Infinite Powers

[Wolfsong]

/Michaelis/Astral/
"This place doesn't look any different, does it?" Astral asked. It didn't, but she was trying to get Michaelis to talk to her. He didn't answer, even when she stopped still he just walked past her. "Michael...is?" She dropped to her knees, suddenly looking very young and very forlorn. "Ambrose?"
He stopped dead, then whirled around to face her. He opened his mouth to say something, paused, then closed it. Carefully he put Kiari down and walked over, squatting down beside her. "Are you alright Astral?" he asked, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Or do you want me to call you Amber?"
"Amber," she replied promptly. "I don't wanna be Infinite right now. I want to log out and see Mom again." She leaned forward, resting her head on his chest and almost knocking him down. "Ambrose, I wish we'd never ever ever played Infinite."
"Amber, this beats being...." He paused, trying to avoid the word he didn't want to use. "...gone."
"Maybe I'd rather be "gone"," she whimpered. "I just...is being a slave worth living on for?"
"You're not talking about Kiari," he said. He sighed. "Well, its too late to change our minds. We're here, and now we can't die. Not only can we not die, but we're bound to him. If we break our half of the bargain, we'll end up like...like Gii'itara did."
Astral shuddered. "Right....right. We have to keep going. I don't want to end up like Gii'itara. Gotta be Astral, spirit of the sun. Amber is...gone, after all." Michaelis took her arm and helped her stand. "Ambrose....brother, do you suppose he's able to...do you think he still hurts, even now?"
"Well, I'm sure not going to find out," he replied. "Buck up Asrtral, someone's bound to beat him sooner or later. That hacker Pierce planned for years and he still failed, twice. The "Master" isn't any different."
She smiled faintly. "R-right. Thank you...Michaelis."

/Rowan/Caesar/
"Of course I know its a bad idea. But I can't think of anything better now."
He glanced back when he heard a loud shout. There was a huge, but brief, flash of light from the marsh. Caesar grinned slowly as the force seemed almost literally to knock all Cyrano's men back. one figure, of course, stayed standing, and Caesar saw Cyrano turn to face him. Caesar smiled and bowed, then turned back just in time to see Kenji forcibly unmounted.
"I'm beginning to believe animals are not your forte," he remarked. "Certainly I don't mind. I just can't help but wonder if he will. Or," he added, eying Kenji. "If you can stay on that bird long enough to get there."

OOC- Though, come to think of it, Zare is keeping company with the Dark Angel right now. I doubt he'd be bothered by the head of the most hated guild showing up, right?

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
"I was afraid I'd kept you waiting, that battle took a while," Ash replied. He shook his head, suddenly feeling a little drained. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed people staring, clearly astonished. He smiled slowly, amused. People could be so funny sometimes. He wondered how many of them had seen his fight earlier. "Do you want to go-"
"Are you the Dark Angel?"
Ash closed his eyes, looking irritated for a brief moment. "I swear, if its another glory-seeker or man after revenge, I'm going to..." He turned, eyes open, a thin smile on his face. Just across from him stood a knight with golden armor that had wings attached to it. "And if I am?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Rumor has it you just destroyed a squadron of 200+ levels," the man continued. Ash noted the two men flanking him, similar to the speaker in appearance save one was silver and the other bronze. Their wings also matched the color of their armor.
"The story is that messed up already?" Ash asked in amusement. "You just can't trust people to get the story right. No, they were four, and they were hardly fifty in level. Sorry to disappoint you."
"Is that so," the gold knight said. "Still sending the unsuspecting to their graves. You really are disgusting, Dark Angel."
"Actually, they started it," Ash said musingly. "So many proud, stupid people playing in this world now. Its such a pity. Cyrano appears to be the last remaining player with any understanding of what an actual hero is."
"What kind of stupid remark is that? A hero takes down evil, just like you! And we're going to do it now!"
Ash's smile twisted darkly. "But you know what I hate most of all?"he whispered, just loud enough for them to hear. "Power-hungry glory-seekers like you!" He suddenly lunged forward. The knight raised his sword, but Ash shifted into shadow and went right through him, stopping behind him. The gold knight checked himself, surprised to find he was unharmed. "That's the warning," Ash said. "Leave now or die."
The knight snorted. "You're nothing without your shadow powers," he taunted. "Fight me without your gifts, you coward."
Ash laughed, a sharp bitter sound. "It won't change anything, but if it'll soothe your pride." His scythe appeared in his hand. The gold knight whirled around, backing away. Ash didn't even turn, a dark smile playing on his face.
"Its time to die," he said.

/Zara/Kiari/
She heard Trent talking, saying he meant everything he said about Kiari, and asking her to lift her head. She didn't know if she dared.
Slowly, she raised her head, her face red as a beet, and met Trent's eyes. "T-Trent," she whispered. She managed a smile.

[ClaecElric4God]

/Karissa/Kenji/
Kenji glared at Caesar as he picked himself up and dusted his pants off.
"Of course I can," Kenji said haughtily. "You just startled him with your....smile," he said after much thought. "It's weird. You know, you don't smile enough. That's your problem. It's why you don't have any friends, either."
Kenji kept rambling about random stuff as he slunk toward the bird, which sat a ways off, preening its feathers. The bird eyed him, but pretended not to notice. Kenji smirked as he circled around behind the bird, launching himself at the saddle. The bird sidestepped, rapping Kenji on the head with it's beak. Kenji growled as he sat on the ground, arms crossed.
The bird looked around in confusion as it was suddenly surrounded by a tall fence. Looking around frantically, it started backing away, but not before Kenji had stepped through the "fence" and grabbed the reins. Jumping into the saddle, he allowed the illusion to fade, looking cocky and satisfied.
"Ha! I win!" But this time he had a tight hold on the reins and a close eye on the bird, the two giving each other a death glare.

/Eric/Zare/
Zare rolled his eyes as the knight approached Ash. So this was how there reunion was ending. Just great. Trying not to be frustrated, he crossed his arms, waiting to see how it would unfold. But when the knight didn't run away upon realizing he was in way over his head, but instead insulted Ash, Zare's temper snapped. Sighing heavily, he walked up beside Ash.
Zare whacked Ash upside the head with one hand, rolling his eyes. "Don't go all sadistic on me. It's creepy."
Then in a flash he was in cat form, whipping around and launching himself at the knight. Standing over him with his front paws on his breastplate, Zare snarled at the pinned knight.
"Telling him to fight without his powers just because he's way better than you?" He growled. "I don't think Ash is the coward here."
Zare extended his claws, sinking them into the seemingly impenetrable armor like toothpicks into a cupcake. "Now, unless you want to deal with a notoriously undefeatable shadow wielder and his angry cat sidekick, I suggest you listen and get out of here. I'm hungry, and it's been awhile since I've eaten human." He narrowed his eyes, and they almost seemed to glow with an unnatural golden light.

[FreddyCast]

Trent Solis and Dean Solis

(Trent slowly sees Zara raise her head, her face blushing, and he gazes in her dark black eyes)
Trent: It really is you. Kiari...is really Zara. (He blushes as well as he lift up a hand to touch Zara’s cheek) Zara, I....(Suddenly a stranger comes bursting out of the door leading to the garage and falls on the ground as Dean has him pinned down)
Dean: Look what I got you guys, it’s...(He lifts up his head to see Trent close to Zara’s red face and touching her cheek)...Well you guys got together quick.
Stranger: LET ME GO YOU FREAK! (The stranger struggles)
Dean: Keep going, you two. Don’t let me interrupt your moment. I’ll just...
Trent: NO WAIT BROTHER! I....I, um...(He backs off from Zara a bit) What are you doing with that guy?

[Wolfsong]

Zare whacked Ash upside the head with one hand, rolling his eyes. "Don't go all sadistic on me. It's creepy."

OOC- LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL I don't know why this is so funny, but I can't stop laughing!

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
Ash's eyes widened as Zare suddenly smacked him from behind. He also heard a collective gasp from the watching crowd, and it took everything he had not to break down laughing. "Angry cat sidekick?" he murmured softly, but fondly. "I can live with that..."
He smiled down at the clearly shocked and rather afraid knight, smiling faintly. "My friend," he said, savoring the word. "You might not want to eat this one, after all. Might leave a bitter taste in your mouth." He bent down, carefully extracting Zare from the knight. "Besides, I'm sure he's changed his mind, correct?"
The knight looked extremely bitter, climbing to his feet. Suddenly he rushed at Ash, sword raised. Ash sighed, casually flicking his hand. The knight was suddenly propelled through the ceiling, disappearing into the sky. Ash turned to his companions. "You should find him by the teleportal," he said. He pulled a couple of healing items from his inventory and tossed them over. "He'll need these. You might want to hurry." Ignoring their hurried retreat and the collective whispers from the crowd, Ash turned to Zare with a smile. "Well, that's done. Shall we be off before anything else happens?"

/Rowan/Caesar/
"My...smile...." Caesar watched curiously as the bird and Kenji fought. "We have a smile quota to fulfill? I wasn't aware of this."
When Kenji finally managed to get back on the snapperbird, sharing a furious glance between them, Caesar said, "Well, he's your friend, its your job to find him." He glanced back, noting Cyrano's camp was still within sight. "Suppose we return to Central? That's safe enough while we figure out where to go next."

/Zara/Kiari/
Zara went still when Trent reached to her, eyes wide. Just then, the door burst open, and Dean with some random stranger pinned was in there too. And saw them. Zara leapt back, almost flying over the couch in her effort to get away from that awkward closeness.
"Um...I guess one of the group from before?" she said. "Did you know they were already here Dean?" she asked, eying him darkly.

[ClaecElric4God]

/Karissa/Kenji/
"You mean to tell me you don't know about the new law they passed? There's a mandatory smiling rule. You have to smile at least 14 times a day!" Kenji looked at Caesar with a straight face, looking completely serious and sincere.
Kenji followed Caesar's gaze toward the camp. Realizing what Caesar's rush was, he nodded.
"Sure, just let me figure this out," he mumbled while he messed with his screen. "There you are! Hey, he's in Central! Just gimme a sec."
Kenji wrote a quick message, hit send, then nodded to Caesar.
"Kay, I'm ready. This is awesome! He'll be so excited! Let's find a teleportal."

/Eric/Zare/
Zare kept up the rabid animal look until the knights were out of sight, then shifted back into human form, stretching his arms.
"Well, that was fun." He turned and grinned at Ash. "You get yourself into a lot of trouble, don't you?"
Zare tried to think of something he wanted to do, but was completely blank. Frankly, he didn't have any goals, and something as simple as questing sounded good to him. But before he could come up with anything, he got a message alert.
"Who would be messaging me?" He wondered out loud, pulling up the message. All of his recent acquaintances now hated his guts. And rumors that he was aiding the Dark Angel had to be circulating by now. His eyes widened as he read it.

Zare! Old buddy! I couldn't help but notice that you're in Central, and what a coincidence, that's where I'm headed! It's been forever, and I have someone who's dying to meet you. So if you could just hang out there for a bit, I'll be there soon. Can't wait to see you again!

Zare slowly turned to Ash, the look of a cornered animal in his eyes. In an instant he was back in cat form.
"Ash," he whispered urgently. "We have to run. Now." Without waiting for a response, he sprinted out the door, headed for the nearest teleportal.

[Wolfsong]

/Rowan/Caesar/
"You mean to tell me you don't know about the new law they passed? There's a mandatory smiling rule. You have to smile at least 14 times a day!"
Caesar gave him a long look, then said, "O...kay. I'll keep that in mind."
He rode after Kenji, ignoring any talk being made. They arrived at the teleportal station outside of Central, and he noticed something moving toward them quickly...it looked like an indigo cat.
"I wonder what's his rush," Caesar said aloud.

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
"It does seem to happen a lot," Ash replied, smiling the whole time. He watched as Zare's reaction over his message went from curious to open fear. "Zare, what-" but then he was gone. Ash shrugged and rushed after him. "I'm sure I'll get an explanation shortly," he thought.
They were aiming for the teleportal station outside Central. Ash had finally caught up with Zare. "So what's got you so freaked out?" he asked. He noticed a couple of people at the teleportal station....

OOC- all yours Claec.

[ClaecElric4God]

/Karissa/Kenji/
Kenji's grin widened when he saw the cat.
"Aw, it's touching how excited he is to see me!" Kenji grabbed Caesar's arm and hurried forward, waving his arm wildly. "Hey, Zare! Long time no see!"

/Eric/Zare/
Zare skidded to a stop, his heart sinking when he saw the figure. His ears lay flat against his head, and he looked up at Ash with an intense stare as he tried to back away and hide behind Ash. But he knew it was too late. He lowered his gaze again to stare at the teleportal.
"Kill it." He pleaded in a firm tone, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice.

[Wolfsong]

OOC- oh gosh.....

/Rowan/Caesar/
"hey, woah!" but Kenji already had his arm and was rushing towards the cat and the man beside it. He couldn't pull away, Kenji's grip was too strong. What bothered him was Kenji had pulled him off the snapperbird. These birds were trained to fly home when you were done with them, but sometimes if you left them they tried to leave early....
Too late. Off they went. Caesar had a sinking feeling as they neared the cat, who also had a desperate look on its face.

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
"Say...what?" he glanced at Zare in surprise, then back at the man running quickly toward them. "Why-"
Something golden fell out of the sky, smashing directly into the oncoming man. The person he'd been dragging jerked back with a startled shout. Ash grinned slowly. "Well, make for the teleportal. I'll keep you clear if I can, but you'll have to explain this to me afterwards." and he drew on his shadows, waiting for a reaction.

[ClaecElric4God]

/Eric/Zare/
Zare jumped as the knight came flying toward the group. Fortunately, he landed smack dab on top of Kenji. Zare stared in shock for a few seconds, but when Kenji started moving, Zare was jolted back to reality.
"Thanks, Ash, I owe you one," he said as he got ready to dash for the teleportal. Then he froze, and he hung his head in defeat. "No, I can't do that to you."
Zare turned and faced Kenji, waiting for the idiot to get up. Transforming back into a human, Zare stood half behind Ash, trying to look invisible while maintaining his dignity.
I can't leave my best friend to deal with this monstrosity alone. That would be heartless.

/Karissa/Kenji/
Kenji didn't see the huge hunk of armor before it was smashing into him. He grunted as the wind...and probably some HP... was knocked out of him. Next thing he knew, he was face to face with the inhabitant of the armor, a frightened looking knight. Kenji shoved the guy off, feeling like everything was broken.
"Ow, ow, ow." He said, putting a hand on his back. "What was that for? You know it's not polite to fly into people without warning, right?"
Kenji turned to the duo that stood a few feet off, taking in the unrealistically tall guy with the scary atmosphere, and noticing Zare standing off to the side and somewhat behind him.
"Zare, watch out!" He hissed, drawing his knives. "There's a shady character standing in front of you! Don't tell me...he kidnapped you?!" Kenji glared at Ash, readying his knives.
"Let my friend go, or answer to me!" He said menacingly.

[Wolfsong]

/Rowan/Caesar/
Recognizing a bad situation, he stepped back quickly to watch the proceedings.

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
Ash raised an eyebrow as the knight, recovering quickly, ran off as fast as he could. Then, suddenly, the man faced him and drew his knives. "Zare, watch out! There's a shady character standing in front of you! Don't tell me...he kidnapped you?!" While Ash was still processing that, the man said, "Let my friend go, or answer to me!" He couldn't help but smile.
"First off, you strange little man, I did not kidnap your...friend...on the contrary...he helped me a lot. Second off-" he suddenly reached forward, snatching the knives out of Kenji's hands and hurling them back...to land at his feet in the dirt. "I seriously doubt you'd pose any threat to me. Be glad I am in a lenient mood today." He glanced back at Zare. "Why aren't you running?"

/Carter/Valerian/
"You've been saying this since I showed up," Valerian said patiently. "Its getting annoying Shaka."
"Well I'm not about to stop," Shaka snapped. "In fact, I'll say it again. Remove the barrier and let us go or suffer the consequences."
Valerian shoo his head. "Honestly, if you would just answer my questions, you could leave so much sooner, and without a fight. What loyalty can you have for a man who's been broken anyway?"
"A broken man can be fixed," the wood elf, Garrison, replied. "And he's not so broken as to be irreparable."
"A man who claims he's god, with the right to kill thrown in, is not the sign of a man with a whole mind." He shook his head. "Anyway, back to point-"
"You try being betrayed by people you consider family, who are trying to kill you!" Shaka snapped.
"Okay, fine, fine," Valerian sighed, waving impatiently. "He's still sane. Whatever. Just answer my questions already. Your base, contacts, everything."
"You know, I'm getting mad," Shaka said in a low, deceptively calm tone. "You don't want to see me angry."
"She's not kidding," Garrison. "She gets pretty scary when she's mad.
Valerian shrugged. "So does any other * when they don't get what they want. I'm not really-"
"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"
"Oh stars," Garrison groaned and ran. "I'll be waiting...." Valerian knew he wouldn't get far, the dome wouldn't let any escape. He was beginning to become apprehensive, despite what he'd said, as she quivered in anger.
"You stuck-up bloated toad! Just who do you think you are?" Flames suddenly leapt out of her sleeves, even her hood where her face should be. Valerian recoiled slightly. "You judge like a fool god yourself! You *! You're going to take back every word you've said and plead on your knees for forgiveness when I'm through with you!" A hand appeared from her sleeve, and a great-spear appeared in that hand...a great-spear literally lit up with flames. They were a deep, beautiful red, those flames, but Valerian recognized them, and he felt a chill crawl down his spine as he saw them.
"You control pure fire?" he breathed. Once you master regular fire, then came the stronger balefire. But beyond that was Pure Fire, the pure, unpolluted essence of fire itself. This form was an unstable kind, and it openly resisted the control spellcasters attempted to have over it. So, more often than not, when it was summoned it ran wild and destroyed everything around it.
She suddenly leapt forward, twirling the spear around like a baton. Fancy flips and spins became deadly, and he was hard-pressed to keep up. His knives were useless in defense, but he couldn't get close enough to use them or far enough to effectively throw them. She'd cried out gleefully when she'd stabbed one of his wings, apparently thrilled to have found the source of his flight. Valerian danced back, avoiding the strike but being thumped on the side of the head with the pole end. She was fast!
The flames lined her cloak but did not consume it. The flame that caught his wing when she stabbed him, and everywhere else, began joyfully eating away. But not just at the wing, no, it was moving into his blood. Soon it would be in his body, everywhere, hollowing him out from the inside.
Desperately he drew two knives. He tried to throw the right, but the pole butt smashed his hand. He screamed in pain but had the other knife up and threw it directly at her face. At this range he could not miss.
The knife, the second it entered the flame's reach, was instantly consumed. Valerian blanched, then closed his eyes and waited to die, slow and painful as it would be.
"Enough!"
He was surrounded by a pulsing light that soothed his body, putting out the fires and healing him. Slowly he opened his eyes. A man stood on the edge of the clearing, leading Garrison back. Valerian's eyes widened. "Master," he breathed. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, just checking on everyone," the Master replied cheerfully. "I realized you were being knocked up pretty badly and decided to see what was going on." He studied Shaka's flaming figure and smiled. "It seems I was right to come."
"So you're this kid's boss?" Shaka said. "You should teach him better manners."
"Oh, he's only a mercenary," the man said dismissively. "You know how they are."
"He's apparently important enough to you for you to come save his butt," Shaka said.
"Clever girl," he replied. "I came because I had something I wanted to try out, and he made the best guinea pig. So I can't afford for you to kill him just yet." He smiled softly. "Besides, he's one of the recent victims. Certain players are finding themselves unable to log out. I'm sure you're aware of this."
Valerian stared at him oddly, as though remembering something. Shaka adjusted her grip on the spear. "And why would I be?" she asked guardedly. Then, before he could answer, she snorted. "Oh right, we're Pierce's group. Of course we know. Now what I'd like to know is how you know who we are? Of our little group, only Pierce achieved publicity." The Master merely smiled secretly, with a smugness to him that clearly irritated Shaka. She swung her spear till it pointed directly at him, the flames shooting up the silver staff once more. "Who are you anyway?"
"if you were Pierce, I might tell you. Clever as you are, you are still merely an underling."
"If you want to fight," she said slowly. "Then just say so. Don't taunt me, I haven't the patience for it."
He smiled strangely. "Seems to me...you're the one who wishes to fight. But if you so desire, I will fulfill your wish, on one condition. If you wish to keep up, as I want a challenge, remove your robes and fight me as an equal."
"So you guessed," she said. "You do realize that if I drop this...shield...I may easily lose control."
"I've nothing to fear," the Master replied. "And I will see to it your friend and my servant remain safe."
Slowly, Shaka reached up and pushed her hood back. She did something else to the robe, and it vanished, presumably into her inventory. Shaka Amity stood now in her full, burning glory. She straightened, watching the flames leap around her, clearly yearning to break away. "Are you ready then?" she asked the Master.
"Valerian, Garrison, go to the edge of the clearing," the man commanded. "Else I cannot promise you your lives." the two backed away quickly. He turned, smiling and Shaka. "Now, I believe we are ready."
Shaka nodded, then flew at him with a wild battlecry.

[ClaecElric4God]

/Zare & Kenji/
Kenji stepped back, a tad startled, while cocking his head in confusion. He held out his hands, the daggers returning to his grasp.
"Um...okay..." He said blankly. "Well, I'm glad someone's been taking care of my friend for me! I was worried something awful would happen to him without me to keep an eye on him."
Zare sighed deeply, placing his face in his hand as he shook his head.
I won't survive this.
"Lenient mood?" He commented to Ash. "The guy who was about to kill a group of immature knights with one swipe of his scythe?"
Then Zare's face hardened as he looked over at Kenji again.
"You," he hissed. Pure, unadulterated hatred flowed from his gaze. He marched forward with determination, as Kenji got a slightly nervous look on his face and slowly stepped backwards. Zare suddenly lashed out with one arm, grabbing Kenji by the collar and heaving him up to eye level.
"Don't ever call me your friend, got that?" He hissed menacingly. "I've never liked you; in fact, I hate your guts more than a lot of things I can think of right now. And if I ever hear the word 'friend' escape your lips again, I will crush every bone in your body and impale you on my claws. Got it?"
"Um...I wasn't paying attention, but it didn't really sound important, so you don't have to repeat it." Kenji grinned, somehow managing to lean his head back with his hands locked behind it. "Anyways, I wanted you to meet my buddy, Regal!" Kenji jerked a thumb toward Caesar, who was standing a short distance off.
Kenji turned his head as best he could to look at Caesar.
"Hey, don't be a stranger! Come and meet my old pal Zare!"
Zare threw his head back and groaned, dropping Kenji to the ground. He turned around and pinched his nose between two fingers, trying to make himself calm down.
"I can't do this," he muttered to himself. "This is too much, there's no way I can maintain my sanity, and what will become of Infinite with the maniacal Dark Angel and a snapped werecat on the loose? I'm going to murder that runt. Why does this happen to me? What did I ever do to deserve this?" Zare's voice got progressively more desperate and pitiful as he rambled, cracking a few times.
Kenji, on the other hand, was having the time of his life. Straightening his collar, he gestured for Caesar to come over.
"Come on, Regal," he said impatiently.
Without waiting for a response, Kenji leaned around Zare's hunched form to get another look at Ash.
"Oh, hey!" He said excitedly, rushing over. "You're an acquaintance of Zare's, right? I'm Kenji! What's your name?" Kenji stuck a hand out, or rather up, at the man towering over him.
"Wow, you're super tall. Does that ever get annoying?"

[Oddood198]

OOC: Sorry it's been so long. Holidays, poor health, Skyrim, tend to be distracting.


Jean arched an eyebrow, "Oh, so eager to get started, are you?" He asked, "That's unusual, and quite frankly, suspicious." He glanced up at Claire and nodded, and she did the same, then left the room without a word.
"So, kid, I found you being attacked by a couple of other kids with guns, and your explanation is they took Infinite too seriously." Jean said, putting his elbows on his knees and resting his head on his hands, "Care to elaborate a little on that?"
He was watching the young man carefully, he didn't consider him a threat, and didn't expect him to attack, but instead he was watching for any sign of untruthfulness. A twitch in his eye, a bead of sweat, a nervous tapping, anything that coud indicate he was lying. Jean had done this a lot of times before, and by now he was actually quite good at finding lies. And punishing liars.

[FreddyCast]

Queen Saphira and President Lucius
(three months ago)

(Queen Saphira is at her Royal balcony outside her bedroom and is staring at the stars)



Saphira: Valdus, why are you always far away from my sight....Do you see the same stars I see?....*sigh*
(Suddenly a shady figure appears behind her)
Lucius: The stars truly show your majesty, Queen Saphira.
Saphira: Who are you? Leave, intruder. AKATSUKI! SCARLET! (Immediately, Crimson Akatsuki and Scarlet Cross spawn from the shadows and attack Lucius, but their weapons pass through him as if they hit nothing.
Lucius: Interesting! NPCs, that appear by command. And their response time is impeccable.
Saphira: NPCs?
Lucius: Ah, that’s right. You know nothing of the true nature of this world.
Saphira: True nature?
(The female warriors attack again, but their weapons again pass through him)
Lucius: You should tell your guards to stop now. They can’t hurt me.
Saphira: What are you? A ghost? (Saphira takes a closer look)
Akatsuki: My Queen, don’t get so close to him.
Scarlet: My Queen, please get away from him.
Saphira: I know you....You’re Lucius, President of Tiera. What are you doing here...IN MY ROOM!
Lucius: Peace, Queen Saphira. I’m not really here. As much as I want to meet with you in person, Maximius is watching my every move. And I do not want to gain the wrath of Valdus if he found out I met with the Queen of Nescala.
Saphira: Well, I don’t want or care to see you. Begone from my sight.
Lucius: You certainly are quick to temper.
Saphira: I SAID LEAVE, YOU FOOL!
Lucius: I know where Valdus is, and why you cannot see him with your All-Seeing Sight.
Saphira: You know where he is?
Lucius: Should I leave, then?
Saphira: Tch! Stop playing games you snake, and tell me what you want.
Lucius: It’s simple! What I want is something which you cannot give me. This serpent wishes to be free from the cage it’s trapped in, very much like you are. Don’t you feel trapped in this royal palace, Queen Saphira?
Saphira: DO NOT TALK AS IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME! (Lucius grins)



Lucius: Forgive me for being personal, but I speak the truth. And I suspect Valdus and the rest of the Nescalan leadership have something to do with your imprisonment.
Saphira: Valdus?...(Saphira’s eyes sadden)...Please....just tell me why you are here so you can leave me alone.
Lucius: There’s nothing I want from you, Queen Saphira. I’m here only to give you something. (Lucius takes out a potion, which prompts Akatsuki and Scarlet to direct their weapons towards Lucius thinking that it might be something dangerous, but Saphira holds out her right arm to stop them, which they do obediently) This!
Saphira: A potion? What do you want me to do with it?
Lucius: Drink it!
Saphira: I’m not drinking that.
Lucius: I’m NOT going to poison you, Queen Saphira. This potion will let you see where Valdus is.
Saphira: It will? But how?
Lucius: It contains Valdus’s code...
Saphira: His code?
Lucius whispers: uh, I keep on forgetting you were programmed differently than I am.
Saphira: Don’t try to fool me, Lucius. Speak plainly and clearly.
Lucius: This potion contains Valdus’s essence. It will allow you to see him with your All-Seeing Sight. (Lucius extends his arm in order to give Saphira the potion) Will you take my gracious offer.
(Saphira slowly stretches her arm to receive the potion, but stops midway)
Saphira: Wait!
Lucius: Hmm! What is it?
Saphira: Why do you want me to know where Valdus is? (A long pause occurs before Lucius answers)
Lucius: ......I suspect Valdus and Maximius are working together. I want to know what his connection is with Maximius.
Saphira: And you think that by giving me this potion to spy on Valdus, that I will tell you anything that I find out about him? No! I’m not telling you a thing.
Lucius: I knew you wouldn’t want to tell me anything, but then again, you don’t have to. As soon as you discover the truth about Valdus, he’ll be forced to make his move. In which case, I’ll find out the truth about Maximius and Valdus and you’ll be forced to fight your beloved Valdus.
Saphira: Huh...HE’S NOT MY BELOVED. (She blushes)
Lucius: Really? You could have fooled me. (Lucius again offers the potion, to which Saphira reluctantly takes from his hand)
Saphira: Tch! Why are you doing this? Why come to me? We’re enemies. Teira and Nescala are at war.
Lucius:....Because you and I are more similar than you think. (Lucius ponders, “And yet, you’re far different than I am. You’re coding and thought processes are not like that of any A.I. I’ve ever seen before. It’s like more human than machine. Who are you?”)
Saphira: Similar? But, you and I are nothing alike. (Lucius turns around to face Saphira’s darkened room)
Lucius: You might be right? Our creator is a strange one, but I guess I’m just as strange as him. (Lucius turns his head slightly to see Saphira’s face and then looks up at the stars)



Lucius:The stars look wonderful today. I wonder? Is he seeing the same stars as we do, Queen Saphira?
Saphira: The stars? (She looks up at the stars for a moment, and then turns back to see Lucius walk into the shadows of her darkened room and disappears) WAIT!.....
Akatsuki: He’s gone my Queen! (Saphira looks at the potion)
Scarlet: My Queen, what will you do?
Saphira: I...don’t know....(She looks up at the stars again) Valdus....

(Back at the porch of the IFF council building. Mira Firesoul is looking up at the same stars. Then Maximius comes out to join Mira Firesoul)
Maximius: Mira!
Mira: Maximius! How are you doing this night?
Maximius: I’m doing very well, Ms. Firesoul. And you’re looking as radiant as ever.
Mira: *giggles* Stop joking around.
Maximius: Hahaha! (He stands next to Mira and looks up at the stars.) The stars look marvelous this night.
Mira: They sure look sublime. Is there any other place you would rather be right now?
Maximius: No, there’s no other place I’d rather be right now. (He turns to look at Mira and smiles while saying within himself, “Hannah”)

[Wolfsong]

OOC- Happy Holidays XD Been sick, but I'm a-okay now, so....sigh....

/Stephen/Ashimatya/Rowan/Caesar/
Ash watched with an eyebrow raised as Zare began to hiss hatefully in Kenji's face. "Yes, well, apparently I'm not the only one ready to hurt someone." He was surprised as Kenji's response. He'd never seen anyone act so nonchalant, aka stupidly, in the face of such hate. The little man's ability to keep that...positive attitude was astounding.
When Kenji turned to call his friend over, Ash walked over to Zare. "I'm going out on a limb here...he's not quite right in the head, is he?"
"Wow you're super tall. Does that ever get annoying?"
He found himself staring incredulously at Kenji, who seemed to have almost appeared in his face. "Not really," he replied, searching his memory for anything Kenji had said before that. "You may call me Ash. now how about you get off Zare before I make you."
"My apologies for my companion," Caesar cut in quickly, scooping Kenji up with wind. He glanced around speculatively, then placed him on one of the six pillars around the teleportal. "He's...a little high-strung," he continued, returning to Ash and Zare. He focused on Zare. "You are...Zare then, I am to understand?" he smiled, stepped forward and extended his hand. "My sympathies," he whispered in a low tone, then said louder, "I am Regal. A pleasure making your acquaintance."
Ash looked hard at Caesar a long time, a memory slowly kicking in. He suddenly grinned. Caesar noticed this and turned to him. "May I have your name?" he asked guardedly.
Ash performed a bow. "I am Ashimatya, the Dark Angel. Oh don't be so scared," he said with a smile as Caesar paled and took a step back. "We're both monsters to the public eye, so we really should get along well, don't you think?"
Caesar was obviously too freaked out to manage a word.

/Pierce/Arachni/
"Nothing suspicious about it, I have an appointment to take a man's ego down a peg and I'd rather not miss it."
He watched as Jean settled himself, speaking. At last he had begun. The sooner this nonsense was over the better. "And if I don't care to?" he asked, then snorted and leaned against the wall, folding his arms behind his back. His hand rested on the cold metal of the gun in his back pocket, and he rubbed it speculatively with a finger. He smiled, neither warm nor cold, just like the polished metal.
"Put simply, I'm a hacker of renown ability. No, I'm not ashamed of that, I'm rather proud of it on the contrary. Most of my projects are recreational, but it was my two big ones that got people mad. The first wasn't so bad, more of an explosion that never made it off first base, but some people got hurt, so there was some bitterness attached. The second one unfortunately took out a much larger area, seriously damaging some people and causing a lot of chaos. That was when they decided enough was enough and started persecuting me." He pulled his arms from his back and folded them behind his head, smiling to himself. He was rather proud, not a lie in that response. Just a bunch of vague truths. Perhaps Jean would figure him out, perhaps not. "Can you tell me why a retired detective would be out and about collecting and questioning people?" he asked curiously. "Seems rather suspicious to me, honestly."

/Carter/Valerian/
The fight was short but sharp. But in the end, the Master's light-based attacks overwhelmed Shaka's fire-based. In a grand explosion, Shaka was hurled backwards, collapsing in a heap on the ground. Seconds later, her figure greyed and disappeared. Garrison's eyes had widened at least three sizes their original, and Valerian's were only a size smaller.
The Master smiled as he turned to them. "Valerian, remove the barrier. I'm sure our guest is dying to check on his friend." Valerian gaped, then recovered and turned off the device. Garrison disappeared instantly after. The Master's eyes shifted back to Valerian, and something in that gaze disturbed the raven. "Are you ready to sub-log-out?" he asked.
Valerian stepped toward him quickly. "What's the deal?" he asked heatedly. "You wanted me to gather info, and you let the sources go. You trained your virus on me, and now you want to remove it? This is no longer amusing sir!"
"It was never meant to be funny, Valerian," he said patiently. "Trust me, dear boy, and serve your master faithfully, like a good little mercenary."
Valerian suddenly realized the man had been coming closer, and was now within easy reach. How had he moved so fast? He tried to leap back, but his employer's hand shot out, gripping the left side of his face. "Calm down," he said gently, a malicious light in his eyes. Valerian whimpered, unable to break free of that grasp. "You'll go down in history, Valerian, out new history. Your sacrifice for the greater good will be remembered. Isn't that a nice thought?"
A sudden surge of incredible energy shot from his arm, and Valerian could almost feel his code being town apart. Something changed, something that shouldn't have been changed he realized. He cried out, then his body went limp. The man carefully laid him down, smiling, before his form also went still.
--- --- ---
Carter jerked back, his body drenched in sweat. He sat in the chair for a few minutes, recovering, then reached up to take the headset off.
A hand grabbed his, preventing him.
"Calm down Valerian. For goodness's sake, one would think you didn't want your pay."
"What the heck!?" Carter jerked away, lunging off the chair and rolling away, ripping the headband off. "What are you doing here?"
"If you choose to fight me now, I'm afraid you'll regret it," the man said. Carter crouched, taking a fighting stance.
"No, I'm done. Whatever your game is, I want no part of it."
"if you insist." The man lunged forward. Carter punched at his throat, but the man caught it and collided with Carter. He felt something ram into his stomach, and was suddenly zapped with a strong electrical charge. He collapsed to the floor, paralyzed.
"Believe me," the man said, slipping the tazer back into his pocket. "I do truly regret this. But you did insist." He bent down, retrieving the fallen console. He fished around in his coat pocket and removed a small microchip, which he plugged into the console through some hidden slot. "There we go," he murmured. "The transfusion is complete. Now for the ultimate test." He smiled down at Carter. "Ready to make history?" He bent down and slipped the console over Carter's head.
Everything instantly went black.
--- --- ---
He hurt. Everywhere. Literally, there were aches and pains in places they had never been before.
Valerian opened his eyes. The Master was studying him critically. Valerian found he could not move, some sort of energy held him down. The Master suddenly smiled.
"Yes...it worked. At last it had worked." He bent down, placing a hand on Valerian's chest, where now he could feel something within, pumping steadily away. "It is...perfect. I have at last achieved perfection."
"Lovely," Valerian said, then realized his mouth was dry. That wasn't normal. "Can I go now> You won't even have to pay me."
There was a sudden burst of energy once more, centered around the man's hand and his chest. he cried out, feeling something inside him ripping in half.
"My apologies Valerian," the man said. "But if you refuse to serve, I can't afford to let you run around unchecked. But don't worry, your death will still serve the greater good." He smiled. "Not that a mercenary could understand."
His hand passed directly through his chest. Valerian screamed as the hand closed around something vital, something deep inside, then ripped it out. Darkness began to overwhelm him.
"Thank you Valerian," he could hear the man say. "Your death shall serve me well."
Minutes later, all that remained in the valley was a stiff corpse, its lifeless eyes carrying its last desperate, heartfelt fear.

End of Carter/Valerian's Story

OOC- Oh my gosh...I actually killed him...the first of many.
Hey, that was kinda fun.....that should bother me, right?

[ClaecElric4God]

/Zare & Kenji/
"...he's not quite right in the head, is he?"
"That's an understatement," Zare sighed, not bothering to look up, but maintaining his facepalm. "Sorry for freaking out, I'm okay now."
Zare smiled inwardly at Ash's attempts to defend him. Ash really was a good friend.
It won't work, though.
Zare looked up upon hearing the voice of Kenji's companion. He watched in astonishment as Kenji was lifted on the wind, and even more so when Kenji stayed where he was put, instead of jumping down and being a pain again. Zare looked incredulously at this new wonder of a man that seemed to have figured out how to get Kenji to listen to him. Had someone really tamed the unruly monster? Zare shook his head, accepting Regal's outstretched hand.
"I'm the one who should be offering my condolences," he responded. "Since it seems you've been stuck with this fool for awhile now. Nice to meet you, and yes, I'm Zare. Contrary to whatever Kenji may have told you, we are not friends, in the least. Though kudos to you for surviving him. If you don't want him dead, you may want to keep him under control."
"Aw, are you talking about killing me again, Zare?" Kenji asked from his perch, leaning back so he almost fell off the pillar, but somehow managing to keep his balance. "You haven't gotten bored of that yet? I mean, there are only so many ways to kill a person, and eventually it has to get old."
"Never..." Zare growled. But then he realized he was giving Kenji what he wanted, so he grumbled under his breath and turned back to Ash and Regal. But apparently something had occurred while he was occupied, because now they looked like they were facing off. Except that Regal looked scared and Ash looked slightly evil. Zare rolled his eyes.
"You're doing that again? Seriously, do you have to scare everyone we meet? Try to be more personable." Zare turned back to Regal apologetically. "Ignore him, he's just a troublemaker." But something about this encounter seemed off. What was Ash talking about?

[Wolfsong]

/Stephen/Ashimatya/Rowan/Caesar/
"Um, I don't think he's kidding," Caesar murmured, sidling behind Zare who he judged as the safer of the two. Ashimatya smirked, then glanced up at Kenji.
"Actually, the ways of killing a man are so many. There's a lot of imagination involved if you're really into it, so really, it never gets boring." He grinned. "And it sounds like Zare enjoys it when it comes to you, so if I were you, I'd watch your back. I've seen him when he's really angry." He turned back to Zare, glancing behind him at Caesar to give him another grin, making Caesar cringe. "So....how've you been Caesar? Its been a few years, particularly since you went off on your own. Tell me, how did it hit off?"
"Rather well, until recently," Caesar replied softly, his hand dropping to his rapier. "But I gather you know all about that....how the heck do you still remember?"
Ash laughed. "It hasn't been that long! Besides, we all were in a party together the longest time, so it really should be no surprise."
"I hate you," was Caesar's simple reply.

[Banana Lobster]

Sage Shade

'Found nothing so far, anything where you are?'

Shade sent the message out to the others and closed the menu. Standing, she looked longingly at the blue-green sea a few mountains away. She had reached Mount Quietus an hour before and had sat down to rest and send out a progress report to the others. Now though, it was time to get moving again. She glanced around one last time before moving out, and a rocky outcropping caught her eye. She didn't know why it drew her attention, and why now, instead of earlier, but now that she looked, they did jut out at an odd angle....Or did it just look like they did from where she was standing? Rolling her eyes, she began to climb, wishing, as the sharp rocks cut her already sore palms, that she had thought to buy some sturdy leather gauntlets before heading out. But it was too late now, and she wouldn't be climbing much longer.

As she pulled herself up onto the small ledge at the base of the outcropping, she found a small hole in the rocks, just big enough to squeeze into. As she stared at it, she began to feel that quiet, nagging feeling in the back of her mind, something about the hole seemed familiar....With a snap of her fingers, she realized what it was; water. Somewhere in there, there was water, and plenty of it. Pausing only long enough to grab her daggers in her hands, she slid into the hole on her stomach. If this didn't lead to any hideout, then there was sure to be at least some treasure here, making up for at least a little of the time she had wasted out here.

Not long after she had dragged herself head-first into the small space, she wished she hadn't. She had never liked small spaces, and now her claustrophobia was getting worse then ever. It was only the hope of a bigger space on the far side that kept her going, and even then she almost couldn't find the strength. Ian, she chanted silently. If I don't get out of here, I'll never see Ian again. She ignored the rocks digging into her bleeding hands as she pulled herself forwards as fast as she could.

Finally, she dragged herself out of the tunnel and scrambled upright, gasping for breath. She hadn't realized how short of breath she'd gotten down there; either way, she was out, and Shade breathed a sigh of relief as she lit her magic, never-empty lantern that she'd stolen right from underneath a monster's nose a year or so back. As the flame's warm glow surrounded her, she looked around, and was surprised to see herself surrounded by....mirrors?

"....Shoot."

[ClaecElric4God]

OOC: Yay! Hatred all around!

/Eric/Zare/
"So I take it you two know each other, and aren't the best of friends," Zare commented sarcastically, stepping more directly between the two. "But I'm not kidding either. Ash, grow up. Regal, or Caesar, or whatever your name really is, try to ignore him. He reacts to fear. And don't look him in the eye. In fact, just pretend he's not here. And trust me, hate won't get you anywhere. Besides, underneath all the malice and sadism and evil...he's really just a grumpy old badger who lacks any and all communication skills whatsoever. I mean, he probably is evil, but we're still working on that."
Here Zare smacked Ash on the head again, more because it felt good and he needed to relieve stress than anything. Dealing with two edgy apparently bad guys was more than he'd bargained for, and he still had Kenji to worry about.
"So now that you two have matured past the mentality of 4 year olds, what do you plan to do?" He asked matter-of-factly, crossing his arms.

[Oddood198]

Jean leaned back in his chair, processing the new information. A hacker of renowned ability? It was entirely possible he was working with Aeon, though if he admitted it that easily it wasn't likely. Jean mentally tried to shove the pieces of the puzzle together, but couldn't manage to make any of them fit. Try as he might, he just wasn't getting everything he needed.
Then came the counter question, what was Jean's business pulling people off the street for questioning. He couldn't help but grin, turn the interrogator into the victim? That was a new one indeed.
"Well, I assure you, there is quite a story there." He said, looking at the other man with a hint of intrigue, "Simply put, my friends and I are going against the law we once upheld in order to fulfill our personal vendetta against a certain individual. I was hoping you would be able to help me learn something, but I was sadly mistaken, it seems." He leaned forward again, "Well, it seems this questioning is over, in any case. I've determined you aren't even remotely connected to the man we want, and if you are, it's too thin of a thread to follow, most likely. I suppose I'll have Mitchell drop you off where I found you and we'll call it even." Jean couldn't help but grin just a bit more here, though his hands mostly masked it, "That sound good to you, Pierce?"

[FreddyCast]

Dean Solis and Trent Solis

Dean: I knew this guy and his friends were here even before Trent here was giving his life story about our characters and going all gaga for you. Oops! I mean Kiari. I could never tell the difference.
Trent: You were eaves dropping on us?
Dean: What, the pebble wasn't enough to give me away?
Trent: I, uh...
Dean: Poor brother, stuck in lala land.
Stranger: YOU GUYS ARE NUTS MAN, GET OFF OF ME ALREADY.
Trent: You still haven’t answered my question.
Dean: Before I was side tracked by your daydreaming, I saw a group of kids led by this idiot here outside my window. I knew that if they weren’t dealt with I would never get some sleep. So I decided to go down and deal with them myself. I didn’t want to be rude to Zara’s host. Besides he was doing very well before I ruined the moment. It was very romantic by the way, not awkward at all.
Trent: Your sarcasm is not helping brother. Just get to the point. Why do you have this guy pinned down?
Dean: Oh yeah, totally forgot he was down here. Well anyways, I beat up his companions and took this guy in, cuz he had a message for Zara. (He addresses the stranger) Now out with it, boss man, what’s the message about?
Stranger: As long as you let me go.
Dean: No no no no no, that’s not how it works here. You see, (Dean twists the stranger’s wrist more and more) You spill the beans and I loosen my grip. Got it?
Stranger: Ow man ow, alright, alright, alright. Loki said he wanted to negotiate a final deal. He said that Zara should meet him in the game at the hills of Urmut outside Central.
Dean: And what’s the deal about?
Stranger: That Kiari should face Loki and fight him. If he wins Kiari stays with the guild forever. If she wins we’ll no longer bother you ever again. It’s a fair deal. Ow, come on man, I told you everything now let me go.
Dean: Was that everything?
Stranger: Yes, it’s the honest truth.
Dean: Good to know. (Dean let’s go of his grip on the stranger’s wrist and quickly knocks him out unconscious with the same hand.) Aww, sorry man. My hand slipped. Guess I’ll drop you off where the trash belongs. (Dean picks up the Stranger’s body and lays him outside with his other unconscious companions)
Trent: So what do you want to do Zara? Can this guy Loki be trusted after he tricked you last time?
Dean: Well, I know what I’m doing. I’m going to sleep.
Trent: But what about Loki’s deal?
Dean: I don’t care about this moron’s desperate attempt to steal someone that wasn't good to begin with.
Trent: HEY! ZARA IS GOOD AND YOU KNOW IT. (Dean rolls his eyes at Trent’s angry outburst.)
Dean: Go ahead and kill yourselves if you’re in that of a hurry. But I say worry about it later, the Loki moron can wait.
(Dean goes to his room, while Trent stands there looking at Zara waiting to hear her thoughts on the matter)

[Wolfsong]

/Pierce/Arachni/
He watched with interest as Jean considered what he said, then listened intently to Jean's response. When he said he'd decuded Pierce as useless, he frowned slightly, uncertain. That was just a little too easy...what was the catch?
"That sound good to you, Pierce?"
"So that's it," Pierce thought, managing to keep from showing any surprise or agitation. "Unless he's trying to trick me? A guess, and he's awaiting my reaction? Or is he certain? What to answer..."
"I suppose...unless you'd care to have another occupant in your "safe house"?" he asked, leaning his head to the left slightly, debating as he spoke. If he remained silent regarding the claim, it might be taken as a yes. Then again, denying it would be useless too. This man was no fool. "I can promise to be a quiet occupant. I ask out of no particular fondness for this place, I believe it will collapse in due notice, but I need a relatively safe place to stay at the moment as my last home was compromised. In return, I might help. Most of my skills are Infinite-based, but I might do a few things.
"Also, if you must choose to call me Pierce, do be careful who you say that around. Most people tend to jump the gun when they hear that name, I've noticed, and I'm not speaking figuratively." He leaned back again, calmly polishing his nails on his sleeve, waiting for a response.

/Stephen/Ashimatya/Rowan/Caesar/
"Um, you do know who the Dark Angel is, right?" Caesar asked, still looking uneasy. "He didn't get that name by picking daisies you know. Ignoring him is like trying to ignore a killer panther you know is stalking you."
Ash chuckled, then stiffened as Zare smacked him, for the second time that day, within twenty minutes of the last one. He closed his eyes briefly, considering whether or not strangling Zare would put a serious damper on their friendship.
"So now that you two have matured past the mentality of 4 year olds, what do you plan to do?"
Ashimatya started laughing, unable to help himself. Caesar smiled thinly, eying him warily as he turned to Zare. "My apologies. We go back a ways. Never friends, mind you, but we did have a common goal at one point. How do you stand being with him?"
Ash decided to give Caesar a chance to unwind from his shock, shifting his attention to Kenji. Elevating himself to Kenji's level, he settled on the pillar nearest Kenji's perch, sitting in a cross-legged position. "So, what did you do to get on his bad side?" he asked, gesturing at Zare. "I've never seen him so ready to kill someone...except maybe myself, but it made sense back then. Why's he hate you?"

/zara/Kiari/
Zara's face went bright red, though whether from anger or embarrassment one couldn't be sure. She kept her mouth shut through Dean's explanation and the interrogation. She considered Loki's deal as dean put the ma outside. She did not miss Dean's last comment about her, though.
"Not only did I filch that ring off of you, but I did give it back later," she muttered darkly. "I swear, Sage...I'm gonna kill you." She sighed, resting her face in her hand. A fight, hmm? Loki preferred working in the dark, not direct or fair. He had to be confident, have a trick up his sleeve to try this. But even if he was wrong, and she won, she knew he'd never keep his word. Which meant if she chose to follow through on this, she'd need something on him, a reason for him to behave himself. But right now, he held all the cards, while she had nothing. She needed an ace...
Maybe the idiots outside held the answer. It was Cylodine that had held their loyalty. Loki had them by fear. Perhaps they would be cooperative...
"Obnoxious as it was, I think dean has a point," she said finally. "I'm going to sleep on it, then make up my mind tomorrow." She sat back down on the couch, hands folded awkwardly on her lap. "Hey, Trent...thanks. You're a really good friend." She lifted her head, beaming at him.

OOC- by the way, if anyone's interested, I might write something up about how Caesar and Ash met, and what their relationship is. If anyone's interested...

[ClaecElric4God]

OOC: Ooh, ooh, yes!

/Eric/Zare/
"How do you stand being with him?"
That is an excellent question," Zare said, crossing his arms as he watched Ash rise up to the pillar. "Be careful, Ash! That one's dangerous." He was only half joking.
Zare shook his head, then turned back to Caesar, scratching his head awkwardly.
"Yeah, sorry about him. I suppose you guys have some horrible past or whatever. And I'm not gonna try to convince you that he's different now, because I don't suppose you'd believe me; and to be honest, I don't know that it's true myself. I don't know the infamous "Dark Angel". I mean, obviously I've heard all the stories and stuff about him, but I've never experienced it first hand, and I don't really judge people by reputations."
Here Zare shrugged, looking back at Ash.
"I mean, yeah, you probably have every reason to believe that he's evil to the core and wouldn't think twice about killing you. But there's more than that to the Ashimatya I know. He's become one of the closest friends I've ever had, and one of the few people I can trust."
Zare shook his head roughly, realizing he was talking way too much and being way too open with this stranger. He still had a responsibility to guard his emotions from people he didn't know or trust. And honestly, getting to know Ash hadn't really changed Zare's general view of the world. As far as he knew, Ash was an odd bird, and most people still couldn't be trusted.
"But then again, he might be luring me into a false sense of security so he can take advantage of me." Zare laughed, trying to change the mood to a light one. He looked at Caesar again.
"But enough about me. I want to know how on earth you've survived that terror!" Zare jerked a thumb toward Kenji. "I can't be around him for more than a few minutes without losing it entirely. I have a lot of respect for anyone who can deal with that guy."

/Karissa/Kenji/
Kenji sat cross-legged, his chin resting in his hands, watching the group below. This looked like it could be good. To see a three way fight between Caesar, Regal, and some guy who looked pretty formidable, would be way too much fun. But then, much to Kenji's disappointment, it looked like someone got the situation under control, and the group dispersed. Kenji humphed, grumbling under his breath about meddlesome peacemakers. But the next thing he knew, the Ash guy was rising out of nowhere to sit on a pillar next to him. Kenji arched an eyebrow in surprise, but didn't comment. Instead, he just looked Ash up and down, trying to figure out if he'd be fun to mess with. Of course, that all depended on his level of patience.
"Oh, so he wants to kill you, too?" Kenji replied with interest after Ash finished talking. "You and I must be kindred spirits! Either that or the cat's finally lost it."
Kenji smiled fondly down at Zare, remembering all the occasions that could have contributed to driving Zare insane. Then he shook his head, trying to look hurt.
"Wait, I never did anything to make him hate me! It's completely unfair and unjustified. I'm deeply hurt to see his negative reaction to our reunion. I mean, seriously, all the fun times we've had together! It's not my fault that Zare can't handle the slightest amount of teasing. I mean, he even has the nerve to call me annoying! That's really rude, don't you think? I mean, I would think a man with friends would try to be a little polite and tactful when it comes to explaining a comrade's shortcomings; or rather, what he considers shortcomings. I mean, really, he has no idea what he's talking about. He's the one with the patience of a child. I hope he hasn't told you bad things about me-"
Kenji stopped short, whipping his head around to look off in the distance.
"What's that over there!" He cried in excitement.

[Wolfsong]

Instead, he just looked Ash up and down, trying to figure out if he'd be fun to mess with. Of course, that all depended on his level of patience.

XD XD XD LOLOLOLOL....
OOC- I wonder if Ash may kill Kenji after all....something to consider.

/Rowan/Caesar/
"Well, I'll take your word for it," he said doubtfully. "Its not that we had a horrible past, per say, its just...I never thought him mentally stable in the first place. That, or he enjoyed pushing people to the limit, I don't know. But I have met many people who experienced his...judgement...and adding that to my own experience, I cannot say I have much confidence in him. But if you say so..."
He glanced over his head at Kenji, who Ash had apparently struck up a conversation with. For a moment he felt a brief surge of pleasure at the thought of Kenji taking Ash for a ride on his whimsical train of thought. Perfect revenge for that day, those years ago...how could he have forgotten? If Ash hadn't reminded him of it..."Well...it helps being able to pull him off when he overdoes it," he said, gesturing at Kenji's perch. He rubbed his neck where Kenji had throttled him, still feeling a little sore. "Though I wish to heaven I knew what I had done to pique his interest...he's followed me from Nescala to Tiera and back again, you know?"

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
"Well, for a little while," Ash corrected with a smile. "Though what I have in common with you I've yet to learn."
He remained expressionless during Kenji's dialogue, starting to have an inkling as to Zare's annoyance. Himself, he was trying not to laugh. "Nothing bad, I haven't heard anything about you yet." He paused when Kenji turned to look in the distance.
"What's that over there!" He cried.
Ash stared at him a long moment, then closed his eyes. A tiny smile worked its way onto his face. "If you're unlucky, merely a tree or someone coming to teleport. If you're lucky, a monster. Or, perhaps...nothing whatever." He smiled. "You tell me. You're the one who sees "it"."

OOC- I'll start posting Ash and Caesar's...um, meeting, sometime soon.

[ClaecElric4God]

/Eric/Zare/
"Oh, trust me, he doesn't have to have a reason to take a fancy to someone. Our meeting wasn't exactly fate, and I had him hanging on me for awhile."
"Wait, let me get this straight," Zare said, dumbfounded. "You've had that guy with you all across the country, and haven't killed him yet? Even once?" Zare had to assume he'd misunderstood something. Of course, no one had ever said that Caesar hadn't killed Kenji. So there was really no reason to assume that he hadn't. Zare had no idea what had possessed him to assume that anyone could coexist with Kenji. He felt better now, knowing there was no way someone else had pulled off what he couldn't.

/Karissa/Kenji/
Kenji just blinked. This guy was going to be a tough nut to crack, wasn't he? Kenji thought for a moment, then let an evil grin creep across his face. He leaned forward, and his voice was little more than a whisper.
" 'It'...is your doom!" Then he leaned back again, letting out a string of cackles. Once he was finished, he looked at Ash again.
"But anyways, while we wait for your doom, how did you meet Zare and get him to take such a liking to you? He hates people almost a much as he does me! And I heard you're some kind of Dark Angel or something? What's that mean?"

[Wolfsong]

/Rowan/Caesar/
"It...took effort," he replied. "It helped that I had something on my mind, so I couldn't entirely focus on him..." His voice trailed off as Kenji suddenly started cackling. He glanced up at him again, interested in how Ash was doing. To his annoyance, the Magnus had a smile on his face. True he could be bluffing, but he wanted to see Ash openly annoyed. "That and...I try not to be a player-killer. Gets you a reputation of sorts, if you know what I mean." He glanced at Ash expressively.

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
"My doom? I met my doom a long time ago," Ash told him, his eyes still closed. "Though true he lives yet, but I doubt he'll be around a place like this."
"I met Zare during a quest, and we decided we hated a certain enemy a little more than each other, so we partnered up. As to liking each other...that happened by what many would consider an accident. Still, I can live with a few accidents."
He leaned back, enjoying the feeling of sun on his face. "As for being the Dark Angel...that just really means I'm a totally mixed-up personality that has killed...probably over a thousand players." He smiled at Kenji, opening his eyes just the tiniest bit. "I almost killed Zare too, save for an accident. Now that I've answered your questions, answer some of mine. What about you, Kenji? Why did you adopt such a mixed-up personality? You do realize you're not fooling anyone with any knowledge of people." He waited for Kenji's response.

[Oddood198]

Jean raised an eyebrow at Pierce's proposal, it was about as unexpected as anything could have been, but even more, he seemed serious about it. "Really?" Jean asked, "I kidnap you off the street, threaten you with death and torture, and you want to... hole up with us?" Jean watched, but Pierce didn't seem to show any signs of deceit.
Jean sighed, closing his eyes in thought. Despite what Pierce said, he really didn't see what they could benefit from allowing him in, if anything, it would only make things worse for them, because the oversensitive players would also be hunting for Pierce, which would put Jean's group in the crossfire. Then again, if Pierce was so infamous throughout the Infinite community, then certainly Jean's target would have heard of him, and maybe they could use Pierce as a way to get to him.
Jean smirked, opening his eyes again. "All right, boy. You can stay here all you like, but you'll have to earn your keep first. Tell me, have you ever heard of a player named -</Aeon\>-? Nothing form the past, say, five months. Just before that. Ever even heard the name?" Jean wasn't expecting Pierce to know who -</Aeon\>- was, after all he was very secretive and kept to himself when he was in possession of the account, still, within certain circles he was well known, so there was still a chance Pierce would know, though if he did, he likely wouldn't even have any useful information. But who knows, Jean thought, maybe this'll be one of those rare, enjoyable surprises.

[Wolfsong]

OOC- Well, decided to have a little fun, so...hope this works with you!

/Pierce/Arachni/
"Well, I've holed up with people who've wanted to kill me before, so its nothing new. At least you had a relatively sane reason."
He leaned his head back, then winced as a jolt of pain shot through his injured shoulder. Carefully easing that arm back down, he considered Jean's question. A small smile formed on his face.
"Yes, I have, if you're talking about a white-haired, seclusive avatar. I had the...privilege...of doing something for him once. I was approached by an underling, Infinite of course since that's where I conduct my business. Was staying relatively low, since I didn't want to attract any attention, but someone recognized me. They said their boss needed a special plane, a place one could go without being disturbed by other players. If I made it, they'd keep quiet about my returning."
His leg hurt too, come to think of it. He shrugged off the wall and sat on the floor, managing to look completely comfortable. "I was genuinely curious as to who wanted a separate dimension, so I crafted a tale where I needed to configure a name to it to work, so I needed his boss's name. He left, and I started setting up my equipment, just in case. I received word shortly to meet in a more private place, which suited me so I went. It was the same guy I met earlier, who gave me the name 'Aeon'. I looked it up, but there are multiple players with 'aeon' in their name, so I asked him for more info. He refused, saying I had enough, so I hacked into his Code."
He bit his upper lip, thinking. "A lot gets stored in our Code, more than you think. That's one of the reasons there's so much security attached to them, and why I went to so much effort to get past them. In his Code in regards to Aeon was the full name, an image, and the emotion of fear attached to that said image. I didn't delve too deeply, as I was trying to hack without his realizing it, so I took those and added name and image to my memory base before telling the man that I'd get started and logged out.
"Did some hacking on -</Aeon\>- then, though Infinite only has so much on people. It was a pretty powerful account too, logged in almost seven years. There were some other details, the personal stuff you need to fill in for an account, but I figured most of it was fake and anyway, that isn't my strong point. Still, I saved everything to my files and went to work. I meant to bug the place in the hope of learning more of Aeon without hacking for it in the real world, but circumstances forced me to complete the work without the bug. I saved the information with the intention of fixing it later, but when things finally cleared up, someone had successfully rewritten the Code so I couldn't reach it without some major effort, on level with rewriting a continent's Code, and my new account had been discovered and banned.
"I went ahead and dropped it, particularly since I'd found an answer to an earlier problem which was much more pressing than curiosity. But I hung on to the information in case I ever wanted to pursue it again." He smiled softly at Jean. "I imagine, if you're looking for him, this Aeon is not a savory character. I would imagine further most of the information filled out is fake anyway. But...if you're interested, I may provide."

[ClaecElric4God]

/Eric/Zare/
Zare looked at Caesar in awe. So this guy really had pulled it off. Wow... Zare whistled lowly, showing his surprise.
"Well, yeah," he defended. "I don't really care for a reputation as a murderer either; that's not the way I do things. But still...it's not actually possible to keep your cool with that guy; or so I thought."
Zare chuckled at the jab at Ash. He really didn't have any right to defend Ash from that one - he'd totally asked for it. But still...he had to wonder if Ash would ever live that one down; or if he'd even bother trying. Zare was willing to do his best to help Ash with that, but Ash would have to put some initiative into it and at least try not to be short-fused all the time.
"So what brings you this way?"

/Karissa/Kenji/
Kenji blinked at Ash, highly unnerved but doing a pretty spot-on job of hiding it. Within a couple seconds he'd recomposed himself. Kenji quickly flipped over and stood on his head, using his hands to spin himself around a few times, grinning wildly.
"Ha, ha, you're a pretty strange person, aren't you? I don't know if I like that. I mean, I feel like my toes are being stepped on here."
Kenji looked at his invisible watch, quickly righting himself.
"Oops, I need to go do something. Be back in five!"
In an instant he'd logged out.

Karissa, took off the headset and plopped down on the floor next to her desk. Leaning her head against the wall, she closed her eyes.
That was so weird. That guy saw right through me. I'm really freaked out.
"Kenji" was a character known by anyone who'd had the misfortune to meet him as an obnoxious brat. No one would come anywhere near him if they could help it. Regal had been the first person who hadn't been averse to his company, who'd almost made it seem like they could be friends. But at least he still got annoyed; at least he still saw Kenji as the personality that he was. As far as anybody knew, Kenji was either a radical NPC, or a player who really was just that annoying. Karissa knew plenty of guys who were complete idiots and would fit Kenji to a T. So why had Ash assumed any different? What was even worse was that he was right.
Karissa wasn't naturally crazy. If anyone she knew in real life ever saw her in Infinite, they wouldn't believe it was her. She was a calm, reserved, shy girl. She didn't have any friends, because she couldn't talk to people. She never left the house anymore than her mom made her, and acting goofy or weird was the farthest thing from her agenda.
But she didn't like being like that. She didn't like freezing up when she met new people. She didn't like being the quiet girl. It was boring. But somehow, she couldn't get up the nerve to change. So she'd adopted Kenji, and Infinite had become a whole other reality to her. She enjoyed Infinite so much, because she got to be the person she'd always wanted to be but never had the courage.
But now Karissa wasn't so sure. What did Ash mean? Why was she adopting such a wacky personality? It was annoying and obnoxious and she didn't have any friends anyway. It seemed like a girl who didn't have friends, who had a chance to remake herself, would be more personable and try to make friends. This was her chance, and she'd built a reputation of being annoying instead.
But the truth was, Karissa didn't want friends. Or rather, she didn't want friends that weren't worth it. She wanted someone who could get past the craziness that most people couldn't stand, and be Kenji's friend anyway. And Regal had done that, which was what made him so much fun to be around. Truth be told, Karissa didn't care that much for Zare. He was annoying and serious and short-tempered, and the only enjoyment she got out of his company was driving him up the wall. After all, under all the shyness, Karissa was a natural prankster.
But Regal had somehow broken the barrier and befriended Kenji regardless of his annoyingness. And that was why Karissa loved being Kenji more than ever. Maybe it was weird to be friends with some older character from a video game. But he was the only person she wanted to be friends with.
But then there was Ash. He'd gone right past the annoyingness factor and broken down Kenji's facade. Karissa didn't quite know how to handle that. Her instincts told her to get as far away from him as possible before he spoiled things. But she was intrigued. She wanted to get to know this person who'd managed to figure Kenji out. Because regardless of what he said, Kenji wasn't as easy to read as Ash made him out to be. No, there was something special about that guy.
Don't give in, Karissa told herself as she settled back in her chair and replaced the headset. You're still Kenji. Don't change just because this guy knows the truth. Kenji is still Kenji, no matter what.

"So, what were we talking about?" Kenji asked, occupying himself by juggling fire balls he'd conjured up.

[Banana Lobster]

OOC: Okay, I'm kinda winging it here, guessing how Shade's claustrophobia is like. I'm guessing what it's like by estimating what it would be like for me if I was stuck in some high-place for an extended period of time. It is probably completely unrealistic. My apologies to those who actually have claustrophobia.

Sage Shade

For anyone else, the grating, scratching sounds would have been maddening, but she had learned a long time ago how to ignore such sounds. She walked with one hand on the wall beside her, her lantern hanging from her belt, her scythe in her other hand. The point of the blade dragged along the far wall, creating a line along the mirror's reflective surface, and the dagger she had tied to her boot made a matching line along the floor. Every time her scythe's blade met air, she stopped and dragged it along the floor. If the sound bounced back, she made an 'X' in front of the entrance and continued on. In this way, she figured she was making relatively good time through the maze, which was a small comfort to her feeling of the walls closing in on her.

She shuddered and stopped, closing her eyes and leaning against the wall, letting herself sink slowly to the floor. She wished that she had never entered this place, it was horrible; the mirrors made it impossible to tell if the walls were getting closer or not, the only indication being that she always held her arm outstretched, her scythe pressing against the opposite wall.

"Please," she whispered, "Please let this be over soon."

[Oddood198]

OOC: Probably well you did, Wolfy, because I had no idea what I was doing. XD



Jean was only slightly surprised when Pierce said he had heard of Aeon, but as the story went on, Jean fell completely silent, leaning back in his chair, arms on the rests, as he listened. When Pierce had finally finished, Jean closed his eyes again and going deep into thought.
So, Pierce had encountered -</Aeon-\> before, indirectly, perhaps, but still close. What was more, he actually had information on him, real world information! Jean and his team had been looking, unsuccessfully, for so much as a mention of Aeon's name for months, and now this kid came in with actual information on him. Albeit, it was possibly, probably, even, faked, but it was something.
"I think..."He said, speaking slowly, still carefully thinking, "That you should get me every piece of information you have on him. As soon as possible. Let me know if there is anything you need that can get it here a second faster, and it's yours." He opened his eyes and stood up, "Claire!" He yelled.
A second later, Claire poked her head into the room, "What''s up?" She asked. Jean looked at her, his expression even more serious than usual, so much so it put a grim look on her face. "Call everyone, get them all here, now. I don't care what they're doing. Get the raid equipment ready. Oh, and tell Mitchell to bring the bazooka." Claire nodded, then retracted back into her own room. Jean looked down at Pierce, his face showing urgency and impatience, but also Jean's coldness and calm. "Now then, Mr. Pierce. What can I get you?"