"Not sure why he wouldn't be forward with you, you seem quiet the catch to me." He shrugged as he idly twirled his cane at his side opposite of Alexis while they walked, being genuine in that sentiment toward her looks. And she was apparently incredibly strong to boot if the casual dig into the solid concrete with her tail was indication. "Hm, I know this might be rather obvious, but have to tried to talking to him about your little games? Seems like the man cares about you a lot if he would search all of Novus for you. Even places offensive to the olfactory senses." He gestured around them with a chuckle. "Honestly you seem lucky to have someone like that. While here I am, abandoned by ten ungrateful people. Ah well, such is life. Nice to have such lovely company though." He smiled.

"Alright then.... Just take care of yourself...." Phoenix replied, watching Rico, whatever he was walk off down the scratched tunnel. Sure, it might have been more befitting an officer of the law to follow Rico given the ominous scratching, but if he could knock down Serpent, then the boy was most likely capable of handling himself. Even if he was, frankly, a soulless monster that she had prevented from damaging the evidence that would have been disastrous if someone had managed to tamper with them.

With that said, Ellyiana was headed back to where Argos and Serpent were, but decided to go and see if her Hellfire could uncover things that would be missed by normal means of crime scene investigation. After all, just because evidence was supernatural in origin didn't make it any less valuable for figuring out the rest of the story of the monster attack.

@BuriasDempsey
Alexis laughed a little more out of further amusement from Nightmare's words. "Why thank you, though simple flattery won't get you very far and I'm afraid he sees this little game as a paste of his job." She smiled deviously but quickly turn red her eyeless head down the tunnel. "Speak of the devil." She jumped to the ceiling making little to no noise and disappearing into the darkness despite her size. In the distance and closing in an unnatural rate was the sound of what he would recognize as a cane tapping upon the concrete floor. It came in a slow and methodical rhythm. Tap........ Tap........ Tap........With each repetition the simple sound grew louder never ceasing to grow in intensity. It went from a simple background noise to being so loud he felt a need to cover his ears but even then it didn't stop as it grew ever louder. He would find his knees weakening as the sound continued to grow to making his ear drums sting but even then it didn't stop growing in volume and intensity. Tap........ Tap........ Tap........ Eventually his legs gave out forcing him onto his knees as the sound had managed to infiltrate his very thoughts forcing his mind to undo his illusions revealing his true form. He could feel blood tricking down from his ears, nose and even tear ducts as he saw every form of light around him fade into nothingness as the sound continued. It's waves so powerful that seemed to rip his flesh from his bones leaving him as a bloody skeleton draped in the meager rags that were once his clothes.

A primal instinct would force him into the fetal position as his one eye closed with the darkness enveloped him and his world. Tap........ Tap........ Tap........ But before his mind could unravel there was silence and he would find himself just as he was before he heard the sound. His illusions were still implace, not even a drop of blood could be felt leaking out of him, the lights were still on, and he was still standing. The only thing different was that a tall chubby eighteen year old in a grey hoodie and jeans carrying and expensive looking black cane was standing in front of him. "You ok pal?" He asked with a bit of concern in his voice and on his face.

@GobMaw_HellSmasha
The red mass roared at the group who colletivly shouted assorted swears and pulled weapons from their clothing and proceeding to light up the area putting bullet holes in everything in front of them. Of course such small arms fire was nothing to the creature and the sentries were little more than a mixture of playthings and food for it. (Dispose of them and those on the inside however you like) After the front guards were dealt with and any workers ran away or were subject to becoming the creature's lunch Bloodbath was greeted by a fully stocked drug lab. Test tubes, beakers, uncountable vials full of suspicious materials and anything inbetween. Granted it was a bit crude with some of it's equipment but none the less it worked.

@Azathoth
The Prophet would parooze through the shop checking the occasional item of intrest but not finding the specific item he was intrested in. Mostly because a book of such power and secrets would be held in the deepest vaults under the protection of the Shadow Watchers and their acolytes. But then again the voices did say it was in Novus somewhere so perhaps they had managed to loose it. Perhaps delving into the void and communicating with local followers and creatures could assist him? If they didn't try to kill him first.

@Valonox
As Rin began to meditate the world around her faded as well as the music as her mind began to foucus in on itself. It will take time for her to make contact with the Hand of Darkness properly as one simply doesn't kick down the door of a god. Though she is in a safe enough position and comfortably so it's just a matter of time. Just as she was feeling to become inpatient she would suddenly found herself sitting cross legged in the middle of a forest in the midst of twilight. The forest floor she was seated upon was a light red and the trees themselves were pitch black and there was a cold mist in the air. To most this scene would be make them uneasy but to Rin she found it feeling like home. Across from her should could see a figure seated upon a rock carving a bow with an obsidian knife. "Do you require something child?" A'bon asked in a fatherly tone despite his monsterous voice as his clawed hands flicked some of the wood shavings off of the bow.

@kanila
After the reporter had his revenge in spades he would head home with his tiny score and await something to happen be it news that horrible woman getting her just deserts or something more intresting. (Sorry but not much I can do there)

@Wincent
Hollow would finish selling her assorted bits of loot with little consequence and no questions from the buyers who seemed all too used to stolen items being sold by weirdos wearing funny costumes. After collecting her money she would bump into someone who was also collecting his payment and knocked the money onto the ground. "Oh you troglodyte!" The man yelled at her indignantly. As he turned to face her should would notice it was not just any normal man that she had knocked into. He was beautiful the perfect personification of male beauty and clothed in brilliantly shining armor crafted to look like his abdominal muscles. Truly magnificent, if he wasn't glaring at her with enough anger that she could swear she faintly saw lines of pure unadulterated anger being directed at her. "Pick. Them. Up." He said simply with a furious and commanding tone that implied dominance as he guestured to the bills on the ground.

@Maleth
Using her Hellfire Phoenix would simply find what those attacked by the creature did in their final moments before being consumed. It mostly involved panicking in some way or with one or two occasions fighting back using the weapons that now lay half diguested on the ground. There was nothing supernatural going on there and even considering Rico and his strangeness there was nothing found. Not a single speck of evidence he was ever here be it physical or spiritual, having absolutely no soul had it's perks one could suppose.

The Prophet rolled his eyes. The Shadow Watchers were just getting annoying now. What right had they to hoard knowledge and power away from the acolytes of the Void? It was unfair! Such knowledge should be open to the people, to educate and enlighten? Why keep hidden that which all must one day know?

This wasn't the first time they had gotten in his way. And it probably wouldn't be the last. He just didn't understand their motivation.

He considered contacting the Void, but he decided not to do it here. Not in public. He would return home, prepare himself mentally, then he would delve.

He decided purchase a few tomes that seemed significant. He needed ways to expand his power, and enlightening the downtrodden and mentally weak would not be so useful, considering their idiocy. Once he could recruit the cunning and strong, such things would no longer be an issue.

He grabbed the books in question, quickly payed for them and slipped off into the night.

The crimson beast cackled like a lunatic as it was continually pumped with round after round from the sentries weapons. Compared to being set on fire by that hellish flame, this was little more then pin pricks as it's body regrew and regenerated itself after each round hit it, the bullet casings falling to the floor, covered in a red residue. If this was the only thing keeping the criminal elements in charge here, it'd establish itself as the apex predator of it's new domain by sundown.

It charged forward as if it had the intent on simply running through the guards. As it did so, a squirming tendril shot out toward one of the unfortunate individuals and pierced through the man's chest as it exited his back before quickly retracting itself and the body into it's form. It's head extended open revealing a massive maw, biting a man clean in half as it snapped around his body. A horrible rending claw tore the chest of another wide opened as it raked across his body. It would make short work of those who stood in front of it, leaving nothing behind it aside from half melted weaponrary and articles of clothing. It's mass stressed itself outward with thread like appendages wrapping themselves around the remains, and pulling them into it's body to be assimilated with the rest of itself.

It cared little for those trying to flee. The only ones that met a cruel demise at the beast's hands were the ones who made a wrong turn and were unfortunate enough to end up in front of the abomination, before having their lives end just as quickly. No, the Sanguinary creature had goals in mind. And he needed a bit of direction if he wanted to meet them. When it entered the lab area, it was filled with a strange sense of nostalgia. Like it recalled being in a lab of this quality before.

Oddly enough, it heard voices surface amongst it's thoughts. 'Hello I don't think I've seen you around here before, names Reginald, though everyone calls me Regi, guess they all hate how uptight it sounds' the voice of a young man spoke out from no where, followed shortly by, 'what's yours?'. The beast looked around, confused by the sudden phantom voice. And then there was a reply, this time a short girlish giggle followed by the voice of a young lady, 'Angelica'. This reply enacted a different response from the Sanguinary monster, it stood there, motionless. The name echoed in it's head as it stared off into nothing. Frozen in place. 'Angelica?' the same voice from before responded, 'lovely name, heh, though it might not go over so well with everyone else I know. You mind if I call you-'

"An...geeeeeee..." it spoke out loud to itself.

"An...geeee..." it muttered out loud once more, it found itself looking downward, looking at two bony, skeletal hands clutched into fists and partially covered in it's red residue that slowly began to shake. "An...gee" it muttered again, unclenching it's hands, revealing the silver locket in the right one. It stared at the locket, as it has many times before. But this time, instead of there being rage at being unable to formulate what made the trinket so important to it, there was something else.

Heart ache. Dejection on being unable to recollect the importantce behind an object. It wanted to remember, it wanted to know. It wanted to find out what was the significance behind the locket it purposely and subconsciously carried around with it at all times. It wished something would spark a thought, jog a memory, it wanted to recall something...anything...

But he just couldn't.

And then the voices ceased, the crimson beast snapped back to reality. It looked around it's environment. It was a crude, detestable lab, one that it found to be unsuitable for itself. "Gggrah! Pathetic...pitiful place...not even suitable...high school science lab..." it muttered dismissively toward the place. This will do for the time being, but it would need better equipment, higher quality materials. But that would have to wait for now. "Less advanced then...babies first...chemistry set..."

Many of the workers have already fled by this point, however he spotted one, trying to hide themselves behind a table as the creature was lost in it's own thoughts. The man would soon suddenly find a boney hand grab him from the side and pull him out in front of the red monstrosity.

"Tell me..." it spoke up, many piercing eyes looking straight at the poor unfortunate soul it held in its grasp, "where can...find...extracted strands...Oppenheimer chromosomes?"

Serpent listened to the old mans' explanation, it was rather disappointing and it didn't illuminate anything really regarding the crime.
"Not much to go on." He crossed his arms and grunted in frustration. "Thank you anyway. This will be investigated, I can promise you that." With that said he took some distance from the homeless.

As he had a few moments to look around again, he noticed the boy with the cane was gone and Argos was still interrogating the armored one. He didn't want to start another fight since things had calmed down, so he though it was best to let someone who didn't get annoyed as easily handle the vigilante.
"Hey, lass!" He addressed Darkling who was in the middle of some kind of investigation she was doing. Serpent walked to her.
"Where's that Rico-character, what happened?"

Johnathan...no nightmare....it was hard right now for to focus after such a humbling experience, his heart thundered in his chest and he leaned heavily on his own cane as he tried to stand back up from the floor, still wondering if this was reality or fantasy. Was it all just a trick of the mind? He still absently wiped his face, still expecting to feel blood being smeared. But there was nothing. If it was just an illusion, then it was far beyond whatever he had done before. 'Could I even do something like that.' he wondered to himself, curiosity tinged with jealousy.

"If I'm being honest...I have no idea." Nightmare chuckled, the cracked red line that was his mouth in a twisted smile as he stood back up now, brushing off what he could from his suit. The rich boy never felt such fear before, only living vicariously through others exposed to his own illusions, and he didn't know if he enjoyed it or feared it. So he did both. Looking over the boy, he could only guess this was Alexis' friend. He wasn't sure what he had expected, but it wasn't a kid in such casual clothes. Except for the cane....that looked quiet of place with the rest of the outfit. In fact it looked to be of better quality than his own, how could someone like this kid have it in his possession? 'Wait...was that the tapping of a cane?' he thought to himself, thinking about the sound from earlier.

"You must the boy Alexis' was talking about. I got to admit I didn't think I wouldn't have thought I got to met you so soon. Name's Nightmare, pleasure to meet you." He said with a hand extended for a handshake with the boy. If this guy was the source of what had happened to him earlier, might as well play nice.

"He went on his way, I just made sure he didn't touch the evidence that was rather volatile.... Even if I found out something rather unsettling about him." Phoenix replied, looking relieved to see him. Given that she was busy investigating supernatural evidence such as looking around the place with her Hellfire handy, she then said "As for what I'm doing, Serpent I'm just taking a look around for more supernatural evidence, making sure we don't miss anything that isn't likely to be found by normal crime scene investigation methods."

Needless to say, she was hoping to find something good, or at least something beyond where the victims died thanks to her work, as otherwise it would be something of a waste of time for herself. Wishing to pass time, Ellyaina then said (@Wata ) "Has Argos called in the teams to actually start looking over the scene yet, or are we still waiting on a quite crowd before he considers it safe to being them down here?"

"Goodbye, how will I contact you when the task is completed?", said Gabriel while leaving the car. He held the suitcase in one hand and the chocolate in the other. This would not have stopped him from putting a tracker on the car,.... if he just had one with him. He still had a few hours before the meeting with his contact regarding the equipment, but now he had tasks to finish beforehand. The first one was to get rid of any potential trackers. Gabriel knew that he would have notice if one of the persons in the car had tried to put one on him, but the suitcase might not be as clean as it looked. Gabriel looked at his watch. He would have problems disassembling the suitcase before the meeting, but there were other possibilities. Possibilities, which won´t require tools. He started walking along the street while searching for a shop that sold outdoor backpacks or any other spacious kinds of backpacks. During that he took a sip from his chocolate. It was lukewarm. He shrugged and emptied the cup. This was definitely not his favourite day in Novus.

Rin looked around the forest took in the cold dark air then looked at the creature."I do my lord A'bon your blessing I seek to hunter in the shadows this night. So I can do what I believe is right. What is your price for your blessing this day my lord?" Rin changed her position on the rock she was sitting on looking the Hand of Darkness and Shadow A'bon.