Dark Days - First attempt at a plotline.

Crazy_Dragon · 03-10-2008 10:49 PM

((Okay, first attempt at a plotline here, so excuse the cruddiness. :\ ))
((Basically, this is about the Crazy Dragon's spellbooks which he came across some months after turning to street fighting seven years ago. Not only that, but I also want it to look into Divider, who escapes the Zig and adopts a new moniker.))

*The Zig, 10th March 2008. Another recent scene of chaos, panic and disorder after another attack on the part of Arachnos. Arachnos has left now, heading back to the Isles with the ones they sought, all that remains are the injured, the dead, and the heroes of the ordeal. One of which being Richie Stacker, the Crazy Dragon, who now staggers in a random direction, struggling to remain concious.*

"Okay... this is nothing... it's nothing... it's nothing... it's nothing."

*Richie staggers out into the yard, where he finally collapses. as the world around him slowly fades into darkness, a few familiar voices can be heard. Just barely.*

"RICHIE! Bart, get help! QUICK!"

----Rewind seven years----

*Durham City, one late night in 2001. A lone woman in a black trouser suit stands outside the city's cathedral, speaking to someone on the phone.*

"Karl? Bad news. We've been had! That sonofa... he scammed us! The books aren't where they're supposed to be!"

*The woman looks around, seemingly frustrated as she listens to the person on the other end.*

"When you catch him... try to keep him alive until I get back, okay honey? Good."

----Next day----

*A man is topless and chained to the ceiling of what looks like a cellar or basement. Another man, wearing a black trouser suit as well, is repeatedly punching him in the stomach.*

"Where are the books? Your lies are only making your death slow and painful, now WHERE?"

*The same woman from last night enters.*

"Still not answering, Derek?"

*The man stops punching and turns to the woman.*

"Oh, he's answering. He's just not giving me the right answer."

*The woman then walks up to the restrained man and places a hand on his forehead. She closes her eyes for a moment, then reopens them again.*

"He gave us the right answer. It just wasn't the one you were hoping for. Somebody else must have taken the books last night. We need to find out who. We need those spells. Oh, and you're free to kill him now, honey."

----Back to the present day----

*Several hours after passing out at the Zig, Richie finally awakes in a hospital somewhere. Apart from himself, there is nobody else in the room, but the familiar voices of his mother, his sister and his neighbour, Bart Rafferty can be heard arguing with someone outside, presumably a doctor.*

"I should have listened to her. I should have been careful..."

((Richie's gonna be hospitalised for a bit, but he should be out before the end of the week. More to come tomorrow. Hopefully.))
((Again, sorry for the cruddiness. Or if I'm "doing it wrong". :\ ))

Sam: "My mind is a swirling miasma of scintillating thoughts and turgid ideas."
Max: "Me too."

Stuff

Evils · 03-11-2008 01:15 PM

((Don't batter yourself overmuch. I like the style etcetera, and the fact that there's just enough information there to get me hooked, which is quite difficult to do actually. Looking forwards to seeing more.))

Crazy_Dragon · 03-11-2008 06:27 PM

((Well, not much here, just a quick 'un.))
((Newspaper article for last night is here: http://uk.boards.cityofheroes.com/sh...72#Post1056488 ))

*Newcastle, England, 1982. A man is closing his shop for the night when two blaclava-clad men charge through the door. Within seconds the man is shot in the back before he can even turn to see them, and the men then begin to ransack the shop for anything of value.*

"Hey, check this out!"

*One of the men pulls out some strange-looking hardback books. The other seems a bit bemused."

"Okay... and...?"

"Meh. Figured they'd fetch us a few hundred quid."

"They look... never mind. Grab what you can and let's get out of here!"

*Both the men leave with as much as they can carry. Soon after, a young boy peeks round the counter, and a woman can be heard coming down the stairs.*

"Martyn, what have I told you about... ... Oh my... SIMON!!!"

----PRESENT DAY----

*Early afternoon and Richie Stacker has been transferred to Chiron Medical Center in Galaxy City. At the moment, he is sat up in his bed with his sister, Gemma and his mother, Louise aka StreetLight at his side.*

"Well, at least I'm alive, right?"

*Gemma looks to the ground."

"Aye, just barely. You were flippin' lucky this time!"

*Richie looks to the ceiling and sighs.*

"I know, but I couldn't just let him go, could I?"

*Gemma now appears somewhat angry.*

"You could have gotten a little help! Mam was nearby, so was Bart, couldn't have hurt to shout for them! But nooooo... you had to go take him on yourself, didn't you? Are you totally devoid of brain cells? What about your -her-? How do you think -she's- gonna react when she finds out?"

*Richie then facepalms as he remembers the conversation with Kathy Vaikana in Pocket D last night.*

"Aw man... I told her I'd be careful in future, didn't I?"

*Gemma sighs, and both her and Louise stand up to leave, as they do, Gemma checks her watch.*

"Doctor said you should be okay to leave by the end of the week. Surprisingly."

*Richie raises a brow.*

"Aye, but he also said that I still need to rest up for a few weeks after. I'm gonna be bored to death while Divider happily trots about the place dealing it."

"You're lucky he didn't say a few months, considering that stab wound..."

Sam: "My mind is a swirling miasma of scintillating thoughts and turgid ideas."
Max: "Me too."

Stuff

Crazy_Dragon · 03-12-2008 10:54 PM

((Appears I had a blonde moment. I meant to say Gygnus Medical Center, not Chiron. *facepalm*))

Sam: "My mind is a swirling miasma of scintillating thoughts and turgid ideas."
Max: "Me too."

Stuff

CactusBrawler · 03-13-2008 08:09 AM

((Edit it and pretend you never made a mistake, thats what the functions for :P))

Brawling Cactus from a distant planet.

Doctor_Bolt · 03-13-2008 01:40 PM

((Pity the function can't be used after six hours have passed since you posted it, then

Anyway, good stuff mate. Keep it coming!

(...oh wait, it was within six hours anyway. YOU DOLT! xD)))

Crazy_Dragon · 03-13-2008 04:53 PM

((Look at the dates, Bolt. There's more than a full day between posting it and realising my mistake. You fool! ))

*Durham, England, 2003. Sometime past midnight, Richie approaches his next opponent in an empty alley, surrounded my several spectators all rooting for Richie. His opponent, dressed in a grey hoodie and black tracksuit bottoms, seems eager to fight. Meanwhile, Richie's friend, Matt Dennison is acting as "referee". Not that you'd need a ref when the aim of the match is the beat your opponent to near-death...*

"Alright, I want a good clean fight. Okay, I kid, fight as dirty as you like, all that matters is that one of you walks out of this and the other doesn't! GO!"

*As the two battle it out, the woman from 2001 seems in a hurry to get somewhere, seemingly risking her trouser suit and her life by leaping from one roof to another. Her route takes her over where the fight is taking place. Just as she is about to leap over the gap, she spots Richie in action, who by this point is surrounded by a dark cloud. The spectators look on in amazement as his opponent repeatedly fails to hit Richie, despite the fact that Richie has made no effort to dodge his attacks.*

"Woah, what the hell? What the hell -is- he?"

"Richie Stacker, that's all ya need to know, man."

"Aw man, this pillock's proper shafted, isn't he?"

*The woman watches as the fight reaches its brutal conclusion. Richie deals a single uppercut that sends his opponent into a backflip before landing face down onto the ground. Within seconds, Richie begins to repeatedly kick the man in the head. When he finally stops, the man still lives, but he can barely move. At that Matt steps in.*

"I think it's obvious who the winner is, people!"

*As the crowd agrees with Matt and cheers for Richie, the woman steps back, dials a number on her mobile and waits for someone to answer.*

----PRESENT DAY----

*Galaxy City, 13th March 2008. Gemma Stacker is making her way to Richie's apartment to pick up a few things, ready for her brother when he leaves the hospital tomorrow. As she approaches the apartment, she notices that the door is ajar.*

"Hello? Anyone there? Mam?"

*Hearing no answer, Gemma approaches the door, carefully pushing it open, and is greeted with the sight of what could have been considered the worst-kept apartment she'd ever seen, were it not for the fact that a man in a trouser suit was right in front of her, ransacking the place.*

"OI! Who the hell are..."

*Before she can finish, the man suddenly rushes toward her. Gemma prepares to punch him in the face, but as she attempts the blow, the man dodges and shoves her into the wall behind her, letting her knock her head off it. As he makes his escape, Gemma is left sitting on the floor to deal with the resulting backache and throbbing pain in the back of her head. Seconds later, Bart Rafferty, aka 777 discovers her as he makes his way to his own apartment.*

"Aw geez... you okay, kid?"

"Aye, fine. I'll be fine."

"Yeah right! Let's get you the hell to Gygnus and get you checked out!"

Sam: "My mind is a swirling miasma of scintillating thoughts and turgid ideas."
Max: "Me too."

Stuff

Crazy_Dragon · 03-17-2008 06:31 PM

Just a quick one, since I spent so much time at Wentworth's, I totally forgot! >_<

*16th March 2008, Hotel Geneva, Galaxy City. Martyn Crow has finished packing when he hears a banging on the door. He opens it, revealing Richie Stacker on the other side, grinning like an idiot.*

"Hey, long time no see."

"Yeah. Uh... where are the books?"

"Don't worry, I've got them. Are you gonna let me in or what?"

*Martyn steps aside, allowing Richie to enter. As he approaches his bed, a pile of books appear out of nowhere and drop onto it. Richie continues to grin like an idiot.*

"Told you!"

*Martyn approaches the books, but upon noticing the emblem on one of the covers, immediately turns to Richie.*

"Where'd you get these books?"

"What?"

"WHERE?"

"Calm down, man, I just found them in a plastic bag outside Durham Catherdal seven years back, why?"

*Martyn picks up the top book.*

"Richie, I think these used to be my dad's books before he was killed."

*Richie, raises a brow at Martyn*

"Really? Aw man..."

"Look, don't worry about it. You couldn't have known, could you? In any case..."

*Martyn opens the book and takes a quick read of a few of the pages.*

"Hmmm, I think I could translate most of what's left. Most."

"Most?"

"Yeah, just leave them with me and I'll see what I can do."

*Richie immediately heads for the door.*

"Classic! Phone me tomorrow and lemme know what you've found by then. Oh, and keep them safe, okay?"

"Wait, WHAT?"

Sam: "My mind is a swirling miasma of scintillating thoughts and turgid ideas."
Max: "Me too."

Stuff

Crazy_Dragon · 03-28-2008 05:20 PM

((Well, I buggered up and forgot to say that this was open. Bugger. :\ Anyway, I've got a bit of catching up to do, starting with this. Oh, and IT'S OPEN! ))

*Durham, England, 2003. Richie has arrived at his flat to find it pretty much trashed.*

"Who the hell's been in here!?"

*Richie looks around for a moment, the realises something. Suddenly he darts for the bedroom, yanking a movie poster for the 1950s Godzilla movie from one of the walls, revealing a safe. Panicking, Richie enters the combination and opens the safe, noticing signs of an an attempt to open it by force. Upon opening the safe, Richie is releived to find that his spellbooks are safe and sound, then proceeds to make a call.*

"Hey, Matt, alright? Someone's broke into my flat! Looks like they were after my books. Aye. They tried to get into the safe I put them in. Nah, they're gone. Yeah, they're safe. Just keep your eyes open and your ears peels for any blabbermouths at tomorrow's fight, okay. Great. Seeya.

*Richie hangs up then lets himself fall backwards onto his bed.*

----Back to the Present---

*Galaxy City, 20th March 2008. After hearing the news that The Couple demanded his spellbooks in exchange for his sister's life. Richie finds himself in an otherwise empty alley, carrying a pile of decrepit-looking hardback books. As he steps further into the ally, he finds himself confronted by The Couple. Richie continues to approach them.*

"You wanted these, right? Well, you've got them!"

*Richie stops and dumps the books in front of him. Derek then approaches the books, kneeling down to inspect them. The look on his face appears to be that of satisfaction as he picks the books up, turns to the woman and nods. The woman then pulls a phone from her jacket, dials a number and awaits an answer.*

"Kill her. Drag her to The Gish and kill her."

*As The Couple walk away with Richie's books the shocked hero makes a few steps in their direction before shouting at them.*

"What? Wait a second! STOP!"

*Panicking, Richie turns the other way and pulls his phone out, dailing Melphon's number and waiting for an answer.*

"Mel, get to The Gish, QUICK! KINGS!"

*Suddenly, Richie is knocked to the ground. Just before he loses conciousness, one of The Couple says something.*

"Hard to beleive we spawned Divider from this idiot. Let him live. It'll be fun to see the pain of his sister's untimely death gradually kill him."

----and to the past again----

*Durham, England, 2003. Richie is leaving a club when he's confronted by a man in a suit. He looks young, but his hair has greyed completely. The man getures him to one side and leans against the nearby wall before bothering to speak to Richie.*

"You don't know me, and I don't care who you are."

"Okay... that was... random."

"Shut it. Now, the reason I've wasting my time speaking to you right now is because it seems that you are in possession of a number of books that belong to us. Unfortunately, you've locked them away in that safe of yours, so we're..."

*The man is suddenly interrupted when Richie grabs him by the neck and holds him against the wall.*

"You mean to say you're the joker that broke into my flat last night!?"

"Give us the books! Give them to me or I will do far worse than break into your flat!"

*Richie tightens his grip on the man's neck.*

"I've got a better idea. Get lost. Come near me again, and I'll smash your face in so badly, nobody'll be able to identify you, even with dental records. Those books are mine, and they're staying mine! got it?"

*Richie then pulls the man away from the wall, dumping him on the ground. Hard. Richie then walks off while the man recovers.*

----Present!----

*Galaxy City, 23rd March 2008. Richie has had the farce of taking Crash Leadfoot, currently in a state of insanity - brought on after being possessed by The Couple - that has left her thinking she is still 5 years old, to Bart Rafferty's apartment. As Richie knocks on the door, Crash is idly humming a tune to herself. Eventually, Bart finally opens the door.*

"Tell me you found her, kid."

"Aw yeah. She's right here."

*Richie points a thumb to Crash, who Bart tries to take a good look at. When he can finally see her, Crash stops humming and smiles at Bart*

"Hello, mister!"

*Bart facepalms*

"Oh jeez. Come in."

*Richie and Crash enter the apartment and are gestured to take a seat wherever. Bart sits down in front of the two of them.*

"Okay, kid. how do we get her back?"

"Like I have an idea..."

"Hey, you're the one with the magic tricks!"

"Aye, just... not anything that can help her, man!"

*Bart sits back and holds the bridge of his nose.*

"Okay, kid, so what CAN we do?"

"Well, I've got to talk to someone at the statue, so... can you look after Lily for now?"

"Oh for cryin' out loud... Okay, okay... do what ya need to do, kid. Just don't expect me to look after her all the time, got it?"

*Richie gets up to leave, but before he exits, the turns to Bart again.*

"I'll talk to the Serizawas, tomorrow, alright? See if they can look after her while I sort this mess out."

"You do that, kid. How's your sis?"

"Getting better..."

*Richie leaves, making sure to close the door behind him.*

----Still in the Present----

*Galaxy City, 25th March 2008. Richie enters his apartment, dressed all in biking gear, and tosses a set of keys onto his coffee table as he passes it. As he approaches a window looking out onto Freedom Court, he pops down the chin guard of his helmet and slides it off, running a hand through his hair immediately after. Staring out of the window, he spots Terrilyn's apartment building on the other side of the court, now in the hands of his friend Boneblade after Terrilyn's death.*

"That's number four since I came here."

*Richie returns to the coffee table, and picks up today's paper which he bought earlier. After looking at the paper for a moment, he then drops it into the nearest bin. He then sits back and closes his eyes, hoping that the spell Catz used on him to help track down The Couple after their return to Paragon would finally pinpoint them. Within minutes, he jumps to his feet and looks around frantically.*

"A warehouse in Constellation?"

Sam: "My mind is a swirling miasma of scintillating thoughts and turgid ideas."
Max: "Me too."

Stuff

Crazy_Dragon · 04-04-2008 03:03 PM

((Right, this didn't get very far, with only one other person getting involved and difficulties trying to conclude it ingame meaning I'm just gonna conclude it here and post a recap later. Part one of the conclusion in this post, more to come.))

*Steel Canyon, January 2008. Richie is strolling through its streets in the middle of the night when all of a sudden he collapses. As he lay curled up in agony on the ground, a dark black mist streams from his back, eventually forming in one spot and taking a humanoid shape. As the mist eventually morphs into a solid form not unlike Richie, The Couple stand before him.*

"Sunita Maybourne. Kill her. Take the books that man has given to her."

*The "copy" nods, understanding the orders he has been given in their entirety, and runs in the direction of the Yellow Line station. As he disappears into the maze of streets, Derek looks at Richie, still in agony on the floor and unaware of their presence.*

"What do you want to do about him then, Debbie?"

"He's not even worth killing..."

----Present day----

*Galaxy City, April 2008. Richie has just left his apartment and as his sister Gemma comes the opposite way down the corridor.*

"Hey Richie! You seen Mam anywhere?"

*Richie blindly storms past Gemma, muttering something along the lines of "must end this" repeatedly. Gemma looks on, confused and concerned.*

----Later that night----
*Galaxy City. Richie has arrived at the entrance to the warehouse that The Couple are at work in, but the door itself was magically sealed after Crash Leadfoot stormed the place herself. Richie rubs his right arm again, which has been driving him nuts for the past few days. However it's this very problem that will help him break the magic seal on the door with a single punch. The same punch also sends the door flying into the nearest wall.

Richie then sneaks around the warehouse, cloaked in a dark smoke that grows more dense as he moves, but fades when he stops. Eventually, he finds The Couple arguing about something Richie didn't care about. All he cares was that between himself and The Couple was some unstable metal shelfing, ready to drop onto them. All he needed to do was add that little push, which he does by using a shelf behind him as a platform from which the deal a swift kick to the ones in front. Within a matter of seconds the shelves finally crashed to the ground. Once the inital chaos was over, Only Debbie and Richie remain standing, Derek laying face-up, the force from the falling shelves had broken his ribs which in turn punctured his own lungs, leaving him to die slowly and painfully.*

"Derek? DEREK!? No, please, NO!!"

*Debbie attempts to crouch down to her dying partner, shaking uncontrollably at the thought of losing him, only to be stopped by Richie, now holding his rapier, Silver, to her neck.*

"Just piggin' well hold it right there."

"You... how could you? How could you do this?"

"Uh... let me think for a moment there... hmmmm... oh yeah! You tried to kill my sister, you made Lily think she was five for several days, and ooh! Let's not forget the murderous world tour rampage you went on, right?"

*At that point, both Gemma and Melphon enter. They both look around before Gemma finally spots Richie.*

"Richie, what the hell are you playing at?"

*Richie turns to see who spoke. Big mistake, as Debbie glares at Silver. The sword suddenly flies upwards, leaving Richie's hand and planting itself firmly into the cieling. Debbie then flung an arm into the air, and a sudden blast of dark mist sends Richie backflipping into the nearest wall. As Richie tries to recover, Debbie crouches down and plants a hand firmly onto the dying Derek, and they both disappear in a puff of similarly dark smoke.*

"I'd kill you right now, Richie Stacker, but I've got an urgent matter to attend to."

----NEXT!----
*The Hotel Geneva, Galaxy City. Debbie had teleported herself to the roof of the hotel with Derek to escape from Richie. Debbie immediately closes her eyes, appearing to concentrate on something.*

"You're needed now."

*When she finally opens her eyes, she finds that Derek is finally dead. There was nothing she could do to save him. As she breaks down over his corpse, Divider materialises behind her.*

"You're late. Richie Stacker needs to d..."

"Actually, I've got a better idea."

*Divider suddenly plants one of his swords firmly into Debbie's back. Debbie, coughing up blood, slowly looks down in shock at the pitch-black blade protuding from her chest, before finally collapsing onto Derek. Divider then unceremoniosly yanks the sword from her body.*

"You need to die first. You're too incompetant to work with now."

((more to come))

Sam: "My mind is a swirling miasma of scintillating thoughts and turgid ideas."
Max: "Me too."

Stuff

Crazy_Dragon · 04-06-2008 04:00 PM

*Back at the warehouse, Richie, Gemma and Melphon are searching frantically for the spellbooks that were stolen from him. As the trio search frantically Martyn suddenly appears behind Richie, surpising the former street fighter with his entrance.*

"What the hell, Martyn?"

"What the hell, Richie? What happened to planning this out?"

"Don't ask, just... don't. Uh... you're not really here, are you?"

"Nope, still back in Newcastle. Oh, by the way, the books are just round there, in a safe in the wall."

*Martyn points to a corridor that Richie seemed to have missed while searching the place for The Couple. Richie blinks, prompting Martyn to roll his eyes.*

"I went looking, you mong!"

"...Ah."

*Richie follows Martyn to the safe, and realises he doesn't know the combination.*

"Aw crud... GEMMA! MEL! I've found them!"

"...You?"

"Aw, don't start!"

*Melphon and Gemma rush to Richie's position, both noticing Martyn standing behind him. Gemma can't help but blink.*

"Martyn?"

"Yeah. Not really here, though."

"Ah, right. Okay, so..."

*Richie points to the safe*

"That needs opening. Any ideas?"

*Gemma looks at the same for a moment, then sudden boots the combination dial from the door. Both Richie and Melphon blink as the door actually opens slightly. Gemma raises a brow.*

"Well, it works in the movies, right?"

"Which films have -you- been watching? Anyway, I'll deal with this, You two wanna just head off back to... er... whatever?"

*Gemma and Melphon both nod, then Gemma walks away, pulling at Melphon's arm, smiling.*

"C'mon, you..."

*Richie ponders for a moment, then pulls a box of matches from his pocket. As Martyn watches, Richie lights a few in one go.*

"So you're gonna destroy them?"

"Yeah. Not gonna hand them over to MAGI, they can't even keep hold of their own stuff, and if I keep them, we might get a repeat of what's already happened."

"Right. I have no problem with that, then."

*Richie then drops the matches onto the books and leaves the door wide open. As he watches the books slowly set alight, Gemma can suddenly be head screaming elsewhere. Richie and Martyn both rush to follow the scream to its source.*

----NEXT!----

*Richie and Martyn arrive at the entrance to the warehouse to find Melphon knocked out on the floor, with Gemma at his side, trying to wake him up. The then turns toward the door to find the one responsible: Divider. Richie immediately summons his swords only to receive a boot to the face and get knocked to the floor himself, dropping his swords. Divider then plants a foot on Richie, pointing his own sword at his throat.*

"Tell me where the books are, and I'll make it quick."

*Richie slowly begins to to start laughing, almost maniacally, prompting Divider to raise a brow and move his blade closer.*

"Tell me where those books are NOW, or I WILL make this painful, both for you and your sister!"

"They're gone, idiot! I burned them!"

"You're lying! Now WHERE!"

*Gemma then taps Divider on the shoulder, who suddenly turns to face her, only to be greeted with her boot to his face. Divider drops his sword and staggers past Richie.*

"Aw did that hurt, hun? GOOD! That's for what you did to Joey, ya freak!"

*Richie scrambles to his feet, picking up one of Divider's swords. Meanwhile, Divider himself recovers from the blow that Gemma dealt and deals a swift backhand slap to her, knocking her to the floor. Meanwhile, Mel is busy getting to his feet again when he sees Gemma fall. Divider then glares at Gemma.*

"You... WORTHLESS... LITTLE...!"

*Divider picks up a sword and prepares to stab Gemma, but is suddenly interrupted by Melphon's scream, which both disorients him and leaves Richie feeling a little out of it. However, Richie hasn't been affected enought to plant Divider's other sword firmly into his back, forcing it further through and out of his chest with a seemingly deranged grin on his face. When Richie finally lets go of the sword, Divider collaspes onto the floor. Gemma picks herself and spots Richie looking over his evil copy's corpse, dropping to his knees.*

"...Richie?"

"That... Damn, Mel, what the hell were you thinking?"

"Saving Gemma, that's what!!"

*Richie slowly picks himself up while Melphon helps Gemma to her feet. Richie then looks at Divider's corpse again, before sighing and heading for the door. Leaving Melphon and Gemma looking on and blinking and Martyn facepalming before disappearing.*

"If anyone needs me, I'll be at home. Downing a few bottles."

"Wait a sec, Richie! What about Gemma?"

----END!----

((Hoo-flipping-ray. Glad that's over, not the ideal ending, I know, but it didn't quite help having a plot going with only a couple of peeps getting involved And now... to make Richie a woman! :O ))

Sam: "My mind is a swirling miasma of scintillating thoughts and turgid ideas."
Max: "Me too."

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