At long last, I finally got my clan war. This is a battle between the Night Creatures, a clan led by Leoncio, though currently is being led by Manny Ken, and the Coils of Nehushtan, which is not a clan in the traditional sense, but is a close knit group of the Nehushtan organization, and is led by Doctor David MacBeth.

Relevant Links:

Night Creatures

-Manny Ken
-Zalgo
-Kai Havoc

Coils of Nehushtan

-Dr. David MacBeth
-Zoe Thanatos
-Dracustos
-Dante Rockwell

Another good resource to glance over is this List of Organizations within the wRHG Universe.

Both because of the length of the battles as well as this being the first clan war in wRHG history, we'll be having a poll for twice the typical length. C&C is highly appreciated, and thanks to anyone who manages to make it through this. Both clans gave it their all, and we had a lot of fun making this historical event. The winning story will decide the canon between the two clans, so please take time to carefully consider this when deciding which story to vote for. Nobody from either clan is eligible to vote, so if you have any friends who enjoy reading as well, let em know to come and check this out! Thanks again to Alph and the Coils for making my years long dream finally come true.

With the formalities out of the way, let's get to the actual stories themselves!


[Night Creatures story]
[SPOILER=Night Creatures v. Coils of Nehushtan]

Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified,
is not a crime.
-Ernest Hemingway
_____

Manny Ken was in a good mood. In fact, he was in more than just a good mood. He was in a great mood. Hell, why deny it? He was in a fantastic fucking mood. He looked over the contents of the letter once more, making sure to take in each and every word carefully. It had been written by a steady and careful hand, rather than simply printed off, adding on to his mood: it seemed to simply strengthen the event’s relevance and importance.

To Whomever Currently Heads the Night Creatures,

It has come to the attention of this board that there may be an organization which has prioritized your clan as being… pernicious. There have been reports from several areas in which gladiator battles are conducted, as well as from several of our offices, that they’ve not only shown prowess in combat, but that they’ve also infiltrated the gladiatorial system as well. For your own safety, and the safety of your clan, we will be providing you with an escort as we deliver yourself and your clan members to a secure facility, until such a time that proper actions can be taken to ensure that those who would seek to interfere with our program no longer have sufficient ability to do so.

Your cooperation in this matter would be much appreciated, and we thank you ahead of time for complying with our requests.

Though it was short, it told Manny all he needed to know. There were people who were fucking with the system, and these same people would likely be coming after the Night Creatures. Heading over to the conference room, he grabbed the black phone from the wall. Recently, just before the kid left, he’d convinced him to get a comm system installed so that everyone could be called up nice and easily. Placing the phone to his head, he paused a moment to grin to himself before speaking.

“Yo, everyone. Report upstairs to the conference room, ASAP. We’ve got something fun to talk about.” With that simple announcement, he hung up and proceeded to make his way to the head of the conference table, throwing himself into the chair as he kicks his feet up. The first to arrive, unsurprisingly, was Kizu. Her shiny mocha skin was always refreshing to see, and her piercing green gaze never failed to read his mind. Taking a seat beside him, she set her spear across her lap, brushing aside a few stray strands of hair.

“What have you done?” she asked in her soft but firm tone. Manny snickered lightly, not at the question, but at the answer, which he knew she wouldn’t believe.

“Abso-fucking-lutely nothing, doll.” He tosses her the letter, as well as the envelope with the official RHG System seal. She glances over the hand-scratched letters, before gently pushing it forward, folding her arms. It appeared Manny had managed to win this one easily enough. Just as he gloated internally over this small victory, the newest member of the clan, Kai Havoc, entered the room, looking bedraggled. It seemed he was still growing accustomed to living underground. His pale as cream skin seemed even paler somehow, his scars prominently on display as he let his two-sizes-too-large tunic try desperately to cling to his pale Asian frame. Manny couldn’t tell if his squinting was from the low light or his Ching-Chong heritage; Manny could tell, however, that it was pointed towards Kizu’s less than prude attire. “Oi, Lego. Stop looking at my lady and take a seat. I ain’t Leo; I’ll actually mess your shit up.”

“I wasn’t looking, I wasn’t looking,” Kai says, holding up his hands as he finds a seat. “Even if I did, she doesn’t have anything anyways.”

“Which makes you all the sadder for it,” Manny says. “Anyways, we just gotta wait for Mr. Drippy now, and we can get this little meeting underway. How’re you adjusting, anyways? I know you ain’t got any fights under your belt so far, but you’ve at least set up your room proper, right?” Almond Eyes scratches his hair, looking a bit embarrassed as he glances over to the side, though, he does try to hide it.

“As of now, not really. I’ve got a bed and junk, but I don’t really know what else to put in.” He casually forms a small blade from his palm, plucking it out, and begins to clean his fingernails with it. “But I’m pretty sure this isn’t about my room, so let’s just wait on the other guy.”

“Whatever floats your boat, Mr. Edgelord.” The wait for the last arrival wasn’t an overly long one. The Alien King slowly strode up the stairs, finding himself in the chair at the opposite end of the table from Manny, as though to place them on similar grounds. The gesture wasn’t lost on the puppet, but neither did he much care; after all, he knew that no matter how much Zalgo liked being on top, he wouldn’t go and try to take control of the clan. It would be too much of a bother, and wouldn’t benefit him in the long run.

”For what reason did you call us all here…?” the black creature asked them all mentally. Though he had a mouth… several mouths… it seemed that mental communication was still his preferred manner of speech. Ever since his loss at the hands of some other strange superhuman being, things had changed with him; not only in how he seemed to behave around others, but in his physical appearance as well. Before, he had been deceptively scrawny despite his impressive strength, he was now a hulking monster. The somewhat concealable massive mouth in his abdomen now constantly apparent and, though it couldn’t be proven, it appeared to be in a constant sneer of annoyance. Behaviorally, he seemed to be more withdrawn, as though he were plagued with thoughts upon thoughts upon thoughts. Sometimes, he seemed to lose focus to the physical world entirely, though he still never allowed himself to be taken off guard.

“Well you two, it seems like we’ve managed to attract us some attention. Some people have been messing with the RHG System, and it appears they’ve set their sights on us. They want us to change locations. Now, just based on how this system likes to behave, they’ll be coming for us pretty soon, so they can ‘take us someplace safe.’ Considering the fact that us gladiators are as we are, and these people managed to get into their system, I doubt it’ll be all that simple. Honestly, it’ll probably end up being a trap.” Manny’s grin returned even wider than before. “So, since they’re already looking to pick a fight with us, how’s about we go along with their little plan?”

“Wait, so you want us to play into the hands of guys who are after us?” Kai gives an apprehensive look. “Isn’t that kind of, I don’t know, retarded?”

“Not really,” Manny says. “Chances are they’d find us anyways, and while we could just say ‘Piss off!’ to the RHG people and wait for them here, this place isn’t exactly built for large scale battles. Better to take it someplace where we can go all out without risk of our shit getting destroyed. Besides, then we’ll be on equal grounds in regards to how well we know the terrain.”

“...I agree that this is the best course of action,” Zalgo states calmly, before Kai can attempt a rebuttal. “If they truly desire a confrontation with us, all of us, then there will be no hiding. There will be no fear. We shall meet their challenge head on, and we shall crush them underfoot.”

“I like that thinking,” Manny agrees. “So, all we gotta do is get nice and ready. Kizu, you’ll be in this too, so be sure to bring your A-game-” Before he can finish his sentence, he finds the point of her spear between his eyes. She casts her eye towards him slowly. The meaning was clear. “Got it, good to hear. Just bring some medical supplies for the kid, alright?”

“I can heal myself,” Kai grunts.

“Yeah, but I doubt you can heal fast enough to stop disembowelment.” Manny takes a small pleasure in his shutting up. “Alright then. So, go and get yourselves mentally prepared. Looks like we’ll be going to war.”



Elsewhere, truly dark forces were at force, watching the clan’s meeting. When it concluded, the White Man turned off his screen. Leaning back in his throne, he brought up his feet, letting them rest softly on the slave’s back. Snapping twice, he counts the seconds until another slave arrives, this one bearing a pillow with a silver bell resting gently upon the center. “You were two seconds slow, Nadine. You wouldn’t want anything happening to that child of yours again, would you?”

The fear in her eyes was delicious, though she quickly cast them down. “I understand, Mr. Nightshade sir. I will be faster next time.” His smile doesn’t reach his eyes as he takes the bell, lightly ringing it.

“See to it that you are. After all, I’m not sure how much longer she’d last in her condition.” He places the bell back and sends her off as his most loyal follower arrives. Clad in modified plate armor, the chocolate skinned young man, only but a few years younger than his current body’s age, kneeled before him. “You may rise, Grey.”

Grey rose slowly, spreading his legs shoulder length apart and holding his arms behind his back. Behind his silvery mop of hair, Nightshade could sense his fierce gaze, focused in on him. Grey had been a simple one to recruit; lost, alone, feelings of hatred and guilt swirling in his breast. It had taken little to make him into the perfect puppet, and his strength was one to be reckoned with. “What need do you have of me, sir?” His voice had grown deeper, more firm over the years. Still, the tones of loyalty never seemed to falter for even a moment. Nightshade knew he owned the boy, body, mind and soul.

“I’ve need of you and Bastet. It seems that a snake has reared its ugly head, and is looking to lash at my pet project. We can’t have that; Snakes, however, are but another creature, however. We’ll be using them to our advantage.”

“Will we be recruiting, sir?”


“No, no,” Nightshade dismisses with a wave of his hand. “With a group as broken as theirs, it would be pointless, to say the least. There would be nothing to achieve from it, as the only members who would be worth recruiting would be amidst their upper echelons. No, we’ll simply be planting seeds. Seeds that, upon taking root, will help spread my garden of madness across the land. And when the trees of the people’s suffering bear fruit…” He makes a snipping motion with his fingers. “...I shall cut away all without use, and the process begins anew. For now, however, Bastet will need to perform reconnaissance. While I’ve an idea of who this group has wrapped in their midst, I’d rather there be nothing to interfere with our plans.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll retrieve Bastet for briefing with haste.” With a curt nod, he heads off to speak with his compatriot. Nightshade calmly takes a goblet from beside his throne, drinking of the coppery red liquid within, losing himself in his mind. A faint aching came from the base of his skull, and he absently rubbed it. Though he had a new body, the phantom pains remained; Manny Ken. The one who had taken both his old body, and his place as leader of the Night Creatures. It had been some years ago, but he still remembered their fight as vividly as though it were yesterday. The events following had been pure chance. If the organization, now identifying itself as the M.A.C. Organization, hadn’t chanced upon his core and conducted their human experiments, it was uncertain where he’d be now. Their continued hunts for him, as well as the flame users Kasai and Adena, meant that his operations needed to be kept to a minimum. After all, they were likely the only ones who knew how to put him down permanently.

“It’s still a shame I don’t get to dirty my own hands anymore,” Nightshade mused to himself. “Those may have been some of the happiest days of my life. And looking through the records, the RHG system has some gladiators who may actually prove to be fun.” Thinking of the system, his thoughts drifted to one particular gladiator, whom he’d done some research upon, and whom he was sure would be the perfect target to strike at in order to poison the heart of Nehushtan.



Altaer gritted slightly as he lowered the mug from his face, the unpleasantness and harsh bitter aftertaste of the coffee still lingering for a moment before dulling off his oral senses. It seemed that despite the food’s quality, the small diner couldn’t quite make a decent cup of joe. He glanced out of the booth window for a bit, the reds and violets of the late afternoon sky painting a picture, as if just for him. He looked over his appearance in the transparent reflection of the glass; dressed in black and crimson as per usual, instead of his typical attire, he’d instead chosen to dawn a more casual appearance. His striped polo, though not small, clung well to his form, accenting his olympian physique so that little was left to the imagination for how chiseled he was. His smoky black eyes held whisper of gold within them, the Shadowlight that made up his being seeming to have synchronized with his rebellious spirit. Perfect black curls frame his face, softening the sharp angles of his jaw, a dark halo. His dusky bronze skin seems to lightly glow as he taps on the table a touch impatiently with his calloused hand. Wearing a pair of black denim jeans, he pulls out a flip phone, checking the time, before looking back out the window.

“It’s no good to keep me waiting, Doc,” he lightly says to himself. “Especially when you’re the one who called me out here.” He casts a glance about the diner, checking to ensure there had been no changes since he’d arrived a while before. The same small crowd sat about: an older man, looking to be in his mid to late fifties and wearing an open flannel shirt with a trucker hat upon his head, still taking bites at a steak whilst conversing with a balding man in a suit and holding a briefcase about how the economy is bound to be hit onc

[Coils of Nehushtan story]
[SPOILER=The Fall of Night]

“Woe to those who devise iniquity,
And work out evil on their beds!
At morning light they practice it,
Because it is in the power of their hand…
Therefore you shall have night
Without vision,
And you shall have darkness
Without divination;
The sun shall go down…
And the day shall be dark for them.”[/i]

~~ Micah of Moresheth

__________________________________________


The personal office of Dr. David MacBeth is a place well loved, and well used. The air within it is light, and warm, and comfortable, yet it bears a sharpness as well -- not unlike the taste of air after a lightning strike. Many people see this office, as they come to him for this or that. A masterfully crafted wooden desk is the centerpiece of his side of the room. They all see the rear of it, but none see the contents of its drawers. Let us examine the main one. It slides out smoothly -- of course -- but is surprisingly empty. In fact, there are only two things that it contains. The first is a carefully preserved Star-of-David patch, its faded yellow stained from years of filth. Beside it lies a simple thin wooden picture frame. As we pick it up and turn it to catch the light from the window behind his desk, we see that the paper within is colored with age, and stained with little droplets of something rust colored. Upon closer examination, the very script itself appears to be written in the same rusty liquid, dried into the beautiful calligraphy of the Doctor.

Labyrinth Straight

Another breath –
Deep…in and out,
Swirling before my lips as silver cloud…
Then gone…into Future’s dark, massive breadth.
My eyes are wide
Open…but see
Shadows which merely show themselves to me
To shroud those things that truly hide inside.
I am locked in
War…perilous
Indeed, for I fight with deadly Nothingness
With gleaming sword, shield…this war-gear unseen.
The path for me from birth was laid…
It will not change…
By falls perfection will be made.
There is no solid ground for me,
For I am called
To walk upon the solid…sea.

_______________________________________________________________________________
Dawn had yet to break. The morning dew clung like a thousand tiny jewels to the twisted branches of a dogwood, decorating its tender white blossom in a royal splendor. He was awed by the simplistic majesty of the sight. It had once been a favorite wood of the Romans, but legend was that after being used to make The Cross of Christ, it was made blessed, and gnarled so that its wood could never again be used. Though he was not superstitious, it was still a pleasant thought. The surrounding expanse of scattered woods and fields added their own beauty to the scene. Thrushes were singing...they were always the first birds to sing in the morning. His eyes and ears, however, were not focused upon these sights and sounds.

They made him shiver. In his life, he had fought many opponents, and his years of undercover work had brought him into close contact with many people who could easily make his blood run cold. These, however, were different.

The things that stood before him were simply unnatural. One was a gargantuan alien beast, black as midnight and seamed with equally black mouths throughout. Another was a living mannequin, standing there as if snatched from some macabre storefront. And the third might have been human at some point, but the blades that protruded from his skin told a different story.

All three of them were there to kill him. He doubted if any of them truly possessed a heart that was capable of showing real tenderness. Most likely not by now, if they ever had. That fact was why he stood here, preparing to destroy them. He had found them and declared the injustice of their alliance. They had responded by asking him to meet them...to kill him.

He knew their names. Manny Ken, Zalgo, and Kai Havok. He knew their powers. Obtaining facts such as these had become a relatively easy process as Nehushtan had grown. Really, though, that told him little about who he would be fighting. He needed to know their minds. Understand who they were. He did not kill anyone whom he could reasonably win over to the right. Which was why he was currently putting his life on the line. His advantages over these powerful beings would be slight, and he needed to work them to his utmost benefit.

He pulled himself to his most regal posture, staring imperiously at those who stood before him. His voice was carefully measured for maximum impact: it is best described by the fact that Cicero would have been proud of this avid student of speech.

“Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. Those words divinely hailed the fall of a corrupt empire ages ago, and they hail your fall. You have committed yourselfs to unrighteousness, and shall be punished accordingly.”

They blinked, and their leader -- Manny Ken -- stepped forward, laughing, his pickaxe swinging easily from his hand.

“My, what a nice little speech. A lot of high talk from a single man, though. You won’t have long to back that up.”

David smiled as he whipped out his Winchester ‘73 One-of-a-thousand and simultaneously materialized his Reflections. As his duplicates took aim at Kai and Zalgo, he pumped a round into Manny’s chest, sending him backflipping through the air as bits of torn fabric flew. Two other shots rang out at the same time from his Reflections. He tapped his earbud.

“Spread out and retreat slowly. Do not get near me or each other. Continue attacking.”

They obeyed silently as best they could. Kai launched himself towards one of the Reflections, deftly dodging a bullet as he attempted to drive his blades into the man. David normally would have loved to see his expression when they failed to do any damage, and the Reflection brought down the butt of the rifle on his arm, but the mannequin was already up and swinging...with the hole still there. David backpedaled out of the way, and glanced at the other two Night Creatures. They were following the Reflections.

Good…

He sheathed his rifle on his back and drew his knives, grinning as he ducked under the dogwood.
________________________________________________________

Kai pummeled the Reflection as hard as he could with each hit. He had been prepared for battle, but this was insane. This man was not taking any damage, but was instead just moving and fighting as if nothing at all had happened to him. He was used to using his superior skill and abilities to destroy his targets, not having no effect whatsoever. He was unsure of how to handle this clone of the Doctor...or if it was actually the real Doctor. Either way, it seemed to be retreating through the forest, which he hoped meant he was making some level of progress. It also was a rather poor shot, and not particularly spry, so he really didn’t need to fear much in the way of damage. All he needed to do was corner the thing, and then he would make sure whatever it was would never move again…

________________________________________________________

Clones were nothing knew to Zalgo. He was, in fact, rather used to this ability. For the time being, however, this clone had driven a clean hole in one of his arms, which raised his ire. He began by launching a quick wave of oil at it. The clone failed to dodge, but seemed immune, ignoring the sharpened hard oil and continuing to try to attack. Intrigued, Zalgo quickly analyzed its mind. There was precious little there, but at the same time there seemed to be some barrier preventing him from actually being able to get a full grasp on such a weak mind. Truthfully, though, it wasn’t really worth the effort.

It seemed to be moving away, so he followed it, testing the limits of its durability. The fact that nothing he did seemed harmful was interesting, although disappointing. He contented himself with using the oil to toss it around and into trees and lampposts. He had only gone a short distance, however, before he sensed some slight invasion of his mind. As if someone was watching him, tracking him. He could not place it, but he now noticed there seemed to be a specific direction the clone was leading him.

As he followed it, Zalgo soon found himself at the edge of town. It seemed that the local authorities had already been notified of the battle, and were clearing out civilians form the area. The skyscrapers around the business section provided a vast wall of mirrored surfaces, all reflecting the same image of himself. The quiet was eerie and he could sense the foreboding about which humans spoke. Silence had never bothered him, but now seemed different. The clone seemed to have lost interest in him entirely, instead moving away to round up what remained of the bystanders, who were frozen in awe at the sight of the black creature and its oil.

He liked the feeling of glory and power their astonishment gave him, but that was quickly destroyed by the crack of something far excelling the sonic barrier. He twisted his head just in time for a small scythe whirling on the end of a chain to smack him squarely in the center of his face. The force of the impact flung him backwards into a thin maple, which promptly snapped under his weight. It took him a moment to regain his feet and clear his vision.

A man’s voice called out from slightly above him, laden with sarcastic joy.

“Well hey there, Slick! Imagine meeting you again! It’s a small multi-dimensional universe after all, isn’t it?”

The cocky voice came from a man who was hanging onto the side of one of the business buildings. As he leapt to the ground deftly, Zalgo felt a momentary flash of fear.

This man was the only being to have ever defeated him. This man was the only thing that had ever given him the feeling of fear and shame and humiliation.

He quickly subdued the fear, and replaced it with an equally powerful emotion – hate.

Altaer, Lord of the Abyss, would pay for what he had done.

________________________

Dracustos sat in wait at the top of a building, a keen eye on the park’s treeline for his target. The townhomes in this area of town reflected the wealth of their inhabitants, having been crafted by award winning architects in varying styles, and bedecked with the most advanced greenspace gardening techniques. An annoyed snort escaped his nostrils; he didn’t exactly agree on Macbeth’s plan, more specifically the part where he lures their enemies into the city. No doubt there would be collateral damage, but it posed a threat to the civilians. He knew the doctor planned on helping them evacuate, but it still irked him. Why couldn’t they have met in a forest or some wasteland, somewhere unpopulated?

He is the boss, he sighed in his head. He suddenly found himself worrying for the doctor’s health. Draco thought it somewhat foolish to meet the opposing Clan alone, especially considering its members. He knew of all of them through the mission briefing, and considering their histories, they weren’t ones to be merciful.

He glanced at the people below. Most had already left, unsettled by the appearance of the Night Creatures, but many still remained. I suppose I’ll lend a hand in getting people to move{/I], he thought.

His ears twitched, a tingle running down his neck as Kai and David’s duplicate got near. He spotted them through the foliage and drew a sword. Here we go… Looking back to the people below, he saw some had caught sight of the battle and were leaving, while others remained and watched. With a snort he frowned.

“You people need to leave,” he said sternly, the telepathic voice frightening a number of its receivers. But instead of listening, they began searching for the source of the voice. The halfbreed sighed. “Are you dense? Get out of here!” They obeyed this time, but not before the dueling duo entered the designated area. Luckily, Kai was too focused on the Reflection to bother with fleeing bystanders.

The tall blue figure crouched down, then hopped off the roof. By the time the young man noticed a shadow growing over him, Draustos was bringing his sword down.

CLANG!

A shockwave rattled windows and ruffled cloth as the blow was blocked, and for a split second, Dracustos locked eyes with Kai. In that second he saw many things: the eyes of a lone wolf, of someone who doesn’t much care anymore, a troubled teen who just takes out his frustrations on others. Someone who just wants to survive.

As for Kai… he saw a sort of fierceness in the halfbreed’s eyes he’d never seen before that seemed to pierce through him, like the eyes of a predator. Behind this was determination, and then… regret…?

Whatever he saw was soon covered up, and the halfbreed threw himself back. Kai stared at him for a moment, distracted by the being’s predatory glare.

_____________________________________

Kai’s speed only barely allowed him to dodge the huge blade that sunk into the asphalt where he had been standing, followed by the crushing weight of a large blue Draconian. Kai took a moment to evaluate the situation from what he thought was a safe distance, only to find himself engulfed in flames. Strangely, these burned. They should not have burned -- he was immune to fire. Unless this was not merely just fire. The confusion showed on his face for a moment, until school lessons flashed into his memory as he stopped, dropped, and rolled to extinguish them.

As soon as they were out, he literally erupted into his Wyvern form and teleported over behind the Draconian, trying to land a quick, decisive blow. The Draconian merely flew backwards, splitting his great-sword into two thinner blades, blocking Kai’s blow and making his own.

As the blade left a bloody trail along his shoulder, Kai teleported away and hissed.

“Fighting a fellow dragon, am I? Who the hell are you?”

The Draconian smiled as he took a fighting stance, dual blades at the ready. He was only slightly smaller than Kai’s Wyvern form, and he seemed not the least intimidated by his teleporting foe.

“I am Dracustos, and I am The Knight of Nehushtan.”

Kai distantly realized that the Doctor who had issued the challenge to The Night Creatures had said he was The Head of Nehushtan, and made the connection. This was a teammate. He felt certain he could gain the advantage with the right tactic, and resolved to take the only option he ever considered – leaving the battlefield the victor.

__________________________________

Manny was surprisingly energetic, for a mannequin, and proud of that fact. Dr. David MacBeth was parrying his blows accurately, but he was being beaten back steadily, and having to work quite hard to keep himself from being sliced open by Manny’s pickaxe.

This battle was proving to be quite easy, actually, and if his teammates faired equally well with the duplicates this Doctor had created, they should be rid of this arrogant scumbag before lunch. Granted, this judgemental dope was doing better than most, but still...he was only human. Endurance could only last so long.

The attractive and refreshing verdure of the park soon gave way to the concrete, brick, and asphalt of the city’s trendy downtown area, which was the renovated edge of the old town. None of the buildings here showed their age, however, having been heavily updated to modern tastes by the up-and-coming owners of various boutiques, salons, tailors, café’s, wine-cellars, and similarly eclectic stores.

Manny was just about to deliver a swift, spinning attack with his pickaxe when something smashed into him from the side. He attempted to regain his feet, but there was another lightning fast blow, this time with something sharp. He felt the arm that was holding his pick fall to the ground. His attacker paused long enough for him to recognize her as a girl. Albeit a girl that seemed to possess some supernatural powers, but a girl nonetheless.

This is going to be epic.

Quote from XDHunterNest

This is going to be epic.

You got that right, already read the first one, really liking it...

Well I'll be the first one. (@Chrome: took me like 2 hours to read both lel)

So to begin with, my vote goes to the Creatures!
Both were great, but you could see some differences in the styles.

I will review the pieces, but I will not CnC them, because of the gigantic size of both (then again, I saw no grammar mistakes and the reading was smooth in both, so we gucci)

The Creatures were a lot more complete. The chapter/paragraphs were detailed, well structured. Great use of language mechanism and a very smooth read. I particularily enjoyed the POV change, very a la Tarantino, where one thing is happening, then switch to another one happening at the same time. Big plus for that from me :)
The story was also very captivating, and definitely portrayed well the personality of all characters. I give 8/10 Teemos. No higher vote because of the overload of details in certain parts. Especially in certain descriptive sequences. It's ok to be detailed, but overdoing it ruins the read.

The Coils was a lot less heavy read. Written in a simpler way, more compact and somewhat shorter. Quite similar to the Creature's one content wise, it was a very balanced piece. Unfortunately the other piece was just more fancy, as in big words and particular expressions and imagery, which are my soft spot.
Nonetheless, don't get yourself down, lads. The story was great, and you should be proud of that. This gets 7/10 Teemos

My gods, I've been waiting an eternity for this. But it was so. godsdamn. worth it. Sorry I don't have Cnc. I'll be back with it (for what its worth). But right now I'm busy *shrugs and disappears with an annoying grin on his face

So, I've read both of the stories by now and they were both awesome. Good job to both of the clans! I'll be picking the Night Creatures' piece though. I enjoyed reading both, but the extra content and backstory of the Night Creatures' piece tipped the scales in their favor for me.

Gotta agree with XD here. The Coils story was excellent, but the extra content and otherwise quality of the Night Creatures pushed me to vote for them. But still, very nice job to both of the clans!

So explain to me why the poll extends until next month? Like hot diggidy damn that's a long time.

I gave it a longer period, because 2 weeks tends to be the norm for a battle, and with the length of these, I doubled it. I figured it would be necessary, but people are reading through faster than anticipated, so perhaps I was a bit too zealous in my thoughts.

Downloaded both stories to read them in my absence. Since I have a brief moment of internet-access I'll come here and say that hands-down Night Creature's won this one for me. It's one thing to have me read 44 pages in one sitting, and another to have me enjoy them. Yes, I did thoroughly enjoy it, a job very well done. Both sides felt on point and the only possible qualms I'd have are with some moments in the battle itself, and even then that can easily be overlooked.

A job well done and a well-deserved victory. (I did not expect it to have so many votes already).

Now, it'd be rude and most of all undeserving to let the coils out of their praise too. It was definitely up to snuff and the only reason I didn't finish it in one go was because it was 4 AM and I had to catch some sleep. The battle had its moments, but all in all it felt a bit lackluster. There wasn't any sort of proper introduction, and while I dislike long-drawn out intros that just drone on and on, I moreso dislike people just starting to smash one another for little reason. Most of it felt more like David v Night Creatures and we did not exactly get any sort of conclusion to the battle. We are to assume that Dante and Dracustos won their fights off-screen and that leaves a gaping hole in my potential love to give y'all. The fight with Zalgo also sorta just died off on its own and the roles of Grey and Bastet felt very forced, unnatural and unnecessary.

Also I feel as if their win relied a bit too much on stuff just happening out of nowhere, such as Valeria suddenly being some kind of superpowered being, and the Doctor spawning a copy of Zalgo that the original one, despite being far more intelligent and, well, actually being beingness should definitely give him an astounding edge over an inferior version of himself. As I said before David and Altaer's roles just seemed to overshadow everyone else's, and while you definitely get a family-like from the coils like you do in the Night Creature's version of the battle, it is much less so and their opponents are really just degraded to street-goon level quality antagonists. I feel no reason at all to be rooting for Night Creatures in the Coils' version whereas I feel quite a bit for both sides on the Night Creature's part.

All in all both of you can be proud of your work (I don't know who wrote what and from what I heard most of it was really done by Azure and Alphaeus?), so kudos to you all.

(PS : I'm astounded as to how many votes it's already gotten so far. Nice reading job y'all.)

Based on the results as well as the fact there aren't enough regular users here to create an upset, and after discussion with Alph, I've closed the poll early. It'd still be great if people gave CnC, however, so yeah.

yay we lost

No matter how you view it, Chrome, Dante won.