel something leaving me. I
couldn't put my finger on it. I kept eyes on Erika, trying to
call out her name, but nothing came out.
The collector, when he was done, dropped me and looked to us.
Collector: Well... There's so much more collecting to do. Two
emotional souls and a death wraith soul. I'd say it's been a
productive night so far, but the night is far from over. He said
as he disappears. I think the expression here is fading into the
darkness, but there was no shadow around him. He just... faded
into dark mist and disappeared.
I got up, but I felt different. Just like Erika... I felt...
empty. I wasn't emotional before, but it was different now.
Erika got up as well. We looked at each other.
Erika: He was supposed to not hurt you... She said in a flat
voice.
Me: Fat lot of good that did. You should have ran when I gave
you the chance. I said to her. I didn't care anymore about our
friendship. In my mind, she didn't try to do anything to help
me, and instead just watched. I should have been angry, but I
wasn't. Right now, all I could think was that I should have ran
when I had the chance and let the collector have her. I knew it
was wrong, but that was the only thing I could think.
Erika and I stared at each other for a moment before the silence
broke. Not by us, but by a man who was standing nearby, leaned
against a wall. He was watching us, though I don't know for how
long.
Man: Well... It seems the collector got you. Oh well... I was
hoping for some fresh souls tonight. He said with a smile. We
both looked at him, curiously. The red jacket with black clouds
and the red hair... Something was familiar about him. I remember
reading about someone with a cloud jacket... Apparently the head
of Black Sun wore a black jacket with red clouds. Of course, I
never saw a picture of the head of Black Sun, so I don't know
what he looked like to know if this was the same man or not.
Me: What's a collector? And what did he take from us? I said,
mostly because I wanted to get back what I had lost. I didn't
care about what Erika lost anymore.
Man: The collector is a dark spirit... They live in the
darkness. They collect emotions, but sometimes they get greedy
and want the emotional center of someone... Their soul. He
explains. The collectors are powerful. Normally they're not
harmful to humans, but rare ones like the one you met collect
souls instead of emotions. Their lanterns hold their collection.
Souls or emotional energy... But, the problem with collecting
souls for them? The souls themselves... He chuckled softly.
Well... That's another matter. You see, souls give raw emotions.
The source of emotions... And it's said that souls in the
lanterns, they start out with strong emotions. But eventually
their emotions only turn to one thing: Despair.
Me: If it's a dark creature, why isn't it afraid of the light? I
asked, realizing that light seemed to only mildly annoy the
collector.
The man just laughs. Man: You mortals think we're scared of the
light? He gets serious and then looks at us. Please... Light to
us dark spirits is just a way to see our prey. It means nothing
to us. He smiles as he looked at us. Anyway... I better be
going. You girls ever want to loosen up, my boss is about to
open a night club here in town. My name is Kuroshi Kagema. You
can find me there if you're looking for a good time. He says
with a smile before he stopped leaning on the wall and started
walking away. Normally I would be disgusted with comments like
the last comment he made, but unfortunately, I couldn't feel
anything. All I noticed was that the man also referred to
himself as a dark spirit, and every instinct I had told me to
stay away from him after what happened with the collector.
Erika, who had been silent, starts walking home again. I walked
with her, not because I wanted to stay close to her, but because
our homes were in the direction. Of course, I could tell she was
probably thinking the same thing. But before I could get too far
though, I heard one last voice in the distance. I looked and for
a moment, I saw a man with black wings and yellow eyes.
Man: You humans... You think you own the light. Ever since your
kind huddled around campfires, you think the light will somehow
drive us off. But what you have to fear isn't what lies in the
dark. What you should fear is what isn't afraid to come into the
light... We are the creatures that even creatures of darkness
fear. He said before vanishing.
Ever since that day, Erika and I haven't regained our emotions.
Every now and then we have dreams of a dark void, and the
screaming. We see ourselves there, also screaming. Not in pain,
but hoping to find a way out, wandering the void of infinite
empty space alongside many others. Hoping someone will save us.
Erika and I aren't really friends anymore, but we do sometimes
get together to discuss our dreams because we're both certain of
one thing. It's the only "connection" we have anymore with
emotions... Those dreams are the only emotions we can feel. You
usually take the soul for granted, but it's worth more than you
can realize.
So I say... Beware of the collector. As that man said, it's not
the creatures hiding the dark that you should be watching for.
It's the ones that aren't afraid of the light. Because when they
come into the light without fear, you know that little can save
you.
Part 2: Battle in the Dark
Kendrix vs Kuroshi Theme: An Antagonistic Battle (
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUuM6V9C8SA&list=PLeU0Mbk_NG5SymLBRiSN3MPTHBb8kHKEJ&index=46<br
/>)
Kuroshi: And that's how the girl told the story.
Kendrix: Informative I guess? He says to Kuroshi with a confused
look. But that doesn't answer my question.
Kuroshi: Right... What was the question again? He says, looking
back to Kendrix and the person Kendrix was saving from Kuroshi
who was just watching currently.
Kendrix had been looking into rumors that someone who looked
like him was running Nightshade in the absence of their boss,
John Wong, since Abyss wasn't really up to ruling the group
himself since he preferred the simple life of just going and
killing whoever he was told to. Kuroshi had been put in charge,
mostly because Zenrael wanted to get Kuroshi out of his sight
after how much he'd been annoying Zenrael as of late. Kuroshi
had been trying to capture live beings to sell on the black
market for supernaturals, mostly ones looking for food in a
society that hunted down any supernatural that killed humans for
any reason. The market for people had grown significantly since
the public found out about supernaturals, and more people were
avoiding dark places they could be attacked by creatures like
werewolves and vampires, but the black market was also a great
place to get humans from people who didn't have to worry about
hunters, since the Nightshade people capture people and then
sell them to other supernaturals so the supernaturals don't have
to do the work. With a system like that, Kendrix had been trying
to put a stop it, as Hei had been working on a similar system,
but using criminal blood and bodies to sell to creatures who
wanted to eat without having to kill and worry about hunters.
However, the difference was that Hei was only using criminals
and those sentenced to death, as according to his agreement with
the government so that they could not only sell food to
supernaturals in the black market, but they could also make new
allies from supernaturals seeking safe places to get food.
Kendrix: Where did you get that scythe? He says, pointing at the
double sided scythe Kuroshi was holding over his shoulder.
Kuroshi: Oh right! You like? Yeah... This is something I got
from a collector. That and his lamp. I couldn't use the souls in
the lamp before... But now I can absorb them as needed. Sorry...
You asked what is a collector after that, and then I went off on
a tangent... He says with a smile.
Kendrix: Well... It's just another thing I'm going to enjoy
using after I absorb you again. He says as he holds his dual
swords ready. Since his soul reaver is only as powerful as the
souls he has, he wasn't confident using it since he wasn't at
full capacity yet in souls, so he was using the swords he
inherited from his father, Zangetsu and Chidori, which he
usually carried with him.
Kuroshi: Well. I wasn't much for scythes before, but after
gaining your combat ability, I have to say that this scythe
works great for my new skillset.
Kendrix: Well then. We'll see how it stands up to me. He says as
he moves to attack Kuroshi. The two clash blades, with Kendrix
using his dual sword wielding style and Kuroshi using his twin
scythe combat style which he had varied from Kendrix's Chinese
Kenpo. The person Kendrix saved runs away, taking the
opportunity to bolt while they had the chance.
The two move with incredible speed, both using Sonido as they
clash. The two appear somewhat evenly matched currently as they
were mostly only relying on physical combat to gauge each
other's ability and neither is able to get a hit in on the
other. Despite Kuroshi having pretty much stolen Kendrix's
abilities and combat power, Kendrix was afraid to admit to
himself that Kuroshi was using them pretty darn well.
Kuroshi: Wow... You're pretty good. Better than I was hoping. I
figured you'd be weak after losing your souls, but not even at
full capacity yet and you're working hard, kiddo! He says
cheerfully with a smile, enjoying their fight as they move and
clash blades.
Kendrix: Of course. Would you expect anything else from me? When
I get determined to kill something, it brings out my try-hard
mode.
Kuroshi laughs a bit. Kuroshi: I've needed this! I need someone
to help test my new abilities on and you're perfect! I can't
believe how strong I've become with your power that only the
original can challenge me now. This is better than I dared hope!
Kendrix: Well... You're using my power, so you damn well better
be strong! If you were weak, then I'd be insulted to call you an
evil me. He says confidently. Seeing his abilities from a third
person perspective had put some more pride in his fighting,
since he now got to see how tough he was from his enemy's view.
Kuroshi: Oh don't worry. You have nothing to worry about! He
says as he clashes with Kendrix before jumping back. The souls
in his body seem to cry out in terror as Kuroshi summons a mass
of his shadow realm darkness from deep in the shadow realm,
which was the same darkness he had tried to use on Kendrix when
they fought in his head.
Kendrix jumps back and summons his demonic Pride shadows which
were fused with more fear energy that Kendrix normally used,
which surprised him as he was able to absorb the fear of the
souls in Kuroshi's body, firing his darkness like spears to
counter Kuroshi's darkness which had also tried to spear him.
The two clash with shadows, with both of their shadows being
somewhat evenly matched, even though Kuroshi's shadows were
somewhat stronger still, and didn't cost as much power to use
since Kendrix had more power he put into his demonic Pride
shadows.
Kendrix tries to use his demon and angel power, firing crimson
energy at him, but Kuroshi counters with a blast of green soul
energy, which he used by blending many soul energies together to
create powerful blasts of combined power. The green skull form
when he fired the blasts threw of Kendrix who fired his crimson
energy as blasts of energy rather than them taking form.
Kendrix: Damn he's good... He says as he tries to blast Kuroshi.
At this rate, this won't ever end. He says to himself as he
tries something different and blasts gold distortion lightning,
a new technique he'd been working on, at Kuroshi.
Kuroshi re-orients himself as he regenerates in blasts of dark
flames, using Darkfire regeneration. Kuroshi: The hell was
that?! He says somewhat surprised.
Kendrix: Wait, you don't know about that? That's from the
celestian blood.
Kuroshi: Is it? I haven't been able to use any of those
abilities yet. He says in thought as he finishes regenerations.
Kendrix: So I CAN do something you can't do. He says with a
smile as he fires a blast of gold distortion energy, focusing
more on using his psychic abilities he had been developing.
Kuroshi: Alright then... Devour! He says, activating a dark art
which creates a sort of black hole ball around his hand that
absorbs the gold distortion energy. But I have things you can't
do either. He says to Kendrix with a smile after absorbing the
energy. No... But in truth I had no idea if that would work or
not. He says jokingly.
Kendrix: Dammit... That didn't last long. He says, realizing he
lost his advantage. However, he did have his psychic abilities,
so he tried to focus on using more of it, trying to see what he
could use.
Kendrix tries to blast Kuroshi back with psychic energy, but
Kuroshi uses a dark chi art to blast back, and counter with chi
user arts that Kendrix had actually forgotten about.
Kendrix summons dark chi. Kendrix: Damn it's hard to remember
all the abilities I have sometimes. He says as he tries to blast
Kuroshi with his own chi arts, but realizes quickly that
Kuroshi's dark chi arts are stronger than his, so he goes back
to relying on his psychic abilities, using blast waves and
distortion of space and time to counter Kuroshi's chi arts.
Kuroshi: Okay... I gotta look into those celestian abilities
now... Those are cool. He says as he notices how Kendrix was
using his psychic abilities.
Kendrix: I'm starting to like them myself. He says with a smile
as he starts decides to use psychic power to manipulate his
Pride shadows to give them a boost as he tries to spear Kuroshi
again, this time evening the odds and countering Kuroshi's
darkness.
Kuroshi smiles a bit as he tries to put his soul energy into
strengthening his shadows, using it like a conduit of
amplification to overpower Kendrix's shadows until Kendrix
poured more psychic energy into his shadows, but ultimate
Kendrix had to jump out of the way and dodge the shadows once
they started chasing him. Kendrix was able to knock the shadows
away from him, but an overall power battle was not something
Kendrix could win currently with Kuroshi.
Kendrix changes things up and fires a psychic blast of holy
light using his angel power, blasting through the darkness and
almost blasting through Kuroshi again before he dodged. Kuroshi
looks at Kendrix with surprise. Kuroshi: Jeez... We really do
have a lot of tricks don't we? He says jokingly.
Kendrix: It seems so. Desperate times and all that... Kendrix
says before having to dodge Kuroshi's demonic fallen light.
Kendrix fires blasts of holy light, countering Kuroshi's demonic
fallen light with his holy light. However, Kuroshi's demonic
fallen light was still stronger, so Kendrix was only able to use
it to redirect the attacks.
Kendrix: Still haven't figured out what light is... He says
about the demonic fallen light.
Kuroshi: It's Lucifer's power. He's one of the few that have
managed to create demonic fallen light. Even fallen nephalem
couldn't do that normally... He smiles and forms a mass of
fallen celestial force and fallen demon aura, the specialty of
fallen nephalem to apply their fallen aura to their demon power
to create what they called fallen demon power (redundant name
though it is). That reminds me, I've been working on this just
for you, kiddo! You're the first test. He says as he starts
firing blasts of the two powers, where Kendrix blocks with his
own crimson energy.
Kendrix: Dammit... I'm going to have to bust this out sooner
than I anticipated... He starts forming what appears to be
crimson energy, but of a darker red shade mixed with a grayish
tint as he mixes celestial force and demonic aura to try and
blast Kuroshi with a new power he'd been working on.
The two try to blast each other, but Kendrix isn't able to
always create the energy, and the blending process doesn't seem
to work yet as Kendrix wants it to, since the power was still be
developed on his part.
Kuroshi: What's the matter kid? Can't get the power up? That's
actually not a bad attempt at recreating Asmodeus's sacred
energy... Even if it's a little skewed on proportions.
Kendrix: Yeah... I figured I could make a more advanced crimson
energy. My balance of power is different from Uncle Asmodeus, so
I have to mind that balance. He explains as he tries to form it
again, but can't seem to keep it stable.
Kuroshi: Damn... That sucks that you can't make it work yet...
But you have given me a new idea for an ability at least. So
thanks for that. He says with a smile. I just had the best idea
how to amp my fallen twilight. He puts his scythe away and sighs
a bit. Well.. I guess I'll call it quits for today. Let me know
if you get that power working. I'd love to see the finished
product. He says with a smile to Kendrix.
Kendrix: No. You don't leave till I say you do! He says as he
goes to attack, but Kuroshi just vanishes into a burst of
darkness and appears out of another burst of darkness, using a
death wraith shadow walk, but without fading into a shadow.
Kendrix: The hell?! Did you just shadow travel without shadows?
Kuroshi: Trust me kid... I've got a lot more tricks. And I know
you do too. I can connect to the world anywhere through the
shadow realm. Even without shadows. Because we dark spirits
don't fear opening up that part of the shadow realm to create
new travel points. He says as he looks back at Kendrix. I'd say
give it a try, but I don't think you want to open up that part
of the realm either... There's a lot of darkness tearing you
apart and evil voices... You know how it goes. You've seen
hell... He says the last part jokingly.
Kendrix: Yeah... I've been to New York... He says jokingly.
Kuroshi just chuckles and then disappears, leaving Kendrix
alone.
Kendrix: Dammit... I'm gonna have to develop some new
abilities... But at least I have an idea how to do that. He says
in thought. He teleports back to Black Sun headquarters. It
seemed he still had some work to do before he could defeat
Kuroshi.
End.
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