Engine Room: Revenge of the Vampire Nation (Escape from Club Apophis, 59)

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STORYLINE: US Air Force base, Okinawa, late afternoon.

Angry clouds hung heavy over the Pacific.

Massive Mecha Scorpions moved into formation around the lighter infantry armor, their hydraulic joints hissing as hot steam vented across the puddle-choked tarmac. The ground vibrated beneath their multi-leg stomps. Behind them, armored hovercopters whined on helipads as the Night Troops loaded the Scorpion Attack Force for the sea crossing.

Cutting through the rainy mist and reek of aviation fuel came the legendary Commander Ashe. Tall, razor-thin, and clad in a high-density commando weave, Ashe moved with the unnerving stillness of a ghost. A crimson scar ran from his brow down his cheek, while a tarnished silver Victoria Cross dangled from his septum ring over his lips. In the dim tarmac light, his dilated pupils caught the red hazard beacons like a predator's eyes.

He unlatched the massive blast doors of the war room. Cold ozone-heavy air rushed out to meet the suffocating tropical humidity.

"President Spyder." His voice sounded more like a professor's than a warrior's. "The 101st is within visual range of Jeju Island."

Maximilian stood over the tactical holotable, red eyes gleaming. Overhead lights caught the sharp edge of elongated fangs as he devilishly grinned. He clapped a heavy hand onto Ashe’s shoulder with a firm grip. “This is the last stand of the wily old Pharaoh and his Harlot,” his deep voice rumbled. “Corrupt humans and lesser monsters are no defense against the might of the Vampire Nation. This is our world now. His reign ended in Berlin.”

His grin widened.

“Tomorrow, we finally burn out his ancient bloodline.”

Alarms went off, bathing the war room in red. Warnings violently flickered across the holotable. A distressed transmission broke through, framing the face of the Flying Bats Squad Leader. Inside his cockpit, lights flickered on and off as the craft tumbled out of control.

"REPORT!" Maximilian leaned over the projection, jaw tight.

Audio shattered into metallic screeching. Only two words survived the static before the signal died completely: "...No power..."

Ashe immediately swept his hand across the control interface, switching feed angles.

On screen, three more black hovercopters dropped from the sky like lead weights. Their engine glow winked out simultaneously before the black ocean swallowed them whole.

"PULL BACK! REGROUP!" Maximilian roared. "Deploy the Mosquito Bots. All units, locate the perimeter of that bloody shield!"

Ashe rerouted the holotable to an orbital optical feed. Below them, Jeju Island was going dark as if a black wave was sweeping over it. The sky above the island burned crimson beneath the storm clouds. Streetlights were dead. Buildings stood dark along the coastline. Even the traffic signals had died.

"An Entropy Barrier," Ashe said, his voice flat and analytical. "They anticipated our arrival."

Maximilian’s expression turned to iron. "Paine. That bitch betrayed us,” he snarled.

"Possibly. But extending an Entropy field this far beyond the Forbidden Zone would require infrastructure." His eyes narrowed. "The real question is, where did they get enough Entropy to power it?"

Maximilian huffed in disgust.

Ashe zoomed in on the rocky shoreline, targeting a slim lattice structure disguised among sea cliffs. "Notice these relay towers.”

He mapped the shoreline with two quick keystrokes. Six identical towers lined the coast in a precise geometric grid.

"Equidistant. Coordinated." Ashe traced the pattern across the glass. "These aren't cell towers.”

Maximilian turned toward the open comms panel, muscles coiled like a spring. "Unit Five, see that central spire? Dive bomb it."

The sub-window displayed a surviving pilot, pale against his flight harness. "Sir, our flight systems will die the second we breach the boundary zone."

Maximilian sneered into the camera. "Then climb to maximum altitude. Aim. And let momentum carry you. Gravity does not require voltage. Ram that target at top speed, soldier.”

A heavy chill fell across the room.

“Delay that order.” Ashe stepped smoothly into the frame, placed himself directly between Maximilian and the holotable, and clicked the master mute button.

The war room went completely silent. Maximilian’s eyes blazed with lethal fury. For three long seconds, the air balanced on the edge of violence as the President confronted his commander's defiance.

Ashe did not flinch. "Wasting pilots and expensive resources on tower relays is inefficient. There is no need to sacrifice pilots and aircraft when the towers can be dismantled by hand. Send the remaining 101st Flying Bats. They can tear those structures apart with more… traditional methods.”

Maximilian glared at him, the tension slowly bleeding out of his shoulders, replaced by a slow, ruthless grin. "Do you think your elite boys still remember how to hunt with wing and claw?"

"It is innate," Ashe said. He unholstered a long-barreled WWII service pistol from his side, the cursed steel dull and heavy under the tactical lights.

“Old technology served us well in Europe.”

Max stared at the antique weapon. "That gun is over a century out of date."

Ashe checked the chamber, the metallic clack cutting through the silence.

"Digital systems fail. Blood and iron do not."

He raised his eyes. The Victoria Cross glinted in the red hazard light.

"We will hunt in the dark."

HAPPY OCTOBER, Everyone! Best month of the year. *throws fall leaves* I have fun spooky posts in the works with Engine Room items. The Engine Room is a historical fantasy event filled with high quality items, gifts, and even hosts DJ parties. This post was inspired by the many awesome war things at the event, and scorpions! I had making a more movie like image for this post.

On him, Maximilian Spyder:

Outfit: FOE -  Imprecari Outfit, Legacy Male (Engine Room)(1999L)

Gloves: FOE - Imprecari Gloves, Legacy Male (Engine Room)(752L)

Boots: FOE - Imprecari Boots, Legacy Male (Engine Room)(799L)

Sword: FOE - Great Sunderer (Engine Room)(799L)

Mask: MILKBATH - Goblin Mask [mesh]

Hair: Wasabi Pills - Draco Mesh Hair, male [mesh]

Eyes: Gloom - Savage Collection - Sclera 03 - Red S [BOM]

Skin: coconut - Dong Skin / Winter Tone / EVO X [BOM]

Tattoo: XTX - Arana Tattoo - 60% [BOM]

Head: LeLUTKA - RUNE [mesh](3990L)

Body: TheShops - [BODY] Athletic Meshbody (Legacy)(m) (1.7.1) [mesh](5000L)

On him, Commander Ashe:

Outfit: TURB - Sunrise Suit, Vest, Legacy M, fatpack [mesh](Engine Room)(2500L)

Gun: Aii - Red Moon Revolver [mesh](Engine Room)(2000L)

Helmet: SOLE - SA - Helmet DND (Black) [mesh]

Collar: AVEC TOI - Aiden Neck Corset - TIGHT - V1 (LegacyATHLETIC) [mesh]

Cap: Oracle - Sovereign Cap, male [mesh]

Nose chain: Remarkable Oblivion Paragon Cap, Nose chain [mesh]

Earrings: Swallow - Earrings H01 for lel Evo X Human Ears MALE [mesh]

Gloves: Archivefaction - Penumbra Gloves_Legacy M_Slim Fingers [mesh]

Boots: Livalle - Payne - Combat Boots  - Male [mesh]

Head: LeLUTKA - Kane Evolution [mesh](3990L)

Body: TheShops - [BODY] Athletic Meshbody (Legacy)(m) (1.7.1) [mesh](5000L)

Setting:

Scorpion tank: AxisMundi - SiegeReaver-Mount- Large[Animesh](Engine Room)(1500L)

Scorpion: SEmotion Libellune - Venom Antares Companion LIMITED[Animesh](Neo Japan)(188L)

Scorpion Chairs: Nebur Cyborg - SCORVA Rover R-027 (PBR) [mesh]

BONUS IMAGES: inworld raw shots,  midday sky, default camera:

Cyber Fair: DJ Romance (Escape from Club Apophis, 16)

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STORYLINE: Kyra's body, an unresponsive mannequin, sped on rollerblades toward its own destruction.

A sickening CRASH tore a hole in the Forbidden Zone's silence. The shriek of tortured metal and the sharp snap of breaking carbon fiber echoed through abandoned alleys and off decaying buildings. Agony lanced through her leg; a rusted rebar had torn through her shell, impaling her lower leg. She tried once more to reboot her body, but it was hopeless. The pungent reek of her leaking cybernetic fluids filled the air. Then, cutting through the oil and rust, came a cologne so sweet it was rotten.

A plume of shimmering pink smoke swirled before Kyra, twisting into shapes that almost resembled hearts before collapsing in like an unholy tornado. From its folds, a figure emerged with heavy mecha wings beating the air, and armor humming with an electric glow. He hovered just off the ground, demonic and dazzling, a cupid remade in infernal metal. Her optics fuzzed, but the figure was still there. He had simply materialized from thin air. Panic surged, but her body stayed stubbornly locked. She was a doll at the mercy of a predator in no hurry.

His feral eyes gleamed with amusement as he lightly touched down, the corners of his lips curving into a wicked leer. He tilted his head, long heart-shaped bangs swaying, and examined her from head to toe as if she were a sculpture in a museum.

Then as if he were granting her a small mercy, his massive wings folded down with origami grace, leaving only cyber demon horns glowing faintly and a matching tail that swished behind him. He pressed a hand to his heart, like her biography had been whispered into his ear, and began to sing a soft, honeyed melody:

     Poor broken star, with wires and steel...

Kyra's mouth filled with the metallic taste of shame. Yet, in betrayal, her pulse surged, circuits thrumming with heat. The shame curled inward, twining with something she hadn't let herself feel in years: the dangerous thrill of being noticed by eyes completely enthralled by her.

     What would you trade to move and feel,
     shed the ache that cold plates seal

Her pulse tripped. She knew that voice, that face,... not from the street, not from school, but from the shrine of her childhood. A poster on her wall, the one she used to whisper secrets to in the dark. Now that very same idol—the charming, handsome figure known as Saja Romance, leaned close. He was no longer flat paper but living breath warm against her shell, naming the ache she thought no one could see. He looked exactly the same as he did on the poster all those years ago, save for a few cybernetic enhancements that added to his dangerous allure.

He mimicked her awkward impaled pose, a grotesque mirror. Then with a lazy grace, his body flowed into a dramatic idol pose, as if to say, "This could be you." He was a master of performance.

She couldn't look away as he began to dance. She was riveted. A desperate need raced through her mind to replicate the choreography, to show him she could keep pace. Her body-memory yearned to answer his song with movement, but her limbs remained stone.

     You’re a beautiful machine, and so fragile.
     Trust me I know the pain behind the smile.
     I can give you forever, a perfect final bow.
     Just give me the part you’re dying to lose now.

His words burrowed. She was locked inside what appeared to be a perfect mechanical body, the best she could afford on the black market. But in truth, it was painful and flawed. Now it was an immobile burden weighing her down. She was useless. A living person trapped in a shell. The word "forever" echoed in her mind. Even in this sorry state, to him she was lovable, beautiful. He understood the pain she carefully hid.

Her lips parted, a half-protest, half-prayer, the ghost of a single word beginning to form, ...yes.

The idol's hungry gaze stayed locked to hers. His long fingers slid under the edge of her helmet, lifting it as if its airtight seals were nothing, his touch finding her cheek.

Heat bloomed under his fingertips, intimate and invasive, a sear that spread through every wire and plate as though he had pressed his mouth to her skin and breathed fire into her veins. Circuits that had been shrieking with pain fell silent, lulled, as if their suffering had simply… obeyed his command.

Time fractured into stillness as his mask slipped. The smirk drained away, and those molten-gold eyes dimmed into a warm, human brown, searching hers with a naked urgency he never showed on stage. In that instant, Kyra saw not a demon, not an idol, but a soul caught in its own cage of performance—just as she was caught in steel. The recognition pierced deeper than the rebar in her leg: his prison was hers, reflected back at her. In his gaze, she saw a terrible, familiar pain, the kind that begged not to be seen. And then the mask returned, gold light reigniting as his attention snapped away. The moment was gone, but its truth clung to her like a scar that hadn’t yet formed.

Headlights slashed the fog behind them as an EV skidded to a stop at the Forbidden Zone’s border. Lisa’s frantic voice cracked through the signal rot. "Kyra! I see you! I'm coming!" 

From deeper in the Zone, the gruff voice of Kyle Baek called out: “Hey! Hey, you—stop! Don’t come in here, it’s dangerous!”

She felt the metallic click of something fastening to her cheek, a wafer-thin object locking in place with cold magnetic weight. It pulsed faintly, the weight of a promise. "Such perfect form, even when you're broken. You must have been the best," Romance whispered low, lips brushing against her nano skin.

"Get away from her, you freak!" Kyle roared.

The ghostly idol glanced behind him in surprise just as a thrown rock passed through him, leaving a temporary swirl of pink fog. His attention quickly returned to her. "Until the next performance. Think about it, lovely machine." His warm touch withdrew, and the impossible relief it offered vanished instantly. A cold sting raced down her circuits, the soothing effect gone, building into a cascading failure. His words clung to her like a virus corrupting her core. "I'll be waiting." A promise she feared she might secretly want.

Digital narcolepsy. Full stop. No sight, no sound, no feel. Then, mercifully, the reboot took. The spell shattered like glass. Kyra let out a strange, glitching laugh, the joke ripping her from the terror. Did he just save me—or mock me?

When her vision flickered back, the world was smeared. She had no idea how much time had passed. Sound came to her like static, voices warped and distant. She saw Lisa’s face close to hers, panicked, shouting. Kyle’s mouth moved in some sharp retort, his hands rough as he lugged her heavy body across the perimeter of the Zone. Her severed limb was spraying sparks and leaking an inky black trail of fluid.

But she barely registered what was happening around her. Their quarrel and her injury were a blur, their words meaningless shapes. What cut sharp was elsewhere: the phantom touch still lingered on her cheek, and—out there in the gloom—his eyes, radiant, amused. Watching her. Then they blinked out, dissolving into the Zone’s haze.

Heat still ghosted on her cheek where his hand had been. She reached up, expecting a scar, but her fingers struck metal: a wafer-thin chip clinging to her skin, pulsing faintly. The symbol burned on its face: a heart coiled by a cobra on a vinyl record. A key. A pass. An invitation she hadn’t asked for, yet suddenly ached to follow.

Romance, of Kpop Demon Hunters, returns in Cybernetic Devilishness! The was a big chapter was pretty intense, but on with the details of cool stuff from Cyber Fair.   ...Giving Romance a cyber devil makeover are the Darconic Horns and Tail by Hallow. Both have texture hud options, the horns can edited for position and size, and the tail is animated Bento. Just touch it to pick a pose or play animated overrider.   ...Every Demonic Cyber Cupid is gonna need some wings, and Nebur Cyborg delivers with the Mech Wings Prototype! These wings have clever animations, the shards move up and down and wiggle, as well the wing flap. Plus, you can fold it down into just back spine spikes. These are awesome and original!   ...Romance is a DJ in Forbidden Zone, and he wears the Zeroichi C heaphones. They are adjustable for the perfect fit from earmuff, and head straps. While by the NK Store are the gorgeously made Sosumi Eighty-Two Dj set turntables. Touch the record to start its spin. Both headphones and DJ turntables you can buy in a color theme.   ... I did something a little tricky for Romance's hand. I used the R2 Fashion R2LX Yakumo Arm made for Lara X on Legacy Male. It totally fits, however there is one issue, the thumb's bones are slightly off. To fix that I used a hand pose that hold the thumb straight. Handy trick.   ...The outdoor setting for the Street Party created with the Zeroichi G Shelter Backdrop, the Neon signs by EC3D. I used the Mod version of the Shelter to change up the colors. For the lighting, I used the Midwest Streetlamp which has a fusion of Asia, Victorian, and Cyberpunk. It was mod, so I also edited it for color theme. Stay Awake indeed.   ....Bonus: to create that iconic cyberpunk feel of wet pavement I used the cobblestone PBR by JU PBR Materials and tinted it black.   .... Next post, if all goes well, will have the theme "Game Night." Please look forward to it!

On him, DJ Romance:
Horns: Hollow Draconic Horns [mesh](CyberFair)(350L)

Tail: Hollow Draconic Tail, V2  [mesh](CyberFair)(500L)

Hands: R2 Fashion R2LX Yakumo Arm1, Silver, Lara X [mesh](CyberFair)(188L)

Wings: Nebur Cyborg Mech Wings Prototype, Male, pink [mesh](CyberFair)(399L)

Headphones: ZEROICHI C headphone Silver [mesh](CyberFair)(240L)

Hair: Dura B137 Light [mesh]

Coat: ARCHIVEFACTION HURRICANE Trench Coat_Black [mesh]

Pants: AVEC TOI Kai Pants, Turmoil, LegacyM [mesh](595L)

Boots: Nebur Cyborg Taktik Boots / Legacy Male [mesh]

Bodysuit: Bas de Laura Store Laura's Black Sheer Bodystocking with Long Sleeves [BOM](150L)

Hat: Dope+Mercy Saja Gat, Sheer [mesh](Gift)

Top: KIKI KAIKAI ..KK.. short length jacket, LegacyM, Black Semitransparent [mesh]

Eyes: Poetic Colors classic gen4 - oriental pearl [mesh] (150L)

Head, piercings: LeLUTKA Kane Evolution [mesh](3990L)

Body: TheShops [BODY] Athletic Meshbody (Legacy)(m) (1.7.1) [mesh](5000L)

Pose: Poseidon  Flight 9 (with firestorm poser edit)

Setting:

DJ Turn tables: NK Store [NK*] Sosumi Eighty-Two Set, Black, 7LI [mesh](CyberFair)(500L)

Sign: EC3D Kanji Love W Backplate Static [mesh](CyberFair)(250L)

Sign: EC3D After Dark [mesh](CyberFair)(250L)

Street Light: Midwest Sentient Street Light, Black 02 [PBR] [mesh](CyberFair)(299L)

Set: ZEROICHI* G SHELTER Backdrop (MOD) [mesh](CyberFair)(540L)

Sign: HIDEKI LIVE MUSIC SIGN, gacha [mesh]

Sign: EC3D Hearts Static [mesh]

Microphone: Infinite Karaogay Microphone [mesh]

Table: Rumah Kita Vision Collection - Desk, Chair & Lamp [mesh](50L)

Table Top: HILTED Xero Collection, Table [mesh]

Set: ANTINATURAL[+] Post-Human / Meeting Point, gacha [mesh]

BONUS IMAGES: inworld raw shots, hi-res, midday sky