Infinite Powers

[Wolfsong]

OOC- XD well, then I'm glad I gave some direction.

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
He watched with a half-smile as Kenji sub-logged, escaping his question. He grinned; so his guess had been right. He'd found oftentimes that the nuttiest characters over the internet could turn out to be the most reclusive in reality. The fact that Kenji had retreated so quickly was as much an open confession as anything. The person behind the avatar was sensitive, though how much would be difficult to judge and evaluate. Ash liked figuring people out. Not only was it fascinating but it helped one realize where the best place to-
He closed his eyes, forcing that thought down. No, he was going to behave himself, at least around Zare. He looked down at the were-cat, feeling a warmth fill him. Yes...he would hold himself back, at least when Zare was around.
He rested his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands, thinking on someone else who used to be sensitive, someone else who hated people. Pierce had been different as a kid, small and fragile, scared to asset himself. His timidity made him a prime target, and a lot of the kids at school mocked him. Particularly when he'd actually been averse to joining Infinite. It had been Stephen who defended him, helping him exchange fear for courage, and got him into Infinite. It was funny to think of, the fact that Stephen had helped make him what he was today. Pierce's attitude about people never really changed though, he just accepted people when he could use them for his own purposes.
Stephen had failed in Pierce. He'd tried to help Pierce get better, and instead made him a monster. How many times had there been an opportunity, when Pierce was going off the path, when Stephen could have called him back?
A tear slid down his cheek. He blinked, amazed and wiped it away quickly. Too many reminders of Pierce around anymore, it seemed.
"So, what were we talking about?"
Ash raised his eyes to meet Kenji's, a dark and deep emotion behind them, and his smile was almost demonically evil. He suddenly stood, a towering looming figure. He opened his mouth, hand raised as if to blast Kenji off the pillar, then started laughing. Instantly the monster was gone, replaced by a kid.
"I've quite forgotten," he replied, smirking knowingly. "However, you did remind me of something" He stretched, relieving his cramped muscles. "In regards to my doom, if you run into a blue-haired dark elf, tell him his brother's looking for him." and he leapt off the pillar. "Zare!" he shouted. "I've gotta take care of something. When you're ready, teleport to the new continent, at the sea port Eamine. I'll meet you at the White Griffon Inn!" and he teleported away.

/Rowan/Caesar/
"Well, I've no particular direction," Caesar replied. "Which is why I let him lead, stupid as that was..."
Ash suddenly announced he was leaving. Caesar wondered if this had anything to do with Kenji and smiled to himself. "Well...I wish you luck with that one, if you decide to remain with him," he said. "He has a rather nasty sense of humor, I remember that much."

OOC- I wish I knew what Ash was doing...he'd leading me in a fine merry-go-round XP
By the way, does anyone know what time it is in this world? I've completely lost track.

/Pierce/Arachni/
He watched Jean giving out orders expressionlessly. He shifted slightly as he reached into his back pocket, concealing what he held in his hand. When Jean turned back to him, he grinned.
"Just get me a computer and I'll have the information you want up momentarily," he replied. He had all his tools in hand already. He opened his hand slightly, smiling at the tiny chip nestled in his palm. Hardly larger than his thumbnail, this thing held as much information as a dozen computers. It was also his key into Infinite's data-stronghold, into the very core in Infinite itself.
Which...he really needed to place this in his Code. Be a lot safer there. He'd do that when he was done 'earning his keep'.

OOC- and here you go, part 1 of Caesar and Ash's past experience. Ash strikes me as rather mean in the beginning, but...hey, we all have days like this, don't we? Anyways, ask and ye shall receive. Here you are. Part 1.

/Stephen/Ashimatya/Rowan/Caesar/
Approximately 6 years ago, give or take a month...

Ash considered the stone monolith before him, debating. Its surface was like polished marble, but as unrelenting as cement. But the path to the dungeon ended here, so this had to be it. Apparently there was some sort of puzzle to be found here to open the way. He started whistling pensively, his eyes narrowing.
"Oh, hello." Someone, a silver-haired pretty boy, walked up beside him. "Didn't think I'd meet anyone here. This is a difficult and out of the way place, after all."
"My apologies for intruding on your private spot," Ash replied, somewhat irritably. Python had been acting weird lately and Cyrano hadn't been available, so he'd come here for some solo questing, and to think. He hadn't expected meeting anyone here, and wasn't happy about it. "I'll leave, if you'd like."
"Oh no, I don't mind." the man said, oblivious. "Perhaps you could help me. I've never been able to figure out how to actually enter the dungeon."
"Well, if I can get in, it won't be for your sake," Ash said coldly. "I'm here for treasure, not comrade."
This time the other man seemed to get it. His face turned serious and his hand dropped close to his sword. "I'm not interested in comrade anymore than you are. I just believe it'll take more than myself to get in."
Ash studied him a moment then smiled thinly. "Very well. Lets party up, and we'll divide the spoils based on how much work the individual does to collect it."
The man nodded, extending his hand. "I am Caesar Regal."
Ash ignored the hand, dropping a casual "Ash" as he walked up to the stone monstrosity. He rested his hand against it, assessing its cold touch. "So are there any symbols or anything on this?"
"There's some strange things on the back." Caesar replied, walking over. "I can't believe I've parted up with a manner-less oaf," he griped.
"You tell me," Ash replied, walking around. Indeed, there were some strange pictures on the back, and what they stood for made no sense. They made no actually picture. Ash narrowed his eyes, touching one of them experimentally. It budged slightly under his hand, and he smiled. Quickly he set to work, deftly moving the pieces. Caesar watched with interest as the picture of a phoenix formed under Ash's guiding hands.
"There," Ash said. "Now all we need is the piece with the bird's tail." Caesar wordlessly pulled a slab from his pack and handed it over. Ash smiled and fit it in. The phoenix glowed suddenly, winking in and out, then the puzzle slid aside, revealing a hole. It lead into darkness, and Ash could see neither top nor bottom when he stuck his head in. "Cool," he said.
Caesar leaned forward, staring down into the depths. "How deep is it?" he asked.
Ash climbed through the hole, using shadow to stay afloat. "Guess I'll find out," he said, smiling. Instantly he dropped, descending into the deep. He smiled when he heard Caesar's angry shout above, grateful for having gotten rid of that unwanted person. However, next thing he knew, Caesar was hovering beside him, held by a strong breeze.
"Do you have any friends?" Caesar asked bitterly.
"Not too many, but just enough," he replied. "I don't need anymore."
Caesar shook his head angrily. "You're a sad excuse for a human being."
"Takes one to know one," Ash suddenly plucked him out of the air and dropped him. Caesar screamed as he plummeted into the darkness. Ash watched a moment, then dove after him, catching him just before they landed. "I'm sorry," he said, smiling apologetically. "One of my friends is acting strangely and I'm getting worried about him. I hadn't wanted anyone around, but that doesn't excuse my behavior. Please forgive me." He bowed slightly.
Caesar seemed taken aback by Ash's sudden change. "Um, its alright. I rather shoved my company onto you. I apologize as well."
Ash suddenly raised his head and grinned mischievously. "I'm still gonna beat you to all the treasure," he said with a cocky smile. He almost laughed, for Caesar's puzzled face was a hilarious picture.

[Koneko-chan]

Meeka grinned at this idea "O-okay. We'd probably get the work done twice as fast aswell." They followed Lydia's pet Tally (right?) for a while then Meeka softly inquired, trying break a bit of silence "So.. Lydia, how long how you been playing for?"

[Wolfsong]

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
Rolling sea, beautifully clear and clean water. The sound of waves breaking against the rocky faces of the looming cliffs.
He sat on one beach, watching the waves roll in and out the same time. He closed his eyes, breathed the sea air in and out, out and in, again and again. Funny...when he felt like he needed to kill super bad but didn't want to, coming to appreciate something like this was so soothing. He felt more like a man than a monster. Course, that was not all good either. He hated returning to reality, to the misery and angst that haunted him there.
Pierce. Oh Pierce. Why the betrayal? Did you come to hate others so much you despised me as well?
Tears. Water droplets of glowing purity, lovely like crystals. One by one they escaped his eyes, sliding down his pale cheeks, falling from the pointy chin. He wept in the solitude, none to see, none to know, for that Dark Angel did not display weakness to others.
Ashimatya didn't either. Zare was the closest he'd ever let anyone in. And he was going to stay the only one.
He wept till his eyes were dry. Abruptly he stood, walking across the sands. Four coastlines away, and he was at the coastal town. People gaped as he walked solemnly through the streets, his eyes remaining focused on the road ahead. No one challenged him, not when he entered the White Griffon Inn, not when he sat at an empty table in the back. A maid appeared, but he waved her away. He just sat there, staring at the wood, waiting.

[Banana Lobster]

OOC: I forgot to mention before that Shade has a pouch on her belt holding water, like Katara's, because I didn't think ahead and thought there would always be some water nearby. Anyways, this is my first big fight, I hope it makes sense.

Sage Shade

Shade ran forwards, stumbling slightly in her haste. In front of her, the cavern opened up, the endless line of mirrors suddenly stopping, much to her relief. As a wide grin crossed her face, something collided with her cheek, sending her crashing to the ground. As soon as she hit the ground, she rolled, pushing herself back upright. She was just in time-behind her, a large creature slammed into the ground right where she had landed. She sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of it.

A brown-scaled humanoid-lizzard glared at her with golden eyes, hissing loudly between sharply pointed teeth as it crouched, scraping it's claws against the rock underneath. It balanced carefully on its hind legs, watching her carefully, before suddenly launching itself at her with surprising speed.

Shade ducked and rolled, throwing one of her daggers at it as it passed. She let out a groan as it clattered to the ground on the far side of the room and scrabbled to untie her other dagger from her boot. She glanced around, searching for the monster, and caught sight of it just as it launched itself at her again, slashing wildly with its front claws. She batted one claw aside and swung her lantern, sending the creature staggering as it connected. Her faithful light crashed to the floor, the flames dying, leaving her in the dark. Her boot slammed against the creature's ribs, knocking it to the floor, where it grabbed her ankle, pulling her down until it latched its teeth onto her leg.

She let out a yell of pain and ripped her dagger free of the bindings, using that hand to punch the monster again and again. She finally remembered through the pain to turn the dagger and hit the lizzard with the blade. The monster released her with a shriek of pain, and she released some water from the pouch on her belt, using it to bring her other dagger and her lantern back to her. As soon as the reassuring metal of her lantern hit her palm, the flames lit again, and she hung it on her belt as she returned the water to her pouch.

The lizard hissed at her, one eye pouring blood, while her own dripped from its teeth. Letting out a shriek of fury it threw itself into the air, climbing the walls with ease. As it climbed higher, it tore chunks of rock out of the wall and threw them at her, forcing her to duck and dart around to avoid them. After knocking away a rather large chunk, she unequipped her daggers and equipped her scythe. Holding it above her head she spun it around, deflecting the rocks. She was so focused on deflecting the rocks that she missed the lizard dropping from the ceiling until it hit her fingers, sending her stumbling. As she stumbled, she let go of her weapon with one hand, so it swung back around, slicing the monster in half.

As she fell to her knees, she received a pop-up notification, informing her of all the experience she had just received, and of her newly-received item, Scalen Armor. When equipped, the sharp scales that made up the armor injuring whoever made direct contact, just like they had on the creature itself, she realized, noticing for the first time the scrapes covering her arms. Groaning, she reached into the pouch at her waist, pulling out various healing items, and set to work.

[ClaecElric4God]

/Karissa/Kenji/
Kenji looked at Ash quizzically. That new expression was definitely one of a killer. He followed the movement of Ash's hand, rocking backwards ever so slightly. If the maniac decided to unleash an attack, Kenji would simply fall backwards, hoping he timed it right to avoid it. If not, it would probably hurt quite a bit.
But then Ash's expression changed, and he was laughing. Kenji started laughing with him, playing along.
"Um...okay, I guess?" Kenji responded to Ash's request. "But I can't make any promises. My memory isn't very good when I'm bored."
Kenji watched Ash go, disappointed and relieved at the same time. Then he shrugged. Whatever.
Dropping down from the pillar, Kenji walked up behind Zare and poked him in the back.
"Hey, we should totally go questing or something!"

/Eric/Zare/
Zare looked up when Ash spoke, sighing as Ash disappeared into the portal.
"Cryptic as usual," he commented. Could have at least told me a bit ahead of time.
"Well, it was nice meeting you," Zare held out a hand to Caesar. "Take care of yourself and that loose cannon. And yes, Ash definitely has a unique sense of humor."
Zare glared at Kenji, not bothering to say a word. He wasn't about to kill Kenji in front of the Caesar, after that whole conversation. Heading toward the teleportal, Zare jerked to a stop, realizing what time it was.
"Oh, great." Zare said to himself, quickly logging out.

Ripping off the headset, Eric charged out of his room, heading for the kitchen. His mom was already there, working on supper. Eric went over and grabbed her hands, gently pulling them away from the stove.
"Mom, go sit down." He ordered. "I'll get it. I just got distracted."
"Eric," she said, brushing his hands away. "It's fine, you've done enough."
"Mom," Eric said more sternly, this time grabbing her by the shoulders and guided her over to a chair. Going back to the counter, Eric started chopping vegetables to put in the stew his mom had started.
"Sorry I was late," he mumbled.
"Eric, it's fine. You don't have to feel bad all the time."
Eric sighed, never taking his eyes off of his work.
Supper was quiet, Eric wolfing down his food. He glanced at his mom occasionally, trying to assess how she was doing. She looked tired, but better than usual. Hopefully she was finally recovering.
After supper Eric quickly cleared up the dishes before his mom could do anything.
"I'm gonna be busy for awhile," Eric spoke as he worked. "You should go lay down and get some rest."
"You're always so busy," his mom observed. "You need rest, too, you know."
"Yeah, I know," was all Eric said. He didn't bother to mention that a lot of the time he was spending nowadays was on a video game.

Zare headed for the portal when he finally logged back in. Arriving at seaport, Zare shifted into cat form, sprinting off.
"Ash is gonna be mad." He hadn't even thought to PM him. Oh, well. Hopefully he'd waited around.
At the inn, Zare caught sight of Ash sitting at a table, looking pensive. Weird...
"Yo, what's up?" He asked, shifting into human form as he approached, before sitting in a chair across from Ash. "Sorry I'm late."

[Wolfsong]

/Rowan/Caesar/
He watched Zare go, saying, “Well he left quickly. Was he really that anxious to rejoin his…friend?” He then looked at Kenji, questioningly and hopefully. “And what did you do that chased Ash away? Or did he leave of his own accord?

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
He eventually ordered a drink, but nothing more. His thoughts had strayed back to reality. He’d been on all day today. Luckily, it was his day off, and there was someone helping care of his mother, but still…he really should go back to her. Zare wasn’t showing anyway. But somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to log out. The thought of looking into his own mother’s eyes and how they did not know him sent him as much as anything into this blasted game. He came and stayed till he was as high as a man on drugs, doing things just as stupid.
Why Pierce? Burn it all, WHY PIERCE???
“You seem troubled.” A man sat in the chair across him, studying Ash with what may have been concern. Ash ignored him, leaning back and closing his eyes. “I don’t see what the great Dark Angel has to b e so troubled over,” he continued.
Ash could almost hear the smirk through the man’s voice. “Nothing, and yet, everything,” Ash replied. “Death is supposed to be final, and see how we cheat Death in this miserable game time and time again. I wonder how he feels about that.”
“Ah yes, Death. The friend of us all.”
“That’s a funny way to look at it.”
“On the contrary, he’ll always come through for us eventually.” The man chuckled. “And actually, this game feeds him more than you think.”
“Since we simply respawn, he doesn’t keep us. How, then, are we feeding him?”
Ash opened one eye slightly to get a look at this man. He had a dark smile on his handsome face. “We don’t always respawn when we die,” he responded.
“So we log out. Your point?”
The man smiled deeply, a mystery lurking in his eyes. The visible one, anyway. “I know all about your pain, Stephen,” he said suddenly, causing Ash to stiffen. “I know more about you, all of you then anyone of you could believe. The betrayal of your brother, your hatred…nay, too strong…distrust of people, your new friend Zareshtyvolikunemstyx, I know all about you.”
“Zare-sh-what?” Ash blinked, truly taken aback. “Is that really his username?” A small smile tugged at his lips. Well. He clung to the hilarity of that, trying not to break down from the other information coming from the total stranger’s mouth. “So…you’re a stalker. I’m flattered,” he said, trying to sound lighthearted and indifferent. “But I sure hope you’re actually female, or I may kill you anyway. Though, that might not even save you.”
“Who would stalk a killer but a murderer?” the man replied with a cryptic smile. There was something odd about the way he said it. Ash began to feel uncomfortable in a whole new way. “Be serious Stephen. I know about what’s troubling you.”
“Yeah?” Ash said, speaking carelessly. “And what could you do about it?”
“Heal you,” the man replied. “Give you back your life. I can return your mother and brother to you. You may have a new reality, with no more fear, no more hate.”
“You offer an impossibility,” Ash replied, but his heart raced. “Get out of my sight, madman.”
“Think about it,” he answered, standing. He seemed unbothered, smiling smugly. “I like granting happiness to the broken. If you change your mind, return to the beach you were at earlier and tell the cuttlefish under the cliff you wish to speak with the Master. Think about it.” And he walked away.
Ash stared at the door till Zare came in. “Yo, what’s up?” he said, sliding into a chair – the same one that man had used. “Sorry I’m late.”
“Don’t worry, you didn’t miss much,” Ash replied. He studied Zare thoughtfully, then asked, “Zare, if someone told you they could give you your dad back…what would you do?” He leaned back, staring thoughtfully at the ceiling. “Would you even believe them? And if you did, how far would you be willing to go?” His gaze shifted back to Zare. “What would you do, if your whole happy life could be returned to you?”

[Oddood198]

Jean nodded silently, then left the room through one of the many doors, returning a moment later with a laptop computer. "The model's a couple years old, but other than that it works fine. Hardly used, shouldn't be anything much on it." He said, handing it off to Pierce. "If you need anything else, I'll be in here." He added, walking through a different door, this one marked with the room numbers '613'.
This room was for Jean's personal use. He was usually based out of his apartment, but he had some gear here, just in case. Closed, black cases of various sizes and shapes were laid out across the bed and desk. From the coat rack, he took a hanging kevlar vest and put it on, making sure the fit was tight. Next, he opened one of the cases and removed two handguns, holstering one onto his right leg and the other under his left arm. The revolver he had in his pocket was put into a holster on his lower back, just under the vest. He strapped two combat knives onto himself, one on his right calf, and on on his left forearm. He put on a pair of thick boots, mostly covering the knife, and then a long coat, which he buttoned closed. Looking at him, the vest definitely added some noticeably bulk, but the weapons were almost completely all concealed.
Next, he opened another case from the bed, removing an assault rifle, which he slung over his shoulder. Another case was filled entirely with fresh magazines of ammunition for all the guns he had selected, he took three extras for the handguns, one for the rifle, and a handful of bullets for the revolver.
He walked back into the lobby room, where he had left Pierce. He took a seat in a chair across from him. "How's it coming?" He asked.

[Wolfsong]

/Pierce/Arachni/
He took the laptop, studying it critically. Old it was, but it appeared to be in good condition. None of the fancy, extra slots for inserting stuff, so he'd have to improvise. Absently noting Jean's exit, he contemplated the slowly waking screen. No password, opening directly to main. In a minute he was hard at work, rearranging, converting, updating, and most assuredly cheating the whole way through. By the time Jean stepped out, vested and undoubtedly armed, Pierce had worked the older model tow here he could use it effectively enough for this purpose.
"Pretty well," he replied to Jean's question. "Old, yes, but if you have the key you can do anything. Fair warning, I may not be able to remove everything I did, so this thing may by useless for anything else afterward. Hope you've no important documents on here, Mr. Detective."
Now for the chip. He pulled his console from his pocket as well as a small set of tools. In a few minutes he had it connected to the laptop through various means. A lot was haphazard, so he crossed his fingers and inserted the chip into the hidden slot in the console.
The screen came to life. Of course, there was firewalls, but he bypassed them almost instantly. His face changed as he delved itno Infinite's database. It was rapt on the screen and what came to life under his clever fingers. "And...one more...done!" He flipped through the information available only to the mods till he found the page for -</Aeon\>-. He pulled it up, glancing over it absently. Then he pulled out the console, after securing the data to the computer itself, and returned it to his pocket.
"There you go," he said, passing the laptop to Jean. "That should be everything you need."

[Oddood198]

Jean sat and watched anxiously as Pierce worked with the computer. It may have had things on it which may be rendered irretrievable, but it didn't matter, they couldn't have been as important as this. A lead on -</Aeon\>-, at last! Nothing, -nothing- could be that important.
When Pierce finally turned the laptop to Jean, he took it and read through the displayed information calmly, keeping his grim expression. When he was done, he set the computer down, then looked up at Pierce. "Thank you, Mr. Pierce. My team and I will head out to follow up on this immediately, and afterwards, if any of us are alive, we'll come back here to make sure none of your... Adversaries, can come close to you." He stood up and walked to a window, glancing out it to see if Mitchel was there yet, which he wasn't. "I wouldn't worry too much about the time between, there's only one entrance, easily defendable, and you can use one of those guns you're hiding from me."

[ClaecElric4God]

/Eric/Zare/
“Zare, if someone told you they could give you your dad back…what would you do?”
Zare froze, his blood running cold. An indescribable shiver went down his spine, and he was riveted to the spot, unable to respond to Ash's question. Which gave Ash time to ask a series of just as far-fetched questions. Zare stared at Ash incredulously for a moment, trying to figure out if this was that sense of humor Caeaser was talking about. But looking at Ash's face, Zare could tell it was no joke. Finally recomposed, Zare heaved a deep sigh, linking his hands behind his head as he rocked back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. He sat like that for a moment, not even looking at Ash.
Pushing aside the obvious reaction of "what kind of a question was that?", Zare narrowed his eyes. Bitterness from his dad's death had changed Eric completely. He'd gone through self-denial and spent a lot of time contemplating the darker aspects of life. He had a much more negative outlook on life in general, and just getting up each day was a struggle. To be able to go back and change all of that...
Could Zare believe that? He had no reason to. Life was far too cruel to have such an easy success. Nothing worked like that. Mistakes were something you lived with. And no amount of explaining would make him believe something so far-fetched. Zare had learned that hope was a dangerous thing, and when it let you down, it hurt a lot.
But suppose it was a possibility. How far would he go to achieve that? Zare's first thought was, anything short of hurting his mom. But then he forced himself to rethink that, and realized a lot of things he would consider acceptable would hurt his mom by extension. She would be hurt to see obssession in him, to see him doing something he wouldn't for an impossible dream. And he realized that his father's death had been harder for him to get past than it had for his mother. Sure, she'd grieved her husband; but she'd moved on, and made it her priority to take care of her son and make the best of what she had. But Eric was stuck in the past. He always thought about that day, and tried to make up for it. The thought of being able to fix all of that...to make everything right that he'd made wrong...
Finally, Zare sighed again, leaning forward and propping his chin on his fist as he looked Ash in the eye.
"What would I do? I'd grab the guy who made that promise to me and beat the tar out of him. Happy endings don't just happen. Nothing is that easy. It takes blood and sweat to make our lives what they are, whether good or bad. And for anyone to say that they can fix my problems without knowing me is arrogant."
Then Zare leaned forward, placing his hand on the table.
"Ash, you should know me well enough by now to know that I don't do well leaving my fate in other people's hands. I don't trust people who haven't earned it. Honestly, you're probably the only person who's ever earned my trust..." Zare shook his head, realizing he was going on a tangent.
"But my point is, whether it's a video game or reality, I don't want my fate in anyone else's hands. I'll take care of myself, and I won't ask favors. So what would I do if my whole happy life could be returned? I'd laugh in the face of that opportunity and turn my back on it. Because even if it's true, even if it's possible, my life is nobody's business who I don't want it to be, and it's nobody's responsibility but my own. Fix my life for me? No thanks. I know my life has problems. I know it more than anyone. But those are my problems. You've taught me to share them with my friends, and I'll lean on you if I need support. But that's a whole different ball park. When it comes to fixing them, that's my job, and no one else's. Part of life is setting things straight and working problems out. If I can't do that, I don't deserve to have it to begin with. It's not my life anymore if I'm not the one working toward a happy ending. I have a mom who needs me, and a life that I need to live with, however broken it may be. And if I want that to be perfect, I'll be the one to put every ounce of energy I have into making it perfect. I'm not gonna let someone else hold to reins to my life, no matter how good it may seem."
Zare leaned back, completely talked out. Wow, it had been awhile since he'd done that. Back when he'd first met Ash.
"So what brought that sore subject up?" Zare asked, not nearly as angry as he probably sounded. "That's a pretty random question out of nowhere."

/Karissa/Kenji/
Kenji smiled slightly, thinking about the fact that he'd been the one chased away. But he wasn't about to admit that to Caesar of all people.
"Haha," he said lightly. "I guess he just couldn't take the heat. I didn't think I was that annoying, but I guess I surprised myself. Disappointing, really. I was just getting started. I had so many good ideas!"
Kenji's attention was quickly distracted, as he started forming something in his hands.
"Check this out!" He said excitedly, holding his hand out. In his palm rested a miniature figure that looked exactly like Ash. Kenji smiled brightly, proud of himself. "I studied him while we were talking. Pretty good, huh?" Kenji grinned even wider as the illusion dissipated, leaving wisps of shadow in the air.

[Wolfsong]

/Pierce/Arachni/
Pierce stared at the ceiling, thinking about how it might fall on their heads at any moment, while Jean studied the offered information. When Jean finally spoke up, he wondered just how well one could be protected from insanity by madness. The remark about the gun made him smile.
"Tsh, figured you knew. You're that type." He leaned back, watching Jean. He was surprised by his determination to find this Aeon and obviously he expected this Aeon to not go down without a fight. What drove this man to such a resolute course? It wasn't just his job - Pierce had noted enough to know his "retirement" was not voluntary. Therefore....this man had taken something from him. Something that obviously meant something to Jean. The life of a comrade? "If anyone of us are alive" Jean had said. Somehow, Pierce found himself hoping they'd win.
"Good luck," he said quietly, totally somber and serious. Something for this man was inside him, an almost grudging respect. Something he'd never felt for anyone.

/Rowan/Caesar/
Somehow, he couldn't believe Ash had been that bothered by Kenji. That irked him no end. If only the stupid unpredictable would answer straight! "Stay calm Caesar. You'll repay him one day. Just be patient."
"Too darn good," he said as the illusion disappeared. "That's a good ability...do you ever use it for anything besides getting yourself in trouble?" he grinned slightly at him.

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
Ash listened quietly to Zare's response, feeling like his head was clearing. Zare had a point. It made him feel better to have someone confirm his doubts.
"So what brought that sore subject up? That's a pretty random question out of nowhere."
"I'm sure," he replied wryly. "My apologies, I was unsure of myself, but you've cleared any doubt left." He shook his head. "You won't believe it, but here's what happened while I waited for you..." and he told Zare about the strange man who had come to him, had not only claimed to know about him but had offered a few small proofs of that claim, and his offer.
"The most interesting part about it is...I don't think he was lying either," Ash said slowly, resting his chin on his hand. "He had this manner to him...like my brother always had. Its not confidence, its just...you know you can do it. You've done it before, you can do it again. No assurance, no nothing, you just can and will." He shook his head. "I'm not sure I'm saying it right, but...I think you understand. And that's what threw me." He stared into space, picturing the man's face before him. "Just who was he, I wonder," he mused. "I'd give my right arm to know."

[ClaecElric4God]

/Eric/Zare/
Zare listened quietly as Ash told him his story, more than a bit surprised about it all. Who would know everything about Ash? Ash didn't seem like the type to go around telling his life story. So this guy must really have some connections or something...
More interesting was his offer. Even if it was possible, what did he hope to gain by doing that? As ever, Zare couldn't bring himself to just assume that anyone would do anything that didn't benefit them more than the person they were "helping out". And Zare had no reason to believe any different in this particular case. All in all, it seemed to be too good to be true, and Zare wanted to get to the bottom of this. Which was weird, because his first instinct was to get as far away from it as he could.
Zare shrugged. As things stood, he had no way of figuring this out, and frankly no reason. It wasn't his business. He'd let Ash handle the way he saw fit. Though it seemed like he was going to keep his head in spite of the tantalizing offer.
Zare chuckled at Ash.
"Nah, don't stress over it," he assured Ash. "You'll probably need that arm later."

/Karissa/Kenji/
Kenji threw his head back and laughed maniacally. Once he was done, he looked back at Caeasar with a semi-straight face.
"Of course not!" He replied. "I mean, being useful isn't exactly my strong point. Besides, it's too boring."
But Kenji was beaming inside at Caesar's praise.

[Wolfsong]

/Rowan/Caesar/
He smiled softly, then frowned. "Well...now we just need to answer the simple question of "where to from here"," he said. "Think I'll void the guild for a bit..." Then he suddenly had an idea, and he smiled softly. "Say," he said, turning to face Kenji. "Would you have anything against meeting offline?" he smiled. "I'd like to see Kenji as he is. It'd be fun to hang out, don't you think?"

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
He started to laugh. "You're probably right," he said. "Its difficult wielding a scythe with one hand. I don't suggest it as a career."
He leaned back, thinking, then he said, "Hey, Zare...random quest. This guy gave me the means to contact him again. I wonder, if he knows so much about me, does he know anything about...my brother." He suddenly met Zare's eyes, grinning mischievously. "He knew your username enough to say it flawlessly. That's one heck of an accomplishment. I can't even remember it all." He laughed, then sobered quickly. "I agree with you, but I want to ask him about my brother. Will you come with me?" He frowned slightly. "If there's trouble...I want someone I can reply on at my back. That and...I doubt he'll give me anything for free."

[ClaecElric4God]

/Kenji/Karissa/
Kenji froze, for once completely unable to hide his true feelings from Caesar, which he would later be very, very frustrated about. But at the moment, he was just frozen.
His first reaction was "Yes, that would totally be the most awesome thing ever! I would love that!" But then he actually thought about it. Him, meeting Caesar in person? That would be so weird. First off, in real life it would be her, not him, and what would Caesar think of that? From what Karissa knew, guys were all jerks who looked down on girls and thought they were stupid. So what would he do if he met her as a girl? He would surely treat her different. And she didn't want that. She didn't want things to change. She wanted to be Kenji. She didn't want Caesar to meet the introverted, antisocial girl who couldn't even talk to people she knew, let alone internet strangers. So it was decided, as awesome an idea as that was, the only solution was to politely turn him down. Kenji belonged in his world, and Karissa in hers. They could never cross.
"That would be awesome! When do you think we could do it?" Kenji's blood ran cold as he listened to the words coming out of his mouth. What had he just said?! Looking at Caesar, he creased his brow in a worried look, rubbing the back of his head. "Er, I mean, I don't know...it seems like that would be awkward...and you don't want to meet me in person...we're just game friends. I mean...it's okay, you don't have to. Sorry." Kenji looked away regretfully.
He wanted to crawl into a hole. Everything had turned on its head, and Kenji had lost control. The only thing now that protected Karissa was the fact that Kenji looked nothing like her.
How do I fix this? Will he notice if I just go back to normal and don't say anything? Maybe he'll think it was all a joke.

/Eric/Zare/
"Don't worry, I wouldn't dream of it," Zare replied. "This world only needs one Dark Angel."
Zare laughed when Ash mentioned his username.
"Well, I'm more than a little embarrassed about that. And I wouldn't have minded if you'd never heard about it. 'Zare' is just fine."
Zare listened to Ash's proposal. As much as he wished Ash would just let well enough alone, he understood how he felt, and knew that he would probably do the same thing. So his response was only natural.
"Of course I'll come. Somebody has to keep you in line, after all." Zare stood up and put his hand on Ash's shoulder. "In all seriousness, though. I'd be honored to be considered trustworthy enough to watch your back. Though I'm not sure I can live up to the job."

[FreddyCast]

Dean Solis and Trent Solis

Trent: You’re a good friend too, Zara. (Trent rubs the back of his neck trying to control his nervousness) If you want, I could come with you...well anyways, you can use the guest room and sleep there. If there’s anything you need just call me or my brother.
Dean yells upstairs: IF YOU DISTURB ME, YOU’RE A DEAD PERSON.
Trent: On second thought, just call me. My brother is just being a...(Trent yells back at Dean) BIG FAT JERK.
Dean responds: WHAT?
Trent replies: LOSERSAYSWHAT!
Dean responds again: WHAT? (Trent grins in satisfaction and then he addresses Zara again)
Trent: Well, goodnight Zara. (Trent leaves to go to his room as he waves a goodbye)

Maximius

(Hadrian is back to his IFF persona, Maximius. He stands outside the gates of the Nescalan Capital in front of his armies. Suddenly a angelic figure comes flying with incredible speed and lands with overpowering force that the ground shakes beneath her, yet her landing was as if a small leaf had grazed the ground.)
Maximius: Impressive! (Maximius’ armies ready their weapons against the intruder, but Maximius waves his hand up to signal them to lay down their weapons) I see that you have come for me, Miss Amber Turner. You found me so quickly too. Shall we leave to a more private place.(Hadrian opens a portal and gestures Ke’Tala to follow him as he passes through the portal. She follows reluctantly and arrives in the Void Realm)
Ke’Tala: What is this place?
Maximius: My realm! Come and enter my dream. (Hadrian examines Amber’s posture and form). You exude such an imposing presence even in this barren wasteland. It’s rare to find players like you.
Ke’Tala: Enough with your poisonous flatteries. I’m here to avenge Pierce for what you’ve done to him and to us all.
Maximius: What I have done? And what exactly is it that I have done to Pierce and the rest of his ‘family’.
Ke’Tala: You know exactly what you’ve done. (Ke’Tala anger begins to show on her face)
Maximius: You mean the enthusiasts? My charge for them was to keep an eye on him. Other than that, it was their prerogative to do as they please. Besides, Pierce was already a marked man even before my own eyes sought him. They would have gone after him even without my involvement. In fact, it was my own involvement that kept them from taking his life, that is until Pierce denied Valdus’ offer.
Ke’Tala: You mean ‘your’ offer. So it was either follow you or feed him to the wolves? You were just using him. It doesn’t matter how “uninvolved” you think you are. Pierce is lost and has lost everything because of you.
Maximius: What has happened to Pierce was his own doing. He was already lost, and there was nothing you could do to change him. So I saved him from his own petty fantasies.
Ke’Tala: YOU LIAR! YOU DIDN’T SAVE HIM, YOU DESTROYED ANY CHANCE FOR HIM TO BE A GOOD MAN. (Ke’Tala takes out her blade and points it at Maximius)
Maximius: A good man? Pierce? Hahahaha! It seems you were the one with a child’s dream.
Ke’Tala: SHUT UP YOU SNAKE! (Ke’Tala spreads her fiery wings and charges at Maximius in a blinding zig-zag motion as he goes up into the air)

LINK
(She swings at Maximius and a mixture of wind and fire push him back. She then disappears and Maximius feels a dagger stab him from the back.)
Maximius: You’re truly are a splendid opponent. Rarely does anyone ever hit in the first few seconds. However...(Maximius transforms into a group of black birds as they scatter and hawk loudly. The black birds then regroup infront of Ke’Tala no longer injured.)
Ke’Tala: I’m not surprised that you always use tricks and illusions. It’s probably your forte. But you can’t fool me for long.
Maximius: Like Pierce has for years, right? Did you really think that you were actually getting to him. He seemed to never once show any signs of change in him. Even after all these years. Still the cold-hearted man with a God-complex. That is until I publicly exposed him for the dillusional fool that he was.
Ke’Tala: YOU’RE WRONG! (She strikes again with her blade, but Maximius again disperses into black birds and makes clones of himself in all directions surrounding Ke’Tala. She materializes crystalline blades and with her mind shoots them to all the clones at the same time) You won’t hide from me with your clones. No matter how many you make I will get you eventually. (Maximius appears above Ke’Tala from a distance
Maximius: And which clone of Pierce were you chasing. The “good man” you so wanted. Or the man with many faces. All this time he has been lying to you.
Ke’Tala: He has changed. I’ve seen it myself. I’m getting tired of you bad-mouthing him. (She takes out her bow and shoots multiple arrows of pure energy. Maximius moves side to side avoiding each arrow, but then the arrows turn around chasing after Maximius. Then Maximius comes at Ke’Tala as the arrows gain on him and hit him on all directions, engulfing Maximius in the explosion.)
Ke’Tala: You’re not tough at all. Just all big talk and no substance. Pierce is not your puppet. (Suddenly Maximius whispers in her ear behind her)
Maximius: And who were you to him? (She grabs her blade again and swings behind her, but Maximius is gone and reappears behind her again from a distance looking unscathed from the explosion.) You and everyone else were puppets to him as well. I changed all that.
Ke’Tala: NO! You made him worse.
Maximius: Did I now? Before he found his “new family”, he abandoned his previous one. The brother which he so loved, was now an object of hate. But after my intervention as Valdus, he couldn’t even finish off his little brother. A sign of weakness for sure, but is that not what a “good man” would do: To not hate his brother.
Ke’Tala: Everything you say is a lie. I WON’T HEAR IT ANYMORE. (She swings her blade once again, but Maximius grabs it with his right hand. She takes out her dagger to try and catch him off guard, but again he grabs her other hand twists her around and locking her arm behind her back. She can’t move as she’s being held in an arm lock and Maximius again whispers in her ear.)
Maximus: I’m sure all the things you told Pierce about “family” was a lie to him. He might have listened to your words, but he never heard you, did he? That spirit of hate and distrust kept him from hearing you.
Ke’Tala: What you did to him only made him hate and distrust us even more.(Ke’Tala moves her head back to head-butt Maximius, to which he let’s go of her and backs off, but not before he scratches her arm with his scythe.)
Maximius: I wanted him to feel the pain he had caused by making him feel the same hurt. The very same people he thought that he was fooling was fooling him. The man who thought himself a God was brought to shame. One can only change once they are humbled.
Ke’Tala: You haven’t changed him at all.
Maximius: Tell me, did the self-proclaimed God kill his “new family”? Or did the “good man” spare them? (Ke’Tala looks with sadness)
Ke’Tala:.......It doesn’t matter now, he has no family anymore. ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! Justify your actions all you want, but it was you who brought him to this.
Maximius: Then be glad he spared his family because of my intervention. Better to have a broken man than dillusional god. (Ke’Tala powers up as she exudes a ferocious aura of flames and then takes out her bow to shoot one huge arrow of energy)
Ke’Tala: This will finish you off. (she shoots the arrow, but Maximius stands there unfazed and says “CORPOREAL EXCHANGE”. Suddenly she is standing in Maximius’ place as she is instantly hit by her own arrow and engulfed in a huge explosion. When the smoke clears she looks in horror as she is in Maximius’ body while she stares at her own body standing few feet away from her)
Ke’Tala: Wha?...What have you done to me? Why am I in this wretched body?
Maximius: I exchanged bodies with you.
Ke’Tala: But you let yourself be injured, if your character dies then you lose.
Maximus: Then it’s a good thing this fight never happened.
Ke’Tala: What...do you mean? (In stunned unbelief she looks all around her as the reality in front of her breaks like a mirror, and it’s revealed that she’s actually in her own body in critical condition.)
Maximus: The one who you thought were fighting was merely yourself. You took yourself out with your own arrow.
Ke’Tala: Bu... but how? (Maximius points at the scratch she received earlier)
Maximius: My scythe has the ability to exchange with a person’s body if the target comes in contact with it. As far as the reality breaking before your eyes, I cast it the moment you entered this realm.
Ke’Tala: You’re like a demon.
Maximus: Are you surprised now? You did say that my forte was tricks and illusions. Anyways, I’ve wasted enough energy on you. I must return now. (As he passes by her broken body she grabs at his feet)
Ke’Tala: WAIT...what do you want from Pierce? (Maximius looks at her in an empathetic manner, but then he gets free of her grasp and keeps on walking towards a portal he opens. He stops at the entrance to the portal and says to Ke’Tala...)
Maximius:.....To bring out the “good man” in him that I could never be, even if I have to make him suffer some more.
Ke’Tala: Yo...you’re not making any sense? (Maximius smiles as if to laugh)
Maximius: I’ve been getting that a lot lately. Goodbye Miss Amber! (He leaves through the portal, leaving Ke’Tala behind in a serious condition)

[Wolfsong]

/Rowan/Caesar/
He just hid his grin at Kenji's look of shock. Score! And then Kenji stated how awesome it would be. Then, to Caesar's amazement, he suddenly got all nervous, stammering, uncertain, the opposite of what Kenji normally was. Caesar was taken aback.
"I...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to...I mean, you don't....I...."
Now he felt the awkwardness in the air. He wasn't sure what exactly had just happened, but he had the strangest feeling he'd just....All of a sudden, he was embarrasses and flushed. That was a terrible breach in manners right here, and him a gentleman! This was the internet! You didn't just say things like that! If...he...
No, this was wrong. He swallowed, set his face, and allowed his stiff, mannerly self take over. He rested his hand over his heart, bowing slightly as he backed away.
"I'm sorry Kenji, that was severely rude of me," he said, talking like he was repeating a formula. He didn't quite realize it, but his face had gone a little stern. "I think...it would be best for us to part, at this time," He stepped towards the teleportal, scrolling through the lists. Somewhere...far away from here. Somewhere the unpredictable wouldn't guess or follow him.
He paused, hovering over his decision. "Kenji?" he didn't turn, but a little of his actually feelings came through. "I'm truly sorry. You are...different...but you're one of the best people I know. I never meant to hurt you. I'm sorry.." his hand rested on the gate; was that mist in his eyes? "Please forgive me,." and he disappeared.

He hadn't been here since Ash had...dealt with him here. Still, it was out of the way and really high level, so...
He sat down and leaned against the pillar, closing his eyes. What an idiot. What a stupid idiot...

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
Ash laughed, but ti was a little bitter.
"You live up to it better than anyone else. After all, you're the only one who didn't abandon the Dark Angel to his fate." He was quiet a moment, then said softly," Actually, I'm a little scared. I've no clue what to expect." After a moment, he shook his head. "But nothing stops the Dark Angel." He stood and was almost instantly at the door. People parted quickly to let him pass, and their whispers did not escape his ears. The whispers grew when people saw Zare. Ash smiled faintly, amused and maybe a bit concerned. To all the people he'd dealt with, to stay around the Dark Angel was to die, no matter how close you thought you were. Some lasted longer than others, but all die in the end. Zare was of interest, because no only had he openly sided with the Dark Angel, but had gotten away with whacking him upside the head. Which meant either Ashimatya was genuinely fond of Zare, which was impossible he was a heartless demon, or somehow the cat had the upper hand...had not only defeated the angel but forced him to submit perhaps....
It was hilarious, but that was how the rumors went. They became so quickly twisted it was ridiculous. He had yet to meet anyone, save his brother but he had hacks, who had the abilities or skills capable of defeating him.
He reached the edge of town. he glanced around carefully, then started for the beach. Despite everything inside, he found himself hoping this man knew nothing about his brother. If he truly had powers like he claimed, what else did the stranger have?
One, two, three, four shore, and he was there. The water had calmed since he'd gone, and he was able to clearly see the cuttlefish, a squid-like monster, a short distance off. He walked to the edge of the shoreline and faced it. "I would like to speak with your Master," he called ti it imperiously.
"Who wants?" it retorted.
He was a little surprised, as most monsters were not sentient, but replied, "The Dark Angel."
It disappeared under the waves. Ash sat down, closed his eyes, and began to ready himself.

/Zara/Kiari/
She smiled softly, then rolled her eyes at the brothers' exchange. Interestingly enough, Trent seemed to actually win. She wished him goodnight, watching him go, then laid down. Wow...it had been one heck of a day.
...
An odd noise woke her. It had gotten really dark, so she guessed it was maybe one in the morning. She sat up slowly, listening. There was another sound, and she recognized it as creaking floorboards. Standing up cautiously, she walked over to the window and peered out. She could just make out the silhouette of a man carefully skulking away.
Taking a wild guess, she leaned forward. "Hey Light-fingers!" she called softly.
He jumped, whirling around and almost loosing his footing. When he saw her, he relaxed but only a little. "Kiari," he said.
"You the last one?" she glanced down, noting the missing pile of unconscious men.
"That's how it works," he replied. "You know that." He fidgeted, wanting to get away, but he didn't go. Zara was counting on that, particularly since he had almost agreed to escape with her back then. "What do you want?"
"I need something on Loki."
"What, you're going to blackmail him?" he asked.
"Enough to keep him honest. Enough to shut him down completely."
He regarded her a moment, then said, "You know what'll happen if he finds out I told you."
"But he won't. No one else is here, and I sure won't tell. Besides...isn't it worth the risk, if I win?" she replied. He hesitated. She asked, "Would you happen to know anything about his fighting style?"
"Nah, but I imagine he named himself that for a reason." Finally, he sighed and said, "Fine, listen up, I'll only say this once."
She leaned forward, listening intently to his voice quietly telling her what she needed. The second he finished, he whispered, "good luck" and ran off. Zara sat back on the couch, thinking hard, till she fell back asleep.

[ClaecElric4God]

/Karissa/Kenji/
Kenji stared in shock at Caesar's apology. His heart sank as he saw the cold formality. What had he just done? He'd ruined everything by allowing himself to be caught off guard!
Kenji stuttered and stammered, trying to force words out, as Caesar turned his back and walked toward the teleportal. Part ways? Why was this happening?!
"...Wait..." he whispered, too low for Caesar to hear. But then Caesar was gone.
"Please...don't go..." Kenji sank to his knees, his arms wrapped around him. After a few moments, he quickly pulled up his screen and logged out.

Karissa ripped the headset off, raising it up to throw against the wall. But she just held it there for a moment, then dropped it on the desk. Instead, she wandered over to her bed, curling up in a ball. In a matter of seconds she was sobbing, the tears flowing freely. She cried herself to sleep, wondering why this had all happened. She was finally certain that there was no way that Karissa could ever have a friend. And now she was starting to wonder if even Kenji could have friends...Maybe it just wasn't possible. Even pretending to be something else, she'd still messed up.
Karissa woke up to her mother gently touching her shoulder.
"Time for dinner," she said. "You must have been tired. I called you from downstairs, but you didn't wake up. Are you sure you aren't playing too many games?"
"Maybe..." Karissa said quietly as she got up. Her mother looked at her in surprise. This would be the first time that Karissa didn't loudly protest to such a suggestion. Karissa always stubbornly defended Infinite. For her to agree...
"Are you alright, honey?" She asked with concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Karissa forced a smile to show it, then headed down the stairs for dinner.
At the table, Karissa played with her food, hardly putting any of it in her mouth. It finally got so bad that her mother forcibly excused her, realizing that Karissa needed some time to herself.
"Mom," she said as she stood up from the table.
"Yes?"
"Why can't I have any friends?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't have any friends, no matter how hard I try."
"Well, maybe that's it. You shouldn't try so hard. The best kind of friends are honest with each other, and they don't "try" to be the kind of person they think the other will want. You just have to be yourself and be friendly." She smiled sweetly at Karissa.
"Myself, huh?" Karissa asked, turning away. She slowly retreated up the stairs to her room, sitting down at the desk. She didn't want to go back, ever again. But still...something nagged, urged her into that world, and before she knew it, she was starting it up.

Kenji looked around, remembering that he was standing directly in front of the teleportal. Yeah, that...
He honestly had no idea where Caesar had gone, and no leads, either. He could wander around the map looking for him, but somehow didn't see that working.
Instead, he opted for a private message. Odds were he'd damaged their relationship too much to ever repair, so this would give Caesar a chance to decide what he wanted to do. That way neither of them would get hurt if Caesar just walked away and never acknowledged Kenji again.
Kenji took a deep breath. Even with everything that had just happened, he still wasn't used to being anything but a shallow prankster. So...this wasn't going to be easy.

Hey, Caesar. About today...Sorry, I made everything really awkward. I'm an idiot. That said, I completely understand if you never want to talk to me. I mean, I don't even want to talk to me anymore. But I figured I'd let you know that I don't hate you, and I'm sorry for being awkward. You didn't hurt me at all (well, until you up and left), so don't feel bad. I'll feel like a heel if you do. Anyways, no hard feelings, and I hope you don't hate me, even after all the trouble I've caused you. I'm a real pain, I know that. I understand that you'd rather part ways and never have to look at my face again, but if you randomly changed your mind or something, I'll be on that one funny shaped rock by the river in the town you left me at. I'm only sticking around for a little while, though, and I'll just assume you've made up your mind and move on with my life. Thanks for the fun times. You're an awesome slave trader.

With the message sent, Kenji wandered out of town toward the river, climbing up onto the rock. He sat and thought for a few moments, but then he got bored. Concentrating all of his energy, he started playing with illusions, creating a wall of fire around the rock, groups of monsters, player-look-alikes, and other assorted randomness. After awhile, he started challenging himself to see how much he could do at once, and how long he could make them stay. He realized he'd progressed a lot since the last time he'd paid attention, and he could now hold a detailed illusion for 15 seconds if he really concentrated.
"What could I do with this besides be annoying?" He thought aloud to himself.


/Eric/Zare/
Listening to the whispers, Zare smiled. He had to wonder what people were thinking right now. For the first time, Zare thought about the possible implications, and it just made him laugh. If anything, this was giving him a reputation as a pretty tough guy. Though whether that was a good one or not...
Zare followed Ash to the shore, plopping down beside him.
"So...what exactly is the plan? Is he going to be mad you brought me with you? Should I try not to be out in the open or something? I hope this wasn't one of those "come alone" deals."

[Wolfsong]

Elsewhere...
Many clouds filled the sky, blocking out what little sunlight there was. The single sunbeam that forced its way through rested directly over the ruins of a city. Upon closer inspection, one begins to recognize the fallen pillars, the broken gates, the once grand halls reduced to rubbish.
Mia Uomlith Allnien was fallen.
A low breathing could be heard, deep within the ruins of the main house. Resting on a stone slab, a small woman lay. Her breathing was somewhat irregular, like she was struggling just to take in those small breaths. Her beautiful sapphire hair spread out on the stone, framing her angelic face.
Softly, her eyelids fluttered. Slowly, they opened to reveal dark eyes with a depth as vast as an ocean. She blinked once, then sat up slowly. Her head turned slowly, viewing the world around her with apathetic confusion.
"Ah, you finally woke."
Her head turned to the direction of the voice. Her eyes widened in recognition. "You..." she breathed, her voice soft with a lilting sound.
He smiled at her. "Its good to see you again," he said.
She rose to her feet, a little unsteady, but recovering quickly. "What have you done?" she asked.
"What I have aspired to do. Almost all ends are complete. Even Maximius has inadvertently served me, just as Pierce has. Now I have just one more end to attend to." He stepped forward, extending a hand. "Give her to me, Oracle. It is time."
She shook her head slowly. "I refused you once. I refuse you again. I will not place her in your hands."
"You would deny me?" he stepped forward threateningly.
She held her ground. "You forget, your "rules" changed me as they changed you, and I have power now as you do. I cannot only deny you, but I can defy you as well!"
He relaxed his threateningly pose slightly, but the tension in the air was still there. "It matters little. You are still bound to these ruins, and the players have yet to discover this place. UNtil you give in, you're trapped here."
"Then I will rest for infinity. But until then, this is my home. So..." she extended her hand. "BEGONE MONSTER! OR FACE THE WRATH OF THE GOD'S DIVINE HAND!"
There was a loud rushing sound, and the man she dubbed monster was driven from Allnien. He stumbled out of the ruins, gasping, then his fist clenched. "You foolish wench," he breathed, smashing the pillar. "You'll learn soon enough."
"Master!" a desert bird descended, landing on the ground beside him. "A man calling himself the Dark Angel wishes to speak with you."
The man smiled slowly, his good humor returned. "I see." He paused a moment, assessing something, then nodded. "Then let us meet with him, by all means."

/Rowan/Caesar/
He was contemplating logging off when he suddenly received a pm. He opened it quickly, as it was from Kenji.
He was still for the longest time, then pulled out a teleportal item and vanished.
...
Minutes later, he faced a rock surrounded by various illusions, a faint smile on his face as he watched Kenji go to town.
"What could I do with this besides be annoying?" Kenji said, looking thoughtful.
"Let a friend know which funny shaped rock he's sitting on," Caesar replied wryly. "There's a lot of funny-shaped rocks around here." He was seated on the grass watching, a small smile on his face. He grinned at Kenji. "Sorry for being an idiot," he said, a little awkwardly, but trying to get beyond the silence.

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
"He didn't say anything about coming alone," Ash replied. "So...if he doesn't like it, too bad." He grinned at Zare.
Suddenly, there was a faint shimmer in the air, and the man calling himself Master appeared on the water. He smiled as he saw Ash and Zare. "Ah, I see you brought your friend," he said pleasantly, stepping onto the shore. "Its always nice to meet the rest of the world's people. The ones worth meeting anyway."
"I'm not here about earlier," Ash said. "I'm here to ask-"
"About your brother, yes I know," he replied.
Ash glared, angry at him. "And about you. Who the heck are you?!" he demanded.
The man smiled softly. "Well, if you were your brother, I might tell you, but you're not, so..."
Ash glared at him, crossing his arms. "And what makes Pierce so special to you?" he demanded.
"I think you are capable of guessing that."
Ash closed his eyes briefly, then said, "Fine, whatever. Before I ask about my brother, I want to know something." He opened his eyes, they were rock hard. "What will it cost me to have you tell me what I want to know?"
The man smiled. "How about your soul?" he asked, then laughed. "My, what a serious face!"
Ash's eyes narrowed. Dark tendrils began playing through his hands. The man smiled. "Think you can take me, Dark Angel?"
"I'm willing to try," he hissed.

[ClaecElric4God]

/Karissa/Kenji/
Kenji froze. He hadn't heard Caesar coming, and he had his back to him. Too afraid to turn around, Kenji slowly dispersed all the illusions, leaving only a small squirrel that perched on his shoulder. Kenji touched its head softly.
"Well, you could have told me you were coming." He finally said. "Then I wouldn't have shown you the true extent of my powers." But then he hung his head, unable to keep up the facade.
"I wouldn't mind meeting in real life, really," he said quietly. "I'm just not sure you'd like what you'd find."
Then Kenji raised his head and looked over his shoulder, a goofy grin on his face. He leaned backwards, falling off the rock with his head toward the ground. At the last second, he caught himself on his hands, then cartwheeled into a standing position. He crossed his arms and trudged over to Caesar. Looking him in the eye, Kenji let a pleading look escape for only a second.
Please, just for now, don't make me end this, it pleaded. Let me keep being Kenji just a little longer.
But then it was gone, and Kenji was grinning again.
"So, what now? I take it we're back to the old drawing board, since Zare ran off on us."

/Eric/Zare/
Zare glared at the man, deciding right off the bat that he didn't like him. He didn't respond when he was acknowledged, but just kept up his icy stare.
And so, it wasn't at all unexpected when the man challenged Ash to a duel. But then Zare was faced with a dilemma. His first instinct was to jump to Ash's aid. But he had a feeling Ash wouldn't appreciate that, especially if this was really the only way for him to get his information. But was it? Or was it just a trap?
After debating, Zare shifted, landing on all fours in an aggressive posture. He was close to Ash, but not close enough to send the message that he intended to participate.
"This is your call, Ash," he said quietly. "But know this, information or not, I'm not gonna sit here and watch you die if things get bad."

[Oddood198]

Lydia walked along at a leisurely pace, lazily gazing forward as Tally did the searching. In response to Meeka's question, she answered, "Oh, a couple years. Maybe three or four. Maybe just one." She shrugged, "Who knows. How about you?"



"Hm, and you're not the type that knows how to hide things subtly, it seems." Jean replied, giving a small chuckle. A moment later, a knock came from the door. "Come in." Jean called.
The door opened, and the rest of the team came in, Mitchell first, then two others, a man and a woman. The woman, Ana, was a frail-looking, somewhat older woman. Not elderly, but certainly not young any longer. Her pale red hair had a few strips of grey running through it, and her dark eyes were sunken and constantly shifting. The man, Ben, was large, more thickly built and heavily muscled than even Jean. He had close-cropped hair and determined, brave-looking eyes. Claire came into the lobby through her door, now geared up similarly to Jean.
The four of them looked expectantly at Jean, and he returned each of their gazes, one by one. "Everyone," Jean finally spoke, his voice was oddly quiet in the large room now filled with people, but it was the only sound and completely demanded attention. He turned slightly and gestured to Pierce, "This is Pierce. I'm sure you've all heard of him, at some point or another. He has turned out to be an invaluable ally. Within a span of minutes, he has done more than the rest of us could achieve in all these months." He paused, letting them think for a minute. "He has given us the possible location of one of Aeon's bases."
The group all sucked in deep gasps of air, and Jean saw all their eyes widening in surprise. He continued talking before any questions arose, "We're moving out ASAP. We're going to move in and capture the location. If Aeon is there, we'll catch him, if he's not, we'll find clues to him. And if he was never there to begin with... Then we're really no worse off to begin with."
He waited a few more moments, letting the others process the information, before adding the final bit. "That's the briefing. I'm not one for speeches, so I'll just say this: You all get your hides in gear, so we can catch Aeon and avenge Cally and Brian!"
With shouts of agreement, Mitchell, Ana, and Ben all ran into their own separate rooms to get their own gear prepared.
Jean turned to Claire and gave her a brief nod, then back to Pierce. "You've done us a greater service than you can know, hacker." He said, looking to the closed doors of the rooms his comrades were occupying, "You've given them hope again."

[Wolfsong]

/Stephen/Ashimatya/Rowan/Caesar/
Approximately 6 Years Ago, give or take a month continued...
"Gotta light?" Ash asked. "While I am comfortable in the dark, I doubt you are."
"One minute."
Ash glanced around, noting the stalactites rising to the ceiling. When Caesar;s torch successfully lit up, it revealed the icy polish around them. Caesar stood, holding his torch high, the light glittering on the cold ice. "Wow," he breathed. "This is...wow."
Ash glanced around. He pointed towards an opening in the wall. "Lets start there," he said.
They approached cautiously. Caesar kept his hand on his sword, but Ash remained empty handed, radiating an astonishing amount of confidence, considering the level of the dungeon. Of course, in Caesar's opinion, the man was just stupid. He was quickly finding himself looking forward to this man's sudden demise, which was inevitable if he continued this path.
A symbol appeared ahead - mini-boss battle ahead. Caesar drew his sword, staring incredulously at Ash's empty hands. Ash just smiled at him and triggered the battle.
A huge golem appeared, approximately 55L, if Ash was correct. He bit his lower lip, then shrugged and crossed his arms while Caesar rushed forward. The golem lunged at Caesar with its massive fist. Caesar dove left just in time, and the fist created a deep crater in the ground. He attempted to thrust between the head and neck, but the golem moved faster than he thought, and he was sent flying. he smashed into the wall and sank to the floor.
Ash watched as the golem started toward Caesar's prone form. When he didn't get up, Ash sighed and stepped forward. "Is that really all you have/" he asked as he thrust his hand into the golem's back. Clocked in powerful darkness, with his bare hands he tore the golem apart in seconds. He ignored the notice of experience and bent down beside Caesar, using a healing item. "So far I'd say the score is a hundred to nothing, my favor."
Caesar stirred, then glared at him. "You know most golem's don't move that fast," he declared angrily. "What the heck is your problem?"
"Newsflash - I'm traveling with a guy who, obviously a newb, went to a place way out of his level."
"I'm no newb!' Caesar leapt to his feet angrily, pointing his sword at Ash, "I won't tolerate anymore of your garbage!"
Ash just smiled. "Oh my, so terrifying. A squirrel gnashing its teeth at a panther. You are pathetic." He turned away and started deeper into the dungeon. Caesar stared after him a long minute, then sheathed his sword. "I can do this without you," he said. "I'm just as good as a stupid Magnus." He noticed three new divergent paths. Ash was vanishing down the third. Caesar smiled and walked down the first one.
Ashimatya walked quietly down the cavern road, then paused. A chest rested at a dead end under a canopy of icy sheen. He smiled softly, walked over and opened it.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
He paused in the act of pocketing over 10,000gold, glancing back. A faint smile tugged at his lips. "Ash," he said to himself. "Shall we go see what our little newb stepped into?" He chuckled. "Why yes, Ash, lets go." As he walked out, his smile turned a little apologetic. "And maybe apologize, but he really gets on my nerves...."

/Rowan/Caesar/
He smiled softly at Kenji's lighthearted words. He had to strain his hearing to catch the next part, though.
"I wouldn't mind meeting in real life, really," Kenji said quietly. "I'm just not sure you'd like what you'd find."
"I'm willing to chance it," he replied quietly. He watched Kenji come over, then smiled back at him.
"Truth be told, I've no real clue. Maybe we should try a dungeon?"

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
Ash nodded softly at Zare, but didn't respond. He remained focused on the man before him. "Take your weapon," he said.
"I already have it," the man replied with a smile. Ash nodded and stepped back slightly.
"So be it." and he flew at the man, darkness surrounding him like a blanket.
The man smiled softly and held out his right hand. A thin beam of light suddenly shot directly out of his palm, straight into Ash's shadow. Ash barely dove aside in time as the light so small suddenly exploded, taking out the area. For a second, the whole world was bright. Ash clouded over in darkness, and things became somewhat visible again. But he could not find his opponent. Warily he glanced around, then saw movement on his right. Instantly he struck in that direction, sending out a vast shadow to envelope the light.
Much to his surprise, the light swallowed his darkness. Before he could recover, the man was suddenly behind him, a hand in his back, and the other tucked just under his chin.
"Not all that impressive," the man said softly. "No matter what, the light has always been strongest. I wonder why..."
"Son of a-" Ash kicked back, dissolving. He heard the man chuckle, and suddenly he was in the light again. The man had completely enveloped his darkness! Ash took a step back, eyes wide. "What are you?" he demanded.
"Didn't you ever wonder, if there was something as powerful as a Magnus, if there wasn't a counterpart?" the man asked, smiling softly. Ash hissed. The man laughed. "I see. You're more limited than I thought."
"YOU--" Ash dove forward. The light suddenly descended, as the man raised his hand.
The world was returned to normal, an empty beach. Ash was crouched on the ground, moaning softly. The man smiled. "Let me see," he murmured. "A Magnus becomes human in the light, doesn't it?" he smiled at Ash, who moaned in response. His face was twisted painfully. "I think you've learned your lesson...and who the Master is." He chuckled.
Ash lowered his head till his forehead touched the ground, eyes closing tightly. What...had just happened...

/Pierce/Arachni/
"Avenge Cally and Brian" the man had said. So that was it...
Pierce nodded softly to himself, then said, "No problem. Glad to be of service." He yawned slightly. "Well, good luck, don't die, all that great stuff. I'm gonna sleep for a bit." He grinned softly, then said seriously, "Be careful."

[Banana Lobster]

OOC: Almost there! Another two or three posts and I'll have Shade out of here! With proper compensation, of course.

Sage Shade

Stepping carefully, Shade made her way through the tunnel, which had thankfully retained a much higher ceiling and wider space than the maze of mirrors had had. So far, it had been quiet, but she kept out her scythe, with her daggers in her belt, just in case. She had been walking for about an hour before she came across a fork in the tunnel. On one side, the path lead up, and hopefully, out of this nightmare. On the other side the path lead down, and she could sense plenty of water. Biting her lip, she looked back and forth. On the one hand, going up would get her out of here, and she wouldn't have to worry about some monster creeping up on her in an enclosed space. On the other hand, going down would either bring to the hacker's hideout, or to the end of a high-level dungeon; either way, she would get something useful out of the trip, and with all the water she could sense, it would be difficult to be caught off guard.

She looked back and forth, wavering between her fear of small spaces, and her stubborn refusal to give up, without any compensation. Finally, she started slowly along the downhill path, reassuring herself that if it got too bad, she could just turn back and take the other path and get out.

Before long, the path suddenly got steeper and steeper, until she slipped and slid down and down, until she hit the water-hard. She immediately reached out and wrapped the water around her, and just in time, because the water was being drawn along at a sharp rate. She took a moment to un-equip her scythe and lantern, which had gone out when she hit the water, and pull some seaweed out of the pouch at her waist, which she twisted sharply. The seaweed began to glow a bright turquoise, and she quickly tied it around her wrist, letting it light her way as she began to make her way upstream, daggers in hand. The seaweed wasn't all that rare, and made for good lighting underwater, but it had a timer, and didn't work as well on land, so she used her lantern there instead.

[ClaecElric4God]

OOC: I got kind of confused, but I'm assuming Ash is still in the same place as Zare. If not, let me know and I'll change this.

/Eric/Zare/
Zare couldn't have kept up with the battle if he'd tried. Not only were both of them out of his league, they were fighting on a completely different plain. Light vs. dark didn't really leave room for something as simple as claws. So it was that in the few moments it took for the stranger to overpower Ash, Zare simply stood their helplessly. When the dust cleared so to speak, and Ash was sitting on the ground, Zare was in shock. What had just happened? It was all too confusing. But one thing was certain, this guy was not normal. Zare's first instinct was to run. And with anyone else, he would have. After all, this was just a game, so abandoning his partner wouldn't be disastrous. And it was obvious that Zare wasn't even close to being a match for this guy. The only advantage he had was speed, and it seemed like this guy could just appear wherever he wanted anyway. So it really was in Zare's best interest to get out of here as quickly as possible.
But Ash changed everything. Zare couldn't bring himself to leave Ash. His conscience wouldn't let him. It was foolish and pointless, but Zare made his decison. Darting over, Zare took a protective stand over Ash, snarling at the stranger. He had no idea what he was doing, and realized how stupid he must look right now, like a mouse challenging a lion. But he just growled all the fiercer, never taking his piercing golden eyes off the man. He wouldn't budge, but kept himself between the two.
"All right, you've proved your point," he said. "Did you really just come here to bully him? Or is there a valid reason for all this?"

/Karissa/Kenji/
Kenji didn't miss Caesar's quiet comment, and he smiled a bit at it. It was a relief to know that Caesar hadn't given up on the idea of meeting up. But he was still too frightened to give it a chance.
"That sounds awesome!" He replied. "I haven't charged a dungeon in a long time! Let's go see if we can't get ourselves killed!"

[Wolfsong]

OOC- lets give a round of applause for BL for achieving what no foo- I mean hero has done before


/Rowan/Caesar/
He laughed at Kenji's response. "That does actually sound fun," he said. Standing, he walked back up to the teleportal and began studying their options. "Hey...how about this one? It's called Hades' Furnace, with a 90-95L minimum." He grinned back at Kenji. "So odds are we're gonna die, but I think it sounds fun. What about you?"

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
Ash recovered relatively quickly, considering. He was rather sore, though. He pushed himself to stand, and rested a hand on Zare's shoulder. "Its alright Zare," Ash said quietly. He stared hard at the strange man, who regarded the pair with a smile. "So you're the opposite of a Magnus, huh? What do you call that?"
"The idea was that a Magnus represents darkness and corruption. Therefore, its opposite must stand for light and salvation, yes? They ended up calling this race the Lucem."
"First I've ever heard of it." Ash closed his eyes, grimacing slightly. The blows he had taken hurt more than he cared to admit. The light power had been incredibly strong immediately, which had been a surprise. No fighter had mastered it to that level. This man was...good.
His body was suddenly enveloped in a soft light,a nd his wounds were healed. He stared in surprise at the Lucem, who lowered his hand.
"You've gotten overconfident in your fame," he said. "So you've relaxed your skills. Never dismiss a strange opponent until you know everything about them." He smiled softly. "I was right. You do have potential. I look forward to when you are completely of this world."
Ash stared at him, puzzled. The man stepped back onto the water. "Pierce isn't logged on just now," he said as he walked. "Some of his team turned out to be enthusiasts, so he's moving house. I won't give you any details where he is now, since I understand his need for secrecy, but he should be logging on again very soon."
"One more question." Ash called after him. "How the heck do you know all this? What the heck did you hack into?"
"I never hack, my dear boy." He paused and turned back. "The world and I just happen to share a connection deeper than any hack your brother has come up with. Though," he added thoughtfully. "He's getting closer to it. I look forward to when he finally understands." He smiled and inclined his head. "I also look forward to meeting you and your friend again. Its rare to meet a good man anymore. When things begin to change, I'll be sure to keep an eye on you." He teleported away.
Ash stared a long while, thinking. "I think," he said softly. "We just got the hint something's coming. And someone's going to keep tabs on us. I'm not sure if I should be relieved or terrified." He chuckled. "Why'd I get out of bed this morning?"
He smiled at Zare,. "Sorry for being the fool again. I'm gonna have to work on that." He stared up at the sky again, which had turned a deep orange. Sunset already...I don't want to go back. No yet...
"Zare...you know a lot about me, but I know very little about you." He sat down and hugged his knees to his chest, staring listlessly at the horizon. "DO you mind...talking about it? Its okay if you don't."
Mom was waiting. Little child mom who was surrounded by brightly colored things and child's toys. Mom who didn't even know her own son. He closed his eyes, willing those thoughts away.

[ClaecElric4God]

/Eric/Zare/
Zare tried to relax when Ash told him it was okay, but he was still tensed. He waited quietly as they had their conversation, then finally relaxed a bit when the man was gone. In the end they'd found nothing out. If anything, things had just gotten more confusing.
"Do you mind...talking about it? Its okay if you don't."
Zare transformed, sitting on the bank next to Ash, resting his arms on his knees. Like Ash, Zare looked out at the horizon, thinking about his life.
"Well, there isn't much. My life hasn't exactly been unusual. I'm an only child, I killed my dad in a car wreck a year and a half ago, and I've been trying to support my mom ever since. I can't seem to get a steady job, so I have a few part time jobs that don't really help. And to top it off, Mom's been sick off and on for awhile now. We still don't know what's wrong with her."
Zare was silent for a moment, staring at the sunset.
"If I lost her...I don't know what I'd do. I don't think I'd have a reason to live..."

/Karissa/Kenji/
Kenji laughed.
"That sounds perfect! There's no way I could make it out of that one alive, then you'd have to feel bad for leading me to my death!" Kenji gave Caesar an enthusiastic thumbs up.
"Sounds like a good plan! When do we leave?"

[Wolfsong]

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
He looked at Zare as he spoke, then closed his eyes again. "At least she knows you though, right?" he said. "My mom wouldn't even know me if I didn't keep seeing her every day. She doesn't know me as her son...more like a babysitter, I guess. You know how much an impression they make on a child."
He shook his head. "I'm sorry Zare. I truly am sorry..." He shook his head. "I can't cry, you know that? I never cry in front of people. I never wanted to let anyone know about the demons I held inside, the monsters that haunt me every night. You..." he smiled, just a little, but bitterly. "I hope your mother's help improves."

/Rowan/Caesar/
He smiled. "Maybe I will, maybe I won't. Lets go now." and he selected the option.
When the pixals had adjusted, they were standing in a barren wasteland. lava pits surrounded the place, and a giant mountain was up ahead. A deep light or orange and red surrounded it, and Caesar guessed it to be a volcano.
He pulled a cloak with heat resistance out and equipped it. "Shall we?"

[ClaecElric4God]

/Eric/Zare/
Zare looked at Ash with sympathy.
"Sorry, man. I shouldn't be complaining. I've got it made compared to you. I guess I just got caught up in the memories. Really, it's not that bad. I'm sure she'll be fine. And...I hope things work out with you and your mom. I wish there was something I could do."
"Yeah, crying isn't very fun. I've never cried in front of anyone other than my mom, and I guarantee that'll never happen again. I could kick myself for how much I've hurt her."
Zare sat quietly, thinking for awhile.
"If it wasn't for my responsibility to take care of her, I don't imagine I'd be alive right now. Even now, I really don't know how I got through it."

/Karissa/Kenji/
Kenji surveyed the area, taking it all in. Maybe this hadn't been a great idea...But they were here, and he was determined to make the best of it.
"So what exactly is our objective?" He asked as he followed Caesar. "Or are we just here to see how long we can survive?"

[Wolfsong]

/Stephen/Ashimatya/
He shook his head. "We've both got it rough." After a second, he sighed. "Well, gotta return to my reality. Someone I love...gotta stay sane at least for their sake." He smield at Zare. "Let's meet up again tomorrow."

OOC-sorry gotta fly. I will do the rest later. Peace out!

[Oddood198]

Jean didn't give Pierce a reply, instead he and the rest of the team wordlessly marched down the stairs of the condemned hotel and out to the parking lot, where their vehicles were waiting. Jean, Claire, and Mitchell all got into the latter's car, Mitchell driving, Jean up front, and Claire making a brief complaint about having to share the back seat with the rocket launcher. Ana and Ben each mounted up on their own motorcycles, and soon the area was filled with the sound of engines revving to life.
Jean tapped a few times on the touch screen of the car's console, muttering something about "cars these days". He sent their location and route information to Ana and Ben's GPS', then sat back and waited through the ride. All three vehicles took a different route, splitting up immediately after leaving the parking lot. Their location was a good hour's drive away, so Jean crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and waited. After about five minutes, Claire reached up and started fiddling with the car console, and the radio started playing, blaringly loud at first, but quickly the volume lowered. Jean noted it was on a different station than Mitchell always had it on, but no one commented on it. Normally, Claire preferred the radio off, and Mitchell didn't let anyone else mess with it, having a 'my car, my radio' attitude, but now they were both breaking their normal patterns. They must be nervous.
The drive proceeded uneventfully for some time, they progressed through the city with minimal resistance from traffic, which was unusual, but not unpleasant. After what must have been about twenty minutes, Jean cracked an eye open, glancing up at the rearview mirror at Claire. He had to admit, he was a bit worried about her, out of the whole group, Claire was the youngest, and least experienced, but she was still plenty capable. Now, she looked scared, she kept fidgeting and glancing around out all the windows, she happened to meet Jean's eye in the mirror, and immediately sucked in a breath, trying to steady herself and appear more in control than she was, trying to put on a brave face. Poor thing. Jean was aware that Claire had a younger sister that she didn't get to see often, the image came unbidden of him at the door of Claire's house, delivering a somber message to her family... He pushed the thought out of his mind. No, none of them were dying this time.
Next, he looked at Mitchell, his oldest and most trusted comrade, the two of them had been partners for several years now, and they had both saved the other's hide on more than one occasion. Mitchell didn't have any immediate family, and Jean couldn't help but wonder who, outside of their team, would miss him if it came to the worst. Jean inwardly cursed his thoughts for always going to the most grim eventuality. They would all be fine, they were going to find Aeon, have a nice, calm firefight, and then this would all be over, or closer to it, at least.
Mitchell raised his arm and looked to the side, putting his face in his elbow, "Ah, ahh, achoo!!" He sneezed powerfully, and the hand he had on the wheel moved a bit, causing the car to swerve slightly.

CRAAASH!!

With a sound like the sky was falling, the front windshield was completely shattered. Shards of glass flew everywhere, and Jean, eyes now wide, looked back and saw a hole in the seat just an inch from Claire's head. Sniper! He thought, and before anyone else could react, Jean had reached across Mitchel, pulled the lever to open the door, and quite literally kicked him out. "Run for cover!" He shouted to Claire, who seemed to be stunned for a moment, then she snapped out of it, grabbed the rocket launcher, and jumped out of the still-moving car, rolling and tumbling in a very awkward and painful looking way upon hitting the ground.
Jean leapt out his own door, leaving the car to run forward, completely abandoned. He darted off the street and took cover behind a building. He looked across the street, and saw Mitchell helping Claire up, onto her feet, she was bleeding in several places, but seemed fine, and Mitchell looked none the worse for wear. By now, all the vehicle and foot traffic was either piling up or turning the other way, it seemed nobody wanted to be around three lunatics armed to the teeth jumping out of their moving car.
A sniper. Must be up on one of the rooftops... They were in a more crowded part of the city, now. Plenty of business and office buildings, all towering up high above them, the perfect playground for a sniper. This... Must be an ambush by Aeon. But if it's from him, then there wouldn't be just one... Jean whirled around and looked up, just managing to make out a gleam from a rifle barrel catching the sunlight. "They're everywhere, stay mobile!" He shouted to Mitchell and Claire, who wasted no time in taking his advice, the three all bolted forward, zigzagging randomly and trying to make themselves as difficult to target as possible. There were likely shooters all around, positioned to where there were so safe spots, so they had to keep moving. A bullet struck the concrete just behind Jean, and he cursed, the whole section of the city had now become a battlefield.



OOC: I'm still alive! And here's... something, as proof.

[Wolfsong]

OOC - soon to be dead, I fear...
Claec, this dungeon is being made up as we go along. So if you wanna throw in anything, feel completely free.

/Rowan/Caesar/
His answering smile was a little sardonic with a touch of amusement. "The goal is to see how far we can go. I don't know about you, but I'm not even level 50 yet." He laughed. "So we're totally out of our league here." He shook his head wryly, then drew his rapier. "First one to die has to pay to restock our supplies."

/Pierce/Arachni/
They were finally gone, every last one of them. Well, he wished them luck, but he had work to do. The first thing he did was scan the room for any weaknesses in the walls. They were stronger than he had first believed. Jean was also correct in that the door was the only way in, though he eyed the walls still with some apprehension. All in all, it seemed a defensible position. Unless the floor suddenly collapsed, then he'd be in a spot of bother, but until it did he should be alright.
He took the chair Jean had been using, leaning back. In his hands was his console. He fingered it, thinking, then shook his head. If they came, they came. He'd been gone too long.
--- --- ---
He glanced around in some surprise. Had he been in this field when he last logged out? Checking the log, he discovered someone had logged this character while he'd been busy. His eyes narrowed darkly; so someone was fooling with his account? Who and why?
He pondered this a while, then also noted no new messages in his inbox. This made him wonder, since he'd been out a while. Surely his royal pain had been on? Arachni checked the logs again, finding that yes, Hadrian was still logged on. He didn't bother checking the other, Hadrian would have everything under control. He would work out two accounts. But why hadn't he replied?
Arachni checked to make sure he'd actually sent the message and discovered one in there he hadn't written. He pulled it up quickly. In an instant, he knew who had logged his profile...and why. He went ahead and entered his other box to read the message Cherry had replied to. For a long while, he was very silent, thinking hard. Ke'Tala...
Quickly, he checked the time the emails had been sent. They had been a while ago, which meant whatever had happened had already happened. The log showed both Hadrian and Amber still in-game. Hadrian was still in Nescala. Amber was in...the Void? Hadrian took her there? Cheating snake. Ke'Tala, strong as she was, didn't stand a chance.
Arachni successfully created a portal and entered the Void. He glanced around distastefully, then began to cross the almost alien land. He wanted nothing more than to delete this bloated waste from Infinite, but that took control he'd yet to attain. So until then, he was forced to bite his lip and wait. He made as little noise as possible, not wanting to attract Hadrian's attention and be sucked into some twisted reality like so many. The dream, Hadrian's dream, you only slew yourself here.
Ke'Tala was difficult to find, as dark as her usual attire was. She blended in. However, the lingering traces of her angelic aura still clung, which aided in her discovery.
She raised her head weakly when she heard him coming. "Pierce?" she whispered.
"Arachni, Ke'Tala," he correctly curtly. She wilted under the frostiness of his voice. He looked so hard, so cold. She wanted almost to cry.
"Why did you come?" she asked quietly.
"Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing." He loomed over her almost menacingly. "Ke'Tala, why in the world did you hack my account? What are you even doing here?"