Demon Hunters Health Room- Deep in the Outpost [Adelaide/Open]

January 19th
4:00 am

Deep within the Outpost, within the side only Demon Hunters went to, there lies a small dilapidated building. On the door is the symbol for a hospital. Within this room, various Demon Hunter NPCs reside for the soul purpose of helping their kin live. Their abilities revolve around healing, so that's what they do.

It was here that Adelaide Kingsford had brought the injured Alexander Stone, who had stolen her thunder and saved her life multiple times. It was in a small cot that he lay, pondering the events that had occurred. By now, with the help of the healers here, he was alright. He still didn't know where he was, though. He hadn't seen anyone since waking up.

Alex did not know how he got here, or even where here was, though. Still, he didn't try to get up, instead choosing to continue to lay there and stare at the ceiling. He had a troubled smile on his face.

In his mind, he went over all that happened. It had happened so fast... Nearly running over Adelaide, ruining his bike... The events at the hospital... Dragging her to Inferis... Then, he realised she had changed. His smile became more genuine, the girl was a demon hunter like him. He'd met a lot of them throughout this month. Before 2012, he had never met anyone else like him. It was odd, really.

Closing his eyes, he sighed softly, drifting to sleep. It wouldn't last long, but he needed a little more rest. Then, he'd get up, find Adelaide, and gt out of here.

How much time had passed since she arrived here? Three hours? Four? Adelaide couldn't hazard a guess anymore, but neither did she make a solid attempt to, as her thoughts were currently elsewhere. She was here now, inside this shambled mess of a safe haven (not that she was one to judge), and that's really all that mattered. Ever since meeting that blond fellow, one Alexander Stone, everything that transpired thereafter seemed to openly spit in the face of reason, thwarting her endeavors to try and make sense of a bunch of information that was literally being thrown at her from every angle, with no time to let her digest it all.

It was in her greatest moment of desperation, when Alex's life hung in the balance as she was forced to escort his unconscious body to safety in a world she had no understanding of, that a blessing had presented itself to the Adelaide in the form of a barricaded staircase, which led down into what appeared to be a supposedly abandoned rapid transit complex, which had been refurbished and fortified to behave as an outpost and a sanctuary for individuals just like her and Alex. A haven for Demon Hunters. Several of the people inside could definitely tell by her plighted expressions that Adelaide was new to this whole shebang, but despite this, she expressed her situation with the utmost integrity.

From that point onward, Alex had been placed under intensive care and looked after by several people, either well versed in medical techniques or had some kind of ability to heal wounds on a supernatural level. Eternally grateful for their compassion and selflessness, Adelaide left the blond man to have his wounds tended to by the folks that were better capable of it, doing well to retrieve her new sword from his person before departing from the station's protected, dimly lit chambers and carriages.

In reality, she never truly left with the intention of leaving behind the man that not only rescued her, but threw himself in harm's way to ensure that she wouldn't "stain her hands with blood" or some spiel like that. Instead, she merely slipped away to acquire a few moments to herself. Some alone time, as it were. So much had happened in such a short time frame, and all that she was exposed to left her hungry for answers.

For starters, just what were Demon Hunters? Were they some, elite cadre of warriors and knights that roamed the world, slaying the denizens of Hell? Judging by their obvious moniker, that seemed to be the case, but simply thinking of that title brought up memories of her father's dying words. A long time ago, he supposedly was one. But why was she one, too? She never asked for this, nor did she want it. Adelaide had every intention of living out the rest of her life as an attorney for London and her people; the last thing she wanted to mark down on her agenda was to slay the creatures of the night.

With a depressed sigh, Adelaide took a seat on a rusted bench and slumped over, sword neatly pressed into her lap while her hand gripped the blue hilt, its lustrous metal blade glistening in the solemn, red light. With a detached gaze, she examined its features, taking note of the mysterious symbols engraved into its fuller. If this wasn't gibberish, it was some kind of language she didn't know about. And it was far more beautiful and ornate than any sword she ever laid her eyes on. It almost looked like a wall decoration than an instrument of death. And the way that red thing cringed before it, even though she never made any use of it...

Could she have used it, though? She was trying to intimidate a literal monster back there, a beast that shouldn't even exist, yet did. Even though she came to brandish an object that, somehow, against all odds, managed to distract and frighten it long enough for an injured Alex to, miraculously, make it disappear from the world a second time, would she have been able to swing it with the intent to kill?

She shook her head, distressed by the possibilities that never played themselves out, and let out another sigh before casually looking out into the ruined streets and the partially toppled buildings that reached into the skies. Blood existed everywhere, running down the sides of the architecture and pooling into little rivulets between the cobblestones below, creating neat little red outlines of each and every brick. The destroyed city around her looked nothing like London, even though she could recognize a few of the places within her periphery. It was a parody, a mockery of her beloved city, and seeing it in such a dilapidated condition left a sad, hollow feeling at the bottom of her heart.

So much had happened. And it was likely that more of these strange series of unfortunate events would rear their ugly heads. But, for the most part, at least the lady Kingsford was able to catch her breath and let all of this sink in.

Finally, once again, Alex woke up. With a bright, sunny grin on his face, he made his way to get up, still in his usual Inferis clothing. Stretching his arms, he gave himself a once over, barely taking in the dilapidated room. The nurses and doctors here seemed to have left him alone now that he was healed. Alex, with a small content smile, made his way out of the room, looking around as he did. He idly wondered where Adelaide went to, and if she was safe.

He entered a big room where there were a bunch of chairs, and decided to sit down. Maybe someone would come by soon, who knows? Alex was starting to get bored, but he didn't want to leave without Adelaide. He was worried about her. At least he killed that demon.

((Short, horrible post, but I don't have much to work with, despite the size of your post.))

Ambient noise was all that Adelaide's ears were filled with. The blood that trickled and rolled between the crevices and cracks of the street like they were capillaries produced a peaceful sort of atmosphere, almost like she were listening to a tiny brook or creek, however the grim reality that it was blood made the noise much more unsettling for her. The woman in blue was surrounded by it from every angle, and this fact wrenched at her as if it was trying to suffocate her from the inside. Normal, or at least her concept of it, was irrelevant here, in this twisted environment of nightmare. This Hell.

"Tch..." Adelaide gripped her sword with vice-like strength and rose to her feet, the ruffles of her royally dyed dress shifting so that it appeared full at the base once more, her various pieces of armor reflecting the disgusting red light that shone down from the apocalyptic sky. Wasting no time, she turned on her heels and entered into a stride back towards the Outpost, the place where Demon Hunters hid from the creatures that threatened their lives, doing her best to step over chunks of debris, her sabotons clanking as they impacted with the cobblestones.

It wouldn't be long before Adelaide closed the gap between herself and the sanctuary, but fatigue reared its ugly head and caught her by surprise, forcing her to stop and take a breather against a mangled street lamp merely a block away from her destination. The oppressive atmosphere of this place was beginning to take its toll on her body, but it felt more like she had got done with a thirty minute jog. The woman was winded, but it would do her no harm in the long term.

---

[ Player's Notes: I match your short post with one of my own. 8D ]

After wandering around the Outpost for a few more hours, Alex got tired of waiting around. Necropolis was a pretty big place and all, but he was sure he'd be able to find her soon. It was with this in mind that he made his way to the entrance. He passed by a few people who ignored him. He tried smiling, but nobody seemed to be in a good mood here. They all kept to themselves.

It took Alex some time to finally make it out of the Outpost and to the entrance. He had gotten lost in there, and after a half hour of twists and turns, he FINALLY made it out. Luckily for him, Adelaide was just returning as well. As he stepped out, and re-entered the familiar harshness of the world of Hell, he couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh. He knew where he was, really. He could find his way home from here with ease.

Looking up he hill, he finally saw his new friend. A wide smile broke across his face at the sight of the woman in her battle suit. He rushed up the hill, being fully healed and fit, and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. Pulling back and releasing her he smiled at her and said, "I'm glad I found you... Thank you so much for finding shelter and getting me help. I owe you my life again." He chuckles happily, just GLAD all around.

The sound of approaching footsteps reached Adelaide's ears. Though fatigued from her extended stay in this strange world, she craned her head up anyway to see who or what was closing in on her. To her surprise, she spotted Alex Stone running up the gentle slope, seemingly having emerged from the Hunter Outpost to search for her. Given how chipper and healthy his stride was, it went without saying that he achieved proper treatment and had his wounds all closed up. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, but as soon as she returned to a standing position, the blond man had caught up with her and threw his arms around her body in a gleeful embrace.

"I'm glad I found you..." Perplexed, Adelaide blinked several times. It wasn't as if she went missing for a number of years. What an odd person... "Thank you so much for finding shelter and getting me help. I owe you my life again." Disregarding Alex's cheerful yet strange personality, the woman hesitantly returned the hug and softly patted the man on the back using her free left hand, the metal plates of her gauntlet clicking against one another as she did so. "Considering you've done more than your fair share of heroics," Adelaide took a few steps back and smiled faintly at Alex. "Let's just call it even." She turned to gaze at the blood-soaked landscape with prudence, keeping the grip on her sword tight in case something decided to show itself to the pair.

After letting her mind wander for a moment, she turned back to Alex and sternly looked into his eyes. So many questions cycled through her mind, and Adelaide knew that this may have been her only chance to get the answers for them. If he was who he said he was, then perhaps she could gain some insight on what was going on, and why she was being dragged into all of it. If all else failed, the least it could do is give her closure. "For now, I want you to inform me of everything you know. Demon Hunters, this place, that creature you killed; I have to know."

---

[ Player's Notes: Gah, sorry for taking so long with this, in spite of its brevity. ]

((It's cool. I've been busy myself, lately.))

Another megawatt grin later and Alex responded, after stepping back as well, "Agreed, haha!" They were even now. His eyes wandered with hers to the world around them. It was dark, grisly, bloody and terrifying, but Alex was used to it now after all the years spent here. It was just another home for him.

Then, she looked at him, and he looked at her. He was still smiling, but with the serious atmosphere, he was more serious now too. So... She wanted to learn everything he knew huh? His smile turned into a smile grimace thing where, while smiling his face clenched a bit. He pondered a moment, before speaking, "I... don't know a lot about this place... But I'll do my best. Here, where we are..." He waved his arms around in a sweeping motion to indicate the world, "This grotty land is Hell. The locals call it Inferis. What we fought... They are demons. When people off themselves, they come here, and after being tortured for so long, become demons, it seems." He shrugs, "I don't know much more than that. I've been coming here for years, and I never had anyone to teach me. Maybe we should head back to our world  now..." He starts walking, while looking at her to keep an eye on if she's following or not.

"I... don't know a lot about this place... But I'll do my best." Adelaide frowned. For someone who claimed themselves to be a Demon Hunter, he certainly didn't seem too sure about what the job entailed. Alas, it wasn't her place to judge. She either had to learn at the same pace as he did, or find someone more experienced than Alex and be given the full crash course. The woman leaned up against the mangled street lamp, unconcerned with the possibility of getting rust flecks all over her pretty dress and armor. Clothes were washable, and armor could also be cleaned. The woman was more concerned about recuperating from her sudden bout of exhaustion, anyway.

"Here, where we are..." Adelaide watched as Alex waved his hand to the world around her as if he were showcasing a prize on a game show, compelling her to gaze on the doom-laden environment like a lost child. "This grotty land is Hell. The locals call it Inferis." Right. Locals. "What we fought..." He should have used proper syntax and took the credit for the battle; after all, she was never given the chance to swing her sword. "They are demons. When people off themselves, they come here, and after being tortured for so long, become demons, it seems." A thick knot rose up from deep within Adelaide's stomach and lodged itself into her throat, momentarily robbing her of breath. The pieces started falling into position, they were making more sense the longer she processed all that was said. Creatures like that burly, red brute could only exist in Hell, ergo, they must be in Hell: the realm of the damned, where souls forsaken by Heaven were cast away to spend all of eternity to atone for the full weight of their sins.

But the two of them never killed themselves, else they'd have become demons as well. And neither of them had died, though Alex barely teetered on the brink of it. "Curiouser and curiouser..." Adelaide spoke to herself, folding her arms and resting them against her abdomen, holding her shimmering blade so that the tip faced toward the ground. "I don't know much more than that. I've been coming here for years, and I never had anyone to teach me." She let out a deep sigh, partially disappointed by his lack of useful information, though unwilling to hold his ignorance against him. Still, though, if he had been coming here for years, as he claimed, he should be a little more experienced than that.

As soon as the blond man entered a slow walk, forcing her to push herself off the lamp and into a stride so that she could keep him company—the last thing they both needed was to get attacked by one of those "demons" again. "Maybe we should head back to our world now..." Adelaide snorted quietly through her nostrils, still gripping her sword in a backhanded style. "I'm more than ecstatic to agree with that, but how do we get back?" she complained, briefly glancing around her as if signalling to the whole Hell, to Inferis. "I'm not entirely sure how we managed to get here in the first place, honestly."

---

[ Player Notes: TEN THOUSAND YEEEEEAAAARRRRS, and I've finally managed to post! 8'D ]

Smiling softly, he felt her ire for the whole situation. Honestly, she was taking it pretty well, even though she seemed cynical and angry. Maybe she was usually an angry gruff person? If she was, she was still his friend. Alex didn't discriminate based on personalities. He liked everyone, as a general rule.

Now, as to how they were to leave? Alex had the answer. "That's Elementary, my dear," he winked, happy to finally be headed home, "You just have to WILL it." Taking her hand, they found themselves down a street in London, in an old alley way. It was one of the usual places Alex used to go here and there. It was abandoned, as usual.

After releasing her hand he flourished and said, "And here we are."

"That's elementary, my dear," Adelaide lowered her eyebrows and puckered her lips into a half-pout, visibly perplexed and slightly annoyed by Alex's jovial answer, accented with a wink. On a pet peeve sort of level, Sherlock Holmes never went out of his way to tell Doctor Watson something was "elementary". Such a quote was merely fantasy, an invention of the public who claimed to read the books, yet hypocritical in that most of them never bothered to pick a single volume up. But she was digressing; he made it sound like leaving Hell was easy as pie. "You just have to WILL it."

Given little time to react, Adelaide watched as the young man practically swooped in from where he previously stood and gently grabbed her hand. "H-hey!" Her opportunity to scold Alex's complete disregard for personal space was seized from her thoughts as the world around her appeared to distort and blend together in a multitude of swirls, like water down a drain after it was dyed with several colors. The dysmorphic transference lasted for only five seconds, give or take, before the woman's eyes began to focus on solid shapes once again.

"And here we are." Adelaide slowly gasped aloud, eyes wide as saucers, as her vision filled with the sight of a starry night sky and not the foul, carnelian clouds she witnessed earlier. The architecture, right down to the pavement they stood on, had miraculously been restored to their pristine, well-maintained shapes and sizes. According to the influx of visual stimuli that Adelaide was being bombarded with, she and Alex were standing in an alleyway. She shuffled backwards, flabbergasted, until she felt the heel of her foot bump into a metal garbage bin. 'T-This is–"

Looking down to get a better look at the scene, she hiccuped in utter surprise. Her sword wasn't here anymore! And neither was the garments or the armor she was wearing! She had returned to looking exactly like she did before being pulled into that nightmarish landscape, albeit scraped up and mostly dusty; Adelaide didn't care, though, and was merely happy that she was able to verify that Alex and her were, indeed, home at last.

Her elation became less intense as soon as a question popped up in the back of her mind, one she chose to act on. "I don't understand, though," Adelaide said, glancing back and forth at Alex and the gloves on her hands. "Do all these– She hesitated for a moment, but quickly recovered. "–Demon Hunters. Can they just displace themselves in and out of Hell at will?" She gave him no time to reply, as her spirit of inquiry flared itself up as soon as she pondered on the question further. "But that would mean I have that same ability, too, then..."

Well, the power to jump between various dimensions was certainly a plus, even if she was just limited to visiting the realm of the eternally damned. Perhaps this skill is what permitted Demon Hunters the chance to, well, hunt demons? The prospect of venturing into the stronghold of all things infernal and take them apart as if she were the star of an action film still didn't sit well with her, but for the most part, the lady Kingsford failed to understand why her late father tried to keep his former lifestyle so secretive.

She would have loved to chat about this sort of thing with Alex, but it finally occurred to her that she was, sadly, without a chauffeur now; the blond chap saw to that with the red brute with the sword. But that was really Cornell? Morbid as the idea was, Alex's impressive display of the mechanics of chemistry definitely saved her the stress of firing him herself.

Hopefully there were a couple of Hackney carriages the two of them could hail down. There should be, at least. A lot of the pubs around this particular part made great business hauling drunks everywhere they wanted to go.