Arrivals on the storm /Brine collab

The air over the sandbar had become expectant and filled with charge out of nowhere before the storm took shape where there hadn't been one, red lightning splitting the sky and scorching the air with ozone. The small waves danced with sparks as the disturbance in the center widened and grew. Another bolt crackled as the wind started to howl, the tempest in a teapot not reaching beyond forty feet down the dark beach. Pelicans rapidly flew away, honking in distress as more electricity sounded off.


"What in fuck- Get the civives to shelter! Now! This is not a drill!" the woman tried to roar over the storm, but even her best on deck parade voice didn't best the screaming storm. Dropping her gear, she lugged a pair of tourists under her arms and tried to crawl through the ionized energy to solid rock.


Larger waves slammed the sand while the disturbance worsened in a rip, red light spilling forth and lighting up the beach at night. It made the campfires disappear. Over the sound of electricity snapping like chattering teeth, there were clashes of weapons and frenzied yelling growing louder. The tear widened before people began falling out of it and into the water.


Most of them were armored in Romanesque gear, helms and hauberks over pale faces. When they looked up and around, their canine teeth were long in their dumbstruck mouths. It only lasted a moment, but the blow of displacement was real. Others wore platemail, and found their bearings quicker, going back to the attack. The flow of people teleporting like a mudslide out of the rip slowed, while it hung indecisive before beginning to close.


The woman with water running over her black armor looked around in shock, blinking like she'd been slapped. She still stabbed out into the edge of a shoulder seam before dragging the blade hard to the right inside an enemy, but she whipped her gaze around in near panic, red hair hanging wet like a shroud.


Far to her right, a sword suddenly ignited in spiraling fire before it parried and slid into the blocking guard, stabbing deep before the victim ignited. Iodine yanked her blade out and spun it in her grip before holding her stomach and spitting out a fish. Her own fangs were more numerous, but smaller overall extended. She waved her weapon over at Abigail and smiled triumphantly,


"I told you I could do it! Cover me- I need to close the rift! NOW!" She yelled, sliding her sword against a crossguard before she locked blades. The fire suddenly whipped to the point of contact in a bundle, roaring and burning through the enemy weapon. Iodine stabbed him in the face before she wrinkled hers. Two others had been waved over by the black-armored Warleader, who had gotten her bearings and gotten back to killing her way over, looking around again.


"Noel?!"


"What in all the shit is a rift," the Marine might have said, had she not felt a strange wetness spattering her as one of the people she was dragging very suddenly lost their head entirely. The splatter over her uniform and the shock of the near death, the smell, silenced her instead. Hurling down the remaining survivor, she drew her sidearm and began to fire as best the rain permitted, tracking movement between the drops in the muzzle flashes and lightning strikes. Her heavy ordnance was back at the embassy, but no one who read a paper last year, let alone a soldier, came to the beach without at least a pistol.


The two groups of Vampires continued to rip and tear at each other, water up to knees or a waist making no difference. Abigail killed like a bear, clutching her sword and shield to batter and gouge the foes around her. She stove in a face with it's flat edge before shifting and beheading the enemy, letting out a low laugh that the storm ate before making her way towards the shore proper.


Iodine had connected a cord from her belt to her sword's pommel, the thin blade running with small, tight rings of fire; she gestured with it and studied a small display before going more pale than usual and turning a dial in the crossguard. The equipment on the other side should have closed the wormhole, but like a chair in a doorway, something was preventing the edges from snapping shut. She gestured again with her sword and apprehensively eyed the readings before redoubling her efforts. It was half the size it had been, but she had to seal it before her lab on the other side blew up or they were all dead. Again.


One of their plated enemies reached her, but her two guards were on him like wolves to a bear, filling the water everywhere with old, brackish blood. A bullet caught one in the back of the head afterward and sent his corpse floating, while Iodine whipped her eyes around, frantic.


Abigail had made it to shore; She was powerfully built and clad in black armor, and when she raised her sword, fire sprang from the blade while the metal screamed. "Kill them all! Form up, FORM UP, DAMN YOU! Protect Iodine!" She roared, eyes glinting like rubies before descending back into the melee.


Behind the Marine, a colorless corpse stared down silently at the dead tourist before kneeling and popping a blood-soaked finger into it's mouth. It's expression didn't change, and the wind didn't move her hair or dress at all. Noel looked less bored and more out and out disconnected from reality, continuing to sit there blankly before cupping blood in her hand and licking it off.


Although the gun was not particularly handy against these foes in the circumstances, the soldier did understand form up, protect, and the gist that the odd figure making the sky hole smaller was to be protected. She tried to do this by means of savaging whatever got too close with a rapidly decreasing set of bullets.


None of the Vampires were able to react the way they should've while they killed each other, having never seen a gun before. Platemail sparked and old blood flowed from errant head shots as the dwindling groups fought. In the life-or-death struggle, many looked over at her following the bangs only to be shot themselves. There were many less of the armored contingent, but both sides had done grievous damage to each other.


Iodine's self confidence had briefly cracked, but as the rift closed shut with a few more bolts and distortions, she smiled in triumph and relief. She'd cut it so close her thumb was bleeding... She looked around as the remnants of her people broke the surf and stood on the beach, a small group of less than twenty. Her smile slowly melted as the reality of their situation was made clear.


Abigail had marched out of the sea like  a bad dream, curves and edges running with water. Her armor was battered and splattered in the old blood of their foes, and her red hair was very, very long from being soaked. She stopped out of hands reach and eyed the soldier before giving her a sharp nod.


"I saw you killing my enemies with your wand. Thank you, human." She said simply, before her gaze flicked behind her. "It's over, Noel. Come. We need to talk." The albino corpse continued to watch the sea, not acknowledging her. Abigail blinked and then rolled her eyes. "Your pardon. The night has been trying. I am Abigail of Kier Keep. Or was." She briefly dipped her head. "You should leave. This bloodletting will attract scavengers in short order."


With that she turned to march back to her forces, Iodine unplugging her sword and stabbing it into the sand. She ran her hands over her face and through her hair before sitting down, looking shellshocked. Noel glanced up at the marine and briefly worked her hands before pointing at the small group and walking over in silence.


"I don't know what all that was about, but I need to ask you to explain. Not to me, I'm a grunt. This portal and ... bloodletting... business, tho, the embassy is going to want to know," the corporal waved the gun for a second, catching her breath and muttering a stream of whathefucks between doing so. Zirune Dawkins had no idea what was going on, but these were at least the ones that hadn't been stabbing or biting. "-what do you mean, 'human'?"


Abigail had turned to stare back at Zirune with one eye, like a haughty bat. "I meant human, nothing more. I can smell your blood." She turned fully again and looked her up and down. "Although I've only seen a scant few who look like you before. My climate favored the exceptionally pale."


<You're pretty.> A voice that was both a young child and an ancient crone muttered directly in her ear. Noel watched the blood-tinged waves and continued otherwise ignoring them both.


"Your embassy will have answers soon, once I have my own. IODINE!" Abigail bellowed down the beach, before the scientist got up and quick stepped over. The rest of the vampires trudgingly followed her. She gave Zirune an unsure sort of smile.


"Where have you taken us?" Abigail asked her levelly. Iodine took a deep breath and looked around, wringing out her white hair. "Kuwahawi. The main island within the chain, to be exact."


"...A tropical island?" She asked flatly, crossing her arms. Iodine shrugged and raised her hands. "It was this or certain death, and frankly, that's only an option and not a guarantee thanks to me!" Abigail nodded and looked like Iodine had scored a point. "And your laboratory?"


Iodine swallowed. "Yes, it's, it's gone. The chain reaction was nearly at critical mass before we left, and it was beginning to-" She looked away. "...There's a three-mile by three-mile hole filling with ocean where our home formerly was..."


"Good." Abigail said viciously. "I'll accept that trade for the total annihilation of our former enemies. And this is all that's... Left." She mused, looking between the small group that remained of an army. The Pyrrhic victory still tasted like ash. "We must find and secure shelter before the sunrise, or our straits will grow yet more dire. She serves an Embassy, is that the king of these lands?" She asked, nodding at the marine.


"Er, I believe the islands are an unincorporated principality. The embassy of what?" Iodine asked her, blinking.


"The American Embassy, miss. United States of North America, land of the free and home of the brave. Diplomatic envoy to the islands. There, ah... far as I know, there isn't a King to all these lands. Or, mostly, any of them. ... you a vampire or something, with this sunrise and blood thing?"


Iodine looked from her, back to the group, and then back to her, bemused and sad. "It's a tad late to say otherwise, isn't it? Yes, miss, we are. We come from a planet far, far away through my ingenuity to escape certain death at the hands of our enemies. It was this or nothing." She said more to Abigail, who ignored her and went back to checking wounded.


"I don't mean to be rude, really, but if there's no king here and you don't serve the islands, I'll have to decline. We... Really, truly do need to find some dark place to hide out the day big enough for all of us, and to remain unnoticed while doing so."


She sidled over and glanced to make sure no one was listening before looking frank and frantic, "Your embassy will imprison us, won't they? This is my fault- how obligated are you to force the issue?" She went on, low.


"Sure won't be happy about the dead folks, but tha's more for the Kuwahawi police department than foreign soldiers and diplomats. Whereas sheltering escaped nationals is sort of a -thing- for our own CIA. Besides, you might be Kobberly types, and meddling there only gets trouble started. ... Then again, I could have lost you in the storm. If I don't get disembowled, that's sure a thing that could happen. I kind of want to live to use my vacation leave."


"Pssh." Iodine flapped her hand. "Given our night so far, I don't believe you call for it. I may need to get in touch with your CIA, but in the meantime, please give me a day or so. We three will meet with you of again our own free will-" Abigail looked over like she'd heard, frowning. "-and at least be counted the official way, just, I need time to think my way out of this predicament, dood."


"...Will the embassy imprison us? I know despite appearances we aren't at all like you, but the last time I was here it was welcoming enough." She said, reaching in her pocket and pulling out a small tin that she sadly flipped open. Limp noodle electricity slowly dripped to her feet, before she closed the lid. "Ruined... There are so many things I want to say to you, but we've only just met. It wouldn't do to begin on melodramatic footing, would it?" Iodine asked, trying to smile even though the rest of her gadgets were broken in similar ways. By the end of testing them she'd given up.


"...Who are you? I'm Iodine, you may have gathered. Like the stone, or the solution."


"Corporal Zirune Dawkins. Nobody terribly important, m'am, just someone that the US of A wants to help cut down on pirate problems."


"I wish we were meeting under better circumstances, but it's still nice to make your acquaintance. You've talked to Abigail already... Oh, and that's Noel. You won't notice her unless she wants you to." Iodine said, pointing. The psychic vampire was with three of her own people, who looked like skeletons wrapped up as mummies.


"There are problems with pirates in these waters? I'm a little surprised, I would have thought the Kobbers and local militias would have driven them away by now." Iodine said, glancing out to sea. "I'm sorry to further complicate your job..."


"Pirates may be the wrong word, science," the grunt promptly nicknamed her. "Carrion Bell is a Mutant organization. They do commit piracy, but they seem to have more of a cultural foothold and pride than smuggling. Fact is, they actually were driven away, right up until the Kobbers ex'd out the other pirate fleets cards."


Iodine briefly lit up at the nickname before going back to looking serious and rattling the junk in her pockets.


"Mutants? Hmm. Cultural or not, where I'm from they still hung pirates. Likely the competition was keeping them away, but a lonely predator tends to flourish, yes? Normally I'd offer to build you something that would take care of the problem, but I've got to solve my own first.., oh, that reminds me- let me- just a moment-" she muttered, patting herself down and coming up with a pen and pad of soggy paper.


"Here- give me the Embassy's number and yours. We ought to stay in contact, it's months before the Hotel opens and I..." She sucked air in over her teeth. "I fear a famine brewing." Behind them, Noel and her people disappeared like ghosts, while Abigail was sitting away from the quietly talking group of vampire soldiers, hands on her knees and head down. Only now was it safe to be tired.


"You don't talk much, do you? That's alright, my tongue is hung at both ends... Do you suppose there's a place with a large enough basement to house us nearby? An abandoned church or something as fitting?" She asked, fiddling with her sword before it radiated heat and she used it like a baton to dry her clothes.


"A house?" Zirune searched her memory, and tried not to let the night cold air or the corpses about make her shiver. Talking to a real, live... undead... vampire that popped into the storm from another time and place was already quite different than she'd expected to feel when assigned to the same place as Kobbers... but not as afraid as she thought she probably should be, either. Iodine's calming and somewhat nerdy demeanor might have played a factor in that, or maybe she was just legitimately less scary than her drill sergeant. Either way, she somewhat proved the assertion as she mulled it over. "Mm. There's a isolated shack up the coast. We don't really know who owns it and there's not many people who like to go there. Couple of stories, nothing that would deter you, I imagine.


"Or the hospital, that's open to everyone. You, uh... you got any entry rules or anything, science?" she wrote out the requested numbers, before she even thought to ask how Iodine knew of phones in a sword time. But not guns. Not hardly. Curious. "Eh. Um... you seemed interested in the 'wand'. You want a peek sometime?"


"Oh, yes, pleassssse." She emphasized, taking her pad back. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to get my hands on a firearm! Fascinating bit of technology, really, I can see why they replaced most melee weapons here- er, entry rules? Just the usual, but I fear a hospital- well, for the hospital, really. All the fresh blood out and about, it would be too tempting. I at least like to pretend to be civilized, but... Well, the risk is too high." She half-shrugged. "I'll see about the shack, at least. Thank you."


"Sunrise is within four or five hours, by their moon. Are you ready?" Abigail asked, having approached silently. Iodine jumped and then nodded. "You'll hear from me and us soon, Zirune. I keep my word-"


"You say enough of them. One night we may fight side by side. I look forward to it." Abigail said, inclining her head again before stalking away. Iodine sighed and sheathed her sword, dejectedly rattling her pockets again.


"I'll live with it, I think." Iodine joked, before her group started to march. "One way or another... Well, for now, goodbye. Thank you again." She said, pausing and then hurrying off after them.


Late into the night, after contacting the ZFPD, filling out reports for both the embassy and the island task forces, and hanging up her gun smoke soiled soaked beachwear for the comfort of dry fatigues, th e soldier watched the news report on the storm from her rented room in the alleysides.


The meteorologist was baffled as to how the storm had taken shape, raged, and then disappeared within 20 minutes like it had never been; luckily it had happened in the beach, so while a few trees had been knocked down the power hadn't gone off and no one had been hurt. Early reports had painted pictures of people emerging and fighting in the rain and lightning, but none of the videos captured anyone out there.


In one of them Zirune would be able to see a muzzle flash as someone fired into the water, before they cut away to a reporter standing on the beach and talking about the things the ocean left behind following something like this; he held up a pocket watch Iodine had cast away, springs and gears coming out like hair.


Wincing, the Marine reflected that the vampire would probably not enjoy that loss. It wouldn't be much of a surprise if a report in a few hours or days wound up being the mysterious evidence being missing. She did hope without bloodshed. Or bloodsuck, as the case might be. Switching it over to sports, she goggled for a moment at the tapdancing pink skeleton team on the Bloodbowl before slinking to get popped coconut rind.