Private/Closed Gods' End...?

[Pen-and-Parchment]

Ah, New York City: "The City that Never Sleeps". ... Well, unless you're dead, that is. Ankh Kouri sighed as he adjusted his tie and looked at himself in the mirror. Another long day at the Kouri Funeral Parlor. Despite his mother's insisting on him continuing the family business, he did not want to be stuck between life and death for his entire existence.

He patted his chest gently, feeling the familiar form of his most beloved possession - a pendant given to him by his mother - beneath the cloth and fabric of his suit. He had owned it since he was born, and it apparently was a gift from his father, a man he never knew. He never really asked his mother about him, as he could tell it was a sensitive subject. Over the years, he had imagined what his father was like. He imagined that he looked like himself, that he was a bit taller than him, and that he was supportive of anything and everything he wanted to do. After all, he was his son.

The pendant was on a simple but strong cord of black leather. The pendant itself was silver, and it was a small jackal sitting down like an obedient dog. His mother walked over to him, smiling slightly. "You're walking home today?" Ankh nodded. "Lock the place up, then." His mother walked out of the front door. A few moments later, he heard the sound of her car pull out of the small parking lot and drive away.

Ankh sighed again as he grabbed his keys. He locked the parlor up and pocketed the keys as he started down the sidewalk. Unbeknownst to him however, he was being followed. As he turned a corner, he started to hear the rhythmic pounding of four feet - or more likely paws - on the pavement. Considering the fact that he had seen plenty of stray dogs before, he turned, expecting to see just that.

Instead he was tackled to the ground by something huge and god knows what. He yelled as it roared and growled in his face and snapped at him. He pushed its head away from him, but gasped when the beast suddenly snapped at his face and jumped off of him, running away. He stood up, thoroughly shaken but unharmed for the most part, and dusted himself off. He patted his chest and froze. He was missing his pendant, his one and only connection to his father.

Putting two and two together, he started sprinting after the beast. He couldn't be sure exactly what it was. It looked doglike, yet it was also huge and powerful. Not to mention the way it sounded. "Hey! Get back here!" Ankh yelled. He was far behind it, but he didn't dare stop chasing it. After all, if he lost his pendant... Ankh shook his head. No. He refused to think about that.

As he sprinted after the unknown creature, he watched in horror as it attacked another person - one who looked younger than him. He saw the beast snap at their neck before running off. Terrified, he ran over to the fallen person. "Are you alright? Did you get a good look at that thing?" He watched as it ran further down the road. "Come on," Ankh said, slightly out of breath, "We have to pursue it...It took something from me, I'm pretty sure, and I can't afford to lose it...!"

 

[Nebula-Newt]

A crack of thunder overhead and suddenly the sky split open, the grey masses of cloud overhead heaved as they released their watery burden. Caught in this sudden downpour was Riley, the young man barely even reacted to the rain as those around him scattered in search of cover in the various stores nearby. The grey environment allowed him to blend in, his usual outfit matched the storm clouds and rain soaked buildings so well that he was merely a shadow against the brickwork to those who might glance at him from within the shops that lined the usually busy street. The look on his face was just as stormy as everything around him, Riley had a habit of leaving the house just as the weather turned bad, often a beautiful day would turn into a terrible one the moment he stepped out of the door. Dark thoughts were clouding his mind, only recently he had attended his brother's funeral and something like that had a habit of ruining one's mood.

The sound of Riley's footsteps were masked by the lashing rain so a sudden pounding of boots on the cobbles behind him managed to grab his attention. A man in dark clothing was sprinting towards him, hand clasped tightly around a handbag that Riley could only assume didn't belong to him. Well maybe, who was he to judge? It was with a dark chuckle that he watched the figure slip and fall on his backside, the bag clattering to the ground and spilling out its contents everywhere in a shower of gleaming objects. A phone, some keys and a fair amount of cash now lay in the tiny streams that ran between the cobbles towards the streets gutters. The assumed thief was now clearly winded and gasping for breath, clutching at his side as if it would somehow numb his pain.

"Tough luck mate, you know I dont think pink was really your colour anyway." Riley quipped, kicking the hot pink handbag at the man with a smirk before carrying on his way, leaving him to quite literally wallow in his sorrows. The smirk quickly faded as his pace picked up, head down as rain ran down his neck and on to his spine. He shivered. You'd think he would have learned by now to bring a coat out with him but no, he was far too stubborn to accept his own luck. Who was to say the sun wasn't eagerly waiting its turn to shine up there?

Soon enough he arrived at his destination, a local florists, the only one he knew of in New York where they were hardly common place. Steeping inside the threshold he shook his head in a manner reminiscent of an animal trying to dry its fur, his dark hair spraying drops of water everywhere. Riley wasn't the only one to enter though, a street cat had managed to slip inside as he had opened the door and now it mirrored him, shaking its fur dry. The black furred cat managed to spray Riley's already damp clothes with yet more water, wetting the tiled floor of the store as well. After quickly petting the creature, I say quickly he did take the time to enjoy the sensation, Riley found himself looking for assistance. This would be the first time he had ever had to buy flowers in his life, usually he would have left that kind of task up to his older brother. Kind of ironic really, in a very depressing kind of way. Shaking himself out of his foul mood at the last second he gave his best bright smile to the girl serving him, his usual half smirk forming on his face. "Hey there, Im looking for flowers appropriate for a grave, you know something nice looking but not too romantic. Any suggestions?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Outside the store and inside of a nearby alleyway that was slightly sheltered from the storm another smile was forming, one with a much more malicious quality to it. It's owner spoke in a slightly raspy tone and his voice was no louder than a whisper as he stared at the florists. "Two for the price of one? My lucky day."

 

[MegaAbsol]

"Dad? Was Mom Japanese?" Nyx squinted closer in the morning light towards the fox-shaped Kabuki mask; a tiny charm ordinarily adorning her neck, but was now being toyed with amidst slender fingers. The teenager clutched the pendant in her fist as she reclined on her bed, turning her wrist to scrutinise her skinned knuckles, a stark contrast against the otherwise pristine hand. Her full lips parted slightly as she felt her breath hitch at the thought of a childhood she didn't have, a mother she didn't remember. Sometimes, when she closed her eyes, and concentrated really hard, she liked to imagine she could see her mother.

"Yes, dear."
"And how did you meet?"
"Well, I was overseas for a photograph shoot, and I met her."
"And once you saw her, you couldn't take your eyes off her beauty?"
The last line had been said with a cheeky grin. Her dad had often spoken about how beautiful her mother had been. Long dark hair, dazzling brown eyes, a small, delicate face. Heh, Nyx scoffed as she ran her hand over her own angular jawline, delicate. Of course, the sight she saw imprinted on the inside of her closed lids was possibly conjured up by her mind; implanted memories by her fathers description.

But that had been morning. This was a dreary afternoon, where she tended to a shop, and had a customer to pay attention to. Dropping her charm back in quickly at the first ding of the bell, she turned with a smile plastered across her face. She knew her smiles didn't have to be genuine for her to look pretty - much to her chagrin - but she tried her best to appear as welcoming as she could with a hasty smile. Brushing some stray hair out of her eyes as her gaze settled upon the arrival, she waited for the young man to brush off any rainwater - a gesture she appreciated - before making his way over to the counter.

It was a surprise addition to an otherwise slow day. Not many would venture out in this weather to buy flowers. Perhaps this man's need was greater than most. He appeared to be around her age, and she wondered if he attended her school - one of the few in the neighbourhood. She watched as water dripped off him in great swathes, and she frowned slightly, wondering what he was doing without some sort of coat in this kind of weather. Wondrous weather too; it had been sunny a few moments ago, but now the torrential rain battered her windows in a rather uncanny stattaco.

The thought of dripping water made her eyes travel downwards, where the expected puddle of water had gathered. She didn't grudge the addition to the floor; her flowers on display had got a drink, after all, and the water-blurred windows didn't particularly offer her any amusement either, but she couldn't help noticing a welcome little guest. A black cat seemed to have snuck in for shelter against the rain, causing her face to split into a wide grin of unbridled pleasure. She loved cats, and watching the man bend to caress the feline, instead of quickly striding over for an order, softened her smile. With twinkling blue-gray eyes, Nyx's gaze lingered upon the silent scene for a moment longer before turning towards the supply closet.

As the male straightened, she strode out with two towels. Usually, she wouldn't have bothered with them, but seeing as she was going to fetch one for the cat anyway, she decided to lend the boy one as well. As she came to a halt, the male seemed to struggle internally for a minute before seeming to push his worries aside and offer up the best smile she had seen all day. Already well-disposed towards the fellow cat-lover, the customer's genuine effort to put on a bright smile made Nyx beam back spontaneously.

"Sir," she held out the cloth in one hand, a plain white cotton hand-towel. Enough to dry off a cat, or a head of dark hair. Wouldn't want to go around catching colds, after all. Having proffered her services to the human, she turned her attention to the cat. Wrapping up the feline in the thick material, she carried the unresisting quadruped to the counter; just in time too, since it seemed her opinion was being required. Running her hands over the cats damp fur before beginning to gently dry off the coat, she contemplated over the answer.

"Well, you really should let your heart decide, you know," she offered up finally, resisting the urge to bite her own tongue. It sounded lame, even to her own ears, but it was an honest opinion. She didn't lift her eyes off the cat - now beginning to wriggle slightly - as she continued, "Most flowers have some sort of symbolism attached to them, but if your, excuse me, loved one reminds you of a field of daisies, then leave daisies by all means. It's the memories and the thoughts that count." She wiggled her fingers before the cat's face, letting it swipe at them; what were a few more scratches to said hand? Even as she spoke, she couldn't help wondering...what would Mom have liked?

(Avoiding reading up on 'flowers for graves' )

 

[Nebula-Newt]

Riley's smile became much more genuine the moment he took the time to actually study the girl behind the counter. She had a somewhat Asian look to her, Japanese perhaps, and if he was being honest a rather attractive face that was wearing a particularly lovely smile right about now. She must be about his age as well, he wondered how he had failed to spot her around before, surely she didn't go to the same school as him? There were a few around here so probably not, perhaps she was a recent addition to the population of new York like himself, she did have that Asian heritage that could explain that.

"Oh thanks, sorry about dripping all over your shop.." He grimaced as he gratefully accepted the towel from the girl, a wave of embarrassment hitting him as he realised how much of a mess he must have looked right now. The contrast was pretty stark, he looked like he'd brought the storm in with him and there she stood surrounded by flowers with a smile that could have been summer itself. Well it was too late to do anything about that now. He began patting himself dry as the cat that had waltzed in with him received a similar treatment from the shop assistant, the smell of rain beginning to mingle with that of the various plants the florists housed. A warm fuzzy feeling shot through the young man's chest for a fleeting second as he watched the black street cat enjoy the sensation of the towel on its coat, it would seem he had met another cat lover. Its not like they were that rare but he had always found dog lovers were more common, in New York at least. You couldn't walk 10 feet without running into one of "Mans best friends", whilst the armies of street cats sulked in the shadows and straight into his heart.

"Well, you really should let your heart decide, you know, most flowers have some sort of symbolism attached to them, but if your, excuse me, loved one reminds you of a field of daisies, then leave daisies by all means. It's the memories and the thoughts that count."

It took every fibre of Riley's body for him not to roll his eyes at the answer to his question, it wasn't that he couldn't appreciate what the girl was trying to say it was more just that he tried not to dip into the emotional pool that was unresolved grief over his brother. He had been hoping for a simple answer but instead now he was forced to hold back memories that attempted to surface in a rather sudden and violent eruption. His brow creased for perhaps a millisecond before he let out a quiet sigh and settled back into a state of calm. It had been a long week.

"I see...well I guess I'll ju-" Riley's reply was cut off as a dark blur in his peripheral vision caught his attention."Is that a bull?" He just managed to ask in his still strong English accent before said blur imploded the florists shop window and hurled him across the room and into a rack containing various packets of seeds, many of which began to spill out on to him as he lay in the remains. After a few seconds trying to throw off the daze that was clouding his sight and hearing Riley came back to reality with a feeling like being pulled from a lake. Gasping for air he felt his eyes widen as he looked at the monstrosity standing in the centre of the florists where he had been only moments ago. "Is that a fucking minotaur?" He tried to exclaim but his words were merely a whisper after receiving a blow like that. Indeed what appeared to be the half bull of legend was now clutching his chain, the one with a crow on it, in its massive spade like hand. He could hardly comprehend what he was seeing but still he began to feel rage ebbing into his veins to mingle with the fear and confusion. That was all he had from his mother and now something that didn't even exist had taken it from him? Only he could fuck up buying flowers this badly.

(So just do as you wish with the minotaur mega, I didn't want to do much as it would involve controlling Nyx a lot )

 

[Ry_Burst]

"I'm fine," the Hispanic boy hissed standing up and watching as the creature, whatever the hell it was, run away.

Warren Sanchez had been having one hell of a day, that couldnt seemingly get any worse. But then a dog thing attacked him, and he got the gut instinct that it being there was some pretty bad mojo. He was still a bit sore after a fist fight just an hour ago with some neighborhood assholes, but he was still good to kick some more ass, even if it wasn't human.

He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a switchblade revealing the knife with a squint of silver. "I'll catch up and trap it. Give me a second though." He said before running into an alleyway. Now here he had earlier stashed his scooter so he would have a ride after the fight. But now it was time for a chase.

He skidded out of the alleyway with his helmet on his head, and rhe knife between his teeth. "Get on!" He shouted, before accelerating from his parked position, hoping the guy had hopped on.

As he sped after the beast be felt a strange feeling. As if something was missing. As he drove, he placed his hand at chest. The pendant was gone. "Mom's gonna kill me if I don't get it back. That weird dog thing must have snatched it." Warren mumbled to himself with the knife still clenched in his teeth.

 

[Pen-and-Parchment]

"I'm fine"

Ankh sighed in relief. The beast sprinted further and further away. "Shit, we'll never catch it on foot...!" he murmured. That's when the boy - who looked to be of some Spanish background, though Ankh couldn't be sure which country exactly he might be from - took out a switchblade. Ankh wanted to bring this up, then thought against it. After all, this was New York. Shifty people were everywhere in big cities, and this kid looked prepared to knock anyone out if he had to.

"I'll catch up and trap it. Give me a second, though." He went into an alleyway and came out on a scooter a second later, his knife in his teeth. Ankh raised an eyebrow. "You're going to cut your mouth up with your knife like that, you know." Before he could take the knife from him and stash it away safely, the boy shouted, "Get on!" and started to take off.

"! Wait!" He raced after the boy and jumped onto the scooter, thankfully landing on it. "...Hn. That was rude and impatient of you. You could have waited for me to get on." As always, his somewhat deep voice accompanied a blank expression. Ankh watched as the doglike beast ran down the road and darted into an alleyway next to a flower shop. "There it goes! If we're lucky, the alleyway is a dead en-...!" Astonished, he watched as something burst into the flower shop through the window. Its shadow and form were unmistakable... "Why is there a Minotaur in New York...?!"

This made no sense at all whatsoever. First the dog...thing...now this?! Minotaurs were legendary creatures. They weren't real. Yet Ankh saw it ram into the shop. "It must have seen something..." Ankh paled. "...Or someone...!" He jumped off the scooter and peered into the alleyway, only to see a man taking two pendants from-!!... That was definitely not a dog...! It had the appearance of one, but it looked like a small bear. Completely black, the beast's eyes could have been made of pure fire.

"Two more? Why, it really is my lucky day, isn't it?" The man cackled, the sound unnatural and unsettling on Ankh's ears. The man glanced up and saw him, smirking. "What's the matter, boy? Never seen a barghest before?" The barghest barked - or, roared, really - and snarled at him, causing him to jump. "...Give me my pendant. What do you even need it for?" Ankh surprised himself with how calm his voice sounded despite his current situation. "For a greater purpose, Ankh. A purpose so great that if I told you, you wouldn't be able to fathom it."

Ankh clenched his fists, scowling. He knew he was in no position to fight. Hell, he had never really been in one, exactly. And in his current state - soaked to the bone from a sudden storm that had started up as he was walking home and his attire being a tux of all things - he knew that if he tried fighting, he would either die or end up in the hospital. Especially if he had to fight the barghest, which was likely. Even on a good day, he knew he wasn't strong enough to fight that thing bare handed. He would need a gun to take it down.

He paused for a moment. 'Two'? Where did he get the second pendant from? And what did he mean by 'two more'? And how did he know his name?! "Seeing as I'm in a good mood, I'm going to give you to the count of three to start running. Once I say three, the barghest will go after you. And it doesn't play nice." The demon dog snapped at the air in front of it. Ankh thought things over a minute.

"How do I want to die?"
"One..."
"Minotaur?"
"Two..."
"Or barghest?"
"Three."

Before he made an official decision, the barghest roared and started charging towards him. The decision made for him, he dodged out of the way, only for the demon dog to slide into and break the wall to the flower shop in an attempt to get him. He yelled as the barghest whacked him hard in the chest with a giant paw. He flew into the flower shop, his back slamming into the desk. He sucked in a breath and had all the air knocked out of him within moments of each other. Ankh attempted to stand, only to leap behind the desk as best he could and cry out as he landed decently hard on his already damaged chest as the barghest ran inside and tried to snap at him with its monstrous maw.

Panting and blinking spots from his vision, he slowly curled up into a ball and tried to avoid the barghest's clawing and biting and ramming into the insanely stable desk that Ankh could see was made from cast iron in some places. He saw with confusion that the area he was previously was now stained red slightly. He looked down and saw that his tux was ripped, his tie in tatters. There was a giant bruise in the shape of a paw on his chest that was swollen already. There were claw marks running across it as well. Decently deep claw marks. He was bleeding. He winced at the pain, an incoming headache approaching from everything that he was trying to process at once.

"I'm going to die here. I'll never come home. I'll never get to say goodbye to Mom. I'll never get to meet my Dad." Ankh hoped and prayed that this wasn't the end. He had a whole life to live, and if he was gone, his mother would be all alone and heartbroken. Alongside his panicked thoughts, his prayers were echoing loud and clear. "I'm going to die here." "Let me live." "I'll never come home." "Let me go home." "I'll never get to say goodbye to Mom." "Let me say goodbye only briefly, not for eternity." "I'll never get to meet my Dad." "Let me find him and meet him someday."

 

[MegaAbsol]

It all had gone downhill very fast. Just as the girl was cringing at the customer's negative response - what had she expected, with that kind of an answer? She better begin packing gladioli - when her world was thrown upside down. The man had only begun placing an order when something large and black came crashing through the wall, preceded only by a soft question from the male that she didn't quite pick up. The wind was knocked out of her as she reflexively threw up her hands to protect her head. By luck, the thing had avoided her altogether, leaving the girl shaken, but unharmed.

Her customer was not so lucky. The male had taken the brunt of the impact and had fallen against the far wall, surrounded by half-sprouted seeds and looking duly dazed. Jer alarmed gaze swung back to settle on her unusual assailant. What was that thing? Wishing she had paid more attention in biology, or history, or whatever this thing was and wherever it came from, she stared at the half-bull creature before her. Even as she stood frozen, senses jangling and limbs unresponsive, the thing turned and its dead eyes bored deep into her own.

The step it took towards her was what snapped her out of her shock, adrenaline coursing through her veins. Breath catching and limbs shaking, she tried desperately to calm herself and think straight. Whatever it was, it didn't seem to have any cuts or external injuries from breaking through the partially glass wall, but if it was alive, it could feel pain. Frowning, her fists balled up as she squared up her opponent. It was much larger than her in size, but she had downed big guys before, even those who knew of her skills and had expected her punches.

As the leviathan reached towards her with massive hand, she ducked away, grasping for anything she could use as a weapon. Backing away towards the male, she watched the black cat - mercifully unharmed - skitter away from the hole in her wall as her hand closed around something metal. Clipping shears - will do in a pinch. The blades were sharp, and Nyx had decent aim; pulling her hand back, she hurled the scissors with all her might.

She hadn't expected the hulking beast to respond quickly enough to bat it aside, and she watched in growing horror as the shears soared and impaled themselves deep in the softboard that hung above the counter. Drawing a shaking breath, she warily eyed the beast drawing ever closer. Already she was inspecting for potential weak points. If she was quick and accurate enough, she could sweep the things feet from under it...

Just as she was about to try and make a move, a roaring motorcycle came to a skidding halt in their vicinity. Her momentary surprise caught her off-guard - just as well that it did. Her timely wide-eyed gaze towards the wall was what saved her as she lunged aside to avoid an incoming blur of a scuffling pair. It appeared to be a male around her age, and a massive dog-like beast. What was that?! Another curious being - what was happening?

Her iron counter was strong, but it wouldn't hold forever. She backed further away as the dog repeatedly rammed into the side in its fury-fueled quest to gain something. As it stood, it rather looked like he was trying to rip the boy's face off, and just as the demon was about to back off for a fresh onslaught, her leg whipped out in a defensive reflex. Where there should've been a crunch of bones, or even the whump of contact against flesh, there was only a solid sound, and Nyx could feel the bear-dog's burning gaze settling on her even before her leg returned to terra firma. That wasn't the best of her decisions.

Her own kick had been well-placed out of compulsion and experience, else she had the impression that it would've been her leg that would've been in pain. But pain was likely what she was in for anyway, since now the attention of both creatures was on her. Swallowing hard, the teenager tried hard to control the trembling that had set in. Breathe. Adrenaline made things worse - it didn't allow for her motory senses to function as they should. The elbow is the strongest point on the body. Breathe. Fists are weak and can split. The heel of the hand has more force. Aim a foot behind their head. Breathe.

Vaguely, she registered that someone else, a third party had appeared at the scene - with a startling lack of passing pedestrians, not that she could blame them - and she might even have heard the words he spoke if she didn't have blood roaring in her ears. Knees bent to brace herself, she decided to try and save the newcomer first - a black-haired male in a suit. How convenient - wouldn't even have to change clothes for their funeral. Despite her grim sense of humor, Nyx was more than certain they would all meet their deaths here, if that was the intention of these curiously spawned creatures. It wasn't a fair death by any means - neither had she envisioned her end this way, nor was she willing to accept it - but she'd be damned if she didn't go down fighting.

Sorry, Dad. "Hey, ugly!" She called out loudly, spreading her feet apart, fists up. If any one of the two neared, she'd be ready. A niggling regret hung on at the back of her mind, at how her dad had the worst of it, losing his wife first and then his daughter, and all she could do was don a cold smile against the cruelty of fate, and aim a piece of rubble at the dog's head. When it came down to the circumstances, Nyx was rather glad she had learnt defensive combat - for she couldn't bring herself to abandon all hopes of survival. She didn't know why these things were here, and why were they after her, or any of the people around, but she sure hoped lady luck smiled down on her after all that had happened today. Sometimes the best thing that could happen was for nobody to get hurt; her eyes slid to the suited man, curled up in a pained ball - but maybe it was too late for that.

 

[Pen-and-Parchment]

Once Ankh was done praying, he took a deep breath and tried to find a way out of his current situation. In the shop, there was indeed a minotaur. "And now a barghest, apparently..." He thought, the banging and roaring of the beast against the desk keeping him from forgetting this fact. Looking around, he saw two other people - a boy and a girl. The boy looked to have been thrown to the side because of the minotaur, and he could sympathize with the way he looked, wincing at his own pain from the swollen chest and claw marks he had on him.

The girl, however, looked unharmed from what he could see. To his amazement, he had seen her kick the demon dog, which only made it more mad, really. It turned to her now and roared savagely. If he didn't act quickly, he wasn't the only one that was going to die. Looking around frantically and slowly getting out of his pitiful position, he tried to find something that could be used as a weapon. He tried not to make any noise, but his breathing was reduced to wheezing at this point and his chest was killing him. "Won't surprise me if I have a few broken ribs..."

He finally saw something shimmer as he looked around and - despite the pain he felt as he did so - he quickly grabbed it. He smirked a bit at what it was, though to anyone looking at him, it would have looked like a grimace - gardening sheers. Assessing the position of the barghest - which was thankfully still next to the desk - he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. "This is crazy...What I am about to do is crazy..."

"'Iilaa aljahim maeak!" Using any and all adrenalin he had, Ankh yelled as he stood up, jumped over the desk and stabbed the barghest as hard as he possibly could into the brain with the sheers, effectively sitting on its shoulders. The beast yelped and roared in pain as it tried to buck him off. He screamed as he held onto the sheers with dear life, digging them deeper and deeper into the monster's head. Finally, when the entirety of the blades were pushed into the brain of the demon dog and the grips were the only things that remained visible, Ankh yelled as he pried the grips open, ripping open a hole in the beast's head and sending black blood splattering about.

The beast's roars of pain were suddenly cut off and it stopped, falling to the ground with a loud thud. Ankh shook a bit as he stared wide-eyed at the dead beast below him. How in hell did that actually work?! He grunted as he pulled the sheers free and glanced at the minotaur. Compared to the barghest, it looked like an easy thing to take down. That is, if he still had the stamina and adrenalin necessary.

Which he didn't.

Ankh's wheezing was worse now. He flopped down onto the ground off of the fallen barghest's back, crying out, then coughing, when he landed on his chest. He thought he felt something snap. "Great...Now I definitely have broken ribs..." He weakly looked up to the girl, at who's feet he currently laid. "...Y-...Your...turn..." He sighed and closed his eyes, focusing on wheezing and maybe - just maybe - staying alive, if he was lucky.

 

[Ry_Burst]

As the scooter swerved to avoid the rubble, Warren leapt off to avoid crashing, with the knife still in his teeth. In mid-air he snatched the knife from his mouth, and gave a roll with the knife in his hand, at ready.

The boy was having mixed feelings about this whole thing. Not only was his necklace stolen by a freaky dog wannabe thing, but now shit was getting deep. He was having slight probelms trying to maneuver his way through the chaos to get inside the store, as the flow of rushing bodies kept on pushing him back. He reached the collapsing room and watched for a second as the thing, which a man called a barghest, began to attack people ferociously.

Part of him wanted to jam his knife between the barghest's shoulder blades, but of course him actually acomplishing that seemed pretty unlikely. However a grin, who looked of a slight Asian decent, shouted at the dog beast trying to provoke it. And with the way the barghest was staring towards her, Warren assumed it was working.

Then something else wiggled it's way into Warren's head. The barghest wasn't the only thing causing chaos. There was a large hulking man bull in the corner, which Warren reconized as a Minotaur. Now in most situations, Warren would question why a Minatour was in a flower shop. But since the pendant stealing dog was there too, Warren assumed it was a light get together of monster friends. Yeah that made the most sense. When he saw the man who he had given a ride here, attack the barghest abd kill it with the sheers. He was amazed, but by the looks of it, the man had tired himself out and left an opening for the Minotaur to strike everyone else down. He was to tall to simply stab, and you would need to aim for the back to do any damage. And since his back was away from the tux man and the girl, it would be no easy task.

A small part of Warren told him, that he was the only human really here with any actual fighting experience, so he decided to try to do something and lurw it towards him so the girl had an openinf with the shears. So what better thing to do, than speak in rapid Spanish.

Warren shouted at the top of his lungs, a few rude phrases in Spanish, that probably shouldn't be translated. "¡Y tu muy feo!" He shouted finishing his rant. The Minotaur was the first to relatively realise his pressence. It turned its back on the others and huffed at Warren.

Warren gave his knife a spin and charged the beast knowing full well he would get his ass kick. And as expected the Minotaur flicked Warren square in the chest, sending him flying into a wall.

The drywall cracked and dust floated around Warren's head as he slumped to the floor. His body was leaking blood, and his clothes were beginning to get stained. However since this want the first time he had stained his clothes with blood he wasn't really that concerned.

He shakily stoodnup, as blood dripped from his mouth. "C'mon chica. Is that the best you got?" He taunted before weakly and akwardly jogging over to try and attack again.

The Minotaur raised his hand, ready to slap Warren to the side, completely forgetting about the others. Warren squeezed his eyes shut and braced for impacy, awaiting the powerful spine shattering blow.

 

[MegaAbsol]

That escalated very quickly. Nyx had been pulling her arm back in preparation for a quick strike, when the man who had previously been curled up in a ball struck suddenly. The attack was unexpected, and brutal to say the least, as she watched the pair of shears being plunged into the dog's head, before being ripped out. She was no stranger to blood, but she couldn't help feeling a little sick as blood began pooling on the ground. Not just blood, either. For some strange reason, despite not knowing what a minotaur was, she knew the dark liquid on the ground was ichor, a substance she had read to be demonic and otherworldly. What...?

The heroic victor collased just as salvation appeared to be within grasp. Having evidently drained every bit of energy the stranger had summoned, Nyx found herself awkwardly hovering over what she assumed to be an Arabic male, if the words were an indication. The man seemed fatigued and injured, and another male seemed to be attempting to engage the minotaur in combat, and didn't appear to be particularly winning. In fact, the florist could only watch in horror as the second male got roundly smacked in the chest for his efforts, sending him flying back towards the far wall. Lovely. How was she the only uninjured one? Why was this even happening?

Any questions were swamped over by the powerful instinct to survive. She could question the credibility of her sanity later, if she'd live. Any hopes of an uneasy but peaceful end to the conflict was but a dream now. Kill or be killed. Motory senses finally kicking back in, she realized she had heard the two strange males call out phrases in different languages - such variety - and the bull-creature obligingly swerved to divert his attention towards the tanned boy. Compared to the canine, the biped appeared slow and ponderous, and Nyx was more than certain in her ability to quickly maneuver around the creature and bring it down.

"Mistake," she cackled gleefully, rather regretful that she hadn't taken her Japanese studies more seriously, as she dashed towards the minotaur. Striking out with her heel towards the backward bent joint of the unwelcome guest, she backed off quickly, in case her strike was powerful enough the bring the monster down. Then launching off again, she opted for a body kick, turning her body in a full circle the generate torque, before shifting that energy to her knee, which was what she brought in front, aiming for any part of the back of the minotaur's head.

The nape of the neck would've been most effective, but Nyx presumed she had built up enough strength to atleast daze the brute, especially considering how the hybrid bull wasn't expecting the strike, thus not allowing it to move aside. Even better, if it happened to turn, the strike would land across its face. Win-win. With a bit of luck, she could pull this off.

(This seems like an uncharacteristically short post xD)