Where Nightmares Breed.

[scarypuppy]

He fumbled with his keys as he hurried to open the door, "Forgot to feed her, she's going to be pissed...." Just then a loud Siren sounded from above, "A royal Decree?" He gazed towards the sky and saw the bloated, gaseous Yahe're that declared the word of the royal families. It opened it's fanged maw and began to speak in a calm, clear voice, "The Crested 8 has declared a state of caution; the Bloodied Moon is approaching, and as such, Human envoys to Hmaria shall increase, all citizens are warned to take no action, that is all."

[Smitty the Airship Pirate]

"Hm..? More human envoys? Perhaps they would appreciate some music as they pass...or maybe its a chance to practice my ehem..skills." He said to himself as he continued playing.  Elyk saw a few people toss a few coins, he showed his appreciation and continued.

[Duffman!]

Ieyosu weighed the bag of gems in his fist as he walked along. Five kilograms, he estimated. Should fecth a pretty penny at the market, and theres the price of my bounty. He slipped into an alleyway and tapped his ear stud, activating his transmitter.
"It is done" he said simply, barely a whisped, as the subvocaliser on his throat relayed the message to his handler.
"Good" came the reply, flattened and distorted by the encryption software. "The money has been wired to your account. We have a new mission for you also."
"Oh?" asked Ieyosu. "So soon?"
"Yes" came the distorted reply. "A man, the information has been download to your laptop." The line went silent. Ieyosu pulled the laptop from his bag, and fired it up. His breath caught in his throat. The deputy prime minister?
"Are you sure this information is correct?" he asked as he read, unbelieving what he read.
"Yes. He is giving a publice meeting. A Barrett .50 sniper rifle is concealed nearby, you will take the shot before his closing line." came the voice on the end of the line.
"Aye sir" replied Ieyosu, as the line went dead.

He sighed, and jumped, grabbing onto a low window ledge, and pulling himself up onto the roof.

[Arke]

"Oh gods, what is it now?" He runs back to the barracks to don his armor, as this announcement simply meant overtime for him. The armor and the crimson tunic he wore underneath were updates of traditional patterns, though his weapons were not as such. Aside from his broadsword he had been issued a basic M14 assault rifle. He could have had nearly any other model, most could be fitted for an Imperial marksman, but he had chosen this one. His post during times of caution was a watchtower on the southern wall of the palace. Not comfortable, but it offered an excellent view of the Egyptian and Muslim areas. The scope aided in that regard as well. Likely this was simply a matter of royal paranoia, things always got tight around the Bloodied moon, and his orders under such circumstances were to kill anyone who is clearly a threat to the 8 or the Hmarian Government. Still, it had been decades since anyone had been that foolish.

[Smitty the Airship Pirate]

Elyk put away his lute and began walking towards the market with the few coins he earned. He seen several guards scrambling about with their guns.  " Bah...guns...never did to good for anyone...takes no skill..just point and click, nothing like a trusty blade to make things fair." He said as he patted his blade.  Elyk began browsing through the various market stalls until he came upon a small stall in a alley hidden away.  This store specializes in stolen merchandise from the human world inlcuding several blades that caught his eye. "I got to get me one of those...but I need more money, perhaps I can get some quick cash soon."

[Duffman!]

Ieyosu picked up the Barrett, and worked the action, depositing a bullet in his hand. It weighed heavily, and his hand dropped a few inches before he could compensate. Heavy bullets, he thought, pulling the clip, and slotting the bullet back in. Depleted uranium tips by the look of it. He sighed, and climbed the tower from which he would take the shot. He rested the rifle on the edge of the tower, and pulled a C4 pack out of his pocket, and taped it to the side of the rifle. After a moments though, he pulled the clip out and looked at the bullets.
"Shame" he muttred, slamming the clip back in, and and arming the C4. "They'd fetch a pretty penny."

He lowered his head to the scope, and took carefuly aim, fixing his sights on the mans head. His target was overlooking the crowd, on a riased podeum, an easy shot for a marksmen of his calibur. Ieyosu vision narrowed, following the path the bullet would take, all the way into the mans forehead. He squeezed the trigger.

[Arke]

David missed the flash, but the report of a .50 calibur weapon was impossible to miss. He saw the courtyard, saw the fleeing crowd, and most importantly saw a small could of black smoke dissipating in front of a window. He fired three times quickly, with two bullets flying through the window and the third harmlessly striking the edge of the window. He had aimed low, trying to guarentee a hit. Gods, things had gone from run-of-the-mill to incredible in the blink of an eye. Hopefully the guard detail at the courtyard would be responding by now, as long as they had not been payed off. "An assassination... By Jupiter, an assassination..."

[Smitty the Airship Pirate]

Elyk looked behind his back as he heard the sniper's rifle go off and shots a few seconds after.  "Bah...that proves my point...oh well." He said as he left the stall and began on his way.  Elyk walked past several guards and the bloodied body of the assassinated man. "I hope it gets dark soon...I am getting hungry..."

[Dr. Strange]

At the sound of keys jangling, Na'ha'nel ran to the door and nearly ripped it off the hinges in her haste to see Eraqio again. "Master! You're home!" She squealed, pouncing him. "Wait, why the Royal Decree?" She asked, cocking her head.

[Duffman!]

The mans head exploded in a gory display, and Ieyosu heard a guard climbing the stairs. Carefully, laid the sniper by the top of the ladder, and drew back, pulling a detonator from his belt. A head came into view, and he pressed the button, detonating the C, and vaporising both the gun, and the man. He did not see this, for he had already jumped off the far side of the building. Landing nimbly, he swiftly departed, sparing a glance at the dead man. He touched a finger to his ear, the motion unseen under his cloak.
"Success" he said simply.

[scarypuppy]

Eraqio Petted Na and set her down, "Sorry my pet, I was enjoying the more classical European and Muslim Architecture, and as for the decree...." He walked over to his kitchen table and sorted through the numerous letters and dvd messages, "The Luna de Sangre is approaching, and the royal family is just a bi...." just then a rifle shot cracked through the quiet, and a massive hole materialized in a wall further down the hall, shattering several expensive vases. "What in God's name?" He headed towards the door and looked skywards, the blackened sun began to shrink, and the bloated Yahe're began to moan and cry, dropping their long tendrils to the ground to pull them closer to the earth, so that they could trap any trying to escape the scene of whatever had just happened. "Not good...."

[Duffman!]

Ieyosu ran through the alleyways, closely followed by a small group of guards, too small to pin him down, but too large to fight, so he ran. Weaving through the market he grabbed a man near the edge and grabbed him, pulling him into the shadows. He bit the man, drinking a few mouthfuls of blood, reveling in the energy of the adrenaline in the mans system. The guards came into view, machine rifle's raised.
"Saty back!" spat Ieyosu, slipping someting into the man's pocket. "Or he dies." The guards stopped, and Ieyosu dragged the man around the corner, plunging his teeth into the man's neck, draining him dry. He turned and ran, senseing the men rounding the corridor to shoot at him. He weaved desperatly, trying to dodge to bullets, as they tore through the air. A single bullet grazed his leg, and he stumbled, raoroing in fury. He thumbed the detonator. The men exploded. Ieyosu vanished.

[Smitty the Airship Pirate]

Elyk saw in a distance a man running away from the guards and as soon as he was near enough he pointed to where the man should hide.  Elyk then proceeded to play his lute innocently as guards soon passed by. " Oi..what was he thinking getting the guard's attention like that..." "Well if he was smart enough he would have took my advice and if not good luck..."

[Duffman!]

Ieyosu continued on his path, diving up a rooftop, not trusting the man who pointed out directions to him, for if you trust in his line of work, you surely die.

Normally.

A fist slammed into his face, and he fell to the floor, the drop winding him, and breaking two of his ribs. The guard moved in, hoping to catch him in his weakened state, and two of their number fell, grasping knives in their throats, before Ieyosu passed out. Roughyl dragging him, and their fallen away, the guards headed to the centre of the city. As Ieyosu's vision darkened, he realised he had failed. It was the last thought to chase round his head, before his head lolled, and his eyes closed.

[Arke]

David reached the courtyard and began directing the populous. "All citizens, please clear the area! Remain calm, and return to your homes now!" He repeated his message in Latin, Arabic, egyptian, and French. Other guards spoke English, that Germanic tongue that so completely eluded him. The orator, whomever he had been, was obviously now far removed from the land of the living, and smoke poured from the hole in a wall that had until recently been a window. He could only hope one of his shots had struck the assailant.