Maricul

[Ayen]

Maricul #1

Isafaro. The beautiful metropolis. Skyscrapers upon skyscrapers stretched high up into the heavens and the city below came alive at night with people filling up the streets and lights flashing everywhere. Black helicopters flew across the sky, a crimson red insignia of a Vulture engraved on the side. The law of the land. The pilot passed right by a woman who hung upside down near the top of one skyscraper, her legs wrapped around the pole above as a black book was held in her hands and she read it unnerved by all the blood rushing to her head.

Long strings of ebony black hair fell down from her shoulders and hung in the empty space below her head as sapphire blue eyes were glued on the pages of the book she was reading, 'Night Angel' in white text visible on the back of the cover. Pale white fingers flipped through the pages allowing the young woman to continue reading the story as even the blades of the helicopter spinning didn't pull her away from her story. A story of sex, lies and betrayal. Something she could personally relate to.

My name is Melantha Arachne.

A searchlight shined on the side of the wall she was on as a helicopter came into view with the pilot looking right at her from inside the chopper.

But you can call me Maricul.

Maricul unfolded her legs from the pole up above and allowed herself to fall, her body just a few inches from the skyscraper's wall as the searchlight, and the helicopter, followed her as she fell.

“Got her in my sight,” said the helicopter pilot.

Maricul gave him the middle finger salute amidst her fall as the pages of her book fell out and wrapped around her body just in time to block against the bullets being fired by the main helicopter's gun.

“What the fuck!?”

In a flash both Maricul and the pages would be gone and the blade that spun on top of the helicopter came to a screeching halt as the woman now had her legs folded around the blade and horror filled the eyes from underneath the visor on pilot's helmet as he knew what was to come next. And they both went spiraling down to the ground below. The pilot screamed while Maricul went back to reading her book without a care in the world before it crashed and an explosion soon follow suit. Maricul walked away from the fire that now burned the corpse of the helicopter pilot, still wrapped up in her novel as she walked away from the scene before reinforcement could arrive.

Never interrupt a girl during her stories.

It was all too easy for her to slip into the large crowd of people and go by unnoticed, to the soldiers she was just another pretty woman with dark hair and blue eyes. Nothing that stuck out terribly about her. Just another unhappy face in the crowd doing whatever she can to make her life suck less than it already does.

Those men with the crimson vulture insignia are the law here. Led by their general, though technically he's a colonel, Koma Iz Vulture. Every citizen born is put into a national database, coupled with compulsory ID cards and barcoding meant to stop crime dead in its track.

Maricul pulled down on her glove and looked to the hexagon on the back of her right hand before putting her glove back on.

Like all things there are ways around it.

Maricul walked over to a large building on the side of the road between many other small building the sign above the entrance, which had many people lined up waiting to get in, said 'Club: Corruption' and as she entered through the backdoor a small scruffy man immediately got on her case.

“You're late!”

“Fuck off! I'm here aren't I?”

“Just get into costume you're on in five.”

If only father could see me now.

Maricul entered into a dressing room where several women were changing clothes and applying on make-up in front of their mirrors. Removing the blue jacket from her black top she moved over behind the screen at the end of the room and began getting dressed in a short black nun dress, transparent stockings with black heels, white collar and black headdress and a small silver cross necklace around her neck to complete the look.

He'd have me stoned to death for blasphemy.

Don't be aroused by my confession

The music hit and the lights turned blue as Maricul took center stage and the crowd whistled as her hand brushed against the pole at the middle of the stage, slowly moving around it before grabbing it tightly and lifting up her feet spinning herself around and allowing herself to drop – head bent back and eyes staring up at the ceiling while the boys began to holler in excitement at the exotic nun dancing in front of them.

First thing to go was the headdress which she dropped covering some young male's head who looked to be too young to be there in the first place. Second thing to go was the collar before her hand started to tug on the cross around her neck. She yanked it off and threw it to the ground.

The rest of her clothes were soon to follow.

She'll eat you alive

Maricul returned to the now deserted dressing room draped in a pair of black robes, a fist full of money now in her hands, an index finger slipping through it all as she counted. The tips were mighty generous today.

If there's one good thing I can say about Catholicism, is that it's left a lot of sexually deprived men out there.

While she was still counting her money the door to the dressing room came open and one of the other strippers came in smiling towards Maricul.

“Hey. Riley's having a party at his place later tonight. He got the goods, if you know what I mean. You coming?”

“No thanks. I had enough of men touching my ass for one night. Going to head on home.”

“Suit yourself.”

Maricul enter the park and sat down on a bench near a lamppost, smoking a cigarette in her mouth and puffing out smoke from her lips relaxing until a short skinny Asian woman walked up to her.

“I thought you'd be at Riley's.”

“Fuck Riley.”

“Isn't that the idea?”

“Fuck you too.”

The Asian sat down next to Maricul and looked over to her with a concern expression on her face.

“Is there something troubling you?”

“Nope.”

“But you seem so angry.”

“I'm always angry.”

“Are you ever going to give up stripping?”

“The boys are hot and the money's good. Why should I give it up?”

“There's more to life than money and boys.”

Maricul blew out another puff of smoke and turned her head to face the woman.

“Do tell.”

After her discussion with her friend Maricul continued on her way home stopping by an alleyway when she heard a noise. Following it she would find a scared woman around her age falling to the ground with a soldier towering over her. The solder himself was in standard Isafaro gear; a black military uniform with the Vulture insignia in red on the right shoulder, a helmet over his head and an electric baton on his waist and an assault rifle with a blade attached on his back.

“This is the third time I caught you trafficking.”

“P-please... let me go.”

The soldier began taking off his belt.

“Looks like I'm going to have to teach you a lesson.”

“Please. Don't.”

“How cliche.”

“What!?”

The soldier had just started to remove his pants when he heard the sound of Maricul's voice, turning around and quickly redoing his belt.

“Who are you?”

“If you're going to rape a girl at least do it in a spot where no one can walk in.”

“Just turn around and walk away, citizen. This is none of your concern.”

But Maricul wasn't going to do that. She took a step forward not caring at all what the soldier would do if provoked.

“I'm warning you! Turn back this instant!”

She continued to walk towards him and placed a hand into her jacket pocket. That was all the soldier needed to draw his assault rifle and slice through Maricul's flesh with the blade attached to it. The woman on the ground hollered out as Maricul fell to the floor with blood pouring out of her body. The soldier put the weapon away and turned back around to the woman who were too frightened to move.

“Now, where were we?”

“Ahem!”

The soldier's head turned and to his great surprise Maricul was back on her feet with blood still pouring out of her.

“Still alive.”

“What the–!?”

By the time he could finish that sentence Maricul grabbed him and bit into his neck quickly draining his body of blood before tossing it on the ground and looking over at the woman, her eyes narrowing over her while the blood poured down her body went back into the wound that closed soon after.

“Go.”

The woman just lied there looking up at Maricul.

“Get out of here!”

Though still frightened the woman was finally able to get herself up to her feet and fled the alley, swearing to never traffic out in Isafaro's streets again as Maricul remained standing in the alley staring at the palm of her hand as she felt a warm, tingling sensation creep up her body and it wasn't from the blood.

Strange. Helping that woman actually made me feel... good.

Maybe her friend was right. Maybe there was more to life than money and boys. Maricul walked out of the alleyway with both her hands tucked into her pockets and a second cigarette hanging out of her mouth. The Vulture had several things under his ranks, the patrols that stalked these streets, the foot soldiers that made up the majority of his armies, the elites that were assigned special assignments, his commanders and then finally General Vulture himself.

And she was going to kill every last one of them.

Continued in Maricul #2: Flight of the Crimson Vulture

[Kragen]

Maricul... had enough?

[Elena]

Third time? You suck at your job you're supposed to arrest their ass the first time.

[Jehanne]

While you're dying I'll be still alive.

[Tenjou, Utena]

It was difficult to differentiate between the soldiers and civilians' dialog, but other than that this was good. I look forward to the next one ^^

[DC Comics]

Nice wink to Amoura at the beginning there.

How come their Isafaro gets a strip club?

[Garrus Vakarian]

@vulture, If you're havin' girl problems I feel bad for you son
I got 99 problems but a bitch ain't one

[Ayen]

Maricul #2: Flight of the Crimson Vulture

“Maricul... Maricul...

“Hey! Wake up!”

Maricul opened her eyes and saw a man in a black cloak with short black hair and red eyes looking down at her. He was floating in the air and had a large grin on his face as he looked at her.

“It's about time you woke up.”

“Who the fuck are you?”

“You don't know? I am the Amazing Vetex, the greatest magician the world has ever known!”

The man boasted, holding out a red gem in the palm of his hand and presenting it to Maricul who looked to be bored by this whole exchange.

“And for my next trick, I shall become an unstoppable dragon!”

“Un huh...”

Vetex raised up his gem over his head and a bright red glow consumed his body until his flesh started to shift into light beige scales, a horn growing on his head and his legs coming together to form a tail as he grew to be the same size as the room they were in.

“How do you plan to maneuver?”

“Now, Maricul! There will be no escape as I–!”

Vetex tried to move but he was unable to. He shook, and shook again but no matter how hard he tried he was unable to move or even spread out his wings.

“I'm stuck.”

Maricul looked at him dully.

“No matter. I will simply destroy you with my amazing fire breath!”

Vetex opened his mouth to breathe fire on Maricul but before he could finish Maricul chucked a grenade down his throat and forced him to swallow it. His eyes grew wide in horror as in that next moment the dragon exploded from the inside out and all over Maricul...

Who proceeded to wake up from her dream, sat in a wooden chair by her bed with a cloud of smoke above her head and an empty bottle of Vodka on the dresser to her right.

“Trippy.”

Meanwhile at a Vulture military facility in the heart of Isafaro, the Crimson Vulture was hard at work to uncover the woman behind the helicopter crash the previous night.

“I'm sorry sir, but there are no matches in our database that fits the description of the woman seen last night,”

“That's impossible. Everyone who enters the city is barcoded.”

“The only match we've found was a woman found dead near her home two years ago and buried.”

“So this is what taxpayers' money is going to.”

The soldier and his commanding office was directed by the distant sound near the entrance of the control room, a tall man with broad shoulders, a pointed chin and a small brown mustache on his upper lip. His hair ran down the back of his neck and he wore a black cap atop his head in addition to his military uniform that had many accommodations attached to it with the rank of general found on his collar. When he walked in the others instantly saluted him before he gave them the sign to 'at ease.'

“General! We are currently speculating as to the whereabouts–”

“Speculating? Speculating!? I don't pay you to speculate, I pay you to crush any who dare oppose the Crimson Vulture! Anything else is a waste of taxpayers' money and a waste of my time!”

“Sir! Yes, sir!”
“Sir! Yes, sir!”

The soldiers said in unison as Vulture turned around and headed out of the control room.

“No wonder people cheat on their taxes.”

Vulture made his way down to the lower levels of the facility where the labs were located, entering an experiment room where a group of scientists were working, just in time to see the Research Team's latest creation. Inside the water tank across from them at the end of the room was a large human, vulture hybrid with dark red skin, white hair and black eyes. Wings underneath his arms, long nails on his hands and feet and a small beak. Its head was currently lowered as it slept with eyes wide open making it look like it was awake.

“General. You're just in time to see our latest project. Inspired by your beloved symbol, a real life rendition of the Crimson Vulture!”

“It's perfect.”

“Doctor! It's waking up!”

“What!?”

The beast's head lifted up, eyes locked onto the people outside who were starting to panic all except General Vulture himself. It punched the inside of the tank, again and again in its attempt to be free from its water prison.

“Shut it down now!”

But it was too late. The creature broke through the glass of the tank, water came shooting out and onto the panels causing an electric shock to those in front of it as the creature flew up into the air ripping through the ceiling to get to the floor above and then a wall, now soaring through the morning sky and escaping into the city. The scientists were still in shock as General Vulture walked over to look through the hole it created in the ceiling.

“Well done! The Crimson Vulture has successfully broke through two floors of pure steel and escaped into the morning sun. You must be proud.”

“Uh... Vulture?”

“Unfortunately I cannot let the fact you allowed a dangerous experiment to escape go unpunished.”

Vulture drew his pistol and aimed it towards the lead scientist's head.

“Vulture, please! No!”

BANG! The bullet pierced the man's skull and he fell to the ground dead. One of the women there, a tiny brunette cried out and dropped down to her knees wrapping her arms around the dead scientist as Vulture took his leave of the lab.

“Conner! No...”

“Congratulations on your promotion, Doctor.”

---

“What!? What do you mean you quit?”

“You heard me, Sam. I'm here to clear out my things then I'm gone.”

“You can't quit! You're our most successful dancer here!”

“Not my problem.”

“What do you want a raise? Fine! I'll double what you're making now.”

“I don't care about your money.”

While Maricul headed to the dressing room to get her things she passed one of the other dancers who already had her nun outfit in hand.

“Hey Maricul, if you're not going to be dancing anymore can I have your nun outfit?”

“Yeah, sure. Knock yourself out.”

“Thanks! Oh, almost forgot. Here's your crucifix.”

“Ain't mine.”

“It's not?”

“Came with the outfit.”

Maricul reached inside her shirt and pulled out the small silver crucifix tucked inside that sparkled underneath the ceiling lights

“This is mine. Never leave home without it.”

After clearing out her things Maricul took her leave from the club and saw a shadow on the ground of something that flew by her overhead but by the time she looked up it was gone. Her eyes then caught a sign of an old antique store and then looked through the front window to see a short black scythe in the back of the store. Stepping inside, Maricul ignored all the other things in the store which ranged from items such as swords, shields, bow and arrows, old military guns and other relating items, walking right over to the scythe and grabbing it from the wall before heading out right pass the front counter

“Hey! Aren't you going to pay for that?” spoke up the man from behind the counter.

“No.”

“You can't just leave without paying.”

“How about now?”

Maricul showed the man her bra strap.

“Will you let me take it now?”

“I-I–!”

“That's what I thought.”

Maricul exit the antique store but as soon as she did several Vulture police vehicles blocked her path and she soon found herself surrounded by patrols who now had their assault rifles raised towards her.

“Drop the weapon and put your hands on your head!”

Maricul did nothing.

“Put your hands on your head now!”

“You forgot the magic word.”

---

Meanwhile back at the Isafaro Laboratories.

I don't know why he put me in charge. Was it just to torment me because of my feelings for Doctor Conner?”

The woman grabbed some old files from Doctor Conner's desk and begins reviewing them to get herself caught up on his work.

I shouldn't be flipping through these. This is your work, Conner. Not mine.

She suddenly stopped flipping through the pages of the files as her brown eyes begin to widen at the contents in front of her.

Regeneration of dead cells? Mutation? I thought Conner only worked with living tissue samples?

Then she stopped on one page that completely terrified her.

Conner, what did you do?

---

“Listen, toots! I'm not going to tell you again. Put down the weapon!”

Maricul started to look at her hand.

“What are you doing?”

“Making sure we're in color.”

The patrol fired from his assault rifle and in a single burst fifteen bullets ripped into her body followed by fifteen more in a second, third and fourth burst from the patrol's gun as Maricul's body fell through the glass of the antique store's entrance. The crash caused the man behind the counter to duck behind it and put his hands over his head as the patrol entered and looked down to the woman who looked up to him.

“You're out.”

“What!?”

Maricul jumped up to her feet with a total of sixty bullets still inside her body. The patrol was taken off guard and had no time to switch to the blade attached to the weapon as Maricul fangs ripped into his body and drained the blood inside, also using his body as a meat-shield against the bullets to come from the patrols still outside. When the man fell to the ground the bullets inside of Maricul all came pouring out as her body regenerated as if she was never filled with holes to begin with. The patrols were all in shock as the woman now walked towards them with the short scythe in hand.

“Alright!”

Maricul cracked the knuckles in her free hand.

“It's fifty for a hand job.”

Then flashed her fangs for the patrols.

“One hundred for oral.”

Maricul pulled off her jacket, dropping it onto the ground next to her and unveiling the sleeveless black top that buttons at the front, a black tribal tattoo of a snake devouring a rodent on her left arm. It served as a warning to those who dare cross her.

“Two hundred and fifty for the whole thing.”

She twirled the short scythe between her fingers as she walked, moving it as if the scythe itself was an extension of her own body. Even though she never held one of these things in her whole life in a matter of seconds she wielded the weapon like a pro.

“And five hundred for a trip around the world!”

“What are you waiting for? Fire!”

The bullets came and Maricul evaded them all with her speed, the patrols couldn't track her movement as in the same instance the shots were fired the scythe's blade stabbed right through one patrol from the back of the head before being rammed into the hood of the nearby patrol car. The patrols turned around to fire some more, this time Maricul moved between them, dancing and spinning her body around striking them all with quick blows from the scythe. Causing one patrol to blast away his friend as another was cut in half from the waist up. When there was only one man left out of ammo Maricul came to a stop and looked at him.

“Don't.”

The man's eyes narrowed over her and he charged, aiming the blade at her throat only to be blinded by a flash of light before his body exploded and blood came spewing out every which way.

“They never listen.”

Maricul licked the blood off of her fingers and began walking away from the scene until she heard a screech from behind her and slowly began to turn back around.

---

When the serum enters the body it consumes the cells inside and when the victim dies those cells are brought back to life.

---

Maricul's eyes fell upon the patrol who was filled with bullets holes as he leaped up off the ground and released another terrifying screech at her.

---

And the victim becomes more than just a man.

---

The undead patrol grabbed Maricul and then ripped his teeth into her shoulder.

He becomes an abomination.

Continued in Maricul #3: Brains!

[Miracle]

That's faaking hawt.